July 2008 ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Hamas hints at taking over the West Bank

In yet another little-reported story, Hamas on Thursday made a slightly oblique threat to the PA. From Ma'an:Hamas refused to rule out the option of taking control of the West Bank if Fatah do not change their policies towards Hamas activists in the area. The statement was made in a press release by Sami Abu Zuhri, the official Hamas spokesperson in the West Bank on Thursday.Abu Zuhri said "the current situation in the West Bank is similar to that...

More Peaceful PalArab news

Palestine Press Agency reports that Hamas swept through Gaza and arrested many more Fatah leaders, as well as a 70-year old sheikh.This happened only hours after Mahmoud Abbas ordered all of the Hamas detainees in the West Bank who had been arrested in the past week to be released.Meanwhile, for the first time in ten years, Jordan has started talking to Hamas.One reason that Hamas is being seen as more mainstream is because of the existence of the...

To be sure, in this same time period there were much worse atrocities against Jews in Europe, especially Russia. But whenever Arab apologists claim that "For centuries, Jews and Arabs lived together in peace," keep in mind what kind of peace it wa...

Family denies son of Hamas leader converted to Christianity

This has got to be one of the funnier denials of all time:Reports that Massab Yousif, son of Sheikh Hassan Yousif a high profile Hamas leader, has converted to Christianity and rejected Palestinian resistance, have been denied by his family.The initial report was printed on Thursday in Ha'aretz, a leading Israeli paper, which said that their correspondent had interviewed Massab.The Ha'aretz interview quotes Massab as saying that "the nation, the...

Obama: "Israelis crazy not to accept Saudi peace plan"

Via Middle East Times, I have not yet been able to find the original:Al-Hayat (London): Abbas: 'Obama Told Me Israelis Crazy Not To Accept Arab Initiative' – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the Palestinian community in Cairo that US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama had told him Israel would be "crazy if they don't accept" the Arab peace initiative, "because that would allow them to live in peace and security from Mauritania...

Today's peaceful PalArab news

Hamas infighting is intensifying; leader Ismail Haniyeh was injured when trying to break up a fight between members of the main two factions of Hamas, requiring hospitalization. The argument deteriorated into a fight and eventually to people firing bullets in the air. It was first announced that Haniyeh would be in the hospital for only a day, but now it is three days. Reporters are not allowed in the hospital.Many believe that recent bombings in...

Hamas leader's son converts to Christianity, loves Israel

From Haaretz: Masab, son of West Bank Hamas leader Sheikh Hassan Yousef who is also the most popular figure in that extremist Islamic organization, a young man who assisted his father for years in his political activities, has become a rank-and-file Christian. "I'm now called Joseph," he says...Nor does he attempt to hide his affection for Israel, or his abhorrence of everything representing the surroundings in which he grew up: the nation, the religion,...

Can Israel recover from the Olmert era? (TNR)

From Yossi Klein Halevi in The New Republic:Is it really time for eulogies? Is the abyss known as the "Olmert era" closing? Ehud Olmert has been eulogized so often that, even now, after announcing his intention to resign as Israeli prime minister when the Kadima party holds primaries for a new leader in mid-September, some Israelis don't quite believe it. What's the catch, they wonder? Like a parody of Jewish survival, Olmert has persisted, indestructible....

Happy Laylat ul Isra and Mi'raj!

Tonight, Muslims celebrate the anniversary of Mohammed's "Night Voyage" where tradition says he went to the "farthest mosque" (the Isra) and then took a side trip around heaven (the Mi'raj), where he bargained with Allah (on Moses' advice) to reduce the number of daily prayers from fifty to five.The entire Muslim claim to Jerusalem comes from this story, of which the Koran only elliptically alludes to, in verses 1 and 60 of chapter 17:1. Glory to...

Recent Elder scoops

Very occasionally, I like to brag.Today, the Jerusalem Post reported on Hamas shaving off the mustache of a Fatah leader - nearly 36 hours after I did.On July 17, I reported on the PalArab claim that Zionists trained rats to terrorize Jerusalem Arabs - two days before any other media outlet picked it up.And just going through my July postings, I see many other articles that no other English-language media noticed or reported.To quote Men in Black,...

Dogs and cats are cute. And this is what makes them evil.In addition, it is of course against Sharia law to own a dog as a pet.But beyond that...what woman can resist petting an adorable dog or cat? It is impossible to imagine that she wouldn't, because women are so inherently weak.Some unsavory Saudi men have noticed this female weakness, and have taken advantage of it. They...

