Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

The Hamas roadmap, and how Israel can respond

OK, so now the PA is pretty much collapsed and the EU is starting to withhold money from the Palestinian Arabs who seem to spend all their money on "policemen." Hamas is poised to either win the election or come in a strong second place. So what's next?

It seems to me that Hamas will follow the path of Fatah.

They will pretend to moderate just barely enough to get the EU to loosen the purse strings and give themselves legitimacy. They miss the days when they could pretend to have a "political arm" and a "military arm" and the Europeans would happily buy into it. This would in turn pressure the US to moderate its stance towards Hamas, and it would pressure Israel as well.

Like Fatah, they will maintain the terror infrastructure but keep it more clandestine and keep plausible deniability. Islamic Jihad, Hizbollah, Al Aqsa Brigades and probably a Gaza Al-Qaeda will be allowed to operate and be protected by the Palestinian Arab government.

Unlike Fatah, Hamas will try to move the PA towards a more religious direction. It doesn't appear that many Palestinian Arabs will have a problem with that.

There is one other big difference between Hamas and Fatah: Hamas actually cares about the Palestinian Arab people. This of course sounds strange, that an organization that encourages its people to blow themselves up cares about them, but the fact is that Hamas does spend time building hospitals and schools, and the PA ignores anything that could help their people. Admittedly, the schools are meant to be training grounds for the next generation of terrorists, but even so there is a charitable component to Hamas that does not exist in the Fatah leadership.

Although it is a slim hope, this could work to Israel's advantage. After all, Israel has an interest in the welfare of Palestinian Arabs. If they are happy and have jobs and prospects they are far less likely to become terrorists. The only people interested in keeping Palestinian Arab refugees" in camps are the Fatah and other Arab leaders. It is not clear that Hamas would encourage maintaining the refugee camps.

The collapse of the PA is a fait accompli. For Israel to remain intransigent towards a Hamas-led PA will not work to Israel's advantage, and frankly the Fatah-led PA was just as interested in Israel's destruction as Hamas is.

It sounds bizarre, but Israel should take the diplomatic initiative in accepting whoever is leading the PA and make a centerpiece of the policy the destruction of "refugee" camps and building of real towns. The disgrace of the UN-administered and self-perpetuating camps needs to be brought to the forefront; putting not only the UN on the defensive but also the PA, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria for what they have done to the Palestinian Arab people.

A shake-up in the PA can hardly hurt, and it may help. The negotiations with the PA have not helped Israel at all, and Hamas' relative pragmatism may bring an opportunity.

The logical song

Israel likes to use rational, logical arguments to make its case to the Western world. It is a somewhat effective method, but ultimately it is not what wins wars.

When it comes down to it, from a purely rational perspective, Jerusalem is just a piece of real estate, no more or less important than Gaza or Madagascar. Logical, rational Jews can look through the superstitious nonsense of tradition and coldly calculate the cost of keeping the eastern half versus the benefit of giving it up.

When Western leaders want to pressure Israel, they will also use the same cold hard logic to press their claims. Certainly, they reason, logical Jews realize that holding onto the West Bank is untenable: the demographic threat is insurmountable, the cost of protecting isolated Jewish enclaves is too high, the world pressure will be too relentless.

The irony is that Israel's strongest argument is the one it seems to try to actively downplay - the emotional argument.

The Palestinian Arabs don't use logic at all to try to convince their people that their cause is right - they use purely emotional arguments, constant pictures of Al Quds and videos of al-Dura on TV. They know that emotionally-charged citizens - illogical people - are their best weapon, because the West will throw up its hands in the face of emotional arguments and instead try to get the logical Israelis to give up more land and rights.

Meanwhile, the "enlightened" Israeli intelligentsia (and now leadership) will demonize the very Jews who have the emotional, non-logical connection to the land, the ones that don't listen to their cool academic arguments. Whether the connection is religious or cultural or just vaguely emotional, it has no place in Israeli decision-making. Such emotions are not harnessed; they are quashed.

There is no logical argument for Jews to stay in Hebron. None at all. Yes, you can argue that Jews lived there for centuries, but so what - Jews lived in Baghdad and Alexandria for centuries as well.

This anti-emotional attitude is what could lose Eretz Yisroel.

