GLOBAL ANTI-SEMITISM Posted by Bryna Berch, December 31, 2003.

This is an article by Arnold Beichman that appeared in the Washington Times today. It makes the important point that Israel could kick out the quarter of a million Jews living in Biblical Israel but that won't bring peace, because the Palestinians want to destroy Israel, not make peace with her. Mr. Beichman is a Hoover Institution research fellow and a columnist for The Washington Times. I wonder why the thesis is rarely examined publicly that the Palestinians will never never never never never never never be allowed to make peace with Israel even if the Palestinians wanted to. Yasser Arafat, Hamas, Hezbollah and free-lance terrorists won't allow it to happen because they believe victory is at hand. The reason this thesis is not on anybody's public agenda is that were it considered a reality it would mean recognizing the futility of Oslo-Camp David-shuttle diplomacy. To operate from such an approach would mean accepting that peace and stability in the area is inconceivable. I believe that Israel could close down all the settlements, home to 220,000 Jews, in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and still the three-year Palestinian uprising would continue and intensify. Why? Because the PLO regards Israel as the Settlement, which has to be "relocated," as the PLO constitution has it, right into the Mediterranean Sea. And the PLO's dedication to terrorism is fully supported by its neighbors. Their revolting propaganda, directed at their Arab citizenry and future generations of suicide bombers, underscores that belief. I have seen translations of schoolbooks used by Egyptian, Syrian and Palestinian students. The books are anti-Semitic, anti-Israeli tracts. I have just seen on Syrian TV a horrible movie showing Arab actors costumed as bearded, nightmarish rabbis wielding butcher knives as they slash the throat of a Syrian Christian boy lashed on a gurney in order to drench matzoh flour in Christian blood. In other words, upcoming generations are being trained as future guerrilla warriors against Israel. I have seen translations of Friday mosque sermons that could easily compete with the worst obscenities of Julius Streicher's Nazi newspaper, Der Steurmer. The latest piece of evidence of the unwillingness of the Palestinians to consider a peaceful settlement with Israel is what happened a few days ago to Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher when he came to pray at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque. He was pelted with the shoes of his co-religionists and had to be dragged out by his bodyguards and hospitalized. His crime? At Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's direction Mr. Maher had met with senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, to see if the so-called peace process could be revivified. The attack was a warning to Mr. Maher: shoes today, bullets next time. It was a reminder of the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat after he signed an accord with Israel in 1979. The PLO will not allow the intifada, which began in October 2000, to end. Oh yes, I forgot to mention: Mr. Arafat criticized the shoe-pelters. Why should the Palestinians give up hope and make peace where anti-Semitism has seen its biggest growth since the Hitler era, not just among skinheads but also among "the best people?" I'm thinking of those who use Israel as their cover for anti-Semitism, as the French ambassador to Britain did a few weeks ago. Why should the Palestinians give up hope when Matahir Mohammed at an international conference talks about Jewish control of the world and there is applause? Or when the best-selling book in Egypt is the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion," a century-old forgery created in the tsarist era by the Russian gendarmerie? The real problem for Israel is not that the Palestinians will not or cannot make peace with Israel but that a world of otherwise intelligent, literate people will not make peace with an entity called "the Jews." Anti-Semitism is now globalized as it never has before in modern history and it has its effects. My granddaughter, Abbie, who has become a devout orthodox Jew (she's a grad student at Berkeley) plans a trip to Paris in the Spring. I have advised her not to wear her Star of David necklace - in Paris 2004. Why take chances? If there were no globalized Judeophobia an Israeli-Palestinian armistice could be achieved, but this epidemic is spreading just at a time when even the century-old conflict between India and Pakistan, yesterday considered unresolvable, seems to be drawing to a close. Will there never be peace between Jews and the rest of the world? It cannot be the mere existence of Israel, which is responsible for the globalization of anti-semitism. After all, Auschwitz and the other death camp furnaces were operating at full blast when there was no Israel. Hitler wrote "Mein Kampf" when Zionism was an insignificant credo. The Iron Guard flourished in Romania and similar groups flourished in Hungary, Austria and especially Poland well before 1933, the year of Hitler's triumph. It was a lot easier to catch Saddam Hussein than it will be to fashion an Israeli-PLO armistice. Saddam's trial, which will last over many years, will arrive at a final verdict but the war against Israel's existence will go on and on and on.

2003 - A YEAR TO REMEMBER Posted by Tamar Rush, December 31, 2003.

2003 will be remembered as the year that the Likud party in Israel adopted the "Unilateral disengagement - Gaza first" plan that had been the Labour party platform in the last elections. Though rejected by the Israeli public, the plan has now become "our only hope for peace" according to the Israeli Government of Ariel Sharon. Ultra-Leftist serial-loser Yossi Beilin, and a coalition of defeatists, anti-Zionists, and ex-communists have come up with another "only hope for peace" plan - this one with the sober-sounding title of the "Geneva Accords". Both plans offer the Palestinian terror-meisters instant Statehood, unconditionally, and in the case of the "Geneva Double-cross", er, I mean "Accords", foreign troops will be deployed to defend the PLO state from the neighbourhood bully that is Eretz Israel. President Bush has promised an International Conference: Convened by "The Quartet", in consultation with the parties, at beginning of 2004 to endorse agreement reached on an independent Palestinian state with provisional borders and formally to launch a process with the active, sustained, and operational support of the Quartet, leading to a final, permanent status resolution in 2005, including on borders, Jerusalem, refugees, settlements; and, to support progress toward a comprehensive Middle East settlement between Israel and Lebanon and Israel and Syria, to be achieved as soon as possible. [The "Road Map"] To that end, the White-house and State Dept. have welcomed the Geneva Travesty, and are open to any other non-democratic proposal for establishing an official "Terror State" 8 miles from my front door. On this New Year's Eve, we should look back on the past 12 months and try to understand what the PLO-PA and their supporters have done to demonstrate their commitment to a peaceful resolution of the "Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. "Give 'em a State" indeed! Jan 2, 2003 - The charred body of Massoud Makhluf Alon, 72, from Menahemiya in the Lower Galilee, was found in the northern Jordan Valley in his burned out car. The Fatah Al-Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility for the murder. Jan 5, 2003 - Twenty-three people - 15 Israelis and 8 foreign nationals - were killed and about 120 wounded in a double suicide bombing near the old Central Bus Station in Tel-Aviv. The attack was apparently carried out by two members of the Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, with the help of the Islamic Jihad. The Israeli victims: Moshe (Maurice) Aharfi, 60, of Tel-Aviv; Mordechai Evioni, 52, of Holon; Andrei Friedman, 30, of Tel-Aviv; Meir Haim, 74, of Azor; Hannah Haimov, 53, of Tel Aviv; Avi Kotzer, 43, of Bat Yam; Ramin Nasibov, 25, of Tel-Aviv; Staff Sgt. Mazal Orkobi, 20, of Azor; Ilanit Peled, 32, of Azor; Viktor Shebayev, 62, of Holon; Boris Tepalshvili, 51, of Yehud; Sapira Shoshana Yulzari-Yaffe, 46, of Bat Yam; Lilya Zibstein, 33, of Haifa; Amiram Zmora, 55, of Holon; Igor Zobokov, 32, of Bt Yam. Foreign workers: Krassimir Mitkov Angelov, 32, of Bulgaria; Steven Arthur Cromwell, 43, of Ghana; Ivan Gaptoniak, 46, of Ukraine; Ion (Nelu) Nicolae, 34, of Romania; Guo Aiping, 47, of China; Li Peizhong, 41, of China; Mihai Sabau, 38, of Romania. Zhang Minmin, 50, of China died of her wounds on January 13. Jan 12, 2003 - Eli Biton, 48, of Moshav Gadish was killed and four people wounded when terrorists infiltrated the community and opened fire. Two terrorists were killed by Israeli forces. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. Jan 12, 2003 - Cpl.(res.) Mikhail Kazakov, 34, of Jerusalem was killed by terrorists who infiltrated across the Israel-Egypt border, near the Negev town of Nitzana. Jan 17, 2003 - Netanel Ozeri, 34, was killed when terrorists entered his home, in an outpost north of Kiryat Arba, and opened fire. His 5-year-old daughter and two friends were wounded. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. Jan 23, 2003 - Cpl. Ronald Berer, 20, of Rehovot; Cpl. Assaf Bitan, 19, of Afula; and St.-Sgt. Ya'akov Naim, 20, of Kfar Monash were killed by terrorists while on patrol south of Hebron. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. Feb 6, 2003 - 2nd Lt. Amir Ben-Aryeh, 21, of Maccabim, and St.-Sgt. Idan Suzin, 20, of Kiryat Tivon were killed and two more soldiers were wounded in a shooting attack in the area of Nablus. Both gunmen were killed by return fire from IDF troops. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Fatah-Tanzim claimed responsibility for the attack. Feb 11, 2003 - Maj. Shahar Shmul, 24, of Jerusalem was killed by a Palestinian sniper near the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem while checking a suspicious vehicle. The PFLP and the Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. Feb 15, 2003 - Cpl. Noam Bahagon, 20, of Elkana; Sgt. Tal Alexei Belitzky, 21, of Rishon Lezion; St.-Sgt. Doron Cohen, 21, of Rishon Lezion; and Sgt. Itay Mizrahi, 20, of Be'er Sheva were killed when their tank drove over an explosive device weighing 100 kgs while on patrol in the Gaza Strip. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. Feb 23, 2003 - Sgt. Doron Lev, 19, of Holon was shot and killed when a Palestinian sniper opened fire at an army position in the southern Gaza Strip. The PFLP claimed responsibility for the attack. Mar 5, 2003 - Seventeen people were killed and 53 wounded in a suicide bombing of an Egged bus #37 on Moriah Blvd. in the Carmel section of Haifa, en route to Haifa University. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. The victims: Maryam Atar, 27, of Haifa; Smadar Firstater, 16, of Haifa; Kamar Abu Hamed, 12, of Daliat al-Carmel; Daniel Haroush, 16, of Safed; Mordechai Hershko, 41, of Haifa; Tom Hershko, 15, of Haifa; Meital Katav, 20, of Haifa ; Elizabeta Katzman, 16, of Haifa; Tal Kerman, 17, of Haifa; St.-Sgt. Eliyahu Laham, 22, of Haifa; Abigail Litle, 14, of Haifa; Yuval Mendelevitch, 13, of Haifa; St.-Sgt. Be'eri Oved, 21, of Rosh Pina; Mark Takash, 54, of Haifa; Assaf Tzur (Zolinger), 17, of Haifa. Anatoly Biryakov, 20, of Haifa, died of his injuries on March 8. Moran Shushan, 20, of Haifa, died of her injuries on March 11. Mar 7, 2003 - Rabbi Eli Horowitz, 52, and his wife Dina, 50, of Kiryat Arba, were killed and five wounded Friday night by armed terrorists disguised as Jewish worshippers who infiltrated Kiryat Arba, entered their home and murdered them while they were celebrating the Sabbath. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. Mar 10, 2003 - St.-Sgt. Tomer Ron, 20, of Moshav Moledet, was killed and four soldiers were wounded - one seriously - in Hebron, on the road between the Cave of the Patriarchs and Kiryat Arba, when Palestinian terrorists opened fire on a foot patrol. Two organizations - Hamas and Ahmed Jibril's Popular Front-General Command - claimed responsibility for the attack. Mar 12, 2003 - St.-Sgt. Assaf Moshe Fuchs, 21, of Kibbutz Gvat was killed and another soldier wounded Wednesday morning in an exchange of fire with wanted terrorists from the Islamic Jihad in the West Bank village of Saida, near Tulkarm. Mar 18, 2003 - Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Ami Cohen, 27, of Netanya was killed and another soldier wounded south of Bethlehem when Palestinians opened fire during a search for wanted terrorists. Mar 19, 2003 - Zion Boshirian, 51, of Mevo Dotan was shot and killed while driving in his car between Mevo Dotan and Shaked in northern Samaria. The Fatah al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack. Apr 10, 2003 - St.-Sgt. Yigal Lifshitz, 20, of Rishon Lezion, and St.-Sgt. Ofer Sharabi, 21, of Givat Shmuel were killed and nine others wounded when Palestinian terrorists opened fire before dawn on their base near Bekaot in the northern Jordan Valley. The PFLP and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack. Apr 15, 2003 - Lt. Daniel Mandel, 24, of Alon Shvut was killed and another soldier was wounded in an exchange of gunfire during a search for wanted Hamas terrorists in Nablus. Apr 15, 2003 - Zachar Rahamin Hanukayev, 39, of Sderot and Ahmed Salah Kara, 20, of Shuafat in northern Jerusalem were killed and four Israelis were wounded when a Palestinian terrorist opened fire at the Karni industrial zone crossing in the Gaza Strip. The gunman was killed by security personnel. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. Apr 20, 2003 - IDF photographer Cpl. Lior Ziv, 19, of Holon, was killed and three other soldiers were wounded during an operation to destroy a Hamas smuggling tunnel in Rafah, in the Gaza Strip. Apr 24, 2003 - Alexander Kostyuk, a 23-year-old security guard from Bat Yam, was killed and 13 were wounded, two seriously, in a suicide bombing outside the train station in Kfar Sava. Groups related to the Fatah al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and the PFLP clamied joint responsibility for the attack. Apr 30, 2003 - Ran Baron, 23, of Tel Aviv, Dominique Caroline Hass, 29, of Tel Aviv, and Yanai Weiss, 46, of Holon, were murdered and about 60 people were wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a beachfront pub, "Mike's Place," in Tel Aviv. The Fatah Tanzim and Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, carried out as a joint operation. May 5, 2003 - Gideon Lichterman, 27, of Ahiya, was killed and two other passengers, his six-year-old daughter Moriah and a reserve soldier, were seriously wounded when terrorists fired shots at their vehicle near Shvut Rachel, in Samaria. The Fatah al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack. May 11, 2003 - Zion David, 53, of Givat Ze'ev near Jerusalem, was shot in the head and killed by Palestinian terrorists in a roadside ambush half a kilometer from Ofra, north of Jerusalem. Both Fatah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for the attack. May 17, 2003 - Gadi Levy and his wife Dina, aged 31 and 37, of Kiryat Arba were killed by a suicide bomber in Hebron. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. May 18, 2003 - Seven people were killed and 20 wounded in a suicide bombing on Egged bus no. 6 near French Hill in Jerusalem. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. The victims: Olga Brenner, 52; Yitzhak Moyal, 64; Nelly Perov, 55; Marina Tsahivershvili, 44; Shimon Ustinsky, 68; and Roni Yisraeli, 34 - all of the Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood in Jerusalem; and Ghalab Tawil, 42, of Shuafat. A second suicide bomber detonated his bomb when intercepted by police in northern Jerusalem. The terrorist was killed; no one else was injured. May 19, 2003 - Kiryl Shremko, 22, of Afula; Hassan Ismail Tawatha, 41, of Jisr a-Zarqa; and Avi Zerihan, 36, of Beit Shean were killed and about 70 people were wounded in a suicide bombing at the entrance to the Amakim Mall in Afula. The Islamic Jihad and the Fatah al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades both claimed responsibility for the attack. June 5, 2003 - The bodies of David Shambik, 26, and Moran Menachem, 17, both of Jerusalem, were found near Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital in Jerusalem, brutally beaten and stabbed to death. June 8, 2003 - Sgt. Maj. (Res.) Assaf Abergil, 23, of Eilat; Sgt. Maj. (Res.) Udi Eilat, 38, of Eilat; Sgt. Maj. Boaz Emete, 24, of Beit She'an; and Sgt. Maj. (Res.) Chen Engel, 32, of Ramat Gan were killed and four reserve soldiers were wounded when Palestinian terrorists wearing IDF uniforms opened fire on an IDF outpost near the Erez checkpoint and industrial zone in the Gaza Strip. Three terrorists were killed by IDF soldiers. The Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad issued a joint statement claiming responsibility for the attack. June 8, 2003 - St.-Sgt. Matan Gadri, 21, of Moshav Moledet was killed in Hebron while pursuing two Palestinian gunmen who earlier had wounded a Border Policeman on guard at the Tomb of the Patriarchs. The two terrorists were killed. June 11, 2003 - Seventeen people were killed and over 100 wounded in a suicide bombing on Egged bus #14A outside the Klal building on Jaffa Road in the center of Jerusalem. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. The victims: Sgt. Tamar Ben-Eliahu, 20, of Moshav Paran; Alan Beer, 47, of Jerusalem; Eugenia Berman, 50, of Jerusalem; Elsa Cohen, 70, of Jerusalem; Zvi Cohen, 39, of Jerusalem; Roi Eliraz, 22, of Mevaseret Zion; Alexander Kazaris, 77, of Jerusalem; Yaffa Mualem, 65, of Jerusalem; Yaniv Obayed, 22, of Herzliya; >Bat-El Ohana, 21, of Kiryat Ata; Anna Orgal, 55, of Jerusalem; Zippora Pesahovitch;, 54, of Zur Hadassah; Bianca Shahrur, 62, of Jerusalem; Malka Sultan, 67, of Jerusalem; Bertine Tita, 75, of Jerusalem. Miriam Levy, 74, of Jerusalem died of her wounds on June 12. The 17th victim, male, who has not yet been positively identified, is believed to be a foreign worker from Eritrea. June 12, 2003 - Avner Maimon, 51, of Netanya, was found shot to death in his car near Yabed in northern Samaria. The Fatah al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack. June 13, 2003 - St.-Sgt. Mordechai Sayada, 22, of Tirat Carmel, was shot to death in Jenin by a Palestinian sniper as his jeep patrol passed by. The Fatah al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack. June 17, 2003 - Noam Leibowitz, 7, of Yemin Orde was killed and three members of her family wounded in a shooting attack near the Kibbutz Eyal junction on the Trans-Israel Highway. The terrorist fired from the outskirts of the West Bank city of Kalkilya. The Fatah al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command claimed responsibility for the attack. June 19, 2003 - Avner Mordechai, 58, of Moshav Sde Trumot, was killed when a suicide bomber blew up in his grocery on Sde Trumot, south of Beit Shean. The suicide bomber was killed. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. June 20, 2003 - Zvi Goldstein, 47, of Eli, was killed when his car was fired upon in an ambush by Palestinian terrorists near Ofra, north of Ramallah. His parents, Eugene and Lorraine Goldstein, from New York, were seriously wounded and his wife lightly injured. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. June 26, 2003 - Amos (Amit) Mantin, 31, of Hadera, a Bezeq employee, was killed in a shooting attack in the Israeli Arab town of Baka al-Garbiyeh. The shots were fired by a Palestinian teenager, who was apprehended by police. The Fatah al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack. June 27, 2003 - Sgt. Maj. Erez Ashkenazi, 21, of Kibbutz Reshafim, an Israeli navy commando, was killed in an operation in Gaza to capture a Hamas cell, believed responsible for several bombings and the firing of anti-tank missiles in the Netzarim area. June 30, 2003 - Krastyu Radkov, 46, a construction worker from Bulgaria, was killed in a shooting attack on the Yabed bypass road in northern Samaria, west of Jenin, while driving a truck. The Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack, in opposition to the declared ceasefire. July 7, 2003 - Mazal Afari, 65, of Moshav Kfar Yavetz was killed in her home on Monday evening and three of her grandchildren lightly wounded in a terrorist suicide bombing. The remains of the bomber were also found in the wreckage of the house. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. July 15, 2003 - Amir Simhon, 24, of Bat Yam was killed when a Palestinian armed with a long-bladed knife stabbed passersby on Tel Aviv's beachfront promenade, after a security guard prevented him from entering the Tarabin cafe and was wounded. The terrorist, who was shot and apprehended, is a member of the Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. July 21, 2003 - The body of IDF soldier Cpl. Oleg Shaichat, 20, of Upper Nazareth, abducted and murdered on July 21 while on his way home, was found on July 28, buried in an olive grove near Kafr Kana, an Arab village in the Lower Galilee. Aug 8, 2003 - Third Petty Officer Roi Oren, 20, an Israel Navy commando, was shot in the head and killed in an assault on a Hamas bomb factory in Nablus. Aug 10, 2003 - Haviv Dadon, 16, of Shlomi, was struck in the chest and killed by shrapnel from an anti-aircraft shell fired by Hizbullah terrorists in Lebanon, as he sat with friends after work. Four others were wounded. Aug 12, 2003 - Yehezkel (Hezi) Yekutieli, 43, of Rosh Ha'ayin, was murdered by a teenaged Palestinian suicide bomber who detonated himself as Yekutieli was shopping for his children's breakfast at his local supermarket. Aug 12, 2003 - Erez Hershkovitz, 18, of Eilon Moreh, was murdered by a teenaged Palestinian suicide bomber who detonated himself at a bus stop outside Ariel less than half an hour after the Rosh Ha'ayin attack. Amatzia Nisanevitch, 22, of Nofim, died of his wounds on August 28. Aug 19, 2003 - Twenty-three people were murdered and 134 wounded when a Palestinian suicide bomber detonated himself on a No. 2 Egged bus in Jerusalem's Shmuel Hanavi neighborhood. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. The victims: Avraham Bar-Or, 12, of Jerusalem; Binyamin Bergman, 15, of Jerusalem; Yaakov Binder, 50, of Jerusalem; Feiga Dushinski, 50, of Jerusalem; Miriam Eisenstein, 20, of Bnei Brak; Lilach Kardi, 22, of Jerusalem; Menachem Leibel, 24, of Jerusalem; Elisheva Meshulami, 16, of Bnei Brak; Tehilla Nathanson, 3, of Zichron Ya'acov; Chava Nechama Rechnitzer, 19, of Bnei Brak; Mordechai Reinitz, 49, and Issachar Reinitz, 9, of Netanya; Maria Antonia Reslas, 39, of the Philippines; Liba Schwartz, 54, of Jerusalem; Hanoch Segal, 65, of Bnei Brak; Goldie Taubenfeld, 43, and Shmuel Taubenfeld, 3 months, of New Square, New York; Rabbi Eliezer Weisfish, 42, of Jerusalem; Shmuel Wilner, 50, of Jerusalem; Shmuel Zargari, 11 months, of Jerusalem. Fruma Rahel Weitz, 73, of Jerusalem died of her wounds on August 23; Mordechai Laufer, 27, died of his on September 5; and Tova Lev, 37, died on September 12. Aug 29, 2003 - Shalom Har-Melekh, 25, of Homesh was killed in a shooting attack while driving northeast of Ramallah. His wife, Limor, who was seven months pregnant, sustained moderate injuries, and gave birth to a baby girl by Caesarean section. The Fatah al-Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack. Sept 4, 2003 - St.-Sgt. Gabriel Uziel, 20, of Givat Ze'ev was shot and mortally wounded by a terrorist sniper in Jenin; he died en route to the hospital. The Fatah al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and the Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. Sept 5, 2003 - 2nd Petty Officer Ra'anan Komemi, 23, of Moshav Aminadav, from the Naval Commandos was killed in a clash with armed Palestinians in Nablus. A senior Hamas bomb-maker, believed to have orchestrated several fatal suicide bombings, was also killed in the clash. Four soldiers were wounded, one seriously. Sept 9, 2003 - Eight IDF soldiers were killed and 32 people were wounded in a suicide bombing at a hitchhiking post for soldiers outside a main entrance to the Tzrifin army base and Assaf Harofeh Hospital. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. The victims: Senior Warrant Officer Haim Alfasi, 39, of Haifa; Chief Warrant Officer Yaakov Ben-Shabbat, 39, of Pardes Hanna; Cpl. Mazi Grego, 19, of Holon; Capt. Yael Kfir, 21, of Ashkelon; Cpl. Felix Nikolaichuk, 20, of Bat Yam; Sgt. Yonatan Peleg, 19, of Moshav Yanuv; Sgt. Efrat Schwartzman, 19, of Moshav Ganei Yehuda; and Cpl. Prosper Twito, 20, of Upper Nazareth. Sept 9, 2003 - Seven people were killed and over 50 wounded when a suicide bomber at Cafe Hillel on Emek Refaim St., the main thoroughfare of the German Colony neighborhood in Jerusalem. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. The victims: Dr. David Appelbaum, 51, and his daughter Nava Appelbaum, 20, of Jerusalem; David Shimon Avizadris, 51, of Mevaseret Zion; Shafik Kerem, 27, of Beit Hanina; Alon Mizrahi, 22, of Jerusalem; Gila Moshe, 40, of Jerusalem; and Yehiel (Emil) Tubol, 52, of Jerusalem. Sept 25, 2003 - St.-Sgt. Avihu Keinan, 22, of Shilo was killed and six soldiers wounded in an IDF operation to arrest wanted Islamic Jihad and Hamas terrorists in the El Boureij refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip. Sept 26, 2003 - Eyal Yeberbaum, 27, and seven-month-old Shaked Avraham, both of Negohot, south of Hebron, were killed during the holiday meal on the eve of Rosh Hashana in the Yeberbaum home when a Palestinian terrorist who infiltrated the settlement opened fire with an M-16 assault rifle. The terrorist was killed by IDF forces. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. Oct 4, 2003 - Twenty-one people were killed, including four children, and 58 wounded in a suicide bombing carried out by a female terrorist from Jenin in the Maxim restaurant in Haifa. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. The victims: Admiral (res.) Ze'ev Almog, 71, of Haifa, and his wife Ruth Almog, 70; their son Moshe Almog, 43, and grandsons Tomer Almog, 9, and Assaf Staier, 11, all of Haifa; Zvi Bahat, 35, of Haifa; Mark Biano, 29, of Haifa, and his wife Naomi Biano, 25; Hana Francis, 39, of Fassouta; Mutanus Karkabi, 31, of Haifa; Sharbal Matar, 23, of Fassouta; Osama Najar, 28, of Haifa, cook; Nir Regev, 25, of Nahariya; Irena Sofrin, 38, of Kiryat Bialik; Bruria Zer-Aviv, 59, her son Bezalel Zer-Aviv, 30, and his wife Keren Zer-Aviv, 29, with their children Liran, 4, and Noya, 1, all of Kibbutz Yagur. Lydia Zilberstein, 58, died on October 10 and George Matar, 57, died October 15. Oct 15, 2003 - Three American diplomatic personnel - John Eric Branchizio, 37, of Texas, John Martin Linde, Jr., 30, of Missouri, and Mark T. Parson, 31, of New York, were killed and one was wounded at the Beit Hanoun junction in the Gaza Strip when a massive bomb demolished an armor-plated jeep in a convoy carrying U.S. diplomats. Oct 19, 2003 - St.-Sgt. Erez Idan, 19, of Rishon Lezion, Sgt. Elad Pollack, 19, of Kiryat Motzkin, and Sgt. Roi Ya'acov Solomon, 21, of Tel Aviv, were killed and another soldier was seriously wounded while on patrol in Ein Yabrud, north of Ramallah, when terrorists fired on them from behind. The Fatah al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack. Oct 24, 2003 - Three IDF soldiers - St.-Sgt. Alon Avrahami, 21, of Or Yehuda, Sgt. Adi Osman, 19, of Kfar Sava, and Sgt. Sarit Schneor-Senior, 19, of Shoham - were killed and two others wounded when a Palestinian terrorist infiltrated the army base in the Gaza Strip settlement of Netzarim and opened fire on the soldiers' barracks. Hamas and the Islamic Jihad claimed joint responsibility for the attack. Nov 18, 2003 - Two IDF soldiers, Sgt.-Maj. Shlomi Belsky, 23, of Haifa, and St.-Sgt. Shaul Lahav, 20, of Kibbutz Shomrat, were killed by a Palestinian terrorist who opened fire with an AK-47 assault rifle, hidden in a prayer rug, at a checkpoint on the tunnel bypass road, linking Jerusalem and the Gush Etzion bloc. The Fatah al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack. Nov 19, 2003 - Patricia Ter'n Navarrete, 33, of Ecuador was killed and four other tourists, pilgrims from Ecuador, were wounded when a terrorist entered the Israel-Jordan border crossing terminal north of Eilat from the Jordanian side and opened fire. The terrorist was killed by Israeli security guards. Nov 22, 2003 - Two Israeli security guards, Ilya Reiger, 58, of Jerusalem, and Samer Fathi Afan, 25, of the Bedouin village Uzeir near Nazareth, were shot dead at a construction site along the route of the security fence near Abu Dis in East Jerusalem. The Jenin Martyrs' Brigades, affiliated with Fatah, claimed responsibility for the attack. December 25, 2003 - A suicide bomber killed four people and wounded more than 20 in an explosion near a bus stop at Geha Junction in Petah Tikvah, a suburb of Tel Aviv. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility. For a list of Palestinian fatal Terror-attacks against Israelis go to; http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Terrorism/victims.html Palestinian Arab Violations of President Bush's "Road Map" Plan A Survey of Week #34: December 16, 2003 - December 22, 2003. This is crossposted on IsraPundit.

WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE Posted by Ted Belman, December 31, 2003.

The debate on this one is all over the block. Did the IDF violate the rules of engagement? Are there different rules for dealing with protests by Arabs and by Jews? The rules should be changed to make sure it doesn't happen again, but are they looking for rules that make sure such protests don't happen again or that such protestors aren't shot? What is acceptable protest? What should be done to prevent unacceptable protest? Etc, etc. I detect a tendency on the part of the Israelis, to apologize or feel guilty or to worry about international reaction. What I don't see enough of is confidence in the Israeli cause or methods. Israel is easy pickings. And the Left and the Arabs know it. Throughout the last few years, the world has done everything it can to tie Israel's hands. "There is no military solution.". "Exercise restraint." "Don't use excessive force." "Don't act unilaterally." "Don't prejudge the outcome by putting facts on the ground." "Don't do a land grab." "Don't build the fence." "Don't set up blockades or restrict Palestinians." "Stop targeted killings." Ad nauseum. It is one thing for the Left to buy into these restrictions. It's another thing for the Right to do so. What is happening here is an attempt to prevent Israel from using its military strength to get a better result in the final settlement. Mind you, the Arabs are allowed to do everything in their power to get a better result, such as incitement, terror, propaganda, anti-Semitism, UN resolutions etc. If that weren't enough, the Roadmap that was dreamed up by the Quartet with the Saudi's approval, further favours the Arabs with a better result then they could achieve with negotiations. It mandates that there should be a Palestinian state, that it should be "viable" and that it should be "contiguous." Whereas Res. 242 mandates "secure and recognized borders," the Roadmap has finessed this requirement into an Israeli entitlement to "peace and security." So security must come from peace rather than from secure borders. Nowhere does one hear anything about Israel's rights to any part of Yesha. There are none, so they say. We are expected to give back all the land and are told that security will come from peace. Israel must choose between dancing this tune and marching to its own drummer. This is the context in which the debate above mentioned must be resolved. Imagine, if you will, a major assault upon the fence by 10,000 unarmed protestors over a distance of 100 miles with the intent of destroying the fence. What should the rules of engagement say then? For Israel to allow the fence to be destroyed would be a major setback both militarily and psychologically. So the fence is our line of defence. It must be protected at all costs, even if it means killing such saboteurs. Let's not dignify them by calling them "protesters." People who violate military curfews are often shot. People who violate orders to stop at barricades are shot. Boats that come too close to warships are blown out of the water. Planes that violate orders can be shot down even if they contain innocent passengers. There is no shortage of precedents. And people, whether Arab or Israeli, who enter restricted military zones, such as exist along the fence, should be shot. The rules of engagement should provide for it. Such rules are already in place along the Gaza fence where Arabs, whether terrorists or labourers, have been shot attempting to cross the fence. The rationale for doing this should not be limited to whether one's life is in danger. To expect Israel to have thousands of troops along the fence, prepared to do battle with the saboteurs for a number of days running without the use of lethal force, is to put Israel at an untenable disadvantage. Israel must play by its own rules and the rules must be drawn up to ensure Israel comes out the winner. Whether the Left likes it or not, winning is everything. There is no duty to compromise. Whether in defense of one's life or one's country, killing is acceptable. Values such as "thou shalt not kill" or any other value that the Left wants to hold over Israel, give way to her duty to survive. The Left argues that Israel is losing her soul to save her body. Quite the contrary. Only if Israel fights to save her body will she save her soul. Her "soul", should one worry about it, should include such values as pride, love of self, self respect, honour, patriotism, courage and the like. If Israel is not for herself, then she has lost her soul. Ted Belman is co-publisher of IsraPundit (http://israpundit.com), which is "dedicated to pro-Israel advocacy through the presentation of news and views." This article is archived at http://israpundit.com/archives/004049.html#more

U.S. STILL DESTROYING ISRAELI DEFENSE INDUSTRY Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 31, 2003.

Just as the US got Israel to abandon its superior Lavi fighter plane, now it is getting Israel to abandon its superior Merkava tank. The US motive is both mercenary and anti-Zionist. A strong Israeli military industry competes with the American one and helps shore up the Jewish state financially and militarily. The Lavi jet combined excellent ground support and air superiority. It is the type of plane that meets Israeli needs as does no other plane. Former Sec. of Defense Weinberger had pressured Israel to cancel production of that plane (and to cancel some naval projects) in favor of US-made F-16s. The F-16 is not designed for close ground support. The Lavi (which had development cost overruns) would have cost $17 million each, including spare parts, or half what other countries charge for their planes. The Lavi was lighter and faster than the F-16, showed up less on radar, carried heavier armaments, and was a good training vehicle. Congress had helped finance the Lavi, because hundreds of Americans would have been employed making parts for it. PM Rabin, however, slighted a warming Congressional relationship by getting his Cabinet to drop the Lavi. Israel lost many jobs as a result. Now the Merkava tank, in which Israel has invested $6.5 billion, is to be sacrificed for lighter US tanks. The US needs light tanks, transportable by air; Israel does not. Israel's enemies present themselves at the border. The heavy Merkava is designed to meet and thwart them. It affords better protection from small-arms attack, roadside bombs, and shoulder-fired missiles, can transport troops, and has better offensive capabilities. It costs half as much as the main US tank, that is not designed for desert warfare. The US Abrams tank breaks down in the sand. Incidentally, the US does not make Abrams tanks any more. It proposes to sell Israel used ones. How Israel would replace them, and why it should become dependent upon a foreign (and capricious) foreign supplier for spare parts, is not sensible. During several war games, the Merkava one-sidedly beat the US tank. News of US tank inferiority would have embarrassed the US, so it was suppressed. Due, again, to an underhanded scheme of Sec. Weinberger, Egypt manufactures the Abrams tank. Israeli generals want the Merkava, to keep their qualitative edge against Egypt, armed with US weaponry. Merkava sales abroad earn hundreds of millions of dollars. By abandoning that tank, "Israel will lose its status as one of the leaders of the world in tank technology and will, therefore, lose projects of co-development and co-production of armored systems with other nations." (Winston Mid East Analysis, 12/16, e-mail, with last quotation from Brig. Gen. (Res.) Ze'ev Bar-Gil.) The Merkava tank is worth about as much as the total US military aid to Israel. If Israel has to sacrifice something, let it be US military aid! Israel must not let its ordnance become dependent upon the US, which in the past has threatened to withhold it unless Israel gave in to the Arabs.

SCAPEGOATING THE "SETTLERS" Posted by Women In Green, December 31, 2003.

This was written by Shalom Freedman. There were no settlers in Judea and Samaria and Gaza in 1967. There were none in 1956. Those Jews who lived there in 1947 and 1948, and were murdered or driven out by the Arabs, were not called "settlers", but rather Jews of Palestine living in Eretz Yisrael. Yet, even without the settlers, the Arabs tried to destroy the Jewish presence in the Holy Land, managed to kill Jews in whatever cruel ways they could. This is also true in the 1920s and 1930s. It did not take 'settlers to create a quarrel' between the Jews and their Arab neighbors. And it did not take settlers to induce the Arabs to try to make all of Israel/Palestine Judenrein. The settlers are not now, and have never been the real cause of Arab hostility to Israel, unless, that is, you regard every Jew in the Holy Land as a settler. In that case, it really is the settlers with whom the Arabs are not willing to live in peace, at all. Despite this, the world media, under Arab propaganda instruction, see the settlers as the main obstacle to peace. And this despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of them live on land that no Arab lived on. In fact, many of those very left-wing Jews who also "blame the settlers" do live on properties that Arabs once lived on; while the settlers live on state lands, which were never settled before. Arab hatred of the settlers comes, I suspect, in part because they understand that the settlers share a certain value with them. The settlers value 'the land' and the Arabs value land above all. The settlers are their rivals in a way that Jews content to dwell in high-rises in the cities are not. The Arabs hate the settlers, because they consider them their real rivals in claims of possession of state lands, which no one really owns. The scapegoating of the settlers is also the means by which the Israeli Left makes the conflict a 'rational' and 'solvable' one. In order to be balanced, in order to give justification to their vision of peace, the Israeli Left must find the Jewish bad-guys. The settlers are given this role. The Israeli Left, because of this vision of 'balancing it out', has made terrible mistakes of judgment, which have caused Israel many lives. The Left does not understand that the heart of the conflict has nothing whatever to do with the settlers, but has everything to do with the right of Jews to have a state of their own in the holy land. The world too, in order to be fair, has to find a Jewish source of evil to balance against Arab evil, such as Palestinian suicide bombers. The settlers play that role. The absurdity of comparing people whose major crime is living in their ancestral homeland with terrorists, who deliberately kill Jews wherever they can, does not seem to deter Middle East pundits. They know if the settlers would only go away, real peace would be established. The truth is that it is not because there are too many 'settlers', but because the Jewish people failed to bring another two million people into Judea and Samaria, we continue to hear demands to make these parts of the ancestral Jewish homeland free of a Jewish presence. The great shame and error is not that there are too many settlers, but that there are too few Jews in those parts of the land of Israel that are closest to us historically and religiously. Women in Green is an activist group of Jewish women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org

WHY ARE WE STILL THERE? Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, December 31, 2003.

I'm forwarding this. It was send to Ellen by a friend. It is time to take a serious look at our involvement there. Every day there are news reports about more deaths. Every night on the TV are photos of death and destruction. Why are we still there? The land is too large to secure all of it. The bad people causing this damage can roam anywhere, and we can't possibly police the whole place. Why are we still there? We occupied this land, which we had to take by force, but it causes us nothing but trouble. Why are we still there? Their government is unstable, and in the process of changing. Why are we still there? Refugees are fleeing by the thousands, driven from their homes. Why are we still there? It will cost billions to rebuild, which we can't afford. Why are we still there? There are more than 1000 religious sects. We can't even secure the borders. Why are we still there? And to repeat. Every day we hear of more Americans killed in this dangerous land. It is clear!   We must abandon California.

STEPHAN PASTIS' PRAISEWORTHY CARTOON STRIP Posted by CAMERA, December 31, 2003.

Syndicated Cartoonist Stephan Pastis, creator of the cartoon strip "Pearls Before Swine," deserves praise for his Sunday, Dec. 28 cartoon which humanizes Israeli child victims of Palestinian terror. Perhaps as part of a letter-writing campaign by anti-Israel activists, Pastis has received many letters protesting his Dec. 28 strip. Pastis, who is syndicated by United Media, has rarely if at all focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Please let him hear from more than just members of the public who can't bear for anyone to show sympathy or compassion for Israelis. Let him hear from people who share his view that terrorism against children is unacceptable. His email address is stpastis@yahoo.com The Dec 28 cartoon showed a TV with the following news report being read throughout the various segments of the strip: "Leading off the news tonight, six Israeli children died early today when the bus they were riding in exploded in downtown Jerusalem...They were little kids...with backpacks filled with sandwiches and juice and gym shoes and math books...They had bedrooms with posters of race cars and soccer players, and they had unmade beds with spiderman sheets...They had little sisters and dentist appointments and cats and jeans with holes in the knee...They took piano lessons on Tuesday and spent Sunday afternoons with their dads, who made them hold hands whenever they crossed a street...And on the wall of the hall to their bedrooms was a long line of photos, with each of their annual school pictures placed chronologically...By a Mom...Who kissed her son goodbye that morning and watched him board the bus...That exploded in downtown Jerusalem." United Media's website describes "Pearls Before Swine" as "the comic strip tale of two friends: a megalomaniacal Rat who thinks he knows it all and a slow-witted Pig who doesn't know any better...While Pig is content with his humble status in life, Rat is always on a futile search for fame, riches and immortality." The Dec. 28 cartoon about Israeli terror victims can be viewed at www.unitedmedia.com/comics/pearls/archive/pearls-20031228.html The cartoon strip reportedly appeared in the Washington Post on Dec. 28 and appeared in hundreds of other newspapers across the country in the Sunday comic strip section. The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reoorting in America (CAMERA) monitors bias and unfairness in the news and broadcast media. Their website address is http://www.camera.org

EGYPTIAN AND ARAB PRESS REACTIONS TO THE ATTACK ON EGYPTS'S FOREIGN MINISTER INSIDE AL-AQSA MOSQUE Posted by MEMRI, December 31, 2003.

Egyptian and Arab Press Reactions to the Attack on Egypt's Foreign Minister Inside Al-Aqsa Mosque Special Dispatch - Egypt/ Palestinian Authority, January 1, 2004, No. 636. While visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque on his recent trip to Israel, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Maher was attacked by a group of Palestinians who cursed him, threw shoes at him, and called for the resumption of Jihad in Egypt. According to media reports, the assailants belonged to Hizb Al-Tahrir (the Islamist "Liberation Party"). The following is a compilation of Arab media reactions to the attack, which was highly critical of the Palestinians: 'You Have Cast Shame and Disgrace on Yourselves and Your Cause' Two days after the incident, many articles and op-eds concerning the attack on Maher appeared in the Egyptian press. Ahmad Ragab, who provides a daily comment for the op-ed page of the government daily Al-Akhbar, stated that the problem begins at an early age and emanates from the Arab world's curriculum: "In Arab language classes, the pupils are taught [the sentence] 'Omar hit Zayd,' but never [the sentence] 'Omar hit Cohen.'"(1) In the Egyptian daily Al-Masaa, columnist Muhammad Foudah tried to stir a sense of shame among the Palestinians: "Did those Palestinians who attacked the Egyptian foreign minister ... ask themselves why Maher agreed to take upon himself the suffering of going to Israel and meeting with Sharon and his cabinet? Did he go just to tour a country with which we have cut off relations and gotten into political crisis for the sake of Palestine...? Do the Palestinians want Egypt to keep its hands off the Palestinian issue? This would be the easiest thing to do and has already been done by many Arab countries... You beat the man who came on your behalf, and it is Israel that takes him to the hospital for treatment. What shame and disgrace you have cast upon yourselves and on your cause!..."(2) 'There's Nothing Unresolved Between Egypt and Israel But the Palestinian Cause' The editor of Al-Akhbar, Galal Duweidar, wrote: "... The whole world, including the Palestinians, knows that there is no unresolved problem between Egypt and Israel after the [1973] October victory and the signing of the peace agreement... The only [remaining] reason [for problems between Egypt and Israel] is the defense of the rights of the Palestinians, and not the defense of any direct Egyptian interests... "Despite [Egypt's] ongoing sacrifice [for the Palestinians] which spoils Egypt's relations with Israel and with the Zionist lobby, and thus with the U.S., we were surprised by this rogue rebellious Palestinian group that carried out the barbaric and mean attack on the foreign minister of Egypt - which is the only base of support for the Palestinian people. How can we, the Egyptian columnists who every day defend the rights of this people by confronting the Israeli aggression, [how can we] explain this despicable act?... This group of criminals ... is treacherous and works for Israel and for all the enemies of the Arab nation... Yes, these sinning assailants are deserving of the curse of 70 million Egyptians who yesterday watched this cowardly act on television..."(3) 'Hasn't the Time Come to Focus on Our Domestic Problems?' Also in Al-Akhbar, columnist Said Sunbul wrote: "... Accusing the Egyptian foreign minister of betrayal means accusing Egypt of betrayal. This is not the first time that Egypt has been accused of betrayal, despite all that it did and does for the Palestinians. 'Betrayal' is a most used word in the Palestinian dictionary. They used it against former [PA] prime minister Abu Mazen, who preferred to resign; they used it against former minister Yasser Abd Rabbo and his colleagues, who went to Geneva to agree on a peace document that would guarantee a life of dignity for the Palestinians. "Even before then, the Palestinians accused [Egyptian president Gamal] Abd Al-Nasser of betrayal for accepting U.S. Secretary of State Rogers' plan. They accused Anwar Sadat of betrayal when he invited them to the conference at Mina House. Had they agreed to participate in this conference, or to accept the principles of the Camp David agreement, they would not have made it possible for Israel to establish the settlements and the separation fence, and would not have needed to make all these concessions!... "The contemptible attack on the Egyptian foreign minister ... causes many to ask whether the time has not come to focus on our domestic problems - many of which stem from the wars in which we participated for the sake of Palestine - instead of wasting efforts [in an attempt] to solve the problem of a people who are at odds among themselves and accuse each other, and others, of betrayal."(4) 'No More Will We Turn the Other Cheek' The most scathing commentary came from Ibrahim Sa'dah, editor of the Akhbar Al-Youm weekly. Sa'dah wrote that he was "unconvinced" by the Egyptian foreign minister's attempts to downplay the severity of the incident. He called for convening the Egyptian Parliament in order to discuss Egyptian policy on the Palestinian issue, in the wake of "the assassination attempt on the Egyptian foreign minister." Sa'dah reviewed the history of Egyptian-Palestinian relations from the time of President Sadat, and wrote: "Despite the contemptible attacks planned and carried out by the Arabs, under the leadership of Saddam Hussein and Yasser Arafat, against the [peace] initiative of the Egyptian president, Sadat attached no importance to this nastiness, and continued courageously on the path of peace... "I do not think that the Egyptian people can forget or disregard those years when its political leadership was the target of the ugliest of attacks - not only by the Arab media but also by some rulers, led by Saddam Hussein and Yasser Arafat... The Egyptian people will also not forget that Yasser Arafat danced with joy when the assassination of President Sadat was announced... "The time has come to tell the Palestinian Authority, 'No! A thousand times no!'... No more will we turn the right cheek to take the same slap that the left cheek has taken time and again. We are fed up, Your Excellency, sole spokesman of the Palestinian people, with your repeated statements [blaming] any anti-Egyptian act on the part of the Palestinians on a tiny, stupid minority... "Personally, I do not accept the apology of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat... I demand that Parliament convene for a special session, with the presence of the foreign minister, to be dedicated to examining our policy regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict... Perhaps its members will think otherwise, but I also propose as a solution for this dispute ... to conduct a poll among the sectors of the Egyptian people regarding our policy in the Palestinian issue..."(5) In the Al-Ahram daily, columnist Salah Muntasir used more restrained language: "I am trying, instead of arousing additional rage, to maintain restraint. Egypt will not permit those who are the enemies of their own cause, the enemies of their own rights, the enemies of their own struggle, to accomplish their goals. This is the tax that we have paid and are paying, while those hostile and ungrateful people who tarnish their own image belong in [the] garbage bin of history."(6) The liberal-leaning Hazem Abd Al-Rahman wrote in his Al-Ahram column: "... Are these scum of the earth capable of accomplishing something for the Palestinian people? It is reasonable to assume that they, like the supporters of suicide bombings, are the first to damage the Palestinian cause, and are bringing death upon the Palestinian people..."(7) Mursey 'Atallah, editor of the Al-Ahram evening edition, wrote: "...This rabble, that patronizes others and claims it is more patriotic, still seeks to trap the nation in a cycle of conflict just to inflame the emotions. Everything that happened to the Palestinians as a result of their being dragged after the leaders of words, who for over half a century waved the motto of complete liberation from the [Jordan] river to the [Mediterranean] sea, until we lost nearly everything and Palestine was left practically without a river and without a sea, was not enough for them..."(8) 'This Attack Should Be Condemned By Anybody With A Brain Or Half A Brain' The Arab press's condemnation of the attack on Foreign Minister Maher was nearly unanimous. For example, in the Qatari daily Al-Raya, columnist Abd Al-Karim Hashish wrote: "I don't need to repeat what others have said, that is, that the attack was organized by the Israelis. Such an allegation is first of all nonsense, and emanates from some peoples' addiction to turning the facts upside down, and burying their heads in the sand. Those who attacked the Egyptian foreign minister... are flesh-and-blood Palestinians, and the Israelis had nothing to do with it... The truth is, I don't care which faction they belong to. This attack should be [condemned] by anybody with a brain, or half a brain. What I wanted to emphasize is that this stupid behavior will have serious ramifications for the status of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and might give legitimacy to Israeli intervention and Israeli security supervision over it..."(9) 'The Arabs Are Their Own Worst Enemy' In the Lebanese daily Al-Nahar, editor Jubran Tuweini wrote that the attack on Maher was "the height of baseness and of Arab humiliation. It was a free gift to the enemies of the Arabs, headed by Israel. Once again, we realize that the Arabs are their own worst enemy - just as the worst enemy of the Palestinian cause is the Palestinians, who have endorsed a policy of refusal and fundamentalist extremism as a way of behavior. How many times have they already served Israel with their deeds? How many times has the behavior of these groups already saved Ariel Sharon and his government? "What happened to Minister Maher reminds us of the history of inter-Arab relations... A simple calculation reveals that the number of instances of Arab-Arab aggression surpasses the number of Arab-Israeli wars..."(10) Al-Quds Al-Arabi: A Pro-Saddam Position A different opinion was expressed by the pro-Saddam editor of the London daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Abd Al-Bari Atwan. The morning after the attack, he wrote in an article titled "Shoes of Early Warning:" "The shoes that were pelted like rain on the head of Ahmad Maher... are a lesson to all Arab leaders and their representatives who scorned the Arab street, its demands, and its sentiments, and who listen today only to the American administration and its humiliating demands to normalize relations with the Hebrew state, serve its interests, and conceal its terrorist policy. "Mr. Maher humiliated the Egyptian people and its living national forces when, against their will and out of disdain for its sentiments, he went to Tel Aviv to meet with the Israeli prime minister, whose hands are drenched with the blood of Palestinian fighters and of the Egyptian soldiers who martyred themselves in defense of the honor of their nation and their country. "When the Egyptian foreign minister becomes neutral in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the Egyptian government becomes 'an honest broker' between the parties, we should not be surprised that Foreign Minister Maher is hit by shoes..."(11) An Egyptian Response to Atwan In response to Atwan's article, columnist Kamal Abd Al-Raouf wrote in the Egyptian Akhbar Al-Youm weekly: "I regret that most of the commentary I heard on international radio from Palestinians was lukewarm rather than powerful. Some of them clearly blamed our foreign minister [Ahmad Maher]. One of these was Abd Al-Bari Atwan ... who condemned Ahmad Maher. This was to be expected from Atwan, who for many years has been fighting for the cause from the saloons of London. Nobody knows with whom or against whom this Atwan stands. The only thing I know is that he gives foreign radio a reason to believe that Israel is right."(12) Liberal Arab Website: 'Those Behind This Aggression Are Not A Minority' On the liberal Arab website Elaph, Egyptian columnist Sami Buheiri wrote: "We should be frank with ourselves: Those behind this aggression are not a minority, as the official Palestinian and Egyptian statements claim. Unfortunately, they represent the rabble majority of the Arab and Palestinian street today. They refuse to accept any kind of a peace agreement with Israel... It is they who applaud the bus and restaurant bombings in order to destroy any spark of hope for peace... They are Arab nationalists who have failed completely in all their wars with Israel and in all attempts to achieve peace with Israel, because they were not serious, and they were not men - neither in fighting nor in peacemaking... The flying shoes at Al-Aqsa Mosque represent the Arab mind that has flown off into the air and not returned."(13) Endnotes: (1) Al-Akhbar (Egypt), December 25, 2003. (2) Al-Masaa (Egypt), December 24, 2003. (3) Al-Akhbar (Egypt), December 24, 2003. (4) Al-Akhbar (Egypt), December 24, 2003. (5) Akhbar Al-Youm (Egypt), December 27, 2003. (6) Al-Ahram (Egypt), December 24, 2003. (7) Al-Ahram (Egypt), December 24, 2003. (8) Al-Ahram Al-Masaai (Egypt), December 23, 2003. (9) Al-Raya (Qatar), December 24, 2003. (10) Al-Nahar (Lebanon), December 24, 2003. (11) Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London), December 23, 2003. (12) Akhbar Al-Youm (Egypt), December 27, 2003, as cited in Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London), December 29. (13) http://www.elaph.com.:8080/elaph/arabic/index.html, December 30, 2003. The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East. Its website address is http://www.memri.org

NO WONDER WE ARE IN TROUBLE Posted by Barry Shaw, December 31, 2003.

