Friday, August 19, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
From Ma'an:
After all, what did he do to stop the second intifada? Since Arafat's death, when he took over as leader of Fatah in late 2004, there have been multiple deadly terrorist attacks that Fatah claimed credit for.
This is in line with what Abbas said in 2008 to a Jordanian newspaper:
I cannot find any indication that Abbas condemned yesterday's attack near Eilat. He used to mouth meaningless "condemnations" after his people massacred Israelis, but even then his words always betrayed that he didn't have any moral qualms about those attacks. He would say that the attacks "worked against Palestinian interests" or were ill-timed but he would never show any indication that he was truly offended by them.
People like Abbas who mouth words of "peace" as a tactic are far from peaceful.
Abbas said the Arab League had discussed allowing armed resistance to Israel's occupation if the bid for full membership of the UN failed, and that some countries supported the idea.It isn't like Abbas has an ethical problem against killing Israeli civilians - it's just that he is afraid of losing!
But the president said Palestinians did not want armed resistance "unless you all take a decision to launch war."
He added: "I cannot fire one single bullet at Israel because all I have is a policeman with a Kalashnikov and minimum ammunition."
After all, what did he do to stop the second intifada? Since Arafat's death, when he took over as leader of Fatah in late 2004, there have been multiple deadly terrorist attacks that Fatah claimed credit for.
This is in line with what Abbas said in 2008 to a Jordanian newspaper:
At this present juncture, I am opposed to the armed struggle because we can't succeed in it, but maybe in the future things will be different.He also said something similar last year:
"I have said more than once that if the Arabs want war - we are with them....We do not wish to turn to armed struggle, because our [lack of] capabilities and the international atmosphere do not allow for it.(h/t Mike)
...
"I turned to the Arab States and I said: 'If you want war, and if all of you will fight Israel, we are in favor. But the Palestinians will not fight alone because they don't have the ability to do it.' "
I cannot find any indication that Abbas condemned yesterday's attack near Eilat. He used to mouth meaningless "condemnations" after his people massacred Israelis, but even then his words always betrayed that he didn't have any moral qualms about those attacks. He would say that the attacks "worked against Palestinian interests" or were ill-timed but he would never show any indication that he was truly offended by them.
People like Abbas who mouth words of "peace" as a tactic are far from peaceful.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
The Popular Resistance Committees, the organization Israel says is behind yesterday's terror attacks, has a multimedia page on its website.
One of the song titles is "Dimroo al-Yehud" - which translates to "Destroy the Jews."
Tough to misinterpret that.
Here it is. It was apparently recorded by someone named Abu Ali; it has been linked to in various Muslim and Arab forums.
The PRC has not taken responsibility for the attack, but their statement about the assassination of their leaders says:
One of the song titles is "Dimroo al-Yehud" - which translates to "Destroy the Jews."
Tough to misinterpret that.
Here it is. It was apparently recorded by someone named Abu Ali; it has been linked to in various Muslim and Arab forums.
The PRC has not taken responsibility for the attack, but their statement about the assassination of their leaders says:
We bless the heroic operation that returned the fight to Palestine in splendor, the operation carried out by the Mujahideen heroes near the city of Eilat, where they inflicted on the criminal enemy dozens of dead and wounded in the quality operation {Allah threw horror in their hearts}.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
From YNet:
The "Abdullah Azzam Brigades" took responsibility for the Grad attacks, but no Grad rockets get into Gaza without Hamas' knowledge and approval. Terror groups might manufacture Qassams without Hamas knowing, but they cannot smuggle in rockets and weapons without Hamas' full consent.
YNet also has a profile of four of the victims of yesterday's terrorism.
A rocket fired at Ashdod on Friday exploded in the courtyard of a haredi yeshiva and left 10 people injured. Magen David Adom emergency services said two men were seriously injured.
Eight others were lightly injured in the attack. The victims were rushed to the Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot. Minor damage was caused to the building.
The rocket was fired at around 8:10 am and a Color Red siren was sounded in Ashdod and Gedera.
