Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Elder of ZiyonCommenter PTWatch points to a video shown on German TV that shows two terrorists in Gaza hiding their weapons. Here are screen shots of one of them:
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Elder of Ziyon
Reading the Islamic Jihad-backed Palestine Today in autotranslated Arabic is always a surreal experience, but now more so than ever. A fantasy war is occurring that has nothing to do with reality, and it is being reported without any fear of contradiction.
From reading Paltoday, one would think that Hamas killed 12 IDF soldiers just today, with six injuries. The number of Hamas and PIJ "martyrs" are pretty much zero - only civilans (which is, of course, routinely described as a "Holocaust." Operation Cast Lead is "melting" into Hamas' Operation Oil Stain. Islamc Jihad is not backing down "one iota" some spokesman said from his underground bunker. A Qassam rocket supposedly killed a woman in Ashkelon yesterday "according to Hebrew sources."
The only problem is that none of it is true.
It is also interesting that they will bend over backwards to find the most obscure critics of Israel, preferably Jewish. Today it was some "honorary professor" at the University of Nice named Andre Nochi who supposedly wrote a letter to the Israel Embassy in Paris describing Israeli actions as being akin to Hitler. This letter took a circuitous route, being translated by a Tunisian professor before being forwarded to "Quds Press" where it was presumably published.
As we saw earlier today, this newspaper harshly criticized the West Bank-based, Fatah-leaning newspapers who dared to publish Israeli news stories.
The terrorist media has decided that their best policy right now is complete and absolute falsehood, apparently because the truth scares the hell out of them.
From reading Paltoday, one would think that Hamas killed 12 IDF soldiers just today, with six injuries. The number of Hamas and PIJ "martyrs" are pretty much zero - only civilans (which is, of course, routinely described as a "Holocaust." Operation Cast Lead is "melting" into Hamas' Operation Oil Stain. Islamc Jihad is not backing down "one iota" some spokesman said from his underground bunker. A Qassam rocket supposedly killed a woman in Ashkelon yesterday "according to Hebrew sources."
The only problem is that none of it is true.
It is also interesting that they will bend over backwards to find the most obscure critics of Israel, preferably Jewish. Today it was some "honorary professor" at the University of Nice named Andre Nochi who supposedly wrote a letter to the Israel Embassy in Paris describing Israeli actions as being akin to Hitler. This letter took a circuitous route, being translated by a Tunisian professor before being forwarded to "Quds Press" where it was presumably published.
As we saw earlier today, this newspaper harshly criticized the West Bank-based, Fatah-leaning newspapers who dared to publish Israeli news stories.
The terrorist media has decided that their best policy right now is complete and absolute falsehood, apparently because the truth scares the hell out of them.
- Tuesday, January 13, 2009
- Elder of Ziyon
free gaza
I mentioned in this morning's roundup that an Iranian "aid" boat was trying to get to Gaza.
This morning, Reuters quotes Iranian sources that the boat was stopped:
The supposed Iranian boat and Free Gaza have lots in common, though. They both pretend to be helping Gazans when they in fact do nothing of the sort, they both support Hamas and they both want to see Israel destroyed.
UPDATE: The IDF denied that they stopped any Iranian boat.
This morning, Reuters quotes Iranian sources that the boat was stopped:
"An Iranian ship that was carrying foodstuff and medicine was stopped by the Zionist regime's navy 20 miles off the coast of Gaza," the Iranian radio station reported, adding that the ship had left the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas 13 days earlier.I wonder whether this ship existed at all, or was just an Iranian PR stunt. I could find no mention of the ship on the PressTV site this morning, although Ma'an quoted an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman about the ship. One would think that at the very least the Iranians would try to publicize this more in order to embarrass Israel.
The supposed Iranian boat and Free Gaza have lots in common, though. They both pretend to be helping Gazans when they in fact do nothing of the sort, they both support Hamas and they both want to see Israel destroyed.
UPDATE: The IDF denied that they stopped any Iranian boat.
- Tuesday, January 13, 2009
- Elder of Ziyon
When the anti-Israel and anti-semitic protests start up, you know that the idiots from Neturei Karta will be there. They showed up in New York, they showed up in London, and they are now regular fixtures in the Iranian media. They even ignore questions from Arabs asking about whether they condemn Hamas or Hezbollah atacks against civilians.
What I am writing here is known to everyone who reads this blog; only reason I am posting this is because I get a fair number of hits from Google, and if someone out there is researching Neturei Karta I want them to know:
Every single Jewish organization condemns Neturei Karta, including every Chassidic (Hasidic) group. Even the Satmar Chasidim, who are anti-Zionist themselves, finds Neturei Karta to be a despicable group that represents nobody, and certainly does not represent Judaism.
