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HOW THE ARABS VOTE IN THE U.N.
Posted by Janet Lehr, July 31, 2004. |
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Below are the actual voting records of various Arabic/Islamic States which are recorded in both the US State Department and United Nations records: * Kuwait votes against the United States 67% of the time.
US Foreign Aid to those that hate us: Egypt, for example, after voting 79% of the time against the United States, still receives $2 billion annually in US Foreign Aid. Jordan votes 71% against the United States and receives $192,814,000 annually in US Foreign Aid. Pakistan votes 75% against the United States receives $6,721,000 annually in US Foreign Aid. India votes 81% against the United States receives $143,699,000 annually Perhaps it is time to get out of the UN and give the tax savings back to the American workers who are having to skimp and sacrifice to pay the taxes. Pass it along. Everyone needs to know this. Might even mention it to your congressman, who knows it anyway... what a disgrace... NO WONDER THE WORLD HAS NO RESPECT FOR THE U.S. |
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TRAVESTY INTERNATIONAL
Posted by IsrAlert, July 31, 2004. |
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This comes from Isralert subscriber/commentator Angela Bertz, in Israel.
On the evening of 27th March Shirli Fried 21, and her brother Tom 16 were in good spirits. They were making their way to the Park Hotel in Netanya, Israel to join their parents and three grandparents. It was the evening of Passover and they were running a little late. Before they could reach the hotel and in one terrible split second the five most important people in these youngsters' lives had been blown to pieces by a Palestinian homicide bomber. 25 more innocent people were murdered and 150 had been injured, some of them critically. It was one of the worst and most barbaric terrorist attacks Israel had ever suffered. Many of the elderly people killed had survived the holocaust and out of the ashes of Europe had come to Israel to build good honest lives for themselves, their children and their children's children. It came in a month when there had been 15 other such attacks. In fact March 2002 was the worst month of terrorism that Israel had ever suffered. One would have thought that after so many heinous acts Amnesty International, who claim to be "Protecting Human Rights around the World" would have issued 16 reports condemning each and every one of these terrible acts of Palestinian terrorism. In fact AI issued only one report and even though that pertained to the Park Hotel slaughter the heading "Deliberate Killing of Civilians is never Justified" was pretty benign and totally belied the atrocity of this appalling act. Your short 3 paragraphs was almost non-committal. While apparently recognizing it as "a grave breach of the fundamental principle of international humanitarian law" you then refuse to call Hamas a Terrorist organization, but make a pathetic plea to "armed Palestinian groups" to cease killing civilians. Shortly after these attacks Israel launched "Mission Defensive Shield". The Israeli army used foot soldiers to carry out house to house searches in the town of Jenin, which had long served as a center for training and sending homicide bombers into Israel. No aircraft was used out of concern for the large civilian population in the area. During this military operation Israel suffered the loss of 23 of its soldiers, who encountered armed Palestinians and booby trapped homes in many of the narrow alleys. The consequent outcry of this mission, reporting hundreds of innocent Palestinian civilian deaths and compared in some media outlets as "comparable to Stalingrad" has long gone down in the annals of military mythology despite the Palestinians milking the supposed slaughter literally to death, including a farcical movie called "Jenin Jenin". The number of Palestinians killed in Jenin has been placed officially at 56. Most of them were found to be wearing a combatant's headband. AI made it to Jenin in Mid April. Incredibly and despite the fact that Israel never used any of its aircraft in this region "scores of refugees" were interviewed by AI and described "massive bombardments with missiles from Apache helicopters". The number of AI reports on Jenin number around a dozen. They are all in condemnation of Israel's actions. Not one of them gives any background or the reasons to the incursions. Not one of them utters a word on the 23 Israelis soldiers that also lost their lives. It is blatantly clear that your organization pays a disproportionate amount of its time preparing inflammatory reports aimed at Israel, many times simply bleating the official and biased views of that Den of Iniquity 'The United Nations". You refer to Israel as "Israel/Occupied Territories. No other country is singled out for such a derogatory title. In fact with 404 reports and with the exception of the United States with 1178 reports, Colombia with 499 reports and just ahead of Israel, Indonesia with 409 reports no other country has received such attention. The Palestinian Authority, corrupt to its core, with the worse human abuse record against its children in the world has only 167. This is a disgrace considering it has committed over 100 suicide attacks against Israel, lynchings, shootings by the score and who in Israel will ever forget the brutal killing in May 2004 of 13 young soldiers, blown to pieces while trying to destroy tunnels in Gaza used to smuggle ammunition. We had to watch as their dignity was abused beyond anything humanly acceptable as Gazan ghouls raced with joy through the streets with their blown up body parts. They even stole an UNRWA ambulance hoping to extract painful concessions from Israel for the return of the blown up body parts. Where is the AI report condemning this cannibalistic act. The savage murder of a pregnant mother and her 4 little daughters appears under Israel and not where it firmly belongs under the PA section. The Palestinians have faced a report less than 10 times for their homicide attacks on innocent Israelis, yet they have committed over 100 attacks. Maybe AI has not had the time to bring so many gross infringements of human rights up to date. I used to respect your organization. However that was before I read through many of your reports on this region. I have sadly discovered that in many cases, you are about as one-sided, historically inaccurate and imbalanced as the UN. For instance you refer to "Occupied Palestinian Territory" as if such a notion ever existed. The Palestinians have never owned or ruled any region in this area. In fact they are nothing more than a modern mythical invention. They barely existed as a legitimate entity, let alone a race prior to '67 when Israel was attacked by all its neighbours. During this war of aggression Israel conquered and annexed the West Bank and Gaza from Jordan and Egypt respectively. According to International Law this makes both these regions Israeli and certainly not as you deem fit to describe them and our country as Israel/Occupied Territories. You may wish to take that into account next time you quote either Palestinian propaganda by rote, or as I found in many of your reports ridiculous statements issued by either the biased Arab League or the defunct and devoid of any moral standards UN organization. I would like to make one more point before I conclude and this refers to the following repugnant statement I found in one of your recent reports as follows; "Both the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and Palestinian armed groups show an utter disregard for the lives of children and other civilians," Amnesty International said today. Such a statement is beyond all contempt. To compare a humane country like Israel that teaches its children to respect and rejoice in the dignity of human life with a society that has incited its people and especially its children in hatred 24/7 is nothing short of blasphemous. To make any moral equivalent between people that have for 4 years deliberately targeted innocent Israeli civilians in restaurants and buses by detonating an explosive belt and a sovereign state that has been forced to defend itself against these attacks shows an appallingly flippant disregard and ignorance for the conflict. The Palestinians have created a death cult and have for years systematically demonized their children, often using them as decoys, knowing full well Israel's abhorrence at killing children. In any given situation of combat, innocent people and these will include children will be killed. The PA openly calls for their children to congregate in dangerous areas. They are deliberately and systematically encouraging the next generation of homicide bombers. Young minds are brainwashed to believe, not in any hope for the future and what they can achieve through tolerance, but that their biggest accomplishment in life will come only in their death. It saddens me to think that your organization like many others, have simply become feeble minded apologists for Palestinian terrorism. IsrAlert, a Jewish advocacy network, is hosted by Harv Weiner. To subscribe to IsrAlert, send an email to isralert@aol.com |
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JOHN, GEORGE, OR JUDAH?
Posted by Ellen W. Horowitz, July 31, 2004. |
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Judah, too, will battle against Jerusalem.
(Zachariah 14:14)
I don't know about you, but I've been hitting the delete key a lot these past few weeks as a flurry of election email appears to be competing with the usual spam. It seems that that the main concern among many Diaspora Jews and Israelis alike is over which U.S. presidential candidate is best (or worse) for Israel.. I'm not sure what all the fuss is about- I haven't participated in an American election since making aliyah in 1986. The whole thing seems pretty cut and dried to me. Americans should be concerned with which presidential candidate is best for America and American interests, whereas Israelis should concern themselves with which Israeli leader is best for the Jewish State. But there appears to be a real dilemma for some Israelis holding dual citizenship and for those American Jews who pledge allegiance to the stars and stripes but who have hearts that beat with Israel. Dual loyalty issues are becoming more perplexing and stressful because American foreign policy decisions are increasingly out-of-sync with Israel's best interests (I'll let you in on a secret - some of those decisions are not in America's best interests either). America may be Israel's long-standing best friend, but the relationship which once placed mutual security interests at the top of the agenda is rapidly changing. We can all thrill to a joint Israeli-American Arrow missile project, but our hearts sink when we realize that Uncle Sam is up to his neck in an illicit affair with some of Israel's most formidable enemies - which translates into some inappropriate and harmful interference in Israel's internal affairs, in addition to some blatantly hypocritical foreign policy. So who's good for the Jews, Kerry or Bush? It doesn't much matter. But what should be of concern are some of the boys behind the scenes, both Democrat and Republican, who are definitely bad for the Jews - and many of them are Jewish. All the presidents' men, from the guys writing the speeches and handling the press conferences, to those advising and formulating policies, to the businessmen helping to bankroll the campaigns, to the diplomats and ambassadors, are the ones we Israelis should be wary of. Abarbanel and other commentators felt that it's the descendants of Judah who, after the destruction of both the first and second Temples, continued to hold positions of leadership in the Diaspora Jewish communities, as well as wield great influence in the secular political and economic spheres. "The scepter shall not depart from Judah" (Genesis 49:10). One has to wonder where Israel would stand today if the lion's share of that Diaspora talent, manpower and brainpower had been primarily dedicated to the development of the Jewish State. The dedicated American (first) Jew always answers, "Where would Israel be without America?" Shemayah said: "Love work; abhor taking high office; and do not seek intimacy with the ruling power." (Pirke Avot) But what if one's talents and skills are custom-made for leadership? The Court Jew has traditionally provided an important service for both the Jewish community and their country of temporary residency. But when the geopolitical sands and winds start shifting, even the most well-intentioned and upstanding Jewish public servant or private sector entrepreneur can lose their way in the storm. It's difficult to let go of the good life, limelight, influence and seductive smooth talk. If one doesn't know when to bow out, they could find themselves pitted against their own brethren. The same goes for any Jew walking the fine line of dual loyalties. [It;s interesting to note that some commentaries claim that the spies gave a slanderous report about the Land, because they feared losing their positions of power and leadership once the crossed over into Israel (Numbers13:3).] I suggest that world Jewry step out of the fog and stop trying to rationalize and decipher the various shades of grey in the upcoming election. For the Jew concerned about the future of his or her people, things may be very black and white. If you;re an American Jew (Jewish American?) and confused with regards to where you truly stand, take 'the Pollard Test'. It's really quite simple and will make things remarkably clear. Q: Is Jonathan Pollard a traitor? If you answered "no", then it's time to pack your bags and book your flight home. If you answered "yes", then you are undoubtedly American first and have consequently abandoned Israel. If you "don't know", then you have a lot to think about. For those of you who aren't quite ready for aliyah yet, but who claim to remain fiercely dedicated to Israel, take the test one step further and make the matter of Jonathan Pollard's continued imprisonment your campaign issue. Think any of the lions of Judah will pick up that bone, or will they choose to keep it buried? Who's good for the Jews? As you can see, the issue reaches far beyond choosing between the elephant or the donkey. I suggest that you look past the balloons and hoopla of America's partisan political arena and check out the lion's den behind that stars and stripes curtain. The on-going Diaspora (continued exile) and the Jew who promotes it and enjoys it is most definitely bad for Israel. Ellen Horowitz lives in the Golan Heights, Israel with her husband and six children. She is a painter and columnist. She can be contacted through her website http://www.artfromzion.com |
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U.S. OIL POLICY AND CORRUPT REGIMES IN PERSIAN GULF COUNTRIES
Posted by Morteza Aminmansour, July 30, 2004. |
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Currently, US domestic oil production supplies about 50% of total U.S. consumption. Foreign sources provide the rest, primarily Canada, Venezuela, Mexico and several African countries. The U.S. is strongly committed to production Persian Gulf oil, although only about 10% of oil used in the U.S. is imported from the region. During the cold war, U.S. strategy was primarily aimed at ensuring that Persian Gulf oil did not fall into hostile hands. Persian Gulf oil was and remains important because of its impact on the global economy. U.S. competitors in Japan and Europe depend more on Persian Gulf Oil than the U.S. does. 30% of European oil imports and nearly 80% of Japan's come from the Persian Gulf. The U.S. exerts significant influence on these countries through control of Persian Gulf Oil. The Persian Gulf corporation council states (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Oman jointly posses 64% of the world s proven oil reserves. The most important among Persian Gulf states is corrupt Saudi Arabia, which alone controls 27% of the world's oil supplies. Oil represents the backbone of the Saudi economy. But despite its small population and its oil revenues reaching $45 billion, in the 1990-93 period Saudi foreign domestic debt climbed to $70 billion. Most of this was the result of arms purchases, largely from the United States. The rise of opposition forces within Saudi Arabia is linked to this pattern of arms spending as well as the corrupt practices of the monarchy. The stability of this region is baffling and discrimination against Shi'a Muslims has been rampant in several countries such as UAE and Saudi Arabia. Anti government religious militancy has grown. The Persian Gulf political Systems appear an anachronism, the last holdout of this system in a modern world. The region itself is in turmoil. Persian Gulf states are using variety of government's strategies to promote social order. The Persian Gulf countries are using a combination of several strategies: strong security service; Divide-and rule measures; ideological flexibility; token participation; accommodative diplomacy. These strategies preserve these states of social peace in an area of turbulence. In an era when democracy is the world's dominant political system, Persian Gulf regimes are traditional autocracies. Political alienation and corruption are widespread. Family members or those close to them dominate all-important positions those that control spending, internal security, and military. The traditional checks on government authority - a free press, an independent judiciary and a strong civil society - are either lacking or kept intentionally weak in the Persian gulf states. The alienation of social and economic elites appears to be particularly dangerous. Oil wealth has empowered the ruling families that control the state. Corruption and unaccounted for government spending levels are quite high. Money derived from the sale of oil noted in balance of payment statement often fails to appear in oil revenues reported in the state budget. In recent years, from 18 to 30 percent of the revenue from petroleum exports was not reported in budgets in Persian Gulf countries such as UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. This missing money billions of dollars a year enriches the ruling families. The Opposition groups frequently criticize the regimes for allowing ruling families mismanage the country (UAE). They are accused of squandering the wealth of the nation. Al SAUD family members are blamed for corruption and contributing to the country's economic woes. The per capita incomes of many Persian Gulf residents have plummeted. Saudi Arabia has perhaps 20,000 princes and princesses, all of whom received stipends from the Saudi state that range from thousands to millions of dollars a month. Bahrain's AL KHALIFA, while fewer in member, also maintain an extravagant lifestyle and are perceived to interfere regularly in business for their own enrichment. Al Persian Gulf governments are remarkably skilled at using economic control to ensure their power. Oil wealth allows the states to dominate the economy. In Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, perhaps 90% of citizens work for the government. For the last decade Persian Gulf monarchies have invested higher percentage of oil profits in land, hotels, real estate, factories and other enterprises in the U.S., Japan, Europe. Increasing income of the oil exporting states is linked to profits from unrelated businesses in oil importing states rather than from the sale of oil itself. This gives the Persian Gulf oil States some stake in keeping oil prices moderate. Because they share the financial interests in the oil-importing countries. The diversification also provides the Persian Gulf countries additional leverage to manipulate oil prices and production. The result is that monarchies can manipulate the world oil markets while remaining relatively protected. Despite their high dependence on Persian Gulf oil, neither Europe nor Japan plays a major role in strategic defense of the region. U.S. policy in Persian Gulf ignores some fundamental realities: For example Iranian regime was not isolated forever. European countries, China, Russia, and other countries with interests different from U.S Is all abandoning U.S policy to consider trade with Iran? The attempt to exclude Iran from influencing regional politics is unrealistic. The uncritical U.S support for corrupt Persian Gulf regimes and their human rights abuses have weakened both U.S. Policy and oil countries. The members of the Persian Gulf's ruling elite have a strong perception that the U.S. is forcing them to buy weapons that they do not need and not allowing them to diversify their weaponry by purchasing arms from Europe. Persian Gulf oil could be protected is economic rather than military means eliminating the military and political costs of dual containment. And could provide more jobs for people. The rulers of UAE and Saudi Arabia are greedy and corrupt, have not trained their people for life after the oil bonanza. Nearly all Gulf Arab men work for their corrupt governments, leaving productive labor almost entirely to foreign labors from East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and poorer Arab countries. In 1981, the PGCC residents had an average per capita income of $28,000. Today is just $12,000. Meanwhile, the PGCC countries face daunting bills to renovate the infrastructure built during the oil boom. Due to the population explosion and aging Ryiadh has to deliver drinking water to poor neighborhoods with trucks. Cutting back on monarchical privileges would free up money for infrastructure and debt payments. But the corrupt leaders continue to insist that a revived market will save them and in this they are almost certainly mistaken. Only one of the royal family in Saudi Arabia invested $13 billion in foreign companies, because of the financial systems in the PGCC countries, almost none of his wealth - or that of the $800 billion in assets held by PGCC nationals abroad - will come soon. The economics of the Persian Gulf are likely to complicate the politics of the Persian Gulf. Nervous monarchies will be eager to appease the Islamists after all, they'd rather not have a revolution to put down and that in turn, will often run counter to U.S. interests. U.S. protection of Persian Gulf oil supplies should focus on internal threats resulting from the monarchies because of their denial of human rights and political participation and democracy in corrupt countries such as UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. U.S. should consider negotiation with country Iran. U.S. should support and respect Iranian integrity and territorial right of Abu Musa, greater TONB and lesser TONB and policy in fighting aggression of corrupt regime (UAE) for unacceptable behavior after a UAE vessel allegedly entered Iranian waters around a disputed Persian Gulf islands and opened fire at an Iranian fishing boat and detained its crew. Iran had demanded an explanation. Emphasizing defense of the oil states from external threats ignores the more serious problems of domestic instability and political opposition to the corrupt ruling Persian Gulf regimes such as UAE, Saudi Arabia. Certainly Iran differs with the U.S. on many issues as the Middle East process, but Iran can be engaged on other issues such as Persian Gulf security. Western oil companies had no interest in territorial conquest and oil production placed few political demands on rulers and society, while the financial benefits from this industry allowed the state to silence the tribal challenges from the periphery. In some cases, such as Saudi Arabia, the foreign oil company, in the absence of a local entrepreneurial class, helped the state not only to defend itself against external challenge, but also begin a broad effort to modernize and eventually to control its own industry. Literatures :
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VEL D'HIV INFAMOUS ROUNDUP OF FRENCH JEWS REMEMBERED
Posted by IsrAlert, July 30, 2004. |
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Isralert@aol.com source:
http://www.crif.org/index02.php?type=manifestation&id=3420&menu=11&sm3=manifest
with thanks to isralert subscriber Moise Mondlak in Mexico
Six French cabinet ministers attended the annual ceremony in memory of the victims of the Vel d'Hiv round up. On July the 16th and the 17th, 1942, French policemen arrested 1129 Jewish men, 2916 Jewish women and 4115 Jewish children. They were herded in a indoor cycling stadium for several days without food or water, then transferred to the Drancy (near Paris) concentration camp and handed over to the Nazis who deported them to the Auschwitz death camp. None of the children survived. The ceremony was attended by Hamlaoui Mekachera, Minister of the War Veterans, Michel Barnier, Foreign minister, Gerard Larcher, minister of Labor, Leon Bertrand, minister of Tourism, Catherine Vautrin, minister of Absorption and Nicole Guedj, minister for the rights of the victims. IsrAlert, a Jewish advocacy network, is hosted by Harv Weiner. To subscribe to IsrAlert, send an email to isralert@aol.com |
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KNOWING WHAT WE ARE MISSING
Posted by Christian Action for Israel, July 30, 2004. |
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This was written by Jonathan Rosenblum in the Jewish World Review (www.jewishworldreview.com), July 27, 2004. For most Jews around the world, today will pass like any other day. They will not observe any of the traditional mourning customs for Tisha B'Av. Indeed they don't even know what historical events Tisha B'Av commemorates. If they were told that the mourning is for the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem, they would be puzzled about why such long ago events should occasion any great sadness. Even among those of us who fast the entire day and observed the other "afflictions" of Tisha B'Av, there are few from whose eyes tear will pour copiously during the reading of Lamentations, as was once common. We have lived so long in a world devoid of the sanctity represented by the Temple that we cannot comprehend what was lost. Nor can we conceive how that level of holiness could once again be part of our lives. The Temple Mount, where the Temples stood, is today less a symbol of our past than of how alienated we are from that past. Successive Israeli governments casually permitted the Moslem Wakf to systematically destroy all evidence of the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount. The Moslem Wakf was permitted, in recent years, to build two new large mosques on the site, one by converting the ancient stables of Solomon. All this work was carried out without any archaeological supervision, as required by the Antiquities Law. In the course of the work, thousands of tons of dirt were dumped unceremoniously in the Kidron Valley. Discovered later in the rubble was a three-foot long stone fragment, which one archaeologist called "the most important artifact ever recovered from the Temple Mount." The lack of regard for the site to which Jews throughout the millennia have always turned in prayer was fully reflected in the negotiations following Camp David. Prime Minister Ehud Barak agreed to cede all sovereignty over the Temple Mount in return only for a Palestinian acknowledgment of the Jewish claim of a historical connection. Even that Arafat was unwilling to grant. Arafat wanted the Jews to abase themselves by conceding that their holiest place is more important to Arabs than it is to Jews. Such abasement, he knew, would be one more cut in the ever more tenuous bonds joining the Jews of Israel to their past. (Natan Sharansky revealed recently that less than 50% of Israeli high school students living outside Jerusalem have ever visited the capital, much less the Western Wall.) The Palestinians understand, as we do not, that a nation without a past is a nation without a future. Palestinian legislator Selah Temari writes in his memoirs of his shock at seeing his Jewish jailer eating bread on Pesach. In response to Temari's query, the guard replied, "Do you really expect me not to eat bread today because of something that happened over 3,000 years ago?" That night, Temari relates, he could not sleep. In the course of the night, he went from believing that Israel was invincible to being convinced that the Palestinians could one day regain the entirety of the Land because the Jews have lost their sense of connection. The Temple, of course, was not just a building or a geographical location. When the pilgrims poured into Jerusalem from all over the Land for the Festivals, the Temple became the great symbol of Jewish unity -- a physical manifestation, write Nachmanides, of the unity at Sinai when we received the Torah as "one man with one heart." In the wilderness, the Jews lived surrounded by constant miracles. According to one interpretation, they cried on the night of Tisha B'Av night, after hearing the report of the Spies, because they doubted their ability to live in the same closeness to G-d upon entering the Land and resuming a normal physical existence. The Temple, the dwelling place of the Divine Presence on earth, provided proof that the relationship could be maintained even within the confines of the natural world. When, however, the people lost their internal unity and were no longer worthy of having the Divine Presence in their midst, the Temple was destroyed. Our alienation from our past and from the One Whose presence dwelt in the Temple G-d can only be remedied through an awareness of what we once possessed and are now lacking. "All those who mourn for Jerusalem," say our Sages, "will one day witness her rejoicing." Until we can cry for our estrangement on an individual and collective level from the irreducible point of divinity within, the pilgrims' song of rejoicing will not be heard. The website address of the Christian Action for Israel is http://christianactionforisrael.org |
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REWRITING HISTORY: ISRAEL HAS BEEN PALESTINIAN HOMELAND FOR "A MILLION YEARS"
Posted by Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook, July 30, 2004. |
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Denying Israel's right to exist by claiming the Jews have no historical roots in Israel is a backbone of Palestinian Authority (PA) cultural education, as is the attempt to reinforce Palestinian claims to the land by creating an ancient Palestinian history in Israel. A new poetry video called You and Us, broadcast on PA TV almost every day in recent weeks, uses both tactics. As shots of Israelis appear on the screen, an announcer's grave voice reads the poem's opening line: "You are phantoms in my land." The juxtaposition of text and visuals also portrays Israelis as "conquerors." The text of the poem states that the land has been Palestinian homeland for "a million years," since "the dawn of man's creation," and that no one occupied the land before the Palestinians' arrival. Scenes of Yasser Arafat accompany the repeated phrase, "This is the beginning," and the poem's final line refers to "revolution" as the PA flag appears on the screen. The following is the text of the poem, with a description of the accompanying visuals: "You are phantoms on my land [visuals of Israelis]
Itamar Marcus is director of PMW -Palestinian Media Watch - (http://www.pmw.org.il). Barbara Crook, a writer and university lecturer based in Ottawa, Canada, is PMW's North American representative. |
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DISPOSING OF JEWISH HOLY SITES
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, July 30, 2004. |
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Arutz Sheva News published a story about Rabbi Shlomo Goren, IDF Chief Rabbi and Major General in 1967 who later became Chief Rabbi of Israel. (See attached) In brief, Rabbi Goren applied for a permit to pray on the Temple Mount on Tisha Be'Av in 1967 shortly after it was liberated by the IDF in the Six Day War of June 1967. His request was refused by the Ministerial Committee for the Safeguarding of Holy Places. As a relevant aside, this pompous title is an Oxymoron - given that since then this 'Committee' has allowed the digging under and destruction of the Temple Mount with barely a word or action halting this ongoing desecration by Muslim Arabs. In a way, however, this permitted desecration is part of the story. In several previous articles, I pointed out that, then Defense Minister Moshe Dayan handed over the keys and control of the Temple Mount to the Arab Muslim Waqf after Israel had liberated it from Jordan's 19 years of control and destruction. There was a deeper political reason for Dayan to abandon Solomon's Temple - the earthly House of the Jewish G-d. The Left Wing Party of Mapai held certain ideologies under the rubric of 'Zionism'. Some confused Zionism and the return of the Jews to the Land G-d promised us as the fulfillment and conclusion of Judaism. Regrettably, the two were worlds apart. Men like David Ben Gurion, Ezer Weizman, Moshe Dayan, Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, among others were in no way observant Jews. To them G-d was a convenient myth which was not questioned by the Jews of the World who poured money into the "Jewish State". When any of these leaders put on a kippah (Jewish skull cap) at such times they were talking to observant Jews, it was a convenient masquerade, But, it was a good show and there appeared a comraderie or melding of purpose. But, the ultimate goal of Mapai which morphed into the Labor Party was that Israel was to be a politically secular state. While giving lip service to rabbis or American fund-raising institutions of their dedication to an observant Jewish State, it was all merely lip service. The Jews never understood or perhaps didn't want to understand that the controlling politicians were primarily secular. They pandered to various religiously observant parties because they represented a sizable block of votes. From the earliest time of the new State there were plans to insure that religious Jewry never became a dominant force in the government of the new Jewish Nation. For reasons that baffle me, observant Jews never caught on. When Holy Sites were gifted away to the Arabs, the 'spin' or angle was that these were merely needed gestures to pacify the wild Muslim Palestinians and it would appease their tendency to violence. Of course, it never did but, the appeasement continued. When Moshe Dayan so cavalierly gifted the Temple Mount to the Arab Muslim Waqf in 1967, every warning signal should have lit up in the minds of observant Jews. Dayan, seemingly on his own, gifted the Soul Center of the Jewish people to a pagan, hostile religion. A great battle had taken place to return all of Jerusalem to the Jewish people and Dayan gave away the heart and soul of the Jewish people without any known or affective protest from the Jews. While he was for the moment a hero General, he should have been immediately sacked and tried for treason. Instead, like others who followed him, he was allowed to carry on his life of womanizing, stealing artifacts for his private collection and never called to account for giving away the most Holy Site for Jews in all the World. The disposal and/or abandonment of Holy Sites is not merely a haphazard pattern. This ranks as part of the basic ideology of those who deliver these as the Planning Committee that carries forward the Radical Left's earliest plans. Disposing of Holy Sites is one of the major imperatives of Leftist secular philosophy. Giving up the Temple Mount was not only an imperative but was mandatory if the political Left was to remain dominant in ruling the Nation. Consider Solomon's Temple through the eyes and philosophy of Ben Gurion, Dayan, Weizman, etc. If the observant Jews had access to and control of Solomon's Temple most assuredly they would have started construction of the Third Temple as detailed in Tanach (the Bible), observant Jews would have flocked to the site in ever greater numbers then those who now come to the Western Wall, the Kotel HaMa'aravi. Moreover, Jews who were only mildly observant or who had no belief in the One G-d would also be drawn to this mystical Holy Site. If you were a secular politician, your position in the Government would steadily diminish or your Leftist Party would disappear. Disposing of Holy Sites and land areas which hark back to Biblical times had to be abandoned. When Rabbi Goren was refused permission to pray on the Temple Mount, it was in a direct line to Dayan's disposing of that Holy Site to the Arab Muslims. When non-observant Prime Ministers refused to take any action when the Muslim Waqf started to dig out the interior of the Temple Mount (called Solomon's Stables), they were silent. Even as precious artifacts were dug out by machines and dumped in garbage piles in the Kidron Valley. Both the Arab Muslims and the Leftist Jews wanted all traces of any Jewish presence destroyed. I feel quite safe in saying that if the Ark of the Covenant itself was found, it would be impounded or destroyed to insure that there would be no center of religious gravity or symbol. When Bibi Netanyahu casually gave up 80% of Hebron and divided rights to space for prayers in the Marat HaMachpelah (Cave of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs) - the burial places of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Ya'acov and Leah. Here again, the elimination of a Jewish Holy Site was in line with the basic plan to keep Israeli rule in the secular domain. Politically Bibi could not abandon the site in one fell swoop so the community of religious Jews was allowed to stay and the site of the Machpelah was divided so Jews could pray, separated from the Muslims. The end game plan was to wait for the Muslim Arab Terrorists (in the name of Allah) to kill so many Jews that it would be only logical to send in the military and forcibly remove the Jews in what would look like a noble rescue mission. The end product was that another key Holy Site would be removed from the world of observant Jewry. To further this process, several Jews, both men and mothers of many children have been arrested, placed in Administrative Detention, threatened with jail and to have their children placed in foster homes - all this was to pressure the Jews faithful who guard the Holy Site of Hebron to leave. In the early 1980s I wrote about the Labor leaders meeting illegally with Yassir Arafat to plan the forcible removal of Jews from the territories. These Jewish leaders not only engaged in treason to the State but also acted as enablers for Arafat's Palestinians to act as shock troops to drive the last of the hold-out settlers from their homes. This, in a normal court of law, would be considered co-conspiracy to commit murder. The Pioneering Settlers were indeed murdered and yet the Labor dominated Courts of Israel never pursued the matter. There were far too many Jewish Holy Sites such as Shilo where the Ark of the Covenant rested for hundreds of years before it was finally transported by then King David to the Temple Mount which became the site of his son King Solomon's First Temple. Here again a Holy Site was to be forcibly abandoned - among many others. The Oslo Accords allocated Jericho and Gaza First to Arafat's Palestinian Authority. The ancient synagogue in Jericho was destroyed and the Jews expelled. Gaza is the site of many Jewish ancient points in history. Gaza is now slated to be abandoned again but this time the 8,000 men, women and children are to be transferred out of their homes, farms, factories, schools, synagogues, infrastructure and water resources which are to be 'transferred' over to the Muslim Arabs who want to flood in from all over the Arab Muslim world. We all recall how Joseph's Tomb in Nablus (Schehem) was abandoned under order of the military as dictated by the Rabin/Peres government. The Arabs burned the Tomb, its contents of Torah and holy books while the IDF left one of their own bleeding to death without rescue To rescue him would have necessitated re-capturing Joseph's Tomb and that simply was not in the overall plan of de-Judaizing Israel. I am sure one of our Jewish historians can provide a list of all the Holy Sites abandoned or yet to be abandoned now by the non-Jewish Jew Sharon. Gaza has a deep historical place in Jewish history as does the Golan Heights. The De-Judaizing of Israel has been a careful step-by-step procedure so as to not alert or alarm local or world Jewry. There have been many religious cults throughout history. Conversely, there have also been anti-religious cults dedicated to dominating their selected adversaries. The more modern cult of anti-Jewish thinking is embodied in what today is called the Political Left. Strangely, they are de facto partners with Yassir Arafat who bitterly complained of the Judification of Jerusalem. These are strange but compatible bedfellows. Arafat wants all the Jews either dead or deported from the Jewish State. He ties his goals to Islam which he really doesn't believe in. The non-Jewish Jews of the Left sometimes use religious Jews to advance their agenda de-Judaizing Israel. Both engage in killing Jews or facilitating their murders and injuries to advance their ideology. To sum up: The early fathers of the Leftist movement wanted a secular State with a thin veneer of accepting religious Judaism as a necessary cover. An imperative part of this plan is to dispose of Holy Sites in any manner possible in order to remove any rallying symbols for observant Jews and thereby remove any political challenge to their rule. In effect, the concept of making Israel Judenrein is still operational. In this case, being free of Jews simply means that there will be no appreciable religious Jewry but, merely empty shells called Jews. As is often stated in Tanach, your worst enemies will come from within. Even as Sharon tries to transfer Jews from the Land and from their homes, in brazen hypocrisy he tells French Jews to flee France due to rampant anti-Semitism there even as he, Sharon, plays the role of the quintessential anti-Semite. Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). |
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JEWS PARANOID OR NAIVE? MIGHT VERSUS FRIGHT
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, July 30, 2004. |
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Some Web writers suggest that we Jews are paranoid about Arab intentions towards us. Those writers ought to read the IMRA translations of the weekly theme from mosque sermons, repeated in broadcasts in S. Arabia, the P.A., and Egypt. That theme is: kill the Jews and Christians; kill Americans. The murderous Arab intent towards the Jews is explicit. Jewish concern is not paranoid. Gentile writers ought to worry about another 9/11. Arabs attempt to attack Jews, for being Jews, every day in the Land of Israel and in Europe. It is taking the Jewish people too long time to grasp the idea that certain gentile peoples want to push them out and wipe them out. The problem with the Jewish people is not paranoia but naivete. Jews would be better advised to be more suspicious. The Jews are insufficiently aware of the plots against them. They hope that Europe would use its influence to get the Arabs to stop terrorism, whereas Europe has a Mediterranean alliance against Israel. They think of the US as an ally against terrorism, whereas the US stays Israel's hand against terrorism. In fact, the traditionally anti-Zionist State Dept. has stayed Israel's hand against Arab imperialism repeatedly. Unfortunately, the far from paranoid Israelis consider their "best friend" to be that same US government that made them accept a first blow in 1973, staggering Israeli defenses. Those insufficiently suspicious Israelis failed to draw the obvious conclusion from Pollard's finding that the US was denying it promised vital intelligence about Arab military development and even was feeding it disinformation, for which finding, Pollard is disproportionately punished. The US and EU enemies of Israel pretend to be friends, and most Jews get taken in. Study their motives and judge by their actions. Become alert or succumb. This is not the first time. In the 1920s, the Zionist leader Jabotinsky warned the Jews of Europe that unless they fled, they would be exterminated. He saw the rise of an increasingly violent antisemitism there. He had foresight, but they had no sight. He was thought paranoid. They were murdered; he was vindicated. But the survivors failed to learn: Wise up or be wiped out! Now Jews who warn about the Arabs, and who oppose Oslo and "Disengagement" as empowering the enemy, are called paranoid. Those who mock warnings do them no good. MIGHT VERSUS FRIGHT When Israel acts weak, i.e., it makes harmful concessions to the undeserving Arabs, it claims to be acting from strength, based on having a modern army. This is an army, however, that hardly uses its planes and tanks and hardly pursues the enemy. It is inhibited by leftist and foreign sympathy for the Arabs, based on vested interests or on old biases phrased as human rights. The US also has a modern army not put to full use. Twice the US failed to move boldly to kill off the Republican Guards, now attacking its forces. Terrorists kidnap nationals of coalition members, until the members remove their forces or their aide groups. Terrorists flow in from other areas that breed Islamists or cooperate with them, because the US has insufficient forces or insufficient resolve in this partisan election period to attack more countries. How can the US attack more countries when the President does not recognize the extent and religious component of the world war we are in, the meager US forces are spread out in peacekeeping that the hypocritical international critics fail to do enough of, and the President is under fire for the limited warfare we wage? If he had properly defined the enemy, urged Congress to declare war on Islamism and its allies, not told us how fine Islam is, and coherently explained the war in Iraq, he might have positioned the US to move beyond Iraq and win. What good is our modern military technology, when, like Israel's, not fully deployed? I fear that although the US has disrupted terrorism, Islamism is winning. It even gets some help from the US (via subsidy to the P. A. coddling of S. Arabia, arms to unstable Egypt). Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at ricshulman@aol.com. |
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LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE HUMAN CHAIN
Posted by Moshe Feiglin, July 30, 2004. |
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Last week we published here a call to participate in the chain demonstration. In the same call we emphasized that it was clear that Sharon, who lacks democratic awareness, wouldn't treat the chain any better than he treated the Likud referendum, or his election promises. The importance of the activity was inwards, that is, to the belief-based public itself, and to the population of Israel, and not the leadership. We also remarked that at some stage or another the public will be obliged to go over to a protest involving broad-based non-violent civil disobedience, such as that done by Zo Artzeinu in the past. We had no "hidden" intention of blocking roads during the chain itself, but despite this the media reported Manhigut Yehudit's call to block the roads during this event. This doesn't bother us, and it simply proves that deep down both the Left and the Right understand that this is the step that should be taken, and any "wink" by us is immediately regarded as a plan of action. It is in fact important that public consciousness of the need for activities of this kind should increase. Non-violent civil disobedience is the sole democratic tool that can create an effective struggle throughout the country, with controllable conditions, while avoiding violence and degeneration into a civil war. Those who will wait until the last million and dream of tens of thousands holding out in Gush Katif are liable to discover that they've missed the train. In such circumstances the events that we are afraid of may well happen. Unfortunately history does repeat itself, and we have therefore seen fit to reissue (in a fourth edition) Moshe Feiglin's book, Where there are no men. For those who wish to conduct a real, effective, and non-violent struggle, it's worthwhile learning from the experience of Zo Artzeinu. (The price is $20 with free shipping! The book is in English, Hebrew and Russian. Send your $20 check to: Manhigut Yehudit PO Box 241 Cedarhurst, NY 11516 *Make sure to include a mailing address.) 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. |
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EGYPT'S RULING PARTY NEWSPAPER: THE HOLOCAUST IS A ZIONIST LIE AIMED AT EXTORTING THE WEST
Posted by IsrAlert, July 29, 2004. |
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This is a Special Dispatch of the Egypt/Arab Antisemitism Documentation Project, The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), July 30, 2004, No. 756. To view this Special Dispatch in HTML format, please visit: http://www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SD75604 The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background information, are available on request. Dr. Rif'at Sayyed Ahmad, director of the "Jaffa Research Center" in Cairo and columnist for Al-Liwaa Al-Islami, which is the Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party's paper, published a two-part article titled 'The Lie About The Burning of the Jews.' In his article, Ahmad stated, using the work of Western Holocaust deniers, that the burning of Jews in gas chambers during World War II was a tale made up by the Zionist movement in order to extort the West and make possible the establishment of the Zionist enterprise. The following are excerpts from the article:(1) 'Did this Holocaust Indeed Take Place, and what is the Truth about the Numbers?' "The Zionist enterprise on the land of Palestine succeeded by means of lies and myths, from the myth of the 'Chosen People' and the 'Promised Land' to the lie about the burning of the Jews in the Nazi gas chambers during World War II. When these means were scientifically examined, it was proven that they were untrue, that their reasoning was weak, and that they cannot withstand the test of solid fact. "What interests us here is that this lie [about] the burning of the Jews in the Nazi crematoria has been disseminated throughout the world until our time in order to extort the West and make it easier for the Jews of Europe to hunt [sic] Palestine and establish a state on it, in disregard of the most basic principles of international law and the right of peoples to independent life without occupation. [This lie] was raised [also] so that [the Jews] would receive financial, technological, and economic aid from the West. "During the past 50 years, Germany alone gave a total of some $100 billion. Many European countries began to amend their laws so that they would be compatible with the Holocaust myth ... and they toughened the regulations, resolutions, and laws convicting anyone who mocks this lie or tries to [state that] the number of victims was smaller - as happened to Muslim philosopher Roger Garaudy in France. "This entire situation has turned the Holocaust - that is, Hitler's operation of burning the Jews in gas chambers - into a drawn sword at the necks of historians and serious researchers in the West, and even in the East. At the same time, [the Holocaust] became profitable goods for the Zionist entity... "At a conference of 50 countries held in Germany in April 2004, the German foreign minister delivered a speech called 'Antisemitism.' He demanded that the conference participants demonstrate solidarity with Israel and fight those who deny or cast doubt on the matter of the burning of the Jews in the Nazi crematoria. Several months ago in the city of Stockholm, Sweden, some 26 European and non-European countries passed a resolution to teach 'the false Nazi holocaust' that Hitler had carried out against the Jews, at all stages of study in the schools of the participating countries. At the same time, there were words of appreciation for the Israeli prime minister, whose entity is today implementing the same purported Hitler Nazism. "None of the senior officials who participated in the conference bothered to answer a number of questions: Did this holocaust indeed take place, and what is the truth about the numbers that were disseminated regarding it? [They did not answer the question of] what their opinion was regarding the slaughter in cold blood of children, men, and defenseless elderly in Palestine today, since September 28, 2002 [sic]. Is this not 'the new Nazism?' And how does their false European integrity and their false defense of human rights accept this? "To this day, none of these countries has answered these questions, and never will answer them, because they are hypocrites with regard to [the difference between] perception and analysis, and there is no chance of getting an answer from them. We can only present clear-cut evidence, and try to reread the story of this 'holocaust' with complete objectivity." 'Objective Essays by Zionist Authors Prove the Lie about the Burning of the Jews in Gas Chambers' "First, the facts about this lie and what surrounds it, as follows: "[The number] of victims as a result of World War II, due both to the crimes of the Axis countries and the [crimes of] the Allies, are, according to a few versions, about 50 million, whether as a result of the war or of Hitler's crimes. Of these, 18 million were Germans. Among the victims of this war were Jews, like other members of the human race, as war and cannon shells and planes are incapable of distinguishing between Jew and non-Jew. "Similarly, Hitler was against all nationalities that were not pure German, whether Jewish or non-Jewish. He was a fanatical German nationalist whose nationalism, which was against everything except Germany, included, of course, both Jews and non-Jews. "Objective essays by Zionist authors prove the lie about the burning of the Jews in gas chambers. Of these it is possible to mention, for example, Josef Ginzburg, a German [Jew] who lived under Nazi rule and fled with his family to America and from there went to Israel - about whose establishment he was enthusiastic. But after experiencing what he called its racist Nazi essence, he quickly left Israel and returned to Germany in the 1950s. There [in Germany] he wrote a number of important books about the 'holocaust,' denying that there had been gas chambers designed for burning the Jews. He said: 'This is nothing but a great lie, by means of which the extremist Jews wanted to extort Europe - particularly Germany - and to plunder the homelands of others.' And that is exactly what happened in occupied Palestine. "Josef Ginzburg was murdered by the Jews when he went to visit his wife's grave in Munich's Jewish cemetery, in retaliation for his attempt to expose their falsification." The Hoax of the 20th Century "The famous French historian and geographer Paul Rassinein [sic, reference to Paul Rassinier] tried to confront this falsification and lie from the outset. In 1948, he published an extremely important history book about this falsification, called 'Crossing the Line.'(2) In his book, he used exact numbers and statistics about the number of Jews in Europe - particularly in Germany - prior to and following World War II. He carefully compared these [with the number of victims], and concluded that the number of killed from among them as a result of the war or as a result of Hitler's persecution of them and others who were not German subjects did not exceed a few hundred thousand. [Rassinier wrote in his book], 'The number did not reach even one million killed, at most.' "Paul Rassinier was persecuted and stood trial. He, the publisher, and the author of the book's preface were all fined a large amount, just like what happened half a century later to the Muslim philosopher Roger Garaudy when he published his book 'The Founding Myths of Zionism,'(3) in which he refuted this same lie - the lie of the burning of the Jews in the gas chambers. And in a democratic country, France, he [Garaudy] was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment, fined, persecuted, and slandered. What kind of democracy is this, that does not tolerate the intellectual efforts of others on this world's historical issues?... "The American author and researcher Arthur Butz produced an important book titled 'The Hoax of the Twentieth Century'(4)... This book includes precise scientific data on the Auschwitz camp, where it was alleged that 1.2 million Jews were 'burnt.' Arthur Butz proved that at this camp dead bodies - of Jews and non-Jews - were burnt as a result of the war, and that their bodies were burnt so contagious diseases would not be spread by leaving them in the streets for a long time. [Similarly,] it is almost certain that it was not Hitler who built the crematoria, but the Poles, after the war, and that the odors emitted by the crematoria in which the bodies were burnt were also those of horses who died as a result of the war... He concluded from all this that the 'crematoria' ... were a lie that must now be exposed. Of course, Arthur Butz was attacked by world Zionism, and nearly paid with his life." 'No Matter what Proof We Present, [the Jews and] the European Politicians will Never Believe Us' "The evidence and the objective essays published in the world about this 'lie,' which the Jews have succeeded in exploiting with great wisdom, are continuing. The most recent important attempt, which also faced a Zionist counterattack, was that of British historian David Irving, who in 1990 stated before 800 people in Munich that there were no gas chambers at Auschwitz, and that the gas chamber in the detention camp there was erected by the Poles after the war - similar to the one erected by the Americans at Dachau - and that six million Jews were not burnt there as was alleged. "In January 2002, he again stated that it was inconceivable that the number of Jews killed as a result of the war reached this number [six million]... "In the same way, articles by Gilbert Aire [sic] appeared in the British [newspaper The] Independent, in which he considered the talk about the Holocaust as nothing more than a cheap fashion. Similarly, the essays of British authors Sam Shulman, Tim Cole, and Nata Shalter [sic], of the American author Peter Novick, and of dozens of other [authors] of conscience, who were very humiliated by the trade in the false Holocaust... "No matter what details and proof emphasizing the lie of the burning of the Jews in Nazi crematoria we present, they [the Jews] and the statesmen of Europe who trade in the Holocaust will never believe us. On the contrary - it is almost certain that they will accuse us of antisemitism... "Dozens of Western laws in the European countries have been changed to protect this false myth of the burning of the Jews. Dozens of curricula have also been changed. Today, it is possible to curse the monotheistic religions, but the 'holocaust' and its lie are above criticism and above opinion, and in Europe it is unapproachable. "All this proves that we are standing before new Western idol-worship that requires a genuine cultural revolution within it in order to destroy it - a revolution that will use facts and science against tales ungrounded in true reality and credible history." Endnotes:
IsrAlert, a Jewish advocacy network, is hosted by Harv Weiner. To subscribe to IsrAlert, send an email to isralert@aol.com |
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ARAB GUIDE TO THE 2004 ELECTION
Posted by IsrAlert, July 29, 2004. |
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This was written by Steven Stalinsky and appeared today on the Jewish
World Review website (http://www.jewishworldreview.com). Steven
Stalinsky is Executive Director of The Middle East Media Research
Institute (www.memri.org).
