Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Syrian forces cleaning up blood from Latakia camp ahead of UN visit

Syrian forces scrambled Saturday to destroy evidence of last week's bloody crackdown in Latakia that killed dozens and sent Palestinian refugees fleeing, activists said as UN investigators arrived in Damascus.

Security forces were seen scrubbing blood off the streets and walls of al-Ramel refugee camp ahead of the cross-agency mission’s anticipated arrival in the port city.

The delegation was dispatched from Geneva in response to a damning report to the Security Council on Syrian leader Bashar Assad's "apparent shoot-to-kill" policy.

More than 60 civilians, mostly Palestinians, have died in Latakia since forces launched an offensive last Sunday, activists say.

On Saturday, regime officials brought television crews to one section of Latakia which had been opened to inspection, rights activists told Ma'an.

Prior to filming, security forces scrubbed off dried, days-old blood from the streets and planted flowers in a bid to present the area as a regular public space.

Assad's "killing machine can wash the blood off the streets but not off its hands," said the diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of concern for colleagues in Syria.

"The evidence ... is overwhelming and undeniable," he said.

[T]he UN's delegation is not authorized to investigate allegations of war crimes and other serious abuses.

Its mandate is to evaluate humanitarian conditions and draw up plans for resuming public services in the coastal town and six more of the hardest-hit areas across Syria.

In Latakia, meanwhile, UN officials say about 7,500 residents of the refugee camp have not returned due to fears of new attacks. The UN refugee agency has tracked down 6,000 Palestinians who fled.

Many of those who remain missing have been locked into a sprawling stadium complex known as Latakia Sports City, activists say. As many as 4,000 people, mostly Palestinians, are believed to be held there.

Syrian rights advocate Ammar Abdulhamid says he is waiting to see if the prisoners will be moved from the stadium when the UN delegation arrives "because, right now, it is still full."

Sunny afternoon open thread

I'll be traveling for the next few hours, so here's an open thread featuring a prehistoric (1966) video from The Kinks:

A backhanded expression of support for Israel from SF

The San Francisco Jewish Federation put out a press release about the Eilat attacks, that ended up being a subtle insult at the very state they claim to support:

We mourn the loss of life and injuries in Israel in the wake of a series of terrorist attacks this morning. It is reported that Palestinian gunmen attacked an Israeli bus traveling near Eilat – the first in a series of attacks that reportedly have left seven Israelis dead and dozens injured. Palestinian infiltrators from Gaza struck the Egged bus just after noon today, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Two additional attacks occurred in the same area shortly after the first – roadside bombs detonated as a vehicle drove past and another on Israeli troops, according to Lt.-Col Avital Leibovitch, the IDF’s chief spokesman for the foreign press. Crossfire between IDF forces and a cell of seven terrorists continued three hours after the initial attack, and some injuries have been reported, according to the IDF.

Our hearts go out to our Israeli family, as the Federation remains committed to helping Israel to build a just, civil and inclusive democracy, and stands with the people of Israel at all times.

Does this mean that the SF Federation does not believe that Israel is already a "just, civil and inclusive democracy"? Does this mean that the Federation believes that Israel needs the help of enlightened San Franciscans to teach them about justice, civility and inclusion?

This phrase has a whiff of smugness that does not belong in a statement of unconditional support.

(h/t Ishai)

Iran's ambassador to Syria quits

Very interesting:

Iran has appointed a new ambassador to Syria to replace Ahmad Mousavi, who decided to quit his post amid growing popular protests against President Bashar Al Assad and his rule.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi on Saturday named Mohammadreza Raouf Sheybani to replace Mr. Mousavi. Mr. Sheybani was the former deputy at the Foreign Ministry’s Islamic Republic Middle East department.

Mr. Moussavi was Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad’s vice president for legal affairs and a member of the Iranian parliament from the Arab-majority Ahwaz province.

The Kaleme opposition website last week reported that Mr. Mousavi was planning to leave Damascus, amid growing opposition protests against President Assad and his Baathist regime. Syrian authorities were very critical of the ambassador’s decision, Kaleme reported.

