Work accident! (correction)

From Ma'an:

A Palestinian was killed on Monday morning and four others were injured in a mysterious explosion in the northern Gaza Strip, medical sources reported. One Palestinian, identified as Rajab Usama Subuh, 25, was killed in the blast, while two of four others injured in Beit Lahiya were in critical condition just before noon on Monday.

Earlier, Gazans had claimed this came from an Israeli artillery shell, but the IDF denied any activities in the area. The PalArab self-death count in 2009 is now at 29. UPDATE: This was not a work accident, just an apparent case of stupidity:

Palestinian hospital officials say a 25-year-old Gaza man has been killed and five people have been wounded in a blast along the border with Israel.

Palestinian security officials say the explosion in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya was caused when people who were melting down scrap metal for recycling inadvertently threw an explosive device into the fire.

This no longer falls into my definition of self-death (although, as Richard from Augean Stables points out in the comments, it is a Darwin Award candidate,) so we are back down to 28, unless more information comes out.

(h/t PTWatch)

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Knock, knock - another example of Free Gaza/Hamas propaganda

The Free Gaza Movement is trying hard to be the premier place to go to get unfettered pro-terrorist propaganda. Here is part of a recent email meant to stir up rage against Israel:

1. Israel has begun a new policy in Gaza in the past two days called the "roof knock". This is when a "small" rocket is fired from Israeli military aircraft that is strong enough to blast open the roof of a targeted building. It is sent as a "warning message" to the building's inhabitants giving them between 2 and 3 minutes to evacuate before the building is completely destroyed. A number of cases of this new technique have been reported recently.

And what is the truth? From the New York Times:

A new Israeli weapon, meanwhile, is tailored to the Hamas tactic of asking civilians to stand on the roofs of buildings so Israeli pilots will not bomb. The Israelis are countering with a missile designed, paradoxically, not to explode. They aim the missiles at empty areas of the roofs to frighten residents into leaving the buildings, a tactic called “a knock on the roof.”

The evil-sounding IDF method is, yet again, a way to save the lives of Gazans that Hamas is purposefully putting into danger. And the FGM just happens to leave out the part about Hamas using human shields. This shows yet again that Israel spends time, effort and thought into how to save Gazans' lives while going after terrorists, and Hamas spends time and effort on how to endanger Gazans' lives in order to save their own. Hamas' and Islamic Jihad's tactics of purposefully hiding behind civilians is the evil here, and no amount of pro-terrorist "human rights' spin can make it otherwise. Plus, we once again see that Free Gaza is simply a Hamas PR front organization who cares little about real Palestinian Arab lives and much about whitewashing Hamas' crimes against the people they pretend to care about. Just like many of the "pro-Palestinian" protesters.

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The myth of the "pro-Palestinian" rallies

The media loves to cover demonstrations, the more colorful and loud the better. And there has been ample opportunity to show lots of demonstrations about Gaza these past couple of weeks. The only problem is that the vast majority of the protesters don't really care about "Palestinians." When thousands of Palestinian Arabs were killed during Black September in 1971, there were no crowds at Jordanian embassies. When hundreds of Palestinian Arab civlians were killed in a single day in Lebanon in1975, no one protested. When thousands of Palestinian Arab civilians were murdered by Syrian-backed militia in Lebanese camps in 1985-86 (including Sabra and Shatila!), there were no demonstrations. When hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs were expelled from Kuwait in a single week in 1991, there were no rallies. When Hamas and Fatah fought only two summers ago, killing hundreds in a month, the so-called "peace camp" was silent. Only when Israel gets involved in a conflict do these "activists" come out of the woodwork. Ignoring the many conflicts around the world, their fake indignation is ignited at the thought of Israel defending itself. Muslims who barely go "tsk, tsk" when Arabs kill each other are driven to a frenzy when Israelis finally decide to act after years of provocation. International ANSWER, the Communist party behind a large number of Western anti-Israel demonstrations, has nothing that is "pro-Palestinian" on its website; only diatribes against Israel and the United States. The current rallies aren't pro-Palestinian or even anti-war - they are purely anti-Israel, with more than a little anti-semitism. They are not crying over civilian deaths, they are gleefully calling Zionists "Nazis." They aren't demanding human rights; they are demanding Israel's destruction. The media is part of the problem when they refer to these demonstrations as being "pro-Palestinian." They don't give a damn about Palestinian Arabs, they never have and they never will.