The Arab and Iranian press have increasingly discussed the upcoming American presidential election. Most journalists are pulling for a Kerry victory. Other commentators have said that the choice between the two is like "choosing between cholera and the plague." The Iranian press has been particularly active in monitoring the elections. The editor of the Egyptian Al-Gil newspaper, Nagi Al Shihabi, was interviewed by the Iranian Al-Alam TV on June 13, and said: "The U.S. wants to eradicate our religious and Islamic identity. Bush declared a Crusader war following the events of 9/11... The U.S. established its country over the body parts of 120 million Indians. We must first define the enemy. The no. 1 enemy of the Arab and Islamic peoples is the U.S. and not only Israel... Bush, Allah willing, will go to hell in this coming November." During his Friday sermon in the city of Qom, broadcast by Channel 2 of Iranian TV on June 19, preacher Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli called on Americans to vote against Mr. Bush: "We advise the people of America not to continue to tolerate this oppressing, ignorant, pillaging, criminal, and discriminating administration. In the future, do not vote for Bush and his ilk." Writing in the Tehran Times on June 17, Kian Nader Mokhtari praised Senator Kerry, and hoped that he would triumph over the "neo-Nazis" of the Bush administration: "It has long been a tradition in U.S. politics for irresponsible gun-toting Republican presidents to pass on unresolved dilemmas to their Democratic replacements, and Bush will be no exception... Kerry is exactly what the U.S. needs... Kerry's sensible and methodical approach will no doubt go some distance in solving the stinking heap of a mess left over by Bush and his neo-conservatives - for a minute there I was going to type neo-Nazis!... He [Kerry] may be remembered as the president whose decisions saved the U.S..." The Lebanese minister of information, Michael Samaha, also discussed the election on Syrian TV on March 30: "The most important thing that could happen in the coming American elections if Kerry wins is that the neo-conservatives leave. They have a complete ideology regarding their treatment of the world and specifically the Middle East and the Near East to which we belong. If they leave, the real American America will return." In an article in Al-Ahram weekly on April 18, an Arab-Israeli member of Knesset, Azmi Bishara, called on Arab-Americans to "rethink their alliance with Bush" and "shift their votes from Bush to Kerry." But not everyone in the Arab and Iranian press supports Mr. Kerry. In an interview with Al-Siyassah daily, Sheik Saud Al Nasser Al Sabah, who was Kuwait's ambassador to America from 1981 until 1992, said he hopes Republicans will stay in power: "If the American administration changes in November, it will be catastrophic... because those Democrats do not understand a thing about foreign policy, and they lack the determination to make decisions the way Bush made them in Iraq and elsewhere." He added, "Our only hope is that this administration will continue for the next few years..." California State University professor Asad Abu Khalil was interviewed by the Iranian channel Al-Alam TV on June 23. The professor said: "I say that decision-making in American foreign policy is done by more than just one group. There is, of course, the neo-conservative group, but there is another group which is more important and that is the Christian fundamentalists - the Christian Taliban, which is influential in the U.S., to which the American president belongs...The nature of the American empire may change under John Kerry, but we shouldn't do what some PLO representatives in Western capitals did, when they opened champagne bottles when the Labor party replaced the Likud?" The Saudi-owned Iqra TV hosted a political debate on March 24. The moderator asked the panel their opinions on voting for Mr. Kerry or Mr. Bush, "Sir, do you believe the American voter will vote for Kerry as a reaction to the position of Bush junior, who always supports Sharon? "A Palestinian politician and writer, Abd Al-Qader Yassin, said: "We need to choose between cholera and the plague." As November approaches, it is interesting to note that four years ago the Arab and Iranian press was giddy about a Governor Bush victory over Vice President Gore, which was seen as an end to the Clinton administration's Middle East policy. The same press is again calling for a change in the White House. IsrAlert, a Jewish advocacy network, is hosted by Harv Weiner. To subscribe to IsrAlert, send an email to isralert@aol.com |
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UNMERCIFUL MUSLIM CHARITIES
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, July 29, 2004. |
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The flaw in modern, mass democracy is its exaltation of individual privilege over individual responsibility. Democracy also has to balance individual rights and governmental power. Islamists seeks to curb both, until it can use the latter to crush the former. Prompted by citizens' demands for action against terrorist attacks, the current Administration is grasping for more power to thwart them. I think it is heavy-handed about it. Other critics, perhaps partisan, think this its excess intentional. It does coincide with governmental attempts to thwart citizen participation and oversight over a great giveaway and pollution of natural resources. In dealing with jihad, the government is needlessly inhibited by political correctness and tolerance of subversion. In decades past, more Communist subversion was dealt with for sensationalism than for safety. The Communists' spiritual heirs have come into position to demean reasonable efforts at public safety. Political correctness casts a veil of censorship over the political process. Our government, engaged in a world war on jihad, is afraid to clearly define it as such (and then gets criticized for invading Iraq as if for nothing). It is more difficult to fight back when the enemy is not identified and his tools are politically correct. Islamists are mass-migrating to the West. Most enter for jobs and contribute to terrorist fundraising agencies euphemistically called charities. Few American voices would shut off the terrorist infiltrating and fundraising at the source -- ports of entry -- because that contravenes the politically correct notion of multiculturalism and collective punishment. But this IS a collective matter. Rather than a few individual criminals unfairly spoiling the chance for betterment of life of the Muslim masses, the Muslim masses spoil the chances of the few individuals among them who wish to assimilate into the American way of life. The masses hate secular, Western ways and wish to remold our society after their failed one. They donate to terrorist fundraising agencies with nary an inquiry, despite the publicity about terrorist fundraising indicating that funds go for other than stated charitable purpose. Few Americans demand more monitoring of the fundraising agencies, because the latter call themselves charities. We must learn that the Islamists misrepresent their struggle against democracy in innocent guise. They likewise learn what words evoke negative emotions, such as "Nazi," and attribute it to Israel, although the Arabs were pro-Nazi. Hitler's autobiography and "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" remain bestsellers in the Arab world. They do not dislike Nazism when they accuse Israel of it, they cast at Israel whatever the rest of the world considers mud, though they, themselves, wallow in it like an unwashed pig trying to cool itself in summer. We must not let Arab semantic tricks divert us from our duty. When the government does indict an alleged charity, other terrorist front organizations, such as C.A.I.R., always and automatically denounce the indictment and the government. This can embarrass a government that takes that subversive organization at face value. A major public issue is whether moderate Muslims will reform their religion and delegitimize the Islamists within it. But are there many moderate Muslims? If so, why their widespread donation to phony charities? Do the Muslim masses not know that terrorist fronts pose as charities? Why not? Do they not realize that the fronts' subsidy of families of suicide bombers acts as an insurance policy for suicide bombers, hence encourages them? What they call donating to charity is financing murder, crimes against humanity. I think they know and approve. When the courts convict the fronts, where is the donors' outcry against the fronts that defrauded them and deprived genuine objects of charity? This silence damns the moderates or disproves their existence. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at ricshulman@aol.com. |
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ARABS SHOCK EUROPEANS, REFUSE TO CONDEMN ANTI-SEMITISM
Posted by Janet Lehr, July 29, 2004. |
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Last evening Dr Stephen Berk, speaking at The Jewish Center of East Hampton, in addressing anti-semitism in America, credited the enormous effectiveness of a single book in fostering anti-semitism. Edward Said's Orientalism was published in 1978. In Orientalism, he laid down the rules for how the Middle East is studied and the perception of Israel and America. This is today's Bible, the Rosetta Stone of the Left. (Read the references below and attached on Edward Said. It may give you indigestion, but you need to know their script.). This article is entitled "Arabs Shock Europeans, refuse to condemn anti-Semitism" by Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondent. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/456967.html NEW YORK - Arab states at he United Nations are trying to foil a proposal to raise a vote condemning anti-Semitism in the General Assembly this September. At a closed meeting held recently in New York, UN ambassadors from Arab and EU countries met and the Arabs made clear that they do not accept the initiative for the UN General Assembly to condemn anti-Semitism. The blunt language used by the Arabs describing their opposition, and their plans to use diplomatic means to prevent the resolution from reaching a vote, shocked the Europeans, said a UN source. According to UN sources, the Arab delegates were also critical of a UN seminar on anti-Semitism held last month. A senior Western diplomat said that among the Arabs who spoke with the Europeans was PLO observer Nasser al Kidwe, and he was particularly outspoken in his objections to a UN General Assembly resolution on anti-Semitism. The source said Kidwe attacked the content of UN Secretary general Koffi Anan's speech to the seminar last month, particularly Annan's pride in the cancelation of the 1975 Zionism equals racism resolution. "The Europeans were depressed when they left the meeting," said the source. Jordanian Ambassador to the UN Prince Ziad Hussein argued that the resolution would reinforce the tendency to call any criticism of Israel, anti-Semitic. Moroccan Ambassador Mohammed Banone, said that the seminar against anti-Semitism was a terrible idea and a decision would only divide the world body. Arab League Ambassador Mahamas Hani warned that a UN resolution condemning anti-Semitism would have a negative impact on the Middle East. The proposed resolution would issue a general condemnation of all forms of anti-Semitism and acts of intolerance, incitement and harassment. The decision would also call on member countries to take steps to block anti-Semitism. Major countries have already committed to voting in favor. Last year, an Israeli initiative for a similar resolution failed. It is hard for me to believe that Columbia, the school of choice fifty years ago, for New York Cities best, brightest orthodox Jewish college boys has become a raging hot bed of pro-palestinian anti-semitism. Where are the alumnae? Please email this to Columbia and Barnard alums. "Columbia University Celebrates Edward Said" by Jonathan Calt Harris
on "National Review" April 15, 2003.
Jonathan Calt Harris is managing editor of Campus Watch.
On April 16th, Columbia University will celebrate a "25th Anniversary Silver Jubilee" of Orientalism, a book by Edward Said, emeritus professor and leading spokesman for a the Palestinian cause against Israel. The event enjoys some high-level patronage; the university's provost, Jonathan Cole, will deliver the opening remarks. By celebrating Said's work in this manner, Columbia is endorsing its contents. Why would it do this? Because Said, although not himself a specialist on the Middle East, has laid down the rules on how the region is studied at his university (and on many other campuses too). His radical leftism, his apologetics for militant Islam, and his advocacy of Palestinian violence have become the norm. So paramount are his ideas at Columbia that an endowed chair has been named after him, virtually canonizing his views. Said's influence - especially his obsessive hostility toward Israel - has indeed been pervasive at Columbia. Some examples from its lineup of Middle East specialists: 1. Nadia Abu El-Haj, assistant professor of anthropology at Barnard. In her book, Facts on the Ground: Archaeological Practice and Territorial Self-Fashioning in Israeli Society, she argues that Israeli archeology is but a tool to fabricate an "origin myth" to "efface Zionism's colonial dimension." 2. Hamid Dabashi, professor of Iranian studies. He organized a Palestinian film festival "Dreams of a Nation" that featured posters of a blood-red Palestine replacing Israel and several films calling for the destruction of Israel. Dabashi once cancelled his class to participate in an anti-Israel rally, and recently joined Ayatollah Khomeini in condemning novelist Salman Rushdie for his "demonizing" of Islamic civilization. 3. Joseph Massad, assistant professor of modern Arab politics. His entire body of scholarship consists of manic anti-Zionism. He labels Israel "a Jewish supremacist and racist state" (yet Columbia allows him to teach a course titled "Palestinian and Israel Politics and Society"). He defends Palestinian violence, "It is only by making the costs of Jewish supremacy too high that Israeli Jews will give it up." He criticized Yasser Arafat for "concessions" to Israel, thus undermining "the right of the Palestinians to resist the occupation." 4. George Saliba, professor of Arabic and Islamic Science. He defends promoting an anti-Israel rally in class, calling it a place to get "accurate information on the Middle East," yet fuels false rumors about Ariel Sharon, "committing his massacres in Jenin." One student warns, "Take this class if you want to hear total and utter nonsense." Another notes, "He only lectured 14 of the 24 class sessions; the other 10, he either cancelled to promote 'Palestine' or showed a movie or played music." Joining this illustrious group in the fall will be: Rashid Khalidi, the new Edward Said Chair of Middle East Studies. Khalidi is yet another obsessive anti-Israel scholar. When Palestinians lynched two off-duty Israeli officers in October of 2000, proudly displaying their bloodied hands, Khalidi found fit to criticize not the perpetrators of the crime but the "prostitute" and "cynical" media that reported it. He glorifies anti-Israel violence as "civil society" poking "its way up through the concrete." He portrays the PLO as democratic and Arafat as an "elected leader." He claims Israel's army has used "awful weapons of mass destruction in Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps, a naked lie. Delirious reactions to Khalidi's imminent arrival confirm the entrenched bias at Columbia. "Everyone in the Middle East area is thrilled," comments history professor Richard Bulliet. "There was a consensus that Khalidi would be the best for this chair," adds Lisa Anderson, dean of Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs. "Rashid is probably the best scholar we could have gotten," agrees David Cohen, vice president for Arts and Sciences. Such is what now passes for Middle East scholarship at Columbia University on the 25th anniversary of Orientalism. It would hardly seem worthy of a jubilee celebration. John Corigliano, a well-known composer and a Columbia alumnus, recently called the Middle East-studies department to task for its blatantly anti-Israel outlook. "I do hope the [Columbia] administration has the courage - for it will take a lot of courage - to stand up to demagoguery of this nature." No sign of that courage as of yet. |
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YOU'RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE
Posted by Judy Lash Balint, July 29, 2004. |
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This appeared on Front Page Magazine (www.FrontPageMagazine.com).
For the fledgling Christian Allies Caucus of Israel's Knesset it was quite a coup. Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) is the first US lawmaker to be hosted by the group whose prime goal is to strengthen ties with pro-Israel Christian groups around the world. Last week, at a special meeting in the Knesset, the senator from Kansas addressed Israeli parliamentarians as well as representatives of most of the Christian groups operating in Israel. Brownback was effusive in his support of Israel--not so unusual for a visiting US legislator. What was so notable that it caused the diverse group of Israeli Knesset members to sit up and take notice, were the senator's emotional and heartfelt references to his faith as the basis of that support. The senator spoke about his upbringing on a Kansas farm where the Bible formed the bedrock of his early education. "Ancient Israel was, and is, a living reality in my home. Its spirituality, wisdom, poetry, its majesty inspired and encouraged me all my life. You have helped form my soul and I thank you for it," Brownback told the forum. He explained how American support for Israel today comes from Christians raised on the Bible who appreciate the miracle of the revival of the modern state of Israel. After a brief analysis of the state of the common fight against terror mounted by Israel and the U.S, Brownback returned to his emotional message. " I love you and the people of America love you. We love the values you have given us that cost you so much to protect for thousands of years.. We love your spirit of determination and calling. We love your heart's desire for peace." In words rarely heard in the halls of the super-politicized Knesset, Brownback repeatedly referred to God's plan for the land and people of Israel. "The last time I was in Israel, I looked out the window of my hotel and saw the flag of Israel with the Star of David and the thought entered my mind, "God does keep His promises!" That flag which had been absent in this land for nearly 2,000 years was now flying again. What an awesome God we serve," Brownback exclaimed. There were nods of agreement among the Christians in the audience, and a flicker of a smile crossed the face of Christian Allies Caucus co-chair, MK Yair Peretz. The American senator admonished Israel not to be led astray by "the culture wars..[that] embrace relativism, redefine right and wrong, good and evil....The history of your survival and continued existence is filled with examples of what happens to a people when they walk away from God's sacred laws," he warned. Finally, in the most stunning and humble remarks ever uttered by a foreign lawmaker to the Knesset, Brownback said: "As a Christian, I thank you for my faith that is rooted in yours. And as a Christian, I deeply, deeply apologize for the pain and bloodshed and deafness to suffering that we have hoisted upon you and your ancestors. May this never, ever happen again!" The Christian Allies Caucus that sponsored the Brownback visit is the brainchild of MK Yuri Shtern of the rightist National Union Party, who co-chairs the effort to reach out to Christians with an unlikely ally, MK Peretz, of the populist Sephardi religious party, Shas. At the Brownback briefing, Peretz was the only legislator who used the services of an English-Hebrew translator. Shtern, a former activist who spent years in the struggle for free emigration from the former Soviet Union, views the Christian Allies Caucus as a way to both further Israel's relations with the Christian world, and to thank pro-Israel Christians for their support in recent years. "We need their help to fight the delegitimation of Israel that is really becoming stronger and stronger," says Shtern. "Israel has no better friend in the world than the United States, and that is in no small part due to our Christian friends in America, and we hope to see the same happen in Europe, and elsewhere," he adds. Shtern termed the Caucus a "political upgrade" of relations between Israel and its Christian supporters throughout the world. "We will not be demanding that Christians adopt any particular political viewpoint on the conflict here," said Shtern in clarifying the goals of the caucus. "We simply are reaching out to the Christians to support Israel on the basis of our fundamental right to live here in peace and security." Knesset members of several political parties were in attendance for the Brownback speech. A number of the Israeli legislators wandered in late, and it was obvious that the senator couldn't quite figure out who these casually dressed people were. Following the sustained applause after his remarks, almost all of the Knesset members engaged in dialogue with the senator. Freshman Likud MK Gila Gamliel, the youngest Knesset member, told Brownback that Israel's main problem is its status as the lone democracy in the region and US pressure for disengagement. National Union Knesset member Gilad Cohen wondered out loud if there was real US pressure or whether it was just that Prime Minister Sharon tells Israel that such pressure exists. The event received significant media coverage in Israel, and highlighted the evolving relationship between Israel and the organized pro-Israel Christian world. The Jerusalem Summit organization helped initiate the Caucus last January and the World Jewish Congress recently signed on as an official endorser. Reaction amongst Christians in Israel and abroad has been positive. Well known Christian broadcaster Janet Parshall says, "In a very formal way, the Caucus means there will now be the recognition of the work that Christians have done in support of Israel. That is a monolithic step forward, and it gives us, I think, an open door in a more broad fashion to articulate our support for the nation of Israel." David Parsons, Public Relations Director for the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem and a member of the Caucus notes, "This is another sign that the Israelis and the Jewish people are now genuinely reaching out to Christians. Christians have offered a hand of support and friendship for many years and they're taking it." "Jerusalem Diaries: In Tense Times" by Judy Lash Balint (Gefen) is available for purchase from www.israelbooks.com |
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THE STRUGGLE AGAINST PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL SUBJUGATION
Posted by Ruth Matar, July 29, 2004. |
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Dear Friends, A "post-Zionist leftist oligarchy" (consisting of the Sharon Government, the courts, and the leftist media) is trying to subjugate the People of Israel, both physically and spiritually. This "post-Zionist leftist oligarchy" is trying to convince the People that the only way that Israel can survive is by continual retreat from our Land. The battle cry is: "We must transfer the Jews from Biblical Gaza and Samaria. ... The Arabs are just too numerous. ... We have a severe demographic problem. ... The Arabs are soon going to be the overwhelming majority. We must, therefore, transfer the Jews from Gaza and Northern Samaria for the good of the rest of the nation." Whether this is the real reason for Sharon's shameful Unilateral Disengagement Plan, we are in no position to know. Why does Sharon want to disengage from the very people whom he encouraged to build their homes in Biblical Gaza, Samaria and Judea? After all, he spent many years of his life building up these communities. Is it possible that Ariel Sharon who we once considered to be a Lion of Judah, has lost all his courage in his old age? Whatever Sharon's reasons for his complete change of heart, he has now arbitrarily and dictatorially decided on a different direction. To achieve his own designs, Sharon is employing the most unconscionable use of power. The Jews who have built their homes in Biblical Gaza and Northern Samaria, did so with the encouragement of successive Israeli governments. Sharon himself, when he was Minister of National Infrastructure between the years 1996-1998 under Benjamin Netanyahu as Prime Minister, encouraged people to settle the Jewish Land. In any case, Sharon's now wanting to expel these people from their homes, is a prime example of Sharon's desire to physically subjugate the Jewish People. Just as detrimental as physical subjugation, or maybe even more detrimental, is his attempt at spiritual suppression. Sharon has become like one of the ten spies in the Bible, who brought to the Children of Israel an evil report on the Land that they had spied out, saying: "The Land through which we have passed, to spy it out, is a Land that devours its inhabitants! All the people that we saw in it were huge! There we saw the Nephilim, the sons of the giant from among the Nephilim; we were like grasshoppers in our eyes, and so we were in their eyes!" (Numbers 13:32-33) Is Sharon's ambition now to be the Prime Minister of a nation of grasshoppers? Sharon went up to the Temple Mount in September of 2000. A new war of terror started immediately, which had been planned by Arafat for several months. This war against the Jewish People is still going on and has already claimed more Jewish lives in four years, than in the seven years between 1993 (the beginning of Oslo) and 2000. Sharon promised the Jewish People security, but engaged only in a tit for tat policy, rather than going all out to defeat the Arab enemy. Even though Sharon supposedly defied the whole Arab world by going up to the Temple Mount in September of 2000, he then forbade Jews and Christians to visit this holiest of places until August of 2003. Sharon no longer seemed to show any interest whatsoever in claiming Jewish ownership of the Temple Mount, which is the holiest place in the Jewish religion. He permitted the Arabs to build additions to their Mosques using heavy machinery, and looked away when the Arabs wantonly destroyed Jewish artifacts from the First and Second Temple periods. This was done deliberately by the Arabs to destroy any evidence of prior Jewish presence on the Temple Mount. (Some such artifacts, which had not been destroyed, have turned up on the world antiquity market at tremendous financial gain for the Arabs.) When Israeli archeologists warned Sharon of dangerous cracks in the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount, and cautioned against the Southern Wall's imminent collapse, the Sharon government called in Jordanian engineers to do the necessary repairs. This in spite of the fact that Israel has engineers who are just as good, and probably better. Was this Sharon's way of disavowing his interest in the Temple Mount as a Jewish Holy place? Since June 7, 1967, when the Temple Mount was liberated, only Muslims have been allowed to pray on the Temple Mount, by order of then Defense Minister Moshe Dayan. Dayan insisted that Jews be allowed to visit the Temple Mount, but not to pray there. Dayan gave an explanation for his scandalous decision as follows: Since for the Muslims the Temple Mount is a Muslim Mosque for prayer, while for Jews it is merely a historical site recalling the past, the Arabs are not to be disturbed in acting there as they do now, and the right of the Muslims to control it must be recognized. How sad that Dayan was an assimilated Jew and completely ignorant of Jewish religion and unfeeling toward Jewish tradition. Dayan's terrible decision is still in place. Only Muslims are allowed to pray on the Jewish Temple Mount, and Jews and Christians are forbidden to do so. They are even forbidden to move their lips in prayer! This year Tisha B'AV started on Monday evening, July 26, 2004. Hundreds of people from across the country had planned on ascending the Holy Mount. They found out that the Temple Mount - Judaism's holiest site - was again closed to Jews, this even on Tisha B'Av while Jews are mourning the destruction of the First and Second Temples. Why did Sharon allow Internal Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi to close the Temple Mount to Jews on Tisha B'AV? The reason, again, was the Muslim threats of violence if Jews were allowed to visit. If this is not spiritual suppression and subjugation, I don't know what is! On Sunday evening we were part of a magnificent human chain, with more than two hundred thousand participants, from Gush Katif to the Temple Mount. On Monday evening, Women in Green organized the reading of Eicha (Lamentations) at Safra Square and a Walk around the Old City Walls, with tens of thousands participants. This Walk has been held for ten years in succession, and just grows from year to year. In front of the Lions Gate, where Israeli paratroopers in June of 1967 liberated the entire Old City, Women in Green's co-founder Nadia Matar made a stirring speech which touched our hearts and brought tears to our eyes: "We must deliver an unequivocal message to all the politicians today who, once again, slander the Land and are willing to surrender parts of it: This shall not come to pass. The people shall not allow you, even if you cook up a majority in the Knesset and the government. The majority of the People of Israel, throughout the ages, clearly say: 'The Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel, in accordance with the Torah of Israel, and no one has the right to cede it.' Don't delude yourselves: yesterday we stood in the human chain like nice and very disciplined children, and today we are holding a quiet and respectable march - but you should know that for us the Land of Israel is like our child, and if, Heaven forbid, the patently illegal order should come to take our child from us, the masses that we saw yesterday in the human chain, and today in this Walk, will be forced to react as a lioness defending her cubs against criminal and murderous hunters. "With G-d's help, we will not have to face such harsh situations. With G-d's help, in the coming months we will succeed in sending home, to early retirement, all the political leaders who today are betraying Zionism and Judaism, and thereby bury their plan of destruction. In their place we shall find true, proud Jewish leaders, leaders who shall fearlessly proclaim throughout the whole world: 'The Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel, in accordance with the Torah of Israel'" *** Dear Friends: May we be worthy of redemption and May the Third Temple be built, soon, and in our days. With Blessings and Love for Israel,
Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org |
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WELCOME, FIRST GRADE
Posted by Moshe Feiglin, July 29, 2004. |
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In the next school year there will be more children in the first grade wearing kippot than those with uncovered heads. However, in the current government coalition there are only four MKs wearing kippot. What do these data teach us about the religious society and about the social developments likely in Israel? We can see how the religious frameworks are disintegrating. What is happening in the Mafdal can be clearly seen and it is only a question of time when the current schism in the party will create a new political reality. It is reasonable to assume that Efi Eitam will leave in the end, set up a Torah-orientated national religious party of the Morasha kind (as once done by Rabbi Druckman), or join with Tekumah, and in one way or another find the method of merging into the Likud. Benny Elon, a brilliant politician, said explicitly after the Likud referendum, that this is the future direction of development. It is only a question of time when all his friends will understand that this is the sole meaningful path open to them. It is possible that those still firmly grasping the reins of the old Mafdal will succeed in obtaining the minimum number of votes required in a few more election campaigns, until the current loss of meaning becomes a terminal condition. Amongst the Haredi and Shas public the revolution is quieter, more hidden, and slower, but no less significant. The capability of the spiritual leadership to maintain discipline in the community is cracking. Haredi youth is no longer as obedient as in the past, the frameworks are becoming blurred, and the Haredi public is opening up to Israeli life. The political expression of this reality will take much longer, but it will take place in the end. These two processes - the demographic strengthening, and the fading of the religious political frameworks, create a disparity that must be balanced. This won't occur, as in the past, in the form of a meteoric strengthening of religious parties. These tools are no longer relevant, because they express a sectoral approach that has become out of date. It is far more reasonable to assume that this will occur as crystallization within the large national party. Already today about a third of Likud members wear kippot, and the same situation exists amongst members of the Likud Central Committee. Although the current leader of the Likud is making every effort to drain his party of its meaning, from both simple organizational aspects and its ideological content, the Likud, because it is a popular ruling party unifying a public whose central ethos is the Jewish identity, will overcome this problem also. In another twelve years, when the current first grade pupils graduate from high school, no-one will remember who were Silvan Shalom, Ehud Olmert, or even Ariel Sharon. Whether or not this will be the same Likud or an improved version of it, the State of Israel will be ruled by the national camp and a ruling party composed of a mixture of people wearing kippot and those who don't, united by their commitment to their Jewish identity. It is to be expected that this process won't take place smoothly. The Israeli Left does not possess real democratic consciousness, and it will make use of all the power multipliers at its disposal in order to continue to rule, whether directly, or indirectly (as in the current situation). In fact, the entire Oslo process was an attempt by the Leftist minority to impose its views on Israeli society, an attempt that brought disaster to the country. When the Oslo process blew up in the face of Israeli society, the Left turned to a direction that does not require an external partner. This was the origin of the separation fence and the disengagement plan. In both these cases the Left employed all the sources of power at its disposal, and the leaders of the Right, who were initially opposed, quickly aligned themselves and assumed the role of sub contractors for implementation. These activities will also explode in the face of the Jewish nation, in a far worse way. The process of integration of the national and belief-based publics will not be smooth, and its rule will encounter strong opposition that will not hesitate to break all the rules of democracy. However, it must take place, and the earlier we can make it do so the better it will be for everyone. Possibly the major problem that the national camp will have to solve after this integration is also hinted at by the Ministry of Education data. In the northern region, the majority of pupils starting the first grade next year will be 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. |
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WHAT WILL BE THE EFFECT OF THE "FALSE ACCUSATION" IN FRANCE?
Posted by MRB, Communaute-Juive-France, July 29, 2004. |
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This was adapted and translated by E. Miriam Englander.
Dear friends,
One question - or rather questions without answers. I thought
that you might be able to help me see things more clearly. I thank you
for discussing it because something is not right.
What do you think about the sordid play acting that happened with the so-called attacked lady? [editor note: a (non-Jewish) woman complained that she and her baby were attacked by Arabs in the subway. It was a false charge - she has a history of making such accusations.] These are questions that us Jews should think about. Why is it that when there are real instances of aggression, when children were beaten up in May and June, we were not privileged to have had interventions from The President of the Republic
Strange strange!!! Someone was telling me yesterday this rabbi with his 'make-believe' attack really took you 'for a ride'! This person was in politics and from our point of view could have been referring to the rabbi who was beaten up last January. [The Rabbi was severely beaten.] Who is going to believe us when it is actually serious?
It's true that they say that we are becoming paranoid. But maybe we are right to be suspicious of the 'false accusation.' It seems to us that some people will really be able to profit from this! |
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AN ADVANCED IRAQI JET FOUND BURIED IN THE SAND
Posted by Israela Goldstein, July 29, 2004. |
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This is from MSS-3 DET 32 DET. LCPO,
MACS(SW) Larry S. Briggs,
WK - (619) 767-1491.
The Iraqi jet, an advanced Russian MiG-25 Foxbat, was found buried in the sand after an informant tipped off U.S. troops. The MiG was dug out of a massive sand dune near the Al Taqqadum airfield by U.S. Air Force recovery teams. The MiG was reportedly one of over two dozen Iraqi jets buried in the sand, like hidden treasure, waiting to be recovered at a later date. Contrary to what some in the major media have reported, not all the jets found were from the Gulf War era. The Russian-made MiG-25 Foxbat being recovered by U.S. Air Force troops in the photos is an advanced reconnaissance version never before seen in the West and is equipped with sophisticated electronic warfare devices. U.S. Air Force recovery teams had to use large earth-moving equipment to uncover the MiG, which is over 70 feet long and weighs nearly 25 tons. The Foxbat is known to be one of Iraq's top jet fighters. The advanced electronic reconnaissance version found by the U.S. Air Force is currently in service with the Russian air force. The MiG is capable of flying at speeds of over 2,000 miles an hour, or three times the speed of sound, and at altitudes of over 75,000 feet. The recovery of the advanced MiG fighter is considered to be an intelligence coup by the U.S. Air Force.. The Foxbat may also be equipped with advanced Russian- and French-made electronics that were sold to Iraq during the 1990s in violation of a U..N. ban on arms sales to Baghdad. The buried aircraft at Al Taqqadum were covered in camouflage netting, sealed and, in many cases, had their wings removed before being buried more than 10 feet beneath the Iraqi desert. X Marks the Spot The discovery of the buried Iraqi jet fighters illustrates the problem faced by U.S. inspection teams searching Iraq for weapons of mass destruction. Iraq is larger in size than California, and the massive deserts south and west of Baghdad were used by Saddam Hussein to hide weapons during the first Gulf war. U.S. intelligence sources have already uncovered several mass grave burial sites in the open deserts with an estimated 10,000 dead hidden there. In addition, Iraq previously hid SCUD missiles, chemical weapons and biological warheads by burying them under the desert sand. U.N. inspection teams found the weapons in the early 1990s after detailed information of the exact locations was obtained. Top U.S. weapons inspector Dr. David Kay is known to favor human intelligence as the primary means to find Iraq's hidden treasure trove of weapons and secrets. While there are rumors of Iraqi chemical and biological weapons being shipped to nearby Syria, the weapons may very well still remain inside Iraq buried under the vast desert wastelands. Some critics of the Bush administration have claimed that the inability of U.S.. forces to uncover weapons of mass destruction is proof that the president misled the nation into the war with Iraq. However, in recent days the critics have fallen silent as word quietly leaked from Iraq that major discoveries have already been made and are now being documented completely. Bush administration officials are keeping any such discoveries secret for the moment. |
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ZOA REGIONAL CAMPUS DIVEST-FROM-ISRAEL CAMPAIGNS
Posted by Deb Kotz, July 28, 2004. |
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This is very interesting and the first I've heard about these efforts.
Please check out the website if you get a chance. I'm not exactly sure
what action we can take to move this along, but if anyone has any
ideas let me know.
Boycott Watch can be reached at13938A Cedar Rd Suite 253, Cleveland, Ohio 44118, 216-765-2273, www.Boycottwatch.org Boycott Watch Contends: Divest-from-Israel Campaigns May Violate the Federal Antiboycott Law Summary: Campus and other divest-from-Israel campaigns may violate U.S. law aimed at protecting nations friendly to the U.S. from unsanctioned foreign boycotts. U.S. businesses need to be protected against secondary boycotts aimed at them as well. Boycott Watch and the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) are leading the fight against divestment and boycott campaigns against Israel. The Arab boycott of Jewish interests started as early as 1921, and it is still in effect today under the auspices of the Arab League and its Central Boycott Office. This boycott includes boycotting not only products produced in Israel, but also companies that do business in or with Israel. The boycott even goes as far as blacklisting ships that have docked in Israeli ports, regardless of the cargo's point of origin or ultimate destination. In 1977, Congress passed a law creating the Office of Antiboycott Compliance within the Department of Commerce, in response to the Arab boycott of Israel. The law prohibits U.S. persons from taking certain actions in support of an unsanctioned foreign boycott against a country that is friendly to the United States. Because Israel is an ally of the United States, and our government does not sanction the Arab boycott of Israel, the law prohibits actions that further or support the Arab League boycott of Israel. Over the past two years, a divest-from-Israel campaign has been gaining momentum on college campuses across the United States. In July 2003, the ZOA expressed its concern about the campaign and about an upcoming national student conference supporting the Arab boycott of Israel. The ZOA urged the Office of Antiboycott Compliance to investigate these activities as a possible violation of the antiboycott law. In November 2003, Boycott Watch sent a letter to the Office of Antiboycott Compliance, furnishing evidence that the divest-from-Israel campaign is a direct function of the Palestinian Authority, which is a member of the Arab League and a signatory to the Arab boycott of Israel. Last week, Boycott Watch furnished additional information to the Office of Antiboycott Compliance, about the Palestinian Authority's effort to establish an economic blockade of Israel in Malaysia. This would effectively expand the scope of the boycott and the Palestinian Authority's economic warfare against Israel. Boycott Watch is now advising all colleges and universities that divest-from-Israel campaigns on their campuses may be in violation of the U.S. antiboycott law. "Boycott Watch is a leading consumer watchdog organization and is committed to combating illegal boycotts of Israel in the United States," said Fred Taub, president of Boycott Watch. Taub attended a divestment conference at Ohio State University in 2003, and says that there was no question that organizers were advocating an illegal boycott of Israel, including divestment and direct boycott of Israeli goods. "The organizers even went as far as advocating boycotts against U.S. companies that do business with Israel, and some boycotters are creating a 'safe list' of companies to purchase from that don't do business with Israel. Asking companies to comply with that list or to furnish information in support of the list is illegal. The Arab boycott of Israel is being promoted in the U.S. and we will continue to lead the fight against it." Susan Tuchman, Director of the ZOA's Center for Law and Justice, encouraged others to join in this fight and contact the Office of Antiboycott Compliance to voice their concerns about the nationwide student divestment campaigns against Israel and urge that they be shut down. "The campaigns are obviously intended to hurt Israel's economy, but they also threaten our own country's trade and commerce, and may damage American companies that do business in or with Israel," according to Tuchman. The Boycott Watch letters to the Office of Antiboycott Compliance describing potential violations of the law are available on line at www.BoycottWatch.org. For further information, consultation or to schedule a lecture, contact Boycott Watch at 216-765-2273. The Zionist Organization of America can be reached at www.zoa.org and at 212-481-1500. Deb Kotz is an active member of the Brandeis Chapter of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) and maintains an email list to distribute articles of interest to the local community. She can be reached at DebKotz@aol.com |
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THE FORCE OF THE LAW
Posted by Simon Kouhana, July 28, 2004. |
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This was distributed by Communaute-Juive-France. It is adapted from
the French and was translated by E. Miriam Englander.
Never, since the period of the Shoah has there been a comparable wave of anti-Semitism such as we have known for the past three years. General indifference that [this wave] have encountered has in all place made the Jewish people's trauma worse and has made its extreme isolation more obvious. That is such that since the first manifestation [of anti Semitism] in France, under Jospin, the executive branch refused to recognize it as anti Semitism. Parliament was silent. The legal branch did not make a big fuss. The intellectuals in society did not make themselves heard to denounce this terrible thing. Little by little, the Jews of France realized that some civil rights were not applicable to them. They therefore knew that the social-political world [of France] had suffered major changes. The media did not begin to break the silence until after the first delivery of the "Observatoire de Monde Juif". Before such a response from the Republic, to accusations that seemed to go completely against its principles, a new strategy was needed to face the gravity of this new situation. A new strategy: It was in that manner that the Forum for Jewish Citizens was created in February 2002 a couple of weeks before the legislative and presidential elections. The Forum for Jewish Citizens is a group for reflection that has given itself the mission of elaborating proposition to address public powers in order to eradicate remaining racism and anti-Semitism in France. Two major objectives were designated from the beginning. It had to do with, on one hand, on the level of public powers to contribute to a arsenal of legislative reform as well as disclaimers that are at once repressive, effective and helpful. Another important issue is to reestablish trust between the victims and those who hold public power. Our analysis has let us to establish that we are not able to wait for all of the social structures [to agree] and that we have to act from the top of the state. The opportune moment was the one during which the political representatives were the most receptive, that is to say election time. We have, as a first step, made both the candidates for presidential and legislative elections feel responsible. We have given them a petition that has more than fifteen thousand signatures in order to be able to demand a parliamentary commission to be put in place to investigate the wave of anti-Semitism. It had to do with putting up to date the issues that have led to an abuse of political power over the past two years. At the time of writing, this commission has not been established. The reinforcement of the legislative arsenal; the Lellouche law Our second demand, as stated in the petition, concerned the reinforcement of the legislative arsenal. In the first place, we stressed that the penal code is no longer up to date. We have therefore made note of the fact that in the penal code, the racist element is not recognized when dealing with violence against people or the damage done to property. It is therefore apparent that the legislature is not adapted to the new realities that exist, including remaining racism. When we had our meeting with the representative Pierre Lellouche, we asked him to present to the National Assembly a proposition to amend this defective part of the law. The text is based on the analysis that during this period of rampant anti-Semitism, only severe and methodical sanctions will be at all dissuasive in our attempt to remove this from our society. The first suggestion that this new law makes is to make the consequences of attempting to hurt people or property when driven by a racist sentiment. The second suggestion that has been accepted in this area is less well known. It concerns making the consequences of attacks against a meeting place of a cult, of a school or against a vehicle that is driven children worse. The objective, in this context, was to assure the protection of locations, particularly those that have to do with Jewish life. This law was adopted, unanimously by the parliament, it was published in the official journal February 3, 2003. Therefore, after having had to go up against a lot of reluctance to make ourselves heard, as well as a lot of skepticism in all circles, the Jewish Citizens Forum has illustrated the fact that an idea can become politicized and from there become a public action. We had to go further, to modify the procedure: Despite this not negligible result - the adoption of the Lellouche Law by the parliament - we had the feeling that this was largely insufficient. We had to go further, and in order to do that to modify to penal procedure in order to facilitate having someone found guilty. There were in our propositions certain amendments that expressed the idea that the time that it takes to appeal should be extended from three months to one year. We had to wait for over one year to get this result. The Guarde des Sceaux Dominique PERBEN integrated this proposition in a law that affects everyone called PERBEN II. Another proposition involved the amendment that a charge could be brought against a so-called rasicst act. We recognize that it is thanks to center groups that some of our propositions were presented to the Assembly and to the Senate. |
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"J'ACCUSE!"
