Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Sunday, January 11, 2009

PaHamas Pajamas! [new EoZ video]

The official sleepwear of the Al Qassam Martyrs Brigades!

The myth of the "pro-Palestinian" rallies

The media loves to cover demonstrations, the more colorful and loud the better. And there has been ample opportunity to show lots of demonstrations about Gaza these past couple of weeks. The only problem is that the vast majority of the protesters don't really care about "Palestinians." When thousands of Palestinian Arabs were killed during Black September in 1971, there were no crowds at Jordanian embassies. When hundreds of Palestinian Arab civlians were killed in a single day in Lebanon in1975, no one protested. When thousands of Palestinian Arab civilians were murdered by Syrian-backed militia in Lebanese camps in 1985-86 (including Sabra and Shatila!), there were no demonstrations. When hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs were expelled from Kuwait in a single week in 1991, there were no rallies. When Hamas and Fatah fought only two summers ago, killing hundreds in a month, the so-called "peace camp" was silent. Only when Israel gets involved in a conflict do these "activists" come out of the woodwork. Ignoring the many conflicts around the world, their fake indignation is ignited at the thought of Israel defending itself. Muslims who barely go "tsk, tsk" when Arabs kill each other are driven to a frenzy when Israelis finally decide to act after years of provocation. International ANSWER, the Communist party behind a large number of Western anti-Israel demonstrations, has nothing that is "pro-Palestinian" on its website; only diatribes against Israel and the United States. The current rallies aren't pro-Palestinian or even anti-war - they are purely anti-Israel, with more than a little anti-semitism. They are not crying over civilian deaths, they are gleefully calling Zionists "Nazis." They aren't demanding human rights; they are demanding Israel's destruction. The media is part of the problem when they refer to these demonstrations as being "pro-Palestinian." They don't give a damn about Palestinian Arabs, they never have and they never will.

The advantages of craziness

I once had a co-worker - a really nice guy, actually - who was a master manipulator of other people. He would set up office politics in ways that would benefit himself, without anyone really realizing that he was calling the shots.

One way he manipulated the boss was to give an aura of unpredictability and scariness. Once every couple of months, he would (quite purposefully) get into an argument with the boss at a staff meeting, and it would degrade into a shouting match. This was meant to keep the management a little leery of him, and the boss would give him a wide swath to avoid these embarrassing confrontations. The net result was that management felt that he was a good worker as long as his superiors didn't cross any of his "irrational" lines.

In other words, he would use craziness as a tool to keep himself on top.

I am reminded of this by this posting on Power Line, quoting JCPA analyst Dan Diker:

Israel may have reached a deterrent moment in its war in Gaza against Iranian-backed Hamas. I spoke with a senior Arab diplomat last night. He told me that the Arab street is afraid that "the Jews have gone crazy."
Yes, it's true. He noted, "Israel has begun to restore its deterrence" in the Arab world. "Hamas miscalculated," he added. They had thought Israel would not attack, but would merely accede to tougher Hamas demands for an improved "Tahdiya," their version of a temporary calm.

This is perhaps one of the more optimistic assessments I have heard from Arab colleagues recently. There is supporting documentation. Hizbullah's immediate public denial yesterday of the Katusha rocket attack from Southern Lebanon against Israel's North and the reports on Lebanese TV of convoys of Lebanese (read: Hizbullah) vehicles moving north in expectation of a major Israeli reprisal strengthens this sense.

It's also notable that Al Jazeera's reportage yesterday avoided interviewing ordinary Gazans. Arab sources in Gaza confided that the public anger is not directed at Israel any more than it is at Hamas. Al Jazeera, doing a superb job as PR agents for Iran's proxies, likely wanted to avoid risking those types of reactions from the battlefield.

The Arabs thought they had the Jews figured out. They thought they knew just how far to push them and still get concession after concession; they thought they knew that Israelis would inevitably bow to public pressure, they thought that Israel couldn't stomach the civilian deaths that Hamas was orchestrating.

But once they get the idea that they miscalculated, things change - not only for this war but for the next couple of decades.

