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JULIE BURCHILL'S LETTER TO THE GUARDIAN
Posted by Isralert, November 30, 2003. |
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"November 29,2003 As you might have heard, I'm leaving the Guardian next year for the Times, having finally been convinced that my evil populist philistinism has no place in a publication read by so many all-round, top-drawer plaster saints. (Well, that and the massive wad they've waved at me.) Once there, I will compose as many love letters to the likes of Mr Murdoch and Pres Bush as my black little heart desires, leaving those who have always objected to my presence on such a fine liberal newspaper as this to read only writers they agree with, with no chance of spoiled digestion as the muesli goes down the wrong way if I so much as murmur about bringing back hanging. (Public.) Not only do I admire the Guardian, I also find it fun to read, which in a way is more of a compliment. But if there is one issue that has made me feel less loyal to my newspaper over the past year, it has been what I, as a non-Jew, perceive to be a quite striking bias against the state of Israel. Which, for all its faults, is the only country in that barren region that you or I, or any feminist, atheist, homosexual or trade unionist, could bear to live under. I find this hard to accept because, crucially, I don't swallow the modern liberal line that anti-Zionism is entirely different from anti-semitism; the first good, the other bad. Judeophobia - as the brilliant collection of essays A New Antisemitism? Debating Judeophobia In 21st-Century Britain (axt.org.uk), published this year, points out - is a shape-shifting virus, as opposed to the straightforward stereotypical prejudice applied to other groups (Irish stupid, Japanese cruel, Germans humourless, etc). Jews historically have been blamed for everything we might disapprove of: they can be rabid revolutionaries, responsible for the might of the late Soviet empire, and the greediest of fat cats, enslaving the planet to the demands of international high finance. They are insular, cliquey and clannish, yet they worm their way into the highest positions of power in their adopted countries, changing their names and marrying Gentile women. They collectively possess a huge, slippery wealth that knows no boundaries - yet Israel is said to be an impoverished, lame-duck state, bleeding the west dry. If you take into account the theory that Jews are responsible for everything nasty in the history of the world, and also the recent EU survey that found 60% of Europeans believe Israel is the biggest threat to peace in the world today (hmm, I must have missed all those rabbis telling their flocks to go out with bombs strapped to their bodies and blow up the nearest mosque), it's a short jump to reckoning that it was obviously a bloody good thing that the Nazis got rid of six million of the buggers. Perhaps this is why sales of Mein Kampf are so buoyant, from the Middle Eastern bazaars unto the Edgware Road, and why The Protocols of The Elders of Zion could be found for sale at the recent Anti-racism Congress in Durban. The fact that many Gentiles and Arabs are rabidly Judeophobic, while many others are as horrified by Judeophobia as by any other type of racism, makes me believe that anti-semitism/Zionism is not a political position (otherwise the right and the left, the PLO and the KKK, would not be able to unite so uniquely in their hatred), but about how an individual feels about himself. I can't help noticing that, over the years, a disproportionate number of attractive, kind, clever people are drawn to Jews; those who express hostility to them, however, from Hitler to Hamza, are often as not repulsive freaks. Think of famous anti-Zionist windbags - Redgrave, Highsmith, Galloway - and what dreary, dysfunctional, po-faced vanity confronts us. When we consider famous Jew-lovers, on the other hand - Marilyn, Ava, Liz, Felicity Kendal, me - what a sumptuous banquet of radiant humanity we look upon! How fitting that it was Richard Ingrams - Victor Meldrew without the animal magnetism - who this summer proclaimed in the Observer that he refuses to read letters from Jews about the Middle East, and that Jewish journalists should declare their racial origins when writing on this subject. Replying in another newspaper, Johann Hari suggested sarcastically that their bylines might be marked with a yellow star, and asked why Ingrams didn't want to know whether those writing on international conflicts were Muslim, Christian, Sikh or Hindu. The answer is obvious to me: poor Ingrams is a miserable, bitter, hypocritical cuckold, whose much younger girlfriend has written at length in the public arena of the boredom, misery and alcoholism to which living with him has led her, and whose trademark has long been a loathing for anyone who appears to get a kick out of life: the young, the prole, independent women. The Jews are in good company. Judeophobia: where the political is personal, and the personal pretends to be political, and those swarthy/pallid/swotty/philistine/aggressive/ cowardly/comically bourgeois/filthy rich/delete-as-mood-takes-you bastards always get the girl. I'll return to this dirty little secret masquerading as a moral stance next week and, rest assured, it'll get much nastier. As the darling Jews themselves would say (annoyingly, but then, nobody's perfect), enjoy!
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SAUDI COLUMNIST: 'We Have Bred Monsters... We Are the Problem and
Not America'
Posted by MEMRI, November 30, 2003. |
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On November 30, 2003, Dr. Muhammad Talal Al-Rasheed, columnist for the English language daily The Saudi Gazette, wrote an article titled "Senseless Violence, Senseless Death." The article is in reaction to the murder of Saudi Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Rasheed of Hail by 'Islamists' in Algeria. The following are excerpts from the article: [1] "...A few days back Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Rasheed of Hail was murdered in Algeria while on a camping trip. He was 40 years old and his son, Nawaf, 13 years old, was with him. At the time of this writing, we only know that the father was killed, while the son s condition is to be verified. "It is easy to get on one s soap box and pontificate; to tell humanity that we suffer from terrorism too. That is too easy though; and perhaps too intellectually cowardly. Talal was a well-known poet in Saudi Arabia. He comes from a family that ruled Arabia long enough to be recorded in history. He was and will always be a beacon of Art, whatever that word means. "Those who killed him are those who want the word silenced. The young man left it open whether he was with this or that, but he was adamant to tell all and sundry that to be is to talk and exchange. I grieve, I must admit, and am beyond reason because of the trauma of it all, but I do maintain a semblance of reason to see where all of this is leading. "We have bred monsters. We alone are responsible for it. I have written as much before my personal tragedy and will continue to do so for as long as it takes. We are the problem and not America or the penguins of the North Pole or those who live in caves in Afghanistan. We are it, and those who cannot see this are the ones to blame. "Castrated as we are, we look to America. Why? Because they went into Iraq and made a difference. Better or worse is another point. Once America has demonstrated its willingness to do something, the moral imperative is that it should not stop at the first station along the road. The majority of us are sick and tired of this carnage and President Bush, wrong on just about everything else, is right on this one. Does he have the (courage) to finish the job? I wonder. "I don t think this will be published in the Arab News, as it
should be. If not, I understand their point of view and their
perpetual selectiveness. But one thing is sure, we are here to stay
even if it takes giving our best to the madness of religion and the
wrong of fanaticism. Nothing, but nothing, is worth the life of an
innocent... may the Americans add Talal to their list of loved ones
lost to the same indiscriminate madness that took 3,000 on a certain
day in September."
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East. Its website address is http://www.memri.org |
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MEGA-ATTACK
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, November 30, 2003. |
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PART 1. Muslim Arabs, presumably connected to Al Qaeda, have issued a proclamation which, in effect, tells the American government and the people that they will implement a Mega-Attack in 3 American cities. (1) It is not necessary to believe them as to specifics, since they could attack even one city and achieve their desired effect. Depending upon their weapon of choice, any city could sustain in excess of 100,000 casualties. That 'weapon of choice' could be an actual nuclear weapon - perhaps one of the 'Kegs' (suitcase nukes) purchased from rogue Russian officers or the ever-growing Russian Mafia. (2) The same could be said for Chemical or Biological (3) materials, which might have come from Iraqi, Syrian or Iranian stockpiles. If there is what is called a "Mega-Attack" and thousands or even hundreds of thousands of Americans die, the U.S. government will be faced with a difficult choice. Since Terrorists cloak themselves with anonymity, we probably won't know which nation or which of their Terrorists groups are responsible. America should have issued a warning to all the Arab/Muslim nations, namely, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Libya, et al that, IF America is, indeed, hit again with a Mega-Attack, then all those nations' capitals would be obliterated within hours. This would give them a strong incentive to find their sleeper teams of Jihadists or prepare to disappear. We Americans have only heard about the pathogens designed for mass extinction of a city or a nation. Once it starts, we will most likely be paralyzed with confusion. No doubt, martial law will be declared, the laws of the Constitution pushed aside and the U.S. Congress sequestered into a non-active body. (4) This will not, however, stop Terror inside our nation. Perhaps we should recommend that the entire Muslim Arab Crescent be warned that they would be eliminated, since there is no way to separate the Islamists who fund and control the 'sleeper cells' planted in America within all the other Muslims who seem to be living peaceably - but, invariably cheer when America is successfully attacked by their co-religionists. The nations of Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya have ignored or participated with Terrorists for many years. We cannot democratize nations who seems to prefer dictators nor can we wait dozens of years, perhaps centuries for the Islamists to change their goals, namely ridding the world of what they call 'infidels' (non-believers in Islam). We have been at war with Islam - only we don't seem to know it - or, at least, we don't want to acknowledge it. Should a Mega-Attack occur on American soil, we cannot resort to pin-point bombing on known targets with our intelligent missiles. We will be required to completely eliminate the leaders in their capitals and such missile fields and nuclear complexes so that the heads of the snakes are removed. That will not guarantee future safety but, it will cut off those who control and mastermind the 'sleeper cells' allowed into America by the Arabist U.S. State Department. The choice of living or dying en masse is a choice we must make before the fact. Some will think this is a cruel and unfair judgment but they haven't yet experienced a vast wipe-out of American citizens - with the exception of 9/11. Even that has fled our consciousness as an act of brutal horror. Building memorials to the dead is something that the Jews have done through the centuries but, it is no comfort to the living who may be about to be slaughtered. The nations of Arabs, Muslims and radical Islamists have taught their children to be the future Terrorists and 'Shahids' (martyrs) for Islam. If releasing deadly toxins into an American city is consistent with these teachings and they have the technology to do so - that is what they will do. I have little doubt that we must go through a Mega-Attack, killing massive numbers of Americans before we are motivated to act. Then we must act with instant retaliation to bring those nations who threatened our very existence back to the Stone Age where spears and rocks will be the only weapons they have available. Nuclear or radio-active dirty bombs, biological pathogens that act as an incurable plague or Chemicals that sear the lungs and kill with a single droplet will no longer be in their reach. We do not have the manpower to police these nations as we are learning in Iraq so, therefore, their leadership and military must be destroyed in a single blow. Must we first experience death on a massive scale before we are ready to act? They have warned us. What are we waiting for? PART 2. Following The Promised Mega-Attack. Blaming Someone - Anyone: The Jews [This article is directed to the Jewish Leadership and Christian Friends of the Jewish People.] We all expect a Mega-Attack by Muslim Terrorists. They promised it. They mean what they say and they say what they mean. It doesn't matter if the umbrella description is that of Al Qaeda or the numerous Terrorist Nations and Terrorist proxies who shelter under the one name, Al Qaeda. What matters is that Arab and non-Arab Muslims have stated repeatedly that they are going to attack America's population centers with weapons that cause death in Mega proportions. The World Trade Center's Twin Towers were destroyed and the Pentagon was hit by 15 Saudis and 4 Egyptians who hijacked 3 planes simultaneously. (Where was the 3rd plane intended to crash? The White House? Its passengers prevented that and crashed it in Pennsylvania.) The Arab propagandists tried to shift the blame to the Jews. They tried to hide under the concept that Arab Muslims were too backward to pull off such a well-coordinated attack. Therefore, according to the Arab media, it must have been those clever Jews who had manipulated the Saudi government and the Saudi Osama Bin Laden supporters of multi-millionaire to billionaire. To this day the ignorant Muslims in the streets believe what they were told, which in their twisted religion is any lie a Muslim tells them must be the truth. They say, it must have been the Jews who manipulated the Egyptians through Hosni Mubarak to join the plot. The propaganda, some pre-prepared, some instant creations of the fertile Arab/Muslim mind, needed someone to blame other than themselves for the heinous attacks on America. Clearly, they feared a righteous backlash by the American Super-Power - which did come eventually. First Afghanistan, then Iraq with the President's pledge to War against Global Terrorism making Iran and Syria very nervous. (5) To a minor degree, the anti-Jewish propaganda worked among the Arabs and such nations as France, Germany where there are swarms of Muslim immigrants beginning to reach a 'critical mass.' As Hitler's chief propagandist Goebbels said, "If the lie is big enough and repeated often enough, it will be believed." So now we are on the threshold of a promised Mega-Attack by Muslims and various other Arab Terrorists. No doubt, their propaganda mechanism is working overtime to evolve the best plan, not only to kill Americans but to somehow shift the blame for their cruel assaults onto the Jews and the Jewish State of Israel. In case, anyone has forgotten, Saudi Arabia employed several American PR firms to confuse and obfuscate the Saudi role in 9/11. Now, add to that a second assignment for the PR firms, namely to pre-plan a campaign to blame the Jews for the coming Mega-Attack. Under the Logan Act, Americans who do this can be sent to jail for subversion. Most certainly, the Jewish leadership in Israel, America and the rest of the Diaspora will have no advance planning to meet or pre-empt this propaganda - despite being alerted to the possibilities. Surely, 2 or 3 weeks following the Mega-Attack, the Jewish leadership will start to babble denials to the well thought out Muslim/Arab charges. The Arab/Muslim block in the U.N. will immediately call for an investigation - not of Arab nations who assisted in the planning but of the Jewish State of Israel. Never mind that what they say won't make sense or be able to withstand scrutiny. It will be the Hitler/Goebbels proven policy that, "If the lie is big enough and repeated often enough, it will be believed." But, sadly, giving Jewish leadership a 'heads-up' is like telling a 3 year old: "Don't do it again." They will have some meetings and expressions of concern. They will establish a committee or two to study the matter. Those NOT allowed to be members of this committee will probably be the activists who forecast such problems and study solutions. Perhaps they'll employ a PR agency whose expertise is selling bourbon or diet drinks or assisting politicians in running for office. In other words, the Jewish leadership and organizations will do nothing in advance or useful because they feel comfortable they can talk their way out of trouble - after the fact. Leaders of the AJCs, ADL, UJCs, Federations - Take notice! The Arab/Muslims will kill Americans and try to water down the inevitable backlash by blaming the Jews. Their main theme will be: "If it wasn't for Israel, we wouldn't have been forced to take the desperate act of killing Americans." You will counter that Islam is at war with America, with the intention of having the Saudi brand of Islam, called Wahhabbism, or the Taliban view of Islam take over the world. But, you will be too late. No one will be listening. They'll be dead, dying, wounded or attending Mega-funerals with furious Americans ready to blame anyone at whom authority figures point their fingers. In desperation, you will assemble a team of experts to counter their propaganda but, the first group you choose will be amateurs - in order to be politically acceptable to all Jewish organizations. That translates into failure to solve the problem. Of course, a first string team of professionals could be already assembled but, as quivering Jewish institutions, you will not call them in until they push themselves to the forefront by necessity as happened in the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. We Jews just act too late, too weakly and hope it will all go away by itself. It would appear that only the non-Jewish Jews of the Left have the conviction to join our enemies, de-Judaize Israel and generally show their negative strength. Perhaps, not surprisingly, the anti-Jewish newspaper Ha'Aretz, well to the Left, has already started the effort to blame the Jews of Israel for the anti-Semitism that is rising up in America and Europe. In an article of November 28, by Eliahu Salpeter entitled: "The Jewish World: a Collective Punishment" (6), tells us that the new anti-Semitism starts with the Palestinian conflict. Clearly, as a thumping Leftist, this writer and this Leftist paper starts the ball rolling with a mea culpa by blaming Israel for the ramping up of anti-Semitism everywhere. He speaks of the 'poor' Muslims in France being so angry at not being absorbed by the French that they lash out at the Jews and Israel. He further speaks of Muslim rage over what is happening in the 'territories' of Judea, Samaria and Gaza under what he calls Israeli 'occupation' and the tendency of Muslims to associate World Jewry with the Jewish State. Here we read from a Jew hater (self-hater) of the first order who is frothing at the mouth, trying to blame his co-religionists for the anti-Semitism in Europe, Africa and, for him, hopefully in America. Ha'Aretz has always conveniently forgotten that the Jews are in the 'territories' because the Arab Muslims waged six unsuccessful wars to wipe out any vestige of Israel and all Jews therein. Those Jews in the villages, towns and cities of Yesha (Judea, Shomron and Aza) are Israel's first line of defense for the Jews of Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem - because if those pioneering Jews of Yesha are delegitimated or eliminated, then the Jews inside the Green Line have no legitimacy either and are next on the list for extermination. Those familiar with the Dr. Suess book about the Sneetches, recall his parting line of the guy who took away all their money: "You can't teach a Sneetch." How appropriately that applies to today's Jewish self-anointed establishment! ### 1. "Mega-Terror Menaces on Three Continents" DEBKA-file-DEBKA-Net-Weekly Special Report Feb. 4, 2003 & "Al Qaeda Plans Something Big" by Kevin Johnson USA Today 11/27/03 2. "Seven Terror Nukes Already in U.S." http:/www.maranatharevival.net/Andtherewillbterrors.htm 3. "Al Qaeda Prepares Bio-Terror for US & Israel" DEBKA-Net-Weekly Jan. 4, 2003 4. "Gen. Tommy Franks: Martial Law will Replace Constitution After Next Terror Attack" Newsmax.com 11/21/03 5. "Scapegoating Israel - Part 2" HonestReporting.com September 21, 2001 & "Blaming Jews 101" by Prof. Edward Alexander FrontPageMagazine.com Nov. 11, 2003 6. "The Jewish World/ A Collective Punishment" by Eliahu Salpeter Ha'Aretz Nov. 28, 2003
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GENEVA SELLOUT
Posted by Yuval Zaliouk, November 30, 2003. |
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Events chase events. I wish we were Portugal. On Monday, some lunatics will sign the Geneva Initiative. If they got their wish, Israel will at best get another Oslo, and at worst, its total physical and spiritual annihilation. Here is an article by Charles Krauthammer, published by the Washington Post (Friday, November 28, 2003; Page A41) among others. On Monday, a peace agreement will be signed by Israelis and Palestinians. This "Geneva accord" has gotten much attention. And the signing itself will be greeted with much hoopla. Journalists are being flown in from around the world by the Swiss government. Jimmy Carter will be heading a list of foreign dignitaries. The U.S. Embassy in Bern will be sending an observer. This is all rather peculiar: The agreement is being signed not by Israeli and Palestinian officials, but by two people with no power. On the Palestinian side, the negotiator is former information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo, who at least is said to have Yasser Arafat's ear. The Israeli side, however, is led by Yossi Beilin, a man whose political standing in his own country is so low that he failed to make it into Parliament. After helping bring his Labor Party to ruin, Beilin abandoned it for the far-left Meretz Party, which then did so badly in the last election that Beilin is now a private citizen. There is a reason why he is one of Israel's most reviled and discredited politicians. He was the principal ideologue and architect behind the "peace" foisted on Israel in 1993. Those Oslo agreements have brought a decade of the worst terror in all Israeli history. Now he is at it again. And Secretary of State Colin Powell has written a letter to Beilin and Rabbo expressing appreciation for their effort, and is now planning to meet with them. This is scandalous. Israel is a democracy, and this agreement was negotiated in defiance of the democratically (and overwhelmingly) elected government of Israel. If a private U.S. citizen negotiated a treaty on his own, he could go to jail under the Logan Act. If an Israeli does it, he gets a pat on the back from the secretary of state. Moreover, this "peace" is entirely hallucinatory. It is written as if Oslo never happened. The Palestinian side repeats solemn pledges to recognize Israel, renounce terror, end anti-Israel incitement, etc. - all promised in Oslo. These promises are today such a dead letter that the Palestinian side is openly bargaining these chits again, as if the Israelis have forgotten that in return for these pledges 10 years ago, Israel recognized the PLO, brought it out of Tunisian exile, established a Palestinian Authority, permitted it an army with 50,000 guns and invited the world to donate billions to this new Authority. Arafat pocketed every Israeli concession, turned his territory into an armed camp and then launched a vicious terror war that has lasted more than three years and killed more than 1,000 Israelis. It is Lucy and the football all over again, and the same chorus of delusionals who so applauded Oslo - Jimmy Carter, Sandy Berger, Tom Friedman - is applauding again. This time, however, the Israeli surrender is so breathtaking it makes Oslo look rational. A Palestinian state, of course. Evacuating every Jewish settlement in new Palestine, of course. Redividing Jerusalem, of course. But that is not enough. Beilin gives up the ultimate symbol of the Jewish connection and claim to the land, the center of the Jewish state for 1,000 years before the Roman destruction, the subject of Jewish longing in poetry and prayer for the 2,000 years since - the Temple Mount. And Beilin doesn't just give it up to, say, some neutral international authority. He gives it to sovereign Palestine. Jews will visit at Arab sufferance. Not satisfied with having given up Israel's soul, Beilin gives up the body too. He not only returns Israel to its 1967 borders, arbitrary and indefensible, but he does so without any serious security safeguards. Palestine promises to acquire and buy no more weapons than specified in some treaty annex. This is a joke. Oslo had similarly detailed limitations on Palestinian weaponry, and nobody even pretended to enforce them. Last year, a massive illegal boatload came in from Iran on the Karine A. What did the world do about it? Nothing. Today, however, Israel still has control over Palestine's borders. Under Beilin, this ends. Palestine will be free to acquire as much lethal weaponry as it wants. And on the critical question that even the most dovish Israelis insist on - that the Palestinians not have the right to flood Israel with Arab refugees - the agreement is utterly ambiguous. Third parties (including among others the irredeemably hostile Syria and its puppet Lebanon) are to suggest exactly how many Palestinians are to return to Israel, and the basis for the number Israel will be required to accept will be the mathematical average! This is not a peace treaty, this is a suicide note - by a private citizen on behalf of a country that has utterly rejected him politically. That it should get any encouragement from the United States or from its secretary of state is a disgrace.
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I HAVE KILLED MY JEW: Anti-Semitic murders hit Paris
Posted by Micki Lewis, November 30, 2003. |
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This article was written by Alyssa A. Lappen.
Alyssa Lappen has seared the conscience of everyone with this grisly piece on Jewish murders by Muslims in Paris, virtually unreported by major French press and the JTA. A cover up you say? Sweep the Jew hatred murders under the rug? Not for courageous Nidra Poller, the American Jewish ex-pat living in Paris. She jarred the audience at Harvard's Emerson Hall on Monday night at an event sponsored by the Harvard Friends of Israel and arranged by Charles Jacobs and Avi Goldwasser of the David project (http://www.davidproject.org). Nidra's revelations were so stunning that it made the front pages of the Boston Jewish Advocate. Now with Alyssa Lappen's article the story of this grisly Jew hatred cover up will span the globe via the internet and maybe, just maybe, hit the JTA and other major wire services. Maybe a visit by the Israeli Ambassador in France to the Quai D' Orsay will follow. Maybe. How did Nidra get to the US to tell this stunning story and more about the noxious Jew hatred environment in France and what Bat Ye'or calls EUrabia? Because of her translation work with Bat Ye'or on several opinion pieces and our own work with her on bringing the French film essay, Decryptage, to the US, that we showed in Fairfield/Bridgeport last month. We reached out for several groups in the US to provide Nidra a platform to discuss her important revelations. Our good friend Charles Jacobs and Avi Goldwasser of the David project said: "they'd try," and hence the speaking engagement at Harvard's Emerson Hall on Monday night. Charles asked me when I approached him, "Could she speak?" Could she speak. Of course she can and will. She did phenomenally well and got the message across, accurately and cunningly in her guise as a charming grandmother. Nidra's revelations were taped at the HFI stint, so perhaps the David project can make those available to those of you who want to see and hear Nidra's important message of the dark advent of EUrabia - a bastion of tolerated Muslim Jew hatred and feckless fawning French press and Interior ministry officials. If you thought the J'accuse of Emile Zola's that forced the pardon of wrongfully imprisoned French Jewish captain Alfred Dreyfus in Paris at the end of the 19th Century was something, Nidra has surpassed that with this important talk recorded for replay in America and the world. After a European Union poll found that nearly 60% of Europeans consider Israel the greatest threat to world peace (http://www.christianmusictv.com/id302.htm), the British Broadcasting Corp. on November 26, asked if anti-Semitism (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3234264.stm) is really increasing. There was outrage and shock over the recent EU poll, observed Robert Wistrich, director of Jerusalem's Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of anti-Semitism. Many Israelis consider mainstream labeling of "Israel as a Nazi state" a sort of anti-Semitism. But the BBC gave the final word to Vienna's Edward Serotta. "The increasingly shrill debate often paints the entire European continent as a cess-pool of hatred for Jews," griped the Central Europe Center for Research and Documentation director. "One prominent Jewish leader recently said the climate was just like 1933 - this is absolutely absurd." Oh, really? Serotta made this bizarre claim precisely a week after two Paris Jews were brutally murdered and disfigured because they were Jewish. Not a single major French newspaper carried news of the grisly events. Le Monde, Figaro and Liberation remained deaf and dumb, according to Nidra Poller, an American expatriate living in Paris. The police warned one victim's family not to call the crime anti-Semitic, she said. Sebastian Sellam, 23, was a popular disc jockey at a hot Parisian
night club called Queen. At about 11:45 p.m. on Wednesday November 19,
the young man known as DJ Lam C (a reverse play on his surname) left
the apartment he shared with his parents in a modest building in of
Paris 10th arrondissement near la Place Colonel Fabien, heading to
work as usual. In the underground parking lot, a Muslim neighbor slit
Sellam's throat twice. His face was completely mutilated with a fork.
Even his eyes were gouged out.
Following the crime, Sellam's mother told Rosenpres reporter Alain Azria, the Muslim mounted the stairs, his hands still bloody, and announced his crime. "I have killed my Jew. I will go to heaven," he reportedly said. The alleged murderer's family was well known for its rabid anti-Semitism, Mrs. Sellam reported, a point that the victim's brother confirmed. Within the previous year, she said, the Sellams found a decapitated rooster outside their apartment door and the Mezzuza was ripped from their doorpost. Decapitating roosters is reportedly a traditional warning of impending murder. The murder especially traumatized the Paris Jewish community since a second gruesome murder, also allegedly committed by a Muslim, occurred within two days. Chantal Piekolek, 53, was working in her Avenue de Clichy shoe store in the 19th arrondissement when Mohamed Ghrib, 37, stabbed her 27 times in the neck and chest. Piekolek's 10-year-old daughter hid in the basement storeroom beneath the shop with a girlfriend and heard the entire crime. There was no evidence of sexual assault, and the cash remained in the store register. Yet after initially reporting the second case as an anti-Semitic crime, Guysen Israel News altered its story. The news service claimed that reports Piekolek was Jewish were mistaken. Several Paris reporters believe both crimes were anti-Semitic, says Poller. A few days earlier, an anti-Semitic arson attack hit the Jewish Merkatz Hatorah boys' school on the outskirts of Paris. Prime-Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin afterwards said he hoped to identify those who carried out this shameful attack. (http://www.fire-magazine.com/shownews.asp?secid=8& pubid=13&nav=1&newstype=0&key=Keyword&page=2&newsid=6687) But given the intense and worsening anti-Semitism in Europe and France, there seems little hope the French government will actually investigate the arson, much less prosecute the perpetrators if it finds them. After all, EU officials deny the severity of the problem and last week shelved an EU report on the subject (http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/364930.html) for fear of antagonizing Muslims, who were behind many of the incidents examined. (http://www.uba.uva.nl/jb/object.cfm?objectid=026A7FE6 -B76F-4AA8-B7BF2553F62062ED) When Poller left France on a speaking tour of the U.S. this month, she brought one week's news publications to read on her flight - two weekly magazines, three newspapers and a few other scholarly publications. All of them, she said, were "reeking with hatred [for Jews]." They also sympathized extensively with terrorists. "News reports are not factual. They are sermons,"Poller said. "One piece in a philosophical journal," she noted, "rambled on at length about le grandeur de Arafat, although he is personally responsible for more than 1,000 civilian murders." As a consequence, French Jews live in terrible fear. The entire community is traumatized, Poller said. In Paris, a lot of the Jews already had to leave countries in North Africa. And now, they are told not to talk about anti-Semitism. And they are going to have to flee again. Last year, a rabbi in Poller's neighborhood was kidnapped and held hostage in a car for two hours. Another religious Jew was similarly kidnapped and a Jewish woman en route to pick up her husband from a local hospital was abused by her Muslim taxi driver. EU officials may not want to admit it. But attacks on Jews have been mounting since the terrorist war on Israel began in September 2000. In the last year, however, anti-Semitic attacks in France have grown increasingly bold. "Many of the crimes are never even reported," Poller said. In January, Paris Rabbi Gabriel Farhi was attacked several times. (http://www.frontpagemag.com/articles/Printable.asp?ID=5524) In May 2002, a mysterious fire erupted at the Israeli embassy in Paris. (http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200205/23/eng20020523_96337.shtml) In April 2002 alone, the French Interior Ministry recorded nearly 360 anti-Semitic crimes against Jews and Jewish institutions, according to Washington Times reporter Al Webb. [1] Yes, we did burn down a synagogue, Frenchmen routinely admit, according to Poller. But how do we know this was anti-Semitic? "Sellam's murder was handled in much the same way," she said, "although 2,000 mourners attended the popular young disc jockey's funeral... Officials and news agencies tried to whitewash the anti-Semitic nature of the crime." "Sebastian was successful and his murderer was unsuccessful and jealous," she said they reported. But something considerably darker than professional jealousy must be at work when a murderer completely mutilates his victim's face with a fork and gouges out his eyes or stabs a 53-year-old mother 27 times in the chest and neck. Indeed, the same kind of denial dynamic seems to be at work in Piekolek's case. Guysen Israel initially reported that she was Jewish, but later altered its reports, according to Poller. Meanwhile, in Germany, neo-Nazis were arrested in September for
planning an arson attack on a Munich synagogue to commemorate Hitler's
November 9 Kristallnacht of 1938, in which thousands of Jewish homes
and shops were destroyed, hundreds murdered and thousands arrested and
sent to concentration camps.
(http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/international.cfm?id=1011072003)
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RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION AT THE TEMPLE MOUNT
Posted by Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff, November 30, 2003. |
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Jerusalem (jnewwire.com) - Israeli police effectively increased the level of religious discrimination being practiced against Jews at their holiest site Sunday with the announcement that, from now on, only three Jews will be permitted to visit the Temple Mount at any one time. Israel has for a few months allowed Jews and Christians to access the site that the Bible says God calls His holy hill. Due to the ever-present threat of Muslim violence, however, any Christians and Jews seeking to pray or worship the God of Israel up there risk being arrested and permanently banned from the site. Off limits Police officials announced Sunday they could no longer adequately protect large groups of Jews wishing to visit the Temple Mount, and would with immediate effect allow only three Jews at any one time onto the ancient hill, Arutz 7 reported. Many Jews expressed outrage at the decision, saying the police had no problem maintaining order when over 150,000 Muslims attended Friday Ramadan prayers at the site. Temple Mount activists chalked the decision up to ongoing "religious discrimination." Internal Security Minister Tzahi Hanegbi ordered the Mount reopened to Jewish and Christian tourists in August after nearly three years of being off limits amid threats and demonstrations of Arab Muslim violence. Religious intolerance A ban against Christians and Jews praying on the place known in the Bible as God's Holy Hill remains in place, enforced by the Israeli police. Over the past months, Muslim Waqf officials have tailed groups of Jews and Christians visiting the site in an attempt to make sure the "infidels" do not utter even quiet prayers to their God. During the Feast of Tabernacles in October, one Christian leader called the official discrimination against the rights of Jews and Christians to worship their God on the hill a clear victory for Arab terror. Holy to Jews & Christians Jews regard the Temple Mount as their holiest site, the place the Bible says God chose to place His name, and location of the two temples of the Lord. Bible-believers note that God Himself designated the site as holy, and that Jesus regarded the temple in His day as His "Father's house," even though a bloodthirsty king, Herod the Great, had built it. Millions of Christians and Jews share the belief that the Messiah will one day rule and reign over the earth from the Temple Mount. Islam's fraudulent claim While Muslims claim the Temple Mount to be the third holiest site in Islam, Mohammed, the founder of their faith never visited it, and Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Koran. Nonetheless, after taking control of the mount in the 1967 Six Day War, Israel agreed to leave the running of the site in Muslim hands. Today, daily Muslim prayers repeatedly sound across the city from minarets on the mount, as muezzins declare in the four mosques located there that their god is greater than the God of Israel. Sermons taught in the mosques atop the mountain call for the total annihilation of the Jewish people.
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THE GENEVA ACCORD AND THE RIGHT OF RETURN
Posted by Leo Rennert, November 30, 2003. |
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Media reports, in their usual effort to simplify complex matters, indicate that Yossi Beilin's Geneva Accord would force the Palestinians to give up the "right of return" - a major demand of Israel in any real final-status negotiation. Unfortunately, THIS IS NOT TRUE (even though some of the terrorist groups seem or pretend to believe it). If you look up the actual text of the Accord, the "right of return" of Palestinian refugees to Israel proper is treated in very rubbery fashion - an elastic open-ended formula that could leave it up to the eye of each beholder. Israel could interpret it one way, the Palestinians in a totally different way. And, voila, with some kind of verbal gymnastics, you guarantee peace! The Accord states that Palestinian refugees will be given a choice of staying in current host countries, relocating in a Palestinian state, moving to other countries that might take them AND RETURNING TO ISRAEL. So the issue is not whether there is a "right of return" to Israel. The accord says there is (it even refers to UN General Assembly Resolution 194 which Palestinians and Arabs have used for a long time as the basis of their legal claim to return to Israel.) The only issue is how many refugees Israel would have to accept. And, at that point, the Accord gets very interesting - and totally self-contradictory. In one clause, it states that repatriation of Palestinian refugees will be at the sovereign discretion of Israel (that would seem to give Israel an ironclad veto). But hold on; that's not so. The Accord also provides for the establishment of an International Commission which will have "full and exclusive" jurdisdiction to administer the refugee-repatriation program. And who will serve on this commission? Besides the immediate parties, there will be the usual Israeli "friends" - Russia, the EU, the UN, UNWRA and EVERY ARAB COUNTRY WHICH NOW HAS PALESTINIAN REFUGEES. Plus any other members that might be added to this roster. Once the commission is formed, each member will toss into a hat the number of refugees Israel should admit. In turn, Israel must consider in making up its mind about how many refugees it will admit the AVERAGE OF THE REFUGEE NUMBERS SUBMITTED BY ALL COMMISSION MEMBERS. So if Syria, Lebanon, Egypt each call for Israel to accept several million refugees, the AVERAGE NUMBER could easily go through the roof. Legally, the Accord does not resolve the basic question: Does Israel's "sovereign discretion" trump the commission "full and exclusive jurisdiction?" Who would have the final say? THE ACCORD DOESN'T SAY.
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ANTI-ZIONISM IS ANTI-SEMITISM
Posted by Yuval Zaliouk, November 30, 2003. |
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Dear friends,
Yesterday was a very good day for truth, honesty and courage.
The Toledo Blade published an excellent article by Jack Kelly [See
below: "The Root of All Evil?" November 29].
The Guardian in London published two (yes, TWO) superb articles on the
subject:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,3605,1094325,00.html
and the following article, written by Emanuele Ottolenghi:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1095694,00.html
Is it a sign that some are beginning to realize that the world and the
media have gone too far? I sincerely hope so. Let us wait and see to
what blossoms these buds of justice will develop.
Your Truth Provider,
Is there a link between the way Israel's case is presented and anti-semitism? Israel's advocates protest that behind criticisms of Israel there sometimes lurks a more sinister agenda, dangerously bordering on anti-semitism. Critics vehemently disagree. In their view, public attacks on Israel are neither misplaced nor the source of anti-Jewish sentiment: Israel's behaviour is reprehensible and so are those Jews who defend it. Jewish defenders of Israel are then depicted by their critics as seeking an excuse to justify Israel, projecting Jewish paranoia and displaying a "typical" Jewish trait of "sticking together," even in defending the morally indefensible. Israel's advocates deserve the hostility they get, the argument goes; it is they who should engage in soul-searching. There is no doubt that recent anti-semitism is linked to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. And it is equally without doubt that Israeli policies sometimes deserve criticism. There is nothing wrong, or even remotely anti-semitic, in disapproving of Israeli policies. Nevertheless, this debate - with its insistence that there is a distinction between anti-semitism and anti-Zionism - misses the crucial point of contention. Israel's advocates do not want to gag critics by brandishing the bogeyman of anti-semitism: rather, they are concerned about the form the criticism takes. If Israel's critics are truly opposed to anti-semitism, they should not repeat traditional anti-semitic themes under the anti-Israel banner. When such themes - the Jewish conspiracy to rule the world, linking Jews with money and media, the hooked-nose stingy Jew, the blood libel, disparaging use of Jewish symbols, or traditional Christian anti-Jewish imagery - are used to describe Israel's actions, concern should be voiced. Labour MP Tam Dalyell decried the influence of "a Jewish cabal" on British foreign policy-making; an Italian cartoonist last year depicted the Israeli siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem as an attempt to kill Jesus "again." Is it necessary to evoke the Jewish conspiracy or depict Israelis as Christ-killers to denounce Israeli policies? The fact that accusations of anti-semitism are dismissed as paranoia, even when anti-semitic imagery is at work, is a subterfuge. Israel deserves to be judged by the same standards adopted for others, not by the standards of utopia. Singling out Israel for an impossibly high standard not applied to any other country begs the question: why such different treatment? Despite piqued disclaimers, some of Israel's critics use anti-semitic stereotypes. In fact, their disclaimers frequently offer a mask of respectability to otherwise socially unacceptable anti-semitism. Many equate Israel to Nazism, claiming that "yesterday's victims are today's perpetrators": last year, Louis de Berni?res wrote in the Independent that "Israel has been adopting tactics which are reminiscent of the Nazis". This equation between victims and murderers denies the Holocaust. Worse still, it provides its retroactive justification: if Jews turned out to be so evil, perhaps they deserved what they got. Others speak of Zionist conspiracies to dominate the media, manipulate American foreign policy, rule the world and oppress the Arabs. By describing Israel as the root of all evil, they provide the linguistic mandate and the moral justification to destroy it. And by using anti-semitic instruments to achieve this goal, they give away their true anti-semitic face. There is of course the open question of whether this applies to anti-Zionism. It is one thing to object to the consequences of Zionism, to suggest that the historical cost of its realisation was too high, or to claim that Jews are better off as a scattered, stateless minority. This is a serious argument, based on interests, moral claims, and an interpretation of history. But this is not anti-Zionism. To oppose Zionism in its essence and to refuse to accept its political offspring, Israel, as a legitimate entity, entails more. Zionism comprises a belief that Jews are a nation, and as such are entitled to self-determination as all other nations are. It could be suggested that nationalism is a pernicious force. In which case one should oppose Palestinian nationalism as well. It could even be argued that though both claims are true and noble, it would have been better to pursue Jewish national rights elsewhere. But negating Zionism, by claiming that Zionism equals racism, goes further and denies the Jews the right to identify, understand and imagine themselves - and consequently behave as - a nation. Anti-Zionists deny Jews a right that they all too readily bestow on others, first of all Palestinians. Were you outraged when Golda Meir claimed there were no Palestinians? You should be equally outraged at the insinuation that Jews are not a nation. Those who denounce Zionism sometimes explain Israel's policies as a product of its Jewish essence. In their view, not only should Israel act differently, it should cease being a Jewish state. Anti-Zionists are prepared to treat Jews equally and fight anti-semitic prejudice only if Jews give up their distinctiveness as a nation: Jews as a nation deserve no sympathy and no rights, Jews as individuals are worthy of both. Supporters of this view love Jews, but not when Jews assert their national rights. Jews condemning Israel and rejecting Zionism earn their praise. Denouncing Israel becomes a passport to full integration. Noam Chomsky and his imitators are the new heroes, their Jewish pride and identity expressed solely through their shame for Israel's existence. Zionist Jews earn no respect, sympathy or protection. It is their expression of Jewish identity through identification with Israel that is under attack. The argument that it is Israel's behaviour, and Jewish support for it, that invite prejudice sounds hollow at best and sinister at worst. That argument means that sympathy for Jews is conditional on the political views they espouse. This is hardly an expression of tolerance. It singles Jews out. It is anti-semitism. Zionism reversed Jewish historical passivity to persecution and asserted the Jewish right to self-determination and independent survival. This is why anti-Zionists see it as a perversion of Jewish humanism. Zionism entails the difficulty of dealing with sometimes impossible moral dilemmas, which traditional Jewish passivity in the wake of historical persecution had never faced. By negating Zionism, the anti-semite is arguing that the Jew must always be the victim, for victims do no wrong and deserve our sympathy and support. Israel errs like all other nations: it is normal. What anti-Zionists find so obscene is that Israel is neither martyr nor saint. Their outrage refuses legitimacy to a people's national liberation movement. Israel's stubborn refusal to comply with the invitation to commit national suicide and thereby regain a supposedly lost moral ground draws condemnation. Jews now have the right to self-determination, and that is what the anti-semite dislikes so much. Emanuele Ottolenghi is the Leone Ginzburg Fellow in Israel Studies at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies and the Middle East Centre at St Antony's College, Oxford. |
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CONGRESSIONAL DRAFT RESOLUTIONS ENDORSING GENEVA ACCORD
Posted by Ken Heller, November 30, 2003. |
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This comes from IMRA which writes: "These draft resolutions
represent a dangerous assertion that the terms outlined in the Geneva
Accord and other private initiatives actually effectively address the
requirements for peace.
The Geneva Accord, and for that matter, the other initiatives, are
not "peace" documents. They are various withdrawal schemes
under which Israel forfeits its sovereign right as well as ability to
defend itself. It forfeits its right to defend itself to a group of
third parties. It creates an untenable situation on the ground by
providing for Israeli withdrawals to indefensible borders facing a
sovereign Palestinian state.
All these initiatives are based on the dogmatic assertion that all
the Arabs want is for Israel to withdraw to the '67 border.
But withdrawal to the '67 lines won't insure Israel peace for
generations.
That's not what the Palestinians in particular and the Arabs in
general say in their mosques, in their schools or broadcast on their
airwaves. And their leaders excuse whatever arrangements they make
with the Jews by citing the Hudaibiyah model according to which one
enters into a temporary treaty with an enemy until the enemy can be
defeated.
In truth, even if the Arabs entered into a peace treaty with Israel
in good faith this would in no way assure peace for an Israel in
indefensible borders. Leaders don't always send their nations off to
war because of a genuine irreconcilable gripe against their neighbor -
they can do it to serve domestic and other interests. And when one
considers that there is no certainty who or what will be ruling
Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt in five years, let alone decades from
now, the last thing a prudent Israel can afford to do is turn itself
into an easy target." THE SENATE RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding fighting terror and embracing efforts to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace. (Introduced in Senate) http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c108:1:./temp/~c1085ING9Z:: SRES 276 IS
Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding fighting terror and embracing efforts to achieve Israeli -Palestinian peace . IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES November 25, 2003 Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. CHAFEE, Mr. NELSON of Florida, Mr. LEAHY, and Mr. LAUTENBERG) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding fighting terror and embracing efforts to achieve Israeli -Palestinian peace . Whereas ending the violence and terror that have devastated Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza since September 2000 is in the vital interests of the United States, Israel, and the Palestinians; Whereas ongoing Israeli -Palestinian conflict strengthens extremists and opponents of peace throughout the region, including those who seek to undermine efforts by the United States to stabilize Iraq and those who want to see conflict spread to other nations in the region; Whereas more than 3 years of violence, terror, and escalating military engagement have demonstrated that military means alone will not solve the Israeli -Palestinian conflict; Whereas despite mutual mistrust, anger, and pain, courageous and credible Israelis and Palestinians have come together in a private capacity to develop serious model peace initiatives, like the People's Voice Initiative, One Voice, and the Geneva Accord; Whereas those initiatives, and other similar private efforts, are founded on the determination of Israelis and Palestinians to put an end to decades of confrontation and conflict and to live in peaceful coexistence, mutual dignity, and security, based on a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace and achieving historic reconciliation; Whereas those initiatives demonstrate that both Israelis and Palestinians have a partner for peace , that both peoples want to end the current vicious stalemate, and that both peoples are prepared to make necessary compromises in order to achieve peace; Whereas each of the private initiatives addresses the fundamental requirements of both peoples, including preservation of the Jewish, democratic nature of Israel with secure and defensible borders and the creation of a viable Palestinian state; and Whereas such peace initiatives demonstrate that there are solutions to the conflict and present precious opportunities to end the violence and restart fruitful peace negotiations: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate-- (1) applauds the courage and vision of Israelis and Palestinians who are working together to conceive pragmatic, serious plans for achieving peace;THE HOUSE RESOLUTION Supporting the vision of Israelis and Palestinians who are working together to conceive pragmatic, serious plans for achieving peace , and for other purposes. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c108:2:./temp/~c108SdCsGA:: IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES November 21, 2003 Mr. ISSA (for himself, Mr. FILNER, Mr. LEWIS of California, Mr. BALLENGER, Mrs. BONO, Mr. EMANUEL, Mr. HOUGHTON, Mr. TERRY, Mr. SMITH of Michigan, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. PITTS, Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland, Mr. GILLMOR, Mr. CUNNINGHAM, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. REYES, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. RAHALL, and Mr. BLUMENAUER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations RESOLUTION Supporting the vision of Israelis and Palestinians who are working together to conceive pragmatic, serious plans for achieving peace , and for other purposes. Whereas ending the violence and terror that have devastated Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza since September 2000, is in the vital interest of Israel, the Palestinians, and the United States; Whereas ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict strengthens extremists and opponents of peace throughout the region, including those who seek to undermine efforts by the United States to stabilize Iraq and those who wish to see conflict spread to other nations in the region; Whereas more than 3 years of violence, terror, and escalating military conflict have demonstrated that military means alone will not solve the Israeli -Palestinian conflict; Whereas obligations under the peace plan known as the `road map' have not been met by Israeli and Palestinian leaders and no viable political alternatives have emerged; Whereas despite mutual mistrust, anger, and pain, courageous and credible Israelis and Palestinians have come together in a private capacity to develop serious model peace initiatives, like the People's Voice Initiative and the Geneva Initiative; Whereas those initiatives and other similar private efforts are founded on the determination of Israelis and Palestinians to put an end to decades of confrontation and conflict and to live in peaceful coexistence, mutual dignity, and security, based on a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace; Whereas those initiatives demonstrate that both Israelis and Palestinians want to end the current vicious stalemate, and that both peoples are prepared to make compromises in order to achieve peace; Whereas the Geneva Initiative offers a detailed framework that addresses the fundamental requirements of both peoples, including preservation of the Jewish, democratic nature of Israel with secure and defensible borders, and the creation of a viable Palestinian state; and Whereas such peace initiatives present precious opportunities to end the violence and restart fruitful peace negotiations: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives-- (1) applauds the courage and vision of Israelis and Palestinians who are working together to conceive pragmatic, serious plans for achieving peace; IMRA - INDEPENDENT MEDIA REVIEW ANALYSIS - tracks the media, polls and events of importance in the Middle East. Its website address is http://www.imra.org.il |
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HATRED OF JEWS THREATENS RULE OF LAW
Posted by Eliezar Edwards, November 30, 2003. |
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James Woolsey, former head of the CIA, spoke to a Jewish
audience at York University in Toronto and said that Europe's
increasing anti-Semitism is "its first breath of
totalitarianism." This article is a writeup of Mr. Woolsey's
speech by Joseph Brean of the National Post in Canada.