Posted by Annie Cohen, July 28, 2004. |
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Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon urged French Jews to flee the country to escape a rising tide of anti-Semitism there. The latest French Interior Ministry figures show 510 anti-Jewish acts or threats in the first six months of 2004 - compared to 593 for all of last year, according to the Associated Press. (CNN reported only 67 attacks against Jews and 160 threats -- CNN also claims those to be French Interior Ministry figures.) Anti-Semitic acts against Jewish schools, synagogues and cemeteries have risen in France in recent years, coinciding with the growth of tension in the Middle East. Speaking to visiting American Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, Sharon said, "If I have to advise our brothers in France, I'll tell them one thing -- move to Israel, as early as possible. I say that to Jews all around the world, but there (in France) I think it's a must and they have to move immediately. " "We see the spread of the wildest anti-Semitism there," Sharon continued. "In France today, about 10 percent of the population are Muslims ... that gets a different kind of anti-Semitism, based on anti-Israeli feelings and propaganda." Sharon often calls on all the world's Jews to migrate to Israel. He acknowledged the French government was making efforts to stem anti-Semitism but added that the threat was so grave that French Jews should head for Israel without delay. Needless to say, Sharon's comments sparked a firestorm of criticism from the French. "France is not Germany of the 1930s," said Julien Dray, spokesman for the opposition Socialist Party. Parliamentary speaker Jean-Louis Debre called the comments 'unacceptable' and 'irresponsible,' saying, "These are matters which distort reality... and I think they are an expression of hostility towards our country," he said. Assessment: The French are especially sensitive to criticism, in particular, any criticism of the way it treats its Jewish population. The Jews are a blight on France's ledger sheet that Paris prefers to ignore whenever possible. French history is all about its greatness -- except for the whole 'Jew' thing. French schoolkids read all about Napolean, but not so much about Alfred Dreyfuss. Dreyfuss was a French military officer (and a Jew) falsely accused and convicted of treason in 1894. The French press then joined in, saying that, of course, a Jew would turn on the country and so forth. Dreyfuss was sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. Then, in 1898, the real traitor, a Major Esterhazy, was discovered and court-martialed. The French military closed ranks, and Esterhazy was acquitted in a show trial so transparent that French expatriate writer, Emile Zola, wrote his famous essay entitled, "J'accuse" (I accuse) exposing the whole affair. French historians don't dwell much on the Dreyfuss affair. It is a form of national amnesia, in much the same way that, during World War, EVERYBODY was in the Resistance except General Henri Petain. Petain was leader of the collaborationist Vichy Government that rounded up 75,000 French Jews for the Nazis and shipped them off to Auschwitz. Of them, only 2,500 returned. (Petain must have been quite an amazing man -- running the entire Vichy government all alone, as he evidently did.) In any case, the French are really mad at Sharon for bringing the whole 'Jew' thing up again. (I can tell because the keywords "French Jew" kicked back a whole page of headlines on Google saying, "French Officials Angry at Israeli Leader"). There is an old joke; "Why are there large trees along the Champs Elysee? Answer? So the Nazis could march in the shade!" There is much truth in humor. Unfortunately, France has learned virtually nothing from WWII. In 1945, Reverend Martin Niemoller wrote; "First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Catholics, but I was not a Catholic so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out." He was right. Shortly after writing those words, the Nazis came for him. There was nobody left to speak out for him as they put a rope around his neck and pushed him off a chair. |
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ENERGIZING TERROR
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, July 28, 2004. |
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We are beginning to learn that Terror cannot be appeased. Not every leader or targeted nation has absorbed that painful lesson. Only after the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were hit by Muslim Arab Terrorists (15 Saudis and 4 Egyptians) did America and World Intelligence Agencies begin to focus on Global Terrorism and its interlocking network. Hot spots, like Israel, were ignored - other than attempts by some in the world community to blame the victim and press Israel to appease the Muslim Arab Palestinians. Even the victim nation had those within who became caught up in appeasing Terrorists, which only energized the Terrorists on to greater feats. Even then, the failed experiment of the Oslo Accords brought the discredited Yassir Arafat and his Terrorist cronies into power and control over the mostly peaceful and prospering Arab Palestinians, transforming their children's school curricula to hate and kill Jews, training their young men to kill themselves to blow up Jews. As the first gifts of appeasement failed, the designers of Oslo insisted on additional 'gifts' to pacify the Terrorists which generated even more murder. In effect, Oslo Energized Terror to higher and higher levels of effective Terror acts. Since Oslo almost 1500 Israeli Jews (and some 45 Americans) have been murdered, with tens of thousands more wounded, many maimed for life. There are many examples of leaders of nations in the Free West, experimenting with appeasement - only to find that they have thrown gasoline on an already blazing inferno. For example: When then Prime Minister of Israel, (former General) Ehud Barak had an 'idea' to abandon the defensive area, security belt in Lebanon that protected Northern Israel, with the urging of then President Bill Clinton, he was, in effect, energizing the Iranian/Syrian proxy Terrorists of the Hezb'Allah. Now Israel is facing 12,000 missiles from Hezb'Allah in Lebanon, some with Chemical warheads (courtesy of Syria). By running away in the middle of the night, Barak energized all the various Terrorist nations and their proxy Terrorist organizations to the degree that they all increased their activities exponentially. Barak's appeasement of Arafat and his midnight run away had proven that Israel's defense could be broken and even made to run in fear. Barak had 'energized' Terror and increased the expectations of Yassir Arafat that Israel could indeed be conquered. So, Arafat has put the map of his expected State of Palestine over all of Israel with Jerusalem as the capital of that State and Only that State - as he has proclaimed frequently since the day Oslo was signed on the White House lawn. When President Jimmy Carter (the peanut farmer) tried his 'holier than thou' approach to Iran, he engineered the fall of Iran into the hands of Ayatollah Khomeini. What followed was a complete takeover by Islamic Terrorists which remains in power to this day. Carter empowered a religious Terrorist Power structure which gave rise to a nation that not only exports Terror globally in the name of Islam but, now is very close to having operative Nuclear weapons. Good work, Jimmy! We recently observed the Spanish nation vote in a pacifistic government after the Arab Muslim - al Qaeda Terrorists blew up four commuter trains, killing hundreds and wounding thousands on 3/11/03. Now other Terrorists have been energized to make a massive attack against any Government prior to elections, knowing they have succeeded in literally choosing the government which they can intimidate. Hereafter, the Government of Spain belongs to al Qaeda or whoever threatens it. When Sharon first announced that he had the idea for evacuating Gaza to be followed by parts of Judea and Samaria, the Terrorists were given an enormous boost. AS when PM (General) Barak was driven out of Lebanon, the Terrorists were certain they have beaten the vaunted General Sharon. In the Middle East, when your enemy sues for peace and offers territory (won in a defensive war) as an appeasement, the Arab Muslims know it is just a matter of time before they can achieve complete victory by means of Terror. While the Israeli military may not agree, nevertheless, a declaration of retreat is a strong signal to Arab Muslim Terrorists to attack until they have it all. When the Philippine Government withdrew its troops from Iraq, because the Iraqi Muslim Terrorists threatened to kill a Philippine hostage by beheading him, that pull-out energized the mix of Terrorists (Mujahadin) that hostage taking and beheading worked. Now there has been a rash of hostages taken through the encouragement of those who retreat in the face of Terror. Most of the hostages have been those civilian workers who came to Iraq to help re-build her infrastructure after the years of Saddam's destroying local services. That message was not limited to Muslim Terrorists in Iraq. That deadly message went out over the whole globe to Terrorists, telling them that beheading hostages can force governments to comply with any of the Terrorists' demands. Hostage taking and beheading will now increase, exponentially, as each capitulation "energizes" the Terrorists to make ever greater demands. Imagine the capitulation by World Governments when the radical Islamic government of Iran has operational nuclear warheads on the long range missiles they already possess. While there is no perfect solution - to defeating Terror, there are some practical examples of success which could be followed: When the Israeli IDF (Israel Defense Forces) reluctantly entered the areas given up by Oslo to the control of Arafat in Jenin, Nablus (Schehem) and Bethlehem, they disrupted the network of Terrorists. When they entered Gaza in force, following thousands of Kassam rocket attacks, they found a well-integrated network of Terrorist gangs of Arafat's Tanzim, Al Aksa martyrs' brigades, Hezb'Allah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, etc. They found more than 90 smuggling tunnels from Egypt into Rafah on the Gaza side of the border. The Israeli raids kept the Terrorists off balance and on the run. Targeted assassinations of Terrorist leaders and planners kept them confused and non-operational. But now, despite fervent opposition from his own military leaders, Sharon wishes to pull a 'Barak' retreat from Gaza. He wants to gift them the homes, factories, farms, schools, synagogues, infrastructure, water resources - all built by the Jews. As Clinton made promises to Barak if he ran from Lebanon (unfulfilled), so too has Bush promised and threatened Sharon to run out of Gaza/Gush Katif. The Terrorists are jubilant and are even now fighting over the spoils they anticipate receiving once the Jews are forced out by Sharon. They are already "energized" to start planning their next moves from their Gaza Terror base in Israel's city centers. Clearly, as long as Sharon is Prime Minister, tied to the election policies of the Bush Administration, Israel will continue empowering Terrorists by showing weakness. (By the way, Kerry would be much worse.) It is really up to the people of Israel to decide what they need to keep for their sovereignty and their security - not the Prime Minister (who should listen to his people) or any American President. There are dozens of examples where Terrorists were 'energized' and empowered by a weak response to their acts of Terror. In 1991 when Sheik Obad Abdul Rachman tried to topple the Twin Towers, the FBI follow-up was weak - thanks to pressure from the Arabist U.S. State Department NOT to investigate the Arab Muslims and their organizations too closely. It became well known in the American (and other countries') Intelligence communities that, it was not a good career move to investigate Arabs in the U.S. or overseas, lest the State Department quash any investigation which could lead to the Saudis or other key Arab oil nations. Perhaps you will note how carefully the 9/11 Commission avoided any deep probe of the U.S. State Department and their connection to 9/11 before, after and now. America, Europe, the U.N., the E.U., have all collaborated in closing their eyes to the build-up of Global Terror networks for more than 30 years. In many cases , Terrorists were actually funded by their intended victims - which continues to this very day. When Yassir Arafat receives $200 million annually from Congress, facilitated by the State Department claiming that they are 'working to stop Terror', is there any doubt that this charges the batteries of Terror operations? When the European Union pours millions of Euros into phony projects for Terrorist groups, pretending its building schools - it is 'energizing' money for Terror. When UNRWA pays for schools and camps which teach Terror does this not also 'energize' Terror. The only solution to beat Global Terror is to wage an unending war anywhere that Terror exists. No winning the hearts and minds but, killing the Terrorists wherever they are found to be in action or preparation. Hunt them down mercilessly, with no attempt at pacification or appeasement because it just doesn't work. Any leader who espouses retreat and/or appeasement should be yanked out of office before he sacrifices his nation. If necessary, impeach him in the Knesset because the people insist that he is unfit for the office. 'Energizing' Terror is as much a crime as is the act of Terror itself. Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). |
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ISRAEL NEEDS A WAR OF IDEAS
Posted by Michael Freund, July 28, 2004. |
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Strolling down the aisle of a Barnes and Noble bookstore in Manhattan, it was hard not to notice the pile of political tomes, and partisan screeds, that have hit the shelves in recent months. With the weather still warm, November's US presidential elections may yet seem far away, but that hasn't stopped America's publishers from rolling out plenty of reading material on the subject. Books for and against the Iraq war lay alongside biographies of both major candidates, while volumes bemoaning the supposed corruption of democracy, or the imminent downfall of civil liberties as we know it, seem to be almost as trendy. But what really jumps out at a casual visitor is the inexplicable level of vitriol, and downright hatred, that seems to be directed at US President George W. Bush, at least in terms of many of the selections currently available. We're not talking about learned assessments of his policies that differ with him on the substance of the issues, or even erudite appraisals of his worldview that find fault with his conceptual thinking. Instead, Bush has become the target of nothing less than a barrage of bitter, and often acidic, personal assaults. Take, for example, some of these provocative titles: "Worse than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush." Or how about, "The Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush." Then there is, "The Lies of George W. Bush," "The Bush-Hater's Handbook" and "How George W. Misleads America". Politics of deceit? Worse than Watergate? Have these people lost their minds? This parade of poppycock is remarkable not so much for the fact that Bush has his foes, as that is par for the course for any politician. But what is truly extraordinary is the tone of the attacks, which often appear to border on the downright irrational. Up to this point, there is very little to distinguish the above from what goes on in Israel, where the left regularly attacks the right with a vehemence and a fervor that can at times be chilling. But there is one crucial difference: in America, the right does not hesitate to fight back, proudly defending itself and its beliefs as it engages the left in an all-out war of ideas. And so, an American book consumer looking for a slightly different perspective on his Commander in Chief has plenty of other options to choose from. He can turn to volumes such as, "Bush Country: How Dubya Became a Great President While Driving Liberals Insane," or to "The Right Man: The Surprise Presidency of George W. Bush," to name just two. Indeed, a conservative fed up with the mainstream media need only flip on his radio to one of the numerous talk shows, such as Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity, which reach tens of millions of listeners daily, or change the channel on his screen to Fox News, to get a refreshing dose of news, views and opinions. And if he is feeling somewhat more literary, he can choose from among magazines and periodicals such as National Review, Commentary or the Weekly Standard, and arm himself with knowledge about the conservative viewpoint on a range of issues facing the republic, both foreign and domestic. Sadly, Israel's right has yet to produce an equally wide range of tools for getting its message across to the public. For the most part, right-wing leaders seem to think that appearing on the radio for a 90-second interview is sufficient. But that, at best, is short-sighted. Sure, there are think-tanks such as the Shalem Center, or weekly papers such as Makor Rishon and B'Sheva, all of whom are toiling hard to advance the cause. And Arutz Sheva, the radio station operated by Jewish residents of the territories, was truly a voice of sanity in the wilderness until it was unfairly silenced by the powers that be. But without an over-arching game plan, and the accompanying infrastructure necessary to back it up, Israel's right will have little chance against the entrenched power of the left. After all, this is far more than just an issue of rebutting some leftist position espoused on Israel Radio or TV. It is first and foremost a matter of recognizing that the right must engage the left in a daily battle for the hearts, but especially for the minds, of the Israeli public. This means deploying the talents and creativity of the right to build a superstructure of resources, one that runs the gamut from right-wing literature to right-wing newsmagazines and even to right-wing poetry, arts and culture. It means formulating a set of ideas and concepts and selling them to the public through every available avenue. And it means broadening the right's approach so that it embraces far more than just the territorial issue. Rather, it should offer Israelis a set of policy prescriptions, from welfare reform and fiscal policy to health care and education, one that would both sharpen the distinction with the left as well as underline the right's dynamism and appeal as the "thinking people's movement." For far too long, Israel's right has largely been defined by a single issue, offering the public little in the way of a comprehensive vision for what type of society and economy it truly wishes to build. If the right is to prevail in the war of ideas for Israel's future, then it must first begin, not just by suiting up and preparing for combat, but by making clear what exactly it is fighting for. Then, and only then, can it hope to prevail in the battle that lies ahead. The writer served as Deputy Director of Communications & Policy Planning under former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. |
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SHARING THE PAIN - 2
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, July 28, 2004. |
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Many on Israel's Left or even those coastal city dwellers have little sympathy for the Pioneering Settlers whom Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pledges to eject from their homes. Perhaps it is time to "Share a Little of the Pain" Sharon intends for the Jews of Gaza/Gush Katif & the rest of YESHA (Yehuda, Shomron and Gaza) with the Golan, the Jordan Valley and half of Jerusalem to follow. The radical Left cannot imagine the pain of not being able to go into one's own home. The city dwellers also seem only to care when the Arab Muslim Terrorists threaten their lives in markets, restaurants or on buses. They accept Sharon's ideas that leaving Gaza will make it safer for all Israelis. Member of Knesset, Rabbi Beni Elon was asked what would happen if the Human Chain of Hope from Jerusalem to Gush Katif stepped forward from the side of the road to the center - in effect, stopping traffic for a while. He said he would be the first to sit in jail for civil disobedience, if that was necessary. I wonder what would people in Tel Aviv feel if they were driving to their homes and suddenly, for a time, they couldn't? I wonder if "Sharing the Pain", even for a brief time, would make them more aware of how the Jews of Gush Katif feel threatened with the loss of their homes forever? If I were a motorist stopped in traffic, I would be irritated. I might be less irritated if I were handed a short summary of why traffic stopped, explaining that for several minutes you will be kept from going home. That you are experiencing in a fraction of a moment the idea of not ever going home because your apartment or house has been confiscated and given to Muslim Arab Palestinians. That you may or may not be fully compensated for all you spent on your home - including your own labor. That, if you refuse to leave, you will be driven from your home by specially trained armed forces who have been selected and screened for a pathological lack of human concern for their fellow Jews. After you get over your anger about being held up in traffic for minutes or even an hour, perhaps you will start "Sharing the Pain" now intended for the Jews of Gaza. Discuss it with your wife, the kids, your neighbors as to what is fair or balanced. Can a majority tell a minority to give up their homes because it 'might' help the majority? The military thinkers have advised against bailing out of Gush Katif because if will reward Terrorism and give Global Terror a solid base of operation, training, weapons' gathering and manufacturing as well as safe houses to which they return after their Terror attacks. And, the military advisors point out that 'gifting' them Gaza and all the 21 Gush Katif farming communities, homes, farms, hothouses, factories, schools, synagogues, water and infrastructure - only brings them in closer range for their Kassam missiles, rockets and artillery to hit the cities of Ashkelon, Ashdod, Sderot, even Tel Aviv and suburbs - not to forget Sharon's own farm. These missiles have already hit these cities with casualties but, when the PLO is in full control, they can receive by sea, air and from Egypt even more advanced, sophisticated (even WMD - Weapons of Mass Destruction of NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical ) with a greater and more accurate range than what they can make themselves in their 'metal' workshops. "So, Dear Driver and family, for a brief moment only, you are hopefully "Sharing Our Pain" at least in thought and imagination. Think about us when your are in your own house, looking at the walls, bookshelves, your kids' bedrooms, your kitchen. Think about your Jewish government telling you to leave or else. And, by the way, "Take the Bones of your loved ones buried in nearby cemeteries with you". Neither you nor your dead are welcome in the Land." Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). |
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HOLYLAND FOUNDATION CHARITY INDICTED FOR TERRORISM TIES
Posted by Brenda Houston, July 28, 2004. |
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This was written by Jerry Seper and appeared today in The Washington Times (www.washingtontimes.com). A federal grand jury has indicted a Dallas-based Muslim charity, once the largest in the United States, and seven of its top officers on charges of providing financial aid to the terrorist organization Hamas and raising illicit cash for other extremist groups who espoused an "Islamic fundamentalist agenda." The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, which U.S. intelligence officials have called Hamas' North American fund-raiser, was named in a 42-count indictment unsealed yesterday. It is accused of conspiracy, providing support to terrorists, money laundering and income tax evasion. "Today, a U.S.-based charity that claims to do good works is charged with funding the works of evil," Attorney General John Ashcroft said when detailing the indictment, which culminated a multi-agency, 2.5-year investigation. "To those who exploit good hearts to fund secretly violence and murder, this prosecution sends a clear message: There is no distinction between those who carry out terrorist attacks and those who knowingly finance terrorist attacks," Mr. Ashcroft said. The indictment said the Holy Land foundation was created to provide financial and material support to Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist group that has called for the killing of all Jews. It said that from 1995 to 2001, the foundation raised $12.4 million for persons and organizations linked to Hamas. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Michael J. Garcia, who heads U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said although the Holy Land foundation claimed it was collecting money for orphanages, schools, refugee camps and needy Palestinians, it instead used the cash to support Hamas' terrorist activities. Mr. Garcia said the foundation took advantage of U.S. tax laws to bankroll terrorism, adding that the indictment "illustrates how law-enforcement agencies can work together to fight terrorist fund-raising operations here in the United States." According to the indictment, the foundation and its top officers provided financial support to the families of Hamas suicide bombers, detainees and activists to support its terrorist infrastructure and that it targeted specifically for financial aid families of well-known Hamas terrorists killed or jailed by the Israelis. The officials charged were Shukri Abu Baker, the foundation's former chief executive; Holy Land Chairman Ghassan Elashi; and five directors and fund-raisers, Mohammad El-Mezain, Haitham Maghawri, Akram Mishal, Mufid Abdul Qader and Abdul Raham Odeh. Five have been arrested. Two others, Mr. Maghawri and Mr. Mishal, are not in the United States and are considered fugitives. The Holy Land foundation has denied any wrongdoing. On Monday, it filed a complaint with the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General, claiming the FBI's case was based on faulty translations of Israeli intelligence documents. John Pistole, the FBI's executive assistant director for counterterrorism, said the indictment is part of a national strategy seeking to disrupt terrorist activities by going after its financial base. Mr. Pistole said the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, working with Homeland Security and other federal agencies, would continue to "follow every lead, employ all the intelligence and law enforcement tools at our disposal ... to stop those who would facilitate the terrorists' deadly plans." The Holy Land foundation was shut down in December 2001 after the Treasury Department ruled it a terrorist group, seizing more than $4 million in assets. Hamas, named in dozens of suicide bombings in Israel, was designated a terrorist organization by the State Department in 1995. Law-enforcement authorities said the Holy Land foundation is part of a nationwide conspiracy by Islamist extremists to divert cash to international terrorists through "front companies" and "phantom organizations" -- many located in Northern Virginia. |
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THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF TRANSFER
Posted by Professor Ron Breiman, July 28, 2004. |
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So sayeth Rehoboam Ben Shlomo: "My father punished you with sticks;
I will do it with scorpions."
Unlike his predecessors Peres and Beilin, whose failed plans gambled on tranquilizing the public with promises of "peace", and "a new Middle East," their successor, Arik Sharon, doesn't even bother to use an anaesthetic before laying his patients on the operating table. For some time now, no one has even brought up the concept of peace in exchange for land, or security. On all that Israel -- docile and frightened of Arafat and his henchmen-- has given up. From Beilin to Sharon, the common denominator has now become "transfer." We aren't talking about the neutral term "disengagement," or "evacuation" or "dismantlement." Not even about "banishment" or "uprooting." We are talking about "transfer." The transfer of Jews from their homes in their country because they are Jews. We are talking about the prohibition against Jews living in Judea-- the very source of the name of the Jewish people-- and the transformation of Judea, Samaria and Gaza into the only place in the world where it is forbidden for Jews to live. If that's not racism, then what is? And the judicial system, and the media - aligned as one with "peace," Geneva, and Oslo - are silent. What can we do to stop this transfer scheme? Here are the ten commandments: 1. Call transfer by its rightful name. Don't launder it with bland synonyms that sweeten the horrible decree. 2. Make it clear that this transfer is illegal, and impossible to accomplish according to the rules of any democracy. That any order to transfer human beings from their homes because of their religion or nationality has a black flag waving over it. It's an order impossible to give, and impossible to fulfill. And if a democratic majority in the Knesset supports it? Then the rule of thumb decided in the past by the Saintly Leaders of the Left - who threatened to lay beneath the wheels of any truck designated to transfer Arabs, even if the Knesset decided unanimously on the uprooting of Arabs from their homes - is this: Such a move would be anti-democratic and forbidden, and impossible to carry out. The same must hold true for the transfer of Jews from their homes. All the knights in shining armor doing battle for human rights and democracy need to be reminded that these principles hold true for Jews as well. And all those who support transfer--for one reason or another--should first practice on transferring Arab settlements sitting in the center of Jewish cities, to see if it's do-able, before they have the nerve to try transferring Jewish settlements. 3. Use the language of the human rights organizations, and to apply it to Jews. In contrast to the impression given by the media in Israel, Jews are also human, have citizens rights, and are equally permitted to gain legal backing from the Supreme Court when their fundamental rights and freedoms are eroded simply because they are Jews. 4. Make it clear that the transfer isn't feasible economically. The idea of taking Jews out of their homes as if they were objects without any rights or desires of their own is against every Zionistic, Jewish, human or democratic value. Even those evacuated willingly are entitled to decide where they want to live, and to receive compensation accordingly, and not to be "shifted" to some Godforsaken, cheap backwater that will be chosen for them. It is, therefore, recommended that the intended "evacuees" make it clear immediately that they are willing to be "evacuated" only to Herzliya, for example, and to ask for and receive compensation at that level. There is no country, even among the terror havens of the Islamic world, who would be willing to finance such a transfer. 5. Make it clear that a transfer isn't possible militarily. Even Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Interior Minister Tzachi Hanegbi know this, which is why they are trying to pass jurisdiction over accomplishing this contemptible task like a hot potato one to the other. Israel doesn't have the manpower to accomplish such a cruel ethnic cleansing, which is infeasible morally, and numerically. The minimum number would be five to one between the enforcers and the victims, that is to say a special force of 40,000 men, larger than the entire Israeli police force, or a huge chunk of the defense forces. 6. Place a human shield around neighborhoods designated to be transferred, in numbers that will make it a mission impossible. Such a shield will be very human, in contrast to those protecting Arafat with their bodies. Against the bureaucracy of transfer, we need to create a counter organization that will arise, and rally others to arise, against this attempt at ethnic cleansing. 7. Prevent provocations and injury of soldiers and policemen, which will play into the hands of the transfer architects and be used as instigation against the Israeli majority. The use of a single individual's evil act to instigate against an entire population is a well-known tactic that has been used often since the murder of Yitzchak Rabin. The use of a portrait of Yitzchak Rabin in a Nazi uniform by a Secret Service provocateur during anti-Oslo rallies had that exact purpose in mind. One of the slogans that routinely accompany "peace plans" is to ensure Israel's survival as a sovereign Jewish, democratic State. The opposite is true: The current plan will ensure Israel is neither sovereign, nor Jewish, nor a democracy. 8. Clarify that transfer will destroy Israel as a sovereign State. A State that retreats in the face of terror, that accepts terrorist ultimatums, and burrows itself into the ground or (in the words of Hezbollah head Nasrallah) "behind spider web barriers" will find itself swept out of the Middle East by the fire of terrorism which will be lit in the wake of its revelation of weakness. 9.Clarify that transfer will destroy Israel as a Jewish State: He who relinquishes claims to the Temple Mount (which Sharon turned over recently to Jordan...N.R.) relinquishes all claim to the land of Israel. Jerusalem, and first and foremost the Old City and the Temple Mount, are the heart of the Jewish people, and Judea and Samaria are its arteries, not Tel Aviv or Herzliya. On the 100th anniversary of Herzl's death we would do well to remember that Zionism arose in order to gather the people of Israel into the land of Israel, before there was a "green line," or " territories" or "the occupation" etc. The State of Israel that relinquishes the Temple Mount and recognizes her as being "abroad", is not a State and is not Jewish. 10. Clarify that transfer will destroy Israel as a democracy. Those who are willing to carry out a transfer of Jews from their homes in the heart of their country because they are Jews, destroy Israel as a democracy. How would we react, for example, if the government of France decided that it was forbidden for Jews to live in half of Paris, or the suburbs surrounding her? Israelis who ignore every Jewish value, and who are ready to hand over the Temple Mount to the enemy without even feeling a twinge of having made an enormous, painful sacrifice, would be on their hind legs barking at French anti-Semitism. But what is not permissible in France, is permissible in Israel? Won't the transfer of Jews in Israel give the stamp of approval to anti-Semitism the world over? Won't the transfer of Jews in their country discourage Jews from moving to Israel? (Please note, Mr. Sharon, who called for the Jews of France to make aliyah immediately because of French anti-Semitism). Professor Ron Breiman is Chairman, Professors for a Strong Israel (http://www.professors.org.il). |
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EUROPEAN UNION WAKING FROM COMA
Posted by Beth Goodtree, July 28, 2004. |
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For those of us who follow international politics, the European Union's typically critical stance regarding Israel has been unfathomable. Why would Europe, with its history of involvement with or against Nazis and genocide, its fight against Soviet oppression, and its modern turn towards peace and justice, consistently side with modern-day genocidal monsters? After diagnosing their reaction at the UN, the answer is simple: The EU has been in a coma. The EU's coma has not been merely about Israel, but about themselves. Like an unconscious person's inability to keep themselves clean and free of vermin, the EU has been oblivious to the human parasites plaguing their countries. Not a week goes by when one doesn't hear of Islamists invading with impunity some European society, changing the demographics and political character. Whether it was Germany's unwitting hosting of the 9-11 murderers, France's struggle against Islamic thugs, Spain's cowardly capitulation to Muslim terrorists, or England's hosting of hate-filled imams, Europe has been critically infected. Despite watching the almost daily carnage wreaked by Arabs upon innocent Israeli women, children and families, the EU has remained, if not silent, at the very least uncritical of a concerted effort to commit genocide upon the Jewish people. Until now. Now the EU has expressed "shock." In a suspiciously underreported story, Arab countries at the UN are trying to thwart a proposal to raise a vote condemning anti-Semitism in the General Assembly this September. According to a news article in Haaretz, "UN ambassadors from Arab and EU countries met and the Arabs made clear that they do not accept the initiative for the UN General Assembly to condemn anti-Semitism. The blunt language used by the Arabs describing their opposition, and their plans to use diplomatic means to prevent the resolution from reaching a vote, shocked the Europeans, said a UN source. According to UN sources, the Arab delegates were also critical of a UN seminar on anti-Semitism held last month. A senior Western diplomat said that among the Arabs who spoke with the Europeans was PLO observer Nasser al Kidwe, and he was particularly outspoken in his objections to a UN General Assembly resolution on anti-Semitism... Jordanian Ambassador to the UN Prince Ziad Hussein argued that the resolution would reinforce the tendency to call any criticism of Israel, anti-Semitic. Moroccan Ambassador Mohammed Banone, said that the seminar against anti-Semitism was a terrible idea and a decision would only divide the world body. Arab League Ambassador Mahamas Hani warned that a UN resolution condemning anti-Semitism would have a negative impact on the Middle East." (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/456921.html) It is apparent that the EU has bought the Arab/Islamist lie that Zionism is separate from Judaism. One must wonder what Christian Europe has been doing when they've been in church. As Christians, they have as their holy books both the Hebrew bible and the New Testament, usually bound together in one large book. Haven't any Europeans ever read their holy books? The return of the Jewish people to their aboriginal and native Holy Land is the most important thing in Judaism. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in the Hebrew bible, ZERO times in the Koran. Besides apparently never reading their own bible, the Europeans are alarmingly ignorant of history. There have been THREE Jewish states in the land of Palestine, there have been ZERO Arab states in the same land. Perhaps nothing proves the EU coma better than their oblivion regarding current events. The U.N. Commission on Human Rights has passed 26 resolutions condemning Israel for human rights violations, despite the fact that Muslims are allowed complete freedom of worship, freedom to live and freedom to thrive in Israel. The same UN Human Rights Commission has passed ZERO resolutions against any Arab country. This is despite the fact that Saudi Arabia has made it a capital offense to practice Judaism or Christianity, and the Palestinian Authority has an official government policy to make its territory Judenrein. So the next question is, now that the EU is waking up to the fact that the Arab countries, and perhaps most or all of the other Islamic countries think anti-Semitism is a good thing, what do they plan to do about it? Before Europe makes a decision, let me remind them of three things: Dr Mahathir, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia and former head of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conferences) publicly stated this past year at the OIC 2003 conference: "They (the Jews) invented and successfully promoted...human rights and democracy so that persecuting them would appear to be wrong, so they may enjoy equal rights with others." And "The Europeans had to kneel at the feet of Muslim scholars in order to access their own scholastic heritage." And one more thing. The Muslims have a saying: "First the Saturday people, then the Sunday people." Good morning Europe -- after the Jews and Israel, you're next! Beth Goodtree is an award-winning writer, with a background in advertising. She writes political commentary and the occasional humor and science articles. |
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PIERRE GALAND USES POLITICAL NGOs TO PROMOTE DEMONIZATION/ANTI-SEMITISM IN THE UN AND EU
Posted by NOG Monitor Organization, July 28, 2004. |
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There are very few radical NGO activities in the United Nations or in Europe in which Pierre Galand does not actively participate. His rhetoric of hatred, anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism (disguised, as in the case of many other members of the political NGO community, in the language of human rights and sympathy for Palestinian victimization), includes references to Israeli "aggression", "war crimes", "colonization", "apartheid", etc. while referring to Palestinian terror as "heroic" and in need of international protection. Who is Pierre Galand?
Galand's radical agenda
Traveling the world to attack Israel Pierre Galand has participated in a very large number of international conferences, including:
Using the UN as a vehicle for anti-Israel incitement
Promoting the Palestinian agenda
In summary, the evidence demonstrates that Pierre Galand is a pivotal figure in the nexus between the extensive radical political and anti-Israel agenda of the UN, and the role of the NGOs in this process. These activities are also influential in the EU and its own close links with and funding for the highly politicized NGOs, such as Oxfam and MIFTAH. And as long as Galand is a visible figure in these circles, the radical political exploitation of the NGO network will clearly continue. The NGO Monitor organization (www.ngo-monitor.org) promotes critical debate and accountability of human rights NGOs in the Arab Israeli Conflict. The Monitor is produced by The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs/Institute of Contemporary Affairs founded jointly with the Wechsler Family Foundation. |
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IRAN THREATENS TO DESTROY ISRAEL
Posted by Voice of Judea, July 28, 2004. |
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Iran sent threatening warnings to Israel not to even consider attacking Iran's nuclear reactors. Iran threatened to erase Israel from the face of the earth if Jerusalem should carry out an assault against her Nuke facilities. Sayid Massoud Yaziree, of the Revolutionary National Guard, in his interview to the Student Press Association added, "America is trying to make an impression by threatening to use the Israelis, their mad dogs." Israeli Chief of Intelligence said that Iran will have the bomb within 8 years and also warned that Hizbullah now has rockets that could effectively hit targets 200 kilometers away from Lebanon, placing Tel Aviv within range of the new rockets. Syria and North Korea are working on a joint project to create a missile that could shoot a chemical war-head 700 kilometers. Voice of Judea Commentary: If Israel should strike at Iran, the Hizbullah could attack Tel Aviv from Lebanon. Seems like Israel needs to take a 200 kilometer security buffer zone in Lebanon before attacking Iran. It would also be a very good idea for the remaining 20,000 Jews in Iran to try and get out, while they still can. Jews around the world might not be too safe either. The hour is growing later and Israel and world Jewry must implement a program of survival, before it is too late. It is obvious what Israel needs to do in order to eliminate the Iran nuclear threat. It is also obvious what step needs to be taken by world Jewry as Jew hatred and anti-Israel sentiments spread - It is time to come home to Israel! Galut-Exile and Geulah-Redemption can't forever coexist. You can subscribe to the Voice of Judea emails by sending an email to jsid@amanda.dorsai.org |
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UNITING FOR PEACE OR CUT AND RUN?
Posted by Lori Lowenthal Marcus, July 27, 2004. |
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Uniting for Peace, sounds lovely, utopian, doesn't it? Maybe not. Let's see. When the bullies in the schoolyard gang up against you, won't pick you for any teams, and jeer at your every effort to make friends, it can be awfully discouraging. But if your protector is the most powerful kid in the schoolyard, you always have an ace in the hole. No matter how many bullies try their best to pummel you, you can stay in that schoolyard, poked at, picked on, pretty unhappy, maybe, but basically safe. Israel is that social outcast in the world's schoolyard known as the United Nations. The UN Charter grants permanent members of the Security Council, of which the US is one, with what amounts to ultimate veto power over any Resolution. With this veto power, the U. S. is able to shield Israel from the bullies in the UN who try to pulverize her through their seemingly endless supply of twisted vitriol wrapped up and delivered in a UN Resolution. That may no longer be true. I'll wager that few have carefully read the densely packed and dimly reasoned advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, in which the court of kangaroos jumped on, and tried to crush the exposed neck of Israel, the courtyard nerd. No surprise there. But a few paragraphs tucked away in the Opinion sent a shiver down my spine. In a rarely utilized tool about which few are aware, there lurks a means to trump the veto power protection of the US for Israel. That tool, Resolution 377(A)(V), is known as the "Uniting for Peace" Resolution. This procedural anomaly allows a majority of the Security Council members to override a permanent member's veto of a resolution. That resolution can then be forwarded to the General Assembly for action on a measure that had otherwise, most would have assumed irreversibly, already been rejected. Resolution 377 can be an effective vehicle to finally squash the schoolyard outcast. The tool has not yet been fully exploited, but let's not wait too long -- there is no doubt it is coming. You see, Resolution 377 provides a backdoor passage through which the United Nations General Assembly can take action on a measure despite "a negative vote of a permanent member," when "there appears to be a threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression." In the parallel universe of the UN schoolyard, Israel is repeatedly condemned for trying to protect its citizens from endless efforts to end her existence. In this month's decision rendered by the UN's International Court of Justice, a misnomer if ever there was one, Israel's passive security barrier was pronounced a "threat to international peace." The training and letting loose of exploding humans, as we know, has never warranted official condemnation by either the UN or its puppet court. Everyone knows that a Security Council permanent member's "veto power" is sacrosanct, so how can this rarely used procedural maneuver be considered legitimate? And if such a tool exists, why haven't the swashbucklers brandished it before? Resolution 377 was conceived by the United States when North Korea invaded South Korea in June, 1950. The UN Security Council promptly voted to deploy UN troops to block North Korea's army. But eventually North Korea's protector, the former Soviet Union, began using its veto power to block Security Council votes relating to the Korean War. That fall, Resolution 377(A)(V) was adopted by the General Assembly. The thinking went something like this: The primary responsibility of the Security Council is the maintenance of international peace and security. But when the veto by a lone Security Council member blocks the Council from fulfilling its primary duty to maintain international peace and security, then, "the General Assembly shall consider the matter immediately" and make appropriate recommendations to the GA members for collective measures. In other words, a super-majority of the Security Council members can "unite for peace" and create an alternative, a novel, path of action. The distinguished academic and UN commentator, Ruth Wedgwood, described similar evolving inconsistencies as a natural evolution of cumbersome UN mechanisms. The mission-directed nature of the UN requires flexibility in its procedures so that it may achieve its raison d'etre. The question is, who is defining the mission? What actions by which nations actually threaten international peace and security according to the United Nations? Do the bullies get to decide? Resolution 377 was one basis upon which the ICJ rejected the lack of jurisdiction objections put forth by Israel, the US, and nearly all Western democracies. But the Resolution's invocation in this Opinion is an ominous harbinger. The day is approaching when a Security Council veto by the US will no longer shield Israel from the harm those recently coalesced and large voting blocs yearn to unleash. Count the votes and ask yourselves what the majority will do once the veto fetters are sliced. The bullies can smell a change in the air. The rules are about to change. It's time to build a new school, one with a level schoolyard ruled by democracy and decency, rather than by "a majority of tyrannies." Lori Lowenthal Marcus is a lawyer, a writer, and President of the Zionist Organization of America, Greater Philadelphia District. |
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OUR ENEMY -PASSIVENESS, THE SILENT KILLER
Posted by American Chin High, July 27, 2004. |
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The siege is on and no one screams. You are being striped of your basic rights, you are declared 'illegal,' and there is no protest. First it was the "notorious" so called: "world court", Your minimal self defense from the murderers is null and void, and you are the "bad guy" instead. WHY? Why did the "worlds court" so "worldly" decided that death sentence? The terror menace's fruits as epitomized by the Spanish election (that gave in to terrorists at their election, post the Arab Muslim jihad massacre at their train station), HOW WE AID OUR ENEMIES Who sets the rules of the game, excludes me for calling this life and death matters as such, but the enemy of life-values sees as it only as such, this determining it so cold, brutal and inhumane a 'Game.' It's them who decide what's an agenda at UN, or at world courts, no matter how many millions die and are being tortured in Sudan at Arab Muslim radical racists hands, no matter how many thousands worldwide are susceptible to world wide Jihadi menace, it is only they who altina=matley decides what's an "issue", where the menace is and consequently who the "bad" guy is, what's "urgent' and what's "burning?" "Thanks" to Jihadi crime especially at the 9/11 scale, Bali massacres, etc., they in fact gained, they gained the acknowledgment on a self made "victimhood" - the slogan is:" If you (the West) will just take care of this you'll be left alone"... HOW IT WORKS Noise, Noise, Noise! Very simple. If you want something to get done, you do, you act, you act, you make noise; alternatively if you are not acting, things are not moving to your favor, when your enemy is active, to destroy your security and image. How do illusionists fool themselves that anything will be "done" Automatically. Simple math, if you want to survive. In the face of your enemies that seek to threaten that very same survival, at least what you should so is act as hard, as noisy and above all, listen to the real trick, "on the attack," else you are guaranteed to lose. APATHEY?! Those that had not yet woken up were calm all these years that UN has not found oone little opportunity to convene on the Arab Muslim "Palestinian" baby butchers and it's leaders' role in the death-education. The average passive guy says: 'Oh well, a UN resolution don't mean much...' only influencing public opinion...' Well, What else besides 'Public Opinion' is leading the world? Giant US is crumbling its decisions under this Goliath. Do these passive people even realize the new phase of criminal comaprison of a "SouthAfricanization" tactics? Do they foresee the Renewed I-legalization of Israel's basic survival? CONCLUSION Unless we act at least as noisy as our [oiled] Arab Muslim propagandists, the victory of the bad guys is already guaranteed. Sorry Dear genuine peace loving brothers and sisters, but we/you have to, in order to survive. Wake up. What you can do... Educate Europeans and American ignorant about who really is the aggressor. Spread flyers, participate in related talk shows or C-SPAN's related
programs or BBC's and the likes,, Email, fax, snail mail, etc.,
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NO IRANIAN SURPRISES
Posted by Michael D. Evans, July 27, 2004. |
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The much-anticipated September 11 commission report has now been released, and details evidence that eight to 10 of the September 11 high-jackers passed through Iran a year prior to the attacks on the United States. The New York Times reports that Iranian officials have instructed border guards on Iran's western border with Afghanistan not to stamp the passports of Saudi citizens who may have been traveling to and from al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan. An Iranian stamp in a passport would have caused closer scrutiny by U.S. immigration officials. Is this really a surprise? Iran has harbored, financed and cooperated with terrorists who have attacked the "Great Satan" since June 1985, when the United States began an embargo against Iran because of its sponsorship of international terrorism. These sanctions have been in place for more than a decade now, squeezing the Iran economy, which suffers from inflation running as high as 50 percent. Iran has been working day and night to stir up trouble throughout the Gulf region. Hezbollah factions have been infiltrated, and the seeds of a tremendous explosion on the world scene have been sown. The world was shocked when Israel captured the Palestinian ship the Katrine-A in the Red Sea on Jan. 4, 2002. The ship was loaded with Katyusha rockets with a maximum range of 12 miles, assault rifles, anti-tank missiles, mines, ammunition and explosives. Most of the weapons were Iranian. The truth is that Iran was flying up to three jumbo jets laden with military supplies to Syria each month. The majority of the supplies were being ferried directly to Hezbollah guerrillas for the war against Israel. At the same time, the Clinton administration was socializing with Syrian President Bashar Assad. On Nov. 13, 1995, an Iranian-backed Islamist organization, known as the Movement for Islamic Change, claimed responsibility for the bombing of the Saudi National Guard at Riyadh, in which five American servicemen and two Indian workers were killed. This was the first of two promised attacks. On June 3, 1996, Iran vowed to resist the embargo imposed by the United States, and then on June 9, Iran's spiritual leader called for Iran's military to prepare for war. Ten days later, the House of Representatives cast a unanimous vote in favor of imposing tighter sanctions on Iran. The principle was added to pending legislation. The intent of the bill was to cripple Iran's and Libya's ability to continue their support of international terrorism. A week later, during June 20-23, Tehran hosted an international terrorism conference during which it was announced that attacks against U.S. interests would be stepped up in the coming months. Two days later, on June 25, the truck bombing of the military housing camp in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, took place, claiming the lives of 19 U.S. airmen and wounding hundreds of others. The Islamic Movement for Change, which already had claimed credit for the Riyadh bombing, took credit for this attack as well. On July 16, the United States levied its version of sanctions against Iran and Libya. On the following day, July 17, the Movement for Islamic Change sent a chilling fax to the London-based Arab newspaper, Al-Hayat, warning: "The world will be astonished and amazed at the time and place chosen by the Mujahadin. The Mujahadin will deliver the harshest reply to the threats of the American president. Everyone will be surprised by the volume, choice of place, and timing of the answer. The invaders must be prepared to depart dead, for their time of mourning is near." That fax, intercepted by overseas operatives, was forwarded to U.S. agencies. Michael D. Evans is the author of "Beyond Iraq: The Next Move," and founder of America's largest Christian coalition praying for the peace of Jerusalem, Jerusalem Prayer Team.org. |
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POLITICO CHESS
Posted by Carrie Devorah, July 27, 2004. |
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The manifestation of 80 kilometers of unbroken prayer extending across Israel from Gush Katif to the Wailing Wall, was of a likes never seen before. People began arriving around 5pm, by bus, by car, by foot. By 6:45pm one voice of thousands filled the skies. By 7:00pm, sentimental hands were joined in accordance with rabbinic guidance. Separate sections for men and women were set up along Jaffa Street in Jerusalem. Rabbinical determination paskened men and women, unrelated to each other, could stand side by side, in support of their common goal. Organizers of the chain, from Gush Katif and the Yesha Council, said "Our message is straightforward." "We recognize that the fate of Gush Katif reflects the ultimate fate of the entire State of Israel." Veterans of Israel's War of Independence stood at the entrance to Jerusalem, their color guard a unique tapestry of historical politics, war and religion- living victims of terrorism, disabled vets, former prisoners, immigrants new to the Holy Land, reservists, Knesset members and families of the dead buried in Gush Katif. First in line, was Shlomit Shamir, a resident of Jewish Gaza, 40 years back. Last in line was Yael Better, his 6 year old granddaughter, placing the traditional note of supplication. It was more than symbolic. A few days shy of Tisha B'av, mourning the Temples' destruction, she asked, on behalf of world Jewry, for peace in an intact Holy Land. Yoel Tzur, Kfar Darom spokesman Asher Mivtzari wrongly said there would not be any holes in the chain. There were. The murdered were not there. Yesha veteran Yoel Tzur offered in prayer love for "this precious gift- the Land of Israel." He lost his wife and son in a terrorist attack 8 years ago. Also missing was a soldier, a twenty year old Israel Defense Forces officer, facing, if convicted of homicide, life imprisonment. The officer, acting correctly in his job, shot a British anti-Israel militant aiding Palestinian terrorists. The victim died of pneumonia after being transferred back to the United Kingdom for medical care. The British government's unprecedented "campaign of pressure, intimidation and diplomatic threats" to bring the IDF officer to trial deftly turned world attention away from British media's innumerable stories on deaths in British hospitals from unsanitary conditions. The Express, the Daily Mail and other publications report on bereaved families mourning loved ones across the country, dying in healthcare. British media front pages are plastered with concerns over a multiplying population asylum seekers with suspected connections to terrorist groups, supported by Parlementarians, despite the financial chokehold on the economy. Recruitment for PLO supporters is plastered on walls around the UK. But the value of a life of a Jew, soldier doing his job or otherwise, was stated into history during World War II. Author Edwin Black, in his book, "IBM and The Holocaust," documents the memorandum between the heads of IBM and The Reich, determining at which point Hollerith cards were an unnecessary expense. It was determined the life of a jew, enroute to the Ovens was not worth the price of one punch card. To a Jew, saving one life is as if to save the whole world. It hardly feels, it was a few months back, I visited at the Fairmont Hotel with Israeli media preparing to return home after Prime Minister Sharon met with President George W Bush. There is something to be said about catching newsmen in a relaxed moment. The Hands For Prayer bond strengthening Jewish resolve caused me to think about one newsman's words as we sat on sofas in the hotel lobby. "It is not what he said that scares us," he said referencing Sharon's closed door meetings Israeli media were excluded from until a formal statement was made, "it is what he didn't say, what we were not allowed to hear, that scares us to death." That day, my walk home took longer than it should have. I pulled my collar
up around my neck. There was no wind yet I was chilled then as I am today
by the political game of contemporary chess played with human lives.