Here is a press release from 2002:
What I am writing here is known to everyone who reads this blog; only reason I am posting this is because I get a fair number of hits from Google, and if someone out there is researching Neturei Karta I want them to know:
Every single Jewish organization condemns Neturei Karta, including every Chassidic (Hasidic) group. Even the Satmar Chasidim, who are anti-Zionist themselves, finds Neturei Karta to be a despicable group that represents nobody, and certainly does not represent Judaism.
Here is a press release from 2002:
Umbrella Group of Orthodox Condemn Hareidi PLO-SympathizersThis is as clear cut and united a condemnation that one will ever see from the Chassidic community.Condemnation of Hareidi PLO Sympathizers
SATMAR AND OTHERS CONDEMN HAREIDI PLO-SYMPATHIZERS
by Arutz-7 news
April 28, 2002
"It is with shame, sadness and outrage that we publicly condemn the irresponsible and dangerous actions of a small group of individuals [known generally as Neturei Karta] who have taken upon themselves to endanger the interests of the Jewish Nation, and especially our brethren in Zion, by their reprehensible actions in joining the enemies of our people at the rally held last Saturday in Washington." So begins a statement issued last week by an umbrella organization of mostly-hareidi groups in condemnation of several hareidi-appearing individuals who recently demonstrated together with Arabs against Israel.
The umbrella group, comprised of Satmar, Bobov, Belz, Vizhnitz, Munkacz, Kiryas Joel, Monroe, and other communities - many of them openly and sharply critical of Zionism - termed the PLO sympathizers "evil associates of our enemies."
The statement continued:
"...their depiction in the local and international media in religious garb and prayer shawls marching arm-in-arm with Palestinian Jew-haters has besmirched the reputations of hundreds of thousands of decent Orthodox, hareidi and Hassidic Jews worldwide. Unfortunately this despicable minuscule group, who were ejected decades ago from our synagogues and communities for similar activities, do not accept or listen to the rulings of the leaders of our communities... They should under no circumstances,Heaven forbid, be associated with any recognized hareidi or Hassidi community... We hope and pray that these individuals will speedily realize the enormous damage they have caused to our communities and to the Jewish people at large with their evil undertakings, creating a major desecration of G-d's name on such a massive and unprecedented scale and repent for this terrible sin. Until that time they will continue to be unwelcome amongst Torah-observant Jews - who faithfully follow the teachings of their Rabbis - in all aspects of the private and communal lives."
- Tuesday, January 13, 2009
- Elder of Ziyon
I just received this beautiful piece via email from the Shalem Center's president Daniel Polisar. While it is entitled "A Tribute to Dvir Emanuelof" it is really a tribute to all Israelis and Jews who have to fight under impossible contraints and remain caring, amazing people.
We Jews Love Life: A Tribute to Dvir Emanuelof
We Jews Love Life: A Tribute to Dvir Emanuelof
January 12, 2009
Israel is a small country, but when it goes to war, the front is extraordinarily broad. On Sunday of last week, it reached “Gan Dalia,” the kindergarten my five-year-old son David attends in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem. That morning, officers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) came looking for veteran head teacher Dalia Emanuelof. She was off that day, so they continued searching elsewhere, ultimately waiting outside her home in the nearby suburb of Givat Ze’ev until she returned that afternoon.
The news the officers brought was unbearable: Her 22-year-old son, Dvir, had been killed in Jabalya, making him the first Israeli casualty of the ground campaign in Gaza. Fighting there as a staff sergeant in his infantry unit, the elite Golani brigade, he was felled by Hamas mortar fire. Though Israel has a conscript army, Dvir did not have to be in Gaza, as he had received high marks as instructor of a squad leader course, was asked to go to officer school, and would still have been in training had he accepted; he deferred, however, saying he would not be fit to command until he had first fought alongside his comrades. In fact, Dvir did not have to be in any front-line position: His father Netanel had died of cancer at age 46, shortly before Dvir’s service began; as an only son in a single-parent family, Dvir was exempt under IDF rules from combat duty. Before accepting him to Golani, his commanding officer visited Dalia and asked if she acquiesced in her son’s opting for a dangerous path he was not obligated to choose. Her answer: “If this is how Dvir wants to serve his country, then this is what he will do.” Two days before entering Gaza, Dvir had called home and said: “Mom, I have to fight. I have to be there.” He went, and he fought—and was buried on Sunday night in the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem.
A few days later, I was thinking about Dvir as I prepared to speak at an Israel solidarity rally at the Ramaz high school in Manhattan. I opened by talking about Dvir’s words to his mother, and then explained why he had to fight—that is, why Israel had no choice but to wage war to stop Hamas from firing missiles at homes and schools in Sderot and other cities in the country’s south. After describing Israel’s war aims, I addressed the issue on the minds of these morally sensitive young people: How we could be sure that, in the pursuit of moral ends, Israel was using moral means? I stressed the lengths to which the IDF goes to protect Palestinian civilians, and contrasted it with Hamas’s systematic strategy of using non-combatants—women, children, even hospital patients—as “human shields,” to prevent the Israeli army from attacking its fighters or to saddle the Jewish state with the blame for the civilians who are killed.