And you can only make predictions about someone else's behavior when they act consistently and rationally. Once they start acting crazy, you have to be afraid, because you simply can no longer guess what is coming next.

I don't think that Israel is feigning craziness like my friend used to. Israelis clearly had enough of the Qassams over the past seven years and are not going to let them go on, world pressure notwithstanding. But from the Arab perspective they have crossed a line that Arabs felt comfortable would never be crossed. The Hamas strategy of using human shields and putting Gazans in grave danger in order to pressure Israel is backfiring - because Israel is not being daunted by the civilian deaths this time. From Israel' s perspective, it is clear that all civilian deaths are Hamas' fault; from the Arab perspective, it looks like Israel really is indiscriminately killing civilians this time.

It is not so much that the Arabs are afraid that the Jews have gone crazy - they are afraid that the Jews are starting to act like Arabs.

And if Israel is fighting a war with the same rulebook that the Arabs have used forever, that is something to be scared of.

Today's "craziness" could end up saving many, many lives in the future. Because in the end, it is not concessions or land or handshakes that will protect Israel; it is deterrence.

Hamas shoots mortars at aid convoys, no one cares

While the UNRWA gets its collective panties bunched up over supposed Israeli violations of humanitarian law, they are completely, absolutely silent over Hamas' direct attacks on Gazan aid.

We have already seen that Hamas confiscates aid at gunpoint once it gets into Gaza, takes the lion's share, then sells the rest to Gazans and takes profit, before any other agency gets their part.

Not a word from UNRWA.

Today, we see that Hamas broke the three-hour truce by firing at the Kerem Shalom crossing while humanitarian aid was being delivered.

Not a word from UNRWA.

I know this sounds crazy, but it is almost as if the UNRWA is solidly on the side of the terrorists!

Ha'aretz (Hebrew only so far) has news of some outstanding archaeological finds in the City of David in Jerusalem. When the English version comes out I'll reproduce it, but the most stunning find is the one pictured here, of a 2 cm high pomegranate.

The reason this is interesting is because the description of the building of Solomon's Temple in I Kings 7 includes:

40 And Hiram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he wrought for king Solomon in the house of the LORD: 41 the two pillars, and the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; 42 and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were upon the top of the pillars; 43 and the ten bases, and the ten lavers on the bases; 44 and the one sea, and the twelve oxen under the sea; 45 and the pots, and the shovels, and the basins; even all these vessels, which Hiram made for king Solomon, in the house of the LORD, were of burnished brass.

h/t My Right Word

Al Aqsa's late night pr0n

EoZ friend Henrik emails me:

Danish press says that al-Aqsa TV by accident switched to showing Polish po-rn tonight. Apparently a technician switched the source for image to Polish station Patio TV, that was at the time showing a po-rn movie featuring a nude blonde playing around with a veil.

To make it even funnier, the soundtrack wasnt changed, so for six minutes, Gaza residents were watching Polish po-rn with a soundtrack of Arab war-songs :-)

The clip, which is hilarious and absolutely not suitable for work, can be seen at The Jawa Report The ubiquitous green Arabic news crawl continues underneath the woman and her veil and Arabic music plays, turning the entire thing into a Arabic po-rn music video.

Syrian pilots stopped from attacking Israel?

According to a couple of Palestinian Arab newspapers, quoting the Hebrew Omedia site (I could not find the original,) seven Syrian pilots were conspiring to fly over and bomb Israel a few days ago. Syria found out about the plot and arrested them, and also told their pilots that if anyone goes on such an adventure, Syria would kill their families.

It added that Syria is keeping a tight lid on any pro-Hamas demonstrations.

A UN resolution that Hamas can love (updated)

The UN passed a cease-fire resolution that Hamas can wholeheartedly support, according to its own twisted logic. Itis a shame that the US couldn't see through the diplo-speak to understand this enough to block it.

Let's look at how Hamas will interpret UN Security Council Resolution 1860:

1. The Security Council stresses the urgency of and calls for an immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire, leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

Hamas: Which will indicate that we drove the Zionists out of Gaza.

2. The Security Council calls for the unimpeded provision and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance, including of food, fuel and medical treatment.

