Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, November 19, 2012

Hamas and Fatah "unify" - in wanting to kill Jews

Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas said on Monday they have decided to end years of infighting in a show of solidarity over the Gaza crisis, AFP news agency reported.

“From here, we announce with other (factional) leaders, that we are ending the division,” senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub told a crowd of about 1,000 who gathered for a demonstration in Ramallah, the West Bank’s political capital.

Among those present at the rally were top members of Hamas’s leadership in the West Bank as well as senior officials from its smaller rival Islamic Jihad, the AFP correspondent said.

Ramallah’s Manara Square was a sea of Palestinian flags as the crowd chanted “Unity!” and “Hit, hit Tel Aviv” in an appeal to Hamas militants who have fired at least five rockets at the coastal city since Thursday.

Its so nice to know that they can agree about something!

Obviously, this is a joke - Hamas in Gaza didn't announce any unity, and they are the only ones who count. It is not conceivable that Hamas would accept Fatah negotiating cease fire terms on its behalf.

Only this morning Fatah complained that the Gaza leaders were keeping Fatah members under house arrest.

Arab editor slams leftists who support Hamas

From Now Lebanon's Hanin Ghaddar:

If one reviews the rhetoric of the liberal "resistance" supporters, especially after the escalation of violence in Gaza, you'd think that Hamas is a liberal or secular group, not an Islamic faction.

During the nearly two years of systematic and brutal killing by the Syrian regime of the Syrian people who are resisting tyranny, many Arabs preferred to remain silent, justifying their denial by fear of the Islamists. But suddenly, when Hamas decided to respond to the Israeli attack on Gaza, this reaction was cheered as the ultimate resistance. It didn't matter who is resisting here and why. The Islamic nature of Hamas does not matter, only because it is against Israel.

This juvenile attitude of having one enemy, Israel, and justifying all other kinds of brutality and tyranny in the name of resistance is very common among many Lebanese and Arab leftists and liberals.

Do they ask if Hamas has been the best example of governance in Gaza, the way they question the Syrian opposition day and night? Never. At least Hamas had the chance to demonstrate what kind of state it envisions, and it has been obvious that it is not the secular, civil state the opposition is demanding in Syria.

Unfortunately, the Arab awakening did not eliminate these moral double standards. The Syrian opposition can resist Assad as much as they want, but their cause will not be recognized by these leftists as long as some Islamists have joined them. Meanwhile, Hamas and Hezbollah can be as Islamist as they want; they will be forgiven, as long as they resist, or say they are resisting, Israel.

Hamas has not gone secular, but the leftists have long ago lost their compass.

By the way, earlier today I tweeted this, which got retweeted quite a bit:

At least 370 deaths in #Syria since last Wednesday, and zero anti-Syrian demonstrations.

(h/t Michael for correcting earlier version where I misinterpreted part of the editorial.)

The funny case of Moshe Rotoor, or how pin-up girls can win the war

From Haaretz, one of their examples of psychological warfare on the digital battlefield:

Thousands received emails from one "Moshe Rotoor," using a Russian account, who claims in broken Hebrew that "the military censorship of military intelligence is hiding the information about the attacks on our soldiers on the border of Gaza. See the picture of the field of death in which our soldiers are falling in Gaza." YouTube videos enclosed in the email claim to show an IDF jeep hit by an anti-tank missile. In reality it is a jeep belonging to the Reuters news agency that was hit on the border on Friday.

Notice the "field of death"? Hamas "martyrs" are regularly described as having fallen in the "playground of death."

I have received two emails from "Rotoor," but in the second email he admits to being a member of Hamas! He claims that Hamas has far more rockets than Israel assumes, and to watch out for long, dark night, but he signs it the Al Qassam Brigades.

Yet Hamas is using "Rotoor" in its own internal propaganda to prove to Gazans that Israelis secretly admit to more casualties, and are "secretly" publishing videos to YouTube showing how many Israelis are really dying. Of course, the YouTube channel is named for the fictional Moshe Rotoor.