Add to this the fact that the European Monitoring Centre on Racism
and Xenophobia (EUMC) has refused to release their report on
anti-Semitism because they feel the report's (accurate) pointing the
finger at Muslims and pro-Palestinians as being the perpetrators of
most of the attacks on Jews and synagogues was
"inflammatory." TORONTO - In their growing resentment of Jews, Europe's media and cultural elite have breathed "the first breath of totalitarianism," a former CIA director said yesterday. Jews are history's great champions of the rule of law, James Woolsey said, so much so that they have come to embody it. He said intolerance of Jews, therefore, is a first step toward dictatorial rule - a hallmark of the world's most oppressive societies. Reaching back into the dusty history of the Sinai peninsula to explain the current rash of school torchings and racist graffiti in Europe, Mr. Woolsey said modern Europe resents Jews for holding strong to the ideal that timeless rules trump temporary rulers. "People hate Jews to very much the degree that they have come to realize that this notion of the rule of law is something that came to the world something between three and four millennia ago in the Sinai desert. The idea that the government is above the ruler, and that rulers, whether it's King David or anyone else, are to be held to account by the people, by great prophets, by whomever - that notion essentially came out of the Sinai desert," Mr. Woolsey told a predominantly Jewish audience yesterday at York University. In their dietary restrictions and dress, he said Jews have always promoted the primacy of the law over the leader. "That notion is the biggest threat to totalitarians. "So once you begin to dabble with the idea that you want to bully people, that you want to order them around, that you want them to do what you say, you very frequently start to drift into anti-Semitism," he said. "I think that is what is happening in some of the cultural elites in Europe." Among Europe's right-wing fringes, violence and vandalism against Jews has reached dangerous levels rarely seen since before the Second World War, leading Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon to call anti-Semitism "fundamental" to the European outlook. Mr. Woolsey, CIA director under former U.S. President Bill Clinton, said, "Once anti-Semitism raises its head, the rest of us who don't want to live with a foot on the back of our necks are likely to be the next targets."
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FROM A HIGH SCHOOL IN NEWFOUNDLAND
Posted by Angela Bertz, November 29, 2003. |
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Keith Samuelson forwarded a letter from one of his students, Kristen Williams. She wrote this essay, calling it A Heart For Israel. Death, destruction and despair, these are the images constantly portrayed through the media about a small country called Israel. For decades, Israel has been making headlines with its political unrest and civil violence. But on Friday afternoon three young Israelis helped to brighten our perspective. The group, appropriately titled "Israel at Heart," gave us a true vision of daily life in Israel. Through sharing their personal experiences and thoughts, they helped send a message of hope and peace for the nation covered in much controversy. Several people who received a copy of the letter thought it was wonderful, that it was "written with so much insight and empathy," that it "brought a ray of hope and understanding in spite of negative media," and that the Israeli students brought a "perspective of Israel that one does not often hear." I did not agree. I wrote this to the people who had so praised the Israeli students. I agree in principle with this message and I applaud Kristen and these young Israelis on their initiative.
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THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL?
Posted by Yuval Zaliouk, November 29, 2003. |
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This time, The Toledo Blade decided to tell us the truth. The simple, straight, honest truth. Jack Kelly did it again. On a day like this I wish The Blade was published worldwide. Thank you Jack Kelly. Thank you The Blade. This article must be read by all. "Today, we can say these little people are the root of all evil," said Mikis Theodorakis of the Jews. The composer of the music for Zorba the Greek was flanked by two Greek cabinet ministers when he made this statement on Nov. 4 at a public event in Greece. Neither took issue with what he said. Mr. Theodorakis has lots of company in his anti-Semitism. (In the uproar following his statement, he claimed that he was speaking of the Israeli government of Ariel Sharon, not all Jews.) In a recent poll conducted by the European Union, 59 percent of respondents said Israel is the greatest threat to peace in the world. More than Iran. More than Iraq. More than North Korea. Palestinians are the world's favorite underdogs, beloved of liberals in North America, European politicians of every stripe, and Islamo-fascists the world over. A factual case for Palestinian persecution is hard to make. They have their own statelet and would have their own state if only they were willing to forgo murdering Israelis. Arabs living in Israel have rights and liberties Arabs in Egypt, Syria, and Saudi Arabia can only dream of. There has never been an Arab state called Palestine. Prior to 1967, Palestinians were either Jordanians or Egyptians. They are ethnically, culturally, religiously, and linguistically indistinguishable from their Arab neighbors. Kurds would seem a more logical candidate among Muslims for the world's sympathy. Kurds have a different ethnicity, a different language, a different cultural tradition from the Arabs and Turks who have oppressed them for lo these many centuries. But the number of the world's opinion leaders who give a damn about the Kurds wouldn't fill a telephone booth. Palestinians are loved because they are the only people on the planet who can, with any degree of plausibility, claim to be oppressed by Jews. Hatred of the Jews has been the most durable political idea of the last 2,000 years. Jews have been hated by Christians and Muslims, by fascists and communists, by Europeans and Arabs, and Africans and Asians. Jews are hated by illiterate peasants and by college professors. Jews are hated by people who think they are better than Jews, and by people who fear they are inferior to them. Jews were hated when they had no state, and because they now have one. It's hard to understand why. Hitler wasn't Jewish. Neither was Stalin or Mao or Pol Pot or Idi Amin. Saddam Hussein isn't Jewish. Neither is Osama bin Laden or Kim Jong Il or Fidel Castro. Attila the Hun wasn't Jewish. Neither were Caligula or Genghis Khan or Ivan the Terrible. There have been a lot of mass murderers in the last 2,000 years. None have been Jewish. Jews didn't start World Wars I or II, or the Korean War, or the Vietnam War. Jews weren't responsible for starvation in the Ukraine in the 1930s, or genocide in Rwanda in the 1990s. It wasn't Jews who flew airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, or who put nerve gas in Tokyo's subways. Yet Mikis Theodorakis can say "these little people are the root of all evil," and few will contradict him. Of the world's 6.3 billion people, only 12 million are Jewish. By contrast, there are nearly 1.3 billion Muslims, who rule 57 countries that contain most of the world's oil reserves. Yet Mahathir Mohammed, the "moderate" Muslim leader who just retired as prime minister of Malaysia, can claim that "Jews rule the world by proxy," and few will contradict him. Iran is building a nuclear weapon - for the expressed purpose of annihilating Israel. Other Muslim nations applaud the effort, while most Europeans look the other way. Jews are hated in the world today to a degree not seen since the Nazis goose-stepped onto the world stage. All that stands between the Jews and another Holocaust is the United States of America.
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A YAMIN ISRAEL PARODY
Posted by Professor Paul Eidelberg, November 29, 2003. |
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Many, many years ago there was an American radio program designed especially for children. It was called "Let's Pretend." This program has been resurrected in Israel. In fact, Israel now boasts several versions of this program. Their producers vie with each other to see which can attract the largest number of children. Their common theme is peace, and they only differ as to how to make peace between Jews and Arabs. Let's call their producers the "Let's Pretenders." The latest Let's Pretenders consist of various Likud Knesset members and settlement leaders. Unlike other Let's Pretenders - for example, the Beilin Pretenders, the Ayalon Pretenders, and the Sharon Pretenders, all of which imagine a peace-loving Palestinian state these latest Let's Pretenders offer children the delightful fiction of a bi-national state. They prompt these children to imagine a "West Bank" and Gaza divided into ten cantons or districts. Each canton, they say, will receive parliamentary representation according to factors other than population - as in the United States Senate. And they would have children - Jewish and Arab children - to pretend that this cuddly arrangement will ensure a permanent Jewish majority west of the Jordan River. The President of this projected bi-national state would be Jewish while its Vice-President would be an Arab. How cozy, how charming - a plot bound to delight a childish audience. Of course, this plot may not go over very well among Arab children. Especially those whose parents harbor the goal of a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan to the Mediterranean - yes, and who have instilled in their children the desire to kill and die for such a state. It seems that the programs of all these Let's Pretenders lack verisimilitude - are so far removed from reality that only infants would be amused by them. But perhaps we are wrong. Perhaps Israel has become an Infantocracy! Perhaps the programs of these the Let's Pretenders are indicative of a progressive disintegration of the Jewish State - of intellectual - moral decay and political anarchy. Perhaps this is why the Sharon Pretenders, having no realistic plan or no Jewish goal - can only imagine another hudna. Well, Let's Pretend. Let's offer an alternative to a bi-national state, namely, a tri-national state based on the Let's Pretend mentality of Shimon Peres. Let this tri-national state consist of three autonomous groups: Jews, Israelis, and Arabs. It must therefore have a trilateral Executive consisting of a representative from each group. It must also have a tri-cameral legislature consisting of a Jewish branch, an Israeli branch, and an Arab branch. Should jurisdictional disputes and legislative grid-lock occur, these will be referred to a trinitarian Supreme Court consisting of three Rabbis (one Orthodox, one Conservative, and one Reform), three Atheists (one heterosexual, one homosexual, and one transvestite), and three Muslims (one Sunni, one Shi'ite, and one Sufi). Let's name this tri-national state "Pluriland." Come to think of it, the name pretty much describes the present State of Israel.
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SUFFERING
Posted by Charles Schiro, November 28, 2003. |
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I am a Non-Jewish American Citizen. As I read about the constant suffering your people are exposed to, almost on a daily basis, I am beginning to wonder if the human race has evolved beyond being a primative savage. I wish that your nation could follow the example of Jordan and simply export all of the Palestinian people to their Arab cousins. Palestinians forget that their grandfathers sold much of the land that they now claim to the Jews, when the United Nations established Israel. I am not a ultra-right Christian zealot who thinks biblical revelations dictate modern day outcomes. I am simply a citizen of the world who thinks the Jewish people are getting short changed in their aspirations to have their own secure peaceful nation. Mr. Schiro lives in Carmichael, California. This letter appeared in the Jerusalem Post Letters, November 27, 2003. |
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FINANCIAL AGGRESSION AGAINST ISRAEL
Posted by Steven Plaut, November 28, 2003. |
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Well, the US has announced that it is going to deduct from its aid package to Israel any money spent on "settlements," which in the view of Foggy Bottom includes constructing Israel's security fence, designed to prevent Palestinian Nazis from murdering Jewish children. That is ALSO a violation of "Palestinian rights," namely the right to murder Jews. Now offsetting funds for things you do not like is an interesting idea. Have you noticed that the US has not offset from any of the funds it ladles out to the PLO anything due to the PLO murdering Jews or violating each and every punctuation mark in the Oslo Accords? And while we are at it, I have another suggestion. The heads of two Israeli universities are cited in today's Haaretz (Hebrew University and the University of Haifa), where they complain that Jewish donors from around the world have been threatening the universities that they will withhold donations as long as these schools continue to hire and promote and grant tenure to academic traitors, and quite a few have actually done so. The universities have a long history of hiring incompetent leftists with laughable academic records as acts of solidarity by other campus leftists. The more radical of the tenured extremists are openly anti-Semitic, openly call for Israel to be destroyed, or openly call on anti-Semites from around the world to boycott Israeli universities. The university heads explicitly cited Ilan Pappe, from Haifa U., and Tania Reinhart, from Tel Aviv U., as extremists working with international boycotters of Israeli schools. Now first of all, I would like to congratulate all of you who have sent letters to heads of Israeli universities denouncing the tenured traitors and threatening to withhold donations as long as the schools make a mockery out of academic standards when hiring and promoting anti-Israel leftist extremists. Clearly, you are having an effect. Those who have not yet written might consider doing so. But an idea just as promising is to write the Minister of Education (Limor Livnat) and the Minister of Finance (Bibi Netanyahu) and demand that the same budget offset idea the Yanks are implementing now for "settlements" be applied to Israeli universities by the Israeli government. The national budget allotment to each university or college (maybe 70% of the university budgets come from the taxpayer) should be lowered by the same amount that each school spends on the salaries of leftist anti-Israel extremists and tenured traitors, shekel for shekel. THAT should get their attention!
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PENTAGON FUNDS TRACK 2 PEACE PLAN
Posted by Gabrielle Goldwater, November 28, 2003. |
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I am amazed again how everybody wants to evacuate Israelis -
Jews - this is a sweet word to avoid the reality word:
"DEPORTATION OF JEWS AGAIN." This sounds again as we Jews
are having some terminal illness that cannot be treated. So we need to
be evacuated. And Jews don't scream?
This sounds so very familiar. I remember the slogan "Jews go
to Palestine." Now it's "Jews out of Palestine." Now
the Arabs steal that British Mandate term: "Palestine."
Since it is obvious they cannot steal the words "JEWS and
Israel" for themselves:
How come we have NO GOVERNMENT talking about EVACUATING ARABS
for a change? How come? This is a continuation from the 30's to
appease ARABS on the backs of the Jews and Israel's blood.
WHY NOT EVACUATE ARABS TO JORDAN, which is a Palestinian State - a
state carved out of Palestine and where the majority of citizens call
themselves Palestinian.
It is amazing how we are all again concerned to help the PA and
their economic situation. If they would not perform constant terrorism
- and if Arafat would not steal their money but let them have the
funds due to them - then there would be NO economic problem.
Israel/Jews being destroyed and dismantled won't help their economic
situation. This would be a funny saga if it wouldn't be so very sad
indeed. This makes a sick world even sicker. I WANT TO HEAR YOUR
VOICES.
This article was written by Janine Zacharia, and appeared in the
Jerusalem Post.
A US academic center, which receives $1.5 million in Pentagon funding annually to encourage Middle East dialogue, recently assembled a group of Israelis and Palestinians, and quietly drafted a plan for resurrecting the Bush administration's road map, The Jerusalem Post has learned. Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's financier, Muhammad Rashid, was among the group. The plan - the latest in a series of grassroots initiatives - emerged from a two-day conference November 7-8 at Jordan's Dead Sea Marriott. It was organized by UCLA's Ronald W. Burkle Center for International Relations, which designs projects to maintain dialogue between parties when official negotiations break down. The Bush administration has sharply criticized PA financial irregularities. PA legislators have claimed that Rashid, who now lives in Cairo, is holding at least $200 million for Arafat in a secret bank account. PA Finance Minister Salaam Fayad is reportedly looking into Rashid's management of PA funds. Rashid and Abed Alloun, former chief of staff to ex-Gaza Strip Preventive security service chief Muhammad Dahlan, represented the PA at the conference, according to a list of participants attached to the plan, which was circulated within the Bush administration. The Israeli participants included Labor MK Ephraim Sneh, former Foreign Ministry and Mossad official David Kimche, and Haaretz defense analyst Ze'ev Schiff. Prof. Steven Spiegel, of the Burkle Center, who is also a consultant to the left-leaning Israel Policy Forum, organized the effort. Seymour Reich, an IPF board member, said the group was not associated with the effort. Spiegel did not respond to calls and e-mails seeking comment. Two people close to him said funding for the conference and the paper it produced was not drawn from the annual US allocation, but from another source. The Pentagon-backed National Defense University's Near East-South Asia Center for Strategic Studies is overseeing the contract with the Burkle Center. Its Track Two Mideast Program has been funded by the US since the mid-1990s. Rep. Howard Berman (D-California) said he has routinely ensured funding for the initiative, which appears as a line-item in the Defense Department budget. "When the multilateral [negotiations] collapsed in the Oslo years, Steve Spiegel came up with the idea of trying to put together people from Israel, the Arab countries, and the United States on an informal basis because of the political issues and the absence of diplomatic relations," Berman said. Sneh is due here Tuesday to meet with senior US officials, sources familiar with his itinerary said. It was not immediately clear if Sneh was coming to help promote the plan. A US official said Spiegel had tried earlier this month to arrange meetings for the group, including Sneh and Rashid. The trip never materialized. An executive summary of the plan reads, "This document was prepared by a group of Israelis and Palestinians who are committed to focusing on the immediate and present ways of restoring the cease-fire and resurrecting the road map. In this purpose, it differs markedly from other recent private Israeli-Palestinian efforts that focused on a permanent settlement." The primary recommendations include: An indefinite cease-fire between the PA and Israel, which would be monitored by a US-Israel-Palestinian trilateral committee. This differs from previous short-lived cease-fires, which were between the PA and terrorist groups and did not involve Israel. Future construction of the security fence should be "basically along the Green Line." A Middle East association on terrorism, consisting of the US, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, the PA, and the Iraqi Governing Council, should be established, with a headquarters in Cairo. As a corridor between phase I and phase II of the road map, a pilot program should be implemented in the Gaza Strip, which would be based upon the evacuation of Israeli communities following the achievement of a period of stabilization and full cessation of terrorist attacks. A three-stage economic road map is presented to help improve the economic situation in the PA. As part of the cease-fire phase, the PA would "take practical steps" to prevent Hamas, Islamic Jihad, al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades, and other groups from carrying out attacks, dismantle illegal militias, close weapons workshops, and curb weapons smuggling. Israel would be encouraged to release more Palestinian prisoners, lift roadblocks, increase the number of Palestinian work permits to 50,000, and dismantle illegal outposts. Israel should accelerate the transfer of collected duties to the PA, and the international community should devise an emergency fund of about $1 billion for the Palestinians. The plan calls on Egypt and Jordan to immediately return their ambassadors to Israel, and on Morocco, Tunisia, and Qatar to initiate the resumption of diplomatic ties, which halted with the outbreak of violence in September 2000. The Gaza pilot project is included in an addendum called the "Road Map Reinforcement Package." It is "premised on nine months of the cessation of hostilities and terror in and from Gaza. Based on the termination of violence, the Israeli government will evacuate the Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip and the Iraeli troops which protect them." It includes a package of security, economic, and other measures designed to "energize the road map and give it concrete shape" and to be implemented in three phases over 12 months. The drafters of the plan write that this one would be more likely to succeed than previous initiatives, because it is "underpinned by a regional association to address the problems of terror," Israel would be included in the cease-fire, and it involves a trilateral monitoring committee. The plans is only now starting to circulate within the administration, and it is not yet clear if officials will adopt its recommendations. Secretary of State Colin Powell has praised other so-called Track Two initiatives, including the Geneva Accord to be signed on Monday. He is likely to meet with its drafters, Yossi Beilin and Yasser Abed Rabbo, next week. Both he and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz have also spoken warmly of another grassroots peace initiative led by former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon and Palestinian academic Sari Nusseibeh. But administration officials have continued to insist that the road map is the only peace plan it is endorsing at this time.
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THE JEWISH PEOPLE: A Family Under Stress
Posted by IsrAlert, November 28, 2003. |
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This is Jerusalem Insights #438 from Shorashim of the Old City (http://www.shorashim.net). It was written by Moshe Kempinski. It has been many years since I have worked as a family therapist, but my experiences of those years have impacted on me till this day.It is therefore intriguing to me that many of the feelings that come over me today as I read the newspapers and listen to the news are so reminiscent of those that I experienced as a therapist with those families. I am again experiencing some of the same feelings of pain that I felt as I sat there watching a family yearning to love and be loved, but find themselves blocked by sibling rivalry and mistrust. The same frustration and sadness arises in me as I watch different segments of our society struggling with the same dilemnas. In many ways the Jewish people resemble an extended family system. They seem to undergo the same rivalries, the same stress and the same desperate yearning for parental and peer approval. There are members of the family who revel in the seeming exclusive relationship they have with their father, while looking in disdain at what appears to be the faulty parental relationship of their siblings. There are others that struggle for independance from their parents and find a need to do so in a passionate and extreme form of differentiation. There are members of the family that have lost the ability to relate to each other because each attempt at discourse is fraught with preconceived assumptions of intent. And then there is always the acting-out child. The one that in his or her behaviour is simply playing out the inner tensions and fears of the entire family system. Every one of those descriptions clearly depict the convoluted relationships in the extended family called the Jewish people. An extended family with one more stressful piece of luggage. Several years ago, during the heyday of the Oslo Peace Accords, an Eretz Israel activist, Dr. Gary Quinn, a Jerusalem psychiatrist posited a fascinating theory. He suggested that the Jewish people throughout their history in exile have exhibited the symptoms of abused children. That theory rang true then and continues to resonate within me as history continues to unfold. Children after many tragic years of abuse begin to assume that they are the problem. They assume that the pain they have endured is a result of something that they have done. The solution in their mind, would neccessarily involve a serious attempt at denying their own identity. It would be assumed by them that if they were able to hide their identity and become less of who they were, then perhaps they wouldn't be hated by those around them. Such has been the history of the Jewish people in exile and regrettably, more recently in Israel. Jews have assumed that the solution to the hatred they have encountered would be to minimize their Jewishness and deny their unique destiny. Such was the case in Europe and in America as Jews assumed that assimilation and universalism would be a bulwark against hatred and persecution. For a period during the first years of the state, Israel and Israeli Jews seemed to stand against the trend. Though struggling with the meaning and relevance of faith these young Jewish pioneers were attempting to shake off the shackles and trauma of the abuse and the hatred of the nations. But living a life that has cut itself off from faith and Divine destiny has exacted a toll on a significant portion of Israel's secular population. Facing the onslaught of a vicious world media, a hating European Union and an unsympathetic American State Department has shaken the self assurance that was the hallmark of the early Israeli pioneers. This can be the only possible explanation for the antics of Yossi Beillin and his friends with their Geneva accord. The same would be true of Ami Ayalon and his plan concocted with Sari Nusseibah. The perpetrators of such ill conceived plans are not neccessarily bad people, but they are clearly tired people. They are people, who disconnected with the heart of faith that beats faintly in their chests, begin to exhibit the symptoms of abused children. They assume guilt and blame and deny their own truth. When such self destructivness is combined with inflated egos and arrogance then they become not only self destructive but also dangerous for every other member of the extended family. Israel is at a difficult and dangerous crossroad. It will need great faith and courage to struggle through the days ahead. But after the struggle and the pain we will make it through.
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AN AMERICAN LIVING IN ISRAEL
Posted by Judy Balint, November 28, 2003. |
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This was written by Stuart Pilichowski, an American who made aliyah. He lives in Mevasseret Tzion Four years ago I began writing about my experiences making Aliyah to Israel. Four years. After a year or so the Intifada broke out and my whimsical tales of life in Israel became a bit more serious; perhaps a tad more cynical. I began thinking a lot more seriously about Jewish destiny. Four years. I guess you can call me an expert. Ha! I just returned from a business trip to the US. A project we had been working on for about six months for a rather large American business enterprise was incredibly successful. Our clients were bowing down and prostrating themselves at my feet. I was King. One fellow mentioned that they couldn't continue effectively and profitably without our presence. "Yeah, ya better not step in front of any buses," one said. Quickly the team head cut in and said, "Ha! You better not GET ON any buses!" Ladi da? Isn't life a riot? *********** You think Israeli's are bad when it comes to parking? Spending Shabbat in NJ I drove my car to shul Friday afternoon. I parked near the Rabbi's car in front of his house. It's a rather large home, and so what if instead of a front lawn he has a front parking lot? Some of us have lawns and a spot for one or two cars and some have only a side lawn and spots for tens of cars. So I go into the house and wish Shabbat Shalom to the Rebbetzin. She looks frazzled and asks if I can drive some soup over to someone not feeling well. Sure. I grab the soup pot and head for my car. Wouldn't ya know it? I'm blocked in. No way out! But the obvious occurs to me: I'll drive right over the side lawn. Big deal. Vrooooom vroom. Mission accomplished. Soup delivered. Of course, on my way back the spot is still blocked. What to do? Where to park? Simple: just drive right back over the lawn into my spot! It was worth coming from Israel to NJ for Shabbat and driving across the lawn just to see the expressions on people's faces. I can still hear them saying, "Crazy Israeli!" ******** Hadas, an associate in my office, begged me to bring back crib sheets and a bumper pad from a factory I was visiting on Thursday. Her sister was about to give birth and she desperately needed the gifts on Thursday. I really didn't understand why it couldn't wait a day or two when it might be more convenient. But my policy is not to ask too many questions. If I can do the favor as requested, why not? So I shelpped the stuff on the train from Nahariya to Tel Aviv. Hadas met me at the train station and with the brightest smile ever told me her sister just gave birth to a healthy bouncing baby boy. Everyone was ecstatic. He was her parent's first grandchild. So I said, "I guess everyone's going to rush over to the hospital to see the baby, right?" Here comes the zinger: Her parents are getting on a flight asap to Hong Kong. That's where the baby was born. Their kids are working for an Israeli company in their Far Eastern office. ******** While in the States traveling from NJ to Wisconsin my airline had "randomly" designated me for an extra special security search. No big deal. I'm easy to get along with. I just don't understand why my business associate traveling with me, who claims Jordanian citizenship and was recently visiting family in Saudi Arabia, just zipped right through every security check with a sly smile as I stood there taking off my shoes and belt. ******* On my El Al flight to Israel I sat near a couple from Philly. We began talking and I discovered they had met many years ago as students at Hebrew U. He had concentrated his efforts on learning to speak Arabic. He felt that peace was soon at hand and we needed to be able to talk in each other's languages. Soon enough he realized that especially with the collapse of the Oslo Accords he might have a better chance of finding a cure for cancer than realizing his dream of peace in the region. So today he's an oncologist. ******* Thanks to everyone for your comments and constructive insights over the years. Keep 'em coming. Shabbat Shalom. Pray for Strength and Peace Judy Balint is the author of "Jerusalem Diaries: In Tense Times." (Gefen,2002). She and others of the Jerusalem Diaries group are recording their experiences living in Israel. |
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SEND PROTEST LETTERS TO SENATORS WHO ENDORSE THE GENEVA ACCORDS
Posted by Leo Rennert, November 28, 2003. |
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Please send immediate protest letters to senators who are sponsoring a congressional resolution urging President Bush to adopt and promote Yossi Beilin's so-called Geneva Peace Accords (a misnomer if there ever was one). According to Haaretz, sponsors include Dianne Feinstein of California, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, John McCain of Arizona and Pat Leahy of Vermont. Beilin's purported peace plan, which is receiving wide praise from all the usual blame-everything-on-Israel crowd (Kofi Annan, Jimmy Carter, the Europeans, the State Department, etc.), would seriously undermine Israeli security interests and reward past and future Palestinian terrorism with statehood along lines that even the Ehud Barak-Bill Clinton offers of 2000-2001 didn't envisage. (Barak has come out against the plan; Peres has declined to join in). Here are some of the utterly mischievous and injurious elements of the plan: Without any real safeguards against terrorism, it would give Palestinians a state in the West Bank, Gaza, east Jerusalem, more than half of the Old City of Jerusalem, including Palestinian sovereignty over the entire Temple Mount. And it would fudge the "right of return." It is not Oslo-lite; it is Oslo-plus as far as a sellout of Israel is concerned. Arguments against the Beilin plan: 1. Beilin, as a private citizen, has no standing to negotiate a separate peace with the Palestinians. If he did this in the United States, he would be prosecuted under the Logan Act. DO NOT LET THE NEW YORK TIMES OR COLIN POWELL (or Michael Lerner for that matter) pull the wool over your eyes. The Beilin plan is a dagger pointed at Israel. Shalom. Leo
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THE POLITICS OF PEACEMAKING
Posted by ICEJ Staff, November 27, 2003. |
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Geneva authors warn Qurei not to meet with Sharon The initiators of the "Geneva Accord" have pressured Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei not to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon prior to the launch of their campaign to promote the deal at a signing ceremony in Switzerland on December 1, the London-based Arabic daily Al-Hayat reported Wednesday. According to Palestinian sources quoted, Qurei agreed to the request and is hoping that his repeated postponement of the scheduled talks will lead to a softening of Israel's formal negotiating position, along the lines of the unofficial plan. Despite claims by former American Middle East mediator Dennis Ross in the Washington Post on Wednesday that there is a "common perception" by all parties in the region "that now may be a new moment to produce a more enduring cease-fire and the resumption of a peace process," Qurei believes the delay serves his interests. The frustration in Jerusalem is evident. Speaking to Knesset members Monday, Sharon warned that there was a limit to his patience before his offer of "unilateral concessions," designed to foster an eventual peace settlement, became "unilateral steps" taken purely in the interest of the State of Israel. "I am against drawing timetables but there is a limit to our patience. Time is not unlimited; our patience is," Sharon cautioned. Meanwhile, Israeli President Moshe Katsav granted an audience to Yossi Beilin, Yasser Abed Rabbo and other leading Geneva proponents on Wednesday, but criticized the Palestinian representatives for not dealing directly with Sharon. The meeting evidences that Beilin and Abed Rabbo have crossed over from the world of dialogue to outright diplomatic intervention, a move that follows the French and Belgian financed mass-mailing of 2 million copies of the Geneva document to every Israeli household this week. The move is aimed at creating public approval of the freelance peace deal - a deal that some European nations are attempting to persuade the EU to formally adopt. Beilin, a former Israeli justice minister, and former PA cabinet minister Abed Rabbo presented the permanent-status Israeli-Palestinian settlement following two years of talks kept secret from the Israeli government. Sharon responded angrily when news of the talks was made public, accusing un-elected members of the Israeli left of seeking to undermine his government during a "time of war." The Palestinian government has expressed qualified support of the document. Yasser Arafat, who according to his military advisor was informed in advance of the meetings and received regular updates throughout, recently insisted, "Our policy is not to prevent any attempt to arrive at the 'peace of the brave' that I achieved with my late partner Rabin." In a media campaign to solicit the support of the Palestinian people, the director of the PA Information Ministry's Department of Israel Affairs wrote in the PA daily Al-Ayyam, "What is important in this framework is for the circles of the Israeli left to circulate the agreement broadly among Israeli public opinion and focus on a change in government in Israel as what will lead to a real, viable and just peace." Indeed, after yesterday's meeting with President Katsav, Palestinian participant Hatem Abdel Kader bluntly insisted to The Jerusalem Post that the whole purpose of the current diplomatic drive is to "dismantle the political infrastructure of Sharon's government. Sharon is talking about dismantling our Palestinian groups and factions, and we are seeking in response to dismantle his political infrastructure. We want to bring down the Sharon government." Unlike the one page "Peoples' Voice" peace petition authored by former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon and leading Palestinian academic Sari Nusseibeh in July, which puts forth a general statement of principles with the details to be negotiated, the Geneva Initiative provides detailed arrangements that, nevertheless, are open to widely differing interpretations. While Beilin has told the Israelis that the deal will lead to a permanent end of the conflict and of Palestinian terrorism and includes recognition of the State of Israel and renunciation of the so-called Palestinian "right of return," his opposite numbers have told the Arabic-speaking media the opposite. The Palestinians argue with some justification that the agreement ensures them sovereignty over the entire Temple Mount, above and beneath, and will allow a limited right of return to Israel based upon a non-negotiable quota based on the number of refugees accepted by a third country. With the document's failure to insist on Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, even after achieving statehood themselves broadly along the lines of the pre-1967 borders, many Israelis believe the formula is tantamount to the back-door destruction of a Jewish Israel. Such views are only confirmed by the document's guarantee that all refugees will be compensated for all the damages supposedly caused by Israel, material and emotional, no matter whether they settle in Israel proper, in evacuated Jewish settlements in the newly established Palestine, or in a third country. No cost estimate is included in the document, leading some Israelis to fear that should Geneva's refugee "solution" fail to destroy Israel demographically, it may yet do so economically. The ICEJ News Service is a project of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, which was established "as practical expression of the desire of believers throughout the world to bless and comfort Zion." Their website address is http://www.icej.org |
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ARAB CUT DOWN THEIR OWN TREES SO "SETTLERS" WILL GET BLAMED
Posted by Steven Plaut, November 27, 2003. |
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You know how the fundamentalist Left in Israel has been whining that all those evil "settlers" have been chopping down trees belonging to Palestinians, especially when they are near the perimeters of settlements and so can serve as cover for terrorists? Where the same lefties emoting over the rights of trees never quite work up any sobs for Jewish children murdered by terrorists? Well Suhprize suhprize! Left-wing activist Arik Asherman admits that he knows of incidents in which Arabs cut down their own olive trees in Yesha (Judea, Samaria and Gaza) in order to later blame the Jewish residents and thus benefit from a "propaganda" victory. So says Aviad Visouly, head of the Haifa/Northern branch of the Land of Israel Organization, in a letter to the Samaria/Judea Police Department. Visouly, who has been looking into allegations that the most recent case of alleged olive-tree cutting was perpetrated by those who would disparage the Jewish residents, presented the police with a series of 15 pointed questions on the case. One of them pertains to the fact that Fawzi Hassan Hussein, who filed a police complaint against the destruction of his trees, said he does not even own the cut-down orchard, but rather another one near Yitzhar. Fawzi also told Visouly that the PA's agriculture department pays the damages for cut-down trees from money arriving from Saudi Arabia.
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ISM CHUTZPA
Posted by Judy Lash Balint, November 27, 2003. |
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International Solidarity Movement (ISM) member Radhika Sainath is getting ready to leave Israel in a few days. But before she goes she's decided to slap Israel with a $4,000 lawsuit. The tactics of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and its supporters get more bizarre and brazen every day. On Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 27, Sainath filed suit in Tel Aviv against the State of Israel for alleged unlawful imprisonment, negligence and breach of obligations. The $4,000 is for 'mental trauma and agony' she claims to have suffered at the hands of Israeli authorities during her 30 hour detention. The legal action arises out of the arrest of Radhika and eight of her buddies when they joined a group of Palestinian Arabs protesting the construction of Israel's anti-terrorist wall last November near the Arab settlement of Jayyous. Sainath had only recently arrived in the country on a tourist visa when she was arrested. Since then, she's been in and out of Israel four times as each three month tourist visa expires. Sainath says she suffered no particular harassment at Ben Gurion airport on any of her re-entries after her arrest (try entering the US on a foreign passport after you've spent time in a US jail). Sainath, an Orange County, California resident and former union organizer, keeps coming back here to get into trouble. On September 5 at Faroun, Sainath and her comrades tried to shake down the gate in the anti-terror fence. Last May she was arrested in Tulkarm for interfering with Israeli Army pursuit of terrorists in the town. In a May 11, 2003 Palestine Solidarity report of that incident, Sainath makes wild unsubstantiated accusations against Israeli soldiers. They 'used a father and his small children as human shields,' she relates. Sainath was threatened with deportation after that arrest but Israeli attorney Shammai Leibowitz came to the rescue and successfully prevented her from having to leave the country. Leibowitz is also handling Sainath's current suit against the Israeli government. He, by the way, was the member of terrorist Marwan Barghouti's defense team who likened his client to Moses and the Israeli State Prosecution to Pharoah. In an interview last May, Sainath told me that one of her main goals was to help people detained by the Israeli Army get through checkpoints. When I asked how the ISM knew who they were enabling to pass through the checkpoints, she looked stunned and said she didn't know. "In Tulkarm people who are wanted by the army aren't going to attempt to walk through a checkpoint. Anyway, it's not our job to check to see if someone's carrying explosives or not." Sainath says her US passport was stolen here last year and she had to go to the US embassy in Tel Aviv to get it renewed. "I encountered a lot of difficulties because almost everyone who works there is an Israeli-American. They're all Israelis with US passports. It didn't seem like they'd be helpful?" To someone with her political views, she implied. Still, she did get her passport and she did gain entry several times into Israel. And she did spend by her own admission, more than ten months out of the past year here in Israel trying to prevent Israel from carrying out its anti-terror mission. She's lucky she got off with 30 hours in an Israeli jail. It's bad enough that Israeli authorities kept on letting her back in the country to take part in activities that endanger all Israelis, let's hope that the Israeli government doesn't now give her a farewell present of $4,000 as well.
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DRAFT ISRAELI RESOLUTION SUCCESSFULLY PROVES UN BIAS
Posted by Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff, November 27, 2003. |
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Jerusalem (jnewwire.com) - Israeli Ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman was forced to withdraw his nation's first draft resolution in 27 years after a majority of the world body's member states rejected the idea of protecting Israeli children from acts of terrorism. "The voice of the immoral majority was once again heard loud and clear," Gillerman told the UN Third (Humanitarian, Social and Cultural) Committee Wednesday, after failing to garner enough support to secure a General Assembly vote on the draft. Opposition to the resolution was led by Israel's neighboring peace partner, Egypt. Protect our children The Israeli resolution was introduced in early November following a string of Palestinian terrorist attacks in which children were maimed and killed. The motion called for the protection of Israeli children from Palestinian terrorism - which often purposely targets buses, cafes and discos filled with Jewish youth. At the time, Israeli officials said the resolution would test whether or not the UN was prepared to forego its traditional bias against the Jewish state. The test was successful. Israeli children not deemed worthy On November 6, the UN Third Committee approved a nearly identical Egyptian-sponsored resolution demanding protection for Palestinian children from "Israeli aggression." But with Israeli children identified as the victims, Egypt would be having none of it. Gillerman was forced to withdraw the draft after a group of nations belonging to the Non-Aligned Movement, led by Egypt, insisted on including amendments that would have transformed the document into an anti-Israel resolution, The Jerusalem Post reported. The changes were to include altering all references to "Israeli children" to read "Middle Eastern children," and inserting harsh condemnation of Israeli "military assaults," "occupation" and "excessive use of force" before any mention of Arab terrorism. The group of nations also wanted to change the draft's title from "The situation of and assistance to Israeli children" to "The situation of and assistance to children in the Middle East region." Had Israel not withdrawn the resolution, the amendments were sure to pass considering the NAM's majority status at the UN. "It [is] very clear that the UN General Assembly is an unreliable and biased body with no international integrity. The message sent today by the UN Third Committee to Israeli children is that your lives are worth less than Palestinian children," Gillerman said after pulling the resolution. A legacy of bias Nearly two-thirds of all General Assembly and Security Council resolutions passed since the UN's birth in 1945 have been directed against Israel. Likewise, Israel is the only UN member nation that is not allowed to hold a seat on the Security Council. Israel's only other attempt to pass a UN resolution came in 1976. That draft, too, was withdrawn after Syria tied its approval to Israeli negotiations with the PLO terrorist organization. Commentators on the overt double standard have noted that even in a democratic setting, a corrupt, immoral majority can still behave like an unjust tyrant. Jerusalem Newswire, in its own words, "is a Gentile-run newsgathering and dissemination service based out of Jerusalem, Israel, that exists to provide users with the top daily news stories culled from a wide variety of Internet sources." Its website address is http://www.jnewswire.com |
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NEW PALESTINIAN MINISTER OF JUSTICE: Incites to Murder Israelis and
to Hate Americans
Posted by Itamar Marcus, November 27, 2003. |
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Nahidh Muneer Al-Ris, the new Palestinian Minister of Justice, has a long record of hateful incitement, including incitement to murder Israelis through suicide terrorism. He distorts Jewish history in order to deny Israel's right to exist, and de-legitimizes Israel's existence as a state with expressions like the "occupation" 50 years ago. In addition he has a history of hateful incitement towards the US and its political and Christian leaders. Bush and Rumsfeld, he calls "bloodthirsty beasts" and he repeatedly libels American Evangelical Christians, attributing to them deep hatred of Muslims. In addition, Al-Ris recently participated in a ceremony in a summer camp - named for a 17- year-old girl suicide bomber. PMW will continue to monitor the actions and behavior of the new Justice Minister, to determine to what degree his behavior as Justice Minister reflects his hate beliefs. It is noteworthy that an individual with such outspoken hatred of the US has been appointed to such a senior PA position. While his hatred of the US certainly follows the official PA ideology, which even promoted murder of US soldiers in Iraq through its controlled media, senior PA officials are usually more discreet. As a rule, Ministers do not express American hatred publicly, so as not to endanger US political and financial support. It is thus surprising that the new PM, Ahmad Qarie, chose such an outspoken terror supporter and America hater for a senior position in his cabinet. It may be that the PA has learned that in spite of US and Israeli verbal demands to stop incitement, US and Israeli policy has been to ignore incitement, in all policy decisions towards the PA. The following are some of the recent opinions of PA Justice Minister, Al-Ris, in his own words: On support of suicide terrorism: "The Palestinian Arab nation, and its vanguard the Shahada-Seekers,*** are not terrorists in any way." [***lit: Death for Allah- Seekers, PA term of honor for suicide terrorists] [Al Hayat Al Jadida June 16, 2003] On Palestinian support for suicide terror: "Most [Palestinians] understand that the Shahada-Seekers and the uprising fighters preserve honor for everyone ... the public is convinced that uprising fighters are the most just and the farthest from corruption. Only a minority believes that the fighters should be restrained, for fear of provoking the rage of Sharon..." [Al Hayat Al Jadida June 16, 2003] On erasing Jewish history in Israel: Israelis have no history in the Land - because they are " Khazars, who are not connected to the land but to the words of the Torah". [Al Hayat Al Jadida June 16, 2003] On the illegitimacy of Israel: "... during the occupation of Palestine 50 years ago..." [Ed: Israel's creation as a state is stigmatized as if it is an "occupation". [Al Hayat Al Jadida, Aug, 4 2003] On US President Bush and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld: "[They] are human beings whose ambitions have turned them into bloodthirsty beasts." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida Nov. 3, 2003] On the US involvement in Iraq: "They are fighting a cruel war". [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida Nov. 3, 2003] On US Christian leadership: "Pat Robertson is one of the main figures of the most extremist Evangelistic Zionists." [Al Hayat Al Jadida, Aug, 4 2003] "Publications in the US about the Second Coming of Jesus gained wide distribution and they describe a terrifying Armageddon... total destruction. As for Jesus and his followers, God will raise them above the clouds... While their pagan enemies (who fundamentalist evangelist Zionist supporters interpret as Moslems) will drown in a lake of fire and brimstone...These Zionist supporters give a modern interpretation and interpret it [the fire and brimstone] as atomic bombs to be thrown on Moslems." [Citing a book in Al Hayat Al Jadida, Aug, 4 2003] On US political leadership: "President Harry Truman was considered one of the most Zionist American Presidents."
Participating in an event encouraging children to aspire to Shahada - heroic Death for Allah: "Dr. Ahmad Al-Yaziji, Under Secretary in the Ministry Youth and Sport, participated in the closing ceremony of the **Ayyat Al-Akhras [summer] camp for children. [The camp was] organized by the Shabibah organization of the Fatah... the number of participants was 150 boys and girls, ages 9 to15. Participants in the ceremony... included Nahid Al-Ris..." [**Ayat Al-Akhras, a girl of age 17, was the youngest woman suicide bomber.] [Al Quds Aug. 14, 2003]
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RABBIS SAY "NO" TO PARTITION
Posted by Isralert, November 26, 2003. |
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The destructive plan to establish a palestinian state in Eretz Yisrael is acquiescence to terror, abandonment of our homeland, and a grave danger for Israel. Programs including "administrative self-rule" to Arabs living in Yesha, leading to abandonment of parts of the homeland are also very dangerous. Consequently, we warn, we assert, we declare: Eretz Yisrael is the homeland of the Jewish people - it is ours, exclusively. The land was bequeathed to the Jewish people by the Creator of the Universe, in its entirety, it was and always will be, our only homeland. The Jewish people are not conquerors of their own land, rather are the single lawful sovereign within it. After two thousand years we have returned to resettle the land, all parts of it. The whole land must fall under the full sovereignty of the State of Israel and be open to Jewish settlement, which will continue and expand, with G-d's help, in accordance with the historic-Divine return to Zion. We totally reject any agreement to partition the Land; "an area" for Jews, and "autonomy," or "self-rule" for the Arabs. Just as we returned home, to Beit El, to Shilo, to Hebron, - we will return, with G-d's help, to Shechem, Beit Lechem, and to all regions of the Land. We are faithful to all of Eretz Yisrael, our eternal homeland, as written by Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook, of blessed memory, about similar plans: "We will not betray, we will not renounce responsibility, G-d forbid, of our faithful representative mission, of all our people and all our land, by diminishing our total rule over it, by granting "autonomy" within it, which is null and void, unacceptable and non-existent." All talk of fragmented "shalom" within the context of "autonomy" in the very essence of the land of our existence, the land of our fathers, Avraham, Yitzhak and Ya'akov, is null and void, and is none other than treason and relinquishment of the responsibility of our historic duty and mission, with the Divine return to Zion. As with all deplorable ideas, such thoughts will not transpire, neither retroactively nor in the future. All talk or contemplation of such ideas is an historic disgrace. This land, promised to us, through the pure progression of generations, and the commanded precept to rule over it in its entirety, exists for eternity and will stand and exist, in its absolute completeness and our revival within it." The vision of the complete Eretz Yisrael remains alive. It's faithful supporters will not slumber and will not fail - "We will be strong and strengthened for our people and for the cities of our L-rd." Signed: Rabbi Haim Druckman
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ISLAMIC POLICIES DESTROYING THE PLANET: Part 1: birthrate
Posted by Beth Goodtree, November 26, 2003. |
"Our planet is now home to more than 6 billion people - with a projected 50% increase in the next fifty years. The rate at which we consume and degrade natural resources jeopardizes the health of the planet and threatens the availability of clean water for generations to come."...Sierra Club Almost all of the Earth's ills can be blamed on humans and overpopulation. Whether it is water pollution, air pollution, deforestation, disappearing animal species, or newly emergent plagues, all are a direct cause of human interaction with the planet. This was recognized several decades ago and international population control was encouraged. Even such communities who traditionally espoused large families as a way of spreading their influence, realized the folly of such policy when faced with the global crises we are now enduring. China and India are two examples of countries with vigorous birth limitation policies. Population and birth statistics are represented in many different ways. Various official statistics on world population and projected world population can be seen by country, by race, or by religion. When looking at projected figures for population in the next few years, it is obvious that the planet is reaching critical mass (if it hasn't reached it already). Yet if one looks at population due to birth increases by country or race, there is no one group that is obviously or overwhelmingly contributing to this deadly, selfish, and expansionist policy. Until one looks at the statistics according to religion. Then it becomes very obvious that many in Islam encourage breeding for political gain without regard to the effects on the environment or the welfare of the planet. (Lest some people look at population increases and point to some countries such as the United States as having increasing populations, such manipulation of statistics is in error. While America may show a growing population, further scrutiny reveals it to be caused by immigration, while the actual overall birthrate has fallen.) According to Britain's Daily Mirror, in an article by Ameen Izzadeen, "Political Islam dreams of a pan Islamic nation. It tries to achieve this goal by military or political means. Almost all Islamic groups across the globe believe in this principle..." The current Islamic policy that has become mainstream includes both war (jihad to some) and population inundation to achieve a pan Islamic planet. To understand how this can occur, one must understand the decentralized and essentially unorganized way in which Islam functions. Unlike the Catholic church, or Buddhism (to name but two religions), there is no supreme Muslim Council making unilateral decisions for Muslims world-wide. An Imam from a tiny village in Bangladesh can issue a fatwa (ruling) and it can carry as much weight and influence as, say, Sheikh Abdul Hadi Palazzi, who is the former Imam of Rome, and secretary general of the Italian Muslim Association. Unfortunately for the planet, the goals of global domination that were once embraced by only the most fringe elements of Islam have now become mainstream; the more "moderate" Muslims now advocate reproducing at an alarming rate as a "peaceful" method of conquest. According to a UN publication, "Water Management in Islam," "...in the Middle East and North Africa, water is rapidly becoming the key development issue. The region has one of the highest population growth rates in the world and scarce natural water supplies." This publication, while discussing water management, quietly places the blame of the water crisis directly on Islam's reproductive rates. Another factor contributing to this is misplaced "Political Correctness." Whether out of fear of violence or lack of oil, or even misguided politeness, it has now become almost taboo to criticize anything Islamic, even when such criticism is warranted. Make no mistake, my criticisms aren't against Islam, merely against current policies espoused by some people of Islam in the name of that religion. Even China, with its expansionist ways, realized the folly of it's "conquest through population" policy. Identifying where population and birthrate increases are occurring is but the first step in solving the problem. The next step is to limit birthrates to a point where they will not overtax the planet's resources. The world body must unite to apply stringent and even harsh measures to reign in those groups with out-of-control breeding policies and populations, lest they overwhelm the planet and make it an unlivable, barren wasteland.