Zvi Hefetz, Israel's choice to be its next Ambassador to the Court of St.James, will be our prime representative to the United Kingdom. He will be our leading advocate, our face, our voice, to make Israel's case to an increasing antagonistic British public. He must be the man to help sway public opinion in Britain. His candidacy was overwhelmingly approved all the way from the Foreign Office to the office of the Prime Minister. One of the Foreign Office officials on the selection committee said, "I came away with no reservations about him. We were impressed by Mr. Hefetz's C.V. and by his appearance before our panel. He will be successful as our Israel Ambassador in Britain". Fine words, indeed. Words that display full confidence in the selected candidate after a lengthy selection process by top Israeli officials. There is only one small matter that needs raising. THE NEW AMBASSADOR TO BRITAIN CANNOT SPEAK ENGLISH!!!! Really Foreign Office! Is this a New Year's joke on the British? Or on us? It should give our enemies in our hasbara war a good belly laugh. Putting aside the fact that Zvi Hefetz has absolutely no ambassadorial experience. Overlooking the fact that he has no diplomatic experience save for just one month work as an emissary for Nativ in Moscow. Let's concentrate on one fact. HE CAN'T SPEAK ENGLISH! Is this the way that the Israeli Government select its leading advocates? This is, literally, decision making at the highest level of incompetence! Is this the very best candidate in the State of Israel that they can find to champion our cause in Britain? How will he fight our case in the corridors of Whitehall? By organizing courses in Hebrew for British civil servants? How can he convince a biased media? Or inform a misinformed public? How can he even ask key questions, and personally speak to and understand the feelings and fears of members of the Jewish community? For those of us who care so much about Israel's image abroad this selection is a tragedy. It is not only the Palestinians who miss an opportunity for missing an opportunity. In public affairs, we are far worse. No wonder we're in trouble! Barry Shaw writes "The View From Here." Write him at netre@matav.net.il to subscribe.

WHY THE ROAD MAP IS GOING NOWHERE Posted by Leo Rennert, December 31, 2003.

I sent this to the Washington Post. Robin Wright misses the mark when she blames President Bush's "moribund" diplomacy for stalling his Mideast peace plan ("Palestinian State Remains Bush's Unfulfilled Goal", Dec. 31). The reason for lack of progress is the "moribund" conduct of Yasir Arafat and the Palestinian Authority, which have left Israel and the United States without a reliable negotiating partner to move the process forward. As long as Palestinian leaders refuse to acknowledge the permanence of Israel and embrace terrorism as a strategic option, Palestinians can kiss statehood goodbye. Just as Britain and the United States insisted on the Irish Republican Army putting down its weapons as a pre-condition for a peace deal in Northern Ireland, there can be no two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians if Hamas and Islamic Jihad are free to pursue their murderous campaign against the Jewish state.

TEFILIN BINDING GENERATIONS Posted by Judy Balint, December 31, 2003.

This was written by Moshe Kempinski of Jerusalem. He can be reached at http://www.shorashim2u.net. Every weekday morning, Reb Gil arrives at the western wall for pre- dawn prayers.He attempts to arrive earlier than most of the others in order to help setting up the chairs for those arriving for Neitz Prayers. Since ancient days, Jewish people have been awakening the dawn with prayer, not awakening with the dawn but awakening the dawn. Last week a new person joined the group at the wall. He was visiting from America and very soon became a regular with this special group. The man, known as Leibel, began to help Reb Gil in the setting up of the chairs. As they were working he asked Gil "what exactly do you do?" Gil smiled and answered that "I help people put on their tefilin (phylacteries) here at the Kotel." Laibel's eyes opened wide and he responded, "well I helped people put on tefilin in the death camps." Gil stared at him for a while and then quickly had him sit down and tell his story. When Laibel was a young boy, the Germans came to take him and his family to the death camps during one of the "aktions". Just as he was leaving the house Laibel's father gave him large boots to keep his feet warm. Laibel ran to his room and grabbed the tefilin and siddur (prayerbook) he had recently acquired at his bar-mitzva and stuffed them into his new oversized boots.Then the family left their home and their past forever. The cattle car train ride to the camp was horrific and Laibel soon found himself separated from his family.Because of his small size, he was told to gather with many of the other children on the left side of the ramp. It was already known amongst the Jews that the left side led to the ominous building that meant death. As they gathered in the room where they were told to remove their clothes to prepare for the "showers" the children stood there transfixed in shock.Laibel turned to the others and declared that this was not the way Jews were meant to enter heaven. He asked them to form rows of five and march together. They would enter the gas chambers singing "Ani Maamin( I Believe)." As the german guards stared in disbelief, this group of young Jewish children formed rows of five and defiantly began singing as loud as they could. As they began to move in the direction of the doors one of the officers began screaming at them to be silent. For some unknown reason he then barked at them to turn to a different direction and to gather their prison clothes. Stunned, the group turned away from death. As they stood in line to recieve their striped rags. Laibel saw his fathers boots standing at the edge of the pile of all their old clothes.He turned to some of the other children and asked them to help him. He asked them to begin bickering and fighting amongst themselves.They could not refuse the boy whose inspiration saved their lives. In the midst of the noise Laibel was able to retrieve both the tefilin and the siddur. Throughout the remaining years in the camps Laibel succeeded in hiding his treasure. As a result he and many that were with him succeeded, as well, in putting on the tefilin whenever the opportunity arose. In the midst of the fires of hell, young Jews were fulfilling G-d's will and wrapping themselves up in the tefilin. In the midst of the pit of darkness they recited the following prayer from the book of Hoshea and enacted the act of betrothal so integral to the Tefilin ritual. "And I will betroth thee unto Me for ever; yea, I will betroth Thee unto Me in righteousness, and in justice, and in lovingkindness, and in compassion. And I will betroth Thee unto Me in faithfulness; and thou shalt know the LORD". Gil and Laibel continued talking until it was time to begin the morning prayers as the dawn quickly dispelled the darkness of the night and the memories. Later that day, Reb Gil was back at his stand at the western wall asking people if they were interested in putting on tefilin. He began talking to a soldier visiting the western wall with his unit. The soldier looked at Gil with a certain air of ridicule and said," sorry not me."Gil replied, " I need to tell you a story I heard just this morning." He repeated Laibel's story. The soldier looked down, and then towards the heavens. With eyes slightly moist with tears, this young soldier wrapped the tefilin on his arms and on his head and read the Shma. Next morning Gil rushed up to Laibel and told him the story. Laibel just smiled and shook his head. A simple young child helped Jewish prisoners in a death camp to connect with their Creator. That simple eloquent act did the exact same thing sixty years later to a Jewish warrior in the reborn state of Israel. The author is one of a group of diarists, who are recording their experiences living in Israel right now. "Jerusalem Diaries: In Tense Times" by Judy Lash Balint (Gefen) is available for purchase from www.israelbooks.com.

THE AIR ON THE GOLAN STINKS OF BETRAYAL - AGAIN Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, December 31, 2003.

As Syrian President Bashar Assad spouts anti-Semitic epithets, the Arabist U.S. State Department is investigating whether his father, Hafez al Assad had finalized 80-90% of a peace agreement with Israel. You remember, Hafez al Assad, the mirror image of Saddam in terms of his horrific record of Terror and even murdering his own people. Most of us who write about the Middle East knew it would be just a matter of time before President Bush, family, oil friends and the U.S. State Department would get around to shoving the evacuation of the Golan Heights down Israel's throat. Something like he is doing with the Palestinian Terror State. Have you ever wondered about the Bush family's support of Arafat, Saddam (under Bush Sr. and James Baker's administration), Hafez al Assad (under several American Presidents) - but always the same ever present Arabist U.S. State Department? I suppose one could throw in the Saudis, Noriega, Pinochet, and most of the dictatorial thugs we seem to have buddied up with over the past several decades. Now we hear that 'somehow' the mere discussions (all inconclusive) that took place under former Prime Ministers Rabin, Peres and Barak were not 'discussions' but actually finalized agreements now to be pocketed by Bashar Assad and the State Department. Then there only remains 10-20% to discuss - according to the twisty State Department. Bashar and his controlling Generals continue to task Terrorists to attack Israel, supply them with weapons - including 10,000 missiles, some with chemical warheads, for Hezb'Allah (Iranian backed Terror organization) which is now mobilized on the Lebanese border with Israel. Bashar says there is a "standing 80-90% Agreement for Peace" left over from past discussions. I guess only an Arab/Muslim can revise history and believe it himself. In this case, the stink of betrayal hangs like an odious gas over the Golan. I recall the cowardly Leftist, PM Ehud Barak in lockstep with the U.S. State Department, threatening Israeli citizens that Syria could overrun the Golan, killing all the soldiers and Israeli civilians and, therefore, we must evacuate very soon. Barak, as you may recall, ran like a scared mouse from Lebanon, deserting Israel's Christian Lebanese allies for the promise that President Clinton would compensate Barak for his perfidious retreat. Barak did run but, nothing was ever paid by the Clinton Administration for Barak's ignominious exit. Now the U.S. State Department wants Israel to abandon the Golan to a nation that has exhibited extraordinary savagery toward the Jewish State. When I talk of savagery, I mean torturing Israeli prisoners, tasking its 10 or 12 resident Terrorist organizations to kill Israeli civilians and - let's not forget its tasking the truck bomb attack against the American barracks that killed 241 Marines in Beirut while they slept. Then it was Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger who countermanded President Reagan's orders to shell Syria. Although Syria was as corrupt a regime as Saddam Hussein's Iraq was, Syria has been a special 'protectorate' of Bush/Baker and the U.S. State Department and no one knows why! Indeed, the stink of betrayal is suffocating! Now the question is: Would Prime Minister Ariel Sharon go along with this charade about 80/90% prior agreement of transferring Jews off of the Golan and giving Syria the land down to Lake Kinneret and possibly into Israel's only fresh water reservoir? If Sharon and his Leftist leftovers already have been in discussion over this 80/90% gambit, then there is no doubt he has betrayed the Jewish nation and should be removed from office. As for the Jew-hating U.S. State Department, they have been an advocate for the removal of the Jewish State since 1947 til today. Nothing they would do against the Jewish State would surprise me. I still wonder why there has been no investigation of the State Department by the American Congress for their acting as the enabler for the U.S. to be flooded with Arab Muslim Jihadists which gave us 9/11. But, then again, they have friends in high places who acted in cahoots to accommodate rogue Arab/Muslim nations and thus have a certain self-serving reason to not allow open hearings. Be assured, it wasn't the FBI or CIA who were at fault for NOT investigating the 9/11 Arab/Muslims. Before 9/11, every investigator was slapped down by the State Department for daring to start tracking suspicious behavior by Arab/Muslims who immigrated so freely into these United States. Tracking or profiling Arab Muslims was not exactly a smart career move if you were in any of the American Intelligence Agencies. It wasn't considered PC: Politically Correct. For Israel, it really wouldn't matter if Bashar shook the hand of Sharon - much as Arafat shook the hand of Rabin. The Golan Heights is an irreplaceable natural barrier to any attack from the North. No early alert electronics could replace the physical presence of Israeli controlled tanks, mines, observation posts that look directly into Damascus. Nor could Israel rely on any other nation to occupy those vital high ground positions and hope that they would relay warnings in real time. If the Arabist State Department had their way, the warning would be issued only after Syrian tanks were pouring down the slopes of the Golan into Israel. If Sharon has gone belly up on both Judea/Samaria and the Golan, then he has become a clear and present danger to the safety of the nation. So, let's ask him: Arik have you been secretly discussing a Barak-like bug-out from the Golan?

FIRST VISIT Posted by Judy Balint, December 31, 2003.

This is a Jerusalem diary page written by Laura, who made aliya with her family from the U.S. to Neve Daniel, Gush Etzion. "How embarrassing that my baby, a sabra, has been living his whole life (7 and 1/2 months) a mere 25 minutes from the Kotel, the Wall, at the holiest site on this earth - and I've never taken him there!! Jews all over the world pray three times a day towards this spot, and I couldn't take an afternoon and bring him there? (Well, you see, the parking is terrible there, and there are all these stairs, and the stroller... okay, I'll stop.) Today was the perfect opportunity. I was in Jerusalem, my baby was with me, I didn't have a car to deal with parking, and I had TIME - a precious commodity. So we hopped into a cab and were driven way closer than I ever could have parked. My older sons Eitan and Ezra marched off to the men's side. They wanted to bring Yaakov since he is a (very) little man, but I waited 7 and 1/2 months for this, it was my moment. The Kotel plaza was rather crowded today, but the moment my sons walked off, the rest of the people melted away. It was just me and my Yaakov as I softly explained to him where we were and why this place is so special to us. I brought him right up to the wall and patiently waited for an opening in the sea of praying women. When it came I placed Yaakov's little hand on the stones and savored that special moment. Then I slowly backed away, Yaakov staring silently ahead, as if he, too, felt the extraordinary feelings that were washing over me. I know Yaakov won't remember today. We don't even have any pictures to prove he was there. But if it is important to speak to a baby, to play with him, let him hear music, see colors, have experiences, then what more meaningful experience is there to have then to go to the spiritual center of the world? The Jerusalem Diarists are a group of people living in Israel, who record how it is to live in Israel right now. "Jerusalem Diaries: In Tense Times" by Judy Lash Balint (Gefen) is available for purchase from www.israelbooks.com.

ISRAEL TO STRENGTHEN POSITION IN THE GOLAN HEIGHTS Posted by Isralert, December 31, 2003.

Isralert's source for this item was www.meed.com/nav?page=meed.backgrounder.news.detail&fixture_story=669664&newsletterId=627725 Israel aims to increase the size of the Jewish population in the Golan Heights, reported the local Yedioth Aharonoth daily on 31 December. The report said that a cross-ministerial commission had ratified a plan to speed up the building of some 900 homes in the area, increasing the Jewish population to 15,000 from 10,500 over three years. "The aim is to send an unequivocal message: the Golan is an integral part of Israel and we will continue to develop the settlements," said the head of the commission, Agriculture Minister Israel Katz. The new homes will cost about $60 million and will lead to at least nine new settlements. However, local councillors in the Golan Heights have denied that any new settlements are to be built and say that the money is for a planned tourist project. "This is a project that we have been working on since May," said the head of the Golan Regional Council, Eli Malka. "We want to bring 1,000 people to the Golan every year for the next five or six years to rejuvenate the population." About 17,000 Israelis live in the disputed Golan area.

MORE HARASSMENT IN BIBLICAL ISRAEL Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, December 31, 2003.

Another one of Sharon's goon squads harassing decent, law abiding Jews. This is a news item from Arutz-7 (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=55435). Police Arrest 3 at Gilad Farm in the Shomron (IsraelNN.com) Three police jeeps arrived at Gilad Farm in the Shomron this morning. Three residents were arrested. Two of the suspects stand accused of attacking an Arab during the Sabbath. The third suspect is a grandchild of Moshe Zar, who owns the farm that was named after his son, the father of the suspect. Zar's grandchild is being charged with possessing an unlicensed weapon. The elder Zar denied the charges of the two involved in an assault, explaining they were in Hevron during the Sabbath. As far as the so-called unlicensed weapon he explained the gun is licensed but the permit has expired and they are unable to renew it due to the Ministry of the Interior strike now in its fourth month. The suspects were taken to the police station in Ariel.

YESHA RESIDENTS AT THE FOREFRONT OF ORGANIC FARMING Posted by Eliezar Edwards, December 31, 2003.

This was a news item in today's Arutz-7 (http://www.IsraelNN.com). It's interesting that so many of farmers who live in Biblical Israel are willing to do the hard work of farming without pesticides. Of course, nothing they do wins them praise from the Israeli Marxists. Jewish farmers in Yesha (Judea, Samaria and Gaza) produce much of Israel's organic fruits, vegetables, eggs and dairy products. Left-wing activists, however, are trying to pressure distributors to launch a boycott. Organically grown fruits and vegetables have become a major source of income for Jewish residents of Yesha. A quick browsing of licensed organic vegetable growers in Israel reveals a disproportionate number of organic farmers located in Jewish towns and hilltops across Judea, Samaria and Gaza. Minister of Trade Ehud Olmert recently decided to agree to the European demand that made-in-Yesha products be specially marked, leading to higher tariffs on these products and their likely exclusion from European markets. Left-wing leaders in Israel have often called for an internal boycott of Yesha products within Israel as well. An article in Monday's edition of Ha'aretz newspaper lamented the fact that health-conscious Israelis are often faced with the choice of supporting Yesha farmers with their purchases or giving up on their health preferences. The Ha'aretz reporter was not bashful about taking sides. She noted, for instance, that seven of eight egg-suppliers for one company are safely within the Green Line; "however, the eighth grower is Ran Avri from Itamar, a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, who is considered a leader among the Jewish settlers, strikes fear into the hearts of his Palestinian neighbors and has been accused in the past of beating leftist activists." She also wrote that "there is a problem" regarding fresh organic fruits and vegetables, in that "30% of the lettuce that is marketed under the Adama brand name comes from grower Pinhas Eidan from the Jewish settlement of Itamar." The reporter noted that many "concerned consumers" have informed grocers and asked, successfully, that they find alternatives to Yesha-grown products. Land of Israel supporters and members of Israel's Organic Association have suggested that those wishing to support Yesha's organic farming can similarly inform their grocer of their desire to purchase such products. Harduf, a major distributor of organic foods, buys from many smaller farms and hatcheries, repackaging the produce under its own label. Left-wing activists are pressuring Harduf to boycott Yesha products; the same phone number - 1-800-388-001 - can be used to show support for their policies as well. Organic-farming student Miriam HaLevi emphasizes that Yesha farmers and Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu in the Beit She'an Valley "continue to adhere to the ideological underpinnings of organic farming striving to provide health and environmental harmony." Many Yesha farmers use the natural enemies of certain harmful insects, instead of pesticides, to ward them off. The religious Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu raises both these bugs and bees that aid in the cross-pollination necessary for fruit growth. Sde Eliyahu also happens to be home to the founder of Israel's Organic Association, 80-year-old Mario Levi, who introduced organic farming in Israel and has taught many of Yesha's organic farmers their trade. Many fruits and vegetables grown in the organic farms of Yesha can only be found in the heartland of Judea and Samaria. Some varieties of exotic mushrooms, for instance, are only available through the Tekoa Mushroom Farm, located in Gush Etzion. The farm was named "Enterprise of the Year" in the Advanced Agriculture category by the Israeli Journal of Agricultural Settlements. Why is it that so many organic farms are located in the Jewish hilltops of Judea, Samaria and Gaza? HaLevi attributes this to an ideological connection between the motivation to settle the Land of Israel and the motivations behind organic farming. "It is always an ideological decision to do without pesticides," she said. "It is therefore no surprise that the same people willing to sacrifice for the ideal of a complete Land of Israel are also willing to forgo the easy answers that modern chemical farming supplies in favor of farming organically, which requires the same traits of patience, faith, and idealism while refusing to use poisonous means to reach questionable ends."

AND THEN THE SUNDAY PEOPLE Posted by David Frankfurter, December 31, 2003.

A year ago I was in correspondence with a leader of the French Jewish community, discussing efforts to encourage the European Parliament to curb the Palestinian Authority siphoning off of European money to corruption, hatred and terrorism. I tried to point out the importance of the issue to diaspora Jewry. I said "Time is of the essence for us - but also for you. I was in Paris in May & was told to put a cap over my kippa [Jewish skullcap - also known as yarmulke] in order to avoid a beating or worse." He answered: "Concerning antisemitism in France it is obvious that it has increased but there is no problem concerning kipat and personal security." The French, struggling with the rise of Christian-Muslim racial tensions, are introducing secularist legislation to restrict Muslim girls from wearing traditional headscarves - which will also restrict other outward signs of religious faiths, such as large crucifixes, Stars of David and Jewish skullcaps. The Grand Rabbi of France opposes the legislation, although, for their own safety, he has recently advised Jewish Frenchmen to wear a cap rather than the identifying kippa. Middle Eastern anti-Semitism has been exported to France in a big way. A lengthy article in Ha'aretz [1] tells of the fear of the local community. A year ago the Jewish leadership in France was so sure that personal security in France is not a problem. Today, Ha'aretz reports, that a high school of 650 Jewish students in the Paris suburbs is now "guarded like a military site" and encourages its students to hide all signs of their Jewishness when in public. The headmistress reports that this doesn't always help: "There isn't a student in the school who has been spared an anti-Semitic incident." Anti-Semitic broadcasts are beamed in from the Middle East, to join other forms of exported racism which cannot be contained. The content is crude and frightening - drawing on the best European anti-Semitic fabrications of the last centuries. The Tsarist Russian forgery "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" is produced in Egyptian UNESCO sponsored museums [2], newspapers [3] and television [4] as a true version of the Zionist attempt at world domination. Syrian movies [5] are broadcast, portraying the medieval blood libel of Jews drinking Christian children's blood and using it to bake Passover Matzas. London has become base for worldwide distribution of Hamas [6], Muslim Brotherhood [7] and other [8] radical Islamic propaganda supporting terrorism. The adoption by large portions of Europe of the Palestinian narrative, delegitimising the State of Israel and pouring money into the radicalisation of the next generation is bearing its fruits. Let's hope that Europe wakes up before the street-cry of Islamic extremists becomes a reality. "First the Saturday People [Jews] and then the Sunday People [Christians]!" Last year, the urgency was for Jewish leadership to act. As we enter 2004, it would seem just as urgent for Christian leadership to act. One has to wonder though, whether young Muslims who are being deliberately radicalised will interpret banning their traditional garb as an example of tolerance to be emulated. Wouldn't it be better to educate to tolerance and cut off the sources and funding of racist education? 1. http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/376203.html 2. http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/000311.php 3.  http://www.danielpipes.org/article/499 4.  www.memri.de/uebersetzungen_analysen/themen/antisemitismus/ as_ramadantv_06_12_01.pdf 5.  http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/sib/t_as12_03/as_tv.htm 6.  http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/bu/britain/sib2_10_03.htm 7.  http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/bu/britain/sib10_03.htm 8.  http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/bu/britain/suicide.htm David Franfurter writes "Letter From Israel". To subscribe, send an email to David.Frankfurter@iname.com.

THE EURO-SOCIALISTS' JUDEOPHOBIA Posted by Israela Goldstein, December 31, 2003.

This article is by Marc Tobiass and is archived on the Front Page Magazine website (http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=11495). It was originally in French in Proche Orient (http://www.Proche-Orient.com) and was translated into English by David A. Harris. A Catalan from Barcelona, Pilar Rahola is a highly colorful figure on the Spanish scene. She is known for her feminism, as well as for her frank and direct manner. A former parliamentarian, Pilar Rahola sat in the national legislature in Madrid for eight years, first as part of the republican left, then as the founder of the Independence Party. However, she decided to leave political life just over a year ago to devote more time to her other passions. She has just published "The History of Ada," a metaphor for abandoned children, those child-slaves or children-soldiers one finds all over the world, that is, when they are not turned into human bombs. She has also decided to step forward to denounce the flagrant imbalance in the handling of information from the Middle East. Her most recent piece, "In Favor of Israel," is to be published in a book in which fifteen Spanish intellectuals, including Jon Juaristi, president of the Cervantes Institute and Gabriel Alviac, a well-known journalist with El Mundo [translator's note : a Spanish daily newspaper], seek to re-establish the facts. Marc Tobiass (of proche-orient.com) talks with Pilar Rahola. Marc Tobiass: Why did you feel the need to write "In Favor of Israel"; to participate in the publication of this book? Pilar Rahola: Since the start of the second intifada, the Spanish press, on the right as well as the Left, has taken a particularly aggressive approach toward Israel, an approach that leaves out the reasons for Israel's actions and tends to ignore the Israeli victims in this conflict. In this situation, a small minority of intellectuals, public personalities - sensitive to the Jewish question in general and to Israel in particular - felt deeply touched by this problem. Outraged by the return of Judeophobia in Spain, we, each in our own way, began to write articles; to use the media to condemn this situation. And then Oracia Vasquez Real, an important writer in Spain, suggested that we coordinate our activity; that we collect into one work the vision of the Middle East conflict held by fifteen well-known intellectuals. Marc Tobiass: For whom did you write this book, and with what objective? Pilar Rahola: Fundamentally, this book is addressed to the anti-Jewish school of thought in Spain. The goal of our book is to launch a debate about Judeophobia in Spain. We are convinced that the current view of the conflict, so Manichaean - with the good, always the Palestinians, and the evil, always the Israelis - has deep roots. It comes from an ancient anti-Jewish feeling that exists in Spain and that also explains the history of Spain. This feeling softened slightly after the Franco era [translator's note: post-1975], but today there is a virulent resurgence of this savage feeling to the point where one can find genuinely anti-Semitic expressions in the Spanish press. In essence, this is a provocative book in the face of totally pro-Arab thinking in Spain, that is completely uncritical of the mistakes of the Arab world in general and of the Palestinians in particular. We want to counter this flagrant imbalance... Marc Tobiass: This imbalance is not specifically Spanish, nor, for that matter, is the Judeophobia. You rightly recall in your piece the troubling remark of Hermann Broch [translator's note: Austrian anti-Nazi novelist, 1886-1951] denouncing the indifference of Europe as the worst of the crimes in the bloody madness of the Hitler era?. Pilar Rahola: Yes, I think that Europe was indifferent on the surface because it felt guilty within. I believe that this indifference unquestionably comes from Judeophobia. And in the ultimate paradox, the Jewish soul is part and parcel of Europe. Europe cannot be explained without its Jewish soul, but it is also explained by its hatred of the Jews. Thus, all the repeated attempts of Europe to get rid of its Jewish soul are, in fact, a kind of suicide. After the Holocaust, after Auschwitz, that is, after the ultimate stage in the destruction of the Jewish soul - a process which lasted for centuries in Europe - Europe is shattered, many of its elements are dead, but it also has a bad conscience; it knows it is guilty. Since then, Europe has looked for and found in the Palestinian cause the expiation for its guilt. It is from this that the uncritical and Manichean attitude toward the Palestinian cause emerges - it is, primarily, the last heroic (European) adventure. Further, the more the Jews are presented as being the evil party, the bad ones, the less difficult it is to carry the responsibility and the guilt. This is a process of collective psychology. From such a perspective, there essentially is no difference between France, for example, and Spain... It is unbelievable how Europe continues to hate its Jewish soul, even after it has expelled it! Marc Tobiass: According to you, it is this Judeophobia that explains the "pro-Palestinian hysteria" that exists in Europe. Pilar Rahola: I am sure of it... There is undeniably of late a very serious effort at disinformation about everything to do with the Middle East. There is a kind of madness that excuses all the crimes, abuses, and errors of the Palestinian side, and, at the same time, there is a historical predisposition that condemns any single error of the Israeli side - and this to the point where the Palestinian victims are given maximum attention and the Israeli (victims) are ignored. It is as if the Jewish victims didn't exist, on the pretext that they were responsible for their own deaths! The worst thing is that there is also a problem of terrorism in Spain, but when the crimes of ETA [translator's note: the Basque terrorist group] are mentioned, one speaks of terrorism, while when the crimes of Hamas are mentioned, one speaks of militants, activists, resistance, struggle... When one mentions the Palestinian victims, one speaks of children, civilians, innocents, but when one mentions the Israeli victims, one speaks of people without a name, as if to suggest that they are only soldiers, members of the army. There is a distortion in the presentation of the conflict, a dangerous manipulation that feeds the hatred and the anti-Semitism. Marc Tobiass: Your remarks add up to an indictment of the European media. Pilar Rahola: What I want is to launch an appeal to the collective European way of thinking, and especially to the intellectuals and journalists, because, from my point of view, they are in the process of creating a collective reality that is Judeophobic. Today one must prove oneself to be on the left ; it is necessary to be anti-Semitic to have credibility. Things have reached the point where, for instance, Sharon is always guilty of being guilty, while Arafat is seen as an honest figure, innocent, a tireless old resistance fighter, a heroic figure, a kind of Gandhi - in brief, a person gussied up in romantic finery, when in reality he is head of an oligarchy that has so much blood on its hands. Israel is not (just) a country that is trying, for better or worse, to survive for fifty years, but it is reduced to one sole image: a country that occupies the territories and whose vocation is to make life miserable for the poor Palestinians. The history of the Holy Land is being reinvented. Everything takes place as if there were instructions: Never recall the faults and errors of the Palestinians, never recall their alliances with dangerous countries such as Iraq, in order to heap more shame on the United States and Israel. The profound reasons for this war are never made clear, never discussed. Marc Tobiass: There is a comment in your text that sent shivers down my spine. You say that Judeophobia is, in the final analysis, the common denominator between Europe and the Palestinians. Pilar Rahola: It's true that there are in Europe non-Jews who are sensitive and respect the Jewish soul, which is also part of the foundation of Europe, but they constitute a minority. The majority, the unconscious European collective, does not understand, does not absorb, nor accept, the Jewish phenomenon. And it is there that the essential meeting point between the European and the Palestinian takes place. Palestinian identity is not just a recent phenomenon, but it is, above all, built on hatred of Israel, hatred of the Jews. If Europe can be explained by its Jewish component and by its hatred of the Jews, as if they were two sides of the same coin, Palestinian identity can essentially be explained only by its anti-Jewish component. It is for this reason that the Palestinians have such difficulty putting an end to their violence. If the Palestinians renounced their hatred of the Jews, they would at the same time lose a significant part of their identity. To get beyond this violence, they would have to get beyond the hatred and thus change their identity. In other words, they would have to reinvent themselves. It is on the basis of this hatred that the Palestinian meets and agrees with the European. Often, this takes place with people of the Left, which is a veritable calamity for people like myself, as we are of the Left. We are Europeans, but we do not accept Judeophobia, just as we do not accept the anti-Zionism that justifies and nourishes the anti-Semitism of the Spanish Left today. Marc Tobiass: Isn't this legitimization of hate the true obstacle to peace? Pilar Rahola: Without doubt. I believe that Europe is directly responsible, and not only for the conflict. In the final analysis, who, if not Europe, created the Jewish problem in the world? In a certain sense, one can even say that Europe is the actual founder of the State of Israel. Europe expelled its Jews - its Spanish Jews, its Russian Jews, its French Jews, and its German Jews. It expelled them from its body, even though these Jews felt themselves to be European to the core?. Marc Tobiass: You describe yourself as being on the Left and, for you, being a leftist is above all an existential position toward life, toward society. Yet, you yourself say that when this position turns into ideology, at times it becomes an excuse for channeling uncritical dogma, a simplistic Manichaeanism, indeed racism. You, who were a parliamentarian of the Left, how can you handle this contradiction? Pilar Rahola: Those on the Left in Spain have a real problem. In some respects we are the heirs of the French Revolution ; we have been influenced by the great ideologues like [Jean-Paul] Sartre and [Albert] Camus, and also by May 1968. That is to say, the overall thinking of the Spanish Left comes from France. Now, France is fundamentally anti-American... from which (comes) our anti-Americanism, that at times borders on the pathological, an anti-Americanism which is also anti-Semitic. This explains why to a certain extent the Spanish Left is anti-Semitic. Obviously, people like myself have great difficulty with this state of affairs. I believe that if the Left has failed as a great world ideology, it is because the Left did not succeed in breaking with the worst of its dogmatic thinking. The Left can be very progressive, but it can also be very dogmatic. Unfortunately, the Left became infatuated with such infamous dictators as Pol Pot, Mao, and Stalin, and now it is in love with Arafat. The Left should be critical, and in the first place, self-critical. Marc Tobiass: And what is the dogma that worries you the most today? Pilar Rahola: The most absurd thing is to watch leaders of the Left today greet and celebrate Arab leaders, even when they are fundamentalists. For example, in the debates that followed the attacks of September 11, we heard an anti-American discourse here, pooh-poohing the victims, something which is in and of itself terrible! And there were those who tried to downgrade - with that tawdry third-worldism which characterizes some circles of the Left - the danger embodied in individuals like bin Laden, who is, in fact, an authentic fascist. I believe that for the moment the world remains blind to the biggest totalitarianism of the twenty-first century, which is Islamic fundamentalism. Now we must prepare ourselves seriously to face this danger: For me, this totalitarianism is without any shadow of a doubt comparable to Stalinism and Nazism, the biggest scourges of the twentieth century. Marc Tobiass: To finish this interview, Pilar Rahola, I would like to cite a sentence from your text: You say that to be "in favor of Israel" is the most intelligent, rational, prudent, and honest way to be in favor of Palestine. Pilar Rahola: First of all, I do not accept the use of defense of the Palestinian cause as a pretext for a new epidemic of anti-Semitism. If Europe had had a critical discussion that did not hesitate to condemn the grave and permanent mistakes of the Palestinian side; if Europe had been more critical of the Palestinians, we would be closer to a solution today. But Arafat enjoys support and legitimacy in Europe which allows him to never miss an opportunity for missing the opportunity of peace. I believe that if Europe had been more critical toward Arafat, toward the different aspects of Palestinian violence, if Europe had been tougher in its statements, the Palestinians would have been compelled to step back from the violence and the suicide attacks. A sense of justice calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state next to the State of Israel, but not in its place. Yet, at its core, Europe is ill at ease with the existence of Israel, and one can even say that the existence of this state provokes resentment and anger on the European left. Even if this is not acknowledged, many Europeans contend that a Palestinian state must replace the State of Israel. But for those of us who support Israel, who are in favor of good neighborly relations - for coexistence between the State of Israel and a Palestinian state - our way of saying YES to a Palestinian state is also a way of saying YES to the existence of the State of Israel. ( http://www.MidEastTruth.com

A CALL TO ARMS TO OPPOSE SLAPP SUITS Posted by Steven Plaut, December 31, 2003.

Libel suits for the purpose of suppressing free speech are common in the world and they have become known in the US as SLAPP Suits. Many states in the US now have anti-SLAPP laws. For an excellent web site that reviews these and legal cases involving suppression of free speech through suing for libel, see http://www.gjs.net/web-slap.htm You can see that Israel is desperately in need of an anti-SLAPP law. You might want to write your Knesset member and urge that these be passed in Israel. As you know, I am being harassed by just such a SLAPP suit by an extremist leftist employed by Ben Gurion University, and there are several other similar suits now in progress against others. Meanwhile, I would like to invite all Plaut listers to write to the heads of Ben Gurion University (addresses below) and tell them what you think of Neve Gordon, political science lecturer, using SLAPP suits as a tactic to suppress free speech of his critic (me). While you are at it, let them know what you think of Gordon calling Israel a fascist country, a terrorist state, an apartheid state, his insisting that terror is caused by injustice, his sympathy for a bi-national state solution, his belief that Israel "only understands violence", and his praising the ideas and book by Norman Finkelstein, universally seen as a fraud and anti-Semite and pro-nazi. Reprint of Daniel Doron's article on Gordon follows below. Finally you might comment on the fact that Gordon lists quite a few Israel-bashing political pieces as part of his academic publication record. Gordon's record appears at http://www.bgu.ac.il/politics/fac/gordon/publications.htm Have a look and make up your mind about him! (The Palestine Israel Journal is regarded by many as a PLO front) (Note the review of Norman Finkelstein listed on the page as an academic publication) Officials at Ben Gurion University: Professor Avishay Braverman President, Ben-Gurion University Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel Fax: 972-8-647-2937 Professor Jimmy Weinblatt Rector, Ben-Gurion University Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel Tel. 972-7-6461105 Fax: 972-7-6472945 weinb@bgumail.bgu.ac.il Professor Avishai Henik Dean of Social Sciences henik@bgumail.bgu.ac.il 972-8-6472945 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, P.O.B. 653 Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Be'er-Sheva 84105, Israel. Letters to the American Associates of Ben Gurion University (AABGU) should be sent to 1430 Broadway, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Zvi Alon is President of AABGU and Vivien Marion is the Executive Vice-President. (phone: 212-687-7721; fax: 212-302-6443; email: info@aabgu.org) THE LEFT IS PATHOLOGICAL by Daniel Doron, December 18, 2003 Political pathology is to be found at both extremes of the political spectrum. It was a right-wing fanatic who assassinated a prime minister and his likes are committing outrages against innocent Arabs in Judea and Samaria, thus discrediting a Jewish community acting with extreme restraint in face of Arab terrorism. However, since the Left has become the dominant force in Israeli politics, it is the chief carrier of political pathology. The Left gained its dominance since the early 1920s when the Zionist organization's immigration policies, funded by Jewish capitalists, favored young pioneers who were settled in collectivist namely communist settlements. Ben-Gurion and his comrades were true Bolshevik believers then. They fashioned Zionism as a spearhead for a Middle East communist revolution, practicing a violent class struggle against the middle classes, destroying their economic bases and institutions and becoming the dominant force in the life of the mandatory Yishuv. Ben-Gurion and his party became gradually disenchanted with Soviet communism, but up until the mid-1950s, about 30% of the Israeli electorate voted for Stalinist parties. This caused Ben-Gurion great anxiety. He worried about the spread of pro-Stalinist sympathies (which he claimed destroyed the true Leninism that he upheld) among the highest echelons of the IDF as well as among intellectuals, academicians, media persons and artists, who were molding the consciousness of the young. So he took two politically dangerous steps: He disbanded the Palmah, the elite unit of the Hagana, because it was totally dominated by pro-Moscow generals. And he sacrificed and disbanded one of his own proud creations the Labor-affiliated school system. The scions of the Stalinists whom Ben-Gurion fought still dominate life now in the guise of a post-Zionist New Left in academia, the media and among intellectuals and artists. Ben-Gurion considered the pro-Moscow, Stalin-worshiping radical Left pathological apostates, betrayers of Zionism and Judaism who sought to convert Jews to the secular faith of Stalinism (several kibbutzim held Seder ceremonies in which a Haggada was recited that was dedicated to "the rising sun of humanity, Comrade Joseph Stalin"). THIS IS not the occasion to delve into the etiology of the violent and destructive nature of the political pathology inflicting utopian movements from the French Revolution onward. Freud's most original successor, Wilhelm Reich, analyzed it in his seminal The Mass Psychology of Fascism. Later works, Theodore Adorno's The Authoritarian Personality and Erich Fromm's The Fear of Freedom, further elaborated the relationship between personality disorders and political extremism. Radical movements seem to attract personalities that seethe with explosive rage. Their rage is attached to a cause as Dostoevsky so memorably limned in The Devils giving its destructiveness an appearance of virtue and legitimacy. This may explain why, despite their protestations that they defend freedom, so many leftists actually support the most murderous tyrants from Stalin to Arafat, and why some liberals give aid and comfort to aggressive, oppressive and corrupt dictatorships such as the Palestinian Authority. Neve Gordon is a prime example of this paradox. Gordon, one of the rabidly post-Zionist revisionist historians who teaches political science at Ben-Gurion University. Most of the articles Gordon has published are devoted to denouncing Israel as a fascist terrorist state. Gordon would probably claim that he is fighting for the rights of oppressed Palestinians, but tellingly he devotes most of his energy to recycling calumnies that subvert Israel's legitimacy. Gordon does not seem to care for the Palestinians except as instruments of his rage. He goes beyond the radical-chic support for the PLO given by most Israeli academic leftists. On a visit to Ramallah he embraced Arafat and implicitly protected with his body the terrorists hiding in the compound. Gordon has expressed understanding for terrorism because it is caused by "injustice." He does not seem to care that the Palestinians are subjected to the most brutal and oppressive dictatorship so long as they are nominally "independent." He was among the signers of the petition before the recent Iraq war declaring that Israel was planning to perpetrate atrocities and massive crimes against humanity once the war broke out. He also endorsed boycotts against Israel. Had Israel enjoyed an open, pluralistic public debate especially in the media and the universities one could let the pathological defamers do their thing. But the public arena in Israel is dominated by politically correct leftists who silence any opposition. Like the Islamic fundamentalist parties in countries such as Iran or Algeria where democratic elections have been exploited to abolish democracy so does the pathological Left exploit democratic freedoms, including academic freedom and freedom of speech, in order to defy the majority will and subvert it from within. The post-Zionists and neo-Marxists on the Ben-Gurion University faculty, that Gordon exemplifies, are true believers. They are capable of calling for a boycott of Israeli universities for alleged crimes against humanity; they are not promoters of free speech or pluralism. This is, alas, also true of many other social-science and humanities departments in Israel where, in the words of the (Meretz) former minister of education Amnon Rubinstein "a unison choir" of political correctness suppresses free debate. In fact, several attempts have been made by BGU leftists to use the law to intimidate adversaries and suppress criticism. The most recent, a frivolous libel suit filed by Neve Gordon against Prof. Steven Plaut of Haifa University, a stalwart defender of free speech. Those who support freedom for terrorists cannot stomach any opposition. They file suits simply to harass critics and intimidate potential adversaries by causing them great expense and loss of time. Serious consideration must therefore be given to the protection of academic freedom and free speech from a pathological Left that is so adept at abusing them. Daniel Doron is president of The Israel Center for Social and Economic Progress, an independent pro-market policy think tank. Steven Plaut is an American-trained economist, a professor of business administration at Haifa University and author of "The Scout." He frequently comments - both seriously and satirically - on Israeli politics and the left wing academic community. His website address is http://www.stevenplaut.blogspot.com. [Ed. Note: Additional material on the SLAPP suit against Professor Plaut can be found in Lakisher's article "The David Irving Trial in Israel", December 17, 2003, the December 2003 Blog-Ed page (http://www.think-israel.org/dec03bloged.html), this issue.]

DISCRIMINATION BY ANY OTHER NAME Posted by Michael Freund, December 31, 2003.

There is a new breed of racism afoot in the land, and it emanates from the most unexpected of quarters. The odium, while packaged in flowery language and universalist rhetoric, is nevertheless strident and uncompromising. Israel's new band of bigots is the racist Left, and its power seems to be growing. At first glance, the very idea of a racist Left might seem preposterous. After all, these are the people who profess a belief in the most profound and noble of principles, who march on behalf of the rights of others and cling to a vision of reconciliation and peace under the most trying of circumstances. The Left is the first to cry racism when any distinction is made between Israeli Arabs and Jews, sometimes with good reason. Yet it is the Left itself that is advocating the most sweeping distinctions between how Jews and Arabs are treated under the law. Take, for example, the question of illegal building in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip. Over the past year, the far Left has vociferously called for uprooting the dozens of outposts erected by Jewish settlers throughout the territories. They send teams of monitors to track the growth and expansion of these budding communities, utilize satellite photographs and imagery to keep an eye on their development, and compile and issue reports and press releases on the subject. The reason? Ostensibly, it is about law and order. Many of the Jewish outposts are said to have been built without the necessary permits from the government; hence, the Left demands that they be taken down. Now, I am all in favor of respecting the law, but a key element, in democracies at least, is the idea that all are equal before it. And yet, when it comes to illegal building in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, the Left only seems to make noise about Jewish structures, not Arab ones. As anyone who has driven through the territories knows, there are untold thousands of illegal buildings that have gone up in recent years in Arab villages and towns and along roads overlooking Jewish settlements. If the law is supreme, then it should not matter who erects an illegal structure. Whether he follows Moses or Muhammad, he has violated the law. But to Israel's racist leftists, this is simply not the case. They apply their principles selectively, demanding legal action against one ethnic group while ignoring the violations of another. They insist on holding Jews to one standard and Arabs to another. Isn't that racial discrimination? And then there is the issue of demography. At the Herzliya conference earlier this month, Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu suggested that the growth rates of Israeli Arabs pose a demographic threat to the Jewish nature of the state. He was immediately pounced on by various members of the Left, who ridiculed his remarks and denounced them as racist. And yet, when it comes to Israel's ultra-Orthodox community, many on the Left have little compunction about making exactly the same remarks, warning that the high birthrate of the ultra-Orthodox threatens to tilt the balance against the secular and in favor of religious Jews. In other words, as far as the racist Left is concerned, you can voice concern about Jewish population growth, but not Arab expansion. There are plenty of other examples. Administrative detention without trial disturbs the Left when those imprisoned are Palestinian Arabs, but not when a Jewish settler from Hebron is detained. Incitement to violence by Israeli Jews is treated differently from incitement by Arabs, as are unruly protests and dissent. To be fair, not all of the Left is plagued by such two-faced beliefs. There are plenty of thoughtful and reasonable people who lean to the left and still believe in maintaining one standard for all. Unfortunately, though, their voices seem to have been drowned out, as the more extreme fringes of the Left have come to the fore. Indeed, across the board, the far Left speaks of equality for Arabs and Jews even as it practices inequity and discrimination. For, implicit in the double standard applied to Arabs is the paternalistic belief that one cannot expect very much from "such people," as though Arabs were somehow innately inferior. This, of course, is racism in its purest and ugliest of forms, the type of thinking that is incapable of looking beyond a person's origins and judging him or her as an individual. Whether they will admit it or not, extreme leftists have become infected with this pernicious ailment, advancing a narrow form of chauvinism and prejudice under the guise of progressive values and beliefs. It is time to tear off their mask of respectability, and see them for what they are: Israel's racist Left. This appeared today in the Jerusalem Post. Michael Freund served as Deputy Director of Communications & Policy Planning in the Prime Minister's Office under former premier Binyamin Netanyahu.

