THE B'NAI MENASHE - OUR DEAREST LINK Posted by Rachel Saperstein, February 28, 2005.

"Will we be able to come with you if, G-d forbid, we are expelled? Do you want us? Do you feel we are the weakest link?" Gush Katif is blessed with people from every corner of the world, a perfect microcosm of the ingathering of the exiles. We have one thing in common - we are all Jews. We are a kaleidoscope of colors from white to black and every shade of brown in-between. And we are all Jews. Among our very special people are the Jews of northeast India called the B'nai Menashe. In India the B'nai Menashe lived near the border of Burma and like Jews worldwide they have blended in and picked up the physical characteristics of the indigenous peoples. Their history is similar to that of other groups following the dispersion of the tribes of Israel. For thousands of years they lived apart both from the main streams of Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jewry, and also from the Indian influence. They evolved into a separate people who believed in Manassah (Menashe, son of Joseph) who would redeem them. Other than rudimentary Jewish customs whose origin they did not know, they learned their biblical history through Christian missionaries intent on converting them. Instead, they turned to Amishav, an organization established to find our lost tribes and bring them home. A few hundred B'nai Menashe came to Israel to learn about their lost Jewish identity and eventually underwent conversion so their Judaism would not be questioned. "We came like babies having to learn of our heritage from its beginning," said Sharon Binyamin of the settlement of Gan-Or, the elected leader of the Gush Katif B'nai Menashe community. "Now we have yeshivot in India and visiting rabbis to teach us so we can come to Israel prepared to be mainstream Jews. Unfortunately the Israeli Ministry of the Interior will no longer allow our people to immigrate. Many non-Jews are allowed into Israel but we who are religious Jews are abandoned by the government." Today there are 45 B'nai Menashe families in Gush Katif comprising 200 people. They work in every area of the Gush. You will see them in factories, in the printing plant, in agriculture, as teachers and in the laboratories checking the kashrut of Gush Katif produce. They study Hebrew at the Ulpan and continue to learn Halacha from rabbis and lecturers. B'nai Menashe males are the mainstay of daily services and every Shabbat the synagogue is crowded with women and children praying for their families in Israel and those still in India. The adults are gentle and unassuming, with a strong sense of community. The children have become Hebrew-speaking rambunctious Sabras. Today the B'nai Menashe are threatened with the same edict as each of us - Expulsion! In a meeting with Mr. Lior Kalfa, head of the Neve Dekalim Council, and local rabbis, the Bnai Menashe asked "Are we one of you? Are we to go with you if, G-d forbid, we are expelled? We feel part of Gush Katif and we want to remain as part of this wonderful community." The answer was a resounding Yes! My dear B'nai Menashe friends and neighbors, just as our leaders have said to you, I want you to know that I have seen your commitment to Eretz Yisrael. I live next to you. I've seen your bravery under fire. I personally saw your strength and your courage during the worst of the bombing attacks. You gave me strength by your example. You visited me when my husband was wounded. You left bags of produce on my doorstep to show your affection and concern. We bring Mishloach Manot (gifts of food) to one another on Purim. We dance together at weddings. We are one. Without you there is no Gush Katif. You are not our weakest link. You are our dearest link in our chain of Jewish history. Rachel Saperstein works at the Girls High School in Neve Dekalim and published a booklet last year for families dealing with terror victims. She and her husband Moshe live in Neve Dekalim, Gush Katif, Gaza, Israel. To Go To Top

DON'T DESPAIR! ORGANIZE! AN AGENDA FOR THE RIGHT Posted by Moshe Saperstein, February 28, 2005.

This was written by Moshe Dann, a Jerusalem-based writer and journalist. He dedicated it to the memory of Adir Zik (z"l) Contact him at moshedan@netvision.net.il As the Israeli government moves to eliminate the Jewish presence in the Gaza Strip and four settlements in northern Shomron, opponents of its plan would do well to keep things in perspective. The battle is not over homes and hothouses; it is over the hearts and minds of our brothers and sisters. Even if we lose the battle for Gush Katif, we will not have lost the war. The attempt to destroy Jewish communities in Yesha has brought to the surface a power struggle within Israel over the meaning of Zionism, the future of Israeli democracy and the importance of Jewish identity. Though deeply painful, the struggle can provide opportunities for an educational process that may eventually transform Israeli society, allow true democracy to flourish and liberate us from the trauma of our Holocaust-based frame of reference. That in turn will give birth to a more relevant and vigorous Jewish and Zionist ethos. Well before the inception of the State of Israel, Palestine was seen as a national homeland and as a refuge for persecuted Jews. The Holocaust taught us that Jews could be slaughtered genocidally and no one would help. This gave rise to "Never Again:" the imperative to protect ourselves. "Never Again" was essential to winning Israel's acceptance by the world; it was, for many, our raison d'etre. Today, however, it is inadequate to justify Israel's existence. In order for something new to emerge there must be a shift in how we see the structure itself. Only when sacred myths about the State, its institutions, and political parties and their leaders are challenged and the rot at the core of system itself is exposed can change occur. Many Israelis now realize that our political system has evolved into one in which no one is accountable to any constituency. When political and economic power is concentrated, without checks and balances, it allows the system to be manipulated by the ruling elite for their own interests, masked by a fake "democracy." To enforce compliance government institutions - the judicial system, the police, the Attorney General and Ministries of Justice and Internal Security, even the IDF - will try to crush any opposition. The media provides disinformation and distraction; settlers are vilified as if they were the enemy. The more these institutions are used to suppress dissent, however, the more it is possible to see the essential corruption of the system. PM Sharon's plan to destroy Jewish communities ("settlements") throughout Yesha is an example. It's not about homes and hothouses; it's about a conception. "Settlements" in the Land of Israel are the defining characteristic of the State's existence. Settling the Land is not merely a political statement but an historical imperative and a divine obligation. Indeed, the only reason the Land of Israel has value is because Jews live in and value it. That the right of Jewish People to settle the Land of Israel is an axiom is now denied, not only by our enemies but by some Israeli leaders as well. Denying this right negates the essence of the Jewish People and the Land of Israel and raises a basic question: to whom does the Land of Israel belong? How can Jews "occupy Palestine" when it belongs originally and absolutely to the Jewish People? For some, the Jewish claim is no greater (and for some less) than that of Arabs. This attempt to distort history and the purpose of the Jewish people in its homeland is the basis of PM Sharon's policy. The challenge that the Left presents, therefore, is an important and necessary ingredient in creating a renewed Zionist consciousness - not one that goes back to Herzl or the Holocaust, but to our Patriarchs, to the Giving of the Torah, and to conquering and settling the Land during the time of Judges, Prophets, and Kings. If the destiny of the Jewish people can only be worked out in the Land of Israel, as most Israelis and all Zionists believe, then our claim to the Land is not only political and historical but existential. The true meaning of Israel is not as a refuge for persecuted Jews but as the living dynamic fulfillment of Prophetic visions, the Ingathering of Jews and the rebuilding of the Land of Israel; it is part of the process of Redemption. Every Jew, secular as well as religious, is part of that transcendent vision, an historical process embodied in every act of aliyah and settlement. That is not only a physical relocation but also a spiritual commitment as well. That is why we are here. That some secular Jews oppose this process is inevitable. They need to reject the idea that we are part of G-d's plan because to accept it would require confronting what it means to be a Jew and an Israeli. Paradoxically, opposition to Jewish settlement can clarify the meaning of these concepts. It helps us break out of what has become an irrelevant frame of reference ("Never Again") and forge a new and more authentic awareness of our presence and purpose in Israel. It is in this spirit that we should view the plan to uproot Jewish communities in Yesha while assisting in the establishment of a Palestinian state. Destroying Jewish communities only because they are Jewish is a dangerous precedent, especially when we are under attack and when there are no obvious rewards. But the danger of this policy is not the real issue. Attempts to destroy these communities raise a basic question: What are we doing here in the first place? If Jews can't live in Yesha because Arabs and the international community oppose us, then where can we legitimately live? And if we are allowed to live only within our pre-1967 boundaries, why were we attacked when that was all we had? And why do Palestinian terrorists blow up buses and cafes in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem? Whether or not Gaza and parts of Yehuda and Shomron are emptied of Jews our struggle must and will continue. Ours is a struggle for true Zionism (settlement of the Land of Israel on the basis of the inherent inalienable right of the Jewish people to do so), for true democracy ("government of the people, by the people and for the people") and for true Jewish identity (the ability to live authentically without shame or fear). This struggle is our obligation and privilege anchored in Covenant, Ingathering, and Redemption. It has nothing to do with what Arabs demand and international community desires, or what the government decides. It has to do with the duty and destiny of the Jewish People in its homeland. Moshe Saperstein and his wife Rachel live in Neve Dekalim, Gush Katif, Gaza, Israel. To Go To Top

AND JUSTICE FOR SOME Posted by David Haimson, February 28, 2005.

This was written by Caroline Glick and appeared in the Jerusalem Post February 24, 2005 (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/ JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1109215386238). Former prime minister Ehud Barak sent a jolt through the political system when on Monday he told a television interviewer: "The Sharon family is corrupt to its very foundations, and in any other normal country, Sharon would have no longer been in power." The remark was made just after Barak had participated in a meeting of his Labor Party's Knesset faction, where he accused his colleagues of losing their party identity and their loyalty to the rule of law as a result of their infatuation with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Barak made these statements against the backdrop of Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz's decision last Thursday to indict Sharon's son, MK Omri Sharon, on several felony counts relating to his illegal financing of his father's 1999 campaign for leadership of the Likud. Mazuz declined to indict the prime minister. In response to Barak's criticism, his party colleagues explained that it isn't their job to attach guilt or innocence to anyone. This job, they said, belongs to the legal system. It is also, of course, the job of the media. As to the media, in a program on Army Radio Tuesday, journalistic heavyweights Eitan Haber, from Yediot Aharonot and Moti Kirschenbaum, the former head of the Israel Broadcasting Authority and current talk show host on Channel 10, readily admitted that the press has been largely silent on the issue of the legal investigations because it doesn't want to disturb Sharon's plan to destroy all Israeli communities in Gaza and northern Samaria. Haber explained, "The Left, and not only the Left, is as silent as lambs [about Sharon's criminal investigations] because it's convenient for it that he's carrying out his political plan." Kirschenbaum agreed, saying, "There's no doubt that the media is dealing with the Sharon family with uncharacteristic tenderness because of its empathy toward his diplomatic plans." So here we have it, the watchdog of Israeli democracy, the Fourth Estate, is willfully ignoring one of its cardinal responsibilities - holding our public officials to standards of proper behavior in order to ensure the proper functioning of our government. And the media is behaving thus because apparently, the Powers That Be hate the Israeli communities in Gaza and northern Samaria more than they love the law. As Labor leaders Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and MK Avraham Shochat readily explained to Israel Radio Tuesday morning, upholding and enforcing the law is the responsibility of the attorney-general and the courts. As politicians, they said, their job is limited to getting their political plans implemented and this means supporting Sharon's decision to root out all Jews from Gaza and northern Samaria. Fair enough. At least they have the integrity to admit they will overlook corruption if it serves their political interests. Unfortunately, it would seem that Mazuz, Israel's chief law enforcement officer, shares Ben-Eliezer's and Shochat's sentiments. His decision last week not to indict the prime minister is case in point. Omri Sharon is accused of setting up fictitious companies in 1999 through which he funneled some NIS 6 million into his father's campaign. The process of moving the money - illegally transferred from abroad - and its use to fund various campaign activities, was a day-to-day process. Omri paid service providers with checks from Annex Research, a fictitious company (registered for him by Sharon's diplomatic representative and personal attorney Dov Weisglass). He then asked these service providers to equip him with fraudulent receipts in exchange for these checks. Omri lied under oath about these payments. He also carried out these felonious activities in his official capacity as his father's campaign chairman, while living intermittently with his father at their Sycamore Ranch - and updating him daily on the progress of the campaign. According to the Political Parties Law, a candidate for office is responsible for all activities that take place during the course of his campaign. The burden of proving a candidate's lack of culpability for criminal activities that were carried out by his campaign workers rests, according to the law, on the candidate, not on the police or the state prosecutors. In Sharon's case, the prime minister did not actively prove his lack of culpability; he merely denied knowledge of the criminal activities and claimed that he instructed his son to act lawfully. On the one hand, this passive, declaratory defense does not meet the dictates of the law. On the other, it strains credulity to believe that Sharon had no idea what his son was doing. NIS 6 million is a lot of money. Sharon has a reputation as a micro-manager. Is it reasonable to credit his statement that he never once asked his son where all this money had come from? Mazuz justified his decision to clear the prime minister by arguing that there was insufficient evidence to indict him. But again, this is impossible, for if there is sufficient evidence to indict Omri Sharon, then there must be sufficient evidence to indict Ariel Sharon. Again, according to the law, the candidate is criminally culpable for any illegal activities that are carried out in the course of his campaign unless he actively proves he had no knowledge of what was happening. As Haaretz legal commentator Zev Segal put it, in acting with such leniency against Sharon - in apparent contravention of the law - Mazuz "has turned into the prime minister's defense attorney." WHY WOULD Mazuz do this? In Israel's loaded political environment it is difficult to escape the feeling that in preferring the political survival of the prime minister to the dictates of the law he is sworn to uphold and enforce, Mazuz, like the media, is acting on his political sympathies rather than on his professional responsibilities. This suspicion is strengthened when one notes Mazuz's unrelenting campaign to have Likud central committee member Moshe Feiglin barred from running for Knesset. In an almost unprecedented move, Mazuz Monday petitioned the High Court of Justice to overturn Justice Jacob Turkel's decision to allow Feiglin to run for office. Feiglin was convicted of sedition, publishing seditious materials and conducting illegal gatherings when, as leader of the Zo Artzeinu movement in 1995, he led mass protests against the agreement to transfer Judea and Samaria to the PLO. Feiglin since joined the Likud and formed the Manhigut Yehudit faction inside the party which Sharon has spent the better part of the past two years trying to purge from the party because its members object to his policies. In arguing against Turkel's decision, Mazuz wrote that the court should overturn the decision "especially in light of today's flammable circumstances, the shrillness of the public debate - which is expected to deteriorate even further - and the implications involved in letting [Turkel's] ruling stand in terms of the unconstructive message it conveys to the public." It is unclear where the legal argument is here. It is not Mazuz's job to worry about the shrillness of debate. And what is the statute that discusses the need for courts of law to squelch "unconstructive" messages? For that matter, where is the legal definition of an "unconstructive message"? Furthermore, Mazuz's pursuit of Feiglin is not an isolated action, which would indicate that his political views dictate his how he enforces or fails to enforce the law. This week, two interesting stories emerged that, one could assume, would capture the attention of a nonpartisan attorney-general. The first was a Ma'ariv report on Sunday according to which a police agent provocateur has been disseminating incendiary political material - such as bumper stickers saying, "Sharon, Lily [his late wife] is waiting for you." This is one of the messages that the media has latched onto in its hysterical offensive against right-wing incitement. Yet here, it works out that rather than emanating from Sharon's political opponents, it is emanating from the police. This would appear to be an egregious abuse of authority on the part of the police, and one that bears investigation. But to date, Mazuz has not said a word about it. The second was the news magazine Koteret's cover story this month. In an investigative report, the magazine alleged that in financing his campaign for leadership of the Yahad (Meretz) party, far-Left politician Yossi Beilin illegally used funds donated by the EU. The report claims that Beilin illegally transferred funds from his EU-financed "Geneva Initiative" to his political campaign. The magazine came out a couple of weeks ago. It would seem that Mazuz might have taken an interest in the story, given that former justice minister Beilin was largely responsible for promoting Mazuz to a leadership position in the ministry. But again, not a word has passed through his lips about Beilin's reported criminal activities. It is Supreme Court President Aharon Barak who has done so much in recent years to involve the court with the day-to-day running of Israel - and who, since his tenure as attorney-general, has been the prime mover behind the realignment of the office of the attorney-general with judicial rather than the executive branch of government. Barak justified this state of affairs by claiming that the attorney-general's subordination to elected officials prevented him from carrying out his duty as chief law enforcement officer in a dispassionate, independent and professional manner. Unfortunately, from Mazuz's behavior, it would seem that just the opposite has occurred. The more independent the attorney-general has become from any political authority, the more politicized and less professional the office has become. There can be no doubt that having a professional and independent state prosecution is an essential component of democratic governance. Unfortunately, what we see is that in the name of "professional independence," it is precisely this component of the prosecution that is disintegrating before our very eyes. In light of the fact that our media unabashedly admits to willingly surrendering professional standards for political purposes, the absence of a professional prosecution is all the more disturbing. Contact David Haimson at DvHaimson@aol.com to receive emails with direct links to articles on Israel that are well-worth reading. To Go To Top

ABRAHAMISM AND DHIMMITUDE Posted by Carol Iannone, February 28, 2005.

In her new book, Eurabia, Bat Ye'or notes how as far back as 1991 British politician Robin Cook publicly flattered Islam as being at the roots of Western culture while omitting any mention of Judeo-Christianity. She says this is in keeping with dhimmitude, because Muslims need to be told that they are superior and cannot believe that there was any input from infidels. Dhimmis learn to fawn over Muslims in this respect. When Westerners agree to talk about "Abrahamic faith" and "Abrahamism" and related terms, they are really bowing to Islam because Muslims co-opt Abraham as a Muslim and then see themselves as the origin of everything. From Eurabia: [Cook's] adulation was designed to undermine Europe's Judeo-Christian roots. The principle of a Judeo-Christian civilization in Europe was belittled by producing and constantly propagating the Islamic origin of European civilization. Hamadi Essid, head of the Arab League Mission at Paris and its permanent delegate to UNESCO, told a meeting as early as 1970, "For some time there has been a catch-phrase: Judeo-Christian values. This slogan is directed against the Arabs." Arabs reject the term "Judeo-Christian civilization" and replace it with "Abrahamic civilization" because, as Abraham was a Muslim (according to the Qur'an), it follows that Western civilization not only includes the Islamic dimension, but is Islamic in its essence through Abraham, the Muslim prophet. "Abrahamism" is a notion that totally denies the historical identity and origin of Judaism and Christianity, since it reduces them to falsifications of Islam, the true religion of Abraham. Today, any reference to Europe's Christian sources--not to mention its Judeo-Christian roots--has been omitted from the EU Constitution on "secular" grounds, but mainly so as not to offend Muslim immigrants. This kowtowing to Islam is also a form of appeasement. According to this belief, if we say Islam is at the origin of our society, Muslims will supposedly be less likely to feel they are living in infidel country and must take up jihad for perceived offenses against the faith. Bush is already mentioning the Koran in speeches, as in the State of the Union address, and little by little we might be hearing more and more of the glories of Islam and how it led to our present world and aren't we lucky. To Go To Top

THE GOLAN HEIGHTS - AGAIN Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, February 28, 2005.

Whatever doubts that Sharon's government is either the fabled Potemkin Village of a pathetically stupid Administration or there is something here that is far more ominous.. For example, a number of Israeli Prime Ministers have tried to gift the Golan Heights to Syria - first to Hafez al Assad, an arch dictator, now followed by his son Bashar Assad - an optometrist. Recall how PM Ehud Barak in his time tried to drive the Jews off the Golan by raising a false alarm to the effect that the Syrian Army could roll over the Israeli civilians and Army in a quick assault. In retrospect, it was Barak's attempt to panic the nation into giving up the Golan that warrants suspicion. It would appear something similar is going on now with a modified tactic. The Chelm-like fools who make choices as to what territory to abandon, want to give away the Golan Heights - down to Lake Kinneret, Israel's main fresh water resource. So, what's wrong with giving up Israel's North-East front with Syria on down to Israel's main water resource? First, it is a natural geographical barrier to tanks coming in from Syria or Iraq.. Next, it is prime high ground, irreplaceable, defensive position for Israel to watch every move in Damascus. Not a tank or an aircraft can move without Israel spotting it. Israeli observers cannot be replaced by or with U.N., E.U., American or even NATO observers and have Israel risk NOT being told in real time, in the first few seconds of hostile Syrian military traffic. The idea that de-militarizing the Golan was similar to de-militarizing the Sinai Desert by the Camp David Accords in 1979 is misleading. That border, the Philadelphi road, is now being considered as the place to put Egyptian troops with armor, troops, artillery, missiles and intelligence. In brief, agreements to demilitarize are merely a verbal count-down to re-militarizing again. Nothing is permanent. Syria may be the most backward and hostile of Arab Muslim nations, now controlled by Alawites who represent 10% of the larger Sunni population. Nothing guarantees that a Sunni uprising driving Assad's Alawite Generals out of power will not put Israel under Syrian guns from the Golan Heights once again. I remind you that the Joint Chiefs of Staff under General Earle Wheeler concluded in their June 29, 1967 secret memorandum to President Lyndon Johnson that the Golan Heights was one of the key defense point Israel needed to keep to survive. Watching the Lebanese government resign and the tumultuous spontaneous rally AGAINST Syria, despite Syria's dictator-despotic rule in Lebanon was impressive. Is it really possible that the dominoes of democracy will actually replace the dictatorships that exist today. Perhaps sometimes but, not too soon - if ever. However, if you pause to listen to the News Shows' talking experts, some of them have not caught on or kept up with the trend to a freer, more open democratic Middle East. When one from the Center of Strategic & International Studies concludes in his second sentence that, because Lebanon is kicking Syria out NOW, Israel should give the Golan Heights to Syria is so strangely wrong-headed, one wonders where they get their 'Strategic' positions. The same political hustlers who claim that abandoning Gaza, allowing a Southern Front to open up against Israel now claim that abandoning the Golan to Syria will bring Syria into the Peace Camp. Syria has kept the Peace on the Golan BECAUSE Israel is in control of the Northern Front and can see directly into Damascus. One dim-witted scribbler on TV tells us that IF Israel gives up the Golan, then "the Arabs, the Muslims and Saudi Arabia" will really really recognize Israel. Then, we will get NATO Peace Keepers in there to really really keep the peace. Has Smersh, directly out of a James Bond movie released laughing gas so, while we are all bursting our sides in the giggles, they can come and steal Fort Knox? Only a group of mad politicians can hope to get away with the explanations they offer. Because just after the assassination of Rafik Hariri in Lebanon, the Lebanese Government (controlled by Syria) quit, the people and the politicians poured out into the street and displayed a demonstration similar to the Orange revolution that just upturned the corrupt government in Ukraine. America has often held mass rallies for worthwhile issues. The huge protest demonstrations that Israel has conducted to stop the current government's retreat from Gaza/Gush Katif should be kept in mind. Now, in Lebanon, the government has fallen; new elections may occur and no one knows who will be offered as President. Following Hariri's assassination, a homicide bomber blew up his bomb belt at a Tel Aviv beach nightclub, killing 5 young people, wounding almost 50 on February 25th for which the Syrian Terror organization called "Jihad Islaami" took the blame - although the homicide bomber came from Tul Karem - 9 miles East of the Tel Aviv beach. Syria is being forced to pull its 15,000 troops out of Lebanon - for now - at least as far as the Beka'a Valley (a profitable opium growing area for Syria). Approximately one million Syrians work in Lebanon. Many are Syrian agents. America is pressing Syria to stop assisting Mujahadinn fighters who train, arm and move from Syria into Iraq. There is also the "sleeper" of those WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) including NBC (Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical) weapons trucked from Iraq into the Syrian Beka'a Valley, buried in fields and guarded by 2 Syrian Army brigades. Into this maelstrom, the dim-wits urge Israel to quickly give Bashar Assad the Golan Heights - as if such a gesture made any sense at all. Am I the only one who thinks that this is a crazy manipulation by people who have a strange agenda? Someone is playing with our minds. The key questions are: Who? and Why? I think I smell that old plan surfacing wherein the Golan Heights - after the Jews clear out - is leased back to the United States for a military base and airfield. Can you smell the subtle aroma of betrayal? Let us keep an eye on this catastrophe in the making. "Secret Syria-Israel talks, 'Post' learns" (www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ ShowFull&cid=1109475189059&p=1078027574097) by Orly Halpern, Jerusalem Post, Feb. 28, 2005. An official Jordanian source told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that Syrian, Jordanian and Israeli Foreign Ministry officials held secret peace talks in Jordan last week. According to the source, technical committees from Syria and Israel were hosted at the Movenpick Hotel on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea. Another meeting is planned, but there is no date set for it yet, said the source, who added that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss possibilities for more substantive peace contacts. The Israeli Foreign Ministry had no comment on the meeting. "This is the first time I have heard of this," said Mark Regev, the ministry's spokesman. Syrian President Bashar Assad last November invited Israel to enter peace negotiations without preconditions. Israel dismissed the offer, saying that if Assad were serious he would crack down on Lebanon's Hezb'Allah organization and close the offices of terrorist organizations in Damascus. "Syria should translate words into action by shutting Palestinian offices and military bases in Damascus and stopping the relaying of missiles to Hezb'Allah from Iran via the Damascus airport," said Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom at that time. Analysts say Prime Minister Ariel Sharon wants to focus on the Palestinian track but not all Israeli officials follow that view. President Moshe Katsav was quoted in Maariv following Assad's invitation as saying he thought it was "important and worthwhile" to consider Assad's offer. Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya'alon, Israel's outgoing chief of General Staff, said in August that Israel should take advantage of Syria's diplomatic isolation to cut the best possible deal. At the time, Ya'alon declared that Israel's military superiority means it could return the Golan Heights it conquered from Syria in 1967. Peace negotiations between Syria and Israel began in 1994 and broke down in March 2000 over a narrow strip of land along Lake Kinneret. Assad signaled a desire to resume peace talks with Israel in an interview with The New York Times in December 2003. That offer was repeated at least five times. Meanwhile, another high-ranking Jordanian source said Sunday that there were "no plans" for Jordan's King Abdullah II to visit Israel, despite reports by Arab MKs who met with Jordanian Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez on Sunday. "I'm not saying it won't happen," said the Jordanian source, "but it's not in the pipeline." MKs Ahmed Tibi and Muhammad Dahamshe of Hadash, Wasal Taha and Jamal Zahalka of Balad, Taleb a-Sanaa and Abdul Malik Dahamshe of United Arab List, and Ghaleb Majadle of Labor met with Fayez, Jordanian Foreign Minister Hani Mulki, Jordanian Minister of Culture and Information Asma Khader, and Jordan's ambassador to Israel, Maarouf Bakhit, to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the demands of Israeli Arabs. Bakhit took a letter from King Abdullah for Sharon stressing the deepening relations between Jordan and Israel and his plans to look into a possible visit in accordance with the invitation extended to him by Sharon in Sharm e-Sheikh last month, said the source. 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). To Go To Top

SETTLER SPIRIT IS UNBROKEN Posted by Jerome S. Kaufman, February 28, 2005.

This was written by Yehudit Tayar, a veteran activist and spokesperson for the settlement movement. It appeared in the Jerusalem Post, January 4, 2005. Many Israelis, especially those of us who live in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza (Yesha) are confronting what we see as a perversion of the democratic ideal. It is somehow deemed "democratic" to undermine our civil liberties - our rights against the government. As we see it, the human rights of law-abiding, tax-paying citizens are under attack because of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan for unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip and parts of northern Samaria. Many of us are prepared to protest what we perceive as a "forced exile" from our homes. Is the protection of family, life and property a basic human right? We hear talk that if we resist we will be incarcerated in actual prisons. What I am about to write may seem harsh, but many of us feel under siege. What others call "disengagement" we see as a demonic plan - I have no other word for it. Technically speaking, Prime Minister Sharon may have the votes to carry this plan forward. But we see it as undemocratic and immoral. It is undemocratic because it goes against the wishes of the constituency that voted for Sharon and against his pro-disengagement Labor opponent. It is undemocratic because when Sharon couldn't get what he wanted he fired cabinet members and ignored votes in the Likud Party Central Committee (which he himself called). It is undemocratic because Sharon is now bringing in the very man, Shimon Peres, who was responsible for the Oslo debacle to sit in the cabinet as his government pursues disengagement. Think how that makes us feel. We find ourselves facing what seems like continuous psychological warfare. We feel alienated from what we read and see in the mainstream media. Official spokespeople talk in a babble of phrases we simply do not understand. Moreover, the use of veiled - and sometimes not so veiled threats against us is immensely troubling. If we oppose disengagement we'll lose our "compensation"; if we engage in civil disobedience we'll wind up in jail, and so on. Now we suspect that the government has been issued directives to the IDF which limit the scope of retaliation by our military when Gush Katif communities are attacked. In a sense, the government is asking the IDF to differentiate between the Jews of Sderot - just a few kilometers away - and the Jews of Gaza. How do you think that makes us feel? So from where we sit, the government is practically encouraging the enemy to shoot at us. And yet we have not given up. To combat "disengagement" the grassroots settler movement needs to pursue "engagement". We need to speak to as many of our fellow citizens as possible. We need to awaken support for our position. We need to mobilize against what we see is a horrific plan that could turn Jews into refugees in their own Land. We need to tell people that there is no lasting justification for disengagement. And we will. We will remind them that disengagement is a reward for terror. Granted, there are Israelis who give out-and-out support to the plan to destroy Jewish towns and turn Jews into refugees. But there are many others who, puppet-like, repeat popular phrases from the media or politicians. We keep hearing "but we have to try something", or "this situation cannot go on". Yet, after speaking with people - even sometimes just for a few minutes - these same knee-jerk pro-disengagement types come around to our position. They say, "I know that we cannot trust Palestinian Arab intentions", or "No matter what the enemy gets, they still will want more." What has happened to good, old-fashioned common sense? Has our national will become wobbly because of continous terror blows? Are we deluding ourselves because reality is harsh? Israelis need to ask themselves why a country at war should be willing to follow Sharon's disastrous plan. If we continue down this path, our country will be divided and our enemy encouraged. Disengagement will only give the enemy continued reason to attack additional civilian centers; they'll just come up with new targets. The end result? More Jews might become refuges in their own land. From where we sit, disengagement has no tangible, lasting benefits whatsoever. So why are we pursuing this policy is ever more impossible for many of us to understand. If Israel had true leadership, our government would be teaching those who plan, perpetrate and carry out the murder of Jews that Israel will not capitulate to terrorism. The Prime Minister may have won various political victories thanks to all sorts of machinations. But we are not about to throw in the towel. We shall show the world that we stand firm and will fight what we see as an evil plan. Would that Israel had a leadership which was honest with itself, and about what motivates it. Would that we truly had a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. We, the Jewish residents of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza will continue to play our part, to engage with our fellow countrymen. We will do all we can - body and soul- to prevent this catastrophe from happening. Because we do believe in true democracy, and because we want to engage, not disengage. Jerome S. Kaufman is National Secretary of the Zionist Organization of America. and host the Israel Commentary website (http://www.israel-commentary.org). To Go To Top

INTERFAITH DIALOGUE ON THE SUDAN CRISIS' WITH SURVIVORS OF SLAVERY AND GENOCIDE Posted by Sliwa News, February 28, 2005.

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 28 /U.S./ - A survivor of the genocide in Darfur whose grandfather was burned alive by Arab militiamen, a survivor of slavery from southern Sudan, and the human rights activist on the front lines of the struggle against slavery and genocide in Sudan are coming to the University of Pennsylvania for an "Interfaith Dialogue on the Sudan Crisis." Mohammed Yahya, Simon Deng, and Charles Jacobs will be the featured panelists at a symposium on Monday at 7 p.m. in Room 255 at Jon M. Huntsman Hall (entrance on Walnut and 38th street). The event is co-sponsored by the African Students Association, Hillel, Amnesty, STAND, and various other student groups. Yahya will present on the experience of African Muslims in Darfur, who face a campaign of genocide waged by the Arab Muslim- dominated regime in Khartoum. Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir was recently named the world's No. 1 dictator by Parade Magazine, and his armed forces are responsible for the death over 100,000 civilians in Darfur and the displacement of over 1,000,000 people. Deng, who escaped after being held as a slave for several years by an Arab master in northern Sudan, will discuss the racism directed against Africans in Sudanese society. "We are called Abeed," notes Deng. "This word in Arabic means 'slave.'" Deng was recently profiled on BET's Nightly News and in the Christian Science Monitor. Jacobs, the co-founder and chairman of the American Anti- Slavery Group, will speak about the failure of the international community, the academic community, and the human rights community to address a genocide in Sudan that is over two decades old. He will recount the many obstacles faced by the abolitionist and anti-genocide movement and discuss why the United Nations has repeatedly failed in Sudan. Melissa Hauptman, one of the event organizers, explained that students will not sit by as genocide unfolds on their watch. "As the granddaughter of four Holocaust survivors, I don't want to have to tell my grandchildren that I did nothing while hundreds of thousands were enslaved and slaughtered in Sudan. We want to help stop this genocide." For more information on the American Anti-Slavery Group, visit http://www.iAbolish.com or call 800-884-0719 or email info@iabolish.com To Go To Top

A LETTER FROM THE SANUR COMMUNITY Posted by Hebron Community, February 28, 2005.

Dear friends of Eretz Yisrael, We need you to help us and all Eretz Yisrael! This summer Sharon is planning on evicting us from our homes in the Sanur community in the northern Shomron. We arrived in Sanur two years ago, before Sharon's plan's to destroy this community. We left successful communities, places of employment, educational institutions, full-fledged municipalities, to settle this land. We found here an almost abandoned community, decrepit houses, thorns and weeds. With our own two hands we rebuilt the community and today it shines and blossoms and includes a nursery school and kindergarten, a Torah study center, a Mikvah tahara, and library. We today number twenty-two families, and over 50 children, totaling over 100 residents. We were able to successfully revive a beautiful piece of Eretz Yisrael, which is now in danger of being destroyed. WE HAVE NO INTENTIONS OF LEAVING. THIS IS OUR HOME AND WE WILL STAY IN SANUR! However, we need your help at this difficult time, to prevent, with our bodies, our eviction and the destruction of Sanur. The Northern Shomron, like Gush Katif, is in jeopardy. Please don't stand idly by and watch the expulsion. Help prevent this tragedy. We are all soldiers and together, will succeed in stopping the abandonment of Gush Katif and the northern Shomron to our enemies. Please be in touch with us: Call: 011-972-52-392-9585 or email: sa_nur@walla.com Thank you. Sincerely, The Sanur Community You can contribute directly to The Jewish Community of Hebron, POB10, Kiryat Arba-Hebron 90100, hebron@hebron.org.il, 972-2-9965333 or write to The Hebron Fund, 1760 Ocean Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11230, hebronfund@aol.com To Go To Top

URGENT CALL BY PROMINENT JEWISH LEADERS TO WORLD JEWRY Posted by Women in Green, February 28, 2005.

FROM THE RABBINICAL CONGRESS FOR PEACE By the Grace of G-d, Adar I, 5765 STOP THE MADNESS An Urgent Call to All Rabbis, Jewish Communal Leaders, and Friends of Israel Throughout the World, "For the sounding of wailing is coming from Zion: 'How have we been plundered? We have been shamed tremendously, for we have abandoned the land; our own dwellings have cast us out'" (Jeremiah 9:18) Open your eyes and see what the government of Israel is planning to do: Jewish communities that are more than three decades old will be destroyed; Torah centers and yeshivos will be torn down; Cemeteries where terror victims lie will be given over to the very hands who slew them; Parents and grandparents, young children and flowering youth, will be driven from their homes; and Businesses and corporations employing thousands will be closed. A victory will be granted to terror. Our enemies will celebrate in the streets and be encouraged to further acts of violence. Jews throughout the land of Israel will be endangered when the bases of terror will be brought closer to their homes and thousands of terrorists will be set free. Success that our foes could never dream to achieve will be granted to them. For what? What is being given in return? There are still terror alerts throughout Israel. Rockets and mortars are still falling on Jewish homes. Suicide bombers are still blowing themselves up in the heart of Israel murdering innocent Jews. "Do not stand idle while the blood of your brother is endangered" (Leviticus 19:16). We must object by raising an outcry, fasting and giving charity. As in all times of difficulty an extra measure of Psalms including Chapters: 20, 83, 103 should be recited daily. The emperor has no clothes. But the media in Israel are so slanted that they celebrate his parade through the streets while exposed. You can help! Raise an objective voice. Speak in the name of our Torah and our Jewish tradition. Tell the government to stop. Speak to your congressmen and senators. Let the media throughout the world know. Let an outcry be heard so that the heroes risking their lives and fortunes in Israel will take heart. "They will contrive a scheme, but it will be foiled; conspire a plot, but it will not be realized, for G-d is with us" (Isaiah 8:10). Signed, Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov Friedman, Rebbe of Sadigura and Member of Council of Torah Sages Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Horowitz, Bostoner Rebbe and member of Council of Torah Sages Hagaon Rabbi Binyomin Yehoshua Zilber, Member of Council of Torah Sages Hagaon Rabbi Meir Mazuz, Rosh Yeshivas Kise Rachamim Former Chief Rabbi and noted Kabbalist, Hagaon Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu 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 To Go To Top

WHEN IS A POLITICIAN HONEST? Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, February 28, 2005.

There are a number of variations of the joke; when can you be sure a politician is telling the truth? Answers vary from when he's dead, when he's sleeping to the best, when he's talking about another politician that he hates. Of course what we have been going through (due in great part to the stupidity and perfidy Ehud Barak among others) is no joke and not at all funny. I, however, could not resist a good belly laugh when I read this. This is a news item from today's Arutz-7 - IsraelNationalNews.com (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=77611). It is called "Ehud Barak Against Disengagement." Ex-PM Barak made headlines last week when he told the Knesset Channel that the Sharon family was "corrupt to the core." Some of the other things he said were even more newsworthy, but were ignored. Much attention was paid to Barak's condemnation of the Sharon family. Barak said that "in any other normal country, Sharon would have no longer been in power." He said this just days after the decision was made to indict Sharon's son, MK Omri Sharon, on several felony counts relating to his financing of his father's 1999 campaign to head the Likud. The remarks caused such a stir that the Prime Minister even deigned to respond, saying that Barak could benefit from medical help. However, Barak made several statements during the interview that were very critical of the disengagement plan - and these were barely reported, if at all. He said that the impression that Sharon has caved in to terrorism, "shared by [Uzi] Landau, [Effie] Eitam and Hamas," is in fact grounded in reality. "After all," Barak said, "this plan is not something that Sharon promised during his election campaign," but rather something that took form after he saw that he was not defeating terrorism. Barak also gave marks of approval to Moshe Feiglin and Landau in their observations that "even after the disengagement, we will have withdrawn our forces and residents, but we will not have disengaged - for we will continue to be responsible for everything that goes on in Gaza, from the standpoint of international law." Barak didn't stop there, however. "It's not true that Bush promised Sharon that we [Israel] will be able to remain in Gush Etzion, Givat Zev, Ariel, and Maaleh Adumim. Get the Americans in a closed room and they will say that this is not true. The public is being deceived. Sharon is not strong enough to tell the Israeli public the truth. He and Mofaz have replaced people like [former Mossad chief Ephraim] Halevy, [outgoing GSS head Avi] Dichter, [outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe] Yaalon, and [former National Security Advisor Gen.] Uzi Dayan." Despite this, Barak hedged his bets by repeating several times that Sharon deserved much credit for initiating the disengagement. "But," he continued, "Sharon is not telling the public the truth... He's not telling the truth about the fence, that the communities behind the fence will be lost, and because he wasn't strong enough to say that, he left the fence open in several places, and that caused people in Hadera, Afula, Be'er Sheva and Tel Aviv to be buried [killed]. He has lost [the city of] Ariel, and now he's about to lose Maaleh Adumim, because there's a little Arab village between Jerusalem and Maaleh Adumim that's creeping up on it..." 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. To Go To Top

POLICE ARE OVER-PROTECTIVE OF MOFAZ Posted by Eliezar Edwards, February 28, 2005.

This is a news item from today's Arutz Sheva - IsraelNationalNews.com At least three people, including a journalist, were detained by the police for between a half hour and several hours merely because Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz was visiting nearby. One of them was a journalist of the Chabad Hassidic movement by the pen-name of Shai Gefen. As Mofaz was beginning his visit in Kiryat Malachi last night, policemen knocked at Gefen's home in the city, and said they wanted to interrogate him. He went with them to the police station, where he was told that he must sign his consent to remain at home for the rest of the night. He signed, and was forbidden to leave his home until the next morning. Rabbi David Drukman - a well-known opponent of the disengagement, a leader of the Pikuach Nefesh [Saving Lives] Rabbis Organization - and an acquaintance of the detained journalist - told Arutz-7, "This is unbelievable. What happened to democracy here? Just because he organized the anti-disengagement rabbis' gathering in Jerusalem last week, they won't let him attend Mofaz's visit and Heaven forbid ask a question that they don't like? This must be publicized as widely as possible!" Rabbi Drukman wrote Gefen a letter this morning, saying, "Just yesterday the Cabinet decided on the formation of a special 'Jewish section' to deal with incitement - in Russia it was called the Hebsectzia, a shortened version of the words 'Hebrew' and 'section' - you have the great merit of becoming the first victim of the 'thought police'... "I plan to file a complaint with the Attorney-General against the fact that several others... who dreamt last night about demonstrating against the Prime Minister... I am actually surprised that they didn't arrest me as well, since I also dreamt last night that Sharon knew about the monetary deals of his son Omri... It's about time you realized that in a state that worships the religion of democracy, a demonstration by citizens is a blatantly anti-democratic act... You apparently don't know that one of the fundamentals of democracy in the State of Israel is the right to be arrested just for the thought of expressing your opinion." Two similar items occurred last Wednesday when Mofaz visited Kiryat Gat, just to the south of Kiryat Malachi and east of Ashkelon. The main news reports that evening began with this item: "A man has been arrested who planned to harm Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz." The report dealt with a resident of Netivot, aged 35, who was taken to the police station for having said he would like to throw tomatoes and eggs at Mr. Mofaz. The suspect was in a crowd of people waiting for the Defense Minister when he allegedly told them of his "plan." Maariv quoted Police Commander Yaki Artzi describing how the police force immediately went into action: "Right at the beginning of the visit, we received information from people who stood next to him and hear the threat. We enhanced our deployment, and I sent detectives to the site to locate him." At the same time, the police updated the body responsible for Mofaz's personal protection. Finally, the man was found in his home - i.e., after not having carried out the alleged threat. He told the policemen who took him for questioning, "I didn't protest against the disengagement only because of my respect for the mayor, but Mofaz deserves to be hit with tomatoes and eggs." Commander Artzi said, "The man was released, and we will check if charges should be filed against him." This was not all, however. On the day of the visit, a Kiryat Gat city councilman - a Chabad member named Chaim Shalom - arrived at his office in the city council building to pick up a document. "Suddenly, policemen jumped on me," he later told Yediot Acharonot newspaper, "and then I heard them say on their radio, 'The suspect is in our hands.'" Shalom said he asked the policeman, "What happened to you? Why are you jumping on me?" The policeman said abashedly, "This is the orders we received from the [GSS unit for the protection of persons]. Wait half an hour, until the Defense Minister finishes his lunch here and leaves the building." Shalom's pleas to be allowed to leave were in vain, and he was released only after Mofaz left. The fax number of the Public Security (Police) Ministry office in Jerusalem is (+972-2) 530-8039. To Go To Top

THE NEGEV'S RADICAL OASIS Posted by Bryna Berch, February 28, 2005.

This article was written by P. David Hornik and appeared in the Jerusalem Post today. Mr. Hornik is a freelance journalist and translator living in Jerusalem. Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, was a fervent nationalist who would turn in his grave to hear some of the things being said by academics at the Israeli university that bears his name. There are, of course, radicals at other Israeli universities as well, but they are particularly well represented at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Dr. Neve Gordon of BGU's political science department, for example, has written: "Israel's gravest danger today is not the PA or even Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, but the one it faces from within: fascism." And in a column on the far-Left Counterpunch Web site, he accused General Aviv Kohavi, currently IDF commander in the Gaza Strip, of "blatant violations of human rights" and of being a "war criminal." Not surprisingly, Gordon's articles are often posted on anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi sites. Not far behind Gordon in anti-Israeli vilification is Jeff Halper of BGU's anthropology department, who has written: "'Fortress Israel,' as we call it, is by necessity based on a culture of strength, violence and crudity. In the final analysis, it will be the bulldozer that razes the structure that once was Israel." Other pearls by this author include: "[Israel is using] state terrorism on a scale we have not seen before"; and "A just and lasting peace will not emerge from within Israel; only international pressure can save the Palestinians from being crushed by the iron wall." Halper heads IACHD (the Israeli Committee against House Demolitions), which openly calls for international sanctions against Israel even at a time when it is preparing for major land concessions. Then there's Lev Greenberg, director of BGU's Humphrey Institute for Social Research, who has written: "There is a difference between Israeli and Palestinian acts of aggression . the difference is that Israeli aggression is the responsibility of Ariel Sharon, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Shimon Peres, and Shaul Mofaz, while individual terrorist acts are done by individuals in despair, usually against Arafat's will"; "Suicide bombings killing innocent civilians must be condemned unequivocally; they are immoral acts, and their perpetrators should be sent to jail. But they cannot be compared to state terrorism carried out by the Israeli government"; "The murder of [Hamas leader] Sheik Ahmad Yassin by the government of Israel is part of a major move... which can be described as symbolic genocide." Other BGU academics portray Israel . which has already made massive land concessions and offered further ones in a quest for peace, while creating the Palestinian Authority and helping it become the most generously assisted entity on earth . as a brutal oppressor and call for its dissolution as a Jewish state. Oren Yiftachel of the Department of Geography and Environmental Development writes: "The actual existence of an Israeli state... can be viewed as an illusion... Israel has created a colonial setting, held through violent control"; "The establishment of a binational democratic state... appears more attractive than ever." For Amnon Raz-Krakotzkin, who teaches Jewish history, "Binationalism is the only solution . for now... the Zionist historical consciousness is based on suppression and the erasure of history"; "there really are Arabs who accuse me of supporting binationalism in order to preserve the Jewish people". a charge that, apparently, stings. A 2004 article called "Genocide by Public Policy," BGU's Michael Dahan with Palestinian-American businessman Sam Bahour, asserted that: "Deliberate and systematic destruction, as the definition of genocide illustrates, does not necessarily mean physical killing of people, albeit Israel is having no problem, and is facing no international outcry, in doing just that." The value of academic freedom, and the need for expression of a wide variety of views on the problems Israeli faces, is not in question. It is a different matter whether the taxpayers and donors who fund BGU should remain indifferent when this university, responsible for educating its young people, becomes a nest for academics who deny Israel's legitimacy, advocate its dissolution, call its people Nazis, and accuse it of genocide. Even if academic freedom is construed as being unbound by minimal notions of truth or loyalty, this should not prevent donors from conditioning their contributions carefully, and potential students and their parents from taking heed. To Go To Top

ISRAELI SECURITY PLAN DEVISED BY ARABS; UNILATERALISM; AN OLD SCAM RECYCLED Posted by Richard H. Shulman, February 27, 2005.

