Tuesday, February 02, 2010

  • Tuesday, February 02, 2010
  • Elder of Ziyon
This is the logo of the Tehran Emrooz newspaper, and it is causing a controversy in Iran.

Mohammed Ali Ramin, Associate Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance said in a statement that this logo represents a "soft war" against the regime.

Ever since the riots that followed the rigged elections, the Iranians have been especially sensitive to any perceived uprising or signs of discontent. This logo represents just such an attitude, according to Ramin.

He brought a full-size version of it to the Iranian parliament and said that he has repeatedly asked the newspaper to change their logo, without result.

According to Ramin, the logo is meant suggest a woman dancing ballet and is therefore a manifestation of a quiet protest on the part of the paper.

For the second half of 2008, the newspaper was banned altogether by the government.
  • Tuesday, February 02, 2010
  • Elder of Ziyon
Thanks to Hamas' continuously adding new "martyrs" to their list of Al Qassam Brigades members killed during Cast Lead, plus incredible recent research done mostly by PTWatch, our list of people who were called "civilian" who were really members of terror groups keeps growing.

We are now up to 363 "civilians" (according to PCHR) who were really terrorists.

We have identified that fully 75% of the "policemen" killed in Gaza were known members of terror groups. Hamas' obituaries commonly refer to the "police" as "mujahadeen of the security forces" showing that Hamas certainly considered its police force to be jihadists.

If you add together all the "police," the fake "civilians" and the "militants" that PCHR admitted, we now have the names of 672 people who were legitimate targets in Gaza. That is nearly half of all the victims. For a war that was waged largely in urban areas, especially when the opposing side's entire strategy was to maximize civilian victims, was this is an enviable achievement.

And we are not done counting yet.
  • Tuesday, February 02, 2010
  • Elder of Ziyon
From RIA Novosit:
The ongoing Al Dhafra Festival camel beauty pageant in the United Arab Emirates challenges the global financial recession with camel sales reaching almost $16.5 million in the first three days.

Emirate camel breeder Hamdan Al Falahi accounted for more than half of the turnover, buying camels worth over $8.7 million.

A total of 1,200 owners from all Persian Gulf states have brought 28,000 of the most beautiful she-camels to take part in the core activity of the festival, a beauty pageant known locally as Camel Mazayen. The winner will get a cash prize of $11.4 million.

Other camel competitions include the best milking camel mare, as well as the quickest racing mare.

The event, which is to last until next Monday, is visited by some 6,000 people daily.

Al Quds adds that a single camel was sold for $2.72 million, a world record, barely beating the previous record from 2008.

  • Tuesday, February 02, 2010
  • Elder of Ziyon
A follow-up to this story, from Arab News:
A 12-year-old girl who was married off to an 80-year-old man in Buraidah has dropped her request for a divorce just one day before a court hearing to annul the marriage.

A source at the Human Rights Commission (HRC) said the girl, her mother and legal representative came to court and withdrew the request.

The girl failed to appear in court on Monday when the hearing was originally supposed to be heard. Her legal representative did not provide a valid reason for her absence.

The HRC, which had formed a committee to investigate the marriage, was stunned that the girl had dropped her request. “No one really knows the real reason behind the change of heart,” said the source, adding that although the HRC cannot interfere in people’s personal lives, it would continue lobbying for a minimum marriage age.

The case has attracted a lot of interest. The girl’s father married her off to his 80-year-old cousin in exchange of SR85,000 in dowry money. However, the girl’s mother, who is separated from her father, accused the man of raping her daughter.

The girl had also told a local journalist over the phone that she “doesn’t want him, save me.” When the mother’s lawyer failed to get the marriage annulled, she brought the case to the attention of the Kingdom’s media.

Something fishy is going on....

  • Tuesday, February 02, 2010
  • Elder of Ziyon
From Daily News Egypt:
The lawyer of a man who converted from Islam to Christianity sent a memo to the United Nation’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in a bid to urge the Egyptian government to allow him to change his religious affiliation on official documents.

Ashraf Edward Kirolos called on the OHCHR to intervene in the case of Mohamed Ahmed Hegazy, who converted to Christianity and sought legal action to have his religious affiliation recognized on his national ID card and other official documents.

Kirolos’ memo urged the organization to pressure the Egyptian government into honoring its pledges and international commitments with regards to religious freedom, namely when it comes to converts to Christianity.

“While the government facilitates the conversion from Christianity to Islam, it refuses to recognize citizens who choose to convert from Islam to Christianity, which is a double standard and a violation of citizens’ rights and religious freedom,” the memo read.

He expects the UN Human Rights Commission to actually try to defend human rights?

  • Tuesday, February 02, 2010
  • Elder of Ziyon
Human Rights Watch just wrote a report slamming Jordan for arbitrarily revoking the citizenship of a few thousand Palestinian Arabs. I had covered the phenomenon here as well as Jordan's absurd defense of the practice.