ASSESSING ISLAMIST WEB SITE REPORTS OF IMMINENT TERROR ATTACKS IN THE U.S. Posted by Yigal Carmon, December 30, 2003.

Recently there has been an increase in postings on Islamist Web forums regarding imminent large-scale terror attacks in the U.S. However, beyond their general religious leanings, it is not known whether these forums are actually affiliated with Al-Qa'ida. In order to assess the credibility of these threats, there is a need to examine their content. The following are three examples: I. Operation Cave of Darkness In late December 2003, a Web site called Global Islamic Media posted a communique warning of an imminent large-scale attack in the U.S. called Operation Cave of Darkness. [1] An examination of the text of the posting reveals that: The communique makes several demands, suggesting that meeting these demands will eliminate the threat of attack. Such bargaining is unknown in the Al-Qa'ida modus operandi, and has never appeared in any bin Laden speech to date. Among these demands are "returning all monies, but in gold and not in paper, as we have demanded from you in the past;" "restoring all old borders... particularly the northern one;" and "dismantling what are unjustly and oppressively called the Oppressed Nations [i.e. the U.N.] and the Satanic Council [i.e. the U.N. Security Council]." The communique also states that "the price of oil will be set by us, and we promise not to stop the flow and not to create a monopoly." Such attempts to bargain have never appeared in the Al-Qa'ida ideology and modus operandi; Al-Qa'ida's attacks are motivated by religious ideology and by the promised reward in the afterlife - not material reward in this world. The communique is not written in the Islamist style. The text includes not a single Qur'anic quote, and no mention of the Prophet's conduct. Rather than call the Americans infidels and enemies of Allah, as is common in the Islamist discourse, it asserts that the Americans are "taking over the world dictatorially, in a senseless and infantile manner reminiscent of the behavior of infants or madmen." It is noteworthy that on the Islamist Web forum Al-Qal'a, some members dismissed this communique as a fake. Based on all the above, this communique should not be regarded as a valid threat made by elements genuinely affiliated with Al-Qa'ida and Osama bin Laden. II. Countdown to an Imminent Attack Following the many reports in the American media about Operation Cave of Darkness, Islamist forums began posting follow-up reports. One of the more prominent of these was the countdown to an upcoming attack titled "End U.S." which appeared on the Islamist www.khayma.com. It read as follows: "In the name of Allah, the all-merciful and compassionate, [this is] the countdown for the biggest event, the defeat and collapse of America, the Hubal of this generation. [2] According to the predictions [on the Web site] Al-Sayf Al-'Aasim, 36 days, 13 hours, and 23 seconds at most remain [as of time of publication] until the prediction is fulfilled. God willing, the collapse of America is nigh." [3] Members of Islamist forums such as Al-Qal'a determined that this countdown referred to Operation Cave of Darkness. [4] An examination of the text of this posting reveals that: The warning is based on the Al-Sayf Al-'Aasim Web site, which features a Nostradamus-style compilation of prophesies and futuristic predictions. Recently, this site was hacked and replaced by a pornography site. This warning contains no Islamist discourse, no Qur'anic quotes, no reference to the Prophet's conduct, etc. A video clip depicting America's end that accompanies the posting is comprised of segments of Hollywood disaster films, particularly one about a meteor striking the Earth. Based on the above, this threat is not credible. III. Threats of Attacks in an Ongoing Battle In late December, another type of threat appeared, on the Global Islamic Media site. It is authored by Abu Abd Al-Rahman Al-Turkemani (most likely an alias). This posting is aimed at reinforcing the morale of Islamist activists in their ongoing struggle. Al-Turkemani threatens attacks - but unlike the other threats, he sets no target date, explaining that perhaps the attacks will take a long time to prepare, and perhaps they will not take the form of military clashes. The following are the main elements of this posting, which was titled "The Final Blows in the Decisive Battles Are At Hand:" [5] "The final blows in the crucial battles are at hand. We are now living in crucial days and we are seeing how the government of the idol of this age [i.e. the U.S.] is filled with fear and dread, dreaming of obtaining security and calm, and spending a billion dollars every week in order to protect itself from the imminent unknown danger coming from the direction [of the enemy] that they claimed to have completely destroyed years ago... "We are seeing that they have [finally] understood the oath of the commander of the Jihad army [bin Laden] and they now know that he meant exactly what he said [when he was valiantly facing the armies of the new Crusade]: We are now engaged in Jihad between the armies of faith, truth, and goodness as opposed to the armies of unbelief, falsehood, and evil... "The crucial battle is about to begin. The swords have been drawn from their scabbards, and the fingers are on the triggers. Happy are those who choose [to join] the camp of the believers and choose the profitable deal [i.e., to sacrifice themselves in Jihad], and woe to those who join the losers [the armies of unbelief] who are in the lowest compartment of Hell. "This is a crucial issue in a crucial battle in crucial days. The great harvest [of the enemies of Allah] is at the gates. And who knows - it may be imminent... "On the other hand, who knows, perhaps it is not imminent. There may be blows not by firearms to weaken the great serpent [i.e. the U.S.] as silent blows which do not require military skirmishes and without threatening... "Those who ask, "When will the crucial battle and the final blows come?" and keeps waiting for the event to come, without carrying out his own duties to prepare for it - are not of the armies of truth. They are merely onlookers, who have failed to join the Jihad - which is a personal duty for all Muslims... "The war between us and unbelief and the people of unbelief is a war between two unequal forces. They surpass us in material preparedness, and we surpass them with the preparedness of belief, and courageous resolve... "The crucial battle is at hand, and the fruits of the great harvest are ripe, and the column of the men who are faithful to their promise to God [i.e. the Jihad warriors] continues on its way to destroy the idol of the present age and its values... "This continuing column of the Jihad warriors shall not stop, but it may sometimes weaken, [even] for years, and sometimes become stronger... But the crucial battle is undoubtedly coming, God willing." An examination of this posting reveals that: Unlike the other postings, it uses the style commonly used by known Al-Qa'ida supporters. It includes Qur'anic verses and even direct references to bin Laden's speeches. As is common in bin Laden's addresses to Muslims, the posting calls on Muslims to remember their religious duty to wage Jihad, and not to wait to watch it on television as onlookers. Based on all the above, the credibility of this posting is much greater than that of the others. [1] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/globalislamicmedia/message/262. [2] Hubal was an ancient Meccan idol of the pre-Islamic era, and his name is commonly used among Islamists to denote the U.S. [3] http://www.khayma.com/iraqihell/End%20US.htm. [4] 64.246.51.45/vb/showthread.php?s=cb632e2a4ce426ae03f1bee8f683e7e9&threadid=100006 [5] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/globalislamicmedia/message/2623. Yigal Carmon is President of The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), an independent organization that translated and analyzes the media of the Middle East. Its website address is http://www.memri.org

ARUTZ 7: A Prisoner Of Conscience Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, December 30, 2003.

WE DEEPLY REGRET THE NEED FOR THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY ABOUT THE CURRENT ISRAELI GOVERNMENT. Ida Nudel, one of most famous Soviet Jewish prisoners of conscience (refuseniks) had deep experience with corrupt governments and biased courts virtually owned by the system in the Former Soviet Union. Ida Nudel has correctly expressed shame as a citizen of a Jewish state which is exhibiting "totalitarian" policies. She also strongly decried the continued incarceration of Hebron resident Noam Federman, without charge, and sent a letter to Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz deploring the government's actions against Federman. (1) Nudel accused the Israeli government, run by Arik Sharon, and the Jerusalem Magistrates' Court for their trials and sentencing of 10 broadcasters and directors of Arutz 7, plus 750,000 Shekels ($166,666 US Dollars) of fines. Arutz 7 broadcast news, listened to by hundreds of thousands of people in Israel and around the world, was shut down because they broadcast "fair and balanced" news plus Jewish education and music all day long. Never in the history of the nation has any broadcaster charged with running a pirate radio station been sentenced to jail or fined such high amounts of money. Clearly, both the sentences and the fines are intended to force the Arutz 7 station and individuals into silence through bankruptcy. A Radio Free Israel is not to be tolerated by this government which operates in the shadows. "The sentencing judge proudly stated: 'the voice of Arutz 7 was silenced' is evidence that the atmosphere in the judicial system is poisoned". (2) No one is confused as to why Sharon behaved like many Soviet despots. On 10/25/03 Russia's President Vladimir Putin (formerly in the KGB) arrested Mikhail Khodorovsky, the owner of Yukos/Sibnieft (Russia's biggest oil producer and fourth in the world). Khodorovsky was funding right wing opposition to Putin and planned to become Prime Minister of Russia thereby challenging Putin's Presidency. Others have been fled from Russia because Putin wouldn't tolerate being exposed as the KGB operative he once was, now in control of the entire Kremlin. So, too did the Courts of the Left in Israel attempt to stifle Arutz 7's freedom of speech for what Sharon is about to do in order to accommodate President George Bush by re-partitioning the Jewish State of Israel in time for Bush's 2004 election. Bush wants bragging rights with the false claim that he "civilized" the Arab/Muslim Palestinians and brought peace to the region. Clearly, shutting down and shutting up the only non-Leftist media voice in Israel was important to both Sharon and the Arabist U.S. State Department. We all remember how Rabin, Peres and Beilin as well as most of the Left when in authority, desperately tried to close down the Arutz 7 broadcasts from a ship at sea. Every dirty trick possible has been done, like raids and destroying transmitters, no different than any dictatorship. Now, Sharon and Ehud Olmert have maneuvered to close-down the only Free Voice in Israel with cruel sentences for its directors and broadcasters, plus draconian fines amounting to 750,000 Shekels ($166,666). (3) Indeed, Sharon and Olmert appear to be merely empty suits walking and their once famous names now bring only shame and disgust. The nine men and one women, all of whom have impeccable records of serving the State, have been sentenced to jail (or perhaps community service) by a Leftist Court and a supposedly Rightist government. That Sharon and Olmert have made common cause with the Left, the Osloids, the new assembly of those rejected by the public and out of government who secretly evolved the Geneva Accords, tell much about them. But, their corruption was not hidden from the knowing eyes of those such as Ida Nudel, and probably the other refuseniks such as Natan Sharansky, Yosef Mendelevitch, and all the others who suffered under the Soviet dictatorship which similarly closed down any voice which disagreed with their government corruption. Political corruption is like pornography - you know it when you see it. There should be an immediate appeal to Israel's President Moshe Katsav for a full pardon and dismissal of fines. Fines like these can insure financial ruin so that Arutz 7 cannot be re-started again within the time-span that Sharon needs to subvert YESHA (Yehuda, Shomron and Gaza). These men and woman should receive medals for bravery and service to their country plus a full license to broadcast as was legislated by the Israeli Knesset years ago. Regrettably, they may not be able file an appeal to the Supreme Court which has become infamous as a radically Leftist Court, ruled by Aharon Barak, Chief Supreme Court Judge. If they lost that appeal, it is possible that Barak could even increase their jail sentences to a more harsh level. President Putin of Russia drove out one media giant, Vladimir Gussinsky, a couple of years ago, who used his TV station to speak out against the Kremlin's corruption.(4) Following that he arrested Khodorovsky, an oil billionaire, who similarly challenged Putin and paid for ads telling the truth about Putin's governance. Here, too, the Courts belong to the Kremlin and Putin. Clearly, Sharon and the activist Supreme Court led by far Leftist Aharon Barak needed Arutz 7 out of the way along with those whose ingenuity made the station so popular. Compare Sharon's tactics in Israel to those of the Kremlin who, over the past three years took control over television stations, openly manipulated the judicial system and strengthened its regional administration. In the eyes of many political commentators, the Kremlin under Putin now aims for greater influence over business - which may be why Putin had Khodorovsky arrested. Khodorovsky is said to the richest Russian, estimated to possess over $8-12 Billion. Siberia is to be the oil industry's salvation. Is the world witnessing the emergence of a new energy colossus to rival Saudi Arabia? The Russian Stock Exchange reached an all time high on October 20, 2003 with Yukos/Sibnieft accounting for 35% of the RTS index at its peak value. But, with Khodorovky's arrest and the freezing of his stake in Yukos, the market fell perhaps 58%. Russia is expecting a net capital flight of more than $13 Billion in the second half of 2003, sharply reversing the trend in the first 6 months which saw the first sustained inflow of capital since the collapse of Communism. (5) This information many seem unrelated to Israel, except the ethics of the Kremlin in many ways have been imported to Israel and only Arutz 7 was courageous enough to speak about it. How many foreign companies will invest in Israel when they see that the ruling clique is no different in its ethics and principles than Putin's Russia or the surrounding Arab dictatorships? We are all awaiting for Sharon's heavy hand to fall on YESHA (as it did when he dismantled Yamit) and the true patriots of Israel. Sharon says he will take down many settlers' communities. Sharon has been preparing for this betrayal - given his frequent speeches about making "painful concessions". He desperately needs the silence of the one voice which reached millions all over the world who pointed out that Sharon's "painful concessions" would not bring peace but will bring only pain to those who invested their life's savings in their homes. Sharon knew that the Leftist media would NOT complain about transferring Jews from their homes but would congratulate him for bonding with the aberrant Left. Sharon's reputation and historical legacy are fast approaching that of those seduced by foreign interests over the vital needs of his own people. Tell us, Arik, do you really believe that you are a cut above Vladimir Putin or those others who sent the refuseniks like Ida Nudel to prison camps in Siberia? Putting genuine heroes of the nation into prison, or bankrupting them because they spoke the truth in public about the Left and now the dictatorial Right is a crime of such disgust that this government seems nothing more than a walking dead thing. Go away, Sharon and drag with you the carrion who assemble at your feet for whatever political scraps you can throw them. You have made the nation of Israel into a banana republic whom few nations respect. Just go away! In Hebrew they say: "Sharon HaBayta!" (Sharon, Go Home!) Sharon, Olmert, Peres, Beilin, Tomy Lapid and others are merely empty suits walking and are beneath the word "contempt". Olmert's bid to retrieve his status of one to be trusted by "offering" to license Arutz 7 in a bidding war is a dirty trick no one will believe. (6) Arutz 7 may receive a limited license to broadcast long after those mentioned above have accomplished their dirty work. How will Arutz 7 put itself back together after you have bankrupted the company and individuals who worked so hard and so long to give Israel the Free Voice she needs and deserves? I am sure that Sharon, Olmert and the biased Judiciary will want to hear from you all - day and night. Never forget them and let them know frequently what you think about them. ### 1. "Former Prisoner of Zion on Federman Detention" IsraelNN.com Dec. 27, 2003 2. "AFSI Deplores Arutz-7 Sentencing" Americans for a Safe Israel Dec. 30, 2003 3. "Arutz-7 Ten: Sentenced by Jerusalem Magistrate Court" IsraelNN.com Dec. 29, 2003 4. "Kremlin Plays Games with Oligarchs: Khodorovsky under fire" by Stanislav Menshikov MOSCOW TRIBUNE July 11, 2003 5. "The Yukos Crisis" By Filip Lachowski Nov. 10, 2003 116.239.41.104/search?q=cache:r5HIZMa812sJ:www.invedstment.uslu.org/ content/ 6. "Arutz 7 Not Yet Legalized" IsraelNN.com December 30, 2003 Emanuel A. Winston is a Middle East analyst and commentator. His essays appear frequently on the Freeman Center Maccabean-Online (http://www.freman.org/online.htm) and on Gamla (http://www.gamla.org.il/english).

THE WESTERN DISEASE: The Strange Syndrome of Our Guilt and Their Shame Posted by Tamar Rush, December 30, 2003.

This article is by Victor David Hanson. It appear on the National Review website and is archived as: http://www.nationalreview.com/hanson/hanson200312300000.asp I found it at the underground command centre of Little Green Footballs (http://littlegreenfootballs/weblog). After watching a string of editorial attacks on America both at home and from abroad in the aftermath of Saddam's capture, I thought back to the actual record of the last two years. In 24 months the United States defeated two of the most hideous regimes in modern memory. For all the sorrow involved, it has already made progress in the unthinkable: bringing consensual government into the heart of Middle Eastern autocracy, where there has been no political heritage other than tyranny, theocracy, and dictatorship. In liberating 50 million people from both the Taliban and Saddam Hussein it has lost so far less than 500 soldiers - some of whom were killed precisely because they waged a war that sought to minimalize not just civilian casualties but even the killing of their enemies. Contrary to the invective of Western intellectuals, the American military's sins until recently have been of omission - preferring not to shoot looters or hunt down and kill insurgents - rather than brutal commission. While the United States has conducted these successive wars some 7,000 miles beyond its borders, it also avoided another terrorist attack of the scale of September 11 - and all the while crafting a policy of containment of North Korea and soon-to-be nuclear Iran. Thus by any comparative standard of military history, the last two difficult years, despite setbacks and disappointments, represent a remarkable military achievement. Yet no one would ever gather even the slightest acknowledgment of such success from our Democratic grandees. Al Gore dubbed the Iraqi liberation a quagmire and, absurdly, the worst mistake in the history of American foreign policy. Howard Dean, more absurdly, suggested that the president of the United States might have had foreknowledge of September 11. Most Americans now shudder at the thought that the former might have been president in this time of crisis - and that the latter still could be. Often American and European writers echo the fury of Gore and Dean. For example, on the day before Saddam Hussein was captured, one could reread in the International Herald Tribune a long reprinted rant by Paul Krugman, the Princeton professor. He exclaimed, "In the end the Bush doctrine - based on delusions of grandeur about America's ability to dominate the world through force - will collapse. What we've just learned is how hard and dirty the doctrine's proponents will fight against the inevitable." Krugman was apparently furious that American taxpayer dollars were going to be used to hire exclusively American and Coalition companies to rebuild Iraq rather than be paid out to foreign entities whose governments opposed the removal of Saddam Hussein. "Hard and dirty?" On the same page Bob Herbert assured his foreign audience that "The Republicans are hijacking elections and redistricting the country and looting the Treasury and ignoring the Constitution and embittering our allies." That outside entities and media have confirmed the vote counts of the Florida election, that Congress must approve federal spending and pass laws, that an independent judiciary audits our legislation, and that 60 countries are now engaged in Iraq meant nothing. "Hijacking and looting?" The next day after Saddam's capture I channel surfed global cable TV. A rather refined-looking French self-described expert in jurisprudence was lecturing his audience about the proper legal framework that was "acceptable" to the international community. From his dandified look he appeared a rather different sort from the Americans who crawled into Saddam's spider hole to yank him out. Soft power I suppose is the glib pontification from the salon; hard power is dragging out mass murderers at night in Tikrit. Next channel: Another worried-looking European analyst was raising the specter of a potential oppressed prisoner suffering at "Guantanamo" - in voicing concern for the rights of Saddam Hussein! French trading with a mass murderer, profiting from selling him arms to butcher his own people is one thing; worrying that the same monster fully understands the nuances of Western jurisprudence while in the docket is quite another. Of course, our European humanist never noted that his own country's pusillanimity over the last decade was responsible for abetting Saddam's reign of terror even as someone else's audacity was for ending it. I could go on, but you get the picture of this current madness. There is something terribly wrong, something terribly amoral with the Western intelligentsia, most prominently in academia, the media, and politics. We don't need Osama bin Laden's preschool jabbering about "the weak horse" to be worried about the causes of this Western disease: thousands of the richest, most leisured people in the history of civilization have become self-absorbed, ungracious, and completely divorced from the natural world - the age-old horrific realities of dearth, plague, hunger, rapine, or conquest. Indeed, it is even worse than that: a Paul Krugman or French barrister neither knows anything of how life is lived beyond his artificial cocoon nor of the rather different men and women whose unacknowledged work in the shadows ensures his own bounty in such a pampered landscape - toil that allows our anointed to rage at those purportedly culpable for allowing the world to function differently from an Ivy League lounge or the newsroom of the New York Times. Neither knows what it is like to be in a village gassed by Saddam Hussein or how hard it is to go across the world to Tikrit and chain such a monster. Our Western intellectuals are sheltered orchids who are naive about the world beyond their upscale hothouses. The Western disease of deductive fury at everything the West does provides a sort of psychological relief (without costs) for apparent guilt over privileged circumstances. It is such a strange mixture of faux-populism and aristocratic snobbery. They believe only a blessed few such as themselves have the requisite education or breeding to understand the "real" world of Western pathologies and its victims. If we accept that our aristocratic Left mutters exactly the sort of nonsense described by a host of critics from Aristophanes to Juvenal to Tom Wolfe, then just as bizarre is the Muslim world's reaction to capture of the murderer of more Muslims than any living Muslim in the Muslim world. On reports of Saddam's demise the same networks that aired Western professors fretting about his rights were interviewing weeping women in Palestine, somber coffeehouses in Cairo, and pompous intellectuals in Lebanon. In lockstep concern they all bemoaned the ignominious circumstances of his capture: He was found in a hole! He was dirty! And an American medic inspected him like an infected deportee! Alas, he fired not a shot. To sum up the Arab street: It appears to care not a whit that a native psychopath butchered hundreds of thousands of its own - only that his anti-American braggadocio was revealed to be a sham to millions and that Americans of all people had to free Iraqis from such a menace. Honor and shame - the stuff of tribal societies - matter more than the lives of innocents. If a pundit from Paris was riled that Saddam was not yet advised by an international human-rights lawyer, the masses on the West Bank trumped that concern by lamenting that he had not even machine-gunned an American on his way out - or indeed done anything to restore Arab tribal pride. Lost between the shared loony sympathies of the first-world elite and the third-world clan, between refined postmodern and uncouth premodern societies, was an iota of lamentation for the dead, those rotting and dried-out bones that appear in the thousands in desert sands outside Baghdad. Both Western pontificators and the mob in the Middle East feed off each other. Paul Krugman would rarely write a column about how abjectly immoral it was that thousands mourned the death of a mass murderer when one can say worse things about an American president who chose not to use American dollars to hire French companies to rebuild Iraq. Bob Herbert can falsely rant about a Florida election "rigged," but seldom about an election never occurring in the Arab world. The so-called Arab street and its phony intellectuals sense that influential progressive Westerners will never censure Middle Eastern felonies if there is a chance to rage about Western misdemeanors. It is precisely this parasitic relationship between the foreign and domestic critics of the West that explains much of the strange confidence of those who planned September 11. It was the genius of bin Laden, after all, that he suspected after he had incinerated 3,000 Westerners an elite would be more likely to blame itself for the calamity - searching for "root causes" than marshalling its legions to defeat a tribe that embraced theocracy, autocracy, gender apartheid, polygamy, anti-Semitism, and religious intolerance. And why not after Lebanon, the first World Trade Center bombing, the embassies in Africa, murder in Saudi Arabia, and the USS Cole? It was the folly of bin Laden only that he assumed the United States was as far gone as Europe and that a minority of its ashamed elites had completely assumed control of American political, cultural, and spiritual life. Hatred of Israel is the most striking symptom of the Western disease. On the face of it the dilemma there is a no-brainer for any classic liberal: A consensual government is besieged by fanatical suicide killers who are subsidized and cheered on by many dictators in the Arab world. The bombers share the same barbaric methods as Chechens, the 9/11 murderers, al Qaedists in Turkey, and what we now see in Iraq. Indeed, the liberal Europeans should love Israel, whose social and cultural institutions - universities, the fine arts, concern for the "other" - so reflect its own. Gays are in the Israeli military, whose soldiers rarely salute, but usually address each other by their first names and accept a gender equity that any feminist would love. And while Arabs once may have been exterminated by Syrians, gassed in Yemen by Egypt, ethnically cleansed in Kuwait, lynched without trial in Palestine, burned alive in Saudi Arabia, inside Israel proper they vote and enjoy human rights not found elsewhere in the Arab Middle East. When Europe frets over the "Right of Return" do they mean the over half-million Jews who were sent running for their lives from Egypt, Syria, and Iraq? Or do they ever ask why a million Arabs live freely in Israel and another 100,000 illegally have entered the "Zionist entity?" Does a European ever ask what would happen should thousands of Jews demand "A Right of Return" to Cairo? Instead, the elite Westerner talks about "occupied lands" from which Israel has been attacked four times in the last 60 years - in a manner that Germans do not talk about an occupied West they coughed up to France or an occupied East annexed by Poland. Russia lectures about Jenin, but rarely its grab of Japanese islands. Turkey is worried about the West Bank, but not its swallowing much of Cyprus. China weighs in about Palestinian sovereignty but not the entire culture of Tibet; some British aristocrats bemoan Sharon's supposed land grab, but not Gibraltar. All these foreign territories that were acquired through blood and iron and held on to by reasons of "national security" are somehow different matters when Jews are not involved. Yet give Israel a population of 250 million, massive exports of oil and terrorists - and wipe away anti-Semitism - and even the Guardian or Le Monde would change its tune. Perhaps the most pathetic example of this strange nexus between first- and third-world Western bashing was seen in mid-December on television. Just as the United States government declared a high alert, one could watch a replay of the Indian novelist Arundhati Roy trashing America to a captivated, near-gleeful audience in New York. Her dog-and-pony show was followed by pathetic pleading from her nervous interrogator, Howard Zinn, not to transfer her unabashed hatred of the Bush administration to the United States in general. Mimicking the theatrics of American intellectuals - Roy's hands frequently gestured scare quotes - she went from one smug denunciation to another to the applause of her crowd. Little was said about the crater a few blocks away, the social pathologies back home in India that send tens of thousands of its brightest to American shores, or Roy's own aristocratic dress, ample jewelry, and studied accent. All the latter accoutrements and affectations illustrated the well-known game she plays of trashing globalization and corporatization as she jets around the Western world precisely through its largess - all the while cashing in by serving up an elegant third-world victimization to guilt-ridden Westerners. Is it weird that Western perks like tenure, jet-travel, media exposure, and affluence instill a hatred for the West, here and abroad? Or rather for a certain type of individual does such beneficence naturally explain the very pathology itself?

HOLIDAY TERROR ALERTS..HO...HO...HO...HUM Posted by Arlene Peck, December 30, 2003.

After three years of unrelenting terrorists attacks against Israeli civilians I have begun to notice that these same savages who attack "the Jews" are also directing their mindless and cruel behavior on the Christians also. For the first time I noticed on the American television references to how the Christians have been terrorized, raped, plundered and systemically removed from the little town of Bethlehem. When it was under Israeli control, the homeland of Jesus was open to all and a wonderful place to be. Once the PLO took over, the Christian population quickly dropped and now it is a sad and empty place. Except for the Arab population of course who now blame the situation on Israel because the "intafada" has caused tourism to disappear. Recently I spoke with Father Keith Roderick who is the umbrella head of over seventy Christian organizations. He was lamenting to me that it's not only the Jews who are the victims of Arab terrorism. He and many others of his ilk are very fearful of what's happening. We all know about the vicious and frequent acts of anti-Semitism in Europe. However, not too much is said about how they are tearing down churches at every opportunity and replacing them with Mosques. I remembered how in June of '82 when I was in Lebanon as a journalist how the Israelis were the only ones who were helping the beleaguered Christians at the "Good Fence" and saving them from sure death. At that time, I wondered where the outcry was about the treatment of their own people from the Christian community. Why were they so complacent? Didn't they care? And, now that the Muslim plan is one that is and has systemically removed the Christian community why aren't they out there protesting the fact that Bethlehem has gone from the birthplace of Jesus and a population of 95% Christians to twenty-five percent and, rapidly going down. I don't know who's worse. The complacent or the self-haters, Recently, I wrote some of my usual words of wisdom about what and who the terrorists are. I described in detail my thoughts on the 72 virgins. Anyway, I received a 'hate letter' from someone named Ilan Hartuv who wrote me a profanity laden letter saying how my writings about the Arabs were "racist S. ..t." He then continued how he resented my thoughts as most other Israelis would. Then came the topper. He wrote me that he was a "retired Israeli ambassador/Naval NCO in Israelis war... and a hater of racists" Apparently Hartuv takes me to be a racist because I am a strong supporter of Israel and not Oslo as he can be found on the internet supporting. What I found most alarming about this appalling man is how he gleefully quoted four other former chiefs of the Shabak (Israel's general security services who wrote in Yedioth Aharonoth) that people like me may bring Israel to utter ruin and an untimely end. "My views are exactly those of Amnon Lipkin-Shakhak, one of our best chiefs of staff of hundreds of retired generals. Who the hell are you? How I hate ignorant racist. Pick somebody else! Signed, Ilan Hartuv Frankly, when I received his nasty email, I first assumed that he was an Arab writing me and trying to disguise himself as an Israeli. But, could it really be possible that he was a retired ambassador? Then upon further checking, I found he was the son of Dora Bloch who was one of the hi-jacked on the Entebbe raid! How do men like Ilan Hartuv ever get into power in Israel? I found it interesting that he was glorifying the four former chiefs of the Shabak as these are men who, in my opinion, should be arrested for treason, or at least deported when they give press conferences to demean the IDF or government in Israel. The foreign press had a field day with their ramblings. And although they and others like those pilots and soldiers in the IDF who signed that protest that went out around the world are few, they do tremendous damage. Not to mention the morale that they bring down. Don't people like this realize the damage that they do? Do they care? When I'm fighting the Arab Islamic Fundamentalist I understand the enemy. However, what I cannot fathom are the self-hating Jews and especially people like Belin, Peres and "retired Ambassadors" like Hartuv, I know by birth they're Jewish. But, somewhere along the way they turned into the enemy. Terrorism against the Jewish State and anti-Semitism against the Jews in general are at an all time high. Yet, these self-serving and in my opinion evil people are running around protesting the plight of the "poor down-trodden Palestinians" It makes me want to gag. Arlene Peck is an internationally syndicated columnist and television talk show hostess. She can be reached at: bestredhead@earthlink.net and www.arlenepeck.com

IRAN CLARIFIES THE MIDDLE EAST Posted by Isralert, December 30, 2003.

This was written by Dennis Prager and appeared on the Townhall website (http://www.townhall.com) today. If you want to understand the Middle East conflict, Iran has just provided all you need to know. A massive earthquake kills between 20,000 and 40,000 Iranians, and the government of Iran announces that help is welcome from every country in the world... except Israel. This little-reported news item is of great significance. It begs commentary. Israel not only has the world's most experienced crews in quickly finding survivors in bombed out buildings, it is also a mere two-hour flight from Iran. In other words, no country in the world would come close to Israel in its ability to save Iranian lives quickly. But none of this means anything to the rulers of Iran. The Islamic government of Iran has announced to the world that it is better for fellow countrymen and fellow Muslims - men, women and children - to die buried under rubble than to be saved by a Jew from Israel. That is how deep the hatred of Israel and Jews is in much of the Muslim world. Hundreds of millions of Muslims - Arab and non-Arab, Sunni and Shi'a - hate Israel more than they love life. Leaders of the Palestinian terror organization Hamas repeatedly state, "We love death more than the Jews love life." And now, Iran announces that it is better for a Muslim to asphyxiate under the earth than be rescued by a Jew from Israel. Naive Westerners - which includes most academics, intellectuals, members of the international news media, and nearly all others on the Left - refuse to acknowledge the uniqueness of the Arab/Muslim hatred of Israel and Jews. Yet, there is no hatred in the world analogous to it. Not since the Nazi hatred of Jews has humanity witnessed such hate. That is why finding survivors from earthquakes, creating a Palestinian state and life itself are all far less important in much of the Islamic and Arab worlds than killing Jews and destroying the little Jewish state. That is why Arab newspapers run articles by Arab professors describing how Jews butcher non-Jewish children to use their blood for holiday meals. That is why Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad could get a standing ovation from the heads of every Muslim country when he told them "the Jews rule the world by proxy." That is why Palestinian parents celebrate the suicide terror of their sons - the joy of killing Israeli families far outweighs the pain of the death of their child. Western naifs like to believe platitudes such as "Deep down, all people are really the same," "All people want peace," and the great untruth of multiculturalism that no culture is morally superior to another. That is why they choose not to face the truth about the Nazi-like hatred that permeates the Arab/Muslim world and the consequent moral gulf that exists between it and Israel. It shatters too many of their illusions. Surely the Iranian refusal of rescuers from the Jewish state ought to help all these people acknowledge the unique hatred that is at the root of the Arab-Israeli dispute and recognize that it is therefore a conflict unlike any other on earth. So, too, the immediate and sincere Israeli offer of rescuers to Iran should make the moral gulf between Israel and its enemies as clear as day. Despite the fact that Iran is the greatest backer of anti-Israel (and anti-American) terror and despite the fact that Iran repeatedly declares that Israel must be annihilated (in other words, seeks a second Jewish Holocaust), Israel offered to send its people to save Iranian lives. The two reactions - Iran's preference for Iranian deaths to Israeli help and the Jewish state's instinctive offer to help save Iranian lives - ought to be enough anyone needs to understand the source of the Middle East conflict. But they won't. Because those who are anti-Israel or "evenhanded" are not so because of the facts, but despite them.

GE CAVES TO CAIR THREATS Posted by Tamar Rush, December 30, 2003.

This was sent to me with the request that I forward it to as many people as I can because my friend didn't think the public is aware of what CAIR is trying to do. She pointed out that CAIR's top leadership has stated that they intend to make Islam the driving force in America and their actions prove this. CAIR is an openly Muslim fundamentalist organization, with ties to terrorists. They are opening offices in many of our major cities. Andrew Whitehead of the Anti-CAIR organization (http://www.anti-cair-net.org) wrote this essay about CAIR. It's called "In Defense of the Constitution." What do the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), and the Al-Aqsa Fund have in common? Consider: 1. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has just finished making the final installment on a payment to the Al-Aqsa Fund and Intifada Funds. The name of the bank handling the money for these two Islamist terror groups? The Islamic Development Bank. 2. The governments of the United States, Great Britain and other countries have banned Al-Aqsa Fund from raising/banking in their countries and have seized funds. 3. The Council on American Islamic Relations has stated that they received funding for their DC headquarters from "a loaned grant mortgage from the Islamic Development Bank." The end result? CAIR gladly received funding from a banking institution that also processes funds for Islamist terrorists who bomb, murder, dismember and terrorize innocent people while they profane the name of Allah. How can peaceful followers of the Islamic faith rationalize associating with an organization such as CAIR that not only supports Islamist terror, but does business with banks that fund terror? How can any member of the press or public rely on the words of a CAIR leader while CAIR engages in business with terrorist supporters who provide funds to groups that have, on several occasions, terror- murdered Americans? Where is the shame? Where is the outrage? General Electric Caves to CAIR Threats On December 16, 2003, Anti-CAIR (ACAIR) issued a press release regarding the actions taken by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) in response to statements made by nationally syndicated radio commentator, Mr. Paul Harvey. In response to CAIR's call for "action," several hundred people contacted General Electric (GE), with the end result that GE pulled their sponsorship of the program. While we of ACAIR fully support the right of any company to support the programming of their choice, we question whether GE should have taken any action in response to CAIR's actions. CAIR represents the very worst aspects of Islamist fundamentalism, does not represent the majority (or even a significant minority) of Muslims in the US and also supports Islamist terrorism. For a corporation such as GE to acknowledge, or respond to, entreaties made by CAIR is an insult to peaceful people of every religion. We hope that, in future, any US corporation having any type of relationship with CAIR realizes that they are dealing with Islamist terrorism supporters and that the American people will not trade with corporations that do not reflect traditional American values. ACAIR assistant director, Mr. John Rudolph, sent an e-mail to Mr. Gary Sheffer outlining his opinions regarding GE's position regarding Mr. Harvey's comments and received the following response: "Mr. Rudolph, Thanks for your note. You should know that we decided last week to resume advertising on Mr. Harvey's program. Also, our decision was our own. We thought Mr. Harvey's remarks were inappropriate. He himself issued a statement clarifying his remarks. Happy New Year. Gary Sheffer" We hope that, in future, any US corporation having any type of relationship with CAIR realizes that they are dealing with Islamist terrorism supporters and that the American people will not trade with corporations that do not reflect traditional American values. There are plenty of other Islamic groups in the United States that do not ascribe to the Wahhabi branch of radical Islam. GE should be able to find a responsible Islamic group to handle any concerns they have in dealing with Muslim-Americans. ACAIR is pleased to answer any questions from the public and press. Your comments, suggestions and tips are appreciated and all e- mail is read. You may request our press releases by writing: Andrew Whitehead, ACAIR. email: ajwhitehead@anti-cair-net.org net: http://www.anti-cair-net.org ADVISORY: Subscribers are warned that the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) may contact your employer if CAIR believes you are using a work address to receive any material that CAIR believes may be offensive. CAIR has been known to shame employers into firing employees CAIR finds disagreeable. For that reason, we strongly suggest that corporate e-mail users NOT use a corporate e-mail account/address when communicating with ACAIR. We make every reasonable effort to protect our mailing list, but we cannot guarantee confidentiality. ACAIR does not share, loan, sell, rent or otherwise publicize our mailing list. We respect your privacy! TIPS: All persons are invited to submit tips and leads. ACAIR will acknowledge receipt of all tips/leads, but we will NOT acknowledge the source of ANY tip or lead in our Press Releases or on our web site. Exceptions are made for leading media personalities at the discretion of ACAIR and only on request of the person(s) submitting the tip or lead.

OFFENDING YOUR CUSTOMERS Posted by Isaac Judah, December 30, 2003.

My friend, John J. Adams, sent me a copy of the letter he sent to General Electric Corporation (GE). He sent it to the CEO and all the big shots of GE for whom he could find email addresses. As a former GE employee, I am ashamed of GE for caving to CAIR, a front for an Islamic Terrorist group, that objected to a true statement Paul Harvey said about Islam being a "Religion of Death." What other religion brainwashes its children to strap explosives to themselves and blow themselves up to kill a few innocent people who don't happen to believe their Satanic religion? GE pulled its sponsorship of Paul Harvey. What an incredibly STUPID thing to do! What liberal idiot made the choice to kowtow to a bunch of Satanic Islamists at the expense of a great American like Paul Harvey??!! Until and unless GE apologizes to Paul Harvey and reinstates him on their roster of spokesmen, my family and everyone at our church will avoid buying anything GE. We already avoid GE's liberal NBC and all of its blame-America-first associates. Remember, this is America, not some Islamic Dictatorship. At least 80% of your customers are loyal Americans, and Christians or Jews, and we are offended by the 3000 Americans killed by Islamists on 9/11, and daily attacks on our troops, and innocent Israelis, by the same champions of that "religion of peace." In our book, Islamists have no right to complain about anything. If they don't like it here, they can go back to driving camels in their dung-heap former dictatorship. The tail is waging the dog in this country, and it's high time it stopped. God Bless America, and all LOYAL Americans.

MIDEAST: CHRISTIAN-FREE ZONE? Posted by Linda Olmert, December 30, 2003.

The so -called liberal, western democracy ideologues, of the post Holocaust era, have mixed their cliches. they insist on equating downtrodden with Islam, and assumming that all people are alike, or in other words ; my agenda must be your agenda. People living under Muslim rule are downtrodden BECAUSE of Islam and the way it is interpreted. Liberal, western democracy ideologues do not see eye to eye with the interpreters of Islam vis a vis their treatment of women, civil rights, gay rights, freedoms (speech, worship, etc) social conscience, etc. And yet, they refuse to hold the culprit accountable: Islamic countries are the way they are because of their agenda, nor because of the west, Israel, America, Christianity, of Judaism. The agenda of the Islamic world is first the Saturday people, and then the Sunday people! Joseph Farrah tells of the Christian minority in the Palestinian Authority in this, the season of good will to men. It is archived at http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=36367 You saw the images on television this Christmas season - Israeli soldiers patrolling Bethlehem. You heard the Jews blamed for the unrest in the city of David - the birthplace of Jesus. This column is about what you didn't see or hear in those reports - something of an annual journalistic ritual. The Christian population of the Palestinian Authority, once representing 20 percent of the region, is down to 2.4 percent. There are fewer than 50,000 Christian Arabs living within the Palestinian Authority. In 1948, Bethlehem was 80 percent Christian. Today it is 80 percent Muslim. Where do they go? Are you ready for a shock? Many of them prefer life in Israel to life under the rule of Yasser Arafat and his friends in Hamas and Islamic Jihad. In fact, life would be better just about anywhere else, and those who have the ability to leave have left. This massive display of ethnic cleansing and population movement has been totally obscured by the Palestinian Authority and covered up by the international media. Worse yet, it has even been blamed on Israel. But Christians fleeing the Holy Land know why they are leaving. All one needs to do is ask them. It began a long time ago. I know, because my grandparents fled for the safety, security and freedom of America. Christians in the Middle East know very well who their enemy is. They know why are they are oppressed. They know who is attacking them. They know who is occupying them. And it's not Israel. Here are the facts. Some 2 million Christians have fled the Middle East in the past 20 years. Some estimates are much higher than this. Since Arafat took over administration of the Palestinian territories from Israel, the Christian population has dropped from 15 percent to 2 percent. They are being driven out. They are being murdered. They are being raped. They are being systematically persecuted. They are being harassed. They are being intimidated. Such is life for Christians now in Bethlehem and other formerly Christian towns in the West Bank. Just imagine what it will be like when Palestine becomes a real state. If these people were fleeing Israeli oppression, why did they leave after the Israelis left? It makes no sense. The only way Israel has fed the exodus of Christians from the Middle East is by withdrawing from territories in Judea, Samaria, Gaza, southern Lebanon and elsewhere. When Israel administered those areas, Christian Arabs lived in safety and security. The truth is the Christian population in Israel has more than quadrupled since 1948. Why? Israel guarantees religious freedom - whereas the Palestinian Authority offers an official religion of Islam. What has happened in the Palestinian Authority is that the protective hand of Israel has been lifted as it has - under international pressure - given Arafat and the Palestinian Authority more and more autonomy to run its own territory. Question: What's worse than being bullied, harassed, intimidated and persecuted for your faith? Answer: Being bullied, harassed, intimidated and persecuted for your faith - and watching the perpetrator of these crimes against humanity successfully blame someone else for committing them. It's time for the whole world to recognize the mini-holocaust taking place against Christians in the Middle East. It's time to punish those guilty of these atrocities specifically those in charge of the Palestinian Authority. For God's sake, they must not be rewarded with a state of their own.

TRENT UNIVERSITY'S PROBLEM PROFESSOR Posted by Steven Plaut, December 30, 2003.

Jonathan Kay is Editorials Editor of the National Post. This appeared in the National Post. It is a starting point for debate about the Middle East that one can oppose Israeli policies without being anti-Semitic. Jews and Palestinians are locked in a violent, complex dispute. Reasonable people can disagree about, say, whether Ariel Sharon's counter-terrorism strategy is too aggressive - or whether roadblocks used to control the movement of Palestinians are inhumane. But since the Al-Aqsa intifada broke out in 2000, hard-left academics and activists have sometimes blurred the distinction between hatred of Israeli policies and hatred of Jews. To excuse suicide bombings as a legitimate option of the "oppressed" (so long as the victims are Jewish), to recycle the lies of Jenin and other modern-day blood libels, to demonize Israel as "genocidal" while ignoring the far worse calamities in Chechnya, Sudan, Algeria and elsewhere - all these tactics reflect a mindset that many Jews find indistinguishable from plain bigotry. Exhibit A here in Canada is Michael Neumann, a philosophy professor at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. Since last year, the educator has been posting his essays on the left-wing Web site Counterpunch.org. The articles vary in subject: terrorism, U.S. foreign policy, the Middle East, etc. But they are all soaked in a single, dominant motif: a shrill, virtually pathological hatred for the state of Israel. Neumann seems to view the Jewish state as a real-life Mordor populated by ghoulish orcs who seek nothing but the stench of death. Israel, the Trent educator says, is "a growing evil" whose campaign against the neighboring Arabs is "vengeful, relentless [and] sadistically gradual." The country's "crimes," he writes, reflect "a cold-blooded, calculated, indeed an eagerly embraced choice of war over peace, and an elaborate plan to seek out those who had fled the misery of previous confrontations, to make certain that their suffering would continue." Neumann believes Israel is plotting a "catastrophic assault" on the Palestinians. And its hope, he says, is that, "at some point, [it] will be able to kill many tens of thousands." Naturally, comparisons to the Nazis and their eugenics agenda abound. Israeli settlers want peace "just as Hitler wanted peace," Mr. Neumann says. The Jews see the Palestinians as "lice," and are seeking their "extinction." Because the Jewish state is built on "vicious ethnic nationalism," it "thinks all Palestinians should vanish or die." The army, meanwhile, serves "the higher purpose of clearing away the vermin who resist the implantation of superior Jewish DNA throughout the occupied territories." Are Prof. Neumann's views anti-Semitic? The answer to this question does not appear to trouble him much. His theory is that Jews bear a collective responsibility to speak out against Israel. And if they fail to acquit themselves of that duty, then they have fairly earned the world's hatred. As usual, he sees a comparison with the Nazis as apt: "If it is not racist, and reasonable, to say that the Germans were complicit in crimes against humanity, then it is not racist, and reasonable, to say the same of the Jews." Thus, he writes in his June 4, 2002 Counterpunch essay What is Antisemitism?, "we should almost never take anti-Semitism seriously, and maybe we should have some fun with it." Trent is a respected university. So how does Prof. Neumann get away with this hate-fuelled claptrap? For one thing, he is a Jew by birth - even if he talks about his ancestral culture disdainfully, like an abolitionist describing his slave-holding forebears. As with every minority group, Jews get wider latitude to criticize their own than outsiders. Another factor is "academic freedom." Earlier this year, the Canadian Jewish Congress wrote to the President of Trent University, Bonnie Patterson, expressing concern about the professor's views. She demurred that "the free expression of ideas in universities [is] essential to our teaching." A noble thought. But one wonders if Mr. Neumann would still be working at Trent if he'd instead argued that anti-black hatred was acceptable because of what Robert Mugabe was doing in Zimbabwe. The President also noted there had been no complaints against Mr. Neumann's classroom behavior. The Trent philosophy prof may be anti-Israel - but, as the university sees things, his feelings aren't interfering with his role as an educator. Or are they? This summer, it came out that Prof. Neumann had recently engaged in a revealing e-mail debate about Israel and Judaism with the "webmaster" of an Internet site called Jewish Tribal Review (JTR). In the exchange - which JTR subsequently published - the webmaster pushes Mr. Neumann to expand his critique of Israel to include "Jewish/Zionist hegemony" in America's "media/government" machine. To his credit, Prof. Neumann declines. But his response, as reported by JTR, contains this admission: "My sole concern is indeed to help the Palestinians, and I try to play for keeps. I am not interested in the truth, or justice, or understanding, or anything else, except so far as it serves that purpose. This means, among other things, that if talking about Jewish power doesn't fit my strategy, I won't talk about it." This statement can be read narrowly or broadly. So the JTR webmaster asks him for clarification: "Am I reading this right? ... You say you are 'not interested in the truth, or justice, or understanding ... except so far as it serves that purpose.' Is this the foundation of your teachings as a philosopher?" In his response, Prof. Neumann reportedly writes: "If an effective strategy means that some truths about the Jews don't come to light, I don't care. If an effective strategy means encouraging reasonable anti-Semitism, or reasonable hostility to Jews, I also don't care. If it means encouraging vicious, racist anti-Semitism, or the destruction of the state of Israel, I still don't care." (Prof. Neumann admits he spoke "carelessly" during his exchange with JTR, which he regarded as confidential; and insists "I do not lie or obfuscate in anything I write, because that would hurt the Palestinians." Regarding the above-cited statements, he told me he would "neither confirm nor deny having made" them.) As his Trent University Web page illustrates, Prof. Neumann is an accomplished scholar with a lengthy publication record. But I think it is an open question whether someone who would apparently subordinate all to the vilification of a single country belongs in a classroom. Certainly, it is a question Trent officials will have to wrestle with in coming weeks.

MORALITY OF IDF'S TOP BRASS Posted by Aryeh Zelaska, December 30, 2003.

This is the same Army that believes in "purity of arms" but will gleefully sacrifice the lives of Jewish soldiers so as to not endanger "innocent" Arabs. Also, prior to destroying the homes of convicted, terrorist murderers, they will humanly allow the family to remove all their belongings so as to not punish the "innocent." The evil and viciousness of the Sharon regime is beyond belief and tolerance. Not only has Sharon allowed and encouraged the murder of hundreds of Jews and the maiming of thousands more but he has also sent his goon squads of psychopaths to destroy the homes and steal the property of widows and orphans; attack, terrorize and illegally imprison young children; kidnap, torture and illegally imprison totally innocent citizen and other crimes too numerous to list. Sharon has not been able to do all of this on his own. Without the support of all the great, patriotic, lovers of Yeshah, Right-wing parties in his regime, he would not have been able to get away with all of this. They can demonstrate and play act all they want in front of Sharon's office but they are still sitting with him in his Government. While these great defenders of the Land of Israel will be chauffeured about in their publicly paid for luxury cars, protected by their publicly paid for bodyguards and enjoy a five star meal at a quality restaurant, also at public expense, decent, dedicated Jews will have their homes and lives destroyed. They will have to watch while the few possessions they have will be looted by one of Sharon's goon squads and then be forced to pay for it all. This news item is archived at http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=55332 Residents Threatened with Eviction - at their Own Cost (IsraelNN.com) Yesterday, the army's central district commander presented Yesha (Judea, Samaria & Gaza) officials with eviction orders for four outposts. Today, the orders will be posted on the doors of each resident of each community. This will set the stage for the outposts being declared "closed military zones" and from thereafter, subject to eviction at any time. In addition to being thrown out of their homes, the residents targeted for eviction will also be billed for the "service" by the IDF. Until such time they pay for being thrown out of their homes, their belongings will be held in a military storage facility.

