June 2008 ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Monday, June 30, 2008

June Qassam calendar

As usual, this is far from complete, and it is more to show how ignored the Qassam issue is rather than to show how many are being fired. Many Qassams never make it in the news, and the rare times that the IDF publishes statistics shows that I am usually undercounting . Also, these are Qassams that don't make it to Israel; many that are fired explode in Gaza itself, often causing damage or even deaths.This list does not include mortars being shot...

German sports knucklehead

From JTA:A German sports expert has raised hackles for saying that Israeli Olympic athletes wanted to die to gain sympathy for Israel.Arnd Krueger, director of the Sport Sciences institute at the University of Goettingen, said at a recent conference that this was the only way he could explain why the athletes killed by Palestinian terrorists in the 1972 Munich Olympic Village did not leave the village, even though they had felt insecure there. He...

Palestinian Arab women killed in 2007

PCHR came out with a report last month on human rights violations in the PA. They significantly undercount the number of Palestinian Arabs killed by each other, but even according to their own numbers here is an interesting statistic: Total number of Palestinian Arab women killed by their own people in 2007: 47 Number of Palestinian Arab women killed only by "honor killings" in 2007: 14 Total number of Palestinian...

Those dastardly Western X-Rays

From AFP (h/t Global Freezing):Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was the target of an "X-ray radiation plot" during his trip to Rome for the UN food summit earlier this month, the official IRNA news agency reported on Monday. The news agency quoted Iran's ambassador to Italy, Abolfazl Zohrehvand, as saying that the plot was to use extreme radiation in the place where Ahmadinejad was due to stay. The diplomat spoke out after Ahmadinejad...

Fatah accuses Hamas of "collaboration"

In the wake of yesterday's arrest by Hamas of the Fatah Gaza spokesman Abu Qusay (since released,) Fatah's Al Aqsa Brigades accused Hamas of arresting him on the orders of "their Zionist masters."Once again proving that anyone considering Fatah to be "moderate" is nut...

Palestinian Police Phunnies XXXI

From Ma'an:Israeli border police pursued and arrested a Palestinian man driving a stolen Israeli jeep on Sunday, the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported.According to Maariv, the man was a high-ranking Palestinian police officer from the Barghouthi family, who had been wanted by Israel.Amit Louzin, the director of a company named "Autoran," which helped the police track the car electronically, said, "A new Mitsubishi Bajero jeep was stolen from Qisariya...

Now, we can say that Hezbollah won the war

It has always been problematic to say that Hezbollah won the 2006 Lebanon war, notwithstanding their bragging about it. After all, Hezbollah and Lebanon suffered far more during the war than Israel did, and the UN resolution that ended it did place severe restrictions on Hezbollah, even if they knew they were going to ignore it.Unfortunately, in one sense, Israel just handed Hezbollah its victory.In February, 2006, months before Regev and Goldwasser...

The most reliable PalArabs are the most bloodthirsty

Despite the mounting number of violations of the "cease fire," all indications are that Hamas is really trying to adhere to its terms. This is evidenced not only in Hamas statements made in Arabic but also in their actions.Hamas has gone on a spree of arresting members of the Al-Aqsa Brigades, which perhaps is nothing new, but their latest arrest is noteworthy: they abducted Abu Qusay, the Fatah spokesman who on Thursday and Friday criticized Hamas...

Firas Press reports on a Turkish TV drama that stars a handsome character named Muhannad (when dubbed into Arabic.) Apparently, he is so good looking that he is now responsible for 6 divorces in the Arab world.The most recent case was ion Saudi Arabia, where a woman complained that her husband didn't show emotion the way her dreamy Muhannad does. This caused the husband to...

Clan clashes!

From Ma'an:Akram Abu al-A'atayah, 60, was killed by a relative Saturday afternoon in what appears to be a family fued.Sources close to the family said that Abu al- A'tayah, a resident of the al- Sheja'iyah neighborhood east of the Gaza city, was stabbed with a knife by a family member and was killed instantly.Tulkarem – Ma'an - Security sources in Tulkarem said that a local man had burned his uncle during a family clash Saturday.The police in Tulkarem...

Man tortured to death in Hamas prison

PalPress reports on a 57-year old man who was arrested six days ago by Hamas, and whose family was informed by Hamas today that he had unfortunately died in custody.He was in good health before this sudden, coincidental deterioration that just happened to occur while he was under Hamas' benevolent control.The 2008 PalArab self-death count now hits the grim milestone of 100.UPDATE: Firas Press says the man was 7...

Friday links

YNet: 3 female paramedics save lives in GazaMEMRI: Liberal Syrian Journalist Abi Hassan: My Day in HaifaPalPress (autotranslated): Attempted bombing at Islamic University in GazaIsrael eNews: Israeli Musician Idan Raichel Stars On Al-Jazee...