So far, Hamas' attempts to manipulate Israelis have been laughable. But their attempts to do so show that they are projecting their own fears onto Israelis. Which gives us an opening to easily win this game.

Time to kick this psychological warfare up a notch.

Let's spam Gaza email addresses with photos of 1940s-era pin-up girls asking a very easy question:

Now, that will demoralize the terrorists!

Monday links

So many links, so little time...

From Ian:

IDF Blog: Pillar Of Defense: Fifth Day Recap VIDEO

IDF Hijacks Hamas Radio, is Broadcasting Warnings to Gaza Population

Fighting wars in a minefield of lawyers

"Former top IDF international law head emphasizes the legal battles the military faces in choosing targets.
Libman said that an international lawyer’s job was to navigate the “gray areas” that characterized many disputed aspects of the law of armed conflict, always striving to be in keeping with the “spirit of the law.”
It was crucial, Libman said, that the IDF adhere to and “guard our [country’s] values,” since success could only be achieved in this and future operations by defending the “value we place on human life.”

An Arab View... by Khaled Abu Toameh

"This hostility is the direct result of years of anti-Israel and anti-Western incitement in the Arab and Muslim world -- not only toward Israel but also toward the United States. In today's world of the Palestinians, anyone who talks about peace with Israel is a traitor and a collaborator; but anyone who calls for the destruction of Israel and fires rockets at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is a hero."

Only disproportionate deterrence will offset Hamas by Isi Leibler
We must recognize that in future conflicts, the terrorists will continue accumulating more effective and lethal weapons to employ against us.

"We must therefore endeavor to resist calls for a cease-fire until such time as Hamas, in conjunction with the Egyptians, undertake to cease their aggression.
There must be a clear understanding that any breach would result in harsh “disproportionate” Israeli responses including the targeted killings of those responsible for initiating attacks. In the absence of such an agreement an enforced cease-fire will be perceived as a major victory for Hamas and our citizens will simply return to the life of terror they endured since the first Kassams were launched a decade ago."

Reflections on Current Hamas-Israel Hostilities by Daniel Pipes

Melanie Phillips: Here is the (real) news

“So with Israel having faced existential attack from the Arab and Muslim world for the six decades of its existence, and having been under intensive rocket, missile and human bomb attack from them for more than a decade, the BBC Any Questions production team selected as the audience question to launch its discussion of the Gaza war whether Israel actually deserved to exist at all.” (inc. an EOZ link)

The Era of Dictators Moves to the Era of Islamists by Douglas Murray

The constant, unabated terrorizing of Israelis does not interest the international community and the media. They only become interested once Israel responds to such attacks.
"The cards may be familiar, but the game has changed: the stakes are higher. A great shift is occurring across the region. We appear to be moving from the era of the dictators to the era of the Islamists.
Whatever is to come, Israel will need her friends abroad, for she has none nearby.”

PMW: Hamas disinformation: Israel's international airport closed, planes redirected to secret base

Hamas video threatening Israelis draws more parody than fear
Due to the video's bad translation and technical problems, it has become one of the hottest parodies on the web.

Fear, rage and resilience in Kiryat Malachi amid the rocket fire
Sirens interrupt rocket victim’s funeral

"While Eitan declares that the terrorists “want to rain fear on us, but they won’t succeed,” the chants of the crowd and the sound of the siren linger in the air. For the roomful of mourners, the next rocket is not far away."

Israeli government websites under mass hacking attack

More than 44 million hacking attempts have been made on Israeli government web sites since Wednesday when Israel began its Gaza air strikes, the government said on Sunday.
Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said just one hacking attempt was successful on a site he did not want to name, but it was up and running after 10 minutes of downtime.

Senator Graham threatens US will cut off Egypt aid unless it reins in Hamas
Joseph Lieberman downplays risk of Israeli ground incursion

J Street calls on Obama to show ‘greater leadership’ on Gaza, peace process
Left-wing Jewish group says it rejects the idea that ‘the US can’t want peace more than the parties themselves’

Lovitz Stands Up for Israel, Slams 'Terrorist' Hamas
"It's also sad to hear Americans defend Hamas, a terrorist organization. Israel has a right to defend its citizens."