AULD LANG ZION 2004 Posted by Steven Plaut, December 30, 2003.

Should auld accomplice be forgot, And never brought to trial? Should auld Osloids, friend, be forgot, And days of auld lang Zion? For betraying auld lang Zion, my dear, For abasing auld lang Zion. Should their accomplice be forgot, And days of auld lang Zion? We all hae run aboot the world, Under fire the whole time. We've wandered mony a weary foot, To reach auld lang Zion. Save auld lang Zion, my dear, Save auld lang Zion, Indict those Oslo blaggards, dear, For auld lang Zion!!!

ADMITS FAILURE, COMES OUT SMELLING LIKE A ROSE Posted by Israel Update, December 30, 2003.

Shabak (General Security Service) chief Avi Dichter said at the Herzliya Conference that the Shabak "has failed to provide its citizens with the defense envelope over the past three years that they deserve." In a normal country, this statement alone would have led to the immediate dismissal of the Shabak head. After all, he is admitting his failure. But in Israel, he becomes a hero for it! Dichter's speech was received by the press with such fanfare, that one can't help but think that his failure was intentional. After all, what does his failure mean? It means that if someone was naive enough to think that we can beat the Arabs, Dichter and his buddies in the security elite have proven otherwise. Because if we, the cream of the crop, the proud, the brave, the talented, and the ones with the fat salaries tried to crush the terror and could not - then it's obvious that we need a new way. We need a separation fence, we need to uproot settlements. And there is something else we may need. If our memory hasn't deceived us, the words of former Shabak chief, Ami Ayalon still rings in our ears: "We must not be afraid of another Altalena" that is, we may need to point a cannon towards the settlers. So let's set the record straight. The Shabak failed! They did not stop the Arab murderers. They did not stop the fifth column of Jews like Beilin and Peres from walking around freely. And sometimes we wonder if the Shabak, in its present state, is not also a sort of fifth column? Israel Update provides news items. Subscribe by sending an email to IsraelUpdate@hameir.org

ISRAEL'S LOSING THE PROPAGANDA WAR Posted by Isralert, December 29, 2003.

David M. Jacobs is writing a study of the Middle East Propaganda War. This article was first published The Salisbury Review Winter (1998). It was subsequently reprinted as the editorial of Christian Action for Israel (1st Quarter Newsletter 1999). Anyone reading the World's press or listening to radio broadcasts during the past decade would get the idea that Israel is one of the worst violators of human rights. This impression would have been backed up by the fact that Israel has been condemned at the United Nations more than any other country - more than China, Iraq or Iran. However anyone with direct knowledge of Israel or who has taken some trouble to analyse the facts would have realized that Israel's human rights record, and standard of democracy, is far higher than that prevailing in any of its neighbouring states. How has this extraordinary situation come about? The clue lies in the way that the Israeli government and Jewish communities throughout the World have responded to the enemy propaganda onslaught. They have tried to defend themselves by using Public Relations. Now Public Relations were designed for purely peacetime, mainly commercial, purposes. In a conflict situation they are useless. The Israeli Foreign Ministry even calls the department handling counter propaganda the Department of Hasbarah. This Hebrew word, always mistranslated by Israeli diplomats as 'information', actually means 'explanation'. This shows the subconscious defensive role that they take when they 'explain' themselves in public. The problem is that propaganda or Psychological Warfare, PW for short, is an effective weapon of war, and has little in common with PR. In fact during the Second World War the Americans found that PR specialists tended to be ineffective at propaganda (see Daniel Lerner, Psychological Warfare against Nazi GermanyThe purpose of PW is the same as that of all warfare. It is in fact one of the arms of a war machine, and has been referred to as the Fourth Arm, following the Army, Navy and Air Arms. The aim of war as summarized by Clausewitz is 'an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will.' PW is more gentle. It employs persuasion and psychological manipulation to achieve the same end. The ancient Chinese sage Sun Tzu, who lived in the Fifth Century BC, who is often considered to be the greatest of all writers on war, wrote: 'To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.' This statement is a good summary of modern propaganda warfare. PW is operated through Front Organisations and Agents of Influence. There are three types of Front Organisation. Firstly the overt organizations such as the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding or the British Soviet Friendship Society. Secondly the covert ones such as Medical Aid to the Palestinians, which appears to be about giving help to suffering Palestinians whilst its real aim is to rally support for the Arab and Palestinian campaign against Israel. The third type is the infiltrated organization. This is where agents of influence have infiltrated an organization set up for another purpose, and then used it to promote their own cause. The Arabs have been very successful in infiltrating many charities and Church groups in this way. Government departments may also find themselves subject to this type of treatment. There are two types of agents of influence. Firstly the 'useful idiot'. This uncomplimentary term was coined by Lenin to describe the kind of naive ass, often a person in a prominent position, who fell for his propaganda and could be manipulated to publicly aid his campaign. The second type is the conscious agent who fully understands what he is doing and works behind the scenes. Often referred to in the press as a 'mole', he has nothing to do with espionage and his job is to influence policy. There are various actions that propagandists have to carry out. Some of which need to be described here. One of these is Concealment of Motive, that is pretending to be supporting something, but in reality promoting something else. Next comes Demonisation, this is an unpleasant operation which involves vilification of the opposing side. Then comes an obvious operation, namely Repetition. This is vital in getting ideas across to the public by continuously returning a simple message. Finally comes a complicated concept known as the 'Holy Phrase'. Lasswell (Propaganda Technique in World War, New York 1927, p.66) says of this: - A propagandist must always be alert to capture the holy phrase which crystallizes public aspiration about it, and under no circumstance permit the enemy to enjoy its exclusive use and wont.' The great masters of PW were the Soviets. The department concerned with what the Soviets called 'Active Measures' was the First Chief Directorate of the KGB. From there were run all the agents of influence and the front organizations. They were extraordinarily effective in getting their propaganda across. It was they who invented the concept of dezinformatsia, or disinformation. This was not exactly lying, but the putting out of distorted information to confuse, or alter, an opponent's policy. The reason for the Soviet involvement in Arab PW is that the Arab defeat of 1967 was felt by the Soviets to be a major defeat for Soviet policy and a triumph for the United States. The Soviets also had a traditional Russian reason for supporting the Arabs. For two hundred years the Russians had wanted a 'warm water port' which would give them the opportunity of operating freely in the Mediterranean without worrying about an opponent blocking the Dardanelles. There were a number of Arab ports which could be ideal for this role. Before 1967 Arab propaganda had been totally ineffective. After 1967 with Soviet help Arab PW increased by leaps and bounds. The Arabs were able to use the Soviet front organizations for their own PW as well as many of their agents of influence. Some of the most effective of these were the church organizations, in particular the World Council of Churches which had been set up in Prague in 1948. From that base it was possible to infiltrate not only other church bodies, but the various international charities, especially those giving aid to the Third World. We now come to the core element in the Arab-Israeli Conflict, which is the Islamic dimension. Mohammed got his basic monotheistic ideas from the Jewish and Christian tribes living around him in the Hejaz. He therefore felt that he should get support for his new religion from the Jews. When this failed to materialize it led to bitterness. Islam's relationship with Jews and Judaism thus started off in the Seventh Century very badly, with attacks by the nascent Muslim war band on the local Jewish tribes in the Hejaz, eventually driving all the Jews out of the region. Following these events came the very rapid creation of a mighty Moslem empire stretching from the Indus in the East to the Atlantic in the West and including virtually the whole of the Iberian peninsula, its expansion only being stopped by Charles Martel at Poitiers in 732. This vast conquest took place within a century of Mohammed's revelation. The Moslems regarded the territory they had conquered as the House of Islam and considered it inalienable. The territory outside was regarded as pertaining to the House of War. With this conquest came the regulation of the status of the non-Moslems, more particularly the Christians and Jews, within the Domain of Islam. These were regarded as the People of the Book as they already had scriptures of their own. They were given an inferior status as dhimmis or protected people. They were protected as long as they accepted this secondary status towards their Moslem overlords. The pact, dating rom the Eighth Century, under which this was laid down was known as the as the Pact of Omar. The Jews were automatically regarded as inferior to the Christians as, unlike the Christians, there were no Jewish military powers against whom the Moslem forces were fighting. Islam and the Arabs had traditional PW techniques long before the modern concept of propaganda had been invented. There are two concepts in particular. These are the idea of Taqiya, or dissimulation, and that of the hila, or ruse. Taqiya implies outward conformity to alien customs whilst remaining faithful to Muslim beliefs. Thus the Arabs are able to maintain outward agreement with Western concepts of international law and practice, whilst keeping faith with Islamic tradition which says that Israel is a dhimmi state and stands on which is part of the Domain of Islam, and therefore must be removed. The doctrine of the hila is based on the saying of the Prophet Mohammed when he stated 'War is a series of actions for deceiving the enemy'. Another statement by the general and politician Al-Muhallab in the generation following that of Mohammed was: 'Have the heart to use deception in war, for it enables you to arrive at your goal more certainly than in a bloody body to body battle.' The combination of traditional ideas of taqiya and the hila combined with Soviet dezinformatsia have enabled the Arabs to run rings round, not only the Israelis, but the whole of the West. The reason that I stated that the Islamic component constitutes the core of the Arab-Israeli Conflict now becomes clear. It is essentially the resentment of Islam at the rule of the Jews over part of what they regard as the Domain of Islam, not only that but by setting up a Jewish state in such an area in such an area, defeating several Muslim armies, and ruling over Muslims, the Jews have abrogated their dhimmi status and thus torn up the Pact of Omar. It is this, not the percentage of Israeli withdrawal on the West Bank, which has brought about the sense of Moslem fury and humiliation, which is what the conflict is about. By making the World think that the conflict is about the Palestinians, or the minutiae of Oslo, is thus an excellent demonstration of the PW doctrine of Concealment of Motive. The term Palestine is a post-Biblical expression. It was originally coined by the Romans following the fierce wars that they had to fight against the Jews in the First and Second Centuries AD. In the early part of this century the concept of Palestine was automatically associated in everybody's mind with the Jews. This continued throughout the 1940s. In 1938 when George Antonius wrote his famous book 'The Arab Awakening', in support of the Arab Nationalist position, he made no mention of the existence of a Palestinian People, because at that time such a concept had not come into being. The first moves in this direction were made at an Arab League Council meeting in Cairo in March 1959, and in September 1963 the Council appointed Ahmed Shuqairi as the 'representative of Palestine' to the Arab League. This was the same man who, as the representative of Syria, had said in the Security Council in May 1956 that 'It is common knowledge that Palestine is nothing but Southern Syria.' In October 1965 the PLO was still being referred to by the Arab states as representing 'the Arab people of Palestine'. It was not until 1974 that the PLO was invited to participate in a General Assembly debate as 'representing the Palestinian People'. The PLO had managed to gain a platform within the United Nations normally reserved for sovereign states. It subsequently built an impressive power base at the UN, including in the establishment in 1977 of a 'Special Unit on Palestinian Rights'. This meant that the UNICs (United Nations Information Centres) throughout the world were forced to carry PLO propaganda. The final passing of the name Palestine to the Arabs came when Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in September 1993 stated that 'the Government of Israel has decided to recognise the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian People..." The Arabs had captured the Jewish 'Holy Phrase'. The Israelis however seemed sublimely unaware that anything had happened, in what had been a brilliant Arab PW operation carried across several decades. The result of this particular PW operation in the military and political spheres has been considerable. It means that the Israelis instead of having merely a frontier problem with the neighbouring Arab states are confronted with a land and people which is virtually coterminous with their own. The PLO issued its Covenant calling for the destruction of Israel in 1968. This, though they agreed to change it at Oslo, has never been changed. In 1974 the Palestine National Council had issued a 10-point programme, in which Article 8 had stated that 'the Palestinian national authority, after its establishment, will struggle for the unity of the confrontation states for the sake of completing the liberation of all Palestinian soil and as a step on the path of comprehensive Arab unity.' This doctrine has been reiterated many times by Arafat and Palestinian officials since Oslo, but only to their own people. To the West they say something rather different. This is why, until these ideas have been genuinely given up, any withdrawals by Israel constitute a foolhardy strategic risk. However the Israelis seem unable to get this point across to the outside World, nor even to many of their own people, particularly to those on the Left. One of the aims of a good PW campaign is to get behind your opponents' guard. Here the Peace Campaign comes in. Targeted at the Left Wing of both the Israeli and wider Jewish communities it has had a lot of success. The desperate desire of all Israelis and Jews for peace has been successfully exploited by the Arabs, who have copied the old Soviet Peace Campaigners. It is interesting to note that in Daniel Lerner's book (see above) on PW written originally in 1947, he wrote: 'The will to resist dissolves into a desire for 'peace soon', and finally crumbles into a desire for 'peace now'.' It is interesting to note that these words were used many years before the Israeli Peace Now movement came into being. Although Peace Now is very much a minority movement in Israel, its influence is widespread, and many of the Left refer to themselves as the 'Peace Camp', which gives the impression that only they want peace. In their desperation these people have swallowed the PLO propaganda line put forward to the West. The Peace Now propaganda line gets widely reported in the Western media, and helps to undermine the Israeli government's position. Another facet of the Israeli Left is its secularism. Because they themselves have largely abandoned Judaism, they cannot accept that Arab policy has an Islamic basis. This enables the PLO to emphasise more effectively the Palestinian Nationalist position. Though a Palestinian identity has been created now, while Article 12 of the Palestine National Covenant stresses that this is just temporary, the ultimate loyalty remains to Islam. The PLO regularly use Christians to front their propaganda operations. The Christians are a tiny minority in the Arab population and need, for their own political security, to keep in with the Muslims. By using them the PLO is able to emphasise the nationalist position, which the Israeli Left, as well as the international Left who share their secularist attitudes, easily swallow. An important development in the propaganda war has been the affair of Mordechai Vanunu. He was convicted of high treason by publicizing Israel's nuclear secrets abroad. High treason in time of war in virtually all other countries, besides Israel, carries the death penalty. Vanunu was thus very lucky that the country he betrayed was Israel. Instead of being sentenced to death he received a long prison sentence. Nonetheless a huge campaign was launched to free him. It was presented as a humanitarian campaign, but its prime purpose was to deprive Israel of its nuclear deterrent. The 'Campaign to free Vanunu and for a Nuclear-Free Middle East' is another example of the PW principle of Concealment of Motive. Israel is the only country in the Middle East with a nuclear deterrent. The object of the campaign is to shift the balance in favour of the Arabs and Iran with their much larger conventional forces. The campaign, apart from the usual CND crowd, was operated through the 'useful idiot' type of agent of influence. Many of these were actors, who can be very useful in this role, being as articulate as they are politically ill-informed. In order to deal with the problem of Israel's lack of a propaganda section in the style of Britain's wartime Political Warfare Executive or the post-war Information and Research Department of the FCO, it will be necessary to change the Jewish and Israeli mindset. This is going to be difficult, as centuries of irrational hatred directed at the Jewish People have resulted in a desire to be loved. Hence the emphasis on PR as opposed to PW. Some of the problems of Jewish identity that were examined by the Chief Rabbi in his article in The Salisbury Review (Summer 1998), are very relevant to the ability of Jews to deal with their neurotic block against using PW. The other issue that has to be faced is the nature of the conflict itself. This is that it is primarily a conflict between Judaism and Islam. Most Jews and Israelis, even those who are not secularists, are very scared of this fact. Once they are prepared to admit it, the problem can be handled in a more intelligent manner. If Israel's long term diplomatic and strategic position is not to be further undermined, thus putting the whole state in danger, then Israel and the Jewish People will have to copy the rest of the World and run their own PW agencies.

JORDAN'S HASSAN: SHARON PRAGMATIC, BUT CANNOT FIND A PARTNER Posted by Tamar Rush, December 29, 2003.

This item is archived at http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/377281.html Prince Hassan bin Talal, uncle of Jordan's King Abdullah and a former heir to the throne of the Hashemite kingdom, has told an Italian newspaper that he sees Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as a pragmatic man, who wants security for his people, but is unable to find a partner on the Palestinian side with whom to conduct negotiations. In comments published Monday by La Stampa, Prince Hassan said that "Arafat is at a transitory stage, but, unfortunately, we can see the growing influence of Hamas and Hezbollah among the Palestinians." Hassan, the younger brother of Jordan's deceased monarch King Hussein, also said that "the Palestinians continue to talk about Palestinian unity. The Palestinian question has never been resolved. From my perspective, Jordan should include all the Palestinians, and Israel, Palestine and Jordan should enjoy the same sort of interdependence as there is in the Benelux countries." When asked whether he was planning on establishing a new political party, Prince Hassan replied that he preferred to start a political movement, at the center of the political spectrum. "There are Christian Democratic, so where should there not be Muslim Democrats," he added. Hassan said that there are currently three phobias afflicting the world: "anti-Semitism, anti-Arabism and anti-Americanism. This is because the Americans should not be talking about a new world order, but about a new international alliance for peace."

ANTI-SEMITES ARE USING HOLOCAUST Posted by Eliezar Edwards, December 29, 2003.

This article was written by Yehoshua Amishav and was on the Ha'aretz website today. Mr. Amishav is the director of the department of marketing and communication in Keren Hayesod (United Israel Appeal) and was Israeli embassy spokesman in Paris and Rome. The press briefing held this month by the French government spokesman at the end of the first session of the special Interministerial Committee to Fight Racism and Anti-Semitism included a recommendation to teach more Holocaust studies, as an educational tool to fight this harsh phenomenon. The panel was established to conduct the war against increasing anti-Semitism in France. There seems to be an accepted axiom that historical knowledge of the attempt to wipe the Jewish people off the face of the earth in an unprecedented, orderly, scientific manner, will make those causing the ugly new wave to rethink their behavior. And if not - at least it will encourage those surrounding them, and the governments of countries tainted by anti-Semitism, to confront the anti-Semites. It is very doubtful, however, whether this assessment can pass the test of reality. In effect, the central question is where the greatest danger to Jews in Europe comes from today: from the incidental groups of young people consumed by hatred, who occasionally desecrate a Jewish cemetery, or from the academic and cultural elites, which are well aware of the history of the Old World? The answer would seem to be clear. When Mikis Theodorakis, the creator of the masterpiece "Mauthausen," calls the Jewish people "the root of evil," he isn't doing so from lack of knowledge about the Holocaust. Even an arch-anti-Semite such as the former prime minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohammed, didn't deny the Holocaust in his famous speech of incitement; on the contrary, he specifically mentioned it when he pointed out that it didn't prevent Jewish domination of the world. And Portuguese Nobel Prize laureate Jose Saramago knows exactly what Auschwitz was, but that didn't prevent him from saying the abominable things we recall from his last visit to our region. At least in Europe there is no lack of knowledge today about the Holocaust. Many survivors are still with us, a great deal of literature and many museums provide information to anyone who wants it. A European Holocaust remembrance day has been officially declared. And even if it's true that younger generations don't know enough about it, that's a general problem. The dramatic development of the past three years is that blaming Israel, and condemnation of the Jews' support for Israel, are based with increasing frequency on the use of the memory of the Holocaust. It began during the Lebanon War about 20 years ago, until it grew and became a social consensus. Thus, almost any Israeli representative can hear remarks like: "You are doing to the Palestinians what they did to you in the Holocaust." This phenomenon is so widespread that a spokesman for the Israeli embassy in Belgium asked two years ago that Yad Vashem discontinue the ceremonies for honoring the "Righteous of the Nations" (non-Jews who saved Jews during the Holocaust), because at almost every ceremony there was an incident involving such disgraceful comparisons by one of the participants. As for the memory of the Holocaust, clear rules have been set: Supporters of Israel are forbidden to mention it, since it is "a perverse exploitation of the blood of the victims to justify the horrors that Israel is committing," but its enemies are allowed to use it - to beat up on Israel and to prove that the Israeli government is a new Nazi regime. This approach shows just how strong the memory of the Holocaust is in Europe. Were that not the case, there would be no point in the mass marketing of comparisons of the Israelis to the Nazis, who represent absolute evil. As attorney Arno Klarsfeld wrote (Jerusalem Post, December 12) - the moment is fast approaching when the Jews will have to leave Europe or live as "political Marranos." That is the essence of the new anti-Semitism. No French scientist has ever been required, even at the height of the Algerian war, to issue a condemnation of his government's policy to be accepted among his colleagues. No Oxford professor has announced that he won't teach any Belgian student who served in the army, even after the responsibility of Belgium and its army for the 1994 Rwandan genocide became clear. But the very identification of an Israeli as such already spells trouble. The chair of Amnesty-Israel, Miriam Shlesinger, was expelled from the editorial board of a British linguistics periodical; they wanted to take away the Nobel Peace Prize from Shimon Peres. From here it's a short distance to signaling the Jews: Keep your distance from Israel, or you won't be able to go on living as you did till now. Your safety is at risk. These signals come from the heart of the Western European cultural world, from circles that are in no need of any lectures about the Holocaust. These people, the educators of the next generation and the symbols with which the young people identify, are now the greatest threat to the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of Jews in Europe. It is very doubtful whether increased Holocaust studies will solve anything in this tragic situation.

PALESTINE, 2018 Posted by Isaac Kohn, December 29, 2003.

[June 20, 2018, El-Kuds Radio & Television Authority, Ramallah, Palestine. 4:05 PM DST] This just in! The United Nations General Assembly, in a unanimous vote of 197-0, has voted today to expel the State of Israel from the United Nations and to impose severe economic and political sanctions. US Ambassador to the UN, James Carter III, who wrote the resolution's tough language, with us on the phone directly from UN headquarters in New York City, in order to elaborate and explain the dramatics that have occurred. Mr. Ambassador, please proceed. Carter: "Thank you. The American Government loudly and vigorously applauds the just concluded dramatic vote as 'the final step towards righting the wrong of the 1947 United Nations resolution' in which Palestine was wrongfully partitioned. With this vote, the world declares that the State of Israel was illegally established on Palestinian lands; thank heavens, today, saner heads prevailed as the final step towards the ultimate goal of returning all of the occupied lands to the rightful owners is on our doorsteps. We had no other choice, as every political nicety was already tried and exhausted; Israel rejected the 'Revised Road Map', which was presented as a just and final solution to the never-ending conflict between Israel and the State of Palestine." Mr. Ambassador, would you please be so kind as to spell out for the listening and watching audience the main points of the 'Revised Road Map' in order to clarify to one and all what the so-called 'sticking points' were. Why was Israel so obstinate in refusing to accept the President's 'expanded vision for peace', as you dubbed it? Carter: "With pleasure. The President has declared over and over that Israel has nothing to fear but fear itself. The United States was guaranteeing Israel's safety, should she accept the President's revised vision. I believe that the audience will agree (as we see from the amazing vote in the UN) that justice must prevail. Had Israel accepted these 'concessions for peace', this vote wouldn't have been necessary. "The 'Revised Road Map' spelled out the following 'points towards a final peace': 1) The following cities, towns and other areas, currently occupied by Jewish settlers, must be evacuated: Jaffa, an Arab populated suburb of Tel-Aviv, is to be conceded to the State of Palestine and all Jewish neighborhoods there are to be dismantled (these neighborhoods were built on occupied Arab lands). Acre, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Degania, Haifa, Herzliya, Holon, Naharia, Nahalal, Natanya, Rehovot, and the Jordan Valley - per PLO and Hamas charters, these cities are built on waqf lands and all of the Jewish residents are to be evacuated within six months of Israel's acceptance of the RRM. 2) Kiryat Shemona, Rosh Pina and Ma'alot are to be evacuated, dismantled and turned into a demilitarized, no-man's land supervised by the multinational force. Since the majority of those populating the Galilee are Arabs, Tzfat and Tiberias are to be evacuated and all Jews transferred to B'nei B'rak (the Palestinians have no claims against this city). These steps are necessary in order to create a 'positive atmosphere' for negotiations with Hizbollah. This humanitarian organization has been demanding the return of this area for the last 20 years. 3) All of Israel's governmental buildings that were built on Greek Orthodox lands are to be evacuated as all leases are hereby canceled and the lands returned. Such a 'positive concession' towards the Orthodox Church will firmly establish Israel's desire to calm the clamor and demands of the Church for the return of its properties and re-establish the Church's good will. 4) Jerusalem is to be turned over to the government of Palestine. Continuing to live with a wall in the center of the once-united eternal city has created tremendous logistical hardships for the Arab population of El-Quds. This 'confidence-building concession' will end the restrictions imposed on individuals attempting to cross over. The blockades, searches and general humiliation of the Arab populace will come to an end. 5) Three million Arab refugees waiting in UN-sponsored refugee camps must be allowed into Israel proper; the humanitarian gesture Israel conceded to during the implementation of the original 'Road Map', by taking in one-and-one-half million refugees, has proven insufficient. Too many families remain to be united with their loved ones already in Israel. 6) Israel is to transfer immediately the entire sum of Arab tax money (estimated at $40 billion) it has been collecting and holding in trust for the State of Palestine. In order to begin rebuilding the infrastructures that Israel destroyed during the Oslo War, Palestine needs a tremendous infusion of money and the lack of these funds has delayed the rebuilding 'til this very day (unfortunately, the $350 billion contributed over the years by the US, UN and European Union have disappeared without trace). 7) On the Syrian front: Israel is to evacuate the entire area called the 'Golan Heights' and return it to the government of Syria. Unfortunately, Jews wishing to remain in their homes under Syrian jurisdiction, can not do so; Syria refuses to allow even one single Jew to remain. The Syrian government has been kind enough to offer twenty-two cargo boats ready and willing to ship the Jews to any country that will take them. Syria will forgo any compensation for her gesture. 8) Once the above points are accepted and realized within a the time allotted (six months from the date of introduction of the RRM), the State of Palestine will declare a hudna and all homicide bombings and other 'acts of violence' will halt." Mr. Ambassador, these points sound very fair. Why did Israel refuse to accept the Revised Road Map? Doesn't Israel want peace? How is she going to achieve peace and quiet coupled with security for its citizens? I believe that since the implementation of the original 'Road Map', the acts of terror have been greatly reduced. There were only 17 bus-bombings in the last three years. Only 3,800 Jews were killed since 2003, compared to almost 1,000 in the three years of the Intifada. Hamas, Fatah, Tanzim and the other 'freedom fighters' have curtailed their violence only to those cities and areas mentioned in the above points. Palestinian President Dahlan is so forthcoming in demanding so little from Israel. Isn't it time to finally end the occupation and allow the oppressed Palestinians to live in peace on their lands? Carter: "This is exactly why the UN voted as it did. The world is sick and tired of such a tiny, rotten little country creating so much trouble. Israel's obstinate refusal to move forward towards an atmosphere for peace has forced our hand. As such, its very existence can no longer be tolerated; its place among the nations will end soon. The expulsion and sanctions are here to guarantee that the world will no longer have to contend with Middle East violence. Seventy years was mentioned as the end of the first Exile; seventy years of Jewish self-rule is long enough. A new era of peace and tranquillity is about to dawn." Thank you, Mr. Ambassador. This is Radio El-Quds, broadcasting from Ramallah. Mr. Kohn lives in Brooklyn, New York. This article appeared in Arutz Sheva (http://www.IsraelNN.com), July 16, 2003.

TIME IS ON ISRAEL'S SIDE Posted by Isralert, December 29, 2003.

This was written by Ephraim Inbar and appeared on Ha'Aretz yesterday. Inbar teaches political science at Bar-Ilan University and is director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Research. Many Israelis believe time is not on their side and are therefore looking to change the status quo, even unilaterally. And yet, an analysis of Zionist action rather than Zionist rhetoric reveals that playing for time was one of the mainstays of Israel's national strategy. David Ben-Gurion understood that Israel was too weak to impose a peace settlement on the Arabs and that it would simply have to wait until the other side would recognize perforce the reality of a Jewish state. Unfortunately, Palestinians still have their pipe dreams of inundating Israel with refugees or winning sovereignty over the Temple Mount. Despite the festive declarations from the Israeli peace camp that we have a partner, it is obvious that peace cannot be achieved today. This is mainly because of the Palestinians' inability to establish a stable political entity that would be willing to suppress those who oppose Israel's existence. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has also concluded that before 2020 there is no chance of seeing a Palestinian leadership ready to make the concessions that are necessary for a comprehensive agreement. What this means is that Israel has to go on playing for time until the Palestinians are ripe for the kind of peace that will be acceptable to Israel. Past conjectures about demographic trends that affect the numerical relationship between Jews and Arabs have generally turned out to be wrong. But even if they turned out to be accurate this time, they do not add up to a demographic threat and are not relevant to preserving a Jewish majority in the Land of Israel. It makes no difference how many Palestinian babies are born in the Gaza Strip, in Nablus or in Jenin, if Israel has no intention of annexing those areas. The Jewish majority in Israel is not affected by the number of Arabs who live outside the country. Since 1993 the political leadership in Israel has moved in the direction of partitioning the Land of Israel. The majority of Likud leaders have also accepted the partition idea and ruled out the possibility of permanent Israeli rule over the Palestinian population centers. However, as long as Palestinians continue to offer a fertile ground for terrorism against Israel, Jews will have to intervene militarily within the Palestinian population, including their urban centers. Israel will have to get used to living with fluctuations in the Israeli presence in the territories, unless Egypt and Jordan assume responsibility for the Palestinian territories in the near future. The demography issue is not relevant to the need to defend Israel. Palestinians themselves should have a clear interest in drastically reducing their consistently high birthrate. According to Palestinian economists, the current birthrate will oblige the Palestinian economy to grow permanently by seven to eight percent a year just to supply work to all the young people who will enter the labor force. A growth rate on that scale is not within the grasp of the Palestinian economy, even if the flow of money from abroad increases. Indeed, we can expect a reduction of this aid to the Palestinians as a result of the demand for greater transparency and as a result of the appearance of other areas of need, such as Iraq. The Palestinians, like the Egyptians and other Muslim countries, will be obliged to encourage supervision over the birth rate if they want to escape protracted poverty. Time will thus weaken the Palestinian entity unless time is exploited intelligently for a change in the demographic trends. Time is also on Israel's side because the majority of the civilized world has at long last understood that the Palestinian national movement is in need of a thorough reform and new leadership. The Palestinians' main method of operation - terrorism - does not enjoy international legitimacy. Moreover, the Palestinians have not moved any closer to establishing a state than they were in September 2000. In fact, their condition is worse from every point of view and there are no signs of improvement on the horizon. Finally, the spirit of the time, which lauds the values of democracy and the free market, leans more to the Israeli side than the Palestinian. The Jews have exploited time better than the Arabs, and this seems set to continue.

ASSOCIATED PRESS' FALSE HEADLINE INDUSTRY Posted by Marco Delmar, December 29, 2003.

An Associated Press story by Gavin Rabinowitz that appeared on the Yahoo news today said: "JERUSALEM - Israeli soldiers Sunday killed three Palestinians near a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip (news - web sites)..." Only later on inside the article do we learn that the 'Palestinians' were armed. armed is the MISSING PART in the headline. Note: When Palestinians claim responsibility for blowing up unarmed Israeli kids, AP writes that the "explosion killed..." followed by the usual ugly phrase. They don't say what's true: "Palestinians-killed." Never! Palestinians just don't kill according to "objective' AP's saturated False-Headline-industry.

ONLY LEFTIST RADIO STATIONS NEED APPLY Posted by Bryna Berch, December 29, 2003.

Israel closed down the Arutz-7 broadcasting station, which had been broadcasting without an (unobtainable) licence from an offshore ship. They failed to say why Leftwinger Abie Nathan was able to broadcast from his offshore pirate radio station for 20 years without interference. This story appeared on the Arutz-7 website (http://www.IsraelNationNews.com) today. Justice Yoram Noam of the Jerusalem Magistrates Court handed down this afternoon the sentences of the ten Arutz-7 directors, broadcasters, and employees who were convicted of operating an illegal radio station. Four defendants will perform community service for 3-6 months each. The ten defendants were also fined between 20,000 and 50,000 shekels each, in addition to the fine imposed on Arutz-7 to the tune of 450,000 shekels. The judge noted that the fines and/or community service can be served in the form of prison sentences. Yaakov Katz, known as Ketzaleh - indefatigable Executive-Director of Arutz-7 and Beit El Yeshiva Center Institutions, wounded as an IDF officer during the Yom Kippur War and bound to a wheelchair for months afterwards, a founding member of the community of Beit El - was sentenced to a six-month term, commutable to public service, as well as a fine of 50,000 shekels and a suspended sentence of six months. On his way out of the courtroom, Ketzaleh said, "All my life I have been doing public service work. Neither would I have been afraid of actual jail time; I would have been able to study Torah there. The most important thing is the preservation of freedom of speech." He said that Arutz-7 would appeal the "unprecedentedly stiff fines," and the State Prosecution, as well, has said it will appeal. Arutz-7 Directors Mrs. Shulamit Melamed and Yoel Tzur, and engineer Ya'ir Meir, were each sentenced to three months in prison, also executable in the form of public service. They were fined between 25,000 - 30,000 shekels each. The seven other defendants were sentenced to pay fines and/or serve suspended sentences. They are: Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed, Rabbi of Beit El since its inception in 1977, Dean of Yeshivat Beit El and Beit El Yeshiva Center Institutions, leading member of the Yesha Council of Rabbis, and co-founder of Arutz-7; Haggai Segal, Arutz-7 News Director; Gidi Sharon, veteran music broadcaster; David Shapira, broadcaster and director of Arutz-7's French department; Adir Zik, veteran fiery nationalist broadcaster; Sha'ul Avni, captain of Arutz-7's Eretz HaTzvi ship. The three broadcasters received four-month suspended sentences, as well as fines of 20,000 shekels each. Rabbi Melamed received the same sentence, though his fine was for 25,000 shekels. News Director Haggai Segal was sentenced to a six-month suspended term and a fine of 30,000 shekels. The ship's captain Sha'ul Avni was sentenced to a three-month suspended term and a fine of 20,000 shekels. Justice Arnon noted today that he took into account the fact that as soon as the conviction was handed down, Arutz-7 ceased its broadcasts and sold the ship from which the broadcasts emanated. He further said that Arutz-7 consistently paid royalties, and noted that there was no proof that Arutz-7 ever interfered with air-traffic communications. "The fact that the government did not enforce the law against the station over the course of many years," he stated, "gave its operators the impression that their sin was not grave - especially when important public figures, including MKs and ministers, were interviewed on the station." Some 3,000 fans of Arutz-7, including several Knesset Members organized by MK Uri Ariel (National Union), demonstrated outside the courtroom prior to the sentencing. "No to Shutting Mouths!" was the theme. Among the participants were also Rabbi Dov Lior of the Yesha Rabbinical Forum and Tourism Minister Benny Elon. Ariel said, "Arutz-7 is the mouthpiece of a very large public sector, and its silencing is a grave blow at the right to freedom of speech." The Arutz-7 management has consistently denied the accusations against it. Many Arutz-7 listeners continue to enjoy the station's broadcasts via the internet and over regular phone lines. One of Israel's leading internet providers is now offering special deals for internet connectivity tailored to the Arutz-7 listening public. For example, one deal for families that don't want exposure to the internet enables tuning into the webcast using a computer with no screen. Haggai Segal said afterwards, "The real punishment was the trial itself, which lasted almost six years... The sentences were not light; a 30,000 shekel fine for a reporter whose only sin is broadcasting the public voice is not light." Noam Arnon, spokesman for the Hevron Jewish Community who spoke regularly on Arutz-7, delivered a moving public statement after the sentence was handed down: "This group of defendants saved the honor of the Nation of Israel, and instead of being brought to trial, they should have been on their way to the President's Home to receive the Israel Prize. They are like an air-freshener, purifying the media air that is all but conquered and polluted by the left side of the political spectrum. No punishment will break them, and they will continue, with G-d's help, to work for the good of the Jewish people... We here today who escorted them to the courthouse represent the hundreds of thousands of Arutz-7's loyal listeners." Asked afterwards about the sentences, Arnon said, "I spoke with legal experts, and they said that these sentences are not at all light. True, they won't be going to jail, and for this we are grateful, but they were sentenced to months in prison that can be commuted to public service - whoever heard of such a thing for actions of this type? The fines, too, are very heavy, and we should not make light of this."

WHAT TO DO Posted by Donna Hadida, December 29, 2003.

May God Bless the Eternal Existence of Israel. In the meantime destroy all the enemies of Israel. Don't be too shy. They(the PLO) are still teaching their children lies and to hate us even more and to promote more antifadah against Israel now and in the future. Gaza City is full of terrorists. Just wipe it out and send them back to Egypt where they really belong - in the jails of Egypt. These people are such liars, I would not even bother with their frigging state.

MICHAEL NEUMANN: A NIHILIST ON ANTI-SEMITISM Posted by Honest Reporting, December 29, 2003.

On Dec. 28, The Los Angeles Times published two, opposing op-ed pieces on the resurgent wave of worldwide anti-Semitism. Remarkably, the debate wasn't about what to do about the problem, but rather if a problem exists at all. ADL Director Abraham Foxman cited, among other recent events, the viciously anti-Jewish statements of the Malaysian Prime Minister, the synagogue bombings in Istanbul, and the burning of an Indiana holocaust museum, to conclude: Anti-Semitism is not a relic of history but a current event. Its resurgence is stronger and more widespread than even the most pessimistic among us predicted. And the threat is growing...Democratic leaders and good people must stand up - for their own sake as well as for the sake of Jewish communities - so that the theme of "never again" will be a living reality. Foxman's words were deemed debatable by the Times, who invited Michael Neumann, a philosophy professor at Ontario's Trent University, to counter Foxman with an article entitled "A Minor Problem, Overblown." Neumann claims that anti-Semitism just shouldn't concern us today, and supports his view with arguments such as this: Concentration camp survivors still alive deserve sympathy and justice, but they are few. Myself, I'd feel a bit embarrassed saying to a homeless person on the streets of Toronto, much less to the inhabitants of a Philippine garbage dump: 'Oh yeah? You think you know suffering? My grandmother died in a concentration camp!'... Perhaps anti-Semitism is not, after all, a high priority. The LA Times accorded Neumann a prominent space to air his views, despite the fact that Neumann has an established record of actively supporting (in Neumann's own words) "vicious racist anti-Semitism" to bring on the destruction of the Jewish state. Last year, Neumann had a correspondence with an anti-Semitic web site called the Jewish Tribal Review in which Neumann wrote: My sole concern is indeed to help the Palestinians, and I try to play for keeps. I am not interested in the truth, or justice, or understanding, or anything else, except so far as it serves that purpose...I would use anything, including lies, injustice and obfuscation, to do so. If an effective strategy means that some truths about the Jews don't come to light, I don't care. If an effective strategy means encouraging reasonable anti-Semitism or reasonable hostility to Jews, I don't care. If it means encouraging vicious racist anti-Semitism, or the destruction of the State of Israel, I still don't care. In response to this outburst, the Canadian Jewish Congress wrote a letter of complaint to Neumann's employer, Trent University. As the matter attracted greater attention, Neumann repudiated the statement (without denying its authenticity), then apologized to the CJC. The Jewish Tribal Review originally contacted Neumann after another article of Neumann's claimed that "we should almost never take anti-Semitism seriously, and maybe we should have some fun with it." In that article, Neumann goes so far as to not only compare Israel to Nazi Germany, but to indict world Jewry for complicity with Israel's "crimes against humanity": [A]t present, the case for Jewish complicity seems much stronger than the case for German complicity. So if it is not racist, and reasonable, to say that the Germans were complicit in crimes against humanity, then it is not racist, and reasonable, to say the same of the Jews. Read the full text of Neumann's LA Times op-ed can be read at http://www.latimes.com/services/site/premium/access-registered.intercept Our questions to the LA Times: - If Michael Neumann's nihilism and deep hatred for Israel are a matter of public record, why did the LA Times grant his voice the legitimacy of their opinion page? - Would not a more responsible debate for the Times op-ed page have been: How to deal with the troubling new wave of anti-Semitism? Comments to LA Times: letters@latimes.com Honest Reporting monitors the media. Their website address is http://www.honestreporting.com. They recently released an excellent documentary film, "Relentless: The Struggle For Peace In Israel," which can be ordered by visiting their website.

ALL THE BUGS FROM UNDER THE ROCK Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, December 29, 2003.

I guess you can't keep a good terrorist down for too long. It would seem that all those nations that have been supporting terrorism against the Jewish people are about to reap the full harvest of their efforts. This was written by Joseph Farah and is called "Islam's unholy alliance with neo-Nazis, leftists Western-made terrorists plot joining al-Qaida in 'Red Jihad." It appeared on the World Net Daily website today and is archived at http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=36350 Western-made terrorists motivated by Marxist, anarchist and neo-Nazi ideology are forming alliances with jihadists and are planning copycat-style attacks and others utilizing funding from Islamists, according to intelligence sources, reports Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. While old-line non-Muslim terrorists seem to have been in hibernation, since Sept. 11, 2001, they are waking up to the need to act and the availability of funds from al-Qaida and other similar jihadist groups, according to the premium, online intelligence newsletter. Danger spots were recently identified in Europe, Asia and North America. Recent assessments indicate that daily reports on the success of Islamic terror in disrupting normal life are creating an urge within the ranks of western terrorists to return to action. Such groups dominated the terror scene in the 1960s and 1970s. The U.S.-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the resistance to globalization, xenophobic tendencies and anti-Semitism have all combined to pour oil on old flames, encouraging new alliances as a result. Experts attempting to draft the profile of non-Islamic terrorism in the 21st century are turning their interest toward militant Muslims' efforts to recruit terror contractors and to use the services of European terrorists and anarchists. Intelligence sources say they expect the jihadists to sub-contract terrorist attacks to small cells of two to three people familiar with their modus operandi. These groups sometimes operate in gangs of more than 10 individuals. European-style terrorism differs from the Islamic jihad type in that it often targets individuals to be assassinated or kidnapped. It has also been marked by taking large groups of innocent hostages for negotiation purposes. Jihad organizers are acquainted with the sleeper terror groups of Europe and North America, and they know these groups are in dire need of funds. These "underground" groups need to travel and change their identities frequently. Sleeper terror groups are careful not to deal directly with money laundering, drug dealing or organized crime. This is due in part to ideological beliefs, but more because of the need to keep a low profile, away from the eyes of law enforcement agencies. Interrogation of non-Muslim terrorists apprehended during the last two years in Europe and Asia, reveals a desire to become copy-cats of the Islamic jihad and a growing need to be placed once again on the international scene. Intelligence agencies are beginning to dust files of old-style terror organizations, which some agencies now describe as the "Red Jihad." Israeli, British, Turkish and Greek counter-terror experts, have warned of signs pointing to jihadi groups trying to establish contacts with European and American organizations. The technique of hiring terror services, or partnerships with other terror operators was once popular with the Palestinians. The results of these unholy unions in the past have been the Air France hijacking by a group of Arabs and Germans to Entebbe, Uganda, in 1976, the Lufthansa hijacking to Mogadishu in 1977, and the Japanese Red Army attack on Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv in 1972. Al-Qaida, Jamaah Islamiah and Wahabbi groups see nothing wrong in using non-Muslims to further their cause. As the origin of most anti-terror activities focuses mainly on the Middle East and Asia, it is clear a western terrorist could be more successful in penetrating a number of security and defense circles. In cases of a precision attack against individuals or institutions, European or American Caucasian terrorists will be more successful in disappearing from the radar screen. Over the years, scores of Europeans, Americans and Asians, have been trained in Arab terror bases in Lebanon, Syria, Sudan, Libya and Iraq. A number of those were later involved in attacks on international air traveling, including airports. Meanwhile, Marxist terror and guerrilla attacks in Latin America and Asia have never ended. A former supporter of international terrorism, Cuba's Fidel Castro, is showing signs of re-involvement in regional violence, manifested through his support to Colombian terrorists and even connecting them to Irish bomb experts of the Irish Republican Army. Castro's efforts also continue to target the cooperation of President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela as part of his renewed plan to sway political alliances. Intelligence schools in North Korea were never closed and they continue to produce saboteurs and agents originating from many countries. The North Koreans may also return to the business of producing terrorists for hire, not unlike the way they handle their development of weapons of mass destruction. Western intelligence services have identified a number of warning signs as they emerged following 9/11: * The arrest and trial in Greece of 15 Marxists of the N-17 terror group. Expectations that a wave of arrests finished the group were premature. Lately Greece is once again the stage for renewed, low-intensity terrorist and anarchist activities, aimed mainly against U.S. and British targets. This may escalate towards the 2004 Olympic Games. * The re-surfacing of German and other west European sympathizers of ultra-left terror groups and their cooperation with Marxists of a specific ethnic background, such as the Kurds. Germany is also involved in combating hate terror, specifically by armed neo-Nazi groups and nationalists. * Activity of left-wing terrorism is reported increasing in Turkey. Such terrorists pose a danger not only to Turkey, but also on a regional scale. This includes cooperation with Marxist Kurds and Arabs. * Reports are filtering out of Egypt about left-wing terrorism. These days a member of the Egyptian Revolutionary Socialist Group is facing a Cairo military court as three of his comrades are tried in absence. * The arrest of members of the Spanish First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Group, or GRAPO, who were involved in two bank and armored car robberies, is another indication this group is in need of funds as part of an attempt to re-surface or to lease their services to whoever will pay, as long as the target is in the western industrialized world. An Oregon based on-line paper, the Portland Independent Media Center, carried a headline on Dec. 1 calling readers "to send support letters for comrades facing trial in Egypt." The drive is supported by the Socialist Arab Coalition in North America. On the day Saddam Hussein was captured the organization flashed an Iraqi Baath flag saying: "Resistance will continue until victory!" Articles and pictures do not disguise the potential of such support. Together with slogans such as: "Long live the resistance, no turning back," and "Death to the imperialists, death to the collaborators," the site includes pictures of heavily armed comrades, their faces covered with Arab kefiyah headdresses, and stories such as "the tactics of resistance." This short list does not include other terror threats coming from separatists, nationalists and religious groups. Some examples are: The Basque Fatherland and Liberation operating from the Basque region in Spain or the Irish Protestants or Catholics in Northern Ireland and the French Corsicans. New evidence in a book to be published next year will point to an alliance between Iraqi-sponsored terrorists and Timothy McVeigh, the man executed for the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building. In a related development, last Month, G2B reported Carlos the Jackal, the legendary terrorist of the 1970s, has converted to Islam and pledged his allegiance to Osama bin Laden. Carlos, aka Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, has just published a book in French to announce his conversion to Islam and present his strategy for "the destruction of the United States through an orchestrated and persistent campaign of terror." Titled "Revolutionary Islam" and published under the name Ilich Ramirez Sanchez-CARLOS, the book urges "all revolutionaries, including those of the left, even atheists," to accept the leadership of Islamists such as bin Laden and so help turn Afghanistan and Iraq into the "graveyards of American imperialism." Son of a militant Communist, Ilich was sent to Moscow to study at Patrice Lumumba University, an institution set up by the KGB to train terrorists from the Third World. That was in the 1970s, when the most fashionable cause was opposition to the U.S. intervention in Indochina. Ilich opted for the less-fashionable cause of Palestine, and soon moved to Lebanon, where he trained for operations organized by George Habash's People's Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Western intelligence services first noticed Carlos when he murdered two French policemen and a Lebanese informant in Paris in 1975. But the peak of his career came in 1975, when he led the team that took 11 OPEC oil ministers hostage in Vienna, then flew them to Algiers. He spent most of the next 20 years on the run, living under assumed identities, constantly changing protectors, until his Sudanese friends finally betrayed him six years ago, when they allowed French authorities to abduct him from his home in Khartoum and fly him to Paris for trial. Carlos claims that terrorism is "the cleanest and most efficient form of warfare." Carlos, was arrested in Sudan in 1994 and turned over to France, where he is serving life for the 1975 murders of two French secret agents and an alleged informer.

HATE SPEECH OF THE LEFT Posted by Steven Plaut, December 28, 2003.

