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THE HOLOCAUST MYTH
Posted by Daniel J. Teeboom, December 31, 2005. |
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I sent this to the Iranian Embassy. So far I got no answer. Maybe more Jews should send such requests to the Iranian Embassies. Since they don't answer I would suggest we should visit them. What do you think? Like many others I was somewhat surprised by the words of your president Mr. Ahmadinejad. I can tell you that I admire his courage and his historic vision. That the Holocaust could really be a myth is the best news I have ever heard. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Since it is unthinkable that a leader of a country such as Iran would lie, I expect you will arrange the immediate return of the following family members: Clara Teeboom-Teeboom
Jack Teeboom
Jacob Teeboom
Levie Teeboom
Salomon Teeboom
Simon Teeboom
Isaac Teeboom
Marcus Teeboom
Mozes Teeboom
Louis Teeboom
Samuel Teeboom
Samuel Teeboom
Max Teeboom
Henriette Teeboom
Hartog Teeboom
Sara Teeboom
Henriette Teeboom
Jacques Teeboom
Rozetta Teeboom
Abraham Teeboom
Isac Teeboom
Philip Teeboom
Benjamin Teeboom
Elizabeth Teeboom
Joseph Teeboom
Hans Menno Teeboom
Philip Abraham Teeboom
Barend Hartog Teeboom
Hester Teeboom-Knap
Rachel Velt-Teeboom
Lea Teeboom-Koster
Gracia Teeboom-Rodrigues
Sara Reens-Teeboom
Sophie Teeboom-Groen
Rachel Komkommer-Teeboom
Jeannette Teeboom-Cohn
Mietje Teeboom-Roosnek
Vrouwtje Teeboom-Espinosa
Catharina Teeboom-Swaab
Adelia Teeboom-Wertheim
Margaretha Cohen-Teeboom
Dina Teeboom-Engers
Sara Teeboom-Smit
Rebecca Teeboom-van Thijn
Elisabeth Teeboom-van Kleef
Jacob Teeboom
Henriette Teeboom
Gezin Hartog Teeboom
Gezin Marcus Teeboom
Gezin Joseph Teeboom
Gezin Abraham Teeboom
Gezin Isac Teeboom
Gezin Louis Teeboom
Gezin Samuel Teeboom
Gezin Mozes Teeboom
Gezin Benjamin Teeboom
Aaltje Teeboom-de Vries
Weduwe Jetje Tailleur-Teeboom
Weduwe Vrouwtje de Jong-Teeboom
Alida Teeboom-van Dam
Leentje Teeboom-de Lime
Irene Teeboom-van Frank
Sara Teeboom-van Kleef
Gezin Joseph Philip Teeboom
Adelia Teeboom-Wertheim
Barend Hartog Teeboom
Dina Teeboom-Engers
Hester Teeboom-Knap
Rachel Velt-Teeboom
Gezin Aaltje Teeboom-de Vries
Sara Teeboom-van Kleef
Weduwe Vrouwtje de Jong-Teeboom
Catharina Teeboom-Swaab
Jack Teeboom
Thanks
D.J. Teeboom lives in Amsterdam. Contact him by email at d.j.teeboom@wanadoo.nl |
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CHANUKAH AND INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE
Posted by Gary S., December 31, 2005. |
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This was written by Larry Domnitch and was an op-ed piece in Arutz-Sheva December 29, 2005. It is archived at www.israelnationalnews.com/article.php3?id=5897 What induced Antiochus Epiphanes to attempt to eradicate Judaism? Some speculate that he had his own political motives. However, he initially had good relations with the Jews who had helped him take Jerusalem from his rival, the Egyptian Ptolemy. The chronicler of that era, Josephus Flavius, mentions that Antiochus initially granted Jews the right to keep their laws (Josephus Flavius, Antiquities, Book XII, chapter 3:3). He had also decreed that the Temple of Jerusalem continue to be respected by all as a Jewish institution under Jewish auspices. Furthermore, the attempt to eradicate an existing nation by outlawing their religious practices was unprecedented. One might presume that all of Antiochus' predecessors who had ruled over the Land of Israel, for over one hundred and fifty years since the conquest of Alexander the Great, had themselves imagined forcing Hellenism and idolatry, the universal creeds of the time, upon the Jews. All other nations readily accepted Hellenism, so naturally the question arose: What about the Jews? The Jews, for the most part, were left alone to practice their faith and live their way of life. The Greeks, initially on favorable terms with the Jews, had also understood that they were steadfast in their beliefs, and there was a futility of attempting to force them to accept other creeds and practices. However, as Antiochus Epiphanes ruled, the numbers of Jews who had embraced Hellenism were increasing. Those Jews, known as mityavnim, sought to popularize Hellenism among the Jews. The book of Maccabees quotes Hellenists who proclaimed, "Let us go out and make a covenant with the heathen around us." (Maccabees 1:11) Two brothers, both mityavnim and both heirs to the position of the High Priesthood, feuded for that position. One of the brothers, Menelaus, went to the Emperor, and told him that the mityavnim were "desirous to leave the laws of their country, and the Jewish way of living according to them, to follow the king's laws and the Grecian way of living." (Josephus Flavius, Antiquities, Book 12, chapter 5:1) He then proposed the construction of a Greek style stadium in Jerusalem, to which the emperor consented. When Antiochus eventually issued his infamous decrees outlawing Jewish practices, the Jewish Hellenists readily consented. "They [the mityavnim] profaned the Sabbath and sacrificed to heathen altars." (Maccabees 1:43) It is very plausible that Antiochus was influenced by the existence of the mityavnim, from whom he perceived that the Jews' tenacity and resolve could actually be broken. If some Jews could accept Hellenism, maybe they all could. However, the Jews proved him wrong. There have been similar situations facing the Jews in their history. Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, the Soviet regime had banned Jewish observances and closed Jewish houses of worship. Similar to Antiochus, their intent was to eliminate Judaism by destroying its spiritual sources. Jewish assimilation in the Soviet Union was on the increase. Furthermore, there was a comparatively small, but vocal, Jewish wing of the communist party, which in 1918 passed a resolution that called for "suspending the operations of Jewish institutions" within Jewish communities. A section of the Jewish communists, known as the Yevsektzia, also zealously aided efforts against Judaism in Russia. They helped the regime close religious institutions and informed on those Jews who continued Jewish observances clandestinely. The Soviet authorities were also no doubt influenced by the modern-day mityavnim. During the difficult years of Soviet rule, courageous efforts among Jews, who acted as modern-day Maccabees to persevere and preserve their heritage, bore outstanding results. Today, there are multitudes of dedicated and observant Jews from the Russian republics in Israel and in other communities worldwide. Presently, the world watches the nation of Israel. As nations line up to pressure and demand more Israeli concessions, what if the people of Israel held their ground? What if they categorically said "no" to a Palestinian State and to the pressure? What if they proclaimed that they have but one country, while the Arabs have unlimited territory? What if they stated that no nation can be compelled to facilitate the creation of an entity that will continue to oppose and act against its very existence? If the Jews were unmovable, world reaction might be different. Instead, President George Bush, Condoleezza Rice, the European Union, and various leaders of nations speak of visions of Israel and Palestine living side-by-side in peace, although there is no tangible sign that these visions have any value. But when many in the Israeli media and Knesset, along with American Jewish leaders, utter the same lines and espouse the same positions, what reaction from world leaders should one expect? Pressure! It may not be so much about George Bush, Condoleezza Rice, the EU and the UN, as much as it is an internal Jewish issue-of self image; of how Jews perceive themselves within the global community. Will events of the modern times compel Jews to seek to merge with the international community at the cost of imperiling the well-being of the Jewish state? Now is the time for modern Maccabees to stand up. Contact the poster by email at ahavat@telkomsa.net. |
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HUNDREDS OF BASSJI AND MILITIAMEN DEPLOYED IN SHIRAZ
Posted by SMCCDI, December 31, 2005. |
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SMCCDI (Information Service)
Dec 31, 2005
Hundreds of Bassji and militiamen have been deployed in the central City of Shiraz and its suburbs. These repressive forces are composed by the most brutal elements of the Ashoora and Al-Zahra brigades. Tens of residents have been arrested and many Shirazis especially women have been harassed for the same usual pretexts, such as, the "non observance of Islamic tradition or mandatory veil". Many of the regime's agents are involved in playing in maneuvers, such as, taking back the city from 'unidentified' forces by using guerilla tactics. Reports from several other Iranian cities, such as Esfahan, Kermanshah and the Capital, are stating about an unprecedented increase of repressive measures and arrests under various labels, such as, fighting hooligans and drug or alcoholic beverages smugglers. The unprecedented increase of regime forces in cities and their brutal behavior, acting most of the time like an occupation force, is showing the fear of the Islamic republic's leadership of future popular riots. Contact SMCCDI, The Student Movement for Democracy in Iran, at peyk@daneshjoo.org. Or go to their website: http://www.daneshjoo.org/ |
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HUMANITARIAN ISRAELI ROADBLOCKS
Posted by Barry Shaw, December 31, 2005. |
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For years Israel has suffered unfair condemnation for its roadblocks and security checkpoints. Much propaganda has been made in most of the Western and Arab media of the huge inconvenience these checkpoints cause to Palestinians. Over Christmas, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michael Sabbah, the Pope's representative in the Holy land and a rabid anti-Zionist, said "Nobody needs checkpoints in the Holy Land ". This thought was echoed by Cardinal Murphy O'Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster in London who suggested that these checkpoints had turned Bethlehem into a prison. It is time to give the Cardinal and the Patriarch a reality check. When the Archbishop wishes to leave Britain he is obliged to pass through a series of stringent security checks at Heathrow Airport. If he does not carry the correct documents he will be prevented from leaving Britain. I suppose that would make Britain a prison for the unenlightened cleric. Assuming his documents are in order, his suitcases and his carry-on bags must undergo a thorough examination including X ray machines. Then the revered clergyman must suffer the indignity of a body search. In America, he will be requested to remove his jacket and shoes. The process will delay the Cardinal for hours, much longer than his co-religionists suffer at Israeli checkpoints. According to his definition, he is, therefore, a prisoner in Britain. What nonsense! What nonsense, and how insulting that these gentlemen glibly condemn Israel for our essential security checkpoints. Our checkpoints are more necessary than any security delay incurred at any border between nations. This terrible truth was horrendously demonstrated near Tulkarm. Lieutenant Uri Binaro was blown up when challenging yet another Palestinian homicide bomber at a checkpoint. See this report: West Bank bombing: One Israeli was killed and three others were wounded Thursday morning after a suicide bomber struck at an army roadblock near a West Bank village in the Tul Karem region. Four Palestinians were also killed in the incident, including the bomber. Security authorities estimate the explosive device, which was particularly powerful, was designed to be used for an attack in Israel during Chanukah. The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. Thursday, after a Palestinian cab approached a roadblock set up earlier by IDF troops deployed in the area following an intelligence tip. The bomber disembarked from the taxicab holding a bag, spoke to one of the Israelis at the scene, and detonated himself shortly thereafter. The Israeli was killed instantly, as were the bomber and three other Palestinians. One of the injured Israelis sustained serious wounds and was taken to hospital by helicopter. The two other Israeli bombing victims were lightly hurt and were also taken to hospital for treatment. 10 specific terror warnings Security authorities deployed soldiers to perform spot checks after intelligence information indicated terrorists were planning to carry out an attack within the Green Line. Defense officials told Ynet a "highly specific" terror warning allowed troops to foil the planned attack. Currently, security forces are contending with 10 specific terror warnings and 49 general terror alerts. The brave ones, dear clergymen, are our wonderful soldiers who are forced to defend and protect us with their bodies and their lives. Yes, these security checks are a humanitarian necessity. They save lives. What would you say, dear Mr. Sabbah, if the next Palestinian maniac kills my family or my friends? That roadblocks are not needed in the Holy Land ? What would you do, Cardinal O'Connor, if the next Palestinian suicide bomber to hit my town of Netanya kills me? Barry Shaw made aliyah from Manchester, England, 25 years ago with his family. He writes the "View from Here" columns from Israel. To sign up to receive his emails, contact him at netre@matav.net.il |
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ARAB PHILOSOPHER: "ALL SCIENCES ORIGINATED AMONG THE SONS OF ISRAEL"
Posted by Monte Landis, December 30, 2005. |
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I found this quote in an old treasury of Jewish quotations: All sciences originated among the sons of Israel, the reason being the existence of prophecy among them. Monte Landis, Dean, American University of Metaphysics. Contact Monte landis at monte@montelandis.com |
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CHILDREN'S LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN
Posted by Faige Rayzel, December 30, 2005. |
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Evelyn Haze of Rachel's Children Reclamation Foundation is going to Israel on January 12th. She will be visiting the various locations where the evacuees from Gush Katif have been residing. She wishes to take with her letters of children/youth to the displaced children of Gush Katif. If you know of any school/teacher that would take this wonderful opportunity to have students write letters (It would be great if they were in Hebrew) and send them with Evelyn please let us know. Here are some suggestions to the students of what to write. These suggestions were used at my daughter's Bat Mitzvah. Her friends and classmates of PPY wrote letters and the letters they wrote were very heartfelt. Here are some ideas what to write in your letters. Anything is parenthesis replace with your own information. Feel free to write your own thoughts and ideas and/or decorate with pictures and stickers. Dear Friend from Gush Katif, Send letters to
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ARMED ARABS STORM RAFIAH BORDER, EU OBSERVERS FLEE IN PANIC
Posted by Bryna Berchuck, December 30, 2005. |
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So the Israelis are supposed to clean up the mess -- oh, they aren't allowed to clean up the whole mess -- just enough to calm things down in Gaza so the Arabs are only firing on the Jews and not on the European observers. Then the observers can get back to work. Doing what? This was written by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu and appeared in Arutz-Sheva. It is archived Anarchy in the Palestinian Authority (PA) spread to the Rafiah border crossing, which was closed Friday morning after European Union (EU) observers fled 100 armed PA policemen who formed a blockade. The gunmen who stormed the compound belong to the unstable ruling Fatah party of PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas. One of their members was killed in a clash Thursday between terrorists. After the compound was stormed, the EU's observers stationed at the crossing quickly fled the scene in panic while the gunmen prevented vehicles from reaching the crossing. The observers are responsible for monitoring the crossing and enforcing the agreement between Israel and the PA on live camera transmissions of border activity. The armed men refused to heed demands by PA officials to leave the compound, and the EU workers left out of fear for their lives. "Our monitors are now in the Kerem Shalom military base [in Israel]. When the situation is clear, and these people leave, we will go back to our work," said EU spokesman Julio De La Guardia. He said the PA police advised the observers to leave the crossing. As part of the deal brokered recently by American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Israel is barred from stationing live observers at the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Israel has accused the PA of often trying to exploit its control of the border to allow known terrorists to enter into Gaza and smuggle weapons. During the funeral for the slain policeman, relatives fired at a police station close to the house of Abbas, where the PA chairman's guards returned fire. Abbas was not in the house, but eyewitnesses said some people panicked during the shooting and tried to scale a wall. The incident was one of several on Thursday which pointed to widespread anarchy. PA police still are looking for a British human rights activist and her parents who were kidnapped by terrorists in Gaza. Kate Burton, 25, was showing per parents around Rafiah when they were taken hostage by a gang armed with automatic rifles. She has been working as a volunteer for the past year, according to relatives. Arab human rights groups demanded that the PA stop the kidnappings, which have become rampant. Two teachers were abducted last week by the terrorist group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine but were released several hours later. "The lack of action by the Authority against those who stood behind previous kidnappings encouraged others to carry out crimes of that kind," the Al-Dameer Association for Human Rights stated. |
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NETANYHAHU VS. NATIONALISTS; FALSE "HUMAN RIGHTS" PROPAGANDA; ARAB INTENT
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 30, 2005. |
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ISRAEL SEEKING TO CURB ROCKET ATTACKS Rocket attacks against Israeli cities are on the increase, since the abandonment of Gaza. Israel would like to curb them without having to send forces back into Gaza. Sending ground forces back in would show up the abandonment for the ineffective security measure it is. (Israel has bombed access roads, to no apparent effect.) It was going to cut off the supply of electricity to Gaza for two hours, but desisted upon realizing that the hospital there has no independent generators. (Nor would extortion work in an anarchy.) Israel is reduced to begging the head of Egyptian Intelligence to use his influence with the P.A. to curb the attacks (Arutz-7, 12/21). Asking Egypt to intervene is fatuous. Israel has asked Egypt for similar favors in vain. If the Israeli Establishment understood the conflict, it would have seen the obvious, that Egypt sides with P.A. terrorism. Egypt considers Israel its enemy, and bleeds it via proxies. It always has. Israeli leaders are deluded by treaties with the Arabs. The Arabs violate those treaties. Furthermore, the Arab republic would feel contempt for an Israel that is so weak that it asks for help in dealing with the P.A.. Israel's mistake in dealing with the P.A. goes beyond the article's note that when the rockets first were launched, Israel should have, and could have, sent ground forces to quash the campaign. The problem is much broader. The broadest problem is failing to fulfill Jewish claims to the territories and getting the Arabs out, but instead granting excessive autonomy and signing accords. The next broadest failure was not to declare war against the whole PLO and P.A., but just to respond to terrorism as if individual. Suppose Israel had declared war. How far should it have gone, in pursuit of the war? I don't know. However, it is an anomaly for a country at war to continue to furnish its enemy with electricity, among other things. Surely it could have cut off some services and excise tax revenues. You readers may be able to shed light on that. NETANYAHU MOVING TO QUASH SINCERE RIVAL Fresh from his victory as head of Likud, Netanyahu is offering his primary rival, Foreign Min. Shalom, the number two position. Both seem to want to remove their independent-minded, Moshe Feiglin. Min. Shalom followed Sharon's policies, but stayed in Likud, hoping to head it (Arutz-7, 12/21). In the four main parties, Feiglin is the only leader who is neither appeasement-minded nor anti-Jewish. He is a patriotic nationalist and Orthodox. He feels that someone who believes in authentic Judaism is best qualified to lead the Jewish state away from dependency, mostly psychological, upon gentiles, and therefore best suited to preserve it. I agree. Can he resist the corruption that most succumb to? PROPAGANDA BY ARAB "HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP" The Arabs keeping plotting terrorism. Israel keeps trying to apprehend the terrorists. Recently Israeli security forces raided a building harboring some members of the PFLP. Resisting arrest, the fugitives opened fire. A couple of them were killed in the gunfight. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights admitted that guns were found near the bodies. Nevertheless, it accused Israel of seeking to make arbitrary arrests and committing "extra-judicial killings." The center calls the justifiable arrest of terrorists "arbitrary," and when the terrorists are killed after having opened fire upon the troops, it call this "extra-judicial." Most unfair (IMRA, 12/22). It has no criticism for Arabs who open fire. ROCKET WOUNDS 5 ISRAELI SOLDIERS A rocket launched from Gaza landed in an Israeli Army mess hall. It wounded five soldiers. The Army reacted by firing artillery rounds at what it called launching sites (IMRA, 12/22). But the Arabs are firing their newly developed, longer-range missiles at the extensive oil and gas storage tanks in Ashkelon. A conflagration there, near a large population center, would be an environmental catastrophe. PM Sharon, despite having asserted normalcy in mentality, ordered restraint. He said he will try diplomacy against the P.A., which is degenerating into anarchy, cannot control terrorists, and has never reigned in terrorists but pays them to fan out. Diplomacy is a pretext for inaction. One means of restraint is that the Air Force is ordered not to strike at launchers until the crew has started firing. Since the most advantageous launching sites are in a small salient vacated by Jewish settlers, the air force could shoot anyone there, but they are ordered not to. (That may simply have to change.) Sharon's abandonment has subjected his cities to bombardment. His inaction endangers his people (Winston Mid East Analysis). My understanding is that launching sites are extemporaneous. Rockets are launched from one place one time, and from another place, another time. There are no permanent facilities. Therefore, there is not much to shell from a distance. The shelling is a charade for deceiving the Israeli people into thinking they are being defended. Far from discouraging the terrorists, the Israeli reaction signifies Israel's unwillingness to trounce a few terrorists. How long will the IDF charade go on! It must be difficult to be an Israeli Army officer and watch the politicians leading the country to national dissolution. The frightening aspect about Israeli policy is its unrealism, its pretense, and its subservience to foreign enemies and domestic self-haters. It is not informed, not reasonable, and not sane. THE KIND OF PEOPLE THE P.A. ARABS ARE A woman in the P.A. sent two sons to attack Jews. She gave military advice to one son. One of them murdered five Torah students. She was filmed expressing joy at her sons' sacrifice. The film made her a celebrity among the whole population, not just an extremist fringe. Academicians and other leaders of P.A. society praised her. Among them was Sari Nusseibeh, Pres. of Al-Kuds U. and often credited by the Western credulous as a moderate. She was made a candidate for the legislature solely for her ideological bent (IMRA, 12/21). Extremism among the Arabs is mainstream. Such a vile people cannot make peace. Democracy among them would do no good in the Arab-Israel conflict. Western religious and academic organizations considering divestiture from evil regimes ought to demand an end to donations to the P.A., that considers murder the highest virtue. ARABS REVEAL LONG-TERM INTENT Intel released plans to build a multi-billion dollar shipyard near its existing facility in Kiryat Gat, Israel. In response, two NGOs from the P.A. protested, making accusations against Israel and calling Kiryat Gat a "colony" (IMRA, 12/21). Kiryat Gat is in Israel, not the P.A.. By calling Kiryat Gat a colony, those NGOs signify non-recognition of Israel as the legitimate state for Jewish sovereignty. Thus while fighting to drive Jews out of the Territories, the Arabs are looking ahead, this protest being only one example, to driving the Jews out of Israel, too. The Arabs are engaging in total jihad. Whoever thinks that Israeli withdrawal from the Territories would bring peace does not understand the Arabs. As for colonialism, surely the Kurds, Copts, Berbers, Sudanese blacks, and others are entitled to bring charges of colonialism against the Arabs, if they dared. The Arabs are among the greatest colonizers in history. THE IRRELEVANCE OF THE UNO Secretary-General Annan said the Quartet is in charge of the "peace process." Egypt, S. Arabia, and Jordan will be invited to Quartet meetings. "'Egypt and Saudi Arabia and Jordan have played an important role in the situation in the Middle East, in fact on the reform of Palestinian security,' Annan said." (IMRA, 12/23.) Egypt, supported by Jordan, is Israel's greatest enemy in international relations and lets arms into Gaza. S. Arabia subsidizes terrorist indoctrination. This is not a peace process. The Quartet seeks only to weaken Israeli defense. P.A. terrorism has increased. P.A. reform has not occurred and the regime is collapsing. (What the Quartet called "reform" wasn't any solution.) Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. |
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THE INANE DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR OF A COUPLE OF INANE ESTABLISHMENT JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS
Posted by Jerome S. Kaufman, December 30, 2005. |
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This is re-dacted from an article in Outpost published by Americans for Safe Israel, December 2005. The immediate world is overflowing with anti-Israel fervor. Mainline churches embark on divestment campaigns. Moslems attack Jews, desecrate cemeteries and destroy synagogues in France. Anti-Semitism in England becomes virulent, the flames fed by its ever-growing Moslem population. Iran's President calls for Israel to be wiped off the map. A TV series based on that notorious forgery the Protocols of the Elders of Zion further poisons the Arab world against Jews. Opponents of the Iraq war, left and right, attack it as a neo-con (read Jewish) conspiracy to help Israel. So how does the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) address these extremely serious problems? By ignoring them, that's how, and instead attacking evangelical Christians, Israel's chief base of support in the United States, as the great threat against which the Jewish community must mobilize! The chutzpah of the ADL's Abe Foxman is breathtaking. What is the sin of the Christian right in his eyes? Why is it doing what the ADL and other Jewish organizations do routinely. As Hillel Halkin aptly observes in an essay entitled "Foxman's Hypocrisy," Foxman accuses the Christian right of pushing an "agenda on a wide range of issues, including judicial nominees, stem-cell research, same-sex marriage, abortion restriction and faith-based initiative" - each of them which happen to be issues on which major Jewish organizations have "again and again, fought for politically liberal positions." Columnist Don Feder reports that the ineffable Foxman in June actually wrote to the superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy demanding an end to the practice of grace being said-- led on a rotating basis by Protestant Catholic and Jewish chaplains before midshipmen take lunch. As Jews and Israel come under fire everywhere, this is what engages the ADL! Not surprisingly, the Union of American Hebrew Organizations, under the equally disgraceful leadership of Eric Yoffie, has trotted after Foxman, passing a resolution attacking the Christian right for engaging in political action. With chutzpah to rival Foxman's, it then passed a resolution demanding that the Senate reject Samuel Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the fight against anti-Semitism would be best served if the ADL and the UAHC went out of existence, given that both organizations actively promote anti-Semitism by doing their utmost to make enemies of would-be friends and natural allies. Jerome S. Kaufman is National Secretary of the Zionist Organization of America. and host the Israel Commentary website (http://www.israel-commentary.org). |
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AULD LAND ZION 2006
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 30, 2005. |
AULD LAND ZION This picture is worth a thousand words. It's from Chron Watch (chronwatch.com/content/contentDisplay.asp?aid=18692) 
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. |
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ARE THE PALESTINIANS DESERVING OF A SECOND STATE?
Posted by Dr. Steve Carol, December 29, 2005. |
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With the Gaza surrender/eviction plan complete, the foundation stone for an independent Palestinian Arab terror state has been laid. But why must the Palestinian Arabs be given a second Palestinian Arab state? They already make up some 80% of the population of Jordan, a nation created by the British in 1921 from 77% of the original British Mandate of Palestine which was to be the Jewish National homeland. Why must the Palestinian Arabs gain a second state? Why even the first? Must all national ethnic groups that want their own state and have struggled for them, get them in the name of self-determination? If so, why is there no state of Kurdistan? State of Tibet? Lunda state of Katanga? Luba State of South Kasai? Ibo state of Biafra? State of Azania in the southern Sudan? And a Tamil state in Sri Lanka? Why, of all the peoples on earth who have not yet been granted the sovereignty they have fought for-the Albanians of Kosovo, the Chechnyans, the Uighurs of China, the Karens of Myanmar, the Mizos and Nagas of northeast India, the Saharawis of Morocco, and the Acehans of Indonesia, to name but a few--should the Palestinians alone be universally acknowledged as deserving of a state? Should the Palestinian Arabs alone be acknowledged by many of deserving not one but two states? Thus far the historic record has shown a lack of Palestinian Arab ability to govern and police themselves. Recall that the Palestinian Authority has in effect governed Gaza since 1994, save for the 21 Jewish communities located there and just evicted. One important benchmark of nationhood must be the degree of difference from its neighbors, and the need for a state to protect that uniqueness. But the Palestinian Arabs of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, speak the same dialect of Arabic, share the same Islamic faith, have the same family structure, customs, dress, food, music and social values as is found in Jordan and Syria. Indeed, many have strong family ties to Palestinian Arabs in Jordan. The international community, nevertheless, expects all the forementioned peoples to get along with the nations of which they are a part - the Kosovars with Serbia, the Chechnyans with Russia, the Tibetans with China, the Western Saharans with Morocco, as well as the others mentioned above. Why not the Palestinian Arabs? Why give them now, a second state? The answer is simple: Arab pressure and global appeasement and capitulation. Dr. Steve Carol is Professor of Modern Middle East History (retired) and Official historian on The Middle East Radio Forum (www.middleeastradioforum.org). He is Senior Fellow: Center for Advanced Middle East Studies (www.cames.ws). He lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. |
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CAN THE U.S. CHANGE ITS WAR GOALS?
Posted by Dr. Steve Carol, December 29, 2005. |
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Democracies rarely declare war to improve the world. They fight to protect themselves, and sometimes to fulfill treaty obligations. But once a war is underway, free peoples tend to think things over deeply. Casualties concentrate the mind. We refuse to let our soldiers die for too little. America at war has lifted its sights again and again from danger, self-interest and self-defense to a larger, nobler goal. This has been repeated in our history, in war after war. At first, the thirteen American colonies made war on Great Britain to loosen the British stranglehold on American commerce and society, to secure the "rights of Englishmen," not to create an independent nation. Only as the war dragged on and costs and casualties mounted did public opinion swing round toward independence. In 1861, at the start of the Civil War, the North reluctantly made war on the Confederacy to preserve the Union. President Lincoln was painfully aware that, at the start of the fighting, freedom for the slaves would not have commanded popular support as a cause for war. Only later, as casualties mounted and blood ran in rivers, did freeing the slaves become one of the Union's ultimate goals. We entered World War I behind an idealistic war message from President Wilson to Congress to make the world "safe for democracy." But we really entered because of a dual threat: Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare against unarmed (then neutral) American merchant ships and the Zimmermann Telegram, a German secret message, intercepted by Britain and confirmed by Zimmermann himself, offering Texas, New Mexico and Arizona to Mexico if it joined Germany in war against the U.S. Only later did self-determination in Europe and the creation of a League of Nations become American war goals. In World War II we entered because we were attacked at Pearl Harbor and four days later, Germany and Italy declared war on us. As the war ended, democratization became one of our goals. Once the war was over, we spent years cultivating democracy in Germany, Austria and Japan. In Iraq, we went to war over the alleged threat of WMDs. Final proof of their non-existence is still not in. Many still believe, that Iraqi WMDs or their components were moved to Syria and Lebanon's Bekáa Valley, which American, Russian and Israeli intelligence agencies still maintain. We entered Iraq to battle terrorists. We continue to due so. The recent elections and the referendum on the new Iraqi constitution proves we are winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. Now, as in the past, US goals have shifted. We are now engaged in trying to promote a democratic Iraqi government, the first in that nation's history. If successful, it will have dramatic and far reaching repercussions across the Arab/Muslim world. Indeed already there are changes taking place. Libya has given up on its goal of obtaining nuclear weapons. The Syrian military has left Lebanon. Lebanese democracy is emerging after 15 years of civil war and 30 years of Syrian occupation. Democractic calls for change are heard in Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and even Iran. The U.S. has changed goals in wartime, time and again. This is perfectly natural and a result of the conflict itself. It is not some scheme to weasel out of the initial proclamations at the start of the war. It is the natural course of history.
Dr. Steve Carol is Professor of Modern Middle East History (retired)
and Official historian on The Middle East Radio Forum
(www.middleeastradioforum.org). He is Senior Fellow: Center for Advanced
Middle East Studies (www.cames.ws)
This article was originally published Oct. 21. 2005.
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WE NEED A FEMALE GRAND MUFTI
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 29, 2005. |
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It will indeed be a glorious day for all of Islam and the world when a woman is chosen Grand Mufti. The most oppressed members of this hijacked belief system are females, culturally inured to discriminatory sharia tenets that demand obedience, thus it would be so fitting for them to lift their burkas of oppression, at last being able to substantially craft equitable policies leading to brighter futures for all Muslims in an emerging new millennium. This is not to say that only Islam maintains gender inequality. A prima facie case of this affliction, to a lesser degree, can be made throughout our dysfunctional planet by simply counting the relatively small number of political leaders belonging to the less than respected gender. Males have historically been the dominating policy makers, perhaps due to a greater collective physical prowess, yet decent leadership requires cerebral and moral strength. Is there a 'disconnect' here? Might we attribute much of Earth's misery and inequity; including continuing genocides, never-ending wars, a disgracefully skewed global wealth curve, human caused environmental abominations, and an overall Kafkaesque collective waste of intelligence, as demonstrated by a muddled mankind's exponentially expanding weapons technology, to a male dominated species? It is not coincidental that a direct link exists between national prosperity and the promotion of gender equality. Israel, a tiny robust economically and technologically advanced democratic Middle Eastern State providing equal opportunities for males and females, is surrounded by many fundamentalist Islamic regimes that suppress females and not coincidentally their economic outputs as well. If not for prehistoric raw material wealth that drenches the barren deserts of fundamentally flawed Arab and Persian autocracies, such misogynist regimes would wallow among the poorest enclaves of the planet. The horrific scourge of "honor killings", sharia-justified murders perpetrated by close relatives against females of any age perceived to be "tainted" by voluntary or involuntary extra-marital sexual encounters even rape, is an extreme and perilous symptom of the diseased mindsets that afflict fundamentalist Islam. When and if the Islamic world and in fact all humankind comes to its senses, shedding skewed notions of male superiority, this wobbly orb we inhabit will at last stabilize, allowing our species to truly evolve and be worthy of its gift of intelligence. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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WHERE THERE IS NO VISION, THE PEOPLE PERISH
Posted by Lapidot, Talya, December 29, 2005. |
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Jacob Gurewich a former Irgun commander, and author of "The Enemy Within" (ISBN 0-9666398-2-0) and "Fear Factors" (ISBN 0966639839), who envisioned the Oslo Shoah, and the present dire situation in the Land of Israel, wrote the following--which in my view is practical. He may be contacted at jayc100@optonline.net Where there is no vision the people perish -- (Proverb XXIX:18) Rallies, demonstrations, whining and raising funds, are not the way to depose the pseudo democratic government of Israel -- who lead the State of Israel in harm's way. They cave in to Arab thugs in the Land of Israel, and to "allies" reeking of petroleum. It's a government of pariahs, from left to right who inflicted the Oslo Shoah on us, and banish the Children of Israel from the Land of Israel. They are the lineage of those who caved in to the evil British regime in the 1940s, and delivered our freedom fighters to the British hangman. They shall be remembered in shame and everlasting contempt! The only way to avoid another Shoah which is on the horizon is: To complete the liberation of the Land of Israel from the homicidal thugs, and expel the Arab murderers from the Land which is hardly a dot on the World's Atlas. Regardless of the inevitable ramifications, even if a confrontation with our own enemies within and civil war should come into sight -- so be it! Be wary, in view of the verity of the dire situation, we must expel the Arab murderers from the Land of Israel --or Arab murderers will expel us! The vicious cycle of the homicidal thugs: the Arabs' hatred of the State of Israel, of Christians and all infidels, will never break--it's hard wired into their brains. Ye'hareig U'val Yaavor! Despite the 22 Arab countries surrounding us, the world shall never ever see another Arab country within the boundaries of the Land of Israel! Contact Talya Lapidot at tal203@hotmail.com |
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THE IGNORANCE OF THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN. WILL THE NEW YORK TIMES apologize?
Posted by Mark Dankof, December 29, 2005. |
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This is a letter to the New York Times by Shirin Neshat of Sarbazan. See his website at www.alineshat.com/sarbazanmain.htm Dear Sir (s): I duly noted Mr. Thomas L. Friedman's op-ed piece to the New York Times dated December 23, 2005 and entitled, "A Shah With a Turban." Mr. Friedman is quite correct in his various criticisms of the Presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). Unfortunately, he displays an insulting and shocking ignorance of Persian history in equating the reign of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the Pahlavi Dynasty with the thuggery of Mr. Ahmadinejad and the theocratic Mullahs behind the latter's dubious election this past June. This is the obvious implication and intent behind his article's ill-chosen title. Mr. Friedman notes the repressive character of the IRI regime in Iran, and its systematic eradication of human rights and political expression there in the shutdown of reformist news publications and the disqualification of legitimate political candidates by the Council of Guardians and other totalitarian elements of the theocratic regime in Tehran. What he does not tell his readers is that he himself was a supporter of the anti-Shah student protestors in Washington, D.C. in the 1978-79 time frame, promoting and legitimizing the activities of the Islamic Student Association and Mr. Ebrahim Yazdi. Are you now happy with what you and Jimmy Carter have brought to the nation of Iran, the Middle East, and the entire world, Mr. Friedman? Or is it time to begin singing from a different page while disguising the ugly truths of the past with revisionist history? Mr. Friedman is a Jewish-American with very cordial relations with the government of Israel and the American neo-conservatives allied with it. Surely he knows that Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi's government enjoyed diplomatic relations with Israel that involved mutual trade relationships and reciprocal travel arrangements between Tehran and Tel Aviv. More importantly, the Shah was an avowed enemy of terrorist factions in the region that were targeting Israel, and kept Iran out of the political crossfire of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. How does this equate in any sense of the word with the provocative anti-Semitic statements and stated desire of Mr. Ahmadinejad to "wipe Israel off the map?" Or the documentation recently provided by Toby Harnden, the Chief Foreign Correspondent of the British Telegraph, that the IRI's newest excuse for a President is recruiting legions of Iranian children to be employed as suicide bombers against American and Israeli interests wherever possible? And is Mr. Friedman aware of the historic and ideological linkage between the Peacock Throne and the reign of Cyrus the Great of Achaemenid Persia 2,500 years ago? Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi was well aware of the role of Cyrus in issuing a royal declaration allowing the Jews of the Babylonian Diaspora to return to their homeland, a fact recorded in the Jewish Old Testament. He was also proud of the Declaration of Universal Human Rights issued by Cyrus on a cylinder now housed by the British Museum. This lineage has nothing, I repeat nothing, to do with the simian government of the IRI regime, or its Chief Baboon, Mr. Ahmadinejad, who was not legitimately elected--but hand-picked by the Supreme Leader of the IRI, Mr. Khamenei--and ratified by a transparently fraudulent electoral process. And now, people like Mr. Friedman are wringing their hands over the Russian-aided Iranian nuclear program headed in the direction of a full-blown acquisition of the nuclear fuel cycle and the enrichment of uranium. Does anyone believe that the staunch anti-Communism and pro-American stance of the Pahlavi Dynasty would have ever permitted this brand of Russian subversion in Iran and the Middle East to happen? The IRI regime and its President have wrought much for the world to see: economic stagnation; an 8 year Iran-Iraq War which cost over 2 million lives; the repression of human rights generally and the rights of women specifically; the implementation of a theocratically oriented, State-controlled educational system; the systematic execution of minors in Iran; the routine denial of legal due process of law for the accused; and the possible introduction of a nuclear conflict in the Middle East before the end of 2006. And all courtesy of the Thomas Friedmans and Jimmy Carters of the planet, whose role in pulling the rug out from under a true friend of the United States and the West, has introduced this great tragedy into the history of the world, a tragedy not yet fully unfolded in time. Shirin Neshat Contact Mark Dankof by email at hanselboys5540@comcast.net |
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HOLLYWOOD'S MISUNDERSTAND TERRORISTS
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 29, 2005. |
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This is by Victor Davis Hanson and it is archived at http://www.jewishworldreview.com/images/hanson.jpg. Professor hanson's article appeared on the op-ed pages of a number of local newspapers. It is an insightful critique of our current Hollywood trend regarding the Middle East, Iraq, and international oil-politics. When terrorism goes to the movies in the post-Sept. 11 world, we might expect the plots, characters and themes to reflect some sort of believable reality. But in Hollywood, the politically correct impulse now overrides all else. Even the spectacular pyrotechnics, beautiful people and accomplished acting cannot hide it. Instead, moviegoers can anticipate before the opening credits that those characters who work for the American government or are at war with terrorists will likely be portrayed as criminals, incompetents or people existing on the same moral plane as killers. Take this fall's "Flightplan," in which the U.S. air marshal on board and a flight attendant turn out to be the true terrorists. Meanwhile, four Middle Eastern males are unfairly put under suspicion in the lynch-mob atmosphere on the plane. The film warns us that the real threat after Sept. 11 is certainly not young Middle Eastern males on planes who might hijack or crash them into iconic American buildings. No, more dangerous in Hollywood's alternate universe are the flight officials themselves - who in reality on Sept. 11 battled terrorists only to have their throats cut before being blown up with all the passengers. A slickly filmed "Syriana" is the worst of the recent releases. The film's problem is not just that it predictably presents the bad, ugly sheik as a puppet of American oil interests while the handsome and good independent crown price is assassinated for championing his oppressed people against Western hegemony. Or that the conniving corporate potentates have big bellies and Southern accents while the good-hearted, sloppily dressed George Clooney is double-crossed by his stylish, pampered CIA bosses safe in the Washington, D.C., suburbs. "Syriana" also perverts historical reality. Everything connected with the oil industry is portrayed as corrupt and exploitive, with no hint that petroleum fuels civilization. Hollywood producers might not see many oil rigs off the Malibu coast, but someone finds and delivers them gas each morning for their luxury cars. And who are the really greedy? Do the simple arithmetic of pumping petroleum in the desert: After expenses of typically under $5 a barrel, rigged cartels in the Middle East - run by Iranian mullahs, Gulf royals or Libyan autocrats - sell it on the world market for between $50 to $60. They don't merely price-gouge Americans in their SUVs, but also third-world struggling economies in places like Africa and Latin America. Plus, in the real world outside Hollywood, does the United States really assassinate Gulf royalty who wish to liberalize their economies and give women the right to vote? Contrary to "Syriana"'s premise, the gripe against contemporary American foreign policy is just the opposite. Realists, isolationists and leftists alike damn the United States as naive or foolish for obsessing over democratic reform in Afghanistan and Iraq, pressuring Saudi Arabia and Egypt to hold valid elections and insisting that the terrorist patron Syria leave the voters of Lebanon alone. The price of gas skyrocketed after the American invasion of Iraq. And oil companies, especially French and Russian, were furious when Saddam Hussein's kleptocracy fell -and their sweetheart deals were nullified by a new democratic Iraqi government. Moral equivalence is perhaps the most troubling of Hollywood's postmodern pathologies - or the notion that each side that resorts to violence is of the same ethical nature. Steven Spielberg best summed up the theme of his recently released film about the 1972 murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics and the subsequent Israeli hunt of the perpetrators: "A response to a response doesn't really solve anything. It just creates a perpetual-motion machine." Spielberg's "Munich" assumes just such a false symmetry between the killers who murdered the innocent athletes and the Israeli agents who hunted them down - each in their own way victimized and caught in a cycle of "perpetual" violence. Lost in this pop moralizing is the reality of 1972, when none of Israel's neighbors were willing to accept the existence of the Jewish state within even its original borders. Then there was no chance that Israeli agents would storm an Olympic event and murder athletes - but every probability that the Soviet bloc, Western Europeans and Middle East autocracies would never hunt down international terrorists who had done so to Israelis. Actors, producers, screenwriters and directors of Southern California live in a bubble, where coast, climate and plentiful capital shield the film industry from the harsh world. In their good intentions, these tanned utopians can afford to dream away fascist killers and instead rail at Western bogeymen - even in the midst of a global war against Middle East jihadists who wish to trump what they wrought at the World Trade Center and Pentagon. If Hollywood wants to know why attendance is down, it is not just the misdemeanor sin of warping reality but the artistic felony that it does so in such a predictable manner.
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TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO RECALL FREED TERRORIST'S CRIME
Posted by Shaul and Aviva Shaul, December 29, 2005. |
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This was written by by Jonathan Gurwitz and it appeared in Jewish World Review (www.JewishWorldReview.com) Jonathan Gurwitz, a columnist for the San Antonio Express-News, is a co-founder and twice served as Director General of the Future Leaders of the Alliance program at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. In 1986 he was placed on the Foreign Service Register of the U.S. State Department. Unless you're in the Navy or have an exceptionally good memory, chances are you don't know who Petty Officer Robert Dean Stethem is. Let me tell you a very little bit about him. To do so, I have to take you back. Back, before the beheadings in Iraq; before 9-11; before the attack on the USS Cole; before the attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania; before the Khobar towers bombing; before the first attempt on the World Trade Center; before the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland; before bombings in Germany, Greece, Italy and Austria; and before the hijacking of the Achille Lauro. And I'll begin at the end of his life, on June 15, 1985. Stethem, a Navy diver, was returning from an assignment in the Middle East when terrorists hijacked his flight. The members of Hezbollah singled out Stethem because he was an American serviceman. They bound his arms with an electrical cord and beat him mercilessly. Twenty years ago and again last week, my Express-News colleague Roddy Stinson wrote columns in which he drew upon an Associated Press account of Stethem's torture. "'I could hear the slapping of the pistol,'" said former hostage William Berry. "'I heard screams as he was hit. There were no words. It was like someone was beating a dog.'" After hours of this savage treatment, they shot Stethem in the head and dumped his mutilated body on the tarmac at the Beirut airport. Stethem was 23. The Navy awarded him the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. In 1987, German authorities caught one of the hijackers of Stethem's flight. They arrested Mohammed Ali Hamadi at the Frankfurt airport carrying liquid explosives in his luggage. Germany denied a U.S. request to extradite Hamadi for prosecution. In 1989, a Frankfurt court gave Hamadi a life sentence for Stethem's murder. In Germany, however, a life sentence means prison time of between 20 and 25 years with the possibility of parole after 15 years. Last week, Hamadi walked out of prison a free man. The German government rebuffed continued American requests for extradition and a personal plea from Attorney General Alberto Gonzales not to release him early. He boarded a flight to the Beirut airport where, after a brief detention, he disappeared. "Just to see him free slays us," Richard Stethem, the seaman's father, told the Washington Times. Robert Stethem was not the first American victim of Islamic terrorism. But his murder 20 years ago was surely a sign of things to come. And the German government's decision to set his killer free is a guarantee that -- in Europe at least -- past is prologue. What makes Hamadi's freedom all the more galling is that only days earlier, the execution of Stanley "Tookie" Williams had Europeans lecturing the United States about the supposed superiority of their sense of justice. The cold-blooded killer of four people, Williams was feted in Europe -- as well as in Hollywood and academia -- as a Nobel Peace Prize candidate and a children's book author. It's a curious morality that deplores the death of an American murderer and sanctions the freedom of the murderer of an American. Whatever may be said of Williams' execution, he -- unlike Hamadi -- will never kill again. "What I can assure anybody who's listening, including Mr. Hamadi," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said last week, "is that we will track him down. We will find him. And we will bring him to justice in the United States for what he's done." For 16 years after the murder of Stethem, that would properly have been considered an idle threat. Today it is not. I have never forgotten Stethem or the pictures of his boyish face that I saw that summer in 1985. I have never forgotten, and the nation should never forget, what the terrorists did to him or to the other largely nameless American victims of terror. Nor should we ever forget the weakness and appeasement that sets terrorists free to kill again. Contact Shaul and Aviva Ceder at ceder@netvision.net.il |
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IS THERE ANY STRONG FEAR OF G-D IN ISRAEL'S SOCIETY TODAY?
Posted by Women in Green, December 29, 2005. |
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This was written by Jay Willem van der Hoeven of the International Christian Zionist Center in Jerusalem. Is there any sense of G-d judging in the end every man and woman according to His holy standards and NOT according to the 'progressed opinion' of today's Judeo-Christian world? If G-d truly is the holy and supreme Being He says He is, then we soon will be in trouble for ignoring Him and even contradicting Him to our own peril and danger! Take for instance the recent tragedy of Gush Katif brought upon the courageous people of those communities by the policies of the United States and a corrupted Israeli government. Many of the victims were some of the best, truly-believing community members of Israeli Jews. They had lived there for decades. Not only were their lovingly-built homes and synagogues destroyed by the cruel wish and policy of these nations, but at the same time the coherence of their family life, faith and livelihood was destroyed. This today has left some of these ravished and deeply-sorrowful people wondering where is the G-d to Whom they so faithfully prayed, and upon Whom they hoped for a last-minute miracle and redemption. In short: in the cruel inhumane expulsion of these truly G-d-believing Israeli Jews, not only were they trampled down; so too was the Name of their G-d, the Almighty One. In this way the "disengagement" was truly, as orthodox Jews would say, Hilul Hashem - a desecration of His Name. I therefore strongly believe that G-d will answer this vilification of His Name by the vindication of His Name - for the honor and sake of His great Name! His answer will come, not only in defense of His people who suffered such incredible sorrow and loss at the hands of the U.S. and Israeli governments, but in defense of His Name which literally was put into the mud together with His people's homes and places of prayer when they were destroyed. And this desecration was witnessed on television by the whole world! Gentiles across the globe saw multitudes of Jews praying, hoping and crying out for G-d's intervention. Then they watched them being pushed from their homes and onto buses while still - holding in their hands their prayer books - they prayed and called upon the Name of G-d. If G-d will not answer their cries and the cries of these their young ones who have been drifting aimlessly these last months stuffed into hotel rooms all over Israel without the coherence of the orderly family lives they once knew - if G-d will not answer their cry, then the biggest loser of this whole sordid calamity will be G-d Himself. His Name and character have been found wanting. He failed to answer the cries of His own people, who believed in Him, trusting Him for a late miracle. It seems to them that nothing happened. At least not at that time. Yet G-d did answer their anguished and fervent cry and prayers. Less than a week after this horrible expulsion, the U.S. suffered one of its worst hurricane disasters in history when Katrina hit New Orleans and surroundings. Then Wilma struck, and who knows what else will follow for G-d to make His message clear to the U.S. administration, to President George W. Bush and Condoleezza Rice: that they - by their policy against G-d's wish for His people - are on a disastrous collision course with G-d almighty, the G-d of Israel, the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Himself! And if what we have already seen is what had to happen, by the will of G-d to the United States, what then will happen to the people responsible for this Hilul Hashem here in Israel? G-d will answer the cries, the weeping of His people. Of that I am sure. And His answer will be shocking in its firmness and severity, for it concerns the holiness of His Name and character which suffered such a trampling underfoot by the will of self-wise human governments. For this, because He is G-d, the Holy One of Israel, there will be an answer - His answer - not only in the States but also here in Israel. And it may well come soon! Amazingly appropriate therefore the words in the book of Job seem to be when it says: From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind. He scatters His bright clouds and they swirl about, being turned by His guidance, that they may do whatever He commands them on the face of the whole earth. He causes it to come, whether for correction, or for His land, or for mercy. (Job 37:9-13) It will be for the unity of His land and out of His mercy for those who have wept and prayed - Jews and Christians - that the living God of Israelis acting and will act. Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org |
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THE BEARS FROM BERGENFIELD
Posted by Claire Ginsburg Goldstein, December 29, 2005. |
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We surpassed 26,000 today and now we are close to 27,000 in 3 years. This was edited by Shmuel Greenbaum. The original appeared in www.traditionofkindness.org/ Three years ago, I told my children that I thought it would be a great idea to have the kids I teach at our school make pins for children who are victims of terror in Israel. My son, Sam, who was almost eleven at the time, and a student at our school, thought it would be better to send teddy bears. I mentioned Sam's idea to my class, and within a week we had our first donation, a "Build a Bear," from the "Build a Bear" teddy bear shop at a nearby mall. After that first donation, I found a free way to advertise; a community leader taught me how to post messages to local e-mail groups. During the next several weeks the donations of stuffed toys started pouring in. I wondered, "How often would I be allowed to send emails to the same e-mail lists?" "Who would help me spread the word?" "Would the newspapers publicize the project?" These were questions that were flooding my mind. I certainly hoped that I would find help. It was not long before help arrived. I had heard about a woman named Sharon Evans, whose daughter, Monique was wounded in a terrorist attack. Sharon had been speaking in my community about her new organization, Adopt A Family, which was trying to provide financial support to families who are victims of terror. A friend told me that Sharon was leaving soon for Israel and gave me her cell phone number. I called her and told her that we needed help bringing our bears to Israel and distributing them. She told me to meet her at JFK's, King David lounge. I asked her if my daughter, Shira, could come and interview her daughter, Monique, who had barely survived a terrorist attack. Shira, helped me pack more than thirty bears into a duffel bag, along with our first donated "Build a Bear" and together, Shira and I and our first thirty teddy bears drove off to JFK to meet Sharon and Monique. We spent an hour together and discussed how we could get my family's project, "Bears from Bergenfield," off the ground. As Shira and I handed over the "Build a Bear" to Monique, we asked Sharon and Monique, if they could hook us up with an organization that could distribute teddy bears to victims of terror. Sharon immediately made a call to Jerusalem to Yeshara Gold, the director of Kids for Kids. Yeshara told us to send the toys and her organization would distribute them to needy children. That was almost three years ago. This week alone, a week before Chanukah 2005, we have already sent out 23 laundry bags, duffels and boxes to Israel, which totals a few thousand toys. We just finished shipping over 2000 stuffed toys to the Gush Katif children through Rabbi Pesach Lerner's (executive director of NCSY), 7 lifts. Presently, in Israel, we give to 15 hospitals, 5 organizations that assist terror victims, 2 shelters for abused women, orphanages, a Jewish community center in Haifa for impoverished children, and any other place that would like to receive from us. To date, Bears from Bergenfield, has collected close to 26,000 new and slightly used stuffed animals and teddy bears and we see no end in sight. We collect throughout the United States and hope to expand this venture to Canada and England and anywhere where people would like to join us. Claire Ginsburg Goldstein's 7th grade religious school class at Congregation Beth Israel of Bergenfield runs this program. For further information contact Claire Ginsburg Goldstein at lgcg98@aol.com |
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE GAZA KIDNAPPING
Posted by NGO Monitor, December 29, 2005. |
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According to news reports, Kate Burton was working for the extremist Palestinian NGO known as al-Mezan, based in Gaza, when she was kidnapped with her parents by gunmen on December 28. NGO Monitor's profile of al-Mezan provides the following information: * Located in Jabalia Refugee Camp, near Rafah in Gaza [Editor's note: They were freed two days later. They were held by a new entry in the overcrowded field of Middle East terrorist gangs -- the Brigades of the Mujahideen-Jerusalem. It said they were freed "as a gesture of goodwill." The gang wanted Israel to end its "no-go zone", (which was set up to stop the missiles), free prisoners, pull back troops, and stop assassinating militant leaders. Apparently, these tactics have been effective. Interestingly enough, they did not ask for resumption of peace talks, signing paper, or any other meaningless gesture when it comes to fighting terrorists. They threatened to kidnap EU monitors of Palestinian elections due this month if these demands were not met.] NGO Monitor provides information and independent analysis on the activities and agendas of non-governmental organizations operating in the Middle East, with updates to over 7300 subscribers, and 150,000 monthly internet visits. To join the mailing list or further information, send email addresses to mail@ngo-monitor.org |
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ARE 500,000 KEYS TO PARADISE ENOUGH? GERMANY "CONFRONTS" AHMADINEJAD
Posted by Shaul and Aviva Ceder, December 29, 2005. |
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This was written by Matthias Küntzel and appeared in the
Transatlantic Intelligencer today.
December 27, 2005.
(www.trans-int.com/blog/authors/3-Matthias-Kuentzel)
It was translated from the German by Transatlantic Intelligencer.
In pondering the behavior of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, I cannot help but think of the 500,000 plastic keys that Iran imported from Taiwan during the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-88. At the time, an Iranian law laid down that children as young as 12 could be used to clear mine fields. Before every mission, a plastic key would be hung around each of the children's necks. It was supposed to open for them the gates to paradise. The "child-martyrs" belonged to the so-called "Basij" movement created by the Ayatollah Khomeini. The Basij Mostazafan -- the "mobilization of the oppressed" -- were volunteers of all ages that embraced death with religious enthusiasm. They provided the model for the first Hezbollah suicide bombers in Lebanon. To this day, they remain a kind of SA of the Islamic revolution. Sometimes they serve as a "vice squad", monitoring public morals; sometimes they rage against the opposition -- as in 1999, when they were used to break the student movement. At all times, they celebrate the cult of self sacrifice. Ahmadinejad forms part of the first generation of Basiji militants and still today he is often to be seen wearing a Basiji uniform. He would like to bring about a renaissance of the Basiji culture of the 1980s -- in order, among other things, to combat the burgeoning Western-oriented youth movement that has, for instance, given rise to some 700,000 weblogs in the last years. Thus Ahmadinejad made a personal appeal this year for Iranians to participate in the annual "Basiji Week" that took place in late November. According to a report in the newspaper Kayan, some 9 million Basiji heeded the call, "forming a human chain some 8,700 kilometers long in which President Ahmadinejad also took part. In Tehran alone, some 1,250,000 people were mobilized." (Cited in Wahied Wahdat-Hagh, "Bassiji: die revolutionäre Miliz des Iran", on MEMRI Deutschland.) Ahmadinejad used the occasion to praise the "Basij culture and the Basij power" with which -- Iran today makes its presence felt on the international and diplomatic level". Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, Chair of the Guardian Council, went so far as to describe the very existence of Iran's nuclear program as "a triumph of the young people who serve the Basij movement and possess the Basiji-psyche and Basiji-culture." He added: "We need an army of 20 million Basiji. Such an army must be ready to live for God, to die along the way of God, and to conduct Jihad, in order to please God." Is the Iranian population being thus prepared for the announced nuclear war against Israel? Three years ago, the then Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani explained that a single atom bomb used against Israel "would leave nothing on the ground", whereas the damage done by a possible retaliatory strike would be limited (source: MEMRI Special Dispatch, 3 January 2002). Even with a million dead, the Islamic world would survive, whereas Israel would be destroyed. Thus the logic of Rafsanjani's argument. It is this murderous calculation -- the sort of calculation that lies at the base of every suicide attack -- that distinguishes the atomic ambitions of Iran from the interests of all existing nuclear powers. If there is a western nation today that has the means to confront such madness with effective sanctions, it is Germany. For the last 25 years, the German government has offered its good offices to the anti-Semitic Mullahs in Tehran with a shamelessness unrivalled by any other western government. In 1984, Hans-Dietrich Genscher was the first western Foreign Minister to pay his respects to the Mullah regime. Ten years later, Germany's federal intelligence service, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), trained Iranian intelligence agents in Munich. (See Arthur Heinrich, "Zur Kritik des 'kritischen Dialogs'", Blätter für deutsche und internationale Politik, May 1996.) And whereas since 1995 American firms are prohibited from trading with Iran, Germany will, in the words of Werner Schoeltzke of the German Near and Middle East Association, "remain the preferred technology partner of Iran also in the years to come" (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 5 December 2003). Germany is today by far the most important supplier of goods to Iran and its exports are increasing at a steady 20% per year. In 2004, German exports to Iran were worth some 3.6 billion Euros. At the same time, Germany is the most important purchaser of Iranian goods apart from oil and Iran's most important creditor. Since, however, Ahmadinejad provided the world with such a stark reminder of the ideological foundations of the Mullah-dictatorship -- Holocaust denial, anti-Semitism, and the destruction of Israel -- Berlin is in a tight spot. On the one hand, Berlin would not like to put in danger Germany's special relationship with Tehran. On the other hand, it does not look particularly good when the country from which came the Holocaust practitioners now collaborates with the regime of the Holocaust deniers. On 11 December, Germany's new deputy Chancellor, Franz Müntefering of the SPD, indicated the way out of this dilemma: "Berlin Demands a 'Reaction' to Ahmadinejad" ran the headline in the following day's edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (12 December 2005). This sounded surprisingly forceful. But whoever read the small type quickly understood the actual meaning of the headline: -- Berlin demands a 'reaction' to Ahmadinejad from everyone else". The deputy Chancellor was cited as follows: "We cannot do it alone. Rather this has to be frankly discussed in the framework of the European Community and it must in the clearest possible terms be discussed in the framework of the United Nations". Excuse me? Germany can do nothing on its own? Only the German government can abrogate the 2002 investment agreement between German and Iran. Only Berlin can terminate the "Hermes" export credit guarantees that offer Iran advantages beyond almost any other country. As a consequence of the "Hermes" guarantees, the German state takes over all the specific risks connected with exports to Iran. Already in 1992, exports to Iran enjoyed the second highest level of Hermes guarantees after only Russia, and since then their scope has been continually increased. To bring an end to the privileges that the Mullah-dictatorship thus enjoys is entirely possible, though evidently politically unwanted. Müntefering's uncompromising rhetoric is just the musical accompaniment to "business as usual". Thus whereas the German government speaks impressively at the EU summit of sending "a clear signal of the sharpest possible disapproval", in the Bundestag it speaks sheepishly "of avoiding the isolation [of Iran]". And what of Germany's "Left" opposition? Should we not assume that privileging the most elementary human rights over the interests of the big corporations would be a special concern of the "Greens" or the "the Left" alliance? Far from it. Apart from some few exceptions, the "Left" has not been prepared to allow the Holocaust denier from Tehran to deprive it of its conspiracy theories and rage against "BuSharon". "If the Iranian President Ahmadinejad did not exist," writes, for example, the Berlin-based "Green" daily Die Tageszeitung (taz), "the USA and Israel would have had to invent him" (15 December 2005). Ahmadinejad's words are only to be taken seriously inasmuch as they "provide a welcome pretext for the USA and Israel." Thus, on 16 December 2005, all the parties represented in the German Bundestag united to pass a resolution -- including not a single word about the German-Iranian special relationship -- applauding the Müntefering line: "The German Bundestag welcomes that the German government has stood up to the remarks of the Iranian President." Yes indeed: Bravo and many more such successes! Given the obvious solicitude for the requirements of German industry, it would not surprise me if Ahmadinejad ordered his next batch of plastic keys for his Basiji from Germany. But will 500,000 keys to paradise be enough for the war against Israel? Contact Shaul and Aviva Ceder at ceder@netvision.net.il |
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ISRAELIS ACT LIKE HOLOCAUST JEWS; IRANIAN MENACE GROWS; SPIELBERG
AIDS TERRORISTS; CODDLING GHADDAFI
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 29, 2005. |
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IRANIAN MENACE GROWS Russian technology has boosted the range of N. Korean missiles. N. Korea is selling Iran 18 missiles capable of reaching Western Europe (IMRA, 12/18). The brief didn't say, but presumably those missiles could contain nuclear warheads. Iran could study those missiles and then develop and manufacture more of them. Interesting that although the Soviet Union supposedly ended, Russia pursues major soviet policies! Putin opposes democracy in the surrounding republics. He is arming the enemies of the West. Putin may believe that Iran could fire upon the West, without repercussions for Russia. That is, there would be no repercussions until Russia is all alone, and its turn comes. IF THERE WERE NO UNO Remember when people eagerly welcomed the UNO, so that world leaders could talk over international problems instead of fighting over them? What happened? World leaders talk over international problems, and talk, and talk. They now discuss international problems instead of solving them. The UNO is a pretext for avoiding unpopular action. These days, any action arouses opposition. An entrenched, vested interest rises up against almost every proposal. Lobbyists for minority interests outmaneuver the people. Sometimes the solution is obvious. In the UNO, as often in Congress, however, checks and balances preserve the status quo. Meanwhile, the problem festers. The answer might be military action, but the great powers, hobbled by the UNO, take so long to get around to it, that the problem get worse and the amount of military might finally applied must be greater than originally needed. The problem with the UNO may be that leaders talk over problems instead of fighting. COMPARING ISRAEL TO HOLOCAUST JEWRY One always gets censured for comparing conditions to the Holocaust. However, gentiles and Jews are acting similarly to the way they did preceding and during the Holocaust. This struck me when watching a fine old movie, "In the Presence of Mine Enemies." I watched Nazis on TV, but outside, the Muslim world is striving to perpetrate a final solution. The West again is sacrificing the Jews to the totalitarians. It tells Israel to relinquish strategic borders and not defend itself much. The Jews believe the assurances given them by the Muslims and the Quartet. Jewish leaders keep their people compliant. Objectors and would-be rescuers are called names such as "extremist." All over again! SPIELBERG'S APOLOGIA FOR ARAB TERRORISTS CAMERA reviewed the movie, Munich. In addition to criticisms raised earlier here, CAMERA pointed out that the movie defamed and distorted without heeding criticism from people involved in the actual events depicted. The Israeli characters are caricatures of antisemitic fiction, the way they care only about money and fellow Jews. (Israel is a country that volunteers to help wherever natural disaster strikes.) Equating jihad with defense against jihad is on a part with Holocaust denial. Munich is worse than Holocaust denial, because whereas nothing can be done for the victims of the past, the new movie helps undermine defense of current targets of genocide. Bad as is moral equivalency, the movie is worse. Spielberg and Kushner mischaracterize Israelis to make them seem despicable, and polish the Arabs to make them seem not despicable. That is distortion. Munich serves a left-wing agenda of making Israel seem to be victimizing the Arabs, whereas it is the Arabs who have been victimizing the Jews. It pursues that agenda to let the Arabs in the film make false propaganda unchallenged -- audiences hear only the Arab lies. It suggests that fighting back against terrorism is wrong, whereas handling it via arrests and trials is right. That is the same argument against our opposing al-Qaeda militarily. Relying upon a judicial process as the means for countering a world war is inadequate and would be disastrous (IMRA, 12/20). Let us hope that this movie has no more evil effect than that equally distorted and antisemitic film, The Passion. I think it will. What one cannot measure is how much it contributes to the murder of more Jews. How sad that instead of helping fellow Jews, Spielberg and Kushner give aid and comfort to their people's enemies! There should be some way for the Jewish people to put those betrayers on trial and mete out punishment. We lack the collective cohesion, purposefulness, and sense of justice. Our society often does not know what is right and wrong factually, either. This time, however, the antisemites may have gone too far. Signs are that the film so grossly offends, that it is coming in for criticism from Right AND Left. That is healthy. Let us get out of the mode of going to see such films for ourselves. We need not be that curious as to seem to vote for the film with our wallets. We can at least do that to Spielberg, said to be hiring public relations consultants to make wrong seem right. WHAT ISRAEL IS WAITING FOR A rocket landed on an Israeli military base, though without consequence. Israel seems to be waiting for heavy casualties, before responding strongly (IMRA, 12/19). Most people don't know the attacks are constant, because the media ignore attacks that don't inflict heavy casualties. Israel is afraid to defy US demands not to fight back, without widespread publicity about the grievances that justify fighting back. POLITICS SHADES MEDICAL REPORTS The senior medical staff at Sharon's hospital held a press release at which it claimed he never was confused. The medical staff that treated him described his acute confusion for an hour, such as being unable to count. They accused the senior staff of taking a political position by understating Sharon's condition (Arutz-7, 2/20). It could affect the election. IRAN-SYRIA STRATEGIC ACCORD The two countries pledged to hide each other's personnel and weapons of mass destruction, if under sanction. Iran will make up for any financial sanction on Syria. Syria will continue to supply Hizbullah in Lebanon, and Iran will supply, train, and upgrade the Syrian military staff and equipment, including the technology for weapons of mass-destruction. If Syria goes to war, Iran is prepared to fight from there with advanced chemical weapons (IMRA, 12/21 from Jane's Defense Weekly). That changes the strategic balance, which prematurely had counted Syria out. Syria's demonstrated willingness to store another country's weapons of mass-destruction becomes a factor in evaluating whether Iraq stored its weapons in Syria. In shoring up Syria, Iran has drawn attention to the need to depose the Teheran regime. U.S. PREACHES DEMOCRACY BUT CODDLES LIBYA Ghaddafi said he was giving up his nuclear weapons program, presumably to avoid Saddam's fate. As a result, however, the US has stopped pressing him to democratize. This inconsistency between official US policy and its non-application to Libya makes the US seem insincere to Mideasterners. Ghaddafi not only built a totalitarian dictatorship, but has Islamisized his country, with a Saudi-like ideology that glorifies obedience to the ruler. His followers compare him to prophets and saints. That "saint" enshrined intolerance, degraded women, insulted blacks, and nationalized private property. His minions murder dissidents abroad. Non-elected Congresses rubberstamp his decisions, but when he doesn't like their discussions, he liquidates members. (Don't they know better than to voice independent opinions?) He enacted a "Law of Collective Punishment, passed in 1997, which allows the state to sanction entire families, towns, or districts for the wrongdoing of individuals." (For what he calls wrongdoing.) His promises are worthless, his megalomania uncurbed. Ghaddafi gave up some nuclear materials, but kept the knowledge gained. Now that sanctions have been removed, Libya is in a position to resume its nuclear program. The US may be too tied down to stop him. He may just be buying time (MEFNews, 12/21). For us, time is running out. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. |
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LET'S ANALYZE THIS
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 28, 2005. |
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Let's analyze this. So-called Palestinian Arabs now maintain dominion over a strip of land they did not possess a short time ago. Indeed, they have been granted the opportunity to craft a stable government, improve their standard of living, and demonstrate to the world they can function as a peaceful coherent society. If they walk such a path, no doubt, Israeli leaders would be more apt to develop a rapport with their fledgling neighbor's leaders, initiate discussions to promote commerce, share resources, and begin to build a foundation for civil coexistence and prosperity. So what do these so-called Palestinians do? They fire missiles and spew venom at the very nation that has bestowed upon them the gift of Gaza, the worst possible strategic reaction imaginable. Hamas and other fanatical nitwits are primarily responsible for the belligerence, Mahmoud Abbas is either too weak or unwilling (perhaps both) to rein them in, Israel must take retaliatory measures to protect its citizens, and here we go again! Historically, the Jew/infidel despising faction of zealots that infect Islamic culture interpret any compromises from its perceived enemies, especially the surrender of land, as weakness, thus emboldening them to step up their attacks, perhaps wrapping more of their mesmerized muddled martyrs in explosives to perform yet more abominations beyond human comprehension. These sickos will not relent! So what must the beleaguered State of Israel do? Alas, a civilized society must do whatever it takes to insure the health and safety of its members from an out of control enclave next door. If a security wall must be erected, erect it. If hand wringing pundits throughout this dysfunctional planet scream, tell them in no uncertain terms to "drop dead in a ditch". These gratuitous Palestinian apologists have no stake in this matter. Their children are not at risk. Israel must only assert strength. Reasonable discussions might only commence between reasonable parties. The ball is in the so-called Palestinians' court. Unless they learn to play by a rational set of rules, rid their team of the demons that now possess them, and stop hurling chairs from the sideline at Israelis, a lofty game dedicated to peace in the Middle East does not stand a chance of even commencing. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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IRANIAN INTENTIONS
Posted by David Nathan, December 28, 2005. |
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This article was written by Rachel Ehrenfeld & Paul E. Vallely and appeared as an Op-Ed in The Washington Times, December 9, 2005 (www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20051208-092511-8567r.htm). Rachel Ehrenfeld is director of the American Center for Democracy, author of "Funding Evil; How terrorism is Financed -- and How to Stop It" and a member of the Committee on the Present Danger. Retired Maj. Gen. Paul E Vallely is a senior military analyst for Fox News Channel and co-author of "Endgame -- Blueprint for Victory in War on Terror.") One wonders what will it take for the international community to understand that Iran seriously intends to use its nuclear power to attack the "infidels." Iran's latest move to ban international inspectors is just one more step that the new Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmedinijad, has taken to herald the return of the 12th Imam al-Mahdi, who is believed to have been born 800 years ago and went missing in 941 and whom the Shi'ites and Mr. Ahmedinijad believe will return before judgment day "to lead an era of Islamic justice." According to the prophecies in the Muslim Hadith, (the traditions and sayings of the prophet Mohammed), the 12th Imam al-Mahdi will be resurrected only after "one-third of the world population will die by being killed and one-third will die as a result of epidemics. " Indeed, last year's tsunami and this year's devastating hurricanes and earthquakes are being used as propaganda by the radical Shi'ite clerics, claiming that the recent calamities are part of these prophecies. On Nov. 16, Mr. Ahmedinijad stated: "Our revolution's main mission is to pave the way for the reappearance of the 12th Imam, the Mahdi." In all his public statements in Iran and abroad, Mr. Ahmedinijad's messages are on target: Iran under his leadership must rise as a global power to lead the world in the footsteps of the prophets. He clearly follows up with actions -- moving on to develop nuclear weapons. Yet, despite the evidence, neither the international community, nor the United States seem to comprehend Mr. Ahmedinijad's serious commitment to advance the arrival of the 12th Imam. Indeed, by continuing discussions with Iran, they are playing along, giving it the time and latitude needed to achieve nuclear proliferation. Mr. Ahmedinijad's agenda has wide public appeal in Iran, as demonstrated by his landslide victory in the June election. This contradicts what many in the West and the United States want to believe. Consequently, Mr. Ahmedinijad's agenda, which is strongly supported by Iran's clerics, precludes the possibility that Iran will stop developing its nuclear weapons and therefore that there can be a peaceful resolution for this problem. Iran claims that it deserves to be a nuclear power like the United States and Russia. However, unlike the United States and Russia, which developed nuclear arsenals as mechanisms of deterrence, Iran by all indications is developing a nuclear arsenal as a mechanism to set off a chain reaction of death resulting in the destruction of a third of the world's population in order to facilitate the arrival of the Mahdi. Not surprisingly, Iran has just passed a new law to ban foreign inspections of its nuclear facilities, and at the same time announced its plan to build 20 more nuclear plants. According to the Hadith, the Mahdi's arrival will be preceded by three major stages. First, territorial conquests marked by death, destruction and conversion to Islam. In the case of Iran, it presents a real possibility of religious war with worldwide ramifications. The second stage constitutes the subversion and taxation, or economic domination, of the newly controlled territories, which according to Shi'ite interpretation would be under its domination. The significance of these prophecies of the Hadith and the Koran lies not in the truth or falsehood of the predictions. Rather, the significance of these prophecies is that the Muslim faith imposes its belief that Islamic prophecy is reality-based. The radical Shi'ites led by Mr. Ahmedinijad consider themselves the advance guard in the mission to bring back the 12th Imam. If left undisturbed, this 1,400-year-old religious dogma carries a lethal payload. It would not be the first time that radical Muslims try to destroy civilizations. They were successful in the past, and those successes feed their current aspirations. To strengthen Mr. Ahmedinijad's message and to indicate that he is chosen by God to bring about the Imam's return, he and his entourage claim that a halo of light appeared around his head when he addressed the U.N. General Assembly in September. We hear constantly about Iranians who long for democracy. If only the United States would help them, so we are told, they would overthrow this suppressive regime. How then can they explain Mr. Ahmedinijad's victory with 62 percent of Iran's vote. The logical explanation is that the elections were rigged. Be that as it may, Mr. Ahmedinijad is the president of Iran and he sets the agenda. We are all his captive audience, but we don't have to be. What we have to be is better informed. In order to win the war against radical Islam, it is important to understand who the enemy is, how they think and what their intentions are. There is mounting evidence that the Revolutionary Guard is following up on Iran's constitutional mandate to export terrorism and expand Iran's influence around the world. It is vital to the national security of the United States and its interests to do all it takes to stop Iran's nuclear development and its support of international terrorism now. Contact David Nathan at davenathan@aol.com |
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CALLING THE LEFT'S BLUFF ON IRAN
Posted by Cinnamon Stillwell, December 28, 2005. |
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Against the steady drumbeat of anti-Iraq war sentiment, leftists have suddenly turned hawkish when it comes to Iran. The fact that Iran is on the verge of becoming a nuclear power has them all atwitter and as always, the Bush administration is the target of their criticism. But perhaps it's time to call their bluff. For one thing, leftists don't really care about national security. They seem to suffer under the delusion that their way of life is inviolate, except perhaps for the encroachments of the "Christian right." This would explain why they eschew every military effort on the part of the U.S. The only time they reference matters of national security is when it provides fodder for yet another anti-Bush talking point. Secondly, since when did the left take any raving dictator seriously? Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a potential Hitler with nukes, but as in WWII, the anti-war isolationists don't want to hear about it. The fact that the elimination of Jews from the planet is the shared cornerstone of their expansive ambitions rarely factors into the equation. Whereas Hitler wanted to rid Europe of Jews, Ahmadinejad[1] wants to rid Israel of Jews. But that's just a minor point. Were the U.S. to actually propose taking military action against Iran, the left would be up in arms, and not in its defense. Similarly, were Israel to prove its mettle by once again saving the world from Muslim dictators with nuclear ambitions (as they did in 1981[2] with Iraq), leftists would only step up their calls for that country's destruction. Come to think of it, they have a lot in common with Ahmadinejad in that regard. Lastly and most importantly, there's no acknowledgement by the left that the very methods they espouse for solving such problems are currently being employed. And they're failing miserably. The UN, mankind's savior according to the internationalists, is taking a time-honored approach to Iran - dithering diplomacy, meaningless treaties, and pretending that dictators and terrorist states can be trusted. Despite the left's caterwauling, the Bush administration is actually on board for the charade. Far from employing the dreaded "unilateralism" of Iraq (if only 30 allies[3] counts), the president has been tirelessly multilateral in his approach to Iran. The results or lack thereof are painfully obvious. So how does the left justify its unceasing devotion to the UN and to defunct means of solving international aggression? They don't. That would require logic and the left inhabits a logic-free zone these days. Before Iran became the left's crisis du jour, North Korea was the favored talking point. Again, they decried Bush's unilateralism and longed for the terms of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton when ignored treaties and U.S.-provided uranium were the order of the day. Come to think of it, that's exactly how we arrived at the conundrum we face today. Once the Bush administration changed course and went multilateral with North Korea, the left simply stopped talking about it. That the tactics they favored still aren't working is a moot point. While China has paid some lip service to keeping its communist cousin under control, it is hardly a trusted ally. North Korea has toned down its bellicose press releases for the moment but like all problems put off until a later date, Kim Jong-Il is sure to rear his ugly head again in the future. Of course, to the left both Iran and North Korea are simply means of detracting from the war in Iraq by saying, "Look--something bad is happening somewhere else in the world!" Those who engage with reality know that bad things will always be happening somewhere in the world, but for the utopian thinkers that is a crime in and of itself. Meanwhile, the rest of us have to live in the real world. Leftists will continue their handwringing over Iran as long as they think they can use it to battle Bush. Meanwhile, the mainstream media will continue to act as if all the indignation means something. But it's just an outgrowth of the steady diet of ant-Americanism both have been weaned on. So the next time you hear a lefty lamenting Iran, pay no attention. They certainly aren't. Footnotes 1. "Iranian leader: Holocaust a 'myth'," December 14, 2005, http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/12/14/iran.israel/ 2. by Avi Hein, "The Raid on the Osirak Nuclear Reactor," http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/osirak1.html 3. Paolo Pasicolan and Carrie Satterlee, "'Coalition of the Willing' Already Larger than the 1991 Gulf War coalition," The Heritage Foundation, http://www.heritage.org/Research/MiddleEast/wm225.cfm This article was written by Cinnamon Stillwell. She is a Bay Area-based columnist for SFGate.com and Israel National News and she can be reached at stillcinn@yahoo.com. |
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ARAB ROCKET ATTACKS AS REPORTED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES
Posted by Batya Medad, December 28, 2005. |
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I was in suspense to see how the NY Times would report (today's NY Times, by Greg Myre) The title, "Israel Strikes Northern Gaza and Lebanon With Planes" gives a strange impression. I have this image of little kids throwing toy airplanes, or Japanese kamakzi pilots crashing their planes into American military, or did the editor want the readers to think of the Arab, yes, Bin Laden's terrorists are Arabs, pilots who crashed airplanes into the "Twin Towers" and the Pentagon on 9-11. The paper is generous enough to mention that Arabs have been attacking both northern and southern Israel, but then they used that term, "The Israelis and Palestinians trade fire almost daily," as if it's just a game, what's going on between Israel and the Arabs. The Arabs shoot rockets trying to murder, and Israel sends warnings in order to damage buildings but not injure people. The "Times" article is carefully worded to make the Arab rockets appear harmless. We know that it's not the "amateur" quality of the rockets that's protecting us, it's G-d. "Palestinian militants have been launching homemade rockets aimed at Israel." "The homemade Palestinian rockets are wildly inaccurate. But the militants have been able to move into the former Jewish settlements in northern Gaza, and the rockets are landing closer to Ashkelon, on Israel's southern coast. Rockets have landed recently near a kindergarten, a power plant and a fuel depot." That sounds pretty close and very dangerous. Remember that Israel is a very tiny country. Have a wonderful Chanukah, Chag Urim Sameach. PS: I wish that we didn't need all the miracles. Batya Medad lives in Shiloh. She can be reached by email at Shilohmuse@yahoo.com or visit her website http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/ or go to http://www.shilo.org.il This article is archived at http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2005/12/as-reported.html and was titled "As reported" |
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CAN ARABS DEMOCRATIZE?; WILL SHARON'S INCAPACITY BE EXPLOITED?; NY TIMES BIAS
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 28, 2005. |
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CAN ARAB SOCIETY BECOME DEMOCRATIC? Barry Rubin describes the pervasive thrust of Arab society as maintaining the regime in power, however backward this keeps them, while persuading the West that they are reforming. Actually, they are re-forming the US, by setting up Middle Eastern Studies centers that turn parts of American universities into ones as closed and intolerant as theirs. Some of the smaller states are adopting more pragmatic economic policies. Genuine democrats are a tiny proportion of Arab populations. The real struggle there is between corrupt dictatorships and the more aggressive Islamists. Both factions are imperialistic and maintain the Arab-Israel conflict (MEFNews, 12/19). China has a pragmatic economic policy. It remains dictatorial and imperialistic. As an aggressive state with a reformed economy, it poses more of a danger. We should not expect economic reform by itself to generate political reform. "EXTRA-JUDICIAL" The Palestinian Center for Human Rights denounced the Israeli Air Force for bombing Gaza roads and a bridge, without stating why Israel claims it is doing so. It complains that some attacks incidentally injured civilians. It calls the IDF "Israeli Occupation Forces" acting "extra-judicially," and the evacuation phony. (IMRA, 12/19.) Tell the ten thousand Jews whose lives were ruined by the forced evacuation that the evacuation was phony! Foolish, yes, phony, no. Israel gave the P.A. an opportunity to end Arab terrorism from there. The P.A. used to complain that it couldn't do anything about terrorism while Israeli forces were present and intimidating P.A. forces. The IDF left, but terrorism continued. Naturally, Israel fought back. Not hard, not much, but somewhat. The need to retaliate was engendered by the Arabs. They have no basis for complaint. But complain, they do. That is one of their war tactics: seen to be victim. Israel's stated intention for those attacks was to bar the routes taken by terrorist rocket crews to bring their launchers nearer Israel. Hence it wrecks roads when they usually are empty of civilians. The Center omits the reason so Israel's actions are not seen as reasonable and the terrorists' as unreasonable. The Center almost never complains about any wrongdoing by Arabs against Israel. It is not concerned with the Arabs' wholesale violations of Israelis' human rights, such as constant, illegal attempts on their lives. Calling the IDF "Israeli Occupation Forces," which they are not, is propagandistic. Ditto for calling their attacks "extra-judicial." The Arabs have seized upon that term to make it seem as if Israel is doing something wrong. In a war, assaults are submitted to courts for approval. Like any other government, Israel has a right and a duty to pursue terrorists any time. All the Arab attacks are extra-judicial and war crimes. Humanitarians don't complain about the extra-judicial Arab attacks -- they are phony. EGYPT MOVES TOWARDS DEMOCRACY? On the final day of Egypt's voting, they called the ending of the election campaign "ceasefire." (IMRA, 12/19.) WARFARE SINCE ABANDONMENT Since Israel abandoned Gaza, the Arabs have planted 18 known bombs along the fence (they otherwise couldn't have reached), and launched 130 attacks by rockets and mortars and 75 attacks by small arms fire. The terrorists are planning to insert chemicals into the rockets. Hamas is winning elections there. Abbas initiated payments to families of convicted terrorists. While the P.A. is accelerating its war on Israel, the Israel Policy Forum continues to urge only Israel to make concessions. The Forum's leader accused Israel of war crimes (though the Arabs commit war crimes, not Israel). It sponsored a self-serving poll so biased that the ADL co-sponsor had to disassociate itself from it. It boasted of persuading Sec. Rice to insist upon the Gaza border arrangement that removed Israeli supervision (and therefore allowed military contraband into Gaza and against Israel). The agreement was supposed to provide Israel with on-line film of people crossing into Gaza and with their names. Since Israel doesn't supervise the crossing, the P.A. withheld film and lied about the names of entrants, some of whom are the most deadly terrorists. The agreement and the Oslo process has resulted in a slaughter of Jews that the appeasement-minded organizations, including Jewish ones such as Israel Policy Forum, promoted but do not apologize for. They keep prodding for more and worse agreements for the Arabs to break (Prof. Steven Plaut, 12/19). GAZA TERRORIST CAPTURED IN ISRAEL They get through the supposedly impervious fence (IMRA, 12/19). Can't rely upon fences. Must uproot the enemy and not leave it territory to govern. WILL THE LEFT OR THE U.S. EXPLOIT SHARON'S INCAPACITY? An effort is being made to make PM Sharon seems healthier than he is. Will his Party try to make him seem alert when he isn't, while making who knows what policy? Will the US seize the opportunity to pressure his advisers to make catastrophic decisions in his name? One wonders whether previously he had some small strokes that turned him against his own people and led to the abandonment plan. (Winston Mid East Analysis, 12/18). ARAB MILITARY INDUSTRY GROWS The UAE is producing its own unmanned aerial vehicles (IMRA, 12/18). HOW NY TIMES FAVORS THE P.A. The Machsom Watch group claims that soldiers at the checkpoints humiliate the Arabs. Steven Erlanger reports that Israel is revising the fence to reduce the crossing time for Arabs and their goods from hours to minutes. The barrier will be staffed by civilians, to make the Arabs feel less imposed upon. New construction will cost half a billion dollars. "But for many Palestinians, (sic) the project feels like further proof of the Israeli intention to create a border unilaterally, on occupied land, annexing territory without negotiation, undermining the viability of a future Palestinian state." It "...incorporates numerous Israeli settlements on occupied land, settlements much of the world regards as illegal." An Israeli colonel explains that the fence has saved hundreds of Israeli lives by helping the IDF capture some terrorists and by preventing others from passing through. After some more Arab diatribes against Israel, an Israeli gets to explain that the fence is not a border, because it can be moved in accordance with court orders and political agreements. Then the article states that most of the world does not recognize Israel's annexation of eastern Jerusalem. In the same issue of the Times, Greg Myre's piece about the P.A. elections, mentions that much of the world does not recognize Israel's sovereignty over eastern Jerusalem. Both mention that the P.A. wants it for a future state. Israel may bar Jerusalem Arabs from voting, because Hamas, dedicated to destroying Israel, is running. The P.A. calls this a violation of the interim agreement (12/22). The Times routinely publishes paragraphs in a mixed-up jumble, what kind of reporting starts out with the case against some project, before it explains what the project is? The Times weakens Israel's case by splitting its components into isolated snippets, obscuring a coherent view. It also fails to make clear what is fact and what is assertion. This puts the Arabs' lies on a par with Israeli truth-telling. Nor does the Times present a Jewish nationalist view. Then, there is the Times dissembling, such as the misleading statements that most of the world does not recognize Jewish entitlement to its historic capital. Most of the world is antisemitic or appeasers of the Arabs and does not mind Holocausts. International law and justice, however, are on Israel's side. Any irony or temerity in the Arab claims escapes Times notice. For example, the election featuring terrorist candidates (Fatah as well as Hamas) violates the interim agreement. That fact exonerates Israel, but the Times omits it. The Arabs, who violate that peace agreement even more by making war, have the temerity to complain about Israel balking at cooperating with the electoral violation. The Times employs the big lie technique, in repeating that Israel is an occupier. Complaints about what the Arabs want for a future state have no standing. Complaints about waits at checkpoints are ill-graced, because the new fence would eliminate them, and unjustified, because the fence is a reaction to Arab terrorism. Blame Arab society for making the fence seem necessary. The Machsom Watch Group humiliates Israeli soldiers and encourages Arabs to disobey them, but the Times omits the full story. Americans should tire of complaints by these Arabs, who want to murder off the Jews and who applaud Iraqi ambushers of US troops. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. |
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NEW OUTPOSTS BUILT
Posted by Bryna Berchuck, December 28, 2005. |
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This comes from today's Arutz-Sheva and was written by Hillel Fendel, their Senior News Editor. If it weren't for Arutz-Sheva, would we know about new and healthy growth in Israel? The Jerusalem Post swings from rabid left to centrist to rabid left every few years and it's well on its way to the far left again. Ha'aretz has accurately been characterized as the English newspaper of and for the PLO. And it's hard to find a newspaper in Israel that puts objective reporting above politics -- even when the future of the country is at stake. So thank Heavens for Arutz-Sheva, which gives us well-written and accurate information that the Marxist part of Israel would like to ignore. I just wish the article had taken a sentence to inform its readers that by any criteria -- except adherence to Jew-hate and Arab propaganda -- Samaria and Judea (named the West Bank by Jordan in 1948) -- is Jewish. Nineteen new locations throughout Judea and Samaria - and Kisufim - are the sites of Land of Israel construction and pioneer spirit, as of this Chanukah. Soldiers are guarding the new sites. Youths of the Land of Israel Loyalists took advantage of their Chanukah vacation to advance the cause of "The People of Israel in the Land of Israel according to the Torah of Israel," and are in the process of building outside the following 19 sites: * Elazar, Bat Ayin, and Efrat in Gush Etzion Two more locations, Neriah and Karmei Tzur, were added today. Other sites are expected to be added over the course of the 8-day Chanukah holiday, which ends Monday. The most emotional pioneering effort took place in Kisufim, at the former entrance to Gaza. Some 30 youths from Gush Katif established a presence, but did not sleep there. They will arrive again tomorrow together with youths from Kfar Darom and hotels. The plan is to turn it into a permanent meeting place for former Gush Katif residents, and, says at least one former resident, "a place from where we will be able to return home. If it took 19 years to return to Gush Etzion, hopefully it will take less time to come back to Gush Katif." Dozens of youths took part in construction efforts at each site, and also held prayer services, Chanukah candle lighting ceremonies, classes, and song and dance. The residents of some nearby communities also took part in the festivities. The building continued today (Wednesday) as well. For those who were unable to take part, Land of Israel youth held candle-lighting ceremonies at dozens of central intersections aroundd the country at precisely 6 PM Tuesday night. The candles were lit in solidarity with the establishment of the outposts. A police official responded with disdain to the coordinated country-wide effort, saying it was merely the work of a "bunch of bored youngsters." Datia Yitzchaki, formerly of Gush Katif and a spokesperson for the Land of Israel Faithful cause, said in response, "Those who think that bored youth are those who build the Land of Israel, have a problem. It appears to me that the bored youth of this country are doing many things other than building the Land... Many great things happened in our nation because of the youth, and we can be very proud of these youngsters; they are the ones doing something." Two headlines just from today dealing with youth blared, "Police Investigating Violent Youth Games in Petach Tikvah" and "Holon Resident Stabbed by Youths in Kiryat Ben-Gurion." Yitzchaki added that contrary to the media line that the police are simply biding their time and waiting until the youths return to school next week, "the fact is that they don't have sufficient forces to deal with all 20 spots that we have managed to build at one time. We truly hope to make these into permanent locations; in Kokhav Yaakov a concrete floor has been poured and two caravans were brought in, and in Beit El a caravan is hopefully on the way... We are looking now for young couples and families that wish to make these places their home." |
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SHARON'S PARTY IS NOT UN-STOPPABLE
Posted by Women in Green, December 28, 2005. |
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This was written by Caroline B. Glick and appeared in Jewish World
Review December 23, 2005.
This past week Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Kadima electoral list suffered two major setbacks. Taken together the blows present the Likud with its first realistic chance to make a significant dent in public support for Kadima and to move much of that support to the Likud. The first blow came with MK Binyamin Netanyahu's election as Likud leader on Monday. Netanyahu's victory cleared the way for Likud to finally enter the general elections race. Before his election, Kadima had the political field to itself. If Likud is able to unify behind Netanyahu, and if Netanyahu runs a strong and competent campaign, we are in for an extremely competitive electoral season. The second hit was, of course, the mild stroke that Sharon suffered, which landed him in the hospital on Sunday evening. Sharon's health problems, which his stroke and subsequent hospitalization brought dramatically to the public's attention, dealt a serious blow to Kadima because now the issue of Sharon's medical condition will likely become a central issue in the campaign. While a political leader's health is always an issue for his party, for Sharon and Kadima the matter is crucial. This is so because in point of fact, Kadima is not a political party at all. It is merely a list of unpopular politicians who stand behind the enormously popular Ariel Sharon. The results of the Likud primaries place the two Titans of Israeli politics against one another for the third time in five years. Indeed, it can be said that the competition between Netanyahu and Sharon has been the only real political contest in Israel since the downfall of Ehud Barak's government with the start of the Palestinian terror war in September 2000. Sharon won the first two rounds in 2000 and 2002. By conspiring with Shimon Peres in 2000 to prevent the conduct of general elections, Sharon effectively barred Netanyahu from running for office -- thus paving his own path to succeed Barak while preventing the collapse of the political Left at the polls. In November 2002, by padding Likud's voter rolls with kibbutz members and refugees from the South Lebanon Army, and with the support of the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, Sharon defeated Netanyahu in the Likud primaries. Although he had the advantage of incumbency, Sharon's victory was still remarkable in light of the fact that the party's rank and file supported him even though he had already abandoned the party platform by publicly supporting Palestinian statehood. According to the polls, Likud has absolutely no chance of winning the elections. And yet, to discern the Likud's real position as it enters the general elections race, we must ask a pivotal question: What is the basis for the wide public support for Kadima - a party that places among its leaders such despised political figures as Shimon Peres, Ehud Olmert, Haim Ramon and Dalia Itzik? Kadima has two main sources of public support. First, with his strongman image, Sharon has convinced wide swathes of the public that he and he alone can ensure the security of Israel's citizenry. In so convincing the populace, Sharon has divested the Likud of its greatest asset: its reputation for being the political party best equipped to secure Israel's national security. The second reason that Kadima is polling so well is Sharon himself. Sharon's many supporters, who are currently giving Kadima between 32-42 Knesset seats in opinion polls are undaunted by the criminal investigations surrounding Sharon and his sons. They couldn't care less that his strong-armed political tactics make a mockery of Israel's democratic processes. Sharon's supporters are moved by the sense that Sharon can get things done. Sharon said that by the end of 2005 there wouldn't be one Jew left in Gaza and by golly, there isn't one Jew in Gaza today. Obviously Sharon's supporters do not care about the Israelis living in Judea and Samaria -- tens of thousands of whom will likely be expelled if Sharon is reelected. His supporters are non-ideological voters who simply trust Sharon's image as an accomplished leader who grabs the reins of power and rides on. For these voters, the status of Sharon's health is likely to be of critical importance. During his hospitalization, Sharon's aides fed the public a steady diet of announcements of phone calls to his room at Hadassah Medical Center from US President George W. Bush and other world leaders, all wishing Sharon well. To a degree, this spin, which emphasized Sharon's international popularity while making light of his serious medical problem, is very much in line with Sharon's governing philosophy as it relates to Israel's international and strategic position. Since he entered office, Sharon and his advisors have portrayed the status of Israel's relations with the US as one of unprecedented harmony. On a superficial level, this is in fact the case. But this surface tranquility masks its problematic cause. The appearance of smooth sailing in Israel's relations with Washington is the result of the unprecedented weakness of Israel's position in Washington. This week Ma'ariv reported that IDF commanders are becoming increasingly disturbed by the Bush administration's meddling in the minutiae of the operation of Israel's passages with Gaza. The State Department consistently brushes off Israel's growing security concerns and intervenes on the Palestinians' behalf. This American interference not only constitutes a political blow to Israel's sovereignty, it also manifests a military blow to Israel's national security. But there is nothing new here. Since taking office five years ago, Sharon has received Washington's support -- such as it is -- by abandoning Israel's national interests every time that they are challenged by the institutionally anti-Israel State Department. In every single dispute that has arisen over the past five years - from the Mitchell Report in 2001 to the Road Map in 2003 to the passages agreement Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice rammed down our throats last month - Sharon has abandoned Israel's national security interests at every turn in exchange for public declarations of support for him personally by central figures in the Bush administration. Sharon has succeeded in the domestic political arena by presenting the support he has received on a personal level to the public as if it were a national achievement. Israelis have been duped into believing that the trust Sharon demands of them has actually conferred some advantage on the nation when if fact, Israel has never been weaker than it has become under his leadership. And as with the Americans so too with the Palestinians. Sharon's success in basing his political fortunes on consolidating his image as a strongman has made it impossible for anyone to impugn his withdrawal from Gaza in spite of the fact that it has been a colossal disaster for Israel's national security. The Kassam missiles that now fall on Ashkelon meet with what can effectively be considered no Israeli response. The seeding of Al Qaida cells in Gaza has been strenuously ignored. And the Hamas takeover of key Palestinian institutions has been greeted by yawns all around. Public sentiment, which Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been instrumental in directing, is marked by defeatism. As recently noted by Daniel Pipes, in a speech before the leftist Israel Policy Forum in New York last June, Olmert described the sentiment of the Israeli public thus: "We are tired of fighting, we are tired of being courageous, we are tired of winning, we are tired of defeating our enemies." The thinking behind this stunning statement and the public malaise it describes apparently is based on the view that since Sharon is a strongman and he's preaching surrender, it goes without saying that the public ought to behave in a cowardly and defeatist manner. This psychology goes a long way towards explaining the results of a Truman Center poll published this week which found that a majority of Israelis support negotiating with Hamas. Again, it should be emphasized that defeatism as a national strategy has worked for Sharon to date because the public trusts him. In its election campaign, the Likud must focus its attacks on exposing the image of strength that Sharon and his political advisors have sold the public for the lie it is. For the sad truth is that during Sharon's tenure Israel's international standing has sunk to previously unknown depths. From a tactical threat at the beginning of Sharon's premiership, in the aftermath of the withdrawal from Gaza, Palestinian terror has morphed into an existential challenge for Israel. As well, the Likud must make Sharon's health a central issue in these elections. From the contradictory reports on the cause and consequences of his mild stroke this week, it is impossible to know what his health status actually is. But it is obviously far from satisfactory. The doctors at Hadassah claimed that his stroke did not increase the likelihood that Sharon will suffer from future strokes. But according to New York-based neurosurgeon Dr. David Poulad, "this is simply untrue." The fact of the matter is that Sharon's stroke indicates that there is a problem with his blood flow and such a problem constitutes a serious medical condition. According to a number of reports, Sharon's stroke was caused by a blood clot in his heart. If this is correct it indicates that Sharon suffers from an irregular heartbeat. Again, according to Dr. Poulad, "Sharon's apparent heart condition increases the risk of future strokes as well as a host of other problems. If his heartbeat is irregular then he can suffer from blood clots anywhere in his body. The anti-coagulant medications that he was placed on during his hospitalization can themselves cause a whole host of additional problems, such as hemorrhaging." People who have suffered mild strokes and are medicated with anti-coagulants do not generally have long or healthy life expectancies, Dr. Poulad concludes. Given that Dr. Poulad himself can only draw his conclusions from the fragmentary information made available to the public this week, he cautions that his views may very well be alarmist. And yet, since Sharon is basing his entire campaign - as he has his entire tenure in office - on the public's faith in him personally, the public must be provided with a clear understanding of how long he can be expected to continue functioning at his current level. The Likud must demand that Sharon's medical records be made public immediately. In recasting the political map around his own personality, Sharon has demonstrated a level of political artistry the likes of which Israel has never seen before. There can be no doubt that he is a most formidable political foe. But he is not invincible. If the Likud builds its political campaign on a two-pronged strategy of demonstrating the emptiness and failure of Sharon's strategic moves and underscoring Sharon's health problems -- while positioning itself just to the right of the center of Israel's political spectrum -- the Likud will succeed in hitting Sharon at his weak points while building on its own strengths. Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org |
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MORE ATTACKS ON FREE SPEECH IN SHARONITE ISRAEL TO CODDLE REFORM MOVEMENT
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 27, 2005. |
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1. More attacks on Free Speech in Sharonite Israel Israel's Leftist First Amendment is alive and well under the Sharon government. Please read the following item, in today's Haaretz. Note that the Rabbi being disciplined would have been honored and promoted had he instead made a non-political non-controversial speech endorsing Israel's return to its 1949 borders and expulsion of all Jewish settlers at bayonet point! Note that the assault on poor Rabbi Drukman for expressing an opinion was made to coddle the moonbat ultra leftists from teh Reform synagogue's "Religious Action Center", an institution devoted to promoting the pseudo-religion of "Political Liberalism as Judaism"!! ******** "Municipal chief rabbi to face hearing over political comments"
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni on Tuesday decided, for the first time, to bring a sitting municipal chief rabbi before a disciplinary hearing due to political comments he made publicly. Livni has filed a complaint against the rabbi of Kiryat Motzkin, David Drukman, due to five anti-disengagement comments he made in the media. According to the civil service law, municipal chief rabbis - like all civil servants - are not allowed to make political comments in public or criticize government policies in public interviews or at press conferences. "Drukman took advantage of his position as a rabbi and a civil servant and is not fit to continue to serve in his public position," the Reform movement's Israel Religious Action Center said on the decision to bring Drukman before a disciplinary hearing. The Religious Action Center has filed a High Court of Justice petition on the matter, following which the attorney general and state prosecution recommended that Livni file a complaint with the disciplinary court for municipal chief rabbis. Drukman is accused of behavior not suitable to the position of a rabbi in Israel and violations of the religious services law and the civil service law. Drukman signed a proclamation last December saying Sharon and his ministers were planning to throw "good and pure Jews" off their land. On a Chabad movement Web site, Drukman wrote that the move would "increase [Palestinians'] appetite for murdering us, our women and our children." 2. Democrat Racism: "Prejudice"
American blacks who are affiliated with the Republican Party are vigorously vilified by Democrats, especially black Democrats. Uncle Tom, sell-out, Oreo -- the list of slurs is long. But it is not only insults. I am the founder and director of a unique, progressive homeless facility in downtown Los Angeles, known as the Dome Village. Yet the 35 men, women and children and their pets who call the Dome Village home are being "evicted" from privately owned property after 12-and-a-half years -- apparently on account of my political beliefs and activities. You see, though I am a leading homeless activist, I am also a conservative Republican and a strong supporter of President Bush. Here's how the situation played out. Recently, I was invited to address a local Republican Women's Club; my landlord read an article in the local paper reporting on the event. Soon after, I received a notice raising the Dome Village rent from $2,500 a month to $18,330. Shocked, I inquired as to the seriousness of the change and the property owner blurted out that the cause of our "eviction" was "because you are Republican." He said that as a Democrat, he was tired of helping me and the Dome Village. In other words, let the homeless be damned. And people think the Democrats are the party of compassion and tolerance. Private property should be protected, of course, and I have no intention of causing any trouble for this property owner as we part ways. Whatever he does with his valuable land -- it is only a few blocks from the Staples Center -- is no concern of mine, and I will not go to court. Still, I cannot help but be saddened by the whole business. When I founded the Dome Village 12 years ago, we had an understanding that he could ask for his property back at any time for any reason, and I would say "absolutely" without hesitation. Still, his reason was prejudice against Republicans. We see this across the country. Michael Steele, the lieutenant governor of Maryland and a Republican candidate for the Senate, has been crudely denigrated on racial grounds. A prominent leftist Web site, for instance, depicted him as "Sambo," among other aspersions. When Condoleezza Rice was nominated as Secretary of State, she faced similar treatment: editorial cartoons depicting her as a racial caricature, personalities calling her "Aunt Jemima" on liberal talk radio, and so forth. Clarence Thomas, Ward Connerly, Colin Powell, Thomas Sowell and other black conservatives regularly face similar smears. These conservatives are attacked not because of the validity or judicious consideration of their views but because those views are supposedly heterodox for American blacks. Yet it is my opinion that many black people in the U.S. are politically and philosophically conservative -- and many are in fact actually closeted Republicans, fearful of persecution by friends, business associates, society clubs, school mates and even churches. It is time for American blacks to have a conversation about the phenomenon of Democrats persecuting black Republicans. Why is this happening? What is it that the Democrats don't want black folks to understand about Republicans? What is it that the Democrats don't want black folks to know about Democrats? And how is it that we have come to this point -- after having endured so much -- where we have ourselves curtailed the freedom of political expression through the threat of retaliatory consequences? Mr. Hayes is a homeless activist in Los Angeles. URL for this article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113574014265932748.html 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. |
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MORE ON CHRISTIAN SUFFERING DUE TO MOSLEM OPPRESSION
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 27, 2005. |
This is my latest to christian leaders. Send this to the ones you know.
Maybe we can get some major church groups to pressure president to stop the charade about the PA being a group that the west can make peace with
Dear Christian leaders, Just after I sent you my email about the suffering of Christians under Moslem rule in the West Bank and elsewhere in the Arab and Moslem world, I chanced upon these three separate articles dealing with the same topic....written by people who know a lot more than I do. So, in case you were thinking that maybe I was inaccurate, exagerating, whatever, here is a trinity of experts to weigh in on the topic. David Meir-Levi "Muslim grinches steal Bethlehem Christmas"
Aaron Klein is WorldNetDaily's Jerusalem bureau chief, whose past interview subjects have included Yasser Arafat, Ehud Barak, Mahmoud al-Zahar and leaders of the Taliban. World leaders, media blame Israel for fleeing Christians BETHLEHEM -- With Christmas services here drawing far fewer tourists than in the 1990s and the town's Christian population now at an all-time low, many world leaders and hundreds of major media outlets this week blamed Israel for Bethlehem's decline -- often citing false information -- while a simple talk with the town's residents reveals a drastically different picture. They say Muslim persecution has been keeping Christians away. "All this talk about Israel driving Christians out and causing pain is nonsense," a Bethlehem Christian community leader told WND. "You want to know what is at play here, just come throughout the year and see the intimidation from the Muslims. They have burned down our stores, built mosques in front of our churches, stole our real estate and took away our rights. Women have been raped and abducted. So don't tell me about Israel. It's the Muslims." The Bethlehem leader, like many Christians on the streets here, would not provide his name for publication for fear of retaliation. Bethlehem's Christian population has declined drastically after the Palestinian Authority took control in December, 1995. Once 90 percent of the city, Christians now compose less than 25 percent, according to Israeli survey information. Christmas celebrations this year attracted about 30,000 tourists -- 10,000 more than last year but down from an average of 150,000 in 1994. Many Christians told WND they face constant Muslim hostility. One religious novelty-store owner cited examples of Muslim gangs defacing Christian property, the PA replacing Christian leaders on public councils with Muslims, and armed Palestinian factions stirring tensions. One such incident was last week's storming of Bethlehem's City Hall, across the street from the Church of the Nativity, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, by gunmen from the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group. The store owner said "We are harassed but you wouldn't know the truth. No one says anything publicly about the Muslims." Indeed many leaders in attendance at Christmas Eve Mass in Bethlehem last night took the occasion to blame Israel's recently constructed security fence in the area for Christian woes. In a televised midnight Christmas speech, PA President Mahmoud Abbas said "Palestinians are seeking a bridge to peace instead of Israeli walls. Unfortunately, Israel is continuing with its destructive policy ... (and) transforming our land into a big jail." Jerusalem's Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, speaking at St. Catherine's Church, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, called for Israel to remove its "separation barrier, which is causing all kinds of hardships and affecting normal life in Bethlehem." The Archbishop of Westminster, Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, urged Israel "to build bridges and not walls" and blamed Israel for "[compelling Christians] to leave the land of their birth for foreign lands on account of the political situation." And a sampling of American media coverage of this weekend's festivities seems to find Israel mostly at fault for the decline in Christian living conditions and population figures. A widely printed Associated Press article by staff writer Sarah El Deeb opens, "Thousands of tourists and pilgrims gathered in Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations Saturday, bringing a long-missing sense of holiday cheer to Jesus' historic birthplace. ... But Israel's imposing separation barrier at the entrance to town dampened the Christmas spirit and provided a stark reminder of the unresolved conflict." Today's San Francisco Chronicle states, "For centuries, pilgrims from around the world converged on the Palestinian town of Bethlehem at Christmas, packing Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus Christ. ... In 2002, Israel began building a 25-foot concrete wall around the city, severing it from Jerusalem and the northern West Bank. Today, the streets of Bethlehem are quiet." An earlier article by the Chicago Tribune blamed Israel's fence, constructed in 2002, for collapsing Bethlehem's economy and prompting Christians to leave, even though the mass exodus began seven years prior. "A towering wall of gray concrete slabs, 30 feet high, cuts across what was once the main road into this town from Jerusalem. Just inside the barrier, past a new Israeli security terminal, a once-bustling neighborhood has become a ghost town. Shops are shuttered or empty, and the streets are deserted. ... The deteriorating economy has led to a steady exodus of the city's Christian residents," the Tribune article reads. HonestReporting.com notes the various press accounts are factually inaccurate.
For years, Bethlehem was largely Christian. But when the PA took control in 1995 it publicly expanded Bethlehem's boundaries reportedly to ensure a Muslim majority, incorporating into the city over 30,000 Muslims from adjacent refugee camps. Then-PLO leader Yasser Arafat unilaterally replaced the Christian-dominated city council with a largely Muslim leadership. Since then, there have been a steady stream of reported abuses and persecution. An aide to Latin Patriarch Sabbah who asked that his name be withheld told WND the PA has been appropriating lands of the Greek Orthodox Church in Bethlehem and building mosques on the formerly Christian land. He said he is aware of several cases in which Christian women were raped and murdered, but the alleged criminals were not arrested. "The Palestinian security forces know who did these crimes. They know where the criminals live. Still nothing to arrest them," said the aide. The novelty store owner told WND he was shot by Muslims in 2001. He said the assailants are still at large. Cases involving other alleged anti-Christian violence in Bethlehem include attacks against Christians in 2001 after a Palestinian Muslim leader called for a "jihad" against both Jews and Christians; riots that spilled over from Ramallah in 2002 in which Muslim mobs burned Christian businesses and attempted to destroy churches; and regular reports of shootings and threats. Israeli security officials say over 100 cases of anti-Christian violence are reported to the Palestinian police every year. They estimate most incidents go unreported. In one of the most infamous cases of anti-Christian violence, Palestinian terrorists in 2002 holed up in Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity and refused to release the religious staff inside. There were reports the gunmen, members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, looted the facilities, desecrated the church and even used the Bible as toilet paper. One document later captured by Israel indicated the terrorists also demanded monetary support from Bethlehem town officials. The Bethlehem store owner said he took comfort from the words of Pope John Paul II, who visited the city the same year as the church siege. Speaking to a gathering of Christians, the pope said, "Do not be afraid to preserve your Christian heritage and Christian presence in Bethlehem." "Christianity and Islam in History"
I will address the topic of Christianity and Islam by limiting myself to a brief presentation of historical facts, without entering into the specifics of religious and theological dialogue. This seems useful to me, because the celebration of the fifth centenary of the birth of Pius V was a bit muted, especially in academic circles. The victor at Lepanto in 1571, this pope who had the courage and the energy to construct an alliance of almost all the Christian kingdoms against the Ottoman empire -- which was advancing to threaten Europe and had already established dominion over the Balkans -- today, precisely on account of the unhappy restoration of hostility between the two worlds -- one formerly Christian, and to a certain extent still Christian, and the Muslim world -- seems to many to be an obstructing presence best left in the shadows. The so-called "secularism" that would silence all the monotheistic religions through accusations of fundamentalism, or that exalts dialogue by negating their differences, intends to blot out the age-old conflict that has pitted the two religious communities against one another. Above all, it intends to neutralize the Roman pontiff, who has shown himself capable of blocking the Islamic advance and saving Christian civilization. Although the two monotheistic religions in question share, among other things and to different degrees, the Jewish tradition -- a specialist like Samir Khalil Samir emphasizes how before Mohammed the Arab Jews and Christians called their God by the name of Allah -- there are many differences between Christianity and Islam, and the differences are fundamental. Since their very beginnings, there have been differences in how Christians and Muslims think of conversion and the use of violence. For the Christians, conversion was something that must be voluntary and individual, obtained primarily through preaching and example, and this is how Christianity did in fact spread during its first centuries. Obviously, we must immediately note that this conception of early Christianity underwent changes in later eras, connected with the diffusion of a spirit of religious intolerance in Western culture. John Paul II himself acknowledged that in this regard the Church's children "must return with a spirit of repentance [for] the acquiescence given, especially in certain centuries, to intolerance and even the use of violence in the service of truth." (Tertio Millennio Adveniente, 35). But on the part of the Muslims, from the earliest times, even while Mohammed was still alive, conversion was imposed through the use of force. The expansion and extension of Islam's sphere of influence came through war with the tribes that did not accept conversion peacefully, and this went hand in hand with submission to Islamic political authority. Islamism, unlike Christianity, expressed a comprehensive religious, cultural, social, and political strategy. While Christianity spread during its first three centuries in spite of persecution and martyrdom, and in many ways in opposition to Roman domination, introducing a clear separation between the spiritual and political spheres, Islam was imposed through the power of political domination. It therefore comes as no surprise that the use of force occupies a central place in Islamic tradition, as witnessed by the frequent use of the word jihad in many texts. Although some scholars, especially Western ones, maintain that jihad does not necessarily mean war, but instead a spiritual struggle and interior effort, Samir Khalil Samir again clarifies that the use of this term in Islamic tradition -- including its usage today -- is essentially uniform, indicating warfare in the name of God to defend Islam, which is an obligation for all adult Muslim males. Those who maintain that understanding jihad as a holy war constitutes a sort of deviation from the true Islamic tradition are therefore not telling the truth, and history sadly demonstrates that that violence has characterized Islam since its origin, and that Mohammed himself systematically organized and led the raids against the tribes that did not want to convert and accept his dominion, thus subjecting the Arab tribes one by one. Naturally, it must also be said that at the time of Mohammed warfare was part of the Bedouin culture, and no one saw anything objectionable about it. The interpretation that Muslims today try to make of the crusades -- an interpretation that finds many followers among Western historians -- also fails to correspond to historical reality. According to this representation, Western Christians were invaders in a peaceful region that was respectful of the different religions -- the Holy Land, which back then was part of Syria -- using religious motives to disguise imperialist ambitions and economic interests. But the idea of the crusades emerged, above all, as a reaction to the measures that the Fatimid caliph Hakim bi-Amr Allah took against the Christians of Egypt and Syria. In 1008, al-Hakim outlawed the celebrations of Palm Sunday, and the following year he ordered that Christians be punished and all their property confiscated. In that same year of 1009, he sacked and demolished the church dedicated to Mary in Cairo, and did not prevent the desecration of the Christian sepulchers surrounding it, or the sacking of the city's other churches. That same year saw what was certainly the most severe episode: the destruction of the Constantinian basilica of the Resurrection in Jerusalem, known as the Holy Sepulcher. The historical records of the time say that he had ordered "to obliterate any symbol of Christian faith, and provide for the removal of every reliquary and object of veneration." The basilica was then razed, and Ibn Abi Zahir did all he could to demolish the sepulcher of Christ and any trace of it. Today in many intellectual circles there is a lot of talk about the religious tolerance shown over many centuries by the Islamic authorities, because -- while in terms of the pagan populations the saying "embrace Islam and your life will be spared" held true, and the pagans who did not convert were killed -- the "people of the book," the Jews and Christians, were able to continue practicing their religion. In reality, the situation was much less idyllic: the Christians and Jews could survive only if they accepted Muslim political dominion and a situation of humiliation, which was aggravated by the obligation to pay increasingly burdensome taxes. So it's no wonder that most of the Christians, even though they were not constrained by force, converted to Islam on account of the constant economic and social pressure. This led to the total disappearance of a form of Christianity that had flourished for more than half a millennium, as in the part of Africa ruled by the Roman empire, the land of Tertullian, saint Cyprian, Tyconius, and above all saint Augustine. But the biggest difference between Christianity and Islam concerns the crucial issue of understanding the human person. This is shown by the fact that many Islamic countries have not accepted the declaration of human rights promulgated by the United Nations in 1948, or have done so with the reservation of excluding the norms that conflict with Qur'anic law -- which means practically all of them. From an historical point of view, therefore, it must be recognized that the declaration of the rights of man is a cultural fruit of the Christian world, even though these are "universal" norms, in that they are valid for all. In Islamic tradition, in fact, the concept of the equality of all human beings does not exist, nor does, in consequence, the concept of the dignity of every human life. Sharia is founded upon a threefold inequality: between man and woman, between Muslim and non-Muslim, and between freeman and slave. In essence, the male human being is considered a full titleholder of rights and duties only through his belonging to the Islamic community: those who convert to another religion or become atheists are considered traitors, subject to the death penalty, or at least to the loss of all their rights. The most irrevocable of these inequalities is that between man and woman, because the others can be overcome -- the slave can be freed, the non-Muslim can convert to Islam -- while woman's inferiority is irremediable, in that it was established by God himself. In Islamic tradition, the husband enjoys an almost absolute authority over his wife: while polygamy is permitted for men, a woman may not have more than one husband, may not marry a man of another faith, can be repudiated by her husband, has no rights to the children in case of divorce, is penalized in the division of the inheritance, and from a legal standpoint her testimony is worth half as much as a man's. So if Islam implied, and still implies, not merely religious membership, but an entire way of life, sanctioned even at the political level -- a way of life that naturally involves and prescribes how to act with other peoples, how to behave in questions of war and peace, how to conduct relations with foreigners -- it is very easy to understand how the victory of Lepanto guaranteed for the West the possibility of developing its culture of respect for the human person, for whom equal dignity regardless of his condition came to be guaranteed. If this characterization of Islam is destined to remain unchanged in the future, as it has been until now, the only possible outcome is a difficult coexistence with those who do not belong to the Muslim community: in an Islamic country, in fact, the non-Muslim must submit to the Islamic system, if he does not wish to live in a situation of substantial intolerance. Likewise, on account of this all-embracing conception of religion and political authority, the Muslim will have great difficulty in adapting to the civil laws in non-Islamic countries, seeing them as something foreign to his upbringing and to the dictates of his religion. Perhaps one should ask oneself if the well-attested difficulties persons coming from the Islamic world have with integrating into the social and cultural life of the West are not explained in part by this problematic situation. We must also recognize the natural right of every society to defend its own cultural, religious, and political identity. It seems to me that this is precisely what Pius V did. "Jihad Watch Board Vice President Hugh Fitzgerald examines
the soul of that quintessential modern-day dhimmi, the islamochristian"
The phenomenon of the "islamochristian" deserves wider attention, and the word wider use. An "islamochristian" is a Christian Arab who identifies with and works to advance the Islamic agenda, out of fear or out of a belief that his "Arabness" requires loyalty to Islam. Islamization by the Arab Muslim conquerors of Mesopotamia, Syria, and North Africa was a vehicle for Arab imperialism. This imperialism, the most successful in human history, convinced those who accepted Islam to also forget their own pre-Islamic or non-Islamic pasts. It caused them, in many cases, to forget their own languages and to adopt Arabic -- and in using Arabic, and in adopting Arabic names, within a few generations they had convinced themselves that they were Arabs. Some held out. The Copts in Egypt today are simply the remnants of a population that was entirely Coptic, and that has suffered steady and slow asphyxiation. How many of Egypt's Arabs are in fact Copts who fail to realize this, much less have any sympathy or interest in how their Coptic ancestors, out of intolerable pressure, assumed the identity of Arabs? In Lebanon, the mountains provided a refuge for the Maronites, by far the most successful group to withstand the Muslims. And most Maronites are quick to make the important distinction that, while they are "users of Arabic," that does not make them "Arabs." When they claim that they predate the Arab invasion (which of course they do) and are the descendants of the previous inhabitants of Lebanon, the Phoenicians, they are greeted with ridicule. But why? Where did the Phoenicians go? Did they just disappear? It is far more plausible to believe that the Maronites and the others in Lebanon are, most of them (for how many real "Arabs" actually came from the Arabian peninsula to conquer far more numerous populations of non-Arabs?) the descendants of those Phoenicians. The Maronites recognize this; the Muslims do not, because for them the superior people, the people to whom the Qur'an was "given" and "in their language," are the Arabs. The sense of Arab supremacy comes not only from the fact that the Qur'an was written in Arabic (with bits of Aramaic still floating in it), but because the Sunna, the other great guide for Muslims, consists of, and is derived from, the hadith and the sira, and reflects the life of people in 7th century Arabia. Thus one sees the forcibly-converted descendants of Hindus, the Muslims of India and Pakistan, full of supposed "descendants of the Prophet" who are identified by the name "Sayeed." It is as if, in the middle of a former British colony, say Uganda, black Africans gave themselves such names as Anthony Chenevix-ffrench or Charles Hardcastle, and dressed like remote Englishmen at Agincourt, or Ascot, and insisted, to one and all, that they were indeed lineal descendants of Elizabeth the Virgin Queen, or Hereward the Wake, or Ethelred the Unready. Yet when those whose ancestors were forcibly converted to Islam (and force can be not military force, but the incessant and relentless pressure of dhimmitude, which will over time cause many to give up and embrace the belief-system of the oppressor) and adopted the names, and mimicked the dress and the manners and customs of Muslims -- which are essentially those of a distant time and place (Arabia, more than a thousand years ago) -- we do not smile or think it absurd. A few Muslim "intellectuals" in East Asia occasionally suggest that local customs and ways, even local expressions of music and art, ought not to be sacrificed to the Sunna of Islam, but to no avail. And so strong is the power of Islam among the Arabs, so ingrained is their desire to ward off Muslim displeasure, that unless they do not feel themselves to be Arabs but a self-contained community (Copts, Maronites) that has managed to survive, they are very likely to reflect the Muslim views and promote the Muslim agenda. Nowhere can this be seen better than among the "Palestinian" Arabs. Michel Sabbagh is only one example. The Sabbagh who gave $6.5 million to support Esposito's pro-Muslim empire at Georgetown was a "Christian." (Note to James V. Schall: can you convince Georgetown's administration to sever its now-embarrassing tie to Esposito? At some point he, and Georgetown, have to part ways, for the sake of Georgetown's reputation and continued support from alumni.) The gun-running icon-stealing Archbishop Hilarion Cappucci was, in name, a Melkite Catholic; he was, in his essence, a PLO supporter. Islamochristian promoters of the Jihad -- beginning with the Jihad against Israel -- include a few "Palestinian" Presybterians who have carefully burrowed within, and risen within, the bureaucracy of the Presbyterian Church in America (no names here, but you can easily find them out), and Naim Ateek, who comes to delude audiences of Christians about the "Palestinian struggle" even as the Christian population of the "Palestinian" territories has plummeted, since Israel relinquished control, from 20% to 2% -- out of fear of Muslim "Palestinians." Nor, of course, do Michel Sabbagh and his ilk pay much attention to the situation of Christians in the Sudan, or Indonesia, or Pakistan. Why would they? It would get in the way of their promotion of the Islamic attempt not only to reduce Israel to the dimensions that will allow them to go in for the final kill, but to seize control of the Holy Land. What, after all, do you think would happen to that Holy Land if Israel were to disappear? Do you think the Christian sites would be as scrupulously preserved? As available to pilgrims? Would Christians walk around Jerusalem if it were under the rule of Muslims with quite the same feelings of security that they do now? No? Why not? And don't expect Michel Sabbagh to give you a truthful answer.
David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli,
currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern
studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director
of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org).
Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com
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STEINITZ: EGYPT IS PREPARING FOR POSSIBLE WAR WITH ISRAEL
Posted by Ted Belman, December 27, 2005. |
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This comes from Arutz-Sheva (www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=95549) and was written by Scott Shiloh. MK Yuval Steinitz (Likud) says that Egypt's arms build up over the past few years has focused on the possibility of future war with Israel. In a radio interview to be broadcast on Arutz 7's Hebrew internet site at 10:00 P.M. tonight, Steinitz, a former professor of political science at Haifa University who chairs the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, says that Egypt has already become a major supporter of terrorism against Israel. Steinitz said that Egypt has been allowing terrorist groups operating out of the Gaza district to smuggle missiles into Gaza. Those groups intend to use the missiles against Israeli targets. In his estimation, 90% of the explosives used by the terrorist groups are brought in from Egypt. Steinitz explains that it is a mistake for Israel to view Syria as its principle enemy, while neglecting the Egyptian threat, primarily because Israel maintains diplomatic relations with Egypt. Steinitz said that weapons smuggled from Egypt has become so important to the Hamas, "if you would ask them what they would be willing to give up, assistance from Egypt or Syria, they would prefer to give up Syrian, but not Egyptian aid." The Egyptians, Steinitz asserts, have kept to the peace agreements signed in 1978 as far as not engaging Israel in outright conflict. But on other levels, such as economic relations or stopping anti-Israel incitement, Egyptian compliance has been lacking. "Egypt biggest arms buyer in Middle East"
Egypt has become the developing world's third largest buyer of weapons over the last four years, according to a leading US official research service. According to the annual report issued by the Congressional Research Service, a division of the Library of Congress, only China and India recorded more arms transfer agreements, thus making Egypt the principal arms buyer in the Middle East. The report issued last week in Washington said Egypt recorded $6.5 billion worth of weapons purchases from 2001 to 2004. Israel bought $4.4b. during the same period and Saudi Arabia recorded $3.8b. For Egypt, which receives $1.3b. in annual US military grants, most of its weapons were purchased from the United States ($5.6b.). Most of this has been for military platforms and weapons, including advanced attack helicopters and fast missile vessels. The report, entitled "Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations," said Egypt outspent the traditional heavy buyers of Saudi Arabia, Israel and the United Arab Emirates. The main reason for the heavy Egyptian arms purchases is its ambitious modernization program. "This is worrisome and something that should be addressed," said Hillel Frisch, a senior researcher and expert on the Egyptian military at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. Frisch said that the arms purchases added up to over a $1b. more than the amount of military grants Cairo received from Washington. "This is surprising since it comes at a time when the long-term Egypt economy has been in decline. It is clearly that Egypt doesn't have any other enemies [than Israel]. It might have a problem with an atomic Iran, but a conventional system isn't going to have much of an impact there," Frisch said. In general, the Egyptian army has undergone a transformation from its last defeat by the IDF. Since the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty it has undergone a dramatic Westernization. It has acquired American Abrams tanks, F-16 fighter jets, Apache attack helicopters, and a state-of-the-art navy. "The worse thing about all of this is what are they amassing all this kind of weapons for? The critical question is maintenance. Do they have the capability of maintaining all these systems?" Frisch asked. Israel has long pressed Washington not to disturb the promise to maintain the qualitative edge it gives Israel over weapons it sells other Middle Eastern countries. In general this has been kept, but the United States has sold some weapons to Egypt of superior quality than it has sold to Israel, such as the Harpoon II missiles. The report said that China ranked first among developing countries in arms buying from 2000-2004, concluding $10.4b. in arms purchasing. India followed China with $7.9b. in arms purchases. The United States remained the leading arms supplier in the world with its biggest market in the Middle East. The CRS defines developing countries as every country except those in North America and Europe, Russia, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. In general, the report found that $37b. in arms sales in 2004 marked the first time this decade that total arms sales had increased. It also marked the first time sales to Asia surpassed the Middle East. "Egypt Deemed Leading Buyer Of Weapons"
Egypt has been deemed a leading consumer of military platforms and weapons. The Congressional Research Service said Egypt has become the third largest buyer of weapons over the last four years. CRS, a division of the Library of Congress, said in its latest report that Egypt purchased $6.5 billion worth of weapons from 2000 to 2004. In a report entitled "Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations," CRS said Egypt signed agreements to obtain military helicopters and other platforms and weapons from the United States. The report said the United States was the largest military supplier to Egypt. China and India were deemed the biggest arms buyers from 2000-2004. CRS said the United States was the leading arms supplier in the world, with its biggest market in the Middle East. "Israel Sees Rivals In Western-Based Air Forces"
The Israel Air Force has determined emerging threats from neighboring Arab states that have been building combat air fleets based on U.S. aircraft. IAF sources said the service regards Egypt as a leading threat with its fleet of F-16 multi-role fighters as well as plans to purchase up to 100 advanced Block 52 aircraft by the end of the decade. The sources also cited Jordan, which plans to upgrade its F-16 fleet to enable the deployment of advanced air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles. "As the weapons in the Middle East become more advanced in the area of aviation, it marks a challenge for us to be able to cope with them," Brig. Gen. Ido Nehushtan, air force chief of staff, said. "We are surrounded by very modern air forces that continue to strengthen. We face challenges of an entirely different kind and therefore we require an air force that could deter and defeat." In early June, Israel Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Eliezer Shkedy met senior U.S. defense and military officials and urged them to halt the export of advanced weapons to Arab enemies of Israel. Shkedy was said to have expressed concern over the sale of the F-16 to the United Arab Emirates and plans to sell the Block 50 to Egypt. "Bush arms the most repressive regimes in the world"
George W Bush launched his second term as US President in January by vowing to implant democracy around the globe "with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world". A number of the world's undemocratic governments continue to purchase arms from the US, however. A World Policy Institute report says that 13 of the top 25 recipients of US arms sales to the developing world went to regimes "defined as undemocratic by [the US Department of State]". These countries received more than US$2.7 billion in weapons transfers, most of which are rewards to countries that have joined Bush's war against terror or backed the US in Iraq and Afghanistan. Several countries considered undemocratic according to the US Department of State's list of human rights abusers are major recipients of US military aid, even though US law expressly forbids weapons transfers to countries that systematically suppress or abuse their own people. Recipients include Saudi Arabia, with US$1.1 billion in 2003; Egypt, with US$1 billion; Kuwait, with US$153 million; the United Arab Emirates, with US$110 million; and Uzbekistan, with US$33 million. "U.S. presses Egypt to abandon plans for 8 nuclear reactors"
CAIRO - President Hosni Mubarak has come under pressure from the United States to cancel plans for the construction of at least eight 1,000 megawatt nuclear reactors. Egyptian sources said the United States has been concerned that the reactors could form the basis of an Egyptian nuclear weapons program. The U.S. pressure on the Egyptian regime has increased over the last year in wake of British and U.S. inspections of Libya's nuclear weapons program. Last week, IAEA sources confirmed that inspectors examined traces of plutonium near an Egyptian nuclear facility, Middle East Newsline reported. They said the agency would seek to determine whether this constituted medical research or that of a nuclear weapons program. They said the plutonium appears to have been produced more than 15 years ago. Egypt has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The International Atomic Energy Agency has completed an inspection of an Egyptian nuclear facility to determine whether authorities conducted weapons tests. Egyptian sources said an IAEA team completed the inspection around an unspecified nuclear facility in mid-October and found traces of plutonium. The sources said the inspection was initiated by the agency and that findings of the plutonium particles have not yet been issued. "This does not reflect in any way the existence of an Egyptian program to produce nuclear weapons," Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim, a weapons expert at the Al Ahram Center for Strategic Studies, said. Ibrahim said the source of the plutonium was a leak from an unidentified Egyptian research facility. Egypt has at least two nuclear facilities -- one provided by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and the other by Argentina in the 1990s. Egypt has also sought to mine uranium in the Western Desert near the Libyan border. In the 1970s, Egypt sought to build a plutonium production reactor and reprocessing plant. These plans were said to have been abandoned in the late 1980s. Western intelligence sources said Egypt was believed to have obtained either components or expertise from Libya's nuclear weapons program. The sources said that in early 2004 British and U.S. inspectors found evidence in Libyan nuclear facilities that material and nuclear weapons plans were transferred to Egypt. Egypt has denied this. "Egypt got 24 N. Korean No-Dong missiles, violating pledge"
Special To World Tribune.Com, June 6, 2002
WASHINGTON - The United States has received intelligence reports that North Korea delivered 24 No-Dong intermediate-range missiles to Egypt in the last half of 2001. U.S. intelligence sources said the CIA report was sent to both the Bush administration and Congress. The No-Dong missiles did not contain engines but Egypt is believed to have received a separate shipment of up to 50 North Korean engines via Libya, Middle East Newsline reported. "It's a slap in the face to all those who have been working to stop the Egyptian- North Korean missile cooperation program," an intelligence source said. "Egypt pledged that it wasn't seeking the No-Dong or its engine and then acquired both." The sources said the No-Dong missile would provide Egypt the ability to attack targets in such countries as Israel, Jordan and Lebanon. They said the main aim of the No-Dong appears to be ensure Egyptian deterrence capability against Israel. "Egypt appears to be in a panic to obtain capability of operational medium-range missiles that can guarantee strikes anywhere south of Beirut," another intelligence source said. The disclosure of the No-Dong missile shipment to Egypt was first made last month by a leading analyst at a session of a subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee. On May 23, Frank Gaffney, head of the Center for Security Policy, told the House panel on terrorism that Egypt recently received 24 No-Dong missiles from North Korea. He did not elaborate. In May 2001, the Bush administration won an Egyptian pledge not to purchase the No-Dong or its engine. At the time, Egypt was about to obtain 50 North Korean engines. Within months, the intelligence sources said, Cairo arranged for the engines to be delivered to Libya, where they were transported by land to Egypt. In contrast, the No-Dong missiles were delivered directly to Egypt. The sources said Washington has failed to persuade North Korea to stop its missile sales. Instead, they said, North Korea has accelerated its missile deliveries to the Middle East since the end of last year. "North Korea is certainly a serious problem in that respect," U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, who did not confirm the Egyptian purchase, said. "They have dangerous technology in almost every category you can imagine. They seem to show willingness to sell anything to anybody who will pay them enough. So, it is a source of great concern." The No-Dong issue was raised by the Bush administration and Egypt has denied obtaining the missile. A U.S. official said the No-Dong is not expected to be discussed during the meeting by President George Bush and visiting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The two men will meet at the presidential retreat at Camp David on Friday and Saturday. "Egypt's Dangerous Two-Faced Stand..."
America decided to pay Egypt $300 million as "compensation" for the regional unrest caused by the war in Iraq. The US will also be providing Egypt with $2 billion in loan guarantees. Egypt separately receives about $2 billion a year from Washington, historically making it the second largest recipient of U.S. aid after Israel. Egypt receives this money because of its peace treaty with Israel. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12825-2004Jun3.html Turkish customs officers in Istanbul seized a radio-controlled missile and launcher as well as other weapons from a ship that was headed for Egypt from Ukraine, a government official said Thursday. The weapons, which also included a number of rockets and warheads, were discovered in two containers after customs officials searched the ship that had docked at the port of Ambarli, 20 miles from Istanbul, said Kursad Tuzmen, the minister in charge of foreign trade and customs. "The cargo declared by the ship's captain did not match what was inside the containers," Tuzmen told reporters after meeting with customs officials and paramilitary police at Ambarli. "There were military weapons inside." "We can say that the weapons are the kind that we can describe as 'sophisticated,'" he said. He did gave no further details on the quantity, nature of the weapons or on the missile's range. Tuzmen said the ship's captain had declared the ship was carrying spare parts. Officials became suspicious after noticing damage to numbers inscribed on the container, he said. Asked whether the containers may have also included chemical weapons, Tuzmen replied: "The inspections are ongoing." Ukranian diplomats have visited the port and the Foreign Ministry demanded an official explanation for the seizure, ministry spokesman Markiyan Lubkivsky said. "There are no grounds for such a sensation," Lubkivsky said. He identified the ship as the Maltese-flagged Breze-47 and said the crew included six Ukranians. Tuzmen said the ship from Ukraine had unloaded the containers at Ambarli. Another ship was scheduled to carry the cargo to Egypt. Tuzmen refused to comment on reports that the ship's crew had been arrested. Lubkivsky said the Ukranian crew members were not arrested. Another senior Turkish government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the crew of the second ship arrived at customs and began asking about an "armaments shipment" they had to transport to Egypt. A defense official in Egypt, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Defense Ministry had no information about the shipment. Port authorities on Thursday barred journalists from approaching the area where the ship was docked. Turkey has boosted security ahead of a NATO summit in Istanbul later this month which President Bush and other leaders are scheduled to attend. Last month, police in the northwestern city of Bursa announced that they had foiled a plan to attack the summit and courts have charged nine people in connection with that plot. Four truck bombings blamed on a Turkish al-Qaida cell killed more than 60 people in November in Istanbul. A court has charged 69 suspects in those bombings. "Turkey: Egypt claims to own containers:
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said on Friday that the Egyptian government claimed to own the seized weapons in two containers destined for Egypt from the Ukraine. "Egypt owns the weapons. We have started initiatives with the Egyptian government on the issue," said Gul speaking to reporters. Istanbul Customs authorities on Thursday seized a radio-controlled missile and launcher as well as other weapons in two containers destined for Egypt from the Ukraine. The weapons, including a number of rockets and warheads, were discovered when customs officials searched two containers at the port of Ambarli, some 35 kilometers from the city. Tuzmen had noted on Thursday that the first ship's captain had declared it was carrying spare parts. Officials became suspicious after noticing damage to numbers inscribed on the container, he said. "According to international rules, full reports of what is inside the containers should be given. Although these ships are only trans-passing us, they pass through the Straits and we should take the necessary measures. Since there are no reports on the weapons inside the containers, our teams will open all packages in the containers," Tuzmen said. Meanwhile, CNN-Turk reported yesterday that the missile's range was some 35 kilometers. Turkey has boosted security ahead of a NATO summit in Istanbul later this month, which U.S. President George W. Bush and other leaders are scheduled to attend.