Emergency services detected an additional Grad rocket which hit a synagogue situated several blocks from the yeshiva. The rocket did not explode and security forces are working to demolish the building in order to clear it.
Eyewitnesses said that the victims left the synagogue after hearing the siren. They ran for cover in an adjacent building. When they heard the first blast they came outside and were then hit by the second rocket.
A total of 12 rockets were fired at southern communities overnight.
The "Abdullah Azzam Brigades" took responsibility for the Grad attacks, but no Grad rockets get into Gaza without Hamas' knowledge and approval. Terror groups might manufacture Qassams without Hamas knowing, but they cannot smuggle in rockets and weapons without Hamas' full consent.
YNet also has a profile of four of the victims of yesterday's terrorism.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
Syria's official SANA "news" agency continues in the best tradition of Soviet-style propaganda:
A Russian popular delegation on Wednesday arrived in Damascus to take part in "We Love Syria and its Leader" campaign.They don't just like Syria and its leader - they love them!
The delegation includes Russian political, academic, cultural and artistic personalities in addition to 6 Syrian residents in Russia.
In a statement to SANA, members of the delegation said the visit aims at seeing the reality of events in Syria on ground, adding that Syria is a country of great history and people and led by a wise leadership.
They also expressed that the Russian people rejects foreign interference in Syria's internal affairs, stressing that the Russian people supports Syria.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
From Arab News:
But she obviously can determine and enforce what is holy and what is profane.
An Alkhobar woman studying in the United States is taking credit for destroying 23 Danish websites that denigrated the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Al-Madinah newspaper reported on Thursday.A woman with that name from that same town in Saudi Arabia has a Facebook profile where she says she likes Grey's Anatomy and Friends - TV shows that feature premarital sex.
Nouf Rashid told the Arabic newspaper she was hacking into Danish websites having references to cartoons of the Prophet along with other sites that had questionable content in her view.
She said she had also destroyed a number of pornographic sites and hacked into the computer systems of young men who had tried to blackmail girls by threatening to publish their private photos. She gained expertise in the field out of a desire to learn new things in the IT field.
Nouf said she had hacked into some of the Danish websites that denigrated the Prophet and shut them down. “I also sent messages and articles about Islam and the Prophet to those who managed those sites,” she pointed out.
But she obviously can determine and enforce what is holy and what is profane.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
From Ma'an:
The PRC responded by saying "A martyr is born with his blood flowing, and the march of thousands of martyrs, body parts and blood would not stop until we achieve victory and God's promise of empowerment."
An Israeli airstrike killed six Palestinians Thursday evening in southern Gaza, medics said, hours after a series of attacks left seven Israelis dead near Eilat.Earlier, government spokesperson Mark Regev said the Israeli intelligence was certain that the attacks originated in Gaza. "This is not speculation, not conjecture, not joining the dots. They are sure these terrorists left Gaza."
Gaza medical official Adham Abu Salmiya said the airstrikes targeted a house in Rafah.
A Ma'an correspondent said the home belonged to Popular Resistance Committees official Khaled Shaath, who was killed instantly. His two-year-old son Malek later died of injuries sustained in the strike.
The attacks killed four others in Rafah. Among them were PRC military wing chief Abu Awad Nayrab and PRC operatives Imad Hamad, Abu Jamil Shaath and Khaled Masri, medical officials said.
The PRC confirmed the deaths in a statement posted to its website.
The PRC responded by saying "A martyr is born with his blood flowing, and the march of thousands of martyrs, body parts and blood would not stop until we achieve victory and God's promise of empowerment."
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
Let's imagine that Israel and the PLO had agreed to the boundaries of a Palestinian Arab state back in 2008.
Would today's terror attack have still happened?
The answer can be seen by looking at where the attack occurred - in the "internationally recognized borders" of Israel.
Not in Gaza. Not in the area that the PLO officially claims they want for a state.
In fact, the attack was not even in a place that would have been called "Palestine" before the British Mandate.