3. The Security Council welcomes the initiatives aimed at creating and opening humanitarian corridors and other mechanisms for the sustained delivery of humanitarian aid.

4. The Security Council calls on member states to support international efforts to alleviate the humanitarian and economic situation in Gaza, including through urgently needed additional contributions to UNWRA and through the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee.

Hamas: Perfect. We have never bothered to set up any infrastructure for humanitarian aid since we took control of Gaza, leaving all normal functions of government to NGOs and, when not a danger, Fatah members who continue to get paid by the PA. This way we can continue to work on our primary mission as the leaders of Gaza - building a terror infrastructure.

5. The Security Council condemns all violence and hostilities directed against civilians and all acts of terrorist.

Hamas: We agree. The Zionist entity is purely terrorist, targeting our civilians. We are against attacking civilians and only shoot rockets at military targets.

6. The Security Council calls upon member states to intensify efforts to provide arrangements and guarantees in Gaza in order to sustain a durable ceasefire and calm, including to prevent illicit trafficking in arms and ammunition and to ensure the sustained reopening of crossing points on the basis of the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access between the Palestinian Authority; and in this regard, welcomes the Egyptian initative, and other regional and international efforts that are underway.

Hamas: We are not a member state so this doesn't apply to us. The member states have already tried to stop smuggling and failed, so we are fine with that part of the paragraph.

As far as the Egyptian border is concerned, we call on Egypt to work with us directly to open Rafah fully and bypass international and Israeli involvement, which is consistent with the EUBAM agreement and will give us international recognition as the legitimate rulers of Gaza.

7. The Security Council encourages tangible steps towards intra-Palestinian reconciliation including in support of mediation efforts of Egypt and the League of Arab States as expressed in the 26 November 2008 resolution, and consistent with Security Council Resolution 1850 (2008) and other relevant resolutions.

Hamas: We agree that the Palestinian people should be united under their democratically elected leaders, Hamas.

8. The Security Council calls for renewed and urgent efforts by the parties and the international community to achieve a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace with secure and recognized borders, as envisaged in Security Council Resolution 1850 (2008), and recalls also the important of the Arab Peace Initiative.

Hamas: This is so watered down as to be meaningless, so, sure, why not, as long as the international community considers tactical truces to be "peace."

9. The Security Council welcomes the Quartet's consideration, in consultation with the parties, of an international meeting in Moscow in 2009.

Hamas: Keep on talking while we keep on firing in legitimate self-defense at Israeli schools that we call "military bases."

While at first glance it appears to be "balanced," in fact only Israel has any obligations under this resolution - to give Hamas a symbolic victory, which is the only kind that Arabs recognize. Hamas is not mentioned once. Hamas has no obligations under this resolution. The word "rockets" is not mentioned specifically, and Gilad Shalit is not mentioned at all.

Under these terms, Hamas gains immense prestige and bragging rights, Gazans continue to live in misery, and Israeli residents will still be subject to regular rocket fire that the UN is powerless to stop.

UPDATE: Even so, Hamas rejected the resolution:

Hamas rejected the resolution, with spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri telling Arabic news channel al-Jazeera from Yemen, 'We are not concerned by the decision because Hamas was not consulted and it did not take into consideration the interest and demands of our people in Gaza.'
The Islamic Jihad also said in a statement the council's decision was not acceptable.

A Hamas spokesman from Damascus put it this way:

Abu Marzouq: We have three conditions for any peace initiative coming from any state.

First, the aggression of the Israelis should stop. All of the gates should be opened, including the gate of Rafah between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Finally, Israel has to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.

We are not saying we will stop firing rockets from the Gaza Strip to Israel - we are only talking about stopping the aggression from the Israelis against the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.

When others talk about a ceasefire, they are saying all military operations should stop.

But we are sending a message [by firing rockets]: "We will not surrender. We have to fight the Israelis and we will win this battle."

We know we are going to lose a lot of people from our side, but we are going to win, inshallah.

