Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Weeds - the video

This is an experiment to see how many more people will watch a video on YouTube than read an entry on my blog.

Earlier this year I had two popular posts called "Weeds." This is a video version of those posts.

Funeral shooting and clan clash!

From Ma'an:

A Palestinian child was killed on Friday afternoon after he was hit by a bullet fired in the air during a funeral procession in the Shuja'iyya neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City.

Palestinian medical sources told Ma'an that 5-year-old 'Ubeida Habib died from head injuries sustained during the funeral procession of one of the Hamas fighters killed in an Israeli air strike on the Jabalia refugee camp earlier on Friday.

There was also a clan clash south of Hebron, killing one, so the 2008 PalArab self-death count is now at 95.

Followup on yesterday's "work accident"

YNet reports:

Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades confirmed Friday that the operatives who died in Thursday's explosion in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya were making last-minute preparations for a “special mission”, a Hamas codename for a “high-quality” attack.

According to the statement, the dead were operatives of a special Hamas unit. The organization promised that its people will “continue following in the path of those killed.”

A Hamas gunman who was wounded in Thursday's died Friday morning. Hamas’ announcement does not refer to the blast's circumstances even though the group's media has begun using the term “explosion” and not just “attack,” the term repeatedly used on Thursday.

Hamas was quick to blame Israel and reacted with a heavy rocket fire on the western Negev. Recent statements, however, have omitted placing the blame on Israel.

On Thursday, Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida said that as a result of the IDF denying it's involvement, the military wing will conduct an investigation into the blast and make its results public immediately.

Hamas’ announcement confirmed Ynet reports saying that Ahmed Randur, commander of the Izz el-Din al-Qassam Brigades in north Gaza was present at the time of the explosion and lightly injured as a result.

Additional senior Hamas officials were present at the scene including Beit Lahiya Hamas Area Commander Ahmed Hamouda, whose house is the one which exploded. His daughter was killed in the blast. Hassan Abu Shakfa and Ashraf Mushtaha, both senior officials in Hamas’ military wing were killed as well.

A neighbor who lives adjacent to the exploded house said that the presence of Hamas’ senior officials at the scene of the incident and at the hospital immediately after it occurred, proves that those present at the blast were very high-ranking. “The fast arrival of the civilian leadership and of the firefighters proves that extreme pressure was felt due to the identity of those injured.”

Hamas identified 6 of its members who died in the explosion.

Keep in mind that this apparent bomb factory was built in a residential house in a crowded neighborhood, and if Israel would have attacked it the world community would have been unanimous in its condemnation.

Also, in this case as with others, there were "eyewitnesses" that Israel had done this (the Saudi-based Arab News all but blames Israel completely,) proving yet again that Palestinian Arabs simply lie, repeatedly and consistently.

Freedom of the press, PalArab style (XII)

The Palestinian Arab WAFA news agency reports:

A person who claimed to be speaking on behalf of Hamas, this evening, threatened the news agency 'Wafa', if it does not stop the dissemination of news about the practices of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The person said in a telephone conversation with the Agency's headquarters in central Ramallah that he speaks on behalf of Hamas movement and gave the Agency until next Saturday to stop the reporting of news about Hamas in Gaza.
.
He added : 'You know that Hamas is capable of implementing its threat'.

Ironically, West Bank-based Palestinian Arab news sources are more accurate in their reporting about Hamas than any of the wire services.

But I thought that Hamas was pro-democracy....

Hamas apologists never fail to say that Hamas should be the legitimate rulers of the PA because they were democratically elected. What they don't like to mention is exactly how democratic Hamas remains once it gets itself in power.

From PCHR:

The Palestinian centre for Human Rights (PCHR) renews its opposition to the anti-democratic policy of local government council members being privately appointed in the Gaza Strip. The Centre views these appointments as a continuation of nepotism, at the expense of democratic local council elections that have been conducted in most Gaza Strip communities during the last few years.

The Ministry of Local Government (of the Hamas Gaza Government) announced a decision last week to dismiss the appointed municipality council in Khan Yunis, headed by Dr. Fayez Abu Shammala. The appointment of a new council, headed by Mohammad Abd El-Khaliq El-Farra and comprising of twelve others, all of them Hamas members, was announced. The new council began operating on 7 June 2008, after an official inauguration ceremony organized by the municipality.

A "mysterious explosion" occurred this morning in the house of the Hamouda family in Beit Hanoun, killing at least 4 (Ma'an breaking news) and injuring dozens.

Hamouda is a member of Hamas.