/font>
Ted Belman is a Canadian lawyer and editor of
the IsraPundit.com website, an activist pro-Israel website. Contact
him at tedbel@rogers.com
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ON FASCISM, ISLAMOFASCISM, AND RELATED TERMINOLOGY
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 27, 2005. |
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I have, from time to time, received some chastizing input (occasionally noxious, but mostly sincere constructive critique or honest questioning) regarding my use of the terms "Islamofascist" and "Islamofascism", and my description of the Islamofascist terrorist threat as Jihadist Imperialist Supremacist Triumphalist Totalitarian Terrorist Islamofascist (which I abbreviate as JISTTTI). So, with the help of Dr. Abd Al-Khaleq Hussein and his article below, I'll briefly explain my choice of terms. If you feel I am using these terms incorrectly, let me know. But first note that my JISTTTI designations and the discussion below refer ONLY to that small minority of Moslems who support the JISTTTI movement, its terrorist means, and triumphalist ends; and who believe in its version of Islam. As the State department noted some 5 or so years ago, c. 90% of the Moslem world's 1,300,000,000 people are peaceful folk who want nothing more than to live peaceful lives and raise crops and a family; and who have no intention of destroying other civilizations and annihilating other religions. So this discussion refers ONLY to that remaining 10% (or c. 130,000,000 people, equivalent to about 2/3 of the USA population). Whether that peaceful Moslem population is indeed 90%, and why that 90% remains almost completely quiescent as the 10% hijack their religion, lead the "umma" into endless war, and threaten the world with massive and perhaps nuclear destruction, is unclear, but beyond the scope of this essay. Jihadist: The leaders and spokespersons of the JISTTTI Moslem groups that threaten Israel, and the USA, and Western civilization, with destruction, refer to themselves as perpetrators of jihad....the Qur'anic call to arms, to which all Moslems are obligated to respond, in which the Moslem warrior originating from 'dar el-Islam' (the realm of islam, that part of the world where Islam is the dominant or only religion) wages war against 'dar el-harb' (the realm of war, all the rest of the world where Islam is not the dominant or only religion). The purpose of jihad, as understood and promulgated by almost every mainstream Moslem leader in the entire Islamic world throughout all of Moslem history (from 628 onward, 1,377 years) is to defeat non-Moslem countries and make them Moslem countries in that either their pagan residents are converted or killed (i.e., genocide of millions of recalcitrant non-believers), and their Christian or Jewish or Zoroastrian residents are converted or killed or rendered 'dhimmi'. So, since they refer to themselves as "Jihadi", perpetrators of Jihad, it seems reasonable for others to do so too. It is important to note that residents of the 'dar el-harb' (realm of war) are known in Arabic as "harbi" (i.e., people of the war zone). Numerous Moslem jurists from the early middle ages on have declared, on the basis of religious considerations eminating from and based upon the Qur'an, that 'harbi' have no rights. Their lives are forfeit. They can be killed at any time with impunity. There is no distinction between 'harbi' non-combatants (women, children, elderly, crippled, etc.) and combatants. That is why there is no such thing as 'terrorism' as the West understands it, in the context of the Moslem jihad against 'harbi'. Any 'harbi' is an enemy combatant or a potential enemy combatant (women support the men, elderly are culpable for past anti-Islamic activity, non-combatants vote into power anti-Moslem governments, and children grow up to be combatants). Among the 'harbi' there is no such thing as a civilian...hence no such thing as Islamic terrorism against 'harbi'. What we call 'terrorism' they call legitimate righteous Allah-commanded warfare. Imperialist: The simplest and most comprehensive definition of imperialism is the process whereby a nation conquers other nations and renders them subservient to the conquering nation so as to form an empire under that nation's control and exploited by that nation. As such, the Arabs are history's greatest imperialists and the Moslem "umma" is the largest empire throughout the world and across all of history. Note that it is the professed and avowed goal of the JISTTTI leaders to establish their Caliphate (hopefully in Baghdad) and use it as the launching pad for the incorporation of all Moslem countries under their control, and then launch the great final Jihad which may last centuries but will end with the entire world under that Caliphate's control. Now that is an imperialist agenda. Supremacist: The Qur'an is clear. Moslems are the "best of people". Islam is the only real religion that is truly from God. Other religions are paganism, or were really from God early on but were twisted into horrific corruptions or tragic transmogrifications of the pristine Islam that was revealed to early pre-Mohammedan prophets. Thus Abraham was a Moslem who preached Islam (and known in Arabic as "khalil Allah" - the friend of God), but his teachings were corrupted by evil later Jewish leaders, as were those of Moses, another early Moslem prophet, into the mis-begotten Jewish Torah. Jesus was a Moslem who preached Islam and whose teachings were corrupted by the wicked imperialsit churches of the west (Rome) and the east (Byzantium) into the Christian Scriptures. It is the belief in the superiority of Islam which demands that any contradictions between the Qur'anic texts and those of the Jewish or Christian Scriptures must be decided in favor of the Qur'an. It is the Islamic belief in the divinely decreed superiority of Islam both as the current religion of the Moslem "Umma" (compared to all other world religions) and as the future religion of the entire world, which supports the JISTTTI belief that acts of war (many of which we in the west define as terror attacks) against 'harbi' are actually exemplary deeds fulfilling divine will. Since the JISTTTI leaders have no problem declaring themselves supreme, superior, and bent upon establishing their superiority over the entire world, it makes sense to call their movement a supremacist movement. Triumphalist: Triumphalism in religion refers to one's belief that one's religion will ultimately triumph over all other religiions and replace those religions world-wide. Catholicism and many other forms of Christianity are triumphalist, as is Islam. However, for many centuries almost all of Christianity has viewed its triumphalism as part of the divine intervention at the end of days, the "rapture" scenario for some Christians. The triumph will be effected by God, and hastened by successful Christian teaching and outreach and modeling of the proper Jesus-directed life.....not through Christian war against other religions or wayward Christians. Islam, from its very onset, predicted Moslem triumphalism and commanded the achieving of that triumph via successful and continuous Jihad. The triumphalist nature of Islam has been either the main motivator, or the religious justification, for continuous imperialist Islamic territorial expansion. The final achievement of Islamic triumphalism is defined in the famous Hadith of the tree and the stone (a non-Qur'anic teaching of Mohammed, attested in 4 of the 5 main collections of the Prophet's traditions and hence very reliable), in which the world will be fully redeemed, know the great peace of final redemption, and enjoy the resurrection of the dead, only when all the world has become Moslem and the last hold-outs of recalcitrant Jews are wiped out thanks to the collaboration of the tree and the stone, which cry out: "oh Allah, there is a Jew behind me, send a Moslem to kill him". Judaism is not a triumphalist religion. There are no sources, anywhere to my knowledge, that predict, demand belief in, or command the striving for, an end of days where all the world's people will be Jews....or dead. Totalitarian: The term totalitarian usually refers to a government that seeks to control, and hence creates the aparatus whereby to control, all aspects of the lives of its subjects....i.e., the totality of their lives. Islam is by its own definition a totalitarian religion, a religion that rules every aspect of a person's life. As such, it is not religion as most in the West understand the term. It is a way of life that determines all aspects of human behavior. Traditionial orthodox Judaism is totalitarian in that way too, as is Catholicism. Islam and Catholicism, however, created the aparatus whereby such totalitarian rule could be established and maintained, and both utilized that aparatus to punish or prevent deviation from the totalitarian orthodoxy. Judaism did not. In Catholic history, the Inquisition was the police force that rooted out and punished deviant Catholics, and used the threat of such punishment to prevent deviation. Happily for most in the Christian world, the Inquisition is no longer a functioning arm of the Holy See. In Moslem history both ancient and modern, the power to squelch dissention, silence un-orthodox voices, enforce discipline, require uniformity of practice, and punish all deviants, rests in Jihad. Throughout Moslem history, Moslem rulers in one country routinely declared Jihad on another Moslem country, using the accusation that the victim of the jihad was a legitimate target because of its Islamic inadequacies or heresies (whether such accusations were cause or excuse for the aggression is beyond the scope of this essay). Thus, it is historically accurate to define Moslem rule in many countries, and especially those where traditional Moslem values and religious principles are maintained, as totalitarian. The leaders of the JISTTTI Moslem world today are unabashedly clear in their intent to impose their version of Islam upon all of the "umma" that will come under their control (eventually the whole world). Thus, by their own self-description, they are a totalitarian religious movement. Terrorist: Per above, the war against the 'harbi' does not acknowledge the existence of civilians or non-combatants or illegal targets (infants, children, invalids, inter alia) among the 'harbi' population. Therefore the JISTTTI leaders have openly proclaimed that they will target, just as they have in the past, these non-combatant victims, as part of their legitimate and Allah-commanded war to make Islam triumphant and universal. Since they acknoweldge that they have waged, do now wage, and will continue to wage the kind of war that we call terrorism, it seems reasonable to use our terminology and not theirs. As we understand the term, they are terrorists. Islamofascist: The fasces in ancient Latin times was a bundle of sticks that symbolized the authority or power given to a representative of the people. The term fascism, derived from the Latin fasces, refers to a government that has broad powers and whose subjects have little or no input or control into the workings of the government. Fascist governments are characterized by a totalitarian extreme in which the government controls, or tries to control, all aspects of social, economic, political, cultural, and religious interaction. As Dr. Hussein notes below, "Italian Fascism, like German Nazism, was a racist movement that discriminated among human beings on the basis of their racial or national affiliation, and had a totalitarian ideology which intervened in every aspect of one's life......The common denominator defining an ideology or policy as Fascist or Nazi is discrimination among human beings for reasons that the victims can do nothing about..." (i.e., race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin). It is important to note, therefore, that the JISTTTI movement is not racist. All races are welcome in Islam. But the JISTTI leaders of the Islamic world today support and promulgate and seek to impose, in a totalitarian fashion, the discrimination mandated by the Qur'an and Islamic tradition upon women and non-Moslems and Moslems who are not Moslem enough. Moreover, they seek as well to create the totalitarian empire in which these discriminatory religious mandates are universally upheld and broadly administered. JISTTI regimes are therefore fascist in the true, literal sense of the word. I welcome rebuttal, correction, comments. david ml "Iraqi Reformist: The Iranian and Syrian Regimes are Fascist," Special Dispatch - Reform Project, December 28, 2005, No. 1057, www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SD105705 In a posting on the reformist website www.elaph.com, Iraqi reformist Dr. Abd Al-Khaleq Hussein, whose articles are regularly posted on the site, criticized the Iranian and Syrian regimes and their actions in Iraq and Lebanon. He wrote that these regimes were fascist in the true sense of the word, and that no stability, democracy, or economic prosperity would be possible in the region as long as they existed. The following are excerpts from his article:(1) The Syrian and Iranian Regimes are Fascist -- Literally, Not Metaphorically "Some believe that describing the Iranian Islamic regime and the Ba'th Party's Syrian regime as fascist is offensive, provocative, or, at the very least, exaggerated. In actual fact, there is no exaggeration. I call a spade a spade, in accordance with the scientific definition of the terms 'Fascism' and 'Nazism.' "Italian Fascism, like German Nazism, was a racist movement that discriminated among human beings on the basis of their racial or national affiliation, and had a totalitarian ideology which intervened in every aspect of one's life... "The common denominator defining an ideology or policy as Fascist or Nazi is discrimination among human beings for reasons that the victims can do nothing about... After all, I inherited my affiliation from my parents and from the environment in which I was raised; I did not choose it... "Since both the Iranian and Syrian regimes discriminate among the various groups within their peoples on the basis of religion and ethnicity, they are no different from any other fascist or Nazi regime. These two regimes are therefore fascist in the true, literal sense of the word, not metaphorically... "The Ba'th regime in Iraq employed various forms of the most despicable racial and sectarian discrimination among the different elements of the Iraqi people. The list of its crimes is long and is already known to all. [However,] despite the fact that, along with the Iraqi people [themselves], the Iranian and Syrian regimes are among those who stand to gain the most from the downfall of the Iraqi Ba'th party, they opposed its downfall because of their hostility to the democratic alternative in Iraq, [because of] their hostility to regional stability, and because it was America that helped the Iraqi people attain these two noble causes [i.e., democracy and stability]. They opposed the downfall of the [Iraqi] Ba'th party out of fear that their own regimes would suffer the same fate. "For this reason, the Iranian and Syrian regimes made a strategic pact to oppose democracy in Iraq. The regimes made a pact to fight America, 'the Great Satan,' on Iraqi soil and with Iraqi blood, and to turn Iraq into 'a new Vietnamese quagmire,' in which, they said, the arrogant Americans would sink. [They made this pact] in order to spare [themselves] the fate of Saddam Hussein and his tyrannical regime. "This is their constant strategic goal [of the Iranian and Syrian regimes], and they will not renounce it under any circumstances, even though they feign solidarity with the Iraqi people, and even though top-ranking officials from both countries deny -- at international gatherings and over the media -- that they support terrorism in Iraq... "The Iranian and Syrian regimes were hysterical after the fall of the Ba'th [regime] in Iraq, and devoted their best military, intelligence, and media efforts to thwarting the democratic regime in Iraq. [They did this] by helping terrorism in various ways, and by working to prevent the stability of the regime and to destroy its economic institutions. "The Iranian and Syrian regimes' acts of sabotage are not restricted to Iraq, but include Lebanon, which is suffering the same kind of terrorism -- namely political assassinations, support for the militias, and in the past, the Syrian occupation itself... Syria and Iran will continue to undermine stability in Lebanon and Iraq until they achieve their criminal goals. The wave of assassinations perpetrated by Syria's agents [in Lebanon] will not cease... It should be noted that all the victims of assassination were opponents of Syria in Lebanon..." Just as Nazism and Fascism Fell in Europe, History Will Inevitably Grind Down the Remaining Fascist Regimes "Come what may, we are optimistic about the future... and trust in the ability of the peoples of the region to face all challenges. In the final analysis, victory will be on the side of the peoples. The first domino has already fallen, when the fascist Ba'th Party fell in Iraq. The rest of the dominoes will follow. Just as Nazism and Fascism fell in Europe, and the rest of the totalitarian, tyrannical regimes followed, it is inevitable that history will grind down the remaining fascist regimes and will liberate the peoples from their acts of injustice... "Politics operates on the basis of interests, and is the art of the possible. The American interest is to spread democracy and [wage] a war against the tyrannical governments in the region, and the national forces should take advantage of this opportunity. However, those infected with the disease of hatred and hostility towards the West, and with stagnation in matters of faith, do not understand this. On the contrary, they are willing to fight against the democracy they yearn for, and to support tyranny, merely because they hate America -- even if such a rash policy brings calamities upon them and their peoples. "To conclude, it is clear that the peoples of the region will not enjoy stability, democracy, or economic prosperity until the fascist Iranian and Syrian regimes disappear, and until democracy is realized in their stead." Endnote: (1) Elaph.com, December 13, 2005.
David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli,
currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern
studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director
of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org).
Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com
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MAZAL TOV TO DAVID HATUEL
Posted by Gush Katif, December 27, 2005. |
"You changed my mourning into dancing; you took off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness" (Psalms 30,12) By shattering a glass during the Chuppa (wedding ceremony) we are expressing our deep sorrow about the absence of the Temple. Generation after generation we are remembering in the joyous moment of wedding treaty the destruction of the temples and the fact that until we won't see the rebuilding of them our joy will never be complete. The wedding celebration of our friend David Hatuel yesterday night was an occasion of a great joy but actually it was a bitter-sweet joy. David lost his entire family, Tali -- his wife who was in her ninth month of pregnancy and their four beautiful daughters in an horrible terror attack a year and a half ago. In addition to the traditional feeling of sorrow in our national lost of our temple was the personal sorrow of David; his family, his family home and his thriving community of Katif. David explained that he isn't building a new life but rather adding a new floor to the life that he had. May Hashem bless this marriage with health, happiness, peace of spirit and love. Amen Leshana Habaa BeGush Katif!
Contact Gush Katif at gkatif@netvision.net.il
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THE FALTERING MARCH OF DEMOCRACY; SETBACKS AGAINST ISLAMISM; SETBACKS AGAINST ISLAMISM
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 27, 2005. |
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TRUTH AMIDST THE LIES An Egyptian editor, who seconded the Iranian President's denials of the Holocaust, has come under ridicule here for that and an assortment of his views. He denies many aspects of Jewish history and subscribes to the popular Muslim conspiracy theories about the Jews. The ridicule tends to dismiss him as nutty. I think he is both taken too seriously and not taken seriously enough. We take him too seriously, in bothering to refute him point-by-point. On the other hand, doing so may be wise, because too many of our own people are ignorant and otherwise might hear only his ranting. We ought to learn to dismiss the whole case by the whole Muslim or at least Arab world. The problem with those sectors of the globe is that they do not have a notion of true scholarship. They accept any claims that support their ideology. Thus this editor cites as a scholarly source David Irving, the pseudo-historian of the Holocaust who was discredited in open court. Irving makes assertions and accusations without credible evidence. The Arabs do not subscribe to Western notions of academic integrity. In short, they lie. But it is more than lying. From our frame of mind, it is more of a mental disorder. They assemble notions that they mistakenly call facts -- different notions to suit different occasions, as if the facts change. They argue illogically on the basis of the false notions. They accuse us of sins to deflect attention from theirs. They waste our time. Then what is there to take seriously about what the editor and his ilk contend? In their countercharges, there are some grains of truth. We must be like the sparrow that I saw today pulling grains out of horseshit. We should cull even from hostile criticism what can help us to improve ourselves, but should not let evil foes make us feel guilty. He was not wrong when he complained that many journalists were bought off by Saddam Hussein, and that now the CIA was found to have bought some Iraqi journalists. THE FALTERING MARCH OF DEMOCRACY Democracy is on the march. So says Freedom House. The NY Sun cites its claim of increasing democracy in the Middle East. This is like the leftist way of citing the erroneous position of some leftist think tank. Democracy is not increasing as much as claimed. Much of the increase is of little use. Islamist parties are taking advantage of elections to move towards power. When they attain power, they would eliminate democracy, starting with civil liberties for minorities, then extending it to the rest of the country, then eliminating the very elections that brought them to power. In Iran, the mullahs didn't eliminate elections but set dictators over the parliament, closed opposition newspapers, and disqualified opposition candidates. The Mideastern march to democracy is mostly wishful thinking. SETBACKS IN OFFENSIVE AGAINST ISLAMISM Maureen Dowd remarked in the NY Times that Bush is trying "to frighten people with talk of Al Qaeda's dream of a new Islamic caliphate." (He is right. It is frightening.) Contradictorily, the Bush administration has socialized with US Islamist organizations, such as the Council on America-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Public Affairs Council. (The government has been doing that since Clinton's time. What fools!) The Administration is allowing Iran to develop nuclear weapons, pretending it can rely on Russia's promise to prevent Iran from going that far. (Russia is mercenary or worse.) Calling it democracy, the Administration is willing to deal with Islamists in Lebanon, the P.A., Egypt, and elsewhere. This boosts Islamist prestige. (War on Islamism, anyone?) About to close extremist mosques, Britain instead put an Islamist on a task force. "As Israel's population lurches leftward, led by a defeatist government, it forgets the lessons of Oslo, appeases its enemies, and virtually invites more violence against itself." Vice PM Olmert said, "We are tired of fighting, we are tired of being courageous, we are tired of winning, we are tired of defeating our enemies." (Daniel Pipes, NY Sun, 12/20). JORDAN TIMES CHIDES CONGRESS The editor of the main newspaper in the semi-dictatorial Hashemite kingdom chides Congress for resolving that the US cease its funding for the P.A. if Hamas takes charge. The editorial contends that without Hamas, the P.A. would not be representative and it would not be democratic. After all, Congress, as is "well known," is under Zionist control (IMRA, 12/18). By "well known," the editorial is referring to the widespread claim in the Arab world. But the Arab world proclaims about history without knowing it or being truthful. The editorial confuses representative with democratic. Democracy means not only rule by the majority but protection for the minority. Islamist Hamas would give no protection to the minority, whom it would scourge. How much more democratic Germany would have been had the Weimar Republic barred the terrorists of its day, the Nazi Party! I chide Congress for subsidizing the P.A. now under Fatah control. Fatah has murdered as many innocents as has Hamas. Will the US stop pretending that some terrorists, the ones in Fatah, are moderate? LACK OF MORAL CLARITY Foreign objections to a Hamas role in P.A. elections are not consistent. The EU threatens to sever aid if Hamas wins, but did not object to Hamas running. Congress objects if Hamas runs for the lelgislature. Israel protested sometimes against Hamas running, and sometimes against winning, but it merely protested. IMRA contends that they all should have objected to Hamas running in the first elections, the local ones (IMRA, 12/18). Arutz-7 points out that the US has been aiding a Gaza town whose election Hamas recently won. Will the US cut off the aid? (12/18.) The most foolish is the EU. If Hamas may run, it may win. If it wins, it becomes harder to put the Hamas genie back into the bottle. I think that the cowardly EU knows it. If those who objected were sincere and intelligent, they would have objected in unison to any Hamas candidacy, and had the penalties ready. Then everyone would have known the consequences in advance, perhaps sufficient to have had the desired effect. Separate, discordant, unconvincing threats had no effect. That was foreseeable. The Arabs don't listen to appeals, they are deterred only by sufficient force. I object to Fatah running for the same reason they object to Hamas. It is fighting a holy war and by most unholy means. Where, in this supposed Arab rush for democracy are the parties representing the assumed, formerly silent majority for tolerance and peace? The answer is that in that indoctrinated society, such people are the silenced handful. In Iraq, they are the voted-down minority, in that the Shia voted for Islamists. RESULT OF GAZA ABANDONMENT The result of Sharon's abandonment of Gaza may be to have turned Gaza over to Hamas (Arutz-7, 12/18). A STROKE OF LUCK FOR ISRAEL PM Sharon's medical condition long has been concealed from the public or portrayed as better than it is. His entourage describes the recent stroke as mild and without effect. Actually, he was very confused for longer than stated and somewhat confused all night. That indicates a greater affliction than depicted (Winston Mid East Analysis, 12/18). Most of the opportunistic and appeasement-minded politicians he sucked out of the other parties would have no place to go if his party collapses under his dead weight. Having demonstrated disloyalty to their old parties, they may not be welcomed back by rivals. If so, this is a deus ex machina cleansing of Israeli politics. On the other hand, that still leaves Netanyahu and Peretz as leaders of appeasement. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. |
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ISRAEL RANKS THIRD IN THE WORLD IN THE NUMBER OF VENTURE CAPITAL INVESTMENT
Posted by Yoram Ettinger, December 27, 2005. |
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Enclosed you'll find the 100th issue of Straight From The Jerusalem Boardroom (http://yoramettinger.newsnet.co.il). The centennial issue of the Jerusalem Boardroom documents the highlights of Israel as the second hottest high tech arena following the US. Happy Chanukah, the holiday of the super-natural high tech Yoram 1. BUSINESS WEEK, Dec. 20, 2005 (Neal Sandler): "Israel boasts 135 engineers per 10,000 employees, compared with 70 in the US and 65 in Japan... Foreign companies are continuing to expand their local research centers and production facilities [in Israel]. They accounted for a substantial chunk of the $6.8BN in foreign investment in the first three quarters of 2005... including Intel, Cisco, HP, Vishay and Siemens, all have announced large scale investments, or have acquired Israeli startups in recent months... Israel 's biggest advantage is know-how and innovation... The country now has more than 2,000 startups in various stages of development... the number of new start ups rose for a second year in a row... Demand for high tech workers is up almost 19% this year. Foreign investment rose sharply in 2005, and exports continue to climb... Israeli civilian high tech exports rose by nearly 10% in 2005 to $16.6BN. They represent nearly half of Israel 's industrial exports, the highest percentage anywhere in the world. When defense exports are added, the figure rises to nearly $20BN." 2. Israel follows only California and Massachusetts, ahead of Texas, NY, Washington State and NJ in the number of venture capital investments. 3. Overseas investments in Israel 's high tech exceed any single European country. It exceeds France and Germany combined. 4. Israel features more start ups than any country other than the US. It features the highest number of start ups per capita. 5. About $1.5BN have been raised by Israeli companies on NASDAQ during 2005. Nice raised $200MN in mid December. 6. Over 400 global companies have established R&D and production sites in Israel, led by Intel, Motorola, Vishay, Cisco, Microsoft, HP, Kodak, Texas Instruments, AOL, Siemens, Philips, AlcaTel, Ericssen, etc. 7. Global investment banks and VC Funds operate in Israel, led by Sequoia, Benchmark, Accel, Intel-Capital, AOL VC Fund, GE-Capital, GE-Medical, Johnson & Johnson VC Fund, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan-Chase Manhattan, Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Bros. Bank of America-Robertson Stephens, Credit Swiss-First Boston, Taiwan's China Development Investment Bank, Deutsche Bank, Singapore Government VC Fund, APEX Partners, Japan's Nomura, etc. 8. Leading pension funds have invested in Israel's high tech, featuring California State Employees Pension Fund (CalPERS), NY State Employees, IL State Employees, OR State Employees, MIT, Princeton University, GE, IBM, Bell South, US Teachers Union, Singapore's Pension Fund, Canada's CAISSE and Ontario Teachers Pension Fund. 9. The 2000 burst of the NASDAQ Bubble highlighted Israel 's competitive edge: overseas investments were sustained Israel (although cut by 70% due to dramatic valuation drop and dried out resources in the US ) while avoiding Europe. 10. 9/11 and the London and Madrid Islamic terrorism blitz and global Islamic terrorism have put Israel 's security risk in perspective. 11. The 2003-2005 recovery of Israel's high tech has been facilitated by its competitive edge (the largest number of R&D personnel per capita), by the economic recovery in the US, by the swift interaction among the scientific, academic, industrial and military sectors and by the relative non-vulnerability of the know-how and export-intensive high tech to security and political volatility. 12. When it comes to Israel's high tech, Wall Street has been much more critical than Gaza Strip. Ambassador Yoram Ettinger is a consultant on US-Israel relations as well as the Chairman of Special Projects at the Ariel Center for Policy Research. Formerly the Minister for Congressional Affairs to Israel's Embassy in Washington, DC, Ettinger also served as Consul General of Israel to the Southwestern US. He is a former editor of Contemporary Mideast Backgrounder, and is the author of the Jerusalem Cloakroom series of reports. This is #100. Contact him at yoramtex@netvision.net.il |
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65% OF PALESTINIANS APPLAUD TERROR ATTACKS ON US AND EUROPE
Posted by Mordechai Ben-Menachem, December 27, 2005. |
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This was written by Ezra HaLevi and appeared in Arutz-Sheva (www.IsraelNationalNews.com). A poll carried out in the Palestinian Authority shows 65% support for Al Qaeda terror attacks on the United States and European countries - the biggest donors to the PA. The poll comes at a time when US and European funding of the Palestinian Authority is at an all-time high. With elections due to be held next month and the Hamas terror group gaining significantly in municipal elections and polls, the survey further illustrates the desire of a majority of PA Arabs to establish an Islamic state, similar to Iran. A whopping 79.9% of Palestinians would like the PA to follow Shari'a - Islamic religious law. Included in the figure are 11.3% of the respondents, who would like to see Shari'a supplemented by the laws of a PA Legislature. "What is striking is the willingness of Palestinians to turn against even the Western countries upon whom they are so totally dependent in order to progress," said Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) Director Itamar Marcus. "The poll underscores what PMW has been documenting for years - the profoundly negative impact hate education has had on PA society... Palestinians are not in direct conflict with the US, and certainly have counted on the Europeans as active allies. And yet an overwhelming majority desire to see Europeans and Americans killed by a religion-based terror organization." The poll was conducted by FAFO - a Norwegian-based NGO not known for sympathy toward Israel or antipathy toward the PA. FAFO says it conducted the polling among the Palestinian population "in order to assess political feelings after Israel's voluntary withdrawal from Gaza in late-summer 2005." The poll results were reported in the PA newspaper Al- Hayat Al-Jadida last Friday. Last month (November 18th), in a sermon broadcast on PA-controlled television, Islamic leader Suleiman Satari offered the following prayer: "Destroy the Infidels and the Polytheists! Your [i.e. Allah's] enemies are the enemies of the religion...! Count them and kill them to the last one, and don't leave even one." According to PMW, prayers to annihilate all "infidels" have been included in Friday prayers on PA TV at least six times in recent months. Two such sermons were delivered by Yusuf Jum'a Salamah, PA Minister of the Waqf Religious Authority - the most important religious office in the PA. Even though PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas was present on at least one of these occasions, similar prayers for genocide continued on the PA-owned and controlled TV in subsequent weeks. Just weeks before the terror attacks of September 11th, 2001, Dr. Ikrime Sabri, the Mufti of Jerusalem and the highest- ranking Islamic figure in the Palestinian Authority said on PA radio: "O Allah, destroy America and its supporters and collaborators. O Allah, destroy Britain and its supporters and collaborators." Mordechai Ben-Menachem is at Ben-Gurion University. He can be reached by email at quality@computer.org |
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MAN'S REACH MUST EXCEED HIS GRASP
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 26, 2005. |
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"Man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?" If there is ever to be a just and lasting peace in the Middle East or indeed throughout our dysfunctional orb, all the various cultures, nations, and tribes within nations must respect each other and truly be worthy of respect. This will require a worldwide willingness to be tolerant but discerning as well as introspective. Implicitly, giving and receiving respect requires adhering to a morally acceptable framework of standards that is worthy of this in fact lofty concept. Gender equality is an absolute essential standard that mankind must strive to achieve. Fundamentally flawed Islamic regimes, addicted to Wahhabi skewed fanatical violent male dominating interpretations of the Koran, present extreme examples of misogynist mindsets that must be altered. We can of course cite less pernicious paradigms of male supremacy throughout the planet that also need to be reversed in favor of abused females. This immensely challenging enterprise will require a profound alteration in the behavior of the planet's spiritual, academic, and political punditry, newly possessed of an egalitarian epiphany, aggressively promoting the reprogramming of their muddled minions in woeful need of guidance. An equitable (not equal) distribution of wealth must be the quest of worthy planetary stewards appalled by an abominable status quos where bejeweled denizens in robes and Armani suits, feasting on chateaubriand, dwelling within gated estates remain surrounded by threadbare peasants, groveling for crumbs, inhabiting shantytowns. Darwinian capitalism, one of Earth's predatory banes, indeed a vestige of a competitive reptile eat man or man eat reptile past, that sucks the heart and soul out of our third stone from the sun, creates a suitable tar-pit for Cro-Magnon revolutionaries intent on upsetting a rotten-apple cart. This must change! Furthermore, can we presume ourselves to be civilized beings, allowing genocidal atrocities to continue unabated in "hell holes" such as Darfur Sudan? Can we presume to be worthy stewards of this planet while we strip mine its surface, burn its forests wantonly, pollute its oceans and air, in effect ravage its resources with no concern for future generations? Might we give and receive respect to and from each other while our best minds craft deadlier and deadlier weaponry in lieu of improving the quality of our collective lives? The answer is a resounding no! Let the government of the disrespected State of Israel reach for the stars. Invite leaders of all nations, affixed to this wobbly sphere, to its capital Jerusalem for the purpose of averting global Armageddon. Delineate the standards our species must live by and what must be done. When sovereign bodies of the world listen and respect the wisdom of this tiny nation by deed, they will be worthy of respect and respect each other. If man's reach does not soon exceed his grasp, there will be no heaven to reach for. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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WEST BANK CHRISTIANS OPPRESSED BY MOSLEMS, NOT ISRAEL
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 26, 2005. |
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To the editor,
Matthew Kalman's "Faithful villagers keep it Christian..." (SF Chron 12.25.05) is a transparent whitewash of the dangers Christians face under Moslem rule. Kalman's reference to the Taybeh villagers' "occasional disputes" with Muslim neighbors is highly inaccurate and deeply misleading. The Taybeh, incident over which he so quickly glosses, was far more than just a "dispute". On Saturday evening, September 2, 2005, more than five hundred Muslim men from nearby villages, chanting Allahu Akbar (Allah is Great), invaded the Christian village of Taybeh, rampaged all night, and torched 16 houses and numerous cars. Several other houses were looted of jewelry, furniture, and appliances. The assailants also destroyed a statue of the Virgin Mary. Many families were forced to flee. Luckily, no one was injured. The attack on the village was triggered by the accusation that a Christian man from Taybeh had the temerity to date a Muslim woman from a nearby village. The 30-year-old woman was apparently murdered by members of her family merely for this budding romance. Contrary to Kalman's explanation, no mention of pregnancy out of wedlock appeared in any of the September press accounts. When Palestinian security forces launched an investigation into the woman's death, her family protested for fear that her inter-faith relationship would be exposed. They were further infuriated by the decision to exhume the body for autopsy. Angry that the investigation would make public their daughter's inter-religious dating (a source of great humiliation for Moslems), the family, friends and relatives turned their rage upon the Christian man and his whole village. While the attack is one of the worst against Christians in the West Bank in many years, such attacks are by no means "occasional". Thanks to many attacks like this one since the Palestinian Authority took over the administration of the West Bank in 1995, the once Christian town of Bethlehem is today 95% Muslim, many Christians having moved out after the Palestinian Authority took over the ancient birthplace of Jesus just before Christmas in 1995. Incidents such as this are largely ignored by the western media. After assuming control of the West Bank in 1995, Arafat Islamized Bethlehem. The city's municipal boundaries were changed to incorporate 30,000 Muslims from three neighboring refugee camps, severely tipping the demography. The city also added a few thousand Bedouins of the Ta'amra tribe, located east of Bethlehem, and encouraged Muslim immigration from Hebron to Bethlehem. The net result is that the area's 23,000 Christians were reduced from a 60 percent majority in 1990 to a minority by 2001. In December 1997, the London Times reported: "Life in (PA-ruled) Bethlehem has become insufferable for many members of the dwindling Christian minorities. Increasing Muslim-Christian tensions have left some Christians reluctant to celebrate Christmas in the town at the heart of the story of Christ's birth.". The situation has become so desperate for Christians that, "during his visit to Bethlehem, Pope John Paul II felt it necessary to urge Palestinian Christians already in March 2000: 'Do not be afraid to preserve your Christian heritage and Christian presence in Bethlehem.'". On July 17, 2000, upon realizing that then Prime Minister Barak was contemplating re-partitioning Jerusalem, the leaders of the Greek Orthodox, Latin, and Armenian Churches wrote to him, President Clinton, and Yasser Arafat, demanding to be consulted before such action was undertaken. Barak's proposal also triggered a flood of requests for Israeli identity cards by thousands of eastern Jerusalem Arabs. (This, plus the fact that Israel's own Christian population is actually growing, refutes any claim that emigration is a result of Israel's treatment of Christians.) But Palestinian Christians fear to speak out about their situation. "Out of fear for their safety, Christian spokesmen aren't happy to be identified by name when they complain about the Muslims' treatment of them...off the record they talk of harassment and terror tactics, mainly from the gangs of thugs who looted and plundered Christians and their property, under the protection of Palestinian security personnel." Other recent incidents include the 100 Palestinian terrorists who took over the Church of the Nativity in 2002, using it as a fortress from which to fire upon Israeli troops, while holding nuns, priests and monks hostage, and looting or destroying virtually everything of value inside the building. Similarly, during 2000-2002, the PA's Tanzim militia chose the Christian town of Beit Jala as a base for unprovoked shooting at Jerusalem. The Tanzim were specifically positioned in or near Christian homes, hotels, churches, and the Greek Orthodox club, from which the legal residents were evicted at gun point, knowing fully well that these sites would be hard-hit by Israeli return fire. On February 6, 2002, the Boston Globe reported "a rampage of Palestinian Muslims against Christian shops and churches in Ramallah... Police made no attempt to stop the mob, which besieged and damaged a widely respected youth center associated with the Boy Scouts of America after torching Christian properties...'The truth is this is a problem between Christians and Muslims,' said one Christian businessman." So, why does Kalman gloss over the tragic plight of Palestinian Christians persecuted and intimidated under Moslem rule in the West Bank; and why does he try to accuse Israel of causing the problems that these Christians face? David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli, currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org). Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com |
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POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EPIDEMIC OF ETHNIC RAPE BY MOSLEMS IN THE WEST
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 26, 2005. |
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Please read carefully the article below. And then see if you can answer the following questions: Why are women's rights groups silent? Are they not the bastions of protection for women abused as are these victims of Islamic macho-fascism? Does that last sentence sound like 'conspiracy theory"? If so, I suggest you recall Al-Walid bin Talal and his now legendary phone call to Rupert Murdock this past November (noted below). If Murdoch is at Talal's beck and call, and jumps to implement Talal's demands across his entire communications empire, then it is by no means irrational to suspect that similar pressures can be leveraged against political, judicial, law-enforcement, and other media leaders in the EU and UK. Still think that such influence is beyond the reach of islamic leaders? then please read: Spiegel, Steven "The other Arab Israel conflict" (American presidents and how they are influenced against Israel by the Saudis)(1985). Far from being out of date (20 years old), his book quite literally foretells the rise of Arab oil power and Islamic religious pressure against the USA and the West. If the house of Saud can influence USA presidents from Roosevelt to yourself on major USA foreign policy issues, then how much more likely is it that they and other powerful Islamic leaders, throughout the oil sheikhdoms and Iran, can pick up the phone and call heads of state througout the EU and UK, and tell them how they should handle the riots in the 'banlieux', rape trials in Sydney, gang violence in Malmo, etc.? And if you have your doubts about Spiegel's book, then please read Walsh, Elsa, "The Prince", New Yorker Mag., 3/24/03, 49ff. Walsh interviews Bandar bin Sultan (Tallal's younger brother). Sultan tells Walsh, proudly, unhesitatingly, in no uncertain terms, how, during his 25-year tenure as Arabia's ambassador to Washington, USA secretaries of state have called him, sometimes daily during difficult periods, to get his vetting of US State Department policy recommendations relating to the Middle East. And if you think that this type of intimidation has not happened in Europe, then read Bat Ye'or's Eurabia; with its documentation of the treaties and agreements reached between the Arab League and European countries represented by the EU. One of the most important weapons in the Islamofascist war against the West is intimidation. Rape is not about sex. It is about power, control, and intimidation. All of western society is vulnerable to Islamofascist triumphalist supremacist imperialist penetration (excuse the unintended pun) into our society. The more we acquiesce, the more they penetrate. The more we appease, the more violent they become. Unconfronted gang rape in the streets of western cities escalates into contained (but not confronted) street riots in the "quartiers sensibles" around Paris, and then across all of france, and then in many cities throughout europe. We are on the cusp. If we learn from history, we will use force to re-establish rule of law and maintain law and order in our cities by arresting and imprisoning violators. We will use force against terrorists, and against terror-supporting states, in order to stop terrorists world-wide by denying the perpetrators the base of operations, the weapons, and the funding they need. If we ignore history, we may end up as Europe did after Munich in march of 1939. Six months after "peace in our time", World War 2 had begun. A year later all of Europe was in flames. And five years later almost 70,000,000 had died. 26 years of Islamofascist terror attacks against the West show that we are now already long into World War 4. The unanswered questions that I pose at the beginning of this email indicate that we are already at our Munich. How much longer before our civilization is in flames, and we are waging war in the streets of our cities? david meir-levi "Western Muslims' Racist Rape Spree," by Sharon Lapkin, FrontPageMagazine.com, www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=206 In Australia, Norway, Sweden and other Western nations, there is a distinct race-based crime in motion being ignored by the diversity police: Islamic men are raping Western women for ethnic reasons. We know this because the rapists have openly declared their sectarian motivations. When a number of teenage Australian girls were subjected to hours of sexual degradation during a spate of gang rapes in Sydney that occurred between 1998 and 2002, the perpetrators of these assaults framed their rationale in ethnic terms. The young victims were informed that they were "sluts" and "Aussie pigs" while they were being hunted down and abused. In Australia's New South Wales Supreme Court in December 2005, a visiting Pakistani rapist testified that his victims had no right to say no, because they were not wearing a head scarf. And earlier this year Australians were outraged when Lebanese Sheik Faiz Mohammed gave a lecture in Sydney where he informed his audience that rape victims had no one to blame but themselves. Women, he said, who wore skimpy clothing, invited men to rape them. A few months earlier, in Copenhagen, Islamic mufti and scholar, Shahid Mehdi created uproar when "like his peer in Australia" he stated that women who did not wear a head scarf were asking to be raped. And with haunting synchronicity in 2004, the London Telegraph reported that visiting Egyptian scholar Sheik Yusaf al-Qaradawi claimed female rape victims should be punished if they were dressed immodestly when they were raped. He added "For her to be absolved from guilt, a raped woman must have shown good conduct." In Norway and Sweden, journalist Fjordman warns of a rape epidemic. Police Inspector Gunnar Larsen stated that the steady increase of rape-cases and the link to ethnicity are clear, unmistakable trends. Two out of three persecutions for rape in Oslo are immigrants with a non-Western background and 80 percent of the victims are Norwegian women. In Sweden, according to translator for Jihad Watch, Ali Dashti, "Gang rapes, usually involving Muslim immigrant males and native Swedish girls, have become commonplace." A few weeks ago she said, "Five Kurds brutally raped a 13-year-old Swedish girl." In France, Samira Bellil broke her silence - after enduring years of repeated gang rapes in one of the Muslim populated public housing projects - and wrote a book, In the hell of the tournantes, that shocked France. Describing how gang rape is rampant in the banlieues, she explained to Time that, "any neighborhood girl who smokes, uses makeup or wears attractive clothes is a whore." Unfortunately, Western women are not the only victims in this epidemic. In Indonesia, in 1998, human rights groups documented the testimony of over 100 Chinese women who were gang raped during the riots that preceded the fall of President Suharto. Many of them were told: "You must be raped, because you are Chinese and non-Muslim." Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported that in April 2005, a 9-year-old Pakistani girl was raped, beaten with a cricket bat, hanged upside down from the ceiling, had spoonfuls of chillies poured into her mouth, and repeatedly bashed while handcuffed. Her Muslim neighbors told her they were taking revenge for the American bombing of Iraqi children and informed her they were doing it because she was an "infidel and a Christian." In Sudan - where Arab Muslims slaughter black Muslim and Christian Sudanese in an ongoing genocide - former Sudanese slave and now a human rights' activist Simon Deng says he witnessed girls and women being raped and that the Arab regime of Khartoum sends its soldiers to the field to rape and murder. In other reports, women who are captured by government forces are asked; "Are you Christian or Muslim?" and those who answer Christian, are gang raped before having their breasts cut off. [NOTE! This was a common brutality by Yassir Arafat's Muslim Palestinian terrorists during the 12 year civil war he fomented in Lebanon after being evicted from Jordan. Note from E. Winston] This phenomenon of Islamic sexual violence against women should be treated as the urgent, violent, repressive epidemic it is. Instead, journalists, academics, and politicians ignore it, RATIONALIZE it, or OSTRACIZE those who DARE discuss it. In Australia, when journalist Paul Sheehan reported honestly on the Sydney gang rapes, he was called a racist and accused of stirring up anti-Muslim hatred. And when he reported in his Sydney Morning Herald column that there was a high incidence of crime amongst Sydney's Lebanese community, fellow journalist, David Marr sent him an e-mail stating, "That is a disgraceful column that reflects poorly on us all at the Herald." Keysar Trad, vice-president of the Australian Lebanese Muslim Association said the gang rapes were a "heinous" crime but complained it was "rather unfair" that the ethnicity of the rapists had been reported. Journalist Miranda Devine reported during the same rape trials that all reference to ethnicity had been deleted from the victim impact statement because the prosecutors wanted to negotiate a plea bargain. So when Judge Megan Latham declared, "There is no evidence before me of any racial element in the commission of these offences," everyone believed her. And the court, the politicians and most of the press may as well have raped the girls again. Retired Australian detective Tim Priest warned in 2004 that the Lebanese gangs, which emerged in Sydney in the 1990s "when the police were asleep" had morphed out of control. "The Lebanese groups," he said, "were ruthless, extremely violent, and they intimidated not only innocent witnesses, but even the police that attempted to arrest them." Priest describes how in 2001, in a Muslim dominated area of Sydney two policemen stopped a car containing three well-known Middle Eastern men to search for stolen property. As the police carried out their search they were physically threatened and the three men claimed they were going to track them down, kill them and then rape their girlfriends. According to Priest, it didn't end there. As the Sydney police called for backup the three men used their mobile phones to call their associates, and within minutes, 20 Middle Eastern men arrived on the scene. They punched and pushed the police and damaged state vehicles. The police retreated and the gang followed them to the police station where they intimidated staff, damaged property and held the police station hostage. Eventually the gang left, the police licked their wounds, and not one of them took action against the Middle Eastern men. Priest claims, "In the minds of the local population, the police are cowards and the message was, 'Lebanese [Muslim gangs] rule the streets.'" In France, in the banlieues, where gang rape is now known simply as tournantes or "pass-around," victims know the police will not protect them. If they complain, Samir Bellil said, they know that they and their families will be threatened. However, Muslim women in the French ghettos are finally fighting back against gang rape and police non-action. They have begun a movement called, "We're neither whores nor doormats." They are struggling against the intrinsic violence that plagues their neighborhoods and the culture that condones it. In most French prosecutions, the Muslim rapists state that they do not believe they have committed a crime. And in a frightening parallel with the gang rapists in Australia, they claim the victim herself is to blame and accuse her of being a "slut" or a "whore." According to The Guardian, during the recent French riots, a Saudi Prince with shares in News Corporation boasted to a conference in Dubai that he had phoned Rupert Murdoch and complained about Fox News describing the disturbances as "Muslim riots." Within half an hour he said, it was changed to "civil riots." Swedish translator, Ali Dashti, stated that in Sweden when three men raped a 22-year-old woman recently, they said one word to her. "Whore." Such stories, according to Dashti, are in the Swedish newspapers every week. And, the politically correct "take great care not to mention the ethnic background of the perpetrators." Sweden's English newspaper The Local reported in July that Malmo police commander Bengt Lindstrom had been charged with inciting racial hatred. He sent e-mails from his home computer to two city officials. To the head of healthcare, he wrote: "You...treat old Swedes who have worked hard building up the fatherland like parasites and would rather give my taxes to criminals called Mohammed from Roseng'rd." In Malmo, the third largest city in Sweden, the police have admitted, Dashti says, that they no longer control the city. "It is effectively ruled by violent gangs of Muslim immigrants." Ambulance personnel are regularly attacked and spat upon and are now refusing to help until a police escort arrives. The police are too afraid to enter parts of the city without backup. In early 2005, Norwegian newspapers reported that Oslo had recorded the highest ever number of rape cases in the previous twelve months. However, Fjordman explained, the official statistics contained no data regarding "how immigrants were grossly over represented in rape cases", and the media remain so strangely silent. Oslo Professor of Anthropology, Unni Wikan, said Norwegian women must take responsibility for the fact that Muslim men find their manner of dress provocative. And since these men believe women are responsible for rape, she stated, the women must adapt to the multi-cultural society around them. The BBC pulled a documentary scheduled for screening in 2004, after police in Britain warned it could increase racial tension. "In these exceptional circumstances...Channel 4 as a responsible broadcaster has agreed to the police's request..." The documentary was to show how Pakistani and other Muslim men sexually abused young, white English girls as young as 11. The number of rapes committed by Muslim men against women in the last decade is so incredibly high that it cannot be viewed as anything other than culturally implicit behavior. It is overtly reinforced and sanctioned by Islamic religious leaders who blame the victims and excuse the rapists. In three decades of immigration into Western countries, Islam has caused social upheaval and havoc in every one of its host countries. No other immigration program has encountered the problems of non-assimilation and religious ambiguity. Everywhere in the world, Muslims are in conflict with their neighbors. And as Mark Steyn recently said, every conflict appears to have originated by someone with the name of Mohammed. In July 2005, Melbourne Sheik Mohammad Omran told Sixty Minutes that "...we believe we have more rights than you because we choose Australia to be our home and you didn't." In the same interview visiting Sheik Khalid Yasin warned "There's no such thing as a Muslim having a non-Muslim friend, so a non-Muslim could be your associate but they can't be a friend. They're not your friend because they don't understand your religious principles and they cannot because they don't understand your faith." Despite being told over and over by Islamic scholars, and witnessing massive influxes of Islamic crime, Western countries continue to believe in the reality of assimilation and moral relativism. In Australia, Lebanese Christians have assimilated and become a respected part of our community. The Premier of Victoria is a Lebanese Christian as is the Governor Of New South Wales. However, Lebanese Muslims have encountered serious problems because of their refusal to accept our right to live our way of life. Nothing so clearly demonstrates that it is not an issue of race - but of culture. David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli, currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org). Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com |
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WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FUNDS GIVEN JEWISH AGENCY TO SAFEGUARD SCHOOLCHILDREN?
Posted by Naomi Ragen, December 26, 2005. |
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Please read the following article, sent to me by Nitsana Darshan Leitner, regarding the use of funds for the hiring of security guards. It was written by Stewart Ain and appeared in the Jewish Week. It is called "Millions Raised For Security, But School Kids Not Guarded $20 million from UJC for Israeli children still unspent; lawsuit has officials scrambling." It was an advertising campaign that tugged at the heartstrings, complete with photos of adorable Israeli preschoolers. The message: These vulnerable children need protection from terrorist attacks. The campaign worked, attracting thousands of donors and raising nearly $320 million to date for the United Jewish Communities Emergency Israel Campaign. Of that, $20 million was allocated to provide security guards at kindergartens and other schools for which the Israeli budget could not pay. School opened five weeks ago, but the children are still unprotected - no security guards have been hired. And now their parents are being asked to foot the bill. UJC and The Jewish Agency, its representative in Israel, learned about the situation this week only after inquiries from The Jewish Week in response to a lawsuit filed last month in Jerusalem by the mother of a kindergarten child. The mother's lawyer complained that not only were no guards assigned to any nursery schools or kindergartens, but that UJC had raised money to ensure that "Israeli children can start school on time and in a safe and secure environment," according to the charity's press release. "I don't believe they have used any of the money," said Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, a Tel Aviv lawyer who filed suit against the government and the Ministry of Internal Security questioning why no guards have been assigned to kindergartens and nursery schools. Darshan-Leitner filed her suit in behalf of a Jerusalem mother of four who has a child in kindergarten, as well as all parents in Israel. In papers submitted to the High Court of Justice, Darshan-Leitner included a press release and promotional material about the UJC's "Keeping Children Safe" program. "The ads were graphic," she said, adding that they specifically said guards would be posted at kindergartens. "Photographs of Israeli preschoolers were used in the ads," she said. "To date, however, the Israeli police have refused to station guards at the kindergartens, leaving 320,000 preschoolers unprotected." Asked about the suit, Nachman Shai, director general of UJC Israel, said the UJC was not a party to it and that, in fact, the UJC money had been used by The Jewish Agency to hire a security guard for each of 1,500 educational institutions, including kindergartens, elementary schools and afterschool activities at high schools. Government-provided security guards leave when classes end. "The guards have been deployed," he insisted. "There is no doubt that it has happened." But after a spokesman for Uzi Landau, minister of Internal Security, told The Jewish Week that his ministry was still working with the Education Ministry to develop criteria for determining which schools needed guards, Shai conceded that no guards had in fact been deployed. "It's not our fault," he maintained. "We are not in charge of guarding schools in Israel. -- I don't know what the Jewish Agency did. I know what the UJC has been doing and we allocated $20 million for 1,500 guards all over the country. There will probably be arrangements between The Jewish Agency and local municipalities, but we are not involved in that." Money raised by Jewish federation for Israel is channeled through The Jewish Agency for Israel. The Jewish Agency issued a statement Tuesday saying it was "surprised to learn, a month after the beginning of the school year, that the increased security has not yet been implemented despite the fact that all the required funds are available to the competent authorities." Stephen Hoffman, president and chief executive officer of UJC, said he did not learn until The Jewish Week inquiries that the guards had not been hired. And Susan Stern, co-chair of fund raising for UJA-Federation of New York, which raised money for the Israel Emergency Campaign, said she too was unaware of it. "I'm sure they are doing the best they can," she said. "I'd like to find out what's going on." The spokesman for Landau said he hoped that by Sunday, municipalities and the Education Ministry would complete their work in determining which schools needed guards "according to operational standards developed by the police." He said that some of the money provided by the UJC would be used to hire guards at kindergartens, and that they would get "the same priority as high school and elementary schools." "Everything depends on their location," the spokesman stressed. "We are trying to do the best with the money we have. Every shekel we get will go for the hiring of guards." But Darshan-Leitner said an official of the municipalities told Israel Radio Tuesday that until her lawsuit, Landau had planned to use two-thirds of the $20 million raised by UJC to buy additional police cars and other equipment. A spokesman for The Jewish Agency, Yehuda Weinraub, said the plan is for the municipalities to hire the security guards and then be reimbursed by UJC. He suggested that bureaucracy and the numerous Jewish holidays last month might have contributed to the delay in hiring the guards. Darshan-Leitner, noting that there are 80,000 nursery school children in Israel and another 320,000 kindergarteners ages 4 and 5, asked why parents are being asked by their schools to pay for security guards when the UJC money was donated for that purpose. A representative of the attorney general's office told the court during a Sept. 18 proceeding that he needed more time to learn what criteria the police were using in determining where to post guards. He was given 30 days to find out. Darshan-Leitner said she believes kindergarten and nursery children are "more helpless" than high school students and questioned why the police chose not to protect them. Her husband, Avi, co-counsel in the case, pointed out that it took a protest by parents of kindergarten children in the Jerusalem suburb of Gilo to get the government to station a guard at their school. Gilo has been a frequent target of snipers from the neighboring Palestinian community of Beit Jala. "How can you say that every single high school needs a security guard and that nursery schools and kindergartens don't need one?" he asked. The UJC's Shai pointed out that because of the large number of schools in Israel - 1,200 kindergartens alone - it is not possible to provide guards at each of them. "We are unable to pay for every preschool all over the country," he said. "There are some schools that have only 20 kids. You can't cover them all." But Darshan-Leitner said the UJC ads to raise money for the guards don't spell that out. "From the ad itself, you cannot imagine that there would be some kids who get security guards and some who do not," she said. "We would like to secure every kindergarten and every school. If that is not possible, at least one has to consider where the kindergarten is located and not just the number of kids in the kindergarten. Uzi Landau has his own bodyguard and he's just one person." As of Sept. 24, the Israel Emergency Campaign had raised nearly $319 million in pledges. Shai noted that $25 million of that money provided two weeks of summer camp for more than 200,000 Israeli youngsters this year. And he said another $30 million had been spent to provide more than 4,000 Jewish immigrants from Argentina with a one-time grant of $7,000 each. Shai said another 1,000 Argentine Jews are expected before the end of the year and that the UJC allocation to this project would therefore increase to a total of $35 million. Naomi Ragen is an American-born novelist and journalist who lives in Jerusalem. She can be contacted at www.naomiragen.com, where you can subscribe to her newsletter. |
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GAZAN ARABS PREPARE NEW HIGH-EXPLOSIVE WARHEADS FOR QASSAM MISSILES
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 25, 2005. |
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Within my experience of the past 5 years, DEBKA is right about 85% of the time. That's twice as good as the CIA's track record. We have Condoleeza to thank for the open borders that are so helpful to the Gazan economy, and to their armament industry. This is from http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=1125 The Palestinians have smuggled in from Sinai to the Gaza Strip what military sources have told DEBKAfile is a monstrous amount of high explosives, to improve the precision and effectiveness of the Qassam missiles fired across the border against Israeli towns and villages. Our sources reveal the new, lethal explosives come from military production factories in Slovakia and Serbia. Egyptian special border forces supposed to police the Philadelphi route border have permitted the illicit supplies to roll past them in the last few days without lifting a finger. Once inside the Gaza Strip, the explosives are going straight into Palestinian workshops working around the clock to fit the military-grade TNT and Semtex on their Qassam missiles in place of the home-made, hit-or-miss warheads. These workshops have not been bombed by the Israeli air force for some weeks. The powerfully upgraded Qassam missiles with boosted destructive capabilities are therefore expected to start flying shortly. In the last three months, some 300 Qassam missiles have been fired from Gaza against Israeli civilian locations, an average of three per day. While disrupting lives and keeping their victims on edge, most have flown wide of the mark, causing no casualties and little damage. Many fall short on the Palestinian side of the Gazan border. In the last two weeks, Palestinian missile crews have become more ambitious and aimed at strategic targets in the Ashkelon area and a big military base south of the city. Four Israeli soldiers were slightly injured last week and that was the sum of the damage. But once the homemade primitive warheads are replaced with military-grade explosives, the Palestinian terrorists can hope to inflict death and destruction on an entirely different scale. Israeli officers in the southern command have warned the Sharon government that the new explosives not only place the big power station and oil port installations of Ashkelon in great peril, but arm Palestinian suicide bombers with more powerful bomb vests and can be used in car bombs for assaults on a level previously unknown in the Palestinian war against Israel. DEBKAfiles counter-terror sources add that the smuggling of wholesale quantities of war materiel to Gaza was a high-cost operation. Agents purchased the merchandise in Slovakia and the Balkans, underground networks freighted it across the Mediterranean to Sinai and there, more accomplices transported the explosives up to the Gazan border. Unlike the Karin-A shipment arms cargo seized by Israeli commandos exactly four years ago, no Israeli hand stepped in to snap the chain bringing new >tools of war into terrorist hands in the Gaza Strip. David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli, currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org). Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com |
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ANITA TUCKER OF GUSH KATIF IS COMING ON A LECTURE TOUR
Posted by Evelyn Hayes, December 26, 2005. |
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The Rachel's Children Reclamation Foundation and Manhattan Beach Jewish Center cordially invite you to hear a longtime resident and spokeswoman for Gush Katif and a former resident of Brighton Beach Anita Tucker, on Saturday, January 7, 2006 after the services at Manhattan Beach Jewish Center 60 West End Avenue, Brooklyn New York. A Community Melave Malka will take place in the evening. Tax Deductible Checks made to: RCRF
will be earmarked for Netser Hazani and help the still dislocated refugees of the brutal and destructive Gush Katif Disengagement. DETAILS: 718-648-2610 Suggested Donation $18.00 718-891-8700 Anita Tucker, a spokeswoman for Gush Katif, formerly of the community of Netzer Hazani, will be coming to the United States in January to raise awareness of the refugees' continuing plight and their plans to build new towns and continue their communities. Anita owned an insect free celery farm that went to the export and local market. Her sons had a business of organic cherry tomatoes that were exported to Europe and the US. Of all goods exported from Israel, she said 70 percent of the organic vegetables, 60 percent of the herbs, and 15 percent of all agricultural exports came from Gush Katif. Now they are all unemployed. "Nobody took into account that Anita Tucker is 59 years old and she could have grown in her green houses for another 70 years." The Anglo and Jewish press have given very little coverage to the refugees' plight and so everyone assumes that all is well. The truth is the families are still without their belongings, any compensation, are suffering joblessness and depression. They are still living in tents or hotel rooms. Anita Tucker will also be the Special Guest Speaker at the Beit Orot Dinner Saturday evening, January 14, 8 pm., at the Grand Hyatt Hotel which is also publicizing the plight of our abandoned fellow Jews and their mission to re-engage in new Israeli towns. RCRF is also collecting letters from children to be delivered in mid January to the homeless children of Gush Katif, still living in tents and hotel rooms. Evelyn Hayes is author of "The Eleventh Plague, Twins, because their hearts were softened to accept the unacceptable" and "The Twelfth Plague, Generations, because the lion wears stripes." Contact her at haze@rcn.com. |
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JUST JEW IT: GREAT 1-MINUTE CHANUKAH MOVIE
Posted by Laureen Moe, December 26, 2005. |
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Inspiring Chanukah movie. Take a look at: http://www.aish.com/a/JustJewIt.asp Happy chanukka Laureen Laureen Moe is a Christian Zionist and lives in Canada. She can be reached at her website, http://www.laureenmoe.org |
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BETH LEHEM'S CHRISTIANS FLEEING MOSLEM RELIGIOUS APARTHEID
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 26, 2005. |
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Dear Chrisian Leaders, This is more on Christians fleeing Moslem persecution in Beth Lehem and elsewhere in the West Bank....many are fleeing to Israel where they are safe and free to practice their religion. Reports such as the article below, which almost never make it into the western mainstream media, show us that Christian leaders such as the Latin Patriarch, Bishop Younan, and Na'im Ateek of Sabeel Center are just plain flat-out lying when they tell us how wonderful their relationships with the Moslem world are, and how the real problem is Israel. The real problem is Islamic Shari'a law which relegates all non-Moslems to a low-caste subservient existence within the Moslem "Umma"... the most egregious example of religious apartheid in the world today. By the way, the influx of Moslems into Beth Lehem was not coincidental or accidental. As soon as Arafat took over in 1994, one of his first political actions on the West Bank was to change the municipal boundaries of Beth Lehem, so that it included several refugee camps hitherto outside of Beth Lehem. With those refugee camps now inside of Beth Lehem, the Moslems now had a voting majority, and very soon the entire municipal council was turned out and replaced with almost all Moslem council men. At this point Christians began to flee. It was clear that Arafat's plan was to islamize Beth Lehem. But western media never reported this. The Christian world has remained silent, until very recently when the Pope publicly urged Beth Lehem's Christians to find the courage to withstand the Islamofascist apartheid pressures (unfortunately, the Pontiff has not yet found the courage to speak out directly against those same Islamofascist apartheid pressures). Christians in Beth Lehem and Beit Jalla have suffered physical attacks, arson, rape, kidnappings, murder, thuggery, drive-by shootings, eviction from their homes so that the sites could be used by terrorists as launching pads for rocket and machine-gun attacks on Israelis across the valley in Gilo, damage to churches, occupation and desecration of the Church of the Nativity... and the list can go on almost endlessly. Merry Christmas. David Meir-Levi Below: "Christians Fleeing Bethlehem's Moslem Majority," today's Arutz Sheva, www.israelnationalnews.com/print.php3?what=news&id=95416 Bethlehem's Christian population has declined 10 percent in five years, and Moslems now are the majority in the city where Christians, once a majority, often have been the targets of Moslem riots. Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas visited Bethlehem Saturday night during midnight mass and used the holidays as a platform to call on the Christian community to denounce the partition barrier which separates Bethlehem from the southern limits of Jerusalem. Foreign clerics joined Abbas, and the Archbishop of Westminster, England told worshippers that Bethlehem's citizens are "terribly alone" because of the barrier. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor urged Israel "to build bridges and not walls" and blamed Israel for making Christians feeling "compelled to leave the land of their birth for foreign lands, on account of the political situation." However, no mention was made of the Arab terrorists' siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem three years ago, when they held nuns and priests as hostages and looted the building. A document captured by Israel shows that the terrorists who broke into the church demanded monetary support from Bethlehem town officials Last week, Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terrorists stormed PA offices near the church for several hours on Thursday before leaving under threat of a clash with PA forces. Christians have been fleeing Bethlehem in droves due to security concerns and the changeover to Arab authority in the town, with 3,000 having fled since the outbreak of the Oslo War in 2000. Ten years ago, PLO chairman Yasser Arafat replaced the Christian-dominated town council with a predominately Moslem council. Christians made up 90 percent of the city before Israel became a state in 1948, but a Moslem influx has turned the Christians into a minority of less than 20 percent. Bethlehem also is the popular site of the Jewish matriarch Rachel's Tomb, where visitors to the holy site must pass through an intense security checkpoint. The PA officially claims to allow freedom of religion, but Moslem sermons have linked Jews and Christians as enemies. A PA Information Ministry statement states, "The Palestinian people are also governed by [Islamic] Shari'a law..., and any Muslim who [converts] or declares becoming an unbeliever is committing a major sin punishable by capital punishment...." Anti-Christian sentiment also has been evident elsewhere in the PA. Last September, hundreds of armed Moslems terrorized the Christian city of Taibe in Samaria, burning homes and cars, and destroying a sacred Catholic statue. In one riot in 2002, Moslems instigated "a rampage...after torching the Christian properties," according to the Boston Globe. David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli, currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org). Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com |
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ISRAEL HOBBLES ITSELF; CORRUPT SHARON REGIME INTIMIDATES HONEST
DISSIDENTS; HAMAS "CEASEFIRE" TRICK
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 26, 2005. |
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Every day, I read of terrorist attempts upon Israelis. Rockets land in industrial, residential, or farm areas. A car laden with explosives is pushed towards a tunnel. Arabs try to smuggle explosives. Readers of the NY Times find it only on some days. Fortunately most of those attempts fail. Non-believers would attribute that to luck; Orthodox Jews have another explanation. Unfortunately, after so many attempts, there are casualties and they mount. The potential casualties rise, too. The explanation for the increased risk is neither luck nor divine: (1) The Arabs escalate their weaponry; (2) Israel withdrew from territory, allowing the Arabs to design, manufacture, and launch attacks; and (3) Israel hardly fights back. All those reasons encourage the Arabs to persist. Why does Israel withdraw? For one thing, the US demands it. For another, the Left thinks it will bring peace, regardless of how often such withdrawals heighten the war. Neither the US nor the Left acts in self-interest, intelligently, or with conscience. Israel hardly fights back: (1) Bombs empty fields, in order to be able to say that it bombed something in retaliation; (2) Continues withdrawing and subsidizing, rather than penalizing the P.A. as by annexing strategic territory; (3) Takes down roadblocks and checkpoints within days of erecting them; (4) Does not make a clean sweep of the P.A.; (5) Allows an Arab fifth column inside Israel, as citizens and as workers coming from the P.A. (which is an indirect subsidy); (6) Releases hundreds of terrorist prisoners in futile and unreciprocated goodwill gestures or in exchange for a few Israeli corpses; and (7) Returns Arab corpses, and in doing so, fails to lard them so as to render them ineligible for the martyrdom they sought. (Why not, the Muslims fight a holy war?) Israel does sometimes send forces into the P.A. to intercept terrorists, especially if most wanted or on a mission. This is an effective means, but only to the extent utilized. Ostensible humanitarian organizations protest against this effective means, which does produce some collateral casualties. Collateral casualties in counter-terrorist raids are the responsibility of the terrorists, including the P.A. government that condones them. The organizations should complain to the P.A., not to Israel. Amnesty Intl. used to call all the terrorist gunmen "civilians," and attribute their deaths to Israel even when they killed each other or themselves, and blamed Israel for killing civilians. How is that for alleged humanitarians siding unfairly with barbarian aggressors! Such organizations imply that they resent that Arab casualties surpassed Israeli casualties, as if that weren't desirable, since the Arabs are jihadists like the ones killing US troops in Iraq. Why does Israel not use those other methods of fighting? For one thing, the US demands that it mount a weak offense and defense. The stated priority of the US, the humanitarian organizations, and the Israeli Supreme Court is the living conditions of the Arabs, not the lives of the Jews. The insincerity of that priority is shown by their lack of concern for the harsh conditions imposed by the P.A. on their own people. All this must sounds unjust and crazy. It is! Yet it continues on, they blunder on. GIFTS FROM ENEMIES The Saudi Prince who donated to American Universities for Islamic centers to "promote understanding" gained his wealth from television. His ART Iqra TV promotes jihad and hatred against the US and Jews. It consigns Christians and Jews to hellfire and urges Muslims to confront non-Muslims (Steven Stalinsky, NY Sun, 12/21, p.5). In business he promotes discord, but in philanthropy he promotes concord? Not likely. More likely, his donation reinforces an Islamic program to propagandize against defense from jihad. The universities ought to know better than to accept gifts from enemies of ur country and of what free universities stand for. It is such gifts, and comparable and comparably blind federal subsidies to Middle Eastern Studies radicals that have made American universities less free than formerly. TRONDHEIM TO BOYCOTT ISRAELI GOODS Trondheim, Norway, has decided to boycott Israeli products (IMRA, 12/18). Western Europe is under threat of Iranian missile attack and is under a cultural and sometimes a violent siege by the Muslims it let in, but it expresses its indignation against Israel for defending itself from the jihadists. It isn't only presidential candidate Kerry who was foolish for basing his foreign policy on consulting W. Europe. My friends concurred. Now Pres. Bush consults do-nothing Europe about Iran. ISRAEL STILL SHADOW-BOXING AGAINST TERRORISTS The IDF announced that it bombed eight more access routes and a bridge crossed by terrorists en route to firing rockets against Israel (IMRA, 12/18). The press release report mentioned no damage to the bridge or the access routes. It did not define "access route" nor explain how many there are and why it doesn't bomb them all NOW. Neither did it help the public evaluate its effort by comparing the number of rocket attacks before the bombing of "access routes" with the number after the bombing. I suspect this is like the IDF shelling of empty fields and empty buildings -- a pretense. SHARON REGIME "INVESTIGATING" WOMEN IN GREEN Women in Green is a private organization of whistle-blowers against Israeli appeasement. The Attorney-General has ordered it investigated. This is standard Sharon practice of intimidating, and if need be, stifling, opposition (Winston Mid East Analysis, 12/18). It isn't surprising that a government so corrupt, treasonous, and dictatorial cracks down on honest, patriotic, and democratically protesting folk. APPLY THE EXPERIENCE IN GAZA TO JUDEA-SAMARIA PM Sharon contended that by abandoning Gaza, Israel would gain security. Opponents contended that it would cost Israel security. They explained that the terrorists would be free to move closer to the Green Line and attack Israel from a short range. What happened? The terrorists are using the abandoned Jewish communities as rocket launching sites closer and without interference from the IDF. Nevertheless, Sharon is planning to abandon most of the rest of the territories (IMRA, 12/16). In a rational society, the people would tell their leader that his previous plan failed, and therefore he should not extend his plan. He doesn't catch on and they don't tell him. Even if they did tell him, he listens to the State Dept., which traditionally is anti-Zionist. HOW HAMAS HONORS ITS CEASEFIRE Hamas declared a ceasefire. What did it do with all the rockets it was developing? It gave them to other terrorist groups not party to the ceasefire. They fired the rockets and reported the range and accuracy to the Hamas engineers. Hamas then claims to be honoring the ceasefire (IMRA, 12/16). Can't trust Islamists. ISRAELI UNO AMBASSADOR NOT DEFENDING ISRAEL The US Ambassador to the UNO, Bolton, stands up for Israel. The Israeli one hardly does. Israel's Ambassador, temporary President of the General Assembly, seems so taken with the gentile pat-on-the-head symbolized by that post, that he lets insults of Israel pass unchallenged. For example, he ignored the UNO celebration of the P.A. enemy that featured a map of Palestine with the Arab area covering what is Israel. The ZOA website and other websites remarked on it, but the Israeli government's did not. Israel is pleased about the UNO's Holocaust Remembrance Day, but the UNO is helping to prepare another holocaust. The delegation crowed about the Red Cross being willing to admit Israel at last. The Red Cross still does not put Israel's symbol on a part with the symbols of the Christian and Islamic religions. This is part of the gradual delegitimizing of Israel and of Judaism. Most of the defense of Israel in the world arena is done by private organizations. Examples: -- countering anti-Semitism on college campuses; lobbying the US Congress and the EU to cut off funding to the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Saudi Arabia; exposing the funding arms of terrorist organizations; "monitoring the US media for distortions in Middle East coverage. The Middle East Media Research Institute, which monitors and translates the Arabic press, has done more to expose the anti-Westernism, misogyny, anti-Americanism and genocidal anti-Semitism that is rife in Arab culture than any government of Israel ever dreamed of doing." The Israeli Foreign Ministry prefers ceremonies to hard work and achievement (IMRA, 12/17). Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. |
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WHO'S AFRAID OF HAMAS?
Posted by Yaakov Ish Tam, December 26, 2005. |
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Cries of dismay could be heard simultaneously from all directions when the PA announced that Hamas would be permitted to run in both local and parliamentary elections. In protest, Israel barred voting from taking place in Jerusalem, and the US and EU threatened to withhold funding if Hamas is permitted to participate. Security officials in Israel and abroad warn about the dire situation that will occurr if Hamas is allowed to take over an that there is a real fear of them winning a majority in Gaza and other major cities in the West Bank. It has always puzzled me that Hamas has continually been a taboo subject for both Israelis and world leaders. Arafat and his successors in the PLO have been deemed "partners in peace". Convicted mass murderer Marwan Barghouti is a "legitimate candidate" and there are even calls to release him from jail so that he can campaign, Azmi Bishara and Ahmed Tibi regularly call for the destruction of Israel from WITHIN the Israeli Knesset and no one says a word, but Heaven Forfend Hamas should be permitted to run! It doesn't take much research or critical thought to realize that there is NO negotiable difference between the PA. Hamas, Fatah, Islamic Jihad, or Hizbollah, the Israeli Arab political parties or any other Arab terror group. All of these organizations are directly involved in terrorism, the routine murder of Jews and work towards the eventual destruction of the State of Israel. The time has come to stop whitewashing arch terrorist Arafat and his good old boys and treat them as what they are- wolves in sheep's clothing. Are we really supposed to trust Abu Mazen, whose PHD dissertation was a flamboyant piece of holocaust revisionism? Does Fatah, or the Al-Aksa brigades, the official military wing of the PA, have any less blood on its hands than its radical rivals in green? Was Arafat not directly responsible for killing the most number of Jews since Hitler and Stalin? It is time to take the wool off of our eyes and call a spade a spade. The PA is no better than Hamas and their goals are the same. The only difference is their tactics and willingness to use deception to achieve them. There is however, ONE major difference between Hamas and the PA. The PA is rife with corruption and is in essence nothing more than a government sanctioned mafia. A party which has completely lost touch with the will of the people, has been stealing their money for years and is widely viewed as willing to sacrifice ideology for money power and prestige. Hamas on the other hand, is seen as the honest ideological party, the "party of the people" so to speak, and that is why they are becoming more and more popular. This is not only in theory, they managed to do very well in many municipal elections especially in big cities such as Schem. If Hamas were merely some marginal fringe party the powers that be would have no problem with them running and showing poorly in the polls. The fact is that they have a very good chance at winning, or at least taking a significant percentage of the electorate. This is why they are so feared and why there is so much pressure to exclude them from the elections. But why should we be afraid of Hamas? Haven't we already established that from a standpoint of terrorism or ideology they are no worse than the current regime? Wouldn't their victory mean a major decrease in corruption and mishandling of funds which are meant to go to the "Palestinian people"? Why are the very people who for so long demanded free elections in Palestine, now attempting to censor the ballot? Don't "free elections" and the democratic process trump every other political concern? Shouldn't the "Palestinian People" be permitted to vote for whomever they choose, not a pre-decided set of candidates who will maintain the status quo? The real reason that there is so much international opposition to Hamas is obvious: If they are permitted to run and then win or do well at the polls it will unequivocally prove to the world once and for all that the "Palestinian People" = Hamas. The Emperor will be naked and the lies that have been fed to us since the Oslo accords about the "moderate peace loving majority" of the "Palestinian People" will finally be exposed as complete fabrications and political sophistry. It will show that in a TRUE free election, the Palestinians will not vote for peace or compromise, they will vote for HAMAS, in essence a vote to continue the campaign of murder and mayhem until no Jew is left on Palestinian soil. They will vote for radical Islam and not Western Democracy or Liberalism. They will choose the battlefield over the negotiating table and the sick game we have been playing will finally be over. In the end, the "Palestinians will not even settle for the trojan horse, "jack in a box" called the PA, who is more discrete about its goals and tactics. They want the real thing -Hamas -Terrorism no holds barred..... So why not let the Arab inhabitants of Israel finally vote their conscience? Why not allow them to have a truly free and unencumbered election? Why not once and for all allow them to show their true colors to the world publicly embarrassing the EU, UN, US State Department and most of all the Israeli Left who for so long have tried to cover up their atrocities, squarely placing the blame on Israel's shoulders? There is an old expression in Yiddish "A good enemy is better than a bad friend." We all know where Hamas stands, wouldn't we be in a far better position dealing with them than a lying cheating PA who says one thing in English and the opposite in Arabic? Why not finally let the truth come out; that the Arabs of Israel actively seek its destruction and MUST be treated like enemies of the State instead of "partners in peace". They must be fought against and expelled not given more concessions and "confidence building measures". Because if they will be allowed to vote, their "confidence" in Hamas and radical Islamic terrorism will be as clear as day and no amount of rationalization or political maneuvering will be able to cover that up. Let Hamas run, let the Arabs once and for all show their true intentions. And if they run I hope they win, because as strange as it may sound, A Victory for Hamas is a Victory for Israel! Yaakov Ish Tam lives in Tapuach, Samaria, Israel. Contact him by email at ishtam@gmail.com or go to his website, http://ishtam.blogspot.com |
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CELEBRATING CHANUKA BY TRASHING TOMARKIN'S "ART"
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 26, 2005. |
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Now ordinarily petty vandalism and theft are not the sorts of things that I think should be celebrated by the Jewish people during Chanuka. But this year might be a bit special. You see, just in time for Chanuka (and also for Christmas for Christian Israelis with refined artistic tastes), some people stole chunks of rusted metal from an eyesore "sculpture" of anti-Semitic "sculptor" Yigal Tomarkin. You can see a photo of the eyesore before the vandals improved its appearance at: www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=662233&contrassID= 0&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0 This piece of putrid rust was standing near a kibbutz in the Negev for some time. Tomarkin is having a cow and denouncing the Israeli police for not devoting its every waking moment to looking for the people who improved the appearance of his piece of junk. Now this is unusually delicious because of Tomarkin.s OWN bio as a thief of sculpture. Let me explain! Yigal Tomarkin is Israel's answer to the famous junkyard in Sanford
and Son. An "artist" specializing in making rusting eyesores that have
enraged more than one group of residents who have to look at them.
Tomarkin is probably even better known for his racist and anti-Semitic
bon mots, a partial list of which appears in the Jerusalem Post piece
below. Not listed there is Tomarkin.s stunt in 1980 when he wrapped a
pig up in Tefillin
Now if you still had any doubts that Yossi Beilin and Shulamit Aloni were really calling all the shots for the Ariel Sharon government, then you should know that the Sharon Likud government, elected to end groveling leftist anti-Jewish Israeli Oslo self-hatred, decided last year to give the same Tomarkin a national prize for his "art". Can Dror Feiler, the pro-terror "artist" in Sweden who made a statue celebrating a Palestinian woman mass murderer, be far behind? As background, here are some old Plaut pieces on Tomarkin: Yigal Tomarkin is Israel's official Sculptor of Junk. He is a geezer and vintage member of Israel's bohemian artsy-phartsy set, who specializes in spouting Far-Leftist anti-Orthodox poppycock and in building rusting eyesores all over the country. His art looks like something taken from the back lot at Sanford and Son. We have had many an occasion to comment on the aging Junkster in the past. First, Tomarkin is famous for saying that when he watches Orthodox Jews walking about he can really understand why the Nazis wanted to murder all the Jews. His art has triggered mass protests by Israelis demanding that it be removed from their streets lest it lower their property values. But perhaps the most theatrical Tomarkin affair was one in which Tomarkin was involved in the theft of a statue from a town square in Europe, which turned up in Tomarkin's own studio after he had "altered" it. Haifa's weekly Kolbo July 4, 03 carries an interview with the Michaelangelo of junk, and reveals some other juicy tidbits from his bio. Two years ago Tomarkin got involved with the cops because he had been smacking around his misses, choked her, and threatened to kill her. At one point he took a pistol and pointed it at his own head and threatened to make her watch his transformation into a Tomarkin sculptured original. Tomarkin claims the Israeli Secret Service put his wife up to bringing the charges as part of some sort of Chamishite conspiracy against him. The Attorney General indicted him for all this, but last week cancelled up on grounds that the couple claimed they had resolved things. Tomarkin was 70 at the time and the Misses Junkyard was 42. Tomarkin however is angry that the police gave him back his guns after making them impossible to fire. Personally, I think they would make a far more aesthetic sculpture than anything else he has rusted up. (and also) Tomarkin makes "sculptures" that are rusting hulks and eyesores, sure to lower the property values of anything within sight of them. The largest collection of his junk sits atop a mountain at Kochav Yarden, near Beit Shean, I guess because placing it anywhere else might arouse the masses in revolt. (I think it is divine justice that any ghosts of Crusaders haunting the old fortress there next to his art have to look at it.) Naturally, Tomarkin is defended by the same sorts of professional artistic pontiffs who defend the Christianity-in-Excrement art in the US against critics like Giuliani, the same people who dismiss you as a Philistine if you cannot see anything creative and aesthetic in a blank white canvass with a piece of snot in its corner. In any case, Tomarkin routinely argues that his works are sacrosanct and no one should be able to remove or "improve" or tamper with them, no matter how ugly or where they sit. Tomarkin is in some ways a symbol of all that is wrong with an Israel where radical secularism and post-Zionism have created an atmosphere in which Dana International, Yair Lapid and "Take Me Sharon" are High Culture. Tomarkin in some ways is the symbol of Tel Aviv bohemianism, and I would like to remind you all that the term "Tel Aviv" appears in the Book of Ezekiel referring to a distant backwaters in Iraq whither the Judeans were exiled, far away from culture and Zion. And now Tomarkin has joined the forces of Junkyard Psycho-Crime. Let me explain. There operate around the globe, or at least in wealthy countries, activist groups whose purpose in life is to rid the world of psychiatry. Specifically they battle against the institutionalization of the mentally ill and the psychotic. Inspired by such deep forms of Hollywood policy analysis as "One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest", these groups want all institutionalization in psychiatric wards ended because it is oppression. In large part, it is thanks to such anti-psychiatry fringe groups that the United States is now host to hundreds of thousands of psychotics who live on the streets, eat from garbage cans, talk to themselves, and die from tuberculosis and similar diseases of the Third World. There are many good discussions of this contribution of anti-psychiatry to mass homelessness, none better than Rael Jean Isaac's book: "Madness In the Street" by Rael Jean Isaac and Virginia C. Armat. Anyway, Tomarkin - the same King of Junkyard Art -has now gotten involved in crime with some of these anti-psychiatry lunatics. One such anti-psychiatry group operates in Israel, and it has links with a much larger such group in Germany, no doubt loosely tied to some radical Greens there. In Germany, the anti-psychiatry group has targeted a German psychiatrist who lived before World War II, named Karl Buhnhofer (spelling?). He was regarded as a leading thinker in German psychiatry and there were two busts in his honor in front of two leading German psychiatric hospitals, one hospital named after him. He is somewhat controversial, mainly because he thought psychotics should not have children and is believed to have certified as psychotic some people after Hitler came to power. It is not completely clear what his politics were and some say he was an anti-Nazi. In any case, his son - a Christian pastor - was strongly anti-Nazi and later was killed for this in a concentration camp. The German anti-psychiatry movement hates him, less because of suspicions about his ideology and more because they hate psychiatry. Two years ago the two busts of Buhnhofer suddenly disappeared from Berlin and all signs pointed to the loony anti-psychiatry fringe. The same day they disappeared a sign appeared on one hospital demanding it be renamed for Princess Diana instead of Buhnhofer. And then the two stolen sculptures suddenly showed up in the "studio" of Yigal Tomarkin. (Haaretz June 8, 2000) No doubt passed on to him by the Israeli affiliate group of the Psychoteutons. Tomarkin then took the two busts, sliced and defaced them, adding things like male sexual organs to the heads, and then displayed his handicraft at the Tel Aviv Cinematek. Eventually it was realized the "art" was in fact stolen and defaced sculpture from Berlin, and they were shipped back to Germany to some sort of theater. Tomarkin has not been charged with any crimes in Israel, a fact that is in and of itself a severe crime you might want to discuss with the Minister of Police. Here is what the Jerusalem Post has to Say about it: "A prize Too Far," Jan. 28, 2004 (www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/ JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1075185792306). The prestigious Israel Prize was awarded for the first time in 1953. It took it some 40 years to spawn controversy. That began when Education Minister Shulamit Aloni insisted on honoring someone outside the accepted consensus -- Prof. Yeshayahu Leibowitz, who had referred to IDF soldiers as "Judeo-Nazis." Ever since the floodgates opened, the prize has been increasingly associated with controversy. The latest was visited upon us yesterday with the announcement that sculptor Yigal Tumarkin will be this year's arts category winner. Education Minister Limor Livnat, hardly Aloni's political twin, phoned to congratulate him. She was equally chipper last year about awarding the prize to painter Moshe Gershuni, until he refused to attend the ceremony and was denied the NIS 50,000 prize by order of the High Court of Justice. It must be admitted that the choices of the Israel Prize committees are getting stranger and stranger. Consensus is by no means synonymous with quality. Consensus doesn't necessarily negate greatness, but can mean mediocrity. History often vindicates creators who were rejected by their peers in their day. It relegates to oblivion others who enjoyed ephemeral celebrity in a given period. But bestowers of national honors aren't prescient art historians. State accolades mean collective appreciation of the prize laureate's life's work. If collective plaudits for a given individual are impossible, then perhaps that individual will have to continue without a state prize. Alternatively, if the state award-givers cannot steer clear of discord, perhaps it's time to reconsider the Israel Prize altogether. It's not sacred. The prize isn't a must. Yigal Tumarkin is no stranger to controversy. He first scandalized post-Holocaust Israeli opinion in the early Fifties when he broke the taboo of those years and moved back to his native Germany, from which he fled in 1933. But Tumarkin and scandals became inseparable ever since. He once said he wished he had gunned down Raphael Eitan and Rehavam Ze'evi. He branded then Tel Aviv mayor Shlomo Lahat "Papa Doc" for proposing to relocate Tumarkin's upside-down glass pyramid Holocaust memorial from outside city hall. Tumarkin has fashioned a pig wearing phylacteries, and on November 4, 1988 told Tel Aviv Magazine that when seeing haredi Jews he can understand the Nazis. By way of retracting that, he published an op-ed in Hadashot 10 days later, writing that, "The outward strangeness of the Jew and the pretentiousness of the notion that God chose us... caused violent surrounding cultures to clash... with this arrogant minority... The image of the cunning, ambitious scoundrel, lending money at exorbitant interest, turned the bent, hook-nosed bearded Jew into the enemy of civilization... which didn't help belatedly enlightened Jews." That eventually cost Tumarkin Yad Vashem's Zussman Prize, which curiously enough was awarded the artist known for insisting that "the Jewish Holocaust wasn't the only holocaust." The Yad Vashem steering committee later rescinded its decision, but not before Tumarkin was turned into another trendy victim of the repression of free expression. Shas MK Eli Yishai reminded the public yesterday of Tumarkin's slurs against Sephardi Jews, which moved the sculptor to immediately reiterate that "Moroccan Jews are indeed crybabies" and "ought to stop burdening us with so many poor children." In 1997 the Israel Prize for journalism was to go to Shmuel Shnitzer. The High Court denied it to him because of one op-ed alluding to the high numbers of HIV-positive Ethiopian immigrants. That was a minor glitch in comparison to Tumarkin's notorious volubility. In January 1998, 26-year-old Tatiana Soskin was imprisoned for two years for drawing a caricature depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a pig. Tumarkin's pig with phylacteries is no less offensive. We agree that extreme insults against an entire public must be taken seriously, and sometimes even punished. But if so, than how is it defensible not only to tolerate such hateful words against fellow citizens, but to celebrate and reward those who say them? The Israel Prize awards committee could hardly have been oblivious to Tumarkin's troubling record. He isn't just naughty and cute. The committee members didn't arrive here yesterday from a faraway galaxy. They know whom they nominate. They knew the nomination would generate outrage, and justifiably so. In other words, they were being willfully provocative. This is foolish and superfluous, especially in our polarized society. The Israel Prize is quickly becoming a bane on the arts it is devised to promote, and a divisive luxury we can ill-afford. 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. |
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THE JEWISH AGENCY WITHHOLDS FUNDS FROM VICTIMS OF TERROR
Posted by Naomi Ragen, December 26, 2005. |
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Friends, In February, 2002, when the Intifada was at its height, the Jewish Agency established the ad-hoc Israel Emergency Campaign, using the heartrending pictures of terror victims and their families to raise $300 million dollars. Now, four years later, when many of the victims and their families are still struggling daily to survive their horrible injuries, the Jewish Agency has decided to close this Fund, and not distribute a single penny more to victims. Now, you may ask, why is that? Did they distribute so much to victims of terror that there is no more need? Well, no. Actually, MORE THAN 90% OF THIS MONEY NEVER GOT TO TERROR VICTIMS AT ALL!! Find that hard to believe? Thencheck it out yourself in the
Jewish Agency's 2004 report( Click on the url
So where did the money go? Now, if you ask them, they will tell you they couldn't find the victims. Or the victims didn't apply. But I happen to know for a fact, that social workers in Netanya, who needed money to buy victims glasses, had no idea how to get it, because the discretion on how to use the money was in the hands of social workers in Bituach Leumi, who often gave victims the runaround. Many victims didn't know it was available. Didn't know how to apply. And whatever you say, the fact that so little found it's way to the victims is a disgrace. Look at the following story by Sheila Raviv, who "adopted" the beautiful young dancer, Kinneret Chaya, who was horribly wounded when the resturant she was working in was blown up by a terrorist. The following was an attempt by Sheila to convince a Jerusalem Post journalist to take on the campaign. "I have just been living it for the last five years and have delved deeply into the pros and cons of the Fund. For instance, despite claims to the contrary, Jerusalem terror survivors did not do well at all. Indeed if not for the help received from organisations independent of the Jewish Agency most of the Jerusalem families would not have received any help at all. You talked to Kinneret Chaya Boosani who was able to give names, and has gone from patient to patient in the rehab unit, all of whom are survivors of terror attacks, none of whom were made aware of their rights. When Kinneret's mother asked their Social worker about the Fund she was told that they should wait because there was only a one-time disbursement (not true). This was after I had found out about the fund and told them about it, no one approached them. The Fund has been claiming outreach for the last 2 years that I have been fighting for Kinneret Chaya but she has seen no sign of it nor have any of her fellow rehab patients. Maybe it would have been wiser to go and speak to some of those who are still in hospital, have passed the three years allowed by the fund to make a claim since they are still too injured to get their final assessment through Bituach Leumi and so miss out on the Fund which set a claim limit of 3 years after the terror attack. " I share with Sheila the disgust and the anger of how these funds were misdirected. I am furious that terror victims will now have the door shut in their face, after their pictures were used to get soft-hearted Jews to donate funds to help them. I ask that this fund remain open, and that victims of terror be given the amounts due them. That people be hired to seek out those who need these funds, instead of trying to hide it from them. I ask that a full disclosure be made on what these funds were used for, and who was responsible for misdirecting them. I remember when people were complaining about the Red Cross handling of funds donated to the victims of 9/11. There was a huge scandal because the money had been siphoned off for other projects, not intended by donors. We Jews should demand nothing less of our Jewish organizations. In an article in Maariv, Tali Arad quotes a Jewish Agency official who says that the Fund is being closed because of the drastic reduction in victims of terror: "Today we don't see a possibility of going to the communities abroad to raise money for victims of terror." Let me get this straight: You raised $300 million when there was lots of blood, and sexy pictures of victims. That money- over 90% of which never got to victims --is, what, gone? And you are now closing the fund because you can't raise more? Huh? Please demand that the Victims of Terror Fund be reinstated. Please demand a full explanation of why so little of this money went to victims. Carol Solomon USA Board Chairman.
Naomi
Naomi Ragen is an American-born novelist and journalist who lives in Jerusalem. She can be contacted at www.naomiragen.com, where you can subscribe to her newsletter. |
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HUMAN RIGHTS OF CHRISTIANS IN PALESTINIAN SOCIETY
Posted by Jamie Glazov, December 25, 2005. |
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Frontpage Interview's guest today is Justus Reid Weiner, a Scholar-in-Residence at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, an independent policy studies center. He currently teaches courses on human rights and international law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. His main research field is the human rights challenges facing Arab Christians. He is the author of the new book, "Human Rights of Christians in Palestinian Society". FP: Justus Reid Weiner, welcome to Frontpage Interview. Weiner: Thank you Jamie. FP: First things first, what motivated you to write this book? Weiner: My initial interest in human rights began at the age of 10 or 11 when my great-grandfather, then almost 90, came for an extended visit. Jacob, who spoke with a heavy Yiddish accent and was missing the index finger on his right hand, regaled me with stories about his childhood in Odessa during the reign of the Czar. He described what it was like for Jews living in fear of pogroms in which the police looked the other way as drunken anti-Semites roamed the streets murdering any Jews they came across. I was embarrassed to ask him what happened to his finger, but Jacob told me anyway. Like in other Jewish families, Jacob's parents feared the Czar's conscription gangs who, without asking for permission, would kidnap boys of 12 and ship them off to serve in Siberia or the Far East. The term of service was 20 years and few ever returned to their families. To prevent this, Jacob's parents got him drunk and took him to the butcher who chopped off his trigger finger, rendering him unsuitable for army service. As I was then almost the age at which Jacob lost his index finger, I had nightmares about what he told me. My specific interest in the plight of Christians living in Palestinian society is more recent. Eight years ago I met a Christian pastor who, knowing that I was a human rights lawyer, urged me to investigate the human rights abuses directed at Muslims who converted to Christianity. I knew nothing about this, and frankly doubted that anyone would victimize the adherents of the world's largest religion. But as I began to interview people most were reluctant to even meet me. If they agreed to reveal what they had suffered, they insisted that I refer to them by a pseudonym. FP: Why do you think there has been an increase in Islamic fundamentalism in Palestinian society? Weiner: The increase is a regional phenomenon. Indeed it would be hard to find any predominantly Muslim country in the Middle East, North Africa or even into Asia, where Islamic fundamentalism is not on the rise. FP: Tell us about the persecution of Palestinian Christians and why their persecution became so much worse since the Oslo peace process began. Weiner: These are acutely trying times for the Christian remnant residing in areas "governed" by the Palestinian Authority. Tens of thousands have abandoned their holy sites and ancestral properties to live abroad, while those that remain do so as a beleaguered and dwindling minority. They have faced virtually uninterrupted persecution during the decade since the Oslo peace process began, living amidst a Muslim population that is increasingly xenophobic and restless. Chaos, nepotism, and corruption are endemic. Their plight is, in part, attributable to the influence of Muslim religious law (Sharia) on the inner workings of the Palestinian Authority. Moreover, the Christians have been abandoned by their religious leaders who, instead of protecting them, have chosen to curry favor with the Palestinian leadership. My new book reveals and analyzes why this persecution, largely ignored by the international community, the media, and even the human rights organizations, has metastasized to the extent that it threatens the very existence of this 2000-year-old community. If current demographic trends continue Bethlehem runs the risk, in another 15 years, of becoming a Christian theme park for tourists -- with no "real" living Christians. FP: Christian Palestinian women have suffered terribly. Can you tell us some of the details of their plight? Weiner: Christian women suffer rampant sexual harassment, rape and even forced marriage. For example, Islamic militants have attempted to force Christian women wearing modern, revealing clothing to conform to the strict, modest Muslim dress code. In addition, Muslim men have attempted to rape Christian women, sometimes achieving their objective. These victims may, ironically, end up marrying the man who raped them because in their society they are regarded as unclean for marriage purposes. Christian men risk being jailed when they intervene to rescue Christian women being attacked or insulted. The Muslim perpetrators get off scot-free because they have family members in the upper echelon of one (or more) of the 12 "security" forces. FP: Why does the international community ignore the plight of Palestinian Christians? Weiner: This is something I have never fully understood. This is a human rights issue par excellance, not merely a Christian issue. Perhaps a partial answer is simple ignorance -- as only of late have a few courageous Christians begun to complain to the media and human rights groups. Scholars are beginning to address this tragedy as well. But really, there can be no justification, just excuses. FP: Islamic militants want Christian women to dress more modestly yet at the same time they engage in sexual crimes (i.e. rape) against them. Isn't there some kind of pathological contradiction here in terms of what sexual morality is? So it is supposedly wrong for a woman to wear what she wants, but it is somehow ok to rape her? What gives here? And what kind of God does a person believe in when he is raping a woman and thinks that God is happy with, and supportive of, what he is doing? Weiner: Yes, Islamic militants frequently complain that Christian women dress immodestly and they use that "justification" to harass, or in some cases, even to rape them. And this phenomenon is not by any means unique to the West Bank and Gaza -- it has been addressed in articles from far-flung countries with substantial Muslim immigration such as Australia and Norway. While some Muslim men may truly be offended by women's revealing modern fashion, Islamic law no doubt provides others with a handy excuse for criminal conduct. Of course Western courts would never accept the argument that women who don't wear the veil are announcing to the world that they are sluts or even prostitutes. In Western jurisprudence such a "justification" would simply not be tolerated. By way of background, the Qur'an (Islam's holy book) is rife with gender and religious discrimination. Thus, for example, Muhammad taught that women are inferior to men, their testimony in court carries less weight, and their inheritance rights are halved. Marriage (or sexual relations) between Christian men and Muslim women is prohibited, and punishable by death. But a Muslim man is allowed to marry a Christian woman, even if he has abducted and raped her. Moreover, their offspring would be forced to accept Islam, and the woman would have no say if her husband engaged in polygamy by marring up to three additional wives. Historically Christian women taken captive by Muslims in warfare have been enslaved or worse. And even when there is no conflict, legally speaking it is virtually impossible to convict a Muslim man of raping a Christian woman. This follows from the fact that testimony of non-Muslim witnesses inadmissible in Muslim courts. Furthermore, it is most unlikely that the Christian rape victim with be able to find four male Muslims willing to testify on her behalf that they had witnessed the penetration. Indeed, even leveling such a charge can backfire on the victim. That is, if a woman levels a charge of rape against a Muslim man and cannot prove it, she runs the risk of being severely punished for fornication or adultery, both ruthlessly punished by Islamic law. FP: If the Palestinians received their own state, what kind of state do you think it would be? Would democratic rights be respected? How would Christians exist in such a state? Weiner: Your question is profound. It forces me to think and worry. Certainly precedent is not encouraging. Former Chairman Yasser Arafat's (and current leader Mahmoud Abbas's) commitment to democratic values was/is vague at best. The Palestinian Authority's indoctrination of Palestinian children, from a very young age, to hate and kill Christians and Jews, for example, directly contributes to a culture that produces suicide bombers and cheers on September 11. Moreover, the testimonies provided in my new book make it pointedly clear that lawlessness and anarchy have swept the West Bank and Gaza Strip in recent years. Gangs of Muslim thugs and thieves have created what a former Palestinian Cabinet Minister described as "total chaos." It is essential that the Palestinian Authority arrest these militants who, in their range of mafia-like conduct, frequently abuse and intimidate Christians. But let's think optimistically for a moment. Clearly, if the Palestinian Authority's were to adopt sound human rights policies and practices it would contribute immeasurably to the survival of the Christians, not to mention the success of any future peace process. Christian Palestinians' expectations regarding an improvement in their personal liberty deserves to be met, and should not be limited to empty promises and rhetoric. FP: What can we do to help Christians being persecuted by Palestinians? Weiner: In essence, the U.S. statute known as the International Religious Freedom Act was intended to enable the President and the State Department to use incentives and pressures to improve the lives of groups like the Palestinian Christians. But regrettably, because the U.S. wants to maintain friendly relations with countries that are crucial to its national security and policy interests, President George W. Bush may choose largely symbolic steps to oppose religious persecution abroad. President Bush however, has made the support and spread of religious and political freedoms a cornerstone of his foreign policy during his second term. Clear evidence of this comes from Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice's trip to China earlier this year, during which she made a highly publicized visit to a church. In remarks she made to the press following her visit, Secretary Rice described how "religious communities are not a threat to transitioning societies; in fact, they are very often... a force for good, for stability and for compassion in societies that are undergoing rapid change." If the Bush Administration were to target the Palestinian Authority explicitly with its stated policy - which makes religious freedom part of the Bush Doctrine of democratization -- it could only improve the situation for Palestinian Christians. The United Nations is less likely to perform a useful role. The UN's feeble response to the gross human rights violations perpetrated by the Palestinian Authority further exemplifies the extent to which the desire for peace between Israel and the Palestinians supercedes the basic rights of individuals, especially the Christian minority, living under the Palestinian Authority. That is, he UN has taken the posture of compromising its role as protector of human rights in order to maintain a political role in negotiating peace. Unfortunately, through the discretionary use of its own human rights doctrine, the UN has sacrificed not just its legitimacy and objectivity, but the human rights of minority groups such as the Palestinian Christians. I am not suggesting that human rights concerns should trump considerations of peace making, national security or economic stability, but rather that the necessity of the realization that peace, national security, and economic stability often depend directly on the respect for human rights. This situation must be recognized by those who would otherwise willfully ignore the plight of Palestinian Christians in the name of peace. There cannot be peace in the Middle East until the Palestinians respect the rights of their internal minorities. This is no less important a prerequisite to negotiations than the oft-repeated demands of a cessation of terror. The future of the Palestinian Christian community and any other religious minority living under the PA will rest on the potential for religious tolerance and the rejection of fundamentalist and archaic attitudes towards non-Muslims. As long as the constitution of the PA reflects the principles of Sharia law, it seems as though the emergence of religious tolerance will remain highly unlikely. As long as the PA continues to shirk its agreed-upon commitments to uphold the principles of religious freedom, the Palestinian Christians will continue to suffer. Furthermore, as long as the international community continues to ignore the human rights problems in the Palestinian territories, there will be no chance for a proper liberal democracy to emerge upon completion of the peace process. Instead, the world will be left with yet another Middle Eastern autocracy that abuses the most basic human rights values without regard for international norms. FP: Justus Weiner, thank you for joining us today. Weiner: Thanks for the opportunity. Jamie Glazov is Frontpage Magazine's managing editor. He edited and wrote the introduction to David Horowitz's new book, "Left Illusions." He is also the co-editor (with David Horowitz) of the new book "The Hate America Left and the author of Canadian Policy Toward Khrushchev's Soviet Union" (McGill-Queens University Press, 2002) and "15 Tips on How to be a Good Leftist." Contact him by email at jglazov@rogers.com. This article appeared in FrontPageMagazine.com on December 23, 2005. |
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DO NOT NEGOTIATE WITH ABBAS!
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 25, 2005. |
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Will a Palestinian state butchered from the bowels of Eretz Yisroel be born of desperation? Chief negotiator for the Arabs is none other than elected power broker Mahmoud Abbas who coincidently completed a doctoral thesis in 1982 entitled -- The Secret Connection between the Nazis and the Leaders of the Zionist Movement?. This Holocaust revisionist estimated the number of Jews killed during World War II as "less than one million". In an introduction to his diabolical work published in 1984 Abbas raised doubts concerning any usage of gas chambers on hapless Jewish victims. Most despicably, the author of this abomination stated that Zionist leadership collaborated with Nazi filth to "facilitate the wide-spread destruction" of Jews, asserting that the Zionist leadership was interested in convincing the world that a large number of Jews were killed to "attain larger gains" and "divide the booty". Indeed, per Abbas, Zionist leaders viewed "Palestine" as the only legitimate place for Jewish immigration thus it was in their interest to work hand and hand with Nazis. In effect the Holocaust was a Zionist-Nazi plot, let the world feel sorry for the Jews and give them a plot of land. In an erstwhile interview with the Israel newspaper Ma'ariv the two name double game serpent Abbas/Mazan oozed, "When I wrote The Other Side (referring to the book emerging from his thesis) we were at war with Israel." :Today I would not have made such remarks. ... Today there is peace and what I write from now on must help advance the peace process." No doubt, realpolitik vindicates all venomous revisionist slander so let's hold hands and sing Kumbaya, right Ariel! The Palestinian potentate even has broken bread with U.S. President G.W. Bush, an honor not bestowed on predecessor Arafat, while the spirits of over six million murdered Jews writhe in agony at this blatant disrespectful spectacle. Sharon, Bush, and all those who willfully condone the emerging immoral so-called negotiations, aggressively malignant to the beleaguered Jewish democracy such pie-in-the-sky patsies pretend to represent, need a check up from the neck up. Abbas obviously despises the very concept of a Jewish enclave abutting his domain and will spew any rhetoric necessary to secure an advantage towards his ultimate goal of annihilating Israel. His disagreements with Hamas are political and tactical but they share one common goal. The evidence is overwhelming. Read his book! Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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IS IT THE FENCE THAT CURTAILS TERRORISM?
Posted by David Bedein, December 25, 2005. |
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this is the letter I wrote to the New York Time: ""letter against the fence." In your December 22, 2005 article, "Israel Is Easing Barrier Burden, but Palestinians Still See a Border", Daniel Tirza, the Israeli reserve colonel who has "drawn the map" for the barrier, claims that "it has saved hundreds of Israeli lives by making it harder for suicide bombers to reach their targets...". Tirza ignores another far more effective measure that Israel has been using to curtail terrorism. Since OPERATION DEFENSIVE SHIELD of April, 2002, crack Israeli army units have been placed near Palestinian population centers to intercept terrorists. Sources in Israeli intelligence assess that the presence of Israeli troops in hostile territory has worked as a far greater deterrent to terrorism than any barrier will ever work to stop terrorist attacks. David Bedein is Bureau Chief, Israel Resource News Agency, Beit Agron Int't Press Center, Jersualem. tel. 972-547-222661, http://www.Israelbehindthenews.com). |
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LEFT-WING GROUP TAKING ACTIVE ROLE IN SECURING LAND FOR PA ARABS
Posted by Sergio Tessa (Hadar), December 25, 2005. |
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The disgusting people below, who at the time of the Maccabees would have been the first to be eliminated, were never seen helping Jews to get legal possession of our land... On the contrary, they are at the forefront in helping the Arabs AGAINST US. Read well the text of the 'Al Ha-Nissim... You'll see after what we should eat levivoth and sufganioth... It would be a good thing if we learnt well what Chanukah has been, another not exactly "vegetarian" holiday, where the internal and external enemies have been eliminated. In the Al Ha-Nissim which we say over thirty times during the eight days of Chanukah (three times a day for eight days, plus one in the Mussaf of Shabbath, at least three times in the Blessing After the Meals - three times in the Shabbath meals and then every time we eat bread) there is ABSOLUTELY NO MENTION OF OIL, and this by choice of the Sanhedrin, the Elders of the Great Assembly who set the text of our prayers, so that we would not concentrate on MARGINAL ASPECTS of the holiday (the miracle of oil) but we concentrated on the central and REALLY IMPORTANT aspects... And I quote from the 'Al Ha-Nissim: "[We thank You] for the miracles, the heroic acts, the destruction of the enemies [this is the meaning of "teshuah" as ChaZa"L teach: the killing of our enemies - See: "Meshekh Chokhmah, Devarim 22:27 in the uncensored (Cooperman) edition: "Wherever in the TaNa"Kh the word "teshuah" is used, it means the killing of the enemies"], for the won wars, for the liberation and the rescue that you have operated (with us and) with our forefathers in these days in this season: in the days of Matatyahu Ben Yochanan the Cohen Gadol of the Chashmonai family and of his sons, when the evil kingdom of the Greeks rose against them to make them forget Your Torah and to make them abandon the laws that you want; and You, in your infinite compassion, have been by their side in their difficult moments: you fought their battles, judged their judgements, avenged their vengeances, gave the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the good and the arrogant non believers into the hands of those who practice Your Torah, and you made for Yourself a Great and Holy Name in the world. And to your People Israel you gave a great victory with many enemy losses, and after that Your Children came to your House and cleaned your Sanctuary from the idols and purified it, and lit lights in Your Courtyards and established eight days of Glory and Thanks to Hashem; and as You did a miracle to them, do also to us, G-od Our Lord, wonders and miracles in this season, and we'll give thanks to Your Name - selah - " Chag Urim Sammeach! Be`ahavath Israel - HaDaR -
This comes from today's Arutz Sheva and is archived at http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=95434 (IsraelNN.com) The radical left-wing Rabbis [Chas We-Shalom to call them "Rabbis": they are not, they are usurpers of the title, they spit on the Torah they don't know or pervert it -- Hadar] for Human Rights group is calling upon left-wing volunteers to create "facts on the ground" -- helping Arabs in the Palestinian Authority gain legal possession of state lands by plowing them for them. "As soon as we have a few dry days, we will plow in areas where the residents of Jalud and Kariyut have not been able to plow for years," an email to activists read. Group Director Arik Ascherman also requests that activists call him at 050-5607034 or 02-5637731 to join the private militia being formed to guard the olive orchards of the Arab village of Burin. Ascherman has in the past been accused of pruning olive trees and lying about local Jewish residents' involvement in the cutting. Sergio Tessa can be reached at Hadar-Israel@verizon.net. |
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GAZA REFUGEES CELEBRATE CHANUKAH IN HOTEL. PESACH, TOO?
Posted by Batya Medad, December 25, 2005. |
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Tonight I caught the news. It's the first night of Chanukah, and they showed the Gush Katif refugees celebrating in the Hyatt Hotel. That's where a number of them have been living since they were thrown out of their homes last summer. Why the Hyatt? I know that it sounds rather posh and decadent, sort of like Marie Antoinette's "Let them eat cake." The truth is that the hotel has been pretty empty for quite a few years, and it had been easy to get a bargain there. At least it was before Disengagement. Many of the hotels that had been popular venues for "great group-Shabbat deals" are now occupied by the homeless. We haven't gone on one of those Shabbatot for about a year, and we had been going every few months the past few years. Pretty much every "Tekuma" or "Arutz 7" Shabbat my husband heard about, we signed up for. It's one of the upsides of the empty nest and no school tuition to pay. Some hotels are more pleasant, more luxurious and friendlier than others, but they are not home. Many of the Disengagement victims still haven't any idea where they will be going next. It's winter now, not the best time to move into caravan sites, even "Carravillas," which look like a movie set. The vast majority are unemployed and rudderless. I'm sure that the Hyatt owners and investors who designed and built the Jerusalem Hyatt, in an Arab neighborhood between French Hill and Mt. Scopus, never envisioned that their lovely hotel with the waterfall in its large lobby would be the "poster child" refugee camp for displaced Jews. The TV newsmen interviewed the refugees and asked what their plans are. The bottom line was that they suspected that they'll be celebrating Pesach at the hotel, too. Batya Medad lives in Shiloh. She can be reached by email at Shilohmuse@yahoo.com or visit her website http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/ or go to http://www.shilo.org.il This article is archived at http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2005/12/pesach-too.html and was titled "Pesach, too?" |
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CHANUKAH 2005 -- HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF!
Posted by Ruth Matar, December 25, 2005. |
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Written the eve of Chanukah Dear Friends, This Sunday night, we are lighting the first candle of the Chanukah Holiday. What exactly is this holiday all about, besides eating potato latkes and donuts, spinning the "dreidel", and lighting one additional candle for eight days? We tell our children the story of that bad wicked king, Antiochus, who captured the land of the Jews, and ordered them to give up their religion, and to worship his Greek gods. We make our children proud that a small band of courageous Jews, the Maccabees, defeated the mighty Syrian-Greek army of King Antiochus, and rededicated the Temple, which had been desecrated. And we explain to our children the reason for lighting an additional candle each day -- that a small vial of oil, miraculously lasted for eight days in the rededicated Jewish Temple. The real Chanukah story is not so simple. Some years ago I interviewed a prominent Hebrew University professor of Jewish History, Isaiah Gafni, on my weekly Arutz 7 English Program. Professor Gafni gave me invaluable background material concerning this period in Jewish History. He explained the internal conflict between the Jews who wanted to remain Jews, and the Jews who wanted to be like all the other nations, and to adopt their customs, their dress, and their religion, the Hellenists. The real battle of the Maccabees was not only against the Syrian-Greek army of Antiochus. It was also against their fellow Jews, who were willing to sell out their identity, the Holy Temple, and to allow Jerusalem to become a Greek City. All this in order to obtain for themselves "the good life", and to become "enlightened citizens of the world." Some background history is important. The cultural and political elites of the Jewish Community in Judea in the early 2nd Century B.C.E., that is the vast majority of the priests and nobility, drew their power and hopes for advancement from the ruling Syrian-Greek Empire. They adopted Greek culture, imitated Greek customs, and abandoned their Jewish Heritage. Some of them even went so far as to attempt to remove the marks of their circumcision. When Antiochus IV came to power in 175 B.C.E., the brother of the reigning High Priest Onias III, a man by the name of Jason, offered the new Greek King many times the tribute that his brother paid. The office of High Priest was actually the most powerful position in Judea at that time. He also made the king an offer to establish within Jerusalem a city-state called Antiochia. He erected a gymnasium in Jerusalem, and other Greek institutions. His actions led to a strengthening of Hellenistic Culture, and to a weakening of traditional Jewish life and religious worship. Three years later, another leader of the Hellenists, a priest named Menelaus, outdid the corrupt Jason, by offering Antiochus even greater tribute and even more Hellenizing measures. Menelaus, in order to keep his promises to King Antiochus, plundered the Holy Jewish Temple of its gold vessels, provoking rebellion among his fellow Jews. These policies of the corrupt High Priests, Jason and Menelaus, were the chief causes of the Jewish rebellion. When Antiochus IV brutally suppressed this rebellion, he began an official persecution of the Jewish religion in Judea, outlawing the Sabbath, Torah studies, and circumcision. He instituted pagan idolatry in the Holy Temple all this with the advice and connivance of Menelaus and his supporters, the Jewish Hellenists. It is probably not widely known that Antiochus did not issue anti-religious decrees against any other people than the Jews. He simply conquered many nations politically, but did not attack their religion in any way. It was only against the Jews that he instituted anti-religious decrees. Why just against the Jews? Historians say that Antiochus IV had no intention of issuing anti-religious decrees against the Jews, but his Jewish friends and collaborators, the Hellenists, advised him to do so. Today, Israel's modern politicians are very much like the Hellenists of old. We have our own version of disloyal High Priests, and our own Hellenizers, the Sharons, the Peres's, the Beilins and others. A striking example of Sharon's Hellenistic behavior is the sending of his personal advisor, Dov Weisslass on a secret mission to Washington, to promise U.S. Secretary Rice that Israel will give the Arabs Jewish Gaza as a down-payment on the Saudi Road Map plan. Sharon did this to take away the attention of the Israeli people from the corruption of his self and his sons. Sharon told the Jewish People that in return for the abandonment of Biblical Gaza, President Bush was going to insure the safety and integrity of Jewish settlement blocs. Just another one of Sharon's lies! There never was any such promise. In fact, President Bush insists that the Arabs need to approve each of Israel's borders! Since the disengagement from Gaza on August 15, Arab missiles continue to be fired, and specifically on Ashkelon, which was previously not within range. The Arab terrorists are trying to immobilize Israel's most sensitive installations -- such as the Rothenberg power plant and an oil pipe line from Eilat. These rockets are fired regularly from the former Jewish Communities in Gaza, which Sharon destroyed and leveled in order to obtain his make believe "peace". The rockets are also continually directed at army bases. The Zikim Army Base just south of Ashkelon was targeted and five Israeli soldiers were wounded in this recent attack. Former Southern District Commander Tzvi Fogel asked on Israel Radio, "Why can't the IDF display the kind of determination it used in the disengagement, in its efforts to stop the rockets?" Why Indeed? A brilliant analysis of Israel's situation can be found in Caroline Glick's December 23, 2005 op-ed article in the Jerusalem Post. I am quoting from her article verbatim: "Since he took office, Sharon and his advisers have portrayed the status of Israel's relations with the US as one of unprecedented harmony. On a superficial level, this is in fact the case. But this surface tranquility masks its problematic cause. The appearance of smooth sailing in Israel's relations with Washington is the result of the unprecedented weakness of Israel's position in Washington. This week Ma'ariv reported that IDF commanders are becoming increasingly disturbed by the Bush administration's meddling in the minutiae of the operation of Israel's passages with Gaza. The State Department consistently brushes off Israel's growing security concerns and intervenes on the Palestinians' behalf. This American interference not only constitutes a political blow to Israel's sovereignty, it also manifests a military blow to Israel's national security. But there is nothing new here. Since taking office five years ago, Sharon has received Washington's support - such as it is - by abandoning Israel's national interests every time that they are challenged by the institutionally anti-Israel State Department. In every single dispute that has arisen over the past five years - from the Mitchell Report in 2001 to the road map in 2003 to the passages agreement Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice rammed down our throats last month - Sharon has abandoned Israel's national security interests at every turn in exchange for public declarations of support for him personally by central Bush administration figures. Was King Antiochus IV such a bad guy after all? According to Professor Gafni, we have to hold the Jewish Hellenists just as responsible as Antiochus, and perhaps even more. After all, Antiochus IV was the head of the Syrian-Greek Empire, the mighty super-power of that age. Possibly, he just wanted to protect his strategic interests by subjugating the Jews. Also, Professor Gafni says the Maccabean revolt came at a most inconvenient time for Antiochus IV, as he was then at war with Egypt. Sharon and his band of Jewish Hellenists are definitely responsible for the dangerous situation in which Israel now finds itself. President Bush heads today's greatest superpower. If he feels that America's strategic interests lie with Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arabs, and is therefore willing to sacrifice the Jewish State, he is making a giant mistake. Bush should not exclude the enemies of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Islamic Jihad, Hizbullah, and Hamas from his global war on terror. America is a Christian country. Don't forget that the most popular graffiti in all the Arab countries remains unchanged: "First the Saturday people, then the Sunday people." As it goes with Israel, so will it ultimately go with the United States. The great tragedy of Israel's present situation, is that the War of the Maccabees continues to this very day. The Hellenist Jews, Sharon and company, have joined the Arab enemy against their Jewish brethren. Please, dear G-d, send us another Judah Maccabee! With Blessings and Love for Israel, Ruth Matar |
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SO CALLED PALESTINIANS HAVE NO RIGHT OF RETURN
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 25, 2005. |
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Humans cannot own land; they can only be stewards of land. All peoples are privileged to dwell on and indeed are obliged to respectfully manage their allotted portions of this earthly surface. So-called Palestinian Arabs have no right of return to Eretz Israel. They have demonstrated no particular predilection to propitiously nurture any ground previously resided upon. They do not deserve any part of the topography Israelis have tilled and transformed from barren desert to a thriving garden of democracy. Would not a fundamentally flawed Muslim culture besmirch any landscape kindly offered with intolerance, muddled misogynist tenets, and a willingness to martyr their young by seducing them to perform the most perverted act on this planet? Despotic Islamic autocrats of the region squat over humongous fossil fuel drenched deserts, loathe in letting industrious Israelis prosper within their modest richly sown milieu. Nevertheless, all past wars waged by such Jew bashing barbarous Bedouins have been summarily aborted, never thwarting ever-blooming bastions of Israeli civilization. Mother Earth leased to Israel does however remain cautiously aware of Wahhabi infected predators predisposed to torment her with threats of a perverse Palestine apt to transform a cornucopia of potential into a contemptible cold carcass. Jews suffer not the arrogant illusions of entitlement associated with any right of return. Survivors of an inhuman holocaust, dispossessed of land and material wealth but not spirit, this hearty hard working civil cerebral culture informs the world yet again that it will not cede one scintilla of the cherished territory it currently holds and cultivates to unworthy atavists unaccustomed to the secular mores and morals of modern mankind. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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EXTREMIST
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 25, 2005. |
Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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JERUSALEM STORE OWNER DETAINED BY POLICE FOR WEARING KACH TEE-SHIRT
Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, December 25, 2005. |
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Anyone who needs an explanation of this has not been paying much attention as to life in Israel the past few years. The true enemy of the Government of Israel, aka the Junta, is the Jewish people. Kach was outlawed a number of years ago at the initiative and primary efforts of our Crime Minister Sharon and the mother of that paragon is political virtue and honest Tzachi Hanegbi, due to its embarrassing policies of placing Jewish lives and interests above those of Americans and Arabs. The Israelis are still embarrassed by people who are too Jewish. This is why our former furniture salesman, wannabe Fearless-Leader-Again, Netanyahu is so obsessed with ousting Feiglin from the Likud. It is an old, established rule that Governments secure in their legitimacy do not resort to petty harassment of opposition. It is precisely those who are the most insecure with their legitimacy that go frantic as the slightest sign of dissent. It would be difficult to find a Government anywhere in the world that lacked legitimacy to the extent the Sharon Junta does today. Not only is the system itself totally corrupt and incapable of the most minimum level of democracy but even according to the rules of the system here, Sharon and his gang are the most corrupt and degenerate bunch of power and money hungry thieves we have ever suffered. I expect that come summer and the beginning of the citrus season, we can be sure to see Omir leading a team armed with paintbrushes painted all the oranges black. This is from today's Arutz Sheva - IsraelNationalNews.com - and is archived at http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=95420 (IsraelNN.com) Jerusalem police on Sunday detained the owner of a restaurant for wearing a tee-shirt with the name and symbol of the outlawed Kach Party. The store owner was questioned for supporting a terror organization, as well as exhibiting the sign of the outlawed party. He told police he was unaware Kach is viewed to be a terror party. He was released on his own recognizance. Police are recommending that a criminal indictment be handed down against him for wearing the tee-shirt. [Editor's note: Ya'aqov Ben-Yehudah suggests you strike a blow for freedom of speech by complementing the restaurant owner. Send a note to Kalba Savu'a Restaurant, Yaffo St and Moriah St, Jerusalem, Israel.] Aryeh Zelasko lives in Beitar Illit, south of Jerusalem. He is Director of Sales and Marketing of Israel Visit (www.israelvisit.co.il) which provides information and an internet buying facility for American visitors to Israel. Contact him at zelasko@actcom.co.il |
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AUMANN TO KESSET: DISENGAGEMENT WAS A DISASTER
Posted by Naomi Ragen, December 25, 2005. |
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This comes from Arutz-Sheva (www.Israel.NationalNews.com) December 21, 2005 Nobel Laureate Prof. Yisrael Aumann addressed the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Wednesday, calling the Disengagement a "disaster" and pleading for patience on the part of the state. Aumann, who received the Nobel Prize for Economics due to his work in game theory, explained the basic principles of game theory to the committee, as well as the application of those principles in reaching a final-status arrangement with the Jewish State's Arab neighbors. Using lessons from his innovations, Aumann attacked the unilateral removal of Jews from Gaza and northern Samaria last summer. He said that continued withdrawals would only lead to bloodshed, as they signal that Israel does not know what to do and is merely taking an action for the sake of "doing something." The Hebrew university professor told the Knesset committee that the urgency at which the government seeks to reach a settlement with the Arabs poses a great danger. He said patience and proper preparation on the economic and social levels are what will bring true peace to the region. "The current drive for peace now, not tomorrow," Aumann said, "is liable to bring about the opposite." The Nobel Laureate said that Israel's Arab neighbors - "our cousins," as he referred to them - must be convinced, not that we are desperate for peace, but that we are willing to be patient and live with the current situation. Naomi Ragen is an American-born novelist and journalist who lives in Jerusalem. She can be contacted at www.naomiragen.com, where you can subscribe to her newsletter. |
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THE GAZAN ARABS AND THE JEWISH GREENHOUSES
Posted by Naomi Ragen, December 25, 2005. |
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Gazan Arabs want the Jews back. Well, not really, but things haven't quite worked out the way they thought. It turns out you have to actually work to get something out of those free greenhouses. This is an article by Aaron Klein that appeared in World Net Daily (www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48015). It's called "Palestinians boot Jews, now beg them for help. Arabs unable to reproduce successes in area greenhouse. The Palestinians who took over the Jewish greenhouses in the Gaza Strip when Israel withdrew its communities from the area now are asking expelled farmers for advice after reportedly failing to reproduce the region's famous insect-free vegetables, WND has learned. Prior to Israel's August withdrawal, the residents of Gaza's Gush Katif slate of Jewish communities ran greenhouses known for producing high-quality insect-free vegetables. The Gush Katif gardens featured some of the most technologically advanced agricultural equipment and accounted for more than $100 million per year in exports to Europe. The greenhouses also supplied Israel with 75 percent of its own produce. The hothouses were passed to the Palestinians in September in a $14 million deal brokered by former World Bank President James Wolfenson and several wealthy Jewish Americans. Earlier this month, the Palestinians now running the greenhouses reportedly told the Israeli-Palestinian Economic Cooperation Fund they failed in their efforts to grow bug-free produce. Now the Palestinian owners have asked the United States Agency for International Development, which has been involved in reconstruction efforts in Gaza, to hire former Jewish Gaza greenhouse owners as consultants for their declining vegetable businesses. Eitan Hederi, a former Gaza farmer who represented Gush Katif residents in the Wolfenson greenhouse transfer told WND, "The Palestinians are privately turning to U.S. AID to hire us because we are experts in this kind of farming. It's a really complex process that we engineered." Anita Tucker, an expelled Gaza resident and one of the pioneer farmers of Gush Katif, told WND, "I am not at all surprised the Palestinians are failing. When they worked in our greenhouses they needed to be monitored closely. Many didn't understand certain things, like not using different kinds of chemicals. Plus when we were in Gaza, our efforts were blessed by God." Tucker explained she and other Katif farmers engineered agricultural technology specific to the dry, sandy Gaza conditions. "We used different kinds of netting, also aluminum, since we knew the reflection of the sun kept bugs away," she said. "We used colors because we knew certain kinds of bugs were attracted to or kept away from different colors. We used certain organic insecticides for certain plants, and were very strict about which chemicals we used. We kept our greenhouses as clean as possible. And we also had our own proprietary inventions and technology." Asked if she would serve as a consultant for the new Palestinian owners of her former greenhouses, Tucker said, "Probably not. We see the terror coming out of Gaza, coming out of the neighborhood I used to live in, and it's just horrible. Hamas has taken over different parts of Gush Katif and are firing rockets into Israel. I am not saying the Palestinian farmers are involved, but it seems they are not doing enough to stop the terror." Haderi, who says he already has been asked by U.S. AID to consult on greenhouse technology, said, "I am still thinking about it. It's a very difficult decision." Naomi Ragen is an American-born novelist and journalist who lives in Jerusalem. She can be contacted at www.naomiragen.com, where you can subscribe to her newsletter. |
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HANNUKA AMONGST THE HELLENISTS
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 25, 2005. |
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Of all the Jewish holidays, the one that best captures the contemporary Jewish Zeitgeist, the one that is the most relevant to the current and possibly the last chapter in Jewish history, is Hannuka. Hannuka is of course the story of Jewish national liberation. It is the story of the military victory of the few against the many, of the champions of Judaism against the pagan barbarians. But more than this, it is the saga of the heroic struggle of Jewish survivalists (those you would today label "Zionists") against the assimilationists and self-hating Hellenists of the second century BCE. Hannuka is less about the battle against the Greeks than it is about the battle against the predominant assimilationist paradigm at the time amongst the Jews. It is about the battle against the anti-survivalists, those who hated themselves for being Jews and so sought to be progressive and modern and "in", by rejecting and disgracing and degrading themselves in their struggling AGAINST Jewish survival. In other words, it is about the battle against the Oslo of Hannuka Past. At this stage in Jewish history a convergence has occurred between the main Diaspora Jewish community (in the US) and the Jews of Israel. It is a convergence towards self-destruction, self-abasement, and self-elimination. While it takes different forms, in both cases it is about Jews who are embarrassed because of their being associated and identified as such by the barbarians. They are ashamed of themselves and seek to gain acceptance in the Greek world by overtaking the anti-Semites in attacking their own people. They grovel before the enemies of their people. They demand that their people abandon their archaic and backward religion and traditions and values. History books will recall the second half of the twentieth century as that era in which the Jews lost their will to survive, first in the Diaspora and now in Israel. Whether or not Jewish history ends in the next decade or so depends on the unlikely proposition that the small numbers of Maccabees still fighting against Hellenism will triumph. They appear to be losing this war. It is not 200 BCE. One should not take a miraculous intervention for granted. In the United States, the dominance of the Jewish Hellenists is in the form of the assimilationist liberals. These are the Jewish leaders and organizations who dominate the non-Orthodox segments of American Jewry and promote the view that all of Judaism can be reduced to the pursuing of this week.s liberal political fads. They practice the "Political Liberalism as Judaism" form of Hellenistic paganism. They reduce all of Jewishness to support for the "progressive" agenda of the left wing of the Democrat Party. They even endorse all forms of politically correct wackiness - from radical feminism to extremist environmentalism to affirmative apartheid. They will only support Israel as long as it is pursuing self-destruction, lest it embarrass them in front of their progressive gentile friends by defending itself. In Israel, the country's politics - particularly its cultural/educational elite and its chattering classes - are now almost entirely dominated by those motivated by the desire to commit national suicide. These are people who are ashamed of their country and of their own people. They scorn themselves the same way that the Hellenized Jews did at the time of the Maccabees. Like the Hellenized Jews, they are convinced that traditionalist Jews are reactionary and primitive, and that the greatest priority is renunciation of Jewish peculiarity and the striving to assimilate amongst the cosmopolitan progressive Greeks of the world. They insist that a Seleucid "narrative" should replace their own reactionary provincial national one. Israel's universities are by and large the Occupied Territories of these Jewish Hellenists. The Israeli media is to almost the same extent. Jewish Hellenists dominate the Israeli military and intelligence services. Hellenists are rewriting the school curriculum to teach Israeli Jewish children to despise themselves. Their message is that Jews must feel ashamed because they are evil and immoral people, while the truly superior sensitive people are the barbarian anti-Semites. The aim of these Hellenists is to convince the Jews that the only way they may become accepted in the world is to conform to paganism, to turn the Temple Mount over to the barbarians, to stop seeking to exist as an archaic separate national entity, to commit national suicide. Moreover, their campaign is aimed at challenging the moral existence of the Jews. They realize this is the weakest chink in the armor of the Jews. If Jews can be convinced that they are morally in the wrong, then no Maccabees will arise. The aim of the Hellenists is the delegitimization of the Jews as a nation, discrediting the moral position of Jewish survivalism. They insist over and over that Jews are evil, immoral, selfish people, who must cease to exist as Jews if they want peace. The message of the contemporary Hellenists is unambiguous: Those who wish to purify the Temple, who seek pure oil for the Temple lamp, who wish to evict the barbarians from Jerusalem, are the enemies of peace. The Maccabees must be arrested for incitement. The Jews must provide Antiochus with concessions and arms and funds. Under no circumstances should the Jews seek to defend themselves from the Seleucids, for there is no military solution to the terror. If the barbarians murder the Jews it is because the Jews are selfish people and because they have been too reluctant to abandon their primitive survivalism. The era of national separateness is over; all must join in the great Hellenistic politically correct pagan enterprise. The Post-Hasmonean era is upon us. Dip the latkes in lard. 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. |
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HANUKKAH CELEBRATON IN BANGLADESH
Posted by Salah Choudhury, December 25, 2005. |
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Greetings from Dhaka, Bangladesh. My friends are aware of organizing Rosh Hashanah celebration in Bangladesh this year. I was so much inspired with the best wishes and encouraging mails I received after that event. Now, this evening, I am hosting another party to celebrate Hanukkah. At 7 pm Bangladesh time, my relatives, friends and colleagues will gather at Sea Shell Party Center to join the celebration of Happy Hanukkah with millions of Jewish brothers and sisters around the world. We shall light the candle with the hope of global peace in the coming year. You all possibly know that, in international political scenario, there are certain changes taking place very positively. Muslim countries like Pakistan and Indonesia are almost near in establishing formal relations with Israel. Many more Muslim nations like Afghanistan and Bangladesh are also on the same attitude. We hope, before the end of 2006, many of the non-Arab Muslim countries will have trade or diplomatic relations with Israel. This is a wonderful news for all of us, as for decades, Islamist clerics were spreading the message of hatred amongst the people. They were talking of so-called holy war against the Jews and Christians. Koran was misinterpreted by these elements with the ugly design of motivating the people towards the culture of hatred. Muslim media turned extremely violent towards Israel and the Jews. But, for the time in the history of Bangladeshi media, we started giving positive news on Israel and the Jews through our newspaper Weekly Blitz. We are talking of interfaith dialogue and establishment of relations with Israel. We are talking of ending religious hatred. We are talking of understanding and cooperation amongst Jews, Christians and Muslims. Our journey was never very smooth. I was arrested on 29th November 2003, on my way to attending a seminar in Tel Aviv, organized by the Hebrew Writers Association. This was the first ever trip by a journalist to Israel. I was falsely imprisoned for 17 month and still facing sedition charge, just for speaking in favor of Israel and the Jews. Weekly Blitz was forced to seize publication. During my worst difficult days, many of my friends stood for me. They fought for my release. And finally, I was released on bail on 30th of April 2005. We re began the publication of Blitz before few months. Repression, imprisonment, agony and sufferings could not cause anything to our zeal and mission. We are even much louder than we were before. Blitz is the only newspaper published in Bangladesh, which speaks in favor of Israel and Jews. Many of my Jewish brothers, sisters and friends are regularly writing in this tabloid newspaper. Although we are still a small newspaper, but we are growing very fast. Number of readers are increasing gradually and smoothly. UPDATE I am delighted to inform you all that the party, organized this evening to celebrate Hanukkah for the first time in Bangladesh, went very well. Most of the invited guests participated in the program which followed by dinner. Indian dishes were served amonsgt the guests. Mr. Kim Chol Jin, Vice Minister, DPR of Korea, Mr. J.Y. Shin, Counsellor, Embassy of Republic of Korea, Madam Shin and my family, friends, colleagues and relatives attended the function. Before the dinner, guests were briefed about the significance of Hanukkah, which is still very much unknown to people of this part of world. The writer is a journalist, columnist, author, and publisher and editor of "Weekly Blitz". Email him at salahuddinshoaibchoudhury@yahoo.com |
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DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS?
Posted by David Frankfurter, December 24, 2005. |
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Dear Friends, This year, Hanukah and Christmas coincide. One of my friends asked me what the Maccabees would make of the Temple Mount that they fought so hard to rededicate being off-limits to Jewish prayer. Or what Joseph and Mary might think of a situation where, as Jews, they would be scared for their lives to pass through Palestinian controlled Bethlehem. In wishing my Jewish readers a Happy Hanukah, and my Christian readers a Merry Christmas - and all of you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year - I ask you to cast a thought and a prayer for the plight of Christian Palestinian Arabs who suffer daily indignity without the basic support and sympathy of their local or overseas leadership. Friend Jeanine Hirschhorn has written an article about their plight. Please share it with your friends, and ask them not to overlook the basic human rights that Christian Palestinians are denied. David by Jeanine HirschhornAs another Christmas season approaches, the eyes of Christians worldwide turn to the birthplace of Jesus. What they may not see is that for Christians living in the Holyland, there is little to celebrate. Daily life is precarious; the future rather bleak. Ahmad El Achwal was returning to his home in Askar Refugee Camp near the West Bank city of Nablus, after hard day's work as a cook at a Jerusalem fast-food stand. As he approached the entrance to his home, four masked gunmen approached and opened fire, killing him. On the streets of the West Bank and Gaza, where the rule of law is that there are no rules and no law, this type of rough justice is regularly meted out by Palestinian Authority (PA) "security" forces and other militias. It is a common method of social control and a very effective deterrent to communal crime. Muslim-born, Ahmad El Achwal was a convert to Christianity. His home was an informal Christian center, where he handed out Christian literature and informed others in his community about his new-found faith. Ahmad El Achwal was introduced to Christianity by a fellow prisoner in Central Nablus prison. He had been accused by the PA of dealing in stolen gold, charges for which he was later tried and acquitted. Once word of his conversion to Christianity spread, he was repeatedly harassed and abused. PA "security" forces searched his home, confiscated his Christian bibles and other religious books, interrogated him for days and arrested him for long periods, promising an end to his suffering and even a job within the PA if he would return to Islam. Ahmad El Achwal was repeatedly beaten. His life and the life of his family were threatened. His car and home were fire-bombed by men affiliated with PA security forces. The landlord of the fast-food shop he rented refused to renew his rental agreement, forcing him out of business. In order to feed his wife and eight children, he had to work away from his home, in distant Jerusalem. Despite his suffering and personal peril, Ahmad El Achwal continued to profess his Christian faith -- and eventually paid with his life for the simple desire to live according to his conscience. Muslim apostasy and proselytizing for Christianity are intolerable affronts to the norms and traditions in PA-controlled areas. Though the PA publicly proclaims protection of religious freedom, Islamic law (Shari'a) has been adopted into the PA Constitution and is the primary legal source governing everyone under PA rule, regardless of their religious beliefs. The Shari'a considers conversion from Islam can be punishable by death, which may explain why Ahmad El Achwal's murderers were never found, never brought to justice, never sought by the local authorities. Just like members of the Comtsieh, Azizeh and numerous other Christian families, Mr. El Achwal became another unacknowledged victim in the on-going campaign of persecution that has been the plight of Christians living under PA rule in the West Bank and Gaza. Since the PA gained control of West Bank and Gaza in 1994, the Christian population has suffered increasing social, cultural and financial marginalization. In a culture where social status and survival are dependent upon the benevolence and protection of the ruling authority, the PA's apparent indifference toward on-going abuse against members of their community means that Christians are powerless -- and easy prey. A few Christian websites and academic monographs have been the main outlets for regular reports about the increasingly precarious life for Christians in PA-controlled areas.