Afterwards, I fielded questions from seniors in one of Ramaz’s honors classes, of which the most difficult was posed by an earnest young woman named Julie. She accepted that Israel was right to launch an offensive and was fighting in accordance with the dictates of morality, but was deeply concerned about the outcome: If Hamas was eager for Palestinian non-combatants to be killed, while the IDF did its best to prevent such casualties, how could Israel hope to win? Either the Israeli army would be deterred from landing the blows needed to defeat Hamas, or Israel would end up killing large numbers of civilians and be forced by international pressure to accept a cease-fire prematurely—which would be perceived as a Hamas victory, on the model of Hizbollah’s “triumph by surviving” in the Second Lebanon War. She offered a chillingly apt understanding of the statement made in 2004 by Hizbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and later echoed by many Hamas leaders: “We have discovered how to hit the Jews where they are the most vulnerable….We are going to win, because they love life and we love death.” Nasrallah had meant that the Jews loved their own lives while Muslim radicals embraced death in the pursuit of jihad, but in Gaza, it turned out that Jews also cared more for the lives of Arab civilians than did the leaders of Hamas. I answered, haltingly, on the level of tactics, pointing out that the IDF’s detailed intelligence and precise execution enabled it to limit the bulk of Palestinian casualties to Hamas fighters, and that international condemnation of Israel has been kept in check by widespread revulsion at the use of human shields.
The question was still on my mind when I landed at Ben-Gurion Airport the next morning and headed to a shiva visit at the Emanuelofs. The first floor was overflowing with well-wishers, some sitting and most standing, centered around Dalia, her three daughters, and the general in charge of Israel’s ground forces, Avi Mizrahi, who in an extraordinary gesture of respect was making a condolence visit in the midst of war. Due to his rare combination of gentleness and determination, he became, with Dalia, the center of attention, and the two engaged in a dialogue interspersed with occasional comments from Dalia’s eldest daughter, Hadas, who got married less than a year ago and was visibly pregnant with the family’s first grandchild
From this dialogue, an extraordinary portrait emerged of Dvir—a modest, idealistic young man who was a leader in the Bnei Akiva youth movement, delighted in taking his friends on hikes throughout Israel, and could never be found without his trademark smile, which radiated out from his sparkling eyes and lit up everyone around him—a point amply attested to in the photos displayed in the Emanuelofs’ home. He loved life, with a passion, but was willing to risk his own because he felt a sense of mission to protect Israelis living in the country’s south. Dalia, too, was heroic in her own, quiet way. On her face and in her voice one could discern profound sadness, but also pride in her son and the army in which he served, and resolve that Israel must continue to fight until victory. One could also detect a spirit of hope, bordering on faith, that her people would triumph—and that, as Jews traditionally say, Netzach Yisrael lo yishaker, the Eternal One of Israel will not fail us.
Equally extraordinary was the picture Dalia painted of the support her family had received. She spoke of two teenage girls who came to her home, and when asked how they had known Dvir, answered that they had never met him but identified with the family’s tragedy and wanted to give whatever comfort they could; of a middle-aged man who said only, ‘I’m a citizen of Israel, and I came to be with you, as a representative of all of Israel’s citizens;’ of an elderly gentleman who walked in leaning on a cane, and declared: “I heard that a Golanchik (young Golani soldier) in your family was killed; I fought in Golani in the War of Independence in 1948, and have come to offer my condolences.” She described a phone call from a woman she didn’t know, who had just had a grandson and wanted permission to name him Dvir. Dalia assented, but urged that he be given a second name, as Jewish tradition says that in calling someone after a person who has suffered an unfortunate fate, one should make this change to symbolize the hope for better fortune. The grandmother answered that the boy’s name would be Dvir Chai—“Dvir lives.” And Dalia concluded the story: “A few days after my son had been killed, I could already say again, ‘Dvir lives.’”
At one point, Dalia turned to General Mizrahi and asked why Israel could not fight in Gaza the way coalition forces have in Iraq and Afghanistan—bombing aggressively against enemy fighters in populated areas. There was no bitterness in her voice at the IDF for having endangered her son’s life by its regard for Palestinian civilians, nor any desire for revenge—only the concerned tones of an Israeli mother anxious to protect the sons of other Israeli mothers. The general answered thoughtfully, but without hesitation, that the IDF had gone to greater lengths to protect its soldiers in Gaza than in previous conflicts, citing the week-long air campaign that preceded the ground invasion. He added, however, that the IDF’s strength is integrally tied to maintaining its humanity and morality. Soldiers are united in part because they know that regardless of religious or political differences, they share a common moral code. Alluding to the widely-held view that Hamas’s military leadership is hiding under Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, he said that he wouldn’t give an order to bomb the hospital from the air, because there are certain things one simply doesn’t do. This is an obligation, he stressed, that the IDF has as a Jewish army. From the reactions in the room, it was clear that while everyone identified with Dalia’s question, they accepted the answer—and were impressed that the officer used this opportunity to reinforce the Jewish values binding all of us together.