People are so used to hearing the phrase "peace process" that they are conditioned to believe the biggest lie of all: that if only Israel would give up more territory, then there would be peace. An agreement, it is widely assumed, would mean no more claims against Israel and a chance for both nations to live side by side in harmony.
Today's attack - which included an RPG attack on a family in a car, killing two children - has nothing to do with "Palestine." The entire point of the attack is to kill Jews who enjoy their own national self-determination in the Middle East. As long as Jews live in freedom in the area, they will be attacked. It will simply never end.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad and the PRC are not going to disappear after a peace agreement is signed. They would continue to attack Israelis, they way that the fedayeen attacked before there was an "occupation." They will continue to find new claims as Hezbollah does with the Lebanese border after Israel withdrew behidn UN-drawn lines.
Pseudo-intellectuals will likewise keep finding ways to justify the terror by blaming Israel for the reprehensible deeds of the terrorists. They cannot accept the fact that not only would Israel's capitulation not stop terror, but it would probably increase it. Terrorists fired rockets from Gaza to Israel literally hours after Israel's last troops withdrew from Gaza - and they never stopped, even before the "siege."
Israeli actions are not what is preventing peace. Palestinian Arab actions are what makes peace impossible - their terrorism as well as their widespread support for terrorism, in the media and on the streets.
Would today's terror attack have still happened?
The answer can be seen by looking at where the attack occurred - in the "internationally recognized borders" of Israel.
Not in Gaza. Not in the area that the PLO officially claims they want for a state.
In fact, the attack was not even in a place that would have been called "Palestine" before the British Mandate.
People are so used to hearing the phrase "peace process" that they are conditioned to believe the biggest lie of all: that if only Israel would give up more territory, then there would be peace. An agreement, it is widely assumed, would mean no more claims against Israel and a chance for both nations to live side by side in harmony.
Today's attack - which included an RPG attack on a family in a car, killing two children - has nothing to do with "Palestine." The entire point of the attack is to kill Jews who enjoy their own national self-determination in the Middle East. As long as Jews live in freedom in the area, they will be attacked. It will simply never end.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad and the PRC are not going to disappear after a peace agreement is signed. They would continue to attack Israelis, they way that the fedayeen attacked before there was an "occupation." They will continue to find new claims as Hezbollah does with the Lebanese border after Israel withdrew behidn UN-drawn lines.
Pseudo-intellectuals will likewise keep finding ways to justify the terror by blaming Israel for the reprehensible deeds of the terrorists. They cannot accept the fact that not only would Israel's capitulation not stop terror, but it would probably increase it. Terrorists fired rockets from Gaza to Israel literally hours after Israel's last troops withdrew from Gaza - and they never stopped, even before the "siege."
Israeli actions are not what is preventing peace. Palestinian Arab actions are what makes peace impossible - their terrorism as well as their widespread support for terrorism, in the media and on the streets.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
Islamic Jihad's Al Quds Brigades has condemned Hamas for "kidnapping" one of their mujahadin.
According to their statement, Hamas raided an Islamic Jihad building on Monday morning and "arrested [the PIJ member] without regard for the sanctity of Ramadan and without respect for the [normal] coordination mechanisms used between Saraya [Islamic Jihad] and Gaza security forces."
PIJ added that Hamas "turned its back on all the efforts made for the release of the Mujahid, which led us to announce the incident, which we did not hope to reach this point."
The statement concluded that "this incident is strange and deplorable but will not affect the fraternal relations between the Quds Brigades of all the Palestinian factions and our brothers in the Gaza government. We express hope that the crisis ends soon ..and we return to the method of dialogue and understanding to resolve any problem that may happen in the future."
Although it is no surprise, this statement shows that the Hamas government normally coordinates activities with Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups, which makes the idea of a peaceful "unity government" with Fatah even more of a joke.
According to their statement, Hamas raided an Islamic Jihad building on Monday morning and "arrested [the PIJ member] without regard for the sanctity of Ramadan and without respect for the [normal] coordination mechanisms used between Saraya [Islamic Jihad] and Gaza security forces."