Due to fear of reprisals, the abuse often goes unreported. It is recounted mainly in off-the-record conversations, which are viewed as unconfirmed "allegations" -- and therefore discounted, dismissed and largely ignored by Church officials, human rights organizations and the Western media. An incident in September of this year highlights the hostility Christians face. Hundreds of armed men descended on the Christian city of Taibe, terrorized the community for hours, set sixteen homes and multiple businesses on fire, looted valuables, and destroyed a statue of the Virgin Mary. And the reason for this attack? A Muslim woman from their neighboring village of Deir Jarir was accused of having a relationship with a Christian man from Taibe. Western government officials, so forthright in their concern for human rights in other areas, have remained curiously non-committal about the treatment and increasing peril of Christians living in PA-controlled areas. The European Union, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other non-government organizations (NGOs) and the UN seem to have similar financial and political motives which fuels their disregard. The US State Department's Report on Human Rights and International Religious Freedom Report have been ambiguous, vague and tended to downplay the extent of harassment of Christians in PA-controlled areas. The reasons are unclear; perhaps due to the US deep investment in the peace process, wanting to avoid discrediting the PA, a major recipient of US aid. In Ahmad El Achwal's case, while State Department officials had met with him and received updates about his case, to date, his murder has yet to be addressed by State Department reports. International and local church officials also tend to react with indifference to the treatment of Christians. In some cases, local church officials perversely blame Christians themselves for their plight. This may serve as one explanation for the widening gap between the religious leadership and lay community. A public opinion poll performed by a Christian academic found that only 48% of Christians trusted their religious leaders. David Parsons, Spokesperson for the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, described the situation for Christians living under PA rule as "desperate". "Due to their minority status, Christians suffer oppression and intimidation by the PA and powerful Muslim clans. They are frustrated that their grievances are ignored, that their bishops and pastors remain silent about their plight. They don't want to abandon their ancient heritage, but as a tiny, powerless minority, they are being forced out." The Christians of the Holyland seem to be the very real sacrificial lambs on the altar of the nebulous Middle East peace process. A flock abandoned by their co-religionists for political and financial self-interest. As the Christmas season approaches, these Christians deserve the best Christmas present they could possibly receive -- acknowledgement of their plight. Shouldn't the season of peace on earth encourage people of goodwill to demand action to protect Christians in the Holyland? To subscribe to David Frankfurter's 'letter from Israel', email him at david.frankfurter@iname.com. Or go to http://www.livejournal.com/users/dfrankfurter/ |
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WINDS OF CHANGE: AL-QAEDA 1998-2005
Posted by Arlene Peck, December 24, 2005. |
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If you have any doubt about our being in a full fledged world war for survival then you should watch this real close. Click on the link at the bottom. This moves fairly fast. No time to ponder photos, etc. This is a real eye-opener. "Winds of Change Al-Qaeda 1998-2005" is a graphic compendium of al-Qaeda attacks around the world. It is by Bill Roggio and Marvin Hutchens. Arlene Peck is an internationally syndicated columnist and television talk show hostess. She can be reached at: bestredhead@earthlink.net and www.arlenepeck.com |
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I WONDER
Posted by Batya Medad, December 24, 2005. |
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I wonder if the people in Ashkelon,[1] now targeted by rockets even more powerful than those which once fell on Gush Katif are comfortable with the fact that they supported Disengagement. I wonder if the soldiers who tore innocent people from their homes are as unrepentant[2] as Avi Beiber, who refused and subsequently spent time in jail. I wonder how many Disengagement victims have their old "Chanukiyot" and don't have to rely on somehow getting new ones. I wonder if Daniel Pinner[3] will get his life back. He has been in jail since June. I wonder how many others are still wearing orange bracelets. I am. And I have an orange ribbon on my front door and tied to most of my "bags." I wonder how many young men will avoid doing army service or look for easy army jobs, rather than the elite units they had previously dreamt of. I wonder how many families will disintegrate from the stresses of "relocation." I wonder if the Gush Katif farmers will manage to resurrect their businesses at the age others retire. I wonder how many are losing their faith in G-d because of the rabbis who promised: "It won't happen, just be strong and pray." I wonder how many of the Disengagement victims will ever move out of "temporary housing." And even worse, I wonder who's next. Footnotes 1. "Jihad Threatening With New Longer-Range Rocket," Arutz-Sheva, December 23, 2005, (www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=95358). 2.Yaakov Katz, "Bieber unrepentant after IDF discharge," December 23, 2005, (www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1134309633303&pagename= JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull). 3. Hillel Fendel, "Pinner Remains in Prison," Arutz-Sheva, December 23, 2005, (www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=95359). Batya Medad lives in Shiloh. She can be reached by email at Shilohmuse@yahoo.com or visit her website http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/ or go to http://www.shilo.org.il This article is archived at http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2005/12/i-wonder.html |
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ADD MORE LIGHT TO THE TRUNCATED HANUKKAH MENORAH
Posted by Katif Net, December 24, 2005. |
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The terrible expulsion from Gush Katif began on August 16, 2005 and lasted five days: the towns and villages were razed to the ground, the greenhouses were destroyed and the refugees of Gush Katif were abandoned. The authorities and the media are doing their best to silence any mention of the crime which our own government committed, destroying both property and lives. What keeps the spirits of the Gush Katif refugees alive are faith, hope and a will to start a new life in a new place. During the past four months we have worked hard to build the new katif.net website, which tells the whole world, in words, pictures, film and news, the history of the towns, communities, families, institutions, industry and agriculture which flourished in Gush Katif, and also continues to tell of how the refugees are building up their new lives all over Israel, including the stories of governmental harassment, the hotels and hopes, new construction and our hopes, so that the story of Gush Katif will never be forgotten and will never be repeated elsewhere, God forbid. Building the new website, planning, maintenance, hiring investigatory reporters, recording refugees' testimonies, all these are very costly. Now that the holiday of Hanukkah is approaching we have launched the truncated Hanukkah menorah, and you are invited to add to its light by purchasing one of the cubes in it; this way you can help katif.net continue its sacred mission. When buying a cube you can add a greeting dedicated to the Gush Katif refugees. If you own a business you can add a link and advertise. After the payment procedure is completed a file for downloading -- our Hanukkah gift to you -- will appear on the page: an elegant Hanukkah candle-lighting prayer text. Want to add orange and text to the Hanukkah menorah? Click here! Contact Katif Net at mailing@katif.net or go to the English website at http://english.katif.net/. You can go directly to the Gush Katif online store at shop@katif.net |
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CENSORSHIP BATTLE WON! KAHANEBOOKS.COM IS BACK ONLINE
Posted by David Ha'Ivri, December 24, 2005. |
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1. www.kahanebooks.com is back online After a four month legal battle, our www.kahanebooks.com website is back on line. In a letter received this week, the Israeli police stated that they have investigated the site and warned us not to disseminate inciteful material. We will continue to disseminate the books of Rabbi Kahane in bookstores around the world. Indeed, they incite. They incite to think. And you can help! Forward us contact information for your local Jewish book store and we will contact them to work out the details in order for them to carry our books. Special deal -- reply to this email to take advantage of the following great deal: four books for only $50, plus two booklets free! 2. Memorials for Rav Binyamin and Taliya Kahane On January 5 at 6:00, a day of Torah learning will be dedicated to the memories of Rav. Binyamin and Talyia Kahyane in Kfar Tapuach. The featured speakers will be: Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, who today heads the Temple Institute, which is very active in restoring the sacrifices and the building of the Beit Mikdash. He was also the rabbi of Yamit, and a great admirer of both Rabbi Meir and Binyamin Zev Kahane, who he knew personally. Rabbi Yizchak Ginzberg is an immensely popular Chabad rabbi who has been arrested several times for incitement in his own right. He has spoken at previous Yahrzeit events for Rabbi Kahane, including the 10th year memorial in New York, where he appeared together with Rabbi Binyamin Zev Kahane, h"yd. On January 11, at 4:PM, at Yeshivat HaKotel, a gathering will be held to actualize Rav Binyamin Kahane's parting message to us: To take our destiny into our hands, by establishing Jewish sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. This gathering will be the first "practical" attempt to do so. If you would like to help with this vital project, call 054-4786709 3. Daniel in the Liar's Den -- Pinner Update On December 15 Daniel Pinner's trial concluded. Unfortunately, the judge's decision will take another three weeks, pushing Daniel's jail stay to 7 months! Hopefully, Daniel will be acquitted of the more serious charge of shooting and injuring an Arab, in which there was no substantial evidence against him. 4. One of the subplots of Parshat Vayeshev is the trials and tribulations of both Yehuda and Yosef. Yosef "went down" to Egypt, while Yehuda "went down" from his brethren. It was at this time that both brothers were severely tested, Yosef with Potifar's wife, and Yehuda with Tamar. While Yosef was able to abstain from sin, Yehuda stumbles. But we see the great characteristic of tsheuva that is part of Yehuda's nature when he says: "She is more righteous than me." He is able to admit he is wrong. He is able to bounce back from adversity and elevate himself. Even the root of the name Yehuda (hodaya), not only means "thanks", but it also means "to admit". To admit one is wrong. This is tsheuva. On the other hand, the sages say that if Yosef had crossed the line with Potifar's wife, he would have assimilated into Egypt. Yosef is the "tzadeek" from birth, as opposed to the baal tsheuva. We see these characteristics in Saul and David. When Saul (from the tribe of Binyamin, son of Rachel) sins, he does not recover. Not only does he not admit to his mistake (after failing to utterly obliterate Amalek as commanded, he blames "the people" as an excuse), but he also regresses into a vicious downward spiral following his sin. David, on the other hand, immediately admits to his sin with Bat Sheva when chastised by the prophet. He paves the way for all "bale tsheuva", using the negative experience as a springboard to higher spiritual elevation. The importance of admitting one is wrong is also a subplot of what is happening in Israel today. For Rabbi Kahane clearly warned us exactly what will be if we do not take the necessary measures. Yet, certain camps cannot admit he was right. Whether if it's a matter of ego, or an ideological trap, the students of Rav Kook seem to be the last ones to acknowledge the truth of Rabbi Kahane's derech. The irony is - it is only Rabbi Kahane's way which can extricate the religious Zionist camp from the spiritual crisis it finds itself in. Why? As the government becomes more and more heretical, as Eretz Yisrael is dismantled bit by bit, the "haredi" camp, who never saw anything special about a Jewish state (some even view it as something negative) are saying to the religious Zionists: "I told you so - this state is not the beginning of the redemption process -- look how lousy it is?" And so, with the deterioration of the state of Israel, the national religious camp faces an ideological crisis. Enter Rabbi Kahane, who also views the state of Israel as the beginning of the redemption process. Yet he constantly warned that living in such an era obligates us to sanctify God's Name - by performing the "difficult" mitzvot of expelling the Arabs, annexing the territories, etc, and if not, we will face awesome tragedy, and all that we achieved will be lost. Yes, the process of redemption is underway when God in his chesed granted us a state from the ashes of Aushwitz.. But that redemption can come in two ways: very painfully "in its time", or "swiftly" in gloriouis fashion, -- and if it comes the slow, painful way, even the rabbis in the Talmud said: "Let him come, but don't let me see it". If the national camp wants to be relevant again, its first step is to do "tsheuva" - to admit that Rabbi Kahane was right, and then adopt his "derech". Contact David Ha'Ivri at haivri@revava.org or go to his website: http://www.revava.org Voice your opinion about Israeli news and politics in the Israeli National Activist discussion forum www.revava.org/forum |
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MOSQUES MONITORED FOR RADIATION
Posted by Dave Nathan, December 23, 2005. |
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All right, let's go through this one more time. Are there any Muslims who are hoping to launch a chemical or nuclear attack against the United States? Yes. Is there a strict wall of separation in the American Muslim community between them and peaceful Muslims? No, there isn't. Is there any easy way to tell, or any reliable way to tell at all, which Muslim may be working to launch such a strike and which abhors the very idea? No, there isn't. Do the Muslims who hope to perpetrate such violence operate in mosques? Yes, they do. And finally: will the result of this report be less of such surveillance, making it easier for these violent thugs to operate under cover of darkness? Could be. The excerpts come from Yahoo news (news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051223/ts_nm/security_usa_surveillance_dc) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials have secretly monitored radiation levels at Muslim sites, including mosques and private homes, since September 11, 2001 as part of a top secret program searching for nuclear bombs, U.S. News and World Report said on Friday. See the disjunction between those two statements -- the one from the FBI and the one from CAIR? These issues should be studied and settled by the Supreme Court, sooner rather than later, if possible in a way that clears up the legal and Constitutional issues rather than adding to them. I know that in that I may be asking too much. "All Americans should be concerned about the apparent trend toward a two-tiered system of justice, with full rights for most citizens, and another diminished set of rights for Muslims," it said in a statement. What a shame. Until Methodists start committing acts of terrorism and violence the world over, justifying these acts by reference to their theology, I will not understand why government and law enforcement officials cannot simply say that it is Muslims who want to kill us for Islamic reasons, and so we will be deploying our resources accordingly. At its peak, the effort involved three vehicles in the Washington area monitoring 120 sites a day, nearly all of them Muslim targets such as prominent mosques and office buildings selected by the FBI, it said. The program has also operated in at least five other cities -- namely Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, New York, and Seattle -- when threat levels there have risen, it said. Reply to ericmahr@yahoogroups.com |
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DID SHARON'S GOVERNMENT MISLEAD?
Posted by Allen Roth, December 23, 2005. |
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Last week, I heard from a very senior Israeli defense official that terrorists and armaments are pouring into Gaza and the West Bank. During Israel's recent disengagement from Gaza the Sharon government led us to believe that leaving Gaza was a good security move. Experts in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who disagreed with this assessment were silenced. Today, Sharon's Defense Minister Mofaz is warning that the situation in Gaza is so bad that the IDF must increase its vigilance. At the same time Mofaz and the Sharon Government are refusing to turn over to the Knesset the agreement it signed with Egypt and the Palestinians - the deal forced by Secretary of State Rice. It appears that contrary to reports from the Sharon Government the Israelis play a minor role in determining who passes over the border. Therefore, the Egyptians are in control of a significant aspect of Israeli security. Does anyone think the Egyptians will challenge the Palestinians and take Israel's side? We warned that the disengagement was wrong for many reasons including Israel's security. Now the Sharon government, by its actions, is acknowledging these truths. But at the same time leading government officials continue to talk about giving up 90% of the West Bank, which means the strategically important Jordan Valley, and part of Jerusalem. Today, a friend of One Jerusalem expressed his view that with Sharon's health problems, if he gets elected again, he will move as fast as possible to conclude a deal that will involve the West Bank and Jerusalem. The chances of that happening are great. Allen Roth is President of One Jerusalem (www.onejerusalem.org), an organization whose mission is to keep Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty and undivided. |
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FOLLITICS
Posted by Evelyn Hayes, December 23, 2005. |
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Israel provided $25 million to the UN Develoment Program (UNDP) for the Palestinian people. This money will be used to clear and rehabilitate the Gaza sites evacuated by Israel. (Guysen.Israel.News) The UNPD was assigned this task by the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority and the office of the Quartet's special envoy James Wolfensohn. With more than 1.2 million tons of debris to clear and recycle, the project will cost $24.7 million. It will be completed on a period of 18 months and provide jobs for hundreds of Palestinian workers. Erev Chanukah As the believing of Gush Katif watched democracy fail without referendum and concern
and their houses gashed and smashed by their misleader's folly
Waiting for the miracles, the light this Chanukah to spread and the "Oslo-Gate" trials with the help of G-d... Evelyn Hayes is author of "The Eleventh Plague, Twins, because their hearts were softened to accept the unacceptable" and "The Twelfth Plague, Generations, because the lion wears stripes." Contact her at haze@rcn.com. |
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TWO ARTICLES ON EGYPT'S MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AND HAMAS
Posted by Daily Alert, December 23, 2005. |
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1. "Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Leader Calls Holocaust
a Myth" Reuters Canada, December 22, 2005,
(http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&
storyID=2005-12-22T135815Z_01_KNE250034_RTRIDST_0_
NEWS-MIDEAST-EGYPT-BROTHERHOOD-COL.XML).
SUMMARY: "The head of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, the main opposition force in parliament, echoed Iran's president on Thursday in describing the World War Two Holocaust of European Jews as a myth. "Western democracy has attacked everyone who does not share the vision of the sons of Zion as far as the myth of the Holocaust is concerned," Mohamed Mahdi Akef said. He accused the U.S. House of Representatives of hypocrisy when it threatened to cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority if the Islamist movement Hamas takes part in January elections. He also criticized EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana for saying that Europeans might think twice about aid to the Palestinians if Hamas members were in parliament. Hamas says it is an extension of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and believes in armed struggle to replace Israel with an Islamic state." EXCERPTS: "Last week the deputy leader of the Brotherhood, Mohamed Habib, asked about Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust, said reports of Nazi attempts to wipe out European Jews might have been exaggerated." "We don't have confirmed things to enable us to prove this matter or refute it. It needs documentation but what one can be sure of is that there were attacks on the Jews but not by means of gas chambers or perhaps not in these numbers or on this scale," Habib told Reuters in an interview. "But Habib said the debate was irrelevant to the situation of the
Palestinians. "What the Jews propagate about there being a Holocaust
has nothing to do with the way they treat the Palestinians on the land
of Palestine," he said.
2. "Hamas Coordinating with Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood" Khaled Abu Toameh, Jerusalem Post, December 20, 2005, (www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1134309611734& pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull). SUMMARY: Hamas and Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood, which have historical ties, have begun coordinating their moves ahead of next month's Palestinian parliamentary elections, PA security officials said on Monday. Meanwhile, Said Siam, a senior Hamas official in the Gaza Strip, announced on Monday that his movement was planning to form the new PA cabinet after it wins a majority of seats in parliament. One of the Hamas candidates for the parliamentary elections, Miriam Farhat, met in Cairo over the weekend with Mahdi Akef, the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. Farhat emerged as the "mother of martyrs" after she appeared on a Hamas videotape encouraging her 17-year-old son, Muhammad, to participate in a suicide mission. Farhat said that Hamas's decision to participate in the parliamentary elections does not mean that the Islamic movement has abandoned the "military option." Akef, who held a warm reception for her, declared that the "resistance was the only way to end the Israeli presence in Palestine." He added: "We welcome the Jews in Palestine only as individuals, but we don't agree to their presence there as a state." EXCERPTS: "Said Siam said, "Hamas will be a clear voice in the new parliament," he said. "We will enter all the institutions to reform them and put an end to corruption. We will also enter the Palestinian security forces, which are very corrupt." "Hamas is trying to copy the Muslim Brotherhood model," a senior PA official in Ramallah told The Jerusalem Post. "They are now dispatching envoys to Cairo to meet with the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood." "For the first time in Egyptian parliamentary history, the radical Muslim Brotherhood, whose candidates ran as independents, won 88 seats in the People's Assembly, accounting for 20 percent of a total of 432 races concluded so far." "In an interview with the Egyptian weekly al-Ahram last week, the 77-year old Akef, who spent 20 years in prison, said: 'I have declared that we will not recognize Israel, which is an alien entity in the region. And we expect the demise of this cancer soon. If they want to live with us as normal citizens sharing our rights and duties then we don't mind. But to remain an occupying tyrannical country, then this will not happen, God willing.'" The Daily Alert is prepared for the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Write daily-subscribe@dailyalert.org to be put on their subscription list. |
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IDF RETURNS TO GAZA; SPIELBERG'S MORAL EQUIVALENCE; US VS HAMAS; SHARON STATES GOAL, SABOTAGES IT
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 23, 2005. |
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STRATEGIC BORDER WITH JORDAN The Jordan Valley in Judea-Samaria long has been considered a strategic gateway for invaders of Israel from the east, if left open, and a strategic barrier, if shut. Israel must retain that valley, to have a secure border there. Some people think that with Iraq not up to making war, at present, there is no danger from the east. (They don't realize that Iran and Syria are in the east and that Iraq may revive.) There is a new danger, however. It is called al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda has been working its way towards Israel. It has set up active cells in the Sinai, on one side of Israel, and in Jordan, on the other side. If the Jordan Valley were in the hands of the P.A., as the US would like, al-Qaeda would be able to pass into Israel. Al-Qaeda's interest is spurred by Zarqawi's turning Iraq into a center of jihad. Al-Qaeda had been focusing elsewhere, but now it finds opportunities in the Mideast. He has sent agents to try to get into Israel. At least some were intercepted, so far. They are particularly dangerous, because Zarqawi has been trying to acquire non-conventional weapons. He may have gotten financial and technical help from Iran. Another danger facing Israel is Jordan, itself. That country is both radicalizing and being given or sold US warplanes. It has excellent intelligence services, but porous borders. Terrorists can pass into it from Syria, although they clash with Syrian forces, too (IMRA, 12/15). Syria's alliance with Iran and its coddling of terrorism menaces it. IDF RETURNS TO GAZA The IDF has been raiding in Gaza and northern Samaria, from which last summer it expelled the Jewish residents (Arutz-7, 12/16). The theory was that the Army would not have to fight in those areas, if the Jews weren't living there and needing protection there. Not realistic. Wars are fought where the enemy is. Enemy forces are in Gaza and northern Samaria. From there, they either shoot into Israel or the rest of Judea-Samaria or fan out into Israel. The abandonment accomplished nothing, ruined thousands, and jeopardized what little security Israel had. IDF TARGETS TERRORIST ACCESS ROUTES The IDF has been claiming to bomb more and more routes used by terrorist rocket crews. This is its "determined" response to terrorism (IMRA, 12/16). Not reported is the result of such bombing. Does it decrease rocket attacks? How? It sounds to me like a vain boast, a probable waste of money, and a failure to defend the country by pursuing terrorists. What good is this claiming without accountability? MORAL EQUIVALENCE Moral relativism excuses immorality. Its offshoot, moral equivalence, raises evil to the height of virtue, and lowers decency to the depths of depravity. Its practitioners consider themselves ethical, but condone cruelty, deceit, and injustice. How can they call themselves "progressive"? Moral equivalency lazily avoids a stance on major issues. It is a popular pretext for helping jihadists against Israel, by making Israel seem no better than the jihadists, and the jihadists no worse than Israel. That would mean that the Muslim Arab pact violators, bigots, torturers, and murderers are no worse than their innocent victims. How perverse! It is with this moral obtuseness that Steven Spielberg produced "Munich." Mr. Spielberg, are these morally equivalent?: 1. The Arabs keep making genocidal war on Israel; Israel defends itself. 2. The P.A. made pacts with Israel that it violates greatly and continually, whereas Israel honors its commitments until too many months and years of Arab refusal to cease the war that the pact was to end. 3. P.A. society indoctrinates in religious hatred, Jewish society in religious tolerance. 4. Arab terrorists risk their own people's lives by attacking from civilian areas, because Israel is reluctant to use powerful means to fire back, lest it kill too many civilians. 5. The Zionists bought land in their own homeland, whereas the Arabs try to steal it. 6. Terrorists pursue innocent civilians; anti-terrorists pursue terrorists. One could go on, but that is sufficient to show the fallacy of moral equivalence. U.S. VS. HAMAS The US is taking what seems like a high moral position against Hamas' participation in the P.A. elections: (1) Hamas' terrorism is incompatible with democratic elections; (2) It deplores Hamas' entry; and (3) Declares that it will not deal with any Hamas representative, regardless of Hamas' electoral victories. Some years ago, it publicly refused to deal with the PLO for its terrorism, never ended. It now not only deals openly with the PLO, but subsidizes the P.A. run by the PLO. The US makes deals with the Devil. Don't rule out an accommodation with Hamas, if that is what it takes to get Israel to weaken itself in favor of the Arabs. Democracies often would rather sell to, or deal with enemy dictatorships than face them down. SHARON STATES HIS GOAL PM Sharon declared his goal: settle the Arab-Israel conflict and shape the Jewish character of the State of Israel. There are two ways to settle the Arab-Israel conflict. One is to bring down Israel, but then it loses its Jewish character and its Jews. The other is for Islam to reform. Sharon's steps have been to withdraw from traditional Jewish territory that offer secure borders. That jibes with the Arab plan for the conquest of Israel in phases. Depriving Israel of its traditional and most holy sites erodes its Jewish character. Also diluting the State's Jewish character, Sharon had brought into his coalition the Shinui Party, dedicated to eradicating the Jewish character of the state. Sharon has never objected to the ultra-leftist Supreme Court often ruling on a personal ideological basis and not on the basis of law, in favor of the Arabs against the Jewish character of the State. Sharon has continued immigration policies that have brought into the country hundreds of thousands of Russian Christians, many of whom are antisemitic. He has continued some of the policies that allow in tens of thousands of Arabs. Those policies dilute the Jewish character of the State. Knowing how to get away with it, he is a clever agent for the State Dept. and a clever enemy of the Jewish people. It is difficult to define "Jewish character of the State." Some of its prerequisites, however, are not difficult to discern. One is a preponderance of Jews. Another is national security. Under Sharon, the Arabs are closing in on the Jews. Terrorists are pouring into Gaza and he has plans that would let them pour into Judea-Samaria, from which they would exert terrorist and hydrological pressure on Israel. His own Jewish character may be merely technical, for he is a secularist. Many secularists are anti-Jewish. Restoring secularist Jews to normalcy should be a key objective of the State. THE U.S., THAT "WEAK REED" Israel grasps onto a purported alliance with the US, but the US is a weak reed, if not hostile. Worried about his domestic popularity and seeking to appease Muslims in general and S. Arabia, Pres. Bush is not likely to destroy the Iranian nuclear facilities, a reader points out. It is up to Israel to do the job (if it can). The US exerts pressure upon Israel to make concessions to its Arab enemies that are unfair and that erode Israel's security. One can trace the State Dept. trajectory of its demands to the helpless dissolution of Israel and a second Holocaust. The top priority for Israel is regaining its Jewish soul. That means: (1) Being tougher with the Arabs, not, as leftists imagine, being even softer after years of appeasement; and (2) Ending US subsidy, making and selling arms as it wishes but not to China, and rejecting a US role in negotiations and pacts with the Arabs. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. |
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LEADERSHIP AND SELF-DETERMINATION!
Posted by Steven Shamrak, December 23, 2005. |
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"Sharon would accept a Palestinian state in Gaza and 90 percent of the West Bank, and a compromise on Jerusalem, in exchange for peace. But the Israeli leader does not believe Palestinians will be able to deliver peace or make other compromises" - Kalman Gayer, Ariel Sharon's senior campaign pollster, has revealed the truth about Sharon's intentions. Benjamin Netanyahu won the Likud chairmanship race... Bibi, in his victory speech, said that "Tonight the Likud begins its way back to the leadership of the country." I sincerely hope that he meant it! But we must remember that it was Netanyahu who surrendered Hebron and allowed the beginning of the Oslo War. And now, he gave Sharon's stooge, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom the second slot in the Likud party list. Seemingly, for the sake of self-destructive 'unity', he is repeating the same mistake! Israel is in need of strong National leadership. We can't afford the continuation of the same self-destructive games any more. They have only produced death and sorrow. We are further from our National goal than 56 years ago. When the independence of Israel was declared, at least, Jews had a clear vision of the Jewish state at the time! Will Israeli voters be able to elect, during the next election, the leader who would be able to shake off the Gullut mentality and lead Jewish people toward true self-determination? There will be no peace with Arabs until Jews regain self-pride. We must start to belive again in Jewish rights and do what is right for the Jewish people first. Sharon and Peres has been playing Monopoly with the land of Israel and the future of the Jewish people. Jews are facing the leadership crisis in Israel and communities abroad. Apathy of the people, after so many years of political betrayal, is taking over! Arabs only respect and accept the show of force. Any ambiguity and uncertainty shown by the Jewish state just stimulate their opportunistic behaviour and contribute to the rise of terrorism! Steven Shamrak was born in the former Soviet Union (USSR) and participated in the Moscow Zionist "refusenik" movement. He now lives in Australia. For the last few years, he has been publishing internet editorial letters on the Arab-Israeli conflict -- independently, not as a member of any organization or political movement. He can be reached by email at StevenShamrak@gmail.com |
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WHO US? ANTI-SEMITES? US?
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 23, 2005. |
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The original article is at http://www.freeman.org/m_online/dec04/plaut.php We have nothing against Jews as such. We just hate Zionism and Zionists. We think Israel does not have a right to exist. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. Heavens to Mergatroyd. Marx Forbid. We are humanists. Progressives. Peace lovers. Anti-Semitism is the hatred of Jews. Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism and Israeli policies. The two have nothing to do with one another. Venus and Mars. Night and day. Trust us. Sure, we think the only country on the earth that must be annihilated is Israel. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. Sure, we think that the only children on earth whose being blown up is okay if it serves a good cause are Jewish children. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. Sure, we think that if Palestinians have legitimate grievances this entitles them to mass murder Jews. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. Naturally, we think that the only people on earth who should never be allowed to exercise the right of self-defense are the Jews. Jews should only resolve the aggression against them through capitulation, never through self-defense. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. We only denounce racist apartheid in the one country in the Middle East that is not a racist apartheid country. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. We refuse to acknowledge the Jews as a people, and think they are only a religion. We do not have an answer to how people who do not practice the Jewish religion can still be regarded as Jews. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. We think that all peoples have the right to self-determination, except Jews, and including even the make-pretend "Palestinian people". But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. We hate it when people blame the victims, except of course when people blame the Jews for the jihads and terrorist campaigns against them. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. We think the only country in the Middle East that is a fascist anti-democratic one is the one that has free elections. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. We demand that the only country in the Middle East with free speech, free press or free courts be destroyed. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. We oppose military aggression, except when it is directed at Israel. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. We really understand suicide bombers who murder bus loads of Jewish children and we insist that their demands be met in full. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. We do not think that Jews have any human rights that need to be respected, and especially not the right to ride a bus without being murdered. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. There are Jewish, leftist anti-Zionists and we consider this proof that anti-Zionists could not possibly be anti-Semitic; not even the ones who cheer when Jews are mass murdered. These are the only Jews we think need be acknowledged or respected. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such.. We think the only conflict on earth that must be solved through dismembering one of the parties to that conflict is the one involving Israel. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. We do not think murder proves how righteous and just the cause of the murderer is, except when it comes to murderers of Jews. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. We do not think the Jews are entitled to their own state and must submit to being a minority in a Rwanda-style bi-national state, although no other state on earth, including the 22 Arab countries, should be similarly expected to be deprived of its sovereignty. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. We think that Israels having a Jewish majority and a star on its flag makes it a racist apartheid state. We do not think any other country having an ethnic-religious majority or having crosses or crescents or Allah Akbar on its flag is racist or needs dismemberment. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. We condemn the mistreatment of women in the only country of the Middle East in which they are not mistreated. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. We condemn the mistreatment of minorities in the only country in the Middle East in which minorities are not brutally suppressed and mass murdered. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. We demand equal citizen rights, which is why the only country in the Middle East in need of extermination is the only one in which such rights exist. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. We have no trouble with the fact that there is no freedom of religion in any Arab countries. But we are mad as hell at Israel for violating religious freedom, and never mind that we are never quite sure where or when it does so. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. So how can you possibly say we are anti-Semites? We are simply anti-Zionists. We seek peace and justice, thats all. And surely that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such. 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. |
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THIS IS THE REAL ENEMY SPEAKING
Posted by Roger and Betty Johnson, December 23, 2005. |
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Please click on the following link to MEMRI and watch an Imam tell his followers of Allah what he thinks of the Jews and every other infidel. The enemy is Islam. When you meet a peaceful Muslim, what he truly is is a disobedient Muslim. Their leaders and the Koran demand that they convert or kill all infidels. This is the real enemy speaking. Contact Roger and Betty Johnson at hiouchi@centurytel.net |
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A PALESTINIAN STATE? TIME TO DROP THE IDEA
Posted by Bruce S. Ticker, December 22, 2005. |
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A Palestinian state will not work. I firmly believe that any peace settlement must result from negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. No pact will ever be reached by wishing for it or issuing demands in the media. That said, my personal opinion for a potential solution has been a work in progress during the last five years and came together between the day Israeli troops exited Gaza in mid-September until United States and European officials pressured Israel earlier in December to renew talks to arrange bus convoys that would travel from Gaza to the West Bank --- along Israeli soil. Israel resisted this pressure. Here's the idea: Drop plans for a state comprising the West Bank and Gaza. Rather, Egypt would govern Gaza, as it once did, and Jordan would again assume control of part of the West Bank. And, no sharing of Jerusalem or using Israeli land to link one piece of their land to another. This came to a head when American and European officials pressured Israel to permit bus convoys of Palestinians to cross from Gaza to the West Bank - through Israel - by Dec. 15, despite the Palestinian Authority's persistent failure to accomplish anything. For example, Palestinians fired missiles into an industrial strip near the city of Ashkelon last week from the ruins of a Gaza settlement. Weren't Palestinian security forces supposed to be in control of the abandoned settlements? A Palestinian state as envisioned might merit support under these non-negotiable conditions - that Israeli citizens can live without fear of terrorism and that daily life in Israel is not disrupted. The Palestinians have for long escaped serious criticism because Israel, too, made serious mistakes. The Palestinians dug a moralistic hole for themselves once the Israeli government recognized that some settlements were not worth keeping. Once Israel abandoned the settlements in Gaza, there was precious little room for criticism of Israel. The Palestinians found themselves in a position where they had to put up or shut up. The result has been chaos and terror. Israel's reward for leaving has been murderous attacks on its citizens. The authority either will not or cannot control the factions competing for power both in Gaza and the West Bank. Why should Israel bother doing business with them? If the authority cannot govern Gaza, how will it coordinate the governance of two separate slices of real estate separated by 30 miles of Israeli land? Some advocates of this arrangement argue that mainland United States is separated from Alaska by Canada. As former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said in a speech in Philadelphia last January, he wished that Israel had a neighbor like Canada. One plan is for the construction of possibly both a highway and a train which cuts through southern Israel so that goods and people can travel from Gaza to the West bank. The first obstacle is fear among Israelis that terrorists and arms will be smuggled into the West Bank, where Israel is more vulnerable to attacks from its borders. Secondly, the road and the train will probably cost billions of dollars that could be better spent on programs to build the economies of both Gaza and the West Bank and, for that matter, the neighboring Arab nations. Besides, why should the United States contribute to these projects when its biggest city cannot afford to keep its subways running without disruption? In the case of Jerusalem, why do the Palestinians need it? They can make any religious claim they want, but Israel seized east Jerusalem in a war which the Arabs essentially started. Israel is under no obligation to return an inch of it. On paper, the only arrangement which makes sense is for the West Bank to be joined with Jordan and Gaza to become part of Egypt. They all share the primary traditions, customs and religious beliefs in that part of the world. Moving about would be convenient. Both Egypt and Jordan are already sovereign nations that made peace with Israel and should be able to absorb the Palestinians. Both nations have seaports and airports to allow for travel and transport of goods. Those who wish to travel from Gaza to the West Bank can fly from Cairo to Amman. The international community can pay for their trips, and perhaps Egypt can build an airport closer to Gaza. Jordan would govern portions of the West Bank under an agreement with Israel. The residents of Gaza and the West Bank could maintain limited self-government by forming a province in conjunction with their respective new nation. That is, Gaza could be a province of Egypt and the West Bank a province of Jordan. If this arrangement goes into effect, the Palestinians will be part of nations of like-minded people and Israelis will no longer need to worry about internal terror threats. In reality, it likely will not work. Arab clans and militant factions have been fighting among themselves for land and power. How will that change if Jordan and Egypt enter the picture? Would Egypt or Jordan even want these territories? Extremely doubtful. Both are poor and autocratic and Egypt is particularly corrupt. The Palestinians attempted to overthrow Jordan's late King Hussein 35 years ago. Both countries will spend too much time putting down revolts to do anything else. Despite my opinion, to repeat, any territorial arrangement must result from negotiations. Unless there is a marked reversal by the Palestinians, Israeli negotiators would be foolish to give them an independent state. Bruce S. Ticker publishes CRISIS: ISRAEL at www.crisisisrael.com |
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PALESTINIAN MISSILE ATTACKS ON ASHKELON PORTEND ENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHE
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, December 22, 2005. |
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If it wasn't clear before, Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's perfidy is clear now! Sharon has put the Israeli people and her soldiers before a potent firing squad of Kassem rockets. As Kassem Rockets hit a military base in Ashkelon, wounding five soldiers, the addled Sharon orders restraint. Sharon has proven himself a clear and present danger to Israel, possibly due to prior strokes and now his present condition.. HaShem has sent to this 'rasha' (evil man) a message which he chooses to ignore. His next stroke will have him staring at the ceiling from his bed, able to hear and understand what he has done while trapped within a paralyzed body. It is better if he withdraws from the power of his office and goes to his home, his farm in the desert. This is a DEBKAfile special report for yesterday. Palestinian terror planners are now sending their Qassam missiles after big game: the important port-town of Ashkelon, which lies ten kilometers from the northern tip of the Gaza Strip, where the ruins of the evacuated Israeli locations of Dugit, Elei Sinai and Nisanit have been turned into handy launching sites. Israeli locations, like Moshav Shuba and Kibbutz Carmia outside the Gaza Strip, have now been brought into missile range. New populations are on the front line alongside Sderot. But while the primitive Qassam missiles often miss smaller targets, a single spark at one of the many sensitive facilities in Israel's Mediterranean port town of Ashkelon would not just trigger a national disaster, but a huge environmental catastrophe on the scale of the Briitish Buncefield oil center explosion earlier this month. The Eilat Ashkelon oil pipeline is a land bridge for oil to move both ways between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean and two continents. It is served from the Ashkelon open-sea oil port which accommodates oil tankers of up to 300,000 DWT. The Ashkelon Oil Terminal houses 22 storage tanks with a capacity of 1.5 million cu. m. The big Electricity Corporation power plant is located to the south of the town. One of the Palestinian missiles landed in the installation's yard. Yet on Wednesday, Dec. 21, prime minister Ariel Sharon, in his first security consultation after leaving hospital, decided that diplomacy would keep Ashkelon safe from Palestinian target practice and that effective military measures could wait. The same thinking apparently extends to the two al Qaeda cells, one sent by Abu Musab al Zarqawi in person, which took up positioning the Gaza Strip after Israel's pull-out. By diplomacy, Sharon meant bringing diplomatic pressure to bear on the disintegrating Palestinian Authority to make it rein in the Palestinian missile launchers which are making free of the lawless Gaza Strip. Mofaz was told to address this hollow plea to Egyptian intelligence minister Omar Suleiman, when he visited Jerusalem and Ramallah Wednesday. Both know quite well that the Palestinian Authority is a fiction and its chairman Mahmoud Abbas is incapable of holding his own Fatah party together, let alone his government. Tuesday, two foreign schoolteachers at a private American school in Gaza were kidnaped by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the group which assassinated Israel's tourism minister Rehavam Zeevi in 2002. The teachers were released Wednesday and lost no time in leaving the territory with the rest of the school's foreign staff. DEBKAfile's military sources emphasize that the Sharon government does possess the means to stop the Qassam bombardment: it would only take an order to Israel's Air Force to turn the northern Gaza Strip into a sterile zone where all moving objects are swatted. This mission could be accomplished within a very short time. The targeted region has the added advantage of a very sparse Palestinian population. There are not many buildings standing there apart from the broken shells of former Israeli homes. However, Sharon is not only withholding this order; he is restraining the Air Force from pre-emptying Palestinian missile launches. Air crews have been told to take extra time to make sure that the missile launchers have first been set up and the crewmen's fingers are on the trigger before sending planes, helicopters or drones into action. The Palestinians are of course taking advantage of their newfound immunity. They move under cover of dark, crawling forward under heavy camouflage up to the missile sites. They only surface at the launching site, leaving the bomber in the air a couple of seconds to strike before the missile is released to target. Amid the general frustration, a bright new idea was born Tuesday: black out northern Gaza for two hours a day. This plan was reported to be under government consideration based on the rationale that, deprived of electrical power, the ordinary Palestinian would be driven to reining in the missile-launchers. This plan had a very short shelf life: the prospect of Palestinian civilians rising up against the Hamas, Jihad Islami, the Popular Resistance Committees or the Fatah-Al Aqsa Brigades because of a two-hour electricity outage was too ludicrous to be taken seriously. For one thing, every Gaza family has one member at least in one or more of the organizations shooting the missiles. For another, if Hamas is in danger of sweeping the polls in January, it is because of its broad popularity, compared with the Palestinian Authority and its incumbent heads. Barring a change in these circumstances, Ashkelon appears doomed to suffer the same fate as battered Sderot -- if not worse. The question is which Israeli city is next? Additional Comments added by Shmuel HaLevi rfi (radiorf1@netvision.net.il) and Jack Golbert From: Shmuel HaLevi rfi [mailto:radiofi1@netvision.net.il] Sent:
The "strategic installation" was the Rotenberg Electrical Power Station yard. In today's DEBKA you will get a very good article on the whole scenario. Since now the cat is out of the hat... here it goes. The Rotenberg complex is huge and on the south end includes, nested next to the Sea, a large oil facility including a great number of surface storage tanks. It is also the pick up point for European oil tankers with up 300000 capacity. One rocket hits the tanks, OIL and distillates tanks in the highly secured facility, and half of israel goes up plus the Red Sea -Europe pipeline would be severed as well. The further bad news is that at a cost of 150 dollars, the cost of a rocket, that can be ashes in hours and the whole basin would dead from oil contamination, including the new desalination plant that pick up about three miles up north. This joint DOES NOT HAVE OIL FIRE FIGHTING systems at all. Let's form a constitutional court? OR GET UP RFI and start fighting? Shmuel Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). |
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CRUSHING ISRAEL
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, December 22, 2005. |
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I wonder if anyone has noticed that the more President Bush moves to crush Israel's spirit and ability to defend herself, the more things go wrong for this President. Regrettably, those things that go wrong for Bush also affect America generally. Bush has chosen to ignore his proclamation to "Make War On Global Terror" including Arab Muslim Palestinian Terrorists and all those who harbor Terrorists. Instead, Bush uses Israel as his 'dangle' to appease the Arab Muslim Terrorists, ignoring 156 Kassem Rockets fired into Israel since Sharon's withdrawal of the 10,000 Jewish men, women and children from Gaza/Gush Katif. President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) is failing while the biggest Muslim Arab Palestinian Terror Organization, Hamas, is advancing and growing in power - thanks to Bush's insistence that Israel restrain herself from retaliating against Arab Muslim attacks. But, Bush is literally paying Abu Mazen who in turn is paying Terrorists and their families (or at least families of suicide/homicide bombers). Now, the word "Impeachment" is being mentioned - cautiously, casually - because a weak Bush took the guidance of his father, Bush, Sr., James Baker III, Donald Rumsfeld, and lied to the American public about turning the American Spy Eye on Americans in America. But, both Bush, Sr. And the son Bush lied to the Israelis. The Father manipulated PM Yitzhak Rabin and the son manipulated PM Ariel Sharon. Both were only old Generals and both were actually country bumpkins in geo-politics. They were (both) told that they and Israel had a big role to play on the World Stage. What they weren't told was that their contribution would be as the sacrificial goat to elevate Bush politically and to give up the Land in order to appease the Muslim Arabs. This President has ignored Israel's contribution to America's safety and, instead, misused this friendship as his father did to appease the Saudis. Later, when they balked at being misused, then the Bush administration's gloves came off and the deeper threats began: "Do it our way or we will cut off your supply of jet fuel, spare parts, we will cancel contracts - both ours and any international contracts you have for your technology and industry." Then American military manufacturers got into the act, using Bush's pressure to stop Israel from being competitive to them by selling unique arms world wide. So now, Israel, under vicious threats, must submit all contracts being negotiated with other countries to the Pentagon. While these American companies sold massive arms to Israel's most dedicated enemies, In fact, we Americans sell arms to anyone with the money to buy, but America insists that Israel cannot. When Hamas started to show political strength, in addition to their Terrorism, who shows up but the blasted pro-Arab U.S. State Department wheedling and sniveling to make connections with Hamas after Hamas pushes Mahmoud Abbas out of the 'Palestinian' Presidency. So, the more Bush drags Sharon around like a bull with a ring through his nose, the more Bush fails - in every area possible. We are generating more and more casualties in Iraq and Bush is desperate to escape. He babbles about winning, even as he generates his own losses and ours, too. When the Terrorists succeed, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice demands more concessions and gestures from Israel. Rice screams and demands that now Israel allows daily convoys of Palestinians to go from Gaza through Israel to Hebron. The trucks can be loaded with dirty, unconventional bombs, WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) possibly with NBC (Nuclear, Biological and/or Chemical) warheads. To Rice it doesn't matter as long as Israel caves in and shows she can demonstrate her power by making Israel run away and retreat...the opposite of Kadima (Forward). In the meantime, Bush is looking for those friendly Arab Muslims he bribed in case they decide to pay America back with radioactive bombs. Bush has succeeded in crippling Israel's defensive posture against Terror, against Global Terror. They have Israel controlled and restrained to firing artillery at empty buildings and empty fields, lest they actually hit a Kassem Rocket launching team and make them mad. In fact, Israel is not supposed to do anything to make anyone mad. Not the Bushes, not the Europeans, not the Arab Muslims - particularly the Saudis - not even the Iranian Muslims who threaten to wipe Israel off the map with their growing nuclear weapons capability. So Bush, his family and the oil magnates (maggots) will indeed sprial down and unfortunately drag all of us down to the pit he is headed for. Many of us see the fall of Sharon by his stroke or by his falling political fortunes, as a result of his acceptance of the Bush Doctrine. Regrettably, like the American people, the Israelis also will suffer for the failings of their corrupt leaders. There is a price to pay and we are all paying it. When the Bushes and their oil friends leave Washington, perhaps both America and Israel can recover. Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). |
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NEW DIRECTOR OF AMERICANS FOR A SAFE ISRAEL/AFSI IS ANNOUNCED
Posted by AFSI, December 22, 2005. |
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Herbert Zweibon, Chairman of Americans For a Safe Israel, announces a change in the AFSI organizational structure. Helen Freedman will be moving on from her position as Executive Director, with Barry Freedman taking over the role. Barry has lived in Israel these past twenty years, moving from Jerusalem to Kiryat Arba to communities in Judea and Samaria and then settling in Tsfat. During this time he has kept his finger on the pulse of Israel, as well as the activities of AFSI. He has traveled with AFSI on its Chizuk missions to the threatened communities of the holy land. He has written extensively on matters relating to Israel. These writings have appeared in a weekly column in a LI newspaper, as well as on his blog: galileeblog.blogspot.com. Helen is hoping to devote her efforts to the AFSI Chapters throughout the country, helping to strengthen them, in order to extend the AFSI philosophy. She also expects to be involved in special projects, as well as the continuing AFSI Chizuk missions to Israel. She speaks fondly of her ten year association with AFSI as Executive Director. Helen says, "I have been very fortunate in being able to work closely with Herbert Zweibon, AFSI's Chairman, for the past ten years. It has been an extraordinary privilege to be associated with him and the only organization that takes an unwavering, unconditional stance in regard to Israel." Helen continues, "My association with AFSI's Board members, Chapter Chairs, staff, and members has also been a unique and valuable experience. The final great reward of this position has been the ability to meet so many of Israel's finest and purest people among the inhabitants of the former Gush Katif, and the inhabitants of Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem. I feel privileged to count them amongst my dearest friends." Upon assuming his new position, Barry says, "I am honored to be offered this opportunity to work with AFSI, the only organization in America that has steadfastly defended Jewish nationalism in the land of Israel. At a time when Jewish nationalism has been abandoned and demonized by post-Zionists, AFSI has proven its commitment to the land of Israel and the people of Israel -- as demonstrated over the past year in its staunch defense of and tireless support of the Gush Katif and Northern Shomron communities. There are many challenges facing us in the months and years to come. We will do our best at AFSI to help defend Israel's national interests." Americans For a Safe Israel/AFSI is a pro-active pro-Israel advocacy group. AFSI may be contacted by mail at 1623 Third Ave., Suite 205, New York, N.Y. 10128 (Tel: 212-828-2424; Fax: 212-828-1717); by email at afsi@rcn.com; or by accessing its website: www.afsi.org. |
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ZARQAWI'S EUROPEAN NETWORK
Posted by Avodah 15, December 22, 2005. |
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This article is called "Arrests reveal Zarqawi network in Europe" and was written by Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic Editor, The Telegraph, England, December 22, 2005 www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=D0ALWL0HLGZZRQFIQMGCFFWAVCBQUIV0?xml= /news/2005/12/22/wterr22.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/12/22/ixworld.html). A wave of arrests across Europe has thrown new light on a European terrorist network being developed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the most prominent insurgent in Iraq. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi A growing number of terrorism investigations in Britain, Germany, Bosnia, Denmark and most recently Spain and France are linked to the man who has masterminded countless suicide bombings in Iraq, personally beheaded hostages and bombed three hotels in his native Jordan. Some of the suspected networks appear to be involved only in supporting his operations in Iraq. But counter-terrorism officials are worried that Zarqawi could be planning to use his base in Iraq to start attacking Europe. Security officials are particularly worried by indications that he wants to recruit white extremists who will be more difficult to detect than Arabs or Asians. "Zarqawi thinks he is bigger than Iraq," a British source said. "He is spreading his tentacles in Europe. There is a sense that attacks are inevitable. "Even before the invasion of Iraq, Zarqawi had a network in Europe that provided funds and recruits. The same pipeline will sooner or later pump the other way, from Iraq to Europe." Although Zarqawi is formally al-Qa'eda's representative in Iraq, he has eclipsed its founder, Osama bin Laden, who has not been seen or heard from for a year. Donald Rumsfeld, the American defence secretary, suggested yesterday that bin Laden no longer fully controlled his network. "I suspect, if he is alive and functioning, that he is spending a major fraction of his time trying to avoid being caught," Mr Rumsfeld said. "I have trouble believing he is able to operate sufficiently to be in a position of major command over a worldwide al-Qa'eda operation. But I could be wrong." American counter-terrorism officials believe that Zarqawi can now count on allies in 40 countries. Last month Germany's leading intelligence official, August Henning, said that extremists in Europe increasingly admired Zarqawi and were trying to make contact with his network. "We are seeing increasing noises in Europe and that causes us great concern," he said. It emerged this month that a white Belgian woman, Muriel Degauque, had been recruited by groups linked to Zarqawi and blew herself up in an attack on an American convoy in Iraq. Last month Bosnian authorities arrested a Swedish national of Bosnian origin, Mirsad Bektasevic, and a Turkish man, Cesur Abdulkadir, in a Sarajevo flat where they allegedly found bomb-making materials, a suicide vest, weapons and extremist propaganda. Bektasevic was allegedly an internet recruiter for Zarqawi, and the two men were rumoured to be planning to attack the British embassy in Sarajevo. The men have not yet been charged but their detention has led to arrests in Britain and Denmark. In Dusseldorf in October three Jordanians and an Algerian were jailed for up to eight years for a Zarqawi-inspired plot in 2002 to attack Jewish targets in Germany. Judge Ottmar Breidling said: "Abu Musab al-Zarqawi should also have been in the dock." In France last week Nicolas Sarkozy, the interior minister, said that a sweep of 25 alleged Islamic militants and common criminals had broken up a terrorist network with links to Algerian and Chechen organisations and "indirect relations with al-Zarqawi". This week Spanish police arrested 15 people in raids across the country. Those detained are suspected of recruiting fighters for Iraq. Contact the poster at avodah15@aol.com |
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FAMILY OF "OUR MAN IN DAMASCUS" TELLS STORY
Posted by Mordechai Ben-Menachem, December 22, 2005. |
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Maurice Cohen, brother of Israel's greatest spy Eli Cohen, talks of his brother's courageous acts of espionage and his family's yearning to bring Eli's remains to a proper Jewish burial. Eli Cohen worked as an operative for Israel's Mossad intelligence service in Damascus and successfully infiltrated the highest ranking levels of Syrian government. Cohen was responsible for transmitting crucial information that enabled the Israeli army a swift and decisive victory in their battle with the Syrians over the Golan Heights in the Six Day War. With the assistance of Soviet intelligence, the Syrians caught Eli while he was transmitting a message to Israel. Despite international protests, Eli Cohen was executed by the Syrians in a brutal public hanging on May 18, 1965 (pictured above). "I am very proud of my brother, but it also a big agony that I lost him. I could not help him, I could not save his life," Maurice Cohen, himself a retired Mossad agent, stated. Remarkably, Cohen was recruited to work in the same Mossad unit as his brother Eli, but neither of the brothers had any knowledge of the nature of the other's work. "We didn't discuss anything about his job. When he was recruited he told us that he was going to work for the Ministry of Defense to assist in the import of computer parts for military purposes. He said he would be working for the army and would be staying in Europe," explained Cohen, adding, "I was also recruited and served in the same company that communicated with my brother. We did not know anything about each other." Cohen explained how he accidentally happened on information that revealed to him his brother's true identity as an Israeli Mossad agent in Syria. "At the end of one official message, Eli sent a private message where he asked 'Did Nadia receive the sewing machine'" said Cohen, saying that his superiors in the Mossad claimed not to understand the code words "Nadia" or "sewing machine." Cohen says he became suspicious of his brother when he visited his sister-in-law Nadia's home and indeed saw a brand new Singer sewing machine that she had just received from Eli. "After several weeks, the Mossad sent a private message to Eli, which read 'Miss Fifi has taken her first steps.' Immediately, I knew that Fifi was my brother's nickname for his daughter Sophie. I went to my sister-in-law's house and saw my chubby little niece walking. I didn't have any doubt then that our man in Damascus was none other than my own brother," Cohen conveyed. After finding out the truth about Eli, Maurice kept the secret from his family and the two brothers never even discussed the matter amongst themselves. "At the time I couldn't reveal it to anybody. I kept this secret buried deep in my heart. To reveal it would endanger Eli and betray my own country, which would go against the goals of my brother. I was partially very anxious about it, but also very proud of my brother who was serving his country and homeland," Cohen stated. Eli Cohen convinced high ranking Syrian military officials to plant trees near their bunkers in the Golan Heights. "Eli suggested the planting of eucalyptus trees to create shade for the Syrian soldiers and to camouflage all the bunkers," explained Maurice. "Israel needed the information that Eli supplied to the Mossad." In the 1967 Six Day War, Israeli pilots bombarded houses surrounded by eucalyptus trees, scoring direct hits on all the enemy's secret installations. Despite his determination to convince Syria to return Eli's body to Israel, Maurice Cohen says he would not be willing to give up the Golan Heights in negotiations with Syria. "My brother gave up his life for this. My brother's soul is already in heaven, his body has become dust, and nothing remains of him. I would not want to give back the Golan Heights to Syria. They hurt their own country, and kill their own brothers. So we have to protect ourselves and keep the Golan Heights. Nobody else will protect us. My brother and other soldiers gave their souls and bodies to get this place. Syria is the worst enemy we ever had," explained Cohen. Eli's wife Nadia also expressed her strong desire for the return of her husband's remains. She told dignitaries who were headed for Syria to raise the subject with the Syrian dictator Assad. Assad's only words uttered in response were, "When the time comes, we'll discuss it." Maurice Cohen spoke about the desire of the Cohen family to secure the transfer of Eli's remains to Israel as something that would grant them tremendous personal peace. "I want to see my brother's remains back in Israel, because I made a promise to my mother on her deathbed to bring Eli back to be buried in Israel," said Cohen, adding "It would be a humanitarian act. Dead bodies cannot harm anybody. We should be able to lay a stone and go to pray and visit and say Kaddish for his soul. Our family has suffered for forty years not having the remains of our brother." More information about Israeli spy Eli Cohen can be seen at his website: www.elicohen.org Maurice Cohen conducts a tour of the Golan Heights several times a year and tells his brother's story. Mordechai Ben-Menachem is at Ben-Gurion University. He can be reached by email at quality@computer.org |
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PLIGHT OF THE REFUGEE MATHEMATICALLY ANALYZED
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 22, 2005. |
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Almost 900 thousand Jewish refugees were forced out of their Arab homelands during the twentieth century leaving behind approximately the equivalent of 30 billion dollars in assets. Most of these exiles were absorbed by Israel. Former U.N. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke stated that the plight of Jewish refugees "is a truth that has been swept under the rug." The state of Israel excluding the disputed territories maintains a population of approximately 5 million Jews out of about 7 million people of all ethnicities. We note that the ratio of Jewish refugees to the population of Jewish Israelis is about 18% and to Israel's total population as defined approximately 13%. Palestinian researchers have suggested that about 850 thousand predominantly Muslim Arabs were displaced from Israel upon the Jewish state's formation in 1948, many of whom remain in refugee camps especially in Judea, Samaria, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and formerly Gaza. It will be noted that no exiled Jew subsists in a refugee camp. There are approximately 260 million people in the predominantly Muslim Middle East. The ratio of such displaced Arabs to the total population of the predominantly Muslim Middle East is about 0.3 % or less than 2% of the Jewish refugee ratio. In other words, the Jewish refugee issue dwarfs the so-called Palestinian refugee issue by a ratio of more than 50 to 1. Hence, if the right of return for Palestinian waifs is broached in any future Israeli/Palestinian peace negotiations, a Jewish right of return must be addressed. Indeed, potential Jewish plaintiffs would logically deserve a collective damage award at least 50 fold greater than deserved by potential Palestinian plaintiffs. Compensation in the form of land or currency could be meted out by all guilty parties at a ratio of about 50 to1 in favor of the Jewish claimants. As a magnanimous gesture of goodwill administrative costs should be forgiven for both sides. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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INT'L LAW ON ATTACKING CIVILIANS; SUPPOSITION AS FACT; SHARON IS DISMEMBERING ISRAEL
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 22, 2005. |
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INTERNATIONAL LAW ON ATTACKING CIVILIANS
Terrorists turn their people, willingly or unwillingly into human shields, by stationing themselves in, fortifying, or attacking from their own civilian areas. They know that Israel won't bomb P.A. rocket crews and the US won't bomb Iranian nuclear facilities in civilian areas. The West is leery of killing civilians there. One cannot blame Western leaders for this reluctance. Israel and the US both have their fifth column and their "sixth column." The sixth column I define as that part of society that for political reasons, neurotic impulses, or exaggerated notions of humanitarianism, opposes strong national defense. The sixth column criticizes Israel for what it mistakenly calls violations of international law. Apparently international law, which is more a guide than a prescription, matters greatly to these people, who profess a desire that their country do what is right. How does international law apply to military usage of civilian areas? A military force that invests its own civilian areas is violating international law and strips those areas of civilian status. An opposing military has the right, under international law, to attack the enemy there. Consequent civilian casualties, so long as the attackers try to minimize them, are the legal and ethical responsibility of the defenders. (1) Muslims, whether ordinary terrorists or government forces that generally wage war on civilians, violate international law. In the Arab-Israel conflict, Arab armies bombed, shelled, and invaded Israeli cities. Saddam bombed Iranian cities. (2) More to the point, P.A. terrorists and the Iranian government now make their own cities proper targets. In the case of Iran, the civilian areas under which the government has nuclear bomb factories are permissible targets because the government has threatened to launch nuclear weapons, when it gets them, against Israel and the West. The ethical question in these cases is whether to allow terrorist forces and governments, violating international law, to use their own people as human shields, in order to gain immunity to murder their enemies' civilians. I think not. I would regret heavy casualties to Iranian civilians, most of whom hate their oppressive regime and do not hate the West. I would not regret heavy casualties of Palestinian Arab civilians, most of whom agree with their regime's goal of jihad and hate the West. Priority must go to victims of aggression and to defeating evil. The P.A. and the government of Iran are evil. WHAT DOES THE HIGH IRAQI TURNOUT MEAN? Pres. Bush hails the 70% Iraqi turnout as an indicator of democracy. Is Iraq more democratic than the US, which has lower turnouts? That factions fight it out in elections does not mean they are democratic or peaceful. Egypt and the P.A. had high turnouts, but the major factions are dictatorial. WOULD YOU TAKE IDF WARNINGS SERIOUSLY? IMRA condenses IDF statements sarcastically but faithfully: "IDF warns: we will massively shell empty launch sites if Qassam attacks require sharper response." The actual IDF statement is, "If there's a need we'll increase operations; for example, we'll notify residents who live in the area used to launch rockets that they must leave within 12 hours, and then we'll carry out massive firing on the area," said the [senior IDF] officer." (12/13.) Not only would the residents leave, but so would the terrorist crews. The crews would bring their equipment to another site. Therefore, the IDF threat is empty, militarily. (Most Israeli threats are not carried out) On the other hand, to bombard an evacuated civilian area smacks more of a war crime than of a military necessity. When will it be obvious to Israelis that they should not have evacuated from any of the Territories and should have had policies that discouraged the Arabs from staying there? NEWSPAPERS STATE SUPPOSITION AS FACT The latest report by Steven Erlanger of the NY Times makes these erroneous points: 1. Referring to Hamas, "In Era After Arafat, Elections Bring Militants Closer to Power." 2. Fatah is a secular faction. 3. Abbas opposes war and terrorism as counter-productive. He believes that democracy fosters national unity and is the only way to moderate Hamas. Erlanger says the election will reintegrate the minority into politics, and if successful, Hamas would have to become responsible and accept a "two-state solution," and may be forced not to fight much. 4. Haim Malka of the Center for Strategic & Intl. Studies said that with Hamas making the P.A. more representative, its society would become more stable (12/18, p.16). The Times evades calling terrorists terrorists by calling them militants. Fatah is both militant and terrorist, like Hamas. Nor is Fatah secular. It established Islam in the P.A. and persecutes other faiths. Because of the P.A. wall-to-wall fanaticism, the "two-state solution" which is not fair, also is not a solution, because it means insecure borders. Abbas has done nothing to oppose terrorism or war. He praises them and pays them, while for Western public relations he says he opposes them. The Times swallows it. He qualifies his mildly stated objections to terrorism as temporary, to be resumed after Israel stops making concessions. In this ruse, he is like the traditionally anti-Zionist Times, lulling Israel by pretending there isn't a holy war against it. Nothing foreseeable would moderate Hamas and make its fanatics responsible, just as power did not moderate Arafat and sober his followers. Hamas is dedicated to jihad. Jihad does not recognize accommodation with other faiths except as a ruse. Hamas might stabilize the P.A., trading anarchy for repression. It would better organize for war. BOMBINGS IN LEBANON BOOMERANG Bombing Lebanese opponents of Syria into silence, induces more opponents of Syria to speak up. The Jordan Times declares that this is no time to make the usual propagandistic blaming of "the Zionist enemy and imperialist America." (IMRA, 12/13.) The quotation did not make clear whether the Times was mocking the notion that Zionism is the enemy and America is imperialist. Israel saved Jordan from conquest by Syria, the US has not incorporated any Arab territory but has policies to keep and put Jewish and Kurdish territories into Arab control. Israel and America are not enemies of the Arabs. The Muslim Arabs, however, are waging a jihad against Israel and America THE USE OF LABELS AS CLUBS Foreign Min. Shalom called former PM Netanyahu an "extremist." Min. Shalom was not reported to have stated how so (IMRA, 12/14). The label, "extremist," like current usage of the label, "racist," usually is not explained. That is indicates that it is not applicable but is slander. It is a club, left-wing Israelis' favorite. It is brandished to deter or to defame political opponents. Netanyahu out of power is like Sharon running for election -- he talks like a nationalist. Netanyahu in power is like Sharon in power -- he acts like an agent of the State Dept.. In that sense, both are extremists, acting in behalf of foreign enemies of Zionism. As for Netanyahu's economic policies, he has been a conservative reformer, hardly extremist. STATE OF DEMOCRACY IN IRAQ? Michael Rubin interprets Iraqi sentiment and voting as holding politicians responsible. The people vote failures out of office. Hence politicians, who have been using politics to further their business or religious interests, are modifying their positions or losing favor (MEFNews, 12/14). It is exciting to watch whether opportunity and necessity can overcome culture. ROOTS OF TERRORISM Theory has it that terrorism arises from poverty and lack of education. Studies show that terrorists tend more to be affluent. A Saudi prince recently rejected the poverty theory of the origin of terrorism. He noted that education is irrelevant, because the terrorists have their own indoctrination methods (Arutz-7, 12/15). The root is the radical Islam that S. Arabia spreads and now haunts it. Hoisted by its own petard.. SHARON DISMEMBERING ISRAEL Based on what Israeli leftists have said and what they and Sharon have done, they are likely to do what is laid out below, by Jack Golbert in Winston Mideast Analysis, 12/14). It is the return to the 1947 boundaries, as desired by the State Dept.. The rump that would be left would soon be overrun by the Arabs, who have drawn up plans for doing so. There is no nationalist planning by Israel for defending from extinction. Referring to Sharon's imposing secretive schemes to oust the Jews from the rest of the Territories and whether the people of Israel can thwart him, Mr. Golbert writes, "The first weapon of dictatorship is apathy. Israelis are depressed, defeated and apathetic." In setting up the fence and either leaving Jews exposed on the other side or actually expelling them, "The route of the fence invites them to kill us." "What they have done to Gush Katif they are preparing to do to us in Gush Etzion and in the Beit El area. Each yishuv will be surrounded by a fence only a few meters from the houses. Terrorists will be able to shoot in and the Jews will be prevented by the fence from giving chase. Like in Gush Katif, the army will be prevented from returning fire until the terrorists have safely fled. Mortar attacks on yishuvim will be permitted in full sight of the army, which will be restrained from opening fire until the terrorists have fired the mortars and departed. Dead Jews wring concessions from the remaining Jews." "The entire Oslo process has been one of allowing and even directing Arab murder of Jews so that the Jews will be willing to make concessions. The 'security arrangements' exist only on paper, as everyone who is not deluded or an idiot knew would be the case. What idiot believed that the Egyptians would prevent the passage of terrorists and materiel back and forth between Sinai and Gaza" Did anyone believe that the Europeans would prevent the free passage of terrorists and materiel back and forth between Gaza and Hebron and from there to the length and breadth of Judea and Samaria? Is anyone surprised that a tunnel from the Gaza strip into Israel has already been discovered? Or that a Kassam rocket has been fired at a town in the Afula area? Anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles are already in the hands of terrorists overlooking all of Israel's borders with the Palestinian Authority." "The goal of the Oslo process is not merely the return of Israel to the 1949 Armistice lines (or the June 4, 1967 lines, as they are called). Those borders themselves are already being eroded from under our feet. The Arabs have already claimed the Galilee and the Negev and are in fact taking those areas by squatting and building with no opposition from the government or Jewish National Fund. Bedouin leaders have said that the Negev is theirs and if Israel dares to settle Jews in the Negev, there will be no peace there. The government's silence in response is a clear signal of acquiescence, of surrender." "After the return to the 1949 Armistice lines, they plan to do the same to the Jews in the Galilee and the Negev, the Jezreel Valey and the Jerusalem Corridor. Their plan is for Israel to consist of Gush Dan and the Sharon, from Rishon LeTzion to Hadera, maybe to Haifa. It is to include Israel's high tech center and financial center, the "Hong Kong of the Middle East," the home of Digital Zionism only." "In fact, the government is acting affirmatively to divest Israel of areas within the Green Line. Some years ago, when Israel was in the deepest recession in its history, the government of Saudi Arabia let it be known that it wanted to purchase bankrupt kibbutzim. The kibbutzim could not sell to the Saudis because the kibbutzim are on JNF land and the JNF charter precludes sale to non-Jews. A few months ago, the Supreme Court ruled that the Israel Lands Authority, which administers JNF lands, could not discriminate against Israeli citizens who are not Jewish. ILA tenders have to be open to all citizens equally. That means that the ILA must sell or rent JNF land to non-Jewish citizens. The correct thing for the JNF to have done would be to administer its own lands, just as the Wakf does. The JNF is not going to do that. It is permitting its lands to be conveyed to non-Jews and the Saudi Arabian government has opened an interest section in Tel Aviv. Those kibbutzim will be settled by Arabs and also urban real estate in their targeted areas: the Galilee, the Negev and Jerusalem" "In truth, even that is not safely Israeli. That area includes the Triangle, which is full of Arabs and Sheikh Munis (which we call Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv university and all) and Ramle and Lud and Jaffa, and Oum Khalil (which we call "Netanya"), all of which were Arab towns before 1948 and most of the 70 or more kibbutzim of the Shomer Hatzahir Movement every one of which sits on the site of an Arab village. Will the Osloids nevertheless be able to hold the line at Gush Dan and the Sharon? Be serious. If we reach that point the whole country will become a "One-State Solution" and Palestine will be that one state, God forbid! And how many "Palestinians" are there? As many as the PLO says there are. A "Palestinian", by definition (true definition) is any Arab who lives in Palestine or says his father did (or his grandfather did or his great-grandfather or great-great-grandfather)." "There is another point to be made, this one to people in development towns. The fence will cost billions of sheqels which should be better used on health, education and development of the development towns. In fact, the fence is useless at best. The terrorists have shown that they can easily cross the fence or tunnel under it. They now also have advanced weaponry in Judea and Samaria, including mortars and rockets capable of terrorizing cities all over the center of Israel like they terrorize Sederot, without crossing the fence themselves. Furthermore, the fence they propose to build will provide the opposite of security to the yishuvim, as mentioned already. They will turn each yishuv into a shooting gallery where the terrorists can shoot into the yishuv and the Jews cannot pursue them because of the fence. The fence will not fence the terrorists out. It will fence the Jews in." "Zvi Hendel reported that Shimon Peres was in Gush Katif during the election campaign in 1996. Members of his entourage were amazed to learn that the population of Gush Katif had increased by 15% since the signing of the Oslo Accords. They expressed astonishment that the Jews were not leaving. Hendel quotes Peres as saying, "That's alright. A few good massacres and they will leave." "Finally, shortly after the election in 2001, after Barak lost to Sharon, Chaim Ramon was quoted in Haaretz approximately as follows: "I advised Barak at Camp David not to raise the issue of Jerusalem now, but to wait 5 or 10 years until Jerusalem is like Gaza is today. Then the Israelis will accept compromise on Jerusalem." "We have to fight holding actions but wars are not won by holding actions. We have to take the battle to the power base of the Osloids. They have to be put on the defensive by challenging them in their monopoly control of institutions of power and influence in Israeli society. When the ruling elite see attempts to encroach on their center, they will move to protect it and take pressure off the peripheries. That means us, in Gush Etzion. What is needed right now are the following: Community self-defense. In the Jerusalem Post for March 1, 2001, the IDF reported reduced manpower available for defense of communities over the Green Line and said that residents of those communities have to take more responsibility for their own defense. Let people who know how to do that step forward and start doing it. Now it is critical because we know from the experience of Gush Katif that the IDF will be restrained from defending us. Take the Defense Minister at his word and do it. There are organizations already in existence. They deserve our support. This is not a problem only of the yishuvim either. Towns inside the Green Line are in a similarly threatened situation and no one is addressing the problem. The fact is that the whole country is under dire threat and the government seems to be pretending that the threat does not exist. Prior to the closure of Orient House, the Palestinian Authority had been deeply engaged in computerizing the identity of properties owned by Arabs prior to 1948 and matching properties to families. They make no secret of their intention to send hundreds of thousands of "refugees" into "Israel proper", backed up by armed Palestinian "police" to "reclaim" the homes their ancestors had abandoned. Nor do they conceal their intention to kill any occupant who refuses to vacate the premises. A real, honest labor union that really represents the workers. Lech Walesa and Solidarity showed the way to unravel a Bolshevik system. The biggest employer in the country cannot be the labor union. The owner of substantially half of the nation's industry will not represent the interest of the workers in a labor dispute with management. It IS management. Only two people are required to start a labor union: an effective labor organizer and a lawyer who is absolutely expert in all aspects of Israeli labor law. Don't wait. Start organizing the workers of the dirtiest employers in the country: the Histadrut companies, the kibbutzim and the government. And strike them. As soon as organization of their workers begins, they will feel the threat to one of their main power centers. A real human rights, civil liberties organization and legal aid society, Honenu has been doing a fine job and deserves to be supported. I fear there will be too much work for Honenu as it presently exists. There still needs to be a legal defense fund for the many persons in the opposition who will be persecuted by the legal system. Intelligent political action: We saw last summer the effectiveness of people going out to the center of the country and talking to people, explaining the issues and just being who we are. Keep doing it, especially in the development towns where the swing voters are. Getting our story to the mainstream of the country is very necessary and very powerful. If 20% of the effort and resources that have gone into the settlement movement had gone into hasbara, we would not now be 3% of the country living in Yeshq and another 40% supporting us. We would be 20-30% of the country living here and another 40% supporting us. Why are the media monolithically leftist? Why have the forces on the right never established media outlets? Meanwhile, we have to get our point of view out and direct contact has been superbly effective." The plan does not depend on leaders to emerge. We have none. It depends only on us.
Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several
web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on
Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target
overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him
at richardshulman5@aol.com.
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BUSH'S COMPLETE LOYALTY TO HOUSE OF SAUD
Posted by Marcel Cousineau, December 22, 2005. |
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It's amazing how much delusion the Zionist camp chooses to be under. I touch on those issues they would rather ignore -- a real thorn to their illusions. It's a tough job but someone has to do it. I have 2 serious question's for you and so many other supporters and lovers of Israel which I have yet to receive an answer to. "Why does the lie that President Bush is a friend of Israel persist after all the evidence is in our face that he is not?" "Why is this lie allowed to persist in Zionist circles?" This article is called "Bush Support Of Saudi-Sponsored Islamic Radicalism Continues" and is by Jacob Prasch. It's from IsraPundit (www.IsraPundit.com/archives/2005/12/bush_support_of.php#more), December 20, 2005. Happy Hanukkah
While the Palestinian Authority broadcasts anti-American religious polemics by militant imams, and sermons denouncing Christians and calling Jews monkeys and pigs, the oil interest owned Bush administration has again dispatched Candolezza Rice to The Middle East making more unilateral demands from Israel to acquiesce to Islamic tyranny. Despite the majority of the 9/11 Moslem suicide bombers being Saudi, the Bush administration has decided to increase the number of student visas to Saudi students to enter the USA. Bush is embroiled in controversy over congressional and public opposition to his Patriot Law that violates the constitutional rights of US citizens, but for fear of the Saudi funded Council On American Islamic Relations - CAIR (twice linked by the FBI to Islamic terror), Bush refuses to security profile Moslem travelers or close Saudi funded Islamic institutions. With the majority of American mosques financed by the radical Saudi Wahab with the approval of the Bush government in what many would define its policy of de facto treason, the anti American, anti Jewish, and anti Christian rhetoric propagated in the Saudi government school system and in Saudi funded madrasses is being imported into America with the blessings of the Bush White House. While Christianity remains outlawed in Saudi Arabia and Christians are arrested, beaten and executed by the same Saudi government, President Bush follows his father's policy of lies exclaiming Islam to be a religion of peace and tolerance and these savages who persecute Christians and teach that Jews are sub human are "America's friends". Indeed, the persecutors of Christ and of God's people The Jews are not only the friends, but business partners of the Bush dynasty. But few American familiar with the irrefutable facts would call these demonic barbarians "friends of America". The Bush policy (badly formulated by Paul Wolfowitz) of 'democratizing the Islamic world' predictably continues to flounder. In Iraq, Gaza, Turkey, and Iran Moslems have only used their democratic freedom to vote for militant Islamic parties that are opposed to democracy, hate America, and believe in the religious murder of Christians and Jews. Democracy and the concepts of freedom, tolerance, and pluralism are only for the civilized Westernized Judeo-Christian nations. Freedom and democracy are demonstrably not for Moslems as Islamic society is too uncivilized and barbaric and its values too opposed to a democratic and pluralistic world view. This policy is what General Douglas Mac Arthur did in post war Japan. However, for it to have happened Japan had to be humiliated, its emperor confess that Shintoist and Shogunistic beliefs in emperor worship are but mere superstition and their warlike religion had to be demythologized. Only once their religion was openly and publicly castrated by America could Japan democratize. Bush has neither the sense, the courage or the integrity to publicly castrate and humiliate Islam so democracy can work. To do so would be to violate the interests of the oil corporations to whom he has sold has political soul, and it would be contrary to the business interests of his father and his family in the Carile enterprise which has the Bush family in bed with the same House of Saud whose Wahabist regime persecutes Christians. The pro-Islam figures in his oil interest controlled administration such as Grover Norquist and Karl Rove (and the ever present hand of the puppet master who fathered him, ex president George Bush Sr.), would never allow the president Bush to put the good of America, the Christian church, or the Jews above the interests of a barrel of Saudi oil - even though Saudi Arabia still allowed pro Al Qaeda elements to flourish after September 11th. We must pray that The God who establishes rulers and removes them (Daniel 2:21)deals with the Jew hating and Christian killing House of Saud who breed and finance support for terror, and that He likewise deals with the treachery and betrayal of their American business partners and political allies, The House of Bush. Contact Marcel Cousineau at up2zionsg8@yahoo.com. Or go to his webblog: A Very Heavy Stone (http://averyheavystone.blogspot.com/). |
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YOUR TAX DOLLARS HARD AT WORK
Posted by Deb Kotz, December 22, 2005. |
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So, there you have it. We're already funding areas where Hamas is in charge. Now we set a precedent for Hamas to use once they win the West Bank elections. This is by Aaron Klein and from WND'S Jerusalem Bureau: "U.S. building Hamas town American agency constructing roads in village ruled by terror organization," December 20, 2005. JERUSALEM -- While the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution calling for a halt in funding to the Palestinians if Hamas wins upcoming parliamentary elections, the U.S. government is currently in the process of funding a Gaza town run by Hamas. The U.S. Agency for International Development, in conjunction with the Islamic Development Bank, reportedly contributed $392,000 for construction of roads and public facilities in Bani Suhaila, a Gaza village outside the populated Palestinian city of Khan Yunis. U.S. AID has contracted a company specializing in road development and will oversee the road construction project, a spokesman for the agency told WND. Israel Resource News Agency and Middle East Newsline reported the mayor of Bani Suhaila, Hamas activist Abdul Khader Al Rokab, told the Palestinian media he expects additional funds from U.S. AID for development of other projects in his municipality. Hamas earlier this month won 13 out of 14 seats in Bani Suhaila's local municipal elections. According to Israeli security sources, the terror group has long maintained a civilian infrastructure in the area consisting of Hamas-owned shopping centers, medical clinics and other public facilities. Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar, Hamas' Gaza chief, told WND his group is "absolutely in charge in Bani Suhaila. The Palestinian people have voted and told us in an open and fair manner that they want us to represent them and their interests." Anna Litvak, a public affairs officer for U.S. AID's regional headquarters in Tel Aviv, told WND development of Bani Suhaila was in the works long before Hamas won the town's elections. "Leaderships change all the time," said Litvak. "We are here to benefit the Palestinian people, not Palestinian groups. We don't want to deal with Hamas." Asked if her agency will call off its Bani Suhaila development initiatives now that Hamas rules the municipality, Litvak replied, "The fact that the project is now located in a municipality run by Hamas doesn't change things." WND has learned U.S. AID also is involved in development projects in Hamas-run sections of Khan Yunis, Gaza City, Nablus and Jenin. Friday, Congress passed a resolution in a vote of 397 to 17 saying it would freeze aid to the PA if Hamas wins parliamentary elections currently scheduled for Jan. 25. The terror group swept this month's local elections throughout Gaza and in many Judea and Samaria towns. Congress further demanded Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas dismantle the various Palestinian terror groups before elections are held. The European Union, the largest Western donor to the PA, also hinted it may halt contributions if Hamas wins in the elections. EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana told reporters in Tel Aviv, "It is very difficult that parties that do not condemn violence ... without changing those positions can be partners for the future.'' Security officials say since Israel's withdrawal from Gaza this past summer, Hamas gunmen on the ground have taken charge of many Gaza Strip neighborhoods. As WND first reported, in what many expelled Jewish Gaza residents called the "ultimate insult," Hamas leaders said they turned Neve Dekalim, the former Jewish capital of Gaza, into a "martyr training camp" and have used the territory to launch rockets into Israel. Hamas leader al-Zaha told WND Israel's Gaza withdrawal is a victory for "resistance operations," and he vowed to continue "operations" against the Jewish state until "all territories" are liberated. Hamas, classified by the State Department and the European Union as a terrorist organization, is responsible for thousands of deadly shooting attacks, a large number of suicide bombings and has fired over 300 rockets and mortars into Israeli towns. Among Hamas' most notorious attacks are the "Passover massacre" in a Netanya hotel in 2002 in which 30 civilians celebrating the Jewish holiday were killed, the 2002 "Patt Junction bombing" of a Jerusalem bus killing 19 civilians, and the bombings in 2002 and 2003 of Jerusalem bus numbers 20 and 2, killing a combined 34 civilians, among scores of other large-scale suicide attacks. Deb Kotz is an active member of the Brandeis Chapter of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) and maintains an email list to distribute articles of interest to the local community. She can be reached at DebKotz@aol.com |
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CONSTITUTION
Posted by Root and Branch Association, December 21, 2005. |
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This was written by Professor Paul Eidelberg, who is President of the Foundation For Constitutional Democracy. He can be reached by mail at 244 Madison Avenue, Suite 427, New York, NY 10016, Tel: 212-372-3752, and by email at Constitution@usa.net "The civil polity of Israel is doubtless an
excellent general model (of government)". A. Historical Background A1. No nation has been more profoundly influenced by the Tanach (Hebrew Bible/"Old" "Testament") than America. Many of America's early statesmen and educators were schooled in Hebraic civilization. The second President of the United States, John Adams, a Harvard graduate, had this to say of the Jewish People: "The Jews have done more to civilize men than any other nation....They are the most glorious Nation that ever inhabited the earth. The Romans and their Empire were but a bauble in comparison to the Jews. They have given religion to three-quarters of the Globe and have influenced the affairs of Mankind more, and more happily than any other Nation, ancient or modern". A2. The curriculum at Harvard, like those of other early American colleges and universities, was designed by learned men of "Old Testament" persuasion. Harvard President Mather (1685-1701) was an ardent Hebraist (as were his predecessors). His writings contain numerous quotations from the Talmud as well as from the works of Sa'adia Gaon, Rashi, Maimonides and other classic Jewish commentators. A3. Yale University President Ezra Stiles discoursed with visiting rabbis on the Mishna and Talmud. At his first public commencement at Yale (1781), Stiles delivered an oration on Hebrew literature written in Hebrew. Hebrew and the study of Hebraic laws and institutions were an integral part of Yale's as well as of Harvard's curriculum. A4. Much the same may be said of King's College (later Columbia University), William and Mary, Rutgers, Princeton, Dartmouth, and Brown University. Hebrew learning was then deemed a basic element of liberal education. Samuel Johnson, first president of King's College (1754-1763), expressed the intellectual attitude of his age when he referred to Hebrew as "essential to a gentleman's education". A5. This attitude was not merely academic. A year before the American Revolution, Harvard President Samuel Langdon, declared: "The civil polity of Israel is doubtless an excellent general model (of government)". A6. The Higher Law doctrine of the American Declaration of Independence is rooted in the Torah, which proclaims "The Laws of Nature and Nature's God", and appeals to the " Supreme Judge " and "Providence" -- terms lacking in Israel's Declaration of Independence. A7. During the colonial and constitution-making period, Americans, especially the Puritans, adopted and adapted various Hebraic laws for their own governance. The legislation of New Haven, for example, was based on the premise that "the judicial laws of God, as they were delivered by Moses, and as they are not ceremonial, shall generally bind all offenders..." Thirty-eight of the seventy-nine statutes in the New Haven Code of 1665 derived their authority from the Hebrew Bible. The laws of Massachusetts were based on the same foundation. A8. The fifteen Capital Laws of New England included the "Seven Noahide Laws" of the Torah, or what may be termed the seven universal laws of morality. A9. Now, without minimizing the influence of such philosophers as Locke and Montesquieu on the framers of the American Constitution, America may rightly be deemed the first and only nation that was explicitly founded on the Seven Noahide Laws of the Torah. It should also be noted that the constitutions of eleven of the original thirteen states made provision for religious education. Some even had religious qualifications for office. B. Institutions Prescribed by the American Constitution B1. House of Representatives The House of Representatives represents 435 districts of the United States, where the people of each district elect one person to represent their views and interests. The idea of district elections is implicit in the Torah. We read in Devarim/Deuteronomy 1:13: "Select for yourselves men who are wise, understanding, and known to your tribes and I will appoint them as your leaders". a. Shemot/Exodus 18:19 states: "seek out from among all the people men with leadership ability, God-fearing men -- men of truth who hate injustice". Similar qualifications are prescribed in the original constitutions of Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. b. Each Tribe of Israel was to select the best men to be their representatives. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch comments that "each tribe (shevet) is to choose out of its own midst men whose character can only be known by their lives [hence whose character] is known only to those who have associated with them". This is the biblical source of residential requirements for Representatives and Senators in the United States. Also, what is here called a tribe was called a district (pelech) after the Second Temple. c. Finally, it is a principle of Jewish Law that " No legislation should be imposed on the public unless the majority can conform to it " [Babylonian Talmud/Tractate Avoda Zara 36a]. This requires legislators to consider or consult the opinions of their constituents. Hence representative democracy can be assimilated to Judaism by adding that representatives must be "men who are wise and haters of bribes". This would make for an aristocratic democracy, or a universal aristocracy -- a kingdom of priests, of noblemen. B2. Senate The Senate represents the 50 states of the Federal Union ; it therefore represents the Federal principle. But the idea of federalism goes back to the Torah and the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Each tribe had its own distinct identity, its own governor and its own judicial system. B3. Presidency Unlike Israel, which has a Plural Executive or Cabine t consisting of a prime minister and other ministers representing different political parties in the Knesset, the United States has a Unitary Executive, namely, the President. Of course the President has a Cabinet, but its members cannot hold any other office and they are wholly responsible to the President, not to any political party. a. Now it so happens that a Unitary Executive is a Torah principle! Thus, when Moses told Joshua to consult the elders when he was about to lead the Jews across the Jordan, G-d countermanded Moses: There can only be one leader in a generation. When we look at Tractate Sanhedrin 8a, we see that Jewish Law opposes collective leadership. Nor is this all. b. Just as a President of the United States must be a native-born American and not a naturalized citizen, so a King of Israel must be born of a Jewish mother and not a ger or convert. B4. Supreme Court Just as the American Supreme Court is the final interpreter of the American Constitution, so the Great Sanhedrin is the final interpreter of the Jewish Constitution, the Torah. So we see that the original American Constitution was very much rooted in Torah Judaism. C. Comparison with Israel's political and judicial institutions C1. Knesset Members of Knesset (M.K.s) are not individually elected by the voters in constituency elections -- hence there is no accountability. In fact, M.K.s can ignore public opinion with impunity, as 23 Likud M.K.s did when they voted for Disengagement, contrary to their pledge to the nation in the January 2003 election. C2. Government The cabinet is collection of rival party leaders competing for a larger slice of the national budget. This undermines national unity and national purpose. The average government last less than two years, which makes it impossible to pursue a consistent and long-range national strategy. C3. Supreme Court The Court is a self-appointed oligarchy. It refuses to enforce the Foundations of Law Act 1980 which would make Jewish Law first among equals. Israel Supreme Court Chief Justice Aaron Barak writes: "It should never be said that a particular legal system has the primary claim to interpretive inspiration". Imagine a U.S. Supreme Court justice teaching Americans: "It should never be said that the American legal system has the primary claim to interpretive inspiration". Israel's Supreme Court is the only court in the world that scorns the legal heritage of its own People. It has repeatedly handed down decisions that violate the basic beliefs and values of the Jewish People. D. Conclusion: The political and judicial institutions of the so-called Jewish State of "modern" Israel are less Jewish than the political and judicial institutions now operating in the non-Jewish democratic world. The Root & Branch Association, Ltd. (www.rb.org.il), "an all-volunteer, non-member organization founded by Torah-observant Jews, promotes cooperation between the State of Israel and other nations, and between B'nai Israel (Children of Israel) and B'nai Noach (Children of Noah) in Israel and abroad, to build a better world based on the universal Noahide Covenant and Laws as commanded by the G-d of Israel in the Bible and Jewish tradition." |
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FIREWORKS IN THE PAPER
Posted by Shifra Shomron, December 21, 2005. |
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The following is an article on Chanuka that Adir Zik wrote in the BaSheve newspaper a year ago. I've translated his article from the Hebrew, since I thought it very well written and an interesting read. The Hellenists versus the Hilltop People Also in Judea of the Hellenistic empire days they walked around with chest thrust out. Also in the days of the Slovaks and the Telomeres they wore their diplomatic suits --look at me, people, see how much I am a son of the big world. These were the Hellenistic Jews. The great changes that happened in the world following Alexander Macedon's conquests, (he was good to the Jews and respected the Temple and the High Priest), brought the leaders of the small provincy Judea to begin their efforts 'to fit in with the modern world'. The Hellenistic culture was cosmopolitan, pretty, and full of fascinating idols and the stories of their deeds. It had temples which were charmingly beautiful, sport, athletics, fighting and horse races. The statues of male and female idols caught the eye and the heart. The Greek language was the international language of literature, culture, trade and diplomacy. And here, in Jerusalem, all the Hellenists felt that the time had come to stop the religious and cultural isolation that existed between the people of Judea and the big world. In a process that lasted only a few decades, the Jewish society turned into a gentile society. Jerusalem was written down as a 'polis', a city run like Athens, Tzidon and Acre. The 'progress' conquered every part. No Shabbat, no Pesach, no Kashrut, no Jewish festivals. Everything like the Hellenists: idol worship and business. The complete assimilation of Judea into the Greek -- lavic idol worshipping society was only a question of time. With the influence of the rich political leadership, with the influence of the High Priests who turned into the leaders of the reform, the vast majority of the Jews in the land became Hellenists. The leaders of Judea sought to give to the kings of the Slovak house a provincy that completely identified with them and that blended in with the new middle east of then. It worked well. The Hellenistic progress captured the hearts of the Jewish masses. The social elite were in the lead. Behold they are turning into part of the modern world and not just some small and weird nation with an invisible G-d. All the power centers were in their hands, the government and the courts. Only in the Jewish fringes were there a few problems. In Bnei Brak, in Gamzo, in the poor neighborhoods of Jerusalem, in Hevron, in Beit Zacharia, in a few settlements in the Galilee and Golan were uncultured bearded Jews, extreme nationalists, that didn't understand the greatness of the time and with shameful conservatism refused to join the social-religious process of the Hellenistic progress. With the stubbornness of fools they continued keeping the customs and commandments of the old fashioned Torah given by Moshe. These fanatics struggled fiercely against the peoples' leadership and against the High Priests. It can not continue this way, thought the progressive people of the Jewish state. There is a need to disengage from the Jewish extremists and there is a need to destroy the uniqueness of the Jews. How is this done? The Judea autonomy did not have an army to fight the extremists. Therefore they invited Antiochus Epiphanies to down-trod the progress refusers. The Hellenistic leaders explained to him the important customs which are the backbone of Jewish identity and advised him which laws to decree so as to destroy Judaism. He acted according to their advice. His laws forced sacrificing pigs to the Greek gods in the Temple in Jerusalem and in every city and village in the land of Judea. His laws forbid observing Brit Mila, keeping Shabbat, learning Torah and eating Kosher. And whoever transgressed a law was sentenced to death. No less. The Hellenists did a good job: they knew exactly what keeps the Jewish nation separate, different and special. The brutal carrying out of Antiochus's laws caused the 'extreme' Jewish minorities to flee from the settled areas and to turn into 'hilltop people'. There, in the Judean and Samarian hills, in the edges of the Galilee and Golan they hid and fought for their Torah which didn't have a chance. The soul of the sane Jewish public was disgusted with these stupid extremists, who didn't understand that the world had changed, that there is a need to blend in with it so that the culture will blossom and so that the economy will develop. The decisions of the Hellenistic leaders in Jerusalem were: disengagement from the uniqueness of the isolated Jew, and disengagement from those who refuse progress. They wanted to accomplish all this quickly, decisively, without delays. Only one refuser, Matityahu son of Yochanon, an elderly and extremist priest, from Modee'een, a small village in the hallucinated borders of the state of Judea, he and his five sons ruined their entire celebration. And all the rest is told in the books of the Maccabbees 1-4 (exterior books) and in the history books. From The Holiday of Bravery to the Holiday of Parties Tel- Aviv. The end of the forties. I am a child from a secular house who believes in G-d and starts to become religious. My family is full of socialist Zionists, people of the HaShomer HaTzair and regular secular. Not one of them observes commandments. The Chanukah holiday arrives and small Adir Zik asks his uncle thus: but Matityahu and his sons started the rebellion because they were forced to eat pig -- so how is it that you in the Shomer HaTzair Kibbutz light candles and celebrate Chanukah and at the same time gobble pig? My uncle, Zlig Atinger, a member of the Evron Kibbutz, explains to me thus: look Adir'le, today is a different period. Today people are wise. They don't need stories about G-d in heaven in order to express their Jewishness. We are the Macabbees of today. Without kipot and without beards. We are warriors and builders. We are the even- guard of the Jewish nation. To be a heroic Maccabee one needn't keep the old fashioned commandments that you are being taught at the 'Bilo' school. My uncle Zlig was a loved and loving uncle; he opened the doors of western culture and the best Hebrew literature wide before me. It pained him that Adir'le had become crazy and wanted to become religious. "The boy is really being wasted", he explained to my worried parents. Yes, they raised a generation of "The Strong Tzabar, the healthy, the erect, and the warrior -- the Maccabee of today." For them Yehuda the Maccabee was a youth with a forelock and khaki shorts. And the female Maccabbee -- a maiden with a braid and with shorts. The generation of Palmach symbolized for them the generation of the modern Maccabbees. "A miracle didn't happen to us. We didn't find a jug of oil. We delved in the stone until we bled -- and there was light." Chanukah had turned into a holiday of physical bravery of the new Jew being raised in Israel. Only fifty years have passed since then and Chanukah has turned from a holyday to a holiday. A collection of festivals and tasteless jokes. No bravery, no values worth fighting for. No heroes. Nothing. 'Maccabbee' is one of ten players that kick a ball, or five colored Americans playing basketball. In the reality of today there isn't even the cheeky audacity to be 'the Maccabbee of today'. What happened then doesn't interest anyone. The Cleverness of the Date In Yiddish they say: "El'as in bashert" -- nothing occurs by chance in the world. Even the date on which we celebrate Chanukah has meaning upon meaning. G-d's hall, the second Temple was established on the 24th of Kislev. In the book of Chagai chapter 2 verse 18 it is written: "But now consider from this day onwards, from the twenty fourth of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the L-ord's Temple was laid, consider it." The book of the Maccabees 1 verse 59 tells us that on the twenty fifth of the month of Kislev Menelaus, the Hellenistic High Priest, sacrificed a pig on the alter in the Temple, and killed the women who had circumcised their sons. The Temple was defiled by the Hellenists purposefully on the date on which it was established in the days of the prophet Chagai. And in the book of the Maccabbees 4 from verse 52 it is written: "And they rose on the morning of the twenty fifth of the ninth month which is the month of Kislev in the 148th year and they sacrificed a sacrifice according to the Torah on the new Olah alter which they had done. "In the season and day in which the gentiles had defiled it in that day it was dedicated with songs and with harps and with fiddles and with cymbals. And the entire nation fell on its' face and prayed and blessed to the heaven that succeeded for them and they did the dedication of the alter eight days and they joyfully sacrificed sin offerings and they sacrificed peace offerings and thanksgiving." Happy Chanukah to you Jews.
Adir Zik, legendary voice of the Land of Israel, dies
The news of the passing of Adir Zik was made official a short time ago following his long battle with cancer. A lover of Israel, a man who exemplified a love of the Torah, the
Holy Land, and G-d's people, Zik championed the battle for maintaining
the integrity of the Holy Land. Through his Arutz-7 Radio program
"Adir's Fireworks", he spread the Torah message, one of truth and
unyielding compromise, accompanied by a willingness to sacrifice for
the glorification of the Land of Israel and the Chosen People.
Contact Shifra Shomron at shifra@email.com
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SHARON'S FOLLY COULD BE A BANE FOR EUROPE
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 21, 2005. |
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When distraught latter day tribes known as nations or wannabe nations assert jingoistic tendencies they tend to focus on single events rather than a bigger picture. Ultra nationalistic fervor overwhelmed both Jews and Arabs in the midst of the unilateral Gaza pullout. The arguments for and against disengagement had been reiterated ad nauseam by justly concerned affected Jewish populations, anxieties beget by life without Israel had been pondered by justly concerned Arabs fearing civil chaos, yet an even more profound issue was all but ignored. The Gaza Strip's historically strategic location had made it a battleground for most of the ancient and recent empires including the Pharaonic, Assyrian, Persian, Greek, Roman, as well as the Crusades, and World War I. Furthermore, Gaza's global position between Asia and Africa connects Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula, and Southeast Asia to Europe via the Mediterranean Sea. No less a warrior than Napoleon Bonaparte labeled the city of Gaza as the King's Tunnel and the Gate between Asia and Africa. The ever-looming question of worldwide concern ought to have been whether prescient civil societies should opt for Israeli surveillance of this vital hub or an Al-Queida based operational facility surveying Western targets from an ideal vantage point. Was there a reasonable chance that once Israel's troops left town, once Israeli naval vessels and planes ceased guarding the coast due to planetary pressures, Hamas would soon discard Abbas and welcome the planet's kingpin jihad junkies into their new primo headquarters? Note the outcome of recent elections and ponder that possibility with ever more urgency. Imagine Osama and the boys in their new digs, far from the treacherous terrain of Afghanistan/Pakistan and all those U.S. troops, ever closer to their envisioned neo-Ottoman Empire, with downtown London, Paris, Madrid, and Rome in the crosshairs of a barrage of unimpaired missile launches, or as an option a nuclear sub or two launched to torment a few trend setters at Saint Tropez. Why go for small fry Tel Aviv when the real prize lies to the proximate West? Does an outer world not realize that Sharon's folly, encouraged by sitting ducks, is an inexcusable blunder conceived by strategically challenged leaders? Location, location, location applies as much to a perilously emerging Century Twenty-One as prior eras. Be careful what you wish for. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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THE DEMOCRACY SHELL GAME
Posted by David Frankfurter, December 21, 2005. |
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Dear friends,
It's a simple game. Just a bit of sleight-of-hand. Put some international aid down, and watch closely as the Palestinian master moves the democracy pea around under the propaganda thimble. When Israel voiced objections to Hamas terrorists to participating in the upcoming elections, the Palestinians cried "foul" and convinced Europe and the US that it would be "undemocratic" to expect Palestinians to keep to signed agreements which excluded Hamas from fielding candidates. Watching closely? Under which thimble is the democracy pea? The one on the left? Bad luck! Put some more aid money down, and have another go around. Both the EU and the US became a bit toey, as they saw that Hamas might not only participate, but might even win quite a few seats. Abu Mazen and his crowd got pretty darn uppity. How dare the EU and the US threaten to cut off direct aid to the PA if Hamas is in the Palestinian Legislature? Its simply "undemocratic" for the EU or the US governments to possibly think that they have any right to decide for themselves which corrupt regime they might be willing to share their taxpayers' money with. So what if it would mean breaking EU & US laws about providing money to be controlled by banned terrorist organisations? Under which thimble? The one in the middle? Wrong again! Come on, better luck next time! Slap down a bit more aid & have another go. The Fatah parties that control the PA are threatening to call off the Palestinian election altogether now. Is it because they might lose access to the power that comes with all that lovely international aid money? What a totally "undemocratic" suggestion! Is it because they are following Egyptian orders not to hold the election for fear that they might lose to Hamas? Don't be silly, that would be "undemocratic". Look! the pea is under the thimble on the right! There it is! Lift it up! Blame the Jews! Those Jews expect the Palestinians to keep their signed agreements not to hold elections in the Israeli capital city of Jerusalem. Again that "undemocratic" notion of keeping promises? Well, if Jerusalem's Israeli Arabs can't vote - THAT'S why the elections are being postponed. Those Jews are so undemocratic! David To subscribe to David Frankfurter's 'letter from Israel', email him at david.frankfurter@iname.com. Or go to http://www.livejournal.com/users/dfrankfurter/ |
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WHEN TERRORISM BOTHERS YOU....REACH FOR THE PURPLE PILL!
Posted by Arlene Peck, December 21, 2005. |
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For the past several years, I have pounded out columns lamenting that the world is in a war that so few seem to be "getting". The enemy is a savage culture that I believe has the IQ and mentality of seventh century barbarians. Aside from the Muslim longing to return to the good old eighth century, and their stated intention of dragging the rest of us, kicking and screaming, along with them, it has bothered me, and still does, that far too many politically correct imbeciles feel compelled to accommodate them and to find rationales for their violence. We refuse to educate ourselves on their agenda or take them at their word. Maybe if we took lessons in sound bites it might sink in that we have been thrust into a war that is destined to last decades. We might also realise that it is time to learn about our enemies, what they stand for, what they believe in and what they do not. The world press, rather than reporting the news, has taken it upon themselves to create the news, lest their readers become too emotionally affected by the subject matter -- the barbaric creeds of 1.3 billion people. Moreover, I have discovered that it is possible to be a thousand years behind the times; it is also possible to be cunning and shrewd. The terrorists have mastered the strategy of knowing the Achilles heel of their enemy. Well, after a two month sabbatical -- caused by tripping when running to answer the phone and breaking my arm in six places -- I have had some enforced quality thinking time. I think I finally understand why I had been one of the few, until now, who were "getting it", when it came to the goals of destruction of the Western world by the Muslim culture. A word slowly bubbled up to the surface of my pain and drug induced consciousness -- apathy! I used to watch commercials on television promoting the purple, happy pill for every dysfunction known to modern man. So what if it caused heartburn, heart attacks, sexual disorders, constipation and halitosis? The happy pill can make you forget what ails you, and everyone can stay oblivious and happy. It is probably a blessing that I have been living in my own cocoon recently. After going to a screening of Spielberg's new movie -- Munich -- where naughty little Steven morphs into Barbara Streisand and, hey presto, the terrorists are victims, I might have become upset! Fortunately, years of living in this politically correct cocoon, California, watching news reports better suited to The Enquirer mentality and listening to "leaders" speak in sound bites to accommodate an audience which, apparently, has the attention span of a gnat, I've grown accustomed to "the vacuum" of competence. I have been living in California long enough to know this is a section of the country that can feel passionate about Botox and animals. However, when it comes to anything political, especially when it concerns Israel, they could not find it on the map. So, when the benevolent president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the owner of 70 million genocidal serfs, announces his grand plan to lead all 1.3 billion Arab and Muslim zealots in blowing Israel off the map, why be surprised when it doesn't measure on the Richter scale of SoCal? More important is the fact Jessica Simpson is getting a divorce and Jennifer Anniston and Angelina Jolie both want to start families this year, with or without husbands. Doesn't matter anyway. We've all "dumbed down" so much that Ahmadinejad is just another Middle Eastern leader whose name nobody can pronounce. Maybe if shock tabloids trumpeted "Hitler found in comprising position with Kofi Annan in Iranian love nest"? While he was ranting about World War II and the massacre of the Jews being a myth, Kofi Annan and company were sitting pompously at the United Nations. Behind them, on the dais, was an Arabic-language "Map of Palestine" that showed a Palestine replacing Israel. Despite -- oh gosh, how many "resolutions" is it?, ratifying Israel's existence? -- it now seems everyone is behind the plan to eliminate the Jewish State. But, now that it's finally sunk into my head that not only is nobody out there but Israel to do anything, folks, they're not doing it either! Where are the press statements issuing from Israel, advising each of the other Middle Eastern countries that although Israel always strives for peace, if one of them thinks about dropping a nuke on Israeli soil, they would pay BIG time? Israel would bring about the destruction of each major Arab and Iranian city as well as the mosques in Jerusalem, Mecca and Medina. Now that might just get their attention. However, just in case it didn't, I'm all for putting them on notice that the next time they want to blow up a disco full of kids, or a wedding, or even a school, Jerusalem also has the address of their local mosque. Incidentally, this supposedly 'holy place" is spending 90% of its time teaching hatred and training their followers in terrorism. Nice. Frankly, I feel every bombing and beheading should be responded to ten-fold on their imams who encourage these savages to kill "infidels" and collect their seventy-two virgins. I absolutely love it that the Council On American-Islamic Relations has issued a 'travel advisory' for Muslim U.S. citizens who will be participating in the upcoming pilgrimage to Mecca. CAIR is a spin-off of the Islamic Association for Palestine, identified by two former FBI counter-terrorism chiefs as a "front group" for Hamas. It's irronic that they have created a Civil Rights Hotline for Muslims who believe their constitutional rights have been violated by border personnel. Maybe someone ought to remind CAIR which has mastered the art of using our laws for their advantage that although not every Muslim is not a terrorist, every terrorist has been a Muslim. Frankly, if I had my druthers, I'd lock up the borders for their return and throw away the key! I wonder how much of my consitutional rights have been 'violated' by the endless bombings, beheadings and loss of life from their members? In fact, crass as this may be, and, at the risk of sounding not only politically incorrect but also mean spirited -- to all those nice folks in Iraq who do not know squat about democracy, I don't care! I do not give a damn whether their school kids have 11 million new textbooks promoting democracy when ours cannot afford toilet paper! What's more, even though a little self-serving now that I am "down"physically, I'm at a point where I'd rather see a little more Social Security and Medicare in my country's future and a lot less ideological worry about a breed of people who are going to blow up the schools as soon as we build them! A quick glance at our "Balance Sheet" assures me that America is not a bottomless pit of well-meaning AID money. I really cannot see a valid reason why we should not be looking after our own, rather than trying to buy the "affection" of nations and leaders who state, at every turn and at every opportunity, how we are the "great Satan". Let Saudi Arabia pick up the slack! Might be a better place to invest their money, rather than funding "Islamic Understanding" chairs at our most prestigious universities which seem to grovel at their feet for such huge sums. Lest you think not, there is a price to be paid for that accepting those bribes, I mean, donations, and it is normally associated with being more politically correct than some ayotollah. In the old days, the obscene sights we just witnessed at the UN and hearing such intent expressed by a head of state, would have had me writing off angry letters. But, hey, now I just reach for the bottle with the purple pill and put on a happy face. Arlene Peck is an internationally syndicated columnist and television talk show hostess. She can be reached at: bestredhead@earthlink.net and www.arlenepeck.com |
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A GENIUS
Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, December 21, 2005. |
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Great. Let him lead the assault. This is the same military genius that remarked that we have nothing to fear from shoulder launched missiles because they only shoot down airplanes and are not an anti-personnel weapon. The greenest recruit could come up with a more intelligent plan. Gaza can be brought to its knees along with the entire terror apparatus, literally by pulling the plug. No water, no electricity, no imports, no exports and constant air and artillery assaults. After a week or two of this, ground troops can march in for the victory parade. "Labor MK Vilnai Supports Ground Assault in Gaza," in today's Arutz Sheva - www.IsraelNationalNews.com. The article is archived at www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=95271 (IsraelNN.com) Labor Knesset Member Matan Vilnai, a former IDF deputy Chief of Staff, said on Wednesday that Israel can prevent Kassam rocket fire by entering and remaining in northern Gaza. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has opposed a ground assault. Vilnai told Israeli Radio that the action would disturb the lives of the local population and help stop the attacks but added he is against killing Arab citizens, which he said would cause more attacks. Aryeh Zelasko lives in Beitar Illit, south of Jerusalem. He is Director of Sales and Marketing of Israel Visit (www.israelvisit.co.il) which provides information and an internet buying facility for American visitors to Israel. Contact him at zelasko@actcom.co.il |
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A HEARTFELT PLEA FROM YAD ELIEZER
Posted by Yad Eliezar, December 21, 2005. |
Dear Friend, Chanuka -- Festival of Lights. A time to be thankful that we are be able to live our lives with dignity and honor- free of persecution and coercion. But for all too many of our brothers and sisters in Israel, who struggle every minute of the day to put food on their table, who don't know from where their next meal is coming, the joy of Chanuka is often compromised. Poverty is a reality in Israel. The recent ouster of the legendary Shimon Peres from the leadership of Israel's second largest party, by a relatively unknown Amir Peretz, whose agenda called for nothing more than bringing social issues to the forefront of Israel's priorities, is very telling. At Yad Eliezer, we have been feeding the most desperately poor for more than two decades by providing basic food staples to over 8000 families, 50,000 people, on a monthly basis. By supplying food to the home, rather than having the indigent leave the setting of the home, we have succeeded in easing the plight of the neediest, while maintaining their dignity and honor. Forty dollars provides a food basket of a month's worth of staples: rice, flour, beans, oil, canned goods, detergent. This Chanuka, as you light up your home with the warmth of the beautiful Chanuka candles, bring a ray of light to the lives of so many who ask for no more than to feed their families Sincerely,
Click Here to Donate to Yad Eliezer. P.S. To read about poverty in Israel and what Yad Eliezer is doing, please click here. |
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ISRAEL SUPPORTS CHRISTMAS IN BETH LEHEM AGAINST MOSLEM OPPRESSION AND TERRORISM
Posted by David Meir-Levy, December 21, 2005. |
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Dear Christian leaders, The article below is called "Dancing With Denial" and was written by Joseph D'Hippolito and appeared today in wwwFrontPageMagazine.com. See also the article by Judy Lash Balint below. The two articles show us the two polar extremes of your Christian brethren's situations in the Middle East: The Israeli government puts the lives of its soldiers and civilians (as possible terror targets) at risk in order to assure the Christians of Beth Lehem as merry a Christmas as possible and prevent the terror attacks that el-Qaeda has threatened. Can it be that these appeasing and ignoring Christian leaders love the concept of 'interfaith dialogue' more than they love their own Christian brethren who are persecuted for their faith? I remind you all of Leviticus XIX:16. Stand not idly by when thy brother is in mortal danger. David Meir-Levi PS. Note carefully the description in the Balint article of the new entry-way to Beth Lehem, built by the Israeli government to ease the plight of Beth Lehem's residents during the terror war; and compare that to the mendacious rant of the Latiin Patriarch about how Beth Lehem is sealed and suffocating. PPS. Note in the second article that, per the Hezbollah newspaper, Ronald Stone spoke "..as an elder of the church", and not as a private citizen...contrary to qthe assertions of defenders of those visits to Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2004 and earlier this year. PPPS. And note the description of the degredation and intimidation of the Christians of Beth Lehem and Beit Jallah in this second article. Compare that to what Bishop Younan and Na'im Atik and the Latin Patriarch have written about why Christians are suffering, crying out for help, begging for support, and ultimately fleeing from their ancestral homes and from the birthplace of Jesus. Recall, in this context, that under Israeli control from 1967 to 1994, the Christiand and Moslem communities flourished and prospered and enjoyed freedom and safety. Only when the Palestinian Authoirty (PA), under Arafat, came to power in 1994, did the persecution of Christians begin; perpetrated by non-government illegal militias but ingored and even secretly aided by the Palestinian government. Since Beth Lehem and Beth Jallah and most of the West Bank are under the jurisdiction of the PA, Israel cannot do anything to aid these Christians. When Arab Christians flee to Israel, the families they leave behind are in danger of PA and terrorist persecution.
As Christians worldwide prepare to celebrate the birth of the man they regard as humanity's savior, those in Muslim nations must wonder whether the West's Christian leaders have abandoned them.
Throughout the autumn, Christians in Asia and the Middle East
became targets of arson, extortion, mob violence and even murder in
Allah's name. Instead of addressing those problems, however, Western
Christian leaders indulged in sanctimonious pedantry, fashionable
naiveté: and outright appeasement in the name of dialogue and peace.
The Church of England commemorated the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon by endorsing an official apology to Muslim leaders for the 2003 Anglo-American invasion of Iraq.
The church's report, "Countering Terrorism: Power, Violence and
Democracy Post-9/11," advocated "truth and reconciliation" meetings
with Muslim leaders that would give Christian counterparts the
opportunity to perform "a public act of institutional repentance" for
the West's "long litany of errors" in dealing with Iraq, including the
2003 war.
Moreover, the report's addendum concerning Iran's nuclear program
suggested universal disarmament as the ultimate solution: "If certain
countries retain their nuclear weapons on the basis of the uncertainty
and potentially violent volatility of international relations, on what
basis are the same weapons denied to other states?"
Not to be outdone, 95 bishops from the United Methodist Church --
President George W. Bush's denomination -- publicly regretted their
"complicity" in the "unjust and immoral invasion and occupation of
Iraq" in a statement they issued in November.
In discounting Saddam Hussein's support for international
terrorism, the president's moral responsibility to protect American
citizens -- and the Iraqi people's own suffering under a sadistic
tyrant -- the Methodist bishops mimic the Left's tired platitudes
about war and peace.
"True security lies not in weapons of war," the statement said,
"but in enabling the poor, the vulnerable, the marginalized to
flourish as beloved daughters and sons of God."
Specifically, the Methodist bishops state that ensuring peace means
"personal, institutional and governmental priorities that protect the
poor and most vulnerable; modeling an end to prejudice toward people
of other faiths and cultures; confronting differences and conflicts
with grace, humility, dialogue, and respect..."
Apparently, tyranny, non-Western imperialism and malignant ideology do not exist in the Methodist bishops' universe.
Neither do Islam's extreme tendencies exist in the mind of Cardinal William Keeler, the Catholic archbishop of Baltimore. Keeler, who served as an expert at the Second Vatican Council, specializes in interfaith relations.
When asked in October by the liberal National Catholic
Reporter about Iranian President Mahmood Ahmadinejad's public
demand for Israel's annihilation, Keeler offered this response:
"I thought, 'This is another politician trying to get an easy
solution to a very complicated problem.' I also thought, 'This guy
obviously doesn't know what Islam teaches about the relationship to
the Jewish people.' The Koran esteems Moses as a lawgiver, and there
are many passages that draw upon Hebrew scripture..."
It is the height of arrogant irony for a Catholic prelate to
declare that he knows more about Islam than the president of a
self-proclaimed Islamic republic.
Yet none of the aforementioned responses compares to the groveling appeasement demonstrated by members of the Presbyterian Church USA during an October visit to Lebanon made possible by the terrorist group Hezbollah.
Nabil Qawuq, Hezbollah's commander in Southern Lebanon, complained
to the Presbyterian contingent that President Bush sought to intervene
in Lebanon for Israel's benefit against Syria. Robert Worley, who
taught for 35 years at a prominent American seminary and served as the
group's spokesman, gave this response recorded by the Lebanese
newspaper Al-Mustaqbal:
"The Americans hear in the Western media that Hezbollah is a
terrorist organization, and they do not hear any other opinion. They
know nothing about the party's concern for the people of the south. We
have suffered much pressure on the part of Jewish organizations in the
U.S. because (of our help in) divesting corporations working with
Israel."
During a 2004 visit to Lebanon, Presbyterian elder Ronald Stone praised the terrorist group more effusively on Hezbollah's Al-Manar television:
While Christian leaders from the West danced with denial, other
Christians feared for their own safety.
In Iraq, gangs of anonymous Muslim terrorists threaten to abduct or
kill people whose families refuse to pay amounts ranging from $100,000
to $150,000 for Mafia-style protection. Families must beg for cash,
sell their homes and belongings, leave the country or face death.
"It's a really catastrophic problem right now," Father Mekhail
Nageeb, a Dominican priest, told Catholic News Service in November.
In one neighborhood in Mosul, Nageeb said, "There are more than 20
or 30 homes without people living in them," because their Christian
homeowners fled.
Muslim religious leaders support the extortion. Father Sabah Patto,
a Chaldean Catholic, told Catholic News Service that some Muslim
figures "are encouraging the Christians to leave their country and to
leave their properties and everything, and nobody is buying from (the
Christians)."
Nobody is buying, Patto continued, because Muslim leaders are
saying that the abandoned properties "will become free for people."
Nine days after the Church of England produced its report on terrorism, the London Times reported on Sept. 28 the apparent murder of the lay leaders of Iraq's largest Anglican church. They were presumed dead after being attacked while returning from a conference in Jordan.
In Pakistan, Muslim mobs burned churches and a convent in November
in Sangla Hill, 50 miles east of Lahore. Inciting the mob were rumors
that a Christian who had won a lot of money gambling with Muslims set
fire to a box containing torn pages of the Koran.
"Soon the alleged deed was broadcast by mullahs from mosques," the
London Telegraph reported Nov. 14.
"I heard the mullahs had been telling people over loudspeakers, 'We
are guardians of the Koran and it is our foremost duty to teach a
lesson to those kafirs (unbelievers),'" Father Samson Dilawar, whose
church was among those burned, told the Telegraph.
In Egypt, thousands of Muslims attacked seven Coptic Orthodox
churches in Alexandria on Oct. 21. Rioters broke windows at St.
George's Coptic Orthodox Church before police repelled them.
The attacks resulted from demonstrations over a play that portrays a young Christian converting to Islam to improve his financial and marital prospects. He then joins a band of extremists, becomes disillusioned, wants to return to Christianity and gets shot while trying to escape the extremists.
"The play had gone unnoticed when it was first performed at St.
George's two years ago," the Associated Press reported. "Though it has
not been performed recently, it caught Muslims' attention when,
according to security officials, Islamic extremists may have been
distributing DVD's of it to raise tensions ahead of parliamentary
elections..."
Those elections dramatically enhanced the power of the anti-Semitic
Muslim Brotherhood, which seeks to turn Egypt into an Islamic state.
The Brotherhood gained 88 seats in the Egyptian Parliament "almost six
times its previous number -- to become the biggest rival to President
Hosni Mubarak's New Democratic Party.
In Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population,
Christians claim that Muslim mobs forced more than 30 churches to
close last year, the Voice of America reported in November. Many
congregations have had to worship outdoors, where Muslims harass them.
Indonesian Muslims, led by such radical groups as the Defense of
Islam and the Alliance Against Apostasy, exploit a law requiring
religious groups to get permission from local residents and obtain a
government license before building a house of worship. These groups --
often with the support of local officials -- "accuse Christians of
breaking the law by praying in unlicensed churches, and claiming that
local Muslims object to the churches," the VOA reported.
Muslim extremists are not satisfied with stopping worship. In May, a bomb killed 22 and injured 70 in one town's largest Christian market. In October, three Christian girls were attacked and beheaded while walking to church. Days later, two other Christian girls were fired upon while walking to a Girl Scout meeting.
Inciting the violence are two more terrorist groups, Jemaah
Islamiyah and Laksar Jihad, "a newly created militia... that was
supported by hard-line elements of the security forces," the
Associated Press reported.
In Saudi Arabia, which forbids non-Muslims from worshipping
publicly, a court sentenced a teacher to 40 months imprisonment and
750 lashes in November for, among other things, "discussing the
Gospel," reported the Saudi newspaper Al-Madina.
That same month, a leading Iranian ayatollah called non-Muslims
"sinful animals who roam the earth and engage in corruption." The
ayatollah, Ahmad Jannati, is a top aide to Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Ali Khameni and a mentor to President Ahmadinejad.
Perhaps the most tragic example of intimidation can be found in Bethlehem itself.
When the Palestinian Authority took control in 1995, it expanded
the city's boundaries to ensure a Muslim majority. Incorporated into
the enlarged boundaries were 30,000 Muslims from adjacent refugee
camps. As a result, 20 percent of Bethlehem's population remained
Christian in 2003 -- as opposed to 60 percent in 1990.
That Christian minority faces constant Muslim hostility, as Jeanine
Hirschhorn wrote in 2003:
Christian homes and real estate have been arbitrarily expropriated,
including a school in Beit Jala that the PA turned into a terrorist
training center. Christian women have been intimidated, abducted and
raped, with many "becoming terrorists to save family honor,"
Hirschhorn wrote.
"Those brave enough to speak out publicly," Hirschhorn continued,
"risk PA accusations of 'collaborating with Israel,' subject to
arrest, extensive interrogation, imprisonment and execution."
The Christians' position has become so tenuous that even Pope John
Paul II told them, "Do not be afraid to preserve your Christian
heritage and Christian presence in Bethlehem" when he visited the city
in 2002.
Nevertheless, Christians are fleeing Bethlehem in large numbers. If
the trend continues, "the only Christian presence in Bethlehem may be
foreign tourists," Hirschhorn wrote. "Bethlehem's revered Christian
shrines may one day become tourist curiosities, like the Nabetian city
of Petra or the Roman amphitheater at Caesarea."
In his Dec. 10 editorial in the London Telegraph, in which
he discusses the Archbishop of Canterbury's trip to Pakistan in the
wake of intensified persecution, Charles Moore accurately describes
the mindset of Western Christian leaders:
"The agenda... is to try to placate. Sorry about the Crusades,
sorry about George Bush, sorry, sorry, sorry, they say, in the hope
that Muslims will start to say sorry, too. But where is the evidence
that this pre-emptive self-abasement is working? The grim fact is that
the development of Christian/Muslim official dialogue has coincided
with much greater Muslim persecution of other faiths than 30 years
ago."
To Moore, such efforts "remind me of peace delegations to the
Soviet Union in the 1930s," he said. "They create a structure of
unreality and leave millions of the victims of persecution where they
were before the delegations arrived -- frightened and alone."
David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli,
currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern
studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director
of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org).
Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com
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MUNICH BASED ON FRAUDULENT INFORMATION
Posted by Helen Freedman, December 21, 2005. |
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Steven Spielberg's film, Munich, is based on fraudulent information. Tragically, because he is such a good filmmaker, audiences will be deceived into taking his account, "inspired by real events," to be the truth. Israel's newspaper, Haaretz, reports that "the movie is based on a book in which there is no truth." Research confirms this. Canadian journalist George Jonas' 1984 book: Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team, is used by Spielberg as his reference. Mr. Jonas relied largely on the information given him by Yuval Aviv, a man who posed as a Mossad agent, "even though he had never worked in the Mossad and certainly had not participated in operations to kill those involved in the athletes' murder." His only security experience was when he worked as a security guard for El Al in New York. Shaister.com tells us that "Zvi Zamir, who was head of Mossad during that period, has also stated on several occasions that he has never known Aviv and there there is no connection between what is related in Jonas' book and what really happened." Zamir also states that he was never contacted by Spielberg for the true facts in the case, and he is surprised that the director would "rely on this particular book" for his source material. Dec. 21 marks the anniversary of the Pan Am 103 bombing over Lockerbie Scotland in 1988, which is related to the same Yuval Aviv and his fraudulent actions. The bombing, which claimed the lives of 243 passengers and 16 crew members. There were 37 students on board flying home from an overseas study program in London. One of those students was the only child of Susan and Dan Cohen, who have never ended their efforts to avenge their daughter's death. The Cohens are very disturbed about the fact that Yuval Aviv, the same Mossad imposter who tried to take advantage of them, is the man whose fraudulent information was the source for Steven Spielberg's new film, Munich. According to the Cohens, Aviv's "unscrupulous practice of telling tailor-made stories to the highest bidder" is illustrated by the fact that Aviv wrote a report exonerating Pan Am in the 103 matter which gained him much media attention. Aviv had previously contacted them "and offered information that would prove that Pan Am had been negligent in preventing the disaster," just the opposite of what he was saying on behalf of Pan Am. Spielberg does a disservice in basing his film on fallacious material, and presenting the Munich massacre and Israel's response as a "perpetual motion machine" and a "quagmire of blood for blood". He describes the massacre as a "response to a response". One must ask Spielberg what the Arabs were "responding" to when they carried out their murderous deed. By falsely creating an atmosphere of moral equivalency in his film, Spielberg adds to the pain and suffering of the Pan Am 103 families and all others who have been affected by the murderous actions of terrorists. By choosing to deceive his movie going public about the true nature of the "clash of civilizations" and Islam's war against western civilization, he contributes to the threat to Israel, America, and the western world. Helen Freedman is Executive Director of AFSI. Americans For a Safe Israel/AFSI is a pro-active pro-Israel advocacy group. AFSI may be contacted by mail at 1623 Third Ave., Suite 205, New York, N.Y. 10128 (Tel: 212-828-2424; Fax: 212-828-1717); by email at afsi@rcn.com; or by accessing its website: www.afsi.org. |
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PROMOTE TOLERANCE, FOSTER INTOLERANCE; IS TERRORISM A MUSLIM
PHENOMENON?; TURKEY
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 21, 2005. |
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PROMOTE TOLERANCE, FOSTER INTOLERANCE
"Sesame Street" seeks to promote tolerance. It has two new
characters, for the purpose. One is an Israeli. The other is a
"Palestinian." The two children play together innocently, and find
that they can get along with each other.
What's wrong with that? Plenty.
First is the notion that there is a Palestinian nationality, and
that it has a mutual problem with Israel. Palestine is a geographical
concept, not relevant to nationality. When the polyglot people now
called Palestinians first became aware of nationality, the Jews in the
Palestine Mandate were called Palestinians, because this was their
homeland. The Arabs there called themselves Syrians, at that time. If
they are "Palestinian," then so are the Arabs who split off from the
Mandate into the newly independent.
Actually, the Arabs in what now are Israel and the Territories
consider themselves part of the Arab nation. They found it
advantageous to pretend to separate "Palestinian" nationality. This
enables them to demand a national territory at Jewish expense. This
made them seem the underdog, their claim reasonable, and the dispute
merely territorial and therefore negotiable.
Actually, the conflict is religious. The Arab side is the aggressor, fanatical, and uncompromising except deceitfully, making agreements Muslims feel they needn't keep.
The two children on TV are treated as if their respective sides are on an ethical par, which they are not. The story makes it seem as if the problem is just a matter of learning mutual trust, which it is not. Israel could be trusted, but jihadists violate their trust.
What influence might this seemingly innocent program have? It
implicitly blames both sides for not cooperating. Israel cooperates,
but the Arabs refuse to. The program exonerates the Arab side from
the terrorist, intolerant, imperialist evil it commits and
represents. The program helps lull the defenders of Western society
against the Arab menace to it.
If the program were typical of Arab culture in the P.A., which culture demonizes Israelis and indoctrinates in murdering them, it might do some good. Instead, the P.A. utilizes central government (that in a earlier folly the Arabs were granted autonomy over) to promote the most virulent Muslim culture.
Western children of a somewhat older age need a course in totalitarianism. A proper course would educate them to the menace of Islamism and of Islam. The course need not teach hatred, but it should prepare them to recognize and fight the enemy.
The developers of Sesame St., probably not children, seem to need that
course, themselves. They should be devising ways of dealing with the
true menace, jihad.
IS TERRORISM A MUSLIM PHENOMENON?
"...In its long history of immigration, the United States has never
encountered so violence-prone and radicalized a community as the
Muslims who have arrived since 1965." To his astonishment, Daniel
Pipes found challenged this attribution of domestic terrorism to
Islamists.
There have been numerous cases of Islamist terrorism against Americans abroad. Muslims have attacked US security guards in Gaza, embassies in Africa, ships, diplomats, etc.. Mr. Pipes estimates about 200 terrorist attackers and plotters discovered in this country in the past five years. All were by Muslim immigrants or converts to Islam. The same situation holds in Europe.
Spencer Ackerman, in the New Republic, argues that the
percentage of terrorists among Muslims is small. Pipes replies that
the percentage doesn't matter as much as the damage. The number of
actual terrorist crimes in the US is higher than the statistics
indicate, because prosecutors don't like to label certain crimes as
such. Besides, the percentage of Muslims engaged in terrorism is
rising, as the younger generation radicalizes (Pipes #627, 12/12) and
as more immigrate or sneak in.
Besides terrorist crimes, Islamists engage in fundraising, recruiting for attacks abroad, propagandizing, infiltrating our society, and ordinary crimes such as cigarette smuggling and credit card fraud to raise funds for terrorism. The mass of Muslims constitutes a pool on which Islamists draw and in which to hide.
CHANGE IN TURKEY
The ruling Islamist Party professes allegiance to democracy. But
it derides the secularism on which modern Turkey was founded and it
treats democratic procedure contemptuously. PM Erdogan condones
illegal madrassas promoting hatred.
Police harass opponents and make arbitrary arrests and hold people
without bail and trial. The government discriminates against the
Allevi sect, and asked health workers to divulge their religious
affiliation. His Party is trying to ban alcohol, in accordance with
its religious precepts. The courts ruled against governmental seizure
and sale of a political opponent's assets and against his dictatorial
powers over his party. The government ignored the courts.
The Prime Minister's response is to propose mandatory early
retirement of judges who enforce the law against him, so he could
appoint half the country's judges, thousands, from his own Party. He
is working against the rule of law, but the US is averting its eyes
(Michael Rubin, MEFNews, 12/12). The Islamist parties had claimed to
be moderate.
The EU would be wise to bar Turkey. The Turks would be wise to ban
Islamist parties.
Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several
web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on
Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target
overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him
at richardshulman5@aol.com.
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PASSAGE INTO BETHLEHEM: A CALCULATED RISK FOR ISRAEL
Posted by Judy Lash Balint, December 21, 2005. |
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The Christmas season is upon us in the Holy Land. Here, in the birthplace of Christianity, Christmas extends for a full season, not just one day. After the Catholics and western churches celebrate December 25, the holy day for Greek Orthodox adherents is December 7th, followed by the Armenian celebration of Christmas on January 19th. Naturally, Bethlehem is the focal point of all the Christmas festivities, and once again this year, Israeli authorities have pledged to do their utmost to ensure free passage of Christian pilgrims in and out of the town in honor of the season. In 2004, it was terrorists from Bethlehem who perpetrated half of the fatalities from Arab terror attacks on Israeli citizens. Last week, acting on intelligence information, the Israeli Army blew up a car packed with explosives on an Israeli by-pass road a few hundred yards west of Bethlehem. This morning, Molotov cocktails were thrown at soldiers manning the checkpoint between Bethlehem and nearby Jerusalem. Yet, in honor of the Christmas season, Israeli authorities today announced the easing of restrictions to enable any Christian Arab with a permit to come and go to Bethlehem. Only random checks will be made on the busloads of pilgrims traveling in and out of the area. Of course it's generally not Christian Arabs who've been carrying out terror attacks in Israel, but the prospect of the expected tens of thousands of Arabs crossing in and out of Israel with minimal security checks, all in the name of religious freedom, makes some Israelis uncomfortable. At a briefing in Jerusalem this week, Israeli army officers Aviv Feigel and Yair Tzarchan of the District Coordinating Liaison office in Bethlehem, explained the special Christmas procedures to journalists and described the "calculated risk" that Israel is taking to preserve religious freedom for all. "Arab vehicles and foreign tourists should all come and feel secure," Feigel said. The soft-spoken, fair-haired officer carefully outlined how Christian Arabs with permits will be able to pass freely in and out of Bethlehem through Israeli checkpoints. He described the newly opened Rachel's Passage checkpoint that cost about $8 million to build in order to ease conditions for Israeli Arabs traveling in and out of Bethlehem. Almost apologetically, Feigel explained that Jewish Israelis are not permitted entry into Bethlehem because "things aren't so secure there for them." Despite the presence of only one Arab TV crew, Tzarchan addressed his remarks in Arabic, explaining in detail for them how Israeli authorities have tried to tread the fine line between allowing religious freedom and ensuring security for Israeli citizens. This wasn't exactly what the reporters wanted to hear. "What complaints have you had?" asked one correspondent. Another journalist from a British newspaper told the IDF officers that he'd heard about a Palestinian-American who wasn't let into the country at Ben Gurion airport, as if this called the entire Bethlehem operation into question. A German reporter asked if Rachel's Passage checkpoint is wheelchair accessible. Someone from the BBC's Latin American service wanted to know if Moslems could go back and forth into Israel under the special Christmas regulations. Finally someone piped up with the question that's spooked many reporters from going to Bethlehem this Christmas. What about the threat of an Al Quaeda terror attack to disrupt Christmas at its source? No specific warnings, answered the Israeli officers patiently. "Israel is determined to protect the traditional march of the patriarch into Bethlehem and to ensure religious freedom for all Christians." Not a statement you're likely to hear anywhere else in the Middle East this Christmas. Judy Lash Balint is an investigative journalist and author of "Jerusalem Diaries: In Tense Times" (Gefen). It is available for purchase from www.israelbooks.com This article appeared today in www.FrontPageMagazine.com |
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RABBIS FOR TREASON? SPIELBERG'S SMEAR; ELECTION CAMPAIGN
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 21, 2005. |
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1. "Rabbis for Treason? Left-Wing Activists Forming Militia For
"Dangerous Action" in Samaria," Dec 20, '05/19 Kislev 5766
(IsraelNN.com) The extreme-left Rabbis for Human Rights group has put out a call for people interested in "dangerous action." The call to action purports to be a response to Jewish residents of Samaria cutting down Arab trees. "We and the people of [the Arab village of] Burin will try to form a civil-watch during the next couple of nights in case the army will not do it," the group's director Arik Ascherman wrote. "The action is dangerous were [sic] talking about an area of illegal outposts," Ascherman wrote, inviting participants to call him at 050 560 7034. Ascherman was recently involved in a sting operation, bringing Arab villagers to land belonging to Avri Ran, resulting in an altercation followed by the arrest of Ran and subsequent imprisonment until the end of proceedings against him. For previous posting on "Rabbi" Ascherman see: www.israelnationalnews.com/article.php3?id=4990 2. "Canadian Moose Droppings," www.cjnews.com/viewarticle.asp?id=8080 3. SO Sharon is going to get tough? In exchange for the latest batch of Kassam rockets aimed from Gaza at the industrial zone in Ashkelon, which contains electricity generators, Sharon is now threatening to shut off the electricity to the Gaza Strip. So how come he threatens this after the rockets land near some power machinery but not after the rockets murdered human Israelis months ago? And how come he is threatening that he might turn the power off but only later after the savages have plenty of time to get ready and get emergency generators and even then only from 2-4 in the morning? Can you see Churchill retaliating for the V-2 rockets on London by threatening to shut off the power in Berlin in two weeks from 2-4 in the morning? 4. "Spielberg's Smear" by Andrea Levin Steven Spielberg and an army of well-paid consultants and spinmeisters are pulling out all the stops to promote Munich and fend off damaging criticism of the movie about the murder of Israeli Olympic athletes and the effort to track down the crime's masterminds. The campaign has even included courting family members of the slain men for endorsements to blunt a gathering storm of negative commentary from the likes of David Brooks in the New York Times, Leon Wieseltier in The New Republic and Andrea Peyser in the New York Post. Briefly, the movie presents, via pulse-pounding scenes of kidnaping, death, stalking and more death, the message that Israel was brutal, bungling and immoral in its reaction to the massacre. True, the hostage-takers were also brutal; but dispossessing Palestinians, we soon learn, lies at the root. Cultured Palestinians passionately explain: "We are for twenty-four years the world's largest refugee population. Our homes taken from us. Living in camps. No future. No food. Nothing decent for our children." In Munich there are no Palestinians clamoring for the destruction of Israel -- as all Palestinian groups did then and, regrettably, leading groups continue to do today. On the contrary, in a contrived encounter between Avner, the movie's lead, and a PLO member, the latter insists he simply wants a homeland. He also blames Jews for turning the Palestinians "into animals" and charges them with exploiting guilt over the Holocaust. In all of this one sees the biases of Tony Kushner, the radical playwright brought in by Spielberg to reshape the script. Kushner has repeatedly called the creation of Israel a "mistake," blamed Israel for "the whole shameful history of the dreadful suffering of the Palestinian people,"and advocated policies to undermine the state. Israelis in the film, including Prime Minister Golda Meir, do make their case. But the language is often self-incriminating and vengeful. Meir says: "I don't know who these maniacs are and where they come from. Palestinians -- they're not recognizable. You tell me what law protects people like this ... Every civilization finds it necessary to negotiate compromises with its own values." The charge that Israel believed targeting terrorist leaders compromises its values rather than affirms its obligation to seek every means to defend itself against aggression is pure Hollywood concoction. But spiraling self-doubt about the use of force is central to Munich, with one team member, an ambivalent bomb-maker who eventually blows himself up, lamenting: "We're Jews, Avner. Jews don't do wrong because our enemies do wrong...we're supposed to be righteous. That's a beautiful thing. That's Jewish..." Thus, not only, in the film's account, was it futile to assassinate terrorist masterminds, because new and worse replacements sprang up to escalate the violence, but eliminating terrorists ostensibly destroyed the souls of the Jewish hit team. During the movie's production, numerous Israelis with knowledge of the actual events disputed Spielberg's central themes. But the Hollywood director, along with Kushner, ignored them and insisted on their own dark story. In fact, historical accounts of Israel's decision to target leaders of Black September, the group responsible for Munich, emphasize that the assault at the Olympics was part of a worsening series of terrorist attacks against Israel in 1972. Lod Airport had been struck twice in May with 32 killed. Only days after the September 5 Munich atrocity, an Israeli official was shot in Brussels, and two weeks later a letter bomb killed an Israeli in London. Any nation supine in the face of such intensifying terrorism invites ever more fearsome attack. Yes, Israel's new counter-campaign was reprisal for the Munich murders, but it was aimed at fighting back against a broad terrorist threat. What the various teams dispatched by Israel sought to do was standard in its general goal: Shift the balance and force the adversary onto the defensive, disrupting operations, planning and command structure. None of this common sense about self-defense and the context in which the Olympic massacre and Israeli reaction occurred are part of Munich. Instead, Israel's action battling its adversaries is cast as aberrant, bloody and counterproductive. It is no different from the assault of the terrorists and ostensibly spawns far greater violence. Thus Munich is not fictionalized fact, but a falsehood at its core. Small falsehoods too promote its thesis of Israeli culpability. For instance, Meir is said to have shunned attending the murdered athletes' funerals for fear of being booed because she refused to negotiate with the terrorists -- yet as a New York Times piece reported one week after the killings, a poll found her the most popular figure in the nation. Meir as the war-like Israeli, refusing to settle matters in peaceful dialogue, fit the picture. The movie concludes that Israel should have, in Avner's recommendation, "arrested" the terrorists "like Eichman." And, perhaps inspired by Kushner's theme of the mistaken existence of Israel, an embittered and hounded Avner abandons his homeland for all-American Brooklyn. Munich offends on other counts. A leitmotif linking Jews and money will make more than a few viewers wince. A Mossad handler growls: "I want receipts!" We're not the Rothschilds, he says, just a small country. "We need receipts. You got me? Whatever you're doing somebody else is paying for it." Or: "A Jew and a Frenchman -- we could haggle forever." In other coarse invocations of supposed Jewish banter and attitudes, a team member demands a comrade drop his pants to "see if he's circumcised" when the teammate doesn't understand the need for Jewish violence. An argument among the team has one Israeli shouting: "The only blood that matters to me is Jewish blood!" This and much like it is what passes for deep dialogue by two of America's leading entertainment lights. Indeed, it is stunning to watch Munich and realize that its director brought Schindler's List to the world. Where that was artistry drawn from truth, Munich is cinematic manipulation rooted in lies. Evidently, exploring essential truths about Jews murdered 60 years ago by a regime that no longer exists and is widely reviled is one thing. Defending the truth about Jews who, over the last half century, have continued to be targeted for murder by Palestinians, Arab states, and in recent decades Iran, and whose stalkers have enjoyed the support of the U.N., scores of NGO's, and perhaps attendees of Hollywood dinner parties, is quite another. A preceding article on this subject appears at the CAMERA web site. 5. There is a new initiative in the Knesset. Any party having 30% of its Knesset seats manned by women would get a bonus of 29,000 shekels per month per woman. No matter how incompetent or stupid the Knesset Member would be as long as having the proper set of genitals. Notice how this will not help Prof. Ruth Gavison fend off the attempt at "Borking" her and preventing her from sitting on the Supreme Court bench because she has "incorrect thoughts" (disagrees with Chief Justice Aharon Barak). Meanwhile, here are some women about whose rights the Israeli politicians could not gave a dang: "Female soldiers say IDF left them vulnerable to Qassams," www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/660721.html 6. A group of leading American Jewish asslib "leaders", leftists led by Seymour Reich, is organizing a campaign in America to support and boost Amir Peretz. (www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=660661&contrassID= 1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0) Of course, their standard of living would not be halved if Peretz were to win. 7. "Same Difference" http://israelnn.com/article.php3?id=5871 Binyamin Netanyahu beat Silvan Shalom for the head of the rump Likud, the party left over after the Sharon people bolted and joined the Peres people in co-creating Kadima, yet another party of Oslo appeasement and Israeli self-abasement. Netanyahu's victory over Silvan Shalom was not spectacular, and Moshe Feiglin came in at a respectable 12.4% for third place. As prime minister, Netanyahu was as Chamberlainian as Shimon Peres and turned Hebron over to the savages. He has been talking hawkishly in recent months, but he talked hawkishly before he was elected prime minister in the 1990s, so such talk should be regarded with acute skepticism. To Netanyahu's credit, while he did nothing at all to reform the economy as prime minister in the '90s, he was surprisingly brave and energetic in seeking reforms as the recent finance minister under Ariel Sharon. At this point, there are three contenders for prime minister. Each of them has a track record of endorsing Oslo appeasement, Israeli capitulation and Israeli self-abasement. Having noted this, there are nevertheless significant differences among the three, and the results of the next election do matter, although they will not stop Oslo no matter how they turn out. First of all, unless he has more health problems, Sharon will win. Thus, the best result that can be hoped for in the next national election is for Amir Peretz to come in third, behind Netanyahu and the Likud. That is the closest thing to a victory that Israelis can hope for at this point. That would spell an end to Peretz's career and probably also an end to the Labor party -- an end well deserved. Peretz is a demagogue who would destroy Israel economically in his attempt to restore Third World economic conditions and Bolshevik economic policies. Peretz is so incompetent, and just plain ignorant, that he would place Israel in imminent danger should any crisis develop while he were prime minister. Even worse, he might ask "Red" Shelly Yechimovich or Avishay Braverman for advice. Sharon would continue with his usual policies as the next prime minister. The biggest existential danger to Israel from this, other than the continuation of those policies themselves, would be having Ehud Olmert as Number Two (I use the term "Number Two" in all of its many Austin Powers-like meanings). Olmert is a clear and present danger, and would be the likely successor should Sharon be forced to resign due to health or death. In addition, nearly every corrupt criminal who was in the previous Likud is now a "leader" in Kadima. So, law and order would not be the strong suit of a new Sharon government. Likud is the most likely coalition partner of Kadima and, as such, it would probably put Netanyahu back in the finance ministry, which is a somewhat good reason for people to vote for Likud. The Judea, Samaria and Gaza Council endorsed Netanyahu in the primaries, over Feiglin. Feiglin still has problems being taken seriously by the general public, his two main weaknesses continuing to be the presence of Kahanists at his side and his image as a theocrat. Most Israelis, including most Likud members, seem to think these problems signal general shallowness. The right-wing opposition is, as usual, confused and incompetent. At the moment, some people are trying to build an opposition coalition between the National Union, the only truly anti-Oslo party, and the National Religious Party (NRP). The NRP pays some lip service to opposing Oslo appeasement, but, in reality, it gladly would move Israel back to its 1949 borders in exchange for some subsidies for its schools and yeshivas. A hopeful sign is that Meretz, with Yossi Beilin at its helm, is lagging in the polls, what with the Peres Left following its leader into Kadima. Reduction of Meretz to the endangered species list would, of course, be a great benefit, deserving of a hatov vehameitiv blessing. 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. |
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AL QAIDA SUSPECTS' DEFENSE: "JIHAD IS 'MUSLIM OBLIGATION'"
Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, December 21, 2005. |
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This is not some sort of anti-Muslim spoof. This is real and show the depth of contempt they have for the infidel. This news item is called "Jihad is 'Muslim obligation'" and it is archived at http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2440692005 A lawyer defending al Qaida-linked suspects standing trial for the 2003 suicide bombings in Istanbul told a court that jihad, or holy war, was an obligation for Muslims and his clients should not be prosecuted. "If you punish them for this, tomorrow, will you punish them for fasting or for praying?" Osman Karahan -- a lawyer representing 14 of the 72 suspects -- asked during a nearly four-hour speech in which he read religious texts from an encyclopedia of Islam. The November 2003 blasts targeted two synagogues, the British Consulate and the local headquarters of the London-based HSBC bank, killing 58 people. The Arabic word jihad can mean holy war among extremists in addition to its definition as the Islamic concept of the struggle to do good. Karahan spoke for three hours at the court in Istanbul. "If non-Muslims go into Muslim lands, it is every Muslim's obligation to fight them," Karahan said. A panel of three judges for the fiercely secular Turkish Republic listened to Karahan patiently, without speaking, as the defence lawyer read from four thick file folders. Twenty-nine of the suspects were brought to the courthouse for the hearing, handcuffed and escorted by paramilitary police. They sat in the middle of the courtroom, surrounded by police. More than a dozen other lawyers were also present but only Karahan spoke in the morning session. Later in the day, several defendants acknowledged receiving training at foreign camps for Islamic militants or making plans to carry out acts of extremist violence, but all but one denied a link to the Istanbul bombings or to al Qaida. Aryeh Zelasko lives in Beitar Illit, south of Jerusalem. He is Director of Sales and Marketing of Israel Visit (www.israelvisit.co.il) which provides information and an internet buying facility for American visitors to Israel. Contact him at zelasko@actcom.co.il |
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PALESTINIAN FIRE ROCKET FROM FORMER JEWISH SETTLEMENT OF DUGIT ON SUNDAY
Posted by Marlene Young, December 20, 2005. |
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On Sunday, Palestinian terrorists fired rockets at the Israeli Power Plant in Ashkelon from the former Jewish Settlement of DUGIT. On Tuesday, a Palestinian rocket fire from DUGIT landed in an IDF Army Base and near Sderot. Every excuse given for the Expulsion of Jews from Dugit and other Jewish Settlements is now exposed as completely wrong. The former Jewish Settlement of Dugit is being used by PA terrorists as a launching pad for rockets at Ashkelon. It is now proven that the Jewish Settlements PROTECTED other Israeli cities from Palestinian rocket attacks. Yet, there was practically no coverage of this story, which was overshadowed by Ariel Sharon's mysterious hospitalization. Have you seen any news organization ask Ariel Sharon about the Palestinian rocket fire from the evacuated Jewish Settlement of DUGIT, have they asked him how he can explain his expulsion of Jews and destruction of Jewish towns, in light of the Palestinians' current use of the "land for peace" for Rocket launching against Israel? Or how he can explain the terror attacks in Netanyah, Hebron and Hadera after he expelled 10,000 Jews for the Palestinians? Have you seen any Jewish organization who either supported or kept silent about the Jewish Expulsion, now speak out in the media about the Palestinian rocket fire from DUGIT? Why would they be silent about the use of evacuated Jewish property by PA terror groups for rocket attacks? Why are they silent about the PA terror attacks in Netanyah, Hebron and Hadera after the Expulsion? It is precisely because Sharon and his minions and sycophants on the Left are not willing to admit they made a mistake, that they were wrong, that they must continually keep strengthening their resolve to continue their destructive behavior and cover up their blunders with irrational attacks against the Right and employ dictatorial measures to suppress those they have abused. The very fact that there is no logical explanation for expelling law-abiding Jews and giving away Jewish land to active terrorist enemies, is what drives Sharon, Mofaz, Olmert, Peres and every other leader to cling to power using every diabolical means of the corrupt Liberal Left Socialist establishment they created, using ever increasing brutality against their opposition. We are taught that lasting Jewish Kingship belongs to Yehudah, because Yehudah was uniquely able to admit that he was wrong and that someone else was right. We are instructed in the Torah that this is the Paramount attribute of Jewish Kings, leaders- that they must be able to admit when they are wrong, and be guided by a value system and not by their own selfish whims of power and greed. We can see from our History, and from a failed leader like Ariel Sharon, what happens to leaders who cannot submit to the values and morals of a higher power, to a Greater Authority, and admit to their own mistakes and weaknesses: they become ruthless dictators. This article is called "Israel threatens to cut off power to Gaza strip" and was written by Ze'ev Schiff, Haaretz correspondent. Nir Hasson contributed to this report. It appeared today and is archived at www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/660361.html Israel is threatening to cut off the Gaza Strip's electricity supply if a Qassam rocket hits a vital Israeli infrastructure facility. On Sunday, after a Qassam rocket fired from Gaza landed not far from an Israel Electric Corporation power plant south of Ashkelon, Israel told thePalestinian Authority that it planned to shut off power for two hours in the early hours of Monday morning, as a warning of things to come if the Qassam fire did not stop. However, implementation was indefinitely postponed to give the main Palestinian hospital in Gaza time to purchase emergency generators. The Qassam rocket fired at the power plant which, according to the Israel Defense Forces, was launched from the ruins of the settlement of Dugit, in the northern Gaza Strip, was the second rocket fired at Ashkelon in the past week. Five Qassams landed in Israel Tuesday: one on an army base, and the other four in open areas near Sderot and the western Negev. Israel realiated by shelling the open areas from which the rockets were launched. The Qassams caused neither casualties nor property damage, but the Red Dawn warning system in Sderot went off twice Tuesday evening, sending the town's residents scurrying for shelter. Cutting off Gaza's electricity would not only turn off all the lights in the Strip, but would also cause damage to many workshops and factories. Israel has never before taken such a step, just as it has never interfered with the PA's water supply, and at least some Palestinian leaders apparently believe that Israel would never dare to do so. During a high-level discussion among Israeli officials, some argued that such a step would be ineffective because to the Palestinian terror organizations, the most important thing is hurting Israel -even if this also results in serious harm to the Palestinians. However, the prevailing view was that Palestinian public opinion could pressure the terrorist organizations to restrain their attacks if many Palestinians came to feel that the price they were paying for such attacks was too high. Contact Marlene Young at marleneyoung1@yahoo.com |
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ABOUT HANUKAH
Posted by Salah Choudhury, December 20, 2005. |
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Hello: Another New Year is just very near. I would like to express my profound and very best wishes on the New Year to you and members of your family. Let the New Year Bring everything great and best for your. As you know, in Blitz (http://www.weeklyblitz.net) we are continuously publishing positive articles and items on Israel. We are also publishing articles on each of the Jewish festivals, to educate our people in Bangladesh, who are unfortunately extremely unware of such festivals. Of course, this is the result of hatred and propaganda spread by Muslim clerics in Mosques and Madrassas. But, being an independent newspaper, Blitz is committed to battle against these nasty radicals. We are continuing our fight against these elements with your precious encouragement and support. As we know, Hanukah is very near. I am looking for some good articles on this event, so that we can give good coverage to Hanukah as we did during Rosh Hashanah etc. May you kindly write or refer any write up of the topic and oblige. Shalom Uvracha... Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury The writer is a journalist, columnist, author, and publisher and editor of "Weekly Blitz". Email him at salahuddinshoaibchoudhury@yahoo.com |
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THE NAZI CONNECTION TO ISLAMIC TERRORISM
Posted by Chuck Morse, December 20, 2005. |
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My book, "The Nazi Connection to Islamic Terrorism, Adolf Hitler and Haj Amin al-Husseini," (ISBN 0595289444) deals with the relationship between Grand Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Mufti of Jerusalem, and Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany. I believe that Amin al-Husseini helped to infuse the ideas of Nazism into political Islam to create a new ideology of Islamofascism. I believe that this ideology plays an important role in explaining Islamic terrorism. The book documents how Amin al-Husseini furthered the Nazi cause by instigating a pro-Nazi coup in Iraq in 1941, by urging Nazis and pro-Nazi governments in Europe to transport Jews to death camps, by recruiting pro-Nazi Bosnian brigades, and by fomenting violence against Jews in the British Mandate of Palestine. This review was written by Dr. Samuel L. Blumenfeld and appeared in World Net Daily April 5, 2004 (www.wnd.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=37888). The Nazi Connection to Islamic Terrorism, Adolf Hitler and Haj Amin al-Husseini," provides the clearest, most incisive history of how Islamo-fascism and Jihad terrorism have become the dominant political philosophy in the Arab world. It is the untold story of how Nazism took root in the Islamic world through the untiring efforts of the mufti of Jerusalem, whose aim it was to destroy the Jews in Palestine. Morse writes: "The Nazi Holocaust appears to have kicked into high gear on Nov. 25, 1941, during a Berlin meeting between the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini (1895-1974) and the Nazi Fuhrer of Germany, Adolf Hitler. At that well-documented meeting, Hitler promised al-Husseini, the Palestinian pan-Arab leader, that after securing a dominant military position in Europe, he would send the Wehrmacht, the Nazi war machine, on a blitzkrieg across the Caucasus and into the Arab world under the guise of liberating the Arabs from British occupation." It should be noted that merely two months after the Hitler-Husseini meeting, the infamous Wansee Conference took place in which the Nazis produced their plan to exterminate the Jews of Europe. Although Husseini spent the war in Germany, he managed to flee the advancing Allied forces and made his way to Cairo. While the captured Nazi leaders were tried at Nuremberg, Husseini escaped judgment and became the major force in transferring Hitler's program of genocide to the Arab world. During the war, he had recruited Bosnian Muslims to serve in Nazi-Muslim SS Hanshar brigades which slaughtered Jews and Christian Serbs in Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia. Memory of that slaughter was one of the reasons why the Serbs went after the Bosnian Muslims 50 years later. After the war, Husseini established working links between Nazis and Arabs in the Muslim world. He also got rid of anyone who stood in his way. That is why moderate Arabs are so rare. Husseini killed most of them. He began his public career after World War I, when moderate Arab leader Emir Feisal signed an agreement with Chaim Weizmann recognizing the Balfour Declaration, which facilitated the development of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Feisal believed that a Jewish Palestine would help the newly liberated Arab world develop into modern states with prosperous economies. But Husseini refused to accept a Jewish Palestine, and he instigated pogroms to force the Jewish settlers out. The first pogrom took place in 1920. Morse writes: "In 1921, shortly after the launching of the 1920 pogrom and for reasons that will forever remain shrouded in mystery, Sir Herbert Samuel, a British Jew who had been appointed as British High Commissioner of the Palestine Mandate that same year, appointed al-Husseini as Grand Mufti of Jerusalem." Despite vigorous opposition to this appointment, Husseini proceeded to instigate violence against the Jews in Palestine and spread hatred of Jews throughout the Arab world, brutally purging any Arab who opposed him. In 1937, Husseini met with Adolf Eichmann in Palestine and became a full-fledged paid Nazi agent. In 1941, Husseini moved on to Baghdad where he helped organize the pro-Nazi Rachid Ali officers' coup against the British government in Iraq. When the coup failed, Husseini fled to Rome and then to the Third Reich. One of the Iraqi coup plotters was Gen. Tufah Khariallah -- uncle, guardian, mentor and future father-in-law of Saddam Hussein. The mufti was also a mentor to Yasser Arafat, who is believed to be Husseini's nephew. Overlooked in the history books is the fact that about 100,000 European Muslims fought on the Nazi side in World War II. They included two Bosnian Muslim Waffen SS Divisions, an Albanian Waffen SS Division in Kosovo and Western Macedonia, the Waffengruppe der-SS Krim, formations consisting of Chechen Muslims from Chechnya, and other Muslim formations in Bosnia-Hercegovina. Bosnian Muslims, who were in the Croatian pro-Nazi Ustasha, were especially brutal toward the Christian Serbs. In 1943, a report on Ustasha activities stated: "The Ustasha terror began in Mostar. The Ustashi, the majority of them local Mohammedans, are arresting, looking, and shipping off Serbs or killing them and throwing the bodies in the Neretva River. They are throwing Serbs alive into chasms and are burning whole families in their homes. Outside of Zagreb the strongest Ustasha hotbed is Sarajevo. The Muslims committed unbelievable barbarities for they murdered women and children even with scissors." After reading this book you will have no trouble understanding the origin of Islamo-fascism and Jihad terrorism. The author has packed the book with detailed documentation as well as photographs showing Husseini inspecting his Nazi-Muslim troops. Morse shows how Husseini's legacy of hate and murder -- and his aim to destroy Israel -- have been carried forth by Arafat and his murderous Palestinian terrorists right to the present. The book is available through Amazon.com. Chuck Morse, a journalist and radio talk show host from Boston, who writes a regular syndicated column for World Net Daily and Newsmax.com. He is running for Congress against Barney Frank. Dr. Samuel L. Blumenfeld is the author of eight books on education, including: "Is Public Education Necessary?" "NEA: Trojan Horse in American Education," "The Whole Language/OBE Fraud" and "Homeschooling: A Parents Guide to Teaching Children." His books are available on Amazon.com. Back issues of his incisive newsletter, The Blumenfeld Education Letter, are available online. |
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IRAQ COULD BE READY TO BLOW!