Iran urges assassinations worldwide

From the National Council of Resistance to Iran website:

A one-million-dollar reward for the assassination of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s President, has been set up, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) front organization has announced. Sadegh Shahbazi, secretary of the so-called “Student Justice-seeking movement,” announced the reward.
Shahbazi, the IRGC front organization’s secretary, announced the news of a million dollar prize for assassinating the Egyptian President at the sit-in in Mehrabad airport. He added: Just as we have a bounty for the assassinations of the Zionist army commander, head of Mossad, and War Minister, we also have a reward for the assassination of Hosni Mubarak.
Shariatmadari, Khamenei’s representative in Kayhan daily, in a January 5, 2009 editorial, entitled “Mourning Sacred Ghassem,” issued a command to start carrying out assassinations in various countries.
In the editorial, Shariatmadari recounted a story from a 13 year old teenager who had gone to the front lines during the Iran-Iraq war with the permission of the mullahs’ current Supreme Leader, Ali Khamanei, and was later killed. Shariatmadari compared him and other teenagers who were sent to mine fields by the regime, to “Ghassem,” a young man who fought alongside the revered Shiite Imam Hussein in 680 and died. The editorial goes on to say:
“In Gaza, all of Islam has come head-to-head with all of infidelity. Bush is not Christian, Olmert is not Jewish, and Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah are not Muslims. This is a war of opposing parties, just like the forced war [with Iraq] and the 33 day war [in 2006 in Lebanon]. Today, this war is in Gaza. As the Imam [mullah regime’s founder Khomeini] used to say, with the revitalization of true Islam of Prophet Muhammad, the Great Satan roared and issued a call to all the other big and small devils. … Now that the war in Gaza is the point of conflict for all of Islam against all infidels, why should the act of confronting the Zionists only be limited to the borders of occupied Palestine? Are the people of Gaza not representing the entire Muslim world in their fight with the Zionists? Therefore, offering broad support, including military support, to them is the duty of all Muslims and all Islamic countries. Today, the people of Gaza are on the front lines, but the war front is much larger than the internal confines of occupied Palestine. As such, attacking the backers of the Israeli military, i.e. its global and regional supporters, is an inalienable right of all Muslim people. Outside of occupied Palestine, the latter are easily accessible. Can one not easily attack some Arab leaders and US-imposed governments? The interests of the US, Britain, Germany, and other supporters of Israel, are easily accessible – or, we should say, they are “within range.” … The time to take revenge against the violent Zionists, these corrupt and destructive forms of disease, has finally come. … Therefore, the talk of a cease-fire only serves to grant an opportunity to carry out future crimes and has no other rationale.”

Nah, this is only hyperbole, and probably a mistranslation. There's nothing to be concerned with here.

Today's UNRWA hypocrisy

A week ago, the UNRWA slammed Israel for not allowing enough humanitarian aid into Gaza, implying that the security concerns of Israel were meaningless compared to the needs of the Gazans:

[UNRWA Commissioner Karen Abu Zayd] said Israel has closed down the Karni crossing, the main gateway for cargo into Gaza where it is normally delivered, for security reasons.
She said UNRWA was told by the Israeli humanitarian coordinator that all other crossings aren't open because "there is intelligence about serious preparations for security operations."
"We wonder if it's serious enough to really keep things completely closed and to keep people on their edge of subsistence," she said.

She of course knows very well that mortar fire on the crossings is very common, and sometimes fatal. Yet she airily downplayed Israel's security concerns as not being nearly important enough to stop giving aid to Gazans.

Today, the UN is singing a different tune, in the wake of the death of a UN driver under unclear circumstances:

As a result of the incident, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said it was suspending operations relating to the collection and distribution of humanitarian aid.

But here, too, there seemed to be confusion.

Richard Miron, the chief UN spokesman in Israel, told the Post that UNRWA was not suspending all of its operations, but just those relating to humanitarian aid.

"It's too dangerous and our staff are not safe," he said, adding that UNRWA would still be operating its schools and other centers in Gaza.

You mean, the possibility of being shot at can cause the UNRWA to stop delivering all humanitarian aid? What about the starving, bleeding, imprisoned Gazans that the UNRWA wants Israelis to give their lives for? Aren't they more important?