The enemy of my enemy is still my enemy

A small but illuminating brouhaha erupted over the past two days.Fatah's Al Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility for yesterday's rocket attack, but then another statement was released denying those claims and saying that the person who made them, Abu Qusay, were wrong and he was banned from the Brigades.Then this morning the Brigades reclaimed responsibility and denied the denial.Beyond the amusement at watching bumbling terrorists try to figure...

Israel's "Physicians for Human Rights" make stuff up

Reuters reports:Israel's Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) group accused Israeli doctors on Thursday of ignoring what it described as the torture of Palestinian detainees during interrogations.The PHR said its findings were based on testimony from two Palestinians who developed trauma-related symptoms, such as weak hearing, panic attacks and incontinence during and after their detention.Israel said those findings were "fraught with mistakes, groundless...

Olmert giving Hamas millions of shekels. Really.

The acronym WTF has rarely been more appropriate. From Arutz-7:The Prime Minister's office has admitted, in a letter to the Shurat Hadin Israel Law Center, that it is enabling the transfer of huge amounts of shekels into Hamas-run Gaza.Asked about this issue by Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, director of human rights organization Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center, the PM's office replied, "The transfer of funds to the Palestinian Authority in the...

Hamas: Teaching children how to kill Jews (video)

From the Al Qassam Brigades website of Hamas, a smiling child learning hate and murder from his now-dead father. ...

The Hamas website published a letter written by Gilad Shalit to his parents. I do not think this is the same letter as the one delivered earlier this month - that one was undated and this one says "June '08."The Hamas Al Qassam website is using this letter as supposed proof of its humanity, although Shalit does say that he is suffering both physically and psychologically....

A murder I missed

The PHRMG has a poorly organized and belated count of various deaths in the PA territories, and I just saw this one where a man in Nablus was beaten to death on February 22 that I had not counted before.So the 2008 PalArab self-death count is at 99.Also, a hat tip to Eric from The Israel Situation who has placed my self-death count pseudo-widget on his blo...

PalArabs get even more money to throw away

AP reports:An international conference aimed at strengthening the Palestinian police force and judicial system has secured commitments of US$242 million for specific projects, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Tuesday.The outcome of the one-day conference, which brought together representatives from more than 40 countries, including U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice,Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Israeli Foreign...

Gaza man murders his 3 year old nephew

Ma'an reports that a 3 1/2 year old Gaza child was killed by his uncle. Apparently the killer was insulted by his brother so he decided to take revenge by drowning the child in the bathroom.Although this happened on the 14th, I did not see it mentioned in any PalArab newspaper until now.The 2008 PalArab self-death count is now at 98, of which 17 have been childre...

Lebanese follies

The international community is pledging hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild the Nahr al-Bared camp in Lebanon, destroyed last year in factional fighting.Lebanese Prime Minister Siniora wants to make absolutely sure that these donors don't even think that this money will go towards giving Palestinian Arabs permanent homes in Lebanon. In response to a question at the donor conference, Siniora stressed that while Lebanon needs to maintain its...

Hamas coup?

Ha'aretz reports that things are not all sunshine and flowers in Hamasland (h/t EBoZ):The Hamas military wing, Iz al-Din al-Qassam, has split into two groups after an attempt to depose its military commander, Ahmed Al-Jabari. Palestinian sources say the attempt to replace Al-Jabari with Imad Akal failed, but has split the organization into two camps: one led by Al-Jabari and the other by Akal.Mohammed Deif, the former head of Iz al-Din al-Qassam,...

The "Freedom for Galilee Brigades" (also known as the "Imad Mughniyah Brigades"), an Arab terror group based in Israel itself, has claimed a number of high-profile terror attacks - of which very few seem to have actually occurred.The latest is the claim that they exploded a bomb in a Tel Aviv restaurant today. They even specify the address: 18 Balfour Street. Yet there is...

Gazans suffering from severe math deficiencies!

It is not only shoes and chocolates that Gazans have been unable to get during the "siege" - they also seem to have been suffering from a severe shortage of mathematical ability:Five days into the truce between Palestinian resistance factions in the Gaza Strip and Israel, vital supplies of goods are continuing to trickle into the besieged enclave.Israel allowed 80 lorry loads of goods into the Gaza Strip on Monday - twenty more than the number allowed...

The ethnic cleansing of Arabic Jews (JPost)

A nice summary of the true facts of "ethnic cleansing" in the Middle East, by Ashley Perry:Israel is perhaps the least efficient "ethnic cleanser" in the history of mankind, calumnies to the contrary notwithstanding. In 1947 some 740,000 Palestinians lived in the British Mandate for Palestine. Today, the Arab residents of the West Bank and Gaza, together with...

Ha'aretz belatedly notices poll

Ha'aretz reports today on a recent poll of Israeli Arabs that shows that 77% of them would rather live in Israel than anywhere else.What it doesn't mention is that this poll was released nearly four weeks ago, mentioned in IMRA and Daily Alert and afterwards linked and blogged here.Well, better late than never, Ha'aretz. Maybe one day you can learn what "news" mean...