Today's peaceful PalArab news (UPDATED)

PA president Abbas is royally ticked off at a Ha'aretz article that claims that he threatened to dissolve his government if Israel released Hamas prisoners for a deal for Gilad Shalit. He is threatening to sue Ha'aretz.A German news agency closed its Gaza office in protest of Hamas arresting one of its cameramen and detaining him without charge since Saturday.Hamas evidently looted a museum with hundreds of Palestinian Arab "antiquities" in Gaza...

From Al-Arabiya:Algerian TV will launch an Islamic-inspired adaptation with a twist of the infamous Arab talent show Star Academy following a ban on the Lebanese version. Instead of showcasing contestants' singing talents, the new show, a collaboration between Algerian TV and the Ministry of Religious Affairs, will be a Quran recitation competition.The decision comes as part...

A Kuwaiti newspaper has reported on a secret Iranian nuclear weapons site in southwestern Iran.The Kuwaiti Arab Times translated part of the article:A secret nuclear bomb manufacturing center at Al-Zarqan Area in Al-Ahwaziya Region, which was first established in 2000, was discovered recently, highly reliable sources told Al-Seyassah. Sources from Al-Ahwaziya claimed Tehran...

Kuwaiti brags about "religious freedom"

An unwittingly funny article in Kuwait's Arab Times claims that Kuwait has a great degree of religious freedom - and then proves how it doesn't:A prominent lawyer says that Kuwait is rated highly among its GCC peers in terms of religious freedom, as the country’s Constitution recognizes many religions. “This is reflected in the fact that we had Kuwaiti Jews. We also have many Kuwaitis, who are Christians. The Kuwaiti Jews left Kuwait like many others...

"Disinfect the Jews from Jerusalem"

Auto-translation is not an exact science, but this one caught my eye:The Lebanese Mufti Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Rasheed Qabbani said today to the Muslims of the world to be ready to protect Jerusalem and the Holy Land.The Mufti Qabbani, in a letter addressed to the Muslims and the Lebanese on the anniversary of Isra and Mi'raaj, the connotations of this anniversary to emphasize the importance of Jerusalem and the sanctity of the place where God Almighty.He...

In what is being regarded as a major humiliation, Hamas abducted Fatah leader Nafez Mohammed - and shaved his mustache off.The pro-Fatah Palestine Press Agency is going apoplectic. When their articles veer from straight reporting of news to foaming at the mouth anger, the autotranslation quality deteriorates, but the emotions come through:Seems to hate Ahamsawi and vicious...

Why are the Arabs not funding the PA?

On Sunday, the Washington Post reported that Arab pledges to the Palestinian Authority have, by and large, not been paid:Out of 22 Arab nations that made pledges, only three -- Algeria, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- have contributed funds this year, while oil-rich countries such as Libya, Kuwait and Qatar have sent nothing and still owe the Palestinian government more than $700 million in past-due pledges. The WaPo implies that Arabs...

Diplomatic anecdote

From TNR, by Gregory Levey:I was 25 years old, downtown-bound on the four train, when I recognized a girl further down the subway car. It's hard to say why--it wasn't romantic, and I'm not a big subway talker--but I found myself walking toward her. I had a secret. Although I lived and worked in New York City, this woman--I'll call her Heather--was one of the few Americans I interacted with during the course of a typical workday. While...

Israeli actor playing Saddam in BBC drama

From Reuters:The Israeli actor playing Saddam Hussein in a new television series once narrowly escaped a missile fired by the late dictator's army. But for Igal Naor, taking the lead role in "House of Saddam", the BBC/HBO dramatisation of Saddam's 24-year rule airing in Britain from Wednesday, it was not about revenge. Instead, the 50-year-old from near Tel Aviv believes his experience of the conflicts and complexities of the Middle East, and...

Another meme

I would like to thank LindaSoG for listing me as one of her seven favorite blogs in this latest "Blogger Challenge" meme.I generally do not pass these sorts of things on, because in my opinion they are just social computer viruses. However, it has made me realize something interesting:I have really been avoiding reading too many other blogs.While there are many excellent blogs that I enjoy reading when I see them, there are very few that I make a...

That poll of UK Muslim students

There has been a bit of news in the past couple of days about a poll taken of Muslim students in Great Britain:ALMOST a third of British Muslim students believe killing in the name of Islam can be justified, according to a poll.The study also found that two in five Muslims at university support the incorporation of Islamic sharia codes into British law.The YouGov poll for the Centre for Social Cohesion (CSC) will raise concerns about the extent of...

Guess who Pakistan is accusing of terrorism?