Chevron (Hebron) is the second-holiest city in Judaism. Logic doesn't enter into it - it is a fact. The heroes who moved there after 1967 were not motivated by logic, but out of pure love for the land and all it represents. It was important enough for them to risk their very lives for an idea - nothing logical about that. To have the state act against these people, to see Jews tell other Jews they cannot live in a city that their forefathers are buried in, is not just wrong. It is criminal. It is tragic that any Jew, even the most secular one, can conceive that Hebron is not a place for Jews to live wherever they want.

The same reasons against Jews living in Chevron can be used to cede all of Israel and take the Iranian advice to move to Alaska.

The very people who can best defend Israel because of their pure love of the Holy Land are being marginalized by their own government. It is beyond tragedy that Israel cannot elect a leadership that can say, clearly, to the world: This is our land. There are red lines that we will never cross, no matter what the reason, and they include Hebron. Kever Rochel. Jerusalem.

The emotional arguments are not only stronger than their logical counterparts, but they resonate more with people. Everyone can understand how someone can love their land beyond all rational thought. Abandoning that argument publically means that the "irrational" love that supporters have for Israel gets eroded as well.

As long as Israel concedes the emotional argument to the Arabs, as long as Israel tries to stay "logical" about her claims, she is at a severe long-term disadvantage in this war.

Pity the myopic Hamas women

It's gotta be doubly tough to not only have to walk around with a black veil all day, but also to balance a pair of glasses on it. How can they stop the glasses from slipping off their oh-so-sexy but modestly covered noses? Are there Sharia rules as to what types of frames would not drive the hormonally raged male Hamas terrorists crazy? Must the glasses be tinted heavily, lest someone to see her eyes and be forced to rape her?

It is time to Ask the Imam!

All the fun passed me by

Of all the articles that very angry liberals posted about the JIB awards, especially the Israel Advocacy category, not one bothered mentioning this blog.

Is it because I am careful not to mix up Islam with Islamism, and Palestinian Arabs with their leaders?
Or perhaps because I am not slavishly pro-Bush?
Or maybe simply because it is too inconsequential to mention?

The Carter Center gives Hamas a free pass

Here is what the Carter Center had to say on January 5th about Hamas participating in Palestinian elections, in its entirety:

Participation of Hamas
The 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council elections face a unique challenge in that they include the participation of a group, the Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, that defends violence (including the killing of civilians) as a means to achieving a political end, refuses to give up arms or to declare a permanent ceasefire and is committed to the destruction of a United Nations member state, Israel. While it is in the long term interest of Palestinian democratic development and likely in the long term security interests of Israel that a wide spectrum of groups participate in lawful and peaceful political processes, Hamas’ current political participation, while simultaneously advocating violence, undermines a fundamental principle of democratic elections. In an August 2002 pre-election assessment, NDI, the International Republican Institute (IRI), and the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), recommended the adoption of candidacy requirements for the expected 2003 PLC elections. The 2002 report also suggested that a code of conduct be developed and enforced which committed all parties to transparent and democratic principles, disallowed election related violence and restricted individuals engaged in, or advocating violence from becoming candidates.

A code of conduct was developed by the Arab Thought Forum in conjunction with NDI in late 2005, which went some way toward this goal. While stopping short of disallowing certain candidates, the code does contain important undertakings that will help enforce peaceful and fair campaigning and promote a peaceful acceptance of the results of the polls. Most political parties have signed on to the code of conduct, and Hamas, as of January 5th, also accepted and signed the code. The international community and domestic observers should be vigilant in watching for violations.

The code is a necessary but incomplete step toward ensuring that elections are about peaceful means to achieve political ends. The Palestinian Authority and newly elected PLC should, as a priority, amend the election and party laws to ensure that political entities participate in elections fairly and peacefully and do not advocate the use of violence as a political tool. This prohibition should apply equally to all groups.

Noble words indeed. Too bad it ignores the reality of Hamas in favor of what they hope Hamas is.

Addressing a Hamas rally in the southern city of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, Zahar reiterated his movement's opposition to any form of economic and security cooperation with Israel.

"To all those who claim that Hamas has abandoned the resistance option because of its participation in the election, we say that we remain committed to the resistance," he declared.

"Israel is an enemy, not a partner or a friend or a neighbor. We won't negotiate with them and this is our final position. Palestine, all of Palestine, belongs to the Muslims and the Arabs and no one has the right to give up one inch of its land."