Of course not. To the UNRWA, the value of Israeli lives is literally zero, the value of Gazans is somewhat higher, and the value of UNRWA personnel is at the peak, according to their own statements.

(h/t L. King)

Summing up Hamas (MEMRI)

MEMRI put together this great compilation of Hamas leaders' statements showing their hatred for Israel, Jews, Christians and Americans.

More on the jihadists' joy at dead civilians

From the NYT (h/t EBoZ):

The emergency room in Shifa Hospital is never calm, but on Thursday, the 13th day of Israel’s assault on Gaza, this place of gore and despair was also a lesson in the way ordinary people are squeezed between suicidal fighters and a military behemoth.

...One [patient] was a 21-year-old man with shrapnel in his left leg who demanded quick treatment. He turned out to be a militant with Islamic Jihad. He was smiling a big smile.
“Hurry, I must get back so I can keep fighting,” he told the doctors and anyone else who would listen.
He was told that there were more serious cases than his and that he needed to wait his turn. But he insisted. “We are fighting the Israelis,” he said. “When we fire we run, but they hit back so fast. We run into the houses to get away.” He continued smiling.
“Why are you so happy?” a reporter asked. “Look around you. Don’t you see the misery that you are helping to cause?”
A girl who looked about 18 was screaming from pain as a surgeon removed shrapnel from her leg. An elderly man was soaked in blood. A baby a few weeks old and slightly wounded was looking around helplessly. A man had a head injury, with parts of his brain coming out. He was on a stretcher, his family wailing at his side.
“Don’t you see that these people are hurting?” the militant was asked.
“But I am from the people, too,” he said, his smile incandescent. “They lost their loved ones as martyrs. They should be happy. I want to be a martyr, too.”

This recalls not only this posting I wrote yesterday but also a YNet report from Tuesday (h/t Henrik):

s the Israeli operation in Gaza wears on it appears Hamas has relinquished any visage of a socio-political party, abandoning its claim to govern the residents of Gaza in favor of engaging in open war at their expense.

...Civilians are simply used as cannon fodder or human shields. Reports out of Gaza say residents who attempted to flee their homes in the northern area of the Strip were forced to go back at gunpoint, by Hamas men.

The organization is presumably interested in increasing civilian casualties in order to give rise to international pressure against Israel. Arab media reported that in an IDF strike on a UN school 30 civilians were killed, but there is no legitimate way to prove gunmen were among those killed as Hamas tends to bury these bodies quickly, thus eliminating evidence in Israel's favor.

Other civilian complaints state that Hamas gunmen pull children along with them "by the ears" from place to place, fearing that if they don't have a child with them they will be fair game to the IDF. Others hide in civilian homes and stairwells, UNRWA ambulances, and mosques.

In other reported cases Hamas gunmen hold civilians hostage in alleyways in order to provide themselves with a living barricade to ward off IDF forces.

These reports lead to the assumption that Hamas is attempting to exacerbate the atmosphere of a humanitarian crisis in the Strip, as this may promote an international ceasefire initiative. In any case the reports clearly show that the residents of Gaza have fallen prey to Hamas as well as the IDF.

Despite this, no authoritative anti-Hamas sentiments have been heard from the Gazans. However Palestinian sources claim that grievances against the group are voiced in secret. The animosity towards Israel has not disappeared, say the sources, but it is now accompanied by bitterness towards the organization many are dubbing Iranian in its extremism.

The jihadists are explicit not only in their cynical endangerment of civilians but also in their desire to see more of their people get killed, as long as the international community blames Israel.

Free Gaza calls for a "third intifada"

At the end of a long email detailing in horrific detail every death and injury in Gaza that she could detail, Free Gaza member Ewa Jasieiwcz ends off with this:

The third Intifada being urged now has to be our intifada too. As Israel
steps up its destruction of the Palestinian people, we need to step up our
reconstruction of our resistance, our movements, of our communities in our
own counties, where so many of us live in alienation and isolation. We
need to be the third intifada – people here need more and say repeatedly
that they need more than the demonstrations, because they are not stopping
the killing here. Demonstrations alone, are not stopping the killing here.