This is an article by Jeff Jacoby and it appeared today in the Boston Globe. IN DECEMBER 1994 I wrote the first of what would become a yearly series of columns on the subject of liberal hate speech. That was the year Republicans swept the midterm elections to win control of Congress, and ideological passions were running high. I had noticed that when a prominent Republican or conservative said something offensive about liberals, it typically set off a storm of media condemnation, while an anti-conservative smear voiced by a liberal or a Democrat rarely drew any protest. There was no end of sour commentary, for example, when Newt Gingrich recommended that Clinton Democrats be portrayed as "the enemy of normal Americans." It was an outrageous remark, and Gingrich deserved the drubbing he received. But when Jesse Jackson explicitly likened the proposals of the new majority to Nazism and apartheid - "If this were Germany, we would call it fascism. If this were South Africa, we would call it racism" - there wasn't even a ripple of disapproval. Julianne Malveaux, a radio host and USA Today columnist, caught no flak when she prayed aloud for the death of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. "I hope his wife feeds him lots of eggs and butter and he dies early like many black men do, of heart disease," she snarled on PBS. What was true in 1994 remains largely true today. MSNBC fired right-wing talk host Michael Savage in July, and rightly so, when he told a gay caller to "get AIDS and die, you pig." The liberal Nina Totenberg, on the other hand, suffered no ill effects for saying, during the flap over General Jerry Boykin's views of Islam and the war on terrorism, "I hope he's not long for this world." When the startled host asked if she were "putting a hit out on this guy," Totenberg backtracked and said she only wanted to see him expire "in his job." But this isn't the first time the NPR diva has publicly wished death on a conservative. "I think he ought to be worried about what's going on in the Good Lord's mind," she said of Senator Jesse Helms in 1995, "because if there is retributive justice, he'll get AIDS from a transfusion, or one of his grandchildren will." Such venom should be beyond the pale. But too many liberals would still rather dismiss conservative ideas with an ugly slur than actually grapple with them on the merits. Debating the pros and cons of racial preferences or US foreign policy can be difficult; much easier to simply hiss "Racist!" or "Nazi!" or some equally poisonous insult. "What you have now" - this is left-wing activist and actress Janeane Garofalo, analyzing the Republican Party during an appearance at the 92d Street Y in New York this year - "is people that are closet racists, misogynists, homophobes, and people who love... the politics of exclusion identifying as conservative." That was apparently enough to win her a guest-host slot on CNN's "Crossfire," where she offered this thoughtful critique of the Patriot Act: "It is in fact a conspiracy of the 43d Reich." Ah, yes, the reductio ad Hitlerum. Why meet a conservative with facts or logic when you can simply tar him with the Nazi brush? Thus we had Nancy Giles on the "CBS Sunday Morning show" sourly tying Rush Limbaugh's "edgy" radio manner to you-know-who's. "Hitler would have killed in talk radio," Giles declared. "He was edgy, too." Ellen Gray of the Philadelphia Daily News struck a similar note in commenting on "The Reagans," the canceled miniseries. "If Hitler had more friends," she told The Washington Post, "CBS wouldn't have aired [its Hitler miniseries] either." Of course no one came in for more Hitler comparisons this year than George W. Bush. Third Reich references were practically a staple of antiwar rhetoric. The president "is not the orator that Hitler was," acknowledges leftist commentator Dave Lindorff at Counterpunch.org. "But comparisons of the Bush administration's fearmongering tactics to those practiced so successfully and with such terrible results by Hitler and Goebbels... are not at all out of line." Such repugnant comparisons are in fact wildly out of line. But so long as the double standard persists, liberals will continue to make them with impunity. Of course this complaint can be taken too far. Ed Gillespie, the Republican Party's chairman, has been accusing Democrats of engaging in "political hate speech" when they call Bush a "liar" or a "miserable failure." But there is a world of difference between labeling someone a failure and labeling him Hitler. My objection has never been to political elbow-throwing. What I have tried to argue is that certain kinds of insult - those that fantasize about people's deaths, or slime them as racists or fascists or terrorists - do such violence to our public discourse that they should simply be shunned. Ten years ago almost no one was calling attention to this liberal slander problem; now magazine articles and even books are being written about it. Progress of a sort, I guess. There's room for a lot more.

HENRY FORD'S 'LEGACY': The foundation he created gets into Middle East trouble Posted by Heshy Riesel, December 28, 2003.

This was a REVIEW AND OUTLOOK essay on the Wall Street Journal Editorial Page, on December 26th. The quip going around nonprofit circles these days is that the Ford Foundation's support for Palestinian extremists is the one area of funding it could defend on the grounds of donor intent - an allusion to the notorious anti-Semitism of automaker and founder Henry Ford. But Chuck Grassley, for one, is not amused. In response to a Jewish Telegraphic Agency series detailing Ford's support for Palestinian NGOs crusading against Israel, the Iowa Republican has announced that the Senate Finance Committee will review the matter. In so doing, we hope it raises a question long overdue for Congressional scrutiny: How U.S. tax laws intended to encourage charity have had the unintended effect of spawning a foundation priesthood funded into perpetuity and insulated from public accountability. This lack of accountability is bad enough even when it involves small foundations that stray from their benefactor's purposes. But with $10 billion in assets and offices that stretch from Santiago to Hanoi, Ford today has become a major player in international affairs - with the potential to run afoul of U.S. interests abroad. That's precisely what happened in Durban, South Africa, in 2001, where a U.N. conference ostensibly called to combat racism became a world stage for anti-Americanism and the crudest kind of anti-Semitic imagery. So ugly did Durban become that Secretary of State Colin Powell ordered the American delegation to return home. In his "Funding Hate" series for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Edwin Black quotes some of those who had witnessed the Durban spectacle as originally guessing that the funding for all this anti-Semitic propaganda must have come from, say, Saudi Arabia. In fact, he says, much of it came from Ford. In 2000 and 2001 alone, Mr. Black notes, Ford distributed $35 million to 272 Arab and pro-Palestinian organizations - with at least some of these millions going to those that transformed Durban into a circus. Among the noisiest of these recipients was the Palestinian Committee for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment (LAW), which since 1997 has received $1.1 million from Ford. Mr. Black reports that LAW's officers assumed leadership positions on the Durban steering committees that were instrumental in making the thrust of that conference an international indictment of the state of Israel. Or take PNGO - an umbrella group of 90 Palestinian NGOs that's also received more than $1 million from Ford. Its director is quoted as admitting that PNGO gets almost no Arab support and that Ford is its biggest funder. Yet this is the same group that denounced as "unacceptable" a U.S. government requirement that Palestinian NGOs partnering with tax-exempt American charities sign a pledge promising that no funds would ever find their way to "advocate or support terrorist activities." After first digging in her heels, Ford President Susan Berresford acknowledged in a November 17 letter to Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D., N.Y.) that she and her colleagues at Ford "now recognize that we did not have a clear picture of the activities, organizations and people involved." Funding for LAW, she tells us, has been cut off because of financial irregularities, and Ford is in the midst of investigating its other grantees. Not only does Ford abhor any anti-Semitism, she says, the funding that was featured in Mr. Black's series represents only a fraction of what is really a broad Ford effort to build a moderate Palestinian civil society. Sounds good. But it's not as if this is the first time Ford has been questioned about its Middle East funding. The New York Sun reports that as far back as 1999 editors at the Jewish weekly Forward ran a story entitled "Latest Ford Foundation Grantees Would Sure Make Henry I Proud." Nothing happened. The difference today is a post-9/11 environment, where the combination of press exposure and Congressional pressure has made it harder for Ford to look the other way. Mr. Black's articles report that State, Justice and the IRS are looking into the matter, as well they should. But Congress has a special responsibility with regard to foundations, because Congress writes the tax laws that spawned these empires. Not least of the perverse incentives here is a provision in the tax code - one that Ford lobbied hard to preserve - that allows foundations to count office expenses against the 5% of their assets they are required to give out each year to charity. We hope Senator Grassley goes through with hearings, not only to find out where all that Ford money ended up in the Middle East but also to raise the larger public issue of whether the tax code is being used to subsidize attacks on American interests. Foundations are a growing part of U.S. life and are playing an ever larger role in political debate. Under current law they are also tax subsidized for eternity. Congress hasn't revisited that policy since 1981, and it's about time it did.

WALL SHIELD AND HATE Posted by Marco Delmar, December 28, 2003.

How dare some tarnish Israel's extremely human-lives' struggle for defense into ugly slogans? How dare they twist the fence around, when the fence is exactly what it is. Should Israel apologize for shielding against those child-mass-murderers? How far can low propaganda go? If that "apartheid-vicious-lie" were true, no Arab Genocide Bomber would have ever succeeded in mingling in that Democratic, Beautiful Victim-Society! Think! Now, show me another situation throughout history worldwide that shielding from killers has been portrayed in a negative light. That's a first and it's darn criminal-stained propaganda typified, the most well-oiled Goliath Arabist machine, and the least humane that would turn good and human struggle into bad and dark. PS. No wonder it took the 'palestinian' oiled propaganda machine some time (many months) to invent something about Israel's defense (as well as conflicting 'reasons' for their 'objection' to it). They saw their bloody-convenient used free-ride of attacking innocent unarmed suddenly collapsing. Moreover the fence exposed the real problem: Israel's routine demand for simple safety.

THE LAST LION? Posted by David Ben-Ariel, December 28, 2003.

William Manchester's book, The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill; Visions of Glory, is quite remarkable considering its principles pertain to Israel's situation today. Churchill was considered an "enemy of peace" by those who failed to recognize the German threat. He was basically abandoned in a political wilderness until the time came for him to come out in the spirit of the judges of Israel and deliver Great Britain from the Nazi menace. Don't we realize that whenever we warn about the Beast Power rising in Europe that we'll be falsely accused of hating Germans, Europeans, and Catholics? Years ago certain ones on AOL accused my book, Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise & Fall, of hating Catholics and German-bashing. I replied that it's actually because I LOVE THE GERMANS, the Europeans and the Catholics that I want to help warn them to not blindly follow their leaders! It's not only because I love our British-Israelite and Jewish brethren that the warning message must go out! Both Israelites and Europeans must be warned! I'm of German descent, in part, from the Palatinate in West Germany. I certainly don't hate Germans, but I do hate what the Nazis did and what Bible prophecy clearly says a German-led Europe will do again on an even greater scale! This time their Satan inspired hatred and murder won't just be against our Jewish brethren but against Joseph: the Anglo-Saxons! Consider this excellent quote from The Last Lion: Speaking of the type of leader necessary to stand up to Hitler: "England looked for another Alfred, a figure cast in a mold which, by the time of the Dunkirk deliverance, seemed to have been forever lost. England's new leader, were he to prevail, would have to be everything England's decent, civilized Establishment had rejected (sound familiar? those impotent ones who worry about reputation and remaining polite and respectable aren't effective in facing the Challenge)... Their successor would have to be a passionate Manichaen who saw the world as a medieval struggle to the death between the powers of good and the powers of evil, who held that individuals are responsible for their actions and that the German dictator was therefore wicked...Like Adolf Hitler he would have to be a leader of intuitive genius, a born demagogue in the original sense of the word, a believer in the supremacy of his race and his national destiny (not one who has forgotten or miserably doubts his Identity), an artist who knew how to gather the blazing light of history into his prism... Such a man, if he existed, would be England's last chance. In London there was such a man." The question begs to be answered whether or not there's such a man in Jerusalem today; whether Israel will finally have a leader who will boldly reclaim Judaism's holiest site, the Temple Mount, and will refuse to tolerate Amalekites claiming Jerusalem as their capital! A leader who knows and understands that the Holy Land was promised to Israel and not to Ishmael. If not, and Zion and Jerusalem fall to Catholic Europe because we've failed to heed Churchillian warnings, and shamefully despised those Christian-Zionists and Jews who delivered them, then the Messiah will surely save us out of the dreadful "Time of Jacob's Trouble" - but we'll have first suffered the greatest tribulation to strike planet earth.

THE PALESTINIAN MEDIA AND ANTI-AMERICANISM: A Case Study Posted by Hillel Frisch, December 28, 2003.

Abstract: This article examines a case study of Palestinian media attitudes toward the United States by analyzing one typical week's coverage by al-Hayat al-Jadida, the most "official" Palestinian daily. The author's analysis shows that while articles relating to the U.S. overwhelmingly condemn its regional policies and usually only reprint foreign writers critical of U.S. policy, the newspaper's anti-Americanism tends to be somewhat veiled and pales in comparison to treatment of Israel. Broadly speaking, there are two basic reasons for growing anti-Americanism amongst Arab Palestinians. The first is that Arab Palestinians had little affinity to the democratic and liberal values the United States represents; the second is that they often had divergent interests. Arguably the most popular Arab Palestinian leader of all times, Hajj Amin al-Husayni, had much to say on pan-Arabism, pan-Islamism and local nationalism in his writings. By contrast, he said virtually nothing on democracy and liberalism, allying with Nazi Germany.(1) Yasir Arafat, founder of resurgent Palestinian nationalism, also never indicated any views that drew him to the American vision of civilization.(2) In recent decades, the main new development in Palestinian political thought has been the rise of a radical Islamist movement. The proportion favoring liberal standpoints has remained minute, as shown by surveys conducted by Palestinian research centers. In such a normative and ideological setting, there are no shock absorbers that can in any way soften the effects of substantial differences between the policies of the United States and the Palestinians' worldview, despite the Palestinian realization that only the United States can deliver for them the prospect of the state. Through such a normative prism, it is difficult for Palestinians to acknowledge that the United States forced Israel to vacate the Sinai in 1956; refrained all these years from moving its embassy to Jerusalem; consistently regarded the territories beyond the1967 armistice lines as "occupied territories" and the settlements there as illegal; and has since the Madrid peace process, pressured Israel to "roll back," as well as engineered two major offers of a Palestinian state on good terms in 2000 at the Camp David talks and in the Clinton Plan. Most recently, the United States has repeatedly saved Arafat from a more severe siege or expulsion by Israel and pressed Israel on several occasions into returning to the pre-September 2000 lines. Divergence over interests and ideology between Palestinians and the United States, of course, extends far beyond the Palestinian-Israeli arena. Both Palestinian officials and the media take a radical pan-Arab stance on almost all issues related to the Arab world. The basic view that Western imperialists are bent today, as they have been in the past, on dividing and subordinating the Arab world, and that the United States leads this campaign is as prevalent in Fatah as it is in the more radical factions. This is why Arafat and the PLO backed Saddam Hussein in the 1990-1 Gulf War. Almost nothing the United States does in the Middle East is regarded as above suspicion. In this sense the Palestinian press is little different from its Syrian and (former) Iraqi counterparts. Adherence to the pan-Arab formula became clear in the course of al-Hayat al-Jadida's coverage during the first week of February, which is subsequently analyzed in this paper. ASSESSING PALESTINIAN ANTI-AMERICANISM: A METHODOLOGICAL NOTE It is not surprising that under these ideological and political conditions, groups such as MEMRI or Palestinian Media Watch find numerous and rabid displays of anti-Americanism in the official and officially supported Palestinian media to translate and disseminate. For example, a feeling that the United States' involvement in Palestinian politics reflects an historic and bitter clash of civilizations may be found in a sermon broadcast on the Palestinian Authority (PA) television station on September 5, 2003 by Ibrahim Madiras: If we go back 1400 years in time, we find that history is repeating itself, worshipers of Allah. The Prophet Mohammed...was besieged by two powers, Persia in the east and Rome in the west. These represent the Soviet Union and America of today.... Persia fell first in the east, just as Russia fell first in the east, and America will fall, may it be Allah's will, just as Rome fell in the west. However [the fall of] Rome necessitated further challenges, closing of ranks and Muslim sacrifices. The battle with Rome, in which its power ceased, necessitated challenges and resistance from the Muslims, just as America today, her allies and proteges, the Zionists and others, necessitate further sacrifices from our side and closing ranks, oh Muslims, and we will be victorious.... By closing ranks the prophet succeeded in overcoming Rome, the strongest state, which is equivalent to America today, without the fall of even one Muslim shahid [Martyr]... The Prophet succeeded, through Muslim unity and arousing faith, in overcoming the America of then, just as we will defeat America, as long as it supports our enemy, as long as it adheres to its positions against our people, our issue and our holy places, and against our people and its leadership, as long as it adheres to these wicked positions. We will defeat her, may it be the will of Allah. We see America as the number one enemy, as long as it supports our enemy. Aren't we killed by American planes? Are our homes not being destroyed by American tanks? Are we not being bombed by American missiles...(3) Where official Palestinian sentiment lies in the context of post-war Iraq is equally clear. In his piece entitled "Shaa'hid and the Shahid" [The Witness and the Martyr - a play on words], one writer in the Palestinian daily al-Ayyam condemned Iraq's Shi'a religious leaders for standing on the sidelines when morally they should join the ranks of the martyrs in killing American soldiers to fight against Iraq's occupation: There is consensus in Iraq that American and British forces symbolize military occupation of Iraqi territories... Recent activities against [American] forces including helicopter interception, bombing of command centers and convoys and attacking political targets undoubtedly prove that the resistance is getting stronger. And that there are many reasons, foremost among them the occupation's fascism and cruelty, which helps the flow of many to the Iraqi resistance... The Khawza [Shiite religious institutions] admit publicly - and cannot do otherwise - that the U.S. forces are invading forces, but they [the Khawza institutions] offer unclear and unconvincing ways for the long run concerning the attitude towards them [the U.S. forces]. The Khawza Shiite institutions try to achieve historic benefit from the presence of these forces... even if this involves participation in the Ruling Council, which is appointed by the American Governor!!! Are the [institutions of the] Khawza capable of maintaining this dangerous balance? Are they capable of reaping substantial achievements... in this way; after all, the people of the Shiite Congregation historically have been Martyrs [Shahids] and view the Martyrdom [Shahada] - since their first Martyr [Shahid], Ali, as a sacred obligation. Can the Khawza convince the Shiites to [merely] witness [Shaa'hid] the increasingly fierce armed resistance due to the increased American repression and humiliation of the entire Iraqi people... Will the Khawza keep silent and [merely] witness [Shaa'hid], leaning toward the American occupier in the middle of a sea of Martyrs [Shahids]?(4) Palestinian anti-Americanism is also reflected in cartoons. Particularly striking are a series using the image of the Twin Towers to portray Iraqis and Palestinians as the victims of United States policies and actions, in an obvious and deliberate twist of history. The cartoon of two smoldering towers of "Iraq" and "Palestine" for example, appearing in late 2003, was so well received after it was printed in al-Quds, that it was reprinted two days later in al-Hayat al-Jadida, the semi-official daily. Other cartoons were copied from other Arab dailies. For instance, in one a fearful Uncle Sam runs away in terror being chased by the date "September 11."(5) In another, the U.S. response to 9-11 is said to be immoral and imperialistic: the Twin Towers are depicted over a mass of dead bodies, victims of American "imperialism."(6) Another variation of these included the twin towers that form a hammer which attacks the Muslim-Arab world in a cartoon marking the second anniversary of the attack, with the text reading: "September 11 - the day of the greatest conspiracy against the Arabs and Muslims."(7) Though such media items might be numerous and emanate from the official and semi-official media, they do not necessarily indicate the intensity of anti-American sentiments and their propagation. The method of random choice still leaves the possibility (weak as it is given the absence of democratic and liberal practices in the PA) of different and competing views of the United States being expressed as well. Methodologically, and more important normatively, the appearance of specific items may indicate intention but not overall impact of these articles, news items and cartoons. The effect of an anti-American article once a week is different than such an article on a daily basis; different weights must be given according to where it appears in the newspaper. What must be done then is to engage in content analysis of the media over time. The sample for the following analysis is the first seven days of February 2003 of al-Hayat al-Jadida, which is the most "official" newspaper of the three Palestinian dailies that also include al-Quds and al-Ayyam. GENERAL FINDINGS Counting articles versus engaging in a subtle content analysis of the paper's coverage of the United States yields slightly different pictures. A quantitative account clearly demonstrates a strong anti-American bias. Over three-quarters of the forty-nine news items and articles regarding U.S. policy and actions printed in al-Hayat al-Jadida during that week were anti-American. Only 10 percent either objectively represented the incumbent U.S. administration's perspective on Iraqi affairs - the issue most of these news items addressed during that week - or related positively to American considerations or actions. Articles on the United States by Author's Origin and Content(8) Position Foreign Arab Palestinian Israel Total PRO          5                       5     ANTI        21            6           10            37 NEUTRAL          4            2               1            7 However, taking into consideration the type of criticism that was aired in these articles yields a slightly different picture. Overall anti-American sentiment may be divided into two types. The first is civilizational - a perspective that assumes an innate enmity between the United States and its objectives with those of the Palestinians in particular and Arabs in general. The second type is instrumental - those criticisms related to specific policies of specific administrations. During the period under consideration, the newspaper mostly aired articles of the latter, milder variety. Generally speaking, the articles from foreign sources, most of which were translations of articles from the United States and Western press, were mild in tone and substance.(9) By contrast, the Arab and Palestinian articles and news items tended to reflect the more hostile civilization perspective. Most neutral were short new items usually reported by foreign new wire services. Considerations of space (measured by square inch) or placement in the newspaper (headlines, front versus back pages etc.) did not have any impact on the general findings. Nor is anti-American sentiment, prevalent as it may be, the major theme of the Palestinian media. The reason is simple: hatred of Israel is by far its all-consuming focus. Of the approximately 150 articles and news items that appear daily in al-Hayat al-Jadida (minus culture, sports and business items) over one-third are devoted to hatred of Israel. By contrast, there were a total of only 49 news items and articles relating to the United States over one week - which equals one day's coverage of Israel. The difference is also qualitative. On Israel, almost all the coverage is vociferously anti-Israeli. By contrast; coverage on the United States is more variegated even though it is overwhelmingly negative as well. The contrast is highlighted best in comparing the two headlines, which appeared on February 1, the first issue analyzed. The headline regarding Israel was entitled "The Leadership Emphasizes its Adherence to the Choice of Peace Despite Israeli Arrogance (Ghatrasa) and Barbarism." The headline concerning United States policy was more veiled: "The President [Arafat] criticizes the Silence of the International Community Regarding the Israeli Government's Infringement of the Accords." In the body of the news item it becomes clear that what was meant was an alleged U.S. criticism of Israel: "The President asked, 'How could... Israel be allowed to violate agreements signed at the White House?'" Even when the headlines later in the week regarding Iraq clearly expressed a position opposing moves by the United States, they were still mild in comparison to coverage of Israel. On February 5, a main headline read: "The War Plan: The Occupation of Iraq and Its Division into Three States." It is extremely doubtful whether United States officials ever expressed such a desire, let alone construed it as a policy objective of the U.S. government. Casting aspersions that the United States was eager to divide Iraq into three "duwaylat" (the pejorative term for a balkanized state in pan-Arab rhetoric) fits well into the "Sykes-Picot" prism through which so many American moves in the Middle East are construed. The main headline appearing on February 6 was entitled "Most of the States in the Security Council are Not Convinced by 'Proof' of Powell against Iraq." Quotation marks in Arabic as well as in other languages, is a means of casting doubt on the word within them. In this case doubt was being expressed regarding the quality of the evidence Powell presented. Anti-Americanism is also less blatant because the top Palestinian leadership, Arafat and the personalities involved in international negotiations such as Abu Ala'a, Abu Mazen, Sa'ib Ariqat, Nabil Abu Rudayna, and Yasir Abd al-Rabbu refrain as a general rule from disparaging or condemning the United States. For the media, this effectively means that the considerable criticism of the United States does not often appear as a leading headline or on the front page. THE USE OF THE FOREIGN PRESS Al-Hayat al-Jadida relies mainly on foreign and Arab sources in its coverage on non-Palestinian affairs. The overriding issue during the week surveyed was Iraq, particularly United States preparations for war and Powell's attempt to curry support for such a policy within the United Nations. One could safely assume that had a time period in which the United States was involved in mediation between Israel and the Palestinians been chosen, more Palestinian commentators would have written on the United States as well. Most of the articles on the subject were taken from the foreign press. As a general rule, they reflected a list of distinguished analysts writing in equally prominent newspapers. Four articles by John Alterman, head of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, David Francis in the Christian Science Monitor, Nicholas Kristoff culled from the International Herald Tribune and Patrick Seale's "The American Empire on the Eve of a Strike," appeared on the same page in the February 1 edition. All were critical of U.S. policies in Iraq. On February 2, it was the turn of Paul Kennedy, a well-known professor of history from Yale University, to argue on the basis of historical precedent against getting involved in Iraq. Three other articles, which appeared in the middle section of the newspaper, two by Americans, one by a Spanish analyst, concurred. Geoffrey Kemp, another prominent American policy analyst, took a mildly anti-administration approach the following day. On February 4, the paper translated six articles authored by Americans and European analysts and thinkers. The piece by Michael Walzer, a well-known political philosopher, could be considered mild, even bordering on neutral. Walzer, though opposed to direct United States intervention, called upon the international community to acknowledge the threat Iraq posed and called for a strong international authority to impose all sanctions short of war, including military means, against Saddam. James Zoghby, the veteran Arab lobbyist in Washington, authored one of the more militant articles. The two pro-administration news items aired in the newspaper were both connected to senior administrative officials. On February 6, a half-page interview with Condoleezza Rice was culled from the Egyptian al-Ahram. A lengthy article written by Colin Powell stating the administration's position appeared the next day. All in all, the newspaper's choice of articles in the international press, though biased against the administration, was probably little different from the fare presented in the average European newspaper. However skewed, it was nevertheless impressive in quality and even slightly variegated. At least two of the other types of coverage under review, articles authored by Arabs and the news items, presented a less benevolent perspective regarding the United States and its interests in the area. THE ARAB AND PALESTINIAN NEWS SOURCES To be exact, the only Palestinian commentators who wrote on United States policy in Iraq dealt with it solely through the prism of Palestinian interests. Nabil Amer, the former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and a former confidante of Yasir Arafat argued that the war was likely to increase the Palestinian predicament in the face of an even greater imbalance of power between a state supported by an even more powerful superpower and a national movement. He argued that only reform and real institution-building will address this increasing imbalance - an obvious jab to his former mentor, Arafat. He warned that the Israelis were likely to try to use the time they gained by the focus on Iraq to create facts on the ground inimical to Palestinian interests. Amer argued that only putting an end to the armed conflict would serve Palestinian interests during this difficult experience. Hasan al-Kashif presented a similar argument. These almost neutral perceptions contrasted sharply with a long, bitterly critical article written by Muhammad Hasanin Heikal, a prominent journalist and confidant of former Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel-Nasser, which appeared in the newspaper on February 1, 2003. Identifying the United States' wars as imperial and wasteful, he claims that the Arabs can react to such imperialism and hegemony in three of four ways, all with dubious effectiveness. The first is by extending the arm of friendship, a strategy which has become impossible since 1948. Equally implausible is reacting by outright confrontation. The third is slowly sliding into a confrontation and the fourth, the most plausible, is sweating it out. Even the latter alternative he argued was difficult to achieve since the United States is so intermeshed in the affairs of the Arab world. In short, the Arabs are in a difficult predicament. Heikal's analysis of the United States is unflattering, to say the least. The United States, he claimed, runs its affairs like a business, bereft of soul and dignity and driven exclusively by the calculation of costs and benefits. He offers as proof its treatment of the late shah of Iran. Heikal claimed that the United States drains the Third World of its finest brains without investing a cent and exploits its immigrants to death as slaves. Politically, the U.S. does not recognize borders and is forever engaged in conducting wars. On the following day, former Egyptian Field Marshal Halim Abu-Ghazzaleh claimed that the U.S. goal was not the mere removal of Saddam but to create a state that will be under its own control. In another article entitled "The State of the Union - or the State of Iraq," Ahmed Umrabi tried verifying who was the real aggressor: "You would think that Saddam had encircled the United States by land, air and sea! Is Iraq really threatening?" Obviously, he concluded, hidden agendas such as Iraqi oil, Israel, and the resolve to maintain the present state of Arab weakness were the determining factors behind the U.S. drive against Iraq and Saddam Hussein. On a slightly different issue, a professor from Qatar in an article published on February 3 reacted to Colin Powell's statement regarding American plans of democratization in the region by asking how the United States was only willing to spend $29 million to democratize the Arab world compared to the billions it expended on Israel. Powell's initiative also placed the Arab intellectual in a catch-22 situation, the author maintained. He ought to support democratization but how can he support it when it is seen as a directive from outside, especially when it is part of a larger American imperial plan in the Arab region to force the Arabs to abandon the rights of the Palestinian people? Look, he argued, what happened to the Palestinian leadership which placed its trust in the Americans. Only deep reform of individual Arab regimes and Arab collective action could counter imperialism in general and American imperialism in specific. There were also Arab analysts who wrote milder articles. A Saudi Arabian political scientist could not understand how Uncle Sam could stop the zakat (charity) from flowing to groups accused of terrorism and also claimed the United States had accused Islam of terrorism. Khairi Mansur in his "America... and the Forty Noble Souls" praises the forty Nobel Prize winners who had decided "to stand up against the madness in the White House since 9-11." They are warning "of the follies of going into war without assessing its ramifications. Why should the United States citizen think that the generals are any smarter in strategy than these men of such intellectual stature?" Buhan Salih, joint prime minister in the regional Kurdish government in Iraq wrote the only article in support of war authored by a resident in the area. He, however, is not Arab. THE OFFICIALLY ORCHESTRATED ANTI-AMERICAN CAMPAIGN One can safely assume that only a small, though perhaps influential, elite read the long articles by Western, Arab or local Palestinian commentators, which account for most of the news items surveyed. This is perhaps why it is so important to take into account the nature of the short news items, particularly those focusing on Palestinian involvement in developments related to Iraq. These suggest not only the prevalence of anti-Americanism in Palestinian political circles, but its propagation by the official leadership. In fact, it was the Palestinian Authority and the PLO who, in organizing "the street" or "the masses," caused anti-Americanism to take on a rabidly radical coloration. On February 4, secondary students organized what was described as a "massive" procession in northern Gaza in solidarity of the Iraqi people. An accompanying photograph showed demonstrators with posters of Saddam Hussein. A similar news item covered a demonstration in Qalqilya organized by the Popular Committee of Support for Iraq. In the context of Palestinian media behavior, the very fact that the newspaper covered these events reflected official approval. After the capture of Saddam Hussein, for example, al-Hayat al-Jadida did not cover much larger demonstrations that occurred in Gaza. On February 5, the same day in which the headline "The War Plan: The Occupation of Iraq and Its Division into Three States" appeared, a lengthy news item reported that Interior Minister Hani al-Hasan warned that preparations must be made to confront the difficulties that Palestinians will face "in the wake of the aggression on Iraq." He was addressing the graduation ceremony of a military training program in Ramallah. The affair was organized by the Commission of Political and National Guidance for the PA's security forces. On the same day, the National Center for Research and Documentation, an official PA body, organized, in conjunction with a private research group a roundtable to discuss events in Iraq. The newspaper reported that "political speakers and jurists emphasized that Iraq and Palestine face the same enemy and that their resolve and steadfastness in the face of aggression is the common denominator in bringing about the defeat of the enemies of the Arab nation, renewing their call to strengthening the spirit of steadfastness and resistance and [the obligation] of the Arab masses in bearing their historical responsibility in blocking the aggression on sisterly Iraq." On the following day, it was the turn of the National and Islamic Forces, the loose coalition between Fatah, the Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, which called for a procession in Ramallah in support of Iraq and against the aggression. They condemned the vicious campaign of preparations for aggression against Iraq. When the procession did take place, Sakhar Habash, a veteran member of the Fatah Central Committee, the keynote speaker, described the U.S. president as "no more than an oil merchant and a trader in the blood of peoples." "The Iraqis were able to win through steadfastness 12 years ago and they will do so now," he promised. In Qalqilya at a conference held under the slogan "In steadfastness and resistance we will defeat the plot of American and Zionist aggression against Palestine and Iraq," the governor of the province, Mustafa al-Maliki, condemned the American attack on Iraq and the double standard concerning weapons of mass destruction and Israel. He produced a long list of America's "true" motives behind the aggression against Iraq. They included: stealing Iraqi oil, protecting Israel, dividing Iraq into three confessional and weak states as a preparatory move in doing much the same in other Arab states (the Sykes-Picot paradigm), drawing away scientists and controlling the world, and finally, finishing off the Palestinian problem according to Zionist desires. The mayor of the town spoke as well. Needless to say, both officials would have never attended without Arafat's approval. After all, they are beholden to him for their positions. CONCLUSION The Palestinian leadership, based on analysis of the semi-official al-Hayat al-Jadida, is clearly anti-American. Probably the most striking finding is the difference in the intensity of the expression of anti-Americanism between the PLO and the PA on the one hand, and the newspaper itself on the other. The newspaper tries to present a variety of viewpoints although they are hardly balanced. This is reflected in its extensive use of articles appearing in the foreign press. Unfortunately, the small airing of opinions expressing a deviation from the common anti-American content of most of these articles appears in the most "elitist" type of journalistic writing - the long analytical articles that are probably the least read. Even so, the overall message of the newspaper remains anti-American. Suffice to note that throughout its coverage, the term used to describe the approaching United States campaign against Iraq was the "American aggression ('udwan)." Palestinian anti-Americanism was far more prominent in institutions related to the PA, especially those with a mass base or deep reach into Palestinian society such as Fatah or the security forces. Not only do these organs reflect anti-Americanism, they propagate it. That these institutions are related to the PA, which enjoys direct and indirect U. S. aid - and, in the case of the Palestinian security forces, have even been the beneficiaries of U.S. professional training - has had no bearing on their actions or positions. NOTES 1. For an analysis of Husayni's writings see the author's "Territorializing a Universal Religion: The Evolution of Nationalist Symbols in Palestinian Fundamentalism," Canadian Review of Studies in Nationalism, vol. 21, nos. 1-2 (1994), pp. 45-50. 2. See the chapter on Fatah in Ziyad Abu 'Amer's Usul al-Harakat al-Siyasiya Fi Quta' Ghazza 1948-1967 [The Origins of the Political Movements in the Gaza Strip 1948-1967], (Acco: Dar al-Aswar, 1947). Abu Amer is a member of the Palestinian Legislative Assembly. 3. Itamar Marcus, "Palestinian Authority Hatred of USA Continues," Palestinian Media Watch Bulletin, September 11, 2003. 4. Al-Ayyam October 27, 2003. Quoted in Itamar Marcus, "Palestinian Incitement to Kill and Hate Americans," Palestinian Media Watch Bulletin, November 5, 2003. 5. Quoted in Itamar Marcus, "PA Uses Twin Tower Image to Mock USA," Palestinian Media Watch Bulletin, September 16, 2003. 6. PA official daily al-Hayat al-Jadida, September 11, 2002, reprinted from the UAE's al-Khalij. Also see Al-Hayat al-Jadida, September 11, 2002, reprinted from Kuwait's al-Watan. Both quoted in Itamar Marcus, "PA Uses Twin Tower Image to Mock USA." 7. Al-Hayat al-Jadida, September 13, 2002. Another cartoon of this variation can be found in Al-Quds, September 11, 2002 and al-Hayat al-Jadida, September 13, 2002. All quoted in Itamar Marcus, "PA Uses Twin Tower Image to Mock USA." 8. Author's analysis of Al-Hayat al-Jadida, February 1-7, 2003. 9. In distinguishing between the foreign and Arab press, I am merely following common practice in states in the Middle East of distinguishing between "foreigner" (ajnabi) and either Muslim or Arab. Such categorization is found even on the sports pages to describe the origins of the player of the team. Hillel Frisch is a senior lecturer in political studies and Middle East history at Bar-Ilan University. He is author of "Countdown to Statehood: Palestinian State Formation in the West Bank and Gaza" (State University of New York Press, 1998) and many articles on Palestinian and Arab politics in leading political science and area journals such as Journal of Peace Research, Journal of Strategic Studies, International Journal of Middle East Studies and others. This article was "Middle East Review of International Affairs Journal" (MERIA), Volume 7, Number 4 (December 2003).

PALESTINE AUTHORITY SERMONS Posted by Steve Stalinsky, December 28, 2003.

Introduction The following report consists of Palestinian sermons from 2000-2003. Each Khatib (preacher) is a paid employee of the Palestinian Authority (PA). The sermons are broadcast live every Friday at noon from mosques under control of the PA and are shown on PA television. Part I of this report includes the common themes of the sermons, such as: calls for the destruction of the U.S., the perceived American Crusader war against Islam, honoring Shahids and the rewards of the martyrs, educating children to martyrdom, and antisemitism, including calls for the killing of Jews. Part II, which includes Palestinian leaders being questioned by Western journalists about the content of the sermons, and Part III, the transcripts of the Friday sermons, can be read by visiting http://www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SR2403 . To view streaming video of the sermons, please visit http://www.memri.org/video/index.html . Part I: Common Themes Calls for the Destruction of the U.S. "Allah wreak vengeance on the Jews and the Americans" is a common theme heard in PA sermons, as with Sheikh Ahmad Abd-Al-Razek's sermon on October 4, 2002.(1) Frequent calls for the destruction of the main allies of the U.S. - Britain and Israel - are also heard. As Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi stated, "Allah willing, this unjust state will be erased - Israel will be erased; this unjust state, the United States, will be erased; this unjust state, Britain, will be erased."(2) Themes of Arab hatred of the U.S. within sermons often have Islamic historical undertones. For example, the leading Palestinian religious figure, Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri, stated in a sermon on PA radio, "Allah, destroy the U.S., its helpers and its agents. Allah, destroy Britain, its helpers and its agents. Allah, prepare those who will unite the Muslims and march in the steps of Saladin. Allah, we ask you for forgiveness before death, and mercy and forgiveness after death. Allah, grant victory to Islam and the Muslims..."(3) The U.S. and its allies are also commonly referred to as Christian and Jewish Crusaders who must be fought. For example, Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya, speaking at a mosque named after UAE President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, stated, "Allah the almighty has called upon us not to ally with the Jews or the Christians, not to like them, not to become their partners, not to support them, and not to sign agreements with them... Allah, deal with the Jews, your enemies and the enemies of Islam. Deal with the Crusaders, and America, and Europe behind them..."(4) 2003: The Year the American Crusader War Against Islam Began In the year 2003, a common theme which emerged in PA sermons is that the U.S has begun a Crusader war against the Arabs. Sheikh Muhammad Abu Al-Hunud stated in a sermon on March 28, 2003, "If, God forbid, something happens to Iraq, the aggression and the Crusade will turn tomorrow against the Koran... God forbid, his second assault is on the Koran, [he wants] to change verses and to mess with Allah's book, to Americanize the region, Americanize the religion, Americanize the Koran, Americanize Muhammad's message... To my brothers in Iraq, to the President of Iraq, to the Iraqi leadership, to the Iraqi people... Strike, my brother; may your right arm, oh proud Iraq, be strong... strike Allah's enemies with it. Strike with it the enemies of humanity... from the pulpits of Al-Azhar and other mosques around the world, that any Muslim who does not stand by Iraq and support it against the American-British-Crusaders cruel attack... Allah, grant victory to the Iraqi army... Allah, defeat America and its allies... Allah, purify the Islamic soil from the American and British treason and defilement... Allah, make their possessions a booty for the Muslims, Allah, annihilate them and their weapons, Allah, make their children orphans and their women widows..."(5) Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris also frequently states that the battle between Muslims and the U.S. is a religious war that has its roots centuries ago. In a sermon on September 5, 2003, he stated, "If we go back in the time tunnel 1400 years, we will find that history repeats itself... Byzantium represents America in the west... America will collapse, as Byzantium collapsed in the west... The Prophet [Muhammad] could, by means of unbroken ranks, conquer Byzantium, the greatest power compared to today's America - and this without a single martyr falling from among the Muslims... The Prophet could, by means of the unity of the Muslim ranks and its awakening, defeat the America of that time, as we will defeat America as long as it supports our enemy, as long as America insists on being against our people and against our cause and our holy places, and against our people and our leadership... Indeed, we consider America to be our No. 1 enemy... America is our No. 1 enemy, and we see it as our No. 1 enemy as long as we learn from the lessons of the Battle of Tabouk [which took place in October 630 AD]: 'Make ready for them whatever you can of armed strength and of mounted pickets' [Koran 8:60]. We are prepared and ready, but victory is from Allah..."(6) On another occasion, on March 21, 2003, Sheikh Mudeiris called President Bush a "dwarf" and a "Pharaoh" who would be defeated in Iraq: "... Allah drowned Pharaoh and those who were with him. Allah drowns the Pharaohs of every generation. Allah will drown the little Pharaoh, the dwarf, the Pharaoh of all times, of our time, the American President. Allah will drown America in our seas, in our skies, in our land. America will drown and all the oppressors will drown. Oh, people of Palestine, Oh, people of Iraq. The Crusader, Zionist America has started an attack against our Iraq, the Iraq of Islam and Arabism, the Iraq of civilization and history. It opened a Crusader Zionist war against Iraq. If Iraq is defeated, if the nation [of Islam] is defeated in Iraq - this will be our last breath of life... This is a Zionist Crusader war. It is not I who say this, it was the little Pharaoh [Bush] who announced it when he stated that this was a Crusader attack... You all know about the slap in the face which Iraq gave America at the time of the first invasion, when Iraq gave a knock out [punch] to America, the result of which was that Pharaoh the father [George Bush, Sr.] lost the presidency. This is a mark of shame on this family and therefore Pharaoh the son returned to power in order to take revenge. The only way to remove the shame is to topple down the Iraqi regime... This is also a religious war. What is the connection between Iraq and the Crusaders' wars? Just as Palestine is sacred so is also the land of Iraq, because the Prophet said so... America will be destroyed, Allah willing, and Palestine, Iraq, and the Middle East will become a cemetery for oppressors..."(7) Shahids & the Rewards of Martyrdom Sermons often call for Palestinians to become martyrs, or Shahids. Within the sermons, it is told that those who become a Shahid feel no pain and receive rewards in the afterlife, such as 72 black-eyed virgins. Family members of the Shahids are also praised in sermons. As Sheikh Isma'il Aal Radhwan stated, "[Even when] a martyr's organs are being chopped off, and he turns into torn organs that spread all over, in order to meet Allah, Muhammad, and his friends, it would not be [considered] a loss... This is the honor given to our martyrs, the martyrs of the Islamic nation, who were killed due to their loyalty to Allah... The sacrifice of convoys of martyrs [will continue] until Allah grants us victory very soon. The willingness for sacrifice and for death we see amongst those who were cast by Allah into a war with the Jews, should not come at all as a surprise... Oh believing brothers, we do not feel a loss... The martyr, if he meets Allah, is forgiven with the first drop of blood; he is saved from the torments of the grave; he sees his place in Paradise; he is saved from the Great Horror [of the day of judgment]; he is given 72 black-eyed women; he vouches for 70 of his family to be accepted to Paradise; he is crowned with the Crown of glory, whose precious stone is better than all of this world and what is in it..."(8) The virtues of martyrdom are the subject of many of Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris's sermons: "Blessings to those who wage [Jihad] with their body... Blessings to our Shahids who sacrifice their souls easily for the sake of Allah... Blessings to the happy Shahids within the entrails of the green bird in Paradise. Blessings to the Shahids whose sins are forgiven with the first drop of their blood."(9) On another occasion, he stated, "Know that a Shahid [who falls] on this land is considered more than one Shahid someplace else. Yes, there are traditions that a Shahid here [in Jerusalem] is worth 70 Shahids in a place other than this good land..."(10) Regarding the rewards of the martyrs, Sheikh Mudeiris stated in a sermon on May 2, 2003: "No preacher or sermonizer has right to begin his words without blessing all our Shahids... The Jews cannot influence the actions of our youth and children. But for you, Allah has chosen Shahada... Allah had honored our youth... by choosing you and by choosing from among you the Shahids... Is the Shahid dead like other dead, which requires us to offer condolences and mourn with his family, friend and relatives? Or is the Shahid enjoying virtues and the ability to perform miracles, which gives us the right to congratulate the Shahid and his family?... We have the right to congratulate the Shahids' families, and not extend condolences and sorrow of our Shahids, if they [sacrifice themselves] to Allah... But the Shahid is spared the agony of death. This is one of the miracles of the Shahid. Is it not enough that the Shahid weds 72 black eyed [virgins]?... When the Shahid sees the grace of martyrdom and death for the sake of Allah he will wish to return to this world to be killed in it ten times... The Shahid - is it enough for him that he does not feel the blow of the sword or the pain of death or of the killing rather, as one of you feels a [wasp] sting..."(11) Palestinian Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri also praises martyrdom in his sermons: "We tell them: in as much as you love life - the Muslim loves death and martyrdom. There is a great difference between he who loves the hereafter and he who loves this world. The Muslim loves death and [strives for] martyrdom. He does not fear the oppression of the arrogant or the weapons of the blood-letters. The blessed and sacred soil of Palestine has vomited all the invaders and all the colonialists throughout history and it will soon vomit, with Allah's help, the [present] occupiers."(12) Educating Children to Martyrdom The concept of educating children to become martyrs occurs regularly in PA sermons. Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, one of the most popular Imams, is especially vocal on this issue. During one sermon, he repeats the following discussion he had with a child who approached him about becoming a suicide bomber: "A young man said to me: 'I am 14 years old, and I have four years left before I blow myself up'... We, the Muslims on this good and blessed land, are all - each one of us - seekers of Martyrdom... The Koran is very clear on this: The greatest enemies of the Islamic nation are the Jews, may Allah fight them... Blessings for whoever assaulted a soldier... Blessings for whoever has raised his sons on the education of Jihad and Martyrdom; blessings for whoever has saved a bullet in order to stick it in a Jew's head..."(13) On another occasion, Madhi stated, "Shame and remorse on whoever refrained from raising his children on Jihad... Blessings to whoever waged Jihad for the sake of Allah; blessings to whoever raided for the sake of Allah; blessings to whoever put a belt of explosives on his body or on his sons' and plunged into the midst of the Jews, crying 'Allahu Akbar, praise to Allah, There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger'... Allah, show us a black day for the Jews, like the day of 'Aad and Thamud.(14) Allah, turn them into pillage for us. Allah, we strive for martyrdom for your sake..."(15) Even if there was only one Palestinian child left, he or she would sacrifice himself for the sake of Jihad, Madhi stated in another sermon: "Even if they slaughter all of the Palestinian people and the only survivors will be one single Palestinian baby girl and one single Palestinian baby boy, the baby boy will marry the baby girl and they will give birth to the one who will liberate Jerusalem from the defilement of the Jews... While they [the Palestinians] sacrifice the last Palestinian child and the last Palestinian fetus, they [the Arab nations] will satisfy themselves with victories on the soccer courts... It was rightly claimed that a thousand verbal shells cannot compare to one shell made of iron. It was rightly claimed that what was taken by force will be regained only by the use of force. We must prepare ourselves in accordance with the religion of Allah and the Law of Allah. We must educate our children on the love of Jihad for the sake of Allah and the love of fighting for the sake of Allah."(16) The importance of educating youth for battle has also been the topic of sermons by Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris: "And here, I want to emphasize, oh people of Palestine, that our children, the fruit of our loins - we must protect them... The children need proper education because it is they who will lead the struggle after us, on the day when they will grow up and become strong and we will grow old. They are our children, who will conduct the battle after us."(17) On this subject, Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri stated his thoughts on child martyrs, as well as the joy of their mothers: "I feel the martyr is lucky because the angels usher him to his wedding in heaven. I feel the earth moves under the occupiers' feet... There is no doubt that a child [martyr] suggests that the new generation will carry on the mission with determination. The younger the martyr - the greater and the more I respect him... They [mothers of martyrs] willingly sacrifice their offspring for the sake of freedom. It is a great display of the power of belief. The mother is participating in the great reward of the Jihad to liberate Al-Aqsa... I talked to a young man... [who] said: '... I want to marry the black-eyed [beautiful] women of heaven.' The next day he became a martyr. I am sure his mother was filled with joy about his heavenly marriage. Such a son must have such a mother."(18) Antisemitism and Calls to Kill Jews "Annihilating" Jews by Palestinians becoming suicide bombers and "detonating" themselves in their midst, and by saving "a bullet is order to stick it in a Jew's head," are examples of the many calls for killing Jews in Palestinian sermons. Islamic Hadiths are often cited as inspiration for such actions. Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi explained, "Palestine will be, as it was in the past, a graveyard for the invaders - just as it was a graveyard for the Tatars and to the Crusader invaders, [and for the invaders] of the old and new colonialism... A reliable Hadith [tradition] says: 'The Jews will fight you, but you will be set to rule over them.' What could be more beautiful than this tradition? 'The Jews will fight you' - that is, the Jews have begun to fight us. 'You will be set to rule over them' - Who will set the Muslim to rule over the Jew? Allah... Until the Jew hides behind the rock and the tree. But the rock and tree will say: 'Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, a Jew hides behind me, come and kill him.' Except for the Gharqad tree, which is the tree of the Jews. We believe in this Hadith. We are convinced also that this Hadith heralds the spread of Islam and its rule over all the land... Oh Allah, accept our martyrs in the highest heavens... Oh Allah, show the Jews a black day... Oh Allah, annihilate the Jews and their supporters... Oh Allah, raise the flag of Jihad across the land... Oh Allah, forgive our sins..."(19) Similarly, Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya stated, "O brother believers, the criminals, the terrorists - are the Jews... They are the ones who must be butchered and killed, as Allah the Almighty said: 'Fight them: Allah will torture them at your hands, and will humiliate them and will help you to overcome them... The Jews are like a [gas] pedal - as long as you step on it with your foot, it doesn't move, but if you lift your foot from it, it hurts you and punishes you. This is the case of the Jews."(20) Within sermons, Jews are commonly referred to as the descendants of pigs and apes, and as calf-worshippers. As Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi stated, "All spears should be directed at the Jews, at the enemies of Allah, the nation that was cursed in Allah's book. Allah has described them as apes and pigs, the calf-worshipers, idol-worshipers... Whoever can fight them with his weapons, should go out [to the battle]; whoever can fight them with a machinegun, should go out; whoever can fight them with a sword or a knife, should go out; whoever can fight them with his hands, should go out; This is our destiny... The Jews have exposed their fangs. Nothing will deter them, except the color of their filthy people's blood; nothing will deter them except for us voluntarily detonating ourselves in their midst. They have nuclear power, but we have the power of the belief in Allah... We blow them up in Hadera, we blow them up in Tel Aviv and in Netanya."(21) On another occasion, Sheikh Madhi added: "Oh beloved of Allah... One of the Jews' evil deeds is what has come to be called 'the Holocaust,' that is, the slaughter of the Jews by Nazism. However, revisionist [historians] have proven that this crime, carried out against some of the Jews, was planned by the Jews' leaders, and was part of their policy... These are the Jews against whom we fight, oh beloved of Allah. On the other hand, [what is our belief] about the Jews? Allah has described them as donkeys."(22) Re-conquering Palestine Sermons include calls for the expulsion of Jews from Israel and for their "return to Europe." According to the sermons, this will be done by re-conquering Jerusalem, Haifa, Safed, Jaffa, Ramle, and other Israeli cities and districts such as the Negev and the Galilee. For example, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris stated, "We love you Jerusalem, We love you Jerusalem, we will return to you oh Aqsa, and we will return to you oh Aqsa, we will return to you Haifa and Jaffa, Lod and Ramle, Nablus from which we were expelled. Oh Safed, oh all cities of Palestine and its villages, we will return to you with Allah's help. We will return to Ashdod and Ashkelon, and Harbiya and Na'aliya and all the cities and villages of Palestine, we will return to you as conquerors and liberators... If we hold onto our land, we will return to our country... Moreover, there is no solution to the Palestinian problem without the return of the refugees. The refugees were those who were driven out of their homes at gunpoint. They will return here and we will build our state together."(23) Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya similarly stated, "We shall not forget Haifa, and Acre, and the Galilee, and Jaffa, and the Triangle and the Negev, and the rest of our cities and villages. It is only a matter of time. The weak will not remain forever weak, and the strong will not remain forever strong... If we are weak today ... and we are not able to regain our rights, then at least we have to pass on the banner - waving high - to our children and grandchildren... Have no mercy on the Jews, no matter where they are, in any country. Fight them, wherever you are. Wherever you meet them, kill them. Wherever you are, kill those Jews and those Americans who are like them... We will not give up a single grain of soil of Palestine, from Haifa, and Jaffa, and Acre, and Mulabbas [Petah Tikva] and Salamah, and Majdal [Ashkelon], and all the land, and Gaza, and the West Bank..."(24) The sermons of Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi also commonly refer to this topic. On one occasion, he stated, "Our belief is that this war, between us and the Jews, will continue to escalate until we vanquish the Jews and enter Jerusalem as conquerors, [and] enter Jaffa as conquerors. We are not merely expecting a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital; we are heralding [the creation of] an Islamic caliphate with Jerusalem as its capital..."(25) Similarly, he stated in another sermon, "We are convinced of the [future] victory of Allah; we believe that one of these days, we will enter Jerusalem as conquerors, enter Jaffa as conquerors, enter Haifa as conquerors, enter Ramle and Lod as conquerors, the [villages of] Hirbiya and Dir Jerjis and all of Palestine as conquerors, as Allah has decreed... 'They will enter Al-Aqsa Mosque as they have entered it the first time...'"(26) On this subject, Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri added, "We haven't sacrificed enough yet to be worthy of liberating Al-Aqsa. To liberate Jerusalem, Salah Al-Din Al-Ayyubi made great sacrifices for a long time, and we have to sacrifice until Allah's victory is completed... Our campaign is definitely religious and emanates from belief, although we try to avoid this slogan. The current Intifada of the [Arab and Islamic] world is a religious outburst, because it relates to the Al-Aqsa mosque... The land of Palestine is not only Jerusalem; this land stretches from the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea. Naturally, the [Palestinian] problem relates to all of this land..."(27) On another occasion, elaborating on the borders of a future Palestinian state and the Jewish residents of Israel, he said, "From an Islamic point of view, it stretches from the Mediterranean to the Jordan [River]. It is Palestine in its entirety... all those Jews who came here from all over the world, must return to the places from where they came. The Jews from Germany should return to Germany."(28) On the September 11th Attacks Conspiracy theories against America and Jews are the subject of many sermons dealing with the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and the September 11, 2001 attack. Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri, speaking about the first attack, stated, "Oh those who pray, you have brothers wrongly and aggressively jailed in America. They have been forgotten. They were charged with false claims about the bombing of the World Trade [Center] in New York. We, from the Al-Aqsa Mosque and on your behalf, demand the release of these prisoners, who are monotheistic Muslims."(29) Weeks after September 11th, Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri stated again that Muslims were not involved, and in fact that Americans were responsible: "Oh Muslims, oh brothers, believers, everywhere, our Prophet used to deal in Friday's sermons with current events of his time and I will follow him and also discuss some religious rulings connected to the current international events following the [attacks] that took place in America on the 11th of this month. First, there is a religious legal rule that man is innocent, namely, in Islam, a human being is innocent until he is proven guilty. It is not allowed to blame a human being and then tell him 'prove you're innocent.' Therefore we tell America: 'It is forbidden to accuse a person before the beginning of the investigation.' Until now, the American administration could not present proof to convict the accused in the [attacks] in New York and Washington, [because] it is possible that there are other elements inside America who carried out these [attacks]."(30) Endnotes: (1) October 4, 2002, Sheikh Ahmad Abd Al-Razek, Sheikh 'Iljin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (2) June 8, 2001, Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (3) August 24, 2001, Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri, Al-Aqsa Mosque, PA Radio. (4) October 13, 2000, Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Mosque in Gaza. (5) March 28, 2003, Sheikh Muhammad Abu Al-Hunud, Khalil Al-Wazir Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (6) September 5, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (7) March 21, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (8) August 17, 2001, Sheikh Isma'il Aal Ghadwan, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (9) August 22, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (10) August 15, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (11) May 2, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (12) May 25, 2001, Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri, Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, PA Television. (13) August 3, 2001, Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (14) Two pre-Islamic Arab tribes that refused to convert to Islam, and were punished by annihilation. (15) June 8, 2001, Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (16) July 6, 2001, Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (17) February 28, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Khalil Al-Wazir Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (18) Al-Ahram Al-Arabi (Egypt), October 28, 2000. See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 151, November 9, 2000, 'PA Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine Discusses the Intifada.' (19) April 12, 2002 Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (20) October 13, 2000, Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (21) August 3, 2001, Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (22) September 21, 2001, Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheikh 'Ijlin mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (23 February 28, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Khalil Al-Wazir Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (24) October 13, 2000, Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (25) September 21, 2001, Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheikh 'Ijlin mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (26) April 12, 2002 Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television. (27) Al-Ahram Al-Arabi (Egypt), October 28, 2000. See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 151, November 9, 2000, 'PA Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine Discusses the Intifada.' (28) Die Welt (Germany), January 17, 2001. See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 182, January 24, 2001, 'The PA Mufti: Jews from Germany Should Return There.' (29) May 25, 2001, Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri, Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, PA Television. (30) September 28, 2001, Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri, Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, PA Television. *Steven Stalinsky is Executive Director of Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). The Institute is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East. MEMRI's website address is http://www.memri.org.