Posted by Uniglicht, Lawrence, December 20, 2005. |
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Results are rolling in as votes are counted in Iraq, no doubt a milestone for U.S. President G.W. Bush's preemptive invasion and consequential overthrow of the secular tyrant Sadist Hussein. With swagger, Bush suggests that such a hoped for event is a momentous occasion, proving that freedom and democracy can triumph even within a region replete with dysfunctional autocratic regimes. Be careful what you wish for G.W.; the democratically elected government begins to emerge with a theological bent not exactly in tune with principles inherent to the inspiring stars and stripes draped in red, white, and blue; certainly not in tune with principles inherent to the inspiring star of David draped in white and blue. In fact, few tunes may be forthcoming from this nascent likely Shiite dominated nation sadly quite in tune with its proximate Persian neighbor that has banished all Western tunes from the ears of its suppressed subjects. Furthermore, it's the revolting revolutionary soon-to-be-nuclear Persian potentate's fondest dream to wipe Israel off of his Islamic infidel-bereft Cro-Magnon map; no doubt with a bit of coaxing his newly elected enlightened Shiite pals might be disposed to the same predilection. Facts on the ground, as a result of this not so egalitarian election, also indicate intrepid independent secular Kurds will settle up north in a virtual Kurdistan, enriched by the oil-rich metropolis Kirkuk, in effect thumbing their noses at the Islamic zealot majority, themselves in possession of southern Iraq's fossil fuel underground Bonanza. 'No thick black soup for you' will however be the clarion call from the hallowed halls of Shiite Baghdad to the disrespected double-crossed dirt poor Sunni contingent of this Muslim troika, alas, controlling perhaps a mere twenty percent of Iraq's scorpion infested desert with not one oil rig to its name. Might an uncivil civil war thus be in the offing, instituted by the former winners now losers in the new-Iraqi sweepstakes, where it's good to be a Koran obsessed Shiite, good to be an independent secular Kurd, but not so good to be one of Sunni Saddam's former minions. Most importantly, will all this be good for the planet? Of course not! For the sake of worldwide security, a Middle Eastern conflagration is not an option. Hence, prescient nations of all continents within both hemispheres must unite and form M.E.T.O. i.e. Middle Eastern Treaty Organization. In a precariously emerging century twenty-one, a cadre of nations focused on maintaining a peaceful coexistence among rival Middle Eastern tribes and regimes dwarfs the relevance of both N.A.T.O and S.E.A.T.O. The purpose of the coalition of forces will be to avert any destabilizing events in arguably the world's most volatile region. The disrespected nation of Israel must surely not be excluded from this coalition. In fact, as a gesture of goodwill, the inauguration of this military and political vanguard can be held in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. Such an undertaking must be prompt as the Iraqi tinderbox is surely smoking. Our one home in the universe must not be subjected to the potentially lethal collateral damage of an ominous inferno in the gut of the Middle East. It is the duty of all civil nations to preserve the integrity of this fledgling nation or all of mankind will bear the consequences. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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THERE ARE NO EXCUSES
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 20, 2005. |
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When will intrepid Islamic leaders broadcast in Arabic through Al-Jazeera "Muslims who commit horrific homicidal/suicidal acts of presumed martyrdom blaspheme the Koran hence will writhe in agony through all eternity"? Filthy fanatics recruit vulnerable brethren with profane promises of virginal trysts in paradise, seducing them to become such weapons of choice on a daily basis within the fledgling unstable post-Sadist Hussein Iraq despite the efforts of beleaguered coalition and civilized Iraqi forces. Israel indeed is not off limits to this scourge of humankind, nor is any other place on this imperiled planet. Mesmerized mindsets must be reprogrammed forthwith by those with the power to do so. A strategic plan must be enacted to maximize the effects of this cleansing process. Counteracting words must spread through every Muslim mosque and neighborhood. It is almost incomprehensible that moral Islamic theologians allow their faith to be tainted by such twisted minds. Furthermore, how can they stand on the sidelines when racist sadistic blood thirsty Arab Muslims murder hapless non-Arab Black African Muslims in the Darfur region of Sudan? How much subhuman brutality will it take before the pious purveyors of moderate Islam scream enough! When will they verbally skewer the metastasized cancer that corrupts the essence of their gospel? When will they demand that all good Muslims obey a moral code of ethics? When will they demand that Muslim authorities crush those extremists that incite homicidal/suicidal behavior? When will they demand that the feckless Kofi Annan sends troops to stop the bleeding in Sudan? There are no excuses. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 'TIS THE SEASON TO CELEBRATE THE TRIUMPH OF LIBERTY OVER TYRANNY.
Posted by IsrAlert, December 20, 2005. |
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This is by Emanuele Ottolenghi, and it appeared today in the National Review (www.nationalreview.com/script/printpage.p?ref=/comment/ ottolenghi200512200839.asp). Emanuele Ottolenghi teaches Israel studies at Oxford University. Let's embarrass Iran's evil regime. During this festive season, let's light some Hanukkah candles in front of their embassies. In Jewish tradition, Hanukkah is the festival of lights, because it celebrates the survival of the Jewish people against the onslaught of a tyrannical regime that denied them the freedom to practice their faith freely. Under the leadership of a priestly family, the Jews rebelled and fought against their oppressors. Eventually, they managed to gain back control of Jerusalem's Holy Temple, which their enemies had turned into a pagan shrine where pigs -- that most unholy of animals in Jewish tradition -- were being sacrificed to pagan gods. Having smashed the idols, so the story goes, the revolt's leaders sought the oil necessary to light the Temple's candelabra, in order to re-consecrate the sanctuary. This they only found in small quantities, enough to last a day, but well short of the minimum eight days needed to prepare the oil in conformity with the needs of worship. And here's the miracle: The tiny oil quantity, meant to last for just a day, kept the lights on for the full eight days. The Hanukkah lights thus symbolize the triumph of light over darkness, of hope over despair, and of freedom over tyranny. In remembrance, Jews light candles for eight days, starting from one candle the first night and adding one candle each day, to show how freedom's light, and the hopes it feeds, grows from strength to strength. This symbol makes Hanukkah not only a Jewish holiday. The triumph of liberty over tyranny, through the resolve believers who refuse to bow to a brutal regime is the story of America's Founding Fathers and of their ethos of freedom. Their pursuit of religious freedom brought them to unwelcoming shores. There, despite the odds, they eventually built a free society, where belief, however outlandish and deviant from established church doctrine, would never again become ground for persecution. Americans should therefore find no difficulty identifying with Hanukkah lights. Though a Jewish tradition, their message is universal, a powerful reminder that tyranny can be defeated and freedom restored. Americans fought for their freedom long ago. But freedom should know no boundaries; and tyranny should be given no quarter. A tyrant rules over Iran today and his mad quest for nuclear weapons is now matched by a murderous rhetoric against the Jewish people and the state of Israel. Despite placing its genocidal designs and its quest for the tools to achieve them in the plain light of day, the decent nations of the world have so far done little to dissuade Iran. With Iran so close to completing a nuclear fuel cycle and with its arsenals now acquiring new and longer-range missiles, the threats of its leaders may soon become more than just bellicose verbal abuse. Yet, there is little sign that the international community will act. Forget military action, forget sanctions: Even the highly symbolic idea of launching a ban on Iran's soccer team from next year's world cup, though gaining momentum in Europe, has so far been dismissed by FIFA (the international football association in charge of the tournament). So here's an idea that ordinary citizens can adopt as a reminder to governments that in the end, for any hope to survive, we need freedom to triumph over tyranny. This year, Hanukkah coincides with Christmas. On December 27, the third night of Hanukkah, Hanukkah candles should be lit in public ceremonies across the streets, in front of Iranian embassies around the world. Jewish communities should organize a lighting ceremony in all those capital cities where Iran has an embassy, and in New York it should be done in front of the U.N. building, right beside the Iranian flag. According to Jewish law, anyone can light the Shamash, the candle that is used to light all others. Prominent leaders with bipartisan support should be invited to perform this symbolic act to reaffirm the light of freedom over the darkness of tyranny. And other public figures should endorse this initiative as a message to the Iranian authorities. The idea was recently launched by two London activists, and is already gaining support and sympathy elsewhere. Rome may soon follow, and so should other capitals of Europe and the Western world. Since the free world's leaders remain unwilling to give a strong and decisive answer to Iran's tyranny, ordinary citizens should perform this simple gesture of defiance, which for centuries Jewish families and communities across the world have done. This is a reminder that in the end, despite the odds, the light of freedom must, and therefore can, triumph over the darkness of tyranny. SEE ALSO: "MI chief: Int'l pressure delayed Iran's nuclear bid by two years" by Gideon Alon, Haaretz Service. The diplomatic pressure the international community has exerted on Iran delayed the Islamic state's nuclear development plan by two years, Director of Military Intelligence Major General Aharon Ze'evi (Farkash) said on Tuesday. Ze'evi, who was making his last appearance before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said that Iran was, nevertheless, determined to secretly continue its bid to develop a nuclear bomb. He also said that today Iran's nuclear aspirations constitute a real threat to western countries. Ze'evi said that Iran had recently received 12 cruise missiles with a 3,000-km range, which are capable of carrying nuclear warheads. 18 such missiles were transported from Ukraine to Russia, of which 12 had somehow managed to end up in Iranian hands. The other six were received by China. According to the military intelligence chief, there are growing fears that Palestinian terror groups would smuggle into the Gaza Strip weapons, including anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles as well as Katyusha rockets. The introduction of such weapons in the conflict would break the existing weapon-balance, Ze'evi said. Terror groups are making every effort to get such weapons into the Strip, he said, that being despite the great efforts the Palestinian and Egyptian security forces are putting into preventing it. The Israel Defense Forces must prepare for such a possibility, he said. Harv Weiner, a businessman in Dallas, Texas, is the founder and moderator of Isralert. To subscribe to IsrAlert, send an email to isralert@aol.com |
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MOTHER WHO SENT SONS ON SUICIDE MISSIONS BECOMES HAMAS CANDIDATE
Posted by Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook, December 20, 2005. |
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Mother sent sons on suicide missions, becomes Hamas candidate: Indicates value of terror in Palestinian society Transforming Palestinian society into one that unabashedly embraces terror has necessitated terror promotion at all levels of its social, educational and political infrastructure. One of the most important components has been the indoctrination of mothers to see the deaths of their sons as positive -- even beneficial -- for their sons and their family status. The Palestinian Authority has accordingly made it a principle to honor not only suicide terrorists but also the mothers who actively send their sons on suicide terror missions, as well as the mothers who express joy after their sons' Shahada -- Death for Allah. A striking example of this glorification of mothers of terrorists is the case of Um Nidal, who has recently been chosen to be a candidate on the Hamas list in the upcoming Palestinian Authority parliamentary elections. Um Nidal, who appears at right in an image from the Hamas website honoring the mothers of suicide terrorists, participated in a farewell ceremony in which she sent her 17-year-old son to die through terror, "ordering him not to return except as a shahid [martyr for Allah]." In an interview recorded after her son murdered five Israeli teenagers in a suicide mission, she explained that it was a mother's love for her son that motivated her to be joyous over his Shahada death. Um Nidal's parting ceremony and interview were filmed, and turned Um Nidal into a heroine and role model in Palestinian society. To get a sense of the status in PA society of mothers who send their sons to die, note the way that even a self-proclaimed moderate like Sari Nusseibeh, president of Al-Quds University, addressed her during an interview. Um Nidal (explaining why she sent her son to die): "My son is not dearer than Islam. I have offered him as a gift and a sacrifice to Allah, may he be glorified, and to His true faith...." Sari Nusseibeh: "What comes to mind as I listen to sister Um Nidal is the verse 'Paradise is under the feet of the mothers'. Praise is due to this woman, and to every Palestinian mother..." [Al-Jazeera, July 14, 2002,http://www.aljazeera.net/channel/archive/archive? ArchiveId=90809] Um Nidal didn't stop at one son. She has proudly sent three of her sons to their death as terrorist shahids. Palestinian society has responded by dubbing her the "Al-Khansah of Palestine (see also http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/am/publish/article_15771.shtml). Al-Khansa is a a heroic figure from Islamic history who is glorified and revered solely for celebrating the deaths of her four shahid sons. The PA has underscored the importance of joyfully sacrificing sons for Allah in many different ways, including by naming five girls' schools - in Bethlehem, Jenin, Nablus, Khan Yunis and Rafah -- after Al-Khansah, sending a clear message to young and impressionable girls about their future role as the mothers of shahids. Al-Khansah was also honored in the Palestinian Authority's recognition of International Women's Day in the form of a televised play and official sermon. Because of her status as a role model, Um Nidal is once again in the news. She has been chosen to be a candidate on the Hamas list in the upcoming Palestinian Authority parliamentary elections. It is striking, and indicative of the very nature of Palestinian society as one that accepts and values terror as a way of life, that a woman could be chosen to be a legislator solely by virtue of her celebration of her son's terrorism and death. To see two current Hamas election videos that give prominence to Um Nidal, and the video from Palestinian Media Watch archives of her sending her 17-year-old son to his death, as well as her interview after his suicide terror attack, click: http://www.pmw.org.il/asx/um_nidal.asx From PMW archives -- Palestinian mother's celebrating sons' death To see a mother describe the suicide death of her two sons as a "wedding," click: http://pmw.org.il/asx/PMW_UmmAjrami%20171104_9.asx To see a mother describe how she prayed during her pilgrimage to Mecca for her son to die as a shahid, click: http://pmw.org.il/asx/PMW_MeccaShahid_7.asx To view a Palestinian Authority social welfare official explain how the Palestinian Authority teaches its "daughters and granddaughters" to celebrate the death of sons as a wedding, click: http://pmw.org.il/asx/PMW_SanaAida.asx To see a mother describe how her son sought Shahada in order to marry the "Dark Eyed" -- the 72 maidens (or virgins) of Paradise, click: http://pmw.org.il/asx/PMW_momVirgins_7.asx To view a mother describing how she hoped her son would die because "I wanted the best for him," and because it would bring honor to her entire family, click: http://pmw.org.il/asx/PMW_Shadi_mom_7.asx A PA TV video clip, broadcast for years, directed mothers to send their sons to battle. The actress portraying a mother is shown expressing the traditional sound of joy after her son is killed. She then hands his gun to her next son and sends him into combat. To view the clip, click: http://pmw.org.il/asx/PMW_momGun_7.asx The mother of a murderer of three Israelis describers her joy upon hearing of her son's death, and recounts that he aspired to Shahada because, in the son's words, "72 Dark Eyed [Maidens] of Paradise are waiting for me." To view the clip, click here: http://pmw.org.il/asx/PMW_Fuda_9.asx Itamar Marcus is director of PMW -- Palestinian Media Watch - (http://www.pmw.org.il). PMW is based in Jerusalem. Barbara Crook, a writer and university lecturer based in Ottawa, Canada, is PMW's North American representative. |
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IS THERE ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUS? TWO VIEWS
Posted by David Meir, December 20, 2005. |
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Professor Biale's title says it all: "Hateful comments do not represent all of academia". He is right. But no one said "all". He creates a straw-man argument which he easily dis-assembles ... while leaving the real problem unaddressed. Gary Tobin deals with the real problem: the rising tide of anti-Semitism, anti-Israel sentiment, and growing high-profile volatile and in some cases violent Moslem student protest against anything and everything relating to Israel and to the criticism of Islam in any context -- across many campuses all over the country, in Canada, and in the UK. Professor Biale speaks of the reality on his campus. I assume he knows what he is talking about regarding his campus ..and only his campus. Gary Tobin speaks from his research and experience relating to scores, if not hundreds, of campuses across the western world. Professor Biale's assessment is worse than useless, because it actually does harm. It pretends that what may be the reality in his little corner of academia is indeed reality across the world. And in doing that, it seeks to turn our attention away from the all-too-real problems on campuses which, if left unaddressed, may create a campus environment that is overtly hostile to Jews, Judaism, and Israel. "Hateful comments do not represent all of academia," by David Biale, December 18, 2005 (www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/ 27874/format/html/displaystory.html).q Elements of the Jewish community have evidently decided that the latest front in the War on Terror and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are Middle East Studies programs around the country. Capitalizing on a few isolated incidents, they have turned a tempest in a teapot into Hurricane Katrina. Martin Kramer of the Institute for Near Eastern Studies, who is one of those leading this quixotic charge, has even claimed that the bias in such programs is responsible for U.S. intelligence failures in predicting the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and 9/11! There are, without a doubt, anti-Semites and anti-Israel faculty members on university campuses. And there have been highly unpleasant incidents at a handful of schools. But it is interesting that those most vociferous in claiming pervasive or endemic anti-Semitism -- like Kramer, Daniel Pipes and Gary Tobin -- don't actually teach at American universities. From the outside, it may appear that a hateful comment by a professor represents the whole institution. From the inside, the picture is often very different. For example, when Palestinian professor Joseph Massad at Columbia University addressed an Israeli student in a fashion that certainly deserved censure, those eager to find an anti-Semitic conspiracy ended up turning him into a martyr and guaranteeing him tenure. Colleagues at Columbia have told me that their prior doubts about this instructor were drowned out by the din of external propaganda. At my own university, U.C. Davis, I've received several ominous phone calls from those certain that the growth of Middle Eastern Studies on the campus is a stalking horse for anti-Semitism. But what is going on at Davis disproves this contention. A course that I developed on the History of Modern Israel has been included in the Middle East Studies curriculum, and a member of the Jewish Studies Committee has been involved in the development of the new program from the outset. Far from excluding Israel, several of my colleagues in Middle Eastern Studies have been eager to develop comparative studies and courses between Israel and its Arab neighbors. So, at least at Davis, we are working hard to create a model of collaboration between Jewish Studies and Middle Eastern Studies. The bill recently passed by the U.S. Senate to establish oversight of Middle East Studies departments receiving Title VI money, while not inherently a bad idea, runs the risk of engendering government intimidation of academic programs. The strength of our university system lies in its ability to govern itself and to encourage the free inquiry of ideas. As the disastrous loyalty oath controversy in the 1950s showed, when government tries to exert control over universities, the result is the weakening of academic institutions. Like any other human community, universities are susceptible to intellectual fads and "group think." Diversity of opinion is definitely desirable on the Middle East as on any other subject. But such diversity will not come from a government Diktat, but instead from the self-regulation of the academic marketplace. It is certainly legitimate for those outside the universities to express their views and criticisms. But they should know what they are talking about before they do so. In particular, they need to distinguish between political opinions and academic work. Good scholars may broadcast all kinds of ideas when they write op-eds and give speeches. The real test is whether such opinions infiltrate their academic writing and teaching in illegitimate ways. There are, of course, always those for whom politics are the tail wagging the academic dog. But most academics who hold strong views are able to do so without compromising the academy's standards of objectivity. Finally, on the question of anti-Semitism on the college campuses, it is, of course, necessary to remain vigilant. At Davis, for example, a Palestinian lecturer (from another U.C. campus) was invited by a student group to give a talk. He singled out three Jewish students and told them that for them to attend his talk was like the Ku Klux Klan attending a talk by the NAACP. Vigorous intervention by Hillel and the Jewish Studies Program got the administration's attention and strong measures were quickly taken to censure such gross intimidation. Yet, as outrageous as this incident was, it would be a mistake to generalize that anti-Semitism is rife on the Davis campus. The overwhelming majority of Davis students harbor no ill will toward their Jewish counterparts. Before we say that the sky is falling, let's keep some perspective. As someone who regularly lectures in France, I think I know what real anti-Semitism looks like on a university campus. And as someone who teaches the Holocaust, I have a sense of what it was like to be a Jewish student at the University of Berlin in 1933 or the University of Warsaw in 1938. We are very, very far from those situations and in a time when we have real enemies, let's not inflate those who only marginally exist. David Biale is Emanuel Ringelblum professor of Jewish history and director of the program in Jewish studies at U.C. Davis. "In order to restore accountability, campuses need oversight," by Gary Tobin, December 18, 2005 (www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/ 27873/format/html/displaystory.html). Each spring, well-rehearsed university graduation ceremonies fill the halls of ivy and public venues. The ancient robes, the stirring music, speakers' calls to high-minded purposes feed the public's perception of universities as special institutions deserving of respect, the sacrifices of students and parents, and above all, an ample supply of taxpayer and philanthropic dollars. Universities receive all of these in abundance. Local, state and federal direct support of America's higher education system totals upwards of $175 billion, making all universities, even "private" institutions, part of a public trust. All of us, even those who never set foot on a campus, benefit from the knowledge, innovation and education that flows from academia. Universities are rightly revered as protectors of free -- if sometimes unwelcome -- speech, even as they have been at the forefront of condemning hate speech and racial and religious intolerance. Yet higher education has become the last institutional haven for anti-Semitism, which regularly appears in the form of anti-Israelism. While most faculty members and students are not anti-Semitic, traditional anti-Semitism often masquerades as "legitimate criticism of Israeli government policies." Academia's embrace of multicultural values has been subverted to include perverse ideologies, including some that condone anti-Semitism as part of the Israel policy debate. Anti-Semitic incidents on campuses are less frequent and visible than in the earlier part of the decade. Yet they have hardly disappeared: A slide show at the University of Arizona depicted Israelis as even worse than Nazis; a cartoon in a Texas A&M newspaper juxtaposed Nazis with Israelis -- replacing the swastika with the Star of David; a flier created by Muslim student groups and funded by the Associated Students of San Francisco State University used the ancient and anti-Semitic blood libel to allege that Palestinian children are killed by Israel for ritual purposes. Universities have no problem mustering the moral courage to discipline students who commit acts of racism or misogyny. Administrators frequently sanction professors for saying something that might be impolitic. And anti-Semitic incidents have been met with swift rebuke -- but only on some campuses some of the time. This is a national problem that requires national attention. The public has a direct stake in the campus through Title VI funding, which supports Middle East and other area studies so that the United States has scholars who can guide our understanding of other cultures. Sadly, too many Middle East Studies departments produce little usable scholarly research and serve largely to foment anti-Israel sentiment. Both the Senate and the House are currently considering some kind of federal oversight of Title VI. Either bill would be a good start. Recent arguments before the Supreme Court have affirmed this basic principle: If colleges are going to take the public's money, they are accountable to the entire public. Does this mean we should usher in a rash of speech rules and new codes of conduct? No. Let's merely apply the same standards to all federal grants. Every grant issued by a federal agency includes oversight and evaluation procedures; the same should be true for Title VI grants to universities. But this is about more than financial accountability. Universities have a responsibility to uphold high moral standards. When universities in the past proved reluctant to enforce anti-segregation legislation, adapt to the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act or offer equal access to women in college sports, the federal government closed its wallet -- and sure enough, universities largely complied in order to continue receiving federal grants. The same standards should hold with universities that allow anti-Semitism to fester on their campuses. If a student newspaper persists in publishing hateful cartoons and libelous theories, stop funding it from the university budget. If a university is supposed to train students to be analytical and literate in Arabic language, and instead turns out cheerleaders for anti-Israelism, suspend public support. The university community will allege these actions would limit free speech. But college campuses are not extralegal entities that exist beyond the rules of the outside world. Abuse of the public trust cannot be without consequences. Universities already offer safeguards (the withholding of tenure, for example) for those who espouse radical hypotheses. At the same time, universities already self-regulate, so that freedom of speech does not devolve into a free-for-all. Peer review and refereeing of disputes in academic journals provide a model for the kind of structures that can and should be deployed on a range of topics, including Israel. Universities should use these tools not because of the threat of federal intervention but because it would be true to the mission of the academy. Of course, money may be a bigger mot $IDivation: If the campus loses the public's confidence, those billions of dollars will find a new home, a loss none of us can afford. Gary Tobin is the president of the Institute of Jewish and Community
Research and co-author of "The UnCivil University."
David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli,
currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern
studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director
of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org).
Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com
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AN EXAMPLE OF SHODDY MIDDLE EAST SCHOLARSHIP FROM FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Posted by Mordechai Ben-Menachem, December 20, 2005. |
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This is a fantastic example of the way US "ME Scholars" think and mislead both the US government and the population. This article is unbelievably false, in every fact. Its fallaciousness is glaring to any Israeli.
I wonder where this bloke thinks he gets his information from. "The Forgotten West Bank" was written by George Gavrilis and appeared in Foreign Affairs, January/February 2006. Gavrilis is Assistant Professor of Government at the University of Texas at Austin. This is the article preview: the first 500 of 3,683 words total. SUMMARY: The relative ease of the Gaza withdrawal has fooled many observers into thinking that the Palestinian Authority can now concentrate on consolidating its hold over the territory. Washington and its allies are pushing hard for the PA to do so. But everyone is ignoring the West Bank, where chaos is quickly mounting. If wide-scale violence erupts there, it could quickly bury the entire peace process. A DULL DISENGAGEMENT Contrary to most predictions, Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip last August was a dull affair, accomplished ahead of schedule and with little violence. Since then, as the Palestinian Authority (PA) has assumed control of the area, a relative calm has persisted. The United States and the other members of the Quartet (the group, which also includes the European Union, the United Nations, and Russia, that sponsored the "road map" for Middle East peace three years ago) have used the time to follow up on the withdrawal by focusing on two secondary projects: helping the PA build a functioning government in Gaza and pushing Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to disarm Hamas, the militant organization that has spent the last decade entrenching itself as the dominant force in the territory. American policymakers and their colleagues in Europe and at the UN see securing Gaza as a key step toward achieving Palestinian sovereignty. As President George W. Bush said on August 23, 2005, "There must be confidence -- confidence that the Palestinian people will have in their own government to perform, confidence with the Israelis that they'll see a peaceful state emerging." If Gaza becomes a viable political and economic entity ruled by Palestinian moderates, the thinking goes, Israel and the PA will soon return to the negotiating table and extend the self-rule experiment to the West Bank -- and a full-fledged Palestinian state will then quickly take shape. This logic, however, rests on misguided optimism. The orderliness of the transition from Israeli rule in Gaza seems to have convinced Washington and its allies that the PA, if pushed hard enough, could fairly easily solidify its rule there, supplanting Hamas. Indeed, the withdrawal has made Gaza the new focus of the Middle East peace process, with the Quartet deciding that this area should get the PA's undivided attention and the lion's share of a new, multibillion-dollar aid package that is scheduled to be disbursed in early 2006. To focus attention and money exclusively on Gaza, however, is a dangerous mistake for one simple reason: the West Bank, an area far larger and more populous, is in increasingly desperate straits. As in Gaza, in the West Bank the economy has been shattered by the second intifada, and Islamist extremism is on the rise. Political reform is thus desperately needed. Were the PA to concentrate all its energy on Gaza while ignoring the West Bank, this area -- with its 2.3 million residents -- could spin out of control. Should the West Bank succumb to anarchy, any gains made in the Gaza Strip would be irrelevant. Instability and violence in the West Bank would discourage Israel from pulling out of the territory, prolonging the occupation. Worse yet, allowing the West Bank to slip into chaos would undermine Israel's plan to withdraw from East Jerusalem -- the chunk of territory that is most important to most Palestinians, that is the likely capital of a future Palestinian state, and the question of whose status has derailed similarly promising ... Mordechai Ben-Menachem is at Ben-Gurion University. He can be reached by email at quality@computer.org |
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JEWS WHO SUPPORT THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT
Posted by IsrAlert, December 20, 2005. |
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The first article was written by Dennis Prager and it appeared on the Townhall website December 20, 2005 (www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/dennisprager/2005/12/20/179723.html) Dennis Prager is a radio talk show host, author, and contributing columnist for Townhall.com. The second article is called "Biting the Hand: Why is the ADL going after evangelical Christians?" and was written by David Brog, November 25, 2005. Mr. Brog, former chief of staff to Sen. Arlen Specter (R., Pa.), is the author of the forthcoming "Standing With Israel: Why Christians Support the Jewish State" (Strang Communications). 1. Dennis Prager's article. Jews who support the Christian right are "Uncle Jakes." So says a pro-Israeli Jewish official in his recent column for the Israel Policy Forum, a pro-Israel organization. "Uncle Jake" is M. J. Rosenberg's term for Jewish equivalent of "Uncle Tom." Just as the left sees conservative blacks as traitors to African-Americans, so it sees conservative Jews as traitors to the Jewish people. I am the "Uncle Jake" most criticized in the Rosenberg column. That a Jew on the left would use this term to describe Jews who support conservative Christians gives one an idea of how irrational, how hysterical are the arguments of the Jewish (and non-Jewish) left. And lacking a rational basis, they frequently rely on name-calling. Speaking personally, I have been called many things in my life, but "Jewish traitor" is a first. For the record, and offered with obvious embarrassment at having to list these things about myself, here is a brief review of my Jewish activities: From 1969 onward I was one of the leaders of the Soviet Jewry movement, beginning with being the national spokesman for the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry, the leading activist group in that cause. I have lectured in more Jewish communities in North America -- federations, synagogues of all denominations, Jewish community centers -- than almost any living Jew. And I have spoken at the national conventions of virtually every major American Jewish organization -- including Hadassah, the General Assembly of Jewish Federations; the United Jewish Campaign; AIPAC; and the American Jewish Committee. I co-wrote with Rabbi Joseph Telushkin perhaps the most widely used introduction to Judaism in the English language. I am the recipient of the American Jewish Press Association's 2004 Prize for excellence in Jewish Commentary. For seven years I was the director of the Jewish retreat center, the Brandeis-Bardin Institute. I am a founder of a Jewish day school in Southern California. I am the emcee of the annual Chabad telethon; I've been teaching the Torah at the University of Judaism for 25 years, and teach Torah at my Reform synagogue. And I have brought tens of thousands of Jews back to Judaism and Jewish identity -- Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox. How then does a Jewish writer call me, a man whose life has been so committed to the welfare of the Jewish people, a traitor to Jews? The answer is simple: To many leftist Jews, a non-leftist Jew is by definition a traitor. It's as simplistic as that. To these Jews, "left" and "Jewish" are synonyms. Just as to many on the left, "left" and "black" are synonyms. The use of this smear is the tactic of those who cannot argue. Blacks and whites who smear black conservatives such as Thomas Sowell, John McWhorter, Larry Elder, Walter Williams, and Ward Connerly as "Uncle Toms" do so because they cannot, or wish not, to engage them in intellectual argument. It's far easier to libel them than to debate them. The same libel and intellectual shallowness characterizes the Rosenberg piece. His major charge is that Jews who support conservative Christians are "Jews taking positions hostile to the Jewish people in order to stay faithful to some political agenda." And what are these positions that are "hostile to the Jewish people"? Rosenberg enumerates them: "the entire Christian Right agenda: opposing abortion, poverty programs, progressive taxation, laws that protect gays, affirmative action, the environmental movement, and feminism. Even if that portrayal of conservative positions were accurate, why are these positions "hostile to the Jewish people"? Because they are conservative positions! Again, to such minds, "left" and "Jews" are synonymous, and therefore "conservative" and "hostile to Jews" are synonymous. If you think most abortions are immoral; that a lower tax rate is better for society, including the poor; that the problem of poverty in America will not be solved by the government spending trillions more; that marriage should not be redefined; that a race-blind society is a finer society and that race-based affirmative action hurts both the recipients of the lowered standards and the society at large; that we desperately need the oil from a small percentage of the Arctic National Wildlife Preserve because doing so will help us rely less on Saudi oil and won't hurt any caribou; and think that, in retrospect, the feminist movement (as distinct from the belief in man-woman equality, which every religious conservative I know holds) hurt more men and women than it helped -- you are anti-Jewish. Such shallowness is based in part on ignorance. For example, Rosenberg writes that "He [Prager] conveniently ignores the fact that Christian Right support for Israel is largely based on a religious belief that Christ will only return after Jews are all in Israel accepting the divinity of Jesus Christ." That is the lie about Christians that the left spreads to prevent Jews from knowing the truth about Christian support for Israel: that it is rooted overwhelmingly in the beliefs that God promised the return of the Jews to Israel, that Christians are grafted onto the tree of Israel, that God blesses those who bless the Jews, that Israel is a humane democracy and its enemies are bloodthirsty and backward regimes. To Rosenberg, conservative Christians are a caricature. Rosenberg's charges that Jews who support Christian conservatives do so from nefarious motives and that Christians who support Israel do so from nefarious motives is typical of the left. They judge motives, not deeds. And the reason is clear. They are so certain of their moral superiority, they can only deduce that all those who differ with them are bad people. That's how a Jew who has devoted his life to the Jewish people can be called an Uncle Jake. 2. David Brog's article. Earlier this month, Abraham Foxman took to the podium to address the key members of his Anti-Defamation League, the leading watchdog of anti-Semitism in America. In somber tones, Mr. Foxman sounded the alarm over the "key domestic challenge to the American Jewish community and to our democratic values." The threat he described was neither Islamic terror nor assimilation but a much more imaginative one. "Make no mistake," Mr. Foxman warned, "we are facing an emerging Christian Right leadership that intends to 'Christianize' all aspects of American life, from the halls of government to the libraries, to the movies, to recording studios, to the playing fields and locker room of professional, collegiate and amateur sports, from the military to SpongeBob SquarePants." Mr. Foxman is an intelligent and experienced man. Thus one must marvel at his ability to scan the nation and determine that the key challenge facing American Jews comes from socially conservative Christians. The fate of beloved cartoon characters aside, there are very serious threats facing American Jews today, and they have nothing to do with social conservatives. Al Qaeda and the home-grown cells who serve it have targeted Jews around the world, including in America. In 2002, the FBI warned Jewish leaders that al Qaeda was plotting to attack domestic Jewish targets with gasoline trucks. In 2003, the Bush administration raised the homeland-terror threat level to orange due in part to a large volume of threats against Jewish targets. And in August, the Justice Department secured the indictments of four American Muslims in a conspiracy to attack Los Angeles synagogues. Outside of physical threats from without, Jewish life in America is seriously threatened from within by assimilation. The intermarriage rate has grown in every decade since 1970 and has now reached an alarming 47%. Only one-third of the children of these intermarriages are raised Jewish. These statistics, combined with the very low fertility rates of those Jews who do marry other Jews, explain why the Jewish population in America is steadily shrinking. Far from being the source of such threats to American Jews, Christians are actually important allies in combating them. Conservative Christians surpass Jews as proponents of a robust war on terror at home and abroad. And when it comes to assimilation, these Christians demonstrate the only solution by their example. Evangelicals take their faith seriously: They go to church, teach religion to their children, and act on their faith through good works. If Jews followed their lead, assimilation rates would plummet. More troubling than Mr. Foxman's misdiagnosis of the threats facing American Jews is his mischaracterization of Christian goals. Just because Christian activists are motivated by their Christian faith does not mean that they are seeking to "Christianize" America. As every schoolchild knows, Christian churches have been the driving force behind some of the most important social movements in America, from the abolition of slavery to the civil-rights movement. What is relevant, of course, is not a policy's source or motivation but its merits. And there is indeed merit to the agenda pursued by Christian conservatives. Evangelical Christians are rock-solid supporters of Israel--a fact that the Jewish community has belatedly begun to acknowledge and appreciate. What remains unacknowledged, and certainly not appreciated, is the fact that socially conservative Christians have become the leading proponents of Judeo-Christian values--and, therefore, traditional Jewish values--in America. When Christians recognize that human beings are influenced by the surrounding culture, and therefore seek to persuade the entertainment industry to stop degrading that culture, they are taking a stand for Jewish values. When Christians fight genocide in Darfur, Sudan, and raise funds for victims of natural disasters around the globe, they are acting out Jewish values. And yes, when Christians stand up for the sanctity of human life and oppose euthanasia or abortion as birth control, they are protecting the most fundamental of Jewish values. Jews are of course free to differ on all of the above issues, but they should not wrap themselves in the flag of Judaism when they do so. In one of the most poignant moments in the Hebrew Bible, King David's son Absalom is killed while leading a failed rebellion against his father. When David weeps for his son, David's top lieutenant, Joab, argues that the king is disgracing all those who have just risked their lives to defend him, admonishing: "You love your enemies and hate your friends." American Jews have much to learn from this story. In some ways we are Absalom, rebelling against the conservative beliefs of our religious forebears. And in other ways we are David, mourning the loss of a beloved but destructive family member--liberalism--while ignoring the true friends that surround us and preserve us. Either way, we need to follow Joab's advice and dry our eyes. Harv Weiner, a businessman in Dallas, Texas, is the founder and moderator of Isralert. To subscribe to IsrAlert, send an email to isralert@aol.com |
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PHONY TRUCE, ARABS KEEP FIGHTING; ISRAEL MANIPULATED; HIZBULLAH DIRECTS SAMARIA TERRORISM; HAMAS TACTICS
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 20, 2005. |
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THE TRUCE IS ON Bet you forgot that there is supposed to be a truce between the P.A. and Israel. The Arabs describe it as "unilateral" on their part, but they don't keep their truces any more than other agreements. They dispatch live bombs, fire rockets at Israeli towns, and stab people. Israel apprehends others trying to: set off bombs, smuggle weapons, plan imminent attacks, or drive to where they would attack. Those who propose agreements between the P.A. and Israel are naive at best. A relative told me that before WWII, people used to say, why don't Germany and the Allies get together and end their antagonism. It was naive, then. What excuse have we now Experience in WWII and the Cold War showed that totalitarian fanatics don't settle disputes. They arouse disputes and try to win. We should not make the same mistakes for which we sacrificed hundreds of thousands of lives before. Amusingly, the P.A. factions are arguing over whether to extend the phony truce. The more diehard factions object to doing so, although their cells do not respect the current truce. The P.A. government strives to gain their agreement to renewal. The government realizes that pretending to a truce, given the media's poor reporting, enables the Arabs to seem reasonable and worth dealing with. When Israel fights back, the Arabs call Israel the violator. "UNDERSTANDING" Another multi-million dollar grant to American universities by a Saudi prince has aroused controversy. Such grants come with strings. How many strings? That is not divulged. These grants are for promoting or establishing Islamic studies centers. The prince pretends to be promoting "understanding" between our two societies. Unfortunately, the faculty in Middle Eastern Studies usually misrepresent his society or at least hate our society and criticize its defense from his. The curriculum and presentation are false and defamatory, belying the goal of promoting understanding. Dissent is repressed. The Studies do not serve the American need to nurture scholars who can advise the government how to deal with Middle Eastern problems. The figt has the same goal as Saudi subsidy of madrassas: to Islamisize us. MAY A NON-ISRAELI COMMENT? Some Israelis, whether they agree with a foreign Jewish commentator or not, deny his ethical right to advise them. He is not on the front lines, taking the risk that Israelis do. Risk does not bring wisdom -- Israel muddles its affairs. Actually, terrorism has put us all on the front lines. The Land of Israel belongs to the entire Jewish people; it is not an Israeli monopoly. Friends have an ethical duty to advise against folly. WHOM DO ISRAELIS MOST DISLIKE? Most dislike the Palestinian Arabs. Among leftists, however, most dislike the settlers (IMRA, 12/12). The Arabs are trying to destroy Israel, whereas the settlers are trying to build it up. The Arabs murder and steal land; the settlers buy it. The Arabs have an ideology of warfare and hatred; the settlers want peace. The leftists must be neurotic to favor enemies. ISRAEL MANIPULATED A P.A. official explained that his agreement with the Israeli Red Shield was not P.A. recognition of Israel but implicit Israeli acknowledgment of the Territories' borders and of the Fourth Geneva Convention's applicability there. The pact was another step towards illegitimate resignation of the Jewish people's rights. It was done with the apparent unconcern or inadvertent assent of Israeli officials (IMRA, 12/12). The Arabs and the State Dept. keep whittling away at Jewish rights. The Israeli officials are the willing or unwitting accomplices. The Jewish people are the dupes. One keeps hearing that the Palestinian Arabs and Bush are stupid, just as one heard that Pres. Eisenhower was stupid. No, they all were getting their way, until Arafat and Bush went too far. The stupid ones are my people, my fellow Jews. The decent ones don't understand what is going on, and the leftist ones facilitate their own demise. ISRAELI POLITICIAN'S EXCUSE Foreign Min. Shalom was asked the difference between PM Sharon's view and his own. He said he opposes another unilateral withdrawal, "for now." He originally had opposed the first one, but accepted it when he saw it was becoming a reality (IMRA, 12/12). "For now" means he would accept the next one when he sees it "becoming a reality." Most Israeli politicians opposed the abandonment, but didn't risk their jobs with Sharon to object seriously or long. Paycheck before patria. ISRAEL CAN'T RELY ON U.S. AGREEMENTS One of the provisions of Oslo, to which the US is party, forbids terrorist candidacy in P.A. elections. Hamas is bidding to win such an election. The US expresses distaste for this, but does not insist on barring Hamas candidates. Its excuse is that the matter can be rectified after the elections. Nonsense! After the elections, who would tackle Hamas, with 40-60% of the vote and many guns? No, this is another agreement that the US made but lets the Arabs violate. The main one was not to eradicate terrorism. A HAMAS TACTIC Hamas not only uses charities as terrorist financing fronts. It runs medical facilities largely to gain public approval and members. Terrorists plan raids under cover of its medical facilities. If Israel were to bomb such a medical facility, Hamas would accuse it of a war crime. To the contrary, the war crime is the treachery of using a medical sanctuary for war. Such treachery strips the facility of its neutrality. Similarly, Hamas uses UNRWA vehicles to transport terrorists and explosives. Having infiltrated UNRWA, it indoctrinates young Arab students and runs 59 "refugee camps," almost half of them in the Territories. Like UNRWA, it uniquely defines as "refugees" refugee descendants who did not flee from Israel. Hamas riles them up and ropes them in. (Another reason for its growth is discontent with its PLO rival.) Hamas and other Islamists use such ethics and their religion in a drive to destroy the West and Israel from within and from without. Negotiation is one of their tools. Therefore, recognizing them as ruling powers or negotiating with them does not work for peace but for war -- war on their terms. Where Islamists take power, they focus on jihad more than governance. Hence the government of Iran is "an Islamic revolutionary regime that is massively corrupt, brutally repressive, and irrepressibly aggressive." (MEFNews, 12/12 from Asaf Romirowsky, FrontPageMagazine.Com..) Hamas presently is careful to avoid the corruption that typifies the PLO, so it can seem a desirable alternative to the PLO. The Islamists take their cue for tactics from Islam. They feel that the ends justify the means. So did the Nazis and Communists. If we are to resist them, we must recognize not so much that they are without ethics and mercy, but that they think differently from us. We should ask ourselves, when they make a proposal, what they really want. Would the proposal be carried out and enforced at their end? Shouldn't we treat them as an enemy to defeat and not merely fend off? Isn't the first step to deport their members and the ordinary Muslims from whom they recruit, raise funds, and gain political protection? Is it tolerant or foolish to let that type of enemy infiltrate our society? HIZBULLAH DIRECTS SAMARIA TERRORISM Hizbullah has become the main financier of terrorism operating out of Samaria. It runs these activities from a command post in Gaza (from which Sharon obligingly withdrew Israeli forces). It pays anyone willing to shoot at Israelis. It does not care for now whether they are skilled at it, for it is nurturing ideological commitment (12/12, either IMRA or Arutz-7). That is another deadly result of abandoning the security zone in Lebanon, in the vain hope of running away from Islamist infliction of casualties. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. |
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A LETTER TO MY FELLOW INFIDELS
Posted by Max Yas, December 20, 2005. |
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According to the 2005 Global Survey on Global Missions
International Bulletin of Missionary Research, approximately 169,000
Christian will have been martyred from mid-2004 to mid-2005. This
information may be confirmed by Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) at
With only a few exception, such as North Korea, these acts of
religious persecution took place in Muslim countries. One would expect
Christian Churches to come to the aid of their brothers. Instead they
meet with terrorist Hisbollah and divest from Guess Who?
American General Abizaidsaid said at a Senate Hearing: "They will
try to re-establish a caliphate throughout the entire Muslim world."
and "Just like we had the opportunity to learn what the Nazis were
going to do, from Hitler's words in 'Mein Kampf' we need to learn what
these people intend to do from their own words."
You may be reluctant to accept the opinions of an American
General, then consider these quotes from Friday sermons delivered by
Mullahs in all the Mosques around the world. "First the'Saturday
People' and then the 'Sunday People'." They took on the Jews first
because they appeared to be the easiest target and could count on
sympathy and support from those infected with century -- old
antisemitism. In this they were successful, both at the United nations
and in most Western states. The Western media is, in the large
majority, pro-Palestinian. Do they think that this policy of
appeasement will buy them immunity? NO WAY! This is appeasement and
here is what Sir Winston said on this subject: " Appeasement is
feeding your friends to a crocodile in the hope that you will be last
to be eaten."
Many Western nations expressed their extreme indignation when the
mad president of Iraq called for Israel to be 'wiped off the map", but
only the Swedish parliament ceased all bilateral contacts with the
Iranian parliament. There will be lots of talk and resolutions at the
United Nations to stop Iran's nuclear development, just as there was
on North Korea. Will the world allow the same to happen in Iran?
How long can the West tolerate statements like the one At Columbia
University? The course catalog indicates that this spring the
anthropology professor, Nicholas DeGenova, who called for "a million
Mogadishus" and said "the only true heroes are those who find ways
that help defeat the U.S. military," will be teaching a graduate class
on "The Metaphysics of Antiterrorism."
The following story makes the point:
A man told his grandson: "A terrible fight is going on inside me -- a
fight between two wolves. One is evil, and represents hate, anger,
arrogance, intolerance, and superiority. The other is good, and
represents joy, peace, love, tolerance, understanding, humility,
kindness, empathy, generosity, and compassion. This same fight is
going on inside you, inside every other person too."
The grandson then asked: "Which wolf will win?" The old man replied
simply: "The one you feed." -- Anon.
Shalom from Max
Contact Max Yas at maxyas@victoria.tc.ca |
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AND BEFORE, HE WAS ALRIGHT?
Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, December 20, 2005. |
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As is often said; G-D moves in mysterious ways. Nearly all the garbage in Israel has been collected into one can called Kadima and with their Generalissimo soon to be removed from the scene, they will all most likely be dumped at one go. According to what I have been told, this is the third stoke Sharon has suffered. It is important to understand that a stroke, light, mild or whatever, destroys parts of the brain. They are like minor earthquakes. Unlike earthquakes, however, the damage is never repaired. So each one destroys more and more of the brain. Nevertheless if Sharon is pumped up with enough drugs, he can for brief periods seem like he is functional. There will eventually be a point where even that will not help. Also, the odds are very high that he will have a major stroke in the near future and that there will no longer be any way to hide his deteriorated mental and physical state. Truly mysterious in His ways. This is a news item from today's Arutz Sheva - IsraelNationalNews.com. It is archiived at www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=95162 Sharon Released; Was More Confused than Reported Tuesday." (IsraelNN.com) Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was discharged from the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital several minutes ago, but doctors reported he was more confused than originally reported after his mild stroke Sunday. Doctors ordered that he remain in Jerusalem in order to be close to the hospital for additional tests. Doctors who treated the Prime Minister said that "what was said at the press conference [Monday], to make an understatement, is not exact," according to the Hebrew daily Ma'ariv. "The Prime Minister did not know what day it was and could not count or perform basic functions for 45 minutes. There is no obligation to reveal everything, but to release incorrect information means taking a position, and this is very problematic." At the press conference, neurology Prof. Tamir Ben Hur declared that his only problem was a "light difficulty in speaking." Aryeh Zelasko lives in Beitar Illit, south of Jerusalem. He is Director of Sales and Marketing of Israel Visit (www.israelvisit.co.il) which provides information and an internet buying facility for American visitors to Israel. Contact him at zelasko@actcom.co.il |
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THE LIKUD PRIMARIES AND OTHER MATTERS
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 20, 2005. |
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1. You remember that old joke about the guy with the cast on his arm, asking his MD, "Will I be able to play Mozart on the piano when this is removed?" The MD says, of course. The patient says, "Great, cause I could not play at all before I broke my arm." I am reminded of that when people ask if Ariel Sharon's brain will think clearly after his minor stroke. 2. Netanyahu beat Shalom for the head of the rump Likud, the party left over after the Sharon people bolted and joined the Peres people in co-creating "Kadima," yet another party of Oslo appeasement and Israeli self-abasement. Netanyahu's victory over Sylvan Shalom was not spectacular, and Feiglin came in at a respectable 15% for third place. Netanyahu as Prime Minister was as Chamberlainian as Shimon Peres and turned Hebron over to the savages. He has been talking hawkishly in recent months, but he talked hawkishly before he was elected Prime Minister in the 90s, so such talk should be regarded with acute skepticism. To Netanyahu's credit, while he did nothing at all to reform the economy as Prime Minister in the 90s, he had been surprisingly brave and energetic in seeking reforms as the recent Finance Minister under Sharon. As for Sylvan Shalom's record as Foreign Minister, see item by David Bedein below. At this point, there are three contenders for Prime Minister and each of them has a track record of endorsing Oslo appeasement, Israeli capitulations, and Israeli self-abasement. Having noted this, there are nevertheless significant differences among the three and the results of the next election do matter, although they will not stop Oslo no matter how they turn out. First of all, unless he has more health problems, Sharon will win. Thus, the best result that can be hoped for in the next national election is for Amir Peretz to come in THIRD, **behind** Netanyahu and the Likud. That is the closest thing to a victory that Israelis can hope for at this point. That would spell an end to Peretz's career and probably also an end to the Labor Party, an end well deserved. Peretz is a demagogue who would destroy Israel economically in his attempt to restore Third World economic conditions and bolshevik economic policies. Peretz is so incompetent and just plain ignorant that he would place Israel in imminent danger, should any crisis develop while he were Prime Minister. Even worse, he might ask Red Shelly Yachimovich or Avishay Braverman for advice! Sharon would continue with his policies as usual, as the next Prime Minister. The biggest existential danger to Israel from this, other than the continuation of those policies themselves, would be having Ehud Olmert as Number Two (I use the term "Number Two" in all of its many Austin Powers-like meanings). Olmert is a clear and present danger and would be the likely successor, should Sharon be forced to resign due to health or death. In addition, nearly every corrupt criminal who was in the previous Likud is now a "leader" in Kadima, so law and order would not be the strong suit of a new Sharon government. Likud is the most likely coalition partner of Kadima, and as such it would probably put Netanyahu back in the Finance Ministry, which is a somewhat good reason for people to vote for Likud. The Yesha Council endorsed Netanyahu in the primaries, over Feiglin. Feiglin still has problems being taken seriously by the general public and his two main weaknesses continue to be the presence of Kahanists at his side and his image as a theocrat. Most Israelis, including most Likud members, seem to think these problems signal general shallowness. The right-wing opposition is as usual confused and incompetent. At the moment, some people are trying to build an opposition coalition between the Ichud Leumi, the only truly anti-Oslo party, and the National Religious Party (NRP). The NRP pays some lip service to opposing Oslo appeasements but, in reality, it would move gladly Israel back to its 1949 borders in exchange for some subsidies for its schools and yeshivas. Another hopeful sign is that Meretz, with Yossi Beilin at its helm, is lagging in the polls, what with the Peres Left following Peres into Kadima. Reduction of Meretz to the endangered species list would of course be a great benefit deserving of a "Tov Oo'meitiv" blessing, should it transpire. December 20th, 2005 The test of Netanyahu's leadership, by David Bedein Following the victory of Benyamin Netanyahu as the new leader of the Likud, the question remains as how Netanyahu will cope with the policies of his major opponent -- Israel's Foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom. FM Shalom has nurtured a policy that is based on the unilateral creation of a PLO state, following the initiative of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Under the direction of FM Shalom, the Israel Foreign Ministry has formed an unprecedented working task force to pioneer a Palestinian state. Meanwhile, while Gideon Meir, the deputy bureau chief of "hasbara" for the Sylvan Shalom's foreign ministry, has been declaring that Israel's settlement policies in Judea and Samaria are "illegal", taking the position of the nations that attack Israel for the intrinsic decision to allow Jews to settle in "conquered territory". Last May, when Gideon Meir was challenged at a Bar Ilan University seminar by Bar Ilan U professor Mordecai Kedar to hear another opinion about the legality of Israeli Jewish settlement beyond the 1967 lines, he would not hear of it. FM Sylvan Shalom has ignored numerous letters that question the appropriateness of Meir's statements in this regard, which indicates that Gideon Meir's policy statement is the position taken by Sylvan Shalom. The question remains as to what Netanyahu will say and do about a foreign policy that stands diametrically opposed to the policies that Netanyahu stands for. In other words, the quality of Benyamin Netanyahu's leadership will be tested in the days to come. Will he stand on principle against the positions taken by Israeli Foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom or embrace Sylvan Shalom's policies? Moreover, since the Yesha Council and MK Uzi Landau played a crucial role in Netanyahu's decisive election victory, what will they say now about Netanyahu embracing the Sylvan Shalom/Gideon Meir foreign policy which paves the way for further unilateral Israeli withdrawals in Judea and Samaria. Time will tell. 3. Here is yet another case in which Israel's anti-racism law was not applied to an anti-Semitic racist Israeli: Arab Member of the Knesset tells "robber" Jews they should leave Israel, return to Europe (A Jew endorsing "transfer" of Arabs out of Israel would be jailed as a racist and an "inciter." Arab Member of Knesset Azmi Bishara, speaking at a Beirut book fair, said that Israel is the 20th century's greatest robbery, carried out in broad daylight. "I will never recognize Zionism even if all Arabs do," he said. "I will never concede Palestine. The battle is still long." Bishara, who recently launched his campaign to seek an additional term in Israel's parliament, left for Lebanon five days ago without receiving permission from the Interior Ministry, Yedioth Aharonoth reported Sunday. His harsh anti-Israel message at the fair was quoted by Lebanese newspaper As -Safir: "The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is not a demographic dispute, but a national one," he said. "It's not the problem of 1.2 million Palestinians living in Israel. They are like all Arabs, only with Israeli citizenship forced upon them." "We are the original residents of Palestine, not those who came from Poland and Russia," the MK added. He also addressed himself directly to Israelis: "Return Palestine to us and take your democracy with you. We Arabs are not interested in it." His remarks were received by the Lebanese with tumultuous applause. Bishara criticized nations in the region that sought warming ties with Israel: "Why does one of the Arab countries provide a home for (Foreign Minister) Silvan Shalom, while the army destroys homes in Palestine on a daily basis?" he said, referring to the foreign minister's recent visit to Tunisia, where Shalom was born. "If you want to surrender, do it, but don't force us to give in." Bishara, who has since returned to Israel, told Yedioth that his speech was "about Zionism and citizenship." He denied saying "anything new" and confirmed that "I've spoken like this in the Knesset." He has on previous occasions had his parliamentary immunity lifted to allow for indictment on opinions deemed treasonous. Yet Arab voters continually return him and his Balad party to Knesset. Indeed, Bishara has a long history of pandering to anti-Israeli sentiments among Arab citizens and has repeatedly spoken out against Israel in neighboring countries. An inveterate Jew-baiter, Bishara in 2004 called beloved Israeli poet Naomi Shemer a "racist." 4. "The Twelve Days of Oslo." Written by Steven Plaut On the first day of Oslo, my true love gave to me,
On the second day of Oslo, my true love gave to me,
On the third day of Oslo my true love gave to me,
On the fourth day of Oslo my true love gave to me,
On the fifth day of Oslo my true love gave to me,
On the sixth day of Oslo my true love gave to me,
On the seventh day of Oslo my true love gave to me,
On the eighth day of Oslo my true love gave to me,
On the nineth day of Oslo my true love gave to me,
On the tenth day of Oslo my true love gave to me,
On the eleventh day of Oslo my true love gave to me,
On the twelfth day of Oslo my true love gave to me,
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TOO MUCH SNOW WILL BLIND YOU
Posted by Angela Bertz, December 19, 2005. |
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Thirteen year old Oren Almog will never be able to enjoy the scenic beauty of the Geiranger fjord in Trondheim. He will never be able to gasp with awe as his vehicle makes its way round hairpin bends on the Trollstigen Road. He will never be able to sit spellbound on the Rauma railway as it passes through magnificent mountain scenery. He will never see the beautiful forested hills, or the ancient Nidarosdomen stone church that is one of the town's main attractions. Oren Almog today is blind. On Saturday October 4th 2003 as the people of Trondheim were probably deciding which of the beautiful attractions their city had to offer them that day, Oren Almog would also have contemplated his day. It would have been charged with excitement, worthy of any 11 year old boy. He lived thousands of miles away from the land of the midnight sun and the pristine fjords of Trondheim, although in an area of the world no less blessed with beautiful scenery. He would have woken that Saturday morning, together with his parents and nine year old brother and six year old sister. The family would probably have enjoyed a family breakfast together before setting off to join their grandparents and 11 year old cousin for a day on a sun-soaked Mediterranean beach in Haifa, Israel. Oren Almog was not blind that morning. As the Almog's were enjoying a family day at the beach another family in Israel were also enjoying a day together. Bruria Zer-Aviv was with her son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren. They were shopping that same morning in Haifa. Her grandson, Liran was scheduled to celebrate his fourth birthday the following day at nursery school and her granddaughter was just over one year's old. Liran was not destined to reach his fourth birthday. While the Almog's and Zer-Aviv's were enjoying their days and the people of Trondheim were reveling in the stunning beauty of the Geiranger fjord, which UNESCO had named as a World Heritage site, sinister events were unfolding that would change Oren Almog's life for ever. Hanadi Jaradat a 29 year old female lawyer from the Palestinian town of Jenin was also busy that morning. Despite the construction of a security fence between Israel and many populated Palestinian towns, Hanadi, dressed in Western clothes to allay suspicions successfully managed to bypass Israeli Checkpoint Border Guards. Once inside Israel she headed for Haifa. At that moment an 11 year old boy's fate was sealed. He had but a few hours left to enjoy the sight of his family and the beauty of a late summer's day. On the Southern end of the coastal town of Haifa sits Maxim restaurant. That Saturday afternoon, it was, as is usual, packed with families and people enjoying the ambience of a sunny afternoon and good food. This popular, jointly owned Arab-Jewish restaurant had for 40 years played host to hundreds of families, many of them regulars. Despite the seemingly peaceful co-existence between the Jewish-Arab population of Haifa and Amram Mitznas (the then Labour Party candidate for Prime Minister) statement "Living together alongside each other is the backbone of the city," the city had suffered four Palestinian bomb attacks in the last two years, claiming the lives of 64 people. Haifa and Oren Almog was yet again in for a devastating awakening. The gruesome events that took place that afternoon in Haifa would certainly have reached the ancient town of Trondheim. They would probably have seen the scenes of destruction and devastation unfolding across their television sets. They may even have shaken their heads for a few moments in stunned disbelief, but that's sadly about it. How could the people of Trondheim possibly understand, living such seemingly safe and protected lives, thousands of kilometers away from the daily threat of Palestinian terrorism what it feels like to see such horror on your own doorstep. At 2 pm Hanadi Jaradat had been able to get past the male guard at the restaurant, who are sometimes reluctant to search women too thoroughly. She made her way to the center of the restaurant and detonated an explosive belt. At that instance Oren Almog was not only blinded by the blast, he lost two of his grandparents, his father, his brother and his cousin. The Zer-Aviv's were all killed. Two families, three generations and 11 more innocent people killed. Sixty more were wounded. Both the Almog and the Zer-Aviv family would make painful statements "I'm trying to figure out what kind of suffering we're going to go through in the future, because as time goes by it will be more painful," (relative to the Almogs). "I don't have any grandchildren left," (Grandmother to the two Zer-Aviv children) Compare this to the statement issued by Hanadi Jaradat's father; "I will accept only congratulations for what she did. This was a gift she gave me, the homeland and the Palestinian people. Therefore, I am not crying for her. Even though the most precious thing has been taken from me." Even more atrocious, is the constant media bias to portray these mass murderers in some comparable human capacity to their innocent victims. They are often depicted as blameless victims, forced to take desperate measures. Any action Israel takes to defend itself against thousands of Palestinian terrorist attacks, by building a security fence or setting up checkpoints, is seen as an affront to the poor humiliated Palestinians and a violation of g-d knows how many ridiculous UN resolutions. One needs to wonder why purposely blinding an eleven year old boy is never against the Geneva Convention. One needs to wonder why the UN, rotten and biased to the core would pass a resolution protecting Palestinian children, however would not adopt the same resolution to protect Israeli children. For the seemingly pricey cost of defending itself Israel has now been turned into some sort of Pariah state. A never ending stream of pseudo-romantic intellectuals, have for years perceived Palestinian plighthood as a fashionable outlet for their desire to latch on to some sort of noble cause. In recent years this has manifested itself in any number of boycotts. The most recent being the Trondelag County council in Norway, which includes Trondheim, the country's 3rd largest city. Despite no feasible comparison, the council considers the Israeli occupation similar to the apartheid policies adopted by South Africa. One needs to ask why the Trondelag County council would consider tainting their beautiful part of the world by getting on the even more pseudo Palestinian terrorism apologizing bandwagon. Oren Almog is 13 today and stands, not only as a testament to the resolve of the human spirit, but is just one of the many reasons why Israel deserves its place as one of the most innovative nations in the world today. Despite the tragic loss of most of his family on that fateful Saturday afternoon he recently became the youngest competitor to sail his own boat in the first world championship for blind sailors that took place in Italy this July. Oren said the following of his disability; "For the first time since I was injured, I understood that my challenge in life was not blindness, but sailing. Suddenly I understood that I could do everything even without seeing. I began hearing sounds I never heard before, to smell smells, to listen and to feel people. I discovered in myself forces I didn't know existed," Oren will never be able to see the wonders of the Geiranger fjord for himself. Palestinian terrorism took care of that. Many more Israeli children have lost limbs and have a prosthesis which in some cases will deprive them of the thrill of learning to ski in the spectacular mountains of Norway. The Norwegians are probably like most people that live in areas of breathtaking beauty, prone to taking these wonders just a little for granted. The mountains of Trondheim will be covered with snow in the winter. This can in extreme cases cause snow blindness, a painful condition usually occuring when unprotected eyes are exposed to too much glaring sunlight reflected from snow. One of the symptoms is loss of vision, thankfully not usually permanent. Maybe if a council member should fall victim to this usually harmless and temporary form of blindness they will give a thought to Oren. Palestinian terrorism causes permanent blindness. Contact Angela Bertz at angela03@netvision.net.il |
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SPEAK OUT AGAINST CHURCH SUPPORT FOR MOSLEM ATTROCITIES AGAINST CHRISTIANS
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 19, 2005. |
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This is the letter I wrote to Christian leaders. I urge you to do the same, sending your version to any christians you know. Dear Christian Leaders, 1.) Sian Powell, Jakarta correspondent, "Murder 'infidels', Mukhlas urges," The Australian, December 19, 2005 BALI bombings commander Mukhlas has written a fanatical call-to-arms from his death-row prison cell, exhorting Muslims to kill Westerners. Published on a website on the orders of notorious terror chief Noordin Mohammed Top, the polemic demonstrates the undiminished fervour of Mukhlas, who has been sentenced to death for commanding the Bali bomb blasts in 2002 that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians. "You who still have a shred of faith in your hearts, have you forgotten that to kill infidels and the enemies of Islam is a deed that has a reward above no other," says the 60-page polemic written in Indonesian by "Sheikh Mukhlas", posted on the anshar.net website, which has since been shut down by Indonesian police. "Aren't you aware that the model for us all, the Prophet Mohammed and the four rightful caliphs, undertook to murder infidels as one of their primary activities, and that the Prophet waged jihad operations 77 times in the first 10 years as head of the Muslim community in Medina?" The jihadist tract reportedly began its life in Bali's Kerobokan prison, where Mukhlas was jailed until recently. It was passed to Top, a militant leader wanted for a string of attacks including the Bali bombings in 2002 and in October this year, the blasts at Jakarta's Marriott hotel and the Australian embassy. Top gave Mukhlas's tract to Javanese webmaster Abdul Aziz to post on the website, which began operating on August 30, according to the webmaster's lawyer, Mohammed Rifan. "The essay was received by Abdul Aziz (the now detained webmaster) from Noordin on a disk," Mr Rifan said, adding that Top had originally approached Aziz to set up the website. It remains unclear how Mukhlas bypassed jail security to send the polemic to Top, although Mr Rifan said a courier called Rino was sent by Top to the prison to see Mukhlas. The revelations confirm there are continuing links between the jailed Bali bombers and their colleagues at large, and show Mukhlas remains an important figure in the terrorist movement. Widely regarded as the most intellectual of the Jemaah Islamiah terrorist network militants, Mukhlas rationalises the use of terror and deplores the "hypocrisy" of non-violent Muslims in his polemic. "What matters in this life is less important than what happens in the next," his tract says. "We should live to love jihad and die as martyrs for Allah." Despite his disdain for this world, Mukhlas's lawyers will seek a judicial review from Indonesia's Supreme Court, potentially stopping his death sentence from being carried out. Before the website was shut down, it carried instructions on how to kill Westerners in Jakarta by using sniper tactics with guns and grenades. The Indonesian police have called the website a "work of terror" and confirmed that Abdul Aziz was detained in connection with the site, and with the second Bali bombings in October. Mukhlas's lawyer, Achmad Michdan, said it was unclear whether the essay was written by his client. "If that is his writing, I don't believe it appeared there with his agreement," Mr Michdan said, claiming it was impossible for the work to have been written on a laptop or sent via a mobile phone. "I asked for permission for him (to have a laptop), but no," Mr Michdan said. Mukhlas, the elder brother of fellow Bali bombers Amrozi bin Nurhasyim and Ali Imron, had already written 18 books in jail, Mr Michdan said. Many prisoners in Indonesian jails have mobile phones, a fact that has led to calls for a crackdown on the practice. 2.) Rachel Ehrenfeld, "Islam's Religious Intolerance," December 19, 2005, www.FrontPageMagazine.com [The following statement by Dr. Ehrenfeld was read by Alyssa Lappen at the meeting on "Protection of Religious Sites and Prevention of the Use of Religion to Incite Terrorism/Violence" which took place at the U.N. Headquarters in New York on December 13th, 2005. Dr. Ehrenfeld was ill with pneumonia]. No churches or synagogues have been destroyed in Saudi Arabia for over 1,400 years -- because none are allowed. Those who want to establish churches "are, unfortunately, fanatics," according to the Saudi First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, in an interview with the Associated Press on March 13, 2003. He concluded: "There are no churches -- not in the past, the present or future..." There is no declared Muslim state, which offers full civil rights to members of other religions. Many Christians work in Saudi Arabia, but they are not allowed to practice their religion in public because there is no religious freedom in Saudi Arabia. The State Department's report on Religious Freedom points out that the Saudis do "not always respect this right in practice and do not define this right in law." Last April, 40 Pakistani Christians including men, women and children were arrested for holding prayers in a private home in Riyadh. Needless to say, their prayer-books were confiscated. Moreover, in the 1990's, Christian religious services in the American Embassy were terminated at the Saudi government's request. And even websites devoted to other religions and to religious freedom and tolerance are blocked by the Saudi government. And the Saudis not only oppress all other religions but actively promote an ideology of hate in their own country and abroad. Freedom House documented how the Saudi government is involved in propagating internationally a "religious ideology that explicitly promotes hate, intolerance, and other human rights violations, and in some cases violence, toward members of other religious groups, both Muslims and non-Muslims." In Iran, where the president has repeatedly said, "I want to stop Christianity in this country," last month, a Protestant pastor has been murdered because he himself converted from Islam. It is important to note that all five schools of Islamic law agree that the penalty for conversion -- "apostasy" -- is death. In Indonesia, especially in the Moluccan islands, thousands of Christians were massacred and tens of thousands driven from their homes in the last decade alone by Islamist mobs. In Egypt, Christians face persecution in the form of rapes, kidnappings and forced conversions as well as economic discrimination and restriction on their property and on what they can build. Similar situations apply in most Gulf States, which were Islamized long ago. In Yemen, "the government forbids conversions, requires permission for the construction of new places of worship and prohibits non-Muslims from proselytizing." The country has two churches in the city of Aden. One of the churches was bombed on January 1, 2001. And on December 30, 2002 -- three Southern Baptist missionaries working in the Baptist Hospital at Jibla were killed. In November 2005, Qatar allowed to construct the first church in 14 Centuries. However, no "freestanding cross" to identify the building as a church is allowed. Yet, this is seen as a big step towards reform. However, radical Islamists adhere to medieval traditions and laws mandating the Jihad. According to the Dictionary of Islam: conquered by jihad, subjugated people are given three choices: 1) convert, 2) pay a head tax, or 3) die. David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli, currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org). Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com |
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STEVEN MEET MAHMOUD... SO WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?
Posted by Gerald A. Honigman, December 19, 2005. |
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Well over a half century ago, Munich was the scene of a tragic sell-out of the Czech people and nation by its alleged friends. Britain's Chamberlain promised peace if Hitler would just be handed the Sudetenland, an important region of Czechoslovakia heavily populated by ethnic Germans. Imagine Mexico doing likewise regarding somewhere in the United States' own southwest for a bit of an analogy. Thinking minds knew better then as they should now. Regardless, yet another sell-out via Munich is about to occur... this one by a Jew to the Jew of the Nations as Steven Spielberg's new movie is set for release late this December. Even though this is really nothing new (there have long been more than a few anti-Zionist, self-hating, and/or Jews who thrive on victimization), Spielberg, admittedly, had me fooled for a while. After all, you'd think the sire of the movie, Schindler's List, the Shoah Foundation, and such would have learned the ultimate lesson here. But perhaps that was part of the problem... at least for Jews like Spielberg. Should any nation's raison d'etre be simply its victimization... even if, as in terms of the Jews, it has been the bloodiest and longest recorded in history? I came to expect this sort of thing from the Woody Allen types, but I thought the man who also brought The Prince of Egypt to the big screen knew better. While becoming somewhat of an expert on the ashes of the Holocaust, Spielberg, unfortunately, indeed seems oblivious to its lessons and to the role of Israel as the risen Phoenix... just as the Prophet Ezekiel predicted over 2,500 years earlier in the biblical passages of theValley of the Dry Bones. Yet, if the interviews, early reports, and such about the movie are correct, this is about the most that Spielberg concedes: Israel exists because of the harsh hand history has dealt to its people. And he plays right into the hands of the anti-Semites... and they are anti-Semites. While one may disagree with one Israeli policy or another, to deny Jews the same rights one does not deny other peoples is not simply "anti-Zionism." Rare, indeed, is the nation created in perfect justice. Yet this is evidently what Steven expects of the Jews. Most of the Arabs' almost two dozen certainly weren't. Indeed, most were ruthlessly conquered and forcibly Arabized from mostly non-Arab peoples over the centuries... and still going on today. Does Darfur, gassed Kurds, murdered Copts and such ring a bell? While, right from the getgo, the original April 25, 1920 Mandate of Palestine was divided so that Arabs (most of whom were newcomers themselves into the Mandate) received some 80% of it with the creation of Transjordan in 1922, Arabs would allow no such compromises for millions of Berbers, Copts, Jews, Kurds, Black African Sudanese, Assyrians, and other native, non-Arab peoples as well. The latter were simply expected to consent to Arab subjugation or were killed. After having already received the bulk of the Mandate in 1922, had Arabs agreed to the subsequent 1947 partition, Arab nationalism would have wound up with some 90% of "Palestine," the name the Roman emperor, Hadrian, gave to Judaea after the Jews' second major revolt for their freedom and independence against the Soviet Union of its day in 133-135 C. E. Judaea (not Palaestina) Capta coins were issued after the first revolt and can be found in museums all over the world today. The Arch of Titus still stands tall in Rome commemorating these events as do the writings of several famous Roman and Roman-sponsored historians such as Tacitus, Josephus, and Dio Cassius. In addition to the Arabs themselves, other Muslim despots like Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are quick to state that the Jew of the Nations should be destroyed or moved to the Christian West. Like the others, Ahmadinejad pretends that he doesn't know of the Jews' Middle Eastern origins, that half of Israel's Jews fled Arab and/or Muslim lands like his own (indeed, there is a long history linking the Jews both as a nation and a people to Iran itself), and that another million descendants of these native Middle Eastern Jewish refugees fled elsewhere as well. Or, if he concedes this, they were simply expected to willingly be absorbed into the Dar ul-Islam. Keep in mind that while Ahmadinejad lectures Israel in its struggles to survive, Iran continues to suppress and massacre Kurds, Baluchis, Arabs, and others in Iran... all in the name of his own country's nationalism. And Spielberg played right into all of the above's hypocritical hands. When I first got wind at what he was up to early last summer, I wrote two articles, Steven -- "Say It Isn't So" and "Can Kushner". Unfortunately, it appears that those of us who were watching had plenty to be concerned about. I know I'll be criticized for what I'll say next, but here it comes anyway. I will not see Munich. Not even when it eventually makes it to the video stores. Spielberg does not need my money (though he's received a lot of it over the decades), but I will not give him any more. And here's my reason? Would Steven or any fair-minded person relegate, for example, the chronicling of the struggle of Blacks for civil rights in America to David Duke and the Klan? Absurd... correct? Yet Spielberg chose Tony Kushner, a nominal Jew who has openly and repeatedly expressed his opposition to Israel's very existence, as the script writer for Munich, the story of Israel's attempt to bring to justice the murderers of its eleven athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. So what did Steven or any of us expect would be the outcome of such an endeavor? Did it require Einstein (a Zionist, by the way) to figure this one out? Is there not a difference between Arab innocents dying by accident (usually because they were used as human shields, purposely put in harm's way to protect the rats in their dens) and Jewish innocents murdered because they were deliberately targeted? And the more innocent the latter the better for shock value? How many Arab buses, restaurants, shopping places, and such have been blown up by the Jew of the Nations? Yet moral equivalency is evidently the name of Spielberg's game. But, again, given the nature of his chosen script writer's beast, what else could be expected? It has come to be accepted that most of Hollywood's Jews and non-Jews alike will hold Israel up to a literally suicidal level of conduct expected of no other nation. Certainly not of Arabs. Thirty million truly stateless Kurds saw their one best chance at independence sacrificed on the altar of British petroleum politics and Arab nationalism after World War I. Will Spielberg and Kushner collaborate to tell their story? Or that of millions of others victimized in the name of the Arab nation as well? Don't hold your breath. But the microscopic Jew of the Nations is simply expected to bare the necks of its kids so that Arabs can have their 22nd state and second one in "Palestine." That the Michael Moore, Angelina Jolie, Richard Gere & Co. crew espouse such things is bad enough? For Jews to join them is nauseating. And for Spielberg to willingly lend the power of his film making to such a travesty by placing the story into the hands of a person who doesn't even believe that Israel has a right to exist is unforgivable. Many will refrain from speaking out because of the money and efforts Spielberg contributes to the cause of dead Jews. Shame on him and them as well. The miracle of Israel reborn owes no human an explanation. Crocodile tears and alleged sympathy for dead Jews a la the Holocaust simply doesn't cut it in the post-Auschwitz era. Not that it ever did. The Jews are back where King David continued to forge them into a nation over three thousand years ago. And in their same capital, Jerusalem--despite the trials and tribulations of one imperial conquest after the other. How many other nations can accurately state the same? And they will continue to make mistakes from time to time -- despite their best intentions -- like all others do. The difference is that these will continue to be overwhelmingly mistakes, not injustices purposely committed without trying to reach an honorable compromise with their neighbors. Can Arabs say the same? Yet look at whom the Hollywood crowd chooses to single out and point its collective moral finger at. Indeed, Spielberg's colleague, Michael Moore, has labeled Israel one of the world's top three evils. A nation should not have to be decimated before it receives its share of justice. Empathy for live Jews is what is and has always been required... and, once again, understanding that, as in the story of Munich, in its struggle to survive, Israel, like all other nations, will make some mistakes. But if any nation has a right to exist, it is that of the Jews... who, short of suicide (demanded even by the Arabs' so-called moderates, like Abbas) have tried as hard as humanly possible to reach accommodations with those who claim, like Steven's fellow nominally Jew buddy, Kushner, and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that the Jew of the Nations has no such right at all. So Steven, meet your new friend, Mahmoud. Gerald A. Honigman, a Florida educator, has created and conducted counter-Arab propaganda programs for college youth, has lectured on numerous campuses and other platforms, and has publicly debated Arab spokesmen. His articles and op-eds have been published in both the print media and on websites. Contact him at honigman6@msn.com or go to his website: http://geraldahonigman.com/blog.php |
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SPIELBERG HIRES PM AIDE TO PROMOTE 'MUNICH'
Posted by David Bedein, December 19, 2005. |
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There is an unprecedented consensus of revulsion, across the political spectrum, that the movie MUNICH, produced by Steven Spielberg, represents the ultimate of "moral equivalency", since it equates the "human interest" story of PLO murderers with the human interest of the unarmed Israeli athletes whom they murdered. This week, it was confirmed news Spielberg has hired Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's aide Eyal Arad, to promote 'Munich'. Spielberg would not have been able to hire the chief strategist and media advisor of the Prime Minister of Israel without the clear and express consent of the Prime Minister of Israel. On May 21st, 2005, the Israel Civil Service Commission reported to the Knesset Israel Government Controls Committee that Arad indeed receives a full time salary from the government of Israel to provide strategic service to the Prime Minister of Israel. Our news agency has asked the Prime Minister and the Israel Civil Service Commission to explain how it is that the Israeli government's most senior PR advisor would advocate for the "moral equivalency" message of Israel's adversaries. The question remains: Does this have anything to do with the fact that Machmud Abbas, the chairman of Fateh and head of the Palestinian Authority, now in negotiation with the government of Israel, was the PLO official who financed the PLO Munich massacre? David Bedein is Bureau Chief, Israel Resource News Agency, Beit Agron Int't Press Center, Jersualem. tel. 972-547-222661, http://Israelbehindthenews.com). |
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IRANIAN A-BOMBS VS "HUMANITARIANISM"; ISRAEL CAN'T RELY ON USA;
CLAN VIOLENCE IN THE P.A.
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 19, 2005. |
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U.S. RIVALRY WITH ISRAELI MILITARY INDUSTRY Israelis are bidding against Boeing to sell S. Korea a profitable early warning system. The US government has warned S. Korea not to buy it, with its American components, but instead to buy Boeing's (with its American components). The US has hinted that its alliance with S. Korea is at stake (IMRA, 12/10). Example of unfair US pressure! The US undermines Israel's military industry. It has complained, sometimes without cause, that Israel sells weapons to potential enemies of the US, although the US sells and gives weapons to actual enemies of Israel. Sometimes it demands that Israel withdraw from a contract signed with US assent, leaving Israel to absorb penalties. Another tack is to offer Israel military aid contingent on itS buying US weapons with the aid, thereby undercutting Israeli government support for its own, often superior weaponry. It becomes clearer that Bush talks about free trade, but his regime stifles it. What the US gave as reasons for blocking trade, we can see may be pretexts. As IMRA has pointed out, the Defense Dept. is no more honest about the justification it routinely issues for sales of arms to the Arabs. As it authorizes sales by the billion, it issues boilerplate statements about the sales not affecting the balance of power. They are too extensive not to affect the balance. In the same vein, Congress forbids donations to the P.A. unless the President certifies that it is for national security. He so certifies, though it harms US security by strengthening anti-American terrorists and by weakening a pro-American, anti-terrorist ally, Israel. We have government by prevarication. Some Americans no longer believe what their government tells them. This puts the US government on a par with its enemies, whom most Americans also do not believe. Why wasn't Clinton impeached for releasing missile secrets to China? WILL ANYONE DEAL WITH IRAN'S NUCLEAR BUILDUP? A London newspaper reported that Israel is planning to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. Israel denies it, asserting that it is relying upon diplomacy. There is, however, only a short time before Iran becomes able to reach a stage in which it develops masses of highly radioactive substances. " No country will be able to bomb the reactor once this point is reached, for fear that the radioactive fallout will harm an unknown number of thousands of civilians." (Arutz-7, 12/11.) The EU furnishes Iran diplomatic cover. Nice of the newspaper to tip Iran off! The government of Iran has made clear it will use nuclear weapons when its "peaceful" nuclear development has reached a certain point. The point of the news brief is that lest we harm some of its people, we have to let Iran fire nuclear missiles and kill many more of our own people. That is "humanitarian." Diplomacy cannot deter fanatics from major strategic gains, without great force behind it. Most countries are not prepared to raise that force. Therefore, diplomacy is almost useless. Israel cannot wait. I dispute the quoted notion of humanitarian. PSEUDO-DEMOCRACY IN THE P.A. Polls show Hamas pulling ahead of Fatah, in Gaza (IMRA, 12/10). This is like the Nazis pulling ahead of the Communists, in Weimar Germany, and as if there were no other parties. Not a healthy prospect for democracy, that the two major contestants are totalitarian jihadists! It shows the fallacy of rushing into elections under an undemocratic regime and before the anti-democratic culture has been reformed and a democratic infrastructure built up. Such elections are pseudo-democratic. The choices in the P.A. both are jihadist. The election refutes Pres. Bush's claim that elections mean democracy and democracy brings peace. Some do. That one doesn't. CLAN VIOLENCE IN THE P.A. In the past five years, P.A. Arabs have killed 435 P.A. Arabs, admits the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group. It described the deaths of seven and the wounding of others, initiated with the murder of a Hamas official. The official's relatives assaulted the entire family of the suspected murderer, killing several more people, including a policeman (IMRA, 12/10). How primitive and ugly are family feuds! P.A. Arab groups protest the violent anarchy. Not joining that protest are groups and governments that protest against legitimate Israeli defense against Arab terrorists. They shovel money into the P.A. without preconditions. Year after year, the P.A. steals the money and diverts it to war, but the donors keep providing. They do not admit that until those Arabs undergo a cultural revolution, they are beyond redemption. Are the Western donors, who help finance the jihad against Israel, beyond redemption, too? GOVERNMENT CRACKS DOWN ON BARRY CHAMISH The secret service planted Itamar Ben Gvir among right-wingers to discredit them by violence and to sidetrack them from effective protest. Example 1: as if an ally, he arrived at a hotel of anti-abandonment protestors in Gush Katif, Gaza, with hoodlums. He refused to leave, made trouble, and prompted the media to report "the" anti-abandonment protestors acting violent. The police refused to take him away until the story was out, and then they arrested innocents. Example 2: He admitted threatening murder, but isn't punished. Example 3: The secret service gave him a free apartment. Many people have accused him. Ostensibly a poor student, he finds the means to sue them for slander (from guess where). Facing a costly legal defense and possible fine, most people yield. Chamish, who cannot afford legal costs, and whose publishers are being harassed, is determined to defend himself. He has the evidence. Conclusion: the secret service sabotages dissidents in "the only democracy in the Mideast." Legal Fund: Barry Chamish, P.O.B. 1682, Reut 71908, Israel (Chamish, 12/10). U.S. PRESSURING ISRAEL TO SELF-DESTRUCTION Israeli journalists have written contrary reports on whether the US is pressuring Israel to start one or more routes from Gaza to Judea-Samaria. One avers it; the other denies it. Indications are that the US is doing so. It has gotten the rest of the Quartet to make this (and not arresting terrorists) the new cause celebre. It got the World Bank to blame P.A. poverty on not having opened the route (when the main fault is P.A. warfare, extortion, anarchy, over-population, and embezzlement). The government of Israel denies mildly (and therefore unconvincingly) that it is being pressured. It says that it would not open a route until the P.A. cracks down on terrorism (which it won't do). The denial seems designed to calm US Jewish activists, who otherwise might lobby against the US scheme. Letting the jihadists pass through Israel is dangerous. The US has ignored other dangers to Israel by demanding -- and Israel acquiesced -- that Israel take down road blocks and checkpoints. Israelis were murdered as a result. The US did not express remorse. Condolences, perhaps, but not remorse for its foolish demands. The same is true about the withdrawal from Gaza and northern Samaria, demanded by the US. Now from there, the Arabs are bombarding Israeli towns, but the US does not admit its mistake (Israel Resource News Agency). Nor does Sharon. ANOTHER ABANDONMENT WARNING VALIDATED When Sharon proposed to abandon not only Gaza but also northern Samaria, which is double the size of Gaza, military experts warned that the P.A. would use northern Samaria to launch rockets into Israel. First the Arabs had to smuggle rocket manufacturing technology into northern Samaria. After several attempts, they succeeded. They have begun firing the rockets (IMRA, 12/12). Warning in hand, neither Sharon nor the US had any excuse for pushing the plan. Sharon wanted to consider as criminals any settlers resistant to being expelled from that part of their own homeland, in favor of genocidal Arabs. The settlers were patriots and understood the consequences of Sharon's treason. Sharon, Bush, and Rice are the accomplices of the Arab criminals. The media generally supported the abandonment. The more leftist ones were gleeful; the others were readily deceived by false arguments about the IDF now being spared having to protect the settlers and now being better able to protect Israel. The expelled settlers' lives are ruined and Israel lost a fortune, yet Israel is unprotected. Making it worse, the US insists that Israel not defend itself by pursuing the culprits into the P.A.. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. |
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STAND UP WITH HONEST REPORTING
Posted by Honest Reporting, December 19, 2005. |
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Dear HonestReporting Subscriber, With the end of the year approaching, it is our custom to solicit your financial support for our work in fighting media bias. Our work is made possible by your continued and generous contributions, and we would greatly appreciate your support this year. For years we've been countering anti-Israel media bias with your help. We've experienced great success in the process and have seen substantial impovement in media coverage over the years. In 2004, Journalist Tom Gross writing in the Jerusalem Post cites HonestReporting as one of the key reasons behind the general improvement in recent media coverage in Israel. Change is happening and improvements have been made. And yet, in spite of this progress, the recent increase in terror attacks throughout the world highlights the media's differentiation between terrorism in other locations versus terrorism in Israel. These examples are just a few that highlight the difference: LONDON ROCKED BY TERROR ATTACKS
TERROR ATTACK AT EGYPTIAN RESORT
But when there is a terror attack in Israel, this is the general tone of the headlines: FIVE DIE IN ISRAEL SUICIDE BLAST
SUICIDE BOMBING AT ISRAELI MALL
When a terror attack happens in Israel, the terrorist is often referred to as a suicide bomber, an assailant, or on rare occasions even a freedom fighter. The attack itself is often called a "bombing" or a "blast" as opposed to a "terror attack." This passive tone lacks strong language and the implied condemnation seen clearly in coverage of other terror attacks around the world. The media still doesn't want to call terror by its real name when it happens in Israel. This double standard has seen its day, and we need your help in changing it. There is no differentiation between a terror attack in Israel or one that happens elsewhere in the world. Terror is terror. Making a differentiation is an issue of bias that must be changed. We are committed to making that change happen. We ask you to stand with us in addressing these issues and please consider donating generously to help support HonestReporting's ongoing work of Exposing Bias, Promoting Balance and Effecting Change in the media. Donate online with your credit card, using our secure server:
Or mail contributions to:
With deepest thanks and appreciation
Honest Reporting monitors the media for inaccuracy and unfairness in how they report the news about Israel. Ther website address is http://www.honestreporting.com. You can help support their research online or by sending contributions to: HonestReporting, 400 South Lake Drive, Lakewood, NJ 08701-3167. |
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BUSYBODIES FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF ISRAEL
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 19, 2005. |
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This article is entitled "Dangerous Peaceniks on the Hudson," and was written by P. David Hornik. It appeared in FrontPageMagazine.com (http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=20582) P. David Hornik is a freelance writer and translator living in
Jerusalem who has contributed recently to The Jerusalem Post, The
American Spectator Online, and Israeli news-views websites.He can be
reached at pdavidh2001@yahoo.com.
In recent weeks, the president of Iran called for Israel to be
wiped off the map, amid reports that Iran will have a nuclear
capability in a few months, and the UN held a "Day of Solidarity with
the Palestinian People" that prominently featured a large map of
"Palestine" in which Israel had disappeared. And after a massacre of
Israeli civilians by a Palestinian terrorist in the town of Netanya,
the UN Security Council proved unable to condemn the act.
In Israel and the PA, in addition to the Netanya attack, Hezbollah
subjected northern Israel to a missile barrage that injured a dozen
Israelis; the commander of the IDF's Gaza Division sent a message to
Defense Minister Mofaz saying the number of terrorist incidents coming
from Gaza "is enormous," with the army reporting 75 incidents of small
arms fire from there, 130 Kassam and mortar shell attacks, and at
least 18 bombs planted along the border fence since the
"disengagement"; PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas signed a law providing
lifelong stipends to families of suicide bombers; Hamas leader Khaled
Mashal announced that his organization will resume attacks after the
end of 2005; convicted mass murderer Marwan Barghouti won the Fatah
primaries in a landslide; Hamas won municipal elections in a landslide
in major West Bank cities; Debkafile reported, "Palestinian terrorists
are preparing Qassam missiles with chemical warheads, according to
information reaching Israeli intelligence -- and that is but a partial
list.
Seemingly, the issue that Israel faces is not peace, but survival.
But none of this has stopped the professional peaceniks at the New
York-based Israel Policy Forum from continuing in their cheerful path.
As Kenneth Levin notes in The Oslo Syndrome, this American Jewish
organization was "created in 1993 at the behest of Israel's
Labor-Meretz coalition government and placed under the leadership
of...Jonathan Jacoby, who had earlier in his career signed a New York
Times ad accusing Israel of 'state terrorism.'"[1]
Since then the IPF -- now with Seymour Reich as president and Jacoby
as executive director -- has steadily shilled for the Fatah stream of
the Palestinian war on Israel, while urging the U.S. government to
press Israel into concessions on the basis of polls of American
Jewry, conducted by the IPF itself, that the Zionist Organization of
America criticized for "vague and deceptive language," a
"reprehensible misuse of...polling," and "misusing statistical
evidence." In one case, Levin notes, an IPF poll was so "grossly
skewed" that "the Anti-Defamation League, which had been reported to
have cosponsored the poll, disassociated itself from it." [2]
Most recently, Israel's left-wing daily Haaretz reported that "New
York Jewish leaders...encouraged [Secretary of State Condoleezza]
Rice to intervene aggressively in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute
over the Gaza border crossings...among others, Rice met in
Washington...with the heads of the left-wing Israel Policy Forum, who
expressed their views on various aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict." When Isi Leibler bitterly criticized the IPF's role in the
crossings fiasco in the Jerusalem Post, accusing the IPF of
"unashamedly lobby[ing] the State Department to exert pressure to
bring Israel to heel even if that entails riding roughshod over our
security requirements," Seymour Reich replied in the same newspaper
by condemning Leibler's "malicious accusations" as "untrue and
dishonest."
Yet, as Leibler emphasizes, the same Haaretz article states
quite plainly:
The "practical results" are now with us -- that is, with Israelis,
who face an increased threat to our and our children's lives thanks in
part to Seymour Reich and his other New York security mavens. Ynet
reports that:
The report goes on to note that defense officials:
In light of the Rafah situation and the ongoing attacks from Gaza,
the situation is now seen as so dangerous that the defense minister
announced the convoys have been delayed for the moment -- while the
international pressure to get them moving continues.
Do not expect any contrition from the IPF for pushing a deal that, by all accounts, Rice initially bludgeoned Israel into accepting despite the urgent protests of its security agencies. Ideological peaceniks like Reich, Jacoby, and crew are always ultimately uninterested in details about terrorist infiltrations, broken agreements, and the like. There is no other way the IPF could have kept enthusiastically promoting the "Oslo process" throughout the twelve years of slaughter that this catastrophe has brought upon Israel.
For the IPF, peace is always shining just around the next bend, if the Jewish state can just be nudged into the right capitulations. The question is how long we have to keep paying the price.
ENDNOTES:
1. Smith & Kraus Global, 2005, p. 451.
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OBSESSIVE ANTI-SEMITISM
Posted by Jeff Jacoby, December 18, 2005. |
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Once again, the president of Iran repeated his foul lie. On Wednesday, in a speech broadcast live on Iranian state television, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a crowd of thousands that the Nazi destruction of European Jewry never happened. "They have created a myth with the name of 'Holocaust' and consider it to be above God, religion, and the prophets," he said. It was the second time in a week that Ahmadinejad had dismissed the most infamous genocide of the 20th century as a fairy tale. "Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces," he snorted in Mecca on Dec. 8, when he addressed an international summit of nearly 50 Muslim heads of state. "We don't accept this claim." Even if there were a Holocaust, Ahmadinejad demanded, why should Muslims be stuck living next to a Jewish state? "If European countries claim that they have killed Jews in World War II, why don't they provide the Zionist regime with a piece of Europe? Germany and Austria can provide ... two or three provinces for this regime to establish itself, and the issue will be resolved. You offer part of Europe, and we will support it." Or, he suggested, the Jews could be dispatched to the United States, Canada, "or Alaska." But whether Europe and North America take his advice or not, Ahmadinejad's bottom line doesn't change. As he put it in October, Israel must be "wiped off the map." And, vowed the president of the world's foremost state sponsor of terrorism, "a new wave in Palestine will soon wipe off this disgraceful blot from the face of the Islamic world." Thus Ahmadinejad promises a second Holocaust even as he denies the first one, and because his manner is so bellicose and crude, his words make news. But there is nothing new about them. Iran's theocratic thugs have been threatening the Jewish state with genocide ever since Ayatollah Khomeini seized power in Tehran 26 years ago. When it comes to Jews and Israel, Iran's fanatic rulers speak with one voice. "We have repeatedly said that this cancerous tumor of a state should be removed from the region," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the current supreme leader, remarked in December 2000. Former Iranian president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, whom Western journalists strangely describe as a "moderate," explained in 2001 how a nuclear weapon would settle Israel's hash once and for all: "The use of a nuclear bomb against Israel will leave nothing on the ground, whereas it would only damage the world of Islam." The same Rafsanjani once took to the airwaves to explain that "Hitler had only killed 20,000 Jews and not 6 million." Holocaust denial and calls for a new Holocaust are two sides of the same coin. That coin -- virulent anti-Semitism -- circulates throughout the Muslim Middle East, not just in Iran. Ahmadinejad's ugly outpourings were condemned in the West, but they provoked almost no protest in Arab and Muslim countries, where Jews are routinely portrayed as evil subhumans fit only for extermination. In much of the Islamic world, Jew-hatred saturates the airwaves, spills from the mosques, fills the classrooms, permeates the press. Jews are represented as pigs and monkeys, as liars and connivers, as vile, hook-nosed scum who deliberately infect children with AIDS and poison Palestinian water. In their quest for power and world domination, they are said to be ruthless and devious. They were behind the 9/11 attacks, for example, and tipped off 4,000 Jews to stay home from the World Trade Center. And, of course, they concocted the "hoax" of the Holocaust, as part of an elaborate plot to establish a beachhead in the Middle East and extort money from the world. Outsiders are rarely aware of how intense the Muslim world's Jew-hatred is. "What has surprised me is the virulence of this new anti-Semitism throughout all the Muslim countries," the distinguished journalist and editor Harold Evans wrote in 2002. "It is frenzied, vociferous, paranoid, vicious, and prolific, and is only incidentally connected to the Palestinian conflict." It is not the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that accounts for this loathing of Jews. It is the loathing of Jews that accounts for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Obsessive anti-Semitism almost always characterizes the most dangerous threats to America and the West. Nazism, Communism, Islamofascism -- one thing they have in common is intense anti-Semitism. Which is why Ahmadinejad's strident rhetoric should be setting off urgent alarms. Dictators who talk about wiping nations from the face of the earth generally mean what they say. We should know by now that it isn't only Jews who are endangered by the mullahs and their threats. All of us are. And time is wasting. Jeff Jacoby is a columnist for The Boston Globe. This article is archived at (www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/ 2005/12/18/obsessive_anti_semitism/) |
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IMAGINE THIS SCENARIO IF YOU HAVE THE COURAGE
Posted by Jeffrey Epstein, December 18, 2005. |
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Folks: Imagine this scenario if you have the courage? You are sitting in your car with your family waiting for a school bus to unload. Children are disembarking the bus when you spy an old car speeding toward the intersection. "That lunatic is going to hit those children!" you say to your spouse, who is sitting beside you. That's the last thing you remember before waking up in the hospital. The nurse tells you not to speak but you struggle through your pain to ask, "Where are my wife and children? What happened?" The nurse walks away and the doctor steps up to your bed. You notice for the first time that you can only see out of one eye and that you are hooked up to a multitude of machines. "Sir, you were in the direct vicinity of a car bomb, a suicide bomb. Your family is dead. I am sorry. You need to rest. When you are feeling up to it, the police want to talk to you about what you saw." Or this? You have been on the Internet and have forwarded an email critical of the government performance to some of the people in your address book. You didn't write it, but you agree with the statement and therefore thought to share it with your likeminded friends. You shut your computer off and head on up to bed, as is the norm for you. Suddenly, at 3:00 am, five unidentified men kick in your front door and race up the stairs. They have automatic weapons, and their faces are covered. You are in a fog. Your wife is screaming. You hear your kids screaming. You don't know what is going on. As you gather your wits, the five men are holding your children, with weapons to their heads, at the foot of your bed. It all happened so fast, you feel like you're moving in slow motion. You move to act but are cracked over the head with the butt of a rifle. "Try that again and your youngest gets a bullet in the head," a voice commands. You sit half conscious with blood dripping down the side of your face, and the same voice asks, "Did you send an email criticizing our government to John Smith today?" You think back to all of the emails you sent and then remember the last email that you forwarded. "John Smith, John Smith, did I send it to John?" you think to yourself. You feel another crack to your head. "Answer!" the voice says. "I don't know. I can't remember," you say to the unidentifiable man. Suddenly, the one holding you're your youngest child kicks her legs out from under her and breaks her arm just at the elbow. As she shrieks in pain, crying out for you, you lunge to her defense. One of the other men lifts his weapon and shoots your wife in the head. She is dead. "Did you send an email criticizing our government to John Smith today?" the voice screams in a more impatient tone. This time one of the men has a pistol to your oldest child's head. If you don't think that these two scenarios can play out in the United States, you are uninformed not only to the threat of radical Islamofascism but also to the consequences of losing the War on Radical Islam. The threat is real. Thousands who have escaped the brutal oppression of Islamofascist regimes recount their horrors each day. A scant few who have broken away from the ideology testify to anyone who will listen about the Caliphate that radical Islamic organizations like al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade, and a plethora of others want to set up, not only in the Middle East, but throughout the world. Their victory would mean the end of the United States and the end of the free world as we know it. To them, it is not about politics--it is about religion, a radical religion in which the law allows for beheadings, stoning, and maiming, a radical religion that uses terror as its tool of choice to keep the masses in line. We are America's Truth Forum (formerly the People's Truth Forum), a group of non-partisan, non-political concerned citizens committed to bringing the truth about the threat of radical Islam to the American people. The government won't do it. The media won't do it. That leaves us. We need your help. We are organizing a symposium that will bring together the most important voices on the subject of radical Islamofascism. Our speakers include Dr. Harvey Kushner, Robert Spencer, Laura Mansfield, Brigitte Gabriel, and many more. They will share their extensive knowledge and first-hand experience with radical Islamofascism and help everyone attending to understand just what we are up against. This symposium is set for the Spring of 2006. But we are meeting resistance at every turn and in every way. In order to make this happen, we need your financial support. Every dollar amount helps, no matter how small the denomination. Each and every penny donated to our cause will be spent on our cause. We are not a special interest group that farms its funding out to other organizations. We are firmly committed to the task of bringing the truth about the threat that Islamofascism poses to the American people to the American people. If we fail, the Islamofascists win a crucial battle in the War on Terror... and we move a step closer to the scenarios depicted above. Please help us to help America. Give what you can. Jeffrey Epstein is President of People's Truth Forum (www.peoplestruthforum.com)/ Contact him by phone at 866-709-3474 or by email at jepstein02@snet.net |
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UNLEASHING THE DOGS OF GOVERNMENT INTIMIDATION
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, December 18, 2005. |
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In our lifetimes we have all seen ruthless dictatorships which controlled the institutions that made up governments used in a malicious way to control and eliminate their opposition. I received a note December 14th (appended below) from "The Women In Green" to the effect that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government has unleashed the "Dogs" of so-called "Investigation". Read that to mean that "The Women in Green" have been sufficiently effective through street demonstrations in calling attention to corruption in government to warrant using government forces to intimidate "The Women in Green" into silence. In other words, "Shut up or we will drive you out of business by various intimidating, repressive measures through spurious investigations Israeli governments have used before when spotlights are turned through their corruption. That included the misuse of the Police to beat up women of every age including the elderly, jailing men and women of every age including babies and teenage girls. "The Women in Green" have been literally unpaid public servants. They spotlighted government corruption, whistle-blowing (literally) while conducting public protests against crooked and corrupt politicians, anti-religious policies, anti-democratic means to uproot and evict 10,000 men, women and children against the majority votes in two elections that put Sharon into the office of Prime Minister by promising to keep the Land and homes built by Jews. "The Women in Green" have been an amuta (not-for-profit charitable organization) since May 1993, before the secret Oslo Accords were signed. They do not make a profit from conducting public protests against corrupt and crooked politicians. In fact, they have most often spent their own money for supplies, legal defenses, ads, posting Oleg's cartoons in the Jerusalem Post and have even had both their cars torched in their parking spaces of Yemin Moshe. In America they would be called gadflies who constantly pester crooked politicians who hate the public exposure. So, there is not much to investigate. Of course, using governmental instruments of unnecessary "investigation" is one way of bankrupting the victims through legal fees and years of what most know to be an accommodating Leftist Court system. I am also reminded of other unleashed "dogs" of Sharon's pre-planning when he wants to close down the opposition and the public's right to know. Recall how Sharon, in advance of his Evacuation Plan" shut down the only significant politically Right radio station by the name of Arutz Sheva (Line 7). Here Sharon, working with the Leftist Courts, cleverly maneuvered the only radio station which informed the public of the secret plans of Rabin, Peres, Barak, Netanyahu and now Sharon to adopt the "Evacuation Plans" which all denied until they ordered and carried out the "Evacuations". Arutz 7 had to be shut down while the Leftist Media, print, video and radio were allowed to thrive and encouraged support for such efforts as the Oslo, Wye and Geneva Accords -- forced evacuation of Gush Katif/Gaza, plus insuring that nothing negative would be featured about Sharon or Peres. Clearly, Sharon ran the pack and unleashed the selective "Dogs" of government intimidation as needed. Perhaps we see Sharon's vindictive nature as he pushes the Judges of Leftist Court systems to attack and further intimidate all the resistors of the Gush Katif/Gaza Evictions in coming "Show Trials". Sharon doesn't merely wish to win the battle but, then he must viciously crush his opponents in a vindictive display of who he really is. Soon, the "Show Trials" will begin against Jews who love the Land and forced Sharon to plan a virtual war against the very people whom he encouraged to settle the Land. Many of his corrupt allies feed on Sharon's sick and twisted character because for this moment in time they believe he is their Golem and will do their bidding. I am reminded of other Governments using the extraordinary intimidating powers handed to them -- even among the so-called democracies. Recall the Presidential use of the tax authorities to start investigations again their political opponents. This was exposed and eventually shut down as an embarrassing and crass use of Presidential Powers. Recall the Nazi Nuremberg Laws used against the Jews to intimidate and force Evacuation. This included the cooperation of the once vaunted German Court system who accepted corruption in their proceedings. Recall the use of an accommodating Media to arouse the hatred against the Jews. Recall the suppression of any voice raised against the regime and methods of Adolph Hitler who were brutally silenced. One cannot forget the same system used in Josef Stalin's Communist Soviet Union. Secret trials, investigations, sowing fear through the secret police were "All Legal, All Proper and All Corrupt". Intimidation by dictatorial regimes to silence those opposed to their policies is a weapon of choice and is being used today -- even in democratic Israel. The word: "Terror" has many applications, ranging from sowing fear of being killed to being "Investigated", dragged through the Courts, being defamed by the Media, and "Show Trials". One expects this in Arab and Muslim countries, Russia, South American and African dictatorships. Few would expect this behavior of Jewish leadership with a legacy of establishing law, much of it resting on Biblical injunctions and Talmudic decisions. But nevertheless, we do see dictatorial Israeli Prime Ministers indulging in criminal activity and then appointing Attorney Generals to shield them, their families, and cohorts from facing Justice. As time goes on, the corruption elevates because the corruptors see that they can get away with anything. They lie with impunity; they dip into the public treasury for their political parties, their friends and those individuals whom they favor with profitable business contracts; they misuse the instruments of Government to intimidate, to protect themselves, using the biased Courts and imprisonment -- in insure their safety net. The Government of the Corrupters who use their power to terrorize anyone who opposes them is rampant under Sharon. The Government of a Dictator has an unlimited budget out of public funds to harass any person or group who objects to these policies. They use a badly tainted Police Force to start investigations -- which then forces the targeted victim to spend days, weeks, even years in Court -- now unable to protest Government decisions that affect them all. The costs are enormous because most lawyers in Israel are notoriously expensive on a per hour basis. Sometimes targeted victims are either put into prison or forced to stay in their homes, unable to generate income -- even without a trial. (It's called "Administrative Detention".) Regrettably, Sharon has taken the misuse of Government powers to dazzling heights. The public denied factual reporting by the Leftist Media are easily manipulated to continue to support and vote for Sharon's myth of crumbling integrity. The lies put out by the Sharon gaggle of politicians are so blatant that one feels he is reading the newspapers of Russia or Egypt where only the government's voice is heard. Another shame which comes from the great democratic nation of America. Here we see a so-called democratic administration with its fingers in every part of another democratic society (Israel), twisting the news, planning how to shut down or intimidate through Sharon for whatever benefits it wants from Arab Muslim oil nations. While the American people and most of the American Congress support the Jewish State of Israel as a free and democratic nation there are those who hate the Jewish nation while supporting Arab nations who fund Terror. Israel offers strong strategic assets as the only ally in the Middle East to the Americans' advantage. The same cannot be said for the Bush administration and its oil nation cohorts. We observe Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (at the behest of President Bush) demanding that Israel opens her borders to the most hostile Arab Muslims, the Palestinians -- even to the point of allowing them to convoy (without security inspections) through Israel in buses, trucks and cars, etc. There is zero concern for the vulnerability of the Israeli people, notwithstanding the utterly false proclamations of how Bush and Rice are only interested in the word "Peace". I submit that, the Bush administration is only interested in appeasing the Saudis among other Arab Muslim oil hostiles, including but not limited to the Palestinians. The conduit of this hostile agenda is Sharon and Peres, now encompassing Sharon's "Kadima" party of Evacuation. This agenda includes the Gaza-fication of the entire area known as Judea and Samaria (also known as the west bank), the Jordan Valley, the Golan Heights and eastern Jerusalem. As Gaza was intended by Sharon and Bush to be totally occupied by the Arab Muslims, so too will all of the above be filled with 3 to 5 million "Palestinian" descendants awaiting transfer from the Arab nation who hate their presence. Sharon and Bush know this but appeasing the Muslim Arab nations has a higher priority than the future existence of a Jewish nation. To accomplish this, Sharon must shut down and shut up all opposition to his Evacuation Plans. Thus, he must intimidate and terrorize anyone whose voice may be heard by a public he wishes to keep in a state of ignorance with his Disinformation being spewed out by the Media. Should Sharon's "Kadima" Party gain control of the Israeli government, you can start the countdown to a nation which will start its dying out in controlled phases. Be assured that the Europeans, the U.N., and the Bush oil conglomerate will all be there to carry the coffin. I have one note of additional despair to add: I have been advised by professional Israeli observers that one of the major and continuing problems are the people themselves. For so long their role models have been low level and corrupt political leaders. They have watched the plundering of the national treasury, use of their political clout to advance themselves in crooked deals with the police, attorneys general, and the activist political Courts going along with their schemes of abandoning the Land and de-Judaizing the nation. The people never see a high ranking politician or high ranking military or police officers who have been exposed -- going to Court - let alone jail. It is little wonder when the people hear that their Prime Minister used his sons for shady deals they think of this as normal. Their view of government is that corruption, dirty deals, lies and promises never carried out -- is the norm. This results in their voting for criminals, liars, thieves as if they were honest representatives of the people. If the people actually became aware of the low level of their leaders perhaps they would vote in honest decent people. There are a handful of honest politicians who are the exception. Regrettably, their voices are smothered by the Leftist Media who are virtual political parties by another name. The only way past this ugly barrier is for the decent people to go door to door and tell what the Hebrew Media refuse to print and speak about. Sharon's "Kadima" politics make old time infamous Chicago politics of corruption look amateurish by comparison. This I know! To all our Members, Supporters, and Friends, In a five page letter dated November 29, 2005, which we received only recently, the office of the Attorney General of the Sharon Government has ordered a thorough investigation into the activities of Women for Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green). We have been an Amutah since the year 1993. We are an extra-parliamentary group which is devoted to the welfare and well-being of Israel. Our aims and purposes are clearly set forth: to advance religious values, culture, and education throughout Israel. Towards this end we have worked ceaselessly to improve Israel and its democracy. Our activities are varied, and include promoting articles which put Israel in a favorable light. In this vein, we fax each member of the US Congress, (both the Senate and the House of Representatives), the foreign and local press, and the Knesset. We keep our website up to date, (www.womeningreen.org), and continually send emails over the Internet to keep our many supporters informed about what is occurring in Israel. We appeal to all those who would have Israel as a "Light onto the Nations" to rally around our organization at this critical time. We have written to Mr. Dan Rabin, the person who has written this letter to us, requesting a meeting with him as soon as possible. To date we have not received his answer. We have been very active for over twelve years, yet this is the first time that anyone has any question whatsoever with regard to the work in which we are engaged. The writer of this letter, in which he recommends an investigation of our organization, has, in effect, questioned our right to exist. We are thus faced with the enormous expense of hiring lawyers and accountants to prevent the possible elimination of our organization. We desperately need your financial help at this crucial time. Faithfully,
Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). |
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APRIL 23, 1943
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 18, 2005. |
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Archeologists in Poland have just discovered an amazing document, uncovered from beneath rubble left over in what was once the Warsaw Ghetto. A Letter and Call to Sanity for the Warsaw Ghetto zealots, from the Peace Now chapter of Warsaw, April 23, 1943. Dear Deluded Brethren: A few days ago some zealots from certain messianic settler organizations operating in Warsaw launched a series of acts of unprovoked violence against the legitimate German peace partners directing peace-seeking activities here in Warsaw. A number of German soldiers and officers have been viciously murdered, while others have been maimed and injured by these thoughtless religious fundamentalists. Comrades, we must emphasize that these violent hoodlums are deluded and are making things much worse for everyone else here in the Warsaw Ghetto. You have to understand that there are no military solutions to the problems of deportations of Jews in the Warsaw ghetto by the Germans. Our problems can only be resolved through negotiations. We insist that, in spite of the claims of these messianic terrorists provoking the Germans, there IS a partner for negotiations amongst the Germans, and we Warsaw Jews DO have a moral responsibility to conduct good faith negotiations with the legitimate representatives of the Germans. In addition, violent attacks by irresponsible Jewish settlers in the ghetto against Germans will only provoke a cycle of violence. There can be no winners in that. Don't these people conducting the hooligan violence understand that if they attack the nazi troops and refuse to conduct negotiations with the agents sent to us by Adolf Hitler, Hitler will lose control of his forces and then some **really** violent anti-Semite could take over the Third Reich. Besides, Hitler is really trying his best to rein in the more violent of his stormtroopers; he simply cannot be everywhere at once. And besides, the Red Army and the eastern front have him so pre-occupied that he cannot act more effectively against the renegade SS terrorists mistreating Jews. In addition, the Germans do have some legitimacy to their negotiating position. After all, Jews in Poland have been illegally occupying numerous Polish territories that really belong to Aryans! The Jews have established themselves in numerous Polish settlements where they just do not belong and their presence there has antagonized some of the local oppressed people. In addition, horrendous inequality has been created by Jewish racism, since the Jews in Poland are better educated than the gentiles there and Jews in Warsaw earned more than non-Jews before the war. This manifestation of anti-gentile apartheid must be redressed! We need some affirmative action to help the Polish non-Jews advance in society. In addition, some Polish civilians were victims of Jewish pickpockets in Warsaw before the war! The Jews need to pay compensation for THAT. Clearly the solution is two ghettos for two peoples! The Warsaw ghetto needs to be shared. The Jews in one half must agree to be deported peacefully from that half to other destinations, so that the Germans and the Poles can have equal rights in the New Middle Europe. The entire tragedy that we have experienced is because of the selfish inability of so many Jews to share their property and land. We repeat, violence has never solved anything. Violence only foments more violence. The violent Warsaw settlers attacking the innocent Germans are guilty of disrespect towards The Other. They are bigots and racists. They have wounded innocent bystanders. We need to speak out in defense of the human rights of Germans and Poles in the vicinity of the ghetto. We must denounce the racist Zionist hooligans and messianic zealots attacking those victims. Jewish terrorism against Germans must be stopped. We must begin negotiations at once. Those claiming there is no peace partner on the German side are deluded. We simply have to give Hitler a chance. He just wants a homeland for his own people and his fair share of our territory! So take a lesson from our rich and wonderful heritage. The Bible itself calls upon us to pursue peace! Stop the shooting! Start the talking! Now! Signed, Peace Now, Warsaw Chapter 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. |
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THE MORAL QUOTIENT OF FUNDAMENTALIST ISLAM
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 18, 2005. |
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If the moral quotient of a cultural is directly proportional to its treatment of females, fundamentalist Islam's score does sadly suggest a severely stunted segment of the human species. The triple-x sadistic act of gang rape sanctioned by certain troglodyte Wahhabi infected Muslim tribes, especially in Pakistan, bizarrely requires any double-x chromosome blasphemed victim to commit suicide, as she is incredulously considered unclean by the sanctimonious cerebrally challenged sickos of those predatory perverted contemptible clans. Furthermore, duplicitously named 'honor killings', a loathsome homicidal practice perpetrated upon Islamic females of all ages by their closest relatives for allegedly having any extra-marital sexual encounter voluntary or involuntary, is de rigueur within many misogynist Islamic enclaves. Indeed, it boggles a civilized mind to fathom how such fundamentally flawed behavior and perception could remain extant anywhere on Earth etched into the neuronal networks of intelligent life forms after eons of evolved mammalian brain function. To a much lesser but still horrific extent, unfortunate females unserendipitously beget between the boundaries of barbaric Islamic states including but not exclusive to Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Pakistan, Algeria, and Afghanistan must obey the tenets inherent to male dominated Muslim societies nurtured on corrupted Koranic verses virulently vibrating from the orifices of malevolent misogynistic mullahs metastasizing through the bowels of madrassas and mosques bereft of secular sanity. True educational opportunities, legal rights, and civil liberties are few for the physically weaker gender forced to figuratively genuflect to those injustices so encouraged by the robed religious rogues piously preaching their skewed sharia dogma to the degenerate male denizens of these rotten regimes. Yet, not a censorious whisper denouncing such misogyny propagates from that edifice of juris-imprudence known as the United Nations or its spiritual sibling that International Court of Injustice at The Hague, alas all consumed in their condemnation of Israel, a democratic domain that in fact resonates with deserved respect and equality for its female citizens. Perhaps the ethically evolved Jewish state could assume the rightful duties of these useless institutions by default and construct a complex in say Tel Aviv dedicated to the research and development of policies promoting gender equality throughout a planet terribly tainted by pockets of predatory primal behavior. Such an initiative would surely be welcome on this third stone from its sun parts of which remain perilously mired in an atavistic quagmire completely out of sync with a morally acceptable century twenty-one. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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ISRAEL IS THE SACRIFIAL LAMB AT THE ALTAR OF THE WORLD'S ENERGY NEEDS
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 18, 2005. |
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Islamic despots have the world over a barrel. Most assuredly, the viscous Middle Eastern substance within that barrel is vicious to the state of Israel. World sycophants, seduced by their quest for fossil fuel, allow pompous Saudi princes to finance the ooze of Wahhabi poison with relative impunity. Jew bashing and terrorism indeed are acceptable byproducts in the minds of miscreant western oil magnates possessed by their energized lust for profiteering the Arab deserts. Israeli leaders comprehend their dilemma. Equitable treatment is a lamb sacrificed to the reservoirs of black gold buried beneath the bloated assess of subjugating sheiks. They must feign acceptance of a territorial compromise that surely would bring pain with no gain to avoid resentment from their staunchest ally. Yet, they do know that the lunatic homicidal fringe of Muslim culture will never allow such a deal to be consummated. Still, such artful dodging is untenable for the long run. Israel's economy is a daily victim to this unrelenting maelstrom of insanity. Big oil rules and Israel remains its unique casualty. It therefore behooves the creative forces of Israeli academia to develop a viable inexpensive atomic alternative to that loathsome prehistoric liquid currently choking the environmental as well as psychological life out of this planet. Brainpower has always been the sustainer of Jewish survival. Israeli intellect must now take an unfettered quantum leap into the twenty first century for the sake of its nation and mankind. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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NY TIMES WHITEWASHES ABBAS AND HAMAS AND FATAH
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 18, 2005. |
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Here are my critiques of today's NY Times article on Abbas and Fatah. It was written by Steven Erlanger, and is called "In Era After Arafat, Islamic Militants Are Edging Into Power." Please use these as talking points to write a letter to the NY TImes. They should get thousands. I am in the middle of something else now, and cannot take the time (to quote Abraham lincoln) to write a short letter. I'll try to get to that later today. JERUSALEM, Dec. 17 - The success of the militant Islamic group Hamas in the latest round of Palestinian local elections is just the latest indication of the deterioration of the main Palestinian faction, Fatah, after the death of Yasir Arafat last year. To some degree, the decline has been accelerated by the policy choices and the distant, uninspiring personality of Mr. Arafat's successor, Mahmoud Abbas. Without the binding charisma of Mr. Arafat, and without the ability or will to use his aggressive tactics, Mr. Abbas is struggling to manage a renewed struggle between his secular Fatah faction and the Islamists that Mr. Arafat repressed and delayed. DML: "Repressed and delayed?"...Mr. Erlanger should brush up on his recent Middle East history. The overwhelming evidence of thousands of documents taken by the Israeli army from the Muqata, Arafat's central office in Ramallah, show that Hamas and Arafat worked hand in hand, planning together, and coordinating an endless stream of terror attacks. These same documents have also shown, to the satisfaction of the USA congress and President, that Arafat funded much of Hamas' activities, and advanced a whole litany of lies to Israel, to the USA, to the UN and to the EU in order to cover for Hamas. "The success of Hamas," said Khaled Duzdar, a Palestinian who is an analyst at the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information, "is only due to Fatah's failures." DML: "Only?"... the overwhelming enthusiasm with which Hamas' rise to power in the 1980s was greeted by Palestinians all over the world is clear indication that Hamas' message found fertile ground and enthusiastic reception within the broader Palestinian community. Fatah's failures helped Hamas project the image of an ethical Moslem organization free of corruption and graft. But the main message that Hamas broadcast daily -- "no peace, no recognition, no cessation of terrorism -- until victory or martyrdom"... was a message that resonated with the Palestinian public. Those failures long precede the death of Mr. Arafat. He relished the role of revolutionary, but he was no administrator, and his Palestinian Authority was criticized for corruption, indolence and a failure to care about ordinary Palestinians. And Mr. Arafat's decision to recognize Israel and negotiate with it over the 1993 Oslo accords, which allowed him to return from exile, did not produce a Palestinian state. DML: Mr. Erlanger seems willing to whitewash Arafat
at any cost, even the cost of veracity. Arafat's failure to halt
Fatah's corruption had nothing to do with his being "... no
administrator". Arafat was the core and source and guiding hand of
that graft which generated somewhere between 1.3 and 3 billion dollars
worth of laundered money which now supports his widow and daughter in
Paris. To excuse Fatah's graft as a product of an Arafat as a
revolutionary who was inept at running a government is to ignore (or
be ignorant of) the jaw-dropping greed and vulture-like ruthlessness
which typified Arafat's tenure.
The same is true regarding "...did not produce a state". As though,
some how, via some unknown and unseen set of unfortunate
circumstances, a state just did not happen. This is a truly obscene
whitewash of Arafat's commitment to torpedo every possibility of
peace, every opportunity for a negotiated settlement. Oslo "..did not
produce a state" because Arafat did not want it to. Arafat was the
driver behind almost every terror attack. He violated every one of the
Oslo Accord requirements. And he timed terror attacks such that:
b.) when faced with pressure from Israel and the USA to reach a
peace agreement he could count on Israel's unwillingness to continue
peace negotiations when they knew that Arafat, even as they were
talking with him, was sponsoring and directing new terror attacks.
All that was ripe ground for Hamas, with its reputation for piety, its social-welfare network and its military wing, which carried out attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians.
And what is the correct term for an organization that carries out
attacks on civilians, targeting civilians, and declaring its
intentions to annihilate all of those civilians? How about
"terrorist"! But Mr. Arafat was also revered by Palestinians as the founder of their nascent nation, the man who turned Palestinian from an adjective that included anyone who lived in the British Mandate for Palestine to a specific appellation for a people. DML: At last: an honest statement: Mr. Erlanger has just correctly noted that it was Arafat who created the concept of a Palestinian people being other than the Jews of British Mandatory Palestine. Perhaps unintentionally, Mr. Erlanger reminds us of the historical fact that there was no such thing as a "Palestinian people" before Arafat re-minted the term in his post-1967 terror campaigns. In Leon Uris's 1958 novel of the founding of the state of Israel, "Exodus," the Jewish hero, Ari Ben Canaan, is invariably referred to as "the Palestinian." It reads oddly today, largely because of Mr. Arafat, who took a scattered people and gave them a new identity. DML: Per above: this is exactly what happened.
There was no concept of Palestinians as a separate people. They were
Arabs, Syrian Arabs or Lebanese Arabs, or Jordanian Arabs, or Egyptian
Arabs. The "Palestinians" were the Jews of British Mandatory
Palestine, and after 1948 those Jews became known as Israelis. At that
time the Arabs of the West Bank were known as Jordanians, and the
Arabs of the Gaza Strip were known as Egyptians. There were no, nor
were there ever, Palestinian Arabs ... until Arafat coined the term for
the Arabs of the West Bank and Gaza Strip as part of his PR reframing
of the conflict.
Thank you, Mr. Erlanger, for making it official. Mr. Arafat was also willing to exercise a strong hand. He kept Hamas - created in 1987 as the fighting arm of the religious Muslim Brotherhood -- in line and out of power. DML: Lord have mercy. Mr. Erlanger is either deeply ignorant, or simply hopes that his audience is. "...in line and out of power?" Hamas grew by leaps and bounds under Arafat. In speeches, Arafat emphasized his deep personal friendship with and support for Sheikh Akhmed Yassin (founder of Hamas). Per above, Arafat supported, shielded, coordinated with, aided, abetted, protected, and enhanced Hamas. In negotiations in the early 1990's, he rejected proposals that Hamas join the secular Palestine Liberation Organization with up to 40 percent of seats, and he refused to give Hamas a share of power in the Palestinian Authority, which the P.L.O., dominated by Fatah, controlled. Mr. Arafat always insisted that the P.L.O. was "the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" -- specifically excluding Hamas and the other Islamists, like Islamic Jihad. And he cracked down intermittently on them. DML: Well, that depends on how you define the term "cracked down". Arafat frequently arrested terrorists and then let them out of jail a few days or a few weeks later. The Israeli government referred to this phenomenon as "the revolving door jail". His successor, Mr. Abbas, is entirely different, lacking the charisma of Mr. Arafat, a natural politician. A negotiator and man of logic, who opposes terrorism and the war against Israel as counterproductive, Mr. Abbas, at 70, carries all the weight of Mr. Arafat's failures without any credit for his successes. DML: More of Mr. Erlanger's willingness to
compromise truth and history and honesty in order to create a positive
image for Mr. Abbas. Mr. Abbas did indeed say that he opposed
terrorism -- in English, to the West. But then he did nothing to stop
it, and said in Arabic to his followers that he would never do
anything to stop Hamas, never disarm them, never use force against
them. And, as important, he did nothing to stop the incitement in
mosques and schools and on TV and radio; and he continued to lionize
"martyr" suicide bombers and arrange for payments to their families.
Even when he did say something in Arabic against terrorism, as Mr.
