Meshal's speech - the one that the media wouldn't quote

Some media outlets selectively quoted Khaled Meshal's speech on Saturday. However, their quotes don't even hint at  the amount of fanaticism from Hamas' supposedly "moderate" leader.(The Guardian was actually pretty good this time.)

From MEMRI:

Khaled Mash’al: First of all, Palestine – from the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea, from its north to its south – is our land, our right, and our homeland. There will be no relinquishing or forsaking even an inch or small part of it. Second, Palestine was, continues to be, and will remain Arab and Islamic. It belongs to the Arab and the Islamic world. Palestine belongs to us and to nobody else. This is the Palestine which we know and in which we believe. Third, since Palestine belongs to us, and is the land of Arabism and Islam, we must never recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli occupation of it. The occupation is illegitimate, and therefore, Israel is illegitimate, and will remain so throughout the passage of time. Palestine belongs to us, not to the Zionists. [...] The liberation of Palestine – all of Palestine – is a duty, a right, a goal, and a purpose. It is the responsibility of the Palestinian people, as well as of the Arab and Islamic nation. Fifth, Jihad and armed resistance are the proper and true path to liberation and to the restoration of our rights, along with all other forms of struggle – through politics, through diplomacy, through the masses, and through legal channels. All these forms of struggle, however, are worthless without resistance. [...] Politics are born from the womb of resistance. The true statesman is born from the womb of the rifle and the missile. Announcer: Say: “Allah Akbar.” Song: Oh Abu Al-Walid, oh Mash’al, prepare the way, come on. Our journey must be completed. Allah is with you. Khaled Mash’al: May Allah bless you. Oh Palestinian statesmen, oh Arab and Muslim statesmen, learn your lesson from Gaza. Anyone who wishes to take the path of diplomacy must take a missile along with him. He must rely upon the infrastructure of the resistance. Your value, oh statesman, is derived from the value of resistance. I, along with my dear brother Abu Al-Abd Haniya, the entire Hamas leadership, both here and abroad, our comrades, the leaders of the resistance, in Gaza, in the West Bank, here and abroad – by Allah, we are indebted to the leadership of the Palestinian military wings. If not for the great commanders of the military wings, we would have no statesmen. This is thanks first to Allah, and then to the heroes of the resistance. How wonderful was your shelling of Tel Aviv. May your hands be blessed. May your hands be blessed. We are proud of what you have done. Jihad and resistance are the path. This is not mere rhetoric. Events have shown us that Jihad and resistance are the most advantageous and reliable option. This option is not a delusion or a mirage. By no means. The resistance is a palpable, visible, and envisioned thing. It marches on the ground, spreading light to its people, and unleashing fire upon its enemies. That is the resistance. […] For us, resistance is the means, not the end. I say to the entire world, through the media: If the world finds a way other than through resistance and bloodshed to restore Palestine and Jerusalem to us, to implement the Right of Return, and to put an end to the loathsome Zionist occupation – we will welcome it. But we gave you a chance for 64 years, and you did not do a thing. That is why we opted for resistance. Don’t reproach us. If we had found another way – one that did not involve war and battle – we would have proceeded upon it, but history and the laws of Allah tell us that victory and liberation cannot be achieved without resistance, battle, and sacrifice. […] Jerusalem is our soul, our history, our collective memory, our past, our present, and our future. It is our eternal capital, to which we hold fast and which we will liberate, inch by inch, neighborhood by neighborhood, stone by stone, every place sacred to Islam, and every place sacred to Christianity. Israel has no right to Jerusalem. […] The Right of Return means the return of all the refugees, the displaced, and the exiled to the land of Palestine – to its cities and its villages, to the neighborhoods of Gaza, the West Bank, and within the 1948 borders. We own every inch of our land. Our fathers and our forefathers were born there. We lived there. It retains our memory and our history. The Right of Return is sacred to us, and it cannot be depreciated. When my brothers and I entered the Gaza Strip yesterday, we began the fulfillment of the Right of Return, Allah willing. […] Hamas has a clear-cut principle: no to resettlement of refugees and no to an alternative homeland. There is no substitute for Palestine. […] The unity of Palestinian land refers to Gaza, the West Bank, and the land within the 1948 borders. That is the land of Palestine – it is all Palestine, every part of it is Palestine. No part of it will be separated from the other parts. Anyone who believes that Gaza can be kept far from the West Bank is delusional. Gaza, the West Bank, and the land within the 1948 borders are all beloved parts of the great Palestinian homeland. Isn’t that so, Abu Al-Abd [Haniya]? Announcer: Say: “Allah Akbar.” Crowds: Allah Akbar. Announcer: Say: “Allah Akbar.” Crowds: Allah Akbar. Announcer: Say: “Allah Akbar.” Crowds: Allah Akbar. Khaled Mash’al: The West Bank is inseparable from Gaza, Gaza is inseparable from the West Bank, and they are both inseparable from Haifa, Jaffa, Beersheba… and Safed. […] Man: Oh Mash’al, our beloved... Crowds: Oh Mash’al, our beloved… Man: Your army shelled Tel Aviv… Crowds: Your army shelled Tel Aviv… Man: Your army struck Tel Aviv… Crowds: Your army struck Tel Aviv… Man: Oh Qassam, do it again… Crowds: Oh Qassam, do it again… Man: But this time, strike Haifa… Crowds: But this time, strike Haifa… Man: But this time, strike Jaffa… Khaled Mash’al: Allah willing… Man: Say: “Allah Akbar.” Crowds: Allah Akbar. Khaled Mash’al: Hear me well, my comrades in the various factions. Liberation will precede statehood. A real state will be the fruit of liberation, not of negotiations. There is no alternative to a free Palestinian state with real sovereignty on the entire land of Palestine.