PIJ added that Hamas "turned its back on all the efforts made for the release of the Mujahid, which led us to announce the incident, which we did not hope to reach this point."
The statement concluded that "this incident is strange and deplorable but will not affect the fraternal relations between the Quds Brigades of all the Palestinian factions and our brothers in the Gaza government. We express hope that the crisis ends soon ..and we return to the method of dialogue and understanding to resolve any problem that may happen in the future."
Although it is no surprise, this statement shows that the Hamas government normally coordinates activities with Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups, which makes the idea of a peaceful "unity government" with Fatah even more of a joke.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
The talkbacks on Palestinian Arab news sites are filled with happiness and glee at the murder of Israelis today near Eilat.
And not only the Hamas or Islamic Jihad oriented sites, but the Fatah-leaning sites as well.
Palestine Press Agency, which is a Fatah-leaning site, has commenters saying
"God praise the [Hamas] Al-Qassam Brigades" (they have not taken responsibility)
"Our Lord is with the heroes"
"[I] call for resistance in the Gaza with rocket fire and suicide bombings and the Glory of God and His Messenger"
"Tribute to the Heroes of each attack and no matter what their affiliation"
"God is great and victory is coming"
By far the most popular comment in the Hamas-oriented PalTimes is "God is great."
Firas Press has a numbr of "God is Great" comments as well as one referring to the victims as "monkeys."
The popular Paldf.net forum site has hundreds of messages of praise as well as digging up every possible scrap of rumor they can find.
I have yet to find a single expression of sadness or condemnation for the attack. One person thought that it was "suspicious" and implied it was a Zionist false flag attack to be a pretext for invading Egypt or Gaza; that's the closest I could find to a reservation about the attack. Everyone else is pouring out happiness and congratulations to the heroic terrorists.
UPDATE: A couple of people think it is unfair to generalize based on talkbackers, who are usually the most extreme idiots. However, there are usually extremists on both sides of the story. I cannot find a single Palestinian Arab who is an "extremist" in supporting peace or condemning terror. And that is a significant issue that is worthwhile to mention.
And not only the Hamas or Islamic Jihad oriented sites, but the Fatah-leaning sites as well.
Palestine Press Agency, which is a Fatah-leaning site, has commenters saying
"God praise the [Hamas] Al-Qassam Brigades" (they have not taken responsibility)
"Our Lord is with the heroes"
"[I] call for resistance in the Gaza with rocket fire and suicide bombings and the Glory of God and His Messenger"
"Tribute to the Heroes of each attack and no matter what their affiliation"
"God is great and victory is coming"
By far the most popular comment in the Hamas-oriented PalTimes is "God is great."
Firas Press has a numbr of "God is Great" comments as well as one referring to the victims as "monkeys."
The popular Paldf.net forum site has hundreds of messages of praise as well as digging up every possible scrap of rumor they can find.
I have yet to find a single expression of sadness or condemnation for the attack. One person thought that it was "suspicious" and implied it was a Zionist false flag attack to be a pretext for invading Egypt or Gaza; that's the closest I could find to a reservation about the attack. Everyone else is pouring out happiness and congratulations to the heroic terrorists.
UPDATE: A couple of people think it is unfair to generalize based on talkbackers, who are usually the most extreme idiots. However, there are usually extremists on both sides of the story. I cannot find a single Palestinian Arab who is an "extremist" in supporting peace or condemning terror. And that is a significant issue that is worthwhile to mention.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
Possible next leader of Labor Party does not see establishing Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria as a crime:
The always excellent Richard Landes talks about the West's problem with criticizing Islam in a new blog in The Telegraph:
Khaled Abu Toameh on the Arab uprisings:
Elliot Abrams: Will Ariel block peace?
(h/t O, CHA, jzaik)
In its time, it was a completely consensual move. And it was the Labor Party that founded the settlement enterprise in the territories. That is a fact. A historical fact....I am familiar with the worldview that maintains that if we cut the defense budget in half there will be money for education. It's a worldview with no connection to reality....I reject it; it is simply not factually correct, even though it is now perceived as axiomatic. A school that is located in a settlement and has X number of students would be located inside the Green Line and have the same number of children at the same cost. I don't say that the settlements themselves did not cost more money. But even if the defense budget were cut in half, and even if the settlement costs were cut in half, the economic ideology that led us to them would not seek to divert the newly available funds to the service of the state.