Most Palestinian Arab news sites reported it as an ambiguous explosion initially; Palestine Today has started blaming an Israeli airstrike, but Israel denies any actions in the area of the explosion today. Hamas is now blaming Israel as well.

Our 2008 PalArab self-death count climbs to 89.

Meanwhile, Hamas raided a wedding last night, beating celebrants, because they were playing Fatah tunes.

Hamas also arrested many Fatah members commemorating the first anniversary of Hamas' execution of the late, lamented Jamal Abu Billygoats and his brother Majid.

UPDATE: Ma'an has backed off to three "martyrs", one an infant girl. 88.
UPDATE 2: Ma'an has raised it back to 4. 89.
UPDATE 3: We are now up to 7, according to both Ma'an and Palestine Press Agency. 92.
UPDATE 4: Palestine Press Agency is reporting that an eighth body was found underneath the rubble. 93.

Mordechai Keidar on Al-Jazeera

The video we've been waiting for (h/t Soccer Dad and Daled Amos):

Rumor: Khaled Meshaal dead?

Firas Press is reporting a rumor that no one knows the whereabouts of Hamas "political leader" Khaled Meshaal, that there is a "news blackout" about the topic and the possibility that he was aboard the Sudanese airplane that crashed yesterday.

If this turns out to be true, how many milliseconds until Israel is blamed for the crash?

UPDATE: If true, how long before Israel is blamed for the crash by Meshaal's pal Jimmy Carter?

UPDATE 2: Alas, it is apparently not true, as Jameel mentions in the comments.

Iranian TV: "Chicken Run" a Zionist plot

This is too good:

Following are excerpts from an Iranian documentary on Hollywood cinema, focusing on the movie "Chicken Run." The documentary aired on IRINN on May 29, 2008:

"Traces of Zionism in World Cinema"

Presenter: Movies into which huge amounts of money are poured, in an effort to turn Zionist themes into entertainment, include movies created for children and youth. Animation films produced since the 1990's joined other film genres in becoming a tool for Zionist propaganda. Sometimes this is achieved by using falsified biblical narratives, like in the case of "The Prince of Egypt." Other times, it is achieved in a very subtly, crafty, and indirect manner, like in the film "Chicken Run."

[...]

Dr. Majid Shah-Hosseini, an Iranian film critic: Many films from the 1960's and the 1970's indirectly convey the notion that the Jews were oppressed. This is conveyed through the themes of distance from the motherland, and the search for one's mother, who symbolizes the motherland. These messages were gradually introduced into animation and children's films.

[...]

Sayyid Abu-Alhassan Allawi Tabatabai, an Iranian film critic: These people never make a film without a premeditated motive.

[...]

Two emotional themes can be identified in children's films, especially animations. One is the lost mother, and the other is the lost land. There is also the lost dog... These three themes frequently appear in animations produced since the 1970's.

[...]

Presenter: Even though "Chicken Run" is a sort of fantasy about an animal farm, on a deeper level it depicts the Zionists' favorite themes, which appear in many of the visual dramas of the 20th century. The recreation of a kind of genocide, using visual elements reminiscent of Nazi Germany death camps – an idea linked to the religious themes of a savior and immigration to a promised land – serves a propaganda machine, whose goal it is to depict itself as a symbol for the oppressed and for those who suffer.

[...]

Dr. Majid Shah-Hosseini: In "Chicken Run," for example, you find allusions to the Holocaust, to concentration camps, and to the concept of awaiting a hero or a savior. It portrays efforts to escape a predetermined fate – the death of all those who lived in that camp, who are depicted as chickens. Eventually, a kind of Noah's Ark is built – in this case, it is a flying ship – which is used for their escape.

[...]

Presenter: Unfortunately, Zionist notions can be detected in children's movies, from the days of Walt Disney and to TV animation films. The Zionists' exclusive investments in group specializing in children's films, such as DreamWorks in the 1990's, and the appearance of various works like "Chicken Run," which employed magnificent techniques, were part of their premeditated plan to cover the blood stains soiling the clothes of the occupiers of the lands of Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

Produced by the IRINN Science, Culture, and Arts Group

Video clip here.

For those who haven't seen "Chicken Run", it is spoofing the many American films about Nazi POW camps, specifically The Great Escape.

But perhaps Mel Gibson would disagree....

Reuters' painting Hamas as moderate

This Reuters story is ostensibly about the growing influence that Qaeda-style groups are gaining in Gaza, but the subtext is loud and clear: Hamas isn't really so bad, after all. Here's part of the article, highlighting the clearly pro-Hamas parts:

Abu Hafss is not happy.