PERES' SECURITY PLAN FOR GAZA Peres (whose Peace Center is funded by appeasement minded Europeans) contends that for (unspecified) diplomatic reasons, Israel should vacate the Philadelphi corridor above the arms smuggling tunnels that the IDF keeps destroying. Who would demolish them after the IDF left? The P.A. that still is bombarding Jewish communities (Arutz-7, 1/26) or Egypt, the P.A.'s patron? The P.A. is at war with Israel. Does it make sense for Israel to give the P.A. responsibility for blocking the tunnels from which it gets the arms for its insurgency? Vacating the corridor would be fatal to many Israelis. Peres should be asked what "diplomatic reasons" justify letting them get murdered. He should be challenged to show he is not giving a phony excuse. Israeli leftists have been getting away with vague assertions unchallenged, and, as a result, the Arabs have been getting away with murder. Egypt condoned the smuggling. What gives Peres confidence that Egypt now would block it? Egypt could block it now, but doesn't. Judge Peres by his confidence in Oslo, which failed, but in which he retains confidence. What a jolly good fellow is he! Or is he Israel's Dr. Moriarity? ARAB'S SECURITY PLAN FOR JUDEA-SAMARIA Defense Min. Mofaz has agreed to an old proposal of P.A. military leader Dahlan, that when Israel hands over security control in Judea-Samaria cities to P.A. forces, any wanted terrorists there will join those P.A. forces. This decision is not a satire (IMRA, 1/26). IMRA frequently advises readers that an Israeli security decision is not a satire. This plan was devised by a terrorist. Calling it a security plan does not make it one. My advice to readers is to suspect falsity in news labeling. Can wanted pirates be transformed instantly to respected policeman, by decree? If only people were so easily transformed! Imagine if New York City suggested that it end crime by enlisting the criminals in its police force! On the other hand, why not - the P.A. security men are terrorists initially armed by Israel and still somewhat subsidized by them, partly at the insistence of Pres. Bush, that supposed great friend of Israel. All those who complain that Israel does not adhere to Oslo are silent about this and earlier Arab violations of Oslo, in enlarging the P.A. forces beyond the contractual limit. Why is this type of violation important? It is important because it fosters the continuous building of a police force into an army capable of impeding an Israeli mobilization against an Egyptian-Syrian assault. It also rewards instead of eradicates terrorists. This change should not be viewed in isolation. Israel also has let Hizbullah come up to the Lebanese border and bring rockets with them. The State Dept. wants Hizbullah's sponsor, Syria to regain the Golan Heights, down which it could pour fire and send tanks. PM Sharon plans to let Egypt bring armored units up to its Israeli border in the Sinai. ISRAEL PLANS TO BUILD A SECURITY FENCE ALONG EGYPT Though less formidable than the one in Judea-Samaria, the plan for this one indicates suspicion of Egypt (IMRA, 1/26). Then why let Egyptian armored units alongside Gaza and Israel? The moral is: the world is closing in on Israel, and Israel's leaders are springing the trap. FILM GLORIFYING SUICIDE BOMBING An Israeli produced it "in association with the Consulate General of Israel (SF)." How sick! (Prof. Steven Plaut, 1/26, e-mail.) Prof. Plaut often finds Israel acting antisemitically, but not in conscious satire. NEW SYRIAN SUPPORT FOR TERRORISM Syrian regional authorities deduct $1 a month from thousands of government employees, to use in the P.A. war on Israel (IMRA, 1/27). Now there is interference with another country! RUSSIA REDUCES SYRIAN DEBT Russia dropped $9.8 billion of Syria's debt to it (IMRA, 1/27). That enables Syria to buy more new arms. The real cycle of violence is that the Arabs borrow money for arms, default on the debt, are forgiven the debt, and borrow again. In this case, however, Russia may be requiring new sales to be paid for on delivery. Thanks to high oil prices, Iran and S. Arabia can spare the funds for Syria's new purchases. To lower the price, the US should conserve fuel, switch to renewable energy, and do extensive research on making coal as clean a fuel as oil, since two of the main consumers of oil, the US and China, have extensive deposits of coal. SYRIA: WANTS DEFENSIVE WEAPONS & STABILITY? Syria rejects Israeli objections to its proposed purchase of surface-to-air missiles from Russia. It claims the objections interfere in Russian affairs and, by not wanting Syria to be able to defend itself, indicates a plan for aggression against Syria. Syria prefers dialogue between civilizations. Pres. Putin depicted the missiles as purely defensive, unable to change the balance of power, and would be restricted by Russia so they don't get into the hands of terrorists. To the contrary, some of the missiles are like the US hand-held "stinger" type, which changed the balance of power, which were not just defensive, and which got into the hands of terrorists (IMRA, 1/27). Syria and Iran put 14,000 other missiles into the hands of Hizbullah. Russia's sale would interfere in Israeli affairs. Syria doesn't often engage in dialogue, but when it does, it is the usual Arab ploy to lull suspicions. Far from seeking to defend itself (from whom?), Syria must be suspected of planning more aggression along the lines of its designs on other countries that it never abandoned, just as it is occupying another country contrary to its signed agreement. Deception is the primary Arab tactic. The main deception in the Syrian statement is to call the missiles defensive weapons. This is the usual Arab ploy of putting to a word something it does not mean. Syria's likeliest aggression against Israel is by missiles. Israeli's likeliest defense is to launch its air force at the Syrian missile sites. There, the Soviet, er Russian, ground-to-air missiles would intervene in behalf of the Syrian aggressors. Deception is a primary Soviet tactic. Putin was a Soviet KGB official. His deception does not excuse the West for its extensive deception, but it doesn't rely on deception as much as did Soviets and Arabs. IMRA & AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE IMRA translates and reviews articles in the Arab media. Often IMRA remarks about the media's use of expressions that are not supported by the news and that reflect Arab bias. In this case, the source of the news was "Agence France Presse, which described the conflict in diplomacy between Syria and the US as Syrian "reluctance to toe the US line." IMRA responded, "hat US line, 'free elections' and cessation of support for terrorism? (IMRA, 1/27) The US also demands that Syria stop occupying Lebanon. The US demands are decent and just, and necessary for eventual world survival and peace. For "Agence France Presse" to call it the "US line," and to put it as if the US, one of the victims of terrorism, has no right to combat terrorism that Syria specializes in, indicates what a misconceived, pro-Arab approach the French media have. SANITIZING TERRORISM "A conspicuous component of the academic world of the West engages in vigorous campaigns against Israel, with strong support for Palestinian (Arab) actions. Even when Palestinian wrongs are recognized, ultimate blame is placed on Israel and its supporters." (The assumption I that the poor Arabs cannot help themselves. The assumption patronizes the Arabs in behalf of antisemitism.) "... terrorists as exemplified by Hamas have advanced from being presumably outlawed by the Oslo agreement to participating in Palestinian elections and to now becoming a P.A. partner in the peace process and governance." (Likewise, Israel and the Quartet are permitting terrorists to join the P.A. police. If the P.A. were ever to eradicate terrorism, one would think that terrorism would be a disqualification rather than a qualification.' Professor of Culture Terry Eagleton of Manchester U. wrote in the "Guardian" that human bombs are idealists, hence noble. He claims they do it not only for religions reasons but also because they see it as the only way to secure justice (IMRA, 1/27). Justice? Jihad, their usual cause, is one of religious oppression, imperialism, and mass-murder. Some Communists and fascists thought they served ideals, as did some of the servants of the Inquisition. They perpetrated great cruelty and robbery, in the service of injustice. Who needs such "idealists?" Westerners repeatedly imagine the worst as the best? The professor omitted other common motivations for murder: brainwashing by those who don't sacrifice themselves, coercion of compromised women, and payments for their families. UNILATERAL ISRAELI "GOODWILL" GESTURES Although it would get nothing in return, Israel plans to remove from its list of wanted terrorists two of the main ones, Tawfiq Tirawi and Rashid Abu Shabak. Both have been proved heavily involved in planning and directing fatal terrorism (IMRA, 1/27). Israel constantly takes measures to undermine its security. Its government is more suicidal than are the Arab human bombs. Israel does get something in return. It gets demands from diehard antisemites for more. PM SHARON'S BETRAYAL OF ISRAEL'S VOTERS During his last campaign, Ariel Sharon ridiculed his rival for planning unilateral withdrawal. Sharon did admit he would make some painful concessions. Now he and his supporters pretend that by "painful concessions" he meant unilateral withdrawal. If that were true, he would not have ridiculed his rival and promised to be different from him. Sharon claims the voters misunderstood, but they didn't, and he betrayed them (and the Jewish people). All the worse that Sharon refuses to go back to the people for a referendum, to see what they understand now (Dr. Aaron Lerner, IMRA, 1/27). TERRORISM DOESN'T ARISE FROM POVERTY, IT CREATES IT As the US pours its treasury into the rebuilding of Iraq, the rebels there spill blood and shatter facilities. The terrorists are Baathists seeking to regain power and Islamists seeking the death of infidels and hegemony over the faithful. They are well-financed. Thus terrorism does not arise from poverty. It creates poverty. AN OLD SCAM RECYCLED Iran and Syria declared their countries one front, whether attacked by the US or Israel. Israel's Foreign Ministry finds, by contrast, Egypt and the P.A. "moderate." This is the old confusion or scam of falsely dividing Israel's Arab enemies into moderates and extremists. The foul incitement to racial violence against Jews coming out of Egypt and the P.A. is no different from that coming out of Iran and Syria. Same for the end goal of Egypt and the P.A., which is their dominance over Israel, and the subordination, dispossession, and to some extent the extermination of the Jews. The difference is that the ones called moderate may negotiate agreements with Israel, and then, again, they may not. The ones considered extremist resist agreements, lest it sully their honor. Therefore, the ones called moderate present the greater danger, because they can dupe Israelis into imagining they are negotiating peace rather than concessions that facilitate the next Arab aggression. HOW TO OPPOSE AN AUTHORITARIAN REGIME DEMOCRATICALLY? "Yediot Ahronot" criticizes the Right for opposing PM Sharon's territory-abandonment plan with violence instead of democratically. I don't condone stone-throwing against police, but I question who is throwing the stones. The government never punished the secret service people and their high political patrons (such as Peres and Rabin) who committed dirty tricks. The editor is not ethically entitled to take that line without also condemning police brutality against dissidence. The Israeli police are used for political purposes, are brutal, and perform poorly. Without the Territories, and with all the other concessions to the Arabs, Israel would not survive. What are the limits to the type of opposition when the stakes are national existence? How is a political opposition to function democratically, when the government has become authoritarian? The people voted to replace Barak with Sharon, but Sharon instituted Barak's policies. Sharon's Likud Party held two referendums to oppose Sharon's adoption of Barak's Labor Party policies. Sharon lost, but after promising in advance to abide by the votes, ignored the votes (because he is driven by some psychological demon or blackmail). Cabinet Members who would vote against the plan he fired, although that is contrary to the protocol for coalition government. Opponents turned to the Supreme Court, but that Court, itself chosen undemocratically, serves the Far Left and twists its interpretation of the law, when it doesn't simply declare its whim the law. Opponents cannot get much time on the air or in the press, controlled by the Left. People who speak up are threatened with preventive detention. When soldiers indicate they won't obey orders to dispossess Jews from the Territories, they are dismissed. When soldiers indicate they won't obey orders to protect Jews in the Territories, they are not dismissed. It is said that Sharon has hired foreign troops to do his dirty work. The situation is so dire, that it would justify a coup. But Sharon has preempted this by staging his own coup, as indicated by those measures and his general bullying and maneuvering. Rather than merely disobey, soldiers should arrest the officer and officials giving the illegal order. If they did, however, they would not be able to maintain their stance. An attempted coup would not have the support of the country, which disapproves of Sharon but does not understand how evil he and especially Peres are and how sick is the Left. This effort to save Jews would kill Jews. 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 ricshulman@aol.com. To Go To Top

PAMPHLET THREATENS NEW VIOLENCE AGAINST MAGHAR CHRISTIANS Posted by Tamar Rush, February 27, 2005.

This article is by Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent. A pamphlet threatening renewed violence against Christians was distributed Sunday in the mixed Druze-Christian-Muslim village of Maghar. The pamphlet, signed by a group calling itself "The Heroes of Hamza Ben Ali" after a Druze saint, expressed support for the riots that occurred in the Galilee village roughly two weeks ago, and included detailed threats to open fire on any Christians venturing to the village's main road starting Wednesday. Tiberias police have launched a probe to find out who was behind the pamphlet. Seven Maghar residents and three police officers were injured in the clashes between Druze and Christians, which began after a Druze teenager spread a false rumor that Christian youths had posted pornographic pictures of Druze girls on the internet. Many Christian families fled the village as a result of the riots. The threats were also directed against police officers from the Tiberias station who have been involved in arrests of Druze, as well as the village's Christian leadership, accusing it of disrespecting the Druze sheikhs. The distribution of the pamphlet has increased tensions in the village, and Christian families have expressed fears of a new round of violence. A Christian resident of the village said the Christians are taking the threats seriously. "We don't know who is behind the pamphlet and if it is a few people or many, but there is no doubt that these are very grave statements that can re-ignite the flames," said the resident. "This time there is no more property to burn and therefore they are threatening physical harm." "It seems that all the talk of reconciliation have not seeped into the same group that led the pogrom," the resident continued. "I hope that the police will treat the matter seriously this time and will not wait until an additional catastrophe occurs." In the Christian neighborhood, villagers emphasized Sunday evening that a large number of villagers do not feel they can count on police and are taking up arms themselves. Police sources said they are aware of the villagers lack of faith, and warned that criminal agents may try to take advantage of the tension in order to sell weapons to the villagers. The sources said Sunday evening that the police is taking the threats very seriously, and emphasized that police forces remain in the Christian neighborhood of Maghar in order to prevent acts of violence against the community. To Go To Top

NOT TO WORRY: We Have the High Priest Cult of Human Sacrifice Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, February 27, 2005.

Israel's Prime Minister Ariel (Arik) Sharon has a sufficient number of Jews to sacrifice to his ego. The moment I head of the atrocity in Tel Aviv, I wrote the anticipated speech from Sharon, Abbas and Bush. Each would babble something about: "The Peace must go on - even when there was none." We used to hear this often from Rabin and Peres was always quick to say that the "Piss Process must go on." The Media has a lot invested as the cheering squad for a process that is not happening. I would forecast that many Jews are yet to die at the hand of a non-existent Peace Process. Clearly, Sharon is no less corrupt than Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen), the new President of the Palestinian Authority in setting in motion an "Intifada 3" while telling its future victims "not to worry", we have everything under control. The other day one of Sharon's team of liars was holding forth at an interview, bragging about how quiet it was on Israel's Northern Front where former PM Ehud Barak ran from the Lebanese Security Border, like a rat in the night. That vacuum is now filled with 12,000 to 15,000 missiles, tended by Hezb'Allah under Syrian and Iranian influence. Many of those warheads are known to Israeli Intelligence as being loaded with deadly chemicals. In his interview, Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had ignored the number of mortars, rocket-propelled grenades, roadside bombs, sniper killing that have been used successfully against Israeli troops but Olmert claimed "All was quiet on the Northern Front." When really pressed with the facts, Olmert walked out. Olmert's purpose was to create the impression that the Gaza withdrawal will result in similar 'quiet'. Well, maybe. Lebanon is a good example. Gaza, like Lebanon, is already loaded with weapons. When Sharon leaves the Gaza vacuum, it too will have its 10,000 missiles or more pointed at Israel. Add to that Russia's plan to sell heavy weapons and light armor to the Arab Muslim Palestinians. Sharon's team of liars believe the Israeli people to be exceptionally stupid and believe anything told to them. Moreover, they are counting on the Jewish tendency to quickly forget Terrorist atrocities, like the one that just killed four young people, wounding more than 50 - one woman is fighting for her life. The club named "The Stage" featured karioke and sing-a-long. It had four guards, one of whom stopped the killer from getting inside where he would have killed many more. My friend, Oded Orbach had to fly to Israel last night because his niece, Yael Orbach was killed as she was handing out wedding invitations to her friends at The Stage nightclub. Is there anyone in Israel who does not have a friend, relative or loved one who was killed by a Terrorist? Throughout the phony calm since Sharm el-Sheikh, between 50 and 60 threatened bombings were constants on their screens. Although the military had drastically cut down on its counter-terror operations and precautions to give the new Palestinian leader Abu Mazen a chance to rein in Palestinian Terror, still ticking bombs from all the various Palestinian Terrorist organizations were being caught almost daily in Judea and Samaria. None of this was reported by the Leftist Hebrew Press but, then the world Media including CNN and FOX News didn't think it was worth publishing This killer wasn't alone. He was just the first that got through the Israeli security net after many of his fellow killers had tried and failed. He was handed his bomb belt by a confederate Terrorist who lives inside Israel. In Jerusalem there were three separate alerts in the past two weeks for suicide bombers on their way from Judea and Samaria to strikes in the Capital. All were captured with their bomb belts. Now Tel Aviv and central Israel are now also on elevated Terror alerts for the coming days. The Sharon government will face grave charges that will be heard in its regular session, Sunday February 27. But, Sharon and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz were too preoccupied with political maneuvers over the coming retreats from the Gaza/Gush Katif and North Samaria. They fired or silenced their most effective apolitical critics of the "Disengagement Plan" and prematurely lowered Israel's counter-terror guard; Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya'alon, Shin Beit Director Avi Dichter and Military Intelligence Chief Brigadier Aharon Ze'evi are all on their way out. But, Sharon's office has been clear that Abbas will be given more freedom before any drastic military action and the giving away to the Palestinian Arab Muslims will continue. (1) According to DEBKAfile, Abu Mazen and his lieutenant Mohammed Dahlan have secretly applied to more than 20 world governments with urgent requests for large quantities of heavy weapons. The Sharon government hasn't bothered to monitor these dangers. It includes all types of armored personnel carriers with fixed mortars, jeeps fitted with 107 mm recoilless guns, telescopic rifles, pistols, ammunition, communications and engineering gear, helmets and medical equipment. Shopping for heavy weapons is in total contravention of every international accord the Palestinians, including Abu Mazen in person, have ever signed with Israel and every pledge Abbas has made to President Bush. In 2001, the Israeli Air Force and Naval Commandos intercepted the Karine-A with 50 tons of heavy weapons from Iran bound for the Palestinian Authority. The Russian Foreign Minister frankly admitted February 15, to supplying the Palestinians with "military machines" and said Moscow was considering sending them APCs since the Palestinian Authority proved itself in control of security. In Gaza, Mussa Arafat would have the use of mobile artillery to blitz Israeli towns and villages. The first to pay the ultimate price were the victims of Arab Muslim Terror in Tel Aviv Friday night.(1) Jews are supposed to forget so Sharon can go on with his scurrilous plans. This is bunch who surely deserve a Nuremberg trial, with the same probability of sentencing. Sacrificing Jews to a theory, as was done with the Oslo Accords under Rabin and Peres was only their first major betrayal but, not the last. Now, "Disengagement" is being foisted on hard-working innocent Jewish farmers and their families who must accept being evicted, uprooted - having 30 years of their work wiped out by a theory that "Disengagement" will bring Peace. How foolish! Anyone who has studied history of the Arab Muslims will know that they will never stop accepting the Jews' sacrifices of their own people. Never forgive or forget this cult of the Political High Priests still in the business of sacrificing people to the pagan gods they follow. Some may recall HaShem's instructions to the Hebrew tribes, namely to eliminate those who practiced human sacrifice to their pagan gods. It was considered an abomination before G-d and man. They were supposed to kill ALL the Amaleketes but they never did. This is just a preliminary slaughter leading up to the main event. Be assured there will be plenty of dancing in the towns and camps of the Palestinians and Arab nations. The bait-and-switch groups of Hamas and Islamic Jihad have denied a role in the slaughter while others, wearing another hat, blew up the young people with bombs loaded with nails. He killed a bride giving her friends wedding invitations. Her groom-to-be is in moderate condition. We don't know yet who lost legs, arms, eyes - cut by the nails and shrapnel loaded in the 60 pound of explosives the bomber had on his belt. All of them had a life, a story, to live and love, bear children and watch them grow. Why does normal life have to be bought with the sacrifices of other lives? Abu Mazen can say: "It wasn't me or mine." Nevertheless, the wood is being gathered to light and dance around. The big event will be Sharon's grand ceremony as he sends in troops and thugs to attack the settlers, the Jewish men, women and children, put them on trucks and ship them off to "temporary? tent camps?" There will follow a wild swirling ceremony, where Sharon and his collaborators will join with Abu Mazen and his men, as they dance around whatever pagan god each believes in. I wonder if Condi will join the high priest cult in the ceremonies? ### 1. "Terrorists Shatter Phony Calm in Tel Aviv, Shop for Heavy Weapons" DEBKAfile Feb. 26, 2005 2. "Terrorists Kill Four in Tel Aviv Bomb Blast" ARUTZ 7 Feb. 27, 2005 An Islamic Jihad suicide bomber Friday night killed three men and a woman and wounded more than 50 others at a Tel Aviv nightclub near the beach. The four who were killed were to be buried in their hometowns today. They are: * Yitzchak Buzaglo, 40, from Moshav Mishmar HaYarden, whose wife Linda was hospitalized in serious condition; they have a 9-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter. * Aryeh Nagar, 37, of Kfar Saba; never married, he is survived by his parents and five siblings. * Ronen Reuvenov, 30, of Tel Aviv; and * Yael Auerbach, 28 from Rehovot, who was to have been married in two weeks; her fiancé is hospitalized in moderate condition. The attack occurred when a suicide terrorist blew himself up at the entrance to the Stage Club on the Tel Aviv boardwalk. The terrorist was killed in the blast, and police are searching for a second man seen with him before the attack. The Palestinian Authority (PA) blamed the attack on Hezb?Allah terrorists allied with Iran, but Israeli security sources said the terrorists came from an Islamic Jihad gang backed by Syrian terrorists. Islamic Jihad, in fact, claimed responsibility, airing a video tape prepared before the attack and boasting that it was trying to derail the PA. Three of the wounded were initially listed in serious condition. Of the more than 50 people who were wounded, 29 are still hospitalized in four Tel Aviv hospitals - Sheba, Ichilov, Wolfson and Beilinson - including one in very critical condition and one in serious condition. Most of the victims belonged to an Israeli army reserve unit that was planning to celebrate the birthday of one of its officers at the nightclub. "It was a surprise party for our sergeant-major," said Eitan Hait, one if the reservists. "We were all standing outside laughing and smiling when suddenly I felt darkness sweep over me." Many unit members described themselves as a close "family" that would often get together socially. They were to have received wedding invitations to Ophir and Yael's wedding on Friday night. "We're a small and very 'together' unit," later said Yaron Greivsky, whose 30th birthday was the reason for the surprise gathering. "We're the kind who smile when we're called up for reserve service. All of us have been in dangerous places, we've been in Lebanon, Gaza, Hevron, all over. No one was ever hurt. And then a terrorist comes to the middle of Tel Aviv, where it's supposed to be the safest, and destroys everything." The murderer was a 21-year-old terrorist from an area near Tul Karem, about five miles east of Tel Aviv. Tul Karem was slated to be one of the first cities whose security responsibility was to be handed over to the PA in the coming days. In reaction to the suicide bombing, Israel announced last night, among other things, that it was freezing the plan. Some analysts said that this was largely an announcement to calm the Israeli public, as the plan was mired in any event. 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). To Go To Top

OUTRAGE! Posted by Barry Shaw, February 27, 2005.

To: helen.boaden@thebbc.co.uk Cc: michael.grade@thebbc.co.uk To Whom it May Concern, (if it concerns anyone at the BBC!) People in Israel were shocked by the sudden terrorist outrage that hit Tel Aviv last Friday. This horror was compounded by your coverage, under the heading 'A family in mourning' of the parents of the homicide bomber !!! How brutally insensitive! And what an insult to the real terror victims! Your action is identical to that taken by CNN who, following a similar deadly bombing attack in Petach Tikva, interviewed and aired the parents of the bomber, despite having also interviewed the young woman who had lost her baby and her mother in the attack. The protests that erupted jammed ther switchboard of CNN and crashed their computer system. It also brought their chairman, Eason Jordan, running to Israel with an apology, as protests in Israel threatened to remove CNN from our TV screens. There is now a growing campaign to have the BBC removed from our network channels following a long history of blatant anti-Israel reporting, journalism, and programs - and not only on your news programs. I know we have the support of an Israeli Government that has been forced to take steps against the BBC in the recent past. Barry Shaw is Founder & Chairman, Netanya Terror Victims Fund, Netanya, Israel. Contact him at netre@matav.net.il or at his daytime phone: 050.350.6101 (Israel) To Go To Top

MISSING THE FOREST FOR THE TREES Posted by Marcel Cousineau, February 27, 2005.

If P.M. Sharon were to dissappear tomorrow, the Quartet Master would find another turncoat Jew to replace him and New World Order (NWO) groupie Peres. And the process spoken of in Psalm 83 1-5 would continue. It is the globalist cabal which pull the strings in Israel. The point you miss is that Israel must stop seeking acceptance and P.R. points from this NWO group headed by President Bush. All attempts to play by their rules has led Israel closer to destruction. You must read Psalm 83 1-5 and see that this is more than just a Israel-Palestinian peace plan. Verse 1 is our answer to this Global Cabal against Israel. Have you forgotten that every Israeli P.M. since Yitzak Shamir has bowed the knee to their Master in Washington. Rabin,Barak,Peres,Netanyahu always went along with the suicidal U.S. policy for Israel and knew who their Master was and knew not to say 'no'. Sharon talks tough today, but he has always been easily de-balled by a phone call. I leave you ONE guess as to where the phone call always comes from. The fact that the best and brightest Zionists IGNORE the true danger of U.S. policy towards Israel reveals the dark haze that blinds them. Your failure to address this serious problem (The BUSH ROAD MAP to a Palestinian State) does not bode well for Israel's immediate future. You fail to see that P.M. Sharon is just following the orders of his Puppet Master,you miss the forrest for the tree and Sharon is just one small tree! Marcel Cousineau can be reached at up2zionsg8@yahoo.com To Go To Top

CROSS OVER Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, February 27, 2005.

Officers and soldiers who believe in a democratic nation as it once was, should consider crossing over. By that I mean resigning their positions and crossing over to physically join the pioneering Settlers if by doing nothing more than to stand with them on the road. The Settlers represent the deepest core values of what is called: Zionism, namely, to return to the Land; make it fruitful and raise children who respect their parents, teachers and even the government when it deserves respect. Regrettably, the soldiers who have died for the Land have been dismissed as unimportant by the present Government as men who have sacrificed their lives for no good reason. The highest ranking officers, with the foot soldiers have come to recognize that Sharon's idea of "Disengagement" is nothing more than another version of the failed Oslo Accords which also were the ideas of Rabin, Peres and Beilin. Now Sharon has ignored whatever degree of Peace was already bought and paid for through the many dead who sacrificed themselves for whatever protection they could give the Israeli people and their families. Sharon has been advised by his highest Military leaders in Israel's Army that he is making a vital, existential mistake in opening the City Gates to an implacable Muslim enemy whose religious mandate is to remove Israel from the face of this Planet. Sharon has had similar advice by the Director of Shabak, the Intelligence Service to cease the "Disengagement". Follow on Intelligence speaks of a growing number of Terrorist attacks between now and the effort to force Israel out of Gaza and the blooming Gush Katif. Intelligence indicates that the attacks will ramp up during the evacuation to demonstrate that the Israeli retreat is being conducted under fire. This will couple with the knowledge that former PM Ehud Barak and Israeli forces were driven out of Lebanon under fire by Hezb'Allah Terrorist attacks. When Barak's midnight desertion under fire out of the Lebanese security zone became known to Arafat's Terrorists, they knew that Israel's politicians didn't have the staying power. Now Sharon will further cement that perception as he, the "great" warrior can be made to similarly run - as did Barak. For Israel's Armed Forces, they know that Sharon's retreat will heat up the entire border so that all the areas of Israel will come under increased fire so that the next Jewish leader will easily give up Judea, Samaria, the Jordan Valley, the Golan Heights and that part of Jerusalem that Jordan occupied for 19 years between 1948 and 1967. The Arab Muslim Palestinian Terrorists supported by Syria and Iran will know for an absolute certainty that Jews, Jewish soldiers, Jewish politicians can be made to run under fire. The simple fact is that Sharon and his collaborators must be run out of office and, if possible, charged with treason against the Jewish State. However, in the interim, the Israeli Army should be encouraged to cross over to protect the Jews of Gaza/Gush Katif because that must hold firm in order to keep the rest of the Jewish State in strength and faith. Soldiers! Police! Resign your posts and be reinstated as heroes of the Jewish nation under a new Government. The officers and men of Israel's Army must be reminded that one day in the future, they will have to stand before a Court of Comrades long dead and to explain why they abandoned the Jews of Israel and merely obeyed orders they knew to be dangerously wrong. Cross Over and stand with both the pioneering settlers and many of your comrades-in-arms who already refuse to drag Jews out of their homes! 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). To Go To Top

HAMAS DEMANDS ISRAEL RELEASE ALL ARAB PRISONERS AND TERRORISTS Posted by Mordechai Ben-Menachem, February 27, 2005.

Thousand of Hamas terrorist supporters took to the streets Friday to demand that Israel release all Arab prisoners and terrorists, or face reprisals - including kidnapping of IDF soldiers. Israel freed 500 prisoners last week, and has agreed to release another 400. Senior Gaza Hamas leader Fathi Hamar said on Friday, following Moslem prayers, that his forces are "ready at any time to kidnap soldiers" until Israel releases all jailed terrorists. Hamar reiterated that the planned withdrawal from Gaza and northern Samaria proves that Israel meets Arab demands only under threats. He said terrorists have proved their success in kidnapping, and cited the abduction and subsequent murder of soldier Nachshon Wachsman 10 years ago. Another Hamas leader, Hassan Yousef, said he doubted that an upcoming meeting of leaders of Arab terror groups in Syria would lead to a formal truce. The leaders of all eight Damascus-based groups, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, will meet with Palestinian Authority and Egyptian officials in early March. Following the Friday night attack in Tel Aviv, Israel has announced that it would not permit the Islamic Jihad representative from Judea/Samaria to attend. Syria-based Hamas leader Khaled Meshal said that a truce is not possible unless Israel accepts Palestinian demands, including allowing three million Arabs in Lebanon, Jordan and other countries to live in Israel. Mordechai Ben-Menachem is at Ben-Gurion University. He can be reached by email at quality@computer.org To Go To Top

THE APT AND ULTIMATE MOCKERY Posted by Women in Green, February 27, 2005.

This article was written by Eugene Narrett, Ph.D. The Jerusalem Post refused to publish it AS AN AD unless certain unspecified phrases were changed. We could not agree to this censorship, since we did not write this article. Thus this article AS AN AD, which follows below, was never published by the Post. A "Galut state" is a Jewish state that scorns its birthright. Since mid-June 1967, the guns of the miracle war hadn't even fallen silent, successive governments and nearly all the media and 'judges' of Israel have played the part of Esau, spurning their birthright, the complete Land of Israel. No wonder these same ruling cadres and their descendants are now openly allied with Edom and Ishmael in utterly betraying their fellow Jews and reversing the miraculous redemption the L-rd prepared for the Children of Israel. They are a generation of perverts, an obtuse and ass-backwards generation as Moshe foretold, and they are bringing hell upon the people and Land of Israel, against a nation gathered partly back together and dwelling, many of them, "in unwalled villages." It is very difficult to single out the worst group of betrayers of the world's most essential and saving promise, but the "United Torah Judaism" [sic] has done its worst to earn mention. "United"? "Torah"? "Judaism"?!?! To ally themselves, for $60 million with the destroyer and betrayers of their brethren, and to facilitate dragging them from their homes, synagogues, and dragging their dead from the consecrated earth, these degenerates have earned eternal wrath and an eminent place and the large room of shame of 20th century Jewish betrayers of the complete Land of Israel. They're 'kissing cousins' with all the Bolsheviks, socialists, anti-Jews, Jew-murderers (e.g. at the Altalena, the Saison" etc.) and all the other spurners of the birthright and vilifiers of those who sought to clasp it dear, as our father Jacob did. This party is helping to disunite the Jewish people in the most heinous way and under the worst circumstances, to sever them from their G-d-promised home and duties on the land and following the Torah of Peres, Sharon, the UN, the EU, State Department and Saudis leading to the murder of more Jews as inevitably happens when the birthright is despised. This is the ultimate anti-Judaism. So the entire party's name is a lie; their behavior relative to their Jewish brethren is a lie; they are political sluts of the most shameless kind since they come cloaked with excuses purporting to be Torah. They have allied themselves to the covenant of lies and death, even as this covenant is in the process of sweeping the land and scourging it, and the people who have not embraced it fully and wholeheartedly. "For this, the Land will mourn." But just as the savages are preparing to drag Jews from their home, adding a piquant postscript to the work of the Ukrainians, Nazis, et al, may it be that "may My dead come to life, may My corpses arise, awake and sing from the dust" in glory and victory. Victory, for which, as Purim, Hanukkah, Moshe, Joshua and David taught us, there is no substitute and without which there is no peace. 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 To Go To Top

ELI MOZES: "I WAS CHOSEN" Posted by TheRaphi, February 27, 2005.

This was written by Rachel Saperstein, who is Rachel Saperstein is a teacher at the N'vei Dekalim ulpana and a spokeswoman for the Katif Regional Council. Eli is under house arrest. Dear, sweet Eli. It is Friday morning and we are sitting in his garden. He just celebrated his son's bar mitzvah and his twin daughters are to celebrate their third birthday. Eli will not be allowed to attend the party in their kindergarten. Eli Mozes gave me his boyish grin, but the pain in his eyes and the new creases in his forehead told me that he was in pain. His hearty "Shalom HaMorah" - "Hello teacher" - is his standard greeting when he sees me. I was his English teacher at the Community Center's course for adults. Eli is under house arrest. Dear, sweet Eli. It is Friday morning and we are sitting in his garden. He just celebrated his son's bar mitzvah and his twin daughters are to celebrate their third birthday. Eli will not be allowed to attend the party in their kindergarten. Eli Mozes told me his story. "I'm a security guard in N'vei Dekalim. Palestinian policemen were being brought to the industrial area to share patrols with our army. Our people were enraged that our security would be placed in the hands of the Palestinian Authority. Residents went out to the gate to protest. "The police were waiting for us. I carried my rifle as I always do. I had volunteered to go to make sure there would be no friction. A policeman asked me for my rifle. I gave it to him and explained what my job is in the yishuv [community]. I was told to report to police headquarters. "There, I was told that I was under arrest for disturbing the peace and carrying a weapon. I was whisked off to jail in Be'er Sheva. Suddenly, I was turned into a felon. My feet were shackled and I was thrown into a cell with drug dealers and wife beaters. No, HaMorah, I wasn't afraid. "Strangely, I knew that I was chosen to accept this mission. That I was the shaliach tzibur, the representative of the people, to be jailed for being at the right place at the right time for the right cause. I was chosen to be put in jail for protecting my fellow Jews. The police treated me as a felon, the felons treated me as a hero when they heard that I was a political prisoner. They shared their food parcels and tea with me. "Brought shackled into court, I was offered a deal - to be placed under house arrest until my trial. My lawyer took the deal." Eli Mozes is permitted to be at his job at the Katifari, the Gush Katif zoo, where he cares for the animals. There, he had befriended co-worker Tiferet Trattner, z.l. Eli and his wife Pazit had adopted Tifferet and she had become a member of his family. When Tifferet was killed in a mortar attack, the Mozes family mourned her. Eli spoke about her to the media because so few knew her. Eli also takes young people who are emotionally or psychologically troubled to a horse farm. He teaches them to ride and care for the horses, aiding in their recovery. "I'm hyperactive," says Eli. "That's why you'll see me working in neighbors' gardens, caring for my trophy-winning show dog and delivering the Makor Rishon newspaper every Friday morning. I'm also a member of the first response team in times of attack on the community. "I help people," he smiles. The people of Gush Katif were very troubled to hear that Eli Mozes was arrested as a common criminal by the "get tough" police. Today, the police are beating any person who shows up at protest demonstrations against government policy. Eli Mozes is being used as an example of this new police action in Gush Katif. The message is clear: 'If we can jail Eli Mozes, we can easily jail you. Beware! Do not show any resistance. We are stronger than you!' As we spoke in the garden, neighbors passed by. Some brought Shabbat flowers and cakes. Others blew their car horns and waved. A police car drove by to see if Eli was still penned in. Eli wished them a Shabbat Shalom. Eli is not allowed to go to synagogue, so on Shabbat the Torah scroll is brought to Eli's home for a minyan. Last Shabbat, the sexton reminded the worshippers in our synagogue and the many guests from Psagot and Bat Yam to visit Eli to show their support. They were also asked to visit the jail and courthouse in Be'er Sheba on Sunday. Seven yeshiva students had been imprisoned for the previous week because they dared to stop Arab cars on the Tantcher Road. They had protested the day after the mortar and rocket 'blitz' on N'vei Dekalim. They were beaten and jailed. TheRaphi (http://www.theraphi.com/index.html) is a pro-Israel and pro-Zionist site; it provides news articles and essays. To Go To Top

SHARON'S UNILATERAL CEASEFIRE Posted by Steven Plaut, February 28, 2005.

Middle East ceasefires are always unilateral ceasefires, whereby the Jews stop shooting back. They usually morph into one of those "controlled carnage" agreements that Israeli politicians so love, whereby the Arabs continue to murder Jews but as long as the rate of murder is "reasonable", the Jews do not retaliate. Such deals operated in Lebanon and with the PLO. And now Sharon's ceasefire has been revealed to be just another in this series, as the massacre Friday night outside a Tel Aviv nightclub showed. The one-sided violence is no surprise. And it is being accompanied by all the same nonsense Oslo pollyanna. The leftist newspapers in Israel are sighing in ecstasy about how Abu Shlimazen's new government is now going to crack down on the terror. Danny Rubinstein, Haaretz's commentator on Palestinian affairs, the leftist who always seems to be convinced that all Palestinians think exactly what he is thinking this week, a guy who is acknowledged as an expert on Palestinians by himself, insists the Palestinian "street" is horrified by the atrocity in Tel Aviv Friday night. It is Oslo deja vu all over again, and we are only missing Shimon Peres telling us about how the threat of infiltration of cable TV into Israel is much worse than the threat of infiltration of terrorists. But one question is nagging at everyone's mind. What was the role of the International Solidarity Movement, the pro-terror group of Mall Marxists and Designer-Jeans Anarchists, in Friday night's attack? Why would anyone think the ISM is involved? Because it already was involved in the last identical bombing of a Tel Aviv nightclub, where the bombers used the identical M.O. as this week's atrocity. The International Solidarity Movement openly endorses Palestinian terror and candidly declares its belief that Israel and its people should be annihilated. It's martyr and Mother Teresa is Rachel Corrie, a young American girl who died while trying to prevent an Israeli bulldozer from destroying a tunnel in which explosives used to murder Jewish civilians were being smuggled. ISM members who come to Israel have been arrested for vandalizing and destroying Israeli security fences and equipment. On March 27, 2003, fugitive Islamic Jihad terrorist Shadi Sukiya was arrested in a house in Jenin rented by the ISM. In the most serious incident, on April 30, 2003, two British Muslims tried to blow themselves up at a popular Tel Aviv nightspot, Mike's Place; one of them succeeded, killing three and wounding 50. At least one of the terrorists had spent the weeks before the attack living with the ISM in Gaza. They entered Israel in the first place by pretending to be part of an entourage of "peace protesters" and fact seekers. So we have ample reason to suspect that the same ISM accomplices of terror could be again involved. Were they? Inquiring minds want to know! 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. To Go To Top

ANOTHER SUICIDE/HOMICIDE BOMBING...NOW THERE'S A SHOCK! Posted by Gerald A. Honigman, February 27, 2005.

Another Arab bought his ticket to paradise and his seventy-two awaiting virgins by murdering and maiming young Jews last night. No surprise here, despite the so-called cease fire agreed to by the "moderate" Abbas. He ran for office, after all, literally being carried on the shoulders of such folks, promised them protection from Israel, and wants to incorporate their fellow butchers of innocents into his own military to do so. Abbas also pledged to continue to work towards Israel's destruction, but by other "more acceptable" means. Blown up buses and nightclubs--like the recent one in Tel Aviv--bring bad press and negatively impact on the unilateral pressure being brought to bear on Israel to make yet more concessions to an enemy which promises not peace, but only more demands for more unilateral concessions from Jews in return. And they openly call any negotiations with Jews a Trojan Horse. "Condemnations" from Condy or Dubya don't change these realities. Israel better wise up... and fast. Despite the probable shameful threats from abroad. Abbas refuses to do what really needs to be done with disembowelers of Jews--and demands that Jews also do nothing to stop them from murdering their kids. What other nation or people would be asked to put up with this manure? Where is the outrage here? (Not that I really expect any from most of the rest of the world.) The more Israel concedes, the more it's bloodied. We've been down this path before, and Oslo was its name. There must be no Oslo II. Israel must say no--and mean it-- to even its "friends" on such matters. And it must not play the game by rules that Arabs set for it. Abbas has the manpower and the military to act. If he refuses to do so, then neither he nor his colleagues deserve the state they are demanding...the Arabs' state #22, and second -- not first -- to be created within the original April 25, 1920 borders of the Palestinian Mandate. Jordan (then Transjordan) emerged on the lion's share (some 80%) as a gift from Colonial Secretary Churchill in 1922. And if they get that undeserved state anyway (thirty million stateless Kurds still don't have one) and the murder continues, then Israel must declare full scale war on that state and do unto it what America did unto the Taliban which supported the murder of America's own innocents. B-1s, B-52s, daisy cutter and bunker buster bombs, cruise missiles, and such were America's weapons of choice...not merely targeted attacks by helicopters. It's important at this time, however, to step back a bit and look at this issue in its broader perspective, so let's give it a go... While the past year brought other issues back to the front burner which also demanded immediate attention (the future of the Gaza Strip and the rest of the disputed territories as just a few examples), it's worth rethinking another all-too-real fact of life that has driven events over recent past years, especially since the onset of the era of the so-called Oslo "peace, " and is still very much with us. I'm speaking, of course, about the Arab suicide/homicide bomber, a subject tragically thrown back into our faces in Tel Aviv last night. We have indeed heard much about suicide/homicide bombers in the Middle East. And when Israel pursues the deliberate murderers of its innocents, this then becomes the next excuse for Arabs to kill more innocents. Of course, the way many--if not most--Arabs see all of this, there are really no Israeli "innocents." They're all simply Jews who have stolen "purely Arab" land. That's the way it's taught in their textbooks, preached in their mosques, and inbred elsewhere as well. After the September 11, 2001 tragedy, when nineteen Arabs (mostly Saudis) hijacked civilian aircraft and flew them as guided missiles into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing some three thousand Americans and others as well, the situation has become even more of a concern. Officials believe that it's just a matter of time before the United States, itself, once again becomes victimized this way. The Arab suicide / homicide bomber has also since made his (or her) debut in other places as well--notably in the fight for the future of Iraq. Young children have also been utilized as living bombs. There is no doubt that this is a horrendous human tragedy. But while Arabs and their supporters place the blame for this on Israel, the truth is actually far more depressing. Like in many other places, there are conflicting historical and political claims over the land contested between Arabs and Jews. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of scholarly books written about the connection of the Jews to the land of Israel. The very name Jew, itself, comes from the later name of the land, Judaea, which in turn was named for the Hebrew tribe of Judah--one of Jacob's sons. Judaean equals Jew. Early Muslim Arab historians recorded this in their works, as does the Qur'an itself, the Holy Book of Islam. Similarly, there are many books which deal with the imperial Arab conquest, settlement, and incorporation of the land of Israel / Judaea / Palestine--and much of the rest of entire region as well--into the two earlier Arab Caliphates based in Damascus and Baghdad. Imperialism is evidently only a nasty word when non-Arabs so indulge in it. Suffice it to state, therefore, that a quest for relative justice demanded some sort of compromise over the land in question. Unfortunately, that was too much to ask... Arabs saw themselves as the only legitimate heirs to a defeated Ottoman Turkish Empire which had replaced the Arabs (and others) as imperial rulers and had ruled most of the region for some four centuries prior to the end of World War I. After the Allied defeat of the Turks, Arabs subsequently treated the region as "purely Arab patrimony" and acted accordingly. Despite the presence of scores of millions of non-Arab Berbers, Kurds, Jews, Black Africans, Copts, Semitic but non-Arab Lebanese, and others as well, Arabs saw these as purely Arab lands. As just a few of many other examples of what next transpired, both Berber and Kurdish languages and cultures were periodically "outlawed," churches of the Copts were burned down, Black Africans in the Sudan and Kurds in Syria and Iraq were massacred, and more Jews fled "Arab" lands than Arabs who fled Israel...the other side of that famous refugee problem that few folks ever talk about. Those who resisted this forced Arabization process were simply killed, turned into refugees, and the like...millions over the decades, and continuing to this very day. Returning to our main topic, the Arab rejectionist response to the question of a compromise with the Jews over the question of Israel / Palestine falls into this same pattern. Arabs rejected any solution which would grant Jews any rights at all. They attacked a miniscule, reborn Israel in 1948...and thus the continuing problem regarding Arab refugees. But it didn't have to be this way... Hundreds of millions of people became refugees in the course of the last violent century (not to mention the millions before then). Many were displaced between the two world wars. Scores of millions were uprooted in the 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan. Many more examples exist, like that involving Turks and Greeks; but, as is already hinted to above, one truly stands out in light of the current turmoil in the Middle East: The one half of Israel's five million Jews whose families fled Arab/Muslim lands around the same time Arabs fled in the opposite direction because of the invasion of Israel by five Arab states upon its rebirth in 1948. This does not include another million of these Sephardim who fled to other lands in the Diaspora, notably France and the Americas. Greater New York City alone now has tens of thousands of Syrian Jews. They were known as kilab yahud -- "Jew Dogs" -- in those "Arab" lands... So much for what Arabs like to claim was their alleged tolerance of "their Jews" before the rise of modern political Zionism. Again, how dare anyone else but Arabs demand a sliver of national dignity in the region! At virtually the same time that the partition of the Indian subcontinent was taking place, the Arabs rejected a similar plan that would have created a second state for themselves in historic Palestine. Jordan had already emerged on some 80% of the original territory of the Mandate issued to Great Britain in the wake of the Paris Peace Conference on April 25, 1920. Colonial Secretary Churchill had separated all of Palestine east of the Jordan River and handed it over to Britain's Hashemite Arab allies in the creation of Transjordan in 1922. Listen to what Sabri Jiryis, a prominent Palestinian Arab researcher at the Institute for Palestinian Studies in Beirut, had to say about all of this in the Lebanese newspaper, Al-Nahar, on May 15, 1975: "While it is estimated that 700,000 Arabs fled the 1948 war...against this...Arabs caused the expulsion of just as many Jews from Arab states...whose properties were taken over...a population and property exchange occurred and each side must bear the consequences." Much more evidence for this exists in books written by Arab kings, officials, and others as well. So, why is it that over a half century later, Arabs-- who have received billions of dollars in aid from the United Nations, the European Union, America, oil revenues, other international funds, and elsewhere as well--still have not relieved the plight of their own refugees...a problem which, by their own rejectionist attitudes, they largely created themselves? They have, after all, almost two dozen states on some six million square miles of territory--lands that belonged mostly, as we have already discussed, to other non-Arab peoples before they were conquered in the name of the Arab nation. Jews absorbed their own refugees into a sole, tiny state roughly the size of New Jersey. The answer to the above question can perhaps best be illustrated by Arab actions. Some years back, with the status of the disputed territories Israel found itself in control of in the aftermath of the 1967 War still unresolved, Israel offered to knock down the dilapidated refugee camps and replace them with new housing and better living conditions. It's worth remembering that Egypt and Jordan occupied these territories from 1948 to 1967 and not only did nothing about this problem but never discussed the creation of that additional Palestinian Arab state here either. So, how did the Arabs respond to that Israeli offer? They demanded that Israel do nothing to remedy life in the camps. Again, why? It's really not hard to understand... Quite simply, and as it has been known for decades, Arabs have used their own refugees as pawns in their perpetual war to delegitimize Israel. For Arabs, there is no justice nor suffering besides their own. They don't want the refugee problem solved--not as long as it means that a viable Israel will still exist on the morrow. That's why they tacked on the "right of return" of millions of real or alleged Arab refugees to the so-called Saudi peace plan a few years back and Arafat walked away from an offer to get some 97% of the disputed territories, half of Jerusalem, and other major Israeli concessions as well at Camp David 2000 and Taba. Even the "moderate" Abbas has pledged to destroy Israel democratically by forcing it to accept millions of allegedly "returning" Arab refugees sworn to its destruction. The result of Arafat's, the "moderate" Saudis', and Abbas' so-called "peace plans" still envisions Israel's Jews being overwhelmed so that a second Arab state will replace Israel, not live side by side with it. This should come as no surprise since all Palestinian (and many other) Arab maps, school books, web sites, and the like still continue to omit Israel as well. This is also why talk about creating a "provisional Palestinian Arab State" under these circumstances is scary. Fellow sweet-talking Faisal al-Husseini, the late colleague of President Mahmoud Abbas and showcase moderate of the PLO, said that while he'd accept any land diplomacy would yield, a purely Arab Palestine from the River to the Sea was the real goal ... the same old "destruction of Israel in stages" strategy dominant since after the "one fell swoop" alternative collapsed in failure during the 1967 Six Day War. Thus, tragically, despite the renewed hopes, this conflict still really has no end in sight. Unless Arabs offer Israel a true peace, not a temporary hudna/ceasefire designed only to win them more time and concessions on the road to Israel's destruction, Israel will have no choice other than to treat its enemies in a manner in which America or any other country would have done many suicide bombings ago. As just one example, the Powell Doctrine (as in Colin) calls for massive retaliation against America's own enemies. Keep this in mind...And again, no pinpoint accuracy demanded of American bombers, missiles, and such either. Just ask the Iraqis and Afghanis. Furthermore, the horrendous human costs specifically associated with the suicide/homicide bombings--for both sides--have been created and sustained by the Arabs themselves. Reasonable compromises have been repeatedly offered--and rejected--to end the Arab-Israeli conflict...certainly more than anything Arabs have ever offered to the numerous native, non-Arab peoples they have conquered and forcibly Arabized in carving out most of the almost two dozen states they now call their own. Gerald A. Honigman, a Florida educator, has created and conducted counter-Arab propaganda programs for college youth, has lectured on numerous campuses and other platforms, and has publicly debated Arab spokesmen. His articles and op-eds have been published in both the print media and on websites. To Go To Top

ISRAEL'S LITERARY LEFTISTS Posted by Judy Lash Balint, February 27, 2005.