As I left to return home before the start of the Sabbath, I understood the answer to the question I had been asked by a young woman 6,000 miles away. Yes, on the tactical level it can be a handicap to love life when your opponent loves death. But in the end, it is that love of life that will enable us to prevail. We will defeat those who love death, because we love life so much that we Israelis—from teenage girls to senior officers in wartime—know how to give comfort to those who have lost a loved one, and to say, “We are with you.” Our love of life enables us to confront tragedy, and emerge with the pride and resolve, the hope and the faith, that Dalia showed.
We love life so much that we educate our children to love life, though surrounded by enemies who hope, pray, and work for our deaths. It is this love of life that enabled the Jews to return to our homeland and rebuild a state after 2,000 years, and it is the sense of mission stemming from this love that will sustain the Zionist dream long into the future. We love life so much that we refuse to have our sense of morality dulled by enemies who seek to force us to kill women and children in order to defend our families. Though our principles limit the IDF’s effectiveness, they provide us with intangibles that more than compensate—the confidence and the strength to pursue our aims secure in the knowledge we are acting justly, and the unity that comes from a society acting in accordance with its most cherished values. And yes, let no one err, we will win because we love life so much we are willing to brave death, if necessary, to ensure that our people can lead free lives in the country we have established against all odds. In the end, it is this love of life that will enable us to prevail—not only in the war in Gaza, but in all the challenges we face in the years and generations to come.
Besides the "Free Gaza" ship, Iran is claiming to be sending an "aid" ship to Gaza as well from Egypt. It should have arrived by now, but there are no updates. I couldn't find anything in the Iranian press about this.
The Palestinian Arab press is mentioning Israeli reports that Hamas is hijacking humanitarian aid trucks, confiscating aid and selling it for a profit. One commenter (if I am translating correctly) jokes that Hamas is using the diapers in the shipments for themselves as they are hiding in their tunnels.
It is interesting that neither the UNRWA nor the Red Cross has commented on these reports to confirm or deny them, as far as I can find.
A Saudi citizen, who joined Hamas, has been killed. This article mentions in passing that Palestinian Arabs and Hamas in particular have been very reluctant to mention the names of their dead terrorists.
At least two newspapers are reporting on a supposed Peace Now survey that "nine out of ten Israelis are in favor of the Israeli massacres against children and elderly people in Gaza." Needless to say, no such survey is on the Peace Now site, although they are idiotically calling for a "political" solution with a group of terrorists.
The Islamic Jihad mouthpiece "Palestine Today" calls on the Fatah-leaning PalArabic press to stop reporting on Israeli "rumors" , such as a report that Hamas leaders have fled to hide among Bedouins in the Sinai, with veiled threats: "History will not have mercy on all those who played on the wounds and suffering of our people."
The Palestinian Arab press is mentioning Israeli reports that Hamas is hijacking humanitarian aid trucks, confiscating aid and selling it for a profit. One commenter (if I am translating correctly) jokes that Hamas is using the diapers in the shipments for themselves as they are hiding in their tunnels.
It is interesting that neither the UNRWA nor the Red Cross has commented on these reports to confirm or deny them, as far as I can find.
A Saudi citizen, who joined Hamas, has been killed. This article mentions in passing that Palestinian Arabs and Hamas in particular have been very reluctant to mention the names of their dead terrorists.
At least two newspapers are reporting on a supposed Peace Now survey that "nine out of ten Israelis are in favor of the Israeli massacres against children and elderly people in Gaza." Needless to say, no such survey is on the Peace Now site, although they are idiotically calling for a "political" solution with a group of terrorists.
The Islamic Jihad mouthpiece "Palestine Today" calls on the Fatah-leaning PalArabic press to stop reporting on Israeli "rumors" , such as a report that Hamas leaders have fled to hide among Bedouins in the Sinai, with veiled threats: "History will not have mercy on all those who played on the wounds and suffering of our people."
- Tuesday, January 13, 2009
- Elder of Ziyon
- free gaza
From the Cyprus Mail:
It appears that their planned dramatic televised confrontation with the evil IDF will have to be postponed.