Fathi Hamad, a Hamas candidate from the Gaza Strip, said his movement would continue to develop its armed wing, Izzaddin al-Kassam, by recruiting more members and manufacturing more rockets and bombs.

I'm sure that the Carter Center will duly register its "concern" over such "unfortunate" statements, and then go ahead and certify the election anyway - while castigating Israel for limiting Hamas campaign activity in "East Jerusalem."

I have been unable to find this "code of conduct" explicitly, although many articles on the Arab Thought Forum talk about it. An Al-Jazeerah article summarized it as follows:

1-Full abiding by the provisions of the Central Election Committee;

2- Respecting the role of the national and the international observers, and cooperating with them;

3- Committing to the privacy of vote casting, and to the right of the voters to choose the electoral register freely;

4- No arms to be displayed or used during the pre-election publicity;

5- Committing to the decisions of the judiciary concerning the electoral process; and

6- Accepting the final official results of the elections which will be issued by the Central Election Committee.

Not a word about terror, violence or accepting Israel's right to exist. This is what Jimmah thinks is important - the fact that Hamas won't publicly show weapons for a few weeks.

Hamas, by waiting until January to sign this "code", allowed itself maximum time to show arms during rallies during most of the campaigning anyway.

The Jew-hater behind Scruples

Once again, Google News comes through with indexing an article that is pure, unadulterated Jew-hatred as if it is a legitimate news source.

Today's article comes from EtherZone and it combines the classic paranoia of anti-semites from centuries past with a couple of bizarre twists. His claim to not be anti-semitic is from saying most Jews aren't aware of their leaders' perfidy. Excerpts:

THE "JEWISH BANKER CONSPIRACY"
UNDERSTANDING ANTI-SEMITISM

By: Henry Makow

Just mention the "Jewish Banker Conspiracy" and you'll be as popular as a skunk at a garden party. Tolerant and sophisticated people regard this concept as a hateful and tired cliche. They believe "anti-Semites" should be slandered, sent to jail, and lose their livelihood.

But what if there actually were a "Jewish Banker Conspiracy?" Then these sophisticates would have egg on their face, wouldn't they? They'd be exposed as rubes, victims of a stereotypical Jewish deception achieved by media owned by the very same bankers.

The "Jewish Banker Conspiracy" is not a chimera. It is the plan of Rothschild-controlled central bankers to create a totalitarian system to protect their illegal private monopoly of the world's credit. They print government currency for the price of the paper and then lend it to the government with interest.

The central banking families and their allies used their unfair advantage to gain a monopoly on the world's wealth and a stranglehold on culture and politics. To make us accept their "New World Order," (a.k.a. globalization) they need to divide and degrade humanity by destroying the four pillars of our personal identity and social cohesion (nation, race, religion and family.)

They sponsor Communism, Zionism, Socialism, Neo Conservatism, Liberalism, Feminism, Multi-culturalism and "Diversity" to achieve this purpose. (Socialism substitutes government for family.) Through control of intelligence agencies and secret societies, they sponsor terrorism (incl. 9-11), revolutions, wars and depressions. They may be planning another world war.

Anti-Semitism is caused because Jewish idealists, opportunists and dupes play a prominent role in the above movements, especially Communism. As the New World Order becomes more onerous, anti-Semitism will inevitably increase. Jews need to acknowledge this rather than pretend "anti-Semites" are hallucinating.

Many "anti-Semites" like Texe Marrs and Des Griffin believe that the Jewish Pharisees accepted the offer from Satan that Jesus rejected: "I will give you the Kingdom of the World (i.e. Money, Power) if you obey me." They believe Talmudic Judaism is dedicated to enthroning Lucifer and always has conspired to destroy Christianity. The recent treatment of Christmas is proof that they are not hallucinating.

I am just beginning this immense study and shouldn't be mistaken for an expert. My present hypothesis is that enthroning Satan/Lucifer means enthroning man in the role of God. This is called Illuminism (Hence the "Enlightenment.")

God is rejected. (God represents the natural development of mankind through adherence to spiritual absolutes like morality, justice and truth.)

When gold is God, the extremely rich are the "Chosen People." This myth, together with the Talmudic and Cabalistic traditions, is a perfect mechanism for elite totalitarian control. According to Israel Shahak, Talmudic Judaism has always been a model for a closed oppressive society.

In other words, the whole Jewish enterprize, Judaism etc. may be a "powerful weapon" to enthrone a rule of the super rich, who are "Jewish" mainly by virtue of wealth. But the average Jew will take the blame in the form of anti-Semitism.