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EUROPEAN UNION VERSUS ISRAEL ON ARAFAT
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, November 26, 2003. |
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Israel boycotts high officials who work with Arafat. EU Foreign Min. Javier Solana "insisted that Arafat is not an obstacle to peace, but part of the process and a necessary component to future talks." (Arutz-7, 11/19.) What "process?" Is not that "process" failing? Surely the man who started the current war for jihad "an obstacle to peace?" Why conduct future talks him, after he violated all his agreements? If Foreign Min. Solana were not such a dishonest appeaser of the Arabs, his arguments would be stupid rather than evil. Israel makes exceptions to that boycott and other resolutions that destroy and mock its own moral stance. In this instance, it deals with Arafat's lieutenants and with lower level European bureaucrats who deal with Arafat. The world does not take Israeli protests and principles seriously, when Israel, itself, bypasses them with rationalizations. Israel is making a strategic blunder in focusing on Arafat. His whole culture, people, and successors are obstacles to peace. Somebody had to become the Arabs' leader. It hardly mattered that it was he. No Arab leader should be negotiated with and given the means for making more warfare. The Arabs should be defeated. The ones in the Jewish homeland, at least west of the Jordan R., should be uprooted and dispersed.
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THE REGION
Posted by Barry Rubin, November 26, 2003. |
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"I'm shocked, shocked, to see gambling going on!" says the French police Captain Renard in the film "Casablanca." Unfortunately, the croupier picked that moment to come up with a thick wad of banknotes and handed them to him. "Your winnings, sir," he explained. That's how I feel about the sudden discovery of many politicians and journalists in Europe and some other places that anti-Semitism has become a problem in the world and that terrorism is a bad thing. Better than nothing, I suppose, but where do they think all this hatred and incitement has come from? Why do 59 percent of Europeans think that Israel is the world's leading threat to peace with the United States a close second? Answer: Simple. They read the newspapers, watch television news, and listen to their political leaders. Let me suggest an optimistic assessment: maybe a turning point is coming. The highest validation anyone can have in the world today is to be a victim. It reminds me of the famous cartoon right after the 1967 war when the character representing Israel apologized for winning? This is the third wave of slander, hatred, and outright lying about Israel which followed key events in the last 20 years. Each time, the situation has lasted about three years. Each time it seemed that this firestorm of criticism would never end. But each time it did. The first round was between 1982 and 1984, triggered by the Israeli attack on Lebanon. The next came from the end of 1987 to around the middle of 1990, begun with the first Palestinian intifada. And the current third one dates from the start of the second intifada in late 2000. In each case, Israeli forces were portrayed as aggressive and Israel was said to be the factor blocking peace. This was at least understandable in the first two instances even if it was unfair. But how could it take place after Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered so much through the Camp David summit and the Clinton plan? The answer to that question lies outside this column's borders but again the point is that these periods have a definite duration. With growing details of Yasir Arafat's misappropriation of Palestinian Authority money as well as his subversion of two prime ministers in a row, perhaps skepticism about his peacemaking credentials is growing. As terrorism continues to grow internationally with every Jew as a target and people actually have to see the anti-Semitism they have unleashed, a "new" victim is added to the world's list. And if Israelis and Jews are going to be regarded as victims this means they are "good" again. Think about this theory as events unfold. Another new factor on the scene is Abu Alla's government. As everyone knows - well perhaps everyone except large segments of the Western media, academia, and governments - this regime is totally under Arafat's thumb. Still, the smallest and most cynical hint of flexibility from Arafat sends the world into shivers of hope that peace is around the corner. Maybe they are right: the PA security forces actually arrested one person accused of terrorism last week. But this does not mean the United States or Israel accepts this notion. Clearly, they are going to give Abu Alla a chance to show if he can do something to tamp down on the violence. They are making it clear that rewards will be available (U.S. money; fewer Israeli roadblocks as well as troop withdrawals) if he does anything constructive. This does not mean they are ready to deal with Arafat or believe the peace process is about to go into high gear. Yet expectations are low. Arafat's first step was to unfreeze the accounts of Hamas, arguing this was an incentive for them to stop fighting. But since they don't want to stop fighting they will probably use the money to accelerate their attacks. Abu Alla makes it clear that he will only try to talk the extremists into being peaceful but won't actually take such drastic measures as throwing them into prison, taking away their guns, or castigating them in the Palestinian media. About the maximum that might be achieved by such methods would be to direct all attacks against soldiers and settlers in the territories rather than civilians inside Israel. And even this goal would be more likely achieved by the effectiveness of Israeli security than by the efforts of the Palestinian Authority. His other idea is a "brilliant" renovation of the roadmap. Forget about stopping terrorism, he suggests, let's just go directly to establishing a Palestinian state. By this point, though, even Yossi Beilin is running out of things to give away without bothering to ask the permission of Israel's people or elected government. If Abu Alla has not shown results within two months, presumably, we will revert to the current policy situation, make no mistake. Still, the fighting may be winding down as the Palestinians become exhausted and out of funds. Even the terrorists may want a break for a while. Two optimistic statements in one column! In the Middle East that is the prelude to being completely wrong. And unfortunately that might apply to Europe as well. Last week has brought the news that the EU has suppressed a report on anti-Semitism because it dared suggested that Arab and Muslim immigrants in European countries were carrying out attacks on Jews. To make matters worse, from the EU point of view, some anti-Israel acts were defined as anti-Semitism. This is an interesting innovation. For many years, we have been told that not all anti-Israel actions are anti-Semitic. Now the EU has gone one step further and explained that anti-Israel attacks cannot possibly be anti-Semitism. Then I'd tell you about the fact that a cartoon showing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon eating Palestinian babies won the award as best British cartoon of the year. But that might spoil the mood of optimism. Barry Rubin is co-editor with Judith Colp Rubin of Yasir Arafat: A Political Biography, published by Oxford University Press. |
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SHARON'S PREEMPTIVE LOGIC
Posted by Michael Freund, November 26, 2003. |
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The countdown has begun. In remarks made over the weekend, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his aides offered a series of thinly veiled threats, suggesting that within six months, the government may move to uproot Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza as part of a package of unilateral Israeli steps in the territories. And so, within the next 180 days, Yasser Arafat may at last see his dream come true, as the government of the State of Israel does what Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad could not: force Jews out of their ancestral homeland. Don't be fooled by the media's attempts to soften or mitigate the gravity of what's at stake. They speak of "evacuating" settlements, as though it were some type of emergency rescue operation, along the lines of California residents being moved out of the way to avoid forest fires. But this is no accidental blaze - this is arson, plain and simple. The forcible expulsion of Jews from their homes would constitute an unabashed assault on the fundamental principles of Zionism. It would be a betrayal of two millennia of Jewish hopes and yearning, and a victory for our unmitigated foes. It is simply unthinkable that a Jewish government in the Land of Israel would fire up the bulldozers, tear down Jewish dwellings, rip Jewish children away from their homes and sever them from their national patrimony. Leave aside the political aspects of the decision, and focus for a moment on the morality of it. By what right does a government, any government, assert for itself the power to eject hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of citizens from their homes? The Jewish residents of the territories purchased land, built houses, tended gardens and opened businesses with the full backing of successive Israeli governments, Labor and Likud alike. They have raised children and grandchildren, two new generations of Israelis who grew up clambering among the hills of Samaria, hiking through the deserts of Judea, or jogging along the beaches of Gaza. Does any human power truly have the moral authority to destroy so many people's lives out of political expediency? Let's sharpen the point one step further: to suggest that a group of people have no right to live in a certain area because of who they are is commonly known as racism or segregation. Consequently, to assert that Arabs should not be allowed to live in Haifa, or African-Americans in New York, or Catholics in Northern Ireland, is to advocate a form of racial or religious discrimination which the Western world no longer tolerates. Why, then, is barring Jews from living in a certain area because they are Jews any less offensive or hateful? Indeed, on March 13, 1994, the Israeli Cabinet outlawed the Kach and Kahane Chai movements because they called for the expulsion of Arabs from their homes. At a press conference held to explain the decision, Attorney-General Michael Ben-Yair said that the groups' aim was to "harm the Arab population living in the Land of Israel and bring about the eviction of this population from the land." Fair enough. As a democracy, Israel is obliged to protect all of its citizens, regardless of their beliefs. But why is there a double standard when it comes to Jews? Why is calling for "the eviction of this population from the land" a criminal offense only when the subject follows the laws of Muhammad and not Moses? Even from a diplomatic point of view, Sharon's proposal defies comprehension. His "logic", if one can call it that, is said to be as follows: he will attempt to restart negotiations with the new Palestinian premier, Abu Alaa, in the hopes of reaching some sort of interim deal. If, however, the talks should fail, then Israel will carry out a series of unilateral moves, essentially giving up territory and getting nothing in return. p> In other words, Sharon is telling the Palestinians that they had better talk with us to get what they want, or else we will just have to give it to them anyway. "It is clear that in the end we will not be sitting in all the locations where we are now situated," Sharon told the cabinet this past Sunday. Confused? You are not the only one. But even if you think that Jewish settlements should be uprooted for the sake of protecting the rest of the country, think again. Many of Israel's leading military men have come out against such a plan. Even decorated general and former Labor Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who was ready to give away the store at Camp David in the summer of 2000, recently asserted that there should be no talk of unilateral withdrawal from Gaza. Speaking to his party's Young Guard on July 14, 2003, Barak said, "We need to reach a comprehensive solution and not to deal with evacuation. You have to be really moonstruck to go to Gaza at a time like this and explain to the residents why they have to leave." And, just last year, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya'alon was asked in a newspaper interview if "any move involving unilateral withdrawal before the confrontation is resolved and before the violence ends is dangerous." His answer: "Of course. That would give a push to the struggle against us. Even if tactically it appears right to withdraw from here or from there, from the strategic perspective, it is different." Asked whether he thought withdrawing from Jewish settlements "would be a mistake with potentially catastrophic implications" given ongoing Palestinian terrorism, Ya'alon's reply was equally blunt: "Of course... any such departure under terrorism and violence will strengthen the path of terrorism and violence. It will endanger us." (Ha'aretz, August 30, 2002) Nevertheless, although Palestinian terrorism has yet to climax, Sharon appears ready to withdraw, in an act that can at best be described as "premature evacuation." Like his Labor predecessors, Sharon seems willing to transfer tangible assets to the Palestinians in exchange for little more than empty promises and tired rhetoric. Ironically enough, then, the Jewish settlement enterprise in Judea, Samaria and Gaza managed to survive Yitzhak Rabin's premiership, Shimon Peres' brief tenure at the helm, and even Ehud Barak's term of office, despite their desire to bring it to an end. Sadly, the question now is whether it can endure Ariel Sharon as well.
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FASCISM AND FORGIVENESS
Posted by Linda Olmert, November 26, 2003. |
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Italian Deputy Premier Gianfranco Fini visited israel, and the visit sparked off a heated debate. (Is there any other kind in Israel?) "Yossi Sarid's vote is clear. The Meretz MK boycotted his Knesset committee's meeting with Fini, saying, "I have no intention of participating in ceremonies for vindicating fascist, neo-fascist, or anti-Semitic inequities." Yossi Beilin expressed similar vehemence about the visit." This was reported on Israeli radio all day yesterday. Is this chutzpah, and they think that we are all stupid? Or are these two so involved in their machinations that they have no self awareness. They hug and kiss Arafat. Would anyone question his hatred of Jews. Is a discussion of his political performance necassary: the man is a dictator and a despot. They hugged and kissed Abu Mazen, a published Holocaust denier. And exactly who was Beilin meeting with in Geneva? What do Sarid and Beilin REALLY have against Italian Deputy Premier Gianfranco Fini? Maybe it is the very fact that he is "...becoming a powerful voice against anti-Semitism and in support of Israel" This was in the Jerusalem Post, November 24, 2003. Italian Deputy Premier Gianfranco Fini heads the National Alliance, his country's post-Fascist party. What should we care about more: his pro-Fascist past or his pro-Israel present? Yossi Sarid's vote is clear. The Meretz MK boycotted his Knesset committee's meeting with Fini, saying, "I have no intention of participating in ceremonies for vindicating fascist, neo-fascist, or anti-Semitic inequities." Yossi Beilin expressed similar vehemence about the visit. From this we are presumably to understand that not only is Fini tainted with fascism, but so is the Sharon government for graciously hosting him. Is this fair and wise, or partisan and defamatory? What constitutes repentance in the political sphere? First, a sharp distinction should be made between politicians and parties that are adopting fascist sympathies for political gain, and those who are moving away from an appeal to racism, anti-Semitism, or extreme nationalism. Austria's Joerg Haider, for example, was deservedly ostracized for gravitating toward neo-fascism by issuing barely coded anti-Semitic and xenophobic references. But Fini seems to be an example of the opposite: a political leader who is determinedly transforming a neo-Fascist party into a democratic one. In a 1994 interview with La Stampa, Fini called Mussolini "the greatest statesman of the century." Since then, however, he has withdrawn this statement and argued that Italians must take responsibility for Mussolini's crimes, including the deportation of Jews to concentration camps. In 1999 Fini visited Auschwitz, and later voted for a law creating a national Holocaust memorial day. In 2002 he called on Italians to apologize to the Jewish people for the race laws passed by Mussolini. And just last week, he dismissed a member of his party for circulating a video that praised a convicted Nazi war criminal. While visiting Yad Vashem yesterday, Fini continued on this path of repentance. "We have to condemn the shameful chapters in the history of our people and to try to understand why complacency, collaboration, and fear caused no reaction from many Italians in 1938 to the disgraceful, fascist race laws," he said. "We have to do this not only to settle accounts with the past, but to prepare for the future. We have to do this so it is clear to all today, in 2003, with the racism and anti-Semitism, so no one can say: 'I am not connected, it has nothing to do with me, it is not my place to respond.'" Fini is now considered one of the more pro-Israel politicians in Europe. As Avi Pazner, a former ambassador to Rome, put it, "Fini has traveled a long way [and] shows great awareness of the Jewish people and the State of Israel." What is wrong with a former Fascist sympathizer making an about face, not only about his own national legacy, but becoming a powerful voice against anti-Semitism and in support of Israel? Our tradition not only believes in the possibility of repentance, but that rejecting sincere and meaningful repentance is itself a sin. The question, then, is whether Fini is sincere. Israel should avoid playing into the hands of those who want our stamp of legitimacy without truly facing their past support for fascism or Jew-hatred. Yet we must also be open to those who truly eschew hatred and wish to join the broad stream of liberal democratic politics. The evidence suggests that Fini is in the latter camp. Indeed, creating more such converts should be the objective of international campaigns to denounce neo-fascism. Then too, our own Left would do well to more vocally denounce the virulent anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism that has infected the European Left. Who in Europe is now at the forefront of portraying Israel as a colonial implant with no right to exist? The anti-Semites of the extreme Right and Left join forces in tarring Israel as a fascist state, but on which side of the spectrum have such notions infiltrated closer to the mainstream? The European countries and parties that are most supportive of the US are also, not surprisingly, most supportive of Israel and are considered to be on the Right for doing so. We should be encouraging extremists on both ends of the spectrum, in light of the new post-9/11 world, to rethink, repent, and to join the fight against the Islamic variant of fascism that threatens
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OSLO ALL OVER AGAIN
Posted by Morris Amitay, November 25, 2003. |
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With the accumulation of years it is easy to become cynical. But with age there should also be greater wisdom. Unfortunately, there are too many instances which demonstrate that advanced age does not necessarily bring wisdom. Here in Washington, it is said that in the U.S. Congress, with its seniority system, age is often equated with wisdom - with senility regarded as absolute genius! But whatever one's chronological age, valuable lessons can and should be learned from hard-earned experience. Sadly, when it comes to dealing with the realities of the Middle East, there are still too many well-meaning souls who have been around long enough to know better. They seem either to have been unable to absorb any useful lessons or simply refuse to accept unpalatable facts. We are referring here to Yossi Beilin and his so-called Geneva Accord, and, to a lesser extent, Ami Ayalon's 'declaration of principles'. What we are really witnessing here is Yogi Berra's 'deja vu all over again' as we are being urged to repeat the past. This calls to mind the humorous film of a decade ago starring Bill Murray called 'Groundhog Day'. Each morning Murray would awake to the same exact day on the calendar as the day before. He would have to meet the same people and go through the same motions. Murray, however, escaped this time warp by learning from the experiences of the previous day. For the Swiss-financed rogue peace negotiators, time also must stand still. They have apparently learned nothing from broken Palestinian promises, an ongoing strategy of terrorism, and the destructive role of Yasser Arafat. What Israel is really being offered now by the Palestinians in charge is not a peace plan but a re-run of past tactics - beginning with - 'Return of the Hudna'. Whether it is due to fatigue, naivete, or desperation - or perhaps a combination of all three - the rogue peace planners persist in operating on the same flawed premise - viz. that all the Palestinians want is to live in peace side by side with Israel. For Beilin & Co. hope springs eternal, as each day brings the dawn of a new day to make peace. These misguided souls refuse to abandon their belief in the honorable motives and trustworthiness of Palestinian leadership. They still attribute their own good intentions and desires for peace and reconciliation to those whose ultimate - and often publicly stated goal is nothing less than the eventual destruction of the Jewish state. But no mind. The self-appointed negotiators feel they know better than the people of Israel who have twice now gone to the polls to repudiate this march of folly. Their mantra, to paraphrase Pogo, must be - 'How can we be wrong - when we are so sincere?' Or, to borrow from another comic strip, we pose the question - how many times does Lucy have to pull the football away from Charlie Brown's foot before he finally gives up trying to kick it? There are some people it seems, who simply refuse to be confused by the facts or by reality. While some may call them dreamers, at this point, that is too charitable a description. How can the Beilins, Peres', and Ayalons seriously believe that the significant concessions they are offering will be accepted in good faith and lead to peace? The Oslo experience should have taught them that further concessions have only whetted the appetite. Given the track record of unfulfilled pledges, resort to terrorism, and incitement, is it rational to believe that the current Palestinian leadership will be happy with a truncated, demilitarized state? Will greater courtesy extended at checkpoints designed to foil suicide bombers change the mindset of a generation nurtured on Jew-hatred? What is preferable - 'humiliated' Palestinians or dead Israelis? One may believe in the virtue of compromise, but it does not necessarily mean that your adversary shares this same belief. In America and in the West, if you have a dispute with your neighbor you can accept the decision of a court recognized by both of you, or you can negotiate a compromise that both sides accept. But this solution does not apply to Israel's neighbors who have a completely different set of values and methods of resolving disputes - not to mention adherence to a religion with a built in bias against non-believers. Israel can afford to set a wonderful example of generosity only at its peril. Being 'a light unto the nations' is a splendid goal, but not if there are still nations out there committed to extinguishing your lights - permanently. With all of its attention to details - the 'Geneva Accord' poses unacceptable risks to Israel's security and sovereignty, and thus, will never gain wide support in Israel. The intellectual brilliance of Yossi Beilin and European support can never match the common sense of the Israeli people. For Israelis, dealing with reality means having to continue the struggle to endure and mourn even more victims of terrorism. But the alternative is an infinitely worse outcome. No responsible Israeli leader can risk satisfying Arab demands now in the hope that this will bring the end of their demands. History, logic and bitter experience dictate otherwise. Those of my generation who witnessed the murder of European Jewry, the birth of Israel, and all of its wars and struggle to survive should have learned the lessons of Oslo. Those now seeking to revisit this same old territory have learned nothing despite their noble intentions. Morrie Amitay is a former Executive Director of AIPAC and founder of the pro-Israel Washington PAC (washingtonpac.com). |
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SWISS GOVERNMENT SPONSORSHIP OF THE BEILIN INITIATIVE
Posted by David Bedein, November 25, 2003. |
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Numerous statements have been issued from the office of Beilin's Geneva Initiative in Tel Aviv which claimed that Beilin's initiative was financed by private Jewish contributors. However, one of the architects of the Geneva Initiative, Dr. Stephen Cohen, introducing himself as a paid advisor to the US State Department, spoke at a conference of the Brit Tzedek V'Shalom conference in Boston on November 19th, in which he stated that the funder of the Geneva Iniative was the Swiss Government. Cohen stated in answer to a question in the audience that he did not know of any major Jewish contributors to the Geneva Initiative. On Monday, November 24th, the Geneva Initiative organizers offered to fly journalists to cover the event in Geneva on subsidized round trip chartered flight for the price of $150. (Our news agency is paying $871 each for two reporters to have two round-trip tickets to cover the event) The spokesperson of the Geneva Initiative told reporters that the flight was subsidized by the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, a Geneva-based Non- Governmental organization (www.hdcentre.org). When asked if this Center was financed by the Swiss Government, the Geneva Initiative Spokesperson said that she did not know. When she was asked if they had an office in Israel, she said that she did not know. They were not listed in Israel. The spokesperson for the Jerusalem Media and Communication Center in Ramallah, was kind enough to provide the contact information Center's office in the Palestinian Authority. They did not know anything about their involvement with the journalist flight arrangement. At the office of the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue in Geneva, their spokesperson was asked as to whether their programs were financed by the Swiss government. The spokesperson said that some of their programs and projects were indeed financed by the Swiss government. The Center spokesperson was then asked as to whether the flight for the journalists on Monday sponsored by their agency was financed by the Swiss government. The answer was: "What flight"? The Center spokesperson was rather surprised, and wondered if the agency that he worked for had not informed its spokesman of its activities. The Center spokesman checked and called back to say that his agency was not in any way, shape or form involved in the subsidy or organization of the journalist's flight to cover the Geneva Initiative. The Center spokesman suggested to call the Swiss government spokesman. The Swiss government spokesman was not ready to say anything on the subject, saying that all this would be discussed in a press conference tomorrow. I called back to the Beilin Geneva Iniative Office to ask why they had said that the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue was subsidizing the flight when the Center's spokesperson said that the Center had nothing to do with the flight. It took two hours for the spokesperson of The Beilin Geneva Initiative to get back to me with an answer that it was the Swiss government which is subsidizing the flight for journalists. It would seem highly unusual for a foreign government to finance the activities of another government's opposition event. It is even more unusual for a foreign government to PAY for reporters to cover such an event. So much for the notion that private Jewish contributors are behind the Beilin Geneva initiative.
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TWO DESPERATE MEN: PRESIDENT BUSH AND PM SHARON
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, November 25, 2003. |
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We have learned that nothing is as dangerous as a politician who has reached the top of his particular career and is threatened with rejection by the public. The two politicians I have in mind are President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Each is on the edge of a political disaster of his own choosing but, in many ways, they are each linked to the other. Both are trapped in a corner and desperate to escape. PM Sharon came to office on his record in a landslide vote as a General who was well known for defending the nation in Six Wars and the Terror in between. Then he became a political figure and his previous straight-forward values seemed to change. He cut off all his previous friends and contacts who had worked hard to put him in office. As I said, he became a politician and is now desperate to retain the office he had finally won. President Bush is facing his own dilemma in an election coming Fall 2004 - which, at first, looked like a guaranteed shoe-in. But now, with the body bags of American soldiers moving steadily toward the number of 500 - coupled with a downward spiral of the economy, he, too, is desperate to retain office. Clearly, sacrificing an ally, Israel, on the chance that his Road Map will look successful is one of his choices. Both Sharon and Bush seem ready to do desperate things to win the prize of office. Desperate men see things differently. Their value systems are those of addicts who have overdosed on the glories of office. Ariel Sharon gives every appearance that he is ready to sacrifice large parts of the historic ancient ancestral homeland of Eretz Yisrael, the roots of the Jewish State of Israel. He seems ready to abandon the sovereignty and the security of the Jewish nation to satisfy the demands of President Bush to keep to the Road Map Bush proposed. The State Department redesigned it - with the rest of the Quartet (the U.N., E.U. and Russia) - so that, if it were ever really enacted, its parameters would totally destroy the Jewish State. One sleeper in the planning stages for years is a European Rapid Deployment (or Response) Force led by France, Britain and Germany - with the U.N.'s blessings. As I have pointed out several times (1) over the past 3 years, such a Force would first be headed toward the Middle East under the guise of a "Peace-Keeping Mission". Expect this Force to begin as a modest 1500 but to rapidly escalate to some 60,000 as planned earlier by the E.U. This may be Israel's first defensive battle with Europe in the near future. (2) I recall when Sharon, in a rare moment of political honest moral clarity, stated plainly: "Israel will NOT be the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia sacrifice to the Arabs". This drew an angry response from Bush and the State Department because that was exactly what was planned to happen. Many of the nations who had tried to appease Adolph Hitler's Nazi Fascism by giving him the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia are now the same nations who are preparing to trade Israel for a brief peace with the world of Islamic-Fascism, The nations of Europe, particularly France, England and Germany are in an agonizing panic because of the flood of unruly Muslims immigrants into their countries, many of whom are Jihadists pressing these nations to accommodate strict Muslim Shariah Koranic laws - or else! They too are desperate and are grasping at the straws of appeasement by trying to sacrifice the Jewish State of Israel. The Sudetenland formula is definitely in play. To further illustrate the hypocrisy of this short-sighted policy, Bush is upping the pressure on Sharon to cease building the security barrier which has proven its effectiveness in blocking most Terrorists trying to enter Israel from Gaza. Concurrently, Bush, as a matter of comparison through the Patriot Act for Homeland Security, is further tightening American borders, scooping up illegal Muslim aliens through the National Immigration Agency and deporting them back to their countries of origin. Here again, the threats to cut loan guarantees have been made unless Israel allows Arab Palestinians into Israel, opening the checkpoints - even as Bush increases the security checkpoints in Iraq. Arik Sharon has accepted the onerous terms of the Road Map as it has been re-designed by the U.S. State Department and the Quartet - dropping his government's numerous legitimate objections. But, Yassir Arafat and his interconnected Terrorist organizations detonated any rational basis for accepting the Road Map. In effect, the Road Map has not only failed but was actually never begun, because its first clause demanded that Arafat demolish his Terror infrastructure, collect his army's illegal weapons and cease Terror attacks. Later, Abu Mazen, Arafat's first PM appointee, refused to engage the Terrorists and now Arafat's second PM appointee, Ahmed Qureia (aka Abu Ala), has plainly stated that he will make no attempt to disarm any of the Terrorist organizations. Meanwhile, Arafat's second proxy, Qureia, has cancelled a meeting with Sharon, demanding that Sharon pre-agree to release of Terrorist prisoners, removal of key checkpoints, etc. Qureia, on the directions from Arafat, acts as if he believes Bush is sufficiently desperate to agree with Qureia's terms. Sharon, in what looks like abject obsequiousness to Bush's unreasonable demands, continued to speak of the Road Map and its necessary "painful concessions" as if it was still alive and operational. Well, folks, the Road Map by the Quartet is dead and buried along with the countless "sacrifices for peace," all the innocent men, women and especially the children who have been murdered by fire, bombs, truck and car bombs, road-mines, firebombs and guns given by Peres to Arafat. To Bush it's imperative that his Road Map was not viewed as a failure by the American electorate. Moreover, the White House was already in a panic as orders (which leaked to the public) went out from Arafat's Murata HQ in Ram'Allah to continue Terror operations full tilt. Arafat first appointed Mahmoud Abbas (ala Abu Mazen) as Prime Minister of the 'Palestinian Authority' in deference to pressure from the White House. Abu Mazen could not force Arafat to release his grip on the 14 or so Security Forces who were also Arafat's Terrorist arm, intended to keep operational contacts with the other Terrorist groups operating primarily in Gaza. Those would include but not be limited to Al Aksa, Tanzim, Hamas, Hezb'Allah and many believe also Al Qaeda. President Bush desperately needed some sort of Middle East claim of success as Iraq and Afghanistan became an albatross around the President's neck. Even his War on Global Terrorism was not entirely successful - as yet. (Note! In this writer's opinion Bush did the right thing in declaring the War against Global Terrorism.) However, he is doing the wrong thing by offering a different policy for stopping Arab Palestinian Terrorists who continue to attack Israel. At the same time, PM Sharon was facing similar desperate times. The Terrorists kept coming while he was receiving considerable pressure from the White House and State Department to reduce his military response to incoming Terror. Israel's successful interdiction of Terrorists through their aggressive IDF military force irritated the Arab nations, the U.S. State Department, the E.U. and the U.N. The need to put a good face on the failed Road Map was imperative for the President coming into the 2004 elections. But, despite Israel's anti-Terror actions, the Jews of Israel were still being murdered and they looked to Sharon to intensify his War Against Terror. Sharon, still trying to please Bush, has just announced that he will unilaterally follow the Road Map, notwithstanding the on-going Terror which has infuriated members of his own Party and Cabinet - as well as the people of Israel. The public threats to Sharon from the White House/State Department were 'polite' and seemingly understanding of Israel's difficult situation as suicide bombers blew up restaurants, buses with children and shoppers as their main targets. Each suicide event brought a public statement from the Bush Administration, expressing condolences and speeches about the need to aggressively confront Terror. But, their 'back channel' (i.e., non-public) threats were more mean-spirited. Loan guarantees were stalled; contracts were threatened with cancellations; intelligence would be cut off; spare parts for U.S.-made aircraft would be slowed down or stopped; aviation fuel supplies would be shut off - along with the spare parts which might ground much of the Israeli Air Force. The State Department, writing the Bush foreign policy, has pulled out every threat possible to make Sharon fall into line - despite daily Terror attacks, deaths and grievous injuries. Since the signing of Oslo September 13, 1993, more than 1500 Jews (including at least 43 Americans) have been slaughtered with tens of thousands more wounded - many maimed for life - including too many children. Avi Dichter, Director of the Shin Bet (Israel's Secret Service) said that in the last 6 weeks alone, 14 suicide bombings were foiled and the number of Terror alerts has increased recently from some 30 per day to 50 per day. Israel, in the meantime, was aiding American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan with Intelligence, methods of fighting Terrorists, including the training of American Forces with intercity warfare and the re-fitting of American ships at Israeli ports. (Israel was of substantial assistance to American Forces, offering aerial protection during the 6 month mobilization before the first Gulf War, key intelligence, and training - all vital services which were not acknowledged by then President George H.W. Bush and Secretary of State James Baker.) There was more but that should give you the picture of the pressure put upon Israel. As the Bush/Quartet Road Map was looking like a great liability to the President, another initiative began which would move the Road Map off of Bush's political plate and over to the U.N. Bush would then be removed from the Road Map debacle and the dirty work of compromising Israel's security and sovereignty would be done by the U.N., the E.U., and the rest of the Quartet. This scheme, in many ways, was coupled with what is now called the "Geneva Initiative or Accords". This newest suicide pact was first started in Britain 2 years ago as a document of appeasement to the Arabs, to be closely monitored by the E.U. who actually funded the planning by illegal, self-appointed representatives of the Israeli government, Yossi Beilin, Avraham Burg, Avrum Mitzna - all Labor Party politicians rejected by the Israeli people - and Yasser Abd Rabbo also illegally representing the Arab Palestinians. Shimon Peres acted as the guiding 'elder' statesman - as he did in shaping the Oslo Accords. In effect, 'Geneva' followed the same secret' format of failed Oslo - only this time there were the fingerprints of the President and State Department. Even Paul Wolfowitz, bowing to Bush Administration pressures, suddenly found the 'Geneva' document very interesting and acceptable. (I hope he proves me wrong about him.) So now, Israel is faced with the double threat of both the Road Map and the Geneva Accords converging, which will transfer the controlling power back to the United Nations, as recently submitted by the Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite Sharon's personal appeal NOT to involve the U.N. Within the Geneva Accords (a 112 page document recently mailed to all Israelis - paid for by the E.U.) is an even more hostile version of capitulation than the failed Oslo Accords. The Geneva Accords are supposed to be signed on December 1st by what can only be called the "Sudeten Conspirators". The Beilin-European Geneva Initiative minimally called for the division of Jerusalem, the abandonment of the entire territories of YESHA and the transfer of at least 220,000 Jewish citizens, the evacuation of the Jordan Valley - considered an irreplaceable natural barrier to invading Arab nations from the East, the Judean/Samarian Water Aquifer that rests under the hills and supplies 30% of Israel's water, the release of thousands of convicted Terrorists ready to renew their Terrorist activities - and much more. (As an aside, Bush complained bitterly about Saddam's release of convicted criminals who have now joined with other Terrorists, both Iraqi and other nationalities, to kill American soldiers.) Ariel Sharon gives every indication that he is preparing to compromise Israel's security and sovereignty - as Josephus did when he went over to the Romans. (Again, I hope he proves me wrong.) It is inconceivable that Sharon, the Warrior 'par excellence,' now an elder statesman, will betray the trust of the Jewish nation, merely to keep the power of his position. Clearly, with the influence of his Leftist sons, he has deluded himself that creating another Arab Palestinian State is good for the Jewish nation - despite ongoing Terrorism and more promised. Various Terrorist groups have stated plainly that, with or without another Arab Palestinian State, they'll continue their war until Israel ceases to exist, whether it takes 100 or 1000 years. Remember, Islam's written aim for Global Domination is preached by the Mullahs in every Arab/Muslim nation. Everything Sharon now says is suspect and considered a 'trial balloon' to test the political atmosphere. The questions that swirl in his head are by their nature, unanswerable. If he moves to please Bush to help his image for the 2004 elections, will Bush be grateful? Probably not. Once he is elected to a second term, he won't need to be 'nice' to the Jewish State to pander to those States needed for their Jewish majorities in electoral votes. If Sharon creates another Arab State of Palestine by forcibly removing the settlements, will the Jewish people be grateful - particularly if there is more Terror? Of course not. The follow-on question is: Would the Palestinian Authority or Arab Palestinians be grateful? Unlikely and more likely to copy the Iraqi model of ingratitude as they kill Americans with their new freedoms. Will whatever he does allow him to remain as Prime Minister or will he be forced to leave in permanent disgrace? Is Sharon relying upon the idea that the Left, that is, Peres, Beilin, Sarid, Burg, Lapid and the Europeans will want to keep him in office with the belief that only Sharon of the Likud (and the Commander who dismantled Yamit) could possibly dare to use the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) to force out the settlers of YESHA - just like they cut down their radio station Arutz 7, the only free radio voice in Israel? It would seem prudent NOT to wait for Sharon to make up his mind as to whether he is the old Sharon or Josephus. It would be better to democratically change governments now and allow Sharon to retire in dignity. Two Desperate Politicians, trapped by circumstance, cannot be trusted to make rational decisions for the safety and sovereignty of their nations but, only for themselves - regardless of who must be sacrificed. ----------- 1. "European Union Want to Use NATO Against Israel" by Emanuel A. Winston 8/27/03 "E.U.- Rapid Deployment Force Aimed at Israel" by Emanuel A. Winston 12/22/02 2. "Blair, Chirac Unite on Peacekeeper Plan" by Ed Johnson AP CHICAGO TRIBUNE 11/24/03 3. "Palestinian Official Delays 1st Meeting with Sharon" by Evan Osnos CHICAGO TRIBUNE 11/24/03
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ARAB TERRORISTS ARE RELEASED WHILE 'SUSPECTED' JEWS FESTER IN PRISON
Posted by Bryna Berch, November 25, 2003. |
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There is something sickening about the Israeli
government's habit of releasing Arab terrorists from prision while
harassing activist Jews who live in Yesha with administrative
detention. The Arabs won't be brought back to prison until after they
murder again and/or aid and abet other terrorists and after
they have heir day in court. The Jews are detained on 'suspicion' (no
open accusation), released from detention and then detained again
WITH NO TRIAL. The Government won't put the Jews on trial -
they have no case. Right now Noam Federman is detained in Ashmoret
Prison, said to be the harshest security jail in Israel. The Hebron
Community reports that
"This afternoon [November 23] Arab Knesset member Dehamshe
arrived at the prison to visit Lebanese terrorist Mustepha Dhirani,
whose cell is adjacent to Federman's. According to the Kol Rina news
agency, Federman cursed and spit at Dehamshe, calling him a 'fifth
column.'"
Federman is right. Several Knesset members have complained that
cell phones are smuggled to the Arab prisoners by Arab visitors like
Dehamshe, who have immunity against search. They can help kill Jews
while in prison.
Federman's administrative detention order keeps him in prison for
six months. However it can easily be renewed.
This is what you can do:
1. Sign the online petition for Noam Federman. CLICK HERE
2. Write and/or call:
Comtacting Mofaz is particularly important. Elisheva Federman
pointed out in Arutz-7 that
Defense Minister Mofaz has
the authority to overrule the GSS and (at least) relocate Federman to
another prison and grant him normal prisoners' rights.
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EGYPT'S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, November 24, 2003. |
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Sadat wasn't a lover of peace. He signed a treaty in order to get territory from Israel and money from the US. Since the Arabs have a different standard of truth and justice from the West, the peace is not solid and it is reversible. It may be reversed even after a quarter of a century of adherence to it. (See refutation, below.) Egypt has not reconciled with Israel. It still considers Israel as the enemy and its rival for regional hegemony and a competitor "for the benefits of peace." Pres. Mubarak boycotts Israel. He has frozen bilateral ties of tourism, commerce, and industry. He encourages other Arabs to do likewise. He does not want other Arab states to make peace with Israel, lest Egypt lose importance in Washington as a diplomatic mediator. While exploiting such status with the US, Egypt actually is the patron of the P.A., and warned Arafat that he would be considered a traitor if he accepted Pres. Clinton's proposals. Whereas Western intellectuals usually support change and universal peace, Egyptian and most Arab intellectuals oppose peace with Israel. Although Mubarak might not attack Israel, he has built up an army with which his successor might. This successor might do so, in order to appease the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood has been radicalizing Egypt's middle class. Lacking the technological infrastructure for completing in the global market, Egyptians doesn't benefit from globalization and US-style capitalism. They think that globalization may erode their cultural and religious identities. Thanks to the downturn in the global economy, they earn less from the drop in tourism, oil prices, Canal revenues, and remittances from Egyptian workers abroad. The Egyptian economy is lagging. Egypt fears losing status. The only avenue in which Egypt has progressed is militarily, thanks to US aid. US military aid does not keep Egypt from war. When Egypt concludes that its expectations from peace did not materialize, it may revert to war. Israel ought to be planning for that war, but it is not. To the contrary, some Israeli leaders praise Egypt's regional importance (Dan Eldar, MEFnews, 11/17, e-mail from Middle E. Qtly., Fall 2003) and contributions to peace diplomacy, even though that diplomacy is entirely anti-Israel and stiffens PLO resistance to making peace. By freezing those ties, Egypt violated the treaty. Egypt also militarized the Sinai more than the treaty authorized. It also allows arms smuggling into Gaza. Why, then, did Mr. Eldar maintain that Egypt adhered to the treaty? There is a reluctance to face hard truths, isn't there?
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THE PALESTINIAN "HUMILIATION" DILEMMA
Posted by David Bedein, November 24, 2003. |
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Last Wednesday, President George W. Bush, addressing a crowded press conference in London in the presence of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, called on Israel to stop what he termed the "daily humiliation" of Palestinian Arabs at checkpoints where IDF troops and Israeli police conduct security searches of Palestinian Arabs before they can enter Israeli cities. I asked a U.S. consular official in Jerusalem why Bush would claim that Israel was subjecting Arabs to humiliation at checkpoints. The U.S. consular official took offense at the very question. "I think that it is obvious that if my staffers from Bethlehem are made to wait an inordinate amount of time in their cars at the checkpoint, then that would be a clear matter of humiliation," he retorted. The U.S. consular official went on to say that his staffers had clear IDs as to who they are and where they worked. Since Bethlehem is well known for spawning industries that produce countless counterfeit documents, I asked the consular official if it was not understandable that Israeli security officials be extra careful in examining all identification, as an added measure of caution, before allowing vehicles to pass into the nation's capital. The U.S. consular official took even greater offense at that question, indicating that he hoped I would not write about this issue. I could only take that as a blessing to explore the matter further. What was of particular concern was that the U.S. consular official did not seem to be aware of what had transpired on Tuesday at one of the checkpoints between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The incident took place at 6 o'clock Tuesday morning at the checkpoint near Beit Jalla, just south of the tunnel road that goes through Beit Jalla into Jerusalem. The sun had just risen. A Palestinian Arab from Bethlehem, who looked familiar to the young IDF troops at the checkpoint, proceeded to get out of his car with a prayer blanket. This was the last week of Ramadan, and the young, devout-looking man made a hand signal that he wanted to pray. The IDF troops at the checkpoint afforded him the opportunity to pray and did not conduct a security search of his vehicle nor his person. The man then knelt to the ground, spread out his prayer blanket, and proceeded to pull out an AK-47 and murder two young IDF troops at point blank range. Moshe Belsky, age 23, who was speaking on his cell phone with his mother, and Shaul Lahav, age 20, the checkpoint commander, were killed instantly. The killer then hopped into his car and sped back to Bethlehem, where he donned his uniform as an officer in the Palestinian Authority police force. The news media overseas only reported that two Israeli soldiers had been killed at the entrance to the Jerusalem tunnel by a "militant." Arafat's Fateh Tanzim took credit for the murder on the official PBC Voice of Palestine radio. Israel had granted the PA the use of Israeli radio air waves in 1993 and still does so in order to foster a "voice of peace" for the PLO. The message communicated on the Voice of Palestine over the past ten years has hardly been a "a voice of peace." I met Shaul Lahav on the day before his death. I had stopped by the checkpoint for a few minutes with tourists from the U.S., and they were pleased to meet Shaul, because he knew English. His parents had moved to Israel at roughly the time that I had moved to Israel, in the early 1970's. He was the oldest son in the family, their first "sabra," and was almost the same age as my oldest son (who just turned 21 and also serves in an IDF combat unit). Shaul interrupted his conversation with us at the checkpoint to receive a call from his girlfriend from his Kibbutz. Shaul might have married, raised a family and led a happy life. At the age of 20, everything is just ahead of you. What can be more of a "humiliation?" A young man cut down by the PLO in the prime of his life or the enforcement of strict security measures so the PLO does not murder another young man in the same exact place? Other examples of alleged Palestinian "daily humiliation" at the hands of the IDF, duly reported to the U.S. consulate, are the IDF's strict searches of Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances. People tend to forget that the Red Crescent is run by Fatchi Arafat, Yasser Arafat's brother, and that the IDF has reported numerous instances in which the Red Crescent ambulances were used to smuggle armed terrorists and weapons in a terror campaign that has seen 20,000 armed attacks in Israel in three years. Most recently, Jerusalem's Alternative Information Center, funded through the Ford Foundation and the New Israel Fund, and run by self-proclaimed Trotskyite Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs, provided a film for the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem. The film documented the "humiliation" Arabs in East Jerusalem must endure at these security checks. It depicted an iron gate that Arabs have to go through for security checks that lead into the East Jerusalem offices of the Israel Ministry of Interior and the Israel Ministry of National Insurance. Both of these offices provide vital health, education, registration and welfare aid to the local population. What the Alternative Information Center film "forgot" to illustrate was that the iron gate and the severe security restrictions on entering Israeli government offices in East Jerusalem did not exist until three years ago. That's when Aish Kodesh Gilmore, a part time Israeli security guard, was shot in the neck and killed by an officer in Arafat's Fateh Tanzim militia. The Fateh Tanzim issued an immediate press release to the media, praising the murder of Aish Kodesh Gilmore, the same as was done after Shaul's murder. I knew this young man, Aish, whose unusual name stuck with me. He was named for a Rabbi known as the Aish Kodesh - A Rabbi in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. His weekly stenciled prayer sheets and Bible commentaries kept up the spirits of the starving Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto throughout their ordeal - until Aish Kodesh was himself banished from Warsaw. (He later perished from famine.) Aish Kodesh's writings were found preserved in a jar after World War II and were of great inspiration to the musically inclined Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, who was the Rabbi of Colorado-born Reuvein Gilmore. Reuvein Gilmore later became one of the founders of the Moddiin collective community that Rabbi Carlebach's students pioneered just north of Jerusalem. Inspired by Rabbi Carlebach's stories of the Aish Kodesh, Reuvein gave the name of his little boy Aish Kodesh. I remember him well as a little fellow with long blonde curls, who would sit on Rabbi Carlebach's knees and listen as the Rabbi played songs of hope and Hassidic inspiration on his guitar. I had lost contact with Aish Kodesh, until I heard of his murder. I interviewed his young widow, shortly after the tragedy. When I went to interview Zahava Gilmore, Aish Kodesh's widow, just one month after he was murdered in his role as a security guard in East Jerusalem, the person who ran to greet me at the door was Talia, Aish Kodesh's orphaned three-year-old daughter. Zahava explained that Talia always runs to the door, expecting her father to come home. If that is not the ultimate of humilation, what is? Aish Kodesh's widow remarked that Aish was proud of the special role he performed in helping the people of East Jerusalem get the government benefits that they deserved. You sometimes have to ask over and over and over: Which is the greater "humiliation": a young man cut down by the PLO in the prime of his life, or the enforcement of strict security measures so that the PLO does not murder another young man in that exact same place? President Bush must be understand that the staff of the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem may need to take some lessons on the meaning of "humiliation" during a time of war. U.S. troops are busy learning the lesson of constant terrorist harassment the hard way in Iraq. After all, Bagdad and Basra are not very far from Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Shaul and Aish Kodesh were no different than American boys serving their country against a lifelong sponsor of terrorists. And Moshe Belsky's mother feels the pain as much as any dead soldier's mother - maybe more so, since she was speaking to him at the moment of his murder. President Bush should know well that Israel deserves the right to protect its sons at the checkpoints. Ask the mothers of Shaul, Moshe and Aish Kodesh. A security check is not humiliation. It is protection. David Bedein is the bureau chief of the Israel Resource News Agency, located at the Beit Agron International Press Center in Jerusalem. |
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ALL TOGETHER NOW
Posted by Yuval Zaliouk, November 24, 2003. |
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Dear friends,
For me, the most painful aspect of the present Intifadah, in
addition to the casualties, are Israelis and Jews who choose to
conduct a war against the policies of Israel in the arena of the
international media and public opinion. Individuals and organization
that are engaged in such activities are nothing less than 5th column
in the heart of our nation.