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Hamas planning to kidnap more Israelis?

Hamas' Palestine Today reports that Hamas leader Khaled Mashal promised a "surprise" where all Palestinian Arab terrorists in Israeli prisons will go free.

The father of the imprisoned terrorist Abdullah Barghouti says that that his son told him that the Khaled Meshaal plans a "surprise" on the issue of prisoners in Israeli jails, without giving further details.

The father said in an interview with Al-Quds TV morning this morning that his son told him the surprise will be revealed at the right time. According to him, Meshal told the mother of another prisoner, Hassan Salameh, during a meeting with families of prisoners on Sunday: "I swear to God, I swear to God, I swear to God, a plan to free all the prisoners in safety."

This sounds very similar to the promise that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah made in the beginning of 2006 that Samir Kuntar would be freed by Israel - as he was planning the abduction of Israeli soldiers for a prisoner swap.

Since the IDF has been very careful not to let that happen again, what could Meshal have up his sleeve?

If I had to guess what Meshal was saying, it would be that Hamas plans to kidnap Israeli civilians, perhaps in Judea and Samaria or maybe from an Israeli community at the Gaza border, for a prisoner swap. There are probably a number of hidden tunnels being readied now.

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"Moderate" Abbas to allow Hamas terror rally in Nablus

From Ma'an:

The Palestinian Authority has officially agreed to allow a Hamas festival commemorating the movement’s 25th anniversary in the West Bank, an independent politician said Monday.

Khalil Assaf, who heads a Palestinian forum of independent figures, said Hamas would organize a festival in Nablus on Thursday.

Hamas leaders will deliver speeches, with the sanction of the Fatah-dominated West Bank government.

Hamas has already approved a Fatah festival in Gaza commemorating its 48th anniversary, Assaf noted.

And so the Hamas takeover of the West Bank accelerates, using the excuse of "unity." Remember that Hamas won the legislative elections in nearly every district in the West Bank the last time they were held. in 2006.

For some reason, Western diplomats and pundits believe that that Hamas' ascendancy is a reason for Israel to give yet more concessions, as if the Palestinian Arabs will suddenly have a flood of good-will feelings and decide to support Israeli liberalism instead of Hamas terrorism.

"Time is running out," they say.

Indeed.

UPDATE: Hamas denies that the PA gave permission for the festival.