Go on, take a guess.From Palestine Today (autotranslated):The Pakistani intelligence service accused the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency and the Indian and the Afghan intelligence services of cooperating together to destabilize the security of Pakistan.According to Pakistani intelligence, the Indian intelligence and the Mossad were planning and organizing terrorist operations against the Pakistani army deployed on the Pakistani - Indian border...

Freedom of the press, Hamas-style

For the second day in a row, Hamas has confiscated all of the West Bank newspapers delivered to Gaza: al-Hayat al-Jadida, al-Quds and al-Ayyam.Hamas is still saying that Fatah is responsible for the Friday bombings that killed five of its members and it does not want Gazans to see Fatah's denials, and especially evidence and accusations that the blast was because of Hamas infighting.Hamas had already raided and destroyed the offices of the Fatah-based...

Hamas using "calm" cement for bunkers

One of the major items that Israel had not allowed into Gaza before the current "calm" was cement. Human rights organizations and others complained bitterly about how this cement shortage was affecting Gazans' lives.So now that Israel has allowed many truckfuls of cement into Gaza, what is happening to it?Everything that goes into Gaza, either from Egyptian tunnels or from Israel, gets taken by Hamas. Hamas takes everything it needs first and then...

Saudi grand mufti condemns Turkish soap operas

We've mentioned before how crazy the Arab world has gone over a Turkish soap opera dubbed in Arabic named "Noor."Well, the Saudi grand mufti has decided enough is enough:The grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, has condemned Turkish soap operas, which have charmed millions of people across the Arab world, and prohibited people from watching them, Al-Watan daily reported yesterday.“It is not permitted to look at these serials...

Peaceful PalArab weekend (UPDATED)

After yesterday's series of bombings, including the beachfront bomb that killed 5 Hamas terrorists having a picnic and a seven year old girl, Hamas has been keen to blame Fatah while Fatah is blaming internal Hamas infighting.That doesn't stop Palestinian Arab columnists from blaming - all together now - The Jooooos!Hamas held a series of raids today against Fatah, and also shot and seriously injured Fatah Sheikh Imad Khalil with nine bullets to...

Five more killed in a new Gaza blast

YNet (h/t Soccer Dad):A bomb exploded at a major junction in the Gaza Strip on Friday, killing four Palestinians including Amar Masbach, a senior member of Hamas' Izz al-Din al-Qassam military wing. Notably, Masbach survived an Israeli assassination attempt last year, after elite troops attempted to kill him in the Strip. Two other Hamas men were killed in the blast, including Iyad al-Haya, the cousin of senior Hamas figure Khalil al-Haya. A girl...

The wonderful illogic of Matthias Klein

In a Comment is Free piece in The Guardian, Matthias Klein argues that it is counterproductive for the UK to publicly declare Hezbollah to be a terrorist organization.In the amazing logic of the Left, his argument is roughly this: Since in the pro-terror world of Hezbollah and their friends it is considered a badge of honor to be vilified by the West, and conversely it is considered awful to be friendy with the West, then any Western vilification...

Obama's note at the Kotel published

In a pretty tasteless move, Maariv retrieved the note that Barack Obama placed at the Kotel.(I removed the note, as it was upsetting a number of people...

Al Ahram prints a critical letter

Kudos to Egypt's Al Ahram for actually publishing a letter that ridicules some of its pseudo-intellectual Israel bashing:Sir -- 'Of jackals and crocodiles' (Al-Ahram Weekly 10-16 July) regurgitates the theory that the war in Iraq was initiated for the purpose of protecting Israel or, in any case, that Israel played a "leading role" in the war. You state that Ehud Barak, Israel's minister of defence, is part of a government that is "largely funded...

Internet cafe blown up in Gaza, two dead

There have been plenty of attacks on places that the Islamists don't like but this is the first fatal attack in recent memory in Gaza. From Firas (autotranslated):An explosion had taken place a short time ago in a cybercafe in western Gaza. Unknown attackers blew up the cafe, which led to the death of a citizen and injuring a number of citizens with various injuries.Palestine Press reports that two were killed in the explosion, and that there was...

From the New York Times, describing an event in Eastern Palestine/Syria in 1898.Do they have a "right of return...

"I'm Muslim and hate Jews"

From The Calgary Sun:Attacking a Jewish girl and the friends who came to her rescue has landed a Muslim man a one-year jail sentence. Mustafa Taj must also serve a year of probation following his release for what provincial court Judge Bill Cummings ruled was a racially motivated assault. "In this case, I'm satisfied that imprisonment is necessary," Cummings said in accepting the Crown's bid for a jail term. Prosecutors Ken McCaffrey and Inayat...