| HOME | Featured Stories | December 2005 Blog-Eds List | Background Information | News On the Web |
Opinions And Editorials By Our Readers
|
THE HOLOCAUST MYTH
Posted by Daniel J. Teeboom, December 31, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
CHANUKAH AND INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE
Posted by Gary S., December 31, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
HUNDREDS OF BASSJI AND MILITIAMEN DEPLOYED IN SHIRAZ
Posted by SMCCDI, December 31, 2005. |
|
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/ |
|
HUMANITARIAN ISRAELI ROADBLOCKS
Posted by Barry Shaw, December 31, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
ARAB PHILOSOPHER: "ALL SCIENCES ORIGINATED AMONG THE SONS OF ISRAEL"
Posted by Monte Landis, December 30, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
CHILDREN'S LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN
Posted by Faige Rayzel, December 30, 2005. |
|
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
|
|
ARMED ARABS STORM RAFIAH BORDER, EU OBSERVERS FLEE IN PANIC
Posted by Bryna Berchuck, December 30, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
NETANYHAHU VS. NATIONALISTS; FALSE "HUMAN RIGHTS" PROPAGANDA; ARAB INTENT
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 30, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
THE INANE DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR OF A COUPLE OF INANE ESTABLISHMENT JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS
Posted by Jerome S. Kaufman, December 30, 2005. |
|
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). |
|
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. |
|
ARE THE PALESTINIANS DESERVING OF A SECOND STATE?
Posted by Dr. Steve Carol, December 29, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
CAN THE U.S. CHANGE ITS WAR GOALS?
Posted by Dr. Steve Carol, December 29, 2005. |
|
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.
|
|
WE NEED A FEMALE GRAND MUFTI
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 29, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
WHERE THERE IS NO VISION, THE PEOPLE PERISH
Posted by Lapidot, Talya, December 29, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
THE IGNORANCE OF THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN. WILL THE NEW YORK TIMES apologize?
Posted by Mark Dankof, December 29, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
HOLLYWOOD'S MISUNDERSTAND TERRORISTS
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 29, 2005. |
|
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.
|
|
TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO RECALL FREED TERRORIST'S CRIME
Posted by Shaul and Aviva Shaul, December 29, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
IS THERE ANY STRONG FEAR OF G-D IN ISRAEL'S SOCIETY TODAY?
Posted by Women in Green, December 29, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
THE BEARS FROM BERGENFIELD
Posted by Claire Ginsburg Goldstein, December 29, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE GAZA KIDNAPPING
Posted by NGO Monitor, December 29, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
ARE 500,000 KEYS TO PARADISE ENOUGH? GERMANY "CONFRONTS" AHMADINEJAD
Posted by Shaul and Aviva Ceder, December 29, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
ISRAELIS ACT LIKE HOLOCAUST JEWS; IRANIAN MENACE GROWS; SPIELBERG
AIDS TERRORISTS; CODDLING GHADDAFI
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 29, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
LET'S ANALYZE THIS
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 28, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
IRANIAN INTENTIONS
Posted by David Nathan, December 28, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
CALLING THE LEFT'S BLUFF ON IRAN
Posted by Cinnamon Stillwell, December 28, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
ARAB ROCKET ATTACKS AS REPORTED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES
Posted by Batya Medad, December 28, 2005. |
|
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" |
|
CAN ARABS DEMOCRATIZE?; WILL SHARON'S INCAPACITY BE EXPLOITED?; NY TIMES BIAS
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 28, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
NEW OUTPOSTS BUILT
Posted by Bryna Berchuck, December 28, 2005. |
|
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." |
|
SHARON'S PARTY IS NOT UN-STOPPABLE
Posted by Women in Green, December 28, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
MORE ATTACKS ON FREE SPEECH IN SHARONITE ISRAEL TO CODDLE REFORM MOVEMENT
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 27, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
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
|
|
STEINITZ: EGYPT IS PREPARING FOR POSSIBLE WAR WITH ISRAEL
Posted by Ted Belman, December 27, 2005. |
|
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
|
|
ON FASCISM, ISLAMOFASCISM, AND RELATED TERMINOLOGY
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 27, 2005. |
|
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
|
|
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
|
|
THE FALTERING MARCH OF DEMOCRACY; SETBACKS AGAINST ISLAMISM; SETBACKS AGAINST ISLAMISM
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 27, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
ISRAEL RANKS THIRD IN THE WORLD IN THE NUMBER OF VENTURE CAPITAL INVESTMENT
Posted by Yoram Ettinger, December 27, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
65% OF PALESTINIANS APPLAUD TERROR ATTACKS ON US AND EUROPE
Posted by Mordechai Ben-Menachem, December 27, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
MAN'S REACH MUST EXCEED HIS GRASP
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 26, 2005. |
|
"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 |
|
WEST BANK CHRISTIANS OPPRESSED BY MOSLEMS, NOT ISRAEL
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 26, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EPIDEMIC OF ETHNIC RAPE BY MOSLEMS IN THE WEST
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 26, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FUNDS GIVEN JEWISH AGENCY TO SAFEGUARD SCHOOLCHILDREN?