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Bonus Chanukah video 1: We're lighting the menorah (Reishit Yerushalayim)

I already have videos queued for every night, but I hadn't seen this one. So here's the first bonus video for Chanukah this year. (I'm only posting videos that were released this year.)



(h/t Josh R)

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A challenge to "moderate Arabs"

Is there any citizen of any Arab country who would publicly say, using his or her real name, anything negative about this photo of a baby wearing the headband of the Qassam Brigades terrorist group?

I have not yet found a single negative op-ed about Hamas in any Arabic-language media, except for tose that translate Hebrew articles, and one from a Shiite website upset that Meshal didn't thank Iran or Syria.

So where are you, the so-called moderate Arabs? Where are the articles distancing yourselves from Hamas?  Where are the people who are livid at the brainwashing of babies to learn terror? Where are the TV interviews with people skeptical about what Hamas can accomplish to help out ordinary Palestinian Arabs' lives?

Where are you?

(photo h/t JM)

UPDATE: TOI actually published a Kuwaiti article critical of Hamas today, the exception that proves the rule. (h/t Pedro)

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Chanukah video night 2: Technion's Rube Goldberg machine

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Jordan farmers proud that they aren't exporting many olives to Israel

From Ammon News:

Jordanian olive traders exported 643 tons of olives to Israel up to Saturday, Head of the Jordanian Agricultural Engineers' Association (JAEA) said.

JAEA President Mahmoud Abu Ghanimeh said in statements to Ammon News that the exported olive amounts are "modest" compared to the permits issued to export quantities reaching up to 15,000 tons of olives to Israel.

Abu Ghanimeh added that the deadline to export to Israel expires on December 15th, and stressed that the low quantities of exports to Israel is caused by "Jordanian citizen's awareness and farmers' intent to remain distant from normalization with Israel."

In 2009, Jordan was exporting between 250-300 tons of olives to Israel a day.

Last September, Jordanian farmers called to halt all olive exports to Israel.

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Sunday links

From Ian:

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Abbas’ Suit and Tie Has Same End as Arafat’s Pistol: Violence
Abbas’ unity with Hamas already has spawned violence. Woman hurt by rock before the Sabbath. PA lets Hamas run loose.

“Abbas has cashed in the chips he has been stockpiling ever since he took over after Yasser Arafat died eight years ago last month. Replacing Arafat’s pistol on the hip and his black-and white checkered kefiyah with a suit and tie, he built up an image as a “peace partner,” convincing the United States to force the Sharon, Olmert and Netanyahu governments to make "good will concessions” towards a “final status” solution to PA demands."
"Simultaneously, Abbas ostensibly eschewed violence while the PA education system and Muslim clerics openly preached violence and the establishment of a new Arab state of “Palestine” in place of Israel, from the Lebanese to the Egyptian border and from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.”

Palestine's strangely stubborn state of mind

"The UN vote upgrading the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to a non-member state with observer status has done nothing to move the cause of Palestinian statehood forward. Instead, it repeats the old adage of Palestinian history: rather than seeking compromise with Israel, Palestinian leaders have again put the fate of their cause into the hands of others, foolishly believing that others will deliver what they themselves are not capable of obtaining."

Pundit: Did Haaretz Make Up Crisis with Britain?
Uri Elitzur of Makor Rishon asks if report Britain may cancel trade agreements with Israel was Haaretz's idea.

"Uri Elitzur, a deputy editor and writer at the Hebrew newspaper Makor Rishon whose columns also appear on Maariv, has speculated that reports regarding a possible cancellation of the British-Israeli trade agreement were made up by Haaretz."

Two scenarios in which Syria unleashes the world’s first use of chemical weapons in 30 years
Neither instance is likely — yet both involve civilian massacre and a major escalation of violence

"The first is that President Bashar Assad, in a last-ditch effort to save his regime, would order chemical attacks — either as a limited demonstration to the rebels of his willingness to use the internationally banned weapons, or in a large-scale offensive designed to turn the tide of a conflict that already has killed an estimated 40,000.
The second is that some portion of Assad’s arsenal could be moved to Iran or Lebanon or fall into the hands of foreign fighters with ties to terrorist groups who are helping Syrian rebels."