"They're very much like me ... we have so much in common, - gushed Israeli novelist, Dorit Rabanyan, to a rapt audience of international literati, book publishers and journalists about her encounters with Palestinians in New York. "The peace I make with one person encourages me that we can make peace between two peoples," she concluded to rapturous applause from the audience assembled last week at the Sheik Hussein Peace Bridge in northern Israel for a gathering billed as "Voices from Two Sides of the Bridge." No one got up to scream that we're not the same: Arab society where incitement and hatred reign is nothing like Israeli society where every popular song is a plea for peace. For me, Rabanyan's words triggered an acute case of déjà vu. I found myself transported back twenty-five years or so to the days of the evil Soviet empire, when the Cold War was in full force. The Soviets used cultural exchange to avert attention from their human rights abuses and soften their image abroad. Month after month, American cities would be deluged with delegations from the Bolshoi Ballet, the Moscow Circus or the Leningrad Symphony Orchestra. For those of us active in the Soviet Jewry movement to promote free emigration, the cultural visits provided an opportunity to try to publicize the plight of various individuals who had been arrested or harassed for courageous acts of dissent against the communist regime. Invariably, American leftists would decry our efforts to speak out about human rights abuses, warning that we were disturbing the atmosphere of friendship and exchange and disrupting the warming of personal relations between Russians and Americans. "The Russians are people just like us," the leftists would declaim. "They want peace too." Many of these well-meaning naïve Americans would head off for official visits to Soviet sister cities, where they'd meet with "counterparts" carefully vetted by the KGB, and come back to yell even louder against those who might mess up future exchanges by raising that pesky issue of Jewish emigration or freedom of religion. It took years until Americans involved in the citizen's exchange movement realized that they'd been had. They never got to meet real Russians who could freely speak their minds and engage in true dialogue. Their "friends" were KGB fronts who filled their heads with Soviet propaganda and sent them back into their communities to spread the word. There were no Russians who returned to Moscow, Leningrad or Vladivostok proclaiming their love for America - they would end up in jail if they did so. Back at the Bridge, it's discouraging to see a parallel of sorts percolating through Israeli intellectual elite circles. The goal of the "Voices" project was to bring together Palestinian, Jordanian, Turkish and Israeli writers for a literary exchange. In fact what occurred was a gathering of Israelis - Jews and Arabs - with only two of the invited Palestinians and none of the Jordanians showing up. Organizer Deborah Harris, Israel's premier literary agent, was furious. With curious journalists nosing around for a story, rumors swirled about the reasons for the no-shows. The Jordanian Writers Union had apparently nixed the travel plans of their fellow countrymen. Moderator Michael Naumann, former chief editor of Germany's leading newspaper Die Zeit, announced that the Palestinian writers had received threatening phone calls from the Palestine Liberation Organization warning writers not to take part. Swearing under her breath as she learned in the early morning that the writers she'd paid to appear had decided not to come, Harris valiantly juggled the panels to resemble some kind of interchange. But the uniformity of opinions made for an all too predictable event. Speaker after speaker trotted out the despicable moral equivalency diatribe. Rabinyan, for instance, spoke of the reason she fled Tel Aviv for New York in the horrible spring of 2002. She couldn't take, "the awful terrorism nor the IDF reaction to it..." she explained, as if the murder of civilians is equivalent to the strikes against the terrorist perpetrators. Sami Michael, the controversial Iraqi-born Israeli author decried the "corruptive occupation," but chose not to repeat the assertion he made in a recent magazine interview that he could understand the motivations of Hamas bombers who blew up "settlers". Michael did succeed in making the most stunning statement of the morning. In a vivid demonstration of how far out of line with reality are the perceptions of the far left, Michael told the attentive audience that included authors David Grossman and A.B. Yehoshua, that Israeli writers who are staunch peace supporters "are forced to stay silent." Surely Michael must know that the views of Amos Oz, Yehoshua, Grossman and many others less well known outside Israel are constantly quoted in the media. In fact, it's hard to think of living Israeli writers who hold anything but left-wing views - Aharon Appelfeld and Naomi Ragen are the only two names that come to mind. But when asked to expand on his comment, Michael replied that the other leftist authors are actually, "part of the establishment. The establishment needs the façade of progressive writers to put forward its point of view," he claimed. In the next breath, the 79 year old novelist tells me that when he put together a full page ad denouncing Israel's policy of targeted assassinations, Amos Oz made calls to other public figures to persuade them not to sign. It's a conspiracy theory worthy of the KGB. Judy Lash Balint is an award-winning Jerusalem-based writer and author of "Jerusalem Diaries: In Tense Times," (Gefen) www.jerusalemdiaries.com. It is available for purchase from www.israelbooks.com This article appeared on Front Page Magazine (www.frontpagemagazine.com) February 24, 2005. To Go To Top

WHAT WOULD DECENT, CIVILIZED HUMANS DO? Posted by Beth Goodtree, February 26, 2005.

Over the years, I have learned to judge people by their actions. And not just current behaviors, but past behaviors, especially if such past behaviors never change. I have often been accused of unfairly judging the majority of Muslims in a harsh light, in particular, the Arabs occupying Jewish Palestine. In truth, I do not judge them; I merely point out their unswerving behaviors regarding Jews, Christians and Israel. This latest genocide/homicide bombing in Tel Aviv is yet another example of the wholly self-occupied, self-centered behaviors of the Islamist world. For many years I awaited the Arab/Muslim world to condemn attacks on Jews as being reprehensible because it constituted murder as well as genocide. It meant the ripping apart of families and loved ones. It meant the ultimate evil of cutting short the lives of individuals and targeting an entire group of people for genocide. During those years I did not go after the Arab/Muslim world. Instead, I often wrote about atrocities committed upon Muslims. This is because I am a true liberal, unlike today's pseudo-liberals who pick and choose which victims to support, and which victims to further victimize by blaming them for their victimizations. I believe with all my soul that anyone who is singled out for murder, genocide, oppression or ethnic cleansing (even by their own governments) must be defended. And I distinguish between rightful defense to preserve life and the illegitimate reasons of territorial conquest for political and/or religious goals. While I waited, I wrote about or participated in actions designed to help the Muslims of the Balkans who were being ethnically cleansed, raped and murdered. I wrote about the plight of Muslim women living in Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban. I even did some volunteer work for these and other causes in defense of Muslims. And all the while I waited. I waited for the Arab/Muslim world to do something, anything, that would show they had a shred of humanity or decency regarding Jews in general and Israel in particular. But nothing was forthcoming. Even during the first year of the intifada I waited. But 9-11 was a watershed moment. After the first few weeks of condolences and offers of aid, the Arab/Muslim world began to vociferously blame the Jews, saying we were all warned beforehand and that the Israelis orchestrated the attacks. Well, no one called me to warn me away. I was supposed to be in the Twin Towers that fateful morning. I was supposed to be in the second tower hit, on one of the floors that was directly hit. It was sheer luck (although I certainly didn't think so at the time) that I had had a freak accident the night before that prevented me from being able to walk more than a few steps until I healed a bit. So I stayed home that day. But although I couldn't walk more than a few steps, I could drive. And I was living two towns away from Paterson, NJ, home to a large Palestinian contingent. I forget now how I found out, but I heard that the Palestinians of Paterson were dancing in the streets at the tragedy of 3000+ dead Americans. It was such an unthinkable thing that I couldn't believe it. So I drove over and witnessed this barbaric, nay, demonic celebration of murder reminiscent of frenzied pagan blood sacrifices. And I stopped waiting. So here we are today, on the verge of supposed peace, and nothing has changed. Unfortunately, our leaders choose to ignore clear signals, in the form of behaviors, which indicate not only that there will be no true peace, but that the Arab/Muslim side of the 'peace partnership' is nothing more than a thinly veiled deception for gullible Westerners. My criteria for this conclusion are based upon something very simple: "What would decent, civilized humans do?" A few examples of decent, civilized human reactions to tragedies were the Jewish and Christian outreach to the mostly Muslim victims of the recent tsunami. Another is Israel's offer of medical aid and search and rescue to its sworn enemy, Iran after a devastating earthquake. Another were the American Christian groups which helped the Muslim victims of Christians in the Balkans. Every time there is a human tragedy, and especially if such tragedy is a willful act done in the name of their own religions, Christians and Jews help the victims. They denounce the act as a crime against humanity and give overwhelming aid. And what does the Arab/Muslim world do? Here is what the Arab/Muslim world has had to say about the Tel Aviv bombing of the other day. Often, it is part of the Muslim deception of al-Takeyya (1.) not to lie outright, but to omit things. In this case, they are deceiving us into thinking they feel badly about this atrocity, but note what they do not say. I was not able to find a single quote offering condolences for the victims. Nor did I see any offers of aid or assistance for the victims or their families. Instead, all I saw was totally self-centered, self-involved concern about how the bombing would affect them. Not even a mention that such mass murder is wrong for the victims. Not a mention of victims, other than the potential Arab/Muslim victims of the consequences of this act: "We will not allow anyone to sabotage our national goals, aspirations and ambitions," Abbas said Saturday in the West Bank town of Ramallah.(2.) "If Hezbollah was behind this attack, I as a Palestinian tell them, 'Deal with your own problems and stay out of ours,'" said Akram Abu Sbaa, 38, of Jenin.(3.) "Another Jenin resident, Bashar Jalloudi, 40, said Hezbollah's alleged involvement in the Tel Aviv bombing would only hurt Palestinian interests at a time of relative calm."(4.) "We think that the Israeli defence minister?s comments show that he knows the identity of the real perpetrator and that he is to be found inside Israel," he said. "Israel is known around the world for sabotaging any peace process," the official added. (5.) I looked at the online English websites of The Kuwait Times, The Middle East Times, The Jordan Times, The Islamic Republic News Agency (Iran) and The Egyptian Gazette; not even a mention of the horrific murders in Tel Aviv. This is the Islamist Hadith-sanctioned al-Takeyya at its most insidious: omission of facts and critical information meant to skew an individual's view of reality. And certainly no condemnations of the murder of Jews because they are Jews living their normal lives in their rightful and legal homeland. Over the past few years, it has only been the rare Muslim who has condemned these bestial, demonic acts of serial mass murder in the name of Allah and 'Arab unity.' (6.) And the excuse is that people are afraid. This same excuse was used time and again at the Nuremberg trials and didn't wash. And quite frankly, if someone has true faith in Allah, they should certainly not be afraid to do and say what is the whole truth and what is right. So, are the newly-heralded Arabs who claim to want peace really decent, civilized human beings or selfish bi-pedal carbon-based creatures who have not one shred of sympathy, empathy, or humanity for any victims of atrocities committed by their own people? And can there ever be trust, let alone peace with them in their current state? You be the judge. End Notes (1.) "Islam in general, forbids lying. The Quran says, "Truly Allah guides not one who transgresses and lies." Surah 40:28. However, within Islam there are certain provisions under which lying is not simply tolerated, but actually encouraged. According to Muhammad, 'He is not a false person who (through lies) settles conciliation among people, supports good or says what is good.'" -- Abdullah Al Araby Here the author is only referring to lying for 'good' reasons. Therefore you must ask yourself "What is 'good' to these Islamists?" According to radical Islam, anything promotes the spreading of Islamic conquest is good. This also means that anything that weakens the non-Islamist is also good. Therefore, any lie, omission of fact or half-truth that fools the non-Islamist is 'good.' (2.) http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB8MQ7HO5E.html (3.) Ibid. (4.) Ibid. (5.) http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/ 0447EAD8-3744-44DB-86B2-9135A36AFF4A.htm (6.) ''The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality, today, there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians, and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak, today, about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism. (Amsterdam-based newspaper ''Dagblad de Verdieping Trouw,'' March 31, 1977.) Beth Goodtree is a writer specializing in political commentary, Islamism and the Middle East and also writes the occasional science and humor articles. She has a background in advertising and works as a consultant on Islamism and terrorism to a security firm. Her website address is http://hometown.aol.com/bgoodtree/ To Go To Top

DISENGAGEMENT'S TRACK RECORD IS EXAMINED Posted by Yoram Ettinger, February 26, 2005.

The late President Reagan stated that "History teaches that wars begin when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap." Reaganism and the proposed Disengagement Plan (cut & run from Palestinian terrorists in Gaza and northern Samaria, while uprooting Jews) constitute an oxymoron. Enclosed you'll find the 174th issue of Straight From The Jerusalem Cloakroom, which highlights the damage - caused by disengagement - to vital US interests. Hang Tough,   Yoram 1. Israel's 1993/6 disengagement from Gaza and 40% of Judea and Samaria established the pro-Saddam/Taliban PA, coinciding with the dramatic rise in anti-US Islamic terrorism, leading to the Twin Towers terrorism. Palestinian terrorists fought the US in Afghanistan and Iraq. Islamic terrorists compare Israel's disengagement to the US retreat from Beirut (1983) and Somali (1993). 2. IDF re-engagement with, and control of, Palestinian towns has sharply cut terrorism in 2004. Palestinian terrorism has targeted, mostly, Israel's pre-1967 area. IDF presence in/around Gaza protects, primarily, pre-1967 Israel. 3. In 1994 Israel disengaged from 85% of Gaza (and 100% of its population). By 1998 Israel disengaged from 40% of Judea & Samaria (and 95% of its population). It yielded unprecedented terrorism, facilitated anti-US and anti-Israel hate-education, smuggling and manufacturing of terror hardware, recruitment and training of terrorists. 4. 250 Israelis were murdered, by Palestinian terrorists, during 1988-1993. 1,700 Israelis have been murdered, by Palestinian terrorists, since the launching of the Oslo-driven disengagements (85,000 in US terms; 28 Twin Towers). 5. The 1994 disengagement created the largest terrorist base in the world, led/harbored by PLO graduates of terrorist camps in Yemen, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon and Tunisia. It is interpreted, by terrorists, as a retreat by the role-model of countering terrorism (Israel), and a reward to the role-model of terrorism (PLO/PA). It has inspired Islamic terrorism, which threatens pro-US Arab regimes (Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc.). 6. The 1995 disengagement from Bethlehem and Beit Jallah facilitated a takeover by Moslem terrorists, which has accelerated the flight of Christians. 7. The July 2000 disengagement from Southern Lebanon - following the loss of 21 soldiers in 17 months - propelled Hizballah to regional prominence (including in Iraq and Afghanistan), expanded Hizballah's role in Gaza and J&S, injured Israel's posture of deterrence and adrenalized Palestinian terrorism. 8. Egypt has inspired Palestinian hate-education and has encouraged the smuggling of terrorist hardware to Gaza. Its re-engagement with Gaza could unintentionally produce Israel-Egypt military confrontations (e.g. during hot pursuit of terrorists), dragging the US into unnecessary conflicts with both. 9. President Reagan: "History teaches that wars begin when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap." Reaganism and the proposed Disengagement Plan (cut & run from Palestinian terrorists in Gaza and northern Samaria, while uprooting Jews) constitute an oxymoron. Ambassador Yoram Ettinger is an editor and consultant who lives in Jerusalem. This essay is Straight From The Jerusalem Cloakroom #174. To Go To Top

TRICKY QUESTIONS Posted by Yashiko Sagamori, February 26, 2005.

----- Original Message ----- From: ira.gold@hotmail.com To: ysagamori@hotmail.com Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2005 6:48 AM Subject: Islam Blaming a whole faith-group for the actions of a small proportion, is incitement to pure and simple religious hatred. Isn't this the basis for Nazism? Ira (believing Jew)   Dear Ira (believing Jew): I keep a file named Tricky Questions where I store questions that are, for one reason or another, impossible to answer. I keep them arranged in the descending order by their trickiness. You may be interested to know that I have added your e-mail to my collection. It easily got ahead of #12 (How often should a decent person be faithful to his or her significant other?), but didn't quite make it to #11 (If you were a woman suffering from a mild case of penis envy, would you find your own penis enviable?). And you, probably, thought that you were asking me a fairly straightforward question. Or did you? Here is what caused my doubt. I don't have the murkiest idea what the basis for Nazism is. I could ask you for a definition, but I am ready to bet my life that you don't have a clue either. You were simply trying to call me a Nazi, which is kind of hard to do without looking silly, especially when you are incapable of either thinking outside politically-correct clichés or of standing up and giving it to me straight. Just look at your lame whole faith-group when we both know that you are specifically defending the Muslims rather than theorizing on followers of some abstract cannibalistic cult. Here's #92 from my collection: If saying what you believe is against your beliefs, then how can I believe what you are saying? Correct me if I am wrong, but I am reasonably sure that you consider Islam just another religion; Communism, just another political philosophy; and Nazism, just a label to affix to those who disagree with you on the first two points. Let me offer to you a multiple choice question. What would you call a system that: is based on absurd beliefs that couldn't withstand collision with commonly known facts; demands absolute, unreasoning faith from its followers; has created a powerful propaganda machine that promoted the most outrageous lies, brainwashed its followers to the point of total inability to critically regard reality, and attempted, often successfully, to create a benign image of itself among outsiders; has elevated xenophobia to the rank of national policy; has pronounced world domination its ultimate goal; has attempted to achieve that goal by military force, killing millions in the process and leaving the conquered people no choice but to accept the beliefs of the conquerors or die; has deprived its followers of the most basic human rights, consistently destroying even the faintest vestiges of democracy; produced an essentially feudal society, an ultimately totalitarian regime, where rampant corruption has become the very foundation of social life; has put forth mediocre leaders who rule uncontrolled and are worshiped religiously; has been guilty of mass murder on an unprecedented scale; sacrificed its own people - sometimes, millions of them on end - to the bloody struggle between various factions, violently rejecting out of hand the possibility of even the slightest, most loyal dissent; has taken itself so seriously that even the friendliest joke about the regime or its rulers is treated as high treason and punished accordingly - often, by death. Here's the list of answers: A. Nazism B. Communism C. Islam D. All of the above. If your answer is anything but D, then you are guilty of using words whose meaning you don't understand. If you disagree with my conclusion, please feel free to explain what, in your opinion, distinguishes Nazism, Communism, and Islam from each other. Just don't try to tell us that Islam is a religion, Communism, a philosophical system, and Nazism... Well, you have already demonstrated that you don't have a clue about Nazism. I would also like to ask you how a believing Jew like yourself decides which form of Nazism to support and which to oppose. How does a believing Jew choose whether his children should be slaughtered under the green banner of jihad, the red banner of the world revolution, or by the pursuers of an unpretentious quest for lebensraum? Let me address the matter of a small proportion you mentioned in your letter. I believe that an Arab who puts on a bomb belt, sneaks into Israel and blows himself up in a crowd of Jews, like it happened yesterday in Tel Aviv, can be considered a typical representative of that tiny, evil minority among the proud, noble people you, along with all the other anti-Semites, call "Palestinians". Let's ask the easiest question of all: Does the suicide bomber act alone? Obviously, not. He did not manufacture the belt, nor did he fill it with explosives. Someone did it for him. That someone is not a person, but rather an organization. No, it's not what you would call a terrorist cell - four or six recent converts with unkempt beards waiting for a wake up call, not knowing whether it will come from Osama bin Laden or the FBI. Bomb belts are made at bomb belt factories. Those factories have workers, and managers, and suppliers, and financiers. All these people know that they are manufacturing death to the Jews. Therefore, I can confidently add them to the small proportion of suicide bombers. Your small proportion has just grown a thousand times bigger. I am sure you believe that deep down those proud, noble people you call "Palestinians", are not that different from you. In reality, of course, they are as different from you as any murderer is different from his intended victim. Nevertheless, for the sake of the argument, I am ready to accept your absurd point of view temporarily. Look inside yourself and tell me, what it would take to turn you into a suicide bomber. Most of them are young men in their late teens or early twenties. Try to remember yourself at that age. You had plans for the future. You had dreams. Considering that you have lived long enough to write your idiotic letter to me, you never seriously contemplated suicide. I don't think you ever seriously wanted to kill another human being either, not even the bullies who turned your every day at school into a chain of humiliations. What would it take to convince you to abandon your dreams and end your life a few decades prematurely, just to kill people you had never met? Even if you believe that the so-called "Palestinians" are justified in their efforts to destroy Israel, you must agree with me that converting a normal kid into a suicide bomber must require quite a formidable effort. Such an effort is being made constantly and on an industrial scale. It is being made at all levels of what passes among your friends, the "Palestinians", for an educational system, from kindergarten to university. It is being made in mosques where imams routinely preach genocide of the Jews. It is being constantly made in the "Palestinian" media. A couple of years ago, an international court convicted three newspaper editors of genocide in Rwanda. Those editors did not kill anybody; they only published articles calling for the murder of Tutsis. I suppose we could use it as a precedent to indict and convict of the same crime against humanity every schoolteacher, every mullah, every newspaper editor in the future state of Palestine. Suddenly, your small proportion is no longer small. Add to it parents buying toy suicide belts for their babies. Add the staff and supporters of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, and every other explicitly terrorist outlet that exists in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria. Who's left? A tiny minority of people who are slightly less enthusiastic about the murder of all Jews. These people are labeled collaborators and are liable to be mercilessly murdered in front of a crowd of onlookers, without even a semblance of a trial or a protest from human rights supporters like yourself. The rest of the proud, noble people you call "Palestinians" wholeheartedly support wholesale murder of Jews. These people whom you consider so necessary to defend from me, even though I haven't killed an Arab yet, routinely greet each other, saying, "May you kill a Jew before you die." I expect you to be willing to defend their right to freely express themselves that way. I don't expect you to accuse them of Nazism. And when you have nothing left to say in defense of the terrorist organization called the "Palestinian people", you will probably tell me that they constitute but a small proportion of all the Muslims in the world, who are proud and noble and full of good will towards us. In response, I would remind to you that the "Palestinian people" was created in 1967 by Arabs, with full support of the entire Muslim world, as a murder weapon against Israel. The "Palestinian people" is the suicide bomber of the Muslim world. Please try to understand that terrorism is no more a crime than a tank attack. It's a tactic. It's a weapon. It's the preferred strategy of jihad in its current stage. And jihad is a war of all Muslims against the rest of the world, which constitutes the essence of Islam, its raison d'être This is why not a single observant Muslim has ever denounced any single act of Muslim terrorism against the "infidel". They cannot do it and remain Muslims, just like you couldn't remain a Jew if you decided to worship the elephant-headed Ganesha. You know what disgusted me worst of all in your letter? The fact that someone calling himself a Jew could so flippantly, so mindlessly, in two ignorant sentences, trivialize both the Holocaust that has already happened and the Holocaust that's unfolding before us right now. And you call yourself a "believing Jew" ... I met a man once who believed that Jews were entitled by God to the land of Israel. This man lived up to his convictions. For several years he had served in some super-special unit of the IDF doing stuff that he had sworn to keep secret till the day he died. He told me he had saved a few Israeli lives; I have a reason to believe that was a gross understatement. He wasn't an Israeli himself, but he was a much better Jew than you can ever hope to be. Even though he was an Irish Catholic. Shame on you, Ira. Shame on you. Yashiko Sagamori Yashiko Sagamori is a New York-based Information Technology consultant. To read other articles by the author, go to http://www.middleeastfacts.com/yashiko/ or email ysagamori@hotmail.com To Go To Top

ENEMY OF THE STATE Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, February 26, 2005.

This is how the goon squads deal with enemies of the State. This is a news item from yesterday's Arutz Sheva - IsraelNationalNews.com (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=77489). It is called "Police Obstruct Medical Examination of Protestor" Police instructed doctors not to x-ray a young man who was severely beaten after being arrested at a demonstration, a hospital doctor revealed to the boy's mother. She also reported that the hospital told her they could not find the medical report on her son's injuries. The saga began 10 days ago when the youth, by the name of Ariel and who lives in a community in Samaria, was at a demonstration at a major intersection in Tel Aviv. "I was walking with a friend after we had left the protest. We saw a police vehicle, but did not pay any attention. Suddenly a policeman jumped on me and arrested the two of us," he said. Ariel related that the police refused to answer his request that they identify themselves and then they beat him up. At the Herzliya police station, police continued to hit him, he added. After the police questioning, Ariel was taken to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv for examination. His mother, Yehudit, said he was released without having been x-rayed, despite bruises and swelling all over his body. She brought him back to Ichilov for further examination and demanded x-rays. "We were waiting for the results when one of the nurses pulled me aside and said, 'Listen to me. Several doctors have an arrangement with the police. They examine according to police instructions and the findings are in accordance with their requests. It is not surprising that they didn't x-ray him yesterday.'" The nurse advised the mother to check which doctors are on duty before letting them examine her son. The hospital also discharged Ariel without a medical report and subsequently said they had not located the files. "Ariel was hospitalized at 12:15 a.m. and was discharged at 1:15," his mother Yehudit said. "We returned to Ichilov the next day at 1:30 and I asked the receptionist, 'How could the file disappear? Less than 24 hours have passed.'" The receptionist admitted it was strange that the file was lost, but when the mother asked why the hospital had given a copy of the file to the police, the receptionist replied, "That's the way it is." She also was not able to receive a copy of the file from the police. The x-rays showed there were no broken bones, although an orthopedic doctor was shocked to see the boy's condition, his mother added. The mother tried to file a complaint in a Jerusalem court this week, but was told the case would be transferred to Tel Aviv where a decision will be made whether or not to investigate. 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. To Go To Top

WHY DOES THE ARMY AND KNESSET RESPECT THE ARAB-AIDING LEFTISTS LIKE THE WOMEN IN BLACK? Posted by Ruth and Nadia Matar, February 26, 2005.

Women in Green representatives were invited to participate last Tuesday in the Knesset Law Committee, headed by MK Michael Eitan, regarding the topic of "human rights during the era of terror". Up until now, the Law Committte only invited as guests extreme left wing organizations like Machsomwatch, Betzelem, Association of Civil Rights, who would give a completely distorted image of what was going on in Judea, Samaria and Gaza and at the IDF chekpoints, spreading lies about our soldiers, besmirching them and even managing to bring soldiers to trial for things they had never done (remember the Zviki Koretzky case). Women in Green, who, as one of their many activities, go to the IDF checkpoints to strengthen the soldiers and the border policemen, demanded that this time we would be present at the Law Committee to give a real picture of what goes on at the IDF checkpoints; how the extreme left wing Machsomwatch ladies harass and endanger the soldiers. How they are collaborators of the Arab enemy, etc. Nadia Matar and Anita Finkelstein were WiG's representatives at that Knesset Law Committee where all the higher echelons of the army and the border police were present. It was shocking to realize how the army, the police and the MK's are completely "prisoners" of the extreme left wing organizations like Betselem, Machsomwatch, Association for Civil Rights, and "Shvrim Shtika". Every little demand they made, the army and police representatives were bowing down to them making sure to please them. It was nauseating. When Nadia Matar started telling stories about Machsomwatch, how they bother the soldiers to do their work, how they help the Arabs to bypass checkpoints, how in any other country such traitors would not be allowed in the Parliament, the head of the Law Committee, MK Michael Eitan (Likud!) threatened to forcibly remove her. "You were invited to give us facts about what goes on at the checkpoints, not to start attacking other groups in this room" he said. Nadia answered that she had brought a folder filled with facts as to what harm Machsomwatch does to the security of the soldiers and of the country. Nadia demanded to tell her stories anyway, which enraged MK Zahava Galon (Meretz) greatly. In the end, Nadia was able to tell some stories, and thus, for the first time, somebody in the Law Committee actually defended the soldiers and border policemen. Nadia pointed out how those women, who are very connected to the leftist Israeli media, and to the high echelons in the army Yaron London's wife is Machsomwatch. Amnon Dankner's daughter is Machsomwatch. Some of the high ranking army people are married to women active in Machsomwatch]. They enjoy "protekzia" and are not being brought to justice for harassing soldiers and bothering them at work, as would be the case in any other country. MK Michael Eitan, who had just praised the wonderful cooperation between him and Machsomwatch(!), seemed shocked and unaware of these stories. He invited WiG to come this coming Tuesday to his office in order to hear more. We will be coming with two officers who will finally have a chance to tell some MK what really goes on at those IDF checkpoints. Women in Green see this as a big achievement and will continue to strengthen the soldiers and the border policemen at the IDF checkpoints. Our next visit to the IDF checkpoint will be this WEDNESDAY MORNING, MARCH 2nd, leaving the Inbal hotel at 9:30 A.M. Call to confirm you are coming - Nadia 0505-500834, Anita 0505-777254 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 To Go To Top

A PALESTINIAN SUICIDE MURDERER IN TEL-AVIV Posted by Yuval Zaliouk, February 25, 2005.

Dear friends, PM Sharon is bulldozing on with his unilateral eviction-of-Jews-and-destruction-of-their-properties-plan, namely, Israel is withdrawing without any reciprocal act. Abu Mazen makes the familiar usual Palestinian empty promises. The Israeli army is vacating Palestinian towns. Road blocks in Judea and Samaria are being relaxed. Hundreds of Palestinian terrorists are released by Israel as a goodwill gesture to Abu Mazen. Israelis are Oslo-dreaming yet again, as historical lessons are totally ignored. The leftist media, the US Administration, the British and Europeans upeasers are again pushing Israel to do more to weaken herself. Suddenly.... BOOM.... a suicide bomber in the heart of Tel-Aviv, down the road from the Dolphinarium, where youth gather on Friday night, explodes himself and murders more innocent young Israelis. Ah, the Dolphinarioum, where four years ago more than twenty youth met their death in a similar ghastly manner. If Israel reacted then as she should have (as US and others would have reacted), thousand Israelis would still be alive today, including tonight's victims and even the suicide bomber himself. Many asked me in the last few weeks if there is any hope. My answer was NO WAY. So there, NO WAY... Even if Abu Mazen changed his spots, and this is a big IF, the fundamental Islamic organizations already began WWIII. They will not allow him to succeed and he will not dare stand against them. Your Truth Provider, Yuval. Yuval Zaliouk writes the Truth Provider columns. To subscribe, send an email to ynz@netvision.net.il To Go To Top

LANDAU: SHARON WILL DIVIDE JERUSALEM Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, February 25, 2005.

Sharon opened the gates, opened the checkpoints and let the Arab Muslim Terrorists in. I believe that Member of Knesset Uzi Landau is an exceptional, honest man and devoted public servant. Conversely, I believe that Prime Minister Ariel (Aril) Sharon is a crafty liar and has demonstrated this ability time and again so his lack of character is not a question but rather a question as to how much will he lie on any given topic. Uzi Landau should have been elected to the Prime Minister's Office years ago but, he is not given to manipulating the public or the Likud Party members. He could run under the banner of "One Honest Man". Regrettably, the tendency in Israel is to vote for unprincipled manipulative politicians under the impression that twisty people are stronger as leaders than honest people. In Sharon's case, he lies like Shimon Peres but, with a certain vicious intent, even enjoying the conflict. As for giving up Jerusalem, be assured that (sadly) he will do this in a heart beat. He will use others to be his spokesman or 'stalking horse' like Ehud Olmert or Dov Weisglass but, the thoughts and voice will be Sharon's. He enjoys misleading the people and revels in his victories - even over his own people - when they are successful. Whenever he loses, he rages, becomes petulant and plans revenge. Sharon cannot restrain his natural socio-pathic tendencies to be all powerful and thus adopts dictatorial methods which, in a nation with a weak Knesset (Parliament) and a Leftist Court allow him to run amok. So far, Sharon has backed away from every commitment, promise, pledge that he has made to the people and his Likud Party - save for one. That was where he stated without specificity that he would make "Painful Concessions". He did not share the specifics of Pain he planned to place on the Israeli people. We now know why he was vague about what he had in mind. Sharon, through his devious advisors, including Olmert and Weisglass has stated recently that ALL of the West Bank and the Jordan Valley will be forfeit to the Arab Muslim Palestinians which then Sharon says is not true. That is called "whipsawing the public". And, as Uzi Landau says herein: "A chief "Palestinian" demand for peace is control over eastern Jerusalem." PM Sharon has proven he is capable of caving in to that demand, Likud "rebel" leader Uzi Landau said on Sunday, February 20th. In closing, the time to change the Government is almost too late for safety. Sharon has demonstrated his inability to run a nation in all of its many phases. "Landau: Sharon will divide Jerusalem" written by the Jerusalem Newswire Staff February 21, 2005, (www.jnewswire.com/library/article.php?articleid=445). A chief "Palestinian" demand for peace is control over eastern Jerusalem, and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has proven he is capable of caving in to that demand, Likud "rebel" leader Uzi Landau said Sunday. Fearing Sharon's "disengagement" plan will lead Israel down a slippery slope of surrender, Landau said those loyal to the Land of Israel would fight a fierce battle to save Jewish Gaza and the settlements of northern Samaria. Landau also warned that Sharon and his government appear to be preparing public opinion for violence against any Jews who refuse to abandon their biblical and historical right to settle the land. Those lawmakers opposed to the transfer of Jewish settlers say Sharon's plan, despite having passed into law last week, can still be defeated by toppling the government over the 2005 national budget. Sharon will divide jerusalem During the 1996 national elections, the right-wing supporters of prime ministerial candidate Binyamin Netanyahu regularly employed the slogan "Peres will divide Jerusalem" in order to discredit Labor Party chief Shimon Peres. That slogan is now being used again Sharon by members of his own Likud Party who say that they, unlike him, are remaining loyal to the platform on which they ran for election. From Yasser Arafat to Mahmoud Abbas, the "Palestinians" have consistently demanded control over the eastern half of Jerusalem as a prerequisite for peace. A spokesman for Abbas confirmed Sunday this demand remains in place, including Jewish suburbs of the capital like Ramat Eshkol and French Hill. Sharon's willingness to abandon his own convictions and surrender Gaza and northern Samaria proves he has the capacity to one day give in on Jerusalem and divide the city, Landau told a gathering of Likud activists Sunday. When Sharon is finished, all that will "remain for actual negotiations will be Jerusalem; in the end [Jerusalem] will be at the heart of peace negotiations, and in the end Sharon will divide Jerusalem," Landau said. On Monday Sharon fired back, saying Jerusalem would forever remain the undivided capital of Israel. Prior to his 2003 election victory, however, Sharon also vowed Jewish Gaza would never be uprooted. Battle to the finish Landau said it was crucial for those loyal to the Land of Israel to fight now to save not only Gaza and northern Samaria but all lands that may soon fall victim to international pressure and leftist policies bent on retreat. "If the first part of this withdrawal is implemented, withdrawing from Judea and Samaria will be easier because the government will know there is no serious opposition," the veteran politician explained. As such, "this must be a fierce battle, but avoid escalation to civil war." Will Sharon use violence? While retreat's chief opponents are committed to avoiding violence, the same may not be true of Sharon, Landau noted. "In the Prime Minister's Office they are now talking the same talk as that heard prior to the attack on the Altalena," Landau said. In 1948, the newly established government of David Ben Gurion ordered the nascent IDF to open fire on a Jewish ship importing arms for Menachem Begin's Irgun militia. Sixteen Irgun members were killed by their fellow Jews. And now leftists in Sharon's government are "saying that in life of the nation there needs to be more than one Altalena," Landau stated incredulously. "Jews killed Jews there in cold blood!" Government's Achilles' heel It may not come to a physical showdown though, if Landau and his colleagues are successful in their primary course of action. On Monday, Landau announced on Israel Radio that at least 13 Likud MKs would vote against the 2005 national budget, greatly increasing the odds it will not gain Knesset approval. Other large Knesset faction such as Shas and Shinui have also said they would oppose the budget. If Sharon's government fails to pass its 2005 budget by March 31, the law stipulates that new elections must be held 90 days later. 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). To Go To Top

OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH ON REMOVING THE JEWS FROM GAZA Posted by Evelyn Hayes, February 25, 2005.

cc: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Congess, Senate, Supreme Court. Please be advised that removal of Jews from Gush Katif, Jewish Aza, is against International Law, undemocratic, with bribes, blackmail, threats and training of non-Jews to brutalize Jews, breaking the wrists of mothers refusing to release their babies. The Prime Minister of Israel intends to Unilaterally Disengage from Jewish owned land in the remainder of Gaza that is only inhabited by Jews. Gaza I, the trial by Rabin, turned an intifada into a jihad armada with support from Iraq and Hizballah.. Sharon is dictating against advice, firing military and Knesset advisors The involvement of America and the world in this expulsion action is a major crime, is ethnic cleasing of Jews and may result in Jewish death, murder, illness, unendurable pain especially for Jews chased from foreign and Arab lands, refugee survivors of the Holocaust, who still suffer loved ones lost, possessions lost, instability and fear. Brutal removal again, destruction of belongings, life savings and wages will have lasting effects. Many Jews died from the evacuation of Yamit, were relocated to Gush Katif, rebuilding their shattered lives. American involvement is anti-democrat as this action will cause death, emotional distress, destruction of homes, shuls, cemeteries and make the Jews sit shiva again, productive industry, which employs without prejudice Bedouins and other peaceful, hardworking, anti-terrorist Arabs who were impressed with how Israel was blessed and made vegetation bloom in the sand. Eviction is a major crime foreshadowing international repercusions with no precedent except in times of pogroms. I know of one woman who made her home in Neve Dekalim because of health reasons. She has asthma and needs this not humid sea air to breathe. She is elderly, has raised her family here, has grandchildren here. I know of people who have rebuilt their lives rebuilding the desolate place which suffered many imperialisms. According to records the Jews lived here in Balfour Mandate times. They were evicted by the British assigned the protection of the Balfour Mandate for the Jewish State in Palestine and let the Arabs riot, massacre and kill. The British also gave the Arabs of the east bank of the Jordan 78% of the Jewish Mandate, now called Jordan, the second Palestinian State. Palestine is a place, not a people! As America gives Democracy to all the people of Iraq: the Sunnis, the Shiites and the Kurds, how dare anyone disregard this precedent and ethnic cleanse Jewish Biblical, historical, owned, developed land of Jews only. How dare anyone appease the Arabs of Egypt who live in Gaza with property and risk the lives of Jews who have suffered so much from anti-Semistism as we remember the Holocaust. How dare SS Condoleezza Rice suggest a continuity for Arabs who have lands of their own to cut Israel in pieces so the Arabs of Jordan and the Arabs of Egypt be connected as One Palestinian Race ala Aryan Race, ignoring the Jews, the Bedouins, the Druze, the Christians, Greek Orthodox. How dare the world ignore Christian Bethlehem and put it under control of Moslems. Just the definition of two peoples and two religions defies such an absurd action. The land of Israel has many inhabitants, many religions. The land redeployed from for the PA has many kevers of Jewish sages, prophets and kings. Protection of the archaeology of these places was part of the Oslo II Amendment which is being violated without regard to signatures on the Whitehouse Lawn. The First People of this land before Christians and Moslems were the Jews. Avraham bought Hevron 4000 years ago so his Jewish descendants who would deny evil would have a burial place and a homeland. Yaakov, the father of the twelve Jewish tribes bought Schem (renamed Nablus to discredit Jewish identity), and it became a burial place of Joseph whom the ancient world recognized as a savior. How dare America ignore the Amendment to Oslo II that protected this place and keep destroying Israel piece by piece when the destruction is so visible. King David bought the Temple Mount. Removing Jews, brutally, or without their consent and due process is an international crime. It is a violation of human rights and civil liberties. It will not bring peace, but undermine all the laws of civilization to appease and support those who hate, spread hate and who jihad against all dhimmis. It may lead to another mass attack against the Jews. It is worse than a crime to scapegoat Jews to propagate hate. It is against the laws of America to be a partner in such a crime, to support it in any way and to consider a crime against the Jews as a remedy for hate and war. As America fights for democracy, fight for the Jews under attack in their own land with their homes about to be destroyed for monetary gain of those embezzling charity to get another box for their illegal cuts. Injustice to the Just Jews will have a domino effect and disrupt all that America is doing to free the world for Arabs under jihad dictatorships. Destroying Jewish settlements supports jihad unsettlement and tyranny. Creation of another "Arab Only" Palestinian state ignores the rights of Jews, Christians and international law. Revoking the Jewish Mandate of the League of Nations negates any actions by the UN as established laws ignored take away the basis of laws and actions that depart from established laws. The agenda against the Jews. their vote against another Palestinian state, their Democratic mass demonstrations, the denial of any appeals, blackmail of those in the government is without precedent and is a fuse extending the tunnels for smuggling into a black hole to destroy the only, small, recognized, legal Jewish entity in the world. Special laws, jails, expulsion for Jews only is not apartheid; it is prejudice to the maximum degree. The Prime Minister of Israel is not representing his mandate. This must be investigated as perhaps an international crime that supports terror, corruption and ethnic cleansing. Cooperation and support for this crime undermines Jewish rights to Israel from the Bible to Balfour. If the Jews had Balfour, six million would have been generations in Israel. They have no life to return. Let the Jewish survivors regenerate. Please let the Jews of Gush Katif stay as it's their legal, legitimate right, their land, legacy, life and longevity. Stop expulsion, ethnic cleansing! 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. To Go To Top

KILLING A NATION Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, February 25, 2005.