The always excellent Richard Landes talks about the West's problem with criticizing Islam in a new blog in The Telegraph:
In an honour culture, it is legitimate, expected, even required to shed blood for the sake of honour, to save face, to redeem the dishonoured face. Public criticism is an assault on the very “face” of the person criticised. Thus, people in such cultures are careful to be “polite”; and a genuinely free press is impossible, no matter what the laws proclaim.
Modernity, however, is based on a free public discussion, on civility rather than politeness, but the benefits of this public self-criticism – sharp learning curves, advances in science and technology, economic development, democracy – make that pain worthwhile.
But such a system represents a crucible of humiliation for alpha males, especially those who believe that the social order depends on the honour of ruling elite, like the anti-Dreyfusards around 1900, ready to sacrifice a single man for the honour of Army and Church.
This is particularly true for Islamic religious culture. In Dar al Islam, a Muslim’s contradiction/criticism of Islam was punishable by death, a fortiori did this hold true for infidels. Modernity has been a Nakba (psychological catastrophe) for Islam, and Islam in all its variegated currents has yet to successfully negotiate these demands of modernity.
On the contrary, the loudest voices in contemporary Islam reject vehemently the kind of self-criticism modernity requires. Criticism constitutes an unbearable assault on the manhood of Muslims.
Khaled Abu Toameh on the Arab uprisings:
Elliot Abrams: Will Ariel block peace?
If there is a single issue that explains the failure of Obama policy toward Israel, it is settlements. And this week the administration once again indulged itself in a knee-jerk reaction that displayed incomprehension in a way that harms U.S.-Israeli relations without doing the slightest bit of good for the Palestinians.
This week Israel announced a plan to construct 277 more housing units in Ariel, a settlement that is a town of 18,000. The new units are to be constructed in the center of the town, it was also announced. This is a significant fact, for construction of new units at the edges of the town would mean that the security perimeter would need to be extended to protect the new housing and the people in it. But this will not happen, and Ariel will expand in population but not in land area. It is not, in the usual Palestinian Authority parlance, “taking more Palestinian land.”
When I worked on these issues in the Bush Administration, we discussed settlement expansion thoroughly with the government of Israel and (as I have explained elsewhere) reached agreement on some principles. These were that Israel would create no new settlements and that existing settlements would expand in population but not in land area. New construction, that is, would be in already-built-up areas, and the phrase we used was “build up and in, not out.” The usual complaints about new construction in the settlements were that “it is making a final peace agreement impossible” or at least more and more difficult by “taking more Palestinian land” that would have to be bargained over in the end and whose taking would right now interfere with Palestinian life and livelihoods. We understood that there would never be a long construction freeze even if there might be some brief ones, for the settlements–especially the “major blocks” that Israel will keep–are living communities with growing families. So we reached that understanding with the Israelis: build up and in, not out. That way whatever the chances of a peace deal were, construction in the settlements would not reduce them.
This agreement the Obama Administration ignored or denounced, suggesting at various times that it never existed or that, anyway, it had been a bad idea and all construction must be frozen–even in Israel’s capital, Jerusalem. (To be more accurate, construction by Israeli Jews was to be frozen; construction by Palestinians could continue). No Israeli government could long accept such terms and though the Netanyahu government did agree to a short and partial freeze, when that failed to bring the PLO back to the negotiating table the freeze was ended. This Obama fixation with a construction freeze proved disastrous because the president and his secretary of state took the view that it was a precondition for negotiations without which the Palestinians could not be expected to come to the table. Of course once that American position was announced the Palestinian leadership had to adopt it, lest they appear weaker in asserting Palestinian “rights” than Washington.