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So why is the West Bank economy booming?

The media has been spending a great deal of time in anguish over the situation of Palestinian Arabs in Gaza. There are a few million other PalArabs, however, in the West Bank. And while life in Gaza gets worse, things in the West Bank are getting markedly better:

Unprecedented military coordination and a sincere effort by the Palestinian Authority to crack down on Hamas has led to a unique economic surge in the West Bank in the past year, according to an internal Defense Ministry report obtained on Monday by The Jerusalem Post. Prepared by the IDF's Civil Administration, the report cites a three percent drop to 16% in Palestinian unemployment since the beginning of the year. In addition, the report cites a 24% increase in Palestinian average daily wages, up from NIS 70 in 2007 to NIS 86.9. The stats were collected in recent months from a variety of sources, including the PA and the United Nations International Labor Organization. Since the beginning of the year, the IDF has also removed 113 roadblocks and dirt mounds throughout the West Bank, enabling easier travel between Palestinian cities. Officers in the Civil Administration said the economic surge was the result of a number of parallel factors but was mainly due to improved coordination between Israel and the PA, as well as a decision by PA President Mahmoud Abbas to make a concerted effort to stop Hamas' build-up in the West Bank. There was also a 10% increase in the number of workers employed in settlements - up from 23,000 in 2007 to 26,000 in 2008, as well as a 10% increase in the permits issued for Palestinians working in Israel - 23,000 compared to 21,000 in 2007. [The percent increase for workers in the settlements is actually 13% - EoZ]

Does this mean that Palestinian Arabs who fight against terror benefit, and those who support terror lose out? Another report:

In Ramallah, site of the Palestinian National Authority, business booms and street life is vibrant. Housing construction, which enjoyed a big boom in the 90s when peace seemed imminent, only to collapse with the advent of the 2000 intifada, appears back in business. Cafe life, especially in the more Christian districts, has regained some of the European-style the city was famous for prior to the 1987 intifada. Several boutique hotels do a fine trade and a mighty Movenpick hotel (after several false starts) is due to open in the new year. ...Many shops in Ramallah are superior to anything found in Arab east Jerusalem, so a large number of Jerusalemites are actually going to Ramallah to shop. In another Palestinian city, Hebron, living conditions also are surprisingly healthy, at least for the 80 per cent of Palestinians fortunate enough to live in area H1. Shops flourish, people are working, and the roads are remarkably efficient. There even are traffic lights, carefully obeyed, in neighbourhoods where chaos reigned supreme just a few years ago. Hebron also was famous for the grilled chicken restaurants that line the main street, and some of the best have now moved to luxurious new premises.

More statistics:

35% Increase in trade between Israel and the PA 87% Increase in tourism to Bethlehem 953% increase of importing vehicles to the PA A sharp increase in export of agricultural produce from the West Bank to the Israeli market. 92,000 tons, compared to 30,000 in 2007. (much of it due to Shmitah) Signing of the allocation agreement between Israel and the PA for a second cellular company ("Watania").

For those who are not congenitally anti-Israel, it is obvious that Israel doesn't want to make Palestinian Arab lives miserable. Israelis want to find a win-win solution where everyone benefits. The PA, for all its faults, has been acting more responsibly lately - more in its own self-interest than in Israel's - and the results are clear. Hamas acts much worse, and it gets treated worse - not only by Israel but by Egypt as well. The West Bank gains are proof that all of the Israel-bashers who keep trotting out their calumnies about Zionist ethnic cleansing are simply liars. Israel has no obligation to help a territory/statelet that is sworn to its destruction, but it has every interest in helping Palestinian Arabs succeed economically and securely. The Palestinian Arabs themselves see this much more clearly than those sophisticated Western analysts. The biased audio report I linked to this morning from NPR, where a former Hamas supporter in Gaza rues her vote, is a voice that the MSM does not want us to hear because the "Israeli siege" meme is the accepted narrative. Ordinary Palestinian Arabs are the major beneficiaries of peace - real peace, real cooperation, on the ground. Israel, even in the midst of rocket barrages from the south, is working hard to improve the lives of those in the east. The economy was booming before the Intifada as well. Those who blame Israel for defending herself from terror are not being "pro-Palestinian" - they are Jew-haters who are, at best, indifferent to the plight of the Palestinian Arabs they pretend to love so much. It is not Israel that stops Palestinian Arabs from thriving and succeeding - it is a direct result of how their leadership chooses to act. Why is this so hard for the mainstream media to understand?