I am not aware of any such phenomenon among other nations in times
of war, certainly not among our enemies.
We are being attacked on two fronts: by our enemies who seek to
destroy us and by those among us who join and assist them. In my
vocabulary, they are called traitors.
By now, you must be familiar with the insightful writings of my
friend Robert Vincent. I am proud to bring you another brilliant article
by him on this painful subject.
Your Truth Provider,
Yuval. It is most depressing to be doing whatever we can in our little corner of the globe to win the 'battle of the western front' against the anti-Semitic media/academia axis, and at the same time, have former Israeli government officials delivering boxes of shells at the doorsteps of our enemies. Of course, no one can expect that a people whose heritage is rooted in democracy will agree on every issue. But for Jews to be supportive of Israel is not asking our ethnic brethren to march in lockstep, any more than it requires that anyone who is vocal in this way must automatically pick up and live there. It is really no different than when Loretta Swit ("Hot Lips Houlihan" of M.A.S.H. fame, and American of Polish extraction) lobbied the U.S. government to provide aid to Poland in the wake of the victory of the Solidarity movement there. No one questioned her loyalty as an American. I'm sure she did not immerse herself in Polish politics in any detail. She simply wanted the best for the land of her ancestors, the country she identied with in that context, in a manner that all Americans, a nation of immigrants, takes for granted. Poland, I'm sure, is not a perfect country. Neither is Greece, Mexico, Korea, Ireland, England, nor Germany. Yet Americans of these ethnicities have no self-consciousness whatever of openly and positively identifying with their respective roots. For some Diaspora Jews to loudly proclaim "Israel does not represent all Jews" because they don't happen to like Sharon or this policy or that policy is nonsensical. Of course Israel does not represent us in the way that our Congressman does... but whatever the government, it represents our heritage as a people. And last time I checked, they are among America's staunchest allies, so what is there to be self-conscious or embarrassed about? Do we not have the very same right as all of our fellow Americans to celebrate the nation state that is the modern expression of a heritage that dates back millennia? And if we express grave concern at Israel's plight... is this in any way different from what, for example, Greek-Americans would do if Greece were threatened with annihilation by Turkey? Those of our community who would deny and even slander the very concept of Israel do not even deserve to be debated as equals. These "Judenrats" only deserve our collective and terse rebukes. At the end of the day, they are only trying to "cut a deal" with our enemies in the hopes of "better treatment"... but history records that the literal Judenrats went to the gas chambers as surely as anyone, only a little bit later when they were no longer "of use." And if it is not craven cowardice that is their primary motivation, then it is some mistaken sense of "moral superiority," as though Jews should be above inflicting suffering on anyone, even if it is in self-defense. Perhaps their interpretation of our being the "Chosen People" is along the lines of the "Chosen Eternal Martyrs"... well that is their choice, but not with the blood of MY family, friends, or community. For my part, I will leave such arguments and proclamations over the meaning of the phrase "Chosen People" to others. Chosen or not, we are A PEOPLE. And like ANY OTHER PEOPLE, we deserve to live, to prosper by our labors, and to have a community, a history, a heritage, and to be allowed to live in peace... and where that last matter fails, TO DEFEND OURSELVES. In his day, a lot of people of conservative political persuasion resented FDR, some even thought him something of a dictator, a demagogue. But few Americans indeed doubted the right and need of our country to defend itself, nor did anyone even dare question our very right to exist as a nation based on any perceived disagreeable aspects of his leadership. Indeed, what country has ever had its very right to exist brought into question merely by the quirks of a particular leader or political party, much less some of the horrific acts carried out by other countries? Does anyone question China's right to exist over her shameful treatment of Tibet, for instance? To those who read this and agree with me, let us start with one resolution. We may begin by not even deigning to explain Israel's "right to exist." Mr. Dershowitz's laudable efforts notwithstanding, I for one am sick and tired of anyone feeling that they have to "make a case" for Israel. Does anyone have to "make a case" for Japan? For Italy? For the Central African Republic? Let us stop with this. We don't have to "justify Israel." Anyone who asks this of us is by definition an anti-Jewish bigot, or if Jewish themselves, a contemptible Judenrat; we will not convince them anyway, so why bother to try? To the genuinely curious, we instead need to draw attention to the sharp contrasts between Israel and her adversaries, and in doing so, apply the same moral yardstick to all parties concerned. For no matter what transgressions Israel is guilty of, even the blind can see that by any measure, her enemies are far, far worse. The majority of our countrymen here in America are aware of this, I'm sure, despite the best efforts of academia and some elements of the media to persuade them otherwise. In Europe, the situation is obviously worse. But even the Europeans, along with all peoples of the developed democratic first world, must in the end realize that the Islamic fundamentaist movement is aimed against them as well. Israel is on the front lines of a struggle that involves them just as surely, and handing the Jews over to the Arabs will make the Europeans no safer than Germany's neighbors were sixty years ago, despite Germany having their concentration camps swamped with Jewish victims. This must be the second argument we must ceaselessly stress as a community. All wars are won by the aggregate results of innumerable small unit actions. But no war is won without unity of purpose, a clear understanding of one's adversary, and a coordinated battle plan. All these are issues that must be acted upon NOW. Robert Vincent lives in Toledo, OH and has a Masters in International Relations and is currently pursuing a MBA. He writes that his interest is in "America's ongoing efforts to eliminate the threat posed by Islamic fundamentalist-inspired terrorism, and the Arab-Israeli conflict (both of which I view as essentially different fronts of the same war)." |
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TERROR ALERT
Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, November 24, 2003. |
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This comes from the DEBKA file (http://www2.debka.com/index.php). Monday, November 24, Al Qaeda marked Eid al Fitr, the festival closing the Muslim festival of Ramadan, with a dramatic warning. DEBKAfile's counter-terror sources reports that a message published over al Qaeda's electronic channels and websites declared that the countdown has begun for the biggest operation ever carried out in the United States. "The big blow will fall very shortly. It will consist of a series of surprise attacks that will cut America off from communication with its armies in Muslim countries." The reference is clearly to US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The largest number, around 115,000 soldiers, is present in Iraq. Muslims living in the United States are urged to "take advantage of the short time left" to escape the country and harm's way. Some of the messages say that a new Osama bin Laden videotape will soon be out. It will also carry statements by al Qaeda members who executed the last suicide attacks in Saudi Arabia and adherents who died in clashes with Saudi security. They will be shown describing how they were prepared for action. Bin Laden will intersperse these cuts with comments explaining the selection of Saudi targets. DEBKAfile's counter-terror sources report that some of the new messages are signed by Abu Assam al Yamani, who also threatens to murder Abdul Rahman Rashid, editor of the Saudi London-based paper Sharq al Awsat. Al Yamani says the al Qaeda passed sentence of death against the editor because he not only met President George W. Bush in the British capital last week but interviewed him and appeared with the president in a joint photo.
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WHY DOES ISRAEL HAVE TO PAY?
Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, November 24, 2003. |
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Mofaz is willing to have us pay a big price for peace. Why? Why do
I have to "pay" anything at all? I have never initiated a
war against the Arabs. I have never terrorized them. I have never
caused them extensive economic damage. So why do I have to pay?
When I say that one can not trust the Leftists with public
responsibility because they are deranged, it is exactly this type of
thinking I am referring to. If Mofaz is looking for someone to pay the
price of peace, let him look to the Arabs. Let them pay and pay a very
high price.
This item appeared in Arutz Sheva
(http://www.israelnationalnews.com) Mofaz: Israel Willing to Pay a Big Price for
Peace. Mr. Mofaz made his remarks during an event hosted for bereaved families.
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INVASION
Posted by Yashiko Sagamori, November 23, 2003. |
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When the French government could no longer keep silent about the rise of anti-Semitic violence in the country, President Jacques Chirac issued a statement. "When a Jew is attacked in France, it is all France in its entirety that is attacked," he said. Chief Rabbi Joseph Sitruk of France also issued a statement: "I ask young Jews to be alert, to avoid walking alone, to avoid wearing the yarmulke in the street or in the subway and consequently becoming targets for potential assailants." Here we go again: the French sound heroic as usual; and the Jews, also as usual, remain prosaically pragmatic. Nevertheless, my sympathies go to the Jews. First, they know what France does when it is attacked: it surrenders; and only a very stupid Jew may hope for something good to come out of that. Second, President Chirac's gasconade implied neither risks nor obligations; the French are the undisputed best at making empty words resonate. The rabbi, on the other hand, clearly implied that French Jews shouldn't rely on their government for protection, which was dangerous: President Chirac could easily countermand the rabbi's gentle advice by ordering French Jews to wear distinct identifying signs - yellow stars, for example. Something like that has already happened on French soil - coincidentally, while all France was attacked in its entirety by Germans. This time - thank goodness! - there was no official reaction to the rabbi's dangerous blunder, but French Jews should know from two thousand years of experience they are not going to be as lucky every time. Half a century ago, while Europe was healing the terrible wounds of World War II, the most puzzling question about the recent past was, how could Germany, a country that had given the world so many philosophers, scientists, poets, musicians, produce Nazism? Today, we are asking a similar question: how could Europe, the birthplace of humanism, a continent that for centuries remained the heart of Judeo-Christian civilization, become a hotbed of the most virulent anti-Semitism since the defeat of Nazism? The Financial Times, reported by the American Jewish Committee (http://www.ajc.org/InTheMedia/PressReleases.asp?did=984") may have provided a hint by reporting on November 22 that the Vienna-based European Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia decided not to publish a report on European anti-Semitism because the study found that Muslim and pro-Palestinian groups were behind many recent anti-Semitic incidents. Neither the results of the study nor the decision to sweep them under the rug can be regarded as unexpected. Obviously, blaming Islam alone for European anti-Semitism would be wrong. In order to survive, a seed must fall onto fertile soil, and this is exactly what Muslim mass migration has found in Europe. A reader wrote to me once: "If no one had decided to fight against Hitler, then it would seem that a world run by Hitler would be a good place." Apparently, this point of view is highly popular in Europe where bloodless jihad meets absolutely no resistance from the natives. At first glance, the statistics of the Islamic takeover look rather unimpressive. According to the 2003 edition of the World Factbook, the Muslim populations of France (http://www.bartleby.com/151/fr.html), England (http://www.bartleby.com/151/uk.html) and Germany (http://www.bartleby.com/151/gm.html) constitute 5-10%, 4%, and 3.7%, respectively. However, these percentages do not reflect the degree of influence exerted by the Muslim community on the host countries. After all, if Jews, whose share in the world population constitutes approximately one quarter of one per cent, can rule the world, 3% of Muslims can easily destroy Europe. Here's what a reader from Denmark (http://www.bartleby.com/151/da.html, 2% Muslims) wrote to me: "A Danish paper Weekendavisen wrote an article about the life of a bunch of students at a multicultural school in Copenhagen. The Danish children were told that they should learn from the values of the Muslim community and stop being so Danish. My correspondent concludes: "We will not survive this." Sadly, he is right. According to a recently published report, 20 years from now, the majority of children in the Netherlands (http://www.bartleby.com/151/nl.html, 4.4% Muslims) will be Muslim. It is not purely coincidental that Europe, under the influence of Muslims, has become not only anti-Semitic but virulently anti-American as well. People who so vehemently protest everything the United States and Israel do, keep conspicuously silent about terrorist acts even when their victims are non-Jewish Europeans. There is a clear political agenda underneath their selective pacifism, and that agenda perfectly matches the goals of the European front of jihad. The invasion has barely begun, but the still modest percentages of Muslim population in European countries obscure the fact that the change which has already happened in Europe is as irreversible as death. While screaming hysterically about American imperialism and dangers of a "Greater Israel", the Muslim world is quietly expanding into Europe, turning it into a province of the future caliphate. The enormity of that development is such that even September 11 looks like a mere tactical diversion compared to it. Ironically, terrorism is rather detrimental to the goals of the international Islamic conspiracy to take over the world. It would have been easier for them to simply take advantage of the lax immigration laws, move in peacefully, and gradually replace the local population, utilizing their far superior fertility. But that would probably eliminate all of the fun from the conquest. The United States seems to be in a better shape than Europe - until you make a wrong turn somewhere in Brooklyn or Philadelphia and suddenly find yourself in a place where stores display signs in Arabic and women carefully hide their hair under ugly headscarves. You realize that the place makes you feel uncomfortable. You forcefully remind yourself that this is your country and decide to make a point of stopping at a small grocery store you are passing; you could add some extra spice to the lamb stew you are planning to cook tomorrow. The grocer's politeness is impeccable, even if a bit terse, and you are ready to assume that his hostility is a figment of your imagination. While he is counting your change, you ask him about the posters that cover the walls of his little store depicting young men and a few women with solemn faces, armed with Kalashnikovs and small books that you assume to be copies of the Koran. The grocer helpfully explains that the young people on the posters are heroes who martyred themselves for the cause. You quickly translate his words into plain English: this is a tribute to suicide bombers, the mass murderers of Jews. This is an outrage, but what can you do? This is a free country, and the First Amendment equally protects friend and foe. Your lamb stew tomorrow may turn out to be a bit bland. A letter from another reader vividly explains what makes this invasion not only possible but successful: "I live in a mid-size city in the middle of the United States. Muslims have a mosque on our main street. They have purchased a large section of farmland and are planning to build a mosque that will accommodate thousands of worshippers. Where corn and soybeans have grown for hundreds of years, now the Muslim faith will flourish. When farmers whose families have tilled those lands for generations attended a town meeting and expressed concern over what was being planned, they were called racists and bigots. The city embraces this Muslim diversity in our midst. They turn a blind eye to reason. It is not politically correct to wonder how it is that within a very few short years our city and many of the cities surrounding our area now are home to thousands of Muslims. If I wrote a letter such as this to our local newspaper, I would receive hateful responses." On November 22, the New York Times (http://nytimes.com/2003/11/22/politics/22REGI.html) happily informed its readers that the Homeland Security Department had decided to stop a program that required thousands of Arab and Muslim men to register with immigration authorities after September 11. According to the article, of the 85 thousand of Arab and Muslim visitors who registered at the INS offices and tens of thousands more screened at the airports and border crossings, only 11 were found to have ties with terrorism - a purely negligible number. Of course, it would be prudent to assume that a few of our uninvited guests managed to avoid detection either by failing to register in accordance to the law or by merely slipping through the net. Let's for the sake of the argument assume there were just 8 of them - another negligible number. This brings the total number of terrorists among the many (too many!) Muslim foreigners in the United States to roughly 19. What possible harm could come from 19 Arabs? Let's be honest with ourselves: American response to the ongoing Islamic invasion is more shameful than the French response to Nazi occupation: at least there was some organized resistance in France. I can't express it better than a friend did in his letter to me:
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DO WORDS REALLY MATTER?
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, November 23, 2003. |
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Do words really matter? When it comes to Jews, I don't think so. I have been writing about Terror, war and geo-politics as they apply to the Jewish State for over 30 years. I also have received tonnage of information, opinions, research papers and books. I know in my guts that words are irrelevant to most in order to prove the justice of the Jewish claim of sovereignty in their own ancient ancestral homeland - simply because our adversaries and friends who become adversaries - D-o N-o-t C-a-r-e. They are not ashamed or embarrassed at being caught and exposed as anti-Semites. History is replete with nations betraying each other but, none so continually perfidious as the betrayal of the Jews. When others issue words against the Jews, then the words don't count. How many times has Yassir Arafat been sourced as the core planner for hundreds of Terrorist attacks? How many Americans is he responsible for having killed? The follow-on exposure meant nothing to either the Europeans or the Arabists in the State Department as the money kept flowing into his killing machine. We are just now in the process of batting our eyes in supposed wonderment about Iran?s long term plan to acquire nuclear weapons. We pretend surprise about Iran's nuclear program - just as we shut our eyes to Pakistan's developing nuclear weapons, using money from a host of Arab nations who wanted an Islamic Bomb. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Libya, Iraq all paid the money and expected operational nukes in return. I recall writing about 4 to 6 tactical nuclear weapons being sold to Iran out of East Germany when the Soviet Union collapsed. However, an immediate story floated in American papers assured us all that there were no missing nukes and, if there were, Iran didn't have them. I would presume this was courtesy of the CIA or State dis-information assurance squad. It seems clear that various Departments at State and the Intelligence Agencies knew very well that Iran was spending a lot of money to develop a nuclear capability since the fall of the Soviet Union. The East Germans were broke, with no money coming from the Soviet Union, so they were selling everything they owned - uniforms, rifles, tanks and tactical nukes. Words would have mattered to the American people and perhaps the U.S. Congress, then just maybe something would have been done about it IF it became public knowledge. When Israel brought her complaints of her Intel on Iran's nuclear program, it was dismissed out of hand. Words were irrelevant coming from the Jewish State. This was frequently repeated through the years. When Israel spoke about Egypt or Saudi acquisition of long range missiles from North Korea or China, the words were totally ignored. The same when Israel warned about Syria's chemical weapons' programs. Even Israel's more recent warnings about the possibility that Terrorists could likely commit such an attack as 9/11 was dismissed by American Intelligence. During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Gen. Ariel Sharon's Army had encircled Egypt's Third Army and was forced by America to release them. Egypt agreed to leave the Sinai demilitarized, free of any war materials, an agreement co-signed by the U.S. Shortly after Israel's withdrawal and the brokered agreements were signed, Egypt moved up their SAM ground-to-air missile batteries into the Sinai. Israel protested to the State Department, providing aerial photos to prove Egypt had broken the agreement. Israel's words, backed up with irrefutable proof meant absolutely nothing to the State Department or the U.S. Government generally. Agreements with the Jewish State were irrelevant because America was courting Egypt to replace Iran as her 'cop on the block' to protect or occupy Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Oil States. Egypt (in my opinion) was slated to occupy Saudi Arabia in America's interests should Syria, Iraq, Iran (or other hostile countries) move to take over the Saudi oil fields. Imagine, Egypt - a military colossus with $50 Billion in free U.S. military equipment (paid for by American taxpayers) - also controlling the vast Saudi armory. It would then become a threat to the entire Middle East. We Jews are known as the People of the Book which generally refers to the Laws of Torah. But, we also have a predilection to document history, write copiously and argue every point until the point is worn away. We Jews do have a genetic national memory par excellence but unfortunately, we also tend to ignore our own history vis a vis our numerous self-declared adversaries. As a result, we keep thinking that, if we offer sufficient proof as to the wrongs done to us, our adversaries (the anti-Semites of the world) will quit the field in shame. I am reminded of the plunder of Jewish assets during WW2 by the Germans and Europeans. They stole factories, bank deposits, jewelry, paintings, homes, even extracting gold from the teeth of their victims to be melted down and fenced off by the Swiss to other world banks for the cash liquidity needed to keep Germany's war machine lasting longer. After WW2, Jews attempted - in words - to reclaim their properties which were confiscated by the Germans, Europeans and even the Russians who confiscated what the Germans had stolen. There was deep reluctance to compensate survivors although Germany, in some embarrassment, did finally make some reparation payments. The French, like Jacques Chirac, when he was Mayor of Paris, still had stolen Jewish owned paintings hanging on the walls of his office and home. The Jews tried to use words to reclaim even a fragment of what was theirs and yet were met with words to the effect that the Jews were greedy money grubbers and had no right to ask 'good' Germans, French and Swiss to return the loot. These were the words of the low nations who trafficked in gold teeth, museum quality paintings, factories built by the Jews, homes with all their furnishings -even insurance policies were denied to beneficiary survivors. The laws spelled out in the legal words of the nations were suspended for the Jews while the pretense of fair justice was reserved only for all others. Words have meaning when you are the bully carrying the stick. Words from the victim are virtually meaningless - except perhaps in an advanced civilization where the rule of law is equally applied where the greedy, the unethical, the cruel have no more to say and no more power than those whom they would make their victims. The small tribe of Abraham was chosen to carry G-d's message (words of Torah) to large and powerful nations. They managed to bring the One G-d into the minds of man but, have not yet managed to infuse the Laws that G-d offered to man. Most men hated the laws of restriction; they hated what they were obligated to do and, above all, they hated the messenger and witness to their refusal to upgrade their level of humanity. The rest of the world reluctantly accepted the idea of the One G-d and managed to blend in old, acceptable pagan ritual - even modifying G-d's Laws to bypass the rigorous demand of the 10 Commandments and the 613 rules of behavior taught by G-d and practiced by the Jews. None of the words were to be modified, changed in any way but, most men ignored this specific instruction and did change His Words. It wasn't by accident that G-d selected a small tribe of Hebrews to carry His Word. Clearly, the powerful nations, like Egypt who had strong, priestly cults with many gods would never accept One G-d - let alone give up their priestly powers. Even after G-d, through Moses, devastated the land and killed the first born Egyptians, they would not abandon their death cult gods and all their other gods. No nations on earth were ready to accept the difficult task of speaking for the One and Only G-d - except for a small tribe of Hebrews. Even today, the nations of the world refuse to accept the message of One G-d through the Jewish tribe but, insist on their versions of G-d and the pathways to His Court. If they, indeed, accepted the One G-d with no creative variations, then they would have accepted the Laws of Torah. They would have reached out to the Jews and taken them by the hand and said: "Teach me what G-d taught you." We Jews are seemingly always surprised when our well-documented bill of particulars is ignored or simply disputed as to its accuracy with no supreme earthly judge to rule that we are right and they are wrong. Many religiously observant Jews believe that a truly Supreme G-d will be the final arbiter and our antagonists will get their just deserts. Unfortunately, we live on this planet in human form and we Jews, indeed, do bleed when stabbed. Our wall of defensive words do not and have not ever stopped our assailants. Killing and persecution continues apace against the Jewish people, sometimes less or more but always there. Presently, hatred has ramped up as the nations reach out for someone to blame, someone to take the pain away which their greedy leaders have imposed on their nations. We Jews are those selected "someones". The Jewish people were chosen as G-d's messengers for many things, in addition to alerting the planet Earth that there was only One Supreme Being. The Jews additionally brought knowledge in Law to be fairly administered by incorruptible judges. They brought remarkable breakthroughs in medicine and technology. Music was a passion for them and so great virtuosos as violinists, pianists, cellists, conductors entertained us. The greedy and corrupt resentfully accepted these gifts, wanting even more but, hated the Jews nevertheless. But, hatred could not obscure the fact that the Jewish people were G-d's chosen messengers and teachers of His Laws. For this, they would not be forgiven and thus our 'war of words' seems mostly useless. We have been pleading for centuries with the Church to reverse their teaching of hatred to spare our lives but, our words fell on deaf ears. Clearly, these words do not protect us. The best we can do is to circle the wagons and fight off the pagan haters until perhaps, one day they mature as humans and beg forgiveness from the One G-d. Fighting back is being done to some extent in Israel although the nations are doing their best to lull the Jews into a state of acceptance so the Arabs can be satisfied with a victory in blood. The West presumes that IF the Arabs win such a victory to eliminate the Jewish enemy (who has humiliated them by defeating their armies in six wars), the Arab Muslims will quietly recede into their backward culture. Their Mullahs scream out their hatred in words, telling the Muslims to kill the Jews and all non-Muslims. After the Muslims have been pacified with a bloody victory, the West hopes that they may go back to business as usual and Islam will no longer be a threat to the West or the planet at large. Here again, the words of warning by the Jews will be ignored merely as self-serving and having nothing to do with the rest of the world. The World is now paying the price as Islamic Terror sweeps around the planet like a wind of poison. For them, "words" are irrelevant except those they conjure up to justify their actions. Words for them is how they feel at any given moment which can be changed in a heart beat and, what's more, believed as the new truth. We, in the West, believe in words, agreements, contracts as binding. They do not and, although we see through experience that no agreement is scared, we continue to make agreements with them. They break their word at will and we (to include the foolish Jews) accept the new set of words even as the ashes of the last broken agreement are still smoldering. The nations can accept false words and survive but, the small Jewish State and the minuscule number of Jews left on this planet cannot. My pen aches to enumerate the assurances given to Israel in good faith by well-meaning friends only to have them disavowed when their economic interests are at stake. The assurances and commitments given to Israel in trade for dangerous concessions to the Arabs and Europeans are nothing more than a trail of bones. As a practical matter, Israel has to bend to the wishes of powerful friends even when they know the words of commitment will vanish quickly. There will come a time when Israel will realize that they can no longer accept words of assurance and draw a line in the sand. However, in the interim, I - among other Jews and Christian Zionists - will continue to use words in the hope that the nations will turn from their terrorist, uncivilized ways and accept an unalterable law of conduct.
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OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE JUDAISM DISORDER
Posted by Irwin N. Graulich, November 23, 2003. |
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A new old syndrome is catching on worldwide. The broad scientific term is "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD.)" OCD has become all the rage on psychiatric couches and in mental institutions. Yet for 4000 years, there has been a similar disorder affecting a large part of humanity called "Obsessive-Compulsive Judaism (OCJ)." Psychiatrists tell us that people become obsessed with an idea which they believe to be the "absolute" truth. Scientists who study the mind have proven that obsessive/compulsive individuals therefore "believe" that something is true which may be true or false, although they become totally preoccupied with its validity. "My hands are always dirty" makes individuals obsess on cleanliness, ultimately resulting in a continuous hand washing cycle. Why are 1.2 billion Muslims obsessed with the idea of "this tiny group of Jews is always dirty" syndrome? Why is David Duke's website and virtually all of his writings about the Jews? Why is the KKK obsessed with Jewish thoughts? Why is the former Malaysian prime minister virtually addicted to blaming Jews, in a country that is Judenrein and where 95% of Malaysians never even saw a real live Jew? Freud would have a great time with these head problems. However, his research would have most likely been dismissed as just another Jewish attempt to control "our" minds. Amazingly, the common link throughout history of those with the "OCJ disorder" is that they are all sick, vile, evil people. When studied seriously, the entire illness does not make any sense. This obsession with Jews dominating everything from politics to business to deciding on the next war to the reason that the Arab/Muslim world has failed drastically has become great folk lore. Within the past 60 years, OCJ has spread from Nazi Germany to The Middle East into Europe to most recently, college campuses and other leftist laboratories worldwide. The ultimate question is, "Why haven't antisemites become obsessed with other competing religions which are much larger and more direct competition?" The answer is actually quite simple and stems from an important sentence in The New Testament. "Those who bless the Jews will be blessed and those who curse the Jews will be cursed." Anyone who believes in this statement will take the road of religious American Christians. It is no wonder that America has become the most "blessed" country in the history of the world. Thomas Jefferson said that "America is the new Israel" and he wanted to make the US symbol, a logo of the Jewish exodus from Egypt. And which nations are the most cursed today? Obviously the Arab and Muslim world, even with all their oil wells! However, for those who believe that Judaism is a religion of infidels, why shouldn't they simply ignore Judaism's foolish adherents? If a religion formed around Elvis Presley or the belief in aliens from outer space, non-believers would laugh and not pay any attention to such utter nonsense. So why are Jews taken so seriously if their religion is thought to be fraudulent by others? The amazing answer is that most of the non-Jewish world "knows for certain" that Judaism is true and many in Europe, Asia and The Middle East are quite upset with that frightening realization. In contrast, it is a large portion of Jews who unfortunately have doubts about the truth behind Judaism. Something seems to be wrong with this picture. The real cause of Islamic Fundamentalist terrorism is that its adherents have major doubts about the validity of their own religion. That is why there is so much hatred toward Jews and Christians coming from Imams and Ayatollahs in mosques. They see a system of Christianity in America for which God blessed a great country with everything, including incredible power, strength and influence. Even worse, they see a system in their own back yard, The Middle East, where a country with no natural resources and just a few million Jews has surpassed every single Arab and Muslim nation. Here is God acting in our world and they are not receiving their fair share. Quite upsetting, to say the least. Religious figures in the Islamic world cannot announce to followers, "Look at the success of Islam in our world. Pray to Allah for thanks." Instead, they say that, "Judaism and Christianity have stolen our successes. So let's destroy the infidels." OCD means that one's brain has gotten stuck on a particular thought and just cannot let go. Since 998 out of every 1000 people are not Jewish, it would seem that a large number of very foolish people are both obsessive and compulsive with OCJ, relating to this miniscule, trivial group. Perhaps this idea even extends to the Hitlerian obsessive contamination problem which forbade swimming with or even touching Jews. Might this be the reason that Jews were thrown out of so many Arab countries? With over 50% of UN General Assembly resolutions condemning Israel, not North Korea, Syria, Cuba, Iran, Libya or Iraq, one cannot say that it is simply all of the things that Israel may have done. When people hate or feel threatened about a belief system, it can only mean one thing. It threatens their own system and in all likelihood, renders it somewhat invalid. The idea of Jewish Choseness has always been looked upon as arrogant and conceited. The truth is that America has taken on the role of sharing Choseness from God with the Jews. No wonder there are protests in Great Britain today. No wonder President Bush's effigy has been burned in almost every Arab and Muslim country. No wonder a large part of Europe has criticized America for bringing down another evil dictator. It's a new disease: Obsessive-Compulsive America (OCA).
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WAVING A WHITE FLAG?
Posted by David Wilder, November 23, 2003. |
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I planned on writing today about one of the most extraordinary Shabbatot I've ever experienced. After all, it's not every week you participate in a Hebron Shabbat together with another 25,000 Jews. Friday night it was virtually impossible to get into Ma'arat HaMachpela - The Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs. It was simply packed. There wasn?t room to move inside. And outside, in the courtyard, thousands of people participated in Shabbat evening prayers. It was a sight to behold. So too, Saturday. Thousands upon thousands of people walking the streets, visiting the different neighborhoods - it was really unbelievable. However, current events will not let me dwell on the wonders of this past Shabbat in Hebron. There are other matters which are more pressing. While in the United States, I heard rumors that Ariel Sharon was planning another landmark address, Hertzelia II, as it was called. During the first Hertzelia speech, in December 2002, Sharon officially accepted the ideas behind the Roadmap, culminating in a fully sovereign palestinian state. Realizing that the palestinian terrorist authority does not have the desire or ability to fulfill even the most minimum requirements in order to convince a majority of Israelis to back this arrangement, Sharon is planning the next stage in his farcical premiership. This is being labeled Hertzelia Two. This morning it hit the headlines. According to media reports, Sharon is fed up with the current deadlock and is looking for a way out. He promised Israelis peace and security and hasn't yet been able to deliver the goods. Without a 'peace partner' it's difficult to negotiate. So, Sharon has decided to go it alone. Latest accounts say that Sharon is planning a unilateral withdrawal of Israeli forces to the vicinity of the new 'wall' (which seems to be known to some as the Messiah in disguise). This unilateral withdrawal includes the destruction of 'isolated settlements,' most probably in Gaza - like Netzarim, Morag, and Kfar Darom. However other communities in Yesha have not been ruled out. Jews evicted from their homes are to be transferred to new settlements, this time in the Negev. Other communities are scheduled to be 'moved,' creating 'settlement blocks.' This is, in brief, what has been floating around today. Now, it's important to understand why Ariel Sharon is even considering such measures: 1. Ariel Sharon is facing massive legal problems in Israel. He is likely on the verge of being indicted for illegal financial dealings, some of which concern campaign funding, illicit loans, and possible bribery. Should he be indicted, Sharon will have to resign. But Sharon knows that the left understands that they will never be able to evict Jews from Yesha - only a 'right-wing' bulldozer like Ariel Sharon, who was responsible for much of the development of Judea, Samaria and Gaza will be able to take it apart. He has experience - he did it in Sinai. Sharon also knows that the decisions taken concerning his future political life and tenure in the Prime Minister's residence lie in the hands of the left. In other words, if he is a 'good boy' and practices what they preach, they will, more than likely, leave him alone. In other words, he will trade Eretz Yisrael for political survival. 2. Reason number two: George Bush and the White House. Ariel Sharon knows that George Bush is a good friend of Israel. All things considered, he's probably the best friend Israel has had in the White House in decades. He also knows that George W. is in trouble. Iraq, dead American soldiers, and continuing world terror is ruffling feathers. The elections, a year away, are already catching headlines. The campaign has begun. Sharon also knows that the democratic alternatives to Bush spell catastrophe for Israel. So, Sharon is interested not only in saving himself; he's also interested in saving George W's skin. So, he is willing to trade pieces of Eretz Yisrael for Bush. 3. Reason number three: Yossi Beilin, Shimon Peres and Geneva. The 'Geneva Accords' initiated by Yossi Beilin are covered with the fingerprints of several well known players. First on the list is Shimon Peres, who was Yossi Beilin's teacher. The first big Peres production, 'Oslo' was such a hit, that he decided to produce a follow-up. Not being able to sponsor a 'by-pass' plan to a government which he still hopes to sit in, Peres assisted Beilin into Geneva, another cataclysmic suicide plan for the State of Israel. Geneva includes the worst of the worst-case scenarios conjured up since the commencement of Oslo, leaving Israel as a virtual nonentity. Another player in the Geneva fiasco is undoubtedly the European Union. Last week Beilin and Company put two million copies of the Geneva Accords into the Israeli mail. Do you have any idea how much it costs to print up and send two million copies of anything? I don't have exact costs, but it is a tremendous amount of money. I am certain that the financial backer of this escapade is the EU. I might also surmise that the EU is receiving a great deal of that money from another power broker - very likely Saudi Arabia. So from the Saudis to the Europeans to Beilin. What a team. But please, do not underestimate these players. The Geneva Accords are exerting overwhelming pressure on Ariel Sharon. These accords are being backed by world media. Foreign governments are starting to get involved, viewing them as an alternative to the dying roadmap. And in Israel, again, the left is initiating something solid, as opposed to the waffling of the other side, whoever they are. Sharon remembers only too well the pressures that brought Ehud Barak's cowardly flight from Lebanon. He knows that the name of the game is not to sit on the fence; rather it is to grab onto something solid and pave the way. It makes no difference which direction the path goes in - to heaven or to hell. What is important is to offer an alternative. And that is what Sharon is doing. Ariel Sharon has not despaired of several dreams: He still wants to dispel the 'war-monger' image he picked up during the Lebanese War in the 1980s. He would also like to be remembered as a statesman and as the 'great peacemaker.' And last, but not least, he would like another term in the office of the Prime Minister, despite his age (and seemingly deteriorating mental health). All of this adds up to transferring Jews, destroying communities, and abandoning Eretz Yisrael. The big question is, of course, what we can do to prevent this madness. There are no easy answers. We have to make a lot of noise, and let this government know that the People of Israel will not allow Ariel Sharon or anyone else to chop up Eretz Yisrael, we will not allow appeasement to terrorists, and we will not commit communal suicide. The very fact that these ideas are being floated around have already caused immense damage to Israel. The idea of withdrawal at all, but especially in the middle of a war, is unthinkable. This is exactly what our enemy wants and we must not give it to him. Withdrawal is surrender, and surrender we will not. Our flag is blue and white, and that blue makes all the difference in the world. Abandonment and transfer of Jews from Yesha is tantamount to the removal of blue from our flag. Israel must not wave a white flag. With blessings from Hebron. David Wilder is spokesman for the Jewish Community of Hebron. You can contribute to the Jews of Hebron at their website (http://www.hebron.org.il/contrib.htm) or by writing to: The Jewish Community of Hebron, POB 105, Kiryat Arba-Hebron Israel 90100 (hebron@hebron.org.il). Or write to The Hebron Fund, 1760 Ocean Avenue, Brooklyn NY 111230 (hebronfund@aol.com). They need your support. |
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DON'T BE INTIMIDATED BY U.S. PRESSURE ON ISRAEL
Posted by Isralert, November 21, 2003. |
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This is the third in a series of 25 informational and educational ads from the Hatikvah Educational Foundation. Contact them by email by writing to yoramtex@netvision.net.il FROM DEFIANCE OF - TO SUBMISSION TO - PRESSURE 1948-1992: Israeli Prime Ministers, often, defied heavy US pressure, transforming Israel into a role-model of defiance of pressure and terror. They expanded, dramatically, strategic cooperation with the US. 1992-2003: Israeli Prime Ministers have succumbed to moderate US pressure, thus relegating Israel into a role-model of restraint and submission to pressure. They have gained acceptance, while dropping in strategic respect. STEADFASTNESS IN FACE OF PRESSURE ENHANCES STRATEGIC COOPERATION *1948/9: The US pressured Ben Gurion (military embargo, threats of economic sanctions and assessment of a Jewish massacre) to refrain from declaration of independence, withdraw from the Negev, internationalize Jerusalem, absorb and compensate Palestinian refugees. B.G. defied the pressure, with a meager 600,000 Jews (5.25MN in 2003), a $50MN economy ($100BN in 2003), no military (one of the world finest in 2003), without AIPAC and an unprecedently supportive Christian Right (in 2003). B.G. transformed Israel from a weakling to a deterring entity. *1967: The US, the USSR and the UN pressured Eshkol to refrain from a pre-emptive strike and from reuniting Jerusalem, threatening to isolate Israel and support Egypt. France (#1 supplier of arms) imposed a military embargo. Eshkol defied the pressure, transforming Israel from a strategic liability to an asset. *1981: The US, USSR, Europe and the UN threatened Begin with military and economic sanctions, lest he bomb Iraq's nuclear reactor. The heads of Israel's Mossad and military intelligence opposed the bombing. Begin defied the pressure, the reactor was destroyed, the US imposed a military embargo and Israel was declared a rogue regime. However, in the long-run, Israel's strategic role was enhanced dramatically and the first US-Israel strategic agreement was signed in November 1981. THE USA RESPECTS A "NON-PUNCHING BAG" ISRAEL US-Israel relations do not evolve around the narrow axis of the Arab-Israeli conflict, but rather around the wider conflict of shared values, joint interests and mutual threats. *1983: A US-Israel strategic accord was concluded in spite of severe tension over the war in Lebanon and the outright rejection - by Israel - of the Reagan Plan. Israel was essential in face of mutual threats - Islamic terrorists (300 GIs murdered in Beirut), Syria and the USSR (Israel downed - in one battle - 80 Syrian Migs and destroyed advanced Soviet surface-to-air missile systems). *1988: The most substantial US-Israel strategic agreement was signed in April 1988, at the height of the controversial Intifadah, due to Israel's increasing role as an ally in face of mutual threats (Islamic terrorism, USSR, Iran and ballistic missiles). *1990/91: An unprecedented expansion of strategic cooperation was led by Congress, despite the Bush-Baker Administration. It reflected Congressional appreciation of Israel's growing strategic role in the aftermath of the demise of the USSR. DON'T ADVOCATE CONFRONTATION; DON'T BE INTIMIDATED BY PRESSURE Never has Israel enjoyed a wider base of support in the US: the post-9/11 state of mind, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the daily anti-US Arab terror in Iraq, the unprecedented support by conservatives and the Christian Right, a hawkish Congress, a supportive religious President, anti-Oslo and anti-appeasement Vice President and Secretary of Defense. Would Israel be able to leverage that support in order to advance long-term strategic goals, even at the expense of short-term tension, as it was until 1992?
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THE PIE SYNDROME
Posted by Prof. Paul Eidelberg, November 21, 2003. |
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Most commentators on Israel have been afflicted by a syndrome, one they share with every Israeli government whether led by the Labor Party or by the Likud. I call this the PIE or Politics-Is-Everything Syndrome. The PIE Syndrome is rooted in the alluring and simplistic idea that Israel's problems can be overcome by politics in general, and by correct political analysis in particular. Any appearances to the contrary notwithstanding, the PIE governments of Israel have available a more or less correct political analysis of their country's most pressing and persistent problem - the implacable hostility of Israel's Arab neighbors. How could they possibly ignore or minimize such hostility when Israel's own Arab citizens are exempt from military service precisely because of their enmity toward the Jewish State? Even Shimon Peres knows this. Never mind his inane vision of a New Middle East." Idiocy has overtaken this "Machiavellian Dove" - the soubriquet of Peres's mentor, the late Professor Yehoshafat Harkabi. To be sure, those who don the mantle of peace as a means of attaining political power often succumb to fatuity. Bear in mind that Mr. Peres was a Labor hawk before his party needed the Arab vote to gain power. (That's what "Machiavellian Doves" and Oslo are all about, as the present writer revealed ten years ago.) One does not have to be a Ph.D. in political science to offer Israeli prime ministers correct political analysis regarding PLO chief Yasser Arafat, the godfather of international terrorism. Was it a lack of correct political analysis that prompted Messrs. Rabin, Peres, Netanyahu, Barak, and Sharon to release and arm tens of thousands of PLO jihadists to provide for Israel's security? Of course not! Only fools or madmen would do such a thing. Fools or madmen, however, are immune to correct political analysis. That being the case, is it not folly to offer fools or madmen correct political analysis? But if it is folly to offer fools or madmen correct political analysis, then there must be something incorrect about correct political analysis! Consider PM Ariel Sharon, who continues to release jihadists to obtain peace and security for the Jews of Israel. Like his four predecessors, Mr. Sharon is suffering from the PIE Syndrome - some might say MIM: Metaphysically Induced Madness. This is the madness of which the Prophet Isaiah speaks, the madness of Jews who remove G-d from the domain of statecraft, of Jews who believe in PIE, that politics is sufficient for Israel's salvation. Therein is the fallacy of correct political analysis. Let me not be misunderstood. I am not opposed to correct political analysis, and I esteem those who offer it. Indeed, my Sadat's Strategy (1978) was perhaps the first book-length political analysis of Anwar Sadat's ulterior and deadly motives for making peace with Israel. Even before the book was written I personally warned Mr. Begin on the eve of his going to Camp David that Sadat was making "peace" to truncate Israel and thereby hasten its demise. This was and remains correct political analysis. That's not enough! Israel's government has an abundance of evidence showing that Egypt remains committed to Israel's destruction and is arming (and arms the PLO) for that purpose. The correct political analysis which I (and of course others) repeatedly offered was of no avail because Israeli governments suffer from the PIE Syndrome. When Politics Is Everything, more precisely, when politics in the Land of Israel is not subordinated to Torah, politics becomes a terminal disease. The Land of Israel will spew Jews out unless they transcend politics, and this they can only do by having a Torah oriented government. All other attitudes and conclusions have proven futile. Hence I urge political analysts friendly to Israel to reexamine your premises regarding this supposed-to-be Jewish State. Israel has been retreating and retreating despite correct political analysis - and not because your political analyses have been ignored, as you may want to believe. Like all governments of Israel, your analyses ignore the G-d of Israel, which is why correct political analysis, though important, is inadequate and even misleading. We must transcend the PIE Syndrome.