Would killing a nation carry the same penalty as killing a person? February 25, 5PM Chicago time. THIS JUST IN: A suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, killing at least 3, with 50 wounded, 3 severe/critically - next to young people - outside of a Tel Aviv night club called The Stage at 3 AM Israeli time. Islamic Jihad claiming responsibility. Expect Sharon to call for a few days of disconnect with Abbas, followed by one of those ingenuous statements saying "the Peace Process must go on!". Let's wait for a media coverup and downplaying of what we all expected. They will save Abbas at all costs - even if the cost is our young people. We are awaiting a statement by Abbas condemning the bombing - as Arafat often did. We should be hearing from President Bush giving his condolences and telling us how we must fight Terror - except in Israel. Sharon has opened the gates, closed the checkpoints and allowed the Terrorists in. Perhaps when Israel's Prime Minister Ariel (Arik) Sharon planned to evacuate all Jews even before his election as PM, he may have foreseen the future or maybe not. But, after he lied his way into office by denying he was going to do the exact same thing as his political opponent (Amram Mitzna), other facts emerge. There was the opposition from his Likud Party to whom he also lied. When they voted against "disengagement" 60% to 40%, he simply ignored their vote and the Likud collapsed like a house made of rotten wood. Apparently, Sharon had been in collusion with the Bush Administration and pro-Arab U.S. State Department even before the elections - or shortly thereafter, as he kept repeating the mantra that Israel must make painful concessions. Had he been open about those concessions before the elections, he could have been ousted as the candidate for Likud. He then announced his decision to abandon Gaza and make it the beginnings of another Palestinian Arab Muslim State. Clearly, heretofore, Sharon had to have been in negotiations with the Muslim Arab Palestinians - probably using the U.S. State Department as his go-between. Of course, things got better when Yassir Arafat died by whatever circumstances. The concept of "Disengagement" became firmer and later through the Bush Administration evolved a plan which resuscitated the "Road Map". This, as Condoleezza Rice put it: "Now included the West Bank, the Jordan Valley, the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem" - denials of Sharon and Weisglass notwithstanding. But, as Peace or War plans go awry, the resistance of the pioneering Settlers of Gaza/Gush Katif grew, to be joined (as of February 25th) by at least 10,000 soldiers pledging to refuse to drag Jews out of their homes. Sharon's threats grew and his tendency toward a full blown dictatorship emerged. Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) was voted in as President of the Palestinian Authority but refused to actually disarm or confront Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Tanzim, Fatah, or Al Aksa Martyrs' Brigade (his own Terror organization). A great deal of bombast and proclamations was quickly undertaken by the Media as a guarantee of Peace and a cessation of Terror. None of this actually happened but, that didn't keep the Media or the Bush Administration from proclaiming imminent victory. Meanwhile, there was sporadic firing of Kassem Rockets and shootings - even as the PLO Police, who were supposed to stop the Terrorists but took up firing at Israeli soldiers, planting bombs along what would be the evacuation routes, etc. While Sharon was issuing a stream of propaganda to demonize the pioneering Settlers and building a specially selected Army and Police of goons who were profiled to be anxious to confront the settlers with extreme violence, something else was happening. As Sharon added to the number of Police and Soldiers he wanted to use to confront the Jews of Gaza/Gush Katif, he also saw that he was diminishing the number of defense forces to protect the cities and outer borders - such as they are - against the Terrorists. Sharon had previously received a stream of advisories from the Heads of his Army and his Intelligence that his proposed "Disengagement" plan was very dangerous because it would be bringing the Terrorists closer to Israel's population centers and with ever improving Kassem Rockets. He not only ignored their battlefield analysis but literally, told his senior officers to "Shut Up!". Recently, as we all know, the current Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Moshe Ya'alon and the Head of Intelligence at the GSS, Avi Dichter were dismissed prematurely. The Chief of Staff Ya'alon was vigorously against allowing the Egyptians back into the Sinai with arms and armor at the invitation of Sharon. Similarly, the head of Intelligence Avi Dichter publically stated that evacuation the Gaza area would leave Israel's southern front open to Terrorists and/or a possible full scale of attack by any coalition of Arab armies. Here again, Sharon was blind to all other dangers as he is now so consumed with warring against the Jews of Gaza and their supporters throughout the country and Jews in the Diaspora world. Sharon began to congratulate Abbas on the excellent job he was doing while reports indicated that he was virtually accomplishing nothing. While Sharon was busy building up the image of Abbas, the Terrorists were doing more practical things. Under the umbrella of a false truce, the Terrorist leaders emerged on the streets to organize their troops, knowing they were safe from Israeli reprisals for attacks. Sharon had called off hitting the Terrorist leaders who had before and were now planning to hit Israeli targets, including planting bombs on routes Israelis were expected to use. The Palestinian factories were freely humming, producing Kassam Rockets, car bombs, suicide bomb belts and, of course, stocking up on rifles and ammunition. Sharon looked on benignly. Sharon received daily, if not hourly, reports of Terrorists planting large road-side explosives and, as before, wiring explosive traps into the buildings where they expect Israeli soldiers - as they did in Jenin. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezb'Allah, Tanzim, and al Aksa Martyrs' Brigade are now working in Gaza, Ram'allah, Schehem (Nablus), Jenin have all stated plainly that they are not bound by the temporary truce ('Hudna') arranged by Abbas, Sharon and the U.S. State Department. Bush approved the sending over General Ward to bring together Yassir Arafat's 12 Secret Services (read "Terrorists") to operate more efficiently to be gathered into two or three forces. Sharon's agreement (which I would call a 'fool's agreement') also calls for the Israeli IDF (Israel Defense Forces) to arm and train the Palestinian Police/Army much the same as Rabin and Peres did after Oslo when they turned over 40,000 weapons over to Arafat's burgeoning "Police" force, who later used them to shoot the Israeli soldiers, police and civilians. Sharon was advised that the Palestinians continued to smuggle weapons through the tunnels dug from Egypt (with Egypt's assistance). Sharon has been advised by his own Intelligence and Army that what might be called 'Intifada' 3 will begin either during or shortly thereafter the removal of Jews from Gaza. Here again Sharon is so consumed with his war against the Jews of Gaza that these reports mean nothing to him. Historians often spoke of Hitler's all consuming hatred for Jews which was so great that he diverted troops, trains, trucks to root out the Jews and send them to the camps. Some say Hitler lost the battle of Europe because - instead of sending troops, weapons, ammunition to the front - instead he was busy - transporting Jews to their ultimate deaths. Sharon has accepted the fact that there will likely be full scale attacks by the Terrorists throughout the summer with full force efforts into the fall. In essence, he has decided that a certain number of Jewish civilians are expendable. He thinks that he is again at the China Farms (1973 Yom Kippur War) ready to use everyone to achieve his objectives. The question arises: If Sharon will not take pre-emptive measures against a highly probable uprising by the Terrorists and leave the Jewish nation exposed, should he now be either deposed by the Military and/or impeached by the Knesset - given the situation? Should he not move pre-emptively against the re-arming Terrorists, knowing what he has been advised and the Terrorists cut loose resulting in high casualties, should he not be charged with a capital crime so heinous that requires the sentence of capital punishment for the deaths and wounding of his own people? Sharon has long passed the point of being a clear and present danger to the nation. Even the Military and Intelligence has become alarmed at a Prime Minister who has run amok. He has loosed Terrorist prisoners on the Israeli public, prisoners whom, I might add, were captured at great risk to the Army and/or Secret Services. Sharon has been running his campaign on his well-deserved past glories but, the Sharon of today is no longer competent to run the Jewish State nor to win the ongoing War Against Terror. 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). To Go To Top

RABBI BAR-ILAN: PULLOUT ENTAILS 14 BIBLICAL SINS Posted by Evelyn Hayes, February 25, 2005.

This was written by Mati Wagner and appeared yesterday in the Jerusalem Post (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ ShowFull&cid=1109181979802&p=1078027574097) The humiliation of orphans, widows and converts; theft; kidnapping; and indirect causation of death are just a few of 14 or so biblical prohibitions that soldiers and police will transgress while evacuating Jews from Gaza and northern Samaria, according to a halachic opinion distributed by the Council of Rabbis of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip. The opinion, authored by Rabbi Shaul Bar-Ilan, head of the Kfar Darom kollel (yeshiva for married men), is unique in its exclusive focus on individual rights. Unlike other rabbis who have come out against the disengagement, not once does Bar-Ilan mention the commandment to settle the Land of Israel or the aspiration to extend Israel's borders to biblical dimensions. Bar-Ilan, 36, a great-grandson of Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, the father of the modern yeshiva, bases his argument on the assumption that disengagement is synonymous with ethnic purging - a violation of international law. The Gaza rabbi posits that Israelis never intended to invest the State of Israel with more powers than any other enlightened Western state has, and that they rejected the establishment of a monarchy modeled on the historical kingdoms of Judea and Israel. "Therefore," argues Bar-Ilan, who is a member of Amnesty International, "the obligation to obey the Israeli government is no greater than the obligation to obey any other gentile state inhabited by Jews during the past 2,000 years of exile. "The Israeli High Court has ruled time and again that innocent citizens' rights cannot be trampled even when the security of the state is at stake - for instance, regarding the building of the security fence. Who is better qualified than the High Court to set the norms for the state?" Lacking a legal mandate to evacuate, the state ipso facto would transgress a long list of biblical prohibitions during the course of the planned evacuation, asserts Bar-Ilan, who has lived in Kfar Darom for six years. Perhaps the most serious prohibition listed by Bar-Ilan is the indirect causation of murder. "There is no doubt that the evacuation, with all the emotional trauma involved, will shorten the lives of the elderly," he argues. "Women in late stages of pregnancy may miscarry. Many would give up their lives before allowing themselves to be separated from all their assets, which would force soldiers to use the most drastic possible means to evacuate." Bar-Ilan, who prepares young men to become rabbis, points out that many converts to Judaism, orphans and widows live in Gaza. The Bible enumerates special prohibitions against humiliating these individuals. Providing compensation to settlers does not exculpate, according to Bar-Ilan. "If I hit you in the face or steal your property, the fact that I pay you for the damages does not mean I haven't transgressed biblical commandments." Bar-Ilan admits that if the damaged party were to agree to be evacuated of his or her own free will, none of the prohibitions would apply. Acquiescing to a government decision or to a referendum would sidestep the halachic problems of disengagement. "But," he continues, "no one can force me to agree to something against my will. Regardless of what the government decides, we want to continue to live here." Bar-Ilan uses an analogy to prove his point. "If Iran were to agree to abandon its plans to develop an atomic bomb on condition that every man in, say, Kiryat Shmoneh cuts off his right arm, and there were a democratic vote in favor of adopting the Iranian initiative, would it be lawful? I feel the same way about disengagement." Other prohibitions listed by Bar-Ilan include uprooting fruit-bearing trees, destroying synagogues, forcing Jews to act against their will, and possible desecration of the Shabbat, as was the case at Havat Gilad. The vast majority of religious Zionist rabbis oppose disengagement. In fact, not one leading rabbi has come out in favor, although Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, head of the Har Etzion hesder yeshiva, was quoted as saying, "I'm not convinced the disengagement is justified - I do not rule out the possibility it is. It depends on the political ramifications." Rabbi David Stav, considered one of the more moderate religious Zionist leaders, believes that in principle there are halachic justifications for ceding land to Palestinians. "But the nondemocratic process used by the prime minister to ram through the legislation is an injustice. Even the most moderate rabbis, who in principle support territorial compromise, are not willing to put themselves out on a limb for Sharon's injustices." Stav is the rabbi of Shoham, a town that saw a large percentage of its voters support the dovish religious Meimad party, which joined Labor in the last elections. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the preeminent halachic authority for Sephardi Jews, has come out against disengagement on the grounds that it endangers Jewish lives by encouraging terrorists to pursue violence for further territorial compromises. He opposes a referendum on the grounds that it cannot overrule Halacha. In contrast, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, the preeminent halachic authority for Ashkenazi haredim, has ruled in favor of a referendum. It is, however, unclear whether this is simply a tactical move to postpone evacuation indefinitely or a fundamental position that there is no halachic prohibition against disengagement. 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. To Go To Top

RACHEL'S CHILDREN RECLAMATION FOUNDATION: BUYING PURIM PACKAGES FROM GUSH KATIF Posted by Evelyn Hayes, February 25, 2005.

The Rachel's Children Reclamation Foundation is again remembering Sara Blaustein HYD this Purim. Our baskets will be bought from Gush Katif. They will be distributed to the children of Gush Katif and soldiers guarding Kever Rachel. Every dollar will be used for this purpose. A basket is a minimum of $18. Any denomination is acceptable. Donations will be doubled to the extent that the sponsors have pledged. More sponsors welcome. Please help give Chizuk to our Gush Katif friends in emotional and physical need this year and let this charity stop the evil expulsion decree so our people will remain in their own borders. Please remember Sara Blaustein, H'yd, a beautiful, generous, pious victim of Arab terror who was murdered on the day she visited Rachel's Tomb, ordered a Torah and was going to the Kotel to pray while saying tehillim in her car on a bypass road that led the terrorist entity spread Please support 9000 settlers so they will not be sojourners again. Remember it was Abraham who was just one Jewish neshama who said no to evil and was commanded to stop sojourning and settle the land including Aza. Lech Lecha, let our charity open the derech so the Jewish Way will be the road map for Israel and keep Israel united, strong, safe and blessed. Rush your tax deductible donations to Rachel's Children Reclamation Foundation, PO Box 220, Valley Stream, NY 11582 718-648-2610 PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND COLLECT AT YOUR GATHERINGS. LET US MAKE A DIFFERENCE THIS PURIM. All donations of $28 or more will receive a free gift. A self addressed large envelope must be enclosed. 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. To Go To Top

PROTEST THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES (WCC) ANTI-ISRAEL DIVESTMENT INITIATIVE Posted by Join the Boycott, February 25, 2005.

WCC Blasted for Anti-Israel Divestment Initiative: Jewish groups blast The World Council of Churches (WCC) recommendation to divest from certain Israeli companies. For details, including how to protest the WCC's action, see http://www.geocities.com/truthmasters/jointheboycott.htm To Go To Top

SUPER URGENT: A NEW HOPE Posted by Susie Dym, February 25, 2005.

We very urgently need people who are each willing to visit 10 Likud Central Committee members and urge them to vote for next week's Central Committee resolution urging the MKs to legislate the Referendum Law. The Referendum Law is intended as an antidote to the Disengagement Law. It stipulates, simply, that the Disengagement Law is suspended until such time as a referendum is held and passed. The Central Committee vote is Thursday, 3 March. Please urgently forward your name, cell phone and in which locations (cities) you are able to visit 10 Likud Central Committee members. We will rush you 10 names from one of the cities you choose and an explanation of what you should say to them. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SINGLE ACTION TO TAKE AT THIS TIME It does not require cooperation from Sharon -- because legislation needs 61 MKs which need not include the PM. SO PLEASE COME FORWARD AND VOLUNTEER. WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU TODAY: by email to sddym@bezeqint.net or by phone to Elisheva at 0544 868735. THANK YOU SO MUCH. Susie Dym spokesperson, Mattot Arim To Go To Top

THE CAMPAIGN OF DEFAMATION AGAINST GENERAL HALUTZ Posted by Steven Plaut, February 25, 2005.

Nothing so clearly illustrates the pseudo-democratic nature of Israel's ruling class and its dual justice system than the refusal to take action against those leftist anti-Zionists in Israel who are defaming the newly appointed Chief of Staff of the army, Dan Halutz, and libeling him as a "war criminal". Suddenly calling someone a murderer and war criminal is protected free speech, but of course only for anti-Israel leftists. This is all unlike anti-Oslo dissidents calling Sharon or Peres names, acts that have earned their perpetrators arrest and indictment. The anti-Jewish Israeli Left dislikes Halutz because Halutz used to command the air force. While he was commander there, the air force offed a large number of terrorist leaders. In one such hit, a large bomb was used against some Hamas terror leaders, and the bomb also killed some civilians in the building nearby. Tch tch tch. This makes Halutz a war criminal in the "minds" of the Left. You know, unlike those Israeli leftists who imported the dozens of suicide bombers into Israeli cities. Now civilians getting hurt when Israel bombs terror leaders operating with the blessing and protection of the PLO are the responibility and blame of the PLO, not of Dan Halutz. If the PLO had not kept such people operating with the resulting Oslo mass murders of Jews, no targeted assassinations of the Islamofascists by Israeli choppers and planes would have occurred. Halutz is a war criminal in exactly the same sense as were FDR and Churchill, every time civilians in Berlin got hurt from Allied bombing in WWII. In others words, he is not. The war criminals responsible for Palestinian civilians getting hurt are the Palestinian Islamofascists and the Israeli-leftist amen chorus, urging the terrorists on to ever greater violence. But what about the lefties calling Halutz names? Israel has a law making it a crime to insult public officials! Call Shimon Peres a twit and see what happens to you! It is also libelous to call Halutz a murderer. Now take the Yesh Gvul organization. Ordinarily Yesh Gvul devotes its efforts to organizing insubordination and mutiny among soldiers in order to make it easier for the Arab fascist world to destroy Israel. Yesh Gvul urges its members to refuse to serve in the Israeli army or follow orders. Several Yesh Gvul members have had their wrists tapped in court for this. Yesh Gvul has large ads in the papers today (bet you a week's salary the New Israel Fund is paying for them), defaming Dan Halutz as a murderer and war criminal. The Israeli Attorney General demands that every anti-Oslo protester who holds a sign against Sharon be arrested as a clear and present threat of assassination. Will he now show some consistency? Will he round up the Yesh Gvul extremists and toss them in the klink? Will the police arrest others posting filth on the internet accusing Halutz of being a murderer? Arresting them the same way they arrest Kahanists who wear Tee shirts that say "Where there are no Arabs there is no terrorism"? Yeah, and I have a nice bridge in Brooklyn I would like to sell you. 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. To Go To Top

"HAST THOU MURDERED AND ALSO INHERITED?" Posted by Ruth Matar, February 25, 2005.

Dear Friends, History repeats itself in the most amazing ways. In these very difficult times we must not fail to learn from Jewish history, because as the saying goes: "Those who will not learn from history are bound to repeat it." Do you remember the story in the Bible about King Ahab? This famous story is found in the First Book of Kings, Chapter 21. There is a chilling resemblance between this story and the events in the Holy Land today. .... There was a vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite in Jezreel that was adjacent to the palace of Ahab, King of Samaria. Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, "Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it as an herb garden, it is close by my house; in its place I will give you a better vineyard, or if you prefer I will give you its price in money." (1 Kings, 1-2) (Isn't this exactly what Sharon is offering to the Gush Katif Jews?) But Naboth said to Ahab, "Far be it for me before HASHEM that I should give you my ancestors' heritage." (1 Kings, verse 3) This is exactly how the Gush Katif Jews replied to Sharon. They refused to give Sharon their ancestors' heritage, as HASHEM had given Gaza to the Tribe of Judah, as their eternal inheritance. Do you see the incredible resemblance between the Biblical story and what is happening in the Holy Land in the Jewish Year of 5765 (2005 C. E.)? In the "good old days", when Sharon went through his Zionist phase, he criticized the Peres-Rabin government for acting as if Israel was their "private real estate." Now Ariel Sharon himself treats our Biblical inheritance of Samaria, Judea and Gaza as his own personal real estate. Sharon is working non-stop to give our covenant land to the Arab enemy, who have murdered us non-stop since long before the State's rebirth. Sharon needed to shore up his tottering government. He therefore joined forces with the leftist Labor party and its leader, Shimon Peres. Peres is now the Vice Prime Minister, and is contributing his proven extraordinary talents to the project of helping Sharon deport the Jews in Gaza from their homes in their G-d given homeland. Let us not forget that Oslo architect, Shimon Peres, negotiated these Accords with the Arabs when it was totally forbidden under Israeli law to have any dealings whatsoever with the Arab enemy. The agreement he signed with the Arabs was "retroactively" and illegally approved by the Knesset. Dear Friends, let me tell you, the Sharon-Peres combination is even worse than the Rabin-Peres combination was. Peres, the architect of the disastrous Oslo Accords is, in the opinion of many Jews, the personification of evil. He gave the Arab enemy ammunition and guns, and shares responsibility with them in the murder of more than a thousand innocent civilians. Now let's get to the practical aspects of the Disengagement (Deportation) Plan. Those Jewish "Extremists" had actually been encouraged to build their homes in Gaza by Sharon, as Governor of Gaza, and by various previous Israeli governments. Sharon, who is often called, not affectionately, the "bulldozer", thought at first that the transfer of Jews was a simple problem. Just bring in the mechanical bulldozers and level the Gush Katif homes. But then another problem arose: "We are going to lose the international good will of the World, which we gained by agreeing to transfer the Jews. The World will think that we are leveling these houses, in order to deprive these poor, long-suffering Arabs of shelter, purely out of spite." (Our Dictator Sharon does not for one moment care what the Jewish People will think of his scheme.) An additional problem arose. The environmentalists started a hue and cry. Not what will happen to those poor Jewish families, but what will happen to the environment? Environment Minister Shalom Simhon warned of unprecedented environmental damage to the country. "The demolition of homes in Gush Katif under the Disengagement Plan will cause severe damage to the environment and unprecedented damage to Israel's economy and public image", Simhon warned. "Israel is not sufficiently prepared to properly dispense all the refuse that would be created if the homes are demolished. The demolition of the standing structures in Gush Katif would create some 1.5 million cubic meters of garbage. The demolition and the removal of the refuse would cost the State over NIS 80 million. The State of Israel is not prepared to absorb all the refuse, even if new garbage sites are created for that purpose. We will still not be able to recycle the materials until 2010. Also, the homes and the underground infrastructure may be made of asbestos and those exposed to the refuse will be at risk of getting sick with cancer in addition to other illnesses." To the rescue comes an Arab billionaire, Mahmoud al-Abar, from Dhabai. One of those romantic oil-sheikhs, you know! To make a meeting between Mahmoud al-Abar and Sharon possible, Labor Knesset Member Ephraim Sneh and Prime Minister Sharon's Office Director-General, Ilan Cohen, arranged a clandestine meeting. The Jerusalem Post assured us gullible little readers that the sheikh only stayed in Sharon's office for 180 seconds. I guess the Jerusalem Post reporter thought that this sounded like less than three minutes! In any case, the reporter tells us that all they did was shake hands. But what did they shake hands on? Well, it develops that sheikh Mahmoud al-Abar has offered to buy the Jewish Gaza settlements for $56 million. What an incredible bargain! For Mahmoud al-Abar, that is! Who will be the beneficiaries of this real estate transaction? For sure not the Jews of Gush Katif who will most likely be in prison for not leaving their homes voluntarily. Neither do we know what is going to be left of this $56 million purchase price, after Sharon's sons Gilad and Omri, and Knesset Member Ephraim Sneh get their cut? And how about the Prime Minister's Office Director-General, Ilan Cohen, who helped to set up this deal, doesn't he deserve something for his efforts? I am sure you are aware that both of Sharon's sons, Gilad and Omri, have been investigated for financial wrongdoings, both in the Greek Island Affair and for illegal campaign contributions to their father's campaign. All this was supposedly done with filial devotion to their father. The new Attorney General Mazus, appointed by Ariel Sharon, has found the evidence insufficient to indict Gilad, but has just indicted Omri. But both sons claim that their father knew absolutely nothing of their trying to help him! Also, the Brooklyn Bridge is still for sale. Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak has just told a committee of Labor Knesset members that they should not support the Prime Minister, because the whole Sharon family is riddled with corruption. Is this the case of the pot calling the kettle black? Shimon Peres does not want to stay out of the debate about Disengagement. Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres is preparing a plan to transfer Jewish-owned businesses, green houses, farms and factories by selling them to the Arabs, to ensure as smooth a transition as possible. "We are interested in economic peace in addition to political peace," Peres said. "The Palestinians residing in Gaza must not find themselves disappointed the day after we disengage. If unemployment and poverty increase, hatred and bitterness will increase as well. I see this scenario as a danger." Peres, as always, is loyal to the enemy rather than to his own Jewish brethren. What about the difficulty of the dispossessed Jews to find employment, to start new farms, to feed their families? Yes, hatred and bitterness will increase among those poor people who were subject to the crime of being expelled from their homes by Ariel Sharon, their own Jewish Prime Minister. Isn't this the story of King Ahab and Naboth, multiplied 9,000 times over? Has the Sharon Government lost it completely? Even if the buildings are given over to deserving terrorists, government officials say that the synagogues of Gush Katif and northern Samaria will not be left standing, for fear that Arabs will defile them. It is unclear how the Israeli Defense Forces' destruction of the synagogues in Gush Katif and northern Samaria would take place in a manner that would not constitute "defilement". Dear Friends, I have completely abandoned the idea that Sharon and his leftist coterie will ever abandon the evil and immoral plan of deporting the Jews from Gush Katif and northern Samaria. However, American support is vital for Sharon's political survival. I don't think he can carry out his plan without American complicity. We must convince the Bush Administration that the goal of bringing democracy to the Middle East is not served by making parts of the Holy Land "Judenrein." Such a plan is completely against the promises given to the Jewish People by the G-d of the Judeo-Christian Bible. Time is short. A giant protest rally is being planned for Washington, D.C. to convince the American government that Sharon's plan is dangerous not only for Israel, but for America as well. A date for this rally will be announced soon. Let us put our heads together and plan how to make this event a resounding success! Please give me your name, street address and email address for our rapidly growing list. We count on you, both Christian and Jewish Zionists and Bible believers to join the struggle against a take-over of the Holy Land by radical Islam. Remember what Arafat said in his Johannesburg speech in 1994: "Now after this agreement [the Oslo Agreement] you have to understand our main battle is Jerusalem. The jihad (Islamic holy war) will continue, and Jerusalem is not for the Palestinian people alone. It is for all the Muslim people." Dear Friends, make no mistake about it. The Muslims believe in conquering by stages. First Gaza and Samaria, then Judea and the rest of Israel. And finally, Jerusalem! We must wake up before it is too late. Together we shall overcome! With Blessings and Love for Israel, Ruth Matar 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 To Go To Top

EVACUATION/COMPENSATION FOR THE ARABS Posted by Moshe Feiglin, February 25, 2005.

We shall struggle for Gush Katif and with G-d's help we shall win, but the most important question is what will happen on the day after. The government's decision to expel the residents of Gush Katif is, without doubt, a black milestone in the history of the State of Israel. However, as believing Jews it is clear to us that behind this harsh event lies a lesson that we must learn. We have to try and discover this lesson. At the time of Yamit we lowered our eyes and continued. Consequently we are once again encountering the same destructive forces (then also it was Sharon and the Likud) and the same destruction, but this time infinitely worse. It seems that the uprooting of an entire population forms a just and moral solution, and that no-one either in the Right or the Left regards the issue as a humanitarian problem. The Right would not protest if Sharon were to decide to disengage Kalkilya from Kfar Saba. No-one on the Right would then make comparisons with the Expulsion from Spain or with other dark regimes. It also becomes clear that the Left, when over all the years it spoke of the moral prohibition to transfer populations, did not speak the truth, for otherwise the Left should now protest against the expulsion of Jews. The sole decisive factor amongst both the right and the Left is the feeling of justice. The Left maintains that Eretz Israel belongs to the Arabs, and the Right that it belongs to the Jews. That's all there is to it. Both sides know that the solution lies in disengagement, and the difference between them is that the Right has accepted the approach of the Left (that now transpires to be an absolute lie), according to which the transfer of a population by its very nature represents a moral problem. In this way the transfer of the Arabs was placed outside the bounds of legitimate debate in the State of Israel. However, since disengagement is the sole solution, and disengagement of the Arabs is not legitimate, disengagement of the Jews has become legitimate and its implementation is only a question of time. This week all the barriers fell, and the following conclusions must be drawn: a) The solution is disengagement. b) There is no moral problem in transferring populations. c) The question is not whether it is permissible to uproot a population, but which population to uproot. In other words, to whom does the country belong? d) The answer to this question is given by the government that succeeds in passing the resolution in a legal manner. From now on it must be remembered that when a National Government comes to power, that believes in the right of the Jews and not in that of the enemy, it will possess the appropriate legal means, approved by Supreme Court rulings, for an immediate solution to the Jewish-Arab conflict over Eretz Israel: Evacuation-compensation for the Arabs. Manhigut Yehudit (Jewish Leadership) is a group of people inside the Likud party who want to see Israel adopt a more Jewish character. Moshe Feiglin, its cofounder, has emphatically said he does not want a theocracy, but he does want a State based on Jewish values. The Manhigut Yehudit website address is http://www.manhigut.org. To Go To Top

CANADIAN ANTI-SEMITE IN THE UNESCO Posted by Laureen Moe, February 24, 2005.

Mr. Pierre Poilievre (Nepean-Carleton, CPC): [Poilievre.P@parl.g c. ca] said yesterday in parliament: "...Mr. Speaker, it is an honour, as a friend of democracies of the world to introduce a petition, which calls upon the government to note the following. The appointment of Yvon Charbonneau as Canada's Ambassador to UNESCO has caused great concerns to Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Mr. Charbonneau has made numerous comments and statements publicly against Jewish Canadians and the state of Israel and has never recanted these anti-Semitic statements or beliefs. The appointment of Yvon Charbonneau as Ambassador of Canada, a man who has expressed anti-Semitic and anti-Israel and even anti-American views, sends a message to Canadians and the global community that such views reflect the policies of the Government of Canada. They state that these views are not acceptable to Canadians. ..." Please write to Minister of Foreign Affairs - Pierre Pettigrew: pettigrew.p@parl.gc.ca and Prime Minister Paul Martin: pm@pm.gc.ca Please write to your MP: http://canada.gc.ca/directories/direct_e.html Expressing your views and concerns. Laureen Moe is a Christian Zionist and lives in Canada. She can be reached at her website, http://www.laureenmoe.org To Go To Top

THE U.S.-BACKED "CONTIGUOUS PALESTINIAN" STATE Posted by Jan Willem van der Hoeven, February 24, 2005.

A referendum is needed. Not to decide about the beginning of this road - the expulsion of the Jews from Gaza. A referendum is need to decide about where it will undoubtedly lead: to a Palestinian State that will be used to destroy Israel. The U.S. backed and European pressured Road Map for 'peace' may likely result in: 1. The surrender of most of the Golan, Gaza, Judea and Samaria. 2. Civil war among the Israelis. 3. No true peace but a stage towards the further dismantling of the State of Israel. 4. No secure borders. 5. Gaza, Judea and Samaria turned into terrorist bases like southern Lebanon, with all the resulting unnecessary bloodshed. 6. No more land enough of Israel for all the Jews who have not yet emigrated to come back to. 7. A total unwillingness for all Arab Muslim Nations to make peace with Israel without Jerusalem becoming the Muslim Palestinian capital! Is this where it all is leading? To a divided land, "a contiguous Palestinian State" and thus a divided and eventually destroyed Israel? The yellow area would be a likely "contiguous Palestinian state" carved out of land legitimately belonging to Israel and in a good position to strike at what's left of Israel. The only, only way to defeat the disengagement plan of P.M. Sharon is to point out that it in the end - by the continuous pressure of the whole world - will lead into the much more serious trap for Israel: the expulsion of most of the Jews from Judea, Samaria and the Golan, after which a Palestinian State will be formed that will certainly become the springboard for the further demise and destruction of Israel. Imam Ibrahim Mudyris, as late as this month February, clearly pronounced this ultimate Islamic Palestinian goal in a Friday sermon broadcasted on official PA Television (February 4, 2005): "Our approval to return to the 1967 borders is not a concession for our other rights. No!... this generation might not achieve this stage, but generations will come, and the land of Palestine... will demand that the Palestinians will return the way Muhammad returned there - as a conqueror." In the light of the majority of the Likud Central Committee having already voted against the destructive formation of a Palestinian State in the heartland of Israel: in Judea and Samaria, a land which God swore, under oath, to give only to one people - not to two - as an everlasting possession, the question in any upcoming referendum to Israel's political parties individually or to the nation as a whole should therefore be this pertinent question: "In the realization of the still present dream of millions of Muslims and Arabs for the total destruction of Israel - even if they can only achieve it - by first receiving 'only' half of your land - are you nevertheless willing to take this risk of committing national suicide by accepting such a Palestinian State?" Thus not a referendum on the present disengagement plan from Gaza and Northern Samaria settlements is needed - but a binding referendum whether Israel is willing for peace sake to commit national suicide by the establishment of a Palestinian State which certainly will be exploited by the ISLAMIC forces like Alqaida, Hezbollah, Tanzim, Hamas, ISLAMIC JIHAD and other elements, who will soon fill up the vacuum the Israeli Defense Forces have left by withdrawing from most of the so called West Bank to the further demise of Israel. This is the question which needs now to be asked in a referendum before any other matter is decided upon. One cannot be clear enough to Israel's present politicians who view with great anxiety, foreboding and trepidation the present Sharon disengagement plan - if they want to stop this - they need to ask for a referendum not about this single disengagement issue but a referendum on where it may end: a Palestinian State - a tool in the hands of all Islamic terrorist groups and nations for the further destruction of their State. Jan Willem van der Hoeven is Director of International Christian Zionist Center in Jerusalem (www.israelmybeloved.com). To Go To Top

FREED TERRORIST ARRESTED AGAIN Posted by Mordechai Ben-Menachem, February 24, 2005.

This is a news item from today's Arutz-7 (www.IsraelNationalNews.com). Yet another released terrorist has been re-arrested by Israeli security forces for involvement in terrorism. The arrested man, Waseem Akab Khalil Mantzur, had been released from an Israeli prison in 2003 after spending less than a year in jail for his involvement in previous shooting attacks. Since his release, Mantzur has been involved in weapons dealing and various attacks against Israeli targets. The Tanzim faction to which Mantzur belonged has been carrying out its attacks in the Shechem region in coordination with the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, also affiliated with Fatah, and with the Hizbullah terrorist organization. Mantzur is from the village of Kfar Kalil and was involved in many recent attacks against IDF forces in the vicinity. He was involved in last week's attempted attack on the Jewish community of Bracha, in which another released terrorist, Atzam Mantzur, was killed while planting a bomb. Israel set him free in January 2004 as part of an exchange for kidnapped Israeli Elhanan Tenenbaum and the bodies of three IDF soldiers murdered by Hizbullah. Despite the attack on Bracha, Israel released the first group of 500 Arab prisoners last week as a "good-will gesture" to provide PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) with an accomplishment he can chalk up to his credit. Yehudit Dasberg, whose daughter and son-in-law were murdered by terrorists nine years ago, told Arutz-7 today that the government disregards the fact that a large percentage of the released terrorists return to murdering Jews. "The government releases terrorist murderers, without examining at all whether the freed terrorists return to killing Jews. We have in our possession dozens of names of Israelis wounded by terrorists who released by Israel in the past," said Dasberg. According to Dasberg, Deputy Defense Minister Zev Boim has confirmed that due to lack of budget, the IDF and security services have not carried out any investigation into how many freed terrorists have returned to carrying out attacks. "We, the families of terror victims, are representing all of Israel's citizens," Mrs. Dasberg said, "and not just those on the right-wing. It is in everyone's interest not to release terrorists who, in light of past experience, will definitely return to trying to kill Jews. When they say the terrorists being released have no 'blood on their hands,' it just means they weren't successful in killing Jews on their first try. Their desire to continue trying to murder remains. What kind of country will we have with 900 more terrorist murderers roaming freely in our land?" Dasberg added that when she petitioned the Supreme Court, asking how Israel could continue to arrest criminals when murderers are released, Justice Mishael Heshin told her, "You are bringing claims from the realm of ethics and justice when we are here to discuss law alone." Mordechai Ben-Menachem is at Ben-Gurion University. He can be reached by email at quality@computer.org To Go To Top

CHRISTIAN AID USES CHARITY FUNDS FOR ANTI-ISRAEL POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENTS Posted by NGO Monitor Organization, February 24, 2005.

SUMMARY: Drawing upon simplistic and emotional language and imagery, a prominent advertisement from Christian Aid on the front page of The Guardian sees this organization again using its considerable "charitable" resources to promote a political message focused on Israel's security barrier against Palestinian terror attacks. On 15 February 2005, the front page of The Guardian featured a prominent advertisement from Christian Aid. At an estimated cost of approximately &x#00A3;4000 ($7500), Christian Aid has again used its considerable "charitable" resources to promote a political message focused on Israel's security barrier against Palestinian terror attacks. Drawing upon simplistic and emotional language and imagery, this advertisement erases the context of this violent conflict, as was the case in CA's "Child of Bethlehem" and "Peace Under Siege" campaigns. Failing to acknowledge any Palestinian responsibility for the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian Authority, Christian Aid places the blame solely on "Israel's occupation and the poverty it has created." While Christian Aid claims to have condemned Palestinian suicide bombings, this immoral 'balance' does not justify the political attacks against Israel, as documented and analyzed by NGO Monitor and repeated in this advertisement. The one-sided text, while referring to the difficult situation in both Israel and the Palestinian territories, treats the Palestinians as "the voiceless ones" ignoring the "voiceless" Israeli victims of terror and the many lives that have been saved by the security barrier. Christian Aid claims, in dramatic and entirely unsubstantiated fashion, that Palestinian families will be "carved down the middle by the separation barrier." In sharp contrast to its legal status as a charity, Christian Aid's advertisement in The Guardian illustrates an unchanging political agenda, even at a time of renewed hope and efforts at peacemaking in the Middle East. In contrast to the new atmosphere in the region, it appears that Christian Aid has not reevaluated its own highly partisan contribution to the hatred and violence. The NGO Monitor organization (www.ngo-monitor.org) promotes critical debate and accountability of human rights NGOs in the Arab Israeli Conflict. Note that the original article contained dynamic links to additional material (http://www.ngo-monitor.org/editions/v3n07/ CAUsesCharityFundsForAntiIsraelAdverts.htm). To Go To Top

ZIONISTS AREN'T THE REAL JEWS Posted by J.A. Omayyad, February 24, 2005.

Are you tring to say that "zionists"and "JEWS" are the same people.I personaly know hundreds of "ARAB JEWS" and they hate the zionists.Can you tell me why the WHOLE world hates the zionists.You see, the majority of arabs respect the real Jews--they follow gods laws to the letter.The "zionists on the other hand are the disease that tries to claim they are Jews.After reading some of the garbage you have posted, i realize that Israel will never have 100% security .All you do is bash Arabs.I have real Jews in our family tree,we love them and they love us .WE ARE BLOOD.you trash will remain "OUR" enemy until the end of time.You see its the real Jews that supply the Palestinian factions with arms to hit the zionists-dont tell me you dont know that -gosh -everyone knows that!(TRY LOVE) J.A.Omayyad can be contacted by email at jra_ucc@yahoo.com To Go To Top

WE HAVE TO FOLLOW ORDERS Posted by IsrAlert, February 24, 2005.

This was written by Aliza Karp with Menachem Porter "We have to follow orders," is what the policeman told Menachem. Recently there has been a news blitz about how police have been in special training to remove Jewish mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, grandparents and infants from their homes. (I could have said remove 'setters' from their homes, but these are people, not a category. I wish I could put all 8,000 names every time I mention the deportation. Because there are 8,000 individual souls.) The news blitz got a jumpstart by coming out as a leak and afterwards the news release came. I happen to believe that the reports are true, but I also believe that the 'leak' was in order to get maximum media coverage. It is more ammunition for the psychological war that the state is waging on its loyal citizens: tinkers, tailors, soldiers, sailors, rich ones, poor ones, best friends and lovers. I heard from a Rav yesterday that he got a communiqué that was from the Avraham's, Bracha's, Coby's, Dalia's, Ehud's and Zahava's of Yesha. They were asking rabbis their Halachic opinion as to what they should do. What is forbidden because it is considered putting yourself and your children in danger and what is forbidden as far as turning over the land to terrorists and thereby facilitating the murder and destruction that will follow. The questions are heartbreaking. These people are under tremendous pressure. If I were in that position, I think I would project what my feelings would be in the future. If I did not resist the expulsion, how would I feel in years to come? Or if I put myself in danger - because this is the land promised to us by G-d and given to us through miracles and sustained through miracles - how would I feel in years to come? On second thought, maybe I am in that position. How will I feel in years to come, knowing someone else fought my battle while I sat by the pool at a bungalow colony and of course went to Shiurim, all the while sighing deeply as I read the news? In the midst of all the publicity and tumult about police training, I got an email from a young man I know, who studies in Yerushalim and spends every Erev Shabbos in the Hevron area going to army outposts with his Tefilin and a bottle of Coke and a smile. This is what Menachem wrote: "I myself spoke to a cop on Friday, and he told me that he's already been in training for 7 months. He said 'you guys are the Rebbe's army, what he says you do, what he says not to, you don't. We are Israel's army and even though it's not comfortable, we have to follow orders.' Rings a bell, doesn't it? What I want is for these reports to get to press in America, we can't have a replay of 1940. Back then, the unbelievable reports that leaked out of Europe were dismissed as 'unreliable' and 'exaggerated' and history tells us the terrible results." Hopefully reinforcements from other parts of Yesha will be moving into the threatened areas to help defend them. But can Americans really go to these areas and be a help and not a hindrance? The answer might be for us city slickers to go to reinforce the towns in other parts of the country, while our tougher cousins leave their posts to serve in the front lines. There might be jobs we can fill in for: teachers, bookkeepers, storekeepers, tinkers, tailors? Harv Weiner, a businessman in Dallas, Texas, is the founder and moderator of Isralert. To subscribe to IsrAlert, send an email to isralert@aol.com To Go To Top

CAN YOU SEE? Posted by Yuval Zaliouk, February 24, 2005.

Dear friends, If you have not noticed yet, the Middle East is truly a bizarre place. It is as if every few months someone feels compelled to come up with a new plan or term to interfere with the people living there. Today let us concentrate on a new term coined by President Bush in his speech in Brussels earlier this week. I am referring to the term "contiguous," as in the new Palestinian state must have a 'contiguous' territory in order to make it a viable state. First let us clarify one very important point: President Bush did not invent the idea. Like all "peace" plans ever brought to light (and failed), they originated in Israeli by Israeli leaders, mostly by leaders from the left, or like Sharon, who suddenly advocates leftist ideas. Always remember that neither the "Road Map" nor the "Disengagement" Plan were invented in Washington DC. They were exported from Jerusalem!!! It took a lot of persuasion by Israeli officials to sell the plans to the bewildered (at first) Americans. When last year the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza plan was brought before Ms. Condolizza Rice by Sharon's envoy Weisglass, her initial reaction was something close to: Are you crazy? But back to "contiguous." For four years the Israeli left has been blaming the failure of the Barak / Arafat negotiations in Camp David, not on Arafat's character and intentions, but on the fact that the 95% territory of Judea and Samaria offered to him was not "contiguous." Namely, there were Israeli pockets left in the territories. On its face it sounds almost legitimate: Why should a Palestinian state contain Israeli pockets? Now, come, friends, ask the question again, this time louder: WHY SHOULD A PALESTINIAN STATE CONTAIN ISRAELI POCKETS? Can you see how ridiculous this is? OK, here is the mirror question: WHY SHOULD ISRAEL CONTAIN ARAB POCKETS? Why is Israel not allowed to be "contiguous?" In tiny Israel there are close to hundred Arab villages and towns. 20% of its population is Arab. Is Israel "CONTIGUOUS?" Can you see the injustice now? What the President and Sharon should have declared is clear: For every Jewish village or town there should be and exchange of an Arab village or town. In many conflicts in history such an exchange of population has been an accepted principal. But if you feel a revulsion to such a solution, fine, but explain why can't Jews continue to live among Arabs? The idea that in the context of true peace only the Arabs are permitted to have a cleansed state but not Israel is so outrageous, it is almost beyond words. Sharon is evicting ALL Jewish Israeli citizens from Gaza and Northern Samaria in order to hand the Arab "Palestinians" a territory clean of Jews... Again, think seriously: In the context of TRUE peace, why would Jews not be allowed to remain in a future "Palestine" and keep their homes there if they so wish, just as Arabs live peacefully in Israel? Instead of chasing Jews from their legal homes, Sharon and President Bush, should have made it extremely clear: Peace means just that, PEACE!!! As Germans can live in France and French in Germany, Jews should be able to remain in Hebron and Gaza as Arabs can remain in Jaffa and the Galilee, otherwise, what kind of peace, democracy and freedom are they really talking about? This is what the Arabs need to internalize as a pre-condition. Until they do, Israelis must remain in their communities and the Israeli Army must defend them. I believe that this point is the most crucial one in the entire conflict. It contains within it the answer to the Arab propaganda term "occupation" (which never was). It also reveals the true nature of the Arab intentions: This is NO peace. It is the first installment of their intention to the eventual eviction of most Jews from Israel, as stated clearly in the Palestinian National Charter. Can you see? Your Truth Provider, Yuval Yuval Zaliouk writes the Truth Provider columns. To subscribe, send an email to ynz@netvision.net.il To Go To Top

GUSH MAKES PLANS - MAKES GREAT SENSE TO ME Posted by Ken Heller, February 24, 2005.

This is from my friend Anita Tucker who lives in Gush Katif. To help the Gush Katif community in their courageous battle to save their homes and Israel's honor, you can SEND YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TO: "FRIENDS OF GUSH KATIF" AND MAIL IN CARE OF EITHER: In Israel: Katif Regional Development Fund Neve Dekalim, D.N HOF AZA 79779 In America: KEN HELLER, 11213 JEANES STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA. 19116 or: AMERICANS FOR A SAFE ISRAEL, 1623 THIRD AVENUE, SUITE 205, NEW YORK, N.Y 10128 or: MARC ZWEBNER, 588 SOUTH FOREST DRIVE, TEANECK, NEW JERSEY 07666 Help give real meaning to the phrase, NEVER AGAIN"!!! In my town we are trying to organize quietly in this direction -but money is a big problem--a generator for the 500 people in our town -is a lot more money than we can manage. More families are quietly moving in as well. We are also trying to find money for family size tents and either chemical or mobile bathrooms that we could possibly hook up to system. Many families are calling they want to move in very soon as the gov't sources are spreading rumers of closing off area - anywhere between March and May and then till expulsion date each person coming in would need special permit - but of course we don't know if this isn't part of psychological warfare. Meanwhile volunteer lawyers are taking the Gov't to Supreme court on every little detail of the expulsion law with unbelievable facts - like that they were not able to find another example in recent history of a similar removal of such a large population from their homes and farms and businesses. The time allowed for the expulsion is totally unreasonable - every farmer will lose an entire year of crops for which he will not be compensated. Even in the expulsion from spain the Jews were allowed a much longer period of time to organize themselves to leave Spain and later when the expulsion of Jews continued to Portugal in 1492 it was decided to give them even longer because the time given in Spain turned out to be impossible to enact. etc etc. There are also plans to put up endless new hilltop settlements all over Judea and Samaria as most of the Police and Army will be in Gush Katif - so they will have no way of stopping this unless they take troops and police out of Gush Katif. There are also efforts to get the Likud party Central members to force Sharon to have a nataional referendum - planned for next week. Also for Purim people from Yesha and supporters will personally distribute to EVERY SINGLE home in Israel Mishloach Manot of Gush Katif products + a new CD on Gush Katif and information on the basic details of poulation, size, production etc of Gush Katif that the average person in Israel doesn't know - most think it is a caravan or two with a few nutty settlers - so what's the big deal to uproot it. Ken, there are plans in every direction being enacted on but those that are really serious cost tons of money so anyone who can organize people to seriously participate in this effort will be taking a serious step in enabling it to be done. God has helped us in that Sharon has forced the Lnesset to pass a law that offers compensation that is so low and so unrealistic, and time for resettling the population here is so short and totally impossible to in fact do in any sort of a half normal way, that even those people who are having a hard time dealing with all this Evil Psychological warfare of Sharon are now saying THEY ARE NOT BUDGING FROM HERE under those conditions. So far in all of the 8500 people now living in Gush Katif we know of only 17 families that have signed to leave - (14 from one town who now regret their act). This is unbelievably low and wonderful and amazing. You can't possibly imagine the pressure that Sharon's people are putting on us - plus the media, who are writing the craziest things to delegitimize us and to scare us - Every evening we are making meetings with groups in our town and thank God there is real beautiful unity among us - we are all planning to sign now an ethical agreement where we all agree to stick this out via supporting and helping each other no matter what. The thing that scares some of the adults is how will they manage financially - how will they pay their mortgages the suppliers etc -- if they stay on and can't work or sell their goods. We are organizing for this as well - here again money is the thing that we are trying to organize to calm these fears. I think every Jew in the world to whom Israel is dear must be part of these efforts -- his financial distress in his supporting this effort must be no less than the people who are planning to stay and hold the fort here as well as those from all over the country who are already leaving their jobs and moving here now for fear that they won't be allowed in later and won't be able to be part of the privilege of showing their devotion to the land and people of Israel in this crucial struggle that is about the essence of Israel and Judaism. So as usual DEVOTION and MONEY are the means to the end. God willing WE SHALL OVERCOME! God willing we will all do it together! Ken Heller is a pro-Israel activist and a member of the Philadelphia Chapter of Americans For A Safe Israel. He can be reached at kjhnha@aol.com. To Go To Top

CLEARING UP SOME CONCEPTS Posted by Steven Plaut, February 24, 2005.