Erlanger correctly notes (but does not seem to grasp its
significance), his words did not condemn terrorism as an immoral or
illegal deed. Rather, terrorism was not good because it was
counterproductive. So, later, when circumstances are different, and
terrorism becomes productive ... well ... we'll just have to wait and
see. Mr. Abbas has told intimates he feels lonely, with few real allies, in a Palestinian polity that sees little movement from Israel, that resents its powerlessness and despises its corrupt leadership. He has described himself as transitional, opening the gates to his rivals. Yet he has refused to jettison the old guard or to crack down and provide law and order in the streets. The municipalities battle is only a forerunner to the battle for parliament in an election set for Jan. 25. And the battle for parliament is really a battle for the P.L.O., to which the Palestinian Authority is subordinate. Still, Mr. Abbas believes that the politicization of Hamas is a great accomplishment, the only way to moderate the group, and that democratic politics are the only path to genuine national unity. DML: This is true. But unfortunately, Mr. Erlanger does nothing to assist us to understand the significance of this statement. Mr. Abbas has wooed and courted and whitewashed and supported Hamas since his rise to power. He has even stooped so low as to cowtow to their demands -- hence no requirement for them to disarm, but rather to simply not show their weapons in public. So his current statement that he will moderate the terrorists by including them in his government is merely a fig leaf over the reality that he has no power over them and cannot stop them from entering into political power. So, since he can't stop them anyway, he might as well make the best of it and make it look like he is in favor of the process that will most likely end up leaving him without a job, or worse. Many in Fatah, let alone in Israel, are unconvinced. Faced with the Hamas challenge, Fatah itself is splitting, with another long-repressed conflict coming into the open -- the generational struggle between those who were Arafat cronies and went into exile with him and those in their 40's who grew up at home after the 1967 war, under Israeli occupation, learning Hebrew in Israeli jails and feeling excluded from power. Led by Marwan Barghouti, who is serving five consecutive life sentences plus 40 years in an Israeli prison, the younger generation has its own slate in the January elections, a direct challenge to Mr. Abbas that he is trying to forestall. On Saturday, negotiations were going on between representatives of Mr. Abbas and Mr. Barghouti about how to rally Fatah around a slate that gives the younger, indigenous generation more power and retires some of the old guard. Shaken by the Hamas surge, Fatah is finally seeing the value of unity. Despite the threat, polls still show Fatah with an edge. So what would define success for Hamas in January? Forty percent of the vote could be seen as a huge accomplishment, even if Palestinian and Israeli analysts are talking excitedly about a possible Hamas majority. In any case, Hamas will have a much broader influence on Palestinian politics. That already has Israeli politicians who are engaged in their own campaigns making broad statements about how a Hamas victory will mean the end of negotiations and the troubled peace plan known as the road map. On Saturday, Silvan Shalom, the foreign minister who is trying to win the leadership of battle to lead the Likud Party that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has abandoned, warned that a Hamas victory could "put us back 50 years." Mr. Shalom praised a resolution of Friday evening from the United States House of Representatives warning that the Palestinian Authority risks losing American aid if Hamas participates in an election that is only six weeks away. Hamas, after all, has carried out many attacks against Israelis, and it has been designated a terrorist group by Israel, Europe and the United States. But the Palestinian election is also bound to be clarifying, a relatively realistic measure of Palestinian sentiment a year after Mr. Arafat's death. The election will also signify the reintegration of a significant minority of Palestinian opinion into politics and perhaps government. DML: This is true. The rise of Hamas via democratic election to positions of legitimacy and power show us the true intentions and commitments of the Palestinian people. A vote for Hamas is a vote for the genocide of Israel's Jews. The Palestinians know this. They vote accordingly. In any case, a successful Hamas will have to adapt to a new role of responsibility, while accepting the previous commitment of the P.L.O. and the Palestinian Authority to a negotiated, two-state solution with Israel, even if it insists that Israel will be gone in the fullness of time. Hamas, which believes, like Hezbollah in Lebanon, that politics and armed resistance must go hand in hand, may never give up its "right to resist" or its weapons, but it may find itself forced politically not to use them, or not very often. DML: This is the same argument that was raised in
1973 when there was opposition to the inclusion of the PLO in the UN
with "observer status". Pro-inclusion forces argued that such
inclusion would "tame the terrorists" and force them into the kinds of
behavior that the world's family of nations requires of civilized
folk. Didn't work. The PLO, under the tutelage of the Arab League,
hi-jacked the UN and turned it into the anti-Israel and anti-West PR
and propaganda playground that it has been since then.
The same thing happened at Oslo. Peres et al argued strenuously that
the Oslo Accords would tame Arafat. "He will have no choice", argued
Peres. Once he is head of state, he will need to govern and abandon
his terror war. Didn't work. Cent wer for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, argued in The Washington Quarterly of autumn 2005 that Hamas had already won a historic victory. He wrote that the group's agreement to participate in electoral politics on a national level was "nothing less than an earthquake in Palestinian politics, signaling the clear end of one-party rule." A more representative Palestinian government is much more likely to stabilize Palestinian society, Mr. Malka said, and he maintained that it would also "ultimately strengthen any future agreement between Israel and the Palestinians." DML: This might be true if the representatives are committed to a stable Palestinian society and to some future agreement with Israel. But if one of the strongest and most popular representatives is committed to the destruction of Israel, to terrorism until victory or martyrdom, then how will this do other than de-stabilize the Palestinian government and keep the conflict going... until victory (destruction of Israel) or martyrdom? David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli, currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org). Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com |
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HAMAS SURGES IN WEST BANK; BLOW TO FATAH DOMINANCE
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 18, 2005. |
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"Hamas Surges in West Bank; Blow to Fatah Dominance" screams the 12/17/2005 New York Times' front page, editors mercifully inserting on page A13 the distraught face of today's praying Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, perhaps for Allah to send an angel with several extra strength Excedrins. His presumed worst nightmare now materializes in the hefty Hamas laden vote tabulations of so-called "West Bank" cities such as former Fatah stronghold Nablus, as well as Jenin, Ramallah, El Bireh, Qalqilya, Bethlehem, and a slew of other "morphed Jordanian" (misnamed Palestinian) cities. "The earth shook under our feet" moaned a tremor traumatized Isaam Abu Baker, Fatah's befuddled Nablus power broker, presciently perusing the help wanted sections of local newspapers offering consulting positions to ousted politicos. Israeli pie-in-the-sky peace Pollyanna "lets hold hands with Abbas and sing Kumbaya" types as well as an Abbas embracing Road Map obsessed, alas amended to include jihad junky armed Hamas in the political process, U.S. President G.W. Bush should duly note that Hamas remains a rabid terrorist organization frothing at the mouth to annihilate Israel. Political popularity in the wake of a stupidly ceded Gaza only strengthens that desire. Indeed, one cannot hope to win a "war on terror" when one politely curtsies, submits to extortion, and tosses in effect raw meat to insatiable carnivorous Jew-despising savages whose weapon of choice is their own children shrouded in explosives. The soon to be democratically elected representatives of the neighbors next door could be lobbing missiles and deploying human smart bombs at the same shlamazels whose gullible leaders gifted them their first sovereign base of operations in Gaza. Lets hope no other sovereign bases are forthcoming. The only Road Map Israel needs is one that leads to sane policy decisions bereft of land for peace lunacy. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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SEASONS GREETINGS
Posted by David Frankfurter, December 18, 2005. |
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Dear Friends, This year, Hanukah and Christmas coincide. One of my friends asked me what the Maccabees would make of the Temple Mount that they fought so hard to rededicate being off-limits to Jewish prayer. Or what Joseph and Mary might think of a situation where, as Jews, they would be scared for their lives to pass through Palestinian controlled Bethlehem. In wishing my Jewish readers a Happy Hanukah, and my Christian readers a Merry Christmas -- and all of you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year -- I ask you to cast a thought and a prayer for the plight of Christian Palestinian Arabs who suffer daily indignity without the basic support and sympathy of their local or overseas leadership. [Editor's note: See the feature article by Jeanine Hischhorn in this issue of Think-Israel.] To subscribe to David Frankfurter's 'letter from Israel', email him at david.frankfurter@iname.com. Or go to http://www.livejournal.com/users/dfrankfurter/ |
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THESE RADICAL "PALESTINIAN" ARAB MUSLIM MURDERERS. CALL THEM WHAT THEY
ARE: GENOCIDAL BOMBERS
Posted by American 1627, December 18, 2005. |
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What else fits the "Palestinian" Arab Muslim terrorists thugs that target unarmed civilians in the most crowded places, the bigger the innocent crowd the more "successful" they call their "mission", and their sick follow up dance. 'Suicide' is too much of the "victim type of desperation hinting" (see the link below about the myth regarding Genocide Bombers being "poor desperate", or the wake up call many in UK got when finding out the true identity of the "normal" & even well established life, the London bombers were). 'Homicide', though the better term than 'suicide', still does not spell it, it would have fit if it would be in a targeting of specific people. Genocide, is what it is, the clear plan and an obvious attempt to kill as many Jews, Israelis a possible. If this is not the definition of Genocide, What is? www.danielpipes.org/comments/6339 Genocide Bombers www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=10282 Affluent Genocide www.frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=9670 Genocide www.tzemach.org/fyi/docs/beres/sept02-03.htm Israel Has Always Faced Arab Genocide www.factsofisrael.com/blog/archives/000166.html Palestinian genocide bombers add nails, ball bearings and rat poison to their explosives www.jewishworldreview.com/julia/gorin_pales_nyers.php3 Poor Palestinians? Poor New Yorkers!, if you think Genocide Bombers are "poor desperate"... www.israelnewsagency.com/israelterrorismhaderairan661026.html Israel Rocked By Palestinian Islamic Terror Bomber as Iran calls to 'Wipe Israel off map...' Contact the poster at american1627@yahoo.com |
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SOME RECENT SUICIDE BOMBINGS IN BANGLADASH
Posted by Salah Choudhury, December 18, 2005. |
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Dear Friends: Shalom Uvracha! There's been recent suicide bomb attacks in Bangladesh. We all are against Islamist radicals and in particular I warned the Bangladesh Government about the hidden rise of radical forces in the madrassas in this country. But, they considered my forecast as an "offense" and brought sedition charge against me. You all know about my agonies in prison for 17 months. But, now, what I said few years back is almost echoed by the government and masses in this country. For the first time, Bangladesh is voicing against Islamist Militancy. Special prayers were offered in mosques against the radicals. But, unfortunately, the false sedition charge is still hanging on me. My passport is not yet been returned and I am refused basic rights. Even recently, some of the influential quarters in the government as well representatives of the extremist and radical forces are putting pressure on the government to let me withdraw from the editorship of Weekly Blitz and Jamjamat. They think, I am a Zionist and defender of interests of the Jews. It was even suggested by the government that they place someone else in the editorship of Blitz, which I strongly rejected. I know, my rejection might even bring some more bad things for me and my newspaper. But, still, I have hope. As Jewish proverb says, where there is life, there is hope. So, I have reasons to be affirmative on becoming victorious finally with your precious support and blessings in our anti radical movement as well as our qmission for establishment of interfaith dialogue and relations. Please continue to accord your valued support to me and my mission. It will be appreciated if you would kindly send us articles/op-eds on this issue for Blitz. Kindly spread this message to others. Regards Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
The writer is a journalist, columnist, author, and publisher and editor of "Weekly Blitz". Email him at salahuddinshoaibchoudhury@yahoo.com |
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ENTIRE REGION OF NORWAY TO BOYCOTT ISRAELI GOODS
Posted by mrla26, December 18, 2005. |
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This comes from the Palestine News Agency, http://english.wafa.ps/body.asp?id=4919 The Norwegian Ambassador to the United States is Mr. Knut Vollebaek. The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Washington is at 2720 34th Street NW Washington, DC 20008. Tel: (202) 333-6000 Fax: (202) 337-0870. Email: emb.washington@mfa.no Please let him know your feelings. SOR-TRODELAG (NORWAY), December 17, 2005 (WAFA)- The Norwegian Provincial Government of Sor-Trondelag voted by a majority on Saturday to boycott the Israeli goods. In a press release issued by the Grassroots Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, said tha the government, includes Trondheim, Norway's third largest city and comprises almost 20 percent of Norway's population, decided to completely and totally prohibits the purchase or sale of Israeli products in all municipalities in the province. "The Provincial Parliament explicitly stated that the Israeli system
of domination is no different from that of Apartheid South Africa.
This comparison means a great deal in Sor-Trondelag, as its provincial
parliament was the first Norwegian governmental body to boycott South
African Apartheid," according to the Campaign.
Contact the poster at mrla26@aol.com
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A PERILOUS ISLAM
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 17, 2005. |
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Nothing is more perilous to the well being of our dysfunctional planet than a manipulated belief system, imbued with socially malignant rhetoric, intended to poison the souls of its mesmerized minions. Today's fundamental Wahhabi infected Islam, born of skewed Koranic verses, so exploited by fanatical mullahs and other sadistic theo-illogical salesmen, convinces vulnerable young males that a murderous martyrdom will reward them with sexual encounters in paradise not possible in the sentient world. Indeed, in such a misogynist social structure, earthly females must submit to the tenets of its version of Sharia, a rulebook that compels them to wear head to toe de rigueur black burqas lest they seduce any hormone-crazed Muslim male or males passing by. However, if this Islamic imperative is yet insufficient to quell the lustful beast in the collective belly of some sex-deprived gang of rapists, a so-clad young lady abducted and brutally violated can stumble home bleeding to the comfort of her family only to receive perhaps a bullet to the brain by some 'adoring' cousin, brother, or even father. These "caring" albeit homicidal male souls of course would likely go unpunished by civil authorities for perpetrating an "honor killing", as such a rape victim, regardless of age, is now considered impure as might any female be who voluntarily or involuntarily engages in any extra-marital sexual encounter. "Honor killings" naturally are condoned by the "enlightened" rules of their Sharia. What a culture! I ask where are the moderate Muslims that might condemn this barbaric form of Islam, born of skewed Koranic verses, that so besmirches the rational socially acceptable religion they purport to follow? When such an intolerant brutally warped belief system, bereft of humane conceptualizations, born of violence and virulent hatred, crafted by maniacal Machiavellian misogynist Mullahs intending to mesmerize and control their vulnerable Muslim subjects, metastasizes through the mosque infected bowels of say a civilized secular European social structure, perilous problems arise. Witness the devastating relatively recent London and Madrid bombings subsequent to the catastrophic carnage of 9/11 across the Atlantic, along with several decades worth of continuing homicidal/suicidal abominations in Israel, Indonesia, and other grief stricken locales. Alas, sycophantic suited leaders of industrial nations succumbing to rather than eschewing those robed royal rogues, especially of the House of Saud, that underwrite Islamic fanaticism in Pakistani human bomb factory madrassas, fail to comprehend the calamitous consequences of short-sighted current policies that do not punish their oil suppliers for the contemptible crimes they finance. A culture of potential martyrs so seduced by those insane insidious convictions construed from twisted Koranic verses, programmed to perpetrate the most perverted suicidal/homicidal acts on this planet, indeed must be quashed forthwith even if jewel laden retaliatory spiny fingers of despotic autocratic Arabs threaten to tighten their sacred spigots, thus choking the flow of that blasphemous besieging vicious viscous energy life blood. A sadistic Ottoman empire anew awaits a non-acting craven Europe, still unwilling to comprehend the fact that contemptibly castigating a democratically endowed yet to be accepted logical ally Israel, will not win the hearts and minds of Wahhabi warriors. Muddled minds suckled on savage Islamic rhetoric will not reconsider their blind burning compulsion of retaking lost land and crushing the crusader infidels. Jihad has been declared but falls on the deaf ears of an oil-driven docile continent in denial. Fundamental Islam's sadomasochistic skewed interpretation of scripture skewers susceptible youthful Muslim souls, slithering through secularly stunted cerebral circuitry like a sidling snake, inciting those infected to shun the human survival instinct and murder all non-believers in exchange for sexual trysts in paradise. It behooves a rational world to recognize and conquer this disease now. Nothing is more essential. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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CAN THE IAEA EARN THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE?
Posted by Gerald M. Steinberg, December 18, 2005. |
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The aura and pomp that surround the Noble prize ceremonies notwithstanding, sometimes the selection committees get it wrong. This year, they gave the peace prize to the International Atomic Energy Agency and its head, Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei -- just as Iran's nuclear program is leading to the collapse of the non-proliferation regime. If the US and Europe fail to halt the Iranian effort before it reaches the finish line, this award will join the one given to Yasser Arafat on the top of the list of Nobel gaffes. In contrast, Thomas Schelling and Robert (Israel) Aumann received prizes in economics for their work in rational decision-making and game theory. The major contribution of this theory is in managing conflict, particularly in the shadows of nuclear weapons. Game theory was essential in guiding the US and Soviet Union to a stable deterrence relationship. Schelling and Aumann should have received peace prizes, while the IAEA deserves recognition for economics. It is the greed of leaders in Russia, Pakistan and elsewhere that has propelled proliferation of deadly weapons, including Iran's potentially lethal arsenal. It is this greed, and the long period in which European leaders denied the need to confront Iran that has led to this situation, rather than the failure of the IAEA. Indeed, ElBaradei is an unusually competent and professional civil servant, who does not indulge in the anti-Israel diatribes characteristic of many Egyptian officials. But he is in a very difficult situation, and fears that if he blows the whistle on Iran's illegal nuclear activities, the IAEA will collapse. He may now realize that by acting too slowly and meekly on Iran, he and the IAEA are likely to be rendered irrelevant anyway. IF THE window for diplomacy and sanctions closes, the focus will shift to the realm of game theory -- confrontation, threats and deterrence. Despite many dangers, the leaders of the US and Soviet Union managed to prevent the worst of all possible scenarios -- a nuclear catastrophe. By carefully choosing policies based on rational interest, and attempting to anticipate the responses of the other side, the leaders of both nations kept the conflict under control. The 1962 Cuban missile crisis demonstrated that the relationship could be controlled and stabilized, paving the way for d tente, and arms control negotiations. Whether these lessons can applied successfully to confrontations involving a nuclear armed Iran is highly problematic. During the Cold War, the US and Soviet Union maintained diplomatic relations and embassies in each other's capitals. When the going got rough, and crises erupted, they were able to exchange reliable messages that allowed the leaders to maintain control over decision-making, and prevented blind escalation. Both sides understood that if the conflict escalated out of control, the result would be mutual destruction. Therefore, each move in the game could be calculated to avoid triggering an angry response from the other side. And while the contest between the communist and capitalist ideologies was intense, theirs was not a hate filled religious or historical conflict. However, Iran is entirely isolated, without any communications links with Israel, and no knowledge of Israeli red-lines, threat perceptions or fears. Instead of an embassy and diplomatic relations, Iranian leaders boast about "wiping Israel off the map," engage in Holocaust denial, and talk about moving the Jewish people to Europe. Thus, the foundation for the stable deterrence relationship that managed to prevent nuclear war between the US and the USSR, and later, between India and Pakistan, does not exist in the case of Iran. Similarly, there is no basis for a transformation from deadly confrontation to the cooperative conflict management necessary for survival, as took place during the 1962 missile crisis. THE TENETS of game theory also highlight the paths by which Teheran's sponsorship of terror through groups such as Hizbullah and Islamic Jihad could trigger a catastrophic confrontation between Israel and Iran. If Hizbullah had been successful in kidnapping or killing Israeli soldiers during its recent incursion, escalation would have followed, lighting a fuse that could reach Teheran. In the future, the terrorist leaders might be emboldened by the illusion of an Iranian nuclear umbrella, which, they could erroneously believe, would provide them with immunity to a full-scale Israeli counter-strike. (A few years ago, Pakistan-backed terrorists attacked Indian positions, expecting to be spared a robust response, due to mutual deterrence. They miscalculated, and the crisis came very close to a nuclear war. But in this case, as well, a network of communications channels and personal links averted catastrophe.) By demonstrating the dangers of a nuclear Iran, and the complexities of a stable deterrence under these conditions, game theory may spur the IAEA, through the US and Europe, into taking action at the last minute. If sanctions, diplomacy or, if necessary, joint military action, prevent Iran from becoming the most unstable of nuclear powers, catastrophe can be avoided. And then the IAEA, led by Mohamed ElBaradei, will have earned the peace prize. Gerald M. Steinberg is editor of NGO Monitor and director of the Program on Conflict Management at Bar-Ilan University. This article appeared today in the Jerusalem Post (www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1134309597698&pagename =JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull) and was entitled "Wrong-way Nobel strikes again." |
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THE ZIONISTS DID IT AND NOW THE ARABS WANT IT -- BUT ...
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 17, 2005. |
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Interesting how history repeats itself. The Zionists came to the malaria-infested swamp land of the Hula valley in the 1880s. No one lived there. they bought unoccupied land from absentee land-owners and began to drain the swamps. The neighboring arabs told them they were crazy. The land was swamp. The land was cursed. The land harbored strange demons that killed people with a horrid sickness. Over time, the Jews drained the swamp, and turned the valley in to one of the richest farming areas of israel. The Zionists came to the malaria-infested swamp land of the northern Sharon plains, all sand dunes and wind-swept waste land, with only a few bedouin (also known as the 'yellow' bedouin because the survivors of malaria often had a yellow hue to their facial skin) moving in and out of the region. The Arabs said they were crazy. The land was cursed. The land was worthless. the curse would kill all the Jews. The Zionists bought the empty land from absentee landowners and began their process of drainage. The Zionists founded Hadera. Half the Hadera founders died of malaria the first year. They got re-inforcements. Half of those died the 2nd year. They got more re-inforcements. By the third year the drainage activities had worked, and what was once a malaria swamp gradually became the bustling city of Hadera, and the northern coastal plain, once an empty sand-swept waste-land, is now the place where 2/3 of Israel's population lives. In the early 20th century, the Jezreel valley was largely swamp and empty tracts, the natural drainage course of the water running off of the central hill country and the lower galilee. It was home to a few arab villages and incessant maurading bedouin who came over from trans-Jordan and summered there. The Zionists came and bought vast tracts of the land...worthless swamp land, that had not been productive in living memory and before. The Arabs laughts, laughing all the way to the bank as they sold the land to the stupid Jews. Soon dozens of kibbutzim and moshavim dotted the countryside, and as drainage operations got underway, rich black soil emerged from beneath the swampy veneer. Today, the Jezreel valley is the breadbasket of Israel. In 1909 eleven Jews from Jaffa decided that they needed to build a Jewish city away from the influences and threats of the Jaffa Arabs. their leader was a young merchant named Dizengoff. they marched 11 kilometers north of Jaffa and found a small area surrounded by sand dunes a few kilometers south of where the little trickle of water that today is the yarkon river emptied into the Mediterranean sea. That is where they founded a little town about whose name they argued incessently. Finally they decided on a symbolic name that would capture the spirit of Zionism: The Ancient Hill of Springtime (renewal) = Tel Aviv. The Zionists took a land that the local Arabs disdained, thinking it cursed and useless. the Zionists knew from their own ancient history that once this land had been flourishing and fertile. They knew too that it had been brought low by inhabitants who did not care about the land. So they werre inspired to the visiion of what this 'worthless' land would look like if given the proper care. So....They bought the "worthless" land at exorbitant prices, from the legal owners who were willing sellers.They worked and fought and died to fulfill that vision, feeling sure that they could bring the land back to its ancient glory. then, With sweat and blood they turned it into the most desireable real estate in the Middle East at that time. Then the Arabs got jealous and wanted it......hence the Arab-Israel conflict. Now the same thing is happening in the Gush Katif area, but with the additional twist: The Arabs disdained the land, and called it cursed. It was unowned, uninhabited. After the 6-day war the Jews came and built their villages and kibbutzim and moshavim, and then turned it into some of the most profitable farm land in the levant. Now the Jews have given it back, and the Arabs don't seem to know what to do with it. Hmmm.....interesting to see the same pattern more than a century later. P.S. if you, or someone you know, thinks that my summary of Zionist history above is just the "mythology" of zionism, and that the region was really full of good land and a bustling agrarian economy in the 1800s (As yassir arafat said it was)....I suggest you find a copy of Dr. Sandi Suffian's ph.d (soon to be published in book form). She is a Palestinian Moslem Arab from Ramallah, who did her Ph.D. on Zionist and Arab history in the 19th century at Rutgers Univ. Now she is teaching at the oriental institute at the Univ. of Chicago. Her bottom line: the Zionists really did it...just like they said. David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli, currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org). Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com |
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PA ARABS VOTE OVERWHELMINGLY FOR HAMAS TERROR GROUP
Posted by Mordechai Ben-Menachem, December 17, 2005. |
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This was written by Ezra HaLevi and appeared today in Arutz-Sheva (www.israelnationalnews.com) With the general PA elections a month away, Hamas victories in major PA-controlled cities foreshadow the election of the terrorist group as the representatives of the Arabs of the PA. Hamas is responsible for many of the world's most gruesome attacks on civilians. Hamas has won an estimated 75% of the votes in the municipal elections in Shechem (Nablus), 72% of the votes in El- Bireh (Ramallah's twin city) and took the leadership of the terror-capital of Jenin as well. In Ramallah, long the seat of power of Yassir Arafat and the ruling Fatah group, the PFLP terror group took the elections. In a previous round of voting, Hamas and the PFLP won elections in Bethlehem and Beit Jala, both just south of Jerusalem. Fatah only chalked up a victory in the Bethlehem suburb of Beit Sahur. Local elections in Gaza and Hevron were delayed by the PA election committee. PA sources say the delay was due to concern of a wider-scale victory for Hamas, which appreciates massive support in both locales. Crowds of Hamas supporters in Shechem celebrated in the streets Thursday night. The Hamas leadership, meanwhile, is promising future victories. "The big party will be when we win the parliamentary elections" Hamas spokesman Yasser Mansour said. Hamas is listed as a terror organization in the United States and Europe. Fundraising for and affiliation with the group is a crime. It is unclear whether the world's nations, including Israel, will continue to assist the Palestinian Authority if a party advocating the destruction of Israel sits at its helm. In a recent election video, Hamas declared that it will not give up its armed struggle until Israel is destroyed. In the aftermath of previous gains by Hamas and other terror groups, some commentators have suggested that support for Hamas indicates a rejection of Fatah corruption and not support for the group's terror attacks and public adulation of suicide-bombers. In the recent local elections, however ten other parties, many of them unaffiliated with terror groups, submitted candidates, yet Hamas won popular support. Mordechai Ben-Menachem is at Ben-Gurion University. He can be reached by email at quality@computer.org |
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OLEG CARTOON: THE PIED PIPER
Posted by Women in Green, December 17, 2005. |
Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org |
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FROM HOLY LAND TO MASOCHIST LAND IN ONE GENERATION
Posted by Marcel Cousineau, December 17, 2005. |
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Masochism -- pleasure in being abused or dominated, a taste for
suffering.
Israel has evolved into a land where the majority accept domination and abuse. They would rather have the U.S. tell them what to do even after their consistent record of failure. They allow their enemy to kill them with impunity and without let up, protesting softly like the willing whore who just can't say no. Not once has Israel said no to the dangerous concessions forces on them by their friend turned bully pimp. Even going so far as releasing their captured enemies from prison to terrorize and kill them again and permitting hundreds of terrorist and weapons free passage into Gaza to be used against them. Refusing to defeat this enemy, they are tired of being the victors, choosing to become the defeated. Allowing without question a foreign superpower to trample their sovereignty, they give in without resistance and surrender to a process which brings them into greater danger then they are in already. Permitting themselves to be restrained, handcuffed and hindered from defeating their mortal enemies, the Palestinians, grow more and more deadly. This, in spite of the reality that there is no real peace to be had by those who continue to chant death to the Jews and smuggle in deadlier weapons. They talk tough but never act on their promised harsh responses, proving that they are indeed masochists. Israel knows that the Road Map is a farce and not worth the paper it's written on, and yet they go along willingly and silently with this plan which rewards the terrorists for all their work and punishes those who truly seem to enjoy it. What insanity to throw fellow Jews out of their homes and surrender land to such an undeserving enemy. Israel, the land of mentally disturbed masochists who wrongly assume that the nations will take pity on their suffering, silently surrender once again to another evil plan with a wimper. Contact Marcel Cousineau at up2zionsg8@yahoo.com. Or go to his webblog: A Very Heavy Stone (http://averyheavystone.blogspot.com/). |
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GREEN PARTY ANTI-ISRAEL RESOLUTION CONDEMNED
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 16, 2005. |
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I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but given the seemingly endless wave of anti-israel resolutions coming from odd places and presenting one-sided anti-israel interpretations of the conflict and/or suggestions for its resolution, I am beginning to think that this wave is orchestrated by some one or some group. Remember the rainbow grocery store in SF...suddenly boycotting Israeli goods. Then there was the women's shelter in SF...suddenly demanding that clients sign off on an anti-zionist statement Then there was the resolution by one of the SF municipal workers unioins condemning Israel Then there is (still there but dwindling) the Presbyterian anti-Israel divestment movement (and notice that it began with the Presbyterians even as Sharon was offering to pull out of Gaza in order to move ahead with a peace agenda, then spread ever so quicly to other main line denomiations, and then some of these began to pull out, pull back, until now the Presbyterians are almost left alone). Now there is the National Lawyers Guild declaration that Zionism = Racism; a doctrine that was abandoned by the UN in 1991 And now too the Green Party condemns Israel and urges divestment (even as Israel has pulled out of gaza, and part of the west bank, and allows gazan arabs to enter israel, and the usa is supporting the creation of the palestinian state: 'birthing it' to quote Rice). In the context of rational thought, none of this makes sense. Why condemn israel for being a warlike occupier when it is ending the occupation? Why condemn Zionism as racism when this obnoxious and anti-Jewish idea was rejected 15 years ago? Because for certain groups, the condemnation of Israel is unrelated to the Palestinians, to the conflcit, to the occupation. The condemnation is part of the long-range PR war to demonize israel no matter how much land it gives back, no matter how good a peace it makes with palestinian leaders, no matter how virtuous and generous and helpful and constructive it may, or may not, be toward the palestinians. It seems to me that part of these groups' propaganda war is a Palestinian/Arab organization that simply goes from door to door looking for receptive organizations. When it finds one (the moslem CEO of the women's shelter, an Arab president of the Wisconsin Green Party, and others who without any ethno-religious affiliation to the Arab world still support the terrorists), it pushes an agenda which may be completely at odds with that organization's philosophy. None the less, that organization agrees to mount that agenda in a high profile way. The result is a constant media barrage of anti-israel PR unconnected to the conflict per se, and given the important legitimizing imprimatur of the organization that sponsors the the anti-israel PR. It is as though Goebbels is back, with a vengeance, and his goal is to make the world think that Israel (peace or no peace, occupation or no occupation) is the worst most horrific most inhuman and inhumane country in the world. And some of us are willing to listen and buy into it. Former Green Party Presidential Candidate Says US Green Party Anti-Israel Resolution Destroys Party Credibility; Urges Immediate Retraction Lorna Salzman, a 2004 candidate for the US Green Party's presidential nomination and member of the NYS GP State Committee, says the US Green Party has allowed leftist extremists to dictate the party's national policies. A resolution that calls for complete divestment from Israel and for a single secular state, among other things, was passed by 55 of the 126 national Green Party delegates. Notwithstanding the USGP' founding principle of Nonviolence, the resolution makes no reference to Palestinian suicide bombings. The resolution, introduced by Mohammed Abed and Ben Manski of the Wisconsin Green Party, passed without discussion of the issue within most state parties and without soliciting opposing views. In California, where the party is comprised of county committees, most national delegate never informed these committees of the resolution. Said Salzman: "This is not a matter of being against or for Israel or Palestine. One of the USGP's founding principles is nonviolence. Yet the USGP has not seen fit to condemn violence on all sides. Its unilateral anti-Israel policy provides cover not only for anti-Semites but for radical Islamists and Palestine apologists and makes a mockery of the GP's own professed nonviolence position". Salzman is urging all Americans, regardless of their position on Israel and Palestine, to send their comments to the USGP, and to consider enrolling in their state green party so as to oust what she calls the "misleadership" of the party, which continues to control the party through undemocratic means. She says all those on the USGP NC who supported this resolution should resign. David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli, currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org). Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com |
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POLITICALLY CORRECT 'SHOCK AND DISMAY'
Posted by AFSI, December 16, 2005. |
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Herbert Zweibon, Chairman of Americans For a Safe Israel/AFSI, states that "There is no reason for surprise or amazement at the remarks of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who speaks about erasing Israel from the map of the world, and questions whether the holocaust every happened." Zweibon says, "There is nothing new in the sentiment [calling for Israel's demise] which was repeatedly articulated by the Ayatollah Khomeini and those who followed him." "Also", continues Zweibon, "one of the most egregious holocaust deniers is Mahmoud Abbas, Chairman of the PLO. This man, who is supposed to be Israel's peace partner, and for whom extremely painful expulsions of Jews from their lands have been executed, wrote a book in 1983 entitled, The Other Side: The Secret Relations between Nazism and the Leadership of the Zionist Movement. The book was originally his doctoral dissertation for the Moscow Oriental College. Why isn't anybody decrying his position? Instead, Abbas continues to get huge amounts of money from America, Israel, and the international community." AFSI's chairman points to a Dec. 6, 2005 report by Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld and Alyssa Lappen which tells us, "The very same day that an Islamic Jihad suicide bomber killed at least five Israelis and wounded more than 40 innocent people in a Netanya shopping mall -- Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas signed a new law to support the families of suicide bombers -- Enacting a special law to financially support terrorists will ensure that this kind of activity continues." "Daniel Pipes said it correctly," continues Zweibon, "in his Dec. 13 article in the New York Sun, that there "is a right way and a wrong way, strangely, to call for the elimination of Israel." The world has to stop finding the politically correct targets for its "shock and dismay" and admit that the so-called "partners for peace," including the PLO, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, are actually an Arab axis of evil, bent on Israel's destruction." Americans For a Safe Israel/AFSI is a pro-active pro-Israel advocacy group. AFSI may be contacted by mail at 1623 Third Ave., Suite 205, New York, N.Y. 10128 (Tel: 212-828-2424; Fax: 212-828-1717); by email at afsi@rcn.com; or by accessing its website: www.afsi.org. Helen Freedman is Executive Director. |
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CHRISTIANS: JEWS ARE FELLOW VICTIMS AND ALLIES; POLITICS; PRESIDENTIAL POPULARITY
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 16, 2005. |
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PRESBYTERIAN LEADERS ADOPT ANTISEMITIC LINE Some Chicago Presbyterian Church leaders met with Hizbullah leaders. The churchmen praised the jihadists, with whom they commiserated as victims of Jewish influence over the media. They think Jewish influence causes people to consider those upstanding Arabs "terrorists." Jewish pressure was exerted over the Presbyterians' first overture to the Islamists. The Christians expressed understanding over Hizbullah's struggle with the Jewish state and with Hizbullah's denunciation of US policy (Arutz-7, 12/8). Jewish influence, and not Hizbullah bombardment of civilian Israeli cities, causes people to consider Hizbullah terrorist? Having no legitimate grievance against Israel, why should Hizbullah struggle with it? Because it seeks to destroy the state of a rival religion. One would think that the Christians, major victims of Islam, would sympathize with the Jewish state's efforts to preserve itself from jihadist aggressors. The denunciation of US policy was not described. Why do those Presbyterians fraternize with the Islamist enemy, bolstering its denunciation of our country? That is the disgraceful way Jane Fonda conducted herself in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Although those church leaders talked in terms of gaining understanding, they understand little. They don't understand that they did not bring about mutual reconciliation, for Hizbullah is too fanatical for that. They were used. They helped legitimize the foes of their own country and faith, foes who believe in murder. Those church leaders personalize the saying that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. But one has to wonder whether those leaders have good intentions, when they talk antisemitically and bash their own country while in the enemy camp. DEMOCRACY IN MIDEAST WISHFUL THINKING When the Islamists started to make a good showing in the elections in Egypt, the government repressed them (IMRA, 12/9). Upholders of the US war in Iraq too lightly and prematurely claimed that the war had prompted a surge in democracy in the Mideast. They cited questionable examples in Egypt, the P.A., and S. Arabia, among others. They equated mere elections with democracy. When the chips are down, and Islamists bid to win an election, the government stops them. Algeria did. ISRAEL ADMITS FIRING ARTILLERY AT EMPTY FIELDS An IDF commander admitted that he fires only if nobody is in the targeted field. He would not fire back at the terrorist racketeers, because they are in the midst of a civilian population, and that would be inhumane. He thinks his cannon put pressure upon the Arabs (IMRA, 12/10). What pressure? The world doesn't care. Israel is too humane. DIABETES OF THE CAR INDUSTRY I spent a few days in Washington, DC.. Some of the people to whom I was introduced are or were federal officials. One had been involved in environmental regulations during the Reagan Administration. Even then, politics governed science. That is, what the lobbyists wanted, the government ordered. Scientists were supposed to adjust the facts, rather than the policy. My friend resisted, but higher administrators made his position untenable. He left. A personnel administrator explained a major shift in employment. First, the government tempted middle managers with lucrative early retirement. Then it found that it had a staff almost entirely of the young and inexperienced. If it wanted to continue certain programs and reinstate others, it had to call people out of retirement. Sometimes it must pay them more as consultants. I met one beneficiary of this rebalancing of experience levels. Smithsonian Museum admission and even its coat-checking are free. The explanations are factual. But as I had to submit to multiple security checks, I resented the menacing presence in our country of Muslims whom people thought it was so decent of us to let in. D.C. real estate prices may be less than those in Manhattan, but they have soared proportionately. As on Long Island, purchasers are demolishing houses in good condition in order to build grander ones. They are living for today, consuming more energy for heating, cooling, and building expansion, without thought for the morrow. As you know, Americans buy more over-weight cars than otherwise. WHAT POLITICS BOILS DOWN TO I find my friends mostly Democrats and my audience mostly Republicans. Political issues are more objective than a Party line. They are problems to be solved. The difference between my approach and that of, say, the NY Times, is that I try to draw conclusions from the facts, whereas the Times draws up facts from its conclusions. For example, I conclude from the facts that there is no point to negotiating with fanatical Iran and jihadist P.A.. The Times believes in negotiations, so it treats those societies as if like ours in integrity, not that ours is perfect, regardless of the facts about Islamic deceit as a method of warfare. Whereas Von Clausewitz said that war is diplomacy by other means, Islam, being a war society, holds that diplomacy is war by other means. It all boils down to ethics, information, analysis, and neurosis. Ethics are under siege. Information is withheld by government, as many people know, and by the media. Analysis is a lost art. I know people capable of analyzing news, if what they get is news, but they haven't time. They delegate the task to the untrustworthy media. Neurosis engenders appeasement towards unappeasable fanatics. ROADS BLOCKED & UNBLOCKED Deja vu! This week's newspaper reported the opening of some checkpoint that had been closed the week before, after a terrorist had sneaked through. This happens with regularity, as we've observed. Once the checkpoint is re-opened, terrorists resume attempts to infiltrate. Eventually one succeeds. After several Israelis will have been murdered, the government closes the checkpoint. Then the US demands that Israel re-open it, to improve the quality of life of the jihadist population in the P.A.. The US doesn't care how much Israeli blood its demands get spilled. But neither does the Israeli government. Otherwise it would not play this charade. Does this charade deceive Israelis? Perhaps. That war-weary people may want to believe what its senses tell it not to. Emotion is stronger than reason. What happened during the week that the checkpoint was closed, that warrants re-opening it? Nothing. There just is US pressure and lack of courage to resist and to explain. PRESIDENTIAL POPULARITY Pres. Bush no longer is popular. Lest that give unwarranted comfort to Democrats, neither is Congress, from whose ranks the next Democratic candidate for the Presidency may emerge. Remember, too, popularity is an emotional response not necessarily deserved. Is Bush unpopular for the right reasons? Are Americans realistic? No, and no. The President usually is held accountable for too much beyond his control. The economy is one such. The Federal Reserve Board, the captains of industry, and forces abroad have as much influence as he, but as if unseen. The US economy is doing well. Normally he would be receiving undeserved credit for it. He isn't. Why? I think that polarized partisanship limits the popularity a President can enjoy. When people interpret everything he does negatively, he cannot win them over. These tendentious interpretations find the dark lining in every silver cloud. The underlying problem is the war. Americans are impatient about long wars. Bus not only failed to explain how serious, long, and broader than Iraq this war would be. He gave the misimpression that the war would be brief. Therefore the war seems more of a failure than it is and unjustified. Judgment is premature, his vision is good. But he didn't make his goals clear. He contradicts the notion of defense against Islamism by supporting America's enemies among Islamists in the P.A. and S. Arabia. What Americans can't forgive Bush for, as with politicians who propose tax increases however needed, is that he disturbs their comfortable head-in-sand posture. He asks modest sacrifices to prevent worse casualties. Supposed war waste isn't tolerated. All kinds of other waste, such as subsidies to oil profiteers, is condoned. Life isn't fair. Bush ought to be reviled for demanding that Israel let terrorists through, and calling his demand humanitarian. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. |
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TERROR MURDER IN SOUTHERN HEBRON HILLS
Posted by The Hebron Community, December 16, 2005. |
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Additional pictures are at http://www.hebron.com/news/pigua-bhagai.htm 
Almost exactly a half a year ago, on June 24, two young men from Beit Hagai were shot and killed on the road outside the entrance to the community, not very far from today's attack. A Hebron spokesman issued the following statement: While the Israeli government fumbles around, trying to decide how and when to expel Jews from the homes in Hebron; while the Israeli government stumbles and grumbles about continued missile attacks in the south; while the Israeli public gears up to reelect the most corrupt administration in Israeli history: Arab terrorists are continuing straight down the road, continuing their murderous mission of bloodshed and murder. Only yesterday, a terror attack leading to dozens of killed and wounded on the 'tunnel road' leading from Jerusalem to Hebron was miraculously prevented at the last minute when a car bomb full of gas tanks and explosives was discovered by Israeli security forces. Terrorists had planned to roll the car over a cliff onto the main road. The ensuing explosion would have been lethal. At the same time, missiles continue to be fired from Arab-occupied Gush Katif and Gaza at cities and communities in southern Israel. Again, only Divine miracles prevent daily funerals as the result of these attacks. Some people aren't so lucky. This afternoon another Beit Hagai family faces death in the face, another widow, another five orphans, again, the community grieving for a thirty-five year old man, dead at the hands of bullets of terrorists. We warned, and warned again and again and again: Capitulation leads to murder. Opening the roads to Arab traffic leads to murder. Continued 'easing of restrictions' leads to murder. Continued discussion about 'further expulsion' leads to murder. We demand: 1. Immediate closing of the roads in Judea and Samaria to Arab traffic. The only language Arabs understand is force. It's
time to stop stuttering and talk clearly.
You can contribute directly to The Jewish Community of Hebron,
POB10, Kiryat Arba-Hebron 90100, hebron@hebron.org.il, 972-2-9965333
or write to The Hebron Fund, 1760 Ocean Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11230,
hebronfund@aol.com
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HEZBOLLAH ORCHESTRATES FATAH/TANZIM TERRORIST MISSIONS
Posted by Reuven Erlich, December 15, 2005. |
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Hezbollah in Lebanon continues sending Fatah/Tanzim operatives in the West Bank on terrorist missions by means of a link in the Gaza Strip which transmits funds and instructions.[1] OVERVIEW On October 16, 2005, Israeli security forces detained Majdi Kamal 'Abd al-Jabbar 'Amer, from the village of Qalil, near Nablus. During interrogation he stated that he took orders from Hezbollah in Lebanon through a kind of front-line headquarters in the Gaza Strip, which liaised between Hezbollah handlers in Lebanon and terrorist-operatives in the West Bank to transfer money and instructions to Fatah/Tanzim operatives. 
The interrogations of Majdi 'Amer and others revealed that Hezbollah encourages terrorist-operatives in the Palestinian Authority (PA) administered territories to carry out large numbers of terrorist attacks, regardless of the type or impact of attack. The operatives are chiefly motivated by the financial incentives Hezbollah provides. THE INFORMATION REVEALED DURING MAJDI 'AMER'S INTERROGATION Majdi Kamal 'Abd al-Jabbar 'Amer, 31, lives in the village of Qalil, near Nablus. He is a Fatah/Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades operative and serves in the Palestinian security services. Between 1992 and 1993 he was imprisoned in Israel for his involvement in rioting. After his release he was participated in many terrorist activities, mainly shooting at IDF soldiers in the Nablus region. On October 16, 2005, he was detained by the Israel security forces. During interrogation Majdi Amar admitted that nine months before his arrest (i.e., January 2005) he contacted a Hezbollah handler in Lebanon, an individual nicknamed Abu Rabi', and asked him for money to continue his activities. His twin brother, Majid, was a member of the same cell, as was Wasim Mansur. Majdi 'Amer also revealed that Hezbollah was an excellent source of funding and that the money it transferred to the operatives on the ground financed terrorist attacks against Israeli targets. After making contact with Abu Rabbia, he and his comrades informed him that there were seven of them and that they needed money to purchase weapons to carry out attacks. About ten days later Majdi and his brother received $1000 from Hezbollah. About a month later they contacted Abu Rabbia again and asked for additional funds to purchase guns and explosive charges, and received an additional $500. In February 2005 Wasim Mansur (one of the cell), who maintained telephone contact with Abu Rabbia, was detained. Abu Rabbia then called Majdi 'Amer and told him that from then on, contact between him and Hezbollah would be maintained through a middleman in the Gaza Strip named Abu Lu'ai. A few days later Abu Lu'ai contacted Majdi 'Amer and gave him $1500 to continue his activities. From then until he was detained in October 2005 he contacted his Hezbollah handler through Abu Lu'ai and received more money to finance his terrorist activities. During that time he carried out many such attacks against IDF soldiers and was an arms dealer. The other members of the Fatah/Tanzim band he belonged to, financed as noted by Hezbollah, were also serving in the Palestinian security services at the same time. Majdi 'Amer related that every month he was paid between 400 and 700 Israeli shekels from the PA because his name appeared on a list of wanted individuals (i.e., terrorists) given to the PA by Israel. In return for his salary from he promised he would stop his anti-Israeli activities, a promise which did not deter him from taking Hezbollah money to continue those activities against Israel. CONCLUSION During the current violent Palestinian-Israeli confrontation, Hezbollah has shown itself as the main factor in orchestrating the terrorist-operative activities of most of the Fatah bands in the PA-administered territories. During the lull as well, Hezbollah continues using financial incentives to motivate those cells in the West Bank to carry out terrorist attacks. It should be remembered that in the past there were reports of Fatah/Tanzim terrorist-operatives in the Nablus region who admitted during interrogation that they had received their instructions from Hezbollah in Lebanon.[2] To increase efficiency, in recent months Hezbollah has set up a kind of front-line headquarters in the Gaza Strip, which liaises between Hezbollah in Lebanon and the bands in the West Bank, to transfer money and instructions to operatives on the ground. FOOTNOTES 1. Based in an Israeli Security Agency report. 2. For further information see for example our Special Bulletin " Iran and its Proxies are Sponsoring and Encouraging Terrorism in the Palestinian Authority Administered Territories"
Dr. Reuven Erlich is Head of the Intelligence
and Terrorism Information Center in Israel. Its website address is
http://www.intelligence.org
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A FANTASY FROM THE DARK SIDE
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 15, 2005. |
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Might it be daft to deduce that an alien force intent on annihilating the human species has hijacked the collective mind of Islam? Indeed, the survival instinct has never before been so besieged by one belief system. Cerebral cells of susceptible Muslim males are electro-magnetically invaded thus creating euphoric visions of sexual ecstasy with virginal females far beyond empirical landscape in some sensuous imagined Islamic heaven. The conduits for this force are articulate Mullahs adept at spewing rancorous rhythmic corrupted yet seductive Koranic verses at the neuron networks of their muddled minions, triggering an impulse to blow the body's flesh asunder along with the perceived infidel's in one horrific homicidal/suicidal explosion, at a conscious level paying the demanded dues for ducats to paradise. Surely, for programmed behavior to supersede the will to survive so genetically etched into all earthly beings, an insidious interstellar force field must be considered the most likely culprit. Might an extraterrestrial civilization be appalled as well as apprehensive observing the morally bereft decisions and activities of intelligent earthly life forms? Indeed, witness the sadistic slaughter of Black Sudanese Africans in Dafur by sadistic Arabs at the behest of contemptible corrupt Khartoum characters out of control, while pompous pedants world-wide ponder the meaning of genocide. Note the erstwhile ignoble legal opinion rendered by an International Court of Injustice commanding the beleaguered democracy of Israel to dismantle its Wall of Life, suggesting that the convenience of one population supersedes the security and safety of another. Contemplate the continuing environmental degradation of this planet by conspicuously consuming populations addicted to mega pools of fossil fuel beneath that third stone from its sun's ever-abused surface. Survey the species' exponentially skewed distribution of resources in certain locales resulting in gated estates surrounded by groveling peasants. Yet, perhaps the most perilous activity of all continues unabated as the intolerant Islamic regime of Iran develops a nuclear infrastructure likely to supply jihad junkies with the necessary weapons to disintegrate eons of earthly evolution. Might an advanced disgusted cadre of star-men decide to implode a species whose maturity level is dwarfed by its technological achievements, especially in the evil art of weaponry? Can we truly rule this out? Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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HYPOCRISY ALIVE AND WELL AT THE UN
Posted by Max Yas, December 15, 2005. |
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This editorial is too good not to share with you. It's from yesterday's Toronto Star. It is called "Hypocrisy alive and well at the UN," and was written by Sam Paradisgarten, who is a member of the Toronto Star's community editorial board. The UN is in session again and a number of resolutions have been on the table. An important one dealt with human rights abuses in Darfur. But, thanks to Sudan's many allies, this resolution was expected to be defeated and removed from the agenda. On the table were also 10 resolutions condemning Israel for human rights abuses. All of them were expected to be passed by the General Assembly. Welcome to a typical year at the United Nations. The Organization of the Islamic Conference -- 56 Islamic states, almost 30 per cent of the UN membership -- ensures that a mountain of resolutions and resources are devoted every year to demonizing Israel. Take, for example, the UN Commission on Human Rights. In the past two years, Israel has had 101 human rights resolutions passed against it. Of course, there are other human rights violators on the list. Let's see: Iran is a well-known human rights violator. It has had two resolutions passed against it. Syria is another. Well, it merited one resolution. Saudi Arabia is another offender, known for amputations, stonings, intolerance toward other religions, political repression, discrimination and torture. However, all this doesn't seem to bother the rights commission too much -- Saudi Arabia hasn't merited any resolutions. Israel has virtually become the focus of the UN. The General Assembly rarely calls emergency sessions. Rwanda didn't merit one, nor did Darfur, nor did the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, or the horrors of Bosnia. Yet in 2003, the UN called three emergency sessions to condemn Israel. In addition, in the same year, the General Assembly passed 18 resolutions that singled out Israel for criticism. The entire rest of mankind -- 190 countries, about 6 billion people -- drew only four resolutions. Last year was similar. The assembly, once again, looked at abuses around the globe. If you recall, both Darfur and Zimbabwe were in the news a lot. Nevertheless, proposed resolutions relating to Sudan/Darfur and Zimbabwe couldn't make it; they were defeated. However, simultaneously, UN delegates, without too much trouble, were able to adopt nine resolutions condemning Israel. Israel's policies are, of course, fair game for legitimate criticism; but the UN seems to be highly selective with its outrage. You would think, however, that when it comes to children, the situation changes, and the UN would agree that the death of a child -- any child -- is a tragedy. Evidently not. A resolution was adopted in November 2003, calling for the protection of Palestinian children from "Israeli aggression." Israel, too, sought a resolution of its own, calling for the protection of Israeli children from terrorism. The Israeli resolution was not defeated; it could not even gain enough support from the assembly to come to a vote. What takes place in the UN, with regard to Israel, "more closely resembles a mugging than either a political debate or an effort at problem-solving," declared former U.S. ambassador to the UN, Jeanne Kirkpatrick. Ah yes, you say, all this hatred is in response to the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Actually, no. The West Bank was captured in 1967. The Palestinian charter, specifically calling for Israel's destruction, was adopted in 1964. Three times the Arab armies united to annihilate Israel, prior to Israel taking occupation of the West Bank. Then, after losing the wars, the Arab league issued its three Nos: no to recognition of Israel, no to negotiation with Israel, no to peace with Israel. How does Canada vote in all this? Canada does not stand up to the Organization of Islamic Conference. Using Kirkpatrick's words, Canada is with the muggers. It is hard to believe that a country that prides itself on its moral leadership in the world, fails so dismally in this regard. Our Prime Minister has repeatedly reiterated that Canada would no longer go along with this charade, but each time Canada falls back into its old voting pattern. It usually votes against Israel or, when it can no longer stand the smell, it abstains. This happened again recently. The UN drive to destroy Israel has debased the body, sullied its charter, and perverted the meaning of human rights. Canada is part of the problem; it is high time we became part of the solution. |
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NEW STATESMAN DEMOLISHES THE TRUTH
Posted by Honest Reporting, December 15, 2005. |
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Legitimate Israeli actions against illegal structures falsely compared with acts of 'genocide' and 'ethnic cleansing' Dear HonestReporting Subscriber, In 2002, the New Statesman, a British left-wing journal, gave us an infamous front cover entitled "Kosher conspiracy" featuring a Star of David standing on top of a Union Jack, for which the editor was forced to apologize following widespread condemnation. So perhaps it is unsurprising that the New Statesman's latest edition compares Israeli actions to those of the Nazis during Kristallnacht, the destruction of mosques by Bosnian Serbs, and the eradication of entire villages by Saddam Hussein in Iraq and the Sudanese regime in Darfur. Stating that the destruction of buildings is "a way of pursuing ethnic cleansing or genocide by other means, a way of rewriting history", author Robert Bevan, who has previously accused Israel of 'deliberately targeting the historic buildings of Nablus', misleadingly begins his article with a false and amoral equivalence lacking in any context: Two weeks ago in Anata, Jerusalem, a Palestinian stood contemplating the rubble of his family home in the winter rain. "Did my house kill anyone that they should do this to me?" he asked. The Jerusalem municipality has 1.5 million shekels left in its demolition budget -- enough to level 70 Palestinian homes -- and it needs to spend the money before the end of the year. ... Thousands of Palestinian homes in the West Bank, in Gaza and around Jerusalem have been destroyed in the face of international condemnation. Bulldozers have become a weapon of war. Responding to these types of politically charged accusations, a major academic study on Illegal Construction in Jerusalem by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs' Justus Reid Weiner concludes that:
In addition, the Jerusalem Municipality also explains why it is quite within its rights to ensure that legal construction codes are adhered to throughout the city limits, irrespective of the religion or nationality of the residents. When referring to the West Bank and Gaza, it is also misleading to compare the actions of genocidal regimes with Israel's legitimate actions against Palestinian terrorism. In stark contrast to the deliberate targeting of mosques by Bosnian Serbs, Israel guarantees freedom of religion and the protection of the holy sites of all major religions under its jurisdiction. As explained by its Foreign Ministry, Israel, with the backing of international law, targets structures used by terrorists including:
as well as:
So why does Robert Bevan compare this to deliberate acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing, placing Israel in the same company as some of the worst regimes in history, including the Nazis? Comments to the New Statesman: letters@newstatesman.co.uk DYKE DEFENDS BBC MIDEAST COVERAGE Writing in the Independent, former BBC Director General Greg Dyke defends the BBC's Mideast coverage, claiming: We investigated many of the complaints and most of the time found our reporting had been totally fair. Of course the pro-Israeli lobby didn't accept that but then they had a different agenda. Perhaps Mr. Dyke forgets that he, himself, was forced to resign from the BBC following the publication of the Hutton Report, which criticized the BBC's lack of impartiality regarding its treatment of the Iraq War. Or does he choose to ignore the current independent panel set up by the BBC's own board of governors to investigate the BBC's Mideast coverage? Not to mention, HonestReporting's own evidence contradicting Dyke's claims. But then again, according to him we have "a different agenda". DUBLINER UPDATE -- HR READERS PROMPT MASSIVE REACTION Congratulations to the huge number of you who flooded the offices of The Dubliner magazine with e-mails following HonestReporting's critique of former Irish politician Justin Keating's vitriolic attack on Jewish history and Israel's right to exist. The ensuing outcry was not lost on Dubliner editor Trevor White, or other media outlets that noted the effects of HonestReporting's communique. Manchester's Jewish Telegraph (UK) noted the furious reaction to Keating's article from Ireland's Chief Rabbi while the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and European Jewish Press commented on the huge volume of letters and e-mails received by The Dubliner. Indeed, such was the response that Ireland's national TV broadcaster RTE featured a panel debate on its Big Bite program. Speaking to media outlets, Trevor White defended his decision to publish the article: I deeply resent the charge that it [the article] is anti-Semitic -- that is lazy and unfair. It is extraordinary that people are so ignorant and offensive. HonestReporting and many others may care to disagree. White has agreed to publish a selection of letters on The Dubliner's website from 16 December as well as attempting to elicit Justin Keating's reaction to the furore that he has sparked.
Honest Reporting monitors the media for inaccuracy and unfairness
in how they report the news about Israel. Ther website address is
http://www.honestreporting.com. You can help support their research
online or by sending contributions to: HonestReporting, 400 South Lake
Drive, Lakewood, NJ 08701-3167.
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ANITA TUCKER WILL BE ON A SPEAKING TOUR IN THE USA
Posted by Menachem Kovacs, December 15, 2005. |
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This remarkable lady is from Gush Katif, Gaza. Please help to host Anita Tucker. This is what she writes. Since I came on Aliya I have only left Eretz Yisrael once as I felt I didn't have an important enough reason to leave. Now I have been invited to speak at a dinner in NYC on JAn.14 on behalf of Gush KAtif. I have been encouraged by the many people who had visited my celery greenhouses and by those who have visited us since our expulsion from Gush KAtif to use this time to reach out to as many communities in the USA as possible to explain what is happenning to the families of Gush Katif and to warn of the dangers awaiting other parts of our dear Eretz Yisrael and to Am Yisrael. At the same time I will be pleased to connect for helping the families and in rebuilding my community of Netzer Hazani. Of course, I sadly no longer have a business to run, nor a farm in which to plant and pick, nor do I have a house to take care of, all having been destroyed, so I have no excuse this time for not doing it. I will be in the USA from Jan 4-Jan.25 hoping to reach out to Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, in addition to the greater NY-NJ area. If any of you have appropriate acquaintances who would want to organize a get together in any of these or other cities or others then please contact my friend Sheila Selig who kindly agreed to handle coordinating the speaking engagments and meetings during may stay. Please pray that Hashem sefatai yiftach ufi tagid tehillatecha and that the Jewish communities will come closer to understanding the suffering of their brethren and the importance of building new communities as soon as possible. Hoping you will help me meet this challenge Anita Please contact Sheila Selig tel: 516-239 6136; email: seligs@optonline.net Dr. Menachem Kovacs is Director, Jewish Roots Center, Baltimore. Contact him at takovacs@comcast.net |
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EXPOSING EXTREMIST ISRAELI FACULTY; JORDAN'S PERVERSITY; THE REAL UNO AGENDA
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 15, 2005. |
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WHEN A MUSLIM ARAB IS CONSISTENT Abbas' reaction to terrorist bombings has a pattern. He condemns bombing of Arabs as crimes against humanity, and bombing of Jews as "damaging to Palestinian interests." By declaring the bombing of Israelis a tactical mistake, he treats it as a public relations issue rather than a moral one. In fact, he and his associates glorify terrorists against Israel. Having just named a border crossing after one, he remains pro-terrorist. His principle is to use any means against his enemy that works, and to resent any internecine Muslim terrorism that he doesn't direct. He doesn't care about innocent lives; he sees no injustice in attacking civilians (IMRA, 12/7). Abbas is not civilized. Yet the State Dept. hopes, or pretends to hope, he would end terrorism and make peace. How could the P.A. make peace while still terrorist? The State Dept. is hopelessly lost in the struggle with terrorism. It needs thorough reform. When a Muslim Arab is consistent, as Abbas is in response to terrorism, one may discern his policy and his values. The State Dept. and the media fail to draw conclusions from it. Does it ever occur to them that perhaps he is pro-terrorist? He honors and pays terrorists, but the media do not question him. He keeps insisting that he will not eradicate terrorists. Nevertheless, they expect him to do so. Why? They don't say. What accounts for the State Dept. failure to apply logic to fact. They aren't used to it. Besides, the State Dept. doesn't care what happens to Israel and fails to foresee that if Israel goes down, those terrorists would then aim at the US. EXPOSING EXTREMISTS ON ISRAELI CAMPUSES Israel has a counterpart in Israel to Campus Watch in the US. Israel Academia Monitor publishes on its web site extremist statements by Israeli faculty. Anti-Israel professors lie and distort, but no longer in secret. They and their misconceptions and distortions are being exposed to students, faculty, alumni, and the general public. They cannot get away with it as freely. They are starting to feel the pressure of the truth-squad, and complain bitterly (Plaut, 12/7). Don't complain, debate. REASON FOR SUPPORTING SHARON The director of Likud, Min. Hanegbi, has admitted continuing to steer Likud in a way that would benefit Sharon's new party, even after having decided to join the new party. He explained his reason for bolting Likud as not Sharon's ideology, but Sharon's determination (IMRA, 12/7). Why doesn't he think for himself/ If Sharon is determined to pursue an ideology Hanegbi dislikes, he should oppose Sharon! Hanegbi's reasoning is as simple-minded as Peres'. IDF ATTACKS TERRORIST'S CAR The IDF shot from the air at a senior terrorist, active in the committees lately attacking Israel. The IDF announcement did not state the results (IMRA, 12/7). Although the IDF knows which Muslim terrorist gets into which car, it does not know whether, after it attacks his car, he gets out? What is the point of the announcement? Israel is fighting its war too much by way of public relations. It makes war by announcement. Every shell fired is proclaimed. Israel is attacked? Fire artillery at empty fields or empty buildings, but make an announcement as if Israel is doing much to the enemy. U.S. TIFF WITH ISRAEL SEEMS ENDED The US quarreled with Israel over its military sales. It suspended sales to Israel and military cooperation with Israel. Now it has resumed the sale of night-vision equipment to Israel (IMRA, 12/7). Israel acceded to US demands. JORDAN'S PERVERSE MORAL STANCE A Jordanian editor and his supposedly moderate Prince Hassan accuse Israel of ethnically cleansing Christians from Jerusalem. However, in that city as in Bethlehem, although the number of Christians declined markedly, the number of Muslims increased markedly. If Israel engaged in ethnic cleansing of Christians, what can one say of the P.A. (which really does do it)? Since the number of Muslims increased in Jerusalem, it makes no sense to suppose Israel engages in ethnic cleansing of Christian Arabs. Jordan is promoting ethnic hatred of the Jewish state (IMRA, 12/7). Now that is dirty politics! Jihad is not honest. It is true, however, that Sharon engages in ethnic cleansing, but of Jews. Nobody of importance is complaining about that; they are praising him for it. When the ruler of the Jewish state is lauded by anti-Zionists, you know he must be doing something wrong. THE RATIONALIZATION ABOUT BARGHOUTI Yossi beilin has argued that Israel should free Barghouti from prison because only he could crack down on Hamas and he didn't actually commit terrorism. Actually, he was convicted of the murder of five people, after having paid the assailants to commit the killings. As for Hamas, he refused to condemn an act of terrorism by it, because it was in an "unliberated" area. He coordinated the Intifada of 2000. He drew up agreements of cooperation between Hamas and the P.A., and still does. He used to propose to Arafat which terrorists to award funding for weapons (Israel resource News Agency, 12/8). Beilin belongs in prison with Barghouti for making his crimes possible. COMBATTING CAMPUS ANTISEMITISM Ignoring rogue states, campus conferences and campaigns single out Israel on the basis of false and one-sided charges. The motive is antisemitism (and fashion). "Such activities are conveying alarmingly inaccurate information about Jews and the State of Israel. Israel is depicted as a ruthless occupier and oppressor. Although Israel has taken huge risks and made major concessions in the pursuit of peace, these efforts are typically overlooked. There is virtually no acknowledgment of the unrelenting terrorism that Israel has faced, or of the many attempts to destroy it. Israeli leaders are compared to Nazis, Jewish symbols are demeaned, and the Holocaust is denied or twisted into an inappropriate symbol of Israeli oppression. Zionism -- the expression of the Jewish people's yearning for their historic homeland -- is characterized as racism. This is absurd, considering that Israelis are comprised of every color of the rainbow, and they all possess freedom of speech, of the press, of religion, and full access to the courts." (In Israel, leftists have the most freedom of speech and press; Arabs have the most access to the courts; and Christians and Muslims have the most freedom of religion. This is not to Israel's credit.) The marking of swastikas, ripping down of posters, and burning of a hole in a poster has frightened some students into leaving colleges. (It reminds one of the burning of crosses on Negroes' lawns.) Jewish students often are afraid to identify themselves as Jews or supporters of Israel, engage in certain Jewish activities on campus, or walk in certain parts of the campus. How do the university administrations react? They pretend that this intimidation is a matter of free speech and debate. What debate, amid such threats, they do not say. Actually, harassment, intimidation, and discrimination are illegal, subject to loss of federal grants. ZOA has gotten the federal government to launch an investigation of one such college. The Commission on Civil Rights may issue a pamphlet on Jewish students' rights. This is the beginning of a counter-attack, but one done by enforcing the law, not breaking it (IMRA, 12/7). SHARON'S MILITARY PREPAREDNESS The Israeli government had reassured civilians that it was setting up early warning systems in towns near Gaza, so residents could take shelter before rockets struck. Rockets struck at Siderot, however, without warning (Arutz-7, 12/8). In other words: (1) Sharon's abandonment of aza, designed so Israeli forces can better defend Israel, subjects many Israeli towns for the first time to P.A. bombardment; (2) Sharon reassures those towns by installing an early warning system, but the warning is less than a minute; (3) It doesn't work, at least some of the time. UNO AGENDA The UNO held a day of solidarity with the non-existent "Palestinian people." Sec.-General Annan spoke in front of a map of Palestine that omitted Israel. The officials called for a moment of silence in behalf of all those who fell in the Palestinian cause (Arutz-7, 12/8). The "Palestinian" cause is jihad -- conquest of Israel -- and, increasingly, extermination of the Jews. Annan's presence endorsed it! There should have been a moment of silence in behalf of those who fell in the cause of the Jewish Palestinians, or Israelis. Their cause is self-defense, self-preservation, keeping some of their patrimony from aggressors, and blocking global jihad. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. |
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ISRAEL -- NATIONAL SUICIDE FOR NO PEACE
Posted by Marcel Cousineau, December 15, 2005. |
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Israel is in a war for it's survival, but it's doing everything possible to lose. The nation has allowed itself to be ensnared by the ongoing and failed U.S. Middle East policy which rewards terrorism. It has been seduced into not defeating the growing Palestinian threat by a false peace plan. What Israel's enemies could not accomplish in five wars, the Bush Road Map succeeds in doing. Israel has been defeated thru the peace and the enemies now circle closer and closer, going in for their final kill. The appeasment and surrender policies going back to Begin, Rabin Barak, Netanyahu and Sharon has made it clear to the jihadists that Israel is no longer willing to fight for its survival. Suicide by cop is a growing problem here in America. In Israel it is national suicide by capitulation to the Final Solution Road Map. Iran is just impatient and not willing to wait for Israel's slow strangulation by George, they want to get it over with now. Israel's appeasment's have had the opposite of their desired effect. The best of Israel, the Jews of Gaza, suffer for the madness of men who assume to make peace with Amalek. Soon the worst of Israel will reap the just reward for their evil ways. Contact Marcel Cousineau at up2zionsg8@yahoo.com. Or go to his webblog: A Very Heavy Stone (http://averyheavystone.blogspot.com/). |
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FEIGLIN:"THROWING OUT CANDIDATES YOU DON'T LIKE IS DEMOCRATIC?"
Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, December 15, 2005. |
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I remember reading that in the early days of Zionism someone said that for an independent Jewish state to exist three great empires would first have to be destroyed; the Ottoman Empire, the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and the Russian Empire. The commentator meaning that they were asking for the impossible. Who can say what might happen in Israeli politics today? Feiglin might just pull it off. This is from Arutz Sheva - IsraelNationalNews.com and is archived at http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=94811 Two Likudniks have submitted a party court petition, demanding that Moshe Feiglin be barred from running for leader. Currently running third in the 4-man race, Feiglin says the move is undemocratic. The two Likud members, Moshe Ifregan and Eli Hazan, say that Feiglin represents an undemocratic outlook and vision that does not correspond to the Likud Party platform. Their petition states that Feiglin encouraged refusal of army orders during the Disengagement -- an alleged negation of the Likud platform's mention of the supremacy of the rule of law. They also quote Feiglin's recent interview with the Yediot Acharonot weekly supplement "Seven Days." Feiglin reportedly said there that his vision is one of a State that encourages the emigration of Arabs from the country, and the construction of the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple). The petition also accuses Feiglin of "promoting non-service in the IDF," quoting an article in which he wrote, "Should we continue sending our sons to this body [the IDF]? Or should we start directing our youth to other avenues of fulfillment, even if they do not match perfectly our Zionist ethos? If we desire life -- we had better clarify for ourselves, without whitewashing the matter, our mutual relationship with the IDF." Feiglin answered charges that he was an anti-democratic force in the Likud, saying, "I believe I work in the most exemplary democratic manner. What, if you don't like a candidate or if he begins to pass you in the polls, you threaten to throw him out of the party? That's democratic? But I don't want to get into this; this kind of fighting violates the clean-campaign charter that we all signed is not good for the Likud." Feiglin denied that his stance is too extremist for the Likud: "The Likud platform states clearly that the State of Israel should assume sovereignty over all parts of the Land that are under our control. In addition, we found that 90% of the Likud members want a mandatory weekly school hour in Jewish topics and tradition. If this point is placed prominently on the Likud's agenda, then I'm sure that we will win big. "The problem is," he said, "that the Likud keeps on going leftward, towards the center, losing its own Jewish identity -- and then people ask what the difference is between the Likud and Kadima. My platform brings the Likud back to itself, and that's what the Likudniks want." In a press conference today, Feiglin responded to the Newsweek report that Ariel Sharon intends to divide Jerusalem and give part of it to the Palestinian Authority. "It doesn't matter what Sharon intends or doesn't intend," Feiglin said. "What's important is the direction in which he is being led by the left-wing." The latest surveys show that Binyamin Netanyahu continues to lead in the race for party leader, followed, in order, by Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Moshe Feiglin and Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz. Netanyahu hopes to win at least 40% of the party membership's vote this coming Monday, or else the top two contenders will be forced into a run-off on Dec. 26. MK Uzi Landau, who recently dropped out of the race for party leader and now supports Netanyahu, said today he does not favor petitions against individual candidates. However, he did make a call for all other candidates to drop out of the race and rally behind Netanyahu. Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz, who abruptly quit the race for party leader on Sunday and jumped to the Kadima Party, explained himself by citing the rise in party support for Feiglin. "This is not my way," he said -- and promptly quit. Feiglin and Mofaz were running neck-and-neck in polls published just before Mofaz quit. The newest Likud MK, cosmetics queen Pnina Rosenblum, was sworn in today, replacing Tzachi HaNegbi. HaNegbi magnanimously resigned the Knesset last week after his switch to Kadima; he said the Knesset mandate belonged not to him personally, but to the Likud. However, Rosenblum is not taking the same approach. Though she reached the Knesset due to her spot on the Likud list, she says she has not yet made up her mind whether or not to remain in the Likud. "I will choose my party based on where I have the best chances of being elected to the Knesset," she said today. This was a clear allusion to Kadima, which is doing much better in the polls than the Likud. Regarding the diplomatic differences between the parties, she says she has not yet made up her mind on these issues. In her maiden speech in the Knesset today, Rosenblum said she supported the Disengagement, supports a united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty, and will work to promote women's issues and "help all Israelis grow old with dignity." Aryeh Zelasko lives in Beitar Illit, south of Jerusalem. He is Director of Sales and Marketing of Israel Visit (www.israelvisit.co.il) which provides information and an internet buying facility for American visitors to Israel. Contact him at zelasko@actcom.co.il |
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NEW GIG FOR IRAN'S PRESIDENT? SAUDI PRINCE GIVES MILLIONS TO HARVARD AND GEORGETOWN TO SPREAD ISLAM
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 15, 2005. |
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1. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has described the Holocaust as "a myth" and suggested that Israel be moved to Europe, the United States, Canada or Alaska. Anyone know if he has been offered tenure yet at the department of political science at Ben Gurion University? 5. From Jihad Watch "Saudi Prince Gives Millions to Harvard and Georgetown to spread Islam" The same prince from whom Rudolph Giuliani returned money after 9/11. "Saudi Prince Gives Millions to Harvard and Georgetown," from the New York Times, with thanks to David: Harvard University and Georgetown University each announced yesterday that they had received $20 million donations from Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Alsaud, a Saudi businessman and member of the Saudi royal family, to finance Islamic studies. Harvard said it would create a universitywide program on Islamic studies, recruit new faculty members in the field, provide more support for graduate students and convert rare Islamic textual sources into digital formats to make them widely available. "For a university with global aspirations, it is critical that Harvard have a strong program on Islam that is worldwide and interdisciplinary in scope," said Steven E. Hyman, Harvard's provost, who will coordinate adopting the new program. Georgetown said it would use the gift -- the second-largest it has ever received -- to expand its Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, which is part of its Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. It said it would rename the center the H.R.H. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. The prince, who is said to be in his late 40's or early 50's, and was fifth on the Forbes 400 list of wealthy people this year, with a fortune of $23.7 billion, has made a variety of other sizable gifts, including $20 million to the Louvre and to other universities. One gift that backfired, however, was a $10 million check he gave Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani in October 2001 for the Twin Towers Fund, a charity to help survivors of uniformed workers who died in the attacks on the World Trade Center. The prince had expressed his condolences for the lives lost and condemned "all forms of terrorism," in a letter accompanying the gift. Mayor Giuliani returned the gift when he learned that a news release quoted the prince as calling on the American government to "re-examine its policies in the Middle East and adopt a more balanced stance toward the Palestinian cause." It added, "Our Palestinian brethren continue to be slaughtered at the hands of Israelis while the world turns the other cheek."... Martin Kramer, the author of "Ivory Towers on Sand: The Failure of Middle Eastern Studies in America," which contends that the study of the Middle East and Islam is politically biased, said last night, "Prince Alwaleed knows that if you want to have an impact, places like Harvard or Georgetown, which is inside the Beltway, will make a difference."... In making the two gifts, the prince focused on the importance of uniting disparate cultures. Harvard's news release quoted him as saying that he hoped Harvard's Islamic studies program "will enable generations of students and scholars to gain a thorough understanding of Islam and its role both in the past and in today's world." 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. |
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ISRAEL-BLAMING SPIELBERG HAS LOST 'DIRECTION'
Posted by Naomi Ragen, December 15, 2005. |
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The real author of Spielberg's "Munich," is Tony Kushner, a gay, Jewish socialist from Louisiana, author of the AIDS epic Angels in America who is so left-wing he's off the planet; In a 1995 interview in Mother Jones with Andrea Bernstein, there was the following exchange: "Q: One of the characters in A Bright Room Called Day keeps saying--as Nazism progressively snatches power and the Weimar Republic falls--that each turn for the worse would be the essential spur for people to rise up and oppose fascism. That didn't happen. Do you see parallels today? A: You don't want to be opportunistic about it and say, "Oh, goody, millions of people are going to be thrown out of their homes--now we'll really get things cooking." It's like people saying the AIDS epidemic helped organize the gay and lesbian community. Why, in heaven's name, did Spielberg link up with him? What I don't get, is that after recording thousands of Holocaust survivors stories, that Spielberg still just doesn't get it.....Was the Schindler's List thing just a fluke, just another Hollywood fake? I'm beginning to wonder. Truly sickening. Jews should be picketing the theatres, but I'm sure they won't. If it was the Arabs, they'd be out there, believe me. This is by Andrea Peyser (andrea.peyser@nypost.com); it is archived at www.nypost.com/commentary/59644.htm WHEN did Steven Spielberg turn into Barbra Streisand? That's what springs to mind after seeing "Munich" -- the director's startlingly anti-Semitic rumination on Arab terrorism and the state of Israel. In 2 1/2 excruciating hours, Spielberg's film about the 1972 Olympics massacre of Israeli athletes by Islamic butchers sets out to solve Middle East violence while providing a blueprint for world peace. Instead, Spielberg proves two things in his film, due in theaters just in time for Hanukkah: 1. Steven Spielberg is too dumb, too left and too Hollywood (or is that redundant?) to tackle such complex and polarizing themes as Islamic fundamentalism and Jewish survival. 2. Spielberg is a decent enough filmmaker to persuade some people that Israel has outlived its usefulness and should -- as enemies in Iran maintain -- be wiped off the face of the earth. The backlash has begun. The Jewish Action Alliance has already called for a boycott of "Munich." Written by Zionism-hating screenwriter Tony Kushner, the film concerns a hit squad sent to assassinate 11 Arab terrorists in retaliation for the 1972 massacre. One by one, the terrorists fall. And one by one, hit squad members suffer crises of conscience, culminating in one Israeli assassin crying out in agony, "All this blood cries back to us! Jews don't do wrong because our enemies do wrong. We're supposed to be righteous!" Mercifully, he soon blows himself up. Here lies the film's biggest flaw -- and its greatest danger. "Munich" reeks of moral relativism. It puts the terrorists and those who respond to terror on even moral footing. It suggests that Israel must pay, one way or another, for vengeance. In Time magazine, Spielberg reveals how Hollywood he's sunk. About the Israelis, he said, tellingly, "A response to a response doesn't really solve anything." Wait! The unprovoked atrocity carried out by Arabs in Munich is a "response?" To what, exactly? To the existence of Israel? In one scene, the Israeli hit squad spends a night in a house with unsuspecting members of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Avner Kauffman (Eric Bana), the Israeli team's leader, befriends a man called Ali, who argues eloquently that Israel has turned his people into hungry refugees. The Arabs may have killed. But here, they win the race to victimhood. Blood does not scare Spielberg -- think of the bloody beach in the lyrical opening scene of "Saving Private Ryan." But here, the blood spurts, explodes and flows in slo-mo. Not satisfied, Spielberg brings his movie to its metaphorical climax when Avner, in bed with his wife, literally climaxes while daydreaming about the Munich massacre. At the end, a demoralized Avner flees to Brooklyn. The head of Israel's Mossad (Geoffrey Rush) tries to lure him back into service, saying his actions will bring peace. "There is no peace!" Avner wails. In the background, the World Trade Center is visible. I guess that's Israel's fault, too. Naomi Ragen is an American-born novelist and journalist who lives in Jerusalem. She can be contacted at www.naomiragen.com, where you can subscribe to her newsletter. |
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TO US CONGRESS: WHY IS US AIDS ASSISTING A HAMAS-CONTROLLED MUNICIPALITY?
Posted by David Bedein, December 15, 2005. |
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U.S. AIDS HAMAS MUNICIPALITY GAZA CITY [MENL], December 15th, 2005 -- Despite a U.S. boycott, the State Department has decided to fund municipalities controlled by the Islamic opposition. The U.S. Agency for International Development has funded development projects in Bani Suhaila. Bani Suhaila, located on the edge of Khan Yunis, has been controlled by Hamas since municipal elections in the summer of 2005. Bani Suhaila Mayor Abdul Khader Al Rokab said AID and the Islamic Development Bank provided $392,000 for the paving of two roads from the town to other areas of the Gaza Strip. Al Rokab said he expected additional development projects in his municipality. Hamas won 12 out of 13 seats in municipal elections in Bani Suhaila. The remaining seat was won by an independent candidate. Islamic sources said AID has also agreed to finance development projects in other Hamas-controlled municipalities. The sources cited the Gaza town of Rafah and the West Bank city of Kalkilya. The United States has pressed Israel to enable Hamas to run candidates in Palestinian Legislative Council elections in January 2006. The ruling Fatah Party has disrupted voter registration in what could postpone or cancel the elections. David Bedein is Bureau Chief, Israel Resource News Agency, Beit Agron Int't Press Center, Jersualem. tel. 972-547-222661, http://Israelbehindthenews.com). |
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FIVE-YEAR-OLD TERROR VICTIM RECOVERS AFTER TWO YEARS
Posted by Ezra HaLevi and Hillel Fendel, December 15, 2005. |
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Hadar Bahat, the three-year-old boy critically wounded in the bombing of Haifa's Maxim restaurant two years ago, was released to his home Tuesday after spending all this time in the hospital. Hadar was wounded seriously in his head by shrapnel in the Maxim attack carried out by a female terrorist in October 2003. Hadar's father Tzvika, and 19 other Israelis, including five members of each of two different families, were murdered in the bombing. Hadar was released from Levenstein Hospital Tuesday after a lengthy rehabilitation. Tova Bahat, Hadar's mother, feared her son would not survive his extensive wounds. She was shown on television immediately following the attack, emotionally and tearfully requesting, "He is simply fighting for his life. Therefore, the first thing I ask from everyone who hears me, is to send a prayer, everyone in his own way, that he should have the strength to overcome. He is a strong boy, and beautiful -- so much like his father, and I just have to have him remain alive... I so much request from everyone to do whatever he can to request and give him the strength. This is really the most important thing now." After a series of operations and difficult treatments, Hadar's condition improved and he was moved to the Levenstein Rehabilitation Hospital. His injury resulted in the loss of his ability to speak, but her mother refused to give up hope. "I believed in Hadar and in the strength of his will," she said. "I knew that he must continue to move forward and that we had to continue to help him with all our energy, without despair and with a lot of hope." Slowly, after more than a year of treatment, Hadar's ability to speak began to return. It started with vague noises. "Then one day he simply said Ima (Mother) -- the word I waited so long to hear him say," Tova said. Slowly Hadar regained his speech completely. Tova spent entire days at Hadar's side, taking him to physical therapy sessions where he painstakingly learned to walk again, occupational therapy, and special classes at Levenstein. Throughout this period, his older sister Inbar, now almost 9, spent many hours without her mother. Finally, Hadar was released from the hospital. The hospital staff held a good-bye party for him, where Tova, with a trembling voice, thanked the staff for "bringing light back into our lives after the darkness that fell upon us... To Inbar, the best sister in the world, and to Hadar with his great joy of life and his stubbornness, I am sure that your father is proud of you from above." Not an eye in the audience remained dry. Prof. Hart said, "I am moved to be at this parting ceremony from Hadar. He arrived here in such a difficult state, without being able to walk and talk. Today, after two years of dedicated treatment by the staff of the Children's Ward at Levenstein, Hadar is going home on his own two feet, able to talk, play, learn and return to normal life. I am proud of our staff..." Hillel Fendel is senior news editor and Ezra HaLevi is a writer for Arutz-7 (www.IsraelNationalNews.com). |
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SETTLED?
Posted by Batya Medad, December 15, 2005. |
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Yesterday I took a "Ruthie's Tour" to the "unsettled" Gush Katif deportees. I was very ambivalent about going at first. Just the idea of looking at other people as if they were "animals in a zoo" is very embarrassing and demeaning. Maybe I'm just a bit hypersensitive about these things, since I've been subject to some of the "stares" myself. We spent our first year in Israel living in the Old City of Jerusalem. That was in 1970, and tourists would gawk at the rare Jews to be living among the Arab hovels. Then after ten years of "normalcy" in Bayit V'Gan, Jerusalem, we were once again subjected to lengthy examinations by tourists, reporters and sundry curiosity-seekers after we moved to Shiloh. Ever since Yitzchak Rabin announced his Oslo Plan, I've been terrorized by visions of soldiers coming to throw me out of my home. I couldn't plan my elder son's Bar Mitzvah until a couple of weeks before the actual day, since according to Yitzchak Rabin's Oslo time-table, we were supposed to be homeless refugees before he even put on T'fillin, which is traditionally done a month before a boy turns thirteen. Baruch Hashem, bli eyin haraa, he is twenty-four, and we are still living in our Shiloh home, but thousands of good Jews from Gush Katif and Northern Shomron were thrown out of their homes, communities and businesses this past summer. Not only that, but Arik Sharon has announced "more painful withdrawals," and he's talking about the 90% of YESHA that includes Shiloh, G-d forbid! One of the things that gives him and the rest of the pro-Disengagement politicians, media and their international cheering squad the confidence and support to go on is how quietly the Disengagement victims are settling in to their new lives. That's one of the main reasons I had to go and see how they are really doing. There was something I had to keep reminding myself, more and more as I met, observed and listened to the representative deportees who spoke to us from their hotels and temporary homes. In a sense they were possibly, probably, atypical of the majority. It takes a special strength to be able to stand in front of strangers and express oneself. On the whole, the people we met were unbelievably strong and optimistic. Most were already very polished, experienced speakers. The facts on the ground are a lot more depressing than the people we met. It still turns my stomach to think of the money that is being wasted on all of these temporary solutions like the Nitzan "carravillas", which are designed to last about three years. Does that mean that for three years they will be strong, weather-proof homes and then suddenly collapse? Or does it mean that they will hold up well for a year, less so for the second and deteriorate by the end of the third? The idle farmer we met in Nitzan after dusk told us of a life the newspapers are ignoring. First of all, he said that burglary is a nightly event. Nothing is safe. He won't allow his youngest child to leave the house unaccompanied, either. Besides unemployment, their lives have changed drastically for the worse. At the age of fifty, he figured that his farming years were over. He and his friends went looking for new work, but they realized that there was no way they could exist as factory workers. They had been successful businessmen, working hard as their own bosses and living in an idyllic community. But the logistics and financial burdens of starting all over again in agriculture seem insurmountable. What could I say? I couldn't tell him that he was wrong. Our next and final stop was to meet the "unsinkable" Anita Tucker, who told us that at sixty she wants to start again. She's amazing, but what about the ordinary people? Even if the government gives compensation, which they have been worse than stingy about, it won't cover the minimum needed to build new hot houses, buy all the equipment and provide them with money to live on until they see profits. Anita told us that the government is demanding twenty-nine years of phone bills as proof that they lived in Netzer Chazani for twenty-nine years. That's impossible, since they "were pioneers and didn't have phones for the first seven." I feel like I just read the first chapter of a book that I can't put down. It's necessary to meet and speak to more Disengagement victims, but next time I want to get to hear the stories of the ones who have been silent. Batya Medad lives in Shiloh. She can be reached by email at Shilohmuse@yahoo.com or visit her website http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/ or go to http://www.shilo.org.il This article is archived at http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2005/12/settled.html |
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BERNARD LEWIS WARNS OF OUR IMPENDING LOSS OF FREEDOM AS A SOCIETY
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 15, 2005. |
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Bernard Lewis is probably the western world's leading expert on Islam. Notice his serious concern that we in the west are at greater risk from the islamofascist terror movement waging war against us than the UK was in 1940 when Hitler rose to power and began world war 2. Notice too that he sees the rising tide of Islam bringing with it the squelching of all criticism of Islam, Moslems, and Islamofascist terrorism...a trend that CAIR in the USA and Canada is working very hard to establish in the West. This trend already is well established in europe, where moslems kill critics and by doing so create the environment in which other critics are silenced out of fear, even though justice is meted out to the moslem murderer. Only by standing up to, staring down, and silencing CAIR and the other Moslem PAC groups can we hope to maintain an open society where critique and counter-critique are a vibrant and healthy and creative part of our social fabric. If we loose that, we are no longer a free society. The Wall Street Journal's Thinking Global columnist Frederick Kempe talks with Bernard Lewis, a historian and intellectual force behind U.S. policy in the Middle East. Q: So what is the historical context you think Americans and Europeans are missing? A: The threat we face now is more like that of the Third Reich than that of the Soviet Union. It is more militant, more violent, and commands a good deal of support. We are much more threatened than we ever were by the Soviet Union. I would compare where we are to Britain in 1940 and the threat of Hitler and the Nazis. I began the year as a very junior teacher in the University of London and ended the year as a very junior member of his majestie's forces. At that time, we were alone, the Soviet Union was supporting Hitler, the united states was at that time resolutely neutral, nevertheless I and my contemporaries had no doubt we would win. I wish I were as confident now as I was then of our final victory. Q: Why are you less confident now? A: By 1940, we had no doubts or hesitations. We knew we faced a ruthless and dangerous enemy and we knew we had to stand together. I think now when I look back that if Churchill and his team had had to face the same sort of opposition as does President Bush, Hitler might well have won the war. They are more dangerous than Hitler because we are not as firm as we were with Hitler. And also times have changed. We didn't confront the possibility of nuclear terrorists with suicidal ambitions. Q: But a difference with Hitler is we also have no territorial target. A: It makes it more difficult. Q: It also means they can't occupy us. A: The danger is not to occupy but to devastate. They have all the modern possibilities. And in Europe, in some respects they are taking over already. You see that in many ways. Already the Muslim religion enjoys an immunity from criticism that Christianity has lost and Judaism never had. In this Christian West it is much safer to criticize Christian values than Muslim values. David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli, currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org). Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com |
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THE IGNOBLE AND THE NOBLE
Posted by Ellen W. Horowitz, December 14, 2005. |
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"He [Hillel] also saw a skull floating on the water; he said to it: 'Because you drowned others, they drowned you; and ultimately those who drowned you will themselves be drowned.' " -- Pirke Avot 2:6. I don't know what it is about northern Europe, but when it comes to the meshing of noble minds, ludicrous leaders, perfidious politicians, monsters, morality and medallions; nobody does it better than Oslo, Norway -- via the prestigious and paradoxical Nobel Peace Prize. Unlike the other Nobel prizes for literature, economics and science - which are usually based on a well-established and proven history of concrete and lasting achievements -- the peace prize has taken quite a beating in recent years. It seems to have fallen victim to the shifting mores and whims of a modern, ever-changing world of temporary glory and devastating long-term mistakes. Nowadays the prize seems more cursed than coveted and has been bestowed upon a number of problematic personalities by a morally perplexed committee of five - appointed by the Norwegian parliament. Meanwhile, the nominators have a field day as a values-confused world readily accepts a Peace Prize nomination for a convicted murderer as easily as they embraced the father of Arab terrorism, Yasser Arafat, when he received his prize just over a decade ago. Just this week, four year's worth of nominations for the Nobel Peace and Literature prizes were used as part of a last minute attempt by lawmakers, clergy, celebrities and activists to try and gain clemency for notorious gang leader Stanley "Tookie" Williams, who was put to death by lethal injection for the cold blooded murder of four innocent people (for the record, Williams maintained his innocence, renounced his admittedly violent past, and engaged in anti-gang activities including the writing of several children's books). The accumulated tarnish on the Nobel Peace medallions may be a direct reflection of the Nobel committee's need to keep pace with the overall deterioration of human values. Or, perhaps, in a world desperately seeking redemption and redeemers, we grasp at straws, strawmen and villains, with the anticipation of finding hope and heroes in supposedly penitent or powerful individuals of questionable character. Or, maybe there's something a little more sinister going on... Although unofficial, it seems that along with the coveted medallion, certificate and prize money awarded to the recipients, comes a bona fide license to trash and/or endanger Israel. Some of the laureates can't contain themselves and actually use their acceptance speech in Oslo to pummel the Jewish State. In 2003, Iranian recipient Shirin Ebaldi stated in her address before the Nobel Committee: "Why is it that in the past 35 years, dozens of UN resolutions concerning the occupation of the Palestinian territories by the state of Israel have not been implemented promptly..." Others like Kofi Anan, Jimmy Carter, Nelson Mandela, Jody Willams, Doctors Without Borders, John Hume, et al, use a variety of international venues and channels when bashing Israel on issues ranging from non-adherence to the Road Map to Vanunu's special needs. This year's peace prize recipient, Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) received his award for efforts "to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way." But the Egyptian national is more worthy of the booby prize for failing to do his job, as a post cold war world stands closer than ever to the brink of nuclear holocaust. It was difficult to hear ElBaradei's acceptance speech over the din of unprecedented and increasing saber rattling from a nearly-nuclear Iran. Dr. ElBaradei should have used his noble opportunity and moment of glory to publicly call Iran to order. A man of integrity would have renounced his prize in protest. He, above all people, should be attuned to the dangers of the type of rhetoric coming out of Iran. After all, Dr. ElBaradei started his illustrious diplomatic career in 1964 under the administration of then Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. It was during ElBaradei's two tenures in the Permanent Missions of Egypt to the United Nations in New York and Geneva that Nasser effectively used chemical warfare against Yemin It was also during ElBaradei's tenure that Nasser pursued a crash missile production program with German assistance. By the way, at the time, ElBaradei's responsibility was to take charge of Egypt's political, legal and arms control issues. And lest we forget, ElBaradei was on the Egyptian scene when Nasser mobilized his army as well as that of Syria and Jordan, and called for the Jews to be thrown into the sea. ElBaradei's been there and done that. He knows that Iran, like Egypt, means business when their President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calls for Israel to be wiped off the map, and when their ruling cleric Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani openly encourages a nuclear attack against the Jewish State. And yet, on December 6th Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, the director-general of the IAEA, told The Jerusalem Post that the International Atomic Energy Agency has found no "smoking gun" in Iran that would indicate a nuclear weapons program. But who wants to wait for a smoking gun? So much for the efforts of our Egyptian "friend", Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. ElBaradei. But every once in a while a flicker of light does shine forth from the North and the academic world gets it right. A few nights ago the people of Israel had a rare, but welcome reprieve. We had the pleasure of seeing Torah observant, Hebrew University Professor Israel Aumann receive the Nobel Prize for economics in recognition of his work on game theory. But, as we Jews know, there is no such thing as pure joy in this world... The following morning, Israel National News.com informed us that: Almost 1,000 intellectuals and academics submitted to the Royal Swedish Academy of Science a petition to protest the "monstrous" act of awarding Prof. Aumann. http://israelnn.com/news.php3?id=94552 Professor Aumann was referred to as a "warmonger" in that petition. But he's done us Israelis proud by having enough honesty and integrity to stand up to the international press and state the truth. Indeed, the Guardian reported that the Professor said that Israel made a mistake in expelling Jewish residents from the Gaza and northern Samaria regions. But a top honor for integrity, morality, clarity and courage in this world and the next will most certainly go to a very Righteous Gentile by the name of Kaare Kristiansen. Mr. Kristiansen was a member of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee in 1994, but resigned in protest against the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize that year to PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat. Mr. Kristiansen, who served in the Norwegian Parliament for 12 years and was Minister of Oil and Energy from 1983 to 1986, accused the Palestinian leader of being "tainted with violence, terrorism and bloodshed." Arafat's legacy seems so obvious to many of us now. But back in 1994 one man saw things very clearly, and took decisive action. Kaare Kristiansen was unique in that he was a man intimately involved with power, politics, oil economics and with prestigious awards and important personalities; and yet he remained unspoiled and true to himself. He was a staunch supporter of Israel and the Jewish people. I rarely go to crowded events and lectures, but on the night that Arafat, Peres and Rabin received their Nobel Peace Prizes in Oslo in 1994, I went to hear Kaare Kristainsen address a large gathering in Jerusalem. I'm glad I was there. Our very good friend Kaare Kristiansen passed away December 3rd. He was 85 years old. All of Israel will miss him. The writer is the author of the The Oslo Years: a mother's journal. The book is available through retailers listed at http://osloyears.com/retail.htm |
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IRAN'S PRESIDENT MUST NOT BE TOLERATED
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 14, 2005. |
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Iran's fanatical president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for Israel to be "wiped off the map". He asserts that the Jewish Holocaust is a myth, "Today they have created a myth in the name of Holocaust and consider it to be above God, religion, and the prophets." He spews venom at the West, calling them a "hollow civilization" that has plundered Muslim wealth. This psychopath with a platform must not be ignored, as his nation continues to develop nuclear material. Indeed, enriched uranium in the hands of a madman, who would not hesitate dispersing it to other madmen within a worldwide terror network, is an intolerable state of affairs. Thus, a coalition of civil nations must be formed forthwith to preemptively invade and disarm an out of control Persian regime that has in effect declared war on Israel, America, and Europe. Neither castigating rhetoric nor warnings will subdue a rabid dog; Ahmadinejad cannot be allowed to rule in the heart of a Middle East tinderbox replete with mass destruction potential. Period! I do not suggest such an incursion without careful consideration. Already the loathsome tyrant meets with Islamic jihad junky cadres such as Hamas, no doubt to plot strategic alliances. Indeed, it is likely that Iran's sphere of influence will expand into an emerging Shiite dominated Iraq, compliments of a military foray beset by dysfunctional planning. Learn from that experience! Unanimity of purpose and action are key elements any Western alliance must achieve if it is to fend off Muslim extremists obsessed with a theological neo-Ottoman mindset, no doubt desiring to crush Israel, retake Europe, slay the collective infidel, and in fact dominate our third stone from the sun. The disrespected Jewish State cannot be excluded from such a necessary venture. Furthermore, no hand wringing bleeding hearted apologists are welcome. The Iranian lunatic has declared war on the civilized world. Jerusalem is symbolically a perfect location for heads of states to gather and form a cohesive military strategy. A cancer cannot be allowed to metastasize. Surely, a preemptive strike now will save countless human tsuris in a not so distant future. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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REGISTER AND VOTE FOR HERUT IN THE WORLD ZIONIST ELECTIONS
Posted by AFSI, December 14, 2005. |
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It is with a great sense of urgency that I encourage you to register, and then to vote in the American Zionist Elections to the 35th World Zionist Congress of the Jewish people. The WZO, first convened by Theodore Herzl in 1897, enables every Jew of 18 years and older to vote in the Congress for the group that will represent his views on the path Israel should take in the coming years. The WZO determines, by the size of the delegations sent to the Congress, how to allocate funds for the many critical needs in Israel today. An organization like the Jewish National Fund, which is the Keren Kayemet of Israel, receives a huge amount of money. Today we are distressed to learn that JNF may be selling Jewish land to the Arabs. It is urgent to have a voice in the Congress that will halt this dangerous transfer of land into the hands of the enemy. Michael Kleiner, the spokesman for Herut, who has worked so diligently on behalf of a whole Israel, must have as much influence as possible in the Congress. We must halt the progress of those Israelis and Americans who do not wish Israel to be seen as a Jewish state, but rather a "normal" state that will fit into a European Union type of world community. A vote for HERUT North America, #2 on the slate, is one important way of registering our opinions. HERUT North America, the representative of the Jabotinsky Movement, with former Knesset member Michael Kleiner as Honorary Chairman, is the ONLY group that stands for: settling the entire land of Israel, destroying all terrorist enemies, and making Israel into a true Jewish state. I am proud to say that my name appears as #5 on the HERUT list. If we get enough votes, I will win the right to be a delegate to the Congress which will meet in Jerusalem in June, 2006. It would be wonderful if all 24 of the names listed will earn the right to be at the Congress, to push forward the programs we know are vital to Israel's existence. If you have already registered, you should have received your ballot in the mail. It must be postmarked no later than Feb. 28, 2006. If you have not yet registered, you may contact AFSI for a registration form at afsi@rcn.com or 1-800-235-3658, or register online through Feb. 15, 2006 at http://www.azm.org. To vote online, visit: https://www.escvote.com/azmelection. Please use this opportunity to make your voice count through your very significant vote. Americans For a Safe Israel/AFSI is a pro-active pro-Israel advocacy group. AFSI may be contacted by mail at 1623 Third Ave., Suite 205, New York, N.Y. 10128 (Tel: 212-828-2424; Fax: 212-828-1717); by email at afsi@rcn.com; or by accessing its website: www.afsi.org. Helen Freedman is Executive Director. |
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THE ARABS PLAY THE 'BAKSHISH' CARD
Posted by Mordechai Ben-Menachem, December 14, 2005. |
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This was written by Joseph Farah and it appeared today in www.WorldNet Daily.com. Joseph Farah is founder, editor and CEO of WND, a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host, and a nationally syndicated columnist with Creators Syndicate. His latest book is "Taking America Back." He also edits the weekly online intelligence newsletter Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, in which he utilizes his sources developed over 30 years in the news business. You've all heard of Arab traders. They are famous throughout the world. It's not an ethnic stereotype. It's a cultural reality. I say this as an American of Arabic heritage -- someone with close to 30 years of journalistic experience covering this part of the world. Just when you think you have finally struck a deal with an Arab, they play what I call the "bakshish" card. There are many ways to explain the term "bakshish." It can mean a bribe for the seller for cutting you such a great deal. It can mean a "tip" or gratuity. Or, more precisely, I have always thought of it as a way to up the ante, raise the stakes, even nix a deal that is already all-but consummated. Here's the way it works in the real world. Picture yourself at an Arab bazaar. You find a nice item you wish to purchase. You haggle back and forth over the price for what seems like an interminable time. Finally, when you think you have agreement on the purchase price, the seller says: "You forgot about the bakshish." Then it starts all over again. Last weekend, the Palestinian Authority played its bakshish card in its continuing efforts to raise the stakes in demands on Israel for land concessions. The PA's Office for Religious Affairs claimed the Western Wall -- revered by Jews since A.D. 70 as the last structural remnant of the Second Temple. You've seen the pictures of Jews worshipping at the Western Wall, sometimes called the "Wailing Wall." You've seen the TV video streams of Jews sticking prayers scrawled on tiny pieces of paper into the cracks of the wall. For nearly 2,000 years, it has been considered along with the Temple Mount it supports the only truly holy site for Jews all over the world. Now, the Arabs say it legitimately belongs to Muslims only. Bakshish. This shouldn't be surprising, given Muslims claim no Jewish temple ever stood upon the Temple Mount, despite overwhelming archaeological and historical evidence to the contrary. So now the Western Wall, the most Jewish piece of real estate in the world, is on the negotiating table. It's a move so audacious, it is mind-boggling. But, ultimately, Israelis have only themselves to blame. A little history is in order. In 1967, Israel was surrounded by Arab armies hell-bent on a coordinated attack by Egypt, Syria, Jordan and other Arab countries. Badly outnumbered and outgunned, Israel's only hope was a pre-emptive attack, which was launched June 6. In a lightning-like strike, Israeli forces attacked first on three fronts. In what we now call the Six-Day War, Israel rolled up the Egyptian Army, the Syrian Army and captured Judea and Samaria from Jordan, Gaza and Sinai from Egypt and the Golan Heights from Syria. Israel could have gone much further -- all the way to Damascus and Cairo if the Jewish state had desired. Most significantly, however, Israel captured all of Jerusalem -- including the Temple Mount. And what did the Israelis do with the only Jewish holy site in the world? Nearly immediately, after this miraculous, hard- fought victory, Israel's secular leaders turned administrative control over the Temple Mount to Muslims. They apparently believed this act of "good will" would be perceived as a demonstration that the Jewish state only wanted to live in peace with its neighbors. But the Arabs saw it as an act of appeasement, a show of weakness, not strength. In effect, Israel turned over to the Arabs the most Jewish piece of real estate to the Muslims -- a move that chipped away at Israel's very legitimacy. You see, if the Jews don't have an absolute claim to the Temple Mount, how can they defend Jewish control of Tel Aviv or anything else? It was not only a huge strategic and political blunder that has never been rectified, it was also, in my personal opinion, an offense to the God of Israel -- the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Most Israeli political leaders don't really believe they have a biblical mandate to the land. They don't want to defend that. They don't want to stand on that promise. They prefer to rely on their own military might and compromise. If Israel has a claim to any land in the Middle East, and I believe it does, that claim begins with the Temple Mount. Turning over control to radical Muslim clerics hasn't bought any good will for Israel. On the contrary, it has brought the Jewish state 38 years of terror and strife. Every time Israel makes a land concession to the Arabs, it encourages more demands, higher stakes, the dream of annihilation -- more of the old bakshish. Mordechai Ben-Menachem is at Ben-Gurion University. He can be reached by email at quality@computer.org |
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DID LEAVING GAZA WORK? JOURNALISTS SHORT ON FACETS/FACTS;
SPIELBERG'S VIEWPOINT IS SICK; BUSH LACKS MORAL CLARITY
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 14, 2005. |
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DID ABANDONMENT OF GAZA WORK OUT? A year ago, a friend of mine wielded a popular sound byte in defense of Sharon's "disengagement" from Gaza. He argued that the IDF should be withdrawn so as to better defend Israel from within Israel. It sounded logical to him, but it is not sound military strategy. A tiny country best foils terrorism and invasion by forward, pro-active defense. A pro-active defense won the Six-Day War, but its later absence almost lost the Yom Kippur War. It is safer to intercept terrorists before they cross the border than after they reach a mall. Terrorists don't resort only to suicide bombers. It was predicted that the rockets they were developing would be fired without hindrance, when the IDF patrols were to be withdrawn. It was further predicted that in the absence of such patrols, the rocket squads could move their launchers close to the Israeli border. My friend did not seem to realize this. I don't blame him. He doesn't come across my sources. The NY Times, which he reads, favors Israeli withdrawal and, whenever I read it, it does not discuss the better arguments against withdrawal. What happened after withdrawal? First, the P.A. imported more weaponry, as predicted. Second, the rocket squads went into operation with only occasional Israeli interference, also as predicted. Third, the Arabs are enhancing the rockets, as predicted. Casualties probably will get worse. For now, the Arabs partly are waiting for more withdrawals. Withdrawal from Lebanon left Hizbullah to place 15,000 rockets on the border. (Note: Pres. Bush tells Israel to treat its attackers with "restraint." He didn't treat al-Qaeda with restraint. How did the rumor get accepted that he is a friend of Israel?) JOURNALISTS SEE TOO FEW FACETS Once a journalist states a theory for explaining some event, other journalists accept it unthinkingly. They repeat it as if axiomatic. They fail to see other possible explanations. A current example is the American celebration of Sunni politicians participating in Iraqi politics. Their pat explanation is that this bolsters the development of democracy in Iraq. I do not insist that they are mistaken but that they fail to see other possible explanations. Totalitarians out of power, whether fascist, communist, or Islamist, may take part in elections. They are not doing so in order to bolster democracy but as a means of gaining the power to destroy it. If journalists keep missing other alternatives, they will mislead audiences and policy-makers. I wish my friend would be more questioning and inquisitive about alternatives -- I know him to be smarter than most of those journalistic herd animals. TAX-EXEMPT TIKKUN ADVOCATES TAX EVASION Michael Lerner appears at rallies of Arab and pro-Arab organizations and endorses many of their complaints and demands against Israel. He upholds their theory that the Jews in Israel had come to the Mideast to steal the Arabs' land. Actually, most of the Jews in Israel are families of refugees from the Arabs (who stole their land). Before the Arabs made their first war on the Jews there, the Zionist movement bought all its land. Tikkun has added to its anti-Zionist writing Arab propaganda against US forces in Iraq. It also advocates non-payment of US taxes and other civil disobedience against the US government. This advocacy is in violates the conditions for tax exemption that Lerner's organization presently enjoys (Prof. Steven Plaut, 12/6). STEVEN SPIELBERG'S PRIDE Mr. Spielberg has produced a movie about Israel's retribution against the murderers of its athletes at the Munich Olympics. He said he is proud that he did not make anybody look bad. After all, he said, they all are individuals with family lives (IMRA, 12/6). His equating enforcers of justice with forces of injustice is sick. IN WHITE HOUSE ONE DAY, IN PRISON ANOTHER Remember Alamoudi, founder of the Islamic Society of Boston? You may have seen photographs of him in the White House or shaking hands with leaders of either major political party. He is one of those publicly acclaimed models of Islamic moderation secretly advancing the Islamist agenda. Mr. Alamoudi now is serving 23 years in a US prison for plotting murder of a foreign politician, in behalf of jihad. There are others, too (Meghan Clyne, NY Sun, 12/9, p.5). There would be more, but the judicial system sometimes is spiked rather than greased. Everybody believes that most Muslims are moderate. But who and where are they? EGYPTIAN NAVAL UPGRADE A US corporation will put all sorts of electronic warfare capability into Egyptian patrol boats (IMRA, 12/6). Now if only Egypt were stable and not an aggressor! After having initiated and lost several wars, it still is not disillusioned with the waste of warfare but enthusiastic about possibly winning the next one. The US donates most of the money that Egypt spends on building an over-size military. The US has its own illusions about Muslim allies that previous debacles fail to disabuse it of. Just as Iran turned Islamist, so may Egypt. Should the US take a chance that the huge army it built up for Egypt may fall into the hands of Islamists? This is an example of US tax dollars NOT working for you. OUR INABILITY TO LEARN Israel's leaders don't learn from their mistakes. They pursue failed policies. Their people don't learn how mistaken their leaders are. They stick with failed leaders. They imagine that leaders who blundered before will make sensible decisions thereafter, although the ideology on which their decisions are premised has not been reformed. For example, Israelis watched Rabin and Peres turn over an excellent system of intelligence in the Territories to Arafat. Peres anticipated that Arafat would eradicate terrorism. Why should Arafat, whose terrorism gained him power? In any case, he eradicated Israel's intelligence agents. Nevertheless, Rabin's memory is revered and Peres continues to make agreements, most recently on border security. Although he thus let terrorists into Gaza, he remains a leader of importance. Under US guidance, Sharon weakened Israeli security in the hope that Arafat's assistant would crack down on terrorism. Instead, terrorist rocket batteries are cracking down on Israel. Sharon remains the most popular official in Israel, and Israel fails to realize that the US is not its friend. There is a kind of psychological stupidity in Israelis' inability to learn. But it isn't just the Jewish people. The West still is trying appeasement of Islam, even as the Muslims are trying to burn the West down (Winston Mid East Analysis, 12/6). THE "MODERATE" HONORS THE MURDERERS Abbas unveiled a new P.A. law offering an allotment to the families of suicide bombers as "martyrs," the highest honor (IMRA, 12/6 from Palestinian Media Watch). The West calls Abbas a moderate, and backs his enterprise with billions of dollars a year. But his is a terrorist enterprise. The West doesn't want to acknowledge that. BUSH APPOINTS LEFTIST Pres. Bush appointed Meghan O'Sullivan as deputy national security advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan. She is known as a leftist who is pro-Saudi. O'Sullivan devised the so-called "smart sanctions" that Saddam evaded. (He was smarter.) After his fall, she supported his leading Baathist officials. She approved an Islamist attempt to take over Iraqi education. Now she favors negotiating an understanding with Iran's mullahs. She does not believe such a regimes totally evil and beyond redemption. She thus criticized Pres. Bush's attempt to restore "moral clarity" to his policy (Winston Mid East Analysis, 12/6). She is morally myopic. If any regime is beyond redemption, it is Iran's. Its guiding philosophy is evil. We are ill served by high-ranking officials who cannot understand that. Does Bush? Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. |
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EUROPE -- THEY NAME IS COWARDICE
Posted by Mordechai Ben-Menachem, December 14, 2005. |
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Matthias Döpfner, Chief Executive of German publisher Axel Springer AG, has written a blistering attack in the daily Welt against the cowardice of Europe in the face of the Islamic threat. It appeared November 22, 2005. Hartmut Lau translated the article for us. Matthias Döpfner has done it before -- criticizing the spineless reaction of the European political elites to the dangers of Islamic terror (www.medienkritik.typepad.com/blog/2004/04/a_sensational_a.html). He is by far the most powerful voice in the German media against the reappearance of the rotten European appeasement policies of the 20th century. A few days ago Henryk M. Broder wrote in Welt am Sonntag, "Europe -- your family name is appeasement." It's a phrase you can't get out of your head because it's so terribly true. Appeasement cost millions of Jews and non-Jews their lives as England and France, allies at the time, negotiated and hesitated too long before they noticed that Hitler had to be fought, not bound to agreements. Appeasement stabilized communism in the Soviet Union and East Germany in that part of Europe where inhuman, suppressive governments were glorified as the ideologically correct alternative to all other possibilities. Appeasement crippled Europe when genocide ran rampant in Kosovo and we Europeans debated and debated until the Americans came in and did our work for us. Rather than protecting democracy in the Middle East, European appeasement, camouflaged behind the fuzzy word "equidistance," now countenances suicide bombings in Israel by fundamentalist Palestinians. Appeasement generates a mentality that allows Europe to ignore 300,000 victims of Saddam's torture and murder machinery and, motivated by the self- righteousness of the peace-movement, to issue bad grades to George Bush. A particularly grotesque form of appeasement is reacting to the escalating violence by Islamic fundamentalists in Holland and elsewhere by suggesting that we should really have a Muslim holiday in Germany. What else has to happen before the European public and its political leadership get it? There is a sort of crusade underway, an especially perfidious crusade consisting of systematic attacks by fanatic Muslims, focused on civilians and directed against our free, open Western societies. It is a conflict that will most likely last longer than the great military conflicts of the last century -- a conflict conducted by an enemy that cannot be tamed by tolerance and accommodation but only spurred on by such gestures, which will be mistaken for signs of weakness. Two recent American presidents had the courage needed for anti-appeasement: Reagan and Bush. Reagan ended the Cold War and Bush, supported only by the social democrat Blair acting on moral conviction, recognized the danger in the Islamic fight against democracy. His place in history will have to be evaluated after a number of years have passed. In the meantime, Europe sits back with charismatic self-confidence in the multicultural corner instead of defending liberal society's values and being an attractive center of power on the same playing field as the true great powers, America and China. On the contrary -- we Europeans present ourselves, in contrast to the intolerant, as world champions in tolerance, which even (Germany's Interior Minister) Otto Schily justifiably criticizes. Why? Because we're so moral? I fear it's more because we're so materialistic. For his policies, Bush risks the fall of the dollar, huge amounts of additional national debt and a massive and persistent burden on the American economy -- because everything is at stake. While the alleged capitalistic robber barons in American know their priorities, we timidly defend our social welfare systems. Stay out of it! It could get expensive. We'd rather discuss the 35-hour workweek or our dental health plan coverage. Or listen to TV pastors preach about "reaching out to murderers." These days, Europe reminds me of an elderly aunt who hides her last pieces of jewelry with shaking hands when she notices a robber has broken into a neighbor's house. Europe, thy name is cowardice. (emphasis added) Mordechai Ben-Menachem is at Ben-Gurion University. He can be reached by email at quality@computer.org |
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MS.FRANKLIN SHOULD OPEN OPEN HER EYES TO HISTORY AND REALITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 13, 2005. |
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Here is my letter to the Ashville Citizen-times, a small newspaper in Ashville NC. The original article is below that. The distressing thing about this and similar phenomena is that Christian emmissaries from various churches go to Syria, Lebanon, West Bank, Gaza, pre-67 Israel on 'fact finding missions' and then we are witness, per this letter from Ms. Franklin, to some christian leadres coming back from their middle east trips "loaded for bear" and out to get Israel. And they are loaded with nothing but a horrifically skewed anti-israel diatribe that supports terrorism and ignores the role that terrorism plays in the current situation. They seem to have gotten nothing in israel to counteract the magnificently successful palestinian PR. To the Editor, Jean Franklin's "We should open our eyes to the injustices going on in the 'Little Town of Bethlehem'" (Ashville Citizen-Times, 12.13.05) does yeoman's duty to impress your readers with the horrors inflicted upon the Palestinian Arabs of Bethlehem. Unfortunately both for Ms. Franklin and your readers, her impressions reflect an ignorance that results in very misleading descriptions. She refers to the "26 foot concrete wall", but never asks the obvious questions: for millennia there was no wall. Why is there one now? 96% of Israel's defensive barrier is chain link fence. Why is it concrete wall in Bethlehem? As anyone who reads almost any newspaper knows, the defensive barrier was built to stop the endless, relentless terror attacks launched by Arafat before the ink was even dry on the Oslo Accords. Israel relinquished control over most of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority and Yasser Arafat in 1993. The last tank left Ramallah on September 28, 1995. The Palestinian Authority, not Israel, exercised legitimate sovereignty over 96% of all Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip from then on. And there was no wall. And then, contrary to all expectations based upon the Oslo Accords, Arafat waged an unrelenting terror war, fielding as many as 24 attacks per day, killing hundreds of Israelis and wounding thousands. Israel RE-occupied the West Bank on March 29, 2002 (after more than 6 years of terrorism and thousands of terror attacks) because that was the only way to stop the terrorism. The Palestinians living under Israeli control today are impoverished and restricted by the defensive barrier solely because their leader chose to wage a brutal terror war against Israel. And why is it a concrete wall near Bethlehem? Because terrorist snipers routinely and randomly used the high ground around Bethlehem to shoot down on Israeli passers-by and motorists. After hundreds of shooting attacks and dozens of deaths, Israel built the wall 3 meters high and one meter thick to prevent the snipers from killing more people. An eyesore indeed, but people's lives are more important. Ms. Franklin's description of Bethlehem's being "off limits for 6 years" is pure hyperbole. She may be unaware of the bona fide history of Israel's sovereignty over the West Bank, and this is understandable. Our media seldom offer historical analysis of the conflict. But there were indeed better days when travel was uninhibited and Jews and Arabs could work and play together. In fact, such freedom was the norm from 1967 to 1994, when Israel controlled the West Bank and Gaza Strip. During those decades, and with the help of hundreds of millions of Israeli dollars, the economy of the territories skyrocketed, with an average 13% annual GDP! Tourism flourished, seven universities sprang up where none had existed before, Arab infant mortality plummeted, life expectancy rose, Jews shopped in Ramallah and Arabs shopped in Tel Aviv, and as many as 300,000 Arabs entered down-town Israel every day to work in the Israeli economy earning substantially more than their counterparts in other Arab countries. All of that came to a grinding halt when Arafat launched his terror war in 1994, and the really severe Israeli crack-down on the freedoms of West Bank Arabs came only in 2002 after thousands of terror attacks. What seems to Ms. Franklin as "off limits" is Israel putting road blocks and check points on traffic in order to stop terrorists. Unarmed honest citizens can pass through, albeit with unpleasant delays due to the army's need to catch those who threaten the lives of Israeli civilians. And, by the way, tourism is up in 2005 in Bethlehem, closed shops are opening, and Israel has opened a new entry into the city to facilitate the Christmas traffic. But security is still tight, and this because el-Qaeda and Hamas and Islamic Jihad and Hizb-ut-Tahrir and Hezbollah have all sworn that they will launch terror attacks in Bethlehem during the rush of Christmas tourism. Ms. Franklin seems unaware of the threats that Arab terrorism poses to the Christians and Moslems of the West Bank on Christianity's holiest day. Her eulogy for the olive trees is straight out of Arab propaganda. The numbers are galacticly exaggerated; but more important, the Israeli army has destroyed olive groves when the terrorists use them for cover in order to launch rocket attacks or gain proximity to Israeli communities in order to perpetrate terror attacks. Contrary to her impassioned but morally misguided re-definition of terrorism, trees are not as important as people. The suffering and impoverishment and trauma and lack of freedom that Ms. Franklin so soul-stirringly laments is the product solely of Israel's defensive measures to Arafat's war. Before Arafat's war, the people of the West Bank were free and prosperous. Ms. Franklin's account of the "giant settlement reaching from East Jerusalem to the Jordan River, bisecting Palestine" sounds like an uncritical regurgitation of the very worst of mendacious Arab propaganda. The Jerusalem bedroom community of Ma'aleh Adumim does not cut the West Bank in half. One need only look at a map to see that. Under current conditions, convenience of passage may require a road circling several kilometers to the east. Under peaceful conditions, Palestinian travelers could drive through the town, just as they did before Arafat began his terror war. Moreover, Israel and the Palestinian Authority have already agreed upon a Palestinians-only road connecting the Gaza Strip to the West Bank, effectively cutting Israel in half. If Israel can be bisected by a road for Arab convenience, why cannot the West Bank Arabs be troubled with a loop road on which to drive from Ramallah to Bethlehem? I found it quite entertaining to read that "...American press has no reporters on the ground on the West Bank to tell us the fate of Bethlehem, of which we sing". Jerusalem has hundreds of journalists from every western nation, with a minimum of 75 foreign newspaper offices -- more than in Rome, Paris, Madrid, or Berlin! I cannot but wonder from where Ms. Franklin got her completely incorrect perception of a lack of media presence. The last point that Ms. Franklin makes, "...a democracy respects established borders" further betrays her ignorance of the political and historical realities of the conflict. There are no established borders between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. She apparently does not know that contrary to widely accepted but mendaciously misleading Arab propaganda, Israel offered many times, following the 1948 war, to resolve all grievances, including recognized borders, in the context of a peace agreement. Every peace offer by Israel was rejected by the Arab side. Arab leadership refused to recognize Israel, refused to negotiate, refused to put an end to their constant and unrelenting threat of renewed war. That is why the border between Israel and the West Bank is known as the "Armistice line". No Arab country was willing to recognize any border with the Jewish state that they insisted did not exist. History repeated itself in 1967, when Israel conquered the West Bank and Gaza Strip in its defensive Six Day War. After its victory, which so deeply humiliated the Arab armies that were a few days earlier crowing about how they would turn the Mediterranean Sea red with Jewish blood, Israel's representative to the UN made his famous "Peace Initiative" speech in which Israel offered to return the conquered territories in exchange for peace. The Arab world said "NO!" and began to re-arm for the next war (which they launched in 1973). Had the Arab world been prepared to make peace with Israel, there would never have been any "occupation" of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The bottom line, of which Ms. Franklin seems blissfully unaware, is that if the terrorists were to put down their weapons, there would be no more violence. But if Israel were to put down her weapons, there would be no more Israel. "We should open our eyes to the injustices going on in the "Little Town of Bethlehem" by Jean Franklin, December 13, 2005. (Source: http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?ID= /20051213/ OPINION03/51212009/1006) If your church creates a live Nativity scene this month, it should face a 26-foot concrete wall, because Mary and Joseph would find Bethlehem completely surrounded by Israel's massive separation wall. So says retired Presbyterian clergyman Sam Hope of Montreat, who traveled with a small group to the towns of Bethlehem and Beit Sahour (traditionally, the shepherd's field) in the Occupied West Bank in October. It has come to pass in these days, as 2,000 years ago, that Bethlehem's citizens live under military occupation. A young woman in labor might very well give birth, as numerous Palestinian women have done, at an Israeli checkpoint, prevented by soldiers from reaching medical care, or even an inn. Also traveling was Dr. Tony Bing of Black Mountain, co-author of When the Rain Returns: Toward Justice and Reconciliation in Palestine and Israel (American Friends Service Committee, 2004). Last week the two men reported their findings to the steering committee of Western Carolinians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East. Bing says that the very day the border opened in Gaza, Bethlehem closed. The last entrance that people could walk through was sealed, imprisoning Bethlehem's 160,000 residents. Palestinian East Jerusalem, 10 minutes away, has been off-limits for six years. The tourism-dependent economy has been crushed, down from 94,000 tourists in 2002 to 7,000 in 2004. The trip had two purposes: First, to make progress toward establishing a school and farm for severely traumatized Palestinian children, whose entire life experience is of violence at the hands of settlers and soldiers. They are hopeful that land will be donated by the Greek Orthodox Church. The group learned of two young distraught girls, unable to function, whose families got them into treatment shortly before they considered detonating themselves as suicide bombers. Now both are back in school, one in college. "There are more compelling reasons than entry to paradise that prompt young people to throw away their lives. Many have witnessed the violent deaths of friends and family members," says Bing. "Neither I nor any of the Palestinians I met approve of suicide bombing. We have to get rid of this notion that families are overjoyed when one of their children becomes a martyr. Just the opposite is true." He and Hope see this school, to be called Al-Malath, or "refuge," as a way of preventing future suicide bombings, of peacemaking at the grassroots level. The second purpose was to assist with the annual olive harvest, in solidarity with farmers who were harvesting their olives for the last time. Due to expansion plans for settlements, by next year their 300-year-old trees will be gone. More than 1 million olive trees, representing $50 million annually in lost income, have been uprooted in the West Bank. The numbers are staggering: more than 465,000 trees confiscated since 2000, around 200 near Nablus on Nov. 28, some 900 torched or chopped down by settlers in Salem in the last six months. Destroying these trees is an act of terrorism, intended to destroy the livelihoods of people, much as killing all the buffalo after the Civil War, without even harvesting their hides, was intended to destroy the Lakota Sioux. Olive trees, which may live for 3,000 years, provide Palestinians with food and wood for heat, plus soap, olive oil and carved wooden items for export. The oldest trees may be named, and symbolize centuries of rootedness to the land. Under cover of positive media attention in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government is now racing through the West Bank, particularly the Jerusalem area, confiscating land, building settlements, completing the wall. Under construction is a giant settlement reaching from East Jerusalem to the Jordan River, bisecting Palestine, which has been carved into little "bantustans" or "Palestans," leaving only 9 percent of historic Palestine for Palestinians. Sharon is seizing what he can, while he can. I report these findings because, unbelievably, the American press has no reporters on the ground on the West Bank to tell us the fate of Bethlehem, of which we sing. I report these findings because peace on earth is not served by our ignorance or our silence. We applaud Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent accomplishments in opening the border in Gaza and a road between Gaza and the West Bank. However, the real test will be whether she can stop the taking of territory and settlement building, whether she can convince Sharon that a democracy respects established borders. Jean Franklin is retired English teacher. She lives in Black
Mountain. Her columns appear on alternate Tuesdays, and she can be
reached at actjean@yahoo.com
David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli,
currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern
studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director
of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org).
Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com
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A SPECIAL CHANUKKAH GIFT
Posted by Rachel Kapen, December 13, 2005. |
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As we all know, Christmas and Hanukkah which is also called: The Festival of Lights, always come in proximity to one another, but this year they actually come together. Being that our Jewish holidays are observed according to the Jewish or Hebrew calendar, they tend to fall in different dates when it comes to the Gregorian or the English Calendar we all use for any other purposes. Anyway, although there are no similarities between the two, Hanukkah commemorates the victory of the Judeans or the Jews against the Syrians in the Land of Israel more than 2,000 years ago, and the subsequent miracle which occurred with a jug of oil in their newly renovated Beit HaMikdash, the holy Temple, however, just because of their closeness in time, Chanukkah in the United States became a huge holiday of gift giving almost on the scale of Christmas, especially when children are concerned. But a few years ago, I was blessed to experience what Christmas is supposed to be all about, beyond all the glitz and glitter, meaning: the Christmas spirit of goodwill to mankind, a mantra of the Christian holiday thus the two were intertwined in a most meaningful way. It was one Shabbat in our West Bloomfield synagogue as I was an usher who stood at the opening to welcome the congregants and hand them the two books used in our Shabbat Service, when in came a tall, unfamiliar man who was followed by three Japanese women holding large paper bags. The man introduced himself as a reverend who with the three Japanese missionaries- their mission, I have to emphasize, to foster goodwill among the three Abrahamic religions in our area- is visiting various houses of worship and this was our turn. Naturally, I welcom ed them, gave them the necessary books, and led them to some empty seats. Following the Shabbat rather lengthy service I invited them to join me and the rabbi and the members of our congregation in our customary Shabbat luncheon and as we sat at one of the tables in our Social Hall, the Japanese women gave a gift of their beautiful origami creation to each person who approached us- and they were many- and when their bags were empty they made more with nimble and experienced hands. Following the lunch and the gift -- giving, the women asked me to join them in a picture outside the synagogue and promising me a copy of the picture in the mail. But imagine my big surprise and emotional reaction when I received the picture ensconced in a beautiful origami frame in the shape of a multi-colored Magen David, a Jewish Star. I treasure this unique gift greatly as it more than anything I can imagine personifies what the Christmas is all about, goodwill to mankind no matter what religion or race or ethnic background. It is even more significant in these day as we are about to celebrate the two holidays together, when there is so much hate in the world and not enough goodwill towards man and the light emanating from our Chanukkiyah, the Chanukkah menorah isn't suffice to lit up all the dark corners in the world. Contact the author at skapen285466mi@comcast.net |
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SHARON PLANS 'RIGHT OF RETURN' FOR 'PALESTINIAN' DESCENDANTS -- 5 MILLION AND COUNTING
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, December 13, 2005. |
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In 1948 the incoming Arab armies broadcast that the mix of Arabs should leave the newly declared independent State of Israel. They told the peasant farmers (fallahin) to run away so that the roads and fields would be clear for the Arab armies invasion from the neighboring states. The Arab leaders pledges to "push the Jews into the sea" and occupy the land allocated for the Jewish homeland by the League of Nations, ratified by the U.S. Congress and voted for by the United Nations on November 29, 1947. At that time 343,000 Arabs abandoned the homes were they lived, assured that not only would they be allowed to return but also they could over take the homes, farms, towns and cities the Jews had already built.*** As documented history reveals, the Arab armies were ignominious defeated and, the Armistice lines of 1949 were established while gambling away even more land than the U.N. Partition had granted them. Of the 343,000 who left (Note! There were NOT YET called Palestinians which was introduced by Yassir Arafat in the early 1960s to give a name and identity to the mix of Arabs who had in-migrated from neighboring countries for the better jobs, health and education provided by the Jewish immigrants. Egypt founded the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1964 and made Arafat its head later. Now (as of 2005), that 343,000 self-made refugee population has grown to an estimated 3-5 million descendants (depending on whose counting and what propaganda they wish to project.) They are scattered in neighboring Arab nations such as Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and now forming up their "own state" in Gaza. Plus, many have emigrated to Europe, America and other countries. None have been absorbed by the Arab Muslim nations with the exception of Jordan who had no choice in accepting those Arab Muslim Palestinians driven out of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia who viewed them a threat, as a fifth column, during the 1991 First Gulf War, Desert Storm when they aided the attacking Iraqi armies of Saddam Hussein. However, remember that Jordan expelled them in 1970 because Yassir Arafat started a Civil War and tried to take over King Hussein's kingdom. The Palestinian Arabs were generally considered untrustworthy and not liked by the surrounding Arab nations. Arab nations later adopted the phrase originally created by the Jews: the Jewish "Right of Return". All nations understand that 5 million Arab Muslims being transferred into Israel would basically destroy the Jewish nation of Israel which, for some, is their intended purpose. Most recently, the administration of President George W. Bush, guided by such advisors as former President George Herbert Walker Bush, former Secretary of State James Baker III, Dr. Zbigniew Brezinsky, among others from the pro-Arab U.S. State Department put forward the "Bush Road Map" based upon his speech in June 2002. For reason that have never been explained, Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon adopted the "Bush Road Map" in a speech he made December 2002. Many facets to this Plan included the forced eviction and evacuation of 10,000 Jewish men, women and children from Gush Katif/Gaza and Northern Samaria, accompanied by the "right" of the Arab Palestinians to send buses, trucks, cars from now Judenrein (Jew-Free) Gaza through all of Israel into such cities as the 7 controlled now by the Palestinian Authority according to the Oslo Accords which were signed on September 13, 1993. These cities were supposed to be Gaza and Jericho first (as an experiment to see if the Arab Muslim Palestinians would be peaceful), Bethlehem, Schechem (Nablus), Jenin, Tulkarem, Qalqilya and 80% of the ancient Jewish city of Hebron. The experiment failed as each of these cities became a safe harbor for Muslim 'Jihadists' (Holy warriors for Islam). Next phase of the Bush Road Map Plan will be an attempt by Sharon of a forced uprooting and evacuation of Judea and Samaria (the west bank controlled by Jordan for 19 years from 1948 to 1967). Each segment would be first emptied of Jews, then filled with Palestinian Arab Muslims by neighboring Arab nations who would be pleased to rid themselves of a problem Arab Muslim Palestinian people. The Arab countries ultimate objective is to empty all of the west bank of 250,000 Jews and to transfer in from Gaza in the south up to the Golan Heights in the North of 3 to 5 millions Arab Muslim Palestinians. This would include the Jordan Valley so that the new, second State of Palestine could be "contiguous" (new operative word from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice). All the political parties in Israel had always considered the Jordan Valley and Golan Heights to be vital, irreplaceable natural barriers preventing invasion from the North (Syria) and the East (Jordan, Iraq -- plus perhaps Saudi Arabia and Iran). Add to that, at first, the eastern part of Jerusalem (also controlled and desecrated by Jordan from 1948 to 1967), as the "Capital of the New State of Palestine". This was all for a people who never existed except in the imagination of Yassir Arafat, other Muslim terrorist propagandists and the history books they concocted to teach Palestinian Arab Muslim children to hate and kill Jews. The Israeli people have yet to fully contemplate a nation of very hostile Arab Muslims filling the west bank of Israel with 5 million Arab Muslims and pressed up tightly to the Israeli borders which Bush and Sharon are delineating by their Security Fence/Wall. The Bush-Sharon "Road Map" has a name now, but that same plan was always there -- under different names. It began in the early 1980s with Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres meeting illegally with Yassir Arafat to drive out Jewish settlers and allow the Arab Muslim Palestinians to take over their homes, farms, factories, schools, synagogue, cemeteries, water, electrical grids, sewage treatment, roads, cities, towns and villages. If you thought that some of the sacred Jewish sites and the Jewish cemeteries might be spared, think again. The August 2005 Sharon "Disengagement Plan" demolished them all. This earlier Rabin-Peres planned massive relocation of Jews out of the homes and lands they had brought to bloom was supposed to be accomplished in phases through economic pressures by boycotts from the Western countries, increasing security dangers by withdrawing Jewish IDF (Israel Defense Forces) from protecting the roads and villages, ending with Arafat's 'Shock Troops' bringing sufficient terror to the Jews in their home and on the roads that even the Jews who ideologically held onto their Land because it was given from G-d, would be forced to flee. It seems that Sharon has adopted this Plan, using modifications such as employing the Israeli Police and Army. That earlier plan failed, but Rabin, Peres and Yossi Beilin introduced another Secret Road Map with aid of the Norwegians and other European collaborators which was called the "Oslo Accords". After 12 years of killings and bombings, almost 2000 murdered Jews, tens of thousand more wounded, many maimed for life, Oslo was temporarily shelved as it too had failed. Neither Rabin, Peres or Beilin were investigated or were brought to court for illegally conspired with foreign nations to subvert the Jewish State of Israel. Then Yossi Beilin contrived the Geneva Accords "Road Map" with the same conspirators in Europe funding the next stage of the "Road Map" to the "Final Solution to the Jewish Problem" -- this time in Geneva, Switzerland. Then President Bush introduced his "road map" -- a throw-away phrase of his during a routine speech, taken up by the pro-Arab State Department and massaged into the "Bush Road Map" which had been compiled by Bush, Sr. and James Baker, in concert with the Israeli Leftist politicians, namely Peres and Beilin, among others. Then, hidden away on the Right we find Arik Sharon winning his 2 elections by promising that he would never do what his opponent Amram Mitzna's election platform was, that is, abandon Gaza, Judea and Samaria, the Jordan Valley, the Golan Heights and eastern Jerusalem. We now all know that is exactly what Sharon had planned. He did a 180 degree about face, becoming the natural extension of all prior "Road Map" plans to forcibly evacuate Jews from the Land now embodied in a word called the "Bush Road Map". Sharon claimed this was all "Democratic". Was it? He won election 60% to 40% promising to keep the Jewish Land, then he violated that election pledge. He agreed to abide by the Likud, his political party's referendum which he lost 60% to 40%. He violated that promise to abide by the referendum. He fired his Cabinet ministers who promised to vote against his "Disengagement Plan". He refused to hold country-wide referendum -- which his 60%/40% election win proved the people would oppose. Was this the way a democracy runs its vital life-and-death decisions? The answer is "Yes!" and will get worse under Sharon's new "Kadima" Party and its evacuation plan of Jews, coupled with the "Right of Return" demanded for 5 million Arab Muslims. Sharon's pledges have all been reversed by Sharon as if they were never made. Presumably, that policy will continue with the "Kadima" Party. Regrettably, the Jewish people have been blocked by the Leftist media from hearing the whole, true story. The people of Israel do not understand that Sharon and Bush intend to open the flood-gates for 3-5 million Palestinian Arab Muslims -- much as was done in Gaza. The theory from the Bush administration is that flooding the west bank with Palestinians ejected from the Arab Muslim nations, where they presently live, will slow down Global Terror and pacify such dedicated terrorists as Osama Bin Laden and Abu Musab al Zarqawi and always the Saudis. The Leftist media refuses to bring this issue to the public, given their political bias favoring the Left. We have already seen all previous "Peace" agreements fail in the Gaza transfer. We observed Condoleezza Rice insist that Israel keep the Rafah crossing open despite on-going Terror and the lack of checkpoints now controlled by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) and the Europeans of NATO. Now Rice insists that the convoys she pushed through wherein buses, trucks, cars can flow through unchecked into Israel to Palestinian cities even while a tonnage of weapons are transported from Egypt through Gaza and into the west bank. Their plan to infuse 3 to 5 million extremely hostile, angry Arab Muslim Palestinians into the west bank will, no doubt, bring a full scale war to the region. Which may merely be the last, unpublished Phase of the many "Road Maps". That Phase would be to provoke a sufficient conflict so the U.N. could be called into emergency session of the Security Council. With the pre-planned war backed by the Bush administration, the Quartet of Russia, the E. U. (European Union), U.N. (United Nations) and the U.S. State Department they would agree on a U.N/E.U. so-called "Peace" force going into the west bank to complete the forcible removal of Jews and the re-settlement of Muslim Arab Palestinians. This would include the transfer of all farms, houses, factories, schools, cemeteries, road, utility resources like electric, water, sewage, and (don't forget) the Jewish Holy sites. Note! I previously wrote several times about NATO being recruited by the E.U. as their Rapid Deployment Force who would be tasked as the first wave to enter Israel. In any case, the coastal Jews -- now so anxious to deport west bank settlers -- will themselves suffer quietly when some 5 million hate-filled Arab Muslim Palestinians are close up, squeezing them in their towns, villages and cities -- especially the ones they took from the Jews. Sharon's denials are no longer relevant given that he has reversed himself on every commitment that he has made. This will be known as Sharon's Legacy before he passes on. Bush will claim he established a "Peace" -- not unlike his failed "Peace of Iraq and Afghanistan". As for Sharon's new "Kadima" Party, it has attracted the most self-serving of Israeli politicians. I cannot help but wonder which country will take them in when the atrocities start with Kassem and Katyusha Rockets falling on the Leftist strongholds of Tel Aviv, Haifa, et al. ### *** "1893 Turkish census reports in Western Palestine of the Jewish-settled areas which became the State of Israel were 92,300 non-Jews of which 37,853 were Christians and 55,823 were Muslim compared to 59,431 Jews. Throughout the whole of Western Palestine the total non-Jewish population numbered about 450,000-465,000." (1) "In 1947-48 there were about 747,000 "Arabs" in Israel-to-be...including 57,000 nomads, 3700 immigrants and 170,000 in-migrants from Arab areas of Western Palestine. During the 1948 exodus of Arab refugees, 140,000 Arabs remained in the Jewish-settled areas, becoming "Israelis Arabs." The remainder totaled about 483,000 Arabs... which constituted the maximum Arab "settled" population in Israel in 1948....[therefore] (out of 483,000 Arabs) 343,000 Arabs who fled in 1948 were the maximum number possible of genuine refugees -- no nomads, no illegal in-migrants originating from areas of Western Palestine outside "Jewish-settled" areas. It should be noted that the maximum figure of 343,000 is less than half the number of refugees claimed by the Arabs immediately after their leaving, before the numbers were reportedly further "inflated" in the refugee camps." "...illegal Arab immigrants could account for a very substantial number among the Arabs included in the 343, 000 refugee figure." (2) Therefore in 2005 -- the estimated Palestinian Arab Muslims born to the 343,000 is now 3 to 5 million which remain deliberately unabsorbed by the larger Arab Muslim nations and who use as a decisive weapon the "Right of Return" of these descendants into the Jewish State of Israel, although these numbers of 3 to 5 million are deliberately inflated for political purposes. Once flooded into the west bank -- plus the depletion and pollution of the aquifers as happened in Gaza, the Jewish State of Israel will inevitably and unfortunately vanish. ***** 1. "From Time Immemorial: The Origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict Over Palestine" by Joan Peters Harper & Rowe, NY 1984 pp. 249-51 [non-Jews included arbitrarily Christians, Muslims, Armenians, Russians, Druses(sic) and others p.249 op cit] see reference notes on pp 525-27 especially #58 & #59 2. "From Time Immemorial: The Origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict Over Palestine" by Joan Peters Harper & Rowe, NY 1984 pp. 262-263 Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). |
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DOWN WITH HANUKAH
Posted by Ken Heller, December 13, 2005. |
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If I were a Reform rabbi; if I were a leader of the establishment whose money and prestige have succeeded in capturing for himself the leadership and voice of American Jewry; if I were one of the members of the Israeli Government's ruling group; if I were an enlightened sophisticated, modern Jewish intellectual, I would climb the barricades and join in battle against that most dangerous of all Jewish holidays -- Chanukah. It is a measure of the total ignorance of the world Jewish community that there is no holiday that is more universally celebrated than the "Festival of Lights," and it is an equal measure of the intellectual dishonesty and hypocrisy of Jewish leadership that it plays along with the lie. For if ever there was a holiday that stands for everything that stands for everything that the masses of world Jewry and their leadership has rejected -- it is this one. If one would find an event that is truly rooted in everything that Jews of our times and their leaders have rejected and, indeed, attacked -- it is this one. If there is any holiday that is more "un-Jewish" in the sense of our modern beliefs and practices -- I do not know of it. The Chanukah that has erupted unto the world Jewish scene in all its childishness, asininity, shallowness, ignorance and fraud is not the Chanukah of reality. The Hanukah that came into vogue because Jewish parents -- in their vapidness needed something to counteract Christmas; that exploded in a show of "we-have-lights-just-as-our- goyisha-neighbors" and in an effort to reward our spoiled children with eight gifts instead of the poor Christian one; the Chanukah that the Temple, under its captive Rabbi, turned into a school pageant so that the beaming parents might think that the Religious School is really successful instead of the tragic oke and waste that it really is; the Chanukah that speaks of Jewish Patrick Henrys giving-me- liberty-or-death and that pictures the Maccabees as great liberal saviors who fought so that the kibbutzim might continue to be free to preach their Marx and eat their ham, that the split-level dwellers of suburbia might be allowed to violate their Sabbath in perfect freedom and the Reform and Conservative Temples continue to fight for civil rights for Blacks, Puerto Ricans and Jane Fonda, is not remotely connected with reality. This is not the Chanukah of our ancestors, of the generations of Jews of Eastern Europe and Yemen and Morocco and Spain and Babylon. It is surely not the Chanukah for which the Maccabees themselves died. Truly, could those whom we honor so munificently, return and see what Chanukah has become, they might very well begin a second Maccabean revolt. For the life that we Jews lead today was the very cause, the real reason for the revolt of the Jews "in those days in our times." What happened in that era more than 2000 years ago? What led a handful of Jews to rise up in violence against the enemy? And precisely who was the enemy? What were they fighting for and who were they fighting against? For years the people of Judea had been the vassals of Greece. True independence as a state had been unknown for all those decades and, yet the Jews did not rise in revolt. It was only when the Greek policy shifted from mere political control to one that attempted to suppress the Jewish religion that the revolt erupted in all its bloodiness. It was not mere liberty that led to the Maccabean uprising that we so passionately applaud. What we are really cheering is a brave group of Jews who fought and plunged Judea into a bloodbath for the right to observe the Sabbath, to follow the laws of kashrut, to obey the laws of the Torah. In a word everything about Chanukah that we commemorate and teach our children to commemorate are things we consider to be outmoded, medieval, and childish! At best, then, those who fought and died for Chanukah were naive and obscurantist. Had we lived in those days we would certainly not have done what they did for everyone knows that the laws of the Torah are not really Divine but only the products of evolution and men (do not the Reform, Reconstructionist, and large parts of the Conservative movements write this daily?) Surely we would not have fought for that which we violate every day of our lives. No, at best Chanukah emerges as a needless holiday if not a foolish one. Poor Hannah and her seven children; poor Mattathias and Judah; poor well meaning chaps all -- but hopelessly backward and utterly unnecessary sacrifices. But there is more. Not only is Chanukah really a foolish and unnecessary holiday, it is also one that is dangerously fanatical and illiberal. The first act of rebellion, the first enemy who fell at the hands of the brave Jewish heroes whom our delightful children portray so cleverly in their Sunday and religious school pageants, was not a Greek. He was a Jew. When the enemy sent his troops into Modin to set up an idol and demand its worship, it was a Jew who decided to exercise his freedom of pagan worship and who approached the altar to worship Zeus (after all, what business was it of anyone what this fellow worshiped?) And it was this Jew, this apostate, this religious traitor who was struck down by the brave, glorious, courageous, (are these not the words all our Sunday schools use to describe him?) Mattathias, as he shouted: "Whoever is for G-d, follow me!" What have we here? What kind of religious intolerance and bigotry? What kind of a man is this for the anti-religious Ha'shomer Ha'tzair, the graceful temples of suburbia, the sophisticated intellectuals, the liberal, open-minded Jews and all the drones who have wearied us unto death with the concept of Judaism as a humanistic, open-minded, undogmatic, liberal, universalist (if not Marxist) religion, to honor? What kind of nationalism is this for Shimon Peres (he who rejects the 'Galut' and speaks of the proud, free Jew of ancient Judea and Israel)? And to crush us even more (we who know that Judaism is a faith of peace which deplores violence), what kind of Jews were these who reacted to oppression with force? Surely we who so properly have deplored Jewish violence as fascistic, immoral and (above all) un- Jewish, stand in horror as we contemplate Jews who declined to picket the Syrian Greeks to death and who rejected quiet diplomacy for the sword, spear and arrow (had there been bombs in those days, who can tell what they might have done?) and "descended to the level of 'evil" thus rejecting the ethical and moral concepts of Judaism. Is this the kind of a holiday we wish to propagate? Are these the kinds of men we want our moral and humanistic children to honor? Is this the kind of Judaism that we wish to observe and pass on to our children? Where shall we find the man of courage, the lone voice in the wilderness, to cry out against Chanukah and the Judaism that it represents -- the Judaism of our grandparents and ancestors? Where shall we find the man of honesty and integrity to attack the Judaism of medievalism and outdated foolishness; the Judaism of bigotry that strikes down Jews who refuse to observe the Law; the Judaism of violence that calls for Jewish force and might against the enemy? When shall we find the courage to proudly eat our Chinese food and violate our Sabbaths and reject all the separateness, nationalism and religious maximalism that Chanukah so ignobly represents? Down with Chanukah! It is a regressive holiday that merely symbolizes the Judaism that always was; the Judaism that was handed down to us from Sinai; the Judaism that made our ancestors ready to give their lives for the L-rd; the Judaism that young people instinctively know is true and great and real. Such a Judaism is dangerous for us and our leaders. We must do all in our power to bury it. Ken Heller is a pro-Israel activist and a member of the Philadelphia Chapter of Americans For A Safe Israel. He can be reached at kayjayphilly@yahoo.com |
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FORMER TERRORISTS TELL ALL ON O'REILLY
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 13, 2005. |
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More on Moslem and Arab education and training so that children grow up hating Jews, hating the West, hating Christians. Walid Shoebat and Zak Annani are both former terrorists with the blood of hundreds on their hands, who converted to Christianity and left terrorism and came to the west to tell western audiences how the western Media is NOT covering the reality of the threat that Islamofascism presents. Note that Shoebat tells of Arab terrorists in the USA, sleeper cells, training for the day when the time is ripe to start a terror war in the USA. I wonder when the NYTimes will do a story on that. "Unresolved Problem"
O'REILLY: "Unresolved problem" segment tonight, inside the mind of terrorists. Princeton University has canceled a speech by two former terrorists, saying there were complications. The men, a former PLO terrorist and a gang member in Lebanon, are on the lecture circuit. And here they are. Walid Shoebat is a Palestinian and Zak Anani is Lebanese. O'REILLY: We'll begin with you, Mr. Shoebat. What did you do and why did you do it? WALID SHOEBAT, FORMER TERRORIST TURNED PEACE ACTIVIST: Well, I learned -- my education system in the Palestinian areas, of course, from kindergarten, all the way up to high school, Islamic education, Islamic fundamentalism. Of course, I ended up starting demonstrations, throwing Molotov cocktails, throwing stones at the rabbis at the wailing wall, ended up in prison, got recruited, was a bomb maker, ended up smuggling a bomb at the Temple Mount, ended up lodging in a bank nearly killing an Israeli soldier. Came to the United States, ended up getting involved in terror cells in the United States. O'REILLY: You were involved in terror cells here? SHOEBAT: That's right. O'REILLY: And what was your goal here? What were you trying to do? SHOEBAT: It was jihad in America. We would rent hotels. We would train under -- in the basements on jihad in America. O'REILLY: But you weren't able to do what you did in Israel, bomb and kill. Why not? SHOEBAT: Because the education is to prepare the way for a future jihad in America when the time is ready. O'REILLY: OK. So the -- when you were here in America after you had bombed or you know, helped out the bombers in Israel, you were basically training for a future mission? SHOEBAT: Future mission in America. O'REILLY: How many people do you estimate are doing that right now? How many cells are in the USA? SHOEBAT: Well, I could say several. I don't know exactly. O'REILLY: OK. SHOEBAT: I left the thing long time ago. O'REILLY: All Palestinian or al Qaeda or? SHOEBAT: From all over, from all over. O'REILLY: All over. SHOEBAT: My recruiter's name was Jamal Sarid. He is a professor from the Jordanian University. O'REILLY: Mm-hmm. SHOEBAT: He is notorious -- said he is a notorious friend of Abdullah Hazem. Abdullah Hazem, who was the mentor of Osama bin Laden. He's free in Chicago right now, has a mosque. I could show you whole videos that would have -- make your hair stand up at what they are doing here in America in basements. O'REILLY: Interesting. Why do you stop? SHOEBAT: Well, my life took a turn. I started examining why I hated Jews at one point in time. And I started Jewish history, Jewish -- the bible. O'REILLY: All right, so this was just within you? You wanted to change? SHOEBAT: Just research and study. And I started asking myself, why did we hate the Jewish people? Why are the Jews the prophet killers? O'REILLY: OK. SHOEBAT: Why. O'REILLY: But you did this all on your own? SHOEBAT: All on my own. O'REILLY: OK. It was an individual conversion? SHOEBAT: Yes. ======== O'REILLY: OK, Mr, Anani, what did you do and why did you do it? ZAK ANANI, FORMER LEBANESE GANG LEADER: I was (INAUDIBLE) clergical Islamic family. I since -- I was kid. I was introduced to Islamic schools. O'REILLY: In Lebanon. ANANI: In Lebanon. O'REILLY: OK, you were in Islamic schools. What did you do? ANANI: OK. In the -- in my very childhood, I was trained and educated with hated education. And while I was 15-years old, when I became 15-years old, I joined the militant fragment. And I moved from Iraq to another `til I became a troop leader. And by the age of 17, I was sure that I'll never touch the 18 or 19 or 20th of my life. I'll be killed before then. That's why. O'REILLY: Were you trying to kill Jews? ANANI: I was trained to kill Jews, but I believe -- I've never faced Jews, but I ended up killing about 223 people of the other gangs. O'REILLY: Of the other gangs in Lebanon? ANANI: Yes. O'REILLY: Christians? ANANI: No. O'REILLY: No. So you killed -- those are Muslims? ANANI: Right. O'REILLY: All right, so it was inner warfare. Now. ANANI: Right. O'REILLY: The most important question. Both of you guys are now outcasts, right? SHOEBAT: That's right. O'REILLY: You fear for your lives, right? ANANI: Yes. O'REILLY: People trying to kill you. ANANI: Yes. O'REILLY: because you've turned. And now you're talking. ANANI: Right. O'REILLY: about terrorism. So they want to kill you. ANANI: Right. O'REILLY: So you can wind up dead any time? ANANI: It's true. O'REILLY: You're not afraid? SHOEBAT: It's worth it. Somebody has to tell America what real terrorism is about. It has nothing to do with Islam. It's got nothing to do with the occupation of core Palestine. It's got nothing to do with the occupation of "Iraq". Jihad is a long thing that's been going on in the Middle East. O'REILLY: Right. It's just hatred. SHOEBAT: It's just. O'REILLY: Blind hatred. SHOEBAT: Americans never heard the "hilafa (ph)." I mean, the idea of hilafa (ph) is taught all through the Middle East. You have -- you had 113,000 Arabs surveyed. 73 percent think that Hamas should be. O'REILLY: Yes. SHOEBAT: the representation of the Palestinians. O'REILLY: It's my thesis that the American people don't know the danger, don't realize the danger because the American media underplays it all the time. Am I wrong? SHOEBAT: Absolutely. You're absolutely right. You're absolutely right. The media -- I don't see anything in the media. I stopped watching the media. The media is the streets of what's happening over in the West Bank. Can I go to Ramallah, stand in the street corner, and have a pamphlet saying suicide bombing is wrong. I will be executed within seconds. They don't show in the media the killings galore that happens in Manger Square, the draggings of other Palestinian bodies. O'REILLY: Right. SHOEBAT: in the streets. They don't show these things. O'REILLY: I just don't understand the American media and why it doesn't understand or the ACLU and all these other -- what we face and how to defeat it, we're going to have to be very tough and very courageous. Gentlemen, we hope you guys are OK. We appreciate you coming in to tell us your story. Plenty more ahead as "The Factor" moves along this evening. Geraldo
on a raging high school controversy involving explicit.
David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli, currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org). Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com |
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ESSAYS BY PROFESSOR EUGENE NARRETT
Posted by Women in Green, December 13, 2005. |
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KADIMA BIBI The reason for the long-running, carefully orchestrated Sharon -- Netanyahu tiffs should now be clear: after the vulture's golem had begun the wholesale expulsion of Jews, some 'leader' would have to be left in the Likud to be the chief of that "nationalist" party. This leader-to-the- rear would need to be someone with wide name recognition, proven 'leadership' qualities, someone able to provide a clear 'loyal opposition' and safe 'alternative' the the leftist parties of Labor, Kadima, and their various jellyfish (meretz, balad, and so on). Equally if not more important, this 'leader' would have to be a tested member in good standing of the expulsion, surrender, and extinction phase of secular zionism. We are talking about Bibi "I'll send in the tanks" Netanyahu. Bibi confides to anyone who will listen that he believes he made a great mistake in handing control of 80% of Hevron to the Arabs. So, Bibi, -- if you're head of government you'll restore all of Hevron to Jewish control and facilitate Jews building and living in all parts of the city, right? What was that? Yes, no? No??? And in Shechem and at Yosef's tomb? Some remember what happened there on your watch in fall 1996... There are in fact two parties in Israel: the party of expulsion of Jews, retreat, surrender and extinction, and the not-yet-coalesced party of the Jewish people and the entire land of Israel. The rogues of the former are familiar and legion: Beilin, Peress, Sharon, Mofartz, the Arab party member, Shalom, HaNegbi, Livnat, Netanyahu, etc. etc... The vanguard of, apologists for, and qualifiers of Camp David I -- Madrid -- Oslo -- expulsion. Here's the deal: Moshe Feiglin campaigns as hard as he can to lead the Likud and make it into a Jewish Herut for true Jewish sovereignty and leadership. Let's hope he succeeds. If he fails, he should promptly lead his followers to unify the religious parties (who reportedly are working on a long overdue coalition), National Union and Hazit in a Jewish Salvation Front. Those in the Likud, from rank and file to the 'top' who want Israel to survive as a Jewish state of course will join them. And then they do everything to win because Israel's survival depends on it, as much as Nachshon's jumping into the Yam Suf and as much as Chushim's answer to Esau. Working hard means monitoring every single polling place and insisting on paper ballots, that is, on "VERIFIABLE BALLOTS" that can be counted and witnessed, no electronic -- pulse B.S. Because if Jewish Israel loses this election, with the vultures circling ever lower over the body, than it is back to 1946 and 1947 -- 48. Begin's tears didn't work last time and they never will. "But if we have learned anything from the Disengagement, it is that when the government of Israel decides on something it happens. Therefore, I decided to fight for the best eastern route we could get as there will never be a political agreement between the Jews and Arabs. But there will be more unilateral withdrawals and the question is how can we save the most land." -- Shaul Goldstein, mayor Gush Etzion Council ECHOES OF THE GHETTO One recalls the sad and horrific speech of a leader of the Lodz ghetto from 1942 or '43, pleading with his fellow Jews to bring their children out to the trains in the next days to be deported to 'work camps.' He was convinced that when the governor general of german-occupied Poland decides on would inevitably be done and that therefore, since there never will be a political agreement between Nazis and Jews the question is how the Jewish body can be kept alive. He said words to the effect that if we sacrifice our limbs (the children) than the 'body' and heart may remain alive. Of course a dismembered body, individual, familial or national will not long survive the dismemberment, especially if it is self-inflicted. If all the Jews in all the ghettos had fought like the remnant did in Warsaw, WW II would have ended a lot more quickly and Jewish lives and honor would have been saved. This ostensible pragmatism is defeatism, it insures defeat, just as it did in Gush Katif and in Lodz. The government must be toppled before it dismembers Israel further on the way to striking a mortal blow to Jewish sovereignty. Every corridor will be pinched off: that's why the corridors are made in the first place. The defeatism and immolation of one's own honor is implicit in the referendum idea which this leader supported. If it's okay to take a referendum on whether Israel is a Jewish state and whether Jews can live everywhere in Israel, then the Torah can be given the lie, as can millennia of history (check the Assyrian sources some time for abundant references to Jewish towns, kings, fortresses, battles, landscape etc. i nthe times of Beit haRishon). Walling in a ghetto is the first stage to the auto da fe...... Don't let it happen.We will see the day when Jews will not be able to enter anywhere in Yehuda or Shomron except as tour guides for gentile tourists. DISENGAGEMENT AND TROJAN HORSES, A POSTCRIPT I have been studying the riveting recent work, Eurabia (2005) of historian Bat Ye'or which is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand geopolitics and Israel's increasingly beleaguered position and retreats these past three decades. Indeed, the sources discussed in the work not only document the EU's explicit, conscious alliance with Islamic states in destroying Israel but are prescient in explaining the events of this season, month, week, day. One of the main points made in "Disengagement & Trojan Horses" was the mass media barrage of lies organized and deployed by the powers (I spoke mainly of America) in regards to issues of middle east "peace," in stifling historical truths and dissenting voices, and in dumbing down and anaesthecizing the population. Bat Yeor is masterful on detailing how this has worked in Europe, driven by Arab diktats, for thirty -- five years as the following passages indicate. They are from her chapter seven, "The political alignment of the European Community" and they summarize what she has been demonstrating, and the sources she has been quoting and discussing in the previous five chapters. "Strong ties were forged between the OIC, the Arab and European states as well as factions of the Left, the Vatican, and the World Council of Churches. [This] led, under Arab threats to Israel's demonization at all levels of European society as well as international bodies. This Euro-Arab collusion appears mainly in Arab texts; in Europe it is carefully disguised as a humanitarian concern for 'the suffering Palestinians'....' [For this,] Israel's metaphysical identification with evil had to be constantly stressed... Bat Yeor's footnote on this point is valuable. the situation is known to writers and academics in America and elsewhere who have exposed the lethal medacity of the Eurabian program: loss of jobs in academia and the media, inability to get articles published even by very well known authors or ms that document issues of major concern (as Jayna Davis found out in her experience with the FBI regarding "The Third Terrorist"). The situation is precisely what Orwell described in "1984" and summarize in a chilling formula in chapter 7 of that work: "the past was erased. The erasure was forgotten. The lie became truth." Bat Yeor continues her summary discussion of how European "governmental bodies [and media] at the highest levels became Trojan Horses for the flood of Islamic propaganda and muslims into Europe and the harnessing of European media to its agenda. "Beginning in 1974, radio, television, the press and UN educational publications including those of UNESCO spread anti-Zionist dogma worldwide. They emphasized the 'Zionism = Racism" charge..." In this "targeted" multi-faceted effort, "France became the engine of Arab League strategy." Quoting historian Robert Wistrich, she continues, "the French televisual media created a climate of disinformation and unprecedented hostility toward Israel with a ceaseless use of emotionally charged holocaust terminology [aimed at Israel] that intensified antiSemitic sentiment that had never altogether disappeared... The Soviet bloc add its own legends of fascism and Zionism... [Thus], the deligitimization of Israel was gradually integrated into Europe's strategic and economic interests... Intellectuals, writers and clergymen who dared to defend Israel were silenced and dismissed from their posts. Their manuscripts and articles were refused... It is terrible and also ironic that European governments, media and school systems on every level have become a Trojan Horse for venting Arab- Islamic aggression and propaganda into the world. For Europe itself, shackled by politically correct [ie. Stalinist] platitudes has opened its own belly to an influx of virtually unrestricted Islamic immigration not unlike, but far more dangerous than the virtually unrestricted immigration through America's southern borders as America's elites follow the European model, even while jousting to lead the NWO. It cannot and it will not come to good. By all means acquire and study the texts of Bat Yeor, beginning with the penetrating, wonderfully detailed discussion of Euro-Arab complicity and convergence in Eurabia (2005). Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org |
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TO RABBI JOFFIE OF URJ: YOU DO NOT REPRESENT ALL AMERICAN JEWS
Posted by Marion Dreyfus, December 13, 2005. |
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To Rabbi Eric Joffie of the Union for Reform Judaism Sir, As the daughter of a rabbi, the former wife of a rabbi, and having been to rabbical school for a spell, myself, I consider myself fairly mainstream as a Jew. It is with dismay that I note recent encyclicals coming from the Reform movement that presume to speak for 'all American Jews." This is an arrogant and unwarranted assertion. At recent get-togethers in synagogue ("temple" to you, I guess), in meetings, panel discussions and parties, many Jewish voices are raised in disappointment and concern: Your pronunciamentos are your own, and I daresay you might speak for only a sliver of (what appears to multitudes of us who disagree strenuously with your obliquely anti-Israel, and craftedly anti-supportive stance) Reformist and some raucously oppositional, unaffiliated Jewry, those on the fringes of concern. Please do not consider this a remonstration, but myriads of Jews in every city in this country (and abroad) disagree with your published stance, wherein you oddly proclaim that you 'speak for American Jews. We do not wish you to speak for us. On the contrary, almost any position you take is anathema, and we must spend time, as I am now, writing to top-level officials to do a 'tikkun rav,' correct the mistaken notion that you in any way represent American Jewry. You, sir, assuredly do not. The Reform movement, likewise, does not Please do not presume to speak for me and millions more who decidedly differ with your problematic views. Marion Dreyfus is a writer and travelor; she has taught English in China on the university level. She can be contacted at dreyfusmarion@hotmail.com |
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GAZA FARMERS: HOW DO THOSE ISRAELIS DO IT?
Posted by Hillel Fendel, December 13, 2005. |
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After years of producing bug-free lettuce and other vegetables for Jewish farmers, the sands of Gaza have reverted to their old ways. PA farmers report failure in keeping the bugs away. The Gaza Arabs who have taken over the hothouses of what used to be Gush Katif reported to the Israel-PA Coordination Office that they have failed in raising bug-free vegetables. In addition, the PA workers complain that their wages from their compatriots and brethren are significantly lower now than what they received from the Israelis. Arutz-7's Haggai Huberman reports that the Jews of Gush Katif operated 3,600 dunams (890 acres) of hothouses as of last year, of which the PA -- with international help -- has managed to activate three-fourths. The Arabs had hoped to build on the Jews' success, selling to the market the Israelis had built up over the years. The bug-free vegetables were particularly attractive to the religious and hareidi-religious publics, for reasons of kashrut. The Jews who first arrived in Gaza some 30 years ago were repeatedly told by the Arabs who welcomed them that the land was "cursed" and that they would never succeed agriculturally. Benny Ginzberg, standing last May in the large Katif-Atzmona dairy he managed, pointed at the houses of the Arab city of Khan Yunis, several hundred meters away, and said, "Those houses have been here since before the Six Day War. If they wanted this land, what stopped them from spreading out to here before? ... When we first came, they told us that we were crazy for even trying to build something here. 'The land is cursed,' they told us. Well, we built something, something very great..." Ma'yan Yadai, a 27-year-old mother of two who was thrown out of Gush Katif -- she was originally a Croatian Catholic who converted to Judaism, fled Yugoslavia, and moved to Netzer Hazani -- spoke about Gush Katif before a gathering of the National Council of Young Israel in New York recently. She said, "It is difficult for me to believe that this obviously blessed area is the very same area that our Moslem neighbors called the "cursed land" of El G'erara. They have told me that nobody lived in this area from the time that the last Jews left because there was not enough rain, and nothing could grow properly. They were happy when the Jews returned because the rain started again, and the land began to produce." Farmers in Gush Katif were considered among Israel's most successful; their total annual exports totaled $100 million, or 15% of Israel's agricultural exports. Of Israel's exports abroad, Gush Katif exported to Europe 95% of the bug-free lettuce and greens, 70% of the organic vegetables, 60% of the cherry tomatoes, and 60% of the geraniums. Israel's largest plant nursery was in the Gush Katif community of Atzmonah. Other Katif produce included spices, green, red and yellow peppers, celery and more. Israel's Defense Ministry sources told Huberman that the Palestinian Authority farmers were unable to develop the techniques necessary for bug-free produce. Some of the original Israeli greenhouses were damaged or destroyed by Arabs immediately after Israel withdrew, but the PA was able to rebuild them. As of now, the only crop the Arabs are raising successfully is strawberry. Hillel Fendel is Senior News Editor for Arutz-7 (www.IsraelNationalNews.com). |
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SAUDI ARABIA AND UAE
Posted by Israel Zwick, December 13, 2005. |
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Palestinian Arabs should be encouraged to relocate to Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. they have booming economies, with plenty of empty land and many job opportunities. See article in NY Times business Dec. 13 -- www.nytimes.com/2005/12/13/business/worldbusiness/13saudiecon.html Contact Israel Zwick at israel.zwick@earthlink.net |
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SHARON SNEAK ATTACK ON SETTLERS; HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE FENCE?
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 13, 2005. |
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SHARON STARTED "SNEAK ATTACK" ON SETTLERS PM Sharon has been assuring Israelis that he has no plan to evacuate from specific areas of Judea-Samaria. He especially mentions the Gush Etzion area, which had been settled by Jews until Arab aggressors expelled them in 1948. Believe him? With his record? He has been planning to evacuate Jews from Judea-Samaria, especially from Gush Etzion. He started building a security fence where his intention could not be discerned, and is about to erect it on the Green Line, so as to cut off Gush Etzion. He had reached an agreement with the local councils not to do further work without consulting them about the route. He is violating his agreement (as usual). He instructed his henchmen not to disclose the plan until after the election, lest that news cause his defeat. He acts surreptitiously against his own people (Winston Mid East Analysis, 12/4). What say you now, those of you who suppose Israel to be a democracy? You thought Sharon a staunch defender of his people and a right-winger? How more an enemy of his people could he be than let the Arabs bring their rockets up to the Green Line, for ease of firing upon Israel, and to subject tens of thousands of them in Judea-Samaria to Arab infantry and sniper attack and to the same ruination he wreaked upon the Jews of Gaza? THE OTHER ARABS & IRAQ The other Arab states give no support to the reconstruction of Iraq. Many Arabs hate to see US forces in their region. The Gulf states, however, depend on those forces to protect them from Iran and other foes (IMRA, 12/5). TERRORISTS ADHERE TO SAUDI DOCTRINE Most Islamist terrorists, according to the literature they carry, follow the Salafi doctrine. That is the doctrine S. Arabia spreads. It emphasizes a literal meaning of the Koran, theories from the first three generations of Islam and not modern ones, jihad, and suicide bombing. Dr. Joseph Lerner sees a lesser difference between the Salafis and other Muslims, by noting that the non-Salafis also accept suicide bombers as "martyrs" (IMRA, 12/5). DUKE U. PROMOTES TERRORISM The Palestine Solidarity Movement is a branch of ISM, an auxiliary of Arab terrorists. PSM proposed a conference at Duke U.. People informed university officials that the conference would recruit for ISM, which puts volunteers in harm's way and exploits their deaths. The President said it would afford free speech dialogue, and denied PSM ties with ISM. But ISM did recruit there for illegal entry to Israel, for civil disobedience in admitted cooperation with terrorists. Then Duke hosted an ISM event, showing the excuse to be insincere (Prof. Steven Plaut, 12/5). What is wrong with Duke? JUDICIAL ACTIVISM Judicial activism is "the doctrine holding that non-elected judges should be able to make up any 'law' they want, whether or not the legislature of elected reps of the people support such a law, all because the judges are such enlightened people." (Prof. Steven Plaut, 12/5.) HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE SECURITY FENCE? The terrorist bomber of Netanya came through a security fence crossing (that the US insists be kept open). Therefore, the fence cannot do the whole job of keeping terrorists out of Israel. That job is done mostly by security forces patrolling on the Judea-Samaria (and formerly also the Gaza) side of the fence. If IDF troops were withdrawn, under further "disengagement," terrorism would have freer reign. The fence seems to be serving Sharon's purpose of dividing the settlers into untenable pieces subject to Israeli attack (IMRA observation, 12/5).? If no Arabs were let into Israel, far fewer terrorists would be able to pass through the fence. That means treating the whole P.A. as the enemy. Well, isn't it? ABBAS, E.U., U.S.CONDEMN NETANYA BOMBING Abbas condemned the bombing of Netanya and ordered the arrest of the culprits. The head of the EU complained that it impeded the "peace process," and urged a return to P.A.-Israel security cooperation. The State Dept. said that the P.A. must crack down on terrorism (IMRA, 12/5). Abbas claims to order arrests, but nobody makes arrests. The P.A. does not imprison terrorists, only anti-terrorists. I bet that the NY Times reports the order but ignores the absence of arrests. "Peace process" and "security cooperation" -- why didn?t Nazi Germany think of that? It would have saved its regime from destruction. How can Israel hope for security cooperation with the P.A. that is dedicated to making war on it? The P.A. arms terrorists, but the head of the EU calls this a peace process! The State Dept. always says that the P.A. must crack down on terrorism, but reserves pressure only for Israel. The P.A. can ignore statements about crackdown. So long as dollars keep flowing in, why should the P.A. take such statements seriously? Why should anyone else? DOUBLE THREAT AGAINST ISRAEL If Israel were to raid Iran's nuclear facilities, Hizbullah might launch its 12,000 rockets against Israel. It might do so, anyway. For now, however, it gains more from the threat of unleashing them than actually from firing them. That threat is a strategic one -- Hizbullah now can seriously damage some of Israel's cities and refineries. Israel might have to raid Hizbullah's rocket facilities, first. It may need to use both air forces and ground forces. It may have to keep sending forces in, lest Hizbullah replenish its losses (Mideast Forum, 12/6). Thus the flight from Lebanon did not end the Lebanon war. It put Israel into the position of eventually renewing combat but at a higher level. P.S.: The security fence is only as effective as the U.S. lets it be. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. |
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LAW PROFS FOR CRIMINALIZING ISRAELI SELF-DEFENSE
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 13, 2005. |
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Meet Yuval Shany, a senior lecturer in law at the Hebrew University. Writing a guest Op-Ed in today's Haaretz (Hebrew only -- at http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/pages/ShArtPE.jhtml?itemNo=657254&contrassID=2&subContrassID=3&sbSubContrassID=0) Comrade Shany argues that he is worried about those attempts to indict Israeli military and intelligence officers overseas in kangaroo courts in suits filed by anti-Semites who want to criminalize Israeli self-defense. But comrade Shany is NOT worried about them for the reason YOU think! He instead wants the poor "victims" of Israel in the West Bank and Gaza to be able to sue Israeli leaders inside Israel itself! The problem is that Israeli courts are unwilling to act as kangaroo courts for terrorists who want to sue Israeli officers. Comrade Shany joins far-leftist law professor Mordecai Kremnitser from Tel Aviv University, Israel's chief academic apologist for "judicial activism", who also has called for indictment of Israeli officers in Israeli courts for the crime of defending Israel. Shany has been active in opposing Israel's security wall and is author of Living in Denial: The Application of Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, 37(1) Israel Law Review 17-118 (2003-2004)(co-written with Orna Ben-Naftali) 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. |
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TERRORISM? WHAT'S THAT?
Posted by Batya Medad, December 12, 2005. |
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Israel's hear no terrorism, see no terrorism and don't call it terrorism government has decided to "ease restrictions" on the nebich terrorists. IDF SPOKESPERSON ANNOUNCEMENT (http://www.idf.il/) Easing of restrictions for the Palestinian population in Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip Following decisions made by the political echelon and in continuation with the IDF's policy of easing restrictions on the Palestinian population, the following steps have been in effect since this morning, December 12th, 2005 in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip after the general closure that had been placed on these areas following the suicide bombing attack in the city of Netanya on December 5th, 2005. Judea and Samaria:
Gaza Strip:
Authorization for 500 additional workers to enter Israel and work in factories that were relocated into Israel following the implementation of the Disengagement Plan. The "Karni" goods crossing and "Suffa" security crossing will continue to function at full capacity, as they have throughout the closure. Yes, since low level attacks causing light injuries are "perfectly acceptable" to Arik Sharon and his followers. It is clear that the safety of Israeli citizens is not a priority for the Sharon Government. This is even more amazing, since we're in the "midst" of an election campaign, which should be a time to show more sensitivity to the security of our citizens. But in post-Zionist, post-Disengagement Israel it is clear that the government doesn't even pretend to protect us. We must campaign harder for a political party that considers the needs of the country, the needs of its citizens as more important than anything else. Batya Medad lives in Shiloh. She can be reached by email at Shilohmuse@yahoo.com or visit her website http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/ or go to http://www.shilo.org.il This article is archived at http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2005/12/terrorism-whats-that.html |
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MAHMOUD ABBAS FUNDED MUNICH MASSACRE
Posted by Bryna Berchuck, December 12, 2005. |
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Steven Spielberg's new Munich film trivializes the Munich massacre and invents phonybaloney psychology about how the Jews who went after the killers of the Jewish athletes agonized afterwards. They probably didn't like killing, but it's unlikely they minded killing these monsters. To put the focus on the aftermath makes the Munich massacre of the Jews and the elimination of the Arab monsters equivalent. Too bad Spielberg didn't focus on how the massacre came about and how the Bush-praised current head of the Palestine Authority, Mahmoud Abbas -- also known by his terrorist name of Abu Mazen -- funded it. Now that would have been both compelling and accurate. Moreover, with hindsight and knowing that Abbas was Arafat's clone and crony for 40 years, it is likely that the massacre was part of Arafat's longterm terror operations aimed at destroying the Jewish state. Below is an article from Sports Illustrated called "Abu Mazen funded Munich Massacre" by Alexander Wolff, August 26, 2002 (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/news/2002/08/20/sb2/). Following the Oslo Accords of 1993, the mastermind of Black September's Munich attack enjoyed a certain respectability. Mohammed Daoud Oudeh, a.k.a. Abu Daoud, sat on the Palestinian National Council, where in 1996 he joined a majority in voting to revoke the clause in the PLO charter calling for Israel's destruction. Though Israel had long known of his role at Munich -- Mossad was believed to have been involved in a 1981 assassination attempt in which he was shot six times -- he even carried an Israeli-issued VIP pass that allowed him to shuttle between his home in Amman, Jordan, and the occupied territories. All that changed in 1999 after Abu Daoud openly acknowledged his role in the Olympic attack, both in his memoir, Palestine: From Jerusalem to Munich, published in Paris, and in an interview with the Arab TV network al-Jazeera. Germany issued an international arrest warrant on Abu Daoud, and Israel canceled his travel credentials, barring him from the Palestinian lands he had spent his adult life trying to liberate. In the U.S., former senator Howard Metzenbaum (D., Ohio) -- who had watched the Munich crisis unfold on TV with his neighbors in suburban Cleveland, the parents of Israeli-American victim David Berger -- led a campaign to keep U.S. bookstores from stocking Abu Daoud's memoir. (Arcade, which owns the U.S. rights, still hasn't set a publication date for an English-language version of the book.) In late July, SI's Don Yaeger went to the Middle East to find the 72-year-old Abu Daoud. After five days in Syria, where he met with leaders of several Palestinian groups, including the Palestinian Authority, PA president Yasir Arafat's Fatah faction and the militant Hamas, Yaeger received a call from Abu Daoud, who said he was in Cyprus. Abu Daoud, who would not reveal where he resides -- saying only that he lives with his wife on a pension provided by the PA -- agreed to answer written questions. Among his claims, in his memoir and to SI, are these:
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MOHAMMED WEPT. RESPONSE TO ISLAM
Posted by David Ben-Ariel, December 12, 2005. |
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Below is a synopsis of the contents of a monograph called "Mohammed Wept -- response to Islam" by Rabbi Avraham Feld. You can obtain the entire monograph from http://britam.org/IslamContent.html. It is also available for downloading as a PDF file called MohWept.pdf. It is an important reference document. "Mohammed Wept. Response to Islam" (Introduction and Chapter One) describes how the Egyptians are sueing Israel because more than three thousand years ago the Ancient Hebrews took Egyptian goods with them when they came out of Egypt. This reflects Muslim mentality. Under Islam women are severely abused and minorities (such as the Christians) oppressed. "Mohammed Wept" (Chapter Two) tells in detail how: According to true Islam Jihad must be declared by a central authority; Victory must be certain; The British and the Jews have given much including tribute to Muslims. Those who have given tribute, must be given protection. Jihad is no longer a military concept but one of spiritual rejuvenation. Suicide acts are prohibited except under duress and threat of annihilation. No such state has ever been declared. "Mohammed Wept" (Chapter Three) says that real Islam should recognize the Zionist Jewish right to the Land of Israel and gives quotations from Muslims who support Israel. "Mohammed Wept" (Chapter Four) explains that many of the basic ideas of Islam derive from Judaism and that in its true form Islam may most correctly be interpreted along lines consistent with Jewish principles. "Mohammed Wept" (Chapter Five) relates that the original doctrine of Islam has been polluted by foreign accretions. "Mohammed Wept" (Chapter Six) informs us that the Palestinian Arab Leadership wants primarily to exterminate the Jews and all other aims are secondary. "Mohammed Wept" (Chapter Seven) imparts the information that the Arabs do not keep treaties and cannot be expected to do so. "Mohammed Wept" (Chapter Eight): Diplomacy does not work with the Arabs, only violence. That is what they advocate and what they understand. "Mohammed Wept" (Chapter Nine): The existence of "Palestine" as a separate entity is a myth created mainly as a weapon to use against Israel. "Mohammed Wept" (Chapter Ten): While the Palestinians continue to support terrorism and act like the lowest type of criminal the Jews are in danger of self-demoralisation due to wishful thinking and misplaced liberalism. "Mohammed Wept" (Chapter Eleven): The Muslims are not interested in territorial concessions. They want everything. A War of Genocide is being waged against Israel. The Demographic Demon is a Scarecrow. Israel needs all the land it has and more. Most Palestinians would prefer to move elsewhere, to a non-Arab country, some would want to convert to Judaism if given a chance. Transfer of the Arab population is the most humane solution. "Mohammed Wept" (Chapter Twelve): The Palestinian Terrorists are murderers and nothing more than that. The world has a double standard. The attitude of the Palestinians towards Israel would not be tolerated by other nations if they were in Israel's position. "Mohammed Wept" (Chapter Thirteen): A military solution may be the only one possible. Israel must fight to survive. Leading members of other religions also acknowledge the right of Israel to exist. There are Neo-Conservatives who are pro-Israel, Christian Zionists, and Muslim Zionists. Christians should be Pro-Jewish and Pro-Israel. Yair Davidy and Brit-Am are working for support of a Greater Israel. "Mohammed Wept" (Chapter Fourteen): Repentance is possible for everybody. We can all change ourselves and the world for the better through prayer, effort, and repentance. "Mohammed Wept" (Chapter Fifteen): We must learn from history. In order to survive Israel must confront Islam. Unless the hate propaganda of the Arab side ceases war will break out. The Jewish victims of Arab terror were often very worthy people whose memories should be consecrated. We are owed an apology for Oslo. "Mohammed Wept" (Chapter Sixteen): This is an Appendix that gives additional evidence that the demographic menace of the Palestinians has been exaggerated; points out that the USA also benefits from aid to Israel; Jesse Helms said, "Israel is America's battleship in the Middle East; the media has an anti-Israel bias. God created the world and HE gave the Land of Israel to Israel." David Ben-Ariel is author of "Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall." Contact him at davidbenariel@earthlink.net or at his website: http://www.beyondbabylon.blogspot.com |
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FIGHT THE FENCE: A HOLDING ACTION
Posted by J.P. Golbert, December 12, 2005. |
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The point we have to make is that the fence does not threaten only areas of Yesha. It threatens the whole country. The point to be made to the rest of the country is the same as to a woman about to marry an adulterer: "What he did to her he will do to you." What they have done to Gush Katif, they are doing now to Gush Etzion and Hebron and Beit El and they will do to the rest of the country. Concerning the future of Gush Etzion and the country, we have to decide what our goal is. If we are fighting for the future of Gush Etzion, we have already lost. If we are fighting for the future of the country, we can win. This is the main thing, to let everyone in the country know that there is something we can do. The first weapon of dictatorship is apathy. Israelis are depressed, defeated and apathetic. They are like deer in the headlights, dazzled and confused and just waiting to get hit, God forbid! There is something for everyone to do. FIGHTING THE FENCE: A HOLDING ACTION J. P. Glbert, Attorney at Law FIGHTING THE FENCE: A HOLDING ACTION The point we have to make is that the fence does not threaten only areas of Yosh. It threatens the whole country. The point to be made to the rest of the country is the same as to a woman about to marry an adulterer: "What he did to her he will do to you." What they have done to Gush Katif they are doing now to Gush Etzion and Hebron and Beit El and they will do to the rest of the country. The goal of the Oslo process is not merely the return of Israel to the 1949 Armistice lines (or the June 4, 1967 lines, as they are called). Those borders themselves are already being eroded from under our feet. The Arabs have already claimed the Galilee and the Negev and are in fact taking those areas by squatting and building with no opposition from the government or Jewish National Fund. Bedouin leaders have said that the Negev is their s and if Israel dares to settle Jews in the Negev, there will be no peace there. The government's silence in response is a clear signal of acquiescence, of surrender. In fact, the government is acting affirmatively to divest Israel of areas within the Green Line. Some years ago, when Israel was in the deepest recession in its history, the government of Saudi Arabia let it be known that it wanted to purchase bankrupt kibbutzim. The kibbutzim could not sell to the Saudis because the kibbutzim are on JNF land and the JNF charter precludes sale to non-Jews. A few months ago, the Supreme Court ruled that the Israel Lands Authority, which administers JNF lands, could not discriminate against Israeli citizens who are not Jewish. ILA tenders have to be open to all citizens equally. That means that the ILA must sell or rent JNF land to non- Jewish citizens. The correct thing for the JNF to have done would be to administer its own lands, just as the Wakf does. The JNF is not going to do that. It is permitting its lands to be conveyed to non-Jews and the Saudi Arabian government has opened an interest section in Tel Aviv. Those kibbutzim will be settled by Arabs and also urban real estate in their targeted areas: the Galilee, the Negev and Jerusalem. The entire Oslo process has been one of allowing and even directing Arab murder of Jews so that the Jews will be willing to make concessions. The "security arrangements" exist only on paper, as everyone who is not deluded or an idiot knew would be the case. What idiot believed that the Egyptians would prevent the passage of terrorists and materiel back and forth between Sinai and Gaza -- Did anyone believe that the Europeans would prevent the free passage of terrorists and materiel back and forth between Gaza and Hebron and from there to the length and breadth of Judea and Samaria -- Is anyone surprised that a tunnel from the Gaza strip into Israel has already been discovered? Or that a Kassam rocket has been fired at a town in the Afula area? Anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles are already in the hands of terrorists overlooking all of Israel's borders with the Palestinian Authority. The only question is how many. Is there anyone who believes the Arab terrorists will not use their weapons and the advantage they have been given to kill more Israelis, (God forbid)? The Israeli government intend it to happen. We can say that because what they have done positively invites the Arabs to kill us and they know it. The route of the fence invites them to kill us. They are forfeiting our lives and they are not doing it naively and stupidly, but knowingly and deliberately. They are not stupid. They are evil. What they have done to Gush Katif they are preparing to do to us in Gush Etzion and in the Beit El area. Each yishuv will be surrounded by a fence only a few meters from the houses. Terrorists will be able to shoot in and the Jews will be prevented by the fence from giving chase. Like in Gush Katif, the army will be prevented from returning fire until the terrorists have safely fled. Mortar attacks on yishuvim will be permitted in full sight of the army, which will be restrained from opening fire until the terrorists have fired the mortars and departed. Dead Jews wring concessions from the remaining Jews. After the return to the 1949 Armistice lines, they plan to do the same to the Jews in the Galilee and the Negev, the Jezreel Valey and the Jerusalem Corridor. Their plan is for Israel to consist of Gush Dan and the Sharon, from Rishon LeTzion to Hadera, maybe to Haifa. It is to include Israel's high tech center and financial center, the "Hong Kong of the Middle East," the home of Digital Zionism only. Gush Etzion is just one more slice to be taken out of Israel and thrown to the Arabs. The first was Gush Katif, which was falsely called the "Disengagement", falsely because we remain fully engaged with the "Palestinians." Beit El is already another slice as is Hebron. To accomplish it, they are prepared to forfeit our lives to the terrorists and then the lives of Jews in the other "peripheral" parts of the country. There is another point to be made, this one to people in development towns. The fence will cost billions of sheqels which should be better used on health, education and development of the development towns. In fact, the fence is useless at best. The terrorists have shown that they can easily cross the fence or tunnel under it. They now also have advanced weaponry in Judea and Samaria, including mortars and rockets capable of terrorizing cities all over the center of Israel like they terrorize Sederot, without crossing the fence themselves. Furthermore, the fence they propose to build will provide the opposite of security to the yishuvim, as mentioned already. They will turn each yishuv into a shooting gallery where the terrorists can shoot into the yishuv and the Jews cannot pursue them because of the fence. The fence will not fence the terrorists out. It will fence the Jews in. Dead Jews (God forbid) wring concessions from Israel. Is it unbelievable? In December 1993, shortly after the signing of Oslo, Steve Rodan spoke in Efrat. He reported a conversation he had with Yossi Beilin in which he asked Beilin what assurance he could give as to security of the residents of Yesha. Beilin said, "The IDF is going to pull out. The PLO will come in. They will carry out their operation and we will not interfere." Again, in April 1995, the leaders of Moetzet Yesha reported that they met with Prime Minister Rabin and asked him the same question Rodan had asked Beilin. They quoted Rabin saying, in essence: We are going to pull out. The PLO will come in and "I promise you we will do our best to take care of the wounded." Zvi Hendel reported that Shimon Peres was in Gush Katif during the election campaign in 1996. Members of his entourage were amazed to learn that the population of Gush Katif had increased by 15% since the signing of the Oslo Accords. They expressed astonishment that the Jews were not leaving. Hendel quotes Peres as saying, "That's alright. A few good massacres and they will leave." Finally, shortly after the election in 2001, after Barak lost to Sharon, Chaim Ramon was quoted in Haaretz approximately as follows: "I advised Barak at Camp David not to raise the issue of Jerusalem now, but to wait 5 or 10 years until Jerusalem is like Gaza is today. Then the Israelis will accept compromise on Jerusalem." What they did to Gush Katif is what they are preparing to do to Gush Etzion and what they plan to do to Jerusalem, the Negev, the Galilee, the Jerusalem Corridor and probably Ashkelon and Ashdod as well. They did it to them. They will do it to you. TAKING THE OFFENSIVE All of this above constitutes a holding action. We have to fight holding actions but wars are not won by holding actions. We have to take the battle to the power base of the Osloids. They have to be put on the defensive by challenging them in their monopoly control of institutions of power and influence in Israeli society. When the ruling elite see attempts to encroach on their center, they will move to protect it and take pressure off the peripheries. That means us, in Gush Etzion. What is needed right now are the following: 1. Community self-defense. In the Jerusalem Post for March 1, 2001, the IDF reported reduced manpower available for defense of communities over the Green Line and said that residents of those communities have to take more responsibility for their own defense. Let people who know how to do that step forward and start doing it. Now it is critical because we know from the experience of Gush Katif that the IDF will be restrained from defending us. Take the Defense Minister at his word and do it. There are organizations already in existence. They deserve our support. This is not a problem only of the yishuvim either. Towns inside the Green Line are in a similarly threatened situation and no one is addressing the problem. The fact is that the whole country is under dire threat and the government seems to be pretending that the threat does not exist. Prior to the closure of Orient House, the Palestinian Authority had been deeply engaged in computerizing the identity of properties owned by Arabs prior to 1948 and matching properties to families. They make no secret of their intention to send hundreds of thousands of "refugees" into " Israel proper", backed up by armed Palestinian "police" to "reclaim" the homes their ancestors had abandoned. Nor do they conceal their intention to kill any occupant who refuses to vacate the premises. 2. A real, honest labor union that really represents the workers. Lech Walesa and Solidarity showed the way to unravel a Bolshevik system. The biggest employer in the country cannot be the labor union. The owner of substantially half of the nation's industry will not represent the interest of the workers in a labor dispute with management. It IS management. Only two people are required to start a labor union: an effective labor organizer and a lawyer who is absolutely expert in all aspects of Israeli labor law. Don't wait. Start organizing the workers of the dirtiest employers in the country: the Histadrut companies, the kibbutzim and the government. And strike them. As soon as organization of their workers begins, they will feel the threat to one of their main power centers. 3. A real human rights, civil liberties organization and legal aid society, Honenu has been doing a fine job and deserves to be supported. There still needs to be a legal defense fund for many persons in the opposition who will be persecuted by the legal system. 4. Intelligent political action: We saw last summer the effectiveness of people going out to the center of the country and talking to people, explaining the issues and just being who we are. Keep doing it, especially in the development towns where the swing voters are. Getting our story to the mainstream of the country is very necessary and very powerful. If 20% of the effort and resources that have gone into the settlement movement had gone into hasbara, we would not now be 3% of the country living in Yosh and another 40% supporting us. We would be 20-30% of the country living here and another 40% supporting us. Why are the media monolithically leftist? Why have the forces on the right never established media outlets? 5. Aliyah and resettlement: -- recruitment and resettlement of immigrants; rescue and rehabilitation of Jewish refugees, and the concomitant: Help a goy out. (I can help them out to the US or Canada .) The Jewish Agency and the government are busy recruiting non-Jews throughout what was the USSR to come on aliyah as Jews. The IDF has already discovered one cell of Ukrainian Nazis which we know about. But just in the southern part of what was the USSR, in Central Asia, Georgia and the Caucasus, there are hundreds of thousands of Jews. The overwhelming majority of them are religious. The overwhelming majority are Edot Mizrah. No one is recruiting them to come on aliyah because the ruling elite wants Israel to be a Jewish country only if the category "Jew" has been rendered meaningless. Therefore, they do not want the real Jews to come. But we do. Someone who knows how to do this job has to set up and start doing it. Nefesh beNefesh can do it. So can we. All this, of course, is tantamount to a plan to transform Israeli society. In order to save the country, we need to do nothing less. There are more parts to the existing plan, more long term than these, which you can find at www.netzahyisrael.org with some fuller explanation. That site will also undergo some change in the near future but the essential elements will remain. The plan does not depend on leaders to emerge. We have none. It depends only on us. Take a part that you can do and do it. Get others to join you and do it. People stepped forward and formed Honenu and began to operate. Two people can form a labor union, as I have said. The same labor lawyer can serve several unions. The labor organizers are the key people. If you can do it, get busy. That would immediately take the battle to the Osloid power centers. We can win and we can transform the country. We have to start now. |
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ABU MAZEN AND MUNICH
Posted by Naomi Ragen, December 12, 2005. |
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Friends, Information about the PLO's new head, who funded the Munich Massacre of Israel's Olympic athletes. From pioneering attorney Nitsana Darshan Leitner. She writes about Abu Mazen and Black September. God bless her! She's one of kind. Contact her at nitsanad@zahav.net.il Naomi From Nitsana Darshan Leitner Hi Naomi, It's no wonder that, as the NY Times editorial suggests, the sympathetic Palestinian character in the Munich film "sounded like Abu Mazen," -- it probably was Abu Mazen. See below press release from 2003. Abu Mazen funded the Black September attack on the Israeli team. Never forgive -- Never forget! Nitsana Tuesday, April 29, 2003
ISRAELI CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP ACCUSES ABU MAZEN OF HAVING FUNDED 1972 MUNICH OLYMPIC MASSACRE, CALLS FOR PROBE OF PALESTINIAN PM's ROLE Letter to German and American Leaders Alleges that New P.A. Prime Minister Financed "Black September" Terror Attack Which Killed 11 Athletes Including U.S. Citizen The Israeli civil rights group Shurat Hadin has announced a campaign to convince U.S. and German law enforcement agencies to open an investigation into the role of newly-appointed Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Abu Mazen in the massacre of eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. On September 5, 1972, a squad of heavily armed Palestinian terrorists attacked the dormitories housing the Israeli Olympic team and murdered a coach and weight-lifter David Berger, who was an American citizen. The terrorists then took nine Israeli athletes hostage. While the terrorists and their hostages were transported to the airport, the German police botched a rescue attempt and all nine of the athletes were murdered. The director of Shurat Hadin, attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, sent letters this week to U.S. President George W. Bush and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder containing new information indicating that that Abu Mazen (whose given name is Mahmoud Abbas) provided financing to the PLO's Black September terrorist group, in order to carry out the notorious terrorist attack at the 1972 Olympic Games. While recent newsmedia profiles of Abu Mazen have accentuated the Palestinian leader's alleged "terrorism-free" personal history, the Shurat Hadin charges that in 1972, Abu Mazen, then a high ranking PLO official, provided financing for the terrorist attacks being perpetrated by Yassir Arafat's PLO faction Fatah under the nom de guerre Black September. Shurat Hadin is basing its information on published statements by the terrorist who masterminded the the Munich attack, Mohammed Daoud Oudeh ("Abu Daoud"). In his French-language autobiography, Palestine: >From Jerusalem to Munich, Abu Daoud describes the role of Abu Mazen in providing the funds to carry out the Black September Olympic attack. Furthermore, in an interview with journalist Don Yaeger of Sports Illustrated Magazine in August 2002, Abu Daoud reiterated his charges that Abu Mazen supplied the money for the deadly attack. In his memoir Abu Daoud states: "After Oslo in 1993, Abu Mazen went to the White House Rose Garden for a photo op with Arafat, President Bill Clinton and Israel's Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres. "Do you think that ... would have been possible if the Israelis had known that Abu Mazen was the financier of our operation?" Abu Daoud writes. "I doubt it." Today, the Bush Administration seeks a Palestinian negotiating partner "uncompromised by terror," yet last year Abu Mazen met in Washington with Secretary of State Colin Powell." Abu Daoud's allegations have been confirm by sources within the Palestinian Authority, according to Shurat Hadin. Attorney Darshan-Leitner's letter to President Bush states: "Under your leadership the United States has declared that it will no longer maintain contacts with those tainted by terrorist pasts. It appears that the new Palestinian leader, on whom the United States and Israel are now pinning their hopes, was also involved in murderous attacks perpetrated by the PLO's Black September. If proven true, Abu Mazen's role in the brutal killing of the Israeli athletes and American citizen David Berger must preclude his involvement in the negotiations between the United States, Israel and her Arab neighbors." Both Germany and Israel still have the legal jurisdiction to prosecute those involved in the Munich Olympic killings. Naomi Ragen is an American-born novelist and journalist who lives in Jerusalem. She can be contacted at www.naomiragen.com, where you can subscribe to her newsletter. |
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AUSTRALIAN INTIFADA?
Posted by Mordechai Ben-Menachem, December 12, 2005. |
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This comes from Arutz-Sheva (www.IsraelNationalNews.com) and was written by Ezra HaLevi. First Israel, then France, Denmark and Belgium -- and now Australia. Muslims rioted for a second night in Sydney and nearby suburbs Monday, attacking resident and police and smashing cars. The latest "Intifada" began down under with a group of Lebanese immigrants beating two life guards on Sydney's Cronulla beach Sunday. The Beach is the site of a memorial for victims of the Islamic terror attacks in Bali, in which six local women were murdered. Thousands of Australian youths then flocked to the beach and began indiscriminately attacking anyone they believed to be Arab immigrants. About 300,000 Muslims live in Australia, the majority in large cities. Soon after, Arab youth began attacking police and smashing cars around the Sydney area. Thirty-one people were injured, 28 arrested and approximately one hundred cars were smashed during the night. Hundreds of young Muslims then gathered near the Lakemba Mosque in southern Sydney, readying to travel to Maroubra Beach where up to 300 locals were reportedly waiting for an arranged fight until the police intervened. Monday night, Arab mobs descended on Cronulla, stabbing a woman, assaulted several passers-by and smashing shops around the area. Police told Australian news agencies that there were hundreds of armed men in the Muslim crowd as well. Meanwhile, crowds of local Muslims surrounded mosques, flashing handguns before news cameras and saying they were merely responding to information they had that local gangs intended to attack their place of worship. There are also reports of text messages circulating within the Arab community calling for revenge attacks in Cronulla next Sunday and police are still searching for an Arab man who stabbed another man in the back Sunday night. The Australian Associated Press reported that gunshots were heard near Cronulla beach Monday, but police could not confirm the report. The main focus -- in the aftermath of Sunday's events -- was on the attacks launched by local Australians, including drunken surfers and white-supremacists, on fellow citizens of Arab descent. Australian Prime Minister John Howard condemned the attacks on the Arabs at the Sydney beach. "Attacking people on the basis of their race, their appearance, their ethnicity, is totally unacceptable and should be repudiated by all Australians irrespective of their own background and their politics," Howard said. Mordechai Ben-Menachem is at Ben-Gurion University. He can be reached by email at quality@computer.org |
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ISRAEL IS FOR THE BIRDS
Posted by Walter Bingham, December 12, 2005. |
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There's more to Israel than confusing politics -- you know -- and even antiquities. First of all we have a beautiful and varied landscape from the desert in the south, the coastal plain, the rolling hills of Judea, Samaria and the upper Galil, to the Sea of Galilee and of course the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth with its surface some 1300 feet below sea level, reaching a depth of 2300 feet into the bowels of the earth. It's all the more wonderful, literally, because our forefather Abraham came here commanded by G-d, to found the Jewish nation. The land is holy to the Jewish people. But interestingly, even the birds are sensing something special about Israel, for more and more choose our little country as a place to rest and enjoy, on their long emigration flight from the cold north to the warm south, and back again some month later. Many of them stay here for the whole winter. So earlier this week I took time off from the usual routine, to join a group of foreign journalists on a journey to observe the wonderful phenomenon of tenth of thousands, of mainly migrating birds of various species. Here I have to confess that bird watching has never excited my interest before -- and besides the odd visit to the zoo when my daughter was young or with my grandchildren, I have never cared about them, except when I was forced to, -- in my home in London, where I had to put up all sorts of devices to stop the pigeons from settling on my windows. They left their visiting cards on the most beautiful buildings and in the squares, in short these flying rats as I call them made an awful mess everywhere. Similarly, there were the Swallows that used to fly into the Centre of London every night to roost there. Thousands of them -- and unlike the pigeons, they made an awful noise too. I am not sure what happened some years ago, but thankfully they had found another location. With those memories, you'll understand that I was a bit apprehensive to sit in a bus for a 3 1/2 hour drive each way, just to see -- birds, but I went. It was all wonderfully organised by Keren Kayemet who have a great interest in wild life preservation. The destination was the Hula valley. Just below our northern most town of Kiryat Shmona and nesteling at the base of the Golan. Older listeners may remember that the area was a malaria infested wetland, up to a few meters deep in places until it was totally drained in the 50's and by 1958 was turned into rich farming land. But despite the change of habitat, the birds kept coming as they did in the past. That caused a bit of a problem for the local farmers because they were eating newly sown seeds. Enter Keren Kayemet who found the answer. They established a part of the area specifically for bird migration and are feeding them daily, providing peace for the farmers. It is centred on Lake Agmon, man made in 1992 and is criss crossed by a system of canals to maintain peat soils. These wetlands protect the quality of our water by complex filtering processes before it flows into Lake Kinneret, the Sea of Gallile, our principal source of drinking water. The Farmers and Keren Kayemet now work together to encourage eco tourism, encouraging birds to the Hula valley and people to the birds. It's also an additional income for the farmers. The best thing is that entry is totally free. The site houses a multi-disciplinary visitor centre, where one can also hire strong binoculars and all kinds of pedal bikes, for 2, 4 or even 6 people as well as electric golf carts, with which to ride or drive around specially constructed path. The alternative is a shuttle service to the various observation posts, but I have seen many people walking. From those paths, one can look at the wildlife at very close range. At the most advantageous places on the route, there are special observation platforms. Farmers can provide camouflaged so-called 'safari wagons' drawn by a tractor, which will get the visitor even closer to the birds and into generally prohibited areas. One can also see the nets that are set up to catch birds for ringing and then have a demonstration of how this is done, before the ringed bird is quickly released. Some of the larger birds such as storks, cranes or pelicans are fitted with satellite transmitters and their habits, routes and times are recorded and available to bird stations all over the world. The Agmon area in the Hula valley is an ornithologists dream. On the day of our visit, we saw between 17 and 20,000 cranes of the 100,000 that pass here each year and maybe 1000 pelicans besides a large variety of other birds, including red-breasted robins and kingfisher. All are resting there for some considerable time and are refuelling, before the largest number of them continues on their journey south. They originate mostly from Eastern Europe as far north as Siberia, fly about 3-400 km a day and take on average 1.5-2 weeks to reach Israel. The smaller birds expend a considerable amount of body fat and only continue, if at all, when that is replenished, so they remain in Israel for as long as it takes. Their condition can be clearly seen by blowing away the feathers. Larger Europe can count about 800 different species of birds, and Israel, which for its size, has extraordinary facilities to study ornithology, houses about 550 different species, of which 70% are migrating visitors. They include Night Heron, Glossy Ibis, White Pelican, Marsh Harrier, Black stork, the Common crane and many others. As part of the arrangements with the farmers, KKL set up some 70 nesting boxes for the indigenous resident barn owls. About 45 pairs have been counted so far, and each pair clears the land of 2000 rodents a year, which obviates a lot of the otherwise necessary pesticide crop spraying. We also saw several families of wild boar and some water buffalo that have been introduced on an experimental basis. The nearby 19th century Dubrovin Farm with its museum and friendly atmosphere, owned by Keren Kayemet, has an excellent restaurant strictly Kosher of course, and is situated just a stone's throw from Agmon Hahula, that paradise for people and birds. This trip was enough to almost turn me into a regular birdwatcher and I recommend that every tourist should consider including that experience in their itinerary. If you visit the Golan, it would be a shame to miss it. After-all, It's right on the road to the Golan. The phone number for prior arrangements, dialled from within Israel is 04 681 7137 and the email is Agamon@actcom.co.il Walter Bingham is a veteran journalist and broadcaster from London who made aliyah and now lives in Jerusalem. His weekly radio programme, Walter's World, can be heard on Israel National Radio.com. Contact him by email at walter@IsraelNationalNews.com |
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HAMAS ELECTION VIDEO: ARMED STRUGGLE UNTIL DESTRUCTION OF ISRAEL
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 12, 2005. |
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One could not want a clearer definition of the conflict than that given by Hamas on its website and in its electioneering video. "We succeeded, with Allah's grace, to raise an ideological generation that loves death like our enemies love life. We will not abandon the way of Jihad and Shahada [Martyrdom] as long as one inch of our holy land is in the hands of the Jews. Consistent with the diatribe of Hamas and other terror groups in the past, Hamas is committed to armed violence until Israel is destroyed and Hamas rules all of "Palestine" (or, in Arafat's words, from the river to the sea). Their war is with the JEWS (not Israel, but Jews). As more and more Palestinians vote for Hamas, they are knowlingly voting for a never-ending war with Israel. What concessions can Israel offer to a heinous and brutal enemy that loves martyrdom, seeks death, and commits to a concept of victory that is nothing less than the total destruction of Israel? Go to the PMW website for the entire video. and while you are there, check out their other videos. Read the PMW article below for a brief synopsis. It is by Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook. PMW Reports In a new Hamas pre-election video, the terror organization again declares that it will not give up its armed struggle until Israel is destroyed.
The Hamas message likewise celebrates its love of death as superior to the Israeli love of life. It also expresses support for those Israeli Arabs that wish to destroy Israel "from the interior." Hamas looks forward to a day when its flag will fly over not only Jerusalem, but over all Israeli cities, including Acre and Haifa.
The release of the new video on the Hamas website, reiterating its goal of destroying Israel, coincides with two polls this week showing Hamas turning into a major political force, with between 32% and 45% of Palestinians saying they will vote for Hamas in January's parliamentary elections. What are the implications for peace, should nearly 50% of the Palestinian Authority parliament be open supporters of Israel's destruction?
It will be interesting to see if the continuing Hamas election campaign calling for Israel's destruction will prompt a change in United States or European Union policy. The US State Department has made clear that while it continues to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars of support to the PA, it will make no demands on it to prevent the Hamas from participating in the upcoming elections. The EU and United Nations have also agreed that Hamas can participate in the elections.
To view the Hamas election video calling for Israel's destruction, click here
The following are the words on the new Hamas video:
"Congratulations to our people of 1948 [Israeli Arabs] on the liberation of Gaza. You wish to destroy them [the Israelis] from the interior. We will never forget you, and never leave you. A day will come when our flag will fly above all the quarters of our land. Our flag will fly on the minarets of Jerusalem, and the walls of Acre, and the quarters of Haifa."
[Hamas website, December 12, 2005]
Please feel free to forward this bulletin, crediting Palestinian Media Watch
David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli, currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org). Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com |
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WE MUST RECLAIM DIRECT ACCESS TO RACHEL'S TOMB
Posted by Evelyn Hayes, December 12, 2005. |
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Emergency Petition to Keep the Borders of Kever Rachel Secure. The Jewish People have always had direct access to Rachel's' Tomb on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The wall in the middle of Area C ignores the handshake of Oslo II 1995 and forces the Jewish people to enter Kever Rachel through a very narrow and dangerous back road surrounding by a massive fence on both sides. It also cutting through Jewish owned and contracted property. This encroachment on Rachel's Tomb leaves our IDF in close combat circumstances endangering their lives. It compromises the lives of tens of thousands of Israelis and Jewish tourists from across the globe and their right of centuries. 8 daily Egged 163 buses and many tourist and private buses go directly to Kever Rachel from Jerusalem on Derech Hebron. There are many kollels, learning and praying groups, Jewish activities and simchas celebrated at Rachel's Tomb. This fact over time and history is established and a certain precedent. The wall is a narrow noose threatening and inviting terrorism such as the terrorism onto Worshipper's Way, Hebron, which killed soldiers and enabled terrorism. The compromise of the army led to a hate attack against the Tomb of Yosef and also caused the murder of IDF and Rabbi Hillel Lieberman which led to a major demonstration for Israel in New York City. Consider, also, the destruction of the Ancient Jewish Shalom Synagogue in Jericho. It is a direct affront to the protective handshake on the Whitehouse Lawn, Oslo 1995 Amendment to guarantee Israel's ownership and guardianship of these four Holy Sites as well as visitors' secure rights to a total of 29 Jewish sites. The President and Prime Minister's handshakes are ignored and ridiculed when terrorists are given access where it was excluded and where precedent proved deadly. It is against the sensitivities of the Jewish visitors following a 3600 year tradition to have to sneak into the Ohel of their Beloved Matriarch, known as Mother of Israel, through backyards and Arab refugee camps and to encroach on Jewish paid for and contracted land. Kever Rachel is one of three holiest Jewish sites to which the keys and Daybooks were returned after the brief Jordanian occupation. Furthermore, as this area was illegally made Area C which was illegally surrendered against the mandate of Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, the authority of him who was in office must be recognized and all lands to the southernmost point accepted by the present Knesset be included and not "road wrapped" and scrapped to endanger the IDF, Jewish citizens and Jerusalem. Please Print this next out, collect signatures and send it to: Rachel's Children Reclamation Foundation, 60 West End Avenue, Brooklyn NY, 11235 6 The Undersigned Demand that Access to Rachel's Tomb remain direct as the variance of 3600 years and that the wall not encroach on Jewish contracted property to endanger IDF, Israelis and the multitude of Jewish tourists and tours. The wall must be at a distance to protect Jews from where terrorists are active even on this day. Proclamations from American Public Representatives are included in with these petitions. NAME ADDRESS ZIP
TELEPHONE EMAIL
Evelyn Hayes is author of "The Eleventh Plague, Twins, because their hearts were softened to accept the unacceptable" and "The Twelfth Plague, Generations, because the lion wears stripes." Contact her at haze@rcn.com. |
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THE ABYSS OF NO RETURN
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 12, 2005. |
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Israel teeters at the brink of an abyss of no return. Trusted leaders besot with that deadly combination of hubris and naivete, beguiled by assurances of support from its formidable ally, a Bush lead America, filtered through rose colored spectacles, are committing the beleaguered nation they steward to a Road Map handbook replete with predation whose prologue disrespectfully demands adherence to an ill-advised promised pullout from land fairly secured consequential to an intrepid victory almost four decades ago against Arab aggressors intent on annihilating the tiny Jewish entity. The initial carving off of Gaza traumatized the endangered state's anatomy, attacking its defenses, perilously persuading the body's mind to lose all sense of balance thus begin a pernicious plummet accelerating exponentially to that perdition of its own creation. Judea, Samaria, and East Jerusalem are now laid bare to the sharpened fangs of Arab vultures salivating to viciously gnaw at the vulnerable vertigo afflicted once vigorous enclave of living breathing Jewish culture. A mortally wounded soul bereft shadow-nation splattered at the bottom of a contemptible cursed canyon will have gained only tsuris as it attempts to fend off hostile Islamic neighbors, fangs extended, smelling blood and going for the kill, alas with much of the outer world cheering. Those Islamic fanatics of today who still demand Israel's total annihilation will not hold hands with Ariel Sharon et al and sing Kumbaya; enforcers of the Road Map will not disarm Hamas and like groups after land has been ceded; alas, Israel's security will be worse not better if its malleable mind-muddled leaders continue to be seduced and comply with this snake-oil strategy of extortion brewed for suckers ala a deadly P.T Barnum. Fortunately such a scenario still can be prevented, the wounds of Gaza healed, if prescient concerned Israelis forthwith concoct the proper antidote to this self-inflicted cerebral affliction. Imbibe a dose of intelligence and expose the two-name double game Abbas Mazan for what he is! The Palestinian likely to be reelected Prime Manipulator, erstwhile four decade long understudy of the conniving embezzler Arafat, is an unrepentant Jew despiser who will not deter fulminating Hamas fanatics from attempting to fulfill their obsessive quest of crushing Israel. Widely disseminate to the world that this huckster of sincerity in 1983 authored in Arabic the Holocaust trivializing atrocity "The Other Side: The Secret relations Between Nazism and the Leadership of the Zionist Movement", even doubting the use of gas chambers on Jewish victims. Illuminate the fact that he will not recant one word of this anti-Semitic filth. How might reasonable observers react to this revelation? Might some on the outside at least agree that Abbas would indeed lead Israel to the abyss thus is no longer an acceptable negotiating partner? How can any self-respecting Israeli or supporter of the Jewish democracy deal with a man who so disrespects victims of the subhuman Holocaust? Hence, Israel has the necessary rationale to move away from the edge of the precipice overlooking catastrophe canyon. Only an incurable fool would now jump. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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ESTHER, NEHEMIAH, AND DANIEL SPOKE UP
Posted by Mike Evans, December 12, 2005. |
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The U.S. is falling right into Iran's hands (the Prince of Persia.) Please pray. Much of the funding for many of the terror organizations in the Palestinian Authority continues to come from Iran. Now, there is an open pipeline across the border between Gaza and Israel. Iran has, in the past two years, has made over $150 billion over anticipated income due to the rise in oil prices. Iran has enormous amounts of money to finance terrorism against Israel through Hamas, Islamic Jihad, etc. Opening the gates to Gaza could bring the judgment of God on our nation. Israel's nuclear program is called the "Samson Option." It was in Gaza that Samson, anointed by God, made his stand and pulled the pillars of the temple down around him. Samson realized when he grasped the pillars that he would die when the temple collapsed....but he would not die alone. He would take the enemies of Israel with him. The U.S. government does not seem to understand that had Israel not destroyed Iraq's nuclear reactor, instead of 3000 Americans perishing on 9/11, it could have been 3 million. I do not believe what is happening is God's prophetic plan; instead, I see it as the Prince of Darkness deceiving the U.S. government. PLEASE SIGN our petition to President Bush today. Ask him not to continue the policies that allow terrorist attacks against our staunchest Middle East ally, Israel. The U.S. cannot and must not rely on economic sanctions to halt Iran's downhill slide to nuclear capabilities. When asked about economic sanctions against Iran, IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz said, "A state like Iran which has accumulated just in the past two years $150 billion beyond what it planned due to the rise in oil prices is not so sensitive to economic sanctions. In general, [for] people who are used to eating olives and pita bread, sanctions which won't let them have cream with their caviar is not something that is too bothersome." The comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who declared it was his agenda to destroy the state of Israel, caused Halutz to ponder, "Why did he make these statements now since the elections have passed and he doesn't need to win any more votes? What this demonstrates about the fanatical band sitting over there is that they want to wipe Israel off the map and for this they need nuclear weapons." With this in mind, Israel recently carried out successful tests of the Arrow anti-missile system. The tests were conducted at the same time Russia announced that they had inked a deal to sell "tactical surface-to-air missile systems" to Iran. The test missiles used by Israel closely resembled the Iranian Shahab-3, a missile that has the capability to carry a nuclear, biological or chemical payload. Sharon said Thursday that Israel is watching with growing concern Iran's efforts to achieve nuclear capabilities, and that Israel cannot accept the current situation. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stated: "Israel is not spearheading the international struggle against Iran's nuclear arming." He continued that the dangers posed by Iran's internal nuclear arms race "does not relate only to Israel...It puts at risk Israel, Middle Eastern countries and many other countries around the world. Therefore the efforts led by the U.S. today must include free countries that understand this grave danger." Knesset Member Yuval Steinitz warned, "Iran is going to become a nuclear power in the region and the world is helpless.? PLEASE SIGN the petition today asking President Bush to halt U.S. government policies that endanger Israel and the Jewish people. Please forward this to everyone on your list, and ask them to sign the petition. This is an issue that should concern the entire world. Please keep this going worldwide. Esther, Nehemiah, and Daniel challenged Ancient Persian (Iran) kings in a time of crisis. Because of their courage to speak up, God moved in a mighty way. Your ambassador to Jerusalem,
Michael Evans is the author of "Beyond Iraq: The Next Move," and founder of Jerusalem Prayer Team, America's largest Christian coalition praying for the peace of Jerusalem. Contact them at www.JerusalemPrayerTeam.org |
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STOP THE NEGOTIATIONS WITH IRAN AND START THE MILITARY CAMPAIGN
Posted by David Holcberg, December 12, 2005. |
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Mohamed ElBaradei, chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said last week that Iran is only a few months away from producing a nuclear bomb--and suggested that the way to prevent this is "to go back to the negotiating table" (i.e., cave in to extortion). Following his suggestion would be suicidal. No amount of negotiation will persuade the Iranian theocrats to give up their longtime quest for nuclear bombs. To ensure Iran will not produce--or use--nuclear bombs, the United States and its allies must destroy Iran's nuclear facilities and wipe out its regime--and must do so without delay. Iran presents a much greater danger to the United States' security than did Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Once Iran gets hold of nuclear bombs, the United States will be an easy target for blackmail and a likely target for mass destruction. As one of the principal ideological sources of Islamist totalitarianism, Iran is an avowed enemy of the United States and a leading state sponsor of terrorism. It finances, trains, shelters and equips terrorists from organizations like al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad. Iran is currently waging a proxy war against the United States in Iraq and killing American soldiers by the dozens (if not by the hundreds). Under those circumstances the United States has a moral right--indeed, a moral obligation--to defend its people from Iran's threats and preempt future terrorist attacks. The Iranian regime has repeatedly threatened to use its soon-to-be-produced nuclear weapons to wipe Israel off the map. It has repeatedly called for "Death to America." These threats must be taken seriously. We did not take Osama bin Laden's threats seriously, and lost the Twin Towers. We do not want to make the same mistake with Iran, and lose all of Manhattan. David Holcberg is with the Ayn Rand Institute (http://www.aynrand.org/) in Irvine, CA. The Institute promotes the ideas of Ayn Rand -- best-selling author of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead and originator of the philosophy of Objectivism. |
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CHANUKAH AND HOPE
Posted by Samson Krupnick, December 11, 2005. |
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Chanukah this year is more than the traditional Festival of Lights. It is a festival of hope and prayer for guidance in dealing with critical issues that can effect our future as an independent nation. There are many pressures from other sources as well as from local internal groups all placing Israel in a desperate situation both physically and spiritually. We had just begun to recover from that tragic Gush Katif forced withdrawal and deportation by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, presumably as "a painful concession", when Sharon was all ready to start further withdrawals and deportations as more "painful concessions". For whom was it a "painful concession"? For most of the nation except for the Prime Minister who ignored his commitment and who insisted on an August 15th forced withdrawal and deportation to receive many praises from abroad. Fortunately, the boomerang came with the surprising victory of Amir Peretz as Labor Chairman. The quick resignation of Labor from the Government and the March 28, 2006 election date provided a breather against withdrawals and deportations. It is due time to stop this dictator [Sharon] who defies democracy and to prevent further, if any, "concessions" to the Philistine Chaos (Palestine Authority). The Philistine suicide murder of five and wounding of 60 in Netanya forced a sharp response including a targeted killing as we advised three years ago. This attack from "Saudi" Arabian petro-dollar profit financed Wahhabi Islamic Jihad and others to follow indicate clearly that the Philistine Chaos cannot and will not disarm mass murderers ("terrorists"). The vast majority of Philistines, over 80%, want the destruction of Israel. That is their democratic choice. Apparently, democracy need not be constructive. Hence, what is the point of further "concessions"? The Philistine attitude is simply a "return of what was ours". Clearly, there is no Road Map leading anywhere except to more Philistine mass murder ("terror") against Israel. A greater danger exists and grows stronger. The leader is Iran. Iran's President stated clearly: "We are in the process of a historical war between the World of Arrogance (the West) and the Islamic World. A world without America and Zionism is attainable". Iran is now furnishing huge quantities of arms in our area. The greater danger is Iran's nuclear program. To date the United States and allies are involved in the Iraq war and will not take sufficient precautions against the Iran danger. Israel is now watching carefully the Iran progress. We must be prepared and ready for further developments. Unity is of great necessity, but quite frankly the prospects for a real unity Government look slim if Sharon is to head it. Interesting is a similar situation when the Maccabbees took the initiative to battle the conquering Greek army. With the passing of Alexander the great, his Greek generals were on their own. The Ptolmey in Egypt were much interested in the Jewish Torah and invited 30 Jewish scholars, working in separate rooms, to translate the Torah into Greek. All translated exactly alike including 16 variations so as not to imply the existence of more than one "god". G-d is One. Syrian General Antiochus Epiphanes in contrast decided that if he directed idol worship he could control the Jews. Hence, he had a new altar erected in the Temple of Jerusalem and made sacrifices to Greek idols. Greek philosophy puts emphasis on the enjoyment of physical pleasure for a small class of wealthy freemen served by masses of slaves. Greek idols were plentiful. Many wealthy Jews admired this approach. They were called Hellenists. The Kohanim (priests) tried to stop this development without success. Once a Hellenist appeared before Mattityahu the High Priest to make a sacrifice to an idol. Mattityahu struck him down and the war against the Greeks began. Led by Judah Maccabee and his brothers the Jews raised an army of fighters and finally won back Jerusalem. The Temple was restored and a new altar built. They restored the Menorah but lacked special oil. They found one small oil container with a priestly seal, just enough for one day. Miraculously, it lasted eight full days during which proper oil was prepared. In observance of this miracle, it was declared a Festival of Lights observed annually thereafter. The war was won after much fighting and many losses. The Kohanim Maccabees became kings, in violation of Jewish tradition that kings were to be from the descendants of King David and not Kohanim. Hence, both Mishna and Gemorrah mention the miracle of the oil but there is not a word about the battles of the Maccabees. The full story is found in the Book of Maccabees. The Festival of Chanukah is observed worldwide with great enthusiasm. Hallel (Psalms of Praise) are recited. In Israel lights are kindled from the roofs of all hotels. Dignitaries light candles at the Kotel (Western Wall of the Temple) each night with national T.V. coverage. At the White House President George W. Bush lit a candle on a Menorah last year. In Talmudic days there was a difference of opinion between Bet Hillel (School of Hillel) and Bet Shammai (School of Shammai) as to the order of lighting. Bet Shammai insisted that the order be by lighting eight candles the first night and one less each following night. Bet Hillel ruled the opposite as is declared: "You raise upward with holy ceremonies". Worldwide there are connected local customs. In Western countries and Israel most people eat sufganiyot (doughnuts). Several million sufganiot are baked, some with variations of chocolate and fruit. Women are invited to light candles as well. Menorahs should be placed by windows and/or porches weather permitting. An old custom is giving Chanukah gelt in cash or gifts. By now it is an established tradition in Israel that we observe holidays and festivals to the fullest and put worries on a far back bench. Holidays and festivals give us additional spiritual strength to face problems. Our enemies are numerous and growing from "Saudi" Arabian petro-dollar profit financed Wahhabi and Iranian petro-dollar profit financed Pseudo-Shi'ite Mullah-ocracy sources. Heaven-sent plagues and disasters have already begun to take their toll on the Quartet Road Map nations marching against us, beginning with the December 25, 2004 earthquake and tsunami which struck the province of Aceh -- a Wahhabi stronghold -- in the largest Muslim nation, Indonesia, and spread to several continents; the Katrina hurricane disaster in New Orleans following on the heels of the Gush Katif expulsion; the recent earthquake in Kashmir, and the avian bird flu pandemic about to engulf the world. With the help of the Almighty we shall overcome. Shavua Tov and Chanukah Sameach from Liberated Yerushaliyim, Samson Krupnick is Board Member and Treasurer, Root & Branch Association in Jerusalem (www.rb.org.il). He can be reached at krup@barak-online.net |
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COMBAT FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED ISLAM
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 11, 2005. |
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Let the civilized world comprehend that it is at war with warped ideations inherent to fundamentally flawed Islam. The guiding missiles of choice to reroute misdirected neuron networks of muddled Muslim minds are intense images and thought patterns carefully crafted within culturally sophisticated intelligence laboratories. Their delivery systems would resemble those transmitters and satellite dishes so effectively manipulated by the diabolically discordant Al-anti Israel-Jazeera cadre based in not so eclectic Qatar. Consider the exponential rise of virulent violent Wahhabi filth maniacally manipulated into the secularly bereft brains of receptive recipients by Jew-despising misogynist Mullahs residing in madrassas mostly constructed after the Soviet incursion into Afghanistan three decades past. How do we effectively counteract such contemptible excrement? Indeed, superseding expectations of sexually seductive virgins in paradise, promised by pontificating Islamic prestidigitators of pious illusions, as compensation for homicidal/suicidal acts of male martyrdom will require a persuasive flow of rational enlightenment climaxing into an emotional shackle severing epiphany. The messenger of such a mind cleansing force must be perceived as messianic, dwarfing the credibility of the grandest of Muftis. Lust for the so embellished after life must lose its leechlike grip on addled uneducated mesmerized young secularly impoverished Muslims. Corrupted interpretations of Koranic verses supporting the sadistic ranting of madmen must be exposed as sham. If the next world is so wonderful, why do manipulators convince others to blow flesh and organs asunder along with the hated infidel, while never risking their own precious body parts? Why do most such manipulators live more stylishly than their enraptured students? Most importantly, what if that promised paradise is but a dark, dank, depressing never-ending void? Will there be any chance to get even? Will a duped martyr risk an eternity of humiliation, being referred to as an empty headed perverted patsy? The voice of reason that casts doubts on accepted ideas must be broadcast in hypnotic Arabic. It must be believable. It must reinterpret the Koran in moderate tolerant terms. It must pervade the Middle East. It must refer to life on Earth as sacred. It must malign the malignant Mullahs, comparing them to metastasized cancer cells to be excised from the Mosques they so desecrate. Muslim women must be praised. Why seek the never to be realized gratification of female companionship subsequent to a horrific homicidal martyrdom, when wonederful women await here and now? The sane survival of mankind is at stake. Pathological fundamentalist Islam must be aggressively countered with the most advanced verbal weapons available. Appropriate modern secular schools must replace the deadly madrassas of hate that act as breeding grounds for souls that morph into terrorists. The problem can no longer be ignored by the civilized societies of this planet. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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A FAR SIGHTED FATWA
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 11, 2005. |
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Do not consider this presumptuous, but a fortuitous epiphany stirs my soul and compels me to suggest that a Grand Mufti of fundamental Islam issue a farsighted fatwa to his obedient subjects. At age twenty, all males must submit to a surgical procedure sewing their eyelids shut. Naturally, only designated skillful Muslim seamstresses would perform such a delicate operation using religiously sanctioned sutures. Anesthetics are unnecessary and would indeed detract from this ritual. Arab men have proven to be adept at the art of self-mutilation and impervious to pain while flogging their faces and other body surfaces frenetically during Ramadan. So blinded, Koranic verses by then dutifully memorized in mesmerizing Madrassas, indelibly chiseled into perceptually stunted cerebrums, sightless Muslim men would still be able to worship in malignantly malevolent Mosques from dawn to dusk. Women, no longer vulnerable to view hence lustful cravings of that hormone crazed y-chromosome gender, would find no need to veil their faces and fully cover their bodies. At last they would be liberated to immerse themselves in secular educations, drive cars, and in fact escort the Middle East into century twenty-one. Raw material economics fettered to fossil fuel, the bane of industrial progress, would no doubt become a relic having enlightened women in command. As visionless muddled males would be unable to manipulate explosives, the heinous act of homicide bombing would humanely go the way of a diabolically sadistic dodo bird. Muslim children, free from the rancid ranting of mutant misogynists promising them sexual trysts in perverted paradise with voluptuous virgins by choosing martyrdom, defined by blowing asunder body parts, would no longer be victims of the most contemptuous abuse on earth. Perhaps in a generation, male youngsters assuredly versed in civilized instruction by well-informed ladies, the aforementioned fatwa could be discontinued. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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SWAPPING SELAH STORIES
Posted by Rachel Saperstein, December 11, 2005. |
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Dan and Aviva are refugees from Gush Katif. Both are devoutly religious, sensitive, quiet-spoken people. They lived down our block. Dan is studying to be a rabbi. Aviva is an assistant kindergarten teacher. When we arrived in Neve Dekalim they were expecting their second child, a daughter, and then we welcomed their third, a son. Today SELAH, the Disengagement Authority, is demanding a DNA test from the family to prove the children really are theirs. The couple must cover the cost of this expensive test. Dan and Aviva are from Ethiopia. But let's not say that prejudice is the reason for SELAH's ludicrous request. Some Sephardi families are being put through the same shameful process. We can be 'proud' that SELAH is equally malevolent to all Gush Katif refugees. Debbie must prove that each of her six children went to school in Neve Dekalim uninterrupted to receive compensation for each of them. The T's are in a bind. Their children were with them during the three years they served in Mexico as emissaries of the government of Israel. Their children might not receive compensation for their years abroad. The K's have twelve children. First expelled from Yamit, they served as Chabad representatives to Gush Katif. They have been shot at and suffered injuries from rocket attacks in Neve Dekalim. Outspoken critics of the expulsion, they have been told they have no rights as they rented their tiny home privately. From Chabad. The G's owned their home but their son, recently married, had rented privately. They have a right to a caravilla, but their son -- born and raised and living in Neve Dekalim all his life -- has no rights. The SELAH Authority states that only homeowners and renters of public housing have the right to rent a caravilla for the princely sum of US$450 per month from the government of Israel. Rent money after fifteen months is to be deducted from the compensation. All families must agree to rent for two years or they will lose the IS 15000 (app. US $3000) deposit required on signing and receiving a key. "We found that our special Sabbath dishes were broken, as well as our crystal glasses, when we opened the boxes that had been stored in the container" said L. "How do we replace the sets we've had since our marriage?" The L's are in their seventies. "To think we have to unpack, rebuild our home, then pack again and move in two or three years. We had not expected to spend our retirement years with this uncertainty." One family must receive affidavits from their son's four former Yeshiva dormitory roommates, to prove he actually attended. Said the M's, "We don't even know where the boys live. They were from America. Our son has lost his right to compensation." Moshe and I are waiting for the keys to our caravilla. Every time we supply the demanded documentation a whole new list of "essential documents" is demanded. All are available to SELAH on computer, but that would make life too easy for us. Yet we are determined to persevere. SELAH representatives call and ask us what's happening. We explain. The documents keep piling up, the file grows thicker -- still no key, no monetary advance, no compensation. Lest you think malevolent bureaucracy is limited to SELAH, we have been informed by our former home insurers that as we ceased payment of premiums after our home was destroyed, we have to pay penalties eight times the amount of the unpaid premium. If we don't pay within ten days a collection agency will take our property equal in value to what they claim we owe them. Moshe expects they will take his false teeth. The BAND-AID FUND is now collecting money to give each family 1,000 shekels (approximately $240) as seed money as it prepares to start a new life in Nitzan. You can help a family. Send your contribution to: Central Fund for Israel
OR Central Fund for Israel
Rachel Saperstein and her husband Moshe lived in Neve Dekalim, Gush
Katif, Gaza, Israel. She was a teacher at the Neve Dekalim ulpana and
a spokeswoman for the Katif Regional Council. They are now homeless
refugees, living in temporary quarters at Jerusalem Gold Hotel. Her
recent book, "Eviction: A Gush Katif Viewpoint", with photos by Moti
Sender can be ordered from www.pavilionpress.com.
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THIS ISRAELI ELECTION -- EXCITING, WONDERFUL!
Posted by Batya Medad, December 11, 2005. |
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Exciting! Wonderful! Do you know what I'm describing? I'm describing the present Israeli election campaign. Yes, I do consider it wonderful and exciting. We usually discover the bad things about the candidates after they're elected, but now the politicians are revealing the truth much earlier. Do you remember how upset and shocked we were when Menachem Begin gave the Sinai to Egypt and destroyed the lovely communities there? I remember, and I still feel betrayed. As Tzachi Hanegbi so accurately said that Menachem Begin changed everything. I just don't agree with Tzachi's final conclusion that the Greater Land of Israel dream is dead: "It's been dead for many years already, ever since [Menachem] Begin agreed to give autonomy [in Judea and Samaria]." We had such high expectations when Arik Sharon was elected to bring security after Ehud Barak's horrendous term as Prime Minister, when terrorism was rampant all over the country. And his empty threats had no power and no backing. Then Arik shocked us with Disengagement. Thousands of good Jews are now homeless, jobless. Now Arik has left the Likud to start a new political party, Kadima, and everyday new revelations, when politicians scamper after his coattails. The latest, and certainly not the last is Shaul Mofaz, no great surprise. A former Chief of Staff, he proved himself no better than his predecessor, Ehud Barak. And now, just as I'm writing this, the leader of the NRP, Zevulon Orlev, announced that he's in favor of the Jerusalem fence. Now, if you were wondering why he couldn't make a deal with the National Union, it's clear. I guess the Tekuma faction of the NU, which originated in the NRP is going to grow. And The National Religious Party will just fade away, unless Orlev thinks he can get the Meimad vote, which had gone, at least officially, to Labor with Rabbi Melchior. I want to stress that these revelations don't bother me; they really do make me happy. It is so important to know what the politicians really think. They're like actors playing roles and suddenly they're taking off the masks. Baruch Hashem. You'd think that it was almost Purim, instead of Chanuka. Purim is the Holiday of "Hester Panim," the hidden face of G-d, when G-d stayed behind the screen but controlled it all. It looked like the Jewish People, from infant to the elderly, would be destroyed, but we weren't. Baruch Hashem we're still here, and Haman's Achashverosh's people aren't. I don't know what else we'll have to suffer until this is all over, but just like the Maccabees found that little vial of pure oil that stayed lit for eight days, we will survive and our light will continue to burn, G-d willing. Shavua Tov Batya Medad lives in Shiloh. She can be reached by email at Shilohmuse@yahoo.com or visit her website http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/ or go to http://www.shilo.org.il This article is archived at http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2005/12/exciting-wonderful.html |
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IN SPIELBERG'S MUNICH, JEWISH VICTIM=PALESTINIAN TERRORIST
Posted by Naomi Ragen, December 11, 2005. |
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Friends, The "cycle of violence" people, who inhabit the media, who have never been able to distinguish a murderer from a murderee, who in their morally fuzzy universe see in the targeted killing of a terrorist mastermind and the blowing up of a baby in a carriage and a grandmother in the park the equivalent tragedy, are the ones who are making it possible for terrorists to take over the world. Just as there were people who felt we could talk to Hitler and Goebbels, and 'reason' with them about the Final Solution, so we have our leading lights, our movie-makers, and anchormen, who are convinced if we just sit down with people who say the Holocaust never happened, and Jews are pigs and monkeys and we should wipe them off the face of the earth, we could convince them to go with us and smell the flowers in the botanic gardens. These people are propagandists of the worst kind: they destroy the will of free people to defend themselves by feeding them false hopes and painting a picture of an enemy that doesn't exist, and a universe that doesn't exist. I am sorry to say that with his latest movie, Munich, Steven Spielberg has joined their ranks. Some time in the past, I sent out an e-mail that Mr.. Spielberg was doing a movie equating terrorists with the Israelis that kill them. Then Snopes said it was a hoax put out by Spielberg's enemies. I groveled and apologized, but in my heart, I was glad to be wrong. So much for the accuracy of Snopes. Unfortunately, I was right the first time. It was no hoax. Below, from today's New York Times Op-ed page, this is "What 'Munich' Left Out" by David Brooks (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/opedd/ columnists/davidbrooks/archives/oldindex.html?inline=nyt-per) Every generation of Americans casts Israel in its own morality tale. For a time, Israel was the plucky underdog fighting for survival against larger foes. Now, as Steven Spielberg rolls out the publicity campaign for his new movie, "Munich," we see the crystallization of a different fable. In this story, the Israelis and the Palestinians are parallel peoples victimized by history and trapped in a cycle of violence.In his rollout interview in Time, Spielberg spoke of the Middle East's endless killings and counterkillings. "A response to a response doesn't really solve anything. It just creates a perpetual motion machine," Spielberg said. "There's been a quagmire of blood for blood for many decades in that region. Where does it end?" The main problem, he concluded, is intransigence itself. "The only thing that's going to solve this is rational minds, a lot of sitting down and talking until you're blue in the gills." "Munich" the movie is a brilliant representation of this argument. Its hero, Avner, has been called in by Golda Meir to assassinate the terrorists responsible for the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics. Over the course of the movie, as assassination piles upon assassination, Avner descends into a pit of Raskolnikovian hell. Israelis kill Palestinians and Palestinians kill Israelis and guilt piles upon paranoia. Eventually, Avner loses faith in his mission, in Zionism, in Israel itself. This is a new kind of antiwar movie for a new kind of war, and in so many ways it is innovative, sophisticated and intelligent. But when it is political, Spielberg has to distort reality to fit his preconceptions. In the first place, by choosing a story set in 1972, Spielberg allows himself to ignore the core poison that permeates the Middle East, Islamic radicalism. In Spielberg's Middle East, there is no Hamas or Islamic Jihad. There are no passionate anti-Semites, no Holocaust deniers like the current president of Iran, no zealots who want to exterminate Israelis. There is, above all, no evil. And that is the core of Spielberg's fable. In his depiction of reality there are no people so committed to a murderous ideology that they are impervious to the sort of compromise and dialogue Spielberg puts such great faith in.Because he will not admit the existence of evil, as it really exists, Spielberg gets reality wrong. Understandably, he doesn't want to portray Palestinian terrorists as cartoon bad guys, but he simply doesn't portray them. There's one speech in which a Palestinian terrorist sounds like Mahmoud Abbas, but beyond that, the terrorists are marginal and opaque. And because there is no evil, Spielberg gets the Israeli fighters wrong. Avner is an American image of what an Israeli hero should be. The real Israeli fighters tend to be harder and less sympathetic, and they are made that way by an awareness of the evil implacability of those who want to exterminate them. In Spielberg's Middle East the only way to achieve peace is by renouncing violence. But in the real Middle East the only way to achieve peace is through military victory over the fanatics, accompanied by compromise between the reasonable elements on each side. Somebody, the Israelis or the Palestinian Authority, has to defeat Hamas and the other terrorist groups. Far from leading to a downward cycle, this kind of violence is the precondition to peace. Here too, Spielberg's decision to tell a story set in the early 1970's makes "Munich" a misleading way to start a larger discussion. In 1972, Israel was just entering the era of spectacular terror attacks and didn't know how to respond. But over the years Israelis have learned that targeted assassinations, which are the main subject of this movie, are one of the less effective ways to fight terror. Israel much prefers to arrest suspected terrorists. Arrests don't set off rounds of retaliation, and arrested suspects are likely to provide you with intelligence, the real key to defanging terror groups. Over the past few years Israeli forces have used arrests, intelligence work, the security fence and, at times, targeted assassinations to defeat the second intifada. As a result, the streets of Jerusalem are filled with teenagers, and the political climate has relaxed, allowing Ariel Sharon to move to the center. Recent history teaches what Spielberg's false generalization about the "perpetual motion machine" of violence does not: that some violence is constructive and some is destructive. The trick is knowing the difference. That's a recognition that comes from reality, not fables. Naomi Ragen is an American-born novelist and journalist who lives in Jerusalem. She can be contacted at www.naomiragen.com, where you can subscribe to her newsletter. |
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US PRESSURE ON ISRAEL TO OPEN "SAFE PASSAGE" FOR PLO
Posted by David Bedein, December 10, 2005. |
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Plans are afoot by the US State Department to force ISrael to open a route from Gaza to the West Bank through the southern half of Israel. This has implications to cut Israel in half over time. Below I discuss how US pressure is making Israel acquiesce in this dangerous precedent. "Safe Passage For The Plo Across Sovereign Israel Cutting Israel In Half Over Time" This weekend, two contradictory stories appeared on the front pages of Israel's daily newspapers concerning whether or not the US Government is indeed pressuring Israel to allow for "safe passage" of Palestinian Arab vehicle convoys to travel from Gaza to Hebron or to Ramallah in the West Bank. Hilary Krieger, writing for the Jerusalem Post, indicated that there is "no pressure" from the American government in this regard, relying on information from the Israeli Prime Minister's media adviser, Raanan Gissin, who said that "there's no pressure" on Israel from the United States. In her Jerusalem Post story of Friday, December 9th, 2005, Krieger quoted Gissin as saying that the convoys issue would only be taken up after Palestinian Authority action against terror: "The whole discussion of operating this new arrangement will be delayed until the Palestinian Authority is serious about fighting terror," he told the Jerusalem Post. However, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, in a headline on Sunday morning, December 11th, written by Akiva Eldar indicates that the US government has given an ultimatum to Israel to open up the "safe passage" for Palestinian Arab vehicle convoys by this coming Thursday. The US government has also enlisted the backing of the "Quartet" of the US, Russia the EU and the UN along with the World Bank. Eldar reports that The World Bank, adding its support to this ultimatum, places the onus on Israel for the economic crises facing the population in Gaza because the "safe passage" has not been opened. So who do you rely on: Krieger or Eldar? My bet is on Eldar, even though Krieger is a reliable staff writer for the Jerusalem Post. Eldar, on the other hand, is a senior political writer, who in the mid-nineties was a Ha'aretz correspondent in Washington who gained expertise over the years on American-Israeli relations. In addition, Eldar has benefited from research grants from the Washington-based Foundation for Middle East Peace, headed by former US consul in Jerusalem, Mr. Phillip Wilcox. In other words, the US is dictating policy to Israel and the Israeli government is issuing bland assurances that should have Israel's supporters in the US rather concerned, if only they knew about them. It is as if the US government is not paying attention to the daily mortar attacks that now emanate from Gaza, and to the overall reality that the PLO has never cancelled its declaration of war with the state and people of Israel, as is still embodied in the PLO covenant which has never been cancelled. Israel Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mark Regev would not comment on the Eldar article. However, unlike the prime minister's spokesman, Regev declined to repeat the assurance of the PM spokesman that Israel is not under pressure from the US. Regev instead said emphatically that the Israeli Foreign Minister told the US government envoy Welsh that "Israel cannot be expected to do anything of this sort while the Palestinians have not taken care of their terrorist infrastructure" In other words, US pressure is on. David Bedein is Bureau Chief, Israel Resource News Agency, Beit Agron Int't Press Center, Jersualem. tel. 972-547-222661, http://Israelbehindthenews.com). |
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FULL OF HOT AIR
Posted by Women in Green, December 10, 2005. |
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It's common business practice for companies to probe likely customer reaction by dispatching press releases and announcing ambitious plans. Feedback indicates marketplace appeal and spurs actual development of new products. Nowhere have there been more enthusiastic or successful practitioners of such trial ballooning than on Israel's Left. Eventually the gullible public bought into much of what was in the past capriciously tested on the farthest fringes of left field and hawked with the active connivance of bosom buddies in the media. Whatever we fell for hardly made us better off. Far from it. Indeed, trial balloons we failed to instantly pierce gave us nothing but grief, ongoing risk and disaster -- Oslo being the most notorious of them. That balloon -- originally stitched together by Ron Pundak and Yair Hirschfeld, who conducted the preliminary contacts on behalf of Shimon Peres and Yossi Beilin -- seems indestructible despite all the bombs, bullets and assorted deadly projectiles that riddle it. Perforated, scorched and bloodstained, it still hovers overhead, haunts us and threatens our existence. That's why any other trial balloons this same crew sends up should send chills down our spines. What may seem dismissible, even ridiculous just now, may sooner than later become accepted official policy -- regardless of its catastrophe-potential. Therefore, never -- but never -- downplay any recommendation coming from the quarters most preferred by reckless opinion-makers and trendsetters. Follies they cheer as prudent and high-minded will in time be imposed upon us. If Beilin thinks that convicted terrorist murderer Marwan Barghouti - sentenced to five life terms and 40 additional years -- deserves freedom as a freedom-fighter and political leader, odds are that Barghouti won't rot even for the remainder of one lifetime behind bars. Beilin & Co. have the power to implement their proposals. Particularly worrying is the fact that this isn't their first Barghouti-balloon. In 2004 Pundak -- director-general of the Peres Peace Center -- already agitated for Barghouti's release. In a gushing letter he wrote Barghouti that his "imprisonment is a terrible mistake." Nobody so much as rapped his knuckles. THE CALLOUS indifference to Barghouti's victims and gross contempt for Israel's courts was rendered tolerable and respectable. Once that initial pro-Barghouti trial balloon wasn't shot down, Beilin could try again. When his bunch hobnobbed with Arafat's envoys, they could at least claim that never-prosecuted Arafat was a legitimate negotiation partner. They could even claim faith in Arafat's ability to transform miraculously overnight from carnivore to herbivore. They could claim sincere trust that the noxious concoction they brewed in Oslo would bring peace. But they deserve no residual benefit of our doubt after their misguided misadventure was exposed as calamitous. Barghouti, moreover, commissioned atrocities after Israel agreed to surrender nearly all its Six Day War gains. The freedom he was supposedly fighting for was offered on Israel's silver platter, yet spurned violently. Barghouti's trial was public and prolonged, with all due-process perks. He was given every break, while the world's press avidly highlighted his high jinks. Despite these, it was proven beyond a doubt that Barghouti ordered and financed terror outrages. The documents, recordings and checks submitted into evidence were sufficient for conviction, even without his fiery rhetoric, warnings, bluster and boasts about his ghoulish escapades. If Barghouti is Beilin's peace partner, then who needs such peace? We'd live longer without it. Why boost a murderer's morale and bolster the cynical masquerade that presents him not as the slayer of innocents but as a prisoner of conscience? It's tempting to relegate all this to the realms of clinical psychology, but Beilin et al. aren't off their rockers. They're out to salvage Oslo no matter what the cost in Israeli lives. Hence, the fact that Barghouti garnered 96% of the votes in the Fatah primaries suffices for Beilin to rehabilitate him as a legitimate leader. If no peace partner exists on the other side to resuscitate Oslo, then Beilin can declare Barghouti one. It's not that the whopping support Barghouti amassed isn't significant. It certainly is. But not in the way Beilin contends. The homicide contractor's massive landslide doesn't determine that he's the man we must talk to; it shows there's no interlocutor because the Arab street adulates terror. Consider how Israeli opinion reacts to the exceedingly rare instances of a lone Israeli on a killing spree. There's wall-to-wall denunciation and genuine revulsion from Israel's entire political arena. Israeli society doesn't underpin or condone, much less applaud murder. Not so in Barghouti-land, where terrorists win elections, are glorified and proclaimed shahids, and where frenzied thousands vow vengeance and bloodshed in their name. Arab youngsters are indoctrinated in the cult of death, aspiring to emulate suicide bombers. Arab media, schools and mosques encourage and inculcate such reverence. After instances of the worst carnage, like the Pessah Seder massacre in Netanya, candies are distributed to jubilant crowds. Effigies of burning buses are staple features of school pageants and summer camps devoted to training future Barghoutis. PA leaders must be prodded from abroad to condemn mass slaughter, and when they at last grudgingly murmur something, they deplore the damage to Palestinian interests -- not the bloodletting. Is this the grassroots popularity via which Beilin seeks to justify pardoning Barghouti? His trial balloon promotes nothing even remotely beneficial. It's what the trade calls vaporware -- products which despite the promise and the hype aren't in reality feasible. In other words, like his balloon, Beilin -- be it due to deliberate duplicity or a negligent degree of optimism -- is full of hot air. Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org |
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CHURCH TIMES: BETHLEHEM WALL BLOCKS PEACE
Posted by Barry Shaw, December 10, 2005. |
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Editor
Dear Sir, The articles 'Bethlehem wall blocks peace' written by Bill Bowder warrants a corrective response. The article leaves the impression that Israel constructed the wall as an act of war. Nothing can be further from the truth. The wall was erected as a response to over 22,000 acts of murder and terror perpetrated from the other side, namely a Palestinian determination and orchestrated campaign to kill and murder Jews. It is, therefore, a barrier of defense until the Palestinian can be persuaded that Israel and Israelis are here to stay. Clear proof of this fact was evidenced in the recent third homicide bombing outside the main shopping mall in my home town of Netanya. I frequently drive past this building, where many of our citizens have been blown to pieces or permanently maimed, on my way to the main Israeli north-south toll road which parallels a stretch of the anti-terror barrier, as we Prefer to call it. It takes all of ten minutes drive to get there. That's the driving distance from the hotbed of Palestinian terror in Tulkarm to the resort town of Netanya on the Mediterranean cliff tops. This is yet another reason why Mr. Bowder is so wrong in his assertions. The people of Israel demand of their Government the security and protection that you in Britain take for granted. If that includes the construction of a physical barrier, so be it. Walls can be taken down. Lives are lost forever. Mr.Bowder writes that the Palestinian cause is holy. So, in Islamic eyes is Jihad. That is what is killing Jews in Israel, and persecuting the Christian population in Bethlehem, who have left this town in drives. Mr. Bowder should write articles, and visit the Palestinian territories, in an effort to educate the Palestinians to accept what they have been offered for years, a state of their own alongside Israel. Instead, he is helping them perpetuate the false dream that removal of barriers, and continuation of their 'holy' cause, will lead to the eradication of the Jewish state. Sadly, until such time as the Palestinians, and people like Mr. Bowder, see the light there is little hope of peace. Sadly, while terror attacks that we experienced just days ago in Netanya continue, the wall will remain. Barry Shaw
"Bethlehem wall blocks peace" by Bill Bowder ISRAEL must destroy the barrier that it put up around much of the West Bank if it wants peace, the Latin Bishop of Nazareth, Mgr Paulus Marcuzo, said last week. Barry Shaw made aliyah from Manchester, England, 25 years ago with his family. He writes the "View from Here" columns from Israel. To sign up to receive his emails, contact him at netre@matav.net.il |
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ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY IGNORES ISLAMOFASCIST CRIMES AGAINST CHRISTIANS
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 10, 2005. |
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Here is a letter I just sent to Christian leaders nation-wide. I encourage you to send this, or your version of it, to the Christian leaders that you know.
This next is from The Telegraph, London and is titled "But, Archbishop, this is the bleak mid-winter for many Christians." It was written by Charles Moore. "The Koran is the Muslim Bible" is something that most Westerners would say by way of a shorthand description. Although Koran and Bible are the most sacred scriptures of their respective religions, the comparison may be misleading. Last month, Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, visited Pakistan. He went to the Islamic University in Islamabad, and told his audience what he thought Christianity was. He did this with scholarly, scrupulous fairness. Part of his speech, naturally, was about the Bible. He pointed out that it was composed by "ordinary human writers" over hundreds of years, and could therefore err about minor facts. The Bible was inspired by God, he said, but, "We do not think that God dictates the Bible to its writers, but that he works with and in their human minds to communicate his purpose". It "tells one story in different voices". I am looking at a book called What Every Christian Should Know about Islam, published by the Islamic Foundation. So far as I know, it presents an orthodox account of Muslim belief. It says that Mohammed was probably illiterate, and that the Koran was therefore dictated by him from memory after he had received it in visions. It is not his teaching: it is the unmediated word of God: "The Holy Koran differs from any other religious text in that it was not written or edited by any human author; no word has been added to it or subtracted from it." What this means is that all Muslims are what we call "fundamentalist" in a way that no Christian, not even the most literalist, can quite be. One man, the Prophet, was given the perfect truth in one form, and so the truth, and the form, are absolute. To question the status of the Koran as described above is to insult God. Certain consequences flow. Because Islam sees itself as imposing a political order on the world, it makes enforceable law, including the law of blasphemy. In Pakistan, where Dr Williams was speaking, Article 295-B of the country's Penal Code makes it an offence -- punishable by life imprisonment -- to desecrate the Koran. Article 295-C forbids any defiling of the name of Mohammed. The penalty for this is death. There are about three million Christians in Pakistan, and they are at the bottom of the social pile, low-caste street sweepers and cleaners of sewers -- "untouchables". Nowadays, they are constantly persecuted, a persecution effectively, though not explicitly, sanctioned by the Penal Code. In the summer, according to the Barnabas Fund, which monitors these things, one of these Christian cleaners working in a military hospital was ordered to burn some papers: he was then accused of burning the Koran. Riots ensued, and Christian homes were destroyed. Last month, in a town called Sangla Hill, a Christian man was playing cards with some Muslim friends. He won, and they resented this. The story was put about that the Christian had set fire to a copy of the Koran. Thousands of Muslims rioted, burning churches, schools, a convent and several Christian homes. The authorities did nothing to stop it, though they subsequently expressed regret that it had happened. The Archbishop arrived in Pakistan not long after these outrages. In the wake of the regret expressed, he said: "I am immensely encouraged that the problems caused by the blasphemy laws are being recognised by very senior politicians." I wonder how immensely encouraging that news really is. There was no suggestion that the blasphemy laws should be done away with or even modified. They won't be, because President Musharraf would regard such change as literally more than his life was worth. If I were a Christian living in Sangla Hill this Christmas, rather than Dr Williams with a return ticket to Lambeth Palace in his cassock, I would not be feeling immensely encouraged. The Archbishop asked two questions in Pakistan, which he linked. "Are we, ... as Christians," he wondered, "in thrall to an uncritical support of a Western political, geopolitical agenda?" Then he asked Muslims: "Can those who live in Muslim states create the conditions in which a Christian can be fully a citizen?" Perhaps he was just trying to be polite, but the Archbishop was setting up a moral equivalence that is quite false. The answer to his first question is blatantly "No". Have you ever been to an Anglican (or indeed Catholic) church where the sermon offers "uncritical support of a Western political, geopolitical agenda"? I calculate that I have heard more than 1,000 Anglican and 500 Catholic sermons in my life and I have never heard such a message preached. The other problem Dr Williams raised, however, is as real as real could be. There is no declaredly Muslim state which offers full civil rights to Christians. In Saudi Arabia, it is an offence to hold a Christian service in public. In Iran, the new president has said, "I want to stop Christianity in this country", and in the past month, a Protestant pastor has been murdered there because he himself converted from Islam and was converting others (all five schools of Islamic law agree that the penalty for conversion -- "apostasy" -- is death). In Indonesia, three women have been given prison terms for taking Muslim girls to an after-school Christian club. In Egypt, Christians face increasing restriction on what they can build, as well as harassment in the form of rapes, kidnappings and forced conversions. And so on. Even in our own country, Muslims who convert to Christianity are often threatened by their own community and offered little help by the Church of England. There is no doubting Dr Williams's sincere concern, but isn't it sad that his protests -- and those of most Western Christian leaders - are so muted? If you read the Acts of the Apostles, you see that Christianity spread, perhaps only survived at all, because its disciples travelled to teach it and risked their lives doing so. St Peter and St Paul were both martyred in the persecutions of Nero. How many people would have signed up to the faith if the two saints had instead professed themselves "immensely encouraged" by the protestations of a few Roman senators that all this crucifixion business was going a bit too far, and sailed back home to Judaea? It occurs to me that the Archbishop, and other Western church leaders, are indeed promoting a Western political agenda, but it is almost the opposite of the one he described. The agenda -- and, in the case of the Anglican Church, this is very closely co-ordinated with the British Government -- is to try to placate. Sorry about the Crusades, sorry about George Bush, sorry, sorry, sorry, they say, in the hope that Muslims will start to say sorry, too. But where is the evidence that this pre-emptive self-abasement is working? The grim fact is that the development of Christian/Muslim official dialogue has coincided with much greater Muslim persecution of other faiths than 30 years ago. It comes naturally to Anglicans -- the product of an imperial structure, still known in the Gulf as "the Queen's Church" -- to want to have talks with the potentates of other religions and polities. But these jaunts remind me of peace delegations to the Soviet Union in the 1930s. They create a structure of unreality and leave millions of the victims of persecution where they were before the delegations arrived - frightened and alone. David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli, currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org). Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com |
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OLEG CARTOON: SHARON'S "BACKWARD" MANEUVERS
Posted by Women in Green, December 10, 2005. |
Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org |
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WAFA, THE WOULD-BE BOMBER
Posted by Arlene Peck, December 9, 2005. |
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[Editor's note: See "An
ugly mind" in the October 2005 Blog-Ed page for an account of Wafa
Ibrahim's attempt to blow up the people who were healing the damage to
her face and body, the result of a gas explosion accident at her
home.]
Download wafa.bomber.wmv. This horrifying clip is definitely "must-see." Terrorists are not born... they are MADE daily by our "partners in peace." Is the brainwashing of this poor woman and all the others not a barbaric abuse of human rights? Why is this NOT a crime against humanity? This E-mail might be the most important you receive today. Arlene Peck is an internationally syndicated columnist and television talk show hostess. She can be reached at: bestredhead@earthlink.net and www.arlenepeck.com |
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UNITY COALITION OF ISRAEL (UCI) CELEBRATES 15 YEARS
Posted by UCI, December 9, 2005. |
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With your help, our Coalition can remain on the cutting edge of U.S. support for Israel. We continue to send out 20,000 daily emails to inform and educate our readers and partner organizations. Our urgent Action Alerts to Congress and the media have received an overwhelming response and the feedback we receive confirms that we are definitely making an impact. We stress the reality that our war against radical militant Islam is not a war concerning Israeli "settlements", the borders of Israel, or the checkpoints at those borders, widely presented as underlying causes by fictionalized propaganda. It is instead a war against the very existence of Israel, the United States and the concepts of democracy and freedom based on Judeo-Christian teachings -- the foundation of our western civilization. Won't you please send us your 2005 tax-deductible contribution to support our numerous pro-Israel projects? The battle we are facing is as deadly as the Nazi onslaught of the 30's and 40's. In response to radical Islamic ideology and propaganda warfare, we are fighting back by creating a high school and community seminar, "Democracy Under Attack," designed to build awareness and understanding of the dangerous world in which we live. The program will teach democratic principles and develop teams of students and community leaders to speak at study groups, schools, churches, synagogues, and community groups. The students will carry this program forward to the college campuses. The high school training seminar pilot program is scheduled in Kansas City in 2006. UCI Provides vital, current resources on Israel and the Middle East through our Newsletter, Website (www.israelunitycoalition.org), multimedia collection (Videos, CDs, DVDs), and Speaker's Bureau. The Coalition hosts numerous events and conferences to educate the public, network and mobilize community leaders, and promote a safe and secure Israel: Annual solidarity event at the Embassy of Israel, Washington, DC, Annual Press Conferences at the National Religious Broadcasters' Convention (NRB), other Press Conferences and Media Releases, Co-sponsor of the First Jerusalem Summit held in Israel (Building Peace Through Truth), Grassroots Rallies (Crawford, TX and Washington, DC), Annual Call to Prayer, Pro-Israel Ad Campaigns in various publications (The New York Times, The Washington Times and the Jerusalem Post) and the National Unity Conferences for Israel including events featuring Israeli leaders Benjamin Netanyahu and David Bar-Illan. "The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it," -- Albert Einstein. Help us to continue to fight against the evils of Radical Islam with your tax-deductible donation. For a Safe and Secure Israel,
The Unity Coalition of Israel (http://www.israelunitycoalition.org) is "the largest worldwide coalition of Jewish and Christian organizations, with more than 200 groups representing millions of people dedicated to Israel. Though we have many different backgrounds, we have one common goal: A Safe and Secure Israel." "Israel is not just a Jewish issue. Millions of Christians resolutely endorse the principle of peace with security for the state of Israel. Because we work closely together and speak with a united voice, our message is being heard!" The Unity Coalition of Israel is proud to announce the opening of The Israel Store. Proceeds from sales will be used to support our work as we support a safe and secure Israel. |
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WHY ARE ONLY JEWS DEPORTED?
Posted by Steven Shamrak, December 9, 2005. |
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Critics of Israel love selective mentioning of UN resolutions, but they do not like when people actually read the original text of the resolutions. Quite often, interpretation of the UN resolutions has nothing to do with the actual text. Most of them were not even adopted due to the fact that Arab countries rejected them at the time. The text of UN resolution 181 has clearly specified the right of Jews to live in Gaza, Judea and Samaria (Judea and Samaria were renamed the West Bank by Jordan in 1948). Therefore, the deportation of 8,500 Jews from Gaza was immoral and illegal act.: Resolution 181 (II). Future government of Palestine, adopted on 29 November 1947, address the issue of citizenship of the future population of Palestine. At the time of declaration of Israel independence Arabs were not residents of Israel, but of a proposed Arab state. Arabs rejected the UN partition plan. They rejected the independence. As a result, they should be the citizens of an Arab state, like Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, etc... the countries where the most of them had come from. Questions still must be asked: Why did the Israeli government grant citizenship to Arabs, who were residing in the area of the proposed Arab State, like Arabs of Jaffa or Negev? At the same time when 850,000 Jews were being expelled from Arab states. Why did the government of Israel not apply this paragraph of the UN resolution, but opted for creation of self-destructive, demographic problems in Israel? Why only the anti-Israel parts of the UN resolutions, even not adopted ones, promoted and implemented? UN resolution allowed Jews to live outside borders of the Jewish state, officially endorsed by UN, just as Arabs have been residing in the state of Israel. Recently, Jews were deported from Gaza by Sharon. Why are Arabs not deported from Israel, using the twisted same logic of "peace"? By rejecting the UN Resolutions 181 and 242, Arabs lost any legal claim to Gaza and West Bank. Therefore, protest against Jews living in West Bank and Gaza is just another Arab anti-Israel propaganda ploy, supported by International anti-Semites and the self-hated Jews. The big and important issues like: construction of by-pass roads, Sharons visit to the Temple Mount, Jerusalem tunnel etc& -- were forged trepidations. The purpose they are used for, is to divert public attention from legitimate right of Jewish people to live on their ancestral land, create political instability and to hide the obvious intention of Arab states, including PA, to destroy Israel! Please review: http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/0/7f0af2bd897689b785256c330061d253?OpenDocument
- UN Resolution 181 (II)
Steven Shamrak was born in the former Soviet Union (USSR) and participated in the Moscow Zionist "refusenik" movement. He now lives in Australia. For the last few years, he has been publishing internet editorial letters on the Arab-Israeli conflict -- independently, not as a member of any organization or political movement. He can be reached by email at Shamrak@ams022.flt.affinity.com |
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GUSH KATIF; ACTS OF FRIENDSHIP
Posted by Samuel Krupnick, December 9, 2005. |
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August 15, 2005 became a day of mourning. This was the first time in our history that Jews were forced by Jews to leave the Holy Land. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, former hero of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, became the "villain" of 2005. Sharon insisted that all Jews of Gush Katif, the Gaza strip, and four Samaria Jewish Pioneering Communities, leave immediately. They were to abandon their homes, synagogues, community centers, a yeshivah, I.D.F. training center and their places of livelihood. Over 9,000 Jews and over 2,000 families were involved. They were to be removed by 12,000 police and 42,000 unarmed soldiers. The Gush Katif Jews had very little ground for agriculture. It was mostly sand so they used hot houses to produce fruits and vegetables. They developed this operation with controlled temperatures for various products. At this point they sold over 95% of the insect free fruits and vegetables in Israel. Their computerized cows produced the highest production of milk per cow. They had begun to export these products. We had visited Gush Katif and met with their leaders and Rabbis with a proposal that if this disengagement must be accomplished, that they be moved together as one unit together with their hot houses and cows. They accepted the proposal. At a meeting of Prime Minister Sharon in Neve Dekalim of Gush Katif our proposal was presented by former Minister of Welfare, Zevulun Orlev, invited to the meeting. Sharon accepted it immediately. They would move as one unit north of Nitzonim. It would appear that this withdrawal could be one operation with full cooperation. The Kfar Darom Jewish Pioneering Community, which dates back to 1948, hesitated leaving. Others were brought to Gush Katif by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, of blessed memory, right after the Six Day War in June, 1967. We were happy that there would be full cooperation for the entire operation at a minimum cost and discomfort. Regretfully it was not to be. Prime Minister Sharon, acting like a tough General ("I make the decisions!") ignored the agreement and proceeded immediately to charge the police and army to use force to withdraw people: men, women and children. There was bitter disappointment at the failure of the General to keep his word. There was limited opposition but all were withdrawn. Where and how does one absorb over 9,000 Jews, 2,000 families? No one made proper arrangements. We advised the use of caravans but to keep them all as one unit with their hot houses and cows. That was ignored. Prime Minister Sharon, in his meetings with President George W. Bush, posed the plan to the President. Bush was surprised that Sharon would make a unilateral move without a Palestinian response, simply as a gesture of "good will". Possibly Sharon had other concessions from the President regarding boundaries, and the refusal of Israel to accept Arab "refugees", some 4.8 million whom Palestine Authority Abu Mazen insisted be part of a "peace" program. Abu Mazen's objective, as was that of Arafat, is to push the Jews into the Mediterranean. Arafat chose the terror Intafada while Abu Mazen chose the Arab Refugees method. In any case, Sharon announced we gave up Gush Katif and part of Samaria, now it is up to the Palestine Authority to respond by disarming the Palestine Authority Fatah, al Aksa Martyrs Brigade, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. To the amazement of Sharon and President Bush, the withdrawal was a great military victory by the terror groups who had huge parades with hundreds of Kassam missiles on display. Chairman Abu Mazen declared with joy, "Our next victory will be Jerusalem as our flag will fly there". Abu Mazen's reaction on disarming terrorists was, "That disarming is an internal affair". It would appear that this mess that Sharon had created had backfired. His disengagement was considered to be the first of many more withdrawals. The Quartet of the United States, Russia, United Nations and the European Union are directing the Road map to "Peace". Pressure for more concessions included withdrawal completely from the Rafah crossing where masses of arms will be brought in. Meanwhile, the hurried withdrawal posed many problems, thanks to the dictatorial approach in a delicate situation. Many Gush Katif deportees were placed in hotels. Fortunately, numerous kibbutzim, moshavim and cities accommodated the homeless Jews in the "homeland". Organizations such as the Mizrahi Center, Emunah Women and Amit Women, as well as B'nei Akivah, provided all kinds of supplies. They provided many sukkahs on the Holiday and invitations to homes. Chairman of the Housing Committee of the Jewish Agency Avraham Duvdevani, an old friend, informed us that all those in hotels will join others in caravans, and they will try to keep each group together in communities. He reported that about 75% will be completed this month and the balance in January. We participated in a festive function in the Mondial banquet hall in Jerusalem. It was held in honor of Gush Katif Bar Mitzvah boys. Some 100 children attended. with the blessings of former Chief Rabbi Mordecaai Eliyahu. Rabbi Yosef Almikaveh conducted the proceedings with an orchestra and song and dance. We joined the dancers. Later it appeared on T.V. It was more meaningful as the Herzog Family sponsored this gathering, adding two grandchildren for Bar Mitzvah, Dov Ber and Yosef Yitzhak. Rabbi Benny Alon, head of the Natinal Union, delivered full greetings as did his prominent brother Rabbi Motti Alon, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat HaKotel and founder of the "Breshit" organization. Many more such functions were held as acts of friendship and as taught all Jews are responsible for one another. This was an outpouring of "love thy neighbor as thyself". Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh Tov from Liberated Yerushaliyim, Samson Krupnick is Board Member and Treasurer, Root & Branch Association in Jerusalem (www.rb.org.il). He can be reached at krup@barak-online.net |
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HONOR KILLINGS, A SCOURGE THAT MUST NOT BE TOLERATED!
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 9, 2005. |
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Is there a more loathsome barbaric practice on Earth, endemic to a culture, than "honor killings" tolerated as private family matters in conservative Islamic enclaves within regimes such as Iraq, Egypt, and Morocco? Females that are accused of extra-marital sexual encounters are put to death by their close male relatives; including their spouses, fathers, and brothers; generally with relative impunity by any civil authorities forced to confront such abominations. As an extreme example, if say a twelve-year old girl is abducted, brutally gang raped by mutants, and survives; the bleeding youngster stumbling home for comfort will likely encounter a bullet to the brain from an adoring cousin, brother, or even father for the sake of family honor; as indeed she has forever been made impure in their muddled minds? eyes. Sharia law, delineating the code of behavior Islamic adherents must follow, justifies such "honor killings." Might Kofi Annan and his "food for oil" scandalized contemptible United Nations crew of Israel bashers pay some attention to this deviant behavior, perhaps suggesting the Security Council condemn and sanction regimes infected by this misogynistic savagery, or would such condemnation not be a worthy item on their short list of things to do. After all, this world body still cannot seem to figure out how to admonish but not truly ruffle the robes of a tyrannical oil rich Sudanese Islamic government, bizarrely still remaining member in good standing within the U.N.'s Commission on Human Rights, that supports and in fact abets the genocidal slaughter of Black Africans in that "hell hole" region of Darfur in western Sudan. Lets not forget to mention U.S. President G.W. Bush, a man of presumed moral values, who perhaps forgot to insist that a mandate prohibiting "honor killings" be inscribed within the emerging Iraqi constitution, or does such an edict gainsay his definition of "Iraqi freedom" when applied to family issues? I suggest world leaders contemplate the wisdom of Albert Einstein, "The world is too dangerous to live in-not because of the people who do evil, but because of the people who sit and let it happen." Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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FRAMING ISRAEL'S ELECTIONS AS RETREAT REFERENDUM COULD DEFEAT SHARON
Posted by Women in Green, December 9, 2005. |
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This was written by Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director of Independent Media
Review and Analysis (IMRA). Its website address is
http://www.imra.org.il
and Analysis (IMRA). Its website address is http://www.imra.org.il
While Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plans to carry out a major retreat in Judea and Samaria after the elections certainly appeal to the elements in the Left now supporting his "Kadima" Party, the Israeli public overwhelmingly rejects his scheme. Turn the upcoming Knesset elections into a referendum on unilateral withdrawal instead of a personality contest and Kadima will plummet. That's the challenge facing the national camp. And it remains to be seen if the personalities running the campaigns of the national camp parties will realize that the retreat issue is their only solid hope to whittle down the support this essentially one-man party enjoys to what should be its natural size. Play the corruption card? Polls show the public knows full well that Sharon is corrupt but they don't care. Highlight commitment to social-welfare policy? Make this the defining issue of the campaign and you are just another "me too". Remind voters about the lefties in Kadima? It may convince some voters to "come home" but Sharon is running as the man on the horse who does what he wants, when he wants to, and could give a damn what anyone else says (or for that matter what he himself may have said before), so the composition of his party is of secondary importance. Israel loves this ultimate man on the horse. But Israel doesn't want the retreat Sharon is planning. A poll of a representative sample of 500 adult Israeli Jews carried out by Smith Research & Consulting on 29-30 November and sponsored by ZOA -- The Zionist Organization of America -- finds that 67% oppose carrying out a significant unilateral withdrawal from Judea and Samaria if it is not possible to advance in negotiations with the Palestinians on the basis of the Road Map after the elections because the PA fails to fight terror. Among those who indicated that they plan to vote for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Kadima Party, 54% oppose and 37% support carrying out a significant unilateral withdrawal under those circumstances. And the public sees retreat as a defining issue. A follow up question found that of those who oppose unilateral withdrawal under those circumstances, 75% responded that they would not vote for a party that would support such a move. Hammer the message home that a vote for Sharon is a vote for retreat and there is nothing he can say that will convince voters that this isn't the case. Ironically, the very thing that appeals to Israelis: that he does what he wants, when he wants to, and could give a damn what anyone else says or what he himself may have said before -- would then be his Achilles heel. Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org |
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SELF-ABASEMENT AT THE RED MAGEN DAVID
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 9, 2005. |
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I will not go so far as to urge you to boycott the Magen David Adom, Israel's Red Magen David, the emergency and ambulance service. For years the bigots at the International Red Cross refused to grant membership to Israel's Red Magen David because they said only a red cross or a red Muslim crescent were acceptable. Israeli leaders told them to shove it. Don't like the Red Magen David? Then we will use a red menorah! That is what a reasonable response would have been. But in the spirit of the times, where Israeli leaders believe that the only acceptable solutions to the country's problems are self-abasement and capitulation, Israel has now agreed to use a "neutral" red diamond as its ambulance symbol. In other words, all religions are equal but Judaism is inferior. Here is the take of the Wall Street Journal on the capitulation: "Red Star of David," December 9, 2005; Page A14 After almost six decades of rejection, Israel saw the road cleared yesterday for its emergency and disaster relief organization to join the International Red Cross. The price of admission was relinquishing its symbol, the Red Star of David. Instead, the Red Cross approved a new "neutral" symbol -- a Red Crystal, which Israel must adopt to become a member, possibly next spring. The Star of David may still be used at home, and on foreign missions it can be put inside the Crystal, provided the host country agrees. Israeli diplomats are celebrating the Crystal as a great victory. If that's a victory, we'd hate to see a defeat. Even this compromise, which was opposed by most Muslim countries, came only after the American Red Cross withheld its contributions to protest Israel's exclusion from the international body. Some Crystal backers argue that the Red Cross carries no religious symbolism. Under this rewriting of history, Swiss Red Cross founder Henry Dunant adopted the inverse design of his homeland's flag without any religious motivation. But the Swiss flag dates back to the Holy Roman Empire and of course has strong Christian connotations. This cannot have escaped the deeply religious Dunant who, by the way, was also a fervent Zionist. Irrespective of Dunant's intentions, the Red Cross came to be seen as a Christian symbol. That's why Muslim countries refused to adopt it, and instead chose the Red Crescent, the only other recognized symbol. It's a disgrace that the Star of David, which symbolizes the faith that spawned both Christianity and Islam, is excluded. 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. |
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WHAT EXCUSE FOR ARMING THE DEVIL?; JEWS FOR JIHAD; THE COST OF PRETENSE
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 9, 2005. |
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A SUBTLE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST ISRAEL President Bush's address to the nation on Iraq cited examples of terrorist attacks outside Iraq prompted by the same ideology as terrorism inside: London, Madrid, Bali, Riyadh, and Amman. He did not cite Israel as an example of victim, although Israel has suffered more from terrorism than all five combined. Israel invents many medical and electronic and humanitarian advances that it eagerly shares with the rest of the world, but it is not cited as an example of a benefactor of mankind. The NY Times, however, particularly Thomas Friedman, often cites Israel as a bad example of fighting too hard. The example usually is false or taken out of a context that justifies Israel. There is a pattern in the use of examples. The pattern fits the anti-Zionist animus of the citer. JEWISH NAIVETE In the 1920s and 1930s, many European Jews did not want to believe warnings to evacuate from Europe before they were attacked. They couldn't foresee deep trouble. Then when the Holocaust started, they believed Nazi assurances that they were going to work camps, not death camps. They were naive; they were murdered. A similar naivete has come over much of contemporary Jewry. My fellow Jews believe one US President after another, who professes friendship for Israel. Meanwhile, the State Dept. works to undermine Israel's hold on Territories that would afford the Jewish state secure borders as well as its patrimony. Israel makes its security dependent upon Arab fulfillment of commitments. The Arabs violate their agreements, but Israel continues making similar agreements with the Arabs. The whole P.A. society is devoted to jihad, but these Jews imagine that if Israel vacates some territory, the fanatics, who demand all of Israel, would cease their depredation. Holy warriors don't settle for material things. Some gentiles also believe in land-for-peace. But since it is Jews who get murdered because Israeli governments act on that premise, the Jews must become realistic fast. U.S. OBJECTS TO MISSILE SALE TO IRAN Russia is planning to sell more missiles to a rogue state, this time to Iran. Naturally, the US objects, because it may have to fight Iran, a self-declared enemy of the US, threatening aggression. Now that the US sees what this is like, would it reconsider its gifts of offensive weapons to enemies of Israel, particularly Egypt and the P.A.? Russia has an excuse: profit. What excuse has the US for arming the devil? JEWS FOR JIHAD Prof. Michael Walzer of Tel Aviv U. advocated a secularist fight against religion the same way it was fought in Algeria. In Algeria, 200,000 people were killed, repressing the Islamists. There are Islamists in Israel, but Prof. Walzer's ranting against Judaism means he wishes to kill off religious Jews (who are nowhere near as violent or intolerant as Muslims). He also praised the Soviet model in repressing religion. Political science Prof. Yoav Peled, a Communist, wants Israel to cease being a Jewish state. (Inconsistently, such anti-Zionists do not suggest that Jordan cease being a Muslim state. Their hypocrisy indicates emotional problems, not intellectual diversity.) A rational panelist asked what sense it makes of the majority to give up its status. Coming soon is a conference sponsored by the University and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI). The head of this misnamed association believes that Hamas has the right to attack Jews and that Jews do not have the right to defend themselves. ACRI rarely advocates non-leftist Jews' freedom of speech. Among the speakers at the conference will be Shulamit Aloni (who tried to "educate" Israeli youth out of connection to their history and culture) and representatives of Amnesty Intl. (Prof. Steven Plaut, 12/2) which takes the side of Arab oppressors. SHARON INVITES EXTREMIST ARAB ONTO TICKET Ariel Sharon invited the Arab Mayor of Rahat onto his new party's ticket. Mayor Al-Karanawi threatened fellow Bedouin if they sold land to Jews and threatened innocent Negev Jews with violence if the government did not give Bedouin additional subsidy (Arutz-7, 12/2). HOW BAD IS THE UNO? The General Assembly voted 153:7 that it deems application of Israeli law in Jerusalem illegal. It rationalized that there must be freedom of religion there (IMRA, 12/3). There is freedom of religion for gentiles in Jerusalem. There is less freedom of religion for Jews in Jerusalem, because of Muslim exclusiveness, backed up by threat of riot. If the Muslims gained control over holy sites, they would deny access by Jews. The UNO resolution supports religious discrimination, dictatorship, and holy war. If Israel didn't apply its laws, there would be no law. That might be almost as bad as the combination of oppression and anarchy in the P.A.. Is that what the UNO wants? Does Israel have a right to apply its law? Yes. First it legally occupied the Old City, then it annexed it. It IS part of Israel, now. The UNO vote displays extreme bias. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. |
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REBUTTING GEORGE BISHARAT'S ARTICLE IN THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 8, 2005. |
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I sent this letter to the SF Chronicle about an article (http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/ 12/08/EDGQFG42TQ1.DTL) that appeared there today by George Bisharat, a professor of law at Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, writes frequently on law and politics in the Middle East. Please feel free take what you want of any of this and compose a letter of critique about Bisharat and send it to the SF Chronicle. Professor Bisharat's "New Page in Israel-Palestinian Relations. Whither the road map? Sharon -- no negotiator" essay in today's SF Chron (12.8.05) is a toxic mix of half-truths, decontextualizations, and pure fiction. Every sentence is a masterfully mendacious anti-historical reframing of a bona fide history that Bisharat distorts in order to tell your readers the exact opposite of what really happened. Bisharat is demagoguery at its woeful best. Below you will find Professor's Birsharat's essay together with my critique. Ariel Sharon is distinguished in Israeli politics by three characteristics: vision, pragmatism and ruthlessness, incorporating a willingness to allow violence toward political ends. This was most clear during 2002 "Operation Defensive Shield" when Israeli forces crushed the infrastructure and governing capacity of the Palestinian Authority. These characteristics have been repeatedly demonstrated over the past four years of his tenure as Israel's prime minister. DML: Bisharat, again, obfuscates by de-contextualization. "Operation Defensive Shield" was launched for one purpose, to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure operating out of Jenin. The decision to launch this operation was made after the bloodiest month in Israeli history: over 130 Israelis were murdered in numerous terror operations carried out by Palestinian terrorists who used Jenin as a staging base. The decision was made after the "Passover Massacre" at a Netanya hotel in which a Palestinian suicide bomber walked into a Passover Seder and murdered over 30 people peacefully eating this festive meal. They also underlie his recent decision to abandon the Likud Party and establish the new Forward Party. Some American commentators have lauded this move as one that will crystallize political force at the "center" of Israeli politics, lead to a more "liberal" Israeli government and thus reinvigorate the peace process. This is like describing Sharon's new party as "to the left of Attila the Hun." That, certainly, is better than being to the right of Attila -- that would be Bibi Netanyahu and the remnants of the Likud. But no one should imagine that reconciliation with Palestinians nor even negotiations are anytime imminent, no matter the outcome of Israel's spring parliamentary elections. DML: Odd that Bisharat suggests that reconciliation cannot possibly be imminent when the Israeli government has been offering reconciliation, peace talks, the creation of a Palestinian state, for years... and to make the offer more concrete, Sharon has unilaterally pulled out of the Gaza Strip and parts of the northern West Bank. With Israel practically begging for peace, and Sharon making an historic gesture to demonstrate his willingness to compromise... who now is standing in the way of reconciliation? This is a rhetorical question. Hamas and Islamic Jihad and the al-Aqsa martyrs' brigade and a dozen other terror gangs attacking Israel daily have all told the world that they have no interest in peace. Their goal is the destruction of Israel. Several years ago, when American neoconservatives began speaking of a "New Middle East," longtime Israeli commentator Uri Avnery identified this plan's original source: Ariel Sharon. Avnery, author of a political biography of Sharon, noted the similarities between neocon rhetoric and Sharon's visions for a Middle East safe for Israel. It is unclear whether the aims of either truly include democratization of the region, or merely weakening any potential challengers to Israeli regional hegemony -- formerly Iraq, and now Iran and Syria. One of the reasons that the Israeli government supported our Iraq war was the expectation of more favorable conditions for Israel's long-term territorial expansion into the West Bank. That is exactly what has occurred. DML: Professor Bisharat must be talking about a West Bank that is on some planet other than our own. Or he is deeply ignorant of Israel's last 37 years of history; or he is just hoping that his audience is. Israel conquered the West Bank in a defensive war, then offered to give it back in exchange for peace and was rebuffed, then held secret meetings with King Hussein of Jordan in an attempt to reach a peace agreement and was rebuffed, meanwhile refraining from annexing it precisely so it could be returned to Jordan if ever there was peace, then gave the Sinai to Egypt in exchange for peace, and then offered Palestinian leadership their autonomy at the Madrid talks but got rebuffed as that leadership turned to the exiled and disgraced Arafat instead of making decisions on their own, and then gave Arafat autonomy and the promise of a state for the Palestinians if he stopped the terrorism and built the West Bank and Gaza Strip in to a peaceful neighbor and got rebuffed as Arafat instead started his 11-year terror war, and then offered the post-Arafat Palestinian leadership their state if they would stop the terrorism and start negotiating... and the terrorists are still attacking and the Palestinian leaders are still promising to support the terrorism. So just what "territorial expansion" is Bisharat talking about? Sharon's vision is dark, assuming implacable Arab-Muslim hostility to Israel. He is not wrong in that, although the cause of that hostility is not the timeless anti-Semitism he imagines. Rather, Israel's takeover of British Mandate Palestine in 1948 and the subsequent expulsion of many Palestinians, along with the continuing colonization of the West Bank, have devastated countless lives. Sharon is determined to create permanent bulwarks to seal off Israel from the remaining Middle East, such as the barrier under construction in the West Bank. DML:
So now we are witness to a Professor of Law who is not only ignorant
of modern history but incapable of rational thought as well. Israel
never "took over" British Mandatory Palestine. The British partitioned
it in 1922 into two states: one on the east of the Jordan river for
the Hashemite family to make in to their kingdom of Jordan (c. 75% of
the Mandate's territory) and one on the west side of the Jordan river
(c. 25% of British Mandatory Palestine)where Jews could settle and
build their homeland in accordance with the Balfour Declaration, being
careful to in no way infringe upon the rights and well-being of the
Arab population. The Jews accepted this; but the Arabs did not like
that so they perpetrated a series of riots and pogroms resulting in
the death of hundreds of Jews. So in 1937 the British again
partitioned the remaining Mandatory territory in to two states: one
for the Jews (about 30% of the area) and one for the Arabs (c. 70%).