THE PROTOCOLS OF THE ELDERS OF ZION AND DENYING ISRAEL's RIGHT TO EXIST Posted by Itamar Marcus, December 28, 2003.

PA TV cited again this morning the infamous forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, as an authentic document. This was part of an educational program, the objectives of which were to deny the existence of the Jewish nation and to deny Israel's right to exist. As background, it should be noted that a foundation of Palestinian Authority (PA) ideology is that the Jews do not comprise a nation but only a religious group, and therefore do not have a right to a national home. This foundation of PA ideology is taught regularly by educators and political leaders, and was recently reiterated by the current PA Prime Minister, Ahmad Qurei: "President Bush said that Israel is a Jewish state, which is a cause for our concern. This should not have been said ... What is the meaning of the concept of a Jewish state... Does this mean that this is a Jewish state, this is Sunni, this is Shi'ite, this is Alawite, and that one is Christian... These differences could plunge the region into a whirlpool ..." [Al-Nahar-Lebanese and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 15 2003] Today on PA TV, three senior historians, including the Chairman of the PA Public Library, and Arafat's Advisor on Education, Dr. Jarir Al-Kidwah, again taught this delegitimization of Israel's existence with significant elaboration and detail. Using the denial of Jewish nationhood as a starting point, they taught that modern Jews have no connection to the Land of Israel, and the early Zionists were therefore not interested in returning to Israel. Any country would have satisfied the Jews, who feared European anti-Semitism. However, it was the Europeans - Britain in particular - who directed the Jews to Israel, with two goals: 1- Britain wanted to control the natural resources of the Middle East, and by planting a foreign "cancer" they could control the Arab states; 2 - The Jews were such a detriment to European society that sending the Jews to the Middle East was an ideal way to "rid Europe of the burden of its problematic Jews." As part of today's discussion, a historian explained that The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, (the Russian forgery that was presented as the Jews' secret plan to rule the world), played a role at the first Zionist Congress in 1897. The PA often teaches that Zionist ideology is based on The Protocols. The following is the transcript from today's "history" program, followed by two items from the PMW archives that document the repetitive nature of this de-legitimization of Israel in PA teaching: First, the same teaching taught more than three years ago on PA TV by two of the same historians; second, an article from the official PA daily dating back five years ago, long before the violence started, explaining that Hitler and Britain's Foreign Secretary Balfour, who signed the "Balfour Declaration" promising the Jews a Jewish state in British Palestine, were both motivated by the same need to "rid Europe of the burden of her Jews." Todays "history" program on PA TV: Dr. Riad Al-Astal, history lecturer at Al-Azhar University in Gaza: "In these circumstances [of European nationalism] developed what is known as the Zionist Renaissance, and the seeds of what is called The Protocols of The Elders of Zion appeared at the end of the 18th century. They are the Protocols that were presented in the Basel Congress in Switzerland [the First Zionist Congress in 1897]" Dr. Jarir Al-Kidwah [Arafat Advisor on Education and Head of the PA Public Library]: "Theodore Herzl, the founder of political Zionism, did not believe in Judaism. He strongly opposed any who claimed Judaism was a religion... He believed that the Jews around the world were one nation just because they were Jews... [and] here is the danger." Dr. Isam Sisalem [Senior Historian and Educational TV host]: "The Jews lived in isolated areas, in ghettos in Poland and in Russia. They were the remains of the Khazars ... with no connection to our land and the history of our land [Palestine]... and even those who live with the name have no history or connection to this land." [He then explains that as a result of the pogroms in Russia the Zionist wanted Jews to emigrate.] "At that time, Britain wanted to plant a cancer [in the Middle East to control it]. It did not occur to them [the Zionists] that Palestine would be theirs. They wanted... any Homeland. Our people wisely sensed this, as they planted on the land and lived in peace and security, continuing a 12 thousand year journey on this land. They sensed the danger, the moment the first settlement appeared. The first settlement appeared in 1842, when Moses Montefiore bought it in Jaffa under a false name, and they [the Zionists] would use French false names and others." Moderator [Albaz]: "Dr. Riad, the year 1897 is considered a crossroads... and we regard this date as a black one in our lives..." Al-Astal: "... the Zionist Movement began at the Basel Congress to plan the exploitation of the powers' struggle and the struggle of Europe over the Middle East - the European states of course welcomed this idea and were striving to plant Israel as a functional state, which will serve the Imperialism, and as a bridgehead for ruling over the world, the Near East and therefrom the Middle East and the Far East... the international conspiracy was bigger than us [the Palestinian People]." Sisalem: "Britain wanted to plant here the Jews in order to protect the Suez Canal... Max Nordau, the deviser, the planner of the idea [the idea of settling the Jews in Argentine, Italy, Mozambique, Angola, al-Arish and so on] at the Basel Congress, decided that they [the Jews] will immigrate to here [to Palestine], and that is why they clothed the issue in a fictitious religious and false [manner]... Britain decided to plant in this land a foreign secluded entity - a cancer - in order to drive a wedge between the [Arab] nation... Al-Astal: "There are two major elements for which Britain and the other European states were striving: the first element was to get rid of the Jews, who were known as those who provoke civil wars, disturbances, and financial crises in Germany, in France and in other European states. Regarding the second point... it is: the European plan, the British-French plan... to torpedo any hope for an Arab unity." Sisalem [talking about a battle in which 150,00 British soldiers were defeated by the Turks]: "... alongside the British army there was a fighting Jewish regiment - this cancer began with them, [in] this land to which they have no connection..." Archive Materials: 1. PA TV November 9, 2000 Program: Pages from our History Dr. Jarir Al-Kidwah [Arafat Advisor on Education and Head of the PA Public Library]: "The Europeans were afraid of Arab unity, which would have hurt their colonialism in our region, and so they decided... to prevent Arab unity by placing a foreign body in the heart of the Arab nation, and that is the Zionist body manifested by the Jews in Palestine..." Dr. Isam Sisalem [Senior Historian and Educational TV host]: "The Zionists and Colonialists met in Brussels and decided to establish a cancer in the land .. They [the Jews] thought of Uganda, Cyprus, Argentina. Palestine was not a goal... But British interests caused the establishment of this cancer here... hence the Crusader wars continue..." Dr. Isam Sisalem: "In 1927 they named the region the Land of Israel." Moderator: "We hope our nation will be able to overcome the cursed Balfour Declaration ..." [PA TV November 9, 2000] 2. "The difference between Hitler and Balfour" - PA daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 12, 1998 "The difference between Hitler and Balfour was simple: the former [Hitler] did not have colonies to which to send the Jews and so he destroyed them, whereas [according to] Balfour's plan... Palestine turned into one of his colonies and he began to send the Jews there. Lord Balfour is Hitler with colonies, while Hitler is Balfour without colonies. They both wanted to get rid of the Jews ... Zionism was crucial to the defense of the West's interests in the region, [by] ridding Europe of the burden of her Jews." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 12, 1998] Comment: Even as the PA purports to embrace the peace process, it is clear that the PA leadership, including Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei, continues to refuse to recognize Israel as a legitimate state. Indeed, PA leaders and educators rely on known distortions of history to teach the Palestinian people that Israel does not have the right to exist.

ARCHIVES: RABIN: PALESTINIAN STATE = DESTRUCTION OF ISRAEL Posted by Aaron Lerner, December 27, 2003.

Although Labor and the Likud differ in their views on the solution to the Palestinian question, we both oppose in the strongest terms the creation of a Palestinian "mini-state" in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, first and foremost because it cannot solve anything. It certainly will not be able to absorb the almost million and a half Palestinians who currently reside beyond these two areas; and just as surely it will be ruled by the most extreme faction in the Palestinian political spectrum - the PLO. Such "internal" Palestinian politics might not be any of Israel's business were it not for the fact that the leaders of the PLO have declared - and I believe them - that they view such a "mini-state" as but the first phase in the achievement of their so-called secular, democratic Palestine, to be built on the ruins of the State of Israel once all the Jews who arrived after 1917 (or, with slight modification, after 1948) have been expelled. Given that scenario, there is little wonder that the overwhelming majority of Israelis are so strongly opposed to this "option." And though attitudes have changed before and may very well change again in the next few years, I doubt that my countrymen are likely to mellow toward the prospect of their own destruction." Yitzhak Rabin, The Rabin Memoirs 1979, page 334.

ISRAELI 'LOST TRIBES' LIVING IN WEST BANK. Posted by Gavin Rabinowitz, December 27, 2003.

SHAVEI SHOMRON, West Bank - Some 2,700 years ago, 10 of the 12 biblical tribes of Israel were driven from the Holy Land into exile and the mists of history. Now, a group claiming descent from one of the lost tribes can be found sitting in a bomb shelter in a West Bank Jewish settlement, learning Hebrew. Members of the group from northeastern India call themselves the "Bnei Menashe," or children of Menashe, and believe they are descendants of the Israelite tribe of Manasseh. The return of the "lost tribes" to their ancient homeland is viewed by some as the fulfillment of biblical prophecy and a herald of the Messiah. Others see the return as an opportunity to boost the numbers of Jews living in Israel in what they see as a demographic war with the Palestinians. However, the Israeli government, while also concerned about the demographic question, is equally perturbed by the thought of thousands of refugees from developing nations flooding into the country with dubious historical links to the Jewish people. Leaders including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon have talked of the necessity of pulling out of parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to ensure that a minimum number of Palestinians will end up under Israeli rule. However, Michael Freund, who heads an organization responsible for bringing the Bnei Menashe and similar groups to Israel, feels Israel needs to be more creative in its efforts to enlarge the Jewish population instead of giving up land. "Israel needs to think more creatively. We need to reach out to groups around the world who have a historical connection," Freund said. The Bnei Menashe claim this connection. After the reign of the biblical King Solomon, the tribes of Israel split into two kingdoms, Israel in the north and Judea in south. In 723 B.C. the Assyrians conquered the kingdom of Israel and took the 10 tribes into exile, where they dispersed among the nations. Living in the northeastern Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur, the Bnei Menashe, who number about 6,000, were originally animists who were converted to Christianity by British missionaries in the 19th century. In 1953, a tribal leader named Mlanchala had a dream in which his people would return to Israel, which led the tribe to adopt Jewish tradition. However, their links to the Jewish people could not be proven, so they were not eligible to emigrate to Israel under Israeli law, which gives Jews the right to automatic citizenship. Nevertheless, Freund's group, Amishav - or "my people returns" - brought about 800 of the Bnei Menashe to Israel in the last decade and helped them undergo Orthodox conversions to Judaism. Freund says he is convinced they are a lost tribe, pointing to many of their customs, including family purity laws, mourning rights and the use of a lunar calendar that closely mirror Jewish traditions. Also, Freund says, the Bnei Menashe have ancient songs and chants that echo the Biblical themes of crossing the Red Sea and returning to Zion. Finding a home in the West Bank settlement of Shavei Shomron - on the outskirts of the Palestinian city of Nablus - the latest group of 80 Bnei Menashe to come to Israel have just completed their conversion course. Now they spend most of their days studying Hebrew in a converted bomb shelter that serves as a classroom. "It is a very hard language for us," says Shimon Chenkwal, 25, an ambulance driver who came to Israel with his wife and three small children. Sitting in the family's simple prefab home, a map of Israel the only decoration on the bare walls, Chenkwal says the Bnei Menashe are content. "It is good that we are in the land of Israel, it is good for our souls." Not only are the Bnei Menashe a potential weapon in the demographic conflict, but they have also ended up strengthening the settlements. Netanel Hnamte, 49, one of the newest arrivals, said he knew before he came that he would be going to a settlement and was not bothered by living near Nablus, despite frequent Palestinian attacks. Palestinians consider the settlements illegal encroachment on land they claim for a state. "I am not afraid," Hnamte said. However, Freund said the decision to place the Bnei Menashe on settlements was not political, but economical. The settlements are the only communities willing to host the Indian settlers, who are getting no financial support from the government, he said. After completing their conversion, the Bnei Menashe live observant Jewish lives. The men wear large skullcaps and traditional fringes on their shirts. The married women all have their heads covered with wigs or scarves. However, this group could be the last to come to Israel. Six months ago, Interior Minister Avraham Poraz froze the program indefinitely. Freund is determined to bring the rest of the Bnei Menashe to Israel in the next 10 years. "People speak with disdain about the Third World. People should not be judged geographically but by character," he said. "If they have a sincere commitment to Judaism, the color of their skin does not matter." Tibi Rabinovitch, a spokesman for Poraz, said the minister needed time to examine the issue. "When we get all the details we will make a decision," Rabinovitch said, but conceded the ministry was concerned by an influx of people seeking Israeli citizenship through claims to an ancient connection. "It is clear that Israel as a developed country is a very attractive place to people from the Third World," Rabinovitch said.

LET'S REMOVE ALL THE FENCES IN THE WORLD Posted by Isralert, December 27, 2003.

This was written by an Isralert member, Designnut To our big surprise we discovered that there exist some fences and barriers in the world, outside of Israel. Some of them even can be found at major UN members. First, we start with the fence between Mexico and the USA. There is really no need for this fence since the millions of illegal Mexicans in the United States do not commit suicide bomb attacks in American restaurants. Write to Mr. Bush and Mr. Powell today. (Nobody told them about this fence.) President George W. Bush, Postal address: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20500, Fax: (202) 456 - 2883, E-mail: president@whitehouse.gov. U.S. Secretary of State Collin Powell Postal address: Department of State, 2201 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20520, Fax: (202) 647 - 1533, E-mail: secretary@state.gov. Then we continue with the fence between North and South Korea. A totally useless fence since the regimes of both countries share the same democratic values. Remind their representatives about this: Permanent Representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the UN ,820 Second Avenue, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10017, Telephone: (212) 972-3105/3106/3128, Telefax: (212) 972-3154. Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the UN, 335 East 45th Street, New York, NY 10017 Telephone: (212) 439-4000, Telefax: (212) 986-1083 A fence in Europe! Could it be? But those people live in peace! The fence between Cyprus and the Turkish occupied territory should be removed at once, not only opened during daytime. Write about this to: Permanent Representative of Turkey to the UN, 821 United Nations Plaza, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10017 Telephone: (212) 949-0150, Telefax: (212) 949-0086 Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the UN, 13 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016 Telephone: (212) 481-6023/6024/6025, Telefax: (212) 685-7316. Another fence in Europe! In Northern Ireland this time, where thanks to wise British policy, Catholics and Protestants live in peace together for centuries. Let's get rid of this fence! Write to Mr. Blair. He does not know of these fences in Belfast! Rt Hon Tony Blair MP, Prime Minister, Postal address: 10 Downing Street, London SW1A 2AA, Fax: 0207 925 0918. This is a good fence, as friendly Dutch people know how to build. It is only meant to keep illegal immigrants from leaving the harbor area of Hoek van Holland. But the purpose is like any other fence: keep the wrong people out of your country. Write to Minister President, J.P. Balkenende, Ministerie van Algemene Zaken, Postbus 20001, 2500 EA Den Haag, Nederland, Fax +31-70 - 356 46 83. Now, this is really bad, A fence between 2 major United Nations members, India and Pakistan. Write your letter to: Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN ,Pakistan House, 8 East 65th Street, New York, NY 10021 Telephone: (212) 879-8600, Telefax: (212) 744-7348 Permanent Representative of India to the UN, 235 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017 Telephone: (212) 490-9660, Telefax: (212) 490-9656 Another one in Europe! Is it possible? In Solana's own country! Spain erected a barbed wired fence, guarded by soldiers, in Ceuta, on the border with Morocco, in order to keep illegal workers (without bombs) out of Spain. Write to: Presidente del Gobierno de Espana, Jose Maria Aznar Lopez, Complejo de La Moncloa, 28071 Madrid, fax 91-335-32-15 Only after we get rid of all these fences, one could ask Israel not to build a fence that protects her citizens from Palestinian terrorists. Isralert provides essays and articles to a subscription list. Contact them by writing isralert@aol.com and putting "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject box. The original of this article has pictures of some of the fences discussed.

IRAN REFUSES ISRAEL'S HELP Posted by Leo Rennert, December 27, 2003.

Iran has just been devastated by a massive earthquake that took more than 20,000 lives, yet its government refuses to accept disaster relief from the "Zionist regime" in Israel. When in the midst of such enormous tragedy a country's leaders put a higher value on their hatred of the Jewish state than on saving the lives of their own people, you have to wonder about the threat it poses to regional peace and stability. Because of its own suffering, Israel has developed unparalleled expertise in the search for and treatment of disaster victims. It also has a well deserved reputation of being among the first members of the international community to rush highly trained relief units to places ravaged by natural or man-made disasters. But Iran, which helps foment terrorism in Iraq and Israel, would rather stick to its agenda of destabilizing the Middle East than caring for tens of thousands of earthquake-shattered lives. Such behavior fully validates President Bush's description of its rulers as "evil."

WHO WILL WRITE THE ELEGIES Posted by Tamar Rush December 27, 2003.

This is by Naomi Ragen and it appeared on the Little Green Footbals website (http://LittleGreenFootballs.com/weblog) yesterday. Who will write the elegies for Jewish girls and a Jewish boy, murdered in Tel Aviv on Christmas day, 2003? Who mourns lovely Rotem? Bright eyed Angelina? And warm Edva? And handsome Noam? Who mourns them, slaughtered as they stood, waiting for the bus to taken them home? Nineteen years old. Nineteen years old. Twenty years old Twenty-one years old. Murdered, because we opened our gates. Because our walls are not high enough. Because we let them in, to kill and maim. Let them in to take our children, in the streets. Our kind young men. Our beautiful girls. Helped them to serve their stone-hearted god, their evil prophets who despise life. Stone-hearted, like the idols of old, who reveled in human sacrifice. They claim a land. They claim a culture. These stone-hearted hordes who love gravestones and bombs and iron-nails and exploding flesh and dead children. Who will sing for Rotem, Angelina, Edva, Noam, killed in Tel Aviv on Christmas Day, 2003? Who will write the elegies? Naomi Ragen is an American-born novelist and columnist, who lives in Jerusalem. Her website address is http://www.naomiragen.com

BRIT-AM ISRAEL Posted by David Ben-Ariel, December 26, 2003.

BRIT-AM LIST OF PROOFS CONCERNING THE LOST TEN TRIBES BIBLICAL The exiled Israelites were to become one of the most numerous groups of people on earth (Genesis 15:5 22:17 24:60 32:12 Numbers 23:10 Deuteronomy 1:11 Isaiah 10:22 24:16 26:15 Hosea 1:10); to be the most powerful (Genesis 27:9 Numbers 24:7 Michah 5:7-9), to be the richest, to possess the most mineral and agricultural resources (Genesis 27:28 49:25 Deuteronomy 33:13-16 Hosea 2:8), to live in the best places (Isaiah 41:8-9), to be in islands (Isaiah 42:4 49:1-6 Jeremiah 31:9-10), peninsulas (Jeremiah 31:8), and at continental extremities (Deuteronomy 33:13 Isaiah 24:16 26:15 41:8-9 49:6), to be sea-farers (Isaiah 42;6), to gain control over strategic points regarding their potential adversaries (Genesis 22:16-17 24:60), to be like a lion, unicorn (Numbers 24:8-9), and bald-headed eagle (Micah 1:16). They were also to be largely unaware of their Israelite identity and to practice a non-Jewish religion (Hosea 2:8, 2:13, 2:16 11:12). Judah at first would not know who they were (Isaiah 49;21). Scripture gives numerous other identifying characteristics that taken as a whole can only fit one group of peoples. 1. Ends of the Earth: Deuteronomy 33:13 on, Isaiah 24:16, 26:15, 41:8-9 43;6 49:6 2. Bald-Headed Eagle Micah 1:16 3. Isles Isaiah 24;15 49:6 60:9 Jeremiah 31; 9-10 4. Cyrus: Messiah son of Joseph see Josephby Yair Davidiy, Isaiah (44:28) 5. Thighs, Peninsulas, and Coasts: Jeremiah 31:8 6. Brit-Am Isaiah 42:6 49:8 Covenant of the People 7. Tarshish Isaiah 60;9 8. Seafarers Isaiah 42:10 9. Rule Over Peoples Genesis 27:29 48:19 MULTITUDE OF NATIONS (Malo HaGoyim), Psalms 47:3 10. Be the Dominant World Power (Balak, Ephraim): Numbers 24:7-9 Micah 5:7-9 11. Military Power: Deuteronomy 33:27 33:29 Jeremiah 51:20-21 (battle-ax) Zechariah 10:7 12. Defeat Edom (Germany and Europe) Ezekiel 25:14 Obadiah 1:18 13. Light for the Gentiles Genesis 12:2-3, 18:18-19, 22:18 24:4 Isaiah 42:1 42:6 Amos 6;15 14. Separate from Judah. Isaiah 11:12-13 49:21 15. Not known to Judah Isaiah 49:13-14, 21. Hosea chapter one: Judah excepted 1:7 16. Numerous: Genesis 15:5, 22:17, 24:60, 32:12, Numbers 23:10, Isaiah 10:22, 24:16, 26:15 Hosea 1:10 17. West Isaiah 24:14 (sea in Hebrew is yammeaning west); Hosea 11:10 18. Northwest Isaiah 49:12 19. North Jeremiah 3;18 31; 6-10 20. Agricultural Plenty Genesis 27:28 49:25 Deuteronomy 33:13-16 Hoshea 2:8 21. Mineral Resources Genesis 49:25 Deuteronomy 33:13, 15 22. Australia (Sinim, Codes) Isaiah 49:8 23. Best Places (Atziliyah) Isaiah 41: 9 24. Christianity Hosea 2:8, 2:13, 2:16 11:12 Notsrim (see our book Ephraim) 25. Fires in the Isles referring to Celtic Britain Isaiah 24:15 26. GATE(s) OF YOUR ENEMIES Genesis 22:17 24:60 27. John Bull Deuteronomy 33:17 Jeremiah 31:18 Aegel 28. Nobility Ephraim Jeremiah 31:20 29.Representative Democracy Manasseh Genesis 41:51 30. Dolmens: Jeremiah 31:21 31, 32, 33. Cush, Egypt, Chains See no.4 Cyrus Isaiah 44:28 also Isaiah 43:3 45:14 34: Zarephath Obadiah 1:20 35: Alcoholic Drunkards Isaiah 28:1, 3 36. Ruled by Sons of David Jeremiah 33:22, 26 37. Kings Genesis 17:6, 16, 35:11 38. Many Waters Numbers 24:7 39. Gomer Hosea chapter one 40. The name Hebrew: Genesis 14:13 Genesis 14:13 (on Joseph) 39:17 40:15 41:12 43:32 Jonah 1:9 41-111. Seventy Tribal and Clan Names 112. Jacob: Isaiah 49:6 Tribes of Jacob: Union Jack, Yankee, King James 113. Lion and Unicorn Numbers 24:7-9 Points to Note: The Bible says that towards the End Times the Lost Tribes will return and re-unite with Judah (Isaiah 11:12-13 Ezekiel 37) . There will be no complete Redemption for Judah without the return of the Ten Tribes (Ezekiel 16:53, 55, 61). Judah will be obligated to go unto the Ten Tribes and bring them back (Jeremiah 3:18 31:8). The Ten Tribes are also called upon to seek their God and their ancestry (Jeremiah 31:9-10, 21) and affirm it. Ezekiel (11:18) hints that first the exiles will return to the Land of Israel and after that they shall put away their idols and keep the Law (Ezekiel 11:20). The complete return of Judah is dependent upon the return of Samaria (Ezekiel 16:53, 55, 61) meaning the Ten Tribes especially Manasseh of the USA. God will renew His covenant with Judah and with Israel (Ezekiel 16:62). Part of Judah will return to the Land and begin to build it up. Then the Lost Ten Tribes will return in two stages together with the remnant of Judah (Isaiah 56:8 and Hosea chapter six, see "Ephraim" by Yair Davidiy). Identity Lost: Hosea (chapter one) predicted that the Lost Ten Tribes would be considered non-Israelites and (Hosea 7:8 Isaiah 11:11 49:21 ) distinct from Judah: Census lists of Ezra and Nehemiah do not mention anyone from the Ten Tribes amongst Judah. Their religious Membership was Suspended: Jeremiah 3:8 (divorced, cf. Yebamot 17), Hosea 1:9. They would combined with Gomer (Hosea ch.1) but later Re-Unite with Judah (Hosea 3;18 Isaiah 11:11). In the Last Days they will Return by Aeroplanes (Isaiah 60:8). Initially they will not be accepted by Judah (Isaiah 49;21). Both Judah and Joseph will seek God in the Last Days (Jeremiah 50:4). Ephraim will return to Bashan and Gilead (Micah 7:14) meaning Syria and Lebanon (Zechariah 10:10). The Lost Ten Tribes are exhorted to take heed of historical and archaeological evidence concerning their origins and to return to their cities in Samaria (Jeremiah 31:12). B. RABBINICAL PROOF 1. Commentators (Rashi, Iben Exzra, Radak, Nachmanidres, Abarbanel) on Obadiah 1:20 indicate that the Lost Tribes settled in the West. 2. Mashiach ben Yoseph: Traditions spoke of a future Anointed Leader who would lead the Lost Tribes in the Last days and who also epitomized and culminated a process of support for Judah and ingathering the Jews to Israel. This description is only applicable historically to Britain and the USA. 3. Midrashim and Rabbinical sources also interpreted the texts the same way as Brit-Am has done. Our interpretations of the Biblical Text according to its literal meaning prove Brit-Am Identifications. 4. Hebrew Meanings of Names and Tribal Characteristics in the light of Rabbinical Commentary confirmed Brit-Am Identifications, e.g. Machir first born son of Manasseh gave his name to America. Machir means Capitalism. Manasseh means Responsible Representations, Ephraim means Aristocracy. 5. Jewish Philosophy: Helps explain the separate roles of Judah and Joseph. C. HISTORY: (1). Movement by Sea: A portion of the Hebrew Exiles was transported overseas in Phoenician and Philistine ships working for the Assyrians. They were taken to Spain, Gaul, and Britain. Those taken to Spain later moved northward into Gaul or crossed over to Britain and Ireland. (2). Movement by Land Northward: Ca.740-720 BCE: The Assyrians moved masses of Northern Israelites to Northern Mesopotamia and to Hara in eastern Iran where they became identified with Cimmerians, Scyths, and Goths. (3). Cimmerians to Europe and Galatian-Gaul: Ca. 640 BCE: The first waves of Cimmerians via the Anatolian Bosporos (Turkey) were driven into the European Balkans whence they made their way west to Gaul and Britain becoming identified as Celts and Galatians. The Galatians were identifiable in Europe with both part of the Celts and Belgae and with early groups in Germany. (4) Scythian Movements to Europe: Ca. 550 BCE to ca. 500 CE. The Scythians moved from the Middle East to north of the Caucasus. They then moved in stages westward into Europe and the British Isles. (5). The Khazars: They belonged to the Lost Ten Tribes and a portion of them converted to Judaism. (6) From Europe to North America: Apart from the British Isles and the West members of the Lost Israelite were scattered throughout Europe including Germany. These groups had often remained separate from their non-Israelite neighbors and later moved en masse to North America and similar regions. (7) Judah: Descendants of Jews who had been forced to become Gentiles are to be found in many regions and will also return with the Lost Ten Tribes. D. OTHER FIELDS OF EVIDENCE: Proofs that Brit-Am is correct are also available from (a) the study of linguistics: Western Celtic is Semitic in structure, Germanic tongues, especially English have a strong Hebraic component, etc; (b) Hebraic type culture, (c) comparative religion, (d) self-identification as the Chosen People of Israel; (e) Contemporary affairs: (f) relative degrees of anti-Semitism and philo-Semitism; and several other fields. The aims of Brit-Am are to encourage: 1. The spread of Identity Awareness. 2. Increased Identity research and clarification. 3. Association of members together for the sake of mutual-empowerment, learning and fellowship. The Brit-Am website addresses are http://www.geocities.com/hiberi and http://www.britam.org/. Brit-Am is an association of people with a common interest in determining who among the peoples of the world may be descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes.

THE DISCOMFORTS OF THE PALESTINIAN Posted by Leo Rennert, December 26, 2003.

This is a typical Washington Post (WP) response - smug, self-righteous and totally blind to the writer's shortcomings (or bias if you prefer). The exchange was between David Ignatius of the WP and myself. Dear Mr. Ignatius: By all means, continue to write about Israeli victims of terrorism. But you missed the main point of my letter. I have no objection whatsoever to your writing about the plight of Palestinians. My objection is when Israel is depicted as the principal cause of that plight instead of Palestinian terrorism. There would be no need for military incursions, roadblocks and other impediments to regular Palestinian life if Israel were not threatened on an almost daily basis by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the other terrorist groups trying to send suicide bombers to kill and maim as many Israelis as possible. That's what I meant when I criticised you for not properly connecting the dots. What surprises me (and I spent 45 years in journalism) is that most Western reporters, when interviewing Palestinians living under difficult circumstances, fail to ask a basic journalistic question: "Would you be better off if terrorism stopped and Israel could take down the barrier, the roadblocks and the other things that make your life so difficult?" Some Palestinians have begun to see this causal connection, but their anti-Hamas feelings are largely ignored by not just the Post, but most U.S. media. For example, Palestinian farmers in the Gaza Strip a few months ago staged demonstrations AGAINST Hamas for using their orchards as launching sites to lob missiles into southern Israel and prompting Israel to take down many of their trees in an effort to deprive Hamas of camouflaged places from which to attack Israelis. Did you see that reported in the Post? Did you write about that? So by all means, show your readers the plight (and real causes thereof) endured by people on both sides of this conflict. Good luck! Leo Rennert From: David Ignatius To: Leo Rennert I have written about Israeli victims of terrorism and will continue to do so. Why should you object to my attempt to describe what life is like for Palestiians under occupation? David Ignatius Dear Mr. Ignatius: I sympathize with Leila Kashkeesh, who has to spend nearly two hours traveling on a circuitous route to go to classes at Bethlehem University. I sympathize with your sympathy for her. But I find it very disingenous for you to write about the plight of Palestinians in the West Bank and then just tacking on as an afterthought, "That doesn't in any way excuse terrorist attacks on Israelis." Forget about "excusing" terrorist attacks. There's nothing in what you write to suggest that you sympathize with terrorists or would "excuse" their foul deeds. But what you utterly fail to do is to connect the dots: The discomfort of Leila Kashkeesh is the direct result of Palestinian terrorism. You're smart enough to realize that this is so, yet somehow you can't bring yourself to say it outright. So you dance around the edges by acknowledging that before the intifada, Leila Kashkeesh was not as hemmed in as she is today. Actually, in the 1990s when Oslo seemed promising, Israel pulled out of most of the West Bank to the point where more than 90 percent of Palestinians were governed by Palestinians. Yet, you make it seem as if Israel is responsible for the intifada and not Arafat and his terrorist partners. On a human level, I would ask you just one question: While Leila Kashkeesh's discomforts certainly should be reported, she's apparently alive and well. So when will you write a parallel column about a Jewish family in Israel that mourns a mother, father, son or daughter killed by terrorists, or who nurses a family member forever confined to a wheelchair and whose pain is incomparably more severe and permanent than Leila Kashkeesh's?

COUNTING ERRORS Posted by Steven Plaut, December 26, 2003.

I have a pet peeve, and that is the mindless habit, in fact what has become the unchallenged convention in Israel and the world, of counting the victims of the Oslo carnage from the start of the misnamed "Al Aqsa Intifada", beginning in September 2000. By that reckoning, the number of Israelis murdered by the implementation of the policies of Israel's Left is a mere 904, as of yesterday's atrocity on the Tel Aviv beltway. But counting in this way makes it seem that the carnage is something that just began in 2000, and hidden behind the system of counting is the Left's assertion that the entire bloodbath was caused by Ariel Sharon going for a stroll on the Temple Mount in September 2000. You know, that walk that was almost as controversial as would have been a walk by an Italian politician in the Vatican.... This is not just a technical mathematical debate. The proper way to count the Olso carnage body count is from the time of the pawshake on the White House lawn, when Rabin signed the first Oslo "Accord" with Arafat, and the Labor Party decided to turn the West Bank and Gaza over to the terrorists to become nazi terror bases and cities of refuge for mass murderers, while importing the terrorist leadership from Tunis into the Lands of Israel, and by arming and bankrolling the Palestinian nazis. The correct body count is close to 1400, not 904, where the exact figure is never reported by the Israeli media, under the near-totalitarian hegemony of the Israeli Far Left. Reporting things that way might clarify for the confused public that the Oslo carnage was produced by the policies of the Israeli Left, starting with the Peres-Rabin decision to impose Oslo on the country. And we sure would not want the Israelis reminded that the Left is directly to blame for the 1400 deaths of Israelis. Speaking of the near-totalitarian hegemony over the media by the Left, a serious crack has opened up in that hegemony recently, because the new chair of the Israel Broadcasting Authority has been ruffling the feathers of the pink flamingos, the Far Leftist media moguls who have controlled Israeli TV news and electronic broadcastings since, well, since forever. Several of the leading talking heads have gotten the bum's rush or been forced to resign. Now the Left is all enraged because the new boss is appointing Uri Dan to be the chief reporter on a couple of news documentary shows on Channel One TV. Dan is a vintage ace Israeli reporter and columnist, but the Left despises him because he is personally friendly with Ariel Sharon and approves of many things Sharon does. That, in the "minds" of the Left, should disqualify him for any media position. Note that for the past generation, when Far Leftists mouthed their biased monologues all over the Israeli media, no one ever complained that biased leftists should be excluded. Indeed, for years, the news service on Channel One was the personal fiefdom of Leftist Czar Moti Kirshenbaum, who openly stated that non-leftist opinion would not be permitted on the screen as long as he was in charge (and back then Channel One was the ONLY TV station broadcasting in Israel). Kirshenbaum is one of the characters no longer with us at Channel One. He moved to the "privatized" Channel Ten, a failing insolvent new station with an invisible market share, where he shares the rocking chair on the news and commentary broadcasts with fellow geriatric far leftist Yaron London. The two old pharisees sit and chat between themselves in an endless dialogue of the dumb, in what always reminds me of those two puppets of the old geezers on all the Muppet Shows, who sit in the balcony and issue cynical pronouncements and then laugh to themselves.

ISRAELI ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE SETTLEMENTS Posted by Voice of Judea, December 26, 2003.

The following are from Imra and are the results of a poll of a representative sample of 602 adult Israelis (including Israeli Arabs) carried out by New Wave for Maariv the week of 26 December 2003, before the suicide bombing in Petach Tikvah.Survey error +/- percentage points. If an agreement is not reached between Israel and the Palestinians, would you support or oppose unilaterally evacuating settlements in the territories? Oppose 51% Support 37% Don't know/refuse reply 12% Are you satisfied with the performance of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in general? Yes 38% No 51% Don't know/refuse reply 11% Compared to last year, do you feel more or less safe going around public places? More 15% Less 24% Same 59% Don't know/refuse reply 2% Compared to last year, did your standard of living rise or fall in 2003? Rise 7% Fall 48% No change 43% Don't know/refuse reply 2% Asked to Jews: Did you light Chanukah candles this year? Yes 90% No 10% Sharon's recent threats to dismantle "settlements" may have sounded an awakening call to many in Israel. Thousands of Jews converged upon Migron and Sanur over Hanukah to inaugurate Torah scrolls donated to the two towns and to show solidarity with the "settlers". Next Sunday, immediately following the fast of the Tenth of Tevet (Jan. 4) at 5:15 PM, thousands are expected to attend the ground-breaking ceremony of a new synagogue being built on the Tapuach West Hilltop and the inauguration of a new Torah scroll that will be marched up to the hill and placed in the temporary sanctuary. Both the synagogue and the Torah are being dedicated in memory of Rabbi Meir Kahane, Binyamin Zev kahane and Talya Kahane, HY'D. This is the first building to be named after the Kahanes, who were murdered by Arab terrorists in two separate attacks. ANYONE WISHING TO HELP SPONSOR THIS HISTORIC EVENT OR TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TO THE KAHANE BUILDING FUND CAN EMAIL jsid@dorsai.org or call in the USA 718 874 2057 or in Israel 067 910 341. Funds are desparately needed to cover building costs. Additional information on the events and building can be found at http://www.kahane.org/shul.html Bullet-proof buses will be bringing participants who wish to attend the Hachnasat sefer Torah from major cities throughout Israel. Call 067 910 341 to find out about buses in your area. The Voice Of Judea website address is http://www.voiceofjudea.net

AMERICAN GUARANTEES Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, December 26, 2003.

This is a pretty typical example of how the American Government handles its responsibilities to Israel. After the peace (?) treaty with Egypt, American peace monitors were suppose to keep the Egyptian from introducing forces into the Sinai. There is already at least one full army in the Sinai. There are, unfortunately, many many other examples as well. This article was on the IMRA website. [Excerpts from "Four killed, 20 hurt in Geha bombing, Haaretz Staff and Agencies, 26 December 2003, www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/376178.html] PFLP Terror Coordinated By Terrorists Under British and American Supervision." It is excerpted from "Four Killed Four people were killed and 20 wounded in a suicide bombing at the Geha Junction between Petah Tikva and Bnei Brak yesterday...The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed responsibility for the attack Most of the PFLP cells' orders, defense officials say, still come from a group of PFLP leaders who have been in a Palestinian jail in Jericho, under British and American supervision, for more than a year. The Palestinian Authority jailed these men due to Israeli and American pressure following the PFLP's assassination of minister Rehavam Ze'evi in October 2001, but they have been given virtually unrestricted telephone access, issue frequent press statements and receive regular visits from other PFLP members. IMRA (Independent media Review Analysis) features a digest of media news, polls, significant interviews and events.

DENIAL: SOMETIMES, 'BAD' IS REALLY 'BAD'; IT'S EVIL Posted by Rabbi Ilana Rosansky, December 25, 2003.

This month, we celebrate Martin Luther King Day. In 1967, Martin Luther King Jr published his Letter To An Anti-Zionist Friend: "Anti-Zionism is inherently anti-semitic, and ever will be. What is anti-Zionism? It is the denial to the Jewish people of a fundamental right that we justly claim for the people of Africa and freely accord all other nations of the globe. It is discrimination against Jews... because they are Jews. In short, it is anti-semitism." What a mensch was Martin Luther King! Would that the rest of the world had 'got it'! When bad things happen to us as individuals or to us a Jewish communal whole, about the worst thing we can do is to deny it has happened or is in the process of happening. Sometimes we say that when bad things happen, like a door closing, a window opens. That is, sometimes, something that seems 'bad' may not be so bad, and indeed it leaves us open to a world of opportunity. But sometimes, 'bad' is really 'bad'; it's evil. In early December, the ADL jointly called for an emergency meeting of the Jewish community with a host of area synagogues on a Wednesday evening, at Kehilath Israel in Brookline. There was serious security there. Abe Foxman, the Director of the ADL and Father Robert Drinan were the featured speakers, along with Rabbi Bill Hamilton. The sanctuary was packed - including about 40 students from a Hebrew High School. I recognized perhaps a half a dozen individuals from the North Shore. In the 1930's when Jews were whispering that the tide of anti-Semitism was on the rise, many Jews refused to listen. In essence 6,000,000 of our brothers and sisters died in Nazi Europe because so much of the world was in denial. Abe Foxman put it aptly when he said, after describing his own early childhood "on loan" to his non-Jewish nanny for four years while his parents were carted away, "I never expected in my lifetime to witness such a profound rise in anti-Semitism again, nor the concomitant denial." His new book is entitled: "Never Again." Can we American Jews really be so foolish as to close our minds, ears, eyes and hearts to what is going on throughout Europe and Turkey and elsewhere and pretend that everything is "allright" as we go on with our tennis dates and our complacency? That's what the Jews of Berlin did. They said, 'Ach - I'm a German; none of this can happen to me.' Now I am not just schrei-ing 'gevalt' about your average run of the mill sort of injustices here (though Lord knows we grow numb and inured to all sorts of unethical and immoral acts within and around us, all the time). Everyone is susceptible to deception and the lures of immorality. We hardly blink. And that is surely grist for another mill. What I am talking about here, is outrageous, unconscionable and growing waves of overt and violent Anti-Semitism, the likes of which have not been seen in over 50 years. It's happening. It's happening all over Europe and no one is enraged. No one is indignant. No one is sounding the alarm and the UN won't even condemn it. In an article in the British paper, The Guardian (December 6, 2003), perhaps Julie Burchill says it most juiciest! So emboldened by the filthy free-for-all, the danse macabre of resurgent Judeophobia - attacks on Jews in this country have risen by 75% this year; and since 2000, there has been a 400% increase in attacks on synagogues - are the ignorant armies of darkness that even Germans are opening their yaps on a subject that you'd have thought they'd have the sense, if not the decency, to keep away from. Just a few weeks ago, a German MP was forced to resign after claiming that the Jews were responsible for Soviet army "atrocities" against the defeated Nazi state .... And ... Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis weighed in with his carefully considered view that the Jews are at the root of all evil. So, presumably, he won't be wanting the royalties from one of his most notable works, which documents the tragic love story of two young Jewish inmates of a concentration camp. Or maybe he can rejig it, to show how evil this pair were, and how they deserved what they got. To contemplate the thought processes of such individuals makes any decent person want to wash their hands until the slime of hypocritical hatred is swept away. But when whole sections of society peddle such lies, it's scarier still. And when carriers of the disease are shielded by those who govern us, you start to believe the lunatics have taken over the asylum: the EU's racism watchdog recently suppressed a report on the rise of anti-semitism because it con-cluded that Muslims were behind many incidents. What sort of world do we live in, when racism is "allowed" to be reported only if it comes from the white and the right? What about a stubborn, shimmering little thing called truth? To which I say: AMEN !! WAKE UP!! Wake up Jews of America... Find out what you can do to help.