“Ahmad Mousavi has made excuses, such as raising the possibility that he may run in Iran's parliamentary election, to explain his sudden departure from Damascus,” the opposition website reported, adding that Mr. Mousavi’s departure was a sign the political situation in Syria was critical.

Keleme quoted an unnamed Syrian diplomat saying that Iranian embassy staff have vacated their homes in Damascus and sent their families back to Iran in fear of the regime’s imminent collapse.

Iran’s support for the crackdown on protesters in Syria has triggered anger against Iranians living in Syria, the diplomat said.

Mr. Mousavi might not want to return to Tehran so quickly.

Reports: Iran cut funding to Hamas

Reuters reports:

Iran has cut back or even stopped its funding of Hamas after the Islamist movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, failed to show public support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, diplomats said on Sunday.

Hamas has denied that it is in financial crisis but says it faces liquidity problems stemming from inconsistent revenues from tax collection in the Gaza Strip and foreign aid.

The movement is spurned by the West over its refusal to recognize Israel and renounce violence. It receives undisclosed sums of cash from Iran, which has acknowledged providing financial and political support to Hamas.

One diplomat, who asked not to be identified, said intelligence reports showed that Iran had reduced funding for Hamas.

Other diplomatic sources, also relying on intelligence assessments, said the payments had stopped over the past two months.

The diplomats cited Iran's displeasure over Hamas' refusal to hold rallies in support of Tehran's ally, Assad, in Palestinian refugee camps in Syria after an uprising against his rule. Hamas' leadership outside the Gaza Strip is headquartered in Damascus.

Hamas is also widely believed to receive money from the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's most popular and organized political force. Diplomats said those payments also may have been reduced because the Brotherhood has diverted funds to support the so-called Arab Spring revolts.

In a sign of a cash crunch, the Hamas government in Gaza has failed to pay the July salaries of its 40,000 employees in the civil service and security forces. Hamas leaders promised full payments in August, but not all employees received their wages as scheduled on Sunday.

If this is true, it is a very nice and unexpected bonus from the Syrian uprising. Syria's regime is left with only two friends, Iran and the Hezbollah-dominated Lebanese government. If Syria should fall it would be a big blow to Iran.

There have been rumors that Hamas is looking to relocate its headquarters to another Arab country (although, as one commenter here noted, isn't it interesting that they aren't trying to relocate to Gaza?)

(h/t Dan)

"Obama" was encoded in yesterday's Haftarah

I was wondering about Artscroll's translation of Isaiah 50:11 זִיקוֹת as "fireworks" since, obviously, there were no such thing as fireworks in Isaiah's day. JTS 1917 translates it as "firebrands."

As I was looking this up, I saw a Christian site note that in that same verse, the word "Obama" (or perhaps Ubama) comes out as the first letter of successive words:

הֵן כֻּלְּכֶם קֹדְחֵי אֵשׁ, מְאַזְּרֵי זִיקוֹת; לְכוּ בְּאוּר אֶשְׁכֶם, וּבְזִיקוֹת בִּעַרְתֶּם--מִיָּדִי הָיְתָה-זֹּאת לָכֶם, לְמַעֲצֵבָה תִּשְׁכָּבוּן.

Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that gird yourselves with firebrands, begone in the flame of your fire, and among the brands that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of My hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.

I can't see any significance in this, and I don't place much importance to such "codes" (especially in Navi) but it was interesting.

Why isn't Israel demanding apologies?

Egypt demanded an apology for Israel's accidental killing of Egyptian soldiers as they were chasing the Eilat terrorists.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak then did apologize, but the Egyptians responded that it was "insufficient."

Yet yesterday, Egyptian security allowed an Egyptian man to climb on the roof of the Israeli embassy, burn the Israeli flag and replace it with an Egyptian flag. The man is being hailed as a hero in Egyptian media.