1. "Clearing up Some Definitions, or, Who says that Only Chomsky can Do Linguistics?" (http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/moonbatcentral/2005/02/ clearing-up-some-definitions-or-who.html) Since there has been a lot of confusion lately about definitions of terms, it behooves us to clarify some terms: 1. Capitalist: A. Someone who owns capital, and thus would include almost all American workers, who own capital through their pension funds. B. Someone who understands that capitalism is the only system on earth that can produce wealth or reduce poverty. 2. Liberal: Before 1960, someone who believes in individual freedom, economic freedom, and opposes discrimination. Since 1970, someone who opposes individual freedom, opposes economic freedom, and supports discrimination. 3. Marxist: A. An extremely rare form of psychosis and personality disorder. B. Something someone claims to be to make their Mommy mad. 4. Fidelista: a terminal case of #3. 5. Socialist: A. Someone who refuses to study economics. B. Someone practicing recreational compassion. 6. Conservative: see "liberal" for before 1960. 7. Jew - someone born to a Jewish mother or who converted to Judaism. 8. Self-hating Jew: A Jew who supports Arab terrorism and wants Israel destroyed 9. Christian: someone following the teachings of Christ. 10. Zionist: A Jew who is not a self-hating Jew. 11. Anti-Zionist: an Anti-Semite 12. Deconstructionist: a twit with nothing of value to say about anything 13. Progressive: shallow politically-correct liberals and leftists 14. Post-modernist: a Deconstructionist without all that depth in understanding 15. Multiculturalist: someone pretending to be interested in other cultures, as long as no one asks him or her to study a foreign language 16. Humanist: a human speciesist 17. Reconstructionist: see "Deconstructionist" 18. Empowered: a meaningless word PC leftists use to make themselves feel deep 19. Feminist: A. Before 1970, someone who wants equality of opportunity for the sexes. B. After 1970, someone who opposes equality of opportunity for the sexes. 20. Palestinian self-determination: the destruction of Israel and its depopulation 21. Democrat: see "liberal". 22. Moderate Republican: see "Democrat". 23. Caring: what liberals claim to be to make themselves feel good. 24. Egalitarian: someone who opposes equality of opportunity. 25 White: an American person with light complexion generally possessing a mix of Caucasian, American Indian, and other racial ancestors. 26. Black: an American person with dark complexion generally possessing a mix of black, Caucasian, American Indian, and other racial ancestors. 27. Hispanic: A. Anyone speaking Spanish except someone from Spain. B. Anyone the racist bureaucrats in Washington decide arbitrarily is Hispanic. 28. Asian: someone whose ancestors do not come from Asia west of the Himalaya mountains. 29. Afrocentric: someone who hates white people. 30. Eurocentric: a meaningless adjective attached by PC leftists to everything they do not like. 31. Freedom of speech: something PC leftists want promoted through censorship and speech codes. 32. The media: an Old Boys Club for liberals. 33. Affirmative action: a form of apartheid. More on PC-speak can be found at http://chronwatch.com/content/contentDisplay.asp?aid=13253 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. To Go To Top

KNESSET PROBES SHIMON PERES Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, February 24, 2005.

There is a story within a story here. The obvious story is about a crook called Shimon Peres and all the little Peresites that accompany him. The hidden story here is about David Bedein. He is one of the handful of real and honest journalist in Israel. This is not his first scoop. Without benefit of multi-million dollar backers or a super sophisticated telecommunication-computer network, he has managed to uncover one major scandal after another in Israel. Of which nearly all have been studiously ignored by the Israeli media and political system. This one seems to have hit a nerve. Most people in or out of the political establishment despise Peres. However, since he is the Boss of Bosses, the founder and ultimate controller of Israel's secret police, the SHABBAK, he is feared. Let us hope that the lump that would be formed by trying to sweep under the carpet this latest scandal involving Peres will be too big to ignore. This article is by Aaron Klein, WorldNetDaily's Jerusalem bureau chief, whose past interview subjects have included Yasser Arafat, Ehud Barak, Shlomo Ben Ami and leaders of the Taliban. It appeared today in World Net Daily. (http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43007) Top official under investigation for role in funds tied to Palestinian Authority JERUSALEM - Israel's Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres is being investigated for alleged involvement in a private technology fund coordinated with the Palestinian Authority while he was a government minister -- a move some are charging was a conflict of interest requiring him to step down from his government position, WorldNetDaily has learned. The investigation, to be conducted by members of the Knesset Ethics Committee, focuses around the establishment by Peres of the Peace Technology Fund, a $160 million venture-capital entity created in part to encourage investment in the Palestinian economy. Investors in the fund, allegedly procured while Peres was minister of regional cooperation under Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in 1999, include the Palestinian National Authority and several companies that have in the past contributed to the Peres Center for Peace, a non-profit think tank he founded. The fund's first investment was announced in Business Week in June 1999, one month after Peres assumed his ministerial position that year. The article reported, "A venture capital fund founded by former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres has taken a $9 million, 3.3 percent stake in Paltel, the Palestinian Telecommunications Co., according to officials of the Peace Technology Fund. The investment is the first by the peace fund, which was established last year by Israeli and Palestinian investors." "The fund has raised $60 million from Israeli, Palestinian, and foreign investors. The Peace Technology Fund was established by Peres and the World Bank as part of an attempt to spur investment in the Palestinian economy." The Palestinian National Authority, according to a report by the Democratic Council, invested $22 million in the fund, also allegedly while Peres was an Israeli minister. The PNC is a monetary branch of the Palestinian Authority. Other investments in the fund, totaling nearly $10 million, were made by Bank Leumi, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Federmann Enterprises, Koor Industries, Arison Investments, Strauss Holding, Delta Galil, Daimler Chrysler and Keter Plastics. Most are contributors to the Peres Center for Peace, which itself is listed as a member of the fund's advisory board. David Bedein, director of the Israel Resource News Agency, alerted members of the Knesset Ethics Committee yesterday to the fund's activities and has sparked a Knesset investigation to determine if Peres' involvement with the fund was a conflict of interest and whether the veteran Israeli politician received or continues to receive fees for allegedly securing multimillion dollar investments or profits from previous fund ventures. Bedein told WND, "Since Peres was the minister of regional cooperation when the Palestinian investment was made, the Knesset Ethics Committee will now investigate whether Peres was paid a consulting or broker fee as payment for bringing in the investment." Consultants procuring investments for companies or funds typically receive finders fees of 2 to 5 percent. The Palestinian Authority's investment of $22 million could have earned Peres a fee of $440,000, according to yesterday's briefing to members of the Ethics Committee. Another charge brought to the Knesset focuses around the fund's $9 million investment in the Paltel Palestinian communications company, also after Peres assumed his 1999 government position. The price of Paltel's shares rose from 2.5 Jordanian dinars in May 1999 to 4.5 in August 1999, reportedly realizing a nearly $10 million profit for the fund's investment that year. The stock increase has been widely attributed to a monopoly license granted in August 1999 by the Palestinian Authority to Paltel for the company to operate exclusive wireless services in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. WND has learned the Ethics Committee will investigate whether Peres knew in advance, through contacts while he was a member of the Israeli government, the PA was planning to grant Paltel the exclusive contract, and whether Peres personally profited from the fund's investment. Other questions surround Peres' relationship to Evergreen Canada Investment Management, a Canadian company listed on the advisory board of the fund. A subsidiary of the company was reportedly granted an advisory contract to help the Palestinian Commercial Services Corporation, a financial arm of the Palestinian Authority, invest more than $170 million in international private equity funds in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Bedein asks, "What was the role of Peres in helping Evergreen receive the advisory contract from the PCSC? Was Mr. Peres paid a consultancy fee by Evergreen for his work in convincing the directors of the PCSC that they should give this investment advisory work to Evergreen? As Evergreen has no expertise or experience whatsoever on investment capital into private equity funds, the question remains why the PCSC would chose Evergreen?" Further questions being raised by the Ethics Committee include: "Do Mr. Peres or the Peres Peace Center today hold any shares or equity in the Peace Technology Fund? Why does the Peres Peace Center maintain an advisory role in the private held Peace Technology Fund?" Peres served twice as Israel's prime minister - following the formation of a unity government in 1984, he was an alternate prime minister with Likud leader Yitzhak Shamir, and again in 1995 after Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. Peres has held numerous other government posts, including deputy defense minister, minister of immigrant absorption, minister-without-portfolio, minister of transport and communication, and minister of information. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon appointed Peres foreign minister until Labor left the government in 2003, and created for him the position of vice prime minister when Labor again joined Sharon's coalition in December. Peres founded the Center for Peace in 1996 with the aim, according to its website, of "realizing [Peres'] vision of a 'New Middle East,' in which people of the region work together to build peace through socio-economic cooperation and people-to-people relations." 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. To Go To Top

WHO SAYS ISRAEL HAS DEMOCRACY? Posted by Arlene Peck, February 23, 2005.

Once upon a time, a long time ago, I was a young journalist visiting in Israel. Just to give you an idea of how long ago, I was a blonde then, and then Defense Minister, Arik Sharon, was just a "little stout". I remember meeting him at a "working luncheon" and found him to be a little flirtatious and a lot charming. Then, I thought he was nice and rational. Amazing how a few decades can change things. Today, I find Israel's Prime Minister neither charming nor rational. As an American living in California, I find him treacherous, corrupt, and downright scary. Lord and this from a woman who also personally found Peres charming in her dealings with him. Makes me totally doubt my judgment in men as both of them could not be more dangerous to the well-being of the Jewish State. Do you know how confusing it is to read an article in anti-Semitic newspapers like the Los Angeles Times entitled, "Sharon Says He's prepared to Make 'Painful Concessions'" They never mention though, how as a result, Israel will be making disastrous concessions. The Associated Press was absolutely gloating how the Israeli Prime Minister, in his first interview with an Arab newspaper, sought to soften his image among Egyptians. How lovely. How absolutely terrific that, while the Jews are getting ready to be shipped out, of their Jewish homes, Ariel is giving interviews to the Arab press how ready, even anxious he is to "make painful concessions." Now, here's the catchy phrase, "to end the region's half-century of conflict." Maybe he might want to ask himself before more destruction being done to Israel as who actually caused this "conflict". As though all of the marvelous concessions he, Beilin and Peres have in store are going to actually make them like the Jews. I don't think so. What the thinking behind the "painful concessions" comments is how he wants to show the Arab world that he is really, really nice. So what if, from here, the very future of Israel is hanging by a thread? And, while the Islamic enemy is using this time to re-group and re-charge, Sharon and company are giving photo-ops and interviews to Al Ahram that "he had faith that he, Abbas and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak could take the opportunity to push the Israeli, Egyptian and Palestinian people forward," yatta.. yatta.. yatta.. Once again, Sharon "hinted" that he would like to see a Palestinian state established during his term. Now, doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hey, I know the Palestinians have to be happy with him. After all, the Sharon and Peres duo have agreed to create a country for a people that did not exist until 1967. Even more so, since the Israelis Prime Minister was so willing to state to the foreign press that the "controversial barrier Israel is building to separate itself from the West Bank will not mark the borders of a new Palestinian state." I find it amazing that just like that, with a snap of his fingers, a few self-serving politicians just decided to "make a Palestinian state". They did have the decency to comment how Sharon still has a few "traditional sticking points such as the status of Jerusalem, the return of Palestinian refugees and the borders of the Palestinian state." If it is so easy, then how difficult could it be to hire a public relations company and do a few photo-ops for a transfer? In addition, moving the Jews out of their country was not the transfer that I had in mind. Everybody laughs about the "fruits and nuts" living in California. And, sometimes I agree. However, not so long ago, a great many of us were unhappy with the mentality of the then-Governor, Grey Davis. He was incompetent and costing the state a fortune. So, a grass roots effort was started and petitions signed and pretty soon, they had enough to have a vote for a new governor to run the state. The key word here folks, is VOTE! "Arnold" was elected, the destruction was halted, and the rest is history. That, to me folks, is democracy at work. The very idea that a few recycled politicians, for self-serving needs or misguided incompetence, can decide the direction of an entire country, without a referendum from the entire population, is not a democracy! Agreeing to create a country for a people that did not exist until 1967 is bizarre. The people of Israel have to decide, in a countrywide referendum what has to be done. A lot of work needs to be done ... and fast ... but Israel can change the system. Critical life and death critical decisions are in the making and should not, nor cannot be done by a few destructive men. What is happening now is dangerous beyond comprehension. For the first time, I see the Jewish state in danger of a tremendous split from within. They have enough trouble from their real enemies who live for their deaths to continue on the track they are on. First and foremost, Israel needs a Constitution, just like every other real democracy. It wouldn't even hurt if the Israeli system could take a lead from what we do in the United States and actually use a system of government that has check and balances. Someone could sit them down and tell the citizens of Israel all about the separate Executive, Judiciary and Legislative powers, a system that actually works. The Judiciary and the Attorney General are important here, but they don't run the country as seems to be happening in Israel's version of a "democracy". Hey, maybe if they tried something called term limits we wouldn't be seeing four or five decades later the same old, and I do mean old, politicians still running the country. When it comes to our Presidents, eight years is enough! Most of the time, its more than enough. And, what better place to start but with the citizens of Israel and a referendum. It is obvious that the men leading the country need to be changed, but the system is the first place to start. The answer is not in a two-state solution, which Sharon and some anti-Semitic world leaders seem to be proposing. That is the beginning of the terrorists' state within Israel, which will be the ultimate destruction of Israel. Each concession that is forced upon and accepted by Israel, to my way of thinking is another nail in the coffin of the country. "Never Again" seems to be "Possibly Again" if Bush, Rice, Blair, Annan, Putin, Solana, Sharon and Peres have their way. Enough is enough! Arlene Peck is an internationally syndicated columnist and television talk show hostess. She can be reached at: bestredhead@earthlink.net and www.arlenepeck.com To Go To Top

3 KEY REPORTS FROM ISRAEL RESOURCE NEWS AGENCY Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, February 23, 2005.

David Bedein, Bureau Chief of Israel Resource News Agency, is to be congratulated for bringing us what may be several hidden issues. The following are 3 key and linked reports on PM Sharon's current dealings. David Bedein exposes severe problems in the Sharon administration and decision-making during these critical times. A Winston Commentary of personal opinion precedes each of the Bedein Reports. Please read consecutively and to the end to grasp the synergy. 1. "Threats To The Life Of Israel's Prime Minister," by David Bedein, Bureau Chief, Israel Resource News Agency, www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com Winston Commentary: Perhaps we have forgotten PM Rabin's enlistment of the GSS (Shabak) for what is called in American politics, the Dirty Tricks department. Rabin and the Shabak directors initiated a campaign of Dirty Tricks through Agents Provocateurs before and during Oslo. Their role was to either attack Arabs or attack Rabin's character - as if it was the work of the political Right. One particular agent (among others) Avishai Raviv (code-named "Champagne") even distributed posters which he had produced of PM Rabin in a Nazi uniform infuriating the citizens of Israel - which was the intent. It took years to fully expose Rabin's role in this anti-Right propaganda - including the names of the GSS Director, the Agent Provocateur and, in the end, the most insidious information was still hidden. Raviv was protected by the GSS and the courts which accommodates the political Left, wherever possible. Now once again PM Sharon has followed this scurrilous technique of using propaganda to the effect that he is under threat to his life so the general public will be sympathetic to him personally and turn against the settlers and the Political Right as before under Rabin. Sharon even stooped so low as to claim there are threats to his wife, Lily's grave where she is buried on his Sycamore Farm in the Negev. This is the most ugly lie of all. The fact is that Sharon's Farm has been under heavy guard and electronic surveillance since Sharon became Prime Minister because he was so hated by the Arab Muslim Palestinians and the Political Left of Israel. Floating the rumor that Lily's grave was under threat was a cheap, low level trick of a politician to bring personal and emotional sympathy to him and further demonize the settlers. As for other threatening letters, it doesn't take much to write and post such letters to others of Sharon's group, intending them to be read and passed over to the Hebrew Leftist Media so they could be spread among the people. A recent report in Arutz Sheva (7) indicates that most of these threatening letters came from an elderly woman - a Holocaust survivor - who, in her letter spoke about the small town in Poland where she was born. The Police located her at her home in Bat Yam - only to find that she has been writing these letters for 14 years, often spending 12 to 16 hours a day to producing them. Perhaps you have noticed that they were always dismissed as crank letters all public figures received until Sharon and the Leftist Media found a use for them. Sharon has used every ugly trick to demonize the settlers so that when he launches his attack to uproot and evict them from their homes, any cruelty - even shooting by the Police will be approved. As for the recent recruiting the Presidents' Conference of Major Jewish Organizations to condemn these threats, well that has never been a problem. They will believe anything negative about the settlers and the Political Right, particularly when spoken by an Israeli political leaders. They rarely probe into the real facts. Tricking the people with false propaganda in politics and war is a standard in the Dirty Tricks Department in Israel as well as the U.S., et al. For Sharon, manipulation of public opinion is simply part of his persona. I am awaiting a shot being fired out of a crowd of protesters by a planted Agent Provocateur at the Police or Military who are evacuating the pioneers from Gush Katif. This would be intended to justify salvos of bullets to be shot at the protesters. Perhaps, it will be a self-inflicted wound in order to justify attacks against the Refuseniks. Sharon is at war against the Jews he once praised as the best that the nation of Israel could offer. Now the master of switching parties and ideology is at war with observant Jews pejoratively called "settlers". Even Sharon's former friend, the legendary fighter Meir Har-Tzion has broken his silence and has said in a public interview in Ma'ariv that "Arik Sharon is crazy - the great fighter is running away. He has become a very dangerous man." Har-Tzion calls Sharon's disengagement plan, a "holocaust". And "if a Palestinian state is established here, it will be the beginning of the end for us." Moshe Dayan referred to the famed fighter, Har-Zion as the bravest Jewish warrior since Bar Kochba. Retired with injuries in 1956, Har-Zion has organized a protest movement against the disengagement among Kibbutz and Moshav farmers. SOLUTIONS: Since I am "certain" that men like Sharon and Shimon Peres always want the truth to come out and not to be tainted by political considerations, consider the following: If there is a planted shooter in the crowd of protesters, let the crowd capture him and then have him questioned by the settlers, using techniques of interrogation such as those known by the Shabak. Film record his statement and turn him over to authorities with the tapes going both to the Police and to the International Media. Better to get the truth out to the public than to have suspicions arise that the Police will suppress the truth as they did with Avishai Raviv. Bedein's Report: For the past four months, the Israeli media has been reporting that there are increased threats against the life of the Israeli Prime Minister. Each time, our news agency hears of such a threat, we call to the spokesman of the Israeli Prime Minister to verify if this is the case that the PM is indeed under such a threat. The consistent answer that we have received from the PM's office is that there is no such threat. However, the news reports have continued, culminating in a resolution taken by the visiting Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations from North America on February 20th, 2005 which condemned "the campaign of threats to the life of the Prime Minister." Yet on February 21st, 2005, the respected investigative reporter Kalman Liebskind, writing in the Ma'ariv newspaper, revealed that a special intelligence unit of the Israeli police has been spreading threats against the life of Israel's Prime Minister. Here is the translated article in question: [Note: The term "champagne" is derived from the term that Israeli police intelligence used to describe Avishai Raviv, the police intelligence agent who created an extremist group which operated Yigal Amir before the assassination of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin] "The Police's 'Champagne,'" Ma'ariv, Feb.21st, 2005 by Kalman Liebeskind A police intelligence source who is active in extreme right-wing groups in Israel, and who hands over information to the Judea and Samaria police, is himself responsible for printing stickers against the prime minister and against Arabs. The man, who hands over the information without payment, was also involved in recruiting activists for demonstrations that took place last week during which right-wing extremists blocked traffic intersections. In recent weeks the man told his associates that he intends to spearhead additional activities of much more violent civil disobedience during the implementation of the disengagement plan, which will begin in five months. According to the plan, government institutions and courts, where security is weak, will be attacked and various places torched in an attempt to keep the police busy and prevent it from properly carrying out the operation of evacuating settlements in the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria. The activist, who lives over the Green Line, is not acting under the orders of the intelligence coordinator who is in charge of maintaining contact with him, but only gives his handlers information, sometimes partial, about his activities. It is feared that his statements and threats might escalate, in light of his previous activities in a radical right wing movement. Inter alia, in one instance he and several other members bought several pocket knives with the intention of handing them out to settlers during the evacuation. Members of the organization said that the goal was to enable settlers who were arrested by police to cut off the plastic handcuffs easily. Another activity in which he took major part was the distribution of the sticker reading "Sharon, Lily is waiting for you." He was also one of those behind the distribution of the Monopoly game whose board contained slogans calling for the expulsion of Arabs and mass riots. After the appearances of the game and the sticker, the State Attorney's Office ordered the police to begin investigations of alleged incitement. Two investigations are still in progress. The Samaria and Judea police did not comment. 2. Knesset Ethics Committee Study On Feb. 22 - "Shimon Peres' Conflict of Interests." by David Bedein, Bureau Chief,Israel Resource News Agency, Research Associate, Center For Near East Policy Research, Cell# 0547 222 661. (*http://israelbehindthenews.com/Archives/Dec-27-04.htm#ptf) Winston Commentary: David Bedein is to be congratulated for bringing what may be a hidden transaction by Shimon Peres in the Cayman Islands as a cut-out to avoid public knowledge of himself and/or his organizations' participation in what may prove to be an illegal manipulation of stock. Generally, such profits are also intended to be hidden from Israeli tax authorities. How were these funds eventually used? Did they flow into Yasir Arafat's Terrorist pipelines - Who were the participating advisors, such as Peres' brother? Was Dov Weisglass a participant or an advisor? Will there be a proper hearing or will it be arranged by Attorney Gen. Mazuz to be dragged out for years and then dismissed for lack of evidence? Will everything remain hidden until after Sharon and Peres push through the "Disengagement"? What role is the Peres organization supposed to play in Sharon's planning? Will the Leftist Hebrew Media try to bury the full story? Bedein Report: TODAY, FEBRUARY 22ND, 2005, AT 1:30 PM, THE "KNESSET ETHICS COMMITTEE" WILL BEGIN DELIBERATIONS ON THE "BEDEIN REPORT" FINDINGS CONCERNING THE INVESTMENTS FACILITATED BY ISRAELI VICE PRIME MINISTER SHIMON PERES IN THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY, TO DETERMINE IF MR. PERES, IN HIS CURRENT POSITION IN THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL, HAS POSITIONED HIMSELF IN A POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTERESTS THAT WOULD REQUIRE HIM TO STEP DOWN FROM HIS POSITION. BACKGROUND: In coordination with the James Wolfensohn of The World Bank and Yassir Arafat of the Palestinian National Authority, Shimon Peres announced in January 1998 and then again in June 1999 that he was organizing investments for "The Peace Technology Fund", a corporation founded in association with the Palestinian National Authority. The total amount of investments: $164 Million. FACTS PRESENTED BY THE ISRAEL RESOURCE REVIEW REPORT: 1. The Peace Technology Fund (PTF) was established on May 7th, 1998 and registered with the Registrar of Companies for the Cayman Islands. 2. Press reports at the time and the prospectus of the PTF states clearly that Peres was the man who initiated the fund. 3. Since Shimon Peres organized this private equity vehicle and solicited the investors to invest in the fund- it can be assumed that he also brought together the three General Partners to manage the fund, Evergreen Canada-Israel Management, International Capital Advisors and the IFC. 4. The Palestinian Authority itself is a Limited Partner (i.e., principal investor) in the PTF. Since Shimon Peres was the Minister of Regional Cooperation when this investment was made, the Knesset Ethics Committee needs to investigate whether Mr. Peres was paid a consulting or broker fee (typically, 2%) as payment for bringing in PCSC's investment in PTF. This $22 million investment would have earned Mr. Peres a brokerage fee of $440,000. 5. The role of the Advisory Board is to provide guidance to the Fund. 6. While the Peres Center for Peace, as an Israeli non-profit organization, does not invest in the Fund or participate in its management, it plays an active role in advising and assisting the Manager. 7. According to Abdullah Shahin, a telecommunications analyst for the Atlas Investment Corporation- the price of Paltel's shares rose from 2.5 JD (Jordanian diners) in May 1999- to 4.5 JD in August 1999. This means that if the PTF invested $9M in Paltel's shares in June 1999- within two months a $10 million profit was earned. In this two month period average daily trading in the stock went from just under 4 million shares to more than 10 million 8. The reason is that in August 1999 an exclusive/monopoly license was granted by the Palestinian Authority for Paltel to operate a GSM network and GSM service in the West Bank and Gaza. 9. The Peace Technology Fund wasn't Evergreen's only advisory role for investment in Palestinian entities. 10. In November 1999, five months after the Peace Technology Fund's first investment in Pal Tel, Evergreen formed Evergreen Partners U.S. Direct Fund III LP, incorporated in the Cayman Islands, to which Palestine Commercial Services, committed $8 million for investments in Israel, the U.S. and the U.K. That partnership is one of three that together form the Evergreen Partners Direct Fund III, which had total committed capital of $170.5 million at the end of 2002, according to S&P's valuation of the PCSC investment. QUESTIONS RAISED BY THE BEDEIN REPORT: 1. Was the Peres Center paid a fee by the Peace Technology Fund (The PTF) after the money was raised? If so, why is there no record of such on the records of the Peres Center? 2. In June 1999, while Peres was a government minister, was Mr. Peres a consultant to the PTF for ensuring that the investment in Paltel by the PTF was made? 3. Do Mr. Peres or the Peres Peace Center today hold any shares or equity in the PTF (the Peres Peace Center has one of the nine advisory positions on the Advisory Board of the PTF)? There is no reference anywhere in the financial records of the Peace Center of a payment made to the Peace Center for their advisory services that they provided to the PTF. 4. Does Mr. Peres receive a portion of the $4.15 million that was owed to the Peace Technology Management company by the PTF at the end of 2002? 5. Do Mr. Peres and Mr. Uri Savir (the representative of the Peace Center on the advisory board of the PTF) receive payment for the services they provided to the PTF- which was paid out via this $5.5 million that was lost to the Palestinian public? 6. Why does the Peres Center maintain an advisory role in the private held Peace Technology Fund? 7. What does the Peres Center for Peace know about investing in new Palestinian start up companies that an experienced venture management company such as Evergreen would need their assistance to make investments?. 8. Did the General Managers of the PTF know of the announcement of the exclusive/monopoly license was granted by the Palestinian Authority for Paltel in advance due to the contacts that Shimon Peres had with high level government ministers in the Palestinian Authority? If so, this would be considered a manipulation of the stock of a public company 9. Did the Peres Center play an advisory role in this transaction to purchase early $10 million worth of Paltel's stock a month before it rises nearly 100% in value. Considering the unusually close relationship Padico's managers, directors and owners had with the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Telecommunications Authority- is it possible that the Peace Technology Fund purchased Padico's shares in Paltel with the knowledge that Paltel's shares would rise substantially once the announcement was made on August 1, 1999 to award the GSM license to Paltel? 10. Did the Peres Center played an advisory role in this transaction to purchase nearly $10 million worth of Paltel's stock a month before it rose nearly 100% in value? 11. Considering the unusually close relationship Padico's managers, directors and owners had with the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Telecommunications Authority - is it at all possible that the Peace Technology Fund purchased Padico's shares in Paltel with the knowledge that Paltel's shares would rise substantially once the announcement was made on August 1, 1999 to award the GSM license to Paltel? 12. Did Shimon Peres personally profit from the increase in Paltel's shares? 13. What is the relationship between the Evergreen Investment Company - and Shimon Peres? 3. "The Man Running Negotiations For The State Of Israel Continues To Represent The Jericho Casino & The Sharon Family, Despite Orders To The Contrary" Winston Commentary: A series of reports about PM Sharon's dealing may also connect Shimon Peres through Dov Weisglass. With Attorney General Menachem Mazuz now firmly in place, it appears that anything goes to include but not limited to the Greek Island affair, the exoneration of Sharon in setting up illegal front companies to collect large donations from foreign interests, the tie-in to the Jericho Casino which also links to Shimon Peres, the contemplated Casino to be built in Gaza on land cleared of Jews. Also see [above - #2] the exposé of Peres in another hidden participation in what may be a deliberate stock manipulation through a cut-out established in the Cayman Islands. I have frequently stated that there is a desperate need for a Peoples' Court to sweep away the gross corruption that now pervades the Israeli government, whether on the Left or the Right. There are a few honest people who could clean out this nest of corruption and run the nation as a clean operation. Sharon and Peres, along with their respective followers must be thrown out - along with sweeping revisions to the Supreme Court. Add to that the de-Politization of the Army, Intelligence and Police who have been so shamefully misused for their political agendas. Bedein Report: Last summer, after this news agency published a series of articles in Makor Rishon and in Front Page Magazine concerning Dov Weissglass, which revealed that Weissglass maintained his law practice while continuing to function as the director of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office, Weissglass resigned his position as office director and arrived at a special arrangement with the Israeli civil service commission which allowed him to assume the role of "special advisor" to the Prime Minister of Israel. According to Aryeh Greenblatt, spokesman for the Israel Civil Service Commission, Weissglass now receives a 1/3 salary in this new arrangement as "special negotiations advisor to the Prime Minister". In a letter that our agency received on October 13th, 2004 from the office of the Israeli Attorney general in respect to Dov Weissglass, the office of the Israeli attorney general formally stated that Weissglass had given an absolute commitment to "completely divest himself from his law firm" in his new position of responsibility. In that letter, the Israeli attorney general confirmed that Weissglass's law firm indeed "represented the Jericho Casino owned and operated by an Austrian business" and that Weissglass's law firm had indeed "represented the Sharon family'" The letter did not mention that the other shareholders in the Jericho casino interests were Yassir Arafat and his security chief, Jibril Rajoub. The Israel Defense Forces is on the record that the casino in Jericho was a major source of laundering funds for Palestinian terrorist activity. The IDF official who made that accusation was none other than General Yaakov (Mendy) Ohr, commander of the Israel Defence Forces central region, made that accusation in January, 2001. At the time, Weissglass, acting on behalf of the Jericho casino interests, threatened to sue General Ohr unless Ohr would withdraw that accusation. Ohr stood his ground and would not back down. Weissglass did back down, however, and never sued Ohr. There are reports that the recently dismissed IDF commander in chief Yaalon, maintained that re-opening the casino operation in Jericho represents a security threat to the state of Israel. However, a check with the Israel Corporate Authority reveals that Weissglass never divested himself of his partnership in his law firm, a procedure which would have been relatively easy to do. Officials of the Israel Corporate Authority report that it would take exactly one day for Weissglass to divest himself from his law firm and to substitute the name of another lawyer in his stead. However, Weissglass has chosen NOT to divest himself from his law firm, which continues to represent the casino interests in Jericho and which continues to represent the Sharon family. Meanwhile, Weissglass, acting on behalf of the Prime Minister of Israel in negotiations with the Palestinian authority, has given the go-ahead to the Palestinian Authority to reopen casino in Jericho, At the same time, the Israeli Attorney General has instructed the Israel District Attorney to indict Member of Knesset Omri Sharon for illegal financial activities on behalf of the election of his father, Ariel Sharon. The fact that Weissglass maintains his law practice under his own name therefore assumes a double significance. This means that the man who oversees the senstive foreign affairs and security negotiations on behalf of the state of Israel is also running a law firm for a casino that launders funds for terror activity against the state of Israel while at the same time representing MK Omri Sharon, who stands to be indicted in a case of election fraud against Weissglass's government client, the Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Every major news agency in the state of Israel has access to this story. Out of a show of loyalty to the policies of the Prime Minister of Israel, no other news agency in Israel will touch this subject. Israel Channel Ten TV's Moti Kirschenbaum, the former head of the Israel Broadcasting Authority appeared yesterday on the IDF Army Radio newreel program hosted by prominent IDF Radio hoist, Razi Barklai. and stated that "There's no doubt," he told Army Radio on the same program, "that the media are dealing with the Sharon family with uncharacteristic tenderness because of their [the media's] empathy towards his diplomatic plans." IDF Army Radio host Razi Barkai asked Kirschenbaum, "So how does it work? Is there someone above who gives out instructions of what and how to report?" Kirschenbaum said, "It's not a coordinated decision, but rather stems from the fact that the reporters and the commentators are sick of the current situation and they want to see personally if there's a chance to change the situation." It will be instructive to see if the foreign press, as part of its in depth coverage of Israel, will act differently than the Israeli press in covering conflicts of interest which remain inherent to current Middle East negotiations. 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). To Go To Top

BULLYING ISRAEL Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, February 23, 2005.

The Bush Administration, using its Super-Power status, has been bullying Israel to meet Bush's political needs. Who exactly is Bush pacifying and what does he expect to get out of bullying Israel? The "Who" are the Arab nations that either have oil or can act as dangerous spoilers. That includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Iran and soon-to-be-added an Iraq with a government which, in the long run, ;may very well turn out to share Iran's Islamic ideology. Additionally, the "Who's Who" also includes placating the Europeans who have bonded with the Arab Muslims for oil, for the sale of armaments and always because of the anti-Semitic attitudes endemic in Europe. In brief, the Bush Administration and the pro-Arab U.S. State Department need a token appeasement to serve their interests and Israel is IT! The "Why" is some of the above plus a great deal more. Bush, in his correct pursuit against Global Terror, has run into a wall of culture shock for which he was not prepared. After 9/11 we first attacked Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Most of the Taliban fighters were allowed to escape from the cities into the mountains before America and her allies made any serious attempt to decimate their numbers, an effort in which they were only partially successful. The Taliban regrouped and have pledged an all out assault against American troops and the freely elected Karzai Government in the spring. The wall of Islamic extremists is the same wall of Terror and intolerance that Israel faces - which the Bush Administration is ignoring. Then America and her allies launched a war against Saddam Hussein, his tyrannical ruling family and the Ba'ath Party in Iraq. They won handily - at first - only to discover that Saddam's Army had merely retreated into the population and have since been conducting a Terrorist/Guerilla War with terrible effectiveness. But, we (the Media, Governments, etc.) call it an "insurgency", trying to minimize its importance. Too bad. If we took it seriously, we would win against the Muslim Terrorists who attack any part of the rebuilding of Iraq as a free, democratic society - whether it be American and Allied soldiers, civilian contractors building the infrastructure, or civilians just trying to live in a free Iraq. Bush thought he could easily win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people and they probably did - for a short time. But, the Terrorists were threatened by that freedom and have undercut, undermined and tried to explode the burgeoning but fragile peace. The civilians in Iraq, however, only wanted water, electricity, food, schools and they expected it from the Americans When the Muslim Terrorists attacked and blew up oil pipelines and cut off electricity, the people blamed the Americans, who really never did win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people - except for some TV sound bytes. Most of the people in Iraq couldn't and wouldn't fight the Terrorists and they're being murdered - just as when the Terrorists are free to kill civilians in Israel. No compunction, no conscience, no quarter given. And they always blamed the Americans, which is a lesson Bush and our soldiers are still learning. They should learn these lessons well as it also applies to Israel. With the experiences of Afghanistan and Iraq staring us and the Bush Administration in the face, what to do? Bush selected the option of Bullying Israel so that she could be softened up for dangerous concessions to the Arab Muslim Palestinians. They incidentally, as in Iraq and Afghanistan, cannot be placated with gestures which they view as signs of weakness. Recruiting un-worldly Jews like Ariel Sharon was not a problem. Just promise everything, deliver very little and tell the Israelis they have been included in the big regional plan. What is left out is that Israel is to be reduced into such a minuscule sliver of land that she cannot possibly defeat a collective attack unless she unwraps her nuclear deterrent, But, that too is being thought about as the Washington Institute for Near East Policy recommends that Israel cease producing fissionable materials for nuclear weapons so that Iran could be pacified and possibly convinced to stand down her nuclear deterrent. In effect, Israel would be stripped of her nuclear deterrence so that the Bush Administration would not have to deal with Iran head on. The Bush Administration has bullied Sharon into releasing convicted Terrorists, while no other nation on this planet has been forced to release dangerous convicted and jailed Terrorists. No nation on this planet has been forced to release dangerous convicts as a conciliatory gesture to another group. Not only are a first 900 being released now but Israel is being pressured to release even more, including those who successfully completed their missions to kill Israelis - that is, prisoners with Jewish blood on their hands. The Israelis, first under Rabin and Peres have released Terrorists before - only to discover that 50% of them returned to killing. This is a method of bullying or, do as I say, not as I do. I wonder if Bush is contemplating releasing from American prisons convicted Terrorists, serial killers, rapists, drug dealers, et al. President Bush now having direct experience in dealing with Arab Muslim Jihadists nevertheless insists that Israel give up irreplaceable territory won in wars started by the Muslim Arabs. Between Bush and the Leftist Jews who have no affinity for the Land or for their own Jewishness, Israel is to be bullied into giving up territory vital to her continued existence. This begins with Gaza - Israel's Southern Front, soon to be followed by Judea and Samaria (the West Bank which encompasses the historical and religious centers of Judaism and is also Israel's most exposed underbelly). Add to that the Jordan Valley which has always been a natural barrier to armored assaults from Jordan by Syria through the five passes in the mountains. Bush and Sharon would include the high hills on Israel's western side where Israel has artillery and tanks in position if Syria and/or other Arab Muslims try to pour across the flats of the Jordan Valley. There is more: President Bush wants Israel to give up her vast water resource aquifers under the Judean/Samarian hills which supplies Israel with 30% of her potable water. Then there are the Golan Heights, captured after years of Syrian bombardments onto the civilians in the Valley below. Bush and his predecessors wanted Israel to take the Syrians at their word that they would not use the superior high ground of the Golan Heights to again attack Israel. Another one third of Israel's main water supply flows from the Golan Heights into Lake Kinneret which is then pumped into Israel's main water carrier system. Syria has tried to dam up this one third of Israel's potable water in the past. Then Bush wants Israel to turn over that part of Jerusalem that Jordan had occupied for 19 years from 1948 to 1967 to make it the capitol of another Arab Muslim State of Palestine. Bush as a religious man who keeps the five books of Moses (the Bible) on his shelves knows that the Jewish Nation of Israel and Jerusalem as its capital preceded by thousands of years the new Palestinians who did not even exist as a people until Yassir Arafat claimed it sometimes after 1964. Most of the Arab Muslims in Israel now or in 1948 had come from the surrounding Arab Muslim countries as the incoming Jews created jobs, good health care and education. But, nevertheless, Bush, a born-again Christian, is willing to sacrifice and bully Israel to give up lands clearly identified by the Bible as Lands given to the Jewish people by G-d in perpetuity. What will Bush hope to get out of bullying Israel? Will the Arab Muslim nations cease their Global Terrorism? Unlikely. Will they cease their efforts through Terror or population waves to absorb all nations into the Global Islamic Caliphate? Unlikely. Will the mix of Arabs from all the surrounding countries who call themselves Palestinians cease their attacks from their improving firing positions as mandated by Bush and now Sharon? Absolutely not! For example, will Gaza become a quiet democracy or an epicenter for improved Terrorism with a Global outreach? High probability. Will Bush buy any time by bullying Israel into gestures of appeasement? He'll try but it won't work - not in Afghanistan - not in Iraq - and not around Israel with attempted Terror attacks and planting of bombs continuing since Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) pledged peace at Sharm el-Sheihk. What if Bush and Sharon are partly or totally wrong!? Israelis Jews will likely die in greater and greater numbers with more severe casualties. America will be hit, independent of any appeasement of the Arab Muslim Palestinians. Europe will continue to be inundated with hostile Muslims Russia will step up its arming of Iran with nuclear and conventional but deadly arms. Russia will step up its arming of Syria. Russian will continue moving back to the future in a Cold War posture. Israel will either pre-emptively deal with Iran and/or Syria or face a saturation missile attack at a time of the Arab countries own choosing. Even as Abbas fails and the mix of Terrorists ramp up attacks on Israel, Bush, and the E.U. will push Israel to continue its gesture of divestments of vital and defensible land. Perhaps, not surprisingly, the more Bush pounds Israel, the more America is pounded with heavy blows from "the Weather". From the fierce hurricanes that pounded Florida's coasts to the continuous storms that are pounding California. In the center of America, there was an earthquake in Arkansas, considered small but, it could be a precursor to the deep fault lines that run the length of the Ohio Valley. I don't think that Bush has quite gotten the message so, perhaps the pounding will become more severe. This then will be the legacy of the Bush family and the Sharon/Peres axis. 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). To Go To Top

THE TERRORIST WHO CONTACTED ME Posted by Beth Goodtree, February 23, 2005.

I get a lot of reader mail, some of it hateful, some even threatening, but imagine my surprise when I was contacted by someone with established ties to al-Qaeda. And he claimed to want to start a dialogue. He also let me know -- in case I didn't -- that he was (radical) Wahabbi. This guy must not have read Dr. Mahathir's speech to the OIC conference of Autumn 2003, where he clearly implied that Jews are smarter than Muslims (see article: "It's Official: Jews Are Smarter Than Muslims" (http://www.think-israelorg/oct03bloged.html#oct03.108). If there is one thing this smart Jewess has learned, it's that radical Muslims will lie to an 'infidel' whenever possible. It's considered 'holy' to do so. And I am a loud and proud infidel; therefore it is prudent of me to assume he is lying. Despite their protestations to the contrary, there is something in Islam called al-Takeyya. Here, from the mouth of an Arab/Muslim himself, is the definition of al-Takeyya: "Islam in general, forbids lying. The Quran says, "Truly Allah guides not one who transgresses and lies." Surah 40:28. However, within Islam there are certain provisions under which lying is not simply tolerated, but actually encouraged. According to Muhammad, 'He is not a false person who (through lies) settles conciliation among people, supports good or says what is good." -- Abdullah Al Araby (1.) Ah, but you say, he is only referring to lying for 'good' reasons. Therefore you must ask yourself "What is 'good' to these Islamists?" According to radical Islam, anything, anything which promotes the spreading of Islamic conquest is good. This also means that anything that weakens the non-Islamist is also good. Their entire reason for being is to Islamicize the world. They state it very clearly every chance they get. Therefore, any lie that fools the non-Islamist is good. This is al-Takeyya according to radical Islam, which includes Wahhabis (also called Salafists). So here I got this Islamic Wahhabist terrorist writing to me claiming to want dialogue and communication to make peace. And, because he has stated that he is Wahabbist, I already know he will lie about anything. I decided to look him up on the Internet and see what history he had, if any. The name of the man who wrote to me is Soliman H. Al-Buthe, with an email address of soliman.albuthe@gmail.com. (And do please feel free to write to him.) I found this news report about him from Sept. 10, 2004: "The Treasury Department said it is shutting down an Oregon Islamic charity that has "direct links" to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and has supported Chechen mujahedeen with ties to al-Qaida...Treasury officials also designated the group's treasurer, Soliman H. Al-Buthe of Saudi Arabia, a terrorism supporter." (2.) The article further states that the charity he helped run was a Saudi one. Big surprise there. The Saudis are at the heart of Wahabbi Islamist terror. While they may be at war with al-Qaeda on their own land, it is merely a war of political control. The Saudi royalty wants to maintain their obscenely decadent lifestyle supported by the oil that belongs to their people. Al-Qaeda wants to oust these self-indulgent, debauched and corrupt despots. But they both follow and strictly enforce radical Islam and its despicably hegemonous agenda. However, Saudi Arabia has managed to stave off al-Qaeda's attempts at a coup by giving them money and other support for al-Qaeda's operations outside of the Saudi kingdom. This is why you see Saudi Arabia supporting al-Qaeda, despite their claims to fighting terrorism. They only fight al-Qaeda on their own turf and try to deceive us into believing that they are truly on our side. The fact is, the Saudis support al-Qaeda outside of the Saudi kingdom. Meanwhile, this man, Soliman H. Al-Buthe, appears to be a more subtle attempt at Saudi deceit than the embarrassing flopperoonie of an ad campaign they tried to perpetrate on the American people this summer, telling us they were all sweetness and light. The Saudis still practice slavery (they now call it 'debt servitude' in a futile attempt to confuse us). They still fund genocide, giving $150M to homicide bombers who blow up Jews. The Saudis are also funding and supporting Islamist conquest wars in Africa against the Christian and Animist populations. And Saudi charities have been tied to numerous terror organizations throughout the world. Nor should we forget that Saudis and their Wahabbist/Salafist religion was the driving force behind 9-11. So now they have this sneak attack on us, using Soliman H. Al-Buthe and an oh-so-carefully worded piece of propaganda aimed at our heartstrings. And he targeted me personally. I asked around and so far, none of the other writers or editors I asked received a letter from him. This makes me wonder about a few things, but first read an excerpt of his letter and my cut-through-the-Shi'ite response: Greetings, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that I have produced a letter entitled "An Open Letter From a Saudi Wahabi To Members of the 109th U.S. Congress", which has been approved by some Saudi senior scholar and thinkers. My purpose in doing so is to open an avenue of communication and dialogue that will bring about greater understanding between our nations and peoples. I, feel that dialogue is the best way for us to approach the weighty problems facing our world today. I believe that violence will not bring about any positive results for the world, and we are committed to the fact that it is our collective responsibility to come up with and implement solutions that will bring about a better world for all of our children. In light of this, I invite you to read the attached letter and I would also appreciate if you could respond to it. My reply: Dear Mr. Soliman: As much as I would like to believe the sincerity of your plan, I find it difficult to do so for several reasons. 1.) It is now well known among non-Muslims that lying to one's enemy is not considered wrong, and in fact encouraged under al-Takeyya. 2.) The Muslim call for the destruction of Israel as a Jewish state and with safe and secure borders. As far as many of us are concerned, there is no negotiating or dialogue on this point. You either accept Israel or we have nothing to talk about. 3.) The same goes for Jerusalem. 4.) The continual calls for the murder of Jews and Christians coming from imams and mosques the world over, citing Koranic scripture which states that Jews and Christians are friends to each other as well as the rock and tree Surah where it says "There is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him." If you want me to sign onto your attempt at communication and dialogue, I will only do so if you can clarify these points. Otherwise, not only will I not sign on; I will warn people of your attempt to appear pliant while still maintaining the same murderous and genocidal agenda. The entire text of his 'peaceful dialogue' proposal may be found here: An Open Letter From a Saudi Wahabi To Members of the 109th U.S. Congress. (3.) The first question must be, why should Soliman H. Al Buthe in particular put forward this deception? The answer is actually quite simple. (Those Saudis are soooo childishly simple in their maneuverings.) Here they've got a big fundraiser who is indicted by the US government. They don't want to lose him because he was successful and apparently well integrated enough into American society to function admirably. The Saudis want to get him off the hook so he can go out and raise more funds. Therefore, they set him up to look like a dove of peace, hoping it will make his bad reputation, and thus the indictment, go away. And the next question is, what does he want from me? There are two obvious answers. The first is that Dr. Mahathir is right and Jews are for sure smarter than Muslims if he thinks he can sucker me into signing onto this thing and singing the praises of Saudi Arabia. My answer is: when Riyadh freezes over, when the Muslims return Mecca and Medina to the rightful inhabitants, whom they slaughtered -- the Jews, and when they remove that abomination from the Temple Mount. Maybe I'll consider it. The second answer, which some people have suggested, is that he is trying to lure me into a Daniel Pearl situation. In this scenario, he would set up a meeting, or get me into a situation where I could be kidnapped and beheaded, or just killed outright. Either way, his letter is just another example of Saudi lies and deceit under the aegis of al-Takeyya, pushing their goal towards Islamic global conquest and subjugation. And if Mr. Soliman or his puppet masters -- the Saudi government -- thinks for a New York instant that I would fall for this piece of crapola, then he is an obvious example of why Dr. Mahathir said, essentially, that Jews are smarter then Muslims. (Although he might try his machinations on a few apparently brain-damaged or traitorous Jews -- unfortunately we have them too -- like Noam Chomsky or the Arafat-loving Shimon Peres.) Meanwhile, several days have passed and I heard nothing from Mr. Al Buthe from my email response to him. Not that I expected any. But then, if Muslims were smarter than Jews, he wouldn't have written to me in the first place, giving me a great reason for outing his and the Saudi's little scheme. And if Muslims were smarter than Jews, they would have found a way to annihilate tiny Israel years ago. Now if the Saudis were really smart, they'd enslave a bunch of Jews to do their thinking for them. End Notes 1.) http://islamcommentaries.com/lying/index.htm 2.) http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/ base/front_page/109481816654490.xml 3.) http://www.islamdaily.net/EN/Contents.aspx?AID=2428 Beth Goodtree is a writer specializing in political commentary, Islamism and the Middle East and also writes the occasional science and humor articles. She has a background in advertising and works as a consultant on Islamism and terrorism to a security firm. Beth Goodtree's website address is http://hometown.aol.com/bgoodtree/ To Go To Top

OPEN LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER SHARON FROM PASTOR VINEYARD Posted by Women in Green, February 23, 2005.