Pregnant mothers, soldiers, and brothers lost to the touch of hands,
united in prayer.
/font>
Carrie Devorah is an award winning photojournalist based in
Washington DC. She is the sister of bomb murder victim Yechezkel Chezi
Scotty Goldberg murdered January 29 2004 on Bus 19, in Jerusalem, one
block away from Prime Minister Sharon's residence.
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ISRAEL'S SACRED PLACES
Posted by Bernard J. Shapiro, July 27, 2004. |
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When the late Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres signed the Oslo Accords on the White House lawn (September 1993), they initiated a process whereby Israel would lose control of its Sacred Places and its Holy Land. Even before Oslo, Moshe Dayan had surrendered the most sacred of Jewish Holy Places, the Temple Mount, to the Arabs. There is much more involved here than politics as ususal. I believe that there is something terribly dangerous about the removal of the Jews from their Sacred Places. All over the world, from Stonehenge in England to the great temples of India, one finds Holy Places with great mystical power for the people who inhabit those lands. Some shrines of the East draw believers from across the globe. The power of these places can not be explained scientifically. One only needs to step onto Mount Abu in India to feel the presence of great mystical forces. And then there is Banares, the Hindu's Holy City of Light casting a warm glow over the sacred Ganges river. Islam arose in the 7th century on the foundation of a pagan (Meccan) religion that worshiped a large black stone, known as the Kaaba. Muhammad learned the rudiments of Judaism from the many Jews living in Arabia. He created the Islamic religion by re-writing the Jewish Holy Scriptures (calling it the Koran) and fusing it with the local pagan customs. One pagan concept became horribly significant as Islam spread both east and west across the world. The reverence for the Kaaba and the belief that Arab power derived from it became a brutal principle in the conquest of other peoples. As Islam was spread by the sword, the Sacred Places of conquered peoples were destroyed and occupied. It became a standard practice to destroy an Indian, Persian, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Jewish or Christian temple and build a mosque on its ruins. This was always interpreted by historians as a kind of one-upmanship; a way to demonstrate the superiority of Islam and humiliate the defeated. Koenraad Elst in his recent book, Negationism in India, writes: "In all the lands it conquered, Islam has replaced indigenous places of worship with mosques. In Iran, there are no ancient Zoroastrians or Manichean shrines left. In Central Asia, there are no Buddhist temples left. Similarly, in India (except the far South where Islam penetrated rather late) there are practically no Hindu temples that have survived the Muslim period (over 10,000 destroyed). But there are thousands of mosques built on the foundations of Hindu temples (for example, the Ayodhya temple)." In my opinion, this Islamic behavior was more than an exhibition of cruel superiority. It was based on the pagan belief that they would acquire the power of the defeated peoples by absorbing their Holy Places and making them theirs. Let's see how these forces play out in the Arab war of extermination against the Jewish people (incorrectly called the Arab-Israeli Conflict). After Israel was conquered by the Arabs armies, the Temple Mount was used to build the Mosque of Omar (Dome of the Rock) and the al-Aska Mosque. While Jerusalem is not mentioned even once in the Koran, modern Arabs make great pretense by claiming it as one of their holy sites. This, of course, is nonsense. The Arab claim that each and every Jewish Holy Place is rightfully theirs has become quite common and accepted by the Western media. First Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, then Hebron and the Cave of the Patriarchs, and on to the Tomb of Joseph (Nablus), the Tomb of Rachel (Bethlehem) and more. The Western Wall, the last remaining remnant of Solomon's Temple and sacred to Jews for over 2,000 years, had been in Jordanian-controlled Jerusalem since 1949. The Jordanians, acting with malice aforethought, had denied Jews access to their sacred Holy Place. I visited the Wall for the first time in 1967. When I placed my hands on this magnificent relic of our forefathers, I felt a surge of light and energy the likes of which I had never known. In what had to have been but the flash of a second, I felt at one with Jews from all periods of history. At the Passover Seder, we are told to thank G-d for delivering us from Egypt as though we ourselves had been brought out of bondage. At that moment in Jerusalem, this Seder message was very real for me. In an instant, I saw the continuity of Jewish history and its unbreakable connection with Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel). I understood how modern Israel is the beginning of the Third Temple Period and the spiritual heir to Joshua, Saul, David, Solomon, the Maccabees and Bar Kokhba. I frequently write about the security reasons for incorporating Judea, Samaria and Gaza into the body of Israel. There is another side to this issue and that is the spiritual-religious side. The truth, which many find inconvenient, is that the Land of Israel was promised by G-d to Abraham and his seed in perpetuity. The Land of Israel is not speculative real estate to be bartered away for some high-sounding (false) promises of peace. The hills and valleys of Judea and Samaria contain the collective memory of the Jewish people. It was here that the Israelites first entered the Holy Land. And it was here they fought the battles, built the towns, elected their kings and were preached to by their prophets and judges. And it was on this soil that they wrote the Holy Scriptures we call our Bible. In my blinding flash of insight at the Wall, I also understood that Israel on its own soil was more powerful than the sum of its weapons and men. Jews who had wandered the earth powerless for two millenniums attained great power when re-united with the soil of Israel. What about the Arabs? They are destroying the Jewish people by taking over their Sacred Land. There is something very real and awe inspiring about the Jewish connection to Eretz Yisrael and the Arabs know it and seek to destroy that mystical connection. With profound stupidity and avarice, the political Left in Israel is cooperating with this evil project. And worse, some religious Jews and members of the Right are also going along with the dismemberment of Israel. Some say it will save lives to appease the Arabs. Foolishness. The predatory Arabs already smell victory and each new concession makes their lust for Jewish blood grow. Wouldn't the Arabs object to the removal of the Mosque of Omar (Dome of the rock) and the al-Aqsa mosque from the Temple Mount? Of course they would, but they have no legitimate rights in the area. There is no reason the sovereign State of Israel needs to allow this desecration of Jewish Holy Places to continue. Today, on the Mount, the Arabs are supreme. They are destroying all archaeological remnants of Jewish sites. They are storing weapons in their mosques to kill Jews. One thing is clear to me: the L-rd has blessed Israel by re-uniting Jerusalem and bringing Judea, Samaria and Gaza back under its control. It would be a horrendous sin against G-d and common sense for Israel to renounce this inheritance to which it is entitled. Israel holds these lands as a sacred trust for the Jewish people in perpetuity. It would not only be sinful, but also criminal, to abuse that trust by denying future generations of Jews their Holy Land - Land of their Fathers; the one tiny spot on planet earth given to them by G-d. Bernard J. Shapiro is the Executive Director of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies and the editor of its monthly magazine, The Maccabean Online and the Freemanlist. This article was the cover editorial for the December 1995 issue of The Maccabean. |
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PEANUT BRITTLE...
Posted by Gerald A. Honigman, July 27, 2004. |
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Let's get something straight right from the get-go. I'm a registered Democrat (though have voted and will vote otherwise again on occasion) and play second to few on the same environmental issues that Jimmy Carter championed while in the Oval Office. I voted for him. So I'm not automatically triggered to be nauseated by the man. But it's when Mr. Peanut turns to Arab-Israeli issues that he totally loses it. His "truths" crumble before any objective assessment. He has never met an Arab disemboweler of Jewish babes and grandmas that he hasn't blamed the Jews themselves for. Pardon me if I'm not sounding too respectful, but the ex-President has been shown to be a blatant hypocrite and, despite delusions about his own self-worth (an argument could be made that the Camp David Accords occurred despite him, not because of him), an outright menace to the survival of a viable Jewish State. What's even more frightening, John Kerry has mentioned him as his potential special envoy for the Middle East (not that Bush's James Baker is any better). And now, there he was on July 26th, amid current genocidal atrocities being carried out by Arabs against Black African Sudanese just as he spoke, ranting on behalf of Palestinian Arabs at the Democratic Convention. No attempt at balance either. Carter's vision, like Chamberlain's at Munich prior to World War II as he betrayed Czechoslovakia (allegedly over a heavily German-populated Sudetenland), is to buy "peace" for America and the world via selling out friends...this time Israel. Missing was any mention about what the Arabs need to do themselves in order to allow peace to blossom, like stopping their hate mongering and terrorism and agreeing that others, besides themselves, are due a semblance of justice...for starters. All that we heard were simply more fulminations about what America must do to help Arabs who still will not accept an Israel regardless of size and despite any additional concessions it will make. His was the typically one-sided squeeze the Jews message that he has repeatedly given. Almost a year earlier, for example, in an Indian summer blast of hot air in the September 23, 2003 Washington Post ("The Choice For Israelis"), he proclaimed that the occupied territories and settlement issue were the main causes of Arab resentment and thus the violence as well. James Pinkerton reported similarly in the Houston Chronicle this past April. This is Mr. Peanut's standard line when it comes to Arab-Israeli politics. There's no rest for those who care, and we are forced to repeat some key facts, ad nauseam, with the hope that they will register with an ever-wider audience. So, here we go again... Surely Carter's aware of poll after poll taken among Arabs that have shown that even if Israel withdrew completely from those disputed areas (not "occupied Arab lands"), the Arabs would still reject Israel's right to exist. It's not how big Israel is but that Israel is that has always been the problem...and Mr. Peanut knows this. And he knows about the offers made by Barak and Clinton at Camp David 2000 and Taba which would have handed over 97% of those disputed territories--including one half of Jerusalem and a $33 billion bonus as icing on the cake--to Arafat's boys. And he knows what the bloody Arab "counter offer " has been...hundreds of deliberately murdered Israeli civilians. Arafat built that fence recently put on trial in Geneva. Yet Carter insists on prodding Jews to take suicidal chances and forsake security measures with a bloodthirsty enemy he wouldn't dream of asking others to do. Who's kidding whom here? Surely he knows that the PLO was formed in 1964...long before Israel was in the territories. And surely he knows that nothing has changed in the Arab mindset since then or before. Carter sees the Palestinian Authority websites, maps, schoolbooks, hears the imams calling for death to the Jews, etc. He knows full well that the proposed 22nd or 23rd Arab state -- third one to be created within the original borders of Mandatory Palestine as Britain received it on April 25, 1920 -- plans to replace Israel, not live side by side with it. The evidence for this is overwhelming. It's no accident that at the summits leading up to the roadmap, Ahmed Qurei'--latest Arafatian chief marionette--went on record opposing the use of the word "Jewish" along with "State of Israel." Of course, not a peep out of Mr. Peanut about this and its implications. And these folks still insist that Israel, after being made to return to its 9-mile wide, pre-'67 armistice line existence, then agree to absorb millions of real or alleged descendants of Arab refugees. The half of Israel's Jews who were refugees themselves from so-called "Arab" lands doesn't seem to register with him. And the lie that the so-called "Geneva Initiative," led by Carter's politically impotent Arab and suicidal Israeli friends, renounced the "right of return" was just that...a lie. At the close of hostilities after the invasion by Arab states of a nascent Israel in 1948, the fragile, U.N-imposed armistice lines made Israel a constant temptation to its enemies. Most of Israel's population and industry lies in that narrow waistband. Mr. Carter knows full well that you need a magnifying glass to find Israel in a map of the region...a microscope for a map of the world. He has frequently brought up U.N. Resolution #242 to support his position for Israel's departure from the disputed territories. Just like Chamberlain had to know that Hitler would not be satisfied with just the Sudetenland back in 1938 but sacrificed the Czechs anyway, the evidence is quite clear regarding Arab intentions in their well-known "destruction in stages scenario" for Israel. And Chamberlain--er Carter--knows this as well. Yet, while he's been a bit more careful in his wording of late, he still implies that a virtually total Israeli withdrawal is required by 242. That's what his continuous rants about occupation and settlements are all about. Nations have acquired territories, toppled governments, and such thousands of miles away from home in the name of their own security, but Mr. Carter can't seem to figure out that Israel's 9-mile wide, artificially-imposed existence (the '49 armistice lines were never meant to be final borders) was a travesty of justice in desperate need of rectification. Whatever the size or shape the proposed additional Arab state might eventually be, it must not come at the expense of security of the sole, miniscule state of the Jews. In the aftermath of the 1967 Six Day War Israel was forced to fight after it was blockaded at the Straits of Tiran and other life-threatening hostile acts, U.N. Resolution #242 did not demand that Israel return to the status quo ante. The architects of that resolution such as Eugene Rostow, Arthur Goldberg, and others all stressed quite the contrary, and their views are readily accessible. 242 called, instead, for the creation of "secure and recognized borders" to replace those fragile armistice lines. There is no way that Carter cannot know this, yet he pretends to be deaf, dumb, and blind because it goes counter to his own "vision." Most of Israel's settlements have been built on strategic high ground areas for this reason. Even with these left in place, Israel's width goes from 9 miles up to perhaps around twenty in that waist bordering the West Bank/Judea and Samaria. Most people in America drive further than that just to go to work. Any roadmap discussions must continue to take this into account. Those currently involving the debate over the path of the security fence are particularly relevant. While compromises are in order, Carter's demands, advice, or whatever on this issue (like that of the recent UN politicized mouthpiece, the International Court of Justice) are not. His brother Billy made lots of money endearing himself to Arab oil folks. I haven't checked Mr. Peanut's records yet myself, but I've been told he has received plenty of Arab donations for his views. On this issue, however, in all fairness, he certainly couldn't be worse than the Bushes and their own closest friends and political allies. Best buddy James Baker's law firm, for example, represents the Saudis in this country. Carter speaks of the territories as if Palestinian Arabs (many of whom were newcomers -- settlers -- themselves in Palestine) had exclusive rights there. Contrary to popular current protestations, these are not "occupied Palestinian Arab lands." Leading scholars such as William O'Brien, Rostow, and others have pointed out that these lands were non-apportioned areas of the Mandate, and all residents -- Arabs, Jews, etc.-- had the right to live there. Indeed, Jews had lived and owned land in Judea and Samaria until their earlier massacres by Arabs. And Mr. Carter knows this too... as he does the writings of the so-called "moderates" like the late showcased Faisal Husseini whose goal was/is still a purely Arab Palestine from the River to the Sea. Indeed, the "moderates" of the good cop/ bad cop game the Arabs have played to gain concessions from the Jews speak in terms of temporary, meaningless concessions to the Jews as the Trojan Horse that will be used to deliver the final prize, Arafat's modern professed version of the "Peace of the Quraysh." The latter were the pagan tribe the Muslim Prophet, Muhammad, made a temporary truce with until he gained the position and strength to deliver the final blow. Talk of a new "truce" with Arafat falls into this same category. Arabs offer this hudna while expecting Israel to yield to all of their demands. So it's time to call it what it really is... Jews have repeatedly offered Arabs reasonable compromises and an honorable way out of this bloody mess. It is Arabs who have rejected all of these. The plain truth is that any solution which is not another Final Solution will not be acceptable to Arabs...at least those with both the real power and the power to influence their own captive masses. And Mr. Peanut knows this too...which makes what he says and does even light years worse. Carter's constant demand that Israel cave in to such above hogwash is nothing short of hostile intent on his part towards the Jewish State. He expects no others to bare their necks so freely to their sworn murderous enemies as he does Jews. Indeed, the prospect of him having any influence over a potential Democrat in office is frightening. When I see Mr. Peanut show the same concern over the plight of millions of Blacks in Africa, who have been slaughtered, enslaved, turned into refugees, and the like, or that of some thirty million perpetually victimized, stateless Kurds, who have suffered likewise in the name of the Arab nation, as he does for creating a 22nd or 23rd state for Arabs (on the ashes of Israel...but fear not, he'll give a proper southern gentleman's eulogy), then I might give any credence to what he says again. For now, his blatant hypocrisy and double standards vis-a-vis Jews and Israel simply make him a spokesman for the Arab cause. Furthermore, knowing what his politics are like and that he has become a virtual attack dog on Israel, the Democrats had surely figured out beforehand what words of wisdom he was likely to spout as he was showcased at their convention on July 26th. And this, unfortunately, perhaps also says something as well. Gerald A. Honigman is a Florida educator who has created and conducted counter-Arab propaganda programs for college youth, has lectured on numerous campuses and other platforms, and has publicly debated many Arab spokesmen. His articles and op-eds have been published in newspapers, magazines, academic journals and websites around the world. |
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DIVEST YOURSELF FROM THE PREBYTERIAN DIVESTORS
Posted by Brenda Houston, July 27, 2004. |
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The American Presbyterian Church met and, after slandering Israel by calling it an apartheid state, voted to divest itself of holdings in companies that do much business in Israel. They are sooo concerned about the poor Palestinians and they have swallowed whole the disgusting idea that whatever these barbaric Arabs do is OK because their (non-existent) country is 'occupied' by Israel. Well, two can divest. My friend had a great idea. She called her broker this morning and asked if he was a Presbyterian. "Yes," he said, puzzled. "Well, I can't have you managing my money any more. I am divesting myself of Presbyterians, because they are divesting themselves of stock in companies that do business in Israel." The poor snook didn't even know about this resolution that was adopted in his name. Well, he does now. |
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FAILURE TO PREVENT 9/11 NOT A LACK OF IMAGINATION BUT OF COGNITION
Posted by David Holcberg, July 27, 2004. |
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Contrary to the claim by the 9/11 commission chairman, the failure to prevent 9/11 was not "a failure of imagination." It was a failure of cognition. For decades prior to 9/11, terrorist attacks against Americans were perpetrated without any noticeable response from the U.S. government. The first attack on the World Trade Center, for example, occurred back in 1993--and it was dealt with as a mere criminal matter. More recently, in 1998, Osama bin Laden declared war on the United States and publicly called for the indiscriminate murder of Americans all over the world as a religious duty. A few months later Al Qaeda destroyed the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The United States did not respond in any significant way to these threats and assaults. The reason that the United States was taken by surprise was not a lack of imagination, but a lack of honesty in facing the facts--and a lack of courage to act against these obvious threats. As the commission itself reported, "The 9/11 attacks were a shock, but they should not have come as a surprise." David Holcberg is with the Ayn Rand Institute in Irvine, California (http://www.aynrand.org). He writes on environmentalism, science and capitalism. |
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RETURN THE ISRAELI FLAG TO THE TEMPLE MOUNT
Posted by Women in Green, July 27, 2004. |
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This speech by Nadia Matar, Chairperson, Women in Green, at the Tisha
B'Av Evening Walk around the Old City Walls of Jerusalem was delivered
in Hebrew. This an English translation.
On June 7, 1967, our paratroopers broke through the Lions' Gate, and liberated the entire Old City. At ten o'clock in the morning, three paratroopers, following Motta Gur's orders, climbed to the top of the Mosque of the Dome and unfurled an Israeli flag over it. Four hours later, at two p.m., Defense Minister Moshe Dayan arrived, surrounded by his entourage. Nadav Shragai writes in his book The Contested Mount: "Dayan was immersed in his thoughts when the IDF Chief Prosecutor Meir Shamgar drew his attention to the fact that the Israeli flag had been raised over the Temple Mount since the morning. Dayan ordered that it immediately be lowered. Then Dayan spotted a paratrooper company that was preparing for permanent deployment in the northern part of the Temple Mount, and he ordered that they, too, be removed from the Mount. "GOC Central Command Uzi Narkiss sought to persuade Dayan, and he reminded him that Jordan, as well, had kept a military unit on the Mount to maintain order. Dayan was not convinced. He told Narkiss that it seemed to him that the place had to be entrusted to the Muslims." Several days later, Dayan decided finally that the place and its administration were to be entrusted to the Muslim Wakf. At the same time, he decided to insist that Jews be allowed to visit the Temple Mount, but not pray there. Later on, Dayan gave an explanation for his scandalous decision - a decision that proved to all just how much Dayan was an assimilated Jew and an ignoramus. He explained that, "since for the Muslims the Temple Mount is a Muslim mosque for prayer, while for Jews it is merely a historical site recalling the past, the Arabs are not to be disturbed in acting there as they do now, and the right of the Muslims to control it must be recognized." A few weeks later, on Tisha B'Av 1967, 1897 years after the destruction of the Second Temple, Rabbi Goren, may the memory of the righteous be for a blessing, with several dozen other Jews, entered the Temple Mount plaza, where Jews -according to halacha-were permitted to be. They brought with them a shofar (ram's horn) and a Torah Ark with a Torah scroll, and they conducted the afternoon prayer service. This afternoon prayer service on the Temple Mount aroused a public storm in Israel and abroad. The media launched unbridled agitation against Rabbi Goren's initiative to renew Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount, and his request to conduct a mass prayer service on the Sabbath following Tisha B'Av was categorically rejected. The government told Rabbi Goren in no uncertain terms: If Jewish worshipers were to ascend the Temple Mount, they would be evacuated by security forces. In response to this terrible decree, Rabbi Goren wrote a letter to the Ministerial Committee for the Safeguarding of the Holy Places. His words could have been written today, almost forty years after we liberated the place of our Temple, while, to our shame, the Temple Mount is still closed to Jewish prayer. The following are a few passages from his letter: "Honored Ministers! Your decision by which you forbid me, as an individual, and the Jews as a whole, from praying on the Temple Mount shocked me to the depths of my soul. It follows from your decision that the only place in the world in which an express and specific ban has been placed on the Jew, as a Jew, to pray, is Mount Moriah, the mount of the Lord to which all of Israel's prayers are directed, the location of the nation's Holy of Holies. [...] "From the destruction of the Second Temple until three hundred years ago, the prayers of Jews on the Temple Mount did not cease. [...] The uniqueness of the Kotel (Western Wall) as a place of prayer is a historical innovation, and is not more than three hundred years old. It began after the decrees and limitations placed by the Muslim rulers on the Jews, and the abrogation of the 'synagogue' [...] that had existed for centuries on the Temple Mount. [...] In no manner or form is the Western Wall entitled to be a substitute for the mount of the Lord. The prayers at the Wall symbolize the exile of the people and its expulsion from the Temple Mount, while our prayers on the Temple Mount represent the return of the people to its land and the place of its Temple. "Who could conceive that Israel's security forces would be compelled to obstruct Jews from praying before the Lord, when the Temple Mount is under the government of Israel? And is this our situation now, after our dazzling victory? Did we await this, that the government of Israel would discriminate between Jew and Muslim, and place guards lest, Heaven forbid, Jewish prayer would be uttered on the Temple Mount, about which the Prophets prophesied, 'For My House shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples' [Isaiah 56:7]?" "Jewish history shall not forgive us for this. My request," Rabbi Goren ends his letter, "is to open wide the gates of the Temple Mount to all Jews and for everyone in the world. Save the Holy of Holies of the nation, do not hand over the Temple Mount to those who defile it. Signed in grief, in hope, and in blessing, Shlomo Goren, General, Chief Rabbi of Israel." My friends, the State of Israel exists for 56 years. Of these, we were truly, in the words of the Hatikvah, "a free people in its land" only for four hours. Those four hours were those in which the Israeli flag waved above the Temple Mount. For, as Uri Zevi Greenberg knew, whoever controls the Temple Mount controls all of Eretz Israel. Anyone with any sense knows that the Temple Mount is not holy for Muslims. The only reason why they are building mosques there is because this is the people of Israel's most sanctified spot, and their goal is to prevent us from gaining a foothold there. Turning the Temple Mount compound into a Muslim place of prayer is therefore not a religious act, but a political and warlike act, a sort of spiritual terrorist attack against the Jews. The order to lower the Israeli flag from the Temple Mount in '67 constituted the beginning of the continued withdrawal from, and collapse by Israel's governments to the Arab enemy. There is a clear and direct connection between the removal of the Israeli flag from the Temple Mount in '67 and the retreat from Yamit, from there to the criminal Oslo accords, from there to the Wye agreements, and from there to Ariel Sharon's ethnic cleansing plan to deport Jews and hand over broad portions of the soil of our homeland to the enemy. Obviously, anyone who abandons the Temple Mount, the very heart of the Jewish people, will eventually hand over the rest of the homeland to that same Arab foe. Rabbi Yisrael Rosen writes in his book Kumu Ve-Na'aleh (Come, Let Us Go Up) that our hold on Jerusalem is to be regarded as a barometer of the degree of the national revival of the people of Israel. A debased hold on Jerusalem hints at national subservience. Firm adherence to Jerusalem means standing with head held high and with dignity. According to this barometer, the national revival of Israel today seems at first extremely low. The children of Israel's adversaries play soccer in the place of our Temple; the Arab enemy engages in the destruction of all the antiquities and Jewish traces at the site, without interference and with our full governmental compliance. This is really depressing and frustrating. But here comes the good news. We, the people, are capable of changing the situation! Admittedly, we have many weak and tired political leaders, who are no different from the ten spies who slandered the Land of Israel. Those scouts were afraid. They did not believe or have the faith that we could conquer our Land. As is common knowledge, it was specifically for the sin of the spies that we were punished. G-d turned the day on which the Land was besmirched by these messengers, which fell on the ninth of Av, into a day of destruction and mourning. Today, we must correct this sin! Today, the people of Israel rejects the way our people reacted in the wilderness. Then, the response of the people was to believe the ten spies, to weep, to complain, and to tearfully implore Moses to return to Egypt. Yesterday we had a magnificent human chain, with more than two hundred thousand participants, from Gush Katif to the Temple Mount. Today, we have tens of thousands participants in the Walk, who encircle the Temple Mount as a bride encircles her groom under the wedding canopy. This Walk has been held for ten years in succession now, and just grows from year to year. All of this demonstrates that the majority of the people received the genes of Caleb ben Yefuneh and Joshua ben Nun, who believed in the justness of our Cause, and who did not fear to say "We will certainly go up, and we shall gain possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it" (Numbers 13:30). We must deliver an unequivocal message to all the politicians today who, once again, slander the Land and are willing to surrender parts of it: This shall not come to pass. The people shall not allow you, even if you cook up a majority in the Knesset and the government. The majority of the people of Israel, throughout the ages, clearly say: "The Land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel, in accordance with the Torah of Israel, and no one has the right to cede it." Don't delude yourselves: yesterday we stood in the human chain like nice and very disciplined children, and today we are holding a quiet and respectable march - but you should know that for us the Land of Israel is like our child, and if, Heaven forbid, the patently illegal order should come to take our child from us, the masses that we saw yesterday in the human chain, and today in this Walk will be forced to react as a lioness defending her cubs against criminal and murderous hunters. With G-d's help, we will not have to face such harsh situations. With G-d's help, in the coming months we will succeed in sending home, to early retirement, all the political leaders who today are betraying Zionism and Judaism, and thereby bury their plan of destruction. In their place we shall find true, proud Jewish leaders, leaders who shall fearlessly proclaim throughout the whole world: "The Land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel, in accordance with the Torah of Israel" - leaders whose first action will be to expunge the national shame from the Temple Mount. In other words, leaders who will remove the foreign intruder and who will return the Israeli flag over the Temple Mount, the very heart of our sanctity. This way, and only this way, with G-d's help, will the complete Redemption come, speedily and in our days, Amen. Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org |
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THE WALK: REVIVING A TRADITION
Posted by Judy Lash Balint, July 27, 2004. |
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Jerusalem is a city of walkers. Walking is generally the most efficient way of getting around in a city with limited parking and narrow streets that seem to breed traffic jams. Jerusalemites walk from neighborhood to neighborhood on Shabbat, and think nothing of trekking for an hour to get to the Kotel on holidays. But it's the revival of an ancient tradition of walking around the walls of the Old City on Tisha B'Av that has captured the attention of growing numbers of Jerusalemites in recent years. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the revival of the custom, initiated by the Women In Green organization headed by Nadia and Ruth Matar. It's difficult to estimate the crowds, but it took the better part of half an hour for the masses to move out of Safra Square and set off on their way after a public reading of the Eicha dirge, penned by the prophet Jeremiah who witnessed the destruction of the First Temple. An easy 10,000 people took part in the march--just one day after most of these same folks stood for two hours as part of the human chain protesting the planned destruction of Jewish communities in Gush Katif. Tisha B'Av is the one day of the year when Jewish prayers are broadcast over a public address system, in contrast to the daily call to prayer blasted out five times a day over the city from mosques in eastern Jerusalem. It's actually a little disorienting to hear the Hebrew of Eicha amplified over the main city square. As the marchers move off following a huge banner proclaiming a slogan of allegiance to Jerusalem, organizer Nadia Matar reminds the crowd that this is not a demonstration or a rally, nor is it a social event. In fact, no reminder is necessary, as the restrained mass of Jews soberly sets out to encircle the gates of the Holy City. Scattered amongst the marchers are a significant number of non-observant Israelis. Women wearing pants walk side by side with others whose hair is carefully covered with a scarf or hat. A group of 45 young Austrian members of the International Christian Embassy stand out with their distinctly non-Semitic features and black T-shirts. This year, Nadia translated her remarks into French as well as English to accomodate the large number of French olim among the marchers. There are wheelchair "marchers" and a number of octagenarian walkers, some supported by younger relatives, who manage to reach the end of the hour-long route. As we pass New Gate near the Christian Quarter, it's clear that all traffic on Route #1 (the main north/south gateway through the city) has been redirected as we take over the streets and pour down the road toward Damascus Gate. Spotlights and snipers are dotted on the rooftops and helicopters hover about to monitor the event. Most of the Arab stores are shuttered tight, but one or two Arab women are looking out of the second storey windows of the Golden Walls Hotel on Saleh el Din Street. A few shebab (Arab youth) are loitering around as we stream past Herod's Gate watched over by the ubiquitous Israeli police burdened on this warm night by their bulletproof vests. This small Gate into the Moslem Quarter is shuttered tight with it's centuries-old wooden covering guarded by a lone policeman. Walking down the hill toward Damascus Gate we turn to look back at those behind us. People as far back as we can see - accompanied by huge Israeli flags, reviving an ancient Jerusalem tradition of encircling the walls on Tisha B'Av. It's a hands-on outdoor classroom for many parents. All along the way, fathers are explaining the significant sites to sons and daughters. "Saba fought here," one tall, bearded man tells his 10 year old son as we round the corner towards Lion's Gate, where Israeli paratroopers entered to liberate the Temple Mount in the 1967 Six Day War. "Look over there," says a young mother to her wide-eyed daughter. "You can see the stairs where the Jews used to go up to the Temple," she says as we walk up the hill in front of the southern wall. In front of us we see the Mount of Olives crowned with its Arab and Christian institutions. There's a refreshing feeling of freedom as thousands walk freely down the road that overlooks the oldest Jewish cemetery in the world. Many marchers wander over to the wall to gaze at the Kidron Valley below with Absalom's Tomb and the monument to the prophet Zecharia. Across the valley we can see the new Maale Hazeitim development that acts as a buffer between Abu Dis and the Temple Mount. Here at Lion's Gate, two members of Knesset address the masses who find resting places on the hard stone. The voice of MK Benny Elon echoes off the city walls and the ancient headstones as he begins his remarks by calling those seated around him, "This holy assembly..." Rounding the corner, we look up at the imposing Southern Wall of the Temple with the steps and Huldah's Gate, before making the ascent towards Dung Gate and the entrance to the Western Wall. Glancing backwards again, the sight of the masses of people still behind us is awesome. Quiet and dignified, the march has gone off without incident. Getting out of the area proves challenging, as the Egged bus company lays on dozens of buses to get people in and out of the Old City, causing their own traffic jams. At midnight, the road leading to Zion and Dung gates is blocked by a line of the green vehicles packed to overflowing with the faithful who will spend the night sitting or lying on the ground at the site of the catastrophe that gave us Tisha B'Av. It's just another sign that the people of Israel aren't about to give up.... "Jerusalem Diaries: In Tense Times" by Judy Lash Balint (Gefen) is available for purchase from www.israelbooks.com |
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SYRIANS FLEW WITH EXPIRED VISAS
Posted by Bryna Berch, July 27, 2004. |
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This article was written by Audrey Hudson and appeared today in The
Washington Times. An airplane passenger has reported the erratic
behavior of a group of Arabs, who made everyone nervous. This was
denigrated when it was reported it was a band of musicians. Now it
turns out their visas had expired.
The article is archived at
http://insider.washingtontimes.com/articles/normal.php?