The Jews accepted this; but the Arabs did not like that so they went
to war (the Great Arab Revolt) and the Partition never happened. The
UN took it over at Britain's request in 1947, and resolved to
partition it into two states: one for the Jews (c. 55%) and one for
the Arabs (c. 45%). The Jews accepted this; but the Arabs did not like
that and went to war (1948 war). And lost big time, with Israel ending
up with what later became known as the "pre-67" borders. And even
worse for the Arabs, Jordan invaded and annexed the entire West Bank
and Egypt did the same to the Gaza Strip. So while the Jewish state
could come into existence thanks to Israel's ability to defend itself,
the poor Palestinians remained serfs to the Jordanians and the
Egyptians. So what is in fact a series of Arab riots and massacres and
terror attacks and wars against Israel as Israel agrees to every
compromise suggested, Professor Bisharat turns into an Israeli "take
over."
Moreover, as Arabs are loathe to admit but for which we have
literally dozens of statements by Arab historians, the Palestinians
fled because their leaders told them to. From the Grand Mufti of
Jerusalem to military leaders to kings and Emirs... they told the
Palestinians to get out so that the Arab armies could get in; and gave
the, the re-assuring promise that once the Jews were dead the
Palestinians could come in to take back their land and take the Jews'
land as well. Well, the Palestinians got out, but the Arab armies did
not get in. Contrary to Bisharat's assertion, Israel bears no
culpability for the plight of the unfortunate Arab refugees.
Sharon has openly declared his desire to complete the final phase of Israeli state-building: establishment of permanent borders. The Zionist movement, while accepting the partition of Palestine in 1947, never accepted all of the partition's terms. Israel's founders omitted reference to borders in Israel's 1948 Declaration of Independence. The reason was the drive for territorial expansion that is still at the heart of Zionism and Israeli state policy. With Israeli power at an historical apex, the time is ripe for Sharon to complete this long-deferred task. DML: Bisharat is either deeply ignorant or just hopes that we are. He is simply spewing out fiction and pretending that it is history. Israel agreed to the 1937 partition, and to the 1947 partition, and to the 1949 Armistice lines, and offered to give back conquered land in exchange for peace. Since the Arab nations refused to make peace, Israel kept the land. Had the Arabs been willing to make peace, not only would there never have been an Arab refugee problem, but there would have been a state of Palestine since 1947. Bisharat's "...drive for territorial expansion..." is pure fiction. Sharon's vision of the permanent borders is becoming increasingly concretized -- literally -- in the construction of the barrier. No nation invests $4.5 billion in a structure that will be dismantled a few years later. The only uncertainty involves what will happen to the east of Palestinian population centers in the West Bank. If the barrier completely encircles Palestinian towns and villages, then Israel will permanently exert control over about 50 percent of the West Bank. Otherwise, Israel will annex more like 20 percent of the West Bank. Neither of these is a starting point for negotiations with the Palestinians. Hence negotiations are not likely to start soon, or, if they do, will end quickly and fruitlessly. Unilateralism will continue to be the coin of the realm. DML:
Now at least we can deal with facts, albeit decontextualized. Yes
indeed, Israel built a fence (96% fence and 4% wall), but Bisharat
conveniently omits the reason for the fence... to stop the endless
relentless terror attacks that were averaging over 24 per day during
the height of the intifada. If the terrorism stops, the fence can be
dismantled. Whether Israel ends up with 20% of the West Bank or 50% or
85% is a function solely of the willingness on the part of the
Palestinian leadership to stop the terrorism (even if it means that
the Palestinian Authority must wage war against Hamas) and to start
negotiating. Sharon's pragmatism is evident in his ditching the Likud, when its ideologues demanded permanent control over all of former British mandate Palestine. It was also evident in his earlier exploitation of ideologically motivated settlers of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to accomplish his own pragmatic and strategic ends. Sharon had never shared their messianic ideology, according to which God had ordained all of the land of Israel for Jews. That is why he was capable of enforcing decolonization of the Gaza Strip. Sharon's historic willingness to employ violence -- running back to the slaughter of 69 Jordanian villagers in Qibya in 1953 under his command, and including the invasion of Lebanon in 1982, that killed some 20,000 Lebanese and Palestinian civilians -- is manifested in the ongoing assassinations of Palestinian "terrorists." This program has resumed notwithstanding the hudna, or truce, for the most part observed by Palestinian groups since February. Decapitation is a tremendously effective way to neutralize organizations, and Sharon (as well as other Israeli leaders) have taken the heads of Palestinian resistance leaders for decades. DML: Oh well. The facts did not last long. Now we are back to fiction. There was no "slaughter" in Qibya (1953). There was a battle as Israeli forces led by Sharon tried to drive out of that village the terrorists who had been attacking Israel. Which of the 69 dead were terrorists and which were civilians caught in the cross fire has never been determined. The 20,000 Lebanese killed in Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982 is pure fiction. The reality is that the PLO and other terrorist forces waging a civil war in Lebanon from 1976 onward killed c. 95,000 Christian Lebanese and rendered more than half-a-million homeless. When Israel's armies entered, they were greeted with champagne and cheers and flowers by the Christians who saw the Israelis as a liberating force. thousands were indeed killed... thousands of PLO terrorists. And the "truce" which Bisharat mentions has been broken daily by the terrorist attacks and Qasam rocket bombings (which on some bad days numbered more than 80)... only AFTER which Israel resumed its pin-point assassinations of terrorist leaders. It is indeed Israel's intention to decapitate Hamas and Islamic Jihad and the PFLP and the DFLP and the PFLP-GC and the el-aqsa martyr's brigade and any other terror gang that seeks to blow up innocent civilians. If the terrorists stopped the terrorism, there would be no more violence. If Israel stopped its defensive actions, there would be no more Israel. Pulling out from Gaza, abandoning Likud, creating a new party, not negotiating on the barrier and further West Bank expansion, taken together, constitute a huge gamble. It is admirable at some level that Sharon pursues his vision with such daring and efficacy. On the other hand, the character of the vision matters profoundly. Some of the greatest visionaries in history have also been among its greatest villains. DML: Finally two true statements: Sharon is taking a big gamble for peace, and Arafat and Qurei'a and Abbas and Akhmed Yassin and Abdul-Azziz Rantisi and Khaled Mesh'al and Hassan Nusrallah have displayed their utter and despicable villainy for the world to see. I doubt, however, that this is what Bsiharat had in mind. David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli, currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org). Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com |
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PERSONA NON GRATA
Posted by Batya Medad, December 8, 2005. |
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The time has come to leave the United Nations and declare all their officials "persona non grata." Their latest anti-Israel act, literally wiping us off the map is totally unforgivable. We never needed their approval to exist and shouldn't have asked. That whole worship of the 29th of November, 1947, embarrasses me totally. The Jewish Nation is an ancient one and has outlived, survived the demise of all of our old enemies, and we will prevail over the modern ones, too. The UN supports the Arab terrorists and condemns us for defending ourselves. We could save a lot of money and increase world respect by telling them to leave and eliminating all of our UN delegation. As muc |
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CHRISTIANS IN BETH LECHEM
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 8, 2005. |
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I most sincerely suggest that you forward, or rewrite and send, my letter to any Christians you know. The Christian world is easily seduced into believing that Israel is bad for Christians. Mendacious Arab propaganda finds distressingly ready traction in many Christian communities and with many Christian leaders. Help disabuse them of the deception being practiced upon them by the Arab propaganda. david ml Dear Christian leaders, In numerous of my previous emails I have asserted that it is Moslem intimidation (and in some cases violence, rape, murder, kidnapping, blackmail) against Christians that has caused the Christian population of the West Bank to flee. This assertion stands in sharp contradistinction to the Moslem Palestinian propaganda assertion that Christians are fleeing because of Israel's "occupation". Consider the significance of the list of facts below, taken from today's Hebrew version of a major Israeli newspaper (Yedi'oth Aharonoth), based upon interviews with Christian leaders in Beth Lehem. The Palestinian propaganda accusation that Christians are fleeing the West Bank because of Israel does NOT suggest that Israel is targetting Christians. Rather, that Israel makes life so hard that many, Moslems and Christians, flee. The growth of Moslem populations and institutions in Beth Lehem, per the article summarized below, belies such an assertion. the increase in mosques, Moslem population, Moslem youth, and Moslem support for Hamas....all bespeak an improvement in the situation in Beth Lehem for Moslems...despite Israel. The drop in Christians bespeaks a deterioration of the situation for Christians....precisely as the situation improves for Moslems....unrelated to israel. Here is a summary of what the article says is happening in Bethlehem this year In 1967, there were 5 mosques. 2004 - 84 In 1950, Christians were 75% of the pop. Now - 12% The average of Moslems is 16. Christians - 36 In the 2005 municipal elections, Hamas won 12 out of 15 seats According to PA law, the mayor of Bethlehem must be Christian. His faction has one member only on the council. Here's an interesting fact for those concerned about not being allowed to visit Bethlehem. According to the PALESTINIAN Ministry of Tourism, in 2004, 110,000 people visited the city. 2005 - 218,000 And 3 weeks ago, the army opened up a new crossing point at the northern part of the city at a cost of 35m nis (approx $7.5m) The hotels are expecting a high occupancy rate over Christmas. So, far from oppressing them or making life harder for them, Israel is trying to help Christians in Beth Lehem, even as Moslems express in numerous ways their support for Hamas, for fundamentalist Islamofascism (a cornerstone of Hamas rhetoric), for terrorism, for war, and for the destruction of Israel. And recall, too, that the Palestinian Authority has approved a rough draught of their constitution which categorically declares that Palestine will be a Moslem state with Shari'a law (iinimical to Christianity and to freedom of religion) prevailing. It is not hard to see why Christian Arabs would flee the growing wave of fundamentalist Moslem presence and power....and they flee in droves to Israel where they find shelter and freedom and safety. Western Christianity's support for the suffering of Arab Christians is long overdue. And such support should include support for Israel....the only country in the middle east where Christians can live in freedom and safety. David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli, currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org). Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com |
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THE WHITE MOOR AS WILLING EXECUTIONER
Posted by Phyllis Chesler and Nancy H. Kobrin, December 8, 2005. |
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On November 9, Muriel Degauque, a Caucasian Belgium-born woman, blew herself up in a failed attempt to kill American troops in Iraq. She is said to be the first European-born woman to die on a jihadic suicide mission. Degauque was also a "White Moor," a convert to Islam. Her husband, Isam Gorris, was a Belgian of Moroccan descent and he died the same day in a separate terrorist attack against Americans in Iraq. Degauque was a convert with a vengeance: She wore a head-to-toe chador, refused to eat with her father, and refused to allow her parents to watch television or drink beer in her presence. An increasing number of Western men and women have converted to Islam. According to one report cited in an article by Ian Johnson in the Wall Street Journal, in the year after the 9/11 attacks, 71,000 Germans had converted to Islam. If this number is correct, we might be looking at what people do when they are afraid or when they want to be on the "winning side." According to Osama bin Laden, people everywhere identify with the "strong" or "winning" horse. According to prison psychiatrist, Theodore Dalrymple, who has worked with Muslim prisoners in Britain, "a large part of the attraction of Islam to increasingly and essentially secularized men" is the opportunity Islam allows for the "abominable abuse of women." Thus, according to Dalrymple, those western men who feel insecure or humiliated by the growing equality of women are attracted to Islam in the same way that western men are attracted to Asian mail-order brides. Of course, some men also convert in a search for God and for a spiritually vigorous community. In an article about why Islam attracts so many western criminals [there are many "jail house" conversions taking place], Dr. Monika Wohlraub-Sahr suggests that such people's "lives have spun out of control," and they are now "in search of structure." Another reason for conversion to Islam involves the existence of white racism in the West. Indeed, a terrorist cell in Portland, Oregon, included several African-American converts. One woman, October Dominique Lewis, was also known as "Khadija." October ironically took her new Islamic name after the Prophet Muhammad's first wife, who was the first convert to the Prophet Mohammed's new religion. Some African-Americans, and African-Caribbean Europeans have converted to Islam in the misguided belief that Islam is color-blind (it is not, look at what is happening in the Sudan ) and/or has no history of slavery. In fact, both ethnic Arab Muslims and African Muslims practice slavery today. So far, only a handful of western converts have been revealed as jihadi warriors. For example, Britain's Richard Reid, the infamous "shoe bomber," (whose father is also a convert to Islam); Poland and Germany's Christian Ganczarski, who is being held in France for his involvement in al-Qaeda; America's John Walker Lindh, who fought in Afghanistan and who was captured and sentenced to jail; America's Jose Padilla who is now on trial for planning a terrorist attack. Western women usually convert when they marry Muslim men--they are pressured to do so. Such women are often naive and quite romantic about the "exotic" other. Some may have been traumatized by abusive or emotionally distant families and seek "new lives" in unfamiliar settings. However, they soon find themselves in eerily similar and more dangerous circumstances. Perhaps like some of their male counterparts, western female converts to Islam also have out-of-control lives that they are trying to rescue or redeem. Muriel Degauque had wrestled with alcohol and drugs when she was a teenager. In 2004, Pope John Paul warned Catholic women to "think hard before marrying a Muslim" and urged Muslims to "show more respect for human rights, gender equality, and democracy." Perhaps the Pope feared that Catholics might increasingly convert to Islam--but he may also have understood that a western wife who resists conversion may lose custody of her children, be shunned, divorced, or even murdered, not only in Europe but in America too. For example, in 2002, in New Jersey, a Muslim husband from Guyana, Ali Hassan, murdered his pregnant Hindu wife Marlyn, and both his mother-in-law, Bernadette Seajatan, and sister-in-law Sharon when Marlyn refused to convert to Islam. While Muriel Degauque may indeed be the "first" Caucasian and European "shahida" or mujahidat (holy martyr), the fact that she is a woman is no longer that unique. Many women (mainly Muslim and Hindu) have been suicide killers. Like Degauque, some, especially among the Palestinians and the Chechens, in particular who are also known as "black widows" because they are presumably avenging brothers, fathers, or husbands who have killed and died in terrorist missions. Although Degauque grew up in Belgium, she experienced the fate of girls in patriarchy which include feelings of unworthiness and guilt. In Degauque's case, a brother died when he and she were both teenagers. According to a childhood neighbor, Andrea Dorane, "Muriel would tell me that it was she who should have died instead of her brother. Everyone had loved him." Thus, the lesser-loved child may have harbored some "survivor guilt". It should be recalled too that Al-Khansaa, yet another famous female convert to Islam, is venerated for her Arabic verse eulogizing her dead brothers, Sakhr and Muawiya. Al Qaeda named its first magazine for women after al-Khansaa as well. Could Muriel's martyrdom have been her attempt at "eulogizing" her brother? Like many other female suicide killers, Degauque might also have been deeply depressed. Finally, converts are often more zealous than those born into the religion. They need to prove themselves in order to be accepted. Therefore, in addition to the problems of second and third generation Muslims in Europe, we predict that an increasing number of western converts to Islam, both male and female, will also choose to become terrorists. While al-Qaeda and Palestinian serial killer masterminds do not hesitate to seduce or to force depressed or zealous women and men into blowing infidels up, it is important to understand that the western converts are also willing executioners. Phyllis Chesler Ph.D is the author of 13 books, including the newly released The Death of Feminism. What's Next in the Struggle for Women's Freedom which focuses on Islamic gender Apartheid. Nancy H. Kobrin Ph.D is an affiliate professor at Haifa University, an Arabist, psycho-analyst, and author of the forthcoming book The Sheikh's New Clothes: Islamic Suicide Terrorism and What It's Really All About. |
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WESTERN CIVILIZATION AND ISRAEL ARE BOTH AT WAR WITH THE SAME ADVERSARY
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 8, 2005. |
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Bottom line: Western civilization is at war with Islamofascist terrorist Jihadists and that part of the Moslem world which supports them.
Israel is at war with Palestinian terrorists and that part of Palestinian society and the Arab and Moslem world which supports them.
The two wars are one.
/font> 1. "Editorial: Terrorists see us all as enemies" Toronto Sun, December 6, 2005. The little-known Iraqi terrorist group that kidnapped Canadians James Loney, 41, and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32, along with two others in Baghdad on Nov. 26, had an obvious message for the world. Variously known as the Swords of Righteousness and the Swords of Truth Brigade, the terrorists were making it crystal clear that to them, all westerners are alike. Simply put, all westerners are occupiers and spies, no matter what their stand on the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq or how sincere their desire to help the Iraqi people. But this is not just a messsage the terrorists wanted to convey to the world. It's also a warning to the Iraqis: That every westerner, no matter who they are, is the enemy, and that any contact with them is collaboration. In any other context, the kidnapping of Loney, Sooden, American Tom Fox, 54, and Briton Norman Kember, 74, makes absolutely no sense. The four men are members of a group known as Christian Peacemaker Teams, which opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and is now engaged in human rights work there. Condemning them as spies, as these terrorists have done, is absurd, as absurd as their obscene demand that all prisoners in Iraq held by the Americans and Iraqis must be freed, or the hostages will be killed on Thursday. Given the humanitarian backgrounds of these four men, a number of leading Muslim groups both inside and outside Iraq -- including its main Sunni party -- have joined in the heart-rending pleas of their families to free them. Sadly, as we have seen all too often in the past, doing good for the Iraqi people doesn't protect anyone from the terrorists. Yesterday, early reports that the American, British and Canadian governments had established direct contact with the kidnappers turned out to be inaccurate. And let's not delude ourselves about Iraq's terrorists. They don't distinguish between Canada, which opposed the invasion of Iraq, and the U.S. and Great Britain, which led it. Nor do they distinguish between people who opposed the war and those who supported it. And the last thing they care about is the Iraqi people, whom they hope not to liberate, but to enslave. 2. "Jihadism and the Qur'an," by Robert Spencer, www.FrontPageMagazine.com, December 8, 2005. Last week in New York, Oriana Fallaci stated that the Qur'an was the Mein Kampf of the Jihadi movement. She pointed put out that Islam's holy book demands the annihilation or subjugation of the other, and that it wants to substitute totalitarianism for democracy. Her statement, as you may imagine, has caused considerable controversy. A few of the statements I have seen: "Calling the Koran Mein Kampf is muddle headed and hysterical.....deserves a rebuttal." There is a muddle in these comments that needs sorting out. Fallaci said that there was no moderate Islam; she did not say that there were no moderate Muslims. This is a crucial distinction. As Ibn Warraq has said, "There may be moderate Muslims, but Islam itself is not moderate." In other words, there are manifestly peaceful people who have no intention of working by violent or subversive means to impose Sharia on the West, and who identify themselves as Muslims. This simple fact does not mitigate the other fact, that some high-profile moderates, such as Cleveland Imam Fawaz Damra, who signed the recent Fiqh Council of North America's fatwa against terrorism, turned out to be deceivers. No one can claim that all peaceful Muslims are deceivers without being able to look into the soul of each one -- although I know that some ignorant and intemperate writers on Islam have made just such a claim. And to say that the Qur'an is the Mein Kampf of the jihad movement is not to deny the reality that many, if not most, people who identify themselves as Muslims are primarily interested in living ordinary lives, making a living, providing for their families, etc. How could it be that the Qur'an could be the Mein Kampf -- that is, the inspiration and guidebook, the motivating force -- of the jihad movement, and yet there could be peaceful Muslims? In the first place, because jihadists themselves routinely invoke it as the justification for their acts of violence, and as a means to recruit other Muslims into their movement. Hundreds of photos are available online of jihad terrorists brandishing the Qur'an, often along with rifles or other weapons. And any cursory glance at the statements of jihadists shows them to be filled with Qur'an quotes and appeals to other Muslims that they represent "pure Islam." Nor are these jihadists misrepresenting, twisting, or hijacking what the Qur'an says. Indeed, they are fiercely literalistic, taking the book's many martial verses at face value. There are over a hundred verses in the Qur'an that exhort believers to wage jihad against unbelievers. "O Prophet! Strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites, and be firm against them. Their abode is Hell, an evil refuge indeed" (Sura 9:73). "Strive hard" in Arabic is jahidi, a verbal form of the noun jihad. This striving was to be on the battlefield: "When you meet the unbelievers in the battlefield, strike off their heads and, when you have laid them low, bind your captives firmly" (Qur'an 47:4). This is emphasized repeatedly: "O ye who believe! Fight the unbelievers who gird you about, and let them find firmness in you: and know that Allah is with those who fear Him" (Qur'an 9:123). This warfare was to be directed against both those who rejected Islam and those who professed to be Muslims but did not hold to the fullness of the faith: "Prophet, make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal rigorously with them. Hell shall be their home: an evil fate" (Qur'an 9:73). This warfare was only part of the larger spiritual conflict between Allah and Satan: "Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah, and those who reject faith fight in the cause of evil: so fight ye against the friends of Satan" (Qur'an 4:76). "Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them captive, and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is forgiving, merciful" (Qur'an 9:5). The "poor-due" in this verse is zakat, which is a central obligation for Muslims. Thus the verse is saying that if the "idolaters" become Muslims, leave them alone. Jews and Christians were to be fought along with "idolaters": "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued" (Qur'an 9:29). Jihad is the highest duty of Muslims: "Do ye make the giving of drink to pilgrims, or the maintenance of the Sacred Mosque, equal to the pious service of those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and strive with might and main in the cause of Allah [jihad fi sabil Allah]" They are not comparable in the sight of Allah: and Allah guides not those who do wrong. Those who believe, and suffer exile and strive with might and main, in Allah's cause [jihad fi sabil Allah], with their goods and their persons, have the highest rank in the sight of Allah: they are the people who will achieve salvation" (Qur'an 9:19-20). In Islamic theology, jihad fi sabil Allah refers specifically to taking up arms for Islam. Paradise is guaranteed to those who "slay and are slain" for Allah: "Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise): they fight in His cause, and slay and are slain: a promise binding on Him in truth" (Qur'an 9:111). One may attempt to spiritualize such verses, but there is no doubt from the historical record that Muhammad meant them literally. They are also backed up by numerous passages of Islamic tradition and law. Nonetheless, the fact that warfare against unbelievers is not a twisting of Islam, but the Islamic mainstream, and is repeatedly affirmed in the Qur'an, Hadith, example of Muhammad, and rulings of every school of Islamic jurisprudence, still does not make every Muslim a terrorist. There are several principal reasons for this. One is that because the Qur'an is in difficult, classical Arabic, and must be read and recited during Muslim prayers in that language only, a surprisingly large number of those who identify themselves as Muslims actually have scant acquaintance with what it actually says. Although the media establishment continues to use the words "Muslim" and "Arab" as if they were synonymous, most Muslims worldwide today are not Arabs. Even modern Arabic, much less classical Qur'anic Arabic, is foreign to them. They often memorize the Qur'an by rote without any clear idea of what it actually says. A Pakistani Muslim once proudly told me that he had memorized large sections of the Qur'an, and planned one day to buy a translation so that he could find out exactly what it was saying. Such instances are common to a degree that may surprise most non-Muslims. Other cultural factors have up until recent times also militated against Muslims, particularly in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, acting on or even knowing much about Islam's actual teachings on how to deal with unbelievers. However, that is changing: in those areas and elsewhere around the world, Muslim hardliners, though not always financed by Saudi Arabia, have made deep inroads into peaceful Muslim communities by preaching violent Islam as the "pure Islam" and calling Muslims back to the full observance of their religion. And they are doing it by means of the Qur'an. So is the Qur'an the Mein Kampf of the totalitarian, supremacist movement that is the global Islamic jihad? If we take seriously the words of the book itself and how they are used by jihadists, then it clearly is their inspiration and justification. Are we to ignore the jihadists' clear statements on this because they offend contemporary sensibilities? The challenge for genuinely peaceful Muslims today is to confront this fact, rather then deny it as Islamic apologists in the West so often do, and try to formulate strategies for a large-scale rejection of literalism in the Islamic community in America and worldwide, so that Muslims can coexist peacefully as equals with non-Muslims without the continuing recrudescence of this supremacist impulse. Can it be done? The odds against it are prohibitive. But we do not do genuine Muslim reformers any favor whatsoever by denying that there is any work they need do with the Qur'an and Islamic tradition, or by pretending that the source of the problem is other than what it is. 3. "Palestinian FA plan to punish 'Peace Team' players," Reuters, by Nidal al-Mughrabi, (Additional reporting by Ori Lewis in Jerusalem), Wed Dec 7, 2005. GAZA, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The Palestinian FA plans to punish players under its jurisdiction for participating alongside Israelis in a "Peace Match" in Barcelona, an official said on Wednesday. A 'Peace Team' of Israeli and Palestinian players lost 2-1 to Barcelona at the Nou Camp last week in front of 31,820 spectators, including many dignitaries. "The Palestinian FA will form a committee to investigate the players who participated in the match ... everyone involved will be punished," senior FA official Jamal Zaqout told Reuters. "We act in accordance with the attitude of our people who are against normalisation (of relations with Israel) before the end of the occupation," Zaqout said, referring to Israel's hold over lands captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Fifteen Israelis, including many internationals and 12 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank joined up for the match sponsored by Israeli statesman Shimon Peres's Centre for Peace foundation. Zaqout, who is based in the Gaza Strip, said the five West Bank players who competed, including national team member Khaldon Fahd would be subject to the investigation. The official Palestinian national team and their Israeli Arab coach Azmi Nassar were participating in a tournament in Qatar at the time, losing to Iraq and Saudi Arabia. A Peres Centre spokeswoman said the Palestinian FA's reaction was "irresponsible and annoying". "The Peres Centre together with its Palestinian partner, the Abu Sukar Centre, received the blessing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and (his senior security adviser) Jibril Rajoub for the match," spokeswoman Michal Eldar said. "The match in Barcelona was an unprecedented event in which we managed to convey to the world the message of peace and cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians," she said. A spokesman for the Israel FA (IFA) said it had approved the participation of its players. Israel's FA has been generally supportive of its Palestinian counterpart, which became a full FIFA member in 1998. The IFA helped Palestinian players receive permits to leave Gaza for overseas matches when Israel controlled the coastal territory before pulling out last September. [Editor's note: the original article included an essay by Justus Reid
Weiner and Michael Sussman. You can read it by clicking
here.
David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli, currently living in Palo
Alto. His expertise
is in Near Eastern studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli
conflict. He is Director of Peace and Education at Israel Peace
Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org).
Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com
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FEED HUNGRY ISRAELI CHILDREN AND BE A HERO FOR HANNAKA!
Posted by Meir Panim, December 8, 2005. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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If you can not see this email properly, please click here
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ANTISEMITIC SCHOLARS; "LAND FOR PEACE" DELUSION; HOW TO DEFEAT SHARON; NYTIMES HATCHET JOB ON SETTLERS
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 8, 2005. |
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Renowned civil liberties attorney Alan Dershowitz believes Israel should compromise on territory, in the hope of gaining peace. He criticizes certain Israeli policies towards the Arabs but not Israel's existence. For not being absolutely against Israel, he has run afoul of Normal Finkelstein, notorious antisemitic Jew favored by neo-Nazi groups, although he likens Israel to the Nazis, in order to harm Israel's reputation. Finkelstein devoted a book to smearing Dershowitz. The book comprises "made-up facts, made-up quotes, and made-up citations," distortions, and antisemitic stereotypes. Dershowitz illustrates with quotes from Finklestein's book and then from his own. The significance of this is that the University of California Press held a peer review of Finkelstein's manuscript and published it. Its fabrications and misstatements would have been easy to check. They either failed to check or didn't care. Thus a great university's press has abandoned academic standards in order to foster its anti-Zionist bias. (Intellectual disintegration is further advanced in Israel.) 1. Finkelstein accuses Dershowitz of advocating the same policy for Israel by which the Nazis destroyed Lidice and murdered its inhabitants. What Dershowitz actually proposed was the demolition of a few, evacuated, houses that had harbored terrorists. No one would be killed! Finkelstein made a libelous distortion. 2. Finklestein accuses Dershowitz of advocating "excruciating torture" of suspected terrorists..." Dershowitz opposes that type of torture. He discussed whether torture is or should be used in a ticking bomb case, with standards and limits. (He defends occasional harsh questioning, much less severe. Arabs torture for recreation. Hear any complaints?) 3. Finkelstein claims that Dershowitz provides no evidence or argument that the World Court is biased towards Israel. Dershowitz replies by quoting four of his paragraphs of proof and argument. 4. Finkelstein also writes that Dershowitz holds Israel not bound by international law. No, Dershowitz suggests that Israel not violate it but try to change it. He did point out that Israel is not bound by it, because it is not moral, not democratic, excludes Israel from participation in its formation and interpretation, and has no basis but credibility. (I find that international law supports Israel, except for some of the relatively recent attempt to confer the force of international law on specified Security Council rulings. The Security Council warrants no credibility, for it represents national policies and not independent jurists. Its resolutions against the Arabs are ignored or misstated. Other resolutions are unfair. The P.A. routinely violates international law. Hear any complaints). 5. Finkelstein wrote, "against the consensus of legal opinion and in a category virtually all his own, Dershowitz upholds the 'legal rights' of Jewish settlers to live anywhere in the W. Bank and in Gaza." This makes Dershowitz seem to favor their living there. He acknowledges their rights, but asks the Jews to relocate within what is "likely to become the final borders of Israel," in order to ensure peace. (The law is clear, but the biased misstate it. How is Israel to guess at future borders? To move in advance gives up a bargaining chip and Jewish rights. The Arabs then would demand new concessions -- they don't compromise. This isn't a land dispute; they won't make peace for land. There is no consensus. When the world turned against Israel, human rights organizations perverted their mission to take the Arab side.) 6. Finkelstein denies there are any firsthand sources asserting that PLO negotiators broke up negotiations over Arafat's refusal to drop demands for millions of Arabs to enter Israel. Dershowitz refutes this by citing Pres. Clinton's book, which lists himself, PM Barak, and Dennis Ross as among the witnesses. As Dershowitz asks, "Why did the U. of California Press not catch this easily checkable falsehood"? 7. Finkelstein denies any verification for the charge that terrorists put nails soaked in rat poison into bombs -- neither Human rights Watch nor Amnesty Intl. (A.I.) reported it. Dershowitz' researchers found dozens of medical journals and news reports about it. "The fact that neither Human Rights Watch nor A.I. -- which report virtually every uncorroborated rumor against Israel -- saw fit to mention this allegation says more about the bias of these organizations than it does about the accuracy of my claim." (Thus, self-described human rights organizations have forfeited their integrity and mission in the case of Israel, just as have the university press and many college institutions.) 8. Benny Morris is a post-Zionist historian (who has admitted that some of his anti-Israel accounts of the early struggles were erroneous, and who supports defense against terrorism, though he still favors appeasement). Finkelsten claims that Morris "approves the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and (is) nearly pathological in his hatred of Palestinians," i.e., western Palestinian Arabs. After his slanderous mischaracterization of Morris' views, Finkelstein accused Dershowitz of mischaracterizing Morris' views. Actually, Morris told another professor that Dershowitz correctly characterized his own views. Why didn't the U. of Cal. scholars who reviewed Finkelstein's books check the accusation for accuracy, before agreeing to publish? 9. Dershowitz cites as sources Joan Peters and sometimes her sources. Finkelstein accuses Dershowitz of plagiarizing from Peters. Former Harvard Pres. Derek Bok investigated and found no plagiarizing. Finkelstein admitted this but repeats his charge, arguing that Dershowitz ordered his assistant to "copy" from Peters, when the wording was to "cite" Peters. He said Dershowitz never cited her, but he cited her 8 times! Finkelstein made many other ridiculous statements on his own. He denied that Saddam had been making nuclear weapons in the plant Israel bombed. He claimed that Israel started the 1967 war and was responsible for starting the 1972 Arab surprise attack (American Jewish Congress Monthly, 9/2005, p.11). Appeasement-minded Dershowitz may be more dangerous to Israel than neo-Nazi Finklestein, mostly ignored. But if universities support such antisemites as Finkelstein, Israel would be in equal danger. U.S. ASKS ENEMY IRAN TO HELP WITH IRAQ The US had invited Iran to a conference on reconstruction in Afghanistan, and discusses with Iran how to stabilize Iraq. Meanwhile, Iran boasts that it is destabilizing Iraq and winning in Lebanon and Palestine. Iran advises and furnishes Iraqi rebels with better weapons. The US ought not expect significant help from its chief enemy, Iran, though there are some opportunities for limited cooperation. There might have been some advantage ic each country crushed certain terrorists besetting the other. The US ought to widen its scope and take up with Iran its political prisoners. Ask student groups in Iran how to help their campaign for those prisoners. Let the US put pressure upon Iran and divert it from some of its machinations! The US should challenge Iran on its other fronts. Does the US demur, because that means helping Israel? NO PEACE IN SIGHT FOR ISRAEL OR IRAQ While the Sharon regime claims it is not planning to cede large swaths of territory but is arranging to do just that, comes a reminder that that would not bring peace. The P.A. is organizing its whole society to agitate for entry of its masses into Israel (IMRA, 11/29). (That means war until one side overcomes the other. If Israel gives in, it would be swamped; the Arabs would dominate. Then the Jews would have peace of the grave.) NO PEACE IN SIGHT FOR IRAQ Pres. Bush's plan is to turn the war over to Iraqis when they are ready. So long as foreign terrorists pour in, the war continues. His is not a plan for victory. He can't defeat the enemy in one country -- the enemy spans the region. He has admitted that this is a broader war than Iraq, but has no stated plan for taking on other fronts. Eventually, the other enemy countries will find a strategy and heavier arms that would gain them victories if not triumph (Michael Ledeen, NY Sun, 12/1 Op. Ed.). Mr. Ledeen should have described this as a world war. He and other conservative commentators in the Sun have remarked that Pres. Bush has a broad vision of the war but a limited plan for it, without asking why limited. I think Bush is afraid to suggest opening further fronts, because it would cost more and Democrats would rouse public opinion against him. They also fail to confront him over his contradictory policy of supporting terrorism in the P.A.. Are they insufficiently perceptive or insincere? Bush should not have lost the battle of public opinion. He should have boldly laid out a plan of action to match his vision of the war, called it a war on Islamism from the start, and not worried about political correctness. Oh how political correctness undermines US national security! Perhaps he hopes that it won't be long before he can turn the war in Iraq over to Iraqis, claim vindication, and ship our troops to another front. "LAND FOR PEACE" STILL A MAJOR DELUSION Our country has been attacked repeatedly. We find ourselves victims of a global holy war by Islamists. We are just starting to fight back, but as the war grows hotter, some people's feet grow colder. In their "war on terrorism," they make an exception for the Palestinian Arabs, one of the spearheads of jihad. We know we cannot make peace with al-Qaeda, but we expect Israel to make peace with the PLO and Hamas. Why? Why? By pretending that the dispute is not part of jihad. The NY Times and State Dept. pretend that the dispute is territorial. First, they artificially divide the international jihad and the Arab-Israel conflict into a conflict just with a few of the Arabs, ones in part of Palestine. That way, the Arabs seem the underdog and land-poor. Actually, the Arabs have, as a result of past imperialism, one of the largest holdings of territory in the world. Then they postulate that if Israel gives up some of the land, the Arabs would make peace. On what basis do they make that assertion? On no basis. The Arabs have Covenants and doctrines that demand the whole of Israel. They assert that any territory they get from Israel would be used in a struggle, diplomatic or armed, to get the rest of the land. Those who ask Israel to make concessions to the Arabs would open Israel up to murder. So it has happened from prior agreements. True, in the agreements, the Arabs promised to come to a final peace agreement and to end their terrorism. That is what they signed a dozen years ago, starting at Oslo. They never kept that and subsequent or previous agreements. Deceit, after all, is part of their ideology. They cite their religious history as authority for such practice. Do the Times and State Dept. expect the Arabs suddenly to keep their agreements? Hint: the Times and State Dept. traditionally are anti-Zionist. "WHY IS ISRAEL STILL BUILDING SETTLEMENTS"? A friend asked me that. She reads the NY Times. Her tone indicated that Jews don't have the right to do so. They do. The Arabs recognized that right when they signed Oslo. She failed to ask why are the Arabs still building settlements. I didn't get an opportunity to ask her why the one-sided question. But I know why. She has been trained by her newspaper to suppose that only the Arabs have rights in Yesha. Pity of it is, she is a Jew and has a well-developed social conscience, but the Times has kept from her knowledge of the rights of the Jews. What does she mean, "building settlements"? I suppose she means building in them. The US and, by extension, the Times, oppose that, too. They want it to be easy to clear out the Jews, later. What does she think will happen later? Peace? No, genocide. I don't think she ponders what would happen later. She just takes up the immediate demands of the Times. Her focus is on the immediate, and she loses sight of after-effects. HOW TO DEFEAT SHARON Polls show that most Israeli voters care neither about Sharon's corruption nor about his having a hodge-podge of a party. They do care very much about not withdrawing from the rest of Yesha. Therefore, the way to campaign against him is to accuse him of planning a major withdrawal (Dr. Aaron Lerner, IMRA, 12/1). That he is. He denies it, but he offers compromises he doesn't keep and, military-like, divides the opposition and picks it off piecemeal. He would just evacuate one specified area, he will say, so residents elsewhere would feel secure and not rush to support the targeted area. They all should stick together and fight him (Winston Mid East Analysis, 12/1). He kept them indecisive by being vague about which areas. The justice system keeps Sharon in office unindicted, and untried opponents jailed. NY TIMES HATCHET JOB ON SETTLERS Greg Myre praised Arab industriousness in Gaza in the "innovative" greenhouses built by Jews, and blames Israel for their difficulties. For example, he alleged that the Arabs planted a fall crop worth $20 million. Actually, Jewish farmers sowed much of it, before they were forced out. The Arabs never were able to do significant farming in Gaza on their own. That he does not explain. Although he admits that Arabs looted some greenhouses, he quotes their complaints that they had to do extensive repairs on greenhouses, as if the settlers did all the damage -- to forestall sympathy for the expropriated settlers. As reported earlier in the Times, the Arabs looted much. He cites the Quartet promise of millions for the warehouses, but not the reality of paying no compensation, and of the government not providing jobs or substitute farmland. (We?ve reported previously government harassment with paperwork, fees, and arrests.) Mr. Myre complains that stringent Israeli inspection at the Gaza-Israel line has spoiled Arab produce for five years. He makes that seem Israel's fault, instead of clearly explaining that the inspection was made a necessary precaution when the Arabs went to war on Israel, trying to infiltrate it with terrorists (Winston Mid East Analysis, 12/2). One should pity the settlers and shame the ruling elite that calls itself progressive. The government of Israel operates like Medieval and Renaissance European duchies. When the Jews built up thriving industry and comfortable livings, dukes expelled them and confiscated their holdings. Likewise the Inquisition and the Holocaust were not only persecutions but giant robberies of the Jewish people. So was Sharon's "disengagement." POINTS MISSED IN RABIN ASSASSINATION Barry Chamish reviewed some points whose significance most people missed. Although the government insisted that no photographs had been taken of the supposedly secure area around PM Rabin, Chamish acquired half a dozen. He says some of them show Shimon Peres (whose personal interests and policies gained from the assassination) supervising the initial, fake, dirity-trick assassination. He was unable to get any major Internet site or magazine to publish the photos. (What does that tell you about the Israeli media and democracy?) Another photograph was taken at the moment of the Yigal Amir's arrest. The enlarged picture of a policeman's wristwatch shows that moment to have been 9:31. This photo was published widely in Israeli websites and magazines, alongside the time that the Shamgar Commission stated that the shooting occurred. Shamgar put it as 9:50. Shamgar is implying that Amir was arrested for the shooting19 minutes before the shooting. Ridiculous. Shamgar falsified the time of the shooting. Why did he make it later than it occurred? His alteration would make that time consistent with Rabin's arrival at the hospital in what should have been a two-minute drive. Otherwise, he would have to explain why it took the driver, in this emergency, 22 minutes to reach the nearby hospital. Chamish's theory is that in this time, the bodyguard with whom Peres replaced Rabin's usual guard was attempting to murder Rabin. Later, Channel 2 claimed, without evidence, that Chamish had altered the photograph of the watch. The photographer, who could confirm the time, officially had committed suicide. Also suicides were three of Rabin's guards, a friend of Avishai Raviv, (himself a friend of Yigal Amir), and a student who on the night of assassination expressed suspicions of Amir by e-mail (Chamish, 11/30). Rabin witnesses have short lives. ISRAELI MEDICAL ADVANCES APPROVED BY FDA One enables more laser treatments of the eye. The other freezes tumors off women's breasts without invasive surgery and usually without scarring. It already is used for other cancer (Arutz-7, 12/1). SUES PLO, WINS $116 MILLION The PLO was sued for the murder of two Israelis. Thanks to a US Supreme Court ruling, the award came to $116 million (Op. Cit). Usually the State Dept. intervenes, and the PLO is in no hurry to pay fines. OPPRESSION OF ANTI-WITHDRAWAL ISRAELIS State Comptroller Lindenstrauss is reviewing the Israeli government's handling of the "disengagement." Lindenstrauss's report is set to review the insufficient protection of the communities around the abandoned Gaza Strip; the impaired functioning of the government ministries and the government's Disengagement Authority in implementing the withdrawal and expulsion plan; and the negligent manner in which the expelled Jews of Gaza and northern Samaria have been treated since they were ejected from their homes and communities.? It is useful to report governmental incompetence while events are recent and memories fresh. Reform might result. Unfortunately the report is said to ignore governmental abuse of opponents' civil rights. Abuse of religious Israelis' rights continues. Review of this is urgent. A public defender had found that the justice system mistreated young demonstrators against abandonment, according to their political views, fabricating law in order to punish the accused even before their trials. An earlier report by the Israel Policy Center and the Honenu Legal Defense Association studied 24 cases of gross abuse by police, prosecutors, and judges. These types of abuses were proved to have been systematic, widespread, and condoned or ordered by top officials. Attorney-General Mazuz set the approach by advising prosecutors to consider non-violent protestors as rebels out to destroy the state. Supreme Ct. Justice Procaccia set a standard contrary to the Arrests Law and to precedent, that courts may keep arrested protestors in pre-trial detention if their ideology opposed withdrawal. The report found that more than half of the 300 minors and adults held in pre-trial detention, should not have been. Rancher Ari Ran punched an Arab trespasser. The issue should be whether he had the right to defend his property, and whether the Arab should be arrested. Instead, the judge ordered him held pending trial because of his ideology. What does his ideology have to do with the incident? (Plenty, if Israel is a police state that represses Jews? rights against Arab transgressors.) He has been separated from his family for eight months for a mere, dubious, assault case, and still no trial. Prosecutors contend he must be incarcerated because his ideology makes him a danger to the public. Actually, Israeli leftists instigated Arabs to trespass. In October, a trial was to start, but the government claimed it was not ready (IMRA, 11/2). I think unpreparedness was a ruse for continuing punishment that a trial probably would end. Governmental abusers of citizens' rights deserve punishment. BARRY CHAMISH PREDICTED SETTLERS' FATE When Sharon proposed "disengagement," Barry Chamish warned the settlers to fight hard,or be crushed. He urged them not to trust government promises. The promises were made to calm them down, not to be kept. He advised people not to give the expelled Jews charity, or they would let the government and Yesha Council (collaborators with the government) off the hook and doom the settlers to limbo. The settlers did not listen. They were too gentlemanly. (Nevertheless, they were treated as if plotting civil war.) "...in just three months, the once thriving (and particularly well-behaved) residents of Gush Katif have sunk into violence, despair, divorce, drug abuse, crime and hopelessness." (Chamish, 11/30.) They did not detect in Sharon an unscrupulous, vindictive, merciless
scoundrel selling out his country for profit or immunity from
prosecution. They should have realized his caliber from his family's
rampant corruption, his appeasement-mindedness, his notorious
"steamroller methods," his other undemocratic moves, and Israel's
general lack of constitutional and civil liberties laws and notorious
bureaucracy.
Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several
web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on
Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target
overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him
at richardshulman5@aol.com.
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RED LINES?
Posted by Marcel Cousineau, December 8, 2005. |
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There was a time when Israel held fast to it's security demands and refused to be bullied. Those days are long gone. The Palestinians know they can get all they want and more from an Israel in free fall. Israel, always surrendering to and appeasing the Palestinians has only itself to blame when it's worst fears are realized. Israel has yielded its sovereignty over to an oppressive superpower which dictates a process which leads to only one place, the lion's mouth and there is no real leadership in Israel to slow down or halt the downward spiral. There is no one in Israel speaking out against the Road Map! In spite of the 12 + year record of U.S. failure with its 'peace' plans starting with Oslo, Israel continues to bow to unrealistic demands and caves in at every opportunity to the terrorists under U.S. pressure. Signs of desperation and suicide are evident and they only encourage Israel's enemies to fulfill their goal. Israel has become the great pushover, there is no part of its body it will not saw off for a false peace, no insanity they will not attempt in obedience to the suicidal Road Map vision of Mr. Bush. Israel, once again, is led passivrly onto the cattle cars to the camps and eventually to the oven Contact Marcel Cousineau at up2zionsg8@yahoo.com. Or go to his webblog: A Very Heavy Stone (http://averyheavystone.blogspot.com/). |
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NO JEWS OR DOGS
Posted by Yaakov Ish Tam, December 8, 2005. |
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I have been following the recent saga in the Red Cross with growing disgust. For those of you who are not familiar with the issues at hand, Israel and its official relief agency Magen David Adom (Red Star of David) has traditionally been rejected membership as an official member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies because of its refusal to adopt either a cross or crescent as its official symbol. When Israel suggested allowing the additional symbol of the Red Magen David in 1949, the organization rejected the request for the reason that "They don't want to have too many symbols." Contrast this to the refusal of the Muslim world to display a cross on their equipment, and the almost immediate acceptence of the Red Crescent as an official symbol. Since that initial refusal, the Arab countries have fought tooth an nail to keep Israel out of the organization; that is until today. Yes ladies and gentlemen, today is an historic day for the State of Israel, the Jewish People and Magen David Adom. Finally, after over 50 years of ongoing struggle, despite the current objections of Syria, the governing body of the International Red Cross/Crescent societies have approved Israel's membership. Oh, there's just one more thing. In order to join Israel must adopt the newly created alternative symbol the "Red Crystal" and hereby refrain from using the Red Star of David. Before you get excited, it is not as bad as it sounds. If MDA wants they can continue to use the Magen David INSIDE the red crystal on DOMESTIC and fundraising missions and even on foreign relief missions where the host country is not "offended" by the symbol. How magnanimous of them. Where do I sign? Yes my friends, you have heard correctly. Jews may finally join the Red Cross/Crescent but only on the condition that they stop being Jewish. The benevolent nations of the world will allow us to join their "club" and participate in relief missions saving THEIR citizens from disasters, but only on the condition that we never G-d forbid reveal from whence we came. I am not old enough to remember this myself, but I have heard many first hand accounts that in the recent past, even in "Jewish New York", hotels, businesses and places of entertainment used to prominently display signs in the entranceway that said "No Jews or Dogs!!" There was many a country club in the Northeastern US which did not allow any minorities including Jews to join. They still unofficially exist today on Long Island and New England although at least today (unlike the Red Cross), they have the decency to hide their "eligibility requirements". Of course, as Jews look similar to their WASP neighbors, they would often "make an exception" and let you in as long as you paid an "extra" membership fee and promised never to reveal the fact that you were Jewish. We need to ask ourselves, what does Israel or MDA gain from this newly found "acceptance"? The "privilege" to go and save the lives of people who hate us and won't even allow us to display a non offensive symbol of Judaism on our uniforms and ambulances? Is it really a positive thing that we try so hard to join a club that proudly displays a sign on its front gate "No Jews or Dogs"? Do we need to risk our lives and send our brave men and women over to countries who won't even acknowledge our existence as a people? People who are so repulsed by a non political historic symbol of the Jewish people, that they would rather die than accept aid from "dirty Jews"? Even if this new arrangement will allow Israel to benefit from extra funding, is it really worth the self-denigration that is required to be eligible to receive it? The Torah records a prophetic blessing given to the Jewish People "Behold it is a nation that dwells alone and is not counted among the other nations" (Numbers 23:9). How many of us remember this verse in our daily lives and really consider it to be a blessing? We dedicate our lives to being accepted by the world at large and the harder we try the more they remind us that "No Jews or Dogs" are allowed! Sure there is one way to gain their acceptance, and there always has -- Stop being Jewish. Maybe we should once and for all, make Jewish history, take the last shred of dignity that we have left as a people, and tell the Red Cross and all other Anti-Semitic organizations of the world what they can do with their membership cards! Contact Yaakov Ish Tam by email at ishtam@gmail.com or go to his website: http://ishtam.blogspot.com |
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WHAT NETANYAHU SAYS IS TRUE ... BUT
Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, December 8, 2005. |
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What he says is true but he has know this all along since Sharon became the Likud Crime Minister of Israel. It seems he was willing to hold his tongue about the extent of Sharon's planned treason so long as it served the purpose of advancing Netanyahu. Now that babbling about it would serve the same purpose, he has opened his mouth. Please take note that at no time will he propose any serious steps to stop this new Pogrom. His mantra is elect me and everything will be OK. This is from today's Arutz Sheva -- IsraelNationalNews.com -- and is stored at http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=94434 It is called "Netanyahu: Kadima Planning an Awesome Disengagement" (IsraelNN.com) Former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told Army Radio on Thursday morning that Ariel Sharon and his Kadima Party are planning a catastrophic unilateral disengagement, one that "boggles the imagination." Repeating statements released to the media on Wednesday, Netanyahu stated Sharon is planning a pullback to Kfar Saba and other areas as well, warning that the unilateral withdrawals from Gaza and northern Samaria were precursors to what Mr. Sharon has in store for the country if reelected. Aryeh Zelasko lives in Beitar Illit, south of Jerusalem. He is Director of Sales and Marketing of Israel Visit (www.israelvisit.co.il) which provides information and an internet buying facility for American visitors to Israel. Contact him at zelasko@actcom.co.il |
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KEEP MARWAN BARGHOUTI BEHIND BARS
Posted by David Bedein, December 8, 2005. |
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On this page last week, Yossi Beilin posited that convicted murderer Marwan Barghouti is the one Palestinian leader ready and able to fight Hamas ("Free Marwan Barghouti To Counter Power of Hamas," December 2). Barghouti, however, would seem an unlikely candidate to take on that militant Islamist group. On January 22, 1995, after Hamas massacred 19 Israelis at a bus stop in Beit Lid -- a village near the coastal city of Netanya, located within the 1967 lines -- Barghouti declared on the Saudi-owned MBC television network that "we cannot condemn such an attack, since this is an area that we have not yet liberated." The video clip of that statement is readily available at our office at the Beit Agron Press Center in Jerusalem. It was also Barghouti who from 1995 until his imprisonment in 2002 hammered out cooperative agreements in Cairo between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, according to the semi-official Egyptian daily Al Ahram, and who continues to do so today from prison. And according to Israeli intelligence sources and in the indictment issued against him, it was Barghouti who, on the outbreak of the second intifada in 2000, became the head of a joint coordinating body of all Palestinian organizations in the West Bank -- including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Fatah-affiliated Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, all three of which are listed by both the American and the Israeli government as terrorist groups. As for Beilin's argument that Barghouti was only "indirectly" responsible for the murder of innocent people, it is surprising that a former Israeli justice minister saw fit to mention only in passing that Barghouti was convicted in May 2002 of first-degree murder for the cold-blooded killing of five civilians -- in cases where the Israeli Justice Ministry provided incontrovertible documentation that Barghouti made direct payments to commission killers to commit wanton acts of murder. The Marwan Barghouti who Beilin suggests should be released from prison so he can lead the Palestinian people is responsible for the murders of: Salim Barakat, 33, from the Druze village of Yarka in the Galilee, who survived by his wife, daughter, parents and seven brothers and sisters; Eli Dahan, 53, of Lod, who is survived by his mother Sarah, wife, Ilana, two daughters, two sons and three grandchildren; Yosef Habi, 52, of Herzliya, who is survived by his wife, son and daughter; Father Georgios Tsibouktzakis, 34, a Greek Orthodox monk from St. George's Monastery in Wadi Kelt near Jericho, and Yoela Chen, 45, of Givat Ze'ev, who is survived by her husband and two children. Nor are they Barghouti's only victims. At his trial, people who were maimed as a result of Barghouti-sponsored attacks appeared as witnesses to the pain he caused them -- pain they will experience for the rest of their lives. Chicago-born Alan Bauer and his 7-year-old son Jonathan were among those witnesses. They were five minutes from their home in Jerusalem when a Barghouti-funded suicide bomber blew himself up three feet away from them on March 21, 2002. Two arteries in Bauer's arm were severed. A screw went all the way through little Jonathan's head. To this day, Jonathan walks with a limp. According to the court protocols, Barghouti proudly admitted that he directed terrorist attacks in which scores of Israelis were killed and revealed how he directly allocated funds needed by terrorist cells to operate and purchase necessary weapons, and stated that Yasser Arafat personally authorized this funding for Tanzim activities, knowing that this money would be used to finance murderous attacks. Furthermore, protocols of interrogations of P.A. officials before the trial showed how the process worked: Names of Tanzim killers were submitted to Barghouti, who would routinely take them to Arafat for approval. Why, Beilin implicitly asks, should Barghouti be kept in jail? The law would seem to be clear on this point: There is more than a slight possibility of recidivism -- of Barghouti choosing to not abandon the path of violence if he were to be set free. He has shown no remorse for his commitment to liberate all of Palestine, nor has he revealed any second thoughts about his efforts to unite all Palestinian factions for that purpose. The question for Yossi Beilin, who seems to ignore Barghouti's direct responsibility for his indiscriminate murder of Israeli citizens, is how he would feel if Barghouti had bragged in an open court of law that he had murdered a member of Beilin's family in the course of one of his terrorist actions "to liberate Palestine." Beilin is correct in writing that peace treaties are made between enemies, after the war has been concluded. Beilin is misguided in believing that Barghouti has shown any signs of leading a movement to stop the Palestinian militants' war against the State of Israel. David Bedein is Bureau Chief, Israel Resource News Agency, Beit Agron Int't Press Center, Jersualem. tel. 972-547-222661, http://Israelbehindthenews.com). |
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FRESH ATTACK OF ISLAMIST RADICALS IN BANGLADESH
Posted by Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudbury, December 8, 2005. |
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Another sad news from Bangladesh Islamist radicals continues to carryout suicide bomb attacks in Bangladesh. Today, just before an hour, they attacked Netrokona district, 110 kilometers from the capital killing 7 and injuring 35. The suicide bomber also died. The incident took place at Boropukurpar area in front of a cultural organization named 'Udichi' office. Member of Bangladesh police also died in the attack. Heavy contingent of Rapid Action Batallion Forces members have rushed to the spot following this tragic incident. For past several weeks, Bangladesh have become a prime target of the Islamist millitants, who are demanding shariah law in the country. It had been earlier reported that many of the suicide bombers had been trained in Afghanistan by the deposed Taliban regime. Some were even trained by extremist groups like Hamas or Hezbullah in Palestine. Palestine's controversial ambassador in Bangladesh, Shahta Zarab arranged visa and other logistic supports for the Bangladeshi recruits to travel to his 'country' to get armed training as well training on making powerful explosives. The writer is a journalist, columnist, author, and editor of "Weekly Blitz". Email him at salahuddinshoaibchoudhury@yahoo.com |
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OSLO, GUSH KATIF AND ... RAIN
Posted by Modechai Ben-Menachem, December 8, 2005. |
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The guy upstairs said, very publicly, "I have a great gift for you guys. A lovely land with everything you need. But to live there, you have to pay the rent." Fair enough. If one desires to live in a nice place, one should pay ones rent. What could be more fair than that? Then along comes our set of national fools and said, "we don't really need the land, or at least, only certain parts of it that are convenient for us". And they signed it away. What was the result? For eight years, from the signing of the Oslo agreement (Oslo debacle) we had a steadily increasing drought. Until Sharon came along and said we reject this terrible agreement. Then we got rain (as the Torah promised, no surprises). All our reservoirs filled. Then he got drunk on what he thought was his power, and evicted 9000 people and again said, "we don't really need you, beautiful land, we can manage." What has been the immediate result? Surprise! NO RAIN! Don't believe me, please. Check the numbers. Like it or not, when we love the land, she loves us, and shows it in a very obvious way. When we don't, she also shows us. Mordechai Ben-Menachem is at Ben-Gurion University. He can be reached by email at quality@computer.org |
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SYRIA WELCOMES DAVID DUKE; FEMINISM VS. ISLAM
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 7, 2005. |
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HOW ISRAEL RESPONDS TO P.A. ARTILLERY After a two-week lull, P.A. terrorists fired Qassam rockets at what the government of Israel described as "Israeli targets." The Army vowed that Israeli forces "will respond harshly to all Palestinian (P.A.) rocket and shelling attacks on Israel." After the second round struck, the IDF fired 40 rounds at "at areas from which Qassam and mortar attacks were launched." "What is for sure is that we will not accept the firing of Qassams and mortars at Israel, and we will know how to respond." IMRA states that the IDF fired at empty fields (IMRA, 11/28). The IDF accepted the first round fired at Israel. The use of faulty English in describing the P.A. firing at random as firing at "Israeli targets" gives the false impression that the P.A. shot at actual targets. The terrorists didn't do that. They fired in the hope of hitting something, anything, civilian or military. Firing back at empty fields, as the IDF did, hardly fits its threat to "respond harshly." It neither destroys enemy sources of fire nor deters further terrorist attacks. Worse, it makes a mockery of Israeli threats. It almost is a government complicity with terrorists, in that the government pretends it is being responsible. Actually, the government is being evasive. It deceives its own citizens. The government does not protect them. What is the use of such a government? Do many Israeli citizens denounce government demagoguery and failure to fight the enemy? How can Israeli voters think of returning to power parties that let them be targets? KIDNAPPING In Saddam's criminalized society, kidnapping became a major occupation. Jihadists joined the enterprise as a means of attracting attention. They need attention to demoralize opponents. The media obliges. So do families and governments that pay ransom. Ransom frees a few prisoners but provides the funds for capturing many more. Negotiating with the terrorists seems to legitimize them. These Western reactions make kidnapping pay. When French officials discuss making concessions to the jihadists, the jihadists find kidnapping an effective tool they want to re-use. The French reminder that its policy is pro-Arab only added to the notion of French weakness, thereby encouraging more kidnapping. Italian authorities admitted to regularly paying hostage-takers. By contrast, an Italian hostage refused to grovel before his executioners. They couldn't use the video of his death for propaganda. If he were the model, kidnapping might end. Just as making other terrorist tactics unrewarding causes terrorists to refrain from those tactics, the West should make kidnapping unrewarding. Americans suffer less from kidnapping, because their government does not offer concessions, pay, or negotiate. It has rescued hostages and tracked down kidnappers (Middle E. Forum, 11/29 from Michael Rubin & Suzanne Gershowitz). True, but I would hate to be the one sacrificed to a policy of toughness. DAVID DUKE IN SYRIA David Duke told a Syrian crowd that Zionists dominate New York City. He praised Pres. Assad (Arutz-7, 11/29). Why haven't my fellow New York Zionists let me share in the influence? Syria calls Zionists "racists," but welcomed Duke, America's most notorious racist. They call the Holocaust-denying crackpots "scholars." There is a racist component to Arab antisemitism. UNRWA MORE THAN DOUBLING BUDGET UNRWA has scheduled a budget increase over the next two years from the current $400 million to $1,100 million (IMRA, 11/27). The US usually pays 30% of its budget. Lavishing welfare funds on jihadists, welfare cheats, and on eligible clients without a schedule for weaning them from dependency, makes no sense. It reduces their incentive to stop their leaders' theft of foreign donations and perhaps their diversion to war. LEFTISTS REPEAT FRAUD One of the frequent claims by Arabs and their leftist sympathizers is that settlers chop down Arabs' olive trees. The media repeats the claim without investigating. The real story is that the story is a fraud. The fraud confirms the unwary public in prejudice against settlers and pity for the "poor Palestinians." The government apologizes to the Arabs and arrests accused settlers. But settlers don't chop down Arabs' trees. (Sometimes Arabs plant on Jews' property, preparatory to claiming the Jews' land. Sometimes the IDF thinned out trees behind which terrorists ambushed Jewish passers-by.) Last year, leftists produced a photo of an Arab lamenting the loss of such trees. Examination of the photo enables one to see that the tree is whole. Upper branches merely had been pruned, to stimulate growth. The growth occurs within a couple of months. This was confirmed by a tree expert. If vandals wanted to destroy a tree, they would take down the trunk, and not bother taking off upper branches. (Absurd, isn't the claim!) This year, the same phony type of picture was adduced as evidence. It is like the phony charge against Jewish girls of spilling Arabs' bags of olives, although the girls were not seen doing it and only one Arab made the claim. Leftists have admitted making up such charges (Arutz-7, 11/28). There is too much injustice against Jews, in Israel. FEMINISM VS. ISLAM Muslims harshly oppress females: Muslim females in their own countries, Western women who marry Muslims, and increasingly in Western countries into which they migrate (or visit). Western feminist organizations should have a single standard about women's and human rights for women, not a culturally relative one. They need to devise a foreign policy (11/29, Phyllis Chessler, Mideast Quarterly, Winter 2006). This is not just part of the Islamist drive, but a general reactionary movement among Muslims. Islam has had such swings before and some counter-movement now. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. |
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SAUDI BILLIONAIRE PRINCE TELLS FOX HOW TO REPORT THE NEWS
Posted by Avodah 15, December 7, 2005. |
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This comes from Middle East Online-UK. Billionaire Saudi Prince al-Walid bin Talal on Monday told the Arab and World Media Conference in Dubai that during last month's street protests in France, the U.S. Fox television network -- owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation in which Al-Walid himself has shares -- ran a banner saying: "Muslim riots." "I picked up the phone and called Murdoch... (and told him) these are not Muslim riots, these are riots out of poverty," he said. "Within 30 minutes, the title was changed from Muslim riots to civil riots." |
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A.B.S: ANYONE BUT SHARON
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, December 7, 2005. |
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I never thought that I would see Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as a clear and present danger to the Jewish state of Israel and the Jewish people worldwide. But, people can and do change -- sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. I will not speculate on Sharon's radical turn to the Left -- other than observe that he has become a virtual clone of Shimon Peres. Whether he suffers from a Nero Complex or if he sees the Prime Minister's office as his imperial Prime Ministership, he is clearly not the man in which to place the fate of the nation. Sharon has offered a twisty platform for his "Kadima" Party which he invented. But, whatever he promises, he invariably lies except for one pledge which he has kept. He promised what he called "painful concessions" which came in the form of evacuation of Gaza and North Samaria as Phase One, with evacuation of Judea and Samaria (the west bank) as Phase Two. That leaves only the evacuation of eastern Jerusalem as Phase Three -- to be pased on to the Muslim Arab Palestinians as the capital of the State Sharon has pledged to father. Sharon sees no problem of bringing the so-called Palestinians within rifle and rocket range of all the Israeli cities. To accomplish this he was recruiting willing subversives for months within Likud. Many jumped ship with the latest recruit being Tzachi HaNegbi, current (just resigned) Chairman of the Likud Party, which indicates how deeply Sharon penetrated and subverted his own Party. While there were/are many contestants for the office of Prime Minister within the Likud Party, there are a few who were outstanding. Uzi Landau was and is known as the "One Honest Man" recently decided he could not win the popular vote within the Likud Party so he withdrew and threw his support to former PM Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu. There are many who were disappointed in Bibi when he gave up 80% of Hebron for which he later admitted was a serious mistake. Hopefully, his first term as Prime Minister was that of a man not yet ready to hold the reins of office. But, Bibi has matured over the years and with that maturity, hopefully comes wisdom. If you are so inclined, you may wish to work for his election as the one person who can defeat Sharon and his Evacuation Party. To accomplish this, we must face an ugly fact which is that the Hebrew Media (Ma'ariv, Ha'aretz, Yediot Aharonot) are not only dedicated to the Left but, each is in actuality a Political Party of the Left, denials notwithstanding. Which means that they are the only conduit of news and opinions which are seen by the Israeli public. Since there is no fair and balanced reportage in Israel only the Left's point of view is printed or shown on the TV Channels 1 and 2. Perhaps you will agree that this is not unlike the controlled views of Russians, Egyptians, Syrians, Iranian newspapers. The public hear only one version and that's that. Sharon -- before he became the General of Uprooting and Eviction was hated by these journals but, now he is their hero -- at least as long as he follows the Oslo, Geneva and Road Map plans. Because of this Media Disinformation, many Israelis believe forcing the Jews out of Judea and Samaria and giving up half of Jerusalem will somehow work to their advantage. Not having been told the downside of bringing several million hostile fully weaponized Muslim Arab Palestinians up to the 1949 Armistice Lines, they believe what the Leftist Media tells them, namely the millions of Arab Muslim Palestinians will leave them in peace. Since the equally hostile Media of the Left refuses to be fair and balanced in their stories, editorials, opinions, one can only buy the space to inform the nation. In brief, one would have to purchase full page ads offering the people a factual window of information that would cause them to become fully alert to what Sharon is planning through his Evacuation Party. Sharon has fully adopted Oslo and Beilin's Geneva plan. Moreover, he has adopted Avram Mitzna's plan of total Evacuation while pledging that he, Sharon, would never do that. I am addressing this commentary to those financially able -- because it will take a lot of money to mount an effective ad campaign which will fully inform the Israeli people as to the terrible risks undertaken by Sharon: *That he is gambling with the fate of the Jewish nation, of that there is no doubt. Therefore, if life has treated you well -- if HaShem has seen fit to allow you to accumulate great wealth -- if you have ever won the lottery of life -- consider funding an information campaign that will reach Israelis and overcome the blockage of the Leftist Media of Israel. If, per chance, you have such funds and agree to underwrite such a campaign, please contact me to discuss the possibilities and the people in Israel who would conduct this campaign. For those who know the rich and the very rich who are not dedicated to the Leftists' Agenda of Forced Evacuation, please forward this article. For those who believe that Israel can avoid the extraordinary rising numbers of daily killings in Iraq which will flow into after Sharon's Uprooting and Evictions of Jewish men, women and children, I suggest you pay closer attention to the plans of Hamas, Al Qaeda, Hezb'Allah and, among others, the statements of Abu Musab al Zarqawi (Iraq's most notorious Terrorist -- associated with spectacular bombings, assassinations and the beheadings of foreign hostages. We have already seen the results of Sharon's blunder in Gaza as the Global Terrorists pourin and have started to fight each other for ultimate control. Over a period of 5 years they had launched more than 6,000 Rockets and Missiles at Israelis in Gush Katif and inside Israel from Gaza -- even before Sharon's Evacuation of 10,000 Jewish men, women and children. Think of how many more will be launched after they become fully operational, using the Katyushas sent by Iran through the Egyptian-controlled Sinai. Sharon agreed to the Bush/Rice demand to open the Israeli borders without Israeli inspection and, as a result, major Terrorists have already been spotted coming through. All the cities of Israel, the Ben Gurion International Airport and the Israeli military bases will be in an open shooting range, particularly if Sharon, through is new "Evacuation Party" succeeds. Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). |
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WONDERFUL PROGRAM TO HELP VICTIMS OF TERROR AND GUSH KATIF REFUGEES
Posted by Lee Caplan, December 7, 2005. |
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These two letters comes from Claire Goldstein. My name is Claire Ginsburg Goldstein and I direct Bears from Bergenfield. We collect teddy bears for the victims of terror in Israel and for the Gush Katif refugees and have them distributed by ESRA and IHA there. We have now collected well over 24,500 in the US, and we hope to make it to 50,000. We are also looking to expand this to Canada and England if people could send me some leads to where I can send some info. I was wondering if your students could help me collect teddy bears and stuffed animals to send to the children there. Details of the program are described below in a letter to the editor which I wrote. I would love to hear from you. Have a great and blessed day!
Later she wrote: Dear Editor, If I thought that Mitzvah Day, Nov. 20th was big with 4 schools and synagogues participating, this community needs to sit up and take notice of what is transpiring here... In one day since then, I received emails from 4 other institutions, schooqls, and synagogues who want to join in with our cause. They are Fair Lawn Jewish Center, Yavneh Academy, Temple Emanuel of Closter, and the Union of Reform Judaism Center for Informal Youth Education within several areas of this country. There is no telling in how far that this can spread, nor how many people may chose to get involved in this project. I hope that each institution will adopt a community in Israel like the Ethiopians, Gush Katif, Northern Shomron, etc. I also hope that this project will become an annual event organized within each institution. So how does one get started? Contact me and I will send you out the Operation Teddy Bear flyer. All it takes is an email and a letter home to the parents. Then you put a sign and collection box out in the lobby and give the collection a time limit. You can list where the new and slightly used teddy bears/ stuffed toys are intended. Presently, we are collecting for Gush Katif and the victims of terror in Israel. Tell us where you would like them sent to and we will take care of that for you. Also, have the children write notes that we can attach to the stuffed toys. It makes more of an impact that way. When you have collected 500 or more, contact me. Together, we can make a "bear"y big difference. B'shalom,
Contact Lee Caplan at leescaplan@yahoo.com |
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THE ROOTS OF TERRORISM
Posted by Honest Reporting, December 7, 2005. |
In yet another bloody Palestinian terrorist attack, five Israelis were killed outside a shopping mall in Netanya while scores of others were wounded. "ROOT CAUSES" OF TERROR? In this week's cover story investigating the phenomenon of female suicide bombers, Newsweek uses Dr. Eyad Sarraj (a discredited but frequently used media source see: www.honestreporting.com/articles/ 45884734/critiques/Booms_Over_Gaza.asp), to make the claim that it is Israeli rule that promotes suicide bombing. (Note, the issues we are referencing came to light before the Netanya bombing and refers to the phenomenon of suicide bombing in general as opposed to specific attacks.) Years under Israeli rule have broken down the structures of Palestinian families. "The image of the strong, providing father who can protect his women and children has been badly damaged and the male role has been eroded away," says Dr. Eyad Sarraj, director of Gaza Community Mental Health. That opens the way for radical groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad to teach young boys that the way to be real men is to be religious and to be ready to die. However, despite official condemnation of terror attacks for "harming Palestinian interests," by providing cash for the families of suicide bombers and using its state controlled media to glorify "martyrdom," it is actually the Palestinian Authority which is the "root cause" of Palestinian terrorism. PAYMENTS TO BOMBERS FAMILIES According to the FrontPage Magazine: The Palestinian daily, al Hayat al Jadida has reported that Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas, signed a new law to support the families of suicide bombers. The PA's message to its people is clear, suicide bombings are legitimate and worthy of state compensation. In a major piece on the motivation of female suicide bombers, it would have made sense for Newsweek to recognize the support their families receive from the PA. GLORIFICATION OF "MARTYRDOM" BY PA As documented by Palestinian Media Watch, the Palestinian Authority continues to run media programming that encourages suicide attacks. This has not changed since the death of Arafat, despite the PA's clear Road Map obligations to end all incitement and control terror. Here are just a few recent examples that can be accessed by the PMW link above: November 2005: PA names recently opened Rafah border crossing with Egypt after Al-Moayed Al-Agha, who killed 5 Israelis in the area last year. To make clear the honor they are bestowing on Al-Agha, the PA erects a huge sign at border depicting an armed Al-Agha and a map of the entire State of Israel. [Editor's note: See below, #dec05.35] August 2005: The PA's Ministry of Culture releases "Book of the Month", a poetry collection honoring suicide terrorist Hanadi Jaradat, who murdered 21 Israelis. It was distributed as a special supplement in the daily Al-Ayyam, the official PA newspaper. July 2005: Al-Ayyam, whose editors are appointed by Abbas, endorsed terror attack on Israeli couple, granting the most elevated status to the murderers, the status of "Shahid", Martyr for Allah These examples are just a few that have appeared since the death of Arafat. When media like Newsweek try to examine the "root causes" of suicide bombing, they should examine the Palestinian Authority's actions and communications with its constituents rather than rely on unofficial PA "spokesmen" like Dr. Sarraj. Comments to Newsweek: Letters@newsweek.com HONEST REPORTING CALL FOR NOMINATIONS As we do every year, we are asking you to send us your nominations for our "Dishonest Reporting Award," presented to the journalist or media outlet that displays the most consistent and blatant anti-Israel bias. As always, there are many candidates for this year's "award," and we invite you to send your nominations to: action@honestreporting.com Thank you for your ongoing involvement in the battle against media bias.
Honest Reporting monitors the media for inaccuracy and unfairness
in how they report the news about Israel. Ther website address is
http://www.honestreporting.com. You can help support their research
online or by sending contributions to: HonestReporting, 400 South Lake
Drive, Lakewood, NJ 08701-3167.
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PRESIDENT OF TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY TRIES TO SUPPRESS FREE SPEECH!
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 7, 2005. |
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A specter is haunting the far-left fever swamps found inside Israeli universities: "Israel Academia Monitor." It is Israel's new cousin to the "Campus Watch" web site that operates in the U.S., which has been controversial because of its practice of publishing some of the loopier citations and statements made by faculty members in North America who pose as Middle East Studies "experts." Israel Academia Monitor provides a well-documented record of the most outrageous statements and seditious activities of Israel's own academic extremists. Organized by campus, it makes no secret of its desire to see the information reach donors to those universities, as well as alumni, journalists, and others. And it has the extremists running scared. Campus Watch has long been denounced for its "McCarthyism" by those who object to its activities. Similar denunciations of critics of the Israeli academic Left are becoming more common. Free speech is precisely what the hysteria is all about, namely the right to free speech for critics of the extremists. Israel's far leftists believe firmly in their right to denounce Israel as a Nazi-like, oppressive, racist country, all this during a time of war. What they don't tolerate is anyone else's right to criticize them. They have been attempting to silence the critics of the anti-Zionists, much the way communists have always tried to delegitimize anti-communism as "anti-democratic". The attacks on Israel Academia Monitor (and Campus Watch) are coming from people who insist that in the name of democracy they have the right to endorse terror, collaborate with and promote anti-Semitism, promote law breaking, demand that Israel be annihilated, and use their classrooms to impose their extremist political agenda on their hapless students, all within the rubric of free speech and academic freedom. Free speech for progressive little me but none for thee. When the British Association of University Teachers declared a boycott (www.israelnationalnews.com/article.php3?id=5067) of two Israeli universities last year (later reversed -- www.oxfordstudent.com/tt2005wk6/news/aut_ends_boycott_of_israeli_universities), it turned out that the main initiator was none other than a Senior ), it turned out that the main initiator was none other than a Senior Lecturer at the University of Haifa, Ilan Pappe, who has spent most of his academic career collaborating with anti-Israel propagandists (www.meforum.org/article/87) around the world. Pappe is best renowned for inventing (www.ee.bgu.ac.il/~censor/katz-directory), together with a graduate student of his, an imaginary "massacre" of Arabs near Haifa that Pappe insists took place in 1948. Never mind that no one has ever come up with a scrap of evidence that any such massacre occurred, and never mind that the graduate student in question admitted in court that the story was a fabrication! Pappe is on record calling for Israel to be eliminated as a Jewish state altogether. Much of his "academic record" consists of anti-Israel political propaganda. He is still on the University of Haifa faculty and continues to draw a salary paid for by the Israeli taxpayer. While Pappe became the most visible of Israel's anti-Israel academic extremists, he is only one example of a growing academic plague of extremism. The international "divestment" and "boycott" campaigns against Israel have shone light on Israel's academic extremists and tenured traitors, and helped bring to public attention to the damages they cause. Many of these people endorse boycotts of their own universities, and quite a few openly endorse Arab terrorism against Israelis. They continue to draw salaries at state-financed universities, funded by the very same taxpayers whom some of them wish to see murdered by Arab terrorists. Four Israeli universities are today the centers of anti-Israel tenured extremism (nearly all of the extremists by the way are leftist Jews; few Arabs are as venomously outspoken as they), although each of the other schools also has a few such people. Many academic extremists have been part of the international campaign to boycott Israel. Most have been involved in attempts to organize mutiny and insurrection among Israeli soldiers and to promote refusal to serve in the army until Israel adopts the policies endorsed by its Arab communist parties. Many make the University of Colorado's Ward Churchill look like a sane moderate. There is some argument over the question of which campus is the very worst. Ben Gurion University University (http://admin.blueweb.co.il/main_site/index.php?type=get_page& page_data%5bid%5d=171&page_type=4&userid=3112&cookie_lang=en &the_session_id=24f850527794cc34abaeb72673f7cb64) is certainly a serious contender for that title, crawling with extremist is certainly a serious contender for that title, crawling with extremist leftists who do not think Israel has the right to exist. It contains at least one entire department (political science) in which no Zionist, pro-Israel faculty members may teach, and the single pro-Israel non-leftist lecturer there was fired last year for incorrect thinking. The operation of such an anti-pluralist department goes with the blessings of Ben Gurion University President Avishay Braverman, himself a leftist who has now joined trade union thug Amir Peretz, the new anti-productivity anti-market head of the Labor Party. Among the extremists at Ben Gurion University is Neve Gordon, a "political science" fan of neonazi Norman Finkelstein (whom the ADL considers to be a Holocaust Denier). Gordon is so extremist and anti-Israel that his articles have been carried by the web site of deported neo-Nazi Ernst Zundel. Gordon regularly denounces Israel as a fascist, apartheid terrorist state. He served as a human shield for wanted murderers being hidden in Yassir Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah and was arrested when he interfered with Israeli anti-terror military operations. Gordon launched an international campaign of vilification against his own army commander, accusing him on anti-Semitic web sites of being a "war criminal." Also at Ben Gurion University is sociologist Lev Grinberg, best known for his articles published in Europe claiming that, when Israel targets Hamas terror leaders, Israel is guilty of "symbolic genocide". Then there is Oren Yiftachel, a geographer who has devoted much of his career to "proving" that Israel is an apartheid state. The list goes on and on. The University of Haifa and Tel Aviv University are only slightly less richly endowed with tenured extremists than Ben Gurion University, and the Hebrew University is close in the running. At Tel Aviv University, politicization and in-classroom brainwashing have the official sanction of the President of the University, Itamar Rabinovich, the man who nearly moved the Syrian army up to the Sea of Galilee. The psychology department there now offers an anti-Israel propaganda course entitled "The Psychology of the Occupation" (course number 1071.3627.01), taught by a radical anti-Zionist professor (Uri Hadar). It goes without saying that no psychological damage caused to any Jew by terror is discussed in the course. When I exposed the existence of this course in the media, President Rabinovich wrote the heads of my own university to demand that they silence me and penalize me for the sin of revealing correct facts about Tel Aviv University. The Haifa chiefs dismissed the call for censorship, probably with amusement. Rabinovich's letter was published on the Internet by the spokesman for Tel Aviv University, Danny Shapiro, himself a Marxist. So much for free speech and democracy in the mind of Rabinovich! Tel Aviv University also hosts other faculty extremists. These include Ran HaCohen, who regular writes anti-Israel articles for the most anti-Semitic web sites on earth and who endorses Hizbollah terrorism against Israel. Several Tel Aviv University faculty members are involved in promoting and supporting Tali Fahima, the Jewish leftist woman now in jail for helping her Jenin "boyfriend" plan terrorist atrocities. (A few leftist professors from Israel even nominated Fahima for a Nobel Prize!) Several TAU faculty members have been jailed for their activities, including Dr. Anat Matar, recently arrested for being part of a violent attack upon Israeli soldiers by international "anarchists". Professor Aharon Eviatar is part of the movement to get Israeli army officers indicted before politicized kangaroo courts outside of Israel. The now-retired Prof. Tanya Reinhart (a prot&ecute;gé of Noam Chomsky) has been the most candid about her desire to see Israel annihilated altogether. These are only a small sample of illustrations of the growing problem. A far more detailed and fully-documented exposure of these people can be found on the web site operated by Israel Academia Monitor, at www.israel-academia-monitor.com. The Monitor expresses the desire for donors to Israeli universities to review the material and make their views heard. That is what enrages the radicals. But what is wrong with donors also having freedom of speech? Should not donors take responsibility for, and a moral interest in, how their generosity is misused by politicized universities? Let us be clear. No one is denying freedom of speech nor academic freedom to the extremists, even though there are serious questions as to whether their activities always fall within the category of protected speech. During World War II, Oswald Mosley and his people were not granted academic lectureships in the UK when Winston Churchill was PM, and Lord Haw-Haw was never granted an honorary PhD as a celebration of free speech. I doubt there are many European countries in which an open Holocaust Denier could hold a university lectureship today, although in Israel at least one admirer of Norman Finkelstein does. Outside Israel, academic freedom does seem to have its boundaries. Many European countries have laws making expressions of anti-Semitism a crime. Israel has a law against open endorsement of terror violence, and an "anti-racism" law. No Israeli leftist has ever been indicted under it. Why not? Many of the leftist extremists on Israeli campus have embarrassing academic records, consisting of little more than political propaganda misrepresented as scholarly research, yet they enter the system and stay around thanks to political solidarity by other academic leftists. There is a great difference between affirming their rights to free speech and insisting that taxpayers and others have to foot the bills for their politicization. Israeli universities are all (with one exception) state-financed, with foreign donors covering what the taxpayer does not. Taxpayers and donors have the right to demand accountability and to resist being coerced into financing sedition and radicalism. Departments like Political Science at Ben Gurion University, wishing to function as leftist propaganda machines, are free to secede and operate independently without taxpayer support. Critics of the Israeli far left and donors to Israeli universities should be as entitled to express their opinions as the extremists and radicals themselves. Israeli professors unhappy with this arrangement can always move to Bir Zeit University (http://users.rcn.com/espero/campus05.htm>, run by the PLO in the West Bank, where they're likely to find a receptive audience for their hateful views. 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. This appeared in Front Page Magazine. and is stored at www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=13085 |
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WHY BE JEWISH?
Posted by IsrAlert, December 6, 2005. |
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This is a "C O M M E N T" by Aron Moss and it appeared Kislev 5, 5766/December 6, 2005 on the Chabad website (http://www.chabad.org). It is archived at http://www.chabad.org/329440 Rabbi Aron Moss teaches Kabbalah, Talmud and practical Judaism in Sydney, Australia. Question: I am teaching a high school class about threats to Judaism in the modern world. What do you see as the biggest threat to Jewish survival--assimilation or anti-Semitism? Answer: The biggest threat to Jewish survival is confused Jewish identity. Sadly, today in many Jewish schools and families, Jewish identity is built through teaching Holocaust awareness and a fear of marrying out. The Jewish community's preoccupation with assimilation and anti-Semitism is not the solution, it is the problem. A pessimistic and negative presentation of being Jewish turns off young Jews more than anything else. When we obsess about anti-Semitism we paint ourselves as perpetual victims. When we over-emphasize the threat of assimilation, it makes us feel like an endangered species. The Jews are alongside the hump-back whale and the giant panda in the list of helpless and pitiful communities disappearing from the planet. Is it so surprising that young Jews are opting out of Judaism? Who wants to be a victim? We have to stop defining ourselves by the way others perceive us. Assimilation is when non-Jews love us so much they want to marry us. Anti-Semitism is when non-Jews hate us so much they want to kill us. They both just happen to us; but what do we think of ourselves? We need a clear and positive reason to stay Jewish. Failing that, why should Judaism survive? Is there a good argument for not assimilating into the welcoming societies surrounding us? Is there a compelling reason to stay proudly Jewish in the face of anti-Semitism? I think there is. Judaism is the most powerful idea that the world has ever seen. Jews should survive because we have a message that the world needs to hear. The Jewish way of life is a revolutionary force that can transform ordinary lives into lives of meaning. A family that keeps Shabbat is always reminded of what is really important--that there is more to life than accumulating wealth. The kosher laws teach us that we are not mere animals that must feed our every urge and desire, and that eating itself can be holy. A mezuzah on the door tells the world that this home is built for a higher purpose. Judaism teaches lessons that the world urgently needs to learn--that every individual person is created in the image of G-d, and is therefore unique and valuable; that morality is not relative but absolute; that humans are partners with G-d in creation, with a mission to create heaven on earth. These bold Jewish ideas are more relevant now than ever. But bold Jewish ideas need bold Jewish people to perpetuate them. The world can only be elevated if individuals first elevate themselves. We can only make the world into a divine home if we start with our own home. This is Judaism's formula to change the world for better. This is why we must stay Jewish. The biggest threat to Judaism is not external pressure but rather internal confusion. When we lose sight of our mission, we lose the strength and stamina to survive. The Jewish feeling we need to develop in ourselves and our children is not fear of anti-Semitism, or guilt about assimilation. It is a humble pride in the greatness of the Jewish mission and confident resolve to fulfill it. When we are clear about our identity, no threat in the world can shake us. Harv Weiner, a businessman in Dallas, Texas, is the founder and moderator of Isralert. To subscribe to IsrAlert, send an email to isralert@aol.com |
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WHO DID SHARON AND HIS COLLABORATORS -- PERES, BUSH AND CANDY-APPEASER RICE -- KILL IN SHARON MALL
Posted by Evelyn Hayes, December 6, 2005. |
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This was written by Scott Shiloh and is called "The Five Lives Cut Short by Arab Terror in Netanya" One was guarding the mall. The others were doing their shopping. All were killed by an Arab bomber because they were Jews living in the land of Israel. The lives of five innocent people were cut short by an Arab suicide bomber on Monday at the entrance to the Sharon shopping mall in Netanya. Another fifty were wounded in the attack, some critically. At 11:30 in the morning, a female police officer and passersby identified a man approaching the Sharon Mall in Netanya as a suicide bomber, and shouted out warnings. The security guards stopped the man, pushing him up against the wall, and nearby police officers rushed to help. At that point, the bomber detonated the explosives he had in his bag. The Islamic Jihad terror group took credit for the devastation. These are the stories of the five Jewish men and women of valor who were murdered in this attack: Haim Amram, 26, of Netanya Haim Amram had worked as a security guard at the Sharon Mall for the past three years and was also on duty during the suicide bombing there four months ago. His cousin, Lior Golan, said Monday night that Haim loved his job, despite the low pay, and had worked as a security guard since completing his military service in the Israel Air Force. Before the Sharon Mall, he had worked in Ra'anana. "He was an incredible person. Very quiet and humble, he wanted to study psychology. He wanted to save everyone, and that's how he was killed. There's no doubt this is a hero's death," Lior said. Haim attended Sinai Elementary School in Netanya and then a yeshiva high school. He liked to work out at the Wingate Institute gym, and recently bought a motorcycle. He was hoping to study psychology after completing his matriculation exams for university. During the past year, he had begun to live with his girlfriend. The two planned on marrying at the start of the summer and to travel abroad. Haim Amram was buried in Netanya. He is survived by his parents, Esther and David, and three siblings -- Vicky, Guy and Keren. Alexandra Garmitzky, 65, of Netanya Alexandra Garmitzky and her husband Vichislav had only one child. Dr. Andrei Garmitzky is a urologist at the Hillel Yafeh Medical Center in Hadera. As soon as he heard about the bombing at the Sharon Mall in Netanya, he telephoned his mother, knowing that she often went shopping there. When he failed to reach her, he hurried to the emergency room at his hospital to look for her among the wounded. He identified her body at the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir. Alexandra and her husband immigrated to Israel eight years ago from Ukraine, where she worked as a bookkeeper. On Monday morning she went out on an errands to the local National Insurance Institute branch, and later stopped in to do some shopping at the Sharon Mall. Alexandra Garmitzky will be buried in the cemetery at Kibbutz Bahan. She is survived by her husband Vichislav, and only son, Andrei, 41. Daniel Golan, 45, of Nahariya Daniel Golani was the owner of a chain of clothing stores called 35th Ave and was a well-known figure in Nahariya. He was in Netanya Monday to finalize a rental agreement for a store in Sharon mall. His friend of 25 years and business partner, David Barak, spoke with Golani minutes before the blast. "He really happy and told me he had closed the rental deal. Apparently he accompanied a friend who was with him to the mall entrance and a few minutes later the blast occured," Barak said. Dani Golani was originally from Netanya and settled in Nahariya 16 years ago. He was involved in local politics and was supposed to supervise several polling booths in his neighborhood on behalf of Ron Frumer's campaign headquarters in the upcoming municipal elections. "Dani was a wonderful person," said Zion Lankri, a Nahariya local council member, who was friends with Golani for nearly 18 years. "It was hard to separate him from his smile. He loved to live, and loved his family. This was a person one could always trust and turn to during difficult times. He was a rock. He wasn't scared of anything." David Rosen, also a member of the Nahariya local council, said that Golani would help the needy, and could always be trusted to come to the aide of those who needed it. Daniel Golani will be buried in his home town of Netanya. He is survived by his wife Ronit, and their two daughters -- Shir, 17, and Raz, 14. Elia Rosen, 38, of Bat Hefer Elia Rosen had gone with a friend to the Sharon Mall to shop for clothes. A psychologist by training, she was due to start a new job next week as a project manager at Comverse, a hi-tech firm. Elia was born and raised in Ramat Aviv, and attended the Alliance High School there. She later received a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's in education. Before her career change, she diagnosed learning disabilities in teenagers and young adults. Eight years ago, the Rosen family had moved to moshav Bat Hefer. Her husband Gadi said she had never expressed any concerns about the security situation and felt completely comfortable living close to the seam line. She always thought traffic accidents posed a greater threat than the security situation. Elia Rosen will be buried in the cemetery at Kibbutz Bahad. She is survived by her husband Gadi, 41, and their three children -- sons Ro'i, 5, and Gal, 12, and a 10-year-old daughter, Noam. Keinan Tsuami, 20, of Petah Tikva Keinan Tsuami was killed several minutes after completing his shopping at the Sharon Mall, where he had gone with a childhood friend. They were already at the exit, when the friend realized he had forgotten something inside. Handing Keinan his jacket to hold, he went back indoors. Keinan, who remained outside, was killed in the blast. When his friend managed to exit the mall later, he found only his own jacket lying on the ground. The youngest in the family, Keinan attended Feinstein Junior High and graduated from the Ankori High School in Hod Hasharon. "There are no words to describe Keinan. He was a happy kid, a soulful child with a love of life," said a friend. His uncle, Moshe Tsuami, said that his nephew had postponed his enlistment into the IDF in order to help his father in the family carpentry shop. Lilach, Keinan's girlfriend, is unable to believe what has happened: "We celebrated his birthday just a month ago, all the signs are sill in his room, the teddy bear is still in the room. We were together for a year, I don't really understand how he left me like this. I don't believe it, my poor Keinan. Everyone told him to be careful of motorcycles -- and in the end, this is what happened." Keinan Tsuami will be buried in the Segula Cemetery in Petah Tikva. He is survived by his parents, Shmuel and Mazal, and two older brothers, Lior and Ohad. Evelyn Hayes is author of "The Eleventh Plague, Twins, because their hearts were softened to accept the unacceptable" and "The Twelfth Plague, Generations, because the lion wears stripes." Contact her at haze@rcn.com. |
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SELF-INFLICTED SENTENCE OF EVACUATION AND DEATH
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, December 6, 2005. |
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I have often pondered why the greater part of the Jewish people chooses death instead of life. There seems to be some genetic flaw wherein the population at large selects leaders who invariably lead them to vulnerability and, most often, to death. They seem to hold a strong belief that pleading or bribing their declared enemies will bring them relief from oppression and safety. Even when those tactics eventually fail, this does not change their belief behavior that the same leaders who made bad decisions will, in the future, make wise decisions. We observed Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres break up an excellent network of Israeli Intelligence and the Arabs that they recruited to penetrate the Muslim Arab Palestinian Terrorists -- only to hand that network over to Yassir Arafat after they resurrected him from exile in Tunis. They believed that to sign some sort of document with Arafat would cause him to break up his Terror network and defend Jews. Why would he do that when Terror is what got him into power? We observed Israel's current Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, at the behest of the Bush Administration, similarly weaken the Israeli Intelligence and Military response on the off chance that the new President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) would break up the numerous Terrorist organizations which had, in fact, strengthened during Arafat's reign. When Abu Mazen didn't disband his in-house Terror Groups, Sharon/Peres (like Rabin/Peres) found another way to ignore his lack of responsive action and the thousands (more than 6000) rockets flying into Jewish civilians in Israel and Gush Katif -- with many more promised especially now that there are no Jewish barriers to large weapons entering Gaza to be shipped to Judea and Samaria. I know we Jews are thought to be smart, to have sechel, but our response to dangerous borders crosses over the threshold of merely stupid mingled with the desire to be killed -- or sacrificed on the altar of the "Peace Process". Are we so suicidal as a people and as a nation in some genetic way? Do we gravitate toward and select leaders whom we know to be liars? As we see such leaders as Sharon and Peres lie and when the lies are exposed, we then ignore the lies. The more crooked the leader, the more much of the Jewish people follow him. Why? Since the founding of the Jewish State of Israel, the leaders -- almost without exception -- have accepted cease-fire arrangement by foreign governments. When these compromises with our safety and sovereignty failed (as they always did!), our genetically flawed leadership accepted the next set of lies as a "Peace Treaty"of sorts. Instead of bringing the leadership to be investigated, indicted and tried in an honest Court of Justice and perhaps jailing them for crimes against the Jewish People, we elected them again. Our misbegotten wish to die or to accept subservience to another people seems to be strong within us. We accept inferiors, often primitive people as our masters -- even when we are stronger and don't have to submit. We merely weaken our military and geographic strengths to increase our vulnerability and our enemies perception of our weakness. I am reminded of the factual movie ("Born Free") of a lioness, Elsa, raised with humans. When they tried to turn her loose in the wild, the poor thing was frightened. When she encountered a small wart-hog which Elsa could and should have dispatched with a blow, instead she accepted the repeated charges of the wart-hog. Eventually, Elsa walked off, seemingly embarrassed to be bested by a lowly wart-hog. Is that what we are, Jewish humans with weak leaders who accept any indignity, any assault -- even at the expense of our lives and our children's lives -- often accompanied by the psychobabble of why we don't defend ourselves. Often we find volumes of words as we act the apologist for our attacking enemies, finding a rationale of why we must be at fault if they attack us. We repeatedly search for the problem within ourselves which cause our enemies to be angry and even killing us. I have seen this sick tendency in most of our Jewish leadership, both in Israel and America. With the Muslim riots burning out of Europe, I expect these are the results of the same Jewish mind-set in the rest of the Diaspora. Granted, there are always a handful of exceptions who stand up for our rights, our dignity, our sovereignty and our Jewish Holy Sites in our Land, but the majority have been able to effectively shout them down. Two Jews are about to be shot by an Arab Muslim firing squad. The Captain says: "Do you want a blind-fold?" One of the Jews responds: "Go to Hell!" The other Jew (always) says, "Shut up. Do you want to make them mad?" We Jews have been put before a firing squad by our weak leaders at the behest of a Pro-Arab U.S. State Department and a compromised Sharon and we afraid to say: "Go to Hell!" As the Bush Family Dynasty wished to force Israel to surrender Jerusalem to the pagan Arab Muslims, we pretend that he and his family are actually friends of the Jewish people. As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, at the orders of the Bush Administration and the always Pro-Arab State Department, forces Israel to open her borders to Muslim Arab Terrorists now pouring in from all over the world where the sleeper cells of Muslim Terrorists have coalesced and grown strong. (Case in point: Please view "The Sleeper Cell" docu-drama on Showtime TV.) We pretend that it's not so bad. As rockets and suicide/homicide bombers continue to assault us, Sharon explodes a few empty buildings and fires shells into empty fields where the launchers of Kassem Rockets and Katyusha Missiles have long since gone home to their villages in Gaza -- which Sharon has ethnically cleansed to assist their security in their safe-houses. Then we hear the bluster from Sharon and/or Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz to the effect that "We cannot tolerate this and we will soon do something about it!" Whatever Sharon was a long time ago as a brave and clever General whom I admired, he is not that hero now. He belongs to the Bush family or whoever else will hail him as a great statesman for abandoning Jewish territory won by the valiant sacrifices of our dead Jewish soldiers and for putting all of Israel in harms' way. We the Jewish people apparently need a gigantic Freudian couch and years of therapy. Perhaps we need added Gene Therapy with survival genes because, most assuredly, the larger segment of our race is definitely missing a survival gene. What we do seem to have in abundance is the tendency to blame ourselves when our adversaries attack. Our leaders snivel, whine and genuflect to implacable enemies who state plainly that they will continue attacking until we are safely off this planet or -- at least -- until we are buried in it. As for Sharon and his advisory clone, Peres, they are committed to be the pall bearers of the Jewish State of Israel and with them all other Jews wherever we may be! Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). |
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ONLY GUARANTEE A JEWISH STATE HAS; P.A. POLICE TO ACCEPT 2,500 AL-AQSA BRIGADES MEMBERS
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 6, 2005. |
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BRING U.S. TROOPS HOME? The US government is considering whether to wind down its effort in Iraq. Democrats support for this, claiming we cannot win. Republicans support this, claiming that we are winning. I haven't seen from them how many Iraqi troops are trained and have proved themselves in the field (even in the newspaper report that Pres. Bush has cited some figure). If the Iraqi levees are ready and resolute, then we will have won. If the Iraqis cannot defend themselves, we will have fought in vain unless we take the war to the sources of the jihadists who stream in to fight against our side. US troops are superb but too few were in Iraq. It follows that Iraq would need a larger force in the field, and free of infiltrators, to wear down the rebels. I doubt that Iraq is ready with greater numbers than the US still has there. Why is there no concrete public discussion on this? Suppose Iraqis are capable of replacing foreign troops with its own, combat-ready. Should the US troops simply come home? Did the war on terrorism end with Iraq, Afghanistan, and better policing? No. There is an Islamist world war against the US, among others. We have no option to drop out of it. Iran and other states continue to sponsor international terrorism. (So does the US, in the P.A..) With victory behind it in Iraq, the US should move against another terrorist state. As this is an unpopular thought, it is unstated elsewhere. It is particularly irresponsible of the State Dept., which seems to reserve its energy to punishing the anti-terrorist efforts of Israel, still to neglect potential allies in Iran. The US still has failed to learn from the problems in Iraq that more troops are needed -- the funds have been appropriated to subsidize oil profiteers, not recruitment. Certainly more troops would be needed in Iran. A native insurgency would all the more be of urgent help to a US effort and perhaps make invasion unnecessary. We must move fast, in any case, to prevent Iran from acquiring weapons of mass-destruction usable against the West. The fanatics insist they intend to use them, as their ideology of death indicates they would. P.A. POLICE TO ACCEPT 2,500 AL-AQSA BRIGADES MEMBERS P.A. police already number more than double what Oslo allowed, but is adding to its roster of terrorists. The Arabs do not adhere to their Oslo and Map agreements. Why should Israel? Israel gets all the disadvantages of those agreements and none of the few advantages. "GUARANTEES" There they go, again, misrepresenting appeasement as fortitude. Someone described Sharon's policy as against land-for-peace. Yes, he makes no pretense of obtaining peace for giving the jihadists land belonging to the Jewish patrimony. They say he is exchanging it for secure borders. His previous giveaway has made Israel less secure. Secure borders would include the Territories (minus the Arabs). The appeasers then admit it by arguing that Israel would get security "guarantees." The only guarantee for the Jewish people is that they would be betrayed. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. |
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A CARDINAL WRITES
Posted by Max Yas, December 6, 2005. |
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Radical Islamists are now involved in insurrections and/or terrorism against: Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims who do not conform with their radical interpretation of the Koran and generally against the West and against Democracy. Insurrections and/or terrorism (some sporadic), are ongoing in: Kosovo, Bosnia, Macedonia, Algeria, Sudan, Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iraq, Russia (Chechnia), Congo, Iraq, the Middle-East, Indonesia, Uganda, Bangladesh, Cyprus, East Timor, Indonesia, Pakistan, Kurdistan, Kazakstan, Tajikstan, the Philippines and Thailand. Christians are murdered, churches destroyed and thousands displaced. In Sudan alone over one million Christians lost their lives. In some Muslim countries Christian practices are banned and missionaries denied entry. Yet members of some Protestant denominations have a problem in overcoming their legacy of Martin Luther's antisemitism and overlook the terror against their coreligionists in some Muslim countries. Instead they focus on DIVESTMENT from Israel, even though Christian missionaries function there freely and there is no discrimination against Jewish Messianic congregations. By contrast Christian Arabs are subject to discrimination in PA controlled areas and are leaving in droves. Their number have dwindled to only 1.7% of the population. One example as reported by the International Christian Embasssy -- Jerusalem (ICEJ): (Sept. 3/05), hundreds of armed Palestinian Muslims crying 'Allahu Akbar' descended on the West Bank Christian city of Taibe. For the next few hours, the mob terrorized the community, setting sixteen homes and multiple businesses on fire, looting valuables from both, and destroying a statue of the Virgin Mary. A thought: Why would Churches who believe that "Jesus chased the money changers from the Temple" and "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks" use money as a weapon? Fortunately we have friends like the International Christian Embassy -- Jerusalem and their fellow evangelicals (50 million in the US alone) who support Israel's right to exist in peace and security and are now conducting a campaign for INVESTMENT in Israel. The Catholic church has done a 180 degree turn away from their centuries-old antisemitic stance. Please read the following article by Cardinal Tucci. Shalom from Max. "Italian prelate rips Islamic anti-Semitism" (expressed in more eloquent terms then this writer ever could). Rome, Nov. 06, 2003 (CWNews.com) - Cardinal Roberto Tucci has said that the anti-Semitism he has seen in the Islamic world is comparable to that of the Nazis. Cardinal Tucci, who until last year was the primary "advance man" for the Pope's foreign trips, made his sharply worded comments in response to publication of a survey that showed European people ranking the state of Israel among the top threats to world peace. "I regret that this survey took place under the sponsorship of the European community," the Jesuit prelate told a Vatican Radio audience on November 6. "I also regret that the survey was published during a time when we are trying to revive the 'road map' to peace." Rather than blaming Israel for the conflict in the Middle East, Cardinal Tucci said that the public should recognize that "there are many threats to peace that come from entities that are not governments but international terrorist organizations." He cited al Qaida and Hamas as examples of such threat. If Palestine had been listed among the states mentioned in the European survey, the cardinal said he suspected that many European respondents would have recognized Palestine as a threat to peace as well. He complained that in criticizing the Israeli government, many European commentators "slide too quickly over the anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism" that motivates some of the harshest critics. He argued that the hostility toward Israel which is growing in Europe is tainted by anti-Semitism as well. In the Islamic world, Cardinal Tucci continued, overt expressions of anti-Semitism are commonplace. "Throughout the Islamic world -- on their radios, their televisions, in the media, in the schools -- there is an education toward rabid and malicious anti-Semitism," he said. "It is the worst anti-Semitism imaginable, except for the Nazis -- or even equal to that of the Nazis." "We can criticize Sharon and criticize the Jews," the cardinal said. But in light of the fact that the Israeli people live under a constant threat of attack, "we need to be very understanding, even as we make the necessary criticisms." He pointed out that many Jewish leaders have criticized Israeli policies toward the Palestinians, and noted that there is no such loyal criticism among the Islamic nations, where "malign anti-Semitism has total dominance." Contact the poster at maxyas@victoria.tc.ca |
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U.S. REPLY TO NETANYA ATTACK
Posted by Marcel Cousineau, December 6, 2005. |
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This parody has more truth than most people realize! U.S. GOVERNMENT MEMO: classified: for your eyes only Standard U.S. Protocol as related to Israel and the P.A. There is to be no deviation from this list by any spokesmen or employees of those U.S. Government agencies involved in the final solution break up of Israel. 1.Condemn all attacks against Israel but do nothing else. This is the standard 'condemnation used since our Oslo Plan to weaken and dismember Israel, memorize it and use it. "We condemn this vicious action of terror," the US State Department said. "The Palestinian Authority must take immediate steps to prevent these attacks, to end the violence and to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism." 2. Never, never follow up or expect the Palestinians to do more than their standard condemnation. 3. With large and more serious attacks use the words 'strongly condemn'. 4. A day after the attack, move Israel's leaders away from doing anything substantive as a deterrent with the Palestinians, this may set back our plans to finalize the Israel problem. 5. If Israel does hit back hard, begin the pressure to restrain them immediately. If threats are needed to put a stop to Israel's attacks against the terrorist hotbeds, this will be done by POTUS and or CONDI. 6. Remain silent and concillatory towards Israeli Government officials. We must keep them in our 'friend' box. If we antagonize them too much, they may break loose from our grasp, free to put an end to our agenda and this must not happen. They might just go in and defeat the Palestinians and end the intifada. That would be disasterous for our plans. 7. The plan is working well. Sharon, Olmert, Mofaz and Peres, our well trained puppets offer us no problems or resistance. They obey us quite religiously. We are truly their god and master. Netanyahu is in place to surrender more Jewish land for our Palestinian state if there is a right wing uprising in Israel against Sharon. 8. The media is doing a great job so please keep a positive relationship with all of them, buy them a drink take them out to dinner, cultivate their continued loyalty. tin lizzard Contact Marcel Cousineau at up2zionsg8@yahoo.com. Or go to his webblog: A Very Heavy Stone (http://averyheavystone.blogspot.com/). |
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THE TEMPLE MOUNT IS...?
Posted by Women in Green, December 6, 2005. |
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This was written by Ze'ev Orenstein of Israel National News. On June 7th, 1967 / the 28th of Iyar, 5727, Motta Gur, commander of the battle for Jerusalem during the Six-Day War, uttered three words that shook the very foundations of the world, and served as the culmination of 2,000 years of Jewish hopes, dreams and prayers: "Har Habayit beyadeinu!" ("The Temple Mount is in our hands!") Sadly, just under 40 years later, that is no longer the case. Recently, I had the distinct privilege of ascending Har HaBayit (the Temple Mount), and visiting the holiest site of the Jewish People. (Before any Jew visits Har HaBayit he should consult with a Halachic authority well versed in the laws concerning such a visit.) Har HaBayit is the site where the first two Batei HaMikdash (Holy Temples) stood and upon which the third will be built, speedily, in our time. It is on this place where the presence of G-d rests and many central events in Jewish history occurred on this very spot (such as Akeidat Yitzchak -- the binding of Isaac). While I am thankful for the opportunity to visit the holiest of sites of the Jewish People (an act that, throughout our long Exile, so few Jews have merited; and I dare not proclaim to be of greater spiritual stature, and as such, more deserving), there is also a sense of shame that accompanies me on these visits. When a Jew visits Har HaBayit today -- specifically, a religious Jew -- he does so as a visitor, as a guest and not as sovereign. After the Six-Day War, when Jerusalem was liberated from Jordanian occupation, the Jewish people had once again returned to Har HaBayit, the focal point of all of our prayers. Sadly, Moshe Dayan, then Minister of Defense, ordered the Israeli flag lowered from the Mount and gave the Muslim Waqf day-to-day control over Har HaBayit. This remains the status quo until this very day. As such, today, when a Jew visits Har HaBayit, he must play according to rules set by the Muslim Waqf. He is only allowed to visit during limited hours. Religious Jews are given "special" treatment: they are instructed that if they are seen performing any act of religious significance while visiting Har HaBayit, then they will be forcibly removed and charges will be brought against them (this speech is given by a Jewish Israeli police officer). These restrictions include praying, bowing, tearing clothing, singing, dancing.... The powers that be ensure compliance on this matter by having all religious Jews who visit Har HaBayit escorted by Israeli police and Muslim Waqf officials. This treatment is only given for religious Jews; tourists are able to move freely on Har Habayit without escort. To make matters worse, Har HaBayit today is not given the respect and reverence that is befitting a place of such holiness. Arab children can be seen riding bikes and playing ball. Garbage is strewn all over the Mount. Illegal excavations continue around the clock, with the sole aim being to erase any physical evidence of a Jewish connection to the site. When the Arabs come to pray at the mosques found on the Temple Mount, they hear sermons filled with hatred and vitriol against the Jewish people and state, comparing Jews to monkeys and pigs, alongside calls for the destruction of the Jewish State of Israel. (To see pictures of Har HaBayit today, click here. The Jewish Israeli poet, Uri Tzvi Greenberg, z"l, understood the centrality of the Temple Mount to the conflict that the Jewish people are faced with today in the Land of Israel: "He who rules the Mount rules the Land." Today, it is clear from the actions (or inaction) of successive Jewish governments since 1967 that the Jewish People do not rule the Mount. As such, our hold on Eretz Yisrael today is tenuous. Consider this: If the State of Israel is unwilling to stand up and enforce the right of the Jewish people to Har HaBayit, our holiest site, then for what are we willing to stand and fight? For Gush Katif? For Hebron? For eastern Jerusalem? The Arabs are not a stupid people. They see that we are unwilling to stand up for what is ours -- in this case, our holiest site -- and they understand that if that is the case, then we will not truly stand up to them anywhere else in the Land of Israel either. The time has come for the Jewish people to reconnect with our holiest site; to raise an outcry over the injustices taking place on Har HaBayit; to demand, at the very least, that Jews should have equal rights with the Muslims, and be able to pray on Har HaBayit in accordance with Halacha. How can it be that in the Jewish State of Israel (which also claims to be a democracy) freedom of religious worship is not extended to Jews at their holiest of sites? Here's a better question: How can it be that the desecration of G-d's name and sanctuary bothers so few Jews, both in Israel and in the rest of the world? Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org |
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TIKKUN -- ORGANIZED CRIME FAMILY
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 6, 2005. |
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1. So let us see if we have this straight. Of the three contenders for Prime Minister in Israel, one (Ariel Sharon) responded to the recent Kassam shelling of Jewish towns in the Negev from Gaza and the latest suicide bombing of Netanya by announcing that henceforth he would retaliate against the Palestinian terrorists by warning them which buildings he would bomb and then punishing the empty buildings; the sceond contender (Netanyahu) spent his term as Prime Minister punishing empty Palestinian buildings for bus bombings and other forms of terror; and the third contender (Amir Peretz) promises to retaliate for Palestinian terror atrocities by bombing the headquarters of the Israeli Manufacturers Association. Is all that clear now? 2. Tikkun - Organized Crime Family! http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=20427 Tikkun's Questionable Tax-Exempt Status By Lee Kaplan FrontPageMagazine.com, December 6, 2005 Internal Revenue Service rules and regulations make it clear that advocacy of crimes, including "civil disobedience," is grounds for terminating an organization's nonprofit status. Why then has the IRS not withdrawn the tax-exempt status it granted to Michael Lerner's Tikkun as a nonprofit and demanded back taxes on all the money he has collected over the years while advocating illegal acts? The law is clear: "A trust cannot be created for a purpose which is illegal. The purpose is illegal...if the trust tends to induce the commission of crime or if the accomplishment of the purpose is otherwise against public policy." Further: "Not only is the actual conduct of illegal activities inconsistent with exemption, but the planning and sponsoring of such activities are also incompatible with charity and social welfare." Yet Tikkun (which uses tax ID number 94-2527904 as a 501c3 nonprofit) has repeatedly and blatantly violated provisions against advocating civil disobedience in violation of IRS tax codes Tikkun activists can be found at almost all of the most virulent anti-Israel and anti-American functions put on by groups such as the Arab-American Anti-discrimination Committee, Al Awda (the Return), International Answer, and United for Peace and Justice. Most of these groups also encourage civil disobedience -- a tactic that today is inspired less by Ghandi than by anarchist thugs trashing storefronts--at American taxpayers' expense while enjoying nonprofit status. A 60's Berkeley radical turned radical rabbi, Lerner has become the poster boy for Arab interests who seek to portray "good Jews" as those who support Arab goals against the state of Israel and against American troops in Iraq. Part of a play-it-as-it-goes Judaism, Lerner has made himself a well known personality in radical leftist circles, the "Jewish voice" who can be counted on to appear at leftwing demonstrations and certify as kosher pro-Arab and Muslim organizations seeking to dismantle Israel and oppose US forces in Iraq. Many serious Jews believe that by making common cause with anti-Semitic organizations and apologists for terrorism, Lerner is more a radical opportunist than a "teacher" of the Jewish people. Lerner's successful leftist publication Tikkun, frequently repeats Arab libels against Israel -- claiming, for instance, that European Jews landed in the Mideast to steal the land of the Palestinians (most of Israel's Jewish population are refugees from Arab lands and the Zionist movement legally purchased all its land holdings prior to the war in 1948). The Tikkun website frequently asks for donations to rebuild "Palestinian homes" that were demolished by the Israel Defense Force because they housed terrorist cells or bomb factories. Lerner's diatribes against Israel and US forces in Iraq match PLO propaganda almost verbatim and as a result he is frequently welcomed by International Solidarity Movement and other anti-Israel groups as a "true" Jewish voice. Lerner's own experience of civil disobedience comes from the Weatherman-like actions he was involved with in Seattle and elsewhere during the 1960s: the spontaneous demonstration that quickly gets out of hand. There is little doubt what Tikkun wants to happen when it repeatedly advocates civil disobedience in violation of IRS tax codes on its website: Thursday morning: April 11 [2004] Nonviolent Protest (and possibly civil disobedience)at The U.S. State Department (near Foggy Bottom subway station) Be there at 10:30 a.m. Action begins: 11 a.m. Only people committed to non-violence are welcome. Let us know if you are coming: community@tikkun.org If you know you are planning to participate in nonviolent civil disobedience, please send us your name, name of contact person should you be arrested and their phone number and email, your driver's license or other i.d. number, your home address, and your home phone and email. Do not resist arrest. And come on Wednesday night to the event at Temple Shalom if that is at all possible for you. Contact us: community@tikkun.org or call 415 575 1200 From the Tikkun website: Join TIKKUN COMMUNITY co-chairs Rabbi Michael Lerner and Cornel West in a demonstration at the State Department in D.C. at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 11, or in similar demonstrations in NYC and S.F. that same day. Sorry to inconvenience you during the work week, but the slaughter is happening right now. Some of us may engage in non-violent civil disobedience (depending on whether it makes sense given developments till that moment), others will be there to publicly support our call for an international force to intervene immediately to separate and protect both sides. *************** In NEW YORK CITY Thursday, April 11: Vigil at Israel Consulate with possible non-violent civil disobedience. Tikkun Community will follow the lead of John Deats of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. More info: Rev. Richard Deats Editor, Fellowship magazine Box 271 Nyack, NY 10960 845.358-4601. Fax 845-358-4924 **** Then, that evening, April 11, Rabbi Lerner will speak and meet with people interested in The Tikkun Community at the Church of St Paul and St. Martin, northeast corner of 86th and West End Ave, 7 p.m. Spread the word, please! And bring dessert! ************************ San Francisco: Thursday April 11 Israeli Consulate this Thursday at Noon at 456 Montgomery Street between Sacramento and California in downtown San Francisco, where we will hold a press conference during which we will present officials at the Consulate with a DECLARATION OF BAY AREA JEWS FOR AN END TO THE OCCUPATION AND FOR AN IMMEDIATE CESSATION OF VIOLENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. Possible non-violent civil disobedience, depending on world circumstances. On another page of the Tikkun website, Lerner acknowledges that Tikkun advocates civil disobedience not just against Israel, but also the U.S. government: One step we need to consider to get the U.S. government to change its policies and support this more balanced perspective for peace and justice is to engage in civil disobedience. Would you join us in doing so were we to call for such a day of civil disobedience, either in your own town or in D.C. If you would, let us know immediately--email RabbiLerner@tikkun.org and let us know if you'd come to DC for such or whether you'd organize a group of people in your own community to participate at a local public place. In fact, Lerner wants to develop a Rapid Response Team to engage in civil disobedience not just in the nation.s capital, but in cities all over the country, too. "We must nonviolently resist attacks upon our freedoms and what we deem to be excesses of our foreign and domestic policies. Such nonviolent resistance would include, at the appropriate time and place, civil disobedience for which we would accept fair legal penalties as an integral part.." By "fair legal penalties," Lerner is referring to the usual drill of the civil disobedience arrest: a few minutes at court to be quickly released in time to attend the victory party, with a suspended sentence later on. But the fair penalty for what he has advocated should be revocation of Tikkun's nonprofit status. There is a title waiting for Michael Lerner's next book: how an ex-60's radical repackaged himself as a rabbi and found a new way to develop a sinecure for himself while aiding terrorist movements overseas and their insurgency allies in Iraq tax free. It is a story that is probably worth telling, but the U.S. taxpayer should not have to subsidize it. 3. The most dangerous job in Israel? English tutor for Amir Peretz? Dental hygienist for Ariel Sharon? No, grasshopper. It is the guard at the entrance to the Sharon Mall in Netanya. The mall has been targeted by more suicide bombers than any other single spot in Israel. And every single time it has been targeted, the murderer came from the nearby West Bank town of Tul Karem, under PLO control. What has Israel done to Tul Karem after each attack? Not much. Mainly purr and threaten really really hard retaliation. You know, RRH. Meow. So what needs to be done? Well, the answer was hidden in an old Joni Mitchell song, with slight alteration of the lyrics. (Those of you old enough to have prostate problems will remember Joni from the 60s.) Here 'tis: u>The Parking Lot Solution Song Based on "Big Yellow Taxi" original lyrics by Joni Mitchell (http://www.letssingit.com/?/joni-mitchell-big-yellow-taxi-tsgr9wh.html ) Let's paved Tul Karem
Let's take all them tanzim
Hey settler, settler
Late last night
I said
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. |
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ABBAS APPROVES PAYMENTS TO FAMILIES OF SUICIDE BOMBER
Posted by Jonathan D. Halevi and David Frankfurter, December 6, 2005. |
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As reports of another suicide bombing in the Israeli seaside resort of Netanya broke, Palestinian newspaper al-Haya al-Jadidha disclosed that the Palestinian President has approved financial support for families of suicide bombers. Each "martyr family" will receive a monthly stipend of at least $250 from the PA. The budget for "martyr families", prisoners, and the wounded could reach $100 million a year out of an annual budget of approximately $1 billion -- around 30% of which comes from international donations. December 6, 2005: Palestinian newspaper al-Haya al-Jadidha reported yesterday President Mahmoud Abbas' (Abu Mazen) approval of the provision of assistance to the families of Palestinian "martyrs". Yasser Ararir, Chairman of the Gazan Association of Martyr Families revealed the decision at a symposium in Gaza, called on December 4, 2005 to explain the proposal. Ararir, who has led a public campaign for approval of the proposed law for over a year, praised Abbas' decision and noted that every "martyr family" would receive at least $250 a month. The family of a married "martyr" will receive an additional $50 a month. "Martyr parents" will receive an additional $25 per parent, and each child or sibling of a "martyr" is to receive an additional $15. The allocations will be paid from the budget of the Palestinian Authority (PA) via the Martyrs' Families and Injured Care Establishment, which is directly responsible to the PA Social Welfare Department. According to PA data, the new law applies to the families of 3,746 Palestinians killed in the second intifada (September 2000 -- December 2005) as well as the 1,533 families of "martyrs" of the first intifada (1987-1993). Official PA information shows that the PA already transfers some $4 million each month to Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli gaols. Total support for "martyr families", prisoners and the wounded could reach as much as $100 million a year out of a total $1 billion budget -- approximately 30% of which, according to published PA accounts, is provided by international donors. "Martyr families", prisoners and the wounded receive additional financial assistance amounting to tens of millions of dollars annually, from the Charity Trusts of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad. These charities are located mainly in Saudi Arabia, Iran and Persian Gulf countries, with some donations being channeled through Islamic charities in Europe and the United States. On the same day as the report of new Palestinian funding for "martyrs" was published, a suicide bomber exploded himself at the entrance to a shopping mall in the Israeli seaside resort of Netanya, killing at least 5 and injuring 50 more. Abbas sent out a written statement condemning the attack as not being in Palestinian interests. [Editor's note: From the Palestinian Media Watch:
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BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS
Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, December 6, 2005. |
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The courage and dedication shown by American universities to maintaining democratic standards of free speech and the free exchange of ideas is nearly on the high level found is France and Spain. This is from today's WorldNetDaily.com and is called "Princeton cancels event featuring ex-terrorists Speeches were to reveal mindset of Islamic suicide bombers," www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47747 Princeton University will no longer host an event that was to feature three former terrorists sharing insights into the mind of a suicide bomber. The event was scheduled for Dec. 8 at the McCosh 50 Lecture Theatre where the trio was to tell why they committed acts of violence and reveal the mindset of those who trained them. In a statement, the Walid Shoebat Foundation, the organization sponsoring the event, claimed Princeton was violating the free-speech rights of the speakers by canceling the event. The university reportedly said use of the term "terrorist" was "too inflammatory." Participants in the event were scheduled to be: Walid Shoebat, who came from a prominent family in Bethlehem. After joining the Palestinian Liberation Organization, he took part in numerous attacks against Israel, including a bank bombing. He also was involved in the attempted lynching of an Israeli soldier.A press conference featuring the three has been scheduled for Thursday at the Radisson Hotel in Princeton at 6 p.m. Aryeh Zelasko lives in Beitar Illit, south of Jerusalem. He is Director of Sales and Marketing of Israel Visit (www.israelvisit.co.il) which provides information and an internet buying facility for American visitors to Israel. Contact him at zelasko@actcom.co.il |
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PA ON TERROR: "CONDEMNS" ON PAPER, PRAISES IN PRACTICE
Posted by Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook, December 6, 2005. | ||
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The Palestinian Authority continues to speak about terror with two voices. In English, it publicly condemns terrorists when attacks are committed, but its pronouncements in Arabic turn terrorists into heroes and role models for PA society. In PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Arabic-language condemnation of Monday's deadly suicide attack in Netanya, his reason for this condemnation is significant: "President Abu Mazen stresses his sharp condemnation of this act of terror... Today's terror attack against civilians causes great damage to our commitment to the peace process," he said, adding that those responsible would be arrested. [PA Web site, December 5, 2005] On the surface, that Abbas condemned the terrorist attack might be welcomed by Western observers. But it must be noted that PA political leaders have always been careful to specify that they're not condemning terrorism because it's wrong, but rather because it hurts Palestinian interests. In this case, Abbas's denunciation of the attack refers to the damage it caused the PA, not to the terror victims and their families. But even beyond this particular pattern of cleverly-worded condemnations, the policy within PA society continues to honor and glorify terrorists and turn them into role models. The case of the veneration of Fatah terrorist Al-Moayed Bihokmillah Al-Agha is a good example. When the PA opened the Rafah Crossing (between Gaza and Egypt) last week, many in the West saw it as a concrete step towards Palestinian statehood. For the PA, however, it was another opportunity to turn a murderer into a hero. Al-Agha was killed when carrying out an attack at the Rafah crossing, in which five Israelis were killed, in December 2004. The PA's ruling party Fatah features Al-Agha in a clip that glorifies violence and terror, and still shows the murderous attacks on its Fatah Falcons website a year after the attack. You can see a sample of the Fatah terror promotion clip at http://www.pmw.org.il/asx/PMW_Muayad.asx The American news network CNN's coverage of the crossing's reopening last month showed footage of a giant sign erected over the site, which declares the crossing's name to be in honor of the Shahid (martyr) Al-Agha, and refers to his murderous attack with the thrilling name, "Volcanoes of Rage." That the PA allowed such a sign to be erected at the site is a powerful message to Palestinians, emphasizing once again that terrorists are heroes. The symbol, as well as an identical picture of Al-Agha, are more clearly seen on the following image, currently on the Fatah Falcons' website.
[CNN, November 25, 2005] On the sign is the emblem of the Fatah Falcons, a terrorist sub-group of the ruling party of the PA. Also on the sign are the words: Fatah Falcons The Crossing of the Falcon Shahid
Important Symbolism The Fatah Falcons symbol is similar to many symbols found in the Palestinian Authority, including the official symbol of Fatah. It includes: 1 - a map of the entire land of Israel;
Combined, these three symbols are clear in their message: The ultimate goal is the destruction of Israel through violence. The Dome of the Rock adds a potent Islamic symbolism. This message has remained essentially unchanged since the formation of the PLO in 1965. Honoring terrorism This approach to creating terrorist heroes by naming infrastructures for them has long been a Palestinian Authority practice. Examples include: * Summer camps sponsored by the PA Ministry of Youth and Sport named for suicide terrorists; As long as the PA features exciting, terror-promoting videos on its
websites, and names streets, schools, summer camps and tournaments
after terrorists, its isolated condemnations of terror attacks -
worded to placate Western leaders -- will be long forgotten by
Palestinians, while the infrastructures of hate and terror will last
and reverberate. This leaves lasting impressions on PA youth and
creates a new generation of PA terrorists waiting for another target.
Itamar Marcus is director of PMW -- Palestinian Media Watch -
(http://www.pmw.org.il). PMW is based in Jerusalem. Barbara Crook, a
writer and university lecturer based in Ottawa, Canada, is PMW's
North American representative.
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MISSION TO ISRAEL TO AID AND LEARN FROM THE JEWISH REFUGEES OF GUSH
KATIF AND NORTHERN SHOMROM
Posted by Matthew S. Finberg, December 5, 2005. |
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Malaat HaGeula/Ascendant Redemption with offices in Boulder, Colorado has announced the itinerary for its Mission to Israel January 4-12, 2005 in support of the displaced Jews of the Sharon Disengagement. The tour is drawing participants from across the United States and will focus on connecting with families in crisis living in displaced persons camps as well as leaders of the resistance movement throughout Greater Israel.
The land package is only $1,000.00 per person for double occupancy and $1,250.00 per person for single occupancy (basing out of the Eldan Hotel in Jerusalem ). The tour organizers have allowed mission participants to make their own air travel arrangements to enable them to use frequent flyer points and make the most convenient connections. The group will begin its mission around noon on January 5th from the parking lot of Ben Gurion Airport and continue through the evening of January 11. The group will be escorted by van with a driver from Heartland Tours. Participants will be visiting former residents of Gush Katif and the Northern Shomron now living in Nitzan, Atzmona, Ir Emunah, the tent city of Yad Mordechai and hotels in Jerusalem and Ashkelon. Each participant is requested to bring a duffle bag of new or nearly new warm clothing needed by our holy brothers and sisters who have been thrown into refugee status. We plan to meet and speak with Revava leaders David Ha'ivri and Yisrael Meir Cohen, Kedumim Mayor Dan iella Weiss who is under home detention pending arrest for resisting the deportation in Gush Katif last summer, MK Arieh Eldad who called for civil disobedience and took up residence in Sa-Nur before the expulsion of Jews, Likud Chairman candidate Moshe Feiglin, Women in Green founders Ruth and Nadia Matar, former residents of Gush Katif Moshe and Rachel Saperstein and Dror Vanunu, candidate for Knesset Baruch Marzel, political commentator and Knesset candidate Professor Paul Eidelberg, esteemed Breslov Rabbis Avraham Greenbaum and Ozer Bergman, Massiyahu Prison prisoner Daniel Pinner of Kfar Tapuach imprisoned last summer for defending himself from rock-throwing Muslims in Gush Katif, and pioneer families of the Hill Top Youth. Contact ShellySar@Comcast.net for reservations and information.