Palestinian children sit next to bottles they filled at a drinking fountain in Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, June 22, 2008. Israel increased the trickle of badly needed goods flowing into the Gaza Strip on Sunday, a military spokesman said, in the latest stage of a four-day-old truce with Hamas militants. (AP...

Yemen facing starvation, too stoned to care

From Yemen Times:Yemen is at the threshold of starvation and could probably face a significant food crisis within the next five years unless farmers stop growing qat and adopt modern agricultural techniques, says Ismail Muharam, director of the General Authority for Agricultural Research.It’s currently impossible to dispense with outside wheat and grain donations. According to Muharam, “We’re trying to be self-sufficient, but this will take at least...

Arab honor, prestige and relevance

Much has been written about the honor/shame psyche that the Arab world has. The seminal work on the topic in the blogosphere was written by Dr. Sanity back in 2005 and has been touchedupon in many places, including on this blog.One aspect of this mindset that has perhaps been overlooked one specific component of honor: prestige. At first glance it would appear that prestige is almost identical to honor, but they are not quite the same. People who...

Hamas leader's life of luxury

Palestine Press Agency published pictures from Israel's Channel 10 showing Khaled Meshaal in a luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi:Life is really tough when you are forced to keep your people miserable while you are forced to enjoy such depravit...

By the way, the US Consulate to Jerusalem is located in the Western part of the city, within the Green Line.I've discussed other interesting things about the US Consulate to Jerusalem and how it exclusively caters to Palestinian Arabs previously.CORRECTION: A commenter points out that the consulate is indeed in East Jerusalem.CORRECTION 2: Indeed the main office is in West...

The relative calm in Gaza gives us a chance to look yet again at how news photographers and editors use their biases to either evoke a mood or subtly tilt a story. They use a combination of selecting the photos and choosing the captions to get their point across.Here are two pictures from Gaza:In the first picture we see a a young man flying a kite on top of a ruined building....

Egypt grabs more weapons meant for Gaza

Part of the "truce" between Israel and Hamas includes a halt to all smuggling of arms to Gaza. At least that's what Israel's negotiator is claiming:Gilad described the conditions according to which the terror organizations were to be judged during the ceasefire. "We need a total ceasefire – all included. If tomorrow morning one single rocket is fired, it will be a violation of the agreement. There is no room for interpretation, and no mediating body...

Likely terrorist's family donates his organs to Israelis

Ma'an reports:The family of an 18-year-old Palestinian civilian, who died after being shot by Israeli security guards a few weeks ago, have donated his organs to save the lives of six Israelis.Patient "A" was clinically dead when he was transferred to the intensive care unit in Shiba medical center in Tel Hashomeir. But doctors were unable to resuscitate him.The Hebrew daily newspaper Ma’ariv reported that his family decided to donate his organs...

Amazing video of smuggling tunnels in Rafah

From Israel's Channel 10 (in Hebrew).It shows a tunnel 20 meters deep and 900 meters long, used for smuggling. It also shows the construction of another.The Gazans repeat a claim I've seen lately that Egypt is pumping poison gas in the tunnels and killing people, although I have never seen anyone specify who exactly was killed in such a wa...

Gaza groups criticize journalists - then shoot one

A political forum was held in Gaza today called "The role of media intellectuals in the dialogue and the restoration of national unity." Hamas spokesman - and former newspaper editor - Ghazi Hamad said that "the Palestinian media has become part of the problem rather than a solution" and they are too negative and partisan.Almost as if to underscore how bad journalists are in the minds of some Gazans, a prominent media personality, Mostafa Alsua,...

Hezbollah goes back to its roots

More recently, in the aftermath of the 2006 war, Hezbollah has stated that it only uses weapons for the "resistance" and implied that this was a temporary state of affairs:"No army in the world will force us to drop our weapons, force us to surrender our arms, as long as people believe in this resistance," said Hassan Nasrallah, who claimed Hezbollah victorious in the fighting.But he added, "We do not wish to keep our weapons forever," because they...

Minor victory in Google News

Uruknet.info, one of the most virulent anti-semitic and pro-jihadi sites on the Internet, has finally been removed from Google News as a legitimate news source.The People's Voice, a similar rag that we have written about before, is freaking out:One of my Associates, Uruknet.Info, is once again the victim of Google’s zionist inspired polices. Just a month ago, the co-founder of Google was in Israel to ‘celebrate’ its 60 years as an occupying power…...

Why Americans support Israel

A very nice article in Foreign Affairs shows quite well that Americans have overwhelmingly supported the right of Jews to have a state, well before modern Zionism, and that this is why America has had pro-Israel policies - not because of the "Israel lobby" or an influential Jewish minority.Highlights:The story of U.S. support for a Jewish state in the Middle East begins early....