For example, the British royal family sees itself as descending from the House of David. A Jewish Mohel circumcised Prince Charles. Are the Windsors Jewish? (Douglas Reed, Somewhere South of Suez, p.356.)

Henry Kissinger once said, "a people who have been persecuted for 2000 years must be doing something wrong." His unsympathetic attitude may reflect that of his employers, the Illuminati bankers.

But check out the author!

Henry Makow, Ph.D. is the inventor of the board game Scruples and author of "A Long Way to go for a Date." His articles on feminism and the New World Order are archived at his web site. Henry is a regular columnist for Ether Zone.

The insane scribblings of a lunatic are paid for, and given legitimacy, by a popular board game!

Haveil Havalim #53 is out

This week's Haveil Havalim is hosted by Elie at Elie's Expositions.

Elie was nice enough to link to three of my posts on his own initiative; much appreciated!

I hope it is not too gauche to mention that my name is spelled with a "Y" (Elder of ZiYon) for reasons too boring to go into here.

Check it out - it is great, as usual!

Boom.

From the Telegraph:

The most remarkable aspect of Mr Ahmadinejad's piety is his devotion to the Hidden Imam, the Messiah-like figure of Shia Islam, and the president's belief that his government must prepare the country for his return.

One of the first acts of Mr Ahmadinejad's government was to donate about £10 million to the Jamkaran mosque, a popular pilgrimage site where the pious come to drop messages to the Hidden Imam into a holy well.

All streams of Islam believe in a divine saviour, known as the Mahdi, who will appear at the End of Days. A common rumour - denied by the government but widely believed - is that Mr Ahmadinejad and his cabinet have signed a "contract" pledging themselves to work for the return of the Mahdi and sent it to Jamkaran.

Iran's dominant "Twelver" sect believes this will be Mohammed ibn Hasan, regarded as the 12th Imam, or righteous descendant of the Prophet Mohammad.

He is said to have gone into "occlusion" in the ninth century, at the age of five. His return will be preceded by cosmic chaos, war and bloodshed. After a cataclysmic confrontation with evil and darkness, the Mahdi will lead the world to an era of universal peace.

This is similar to the Christian vision of the Apocalypse. Indeed, the Hidden Imam is expected to return in the company of Jesus.

Mr Ahmadinejad appears to believe that these events are close at hand and that ordinary mortals can influence the divine timetable.

The prospect of such a man obtaining nuclear weapons is worrying. The unspoken question is this: is Mr Ahmadinejad now tempting a clash with the West because he feels safe in the belief of the imminent return of the Hidden Imam? Worse, might he be trying to provoke chaos in the hope of hastening his reappearance?

Let Ahmadinejad answer that question:

Tehran, Iran, Jan. 12 – Iran’s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday evening that the Islamic Republic’s 1979 Islamic revolution was a great movement and a stepping stone to a final “great event” in the world.

Speaking to a crowd in the southern city of Roudan, Hormozgan province, Ahmadinejad said, “The Islamic Republic is the continuation of the path of the prophets which came to begin a great movement and the final occurrence”.

“The Islamic revolution was a great leap in leading the people and reaching the climax of history”, Ahmadinejad said.

Hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance for the second quote.

Q: How can you tell the difference between Palestinian plainclothes policemen and Fatah terrorists?

A: Difference?

Dozens of Palestinian gunmen, including off-duty policemen, blocked two major roads in the Gaza Strip for more than an hour Saturday in the latest sign of chaos gripping the area ahead of Jan. 25 elections.

The gunmen were demanding a government response to the killing of a policeman in a drug bust a week ago.

The protesters urged Abbas to impose order in Gaza. They also called for the resignation of Interior Minister Nasser Yousef, who oversees Palestinian security.

The plainclothes officers said they are members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a militant group linked to Fatah.

Well, this explains how so many Palestinian Arabs have jobs as "policemen" and we never see them - they are undercover plain-clothes detectives!

The innovations from PA security forces some almost too fast to keep track of!

Protocols of the Elders of Iranian Islam

I cannot overstate the danger the entire world is facing from Iran.

The world is starting to rouse, ever so slowly, to the danger of Iranian nuclear weapons and offensive missile capabilities with much of Europe within its range.