Pastor Jim Vineyard, who has a very large Baptist Congregation in Oklahoma City in the U.S., submitted a letter to the Jerusalem Post for Friday, February 25, 2005, to be published as a paid AD in the local and international editions of that newspaper. As was done to him previously, this AD was also rejected. The complete text of his letter is reproduced below. After reading this letter, if you too agree, please write or call Prime Minister Sharon at: Office of the PM, 3 Kaplan Street, Jerusalem, Israel; webmaster@pmo.gov.il; 972-2-652-4040; 972-2-670-5527. Please send a copy of your letter to President George W. Bush, the White House, Washington, DC 20500; president@whitehouse.gov; 202-456-1414. In addition, please distribute this letter as widely as possible, to your Congressional representative, your email list, your religious leaders, and your fellow worshippers. Ask them to add their voices of outrage against the "black-days" planned for the Jewish people. Open Letter to Prime Minister Sharon Christian-Zionist greetings to you Sir on this "black-day" in the history of the nation of Israel! I call it a "black day" Sir, as an observer from Oklahoma, because of your arrogant and jubilant boast to your cabinet that "Gaza will be 'Judenrein' (my words Sir) by Rosh Hashanah." I call it a "black day" Sir, because your personal plan is a reversal of your "campaign platform" you had against Amram Mitzna. I call it a "black day" Sir because your concept of democracy now says "anyone who speaks or writes against the disengagement plan is guilty of incitement". I call it a "black day" Sir, because your five thousand Druze, Bedouin and Jewish jerks, raised in a non-faithful environment, "storm-trooper deporters", will not have to wear name tags, hence no accountability. I call it a "black day" Sir, because a Hatzofe article noted that many of your storm troopers will be Druze and Bedouins, who are "looking forward" to manhandling Jews. I call it a "black day" Sir, because the entire storm trooper machine, which is now known as the "State of Israel" had reneged on its Abrahamic Covenant, to adopt a new, sick and macabre venture, all in an effort to secure the "silly approval" of the European Union and the Bush Administration. I call it a "black day" Sir, because your "storm trooper school for deportation", established in Beit-Govrin [Lak'hish area], now promises a cool $5,000 bonus to the "storm trooper" deporters. With five thousand storm trooper deporters receiving $5,000 each, that is a cool $25,000,000 (million) the American tax payers will be giving your storm troopers to deport Jews. I call it a "black day" Sir, because of the fact that it would seem that the only true friends of those people whom you supposedly lead, the apple of God's eye, are the faithful Jews and Christian Zionists, who believe that God meant what he said, and said what he meant, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I call it a "black day," Sir, because it is like that day, when Israel's first King, King Saul, as the Holy Bible tells us in 1 Samuel 13: 13-14, when Samuel said to Saul: "thou hast done foolishly, thou has not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which He commanded thee ... But now thy kingdom shall not continue. The Lord hath sought him, a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee." I call it a "black day," Sir, because it is like that day, when Israel's king, King Ahab, had Elijah tell him that King Ahab had acted immorally in deporting faithful Naboth from his home. God never changes His morality. You too, are acting illegally and immorally when you remove Jews in Gaza and Shomron in 2005 from their homes. As the Bible states: "has thou killed, and also taken possession ... in the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine." [1 Kings 21:19]. I call it a "black day," Sir, because it is a day in which people in democracies worldwide need to know that Israel now has a fascist dictatorship endowing Israel in its ruling elite with legitimacy. I call it a "black day," Sir, because American Christians and Jews need to know that Israel's Prime Minister must presently be exposed as a dictator. I call it a "black day," Sir, because Americans need to know that you are utterly ruthless and will stop at nothing - not even bloodshed - to deport Jews from their homes in Gaza and northern Samaria. I call it a "black day," Sir, because I am going to have to involve all the resources I can, in money and people, to let Americans know what you, Sir - a man who reminds me of Haman, mentioned in the Bible in Esther's day - are going to do to the innocent Jews in Israel. I call it a "black day" because America is complicit with you in this endeavor. A true yedid and haver to the Jews, Jim Vineyard, Baptist pastor Windsor Hills Baptist Church, 5517 Northwest 23rd St., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73127. Email: jav9@juno.com 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 To Go To Top

PEOPLE IN PAIN Posted by Rachel Saperstein, February 23, 2005.

"Do you think it is psychosomatic?" I asked the doctor. "I have a persistent cough. Yes, I had had a high fever, but now it's this cough." "Your lungs are clear" the doctor said. "Take it easy. Drink hot lemonade with lots of honey." My cough gets worse when I speak and speaking is what I do. I speak to reporters, and television and radio crews from around the world. The message of Gush Katif must get through. I also speak to people who just call and need emotional support. The government of Israel has signed the official expulsion orders and we are fighting for our lives. Each of us volunteers in the battle for Gush Katif and I write and speak with passion about my home, and when I speak I cough and choke. I cry, silently, at night. I try not to let my husband hear. He suffers, too. I'm not alone. The people are in pain. One woman said "I have nightmares of a bulldozer coming towards me and I cry out 'STOP' but it doesn't stop. It smashes into my home. I hear my children scream and I wake up shaking." "I have a constant headache", a colleague at school told me. "I know what it is from." "Why don't you pack and leave?" I ask. "I can't. I have to be here with the people. But I suffer. If you believe in Eretz Yisrael and all the values I grew up with and teach my own pupils, then I can't just walk away. I even signed my daughter up for first grade at the Atzmona school for next year." "Aren't you being impractical?" "I guess so. I know you're right. I'm the most practical person you ever met. This time I can't be practical. I have to believe that we will be here next year, and the year after that." A friend from a community in Samaria called. "We're not slated for this expulsion, but I know we're next on the list. If they succeed in destroying you, there is no hope for us. I have severe stomach pains. I don't sleep. I find myself crying at all times of the day. I pray a lot. Surely the Almighty will have compassion on us." Men don't cry as easily, but the pain in their heart is no less great. "I'm over 50. I put my whole life into making my greenhouse farm successful. With the Lord's help we made these vegetables grow. Religious people around the world depend on us to provide insect-free kosher vegetables. My sons live here with their families. Three generations to be thrown out. They want to give this land to the Arabs. It will return to sand. Excuse me, I've got to get back to work. My heart is breaking. My pain is for me and Eretz Yisrael." The pain is there, for me, for my people in Gush Katif, for the people of Israel, and for people all over the world. How often do journalists and radio and tv reporters say "Why is Sharon doing this to you?" The world media is here in Gush Katif listening to us and reporting this terrible shameful story of expulsion to listeners around the world. And despite my personal pain I speak to the world and tell our story over and over again. Rachel Saperstein and her husband, Moshe, live in Neve Dekalim, Gush Katif, Gaza, Israel. To Go To Top

LEGENDARY IDF HERO CALLS FOR INSUBORDINATION Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, February 23, 2005.

This is a news item from Arutz-7 - www.israelnationalnews.com (IsraelNN.com) Meir Har-Tzion - whom the late Moshe Dayan referred to as the bravest Jewish warrior of his generation - has publicly called for IDF soldiers to refuse orders to uproot the Jews of Gush Katif. The soldiers who refuse, he explained in an interview with the Ma'ariv newspaper, must be willing to go to jail for insubordination. Har-Tzion referred to the government's Disengagement Plan as a "Holocaust" and said, "If a Palestinian State arises here, that will be the beginning of the end for the State of Israel." A founding member alongside Ariel Sharon of the legendary counter-terrorism unit known as Unit 101 in the 1950s, Har-Tzion had harsh words for his erstwhile comrade-in-arms: "Sharon's gone nuts. The great fighter has run away; he is simply a dangerous man." 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. To Go To Top

ISRAELI SOLDIERS MUST REFUSE ORDERS Posted by Shmuel Sackett, February 23, 2005.

"Get the Jews! Drag them out of their homes! Smash their synagogues! Demolish their businesses! Dig up their graves! Blow up their homes! Make sure they never step foot in this town again!" If you were a soldier in the American army and these orders came from your commanding officer, would you obey them? How about the German army? Would you simply "follow orders"? What about the Israeli army? Would your answer be any different? This is the terrible dilemma facing our holy Israeli chayalim (soldiers) as Prime Minister Sharon moves closer and closer to an all-out civil war against the brave Jews who live on the south west coast of Israel. That beautiful area is called Gush Katif and, while I do not believe it will ever come to fruition, the latest Israeli dictator is planning the forced expulsion of 2,000 Jewish families during the upcoming summer. I am not exaggerating at all. Jewish soldiers will be ordered to drag their Jewish brothers out of homes they have lived in for 30 years' longer than most of you have lived in your homes. They will be ordered to smash all 29 shuls, 15 Yeshivas and 13 mikvehs. These young Jewish soldiers will be ordered to dig up Jewish graves? unthinkable!!! Jewish farms, from which you will eat your "bug free" lettuce this Pesach, will be trampled upon and permanently destroyed and Jewish businesses will be demolished. Believe it or not, many Jews are saying that if this becomes reality (G-d forbid), soldiers must obey these orders! Have you ever heard of such torture? Most of these soldiers are barely 18 and 19? they're just kids!!! Digging up Jewish graves? Smashing shuls and businesses? Making 8,500 people homeless? He who supports this illegal behavior should be charged with war crimes and he who makes young, innocent kids carry them out should be charged with child abuse. The argument for listening to orders is that the army is part of the democratically elected Israeli system and however painful it may be, orders must be carried out. Also, "refusing orders will ruin the army", say IDF loyalists and "we cannot allow that to happen". Let the facts speak for themselves. The present Israeli government is NOT a democracy. The people of Israel did not vote for Ariel Sharon? they voted for the Likud party. 60 days prior to the general election, the Likud membership elected Ariel Sharon to head the party and carry out the platform and ideology of Likud. That platform is opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state. That platform calls for settlement on both sides of the Jordan (that's right!!!) and that platform is officially opposed to any surrender of Israeli land. Ariel Sharon received the mandate to carry out that platform ... not his own!! Furthermore, when the issue of abandoning Gush Katif came up, Prime Minister Sharon decided to make use of the ultimate democratic tool; a referendum inside the Likud party. "Let the people of Likud decide and I, as their leader, will carry out their wish", said Sharon. On May 2, 2004 the entire Likud membership voted on this issue and 61% voted against surrendering Gaza to the Arab enemy. Had Israel been a democracy, it would have ended there. But Sharon is not a democrat, he is a dictator and dictators do not recognize defeat. He immediately organized a vote inside his cabinet making sure to fire all opposing views, namely Ministers Elon, Eitam and Lieberman. Can you imagine George W. Bush doing that? But this was still not enough for Dictator Sharon. Realizing that a "rebel" movement was starting in his own party, he appealed to the Likud Central Committee for permission to bring Shimon Peres? Labor party into the government. A vote was taken on Rosh Chodesh Elul (Aug 18, 2004) and, once again, Sharon was defeated! Case closed ... right? WRONG! Sharon ignored the democratic process and defiantly - and privately - cut a deal with Peres (and then Rav Elyashiv) and 3 months later brought the Haredim and Labor into his government. It must be reiterated that this was done contrary to the wishes of the Likud membership and the Likud Central Committee. Based on all of this information, does the argument of listening to the army- since it is the arm of the democratically elected government- still apply? Of course not! The government is run as a dictatorship and the IDF is Sharon's toy. He has no mandate for his actions. But what about the second argument, the one that says that refusing orders will ruin the army? Doesn't that still apply? To answer this, let's turn the clock back a bit and remember the Lebanon War. During that war, hundreds of leftists refused orders since they did not agree with the fact that the IDF was defending Kiryat Shemona and Metulla (cities in northern Israel) by attacking Beirut and other Lebanese cities, where terrorists were hiding amongst civilians. Many leftists refused orders to serve in Lebanon and they even led violent rallies calling Prime Minister Menachem Begin a war criminal. Those were rough days for the IDF but did it fall apart? NO! Those who refused to serve sat in jail, as the ones today should, and the army was perfectly fine. A few short years ago, many leftists started trouble again by saying that they would not serve in Judea and Samaria. They felt that the IDF was mistreating Arab civilians. These Jews could not bare the pain of Arabs waiting at check-points as brave IDF soldiers risked their lives by checking Arab identity cards and making certain they were not wearing explosive belts. Many of these soldiers were killed at these checkpoints. Yet, these leftists felt only the pain of the Arab and not the Jewish mother who buried her 19 year old son. Once again, the IDF had to endure a difficult time yet, once again, it escaped unscathed and as strong as ever. These same leftists are screaming and hollering that many Jews, myself included, have begun a campaign calling on IDF soldiers to refuse orders when commanded to evacuate Jews from their homes, dig up Jewish graves or demolish shuls and yeshivas. These leftists, and their IDF-is-holier-than-G-d followers, are furious that many leading Rabbis are supporting the refusal idea. Let me make myself perfectly clear. I served in the IDF and continue to be in the reserves. My son, Gabi, is currently in a combat unit and nothing makes me prouder than seeing him wearing his army uniform complete with tzitzit out, big kippa and even bigger M-16. Every time I see a chayal I thank G-d for the fact that we can now defend ourselves and wonder how much our brothers would have given to have some of those chayalim in Europe 60 years ago. This is why I am so angry? not at our precious soldiers who risk their lives every day, but at the forces of evil who run the country, as dictators, according to non-Jewish values. These "leaders" expect soldiers, like my son, to follow orders blindly and become sacrifices on the altar of world opinion. I will not allow that to happen. Thank G-d my son received excellent training at home and will never follow orders to uproot fellow Jews. He will pay the price for his disobedience, as I did during my days running Zo Artzeinu when I was sentenced to 12 months in prison for organizing non-violent civil disobedience protests throughout Israel in the early days of Oslo. But my son is not enough. Thousands - and tens of thousands of soldiers - must make their positions clear that they are willing to pay the price of disobedience rather than dig up Jewish graves so Arabs can make room for new ones. With this in mind, the group I co-founded, Manhigut Yehudit, published a 32 page booklet entitled, "The Duty to Disobey" (Hebrew only). We have already distributed 70,000 copies. Another 100,000 will be printed in the coming days. Our goal is to show IDF soldiers that if they really love the army and the State, then illegal and anti-Jewish orders such as these must not be carried out. With G-d's help, these horrific orders will never be given and our holy soldiers will never be put into this difficult predicament. Furthermore, very soon, the existing Israeli dictatorship government will be changed to one that truly represents the dreams of the people and their desire to become a light unto the nations! For more information about making this a reality, see our website: www.jewishisrael.org Shmuel Sackett is International Director, Manhigut Yehudit. Manhigut Yehudit (Jewish Leadership) is a group of people inside the Likud party who want to see Israel adopt a more Jewish character. Moshe Feiglin, its cofounder, has emphatically said he does not want a theocracy, but he does want a State based on Jewish values. The Manhigut Yehudit website address is http://www.manhigut.org. To Go To Top

WALMART COCKROACH Posted by Steven Plaut, February 23, 2005.

1. "We Discover A Leftist Critic of DiscoverTheNetwork" by Steven Plaut, FrontPageMagazine.com, February 23, 2005 (http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=17103). The new sister web page of Frontpage Magazine, DiscoverTheNetwork, seems to be upsetting some of our leftist brethren. The first outburst of crazed frenzy has come from Kurt Nimmo, one of the regular columnists at Counterpunch web magazine. In the first lengthy analysis of DiscoverTheNetwork, Nimmo writes a vicious attack against the new venture, in which he accuses the operators of unjustified inclusion, in a comprehensive database of the left, of Islamic terrorists and their apologists (along with, of course, leftists innocent of such connections). He writes: "Truly, Horowitz's latest endeavor is a sight to behold -- an exercise in massive right-wing paranoia and vindictiveness, making the so-called left, from Ted Kennedy to the bedtime bogeyman Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (if Abu's a leftist, then I'm Donald Trump), into something it is not: a massive, secret, treasonous, hateful, and violent (as in Ayman al-Zawahiri) conspiracy to destroy David Horowitz's version of America." Who exactly is Kurt Nimmo? I have not done an exact count of his articles, but it looks to me like Cockburn runs Nimmo every few days in Counterpunch. Nimmo's credentials for analyzing global political events for Cockburn's webzine? Well, rather than Stanford or Harvard, his intellectual base seems to be a New Mexico Walmart. To be fair, he does seem to have some connection with New Mexico State University, but as a local photographer who occasionally does snapshots for the campus newsletter. His day job, on the other hand, is at the photo development desk at Walmart. In his off hours, Nimmo runs his own weblog, which features screeds even more anti-American and anti-Semitic than the famous 9/11 rant by Ward Churchill. "Bush and Rumsfeld are promoting Zionist racism," insists Nimmo. He also claims the US and Israel killed Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister. (Apparently they got a Palestinian dupe to plant the bomb.) Nimmo is of course a devoted fan of Churchill. In Counterpunch he wrote: "I must say that I agree with Churchill: the financial and government institutions housed in the WTC, including the CIA, most certainly did employ 'technocrats' comparable to Adolf Eichmann." He has written his own rants in Counterpunch endorsing North Korea's defiance of Bush: "No matter how you cut it, Dubya has painted himself into a corner. He may yet go on record as the most ill-advised and murderous US president." Like Michael Moore, Nimmo considers the terrorist threat to be an imperialist myth: "Bush's fraudulent terror alerts endeavor to convince America that 'sufficient threat' exists to such a perilous degree from a largely mythical al-Qaeda, but a wholesale decimation of the Bill of Rights is also in order." But if Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is not really a terrorist, why be outraged that he should appear in the same database with Ted Kennedy? The Left can be so darned confusing! More to the point, why be outraged when he himself lumps liberals like Kennedy with Adolph Hitler: "Democrats out there: come November, when you vote for Kerry, you will be voting for mass murder and flagrant violation of international law. Like the Good Germans of Nazi Germany, you will be guilty of supporting crimes against humanity." Here's a sampling of Nimmospeak from Cap'n Nimmo: "The attacks of 9/11 were not actually the work of Muslim terrorists. If you believe that you have bought a canard made up by Islamophobic Israelis: "I will not go into the numerous inconsistencies in the government case against al-Qaeda, or their failure to answer crucial questions, and will leave it up to you to read the voluminous information out there, presented mostly by the 9/11 truth movement, demonstrating the fact this remains an unsolved crime and the perps are at large.... As we know, the WTC 'story' was disseminated by the Bush regime in the hours following the attacks and was uncritically, in fact slavishly broadcast by the corporate media, the same media that later sold the Iraqi invasion to the American people with nearly as much ease. No evidential detail was provided... In a matter of hours, blame was affixed to an evil Muslim madman and his organization. In short, a camarilla of right-wingers, attached at the hip to a gang of Muslim-hating right-wingers in Israel, contrived a story that served their best interests." Muslim terrorists are the persecuted victims of the Zionist-Imperialists: "For Bush, Ashcroft, the Zionist neocons, and the rapture-dizzy Christian Zionists, Abu Hamza al-Masri is the perfect Islamic fanatic. In the weeks ahead, as he is extradited from Britain to face the death penalty in America, the cleric will be held up as a primary example of the inherent viciousness and homicidal character of al-Qaeda and radical Muslims in general who want nothing more than to force us at the point of an AK47 to face Mecca five times a day." The Bush and Bin Laden "crime families" are protected by the ruling class media: "Naturally, the US corporate media will embrace this story and chances are the Bushites will use it to justify their invasion of Iraq. Yet the same media refuses to publish anything detailing the business links between the Bush and bin Laden crime families." Condi Rice is a pawn of the vast neo-con conspiracy: "Of course, as a neocon acolyte, Condi Rice is not interested in peace in the Middle East, least of all between the Palestinians and Israelis, and even less so then her predecessor, who was often at odds with the Bushcon "crazies," as he so famously called them. Rice's Hoover Institution is closely aligned with other neocon foundations, including the Project for a New American Century and the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, the latter particularly rabid in its opposition to any meaningful resolution of the conflict--that is to say, Israel's theft and occupation of Palestinian land--and continually cranks out propaganda designed to demonize not only the Palestinians, but Arabs and Muslims in general. The beheaded and hanged victims of Zarqawi deserved what they got: "Increasingly, Iraqis involved in the resistance are targeting 'civilians,' who are in fact working for military contractors and organized theft operations such as the World Bank... According to a CNBC business snapshot, Logcap III's purpose is to 'deliver Combat Support and Combat Service Support (CS/CSS)' to the US Army. In other words, this anonymous employee was providing support to the occupation forces and was undoubtedly regarded as a legitimate military target by Iraqi guerilla forces." The blind sheik Abdel-Rahman who masterminded the first World Trade Center bombing was a CIA plant: "Here's the message sent, via the corporate media: there are terrorists and radical, 'anti-American' traitors in our midst. Considering the history lesson below, the New York Post should have written: Lynne Stewart convicted of passing messages to the CIA... So important was Abdel-Rahman, the CIA made sure he was issued a visa and entered the United States in 1990, the country he supposedly hated. Abdel-Rahman went on to head the al-Salaam Mosque in Jersey City....As for the World Trade Center bombing of 1993, the FBI knew about the plot and allowed it to happen." And 9/11 was not what you think: "Having said that, it is my opinion the U.S. was not attacked by terrorists on September 11, 2001 -- or not Muslim terrorists, anyway." "'It could've been (Osama) bin Laden,' Charkaoui added. 'But maybe it was done by ultra-conservatives in the United States for economic gain.' Let's take a look at the ballistics on this statement. As we know, in the days and hours before the attacks, there were conspicuous spikes in trading activity in regard to the two airlines involved in the hijackings of Sept. 11. 'There was a 9,000 percent jump in United Air Lines (UAL) put options between Sept. 6 and Sept. 10, with a huge spike 285 times higher than average on the Thursday before the attack,' writes Christopher Bollyn. 'American Airlines saw a 6,000 percent jump in put options [also known as short-selling] above normal the day before the attacks. However, there was no similar trading activity on any other airlines, according to market reports.' Coincidence? ... Adil Charkaoui is correct when he claims 'some guy living in a cave doesn't have the means to plan an attack against the most powerful nation in the world.'" (He then concludes that the Israeli Mossad did it.) Nope, no fruitcakes in the Counterpunch cupboard. 2. A senior Israeli military report says that the PLO is using the current "ceasefire" to stock up on missiles, rockets and explosives and that the PLO is doing nothing to "gather up weapons and rockets". The Sharon government announced in response that it would accelerate the plan for expelling Jews from the Gaza Strip. Really. 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. To Go To Top

OSTRACIZED ON MY OWN CAMPUS Posted by Janet Lehr, February 23, 2005.

These are two articles on anti-Semitism on the campus of the University of Toronto. The first called "Ostracized On My Own Campus" is by Lisa Anthony, a third-year University of Toronto student majoring in history and political science. It appeared in the Jewish Tribune of Toronto, Canada (http://www.bnaibrith.ca/tribune/jt-050210-06.html). The second called "Concerns Over Links To Terror At U Of T" was written by the staff of the Jewish Tribune. Free speech. Debate. Equality. Respect. As a university student, I often take these ideologies for granted. These have become norms in my personal and academic life, and I expect them to be upheld in my community, in my city and in my country. However, these have been utterly disregarded with the Arab Students' Collective "Israeli Apartheid Week." As a Jewish student attending a lecture one evening about Palestinian political prisoners, I, as well as the other Jewish students' opinions, comments and questions were disregarded, disrespected and not even debated. The first part of the lecture that I attended showed a video entitled Stolen Youth featuring the stories of three Palestinian children who had allegedly been arrested by the Israeli army and who suffer from physical, sexual and psychological abuses and torture. After the video, the first speaker made a presentation that was not so much a speech as a series of accusations. Of course, only one side of the issue was shown, leaving no room for concession, opposition, or debate. I couldn't help but think to myself of the Israeli families destroyed by Palestinian suicide bombers. Mothers and fathers forced to bury sons and daughters. I thought of their Stolen Youth and how life for these families would never be the same. I thought it was a shame that not one of the evening's speakers would have the courage to stand up and protest the inculcation of hate that goes on in Palestinian schools and the encouragement of young children to die a 'martyr's' death. The atmosphere of this lecture did not reflect the usual feel of a university classroom. Whenever an anti-Israel, anti-Zionism, or anti-US comment was made, cheers emanated from most of the audience. One audience member claimed to have a report from the United Nations outlining a list of 279 terrorist acts that were committed to help set up Israel. This was obviously a comment made not in the true nature of a question-and-answer period, but merely added to the hate sentiment of the entire evening. Some Jewish students were confident enough to ask questions, but those questions were dodged, remained unanswered, or were turned around to insult Israel or Jewish campus groups in general, claiming that they were sources of hate and racism. When one Jewish student asked blatantly for either speaker to denounce the general use of terror and the killing of civilians and children, the answer was as follows: "Terrorism will end when apartheid ends." This left the impression that the speaker does indeed fully endorse terrorism against Israel and other democracies, including the US. From this "lecture," I emerged the same as before in support of Israel but I have gained a new-found anger for my educational institution for allowing such a mockery of a debate and "free speech." This type of explicit hate week seems to polarize beliefs and deepen the divide between Jewish and Arab students on campus. By consenting to host this conference under the banner of "Apartheid," the university itself is complicit in foreclosing debate and discussion. The point of "Israeli Apartheid Week" was not to educate, it was to frustrate. As a Jewish student, I feel that the university administration has left me feeling ostracized and uninvited to express my opinions openly on campus. "Concerns Over Links To Terror At U Of Toronto" by Tribune Staff, February 10, 2005 (http://www.bnaibrith.ca/tribune/jt-050210-01.html) "Israel Apartheid Week" at the University of Toronto has raised concerns in the Jewish community, caused controversy on campus and has made news headlines across Canada, the United States and Israel. Bonsai Brith Canada, concerned with the security and safety of students, took the lead in trying to prevent the "hate fest" at the University of Toronto from going forward. Reports from the week-long event make clear that the initial concerns of the organization were well founded. Personal accounts from Jewish students who spoke of being harassed on campus and feeling betrayed by their university were called into B'nai Brith's Anti-Hate Hotline. "I certainly feel disappointed in my university. As an academic institution, it should not be supporting such anti-Jewish propaganda," said Wilfred Bromberg, a second-year University of Toronto student. "'Israeli Apartheid Week' was in no way a legitimate exercise in political debate but was simply an exercise in the promotion of hate and racism. It was just one more attempt to marginalize the Jewish voice on campus. I would have hoped that the administrators of the university could have seen through such a thinly veiled disguise." Confirming the worst of B'nai Brith's fears, were flyers prominently displayed and disseminated at the university with the logo of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade - the milita arm of Fatah. The logo, which displays the Dome of the Rock encircled by two rifles, suggests open support for terror and the "liberation of Palestine" by force. "This apparent promotion of terror on the university's campus must not be condoned by the administration," said Frank Dimant, B'nai Brith Canada's Executive Vice-President, whose organization notified university authorities of this serious and dangerous development. B'nai Brith also immediately notified the Toronto police, requesting that a full investigation of the posters be undertaken forthwith, including their link with persons who have affiliations with terrorist groups, and to possible offences under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Throughout the week, expressions of hate targetting Israel and Israelis, could be found both in formal presentations being given, and in corridors and classrooms throughout the Brith also immediately notified the Toronto police, requesting that a full investigation of the posters be undertaken forthwith, including their link with persons who have affiliations with terrorist groups, and to possible offences under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Throughout the week, expressions of hate targetting Israel and Israelis, could be found both in formal presentations being given, and in corridors and classrooms throughout the campus. The reinforcement of terror as a "legitimate" tactic, was underscored by the closing presentation last Friday when one of the speakers indicated that "we have to fight," seemingly opening the door to a violent agenda. Jewish students in attendance reported that "there could be no mistaking the speaker's intent." Adding insult to injury were complaints from Jewish students who felt abandoned not only by the university's administration, but also by Hillel, the on-campus organization specifically mandated to support Jewish students. According to Tribune sources, in a letter to a concerned donor, the University of Toronto cited Hillel's lack of objection to the event as the reason for the university's agreeing to host "Israel Apartheid Week." An initial press release by Hillel appeared to confirm this statement: "We acknowledge the rights of other groups to hold events on campus. Along with other student groups, we believe that the campus community at large should be free to consider all viewpoints and draw their own, unbiased conclusions." However, Zac Kaye, Executive Director of Hillel of Greater Toronto, told B'nai Brith representatives that Hillel was concerned about the event and had told the university so. In a later press release, Hillel did appear to qualify its earlier statement, saying it "strongly disagree[s] with the title, tone and objectives of 'Israeli Apartheid Week' in the strongest possible terms." Certainly students were left feeling confused and demoralized. "'Israel Apartheid Week' is a one-sided affair with does not benefit the search for compassion, peace and cross-cultural understanding in the Middle East and the various multiethnic communities in Toronto," said Michael Anthony, a student at OISE, University of Toronto. To Go To Top

SETTLERS ... NOW THINK ABOUT THIS, LONG AND HARD Posted by Gerald A. Honigman, February 23, 2005.

Settlers... Let's see, now what's a good synonym for this? Hmmmmm... Jews! Now there's a good one, correct? I mean, almost every time you hear the word mentioned these days, it's got Jews associated with it. Not so? Think long and hard, however, about what follows. Not that the information hasn't been known before. Indeed, some get tired and upset at having to rehash it over and over again... Me too. It's just that only a relative few have cared enough to find out, and the mainline press, most of the rest of the media, and much of the rest of the world are indeed ignorant of these facts or choose to not want to know them for one reason or another. As just the most recent of countless examples over the past three quarters of a century regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict, the headline of the February 21, 2005 Orlando Sentinel was a case in point and read as follows: "Israel Approves Ousting Settlers." Jews are the settlers and Arabs are the allegedly abused aboriginals. You get the picture. Now for a reality check... Just who is and who is not a "settler" in these regards? Did you know that when the United Nations Relief Works Agency--UNRWA--was set up to assist Arab refugees (after a half dozen Arab states invaded a nascent Israel in 1948 to nip it in the bud and their attempt backfired), the very word refugee had to be redefined to assist those people? So many Arabs were recent arrivals themselves into the Palestinian Mandate that UNRWA had to adjust the very definition of "refugee" from its prior meaning of persons normally and traditionally resident to those who lived in the Mandate for a minimum of only two years prior to 1948. Do you really understand what this is saying? Now also keep in mind that for every Arab who was forced to flee the fighting that Arabs started (after all, how dare Jews want in one tiny, resurrected state what Arabs demand for themselves in some two dozen others), a Jewish refugee was forced to flee Arab/Muslim lands into Israel and elsewhere...but with no UNRWA set up to assist them. As just one of many examples, greater New York City alone now has tens of thousands of Syrian Jewish refugees and their descendants. And while many, if not most, of France's pre-World War II European Jews perished in the Holocaust (rounded up too often by the French themselves), many of France's now newly-endangered post-war Jewish population also consists of refugees from the "Arab" world. As for those "native Palestinians," Arafat himself was born in Cairo, Egypt. Scores of thousands of other Arabs came from Egypt earlier in the 19th century with Muhammad Ali and son's Ibrahim Pasha's armies and many, like Arafat a bit later, settled in Palestine. During the mandatory period after World War I, the League of Nations Permanent Mandates Commission recorded additional scores of thousands of Egyptian, Syrian, and other Arabs entering into Palestine and settling there. Indeed, this influx of Arabs into the land is well documented, but few--except scholars--usually delve into these sources. And too many of the latter these days tend to have an anti-Israel bias and agenda...so such facts are simply ignored, down played, or whatever. And often a grad student brings such things up at his own future professional risk. Been there, done that (unfortunately). Ready for more "native Palestinans?" Hamas' patron saint, Sheikh Izzedin al-Qassam, for whom its militant wing (the folks who blow up the teen clubs, pizzerias, buses, and so forth) was named, was from Latakia, Syria. He too settled in Palestine. This is the same Hamas that butchers Jewish "settler" babes and grandmas. And the same Hamas that says no Israel--regardless of size--has a right to exist. In this, however, it has company in the "moderate," sweet-talking Mahmoud Abbas and his Palestinian Authority as well. He ran on a platform of Israel's destruction--but by "other," more acceptable means. It is estimated that for each one of these incoming Arabs who were recorded, many others crossed the border under cover of darkness to enter into one of the few areas in the region where any economic development was going on because of the influx of Jewish capital. These folks later became known as "native Palestinians." Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees from some of those same "Arab" countries--Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Yemen, and so forth--became the settlers. While this is not to say that there were not native Arabs also living in Palestine, it is to say that many, if not most, of the Arabs were also relative newcomers--settlers--themselves. Many of the villages set up in the West Bank and elsewhere were settlements established by Arab settlers. And there were Jews whose families never left Israel/Judaea/Palestine as well over the centuries, despite the tragedies of two, well-documented major wars for their freedom and independence with Rome, forced conversions of the Byzantines, the Diaspora, Crusades, and other nightmares as well. So, why is it acceptable for Arabs from surrounding lands to settle in Palestine, but not for Israel's Jews, half of whom were refugees themselves from Arab/Muslim lands? They're the other side of the refugee coin nobody talks about. Jews owned land and lived in Judea (Judean=Jew) and Samaria until they were massacred by Arabs in the 1920s and 1930s. And for those who make short shrift of the Jews calling those lands by the above names (I heard one commentator on National Public Radio doing so on the very same day of the cited Orlando Sentinel article), Judea and Samaria didn't become known as the "West Bank" until British imperialism made its presence there in the 20th century and purely Arab Transjordan--created itself in 1922 on the east bank from 80% of the original Mandate for Palestine which Britain received on April 25, 1920--annexed the "west bank" of the Jordan River after the 1948 fighting. The United Nations' had imposed armistice lines--not borders--which made Israel a mere nine miles wide at its waist. Jews were then barred from living on lands where they had thousands of years of history and as much right as Arabs to live on. Whatever will or won't become of the disputed lands in question, it must be noted that this is disputed territory, not "Arab" land, as the media, the United Nations, the American State Department, and others like to insinuate. Again, Jews lived and owned property there until their slaughter by Arabs. Judea and Samaria were unapportioned parts of the Mandate, and leading authorities such as Eugene Rostow, William O'Brien, and others have stressed that these areas were open to settlement by Jew, Arab, and other residents of the mandate alike. Indeed, as we've already discussed, hundreds of thousands of Arabs poured into the area from all over the Middle East and North Africa. Having one of the highest birth rates in the world, those "native Palestinians" soon greatly increased their numbers...again, more Arab settlers setting up more Arab settlements. So why are these "legal" and acceptable but those of the Jews not? U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, in the aftermath of the 1967 War that Arabs started with their blockade of Israel-- a casus belli-- and other hostile acts, called for the creation of secure and recognized borders to replace Israel's vulnerable armistice line existence. All the architects of that resolution, from Lord Caradon to Eugene Rostow and others concur here. Israel was not to be forced to withdraw to the suicidal status quo ante. Any renewed discussions about the so-called roadmap to peace must take all of this into account. And those truly in search of justice would do well to reconsider the very words they choose to discuss this conflict. Gerald A. Honigman, a Florida educator, has created and conducted counter-Arab propaganda programs for college youth, has lectured on numerous campuses and other platforms, and has publicly debated Arab spokesmen. His articles and op-eds have been published in both the print media and on websites. To Go To Top

THE WORLD'S MOST INTOLERANT SOCIETY - A FRIGHTENING DISCLOSURE Posted by Jerome S. Kaufman, February 23, 2005.

This is from "Graffiti for Intellectuals" and was written by Sy Frumkin. Saudi Arabia is probably the world's most intolerant society. It excludes not only Christians and Jews but also Moslem Shiites and the less radical Sunnis. The only tolerated religion is Wahhabism, a radical fundamentalist offshoot of Islam. Abdul Wahhab Najdl an 18th century cleric founded Wahhabism. The doctrine's central point is that absolutely every idea added to Islam after the 3rd century of the Moslem era - approximately 950 CE - was false and should b eliminated. It opposes pilgrimages to special tombs and mosques; votive and sacrificial offerings; praying to saints and celebrating the Prophet's birthday. More recently, it opposes innovative technology such as photographs; television musical instruments singing videos and much else. The Wahhabi brand of Islam was adopted by the influential Saud clan in its fight against the rule of Ottoman Turks in the 19th century. The bloody battles that followed caused the slaughter of more than 100,000 Moslems as a result of the Wahhabi cleric's ruling that it was lawful to kill men, women and children who did not accept or practice Wahhabism. The Saudis came to power in 1924 by defeating the Hashemite clan that had ruled Mecca and Medina after the Allies defeated the Turks in World War I. They captured Mecca after an artillery bombardment of the holiest Moslem sites. Shiite and Sunni spokesmen who believe that the Wahhabis are a heretical and non-Moslem cult invariably mention this sacrilege in the many Moslem Internet sites. In September 2004, the United States has finally done the previously unthinkable: In the State Department's 2004 report on religious freedom Saudi Arabia was classified as a "country of particular concern." At the same time, however, the U.S. welcomed a delegation of 15 Saudi professors of religion for a 3-week visit. The delegation was led by five professors from the lmam Mohammed lbn Saud Islamic University (MISIU) a religious seminary for Wahhabist clerics. MISIU was the alma mater of three of the 9/11 suicide bombers. MISIU has an extension campus - The Institute of Islamic and Arabic Sciences in America supervised by the Department of Religious Affairs of the Saudi Embassy in Washington. Twenty-four Saudis associated with this operation were deported early in 2004 for abusing their diplomatic passports. It may be too little and too late. It is estimated that 80% of U S mosques are under Wahhabi control. Osman Ahmed el Sayed known as "Mohammad the Egyptian" is in an Italian prison awaiting extradition to Spain. He is the self-described mastermind of the Madrid bombings that killed 191. In a conversation taped by the Italian police, Osman claims to be working for Salman al-Awda, one of the most prominent Wahhabi clerics, who is also connected with one of the 9/11 terrorists. Currently al-Awda is a professor at the MISIU. One of the most widely distributed Wahhabi books is the Wahhabi Koran, published, with commentary, in every European, Asian and African language. It is distributed worldwide free or at very low cost. The 15th edition was published in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1996. Stephen Schwartz, a senior policy analyst at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and author of the best-selling, "The Two Faces of Islam", in an extensive study of the book, shows that it violates the basic Wahhabi dogma that prohibits the re-interpretation editing or changing of the original Koranic text. This is done by adding commentary to the English translation that "corrects" the original. For example the opening chapter - the Fatiha - is recited as a daily player. The translation ads commentary - in brackets: "Guide us to the straight path The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace not (the way) of those who have earned Your Anger (such as the Jews) nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians)." The Wahhabi Koran scatters condemnation of Christians and Jews throughout the text and inverts the meaning of the verses that urge respect for them. Thus, the original text of verse 262 says, "Believers, Jews, Christians and Sabaeans - whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does what is right - shall be rewarded by their Lord." In the Saudi version there is a footnote "No other religion will be accepted from anyone," but there is no such statement in Arabic. The original text praises pious Christians and Jews in 3:113 but in the Wahhabi text the only upright ones are the ones who convert to Islam. Verse 5:66 says of Jews and Christians, "If they observe the Torah and the Gospel and what is revealed to them from their Lord, they shall enjoy abundance." The Wahhabi Koran adds that in addition both must convert, accept the Koran -a concept that doesn't appear anywhere in the Koran and contradicts the traditional Islamic theology The Muslim-Jewish controversy is also addressed. The word "Jerusalem" never appears in the original Koran; there is only a reference in verse 17:1 to a night journey taken by Prophet Muhammad on a magic steed, to a "farther temple" The Wahhabi Koran alters it to press the Islamic claim to Jerusalem and places in parentheses "... the Journey at night ... to the farthest mosque (in Jerusalem)." The Wahhabi Koran is the mainstay of student groups on campuses throughout the West. It is also available wherever Wahhabis conduct missionary efforts - primarily in prisons in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere. It is likely that it is the Koran supplied to the detainees in Guantanamo and the US aimed forces. The Saudi royal family supports the bigotry that is taught at the Mohammed ibn-Saud University, its branches and the overwhelming majority of U.S. and European mosques It is essential that this be recognized and opposed as yet another tactic in the war against us by the forces of intolerance and terror. Jerome S. Kaufman is National Secretary of the Zionist Organization of America. and host the Israel Commentary website (http://www.israel-commentary.org). To Go To Top

DISENGAGE NOW - LOWER THE FLAG Posted by IsrAlert, February 22, 2005.

This was written by Aliza Karp. She lives in Crown Heights, Brooklyn where she is the administrator of Friends of Families of Hevron, an organization that assists families and projects in and around Hevron. "The Sharon Plan obligates Israel to 'provide water pipes, electricity, industrial zones, markets, employment and an industrial zone to sustain the Palestinian Arab economy of Gaza'. The Sharon Plan mandates that 'other existing arrangements, such as those relating to water and the electro-magnetic sphere, shall remain in force' while 'economic arrangements currently in operation between Israel and the Palestinians shall, in the meantime, remain in force.'" Quoted from David Bedein's article "'Disengagement Plan' Approved? Hardly" Bedein makes a good point. There will be no severance of relations with the Arabs in Aza, i.e., no disengagement. So where does the Disengagement apply? The Disengagement refers to the breaking of relations between the Jews in Aza and the Northern Shomron from the Jewish state. The Knesset has passed the Disengagement plan and so has the cabinet. The state has spoken. The state has ruled. The state is training special forces to remove babes from their mother's arms so as to lure the desperate mothers onto awaiting trucks to reunite with their nursing infants. By passing the Disengagement Plan, the state has already disengaged from loyal citizens. The politicians who voted for the Disengagement Plan are not so naive as to think the extrication of Jews from their homes will transform terrorists into peace loving flower children. But they do know it will disperse the strong, wholesome, Jewish communities that are flourishing in Eretz Yisroel. At the beginning of Shmos, of the second book of the Five Books of Moses, we are told that a new Pharaoh became the ruler of Egypt. Rashi claims that this was not an actual new person, it was the same person with a new and very different policy. It was this Pharaoh who gladly settled Yosef's family in Goshen. But as the years went by, he saw how strong the Hebrews were becoming. He feared their strength and set out to weaken them physically and psychologically. I don't like to say that Sharon is acting like Pharoah, but the parallel is just too real. Sharon was once the advocate for settling the land. And we did settle the land and the settlers became very strong. They have incredible family values, they have solid community relationships, they have a strong bond with the land at the same time they have developed a close connection to the G-d of Israel. Sharon did not foresee the fruits that would grow from the seedling settlements. He settled handfuls of idealists on some hilltops and sand dunes, he did not know they would evolve into such strong tribes, so strong they became known for providing the armed forces with the finest, most dedicated, most skilled soldiers. The potent Yesha communities are not what Sharon and the secular Zionists had in mind. The secular Zionists had their own vision of their state. Traditional Jewish values were to be the side-dish of their state, not the main course. So, like Pharaoh, Sharon had to think of a plan to weaken the settlers. He saw the strength in their community lives and decided his tactic would be dispersal, and he would call it Disengagement. Sharon is a man of war. To conquer is second nature to him. In this case he has chosen to divide and conquer. The Disengagement Plan is actually a Dispersal Plan. Last spring on Yom Atzmeiut, Independence Day, throngs of people gathered in Gush Katif to show they considered it part of the country, not to be severed. At that time I wondered how the supporters could fly their flags and enjoy their picnics. The government of the very country they were celebrating, was about to remove their flag from the ground they were standing upon. Shouldn't the people have been fasting and praying instead of barbecuing and laughing? But at that time it was still hard to imagine that Sharon was really serious. I mean, there had been threats on other parts of the country and in the end, the plans of retreat were foiled. Unfortunately times have changed from that Yom Aztmeiut less than one year ago. We no longer have the luxury of denial. The state wants to remove its flag from Aza and the Northern Shomron and it really looks like it is going to happen - notwithstanding a miracle. It's time for the settlers to realize they are no longer connected to the state. They have been betrayed and rejected. The state would rather give their homes to terrorists than to have strong religious Zionist communities. A one-sided relationship is not a relationship. It is unhealthy denial, an inability to face the rejection. It is like a loyal wife whose husband deserts her. She cannot understand how he could not love her for all the goodness she gave to him, but the reality is? he is gone. It is time for her to remove her wedding ring, acknowledge her position and move ahead from where she finds herself. So too, it is time for the settlers to lower their flags. After the settlers devoted years of true loyalty and dedication to their country, their beloved country has disengaged them. It is time for them to accept their disengagement from the state, so they can heal. It is time to relate to the land solely as Eretz Yisroel - the land promised to the Jews by the Almighty - disassociated from the state, the Zionist dream, which was born from the political victory at the UN and the military victories on the battlefield. It is time for us to disengage from the entity that is on the brink of self-destruction. The book of Shmos continues as Pharaoh summons the Jewish midwives to his palace. He personally commands them to kill Jewish babies and they personally do not follow his orders. The powerful Pharaoh did not send a courier, he summoned the midwives for a private audience, but the midwives feared G-d. They knew that Pharaoh could 'disengage' them, to put it mildly, but they did not fear Pharaoh, they feared G-d. Shmos then tells us "And it was because the midwives feared G-d that He made dynasties for them." And how did the midwives show they feared G-d? By refusing orders! 1. I firmly believe we have to pray and do extra Mitzvos, as in the days of Purim, to facilitate the miracle to happen, but we live in a world of nature and are expected to deal in a natural way as well, as in the days of Purim. Harv Weiner, a businessman in Dallas, Texas, is the founder and moderator of Isralert. 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THE BUSH VISION: UPROOT JEWS SO PLO CAN HAVE CONTIGUOUS STATE Posted by Unity Coalition for Israel, February 22, 2005.