Israelis open homes, schools to families from the south
People are opening homes and hearts to residents of Israeli communities seeking respite from the constant missile attacks.

"Not only soldiers sprang into action the moment Israel’s military launched Operation Pillar of Defense in response to incessant rocket fire from Gaza. Israeli civilians in the center and north of the country also responded by offering Mideast hospitality to families wishing to escape the stress and trauma for a night, a weekend or longer.
“The day everything started, we got families to sign up as hosts,” says Keren Claster, assistant to the mayor of Efrat, south of Jerusalem. “We’re also gathering toys and books to send to shelters in the South.”

Sites like ‘Life Under Fire’ bring home rocket reality
High-tech experts introduce videos, web pages, and other info to help Israelis stay safe, and help the rest of the world understand what is unfolding

Islamic Jihad warns Muslims: Beware, your sexy Facebook friend could be a Mossad agent

Arab youths set up Jew stabbing cell
Arrest of 17-year-old east Jerusalem resident suspected of stabbing Abraham Tau two weeks exposes terror cell
Police suspect that the teenagers' actions were nationalistically motivated and carried out under the auspices of an organization called "Lovers of the Land," which aims to physically harm Jewish residents of the city.

France: Muslim Student Attacks Professor Who Didn't Respect Islam

"Vive Bin Laden! Vive Merah! All Jews to the Ovens!"
These graffiti slogans, along with some swastikas and other symbols, were found on a wall in Caluire, an area of Lyon especially associated with the French resistance to the Nazis.

His mother's from Surbiton but he was blown up near the border with Gaza

"Family of British-Israeli soldier relive the attack that helped trigger the current crisis
Until last week, the British-Israeli soldier Shimon Alankri, 20, was in peak fitness, serving with the army's Sayeret Givati unit on routine patrol along Israel's border fence with Gaza. Then, on 10 November, a cell from the Gaza Popular Resistance Committees fired a guided anti-tank missile at his jeep. The missile blasted straight through the vehicle and out the other side, wounding them all.
It proved to be one of the triggers that led to Israel's Operation Pillar of Defence, a fierce offensive that has divided opinion abroad, but has proved deeply popular in Israel as the country heads towards elections in January."

Also, didn't want to forget this great example of how Israelis take the rockets with humor: (h/t Stan)

And:

Daphne Anson: It's Been A Weekend Of Disproportionate Bias On The BBC

CAMERA: CNN Whitewashes Hamas

Video: CNN's Ashleigh Banfield: Jerusalem 'Is Not The Capital' of Israel

MSNBC downplays danger from Hamas rockets to Michael Oren

Photos of pro-Israel demonstration in LA

(h/t O)

It has been a very busy few days, here from the safety of the US. Two of my posts went viral and I have been getting tens of thousands of hits.

I've been blogging far more than usual and not getting much sleep, as I try to find stories and angles that the many excellent pro-Israel bloggers and journalists might be missing.

I just wanted to take a short time out to thank you for your support.

Thank you to those who are reading the blog.

Thank you to those who are tweeting, re-tweeting, Facebook Like-ing (the "dead child" story was "Liked" over 2300 times!), submitting my stories to Reddit and emailing them around. This is crucial, especially when you send messages to reporters and news outlets who are clearly writing untruths and half-truths. I have been at least partially responsible for three media corrections this week, but it could not have happened without the support of thousands of readers, new and old.

Thank you to those who are sending me stories. I hope I remember to credit all of you. It makes my life a lot easier and it makes this website much, much better for everyone. And apologies if I could not get to your story idea; I simply do not have enough hours in the day.

Thanks to Ian for his daily linkdumps!

Thank you to those who have given me kind words, compliments and great feedback, both publicly in the comments and tweets and privately via email. It really means a lot to me.

Finally, thanks so much to those who chose, on their own, to donate to the blog. When people decide on their own to help me out without prompting, it is especially precious and when a donation comes in while I am running on fumes, it gives me a lot of new energy!