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BUSH DEMANDS ISRAEL'S BLOOD TO SAVE BLAIR
Posted by Jerusalem Prayer Team, November 21, 2003. |
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Speaking in London on Wednesday, President Bush said, "Israel should freeze settlement construction, dismantle unauthorized outposts, end the daily humiliation of the Palestinian people, and not prejudice final negotiations with the placement of walls and fences." Happy Thanksgiving! It's time to carve up the turkey. It is, however, customary to kill the bird and drain its lifeblood before serving it. I find it strangely coincidental that every time Tony Blair is in trouble over the Iraq war, Bush runs to the rescue by donating Israel's lifeblood! This happened in the Azores on March 17, 2003 as the drums of war were beating, and again at Camp David on March 26, 2003, seven days into the war. When Prime Minister Tony Blair linked his support for the Iraq war with U.S. support for the Road Map, it became very apparent that Israel would have to pay the appeasement bill - like it or not. The absurdity of it all is that Arafat (the godfather of world terrorism) spit in Clinton's and Barak's faces when Israel was willing to split the turkey down the middle by playing the terrorism card yet again. He spit in Bush's face after the President flew to the Middle East for a summit in Aqaba, Jordan to embrace Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. On June 3 when it appeared the war in Iraq was over, Bush hosted the heads of state from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Bahrain in Egypt. Secretary of State Colin Powell summarized the purpose of the meeting: "The meeting is important to make sure that the Arab leadership is behind and supportive of the Road Map..." The following day, Bush kept his word to Tony Blair when he met with Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to urge acceptance of the Road Map. Arafat, meanwhile, spent the entire summer initiating a plague of suicide bombings and undermining Abbas, who was ultimately forced to resign. Now, six months have gone by. Apparently, Saddam is still alive, and no weapons of mass destruction have been found. Terrorists from all over the world are pouring into Iraq like water over Niagara Falls. Four hundred American soldiers have been killed since June. The month of November has been the worst; the downing of three Blackhawk helicopters claimed the lives of 23 U.S. soldiers. What in the world has Israel to do with Tony Blair? Everything, in a liberal, pro-Muslim Europe that wants oil, not Israel! Before the war began, President Bush built the case with Tony Blair that Britain and America had to "go it alone"...that the U.N. could not be trusted to be a partner in the process. Why, now, did Bush support Russia's resolution to turn a failed Road Map over to the U.N. Security Council? This is the governing body that equates Zionism with racism, and who's Human Rights Commission proclaims that the Palestinians can use "every available means to defend themselves against occupation" - a clever endorsement of suicide bombings. (At the time, the Human Rights Commission was chaired by another "peace-loving" Islamic nation - Libya.) Simply put, Blair needs Bush's support to remain Prime Minister, and Jewish blood is cheap...especially in Europe. Six million Jews found that out during the Holocaust. Even then, America was more than willing to institute the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, and closed her borders to Jewish refugees who were in grave danger of being dragged to the ovens. Accommodation gets people killed in the Middle East. It is a signal to terrorist cartels that crime pays, so why not kill Jews. It seems Jewish blood is the only thing that anti-Semitic Muslims want, anyway. They are, as it is preached in anti-Semitic circles, the reason for all of the troubles in the world, and therefore, expendable. The National Security Council (whose members include Syria, a terrorist state) recently voted unanimously for a Russian-backed resolution on the Road Map. That same evening, a series was aired at 9:30 PM on Al-Manar, Hizbollah television. The series is based on Hitler's final-solution book, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Episode 20 of the series depicts Jews murdering a Christian boy to drain his blood to make Passover Matzah. It makes one sick to watch this theater of the absurd and festival of hypocrisy. The OPEC cartel, which has no money or land problems, has used the Palestinians as pawns for decades. It has fueled and fed a refugee crisis, then blamed it on Israel. The Egyptian-born billionaire, Yasser Arafat, president of a state that harbors, supports and aids terrorists, must be laughing uncontrollably! He will, indeed, have a Happy Thanksgiving! This is just more evidence that terrorism can achieve significant political goals. Why has Bush given Saudi Arabia a free pass? Saudi Arabia, a major member of OPEC, persists in funding and exporting Wahabism - the extreme brand of Islam that has been labeled a "strategic threat" to the U.S. war on terror. Michael Young, chair of the State Department's Commission on International Religious Freedom said Thursday, "It (Wahabism) is an ideology that is incompatible with the war on terrorism." One would think that Saudi Arabia would be at the top of the President's list - not the Road Map that forces Israel to accept yet another terrorist state on her borders (thus rewarding terrorism!) The Bible says, "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee." The liberals are paranoid that George W. Bush, with his strong faith in God and belief in the Bible, will become their greatest nightmare. It seems they have nothing to fear.
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A MUSLIM OPPOSED TO MUSLIM IMMIGRATION
Posted by Jack De Lowe, November 21, 2003. |
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I think the author has taken his case to an extreme, but it is interesting to see that a Muslim (albeit a non-Arab/Iranian Muslim) is opposed to more Muslim immigration and his reasoning. This was written by Ruslan Tokhchukov and published in the Seattle Times. I am the Muslim to ban more Muslims. I am the immigrant to end all immigration. While I came from a different country myself (I am originally from a Muslim minority in Russia), 9/11 had turned me into a staunch foe of any continued immigration. All the worst Arab terrorists, including the 9/11 hijackers, came from so-called "friendly" Arab countries, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Many others came by way of two ostensibly friendly Anglo countries, Britain and Canada, prompting some in the FBI to nickname them "Londonistan" and "Canadistan." I am the Muslim to ban any more Muslims from coming to this country. Our media's mantra that "the vast majority of Muslims are peace-loving, law-abiding people" is nothing but politically correct blah, blah, blah. As a Muslim, I wish it were true, but it is not. Islam has been hijacked by the Arab and Iranian terrorists and turned into a suicidal-homicidal-genocidal hate cult which is now spreading like a plague throughout the Muslim world. The sad truth is that hundreds of millions have been now infected with this spiritual disease, and at least half of Muslims arriving to this country are actual or potential terrorists, terrorist supporters or sympathizers. Unless and until all Muslim countries are liberated from terrorism as Afghanistan was, and are transformed into tolerant, civilized, enlightened societies, not one Muslim should be allowed to our country on a tourist, student, or any other visa. And if this deprives the centers of anti-American activism known as college campuses of their Arab cash cows who pay the whole tuition up front, tough. We are in a fight for survival, so we better start acting like it.
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EX-IDF INTELLIGENCE CHIEF MAKES CASE AGAINST GENEVA PLAN
Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, November 21, 2003. |
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Is anyone really surprised that the only rational, objective voice in the cacophony of Oslo yahoos is a Torah Jew? This piece in Arutz Sheva is about Ex-IDF intelligence chief Amidror. He makes sense. Ex-IDF Intelligence Chief Makes Case Against Geneva Plan Gen. Yaakov Amidror, a religious Jew who headed IDF Military Intelligence, condemned the Geneva plan in yesterday's edition of Haaretz. He noted a number of dangerous concessions proposed by Yossi Beilin and the other Israelis who helped formulate the plan, including the ceding of the Temple Mount, which he said clearly indicates that the "Jewish nation is giving up on the center of its national identity, and giving it to its competitors who claim ownership of the land." Amidror also bemoaned the willingness to give up almost all of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, especially the Ariel area, which "greatly increases the number of Israelis that will have to be evacuated or expelled from their homes... and leaves [Israel's] central region exposed to every threat." The ex-intelligence chief wrote that the "unspoken" concession is that of "any security arrangements," noting that the two "isolated and worthless warning stations" called for by the Geneva plan are but a "wretched remnant of Yitzchak Rabin's demand for a military border on the Jordan River," and that the defense arrangements are even worse than those the PA agreed to during the Barak period. Other points raised by Amidror: * All of Israel's security demands have been traded for a foreign military force and declarations of cooperation. The Geneva plan even allows for "Special Cemetery Arrangements" enabling Palestinian access to a cemetery in the German Colony neighborhood of western Jerusalem, on the central thoroughfare Emek Refaim St. Ten weeks ago, a Palestinian terrorist blew himself up at a cafe on Emek Refaim St.; among the seven murdered victims were Dr. David Appelbaum and his daughter Nava, 20, who was to be married the next night. In the meantime, however, the Supreme Court has nullified the ban by Israel's two broadcasting authorities on commercials on behalf of the Geneva document. Supreme Court President Aharon Barak headed a three-judge panel ruled in favor of the Geneva plan initiators and against the regulations disallowing commercials on political issues.
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POST ZIONISM, POST LOGIC, POST COMMON SENSE
Posted by Herbert B. Sunshine, November 21, 2003. |
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Four former heads of Israel's Secret Service, once sworn to protect
and serve the State of Israel, have published a plan for its demise.
It seems that Jews must be evicted from the Biblical lands of Judea and Samaria in order (in their words) to "preserve the the Jewish majority" of Israel. If a sane mind can conceive the meaning of this, apparently, once half of our Lands have been surrendered, and more than l50,000 Jews abandoned to the "mercies" of murderers, then what's left of Israel (for the time being) will contain more Jews than Arab citizens. Of course, the plan does not speak of removing Arab citizens from Israel to "preserve the Jewish majority." The four Wise Men additionlly recommend "administrative detention" for a number of Jewish citizens to intimidate the rest should they fail to accept the blessings of eviction and transfer. To even suggest that Arab murderers (even those convicted of murder) should be removed from Israel and returned to their birthplaces in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, or even to the conquered Jewish lands, would result in indictment and certain conviction for the undefined "crime" of "racism." No believer in the sacredness of secularism has ever been charged with "racism" for advocating the transfer of Jews. No believer in Bolshevism, posing as a "democrat" has ever been indicted for the violation of the civil and human rights of Jews. So we have the fiction that Israel is a "democratic state." We are worshippers at the shrine of the Shabak, protectors of our "security" and our territorial integrity. We, the misled sheep of Israel, awarded 40 Knesset seats to a weakling who promised us a "palestinian state." And we, the brainwashed electorate, failed to give even one Knesset seat to Baruch Marzel or to Paul Eidelberg, religious Zionists and patriots, who promised to surrender "not one inch" of of our Holy land. So too, a Jewish defender of Jewish rights, Noam Federman, an attorney, who instructed Jews of the law, when they are arrested for political beliefs, now rots in a prison for Arabs. He was taken while arguing an appeal in Court, jailed, without charge, without bail and without the right to counsel for n indefinite period of time. Incredibly the British law which applied when Britain suppressed the Jews under the Mandate, is now used by Jews sagainst Jews who differ with the government. Zionism is the ingathering of Jews to Eretz; not their expulsion to "palestine." Security consists of defensible borders; not the surrender of the heartland to insatiable enemies. Democracy is government for, by and of the people, not the perpetuation of a ruling class and an underclass; a privileged class which makes the rules without the advice or consent of the rest of us. No Court, no legislator or executive controls the mind boggling arrogance of those who would make private foreign policy the policy of the State. The rejected Oslo, Wye and Tenet plans have arisen as the living abortion, Geneva. Where is the wisdom of the Sages of Israel? Where is the truth and timeless guidance of the Torah of Israel and where is the plain common sense of Jews whose brains have produced the major achievements of the Western world? The People of the Eternal God, the God who invented Justice, can yet fashion a State that will be a "light" and not a Memorial Candle to the world.
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FREE SPEECH ONLY FOR FUNDAMENTALIST LEFTISTS IS ENDORSED BY THE
SUPREME COURT OF ISRAEL
Posted by Steven Plaut, November 21, 2003. |
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Israel's Supreme Court has taken yet another step towards
fulfilling its agenda of imposing leftist fundamentalism on Israel.
The Court has just ordered the Israel Broadcasting Authority to
broadcast propaganda in favor of the treasonous "peace
plans" of Yossi Beilin and Ami Ayalon.
Lest you think this is simply an application of free speech in a
democracy, let us note that the TV station and radio stations operated by
the IBA are non-commercial state-owned stations that do not HAVE any
commercial advertisements. While they are allowed
to broadcast "public interest messages," usually things like short sound
bites asking people to contribute to the Cancer Fund or to save water or
similar things, they explicitly are supposed to be prohibited from airing
political commentary as ads.
But evidently the Supreme Court judicial tyrants of the Fundamentalist
Left do NOT see anything political or controversial about the airing of
ads endorsing the treasonous "peace initiatives" of non-elected persons
who do not represent the country nor even their own party. In other
words, ads promoting leftist ideology are not political at all, just
promoting peace, and so must be aired.
What would be political, you ask? Well,
things like ads suggesting that Oslo had been a tragic mistake, or ads
suggesting Israel should use force against Palestinian barbarism, or
reading the Rabin quote below, or reading the wrong parts from the Bible.
THOSE would be political and controversial and so would be prohibited.
Let us note that just a few months back the Court supported the IBA in
banning ads asking people to recite Psalms from the Bible!
Here is the news item about the decision. It is called "High
Court nixes IBA ban on Geneva Accord, People's Voice" by Yuval
Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent.
The High Court of Justice on Wednesday morning overturned a decision by the Israel Broadcasting Authority and the Second Broadcasting Authority to ban commercials promoting unofficial peace plans. A three-justice panel headed by Supreme Court President Aharon Barak heard the petitions filed by the brokers of the People's Voice, an Israeli-Palestinian civil initiative established by Ami Ayalon and Sari Nusseibeh and aimed at promoting peace between the two sides, and the initiators of the Geneva Accords. The legal battle had become a fight in principle to annul regulations pertaining to the broadcasting of advertisements dealing with political disputes. The petition filed by the initiators of the Geneva Accords deals with the IBA's refusal to air commercials notifying the public of the start of a campaign to distribute copies of the agreement in mail boxes around the country. Some 1.5 million copies of the Geneva Accords were sent out Sunday to addresses countrywide, with another 1.5 million copies to follow in the coming days. The copy mailed to the home of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has yet to reach its destination, after the security guards outside the Prime Minister's Residence refused to accept the envelope delivered by Yossi Beilin and MKs Haim Oron (Meretz) and Yuli Tamir (Labor). Over the past few days, the Geneva Accords initiators have requested a meeting with Sharon, but have yet to receive a response. Also Sunday, Beilin, Oron and Labor MKs Avraham Burg and Amram Mitzna presented the Geneva Accords at a meeting of the Kibbutz Movement's secretariat. A unanimous decision to adopt and support the agreement followed the meeting. The Kibbutz Movement also called on its members at kibbutzim around the country to promote and help to drum up support for the Geneva Accords as an important alternative to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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YASSER ARAFAT IS THE BIG WINNER
Posted by Arthur Cohn, November 20, 2003. |
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Yasser Arafat is the one who gains the most from the so-called Geneva peace plan. The State of Israel is its prime loser. During the last few months, and especially after the acceptance of the road map, Arafat was urged to finally take concrete and serious steps against terror. Has he done anything to fulfil his obligations? What is happening now, in reality, is exactly the opposite: while he and his accomplices continue to praise suicide bombers as martyrs, they are hailed as partners for peace. Yossi Beilin and his friends ignored, during the Oslo years, all signs of Palestinian refusal to honor their commitments. Arafat never used the word peace in Arabic; he said explicitly (Johannesburg, Stockholm) that Mohammed himself did not honor agreements. He educated a new generation to hatred of Israel and the Jew; and he misused enormous amounts of funds from many sources - funds that were meant as a contribution to the well-being of the Palestinians - for the creation of a terror infrastructure. He and his followers have learnt that regardless of their breaches of promises and agreements, nothing will happen. In fact, they are soon even rewarded, despite their frightening disregard of formal understandings. Even the terrorists who killed dozens of Israeli civilians in Israel - against the explicit agreement in the Oslo treaty - are to be freed in the framework of a new proposed agreement. It is almost an invitation to terrorize Israel now, with release sure to follow. Arafat was urged to introduce democratisation of his government. Now, he can show the world how the democracy of the State of Israel works. The very same public figures who lost in three different elections (Burg against Ben Eliezer, Mitzna against Sharon, while Beilin was not even elected to the Knesset) are negotiating a peace plan. And the government of Switzerland - a proud democracy on its own - supports this totally undemocratic process financially and politically, thus willfully bypassing the democratically elected Israeli government. Arafat rejected all peace proposals and never made any concrete counter offer. Instead, in reaction to the far-reaching Ehud Barak/Bill Clinton proposals, he started the second genocide-terror Intifada. Now, again, Israeli politicians have made new proposals. Of course, Arafat doesn't officially endorse them. He just looks on, while official government sources in Israel reject them and, as a result thereof, are accused by the Arab countries, the UN and the EU of undermining the peace process. Again, Israel is the bad guy, accused of unbearable stubbornness. The Israeli society, which was united in its stand against the arch-terrorist Arafat, is being divided again because of different reactions to the Geneva document. In the war against inhuman terror ("Kill the Jews wherever you find them."), the Geneva plan succeeded to divide the Israelis and weaken their strength. Another success of Arafat, who built his strategy on the inner decay of Israel. Arafat always described Israel as the last colonial power. He denied the historic roots of Israel in this area and ignored even the deep connection between the Jewish people and Jerusalem. Now it is suggested that the Jews give up all their rights to the holiest site of their tradition, the Temple Mount, which was, for thousands of years, the center of their prayers and longings. Let us remember: Anwar Sadat prayed in Jerusalem towards Mecca, while Jews around the world are always Jerusalem-oriented. Now, for the first time in history, Israel is requested by Israelis to give up willingly their rights in the heart of Jerusalem, the basis of their Zionism, thus justifying Arafat's claim; he has historic bonds with Jerusalem, while Israel and the Jews are colonialists. There is an additional irony in the Geneva proposal, in that Jewish worship in holy places will again depend on the Palestinians. Don't we know how they respect religious rights? From 1948 until 1967, we didn't even get access to the Wailing Wall (despite Arab commitments). And who doesn't remember what happened since Oslo to the synagogue of Jericho and the tomb of Joseph in Nablus? The proposed plan includes - so we are told - a formal retreat from the Palestinians' right to return. However, there is no such clear paragraph in the agreement (Palestinian participants denied such an understanding). Tens of thousands of refugees will have to be absorbed by Israel. The moral responsibility of Israel for the refugee problem is not waived. As usual, in such Beilin documents, this very central issue is dealt with in an unclear and ambiguous manner, posing a frightening danger to any true understanding in the future. What an irony: Israel has to retreat from its historic places (like Hevron, where Jews have always lived) and make the Palestinian State judenrein, while Israel with its one million Palestinian Arabs has to absorb many more. The new plan will automatically become the basis for further negotiations; like the Barak plan, which was the starting point of the present Beilin initiative. The expectation of the Palestinians in regard to a peace agreement with Israel are increasing in a dangerous manner with every peace proposal of this kind. Who is the Palestinian leader of the future who can bargain for less than what irresponsible Israeli politicians agreed to in this Geneva document? Consequently, the Geneva document is not bringing peace closer but just the opposite: Peace is being put off to a very distant future! Arthur Cohn is an international film producer whose productions include "The Garden of the Finzi-Continis," "Central Station," and "One Day in September." This article was published in Arutz Sheva (http:/www.IsraelNationalNews.com) today. |
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ISRAEL TO SUFFER SECOND HUDNA?
Posted by Voice of Judea, November 20, 2003. |
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Israeli leaders recently pledged to help strengthen new "Palestinian" Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei by making bolder and more comprehensive gestures towards peace. Leading Israeli officials have intimated that Israeli PM Ariel Sharon is willing to make even greater concessions to bolster Qurei and the peace process that he had during Mahmoud Abbas' term, including ending all military activity against Arab terrorists. Sharon has even stated that he is prepared to accept a ceasefire, despite the fact that terrorist organizations are likely to use it to perpetuate their attacks on Israelis. - JTA Voice of Judea Commentary: It's becoming difficult to open the newspaper and not find at least one story about how the Israeli government is bending over backwards to appease the latest Arab nazi in power. How did Israel go this low? How did Israel get to the point were it allows itself to manipulated by foreign governments and allow terrorist organizations to operate freely in the country, all because the Arabs decided to call one of their Jew-haters a prime minister and let him smile for the cameras? The whole purpose of Zionism and of the Jewish state was to end this kind of powerlessness and to enable the Jewish people to stand up to petty thugs like Qurei and to stand strong in the face of political bullying from leaders like Bush. Today's news shows clearly that Israel has strayed far from the Zionist ideal, one which demands self respect and justice, and does not tolerate the appeasement tactics of today's pathetic Israeli leaders.
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BLAMING ISRAEL FOR ISTANBUL
Posted by Honest Reporting Staff, November 20, 2003. |
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Today's coordinated bombings against British targets in Istanbul, occurring just days after the dual bombings of Istanbul synagogues, make the Islamic terrorist message brutally clear - their targets are the Jewish people and Western democratic civilization. What most Americans recognized after 9/11, Europeans are now also beginning to see: radical Islamists threaten every Western citizen, and Israel is merely a convenient front line for their battle. Given this, HonestReporting is concerned about the re-emergence of a trend we witnessed after 9/11 - the media's shift of focus away from this stark reality, and onto Israeli policy as a scapegoat for Islamic terrorism. Recent examples: (1) The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, on the Istanbul synagogue bombings: "[T]he reaction of Arabs, Muslims and others to Israeli actions in the West Bank and Gaza is spilling over into anti-Semitism and violence directed against Jewish populations normally living in peace in countries like Turkey...The United States could help by returning to a credible policy of seeking a two-state solution for the Israelis and Palestinians." Comments to: editor@post-gazette.com (2) In Germany, Wolfgang Guenter Lerch wrote in "Frankfurter Allgemeine: "The criminal attacks on two synagogues in Istanbul were mainly directed against Israel...Even secular Turks are dismayed when they see what is happening in the Israeli occupied Palestinian territories." (3) Lerch is just one step short of the Egyptian newspaper, Al Wafd: "Why do we not say that the attack was plotted in order to improve Israel's image in the EU after the recent poll that showed it as the primary threat to global peace? Why do we exclude Turkish Jews as perpetrators?" (4) K Gajendra Singh, India's former ambassador to Turkey, writes in the Asian Times: "Many Turkish experts suspect that the twin bombings were a warning to Turkey, one of the few Muslim countries to have ties with Israel...The blasts could be an act of revenge for the daily killings of Palestinians and the Israelis building a much-opposed wall that encroaches on Palestinian land." This media trend recasts the radical Islamic war against the Jewish people and the West as something else entirely - an Israeli-specific disaster that now everyone's suffering from. Coverage of President Bush's powerful speech on Tuesday in London further illustrates the problem. Bush, after pointed reference to the pre-WWII failure to confront Nazi tyranny, called for democratic reform in the Mideast: "As we work on the details of peace, we must look to the heart of the matter, which is the need for a viable Palestinian democracy. Peace will not be achieved by Palestinian rulers who intimidate opposition, who tolerate and profit from corruption, and maintain their ties to terrorist groups...The long-suffering Palestinian people deserve better. They deserve true leaders, capable of creating and governing a Palestinian states...Leaders in Europe should withdraw all favor and support from any Palestinian ruler who fails his people and betrays their cause. And Europe's leaders - and all leaders - should strongly oppose anti-Semitism, which poisons public debates over the future of the Middle East." Though Bush himself called Palestinian reform "the heart of the matter" and warned of the dangerous new wave of anti-Semitism, these Reuters' headlines focused instead on Israeli policy:
Comments to Reuters: editor@reuters.com As the radical Islamic war against the innocent tragically expands, HonestReporting encourages subscribers to monitor your local media to ensure that Israel does not again emerge as a scapegoat for mass terror, and that the Western resolve to fight the terrorists themselves receives accurate coverage.
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BOTH BUSH AND BLAIR MISS THE POINT
Posted by Gabrielle Goldwater, November 20, 2003. |
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This is Gary M. Cooperberg's response to the Bush and Blair press conference. Mr. Cooperberg lives in Kiryat Arba-Hebron. I could not help but think of Tony and George as two muppets, dancing together and entertaining their audience. They stand united in their resolve to fight terror until it is defeated. Tony stated that there can be no compromise. He pointed out that we are all subject to terror, whether in Britain, the USA, Turkey or Palestine. I am surprised he didn't refer to the USA as "the colonies." Could it be that his Freudian slip betrays the fact that he truly doesn't recognize Israel as a sovereign state? How can he and Bush talk about fighting terror without compromise while simultaneously telling Israel that it must bow to terror by stopping to build its homeland and giving in to the demands of the PLO? The fact that Moslems were also victims of these terrorist attacks in no way changes the reality that the attacks themselves were motivated by fanatic Islamic beliefs. We all should have learned by now that, for Islamic fanatics, Moslem life takes second seat to the goal of destroying all obstacles to Islam. Mr. Bush was asked if he believes that Moslems worship the same G-d as do Christians. He stated that he did. Perhaps his reply was politically expedient. But it was wrong. The war he is fighting is not against "terror." It is not against those who "hate freedom." It is a fight against those who deny the Living G-d of Israel. My Bible and the one George Bush reads both clearly state that it is G-d's Will to return the people of Israel to the Land of Israel in fulfillment of His eternal covenant with our Father, Abraham. Yet, Mr. Bush had no problem telling the world that "There is no choice. The Holy Land must be divided." There is no choice? Does the President of the United States really think that he can issue decrees that cancel Divine Promises as stated in his own Bible? The real reason terror is running rampant in our world today is precisely because Bush and other world leaders refuse to recognize G-d. Israel and the Jewish People exist for the sole purpose of showing the entire world that G-d does exist. That is why, despite her tiny size and bumbling leadership, the Jewish State was reborn and continues to defy logic by not only continuing to exist, despite all obstacles, but to grow and thrive as well. The Jewish People has always been burdened with the obligation to bring the message of G-d to all the nations of the world. That we have sought to escape our obligations is the main reason for our suffering throughout the ages. Yet our destiny cannot be thwarted, even if we try to avoid it. Peace cannot and will not result from spitting in the face of G-d by trying to nullify His Redemption. The Jewish State was resurrected to set into motion the beginning of the process of Divine Redemption. This process cannot be stopped or even slowed down. All who interfere will bring tragedy upon their own heads. It is precisely because the governmental leadership in Israel seeks peace by defying Jewish obligations that we suffer from terror here in Israel. And it is precisely because George Bush calls for a PLO state on Jewish Land that America is now in grave danger. George Bush may be a patriotic American. But he would do well to reflect on the fact that the original patriots were also G-d fearing men. Freedom is not genuine unless it reflects obedience to our Creator. Opposing Biblical destiny is the chief obstacle to freedom and redemption. Only when Bush and Blair and other world leaders recognize this fact and act upon it will we be able to defeat terror. All nations who stand in the way of the G-dly process will perish by the Hand of G-d.
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U.S. JEWISH CONSERVATIVES AND BUSH
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, November 20, 2003. |
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Why do many American Jewish conservatives favor Pres. Bush's policy on Israel, asked a reader. He finds the Bush policy "atrocious." My short answer is because they are American, Jewish, and conservative. Of course, that is a generalization. It certainly does not apply to that reader. Now what does it mean? Americans largely are uninformed about the Arab-Israel conflict. High schools don't bother much with that topic. Colleges, especially those with Gulf-funded Middle East Studies, bother too much, with misinformation, disinformation, and ignorance. The media either is obsessed with politically correct or anti-Zionist advocacy journalism or neglects this topic. The Jewish people should have educated themselves about this topic. They do not act collectively enough. In addition, they, themselves are divided about it. The Right defends Israel by asserting Jewish rights and denouncing Arab aggression. Appeasement-minded Jews defend Israel by advocating Arab rights but asserting that Israel does not violate them, Israel is not so bad. The appeasement-minded give away half of the Jews' case. That grants the Arabs a powerful standing in attacking the other half. The Right, by denying Arab territorial rights, would retain the Jews' territorial standing. The Jews being inquired about take their conservatism more as an ideology or a political commitment than as an economic program or even philosophy. Their primary loyalty should be to their country and nationality, and they think it is. Unfortunately, ideological and political blinders obscure the harm that Bush policies do to the Jewish nationality and (domestically as well, to) the United States. They think that they must go along with Bush on his foreign policy, because they go along with him on his domestic policy. Have they examined his domestic policy? Since he calls himself conservative, conservatives support him. He Is no conservative. He is a reactionary, restoring he reign of the robber barons and the era of excessive government control over individual liberties and the environmental spoliation of our continent. The problem with my fellow Jews is their neurosis, developed over centuries of powerlessness in countries run by a hostile majority. The Jewish reaction, perhaps needed to survive in the era before genocide, was to seek the approval of the powers that be. I have to admit that when a gentile politician pats those Jews on the head for serving his goals instead of their interests, they are so pleased that they fail to notice he is kicking them in the behind. Pres. Bush masterfully plays upon that neurosis, in his meetings with Jewish leaders. He evades their penetrating questions. Most guests fail to ask many or to persist. They leave the meeting with positive feelings, though they let their people down. They are afraid to sound the alarm about Bush's anti-Zionist policies. His couple of good speeches mask from them his many contradictory actions that advance terrorist murder of Israelis. They are not alarmed.
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SHIMON PERES WRITES THE TURKISH PRIME MINISTER
Posted by Steven Plaut, November 20, 2003. |
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Letter to the Prime Minister of Turkey from Shimon Peres, Peacemaker at Large: Dear Mr. Prime Minister, My heartfelt sympathies to you and the Turkish people for the Istanbul unrest this week. But we must really speak about how to deal with the atrocities and protests, including the attacks on Istanbul, by these misunderstood Islamic activists. Mister Prime Minister, I have a great deal of experience in dealing successfully with terrorism and this is why I wish to come to your rescue. The first thing you must realize is that one can only make peace with one's enemies. With one's friends there is no need to make peace. There is no military solution to the problems of terrorism, and this is why you must seek a diplomatic solution. No Justice, No Peace, as they say. You must invite the leaders of this Islamic organization to Occupied Constantinople to meet with you and perhaps tour the Suleyman Mosque. You must learn to feel their pain and understand their needs. You must offer to turn a third of Anatolia over to them so that these stateless Moslems can have their OWN state. The Kurds and Anatolian Armenians need new states as well. You must meet the demands of the bombers nearly in full. In addition, you must offer them Internet web services and five-star tourist hotels in exchange for their promising to abandon violence. That is how we turned Yasser Arafat into a peace partner. You see, military force serves no role any more. It is passe. It is archaic. Today, economic interests dominate the world and the Islamist activists of the earth will surely make peace in exchange for some profits from participating in global trade. The attacks on Istanbul came because you have been insufficiently sensitive in understanding the needs of Moslem fundamentalists. You took their rhetoric at face value, whereas we in Israel know that all this rhetoric is empty and in fact these people simply want peace. Sure, they praise Hitler and celebrate atrocities, but what is it that they REALLY want? You must negotiate even while under attack; conditioning negotiations on an end to violence is a no-win situation. It will simply extend the bloodshed! I am pretty sure Ami Ayalon and Yossi Beilin would be willing to meet the bombers on your behalf to strike a deal. You have been trying to rule over others and failed to be sensitive to The Other. You have illegal settlements that you have yet to remove from the Alexandretta area that you have stolen from Syria, and the Edirne enclave that rightfully belongs to Greece. And you have never admitted that the Serbs and Slavs and Greeks and Romanians suffered from being occupied by you, nor have you comepnsated them for their sufferings. You must put your own house in order, and eliminate inequality and injustice inside Istanbul, and then the terrorists will no longer target you. The key is to build a New Middle East, one in which everyone is so busy with the important matter of development tourism and investments and hi-technology that they have no time to pursue violence. The era of war is finished. Moreover, if you strike at the perpetrators of the Istanbul unrest/protests and their supporters, you will simply extend and enlarge the cycle of violence. Your bombs will no doubt injure some innocent children and civilians alongside any terrorist activists you strike, and that will simply enrage the rest of the world and make the victims seek revenge. Your bombing of these militants and activists will cause them to hate the Turks and it will drive your separatists to embrace terrorism. Moreover, if you refuse to negotiate with the Moslem activists and militants, then their leader will be toppled and a really violent militant and fanatic will take his place. In that case, you will have lost the window of opportunity to make peace. Begin by declaring a unilateral ceasefire! Mister Prime Minister, blessed is the peacemaker. The entire world will support you and congratulate you if you respond to these horrific attacks by disarming Anatolia and opening dialogue with the terror activists. All we are saying is give peace a chance. Yitzhak Rabin would have approved. Yes, chaver, what you need is shalom, salaam, peace. You will be cheered and awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in recognition. End the cycle of violence. Show restraint. Forgo the juvenile impulse to avenge. Follow my example! Provide the Istanbul bombers with anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles, so that they can battle against the true radicals and fanatics. And they will do so with no ACLU or Supreme Court to restrain them. Invite in the ISM to serve as human shields for the bombers. Demonstrate your humanity by paying pensions to any widows and orphans of the terrorists who blew up the car bombs. Mister Prime Minister, the proof is in the pudding. My own peace policies have eliminated war and bloodshed and terror from the Middle East. We no longer have terrorists to deal with in the Levant, only peace partners. If you follow in my footsteps, you can achieve the same lofty goals. Peacefully yours, Shimon Peres, Peacemaker-at-Large
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DEAR MR. PRESIDENT
Posted by Gerald A. Honigman, November 20, 2003. |
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I've been thinking about writing this for a long time. I recently wrote an open letter to your Secretary of State and sent him his own personal copy as well. I was subsequently contacted by a retired State Department official - so the message got through. That official complained that my comments were misdirected, for the buck stops, as President Truman said, with you. Mr. President, I greatly appreciate the leadership you have shown since tragedy befell our country on 9/11 a few years back when America got a taste - big time - of what Israel faces daily. While this wasn't the first time we had been victimized this way, September 11th will always be remembered as the day in which we all received an everlasting rude reawakening. I've debated with myself about how to word this: Should I simply sing praises to your name and actions, or should I relay to the President of my country the true feelings and anxieties of my heart? Since I have been in the process of revising my own thinking - at least to some extent - regarding both my previous positions and about you yourself - I reluctantly opted for the latter. So, here it goes. I must be honest. I did not vote for you. I have an extensive background in science, history, and Middle Eastern Affairs. So I worry about our country's continuing addiction to fossil fuels for all sorts of reasons. I remain very nervous about your family's and friends' close connections to the oil industry, an industry which, for well over half a century, has been - putting it nicely and perhaps the understatement of the century - no friend of Israel and/or Jews (or, in reality, anyone else but itself). I remember your Dad's venomous reaction when Israel launched its surgical strike which destroyed Saddam's Osirik nuclear reactor. Where would Iran, which fought a long and costly war with Iraq, our own country, and others have been years later in Desert Storm and afterwards had Israel not done this? I recall your Dad's two best buddies while in office, the "Zionism equals racism" Governor John Sununu, and " _ _ _ _ the Jews, they don't vote for us anyway" James Baker. And then there were far more troubling, published accounts which I will not delve into for the sake of not embarrassing you here. They are detailed, documented, and extremely disturbing, to say the least. So please understand that it is not for nothing that many in the Jewish community have not been among your most enthusiastic past supporters. The problem goes beyond just the usual explanations of the Jews' liberal, democratic tendencies. I remember too well our abandonment of a much abused and brave people, the Kurds. They had been promised independence after World War I, but they were sacrificed instead on the altar of British petroleum politics and Arab nationalism. Those same multinational oil interests, which worked so hard to try to convince President Truman to not allow the rebirth of Israel, succeeded in aborting the one best chance some 30 million native, non-Arab Kurds ever had at achieving independence. Arab Iraq emerged instead. Listening to your Dad's call for their revolt against Saddam decades later - and then watching him stand by and do nothing while they were first gassed and then again later slaughtered - was too much to bear. The "no fly" zones we later set up as an afterthought won't bring back the scores of thousands of these people who were maimed and killed both immediately and in subsequent years due to the lingering effects of the gassing. And all because they trusted in America and the American President. Unfortunately, this was not the first time we abandoned them. We pulled the rug out from under Mullah Mustafa Barzani as soon as the Shah made a temporary peace with Iraq in 1975, resulting in tens of thousands of Kurdish deaths then as well. What's even worse, it now looks like we're planning to abuse these people yet again in our current pipedreams about the future of an egalitarian federalist Iraq. While you continue to press ahead for the creation of a 23rd Arab state, you will hear and speak nothing about a roadmap for Kurdistan. President Woodrow Wilson did after World War I. The difficulties you and your State Department cite regarding this matter are certainly no more problematic or complicated than the prospects of Arafatian leopard state changing its spots. So why does justice for Arabs apparently take precedence before all others in these regards for you folks? Our country is too great to be stained by such hypocritical behavior, double standards, and actions. There are other reasons for my feelings of uneasiness as well, but let's just end this part here. I fear I have disturbed you enough with my candor for now. Having said all of the above, I must now tell you that I would vote for you in a heartbeat if elections were held tomorrow. And don't let foolish remarks by amnesiacs about weapons of mass destruction bother you. Just ask the Kurds if Saddam had them. You did the right thing in Iraq. And those expecting a "cure" over night are idiots. Sometimes a leader arises at a given time for a specific reason or reasons. And sometimes the acorn can and does fall far enough from the oak tree. Harry Truman bucked the pressure from Big Oil, its Arabist buddies at the State Department, and elsewhere when he recognized the rebirth of the sole state of the Jews - the phoenix arising from the ashes of Auschwitz and the frightened mellahs of the Middle East. The archives have been open now for decades and show that raw anti-Semitism played its active role here as well. But Truman knew that if any people ever needed the protection of its own nation state - regardless of how imperfect all such endeavors are doomed to be - surely it was the Jews. Perhaps at no time since those days leading up to May 14-15, 1948 were the decisions of an American President regarding the Middle East potentially so important as they are today. President Johnson declared America "neutral" when Israel was blockaded at the Straits of Tiran and Egypt's Nasser expelled the U.N. peacekeeping force and replaced it - right up to Israel's doorstep - with 100,000 troops, tanks, planes, etc. of his own on the eve of the Six Day War. Hindsight is indeed the best sight. But no one knew then that grossly outmanned, surrounded, and outgunned Israel would pull a rabbit from out of its hat. Eleven years earlier, President Eisenhower simply expected that Israel would continue to tolerate being terrorized by fedayeen using Syria, Egypt, and elsewhere as bases. And it was also expected to put up with an earlier blockade at the Straits as well. When Israel struck out in 1956, it faced a very hostile reaction from Ike and his Secretary of State, Dulles. Now, in 2003, an Egypt supposedly "at peace" with Israel, still allows arms and murderers to be smuggled through tunnels into Gaza while receiving billions of dollars in American aid and America's best armaments. Ironically, one may point to anti-Semitic President Nixon's resupply of Israel in the 1973 Yom Kippur War as a crucial moment in in Jewish history. But this too was not without its down sides - not the least being reports that his Jewish Secretary of State, Kissinger, deliberately delayed the resupply for about two weeks so that Israel would "bleed a little more" so its victory wouldn't be too similar to 1967 and it would thus be, supposedly, more pliable later on in negotiations. President Clinton pushed Israel beyond the limits of sanity and reasonable compromise at Camp David 2000 and Taba. A much debated U.N. Resolution #242 declared in the wake of the '67 War that Israel was entitled to "secure and recognized borders" to replace those suicidal armistice lines imposed upon it at the close of hostilities in 1949. Among other things, those lines made Israel a mere 9-miles wide at its waist. And yet, Israel was expected to forsake this at Taba. While other nations (including our own) have conquered, manipulated, and/or taken over territories thousands of miles away from home in the name of their own national security interests, Israel was expected to forsake even minimal territorial adjustments to give it some semblance of a strategic buffer. Israel was pressured to make one-sided concessions to a PLO which was willing to settle for nothing less than Israel's virtual suicide. After returning to its 9-mile wide existence, Israel was then also expected to take in millions of real or alleged Arab refugees so that the Jews would be overwhelmed in their sole microscopic state. Forget the fact that one half of Israel's Jews were themselves refugees from Arab/Muslim lands. Mr. President, please keep all of this in mind when you continue to discuss the path of Israel's security fence. So that brings us up to your presidency. Clearly, you're still under pressure from those same old oil influences. We really do need to work on alternatives to this - beyond simply raping the last pristine areas of our own country to squeeze out more oil profits. Cars elsewhere have been running on pure ethanol made from vegetation for decades, and Henry Ford ran his Model Ts on them as well. Why did I have to purchase my 50 mpg, super low emission, safe and roomy hybrid gas/electric vehicle from Japan? Returning to the Middle East, you do seem to have a deeper grasp of some of the core Middle Eastern issues than I had originally given you credit for. So far, you have largely resisted the hypocrites in Europe, who have incinerated tens of thousands when engaged in their own less-than-perfect battles, and I believe that you have also come to see that treating Israel like other so-called "friends" treated Czechoslovakia in 1938 will hurt us - not help us - not to mention the moral repugnance of the thought. Please don't cave into them now on Arab-Israeli issues to gain their support for your policies in Iraq. I believe in your heart of hearts that you understand that Israel truly longs for an honorable peace with its enemies - but one which will still allow it to be a viable state on the morrow. What's lacking is a partner on the other side whose thinking is on the same wavelength. Arabs offer only a temporary "Trojan Horse" (their own words) hudna to gain tangibles from Israel on the ground while still retaining their destruction-in-stages goals towards the Jewish State. And you know this. You have resisted our own perpetual Arabists at Foggy Bottom. And you've done all of this knowing that most Jews didn't vote for you. Your Dad's buddy, Baker, was right. But I would disagree with the conclusions he drew from this. Mr. President, I believe that you have also come to realize an unfortunate truism: The enemies Israel is fighting are not ultimately concerned about how big Israel is - but that Israel is. There is now no doubt in my mind. Forgive me for sounding a bit melodramatic, but I truly believe that you were needed at the helm of our great nation during these trying and momentous times. You have quieted many of my stated and unstated fears - at least in regards to foreign policy. Stay true to your heart, don't get sidetracked. I believe it is a good one.
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GIVE THE PALESTINIANS WHAT THEY DREAD
Posted by Beth Goodtree, November 20, 2003. |
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One has to wonder why, if the Palestinian Arabs want their own country so much, they have repeatedly turned down opportunities to have one. The reasons they give for not accepting statehood always has something to do with the statehood being offered is not as much as they want, even when it is 99% of what they have requested. Therefore, one may reasonably assume that Arafat & Co. really don't want a sovereign nation. So one must ask why being in limbo is of benefit to Arafat and then figure out a way to deprive him of this. Basically, the advantages come down to impunity, lack of responsibility, a parasitic existence, and money. Because the Palestinian Arabs are not a sovereign nation, they cannot be signatories to any international law and are thus exempt. This means that their jihad training camps for 5-year olds is untouchably outside the International Law on Abuse of the Child. As is teaching hatred of Jews. As is encouraging children to go into areas of military operations and throw rocks. As is using children, and even babies' strollers and cribs to hide explosives. Because the Palestinian Arabs are not a sovereign nation, they are parasitically dependent upon the largesse and good will of others for their existence. They do not have to promote a viable economy, public services, or jobs. All they have to do is riot and murder enough and the world comes rushing in with food, billions of dollars, housing, and health assistance. Meanwhile, the world puts pressure on Israel, the Palestinian Arab's sworn enemy, to provide them with job opportunities and electricity. This in and of itself is an absurdity. Did anyone require the Allies of WWII to provide the German people with job opportunities and electricity? Is the US required to open it borders to Mexicans, tear down its fences, and provide Mexico with utilities? Of course not. And the US is not the declared target of annihilation that Israel is to the Palestinian Arabs. The Palestinian Arabs also have impunity when it comes to murder and war. Nowhere in the annuls of history has any country borne such a sustained and prolonged attack as Israel and not fought back with extreme prejudice. The reason? Because the world consensus is that a group of people without an official country cannot possibly have an army and for Israel to attack them full scale would be considered a crime against humanity. Arafat is wily enough to know that tens of thousands of well-trained, well paid, well-equipped terrorists can operate as an army, yet with impunity, as long as he doesn't have an official country. Even when there is an "official" truce, the Palestinians can and do continue their attacks with impunity from international sanctions. They use their lack of sovereignty as an excuse. It has become a mantra. "It's not our fault. We cannot control everyone if we don't have a country and therefore an official police force." So here is my suggestion. Israel declares the Palestinian Arabs a sovereign nation on all of the land they now occupy. BUT, Israel also declares that this is not necessarily the final borders or agreements. These can be negotiated. However, the Palestinian Arabs have now gained their own country and have lost nothing. They can have a national anthem, issue currency and stamps and apply for a seat at the UN. And once the Palestinians have their own country, Israel will no longer be responsible for them. And at the same time, the Palestinian Arabs will suddenly become wholly responsible for their economy, their utilities, their public assistance, their housing, and especially their behavior. This means that when the next Kassam rocket, homicide bomber or shooting attack comes from the new country of Palestinian Arabs and is directed at Israeli territory and/or citizens, Israel will now be able to consider it an official act of war and thus have a green light to wipe them out.
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BUSH VERSUS COMMON SENSE
Posted by Voice of Judea, November 19, 2003. |
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US President George Bush has called upon Israel to cease all
construction in Yesha (Judea, Samaria & Gaza) communities, dismantle
illegal outposts and to stop degrading the 'Palestinian people.'"
Voice of Judea Commentary: Cute George. On the same day that America is dropping tons of bombs on Iraq, showing ultimate sensitivity, he calls upon Israel to conduct more acts of love and kindness to the poor "Palestinians." A day after a "Palestinian" terrorist snuck up to a Israeli checkpoint, brutally murdering 2 Israeli soldiers, President Bush urges Israel to permit non-degrading freedom of movement for Arabs at Israeli checkpoints. Perhaps Bush is unaware of the fact that thousands of Arab terrorists seek to pass through roadblocks with bombs and guns to murder Jews. The roadblocks and checkpoints are there so that Israel could detect the bombs and the guns before they are smuggled into major Israeli cities. If Israel expels the hostile Arab population they will not need to "degrade" the Arabs at checkpoints.
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HIZBOLLAH TV DEPICTS JEWS TAKING BLOOD OF CHRISTIAN CHILD FOR MATZAH
Posted by Itamar Marcus, November 19, 2003. |
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"The Diaspora" [Al-Shatat], is a Syrian produced series aired on Al-Manar, Hizbollah TV, nightly at 9:30. The series covers the period of the Zionist movement, and is based on the traditional anti-Semitic libels found in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Zionist Jews are said to rule the world with sophisticated plots, among them causing the Communist revolution in Russia, directing World War One and more. The Jews are described as greedy and bloodthirsty, interested only in power, and world domination from the Land of Israel, called "Palestine." A video-clip taken from episode 20, Nov. 18, 2003 can be viewed on our website: http://wwww.pmw.org.il. The Jewish leadership initiates the murder of a Christian boy to drain his blood for Passover Matzah, which is then eaten on Passover.
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LACK OF LEADERSHIP
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, November 19, 2003. |
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Leadership in a war on terrorism should mean rallying public opinion, as well as raising armies. Pres. Bush should be rallying the world against jihad. Unfortunately, he hobbles himself, first by his ties to the Saudi enemy, and second by his pandering to US Muslims and political correctness about them. Democracies are weakened by the voting presence, and fundraising ability, of the enemy. Hence, Pres. Bush does not declare who the enemy is nor define victory.
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PALESTINIAN WOMAN KILLS DAUGHTER TO RESTORE FAMILY'S "HONOR"
Posted by David Frankfurter, November 19, 2003. |
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Dear Friends,
Horror stories abound of honour killings, accused 'collaborators'
dragged into the street and shot (one even happened during his
trial!), trumped up accusations to appropriate property. I usually
don't circulate them because they don't add much constructive to the
discussion, and don't contribute to peace.
The attached story, however, shook me deeply, and I share it with
you for no better reason than to explain why I would be fearful of any
'one-state solution.' It was written by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and is
archived at
www.realcities.com/mie/k/washington/news/world/7255549.htm, November
14, 2003, Knight Ridder newspapers.