(h/t O, CHA, jzaik)
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
From AFP:
Egypt's military, which faces growing condemnation for cracking down on critics, on Wednesday sentenced two men to six months in prison each for chanting anti-military slogans, a prosecution official said.Egypt: A liberated nation run by a military dictatorship that hasn't scheduled elections yet. Isn't it wonderful?
The military, in power since a popular revolt ousted president Hosni Mubarak in February, has promised to hand over government to civilians after a yet unscheduled presidential election.
The military this week decided to try an activist and blogger who posted a widely popular appeal to Egyptians to rise up against Mubarak days before the January 25 revolt.
Asmaa Mahfouz, who has become a vocal critic of the military, is charged with insulting the military on the Internet, in a step the New York-based Human Rights Watch described as an "escalation" against military opponents.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
From YNet/Reuters:
An Israeli bus traveling to the southern city of Eilat has come under fire on noon Thursday.The Muqata is liveblogging.
Police forces, as well as Magen David Adom emergency services teams have been dispatched to the scene.
Security forces have closed off all of the entrances to Eilat and are currently canvassing the area in search of three suspects.
Initial details said that five people have suffered moderate to mild injuries in the attack, which took place about 30km (18 miles) north of Eilat, near the Ein Netafim junction.
Defense establishment sources said that the fire originated from the Egyptian side of the border. Egyptian security forces have been alerted and are reportedly conducting a simultaneous manhunt.
Passengers on the 392 number bus headed from Eilat to Mitzpe Ramon reported seeing three figures wearing smocks open fire towards them. Security officials said the shooters, who managed to escape after the firing, were most likely carrying Kalashnikov guns.
Apparently there were two separate bus attacks, and a car attack. One bus attacked by an RPG or anti-tank missile, other by Kalashnikovs. Reports of mortars and roadside bombs in the Negev as well. The car had children; five injured in that attack. Reportedly the first attack was carried out by men in Egyptian army uniforms.
Two children, ages 4 and 6, were killed in the car which was attacked by an RPG.
There are reports of seven Israelis killed, and three terrorists killed so far.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
Palestine Press Agency has published an analysis saying that Hamas has been cornered by the Syrian uprising.
On the one hand, Hamas has had a patron in Damascus, having moved its headquarters there from Jordan in 1999. It has tried to be low-key about the uprising, sitting on the fence and not saying much.
However, Hamas cannot publicly support a nation that is killing Palestinian Arabs.
Fatah has seized on the Latakia attacks, publicly calling it a "crime against humanity." Hamas, however, remained silent.
In fact, as I mentioned earlier, a rally in Gaza against the Syrian regime resulted in a number of arrests by Hamas plainclothes policemen - and they arrested a journalist covering the rally as well.
There have been rumors that Hamas is looking to relocate its headquarters again, to Qatar or Turkey.
The New York Times briefly mentioned this conundrum today:
Now that Palestinian Arabs have become victims of Syria's assault, Hamas' fence-sitting position is looking less tenable. Palestinian Arabs are very upset over Syria and Hamas cannot remain supportive of the regime - no matter how lukewarm that support is.
(h/t David G, CHA)
On the one hand, Hamas has had a patron in Damascus, having moved its headquarters there from Jordan in 1999. It has tried to be low-key about the uprising, sitting on the fence and not saying much.
However, Hamas cannot publicly support a nation that is killing Palestinian Arabs.
Fatah has seized on the Latakia attacks, publicly calling it a "crime against humanity." Hamas, however, remained silent.
In fact, as I mentioned earlier, a rally in Gaza against the Syrian regime resulted in a number of arrests by Hamas plainclothes policemen - and they arrested a journalist covering the rally as well.
There have been rumors that Hamas is looking to relocate its headquarters again, to Qatar or Turkey.
The New York Times briefly mentioned this conundrum today:
Syria has long given residence to Palestinian factions opposed to Mr. Abbas, including Hamas and some splinter Palestinian groups, and many Palestinians recall Syria’s decision to intervene decisively against them in 1976 during the Lebanese civil war. So far, Hamas has sought to avoid alienating the government in Damascus while stopping short of statements of support, like those from Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite Muslim movement and, even more pronounced, the allied Amal movement in Lebanon. In a pro-Hamas newspaper in Gaza, a columnist criticized the ferocity of the Syrian crackdown.