THE LATEST effort by human rights activists to breach the blockade of Gaza by sea got off to a faulty start yesterday when the boat suffered mechanical failure at sea.Considering the 16 (I counted 17) journalists on board, and the fact that Free Gaza sends out press releases and "alert" emails at the drop of a hat, this is a surprisingly hard story to find this morning. FGM's webpage doesn't say a thing, even though this happened nearly a day ago.
The Free Gaza Movement (FGM) launched the SS Spirit of Humanity from Larnaca port yesterday, carrying boxes of medical aid for the besieged Palestinians in Gaza. With 36 passengers and crew from 17 countries on board, including five MPs, six doctors and 16 journalists, the boat encountered mechanical failure three nautical miles off the coast of Cyprus.
According to reports, the planned mercy mission to Gaza had to be postponed and the boat returned to port for repairs.
It appears that their planned dramatic televised confrontation with the evil IDF will have to be postponed.
Monday, January 12, 2009
- Monday, January 12, 2009
- Elder of Ziyon
It gets increasingly harder to find "scoops" in the Palestinian Arab press nowadays, because so many of the articles are such clear lies.
There have already been articles about Hamas killing dozens of soldiers, and about Israel covering up all of these soldier deaths. These Hamas press releases get republished even in the Fatah-leaning media without skepticism.
Today's whopper is a Hamas claim that they captured an Israeli soldier. They then took him to a safe house. Then, the evil Zionists decided to deliberately bomb the house and kill the soldier rather than risk another Gilad Shalit.
Of course, Hamas didn't bother to release this fictional soldier's name. Nor did it mention any Hamas members who were killed or injured in this supposed house bombing. Maybe they left him without a guard?
One would think that for a group of accomplished liars, they would be a little better at it by now.
There have already been articles about Hamas killing dozens of soldiers, and about Israel covering up all of these soldier deaths. These Hamas press releases get republished even in the Fatah-leaning media without skepticism.
Today's whopper is a Hamas claim that they captured an Israeli soldier. They then took him to a safe house. Then, the evil Zionists decided to deliberately bomb the house and kill the soldier rather than risk another Gilad Shalit.
Of course, Hamas didn't bother to release this fictional soldier's name. Nor did it mention any Hamas members who were killed or injured in this supposed house bombing. Maybe they left him without a guard?
One would think that for a group of accomplished liars, they would be a little better at it by now.
- Monday, January 12, 2009
- Elder of Ziyon
Last week, Jimmy Carter called the tunnel that Israel bombed in November at the Gaza border, meant to kidnap Israeli soldiers, a "defensive tunnel."
Well, today they found another one, where the poor defenseless Hamas activists must have been digging a tunnel in order to purchase some cigarettes from Israelis.
How long before Jimmy starts calling Qassams "resistance rockets?"
Well, today they found another one, where the poor defenseless Hamas activists must have been digging a tunnel in order to purchase some cigarettes from Israelis.
How long before Jimmy starts calling Qassams "resistance rockets?"
- Monday, January 12, 2009
- Elder of Ziyon
- incitement
Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi had some garden-variety genocidal Jew-hatred and incitement at that favorite of moderate Arab TV channels, Al-Jazeera.
Video clip here.
Excerpts from MEMRI:
The video shows a large and very receptive audience during this entire sermon.
Video clip here.
Excerpts from MEMRI:
I address my first message to the aggressor Jews, those arrogant plunderers, who act arrogantly toward the servants of Allah in the land of Allah.There's plenty more, like castigating Arab nations for not destroying Israel and calling on a boycott of the "Zionist" Marks and Spencer and Starbucks locations in Qatar ("Here in Qatar, we have a branch of Marks and Spencer, which regularly dedicates its Saturday revenue to Israel.") But, really, once you see the punch line of destroying all the Jews, what else do you need to know?
...We wait for the revenge of Allah to descend upon them, and, Allah willing, it will be by our own hands: "Fight them, Allah will torment them by your hands, and bring them to disgrace, and will assist you against them, and will heal the hearts of the believers, and you will still the anger of your hearts." This is my message to the treacherous Jews, who have never adhered to what is right, or been true to their promises, who violate each time the promises them make to you.
...Oh Allah, take your enemies, the enemies of Islam. Oh Allah, take the Jews, the treacherous aggressors. Oh Allah, take this profligate, cunning, arrogant band of people. Oh Allah, they have spread much tyranny and corruption in the land. Pour Your wrath upon them, oh our God. Lie in wait for them. Oh Allah, You annihilated the people of Thamoud at the hand of a tyrant, and You annihilated the people of 'Aad with a fierce, icy gale. Oh Allah, You annihilated the people Thamoud at the hand of a tyrant, You annihilated the people of 'Aad with a fierce, icy gale, and You destroyed the Pharaoh and his soldiers – oh Allah, take this oppressive, tyrannical band of people. Oh Allah, take this oppressive, Jewish, Zionist band of people. Oh Allah, do not spare a single one of them. Oh Allah, count their numbers, and kill them, down to the very last one.