It is wonderful and humbling that my hard work is appreciated and being disseminated, even making it to the New York Times, to CNN and to many other media outlets. Naturally, one day I'll be so big that they will be honored to appear on my site :)

Most of all, we cannot forget the big picture. Let us hope for a real, permanent peace, so that this blog is no longer necessary, except for jokes and viral videos...

עוֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו, הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עַלֵינוּ, וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן

Youm7 (Egypt) reports that Saber Abul Fotouh, a member of the High Commission for the ruling Freedom and Justice Party, which is the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, said that their "youth group" are poised to join the jihad in Gaza "with our Palestinian brothers in their war against the brutal Zionist aggression."

Aboul Fotouh told the newspaper that they wish to issue such a decision, adding that if a decision would be made to join the jihad, "there will be hundreds in our community [willing to go to] Palestine to help our brothers there, and stand on their side."

Sources said that a number of young Muslim Brotherhood members already traveled to Gaza in order to support Palestinian Arabs in their war against Israel, but this was denied by Aboul Fotouh, saying they have not received orders from the group so far to travel to Gaza - but they hope so.

However, he stressed that Hamas is not in need of members to support it because it has the best fighters in the world, saying that their first duty to support them is with weapons and money.

Is this an admission that the Muslim Brotherhood is involved in smuggling weapons to Gaza?

Could there have been weapons in the Egyptian convoy that entered Gaza yesterday? The luggage compartment of a tour bus could easily hold several Fajr-5 rockets!

Egypt has still not clarified where it stands on arming Hamas. It is way past time for the US to force them to publicly state their position, and to back it up.

(h/t Lachlan)

Will media groups condemn Islamic Jihad for using them as human shields?

From AFP:

A senior Islamic Jihad militant was killed on Monday in an Israeli strike on a Gaza City building housing Palestinian and international media, the Islamist faction told AFP.

Israel confirmed the attack, with its intelligence services saying the strike had targeted "senior Islamic Jihad officials" who were on the premises.

It was the second time in as many days that Israel had fired on the Shuruq Tower in the city's upscale Rimal neighbourhood which is used by media outlets including Britain's Sky News, the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya network, Russia Today and Iran's Press TV.

Smoke was seen billowing from the lower floors of the tower, also used by Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV whose offices were destroyed in the first strike on Sunday morning, officials said.

"One Palestinian was killed and three others injured in a strike on the Shuruq Tower," an ambulance services statement said.

Islamic Jihad sources named him as Ramez Harb and said he was a senior commander in its armed wing, the Al-Quds Brigades.

"One person was killed and lots of people were injured. Now there's a fire on the second, third and four floors," Saed Swerky, Russia Today's Gaza correspondent told AFP by phone just after the attack.

"The Israelis warned the foreigners to leave this building yesterday because they were going to attack it again," he said, speaking from inside the building.

The IDF had identified four Islamic Jihad leaders in the media building.

After yesterday's attack, Reporters Without Borders (RSF)issued a strong condemnation to Israel:

Reporters Without Borders condemns Israeli air strikes targeting news organizations in Gaza City today and calls for an immediate end to such attacks. At least nine journalists were reportedly injured and several local and international media were prevented from operating.

“These attacks constitute obstruction of freedom of information,” Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. “We remind the Israeli authorities that, under humanitarian law, the news media enjoy the same protection as civilians and cannot be regarded as military targets.

“Even if the targeted media support Hamas, this does not in any way legitimize the attacks. We call for a transparent investigation into the circumstances of these air strikes. Attacks on civilian targets are war crimes and serious violations of the Geneva Conventions. Those responsible must be identified.”

Now that we know that the existence of senior Islamic Jihad officials in that same building, who were clearly using the international media presence as a shield for their own operations, will RSF modify its condemnation? After all, we now see that Israel behaved exactly as they are supposed to under international law: they identified a legitimate target, and warned the civilians to get out of the way so they could attack.