I have said before, when faced with accusations of criminal actions
by Israelis, that a society should not be judged by an isolated crime,
but rather by how that society relates to that crime and deals with
it. Read this article twice. The second time, try to disconnect from
the strange mother and family and think about the townsfolk, the
society, and the court's consideration of 'mitigating circumstances'
which reduced the mother's sentence. Consider that this mother is
currently at home, lovingly tending to those of her children who are
alive. She is not in jail. Where I come from, these 'mitigating
circumstances' would call for either an automatic life sentence or a
psychiatric ward.
Then read it again, and note that somehow Israel is to blame.
With apologies for sharing this grisly one with you,
ABU QASH, West Bank: Rofayda Qaoud - raped by her brothers and impregnated - refused to commit suicide, her mother recalls, even after she bought the unwed teenager a razor with which to slit her wrists. So Amira Abu Hanhan Qaoud says she did what she believes any good Palestinian parent would: restored her family's "honor" through murder. Armed with a plastic bag, razor and wooden stick, Qaoud entered her sleeping daughter's room last Jan. 27. "Tonight you die, Rofayda," she told the girl, before wrapping the bag tightly around her head. Next, Qaoud sliced Rofayda's wrists, ignoring her muffled pleas of "No, mother, no!" After her daughter went limp, Qaoud struck her in the head with the stick. Killing her sixth-born child took 20 minutes, Qaoud tells a visitor through a stream of tears and cigarettes that she smokes in rapid succession. "She killed me before I killed her," says the 43-year-old mother of nine. "I had to protect my children. This is the only way I could protect my family's honor." The guilty brothers are in jail. Qaoud's confessed crime, for which she must appear before a three-judge panel on Dec. 3, is one repeated almost weekly among Palestinians living in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Israel. Female virtue and virginity define a family's reputation in Arab cultures, so it's women who are punished if that reputation is perceived as sullied. Victims' rights groups say the number of "honor crimes" appears to be climbing, but at the same time, getting little attention. Israelis and Palestinians are too busy with political and military issues to notice what they dismiss as domestic disputes, says Suad Abu-Dayyeh, who works for the Women's Center for Legal Aid and Counseling in East Jerusalem. Poverty and war have exacerbated the problem, says Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, a social work and criminology professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and an expert on violence against women. "Men do not have any power except over women," she says. Police in Israel investigated at least 18 honor killings in the past three years. Palestinian police reported 31 cases in 2002 - up from five during the first half of 1999 - the last time such incidents were counted before the current Palestinian uprising began, according to the center's study. But the number of killings is likely higher, given that Palestinian police investigate only crimes that have been reported, said Yousef Tarifi, the Ramallah prosecutor assigned to Qaoud's case. Shalhoub-Kevorkian says her past research showed the likely number to be 15 times higher than the number of reported cases. Legal authority on the West Bank has been weakened by Israel's military crackdown, and the growing influence of militant Islamic factions has led clans to dole out their own justice. "In this chaotic situation, every man who thinks he knows a little bit of the Quran thinks honor issues are supposed to be resolved by killing," says Shalhoub-Kevorkian, who adds that leading Muslim clerics in Jerusalem and Jordan have denounced such killings. Qaoud says her husband, Abdul Rahim, 52, told her the Quran forbade such killings. But neither his pleas nor those of Palestinian crisis counselors swayed her. "Why did she accept what happened to her?" Qaoud asks. "Even a wife can tell her husband 'no.' " According to court records, Rofayda was raped by her brothers, Fahdi, 22, and Ali, 20, in a bedroom they shared in the family's three-room house. On Nov. 26, 2002, doctors at a nearby hospital who were treating Rofayda for an injured leg discovered she was eight months pregnant. Palestinian authorities whisked her off to a women's shelter in Bethlehem, where she gave birth to a healthy boy on Dec. 23. He has since been adopted by another Palestinian family, court records show. Rofayda, meanwhile, wanted to return to her parents in the Ramallah suburb of Abu Qash. Ramallah Gov. Mustafa Isa called a meeting with the family and village elders, demanding they pledge in writing not to harm the girl. "He asked me if everyone in the family and the village would promise not to bother this girl, but I told him I couldn't give him a guarantee," Abu Qash Mayor Faik Shalout says. Rofayda returned home in late January without notifying the authorities. The shame was unbearable, Qaoud said. Relatives and friends refused to speak to her family. Her elder daughters' husbands wouldn't allow them to visit because Rofayda had returned home. On Jan. 27, Rofayda sent word that she was in danger to crisis counselors at Abu-Dayyeh's center in East Jerusalem. They, in turn, called Palestinian police in Ramallah, who have jurisdiction over Abu Qash. The police said they couldn't get to the Qaoud home because of Israeli checkpoints. Qaoud, meanwhile, sent her husband, who suffers from heart disease, to a doctor in the nearby village of Bir Zeit. Her three youngest children went to a cousin's house. At 11:30 p.m. she killed Rofayda, court records show. Tarifi says he's convinced Qaoud had an accomplice, but Qaoud insists she acted alone. Qaoud turned herself in and, after four months in jail, was released pending the resolution of her case. While honor killings committed in the heat of the moment - for example, by a husband who catches his wife in bed with another man - generally carry a six-month to one-year jail term, Qaoud will likely be sentenced to three to five years in prison, Tarifi says. The fact she is a mother who was trying to protect her family's honor mitigates the crime of premeditated murder, which is punishable by death under Palestinian law, he adds. The brothers are serving minimum 10-year sentences in a Palestinian jail in the West Bank city of Jericho for statutory rape of a relative, Tarifi says. No trace of Rofayda or her brothers remains in the family home. Qaoud says she ripped up all of their photographs and burned their clothes. The bedroom in which she killed her daughter is now a storeroom. Erasing the memories is harder, she admits. She eases her pain by doting on her three children still living at home, especially the youngest, Fatima, 9, whom she lavishes with kisses. The children say they've forgiven Qaoud and return her affection. "My mother did this because she does not want us to be punished by people," Fatima explains with a shy smile. Leaning into Qaoud's arms, the little girl adds: "I love my mother much more now than before."
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FUNDAMENTALIST LEFTIST SPOOKS
Posted by Steven Plaut, November 19, 2003. |
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There are now in fact not one but two treasonous private "peace initiatives" being promoted by the Israeli fundamentalist Left, somewhat comically competing against one another. There is the Beilin Geneva Misunderstandings, which is being bulk mailed to Israeli households this week in defiance of a proposal last week by the Consumers Union to prohibit junk mail. And the there is the "initiative" by ex-spook Ami Ayalon, who once headed Israeli intelligence services (never mind the oxymoron in that term) and before that was Navy Commandant, together with a PLO terrorist. This past weekend, Yediot, the largest Israeli daily, carried a group interview with four of the ex-heads of the intelligence agencies, Ami Ayalon and three others. All four are fundamentalist leftists and all four endorsed Ayalon's "initiative." My guess is that if there ever really will be a state of Palestine, it will issue stamps with the mugs of the four ex-spooks who served Palestinian interests so faithfully. Now future historians are going to have a great deal of difficulty in explaining how Israel could possibly have been overcome with mass stupidity to the extent that it has been, or how Israel could still have been pursuing accords and deals with the PLO ten years after Oslo. A large part of the answer will have to do with the complete failure of Israeli intelligence services to provide intelligence and to fulfill their assigned role. Instead, the intelligence services have long been dominated by leftists and Peres poodles repeating the mindless political mantras of Shimon Peres and Yossi Beilin. From the very start of Oslo, the intelligence services refused to examine the question of what the PLO's intentions were, what its agenda was, whether it was going to comply with Oslo. The intelligence services simply accepted Peres' assurances that the PLO was truly interested in peace and so the "peace partner" role assigned the PLO by the Left was its only working axiom. At the start of Oslo, the intelligence agencies disbanded their networks of informers among the Palestinians and turned them over to the tender mercies of the PLO, which murdered and tortured them. Israel's left denounced these informers, who had saved many a Jewish life, as "traitors to their own people." (Can you imagine Americans in 1945 denouncing as traitors to their own people those Germans who had served as informants for Allied forces and helped defeat the Reich?) In part, the problem is the same as the problem of leftist domination of the senior military ranks in general in Israel. Because senior brass retire in their 40s and need to be set up for a cushy second career, they are dependent on the politicians and so have toed the leftist line to assure their good graces with the political Left. After all, Labor has run the government more often than Likud, and in any case the main goal of the Likud, whenever it has been in office, has always been to help the Labor Party get re-elected. (Just look at the decision this week by the Likud government to prosecute the owners of the Arutz7 "pirate" radio station and to seek to sentence them to very long periods in prison.) The intelligence services have also long been Beilinized. A rare exception was General Yaakov Amidror, a religious Jew who ran military intelligence till he had his career blocked by the political establishment. He was not only skeptical of Oslo. He has a guest Op-Ed in Haaretz (Nov 19, 2003) denouncing the Beilin Misunderstandings. He states that under Beilin's plan, the PLO will be able to move tank columns across the Negev with no possibility by Israel to stop them. The Jerusalem Post reported Friday that Beilin had promised the PLO the "German Colony" neighborhood in New or Western Jerusalem, not only all of East Jerusalem. (For Hebrew readers, the full article by Amidror is at http://www.haaretz.co.il.) Amidror, as I say, is a very rare exception to the rule of leftist fundamentalists running Israeli intelligence. If that sounds strange to you, by the way, take a look at Prof. Angelo Codevilla's seminal book on how leftism dominates the CIA (www.fetchbook.info/search_0743244842/tab_editions.html). Codevilla is one of the great minds in the United States today. As I say, the four ex-intelligence buffoons gave a long interview for weekend Yediot, and the only thing of value from that interview is a vivid image of why Israel has been pushed to the brink of destruction. If such people direct Israeli intelligence services, the country will not survive. Last evening the TV documentary show by Ilana Dayan showed a long video tape taken of the "negotiations" between the team of mindless leftists accompanying Yossi Beilin to Geneva and the PLO terrorhoids. The tape spoke for itself and wisely Dayan just let it run and let people make up their own minds. It might have been entitled How Learning-Disabled Kindergarten Children from a kibbutz Can Negotiate a Peace Settlement. After the tape, Dayan interviewed one of the leftist fundamentalist ex-spooks. Here are some citations from that, as they appear in today's Haaretz: Ex-Shin Bet chief: no choice but to trust the Palestinians Avraham Shalom, the Shin Bet chief forced to resign in the 1980s because of the Bus 300 affair, made an unprecedented TV appearance Tuesday evening to tell Channel Two's Ilana Dayan that "if we can't learn to trust one another, there will only be chaos here and nobody will be able to live here." Shalom, who gave his first newspaper interview last weekend together with three other former Shin Bet chiefs, announcing in Yedioth Ahronoth that he was signing the Ayalon-Nusseibeh petition, and warning that Israel's "humiliation" of the Palestinians was no way to fight terror, told Dayan that he was motivated to speak out because of "the events and situation." He said he is worried about what is happening to Israel as a "conquering occupying nation. We've become professional occupiers, not paying any attention to what is happening to the other side. I'm not talking about the war on terror. I am talking about how we treat the other side." He said that "of course we should arrest the terrorists, but there's no reason to make people strip at a checkpoint and there's no reason to stop an ambulance carrying a pregnant woman about to give birth." ...Asked if he believes the Palestinians enough to strike a deal with them, Shalom said "We're two peoples living on the same land and if we can't learn to trust one another, there will only be chaos here and nobody will be able to live here." (Actually, that is not an accurate citation. I heard the interview and he said "I have to believe in the peaceful intentions of the PLO because, if not, there will be no one to make peace with." Welcome to the Israeli University of Duh. No doubt Neville Chamberlain said the same thing about Hitler.
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THE GA FAILED TO SUPPORT JONATHAN POLLARD
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, November 18, 2003. |
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The G.A. (General Assembly) of the UJC (United Jewish Communities) was put to the test of courage - and they failed - miserably. Shame has once again marked the head of most American Jewry or, at least, their so-called self-appointed leaders. 6,000 and more participants, including 4,300 from North America and more than 2,000 from Israel were attending. As Prime Minister Ariel Sharon addressed a packed auditorium of Diaspora Jews who flew in for the GA at Binyanei HaUmah (Jerusalem's Convention Center), supporters of Jonathan Pollard strongly interrupted him twice - demanding that he make a sincere effort to free Pollard. They were trying to send a loud message to U.S. Jewry and the Israeli government to take action for Pollard's release. Just days ago a U.S. District Court rejected Pollards request for re-sentencing or, for that matter, a fair hearing with the heretofore secret Weinberger memorandum unwrapped from its 19 years of secrecy. At least 15 activist demonstrators - many of whom are themselves immigrants from America - chanted: "Bring Pollard Home Now!" The calls brought the Sharon's speech to a halt and the giant video screen image of Sharon was changed to one of the activists holding Pollard placards and calling on the Jewish leaders to break their 18 year impotent silence. For their protest, security personnel beat them, applied choke-hold (known to kill) and they were also beaten by GA attendees who were embarrassed and, therefore, angry at this demand. It was reported that the Director General of the GA, Doron Krakow expressed his disappointment that this protest would disrupt their evening of solidarity and undermine the spirit of the GA. How sad that, after 18 years of unjust imprisonment, the issue of Jonathan Pollard spoiled their lovely evening. You should be glad to know that the expelled protesters were warmly greeted by the 2,000 people who participated in a Pollard rally outside the Binyanei HaUmah Convention Center who were holding a rally after a full day of events on Jonathan's behalf. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner told them that those who are not concerned with freeing Pollard do not know the meaning of being Jewish. One of the protesters, Avi Hyman, lamented the treatment they had received but vowed not to be deterred. "We received an overwhelmingly negative response from those claiming to represent North American Jewry but, we know that many Jews indeed heard our cry. We would gladly undergo much more of such atrocious treatment in order to bring the day when our brother Jonathan is freed from prison even a little bit closer." The day began with a rabbinical gathering in Yeshivat HaKotel, followed by a massive rally prayer service at the Western Wall and a march to Binyanei Ha'Umah. Well, there you have it. Jews generally, except for the courageous few, rarely protest mistreatment for other Jews least they themselves become targets for anti-Semitism. Regrettably, these are reminiscent of those same type of perfidious American Jews during WWII who refused to speak out about the butchery taking place across Europe, lest they themselves become the target of the Nazis? anti-Semitism. Granted, there were more than a handful of anti-Semites in the Roosevelt Administration but, the shame of "Shut Up Jews!" is indelibly imprinted on our history. Jews, except for some, are not known for their courage in facing anti-Semitism - even when it comes from the non-Jewish Jews of the Israeli governments. We cannot easily blame Jews who, over the centuries, have been beaten into pathetic submission and can only pretend courage but are, in fact, frightened witless. Most of the GA attendees are more to be pitied than to be angry with. They literally cannot help themselves, let alone other Jews. Jonathan Pollard is merely one small, though significant, symbol of the Jewish establishment's unwillingness to face the extra-ordinarily unfair treatment of this one Jew. They will go to bat in a heartbeat to defend blacks, Muslims or anyone not Jewish. For Jews who are wronged, they make faint whining sounds and tell everyone that they are using "quiet diplomacy" when, in fact, they do nothing. Quiet Diplomacy for the Jewish establishment equates to sniveling, whining and begging to be heard - but not too loudly. They will proudly march for other causes, even go to court for them, speaking boldly but, only if the victim is not a Jew. "Quiet Diplomacy" didn't work for freeing the Soviet Jews to emigrate to Israel. It was only the loud, continual and tough protests that finally achieved a revolution that freed one million Soviet Jews. Ask Natan Sharansky, Ida Nudel and the other former jailed Soviet refuseniks who had the personal courage to defy the cruel anti-Semitic Soviets and, except for a few others, had to go it alone. The protest at the GA was right, proper and necessary - given that Jonathan Pollard is now entering his 19th year of imprisonment. While most all other agents, even those from hostile foreign governments are released after a few years or no imprisonment, Pollard was given life in prison by Judge Aubrey Robinson, well known as the CIA Judge. Many Arabs were caught stealing super-secrets, like the Egyptian who stole the missile nose cone re-entry material called carbon-carbon but he was released in days by orders from the U.S. State Department. It was right and proper to address Prime Minister Sharon at the largest gathering of Diaspora Jews in Jerusalem on this matter since he was part of the groups who received Pollard's vital intelligence regarding Iraq's poison gas and chemical facilities which was purposely withheld by the prior Bush Administration, which included former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and Admiral Bobby Ray Inman. But, never mind them because they all had deep vested financial and political interests with Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria and other Islamic/Arabic dictatorships - most of whom were rich oil producing countries. Never mind them, because they, like other anti-Semites were incurable in their hatred of Jews. What is shameful was the subsequent cowardly behavior of those who call themselves the Jewish leadership. In America, they were terrified that they would be blamed for wanting Israel to survive and thus they felt targeted with the accusation of "dual loyalty." In Israel, those receiving this heretofore hidden intelligence were equally terrified that, because they tasked Pollard to find out more, they would become "Persona Non Grata" in the Washington arena. So they didn't want Pollard out of prison for their own reasons - based on personal fear. Let them say it isn't so. In America, those who linked their financial future to rogue Arab nations also didn't want Pollard released lest he blow their cover and they, like Richard Nixon's men, would end up in Federal Prison. I am less concerned with the political crooks of Washington and can only hope Congress will one day find their shrunken backbone and put these treasonous so-called Americans in prison for perjury and betraying their best ally. We are seeing the results of their perfidy as American casualties creep up toward the number of 500 dead. This from Arabs who were pals of those traitorous Americans who also put Jonathan Pollard in prison for exposing their treason. I am more concerned with the self-anointed Jewish establishment who may never have started life with an operative backbone of courage. When it comes to representing Jews, they are limited to chicken dinners, bland speeches and claims that they are doing their best for the Jews. To be fair, they do a pretty good job in raising money for Jewish charities but, when it comes to defending Jews subject to hard anti-Semitism, they are too weak. The activists who have any real credibility are the ones who shout out that "The Emperor is a liar and looks lousy naked!" They are , however, an embarrassment to the "Sha-Sha-nikim" Jews of the GA and the vaunted UJC Jewish leadership. Too bad they have no natural pride in their activists and pioneers. There simply is nothing more to say about self-proclaimed establishment Jews except - don't count on them when the going gets tough! They usually get going - the other way. As the Europeans once again ramp up their anti-Semitism, don't look to the GA or the UJC Jewish establishment to step out smartly in protecting the Jews. If they cannot bring themselves to protect even one Jew, what can you expect of them when thousands are at risk?
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ANTI-GLOBALIZATION CROWD HONORS AUTHOR OF TEXT SEEN AS ANTI-SEMITIC
Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, November 18, 2003. |
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This article was written by Philip Carmel and appeared on the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) Global News Service, November 16, 2003. An Islamic fundamentalist accused of anti-Semitism and suspected of links with Al-Qaida is the new star of Europe's anti-globalization movement. Swiss Muslim theologian Tariq Ramadan stole the show at last week's European Social Forum in Paris, a three-day event that attracted more than 50,000 anti-globalization activists from across the continent. Ramadan, who teaches Islam at the universities of Geneva and Fribourg, appeared as the principal attraction at two events and was the only participant granted a personal news conference. Ramadan's presence at the forum was controversial since he has been widely criticized for penning an allegedly anti-Semitic text attacking French Jewish intellectuals. Ramadan wrote last month that a list of French intellectuals "who have always been considered as universalist thinkers" are "increasingly affected by a community-based sectarianism which tends to relativize the defense of universal principles of equality and justice." The article went on to describe how the "political positioning" of "French Jewish intellectuals" was determined by their personal status as "Jews, nationalists and defenders of Israel." This, Ramadan claimed, had caused Andre Glucksman, Bernard-Henri Levy and Alain Finkielkraut to support the U.S.-led military operation in Iraq. Levy had decided to write his recent book on the assassination of American Jewish journalist Daniel Pearl as a way to support Israel's pro-India policy and attack a Muslim state, Pakistan, Ramadan also wrote. In fact, Levy also wrote a number of articles opposing the war. Both he and Finkielkraut have publicly criticized the policies of Israel's current government and have endorsed the "Geneva accord," an unofficial peace plan drafted by Israeli opposition figures and Palestinians close to the Palestinian Authority leadership. Moreover, another of those accused by Ramadan as placing his Jewish ethnic background before his universalist principles - the author of "The New Judeophobia," Pierre-Andre Taguieff - is not even Jewish. A number of leading French newspapers refused to print Ramadan's article, but the European Social Union printed it on its Web site and strongly resisted demands that Ramadan be excluded from the Social Forum. Those targeted by the article were not forgiving. Glucksman said he was "less surprised that Tariq Ramadan is anti-Semitic than by the fact he has no trouble in admitting it." Levy went further, writing in his regular column in the weekly magazine Le Point that Ramadan had "resurrected the good old theme of the Jewish plot." The French Union of Jewish Students filed suit against Ramadan for racial incitement, taking up the suggestion of the forum's principal organizer, Pierre Khalifa, that if they thought Ramadan was anti-Semitic then they should sue him. In a statement, the Jewish student union's president, Yonathan Arfi, said, "there is no such thing as good or bad anti-Semitism. Tariq Ramadan is an anti-Semite and should be judged as such." Ramadan's polemic also had the effect of splitting France's opposition Socialist Party from the rest of the French left, with leading party figures calling on the forum to exclude Ramadan. One of the strongest attacks on Ramadan came from three leaders on the left wing of the Socialist Party, who long have called for the party to build closer links to the anti-globalization movement. By specifically pointing out Jewish intellectuals, Ramadan had joined "the classic tradition of the far-right," the three wrote in Le Nouvel Observateur. "Fascists think and talk like that." However, the rest of the French left was considerably more accommodating to Ramadan, with the Greens claiming that the socialists were using the controversy over Ramadan to destroy support for the Social Forum. Whatever the criticism of Ramadan, the publicity surrounding the article meant that he became the star attraction at the Social Forum. By the second day of the forum, crowds had to be turned away when Ramadan took part in a debate entitled "Religion, Social Struggle and Anti-Globalization." The situation was similar the following day, with Ramadan again drawing a massive crowd for a debate on "Racism, Xenophobia and Anti-Semitism." The sole Jewish presence among the 1,500 European organizations supporting the event was the anti-Zionist group known as European Jews for Peace. However, the Jewish group was not alone in promoting a pro-Palestinian agenda: Anti-Israel banners were clearly in evidence at a march in central Paris marking the end of the forum. Many audience members came from Ramadan's traditional circles of support - young French Muslims in the suburbs of France's large cities, where the theologian is considered a hero. Moreover, the ante had been raised still further by an investigative report in a Parisian daily that claimed that Ramadan had long maintained links with leading Al-Qaida figures. According to Le Parisien, a court in Washington state investigating claims by families of Sept. 11 victims has evidence that Ramadan's address in Geneva appears on documents linked to the Al-Taqwa bank, which is on a State Department list of organizations accused of supporting Islamic terrorist groups. The paper also cited U.S. intelligence reports that Ramadan and his brother organized a meeting in a Geneva hotel in 1991 with one of Osama bin Laden's top lieutenants, Ayman Al-Zawahiri. Ramadan denied the Al-Qaida links and the claims of anti-Semitism. At the Social Forum last Friday, Ramadan said there was nothing anti-Semitic in his article, and thanked the forum for refusing "to bend, in spite of the witch hunt" against him. Among those backing Ramadan was another hero of European anti-globalization activists, the former leader of France's peasant farmers, Jose Bove, who has compared Palestinians to Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto. Jewish leaders suggested that Ramadan's dialogue was dangerous in the current climate. Local Jewish Community Council head Sammy Ghozlan warned that politicians and associations that made Palestinian solidarity their standard could push wilder elements into attacking Jews. As if to reinforce Ghozlan's warning, a Jewish school was burned down Saturday night in an apparent arson attack, not far from where the forum was taking place
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SARID THREATENS TO LEAK CLASSIFIED INFORMATION
Posted by Eliezar Edwards, November 18, 2003. |
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Yossi Beilin, he of the failed Oslo Accords, is at it again, promoting - at the behest of his masters, the European Union - another horror, the Geneva Agreement, which gives away Biblical Israel and the Temple Mount to the Arabs. Like the Oslo Accords, The Geneva Agreement is intended to weaken Israel and make it more vulnerable to Arab attack. The reckless behavior of the Left was also shown by Member of the Knesset (MK) Yossi Sarid of the far-Left Meretz Party. Read this write-up from Arutz-Sheva (http://www.israelnationalnews.com). Likud MK Yuval Shteinitz, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, has taken the unprecedented step of requesting that MK Yossi Sarid (Meretz) be removed from the committee. The request follows what Shteinitz called "attempted blackmail" by Sarid in the form of a threat to leak classified information. During a committee meeting two weeks ago, Sarid asked Defense Minister Mofaz to reveal information pertaining to weapons used in a recent counter-terrorism strike in Gaza. Mofaz said that the information was classified, prompting Sarid to threaten that if Mofaz did not reveal the information, he himself would publicize it. Shteinitz, shocked at Sarid's behavior, said at the time that he would consider his response. He later turned to Knesset Speaker Ruby Rivlin and asked him to remove Sarid from the committee. It has been reported that Rivlin is expected to sharply rebuke Sarid, while Mofaz will provide the controversial information in a confidential manner. Both Shteinitz and Sarid, neither of whom is generally shy in public, refused to speak to the media about the matter. Shteinitz did speak about another topic this morning, telling Israel Radio that Egypt's mediation efforts are essentially their way of acting to preserve the Palestinian terror infrastructure. The Likud MK noted that instead of encouraging the PA to disarm the terrorists and disband their organizations, Egypt is once again trying to broker an arrangement to keep intact groups such as Hamas. In contrast with Jordan, Shteinitz noted, Egypt continues to allow a continuous flow of terrorists and weapons across its border into Israel. This weekend, representatives of the PA's terrorist organizations will be meeting in Cairo to discuss a "ceasefire" with Israel. Shteinitz warned that Israel has paid a dear price in the past for temporary quiet with the Palestinians under "ceasefire" arrangements that were exploited by the Palestinians to expand and improve their assault capabilities. Repeating this mistake, he said, would ultimately bring a nightmare to Israel when the fighting resumes. Homes throughout Israel have begun receiving their private copies of the Geneva agreement - that controversial document formulated by Yossi Beilin and comrades that calls for a near-complete Israeli retreat from all of Yesha, the Old City, and the Temple Mount. Private donors, including European Union sources, are funding a three-million-shekel campaign to mail the 70-page booklet to every home in Israel. MK Yuri Stern, National Union party Knesset whip, has asked the Non-Profit Associations Registrar to investigate the source of funding for the Geneva agreement. Transportation Minister Avigdor Lieberman (National Union) said today that the agreement is "reminiscent of the Munich Pact [a document signed in 1938 by Hitler, Chamberlain, and Mussolini, stipulating the ceding and evacuation of the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia to Germany within 12 days] and the Communist Manifesto..." "What Israel needs now is not a hudna [temporary ceasefire], in which the terrorists get some time off to rebuild their murderous capacities, but rather to defeat terrorism. It must be totally crushed from every standpoint, and only then will we be able to build a stable situation. I'm not only talking about Arafat, but also Abu Ala and Yassin and all the rest." He clarified that Abu Ala need not be killed, "because we don't have any proof that he himself actually has blood on his hands - but we do have very much proof that he was very involved for many years in funding terror attacks... We must liquidate the terrorist infrastructure, which also includes the incitement in schools, etc." The right-wing has also been working on a diplomatic plan of its own. The guiding principles of a plan being formulated by the Yesha Council (Council for the Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza) are that no Palestinian state will be established, but the Arab-populated areas will be autonomous, and no Jewish community will be dismantled or removed. Bentzy Lieberman, head of the Yesha Council, told Arutz-7 that at present, the only two plans on the public agenda are the Road Map and the Geneva agreement, "both of which are worse than Oslo. Those who criticize us in this area are right; the nationalist camp must present its own plan - and the stronger and quicker, the better." Tourism Minister Benny Elon (National Union) has proposed a plan, entitled The Right Road to Peace, which can be seen at http://www.therightroadtopeace.com. the plan calls for the dissolution of the Palestinian Authority, and involves the recognition of Jordan as the Palestinian state.
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LEFTIST FUNDAMENTALISM
Posted by Steven Plaut, November 18, 2003. |
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I would like to most strongly suggest that we all STOP refering to the cult of leftism as if it were some sort of political ideology. I insist that from now on we all should refer to it as leftist fundamentalism. After all, it is a theology and not a political ideology. So to get you into the swing of things, here we have the Canon of Basic Tenets of Leftist Fundamentalism. If you truly wish to convert to being a PC progressive, here is a list of the most important principles of PC theology. Try to remember them all so that you can be caring and open-hearted faster than you can say "race, gender, class" (the PC Trinity): 1. Affirmative action is not about lowering standards. 2. Affirmative action never has anything to do with quotas. 3. The transformation of Cuba from Latin America`s wealthiest country into its poorest does not mean that socialism does not work. 4. The transformation of Russia from the world`s largest food exporter before communism to the world`s largest food importer during communism does not show that socialism does not work. 5. Comparing East Germany (before unification) with West Germany, or Red China with Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, or North Korea with South Korea, one cannot conclude that capitalism works and socialism does not. 6. The fact that Marx was wrong about every empirically-testable hypothesis does not mean that Marxism is wrong. 7. The fact that Marxism caused a conservatively-estimated 100 million deaths in the 20th century does not mean that Marxism is bad or a failure. 8. Marxists care about people. 9. Conservatives hate all people and small animals. 10. The fact that socialized medicine does not work anywhere does not mean that it would not work in America. 11. The fact that the green lobby was screaming just a few years back about global cooling (and sometimes still does) is no reason why its warnings about global warming should be regarded with skepticism. 12. The fact that black Americans live better on average than white people in Europe or Japanese people in Japan does not disprove the charge that black Americans are the most oppressed and impoverished people in the world. 13. If one country is rich and another poor, it must be because the rich one stole all the wealth away from the poor one. 14. Women are just as capable of combat roles as men. 15. Most Arabs are interested in peace. 16. Homosexuality is genetically determined. 10% of humans are gay. 17. Native Americans and Eskimos have always spent their days worrying about the environment. 18. National Public Radio is objective. 19. The New York Times is not liberal 20. All Christians are racists. 21. All Jews are racists. 22. Moslems can never be racists. 23. Blacks can never be racists. 24. The bombing of Hiroshima did not save any lives and was done because Americans are racists. 25. Mowing your lawn and using insecticides is murder; partial-birth abortion is not. 26. Israeli settlements are the cause of the Middle East conflict. 27. The Ozone hole was caused by deodorants. 28. Recycling saves resources. 29. Poverty is caused by low self-esteem. 30. Poor school performance is caused by low self-esteem. 31. The fact that Asian Americans make more money and are better educated thanAmerican whites does not disprove the claim that America is a racist country in which only whites can succeed. 32. Louis Farrakhan, Al Sharpton, and their friends are thinkers and idealists. 33. Michael Lerner is a rabbi. 34. If one tribe in Africa oppresses another tribe, it is all the fault of white people. 35. The United States does not need any army at all, other than as a laboratory for social engineering involving women and gays. 36. Liberalism is based on compassion and caring. 37. Capital punishment does not deter crime. 38. If there are proportionately more blacks in prison than whites, it is because the courts and police are racist. 39. The CIA is run by far-Right fanatics. 40. Organic produce is good for you. 41. Throw-away diapers cause the environment to be destroyed. 42. Hollywood actors are more sensitive and caring than the rest of us. 43. Investments by multinational corporations are bad for the economies of developing countries. 44. Labor unions are good for the economy. 45. Workers in poor countries would be better off if all the overseas corporations were kicked out. 46. Slavery was always practiced exclusively by white people. Slaves thoughout history were always non-white. 47. Raising the minimum wage does not increase unemployment. 48. Rent controls do not create housing shortages. 49. Mentally ill people are better off on the streets than in mental institutions. 50. The media are not dominated by leftists. 51. Marching against AIDS helps prevent AIDS. 52. Palestinians are oppressed. 53. Israel can by peace by making concessions to the Arabs. 54. Anti-globalization protesters care about the poor have non-negative IQs. 55. Terrorism is caused by suffering. 56. Terrorism is caused by poverty. 57. Suicide bombers have legitimate grievances. 58. There is no military solution to the problems of terrorism. 59. Terrorism has underlying social causes. 60. Leftism is an ideology rather than a theology or a personality disorder. So you see, practicing the theology of political correctness is easy - just repeat three or four of the above assertions every day before breakfast and you too will soon be a caring, compassionate, progressive humane person!
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A SHANDA: Will Jerusalem Move Against the Jews of Yesha?
Posted by Isralert, November 17, 2003. |
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Former-General Security Services (Shin Bet) chief Avraham
Shalom told Yediot Ahronot Friday how Israel could solve the problem
[of the Zionist communities in the territories that the Government
plans to uproot.] "Take 15 of them, put them in administrative
detention, and see how the rest of them don't do a thing."
If that didn't work, Shalom suggested the threat of death was an
acceptable alternative. "Are they ready to be killed? The answer
is absolutely not." This article was written by the Jerusalem
Newswire Editorial Staff. It's entitled, "Israel set to move
against Jewish settlements?" Jerusalem (jnewswire.com) - Amidst leftist demands and US pressure that Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza be done away with, Jerusalem this week appeared set to signal the beginning of the end of Israel's settlement enterprise. According to one senior minister, Israel should then turn to PA-sanctioned Arab militias to ensure so-called "illegal" settlements removed in the future are not reestablished. Jewish resettlement of Israel's biblical heartland in Judea and Samaria began under the auspices of the left-wing Labor government, shortly after the return of those lands to Jewish rule in the 1967 Six Day War. Bracing for pressure. Jerusalem last week began bracing for a resumption of US pressure that it deal with an estimated 100 "illegal" outposts, after the Bush administration indicated its intention to bolster the Arafat-controlled government of Ahmed Qurei. Washington reportedly sent strong messages to Israel, citing the Sharon government's Road Map promise to remove the outposts, and arguing that such a move would send a strong signal of Israel's willingness to make peace to the PA. Observers countered that the message sent would rather be one of weakness and surrender. Israel had originally stopped dismantling outposts during the summer after the PA openly and admittedly failed to meet its parallel Road Map obligation to "disarm and dismantle" the terrorist infrastructure. Preparing to cave in. Nevertheless, Israeli officials appeared ready to cave in to the pressure when Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom this month bundled the removal of settler outposts together with a package of gestures he believed Israel should make towards the Palestinians. His assessment was followed by a Foreign Ministry draft document on Israel's image in the world, which found that the Jewish state is perceived as a provocative, unreliable country whose agenda is controlled by a handful of settlers, Army Radio reported last Wednesday. The document further inflamed leftist sentiment towards the national religious sector of Israel society - to which the vast majority of the 250,000 settlers belong. Amid increasing pressure from center-left ministers in his own government, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said at Sunday's cabinet session that he would soon convene an official discussion on what to do about the settlements. Detain or kill them. The leaders of Israel's settler community have on several occasions indicated that while they would not operate outside the bounds of the law, they would not go quietly from their homes. In response to the desire to defend their homes, former-General Security Services (Shin Bet) chief Avraham Shalom told Yediot Ahronot Friday Israel could "solve the problem [by treating the settlers] as if they were Arabs. Take 15 of them, put them in administrative detention, and see how the rest of them don't do a thing." If that didn't work, Shalom suggested the threat of death was an acceptable alternative. "Are they ready to be killed? The answer is absolutely not." And in a particularly shocking development, Interior Minister Avraham Poraz (Shinui) was quoted by Army Radio Monday as saying that after Israel had forcibly evacuated the settlements, it should turn to PA-sanctioned Arab militias to prevent Jews from returning to the sites. Jewish settlers would not attempt to rebuild their demolished homes for fear of the armed Arabs, Poraz suggested. Why the animosity? While the growing crusade against Jewish residents of Judea, Samaria and Gaza suggests that the settlers are a rogue sector of Israeli society, the settlement enterprise was actually started by the ruling left-wing Labor Party in the post Six Day War period, with the realization that Israel needed to control those lands for security purposes. Planting new Jewish communities where the Jews of Israel had thrived as a nation thousands of years earlier was considered both a national duty and security necessity.
You can subscribe to Isralerts by emailing Isralert@aol.com
Jerusalem Newswire is the only independent Jerusalem-based,
Christian-operated news service providing daily coverage and
commentary on events in and relating to Israel.
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A SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE WAY TO STOP SUICIDE BOMBINGS
Posted by Herby Rawley, November 17, 2003. |
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Unfortunately most Jews and Jewish sympathizers talk about policy as in "must put a stop to terrorism" or "the arabs must be made to see" but provide no method. We all know what the terrorists "must do." We all know "the PLO must control suicide bombers" but the Jews and their sympathizers who write these things have never for the most part slapped anyone with a baseball bat. It's true that I attended the Crown Heights Yeshiva 1940-47. In '52 I turned down the halls of ivy to run night clubs for 'the boys.' I was present at a shul during the David Dinkins pogrom when my bretheren turned down a suitcase full of pistols with which to resist assaults on Jews with talmudic thumb waving even though they all drive cars made from 'oven doors' reclaimed from Belsen etc. The method? Cheap and efficient. 25 kgs. of explosive $50, ash can $10, cell phone operated fuse mechanism $25, anti-tamper device and explanatory poster $15. Total $100. Easy to make 1000 of these placed on every street corner in territory controlled by the PLO. They only go off (at random) if something blows up or is attacked in Israel. 20 Israeli tanks and 10 moving van type trucks can emplace them in one day and replace those that explode. I believe that every Palestinian agrees with and wants to aid and support the suicide bombers. But they don't all want to be one. And that in the face of this action, the citizenry will control the bombing. Targeting specific agents by israel is useless. Whaddya think?
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FRIEDMAN BARKING FOR THE SAUDIS
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, November 17, 2003. |
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One of the most persistent sellers of second-hand lemons is Thomas Friedman. He keeps casting in a new light the notion of a one-sided Israeli withdrawal in favor of the Arabs. In his latest scheme, he quotes an "expert," Stephen P. Cohen (whom I consider more as a notorious anti-Zionist, like Friedman). For the Saudi ruling family to survive (as if that were desirable), the royals must raise their people's standard of living and settle the Palestine question. That question requires "a dignified solution," "which returns the mosques of Jerusalem (where they preach undignified Jew-hate) to Muslim control." A by-product would be to reduce European antisemitism, "abetted by the real images of Israeli settlers seizing Palestinian land and uprooting their olive groves." The solution would follow the Clinton plan (NY Times, 11/13). Whom does Friedman think controls the mosques, now? On the Mount, the Arabs destroy Jewish artifacts. The problem is to return the Mount to Jewish control. If the European media were fair, it would be rousing the people with pictures of Arabs seizing Jewish land and destroying Jewish people and cafes. It would explain that the Jews do not seize Arab land and are not uprooting Arab groves except when the Arabs exploit them for ambushes. European antisemitism is stimulated by Arab slander. What does Friedman suggest for stopping that? Friedman's big pretense is that the Arab-Israel conflict is over the size of Israel. Actually, It is over the existence of Israel (and of any non-Muslim sovereignty). How can the Saudi leaders of jihad be expected to make peace with Israel? As for Friedman and the Saudis, let him study his own newspaper's editorial of 11/11. It attributes much of the Saudi problem to the royals' lavishing wealth upon themselves, the people's over-populating, and repression of dissent. "Misspending" isn't sufficiently defined. He should have mentioned the fortune spent on armaments. Why didn't he? Afraid of antagonizing the Saudis?
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WHY BOMB A SYNAGOGUE?
Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, November 17, 2003. |
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Just in case there are still any Jews out there who are still
living in the pipe dream, fantasy world of "Islam is the religion of
peace and tolerance," think again. Islam is and always has been an
active, bitter enemy of the Jews. Islam is the religion of Yishmael,
the savage beast that looks like a human. As such, his descendants
have created a savage and beastly cult of death that is fixated on us.
In a world of over 6 billion people, the Arab-Nazi alliance is
obsessed with the murder of a few million Jews. They teach that only
after the Jews are obliterated can the great purification of the world
begin. It is we, the Jews, that prevent this by our steadfastness to
the One True G-D and the Torah He gave us.
What is this purification they seek? It is the purity of Amalek
which is the total destruction of the world. The culmination of Islam,
like the Nazi cult, sees the end of days as a type of Gotterdammerung,
Ragnarok or what have you. The total destruction of everything. This
is what the Torah call Tohu Vevohu; total chaos. That is why the Torah
commands us to obliterate Amalek from the world. Amalek in all his
manifestations is dedicated to destroy. This articles is from Arutz
Sheva (http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=52839). Terrorism expert Dr. Sha'ul Shai of the Interdisciplinary Institute in Herzliya says it's likely that Al-Qaeda is behind the attacks: "It first allows some smaller or unknown organization to take credit for the attack, and then the truth begins to come out, via the internet and the like, within a few days. This gains them a few days for its operatives to escape, and also an increase in confusion and uncertainty." Dr. Shai says that Jews and Judaism are prime targets of Al-Qaeda: "Al-Qaeda, ever since its beginning, has always targeted Judaism. It declared a worldwide jihad against the Crusader-Jewish covenant. This began in 1999 in France, then Jerba and Morocco, and now Istanbul." Less than two hours after yesterday's murderous attack in Turkey, a religious Jewish school north of Paris was torched, causing heavy damage. The destroyed building housed the Merkaz HaTorah elementary and high school for boys. Over 200 antisemitic attacks, physical and otherwise, have been registered around the world since the beginning of 2003, including 80 in France. Murderous antisemitic attacks around the world over the past several years include: Morocco - 2 killed, Sept. 2003
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| KEEPING JONATHAN POLLARD INCARCERATED
Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, November 16, 2003. |
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[These are excerpts from Parts 1
and 2 of Winston's essay, "Shaming the Nation" and
"America, the Beautiful." - Ed.]
Esther Pollard has described the non-standard treatment Jonathan
Pollard received in jail during the two weeks he waited for his
latest court proceddings. "There were special
orders to govern every aspect of his daily life, calculated to
maximize the discomfort, the isolation and the humiliation." He
wasn't allowed to change clothes the whole time; he was allowed no
books, magazines, television, paper or pencil. He was deprived of all
religious material. He could make no calls, even to his lawyers. He
was deprived of sensory input; he was allowed no exercise. He
was told these orders came from "higher up" for
"reasons of national security."
For this kind of treatment, one can be assured that the betrayal of Israel, in concert with the conspiracies by the Arabs and Europeans which Pollard stumbled across, was so barbarically atrocious and involved so many high-ranking politicians, State Department and Intelligence Agency bureaucrats that the cover-up will only be considered 'safe' when Pollard is dead. The information accumulated by American Intelligence well before 1985 on the development of WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction), including NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical) by Iraq, Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia was withheld from Israel - despite MOUs (Memoranda of Understanding) signed by all the preceding American Presidents to insure Israel's defense against such WMD. In addition, according to documents released by Saddam Hussein to Hans Blix, Saddam admitted receiving pre-cursor chemicals, technology and other assistance from corporations in America, Germany, France and other countries - all illegal under the U.N. arms embargoes. These companies could not and would not put themselves in such jeopardy without the approval of their various governments. Therefore, these are called "Black Ops (Operations)". Jonathan Pollard unknowingly exposed an insidious operation of supplying Arab countries with such arms, well beyond merely transferring illegal weapons, materials and technology to rogue Arab nations. Clearly the ultimate goal targeted Israel for elimination as an impediment to better relations with the Arab oil nations. When Jonathan Pollard blew the cover of America's secret deals to supply Iraq with the materials to make WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) including NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical), he had to be swept first into an insane asylum for the criminally insane (to establish that he was crazy), then into super isolation lest what he testified to en camera (secret hearings) become known to the public. Oh, everyone else knew. The FBI knew; the CIA knew; the President and his men knew. Pollard did the unthinkable. He spilled the beans to the Israelis that their self-sworn enemies, the Iraqis were being armed with poison gas, biological substances - all with the connivance of the most powerful people in Washington. Suddenly, Saudi Arabia's Prince Bandar was exposed as having secret connections to President Bush (formerly Director of the CIA, remember?) and Defense Secretary Weinberger. How is it all those Arab nations who were supported by a corrupt Presidential Administration are now fully surfaced as America's long term enemies, axis of Evil, Terrorist States who fund, train, direct and harbor Terrorists? This includes especially Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, and Libya. It is understandable that the continued presence of Jonathan Pollard who hold this information in his head would jeopardize the freedom of those in government who were conducting illegal Black Ops, not only against a U.N. mandate but, also against a member nation, Israel - the only democracy in the Middle East. As in Iran-Contra, what lengths would you go to in covering up your involvement in assisting rogue Arab countries obtain WMD and then try to silence the one man who stumbled onto your illegal Operations' As John Loftus states in his book: "The Secret War Against the Jews: How Western Espionage Betrayed the Jewish People: 1920-1992," Pollard exposed the first Arms-for-Hostages shipment fully one year before the Iran-Contra scandal broke. He didn't know that's what it was but he alerted Israel to a shipment of illegal arms he thought were going to the PLO. How many government officials involved in that would still fear being exposed after almost 20 years? Many. Top guys. It seems clear that these government officials working together to keep Pollard in prison (but not able to kill him off in one shot) are killing him inch by inch, day by day. These people have demonstrated that the American Courts are too easily corrupted (or at least misled) and NOT the free, fair judicial institutions we Americans expect them to be. Given the circumstances, I do not see much difference between the court system under the Former Soviet Union - who committed political prisoners to insane asylums for 'special' treatment, or solitary confinement or shipped those whom they feared off to the Gulag in the frozen wastelands of Siberia. Some may forget that it was Judge Aubrey Robinson who requested the Weinberger letter, which is still kept "secret" from Jonathan's lawyers. After Pollard was accused of being responsible for the murders of 41 U.S. agents in the Former Soviet Union, lo and behold, they actually caught Aldrich Ames and Robert Hansen who were proven to be the CIA moles who sold the American agents' names to the Soviets - who then executed these agents. Nevertheless, having blundered in accusing Pollard, they could not stand up like honest men, admit their mistakes and withdraw their charges against Pollard - because they would look so stupid - just as they do now for having failed to detect and prevent 9/11. America is an outstanding democracy but, we do have our political crooks who use our Intelligence Agencies and Courts to advance their personal wealth and power while working with dictators or eliminating those who get in their way. They shame the nation and, hopefully, some powerful Congressional Committee or gutsy Woodward and Bernstein investigative journalists will pull up the sheet that covers them. Generally, the last refuge of a scoundrel is to wrap themselves in the American flag.