An embassy is officially the territory of the nation it represents, so this was an explicit breach of Israel's sovereignty that has been cheered by the entire nation of Egypt.

So why doesn't Israel demand an apology from Egypt?

Why isn't Israel demanding an Egyptian investigation of how the terrorists managed to get Egyptian army uniforms, or how they managed to infiltrate into Israel from right next to an Egyptian army post?

Why doesn't Israel take the diplomatic offensive?

Similarly, there has been a lot of news lately about how Turkey is demanding an apology from Israel for the Mavi Marmara incident ahead of the release of the Palmer report. But, according to a number of reports:

The coming Palmer report, investigating the tragic events of the 2010 Gaza flotilla, is expected to harshly criticize Turkey's handling of the sail and its ties to the IHH, but according to Ynet's source, Jerusalem does not intend to propel the report's conclusions into an international media campaign that would "vindicate" Israel.

So why isn't Israel demanding an apology from Turkey for allowing its IHH partner, a terrorist supporting organization, to sail to Gaza and spark a deadly incident?

A demand for an apology always puts the other party on the defensive. So why doesn't Israel play the same game?

Maybe Israel is trying to be sensitive to Arab "honor." Yet somehow Egyptians are not overly upset at the attacks being directed at their own army and police by the Sinai terrorist groups. Their "honor" seems to be very selective - only against those who seem sensitive to it.

It's time that Israel plays Middle East politics by Middle East rules.

10 of the 13 Gazans killed since Thursday were terrorists (updated)

In retaliation for Thursday's terror attack near Eilat, Israel has struck Gaza hard with airstrikes. Yet despite the pro-Hamas and leftist Tweeters claiming that Israel's airstrikes are aimed at Gaza infrastructure and civilians, even according to Arab sources most of them were clearly aimed at terrorists or terrorist infrastructure.

Fully 10 of the 13 killed since Friday were terrorists. From Thursday:

1- Kamal 'Awadh Mohammed al-Nairab (Abu 'Awadh), 43, PRC Secretary General;
2- 'Emad 'Abdul Karim 'Abdul Khaliq Hammad, 40, the leader of Nasser Saladin Brigades;
3- 'Emad al-Din Na'im Sayed Nasser, 46, a member of Nasser Saladin Brigades;
4- Khaled Ibrahim Salman al-Masri, 26, a member of Nasser Saladin Brigades;
5- Khaled Hamad Sha'at, 32, the leader of manufacturing unit of Nasser Saladin Brigades

A child who was with the above targets was killed as well.

From Friday:

6- Mohammed Fayez Mahmoud 'Enaya, 22, from the PRC, on a motorcycle
7- Samed 'Abdul Mo'ti 'Aabed, 25, "activist of the Palestinian resistance" on a motorcycle
8- Anwar Hassan Saleem, 23 and
9- 'Emad Fareed Abu 'Aabda, 23, "activists of the Palestinian resistance" both on a motorcycle (Islamic Jihad)
10- Mo'taz Bassem Quraiqe', 29, a leader of al-Quds Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad)

That last attack also killed Quraiqe's 2 year old son and a physician - who were on the same motorcycle or car with him.

Every single fatality in Gaza has been from airstrikes aimed at terrorists.

No one was killed on Saturday or so far on Sunday in Gaza.

All of this comes from the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (Thursday and Friday details).

Ma'an claims 14 have been killed; PCHR has no information on any other deaths though. (Ma'an's editor says that may have been a mistake.)

UPDATE: The 14th victim is seemingly a Hamas terrorist, making it 11 out of 14. Also a 13 year old boy killed that some Palestinian Arab media claim was killed by Israel was in fact killed by a Grad rocket that fell short.

UPDATE 2: A 15th death, from Tuesday night, also an Islamic Jihad terrorist. 12/15.

UPDATE 3: An Islamic Jihad terrorist was killed Wednesday. There were claims of a 65-year old man who was killed by artillery in a field; no witnesses but his body was found in pieces. The IDF said they did not fire any artillery and that all airstrikes on Wednesday registered hits to rocket cells, so I'm not sure how to count him. So for now the tally is: 13 terrorists, 3 human shields, 1 unclear.