This is from yesterday's Arutz Sheva - Israel National News (www.IsraelNN.com). President George W. Bush told policy makers meeting in Brussels that further Israeli withdrawals from territory in Judea and Samaria must lead to a PLO state that is "viable" and "contiguous". Bush called on Israel, "to freeze settlement activity, help Palestinians build a thriving economy and ensure that a new Palestinian state is truly viable, with contiguous territory on the West Bank." Enunciating a vision that in principle can be attained only by dismantling more Jewish towns and communities in Judea and Samaria, Bush stated bluntly that "a state of scattered territories [for the PLO] will not work." Many Jewish communities, reestablished on ancient biblical sites in territory liberated from the Arabs in the Six-Day War, are located along the main highway linking Arab populated cities in Judea and Samaria. It is hard to conceive of a viable and contiguous PLO state as long as these Jewish towns and villages continue to exist, thrive and expand. Bush also promised American support for the emerging PLO state: "As Palestinian leaders assume responsibility for Gaza and an increasingly larger territory, we will help them build the economic and political and security institutions needed to govern effectively." Expressing confidence in PA chief Mahmoud Abbas, Bush said, "President Abbas has the opportunity to put forward a strategy of reform which can and will gain support from the international community, including financial support. I hope he will seize the moment." Bush said he will direct Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to attend a conference to be hosted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair in London next month "to convey America's strong support for the Palestinian people as they build a democratic state." Bush also reiterated rhetoric directed towards the Arabs: "Arab states must end incitement in their own media, cut off public and private funding for terrorism, stop their support for extremist education, and establish normal relations with Israel." Bush also repeated his anti-terrorist message, and what many have begun to call, his messianic vision of democracy, requesting PA leaders to "confront and dismantle terrorist groups, fight corruption, encourage free enterprise, and rest true authority with the people. Only a democracy can serve the hopes of Palestinians and make Israel secure and raise the flag of a free Palestine." Bush's speech, made at a gathering of academics, business leaders, and diplomats, also touched on the issues of U.S.- European relations, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. The audience received his remarks with subdued applause. The Unity Coalition for Israel (http://www.israelunitycoalition.org) is "the largest worldwide coalition of Jewish and Christian organizations, with more than 200 groups representing millions of people dedicated to Israel. Though we have many different backgrounds, we have one common goal: A Safe and Secure Israel." "Israel is not just a Jewish issue. Millions of Christians resolutely endorse the principle of peace with security for the state of Israel. Because we work closely together and speak with a united voice, our message is being heard!" To Go To Top

WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES PREACHES DIVESTMENT Posted by David Frankfurter, February 22, 2005.

Dear Friends, The World Council of Churches has long adopted thinly disguised extremist Palestinian positions. Monday was no exception. The WCC issued a press release (1) calling for the application of economic sanctions against Israel, on a personal, parish and international level. The timing could not be more peculiar. Just when there seems to be a broad consensus that we stand on the threshold of a narrow window of opportunity for peace which must be very carefully nurtured. The leaders of Israel and the Palestinians have met, created a respite in a long and bloody war, and pledged a path to peace. One might have expected the WCC to encourage this process. Each positive step is to be applauded, the other side encouraged to recognise it and take their own step to keep up the momentum. And yet, the WCC complains of "occupation". just when Israel's parliament approved the next stage of plans for withdrawal Gaza. The WCC complains of housing demolitions just a few days after the IDF announces (2) that this practice will no longer be employed. They use the emotive language of a "dividing wall", when 95% is a chain-link fence. They set the borders of Israel as those of the 1949 armistice - knowing full well that even the Palestinian Authority accept the borders of Israel as the 1967 cease-fire line. And then they have the temerity to pay lip service to Israel's "serious and legitimate security concerns". And speaking of lip service, the WCC claims to be "supportive of both Palestinians and Israelis who suffer under current circumstances". Two of my closest friends have children in the horrible violence unleashed by Arafat. I have not heard through them of a single family of a Jewish terror victim having had any even minimal contact by the WCC, let alone the offer of comfort or support. I was brought up in a nominally Christian country. While my generation of Jews took the pledge "Never Again" very seriously and would not countenance any indignity, our Christian friends would try to salve the wounds of anti-Semitism and counsel us to "turn the other cheek". These friends explained that the Christian religion of peace and rapprochement was far superior than the strict law and justice of Judaism. And yet the WCC bases its position on "initiatives within churches to become better stewards of justice". I am no theologian, but I wondered exactly what is the basis of this WCC press release. The WCC specifically bases its call for action on a verse on the New Testament - Luke 19:42 (3). I went to look it up, and was struck by two things. Firstly, the bible I saw had a completely different version of the text than the quote by the WCC. Again, not being a theologian, I will have to accept that the words "Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things [which belong] unto thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes." calls [for WCC] members to do the "things that make for peace". If I had not had the WCC guidance, I would have interpreted the verse differently. Especially if I had put it in the overall context of the verse of Jesus coming to a hill and being overwhelmed he catches site of Jerusalem, with the above words are addressed to Jerusalem itself. Jesus then weeps as he foresees the day when the holy city will be encircled by a trench dug by its enemies to besieged her. And then he goes to the Temple to throw out the traders. I would have seen this verse as a prediction of the destruction of the Temple by the Romans. Certainly, though, if I was to believe that the verses should be interpreted in a modern day context, I would not wish to be on the side of those who dig a trench around and besiege Jerusalem - economically or physically. I don't think I would go as far as to point out that those who stand on the Temple Mount are not the Jews, but the Palestinian Muslims. I am left to wonder if the WCC is not simply concerned that the current peace moves may succeed, and a Jewish Israel might become a permanent and hard to explain fixture on their theological map. I would ask my Christian friends to take certain actions. Firstly, register your concern about the WCC position at their website. Let them know whether the WCC represents you. Secondly, please take up the issue within your own parish and amongst the church leaders you know. Thirdly, I would be very pleased if the theologians amongst you would visit this entry at my archive website (4), and add a comment (click on the word "comment" in the bottom right hand corner of the entry) and let me know how these verses in Luke should be interpreted. I would ask my Jewish friends to leave a (polite) message for the WCC, possibly at the interfaith section (5) of their website. Footnotes 1. http://www2.wcc-coe.org/pressreleasesge.nsf/index/pr-cc-05-08.html 2. http://www1.idf.il/DOVER/site/mainpage.asp?sl=EN&id=7&docid=3 7885&Pos=10&last=1&bScope=True 3. http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Luk/Luk019.html 4. http://www2.wcc-coe.org/wccstaff.nsf/ SendEmailForm?OpenForm&ParentUNID=A05686BB90D2F6FFC1256E22002CCAA7 5.  http://www2.wcc-coe.org/wccstaff.nsf/SendEmailForm?OpenForm&ParentUNID =9017590261D6F35CC1256E22002BF93B 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/ To Go To Top

ARIEL SHARON SCHEDULES PEACE TALKS WITH SELF Posted by David Haimson, February 22, 2005.

This spoof - if spoof it is - appeared today in Jewish World Review (http://www.JewishWorldReview.com). It was written by Scott Ott. New Summit Sign Of Continued Diplomatic Success After achieving another in a series of unilateral Israeli concessions to the Palestinian Authority, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced today that he would hold a peace summit with himself in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheik later this month. Over the weekend, Mr. Sharon persuaded his cabinet to give final approval to an Israeli pullout from the Gaza strip and the military said it would release of 500 Palestinian prisoners today without receiving anything in return from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. "I believe that I can extract even deeper concessions from myself in the heady atmosphere of a peace summit," said Mr. Sharon. "I'm sending my aides ahead to negotiate the groundwork and protocol for the talks. When I arrive, I will have several hours of one-on-one time with the Israeli prime minister, whom I now consider a partner in peace." Contact David Haimson at DvHaimson@aol.com to receive emails with direct links to articles on Israel that are well-worth reading. To Go To Top

SHARON FAMILY SCANDALS Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, February 22, 2005.

Let me reiterate for the benefit of those who have not been paying attention to my raving over the past years. Sharon is a gangster. He is motivated by his own, selfish needs and desires. He is not a politician and is not interested in the welfare of the Jewish people. Everything he has done either in the military or civilian sectors, he did to advance himself. That anyone else benefited from his actions is purely coincidental and not what motivated him. Furthermore, as long as Sharon or people like him have power of the possibility of coming to power, we will limp along from one disaster to another. This is a news item from today's Arutz-7 - Israel National News. It is called "Sharon Family Scandals Buried in Favor of Pullout" and archived at http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=77322 Top political, media personalities admit: Public silence on criminal suspicions against Sharon and family stems from media's support for his plan. MK Hendel: "This was Sharon's strategy all along." Eitan Haber, a former top aide to Yitzchak Rabin and a writer for Yediot Acharonot, put it poetically: "Our products - values and norms - are drowning in the sea, and the left-wing is singing praises." Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak said yesterday, "The Sharon family is corrupt to its very foundations, and in any other normal country, Sharon would have no longer been in power." Though Barak currently does not have many allies in Labor - the party he headed when he became Prime Minister - many left-wing personalities in the Knesset, not for attribution, agree with him. If not for the fact that he was promoting the disengagement plan, said at least one MK, "a public outcry would have arisen regarding the accusations against Sharon in the Greek Island and campaign funding scandals." MK Tzvi Hendel (National Union), a resident of Gush Katif, has long said that the reason Sharon initiated the disengagement plan was to avoid being arraigned on criminal charges. Sharon assumed, Hendel's thesis goes, that the press and left-wing politicians would be silent and would not risk the disengagement plan merely to have him put in jail. Hendel says that Sharon met with his close advisors in his Shikmim Farm home in the Negev sometime in 2003 and discussed the looming prospect that he would be charged with wrongdoing in the Greek Island affair. Atty. Dov Weisglass, still Sharon's most trusted aide today, told the assembled that history shows that a leader who carried out historic moves is "forgiven" for criminal and other crimes. At first, Hendel maintains, a war was considered, but this was rejected given the expected public opposition to such a move in light of Sharon's military history. "Sharon's press aide then proposed that Sharon withdraw from Gaza," Hendel recounts, "but Sharon reminded him that Israel had already done that, during the Oslo period. The press aide said that no one would remember that, and it would be easy to market such a move to the Israeli public." Hendel says, "For three weeks, his aides tried to convince him, and only after his son Gilad made it clear that this is the only option they have in order to prevent the indictment, he was convinced to make this move against his will. I am willing to debate Sharon or any one else regarding the accuracy of this story." Hendel also notes that throughout Sharon's entire ministerial career, "whether he was Agriculture Minister, Housing Minister or Infrastructures Minister, he always made sure that the Israel Lands Authority would be under his purview. I always thought this was for the good of the country, but now I know that he was only worried about his own personal good." Speaking with Army Radio today, Eitan Haber said that the media's silence vis-a-vis Sharon stems only because of the disengagement plan. "The left, and not only the left, is as silent as sheep because it's convenient for it that he's carrying out his political plan." Even more surprising was when this viewpoint was reiterated by Channel Ten TV's Moti Kirschenbaum, the former head of the Israel Broadcasting Authority who is considered to hold extreme left-wing views. "There's no doubt," he told Army Radio on the same program, "that the media are dealing with the Sharon family with uncharacteristic tenderness because of their [the media's] empathy towards his diplomatic plans." "The Greek Island scandal is 1,000 times worse than the campaign funding issue," Kirschenbaum said, "and the media's silence regarding Sharon's behavior in the Greek Island affair are much graver than regarding the campaign funding." He had criticism for Attorney-General Menachem Mazuz, as well, who refused to indict PM Sharon in the Greek Island affair: "Mazuz's reasoning in clearing Sharon was so weak that it was really terrible. If the evidence presented to the Attorney-General, including recordings, protocols, and more, was not proof of his guilt, then I don't know what evidence is." Last week, Ariel Sharon's son MK Omri Sharon was indicted on charges of setting up dummy companies to direct cash to his father's 1999 campaign to win the Likud primaries. Army Radio host Razi Barkai asked Haber and Kirschenbaum, "So how does it work? Is there someone above who gives out instructions of what and how to report?" Kirschenbaum said, "It's not a coordinated decision, but rather stems from the fact that the reporters and the commentators are sick of the current situation and they want to see personally if there's a chance to change the situation." Haber agreed that there is no conspiracy, but rather that the reporters are individually slanted in a particular direction. Kirschenbaum hinted that the press is planning to deal with the suspicions against Sharon after the withdrawal from Gaza and northern Shomron. Arutz-7's Shimon Cohen notes that an example of the media's silence concerns its treatment of information that he himself uncovered regarding Sharon's connections with Greek Orthodox Church Patriarch Irineos. Cohen found evidence purportedly showing that the Prime Minister advanced Irineos' appointment as Patriarch - which required Israeli government approval - in order that Irineos, a friend of Yasser Arafat, approve the sale of a Greek island for the purpose of the construction of a spectacular resort that was to earn Sharon's son Gilad millions of dollars. "Before we published this on Arutz-7," Cohen says, "I gave it to senior reporters and investigative reporters on Channels One and Two, and to Haaretz and Maariv, but no one chose to take up the gauntlet and to deal with the grave findings." 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. To Go To Top

LEFTIST MOONBATS TAKE OVER THE BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL Posted by Steven Plaut, February 22, 2005.

1. Leftist Moonbats take over the British Medical Journal: (http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/moonbatcentral/2005/02/ leftist-anti-jewish-moonbats-take-over.html) Leftist anti-Jewish Moonbats Take over the British Medical Journal The British Medical Journal has in recent months been taken over by space alien pods from the planet Lefto, just to the left past Youranus. It has repeatedly run Israel-bashing pieces, because Israel has the nerve to try to protect its children and other civilians from the Palestinian terror barbarians who blow up buses and otherwise carry out mass atrocities. You see, Israel is building a Security Fence. The Palestinians and the Left do not like the Security Fence because it makes it harder to murder Jewish children. The latest Jew-baiting piece of political propaganda from the British Medical Journal claims the fence is a "health danger" for Palestinians. Why? Well, a Palestinian seeking free medical treatment at an Israeli hospital and clinic might have to pass through a security check to get help. And that might endanger his health. The Left has long denounced Israel for stopping and searching ambulances carrying Palestinians trying to enter Israel for free treatment, but has never denounced the PLO from using those very same ambulances to smuggle bombs, weapons, and suicide bombers. And was I out of the room when free medical services at Israeli clinics became a Palestinian entitlement? What happened to all that talk about how Palestinians wanted to be independent of the Zionists and run their own services? And what sorts of health problems has the same British Medical never managed to get itself worked up over? Well, there are the health problems of those poor Moroccans barred from entering the EU health facilities because of the security fences around Ceuta and the other Spanish possessions on the Moroccan coastline. All of a sudden, THOSE security fences are ok. Then there are the health problems of Israeli children blown to smithereens by Palestinian savages. Or the Israeli civilians whose homes are hit by the thousands of Kassam rockets the PLO and its affiliates fire at Jews. Or those countless other atrocities committed against Jews by Islamofascists to the cheers of the Left. The British Medical Journal has never quite gotten around to caring about THOSE! 2. When the Oslo carnage began and it was evident that the PLO was behind the suicide bombings and other atrocities, I proposed a simple plan of Denazification. The West Bank and Gaza Arab towns would be divided into a white list and a black list depending on whether they were serving as bases for terror and murder or not. Towns that suppressed violence would be on the white list and entitled to decent treatment, maybe even jobs in Israel. Those who did nothing to stop the violence, or where violence originated from them, would be blacklisted. Blask list town residents would be under permanent house arrest with the water and electricity and phones shut off. When I made this proposal, I was dismissed as a lunatic and an extremist. Shut off the water and electricity for terror towns? Absurd, I was told. The world would never stand for it. The World Court would indict Israel for human rights atrocities. The State Department would threaten fire and brimstone. Electricity and phone servive are rights and entitlement more important than the rights of Jews to ride buses without being blown up. Well, now it turns out that under some circumstances it is ok to shut off the water and electricity. When? As part of the Likud government's plans to expel all the Jews from the Gaza Strip. Sharon advisor Dov Weisglas yesterday revealed that part of the government's plan is to shut off the power and water for the settlers to force them to abandon their intentions of resisting the the ethnic cleansing of Jews from the Gaza Strip: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/543130.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. To Go To Top

DÉJÀ VU AND INNOVATION Posted by Moshe Feiglin, February 22, 2005.

The voices of peace have returned to our country... We're now seeing a replay of despicable murderers such as Abu Mazen and Dahlan being turned into media idols as they perhaps give us a few moments of peace and quiet in return for the rehabilitation of the terrorist organizations. Once again, commentators are referring to the terrorist leaders as "colleagues" of IDF officers. Once again, armed terrorists are walking around unhindered, not fearing anything. In total contrast, but also as in the past, good people are coming from all over the country to participate in a demonstration, thus indicating the basic obedience of the organizers and participants. What difference does it make if there were 100,000 or 500,000 participants in the demonstration? General Sharon doesn't bother to count them. This is the real question: Of those who came to the demonstration, will there be tens of thousands who will stand up at the critical moment and say in a loud voice: "We shall defend our brothers with our bodies and not permit Jews to be expelled from their homes"? Will tens of thousands of regular and reserve soldiers say to their officers: "We shall not raise our hands against Jews - we shall not expel our brothers from their homes"? The answer to this question will determine the fate of the struggle. The tens of thousands of new Manhigut Yehudit booklets about the obligation to refuse to obey that were rapidly grabbed by the crowds, the thousands of signatories to the Homat Magen (defensive shield) petition who undertake not to obey the expulsion order, are a refreshing innovation in the process we are currently undergoing. Does Gush Katif stand a chance? Is there a chance that Israel will extricate itself from the vicious circle of disintegration and internal destruction in which it finds itself? The chance lies with disobedience. We are witnessing the end of an era. The social elites who led this country until now have ended their role, but are not willing to step down from positions of power. Power is their only concern - not security or peace, not democracy or the economy, not even civil war. "We'll show the settlers that we can overcome them and expel them from their homes." It is war for the sake of war as a first stage in creating a secular state, as some of them have already declared. All the means available have been recruited in their support - the media, the courts, the army, the Police, the GSS, senior economists who know that Israel has no money for this tremendously expensive act that will be borne by the Israeli taxpayer. Everyone has been recruited. Their strength comes from those who, with perverted morality, have declared that the State of Israel is the foundation of the A-mighty's throne in the world and that all its decisions must be carried out. It comes from those who have declared that they will volunteer to assist in the expulsion because it is an act of kiddush Hashem for Jews to expel other Jews from their homes, that they will then hand over to their enemies and murderers. There is no worry, no concern, that the evacuation plan is just another caprice of the dictator who ignores and tramples underfoot the wishes of the nation, as expressed in every proper democratic process. In today's Israel, disobedience is true liberty! It means freedom from the general brainwashing, and having the capability to listen to the internal Jewish conscience. Those who have G-d in their hearts will not raise their hands against their brothers, will not expel them from their homes, nor destroy all their life's work. Those who have a free spirit will be ready to go to jail and will not be a partner to this evil deed of handing over the homes of murdered people in Kfar Darom to Dahlan, their murderer. There is a price to this freedom. Many people have asked if it was worth it to publish the booklet, "The Obligation to Refuse Orders", if it would perhaps cause the heads of Manhigut Yehudit to be expelled from the Likud. The answer is - Yes! There is a price to freedom in a country in which the wishes of the people have become ludicrously distorted and democracy has turned into despotism. We, personally, are prepared to pay this price, just as we expect that every soldier and civilian who does not obey orders will be prepared to pay the price of being sent to jail. They can imprison our bodies but not our spirit. It is possible to expel two or three of our members from the Likud, but it is impossible to remove our spirit from the hearts of the Likud members. We shall always put forward a belief-based candidate for leadership of the Likud. The more our spirit is Jewish and free, and the more they use dictatorial methods such as attempting to silence us and threatening to expel members from the party, the more our influence will increase...whereas those who will fear to speak out will become slaves, guided by the rules prescribed by the Left until now, and they will disappear from the stage of history. Announcement: Manhigut Yehudit Annual Journal Dinner - Shushan Purim (March 27th) Guest speakers: Esther Pollard, wife of Jonathan Pollard Moshe Feiglin - Candidate for Prime Minister and Founder of Manhigut Yehudit Shmuel Sackett - International Director, Manhigut Yehudit www.jewishisrael.org/database/events/6dinner.htm Sunday, 16th of Adar II Shushan Purim (Mar 27) 5:00 PM, Hewlett East Rockaway Jewish Center, 295 Main St., East Rockaway, NY 11518 Manhigut Yehudit (Jewish Leadership) is a group of people inside the Likud party who want to see Israel adopt a more Jewish character. Moshe Feiglin, its cofounder, has emphatically said he does not want a theocracy, but he does want a State based on Jewish values. The Manhigut Yehudit website address is http://www.manhigut.org. To Go To Top

PLAY IT AGAIN UNCLE SAM Posted by Ellen W. Horowitz, February 21, 2005.

I don't think anything that will postpone, or interfere, with the timetable or orderly manner of carrying out disengagement would be viewed favorably in Washington. -- Israel's Ambassador to the US, Danny Ayalon Our hope is that whatever happens that there will be no delay in the disengagement plan and the withdrawal from Gaza, because the United States has made very clear that we believe very strongly that this is a very positive step. -- US Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice The US is a true friend of Israel... But the notion that the US will sit by and be accepting as Israel decides to dump the disengagement plan or to delay it indefinitely is a serious mistake. It will lead to a major crisis with the US. -- Rabbi Eric Yoffe, president of America's Union for Reform Judaism [the above quotes are from the Jerusalem Post - February 11, 2005] Back in 1993, I wasn't a writer - I was a cartoonist. I began to articulate my ideas into words when a no longer funny situation became increasingly tragic and complex, and I felt things warranted further explanation. It's now 2005 and the circumstances, although strikingly similar, are more severe and beyond words. Perhaps blatant illustrations and black humor are needed again. So picture this scene (it's kind of a cross between the work of Federico Fellini, Walt Disney and Rube Goldberg)... Peres (whose name means "vulture" in Hebrew) is happily circling the darkening globalized sky above the geopolitical arena where the old-security hawk turned mad politician, Ariel Sharon, has had his right wing clipped by a flock of mutant doves under the direction of some American eagles. The wounded hawk is trying to waltz to Wagner, on two left feet, with Abu Mazen - a wolf in sheep's clothing who has excellent taste in suits. This cacophony is accompanied by a slick, yet elegant bird named Condoled Rice, who knows her way around political mine fields, global oil fields, and who plays a mean piano. The approving crowd of spectators is made up of Americans, Europeans, Arabs, the United Nations, a lot of Diaspora Jews, and a good number of post Zionist, secular Israelis. The rest of us want to know why we're still dancing to "been there and done that" at an ever maddening pace and increasing volume. Some of us still can't quite figure out how we got into this mess, but there's a general consensus that we want and desperately need to get out of it. Now! I don't think that G-d created the historical/political or personal déjà vu experience in order to keep parapsychologists in Lala Land. I believe that, in His mercy, He gives people and nations a second (sometimes third, fourth, fifth, etc...) time around, in order that they be given the opportunity to correct their past mistakes. We Jews may be a fairly intelligent people, but we're also largely naive -which is why we keep falling into these classic set-ups. And it's no wonder why so many of us are exceedingly numb and fatigued after having played in or viewed the re-runs for the umpteenth time. However, it's uncanny that most of us still can't follow the plot, derive the moral or understand the conclusion. But boy, do we fall for the leading man and his smooth talk. He gets us every time. A good part of the Free World and, I imagine, a significant part of the Jewish Nation was impressed with President Bush's oratory over the last few weeks, which was fortified with lavish sprinklings of the words freedom, democracy and liberty. "There is no Justice without Freedom" does have a nice ring to it, but in today's terror-run-rampant atmosphere, it seems that the President should have said, there is no freedom without justice. Israel is being pressured to negotiate with and release murderers in the name of peace, to uproot productive communities as a capitulation to terror, and to endanger her very existence by surrendering strategic land and assisting in the creation of a rogue state. The very underpinnings and foundations of any moral society must be based on truth, justice, law and order. But those pillars of substance have crumbled and given way to empty rhetoric, dangerous double standards and overt hypocrisy. And it seems, like the song says, "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose..." So when Bush announces, as he did last Saturday in preparation for his trip to Europe that, "America and Europe are the pillars of the free world", those sitting in the bleachers and enjoying the show should at least be warned that the infrastructure of the arena is severely corrupted and in danger of collapse. I often question the intentions and meaning of our relationship with America. I wonder whether or not our "friendship" needs reassessment. Many will tell me to shut-up and watch, listen and learn, as America pounds our enemies and does the dirty work for us. What does it matter to us if they're doing it in the name of justice or for economic hegemony in the region? Let them run the show and go after Iraq, Syria and Iran, regardless of whether it be for oil, a war on terror or for liberating the region from tyranny. The above world view keeps the Diaspora Jew sitting in comfortable, complacent exile. It suits the post- Zionist Israeli just fine, as they have no real conception of their past or future. And the religious Jew sitting outside of the national Zionist camp nods in approval under the assumption that perhaps, out of mercy, G-d has sent American troops to squash and handle our enemies for us. Maybe. But there remain a few problems... There's usually a massive price to pay when you rely on somebody else to do your fighting for you. It's not always a terrific bargain. I'm not sure if Israel has the resources to handle her enemies in the same "shock and awe" kind of way that America can, but we best be aware of the costs involved when we turn to others. More often than not, and ironically, one ends up paying the price of such services with their personal freedom, national independence, or life. I am absolutely certain that we as a nation would have been able to efficiently and effectively protect our citizens and borders from an onslaught of Palestinian terrorism had we not chosen to succumb to the pressures of an international community with a dubious agenda, or endorsed American brokered accords and treaties of questionable design and origin. I also believe that had we taken the initiative, the world would be a lot safer today. But now, under the guise of liberty, Israel has assumed the position of serf to a very "noble" America, and, if Europe gets her way, we may have to serve as the welcoming committee for a lot of foreign and UN peacekeeping forces (and we've already seen how friendly and effective those guys can be). As I write this, CNN is reporting that President Bush is heading to Europe today with an ambitious agenda for patching relations with "old Europe." I'm not sure what the term "old Europe" means, but it does send chills up this Jewish spine. Israel wasn't invited for dinner, but we are being served up on a platter. So we can let freedom ring, or we can get smart and ask ourselves for just whom does this bell toll? Maybe when the toll gets so loud and large that we can't take it anymore, a wise leader will step forward and help us to navigate our way out of a very unstable and violent arena. And we shouldn't be afraid to stand or to dance alone. But in the meantime some nameless nudnik on the geopolitical dance floor has just made the request, "Play it again, Uncle Sam." Ellen Horowitz lives in the Golan Heights, Israel with her husband and six children. She is a painter and columnist for Israelnationalnews.com. email: ellen@artfromzion.com To Go To Top

PEACE AT WHAT PRICE Posted by Evelyn Hayes, February 21, 2005.

This was written by Dr. Alex Grobman, a historian, whose most recent book is "Battling for Souls: The Vaad Hatzala Rescue Committee in Post War Europe" [KTAV]. He is also co-author of "Denying History: Who Says The Holocaust Never Happened?" (University of California Press, 2000). For years, Israelis were reluctant to acknowledge the potent and inexhaustible stream of antisemitism in Arab media and in pronouncements by Arab religious and political leaders. According to Menahem Milson, professor of Arab literature at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the Israelis repress the virulent plague of hatred that surrounds them because of the Zionist ideal. Zionism, the dream, was supposed to be the end of European antisemitism. Jews came to the Promised Land to escape Jew-hatred, and when they got there, they discovered it to be ubiquitous! And then, after the Holocaust, by psychological necessity, they slipped into denial. Milson says if the Jewish intellectuals and politicians in Israel concede that the strength of Arab antisemitism has poisoned the psyches of their Palestinian partners in peace, it justifies those who question Arab sincerity in peace talks and support those who refuse to surrender land. Itamar Marcus, who monitors Arabic sermons, speeches and media via the Palestinian Media Watch, reports on the constant barrage of hatred and lies broadcast by the Palestinian Authority, much of it imported from other Arab lands. Arie Stav, director of the Ariel Center for Policy Research, reports that, in general, Israeli academic institutions, were minimally interested in analyzing this phenomenon and its effects. Shimon Peres as Foreign Minister in 1993, Stav notes, ordered the Palestinian Covenant removed from all Israeli government offices. The Covenant is anti-Israel and contains the PLO's ideology, its objectives and calls for the "elimination of Zionism in Palestine" (article 15). It also proclaims the "entire illegality of the establishment of Israel" (Article 19) and the need "to destroy the Zionist presence." After a number of wars, two intifadahs and the failure of the Oslo Accords to bring peace, some Israelis are now convinced that the Arabs will never accept the existence of the Jewish State and will use every subterfuge to destroy it. Not all Israelis share this view. There are those who believe that there are Arabs who want peace. That is understandable, at least from a psychological perspective. Sixty years after the Holocaust, the Jewish State is negotiating with an Arab leader who denies that it ever happened. He used his "knowledge" to spread lies and hatred for Jews among Arabs in many lands, lies and hatred found in his 1982 doctoral dissertation for Moscow's Oriental College. The president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas (a.k.a. Abu Mazen), claimed that the Nazis and the leadership of the Zionist movement conspired together to create the Holocaust. In 1984 he published a book based on his dissertation, questioning if gas chambers were used to exterminate Jews, and claiming that "even less than a million" might have been murdered. The Zionists used a higher number of victims, he said, to extract "greater gains" when they would "distribute the spoils." He asserted, "Raising a discussion regarding the number of Jews [murdered] does not in any way diminish the severity of the crime committed against them, as murder even of one man is a crime that the civilized world cannot accept and humanity cannot accept." Abu Mazen's Holocaust denial challenges the legitimacy of the Jewish State. Scholars at MEMRI say that he does that by showing how the Zionists worked with the Nazis to destroy the Jewish people because only "Palestine" was the right place for Jews. He claims "The Zionist movement led a broad campaign of incitement against the Jews living under Nazi rule in order to arouse the government's hatred of them, to fuel vengeance against them, and to expand the mass extermination." ("Palestine Leader: Number of Jewish Victims in the Holocaust Might be 'Even Less Than a Million' ... Zionist Movement Collaborated with Nazis to 'Expand the Mass Extermination.'" (Washington, D.C.: The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Number 95. May 30, 2002) Denying the Holocaust is part of a strategy to deny the Jews any connection to the Land of Israel, including the strategy of denying the Bible. Itamar Marcus illustrates the problem: * "Biblical Judaism is really Islam. Biblical Jews are really Arab, and the Land of Israel is really the Arabian Peninsula [Judaism is not a religion on the full sense of the word ...] The religion of Moses is a religion, apparently it is the Islamic religion, and some research that was published find[s] that, when translated correctly, the Torah texts show that it is a continuation of Islam." * "It is known scientifically as well, that a homeland of all the [Israeli] tribes exists today in Asir [in the Arabian Peninsula]. Their history is there." * "Modern Judaism, the Torah and Bible are forgeries. Jews are falsifiers and the enemies of Allah and Islam. The Torah was brought down while it contained guidance ... They [the Jews] faked the words of Allah and changed their religion and laws are wicked ..." Professor Arthur Hertzberg, a Jewish leader and major historian, says, "The attack by Holocaust deniers is ... the most hurtful that has ever been leveled against Jews. We have long been prepared to defend our religion and our corporate character ... but the immediate reaction to the Holocaust deniers is outrage ..." In our book Denying History, Michael Shermer and I note that Holocaust denial is a form of pseudohistory. It is an affront against history and how the science of history is practiced. To deny the Holocaust is shocking because it attempts to deny our search to understand extreme acts of humanity. Holocaust denial is so dangerous and despicableit is an attempt not just to deny a true past, but to deny a meaningful one. By denying the Holocaust and vilifying Zionist leaders, Abu Mazen declares Jews have no legitimate right to any part of Israel. Before anyone signs an agreement involving the security of the Jews in the State of Israel and perhaps its viability, is it unreasonable for someone to go up to Abu Mazen and just ask him if he really believes what he wrote? Don't we need to know if there is a reason to believe he is different from his predecessor? So far, the only difference is better personal grooming. Since his election, things do not bode well. For years the Jews in America and many of its leading academics argued against meeting with deniers lest they be given legitimacy. Are we legitimizing Holocaust denial and Jew-hatred while we delegitimize Israel? We yearn for peace, but at what price? 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. To Go To Top

WHO STARTED THE RUMOR? PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST? Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, February 21, 2005.

Some time ago the Rumor was floated partly by Yassir Arafat and partly by the Europeans that, IF Israel were to accommodate the Palestinians, Peace would come to the Middle East. President Bush while in Brussels echoed that rumor without really knowing or understanding the Middle East. "Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and Palestinian reform could give momentum to changes throughout the Middle East", U.S. President George Bush said Monday. I like dreams because you can make them anything you want. In this case, the dream has nothing to do with Israel. It has to do with many almost imponderables. I will list a few I know but, then there are a lot no one knows. First - We know that there are many Terrorist leaders and organizations whose entire life's work has been dedicated to Terror. There is no other work for them. It is their chosen profession and they will not stop. Then there are the Mullahs, the Imams, the Ayatollahs whose dedication to Koranic Law cannot allow what they call a nation of unbelievers (infidels) to exist - not only in the region but, on this planet. All religions must eventually submit to Islam and Sharia Law because they will not stop unless defeated. This is something that is non-negotiable and will continue under Dar al Islam until it is accomplished. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is only one small facet of a clash of civilizations with which neither Europe nor America have come to grips - yet. There is more! The nations and leaders of Syria, Iran, Egypt and even the so-called new Iraq need an adversary so as to stay in power. Dictatorship are like that. Fear keeps people obedient but even a fictitious outside threat (Israel) creates an impressive reason why there is suppression. They need Israel as they need to breathe. If the West's dream of imposing democracy or peace through the elimination of the Palestinian hostility to Israel - well, dream on! There is more! The Arab Muslim culture rests on two pillars: Pride and Shame. They always knew that Europe and America were far advanced in almost all fields and they hated Western Civilization and the Judeo-Christian culture that supports it. The Muslims hated their inferiority because it damaged their Pride. Then came the era of pricey oil and the West came crawling. It wasn't anything they had achieved but it restored their vaunted Pride. But, then came Israel and they had a chance to further elevate a Pride they had not known since the Kurd Salahadin bested the Christians in the 12th century. It was a long time to wait but anticipating the coming battle with the Jews whom they were certain to beat was joyful. But, it didn't happen as they planned. In 1948 when Israel declared her independence as a Jewish State, six Arab armies attacked a rag-tag army of 600,000 Jews, many of them just off the boats from the death camps of Europe. They, the Arab Armies, well-armed and some trained by the British, lost ignominiously and fled the battlefield. Now, Pride and Shame was damaged at least until it could be recovered in blood and battle. They lost all the subsequent wars they started and the need to win grew deeper as did the Shame. They gambled the Land, their Pride and now they tell the world they deserve to have it back. The Rumor that settling the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will restore their lost Pride and the Shame is deliberately misleading and can't be changed with paper agreements that must be recovered in battle which is why they will be no peace. There is still more! The Europeans have century upon century of Jew-hating that culminated in the German Nazi Holocaust. But, it didn't end there. When oil because pricey and very needed, the Europeans wanted the Arab Muslims on their side and that required sharing their hatred of the Jews. Despite a brief period of guilt, the Europeans ramped up their ever-present hatred for the Jews and became the champion and funding source for the Palestinian PLO. They cranked up the Rumor Mill that IF Israel gave up defensible territory that Terrorism would cease. Thus was born Oslo which, of course, failed tragically. The Rumor continued: Settle the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Middle East genie of Terror would go back into its bottle. Another Rumor (more accurately this time) is that President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are starting to recognize that Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) cannot deliver the dismantling and disarming of the Terror structures and organizations - so they are backing off somewhat. Bush needs it politically and the Europeans are pressing hard. In other words, it's irrelevant if Abu Mazen delivers as long as Israel bites the bullet. Lots of egos to fill; lots of hatreds to placate and it makes no difference if Sharon falls, if Israel falls or, at least takes a lot of casualties. There is always a lot more but, let's put the Rumor of Peace between Israel and the Arab Muslim Palestinians where it belongs. 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). To Go To Top

THE ISRAELIS TOY WITH NATIONAL SUICIDE Posted by Enzo Nahum, February 21, 2005.

This was written by Sarah Honig and appeared today in the Jerusalem Post. It is called "Who pays Barakei?" and is archived at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/ JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1108610310685&p=1006953079897 Emphasis by underlining is mine. I got as agitated last week as my father used to get when he watched the news on TV. Whenever he took things excessively to heart - which was almost always - my mom would lecture him that it's unhealthy to view the world through dark lenses. "Besides," she'd go on, "let politicians worry; they get paid for it." Without exception, my father would then reply: "And who do you think pays their salary? I do!" What so upset me was the Knesset Finance Committee vote approving compensation for Gush Katif's soon-to-be uprooted Jews. I had anticipated the result; I expected that the one-vote majority for a decision that frays the Zionist fiber would hinge on anti-Zionist Knesset member Muhammad Barakei's predilection. What distressed me was the epilogue. Barakei lashed out at Likud Knesset member Michael Gorlovsky and screamed in his face: "Go back to Russia. You don't belong here!" He then proceeded to yell at Yehiel Hazan: "Shut up! You're a settler - a dirty criminal terrorist." What blew my mind was that public opinion wasn't outraged. This, in a nutshell, is the essence of Israel's malaise. Israelis consider themselves neutral objective observers - "from the UN," to quote local idiom. They've distanced themselves from their own cause, aren't emotionally involved with Jewish and Zionist interests, don't love, don't hate, don't deeply care. They dispassionately consider the most pragmatic options to maintain a reasonable quality of life, one entailing the fewest sacrifices and commitments, yet enabling them to posture complacently as enlightened citizens of the world. They don't want to be bothered about the history of the conflict, which still, vexingly (though they'd rather not admit it), threatens to annihilate them. Unsettling truths can burst their bubble. They don't want to hear that Arab hate predated the "refugee problem." They'd rather forget that Israel's Coastal Plain was inundated with Arab migrants from the far-flung corners of the Arab world (attracted to Jewish-initiated opportunities) and that Arabs who streamed here as late as 1946 (while Jews were barred) qualified for the status of Palestinian refugees in 1948. Israelis don't want to hear about Nazi collaborator Haj Amin el-Husseini, Hitler's pampered pet in WWII Berlin, who recruited Muslims to Axis forces, exhorting them to "slaughter Jews wherever you find them" because "spilled Jewish blood pleases Allah." Israelis don't want to know that this genocidal zeal still inspires Arabs, passing propaganda expediencies notwithstanding. They'd rather not reflect on the fact that Arab bitterness and refugees arose from Arab failure to exterminate us. Israelis trust that concessions can buy calm, painful concessions secure peace, and really painful concessions yield better and bigger peace. At this point concessions cease to be painful. They become desirable - the coin with which one makes deals. That's when Zionism dies. Dismissing our case and our justice eases things. It helps to accept the enemy's fraudulent narrative, not even call him an enemy but a potential peace partner, seek to understand the motives of those who want to ethnically cleanse this land of our presence, and discover where we're wrong and they're right. THAT'S WHY nobody protested Barakei's bullyragging and why ever-virulent Arab animus to the Zionist endeavor can loudly, impudently and fearlessly resonate within the hallowed halls of the Jewish state's parliament, the symbol of renascent Jewish sovereignty. This sovereignty had been won in the existential fight for "a Hebrew state and free aliya" - our twin pre-independence battle cries. Barakei, who consistently harangues against Israel's flag and national anthem, openly defining Jewish emblems as offensive, provocatively delegitimizes the core motifs of Jewish national liberation: the ingathering of the exiles and return to the land. He paints himself as the outraged native and fulminates against "foreign interlopers" who, for no rhyme or reason, arbitrarily decided to dispossess him. He fails to mention ancient Jewish communities like the one in Hebron, uprooted via a sadistic massacre, or the bloody onslaughts against similarly old Jewish communities in Jerusalem, Safed, Jaffa, Acre and Beisan (the latter two were made judenrein before 1948). He omits reference to current Palestinian policy of rendering whatever areas they control judenrein, just as Jordan - artificially created by perfidious Albion on three-quarters of original Palestine - forbids Jewish residency by law. Significantly, the latest Arab mantra isn't "two states for two nations," but "two states coexisting side-by-side." By that definition the second state needn't be non-Arab. Self-deluding Jews miss the mutating nuance. And so Barakei, who annually laments Israel's creation and calls its Independence Day nakba (catastrophe), can continue to insult us with impunity. Our courts will back his right to mouth off and may even someday repeal the Law of Return, just as they have already undermined the JNF. Barakei must be laughing his head off at our collective gullibility, and all the while, I (and you) pay his salary. To Go To Top

THE BIBLICAL LAND TITLES Posted by Steven Shamrak, February 21, 2005.

Christianity and Islam insist they have inherited the Jewish tradition and believe in a monotheistic G-d. All three religions include Torah (Old Testimonies) as the written word of G-d. It is considered a great sin to disobey or falsify the words of the Almighty! I would like to present for your perusal two biblical land titles: "Sarah died in Kiriatharba [Hebron] ..." "Avraham weighed-out for Ephron the silver that he spoke of in the hearing of the sons of Cheis, four hundred silver shekel, negotiable currency." "This became Avraham's [possession] through a purchase before the eyes of the sons of Cheis..." (Genesis 23:2,16,18) Abraham made sure the purchase of land at Hebron was recorded as a legal sale not as a gift. "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I given it, as I spoke unto Moses. From the wilderness, and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the Great Sea [Mediterraneansea] toward the going down of the sun, shall be your border." (Joshua 1:3,4; Re: Deuteronomy 11:24) "This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families." "Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages; unto the Brook of Egypt, the Great Sea being the border thereof." (Joshua15:20,47) Religious people believe that all that is written in the Torah by G-d is purposeful. Therefore, if you are a Jew, Christian or Muslim you must accept the will of G-d and recognise the right of the Jewish people to live on all the land given to them by G-d. Otherwise, you have been living a life of self-deception or hypocrisy. Steven Shamrak was born in the former Soviet Union (USSR) and participated in the Moscow Zionist "refusenik" movement. For the last 3 years, he has been publishing internet editorial letters on the Arab-Israeli conflict - independently, not as a member of any organization or political movement. He can be reached by email at StevenShamrak@mail2world.com To Go To Top

A MAN AHEAD OF HIS TIME Posted by Herb and Miki Sunshine, February 21, 2005.

RABBI, WHERE ARE YOU NOW THAT WE NEED YOU? Herbert B. Sunshine is Professor of Law (US). He and his wife Miki live in Jerusalem. To Go To Top

WHAT SHARON OMITTED TO TELL MINISTERS BEFORE THEY APPROVED EVACUATIONS Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, February 21, 2005.

Once again DEBKAfile takes the lead in exposing, underlying truths to Sharon's manipulations of his Cabinet, the Hebrew Media and the Knesset. I would not be surprised to see a coup to take over the Government by political and military interests who observe with alarm Sharon's desperate attempt to disassemble the nation on the faulty premise that the Palestinians will evolve into a peaceful nation. Sharon's first release of 500 convicted and jailed Terrorists, to be followed by at least 400 more, has demonstrated to the Military and Intelligence that risking their lives to capture Terrorists has proven purposeless. The number of dead soldiers, police and agents who sacrificed their lives to penetrate the Terrorist groups was just thrown away by Sharon as a sacrifice of no consequence. This is a DEBKAfile Exclusive Report from February 20, 2005. General Asaf Shawqat, new Czar of Syrian front against Israel Israeli prime minister finally managed to elicit two momentous decisions from his cabinet on Sunday, February 20. The hard one was the evacuation of 26 Israeli communities from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank, one of the most polarizing in Israel's history. Sharon and his defense minister immediately signed the decrees making the removals possible as of July 20. After the eight weeks allotted for the evictions, it will be illegal for any Israeli to reside in the Gaza Strip. But along the way, Sharon split his party, dropped ministers and divided at east two pro-settlement factions. Only after he built a new government coalition with Labor to neutralize his own party rebels, did he see his way to majority support for his pullout plan in the Knesset and cabinet. By then, two top national security chiefs had fallen by the wayside, chief of staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon, and Shin Beit Director Avi Dichter. The 8,000 evacuees have been given five months notice to accept the payouts on offer and go quietly or wait to be forcibly evicted under an elaborate evacuation plan requiring 6,000 policemen to remove them bodily, backed by several thousand armed soldiers for security. The second decision confirmed by Israeli ministers later in the session approved the southern section of West Bank defense barrier after its route was amended. The revised route encloses 7% of West Bank territory instead of 16% in the original blueprint. The fence will encircle the Gush Etzion cluster and town of Maale Adummim south and east of Jerusalem. Both are bound to the capital as virtual satellites. But the town of Ariel further north will be excluded as will the Israeli communities of southern Mt. Hebron where the fence will follow the pre-1967 route. Although this is essentially a security fence, its route suggests that in future bargaining, these communities may find themselves in the same boat as their fellows in the Gaza Strip. When the prime minister told the ministers at the critical voting session that disengagement is an "essential step for the state of Israel's future," he did not share with them certain facts that might have altered the way they voted. DEBKAfile's uncovers some of those facts: The Palestinian Front. Friday, December 11, three days before the well-publicized Sharm el-Sheikh summit of Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian and Jordanian leaders, the opposite camp met secretly on ways to disrupt it at a Hizballah base near Hermel in the Lebanese Beqaa Valley. Organized by the "Palestinian Desk" of Syrian military intelligence, it was attended by the officer who orchestrated Rafiq Hariri's assassination two months later, General Rustum Ghazallah, as well as, DEBKAfile's intelligence sources reveal, Colonel Askar Assdallahi, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard unit stationed at a secret Syrian military camp in the Zabadni Valley 40 km north of Damascus. Syria has never admitted to hosting an Iranian Revolutionary Guard force on its soil. Also there were Palestinian Hamas operations chief and liaison man with Tehran, Imad al Alami, and Ezze-din-al Qassam commander Musbah Abu Huwila, whom Israeli attempted to liquidate in Damascus on December 14, 2004. The two Jihad Islami operatives present were senior recruiter and trainer Akram Ajuri and head of operations in Lebanon Ziyad Nakhla. The two high-ranking Hizballah officers at the meeting were training director Abu Zainab aka Hassan Ali Dib and the undercover liaison with Hamas and Jihad Gaza commands, Kassam Kasir. Present too were delegates of Fatah-Damascus and the Palestinian "Fronts." On the agenda: the organization of a fresh terrorist offensive to accompany Israel's withdrawals. Here are the decisions of that secret conclave: 1. Unanimous rejection of the ceasefire Mahmoud Abbas and Ariel Sharon planned for the Sharm summit. 2. The Hamas, Jihad, Fatah-al Aqsa Brigades and Gaza Strip Popular Committees would lay the groundwork of the terror offensive by planting hundreds of explosive charges along Israeli traffic routes to blow up the Israeli units executing the evacuations. Israeli military sources revealed Sunday, February 20, that in the last two weeks, 22 of these bombs, some as large as 70 kilos, were uncovered before they could do any harm. 3. Every effort would be made to step up the flow of smuggled weapons from Egyptian Sinai into the Gaza Strip, especially missiles of all types including anti-tank and surface-to-air rockets, the latter for shooting down Israeli helicopters and drones deployed to silence concentrated Palestinian Qassam missile assaults on Israeli targets. 4. Hizballah promised to redouble its recruitment of spies and spotters among Israeli Arabs to keep the terrorists abreast of Israeli military movements. 5. Iran's Asdallahi and Syria's Ghazallah announced an extra one-million-dollar allocation each to fund the operation to disrupt the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. This is what General Yaalon was talking about Sunday when he referred to the disengagement operation as "a very vulnerable and fragile process subject to a Hamas and Hizballah veto." He added: "We see that the Palestinians are caught up in internal debate. But there is no change whatever in Hamas thinking; it is exploiting the slowdown of military action to re-arm." The American Front. In her latest telephone conversation with Mahmoud Abbas, secretary of state Condoleezza Rice repeated three times: Dismantle, dismantle, dismantle. But during her visit earlier this month she - and subsequently US security coordinator Lt.-Gen William E Ward - carried the same message to Sharon: A. We don't believe Abbas will make it. That is why we haven't invited him to the White House and the funds allocated to him will only be forwarded if he takes real action against terror. From what we have seen thus far, he has not done anything at all. He simply hides behind Mohammed Dahlan's talks with your defense minister (Mofaz). Dahlan has not lived up to any of his promises to us. B. We are therefore standing back from your dispute and will confine ourselves to being observers. If there is anything we need to say, we will say it. C. If you need help in implementing your disengagement plan, get back to us and we will see what we can do, but we accept no responsibility for the move. D. So that Washington can keep its distance, an American diplomatic coordinator will soon be appointed to complement General Ward's function in security. According to our sources, a middle-ranking official will be chosen to downgrade the Bush administration's engagement in the dispute and keep it off the desks of the Oval Office and the secretary of state. The Bush administration has decided to remain aloof - if not quite wash its hands of Abbas - because of his decision to forego any attempt to dismantle or disarm the terrorists, after failing to persuade them even to join a temporary ceasefire. His plan of action only goes as far as absorbing terrorist manpower in the Palestinian Authority's security forces. But every attempt made in the past to turn terrorists into security or police officers and wean them away from terror with new uniforms and paychecks has failed. The European Front, Following the American step back from the Middle East dispute, Sharon sent his top aide Dov Weisglass to London and Brussels instead of Washington to report on the government's pullback decision. This mission went ahead despite the fact that the European Union foreign affairs executive Javier Solana conveyed a secret assurance to Abbas. He advised him not to be dismayed by the cool wind blowing from Washington, because immediately after Israel completes its pullback, the EU would stage a big international conference to work on the final-status accord between Israel and the Palestinians. What this means, according to DEBKAfile's Middle East experts, is that the Europeans have given Abu Mazen the means to duck the American demand to dismantle terrorists. So keen is Solana on his Middle East initiative that on the day of the Hariri assassination in Beirut, the Spanish ambassador in Tel Aviv was ordered to fly to Damascus via Cyprus for a briefing on Abbas' situation to Spanish minister Miguel Moratinos who was then visiting Damascus. 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). To Go To Top

THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL HAS BECOME A DESTRUCTIVE FORCE Posted by Rabbi Avraham Shmulevich, February 21, 2005.