Now that Palestinian Arabs have become victims of Syria's assault, Hamas' fence-sitting position is looking less tenable. Palestinian Arabs are very upset over Syria and Hamas cannot remain supportive of the regime - no matter how lukewarm that support is.
(h/t David G, CHA)
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
Last month I quoted a chilling Al Arabiya article about how the Syrian embassy in the US was threatening Syrian anti-regime protesters by photographing and identifying them and then threatening their families back home.
The Wall Street Journal (via Fox News) reports on this as well:
Meanwhile, Tunisia has recalled its ambassador to Syria.
Syrian troops are breaking into private homes in Latakia.
Some UN employees fled the country.
The next clampdown may be the Yarmouk PalArab camp in Damascus where electricity has been cut off. Another Arab leader is turning against his Palestinian "guests.
The Wall Street Journal (via Fox News) reports on this as well:
Syria is taking its war against President Bashar al-Assad's political opponents global, using diplomats in Washington, London and elsewhere to track and intimidate expatriates who speak out against the Damascus regime, according to Syrian dissidents and U.S. officials.Jennifer Rubin discusses this in more detail.
Syrian embassy staffers are tracking and photographing antiregime protesters and sending reports back home, Syrian activists and U.S. officials say. Syrian diplomats, including the ambassador to the U.S., have fanned out to Arab diaspora communities to brand dissidents "traitors" and warn them against conspiring with "Zionists."
A half-dozen Syrian-Americans interviewed by The Wall Street Journal in recent weeks say that as a result of their activities in the U.S., family members have been interrogated, threatened or arrested in Syria. The Obama administration says it has "credible" evidence that the Assad regime is targeting relatives of Syrian-Americans who have participated in peaceful U.S. protests.
In an interview Tuesday, Imad Moustapha, the Syrian ambassador, dismissed the allegations by Syrian dissidents and U.S. officials as "slander and sheer lies."
One Syrian-American scientist in Philadelphia, Hazem Hallak, said his physician brother, Sakher, was tortured and killed in May by Syria's intelligence agencies, the mukhabarat, after he returned from a medical conference in the U.S. Syrian agents in Aleppo were obsessed with obtaining a list of Syrian activists and U.S. officials the brother had allegedly met during his stay, Hazem Hallak said.
"They want to intimidate us wherever we are," said Mr. Hallak, who said he believes Syrian agents or regime sympathizers tracked his brother inside the U.S. Mr. Hallak said his brother wasn't involved in anti-Assad activities.
The State Department recently publicly rebuked the Syrian ambassador, Mr. Moustapha, for allegedly intimidating activists and confined him to a 25-mile radius around Washington.
"We received reports that Syrian mission personnel under Ambassador Moustapha's authority have been conducting video and photographic surveillance of people participating in peaceful demonstrations in the United States," the State Department said. "The United States Government takes very seriously reports of any foreign government actions attempting to intimidate individuals in the United States who are exercising their lawful right to freedom of speech as protected by the U.S. Constitution."
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, meanwhile, is investigating allegations that Mr. Moustapha and his staff have threatened or harmed Syrian-Americans, according to three individuals interviewed by the FBI in recent weeks. An FBI spokesman said the bureau won't comment on any possible investigation into the Syrian embassy's activities.
Meanwhile, Tunisia has recalled its ambassador to Syria.
Syrian troops are breaking into private homes in Latakia.
Some UN employees fled the country.
The next clampdown may be the Yarmouk PalArab camp in Damascus where electricity has been cut off. Another Arab leader is turning against his Palestinian "guests.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
unesco
I reported last month that a UNESCO document has put Maimonides in a recent list of Muslim scholars published in December 2010.
The Algemeiner contacted UNESCO about this:
While the acknowledgement is welcome, in the context of UNESCO declaring Rachel's Tomb to be a "historic mosque" - a provable lie - and other anti-Israel biased statements it has made recently, one wonders if a mistake like this is more than just a mistake.