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SAUDI TERRORISM BOOMERANGS
Posted by Richard A. Shulman, November 17, 2003. |
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Deploring the growth of terrorism in S. Arabia, the New York Times suggests that police work alone could not squelch it. A partial solution would be democracy and an end to royal corruption that impoverishes the masses. The clincher would be to stop subsidizing schools that indoctrinate "children in other Muslim lands and sometimes recruit them to join armed bands..." (11/11, Ed..) There is no connection between non-democracy and poverty and terrorism. There is one between Islam and prosperity and terrorism. The Saudis do not just indoctrinate "children in other Muslim lands." It escapes "Times notice that many of these terrorists are Saudis! They indoctrinate their own children and ours. Yes, Islamist schools operate in Europe and even in the US! If Times journalists weren't appeasement-minded, ignorant, and biased, they would deplore the growth of Islamism in the West and demand that we close such schools. Where is the patriotism and practicality of the Times? The editor should declare that the Saudis brought terrorism upon themselves. They deluded themselves that they could forever direct terrorism against others, and that S. Arabia is a rich prize and fails to live up to the radicalism it espouses.
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THE TERRORIBLE TRUTH
Posted by Ellen W. Horowitz, November 16, 2003. |
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ter-ror (n)
4: violence (as bomb throwing) committed by groups in order to intimidate a population or government into granting their demands ter-ror-ism (n): the systematic use if terror esp. as a use of
coercion - ter ror-ist adj or n
I picked up the above definitions from the 1973 edition of
Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary (I received the now tattered
volume as a gift when I turned 15 and I still use it). The world made
more sense back then...
When Egypt and Syria (later joined by Jordan and Iraq) attacked
Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, a good part of the
world thought it was a despicable act. Today, blood and body parts
litter our Shabbat, Rosh Hashanah and Passover tables, as well as our
busses returning with worshippers from the Western Wall - and a good
part of the international community is no longer sure if it's so bad.
Some wonder if, perhaps, it isn't justified. And I wonder if the
confusion is due to the media's reluctance to classify these acts as
terror perpetrated by terrorists.
Last week, in Truth or Consequences I reported that Foxnews.com linked
their lead story of a terrorist bombing in Riyadh to an Associated
Press listing of Recent Terrorist Attacks Around the World. The
listing referred to 16 attacks in 13 countries from as far back as
1998, and Israel wasn't mentioned (nor was Russia, India or Chechnya)
I feel the issue warrants further exploration, as the media's response to Israel is most certainly linked to a disturbing pattern of unraveling current events.
Is it possible that in the media's attempts at non-bias and
political correctness (i.e., avoiding the application of a uniform
usage of the term terror), they may have inadvertently legitimized
and encouraged terrorist groups' After all, everyone knows that
terrorism is abominable, but that ain't necessarily the case for a
popular uprising.
The media's avoidance of labeling these murderous groups as
terrorists may have originally stemmed from their need to maintain
good relations with these groups and their leaders in order to "get a
story" in a fiercely competitive field. This poses a real moral
dilemma for the press and can of course backfire on both a grand and
personal scale. Daniel Pearl being a classic example.
But the media, especially news-wire services, must stop and think.
The primary responsibility of an international news agency should be
to disseminate accurate information and to provide clarity, rather
than cloud the issues. In these precarious times, the media is
obligated to reassess their goals and purposes. In today's world, the
mere flash of a camera can destroy lives and bring the world to the
brink. This is no exaggeration. The world is in crisis and no one
understands this better than the journalists, photojournalists, and
news agencies. So what gives?
There may be a bigger question bothering the perverse conscience of
the press -one which drives their depraved sense of morality and fuels
their habit for distorting the truth. Perhaps they feel that in
certain cases of terrorism (a case perpetrated by the palestinians),
the end justifies the means. Is it ever legitimate for a group to use
terrorist tactics in order to achieve their religious, political,
cultural or economic goals? That question is best left to theologians,
philosophers, historians, professors, students and editorial
commentators to grapple with- not international news services. But not
to worry AP and Reuters, as a final and just decision on that
perplexing matter will be rendered by none other than G-d Almighty
Himself.
In the back of my mind there remains another immensely disturbing
question... By acting as prosecutor, judge and jury, with regards to
Israel, is the electronic media in some not so small way responsible
for a resurgence of classical anti-semitism?
It occurred to me that in my quest to figure out what motivates the
media, I may have given them too much credit. Could it be that there
is something far more sinister behind all of this?
Last night I couldn't help myself, and so I snuck a peek at CNN.com
to see how they covered the Turkish synagogue bombings. Sure enough
the lead CNN.com homepage story was linked to a Reuters list entitled
Worst Terror Attacks Since 9/11.
This time Russia, Chechnya and India made the list. But once again,
Israel didn't merit a mention amongst 20 nations suffering from 13
highlighted incidents of terrorism since September 11th 2001. It
should be noted that within hours, the Reuters list was removed from
the CNN site. I believe this was due in part to the actions of some
alert and concerned supporters of Israel.
FoxNews.com, CNN.com, the Associated Press, and Reuters News Agency are among the top sources of up-to-the-minute news in the world. People believe what they read, hear and see, and even if Israel's miserable public relations apparatus could mass produce and distribute cloned Netanyahu's, we wouldn't stand a chance against this out-of-control leviathan.
There should be an international outcry followed by rigorous
efforts to correct this gross distortion of reality on the part of
worldwide news services. If such an outcry isn't heard or if the
protests go unheeded, then we can assume that there is indeed a
deliberate and calculated bid to segregate the State of Israel from
the world community. This is no conspiracy on the part of the
international community - it's in your face anti-Semitism, the likes
of which we haven't seen since WWII. It's not about occupation,
territorial disputes or settlements. It never was.
This dramatic shift in the scales towards injustice isn't new - just
painful and ever so clear. But I know which side I'll throw my weight
on... "Yaacov remains alone," but he stands on the side of truth.
That being the case, I appeal to all of my fellow Jews in the Diaspora
to come home and stand with me.
The author lives on the Golan Heights with her husband and six
children. She is a painter, writer and co-founder of
helpingisrael.com. She can be contacted through her website
http://www.artfromzion.com
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THE REGION: Virtues and Problems
Posted by Barry Rubin, November 16, 2003. |
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Washington: In a major speech, President Bush has set a new direction for U.S. foreign policy: the promotion of democracy, especially in the Middle East. This is a worthy theme. But is it a workable one? Take Iraq, for example. Things are not going well there and are unlikely to get any better. The problem is not whether the United States can show its good intentions or whether more Iraqis get electricity. Rather, it is whether the United States can smash the insurgency and provide real security on a daily basis. There are monumental difficulties here. The one most often cited - casualties wearing down American resolve - is a minor issue. If Bush loses the 2004 presidential election his replacement may opt for a quick withdrawal. Otherwise, if the United States wants to stay in Iraq it can certainly do so. Yet why should Iraqis view its continued presence as benefiting them? They face violent threats to their daily existence, which also sabotge prospects for higher living standards or democracy. At the same time, continued American presence offends nationalistic and Muslim sensibilities, allowing opposition movements to mobilize more support. Nor is that all. What about all the ambitious individuals, interest groups and movements that want to be running the country? The longer the United States keeps them from getting their hands on power and loot the more likely they will consider America their enemy. There are two tremendous ironies here which are unlikely to get recognition in the Arab world. First, radical forces want to keep an occupation going so they can inflame the masses to support them. Israel wants a peace agreement which would rid it of ruling Palestinians if that brought real security and an end to violence and conflict. The United States wants to pull out of Iraq leaving behind a stable and moderate country. Yet terrorists have the power to stop this process by their disruptions, then blame the continued situation on their intended victims. Second, America's problem is not that it is too brutal and imperialistic but that it is too nice. It is not going to undertake the degree of violence necessary to wipe out the terrorists. The Syrian, Iranian, or old Iraqi security forces would easily find such insurgents by torturing and murdering people indiscriminately until they were eager to turn in their grandmothers. Moreover, a realpolitik approach would let the United States find allies in Iraq - say a coalition of Kurdish and Shia factional leaders with sizeable bases of support - and agree to turn over the country to their rule in exchange for following policies it wanted. By supporting democracy, though, the United States becomes trapped in the paradox that everyone's friend is no one's friend. It can have no powerful allies because it will not prejudge the situation of who would win an election. To keep things fair, the United States alienates everyone who controls guns, followers, and powerful ideologies. Both in Iraq and elsewhere, the new U.S. strategy amounts to going over the heads of the current leaders and appealing to the masses. In the long run, the masses may be willing to turn against their rulers and abandon Arab nationalism and Islamism. But in the shorter run, this seems unlikely. Instead, the rulers and intellectuals can be far more effective in mobilizing the masses against America. They will tell the people that the fact that America wants to overturn their societies, governments and beliefs proves that it is imperialistic, anti-Arab, anti-Islam, pro-Zionist. Bush asked: "Are millions of men and women and children condemned by history or culture to live in despotism?" Well, they are as long as heavily armed populist regimes either win their support or intimidate them into silence. Remember that the United States had to invade Iraq to bring down that government. Why are other countries any different? Bush showed this problem by his rather fanciful appeal to the dictatorships to lead the way to reform. "Many Middle Eastern governments," he said, "now understand that military dictatorship and theocratic rule are a straight, smooth highway to nowhere. But some governments still cling to the old habits of central control." This isn't just a habit, it is the whole basis of the Arab state system. Those benefiting from this system like it just fine, especially the "straight, smooth" part. Moreover, the great fear of the masses is anarchy, a scenario that contemporary Iraq seems to embody. Bush continues, "Instead of dwelling on past wrongs and blaming others, governments in the Middle East need to confront real problems, and serve the true interests of their nations." But dwelling on old problems and blaming others is precisely how they stay in power. They are not going to cooperate in dismantling themselves. They serve the interests of the regime, not the nation. He states, "Governments across the Middle East and North Africa are beginning to see the need for change." Yet his examples are pitifully limited. In fact, such governments firmly believe they must block real change. He denounces Palestinian leaders "who block and undermine democratic reform," suggests the Saudi government is gradually moving toward democracy, and urges "the great and proud nation of Egyptshould show the way toward democracy in the Middle East." But these are the enemies of change who are firmly entrenched and know how to whip up popularity by denouncing Israel and the United States. In short, Bush understands the region's real problems. The question is whether this strategy will end up fulfilling or tragically discrediting that vision. Professor Barry Rubin is Director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and Editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA). |
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REACTION TO SHABAK ADVOCATING CIVIL WAR
Posted by Bryna Berch, November 15, 2003. |
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Sharon wants to release Arab terrorists while incarcerating Noam Federmann without a trial. And four former heads of SHABAK (Shin Bet) focus on confronting Jews in the Territories, but hope for a "diplomatic solution" with the Arabs. Is this just the usual behavior of bullies, who only picks on the weak? Or are they really keen on giving Biblical Israel away to the phony-baloney people who call themselves Palestinians? I like this Voice of Judea commentary on the Shabak meeting. Wow! Scarey stuff, when the last four heads of Israel's Secret Police, known as the Shabak - GSS, call for Sharon to bring on another Altalena style affair to bring about a final solution for Jewish "settlement" in Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem. Shocking is not the word! These guys were in control of state secrets and internal security for the state of Israel. They fully endorse arresting, without trial, under administrative detention, "settlers" for their "belief that the hills of Shechem and Hebron" are Jewish hills. These guys sound worse than KGB agents in the darkest days of the former Soviet Union. They are clearly endorsing a confrontation, of a violent murderous Altalena style, if there is no peaceful way to destroy the "settlements" and expel the Jews. And the left speaks of incitement that led to violence and assassination of Yitzhak Rabin? These characters are openly speaking of arresting and killing their political rivals. Where is the outcry? The message is clear. If they would truly believe that there would be serious resistance on the part of the "settlers" they would rethink their position to surrender the "settlements". As Shalom is quoted, "So I said: if they were Arabs, you would know how to solve the problem" They told me: yes. So I said: so let's solve the problem as if they were Arabs. Lock 15 of them in administrative detention, and see how the rest disappear. I said another thing: You say they're like the Hamas? Are they willing to die? The answer was unequivocally: no. So I am more optimistic. When we leave them there alone, they will come. You better believe it. They will come. They will come". Every time the leaders of the "settlement" movement condemn the "extremist" hilltop youth, thinking that this will keep them within the national consensus and mellow opposition to the "settlements", in effect their soft image, truly endangers the future of the "settlements". They are frightened that if they appear to be too extreme the government will have an easier time tarnishing their image and tearing down "settlements". The reality is quite different. The only thing that could prevent the surrender of Yesha is the belief that 90 percent of Yesha would be prepared to die, sooner than leave their homes. The "settlement" leaders need to stand united, with one clear voice, opposed to any compromise and in full support of the hilltop youth. They must not let Altalenist hate mongers succeed in dividing and conquering Judea and Samaria on behalf of Arafat. In the end, it may be true that the hilltop youth only represent 10 percent of the Jews in Judea and Samaria. However, let it be known that the majority of Jews throughout Israel support unlimited Jewish "settlement" on every hill in Israel. The leftist extremists who control the courts and who used to control the Shin Bet are a dieing minority. They could threaten their Altalenas and wage their private wars against their political rivals now. However, the masses in Israel will not support a civil war against the "settlers". After reading the virulent hatred of former key security chiefs in Israel, it is perhaps no coincidence that Arutz Sheva, the popular "settler" mouthpiece was shut down now. Is the government preparing to make the "painful concessions" Sharon warned about recently? Is the government paving the way for a "confrontation" with the "settlers?" Are they planning to roundup dozens of "settlers" and hold them without trial? Are they trying to stifle legal and legitimate opposition to a new Altalena affair?
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WHAT TO DO WITH THE BEILIN JUNK MAIL
Posted by Steven Plaut, November 15, 2003. |
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This week, Yossi Beilin and his fellow travelers are planning to send petitions to support his Geneva Misunderstandings with the PLO to each and every household in Israel. Israelis will be asked to send back some sort of card or letter endorsing the appeasements and capitulations in the Beilin "plan." The mass mailings are no doubt being financed by the usual culprits who plow megabucks into the Israeli Far Left, such as the Eurotrash and the New Israel Fund. These are agencies who will pump large sums into any Israeli "initiative," no matter how picayune, if it serves to delegitimze and weaken Israel and make it easier to destroy Israel. This morning there have been appeals circulated all over the Jewish internet, originating either from Prof. Ezra Sohar or from Naomi Ragen or both, calling on Israeli residents to deal with the mass mailings in the following way: JUNK MAIL From: Professor Ezra Sohar sohar@inter.net.il When you receive in your mail box Beilin/Burg's "Geneva Accords", or Ayallon/Nusseiba's "Understandings", PLEASE: 1. CLEAR your name and address; I believe Prof. Sohar's suggestion needs one extra crucial element added! While I have not gotten my own copy yet of the Beilin Proposed Munich Agreement, I assume it will be coming with pre-paid return card or envelope. Taking the lead from Abbie Hoffman and the Yippies, I would like to most strongly urge every single person in Israel receiving the Beilin Misunderstandings in the mail to attach the return card accompanying the treasonous material firmly to a brick or a cinder block and place it in a proper postal facility. That way, Beilin's lemmings will be forced to pay the mail costs of shipping the bricks and we should quickly hear the last of him and his "initiative"!! PLEASE CIRCULATE WIDELY!
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THE REGION: Virtues and Problems
Posted by Barry Rubin, November 15, 2003. |
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London: It's strange to go from Prague to London, a one-hour air trip that a decade before would have crossed the front line of the Cold War. Exactly two-thirds' of a century ago, the British and French governments forced Czechoslovakia to give up territory that Germany considered to be "occupied." A few months later, Germany wiped Czechoslovakia entirely off the map. The British and French leaders thought appeasement would protect them from Germany's wrath, saving them from having to fight a terrorist state. Once he got this Czech territory, German leader Adolf Hitler explained, he would have no more demands and would get along just fine with the British and French. They believed him. They were wrong. But they also justified their behavior in terms of human rights and charity to the weaker side. After all, the land Czechoslovakia was forced to yield was inhabited by ethnic Germans. Berlin's demand to rule those citizens could be portrayed as reasonable. Also, Germany had been humiliated a few years before in World War One so it was only trying to regain national pride and reacting against its mistreatment by the victors. Obviously, the analogy with the current situation can be easily overdone and I certainly don't believe the outcome will be the same. Still, it might be useful if people thought through this comparison. Certainly, the Czechs have done so. That is why the Czech Republic can be considered Europe's most pro-Israel state. After a half-century experience of Nazi and Communist rule, the Czechs don't evince romanticism toward radical ideologies, respect for dictators with excuses, tolerance for propaganda, or illusions about rationalizing terrorism. They can tell the difference between a fence to stop terrorists and the Iron Curtain wall that not long ago crossed their own country where those trying to flee were shot down. They also know the consequences of inciting against Jews, no matter how such accusations are falsely glorified as progressive or dishonestly rationalized as deserved. Their own capital, Prague, is more crowded than any in Europe with Jewish ghosts in its old, little-changed Jewish Quarter. They know, too, their country's best-known writer, Franz Kafka, was a remarkable voice for that people's unique situation. If you talk to a Czech about ignorant, craven leaders trading off the rights of a far-off land of which they know little, he recognizes this as a paraphrase of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's remark about their country when he was selling it out. In short, there is not much patience with nonsense. London is a more complicated place in this regard. The government is not so hostile to Israel, at least less so than in the past. The media is split, though the main television news is in practice antagonistically partisan. Many campuses are hysterical on this issue. The most outrageous statements can be made with little fear of contradiction. It is open season on Israel. England was, after all, the country where George Orwell explained that certain ideas are so stupid that only an intellectual could believe them. Yet how much practical effect does this widespread misrepresentation actually have? And are things getting better or worse? These questions are hard to answer. Of course, much of the problem stems from a far left desperately seeking a post-Marxist revolutionary cause. There are many professors and journalists who are passionate about their political engagements and far less so regarding their professional ethics. Yet there are also many people with open minds who are genuinely baffled as to why the region remains so turbulent, its problems seemingly so unsolvable. How can one comprehend the damage done to the region by the dictators' deceptions and extremist ideologies if they are merely adapted by Western observers? Recently, an Israeli colleague explained to a European audience that it overstated the ease of "solving" Middle East problems. A French military official sneeringly attacked him, making clear his detestation for anyone so foolish as to believe in the "brutal" notion that force determined the course of events in the world. What was needed, he explained, was peaceful diplomacy and the willingness to make concessions. An American participant asked how, in light of this philosophy, he explained that France had intervened 47 times by military force in Africa without ever seeking a UN resolution. The official looked so angry that I believe he would have punched the American in the face if he had not just made a speech extolling pacifism. Consider the proposed deal worked out by French and other European negotiators with Iran which was hailed in Paris as a great victory for diplomatic methods in "stopping" Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The Europeans will tightly control uranium but let Iran build a reactor that will produce plutonium. No doubt, Iran will use this reactor to build more deadly plutonium bombs. The Czechs have had ample experience on how easy it is for the arrogant, ignorant, and malevolent to pass judgment on other's survival. Blessed are those who do not have to obey them. Barry Rubin is author, with Judith Colp Rubin, of "Yasir Arafat: A Political Biography," just published by Oxford University Press in the United States and Continuum in Great Britain. |
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INDIRECT RESPONSIBILITY
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, November 15, 2003. |
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Just as politically-minded organizations reward the undeserving, investigation commissions whitewash the unworthy. That is what happened to Ariel Sharon over Sabra-Shatila. The commission was so even-handed, that it let the world ignore its finding of direct Arab guilt and emphasize its finding of indirect Sharon guilt. It stated that Defense Min. Sharon should have anticipated that the Phalange would commit a massacre in revenge for the Palestinian Arabs' assassination of their leader. I don't know whether Sharon should have anticipated it. In order to anticipate how Arabs will react, one has to understand what Arabs are like. Maybe he knew. Most Israelis don't. Israeli education about the Arabs is scanty, false, and politically correct. Geared to engender a culture of peace, the curriculum depicts the Arabs as desirous of peace, innocent people with bad leaders. Hence the public thinks that if the leadership were changed, the Arabs would make peace. The US exploits that misconception by proposing the Road Map, based on a change in P.A. leadership. To compound the fraud, the US adheres to the Map even after the P.A. offers up a phony change in leadership. But even a change in leadership would be of little avail, because the Arabs are a guilty people desirous of war and enjoying every criminal triumph in it. The Israeli curriculum should depict the Arabs as they are. It should suggest how to deal with them, which would be to defeat and disperse them, to reclaim what rightfully belongs to the Jewish people, to stay strong, and to hope that Arab society evolve into a civilized one. Hatred of the Arabs is not necessary to properly oppose them, but it wouldn't hurt. That is, it would be more normal and motivating than the present appeasement of them. PM Sharon has by now lived through all the Arab and US duplicity of Oslo. He should know that further agreements with the Arabs, such as Road Map, are fraudulent and lead to more terrorism and war. Nevertheless, he lurches on. As a result of his failure to wipe out the enemy forces, enough terrorist forces remain to continue massacring Jews. For those murders, Sharon is indeed indirectly responsible. He should be held indirectly responsible for them, and not for Sabra-Shatila.
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SIRTAKI
Posted by Yashiko Sagamori, November 14, 2003. |
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Let's try putting things in perspective. The Third Reich that promised to last for a thousand years survived only 12. The Soviet Union fell apart after spreading its evil around the planet for 74 years. The United States, God bless it, is counting its third century. The Romanov dynasty ruled Russia for three hundred years before losing the empire to the Bolsheviks. Five hundred years ago, Columbus discovered America. Eight centuries ago, Pope Gregory IX established the Inquisition. Great Britain's most expensive decoration, its royal family, traces itself nine centuries back. A thousand years ago, Russia accepted Christianity as its official religion. Attila the Hun pillaged Europe 15 centuries ago. According to recent archaeological discoveries, two thousand years ago, when Christianity was merely an insignificant Jewish sect, ancestors of today's Britons, were not averse to having a neighbor for dinner - as a main course. At that time, two thousand years ago, long before most of the nations that exist today emerged, Jews were already an ancient people and the Torah, up to the letter identical to the one we read today, had already been written. Longevity inevitably affects one's outlook on things, and the Presidential elections in the United States provide an excellent example of that. In preparation for the Big Tuesday next year, the Democratic Party has assembled an impressive array of utterly unelectable candidates who are doing their absolute best eagerly competing for the honor of losing elections to the incumbent president. Meanwhile, our next president is patiently, quietly waiting in the shadows, ready to step into the fray as soon as some unforeseen event makes Bush's reelection problematic. If no such event occurs, she will skip 2004 only to effortlessly win in 2008 against an utterly unelectable candidate the Republican Party will have inevitably put forth. There is drama in it worthy of Sophocles, but, unlike Sophocles' tragedies, what will it matter 2 thousand years from now? Or even fifty? The history of the Jews during the last two millennia can be outlined in just a couple of sentences. Escaping pogroms and persecution in country A, Jews settle in country B. If country B pays little attention to them - which, from the Jewish perspective, means being good to them - they decide that they, after so many centuries of wandering around the world, have finally found a home. A few decades or a couple of centuries later something inevitably happens, and Jewish bliss in country B comes to an end. Escaping pogroms and persecution in country B, Jews settle in country C. And so on. Presidents come and go. Empires rise and fall. Superpowers emerge and fade into oblivion. Dynasties, nations, religions, ethnicities get born and die, and only one thing remains constant: the Jews persevere throughout whatever befalls them. We've seen the fall of Babylon, Egypt, Rome, Ottoman Empire. We've seen superpowers turn to dust, and we will see more of them emerge and disappear. But Greece is a different story. Ancient Greeks are everywhere around us even today. Euclid and Pythagoras accompany our very first steps in geometry. Archimedes introduces us to physics. Philosophy - the way it exists today - would've be different if at all possible without Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, and quite a few other Greeks. Odyssey and Iliad have been translated into every language on Earth. Electron and atom are Greek words. Greek names richly adorn the starry skies above. Implicit references to Greek myths are so abundant in our speech that it takes an effort to detect them. Democracy is a Greek invention. In fact, the Renaissance itself was mostly falling back to whatever had been achieved by Greeks centuries earlier. Chances are, without the Greeks, there would've been no Renaissance, and the Dark Ages would've lasted forever. And of course they had Pericles. Remember Pericles? I will never forget the first time I saw Greek sculptures at the Louvre. They were old - millennia old - but it seemed that if I touched their marble skin, I would feel the living warmth of a human body and the pulse of youthful blood under it. Incidentally, one of my most favorite artists of all times is Domenicos Theotocopoulos, better known as El Greco - The Greek. He of course lived much, much later, in the 16th century. Apparently, the Greece in which he was born was already drastically different from the country that conceived our civilization millennia ago. He studied in Italy and worked in Spain. Had there been an abundance of Greek artists at that time, the nickname El Greco could not have been used to identify one of them. Apparently, when El Greco was alive, famous Greeks were already quite sparse. What's left of Greece's ancient glory today? Today, Greece is a country that subsists at the receiving end of the European Union's welfare system. It's main industry is tourism: Greece lives off its ruins. Besides El Greco, can you name at least one famous Greek that lived during the last few centuries - an artist, a writer, a scientist? I went through the list of Nobel Prize recipients - no Greeks there. I don't remember a single contemporary book by a Greek author. How is that possible? What happened to the Greeks? The mystery has been solved by Mikis Theodorakis, a Greek composer who wrote the PLO anthem and the score for Zorba the Greek. Zorba the Greek was quite a success, but let's face it, Mr. Theodorakis is no Bach. Two thousand - or even fifty - years from today, nobody will listen to his music, no one will remember his name. If Islam wins and returns us to the Dark Ages, the magic of Mikis Theodorakis' music will not jumpstart another Renaissance. A man not quite as blind as Homer, but apparently less open-minded than Homer Simpson, he has declared Jews the root of all evil. That's right. It's all our fault. All those suicide bombers would have been leading happy, productive lives today had it not been for the Jews. The Greek government has issued a tepid apology to Israel, but as far as I know, there has been no public outcry in Greece over Mr. Theoderakis' statement. That explains how the people who had practically started our civilization became so tragically barren. The remarkable perseverance of the Jews is accompanied by an interesting side effect: societies that treat their Jews decently, prosper; societies that harbor anti-Semitism, rot. Even the so-called Golden Age of Islam somehow coincided with the historically brief period when Muslims were protecting Jews rather than persecuting them. Jews never suffer from anti-Semitism alone: anti-Semites inevitably suffer along with them. Six million Jews perished in the Holocaust; ten times as many gentiles had to die in the process. Greece is not just famous for the splendor of its intellectual life in the distant past. Greeks have long been known for their anti-Semitism as well. In today's Greece, the death rate slightly exceeds the birth rate. The country is dying. I am confident someone is going to explain how it is the fault of the Jews. Other articles by Yashiko Sagamori can be found at http://www.middleeastfacts.com/yashiko/ |
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SAUDI ARABIA: FRIEND OR FOE?
Posted by David ben Ariel, November 14, 2003. |
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It is commonly reported that Saudi Arabia is supportive of the United States in the Middle East - even displaying unprecedented cooperativeness. Following a Saudi raid on al-Qaeda suspects in September, a U.S. diplomat in the country stated that the incident was proof of the high level of cooperation between the two countries, adding the comment that Saudi collaboration had increased in the last several months. But just how deep is the Saudis' support? How sincere is their cooperation? Are they really on America's side? Saudi Arabia is one of the world's leading producers of oil, holding a position of influence within the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). With Iraq once again beginning to produce a steady flow of oil, currently at 1.4 million barrels per day (BPD) and expected to rise, Saudi Arabia perceives a threat to its dominance in this arena. The leverage Saudi Arabia possesses in OPEC hinges on its "spare capacity" of oil - about 2 million BPD of spare production capacity that it could use to glut the market, collapse prices and force others out of the export market - which, the Near East Report stated, the Saudis "have demonstrated time and again their readiness to use" (Sept. 8). Foreign Affairs explained the strategic value of this in its March/April 2002 issue: "Saudi spare capacity is the energy equivalent of nuclear weapons, a powerful deterrent against those who try to challenge Saudi leadership and Saudi goals." The problem for Saudi Arabia is, if Iraq - with U.S. assistance - increases its oil production enough, the Saudis will lose their ability to control the oil market. With the lowest production costs in the world, Iraq has the capacity to potentially come out the better in any price war. Not since 1979, when it pumped 3.1 million BPD, has Iraq had high, stable levels of oil production. War and sanctions have prevented Iraq from being a significant player in the market for more than two decades. But now, the U.S. is changing all that - and Saudi Arabia is not happy. Thus, while outwardly friendly toward America, the Saudi government is actually attempting to undermine U.S. efforts, hoping to chase America off. The Near East Report explained, "Though the Saudi government often claims to be a close ally to the United States, its actions indicate this outcome is precisely what it is hoping for. It has not lifted a finger to seal the border to block the surge of jihadists to Iraq, and certainly has done nothing to help rebuild Iraq's vital oil industry" (op. cit.). Just how far are the Saudis prepared to go to counterbalance the U.S.? Consider the fact that they are now seeking help from Russia. In September, Crown Prince Abdullah, the Saudi leader, talked with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow "in hopes of influencing Moscow's oil exports and controlling U.S. involvement in the Middle East... Almost since the founding of the Arab state, Moscow and Riyadh have viewed each other as enemies, but now, Riyadh's deteriorating ties with Washington are forcing it to seek other allies" (www.stratfor.com, Sept. 2). While any significant success in the venture is doubtful, this move clearly illustrates that Saudi Arabia is not the friend of the U.S. it may pretend to be. What is more, Bible prophecy reveals that Saudi Arabia will be part of a future alliance that will have as its goal the destruction of America. Psalm 83 states, "They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee" (vv. 4-5). This is talking about a future alliance that will form against "Israel" - or, the modern nations of Israel, particularly the U.S., Britain and the Israel of the Middle East. Which nations will be included in this hostile alliance? The "Ishmaelites" of verse 6 are the forebears of the people of Saudi Arabia (as taught at Ambassador College under Herbert W. Armstrong). Here is a prophecy that Saudi Arabia will join with other nations to one day attack America. We can see that Saudi Arabia's duplicity, and its smoldering resentment of the U.S., is but a precursor to a much more overt hostility toward America.
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BARUCH MARZEL: HOODLUM OR HERO?
Posted by Aliza Karp, November 14, 2003. |
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Baruch Marzel, founder and administrator of numerous religious and benevolent organizations, has been arrested more than 100 times. He has sat in jail as a result of being convicted. not once. All his arrests have occurred while he is supporting Jewish causes. Without a fair trial, there is currently a court order confining Marzel to the city of Jerusalem for six months, barring him from going to his home and family in Hevron. The reason: he is dangerous to policemen. Irrelevant to the court: there are policemen in Jerusalem, vulnerable to a man dangerous to police officers. A few weeks ago, Marzel was approached by tens of policemen and forcibly taken into a police vehicle. The reason: he had not responded to an order to appear for interrogation. Irrelevant to the court: Marzel never received the order. The police admit that they did not serve the summons because they could not find Marzel, knowing full well that Marzel passes the police every morning on his way to daven at Maaras HaMachpela. The timing of the hearing was very strategic. Not only was Marzel under pressure to not be incarcerated over Shabbos, it was in the week of Sheva Brochas of his sister and his parents dearly wanted him to attend the family simcha. Kibud Av V'aim, which Marzel shows every day to the Avos and Emahos, he also shows to his own parents. He did everything in his power not to let them down that Shabbos. The compromise he made, to win his freedom for Shabbos, was to agree to the six month exile. Marzel has dedicated his life to Eretz Yisroel, more specifically, the security of Yesha, through settlement. He is careful not to get involved in fights with police that would only besmirch the title of 'settler,' and not contribute to the security or Eretz Yisroel. In and around Hevron the security personnel count on him to be a calming influence when settlers conflict with authority. He is respected by both sides. A month before the arrest, was the evacuation of the Gilad Farm in the Shomron. Marzel was at the scene. Fully aware that the press and the police were watching him, he stayed aloof, until, he was approached by both soldiers and police officers, to go the main areas of contention and try to calm people down. "When I got there," reports Marzel, "I saw Israeli special patrol units, Yasam, brutally and aggressively attacking a youth. I approached the presiding officer and asked to see his credentials. He refused and I repeated my request, at which point I was attacked from behind and forcibly taken from the area. I suspected that the police were being protected by someone who would excuse them for not presenting their ID. I was not be deterred by their use of force. I do not allow myself to be intimidated when facing injustice. I returned to the area again demanding to see the officer's identification. Like a well-directed movie, the television cameras moved in while I was making my way back to the officer, protecting myself from being pushed and shoved aside. That is when the cameras got the picture that made my self-defense look like I was the one causing the trouble. It appears as if the television crew was part of the police operation." The current charge against Marzel, that he is dangerous to police, is based on the pictures from this scene. Irrelevant to the court: the declaration that Marzel is dangerous to policemen was made one month after the incriminating incident, in which time Marzel has interacted peacefully with police on a daily basis at Maaras HaMachpela. At the time of the arrest the press aggressively reported the story, assuming Marzel guilty of the charges and more. His acquittal, due to the lack of evidence, will not be big news. The result: Marzel's reputation, in the minds of the well-meaning public, is that he is a hoodlum, when in fact, Marzel is a hero. When he served in Lebanon and saved his tank unit from disaster, he was regarded a military hero. His exceptional actions of goodness and kindness, render him a genuine folk hero. For years Marzel traveled throughout Eretz Yisroel and to many places abroad, personally speaking with Jewish leaders, convincing them to visit Hevron. Once the leaders came, the followers came, and eventually, with more hard work there emerged a change in public attitude towards visiting Hevron. Marzel initiated the first Chol HaMoed concert at Maarat HaMachpela. He set the popularity of visiting Hevron into motion and it has gained tremendous momentum with the help of others. But if one man is responsible for the crowds that now visit Hevron. it is Baruch Marzel. Marzel has assisted in the establishment of no less than 14 settlements in Yesha, where he actually moved in with the original residents and stayed until the settlements overcame the initial gliches and became functioning entities. In these days of terror, Marzel attends all the funerals of victims of terror, visits the mourners and visits the hospital beds of the injured. This past summer he brought Jewish superstar, Mordechai ben David, with him to Tel HaShomer hospital. They visited many victims and MBD actually gave a private concert for a bedridden soldier, with Baruch Marzel at his side. Marzel micromanages the extensive Chachnoses Orchim operation in Hevron. "The Gemora teaches us," quotes Marzel, "more than the calf wants to nurse, the mother cow wants do the nursing. So it is in Hevron, the city of our Father Avraham, who taught us the mitzvah of welcoming guests, as much as the guests want to come to Hevron, we in Hevron want even more, to welcome them." When I asked Tirtza Eisenberg, an American teenager who spent her summer in Hevron, what Baruch Marzel was all about, she answered: "He has a lot guests, he serves them chollent and he makes sure they have a ride to the airport. If they don't, he takes them himself. But the whole time he is on his cell phone, organizing and arranging, unless, of course, it is Shabbos." "I have walked along the streets of Yerushalaim many times with Baruch," says Rabbi Danny Cohen, Chabad Shliach in Hevron, "and it is amazing how many people stop to talk to him. He is very well known, very well liked and very well respected." Recently the community of Hevron held a farewell gathering in honor of the soldiers who had served in Hevron for half a year and were now being transferred to another location. At the gathering the commanding officer, not of right wing persuasion himself, had words of praise for Marzel: "The one person who was always cooperative, friendly and helpful was Baruch Marzel. We did encounter incidents from time to time and it was Marzel who could be counted on to intervene and work thing out." Marzel admits that he was arrested a total of 11 times for visiting the gravesite of Rebbitzen Menucha Rochel Slonim in the ancient Ashkenazie cemetery on the outskirts of the Jewish community in Hevron. This area is clearly Jewish property, but the army did not allow Jews to be there. However, with persistence of Marzel and others like him, Jews now have permission to go there. In fact, the entire Jewish community of Hevron was settled because a group of Jewish women who moved into Beit Hadassah in the middle of the night with no permission. Only through an act like this could the Jewish community of Hevron be established. All political attempts had failed. The self-sacrifice of these women succeeded. Having a Jewish community in Hevron is the best way to defend and secure Maarat HaMachpela. Having soldiers stranded in Hevron guarding the Maara without the Jews coming and going everyday would be a terrible situation, and a volatile one. Marzel, his supportive wife and children, the righteous women of Beis Hadassah and the other brave souls who sometimes have to break the rules and risk arrest, are preserving Maarat HaMachpela for the tens of thousands of guests who visited this past Sukkot and entire Jewish nation. Another exceptional deed of Marzel, that did not make headlines in the news, is the establishment of the first Talmud Torah in Hevron since 1929. This year 15 boys are learning Torah in Hevron all day, six days a week, thanks to Marzel. The organizations operated by Marzel include: the Guest House in Hevron; the Charity Fund, the largest organization in Judea and Samaria that helps families under stress; Talmud Torah Zilberman in Hevron and Yad L'Achayot, an organization that rescues and cares for Jewish girls otherwise unable to free themselves from abusive relationships with Arabs. Concerning the current arrest, Marzel's friends assume it is related to the upcoming elections. If settlers become popular they will become powerful. The 'establishment' needs to uphold the reputation of the settlers as being violent fanatics. Who could better represent that image than Baruch Marzel? Many politicians like to project themselves as saviors but turn out to be the opposite. Marzel is committed through and through to the Jewish people and the Jewish homeland. His reputation as a hoodlum is false, the current charges against him are false but his integrity is true.
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THE SHABAK (ISRAEL'S SECRET SERVICE) ADMINISRATIVE DETENTION ABUSE
Posted by Ruth Matar, November 14, 2003. |
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Dear Friends, I do so wish that I didn't feel the need to write this particular letter. Unfortunately, I must tell you that Israelis still live under the threat of Administrative Detention, a legal instrument left over from British Mandate days. No doubt, Administrative Detention was and is a reasonable and legitimate legal instrument in times of riots and terrorism. There is no other way to detain, for any length of time, a large number of suspects involved in acts of extreme violence against the State. Following all normal court procedures in such circumstances would paralyze the legal system and help potential killers. What is Administrative Detention? Individuals may be imprisoned by the State without due process, without being charged, or even without being informed what their crime might be. Such individuals don't have to be brought before a judge, and are often not allowed to have their day in court. They are not entitled to the usual free society rules, which render all suspects innocent until proved otherwise. The Agency in Israel which uses this tool of Administrative Detention is Israel's General Secret Service, the Shabak (also called the Shin Bet). Since the rebirth of the State of Israel, the Shabak has used this tool in what many think is a rampant denial of civil rights. I want to mention three well known cases of such abuse of Administrative Detention in the State of Israel. In 1995 a Kiryat Arba resident, Shmuel Cytryn, who had served in the Golani brigade in the Lebanon war, and had no criminal record whatsoever, was arrested on December 4, 1995, a month AFTER the Rabin assassination, and jailed under an Administrative Detention order. According to the Jerusalem weekly, "Kol Ha'ir", Cytryn's crime might have been that he irritated the General Security Service by being the first to charge that Avishai Raviv was a Shabak agent and provocateur. This was three months BEFORE Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination, and well before Raviv was exposed as an agent for the Shabak, whose particular assignment was to discredit the national religious camp. As an example, Avishai Raviv ran the Eyal organization to which Yigal Amir belonged. Shmuel Cytryn's family believed that the reason that their son and husband was arrested and isolated in jail was that he should not be able to publish details of Avishai Raviv's activities from there. Because of public outcry by civil libertarians, both in Israel and the United States, Shmuel Cytryn was finally granted a court hearing. "We don't have the slightest idea what the man has been detained for, even in a general sense," Cytryn's lawyer told the court, asking it to examine the classified evidence against Cytryn and to enlighten him. After doing so, the head of the court, Justice Aharon Barak, said that Cytryn was being held because of "an extremist world view and extreme statements, which, in the estimation of the security services, could lead with relative ease to acts that would endanger the security of the region." Cytryn's lawyer responded "this is something for which it is forbidden to put someone in Administrative Detention. A man is permitted to have twisted opinions, as long as he does not incite." After the Justices left the room to examine the classified evidence, Cytryn began screaming at his guards. "Why are you doing this? Because I said the General Security Service is responsible for Prime Minister Rabin's death? " At the end of the hearing, Cytryn asked to make a statement to the court, in which he attacked the reliability of the classified evidence, noting that anyone could spread lies and have them entered into the GSS's file on him. "I don't intend to eat anymore," he said, his voice choking with tears. "I see no reason that I should be in this position. I have a family that has been destroyed? I am not willing to accept any compromise. I am not a terrorist." Another glaring example of Administrative Detention abuse was the arrest and imprisonment of a prominent and highly respected Rabbi, Yitzhak Ginsburgh, on charges of incitement to violence and endangerment of public safety. The Administrative Detention order was signed by then Minister of Defense, Shimon Peres. Rabbi Ginsburgh was the head of "Od Yosef Chai" Yeshiva in Shchem (Nablus), which was located next to the Jewish Holy site of the Tomb of Yosef, the son of the patriarch Yaakov. Yosef had died in Egypt but requested that the Jews take his bones along to be buried in the Holy Land. (Genesis 50: 24-26) A Jerusalem Post editorial of March 19, 1996, expressed the belief that the Government was not concerned about incitement, but rather wanted to dismantle Rabbi Ginsburgh's "Od Yosef Chai" Yeshiva, because it felt that this was a politically awkward site and a security burden. (The sad result of this government attitude was that Joseph's Tomb and the adjacent Yeshiva were shamefully abandoned under a violent attack by the Arabs in the year 2000. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has not reclaimed this Holy site, which even under the Oslo Accords belongs to the Jews and the State of Israel.) The latest victim of Administrative Detention abuse is Noam Federman, a 34 year old man with a wife and seven children, the oldest twelve years old, and the youngest one year old. He has literally been whisked away from his family and imprisoned in solitary confinement since September 22 of this year, without being charged. He has been put in a cell block together with Arab terrorist murderers, who continually shout threats against his life. To protest his incarceration, Noam Federman has started a hunger strike. He has already lost 20 kilos (44 pounds), because he is only consuming liquids. His wife, Elisheva, has asked that these liquids be either milk or juice in order that he have some nourishment, but her request has been denied. She has further requested that a doctor be allowed to examine him. This request has been denied as well by the Shabak. No one is allowed to visit him in prison, not even his wife Elisheva. She has seen him only twice since his imprisonment, once during the Sukkot holiday, and one other time when the court ordered that he be allowed to attend his daughter's Bat Mitzvah celebration for two hours. On both these occasions Noam Federman was in handcuffs and leg-irons, and chained to a Shabak agent, so that he could not have a private conversation with anyone, including his wife. Noam Federman is a law school graduate, but is forbidden to practice law. Some people believe that the reason for Federman's imprisonment is that he has published a booklet which advises people who are arrested by the Shabak, amongst other authorities, of their legal rights, such as being silent when interrogated. The cases of Shmuel Cytryn, Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburgh and Noam Federman are a sad commentary on the civil rights of Jewish Israeli citizens. Convicted Arab terrorist murderers are being released in groups of hundreds, allowing them to immediately organize further attacks and to once again kill Jews. Jewish citizens, on the other hand, are put in Administrative Detention for political reasons by a government fearful of popular protest. But it is one thing to use emergency wartime regulations to fight the country's enemies and preserve its security interests, and quite another to employ them arbitrarily to intimidate political opponents! A note to civil libertarians: To protest abuses of civil rights only when leftists and Palestinians are affected is to mock justice. To arbitrarily throw Noam Federman in jail is to mock democracy. Join us in demanding: CHARGE NOAM FEDERMAN OR FREE HIM! Or you may well ask yourself: WHO IS NEXT? What can you do to help obtain justice for Noam Federman? Telephone, fax or email Prime Minister Sharon at: Tel - 02-6705555, Fax - 02-5664838, Email - webmaster@pmo.gov.il. Administrative Detention orders must be signed by the Defense Minister. Shaul Mofaz, who is the current Defense Minister, signed Noam Federman's Detention order. Telephone, fax or email Shaul Mofaz at: Tel - 03-6976663, Fax - 03-6976218, Email - sar@mod.gov.il. (When calling of faxing from abroad dial Israel's country code 972 and then dial the number, eliminating the first zero) With Blessings and Love for Israel, Ruth Matar P.S. In order to better understand the Shabak, I recommend that you read the book "Lies - Israel's Secret Service and the Rabin Assassination" by David Morrison.
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CAN THE ARAB ENEMY BE WON OVER?
Posted by Richard H. Shulman, November 14, 2003. |
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Theory is, make life easier for the Arab enemy, and he will appreciate you enough to refrain from terrorism. Under that theory (or is it under pressure from the anti-Zionist State Dept.), Israel just made life easier for the Arab enemy. It permitted thousands more P.A. Arabs to work in Israel. The accompanying relaxation of travel restrictions also made it easier for Arab terrorists. Attacks are said to be imminent. So much for the theory of being nice to Arabs (Voice of Judea, 11/2). The theory long has been disproved. It never made sense. How can one expect jihadists, among the most vicious fanatics, to appreciate decency from a hated enemy, when the Arabs are intransigent and believe that enemy concessions indicate weakness that can be parlayed into more concessions? Certainly the Arabs take concessions for granted. They pile on the terrorism, rather than express appreciation. If the theory were first being formulated, its adherents would have some excuse. Its having been tried and repeatedly failed, however, gives it adherents no excuse. They either are uneducable or ingenuous. It was irresponsible to make life-and-death policy decisions on the basis of an untested theory. It is criminally negligent not to follow up and realize that the theory has failed. It adds insult to injury to try to persuade people to approve such theories that get more Israelis murdered. Egypt's grand Sheikh Tantawi announced that under Islamic law, suicide bombers who defend again aggressors and invades are martyrs. Islam forbids killing innocent civilians and children (IMRA, 11/3). These Muslim clerics seem constantly to be changing and shading their opinions, and hiding their intent from Westerners by using language that has a benign meaning in the West but a coded and malign meaning in the East. Westerners want to hear that Islam forbids killing innocent civilians and children. What most Westerners do not know, and their media do not tell them, is that the Arabs then define innocent civilians and children to mean their own non-uniformed gunmen and bomb-throwing children, and not the really innocent Israeli civilians. Most of the foreign fighters in Iraq are Palestinian Arabs. Palestinian Arab gunmen have come to kill Americans. This must be the result of years of burning Old Glory and, what our media does not report, the steady propaganda in P.A. mosques (and elsewhere in the Arab world), favoring destruction of the US. No wonder that after hearing their preachers pray for the destruction of the US, and helped by Syria, terrorists from the P.A. are joining other foreign Arabs to attack our troops.