I have stated before the Iranian aim is to become the world's second superpower, as well as to become the world leader of Islam. When you combine the two, it is clear that the ultimate goal is nothing less than world domination.

I do not write these words easily. I am very careful with my language and I try to be precise, often leavening my posts with "usually"s and "often"s to make sure that I am not making sweeping alarmist statements that are not true. But I have been spending quite a bit of time reading the Iranian news sites and the voluminous quotes from Iran's president and other political leaders, and not only is it clear that my inital analysis of Iran's goals were correct, but they have been understated.

Two articles, when combined, show Iran's goals:

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here on Saturday that Tehran's foreign policy towards global affairs is highly dynamic, systematic and up-to-date.

Addressing a press conference, Ahmadinejad said that Iran's foreign policy vis-a-vis regional and global affairs is based on a "very clear" logic, which is the logic of tranquility and peace for all and is founded on justice and spirituality.

"We are for expansion of relations (with other countries," said Ahmadinejad.

He said Iran's foreign policy seeks peace and tranquility for all nations and "By the grace of God, we have been moving in the same line until today."
The president regretted that today, human societies are ruled by certain rulers who are against spirituality and have no faith in it.

"A number of arrogant individuals, who get tranquilized only by exploiting and dominating nations, are at the helm of power," said the president.

He regretted that today, mankind is under control of certain governments which intend to impose "artificial peace" on the international community in defiance of justice and spirituality. "We believe that such peace and tranquility will not be established because they lack necessary foundation for peace.

"Today, humanity is dominated by the rulers who want to provide security for their own people by imposing war on other nations," added the president.

Such high-sounding principals! But what exactly does he mean? Anyone who has been reading Ahmadenijad's words for any length of time knows that he is talking about a world Islamic 'ummah, a "peace" where everyone in the world is either a Muslim or a willing second-class citizen of the single world entity ruled by sharia, Islamic law. (Hindu and Buddhist infidels may be less than welcome in this world.)

This is made explicit in another article:

Iran faces a multi-dimensional threat and so it needs a multi-faceted preventive strategy.

The Supreme Leader's representative to the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Hassan Rowhani, made the remark while attending the commemoration ceremony of several senior commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) who were martyred in a plane crash in northwestern Iran.

"The enemy intends to damage our Islamic and Iranian identity and national confidence by promoting secularism, immorality and market for the Western cultural goods.

"As for domestic security, the enemy encourages and prepares counterrevolutionary forces and intends to inflict damage on our economy," he warned.

Rowhani added, "Now that that Muslim forces in the Middle East have resisted the global arrogance strongly, the role of the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot be ignored.

"Iran is the only powerful state in the region which plays an effective role but the enemy would not like Iran to play such a role.

"The IRGC have played a very effective role over the past three decades during the post-Islamic Revolution particularly in cultural, political, spiritual and educational fields. It has protected the Islamic Revolution against different conspiracies."

He pointed to incidents taking place in the aftermath of September 11 events, occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq by Iran's enemies and other developments in the Middle East, saying, "The role of IRGC, Basij (volunteer forces)and other armed forces should not be ignored."

Iran's foreign policy, its scientific research policies, its cultural and religious and military policies, all point to Iran's becoming the de facto leader of the Islamic world and the ultimate spearhead of the war against the United States and Israel, with Europe happily playing a role as a neutral frightened Switzerland, scared both of Iranian nukes and her own demographic Islamic fifth column.

Iran is still far from its goal. It does not have the economy to withstand a real concerted set of sanctions from the West. There are many in Iran who oppose the Islamization of their country's laws. Iran's relationships with the Arab world are still strained. But diplomatically, Iran is in far better shape than the West thinks, and recent history proves that Europe will choose short-term economic gains over long term strategy - preferring to buy Iranian oil that will ultimately bankroll their nuclear-tipped missiles aimed at Paris and Berlin (besides, of course, Tel-Aviv.) And the Arab world would happily rally around an Islamic power rather than an infidel one, when push comes to shove.

The time to act against this threat is now, not later. Iran has perfected the game of buying time and this is not the time to play by their rules.

How to shut up terror supporters

Here is another posting that I created when I was on Yahoo News message boards a couple of years ago:

Terrorist supporters like to pretend that they are only working to protect the poor, downtrodden Palestinian people.

Yet many Palestinian Arabs would LOVE to, voluntarily, move to another Arab country to raise their families in peace, to get jobs and get their pride back. But their Arab "brethren" won't let them come in!