What is interesting is HRW's legal arguments against Jordan's actions. After the organization goes into detail on the right to nationality, it adds this paragraph:

Prevention of statelessness

In addition to the prohibition on arbitrary deprivation of nationality, the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness provides additional guidance on situations in which nationality must not be withdrawn: states must not "deprive a person of his nationality if such deprivation would render him stateless."[28] To the contrary, article 1 of the convention stipulates that a state "shall grant its nationality to a person born in its territory who would otherwise be stateless."[29] The convention also declares that states must not "deprive any person or group of persons of their nationality on racial, ethnic, religious or political grounds" and that a "transfer of territory shall include provisions designed to ensure that no person shall become stateless as a result of the transfer."[30] Jordan has not yet acceded to this convention. It is, however, a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which requires it to "respect the right of the child to preserve his or her identity, including nationality."[31]

Jordanians of Palestinian origin whose nationality is withdrawn become stateless because, under international law, Palestine in 2009 is not a state and has not been one at any time since Jordan's independence.[32]

While it is true that HRW's legal arguments are a bit of a stretch - as they mention, Jordan never accepted the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness and indeed most nations did not, including the US (Israel did) - nevertheless it is interesting that HRW is using it as a basis for an argument that what Jordan is doing is wrong.

Because by that very same argument, every Arab country is equally wrong by refusing to grant citizenship to people of Palestinian origin born in their countries - who now number in the millions. Not only is the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness being violated, but also the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states:
Article 7

1. The child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationality and. as far as possible, the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents.

2. States Parties shall ensure the implementation of these rights in accordance with their national law and their obligations under the relevant international instruments in this field, in particular where the child would otherwise be stateless.

Article 8

1. States Parties undertake to respect the right of the child to preserve his or her identity, including nationality, name and family relations as recognized by law without unlawful interference.

As HRW notes earlier, "Palestine" is not a nation that is recognized under international law, which means that between the two conventions, every Arab nation is violating international law by refusing to allow children of Palestinian Arab origin to become citizens. (Even if you expand the definition of "nationality" and "identity" to include Palestinian Arabs, keeping children stateless is proscribed in this Convention.) Practically every nation on the planet has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. (Somalia and the US are the only exceptions, UNICEF explains why here.)

Human Rights Watch is not afraid to take on Jordan in defense of Palestinian Arab rights to a nationality. Do they have the guts to take on the entire Arab world - including the Palestinian Arab leadership who oppose the naturalization of their own people in other countries, against their will?

The legal and moral arguments are identical. But it is a lot less politically correct.
  • Tuesday, February 02, 2010
  • Elder of Ziyon
There has been a series of car bombs in Gaza over the past month. The latest from this morning targeted the car of Hamas leader Abu Omar.

On January 26, a naval police officer's car was blown up. On January 13th, a police officer's car and another naval police officer's car was blown up.

No serious casualties yet, but there is something going on there.

Monday, February 01, 2010

  • Monday, February 01, 2010
  • Elder of Ziyon
Sheikh Yusuf Al Qaradawi has caused some controversy by publicly siding with Hamas and against the PA and its leaders.

The PA responded by insulting Qaradawi.

According to Middle East News Agency, one of the PA's "malicious" attacks was publishing a picture of Qaradawi with a rabbi.

Qaradawi was unfazed, saying that the "rabbi" was from Neturei Karta.

The interesting part is that the PA continues to try to delegitimize its opponents - from the more extreme position. Just like they have made fun of Hamas for not being committed enough to "resistance," the PA tries to attack one of the most extreme mainstream preachers as a lover of Jews.

This is Israel's "peace partner."
  • Monday, February 01, 2010
  • Elder of Ziyon
Palestine Today has a story about a baby born in a Gaza hospital. He has dark skin, short arms and legs, and is very hairy, so much so that he has the nickname "gorilla."

The horrified parents refuse to take him home.

So who are the Palestinian Arabs blaming? Why, Israel, of course.

You see, every Gaza baby born over the past few months who is less than perfect is automatically considered to be a victim of "white phosphorus." So even though this baby is apparently a newborn, and was conceived months after the war, the puerile Palestinian Arabs love to say that Israel is the reason for all of their problems, which includes birth defects.
  • Monday, February 01, 2010
  • Elder of Ziyon
From Palestinian Media Watch:

The following is the transcript of excerpts of the hate speech in a mosque broadcast on PA TV [this past Friday:]

"The loathsome occupation in Palestine - its land and its holy places - by these new Mongols and what they are perpetrating upon this holy, blessed and pure land - killing, assassination, destruction, confiscation, Judaization, harassment and splitting the homeland - are clear proof of [unintelligible word - Ed.] hostility, of incomparable racism, and of Nazism of the 20th century. The Jews, the enemies of Allah and of His Messenger, the enemies of Allah and of His Messenger! Enemies of humanity in general, and of Palestinians in particular - they wage war against us using all kinds of crimes, and as you see - even the mosques are not spared their racism...