The video shows a large and very receptive audience during this entire sermon.
- Monday, January 12, 2009
- Elder of Ziyon
- free gaza
The Free Gaza terror supporters just put out a new press release:
The truth is the exact opposite. Free Gaza is a group of people dedicated to destroying Israel. Free Gaza is against nations delivering humanitarian aid to Gazans! They have written in their own emails:
The Free Gaza boat is not meant to make a dent in the medical situation in Gaza, it is meant purely to make Israel look bad. To that end, they write in their email:
And have no doubt, the press is complicit in making Free Gaza look like a humanitarian organization rather than a PR wing of Hamas that tells its members that now is the time for a "third intifada."
In fact, this so-called "mercy ship" has 6 doctors, 7 "human rights workers" - and 17 journalists, including reporters from CNN, Sky TV, the BBC, the Sunday Herald (UK), Mega TV and France's Channel 2. The reporters know that Israel will not allow the boat through and that makes a good, manufactured story.
Not that the presence of reporters will stop the Free Gaza terror-supporters from lying even more egregiously, as they falsely claimed last time that a half dozen Israeli ships fired upon them with live ammunition and still cannot produce a single video that verifies their claim that Israeli boats rammed them three times "without warning."
The media should not allow these clowns to manufacture "news" and to brazenly lie about this so called "mercy ship."
The Free Gaza Movement ship, "SPIRIT OF HUMANITY," left Larnaca Port at 3:00 pm, Monday, 12 January, on an emergency mission to besieged Gaza. It is expected to arrive in Gaza at approximately 11am (UST) Tuesday morning. Aboard the ship are 36 passengers and crew, representing 17 different nations. They are doctors, journalists, human rights workers, and five European parliamentarians representing Belgium, Greece, Italy, and Spain (see below for a complete passenger list). The mercy ship also carries desperately needed medical supplies meant for hospitals in the Gaza Strip.Gullible editors will read this and think that Free Gaza is trying to help deliver medical aid to Gazans that is being blocked by Israel.
The truth is the exact opposite. Free Gaza is a group of people dedicated to destroying Israel. Free Gaza is against nations delivering humanitarian aid to Gazans! They have written in their own emails:
Although humanitarian aid is very much needed, especially now in Gaza, focusing on humanitarian efforts alone is a form of complicity in Israel's malevolent quest to destroy the Palestinian people.And this:
Free Gaza is neither a "protest group" nor an aid agency. Our mission and our work are political. We are a Palestinian and international effort dedicated to the principle of non-violent direct action. We are engaged in active, civil resistance against the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine, and the violence this occupation uses to sustain itself.And just in case you think that they only define "resistance" as non-violent, here is how they describe Qassam rockets aimed at Israeli kindergartens:
Do you know my dear reader how many Israelis were killed by Palestinians resistance rockets?Israel has so far delivered 230 tons of medical equipment plus ambulances via the Red Cross in Gaza and about 300 more tons via the World Health Organization and UNICEF, not to mention many hundreds of tons of food and medical supplies donated by Turkey, Jordan, Greece and Egypt. If the Free Gaza people cared about delivering medicine, they could have sent it through Israel yesterday.
The Free Gaza boat is not meant to make a dent in the medical situation in Gaza, it is meant purely to make Israel look bad. To that end, they write in their email:
Once we set sail, we do not plan on turning back. We will stay at sea, insisting on access to Gaza, until we succeed or Israel gravely attacks or arrests us.Since Israel has already informed them that they will not be allowed to dock in Gaza, they are deliberately putting on a theatre to force a showdown and gain more press.
And have no doubt, the press is complicit in making Free Gaza look like a humanitarian organization rather than a PR wing of Hamas that tells its members that now is the time for a "third intifada."
In fact, this so-called "mercy ship" has 6 doctors, 7 "human rights workers" - and 17 journalists, including reporters from CNN, Sky TV, the BBC, the Sunday Herald (UK), Mega TV and France's Channel 2. The reporters know that Israel will not allow the boat through and that makes a good, manufactured story.
Not that the presence of reporters will stop the Free Gaza terror-supporters from lying even more egregiously, as they falsely claimed last time that a half dozen Israeli ships fired upon them with live ammunition and still cannot produce a single video that verifies their claim that Israeli boats rammed them three times "without warning."
The media should not allow these clowns to manufacture "news" and to brazenly lie about this so called "mercy ship."
- Monday, January 12, 2009
- Elder of Ziyon
Yesterday I was asked to create an open thread where people can list the blogs that they have found to be good resources in the past few weeks beyond the many I listed here.
I started off with Zionism-Israel, an excellent blog and reference site from Ami Isseroff, that I have mentioned before.
Another brand-spanking new blog that looks to be a great addition to any blogroll is The Realist, who just commented here.