Syrian rebels claim new video shows victims of chemical attack
Israeli special forces reportedly operating on the ground in Syria, monitoring chemical weapons stockpile



How close did Israel just come to its own Cuban missile crisis?

"Hundreds of Iranian-made, long-range missiles already smuggled into Gaza provided a secret sense of urgency behind Israel's recent campaign against Hamas, and the the Jewish state acted with the Obama administration's full knowledge, intelligence experts told FoxNews"

Iranian warships dock in Sudan for second time, angering Saudis
Presence of vessels is part of ongoing cooperation between the two countries, says Sudanese military spokesman

"Though Saudi Arabia has not officially commented on the warships, the kingdom’s pro-government daily Al-Riyadh warned that Sudan was risking its relationship with Gulf states.
“Sudan is in a state of losing balance as it loses Arab friendship, especially of Gulf Arab states, who know the precise details of its alliance with Iran, politically and militarily,” stated an editorial in the paper on Saturday."

Iran claims Azeri drones are plying its border under Israel’s watchful eye
Israel and Azerbaijan signed a $1.4 billion arms deal in February

"Azerbaijan in October denied reports that it had agreed to allow Israel to use its territory as a staging ground for a possible attack on Iran. Also in October, 22 people were sentenced behind closed doors to lengthy jail-terms in Baku for assisting Iranian agents in plotting terror attacks against US and Israeli targets in Azerbaijan."

Italy Stops Weapons Shipment to Gaza
Following a tip from Israel, Italian police seize a shipment of weapons intended for Egypt with a final destination of Gaza.

"The weapons, which included a rocket launcher among other things, were part of a shipment that was supposed to go on an Egyptian ship which has been detained by local authorities, reported ANSA. The container in which the weapons were found was part of a shipment of five containers, and the four remaining containers are currently being examined by the Italian customs authorities."

Italian deputy calls for EU ban of Hezbollah
Fiamma Nirenstein submits resolution to parliamentary committee calling on Italian FM to urge EU to list Hezbollah as terror group.

"The resolution bases the call to blacklist Hezbollah on a number of factors, including the July 18 bus attack in the seaside resort of Burgas, Bulgaria, which killed five Israeli tourists and their Bulgarian bus driver, and wounded 32 other Israelis. American and Israeli intelligence officials attributed the explosion to a joint Iran-Hezbollah operation."

Navy Prepares to Defend Gas Rig
If Hizbullah carries out threats to attack Israeli rig, it will meet a well-prepared naval force.

UN passes Israeli resolution on ‘entrepreneurship development’
129 states back campaign to promote development and reduce poverty by encouraging entrepreneurship, despite efforts by Arab states to thwart it

"Concerning the Arab states’ opposition to the resolution, Prosor stated that these states had, to his regret, “chosen once again to struggle against a move that was meant to aid them, just because Israel was the one standing behind it.”

Friends of the IDF gala raises $14 million
More than 1,400 FIDF supporters and dignitaries from around the globe gather to express support for the soldiers, citizens of Israel.

"The participants at the gala included Gershon, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison; Guess cofounders Maurice and Paul Marciano; Israeli military attaché to the US and Canada Maj.-Gen. Yaakov Ayash; FIDF National Chairman Nily Falic; FIDF National President Julian Josephson; Hollywood film producer Meir Tepper and his wife, Katya; Israeli actresses Noa Tishby and Moran Atias; and Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren and American actor Robert Forster."

Righteous Gentile Raoul Wallenberg to Have Street Named After Him in Brooklyn

Aboriginal activist's anti-Nazi stand remembered
Members of the Aboriginal and Jewish communities have observed the anniversary of a unique protest in Melbourne.

"Seventy-four years ago Aboriginal activist William Cooper and his colleagues at the Australian Aborigines League tried to hand a resolution to the German consul-general condemning the Nazis' persecution of the Jews."

Study of Holocaust mandated for schools
THE study of the Holocaust will become compulsory for all NSW school students in years 9 and 10 after a lobbying campaign by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies prompted the state government to include it in the syllabus.