"Oh Muslims! The Jews are the Jews. The Jews are the Jews. Even if donkeys would cease to bray, dogs cease to bark, wolves cease to howl and snakes to bite, the Jews would not cease to harbor hatred towards Muslims. The Prophet said that if two Jews would be alone with a Muslim, they would think only of killing him. Oh Muslims! This land will be liberated, these holy places and these mosques will be liberated, only by means of a return to the Quran and when all Muslims will be willing to be Jihad Fighters for the sake of Allah and for the sake of supporting Palestine, the Palestinian people, the Palestinian land, and the holy places in Palestine. The Prophet says: 'You shall fight the Jews and kill them, until the tree and the stone will speak and say: 'Oh Muslim, Oh servant of Allah' - the tree and the stone will not say, 'Oh Arab,' they will say, 'Oh Muslim'. And they will not say, 'Where are the millions?' and will not say, 'Where is the Arab nation?' Rather, they will say, 'Oh Muslim, Oh servant of Allah - there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.' Except for the Gharqad tree [tree mentioned in the Quran - Ed.], which is the tree of the Jews. Thus, this land will be liberated only by means of Jihad..."

The next time that Abbas claims that the PA is adhering to the Road Map, ask him about that part that mentions "incitement."
From "Justice With Peace":
When: Monday, February 1, 2010, 6:30 pm
Where: Palestinian Cultural Center for Peace • 41 Quint Ave • (Green Line B to Harvard Stop, Glennville Ave to Quint) • Allston

Fundraiser for Viva Palestina

Gaza Aid Convoys

with

The honorable
GEORGE GALLOWAY

Member of British Parliament
Leader of the Viva Palestina convoys to Gaza
Lifelong international activist


Tickets at the door – General: $20 - Students with ID: $10
Limited capacity private reception with Mr. Galloway: $1000

You give money to Galloway, he gives it to Hamas! How much easier can fundraising for terror be on US soil?

h/t ckb at lgf
  • Monday, February 01, 2010
  • Elder of Ziyon
An interesting article from The National (UAE):
Success stories of state-building in the Middle East have been few. The United Arab Emirates has certainly been one. Qatar, and to an extent Bahrain and Jordan, are now featuring high on good governance indexes. Yet the most impressive of all has been Iraqi Kurdistan.

Less than 25 years ago, Iraqi Kurds suffered one of the Middle East’s worst genocides of modern history. In 1986, Iraq’s former president Saddam Hussein ordered Operation Al Anfal, killing close to 150,000 Kurds over the course of three years. That number exceeds all the deaths resulting from more than 60 years of conflict between the Arabs and Israel, which has seen at least half a dozen wars. [Actually, it is about triple the numbers killed in Arab-Israeli wars. - EoZ]

In the aftermath, Iraqi Kurdistan has emerged from civil war to become one of the Middle East’s most promising regions. One can only hope that the way Iraqi Kurds did it might inspire the Arabs.
...
The Kurds understood that the international status quo would force them to reconnect with Baghdad. Thus, they moved to their second best option: they rejoined Iraq but made sure it would be a federal union that would give their northern region enough cultural, economic and political independence.

Since then, the Kurds have not wasted time in crying foul over surrendering their historic quest for independence. Instead, they founded a new formula: Iraqi Kurdistan would remain part of Iraq as long as Baghdad has democratic rulers. The emergence of a dictator would force the Kurds to go their separate way, fair and square. This position won the Kurds further kudos in the capitals of the world.

More importantly, unlike some Arab leaders and their signature policies of double talk about Israel – promising peace in English and talking war in Arabic – Kurdish leaders have preached to their people that the autonomy or rights they had earned, whether in Iraq or Turkey, were the best they could get.

Meanwhile, the Kurd’s quest for an independent state has all but vanished. This means that Kurds would not be blowing themselves up, and that their leaders would not be insisting on independence in a populist manner like several Arab and Iranian leaders often do regarding Palestine.

This newfound Kurdish wisdom has penetrated all the way into Kurdistan, as Iraqi Kurds held free and fair elections for their regional parliament last year, when a considerable opposition bloc emerged. Mr Barzani himself was re-elected Kurdistan’s president with 68 per cent of the vote, a percentage that makes many Arab presidential elections, with poll numbers exceeding 90 per cent, look silly.

Democracy, still not ideal, is now taking root in Iraqi Kurdistan.

And with democracy comes good governance and economic prosperity. For that, the Kurds have been tapping their human capital assets from their diaspora. Again, compare that to most Arab countries where brain drain has become an unstoppable trend.

The Kurdistan state-building experiment in northern Iraq, even if only within the limits of autonomy, is far from perfection. Yet it is one of the most impressive in the Middle East. It should certainly serve as a model for several Arab countries to emulate.

While the analogy is not exact, the lesson that the author seems to be saying is that, for people who want to be free, official statehood is not the only option and that most of the benefits can come from autonomy and compromise. Furthermore, the hardheaded insistence on a state naturally leads to terrorism and is counterproductive to those who want true freedom and democracy.

However, this argument makes sense to Palestinian Arabs only if the point of a "Palestinian state" is to protect the lives of PalArabs, to end decades of misery,to build institutions and preserve an identity and bring freedom.

But given the negotiating pre-requisites of the "moderate" Palestinian Arab leaders, it is clear that their real goals have little to do with helping their people. Their goal, as it has been since 1948, is really only to destroy Israel, and as a result the wise advice that is given here will fall on deaf ears.

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This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 14 years and 30,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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