Why has no one taken responsibility for Eilat attacks? (updated)

One of the unanswered questions in the Eilat attacks last week is why no one has officially taken responsibility for them?

Israeli intelligence has stated in no uncertain terms that the attacks came from Gaza, and PM Benyamin Netanyahu said that the terrorists who were behind the attack were killed in the retaliatory attack against the Popular Resistance Committees. It seems likely that the IDF shared some of their evidence with Israeli reporters off the record, as a Ha'aretz reporter says all of his sources show that the PRC was responsible.

Yet the PRC has denied that they were responsible. It is somewhat unusual for terrorist organizations not to race to take responsibility - on the contrary in the past we've seen multiple organizations claim responsibility for attacks even when they weren't involved.

The Israeli government would not make an explicit and specific statement without some proof. It is likely that the terrorists that were killed during the Eilat attack carried documentation that showed who they were or what group they were from, evidence that cannot be made public without compromising security.

(The conspiracy theorists can harp about how the GOI and IDF always lie and how this was an excuse to attack Gaza, but from watching their statements over the years the number of statements that they made that ended up not being true is quite small, and as far as I can tell, always a result of being pressured to make a statement before all the facts are in. And, yes, I saw the IDF spokesperson's incompetent interview.)

So why didn't the PRC claim responsibility?

The PRC has worked in the past with Hamas on terror attacks, but its main patron is Iran via Hezbollah. Its logo is even consciously based on the Hezbollah logo.

IDF sources have stated that the attacks seem to have not been meant just to kill Israelis, but to kidnap an IDF soldier.

It seems likely that this is the case. Among the terror groups in Gaza, straight terror attacks against civilians has gone out of fashion due to embarrassment as these attacks go not get any sympathy from the world anymore. Since the beginning of Cast Lead, Hamas has been disingenuously claiming to only target soldiers, and the massacre of the Fogels in Itamar in March was not widely praised even by Palestinian Arabs.

In other words, the operation in Eilat was a failure.

It would have been worth it if they had managed to kidnap a soldier as they planned, because that success would have boosted the PRC stock a great deal. That success would even outweigh the chances that Israel would invade Gaza, because in the end - to them - a prisoner is worth a thousand terrorists in Israeli jails.

It seems likely that Hezbollah would have had a hand in planning and facilitating this operation. After all, although people don't remember this, months before the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers that sparked the 2006 Lebanon war Hassan Nasrallah had promised that "We are working on making this year the year to free our brothers in Israeli detention, Samir Kantar and his friends..." The kidnapping of Eldad regev and Ehud Goldwasser was planned for months specifically to engineer a release of Kntar and others. And Hezbollah planned to do more such kidnappings. This is Hezbollah's way of thinking, and from its perspective, it has worked beautifully.

The reason that the PRC refuses to admit responsibility is because it has nothing to gain by bragging about a failed operation that would end up alienating the PRC from among other Gaza terror groups who know they will pay the price of any Israeli retaliation. But if they had succeeded in kidnapping a soldier, they would be heroes, and Hamas would be the first to praise - and protect - them.

UPDATE: Zvi in the comments makes another good point: The terrorists killed a number of Egyptian soldiers, and that screw-up is worse than failing to kidnap IDF soldiers. If they take credit for the operation then they risk the wrath of the entire nation of Egypt. Read his whole analysis.

Hezbollah releases statement praising terrorist attack

From Al Manar:

Hezbollah “greets the heroic operation carried out by fighters in the Palestinian region of Om Rashrash (Eilat), which resulted in scores of casualties among the Zionist enemy soldiers and settlers.”

In a statement issued Friday, Hezbollah “expressed pride for the hero fighters who accomplished the operation, regardless of the party they belong to,” while considering what they did as the sole means “through which the enemy can understand that this land is ours and it cannot occupy it forever.”