Moreover, will RSF issue an equally strong condemnation of Islamic Jihad for treating journalists as human shields?

Not that this is the first time in this conflict that reporters were used in that way. A very interesting video compilation shows reporters noting rocket firings very close to where they were reporting, meaning that the terrorists were banking on the reporters shielding them from reprisals:

As well as tweets indicating the same thing, see here for many.

So now that we know that terror groups use reporters for immunity from attack, will RSF and Israel's Foreign Press Association condemn them within the next couple of hours?

One other point: Al-Aqsa Television, one of the targets yesterday, is designated as a terror organization by the US.

(last point h/t CHA)

Yes, the IDF is the most moral army in the world

It has been difficult to determine the ratio of terrorists to civilians being killed in Gaza. Certainly through Saturday there were more terrorists killed than civilians, it appears that this morning the ratio may be about the same (although this Reuters article uses the more vague term "non-combatants" and the number of dead who are males of military age still seem to be higher than those of women, children and the elderly.)

It is hard to tell; since Gaza authorities are notorious liars and some lists of the dead include those killed by Hamas rockets.

The terrorist websites seem to have all agreed to not identify mujahadeen being killed as they did in the early days of the operation. We saw this in Cast Lead as well, as the public relations advantage of pretending that Israel is perpetrating "massacres" outweighs the normal lionization of brave fighting "martyrs." Some Arab media will say that Israel targeted a "civilian car" without noting that the people inside were leaders of Islamic Jihad.

What we don't know at all, and may never know, is the number of civilians who were killed by errant Hamas rockets and by secondary explosions of terrorist ammunition and weapons caches.

PCHR, notorious for not distinguishing between members of terror groups and civilians but somewhat honest in their descriptions of how people died, has not updated their statistics since Saturday.

It appears though that the ratio of civilians to militants to is still about 1:1, about what it was during Cast Lead. The IDF claims 1:2 this morning.

For all the gruesome photos of dead people and sick photo-ops in Gaza hospitals with babies, it is a remarkable ratio for wartime, especially in urban areas that house legitimate targets. This is far better than the ratio of civilian to militant deaths in Afghanistan, in a far more rural environment. Outside of Cast Lead, it is essentially an unprecedented achievement.

Even more amazing is that there have been over 1000 Israeli strikes in Gaza since Wednesday, and the number of civilian deaths is still less than 50. If anyone needs proof that Israel is not targeting civilians, this is irrefutable.

It needs to be stressed that Israel has zero incentive to kill civilians, and in fact has every reason to avoid killing civilians. The hyperbole about bloodthirsty Israelis and "genocide" and "massacres" is just propaganda.

Unfortunately, the media rarely looks at context, and photos of injured people - real or imagined - is where the ratings are.

It is still notable that the Arab side gleefully shows videos of Israelis panicking during missile strikes and Israelis grieving over their losses. Video clips made by the mainstream media, meant to humanize Israeli victims of rocket attacks, are being shown by Arab websites to gloat. Even the regular Arab audience loves to see terrorized Israelis.

One side sends warnings to save civilians, the other sends warnings to terrorize them. One grieves when the other sides loses innocents, the other cheers.

This is the real difference between the two sides - one side really wants to attack civilians and cause terror, and the other wants to avoid it as much as humanly possible.

Iran denies sending Fajr-5s to Hamas, while Islamic Jihad brags about them

From Iran's Fars News:

Chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi strongly rejected the Zionist regime's allegations that Iran has supplied Hamas with 'Fajr 5' (Dawn 5) rockets, saying the resistance does not need Iranian rockets.

The Islamic Republic of Iran's Supreme Leader has always stressed that "Iran withholds no assistance to the resistance", but Iran's support is of "spiritual kind", Boroujerdi told Iran's Arabic-language news channel, Al-Alam on Sunday.

The senior Iranian lawmaker reiterated that the resistance has obtained the required capability, power and self-sufficiency and does not need backup or rockets from other countries.

His remarks came after the Zionist regime and some western experts claimed that rockets launched by the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic resistance movement Hamas, to target Israeli cities were Iranian-made.