Contact Matthew S. Finberg by email at matt@finberglaw.com
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CELEBRATE PEACE BUT BAR ISRAELIS; TERRORIST OR MAN OF PEACE?; US-ISRAELI RELATIONS
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 5, 2005. |
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P.A. ADMITS GAZA USED FOR TERRORISM A P.A. document described an area taken over from Israelis as turned into a Hamas training camp and a base for firing rockets into Israel. The settlers tried to warn the rest of Israelis that this would happen. Nobody listened (IMRA, 11/26). QUARTET CHEATS JEWISH REFUGEES Quartet envoy James Wolfensohn elicited funds from foreign Jews, to purchase Gaza Jewry's greenhouses for the Arabs. The incoming P.A. Arabs looted them. Wolfensohn deducted the value of the loot from payments to the Jewish former owners. This story was reported by Caroline Glick of the Jerusalem Post, but not by the general media. The general media omitted many stories reflecting adversely upon the abandonment and the governments of Israel, Egypt, and the P.A.. The big story there is the transformation of Gaza into an operational center for terrorism. The refugees were brought to virtual refugee camps. These feature cramped housing in flimsy quarters that cannot accommodate their furniture, other furnishings ruined by the army that expelled them, bureaucratic prohibition of their purchasing inexpensive mobile homes rather than the government ones that cost three times as much, children playing amid active bulldozers, and parents without jobs. The formerly self-reliant residents' inactivity is producing causing the social ills of slum-dwelling. The government provides no social workers or employment offices (IMRA, 11/26). There is an international outcry for the non-existent Israeli mistreatment of the Arabs. There is no outcry against Israeli and Quartet mistreatment of Jews. Wolfensohn is making the Jews pay for Arab vandalism. How unjust! U.S.-ISRAEL RELATIONS Israel has tried to shape its policy to foster a cordial relationship with the US. It anticipated US appreciation for its unilateral withdrawal from Gaza and Northern Samaria. It didn't get it. Instead, hotel employees heard Sec. Rice yelling at Israeli Defense Min. Mofaz, not for the first time. She undermined the relationship that Israel hoped to have. She also undermined Israeli security, by pressing Israel for an agreement that lets terrorists into Gaza without Israel having any recourse (Media@actcom.co.il, 11/26). Appeasement never is appreciated. Can't Israelis understand that? RELATIONS WITH THE P.A. At the official opening of a Gaza gate, the Arabs and EU gave speeches about this advancement of peace. No Israelis were present (Op. Cit.). That's peace? WHO IS BRUTAL? The P.A. news agency told the story of an Arab prisoner in Israel, serving a life sentence. When arrested, he had not finished high school. Now he has gained a college degree from Hebrew University, despite being in prison. The P.A. boasted that imprisonment does not depress a prisoner's dedication to the cause. It explained that he was arrested for "resisting the occupation." However, he was convicted for murdering someone he deemed a "collaborator." (IMRA, 11/26.) What is a collaborator? Not clear. No trials are given by the P.A., which hypocritically complains about Israelis shooting terrorists in self-defense as "extra-judicial" killing. If imprisonment does not depress prisoners' dedication, then Israel should not release them. The Arabs and their European sycophants complain that Israeli rule is brutal. Letting prisoners get college degrees does not bear the complaint out well. On the other hand, murdering people on suspicion, alone, often suspicion being an excuse for bumping off a creditor or rival, supports a charge of brutality against Arab culture. TERRORIST OR MAN OF PEACE? Barghouti was a winner in the Fatah primaries. His victory led to calls from Israeli leftists for his release from Israeli prison. One such request was from Meretz Party leader Yossi Beilin, who described Barghouti as a "man of peace." Some other leftists argue that the Arabs are entitled to resist "occupation." Barghouti's colleague asserted that the PLO prefers peaceful negotiations, but if negotiations don't yield what they want (and jihadists are stubborn and demanding), then they would return to violence. Barghouti was convicted by trial of three murders of civilians. That is not resisting "occupation" but committing terrorism, as pointed out by a leftist news commentator (IMRA, 11/27). Have those who approve of "resisting occupation" thought through the implications? It means they approve of the enemy shooting their troops. It means they don't hold the Arabs to their agreement to negotiate rather than fight. It means they have forgotten that Israel has the better legal and moral claim to the Territories and that in any case, Israel acquired them in defensive war. Was Israel supposed to return them to the aggressors, who had seized them imperialistically, and say, your war to exterminate us did not work this time, but here are the jumping off points so you may try genocide again? ISRAEL TO RECEIVE LIVE IMAGES AT CROSSING Contrary to earlier reports, Israel will receive life images from cameras as the Gaza crossing. However, it cannot bar terrorists (IMRA, 11/27). Foolish Israel! Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. |
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THE 2005 APOLOGISTS FOR PALESTINIAN TERRORISM AWARDS
Posted by Angela Bertz, December 5, 2005. |
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It's that time of the year again. "The 2005 Apologists for Palestinian Terrorism Awards" are about to get underway. The criteria for entrants remain as stringent as ever. This usually means a total disdain for historical facts, completely whitewashing over 25,000 Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israel, or better still never even mentioning them and of course blaming Israel for every ill in the region. Of course unlike that other yearly event, The Miss World Contest, where a brain might be considered an advantage, these apologists have demonstrated time and time again, that not only is it not a pre-requisite, but that most of them have not even developed the capability of using theirs in any sort of rational manner. This years event, and in honour of the number of British entrants competing this year, is taking place in London. On a cold and damp December night, warmed only by dozens of sickly saccharine filled sentiments effusing from these hard core terrorist apologists, this year's fanfare promises to be better than ever. Ken Livingstone has just arrived and fortunately this time ignores the press as he heads to his seat. He is not only a hot contender for the award, but will be performing later with would be homicide bomber Jenny Tonge, herself a firm favourite with the bookies. Check out this pair of apologists as they team up later as Kenny and Jenny. The couple will be taking that popular song "Something Stupid" to new heights of depravity, but unlike the Sinatra's and Robbie Williams with the lovely Nicole Kidman this couple won't be deploring the stupidity of love, but spoiling it all by saying Israel. With the number of apologists around this year, could this be the much coveted Christmas number one in the UK charts, or should we be more respectful by calling it the 'Winter' number one. A few people will be surprised to see Sue Blackwell make it to the event. After all between attempting to boycott Israel's academics and upholding that pathetic shrine of empathy towards humiliated Palestinians on her website, she must be busy 24/7. This simpering neo-Nazi never misses an opportunity to vilify Israel. By the way now that winter has arrived don't forget to look out for Sue outside your local supermarket. You will probably find her and her keffiya-clad cronies ambushing little old ladies that might have slipped a Jaffa Orange into their shopping trolley. Still I'm sure we'd all like to wish her well in the Palestinian flag parade later in the evening. Here comes another newcomer, Daniel Machover. If you ever wondered how low you need to go to put food on your table, Mr. Machover can give you plenty of insight into this phenomenon. A lawyer in London and an Israeli citizen, he has now become one of its strongest critics. Obviously unable to handle intricate acquisitions, procurements or contracts this self hating Jew now spends his days lurking in the dark corners of London's Airports ready to pounce on any Israeli Military personnel, who he claims have violated the human rights of Palestinians. Luckily this event is taking place on a Friday night and El Al upholds their policy of not flying on the Sabbath. This permits Mr. Machover a much needed day off and an opportunity to relax and enjoy the night with like-minded apologists. Here comes Hollywood has been and former star of stage and screen Vanessa Redgrave. Still an expert on walls and scheduled to give her much loved stirring account of her last cup of tea with Yasser Arafat later in the evening. Could her sad little yarn of Yasser's chipped china tea cups and the sound of the occupying forces gunfire drowning out the pretty prepubescent voices of the Ramallah boy scouts choir win her the prize this year? She came close last year with it, but if nothing else it should bring a tear to Barbara Pletts weepy and biased BBC eyes. Hot on the heels of Vanessa there is a real treat for the apologist this year, with Suha Arafat, not only providing one of the prizes, a framed photo of her late departed husband, but promising to bring the house down as she gives a poignant account of her years with Yasser. One thing's for sure, this isn't going to take long. After all Suha didn't spend more than five minutes with her husband their whole married life and lets face it four of them was while she was hovering protectively over him and his stolen billions as he breathed his last. That brings us to Chris Patten, who in his position at the EU, still claims he was unable to find any evidence of Palestinian funds being diverted for terrorism. I suppose he is going to tell us that the Palestinians raised it from all those sale and bake mornings ran by a few resourceful women in Gaza. Kofi Annan, twice time winner is as usual offering this year's winner one of the night's biggest prizes. Not only a chance to sit in on the next security council vote against Israel and lets face it you don't usually have long to wait for them, but his generosity will enable this years winner to actually come up with a resolution of their own. Too bad they are usually vetoed by one of the few staunch members of the council that still uphold truth and human dignity, the United States. Still it's a prize worth going after and a chance to get together with the Ambassadors from Sudan, Syria etc later in the day to commiserate on the unfairness of it all. Rumour is rife that George Galloway might make it to the ceremony that is unless he is held up in some corner of the Middle East coddling with another despot, dictator or tyrant. Christian Aid is hoping to pull a fast one over the Presbyterians this year, by taking the Group prize. These hardy Christians can still bring a tear to every apologist's eye just by recalling their 2004 Christmas appeal. Dedicated to the children of the Middle East torn apart by the conflict, unless of course they are Israeli children it followed the tragic tale of a seven year old Palestinian Christian girl caught in crossfire and blinded in one eye. The Presbyterians are hoping to oust the Christians by their visits to Hezbollah and their threat of divesting from Israel, which has had us on the edge of our seats for the last five years. This year the apologists will be able to retire during the intermission to the bar, aptly called Planet Palestine. As usual drinks like Bloody Mary, Rusty Nail and Screwdriver are all popular with the apologists. No need to worry if you drink too much, as this year sees the welcome addition of the much acclaimed "Physicians for Human Rights". These "humane" medics once described a Palestinian woman from Gaza, who used her medical pass into Israel as a ploy to smuggle several kilograms of explosives hidden in her underwear as "an unfortunate incident." Thankfully she was caught and detained at the checkpoint, but not before she openly admitted she had planned to detonate her explosive belt at the hospital treating her, with the intention of killing as many Israelis as possible, especially children. The Physicians would go on to say that Israel should not use this as an excuse to revoke passes to Palestinians in the future. They really are all heart. The apologists really are going to need a good drink so they can enjoy Israel's number one delusionist, Ilan Pappe. A short while ago this apologist even managed to shock a few hardliners in an audience at the University of London, when he told them that he thought he had seen everything until he saw "Israeli soldiers playing football with Palestinian babies in the West Bank". This accusation was quickly followed by he though he had seen everything until he saw "Israeli soldiers tying Palestinian teenagers to jeeps and flailing them until nearly dead." What's his latest hallucination going to be? One thing's for sure the apologists are going to lap it up. This year the apologists will be able to enjoy some good music, compliments of Daniel Barenboim. He has just arrived from Ramallah and tension will be mounting as he is set to perform a symphony he has written himself. Dedicated to the popular cult figure and Jihadist Rachel Corrie, this lovely musical adaptation has been named "Rachel Corrie -- the unfinished symphony." The Corries, now suing Caterpillar are sitting with Suha. They could have used their tragic loss in a way that could very well help save another young life from being so wasted by organizations like ISM. Preying on the gullible, they are seduced and tempted by hooded thugs into acting as decoys in dangerous war zones. Their power lies in romancing these youngsters into believing that blowing up Israeli children on buses and in pizza parlours is part of a noble and justifiable cause. This year the Emerald Isle is sending there own apologist. The bookies are not dismissing the luck of the Irish. The Dubliner, which bills itself as 'The Definitive Guide to Irish Culture" seem to have a bad case of culture confusion. Irish Labor Minister Justin Keating submitted a scathing piece where he calls into question Israel's right to exist. In terms that the apologists can relate to he says "the Zionists have absolutely no right in what they call Israel that they have built their state not beside but on top of the Palestinian people, and that there can be no peace as long as contemporary Israel retains its present form." Well there you have it and about as damning as you are going to get. Still with fighting talk like that you have to start wondering if the Irish can emulate their phenomenal success in The Eurovision Song Contest by dominating the Apologist for Palestinian Terrorism Award's for years to come. Well?... here we go. Hanan Ashrawi has just moved the audience to tears with her heart wrenching tale of how one day she was playing innocently on her little swing, when the occupying forces swept into her garden, trampled the flowers, pulled down the swing and stole her land and dignity. She is being handed the envelope and in reverse order will soon be announcing this years winners. You can barely hear a pin drop. One thing's for sure though, who ever wins this year, the only thing they are going to apologize for, is not for their blatantly one sided bias and narrow minded views. G-d forbid! The only thing this year's winner is going to apologize for is to the other apologists for winning Contact Angela Bertz at angela03@netvision.net.il |
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THOSE STUPID JEWS... THEY LOVE LIFE
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 5, 2005. |
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Below is an unusually candid article about an Arab/Palestinian terrorist group: Islamic Jihad (aka IJ) Note the confessions of Islamic Jihad's true character and intent, scattered through the text: 1.) Islamic Jihad, which means Islamic holy war, was founded in 1981 with the goal of destroying the state of Israel. [goal is clear. destroy israel. NOT liberate west bank or make peace...just destroy israel] 2.) members of Islamic Jihad, including Abu Diab, don't see a political solution to their conflict with Israel. [logical outgrowth of #1...NO political solution because a political solution would leave Israel intact even if foreshortened] 3.) Islamic Jihad leader (the topic of the article) lives to fight holy war... and...Islamic Jihad centers solely on jihad. [he LIVES ONLY to fight the 'holy war' = the war whose goal is the genocide of israel's jews] 4.) the group is unlikely to renew the cease-fire when it expires at the end of the year. [consistent with #1-3 above: no cease fire, no political solution, only destruction of israel] 5.) "All the verses in the Quran confirm that Israel will never give in," [although most Moslems and many pro-Arab supporters and appologists hate to admit it, the bottom line source of the unrelenting Jew-hatred and psychotic genocidal intent of the Islamofascist terrorists is the Qur'an] 6.) "Iran gives Islamic Jihad moral support and aid in all forms because that is the duty for people who hate America and the Jews," says Mifleh Uthman, a dentist and Islamic Jihad activist. [Hate America and hate the Jews is the bottom line for the IJ terrorists, and for some Moslem countries that support them -- hate, hate hate] 7.) Kukali says Islamic Jihad has never achieved more than an 8% approval rating in Palestinian public opinion polls. [So the Palestinian people for the most part do not share the IJ goals...hence hope for peace with Palestinian people once the terrorists are eliminated] 8.) Gazing at his 4-month-old daughter, he says he sees the next generation of "freedom fighter." [teaching children to hate is child abuse. teaching children to kill the objects of the hatred is a crime against humanity in this generation and in the next as well. IJ and other similar terror groups have raised child abuse to the level of public policy. IJ's commitment to the genocide of israel's Jews is so great that he condemns future generations to endless violence in the hope of achieving that end] 9.)"There are more important things than living," [only two options for these groups: victory or martyrdom. no room for negotiations, no reason to expect that concessions or good will gestures or olive branches will soften their stand and encourage them to consider other options. I am reminded of Sheikh Akhmed Yassin's response to a western reporter who interviewed him in Gaza City back in 2001. She asked why it is that Moslems are willing to commit suicide to kill Jews. He said: "We Moslems have the advantage. We can hit them where it hurts the most. We moslems love martyrdom, seek martyrdom. Those stupid Jews....they love life"] I have seen very few articles in the mainstream press that so clearly and unequivocally describe the truly pathological nature of the arab terror groups. Too bad that the author scattered these revealing comments throughout his article, rather than put them together into a cohesive analystical esposee. This article is called "Islamic Jihad leader lives to fight holy war Israel targets members of militant faction," and is by Matthew Gutman. It appeared in USA Today. www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20051205/a_islamicjihad05.art.htm TULKAREM REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank -- Imad Abu Diab knows he is a dead man. Two assassination attempts he blames on the Israeli army have left him a patchwork of platinum rods and skin grafts. Of 40 wanted Islamic Jihad militants who lived in this refugee camp five years ago, only three have survived the fighting between Israel and the Palestinians. Abu Diab, 28, an Islamic Jihad leader, is one of them. Israel declared open season on Islamic Jihad in the West Bank after the Iranian-backed group claimed responsibility for four suicide attacks in Israel. In a raid last week in Jenin, Israeli forces captured Iyad Abu el-Roub, a senior Islamic Jihad commander in the northern West Bank, Israel said. On Sunday, Israeli jets retaliating for missile attacks bombed targets in Gaza, including an Islamic Jihad charity. The Israeli military said the charity disbursed payments to the families of dead terrorists. Frail and sallow-cheeked, Abu Diab barely mourns the loss of so many fighters. "There are more important things than living," he says. Unlike Hamas, an Islamic group that now is seeking a political role in the Palestinian territories, members of Islamic Jihad, including Abu Diab, don't see a political solution to their conflict with Israel. Although Islamic Jihad signed on to an informal truce with Israel in February, the group is unlikely to renew the cease-fire when it expires at the end of the year. Islamic Jihad, which means Islamic holy war, was founded in 1981 with the goal of destroying the state of Israel. The group began small-scale armed operations in Gaza and the West Bank in 1984. By the early 1990s, it had become the most radical Palestinian group. Its members orchestrated several bombings after the 1993 Israeli-Palestinian Oslo peace accords. The U.S. State Department considers Islamic Jihad a terrorist group. "The Islamic Jihad views itself as the vanguard of the new Islamic crusade," says Hebrew University's Meir Hatina, author of Islam and Salvation in Palestine: The Islamic Jihad Movement. The group "was always the bad boy of Palestinian politics whose main purpose is liberating all of Palestine (including what is now Israel)," Hatina says. "The largest (Islamic) Palestinian faction, Hamas, chose a combination of Islamic education and violence to pursue liberation. Islamic Jihad saw itself as the focal point of confrontation between Islam and the West." With 100-300 fighters in the West Bank and several hundred in Gaza, Islamic Jihad is one of the smallest militant groups, according to Israeli Brig. Gen. Yair Golan. A poll published Nov. 23 by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion showed that only 2.7% of Palestinians support the group, says the center's director, Nabil Kukali. He says that while Hamas focuses on "social work and fighting, Islamic Jihad centers solely on jihad." Kukali says Islamic Jihad has never achieved more than an 8% approval rating in Palestinian public opinion polls. The group received its inspiration, says Hatina, from the 1979 Iranian Islamic revolution. Islamic Jihad continues to receive funding and logistical support from Iran, Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Zeev Boim says. "Iran gives Islamic Jihad moral support and aid in all forms because that is the duty for people who hate America and the Jews," says Mifleh Uthman, a dentist and Islamic Jihad activist. Uthman believes there is no political solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. "All the verses in the Quran confirm that Israel will never give in," he says. Sometimes Abu Diab wants to do just that. "I would like to stop the fighting," he says. He also says he would like to abide by the Palestinian Authority-mediated cease-fire. But he says he can't bear to see "Israeli aggression go unpunished." Israel made its first attempt on his life on June 11, 2001, he says. He recalls turning the key in the ignition of his car and the explosion that nearly killed him. The blast knocked out most of his teeth. Now, when he speaks his words are muffled by a faint whistle. At the time, Israel issued a "no comment" to queries about its involvement in the explosion. Today, Capt. Yael Hartman, an Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman, "strongly denies" Israel had a hand in the bombing. Nasser Juma, Nablus chief of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, confirms that Abu Diab is a wanted Islamic Jihad man. Abu Diab wears a turtleneck sweater to cover the pulpy scars on his neck. A former member of Hamas, he joined Islamic Jihad in 1997 after serving time in a Palestinian prison with one of the group's leaders, Assad Daka. In 2001, Daka died during fighting with Israeli forces in Jenin. Since then, most of Abu Diab's comrades have been killed or arrested, or have blown themselves up. Abu Diab says he's prepared to follow them "either toward martyrdom or arrest. But I hope it will be martyrdom." "I know I am tainted (by my activities) and will be chased until the end," he adds matter-of-factly. Three of Abu Diab's cousins and one of his brothers are in Israeli jails for terrorism-related offenses. While this year's truce helped quiet the conflict that began in September 2000 and claimed the lives of about 1,000 Israelis and more than 3,700 Palestinians, violence is returning to the region. The most recent suicide bombing, on Oct. 26 in the northern Israeli city of Hadera, killed five people and injured dozens. A week of fighting ensued. The attack was claimed by Islamic Jihad as retaliation for Israel's assassination of one of the group's leaders. White House spokesman Scott McClellan called on the Palestinian Authority to "do more to end the violence and prevent terrorist attacks from being carried out." Muhammed Ghareeb, a Palestinian Authority Interior Ministry spokesman, says the Authority is doing all it can to curb attacks by Islamic Jihad. Israel is not waiting. Over the past two months, the Israeli military says it has killed a dozen Jihad men, arrested about 200 others and closed down two Islamic charity organizations Israel believed funneled money to terrorists. In a speech last month to the Israeli parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the assassinations, which Israel calls "targeted killings," would continue. Boim concedes that the best Israel can hope for is "to limit their attacks. There are no magic potions against terrorist groups." After an interview of more than an hour at a safe house, Abu Diab leads a reporter through a maze of graffiti-splashed alleyways to his home. Gazing at his 4-month-old daughter, he says he sees the next generation of "freedom fighter." Years ago, before his imprisonment, Abu Diab's brothers spray-painted what now is the family motto on the front of their house: "My mother bore me to fight and the Islamic Jihad armed me." David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli, currently living in Palo Alto. His expertise is in Near Eastern studies and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is Director of Peace and Education at Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org). Contact him at david_meirlevi@hotmail.com |
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PARTNERS PROGRAM FOR GUSH KATIF IS LAUNCHED!
Posted by Naomi Ragen, December 5, 2005. |
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Friends, I have posted application forms for the Partners Program for
Gush Katif on my website Following your amazing enthusiasm for my idea to match up
communities all over the world with the people of Gush
Katif, to help these brave pioneers over this terrible
transitional year, I did some research.
I went out to speak to the volunteers who are in the field
to discuss how to structure this program in such a way that
it will bring real benefits to all involved. I spoke to
Yoni Cohen, who is from Neve Dekalim and has been actively
involved with that communities reabsorption efforts. I
spoke to the amazing Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon, of Gush Etzion
who has been working full tiime on creating a database of
all the families of Gush Katif and their needs, and has set
up an incredibly successful hotline for job searches to get
people back into the workforce. And of course, I have been
in touch with Zalman Indig of the All4Israel fund, which has
volunteers working with the hardest hit families.
This is what I learned. The people of Gush Katif do not
want to be viewed as charity cases. Only a few months ago,
they owned beautiful homes and successful businesses and
were able to give enormous amounts of charity through food
programs, to which they donated their produce. So instead
of "adopting" families, we must call this a Partnership
Program. The second thing I learned, is that the most
important need of the families is to help them become
self-supporting once again, so they can quickly return to
giving charity instead of receiving it. Rabbi Rimon has a
number of families who are just waiting for a little help to
do that: a family who owned a hardware store and has all its
merchandise in boxes, just waiting for a chance to go back
into business. A whole neighborhood of caravans that has
no shopping center set up, giving people an opportunity to
open stores that will allow the store owners a new life, and
ease the communities hardships. Mentor programs to help
people to write resumes and conduct job searches. He ihas
great ideas. He just needs the funding to do them.
And so, I have created an application for something called:
The Partners Program with Gush Katif. Working together with
All4Israel (which has tax-exempt status in the U.S.) and
Rabbi Rimon, we will match congregations and other groups
with families and projects, according to their interests and
the most urgent needs of the refugees, helping them to
rebuild their lives and their communities.
For more information and applications, please go to my
website: Every blessing,
Naomi Ragen is an American-born novelist and journalist who lives in Jerusalem. She can be contacted at www.naomiragen.com, where you can subscribe to her newsletter. |
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NETANYA BOMBED AGAIN: 5 KILLED; MORE THAN 66 INJURED
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, December 5, 2005. |
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Netanya was bombed again at 11:25 A.M. Israel time today, December 4th at the entrance to HaSharon Mall on Herzl Street. At least 5 people were murdered, with between 40 to 66 wounded, 4 critically and 4 seriously.(1) This is the fifth time this year that suicide/homicide bombers have blown up in Netanya, a coastal city just North of Tel Aviv and only 9 km. West of Tulkarem. 
Responsibility was claimed by Islamic Jihad's Jerusalem Brigades and Al Aksa Martyrs' Brigades which is part of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen). (2) But, Abu Mazen condemned the attack, in public, while failing and, in fact, refusing to face any of the Terrorist Organizations to disarm and disband as required by the Bush and Quartet so-called "Road Map". What did he say in Arabic to the Arabic Media? The killer came from Samaria which Sharon plans to turn over to the Arab Muslim Palestinians. Although, like his other proclamations, he simply lies. Less than a half-hour after the attack, commentators noted that once again, the controversial fence/wall had not succeeded in keep the Terrorists out. One assumption is that the Terrorist had simply hitched a ride into Netanya. (3) The bomber was identified by "Islamic Jihad" in a phone call to Palestinian journalists as Lutfi Amin Abu Salem, a resident of the northern Samarian village of Kafr Rai, between the towns of Jenin and Tulkarem. He was "allegedly" one of the Terrorists who Sharon freed. (3) He was spotted by a policewoman, 40 year old Shoshi Atiaya, who is 4 months pregnant. She was alerted by a passerby that there was a suspicious person walking in an overcoat with his hand attached within to a bag/briefcase. She gave chase of this tall blonde Arab man. The guard in front of the Mall caught up and grabbed him by the shoulder. Shoshi shouted, "Grab his hand, not his shoulder!" At that he detonated his bomb, killing the heroic Mall guard and injuring the woman cop from Netanya. She was a witness and a bystander on 7 prior Terror attacks in Netanya. (4) The bombing was shown on "Hezb'Allah" TV, likely indicating prior knowledge and "Hezb'Allah" received the phone call from "Islamic Jihad". It was reported that Sharon has called his Cabinet for an emergency meeting. One can assume that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would be on line to Sharon to "exercise restraint". Take that to mean that he could bomb empty buildings (as usual) but, not to re-institute Checkpoints. This gives Sharon an opportunity to show his old General-ship by some minor retribution while claiming such action in the name of his new "Kadima" Party. The Question remains: How will Sharon use this attack to elevate himself and his new "Kadima" Party? Given Sharon's Leftist tilt which is now fully visible, the usual graveyard humor of Jews tells us: "You voted for Sharon and you got Shimon Peres instead." Emergency numbers for information about the wounded: Laniado Hospital, Netanya: 12 55 191 ### 1. "Suicide bombing outside Netanya mall kills 5" by Jerusalem Post staff 2. "Suicide bombing outside Netanya mall kills 5" -- followup story by Arieh O'Sullivan & Jpost.com Staff Jerusalem Post forwarded by Freeman Center for Strategic Studies < bernards@sbcglobal.net > Dec. 5, 2005 3. "Palestinian Terrorism: Five Dead in Netanya" by Hillel Fendel Arutz Sheva IsraelNationalNews.com Dec. 5, 2005 4. "A Woman Cop Who Tried" by Harvey Tannenbaum She is Shoshi Atiaya, a woman cop who tried today to save lives and
capture a terrorist. May the families who lost their loved ones today
by another terror attack be comforted amongst the mourners of Zion and
may the injured be blessed with a speedy recovery. May Shoshi be
healthy to keep her unborn baby and continue to protect and serve our
nation.
Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His
articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the
Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For
Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm).
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NUCLEAR WAR BY FEBRUARY, MARCH 2006?
Posted by Marcel Cousineau, December 5, 2005. |
Exerpt from Haaretz:
Military Intelligence chief Major General Aharon Ze'evi (Farkash) last week said that diplomacy would have failed if Iran was still working on producing nuclear weapons by March. A few observations on the inevitable nuclear war approaching,triggered by Iran's drive for nuclear weapons with the sole purpose of finalizing Satan and Hitler's final solution against the Jews and Israel. 1. Iran has said out loud that they would not wait to be attacked. Therefore it seems that instead of late March or April everything is going to explode sooner than expected Don't the elites always get caught with their pants down? 2. The new president of Iran is a megalomaniac and believes himself to be the one to do it, that is, destroy the infidels of Israel and regain the honor for his god allah and Islam which have taken a beating from Israel with five major losses under their belt. 3. Growing signs of weakness from the U.S. and the West has emboldened Iran and Syria to bleed the illusionary superpower in Iraq, now spread too thin to do anything to end the threat in any positive or peaceful way. 4. Russia will not stand idly by with Iran as it did with Iraq, this is what will turn the events into an expanded nuclear war and where the U.S. will underestimate the Bear and get mauled severely. Putin knows he will have to hit America hard. 5. I don't follow dreams and dreamers, but there is one which has my attention. The Jewish prophet Joel wrote that dreams and visions would come to many in these last days. A fellow dreamed that when the U.S. initiated the blockade of Iran at the Gulf of Oman, Russia would sink a U.S. Aircraft Carrier with a nuke and this would set America's downfall in motion. NATO & NORAD in Colorado was the next target he saw hit. WWIII begins. My sense is our perverse arrogance and pride as a superpower nation is finally humbled by God giving Israel the impetus to seek Him alone for their salvation. So when I hear Mr. President speak of a blockade against Iran, then I'll know to pay even closer attention to this dream. 6. Israel has been pushed into a corner and weakened by the U.S. The Bush Road Map 'for peace' has guaranteed war instead. Weakening Israel by slicing off pieces to the terrorist led Palestinian's has encouraged Iran and the Islamic world to go for broke and end infidel occupation of once sacred Islamic land. 7. Israel has no choice but to attack and is slowly wakeing up to the reality that they have become the sacrificial offering of the West to Islam in salami slice stages. 8. The West will pay a fatal price for their betrayal of Israel and appeasing the followers of allah with Jewish blood. Hey, don't be so surprised, it's all been written long ago in the book, the Jewish book which Christians call the Bible. Contact Marcel Cousineau at up2zionsg8@yahoo.com. Or go to his webblog: A Very Heavy Stone (http://averyheavystone.blogspot.com/). |
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BORKING RUTH GAVISON
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 5, 2005. |
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1. As Netanya buries the latest of its Oslo victims, killed by the stupidity of the Israeli political elite, we see no relief on the horizon, where Israelis will be required to chose between three Oslo appeasers: Sharon, Peretz and Netanyahu. Of course it once again proves the stupidity of Israel's Oslo Camp but Oslo has been proven to be a failure every day over the past 13 years, so there is no reason to expect any relief or awakening of Israel's blinded. 2. The battle over the possible appointment of Prof. Ruth Gavison to the Supreme Court is heating up. The Left despises Gavison because she is a critic of "judicial activism", the doctrine holding that unelected judges should be able to make up any "law" they want, whether or not the legislature of elected reps of the people support such a law, all because the judges are such enlightened people. Gavison, herself a moderate leftist, sees this doctrine as judicial tyranny. That is why the Chief Justice, Aharon Barak, is trying to block her appointment, as are some other far-Leftist Post-Zionist law professors like Mordecai Kremnitzer from Tel Aviv University. Anyway, now the local gay militant groups have joined in the attempt at "Borking" Gavison. They are claiming she is anti-gay. Why? Well, once in a mock trial at a university, she opposed gay "marriage" on grounds that there was no law creating it and none any that would pass any Knesset. In other words, she thinks courts should uphold actual laws and not imaginary laws that "enlightened" judges think would be nice to have. The gay militant lobby is afraid that Gavison on the Supreme Court would mean actual laws get upheld rather than nice laws no Knesset would ever pass, and the latter include "gay marriage". They are also upset because Gavison once participated in public conferences seeking to achieve a modus vivendi between religious and secular Israelis on assorted issues. There she was prepared to agree to the desires of religious Jews to prohibit gay "marriages" in Israel and deny acknowledgement of legal rights to "partners" (hetero or homo). Haaretz reports that the "representatives of the homoseual community" are outraged, from which we learn that there exists a homosexual "community". (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtVty.jhtml?sw=gavison&itemNo=653544 ) The gay militants also criticized Gavison's support for an amendment to the citizenship law prohibiting family unification between Palestinians and Israeli citizens, noting it posed a particular hardship for homosexuals and lesbians because of attitudes toward gays in the Palestinian community. You see, the same PLO that the Left, including its gay wing, idealizes has a tendency to arrest homosexuals for "vice" and murder or torture them. You will not be surprised to hear, under the circumstances, that "Rabbi" Eric Yoffie, an anti-Israel far-Leftist clergybeing from the Reform sunagogue movement, is now a new Haaretz regular columnist: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/rosnerGuest.jhtml?itemNo=653589 Yoffie has never gotten too upset when Palestinian homosexuals are tortured by the PLO. 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. |
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THEY HATE US IN FRANCE
Posted by Herb and Miki Sunshine, December 5, 2005. |
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This comes from a Jew living in France I AM A JEW -- therefore I am forwarding this to everyone on all my e-mail lists...I will not sit back and do nothing." Nowhere have the flames of anti-Semitism burned more furiously than in France: In Lyon, a car was rammed into a synagogue and set on fire. In Montpellier, the Jewish religious center was firebombed; so were synagogues in Strasbourg and Marseilles; so was a Jewish school in Creteil. A Jewish sports club in Toulouse was attacked with Molotov cocktails, and on the statue of Alfred Dreyfus in Paris, the words "Dirty Jew" were painted. In Bondy, 15 men beat up members of a Jewish football team with sticks and metal bars. The bus that takes Jewish children to school in Aubervilliers has been attacked three times in the last 14 months. According to the police, metropolitan Paris has seen 10 to 12 anti-Jewish incidents per day since Easter. Walls in Jewish neighborhoods have been defaced with slogans proclaiming "Jews to the gas chambers" and "Death to the Jews." The weekly journal Le Nouvel Observateur published an appalling libel: It said Israeli soldiers rape Palestinian women, so that their relatives will kill them to preserve "family honor." The French ambassador to Great Britain was not sacked -- and did not apologize -- when it was learned that he had told guests at a London dinner that the world's troubles were the fault of "...that shitty little country, Israel. "At the start of the 21st century," writes Pierre-Andre Taguieff, a well-known social scientist, in a new book, "we are discovering that Jews are once again select targets of violence... Hatred of the Jews has returned to France." But of course, it never left. Not France; not Europe. Anti-Semitism, the oldest bigotry known to man, has been a part of European society since time immemorial. In the aftermath of the Holocaust, open Jew-hatred became unfashionable; but fashions change, and Europe is reverting to type. To be sure, some Europeans are shocked by the re-emergence of Jew-hatred all over their continent. But the more common reaction has been complacency. "Stop saying that there is anti-Semitism in France," President Jacques Chirac scolded a Jewish editor in January. "There is no anti-Semitism in France." French Anti-Semitism: "Finally and long overdue, your people, oppressed and disgraced by hatred and maliciousness, have achieved justice: now you enjoy full citizen's rights, but you'll remain Jews nonetheless." -- Franz Grillparzer (1791-1872), Austrian author. A gunman opened fire on a kosher butcher's shop (and, of course, the butcher) in Toulouse, France; a Jewish couple in their 20s were beaten up by five men in Villeurbanne, France. The woman was pregnant; a Jewish school was broken into and vandalized in Sarcelles, France. This was in the past week. According to the Anti-Defamation League, from September 9, 2000, at the start of the Intifada, through November 20, 2001, there were some 330 acts of anti-Semitism just in and around Paris. In addition to literally scores of firebombing of synagogues, just before Rosh Hashanah, 200 Arabs attacked Jews on the Champs Elysee. The pace has only picked up since then: In December, a French cinema in Paris refused to allow a Hanukah showing of Harry Potter to 800 Jewish children because of French-Palestinian threats (the threats were confirmed by French police who then went on to do nothing, not even giving details). It was one incident in an eventful month when synagogues continued to be firebombed and a Jewish kindergarten was vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti and set ablaze. We can understand anti-Semitism among the French people. There is nothing the French love like their traditions and, on the question of hating Jews, they certainly have tradition galore. What, however, can explain the sometimes muted, sometimes defensively outraged reaction of French officials? Simple. There are approximately 5,000,000 to 6,000,000 Muslims presently living in France and many more arrive daily. There are only a bout 600,000 Jews still living in France. Moreover, France is the number one European exporter to Iraq, totalling over two billion dollars per year in exports since 2000. To those who are at a loss to explain why French elected officials seem "helpless"to stem the tide of anti-Semitism, I say that something smells awfully Vichy around here. So I call on you, whether you are a fellow Jew, a friend, or merely a person with the capacity and desire to distinguish decency from depravity, to do, at least, these three simple things: First, care enough to stay informed. Don't ever let yourself become deluded into thinking that this is not your fight. Second, boycott France. Only the Arab countries are more toxically anti-Semitic and, unlike them, France exports more than just oil and hatred. So boycott their wines and their perfumes.boycott their shores. If we are resolved we can exert amazing pressure and, whatever else we may know about the French, we most certainly know that they are as a cobweb in a hurricane in the face of well directed pressure. Third, send this along to your family, your friends, and your co-workers. Think of all of the people of good conscience that you know and let them know that you and the people that you care about need their help. The number one best selling book in France is "September 11: The Frightening Fraud," which argues that no plane ever hit the Pentagon. Boycott their clothes and their foodstuffs. Boycott their movies. Our only strength is the strength of our community and there can be no community without communication. This is really scary stuff. Read it very carefully and thoroughly. We cannot allow this to continue. THIS ANTI-SEMITISM HAS TO STOP.. You MUST pass it on to as many people as you know, so we can curb this hideous anti-Semitic wave. |
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CAMPUS JIHADNIKS
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 5, 2005. |
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This is "The ISM at Duke: The Saga Continues: by Jack Langer, FrontPageMagazine.com, December 2, 2005. Jack Langer is a Ph.D. candidate in Russian History at Duke University. He can be reached at jlan@duke.edu. Not many people would say they're against "free speech". That's why the administration at Duke University has relied on this slogan to wage a year-long battle to keep the Duke campus open for the recruitment of Duke students into an avowedly pro-terrorist organization. Last autumn, the Duke administration sparked ferocious opposition from Jewish, alumni, and other organizations when it approved an application for Duke to host the annual Palestine Solidarity Movement conference (PSM). The PSM functions as the student branch of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a Palestinian-led "direct action" organization that trains European and American youths to partake in "civil disobedience" and other agitational activities in Israel. Although the ISM insistently bills itself as a "non-violent" organization, two of the organization's co-founders, Huwaida Arraf and Adam Shapiro, have explicated an overall strategy that envisions the ISM functioning in close cooperation with Palestinian terrorist organizations. According to Huwaida and Arraf, "The Palestinian resistance must take on a variety of characteristics " both nonviolent and violent. But most importantly it must develop a strategy involving both aspects. No other successful nonviolent movement was able to achieve what it did without a concurrent violent movement. Thus, the ISM was specifically created to function as an auxiliary, partner, and enabler of a violent anti-Israeli campaign. Opponents of the PSM conference at Duke brought the ISM's violent agenda to the attention of Duke President Dick Brodhead and his Vice President, John Burness. Furthermore, it was pointed out that the ISM has a vested interest in the propaganda benefits to be accrued from the maiming or even killing of its own young volunteers -- the exact type of youths that are recruited at Duke and other American universities. Another ISM co-founder, George Rishmawi, extrapolated on this point: "When Palestinians get shot by Israeli soldiers, no one is interested anymore," he said. "But if some of these foreign volunteers get shot or even killed, then the international media will sit up and take notice." President Brodhead's response was to praise the PSM conference as an exercise in free speech and an opportunity for "education through dialogue". Concerns about providing a forum for ISM recruitment of Duke students were brushed aside with the administration's ambiguous assurance that "the Palestine Solidarity Movement, while related to the International Solidarity Movement, is a distinct and separate organization". The "distinct and separate" nature of the PSM and ISM was belied by the presence of at least a dozen documented ISM members who served as workshop leaders at the PSM's Duke conference. Two workshops were specifically dedicated to promoting the ISM. One of these was led by two ISM members -- Jessica Rutter, a Duke alum, and Rann Bar-On, a Duke graduate student who was the local organizer of the PSM conference. The other ISM workshop was an out-and-out ISM recruitment session led by ISM co-founder Huwaida Arraf. At that session, Arraf repeatedly encouraged students to join the ISM, passed out ISM recruitment brochures, and instructed students on how to illegally gain entry into Israel by lying to Israeli border guards. She also freely admitted that the ISM cooperates with Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and PFLP terrorist organizations. After the conference, President Brodhead hailed the gathering as a "constructive" event, while Vice President Burness gushed, "It's a good thing we did here". In response to an article in Commentary magazine co-authored by the present writer revealing that the conference featured an ISM recruitment session, Burness simply reiterated the administration's position that the PSM and ISM were different organizations. The ISM, incidentally, views the PSM recruitment effort at Duke as a rousing success. Duke ISM member Rann Bar-On, who apparently did not get Burness' memo on the distinctions between the PSM and ISM, bragged to the Duke Chronicle that the PSM conference had led directly to an increase in the number of local students recruited to agitate in Israel, with seven students participating in anti-Israeli operations there last summer. When a Duke alum and former North Carolina legislator recently published a column in a local newspaper castigating the Duke administration for allowing the ISM to recruit among Duke students, Burness responded by conceding that the ISM has "acknowledged ties to some extremist Palestinian groups," but again reiterated that the ISM and PSM were "separate and distinct". This excuse, however, fell by the wayside last month, when the administration once again gave the ISM access to the Duke student body. The event, part of a national speaking tour of American universities and churches featuring an Israeli and a Palestinian ISM member, was held on campus under the ISM's own auspices, along with several co-sponsoring organizations. The speeches offered a pro-Palestinian narrative on Israeli history and the present conflict, after which attendees were invited to grab brochures and pamphlets from the sponsoring organizations and to sign up for the ISM mailing list. Thus, the disingenuousness of the administration's repeated justification for allowing the PSM conference -- that the PSM is separate from the ISM -- was clearly revealed. President Brodhead has now given the ISM officially sanctioned access to Duke students, this coming after the ISM had already successfully recruited at Duke under the thin veneer of the PSM conference. Burness had defended the PSM by claiming that there was "no evidence to support a connection between terrorist groups and the Palestine Solidarity Movement". This argument has now been rendered irrelevant, since the administration admits the ISM does have connections to terrorist groups, but gave the organization permission to return to Duke anyway. When challenged for permitting the PSM and ISM meetings, the Duke administration incessantly invokes its commitment to free speech. And its interpretation of "free speech" is indeed expansive, even providing for the open and repeated recruitment of Duke students into an organization that the administration itself concedes has close ties to terrorist organizations that are blacklisted by the U.S. State Department. The safety of Duke students is clearly of secondary importance to the administration. It seems unimpressed by the fate of Rachael Corrie, an Evergreen State College student who, having been recruited into the ISM, was killed after stepping in front of an Israeli military bulldozer in a tragic but typical act of ISM-style "direct action". The international media coverage of her death fulfilled George Rishmawi's prediction of the propaganda benefits to be derived from the deaths of young, Western ISM members. The Duke administration's absolute insistence that the Duke campus be opened up to recruiting efforts by the ISM is difficult to fathom; using the Duke campus to encourage law breaking and cooperation with terrorist organizations hardly comes under the rubric of free speech. But by allowing the ISM back into Duke under its own auspices, the administration has forfeited its primary excuse that it is only allowing other "related" organizations to Duke and not the ISM itself. Now, the vacuous sloganeering of "free speech" is the only justification the administration has left for its inexplicable actions. By abusing the very notion of "free speech," the Duke administration has degraded the concept so that it is no longer an admirable principle. It has become the last refuge of scoundrels. http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=20415 2. Alah Tarif is an Druse Knesset Member from the Labor Party who was convicted in Tel Aviv Court of bribery. As a result he refuses to swear allegiance to the state of Israel in order to be seated in the Knesset. The Left is insisting that refusal to swear allegiance to Isreal is no reason for people not to sit in the Knesset. After all, the Knesset has Arab Knesset members who openly identify with the enemies of Israel and want Israel to be destroyed. And the Left sees nothing wrong with that. 3. Speaking about the Left and treason, Haaretz yesterday came out in support of jailed accomplice of terrorists, Tali Falima, a Jewish leftist woman -- http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/653183.html 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. |
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WHY IS NETANYA A TARGET? BACKGROUNDER.
Posted by David Bedein, December 5, 2005. |
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This is written as news comes of yet another bomb attack in Netanya, with reports that the Al Aksa Brigades of the Fateh is taking credit for the attack. Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Palestinian National Authority, also serves as the chairman of the Fateh movement. At the end of November 2000, I lectured at a retirement home in the Israeli coastal city of Netanya, to discuss the PLO demand that all Arabs who have wallowed in UN refugee camps for the past 50 years have the "right to return" to villages that they left in 1948. I showed them the map of a "future Palestinian State" which the PLO Orient House headquarters provides in Jerusalem, which marks the 531 Arab villages that are slated for return, all of which had been overrun in 1948. One of those villages was Umm Khalid, which, according to the PLO, had been illegally absorbed by Netanya. The PLO therefore defines Netanya as one of Israel's "illegal settlements," under the terms of the Fourth Geneva Convention, enacted in 1949, which forbids a conquering nation from moving its citizens into a conquered area. The implications: the PLO will justify any attack on any such settlement that it views as "illegal.", under international law. The head of the PLO Refugee Department, Daoud Barakat, confirms this. In January 1995, following Hamas terror bombs that killed 21 people at a bus stop at the Beit Lid/Netanya junction, The PLO secretary general Marwan Barghouti, now in prison for the first degree murders of 13 people, calmly told MBC Saudi television why the PLO would justify an attack on Netanya: "This is an area that we have yet to liberate." We have that video readily available. Meanwhile, the December 1995 PLO-Hamas accord, signed in Cairo by both Palestinian factions, allows Hamas to carry out operations in areas within Israel proper that have "not yet been liberated". The Palestinian spin on the "right of return" plays out in many ways that have escaped public attention: Over the past seven years, the PLO has developed a computer data base at www.palestineremembered.com which helps Arab refugees locate their homes from before 1948. Check out: http://www.palestineremembered.com/Tulkarm/Umm-Khalid/ This is to enable their imminent right of return to places like Umm Khalid -- by force, if necessary. HITTING HOME The above presentation five years ago made retirees at the Netanya nursing home very nervous. They could not believe what they were hearing, that their city was considered to be a target. They became quite emotional, and some of the retirees actually screamed that "all the Palestinians want is the west bank and Gaza." It was clear that the message that the PLO demanded the "right of return" to Netanya was a hard one for these senior citizens to swallow. Yet there was one man who made it easy to listen: An Arab male nurse present asked to say something at the end of the lecture. He approached the podium He stared at the map and turned to speak to the retirees. "This is what want. The right of return. That would bring peace," said the nurse. I asked him if that meant that Israel would have to withdraw from Umm Khalid. The nurse, in a soft voice, said "yes". I then said to the nurse that this would mean that half of the Jews would have to leave their homes in Netanya. The nurse said, "Well, that would be the price of peace." The retirees were stunned. The Arab nurse at the Netanya nursing home had conveyed my message -- with greater credibility. Since that talk in Netanya, more than a dozen Arab terror bombs have exploded in the center of Netanya. From the PLO point of view, these bombings occur because Netanya -- or Um Khalid -- has not yet been "liberated from occupation". id Bedein is Bureau Chief, Israel Resource News Agency, Beit Agron Int't Press Center, Jersualem. tel. 972-547-222661 |
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WORK ON GUSH ETZION BEGINS (SECRETLY)THIS WEEK
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, December 4, 2005. |
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Not long ago I wrote that Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was planning to divide up Gush Etzion and then piece by piece have the residents forced out just as in Gush Katif, I knew the representatives of Gush Etzion did not have a chance against the malevolent thinking of Sharon. The following should be a " Heads Up" for the residents of Gush Etzion. Everyone in Israel and across the world must know that Gush Etzion is considered a 'consensus' area because it was always owned by Jews until 1948 when the Arab Muslims overran it and killed many of the civilians. Only in 1967 when the IDF liberated Judea and Samaria. I suggest the entire population of Gush Etzion converge at Sharon's office in Jerusalem and at the Knesset. Don't be polite in demanding that the 'Rasha' rescind those secret plans he has so frequently denied he has! Don't wait for the elections because it will be too late! This article is by Yaacov Taube (yankee@kfar-etzion.co.il) and is called "Work on the fence will begin this week," gadergush Digest Sun, 04 Dec 2005, Volume: 01, Issue: 047. To all the residents of Gush Etzion, A few minutes ago I had a conversation with a senior source from one of the government ministries that is dealing with the "security fence". During the conversation a number of issues came up that I felt concerns all the local residents. Please distribute this letter to all your friends and acquaintances as soon as possible. 1.. The planning authorities in the Ministry of Defense have now concluded their work concerning the fence on the Green Line that will keep Gush Etzion out of the main fence of the state of Israel. So as not to arouse the residents of the Gush it was decided to first implement the eastern fence (around the Gush) and only after the elections to build the fence on the green Line (the direct quote of the source: "The decision to build an additional fence on the Green Line has already been taken with tens of thousands of shekels already invested in the planning and with instructions being not to disclose the actual building of the fence on the Green Line till after the elections." 2.. The actual work on the fence is to begin this week with the actual area chosen being the Abu Suda Forest between Migdal Oz and the Gush Etzion Junction (since the area is a nature preserve there was no fear of an appeal to the Supreme Court). It should be mentioned that this is a blatant violation of the agreement with all the local councils that there would be no work begun on the fence until there is total agreement on the route 2. 3.. During the situation evaluation that was held in the Ministry of Defense considerable fear was raised of the possibility of opposition to the fence by the residents of the Gush. To this end Danny Terza, the head of the fence authority, was sent to be interviewed for Makor Rishon for the edition published this past Friday (the most comprehensive interview ever conducted with Terza). 4. The Ministry of Defense is fully aware that they do not have a chance of successfully defending then present route of the fence in the Supreme Court so they want the work to be commenced so that afterwards the Supreme Court will rule that the fence should be built as close as possible to the settlements (as the proposed route of Shalom and Bitochon including a fence 500 meters north of Neve Daniel, a fence between Efrat and Neve Daniel, etc.) this way permitting the Ministry of Defense to claim innocently that it is not them but the Supreme Court that decided on the dangerous route. As it seems now the Gush will be surrounded by fences that will be as close as possible to the settlements with an additional fence to be built on the Green Line effectively cutting us off from the State! To summarize: We have been hoodwinked in broad day light. Our only option now is to lie under the tractors and show plainly to our fellow citizens that we are being imprisoned within a fence and at least the powers that be cannot claim to its benefit that a fence is being built to include Gush Etzion and will thus lose points with the public. It is very important that the television screens not show only youth with orange t-shirts demonstrating against the fence. When the time comes (it may be very soon) let's show up in large numbers to save the Gush from the suffocating fence. Yaron Rosenthal, Kfar Etzion Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). |
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ROAD MAPS (IT TAKES A CROOKED MAN TO WALK A CROOKED MILE)
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, December 4, 2005. |
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Those words misuse the language and mislead those of the public who think there really is a "Road Map" for peace in Israel. Road Maps are merely the product of word smiths in the bowels of what's called "Foggy Bottom", that is the U.S. State Department or the Spin Meister in the White House. People and the pundits of the Media are beginning to use the words "Road Map" to speak about what they believe are failed policies in Iraq. The "Road Map" jargon had its start when the Bush Family Dynasty and its head spokespersona, Condoleezza Rice, used this expression as the guide or solution to conflict in the Middle East between Israel and the Arabs called Palestinians as well as all other Arab and/or Muslim nations. The single fact is that there is NO "Road Map" but merely another hodge-podge of simplistic ideas and wishful thinking coming out of the Arabist State Department, Father Bush and, always skulking in the background, James Baker with his Intelligence Institute at Rice University advising State and Bush. "The Road Map" concept was first mentioned by Sec.State Colin Powell on November 19, 2001. In brief, it was a plan hostile to Israel's sovereignty and dangerous to her security. It was an excellent club with which to beat Israel. President Bush speech of June 24, 2002 laid out the basic goals and principles which he called a "Road Map". Sharon offered 14 reservations to the Road Map but this was wholly ignored by Bush and Rice. THE ROAD MAP MIRAGE Did you really believe that "The Road Map" was any kind of an official agreement written as an agreed document and voted into law by the Knesset. "The Road Map" was adopted by Sharon and his Cabinet merely by a show of hands. This was never a binding agreement and Sharon is lying if he says so. It is not a treaty; it is not a covenant between nations. It is merely another one of Sharon's dictatorial pronouncements which the nation has come to believe is a legal agreement....it is NOT! But, then again when you, the Prime Minister, adopts all levers of power as a dictator, he can do whatever he pleases. They say that Sharon will win handily in the coming March Knesset elections. One cannot help but be reminded of the elections in Syria, Iran, Egypt where most of the people would vote for a dictatorial leader like brain-washed zombies. Only after they have been brutalized and made vulnerable will the awakening take place but by that time they are virtual prisoners to a dictatorial regime. To escape, they would have to overthrow the current Government and defy its Police and bring all slaved to the dictating leader. The Road Map that Sharon keeps speaking about and his personal commitment to the "Crooked Road" is making more than that...his personal commitment. It is not the nation's commitment other than the trick of telling the public over and over again that the nation is bound by "The Road Map". Collaborators, as always, are the Leftist Media who refuse to do a straight forward exposé about "The Road Map". Israel has no obligations to this national suicide pact, entered into by a man who shows all the indications of a bi-polar disorder which used to be called Manic Depressive. Why else would Sharon first build and then destroy virtually everything he built. Sharon is anxious to erase his past like every tyrant, after he has savaged the nation. He wants what has evaded him for much of his life -- namely recognition by the nations, by the gentiles and even by the Muslim Arabs. Sharon knows that he is old and doesn't have much time left. He wants the accolades of the Europeans, the Arabists, parts of America and the insidious Left of the Jews. In the end, his historic legacy will be the liquidation of the Jewish nation and his grave will likely end up in the sewers of Gaza, if the grateful Arab Muslims have their way. One could call Bill Clinton's bumbling in the Middle East a "Road Map" which, like the Bush Road Map, meanders often to nowhere. But, because it has a title "The Road Map, we presume it to be well thought out with deeply considered solutions. Hate to disappoint you but, it has none of that. It smacks of the same uninformed planning and lack of vision (let alone knowledge) with which we are now facing in Iraq. Looking behind the words one finds motivation that has suspicious components. Bush and the Arabist State Department long known as a visceral enemy of the Jewish State want Israel squeezed to merely a sliver of Land. Here the motivation is to appease the oil producers like the Saudis among other Arab/Muslim nations. Bush-Rice-Baker are part of regime which started a process that took over under the phrase "Road Map" but, whose intention is to remove Israel who is viewed as an irritant to Arab/Muslim vaunted sensitivities. Jews and Christians are infidels which is what Muslims call all non-Muslims and they will not be appeased. It's not that Bush or the State Department actually have a personal fondness for Arab Muslims but, those countries that are the source of foreign oil does make them pucker up. Granted, Father Bush did have an unusual relationship with the Kings of Saudi Arabia wherein he could and did promise then Crown Prince Abdullah that his son (now President) would look after his interests -- or words to that effect. Sharon, for reasons yet to be explored properly, has latched onto the phrase "Road Map" even though it would be better described as "Road Kill". This became Sharon's political shield as he frequently invoked the claim that he was -- Only Following the "Road Map". The abortive plan produced nothing other than the weakening of the pillars that support Israel as a free democracy under attack both within and without. The "Road Map" jargon is merely a crooked path to appease the oil producers and serve the interests of Jew-haters both in Washington and in nations well known for their bias. Recall the poem: "It takes a crooked man to walk a crooked mile"...well, that's the Bush-Rice-Baker "Road Map". Have you ever wondered how the phrase "Road Map" become the irrevocable policy of Bush and Sharon? How did such a slogan become a fixed policy which came out of a non-directional series of thoughts from a hostile State Department, guided by people like James Baker III? As for Sharon, he certainly fits the poem as he stumbles down the "Crooked Road" -- always taking the Left Fork. Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). |
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THE JEWS' PERFECT CIRCLE
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, December 4, 2005. |
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Perhaps it's not so perfect given that we always start at "Go" and end up at "Go". I was reading the November/December issue of MIDSTREAM Magazine with articles by Barry Rubin, commenting on "The Israeli Withdrawal from Gaza," then David Rodman's "The Jewish Wars of Liberation: Thoughts on Hanukah", then Abraham Cooper's and Harold Brackman's "Do Mainline Protestants Want to Supersede Israel?" I continued reading with the next article, "Svengali" -- another byword in the lexicon of Jewish villainy by Milton Kerker. Herein the author reminds us of Shakespeare's Shylock, Dickens' Fagin and the villainous Svengali, in the novel "Trilbey" 1894. I begin to see a certain thread common to these articles and the thousands of other articles and books about Jews which I have read. Clearly, we Jews are indeed People of the Book. Just observe the cascade of words we use to ponder our fate. We seem to be on a 'closed circle race track' where we always end up at the beginning after racing around furiously in an attempt to change reality. Is this then our fate? To dream again the same ending each night, year, decade. We always end up at the same beginning and must start over again -- if we have survived. We invariably search for answers as we first put on the hat of a Jew and then put on the hat of our gentile adversary. We explore our actions with the thought: "If we analyze ourselves to the last molecule, we will know how to placate those who hate us and escape the never-ending closed circle in which we are trapped." Each of the afore-mentioned articles in MIDSTREAM Magazine slices a minute specimen of Jewish life vis-a-vis our adversaries and puts it under the microscope of life. Each was accurate and we could see ourselves racing around our closed circle -- trying to search for a way out. I do not wish to depress our readers by implying that there is no way out of this deeply grooved perfect (or imperfect) circle. For us Jews perhaps the answer is finding peace within the circle. What each of us scribblers see, is that for unsolved reasons we cannot rely on all others to be swayed by our arguments and rationale as to why we are innocent and should be treated fairly. We are not guilty of anything but, when we research our history over decades, we find our accusers and adversaries are, indeed, guilty of the most heinous crimes against humanity, for which they then accuse us! Here we find Carl Jung's observations wherein the attacker blames his intended victim for planning to attack him thus justifying his pre-emptive attack. We Jews spend our lives pondering the crimes for which we are accused, pouring out words and tomes that fill libraries -- always trying with words to break out of the closed circle. But, our dedicated adversaries do not wish to open even a small gate. Were we to escape the prison of this enclosure, then our adversaries would be forced to trade places with us and race the unending race of those truly guilty. We have nothing to be ashamed of or feel guilty for, although we do because our adversaries have told us we are Shylocks, Fagins, Svengalis. We have been told so often that we must be in league with the Devil for how else to explain the extraordinary contributions to science, medicine, music, et al, which comes from that small group called the Jewish people? How to explain that each advancement of men has what our detractors insist is a tainted contribution? Even a glimpse of a short list speaks about who we are and always will be: Abraham, Moses, the Jew named Jesus, Einstein, Marx, Freud and the disproportionate honorees of Jews for the Nobel Prizes (when the Nobel Committee is not playing politics in their selections). Jews ushered in the major changes in mankind's way of living for which they received -- not gratitude but -- resentments, jealousy and murderous hatred. We Jews have nothing to apologize for -- which cannot be said for those nations and religions who have once again ramped up their interest in either disposing of the few Jews who are left or simply capturing us and, with our surrender, claiming all that we were and are for themselves. Most often they do this by planting their religious institutions on top of Jewish holy sites. The Jewish Temple Mount is a valid example of this. Both Christianity and Islam tried to capture the spirit of G-d by capturing the stones of the Jews' Highest Holy Site. Moshe Dayan thought he avoided this pitfall by giving away the Keys of the Temple Mount to the Muslim Wakf. But, as we are real characters in our daily lives, we are also parallel, fictionalized characters made up by the Church and the earliest priest cults. Their fictionalized version of the Jews was what became our persona and no amount of protest or offering counter proofs made any difference. The fictionalized Shylock, the evil Svengali and Fagin, all Jews, all fiction but, that is what the Christian Church and later Islam established in the minds of the people. We are their fictionalized nightmares and when they wake up, we are still their bad dream they were taught to dream either asleep or awake. Because we are a contrived myth, there is little we can do to dissuade them that just behind us is the Lucifer they were taught to see in their darkest nightmares. This is inevitably the legacy of the Priest Cult of Christendom and/or Islam. For them the myth has long ago become a necessary reality because a Priest Cult must have those enemies to fight -- in the name of the people -- if they are to remain in power. Therefore, conceiving of the Jews as good and a value to humanity would undercut all that has been manipulated for centuries by the Priest Cults who cast themselves as the heroes of the dream. My thought -- as a possible solution -- is to stop racing and merely stroll and enjoy the scenery. Since we cannot really alter the hostility of our adversaries, we should merely ignore them -- except when they come to kill, rob and pillage. As advised in Tanach (the Bible), when a thief comes at night you can presume he will also kill you so you are advised to kill him first. There is nothing in our Jewishness that we can gift as a bribe to appease our adversaries unless giving up our lives is our only solution.. No doubt, we the scribblers, will continue writing, describing the problems and offering solutions by exploring what we are speculating on, what we have done to warrant such unalterable hatred. But, if we simply stroll through life instead of racing in a closed circle, then we will be satisfied with our lives which we will get to live instead of die. As for our detractors, I have little doubt they will continue to blame their self-inflicted misery on the Jews, believing that when we are gone, they will be happily united with a G-d who, so far, has eluded their embrace and petitions to replace the Jewish people. Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). |
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KAARE KRISTIANSEN, AGE 85, DIES. RESIGNED NOBEL COMMITTEE OVER ARAFAT PEACE PRIZE
Posted by David Bedein, December 4, 2005. |
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Norwegian statesman Kaare Kristiansen, who made his name as a friend of Israel since the establishment of the Jewish state in 1948, passed away today at the age of 91. Kaare Kristiansen became well known in this generation when resigned from the Nobel Peace Prize Committee in 1994 as a protest against the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize that year to the PLO-leader Yasser Arafat. In addition, Kristiansen caused a tumult in Norway when he accused a fellow member of the Nobel Peace Prize committee, Norwegian politician Terye Larsen of accepting a gratuity from Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to get Shimon Peres the Nobel Peace Prize in addition to the prize that was jointly awarded to the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Larsen was then appointed as the international chairman of the Peres Center for Peace, a position which catapulted Larsen to land the position of The UN's point man on the middle east peace process. Shortly before accepting the UN position, Larsen and his wife received a $100,000 award from the Peres Center for Peace. In 1998, Kristiansen disrupted the fifth anniversary celebration of the Oslo process which was held in Oslo when he met with the Norwegian media and translated into Norwegian the videos in which Arafat called for Israel's destruction, while the Oslo negotiations were taking place. Kristiansen had the courage to do this while Arafat was less than 30 feet away in the next room. Last year, Kristiansen warned about great hopes with Abbas, Arafat's successor, saying that " the current optimistic view on the part of the majority in the Knesset regarding "new" positive attitudes among the Palestinians is a deja vu repetition of the most complete failure of the Middle East conflict, the so-called "Oslo Agreement". On August 18th of this year, Kristiansen was invited to a dinner party sponsored by the Israeli government which took place during the week that Israel forcibly expelled 10,,000 Jews from the communities in Katif and Northen Samaria. Kristiansen declined the invitation, saying that "The Israel Government expulsion of Gush Katif Jews is not an internal Israeli affair. It is everyone's affair. This expulsion is an immoral and illegal act violating international ethical, human, legal and social rights. This reality was affirmed by Israel Supreme Court Justice Edmund Levy in his dissenting opinion opposing the Gush Katif expulsion and by University of Sydney Professor of International Law Julius Stone of blessed memory" (Root and Branch Society of Jerusalem). In his letter to the Israeli ambassador in Oslo, Kristiansen write that "Being neither an Israeli citizen nor a Jew, I have been reluctant to express my opinions publicly in a situation where the expression of such opinions might be interpreted as foreign meddling in internal Israeli affairs. My excuse is love for Israel. Over a decade ago, I protested as immoral the Nobel Prize Committee awarding a "peace" prize to Yasser Arafat in December, 1994, and resigned from the Nobel Prize Committee as an expression of that protest then. Over a decade later, I protest as immoral the illegal Israel Government expulsion of the Gush Katif Jews today". Kaare Kristiansen's Political background: With thanks to: Erez Uriely, Director,Norwegian Israel Center Against anti-Semitism (NIS) Kristiansen was the leader of the Christian People's Party during the periods of 1975-1977 and 1979 1983. He was elected Member of Parliament from 1973 to 1977, and from 1981 to 1989. He served as Minister of Oil and Energy from 1983 to 1986. Kristiansen was politically involved during his whole life. He was elected the first time as a member of the municipality in 1951, and ended his last term in 1999. In 1989 he resigned as a Member of Parliament on the grounds that his own party had distanced itself from its original purpose and course. "I went into politics with a missionary vision, not to be nice and easygoing," was the statement of the veteran given at an interview with the newspaper Vart Land on his 75th birthday. "I don't know if I would recommend a young person to join the youth division of the Christian People's Party. I would rather recommend them to be active within the congregation," he said. David Bedein is Bureau Chief, Israel Resource News Agency, Beit Agron Int't Press Center, Jersualem. tel. 972-547-222661, http://Israelbehindthenews.com). |
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THE GRIM REAPER OF EUROPEAN CULTURE IS SHARPENING HIS BLADE
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 3, 2005. |
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The Hizbut-Tahrir, or Party of Liberation emerges in Britain, Uzbekistan, and elsewhere. This conservative, perhaps not militant, Muslim party's stated goal is to "rebuild the Caliphate-the Muslim state dissolved with the fall of the Ottoman Empire-to displace corrupt dictators in the Muslim world, and to instill Islamic mores and Islamicize almost every aspect of daily life" per section A6 of the 07/16/05 edition of the New York Times. Such a politically motivated organization today attracts a substantial number of well-educated intellectual Islamic adherents. Might this suggest to prescient European pundits that an envisioned absorption of citizens/residents born of Muslim heritage into a secular European lifestyle is not at all assured? Indeed, might today's majority way of life, customized within the various states of the E.U., be a future anachronism within the souls of Islamic idealists yearning for the manifestation of a modern day sixteenth century "Suleiman the Magnifient" incarnation to rekindle the bygone era of Muslim dominance? From underclass to "we got you under our thumb baby", a roller-coaster-ride again peaking at the genesis of millennium twenty-one; might a Brit or two, perhaps a Frenchman, German, Dutchman, Spaniard, Italian or other denizen of the continent be a bit concerned at the prospects of those in-your-face Sharia guys cramping their style? Would it be a stretch to suggest a stretched Middle East creeping through Trafalgar Square and the Champs-Elysees? Might head to toe burkas in de rigueur black soon be all the rage in Nice, Bologna, or Madrid? Heritages run deep, could Dylan's adage "Losers Now Later to Win" ring sweetly, without the tune, for "The Times They are a Changing (here)" Koran-worshiping crowd in Amsterdam? Of course, a slightly jazzed-up version of the Taliban could also make things an ort more bearable for "Rocker" types. All this is not so far-fetched when one ponders the nature of ever-immigrating hordes of low esteem Moroccans, Algerians, and Pakistanis perhaps someday to be organized by mujahadeem misogynists and those "on the road from Riyadh" jihad junkies amply underwritten by the dinars confiscated from sheik got-rocks and the erstwhile rogue robed rulers of fossil fuel infamy. Likely, a few icons of Arab intelligentsia will ice the falafel with religious rhetoric followed by adulation, in the official Arabic language, for the Grand Mufti of the Neo-Ottoman Empire. Such orators will proudly promulgate the recent arrests of corrupt autocrats from Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Sudan previously supported by Western "oil-sucking" sycophants. The latter statement might serve as a clue to somnambulist Europeans and their transatlantic partners as to how to preclude this nightmarish scenario. Find a way to cease dealing with the debauched House of Saud for one. Muslims worldwide have no love for such filthy rich thieving autocrats, nor should Westerners support those who finance Wahhabi madrassas, in effect responsible for maniacally manipulating vulnerable Muslims to become homicide/suicide bombers. Furthermore, European leaders must forthwith begin shutting down their own local mosques and learning centers spewing hatred of the infidel, with emphasis on Jews/Israelis. Pakistan, a primary exporter of terrorists, must be encouraged to close its madrassa/human bomber factories. (Are you listening President Bush, your bud on the "war on terror" Musharraf happens to be the Muslim in charge of that fanatical enclave.) After two devastating acts of carnage in London and Madrid subsequent to the 9/11 catastrophe, Western leaders especially in Europe can ill afford to not address this crisis in progress with all due alacrity. The grim reaper of European culture is sharpening his blade. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. He advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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LOOK TO THE STARS
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 3, 2005. |
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The vast majority of humans are of a decent peaceful altruistic nature. Yet, much dysfunction afflicts our third stone from the sun? Why? Might we examine the movers and shakers of societies, observing a spectrum of individuals skewed towards the ideologue and megalomaniac extreme? Obsessions with wealth, power, and ideology are indeed the culprits of social adysfunction. Has nature so erred in crafting leaders of such ilk? Alas, in the grandiose scheme of things, such leadership guarantees our species perpetual wars and conflicts, genocide, poverty, pestilence, and mass starvation, all necessary events and states in controlling population growth. Indeed, witness an emerging century twenty-one immersed in an Iraqi war, conflict worldwide, ongoing genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, poverty throughout the planet, widespread pernicious diseases unchecked such as AIDs, and mass starvation especially in Niger. Megalomaniac immensely wealthy corporations enter into Faustian covenants with immensely wealthy Islamic megalomaniacs whose spindly talons grip the fossil fuel faucets allocating energy lifeblood to industrial nations. The upshot of all this is a skewed wealth curve leading to poverty, pestilence, and mass starvation for the shlamazel have-nots; as well as an Iraqi war begot for oil interests and the petrodollar, an Israeli/ Palestinian conflict instigated as a diversion for bejeweled royal robed rogue rip off artists redirecting animosity from their exploited impoverished subjects to Israel, and unceasing genocide in Sudan at the behest of a sadist Islamic regime, not coincidentally a region also saturated by the vicious viscous substance that trumps human decency. If all this is not enough, Islamic Wahhabi fundamentalist ideologues concurrently have declared jihad on the infidel, imperiling all civil societies. I reiterate, the vast majority of humans are of a decent peaceful altruistic nature, but they are not in charge. How might humans counteract this vestigial evolutionary blight so distressing to our earthly existence? The planet's hi-tech enclaves such as America, Israel, India, China, the European Union, Australia, and other global centers must forthwith in unison craft a space program primarily concerned with intergalactic exploration and eventual colonization of habitable planets. Over generations, immersed in an environment of infinite resources, population control will no longer dominate mankind's evolution. Thus, there would be no natural reason to perpetuate movers and shakers of the current ilk. Are such lofty dreams merely meant for romantically inclined idealists? That answer truly is in the stars. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. Larry Uniglicht advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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REFLECTIONS ON CHANUKAH, 2005
Posted by Yoram Ettinger, December 3, 2005. |
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The following are not my original ideas, but rather the ideas of a number of Jewish thinkers:
1. ORIGIN OF THE NAME, CHANUKAH: THE HOLIDAY OF EDUCATION. According to the first book of The Maccabees, Yehuda (who succeeded Mattityahu) ordered the Jewish People to observe an eight day holiday on the 25th day of the month of Kislev, in order to commemorate the INAUGURATION (CHANUKAH in Hebrew) of the holy altar and the Temple, following Syrian desecration. A key feature of Chanukah is EDUCATION of the family (The Hebrew word for education is CHINUKH, spelled with the first four of the five letters of Chanukah). The Hebrew word, Chanukah, consists of two words, CHANU (they rested/stationed) and KAH (25), which refers to the fact that the Maccabees re-consecrated the Temple on the 25th day of the month of Kislev (purging it from the idolatries installed by the Seleucids). Some have suggested that the celebration of Christmas on December 25th and the celebration of the New Year 8 days later (January 1) have their origin in the 25th day of Kislev (which always "accompanies" December) and the 8 days of Chanukah as well as the eight days of circumcision. 2. ORIGIN OF THE NAME, MACCABEE. Yehuda's middle name was Maccabee, derived possibly from the Hebrew word MAKEVET (The Power Hammer), which described Yehuda's tenacious fighting capabilities. It may have derived from the Hebrew verb CABEH (to extinguish), which described the fate of Yehuda's adversaries. Another possible interpretation of the name is that MACCABEE is the Hebrew acronym of "Who could resemble you among Gods, Jehovah" (Mi Camokha Ba'elim Adonye in Hebrew). 3. HOLIDAY OF LIGHT AND REMEMBRANCE. The first day of Chanukah - the holiday of light -- is on the 25th day of Kislev, the month of miracles (e.g. Noah's Rainbow appeared in Kislev). Moses completed the construction of the Holy Arc on the 25th day of Kislev, as was the date of the laying the foundation of the second Temple by Nehemaya. The 25th (Hebrew) word in Genesis is LIGHT ("OR" in Hebrew). A Jewish metaphor for the Torah is light. The 25th stop of the People of Israel -- on their way from Egypt to the Promised Land - was Hashmona (same root as Hasmoneans in Hebrew). Chanukah commemorates the victory of Light (Maccabees) over Darkness. While light stands for remembrance, darkness (Chashecha in Hebrew) stands for FORGETFULNESS (Schichecha in Hebrew, spelled with the same Hebrew letters as Chashecah/darkness). 4. CHANUKAH DEMONSTRATES THAT WISDOM IS SUPERIOR TO KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING. Jewish definition of intellect and Jewish history demonstrate the superiority of Khokhma (faith in divinely inspired wisdom, morality and capabilities) over Beena (human understanding and interpretations) and Da'att (human intelligence/knowledge). The Greek/Syrian culture was based on the superiority of human knowledge and (tenuous) moral standards. The Greeks/Syrians felt constrained, and therefore threatened, by Jewish faith in divine (permanent) morality. Chanukah demonstrates the victory of divine morality over convenience-driven human definition of morality. 5. EIGHT DAYS OF CHANUKAH REPRESENT DIVINE CAPABILITIES AND OPTIMISM. The ancient Temple Menorah consisted of seven branches, which commemorated the seven days of creation. The Chanukah Menorah has eight branches, reflecting the additional level of divine capabilities over and beyond human expectations: The victory of the few over the many and the lasting of one day supply of oil for eight days. Some have suggested that the 8 day celebration was designed to make up for the holiday of Tabernacles, which could not be celebrated by the Maccabees due to the war. The shape of "Eight" represents infinity: No end to divine capabilities to enhance human fortunes, as evidenced by the survival of the Jewish People against all odds. The root of the Hebrew word for "eight" (Shmonah) is "oil" (Shemen), which is also the root of "Hasmonean" (Hashmonayim). 6. A LESSON TO ISRAEL'S LEADERSHIP: Simon the Maccabee -- who succeeded Judah and Jonathan the Maccabees -- responded to an ultimatum by the Assyrian/Greek Emperor Antiochus (Maccabees A, Chapter 15, verse 33: "We have not occupied a foreign land; We have not ruled a foreign land; We have liberated the land of our forefathers from foreign occupation." Thus responded Simon the Maccabee to Emperor Antiochus' ultimatum to end "occupation" of Jaffa, Jerusalem, Gezer, Ekron and Gaza. 7. THE ORIGINAL "REBELLION AGAINST TYRANTS IS OBEDIENCE TO GOD". The Maccabees were a tiny minority -- condemned by the "pragmatic" Jewish establishment -- upon launching their rebellion against an oppressive super-power. They were referred by Jewish "intellectuals" as "the enemies of peace" and "extremists." They prevailed due to their principle-driven, determined and can-do state-of-mind. They have demonstrated the victory of the few over the many, right over wrong and truth over lies. The Maccabees have become a role-model for America's Founding Fathers, including Paul Revere and the organizers of the Boston Tea Party. 8. ORIGIN OF "GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH" and "Live Free Or Die". The Maccabees' sacrifice and political Incorrectness has preserved and inspired today's Jewish religion, language, culture and sovereignty. They followed in the footsteps of Abraham, Pinchas the High Priest, Joshua&Calev, King David and Elijah. 9. HISTORICAL CONTEXT. Alexander The Great -- who held Judaism in high esteem and whose Egyptian heir Ptolemy II translated the Torah to Greek -- died in 323BC. Consequently, the Greek Empire disintegrated into five, and thirty years later into three, kingdoms: Macedonia, Syria and Egypt. The Land of Israel was always militarily contested by Syria and Egypt (and Gaza was always the main invasion route!). In 198BC, Israel was conquered by the ancient Syrians. In 175BC, a new king assumed power in Syria, Antiochus (IV) Epiphanies, who viewed the Jews as pro-Egyptians and held Judaism with contempt. In 169BC, on his way to Syria from a military victory over Egypt, he devastated Jerusalem, massacred a large number of Jews, forbade the practice of Judaism (including the Sabbath, circumcision, etc.) and desecrated Jerusalem and the Temple. The rebellion against the Syrian (Seleucid) kingdom featured the Hasmonean (MACCABEE) family: Mattityahu, a priest from the small town of Modi'in, and his five sons, Yochanan, Yehuda, Simon, Jonathan and Elazar. The heroic (and tactically creative) battles conducted by the Maccabees, were consistent with the reputation of Jews as superb warriors, who were hired often as mercenaries by Egypt, Rome and other global and regional powers. 10. CHANUKA-PASSOVER-PURIM. The heroes of Passover and Purim had no choice but to defy their enemies. The Maccabees refused physical peace in return for spiritual assimilation and a sellout of the cradle of Jewish history. They were willing to pay any price for the protection of their values and heritage. Chanukah symbolizes the victory of conviction and roots over short-term convenience and over opportunism/cynicism (currently known as "pragmatism"). 11. NO FREE LUNCH FOR SOVEREIGN PEOPLES. Chanukah serves as another reminder that free people must be ready to fight -- and sacrifice -- for the right to be sovereign, especially in violent and unpredictable neighborhoods. Ambassador Yoram Ettinger is a consultant on US-Israel relations as well as the Chairman of Special Projects at the Ariel Center for Policy Research. Formerly the Minister for Congressional Affairs to Israel's Embassy in Washington, DC, Ettinger also served as Consul General of Israel to the Southwestern US. He is a former editor of Contemporary Mideast Backgrounder, and is the author of the Jerusalem Cloakroom series of reports. Contact him at yoramtex@netvision.net.il |
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OLEG CARTOON: ARAB MUSLIMS IN FRANCE
Posted by Women in Green, December 3, 2005. |
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Please read this letter by Ruth Matar. It is called "Vote "Kadima" To Destroy Israel." Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org. It includes two articles. 
Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org. |
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OBJECTIVE?
Posted by Batya Medad, December 3, 2005. |
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A big complaint by Americans exposed to Israeli journalism is its lack of objectivity. There's no fine line and not even a fuzzy one in Israeli news reports, whether print, radio or television, between fact and opinion. It's blatant editorializing, propaganda. As a high school English teacher, my curriculum requires making my students aware of "fact" and "opinion" in a text. Last week I was attempting just such a lesson. We read over the textbook's description of a news article verses a human interest story. My students are Hebrew speakers, and I've discovered that I have to be very careful to verify that they really understand the simplest English words. This is especially problematic when it comes to English that has been adopted by Hebrew. I discovered this dilemma a number of years ago when a class had to understand the term "regular hours." "Hours" was easy, "sha'ot," but when I asked them to translate regular, I heard "ragil," best translated back into English as "normal" or "unexceptional." That's not the same thing. A job with "regular hours" has set hours, the same schedule every day or week etc. From their understanding was a misunderstanding. So I wasn't terribly surprised when I asked them to translate the term "objective," which was used in our textbook to describe a "news article," as opposed to a "human interest story." With total confidence they all replied: "obyectivi." I asked them to explain what it means. Again, looking at me like I was deaf, senile, crazy or all three, they repeated: "obyectivi!" And again, I asked for an explanation in Hebrew. No great surprise that none of my students had the foggiest idea of what "obyectivi" or "objective" means. So of course I made them look it up in the dictionary, which I'm always telling them is their "best friend." But I was very upset to discover that in this case, their dictionary turned traitor. All that the dictionary said in Hebrew was "obyectivi." Of course, afterwards I explained to them that "objective" means without opinion. Some of these students are beginning their major in "Tikshoret," Media-Journalism, and they hadn't been taught the principle. (Israeli high school students concentrate on a specific subject as part of their graduation requirements.) "Objective" isn't the only word being miss-used, at least according to my American sensitivities. Democracy is also one. Israel is an elected dictatorship. Even before Ariel Sharon's reign, we felt a bit uncomfortable with the norms of Israeli government and version of democracy. But the past two years have brought us down further than we could have ever imagined. Especially as interpreted by Israeli liberals, democracy means that once the government decides something everyone has to be in favor of it. It is immoral to disagree. Of course this applies only when the government decision meets with their approval. If they don't agree with the government there's a moral imperative to demonstrate against. If they do agree with the government, those demonstrating against are "endangering democracy." The liberal Civil Rights activists see nothing immoral in jailing teenagers for blocking roads to protest Disengagement. If blocking roads is illegal, then Labor Party leader, Amir Peretz should be jailed, because he closed down lots of roads as head of the Histadrut. Now that he has reached "big time" in Israeli politics, things should be getting very "interesting." I wonder what turns Israeli democracy will now take. It will be a real challenge to pick the facts out of the news, which is so "obyectivi." This is Musing #154. Batya Medad lives in Shiloh. She can be reached by email at Shilohmuse@yahoo.com or visit her website http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/ or go to http://www.shilo.org.il |
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DON'T GIVE AWAY THE FARM, ARIEL!
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 2, 2005. |
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Don't give away the farm, Ariel! There should be no further negotiations concerning land concessions with morphed Jordanian Arabs, deceptively called Palestinians, unless Hamas and all enemies of Israel residing in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria promulgate their belief that the state of Israel deserves to exist, and in fact demonstrate adherence to civilized law by disarming in perpetuity. These are not at all idealized conditions. The future safety of Israeli citizenry is at stake. There must be no compromise in this stance whatsoever! A so-called road map for peace without such assurances, and most essentially continuous enforcement of such assurances, is a path strewn with road kill that can only lead to disaster for the beleaguered yet vibrant Jewish democracy. Israel must maintain a robust economy in order to insure a high-quality standard of life, thus must thrive in enterprises such as state of the art research and development, industry, commerce, and tourism. A first world life style however is undermined if resources are substantially drained to bolster national security, if potential visitors are intimidated by terrorist concerns hence stay away, and if collective moral plummets. Furthermore, insidious worldwide propaganda antagonistic towards Israel, potentially metastasizing to boycotts and perhaps other sanctions, will not be averted by unconditionally ceding land to aggressors. Anti-Israel/Semitic perceptions are endemic to many planetary pundits and their minions hence Israel is so much better off holding territories justly secured in 1967 as a consequence of vanquishing Arabs intent on annihilating the Jewish state. Acceding to extortion by lopping off land mass will in the long run be viewed as weakness, not at all quelling the predatory beast or planetary hostility as nothing Israel does will be enough in today's world climate. That climate will only change when the Jewish State develops and controls the patent on some miraculous alternative fuel source, Jew despising fanatics hold hands with Ariel Sharon singing Kumbaya, or pigs sprout wings and fly. Shooting for the first possibility isn't such a bad idea. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. Larry Uniglicht advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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MARTIN INDYK'S NEW YORK TIMES OP ED: "GO YOUR OWN WAY"
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, December 2, 2005. |
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I am deeply concerned about the rationale offered by Martin Indyk, mostly because I do not trust him -- for good reasons. I saw him rushed to Washington, DC into a quicky American citizenship from his Australian citizenship. Then he was flushed through the system with a Congressional Hearing that barely asked significant questions and Voila...he became Ambassador to Israel. No one asked the obvious questions at his Hearing: Was Indyk an Intelligent Agent working in Australia for British Intelligence -- as some people have alleged? Once there, he performed in a similar manner to James Baker's appointees who were sarcastically called "Jew Boys" -- for good reason. Dennis Ross, Aaron Miller and Daniel Kurtzer all represented the policies of former President George Herbert Walker Bush, Secretary of State James Baker and a decidedly anti-Israel U.S. State Department. Today the question is: Does Martin Indyk give an honest analysis or is he merely the same stalking horse for the pro-Arab State Department that he was as their employee? Take that to mean a "PLAN" to eventually eliminate the Jewish State of Israel in slices of forced Eviction and Evacuation. In his NYT Op-Ed of December 2nd, Martin Indyk fills us with "seeming honesty" speaking of the good things happening in Israel politics. Indyk speaks about Sharon's new "Kadima" party Indyk calls "centrist" when between Sharon and Peres, the "Kadima" Party leans far, far radically extreme Left and firmly dedicated to massive Eviction/Evacuation of Jews from the Jewish State. Indyk, again disarmingly, tells us that, beneath the surface of the perceived calm lurks competing warlords, armed gangs and terrorist organizations. Indyk tells us that there is no independent judiciary or rule of law in the Palestinian Authority. Now, Indyk has our attention as a "seemingly honest" analyst -- except he isn't! Please recall everything he admits is happening on the ground in Judenrein (Jew-Free) Gaza. All of this was predicted by Israel's General Staff and her top Intelligence Directors. They told Sharon again and again that Gaza would become an International base for Global Terrorist Organizations who could not only organize, fund and train to attack Israel but could also reach all the nations in the Middle East and send out their Terrorist forces to the entire non-Muslim world. President George Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Sec-State James Baker, the U.S. State Department all knew of these forecasts and had their own Intelligence to back it. They all knew that the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) was and would fail, with the more violent Terror Organization Hamas taking over. A little honesty can suck in even the smartest and most suspicious when this honesty is followed up by a recommendation and a Plan. So, let's watch out. Indyk ends his recommendation by saying that Gaza should be another Palestinian State -- presumably at first -- followed by what? Indyk tells us that Egypt is on board with America on this idea. (I wonder when we started trusting the Egyptians, particularly as Egypt drifts toward an Islamic State controlled by the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.) Indyk goes on to tell us that the Bush Administration could prepare to negotiate with the next Israeli government over the extent of her withdrawal from the West Bank and the Arab suburbs of Jerusalem, plus Jerusalem's Jewish Holy Sites. (Read that to mean that this is the Indyk recommendation to Evict/Evacuate the 250,000 Jewish men, women and children from Judea and Samaria, plus the Golan Heights, Jordan Valley, and more than half of Jerusalem.) Now, the question is: Was this Indyk's idea of delivering a soft slip-by message or was this tediously drafted for review by Baker-Rice with a Bush input? Martin Indyk is the director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. So read his article and decide for yourselves. It's called "Go Your Own Way" and appeared December 2, 2005. "LIFE'S Good." That's the message proclaimed on huge billboards in the Gaza Strip these days -- albeit by an importer of European refrigerators. It was also a message conveyed by last weekend's pictures of Palestinians crossing from Gaza into Egypt, no longer scrutinized by Israeli soldiers. Life seems good in Israel, too. Terrorist incidents are down to one every three months, tourism is booming again and high-tech investors are back in droves. The election of a union chief, Amir Peretz, to head the Labor Party brings fresh leadership to one of Israel's major parties and a new emphasis on the needs of those long neglected in Israeli society. And the departure of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon from Likud, the other major party, holds out the hope that elections in March could produce a centrist coalition under his leadership that would finally lead Israel to peace with the Palestinians. But beneath this surface lurks another, far less pleasant reality. Gaza today is ruled not by the Palestinian Authority but by competing warlords, armed gangs, security chiefs and terrorist organizations. There is no independent judiciary or rule of law. Educational and social institutions have collapsed. Unemployment is as high as 50 percent. Three months after Israel's withdrawal, there are few signs of renewed economic activity: no new housing projects and no new efforts to rebuild roads and basic services devastated by four years of intifada. In this environment, it is little wonder that the militant Islamic group Hamas, with its combination of terrorist derring-do and efficient social services, is gaining in popularity in Gaza. If elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council are held in January as scheduled, Hamas is widely expected to take half the seats in Gaza, putting it in a position to dominate politics there. Four years of intifada terrorism have inured Israelis to this reality. For them, the appeal of the Gaza disengagement was its unilateral separatism, which in one move allowed Israelis to rid themselves of responsibility for 1.3 million Palestinians. If Hamas comes to rule over a failed, terrorist state in Gaza, Israelis will simply close the border crossings, which even now barely function, and rely on the border fence and military deterrence to protect themselves. The same logic underlies Mr. Sharon's break with Likud. He knows Israelis want to separate from West Bank Palestinians, too, but that the Likud apparatus will oppose that move even more vehemently than it opposed the Gaza disengagement. Mr. Sharon swears allegiance to the Middle East "road map," the plan promoted by the quartet of the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia for an eventual peace agreement between Israel and Palestine. But the vision he holds out to his people is not one of a negotiated peace, but rather of an Israel with a robust Jewish majority and an undivided Jerusalem in its hands. And the prime minister is already actively turning that vision into reality by building a security barrier around Jerusalem and the major West Bank settlement blocs. When it is completed, a re-elected Sharon is then likely to respond to growing Israeli public pressure for another unilateral step by withdrawing settlements from the Palestinian heartland and leaving Palestinians in control of some 70 percent of the West Bank, while retaining Israeli control of Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley. This Israeli urge for separation has a counterpart in Gaza, where some residents now argue for placing Gaza's interests ahead of those of the West Bank. Increasingly, Gazans resent the weak, crony-infested leadership in Ramallah, which they fear will constrain their independence so as not to be left alone in Israel's grip. Arguing that Gaza has always been the crucible for critical developments in the Palestinian national movement (the first intifada began there in 1987), some Gazans suggest that the time has come to create their own independent state in the part of Palestine that has now been liberated. American diplomacy has not yet taken account of these rising separatisms. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Jim Wolfensohn, the Middle East envoy for the quartet, remain focused on turning the Gaza disengagement into a springboard for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. But their admirable efforts are hobbled by the weakness of the Palestinian Authority and the lack of interest from Israelis looking out for their security first. Fostering negotiations will grow only more challenging when January elections bring Hamas into the Palestinian political mainstream with its terrorist abilities intact. American interests might be better served by mustering international support for the establishment of a Palestinian state in Gaza first. Egypt is already quietly adopting the role of custodian in Gaza, putting Egyptian colonels in control of Palestinian border brigades, training the security services and leaning on terrorist organizations to cease their activities. With Egypt in the lead, the international community could help rebuild the institutions of governance in Gaza and reconstruct its economy. At the same time, Mr. Wolfensohn could focus his considerable energies on helping Gazans reorient their trade through Egyptian ports, across a border that is no longer controlled by Israel, and on generating foreign investment in Gaza. Meanwhile, the Bush administration could prepare to negotiate with the next Israeli government over the extent of its withdrawal from the West Bank and the Arab suburbs of East Jerusalem. American negotiators should pay close attention to how a West Bank withdrawal will affect the contiguity of Palestinian territory and its connection to East Jerusalem. This process is not a substitute for hammering out a final Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, which could be facilitated once a Palestinian state in Gaza extends its writ to the newly liberated areas of the West Bank. Rather, such steps would constitute a recognition that practical separation -- between Israel and the Palestinians, and between Gaza and the West Bank -- may serve as a precursor to peace. Only when Egyptians and Jordanians put their own separate interests first was peace forged between those countries and Israel. Perhaps the time has come for Gazans to do the same. Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). |
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SHARON RUSHES TO DE-JUDAIZE AND ENDANGER ISRAEL
Posted by Evelyn Hayes, December 2, 2005. |
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This was written by Yossi Yehoshua and is called "The Situation at the Rafiah Crossing -- Total Neglect." Less than a week has gone by since the Rafiah crossing was opened between Gaza and Egypt and the Israeli security establishment is extremely worried by the new reality, which was defined Wednesday by a senior security source as "total neglect." Army sources argue that because of pressure by Secretary of State Rice, the agreement had been signed too hurriedly, without providing an answer to Israeli security needs. According to the Israeli understanding of the agreement, the Israeli-Palestinian joint command center was supposed to obtain comprehensive information about whomever is passing from Gaza to Egypt and the reverse. In actuality, since the crossing has been opened, Israel only receives pictures of whomever is crossing and only eight minutes or so later information arrives about the identity of the person passing through. In that time, it is possible to go through the crossing without Israeli security authorities knowing the identity of the person. A senior member of the General Security Services remarked: "It's like watching a movie without any voice or subtitles." After raising the matter with the EU representative, it became clear that there was no common understanding. The EU's Italian general argued that he doesn't recognize a requirement to pass on data to Israel in real time. Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad, who heads the political-military section of the Ministry of Defense, stated that the critical clause exists: "With this situation, the agreement is worthless." (*Yediot Ahronot-Hebrew, 1Dec05*) Evelyn Hayes is author of "The Eleventh Plague, Twins, because their hearts were softened to accept the unacceptable" and "The Twelfth Plague, Generations, because the lion wears stripes." Contact her at haze@rcn.com. |
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ARE THERE MOLES WITHIN THE SHARON GOVERNMENT?
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, December 2, 2005. |
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Why should we be surprised that Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had been planting subversive moles within his own Likud Party for months -- even years. The vaunted planner has never shown loyalty to any political Party, let alone his own people of Israel -- not when it came to his own personal ambitions. They say rats leave a sinking ship -- except the King Rat was busy boring holes in the Ships (the Likud Party) hull for many years. I think that Likud can patch the holes by simply back tracking the work of the rats who have jumped ship to continue their work in the Evacuation Party now named Kadima (forward) eg., "to the rear march!" -- hut, one, two, three, four! We hear the other King Rat, Shimon Peres who has similarly subverted his own Labor Party and will now join publically and no longer gnaw at the pillars that support the Jewish nation. These two corrupt politicians always worked together even when seemingly apart in different parties. Peres was far better at subverting the nation as he colluded with nations whose history vis a vis the Jews was an unending policy of Jew-Hatred. Peres can better be described as the leaning tower of Peres, as these two now can claim they lean further to the Left than all other Parties ever formed. I have little doubt that Sharon and Peres are already planning to plant moles in his new "Kadima Party" to insure he can keep them in line by any means possible to include threats, bribery, blackmail for past deeds uncovered. Since both Likud and Labor will suffer from the Sharon-Peres collaboration, they have a short term vested interest in exposing this scam together. Wouldn't it be interesting to see full page ads placed by a short term partnership of Likud and Labor exposing the unethical subversive practices that Sharon and Peres engaged in as insidious to their respective parties. A CADRE OF MOLES Who can rely upon a party composed of Moles whose nature it is to work from within to destroy whatever they are part of. Surely of these low role models, the greatest mole of them all, Sharon, has outed himself to the public. Moles cannot even trust each other, knowing their world is built on the foundation lies, deceit, betrayal and, most certainly, treason. Working for the interests of other nations while subverting your own nation and people during war is defined as treason. Then there is the blackmail used against other moles to insure their "loyalty". Also there is the blackmail against the "King Moles" by other nations whose Intelligence Agencies have probed every illegal and shameful secret they had hoped to keep hidden. The "King Moles" -- among the others will pay any price, including the betrayal of their nation to maintain their secrets. But, what can a party comprised of Moles who have already demonstrated their treachery do for the nation? Certainly, based upon their lack of character, they must be suspicious of each other and ever watchful lest a fellow Mole betray them. They will be so busy watching their back-sides, there will be little time to conduct the affairs of the nation. Each military move must first be viewed through the lens of "Will it be politically good" for the Mole Party. Then, they must consult with the nations who fund them, irrespective of what is necessary to protect the nation. The Moles, even while thriving secretly within the Likud and Labor Parties, may have already demonstrated that they would sell out the safety of the Jewish nation by establishing what may be the most compact and efficient Center for Global Terrorist Organizations in the area of Gaza. The King Mole and his co-conspirators were warned time and again by the General Military Staff and the Head of Intelligence that a Judenrein (Jew-free) Gaza would be a vital danger to all off the Jewish cities within Israel. An interesting case in point about Moles or those willing to be recruited as Moles. The Head of Shabak (GSS-General Security Services) was about to leave his post having served his full term. He was one of the Intelligence Directors who warned Sharon, his Cabinet and the Knesset that the "Disengagement/Eviction" was a disastrous Plan. As a result, the normal extension of a year's extra service awarded to effective high-ranking Directors was cancelled and Avi Dichter was fired. Later, as the King Mole was creating his "fifth column" within Likud while deceptively promising to stay, he was negotiating with Dichter. Suddenly, Dichter had a change of heart or mind or pocket and began to speak positively of opening up Gaza to ostensibly the terrorists he first worried about. Now, when Sharon started to gather his Moles within the Likud, he offered Dichter the post of Defense Minister, should his Mole Party win the office of Prime Minister. General Shaul Mofaz thought it would be he who got that post since he viewed himself as Sharon's protegé -- and the force who worked so hard to assemble the Army and Police to forcibly evict the 10,000 Jewish men, women and children from Gush Katif and North Shomron. Sharon cheated him in the end, so Mofaz decided to stay with Likud and run for Prime Minister. Not a pretty story, I grant you, but Sharon, his Cabinet and those he could enlist as his Moles to jump ship like escaping rats from the sinking Likud ship is what the new party "Kadima" (Forward) of Evacuation is made of: Quislings, Moles, a veritable Fifth Column of the lowest and worst of our people. Perhaps saying they belong to the Jewish people would be stretching what is already a delusion of a perfidious gathering. Clearly, Sharon's gathering should be referred to as the "Mole Party" whose only platform is the Evacuation/Eviction of Judea, Samaria, the Jordan Valley, the Golan Heights and finally the dividing of Jerusalem and gifting all this precious Jewish Land, won with Jewish blood, sweat and tears to our dedicated enemies. Sharon's Plan will convert Israel from being a reliable, defensible Ally for the Free West and especially America into a perceived vulnerable irresistible morsel for the Muslim Arab world to conquer, occupy and drive out the remaining Jews. Sharon hopes that his offering will attract the rodents of Labor, Meretz and the Left generally. What they don't know is how he will betray them also when the time come and it benefits him. Surely, it is astounding that, with Sharon's track record of treachery, the Israeli people could ever think of voting for this perfidious party he calls "Kadima" which will lead the Jewish nation "Forward" to the rear. Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). |
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DOES HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF?
Posted by Rachel Kapen, December 2, 2005. |
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The label stuck to Shimon Peres as the Eternal Loser of Israeli politics-whether justly or not- received another vindication lately when lost the chairmanship of his haAvoda- Labor party, of which he was an integral part for so many years, to the much younger Amir Peretz, the head of the Histadrut. The defeat was inexplicable and totally unexpected and naturally caused Shimon Peres a great deal of anguish and bitterness towards his party who he felt betrayed him bitterly. A few days following the unexpected defeat of Peres and victory of Peretz, Peres announced that he is abandoning haAvoda-Labor to join in Kadima, the new party which Prime Minister Ariel Sharon recently established when he himself abandoned his own party "likud" of which he was a founding father. Although it was understood by all that he was moved by bitterness, his official explanation was that he decided that Ariel Sharon is now the best man for the job. Many regarded Shimon Peres's extreme act as a bitter betrayal of the base which for so many years enabled him to accomplish so much, among other things being the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace together with Itzhak Rabin, Z'L (and most unfortunately also Yasir Arafat) and serving as Israel's Prime Minister, and being regarded as a respected and most valued politician at home and more sop abroad, however, there is a precedence in Israeli politics which is worthwhile mentioning. In February of 1965, in a MAPAI (forerunner of HaAvoda) convention, David Ben-Gurion and his loyalists submitted a two resolutions -- I will not go into detail -- which were rejected by a majority of the party. The extremely furious Ben-Gurion then declared that the then Prime Minister Levi Eshkol was not capable of leading the country and a new candidate should be elected. This brought on a chasm in MAPAI and led Ben-Gurion and a number of his close loyalists to establish the RAFI (acronym of: List of Workers of Israel). You guessed that Shimon Peres, a protégé of Ben-Gurion was among them. The new party was a big disappointment when it garnered only a total of 10 seats in the Knesset against 45 which the new MAARAKH (combining the old MAPAI and Ahdut-haAvodah, a left of center socialist party headed by Yigal Allon) received. Of course the two examples aren't exactly the same but one can't escape seeing the similarities. All we can do is sit and wait and see what will happen here and perhaps even learn from history. Contact the author at skapen285466mi@comcast.net |
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THE EXTREME DANGER OF ARIEL SHARON
Posted by Marlene Young, December 2, 2005. |
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Ariel Sharon's partners in crime in the Liberal media have again resorted to printing false polls that show "Sharon with a clear lead". These polls are a strategic tool used to weaken his opposition and cower the citizens suffering from his abuse, by instilling in them a feeling of hopelessness from which he gains strength. An example of one of these polls appeared in Haaretz, and a glance at the question showed how it was skewed to get the desired results: every choice contained Ariel Sharon. The question was "which coalition would you vote for?" and the only possible answers were "Kadima" with another party, such as "Kadima and Labor", "Kadima and Likud", "Kadima and Shinui". The liberal media has become experts in using polls to manipulate the voters. Remember the recent Labor Party elections and how the polls predicted Peres as the winner? Just as Leftist Peretz ignored the polls, every clear thinking Israeli must reject the Kadima Party completely as though it were an idol placed on the alter of the Temple. Understand this: Sharon is not popular. Sharon's popularity is being manufactured by his public relations machine and his minions in the media. At least 12 notorious Hamas terrorists have crossed the Rafah Border from Egypt into Gaza in just one week. Ariel Sharon agreed last week to give up Israeli control over the Rafah Border, putting security there in the hands of the PA and a few powerless untrained EU observers. Ariel Sharon agreed to the deal that was negotiated by Condi Rice, after meeting with James Wolfensohn and the Clintons who offered him undisclosed personal incentives and support for his new Party. After destroying Likud, his new party, Kadima, is an amalgam of Radical Left Labor, Meretz and Arab MK's and mayors, who are sycophants and serfs due to jobs, deals, positions, bribes and perks they are offered. James Wolfensohn is the Special Envoy for the Quartet, a known megalomaniac, who was responsible for arranging the deal to confiscate the Jewish Gush Katif state-of-the-art bug-free vegetable and flower businesses from the Jewish owners for $14 million by force, though they were worth at least $300 million, and giving them to Beilin's ECF to profit wealthy Palestinian and European Leftist business interests. This theft of Jewish businesses, part of Ariel Sharon's Radical Leftist Expulsion and Progrom Plan, all because the EU and its Arab population could not stand paying Jews for the extraordinary fruits and vegetables and flowers all hotel chains across Europe were buying. Today, Newswire's report that even the PA acknowledges that at least 12 Hamas terrorists crossed into Gaza unchecked at the Rafah Terminal in just the first week, and we have no idea how many weapons and explosives were smuggled -- and the response from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Office? "The Terminal is working properly". Ariel Sharon is a danger to Jewish life, safety and liberty, and he must be arrested and tried for his crimes against the Jewish people. He has NEVER acted to dismantle or disarm the PA terror groups, merely arranging temporary "hudnas", financed through EU payments to Al Aqsa Martyrs and Hamas terror leaders. Thousands of Jews were murdered and maimed since 2000 and his response was to brutalize the Jewish victims and give away Jewish land and trample Jewish human, civil and property rights, falsely imprison children and other protestors, such as the blood libel against innocent framed Shimshon Cytryn, in deals that benefit Sharon, his family and his Leftist Cabal, for Power and Profit. Contact your synagogue, contact the OU, YU, and every Jewish Organization and demand a strong response to the demonic and dictatorial behavior of Ariel Sharon. Contact Marlene Young at marleneyoung1@yahoo.com |
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EMPTY PROMISES
Posted by Yuval Zaliouk, December 2, 2005. |
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Dear Jewish friends, Hevel havalim hakol havel. The empty promises made by PM Sharon prior to the eviction from Gaza are now hitting us in the face. Top wanted Hamas terrorists have returned to Gaza via the open border with Egypt. Another Kassam rocket was fired this morning. Weapons are freely smuggled to Gaza from Egypt and from Gaza into Judea and Samaria. Why should anybody believe the promises Sharon and his new Kadima party are making? None of his promises in the 2003 election campaign were kept. We are quickly losing our remaining rights on Eretz Yisrael. Sheikh Yassin, head of Hamas' terror organization said a few years ago: The reason the Palestinians are winning is because Israelis lost the will to fight. Now, that is the truth! Please read this letter by Ruth Matar. It is called "Vote "Kadima" To Destroy Israel." Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org. It includes two articles. Your Truth Provider,
Dear Friends, Ariel Sharon has "successfully" expelled 9,000 fellow Jewish citizens from their homes, synagogues, farms, businesses, and communities in Gush Katif (Gaza.) 75% of income-earners are unemployed to date! Families are forced to continue making payments on houses the government demolished! None of the evacuated farmers have been compensated and none has received land to cultivate! The withdrawal has left the lives of many families in shambles. Some youths ended up in closed psychiatric wards as a result of emotional trauma! In this connection, I would like you to read this Jerusalem Post Editorial called "Unsettled" from November 27, 2005:
How did Ariel Sharon achieve these "successes"? By feeding lies to the Israeli voters at election time and thereafter! By ignoring any pretense of democratic principles! By making himself a virtual dictator! By turning Israel into a banana republic, the policies of which are strongly influenced, if not determined, by the U.S. State Department. The Results of Sharon's Abandonment of Gaza: 1. Radical Islam proclaims that it was its terror war against Israel which achieved this enormous victory. The lesson the Arab terrorist learned is that terror pays, and that increasing terror will further the Islamic goal of world domination. Read more about this issue in the following article from today's
Jerusalem Post: As Haaretz columnist Akiva Eldar aptly noted on Monday, Ariel Sharon currently appears poised to become the first person ever elected precisely because nobody believes a word he says. Although Sharon continually pledges allegiance to the road-map peace plan, most of his supporters do not really believe that he intends to negotiate a final-status deal with the Palestinians, which is the plan's key provision; if they did, they would almost certainly not vote for him. Similarly, though Sharon has repeatedly vowed not to carry out another unilateral withdrawal, most of his supporters plan to vote for him because they do expect him to unilaterally withdraw from more of the West Bank. * * * Sharon plans to abandon Biblical Judea and Samaria with its 250,000 Jewish inhabitants to the Islamic terrorist enemy, just as he abandoned Biblical Gaza. He therefore formed a new Party which he named "KADIMA", (a Hebrew word which means "forward.") Sharon's original choice for the name of his new Party was "National Responsibility". Even Sharon with his colossal arrogance, must have realized that most people would not agree that expelling 9,000 Jews from their homes and leaving them destitute, is an act of national responsibility. If Sharon's new party, KADIMA, is triumphant, G-d forbid, on the election date of March 28, 2006, he will go FORWARD with the destruction of Israel as a Jewish State. His renewed alliance with Shimon Peres, the architect of the treasonous Oslo Accords, will make such a tragedy a certainty. Let us pray that the Master of the Universe will remove the blinkers from the eyes of the Israeli Voters, so that this evil, corrupt, mendacious Prime Minister will not be reelected to impose further suffering on the Jewish People, and further destruction on the Land of Israel. With Blessings and Love for Israel,
Yuval Zaliouk writes the Truth Provider columns. To subscribe, send an email to ynz@netvision.net.il |
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THREE STARS -- SHOULD BE FIVE!
Posted by Mordechai Ben-Menachem, December 2, 2005. |
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This "Letter of Apology" was written by Lieutenant General Chuck Pitman, US Marine Corps, Retired. For good and ill, the Iraqi prisoner abuse mess will remain an issue. On the one hand, right thinking Americans will abhor the stupidity of the actions while on the other hand, political glee will take control and fashion this minor event into some modern day massacre. I humbly offer my opinion here: I am sorry that the last seven times we Americans took up arms and sacrificed the blood of our youth, it was in the defense of Muslims (Bosnia, Kosovo, Gulf War 1, Kuwait, etc.). I am sorry that no such call for an apology upon the extremists came after 9/11. I am sorry that all of the murderers on 9/11 were Islamic Arabs. I am sorry that most Arabs and Muslims have to live in squalor under savage dictatorships. I am sorry that their leaders squander their wealth. I am sorry that their governments breed hate for the US in their religious schools, mosques, and government-controlled media. I am sorry that Yassar Arafat was kicked out of every Arab country and high-jacked the Palestinian "cause." I am sorry that no other Arab country will take in or offer more than a token amount of financial help to those same Palestinians. I am sorry that the USA has to step in and be the biggest financial supporter of poverty stricken Arabs while the insanely wealthy Arabs blame the USA for all their problems. I am sorry that our own left wing, our media, and our own brainwashed masses do not understand any of this (from the misleading vocal elements of our society like radical professors, CNN and the NY TIMES). I am sorry the United Nations scammed the poor people of Iraq out of the "food for oil" money so they could get rich while the common folk suffered. I am sorry that some Arab governments pay the families of homicide bombers upon their death. I am sorry that those same bombers are brainwashed thinking they will receive 72 virgins in "paradise." I am sorry that the homicide bombers think pregnant women, babies, children, the elderly and other noncombatant civilians are legitimate targets. I am sorry that our troops die to free more Arabs from the gang rape rooms and the filling of mass graves of dissidents of their own making. I am sorry that Muslim extremists have killed more Arabs than any other group. I am sorry that foreign trained terrorists are trying to seize control of Iraq and return it to a terrorist state. I am sorry we don't drop a few dozen Daisy cutters on Fallujah. I am sorry every time terrorists hide they find a convenient "Holy Site." I am sorry they didn't apologize for driving a jet into the World Trade Center that collapsed and severely damaged Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church -- one of our Holy Sites. I am sorry they didn't apologize for flight 93 and 175, the USS Cole, the embassy bombings, the murders and beheadings of Nick Berg and Daniel Pearl, etc....etc! I am sorry Michael Moore is American; he could feed a medium sized village in Africa. America will get past this latest absurdity. We will punish those responsible because that is what we do. We hang out our dirty laundry for the entire world to see. We move on. That's one of the reasons we are hated so much. We don't hide this stuff like all those Arab countries that are now demanding an apology. Deep down inside, when most Americans saw this reported in the news, we were like -- so what? We lost hundreds and made fun of a few prisoners. Sure, it was wrong, sure, it dramatically hurts our cause, but until captured we were trying to kill these same prisoners. Now we're supposed to wring our hands because a few were humiliated? Our compassion is tempered with the vivid memories of our own people killed, mutilated and burnt amongst a joyous crowd of celebrating Fallujahans. If you want an apology from this American, you're going to have a long wait! You have a better chance of finding those seventy-two virgins. Mordechai Ben-Menachem is at Ben-Gurion University. He can be reached by email at quality@computer.org |
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U.S. FRIENDSHIP AND JEWISH ASSERTIVENESS
Posted by Steven Shamrak, December 1, 2005. |
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Quite often an idea that the United States is the strong supporter of the state of Israel and Jewish people is expressed. Many Jews feel nervous when the United States is criticised and her friendship with Israel is questioned. I would like to state it clearly and without any reservation: I am a strong admirer of U.S. democracy. I spent half of my life living in the Soviet Union. Therefore, the notion of equality of every individual, the freedom of speech and self-expression are very dear to me. I even appreciate the American government's selfishness, as they put the interest of their own country and people first. If Israel is to become a true democracy, I can only hope, that purity of all these principles will be adopted by the Jewish state. But, let us be truthful and face the reality of the historical facts: 1. Knowing the German policy toward Jews before the WW2, Jews were not permitted to immigrate to America. The U.S. state department reprimanded and scared Hollywood Jewish producers by accusing them of "War mongering". It was Charlie Chaplin, a non-Jew, who broke taboo by making the comedy "The Great Dictator" and exposed fascism. Not a single bomb was dropped on concentration camps and railroad lines or bridges leading to them. After the war, American officials were actively involved in providing safe passage to Nazi criminals! 2. The United States supported the UN embargo of the arms sale to the region, after Israel declared independence in 1948. In the 50's, US abandoned Israel. And, Israel was forced to find "new masters" - France and UK -- and fought the Sinai war on their behalf. 3. Consistent sabotage of Israel's military successes through the years, effectively, perpetuated the Arab-Israel conflict and prevented Israel from attaining decisive victory over her enemies. The current pressure on Israel by President Bush and Condelissa Rice is just another symptom of the same "old sickness"! I have already stated many times that being pro-Jewish does not make me anti-anything. I am not against Arabs or Christians, nor against USA or Europe. I strongly believe that the Jewish people, in Israel and the Diaspora, must be united in pursuit of their own National goal: "The right of Jews to live in peace on all Jewish land!" This goal is completely justifiable morally, historically, religiously and even legally. We must not pay any attention and disregard what the anti-Israel demagogues and spin-masters are saying or fabricating. Their interests are in conflict with the Jewish goals and should not be our concern! For too long, Jews have been accommodating and pleasing the others with the detrimental effects to their own needs and interests. It is time to become assertive and give high priority and consideration to Jewish national aspirations. History teaches us that nobody else did, does or will! Steven Shamrak was born in the former Soviet Union (USSR) and participated in the Moscow Zionist "refusenik" movement. He now lives in Australia. For the last 3 years, he has been publishing internet editorial letters on the Arab-Israeli conflict -- independently, not as a member of any organization or political movement. He can be reached by email at StevenShamrak@mail2world.com |
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WHY DID BUSH OMIT ISRAEL FROM LIST OF COUNTRIES HIT BY ISLAMIC TERRORISTS?
Posted by David Bedein, December 1, 2005. |
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ZOA is deeply concerned: President Bush omitted Israel
from list of countries hit by Islamist terrorists.
New York -- The ZOA has expressed deep concern that President George W. Bush, in a major speech in Annapolis yesterday, omitted any mention of the Jewish state of Israel when referring to countries that have been victim of Islamist terrorism. Israel is of course Islamist terrorism's most consistent target. In his speech, President Bush said, "The terrorists in Iraq share the same ideology as the terrorists who struck the United States on September the 11th. Those terrorists share the same ideology with those who blew up commuters in London and Madrid, murdered tourists in Bali, workers in Riyadh, and guests at a wedding in Amman, Jordan. Just last week, they massacred Iraqi children and their parents at a toy give-away outside an Iraqi hospital" (www.whitehouse.gov, November 30). ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, "In this speech, President Bush made mention of seven countries that have been hit by Islamist terrorist groups, yet Israel was conspicuously absent. This is despite the fact that Israel is attacked or attempted to be attacked by Islamist terrorists on a daily basis. Israel has also suffered far more from this Islamist horror than any other country in the world. In fact, over 1,700 of its citizens have been murdered and 10,000 more maimed by Islamist terrorism since 1993. It's also remarkable that President Bush mentioned three Arab countries affected in the Middle East yet not the one Jewish country in the Middle East most affected. He even mentioned Saudi Arabia, despite the fact that the Saudi regime is the world's biggest supporter of Islamist terrorism, raising funds for suicide bombers and promoting hatred and murder of Americans and Jews in its Wahhabi mosques around the world. The President also referred to specific terrorist attacks, including terrorist massacres that occurred months and even years ago, but he did not refer to any of the innumerable terrorist massacres in Israel. "None of the countries mentioned by President Bush have suffered anything like the on-going, massive brutality meted out by the terrorists striking Israel. The President could have referred to any one of a number of terrorist assaults on Israel, from the murder of 21 and maiming of 90 people in the suicide bombing of the Tel Aviv Dolphinarium discotheque in 2001, or the murder of 26 people and the wounding of 140 more in a packed Passover Seder at Netanya's Park Hotel on Passover Eve, 2002, or the suicide bombing in the Hadera market just over a month of ago, which killed five and wounded over 30 Israelis, not to mention the hundreds of missiles that continue to land in Israel from Gaza. "We at the ZOA cannot understand how Israel, the Middle East's only democracy and the United States' most reliable ally, could have been omitted from the President's list of countries targeted by Muslim terrorists. We urge President Bush to clarify this omission of Israel immediately. It is not in the interest of the U.S. war on terrorism to appease the Arab and Islamic countries by not mentioning Jews of Israel as the major victims of this terrorist onslaught. Omitting Israel from this victims list can only make the Western world and the Arab/Islamic world feel that the U.S. does not really care about the plight of the Jews of Israel, which can only increase the danger to Israel and its people." David Bedein is Bureau Chief, Israel Resource News Agency. (http://Israelbehindthenews.com). His article appeared today in Front Page Magazine (www.frontpagemagazine.com). |
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ISRAEL'S FATE IS CONNECTED TO THE FATE OF EVOLVING NATIONS
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 1, 2005. |
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Israel's fate is connected to the fate of all evolving nations affixed to this planet. Her body lies however within perhaps its most chaotic region. A warped Islamic culture surrounds Israel, flailing its treacherous tentacles at her, striking at the profound pulsating spirit within her tormented soul. The outer world watches but does not see. Incredibly, it chastises Israel for surviving. Mutated Muslim children shrouded in death grimly reap a fate sown by savage minds, destroying innocent Jews in this perverted process, and the outer world barely notices. The tiny state of Israel strives but for security and sanity; still the sanctimonious outer world casts stones. Protecting soldiers morph into occupiers of bedraggled Palestinian waifs, yet those poor darlings danced when their filthy brethren blew away thousands of innocents in America. Amazingly, Israeli society closely resembles in philosophy that censorious civilized outer world alas smitten by those very savages bent on annihilating all that is secular and civil. Might the Jew bashing beast born again from the dregs of living matter, defined by its proclivity toward Holocaust denial and Zionist conspiracies, be that brain-wrecking scourge seducing otherwise rational humans to not recognize the natural nexus of Israeli existence and their own? The perils of Israel are in fact the perils of civilized nations despite mindless perceptions and allegiances. Certainly, a society's progress through space and time is predicated on the nurtured mindsets of its children. Indeed, no social structure can continue erect without a youth corps educated in ever-evolving secular and moral matters. Israelis and other civilized cultures implicitly grasp this natural principle. However, fundamentalist misogynistic Islam refuses to recognize the realities of cherished earth, opting for an imagined afterlife where males maintain their dominance over submitting vestal virgins. Hatred of all non-Muslims, especially Jews, oozes from twisted Koranic verses seeping into the stultified cerebrums of fanatical followers. Their misguided mesmerized offspring inhabit misanthropic Wahhabi Madrassas absorbing the insane pernicious perspectives ever so frightening to wary civilized observers. Modern but muddled nations must shed their illogical biases and unite with Israel against the metastasizing cancer of fundamental Islam for the well being of all humankind. There is no other rational choice. Lawrence Uniglicht is a career civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration. Larry Uniglicht advocates for the State of Israel with an American perspective. He writes, "Advocating for the disrespected underdog has been my passion, no doubt Israel falls into that category." Contact him by email at luniglicht@snip.net |
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GUSH ETZION RESIDENTS DECIDING WHETHER TO FIGHT PARTITION WALL
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, December 4, 2005. |
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Regrettably, the residents and mayors of Gush Etzion have not learned the lessons of Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plans and his tactic of negotiating. Unless the people of Gush Etzion do not face Sharon squarely, with no negotiated compromise in mind, they will inevitably lose. Sharon's use of his Fence/Wall is a tactic and a weapon. Remember -- He thinks only like a General. As he chops up the Land, each small segment becomes that much more vulnerable. Do not accept promises from Sharon's spokesmen. Every promise this man makes has been broken. The word 'trust' cannot be used when speaking about Sharon. Now that he has officially teamed up with Shimon Peres, he assured that all the deadly failures caused by the Oslo Accords will come back in a rush. Why is it that Jews simply cannot learn from experience and/or history? Gush Katif was only the first and now all the other territories are in play for full and complete Evacuation. Sharon's new party isn't the Kadima (forward) Party but it is the Evacuation Party. If the Israeli people vote Sharon into office again, they will be signing not only their own death warrants but also that of the Jewish State by an enemy who has never shown any mercy to a Jew. FREEMAN CENTER BROADCAST, December 1, 2005 The final battle begins. Oslo was the beginning of the end for Israel. Gaza was the end of the beginning. We are in the final days of the battle of the forces of light against the forces of darkness. May the Warriors of Zion be victorious and Israel be saved... http://www.freeman.org/serendipity/index.php?/archives/179-VICTORY-PLAN-FOR-ISRAEL.html FREEMAN CENTER NOTE: We have warned against the perils of appeasement since 1992. The peace idiots of Israel have endangered the whole country. Israel's survival and security is at great risk. A united national,religious, Zionist party must win the coming election to SAVE ISRAEL. EIN BREIRA! This article is called "Gush Etzion Residents Deciding Whether to
Fight Partition Wall"; it appeared in Arutz Sheva -
www.IsraelNationalNews.com on November 30, 2005.
NEW ELECTIONS BRING NEW HOPE FOR ISRAEL
Gush Etzion residents are deciding whether to allows their mayor and municipalities to negotiate the route of the Partition Wall with the authorities or to opposing it altogether.
Kibbutz Kfar Etzion, one of the region's first communities reestablished after the Six-Day-War, announced last month that it rejects the building of a wall around the Etzion Bloc and would prefer it be built along the Green Line.
Now, the rest of Gush Etzion's communities have to come to a decision as to how to respond to the most extensive construction project in the region's history and the lack of information provided to residents.
A meeting originally billed as a vote on the wall in the community of Neve Daniel was downgraded to an informational meeting because of pressure from the municipality Tuesday.
At the meeting, Chananya Nachlieli, a surveyor for the municipality who has extensive first-hand knowledge of the topography of all of Gush Etzion, presented maps and illustrative photographs demonstrating the negative effects of the wall and its proposed route.
The way the fence route has been determined thus far is that IDF officers are asked to submit the best route, from a security perspective. They are then asked to submit alternative routes that are less preferred, but still somewhat defensible. When the actual building begins, numerous Supreme Court petitions are expected to be filed by local PA Arabs. In the past, the Supreme Court has ruled almost universally in favor of Arab land rights over Jewish security assessments and the preservation of Jewish-owned state lands for future growth.
In Samaria, the communities of Alfei Menashe, Elkana, and others surrounding the city of Ariel, were originally supposed to be included on the 'Israeli side' of the fence (a term which accepts the inevitability that if the Partition Wall is constructed, those behind its construction intend for it to serve as a future border). Following numerous Supreme Court petitions, the map of the fence around the Ariel bloc now looks eerily like Gaza's Katif bloc did before the expulsion with three Kissufim-type fenced-on-both-sides roads leading to the communities.
Nachlieli also outlined the fact that there are effectively two walls being constructed. The western wall is being constructed along the Green Line Israel's pre-1967 border. The eastern side snugly encases many of central Gush Etzion's communities, but leaved eastern and southern communities out. Between the two walls live 50,000 Jews and 17,000 Arabs.
Some of the most drastic deficiencies with the route of the fence around Gush Etzion are the cutting off of Route 367, the strangulation of the village of Bat Ayin and the cutting off of hundreds of acres of Jewish land purchased in the 1930s in addition to the fencing out of Hevron, Kiryat Arba, Tekoa, Nokdim, Karmei Tzur, Maaleh Rechavam, Meitzad and Pnei Kedem.
Shimon Karniel of Kfar Etzion presented his community's categorical rejection of the fence to the meeting. Karniel stressed the fact that the Gush Etzion municipality, represented by Mayor Shaul Goldstein, initially agreed on a set of five red lines at which point they would lead a concerted effort against the wall. The five red lines were:
"What happened," Karniel said, "is that all of our demands were
ignored aside from the one hill near the northern entrance to Efrat."
Karniel says that "the municipality has broken its agreement and
refuses to begin the struggle."
"Although the mayors have focused on the prevention of a contiguous
Green Line fence," Karniel said, "consisting of cameras with sensor
technology or prickly-pear bushes, the route has already been
flattened out and will be built within days of any terror attack in
the region, as it will be blamed on the lack of wall." Karniel insists
that the "claim that the wall is meant to provide any security to the
residents of Gush Etzion is an utter falsehood. "The fact that 17,000
Arabs with free passage to Beit Lechem will live within the wall as
well debunks this claim," he said.
Karniel showed a map of post-Supreme Court-ruling Samaria, explaining
that the same thing would happen to Gush Etzion once the Supreme Court
gets involved. The map showed the fence route shrink-wrapping the
communities in the Ariel bloc, with narrow corridors linking them at
three points to mainland Israel. "Each of these is a new Kissufim
Corridor," Karniel said, referring to the "main route leading into
Gush Katif that was often closed for hours due to roadside bombs and
shooting attacks along its length. That is what Route 60, which the
Supreme Court will place walls on both sides of between Efrat and
Jerusalem, will become."
"It is a bad fence, bad for Gush Etzion, bad for Israel and bad for
those outside it," Karniel concluded.
Mayor Shaul Goldstein, representing the Gush Etzion municipality at the Neve Daniel meeting, outlined his efforts to influence the route of the fence and explained his reasons for not rejecting the Gush Etzion fence completely.
"The fence is a purely political one that does not accomplish anything
in terms of security," Goldstein declared, "going so far as to say the
fence around Gaza is what directly led to the IDF's exit from the
region. But if we have learned anything from the Disengagement, it is
that when the government of Israel decides on something -- it happens."
"Therefore, I decided to fight for the best eastern route we could get
- there will never be a political agreement between the Jews and
Arabs, but there will be more unilateral withdrawals and the question
is how can we save the most land."
Goldstein believes that a struggle against the fence around Gush
Etzion will be detrimental to the region, in terms of tourism.
"Students will stop coming if we are behind the fence -- the 200,000
tourists that visited Gush Etzion, even during war time, will not come
if we are on the other side of the fence. The city of Betar Illit,
which is home to 30,000 of Gush Etzion's residents, will stop growing
and empty out the second word of a struggle to leave us out of the
fence begins. It was just recently that [the city's hareidi-religious]
rabbis agreed to bring people there in the first place due to the
perception that it is dangerous."
Asked about the possibility of holding a referendum of Gush Etzion
residents regarding the wall, Goldstein dismissed the idea, saying
that "not only are residents not informed enough on the matter, but
that their ability to influence the government's decision, should they
reject the eastern fence, is doubtful."
Goldstein stunned those calling for a complete rejection of the wall by declaring, "In my opinion, we won big-time with this current map."
Some Gush Etzion residents are not waiting for the municipalities, saying the fence will be half-built by the time they opt for a public struggle against it.
"Those behind the fence will be offered compensation and expelled from
their homes down the road -- that's the plan," Alon Shvut resident
Shimon Yitzchak said. "But those of you who think you are improving
the status of Gush Etzion and entering the consensus by agreeing to
this fence are in for a surprise. We won't even be evacuated or be
offered compensation -- we will just watch the value of our homes
plummet and our quality of life melt away as we wait for hours at the
new border crossings and sit in traffic while a suspicious bag of
garbage is removed from the only road out of Gush Etzion."
"And you know what? In my opinion, people who would agree to sell out
their brothers living in Tekoa and Kiryat Arba, who are currently due
to be fenced out, would deserve whatever they get. This is the second
stage of the expulsion and just as the expulsion from Gush Katif was
misnamed a 'disengagement' this expulsion hides behind the misnamed
'security fence'."
Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His
articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the
Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For
Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm).
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THE MARY ROBINSON DILEMMA
Posted by Gerald M. Steinberg, December 1, 2005. |
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How should Israel and the Jewish community respond to former international officials who joined the political attacks against Israel and are now trying to rehabilitate themselves? Mary Robinson is a case in point, as are Chris Patten and Terje Roed Larsen. All three played key roles in the demonization campaign between 2000 and 2004, but after changing jobs they have sought to repair the damage with Jewish groups. Should we now agree to work with these powerful former opponents, or continue to hold them accountable for past enmity? Robinson was the first to take this road, moving from president of Ireland to become high commissioner for human rights at the United Nations. In 2004, she went to New York to join the Columbia University Law School's Human Rights Institute, and received honorary degrees at Emory University and elsewhere. This activity is reported to be part of an effort to be elected as the first female secretary-general of the U.N., which will require the United States to overlook her deep involvement in anti-Israel politics. Her dubious contributions began during her tenure in Ireland and included Dublin's turn at the head of the European Union, when the EU provided massive political and financial support to Yasir Arafat. Later she was appointed to head the United Nations Human Rights Commission, and promoted the slogans of Palestinian victimization, including the fiction that the conflict and violence were entirely the result of "occupation." The UNHRC sanctioned "all available means" (meaning terror) in attacks against Israel, and as Israeli victims of mass killings were buried, she condemned efforts to save their lives as "excessive and disproportionate force," falsely accusing the Israeli army of shooting at her car (the evidence showed the attack was from Palestinians). At the same time, the real crimes against humanity in Sudan, Libya, China and Rwanda were ignored. In this spirit, Robinson led the UNHRC and allied nongovernmental organizations into the infamous Durban conference on racism and xenophobia in September 2001. The resolutions again labeling Zionism as racism and absurdly trying to include Arabs as victims of anti-Semitism were drawn up in a preparatory meeting in Tehran from which Israelis and Jews were predictably excluded. Ignoring the warnings, Robinson led this farce forward, and the damage both to Israel and to the universality of human rights remains huge. But now Robinson is trying to revise her image. She has not gone as far as apologizing for Durban, but she admits to some excesses and has been quite vocal in condemning classical anti-Semitism. The question is whether this is enough, and rather than refusing this partial atonement, we should embrace her as a future ally. Similar questions arise in the case of Patten, Britain's last governor of Hong Kong and the European Union's commissioner for external relations during the same period of the terror campaign. Under Patten, the EU also issued numerous statements highlighting the myths of Palestinian victimization and falsely accusing Israel of war crimes. In this environment, Europeans adopted the absurd view of Israel as the major threat to world peace. Patten also presided directly over the transfer of huge sums to the Palestinian Authority, much of which went directly into Arafat's pocket (the "Presidential fund"), and to pay for terror. Patten later used his authority to block an open investigation by the European Parliament. Like Robinson, Patten also is trying to rehabilitate his reputation after his EU term. Upon his appointment as chancellor of Oxford University he appeared before Jewish audiences, condemned the anti-Israel academic boycott and decried anti-Semitism. The standard denunciations of "Israeli occupation" that were part of his tenure in the EU have stopped. Finally, there is the complicated case of Larsen, the Norwegian official who served for many years as the UN's special envoy for Middle East peace. In this position he was one of Arafat's most frequent visitors during the terror campaign, visibly providing support in contrast to the isolation imposed by Israel and the U.S. And Larsen helped promote the myth of the "Jenin massacre," repeatedly referring to "horrifying and shocking" scenes in media interviews. But before Arafat died, Larsen belatedly began to criticize the Palestinian leadership and was declared persona non grata. After being appointed as the UN's special envoy on Lebanon, Larsen has played an important role in seeking to end Syria's control of Lebanon and in focusing attention on Hezbollah and Palestinian terror groups. Larsen, like Robinson and Patten, also has been appearing before Jewish groups, which face the dilemma of whether to focus on the sins of the past or on the potential for cooperation in the future. Forgiveness requires unambiguous public admission of error, and these requirements are absent in all three cases. To deter similarly immoral behavior in the future, it is important to demand a full accounting for past behavior while moving cautiously ahead. Gerald M. Steinberg is editor of NGO Monitor and director of the Program on Conflict Management at Bar-Ilan University. This article appeared in the Jewish Week December 1, 2005 (http://www.thejewishweek.com/top/editletcontent.php3?artid=4659). |
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PAPACY & POLITICS; TRIALS ARE CHARADES? US GROWING CAUTIOUS ABOUT DEMOCRATIZATION
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 1, 2005. |
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PAPACY, POLITICS AND POPPYCOCK Barry Chamish listed and summarized various accords and between the Vatican and Israel, the Vatican and the PLO, Israel and the EU, etc. The record is one of a drumbeat and a progression of deceit and avarice, to which Israel blithely succumbs. The Vatican favors taking Jerusalem away from the Jews and neutralizing Jewish sovereignty, while gaining more rights and powers there. The PLO favors such moves (but only as a first step towards absolute Islamic dominion there, which has dire consequences for Christianity, already under siege by the PLO). The EU has been trying to replace the US as the intermediary guiding Israeli turnover of sovereign authority (Chamish, 11/22). The Arabs are the ultimate and sole beneficiary of these Machiavellian moves. The other parties are blinded by emotion and ignorance. The Christians haven't learned that appeasement fails. The Vatican is burdened by the results or remnants of antisemitism. These parties claim they are bringing peace. They may think they are or they are saying so to furnish a pretext. Empowering jihadists, as they do, does not bring peace. The Christian attitude never reflected a scholarly understanding of Islam. Now that Islamists are bombing and burning all over Europe, those skilled diplomats in the Vatican ought to see that their little old enemy, the Jewish people, will not harm them, but their big old enemy, Islam, can, will, and is doing so. It is time for a genuine reconciliation between Christianity and Judaism, for the preservation of both. Considering Muslim attacks on Christian shrines and that the Muslims are driving Christians out of the Holy Land and the entire Mideast, how long does the Vatican think any pact by the perfidious PLO to recognize Catholic rights in Jerusalem, would last, once the Israeli Army is gone? The Vatican is operating from a position of weakness that its diplomatic maneuvering cannot overcome but momentarily. It soon would lose the authority for which it has been striving, and gain the reputation as facilitators for mass-murder of Jews and Christians by Muslims. Its own flocks would desert it in disgust. The EU wants credit with the Muslims for helping them against Israel. It wants to seem important. It would be wiser to keep its own ship afloat, than to sink Israel's, which could help preserve its own ship from Islamic attack. Muslim holy warriors don't become grateful for favors from enemies, which they consider the EU in the long run. The Jews remain deluded that if they cooperate with foreign powers, those powers would accept them. That doesn't work. Neither does the notion that a concession here or there does not matter. Precedents are set by those concessions. Israel's position erodes. A prudent and patriotic Israeli government would not practice appeasement of those other parties, all of whom are enemies of it. It would speak up and expose their goals as both self-defeating and unjust. How unfortunate for the Jewish people that the media censor the news, helping to keep it ignorant about this and nearly helpless to stop its Quisling governments! When will the Jews perceive all these conspiracies against them? Not while their leaders scoff at the very notion of conspiracy. POLLARD & POLITICS Israel did not ask AIPAC's help in getting Pollard freed (Arutz-7, 11/23). If fact, the government did nothing about him except claim it was doing a lot. Jonathan Pollard has been punished years beyond what is customary for what he was indicted. On the day Pollard completed 20 years in a US prison, the Knesset declared him a prisoner of Zion. It asked the Speaker to bring Pres. Bush the Knesset petition for clemency that PM Sharon failed to deliver in 2003. The Knesset action is equivalent to a sense-of-the-Congress resolution, which carries moral but not legal weight. The government of Israel resists popular sentiment for Pollard's release (IMRA, 11/22). Sharon might be shown to have played a part in the Pollard affair that would embarrass him, if Pollard were free to expose it. Neither does Sharon act as a free agent vis-a-vis the US executive branch. This is all about politics and personal interests, not about justice. People don't understand that their indignation is manipulated by disinformation. They don't understand the conspiratorial atmosphere in which politics is conducted. They think they can rely upon their newspapers. JIHAD'S ATTRACTION In conservative Arab societies, beset by sexual phobia, males mature sexually years before they are allowed to act sexually, only within marriage. The jihadists exploit the ensuing frustrations to entice youth by playing up the sexual rewards from martyrdom. The cassettes that promote jihad do so not for immediate recruitment, but to embed the movement in the culture. They scant the spiritual aspect of jihad and emphasize lust. The promised pleasures supercede worldly pleasures. The gate is entered by blowing oneself up against the enemy. The answer is to heal the Muslim Arabs' sexual phobia (IMRA, 11/23 from MEMRI from a reformist Saudi). What unscrupulous exploitation for murder! P.A. STILL STEALING OUR AID The P.A. does not know whether 25% of the police for whom it pays salaries still are on the force, show up, or are fictitious names. Almost $90 million a month may be wasted this way (IMRA, 11/232). That money comes primarily from foreign aid, to which the US and EU contribute most. The same racket existed under Arafat. The P.A. has not reformed much, despite assertions to the contrary. The P.A. remains an excuse for racketeers and killers. PERES THINKS HE NEGOTIATED SOMETHING GOOD Peres negotiated at least the latest portion of the Gaza portal agreements, inviting the EU to be the third, ostensibly neutral party at the border crossing. He gushed with his usual optimism, about the agreement making good relations between Israel and the EU and the P.A., along his envisioned road to peace (IMRA, 11/2 ). The EU is pro-Arab, not neutral. It has no function at the border. It serves as a fig leaf for Israel's naked surrender. Surrender is what Peres negotiates, and terrorism is what he reaps. Peace is what he says he wants, money is what he gets from the deals, and war is what his country suffers from his Oslo debacle. On to worse debacles! STATE DEPT. VS. CHALABI The State Dept. encouraged the Arab League summit on Iraq. Iraqi Dep. Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi attended, but thought League interference dangerous. The League suggested scheduling the departure of US troops, but Dep. PM Chalabi realizes the pitfalls of setting a date. He wants Iraq to determine how long it needs US troops. Chalabi is a guardian of Iraqi sovereignty. The League touted a "right of resistance" against foreign soldiers, and condemned only terrorism, i.e., attacks on Iraqi civilians (Eli Lake, NY Sun, 11/23, A1). Perhaps Chalabi should become our Sec. of State. Our Sec. welcomed involvement by the Arab League, which is a destructive tool of Egypt. The League ends up trying to legitimize attacks on US troops AND civilians. There is no "right of resistance" to the US and British troops invited by the elected government of Iraq to protect Iraqis from murderers. The foreign troops are not occupying or oppressing but protecting the elected government from the former oppressors and the jihadist would-be oppressors. THE CHARADES CALLED TRIALS IN ISRAEL " ...It was Wednesday 28 September, and I was up for the second hearing of my trial... Justice was proceeding at its usual sedate, calm pace, undisturbed by such concepts as presumption of innocence, factual evidence, or the right to a speedy trial. The hearing itself was comparatively brief -- about an hour or so, in which two police officers in charge of the interrogation testified that: ... * yes, they found a spent cartridge from my Uzi; The defendant was being prosecuted for volunteering electrician services to a hotel that the IDF wanted to use against the settlers (Arutz-7, 11/23). This is another case of Sharon's vindictiveness against opponents. He has turned the law on its head. ABANDONMENT REPERCUSSIONS I have not covered the fate of the expelled Gazan Jews much, because it is not directly a part of the Arab-Israel conflict and their mistreatment is heartbreaking. The government destroyed their homes and livelihoods. I think it also set out to break their spirit and to punish them for not rolling over in behalf of the "peace profiteers" and antisemites in and out of the Israeli government. The usual Israeli bureaucracy exacerbates their hardship. Their chief spokesman, "Arutz-7," points out that the government promises much to those Jews and claims it has settled them down. The promises are broken, but the major media fails to investigate and report. Hundreds of families remain under hardship and without permanent homes. Little was prepared for them. Their neglect may be thought intentional, for Sharon is a master planner (11/25). Europe likens Israel to the Nazis. This is getting to be an apt analogy, except that the government mistreats Jews, not Arabs. One can see Sharon, with his far leftist ally, Peres, and the anti-Jewish party, Shinui, engaging with State Dept. help and pressure in a war on the Jews that takes precedence over its defense against the Arabs. During WWII, Germany gave priority to its war on the Jews over defense of the fatherland. INTERPRETING LEBANON Israel returned the bodies of Hizbullah infiltrators. Israeli security officials interpreted Lebanon's request for them as an indication that Lebanon finally was taking responsibility for its border with Israel (through which Hizbullah fires or invades). The Lebanese Minister who demanded the bodies, however, is an affiliate of Hizbullah. He threatened Israel with kidnapping and murder, which would provide Lebanon with Israeli bodies to trade for the ones Israel had. But the Lebanese do have an Israeli, Ron Arad. Some Israelis questioned whether Israel should have returned the latest bodies without demanding his or at least information about him. Another question is whether Israel should have returned bodies under threat of kidnapping. Israel assumes that since the initial attempt was frustrated, Hizbullah will try again, and has warned its citizens to be wary (Arutz-7, 11/25). How would you treat demands made under extortion? Since the original infiltration was for purpose of kidnapping, and since Hizbullah is engaged in terrorism and war, one may anticipate further attempted kidnapping regardless of whether Israel returned the bodies. Rather than interpret Lebanese government intervention in behalf of the terrorists as taking responsibility for the border, I interpret it as sharing responsibility for terrorism. Israeli security officials who think otherwise seem to reflect the wishful thinking of the appeasement minded leftists. So much for the touted freeing of Lebanon! If Hizbullah were destroyed, would Lebanon continue its jihad? THURSDAY IN JUDEA-SAMARIA An Israeli taxi drove some Arabs to Kalkilya, P.A.. There he was shot in the shoulder. He drove back to a checkpoint, where the Israeli soldiers got him to a hospital. An Arab boy was caught at a checkpoint trying to smuggle mortar shells, guns, and a pipe bomb. The terrorists were exploiting the guards' leniency in inspection of youngsters. The IDF found a weapons factory hidden behind the wall of an Arab's house in Jenin. The search was part of a sweep that has confiscated many pounds of ammunition. Security forces arrested three terrorists in the Hebron area and another near Shechem. A pre-dawn, counter-terrorist raid in Bethlehem netted two Fatah intelligence men who were planning terrorist attacks (IMRA, 11/25). Meanwhile, the P.A. pays pensions to terrorists serving time in Israeli prisons. The P.A. prisons administration hires most released terrorists (Op. Cit.). The West criticizes raids and checkpoints, but they save lives by catching criminals. The West does not criticize the Arabs who support and plan the terrorist attacks that the Israeli raids and checkpoints disrupt. Thus the West sympathizes with the murderers of innocent Jews. What does that tell you about the state of morality of the Western human rights groups and the State Dept.? It seems to me that Israelis and other Jews should stop taking seriously Western critics of Israel's conduct in the Arab-Israel conflict. Instead, it should criticize the West for siding with murderers. What a crazy world, in which the West, itself under siege by murderous jihadists, undermine Israeli defenses from some of those same murderers! ARAFAT UNMISSED The occasion of the anniversary of Arafat's death hardly was marked in the P.A.. Once he had been the symbol of Palestinian Arab jihad. Then he lost popularity and power, as he failed to adapt to changing conditions (Arutz-7, 11/26). He cheated and tortured them, which they disliked, but cheated and murdered Jews, which they liked. Some people!. ANTI-ISRAEL ISRAELI PROFESSORS Prof. Steven Plaut keeps revealing which Israeli professors propose surrender to the Arab murderers. The most and the worst are at Ben-Gurion U., but they are at the other colleges, including Tel Aviv U.. They adopt the Arab line, in which they use inflammatory wording that condemns Israel and has no criticism for the Arabs (11/26). SUSPICION OR PREJUDICE? Sometimes people inform police about some Muslims, who turn out to be innocent. Islamists seize upon such incidents to complain that they always are the victims of prejudice. They seek to prevent police from investigating without strong evidence. Actually, there have been a number of successful prosecutions resulting from neighbors' observation of suspicious behavior by Muslims. A moderate Muslim's conversion to Islamism is one such criterion for suspicion of terrorist planning (Pipes # 620, 11/26). U.S. GROWING CAUTIOUS ABOUT DEMOCRATIZATION The Bush administration hoped to open the Mideast to democracy. It supposed that this would mellow the region, making it less prone to belligerency. (The premise is an unproved theory.) Problem is, the Administration was in a hurry, and did not give the process a chance to evolve. Instead, it relied upon free elections. Without a citizenry used to democratic institutions and processes, initial elections give an advantage to Islamist parties. The Islamists in Egypt made large gains, recently. The regime reacted by cheating. At this interference, the now sobered Bush administration seems to have turned tolerant. There is no hard evidence of this change (Op. Cit.). The US has interfered in Israeli elections. One way is by declaring its preferences. Another is by surreptitiously financing its preferences. Where, then, is the vaunted US belief in democracy? RACIST APPLICATION OF LAWS AGAINST RACISM Daniel Pipes has explained the adulteration of the terms, "racism," from racial bigotry and discrimination to other types. It should be reserved for racial prejudice. Instead, people use it to intimidate the non-politically correct. Now he finds that the term is applied to white people and Jews but not to others. This, itself, is prejudiced. Worse, it fails to apply penalties for crimes of prejudice against non-whites or non-Jews persecuting Jews. This unequal protection of the law protects certain segments of a criminal class. Islamists get minor penalties, whereas anti-black bigots suffer the full penalty of the law (Ibid.). Islamists now are the most serious criminals in matters of religion and race. MIDDLE EASTERN INSTITUTES LOSING INFLUENCE Professors complain that they control their Institutes but have lost influence and credibility beyond (Ibid.). Thank goodness their anti-patriotic nonsense is repudiated! Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. |
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CAT OR MOUSE?
Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, December 1, 2005. |
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In case you might have forgotten, Vilnai was recently appointed by the Labor Party to head up its anti corruption team. This is from today's Arutz-Sheva and is archived at www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=94017 (IsraelNN.com) Defeated Labor Party leadership candidate Matan Vilnai is under investigation according to officials in the State Comptroller?s Office, who are following up reports he may have violated the law. The investigators have received information that during his recent Labor leadership campaign, Vilnai may have accepted donations that are higher than the legally permitted limit. Vilnai aides responded to the report, stating they welcome the investigation and are confident officials will find the campaign was conducted in strict adherence to the law. Aryeh Zelasko lives in Beitar Illit, south of Jerusalem. He is Director of Sales and Marketing of Israel Visit (www.israelvisit.co.il) which provides information and an internet buying facility for American visitors to Israel. Contact him at zelasko@actcom.co.il |
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