Who else do you like to read?
I started off with Zionism-Israel, an excellent blog and reference site from Ami Isseroff, that I have mentioned before.
Another brand-spanking new blog that looks to be a great addition to any blogroll is The Realist, who just commented here.
Who else do you like to read?
- Monday, January 12, 2009
- Elder of Ziyon
- self-death
In the wake of the 2006 Lebanon war, with hundreds of dead Lebanese civilians and a destroyed infrastructure, a Gulf News analyst - and professor of political science at UAE University - wrote:
History shows that this is not an isolated opinion; in fact, it is still mainstream Arab opinion. Even as pragmatic and moderate a leader as Jordan's King Abdullah reveals that he still looks at the conflict the same way, that what is good for Israel is bad for the Arab world, although Abdullah is much more nuanced.
Westerners must understand this mindset. We grow up with the idea ingrained in us that the best solutions to problems are "win-win", where each side can gain or at least compromise in ways where their losses are minimized. This is so obvious to most Westerners that we cannot conceive of a mentality that is exactly the opposite - that if I win, you must lose, and vice versa.
The writings of the early Zionists show that rather than trying to hurt the surrounding Arab communities, Zionism intended to enrich them with a growing economy and modernization. When Israel won the Six Day War, it immediately set out to build a new infrastructure in Gaza and the West Bank for the Arabs - electricity, hospitals, clean water. The Palestinian Arab mortality rates plummeted and their life expectancy soared under Israeli rule. From the outset, Zionism was meant to be a "win-win," not zero-sum.
On the other hand, the zero-sum mentality is heavily tied to the genetic hatred of Israel that was mentioned by the professor above that is endemic among the Arabs. It goes to the root of the divide between the two cultures. Zero-sum implies hatred and eternal conflict, "win-win" implies pragmatism and peace.
At the outset of Operation Cast Lead, Israeli President Shimon Peres asked an extremely good question:
This twisted mentality is most prominent in Hamas' actions now. Hamas has stated that Israel's killing of civilians is evidence of Israel's failure in battle. In other words, Hamas considers the death of Palestinian Arabs to be a victory! There is a complete disconnect between the major goal - Israel's pain - and any desire to defend Gazans.
For Westerners, it is self-evident that the purpose of a military is to defend one's citizens. When your own population is being killed, your military has failed.
Hamas' purpose, though, is not to defend Palestinian Arabs - it is to destroy Israel. This necessarily means that they want to inflict pain on the enemy by any means possible. Their own people are not to be defended: on the contrary, they are to be used for this ultimate goal. Dead civilians are just another weapon to "win."
Moderate Arab rulers have been able to at least understand the pragmatism of the West; they know that any open conflict with Israel will cause them to lose their own positions. But as we saw with King Abdullah, the Arab mentality of seeing Israel not as a partner but as an enemy is still ingrained in the collective Arab psyche. For the "moderates," the zero sum game is still very real, but it is played diplomatically, rather than militarily.
While Israel would be thrilled to send its experts throughout the Arab world to help with agriculture, desalination, solar energy or medicine, to increase two-way trade with the Arabs, the Arab world remains leery of anything that makes Israelis happy - even if it helps the Arabs. From the beginning, Israel has wanted "normalization" to be part of any peace agreements precisely because Israel thinks in terms of win-win - but the Arabs just cannot wrap their heads around this concept.
To the Arab world, if Israel wins, the Arabs must be losing. And as long as they have this mentality, there can be no real peace.
The controversial discussion about the quality and significance of the victory and the size of destruction caused by the war is legitimate and healthy. But, despite the massive destruction in Lebanon, the Arabs seem to be better off after the war.This is not some crazy member of the "Arab street". This is someone who has a respected job as an intellectual, who is saying that anything that is bad for Israel is, by definition, good for the Arabs. The Arab world, and a large number of its supporters, look at the Middle East as a zero-sum game where when one side wins, the other loses.
Logically, when Israel is in a worse condition, which is the case now, Arabs are definitely better off.
Although Israel was not routed in the battle, it surely seems defeated and frustrated. It is also living in a state of doubt and comprehensive review of its military and political performance during the war.
The equation of victory and defeat between the Arabs and the Zionist state has always been and will remain zero equation. This means that when Israel is defeated, Arabs have the right to celebrate victory.
Hatred of Israel can be found in the genes of all Arabs. Although it is hereditary, its intensity varies from time to time. All facts on the ground indicate that the Arab rejection of the Zionist entity reached its peak after the aggression.
The unification of Arabs in their deep enmity against Israel is a positive matter.
History shows that this is not an isolated opinion; in fact, it is still mainstream Arab opinion. Even as pragmatic and moderate a leader as Jordan's King Abdullah reveals that he still looks at the conflict the same way, that what is good for Israel is bad for the Arab world, although Abdullah is much more nuanced.