StoryID=20040727-123853-7608r
Almost all of the Syrian musicians who were questioned by law-enforcement officials after exhibiting suspicious behavior aboard a Northwest Airlines flight were traveling on expired visas. The 14 men in the band were questioned by several agencies that make up the Joint Terrorism Task Force after the pilot aboard Flight 327 from Detroit to Los Angeles on June 29 radioed for law-enforcement assistance. A spokesman for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that 13 of the 14 musicians entered the country May 30 and the visas expired June 10, but the men were not detained. The 14th musician is a U.S. resident and citizen. The backup band was hired to play with Nour Mehana, widely referred to as Syria's Wayne Newton, and were flying on one-way tickets with a return trip on JetBlue. "The bottom line is there should have been an ICE agent called in to participate in the questioning, but there wasn't," spokesman Dean Boyd said. "We believe if an ICE agent were there, they could have detected the visas had expired." The Washington Times reported last week that flight crews and air marshals say terrorists are testing airline security and conducting probes, and cited several incidents including the one involving the musicians that set off alarms with security officials. Since the report, several other pilots and marshals have come forward and confirmed that groups of men are conducting what looks like dry runs for a terrorist attack. "We are being constantly surveilled and probed" by terrorists, one air marshal said. A spokesman for Homeland Security disputed reports from crews and marshals and said they had "no intelligence that terrorists are conducing test flights on airlines." "We are aware of suspicious incidents around the country and all sectors of the economy, each of these incidents are being examined," spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said. The musicians, whose in-flight antics caused alarm among the flight crew and drew the suspicion of air marshals, had P3 entertainment visas and performed at a number of different venues across the country. They departed the United States on dates between July 10 and July 15. "Everything that we and other agencies have found indicates, and we are very confident in saying, these individuals were not terrorists by any means," Mr. Boyd said. The legality of the band and travel dates has not eased the concerns of air marshals, pilots and some plane passengers, who saw their behavior. Before September 11, the hijackers were "just flight students," said one U.S. air marshal. "Everything boils down to creativity and resources. And the more creative you are, the less resources you need." None of the 19 hijackers who carried out September 11 attacks were on terrorism watch lists and all had legally entered the country on tourist or student visas. Three overstayed their one-year visas. The September 11 commission report criticized the CIA for not placing hijackers Khalid Almihdhar and Nawaf Alhazmi on the watch list prior to the attack even after the men were linked to the August 1998 bombing of two U.S. embassies in East Africa. Similar activity was reported by flight attendants on American Airlines Flight 1732 from San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Feb. 15 to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport. The six men involved worked for a cruise ship and were carrying musician's cases with instruments. "The best way to travel is in large groups, no one would give it a second look," the marshal said. However passengers and the flight crew aboard Flight 327 were closely watching the Syrian musicians. According to passengers Annie and Kevin Jacobsen, the men sat throughout the plane pretending to be strangers, then stood nearly the entire flight in congregations of two and three and consecutively fielded in and out of bathrooms at intervals. One took a McDonald's bag into the lavatory, then passed it to another Syrian. The musicians also carried cameras and cellular phones to the bathroom. When the pilot announced the landing and to fasten safety belts, seven of the men jumped up in unison and went to the bathroom. Upon returning to his seat, one man mouthed the word "no" as he ran his finger across his throat. Syria is one of seven countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism by the State Department, but Damascus has cooperated with the United States in the fight against al Qaeda, according to the State Department report for 2003, issued April 29. "They came from a country known to support terrorism and no one noticed their visas had expired?" one pilot asked. Air marshals and pilots say terrorists are actively testing airline security and the behavior of the musicians mirrors a test run. "Organized terrorists have been and are doing probes," a second air marshal said. The Jacobsens' account is credible "because it is eerily similar to previous incidents that have happened on planes." The Jacobsens have become the subject of ridicule on some blogs and criticized in one media report by an unnamed government source, but the Federal Air Marshals Association (FAMA) issued a statement Sunday backing the family. FAMA also called on the government to release the recording of the pilot's call to air traffic control for law-enforcement assistance. The unnamed source suggested Mrs. Jacobsen was hysterical and was the reason that law-enforcement officials were called to the airport. Pilots and marshals say the flight crew and onboard marshals were obviously concerned and the Joint Terrorism Task Force would not be deployed in routine cases of upset or unruly passengers. "Dealing with upset plane passengers is not exactly new," the pilot said. The second air marshal said the Jacobsens did exactly what President Bush and Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge have asked U.S. citizens to do: Be vigilant and report suspicious behavior. |
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MIDDLE EAST MANIPULATIONS
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, July 27, 2004. |
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STRANGE DOINGS IN S. ARABIA Al Qaeda condemns the Saudi kingdom, but murders foreigners and not the ruling princes. Saudi security forces allow terrorists to escape. The government says it has shut down the terrorist fundraisers, but the "charities" continue, as do the schools designed primarily to indoctrinate. The government still promotes Islamism and does not supervise donations by wealthy individuals, some of which goes to terrorism. The media supports Iraqi terrorism. It presents the beheading of Paul Johnson as revenge for thousands of deaths at Falluhah that did NOT occur (MEPF, 7/13 from Miriam Gardner of American Yated Neeman, 7/9). That's paranoia! "Revenge" against someone rebuilding the country. They stereotyped him. America fought against Arabs. He's American. Slay him! What are we to make of these strange, seemingly self-contradictory doings? First, the government is divided against itself. Some princes, the ones not in full charge, side with the terrorists against their own government. Second, the government is going through the usual Arab procedure of promising to end terrorism but continuing it. It may plug one avenue of terrorism, but leave another open. The government still believes in Islamism. It has yet to realize that an alliance with Islamism cannot endure, because the Islamists eventually consider themselves purer (and probably are, ideologically) than the government allied to them. At least the Saudi rulers fail to fully perceive the threat to them. They, of all people, should realize the subversive nature of Islamism. Unless they shut off all the avenues of terrorism, more police will assist more terrorists. KURDS REPLACING ARAB USURPERS Tens of thousands of Kurds are reclaiming their land seized by Arabs at Saddam's instigation. More are coming into camps near land they have not yet reclaimed. Ten thousand Kurds want to reclaim Kirkuk, which also is claimed (with some legitimacy) by Turkmen. The Kurds are pressing US authorities to let them n. They are transforming the demographic and political life of northern Iraq. Displaced Arab usurpers are in camps too. The US allots $180 million for them, just as it had tried to take care of the previously displaced Kurds (Op. Cit.). Why no vaunted Saudi "charity?" The Kurds may end up regaining the oil-bearing areas they had been chased from. They had better move fast, before the new, Arab-dominated government builds a strong army that might block them or worse. Being enacted before us, though with little publicity, is the age-old process of ethnic migration and displacement and replacement by force. By contrast, Zionism sought to regain its patrimony peacefully and by purchase. It did not engage in ethnic cleansing. Instead of recognizing Zionist decency, the world accuses Israel of forcible expulsion, a thing the Arabs had done to the Jews. Whoever the refugees, the US spends its money trying to succor them. The world doesn't recognize that decency, either. Instead it focuses only on unpopular US decisons. The world, societies, and individuals are complex. America as more than one facet. The US has its good side and its bad side, its good officials and its bad ones. Some people see one facet, and some see another. Let us view the diamond as a whole, sparkle and flaws. POWELL "BLOWS IT" AGAIN - This Time On Sudan Asked if the US would intervene militarily to stop the Arab genocide in Sudan, Sec. Powell said, "There is not a simple military solution at hand." He did not quite categorically rule out the use of force, but he plumped for diplomacy as if he had ruled out force (Benny Avni, NY Sun, 7/23, p.1). Diplomacy is like poker. One doesn't show one's hand, so as to allow bluffing the other players into folding. Powell tipped the US hand. One can almost hear the sigh of relief among Sudan Arabs. Now they know the US is not likely to act like a great power in this, moving fast and hard. The US is going to hope that diplomacy, alone, will work. Powell works with the UN, which uses diplomacy to prevent ethical solutions. Diplomacy means that Arab and Chinese diplomats obstruct, while Arab jihadists assassinate. Next year, the scandal will be why, years after the Rwanda mass-murders, the US let it happen in Sudan. The dead will not be comforted. The Americans who were pleased at the time that the US did not go to war over this, are likely to be angered next year that the US did not go to war over this. The only thing consistent in politics is inconsistency. What should our war-weary Sec. of State have replied, instead? This way, but more polished: "The Defense Dept. and the CIA are drafting plans for military force. Naturally, however, the US prefers a diplomatic solution. We expect the Sudan, itself, to intervene militarily and promptly, as promised, and against the Jinjaweed militias instead of for them. There is no time to waste; we will not brook procrastination in the guise of diplomacy and false promises." The problem with that reply is that the US may not lack the forces to implement it. This problem must be addressed. The difficulty with addressing it is that the country is not unified. The extreme partisanship of the current political campaign impedes consensus and guarantees that any policy, sensible or otherwise, would be challenged. Runaway tax breaks and welfare programs for the rich and runaway Medicaid/Medicare programs deprive the government of funds for "discretionary" spending. If the US were caught bluffing much, it would lose credibility. Although in a world war against jihad, the US has not mobilized the resources to wage it. HOW DOES THE U.S. BEND ISRAELIS AROUND ITS PINKY? It is easy for the US to flatter Israeli Prime Ministers - they are inexperienced and egotistical. The US makes them feel important in global affairs and to the US. Merely pawns on the State Dept. chessboard, they accept US assurances and Presidential promises. They are bemused by the promises before them, and not skeptical after promises to their predecessors were broken. Neither do they realize that a President's promise, if even sincere, require Congressional allocation of funds. Those funds have not been forthcoming (Winston Mid East Analysis, 7/19, e-mail). Another explanation is the two governments' public professed affection for the other. Israel means it. The Presidents do not. When Israel asserts an independent course, official US friendship evaporates; the State Dept. speculates that it may "reexamine the relationship" between the two countries (meaning no aid and no UNO veto). Not that Israelis notice, the threat means the relationship is based on intimidation. They react timidly. Were they wiser, they would themselves reexamine the relationship. They would be dismayed what they find. Were they truly educated and thinking people, and knew their own history, they would not need to undertake a study. They long ago would have freed themselves from the talons of the US eagle. Israel would make itself an economic powerhouse and a moral beacon. It would pay off the US loans and reject US aid and its conditions. HOW THE U.S. WRAPS U.S. JEWRY AROUND ITS PINKY US Jews, heirs to centuries of political oppression and insecurity abroad, crave psychological reassurance that they are valued, equal citizens here. They accept less than equality if the President flatters them with attention. Never mind that he usually is a politician elected because upstanding citizens haven't the money or the inclination to compromise their ideals, and compete for the job. The President tells Jewish delegations that they are important to the peace process. They, in turn, fall silent over US mistreatment of Pollard (such as denial of medical treatment and ears of solitary confinement). They silence US Jewry rather than alarm them about the US betrayal of Israel to the Arabs (Winston Mid East Analysis, 7/19, e-mail). When the Jews act independently, the Administration (Democratic or Republican) releases hints about their having dual loyalty. Accusations of dual loyalty are not made against other groups, such as native New Yorkers who fly the Puerto Rican flag or Greek Members of Congress who took Greece's side against Turkey, several years ago, etc.. THE BASIS OF OSLO The Oslo plan anticipates some Jews will be murdered (Op. Cit.). A poor basis for "peace!" IMPETUS FOR P.A. TERRORISM Iran is backing most P.A. terrorist groups. Israel does not have enough troops in Gaza now to stop the arms smuggling. (Imagine if PM Sharon removes the rest of the troops!) Iran also is trying to organize Israeli Arabs to commit terrorism (IMRA, 7/21). Should the EU and Sen. Kerry propose "constructive engagement" with Iran? RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POVERTY & TERRORISM? Arab terrorists are excused by Western liberals, who attribute their anti-social behavior to poverty. The attribution is unsubstantiated and insubstantial. Does poverty engender terrorism? The poorest city in Israel is Bnei Brak, a city of Jews, of whom 95% are very religious. The Israeli city with the least crime is Bnei Brak. Conclusion: poverty does not necessarily result in crime, not if the society lives by the moral commandments of Torah. No wonder gentiles had to concoct the nonsensical blood libel against Jews in Europe - they couldn't find anything genuine to charge them with as a group (Miriam Gardner, commentator). Arab society is one of violence, self-aggrandizement, and corruption. Islam seeks to dominate by any means, however, violent and deceitful, including jihad with its mass murder, ethnic cleansing, and rape, sometimes preceded by infiltration and pleas for equal rights for Muslims. Arabs attack unprotected women and children, especially foreign ones. Terrorists, often middle class, support themselves partly by criminal activities. In Israel, the Arabs do not recognize the legitimacy of the government, though it be elected and they be well represented in Parliament. They sneak in, steal land, build illegally, evade taxation, and threaten law enforcement officers. Neither do they recognize the legitimacy of Israeli administration of the Territories, though that came about in accordance with international law via defense against Arab aggression (and no Arab government is legitimate). They do not recognize the right of other societies to resist jihad. They do not recognize the rights of individuals in other societies and not many rights of individuals in their own. They repress by force, if needed. Another mistaken excuse for Arab terrorism is that Arabs are "desperate" for a solution. Nonsense. They want war rather than a peaceful solution satisfactory to both sides. They don't want the other side to survive. The series of Oslo accords were the supposed solution they signed onto. They did not intend to abide by it, as Arafat told his fellow Arabs. They simply use Oslo and Road Map all the better to wage war. THE TRUE MEANING OF "LAND FOR PEACE" "Land for peace" amounts to land for pledges for peace (Dr. Aaron Lerner, IMRA, 7/22). For years, Israel has withdrawn and the Arabs have pledged. Nevertheless, the Arabs continue to make war according to their doctrine for the conquest of Israel in phases. Phase 1 is Israeli withdrawal from the Territories. Let Israel not withdraw in accordance with the Arab war plan and call it peacemaking! ISRAEL HELPING THE ARABS In furtherance of its plan to abandon Gaza to the Arabs, Israel is working with the World Bank on economic development of Gaza and to disengage the P.A. economy from Israel. The World Bank praised Israel's cooperation (IMRA, 7/21). Gentile powers tend to praise Israel when it turns against its own interest in national survival. To boost the economy of the jihadist enemy is quite anti-Israel. To assist the Arabs in taking over another part of the Jewish homeland is quite anti-Zionist. How far the Jewish state has fallen! The P.A. Arabs will not appreciate this help by Israel, just as they do not appreciate Israel for building their colleges, reviving the Gaza aquifer they had ruined, raising their standard of living they have since ruined by war and corruption, and lengthening their lifespan. Their hatred is not in relation to what Israel does but out of religious bigotry. They also have damaged Israel's economy. It therefore is criminal negligence for Israel to spend further sums to boost the Arab economy instead of to repair its own. EUROPEAN UNITY In the UNO, the EU voted against Israel's fence. It reached "consensus at the price of descending to the lowest common denominator," and "accepts the UNO and P.A. position" regardless of Israel's justification for the fence. This "raises doubts as to the ability of the EU to contribute anything constructive to the diplomatic process." This "raises doubts?" There are no doubts; there is certainty. This is one of many confirmations. The EU has been financing the terrorist P.A. and opposing Israeli defense against terrorism for years. Were the Israeli government patriotic and sensible, it would deny the EU any role and treat it economically as a trading partner and politically as an enemy. ARAFAT COMBINES SECURITY FORCES Arafat agreed only to cosmetic changes in control over security forces. It was a sop to the resigned Prime Minister. Arafat retains control. The P.A. warned P.A. journalists to report only on matters "that consolidate the internal front and national security." In other words, don't report dissatisfaction with Arafat's rule (IMRA, 7/21). The dictatorship remains. There never was any basis for hoping it voluntarily would dissolve. Neither is there hope for successors to be democratic. Nor is there reason to anticipate reform or repentance in those jihadists. Official Arab proposals for reform usually are cosmetic. What hurts more is that official Quartet proposals for reform usually are a charade designed not to be carried out, but to make Israel think that it must give up what belongs to it and what keeps it secure from those jihadists. Many Israelis fall for the charade. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at ricshulman@aol.com. |
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ARAB WOMEN SINGERS COMPLICIT IN RAPE IN SUDAN
Posted by Appoline, July 27, 2004. |
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This was written by Jeevan Vasagar in Nairobi and Ewen MacAskill and
is archived at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sudan/story/0,14658,1264901,00.html
While African women in Darfur were being raped by the Janjaweed militiamen, Arab women stood nearby and sang for joy, according to an Amnesty International report published yesterday. The songs of the Hakama, or the "Janjaweed women" as the refugees call them, encouraged the atrocities committed by the militiamen. The women singers stirred up racial hatred against black civilians during attacks on villages in Darfur and celebrated the humiliation of their enemies, the human rights group said. "[They] appear to be the communicators during the attacks. They are reportedly not actively involved in attacks on people, but participate in acts of looting." Amnesty International collected several testimonies mentioning the presence of Hakama while women were raped by the Janjaweed. The report said:"Hakama appear to have directly harassed the women [who were] assaulted, and verbally attacked them." During an attack on the village of Disa in June last year, Arab women accompanied the attackers and sang songs praising the government and scorning the black villagers. According to an African chief quoted in the report, the singers said: "The blood of the blacks runs like water, we take their goods and we chase them from our area and our cattle will be in their land. The power of [Sudanese president Omer Hassan] al-Bashir belongs to the Arabs and we will kill you until the end, you blacks, we have killed your God." The chief said that the Arab women also racially insulted women from the village: "You are gorillas, you are black, and you are badly dressed." The Janjaweed have abducted women for use as sex slaves, in some cases breaking their limbs to prevent them escaping, as well as carrying out rapes in their home villages, the report said. The militiamen "are happy when they rape. They sing when they rape and they tell that we are just slaves and that they can do with us how they wish", a 37-year-old victim, identified as A, is quoted as saying in the report, which was based onmore than 100 testimonies from women in the refugee camps in neighbouring Chad. Pollyanna Truscott, Amnesty International's Darfur crisis coordinator, said the rape was part of a systematic dehumanisation of women. "It is done to inflict fear, to force them to leave their communities. It also humiliates the men in their communities." The UN estimates that up to 30,000 people have been killed in Darfur, and more than a million have been forced to flee their homes. Peace talks between the Sudanese government and two rebel movements broke down on Saturday when the rebel groups walked out, saying the government must first disarm the Janjaweed. Another human rights organisation, Human Rights Watch, today publishes alleged Sudanese government documents showing that it was much more closely involved with the Janjaweed than it has so far admitted. The documents, which Human Rights Watch said it had obtained from the civilian administration in Darfur and are dated February and March this year, call for "provisions and ammunition" to be delivered to known Janjaweed militia leaders, camps and "loyalist tribes". One document orders all security units in the area to tolerate the activities of Musa Hilal, the alleged Janjaweed leader in north Darfur interviewed by the Guardian last week. Peter Takirambudde, the executive director of Human Rights Watch's Africa division, said: "These documents show that militia activity has not just been condoned, it's been specifically supported by Sudan government officials." The official government line is that it did not arm or support the Janjaweed, though its presence was useful in helping to combat rebels in Darfur. This was distributed to the Communaute-Juive-France members. |
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JIMMY CARTER SHOWS HIS COLORS
Posted by Yuval Zaliouk, July 26, 2004. |
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ear friends,
We just listened to Jimmy Carter's speech at the Democratic Convention. His message about the Middle East conflict was unmistaken: The USA must help the Palestinians, THEM, in order to diminish the Arab world's animosity against America. Put differently, America must sell Israel to the Palestinians. Not a word from this man about the injustice to Israel, about Palestinian terrorism, about the corruption in the Palestinian authority and about the importance of securing Israel's safety. The man disguises himself as a champion of democracy and international cooperation, yet Israel, the only democratic country and the strongest ally of the USA in the world, is a cheap price for him to pay. Remember friends, Carter did not repeat Kerry's statement about the necessity for the US to be "evenhanded." Carter outright called for support to the Palestinians only. This whole alleged Arab "animosity" against the USA is a complete propaganda lie. It is a ploy aimed at reducing the effectiveness of the first USA President in decades who understands that the Arab world fears any democratization of the Middle East. Another truth is that the Arabs hate Arafat and the Palestinians much more than it hates America. Carter lives and fantacises in the distant past. In the new realities of the Middle East, Carter and his defunct policies are extremely dangerous. If John Kerry is elected and accepts even one iota of Carter's policies, all the fundamentally important work of the Bush's administration to reform the Middle East will go down the drain. Israel will be forced to make concessions to the murderous Palestinians at great peril to its security. The Palestinians will take it as an encouragement and increase their demands as they always do, Arab market style. Let us hope and pray that Carter's speech tonight is ignored and forgotten. Let us hope President Bush is elected to continue his important mission and policies to once and for all reform the Middle East. Yuval Zaliouk writes the Truth Provider columns. To subscribe, send an email an email to ynz@netvision.net.il |
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TEMPLE MOUNT BLAST ONLY A HOAX
Posted by Voice of Judea, July 26, 2004. |
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Freshly pasted posters were recently spotted in Jerusalem today, on billboards outside of the Schneller Army Base, carrying the following message: "FAST OF TISHA B'AV CANCELLED!" "The Fast of Tisha BAv has been canceled, now that Jewish 'extremists' have succeeded in demolishing the Dome of The Rock. Tractors are making there way through the Old City to begin clearing the rubble and rebuilding the Holy Temple." Voice of Judea Commentary: The posters which have been ripped down almost as quickly as they were pasted up can teach us much about ourselves and our present situation. This poster is a hoax, but then we are the ones living the big lie. We sit on the floor, spreading ashes on our heads and mourning over the greatest tragedy in Jewish history - the destruction of the Holy Temple. In the meantime our ministers and leaders warn of their greatest fears - "right wing fanatic extremists will damage the mosques on the Temple Mount and cause WWIII". Their fears are unbased for too many reasons to list. No right-wingers are plotting any such attack, and no world war would be ignited by Jews asserting their sovereignty on their holiest site. And if such a war would begin, it would be no different than Jews defending their right to live in any other part of Israel. Nobody ever said that it would be easy to come home and rebuild a national homeland. If we have no right to our holiest site than we have no right to the pubs and cafe's in Tel Aviv either. The rhetoric and nonsense spewed by our so called leaders is no better than reading this hoax on a ficticious poster. However, the brilliant poster caused me and others passing by to pause and to stand in confusion, asking ourselves, "Hmm are we mourning about the destruction of the Temple? What are we doing to liberate the mount - Are the "fanatics" who Minister HaNegbi warns us about the real problem? If the greatest tragedy on the Jewish calendar is in fact the destruction of the Temple, then why would we mourn the destruction of the mosques that have usurped the Beit HaMikdash? Every Jewish child is taught that we must pray for the restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem. That which every child is taught to yearn for appears to be Israel's leaders greatest nightmare. The majority of affiliated Jewry mourn the destruction of our Holy Temple and cry out not only for the restoration of the Bet HaMikdash but for the return of justice and true judges to the land and for the installation of true Jewish leaders who are loyal to the aspirations and hopes of every Jewish child and loyal to the G-d of Israel. HaNegbi, the Minister of Internal Security seeks headlines as he leads a ficticious campaign to quash invisible Jewish terrorism. Ironically, he is son of Geula Cohen, former member of the militant Lehi underground organization of the 1940's. Speaking of irony and oxymorons - is Hanegbi Minister of Internal Security or Internal Insecurity? HaNegbi lives in fear of the Mosques being destroyed. For him there could be no greater tragedy. As we usher in Tisha B'Av, the faithful Jews will be mourning for the very opposite reason indeed. But let us not blame our leaders alone for disregarding the aspirations of the majority of Jews. For the Midrash in Tehillim explains that thousands of Jews died in a plague during the era of King David's rule because the Temple remained unbuilt. And the Midrash asks, then, why did the nation suffer, and not King David himself? The answer given is that the people should have done more to rebuild the Temple, in spite of their leader. So let us not simply mourn the destruction of the Temple and then go home, justifying our apathy. Let us not simply blame our foolish, timid, myopic leaders and justify our own inaction. Let us think about the hoax on the poster and the big lie that we all continue to live. Just in case the Minister of Insecurity is reading this and is a bit confused, don't worry Mr. HaNegbi, the poster is a hoax, the mosques are still on the Temple Mount, there is no construction of the Temple underway just yet. Don't worry we can still enjoy a merry fast and go hang out at the kotel this Tisha BAAv. May we all rejoice in the rebuilding of the Holy Temple speedily in our days, in spite of the great agony and pain that this future reality might bring to the hearts of a billion Muslims as well as to some of our more moronic Jewish leaders. You can subscribe to the Voice of Judea emails by sending an email to jsid@amanda.dorsai.org |
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"COURT" ON THE FENCE
Posted by Irwin N. Graulich, July 26, 2004. |
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Only when barbed wire fences were put up around Jews was the world's evil finally satisfied. That will never happen again, despite the fantasies of the UN, France, The International Court in The Hague and the Arab/Muslim world. When Israel defends itself militarily, it is called occupation. When Israel protects its citizenry, it is called aggressive. When Israel erects a fence to keep terrorists from blowing up Jewish babies in pizza parlors, it is called apartheid. The International Court of Justice has a problem with Jews who escaped being gassed in Auschwitz. No wonder. The Court's president, Shi Jiuyong of China represents a despicable Communist government that jails people who dare say, "I disagree." Judge Shi recently delivered an address on the occasion of a visit by the head of the Swiss Federation praising Switzerland's long history of "neutrality and justice (sic)." Correct, that is Switzerland, a country that could not make up its mind during WWII between the morality of Hitler or Churchill. Neutral my tuches. The Swiss gave aid and support to the Nazis. Other stars on this World Court include Judge Bruno Simma, born in the midst of Nazi Germany. Imagine the values he learned from his parents and former SS neighbors; Awn Shawkut Al-Khasawneh, a Jordanian who attended the Islamic Educational College in Aman where non-Muslims are guilty, even if proven innocent. And of course, we have Nabil Elaraby, an Egyptian judge which is in itself an oxymoron. What kind of justice can you possibly uphold if you were schooled within a fundamentalist dictatorship? So there you have just some of the cast of characters. "Saturday Night Live" could not possibly have assembled a more incompetent group of buffoons to make worldly moral decisions. And their sister organization, the massage parlor located on First Avenue more commonly referred to as the United Nations has not faired much better. There are 58 Muslim nations, totally embarrassed that there is one tiny democratic Jewish state with 5 million people, stronger and more successful than all 1.2 billion Muslims worldwide. With honor being the most important value and shame being the most despised in Islamic societies, those "brave warriors" have finally realized that they cannot defeat Israel or America in any military endeavor or civilizational accomplishment. Therefore, Arabs and Muslims have developed a totally new strategy which many of the remaining leftist/socialist nations embrace, selfishly fearing their own 9/11 for non-support. It is no wonder Israel is hated. How do you explain to Muslim children that Israelis can wear attractive bathing suits at a beach, have a boyfriend or girlfriend of their choice, watch MTV and surf the Internet? How do you explain that some of the best hospitals and most important technological breakthroughs are coming out of Israel, while you have to marry your father's choice, wear a burka or wash dishes in a primitive household for the rest of your life? Why the uproar over a security barrier which at some point could be taken down? It offends both Arab and Muslim honor that all Israel needs is a fence to keep those "great warriors" away. The Palestinians are insulted that concrete slabs and metal wire can prevent macho terrorists from blowing up school children on buses. However, when they fight with actual weaponry, Arik Sharon winds up surrounding the 200,000 strong Egyptian Third Army, who surrender in tears to a few thousand Yeshiva boys. Talk about offending macho Arab/Muslim honor. Therefore, because Israel has an undefeatable "offense," the Arab "offense" had to change from physical to verbal, leaving Israel to use merely "a fence." Using lies and inappropriate language such as occupation, colonialism, imperialism, Nazi-like, land grab and freedom fighter, are all attempts at showing that the little "fence" is not a fair "offense." The Palestinians cry like infants at the UN, itself a rather infantile organization, most of whose members have verbal diarrhea. The politically Right-leaning, almost fascistic Arab world has adopted the philosophy of the Western world's Left by shifting blame away from the individual, and holding "inanimate objects" responsible for their problems and deficiencies. The Left in America and throughout much of the world does not assume personal responsibility. Instead, they blame societal violence on television movies, out of wedlock births on lack of condoms, the large increase in the prison population on poverty (lack of money) and increasing murder rates on guns. The Islamic world has learned well from this strategy and now blames " a fence" for all their troubles. The only fence that should be dismantled is the one around the UN, running from 42nd to 48th streets, and eventually turning that vile building into a much more useful homeless shelter. The General Assembly has once again shown its true colors and proven that the only nations with a moral backbone besides the United States are Australia, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau. Get out a map, because those are indeed the only countries worth a visit! Irwin N. Graulich is a motivational speaker on morality, ethics, Judaism, religion and political issues. He is President and CEO of a corporate communications, marketing and branding company located in New York City. He can be reached at irwin.graulich@verizon.net |
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ABOLISH THE EUROPEAN UNION
Posted by David Ben-Ariel, July 26, 2004. |
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This was written by Robert Locke and appeared on the Front Page Magazine
website. It is archived at the EuroSceptic website
http://www.eurosceptic.com/sources_of_information/articles/abolish_the_eu.htm
It was written two years ago but it is still pertinent.
AMERICANS SUFFER FROM A CURIOUS DELUSION: Reading their newspapers and perusing their atlases, they continue to believe that such geographical entities as France, England, Italy and Germany are nations. But in fact they are, or more accurately are rapidly becoming, mere provinces of the Holy Belgian Empire: the European Union (EU). This empire has been getting continually more malignant for years without attracting significant conservative opposition on this side of the Atlantic. But American conservatives should realize that it represents the European manifestation of the odious ideology of globalism, or the liquidation of nations. It should therefore be abolished forthwith. The EU seems to have a unique talent for bringing out the worst in its member states. It is like the universal alloy of medieval alchemy: a mixture of all metals that turns out to have the liabilities of each and the virtues of none. Each of its member states has its own dishonorable reasons for participating in it. For example, one motivating factor behind the ongoing attempt of the EU to become a superstate is the colossal unresolved guilt felt by Germany about her Nazi past. Germans would very much like to abolish Germany as a nation and declare themselves citizens of "Europe" so that their consciences wouldn't have to bear the burden of being Germans. After having tried to liquidate the other nations of Europe by the sword twice in one century, they are now trying it a third time to weasel out of their well-deserved guilt over the first two. It is an utter scandal that nations like Britain, France, and soon Poland, which sacrificed millions of lives fighting German aggression, are being asked to liquidate their nationhood to expiate German crimes. Another motivating factor behind the EU is the determination of French bureaucrats to rule Europe. France, because of her history, the structure of her government, and her educational system, produces the most ambitious bureaucrats in the world. Her tradition of dirigisme or state-directed capitalism is precisely suited to present world economic conditions, in which competitive pressures make expanding socialism impossible but the inexorable will of the state to grow has not gone away. They are convinced that the expanded powers of the EU will by nature fall into their lap, the Germans being too shy about asserting their power, the British not being statist by instinct, the Italians being too disorganized, and everyone else being too small. Those Italians who like the EU like it because it absolves them of the need to get their own national act together and fix the most chaotic government and economy in Europe. Rather than fixing their own budget deficits to save the ever-falling lira, they adopt the euro. Rather than fixing their own government, they prefer to sign away their sovereignty and with it, the ability of future generations of Italians to be masters of their own political destiny. The idea of an Italy governed in all essentials by foreigners in Brussels doesn't seem to scare them or bother their national pride at all. Other nations, like Spain, Portugal, and Ireland, have knuckled under to the EU essentially on a basis of bribery. They have been paid billions in subsidies to support obsolescent farming sectors in exchange for compliant votes to expand EU powers. It is a classic case, writ large, of the old warning about selling one's freedom in exchange for welfare. The other openly admitted motivation for the EU is to create a political entity large enough to blunt "American hegemony." Given that it is US hegemony over Europe since WWII that has given the continent the greatest peace and prosperity it has known in the 20th century, this is for a start monumentally ungrateful. Given that Europe cannot even deal with local crises like the wars of the Yugoslav succession without American help, it is pathetic. Despite all talk of a common foreign policy, the minute bullets start to fly, pronouncements of European unity vanish and the member states go their separate ways. And what wonderful geopolitical agenda does Europe intend to pursue once it stands tall next to America? What terrible harm at our hands does it propose to rectify? No one has answered this question because frankly, the motivation here is pure ego, leavened only by the cynicism that passes for political sophistication in Europe. Fortunately, Europe is unlikely to ever match American military power, since it cannot afford to match our defense budget and maintain its bloated welfare states. This is not even to mention our 40-year technological head start; the European armies, with the limited exception of the Americanized but very small British military, are perfectly nice 1960s-era militaries, a joke compared to our Star Wars forces. All of Europe put together cannot field a single state-of-the-art stealth aircraft. The other great aim of EU supporters is that it be their last chance to salvage the statist, over-regulated, socialistic economic policies that have been pushed to the wall by the worldwide free-market revival of the '80s and '90s. It is no accident that the movement to turn the EU from a free-trade area to a superstate rose with this free-market revival. Their essential premise is that these failed policies will work if the political unit of their operation is large enough. Naturally, this is absurd: the Soviet Union had nearly 300 million people and couldn't make socialism work. The justification for this claim is the idea that there is no real superiority to free-market policies and that these policies have only been offering them competition because they are embodied in the United States, which uses its vast size to bully other nations into adopting them. (I have discussed the tendency of the world's losers to see their self-inflicted problems as caused by America in another article.) So if the EU is large enough, it will be able to sustain these discredited ideas by hiding behind a protectionist shield. They will of course eventually discover that this won't work, that mistakes are mistakes regardless of scale, but the attempt could doom a generation of Europeans to continuing economic sclerosis. Some examples of the dirigiste economic policies of EU nations: High taxes on everything from incomes to retail goods. High social charges on employers. Legally-entrenched labor union power. Laws against firing people, which just cause employers not to hire them in the first place. Massive subsidies for obsolescent industries like agriculture and steel. Cozy cartels to restrict competition and divide up markets. Massive government intervention in business decisions. Outright government ownership of sectors of the economy. Anti-business cultural attitudes. Protectionism against American and Asian goods. There is no meaningful doubt that the nations of the EU pay a high price for its dirigiste practices. For the last decade, the EU's unemployment rate has averaged roughly double that of the United States. Since 1980, the US has created 30 million new private-sector jobs; the European Union a net of zero. (Source: National Center for Policy Analysis). Fortunately one of the saving graces of Europe has traditionally been competition between governments. For example, the most economically free nation in Europe (thanks to Margaret Thatcher, not the current Labor government) is currently Britain, which has been attracting investment away from more regulated economies in Europe as a result. The French fume about this and call it "social dumping." British workers call it an unemployment rate far below that of France. The EU would like to end this ability of nations to compete by having lighter tax burdens. It would like to "harmonize," as it says in its inimitably dishonest eurobabble, tax rates across nations. It also raises taxes simply by having a budget, which taxpayers of the member states ultimately finance. Like every undesirable thing in politics, the EU has its own characteristic varieties of sophistry that are used to justify it. The key piece of sophistic reasoning used to justify the European Union is the claim that opposition to the political construct that is the EU constitutes opposition to the existential fact that is Europe. Anyone who opposes expansion of the powers of the EU is tarred as "anti-Europe," which has become an epithet exceeded only by "racist" in its ability to both mean nothing and brand its victim a pariah. But Europeans have been benefiting from their relations with other European countries for millennia without the benefit of this superstate. It is entirely possible, indeed desirable, to be pro-Europe and anti-EU. Another EU sophism: the benefits of free trade within the EU require its existence. False: all they require is the absence of tariffs between the member states, as the old Common Market, predecessor of the EU, used to provide. The European Union uses the promise of free trade as a tool to bribe the nations to its East to submit to its political control. I am not Polish, but it makes me want to cry to see this proud, nationalistic nation, which has suffered so many cruel affronts to its independence in its history, being prepared for subjugation to Brussels, along with Hungary and the Czech Republic. All the preposterous claims about the economic benefits of membership in the EU crumble on contact with the fact that some of Europe's most successful economies, like Norway and Switzerland, are outside it, and one of the most successful countries inside the EU, Britain, has the least degree of economic submission to it, having not adopted its currency, the euro. The lies spouted in favor of the euro are a rich topic in their own right. The fundamental premise underlying the euro is the same bald empirical falsehood that underlies most EU thinking: bigger is better. When it comes to economics, one can compare the success of the currencies of Russia and Singapore, or Brazil and Switzerland, and come to one's own conclusions. Supposedly, having a common currency is necessary to weld the individual economies of Europe into one big economy. Naturally, since the euro is backed by the sagging over-regulated economies of Continental Europe, it has been sinking relative to the dollar and the pound since it was established. It was issued in 1999 at a value of $1.17; it is now trading at 94 and has been lower. This loss in value is not an abstraction: it has wiped billions off of the value of pension funds, especially German ones, which used to be denominated in the rock-solid mark. Britain, which remains outside the euro, has less inflation, less unemployment, and more growth, than the average of those nations within it. And the euro does not promote foreign investment: in 1999, Britain attracted a grossly disproportionate 40% of all US and Asian investment into the EU. However smoothly its spokesmen would deny it in public while admitting it in private, the EU is a threat to the national sovereignty of its member states. Sovereignty sounds like an abstraction, but in fact it refers to the ultimate ability of a nation to control its own destiny rather than being dictated to by others. For example, EU laws override the laws made by the parliaments of the member states. This means that the entire body of English common law, for example, a treasury of liberty, which has grown up over nearly a thousand years, is now disposable. The British parliament cannot legislate for its own people without the permission of bureaucrats in Brussels. The EU is exceptionally dishonest in how it goes about coercing its member states. Its fundamental modus operandi is what has been called "union by stealth," namely the surrender of national sovereignty to the new superstate so gradually that the electorates of the member nations don't notice until it is too late. Stealth combines with the narcotization of European electorates by bloated welfare states to make this possible. It is the same tactic of "progressive" revolutionaries that we have seen in America: push through fundamental changes not by arguing that they are good, but by pretending that they don't matter. It is government by anesthesia. The politicians responsible have consistently lied about the nature of the changes they have made. It is well understood that the EU could never survive real democratic debate. Claude Cheysson, the former French Foreign Secretary who subsequently became one of France's European Commissioners, famously observed that the superstate-building Maastricht Treaty could only have been constructed "in the absence of democracy." Politicians as a class love the EU. It gives them the ability to wield power through insider wheeler-dealing, without the accountability of pesky national electorates or judiciaries. Leftists especially appreciate its ability to impose laws that would never be passed by their national legislature. The EU is governed by an unelected Commission; the "European Parliament" is an inert joke. The issue is usually fudged by resorting to the kind of technical discussion of the structures of government, rife with meaningless phrases like "pooled sovereignty," that have come to be known as eurobabble, but the blunt fact is, the EU has no democratic legitimacy. The legal basis for the imposition of its laws on its member states is only a series of treaties that they have signed, starting with the Treaty of Rome in 1957. The treaty that contained the fundamental basis for surrender of sovereignty was that of 1972, but this was not given its full force until the treaties of Maastrich of 1993 and Amsterdam in 1997. The fundamental problem with these treaties, as a matter of basic sound political philosophy, is that they surrender or alienate the right of self-government of the nations that sign them. Our Declaration of Independence rightly observes that the right to self-government is "unalienable;" i.e. that no government elected by the people can abolish that right or surrender it to someone else, for the fundamental reason that no government owns the right to self government, but merely holds it in trust temporarily for its owners, the people It follows that the treaties that form the basis for the EU are fundamentally invalid on philosophical grounds and the EU superstate should be considered an illegitimate government against which patriots have a right to rebel. The EU is a mortal threat to the civil liberties of those who live under it. It is currently trying to impose on those member states, like Britain, whose citizens currently have a right to trial-by-jury, a legal system known as Corpus Juris - a judicial system under which Trial by Jury and the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty will be abolished. The EU is trying to extend the preposterously strict and anti-free speech hate crimes laws of Germany, a product of that nation's unique and horrifying history, to all the other nations. It would like to make such acts as "disparaging" another religion illegal. Magazines like this one are probably already in violation of the law in some member states and could soon be illegal in the whole Union. Thank God, I must say, we are Americans. Almost needless to say, like all other non-democratic governments the EU has no respect whatsoever for gun rights. It is trying to impose a requirement that communications providers snoop on their customers' communications and store them indefinitely for police use. It is trying to abolish Europe's network of extradition laws. It is trying to create a central register of "troublemakers" called the Schengen Information Registry which will be used to deny demonstrators freedom of movement between member states. The fundamental form of the political order that the EU is trying to impose can be described as soft totalitarianism. Soft totalitarianism shares with the various forms of "hard" totalitarianism that have been tried (fascism, nazism, communism) the aspiration of total government control over the life of its citizens. But soft totalitarianism does this by means of bribery (i.e. the welfare state) and bureaucracy, rather than by means of concentration camps and the knock on the door at 3 AM. Those who would scoff at this, I challenge to name one thing that the EU is not trying to regulate. This is an entity that regulates how curved a banana can be. The bureaucracy of the EU has a well-earned reputation for heavy-handedness, arrogance, incompetence, and deafness to the public. The European Commission is seriously corrupt. So much so, in fact, that in the Spring of 1999 the entire commission had to resign due to corruption charges. After this, of course, many of them kept on working for the EU in other posts. The Brussels headquarters has become a feather bed for the unelectable political cronies of all the member states. There should be no mystery why the EU is the way it is: most continental European states have no indigenous traditions of democracy. What democracy they have was imposed at the point of American bayonets. Or if they do have a democratic tradition, it is one of unstable, ineffective democracies that destroy themselves. Since one of the fundamental requirements of a viable democracy is the rule of law, it comes as no surprise that the EU is utterly lacking in this quality. It compiles governing statutes that run to thousands of pages, and then casually flouts them for brazen political reasons. For example, it established elaborate convergence criteria for national debt levels of member states being admitted to the European Monetary Union (an institutional arrangement that led the way to the euro) and then ignored them in order to get Germany, Belgium and Italy in. And the supposed independence of the European Central Bank crumbled when the French government demanded a special say over things. The cultural agenda of the EU is to liquidate the sense of national identity in its member states and replace it with enthusiasm for "Europe." But not Europe as a meaningful pan-European culture in its own right, Europe as a bloodless bureaucratic construct. As a result, emotional attachment to this new superstate is weak. The EU's own surveys show that only a tiny minority (5%) of the EU's inhabitants consider themselves essentially "European" in identity, 85% instead viewing their nation as their sole or principal affiliation. As the EU survey ruefully admits, "a sense of sharing a common identity does not appear to have become more widespread over the years." Tony Blair, whom Margaret Thatcher rightly described as animated by "a doomed ambition to rule Europe," would like to be the first president of a united Europe. In pursuit of this ambition, he has, to be perfectly blunt, become the greatest traitor in the history of Britain, selling out to foreigners contemptuous of Britain's blood-bought political values not just her secrets or her interests but her very sovereignty. He has almost certainly made a private deal with the rest of the EU to be given this post in exchange for eventually submitting Britain to the euro. Margaret Thatcher's greatest regret, she has said, is that she allowed the EU to acquire too much power. Americans should consider the threat to Britain as a threat to themselves, as the EU, with its incoherent but lethally mischievous foreign policy, is a threat to the special relationship between America and its most loyal ally. The European Union, by funding the Palestinian Authority, has directly and knowingly financed terrorism. Its member states continue to trade with Iraq, Libya, Cuba, and other nations implicated in the support of terror. It is a distinct possibility that, in the long run, the EU will not be content with governing only Europe. Because of its lack of respect for, or foundation in, real concrete European identity, it is quite capable of redefining itself at some point to embrace the nations at its fringe, like North Africa, and then amorphously expanding to include them. Naturally, anyone who opposes this will be labeled a racist. The EU is quite plausibly the nucleus of an aspiring soft-totalitarian world state; it is in fact far more likely to fulfil this role than the justly-despised UN. I apologize if this sounds alarmist, but history clearly teaches us to think ahead to the logical implications of things that are just beginning. Fortunately, there are signs that Europe is awakening to the monster in its midst. A number of right-wing politicians like Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (closest American equivalent: Ross Perot) are actively fighting to curb the EU. Poll evidence regularly indicates that a narrow majority of British voters now favors outright withdrawal from the European Union under certain circumstances and 60% favor leaving the EU if the alternative is joining the euro. A majority of citizens in eight of the European Union's 15 member states are dissatisfied with the way the EU is progressing towards closer unity. Unfortunately, the welfare machine constructed to narcotize European electorates after WWII produces a far more passive electorate than in the US, far more used to being fed faits accomplis by their political masters so long as the public teat keeps giving. So what's the solution to the EU? Simply disband it. Let the
nations of Western and Central Europe engage in free trade with one
another. That's it. For once, a complex problem has a simple solution.
David Ben-Ariel is author of "Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and
Fall" http://www.pushhamburger.com/david.htm.
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DO NOT TO NEGOTIATE WITH IRAN'S MULLAHS--ELIMINATE THEM
Posted by David Holcberg, July 26, 2004. |
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What is the White House doing about Iran's production of nuclear weapons? Insisting on a diplomatic solution through negotiations! But it is precisely this wrongheaded approach that failed to prevent the current crisis--and which will allow Iran to become a nuclear power soon. Negotiations are moral--and practical--only between individuals who are open to reason, who respect each other's rights, and whose purpose is to exchange values for mutual benefit, without coercion. But the Iranian leadership is wildly irrational, has no respect for individual rights, and seeks--by threatening nuclear attacks against the United States (the "big Satan")--to further advance the spread of Islamic totalitarianism over the globe. The proper approach to eliminate this threat against the United States is not to negotiate with Iran's mullahs--but to eliminate them. David Holcberg is with the Ayn Rand Institute in Irvine, California (http://www.aynrand.org). He writes on environmentalism, science and capitalism. |
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ARAB PALESTINIANS MADE MILLIONS ON FENCE CEMENT
Posted by IsrAlert, July 26, 2004. |
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This was written by Inigo Gilmore from Jerusalem and is archived at
http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/07/25/wmid25.xml
Palestinian businessmen have made millions of pounds supplying cement for Israel's "security barrier" in the full knowledge of Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader and one of the wall's most vocal critics.A damning report by Palestinian legislators, which has been seen by the Telegraph, concludes that Mr Arafat did nothing to stop the deals although he publicly condemned the structure as a "crime against humanity". The report claims that the cement was sold with the knowledge of senior officials at the Palestinian ministry of national economy, and close advisers to Mr Arafat. It concludes that officials were bribed to issue import licences for the cement to importers and businessmen working for Israelis. One of the report's three authors, Hassan Khreishe - an independent legislator and long-term critic of Mr Arafat - last night called for the Palestinian cabinet to resign. "Wealthy Palestinians with connections at the highest levels have been making millions helping Israel build this wall while Arafat and the Palestinian Authority have been urging people to fight against it," said Mr Khreishe, a council member from the West Bank city of Tulkarm. "Why Arafat did nothing about it, we just don't know. These people are traitors who have brought shame on us, and they should be punished." An official in Mr Arafat's office said: "We will not comment because this file has been closed and it is now in the hands of the attorney general." Growing resistance to corruption in the Palestinian Authority is posing the most serious internal challenge to Mr Arafat's leadership. Last week, gunmen staged a number of kidnappings and attacks on security buildings in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Thousands of Palestinians demonstrated about high-level corruption and the appointment of Mr Arafat's cousin, Moussa Arafat, as security chief in the Gaza Strip. The report reveals that the cement originally came from Egyptian companies which supplied it at a huge discount of $22 (£12.50) a ton to help rebuild dilapidated Palestinian houses or buildings bulldozed by the Israelis. Between September 2003 and March this year, 420,000 tons of cement were allegedly sent to three big Palestinian companies. According to the report, however, only 33,000 tons were sold in the Palestinian market. The vast bulk was transported to Israel on trucks owned by the three firms. According to Mr Khreishe, the cement was then sold with a mark-up of at least $15 a ton - and possibly as high as $100 - making profits of well over $6 million (£3.4 million) for company executives. The Legislative Council launched an investigation after Egyptian journalists stumbled upon business links between a German Jewish businessman and the Palestinian companies. According to the report, on November 9 last year a letter was sent to Mr Arafat by the Palestinian Authority comptroller, revealing that open-ended import licences for the cement had been signed by Maher al-Masri, the economy minister. The Palestinian Authority comptroller asserted in the letter that the cement was destined for the wall. The letter was allegedly received and seen by Mr Arafat on the same day that he urged people to demonstrate on the first international "Day against the Wall". According to Mr Khreishe, Mr Arafat took no action to stop further imports, which continued for another five months. Ministry officials said that Mr al-Masri was unavailable for comment. The minister was quoted on a Palestinian news website challenging the claims, although he conceded that some cement had been transported to Israeli businessmen. "There is an exaggeration," he said. "The goal is to distort my reputation." He said that his own investigative committee found that only 14,500 tons of concrete were transported to Israel. He conceded that two ministry officials carried out some "suspicious administrative violations" in relation to the permits, and that there was not full co-ordination between the economy and finance ministries regarding the cement quota. The ministry had issued permits for 233,000 tons, he said, and had then cancelled permits for 65,000 tons. The revelations in the report are highly embarrassing for Mr Arafat, who has been pushing the international community to condemn the 425-mile barrier, of which about one quarter has been built. Israel says that the barrier is vital to protect its citizens from suicide bombers and terrorist attacks. Palestinian leaders argue that it is designed to deprive them of a state, and is cutting off Palestinians from their land, schools, doctors and relatives. Last week, the United Nations condemned the barrier and demanded that it should be torn down. IsrAlert, a Jewish advocacy network, is hosted by Harv Weiner. To subscribe to IsrAlert, send an email to isralert@aol.com |
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH DEFAMES CHRISTIANITY
Posted by Unity Coalition for Israel, July 26, 2004. |
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This was written by by Dennis Prager and appeared in Jewish World Review.
I have argued in this column that the greatest sin is committing evil in God's name. As bad as the evil committed by secularists, such as communists and Nazis, has ever been, the most grievous evil is that which is committed in the name of God. For not only do religious evils harm their victims, they also do lasting damage to God-based morality, which those of us who believe in God and religion consider the only viable antidote to evil. That is why Islamic terror is so evil. Not only because it targets the most innocent of people for death and torture, but because it does so in the name of Allah and Islam. Incredibly, The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) joins the list of religious groups committing evil. In the name of Jesus, it has called for the economic strangulation of Israel. They have equated the Jewish state with South Africa during apartheid and called for a universal divestment from it. The Presbyterians are the first Christian church to do this, and, ironically, the divestment campaign came the very week that the Roman Catholic Church signed a document equating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. It takes a particularly virulent strain of moral idiocy and meanness to single out Israel, not Arafat's Palestinian Authority, or terror-supporting, death-fatwa-issuing Iran, or women-subjugating Saudi Arabia, for condemnation and economic ruin. One of the most decent societies, one of the most liberal democracies in the world, is fighting for its life against Islamic fascists who praise the Holocaust and publicly call for the annihilation of Israel -- and the Presbyterian Church calls for strangling Israel! Apartheid state? This Goebbels-like Big Lie, concocted by the world's anti-Israel and anti-American Left and by those who want Israel destroyed, is now an official doctrine of the Presbyterian Church. Israel is a nation whose population is one-quarter non-Jewish Arab, with the same rights, including voting and its own political parties, as Jewish citizens; a nation whose second official language is Arabic, the language of those who wish to annihilate the Jewish country; a nation that occupies a tiny sliver of land known as the West Bank only because Jordan, overwhelmingly composed of Palestinians, invaded Israel in 1967 in order to destroy it and thereby lost its ownership of the West Bank. As an American who fights to preserve Judeo-Christian values as America's primary value system and preserve Christianity as the specific American faith that embodies those values, I can only say this: the God that the 431 leaders of the Presbyterian Church worship is not my God, any more than the Allah of the Islamic fascists that Israel and America fight is my God. The Bible that these Presbyterians read is not my Bible. The religious values that these Presbyterians hold are not my religious values. This is not a difference about immigration policy, affirmative action, taxation, bigger or smaller government, welfare policies, gun control, or a myriad of other moral issues over which decent, God-fearing people can disagree. This is one of the morality-clarifying issues of our time. To single out Israel for economic strangulation while that good nation fights for its life is an act of such immorality that holding that view precludes one from the title "good" or "God-fearing," for if they are true to God, I am false to Him. If they are good, I who support Israel am bad. If their Bible teaches them to strangle Israel and support Yasser Arafat, I am guided by a different Bible. They have drawn a line. It is now time for good people, Presbyterians specifically, Christians generally, to distance themselves vigorously and publicly from this morally sick church. And it is time, once again, for Jews to realize that the enemies of the Jews in our day are to be found on the Christian Left while their friends are far more often on the Christian Right. Many serious Christians ask, "What Would Jesus Do?" If Jesus were here, he would probably be at Israeli hospitals comforting fellow Jews who were deliberately blinded, paralyzed and brain-damaged by Jew- and Christian-hating Palestinian terrorists. He would surely not be with the Jews' enemies, among whom are now the leaders of the Presbyterian Church, USA. The National Unity Coalition 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!" |
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DOCUMENTING BBC DOCUMENTARIES
Posted by Honest Reporting, July 26, 2004. |
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Dear HonestReporting Subscriber, Foreign visitors to England are generally impressed not only by Buckingham Palace and buttery scones, but also by the high quality of British television. In-depth, non-commercial TV in the UK is enabled primarily by massive public funding of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which receives about £3 billion ($5.5 billion) in public tax money a year. The BBC's highly influential international branch - BBC World Service - draws from these funds to bring their programming to no less than 152 countries worldwide. The generous BBC budget and lack of commercial pressure allow it to broadcast one type of content - documentary films - that has unique potential to add quality context to day-to-day news. But a new, in-depth study released by London attorney Trevor Asserson's bbcwatch (http://www.bbcwatch.com/) indicates that the BBC has used their documentary films on world events not to provide essential, impartial news context, but rather as a platform for an unremitting ideological mission: 'a campaign to vilify Israel.' Of the seventeen documentary programs the BBC produced on Israel over the past four years, only one presented Israel in a positive light; the other sixteen were overwhelmingly pro-Palestinian, casting Israel as a brutal aggressor nation. These programs are generally well-advertised several days beforehand, and are typically broadcast at peak viewing times. Here are just a few of the anti-Israel documentaries aired by the BBC recently, with bbcwatch's comments:
The documentary was broadcast shortly after the Iraq war had ended. "The inference behind these opening remarks, which is repeated throughout the film, is that Israel would have been a more appropriate target than Iraq for the coalition forces to attack."