IRAQ TO WEIGH RETURNING JEWISH PROPERTY Posted by Eliezar Edwards, December 26, 2003.

This appeared today in the Jerusalem Post and was written by Douglas Davis. Notice the evidence that Syria has been involved in the attacks on Americans in Iraq. Why am I not surprised? I'm waiting for them to identify some of the other 'foreigners' as Palestinians. The Iraqi Governing Council is considering returning properties that were confiscated from departing Jews after the establishment of Israel, a senior source within the council told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. He said a 1951 law, which had deprived fleeing Iraqi Jews of their properties, is now under review. The aim of the revision is to restore the properties to their rightful owners. "We are determined to return all the properties that were taken from the Iraqi Jews and all the others," he said. In the meantime, he said he had assured representatives of Iraqi Jews who want to visit Iraq that they would be welcome and that the council would ensure their security. He also said that Israel is to be frozen out of the bidding for lucrative reconstruction contracts: "We have no problem dealing with Jewish businessmen or with Israelis as private citizens," he said, "but we do not feel we owe anything to the State of Israel." The source said there have been no contacts with Israeli officials since they were recently rebuffed while attempting to negotiate a "back-door" oil deal with the Kurds in northern Iraq. Also to be denied access to contracts by the governing council are France, Russia, and China, the three permanent members of the UN Security Council that obstructed a UN resolution to legitimize military action to topple Saddam Hussein. The source also said he believes both the Syrian and Jordanian regimes are now extremely vulnerable - Jordan, because of its activities before Saddam was overthrown, and Syria because of its activities since his downfall. He revealed that the US administration in Iraq and the council have solid evidence of direct, top-level Syrian complicity in attacks against American and Iraqi security forces. One of the two Iraqis captured with Saddam in the Tikrit area had acted as Saddam's personal envoy to Syrian President Bashar Assad until just six weeks before his arrest. He also said that suicide bombers from various Arab countries had crossed into Iraq from Syria, carrying Syrian documents. In one case, a Yemeni suicide bomber's mission was aborted when the massive bomb concealed in the truck he was driving failed to detonate. The would-be attacker, who had arrived in Iraq less than 48 hours before embarking on his mission, was carrying Syrian documents. He said he believes the Syrian regime has attempted to make life as difficult - and as bloody - as possible for the Americans to dissuade them from turning their sights on Damascus once the security threats in Iraq are contained. He also said that the governing council has acquired evidence that incriminates the most senior members of the Jordanian royal family in allegedly illegal and corrupt dealings with Saddam. The council, he added, had acquired thousands of documents which expose a network of politicians throughout the Arab world and Europe - including the Vatican - who had accepted huge payments from Saddam in the form of "oil contracts" which were traded by the Iraqi regime on their behalf. The documents, which were unearthed from the files of the Mukhabarat (secret police), the state oil company, and in Saddam's personal office, expose a vast and complex paper trail that reveals not only the identity of the corrupt politicians, but also how their cash was laundered. One leading Jordanian politician received more than $3 million in a bank account in Cyprus, the favored first stop in the laundering process. There is also evidence, he said, the Jordanian authorities had established a sophisticated operation for providing front companies that allowed Saddam to trade on the international market in defiance of UN sanctions. Vast "commissions" were paid to individual Jordanians for this. The source said he believes it unlikely the Hashemite throne will survive the detailed revelations that will emerge in the coming months. The governing council, he said, has already informed the Jordanian government that it has halted the arrangement by which Jordan was permitted to purchase Iraqi oil at substantial discounts. "We will sell to them on the same terms as we sell to Guatamala," he said. "They will not have another cent from us." And he said Iraq will end all exports of oil through the port of Aqaba, a major source of Jordanian income, within two years, by which time Iraq will have completed the reconstruction of its own storage and export facilities. Saying that the absence of a hostile regime in Baghdad has reduced Israel's strategic dependence on the Hashemite kingdom as a buffer against Iraq, he predicted that Jordan would, sooner rather than later, become a Palestinian state. He also revealed that Palestinians who had been living in Iraq - and who were perceived to have been among Saddam's staunchest champions - have been stripped of their Iraqi citizenship and ordered to leave the country. Most are believed to have settled in Jordan. He laughed when asked whether there has been any communication between the new Iraqi leadership and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat. He said many members of the governing council are personally well-disposed toward Israel, and he insisted that the new Iraq would not be hostile to it. At the same time, however, he said Israel had failed to provide any assistance to the Iraqi National Congress, or even take up its offer of cooperation, while it was operating in exile. Earlier, Ahmed Chalabi, head of the INC and now the most senior member of the Iraqi Governing Council, told the Post he feels he was ill-treated when he visited Israel to meet with then-prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu. At a time when the INC was seeking to build alliances in the region, he had proposed cooperation between it and Israel. Netanyahu's immediate response, he said, was to suggest that he arrange for Chalabi to meet with the head of the Mossad. Chalabi was deeply offended by the suggestion and said he felt Netanyahu's response to his offer was "racist," indicating that he regarded him as nothing more than a potential Arab spy for Israel. The source added that when senior members of the Iraqi Governing Council, led by Chalabi, were taken to see Saddam under arrest, he justified his past actions and insisted that all his decisions had been taken "for the sake of Baghdad and Jerusalem."

PIPE DREAMS Posted by Tamar Rush, December 26, 2003.

Last month Popular Science Magazine published a collection of their covers from the past 60 years. Most of the cover art illustrated aeroplanes or "flying craft of the future", and nearly all of the aeronautical predictions were incorrect. Most of those fantastic machines never made it off the drawing boards. The "Road Map to Peace" is very much like those long-forgotten flying machines on the covers of Popular Science. That particular "Peace-plane" was never destined to fly. As you may recall, the signing of the "Road Map" agreement in Aqaba was held-up for several hours because the Palestinian representatives refused to utter the words "Jewish State". In the end, neither the Palestinian representative [Mahmoud Abbas], nor George Bush, could summon the courage to say "the Jewish State of Israel". The "Road Map" was revealed as a mere presidential pipe-dream before its signatories even left the podium. Arik Sharon's much awaited "Herzliya speech" affirmed once again his commitment to that grounded "Road Map" signed in Aqaba last year.He was obviously aiming his remarks at the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia which drafted the "Roadmap". Any intelligent citizen of Eretz Israel realised several bus-bombs ago that such a map can only lead to a violent end of the Jewish State. In the collectivist minds of the US-EU-UN-and Saudi-Russian sponsors however, the Jewish people remain gullible and naive enough to accept the Aqaba agreement as the final solution to Arab violence against Israeli citizens. At the four-day "Herzliya Conference", European representatives dangled promises of wealth and economic bliss before an assemblage of Israeli politicians and the Leftist press. E.U. Ambassador Marc Otte offered the tantalising prospect of Israel joining the "New Europe" as he spoke of "Cyprus becoming a member and Israel would be just a few kilometres away." . Ambassador Otte's carrot left Israeli politicians drooling. All we have to do is follow the "Road Map". Then came the E.U. stick. After upsetting the conference schedule by his deliberate tardiness in taking the podium, German Foreign Minister Joshke Fischer gave his "Israeli friends" a good whacking, as he accused "Both sides" of a return to violence after the breakdown of the Camp Davis talks. Fischer reiterated his support for the "Road Map" - saying that it is the only possible chance for peace. After listening to Fischer I have a deeper understanding of the Holocaust. Human-beings, represented by officials such as Fischer, are capable of rationalising just about any policy that claims to be a cure for the "Israeli-Palestinian Conflict", (A 21st century version of the "Jewish problem"?) Unfortunately, some on the the Israeli "Right" have been working overtime to rationalise their support for the "Road Map" and the annulment of our long-standing policy of no negotiations under fire, and never rewarding terrorism. To punish those who have murdered over 1,300 of our citizens since Oslo, our "Right-wing" government intends to hand the disputed territories, including most of historic Jerusalem, to the blood-soaked regime of Yassir Arafat. According to Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert "When we faced the choice of the complete land without a Jewish state, or a Jewish state without the complete land, we chose a Jewish state". "We chose?" Just who "we" is, was left to our imagination. The citizens of Eretz Israel have not been consulted on the matter of withdrawal or further moves to appease the terrorist leadership and their International supporters. There has been no talk of referenda or other such niceties common to Western democracies, our future, and that of our beloved country is to be decided behind closed doors, by a few ambivalent party hacks. I have been criticised for repeating the views of the Israeli public as expressed in our Hebrew language press, and on web-sites such as YNET, Ha'Aretz, and Walla. It seems that many well-intentioned people in the Diaspora have convinced themselves that the "Road Map" and its various detours, i.e., unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza, is the only option now left for the people of Eretz Israel, even if we, who must pay for our mistakes with the blood of our children, don't agree. I intend to continue presenting the seldom heard views of the Israeli public as long as I have a forum to do so. Much of the Israeli public does not trust Arik Sharon, Yassir Arafat, G.W. Bush, the Europeans, or their "Road Map". We feel that we have been manipulated and coerced into agreeing to the establishment of a terror state a few steps from our own homes, without any means to prevent its proxy attacks upon our people. Since rumours began to circulate about the Likud's "unilateral disengagement" plan (The Labour Party platform in the last election, and overwhelmingly rejected by the Israeli public), the Palestinian terror machine has increased its attempts to cause heavy losses within the Israeli population. There have been dozens of intercepted suicide bombers, soldiers killed, and a disgusting attempt to capture and decapitate our soldiers, holding their severed heads for ransom. This has culminated in an attack on a crowded bus stop this evening that killed 4 innocent commuters and left 15 seriously injured. Still, we are told that the "Road Map", combined with a unilateral withdrawal, is our only hope for the future. The "Road Map" was grounded in Aqaba; it never stood a chance. The PLO-PA "leadership of the moment" realised before they signed that farcical agreement that only Israel would be required to follow the route prescribed by the "International Community." And so it has been. Nothing will be allowed to obstruct plans to impose a terror state on our doorstep. We in Israel feel betrayed. We have been deceived by our own leadership, and hoodwinked by the "International Community." Tomorrow will be another day of funerals and grieving families in this neighbourhood, and Arafat will be eating Christmas leftovers in the Muqata, safe in the knowledge that our Israeli leadership has guaranteed his safety to the American President and the "International Community." The roads and motorways in my neighbourhood are now filled with police searching for two terrorists that were seen leaving the site of the latest bombing. It's the Chanukah school holiday and cautious parents will be making their kids stay at home. We shouldn't have to live like this, not to please the U.S. President, the Europeans, or even well-intentioned Diaspora Jews who are safe in the knowledge that the bill for this road work will not be paid with their own children's blood. The "Road Map" never took off, and it's time that we all come to terms with that fact. Over a decade of appeasement and funerals should have taught us all that as long as the PLO-PA exists, there will never be peace in Eretz Israel. Merry Christmas and Chanukah Sameach

UNCLE SAM HAS DICTATORSHIPS REELING Posted by Isralert, December 25, 2003.

Arab and Muslim dictatorships aren't what they were. The Americans are making their point about democracy faster than anyone could have imagined. This article was written by David Pryce-Jones, and appeared in "The Australian" yesterday. Pryce-Jones is the author of "The Closed Circle: An Interpretation of the Arabs." The Arab and Muslim world stands at a crossroad. One direction indicates dictatorship. A mixed bag of absolute rulers and Islamists have different aims, but a common belief in their right to be wielding power and killing anyone in their way, with weapons of mass destruction if they can acquire them. Taken together, they are condemning their own and other people to permanent violence and regression. And in the other direction, reform. A different mixed bag of Arab and Muslim oppositionists, intellectuals, dissidents and exiles are trying to devise the sort of pluralist or open society that alone is able to liberate the energies of all. September 11 was an aggression typical of dictatorial power. Unexpected by everybody, it has had the effect of entwining the US in the destiny of Arabs and Muslims everywhere to make sure that no such aggressions take place again, and certainly not with weapons of mass destruction. The US is giving local reformers a helping hand - or, more exactly, a push hard enough to send dictatorships, both of the political and the Islamist kind, reeling. Freed from the Taliban by the US military, Afghanistan - historically more an assortment of ethnicities, sects and tribes than a country - is in the process of adopting a constitution. Iraq has always been divided between Arabs and Kurds, and further between Sunni and Shia Arabs. Freed from Saddam Hussein by the US military, Iraq is due to start self-government next June. Supporters of Saddamite or Islamist dictatorship are clinging to their guns to sabotage any move towards democracy. Still, nobody can doubt that efforts are being made for the first time in history to allow Sunnis, Shias and Kurds to have fair political representation. The 20th century may have seen the end of imperialism, but the new century has brought Westerners and unbelievers back to control the streets of Baghdad, capital of the great Abbasid rulers of the Middle Ages to whom Arabs look back with pride. Of course the Arab and Muslim world is in turmoil at the sight, but it is a creative turmoil. If the disparate elements in a country such as Iraq can't create an open society for themselves, then only the Americans, it is understood, can stand guarantee for such an epochal experiment. The capture of Hussein did not spark a single protest or riot against the US in any Arab or Muslim capital. True, some commentators in the Arab media lament that he did not have the courage to die gun in hand or to put a bullet into his head, as cornered dictators are supposed to do. But many more are pointing out that Arabs have only themselves to blame for the dictatorships that oppress them and the remedy lies in their own hands. The knock-on effects of the US response to September 11 have been quickening. Turkey has an Islamist government, but it nonetheless condemned the attack and has subsequently been the target of al-Qa'ida bombs. Pakistan also condemned it. Most astonishingly, here comes Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan President, offering to voluntarily surrender his weapons of mass destruction, including a nuclear bomb still in development. Gaddafi seized power in a coup in 1969, and has treated Libya as his fiefdom ever since. His heir apparent is his son Seif, a chip off the old block. Gaddafi has sponsored terrorism internationally, as a result of which sanctions were imposed on Libya. Internally, he has made sure that any opponents, including a popular Shia cleric, disappear without trace. When the campaign in Iraq opened in March, Gaddafi tellingly admitted he felt afraid. No doubt he would like sanctions to be lifted, but he also wants to make quite sure his weapons of mass destruction will not lead him to end up in a hole in the ground, like his fellow dictator Hussein. Hemmed in by US forces across their frontiers with Iraq and Afghanistan, the ayatollahs of Iran similarly seem to be deciding to permit international supervision of their nuclear program, generally suspected to have military purposes that threaten not just the Middle East but also Russia and Europe. Syria, Iran's ally, is also under pressure on account of its chemical and biological weapons. A classic Arab dictatorship, Syria has a President, Bashar Assad, who inherited absolute power without the least legitimacy from his father. He, too, sponsors terrorism on a wide scale and eliminates all critics. George W. Bush's recent move to legislate against Syria is causing panic there. Baghdad and Damascus are historic rivals, and the freedom of the former is already humiliatingly exposing the backwardness of the latter. It's the same in Cairo, where popular opinion is turning against President Husni Mubarak, who has ruled by emergency decree for more than two decades and hopes to put his son in as his successor. In Saudi Arabia, the huge royal family exercises the most complicated and complete of dictatorships, and even there civil rights groups are springing up and the first tentative protests have hit the streets. Municipal elections are to be held in that country for the first time. Arab and Muslim dictatorships aren't what they were. The Americans are making their point about democracy faster than anyone could have imagined. To subscribe to Isralert, send an email to Isralert@aol.com

BRAVO FOR MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND THE CHANUKAH MESSAGE Posted by Helen Freedman, December 25, 2003.

Mayor Bloomberg had been lifted up in a cherry-picker to light the fifth candle on the huge Chabad Chanukah menorah on Tuesday evening, Dec. 23, at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street in New York City. Below him stood a crowd of onlookers, and in the crowd was a small band of AFSI 'Maccabees',  thirty members of Americans For A Safe Israel, who had responded to the rallying cry to demonstrate there on behalf of Israel. We were there proudly waving the Israeli flag and carrying signs with the overall message that Israel was the holy land of the Jewish people, and not one inch could be given away. We had pictures of Rabbi Goren, blowing the shofar on the Temple Mount in 1967. Our signs declared that the Temple Mount 'was,' but tragically no longer 'is,' in Jewish hands. We had photos of Israel's 911 murdered victims of Arab terror, which brought some onlookers to tears. Enlarged photos of Israeli soldiers at the Kotel in 1967, after reuniting Jerusalem, carried the question, "Was it all in vain?" Photos of concentration camp survivors arriving by ship to Israel, proudly carrying the Israeli flag, carried the caption, "Transfer Jews? - NEVER AGAIN!" There were reminder signs that people should "Read the Bible and learn that The Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel." And our ever-present signs, "The World Does Not Need Another Arab Terrorist State," along with "NO PALESTINIAN STATE", carried their clear message. Mayor Bloomberg caught the message of AFSI and Chanukah in his courageous words. He declared that there can be no negotiations with terrorists, that terror must be defeated, and that the United States and Israel were both involved in the same battle against terror. This clear, unequivocal message gave heart to our AFSI group, and hopefully to others assembled there. AFSI has never wavered in our message that evil is evil and must be eradicated before good can be implemented. It is AFSI's contention that Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, and Yasser Arafat are a triangle of evil that must be fought in only one way - a battle to defeat the enemy. The United States has attacked in Afghanistan and Iraq with much success. It is now Israel's turn to destroy the Arab enemy within its own borders. As the crowd dispersed, still listening to the wonderful Chanukah songs being played over the loudspeaker, our AFSI group disbanded, planning to meet again that evening at the concert for Jonathan Pollard, at the W. 91st. Street Young Israel. That concert turned into a moving and enthusiastic tribute to Jonathan Pollard, a symbol of the persecuted Jew. Assisted by Rabbi Pesach Lerner, a telephone call from Esther Pollard became the highlight of the evening. There was also a cogent statement from Jonathan's attorney, Jacques Semmelman, explaining the involuntary or deliberate ineptitude of Jonathan's original attorney, which accounts for many of the legal difficulties which now impede his release. Shmuel Sackett gave a fiery speech. Wonderful music was provided by Ira Heller, Shimon Kugel, and a host of musicians who had volunteered their time and talents to make the concert a huge success. We pray that such efforts will pay off in the only meaningful way possible - the release of Jonathan Pollard after serving 18 years in prison. Dayenu!! Helen Freedman is Executive Director of Americans for a Safe Israel (AFSI), an activist group, which publishes OUTPOST, an informative internet magazine. AFSI's internet address is http://www.afsi.org

THE POWER OF WORDS - REUTERS' AND CAMERA'S Posted by Ricki Hollander, December 25, 2003.

Measuring the effects of CAMERA's work - to foster sound reporting and to ensure that public discourse about Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict be informed by accurate and unbiased news reports - varies with the nature of the problem. Some results are straightforward and easily measurable, such as the number of corrections of factual errors elicited by CAMERA staff and members and improved reporting on the same topic thereafter. But other changes, including eliminating slanted, opinion-laden language, require close analysis of coverage over time to evaluate. A recent effort to elicit redress of biased language by Reuters is indicative. Reuters, the European-based news wire service whose influence is magnified through a global reach to hundreds of millions, has presented a significant and ongoing challenge in its use of partisan pro-Palestinian language. Yet even here, there is progress. *On October 23, CAMERA sent an Alert ("Reuters' Questionable Integrity") asking our team to urge Reuters executives to honor their own editorial guidelines by stopping the use of partisan language in news stories that whitewash the clearly stated goal of Palestinian terror organizations to destroy Israel. This followed a campaign consisting of CAMERA's direct communication with Reuters editors, CAMERA articles informing the general public of the issues, and letters sent to Reuters executives by our letter-writing team. CAMERA explained how the use of such terminology as "uprising for independence" to describe the goals of Palestinian suicide bombers was misleading, in light of the terrorists' avowed purpose. Moreover, such language totally disregarded Israel's Camp David/Taba offer of a state - and the Palestinian Authority's rejection of it. Reuters' repetition of distorted language obscuring Palestinian rejectionism and omitting the actual motives of violence could have only served to mislead the public regarding Palestinian action and aims. While Reuters initially refused to accept responsibility for its use of editorial language, there has, in fact, been a noticeable decrease in the news agency's use of this language since publication of a CAMERA commentary in National Review Online (appearing on numerous Web sites and distributed by weblogs) and the Alert. A review of over 500 Reuters articles referring to the Palestinian "uprising" from September 1 until October 20, 2003 (the publication date of NRO's CAMERA commentary), and from November 1, 2003 (after the CAMERA alert was sent out and members had a chance to write to Reuters executives) until December 20, 2003 underscores the change. In the first period (Sept.1-Oct.20), Reuters articles referring to the Palestinian "uprising" included such phrases as "uprising for an independent state," "uprising for statehood," "uprising against Israeli occupation," and so on, 83% of the time. The word "uprising" alone or "uprising against Israel" was used only 14% of the time (except for articles about Israel's economy which used the word "uprising" alone to denote a time frame).The terminology "uprising in the West Bank and Gaza" - which does not directly attribute motive but implies one by incorrectly limiting Palestinian violence to that location - was used in 3% of the articles. After the Op-Ed appeared and in the wake of the CAMERA Alert (Nov. 1-Dec. 20), the results were reversed. Reuters articles referring to the Palestinian "uprising" included the tendentious language regarding Palestinian motive only 15% of the time, and instead used the more neutral "uprising against Israel" or simply "uprising" 84% of the time (again not including articles about Israel's economy). The incorrect term "uprising in the West Bank and Gaza" was used in less than 2% of the articles. Before and After Examples BEFORE: Typical of past Reuters statements, effectively rationalizing terrorism, were the following: "Palestinian militants fired at an Israeli car south of Jerusalem, wounding a woman and a nine-year-old girl, rescue workers said on Sunday. It was a rare flare-up of violence since Palestinian militants waging a 34-month-old uprising for statehood declared a three-month truce on June 29." ("Palestinians fire at Israeli car, at least 2 hurt," August 2, 2003) [emphasis added] and "Palestinian militants waging an almost 35-month-old uprising for independence have frequently bombed Israeli buses..." ("Bomb wrecks Jerusalem bus, seven dead," Barry Moody, August 19, 2003)[emphasis added] and, as documented in the National Review Online article by CAMERA and the CAMERA alert: "Hamas has spearheaded a 28-month-old Palestinian militant uprising against Israel for a state in Gaza and the West Bank." ("Israeli Tank in Flames After Hitting Bomb in Gaza," Shahdi al-Kashif, February 15, 2003) [emphasis added] AFTER: Since the CAMERA alert and article, Reuters has generally refrained from describing the uprising as being "for statehood" or "for independence." And Reuters has more often included context and/or accurately portrayed the goals of Palestinian terrorist groups. For example: "Israel, battling a three-year-old Palestinian uprising, says roadblocks and other travel restrictions on Palestinians are necessary to stop suicide bombers from reaching its cities. ("Palestinians say Israeli troops kill West Bank man," November 1) "Palestinian militants have killed hundreds of Israelis in a string of suicide bombings mostly in Israeli cities since a Palestinian uprising began three years ago." ("Palestinian bomber blows up near soldiers in W. Bank," November 3, 2003) "A violence-stalled U.S.-backed road map for peace calls on the Palestinian Authority to dismantle militant organizations behind suicide bombings that have killed hundreds of Israelis since the start of a Palestinian uprising in September 2000." ("Israel, U.S. resigned to Arafat security powers," Jeffrey Heller, November 11, 2003) "The graphic accounts of the bombings on Israeli radio stations soured a sunny Sabbath day in Jerusalem, which has grown only too used to militant attacks during a three-year-old Palestinian uprising." ("Israeli Jews feel vulnerable after Istanbul bombings" Maia Ridberg, November 15, 2003) "Sworn to Israel's destruction, Hamas and Islamic Jihad opposed 1993 interim Middle East peace deals and have spearheaded a Palestinian uprising raging since September 2000. ("Islamists assail unofficial Mideast peace proposal," Nidal al-Mughrabi, November 21) "Hamas, sworn to the Jewish state's destruction, has led the three-year-old Palestinian uprising. It views with suspicion the U.S.-led 'road map' to peace calling for steps leading to a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, alongside Israel." ("Hamas slams Mideast peace moves, vows more attacks" Nidal al-Mughrabi, December 12, 2003) "The two-day talks, to be held in Gaza City, will involve Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other factions that have spearheaded a suicide bombing campaign during a three-year-old uprising." ("New Mideast talks broached despite Gaza violence" by Matt Spetalnick, December 15, 2003) *The infrequent articles that do include inaccurate terminology now often include qualification about the motives of terrorist groups. For example, a December 15 article using the phrase "uprising for independence" included as well the stated aim of the Hamas terrorist organization: "Hamas, sworn to Israel's destruction, has led a suicide bombing campaign during the three-year-old Palestinian uprising for independence." ("Israel remands Arab-Canadian in alleged bomb plot," Rami Amichai, December 15, 2003) The net effect of this change is that Reuters' huge global audience is presented with a clearer, more accurate picture of Palestinian terrorist goals and violence. *Similarly, over two years ago, CAMERA waged a nearly year-long campaign for Reuters to be more accurate in its designation of Israeli settlements. Reuters had routinely labeled settlements as "illegal under international law," as in: "Jewish settlements, illegal under international law, are built on land Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and which Palestinians want for an independent state." (June 26, 2001) "Jewish settlements, illegal under international law, are at the heart of a Palestinian uprising that began last September." (July 1, 2001) In private communications, alerts, and articles, CAMERA insisted that regardless of differing political views on settlement policy, information about the issue should be factual and balanced, and Reuters eventually replaced their blanket labeling of settlements as illegal with more nuanced language, such as: "Much of the international community regards as illegal Israeli settlements in areas occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. Israel disputes this." (July 4, 2001) The following examples compare Reuters' earlier partisan but deceptive wording, mimicking Palestinian rhetoric with a recent example of its more objective language. Previously: "Palestinians see settlements, illegal under international law, as legitimate targets in their struggle for independence..." (July 20, 2001) Currently: "Settlements on occupied land have been frequent targets during a three-year-old Palestinian uprising. They are considered illegal by most of the international community but Israel disputes this." (December 15, 2003) This example of joint action by CAMERA staff and letter-writers in eliciting more accurate and fair terminology by Reuters is representative of the positive effects of careful monitoring, persistence and public involvement. In the season of Hanukkah and Christmas, it is especially welcome good news! Ricki Hollander is Senior Research Analyst for CAMERA, which monitors the media for anti-Israel bias and factual errors and distortions.

LET'S BE FAIR Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, December 25, 2003.

Let's be fair to our dedicated and hard working Defence Minister. How can we expect him to concentrate on keeping track of terrorism when he is so busy planning the destruction of Jewish towns and the deportations of their inhabitants? There are, after all, only so many hours in the day. This news item was on the IMRA (Independent Media Review and Analysis) website (http://www.imra.org.il) today. Less than an hour after a suicide bomber murdered at least 3 in Petach Tikvah by blowing up by a bus stop on Jabotinsky Street as it passes under Route 4, Israel Radio defense correspondent Carmella Menashe reported that Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has just ordered full closure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, rescinding the various decisions lifting security measures. For over a month Israel has been lifting security measures in response to pressure from the Bush Administration. Carmella Menashe noted that in the recent period Israel foiled 24 terrorist attacks.

A NOT SO MERRY CHRISTMAS IN THE HOLY LAND Posted by David Bedein, December 25, 2003.

This is the first Christmas since the Palestinian Authority adopted an official constitution based on Koranic "Sharia" Law, which means that all Christians who live under the PA are now subject to Islamic Law. Over the past three years, while attention has focused on Israeli and Palestinian casualties of the current war, at least one hundred Christians who live in areas ruled by the Palestinian Authority have been arrested and imprisoned for holding church services or conducting public Christian practices without authorization. Some of these Christians were set free when the Israeli army liberated the jails in the Palestinian Authority at the time of the Israeli army incursion into Palestinian cities in April, 2002. Those freed Christian prisoners from the Palestinian jails now take refuge by hiding throughout Israel, as they surreptitiously work to try to get their families out of Palestinian cities to join them and emigrate to any safe haven they can find in the West I have met with a few of these Christian Palestinians. One of them, whom I shall call Joseph to protect the confidentiality of his identity, described the ordeal that he has experienced. He and his brother live in hiding while badgering the US consulate for help to try to get US visas for their families, and have done so ever since their liberation by Israel more than 18 months ago. Joseph described to me how his family cannot openly practice Christian holidays in Bethlehem under the watchful eyes of the PLO's Islamic police force. After all, the only place in the West Bank where the PLO army currently operates is in the Bethlehem area. Joseph also described how the US-funded Palestinian public school system has become Islamicized, and how his late nephew was literally tortured to death at age 12 by his schoolmates because he expressed love and respect for his uncle as a practicing Christian. Last Spring, the Vatican Ambassador to the Holy Land, Archbishop Msgr. Pietro Sambi, known as the Papal Nuncio, warned a US Congressional delegation that the new Palestinian Authority's approved state constitution, funded by US AID, provided no juridical status whatsoever for any religion other than Islam in the emerging Palestinian Arab entity. The Papal Nuncio also expressed his concern to visiting US lawmakers that the PA had adopted "Sharia" Islamic Law, based on the model of the "Sharia" from Koranic edicts as practiced in Iran or in Saudi Arabia. Article (5) of the official Palestinian State Constitution reads as follows: "Arabic and Islam are the official Palestinian language and religion. Christianity and all other monotheistic religions shall be equally revered and respected". In other words, As Archbishop Sambi noted, "other" religions such as Christianity, let alone Judaism, are only to be "respected", while being denied any juridical status under the new Palestinian State Constitution. The status of Islam as the official religion of any future Palestinian Arab entity is also expressed in Article (7) of the official Palestinian State Constitution which states that "The principles of Islamic Sharia are a major source for legislation. Civil and religious matters of the followers of monotheistic religions shall be organized in accordance with their religious teachings and denominations within the framework of law, while preserving the unity and independence of the Palestinian people." The constitution's translation can be accessed on the home page of the website www.israelbehindthenews.com. Islamic nations which have adopted the "Sharia" law, have mandated the absolute supremacy of Muslims over non-Muslims as matter of law, more than of simply of attitude. What worried the Archbishop was that all Christian churches and all Christian schools will be placed under the arbitrary authority of Islamic Fundamental Law, which allows nothing more than "tolerance" of other religions at best. For the past seven months, the US embassy has been asked to comment on the US-funded Palestinian State Constitution. No response has been forthcoming from anyone in the US government, except for denials that it exists. Yet the author of the PA State Constitution, Mr. Nabil Shaath, affirms the existence of the PA State Constitution, as presented by the Vatican's ambassador. The PA state constitution's imposition of Sharia Islamic Law is most certainly in effect. Calls to the US embassy and US consulate to determine whether the US government is looking into the situation of Christians under the rule of the Palestinian National Authority have not been answered. After all, it was US AID which financed the creation of the PA State Constitution, which meant the imposition of the Islamic Law throughout the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority. Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iran which have adopted Sharia Islamic Law, have made life quite difficult for Christians. Under Sharia Islamic Law, Christians are considered "dhimmis", second class citizens. A research study released last Christmas by the Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs entitled "The Beleaguered Christians", notes that in Egypt, "Muslim, but not Christian, schools receive state funding....It is nearly impossible to restore or build new churches....Christians are frequently ostracized or insulted in public, and laws prohibit Muslim conversions to Christianity.". That same study notes that Saudi Arabia "is one of the most oppressive countries for Christians. There are no churches in the whole country. Foreign workers make up one-third of the population, many of whom are Christians. For their entire stay, which may be years, they are forbidden to display any Christian symbols or Bibles, or even meet together publicly to worship and pray. Some have watched their personal Bibles put through a shredder when they entered the country." In Iran, "the printing of Christian literature is illegal, converts from Islam are liable to be killed, and most evangelical churches must function underground." Bethlehem is understood by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus. When Israel retook control of Bethlehem in 1967, the majority of Bethlehem's residents practiced various denominations of the Christian faith. However, with Israel's withdrawal due to the Oslo Accords and after less than ten years of Palestinian Authority rule the Middle East has witnessed a dramatic exodus of Christians from the city. This Christmas, less than 5% in the city of Jesus's birthplace is Christian. The mainstream media have hesitated to report that fact. President George W. Bush's administration has envisioned a democratic Palestinian entity that is devoid of terror. Instead, officials of US AID have fostered a constitution which envisions creation of the Islamic totalitarian state of Palestine, completely devoid of religious freedom and human rights. This Christmas, an Islamic army occupies Bethlehem. This Christmas, no Church can operate in Bethlehem without Islamic approval. And Christians in the Palestinian Authority are not seeing a Merry Christmas as a result. This is the legacy of what the US AID has facilitated, with or without the knowledge of the White House. This appeared today on Front Page Magazine (http://www.frontpagemag.com).

WE ARE BEING SOLD OUT! Posted by Prof. Paul Eidelberg, December 25, 2003.

On December 23, 2003, Ha'aretz's  Baruch Kra published a summary of a video that links the entire Sharon family to a Greek island tourist resort project. If this summary is accurate - and if it isn't, Ha'aretz can expect a massive libel suit - mass demonstrations should be organized demanding Prime Minister Sharon's immediate resignation. Here are the main points of the incriminating video. "In October 1999, Omri Sharon said that if the Greek island project succeeded 'there would be enough money to pay us all and get us out of here' (emphasis added). The Prime Minister's son is heard saying this to security firm owner David Spector on a videotape obtained by Ha'aretz... It contradicts Sharon's statement to police, when they questioned him on this issue, that he was never involved in this so-called Greek island affair. "Omri Sharon's meeting with Spector was several months before Spector was to meet Sharon's other son, Gilad, to help him collect money that real estate contractor David Appel owed him. Police suspect that payments made to Gilad Sharon were intended as indirect bribes to Ariel Sharon - then holding the foreign and national infrastructures portfolio - in exchange for his help to get permission from the Greek government for Appel to develop the Greek island tourist resort. The permission never came. "In the [video] recording Omri mentions the real estate corruption Appel was allegedly involved in, including the Ginaton lands near Lod. Today it is known that the primary suspect in the Ginaton affair, apart from Appel, is Prime Minister Sharon, who is suspected of exerting pressure to expand Lod to include Ginaton. This would allow Appel, who had bought lands there, to avoid incurring financial losses. "At a certain stage Omri asks Spector if he knew of "the 'megalomaniac project in Greece.' Omri said the chances of carrying out the project were slim but if it succeeded, 'there would be enough money to pay us all and get us out of here' (emphasis added). "The police are expected to charge Appel in the Greek island affair soon - probably with bribing Sharon when he was Foreign Minister in Netanyahu's cabinet. Appel is suspected of transferring millions of dollars to Gilad Sharon by means of a fictitious contract. This was in exchange for obtaining various favors from Sharon, including the promotion of the Greek tourism venture and political help to Appel's real estate ventures. Police suspect that Sharon gave this help when he was already Prime Minister." Here the reader should focus on the key phrase linked to the Greek island tourist project: "if it succeeded, there would be enough money to pay us all - the Sharon family - 'and get us out of here,'" meaning, to leave the sinking ship of Israel. Apparently, Israel's days are numbered. It cannot possibly overcome the fact that 50% of the babies born in the country are non-Jewish, that the Arabs in Israel are never going to be assimilated and become bourgeois democrats, that they will never give up their nationalist aims, and that their higher birthrate will allow them to gain control of the Knesset and the country given the democratic principle of one adult/one vote. Therefore, if the above mentioned video is genuine, Prime Minister Sharon is selling Israel down the tubes, preparing for his and his family's getaway like a thieves in the night. Instead of standing up to foreign pressure, Mr. Sharon pursues a policy of unilateral withdrawal under fire, abandoning Jewish land and tens of thousands of Jews, all the while knowing that the Arabs have no intention of giving Israel peace. If Israelis have resigned themselves to a Palestinian state on their doorstep, it is only because they have been anesthetized by Sharon who obviously lacks the courage to win the war against Arafat and his gang of terrorists. This is defeatism. Instead of defeatism, Yamin Israel offers a detailed plan of action leading to Jewish victory, a plan published by the Ariel Center for Policy Research. Remember: Even the American people - 70% - oppose a Palestinian state, a fact that bolster's Yamin Israel's Jewish Victory Plan. The public must react vigorously against Sharon's cowardly policy. The video reported by Ha'aretz makes his policy appear as sheer treachery. Massive demonstrations should be organized calling for his resignation, the formation of a new government, and the adoption of Yamin Israel's Jewish Victory Plan.

THE TRUTH IS BURIED IN THE GAZA TUNNELS Posted by Barry Shaw, December 25, 2003.

This week the media displayed Palestinians being rushed to hospitals after being shot by Israeli soldiers as the troops searched for smuggling tunnels. Conclusion: Brutal Israelis were killing and injuring innocent Palestinians on the pretext that they were looking for holes in the ground. The facts: As part of ongoing activities to uncover and prevent weapons smuggling in tunnels along the Egypt-Israel border, I.D.F. forces entered the Rafah area on 23rd December. During these operations soldiers carried out searches in a residential building and discovered a tunnel 800 meters [Ed note: A meter is roughly 1.1 yards] in length and 17 meters deep. I.D.F. forces destroyed this tunnel. During the operation, heavily armed terrorists surrounded the soldiers and opened fire on the troops. This was not a minor skirmish. The Palestinian terrorists fired 15 anti-tank missiles, hurled dozens of grenades, as well as attacking with close weapons fire. In the exchange, several Palestinian terrorists were killed and injured. The IDF captured large amounts of weapons and explosives. This gives a slightly different complexion on the event, don't you think? Fact 2: The discovery of yet another weapons smuggling tunnel under a residential building is another example of the cynical use by Palestinian terrorist organizations of using human shields and the protection of their own civilians to carry out their lethal activities. Another fact: Since the beginning of the current intifada, terrorists have fired 298 anti-tank missiles, 892 mortars, 143 Kassam rockets, detonated 347 explosive devices, hurled 908 grenades, opened fire in over 4000 incidents against innocent Israelis and IDF soldiers. Yet another fact: IDF forces have discovered over 40 weapons smuggling tunnels along the Israel-Egypt border. The Egyptians have done little (read nothing) to prevent the smuggling of lethal weapons to Palestinian terrorists. Why isn't the Egyptian Government being held accountable for the resulting instability and violence caused by their tacit cooperation with terrorist activities? As usual, it suits the liberal media to bury the facts and the truth under the ground of Palestinian suffering. They don't have money for food, we are led to believe, but they have plenty of cash for guns, bullets, explosives, anti-tank missiles, rockets, etc. Barry Shaw writes the "The View From Here." To subscribe, write netre@matav.net.il

AOL CENSORS A PRO-ISRAEL SITE Posted by Radio Rote, December 24, 2003.

If you are an AOL Reader, we would like you to know that AOL has been blocking out most of the RadioRote (RR) Middle East and Israel RR Updates we send to subscribers. AOL cannot claim spam policy, because we do not spam and The Middle East/Israel Update Readers are the only Readers that AOL is making an effort to target and censor. We are at the point of threatening to sue AOL if their Anti-Zionist policy of blocking information about Israel is not lifted. They have not made an effort to re-connect our AOL Readers with RadioRote/MidEast. Readers who visit the AOL Israel billboard are already familiar with AOL's arbitrary censorship of pro-Zionist messages, and their blind eye towards terrorist trabants [fellow-travelors] who post there and trash Jews. We had a similar experience with Lycos a few years - again, it happened only with the Middle East/Israel Readers list. Lycos blocked all of them and closed the Israel e-mail site completely, leaving the other Lycos RR mail lists untouched. Once in a while, an AOL e-mail may go through, and perhaps this one shall make it. If you are on AOL and receive this - or if you has a website or blog - please send this message to other RR Readers on AOL, to alert them that over the past few months, AOL has denied them a service to which they have subscribed. You can contact us at radiorote@hotmail.com Regards, RadioRote [update: At this point, AOL wants us to call their Gauleiters and explain why RadioRote should be allowed to contact AOL members who subscribe to our Updates. This will not happen.] [Addendum by Jack Golbert. Not part of original message: AOL-Time-Warner is largely owned and controlled by members of the House of Saud.]

TERROR VICTIMS Posted by Marco Delmar, December 24, 2003.

Our enemies use the POWER of IMAGES. The mainstream media very seldom show us pictures of Jewish victims of terror. We see the clean-up squads and the ambulances. These are pictures of some of the Terror Victims. The site address is: http://www.geocities.com/thepoweroftruth/VictimsOfArabMuslimPalestinians

PROTEST U.S. AMBASSADOR KURTZER'S INTERFERENCE IN ISRAEL'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS Posted by Zionist Organization of America, December 24, 2003.

NEW YORK- The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has strongly protested the remark, as reported by the Israeli media, that U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer said it would be "unacceptable" if Israel's courts rule that the community of Migron is legal. ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said: "Imagine the outcry if there was an issue before an American court, and Israel's ambassador to the U.S. demanded that the U.S. government take action on the issue, regardless of the court's ruling. Ambassador Kurtzer demand that Israel expel and transfer Jewish men, women, and children from their homes in Migron is blatant interference in Israel's internal affairs. It also smacks of a troubling double standard - because he has never called for the expulsion of Palestinian Arabs from their homes in legally-questionable areas." The ZOA notes numerous previous instances in which Ambassador Kurtzer interfered in Israel's internal affairs: * In August 2001, Kurtzer publicly criticized Israel for striking at Abu Ali Mustafa, head of the terrorist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which has murdered 14 U.S. citizens and numerous Israelis. The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations issued a statement on August 28, 2001, saying it was "surprised and dismayed" that Kurtzer "felt compelled to raise the issue with Prime Minister Sharon [while] we did not hear of any similar actions when American citizens were the victims of terror attacks over the past few months." * Kurtzer demanded that Israel stop spending government funds on Jewish communities in Judea-Samaria and Gaza, and "take care of the disabled and or economic development" instead. (Washington Times, Jan.9, 2002) * The Israeli (Labor) government's ambassador to Washington, Itamar Rabinovich, has described a "stormy dispute" between Kurtzer and the head of Israel's negotiating team, in which "Kurtzer thought that Israel was not going far enough with the Palestinians. There were sharp exchanges between them [and Kurtzer] rebuked" the Israeli negotiators. (Ha'aretz, April 6, 2001) * Former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir has said: "Kurtzer frequently pressured Israel to make one-sided concessions to the Arabs; he constantly blamed Israel for the absence of Mideast peace, and paid little or no attention to the fact that the Palestinians were carrying out terrorist attacks and openly calling for the destruction of Israel." * Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "has said more than once that with Jews like Kurtzer, it is impossible to build a healthy relationship between Israel and the United States." (Ha'aretz, April 6, 2001) * Morris Amitay, former executive director of AIPAC, has said: "Kurtzer has a track record of pushing for Palestinian rights. He will use his Jewishness as a protective cover for his anti-Israel views." (Jewish Telegraphic Agency, March 29, 2001) * The Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot (August 9, 1991) reported: "Possibly more than any other U.S. State Department official, Kurtzer has been instrumental in promoting the goals of the Palestinians and in raising their afflictions to the center of the U.S. policymakers' agenda. Kurtzer's poor relations with Jerusalem's political bureaus reached a new climax" in 1990, when he authored a speech by James Baker strongly criticizing Israel, which was delivered at an AIPAC conference, "causing a commotion among the conference participants...A Jewish community leader told Kurtzer (shortly afterwards], 'Your children will bear the consequences of the Israeli policy you are encouraging.'" This article, "Ambassador Dan Kurtzer Demands Transfer of Jews" by Emanuel A. Winston, Middle East commentator and analyst, provides background. The attached news release detailing Ambassador Kurtzer's interference in Israel's governmental affairs is not unusual. But, perhaps we had better take a deeper look at Kurtzer and his friends - or rather his bosses. Recall that Kurtzer, along with Dennis Ross, Aaron MIller and later Martin Indyk were hand-picked mostly for James Baker's State Department team to penetrate Israel. Their record is quite clear as representing Arab Palestinians and other Arab country's interests, while undercutting Israel at every opportunity. The question is, Are they still working for James Baker III directly or indirectly? Take an even harder look at James Baker's Rice University Institute for special arrangements for the State Department. Then there is Edward Djerijian who seems to be a part of a tight inner circle of 'almost' pas agents of the Arabist State Department. Kurtzer's telling Israel to ignore her own laws and evacuate the village of Migron is indicative of a carefully constructed choke chain, with one of its links suddenly broken. It would appear that the Jewish group of Ross, Miller, Kurtzer and Indyk is still in business with Baker, Djerian and the ever-present State Department. Then look a little deeper and you may see Herbert Walker Bush, Dick Cheney and the oil boys with the same interests in the Middle East and eliminating Israel as an irritant to their Arab friends or as its partners. It is not over until the fat man gives in. The Zionist Organization of America, founded in 1897, is the oldest pro-Israel organization in the United States. The ZOA works to strengthen U.S.-Israel relations, educates the American public and Congress about the dangers that Israel faces, and combats anti-Israel bias in the media and on college campuses.

THE MATAM PROJECT Posted by Tsesvan Vulf, December 24, 2003.

During the period of 1990-2003, a great number of new immigrants, the former residents of the Soviet Union, arrived in Israel. Many of them (according to statistical data, more than one million) are engineers and scientists who so far have not been able to realize completely their creative potential. After terrorism, unemployment and underemployment are the second biggest problem in Israel. A new initiatives group consisting of engineers and scientists started up in 1997 in the northern Israeli cities and Haifa. The Engineering Association called MATAM (Engineers - Repatriates - For The New Technology) was created on the base of this group. This association was registered on December 1, 1998: No #58-0332278 in the List Of Israeli Associations. The aim of the Association is the promotion of engineering and technological projects, leading to the creative and productive employment of engineers and scientists. Many engineers and scientists have participated. We conducted a course in technical Hebrew. Projects developed by our members - Dr. Efim Sultanovich, design engineer Iliya Tamarkin and Dr. Benzion Telyaner and others - have been shown at different exhibitions. We also support the development of advanced technologies, particularly joint projects in medicine and technology. These include a project on the use of lasers in medicine by Dr. U. Lerner, Dr. V. Gluzman and Dr. L. Dvorkin. Another project, by Dr. D. Maister on the programming and development of new algorithms, was recognized at numerous international exhibitions in Turkey, Norway and Canada. Unfortunately, we lack the financial resources for MATAM to continue its work much longer. At present MATAM is busy organizing a House of Technology and Science in Kiriyat-Yam. The head of the city council, Mr. Sh. Siso, is interested in the realization of this project and is ready to provide us the necessary space. But to conduct this project, we need $164,000 for two years. Of the $82,000 per year, $42,000 is for salary for three employees and $40,000 is for computers, equipment and office expenses. We have highly qualified scientists and engineers. During these two years, we will conduct a number of design projects - developing specifications and prototypes for actual production. We expect that in two years a House of Technology and Sciences will be capable of supporting itself financially, with no outside help. But right now, we need starter funds. We need your financial help. Our bank account address is: MATAM Bank Leumi (# 10), "Swift code" - LUMI IL IT, Branch # 899, Account # 2430681 Mr. Vulf is the Manager of the MATAM Association. Their address is Shvil A-Gefen Str. 13/8 Kiriat-Mozkin 26398. Tel: 972 52 417948. Email: amuta_matam@hotmail.com.

WHY I PROUDLY WEAR THE STAR OF DAVID Posted by Resa LaRu Kirkland, December 24, 2003.