This is an appeal Of "Bead Artseinu" ("For Motherland!") to world Jewry. Brothers and sisters! In these dark days the "government" of the state of Israel is preparing to commit a terrible crime against G-d of Israel and the Jewish people - an eviction of Jews from their homes and transfer of a part of our common historical Motherland to the enemy. There can be no justification for this crime - as the people who have usurped the power in Israel are motivated by pure greed and cowardice. We call on you, Jews, wherever you may be, to do everything in your power to stop this horrible crime from happening. We call on the world Jewry to cease having any contact with the official government of Israel, to declare a boycott against all of its official branches and representatives of the government of Israel - until such time, as the government will relinquish its criminal intent to deport Jews from Gaza, Samaria and the transfer of parts of Jerusalem under Arab control. The government of Israel has become a destructive force, its activities cause great harm to the Jewish people in the Land of Israel, and this is why we implore the world Jewry to stop providing assistance directly to the government, but at the same time to double your efforts to provide assistance directly to the Jewish settlements, yeshivas, hospitals, schools and universities. Your efforts and money should not fill the pockets of corrupt and traitorous government officials and "Sokhnut" functionaries, but aid the strengthening of the Jewish presense in our common Motherland. The duty of every honest Jew who sees this message is to distribute it as widely as possible among the Jews of diaspora. Translate this call to all the languages spoken by our brothers and sisters who remain scattered around the world, tell about it to all the Jews you know. Only together may we succeed in defending our traditional Motherland! Don't let the criminals, who have usurped power inside the country, to give away parts of our common heritage to our ememies! Demand from the Israeli government the cancellation of the deportation. Rabbi Avraham Shmulevich is Chairman of "Bead Artseinu". He can be reached at hebron@mail.ru To Go To Top

DEMOCRACY, DUPLICITY, DEMAGOGUERY AND DISHONESTY Posted by Gary Cooperberg, February 21, 2005.

It is more than amazing to watch how the Israeli government is trying to force down the throats of its electorate a policy which can only be described as treasonous and self destructive. We are told by our Prime Minister, that, as a result of forcibly evicting over 8000 Jews from their homes and handing Jewish land to the PLO; as well as turning terrorist murderers loose, that we will now have a new hope for peace with our would be murderers. Does he really think we are all morons? Before outlining the lunacy of this marvelous peace program, allow me to present an unlikely analogy. Suppose tomorrow the President of the United States determined that, for the security and well being of the nation, all Jews living in Washington DC must be evacuated. By allowing Jews to live in the nation's capitol, relations with Saudi Arabia would be severely impaired and the likelihood of a terrorist attack would be greatly increased. And suppose that the President succeeded in getting both houses of Congress to pass a law making it illegal for Jews to live in Washington. To make the legislation more palatable Jews may continue to live in Maryland and work in the capitol. Certainly this minor inconvenience is worth preventing future terror attacks. Is there any normal person on the face of the earth who would imagine that such an effort would succeed? Even were this law passed, there would be such a political upheaval that it would be immediately repealed. No government has the right to arbitrarily throw citizens out of their homes for political whims. If it is so easy to see how such an attempt to deprive Jews of their basic human rights would never work anywhere in the USA, why is it so hard to see that what the government of Israel is trying to do to her own citizens living Gaza is a gross and intolerable violation of their human rights? This would be true even if there were truly a hope for peace. But, to add insult to injury, there is absolutely no reason to assume that these gestures will bring peace any closer. On the contrary. We already have clear evidence that both, evacuating Jews and giving away their land to the PLO, plus freeing murderers from jail, only serve to encourage our enemies in their struggle to destroy the Jewish State. Abu Mazan is no less a terrorist murderer than was Arafat. The PLO has no desire to live in peace with an Israel of any size. The murderers who were released from prison, after promising not to murder again, and, mind you, signing affidavits to that affect, were seen flashing the victory sign to the press with big grins on their faces. Clearly these are reformed criminals who will now choose to live in peace with Jews. If George Bush, and other world leaders are prepared to sacrifice Israel for what they perceive as their self interests, I can understand that. But how does one begin to fathom how Israeli leaders are working so hard to turn Israel into one gigantic suicide bomb? One needn't be a genius to see where these insane policies are leading us. Sharon is so wrong it makes you want to scream. Expelling Jews from their homes and then giving away our land to our enemies will not make them love us. Turning murderers loose will only convince them that murdering Jews is a good deed. For a Prime Minister of Israel to tell us otherwise is not merely an insult to our intelligence, rather a breach of his responsibility to his country. It is imperative that we do all in our power to see to it that the upcoming vote on the budget fails. Sharon is bad for Israel and must be removed from power. Gary Cooperberg lives in Hebron. He can be reached at his website: www.projectshofar.org To Go To Top

PSI STATEMENT ON GAZA WITHDRAWAL IS INCOMPLETE Posted by Joe Marzal, February 21, 2005.

An excerpt of the Professors for a Strong Israel (PSI) statement on the Gaza withdrawl is missing a most important part. Why do you and the vast majority of Zionists ignore the most dangerous factor of the Sharon retreat and surrender? Professors for A Strong Israel wrote; Professors for a Strong Israel rejects the decision as anti-Zionist, anti-democratic, and immoral. We believe it is incapable of execution and hence will find its place in the dustbin of history. We deplore the accompanying campaign of incitement against millions of loyal citizens, whose only crime is to oppose this tyranny ... The threatened expulsion is illogical, inhumane, unethical, un-Jewish, and - not least - illegal. If it is carried out, it will constitute a catastrophe on all fronts: security, diplomatic, economic, social, ethical, and constitutional; the harm caused to the state will be irreversible. You are ignoring that it is the Bush Road Map for a Palestinian State that fuels P.M. Sharon's illogical, illegal, anti-Zionist, immoral, inhumane and unethical expulsion of Jews from their land. Why are so many of you ignoring that it is the personal vision, dream, desire and will of the President of the U.S. and that P.M. Sharon is only doing as he is told by the sly tyrant camouflaged in a freedom and democracy costume? If you succeeded in stopping Sharon, Mr. Road Map, the greatest threat to Israel, would only find another Jewish turncoat to fulfill his dream of a Final Solution Terrorist Palestinian State. Was Yitzak Shamir the last Israeli leader who refused to bow to Washington? The rest - Netanyahu, Sharon, Peres, Rabin, Barak - all surrendered Israel's sovereignty to the one who now divides up the land of Israel for national self interests and all of you are fearful, silent and ignore this important and deadly threat to Israel's survival. Why, I ask? Why are all of you silent on the evil Road Map of King George? The author can be reached at marzal@myway.com To Go To Top

OLEG CARTOON: RELAY BATON Posted by Women in Green, February 21, 2005.

Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org To Go To Top

UNDERCOVER POLICE AGENT RESPONSIBLE FOR RIGHT-WING INCITEMENT Posted by Bryna Berch, February 21, 2005.

This is a news item from today's Arutz-7 - www.IsraelNationalNews.com So the Government is PAYING at least one person to run around pretending to be an angry settler. He spray paints graffiti and puts up signs with death threats against Sharon. And the local Israeli media and the TV reporters working for BBC and CNN - all of who know better - solemnly report that the right-wing settlers are inciting people against the government. Sick. Sick. Sick. A police informant initiated much right-wing incitement in recent weeks, according to Maariv newspaper. Similar police tactics were used in the mid-1990's against protestors of the Oslo Accords. Much of the "right-wing incitement" of recent weeks, attributed by the media to the national camp, was initiated by none other than an undercover police informant. So reports Maariv today, in an article featured in a front-page headline. The paper states that the police agent has initiated some of the more extreme protest acts of recent weeks - acts that were widely attributed to the entire national camp. The activities thus cast a cloud of illegitimacy on the entire anti-disengagement cause. The agent provocateur was behind a recent bumper sticker which implied that Prime Minister Sharon's death was near. The sticker read: "Sharon, Lily [the PM's late wife] is waiting for you." He also recruited people to attend the road-blocking protests of last week, which brought much public wrath upon the anti-disengagement cause. The police informant resides in a community in Judea and Samaria (Yesha). Armed with police "protection" because of the information he transmits to them, the agent initiated extremist acts, ostensibly to "entrap" protestors. He reportedly said he plans more violent activities over the coming months, including vandalizing or setting fire to courthouses and other public buildings. The media have routinely attributed such activities to "extreme right-wing" elements. Etgar Lefkovits of the Jerusalem Post, for instance, wrote on Friday, "For the second time in as many days, suspected Jewish extremists spray-painted graffiti Thursday against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in central Jerusalem, police said... Police said that they suspect far-right activists, affiliated with the outlawed Kach movement, were behind the vandalism. Similar slogans appeared on city streets and billboards prior to the 1995 assassination of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin." In fact, the revelation of the police agent-provocateur was reminiscent of the Avishai Raviv case in 1995. An agent of the General Security Service (Shabak), Raviv was paid to inform on the activities of his right-wing neighbors, and in fact instigated some of the more violent and extreme activities himself. Tzvi Hendel, speaking in the capacity of Deputy Education Minister, said that Raviv was "a sick provocateur who did all he could to sow hatred for the Jews living in Judea and Samaria by Israeli citizens." Raviv goaded Yigal Amir into murdering Rabin, according to testimony of at least two people. Raviv himself later admitted that he not only knew of Amir's intention to murder Rabin, but that he gave Amir the impression that he concurred with Amir's conclusions. "The main point is," said Prof. Hillel Weiss of Bar-Ilan University at the time, "that the GSS was behind a cruel, heartless plan to besmirch an entire public and frame them with the crime of attempting to murder the Prime Minister." Raviv was later indicted in April '99 - 18 months after it was officially released that he was a GSS agent, and only following court suits and public pressure demanding that Raviv be put on trial. The charge sheet specified not that Raviv encouraged Amir, but rather that he did "not prevent" the murder. After the trial was delayed many times over the course of more than three full years, the trial began in earnest only in July '02. Eight months later, Raviv was acquitted of all charges. Likud MK Michael Eitan, one of the strongest advocates at the time of a public inquiry into the Raviv-Amir connection, said something then that might easily be said about this morning's revelations. Eitan said that the verdict "was a personal, legal vindication of one man - but the entire public interest issue still remains a tightly closed secret. No one has investigated those on behalf of whom GSS-agent Raviv was operating. No one has investigated the incitement against Jewish citizens and Arabs living in Judea and Samaria. No one has investigated the smear campaign against Jewish leaders that came before and after the murder. All this and much more remains closed and shut." To Go To Top

NOT LIKELY Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, February 21, 2005.

I am amazed that there is anyone who actually trusts Bibi. He has consistently shown himself to be totally without scruples and is able to lie to or betray anyone. Often with the most minimal benefit to himself. The idea that Bibi will come riding into town on his white horse and save the day is total fantasy. He might succeed in wresting the leadership away from Sharon but we will see no significant changes in any area of importance from him. He will not stop the destruction of Yeshah nor reverse the Road Map to the final solution of the Israel problem. In fact the only hope from the Likud comes from the Likud loyalists and the Feiglin faction. If someone from this configuration were to ascend to the leadership of the Likud, we could see a peaceful resolution of all this. This is not as impossible as their opponent would like the world to believe. Should the realization set in to the members of the Likud that the real issues here are not "settlements" but the continued existence of the State of Israel and the continued existence of they and their families, then the loyalists and the Jewish Leadership people will be able to come out on top. So long as the perception is that all this is just politics as usual or about fanatics try to stop peace, the gangsters will continue to dominate. Only when the members of the Likud and especially the Likud Central Committee understand that their lives, their families and everything they have worked to build for over a century is at stake and will be lost, only then will there be changes. This comes from Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis). It is archived at http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=24220 Contact Dr Lerner by email at imra@netvision.net.il or go to the IMRA website: http://www.imra.org.il Background: Long shot - budget defeated, elections, disengagement voted down If the budget is not approved by the end of March new elections will be held on 28 June. In the event of new elections Prime Minister Sharon is expected to run against Binyamin Netanyahu for the position of head of the Likud and their candidate for prime minister. Only people already registered as members of the Likud could vote in the primaries. The over hundred thousand Likud members "recruited" by Omri Sharon from kibbutzim, the Arab sector and elsewhere who voted for Sharon in the last primaries did not continue paying dues and are no longer Likud members. Candidate Netanyahu could promise to "honor" the cabinet decision without going into specifics. Under this scenario a new government formed by Netanyahu after the elections would, per yesterday's cabinet decision, have to vote on the actual implementation of the withdrawals from each group of communities. If the new cabinet decided that "the circumstances" are such that withdrawal will not take place this would close the circle on the disengagement plan and any future removal of communities would require new enabling legislation. #1 Vote on each group of communities "The Cabinet will reconvene shortly before the evacuation of the group, will discuss the then existing circumstances, and will decide whether or not the circumstances are such that they will affect the evacuation." CABINET COMMUNIQUE (Communicated by the Cabinet Secretariat) Monday, 21 February, 2005 The Cabinet Secretariat told IMRA today that "decide" means vote. #2. Elections if budget not passed "36(a). Dispersion due to failure to adopt budget" Non-adoption of the Budget Law within three months subsequent to the beginning of the fiscal year will be considered to be a Knesset decision on its dispersion, prior to the completion of its term of service, on the day following the end of this period (hereafter: the determining date), and early elections will be held on the last Tuesday before the end of 90 days of the determining date, unless the Knesset decides, within five days of the determining date, may decide that because of the proximity of the date of elections to a holiday or memorial day, to postpone the elections to a date no later than 100 days from the determining date. Basic Law: The Government (2001) www.knesset.gov.il/laws/special/eng/basic14_eng.htm 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. To Go To Top

ANOTHER DAY OF INFAMY Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, February 20, 2005.

I feel certain that all those connected with Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon who voted for the de-stabilization of the Jewish State should be reminded of their perfidy every time they walk the streets. Let no one raise their hand to these people because they have already cursed themselves. Later, their regrets will carry the same importance as the recent assembly of European nations to mark the Jewish Genocide they assisted the Nazis to implement. Therefore, "Never Forget" and "Never Forgive". Only the dead can forgive and, of course, they will not be around to voice an opinion. Sharon and his army of "Yes" men and women will have not only weakened the nation both internally and at her borders but, they will have brought every enemy within close firing range of Israel's heavily populated cities and, in the next phase, Ben Gurion International Airport. Every time a Katyusha or Kassam Rocket or mortar hits deep inside Israel; every time a Terrorist easily enters Israel with reduced checkpoints and blows up Jews - know that Sharon is expanding his personal graveyard. Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Yossi Beilin have their expanding graveyards through Oslo and now Sharon will have his own "Disengagement" graveyard - starting now. Make a comprehensive list of Sharon's supporters who voted into existence the deportation plans. This includes its principals, the 17 Cabinet members who voted FOR retreat; the Knesset who didn't stop it; the Army and Police officers who accepted this evacuation mission without protest. Name them. Keep those name and for the rest of their lives (may they live long), remind them every day of their treachery. Insure that their/your entire family knows so they too can decide whether it was right or wrong. Let nothing be hidden, forgotten or forgiven - particularly among the victims' families. Once a year there should be a "Treachery Day" where the participants of the expulsion receive a mailed card or a phone call further reminding them of their role. (No apologies accepted.) FDR, Franklin Roosevelt (no friend of the Jews) once said after being attacked at Pearl Harbor that "This was a day that will live in infamy". He wanted Remembrance and now, so should the Jews for being attacked by Ariel Sharon. LEGACY Sharon will have succeeded in dividing the Jewish Nation with the Leftists of the cities and the Settlers developing into what Josephus called: "The War of the Jews". Sharon has given up a vital Southern Front. All invaders have entered Eretz Yisrael from Gaza. Sharon has established a base for Global Terrorists which will deeply affect Israel's security, to include putting most of Israel's southern cities within easy reach of Missiles fired from Gaza. Sharon will have slowed and possibly stopped immigration (aliyah) given that he will have made Israel more dangerous to Iive in. Sharon has proven that he will attempt to deport Jews - not only from Gaza but from the vital core of the Nation, the heartland historical named Judea and Samaria. Add to that, they talked about evacuation of the Jordan Valley, the Golan Heights and that part of Jerusalem that Jordan occupied for 19 years from 1948 to 1967. This is all contained in the Bush Family Road Map. Sharon has turned a trusted Police Force and Military Forces into Forces feared by her citizens because now it will be beating protesters, using Administrative Detention, jailing residents who resist being uprooted and deported. They will lock up anyone who disagrees with Sharon's policy without trial, without attorneys for defense, with secret court proceedings or, in effect, all the trappings of a Police State. Sharon, like Rabin did, is releasing convicted and jailed Arab Muslim Terrorists who were simply caught trying to murder Jews but didn't succeed. A recent study tracking Terrorists released under gestures for peace demonstrated that half returned to acts of Terror. Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra, indicated that, when Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen), the new President of the Palestinian Authority, makes appropriated gestures, Sharon will even release Terrorists who have murdered Jews - those with "blood on their hands". Note! International law states that all crimes and criminals must be punished. "Nullem crimen sine poena" - "No Crime Without a Punishment". Therefore, it must be assumed that all released Terrorists will return to committing murder or to teaching others to murder Jews. (This makes Sharon complicit in a crime of major proportions to include subsequent Terrorist attacks by those released. Sharon has divided the Army with this policy of evacuating Jews - from its officers down through its foot soldiers. Their morale is low, with more and more soldiers committing NOT to deport Jews because they consider it an illegal and immoral act. Israeli youth will begin to see the Army as hostile to the people, their own families, and will likely not volunteer for service in the future. Sharon has also decided to disband the Hesder Yeshiva model wherein Orthodox soldiers volunteer to serve for five years, with Yeshiva studies combined in their Army service. Many of the IDF's top officers are religiously observant, i.e., Orthodox. This virtual discrimination of Jew against Jew will further demoralize the Army and the number of excellent Orthodox officers and soldiers will diminish. Sharon has accepted a role for Israel to be an obedient creature to U.S. politics and their interests in the Arab Muslim world. In effect, Sharon is no longer an employee of Israel but has accepted foreign rules and orders. Sharon has demonstrated that he can rule by fiat - like a dictator - and anyone who challenges his policies is summarily fired. Just like the practices of Jordan, Egypt, Iran and Syria. Sharon's "Disengagement Plan" was probably NOT read by most of the Knesset (I'd be willing to bet) and, therefore, didn't see or understood that the Plan includes arming and training Palestinian Arab Muslims as was done under Oslo. (Some may recall that those same Palestinian Policemen - given 40,000 weapons (or more) by Rabin and Peres - turned their guns against the Israeli Police and Soldiers with whom they were patrolling.) Sharon's Cabinet Ministers have called for Administrative Detention for any protester who yells at them - putting free speech in the category of a physical threat. If shouting were an jailable offense, most of the Knesset would need to be put into Administrative Detention. Imagine if Bush accepted this flagrant abuse of power for Americans, more than half of America's citizens would now be in jail. What sane American would consider moving to a Police State when, by exercising their free democratic rights, a Policeman could put you in prison under Administrative Detention for shouting or demonstrating. Americans are not used to keeping their mouths shut or having a dictator forcing them into obedience. Sharon has not encouraged aliyah (immigrating to Israel or going up) but yeridah (leaving Israel or literally - going down) Perhaps it is all best summed up by a statement of the long serving and respected Member of Knesset recently: "The Prime Minister is trying to prepare public opinion for violence along the line of the "Altalena". Recall the ship "Altalena" coming from Europe in 1948 with death camp refugees and weapons for the newly born State of Israel who was fighting against 6 Arab Armies. Prime Minister David Ben Gurion ordered Yitzhak Rabin to shell the Altalena. The ship was sunk and Rabin ordered his men to shoot the Jews swimming ashore. This then was the massacre of the Altalena and no less a Terrorist attack of Jews against fellow Jews. In brief, Member of Knesset Uzi Landau who knows Sharon quite well, understands that he intends to use maximum force against the Settlers who come under the category of "Refuseniks". It just doesn't get any uglier than that. So, don't forget and don't forgive! 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). To Go To Top

REVEREND BELL'S BLATANT LIES AGAINST ISRAEL ON BBC Posted by Barry Shaw, February 20, 2005.

This is a letter I wrote to the Yorkshire Post. To: Editor, Readers Letters Yorkshire Post Dear Sir, May I offer my thanks to Bill Carmichael for exposing the blatant lies aired, with no rebuttal, by the BBC by the Reverend Bell. He claimed to have met an 18 year old Arab named Adam who, he said, had been conscripted into the Israeli army to kill children. This is the type of blood libel, echoing the non-existent 'massacre' of Jenin, that we Israelis, we Jews, have suffered for years by the Western media and broadcasting networks while being blown up in our buses, cafes, streets, markets, and discos. I am sure that your readers are unaware that we Israelis have suffered no less than twenty four thousand separate terror attacks since the Palestinian Authority launched its latest intifada in September 2000 after Israel had made the most generous and painful peace concessions. Twenty four thousand terror attacks are not the work of a few desolate souls. Twenty four thousand terror strikes is the coordinated work of a society not determined to create a state of their own, but to destroy the Jewish state of Israel. The Palestinians need more than a state. Like the Reverend Bell, they need a new state of mind. Barry Shaw is Chairman of the Netanya Terror Victims Fund in Netanya, Israel. Contact him at netre@matav.net.il To Go To Top

PR: SAUDI-STYLE Posted by Barry Rubin, February 20, 2005.

It's a really strange thing. America is supposed to be the land where the art of public relations has been perfected. Yet it is in the Arab world--in both domestic and international terms--that this art has been most perfectly developed in political terms. Consider for example the Saudi government's international conference on counterterrorism held in early February. Saudi Arabia is in an extremely peculiar position on this issue. On one hand, Riyadh has been a major financer of terrorism and propagandist for the main ideology motivating such behavior. Most of the September 11, 2001, hijackers were Saudis, too. The Saudis have never accepted their responsibility for these acts--which its leaders often claim is a Zionist or American plot--and has not taken very effective action to change the situation. For example, one Saudi journalist wrote typically, "Ideological extremism is merchandise that was never manufactured or sown in this land." (MEMRI translation) In contrast, Saudi liberals warn that the real source of terrorism is not some foreign plot or importation but the result of the extremist ideas implanted among Saudis by their own school system, mosques, and media. Their writings most often appear, though, only in Western or English-language newspapers. For example, Mansour al-Nogaidan, a Saudi columnist, defined the real problem as being "that Saudi Arabia is bogged down by deep-rooted Islamic extremism in most schools and mosques, which have become breeding grounds for terrorists." Naturally, the Saudi rulers do not like the idea that reform is necessary to root out terrorism. On the other hand, though, Saudi Arabia has been a victim of terrorism, though it is most often aimed at foreign nationals working to promote development there. There has been widespread criticism of Saudi countermeasures as sloppy and ineffective. Of course, Saudi Arabia wants to present itself as victim, not a promoter of terrorism. Hence, the idea of holding a conference involving 50 countries and many international organizations in order to boast of Saudi efforts and to define terrorism was a most attractive idea. It is not surprising that the Saudis did not invite Israel but at the meeting they--and their fellow "counterterrorist" delegations from terrorism-sponsoring Iran and Syria--insisted that Israel did not suffer from terrorism since resistance to occupation could not be terrorist. Rather sadder was the fact that only the U.S. delegation openly challenged this claim. Yet while gleaning much good publicity and the fruits of appeasement, the Saudis did not even think it necessary to maintain more than the thinnest pretense of sincerity. Consider the following points: --Both the conference's chairman, Interior Minister Prince Nayef, and the keynote speaker, Crown Prince Abdullah, had blamed the September 11 attacks and Usama bin Ladin's Saudi revolutionary group on the Jews. --A book distributed officially by the Saudi government at the conference claimed that Jewish-controlled mass media in the West was responsible for linking terrorism and Islam, rather neglecting the fact that the terrorist organizations themselves made this claim and had many supporters in the Muslim world. --Incredibly, a few days later, the man who wrote that assertion, Abdallah al-Obeid was appointed the new minister of education. To underline the incredible nature of this choice, it should be clear the he is now the man who controls what young Saudis will learn. Presumably the man who headed the Muslim World League for seven years at a time when it was contributing millions of dollars to bin Ladin and other terrorist groups is not a likely person to move Saudi education away from its current role as training ground for future terrorists. The League's activity in this context is reportedly being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice. --Despite periodic Western media coverage praising the Saudis for reforming mosques and schools to encourage moderation, in fact the ministries of education and of Islamic affairs have employed their energies in purging teachers accused of liberalism. In mosques, state-sponsored preachers continue to attack liberals, Muslims who do not follow the strict Saudi Wahabi rite, Christians, and Jews. --Saudi "denunciations" of terrorism are carefully worded to limit their condemnation to attacks on Muslims or, at most, their non-Muslim guest workers. Here is how one Saudi columnist typically explained it: an attack on an occupier oppressing one (i.e., Israel) "is legitimate Jihad." But the same type of attack in Saudi Arabia "is a criminal and terrorist act." The latter type of attacks are also regrettable "because they caused no damage to American interests_but damaged their homeland." (MEMRI translation) --And on top of all that, the Saudi definition of terrorism is not even going to protect the kingdom. After all, the rationale given by bin Ladin and the terrorists trying to overthrow the Saudi regime is that they are defending themselves from an occupation by the Saudi royal family and its supposed master, the United States. In other words, the Saudi regime is spreading a view of terrorism which extols attacks not only on Israel and America but also on itself. This type of manipulation fools some people abroad but may ultimately be fatal to a Saudi regime which is inspiring its own would-be gravediggers at home. Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC), and co-author of "Yasir Arafat: A Political Biography" and "Hating America: A History" (Oxford University Press, August 2004). Prof. Rubin's columns can now be read online at http://gloria.idc.ac.il/columns/column.html. This article is archived at http://gloria.idc.ac.il/columns/2005/02_15.html To Go To Top

NEW, OLD, ANCIENT, ALL THE SAME Posted by Batya Medad, February 20, 2005.

Ok, I admit that I'm not a rabbi; I'm just a housewife, who teaches English and writes. I learned that there's a Jewish Law that even if one of the shofrot (rams horns) used in the time of the Beit Hamikdash, Holy Temple, was found, it wouldn't be considered kosher for ritual use today. Rabbinic decisions are connected to the times in which they are made. That's why I have a problem with a few of the responses to my feeling that we must rethink our "enthusiasm" to the present State of Israel. A few people said that my thoughts and, opinions, are wrong because of what the Rabbis Kook (both of them) poskened, taught. Now, I would never criticize what the rabbis stated about the times in which they lived, but even Rav Tzvi Yehuda passed to olam haba a generation ago. Not to diminish anything those great rabbis taught during their lives, I wonder what they would say and do if they were alive today, when the State of Israel planning on dismantling Jewish communities, schools, yeshivot and businesses and jailing those who protest against it. I can't help thinking of Shmuel HaNavi, Samuel the Prophet, the man who anointed the first King of Israel, Saul, and soon after, while Saul still reigned, he anointed David king. In a sense, the Rabbis Kook can be likened to Shmuel HaNavi, except for the crucial fact that they died at too early a stage in the story. I strongly feel that we are in those times again. We are reliving the times when Saul was chasing David, trying to kill him and all who followed him. Saul was desperate to preserve his kingship and pass it on to his son Jonathan. David wrote some of his most moving T'hilim, psalms, when he was trying to avoid Saul's persecution and murder attempts. Every week when I learn more of those lines (at our Boker Limud Nashim, Women's Study Morning taught by Rabbi Nissan Ben Avraham), I'm more and more convinced of the similarities. First of all, in Biblical times, the people asked Shmuel to make them a king, "like all other nations," (First Samuel, Chapter 8.) "Like all the other nations" so clearly reminds me how the Zionist leaders were so insistent on getting the approval of foreign countries, and how they celebrated, even today, the UN vote on the 29th of November, commemorated on the goyish calendar date. And to this day, major national decisions are made, not for what's best for the State of Israel, but how will the goyim see us. Now, in the Divine Plan, which was no secret, there was supposed to be a king, but he wasn't supposed to be "like all the nations." I have to admit something that annoys or makes some people uncomfortable, the more I learn about King Saul, the less I think of him. Now, as I'm writing this, I reread Chapter 9 in the First Book of Samuel, just to make sure that my impressions are based on the text. And it just confirmed my previous feelings. Saul was chosen more for his physical attributes, "from his shoulders and upwards, he was taller than any of the people." (First Samuel 9, 2) I can see that line illustrated with the classic portrait of the early kibbutznik, tall, handsome, broad-shouldered, his sun-bleached hair in a natural pompadour crowning his forehead. Just read the chapter for the narrative. You don't see a leader, just a well-behaved son of a prominent family, the handsome, pampered son of a "man of valor," thrust into a position for which he was unprepared and unsuited. So it's no surprise that later on when Goliath taunts his army, Saul is paralyzed and doesn't react. Young David, the "Cinderella" son of Jesse, arrives with some food for his more important brothers, hears Goliath, takes out his slingshot, and kills him. I call King David the "Cinderella," because, like the Fairy Tale character, he was from a distinguished family, but treated like a servant. His brothers were raised to be national leaders, but he was kept out, sent off to be a shepherd. Now read Chapter 16 in The First Book of Samuel. Again, the similarities are really spooky. I see our hilltop youth in the description of young David and the fear of today's regime echoes in Samuel's as he tries to avoid G-d's orders. "And Samuel said, 'how can I go? If Saul will hear of it, he will kill me.'" (First Samuel 16, 2) Think of the government ministers "holding onto their seats" rather than defying Sharon. Reading our once and forever history book, the Bible, we learn that because he didn't follow G-d's commandments, Saul loses Samuel's backing in one of most pathetic scenes in the Bible and secular literature. The once kingly Saul crying, begging, pleading and grabbing Samuel's cloak, willing to do anything just to remain king (First Samuel 15, 22-35.) It ends with G-d being sorry for ever having had appointed Saul king. My writing, even at its best, can't compete with the compelling narrative of the Holy Bible, so I suggest that you read it in whatever language is easiest for you to comprehend. If we continue to follow our ancient history, then our troubles won't be over for a while. It took quite a few years for David to begin his reign over the entire Jewish Nation. Our struggle is far from over, but as long as we follow G-d's commandments, b'ezrat Hashem, t'hiyeh Geula shleimah, b'mheira, b'yameinu, With G-d's help, there will be a complete redemption in our day, soon. This is Musing #101. 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 To Go To Top

THE DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, February 20, 2005.

Somehow Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been selected as the key master to open the portals of an Islamic Hell, starting in Gaza. Early arrivals such as Hamas, Hezb'Allah, Islamic Jihad, Tanzim, Fatah, Al Aksa Martyrs' Brigade (Abu Mazen's own Terror organization), have already promised to set the earth on fire for the Jews and all other infidels. (They mean Christians.) We have already seen the wars, the atrocities, including the felling of the Twin Towers in New York with more than 3000 dead within minutes. How are Hell's representatives selected to open the doors to the netherworld? Are they selected for the evil that's already in them so the seduction is that much easier? How do we tell them apart? Is the key to their beastiality that they mostly begin their conquest by attacking Jews? We saw it in Hitler; we saw it in Stalin; we saw it for centuries in the Church as their crusades targeted the Jews as the enemy. Now we see a Jew preparing to attack what we thought were his own people. Granted in a review of Jewish history, these were evil Jewish Kings, like Herod who made common cause with the enemies of the Jewish people. Were these evil people Hell's key carriers? Was it their assignment to open the doors of Hell each in their own time? Sharon is about to deport Jews so he can make Gaza into a Devil's Playground. Yes, he sends out smoke-screens, talking peace - but he has already been advised by many in his Cabinet, senior Military officers, the highest ranking Intelligence Directors that Gaza will become a hell-hole or better said: the Devil's Playground with Arab Muslim Terrorists coming in from all over the world to make Gaza a center for Global Terrorism. Sharon not only ignored these professional warnings but, managed to get rid of anyone who might stand in his way. I am mindful of the belief of the Gentiles that a man will appear to talk peace but will start horrific wars and he will be called the anti-Christ. The Jews have their own prophecy of the War of Gog and Magog where the nations will gather to war against the Jewish people - only to be destroyed when they believe their victory is assured - and the Jews will win. We are also told that our greatest enemies shall come from within. Sharon had many years to distinguish himself in battle and to gain the confidence of the Jewish people. But, once in power, he adopted the role of a Caesar or a demi-god on earth. He now prepares for a ruthless war against his own people in which he seems to revel. Like a mad Nero or Herod, he will assault his own people in order to develop a Devil's Playground for a pagan people who issue proclamations in the name of their god to kill the Jews. That Devil's Playground will spawn a new breed of Terrorists who will reach far beyond Israel. They will activate radical Islamists who are already in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, the Gulf States, Iraq, Iran.... Muslims flooding Europe and America are already an incubator for Terror and strict Sha'aria Islamic schooling. The World will not know what hit them or where to turn. Israel, having been further reduced in size at the behest of the Bush Grand regional plan and with the assistance of Sharon, will be under constant attack. I have little doubt that those who brought this calamity upon Israel will be hunted as were the 'Judenrat' and 'Kapos' of Europe. I fear that there will be a Civil War in Israel which will continue for a long time now that Sharon has successfully divided the Jewish nations. One can only be reminded of Josephus' observations in his "War of the Jews". Leading men into battle against Arab Muslim invaders but, using those lessons of battle to fight Jews is perverted. Worse yet, are the Jews dedicated to pacifism and appeasement, having forgotten that groveling has invariably been treated with contempt - followed by another attack? At a recent meeting in Jerusalem between Sharon and the American Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, Sharon lied to them and they applauded enthusiastically. Sharon bragged that he led Company B in battle and then claimed he had gained the trust of the people when he won the election against Amram Mitzna. What Sharon neglected to say, and no one challenged him, was that he won because Mitzna's platform was to retreat from Gaza, Judea, Samaria, the Jordan Valley, the Golan Heights and all Jerusalem that Jordan had occupied for 19 years from 1948 to 1967. Sharon pledged that he rejected Mitzna's platform BUT, he lied. Because he has adopted the Mitzna terms, the Oslo Accords, the Barak agreements and even (probably soon) the Beilin Geneva plan. It no longer matters what motivates Sharon, except that he has proven to be a perfidious liar and the greatest real and present danger that the Jewish Nation has ever faced. He and Bush will be the Godfathers of a Devil's Playground and all the little Devils who will come to plan Terror. Incidentally, while Sharon is lying to the Jews of America, Israel's Military have been daily finding bombs of over 400 pounds being planted wherever the Arab Muslim Jihadists can reach. In the meantime, the Jews of the Left and the American Leftists are hugging each other in an orgy of joy for the coming peace. 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). To Go To Top

A RESPONSE TO ERIC YOFFE: CONFRONT THE EXTREMISTS. . . Posted by IsrAlert, February 20, 2005.

Eric Yoffe wrote an anti-Settler essay. It can be read at: http://www.isralert.com/archives/2005/02/confront_the_ex.php This is Rabbi Haim Cassorla's rebuttal. I find it very difficult to hold the right voice in response to Eric Yoffe's column. It is difficult to make arguments against propositions which are specious in foundation, and incendiary in their language, but it must be done, so I ask forgiveness in advance if I offend the sensibilities of the well-intentioned misled as I attempt to help them back onto the proper path by illuminating not only the proper path, but also the mines in the minefield through which they walk.The questions that Mr. Yoffe raises are all of a single piece and can fall into a single category, or question. The question is a question of legitimacy, but there are levels to the question and to the answer. I would like to address some of the levels of the question of legitimacy. Who is the "Legitimate Owner" of The Land? For the first pass at solving the "legitimacy" of ownership we will start this discussion at the Biblical level, which we might accept as the origin of the conflict over the ownership of The Land. We track back to Genesis, in the TORAH, in which, on authority recognized by Jews, Christians and Moslems alike, The Land is deeded in perpetuity to the children of Avraham Avinu (Our Father Abraham). Since these three Religions also agree that this text points to Ishmael and his nephew Esau, as being legitimate descendants of Avraham, the general deed, as per this text doesn't solve the problem by pointing to a "clear title." The later texts of the TORAH, (still in Exodus) reiterate the deeding of The Land to the descendants of Yitzhak (Isaac), and Ya'akov (Jacob). The reiteration to Isaac still is a "cloudy" title, in that we must remember that Esau, unlike his uncle, was not "sent away." Of the three Fathers, only one Patriarch has (something of) a clear line of descendants called Bnai Yisrael, (Children of Israel). Jacob's name was changed to Israel as he returned home after his self-imposed exile to the land of Padan-Aram. When the Children of Israel left Egypt, The Land was again promised, this time to the Children of Israel. This promise was reiterated at Sinai and again shortly after as Yehoshua bin Nun (Joshua), and Calev ben Yefune (Caleb) along with ten other "spies" selected from the Children of Israel were ordered to "spy out the Land" just prior to the intended invasion and reclamation of The Land Promised again! That was not the successful invasion, but the aborted planned invasion that led to the "40 Years in the desert." From the moment of the invasion of The Land documented in the Book of Joshua, there has ALWAYS been a Jewish presence in some part of The Land. No matter who conquered The Land, or who overthrew the government by coup d'etat, or who invaded, there was ALWAYS a Jewish presence; Jews living in The Land. The list of "temporary," and "wannabe" conquerors is long and distinguished. The list includes a few Popes, and Kings of England. It also includes in the "wannabe" list, the great Napoleon Bonaparte, and some of The Land was even conquered by The Prophet Mohammed. I put Napoleon and Mohammed together since both failed in their intended conquest. Napoleon made it a few kilometers inland from Acco, while Mohammed, tried to convert the Jews living in Jerusalem to his new religion of Islam and when the Jews refused to convert, Mohammed declared that prayers should be recited in the fetal position with the head pointed to Mecca. This position points the nether parts toward Jerusalem, and that position (with respect to Jerusalem) was intentional on Mohammed's part, as "punishment" for the Jews not converting to Islam. I will jump now to the Ottoman Empire, which "owned" The Land in the latter years of the eighteenth century of the Christian era. As per Ottoman Law there were very good records kept of who lived on the land of "Greater Syria" and of who owned that land, (in Ottoman eyes). Lands that were not held directly by the Ottoman government were mostly owned by absentee landlords and farmed by sharecroppers. With the rise of the Zionist movement, the Jewish National Fund began buying up The Land to be held "in Trust for the Jewish People." Often these Lands were purchased several times over by the JNF just to insure a "clear Title." In the meantime, the Balfour Declaration, several British White Papers, and later a declaration by the League of Nations set aside The Land for the purpose of "establishing a National Homeland for the Jewish People." The British were given temporary Custody of The Land under a "mandate" from the League of Nations. The Land was then known as "the Palestine Mandate," or "Mandatory Palestine." The first step that the British took towards "establishing a National Homeland for the Jewish People" was to lop off all of The Land east of the Jordan River and give it to a Bedouin family. This land was known as Trans-Jordanian Palestine. The family made it a Kingdom and renamed it the Hashemite Kingdom of Trans-Jordan, and then later changed it to Jordan, (although they still call it the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan). That Kingdom consists of about 75% of the land allocated for the purpose of "establishing a National Homeland for the Jewish People." The JNF continued to acquire lands by purchasing them and the Yishuv, (THE JEWISH SETTLEMENT) continued to grow. As the Yishuv grew and the economy of The Land began to grow, more and more Arabs moved into the area to benefit from the growing economy. On November 29,1948 CE, the United Nations voted to "partition" the remainder of British Mandatory Palestine into two States; a Jewish State and an Arab State. Reluctantly, THE JEWISH SETTLERS accepted the UN Resolution. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, (A Nazi collaborator), told the Arabs in the remaining areas of British Mandatory Palestine to leave so that the armies of the neighboring Arab States could "Drive the Jews into the Sea." When the dust settled, THE JEWISH SETTLERS had a larger State than they (we) would have been willing to settle for, and Seven Established Arab States had bloody noses. By this time there were several SETTLEMENTS on the ridgeline running south from Jerusalem toward Bethlehem. This group of SETTLEMENTS was called Gush Etzion. In the period leading up to the (first Battle of) The War of Independence, these settlements were systematically attacked and their residents were killed by marauding "bands" of "Arab irregulars" until the SETTLEMENTS had to be abandoned. The Jewish Settlement in Hebron was also attacked and eventually abandoned. Hebron had been a site of continuous Jewish presence until the riot and massacre of the Jewish citizens of Hebron in 1929, from which time it was abandoned until its liberation in 1967. The UN passed some resolutions asking for us to negotiate boundaries, and we were willing, but they weren't. The first Battle of the War of Independence ended with a UN brokered cease-fire, and a cease-fire line that came to be known as the Green Line. It was originally called the Green Line, because it was drawn in green marker on the map. As time progressed toward 1967 CE, many more battles were fought and the Green Line became a line on the ground; green on our side, brown on the other side. In 1956 CE, Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal. Great Britain, France, (and maybe even the United States), backed the "Sinai Campaign" to force Egypt to relinquish the Canal to the British (as it had been British until the "nationalization"). After the IDF conquered all of the Sinai Peninsula, the British, French, and the United States forced Israel to retreat to the Green Line. It is important to note that from the end of the first Battle, at the time of the UN Supervised Armistice, Egypt retained control of the Gaza Strip, and Jordan retained control of Judea and Samaria and Eastern Jerusalem. The Palestinian People didn't exist, and none of the residents of these areas were granted citizenship by either of the Occupying powers. Or for that matter, by any of the Arab States which offered them some shelter, (usually accompanied by employment in menial labor positions). The REFUGEES, as they were now called, were under the care of the UN - specifically, under the care of UNRWA - The United Nations Refugee and Works Agency, an agency specifically and solely designed to care for and feed the REFUGEES. Unlike all other refugees in the world, who were resettled and integrated into various countries, the Arab REFUGEES in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza were never resettled or integrated into any other state. The UNRWA hired local people to administer their programs and the local people used UN monies to publish hate materials and called them "schoolbooks." The UN has always denied "responsibility" for these materials. I agree with the UN; they demonstrated no responsibility on any level with regard to the education, or health care of the REFUGEES. The terms of the Armistice included provisions for Jews as well as all other religious pilgrims to pray at all Holy Sites throughout the land that was once British Mandatory Palestine. The terms also included the status of Jerusalem, (all of Jerusalem) as an international city with guarantees of passage by the UN. The Hadassah Hospital, and the Hebrew University campus were on Mt. Scopus, in the Jordanian controlled part of the city, as were the Western Wall and all of the Temple Mount. Jews were never allowed access to any Jewish Holy sites in Jordanian Occupied Territory. As we found out after the liberation of Judea and Samaria, during the period of the ILLEGAL JORDANIAN OCCUPATION of Judea and Samaria, Jewish Holy Sites were ransacked and gravestones from cemeteries were torn up to be used as paving stones and urinals in hotels in Eastern Jerusalem. In 1967 CE, Israel responded to attacks from its neighbors, Egypt and Syria. In the ensuing battle, the IDF made quick work of the Egyptian army, and had the Syrian army on the run. The government of Israel was in contact with the king of Jordan and advised him that Israel would not open fire on Jordan unless provoked. After three days of battles the governments of Egypt and Syria convinced the Jordanians to open a third front to help relieve pressure on their armies. In Six Days, the Israel D