* * * As continually noted by HonestReporting (and by journalist Tom Gross in a recent article, "Living in a bubble", National Review Online), these BBC documentaries are part of a deep-seated, institutional anti-Israel bias, a culture that drove the senior BBC Arabic Service correspondent in Gaza, Fayad Abu Shamala, to announce at a Hamas rally in May 2001 that journalists and media organizations, including the BBC, are "waging the campaign shoulder-to-shoulder together with the Palestinian people." (http://www.honestreporting.com/articles/reports/BBC_In-depth.asp) Indeed, the bbcwatch report found that despite the BBC's legal obligation from its charter to "provide a properly balanced service consisting of a wide range of subject matter," ensuring that "no significant strand of thought should go unreflected or underrepresented," the BBC actually devotes a highly disproportionate amount of space to the Israeli/Palestinian in general, and to the Palestinian point-of-view in particular. This further strengthens what viewers sense from any particular documentary on its own - the BBC has an overriding, active agenda to indict Israel not only for local problems, but for much of the world's ills. Moreover, the reputation and broad reach of the BBC ensure the immense and potentially dangerous influence of its material, fanning the flames of worldwide anti-Semitism. Reports bbcwatch: "It is not fanciful to contemplate that, by portraying Israel in an unnecessarily negative light, the BBC might itself unwittingly encourage aggression not only against Israelis, but also against UK Jewish citizens." ACTION ITEMS: It is high time that the BBC be forced to compete in the open marketplace like all other news agencies. In that scenario, the general public could demand journalistic integrity from the BBC front office, editors and reporters, ensuring that BBC documentaries show both sides of the Mideast conflict, and putting an end to the BBC's relentless campaign to vilify the State of Israel. bbcwatch laments the fact that the BBC has been almost completely non-responsive to their previous critiques. Fortunately, however, there's another path of action - the BBC's Royal Charter and funding are presently under British governmental review. HonestReporting encourages subscribers to support the cancellation or non-renewal of the charter by writing to UK Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, bringing bbcwatch's latest report to Ms. Jowell's attention as her department considers the ongoing public funding of the BBC. Send email to Tessa Jowell at: tessa.jowell@culture.gsi.gov.uk If you'd prefer to comment directly to the BBC, write BBC Director General Mark Thompson: mark.thompson@bbc.co.uk Subscribers are encouraged to read the full bbcwatch report, and their other three in-depth reports, on the bbcwatch website (http://www.bbcwatch.com/). Thank you for your ongoing support in the battle against media bias. Honest Reporting monitors the media for inaccuracy and unfairness in how they report the news about Israel. Ther website address is http://www.honestreporting.com. You can help support their research online or by sending contributions to: HonestReporting, 400 South Lake Drive, Lakewood, NJ 08701-3167. |
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ANARCHY IN GAZA AND OTHER ITEMS
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, July 26, 2004. |
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CAN ISRAEL EXPLOIT ANARCHY IN GAZA? As Arafat becomes more unpopular in the P.A., anarchy spreads. As anarchy spreads, Arafat becomes more unpopular. Likud Health Min. Naveh sees this as an opportunity for Israel to get rid of Arafat, for "no one in the P.A. would regret is departure" (Arutz-7, 7/18). Min. Naveh assumes that the Arabs would react in the way that a Westerner considers rational. They didn't in the past. Israeli moves against Arafat restored his popularity. When it is the infidels who crack down on him, the Arabs rally to his side. Assassination or expulsion would turn him into a martyr. I think he should be liquidated and his assets seized, but Min. Naveh ought to realize the consequences. One consequence might be to give a new lease on life to the terrorist P.A.. Since Arafat's Arabs overwhelmingly favor terrorism. Arafat would be replaced by someone with perhaps a different style but with the same brutal fanaticism. HOW THE P.A. ENDS GAZA CHAOS Arafat has warned those of his people whom the foreign media employs as reporters and photographers to ignore armed clashes in Gaza (James Taranto, NY Sun, 7/22, p.6). His warnings are backed by force. When the major Western media falls silent on the subject, our people will assume that order has been restored. We lost some freedom of the press, and don't realize it. MURDERED ISRAELI JUDGE THREATENED PLO Without having investigated, the Israeli government contends that a judge was murdered for criminal reasons (Foreign Ministry, 7/20). Barry Chamish points out that the judge had been ruling Arafat and his organizations financially responsible for punitive damages for terrorism. He identified Arafat's assets. Thus he was a threat to the PLO, which was saved many millions of dollars by his assassination. This smells like a cover up (e-mail). The alacrity with which the Establishment asserts that he must have been murdered by criminals whom he ran afoul of does seem suspicious. Chamish investigates what murder victims were known for and who would gain from their liquidation. POWELL PRESERVES EGYPTIAN MILITARY BUILD-UP The House of Representatives defeated a bill to delete $570 million from US military aid to Egypt. Sec. Powell warned that a cut would damage relations with a close ally at a "sensitive moment" (IMRA, 7/18). Or would it reflect damaged relations and is the damage warranted? When isn't it a "sensitive moment" in the Mideast? I think the phrase was inserted for its emotional power upon naifs who consider themselves sophisticated. The designation of the anti-American Egypt as a "close ally" ought to be reevaluated. The US still gives money to enemies and calls them allies for accepting it. Isn't it strange that we give a couple of billion dollars a year so that worthless aggressor state can rebuild its army for future war, and when Congress starts to withhold money from it because of its anti-American propaganda and policy, it is told that would "damage close relations?" Note that Congress heeds a failed Sec. of State. UNO FOULING UP ON SUDAN Ten of thousands of black Sudanese have been killed and millions displaced by the Arabs in the Darfur region. A million more lives are at stake. Each day of failing to stop the ethnic genocide imperils thousands, as Human Rights Watch warns. The US urges speed and sanctions on all guilty parties; the UN urges delay and not sanctioning some. (Much of the world, including fellow Americans, considers the UN legitimate and progressive, and the US not legitimate or decent.) The evidence about this genocide is in. The government is behind it and in it, with Arab tribes. Sec. Gen. Annan, however, urges waiting to see if the President of Sudan would disarm the Arab tribes, as he had promised Annan a couple of weeks ago. Earlier Pres. el-Bashir had denied that the militias were rampaging, then he denied that the government armed and militarily supported the militias, then he promised to stop the militias. (Typical Arab deceit and delay.) China and Pakistan kept from a vote the US resolution for sanctions both on the militia and on the government of Sudan, so they could propose diluting it. The Pakistani delegation insists that the resolution be balanced, so as to denounce both the militia and the rebels (if there are any yet defending themselves as is their right), but not the government. Reacting to Sec. Annan's notion of working through the government, Human Rights Watch remarked, "You don't impose sanctions on the puppet (the militia), you impose sanctions on the puppet master." "The idea that the government would be in charge of disarming and stopping the militias it has backed was 'absurd.'" (Benny Avni, NY Sun, 7/22, p.7.) The world must be policed. The UN cannot do it. That leaves the US. The US needs to throw off UN restraint. Sen. Kerry wants to rely on the UN, and is pulling Pres. Bush with him. KERRY DUPLICITOUS ON POLLARD Candidate Kerry was asked about Pollard. Campaign aides recommend the Jewish Virtual Library report. The Library, however, reiterates the old canards about Pollard: (1) He sold US secrets to Israel. No, he did not sell them. Money was not his object. He aimed to save Israeli lives from a subversive US policy. Officially the US was supposed to give Israel intelligence about Arab troop movements and war preparation. Unofficially, the US withheld it or disseminated disinformation to maximize Israeli casualties. (Pollard did a humanitarian deed that kept many of our Israeli relatives alive.) (2) His was a rogue operation. No, Israel eventually acknowledged he was its agent. (3) The Library omits mentioning the reneged US promises to release Pollard. (4) 60 Senators, including Kerry, signed a letter opposing that release. Their false grounds were that Pollard damaged US national security and endangered US agents. He was not indicted for that. (Some intelligence officials originally felt that way. Later, Ames and another spy were determined to be the culprits.) (5) Israel unilaterally broke an agreement with the US by spying here. No, the US already had been spying on Israel. The US broke trust. The Library is supposed to promote US-Israel relations, but is sabotaging them (IMRA). Why? Kerry's position on Pollard is the kind of evasion and dissembling that critics accuse him of having in general. It is not right to keep someone in jail disproportionately to others and on false pretenses. It is worse to protect the subversives who necessitated what Pollard did. Above, I praised the US government for wishing to halt the Sudan genocide. In the Pollard affair, the US government was promoting genocide, against Israel. I laud Pollard's courage to break the law. There is a higher law than the one that the subversive US government officials hypocritically cite against Pollard. He was willing to pay the usual price. In their vindictiveness and fear of exposure, they charge him ten times that price. THE "TWO STATES SIDE-BY-SIDE" DELUSION New P.A. textbooks came out. They do not envision two states side-by-side, as so many commentators propose Israel make some deal with the P.A. to allow. Rather, they envision one state, an Arab one, absorbing both areas. The books do not teach about peace and co-existence necessary for that side-by-side "solution." Instead they teach the virtue of martyrdom against Jews, whom they defame, along with Judaism. The history lessons are bigoted and false (Margot Dudkevitch, NY Sun, 7/22, p.7). Share the sea, side-by-side with the hammerhead shark, Israel is advised, it just wants a fair share to swim in. All Israel has to do is give the hammerhead its kibbutz-grown carp, to show the harmmerhead goodwill. One industry is a small sacrifice for peaceful coexistence, Israel is told. Although the shark has chewed on Israel before, proving less than goodwill, these commentators do not urge the shark to sacrifice a fin to Israel, to show its goodwill. It is fine to imagine how the hammerhead ought to behave. But it is wiser not to dive into those waters after having experienced how the hammerhead usually behaves. If the Arabs did have some notion of peaceful coexistence, which they and their religion do not, there still should not be a "two-state solution." Calling it a solution implies that there would remain a problem. However, since the current problem is Arab intolerance, then the development of tolerance among them would render moot the question of setting up another Palestinian Arab state. Yes, "another," because there already is one, not that there is a separate Palestinian people to justify it -- Arabs are Arabs, with minor regional differences. SEEKING INFLUENCE BUT BEING INFLUENCED The US claims that arms sales to the Arabs make the Arabs dependent on it (for spare parts, training, etc.). Actually, it makes the US economy dependent on the sale of arms to those clients (Winston Mid East Analysis, 7/19, e-mail). The Arabs are learning to make the spare parts. Nor does the US deny the Arabs what they request, any more. S. Arabia, for example, repeatedly violates with impunity agreed terms for not enhancing certain planes and not stationing them within striking distance of Israel. The US claims either are fatuous or, more likely, are rationalizations to convince people tending to oppose such sales. It is the old trick of giving someone a reason that satisfies him but which one does not believe, oneself. GETTING HARDER FOR ARABS TO BLAME EVERYTHING ON FOREIGNERS A Saudi wrote that his country's preachers, teachers, public speakers, intellectuals, and columnists blame on foreign conspiracies the country's problems with education, unemployment, capital flight, immorality, corruption, crimes, and car accidents. The author asked, who raised non-thinking children? Who designed the impractical curriculum? Who devised the economic plans? How realistic he seems to be, but don't get your hopes up. He goes on to suppose that Israelis hate S. Arabia (IMRA, 7/17 from Saudi News). Most Israelis don't hate the Arabs, though they have cause to and it would be normal. Israelis would like to make peace and friendship with the Arabs. Israelis are very tolerant. The problem is that the Arabs are not. Israelis are called apostles of apartheid, for wanting to keep the Palestinian Arabs at arms length, but those dear Palestinian Arabs keep trying to get close to the Jews in order to murder them. How would you deal with the fanatical Arabs, were you there? Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at ricshulman@aol.com. |
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AN AMERICAN IN IRAQ
Posted by Carrie Devorah, July 26, 2004. |
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Though I had personal reservations on hardships of life in Iraq, I was beginning to accept what mainstream media was reporting. Until dinner the other night. A gentleman, just back home from Iraq, was job hunting, his three month contract for rebuilding Iraq colleges and libraries, completed. My eyebrows had raised upon hearing Iraq had horseracing, a symphony, antiquity laden museums with a curator who has a price. Seeing the Mickey Mouse t-shirts flapping in news clips made me wonder about the bhurka burdened women shown time and again. Then I photographed 7 men whose right hands were severed at the order of Sadaam Hussein. The Mouse in the land of maniacals puzzled me. The man said his job was to replace in colleges, looted computers, equipment and air conditioners, after the American invasion of Iraq. He said Iraqi colleges had not bought books in almost twenty years. Air conditioners, he clarified, were not authorized on his shopping list. Then, there was the stumbling block. The man said he could not do his job. No money. It seems, the $84 million Congress appropriated towards restocking Iraq, could not be accounted for. Stuck somewhere between here and there, he surmised. Complicating things further, for him, was labor. Soldiers told him it was not their job to transport books. Even from table to tailgate. Age 55, the man said he physically stooped, picked up and loaded the books destined for the Colleges, while soldiers half his age, looked on. The man said home in Iraq, for three months, was the green zone, a four mile perimeter surrounded by war zone. He would not venture out at night. During daytime, he travelled with or without companions. Women had no choice but to travel with forced patrols. If they chose to go out. Many didn't. At first, he was housed in large communal constructed tents with about 50 men. After a time, he was transferred into a trailer with a roomie half his age and life experience. He said the menu was consistent, day in and day out, although, he grinned, it was prepared by the CIA, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. Rice, veggies and lamb, Monday. Tuesday, Wednesday. All week. No pork. No horse. Wasn't sure about camel. No McDonalds. He did hear Burger King, has a concession at the PX. With media focused against Americans Infidels, and women cloaked finger to toes in bhurkas, I assumed TV, internet and movies were forbidden in Iraq. The man said one of the first things he noticed was Iraqi children hawking grainy bootlegs of newly released American movies. And yes, Iraq has internet. Funny, I told him, once, I noticed Iraq on a website drop down list. I didn't take it seriously. Neither did I take seriously to where locals typing in Arabic in the London internet cafe where I live, were sending messages abroad. The man said satellite dishes dot Iraqi landscape. Residents outside the green zone, gets upwards of 200 channels. In the green zone, foreign workers get less than twenty. Iraqi's choice of American TV shows is eclectic. He said they watch porn but don't discuss it. Classic movies are popular shows to watch. Their number one choice surprised me. Oprah, dishing a steady diet of celebrities, parenting, kids, decorating, weight loss and beauty joined by Dr. Phil, Bill Clinton, Tom Cruise and Catwoman Halle Berry cracking her whip. Their perception of American relationships is shaped with Matt and Melinda $92,000 in debt; Matt and Nicole after Matt lost his job; and Twyla and Todd having a "rock star wedding on a tuna fish budget." O's democracy lessons on how to get rich or when life isn't fair - her monthly inspirations include Maya Angelou's "I go forth alone and stand as a thousand," a far cry from fundamentalist Koran. George Eliot is quoted, "Who has felt the beauty of a woman's arm?" Gloria Steinem's selection is "Each individual woman's body demands to be accepted on its own terms" under bhurkas, I guess, or inside the green zone, the way they did under Sadaam's regime- skinny jeans and shortened tops. The chap did note his interpreter has not reported to work in a month since he left, a small matter of death threats. I looked down at my plate. Emptied. My veal cutlet was picked clean. On my walk home, I thought how the influence of diplomacy appears to be shifting from political scientists to the inspiration for beating swords into plowshares lying in the hands of a young girl from the South, who has already beat the odds. Carrie Devorah is an award winning photojournalist based in Washington DC. She is the sister of bomb murder victim Yechezkel Chezi Scotty Goldberg murdered January 29 2004 on Bus 19, in Jerusalem, one block away from Prime Minister Sharon's residence. |
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SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR TISHA B'AV FROM ARNOLD ROTH
Posted by Judy Lash Balint, July 26, 2004. |
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This essay is by Arnold Roth. He can be reached at roth@runbox.com Dear friends: Two weeks from now, on Sunday 8th August, our family and friends will go up to our daughter's grave and remember the third anniversary of her murder. (The details of the event are at the end of this note.) As in the past two years, the azkara ceremony will remember the lives of two girls - Malki and her friend and neighbour Michal Raziel, inseparable companions in life, buried side by side, forever 15 and 16 years old. It is the evening before Tisha B'Av as I write this. No other day in the Jewish calendar serves more effectively to sharpen the divergent outlooks which mark Jewish life. And no other period is so difficult to explain to people who are outside the circle of Jewish experience. A war has been raging here in Israel for nearly four years. For people who make their homes in Southern California, North London or in places like Mexico City or Melbourne, it's easy to see this as being of limited relevance. If you define your life purely in terms of the work you do, the political views you hold dear or the football team you support, then a local conflict in distant Asia Minor is not going to keep you awake at night. Whatever it may mean, it's no threat to your personal well-being or state of equanimity. But if you were raised to feel connected to people whose grandparents and more distant forebears shared the same experiences as your own, then things look and feel different. There are some who feel the flow of the Jewish people's history in a personal way. Whether I wanted to or not, I became one of them. My mother was fifteen when the Nazis rolled into her town. My father survived six years of ghetto and concentration camps, and went to his grave 22 years ago with a German bullet still lodged in his flesh. I grew up with the involuntary cries of my parents in their sleep, reliving unspoken actual experiences, unable to escape the nightmares. My generation was raised without grandparents. While our families were small, our parents invested in us - in every sense of the word. They nurtured within us a sense of participating in something larger than ourselves. The chain of Jewish life was made palpable. It connected us to uncles and aunts, to people whose lives had ended violently and before their time, and to the generations who came before them, and before them and before them. We knew, and cherished, the ties that bound us to Israel (I remember it being called 'Palestina' in that more innocent age). We understood and took for granted the basic decency of our own people. Malka Chana, our daughter, arrived in Israel as a two year-old in 1988 and never left it again. Her love for the land and its people was a reality that anyone who knew her could see. Her attachment was deeply emotional. But for some other people, Jewishness seems to be a burden to endure or - worse - a cheap trinket to be exploited for its shininess. Because several of them have been interviewed in the Israeli press recently, I will mention the American college students of Jewish backgrounds arriving in Israel and calling themselves 'peace activists'. Affluent and spoiled products of shopping-mall society, they consent to being positioned on the front lines of often-violent political demonstrations at the security barrier or confront IDF soldiers from behind their foreign passports. They make no secret of the lies they tell to sneak on-board the community-subsidized Birthright program. They boast of the fabrications and alibis they are taught to cook up (sometimes in co-operation with well-known Israeli political groups) to get through the arrivals process at Ben-Gurion airport. They tell journalists about their newly acquired knowledge of Arabic. They show endless understanding of the 'desperation' that kills innocent Israelis in restaurants and buses - condemning terror, of course. Their cold distance from the struggle, challenges and achievements of Israeli society, the ignorance they display of Jewish history and society, their knowing or unknowing complicity in acts of terror, are a sad side-show. It is their disconnectedness from everything Jewish which is the real story. The phenomenon is far from unknown among native Israelis. Behold the Israeli fringe academics calling down European boycotts upon their own universities; the political wanna-be's hiring out their services (and the fat fees and 'grants' they are awarded are a matter of public record) to publicly bewail Israeli guilt in international political gatherings, church meetings, journals and blogs; and the preening apostles of mutual understanding who invite the press cameras along to record their personal 'peace' pilgrimages to the head of the Arafat regime in Ramallah as they whisper in his ear. Feh! Al eleh ani bokhia. For these Jews, we can only weep. I was a speaker on Israel's behalf when the International Court of Justice held its hearings in The Hague this past February. Hundreds of Israel's supporters carried portraits of dead Israelis - victims of Arab hatred - outside the court and through the streets of that cold town. Our message could hardly have been expressed more clearly: we are for life, both our side's and the other side's. We derive no pleasure and no advantage from the confrontation between our two sides and we wish it would end. Their prosperity, their success, their well-being are to our advantage, if only their rulers would allow it. The suffering of which they complain has far more to do with decisions taken in Ramallah and Gaza than in Jerusalem. Our message fell on deaf ears. I spoke, personally, to thirty or more representatives of the media during those hearings. I have taken part in many more press interviews before and since. It's dis-spiriting to me in the extreme how little knowledge or insight there is to be found, on the whole, among the journalists who convey the events of our day-to-day lives to their readers, viewers and listeners. You can only grit your teeth and try to cope with frustration when some of the world's most influential sources of information get the basic story so completely wrong again and again. Look at the past 24 hours of reporting. Why did editors yesterday headline Vanunu's malicious claims about Israeli nuclear recklessness but ignore his pathetic assertions - made at the same time, in the same interview - that Israel was behind JFK's assassination? (Might this perhaps have undermined the man's credibility?) European Union foreign minister Christopher Patten has won unlimited column inches during the past two years denying and denying and denying that EU grants are used by the Palestinian leadership for funding terror. But the same media ignored directly-quoted words of a genuine insider - the recently-deposed speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council - that the Arafat regime has no need of foreign aid because it has billions of dollars of its own "but no one knows anything about the funds". If it were not for the energetic work of www.honestreporting.com, www.camera.org, www.eufunding.org and others like them, there would be no reason for hope at all. In the context of good work, I want to mention what is being done in the name of our daughter. Since it began operations in January 2003, the Malki Foundation has delivered practical and valuable support for hundreds of families in Israel coping with the challenge of home-care for a disabled child. Most of these families are Jewish; some are Christians and Moslems. Our message is not a political one, but a humanitarian one. I hope you will consider making a donation on Malki's yahrzeit. Full details of how to make your donation a tax-deductible and how to donate by credit card are at www.kerenmalki.org/Donating.htm Unlike some other high-profile charities, Keren Malki operates along modest and low-cost lines but achieves a lot. For families caring for a child with serious disabilities, we provide two programs. In the first, specialized home-care equipment is made available at no charge through our partnership with Yad Sarah. In the second, we enable home-based therapy services by providing substantial reimbursement of expenses for five specific forms of therapy: occupational therapy, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, therapeutic horse-riding and speech therapy. As a matter of firm principle, our support is given only for therapy services provided by licensed professionals who issue receipts. We want to expand the range of services, and at some point, as our ability to fund them grows, we will, iy"H. Everyone who knew Malki and her quiet acts of hesed will know how fitting a memorial this is. We will gather at the adjoining graves of Malki and Michal on Har Tamir in Jerusalem's Har Menuchot cemetery on Sunday 8th August 2004. The event is called for 6.00pm. For those coming from Ramot, there will be a free bus which leaves the Ezra youth center (corner of Abba Hillel Silver and Truman Streets) at about 5.00pm and will return there after the azkara. Those who care about Jewish destiny, who feel the pain of Jerusalem on the 9th of Av, who cry for our losses in this cruel war being waged against us by the forces of barbarism and darkness, understand the power that comes from linking arms physically and in spirit with fellow Jews. We Jews are far from being in a state of unity. To the extent that we look to leaders for inspiration, it has to be said that this is an especially uninspiring time. Each of us has his or her personal ways of dealing with these challenges. Far be it from me to give guidance to others, but the Jewish way has always focused on the doing of practical good deeds - maasim tovim, maasei hesed. In the merit of those actions, may we be granted to see peace and harmony quickly, and an end to the tears of Jewish children and their parents. "Jerusalem Diaries: In Tense Times" by Judy Lash Balint (Gefen) is available for purchase from www.israelbooks.com |
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EU TO ISRAEL: "TAKE DOWN YOUR ANTI-TERRORIST BARRIER"
Posted by Jock L. Falkson, July 26, 2004. |
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It is particularly galling as an Israeli to note the EU's unanimous vote for the destruction of Israel's anti-terrorist barrier. Buoyed by the opinion of the International Court of (in)Justice, the EU declares that Israel, the victim of the Palestine (Terrorist) Authority's reign of terror, has no right of self-defense. Because the barrier, which Israel is erecting to prevent the inhuman Arab suicide squads entering our country, also inconveniences some residents of the so called West Bank. The obvious way to ensure an easier flow of traffic and people is for the Palestine (Terrorist) Authority to conduct their own intensive searches on their side of the crossing points. Why don't they do this? Isn't it obvious that had they done so there'd never have been any need for an anti-terrorist barrier in the first place? UN Enthusiastic About Destruction Of Israel's Anti-Terrorist Barrier The vast majority of the UN nations openly or secretly, inadvertently or naively, aid the Palestine (Terrorist) Authority, which in turn funds, aids, equips, educates and incites their people to commit terrorism and to glorify terrorists. How could masses of war materiel enter secret tunnels which have their inlet/outlet in the Egyptian controlled Sinai, unless Cairo approved? Virtually nothing crosses from Jordan for the opposite reason: the Jordanians don't permit it. They successfully guard their border to ensure there are no breaches. Nothing happens on Syria's border either. The Syrians don't allow it. Palestinian inconveniences, real and imagined, are adjudged by the EU as more deserving than Israel's desire to save Jewish lives. Should we be all that surprised? Perfidious Germany
Perfidious France
Perfidious Holland
Perfidious Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia
Perfidious Greece, Hungary
Courageous Denmark and Sweden
"My mind is made up - don't confuse me with facts" The EU has swallowed the big lie that Israel "occupies Palestinian territory." They are determined to morph that lie into truth in complete disregard of the facts of recent history.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana has threatened Israel in the characteristic bully-boy manner: "The EU is a very important international power and is going to play a role here, whether you like it or not," he said. The inference is clear. It will be a pro-Palestinian role, that much is obvious. Israel has nothing to lose by declaring Solana persona non grata. To be put on Jock Falkson's email list, email him at falkson@barak-online.net |
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NYC SOLIDARITY RALLY WITH GUSH KATIF/GAZA
Posted by AFSI, July 26, 2004. |
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Americans For a Safe Israel/AFSI called for a solidarity human chain demonstration at 6 P.M. on Second Avenue between 42nd & 43rd Streets in New York City on Sunday, July 25. Over 500 people answered that call on the same day that the Gush Katif/Gaza organizers experienced their huge success when over 200,000 people formed a human chain of solidarity from Gush Katif to the Kotel in Jerusalem, Israel. Helen Freedman, Executive Director of Americans For a Safe Israel, led the demonstration, reminding those assembled that Gaza has historical, biblical, and moral entitlement for the Jewish people. She also declared that rewarding terrorism in Gaza by expelling the 8000 Jews living there, and turning their homes over to terrorists, would carry dire consequences for all of Israel, as well as America and the entire western world. Carrying signs reading, "Sharon - Let the people STAY", "As Gaza Goes, So Goes all of Israel", "The Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel," and "Pres. Bush, Honor G-d's Covenant with Israel," the crowd roared with approval as all the speakers echoed the themes that terrorism must not be rewarded, that Jews must not be expelled from the land given to them by G-d, and that no man could break G-d's covenant with the Jewish people. A logical conclusion was that there cannot be a "Palestinian" state inside Israel. The Chabad Lubavitch had arrived at the gathering in buses that carried women, children, and men to acclaim the Rebbe's message of "Not One Inch." We were honored to hear holy words of support for Gush Katif/Gaza from Rabbi Leibl Groner, the late Rebbe's secretary, Rabbi Yossi Jacobson, noted speaker, publisher and teacher, a Rabbi from S'derot, just outside of Gush Katif, and other distinguished Chabad rabbis. Chabad children took turns reciting prayers for the welfare of all the land of Israel, and Assemblyman Dov Hikind gave a ringing endorsement of the communities of Gush Katif. Charlotte Wahle, of AFSI, spoke about her solidarity trip to Negohot, while Glenn Richter, of AFSI and AMCHA, described the great success of the human chain in Israel. He announced a prayer service to be held on Tisha B'Av, Tuesday, July 27, at 2 PM at the Isaiah Wall, opposite the UN. Plans have been made to have a live telephone hook-up with residents of Nevei Dekalim in Gush Katif/Gaza. Christian Zionists who had traveled from Norway were there to lend support. They were warmly welcomed, as were those who had traveled across America from California. Participants had come from all over the tri-state area to join AFSI and Chabad in the New York City human chain of support for Gush Katif/Gaza. It was this togetherness that made the event so successful. Those who wish to make tax deductible contributions to the embattled residents of Gush Katif/Gaza are invited to send their checks, made out to FRIENDS OF GUSH KATIF, to Americans for a Safe Israel/AFSI, 1623 Third Ave., Suite 205, New York, N.Y. 1012 Americans For a Safe Israel/AFSI is a pro-active pro-Israel advocacy group. AFSI may be contacted by mail at 1623 Third Ave., Suite 205, New York, N.Y. 10128 (Tel: 212-828-2424; Fax: 212-828-1717); by email at afsi@rcn.com; or by accessing its website: www. afsi.org. Helen Freedman is Executive Director. |
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FEMALE IDF SOLDIERS SEDUCED BY ARAB TERRORISTS AT BORDER CHECKPOSTS
Posted by Voice of Judea, July 26, 2004. |
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1- GAZA CONNECTS TO JERUSALEM - HISTORIC HUMAN CHAIN Sharon's plans to disengage from Gaza suffered several devastating blows yesterday. Police reports claim that 130,000 people locked hand over a stretch of 90 kilometers, effectively creating a human chain connecting Gaza to Jerusalem. This unprecedented show of force has even the most extreme left-wing correspondents declaring that "one can not be emotionally moved by this complex and creative initiative...This show could only have been pulled off by the 'settler' camp - and regardless of your view about them, their love of the land is one of the nice and moving aspects of Israeli society..." (Front page, Maariv, 8th of Av). Indeed, it was an emotional experience watching the tears flow from the tens of thousands and hearing the national anthem of Hatikva being sung by men, women and children comprising a 90 kilometer chain of humanity who spent hours under the scorching sun to band together and shout forth their love for the land of Israel and their connection to Gaza. No democracy can ignore this outpour of support for the Jews of Gaza and this defiant opposition to the government's plan to expel the Jews from their homes in Gaza and Northern Shomron. In fact, a regime need not be a democracy to cave in to public opinion and to the will of the masses. Sharon had a rough day. If the huge national protest was not enough he got another political smack in the head when Silvan Shalom, his government's popular Foreign Minister organized a political rally attended by more than 1000 supporters, where he announced that he is jumping ship and now opposes Sharon's efforts to invite Labor into a national coalition. Without Labor, Sharon will have a more than difficult task moving forward with any effort to transfer the Jews out of Gaza. Sharon received a political boost from Arafat, when Arafat said that he would wait to outlive Sharon, hoping that Sharon and Bush will be history after elections, next fall. Sharon responded, "I did not know he was waiting for me to fall. I thought that it was only the Jews who wish my political demise". Voice of Judea Commentary: How sad, that Sharon, one of the greatest Generals who ever lived and formerly one of the most popular, legendary Israeli figures, will be remembered as a leader who was hated by his own people for betraying the land and the nation at the end of his political life. Even the international community and the Arabs that he seeks to appease in his old age, refuse to recognize the great sacrifice he has made in return for their fraudulent peace. In the end, he has sacrificed his land and his nation's security in return for nothing. His plan does not even seek reciprosity. And Arafat will yet outlive Sharon. The Bible teaches us that even the evil King Pharoah of Egypt, with a heart that was hardened by G-d payed some attention to his people and their wishes. In the meantime, Sharon continues to ignore his crumbling party that has voiced their opposition to his plans and he continues to ignore mounting public opposition. 2- FEMALE IDF SOLDIERS SEDUCED BY ARAB TERRORISTS AT BORDER CHECKPOSTS A new explanation is being given to explain how some Arabs are managing to sneak through Israeli fences, barriers and checkpoints. The Arabs have not developed superior technology to outwit the new and sophisticated Israeli border control features. They have simply reverted to good old tactics of romantic intrigue and seduction of female Israeli soldiers, who man some of the most vulnerable check points in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. According to an article published in Maariv, on the 26th of July, 04, "Soldiers testified that some of the female soldiers made friends with Arabs and gave them security secrets...they met at the checkpoint near Kalandia - female soldiers and Arab men who they checked...the love spread and so did the secrets on the phone...one of them told her Arab lover everything: Where is the guard house, and where are the observation points and when we switch the guards...The IDF spokesman said that he found no reason to make an issue of it..." One soldier said that one of the female soldiers was seen meeting intimately with an Arab in a small tent used to change clothing, between shifts. The IDF investigation was unable to prove the allegations that were made by the male soldiers at the Kalandia checkpoint. Voice of Judea Commentary: What are female soldiers doing at such a vulnerable crossing? What is the IDF doing to prevent such relationships? Last week, Israeli radio reported that a Jewish female soldier was being investigated after her weapon was taken from under her bed in a hotel in Tiberias. She had rented the hotel room together with her Arab boyfriend. It is extremely sad and mind boggling to consider the fact that Jewish girls in Israel are assimilating to death, mingling and intermarrying with Arabs. It is not only a spiritual and religio-national problem of the first order but a security issue which can't be ignored. Recently, articles have been published about the influx of Arab Israeli youth into Ashqelon and on Ashqelon beaches, where many Jewish girls are dating young Arabs. While most Israelis between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one are serving in the army, far away from home training and fighting for Israel's survivial, young Arabs are conquering the beaches, the discos and the hearts of young Jewish girls. One 17 year old Jewish girl, a recent immigrant from Argentina, told a local Ashqelon radio station, "Most of my friends have Arab boy friends, they are handsome and sweet, and they see no reason not to have a good time with them. I, too, almost fell into this trap, when an Arab named Muhammed from Um El Fahem, asked me out and he told me his name was Moshe. I only learned later, that his real name was Muhammed. I did not leave Argentina to marry away from my faith, but many of my Israeli friends don't agree with me. To be honest, I am scared to walk on the shore, early in the morning with throngs of Arab boys making remarks and whistling..Some of my friends like the attention. I stay home, instead of jogging in the morning, as I used to. I am frightened, just like I used to be in Argentina." When the radio interviewer asked her if she did not feel like a racist, not wishing to befriend non-Jews, she said, "I did not run away from Argentina and come home to Israel, a Jewish state to be with non-Jews and to marry my enemy." Unfortunately, thousands of young Israeli girls do not see things that way and intermarriage is rapidly growing in Israel. The recent headlines about Ashqelon, Tiberias and female IDF soldeirs suspected of delivering weapons and secrets to their Arab lovers are only a tiny part of the problem. 3- VOICE OF JUDEA APPEAL SAVES VOLUNTEER DOG UNIT The recent urgent appeal that was broadcast by the Voice of Judea last week on behalf of the dog unit of the Gedud HaIvri was successful in raising the urgently needed funds to keep this life-saving program alive. The Gedud HaIvri is a volunteer unit that helps patrol Jewish towns in Yesha and that breeds, trains and places special patrol dogs and their handlers in towns where they are needed to help sniff out bombs and terrorists. The Gedud HaIvri has placed guard dogs in Kedumim, Rehelim, Nofei Nehemia, Tapuach, Tapuach West, Bat Ayin Bet, Kiryat Arba, Har Sina, Patish, Hill 26, Alei Zahav, Eir David's project in Jab Al Mukhabar, Ateret Kohanim's project near Ras Al Amud, Karmei Tzur, Tzefat, Yitzhar, Mitzpeh Yitzhar, Itamar and elsewhere. Courses are offered to members of emergency response teams, security personnel and any civilian who wishes to to learn canine security and who is prepared to volunteer to do guard duty with the dogs. The cost of sponsoring a dog and a volunteer handler for a full year is 10,000 dollars for the first year and 5 thousand dollars for every year thereafter. The cost of sponsoring the training course for a month is 2000 dollars. Checks can sent to Gedud HaIvri - Jaffa Road 210 - Apt 14, Jerusalem
Israel
Credit card and paypal contributuions can be made at http://www.defendisrael.net/donate.shtml In USA Tel. 718 874 2057
SPECIAL THANKS TO CRAIG FEDER FOR MOBILIZING DOCTORS FOR ISRAEL'S DEFENSE AND FOR HELPING WITH THE GEDUD HAIVRI CANINE UNIT. You can subscribe to the Voice of Judea emails by sending an email to jsid@amanda.dorsai.org |
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JOINING HANDS AND WHAT TO DO NEXT
Posted by Anita Tucker, July 26, 2004. |
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"Joining Hands" written by Naomi Regan, an American-born novelist and
playwright who has lived in Jerusalem since 1971. Naomi also publishes
a regular email newsletter, to which you can subscribe by sending an
empty email message to: NaomiRagen-on@mail-list.com.
David Bedein is Bureau Chief, Israel Resource News Agency. (http://Israelbehindthenews.com). The subject of Israel destroying the thriving Jewish communities in Gush Katif in exchange for -- well, no one has quite figured that out yet -- has been on my mind ever since the "plan" was proposed by Mr. Sharon. I read the "plan" carefully, and all I could see was a series of destructive acts against peaceful Jewish communities, without any up side. It didn't promise peace. It didn't even promise better security. In short, there was no logical reason at all to do it. I was even present at an interview with Mr. Ehud Olmert, who staunchly backed the plan, and tried his best to defend it. "If it saves even one life.." he said vaguely. Did he mean it was dangerous for Jews to live surrounded by Arabs? Dangerous for the soldiers who protect them? If that was the argument, then it held true for me as well, living in Jerusalem, surrounded by Arab villages. And it was certainly true of the entire State of Israel, being as it is in the Middle East, surrounded by Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Iraq...etc. There was no one to negotiate with, and therefore, we needed to unilaterally set our own boundaries and break off from the dangerous Gaza Strip, the next argument went. When they said "break off" did that mean no more Gazan workers coming into Israel every day? And what, exactly, was going to stop Palestinians from turning the area into a terrorist training camp, even closer to Israel's population centers, once peaceful Jewish homes and businesses were bulldozed? What was going to stop the Kassam rocket launchers from being moved even closer, sending bombs into the bedrooms and nursery schools of Ashdod and Ashkelon? I didn't get answers to those queries either. So, when it was announced that a protest was being organized that would create a human chain from Gush Katif to the heart of Jerusalem, I decided to join hands. It was an amazing sight. Hundreds of people snaking down highways, lining the streets of Jerusalem. Children, and teenagers in bright orange, waving flags. Mothers, fathers, grandparents. I saw Benny Elon, the Knesset Member. I saw the legendary Geulah Cohen. I saw my lawyer, and women from my synagogue. Streets had been designated for different neighborhoods, and I found my friends and neighbors standing together. Ushers took great care not to allow roads to be blocked, so as not to create traffic jams. There were no hate signs. No violence. Later I heard that David Hatuel, whose wife and four daughters were slaughtered by terrorists, was also there. He told reporters:"Sadly, I came alone, but the connection I felt from everyone here on erev Tisha B'Av is quite amazing. This will broadcast to everyone that we have the will to continue to pursue our lives in all parts of the land of Israel," he said. As I walked through the streets of downtown Jerusalem, I remembered how only a short time ago, they were deserted, a ghost town, people fleeing the silent reminders of shattered glass and human flesh and blood-soaked pavement. How much we had all lived through! Yet now there didn't seem to be standing room. There didn't seem to be a iota of fear. These streets had been claimed once again, I thought, the silence banished. It was an act of tremendous courage. These people, these brave, wonderful people, deserve better leaders, I thought. Leaders who are worthy of their hope and faith and courage and fortitude. And as we joined hands at ten to seven, and began singing Israel's national anthem, HaTikvah (The Hope) I really did begin to feel hopeful. Perhaps this horrible mistake, pushed forward by a government that has betrayed the democratic process in pursuing useless and harmful policies that were voted out resoundingly by the people who put them into office, could be stopped. If you too would like to join hands in stopping it, here are some excellent suggestions by David Bedein:
Anita Tucker lives in Gush Katif, Gaza. She can be reached at tucker@isdn.net.il |
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A DAY AT THE WESTERN WALL
Posted by Mordechai Ben-Menachem, July 25, 2004. |
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The AISH website has a movie made about the Western Wall that you can download. Go to http://www.aish.com/a/wall.asp THIS MUST DEFINITELY BE VIEWED BY EVERYONE! AND DISTRIBUTED! Mordechai Ben=Menachem is at Ben-Gurion University and can be reached at quality@computer.org |
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THE PALESTINIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT
Posted by Barry Rubin, July 25, 2004. |
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Yasir Arafat, architect of the Palestinian national movement, is now concluding his career by being its undertaker. A number of recent events show the spread of chaos and conflict among Palestinian groups to new heights. This is only the beginning. A key problem is going to be their inability to create an effective administration for the Gaza Strip after Israel's withdrawal. Arafat's combination of dictatorship and ineptness is best illustrated by his nepotistic choice, withdrawn after a few days, of his nephew Musa Arafat, head of Military Intelligence and probably the single most unpopular Palestinian security official, to run the area. None of these problems can be credibly blamed on Israel. By throwing away the chance for peace in the year 2000 and instead launching a four-year-long war they cannot win, Arafat led his people into a dead end. Aside from this strategic inflexibility and tactical extremism, Arafat and his colleagues--as well as the Islamist groups like Hamas--have put the priority on destroying Israel rather than ending the occupation and obtaining their own state through a compromise agreement. Despite many euphemisms designed to excuse anti-civilian terrorism, the primacy on violence has poisoned the movement. Palestinians have been repeatedly told by leaders, activists, media and clergy that only maximal demands are patriotic and that moderation is a form of treason. Arafat's whole career shows that he will not yield power, delegate authority, or even name a successor. This ensures that the Palestinian deadlock will remain as long as he lives. Just as Arafat will firmly clutch the steering wheel as he plows the Palestinian vehicle into a stone wall, no one will try to hard to grab it away from him. Not only does Arafat refuse to be pushed aside but anyone trying will be branded as a foreign agent by his many rivals. Moreover, Palestinian factions and secondary leaders are too divided to unite around any other candidate. For years, Arafat has successfully played off all these people. None of them will cede precedence to anyone else. The result will not be civil war so much as a situation in which no one governs but local warlords each tries to control their own turf. To make matters worse, no one is going to save the Palestinians from themselves. Despite their rhetoric, Arab states will not lift a finger to rescue the Palestinians. Egypt has tried to help out in Gaza but Arafat has sabotaged its efforts. In general, Arab regimes are content merely to vilify Israel and demand that the United States solves the problem for them. Europeans are also becoming fed up with Arafat and his colleagues, especially given their theft or misuse of aid money. The growing anarchy is fueled by deep divisions among Palestinians. These include those inside the territories against those living in Arab states, West Bankers versus Gazans, members of the dozen security forces against each other, ambitious individuals trying to position themselves as the future leader, and nationalists against Islamists. Even Arafat's own group, Fatah, is very badly divided into at least four major factions. First, there is the historic leadership, mostly returnees to the West Bank and Gaza Strip from long years in exile, which still dominates all the movement's ruling bodies. This group includes Prime Minister Abu Ala, whose efforts to resign have been blocked by Arafat; the PLO; Palestinian Authority (PA); and Fatah Central Committee. These people are loyal to Arafat, holding office and enriching themselves due to his patronage. On the West Bank there is the self-proclaimed "grassroots" activists of the closely associated Tanzim organization and terrorist al-Aqsa Brigades. This loose grouping, led by Marwan Barghouti who is currently in an Israeli prison, have been posing as Arafat loyalists since he also favors continued armed struggle. Perhaps the most worrisome factor in Palestinian politics is that these people view an alliance with the radical Islamist group Hamas as its strategy for success. This is a formula for endless warfare. But in Gaza there is the faction led by Muhammad Dahlan, head of the Preventive Security force there. This is the most pragmatic group, the only factor that believes that ending the fighting and getting a state by making peace with Israel is the best alternative. Yet this is merely one more local faction trying to gain control through force rather than by building a mass base. Finally, there are all the other security forces, from the regular police to Musa Arafat's men, each of which wants to empower and enrich itself. They will follow Arafat as long as he is alive but will not cooperate with any other leader, nor participate actively in calming the situation or fighting the corruption of which they are major beneficiaries. Growing anarchy among Palestinians, with no solution in sight, has tremendous implications not only for that immediate conflict but also for regional developments and U.S. policy. Most immediately, there will be no stability in a post-occupation Gaza Strip, no Palestinian element willing to act decisively to end the violence, and no Palestinian leadership ready to make peace with Israel. The fundamental problem is not that the Palestinians are being offered too little but that they will continue to demand too much while being unable or unwilling to implement any agreement. This situation is unable to change during Arafat's lifetime. Indeed, given the lack of a designated successor--or any conceivable figure on whom Palestinian leaders might agree for this post--it will continue for some years after he leaves the scene. Understanding that, unfortunately, the Israel-Palestinian conflict is going to be irresolvable for some time to come must be the starting point of U.S. policy and assessments of the region. Professor Barry Rubin is Director of The Global Research in International Affairs Center (GLORIA) and Editor of Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA). His columns can be read online at http://gloria.idc.ac.il/columns/column.html. |
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PICTURES OF THE HUMAN CHAIN IN JERUSALEM
Posted by Jacob Richman, July 25, 2004. |
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Hi Everyone! I posted on my website 112 pictures of the Jerusalem section of the Human Chain that went from Gush Katif in Gaza to the Kotel in Jerusalem. The 56 mile chain was a solidarity event with our brothers and sisters in Gaza. The pictures were taken on July 25, 2004 from 17:00 - 19:00 The pictures cover Yaffo Street from Kikar Davidka to the Old City to the Kotel. When the first page comes up, press the F11 key on the top of your keyboard for a full page view. Use the icon buttons on the bottom of each page to navigate. http://www.jr.co.il/rally/r024.htm May all those fasting on Tisha B'Av have an easy fast.