A year after Hamas Islamists seized control of the Gaza Strip, Abu Hafss is waiting impatiently to see a sword remove the hand of a thief or a woman stoned to death for adultery.

"Hamas does not implement the rule of God," the Palestinian ally of al Qaeda said. "We have seen no one have his hand cut off for stealing. We have seen no one stoned as an adulterer."

Yet for all Abu Hafss' disappointment with the approach Hamas has adopted since it routed secular rivals in Gaza a year ago, some analysts believe smaller, more radical groups like Abu Hafss' secretive Jaysh al-Ummah (Army of the Nation) have benefited from the Hamas takeover to expand their membership.

Despite an official Hamas policy of respecting the rights of Gaza's small Christian minority, there has been an increase in attacks on Christians in the past year, apparently by Islamists not content with the extent of Hamas's "Islamisation" of Gaza.

Among the outward signs of that have been a proliferation of beards on men and headscarves on some women, along with the virtual disappearance of alcohol and a ban on pornographic websites -- though Hamas officials reject accusations that they are embarked on a programme to impose Islamic law on daily life.

If Gazans are more observant of Islamic practice -- and not all in the enclave agree that this so -- that is the result of persuasion, Hamas says.

...A week of fighting with the Fatah forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas saw Hamas take control of Gaza and its 1.5 million people on June 14 last year -- and saw Abbas dismiss a Hamas-led government that had been hit by Western sanctions over Hamas's refusal to renounce violence against Israel.

Within three weeks of seizing power, Hamas was quick to trumpet its success in securing the freedom of the hostage reporter, the BBC's Alan Johnston. Its spokesmen say it continues to oppose violent Islamist factions.

"Anyone who harms the public order will certainly be hunted down," Hamas spokesman Abu Zuhri said, while also saying Hamas was ready to accept the aid of such groups in its fight against Israel.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad control the majority of mosques in Gaza and both groups restrict the activity of other extremist factions who tend to meet at smaller mosques or in homes where they preach their fanatic brand of Islam.

Market stalls do brisk business in selling recordings of speeches of al Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahri and the late Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as well as videos of beheadings of U.S. and foreign soldiers and personnel in Iraq.

In an environment where a tightened Israeli blockade against Hamas has increased hardships for people in the enclave, more radical forms of Islam appear to some analysts to be exercising a growing influence over some Palestinians.

A Gaza political analyst, who spoke anonymously for fear of retribution, said Hamas's influence on fostering more Islamic social behaviour in Gaza had been mixed. He argued that the fact Hamas had taken control but then did not impose more severe Islamic ways may have boosted those groups which favoured that.

The al Qassam website couldn't have done a better job in propaganda for Hamas. And the last paragraph implies that perhaps Hamas is being too moderate!

Latest YES commercial

Ahmadinejad announces that Israel will be destroyed on Monday, but the Iranians don't want to miss their favorite Israeli TV shows, in this latest ad from Israel's YES cable network.

Partial translation (and hat tip) here.

Hamas leaders in hiding

Firas Press reports (autotranslated):

Sources in the Hamas movement say that the movement expects Israel to make a number of assassinations of prominent leaders of the movement at the last minute that precedes approval of the "calming" proposal from Egypt.

The Al-Hayat of London newspaper quoted sources as revealing that "a number of Hamas leaders finally vanished from sight for fear that Israel carried out its threats of military action in the sector before accepting the calm", in a reference to the statements of Minister Ehud Barak, the Israeli army, which threatened to implement a military operation in the sector before the truce.

Another way that Israel is making the lives of Gazan terrorists miserable.

Book review: The Truth About Syria

The Truth About Syria, by Barry Rubin, effectively illuminates the inner machinations of the Syrian leadership and how the West should act towards that state.

The newly-released paperback edition was forwarded to me by Professor Rubin to review.

Syria is unique in that it is a weak country that has managed to make itself critically important at minimal risk to itself. Using a combination of publicly available articles and MEMRI translations, Dr. Rubin shows many examples to describe the Syrian leaders' mindset and strategy.

Briefly, the overriding concern of the late Hafiz Assad and later his son Bashar is to stay in power, no matter what. At this, they have been remarkably successful.

From the 1940s to 1970 Syria went through many coups and regime changes. Much like Iraq, Syria is a multi-ethnic nation and is always in danger of serious internal conflict. Hafiz al-Assad's takeover of the then-ruling Baath Party in 1970 ushered in a long period of stability, and Rubin examines how he succeeded.