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PalArab Self-Death count: A grim milestone

Those wacky Palestinian Arabs just keep killing each other! Here's the result of that nastiness between Hamas and Fatah as each tries to out-terrorize the other:

On Sunday morning, 6 August 2006, unknown gunmen shot Major Mohammed Mousa al-Mousah, 40, from Habalya refugee camp, chief of the Palestinian Military Intelligence in the northern Gaza Strip. He died later from his wound. Tow other persons were also wounded in the same attack.

A nominee for a Darwin Award, that this Palestinian Arab site tries hard to put a good spin on:

On Wednesday, 9 August 2006, a Palestinian was killed in the north of Gaza by an explosion of an artillery shell, and three were injured in the center of the Gaza Strip by mishandled weapons. PCHR's preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 14:30 on Wednesday, 9 August 2006, Emad Abdallah El-Sharatha (22) was killed by the explosion of an artillery shell fired by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) that did not explode at the time it was fired. At the time of his death, Emad was trying to dismantle the shell in his house, located in the Shusha'a area, east of Jabalia refugee camp. Emad's body was torn to pieces, and extensive damage was inflicted on the house.

Yes, we are all sure that he was trying to dismantle the shell in his house! Here's a nice example of extra-judicial killings that no one cares about because the killers are Arab:

Basem Radi El-Mallah (a 29-year old resident of Faqou'a village east of Jenin) was killed by a Palestinian armed group in Jenin refugee camp. The killing was an extra-judicial execution for suspected collaboration with Israeli security services. PCHR's preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 13:00 on Sunday, 13 August 2006, an armed group led Basem El-Mallah from his place of residence in the village of Faqou'a to Jenin refugee camp. He was bound and his eyes were covered. They fired at him, killing him instantly with bullets to the upper part of the body.

The "human rights" website this was taken from condemned the killing but still referred to it as an "honor killing"! Finally, we have a few examples of what PCHR refers to as "misusing weapons." The third example doesn't look too accidental to me:

Over the past two days, one Palestinian was killed and two others were injured in Gaza City, including an officer in the General Intelligence Apparatus, in incidents of misusing weapons. PCHR's preliminary investigation reveals that at approximately 08:00 on Sunday, 13 August 2006, the body of Tamer Anwar Hilles, a 19-year old resident of Sheja'eya Quarter in Gaza City, was found in the yard of the Sheja'eya School in the Jabal neighborhood, east of the city. It was learnt later that Hilles was handling a weapon with a friend in the school at approximately 21:00 on Saturday, 12 August 2006. A bullet was accidentally fired, hitting Hilles in the chest. He was killed instantly. At approximately 22:00 on Saturday, 12 August 2006, Dr. Maher Issa Ayyad, a 55-year old resident of Gaza City, was injured by a bullet from an unknown source as he was in El-Diera Hotel on the Gaza City beach front. The bullet hit Dr. Ayyad in the shoulder from above, indicating that it was fired in the air, most probably during a wedding celebration in one of the nearby wedding halls. Dr. Ayyad was taken to Shifa Hospital for treatment, where his injury was listed as light. At approximately 22:00 on Saturday, unknown gunmen in a car fired at an officer in the General Intelligence Apparatus. The officer is Mahmoud El-Ghazzawi (42). The incident took place near El-Shaf'i mosque in Zaitoon Quarter in Gaza City. The officer was hit by several bullets in the feet. He was taken to Shifa Hospital for treatment, where his injury was classified as moderate.

These four deaths puts the PalArab Self-Death count since the start of Israel's incursion at an even 50. No virgins for these guys, though, and no tearful feature stories on the BBC either, because they were unfortunate enough to have been killed by their fellow Arabs who would all live in peace if it wasn't for "occupation." UPDATE: Judeopundit notices a riot at a PalArab wedding, with knives and clubs, when one guest offered a somewhat unpopular opinion. But, no one died, so the count is still at 50. Maybe this was one of those rare weddings that didn't involve machine guns as part of the celebration.

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