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THE HOPE
Posted by Judy Lash Balint, July 25, 2004. |
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At precisely 7 p.m. this evening, more than 120,000 Israelis spread over 56 miles between Gush Katif and Jerusalem, to join hands and sing Israel's national anthem, Hatikva, or The Hope. The human chain, the third largest such event in world political history, could be seen as a desperate attempt to impress upon Israel's political leaders and those pressuring them from abroad, that public opinion regarding the so-called disengagement plan is not overhwhelmingly on Arik Sharon's side. Conventional wisdom here holds that one of the reasons Prime Minister Sharon is pursuing the unilateral pullout from Gush Katif is that he is responding to public demand to disengage from the area. Today's show of strength might just give hom a more balanced view. The chain that was organized over the past three months, was divided into 8 parts. Each section of the way was designated for particular communities, so people knew where to stand. In Jerusalem, the route snaked from the western entrance to the city down the length of Jaffa Road and on into the Old City, through Zion and Jaffa Gates and down to the Kotel. At the beginning of the two hour chain, chaos reigned. Hundreds of people poured into Jaffa Road wearing the orange T shirts and baseball hats of the anti-disengagement campaign, or in regular clothes adorned with The People Are With Gush Katif stickers. Many carried large Israeli flags, or wore them as capes--but no one really knew what to do. This was different than the mass demonstrations that had taken place many times before at this spot near Zion Square. This time there was no platform, no speeches, no music--just the power of the people. The 500 young men designated as ushers, ran up and down the streets filled with people with no idea how to get the crowd to stand in line and link hands. Crowds gathered at all the major intersections along Jaffa Road, but it took more than an hour until the idea caught on to actually spread out and show their strength of numbers. "They just don't know how to do this kind of thing," bemoaned Chaim Rosenthal, a frustrated activist and immigrant from Boston. Rosenthal, a forty-something with the look of a 60s era hippie, recalled the civil disobedience of his youth. "We knew instinctively how to get these things going," he said. Down at Jaffa Gate, things were slightly more organized, with rows of flag-waving Israelis joined by large numbers of tourists and Christian visitors. At the Kotel, the final stop for the chain, hundreds of people tried to figure out what to do with themselves, but in the end, things worked out. Huge silver shofarot (trumpets) were blown and a note was placed in the wall by the last link in the chain, Gush Katif resident, six-year-old Yael Better, who placed her hand on the ancient stones of the Kotel while more than 2,000 people in the courtyard sang the Hatikva.The first person on the chain in Nissanit was her grandfather, Shamir Yitzhak, who was evacuated from the Gaza Strip when Egypt captured the area in the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948. "I don't know if it will have any influence. But we at least want to show the government that this can't be given up easily," said Mordechai Better, Yael's father. "It's not something that can be removed in a minute. There are three generations here." Also present at the Kotel was bereaved father and husband David Hatuel, whose pregnant wife and four daughters were murdered in their car in Gush Katif just a few months ago. He told reporters that he was overwhelmed by the unprecedented event. "Sadly, I came alone, but the connection I felt from everyone here on erev Tisha B'Av is quite amazing. This will broadcast to everyone that we have the will to continue to pursue our lives in all parts of the land of Israel," he said. Back on Jaffa Road, the crowds swelled to five or six people deep as the 7p.m concluding hour approached. Buses and taxis continued to run down Jerusalem's main road, with many drivers honking their support to the demonstrators. Press photographers perched on the back of motorcycles and drove slowly up and down the street to capture the scene. Barbara Green and her two children dressed in Gush Katif orange were standing just west of Zion Square. The residents of Hashmonaim had returned just a few days ago from a two year sabbatical in Seattle. "We're here because we want the government to see that people are really upset about this," Green insisted. "We can't have another Yamit," she added, referring to the deliberate destruction of a Jewish town in the Sinai in the 1980s in the interests of peace. Meantime, while the chain was in formation, Kassam rockets hit the community center in Neve Dekalim, the largest Gush Katif town. Six children were injured. The human chain was the first item up on the evening news, with commentators noting that this first-of-a-kind manifestation of public opinion would go down in the annals of Israeli political history. For those who stood together singing The Hope, it was the successful conclusion of yet another battle in the war to preserve Israel's integrity. |
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A NEW WORLDWIDE JEWISH ISRAELI RADIO STATION
Posted by Arik Lev, July 25, 2004. |
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Please listen to the new radio station at http://www.kolhalev.com that serves the Jewish and Israeli community around the world. For your enjoyment, we have a new show each day replete with beautiful Jewish and Israeli music, as well as interviews with leading personalities discussing politics, history, Torah, finance, the arts, and more. At Radio Kol Halev you will be able to request your favorite songs, send your regard to your friends, or discuss current events on the air with one of our interviewers. We also have great prizes for you and you can even meet friends or love through our radio station, for we intend to connect Israelis and Jews around the world. We would greatly appreciate if you would email this request to listen to Radio Kol Halev to all your Jewish and Israeli friends and ask them to forward this email to all their friends too. We are confident that you will enjoy our daily programs and we welcome your comments, suggestions, or critiques. Please email us your pithy remarks at ariklev@yahoo.com Thanks and hope to hear from you soon, Radio Kol Halev, the radio station on the World Wide Wed for Jews and Israelis around the world. |
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APRIL MAGIC
Posted by Gerald A. Honigman, July 25, 2004. |
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I don't know. Maybe it was just an exercise in rallying support among millions of key Evangelical Christian voters and winning over some Jews in what promises to be a very close election come November 2004. Dubya, after all, won last time around in a highly controversial election by, literally, just a few handfuls of votes in Florida. But maybe--just maybe--while it undoubtedly involved this, perhaps there was something else astir as well. I've gotten ahead of myself, so let's backtrack a bit. Israel's Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, made a very hard decision last April. After decades of supporting the construction of Israeli settlements in disputed territories Israel wound up with as a result of having to fight a defensive war for its life in June 1967, the Old Warrior decided that the costs outweighed the gains of keeping Jews in Gaza. While it is true that, while their numbers drastically fluctuated, Jews had lived in Gaza for millennia; that, since the days of the Pharaohs, Gaza had been used as an invasion route into Israel proper by those aiming to destroy or subjugate it; that Gaza had become a hotbed for terrorists aiming to destroy Israel; that Jewish communities set up in Gaza were not on Arab-owned land; etc. and so forth; it is also true that many--if not most--Israelis were looking for a way out of Gaza if the proper conditions presented themselves. Israel had long been under pressure to take some steps to revive the all-but-dead, so-called roadmap for peace with Palestinian Arabs. While the latter was seen, at least in a few circles, to exist in such a moribund state due to the unwillingness and/or inability of the Arabs to control their own disembowelers of Jews, this key factor did not matter nearly as much as it should have. So the squeeze was put on the Jews. While such hypocrisy was by now expected from Europe and much of the rest of the world, the folks at Foggy Bottom also habitually indulge in this sort of behavior, coming up with absurd, alleged "moral equivalencies" and the like. Lacking any Anwar Sadat or King Hussein-type to deal with among Palestinian Arabs (i.e. Arab leaders willing to allow for a viable Israel still existing on the morrow after a peace treaty is signed), Arik decided to make a unilateral move to break the stalemate while also supposedly enhancing Israel's overall security position. The latter assertion is hotly debated given certain "facts of life." In April 2004, Sharon thus came up with his Gaza withdrawal plan. In addition to the removal of Gaza's 8,000 Jews, some settlements in Samaria, the northern West Bank, were also placed on the eviction notice. The world had been clamoring for such Israeli moves for decades. Those who had conquered territories sometimes hundreds or thousands of miles away from home in the name of their own nations' security somehow couldn't figure out the life-threatening problems Israel was constantly faced with due to the armistice lines imposed upon it in 1949 by the United Nations. As is well known by now, those lines made Israel a mere 9-miles wide at its strategic waist, where most of the nation's population and industry are located. One needn't be Napoleon to figure out what this all meant to a nation grossly out-manned and out-gunned, surrounded by enemies sworn to its demise. And, as would become the norm, the UN had only stepped in after the Jews turned the tide of the Arab invasion in 1948 to snuff out both their own lives and the life of their sole, miniscule, reborn nation. Israel was never meant to be a 9-mile wide rump state...but that's how it was left when the lines were drawn in '49 marking the point where the Jews finally turned back the invasion of a half dozen Arab armies supplied to the teeth with weaponry left over by the Allies from World War II and led, in Transjordan, by British officers. The UN stepped in to limit Arab losses, not to prevent their blatant aggression. This behavior would be repeated in subsequent decades as well. Arab settlers from elsewhere then, once again, poured into these disputed territories. As leading international legal scholars like Eugene Rostow have pointed out, the latter had largely been unapportioned state lands belonging to the original Mandate, open to settlement by Arabs, Jews, and others as well. After 1949, however, only Arabs were able to move here with Transjordan's internationally unrecognized land grab. Purely Arab Transjordan, comprising all the land on the east bank of the River, had already been created by the British in 1922 from almost 80% of the original 1920 borders of the Mandate of Palestine, and Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria - the "West Bank" - had been massacred by the Arabs in the 1920s. During this same time period, the League of Nations Permanent Mandates Commission documented massive waves of Arabs (scores of thousands in just a few months alone) pouring into the Mandate from Syria, Egypt, North Africa, and elsewhere as well. Many more Arabs entered under cover of darkness and were simply never recorded--more "native Palestinians." Thanks to the Jews, the Mandate was economically booming, drawing Arabs in from the entire region. While this has been repeated ad nauseam, it must be stated yet again. The architects of famed UN Security Council Resolution 242 (Rostow included), carefully worded the final, accepted draft so that Israel would not be expected to have to return to its pre-'67, suicidal armistice lines. Indeed, the resolution called for the creation of "secure and recognized borders" to replace those lines. The bulk of Israel's settlements have been placed with such a strategic territorial compromise in mind. While some will have to go as a trade off for a real peace agreement, others will have to stay. The area under discussion is tiny to begin with. When Egypt held Gaza and Jordan (name changed after it came to hold both banks of the River) held the West Bank for almost two decades, no one called for the creation of an additional Arab State...their second, not first, one in "Palestine." But, after 1967, the world demanded the latter of the Jews, expecting them to bare their necks to bring this about (while ignoring the plight of 30 million stateless Kurds, millions of Black African Sudanese, and others as well being slaughtered in the name of Arab nationalism). And the American Foggy Folks constantly make the point that the additional Arab state must not be a bantustan. Guess what? Justice does not demand that the boundaries and such of any 22nd or 23rd Arab state -- that there really is no room for -- come at the expense of security for the sole state of the Jews. Despite all of this, Sharon sought to break the log jam with his April 2004 unilateral withdrawal proposals. So, the hypocrites should have applauded Arik's decision, correct? Guess again... The Arabs, of course, viewed it simply as another victory in their destruction in phases scenario. Terrorism works, Lebanon again, and so forth. That's the message, unfortunately, they got from Arik. And rather than feeling compelled to come up with some real conciliatory moves of their own, they simply made more demands for additional, unilateral Israeli concessions. Since the failure of their "one fell swoop" plan for Israel's destruction in June 1967, they adopted a strategy to politically force a return to the indefensible armistice lines of 1949. Given new technologies, massive buildups of Arab armed forces, the continuing Arab birth rate, and the like, the return of Israel to its pre-'67 lines, coupled with a demand for a "return" of millions of Arabs to the Jews' rump state, would be the beginning of the end. The Arabs openly acknowledged all of this. Even their "moderates" called Oslo and other so-called plans for "peace" merely a Trojan Horse, designed to bring about Arafat's so-called "Peace of the Quraysh," the temporary hudna designed to buy time while weakening the Jews for the same final blow Muhammad dealt to his pagan enemies almost fourteen centuries earlier. That Arabs have responded this way was no shock. But they have been supported in this behavior by most of the world as well. And then there was the magic of April... There had been talk before Sharon came up with his withdrawal plan that he would get some backing from Washington on some other key matters. There is an indisputable set of facts regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict. If there will ever be peace between Arab and Jew, Arabs will have to give up their eternal plans for Israel's destruction. Had they done this, Arabs could have had their second state in Palestine decades ago. Fair and just plans were presented and rejected over the decades by the Arabs themselves--certainly far more than Arabs had ever offered to any of their own national competitors. The reality is that they still want that additional state to exist in place of, not along side of, the Jewish one. Enter George W. Bush... Standing near Sharon, in a news conference being watched on television all over the world, an American President--the first since Truman in 1948--finally took a political stance that might yet lead to peace. Dubya stated, before millions watching him, the two key ingredients for such a recipe: Israel should not be expected to return to the indefensible armistice lines of 1949 (and he called them just that, not "borders"), and real and fudged Arab refugees would have to go to the proposed new Arab state, not overwhelm the Jews in Israel. Half of Israel's Jews were refugees from Arab/Muslim lands. Einstein was not needed to figure this recipe out. But Arabs had long been given reason, via the world's actions, to hope that Israel would yet become an updated Czechoslovakia with the West Bank as its Sudetenland. All that was missing was a proper Chamberlain and conditions allowing for another Munich sellout to achieve "peace." President Bush's words, as simple as they were, are the magic ingredients necessary if there is ever to be peace between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. Unfortunately, they proved to be fleeting. No sooner than they were spoken, the Foggy Folks began to water them down. Again, no surprise here. They fought Truman over the very rebirth of Israel a half century earlier. But, to make matters worse, something even more disturbing next transpired. America's Iraq prison scandal erupted. This, added to an already increased overall level of Arab animosity surfacing regarding Iraq, the Arab-Israeli conflict, etc., led the State Department to quickly search for additional ways to appease the Arabs. Puff... Gone, apparently in an instant, was the magic of April. Both the State Department and the President himself soon made statements which basically retracted much of what Dubya had said earlier. What does this say to Israel? At the first sign of problems, its best friend, America, is willing to retract its support of what all other nations would naturally expect...the right to protect itself from an alleged "peace" that is really designed to bring about its very destruction. President Bush still has time to make this right. While I'm not an optimist by nature, perhaps he really was, after all, testing the waters this past April. One thing is certain, regardless of what's at play. If Arabs ever expect to get anything meaningful regarding that additional state, they will have to come to terms with reality and understand that others, besides themselves, also have a right to a bit of justice in the region. When they do this, they will find an Israel forthcoming in its willingness to meet them more than half way. Gerald A. Honigman is a Florida educator who has created and conducted counter-Arab propaganda programs for college youth, has lectured on numerous campuses and other platforms, and has publicly debated many Arab spokesmen. His articles and op-eds have been published in newspapers, magazines, academic journals and websites around the world. |
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HUMAN CHAIN TODAY!
Posted by Arutz-7 News, July 25, 2004. |
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Today is the day, and the excitement in many areas is palpable: An as-yet unknown number of tens of thousands of people will take part in the Human Chain for Gush Katif this afternoon. The chain will begin in the northern Gaza community of Nisanit with Yitzchak and Shlomit Shamir, two of the residents of the original Kfar Darom community of the 1940's - a reminder that Jewish settlement in Gaza did not begin only in the past 35 years. The Shamirs' granddaughter, 6-year-old Yael Better of N'vei Dekalim, will close the chain by placing a note in the Western Wall - a prayer asking the Creator to nullify the decree of expulsion of Jews from their homes in the Land of Israel. It is assumed that it will take some two hours to organize the chain - the first one in the history of the State of Israel - and people are set to begin arriving at their places, or at one of the more than 40 parking lots along the 80-kilometer route, at 5 PM. Some 1,000 volunteers will be on hand along the route, as well as hundreds of policemen, to ensure order and safety. At 6:45, with everyone hopefully in place, prayers will be held; at 7 PM, everyone will join hands and show their support for the Land of Israel and its residents, and opposition to giving up portions thereof. The Chain Task Force is busy 24 hours a day preparing the complex logistics of this initiative, as phone callers to the headquarters can verify. The Chabad Rabbinical Court, as well as Rabbis Avraham Shapira and Mordechai Eliyahu, have called on their followers to take part in the chain. The Young Israel movement - which has two synagogues in Gush Katif: in Netzer Hazani and Ganei Tal - has decided to interrupt the meeting of its national leadership scheduled for today in order for its members to take part in the Human Chain. The meeting will resume afterwards. Two large sections of the route have been reserved for total separation between men and women: near Kiryat Malachi and along Jaffa St. in Jerusalem. In addition, in order that unrelated men and women not hold hands with each other, the Chain Headquarters says that if siblings and spouses cannot be found to link each other, "lo no-ra - it's not so terrible" if people merely stand near each other and don't hold hands. Special sections will also be reserved for special groups. At the entrance to Jerusalem will stand veterans of the War of Independence; IDF disabled veterans and terror victims; former Prisoners of Zion; new immigrants; Knesset Members; reserves soldiers, and mothers of soldiers, serving in Gush Katif; Druze citizens; Professors For a Strong Israel; and people from around the country whose relatives are buried in Gush Katif. The six Knesset Members of the National Religious Party will stand together, despite the fact that two of them have quit the government. What of "holes" in the chain? Kfar Darom spokesman Asher Mivtzari says, "There won't be any - except in places where the police, for reasons of public safety, don't allow us to stand. For instance, we're supposed to stand behind barriers, but in certain spots along the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway, there aren't any barriers. But you have to understand: 800 [the number was later updated to closer to 900 - ed.] buses will be bringing people in from all over the country, and we know of thousands of cars, and many people from towns along the route, such as Kiryat Malachi, Masuot Yitzchak, Telz Stone, and many others, will simply walk to their places in the chain." At least two of Israel's three public television channels are planning to put helicopters in the air to cover the event. |
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HEAR O ISRAEL!
Posted by Anita Tucker, July 25, 2004. |
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This essay was written by Rabbi Shlomo Aviner
Hear O Israel! Today you are setting off for war. War over Gush Katif. War over the Land. War over the nation's soul. It is not a war against our brothers, but a war in favor of remaining connected to our brothers. Hence we must all enlist in the great Israeli chain to be formed on Sunday, July 25th. Perhaps our government has somewhat forgotten that its members are not those who determine our fate. Rather, they are just representatives of the nation. The government is meant to serve the people. The people are not meant to serve the government. Therefore, let it be known that we will be in the chain of July 25th. Perhaps the government has forgotten that we weren't born yesterday. Rather, we are a venerable nation who once dwelled in our land from Tiphsah even to Gaza (I Kings 5:4). We longed for our land for thousands of years, and now, through G-d's kindness, we are returning to it. This is exactly what we shall say when we form a human chain on July 25th. Perhaps the government has forgotten that this land is not its private property. Rather, it was liberated and rebuilt by us with blood and sweat. This land is not just any old real estate. Rather, it is made of iron. It is our life's blood. Therefore, we shall certainly be in the chain of July 25th. Perhaps our government is unaware that it is not they who determine history, but the people who do so. Had they learned history, they would know that a government that ignores the people cuts off the limb on which it is sitting. Even dictatorial regimes have fallen because of this, for such is the judgment of history. Therefore, we shall mention once again that the people are greater than the government and greater than the media and we shall proclaim this in a mass outcry like the voice of G-d through His prophets, when we are in the chain on July 25th. It would be very grave if the government whose task is to unite the people were unaware that it was dividing them, cutting them with a knife, causing civil war. Therefore, in order to prevent a rift in the nation, in order to stop it with our bodies, we will all be there together, and each Jew individually. We will come from all parts of the nation, religious and irreligious, Haredi and Zionist, Ashkenazim and Sephardim, Yemenites and Ethiopians, rich and poor, old and young, men and women, boys and girls. We will come from the whole breadth of the Land, the Golan Heights and Kiryat Shemoneh, Tzefat and Tiberius, Judea and Samaria and Hadera, Afula and Nazareth, Nahariah and Acre, Haifa and its suburbs, Netanya and Herzliya, Raanana and Kfar Saba, Tel Aviv and Petach Tikva, Bnei Brak and Givatayim, Ramat Gan and Rishon LeZion, Holon and Bat Yam, Rehovot and Ramle, Lod and Beer Sheba, Ashdod and Ashkelon, Ofakim and Netivot, Sederot and Kiryat Gat, Yerucham and Dimona, Eilat and Mitzpe Rimon, Arad, Jerusalem and Gush Katif. We will all be there in the chain on July 25th. Perhaps this is all happening because our government has not noticed that the locomotive of national rebirth set out from the train station already 120 years ago, and it is racing forward at high speed, charging along its route, passing one station and another. None of the petty calculations in a man's heart will be able to stop it. None of the intrigues and deceits and back-room dealings will be able to stop it. The train is traveling over mountain and through valley, by way of Aliyah and settlement, the nation and the army, as the people and land become stronger and stronger. That is what we will set out to say on July 25th, the day made by G-d. On that day, the people will have their say. They will express their message of truth and justice, faith and hope, and their message will win out. We shall all be as one man with one heart, in a great chain of 100,000 people stretching across a hundred kilometers. All of us, with one voice, shall extend from Gush Katif on the western edge of the Land, to the heart of the Land at the Western Wall facing the Temple Mount. At 6:30 PM we shall all sing HaTikva, the song of hope, the song of faith, for we shall all be in the chain on July 25th, the 7th of Av, 5764. Anita Tucker lives in Gush Katif, Gaza. She can be reached at tucker@isdn.net.il |
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LEFT OUT OF 9/11 REPORT
Posted by Moshe Brodetzky, July 23, 2004. |
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How about the mosques?
An article by Andy Newman (in the New York Times well over a year ago
said " A Farooq Mosque in Brooklyn, a six-story converted factory
trimmed in orange and gold, has been many things to many people during
its life: a mystery, a noisy neighbor, a source of suspicion, and, for
thousands of Muslims who live or work along Atlantic Avenue, the main
street of Arab Brooklyn, a place of worship. Last week, the mosque
became, not for the first time, a symbol of terror. A federal
affidavit unsealed on Tuesday describes links between the mosque,
several Brooklyn businessmen and a cleric in Yemen who, prosecutors
say, claims to have funneled more than $20 million to Al Qaeda. "They
did their fund-raising right here in our own backyard," Police
Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said. But while Al Farooq has been the
spiritual home of some infamous men - including, briefly, the blind
Egyptian sheik eventually convicted in the 1993 World Trade Center
bombing and the man who killed Rabbi Meir Kahane in 1990 - the role of
the mosque and its members in supporting more recent terrorist
activity remains unclear.
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HEZBOLLAH'S WEST AFRICAN DIAMOND TRADE
Posted by IsrAlert, July 23, 2004. |
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This is from Middle East Intelligence Bulletin
(MEIB), which is published jointly published by the United States
Committee for a Free Lebanon and the Middle East Forum
It is archived at http://www.meib.org/articles/0407_l2.htm
It is worth reading the article in the original because it contains
direct links to articles with additional information.
lthough the Bush administration has succeeded in reducing international sources of terrorist financing since 9/11, the Lebanese Hezbollah movement is still flush with cash these days. Over the past three years, the militant Shiite organization has managed to strengthen its military apparatus, greatly augment its strategic rocket arsenal, start up Palestinian terrorist cells, and establish a presence in Iraq, while continuing to develop its extensive social welfare network in Lebanon. Iranian aid, estimated at up to $100 million per year, remains the bedrock of the Hezbollah's financing, but there is no conclusive evidence that funding from Tehran has substantially increased. While the group's illicit finance network in the Triple Frontier region of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil has brought in tens of millions of dollars since the late 1990s, this cash flow is believed to have declined somewhat as a result of close cooperation between US and South American officials. Moreover, in the last few years US authorities have had substantial success in reducing the (much smaller) flow of Hezbollah financing from smuggling networks in the United States. However, it appears that one lucrative source of Hezbollah financing is still growing: the diamond trade in West Africa. Lebanese first arrived in West Africa around the turn of the century, fleeing dismal economic conditions and population pressures at home. The penniless, mostly Shiite, immigrants were welcomed by the British colonial authorities, who saw in their arrival an opportunity to displace local merchants in commodity trade with the African interior. Provided with loans and other incentives, the Lebanese came to dominate produce and retail trade within a few decades, breeding widespread resentment among locals. After diamonds were discovered in eastern Sierra Leone in 1930, Lebanese traders quickly gained control of this lucrative market. Lebanese merchants play a major role in the region's economy today, particularly in the Ivory Coast (home to over 100,000 Lebanese), Senegal (roughly 20,000), and Sierra Leone (roughly 6,000 today; about 30,000 prior to the outbreak of civil war in 1991), and have developed strong ties governing elites in all three countries. During the 1980s, Hezbollah developed an extensive network of operatives in West Africa.[1] However, it was much less successful than the rival Shiite Lebanese Amal movement in raising (or extorting) funds from local merchants. Amal held the upper hand because of its longer presence in the country (Amal leader Nabih Berri was born in Sierra Leone), and because religious fundamentalism has always been weak among Lebanese in West Africa. The most lucrative source of funds was the Lebanese diamond traders of Sierra Leone, the most powerful of which was Jamil Sahid Mohamed, a childhood friend of Berri. Jamil was the right-hand man of Siaka Stevens, the president of Sierra Leone from 1971 to 1985, and "acted as a kind of super-president, occasionally vetoing ministerial appointments, even reversing ministerial decisions."[2] Stevens' successor, Joseph Momoh, forced Jamil into exile and sought to cut his regime's ties to Lebanese merchants by inviting Israeli diamond traders into the country. When civil war broke out in 1991, a number of powerful Lebanese gem merchants, led by Jamil and Samih Osailly, helped the brutal Liberian-backed Revolutionary United Front (RUF) sell diamonds from mines under its control. Most, however, left the country to escape the ravages of war. Since the end of the civil war in 2002, Lebanese traders have become reestablished in Sierra Leone. In the Koidu region - the site of West Africa's richest diamond deposits and the focal point of the country's civil war - the majority of diamond buyers are Lebanese. Although most are licensed, they are also heavily involved in smuggling diamonds out of the country. According to the US embassy in Sierra Leone, around $70-100 million worth of uncut gems are illegally exported each year, comprising about 60% of the country's total diamond exports.[3] Most of this money goes to the merchants, who fix their prices, not the miners, who have no one else to sell to. Now that Jamil and other Amal-backed merchants have been sidelined, Hezbollah has had a free hand in tapping into this revenue flow. The fact that most Lebanese merchants have close family and business connections in Syrian-occupied Lebanon makes them extremely vulnerable to Hezbollah threats. "There's a lot of social pressure and extortionate pressure brought to bear: 'You had better support our cause, or we'll visit your people back home,'" explains Larry Andre, the deputy chief of mission for the US Embassy in Sierra Leone. "They're asking for contributions ... Will they use threats? Sure," says Joseph Melrose, one of Andre's predecessors.[4] Because so much of the trade is illegal, victims of Hezbollah extortion are reluctant to seek protection from the authorities. A glimpse into the scale of Hezbollah profits from the diamond trade came in December 2003, when a Union des Transports Africains (UTA) airliner loaded with Lebanese passengers crashed off the coast of Benin - on board, according to news reports and Western diplomats in Sierra Leone, was a Hezbollah courier carrying $2 million.[5] Whereas Hezbollah derives revenue in Sierra Leone primarily through extortion of Lebanese merchants, in the Congo, which has been wracked by civil war since 1998, Hezbollah operatives "muscled their way into the business" and began purchasing diamonds directly from miners and local middlemen at a fraction of their market value.[6] The highest quality stones are sold in the Belgian diamond marketing hub of Antwerp, while the bulk are sold in emerging diamond markets where the organization can operate more freely, such as Bombay and Dubai. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, Belgian intelligence discovered that al-Qaeda had bought up to $20 million worth of diamonds from Samih Osailly, who shipped the gems from RUF-held areas of Sierra Leone through Liberia.[7] Although al-Qaeda and Hezbollah are usually mentioned in the same breath when terrorist links to the diamond trade are discussed, the two organizations have been involved in very different capacities. Al-Qaeda buys diamonds as a way of hiding money (there is no inexpensive and reliable method of tracing their source), while Hezbollah is involved to make money. In November 2002, 52 countries engaged in the diamond trade adopted an international certification regime designed to stop the flow of "conflict" diamonds into the global market. The new protocol, known as the Kimberley Process, requires that all rough diamonds passing through or into a participating country be transported in sealed containers and labeled with certificates of origin. On July 10, the Republic of Congo, which has limited diamond production but is a source of re-exported blood diamonds from Congo and the Central African Republic, was expelled from the Kimberly Process (meaning that it now cannot legitimately export diamonds). However, it is unlikely that any of the major diamond-exporting countries of West Africa will face such sanctions because the Kimberly Process lacks a regular, independent monitoring agency. According to a recent report by South Africa's Institute for Security Studies there is "no mechanism to keep a check on abuses that are carried out by, or with the complicity of, the state and its agents."[8] In light of the political strength of Lebanese merchants in Sierra Leone (which allows them not only to export diamonds freely, but also to re-export conflict diamonds purchased elsewhere in West Africa), Hezbollah's profits from the diamond trade are safe for the time being. Related Articles: Matthew Levitt, Hizbullah's African Activities Remain Undisrupted, RUSI/Jane's Homeland Security and Resilience Monitor, 1 March 2004. Notes [1] "Hezbollah Network in West Africa, Report Says," The Associated Press, 27 November 1989. [2] War and Peace in Sierra Leone: Diamonds, Corruption and the Lebanese Connection, The Diamonds and Human Security Project, 2002. [3] "Hezbollah Profiting from African Diamonds," The Associated Press, 29 June 2004. [4] "Hezbollah Profiting from African Diamonds," The Associated Press, 29 June 2004. [5] "Hezbollah Profiting from African Diamonds," The Associated Press, 29 June 2004. [6] Douglas Farah, "Digging Up Congo's Dirty Gems; Officials Say Diamond Trade Funds Radical Islamic Groups," The Washington Post, 30 December 2001. [7] Douglas Farah, "Digging Up Congo's Dirty Gems; Officials Say Diamond Trade Funds Radical Islamic Groups," The Washington Post, 30 December 2001. [8] "Lure Of 'Blood Diamonds' Brings Risk, Hardship," The Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2004. |
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DOGS CAN SAVE LIVES IN ISRAEL
Posted by , July , 2004. |
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A soldier was wounded by an Arab terrorist in Shavei Shomron. The
Arab terrorist opened fire on an IDF patrol, along the fence
surrounding Shavei Shomron, THursday night. The Arab escaped inspite
of the fact that troops returend fire in his direction.
In Lod, another soldier was stabbed by someone described as looking "like an Arab". Wednesday, another soldier was stabbed in northern Israel by an Arab Israeli terrorist. Voice of Judea Commentary: It is unthinkable that an Arab terrorist can come right up to the fence of a yishuv that houses an entire army base, sneak alongside a patrol of soldiers, shoot and wound one of them, and escape while a large group of soldiers have him in their range of fire. If every yishuv, especially those with regular patrols in vulnerable areas had one working patrol and tracking dog, these dogs could detect suspicious movement before the Arab could surprise the patrol. In fact, the element of surprise would shift in the favor of the patrol, with the dog capable of sniffing out the Arab infiltrator from a further distance than the Arab could effectively surveil the patrol. Moreover, even if the Arab succeeds in getting close to the patrol and opens fire, the dog could effectively be brought in to attack the source of fire and direct the troops to the terrorist, while helping to neutralize the terrorist at the same time. The Gedud HaIvri has offered to train local response teams to use just such canines to detect and respond to Arab terrorist threats. To find out more about signing up for canine security courses, volunteering on "settlements" to do security with canines or to help sponsor the purchase of more security dogs, please call 718 874 2057 or in Israel 054 876 709. Visit www.defendisrael.net for more information. Checks can be sent to IBF - Israel's Best Friend - C/O Internet - Moriah Street #3 Jerusalem, Israel 94386 You can subscribe to the Voice of Judea emails by sending an email to jsid@amanda.dorsai.org |
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THE HUMAN CHAIN CAN NOT BE AN ISOLATED EVENT
Posted by Carmine Monaco, July 23, 2004. |
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I'm Carmine Monaco, I write from Italy and I am a supporter of Israel.
I have been National Adviser of Italian Federation of Italy-Israel
Friendship, and I have lost my job because of this my activism (the
antisemitism is extended to friend of Israel too), but I would give my
life for Israel and for my Israelian friends. Now I am the Responsable
of the Observatory on Racisme and Antisemitism of the Lega Italiana
dei Diritti dell'Uomo. I know the Arabs and the Islam and I don't
believe in peace with Arabs; I live in Europe and I know many people
of this "democratic" Europe, and I don't believe in Europe as a
democratic union of democratic countries. I'm sure that Europe is
responsible for this situation in Middle East, maybe even more than
Russian and Arabic leadership.
But I have to ask to these people that will form the chain: what they will do after the chain? They can stay in Israel? They can serve in the IDF? They can give money and sacrifice and blood to defend the 8.000 Jews living in Gaza? If this is possible, ok!, let's go and do the chain for Gaza. But if this is not possible, we must support Ariel Sharon and his plans because there is no alternative. For Israel this is a terrible economic period, there is no job, no money, few friends, few business. We must fight with all the "civil" world just to defend the FENCE! My friends in Tel Aviv are going around in Restaurant asking for food that they give to poor people, in secret, because they respect the dignity of the persons. I want to form the chain, I'd want Gaza, I'd want Giudea and Samaria too, but I know that now this is impossible. So I say that this chain is a noble initiative but this act that can not be a isolated event: we should stay there and support Israel with all our energy and political, economical and personal resources. Israel need energy, resources, ideas and more people that want to live there, real friends of Israel, of course. My best wishes
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TWO GROUPS OF MIDDLE-EASTERN INVADERS CAUGHT IN COCHISE COUNTY IN PAST SIX WEEKS
Posted by Marcel Cousineau, July 23, 2004. |
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Don't count on the U.S.to be the vanguard against fanatical
Islam,we're almost dead in the water. Our CLUELESS Politicians are too
stupid to close the border and while they go on vacation the enemy
penetrates our porous border to attack us from within. The major media
do not touch this so as not to alarm the comfortable and spending
population. This is a news item from the Tombstone Tumbleweed of
Tombstone, Arizona and is archived at
http://www.tombstonetumbleweed.com/tombstone/default.asp#iframe1
Information officer Andy Adame, from the Border Patrol Tucson sector says, "I guarantee it's not true." However, seasoned Border Patrol field agents have shared some disturbing information with the Tumbleweed as well as other civilian sources with the hope the information will make it to the general public. The Tumbleweed has verified information that a flood of middle-eastern males have been caught entering the country illegally east of Douglas, Arizona. The increased patrols in the Huachuca Mountains area of Cochise County seem to have diverted the flow of OTM's, "other than Mexicans" east to the Chiricahua Mountains. Adame, who says many of the agents in the area are "green", questions why they would have shared the information with the Tumbleweed or any other source. "Our policy is to turn any OTM's over to the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security," Adame said in a phone call made to the Tumbleweed Wednesday morning. For reasons of National security, Adame said his agency cannot talk about the origin of nationaity, however Adame says that since October 1, 2003, the beginning of the fiscal year for Border Patrol, agents in the Tucson sector have apprehended 5,510 illegals from countries other than Mexico or other central or South American countries. Adame described them as "people from all over the world". In the last month, the Tumbleweed has confirmed at least two documented accounts of Border Patrol agents encountering large groups of non-Spanish speaking males in the Chiricahua foothills and on trails along the high mountain areas. On or about the early morning hours of June 13, 2004 Border patrol agents from the Willcox station encountered a large group of suspected illegal border crossers, estimated to be around 158, just east of the Sanders Ranch near the foothills of the Chiricauha Mountains. 71 suspected illegal aliens were apprehended; among them were 53 males of middle-eastern descent. According to a Border Patrol field agent, the men were suspected to be Iranian or possibly Syrian nationals. "One thing's for sure: these guys didn't speak Spanish and after we questioned them harder we discovered they spoke poor English with a middle-eastern accent; then we caught them speaking to each other in Arabic... this is ridiculous that we don't take this more seriously, and we're told not to say a thing to the media, but I have to," said the agent, who spoke to the Tumbleweed with the promise of anonymity. Adame confirms the groups of illegals were apprehended on those dates in the same area but stated, "There were no middle easterners in the group. Every single one of them was Mexican." The field agent stated the men were wearing the traditional uniform of migrants - baseball caps, tennis shoes, some had work boots, denim jeans and many had t-shirts with patriotic American flags and slogans. The agent added the following description "A curious thing I noticed was that they all had brand new clothing and they looked as if they had just been to the barber shop--you know--new haircuts. They were clean cut and they all had almost the exact same cut of mustaches." The information was corroborated by a local rancher in the area who reports that sightings of groups similar to these are on the rise. The rancher reports that groups of heavily armed paramilitary drug smugglers have also been seen in the same area. "We've had groups in the hundreds coming through again. They were gone for awhile but now they're back. And of course we have the drug mules again and many are carrying automatic weapons. Many other ranchers in the area have been frustrated with the lack of response from Border Patrol. After calling over and over again to the Willcox headquarters, we might get a response a few hours later. We call them in to the Border Patrol, we only have the Willcox station, and they're so darned far away. By the time they send in the helicopters these groups are long gone. I don't know how many they catch but they're coming through here heavy right now." On or about the evening of June 21, 2004, agents from the Willcox Border Patrol station apprehended 24 members of a larger group of Arabic speaking males located just east of the Pierce/Sunsites area of Cochise County. At least half of the males escaped capture and disappeared into the United States. |
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'JEWISH JERICHO' STILL BREAKING DOWN WALLS
Posted by David HaLevy, July 23, 2004. |
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When the nation of Israel entered the Land of Israel after leaving slavery in Egypt, Jericho was the first city to be conquered. Today, although among the first cities to be abandoned under the Oslo Accords, Jews are returning to Jericho. Five years ago, a civilian Jewish presence returned to the biblical boundaries of the ancient city of Jericho as Mevo'ot Yericho - Jewish Jericho - was established with permission from the administration of then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak. The community remained small, with only two couples and a few singles for the first few years, but it has grown from five to 20 families in the last ten months. Jericho is one of the most ancient cities in the world, and is also the site of the oldest synagogue in the world, known as the Shalom Al Yisrael ('Peace unto Israel') Synagogue. A yeshiva (Talmudic academy) was set up at the ancient synagogue in following the 1993 'Gaza and Jericho First' phase of the Oslo Accords. The Accords guaranteed Jewish access to holy sites, including the Jericho synagogue and Joseph's Tomb in Shechem. After the Arab destruction of Joseph's Tomb, the yeshiva was the next casualty of the 'Temple Mount War.' On Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year, 2000 the ancient synagogue was burned down and Jews were banned from setting foot in the ancient holy site. Though the Oslo Accords included an explicit statement that Jews should be allowed continued access to Jewish holy sites in Jericho under Palestinian Authority rule, and even though the IDF recently re-entered Jericho to round up wanted terrorists - no Jews have been granted access to the synagogue since the Rosh HaShana riots. With the destruction of the Jewish presence inside the downtown area of Jericho, Mevo'ot Yericho (literally, 'the Gates of Jericho') became the vanguard for Jews who wished to have continued access to the holy sites of Jericho. David and Rebecca HaLevi were the fifth family to join Mevo'ot Yericho. David HaLevi spoke with INN's Ezra HaLevi (no relation), describing what life was like in 'Jewish Jericho.' "Mevo'ot Yericho encompasses thousands of acres of land," said HaLevi, "all legally belonging to the Yishuv. What's more important is that the yishuv has deliberately grown in the direction of the Al Na'aran Shul [the Shalom Al Yisrael Synagogue] - one of the oldest synagogues in the entire world. We hope that as we grow and establish our presence here more permanently that we will be able to increase 'safe' access for the entire Jewish People to this holy site. Though there are only 20 families living here, we are always hosting people who want to visit the first city conquered by the Jewish People as we entered the Land of Israel under Joshua." Asked what makes Mevo'ot Yericho unique, HaLevi - founder of K'Cholmim - said, "the yishuv [settlement] is made up of an exceptional mix of people - there are olim [immigrants] from a dozen different countries, and a cross-section of Israelis from Keshet in the Golan to Dimona in the Negev. It is located in the Plains of Jericho, where the border between the Jewish tribes of Efraim and Binyamin was, and in the shadow of the Mountains of Moab, across the Jordan, where the tribes of Gad, Reuven, and Menashe lived. This is the place where God said to Joshua at the end of the fourth chapter of the Book of Joshua: 'You should remove your shoes for the land upon which you stand is holy.' This is Jewish history in the raw, and it is important to us that it remains part of our present and future as well." Asked if there were any downsides to life in a somewhat isolated community, HaLevi replied: "There is a general perception in Israel that communities must be ideologically and religiously homogenous. As a result, the local council, which currently makes decisions for the yishuv, has rejected six families whom the actual residents of Mevo'ot Yericho would have been glad to welcome as part of the community." Asked why the families were rejected, HaLevi said: "All different reasons. This one was too 'black hat', this one was too secular, another is too into Rabbi Kahane - basically if you don't fit the mold of the folks in charge of absorption into a community, that is that. Walls have been built between Jews that need to be knocked down as though they were the walls of ancient Jericho." [Jericho was conquered by the Jewish people under Joshua by encircling the city seven times and blowing rams' horns after which the walls crumbled to the ground] HaLevi feels that a new approach must be taken in order to expand
the communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza whose future depends
largely on their size. "One of the greatest things that the new wave
of North American Aliyah (immigration to Israel) can bring to Israel
is the paradigm of a civil society - that just because someone is
religious or secular, Chabad-Lubavitch or Hareidi-religious,
Sephardic, Ashkenazi, any shape or color, there is no reason they
can't live side by side. We came to Mevo'ot Yericho as the only olim
(immigrants) from North American and were amazed at the excitement
with which our new neighbors embraced this truth. And so even though
the bureaucratic machine hasn't yet understand our point, we hope that
as we grow stronger the necessary changes will be made from within."
David HaLevi is in the United States this summer, speaking on
behalf of Mevo'ot Yericho and the 'outposts' of Judea, Samaria and
Gaza and raising funds for a 'mikvah' (Jewish ritual bath) which would
serve as the first mikvah in the southern Jordan Valley in modern
times. HaLevi can be reach at David@kcholmim.org This article appeared today in Arutz-7 and is archived at http://israelnn.com/news.php3?id=66168 |
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INSTANT SPIRITUAL GRATIFICATION
Posted by Ruth and Nadia Matar, July 23, 2004. |
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It is a world of Arab violence, where a Jewish Judge is killed because he seemingly allowed a lien to be put on Palestinian Authority funds. It seems that the Arab Authority might be held responsible for Arab terrorist activity which destroyed Egged buses and killed innocent Israeli civilians. The Moslem approach by their Leaders and Clerics to Arab violence and inhumane killings has, in effect, encouraged the continuation of Arab terrorism in Israel and elsewhere. All you have to do is objectively examine what is occurring to the civilian populace in Israel today, and the total absence of Moslem condemnation of what the Arabs are doing there, to come to only one conclusion: The Moslems will not criticize their fellow Moslems, under any circumstances, morally, or otherwise. Certainly, asking where in the Koran it is written that permits such immoral atrocities to be committed, will not result in your receiving any satisfactory answers. Nor will you find any basis for the discriminatory practice of the Moslems on the Temple Mount. Moslems will not permit either Jews or Christians to pray there. The fact is that intolerance of other religions is basic to Moslem theology, and is strictly observed by all practicing Moslems. Other religions are assigned an inferior status wherever Moslems control any country. Even where they do not control a country such as in Israel, they practice such discrimination wherever they are able. That is why Women in Green are emphasizing this ironic aspect of the Moslem position on the Temple Mount. Where the Jewish Temples once stood, and despite the fact that the Moslems chose this site as holy because the Jews considered it holy, they are denying the right of the Jews to pray there. We do not have, unfortunately, the kind of Jewish leadership which has the necessary faith to stand up to this Moslem arrogance. Notwithstanding, the basic democratic concept of freedom of religion requires that we have the right to pray at the holiest site in Judaism. We shall moreover, insist on our right to build the Third Temple there. As we walk around the Walls of the Old City, we recall with pride the magnificent accomplishments of the Jewish People towards making this world more spiritual. Not only did this people give the concept that there is only One G-d in this Universe, but it gave to the world the Book of Books, the Bible. In that Bible, the Ten Commandments are basic requirements of minimum human behavior. We have also contributed the concept of an all seeing G-d judging our behavior, and that moral rectitude must accompany our every action. The spiritual nature of the Walk is therefore extremely important, and those who are contributing financially to make it possible are deserving of praise. Make the effort to join with us, either directly or indirectly by sponsoring a Walker. The spiritual gratification is almost instantaneous. Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org |
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YESHA HOMESTEADS
Posted by Professor Ya'akov Golbert, July 22, 2004. |
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Four hundred dunam opposite Karnei Shomron can be bought and the Moshava started on this land that is already registered in Tabu. The adjacent land can be homesteaded and ownership registered after the land is worked. The farms where houses can be built right away are only within this 400 dunam. Houses cannot be built on the land outside this area as ownership has to be first recorded on the homesteaded land and that may be after ten years. In the meantime, you would have full use of the homestead farm and would be a registered farm that is insured. Privately owned land is also available near Kedumim and a moshava may be started in that area as well. If you are interested in buying in, please email me at Shmuel@emigrations.net and I will email you the map and aerial photo. We will schedule a YeshaHomestead meeting after Tisha B'Av. Speaking at that meeting will be young Jewish couples that moved into isolated Arab housing in Shomron and homesteding the adjacent land. If anyone wants to offer their living room for the next meeting, please let me know. |
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PROFESSORS GROUP: "PEACE NOW" INCITING TO CIVIL WAR
Posted by Bryna Berch, July 22, 2004. |
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This is a news item from Arutz-7 (http://www.IsraelNN.com). They can't
get straight what an 'unauthorized output' is. Peace Now - in the
interests of accuracy, they should change their name to 'Kill Jews
Now' - counts abandoned buses as outposts. Peace Now reminds me of
the traitor senator in The Manchurian Candidate - "there are 265
Communists in the Defense Department... There are 57 Communists in the
Defense Department."