Jordan no longer allows Palestinain Arabs to even visit, or travel through Jordan to go to Mecca! Syria has always kept their Palestinian Arabs in inhumane refugee camps. Kuwait expelled 600,000 Pals in 1991.

So ask a terrorist supporter if he thinks that Palestinian Arabs should be allowed, if they want, to move into other Arab countries and become citizens there.

Their silence will be deafening.

Or at best they will feebly try to change the subject.

Because if they answer honestly, they prove to the world that they don't give a damn about Palestinians, only that they want Israel to disappear.

al-Turki's wisdom

It is time to use the Culture of Death to some advantage.

Thousands of pilgrims were rushing to complete the last of the three days of the stoning ritual before sunset when some of them began to trip over dropped baggage, causing a crush, said Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki, spokesman for the Interior Ministry. ''This was fate destined by God,'' al-Turki said. ''Some of the pilgrims were undisciplined and hasty to finish the ritual as soon as possible.''"

From now on, whenever any Palestinian Arab gets killed, the Israeli press releases should have a mantra-like statement:

"We regret the loss of life, but, as Mansour al-Turki has stated so eloquently, 'This was a fate destined by God.' We trust that the deceased are in Paradise and that their families are proud that they died for such a worthy cause."

It should be said as automatically and unfeelingly as every single Palestinian "condemnation" of terror attacks.

Internet Jihad cells

I find this amusing because in the time I used to spend on Internet message boards, the terrorist-supporters always accused the Zionists on the boards of being organized (and paid) by worldwide Jewry.

An announcement by the Global Islamic Media Front, an al-Qaeda mouthpiece, was recently disseminated across several jihadist forums in which the group presents the “jihadi information and the Western peoples.” The message, written by Ahmad al-Hatheq Bi Allah, argues that the Internet serves as the best alternative to broadcast television for Muslims to execute a “kind of jihad” involving preaching and information disbursement. As the Western media allegedly obfuscates “facts,” the author believes that it is incumbent upon Muslims to join Western Internet forums, to show the truth convincingly through visual or voice arguments, especially as it concerns Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and Chechnya. With successful debate, the author claims the American people will place pressure upon the U.S. government, “the guardian or terrorism and its marketing,” to reverse its foreign policy, else the people are culpable for attacks brought upon them, as Ayman al-Zawahiri exclaimed.

The group, in addition, advocates that individual Muslims should not engage in these forum debates; rather, cells of Internet jihadists must be employed. The message urges Muslims knowledgeable in English, Spanish, French, or German languages to answer this call, and especially those who have great debating skills and know the “methods of convincing”.

Hamas pretends to soften, idiotic media swallow it whole

Literally hundreds of articles have been published in the past few hours, claiming that Hamas has softened its position on Israel because the "manifesto" that it published prior to the PA elections didn't mention destroying Israel explicitly.

Has there ever been a better example of wishful thinking replacing facts than this?

Not one person from Hamas has ever suggested that their goal to destroy Israel, enshrined in their charter, has been changed or abrogated. Nothing in their "manifesto" contradicts a word of their charter.

But the world media is so heavily invested in the slightest wisp of hope for "peace" that Hamas' pragmatic omission of Israel's destruction in the manifesto, clearly calculated to gain votes as opposed to any real change of attitude or tactics, is regarded as a major breakthrough toward Palestinian Arab democracy and lasting peace.

A culture that embraces lies to mislead the media now has a new method - just don't bother mentioning your goal, and the willing puppets in the Fourth Estate will fill in the lies for you.

The death toll could rise to 300 in Saudi Arabia where Muslim pilgrims were crushed to death on Thursday during a stoning ritual on the last day of the hajj, medical sources said.

"It's likely to be around 300 in the end," said a medic in Mena. Medical sources earlier said more than 100 people died.

The crush was the second tragedy to hit this year's pilgrimage. Last week, 76 people were killed when a hostel in Mecca collapsed in a narrow street.

Here's a rough body count from previous Hajj's:
1979 - 250 (fighting)
1987 - 400
1990 - 1426 (fire)
1994 - 270
1997 - 343
1998 - 118
2001 - 35
2004 - 251
2005 - 376

That's over 3400 Muslims dead in recent years from the Hajj.

This is more than the number of Palestinian Arabs killed in the Intifada (according to B'tzelem.)