There are concrete steps that people can take, learning from the lessons
of the first Intifada and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign
to dismantle the South African Apartheid regime. Strategies of popular
resistance, strikes, occupations, direct actions. From the streets into
the offices, factories and headquarters is where we need to take this
fight, to the heart of decision-makers that are supposedly making
decisions on our behalf and the companies making a killing out of the
occupation. The third intifada needs to be a global intifada.

I suppose that she can argue that she is speaking purely about a non-violent "intifada", but when she uses that word is it clear what she means - a return to the types of terror attacks that started this whole problem.

What is notable about her advice is that she doesn't even consider the advice that many of her fellow Arabs are espousing, even after two weeks. From The National (UAE):

Regardless of the outcome of the barbaric Israeli Operation Cast Lead, one thing is certain; it is high time for Hamas to step down as the keeper of Gaza. This is where people will object and remind us that they were democratically elected. My answer to that is: Yes, but they are incompetent.

Ewa would never suggest that Hamas stop firing rockets, or that it should re-unify with the PA. No, her advice is to do everything possible to hurt Israel rather than stop terror.

Just going to show yet again what a bunch of hypocrites the "Free Gaza" movement is.

Another dreaded Open Thread

I'm going to be in meetings much of the day, so if anyone sees a cool link, place it in the comments.

As far as the Weblog Awards go, now that the category has become politicized there are tons of votes going towards beating the other guy. 86% of the voting is now for the top three in the running and the rest of us are fighting for crumbs.

And what am I going to do, dis Martin Kramer to try to catch up to him? The dude has more initials after his name than I have letters in mine, and from adding up all his impressive work experience on his resume he must be like 103 years old. I can't start attacking him for fun, he's more Elder than the Elder.

Fundametally Freund is uncomfortably close, but he dedicates his life to charity - also not a fun target, even if he only posts once every three days.

Nope, as much as I want to make it fun, I can't find a good blog to start a feud with. Oh well.

PalArab press roundup Jan 8 2009

Islamic Jihad admitted that four of its members were killed today. These admissions have been rare.

Palestine Today refers to the Katyusha rockets shot from Lebanon this morning to Nahariya as being fired to "occupied territory."

When The Jerusalem Post, Yediot Aharonot and Arutz-7 reported on Hamas' policy to execute and injure Fatah members during this war, Hamas ignored it. But now that Ha'aretz' Amira Hass has written that between forty and eighty Fatah members have been executed, Hamas had to respond. So it forced a very scared Fatah leader in Gaza to deny that Hamas was killing and injuring Fatah members and their families.

Meanwhile, Firas Press goes into detail on one such instance, where a dedicated Fatah member who swore to continue in the ways of his martyred father in fighting Israel was ironically murdered by Hamas, which also shot the legs of his entire family.

Firas Press reminds us that, according to Hamas, PA President Mahmoud Abbas' term ends tomorrow, and Hamas will not recognize any Fatah member as his successor.

Palestine Today doesn't only love gruesome pictures of martyrs - they try really hard to find dead Israelis, too. But the best they could do was a photo essay showing grieving soldiers burying one of their friends, titling it "Zionist soldiers crying and screaming as they buried their dead."

A Firas Press writer strongly condemns Hamas for this war, blaming it for breaking the unity of Palestinian Arabs and acting selfishly as opposed to the interests of the people. The writer compares Hams to Hezbollah in Lebanon, also breaking from the Lebanese government to an adventure that was disastrous to the people of Lebanon.

(A UAE editorial also slams Hamas as "incompetent.")

Egypt's official Al-Ahram newspaper kept up the war of words between Hassan Nasrallah and Egypt, saying that while Egypt works quietly towards a truce in Gaza, Nasrallah is screaming from his underground hiding place that Gaza will be a graveyard for the Zionist invaders without doing anything to help. The writer sarcastically notes that Hezbollah is "bravely" confronting the occupation from their satellite channels. The editorial ended with a veiled threat towards Hezbollah, reminding them that they are still a group of fighters while Egypt has an entire army.