UNESCO must have known how offensive this Maimonides gaffe was, so to shrug it off as "just one of those things" hardly seems an adequate response.
The Algemeiner contacted UNESCO about this:
When contacted directly by the Algemeiner for comment a UNESCO spokesperson replied, “UNESCO acknowledges that there was indeed an important and regrettable error in the chapter devoted to Arab States in the UNESCO Science Report published in 2006, which refers to Maimonides as a Muslim scholar,” they said. “Despite the vigile [sic] of our editors, errors unfortunately do occasionally occur.”That's not quite an apology.
The representative declined to comment further.
While the acknowledgement is welcome, in the context of UNESCO declaring Rachel's Tomb to be a "historic mosque" - a provable lie - and other anti-Israel biased statements it has made recently, one wonders if a mistake like this is more than just a mistake.
UNESCO must have known how offensive this Maimonides gaffe was, so to shrug it off as "just one of those things" hardly seems an adequate response.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
Hamas holds the keys to the Gaza prison:
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) denounces the decision taken by the Palestinian Ministry of Education in Gaza to prevent 8 students who have been granted scholarships to study in the United States of America via AMIDEAST, from travelling for "social and cultural reasons."The parents intended to send the kids to the US via Israel - but Israel didn't reject them. Their own "leaders" did.
Eight students from secondary schools in Gaza won scholarships from the YES program run by the AMIDEAST. They were selected for the scholarship based on academic criteria and the selection process took a full year. ...
On 25 July, the parents of the successful students submitted a request to Dr. Usama al-Muzeini, Minister of Education and Higher Education in Gaza, to approve granting facilitations necessary for their children's travel via Erez crossing on 17 August 2011. However, the Minister rejected the request on 31 July 2011 for "social and cultural reasons." It should be noted that in their requests, the parents explained that they are know the details of the scholarship and about measures necessary for the protection of their children.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
A Hamas terrorist member of the Al Qassam Martyrs' Brigades has succumbed to wounds he received several days ago in an "accident." Not a car accident; just an "accident."
Mohammed Jaber Al-Safadi was 26 years old commander for the Brigades. The Qassam website hailed him as a martyr, saying "He was martyred after a long bright path of jihad, hard work, struggle and sacrifice" and that he fell in the "playground of death."
From other similar incidents it seems that either he did kill himself while playing with explosives in his playground of death, or that he was killed in an intra-Hamas feud, which get hushed up by Hamas.
Either way, it's time to distribute the candies!
Mohammed Jaber Al-Safadi was 26 years old commander for the Brigades. The Qassam website hailed him as a martyr, saying "He was martyred after a long bright path of jihad, hard work, struggle and sacrifice" and that he fell in the "playground of death."
From other similar incidents it seems that either he did kill himself while playing with explosives in his playground of death, or that he was killed in an intra-Hamas feud, which get hushed up by Hamas.
Either way, it's time to distribute the candies!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
From Iran's FARS comedy channel "news agency:"
Commander of Iran's Basij (volunteer) forces Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi expressed concern about the conditions of the Somali people who are hit by severe famine and drought, and took the US and the Zionist regime responsible for growing catastrophe in the African country.A list of everything that the Muslim and Arab world has blamed on Jews and Zionists would tax the largest databases.
"The present poverty, hunger and insecurity in Somalia are the result of the numerous plots of the US and the Zionist regime," Naqdi said here in Tehran on Wednesday.
He reiterated that Somalia is experiencing aggravating humanitarian crisis because the US and the Zionist regime prevented establishment of a stable and efficient government in Somalia by provoking insecurity and unrests in the North African country.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Elder of Ziyon
Palestine Press Agency reports that Hamas broke up a demonstration in Gaza supporting the Syrian people and Palestinian Arabs in Latakia who have been attacked by the murderous regime.
Hamas security forces arrested ten demonstrators, who were reportedly beaten.
Hamas security forces arrested ten demonstrators, who were reportedly beaten.
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