Hamas has been claiming from the start that the rockets they have sent towards Jerusalem and Tel Aviv were their own design, called M75s.

But Islamic Jihad explicitly says that the rockets they are shooting towards Israeli communities are Fajr-5s.

Note that Iran only said they are not sending Fajr-5s to "Hamas," but nothing about Islamic Jihad.

It is still an open question as to whether the "M75s" are simply painted Fajr-5s or if Hamas - which often sends terrorists to Iran for training - is manufacturing rockets with a 75 km range based on Iranian designs.

Either way, the claim that Iran's support for "the resistance" is of the "spiritual kind" is an obvious lie, since the smuggling routes via Sudan and previous attempts to ship huge amounts of weapons to Gaza via ship are well known.

The Fajr-5 is not accurate but can carry a payload of up to 100 kg of high explosives.

On the webpage of the Nedal Brigades of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades we see an obituary for Hossam Mohammed Hamdan Zini (who has the nom de guerre of Abu Jandal.)

Zini was apparently a rocket launch specialist who worked closely with the Islamic Jihad Al-Quds Brigades. he was killed on Sunday morning together with Islamic Jihad's Ahmed Hussein Agha.

He had, in the words of the memorial, "completed the task of jihad and, in common with the al-Quds Brigades, rained the settlements of the Zionist enemy with missiles of glory and victory."

Fatah goes on to promise that as a result of Israel killing someone trying to kill Israelis, "there will be will be open war and volcanoes from under the feet of the sons of Zion."

And these are the "moderates."

Hamas war crimes poster (1)

I'm thinking of making this a series of posters. And it would be a pretty long series.

I'm basing it on the Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts, 8 June 1977.

There are many, many examples there of Hamas war crimes, as I showed in part in this post.

(While the video is unintentionally hilarious, it is still a direct violation of this international law.)

Let me know what you think.

I just heard CNN retract the story that falsely claimed that an Israeli bomb had killed Mahmoud Sadallah, the child cynically used for a photo-op with Egyptian PM Kandil and Hamas terrorist leader Ismail Haniyeh.

The correction was aired on the Don Lemon program. (Lemon has not been very friendly towards the Israeli narrative from what I can tell).

I had noticed the error yesterday and my research has since been noted in numerous media outlets and websites.

The post went viral with some 16,000 hits so far.

The CNN story is still online, however, without any correction as of yet. Neither has the reporter, Sara Sidner, commented about it on her Twitter timeline, although she has not updated it at all since the story.

As far as I know, the Daily Mirror has not issued a correction.

Earlier, Reuters likewise issued a correction for the many photo captions they had that falsely accused Israel.

Let's hope that the media will be more attuned to the fact that Hamas is endangering the lives of Gazans, not only by using them as human shields but also more directly by exposing them to literally hundreds of rockets that fall short - some 20-30% by some estimates. The knee-jerk assumption that every civilian death in Gaza is the result of an Israeli airstrike will hopefully be significantly impacted by this.

Thanks to all who pushed this story on Facebook and Twitter!

UPDATE: CNN's online retraction is as watered down as possible, buried in the middle of an article:

Israel also said Sunday that it was not to blame for the death of a Palestinian child last week -- a 4-year-old boy whose lifeless body was kissed by Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Kandil during his visit to a Gaza hospital Friday.

CNN visited the child's home, which neighbors said had been bombed five hours previously. Neighbors and family members told CNN they heard an aircraft before the explosion.

But the Israeli military told CNN on Sunday it did not carry out any airstrikes at the time of the child's death. The IDF said had stopped its attacks for Kandil's visit, raising questions about what caused the fatal blast. One possibility could be the misfire of a Hamas rocket intended for Israel, since CNN's crew in Gaza said it saw two such rockets passing overhead -- apparently fired not far from where the boy lived.

CNN here does not admit that they reported the accusation as fact and still pretends that there is still a good chance that the child and neighbor were killed by an Israeli airstrike. Slightly more accurate; but no indication of regret for a slander.