“This operation is in the framework of the resistant actions which achieve the Arab and Islamic will; the will that considers the whole of Palestine – from sea to river – as a sacred land which belongs to its real owners, and none of its parts can be relinquished to the usurped Zionist enemy,” the statement added.

Just in case you were unclear on how some Arabs define "occupation."

It's also interesting that Hezbollah - which has very few Palestinian members - considers all of Israel to be "theirs." Does this mean that Hezbollah subscribes to the idea of Greater Syria?

It's Friday - time for another Syrian massacre

From Al Arabiya:

Syrian forces shot dead at least 14 people when they opened fire to break up anti-regime demonstrations that flared across the country after the weekly prayers, activists told AFP.

Ten people, including two children, were killed in separate shootings on protesters in the southern province of Daraa, while three were killed in the central city of Homs and one in a Damascus suburb, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The shootings come a day after President Bashar Al Assad told the UN chief Ban Ki-moon that his security forces ended operations against civilians.

The number of dead is now at 22.

Lebanese Palestinians don't care about statehood - they want their rights

Now Lebanon interviews Palestinian Arabs about the September UN statehood stunt:

In Lebanon, at least among the Palestinian populations living in Sabra, Shatila and Ain al-Hilweh, the potentially historic moment does not appear to have caused much of a stir.

“We are hopeful,” said Nawad, a nurse at a clinic near the entrance to the Shatila camp on the outskirts of Beirut. “But I don’t hear the issue discussed around the camp.”

Indeed, around a quarter of respondents were unaware of the bid or knew only the scantest of details.

Among those familiar with the plan, their greatest concern was over the effect recognition of the State of Palestine would have on their status as refugees in Lebanon.

“I hope the law will give us the right to work and to buy property in Lebanon like other nationalities,” said Nawad.

“I have business in Syria but have to return to Lebanon every seven days with the pass I have. Will [UN membership] help with the bureaucratic hassle?” asked 34-year-old Sabra resident Saleh.

As I have documented many times, Lebanese Palestinians' main concern is that the state-sanctioned discrimination that is directed at them specifically be ended. This is something that Mahmoud Abbas is fighting against.

These were the only normal Palestinian Arabs that were interviewed. Among the self-appointed "leaders," their concerns were way out of sync with what their people care about:

According to Mounir Maqdah, a Fatah official in Ain al-Hilweh, Abbas’ diplomatic course undermines the Palestinian cause. After criticizing the bid for failing to tackle the issue of Israeli settlements and for not accounting for the territory occupied by Israel, he told NOW Lebanon that Palestinians should remain united and “regain our power by choosing once again the path of resistance. Only a military solution will be considered as a credible one and put fear in the hearts of Israelis.”

Hajj Maher Oueid, head of Ansar Allah, an Islamic faction close to Hezbollah, is more measured in his criticism. He believes the bid lacks in ambition and will probably remain fruitless, as it only calls for the recognition of the Palestinian state along the 1967 borders. “The bid does not tackle the real underlying problem of the right of return of Palestinian refugees, amounting today to some six million around the world,” he told NOW Lebanon. “A fair solution is one that is comprehensive and benefits all Palestinian refugees. This one is not.

Isn't it interesting that the leaders' concerns are centered on destroying Israel while the actual Palestinian Arabs in Lebanon just want to live their lives without being discriminated against?

German far right party implies it wants to gas Jews in campaign posters

From Expatica:

A German far-right party is stirring controversy in Berlin with posters, put up ahead of next month's regional election, which some see as a provocative reminder of the Holocaust.

The poster depicts the leading candidate for the extremist NPD-DVU, Udo Voigt, on his motorbike, wearing a black leather jacket, with the motto "Gas geben" (Step on It) or literally "give gas" in what some see as a reference to gas chambers where millions of Jews perished in Nazi extermination camps.

The signs have been put up around the city including just across from the capital's Jewish Museum and reportedly opposite the lakeside villa where the Nazis signed off on the "final solution" for Europe's Jews in 1942.