With EPOS Purchase, Qualcomm Reveals Growing Presence in Israel

"Qualcomm operates an advanced wireless communications R&D center in Haifa that founder Irwin Jacobs established almost 20 years ago. Qualcomm now has about 270 employees in Israel—which represents a 50 percent increase since 2010."

A ‘vaccine’ to boost global food production

A revolutionary new seed treatment from Morflora could improve the world’s agricultural output, without the need for worrying genetic engineering.
The Israeli company Morflora now has an alternative seed treatment in the works that is so revolutionary it is short-listed for Best Novel Agricultural Biotechnology in the 2012 international AGROW awards, and recently won a Red Herring business award in the Top 100 Europe category.

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A very Hamas Hanukkah (video)

This video is at least as bizarre as the Chanukah video I made last year.

And I'm sure some idiots will misinterpret it.

But....what the hell.



After I made this, I saw this photo from Gaza.

Notice the pattern on the tiles!

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Today's lies from Time's Karl Vick

From Time (paywalled):

After Statehood Bid, 'Doomsday'

The day after the U.N. voted 138 to 9 (with 41 abstentions) to recognize a rump Palestine, Netanyahu's government unveiled "the doomsday settlement," in the words of Jerusalem geography specialist Danny Seidemann. Casting aside assurances to Washington that date to the Administration of President George W. Bush, Netanyahu moved to virtually chop the West Bank in half, pushing forward plans to build housing for Israeli Jews on the last stretch of usable Palestinian land east of Jerusalem. Outraged diplomats said that would effectively end the possibility of a two-state solution.

We have already shown that it doesn't chop the West Bank in half, that the Clinton parameters were much more expansive than this plan, and that the most liberal Israelis accept that Maaleh Adumim would be a part of Israel in any peace plan.

Karl Vick doesn't mention that Daniel Seidemann is hardly an unbiased "geography specialist." Seidemann has founded at least two one-sided European-funded NGOs against any Israeli building in Jerusalem, Ir Amim and Terrestrial Jerusalem. Using Seidemann's loaded term of "Doomsday" to describe the building in the headline is more than irresponsible - it betrays Time's bias.

Beyond that, while Israel has postponed building on E-1 in recent years, it never promised any administration that it would never build there as Vick implies.

Moreover, there is zero reason that the E1 plan would end the possibility of a two state solution. Just because Palestinian Arabs pretend that they cannot have a state without arbitrary preconditions doesn't mean it is true. That simple fact eludes essentially everyone in the media.

Yet another item to add to the ever-growing  list of reasons that Karl Vick is an anti-Israel idiot.

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Gazans upset at people dumping garbage in cemetery. But rockets from cemeteries are OK.

Palestine Today has an article about Gazans who are outraged at a cemetery being used as a garbage dump:

Nearby residents in the Shijaia neighborhood are complaining about the smell, the possibility of disease and the desecration of the dead. It is, they say, "an affront to Islamic sensibilities."

Yet in what may be the very same cemetery in same neighborhood, there is no record of residents complaining when the cemetery was used as a site for launching rockets to Israel:



Apparently, using a cemetery for terrorism isn't an affront to Islamic sensibilities.

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Baby boom: Gazans name their child after Fajr rockets

From MEMRI:

Following are excerpts from a TV report on the naming of a newborn infant in Gaza, which aired on Al-Manar TV on November 28, 2012.

Reporter: The Fajr missiles were the spearhead of the battle in which Gaza brought down the awe of Israel. The people here know the meaning of honor. They know that these moments of victory must linger beyond a slap to the barbaric face of Israel.

Hamoud, what’s his name? Fajr or Faraj?

This baby is called Fajr because it emerged from the battle that will bear a name of honor brought by this type of missile. In this humble abode, a new baby was born to the Shafe’i family in the first hours following the victory of the resistance in Gaza.

Father: We called him Fajr-3 after the missiles that pulverized the [Zionist] entity, bringing real pain upon it. These missiles played an active role in the decisive victory in Gaza.

This is a good followup to my piece on the Arab honor/shame culture from Friday. That post stirred a great deal of comment on Reddit.

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