Westerners must understand this mindset. We grow up with the idea ingrained in us that the best solutions to problems are "win-win", where each side can gain or at least compromise in ways where their losses are minimized. This is so obvious to most Westerners that we cannot conceive of a mentality that is exactly the opposite - that if I win, you must lose, and vice versa.
The writings of the early Zionists show that rather than trying to hurt the surrounding Arab communities, Zionism intended to enrich them with a growing economy and modernization. When Israel won the Six Day War, it immediately set out to build a new infrastructure in Gaza and the West Bank for the Arabs - electricity, hospitals, clean water. The Palestinian Arab mortality rates plummeted and their life expectancy soared under Israeli rule. From the outset, Zionism was meant to be a "win-win," not zero-sum.
On the other hand, the zero-sum mentality is heavily tied to the genetic hatred of Israel that was mentioned by the professor above that is endemic among the Arabs. It goes to the root of the divide between the two cultures. Zero-sum implies hatred and eternal conflict, "win-win" implies pragmatism and peace.
At the outset of Operation Cast Lead, Israeli President Shimon Peres asked an extremely good question:
Still I have not heard until now a single person who could explain to us reasonably: why are they firing rockets against Israel? What are the reasons? What is the purpose?Everyone who has answered that question in the explosion of anti-Zionist articles that have been written recently uses a variant of this zero-sum answer. Rockets hurt Israel, therefore it is obvious that they must be good for Arabs. Hurting Israel is a worthy goal in and of itself, independent of any consequences. From their perspective, Israel's pain equals Arab gain.
This twisted mentality is most prominent in Hamas' actions now. Hamas has stated that Israel's killing of civilians is evidence of Israel's failure in battle. In other words, Hamas considers the death of Palestinian Arabs to be a victory! There is a complete disconnect between the major goal - Israel's pain - and any desire to defend Gazans.
For Westerners, it is self-evident that the purpose of a military is to defend one's citizens. When your own population is being killed, your military has failed.
Hamas' purpose, though, is not to defend Palestinian Arabs - it is to destroy Israel. This necessarily means that they want to inflict pain on the enemy by any means possible. Their own people are not to be defended: on the contrary, they are to be used for this ultimate goal. Dead civilians are just another weapon to "win."
Moderate Arab rulers have been able to at least understand the pragmatism of the West; they know that any open conflict with Israel will cause them to lose their own positions. But as we saw with King Abdullah, the Arab mentality of seeing Israel not as a partner but as an enemy is still ingrained in the collective Arab psyche. For the "moderates," the zero sum game is still very real, but it is played diplomatically, rather than militarily.
While Israel would be thrilled to send its experts throughout the Arab world to help with agriculture, desalination, solar energy or medicine, to increase two-way trade with the Arabs, the Arab world remains leery of anything that makes Israelis happy - even if it helps the Arabs. From the beginning, Israel has wanted "normalization" to be part of any peace agreements precisely because Israel thinks in terms of win-win - but the Arabs just cannot wrap their heads around this concept.
To the Arab world, if Israel wins, the Arabs must be losing. And as long as they have this mentality, there can be no real peace.
- Monday, January 12, 2009
- Elder of Ziyon
Israel-bashers like to claim that the IDF uses "human shields" when fighting.
Well, here's one case where they are absolutely right:
Transcript from an Israeli news show, while showing reconnaissance video of a firefight:
UPDATE: I just found out that this video was from a year and a half ago (h/t Jameel.) Doesn't make it any less amazing, though.
Well, here's one case where they are absolutely right:
Transcript from an Israeli news show, while showing reconnaissance video of a firefight:
# Here are the two terrorists,circled in red, hiding behind bushes
# The soldiers, circled in blue, approach ...
# without knowing they're so close to the terrorists
# And here is the first terrorist
# He identifies the soldiers...opens fire...but doesn't hit them
# The two officers immediately attack, the other soldiers descend from the scene
# The officers attack and kill one terrorist...
# meanwhile they don't notice the other terrorist
# the other terrorist throws a grenade...it explodes...but doesnt hit
# and then the two officers attack him
# the terrorist throws a second grenade
# and now pay attention to what the company commander does...
# he picks up the terrorist from the bushes
# and uses him as a human shield against the grenade
# the explosion kills the terrorist but not the officer
# lets see this scene again...
# the officer sees the terrorist, runs to him...
# --the terrorist throws a grenade at him--
# ...and then simply with two hands
# the officer raises the terrorist in the air
# and uses the body of the terrorist as a shield from the exploding grenade
# the encounter ends with a lightly wounded officer and two dead terrorists.
UPDATE: I just found out that this video was from a year and a half ago (h/t Jameel.) Doesn't make it any less amazing, though.
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