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THE UNJEWISH UNDERGROUND IS ABOUT TO ATTACK THE JEWISH NATION AGAIN
Posted by Shmuel HaLevi, November 14, 2003. |
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The enhanced "Jewish Sektion" schedules are called from the EU, receiving huge sums of money and follow orders from the new Greco-Romans. There is nothing spontaneous on the assaults of the 27 salty air force persons, followed by the wild strikes, then the Peres-Beilin Olso-Geneva, then the Rabin Festival Ltd., the Ayalon-Neuseibah section activities.
THE UNJEWISH INDERGROUND will publish shortly, even this week, a joint "interview" part of the continuous EU plan to undermine and destroy the Nation. Be prepared to act and DEFEND our Heritage and future. Those people are mortal enemies of the Jewish Nation working in close association with their islamic partners and their foreign controllers from the EU.
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SELECTIVE FREE SPEECH ABSOLUTISM IN ISRAEL
Posted by Steven Plaut, November 14, 2003. |
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The timing could not be more amusing. On the very day when the British courts were preventing overseas papers from being distributed in the UK because they might carry a story the court censor regards as inflammatory and libelous, Israel's Supreme Court handed down its ruling in favor of free speech absolutism for Arab fascists and leftist traitors (only). The British censorship involved preventing non-British papers from being sold in Britain if they repeat the assertion by a former butler for Prince Charles that he had witnessed the Prince having homosexual relations with a servant. The British establishment, the same that daily asserts there is of course nothing at all WRONG with gay relations, had a fit. Sixteen papers were banned in the cradle of democracy. And that very same day three Supreme Court justices in Israel, led by Dalia Dorner, handed down a ruling revoking the ban by Israel's film censor board on the anti-Israel propaganda film "Jenin Jenin" in the name of free speech absolutism. Israel has a film censor board that ordinarily does very little. It occasionally has banned things like child porn and has banned some films regarded as offensive to religious sensitivities - usually the religious sensitivities of CHRISTIANS. For example, it once banned an Italian film portraying Jesus in offensive semi-porno manner. After the mini-battle in Jenin during Israel's Defensive Wall mini-offensive, as many as 20 denizens of Jenin and about the same number of Israeli troops lost their lives in street fighting. The Israel-bashers of the planet declared that Israel had perpetrated a war crime and genocide there, a libel repeated in such pits of depravity as the BBC. In other words, the lie was proliferated by the very same people who had nothing to say about the mass murders of Jews that triggered Israel's Defensive Wall incursions in the first place. Later of course it turned out that nothing of the sort happened, and that there were no war crimes committed in Jenin, at least not by Israel. Even the UN commission that investigated and Shimon Peres confirmed this. Nevertheless a cottage industry of books and films portraying the Israelis as Nazis for their "crimes" in Jenin has been growing. Perhaps the worst of these was "Jenin Jenin", a Goebbels-like film by Israeli Arab Mohammed Bakhri. It is a tissue of lies. It claims Israeli troops blew up a hospital wing that had never been constructed at all. It interviews a man claiming Israeli troops shot him in his leg for no reason when it turns out he was never shot at all. And so on. Bakhri by the way is the first cousin of Arab mass murderers who placed a suicide bomber on a bus in the Galilee last year. He proudly proclaims his support for his murderer cousins and he insists they were driven to their mass murder by what Israel did in Jenin, which I guess means that they were driven to it by the lies that Bakhri tells in his film about what Israel did. The film board had issued a ban on Bakhri's Goebbels film on grounds that it was an outrageous insult to the families of the Israeli troops who had lost their lives in the battle, men were killed, by the way, because Israel was reluctant to level Jenin neighborhoods with artillery. In other words - men who lost their lives because Israel was endeavoring to PROTECT Palestinian civilian lives. Ever since, the Israeli Caring Left has been defying the ban and screening the film on campuses illegally, before groups of Far Leftists. Natch, no one has been prosecuted for this. As you know, the highest human value in the minds of the Tenured Traitors is seeing Israel destroyed and anti-Semitism fomented around the world. (Imagine their excitement at events in Greece this week.) The Left went to court to demand that the ban be revoked. Bakhri was represented by Far-Leftist lawyer Avigdor Feldman, who has spent parts of his career defending Arab murderers of Jewish children (see below). Yesterday the court handed down its ruling. Claiming "there is no truth and no falsehood in matters of free speech," the Court ruling drafted by Justice Dorner declared that it is ok to screen anti-Semitic canards on the screen in Israel during time of war. Funny how the Court never exercises such relativism when it comes to prosecuting Right-wingers for exercising THEIR free speech! Now the only problem with this is that the lovely free speech absolutism of the Court only extends to the Jewish treasonous Left and to Arab fascists and supporters of terror. The Court - and Dorner personally - have long DEFENDED the bans on free speech for such groups as the various Kahanist splinters. The Court has upheld the criminalization of these groups as "racist," although has never allowed Israel's ludicrous anti-racism law to be applied to Arab fascists calling for mass murders of Jews, people like Mohammed Bakhri himself. At this very moment the radical Rabbi Ginsberg is being prosecuted for "fomenting racism." The Court has maintained the banning of the Kahanists as "terrorists" apparently because they sometimes scribble indelicate graffiti on walls in Jerusalem, at the same time that people like Bakhri sing the praises of the suicide mass murderers with impunity in the name of free speech. It is NOT protected speech to wear a T-shirt on which it is printed, "Where there are no Arabs there are no terrorist atrocities." That has been proclaimed racist incitement. Those sporting such garb have been arrested and are now awaiting trial in the land of free speech absolutism. The free speech absolutism of Dalia Dorner and her comrades only extends to those people seeking the destruction of Israel and mass murder of Jews. Dorner has a long track record of imposing her leftist ideology on her court rulings. You may recall that she was one of the justices who invented a constitutional right to spuse benefits for gay partners, in a ruling based in part on citations from gay Marxist French "philosopher" Michel Foucault (who died of AIDS a few years back in Frisco), remarkable given the fact that Israel does not even have a constitution. She also issued the ruling that two lesbian mothers must be registered as the "parents" of a baby. Dorner was the justice who ordered three of the five Arab murderers of the 15 year old Haifa boy Dani Katz put back on the streets while awaiting a retrial. (The murderers were defended by Avigdor Feldman - who else? - and were reconvicted.) She once ruled that Arabs who throw Molotov cocktails (fire bombs) at Jewish civilians should be sentenced to nothing more than a tap on the wrist and a warning. (Haaretz Mar 25, 02). She is a groupie of the doctrine of judicial activism, meaning judicial tyranny, being promoted by Chief Justice Aharon Barak. She has issued restraining orders to prevent the government from shutting down the illegal PLO offices at Orient House in Jerusalem. Like all Court justices, Dorner of course is non-elected and cannot be impeached. (For a good picture of the devotion of Dorner to democratic freedoms and due process, take a look at http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.08.01/news10.html and http://www.me-ontarget.com/archarticles/arch020708/020818humanrights.htm and http://goldwater.mideastreality.com/judgerules.html a nd http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/08/14/world/main518615.shtml and http://www.jewishmediaresources.com/article/178/). Jenin Jenin has become the cause celebre of the Bash-the-Jews movement. Israeli leftists and overseas ill-wishers, like Mikey Lerner and the Tikkun potheads, have been promoting the film as a great statement of the "Arab narrative." (Tikkun this week is gather cash for ads calling for a reduction of US support to Israel. Tikkun celebrates free speech absolutism by refusing to print any letter that disputes any fatwa that Rabbi Moonbeam has issued.) Speaking of arbitrary application of Israel's "anti-racism" law and free speech absolutism, just considered the latest anti-Jewish libel run in Haaretz this week. Israel in recent days experienced a tragedy involving German-manufactured baby formula that had been produced without a vitamin. Two babies died and 15 were hospitalized before the problem was identified. Naturally the Caring Left has an explanation for all this and that is that the tragedies occurred because of the awful Orthodox religious people. You see, the babies died because of the conspiracies of the religious to impose their archaic devotion to kosher eating rules on the rest of the country. The German product was being imported because it is made with soy and not animal milk, which means that people who only drink "Cholov Yisrael" (milk a Jew has supplied, to be sure it did not come from a non-kosher animal) can use it. Ultra-Orthodox (haredi) kosher certifiers will not approve a product if it has milk supplied by a non-Jew who is not under supervision, although ordinary kosher certifiers do. The Der-Sturmer-like libel that somehow kosher observance was behind the tragedy is repeated in Haaretz, the main Palestinian newspaper published in Hebrew and the daily infommercial for the Far Left. It is under the byline of Avirama Golan, whom you may recall as someone trying to organize a mass boycott of all kosher food in Israel a couple of years back.
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COMMENTS ON ISRAELI ARABS
Posted by Voice of Judea, November 14, 2003. |
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Item 1: Arab Children Terrorize Jewish Children in Lod. Maariv on-line reports on the arrest of a gang of Arab children ranging in age form 12- 14 who were attacking and beating Jewish children for many months in the Chabad and other parks. The Arab children, also residents of Lod, said that they would beat the Jewish children until they would bleed, in revenge for what the IDF does to their "Palestinian" brothers. The Arab children said that they were angry and frustrated after viewing Al Jazeera TV. Police finally caught up with the gang of Arabs after many Jewish parents filed complaints. Comment: Arab TV and PA TV broadcast freely into Israel, openly inciting Arabs to kill Jews. This is legal. However, the nationalist-Torah Arutz Sheva Radio is banned in Israel. Item 2: PM's adviser's proposal: PM Ariel Sharon's advisor for Arab Affairs Uri Borovsky has submitted a proposal that would mandate taking and oath of loyalty prior to receiving an Israeli identity card, the flying of Israeli flags on all public buildings (Jewish and Arab), and the enlistment of minority groups in the IDF or for national service. Borovsky is claiming these measures will cultivate patriotism among Israeli Arabs. Comment: Cultivate patriotism among Israeli Arabs? Good luck! Get them to swear allegiance to the state and to fly Israeli flags? Jews are scared to enter into Arab villages, and this character is talking about having Arabs fly the Israeli flag from their roof tops. I think this astronaut is a bit out of touch. Should we also get them to stand at attention before and after entering their mosques to sing the Hatikva - the Isreali national anthem, that speaks of "Nefesh Yehudi Homeeah" - The soul of the Jew yearning to return to Zion for thousands of years? Jewish children are scared to walk the streets in Israeli cities with large Arab populations such as Lod and Sharon's aids are speaking about coexistence with the Arabs and Arab loyalty to the Jewish state? What kind of weed is Sharon growing on his farm? Item 3: Arabs workers tried to poison cafe diners: The three Arab terrorists who tried to poison Jewish diners at Cafe Rimon last year were sentenced this week to five, seven and a half and ten years. When the owner of cafe Rimon was asked if he was angry at his worker for being involved with this terrorist plot, he respnded, "you can only be angry at someone you don't know. I'm disappointed, I never expected this, they worked here for three and a half years and were great workers." Comment: They should be fried alive! Israeli Judges are in desperate need of psychiatric care. How could they justify sentencing the Rabbi's from Bat Ayin to 15 year sentences and more for their plot to retaliate against Arabs, and at the same time sentence Arab terrorists to five, seven and 10 years for their crime of poisoning Jews? The owner of this cafe should have his head examined and should be put on trial for endangering the lives of his customers. This 'meshugena' criminal continues to employ Arabs!
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HOW WILL YOUR GOVERNMENT BE VOTING IN THE U.N.
Posted by David Frankfurther, November 13, 2003. |
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The attached story from the San Francisco Chronicle should
prompt you to ask your government how they will be voting.
It was written by Edith M. Lederer, an Associated Press Writer and
appeared November 10, 2003.
Are the
lives of Israeli children less precious than those of Palestinian
children? Are the hundreds of anti-Israel resolutions less
"political and insensitive" than asking the UN to equally
protect Israeli children, as the Palestinian UN observer would have us
believe? The Palestinians have asked that a U.N. committee reject a resolution calling for the protection of Israeli children victimized by Palestinian terrorism, saying the document is political and insensitive. "This is an anti-Palestinian resolution much more than it is a pro-Israeli children resolution," the Palestinian U.N. observer Nasser Al-Kidwa said Monday. Israel circulated the draft last week - the first resolution it has introduced since 1976. Ariel Milo, the spokesman for Israel's U.N. Mission, said the vote on the draft will reveal whether the General Assembly "thinks that the lives of Israeli children are less important than those of Palestinian children." The Israeli draft closely mirrors a resolution adopted by the General Assembly last year by a large majority on the plight of Palestinian children affected by more than three years of conflict in the region. Egypt submitted a similar draft two weeks ago for the current session of the General Assembly, and it was approved by the committee dealing with social and humanitarian issues. The same committee was expected to take up the Israeli draft on Wednesday or Thursday. Al-Kidwa told reporters the Palestinians "were not amused" at having the format of their resolution copied. "This reflects a complete lack of sensitivity with regard to the suffering of the Palestinian children," he said, adding that Israel had added "absolutely unacceptable political substance in each paragraph." Al-Kidwa said the case of Palestinian children was unique because they are "deprived of every single right in the Convention on the Rights of the Child - from statehood and nationality up to the physical safety. It is not the case of any other child in the world." Al-Kidwa told reporters that European nations have already said they will abstain. The United States opposed the draft resolution on Palestinian children, but a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Monday "we have not yet taken a position" on the Israeli draft. For years, Israel has refused to take seriously the numerous resolutions Arab states sponsor annually, which almost always condemn Israel's actions against the Palestinians while making little, if any, mention of Palestinian attacks against Jews.
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ROAD SIGNS TO SEPTEMBER 11
Posted by Dr. Asher Eder, November 13, 2003. |
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The Sept.11 attack on the Pentagon and the Twin Towers was surprising to many in two aspects: that it happened at all, and that it was carried out with breathtaking planning and efficiency. This showed that it was not masterminded by some fringe rascals. The fact that it happened, however, surprised only those who could not - or did not - want to read the map. It did not come as a sudden bolt of lightning from a clear, cloudless sky. Let's try to read the map, at least in retrospect. 1) From its early days, the Arab/Islamic world has developed the idea that the entire world would have to be converted to the denomination of Islam. This idea, although derived from the Koran, is not supported by it. The Koran acknowledges as Muslim such Jewish Prophets as Elijah, Elisha, and King David, and even pre-Abrahamic figures like Noah and Adam. In addition, the Koran states that Allah willed to create different nations (peoples), each with its own specific ordinances and callings. In spite of that clear dictum, Muslim scholars and clergy [if I may be allowed to use this Christian term in our context] declared the world to be divided into two realms: the realm of Dar-es-Salaam, identified as that part of the world where Islam rules; and the realm of Dar-el-Hareb (lit. "rule of the sword") identified as the rest of the nations that are not yet governed by Muslim law but must be brought to accept Islamic rule and rulers - if necessary by war. The two major attempts made so far in that vein, have failed: The first advance of the Muslim Arab armies towards Rome was thwarted in 711 by Charles Martelle; and the second attempt, carried out by Turkish Muslim armies from the Balkans via Vienna, was thwarted by Prince Eugene. However, as an age-old Arab/Muslim saying has it, one has to make three efforts to achieve a goal, with the third being the decisive one. 2) Islam, once the leading world power culturally and militarily, began to decline in 1254 with the destruction by the Mongols of its cultural center, Baghdad. The Muslim military victory over the Crusaders in the very same century did not lead to political or cultural advances; on the contrary, the European powers gained the upper hand, to the extent that they could subjugate even Muslim nations and treat them like colonies. When the European powers weakened themselves in WWI & WWII, and the Turkish Empire collapsed, only then could Muslim and Arab nationalistic movements thrive, and infuse new hope into their societies. 3) The Balfour Declaration of 1918 brought another, and decisive turning point: the decision that a Jewish national home be established in the Land of "Palestine." (The English used this name for the land, translated from the ancient Roman term.) "Palestine" of the British Mandate was clearly within the realm of what had been considered "Dar-es-Salaam" since the Khaliph Omar in the 8th century. While some Arab/Muslim leaders (like King Feisal of Iraq and Sheikh Abdallah of Transjordan) were ready to accept the Jews back in their ancient homeland, others under the leadership of the Grand Mufti Amin el-Husseini gained the upper hand in their adamant and violent hostility against any return of the Jews. The newly-established Arab League gave political support to the Mufti's efforts on a national and international level. In WWII Amin el-Husseini established close ties with Nazi leaders, went to Germany, and in 1943 he broadcast a call on Radio Berlin to wage Jihad against the Jews, and "kill them wherever you find them - this would be pleasing to Allah". He also raised two Muslim SS-divisions (from Muslims of the Balkan and of Southern Russia then under German occupation), in support of the German war effort. 4) El-Husseini was captured in 1945 by the French, but instead of bringing him to trial together with other war criminals, they released him shortly afterwards to Cairo. In cooperation with the Arab League, he played a decisive role in organizing violent resistance against any immigration of Jewish refugees from Europe. In the ensuing civil war, his gangs fought against Jews and British alike - but England also did not bring him to justice. 5) The newly-established United Nations, on behest of England as the Mandatory Power over "Palestine", debated the latter's fate. In their famous Resolution of Nov. 29, 1947, a UN majority vote decided to divide what was left of the Land of "Palestine" - 78% of Palestine had already been converted into Transjordan - and establish therein a Jewish State next to an Arab Palestine State. 6) The Arab states, together with most of the other Muslim states, had not only voted against the establishment of a Jewish state - that is, a non-Muslim entity in a territory conceived to be part of the Dar-es-Salaam - they tried by all means to prevent the coming into existence of Israel: in the war of 1948, seven Arab states sent their armies against the newly established State of Israel. The Transjordanians succeeded in capturing the so-called West Bank and East Jerusalem, but instead of establishing a Palestinian state, they incorporated these areas into their own state, renaming it The Kingdom of Jordan. Not abiding by a majority vote of the UNO; sending regular armies against one of its legally recognized member states; and annexing a territory against an UNO decision, amounts to clear threefold defiance of UNO authority. The UNO chose to ignore that snub - the first one in a long chain of defiances to follow:
7) Aside from the war of 1948, Arab states waged two major wars to destroy Israel (in 1967, and in 1973) but were never taken to account by the UNO- which was obligated to come forth in defense of Israel as one of its member states. By this failure on their part to act, along with the above-mentioned violations, the UNO as such - along with its individual member states - constitutes a de facto acceptance of the Islamic concept of Dar-es-Salaam versus Dar-el-Hareb. This inaction with its implied acknowledgment, brings even moderate Muslim states and individuals under the sway of Arafat and his supporters. 8) Equally overlooked by the non-Muslim world are the "Proceedings of the Fourth Conference of the Academy of Islamic Studies". This Conference was convened in Sept. 1969 at the Al-Azhar University, Cairo, on behest of Gaml Abd-el-Nasser, then President of Egypt. It outlined the rules for the Jihad to be waged against Israel. Support of the latter was denounced as a "challenge to Muslim peoples, a demonstration of enmity toward them and a total disregard of their sentiments" (pp. 921, 924). The "Proceedings" of that Conference were published and distributed in 1970 by Egypt's "General Organization of Government Printing Offices" in Cairo. This constitutes Egyptian governmental backing of the "Jihad" against Israel, and a declaration that any support for Israel is "enmity toward the Muslim people". 9) Lebanon is, on the one hand, treated as an independent nation (Lebanon is under Syrian occupation), but on the other hand, it is not held responsible for allowing terrorist groups to operate against Israel from its territory (first the PLO and other Palestinian groups; then Amal and Hizbollah). 10) Israeli soldiers and an American Jew have been taken hostage by those terrorist groups, but Lebanon is not held responsible; rather Israel is forced to negotiate with these terrorist groups (indirectly, with the help of third parties. 11) Syria, which attacked Israel in 1948; in 1966/7; and in 1973, is rewarded for these aggression with a seat in the Security Council - something which is denied to Israel for "technical reasons". Since Israel still has no internationally recognized borders, it apparently can be attacked till its disappearance from the map allows Dar-es-Salaam to be re-established in the Near East. 12) Shortly before the USA and Britain toppled Saddam's regime, Iraq's deputy prime minister, Mr. Aziz, declared in a plenary session of the UNO that his country's support for Palestinian suicide bombers does not constitute backing terror; rather it should be understood as aiding freedom fighters. He was actually allowed to get away with that remark without a reprimand. The UNO simply swallowed it. 13) The "Road Map", with its promise of an independent Palestinian State by 2005, must be conceived by the Arab/Muslim states as proof that their politics of combining membership in the UNO with defying the core reason of its existence, while all along supporting all kind of terror groups, has softened Israel and the USA (not to speak of Europe), and is paying off handsomely. If so, more terror attacks can be expected... 14) The above should not be understood as an attempt to declare the "West" free of any sin. Who in this world could claim to be without sin and guilt? Who could "throw the first stone?" There are ways to solve our problems, and perhaps we will look for them once the situation deteriorates to the unbearable. The points raised above are only a few of the examples that could be offered, but they are sufficient to demonstrate that the UNO has become a travesty of its original purposes. True, General Secretary, Mr. Kofi Anan, recently said that the UNO would not allow Israel's destruction. Well spoken - but what backing do these words have? So far, these words of his have not been supported by congruent actions. The UNO's very intention to create a Palestinian state on Israel's homeland amounts to Israel's mutilation and ensuing destruction. If the struggle were a confrontation between two religions, it would perhaps be asking too much of the UNO to deal with it, as this would be beyond its capacity and raison d'etre as a political body. But the Arab/Israel conflict is a political confrontation, under the guise of religious motifs and in plain distortion of the Koran. It took the Sept.11 attack on the Pentagon and the WTC to awaken the USA, at least to some degree, to the harsh facts. But the UNO goes on, entangled in its dichotomy, apparently unaware that untruthfulness will eventually have its revenge on those who champion it. Dr. Eder is Jewish Co-Chairman of the Islam-Israel Fellowship, Root and Branch Association, which is based in Jerusalem. |
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WE ARE ALL ISRAELIS NOW, AND ALL AMERICANS
The JINSA Report #373, November 13, 2003. |
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The Saudis are furious! They don't like their women and children being blown up, particularly not by Moslems during Ramadan. Similarly, the Red Cross moaned that its "neutrality" should have protected it from the bombing that killed scores of its people in Baghdad. Neither victim group seems outraged by bombings per se, only that their status (not Americans?) should have made the bombers choose someone else. But if not them, who? Israeli children, perhaps? American soldiers? This is a misunderstanding about the enemy in the war against terrorists and the states that harbor and support them, about who they are and what they want. The terrorists are Moslem totalitarians - like Nazi and communist and Palestinian totalitarians. Anyone insufficiently enthusiastic about the agenda is the enemy, including other Moslems. The Nazis killed Germans, the communists killed Russians, and Mussolini's fascists killed Italians. Palestinians kill Palestinians all the time. We just tend not to notice when people are killing their own, and notice more when they kill us. When the Red Cross provided aid and comfort to Iraqis who are not fighting the Americans, the Red Cross became the enemy and Iraqi civilians who took their help became the enemy as well. When the Saudi government backed the liberation, Saudis became the enemy. Doctors, relief workers, women and children - they are all the enemy of both religious and secular Islamic totalitarians. So are Jacques Chirac, the Germans, the Belgians, most of the rest of the UN and the EU, regular Arabs including regular Palestinians, and the American anti-war crowd - all of whom consider an American failure in Iraq to be tolerable because they think it will be the failure of President Bush. They think they will be safe because they are not he. They are wrong. Mr. Bush said, "You are with us or you are with the terrorists," and the terrorists hold the principle in the obverse. If you are not with them, you are with "us" and if you are with "us," you can die. To simplify the syntax, we ask, "Who are the 'we' that 'they' would kill?" First, "we" are people who are sorry Saudi children died - while "they" are people who hail the death of Israeli children. "We" are the liberal, small-d democratic world that believes in human rights, liberty and the rule of law. "We" are the multiple coalitions fighting the totalitarians of the 21st Century. America and the governments of Israel, Britain, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Japan, Hungary, Poland and more. Failure in Iraq is not an option for us, for the Iraqis or for millions of people in many, many countries who understand that in the eyes of the fascists, "we" are all Americans now and "we" are all Israelis. Even the Saudis and the Red Cross.
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WHERE ARE THE HEROS?
Posted by Lori Lowenthal Marcus, November 13, 2003. |
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Where are the heroes? I have been watching, and waiting, for prominent members of Jewish communities across this country, across the world, to stand up and say: "I am a Jew. I will not allow another public anti-Israel, anti-Semitic slur go unchallenged. I will not wait for someone else to take up the cudgels." But last week the name partner of an international law firm based in Philadelphia said "Enough." Stephen A. Cozen, of Cozen O'Connor, took a stand. Cozen sent an email to all of his law firm colleagues, more than a thousand of them. After reading about a worldwide campaign to shame Israel for defending itself, coordinated by an organization named, "The Grassroots Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign," Cozen spoke out. "I can no longer feel comfortable with myself if I simply stand silent in the face of organized terrorism," he explained in his email. After a few succinct paragraphs explaining his understanding of the historical facts, Cozen shared his underlying concern. "Israel and the Jewish people have learned what it is like to live under a regime which perverts the truth and seeks the annihilation of a people." Cozen wrote that he and his "wife, children and grandchildren are today twice-targeted for murder and extinction by radical Islamic fundamentalists throughout the world simply because we are Americans and because we are Jews." Cozen ended his missive with what I suspect is an explanation for his reluctance to speak out, earlier. He wrote, "I am not a 'public person' and doubt that I have the capability, acting alone, to influence vast numbers of people." But his exhortation to understand the facts and not be swayed by the rhetoric proves that he does have that elusive but indispensable capability. Steve Cozen, a prominent lawyer and leader in an important legal community, has made his mark. He does have the "capability... to influence vast numbers of people." That influence must be felt and acted upon by others in his position. One local Jewish community leader has taken a position, driven by his own moral strength. Cozen was not physically threatened with knives or the threat of torture and imminent death. But Cozen did, in essence, proclaim the same words that Daniel Pearl was forced to utter with his last breath of life. And we must all understand both the content and the source of Cozen's message. We must speak those words from strength, or we'll be forced to speak them from fear. Too long comfortable Jews, in comfortable positions, have been hobbled by the discomfort of taking a public stand. Consider the vast numbers of still-fearful Jews who have risen to the highest echelons of corporations, the entertainment industry, the citadels of higher education. In fifty years time Jews have dragged themselves up from the pits of hell and risen to positions of power. But to what end? The "glass ceiling" that women and complexion-minorities (non-Caucasians) still face is transparent for Jews. Yet how many of these leaders have used their public faces to speak out on behalf of Israel? The shame of being "Just a Jew" binds their mouths just as their dreams were once bound by persecution and worse. Despite their impressive achievements, those Jews are still in hiding below glass ceilings of their own construction. In Cozen's email he didn't request, much less demand, that his employees follow the "party line." Quite the opposite. He told them to make their own judgments, but cautioned them to "be careful about the rhetoric you hear." The bile rose in his throat upon realizing he had overestimated the power of truth, and underestimated the power of street theater and glib slogans. Cozen firmly believes everyone must make their own informed decisions. But he cautioned against decisions "informed" by slogans that ignite passion, those same slogans built upon foundations of misinformation. It is time for American Jewish leaders to rise above their glass ceilings of shame and silence. Be an actor on the world stage. Follow Steve Cozen's lead. Lori Lowenthal Marcus, a writer and lawyer, lives outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. |
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THE PART OF THE RABIN LEGACY THAT THE DEMAGOGUES WANT YOU TO FORGET
Posted by Steven Plaut, November 13, 2003. |
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Ever since Yitzhak Rabin was gunned down by an assassin, the political establishment in Israel has attempted to construct a sort of cult of personality around him and his "legacy," at times bordering on deification. While I happen to believe that Rabin was in error about nearly everything he did or said in his last three years of life, I also believe that there are indeed positive aspects of the Rabin legacy that should be learned by Israel and applied by the political establishment. And the most important part of the positive Rabin Legacy is exactly the same as the one the political establishment is trying to suppress and forget: namely, Rabin's attitude towards buying the release of captives by releasing jailed terrorists. While the McCarthyist Left would like everyone to forget everything Rabin ever did except when he imposed the Oslo fiasco on the country, in reality the most constructive, courageous, and remarkable thing that Rabin ever did in his entire career was to refuse to release jailed terrorists to meet the demands of the PLO hijackers of the Air France plane full of Jews to Entebbe, Uganda, and instead order in the Israeli crack troops. The very same politicians who salute the Rabin Legacy and use Rabin's photo as an icon are also cheering on the cowardly decision by the government to release 400 murderers in order to reward the Hizbollah for murdering three POWs in cold blood. No crack troops ordered in. Now baths of napalm for Hizbollah villages. No Rabin Legacy. Rabin, the courageous and intelligent part of Rabin, is rolling in his grave.
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MISLEADING FENCE STATISTICS
Posted by Voice of Judea, November 13, 2003. |
As world pressure mounts against Israel's construction of the 'security fence,' Israel continues to attempt to justify the costly venture. In a front page, headline appearing in Maariv, 16 Heshvon, 5764 the following misleading headline appears: The fence prevented tens of deaths. According to statistics gathered by the Israeli Defense Ministry the number of those murdered in areas that had already constructed the fence is down by 95 percent. Terrorist admit under interrogation: We search for places where there is no fence. Comment: Brilliant. The Arab terrorists take their guns, grenades and bombs to other areas. In other words terrorists will continue to attack Jews wherever they can have an easier job of doing so. And if there is a fence surrounding Tel Aviv, they will be forced to crawl under the fence as they have already done in some cases. And if they can't crawl under the fence, they will concentrate on massacring Jews on the roads in Yesha. And if Israel spends billions of additional dollars to build walls around the roads, the Arabs will still find ways to shoot through and over the walls as they have done on the tunnel road between Jerusalem and Efrat. And if Israel succeeds in protecting the roads, then the Arabs will simply launch more attacks against the 150 'settlements' in Yesha. The point is clear. The Arabs are multiplying in numbers and increasing attacks against Israel and even in areas such as Gaza where the handful of 'settlements' and the 'border' fence is more 'secure,' the Arabs! have simply moved on to Kassam rockets. Eventually Israel will need to understand that they must find a true solution to prevent Arab terrorism. Bypass roads, bulletproof vehicles, rock proof vehicles, fences, tunnels and all of the other billion dollar bogus solutions will not solve the problem. Some say there is a political solution. Others claim there is a military solution. It dos not seem that those in power are having much success in convincing the Arabs to make peace. The Generals are not having enough success on the battlefields either. It is time to find new methods to distance the Arab threat and to smash Arab terrorism. However, building fences and running away from the Arabs or surrendering land is not working. Today [Ed:This was received Nov 5th.], marks the 13th anniversary since the assassination of Rabbi Meir Kahane HY"D, it is time to legalize the Kahane groups and to encourage open debate and review of all those who offered real answers to the very real threats that endanger the survival of Israel. At a time when the left openly accuses the nationalist camp in Israel of name calling and incitement that they claim led to the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, it is only fair to review the slanderous and unprecedented campaign of hate and incitement against Rabbi Meir Kahane, before his assassination. Who was Rabbi Meir Kahane? What did Rabbi Kahane advocate? The Israeli press and politicians claimed that he wanted to kill the Arabs. Rabbi Meir Kahane constantly refuted those allegations. To find out who Rabbi Kahane really was and to formulate your own opinion, you should visit the Kahane web site and decide for yourself. Go to http://www.kahane.org If you do not owe it to Rabbi Kahane, you owe it to yourself, to your children and to the future of Israel to search for urgently needed answers. A blueprint for the survival of Israel must be found. The answer will not be found in billions of dollars worth of additional fences. |
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THE THIRTEENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MURDER OF RABBI MEIR KAHANE
Posted by Herbert B. Sunshine, November 13, 2003. |
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Rabbi Meir Kahane Ben Yechezkel, was the antithesis of the assimilated Jew. Descended from a dynasty of Rabbis on both his father's and his mother's side, he himself is the father of Rabbis. He lived the way he believed and his beliefs are in his writings. His role model was the ancient poet-warrior, David, King of Israel. His Yeshivah of the Jewish Idea extolled Jewish pride, Jewish heritage and authentic Torah learning. His essays of twenty and thirty years ago were timely then and timeless now because of their vision and truthfulness. He officiated at my wedding in l987 and we were close personally until his murder in 1990, Rabbi Kahane was a constant inspiration. He appointed me to write his press releases during the last eighteen months of his life. I traveled with him during his campaign for Knesset in l988. I was at the High Court on the day he was banned from running for the Knesset and I demonstrated in favor of the Referendum intended to restore his right to run. At the end, I followed his body from his Yeshivah to his grave in Har Menuchot in Jerusalem. He was depicted by the media disrespectfully. But he was respected, even loved, by the thousands of Jews whose lives he touched. I lived for a time in a Merkaz Klitah (Absorption Center) together with many other immigrants, the majority of whom were from the former Soviet Union There, during the winter of 1988 I took ill. Rabbi Kahane, more ill than I came to visit. A Russian neighbor, seeing Rabbi Kahane with me, invited me to his tiny, sparsely furnished apartment. He proudly pointed out the two pictures hanging on his wall. One was of his beautiful daughter. The other photograph was that of Rabbi Meir Kahane to whom he gave credit for his liberation from the Soviet Union. The test of a true Prophet is whether his predictions for good come true. In that sense, and because no man is a prophet in his own time, Rabbi Kahane's vision was perceptive, not prophetic. However, like the Prophet Yeshiayhu, the Rabbi did not speak of "sweet things." Not unlike some of the Prophets of Old, he was vilified, jailed, banned and murdered. The Jewish establishments of both Israel and the United States targeted their mortal enemy, Rabbi Meir Kahane, the religious, Zionistic Jew. I want to give at least one example of the arbitrary hostility of the Israel Establishment against any threat to its politicalpower. Israel has retained a British Mandate Law prohibiting the "causing of dissatisfaction" to a public official. It was used by both the British and Israel governments against Jews. It was a major weapon in the Government's war against Rabbi Kahane. Arrested dozens of times for political reasons, on one occasion he was jailed for "causing dissatisfaction" to then Prime Minister Yithak Shamir. An Arab murderer had grabbed the steering wheel of TelAviv-Jerusalem Bus 405 pulling it into a steep ravine killing and injuring many riders, Rabbi Kahane immediately called for the resignation of the Prime Minister for failing to protect the lives of Jews. This statement "disatisfied" the government. This disgraceful British Mandate law further states that the "truth" of the "guilty" expression shall not constitute a "defense" to the charge. The Rabbi's defense lawyer moved to dismiss on the usually valid ground that the indictment was unsigned. The Judge denied the motion, stating that she wanted to hear the "truth" of the charges, despite the irrelevance of truth under the law of Israel. The charge, which could have resulted in five years imprisonment, was pending at the time of the Rabbi's murder. Consistent with his religious beliefs that every Jew has an obligation to defend the State, the Rabbi served in the Israeli Army. The Arabs were at that time rioting in the city of Kalkilya and the IDF was assigned to intervene. Who better to send than the Rabbi? Then, as now, Israel endured an Arab revolt and pursued a futile policy of "purity of arms." The unit commander gave the Rabbi his orders. "You must first give warning in Hebrew and in Arabic before shooting; you must fire in the air before attacking." The Rabbi declined this invitation to commit suicide and was told, "If the Arabs don?t kill you, then you will face court martial for disobedience." Together with one frightened rookie assigned to him, Rabbi Kahane approached the rioters. He was instantly identified. "Kahane, Kahane," screamed the Arabs as they dispersed. No shots were fired. No blood was shed. Peace was restored. He was later to say, "If I am ever Prime Minister, there will be no need to transfer Arabs. When they hear of Kahane's election, they will run out on their own." In l984, the Central Elections Committee, described by the High Court, as a body "which is almost entirely composed of members with defined political outlooks...," disqualified Rabbi Kahane's Kach Party. The ruling was reluctantly reversed. The High Court required enabling legislation which set forth "yardsticks, clear limitations and definitions." For a list to be banned, the Court asked for legislation and standards. To survive court review the law must define the "measure of the violation and the reasonableness of the danger (to democratic principles)." [Neiman v. the Chairman of the Central Elections Committee E.A 2,3/84] In 1985 the Knesset heeded the Court's message and passed legislation to ban a competing party. They passed a law lacking standards and definitions in conflict with the Court's decision. They passed a law tailor made to ban Rabbi Kahane and his Party. "7A. A list of candidates shall not participate in elections to Knesset if there is in its goals or acts... any of the following: (1) The negation of the State of Israel as the State of the Jewish people. In the original bill "racism" was undefined. The expectation of the bill's sponsors was for the High Court to equate Kahanism with "racism". The Rabbi wrote in a letter from the Knesset. "472 days passed and still no bill... I did want a bill with a good definition, a thing that only a dreamer and people of immense faith could ever imagine the Knesset coming up with... And, of course, the miracle happened, in the way G-d always makes it happen. My worst enemy saved me. Knesset Speaker Hillel - a man who goes to sleep every night with me in his head - saw that the Knesset session was coming to a close... so in his obsession he announced that come what may he was tabling it for the next to the last day of the session. Faced with the ultimatum by Hillel... and the anger of the religious parties, the Law Committee, which is controlled by Likud, CHANGED [sic] the bill and added a definition which took out "religion" as a cause of incitement to racism and specifically declared that statements based on Judaism would not be racist... In the end of this Alice-in Wonderland scene, all the leftists who originated the bill voted against it and I voted... for it. G-d is great." Rabbi Kahane sought re-election to the Knesset in l988. In August he told an enthusiastic crowd of hundreds of campaign workers, "The polls show us as getting between l0 and l3 seats. We will then be the third largest party in Israel." "There will be no government without the Kach Party or there will
be no government."
Hearing these words, I thought, "Rabbi, catch the ball before you run with it." Friends have later told me, "If he(Rabbi Kahane) had only softened his words. If he had only been more polite, he might not have banned from running." The Rabbi, in reply to this said, "If I were to speak only 'nice things' then I am Shimon Peres, not Meir Kahane." Retribution for these conditions was swift. On October 5, l988, the Central Elections Committee for the l2th Knesset, decided that the Kach list is prohibited from participating in the elections under paragraph 7A, for "inciting to racism." To prove that the "goals and acts" of the Rabbi and his party were within the confines of Torah Law,(to be exempt from racism under the Knesset law)) the Rabbi's attorney sought expert testimony from leading Rabbis. All of the Rabbis approached confirmed that the principles of Rabbi Kahane and his Kach Party were within Halachah; however, each requested support from two others, before agreeing to testify. Thus, the High Court did not have the guidance of religious experts on such issues as Jewish sovereignty in Israel, intermarriage, transfer of enemy aliens, or the incompatibility of Torah Judaism with Grecian-derived democracy. In an opinion that is historic and which should be required study in all Israeli schools, particularly in its Law schools, The High Court of Israel, speaking through its Kippah-wearing Judge, Menachem Eilon, found the Halachah (Torah Law) as expressed by Rabbi Kahane to be "racist." (October, 1888) The learned Judge defined the word "ger" as "resident stranger" (a neighbor to whom the Jew owes 'kindness') rather than with its true meaning, "ger toshav," (a non-Jew who has accepted the Seven Noachide Laws) and is thus permitted to live among Jews in the Land of Israel. Maimonides' Mishneh Torah, which is the consensus authority on Torah Law, states: "When, however, Israel is in power over them, [the gentiles] it is forbidden for us to allow an idolater among us... [Exodus 23:33] states, 'They shall not dwell in your land' - i.e., even temporarily... A person who accepts these seven mitzvoth is a "ger toshav." A "ger toshav" may be accepted only in the era when the [laws of the] Jubilee Year are observed. In an era when the [laws of the] Jubilee Year are not observed, however, we may accept only full converts [to JudaIsm]." (Rambam, Hilchot Avodat Kochavim l0:6) Rabbi Kahane explained this law: "...The Ishmaelites who view the Jewish People as thieves are thirsty for Jewish blood and will never abandon their ambition of destroying our nation and its land. For that reason, the law of the seven nations applies to them, and whoever hesitates in this, will, through his foolish mercy, bring cruelty upon merciful sons of merciful fathers." (Or Hara'ayon, The Jewish Idea, vol. II, p. 631, Rabbi Meir Kahane) The State of Israel is the "State of the Jewish People" but Western "democracy" would permit an elected Arab majority to rule Israel. About this, the opinion says: "...the existence of the State of Israel as the State of the Jewish People does not negate its democratic nature, just as the Frenchness of France does not negate its democratic nature." If the Kach Party could run for office because their "racist" programs were (by statute) exempt as being based on religion, and if such statements "negate[ed] the democratic nature of the State, then is there not a fundamental incompatibility between Torah Judaism and Western Democracy? The High Court's resolution of this dilemma was to deny the religious content of the Kach program and further to sanctify the "Israelness" of Israel over its Jewish nature. There is a photo of Rabbi Kahane as he emerged from the Court House being carried on the shoulders of his supporters. They sang and they danced. "Did you win or lose, Rabbi?" I asked. "Gam zu l'tova," he replied, "Everything from G-d is for the good." During the same session the High Court held that the Arab lists, which unashamedly advocated the destruction of the State of Israel and its Jewish inhabitants, were not in violation of Section 7A. Their platforms were declared to be neither undemocratic, inciteful nor racist, and therefore the Arabs of Israel were eligible to serve as Knesset members with the power even to determine "Who is a Jew." A body blow, not yet fatal, had been dealt to the Kach Party. Other assaults were designed to prevent the resurgence of this right wing Party. Fearing the loss of seats to Kach, Likud sponsored a bill requiring that any candidate for Knesset must, before running, surrender any non-Israeli citizenship. Such a bill (directed against a single individual) is unconstitutional in the United States, Had Golda Meir been subject to this legislation, she could have lost her U.S. citizenship. The taking of Rabbi Kahane's U.S. citizenship was intended to cripple his ability to travel to raise funds. In the letter which accompanied the surrender of his passport to the U.S. State Department, the Rabbi (a citizen of the U.S. by birth) stated that he intended the renouncement of american citizenship to be conditional upon his re-election to Knesset. In 1990 Rabbi Kahane entered the United States with permission to contest this issue in Federal Court. The case become moot upon his death. The last blow to the Kach Party was administered by a Knesset seeking to pacify the United States State Department which demanded "even handed-ness" in Israel's war against the Arab Revolution. There being no Jewish terrorists, Kach would do, and so the Party, having been incessantly demonized by the Government controlled media, was declared to be illegal. In true autocratic style, this was done without notice, or hearing or right of appeal. Based upon the Israeli decision, the United States, without independent proof, placed Kach on its list of terrorist organizations, side by side with Hamas and Al Qaida. The hand was the hand of Esau, but the mind was the mind of Jacob. The hand which fired a bullet into the head of Rabbi Meir Kahane, in mid-Manhattan on the night of November 5, 1990 was that of the Egyptian terrorist, El Sayed Nossair. Esau hates Yaakov, in every generation, and Yaakov, in the form of the Government of Israel, hated and feared Rabbi Meir Kahane. The Egyptian was acquitted of Rabbi Kahane's murder. He was found guilty only of illegally possessing a weapon. A search of the murderer's apartment uncovered 47 boxes of documents in Arabic which proved that "he (Nossair) was at the heart of a worldwide terrorist network." (Jerusalem Post 11/25/94) The Israel government's indifference to the assassination of this Member of Knesset was mirrored by the American Jewish Establishment. Neither demanded an objective thorough investigation, and so the motivation, financing and larger significance of the murder remains hidden to this day. Baruch Marzel, a disciple of the Rabbi and later to be a Knesset candidate, requested that the F.B.I. "look into the backers of Nossair..." On December 7, 1990 he wrote: "The killing of Rabbi Meir Kahane is a terrorist act held in the United States because America has little experience with terrorism and is not prepared. If the F.B.I. will treat this case as an act of international terror, then the support group behind Nossair will be unearthed." In February of 1993, a bomb was set off in the parking level of the World Trade Center. Six people were killed and more than 1000 injured. Four terrorists, linked to Nossair, were convicted of this attack in March, 1994. On October 1, 1995, Nossair and the blind Muslim Sheik, Omar Abdel Rahman, and ten others, were convicted in U.S. Federal Court of conspiracy to blow up the UN, an FBI building, and three bridges and tunnels. The funeral of Rabbi Meir Kahane was announced on hundreds of huge posters pasted on boards throughout Israel. On Thursday, November 8, 1990 at 3:00P.M., the procession commenced from the Rabbi's Yeshivah of the Jewish Idea in the Shmuel HaNavi neighborhood of Jerusalem. "He sacrificed his life for the sake of the Nation of Israel, its Torah and its Land," declared the posters. Those present exceeded l00,000, making it the second largest funeral in Israel's history. Mourners flooded the streets for blocks around the Yeshivah. Young and old, religious and secular, Sephardi and Ashkenazi, native Israelis and immigrants, men, women and children, jointly mourned their great loss. Rabbi Meir Kahane, a leader of the generation had united Jews at his death as he had attempted to lead them during his life. The Government of Israel never ceased its de-legitimization of Rabbi Kahane and the harassment of his followers. Despite the murder of more than 1000 Jews, the wounding and maiming of thousands more, and the more than 5000 murderous attacks during the years folowing the failure of Oslo. On July 7, 2002, the Attorney General of Israel indicted a young Kahane supporter: "The Defendant is accused of having "printed... the picture of Rabbi Kahane on the front of a number of shirts, and on the back thereof he printed the slogan, 'no arabs, no terror attacks.'" The charge, still pending, is "incitement to racism." On most Fridays, an Arab cleric will preach at the Al Aksa mosque on the Temple Mount that Jews are "infidels," "occupiers" of "Arab" land and deserving of expulsion, if not death. No Arab preachers have been indicted for "incite |