I stand with Israel. I said it, I mean it and I don't care who knows it. My reason is the best one of all - because not only is it right, but because Israel is right, and Islam - and for that matter, anyone who lines up against Israel - is so wickedly wrong. Look at some harsh facts here. First, the land of Israel has been the target of Arab nations since its recent re-inception in 1948 - yes, in spite of People Magazine's claims this past year, it did exist before the 20th century - and Jews in general worldwide since the 1920s. Not only does Islam and the entire Arab world despise with a red-hot hatred the nation and people of Israel, they go beyond that by refusing to recognize Israel's right to exist!  That is not only in outright defiance of logic and reason, it is way in the outfield of any token of sanity. Hating them is one thing ... refusing to recognize the first inalienable right - the right to life - is sheer madness. Standing with Israel and against Islam, therefore, becomes a matter of sanity vs. insanity. By this first reason, Islam is meshuga - crazy. Second, Islam's religion specifically states that in order to be a member in good standing, in order to please Allah, they must kill not just Jews, but all Israel, and anyone who supports Israel. For those of you who have forgotten, Israel encompassed 12 brothers, of which Judah was only one. There are 11 other brothers out there, and given the massive branches that the House of Israel has, I am willing to bet that there isn't a modern-day people outside of the Arab world who doesn't have lineage back to the House of Israel somewhere within their genealogy. That means that eventually, Islam's ire could - and given their history, will - be turned against you and me. Standing with Israel and against Islam, therefore, is a matter of self-preservation. By this second reason, Islam is our oyev - enemy - a fact they have proven in attacks against America at home and abroad. Third, it is an absolute impossibility to separate Judaism from Christianity. I know many Christians who have tried, but they can never get past a certain point ... the birth of Jesus Christ. There never would have been Christianity without Judaism first, because the man at the center of Christianity was born through Judah's line and raised in the Jewish religion. Judaism is the foundation of Christian belief, and if you remove the foundation, the rest cannot stand. My Jewish friends have asked me why I, as a Christian, am so fervent in my devotion to Judaism and Israel. It is because we really aren't that different in what we believe. When you get past the different prayers, chants and religious rhetoric, the foundation of both is exactly analogous: Both religions believe that the Son of God - the Messiah - will be born through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, through Jacob's son Judah, and that He will come to save us. Christians believe He has already been born and is coming for the second time; Jews believe He has yet to be born. The only difference in this basic cornerstone of both religious beliefs is the timing. By this third reason, standing with Israel is a matter of emunah - faith, and achvah - brotherhood. My fourth reason became even clearer in recent times. Two years ago, I met a dear woman I have grown to love named Andy, and it is she who inspired this article. Andy is Jewish, and her son Michael has chosen to go to Israel and fight for the Israeli Defense Force. How is it that a boy raised in North America in American neighborhoods playing Nintendo chose to fight for Israel? Some would say it is because he is a Jew. I say it is because Michael - taught by a good mother - knew that Israel was not the aggressor, not the evil one here. Michael - taught by a wise mother - has a soul that recognizes justice. Michael chose a life dedicated to the fight for right. Way to go, Andy. By this fourth reason, fighting for Israel is mutsdak - justified, by a mother's torot - teachings, and a son's unselfish brayrah - choice. Then there is the plethora of reasons such as the constant attacks by Palestinians/Islam against the civilians of Israel - not the IDF or military targets, but everyday people going to work, school, or to play - the regular promises to stop said perpetrators, only to stall for time and attack again, and their illogical justifications of igniting the world's anger against Jews when Israel has the nerve to defend itself. Israel has shown remarkable restraint despite being surrounded and vastly out-numbered by a backward and vicious people hell-bent on their annihilation. Six months ago, I bought a small, sterling silver Star of David to wear around my neck. You see, not only do I fully support Israel because they are right, but because I, too, come through that mighty House. If you'll travel back in time for a moment to Sunday School, it should ring a bell in your mind that Judah had a little brother named Joseph. You remember him ... kind of a dreamer, dressed colorfully, held a high political office (eventually) in Egypt, and saved his family from a devastating famine? I come through his line, through his son Ephraim. So if Islam succeeds in destroying Judah, what will stop them from next targeting Joseph? Or Levi? Or Gad? Or Dan? Or the tribe from which you descended? The truth of this is that Israel has been repeatedly attacked and murdered by one evil enemy after another - between communism and Islam, they should have died out long ago. But they didn't. They have not only survived, they have flourished. Why? How is this possible when so many have plotted and sought their demise? They are so much smaller than those who want them wiped off the face of the earth ... what has kept them so resilient? That one is easy: God. You see, unlike Jimmy Carter, I do believe that God, being on the side of Israel, is more than enough reason to support them. God has made it abundantly clear that He is madly in love with the line of Judah, and terrifyingly clear what will happen to anyone - including us - who raises their hand against His chosen. Face it, Hamas ... God has chosen, and it ain't you. But even without God, here are the facts: It is Muslims who have repeatedly broken the cease fire. It is Muslims who have repeatedly attacked - unprovoked, no less - the peaceful Israel night. It is Muslims who have made it abundantly clear that they will only be stilled when Israel is no more. It is Islam, people, not Israel. Israel has consistently gone above and beyond; Islam has proven that they will sink to the lowest depths. The writing is on the wall as to who is most definitely in the right here. I can read and comprehend - it is plain to see and time to choose sides. As for me and my house, we stand with Israel - not because we fear God, but because we love Him, because He loves Israel and because Israel is in the right. So given the recent - and fully deserved - response by Israel to that evil bombing by Hamas, I have these words: Ani itach Yisra'el - I am with you, Israel. And to the wretched Palestinians who continue to break the cease fire, I also have some words: Lech La'azazel - Go to hell. Keep the faith, bros, and in all things courage. Resa LaRu Kirkland is an avid military historian, with her main focus being on the Korean War and its forgotten warriors. She has been given many names by her beloved Korean War Vets, her favorites being "The Pitbull," "Rambo Brockovich," "Hellraiser," "Tiger" and "D-Day." This letter appeared originally on World Net Daily (http://www.wnd.com), August, 29, 2003.

TERROR-DEE AND TERROR-DUM: Dealing With Arab Terror Posted by Ruth Matar, December 24, 2003.

Dear Friends, It grieves me to watch Fox TV News today with the repeated warnings from Homeland Security, and the justified fear that there might be another 9/11 type attack. As an American, I fear as much for the safety of my brother's family in New York and New Jersey, and the safety of my sister's family, in Maryland, Illinois and Florida, as I fear for the safety of my children and grandchildren, who live in Israel. What is not to be understood is: How can the U.S. hope to deter terrorism when it itself is actively involved in the rapid establishment of a terrorist State? When the U.S. itself is undermining its own strategic posture by genuflecting to the Palestinian terrorist agenda? When the Bush Government speaks about the need for reform of the Palestinian Authority, no mention is ever made of the simple fact that every Palestinian political party is a terrorist organization. That every faction represented in the PA's legislature is an armed group, and that every one of the PA's "Security Forces" is involved in terrorist attacks against Israel. Not withstanding, hundreds of millions of Dollars in annual U.S. aid for the PA and President George W. Bush's support for a Palestinian state, the PA's message remains staunchly anti-U.S. A poll by Palestinian Media Watch indicates that Palestinian hatred of the U.S. is deep and ingrained. The poll found that 42% of Palestinians support attacks on American forces in Iraq; 74% said they had supported Saddam Hussein in the war; and only 37% felt the World Trade Center bombers were "terrorists". After Saddam's capture by the U.S., the PA newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Yadida wrote the following on December 18: "When the tragic fall of Baghdad took place and it became the second Arab capital to fall under occupation after Jerusalem, the traitors considered it an official holiday. This is your day, traitors. Dance to the tune of Bush's drums and time your prayers on Sharon's trumpets. But remember, that the Arab masses, especially in great Iraq, may have their backs to the wall, but they know that you are the enemy." In Kahn Yunis (Gaza) Palestinians demonstrated in support of Saddam after his capture, shooting in the air from M-16 rifles (gift from Shimon Peres) and burning American and Israeli flags. They also burned George W. Bush in effigy. President Bush and his State Department, keep insisting that all Jewish (not Arab) settlement activity in the Holy Land must stop. In fact, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer, (who frequently issues orders to Israel as if he were the High Commissioner rather than the U.S. Ambassador) has issued a dictate to Israeli courts: do not to let the fact that Migron has submitted documents proving that it is a legal community on Jewish owned Land, prevent its uprooting! Why is U.S. Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer focusing on Migron? It seems that he had previously instructed Israel Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz that Migron has to be the first Jewish "settlement" to be evacuated, so as to make possible a contiguous Palestinian State. It is difficult to understand President Bush's insistence on creating a Palestinian terrorist state in the Holy Land and thereby depriving the Jewish People of their rightful heritage. But, as it has often been said, in politics there are no friends, only interests. And unfortunately, the United States perceives its interests to be to placate Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Muslim world. But it is impossible to understand what has happened to Ariel Sharon, our erstwhile hero. He was elected by an overwhelming majority, because he promised security. But more civilians had been killed on his watch, than in all the years of Israel's statehood. He has undergone a complete metamorphosis. First he agreed to the "Road Map", which is even worse than the Oslo Accords. It is important to remember that the "Road Map" was NEVER approved by the Israeli Knesset. Sharon said that it was not a formal agreement, just a "direction" or a "frame", and hence there was no need to bring it to the Knesset for approval. Very clever strategy on Sharon's part. And now, his pretence is that the Israeli People have already agreed to the "Road Map"! He promised that Israel would not become another Czechoslovakia, and then he voluntarily agrees in his Herzliya speech in December 18 to "Unilateral Disengagement" and "Relocation" of tens of thousands of his countrymen. Ariel Sharon, why not be honest with yourself and the Israeli People? Why do you hide behind phrases that attempt to mislead the public instead of using words that we all know and understand? "Unilateral Disengagement" really means "Retreat" (and the first step of defeat is retreat) and "Relocation" of Jews means TRANSFER of Jews. Let Sharon's words written in the not too distant past speak for themselves. On September 29, 1995, an Op-Ed article by Ariel Sharon was published in the Jerusalem Post. The following is a reprint of this article in its entirety. SICK JOY OF RETREAT by Ariel Sharon Jerusalem Post, September 29, 1995. pg. 07 The foreign minister helps the Palestinians rewrite history. The writer, a Likud MK, is a former defense minister. I felt pain after the agreement was signed this week [Oslo 2]; pain caused not merely by the government's mistaken, irresponsible decisions, but chiefly by its ministers' devilish joy at the "defeat" of their foes - the settlers. A very premature joy, I believe. Sometimes, you have no choice but to retreat; sometimes you hold on to something not yours for bargaining purposes. But to give up something that's entirely yours with cries of joy - the joy of retreat - is a sick phenomenon. The devil's advocates like to make comparisons: distorting history, they have made the late Menachem Begin their symbol. At Camp David, they contend, president Carter imprisoned Israel's premier and his advisers with Egypt's president and his aides for 13 days until they reached agreement. But at Camp David, despite American pressure, the hours of sleep were normal, and Begin conducted consultations with his government every day. At Taba, on the other hand, Israel chose this mode of negotiations of its own free will, without outside pressure. And it surrendered, too, of its own free will. Today, through cooperation with the US, Israel can obtain almost anything it wants. But, instead of promoting the country's interests, the government is busy helping Arafat, despite his violation of almost every clause of the Oslo agreement; it works for Jordan's benefit; and it aids President Mubarak, even though he now leads the anti-Israel Arab bloc. The government hasn't demanded the release of Jonathan Pollard, nor has it pressed for the return of MIAs about whom Arafat has information. It refrains from demanding, in return for releasing Palestinian terrorists, the extradition of murderers who now roam free in the PA-ruled areas, or take short vacations in prison. Terrorists, murderers with blood on their hands, will soon be freed. That is the height of abomination. IN A campaign to mislead the public, Arafat's Israeli advocates claim there is no other way. They don't want a binational state, they don't want to rule over another people, they say. What do they really mean? Are they planning a divided Jerusalem? After all, about 150,000 Arabs live in the city. Do they intend to "transfer" 850,000 Israeli Arabs? We have never proposed granting Israeli citizenship to the Arab residents of Judea and Samaria: all have Jordanian passports. And there are other peaceful, acceptable solutions to the threat of binationalism. The prime minister continues to talk about the Jordan River as Israel's security border, and mentions the Jordan Rift. He should know what any divisional commander knows: To wage a defensive battle there, forces must be deployed to a depth of at least 40-50 km. from the Arava. For this, a permanent foothold is needed on the mountain ridge, and west of it. Even the Taba signing ceremony was shameful. Arafat, proud of his language, spoke in Arabic. Our foreign minister, a prisoner of inherent servility, spoke English. Nor can one ignore the minister's bon mot: "Two peoples born in the same cradle." As though it were at all possible to compare the two histories! The Jewish people settled in Eretz Yisrael 2,500 years before the Moslems ever reached it. That 2,000 years later the Moslems adopted our forefather Abraham as one of their prophets doesn't grant them preferred status here. Nor does the Koran, written a millennium after the Bible, and which never mentions Jerusalem, give them privileges in this country. Since when must an Israeli minister help the Palestinians rewrite history? This is a Jewish state in which Arabs can live in dignity if they abide by the law. They can, of course, practice religious ritual according to their faith. We shall never emulate Arafat's "Minister of Religious Affairs" Hassan Tahboub, who recently said, "Jews will not be able to pray on the Temple Mount, the Machpela Cave, or Rachel's Tomb, once these shrines come under Palestinian control." Hebron must remain in our hands: not because of the 400 Jews who live near the cave, but because of the 4,000 years of Jewish history; because of the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, that glorious monument whose like no other city can boast; because of David's kingdom in Hebron. Neither the Israel of the left nor that of the National Camp has the right to concede Hebron, Rachel's Tomb, Shilo, Beit El and Joseph's Tomb. Certainly no government has the right to give up the Temple Mount. Governments come and go, and so do generations: it is our great privilege to hold these sacred possessions in trust for future generations. We have no right to transfer them to alien hands. A note on the government's recent chastisement of Diaspora Jews: "You live abroad. Don't intervene in Israel's affairs." Strange. During Likud administrations, opposition leaders (today's cabinet ministers) made every effort to solicit foreign intervention against the government, including urging the US to reduce assistance to Israel. For decades now, I have repeatedly declared that Israel is not just an Israeli project, but the responsibility of all the world's Jews. What happens to Israel will affect the situation, even the destiny, of Jews everywhere. It is not only their right but their duty to make their voices heard. It is so very sad to see how Sharon has changed. I do very much agree with the last paragraph in his article, with one important addition: Israel is not just an Israeli project, but the responsibility of not only all of the world's Jews, but Bible believing Jews and Christians everywhere. It is not only their right but their duty to make their voices heard, because the current struggle is for the very survival of the Judeo-Christian Western Civilization against radical Islam. U.S. President George W. Bush may want to create a Palestinian State on covenant land for reasons of what he wrongly conceives as beneficial to the United States. Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon now believes in "Unilateral Disengagement", in effect retreat, because he has lost faith in the G-d given right of the Jews to the Land of Israel, or because he is afraid of the United States, and/or because he has just lost his nerve altogether. Both President Bush and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon are not able to see the larger picture. And hence, both are going against the words of G-d as spelled out in the Judeo-Christian Bible. As it is written in Proverbs 19:21: "Many are the plans in man's heart, but the counsel of Hashem will prevail." Dear Friends: What can we do? It would be most effective if you forwarded this message to your friends, acquaintances, President George W. Bush president@whitehouse.gov, and Vice President Cheney vice.president@whitehouse.gov. To get the email addresses of Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and your Senators and Congressman, call the Capitol Hill Switchboard at (202)456-6212 or (202)224-3121. They will even tell you who the Congressman of your District is, or transfer you to his office. In addition, I hope that you will forward this Letter to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at pm_eng@pmo.gov.il. He needs thousands of reminders from you of what he told the world in 1995 about the Rabin Government's "mistaken irresponsible decisions" to make agreements of retreat with the enemy. With Blessings and Love for Israel Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green) is an activist group of women, based in Jerusalem (http://www.womeningreen.org). You can contribute to them by mail by writing to POB 7352, Jerusalem 91072, Israel. Or contribute online at https://host5.apollohosting.com/womeningreen/donation.html

THE CURSE OF FLUENCY Posted by Rabbi Dr. Natan T. Lopes Cardozo, December 24, 2003.

LIBERATED YERUSHALIYIM, D.C. (David's Capital), FIFTH DAY OF CHANUKAH, Yom Revi'i (Fourth Day - "Wednesday"), 29 Kislev, 5764, (Gregorian Date: December 24, 2003) (Hijri Date: 30 Shawal, 1424), Root & Branch [mailto:rb@rb.org.il] [www.rb.org.il]: And the Lord said: For as much as this people draw near, And with their mouth and with their lips do honor Me, But have removed their heart far from Me And their fear of Me is commandment of men learned by rote. [Yeshayahu/Isaiah 29:13] Isaiah protests against a common failure in prayer. Prayer within the Jewish Tradition carries a paradoxical demand. There is the need to carefully follow the words of the prayer book and never to deviate from them while praying with great devotion. The sages, with their understanding of the human soul, were able to create words of prayer which could touch each human being in different ways and according to diverse dimensions of human nature. After the sages determined which combination of words were befitting this need, they instituted the prayer book. Still this was not without danger. Repetition of words can easily become learned by rote. The meaning and inspirational aspects of the words can get totally lost and turn into a mechanical performance. Scholars have called this "The curse of fluency." To deal with this problem the sages emphasized the great need for kavana, man's spiritual intent and concentration while praying in which one tries to touch the music of the prayer words. Without such an endeavor, much of prayer can become almost meaningless. Prayer with kavana has never been easy, even for the most pious. We all sometimes pray by rote. Prayer by rote easily leads to other serious problems. Worshippers may be so haughtily satisfied with ourselves, that we forget in front of Whom we stand while praying. We no longer speak or listen to God, but listen to ourselves. Our prayer becomes a performance in which we ourselves become the audience. At other times it may lead to a situation in which we do not even hear our self since our mind is somewhere else altogether. In that case there is no audience at all and the prayers end up in Utopia ("no place"). Not uncommon is the situation where a spirit of competition pollutes our prayers and we try to outdo our neighbor. This may result in a kind of game in which the real objective is to see who can pray more loudly or even longer (or shorter). We no more think of God, but of putting on a show for our neighbors. We may call this a kind of godless prayer. Besides the need for worshippers to use all techniques available to us to overcome and fight this problem (careful study of the prayers, meditation, singing,) it is also the task of the chazan (prayer leader) to save his congregation from these pitfalls. His task is to provide a living commentary to the prayer book while leading them in prayers. The intonation of his voice, his emotional connection with the prayer book and his body language, even facial expression, should give new meaning to the prayers and carry his congregation into a different mind and heart setting. He must try to create a revolution in the souls of all of his fellow Jews. Not only is prayer often reduced to this "curse of fluency", but also the reading of the Torah in the synagogue. Some "ba'ale kore" (those who read the Torah in front of the congregation) have become such experts and fluent readers, that they run through the Torah text with such an ease, amazing pace and lack of the slightest mistakes, that one gets the impression they are skating over smooth ice while their minds are altogether in a different world. Often their performance is made without the slightest show of emotion or connection with the actual text and one sometimes wonders when the "ba'al kore" will actually fall asleep right on top of the Torah scroll, since he seems to be totally bored. A Torah text must be read and rendered as a poem, with all the intonations and vibrations which are indicated in the traditional "trop" (the musical setting as stated by Tradition). The ba'al kore, just like the chazan, has to totally throw himself into the text and experience it as if he had never read it before. He must feel involved, accompany Josef in the prison of Pharaoh and travel with the Israelites when they find themselves in the desert on their way to Sinai. The Torah text must "hit" him and he should walk away from it in a state of exaltation, overwhelmed by its message and implication. Only then has he actually read it as it was meant to be read. It is the task of every chazan and ba'al kore to educate themselves and to discover ways in which they can inspire themselves and the congregation so as not to get trapped into this "curse of fluency". Prayer or Torah reading should be an experience never to be forgotten. Shavua Tov (Have a Good Week) and Chanukah Sameach (Happy Chanukah) from Yerushaliyim,

PITY THE PALESTINIAN PAWNS Posted by Michelle Stirling-Anosh, December 24, 2003.

Why does it seem impossible to make peace in the Middle East? Westerners naively think that all people in the world want to live in a democracy and enjoy the rights and freedoms they have. Perhaps all PEOPLE of the world do want this; but certainly few dictators do. No matter what they say publicly, most of the Arab leaders of the Middle East countries don't want a Palestinian democracy, because that might give their own people funny ideas. And that would probably lead to the deposing of the current leader, whoever he may be. So the Palestinians have become a convenient pawn for these nations and any anti-Israeli/anti-American movement within them The first and biggest culprit in the game is Yasser Arafat. Arafat is not even a Palestinian. He was born in Egypt. And while he may be emblematic of the 'terrorist who is the ultimate freedom fighter', look at the freedom he has won for himself and his adopted people now. Some freedom. He is now in a form of house arrest in Mukata - his 'empire' is in ruins around him. His people are now living from closure to closure and every terrorist attack by a Palestinian group which is either directly funded or given a free hand by Arafat's regime brings more and more sorrow to those innocent Palestinians who once lived a relatively free life, earning a decent living in Israel at a higher standard of living than their counterparts in the surrounding Middle East states. But by initiating the intifada, Arafat is still 'king'. How long do you think he would last if his people had a true free and democratic vote, and they were not threatened by the internal 'mafia' of the various terrorist groups? Yasser Arafat is a kind of "American dream" in the Middle East. In the Middle East, power is typically only conferred by power - either tyrannical rule - or through monarchial lineage. Yet Yasser Arafat, this non-Palestinian 'refugee', non-royalty, former peasant from Egypt once held the record for the most number of visits to the White House! He got the red carpet treatment in every nation of the world! He did what was formerly impossible in the Middle East. He overcame his class in this highly structured society. And he, like his ruling Arab counterparts, has no desire to see that power end through the creation of a democracy. For all the public talk about the "Arab brotherhood", we see little brotherly action in the Middle Eastern States. Following the displacement of some say a few hundred thousand to a half-million Arab refugees after the Arab-initiated war of 1948 against the nascent State of Israel, the "Arab brothers" of the region were content to force the refugees to suffer in camps. Now more than 50 years later, they are still there, there are many more, and since the mid-1960's they have called themselves Palestinians. By contrast, after World War II, some 14 million refugees were settled world-wide within 5 years. When Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien visited the Middle East region a couple of years ago he generously offered to resettle 15,000 Palestinians in the Great White North- and was soundly rapped for his insolence! The PA want their people to continue to suffer. And for all the talk of the Arab brotherhood, the people known as the Palestinian refugees today simply 'are not one of us', as far as other Arabs are concerned. For more than a decade, the West and other global states such as Japan have been actively financing the push for 'real peace' in the Middle East. To this end, Yasser Arafat has received more than 900 Million dollars from the European community alone. If one divides that sum between the highest estimated figure of Palestinians in the world (some say 6 or 7 million) that still means each and every Palestinian could have won the Lotto a thousand times. But that did not happen. The Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza live in poverty - they now even have little or no chance of working in Israel where once 100,000 of them worked. Yet Yasser Arafat and his high-ranking colleagues still have fancy cars and houses and Swiss bank accounts. And they are still getting money from you well-meaning Western tax-payers. For Gulf leaders who hate Israel and the threatening democracy and industrial success that it represents, Yasser Arafat is a great gift from the West. Here is a man who will gladly do their dirty work for them, and they don't even have to ask him to do it. He will ensure there will never be a democratic Palestinian state, so people like Hosni Mubarak and (until the recent Gulf War) Saddam Hussein could sleep at night, knowing their own sons will 'inherit' their rule. Despite Egypt's apparent middle road, Mubarak doesn't want a real democracy in Egypt. He has some 68 million, mostly uneducated people living on the poverty line. His country has limited industry to support them and many in the outlying regions live an agricultural subsistence lifestyle as they did thousands of years ago. Mubarak needs American money, so he is willing to play along with the West - to a point. But not to establishing a true democracy. Democracy would mean that women would have the right to vote - the right of choice. They might cause the same kind of revolution Canadian women caused when Nellie McClung and her colleagues won the right to vote. And now look at Canada - the country is wealthy, has one of the highest standards of living in the world, one of the highest levels of health and education...and yes, it is in large part due to the liberation and participation of women. In Saudi Arabia, women don't even have the right to drive a car. To a demigod, democracy is a threat. Saddam Hussein of Iraq and his cohorts certainly don't want real democracy. That's why there are so many terrorist attacks happening there against the Americans. The Americans are close to success - democracy is at hand. But for regional leaders, this is too much. Democracy is so - well - confining for a tyrannical leader. In a democracy they won't let you gas to death those citizens who don't like your tyrannical rule. Democracy makes the leader accountable. In a democracy you have to answer for the brutal treatment given to suspected 'collaborators'; you have to explain why you build posh palaces while your people live in poverty - and you can't just cover up mass graves of 300,000 people. Democracies are so...annoying. No wonder Saddam Hussein was happy to send cheques for $10,000 to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers. No one helped his regional cause more! Let's look at Syria. Bashar Assad, educated in England. Surely he shares Western values. Not really. He is the heir to the Allouwite 'throne' in Syria. The Allouwites are a minority who hold tenuous power over the rest of the Syrians. The country's main income comes from drug dealing through Lebanon where his army sits on top of that puppet government. Why would Bashar Assad want democracy? He would be voted out in a minute and once on the street he would suffer a violent end in vengeance for his father's and uncle's crimes against humanity. Why would he ever want to absorb Palestinian refugees? They are not 'his people' and their numbers, no matter how small, work against him. And we know how the Assad family handles revolutionary voices. They simply level the town -as they did in the village of Hama - killing some 20,000 people overnight. How about King Abdullah of Jordan? Of all the regional leaders, he would probably want some kind of democracy for the Palestinians, but only for those in the West Bank and Gaza. Some 80% of his own population is Palestinian; his own wife is a Palestinian. Yet he is a minority tribal leader - the head of the Hashemite kingdom. As for true democracy in Jordan? Very risky with the turbulent and violent percentage of Palestinians seeking revenge for 50 years of servitude. The Palestinians in Jordan tried to revolt once. Abdullah's father, King Hussein, ensured that the resident Palestinians wouldn't try to revolt again. He undertook his "Black September" action in 1970 (a series of battles which took longer than that month) - wiping out a few thousand Palestinian agitators and routing the terrorist organizations. Of course in a real democracy, he would never have been able to do such a thing. Saudi Arabia? Well, as one of the last and largest feudal monarchies in the world, which sits on probably the greatest wealth, the ruling class has no desire for change. The Palestinians are just another type of serf and they are certainly not deserving of their own state - especially not a democratic one. What message would that send to Saudi serfs? No, much easier and better to verbally support the Palestinian Authority to ensure that the conflict with Israel will continue; then those serfs will not rise above their station in life and they will not inspire anyone else in the region. Ironically for them the situation is about to boomerang as terrorist groups like Al-Quaida seek to capitalize on the dissatisfactions of the non-ruling Saudi serfs - attempting to destroy a corrupt monarchy and replace it with an extremist tyranny...but no democracy. The list goes on, but in most instances, the circumstances are the same. The Palestinians are excellent media pawns too. The issue gets lots of global airtime. Jerusalem is 'home' to hundreds, sometimes thousands, of foreign journalists. Since Israel is a democracy, the TV, radio and press teams have a great deal of freedom to report on anything they see, hear or suspect. The Palestinian pawns perform for the cameras without ever questioning why so much airtime isn't helping them get freedom and democracy. The little Palestinian boys throwing rocks at the Israeli soldiers believe they are fighting for their freedom, when in fact they are ensuring the opposite. And to top it off the Palestinian Authority has created an army of Palestinian suicide bombers. The cheapest military machine in the world. The suicide/homicide 'soldier' is trained/brainwashed within weeks, no expensive equipment required, and there is no expensive maintenance or rescue of the 'soldier' required - the blast is usually completely destructive. The outcome is lots of free TV coverage worldwide, lots of psychological impact on the enemy - and most of all, each bomber ensures that the enemy is also less and less inclined to want a democratic state of suicide bombers next door. The tyrannical rulers of the region (especially Yasser Arafat) couldn't ask for a better deal. People you don't like or care about are willing to kill themselves in great number, for a simple fantasy that a few charming "Jonestown-like" leaders can drill into their heads... and they are fighting your enemy for you, against their own interests! It's perfect! And is Israel the real enemy? No. The "enemy" is democracy. Israel's existence as a democratic state in the region has upset the balance by illustrating that democracy leads to change, growth, productivity and creativity. Democracy empowers the people. But of course if you are a tyrant, you don't want powerful people. You only want pawns. And well-intentioned, naive foreigners are both funding the on-going oppression of all of the region's people - none of whom have democratic rights, while with their anti-war/anti-America/anti-Israel messages (i.e. instead of 'anti-Saddam' or 'anti-Arafat' messages) are ensuring that such tyrannies and dictatorships remain in power. Tragically in all this, the Palestinian people are the pawns, as are those in the West who naively play along with this Machiavellian game. Obviously there are a certain number of Palestinians who are not suicide bombers and who may not love Israel, but they do want to have a real life. These are the Palestinian 'collaborators' - brave people who are really willing to risk their life for an ideal - peace, work, freedom - all for the price of telling Israel where the real terrorists are on a certain day or at a certain time. Many pay for it with their lives - and these are the unsung heroes that no Western governments, human rights agencies or left wing civil libertarians acknowledge or help. These Palestinians see the farcical reality of the situation and the hopelessness. Without their help in destroying the terrorist infrastructure, there will never be a Palestinian state and their children will have no future. They do not want to be martyrs - but more than that, they do not want their children and their nation to be hooked by the world's largest suicide cult into being martyred by Arafat, in order to stop democracy's spread in the Middle East. Lately you've heard that Arafat is diverting $100,000 per month to his wife in France....that he gives $50,000 a month to terrorist organizations. Are you surprised? While the West still naively struggles with its own disbelief that this Nobel Peace Prize winner is not acting according to their plan, Arafat and his tyrannical cronies laugh all the way to the bank as they walk down the red carpet to another international conference on making peace in the Middle East. "It's the occupation," they say. "It's the settlements. It's the assassinations." No it's not. It's the way they want it to be, forever. Read my lips. Arafat does not want a democratic Palestinian state. For what? He is not a Palestinian. And it would ruin his rags to riches success story - the only one of its kind in the Middle East. This first appeared on the Arutz-7 website (http://www.IsraelNN.com).

DILUTING THE EVIL Posted by Michael Freund, December 24, 2003.

It was a bitterly cold December day in London, the kind of day when even the thought of venturing out with the kids seems almost as daunting as the prospect of spending the day with them locked up inside a hotel room. So after some generous bundling of clothes, we headed off to what seemed to be the perfect family outing - an afternoon at Madame Tussauds, the world-famous wax museum known for its life-like reproductions of the illustrious and the infamous. Thankfully, the initial response was one of enthusiasm and interest. There was David Beckham, soccer legend, and boy did he look real. A line actually formed next to his figure, as fans waited to have their picture taken with this faithful reproduction of the footballing hero. Nearby, Superman was flying off to defend truth, justice and the American way, while an enormous replica of the Incredible Hulk looked ready to scoop up visitors in his vast, outstretched hand. Even the adults found it somewhat amusing. Check out James Bond, looking as dapper as ever, and there is Marilyn Monroe with her skirt flapping in the wind. And over here is Steven Spielberg, Charlie Chaplin, the British Royal Family and... Yasser Arafat! Sure enough, in the pavilion known as the "World Stage", the curators of Madame Tussauds saw fit to place a representation of the Chairman himself, where the man responsible for killing more Jews than anyone since World War Two shares the floor with the likes of Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Mahatma Gandhi. Apparently, the proprietors of this popular tourist destination, like much of the rest of Europe, make no distinctions when it comes to the good, the bad and the ugly. They evidently see nothing wrong with throwing together some of the world's greatest villains alongside some of its noblest heroes, ignoring the subtle message which this necessarily conveys. And yet, one of the biggest attractions at Madame Tussauds is the "Chamber of Horrors", a floor devoted to scaring the Dickens out of you by telling the stories of some of the world's nastier characters, such as serial killers. Obviously, then, the curators are capable of making basic moral judgments, i.e. that serial killers are bad. But anything beyond this most elementary of logic seems to leave them utterly confused. Hence, someone who killed several women will have his waxen image placed squarely in the "Chamber of Horrors". But when it comes to the man responsible for sending suicide bombers to kill Jews, well hey, they'll just put him near George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, of course. More astonishing, however, was the fact that there were people waiting to have their picture taken with Arafat's wax figurine, as though he too were a rock idol or a superstar. In utter disbelief, I watched as a Pakistani man proceeded to put his arm around Yasser, smiling for his friends back home as his wife snapped a picture. But before I could recover from this pitiful spectacle, I had walked a few feet only to find myself staring as two young British men took turns photographing one another, smiles and all, with none other than Adolf Hitler. Surely, I thought to myself, there must be some mistake here. How could the people who run Madame Tussauds be so thoughtless, so inconsiderate, so insensitive? Did it ever occur to them that they might be diluting the evil which men such as Hitler and Arafat represent by turning them into tourist attractions? Apparently not. Looking through the official souvenir guide, it quickly becomes apparent that Madame Tussauds could care less. After all, a two-page spread devoted to the wax figures of Winston Churchill and his arch-nemesis Hitler is entitled, "The greatest Briton meets his great adversary." Now, there are plenty of adjectives that come to mind when thinking of Germany's wartime leader. Evil, wicked, cruel, brutal, and vicious, to name just a few. But "great"? Is that the best they could come up with? And then, to top it off, the guide includes a photograph of Hitler staring at Churchill, with a caption that reads, "The man who tried to change the world and the man who helped to stop him." Call me oversensitive, but I generally associate the term "changing the world" with people such as Mother Theresa or Dr. Jonas Salk, not the founder of Nazi Germany. If you are as outraged about this as I am, then drop the wax-heads at Madame Tussauds a line at: csc@madame-tussauds.com, and let them know what you think. They should either take down the statues of Arafat and Hitler, or at least put a little more thought into how they are presented. Don't forget: millions of people visit Madame Tussauds (which has expanded to include branches in New York, Las Vegas, Amsterdam and Hong Kong). Who knows how many come away with jovial photos of themselves arm-in-arm with mass murderers of Jews? At a time when anti-Semitism is spreading across Europe, it hardly seems wise to glorify its most lethal practitioners. In this world, there is a limit to everything, even entertainment. And when it comes to depicting the killers of Jews, Madame Tussauds has clearly crossed it. The writer served as Deputy Director of Communications & Policy Planning in the Prime Minister's Office under former premier Binyamin Netanyahu. This article appeared in the Jerusalem Post and is archived as http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ ShowFull&cid=1072239532580&p=1006953079865

BEHIND THE SHARON "PEACE" PLAN Posted by Professor Paul Eidelberg, December 24, 2003.

This is going to be a short article, folks, if only because there's nothing behind the "peace" plan that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon presented at the recent Herzilya Conference - nothing besides intellectual flap-doodle and moral cowardice. Let us be honest, and let us not mince words - especially now, when the lives of countless Jews are at stake, and not only in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. Like more than one of his predecessors, the prime minister of Israel is a cross between a cretin and a craven. Do you want a more polite or sophisticated explanation of what makes Ariel Sharon tick? Sorry, there ain't none. And please, enough of that shibboleth "American pressure": no loan guarantees, economic sanctions, and not a nut or bolt in the U.S. military supply line. That's just the point. Succumbing to American pressure is precisely what makes Sharon a Lilliputian. You want an alternative to such pusillanimity? Suppose Israel had a Jew as a prime minister - and please don't remind me of Sharon's military courage. I'm talking about a different kind of courage. Suppose Israel's prime minister was a Jew - and what is a Jew if he lacks Jewish pride and Jewish vision? Suppose, I say, Israel's Prime Minister was a Jew - and perhaps it would be sufficient if he were just a man. Suppose he were to hold an international press conference, which of course would have worldwide TV coverage. And suppose he said something like this: "Israel is being blackmailed by the government of the United States - and quite contrary to the sentiments of the American people. While the government of the United States does everything in its power to suppress Arab terrorism in Iraq, it expects Israel to fight Arab terrorism in Israel?s own backyard with one arm tied behind its back. Moreover, and contrary to its own basic principles, the government of the United States is pressuring Israel to reward Arab terrorism by making tens of thousands of Jews homeless in what is misleadingly called the 'West Bank', but which every Christian knows is Judea and Samaria, the heartland of the Jewish People. "With all due respect to, and affection for, the American people, the Jewish State of Israel will not yield to the government of the United States, not as long as I am the prime minister of this country. Let it be understood once and for all: The birthright of the Jewish People, which includes Judea and Samaria, is not negotiable. The Land of Israel was given to the Jewish People as an eternal inheritance by God Almighty, and it is to the God of Israel, and not to Washington, that I owe my first and paramount loyalty. "Let no one think that Israel is helpless without the support of the government of the United States. Israel's military power extends very far indeed, and I shall not hesitate to use this power in the event that it becomes necessary. I know very well what the economic prosperity of the world depends on, and I can assure you that it depends on what Israel chooses to do or refrains from doing. "You will ask: 'But what about the Arabs in the so-called West Bank and Gaza?' If it comes to removing Jews or Arabs from this land, most assuredly it will not be Jews. A generation of Arab children have been educated to hate Jews and to emulate suicide bombers. We are going to put an end to this barbarism, and no one is going to stop us!" Unfortunately, dear friends, Israel lacks such a prime minister. But let us not be deceived by its current poltroon. This appeared today at the Arutz Sheva website (http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com).

INDIA AND ISRAEL TO SIGN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, December 24, 2003.

This is potentially very good news for Israel. I have in the past commented that we should refocus our economic orientations away from America and Europe and towards the East. We are much too much involved with the West economically and politically. This is not an anti-Western idea but one that acknowledges the fact that we need to off set the overwhelming influence of America on our lives. The Americans, and especially the Europeans, have their specific national interests and they do not coincide with those of Israel. The most common method to pressure us into accepting their interests over our own is through economic arm twisting. Having a more diversified export/import profile can greatly reduce the power of even very friendly nations on us and increase our independence of action. This news items appeared today on the Arutz-7 website (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=55003) (IsraelNN.com) India and Israel are likely to sign a free trade agreement during the visit of Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Arun Jaitley, Indian official say. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had expressed keenness on signing the deal with India during his September visit while addressing a business meeting in New Delhi. Israel already has similar trade agreements with the European Union and the US. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1992, the bilateral trade has grown five-fold reaching the $1.3 billion mark.

HOODLUMS ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT Posted by Steven Plaut, December 24, 2003.

This was written by Bruce S. Ticker, a freelance writer living in Philadelphia. It appeared in the "Israel Insider" (http://www.israelinsider.com) today. Another new low in the Palestinian struggle: A Muslim gets roughed up when he attempts to pray inside east Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque. This is no ordinary Muslim. He was Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, who visited Israel in an attempt to shore up peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians. After meeting with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the 68-year-old Maher went to the mosque on Monday and was surrounded right off the bat by a group of men belonging to a group called the Islamic Liberation Party. They called him a traitor and a collaborator, tossed shoes at him and pushed and shoved him to the point when he cried, "I'm going to choke, I'm going to choke." According to various news accounts, he appeared to be short of breath, was treated at Hadassah Hospital and left for the airport four hours after the attack. Reuters news agency reported that Israeli police arrested seven Palestinians in connection with the attack. So much for freedom of worship among Palestinians. More than 36 years ago, Israeli soldiers put their lives on the line in a war that the Arabs thrust on Israel and seized the Temple Mount, which Muslims call the al-Aqsa Mosque. Then Israel turned over authority to operate the site on a daily basis over to the Palestinians. On June 7, 1967, when Paratroopers hoisted an Israeli flag to fly over the Dome of the Rock, the first order from then-defense minister Moshe Dayan was for said Paratroopers to pull the flag down. The Waqf, a Muslim religious trust, was granted administration of and security in the site. Great security the Waqf provided for Egypt's foreign minister on Monday. In the let's-get-this-straight department, the Arabs wage war against Israel, Israel captures the Temple Mount and Israel swiftly returns it to Muslim control. Obviously, Dayan intended this as a goodwill gesture, but when have the Palestinians who operate the mosque returned this good will? This did not sound like a good idea. Certainly, Israel should treat any of its inhabitants humanely, but Israel also should have made sure to maintain its authority. After being attacked, Israel was under no obligation to turn the mosque over to them. I could see Israel allowing Muslims to worship there, but not to run the place. The Arabs have treated the mosque as a symbol of power and the front line in their effort to retrieve land they believe is theirs. Besides, what does the mosque have to do with Palestinian poverty, inconveniences and lack of self-determination which their advocates claim is the source of their frustration? Freedom and prosperity are good enough for most people, but that does not seem to be sufficient for them. Under current circumstances, considering the delicate nature of the situation, any attempt by Israel to reclaim the Temple Mount site will only set off more chaos, but Israel sure has a right to do just that. Maher's assailants desecrated a religious sanctuary and acted like hoodlums. In fact, they are hoodlums. If the mosque's operators can't control that, one has to wonder how they can be trusted to run it in the first place.

SILENT NIGHT - BETHLEHEM'S VANISHING CHRISTIANS Posted by David Frankfurter, December 24, 2003.

On this Christmas eve, I wish all of our Christian readers a merry Christmas and a peaceful, joyous New Year. When celebrating, I ask you and your friends to give a thought to Christians in Muslim countries who may not experience the same religious freedoms as we in the democratic world enjoy. Those in Jesus' birthplace, Bethlehem, deserve our special attention. I attach an article by a friend, Jeanine Hirschhorn, who lives in Haifa - a mixed city of Jews, Christians, Muslim and Druze, who live together in remarkable harmony. As people around the world celebrate Christmas, what will the Christians of Bethlehem be feeling? Silent Night... Bethlehem; It's the birthplace of Jesus, and the traditional heart and soul of Christianity. Bethlehem, historically a Christian city governed by Christians, and, with its sister towns of Beit Jala and Beit Sahur, the largest enclave of Christians in the West Bank. However, since 1995, when the Palestinian Authority (PA) assumed control of the city, Bethlehem has undergone stunning and disturbing changes to its historic Christian makeup and character. The Palestinian Authority (PA) has changed the city's municipal boundaries to incorporate 30,000 Muslims from three neighboring refugee camps, and thus severely tipping the demographic balance. The city has also added a few thousand Bedouins of the Ta'amra tribe, located east of Bethlehem, and encouraged Muslim immigration from Hebron to Bethlehem. Although there are no confirmed figures, estimates put today's population at around 120,000 people. From a 60 percent majority in 1990, the Christians are now a 20 percent minority. The purging of Bethlehem's Christian character continues, viewed silently by their disinterested co-religionist and largely ignored by a world media focused elsewhere. Holy Night... PA officials publicly proclaim their respect for Christian holy sites and institutions. But events have demonstrated that PA officials and gunmen regard Bethlehem's revered Christian shrines as little more than handy objects for political and personal gain. The most blatant disregard for the sanctity of Christian holy sites has been at the Church of the Nativity. The New York Times reported that: "Palestinian gunmen have frequently used the area around the church as a refuge, with the expectation that Israel would try to avoid fighting near the shrine." The Church was invaded in April 2002 by PA gunmen. They shot their way inside, attempting to evade Israeli soldiers who had entered Bethlehem to quell on-going violence and suicide bombings. This takeover was not an act of desperation nor did it centre over refugees seeking safe haven during the heat of battle. Over 100 armed and wanted terrorists invaded one of Christianity's holiest shrines, because it served their political agenda. As confirmed by Abdullah Abu-Hadid, a senior military commander in the Tanzim - a militia loyal to the PA's Chairman Yasser Arafat: "The idea was to enter the church in order to create international pressure on Israel..." The gunmen held the Church of the Nativity under siege for 39 days. They used the Church as a firing position on Israeli soldiers, who, respectful of the sanctity and reverence of the Church, did not return fire. Hostages freed during and after the siege reported extensive looting and damage to Church property by the militia. All is calm... Out of fear for their safety and to deflect the growing hostility of the city's Muslim majority, Bethlehem's Christian spokesmen aren't happy to be identified by name when they complain about the Muslim treatment of them. Those brave enough to speak out publicly risk PA accusation of "collaboration with Israel," subject to arrest, extensive interrogation, imprisonment, and execution. However, off the record, Bethlehem's Christian spokesmen speak of harassment and terror tactics, mainly from the gangs of thugs who have looted and plundered Christians and their property, under the protection of Palestinian security personnel. Examples of this are many and varied. Dwellings belonging to the Comtsieh family were possessed by a Muslim tribe from the Hebron area, and despite a court injunction in their favour, the land was not returned to the original owner. The head of the German Liaison Office to the PA protested against the turning of the "Talitakoumi" Beit Jala School into a base for terror activities against Israel. Women have consistently been abused, often leading to them becoming terrorists to save family honour. Bethlehem's Christian residents rejoiced at the expulsion of the gunmen from Bethlehem at the end of the Church of the Nativity siege in 2002. Residents told of a two-year reign of terror imposed by the gunmen that included rape, extortion and executions. The gunmen were described as a criminal gang that preyed especially on Christians, demanding "protection money" from businesses. "Finally the Christians can breathe freely," said Helen, 50, a Christian mother of four. "We are so delighted that these criminals who have intimidated us for such a long time are now going away." All is bright... Between the 1993 signing of the Oslo Accords and the 1995 transfer of Bethlehem to the PA, Christians lobbied Israel against the transfer. The late Christian mayor of Bethlehem, Elias Freij, warned that it would result in Bethlehem becoming a town with churches but no Christians. He lobbied Israel to include Bethlehem in the boundaries of Greater Jerusalem, as was the Jordanian practice until 1967. The situation for Bethlehem's Christians has deteriorated to such an extent that, during his visit there in March 2002, Pope John Paul II felt it necessary to urge Christians: "Do not be afraid to preserve your Christian heritage and Christian presence in Bethlehem." Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child... Accused of wearing "permissive" Western clothing, Bethlehem Christian women have been intimidated. Rape and abduction of Christian women is also reported to have occurred (especially in Beit Sahur). Johnny Talgieh, a 17-year-old altar boy, was fatally shot during an Israeli incursion in October 2001. His family erected a small stone monument in his memory on the spot in Manger Square where he died. The monument was kicked and spat on by gang members, then toppled with ropes and cables and left smashed on the ground. Holy Infant so tender and mild... In the town at the heart of the story of Christ's birth, increasing Muslim-Christian tensions have left many Christians reluctant to publicly display their faith or celebrate religious festivals, such as Christmas. Sleep in heavenly peace... Officially, the PA asserts its respect for religious freedom and responsibility to protect the Christian minority.2 Yet Bethlehem's Christians are responding to the PA's methods of respect and protection by fleeing. Those Christian residents unwilling or unable to flee know that they face an unpredictable future. If the Christian exodus continues at its present rate, the only Christian presence in Bethlehem may be foreign tourists. Bethlehem's Christian population may very well be consigned to a once upon a time Christians lived in Bethlehem historic footnote. Bethlehem's revered Christians shrines may one day become tourist curiosities, like the Nabetian city of Petra or the Roman amphitheater at Caesarea. Secure in societies that protect religious freedom, Christians around the world joyously prepare for the season of peace on earth toward men of goodwill. But for Bethlehem's Christians, given the realities of their daily lives and their uncertain future, the forthcoming Christmas season brings neither security nor joy... nor heavenly peace.

WE CAN WORK IT OUT! Posted by Ray Guenther, December 23, 2003.

It seems somewhat naive to me that someone would ask: "Should there be a Fence in Israel?", because it depends so greatly upon which point of view we take to begin with. If from a Palestinian viewpoint then obviously they wouldn't want a Fence period, let alone on which line the Fence should be built on. They would not even grant that one be built as a temporary solution, having little or no care for the lives of Israelis: witness their suicide bombers and the Polls which indicate the vast majority of Palestinians approve. If from an Israeli viewpoint, then we have an array of ideas which conflict in regards to a Fence and withhold us from a straight "yes" or "no". But this is an Israeli website and so I have no need to apologize for an Israeli bias and for coming to a conclusion which will greatly favor the Israeli people and Government! Some history please! Pre-Abraham, Canaan was populated by Seven nations: Canaanites, Perizzites, Hittites, Hivites, Jebusites, Girgashites and Amorites. After a success campaign under Joshua, the Israelites conquered and dwelt in Canaan until 586 BC. They were themselves cast out by the Babylonians and after a 70 year exile, were allowed by their captors to re-settle the land. They lived in Canaan this time not by their own Government, but under a Babylonian, and then Assyrian, and then eventually a Roman Administration. In 70 AD, the Romans this time cast out the Israelis and there was no Israeli population to speak of, and no Israeli Government until May 15, 1948 AD. The Muslims under Mohammed captured Canaan in the 7th Century, and this they now say is their land because of this victory. A Jurist once said practically: "Possession is nine-tenths of the Law," and this having due force in retrospect, gave the Palestinians control of the land of Canaan pre-1948. The United Nations arrived on the scene and mandated a slice of Canaan for Israeli possessio