The mayor of the district where the Jewish Museum is located, Franz Schulz of the Green party, called the campaign a "provocation". Museum officials declined to comment.

The National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD), which recently merged with the small far-right German People's Union (DVU), was set up in 1964 by former Nazis. In 2009 it had between 6,000 and 7,000 members.

It has never won seats in the country's federal parliament, but has gained representation in several regional parliaments, most recently in the eastern states of Saxony and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Voigt, who is also a district councillor in Berlin, was found guilty in 2004 of promoting Nazism after he called Hitler "a great man".

There have been repeated calls to ban the NPD on the grounds of racism and anti-Semitism.

A Der Spiegel article describes other provocative ads that the party has made, which make it clear that this was deliberate.

(h/t Silke)

Five of the terror victims

From YNet:

Just 50 meters separated between Danny Gez and his brother, Moshe, when the latter was killed by terrorists together with his wife and another couple. Helpless, he was forced to watch his brother being shot dead.

Sisters Flora Gez and Shula Karlinsky and their husbands, Moshe Gez and Dov Karlinsky, were on their way to Eilat for the weekend when they were killed by the cell which terrorized the area on Thursday.

The friends chose to travel to the southern resort city on Highway 12, instead of the on the more popular HaArva Highway.

Several dozens of kilometers north of Eilat, where Highway 12 runs the closest to the Egyptian border, they were ambushed by terrorists. The ensuing hail of bullets left no survivors in the Karlinsky and Gez car.

"I saw the terrorists come up to the driver's side, Dovik's side (i.e: Dov Karlinsky), and shoot him, and afterwards shoot the rest," Danny recounted in an interview with Ynet.

"The murder took place before my eyes and I couldn't do anything. They shot them from zero range and even confirmed their deaths."

Gez also narrowly escaped being shot. He recounted seeing two people dressed in camouflage standing on the road, and ordered the driver of his vehicle to stop, and reverse.

Seeing their victims flee, the terrorists fired at the car, hitting its front as well as its tires. "I called out to the other passengers, 'We're being shot at, lie down'," Gez said. He and the other passengers were saved.

Devastated family and friends told Ynet that the two sisters were close friends and that both were educators held in high esteem by their colleagues, parents and young students.

"They were devoted educators. This is a horrific loss," one of Flora's colleagues told Ynet.

Both couples lived in Kfar Saba, where they will be laid to rest on Sunday.

The four's car was the second to be ambushed on Thursday.

Shortly beforehand, the terrorists ambushed another car: Esther and Joseph Levy were on their way back from Eilat to Holon on Thursday, heading north on the Mitzpe Ramon Highway, when they were caught in the fray.

They were ambushed by a terrorist who rained bullets on their vehicle, causing it to skid to a halt and flip over.

Joseph was killed and Esther suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. Lucky, she was able to stay conscious.

"It's a miracle she survived," her cousin, Raffi Mauda, told Ynet. "She told us that she saw the terrorist and prayed he wouldn’t confirm the kill. She essentially played dead for 90 minutes. She was then able to call us and tell us what happened."

From her hospital bed, Esther relived the horrific moments which followed the attack: "The radio was still on after the car flipped over… I heard the one o'clock news, about the other incidents. I just kept praying that he stops shooting at us. The radio was playing and I could hear the fire exchange between the terrorists and IDF soldiers.

"I didn’t move. I was so scared that he would shoot at us again. There was blood everywhere and I heard my husband wheezing. I could see his shirt, it was blood-soaked."

Joseph Levy was a veteran employee of Elbit Systems. "He was such a good man. The salt of the earth. This is a tremendous loss," Mauda said.

Levy is survived by his wife and three children. His funeral will be held in Holon on Friday afternoon.

(h/t Dan)

Peaceful Abbas supports war against Israel - if all Arabs joined in (updated)

From Ma'an:

Abbas said the Arab League had discussed allowing armed resistance to Israel's occupation if the bid for full membership of the UN failed, and that some countries supported the idea.