Modern Syria has consciously styled itself in the Soviet mold. As the USSR collapsed, Assad made sure that he would not make the same mistakes, and he and his son remain steadfastly against any internal reforms that they could not keep under control. Through an ingenious combination of rewarding supporters and punishing detractors, Syria has made internal dissent simply not worth it.

The ruling Alawites, Rubin notes, are not even considered Muslims by most other Muslims. Nevertheless, the Assad family has not only styled themselves as Shia Muslims but they have come up with a way to use the new religious fervor throughout the Muslim world to their advantage. While the regime started off as deliberately secular, it has co-opted religious institutions in Syria while carefully limiting their power.

The major way that the Assad father and son have kept internal problems at bay has been to represent Syria as the vanguard of the pan-Arab nation and to externalize all threats to Syria as threats to the Arab world. The regime thrives on crises that are outside Syrian borders, as it uses them as excuses to avoid reform and preach Arab unity to bring together Syria's disparate communities.

As a result, Syria has a great interest in fomenting instability in the region around it. As long as there are external problems, Syria can avoid dealing with internal ones. This appears to be a deliberate policy, and Westerners who try to argue that Syria would be better off it it would reform itself miss the point entirely - Syria's leadership is not interested in improving the lives of its citizens but only in self-preservation.

More than any other nation, Syria excels at exporting terror. Between Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Iraqi terrorists and others, Syria has managed to fight its enemies entirely by proxy - in others' lands - since the 1973 war with Israel. Syria maintains deniability as to its own part in these battles, and the West is eager to believe it. At little cost to itself it can maintain a battlefront against Israel, basking in "victories" while paying nothing in terms of damages. The 2006 Lebanese war is a perfect example of this - even though Syria was not necessarily behind the specific fuse that lit that particular event, it set up the atmosphere for it to happen at any time.

Syria's effective takeover of Lebanon is Syria's way to improve its economy. Friends of the regime - specifically Sunni Muslim middle class merchants - profit from the captive Lebanese market, and this has become such an important part of the Syrian economy (as well as Syria's traditional worldview that Lebanon, as well as Palestine, are really a part of Syria proper) that any Western incentives for Syria to abandon Lebanon are foolhardy.

More recently, Syria has managed to co-opt the the pan-Islamism of its internal Muslim Brotherhood into traditional Syrian pan-Arabism.

All the while, Syria manages to manipulate the West into offering more and more concessions at little cost. Syria's tiny contribution to the Gulf War gave it a bonanza of Western benefits, and more than once Syria gained praise from gullible Americans - including the State Department - by simply lying about closing terrorist offices in Damascus. The baldfaced lies about their involvement with Hezbollah and their control of their borders multiply, yet Westerners stricken with terminal wishful-thinking are ready to believe them.

Bashar, who was given plenty of slack by the West as being a Western-educated reformer, has done nothing of the sort, and his rhetoric often surpasses that of his father. He has made some major mistakes, though, in subsuming Syria's self-image as the pre-eminent Arab leader by showing an immature enthusiasm towards Hezbollahs' Nasrallah as well as turning Syria into a client state of Iran.

Rubin shows that Syria does have the ability to act more responsibly, but only when it feels that the alternative is much worse - namely, the threat of an invasion on its own soil. Although he doesn't say it, if Israel would have made clear that it considers Hezbollah to be a part of Syria and that any attack from Lebanon will result in retaliation against Damascus, then the Second Lebanon War would probably never have occurred.

The book itself, I am sorry to say, is not as well organized nor as easy to read as it should have been. There is a large amount of repetition; the same speeches and examples are cited multiple times throughout the book, as are the conclusions. Dr. Rubin is at a disadvantage as there really isn't that much source material available in the West, and the Assads do not make that many public speeches, but this should mean a shorter book. Also, even though the book itself was written from the perspective of late 2006, I was disappointed that the Iranian/Syrian relationship was not expanded nearly as much as those of Lebanon, Israel and even Turkey.

Even so, it is an important book and worth having for reference. I wish I would have read it before my brief conversation with a member of Congress on this topic last month.

Tunnel collapses!

From Ma'an:

A Palestinian man was killed on Monday evening when an underground tunnel collapsed in the city of Rafah, underneath the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian medical sources identified the victim as 20-year-old Fadi Khalifa. His body was taken to Abu Yousif An-Najjar Hospital in Rafah.

Earlier on Monday, Palestinian sources said that 27-year-old Majdi Khdair was killed in a similar tunnel collapse in the Salam neighborhood of Rafah.

Our 2008 PalArab self-death count is at 85.