Israel sends aid to Gaza - while Egypt sends human shields

COGAT, the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories that is a part of the IDF, allowed 70 truckfuls of medical supplies, cooking gas, food and other goods to enter Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing today.

Notably, Kerem Shalom was itself under attack only a couple of days ago.

I simply cannot recall another instance of the target of hundreds of rockets allowing the enemy to receive food and medicine through its own territory, especially when there is a perfectly good crossing available from an ally.

Egypt did send some medical supplies - not as actual aid, but as propaganda as they allowed hundreds of anti-Israel activists - really, human shields - into Gaza to show solidarity with the terrorists.

Egyptian border authorities have allowed 400 political activists to cross into the Gaza Strip to express solidarity with Palestinians, as Israeli airstrikes pounded the coastal enclave for a fifth day, organizers said.

“We want the free world to stop the onslaught on defenseless civilians,” said Mahmoud Ali of the Constitution Party, according to state-owned news agency MENA. “We want to relay to the steadfast Palestinian people the support of all Egyptians.”

“We brought them medical supplies in coordination with the Egyptian Red Crescent,” said activist Amira Sheaishaa.

A five-bus convoy transporting members of several Egyptian parties and political movements arrived at the country's Rafah border crossing with Gaza, officials said.

400 people in five buses would not leave much room for "medical supplies." (Another source said 550 "activists" and eight buses.)

Does anyone think that if Israel was indiscriminately bombing Gaza buildings, the way that the Arab and leftist media portray them, that hundreds of Egyptians would be pouring in to "show solidarity"? No, these "activists" want to do what anti-Israel groups always do in the name of "human rights" - protect terrorist infrastructure from being attacked. They know that the IDF won't target civilians the way Hamas and other Gaza groups do.

The idea of leftist activists traveling to Israel's beleaguered communities in Beersheva, Ashkelon, Ashdod and Kiryat Malachi to "show solidarity" is simply too absurd to imagine.

Israel also allowed patients to travel through the Erez crossing into Israel itself:

It is also notable that Hamas was preventing journalists and other internationals from leaving Gaza for several hours today, as well as last Friday, and Israel freely allowed them to travel.

Arab writers more willing to show their anti-semitism during conflict

One of the interesting consequences of the current fighting is that the carefully-cultivated Arab and Muslim mask of pretending not to be anti-semitic is falling off, and fast.

While usually Arab writers are careful to say that they are only against "Zionists," the amount of naked Jew-hatred has been exploding in the Arabic media in the past couple of days.

Al Watan Voice, which already had a problem distinguishing Jews from Israelis in recent months, went all-out in an article today, calling Israel "the Jewish entity" and even claiming that the emir of Qatar said that the aggression of the Jews "must not go unpunished." (The Emir actually didn't say "Jews.") It ends off with a Quranic entreaty to "fight the Jews."

Ma'an, which tries so hard to appear to be a sober, even-handed news source, has an Arabic op-ed that goes off the rails. The author says that the Jews are too cowardly to fight face-to-face, and that even in 1948 the Jews of Tel Aviv cowered in front of brave Arabs. (Apparently, shooting rockets towards Israeli civilians is the height of bravery.) The writer adds that historically, Jews have felt inferior to others, and have brought strife everywhere they lived.

The theme of Jewish cowardice is further displayed in this Palestine News Network article extolling the "hundred" Hamas rocket experts who are forcing millions of Jews to cower in bomb shelters. They claim that the rockets are "shaking the throne of Israel." The author goes on to say that most of the fighters are waiting in their tunnels to kill the Jews who dare to enter Gaza while the mere hundred rocket launchers are causing so much trouble in Israel.

Islam Today also goes to the Koran to find justification for their anti-Jewish hate.

The Sinai jihadist group that claims to have fired missiles into Israel from Egypt also explicitly notes that their enemy is "the Jews."

And as I posted earlier today, Yusuf Qaradawi explicitly called on Allah to punish the Jews at Al Azhar mosque last Friday.