Posted by Naomi Ragen, December 26, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
GAZAN ARABS PREPARE NEW HIGH-EXPLOSIVE WARHEADS FOR QASSAM MISSILES
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 25, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
ANITA TUCKER OF GUSH KATIF IS COMING ON A LECTURE TOUR
Posted by Evelyn Hayes, December 26, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
JUST JEW IT: GREAT 1-MINUTE CHANUKAH MOVIE
Posted by Laureen Moe, December 26, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
BETH LEHEM'S CHRISTIANS FLEEING MOSLEM RELIGIOUS APARTHEID
Posted by David Meir-Levi, December 26, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
ISRAEL HOBBLES ITSELF; CORRUPT SHARON REGIME INTIMIDATES HONEST
DISSIDENTS; HAMAS "CEASEFIRE" TRICK
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 26, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
WHO'S AFRAID OF HAMAS?
Posted by Yaakov Ish Tam, December 26, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
CELEBRATING CHANUKA BY TRASHING TOMARKIN'S "ART"
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 26, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
THE JEWISH AGENCY WITHHOLDS FUNDS FROM VICTIMS OF TERROR
Posted by Naomi Ragen, December 26, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
HUMAN RIGHTS OF CHRISTIANS IN PALESTINIAN SOCIETY
Posted by Jamie Glazov, December 25, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
DO NOT NEGOTIATE WITH ABBAS!
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 25, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
IS IT THE FENCE THAT CURTAILS TERRORISM?
Posted by David Bedein, December 25, 2005. |
|
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). |
|
LEFT-WING GROUP TAKING ACTIVE ROLE IN SECURING LAND FOR PA ARABS
Posted by Sergio Tessa (Hadar), December 25, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
GAZA REFUGEES CELEBRATE CHANUKAH IN HOTEL. PESACH, TOO?
Posted by Batya Medad, December 25, 2005. |
|
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?" |
|
CHANUKAH 2005 -- HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF!
Posted by Ruth Matar, December 25, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
SO CALLED PALESTINIANS HAVE NO RIGHT OF RETURN
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 25, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
JERUSALEM STORE OWNER DETAINED BY POLICE FOR WEARING KACH TEE-SHIRT
Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, December 25, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
AUMANN TO KESSET: DISENGAGEMENT WAS A DISASTER
Posted by Naomi Ragen, December 25, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
THE GAZAN ARABS AND THE JEWISH GREENHOUSES
Posted by Naomi Ragen, December 25, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
HANNUKA AMONGST THE HELLENISTS
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 25, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
HANUKKAH CELEBRATON IN BANGLADESH
Posted by Salah Choudhury, December 25, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS?
Posted by David Frankfurter, December 24, 2005. |
|
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/ |
|
WINDS OF CHANGE: AL-QAEDA 1998-2005
Posted by Arlene Peck, December 24, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
I WONDER
Posted by Batya Medad, December 24, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
ADD MORE LIGHT TO THE TRUNCATED HANUKKAH MENORAH
Posted by Katif Net, December 24, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
CENSORSHIP BATTLE WON! KAHANEBOOKS.COM IS BACK ONLINE
Posted by David Ha'Ivri, December 24, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
MOSQUES MONITORED FOR RADIATION
Posted by Dave Nathan, December 23, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
DID SHARON'S GOVERNMENT MISLEAD?
Posted by Allen Roth, December 23, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
FOLLITICS
Posted by Evelyn Hayes, December 23, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
TWO ARTICLES ON EGYPT'S MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AND HAMAS
Posted by Daily Alert, December 23, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
IDF RETURNS TO GAZA; SPIELBERG'S MORAL EQUIVALENCE; US VS HAMAS; SHARON STATES GOAL, SABOTAGES IT
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 23, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
LEADERSHIP AND SELF-DETERMINATION!
Posted by Steven Shamrak, December 23, 2005. |
|
"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 |
|
WHO US? ANTI-SEMITES? US?
Posted by Steven Plaut, December 23, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
THIS IS THE REAL ENEMY SPEAKING
Posted by Roger and Betty Johnson, December 23, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
A PALESTINIAN STATE? TIME TO DROP THE IDEA
Posted by Bruce S. Ticker, December 22, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
PALESTINIAN MISSILE ATTACKS ON ASHKELON PORTEND ENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHE
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, December 22, 2005. |
|
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). |
|
CRUSHING ISRAEL
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, December 22, 2005. |
|
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). |
|
NEW DIRECTOR OF AMERICANS FOR A SAFE ISRAEL/AFSI IS ANNOUNCED
Posted by AFSI, December 22, 2005. |
|
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. |
|
ZARQAWI'S EUROPEAN NETWORK
Posted by Avodah 15, December 22, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
FAMILY OF "OUR MAN IN DAMASCUS" TELLS STORY
Posted by Mordechai Ben-Menachem, December 22, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
PLIGHT OF THE REFUGEE MATHEMATICALLY ANALYZED
Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, December 22, 2005. |
|
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 |
|
INT'L LAW ON ATTACKING CIVILIANS; SUPPOSITION AS FACT; SHARON IS DISMEMBERING ISRAEL
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, December 22, 2005. |
|
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.
|
|
BUSH'S COMPLETE LOYALTY TO HOUSE OF SAUD
Posted by Marcel Cousineau, December 22, 2005. |
|
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/). |
|
YOUR TAX DOLLARS HARD AT WORK
Posted by Deb Kotz, December 22, 2005. |
|
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 |