Peace Now has once again stirred up a hornets' nest by coming out with another list of what it calls "unauthorized outposts." The extremist left-wing organization deigns to show that Israeli authorities are lying to the Americans by understating the amount of newly settled locations. Security officials say it appears that Peace Now counts even abandoned buses as "outposts." The official Defense Ministry list of outposts in Judea and Samaria includes 28 locations, of which 7 are no longer relevant. Of the remaining 21, three of them are Migron, near Psagot, with no fewer than 43 families; Givat HaRoeh opposite Eli, with 17 families; and Givat Assaf, on the junction between Beit El and Ofrah, with 14 families. The Peace Now listing is almost twice as long, and includes several that are listed as "unpopulated," some that are being used by the army, and others that are recognized neighborhoods of existing communities. One of the Peace Now "outposts" is "The Eli Coach," a container serving as a cafe, while another one is an abandoned structure on a key junction on the Jerusalem-Tapuach highway. Professors for a Strong Israel stated today, "Peace Now is a movement that denies not only Zionism, but even its own name. It talks of peace, but incites to civil war." The Yesha Council stated that, contrary to the Peace Now report, there are no new outposts near Ofrah. "We are proud of the flourishing growth of the settlement enterprise," the Council statement reads, "which succeeds despite both terrorism and the brotherly hatred of Peace Now." Two emissaries of U.S. President George Bush recently met with Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz on the matter of the outposts, indicating that Israel was not dismantling the outposts quickly enough. Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Baruch Spiegel met with US Ambassador Dan Kurtzer last night to come to an agreement on the exact number of outposts. Minister Mofaz ordered aerial photos be taken of Judea and Samaria every two weeks in order to monitor the situation. One of the towns on the Peace Now list - though not on the Defense Ministry list - is Kidah, east of Shvut Rachel and Shilo. It has grown recently to nine families, with four more planning to move in, and many development plans on the burner. Kidah is part of the Shvut Rachel bloc, which also includes Aish Kodesh (7 families), and Adei Ad and Givat Achiyah (close to 20 each). Asked where the families come from, a Kidah spokesman by the name of Itamar said, "Almost all of them come from other Yesha communities. That's in general how it works: Families from Yesha move to the new, pioneer communities, while families from within pre-1967 Israel move to the established communities to take their place. This way we're always advancing our lines." |
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GAZA ARABS AND EGYPTIANS
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, July 22, 2004. |
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ARAFAT'S ARABS CREATING OWN HELL The P.A. is going broke. Unofficial gunmen are taking over cities, as the official gunmen desert the security forces. Anarchy is rising, and so "life in the P.A. territories has truly become hellish." Most of the Arabs know better than to blame Israel for this, though 29% still do (Daniel Pipes, NY Sun, 7/20, p.9). The EU, UNO, and US long have been blaming Israel for Arab woes. Don't they know better? If the P.A. is going broke, it means that Arafat still is not taking graft rather than using what he has extorted to save his people. This is Israel's opportunity to get rid of the P.A. and of these Arabs. Israel should stop letting any of them work for Israelis. It should deduct from revenues usually going to the P.A., to reimbuse or compensate for unpaid services to the P.A. by Israel and Israeli civilians and for expenses caused by the P.A. war on Israel. Then it should stop transferring tax revenues altogether. The Arabs soon would leave for greener pastures. ISRAELIS STOP "UNDERSTANDING" THE ENEMY Polls in Israel show opinion shifting. A recent poll probed deeper and more reliably by asking clearer, sharper and more comprehensive questions about the fence and "understanding" the Arab enemy. Here are typical opinions about what abandonment of Gaza would cause: 51:32% Escalate P.A. motivation to fight Israelis. Probably more do, but are afraid to admit it.
Israelis see rockets fired over the fence. They can't help but realize that the fence doesn't suffice and, with the help of the Supreme Court that changed the route of the fence, actually moves the Arabs closer to Israel. They may be coming to realize that "understanding" the enemy is tantamount to acquiescing to it. It doesn't bring reciprocal enemy "understanding." Neither will concessions (Winston Mid East Analysis, 7/14, e-mail). The trouble with polls is that they are not standard. Leftists cite approval of their policy from polls that phrase questions in generalizations. For example, a poll asking whether someone is in favor of "motherhood" probably would find most are. If the poll broke down the subject, so that one question was, "motherhood by drug addicts," most probably would be against. WHAT WOULD AN EGYPTIAN PRESENCE IN GAZA MEAN? Known as PM Sharon's sycophant, Uri Dan rebuked his idol for having forgotten what Egypt is like. Mr. Dan surmises that Egypt may use its presence in Gaza, if invited as PM Sharon would like to do, to spy on Israel. After all, Egypt's envoy to the P.A. on refurbishing the P.A. military is Egypt's intelligence chief. Egyptian intelligence already has been "extracting information from talkative Israelis. Dan is skeptical that the trained P.A. military would block terrorism (IMRA, 7/18). He just is skeptical? What does he think the PLO lives for? Is he stuck back in the Oslo days when Israelis wanted to believe that the PLO had reformed and only Hamas and Islamic Jihad remained terrorist? The news is full of attacks by P.A. and PLO troops, exceeding those of the others. Israelis need to observe more and talk less. HAS THE U.S. MADE ISRAELI PEACE POSSIBLE? It has, to an extent, wrote David Twirsky. The US: (1) Overthrew the Saddam regime; (2) Will keep enough forces "in the region to fight terrorist regimes and unconventional weapons;" (3) Intimidated Libya to cooperate; (4) Likewise, got Iran to allow unclear inspection; and (5) Got Syria to offer to negotiate peace (American Jewish Congress "Congress Monthly, March 04, p.3). All wishful thinking. It would be surprising if any of this pans out. (1) Yes, the US overthrew the regime in Iraq. The new one remains hostile to Israel. It is going to rebuild its army, to what extent is unclear. We have to wait and see. We should not base policy on what we hope Iraq will do. (2) There is no indication that the US regime will carry the war on terrorism any further, if that regime is even given further tenure. The US is promoting terrorism by subsidizing the terrorist P.A. and promoting its aggrandizement at the expense of secure borders for Israel. The US is building up some unstable Arab armed forces, including those of chief terrorism sponsor S. Arabia and of imperialist Egypt. The US has pared down and spread out its armed forces so dangerously, that it repeatedly recalls the same reservists to fight in the small-scale Iraqi theater, reservists who are not likely to reenlist. (3) Ghadaffi claims he is standing down his nuclear development. Does his claiming so make it so? Why give a terrorist the benefit of the doubt? Why credit the Bush Administration for mere a possibility? Wait and see; watch and be suspicious; praise when fulfilled. (4) Iran repeatedly deceived inspectors. There is no basis for believing the promises now of those proven liars. (5) Syria offered to negotiate, but it does not offer peace. Arabs don't. They offer truces. To make concessions to them, which is what they want to dicker over, when in fact they consider the arrangement an interlude between wars, is to negotiate not peace but one's eventual downfall. Indeed, Syria is demanding the strategic Golan Heights (and water reserve) from which it used to bombard Israel and invade. The Golan is part of the Jewish homeland, now incorporated into the Jewish state. There is no reason to proffer the Heights to the artificial state known as Syria. The obvious clue to Syria's intentions is that its demand includes a small area it once seized from Israel and which would give it rights to draw from Israel's chief water reservoir. This issue exposes the problem with our Presidential candidates on terrorism. Sen. Kerry wants to work with other countries and the UNO. Are those others reliable? They are reliably hostile to the US and to anti-terrorism. Thus Sen. Kerry favors a failed policy. Pres. Bush took a half step and made great speeches. Then he rested on those laurels. His fellow "conservatives" praise him regardless of his being inconsistent with those speeches. People give him credit for what they think he means to do. However, he is not doing anything more. He may be somewhat intimidated by the partisan cries against his policy. The State Dept. deflected anything positive he said about Israel and the best he said still would leave Israel with vulnerable borders and the Arabs seemingly entitled to something from Israel. THE PEACE PROCESS IN GAZA In Gaza, Arabs train boys how to kill Israelis, civilian and military (IMRA, 7/13). Perhaps Pres. Bush should say that Islam "ought to be a religion of peace" but the P.A. it isn't. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at ricshulman@aol.com. |
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BODANSKY'S REVELATIONS: PART II
Posted by Marcel Cousineau, July 22, 2004. |
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This was written by
Professor Paul Eidelberg.
Throughout 2002 and before it launched its attack on Iraq in March 2003, the United States sought to gain the cooperation of various Arab regimes. The attempt was futile and revealed the ignorance of the Bush administration even as regards seemingly pro-American Arab states. The elimination of Saddam Hussein could not but pose a threat to the autocratic nature of these states. Besides, and as Bodansky points out, "For the Saudis, any semblance of cooperating with the United States in the occupation and destruction of Baghdad - regardless of the fact that they hated Saddam Hussein - was sacrilegious" (p. 62). Moreover, U.S. occupation of oil-rich Iraq and the establishment of a pro-American Iraqi government would undermine Saudi influence and importance in Washington. This also applies to Egypt, a key player in the Middle East. Despite these obvious facts, the Bush administration, while preparing for "Operation Iraqi Freedom," insisted that Israel maintain a "low profile" and act with restraint vis-a-vis Arafat's Palestinian Authority. To placate Washington, prime minister Ariel Sharon, on September 29, instructed the Israel Defense Forces to comply with American requests to ease the siege of Arafat, and to withdraw from Arafat's compound in Ramallah. Even more significant, Sharon bowed to Washington, at Israel's expense, by not exposing Arafat's connection with Saddam Hussein. "It is impossible to say no to our big friend [the United States]," Sharon told the newspaper Yediot Aharanot. But this is precisely what Arabs states were saying to Washington, including Egypt, which receives two billion dollars each year in U.S. military aid. In November, Cairo said no even to "Washington's request for special security measures in the Suez Canal during the passage of navy warships on their way to the Persian Gulf" (p. 62). While receiving nothing from Egypt, the U.S. received crucial intelligence about Iraq from Israel. Yet Washington expected Israel not to become involved in any military campaign to topple Saddam, regardless of any sort of attack on the Jewish state. It mattered not to the administration that Israel had documentary evidence that Iraq was directly responsible for Palestinian terrorism. The evidence showed that Saddam and Arafat, acting in collusion, ordered suicide bombings in Israel to distract Washington from its war plans against Saddam's regime. Nevertheless, Washington applied constant pressure on Jerusalem to make concessions to Arafat, and warned Sharon not to do anything once the war started "even if Iraq launched missiles at the tiny state"! Jews were expected to bleed for their big American friend. And bleed they did. Some 130 Jews had to be murdered by Palestinian terrorists in March 2002 before Prime Minister Sharon screwed up enough courage to launch "Operation Defensive Shield." Moreover, the operation was terminated before the IDF could completely destroy the weapon factories in Jenin, the venue for suicide bombers. Jews had to be reduced to body parts to placate the United States, or rather, to preserve Ariel Sharon's "friendly" relations with George W. Bush. Here, a slight digression. While Israel dutifully supplied the U.S. with intelligence about Iraq - intelligence that would save American lives - Jonathan Pollard languishes in prison for having (illegally) supplied Israel with such intelligence, but which Washington withheld in violation of the Strategic Cooperation Agreement between the two countries. Jewish blood is cheaper than American blood - or so we must conclude not only from Washington's attitude toward Israel, but also from the submissive attitude of Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon. After a mid-October meeting with Bush who called Sharon a "close friend" and affirmed Israel's right to self-defense, "Sharon came out of the Oval Office," writes Bodansky, "deeply insulted and personally hurt when, at the last minute, a six-page 'position paper on the future of the Middle East that included veiled threats to Jerusalem was stuffed into his hand." Bodansky goes on to say: Sharon had not expected "his friend" Bush to sandbag him, especially in light of Sharon's close cooperation with America, even at the cost of Israeli lives. Despite Sharon's indignity, Israel made unilateral concessions to the Palestinians that enabled greater movement to would-be martyrs and bomb-makers. As a result, Israeli citizens suffered some of the most lethal strikes in recent memory, including, on the morning of Sharon's meeting with Bush, a bus bombing in which fourteen civilians were killed and close to fifty wounded (p. 65). Some critics will say - and rightly say - Israel desperately needs a prime minister that can say no to Washington and uphold Israel's interests. But has the Knesset nothing to say in this matter? Isn't the Knesset also responsible for the well-being of the Jewish people? And if the Knesset lacks the power to constraint the prime minister, must there not be some deadly flaw in Israel's system of government? |
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DO NOT LET JEWISH HISTORY BE ERASED! DO NOT LET JEWISH GRAVES BE DESECRATED!
Posted by Ruth Matar, July 22, 2004. |
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The other day I turned on the radio and I heard Ariel Sharon say in his heavily accented English: "The Disengagement Plan is the most important item on our agenda, AND WITH G-D'S HELP WE SHALL SUCCEED!" What incredible chutzpah! Sharon well knows that the Almighty promised His Holy Land to the Jewish People. This Promise certainly includes Judea, Samaria and Gaza! He can't really seriously be calling for G-d's help. Does he not realize that G-d does not change his Word? Sharon might be justified in calling on his newly found godless cronies - Shimon Peres, Yossi Sarid, Tommy Lapid, et al - to come and help him. Sharon's statement is the height of attempted obfuscation bordering on blasphemy. Ok, let's again make this clear once and for all! Gaza is Jewish land promised by Hashem in the Bible as an everlasting inheritance; it was in fact apportioned to the Tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:47 and Judges 1:18) as part of Israel's eternal patrimony. A few examples of the Jewish presence in Gaza since Biblical times:
Most physical evidence of the Jewish presence in Gaza since Biblical times has been deliberately erased by the Arabs, especially at the time of the first Intifada (1987-1993). The Arabs feel that if they erase such physical evidence, they will be able to convince the world of their Big Lie, that they are the original inhabitants of the Holy Land. Rabbi Najara was not only the Rabbi of Gaza, but he was also a famous poet. The following is a translation of one of his most well-known poems "Yoh Ribbon Olam ve-Allemayya", a poem that appears in the Jewish prayer book, and is sung every Sabbath: "Lord of all worlds! All Your creatures praise You. Even if we lived a thousand years, we could not recount the extent of Your greatness. God, save Your people from their exile and rebuild the Temple, and there, in Jerusalem, we will really be able to sing to You!" The poetry of Rabbi Najara is beautiful, inspiring and a tribute to Hashem. But poetry can also be vile, inciteful and a call to terror and violence. One of the most famous Arabs poets today is Mahmoud Darwish, whose poems deal mainly with the Arabs Jewish conflict. (By the way, Yossi Sarid who was Minister of Education under Prime Minister Ehud Barak, made the incredible demand that the poetry of Darwish become part of the curriculum for Jewish children.) The following are lines from one of Darwish's most popular poems: "DIG UP YOUR DEAD Desecration of Jewish graves occurred already while Ehud Barak was Prime Minister. Ehud Barak allowed the burning and vandalizing of graves such as the Tombs of Joseph and Joshua in Samaria, and Jewish graves in Hebron. Now, shamefully, Prime Minister Sharon is planning to make Mahmoud Darwish's poem even more of a reality. Shame on you Ariel Sharon! Would you even contemplate digging up the bones of your beloved wife Lilly? Or of your son who died at a young age? The widely accepted and most important code of Jewish law, The Shulchan Aruch, states as follows (Yoreh Dea, 363:1): "You are not allowed to remove the dead and the bones, not from a respectful grave to a respectful grave, not from a disrespectful grave to a disrespectful grave, and not from a disrespectful grave to a respectful one. (It goes without saying that it is not allowed to remove from a respectful grave to a disrespectful one.) The only cases where transfer of the dead would be allowed are if it was the will of the deceased, or if the remains are being transferred to Israel." Member of Knesset Gila Finkelstein of the National Religious Party delivered a speech in the Knesset on July 7, 2004, which dealt with the human suffering of Sharon's Disengagement Plan: "The subject we are dealing with is very painful, perhaps the most painful in the history of the State of Israel: the uprooting of thousands of Jews from their homes and the land on which they built their lives and families over the course of decades. How symbolic it is that this session is taking place as we begin the 'Three Weeks' mourning period during which we grieve over the Destruction of the Temple and the onset of the Exile... "Fellow Knesset Members, it is only natural that a tense argument also rages around the question of who will carry out this dreadful evacuation [- the police, or the army]? Who will be the ones to enter the homes and remove their inhabitants? "Who will lift up the three Cohen family children - those heroic youngsters from Kfar Darom who lost legs [in a murderous Palestinian terror attack on a school bus - ed.] - and take them out of their house, the house to which they returned after the attack when they made a courageous decision to show that terrorism had not won? "Who will knock on the door of Chana Bart - that gentle but determined woman who defeated terrorism, who managed to give birth even after she was so seriously wounded - and ask her to wheel herself over in her wheelchair to the special bus waiting for her outside? "Who will help David Hatuel [whose pregnant wife and four children were murdered by Palestinian terrorists] to fold up all his memories into his suitcases? And who will pile on to the evacuation trucks all those men, women and children, our brothers and sisters, the flesh of our flesh? This will be an impossible psychological burden, one that is liable, Heaven forbid, to be the lot of both the evacuees and the evacuators! "I shake as I imagine the unit that will come to remove the dead from their graves, including the victims of murderous Arab terrorism. On whom is it possible to place such a terrible mission, accompanied by its psychological tensions and eternal scars? "I'm unable to find an answer to this question: On whom can the mission of emptying the homes be placed? Of taking the pictures down from the walls, and of removing the mezuzuot from the doorposts? What about the Torah scrolls and the synagogues? Who will make the final check to ensure that nothing was left behind, before the bulldozers come in and turn the life and vitality that was there into a pile of ruins? "The Defense Minister says that the soldiers are unable to bear such a burden. He is right! The job of IDF soldiers is to wage war against the country's enemies, and to maintain security and peace for Israel's citizens. How can we give them the job of evacuating and removing pioneer settlers? "The Minister of Public Security declares: The police are also unable to bear this load. And he too is right! Policemen are not made of different human material than anyone else. They too will not be able to withstand the emotional and psychological pressure. "Both of them are right! Because neither the soldiers, nor the police, nor any Israeli could stand up to this job without having its sights and sound pursuing him for the rest of his life! "I have been informed that a special unit is being established for this evacuation mission. The hidden and not-hidden assumption is that if we train a special force, and provide it with 'mental preparation,' and guide and train it for a few months - in the end, this unit will be able to carry out this mission without batting an eyelash. These soldiers or police will be able to separate absolutely between their emotions and the beliefs on which they were raised, and the mission they must carry out. "To this naive and problematic idea, I say the following, as one who has been involved in education for many years: "Do not destroy the souls of our youth! Don't destroy the souls of our soldiers and our policemen, don't try to turn them into unfeeling robots, and don't teach them how to evacuate Jews from their homes without emotion. If you do this, you will destroy their souls from within - the souls of the soldiers and policemen, and the soul of the entire society. "I am sure that my words are not foreign to those on the Left. They have said... countless times, 'The occupation corrupts.'... I would like to say, 'The expulsion corrupts,' at least to the same extent, if not more. "Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I propose that the task of evacuating the residents be placed neither on the police nor on the soldiers. It should instead be buried altogether." *** The Jews of Gaza have been targeted by more than 4,200 Palestinian rockets and mortar shells in the past four years. They have been demonized and delegitimized by the media, disparaged by the left, and threatened with expulsion by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Despite the threat of withdrawal hanging over their heads, it turns out that in the first six months of 2004, the number of Jews living in Gaza actually soared, growing at a rate three times faster than last year. (By the way, Sharon has made it clear that anybody who moves to Gaza now, will not be compensated.) I firmly believe that, as long as we remain confident in Hashem and the justness of our cause, no power in the world can dislodge us from our Land, our Biblical patrimony. As Menachem Begin noted in his book "The Revolt", "FAITH IS PERHAPS STRONGER THAN REALITY, FOR FAITH ITSELF CREATES REALITY." With Blessings and Love for Israel,
Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org |
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THE DISENGAGEMENT PLAN
Posted by Yrachmiel Elias, July 22, 2004. |
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This was on Radio Free Israel.
It is by Uzi Benziman.
In two weeks, the Prime Minister's Office will hold a press conference in which it will announce the initial implementation of the disengagement plan. The movement toward disengagement is being felt only to a limited extent in the area in question: There is no palpable new activity that heralds the onset of the evacuation or the relocation of infrastructure. The Israel Defense Forces are still deployed as before. The settlers feel the influence of an impending disengagement only in terms of government funding: they are met with delay and refusal when they try to take advantage of a mortgage, and they are prevented from entering empty apartments. Their leadership is aware of written instructions from the head of the Prime Minister's Office to other ministries, demanding that they cease investment in the Gaza Strip. Professionals who have been appointed to implement the disengagement are stuck in a cloud of uncertainty: On the one hand, they are under the impression that the prime minister is determined to turn intention into action; on the other hand, they are not sure that disengagement will be the result. Their deliberation and decisions reflect this uncertainty. They must prepare the practical structure to implement the plan, while simultaneously avoiding steps that will create irreversible facts. They ask themselves what their situation will be if the evacuation is ultimately not carried out. Practical preparations of many important elements of the disengagement plan are already complete. These are elements that could, in fact, make the government's intention to implement the plan a reality. Yet, despite this, the disengagement has not been launched, for lack of an order by Sharon. The moment of truth Apparently, when the moment of truth is at hand, responsible parties are reluctant to push the button. The prime minister has avoided ordering the IDF to start the necessary preparation of military infrastructure to facilitate a move from Gaza to areas inside the Green Line, Israel's pre-1967 borders. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Public Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi have each charged the other with responsibility for maintaining order during the evacuation. National Security Council chief Giora Eiland is anxiously awaiting the moment when responsibility for implementing the plan is taken from him and handed to the head of the Disengagement Administration, who is yet to be appointed. Those who are translating the plan into a language of action project pessimism regarding their ability to carry out the plan at all, and certainly within the time frame defined by the government. This mood apparently explains the complacency of settlers. According to the settlers' Yesha Council, settlement residents are busy planning poolside vacations rather than making preparations to overturn the disengagement plan. From the vantage point of the defense establishment, preparations to redeploy the IDF following the evacuation of Gaza and four settlements in northern Samaria are complete. If an order comes from the political echelon, the IDF can redeploy its forces tomorrow. In any case, in order to complete the mission according to the government's deadline of the end of next year, the IDF and the Defense Ministry must begin working in the coming weeks. They need to establish alternative sites, within the Green Line, for military camps and bases. The IDF estimates that NIS 1.5 billion will be required to cover the cost of the evacuation. They have yet to receive one shekel of this sum from the treasury. Other aspects of the disengagement are preoccupying the defense forces: formulating principles of conduct regarding treatment of Palestinians and settlers during the evacuation, should the IDF be charged with the task; the approach to fighting terror on the "morning after"; how to maintain a presence on the Philadelphi Route following withdrawal; how to meet intelligence needs in the new reality created by the evacuation; how to approach negotiations with Egypt. The defense establishment is recommending that settlers already be offered advance compensation if they volunteer to leave, in order to trim the size of the population expected to forcibly resist evacuation. Despite the government's postponement of the decision to implement the first stage of the withdrawal to March 2005, the defense establishment stresses that, in order to prepare infrastructure to implement such a decision, they must begin to establish that infrastructure now. The National Security Council foresees heavy obstacles on the way to implementation of the disengagement plan. According to one of the council's members, "a land mine" which could explode and ruin everything is planted in every aspect of activity that has to do with implementation of the plan. The council points to political, societal, defense, administrative and international factors that could ambush the prime minister on his way to implementing his initiative. In the political arena, Sharon is presently suffering from the lack of the stable majority that is necessary to approve the bill regarding the implementation of the plan, and to get the government in motion to make decisions vital to implementation. In the societal sphere, broad grassroots resistance to the plan could prevent its realization. In the security plane, Palestinian terror organizations are making every effort to confound the withdrawal, in order to portray it as an escape under fire. Palestinian efforts could intensify violent aspects of the conflict, creating circumstances that would prevent disengagement. On the administrative front, arguments about who will bankroll the plan's implementation continue to crop up between the treasury and the Defense Ministry, revealing anew the extent to which each office views events from its own narrow vantage point. In the international arena, pressure is being felt to attach to the withdrawal from Gaza an Israeli obligation to withdraw from other territories in the West Bank, and to relinquish the unilateral element of the initiative. The Administrative Committee, led by Justice Ministry Director General Aharon Abramowitz, has announced that, if the government's disengagement decision were more concrete and detailed, the committee could accelerate the establishment of the practical framework in order to make it a reality. The committee's role is to translate the intentions of the civilian evacuation from northern Samaria and Gaza into practical language. Committee members are convinced that they are partners in an intense effort to make real the sincere intentions of the prime minister. So far, the committee has formulated the rules for the evacuation of settlements and the compensation of residents, and has proposed alternatives to meet their employment and residential needs. The bottleneck to progress is the establishment of alternative settlement sites for individuals willing to voluntarily evacuate current settlements. It is impossible, within a year and a half, to build settlements inside the Green Line. An effort must be made to find transitional solutions that are acceptable to the evacuees. The first implementation proposed by the committee is the compensation of factory owners in the Erez industrial zone. Gaza settlers who are evacuated voluntarily will, apparently, also receive advance compensation. Despite that, committee members believe that decreasing the number of settlers will not diminish the expected clash with those who resist evacuation. They do not expect the private compensation system to lead to abandonment of entire settlements before the day of reckoning. Committee members ask themselves how they can distribute advances before they have been approved by the government, and before the Knesset has established principles of compensation. They wonder if this will not inevitably lead to complications in the country, but allow that uncertainty is the coin of the realm in this process. Even after the Erez industrial zone is evacuated and settlers are offered their advances, the question of whether or not these steps will assure the implementation of the disengagement will continue to hover. The Finance Ministry rejects claims that it is delaying implementation of the plan. It says it has yet to receive, from the defense establishment or others, an orderly request of any sort for an additional budget to finance the disengagement. The prime minister did declare last week that the national budget would account for the increased cost of implementing his initiative. However, the treasury assumes he meant the 2005 budget, and not this year's ongoing budget. In any case, if the decision is made to evacuate the Erez industrial zone now, and even if monetary advances are offered to Gaza settlers willing to evacuate, the treasury will provide the compensation, in accordance with principles outlined by the Administrative Committee. These principles include compensation for the loss of a place of residence, work place, agricultural land, moving costs, the cost of vocational counseling, etc. The bottom line: Every agency that deals with translating the disengagement plan into practical language says the timing of the actual implementation depends more on a decision by the political echelon than on technical difficulties. Commentary: Ya'acov Golbert - Legal Council, Radio Free Israel: Fascinating. Sharon seems to be planning to take the costs out of the Defense budget. There is no need to discuss the intents of the unJews from Oslo onwards and to date. The Oslo partnership never keyed on peace but used the word to combine efforts by them and their "partners" to destroy Jewish Heritage and those living by that. Dr. Yehuda Tzoref: The gist of Uzi Benziman's article, as far as we are concerned, lies in the sentence: "In the societal sphere, broad grassroots resistance to the plan could prevent its realization." So, even a henchman of disengagement admits the power of grassroots campaign.Yrachmiel ben Menachem Mendel Elias is with Radio Free Israel (http://www.radiofreeisrael.com). "Radio Free Israel is the only voice of pure truth broadcasting to the Jewish People world-wide over the internet." |
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OK TO KILL JEWS? AND OTHER ITEMS
Posted by Voice of Judea, July 22, 2004. |
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1- ROCKETS FLY HIGHER THAN FENCES A rocket fired from Gaza landed this morning in a room in which were sleeping a mother and two children - and no one was hurt. Voice of Judea Commentary: Hmmm. How exactly will Sharon by running away from Gaza, and building a "security" fence stop Kassam missiles from falling in the Negev or in Petach Tiqwa and Kfar Saba? The wall won't stop infiltrators and certainly won't stop rockets and missiles. The more Israel withdraws, the more chaos and violence will overtake the areas they vacate. 2- Iran nukes loom Israeli intelligence believes Iran will have nuclear weapons by 2007. The projection was made by intelligence chiefs in a report to government ministers in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Israel Radio said. Recent U.S. assessments have predicted Irans atomic program will produce nuclear arms by the end of the decade. In their report, intelligence chiefs also warned that missiles held by Syria and Hezbollah posed a serious threat to Israel. Voice of Judea Commentary: Time to take out Iran's reactors. The Iran nuclear threat supported by the conventional threats comprised by the Hizbullah, Syria and Egypt could make a simultaneous assault on Israel a very problematic scenario for the survival of the Jewish state. 3- Group: Israel should avoid Iran An Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities would adversely affect U.S. interests, according to an influential U.S. think tank. JTA Voice of Judea Commentary: That which is perceived to be good for America might be catastrophic for Israel. Israel needs to do that which is best for Israel. Every INDEPENDENT and sovereign nation is entitled to act in their own best interests. Naturally, an Israeli attack on Iran would be fantastic not only for Israel but also for the United States, just as Israel's raid on Iraq's nuclear reactors saved countless Israeli and American lives. One more reason to demand the release of Jonathan Pollard, the man who most facilitated Israel's ability to destroy Iraq's nuclear capability. Time to make "Havdalah" over Iran and to free Pollard. What's the connection? It is simple. If America was so kind to Israel they would not object to Israel taking steps to secure her survival. If America was so pro-Israel, they also would have released Jonathan Pollard long, long ago. He has received the harshest sentence in American history for a spy who handed vital classified information to an ally. 4- MAARIV: MUSLIMS TAKING OVER THE WORLD? Maariv July 20 ran an article detailing the rapid growth of the Muslim population throughout the world, particularly in Europe, and about the logistical support being offered to Arab and Islamic terrorists by young European-born Muslims. Voice of Judea Commentary: Another good reason for Jews to get out of Europe and for Israel to disregard European public opinion. 5- WHO WANTS WHO DEAD? In his testimony before the Israeli Knesset Foreign and Defense Committee, Tuesday, Avi Dichter, Israel's Shin Bet Head warned about a risk to Sharon's safety posed by the "extreme right" in Israel, and warned also of the radicalization of Israeli Arabs who are more openly supporting extremist Islamic terrorist movements. Today, another Israeli Arab was apprehended after seriously stabbing an Israeli soldier, at the Golani intersection. Voice of Judea Commentary: Are these fears founded? As for the radicalization of Israeli Arabs - This is no secret. Every day, Arab Israelis are being caught and charged for their role in terrorist attacks. This problem needs to be addressed by Israel immediately. The only way Israel could maintain domestic security and neutralize the threat of local Israeli Arabs killing Jews, is by removing hostile Arab elements from the land of Israel. Israel will need to decide if they will allow the majority of Jews to dictate policy and if the Jewish character of the state and the survival of Israel as a Jewish state are more important than the conceived values of a pure western style democracy. According to recent polls, such as the one released last month from Haifa University, a significant majority of Israelis support the removal of the Arabs from Israel. Will a majority of Jews and the survival of the Jewish state be good enough reasons for Israel's leaders to consider such a move, or will they continue to avoid the painful issue? As for the alleged allegations that right-wing "extremists" want Sharon dead. If Dichter had any evidence of such a conspiracy he would have arrested the culprits long ago. This is nothing more than scare tactics aimed at demonizing the right. The only evidence Dichter was able to provide was, hold on to your hats, testimony against a 15 year old boy who banged on the window of a car being driven by a soldier who participated in the dismantling of the Tapuach West synagogue. When Dichter speaks of Arab Israelis posing a threat he has hundreds of cases of very real terrorism to speak of. When he speaks of dangerous Jewish radicals he substantiates his outlandish claims with absolute nonsense. In the meantime, Sharon continues to thin out the troops in and around "settlements" and to disarm many "settlers". While the Knesset recently agreed to allocate millions for "settlement" security, a new clause calls for a complete ban on funds for the security of new hilltops. Sharon promised the Americans that immediate and concrete action would be taken to tear down Jewish hilltops in Judea and Samaria. Is abandoning the "settlers" who live on the hills and disarming those who live on the most vulnerable hills, the type of effective action Sharon is taking to guarantee these hills will become Judenrein? Is he counting on the Jews running away after the first couple of massacres occur? Who wants who dead? 6- OK TO KILL ORDINARY JEWS? (IsraelNN.com) Supreme Court Justice Michael Heshin today requested the army define immediate military needs in association with a petition filed against the IDF by the Adallah human rights organization, seeking to prevent the demolition of ten buildings in southern Rafiah. The IDF told the court the demolitions are to satisfy immediate military needs. Judge Heshin issued a temporary order prohibiting the razing of the buildings pending the outcome of the legal proceeding. Voice of Judea Commentary: Today's and yesterday's newspapers are full of harsh statements made by fellow judges demanding justice, and that no rock be unturned in the investigation into the murder of Tel Aviv District Court Justice Adi Azar outside his home, Monday. There was never such an outcry by judges against the murder of innocent Jews in Israel. In fact, many blame Israel's ultra-liberal, pro-Arab judiciary for "encouraging Arab terrorism" with the restrictions and obstacles they place in the way of the IDF's war against terror and their harsh sentences against the rare cases of Jewish avengers. Judges who do not shop in the open markets and who do not ride on terror stricken buses, and who have bodyguards, should not have the right to determine alone, where the line should be drawn in balancing "democratic rights" and security needs. Recent reports are indicating that the murder of Azar may have had personal motives. Regardless, one is left with a bad taste. Almost as if the murder of regular ordinary Jews is not so bad. We will feel more comfortable with judges placing restrictions on the IDF, when we see them take a real stand on behalf of ordinary victims. We will feel more comfortable riding buses and shopping in public places when we see the judges and politicians sitting next to us, just like the regular, ordinary victims who are sentenced to suffer the consequences of their pro-Arab verdicts. 7- ARAB TOUGH GUYS - NOT SO TOUGH AFTER ALL Today's Maariv ran a small piece about wanted Arab terrorists in Shechem who are willing to promise to be "good terrorists" and to stop plotting attacks against Israel, if Israel will stop hunting them down. Voice of Judea Commentary: Well, so much for all of the nonsense about how assassinating Arab terrorists will only make them more angry and get them to kill more Jews. More importantly, we learn once again that the terrorist leaders who send their disciples out to murder Jews with the promise that they will inherit 70 virgins in heaven, are in fact, the cowards that we always knew them to be. In a sick and twisted oped piece written in today's Maariv, Amit Cohen places the blame on Israel for the Hizbullah murder of the two IDF soldiers in Northern Israel, yesterday. "Whoever gave the orders to kill the Hizbullah terrorist in Lebanon yesterday could have expected..." Cohen goes on to draw a distinction between the assassination of terrorist leaders in Judea and Samaria with the assassination of terrorist leaders in Lebanon. Cohen concedes that such assassinations in Judea and Samaria are effective, but that in Lebanon it won't work. Ironically, even the Americans admitted that Israel's assassination policy in Judea and Samaria has effectively reduced terror. Cohen and the Americans can no longer deny the fact that the Israeli assassinations in Judea and Samaria have drastically hurt the terrorist infrastructure there and drastically reduced the amount of terrorist attacks. How nice of them to now admit the obvious! We are not completely senile. We remember how they blasted Israel over recent years. Surely, they don't expect us to take them seriously now as they try and prevent Israel from taking necessary action in Lebanon to eliminate mass murderers. It is simple: killing those who wish to kill you, strengthens your chances of survival. Allowing mass murderers to operate with impunity and without fear is very dangerous for the health of those who they wish to annihilate. Even Cohen's acrobatic pen can not magically make terrorists disappear by offering them long life and immunity. You can subscribe to the Voice of Judea emails by sending an email to jsid@amanda.dorsai.org |
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MY VISIT WITH JONATHAN POLLARD
Posted by Shmuel Sackett, July 21, 2004. |
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Moshe Feiglin and I visited Jonathan Pollard in prison.
It's not every day you spend with 2 1/2 hours with a Jewish hero and a true Eishet Chayil. It's even less frequent to meet people whose love of our Nation, Land and G-d knows no bounds. I don't know what I did in life to merit this meeting but I thank G-d for the opportunity He gave me - and my best friend Moshe Feiglin - for making a dream become a reality. Last week, (25 Tammuz / July 14th) Moshe and I traveled to Butner, North Carolina to spend time with Jonathan and Esther Pollard. The visit was arranged by the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta, and facilitated by Rabbi Pesach Lerner, Executive VP of the National Council of Young Israel, whom Jonathan refers to as his "brother". Rabbi Lerner is very outspoken on behalf of Jonathan Pollard and always ready to help him - 24 hours a day. In today's world of apathetic, timid and scared Jewish leaders it's a pleasure to know that someone like Rabbi Lerner is defying this trend by taking a stand, unafraid to defy the establishment on behalf of a Jew who many would love to forget. Butner, North Carolina is typical of "middle America". Winding country roads, houses separated by corn-fields and not a soul to be seen. After driving through this town - which appears to have missed the technology revolution -we came upon a wide building surrounded by several concentric layers of barbed wire fencing. Suddenly, the peaceful, serene feeling left me and one of imprisonment and bondage took its place. Welcome to the Federal Correctional Institute at Butner, where - as the famous song goes - "you can check in any time you want... but you can never leave." Moshe and I were accompanied on our visit by Rabbi Lerner, Aviv Ezra (Israel's Deputy Consul General in Atlanta) plus an official "observer" from the US Intelligence community. The first thing Jonathan said to me was, "Please thank your son, Gabi, for his wonderful letters. I am not allowed to write back so people mistakenly think I never received them. Please tell him - and everyone else - that I get each letter, read and enjoy every word and sincerely appreciate the fact that people take time out of their busy schedules to write to me." Later that day I told this to my son and he was ecstatic! "Jonathan Pollard reads my letters and even remembers my name! I'm going to tell more people to write him as well." (Note: Please see the end of this article for Jonathan's contact information). Prior to this meeting I read a lot about Jonathan Pollard. I've followed the case since its beginning, read hundreds of articles, talked to many people and now I had the tremendous "zechus" (merit) to meet Jonathan himself. It's a terrible shame that much of what is being written and said is simply false...a 100% lie. Allow me to list the facts, including Jonathan's own 3-point plan for his release: Fact #1) Jonathan Pollard is a brilliant man. His mind is clear, he is focused and he knows exactly what he wants. His love of Jews is infinite and his love of the Land of Israel is second to none. He is deeply religious and is connected to our Father in Heaven as no man I have ever seen. Jonathan knows about all the people who have double-crossed him and all the promises that have been broken. Yet, despite all this he remains totally sane and optimistic about the future. Most men would have cracked long ago but not Jonathan. No sir!!! He is happy, emotionally strong, confident and psychologically fit. His truth and faith in G-d is unquestionable and my personal "Yirat Shamayim" (awe of Heaven) is pale when compared to his. Fact #2) Esther Pollard is an incredible person. She has given up her own life to work towards the release of her husband. Esther and Jonathan think as one and work closely together on designing and implementing his freedom campaign. Living in a tiny room in a dingy motel room a few miles away, Esther has no life other than Jonathan's. She is with him every second she is allowed and when not physically at his side is busy writing, calling, faxing and emailing on his behalf. When I saw them together in the prison I thought of Rabbi Akiva and his wife Rachel. How many years did Rachel wait - all alone - for her beloved? How old was Rabbi Akiva when he started coming close to G-d? How proud was Rachel when her husband defied the authorities to sanctify G-d's Name? This famous Jewish couple lived 2,000 years ago in Israel yet, last week, in Butner, North Carolina, I felt as though I was sitting with their reincarnated souls. Fact #3) Everybody imaginable has let down these two holy Jews. From Israeli Prime Ministers, cabinet ministers and MK's to Jewish American leaders, activists and Rabbis. Members of Jonathan's own team double-crossed him 20 years ago and more deals have been broken that can ever be recorded. People have used Jonathan and Esther for their own personal gain - both politically and monetarily - without ever "delivering the goods" when it came time to do so. As stated before, this would have broken the spirits of most people yet Jonathan and Esther are strong and well focused in their program. Talking to them and hearing their story is like watching a movie about "Gam Zu L'Tova"(this too is for the good). Everything rotten that can possibly happen actually did... yet they persevere in their journey with hope in their hearts, love in their souls and smiles on their faces. Fact #4) For years I believed that the fate of Jonathan Pollard rested in the hands of the Israeli leadership. Many have argued against me and have made valid points... or so I thought. Now that I had the privilege of spending 2 1/2 hours with Jonathan, I see quite clearly - without a shadow of doubt - that I was indeed correct. His release is solely on the shoulders of Israel. While Jonathan believes and relies quite heavily on the power of prayer (see below, fact #6) in the world of "teva" (nature) it is the responsibility of those in power in Jerusalem to secure his release. Weak and poorly planned attempts have been made in the past as well as a lot of "window dressing" to give the public the impression that a bona fide plan is in place, only to have been torpedoed by the Americans. Unfortunately, experience has shown that regardless of what the USA has done the leadership from Israel could have closed a deal. This leadership failed Jonathan each and every time because they were worried more about public opinion than authentic Jewish values. When an Israeli government arises that bases itself on Jewish concepts and turns Israel into a real Jewish State, Jonathan Pollard will be freed immediately! This is why Moshe Feiglin and I, founders and leaders of Manhigut Yehudit, have gotten more involved than ever in the Pollard case as it is yet another example of what happens when Jewish leaders hide from their identity and heavenly mission. Whether it is giving away G-d's Land, allowing enemies to terrorize our people or ignoring a Jewish hero as he languishes in prison - the common denominator is always the same: Lack of pride in who we are and an embarrassment to have been chosen by the Almighty. Jonathan himself told me, "In Israel today, we have freedom but we do not have independence." This is the root of 99% of our problems and only a change at the top - at the highest level of Israeli leadership - will change this tragic course and set our Jewish Nation back on track. Fact #5) Jonathan Pollard has designed a well thought-out three point agenda which, he believes, will secure his release. He and Esther explained it to me in great detail. These are basic steps that every government takes whenever it wants to secure the release of one of its captives. It usually takes these steps quietly, behind-the-scenes and then implements them as government policy and as its public position through its diplomatic staff and top officials. In all other cases the captive has never had to plead with his government to take these steps; they have all been taken automatically, as part of the process of bringing a captive home. Only in the case of Jonathan Pollard were these steps never taken. Here is the 3 point agenda as designed by Jonathan himself: a) Formalization of a clear government policy on this case - If the government cannot bring itself to articulate the most basic facts of this case how can it possibly formulate a plan of action? Simply put, the government must dedicate itself towards the release of Jonathan Pollard in words and deeds. The Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Defense Ministers must publicly declare their concern for Jonathan Pollard and the State's determination to bring him home. A government which is serious about getting Jonathan home, must once-and-for-all formalize and articulate a policy to that effect and implement that policy both at home and abroad. b) Implementation of Jonathan's captivity status - In 1998 the Israeli government officially recognized Jonathan as an Israeli agent. By definition, that declaration made him a captive, but unfortunately Israel never acted upon it. Therefore, Israel has been able to duck all responsibility for him; financially, legally and morally. The implementation of Jonathan as an official "captive" would give the Government of Israel a say in the way he is treated and would be able to demand urgently needed medical care and humane living conditions. It would give him a right to financial and legal assistance as defined by the Ministry of Defense. Furthermore, it would give his wife, Esther, a monthly stipend for living expenses and something she does not have now: medical insurance! In short, it would mean an end to the abandonment of Jonathan Pollard and the restoration of the rights and protections owed to him by the State of Israel. c) Regular prison visits from Israel's U.S. Ambassador - Whenever Israel is serious about the release of a captive, senior diplomatic staff are always engaged. A prison visit from the Ambassador - backed by clear government policy (point "A") and armed with the formalization of Jonathan's captivity status (point "B") - would raise the profile of his case and would signal that Israel is serious about securing his release. It would also allow the Ambassador to ensure that Jonathan receives appropriate medical treatment and humane living conditions. It would allow the Ambassador to insist that Jonathan no longer be forced to do slave labor in prison, as he has done the last 19 years! When Jonathan explained this three point plan to Moshe and myself we were amazed. Nothing is radical or extreme, yet, to date, it has not been implemented in whole or in part by any Israeli government. Fact #6) A lot of you reading this may be getting frustrated and depressed. How can this be? How can a Jewish hero languish in prison 19 years? These are the wrong questions to ask! Instead, ask, what can we do to help? Is there anything simple Jews can do to ease his burden, take his mind off his pain and help him get released? Here are several suggestions: 1. Pray for Jonathan Pollard. His Hebrew name is Yehonatan ben Malka. Say Tehillim and ask Hashem to free him. A special Tefilla (prayer) has been written by the great Tzaddik, HaRav Mordechai Eliyahu specifically for Jonathan. HaRav Eliyahu is the former Chief Rabbi of Israel and Jonathan's personal Rabbi and spiritual advisor. This prayer - in both Hebrew and English - is available on the web: www.jonathanpollard.org/prayers.htm 2. Special prayer cards are currently being printed and will be distributed to any shul, school or individual that requests them. They will be sent free of charge. Please call Manhigut Yehudit at (516) 295-3222 or (888) 217-4820 or email me at: shmuel@manhigut.org to place your order. Make sure you leave an address and quantity needed. They will be mailed out during the month of Elul. 3. Write letters to Jonathan. He loves to hear from children and adults alike. Address to: Jonathan Pollard - 09185-016, FCI Butner - PO Box 1000, Butner, North Carolina, 27509-1000 4. Follow the case and all developments on Jonathan's official website Justice for Jonathan Pollard www.jonathanpollard.org ; Subscribe to his email update list. 5. Send emails of encouragement to Esther Pollard: justice4jp@aol.com 6. Contribute money towards his expenses and struggle. He and Esther do not receive any financial assistance from the Government of Israel or from the organized American Jewish Community whatsoever! They live in extreme financial distress. Tax deductible donations should be made payable to "Manhigut Yehudit" and mailed to: Manhigut Yehudit - PO Box 241 - Cedarhurst, NY 11516. Please indicate on the check that the donation is for Jonathan Pollard. Every dollar received will be given directly to Justice4JP. Receipts will be mailed to all donors. In the merit of these positive actions, may Hashem - the One who released Joseph from jail and our entire Nation from slavery in Egypt - free Yehonatan ben Malka and bring him and his amazing wife, Esther, to a new life in the holy city of Jerusalem. 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. |