But the president said Palestinians did not want armed resistance "unless you all take a decision to launch war."

He added: "I cannot fire one single bullet at Israel because all I have is a policeman with a Kalashnikov and minimum ammunition."

It isn't like Abbas has an ethical problem against killing Israeli civilians - it's just that he is afraid of losing!

After all, what did he do to stop the second intifada? Since Arafat's death, when he took over as leader of Fatah in late 2004, there have been multiple deadly terrorist attacks that Fatah claimed credit for.

This is in line with what Abbas said in 2008 to a Jordanian newspaper:

At this present juncture, I am opposed to the armed struggle because we can't succeed in it, but maybe in the future things will be different.

He also said something similar last year:

"I have said more than once that if the Arabs want war - we are with them....We do not wish to turn to armed struggle, because our [lack of] capabilities and the international atmosphere do not allow for it.
...
"I turned to the Arab States and I said: 'If you want war, and if all of you will fight Israel, we are in favor. But the Palestinians will not fight alone because they don't have the ability to do it.' "

(h/t Mike)

I cannot find any indication that Abbas condemned yesterday's attack near Eilat. He used to mouth meaningless "condemnations" after his people massacred Israelis, but even then his words always betrayed that he didn't have any moral qualms about those attacks. He would say that the attacks "worked against Palestinian interests" or were ill-timed but he would never show any indication that he was truly offended by them.

People like Abbas who mouth words of "peace" as a tactic are far from peaceful.

PRC song: "Destroy the Jews"

The Popular Resistance Committees, the organization Israel says is behind yesterday's terror attacks, has a multimedia page on its website.

One of the song titles is "Dimroo al-Yehud" - which translates to "Destroy the Jews."

Tough to misinterpret that.

Here it is. It was apparently recorded by someone named Abu Ali; it has been linked to in various Muslim and Arab forums.

The PRC has not taken responsibility for the attack, but their statement about the assassination of their leaders says:

We bless the heroic operation that returned the fight to Palestine in splendor, the operation carried out by the Mujahideen heroes near the city of Eilat, where they inflicted on the criminal enemy dozens of dead and wounded in the quality operation {Allah threw horror in their hearts}.

Grad rockets hit Ashdod - yeshiva and synagogue hit

From YNet:

A rocket fired at Ashdod on Friday exploded in the courtyard of a haredi yeshiva and left 10 people injured. Magen David Adom emergency services said two men were seriously injured.

Eight others were lightly injured in the attack. The victims were rushed to the Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot. Minor damage was caused to the building.

The rocket was fired at around 8:10 am and a Color Red siren was sounded in Ashdod and Gedera.

Emergency services detected an additional Grad rocket which hit a synagogue situated several blocks from the yeshiva. The rocket did not explode and security forces are working to demolish the building in order to clear it.

Eyewitnesses said that the victims left the synagogue after hearing the siren. They ran for cover in an adjacent building. When they heard the first blast they came outside and were then hit by the second rocket.

A total of 12 rockets were fired at southern communities overnight.

The "Abdullah Azzam Brigades" took responsibility for the Grad attacks, but no Grad rockets get into Gaza without Hamas' knowledge and approval. Terror groups might manufacture Qassams without Hamas knowing, but they cannot smuggle in rockets and weapons without Hamas' full consent.

YNet also has a profile of four of the victims of yesterday's terrorism.

"We Love Syria and Its Leader"

Syria's official SANA "news" agency continues in the best tradition of Soviet-style propaganda:

A Russian popular delegation on Wednesday arrived in Damascus to take part in "We Love Syria and its Leader" campaign.

The delegation includes Russian political, academic, cultural and artistic personalities in addition to 6 Syrian residents in Russia.

In a statement to SANA, members of the delegation said the visit aims at seeing the reality of events in Syria on ground, adding that Syria is a country of great history and people and led by a wise leadership.

They also expressed that the Russian people rejects foreign interference in Syria's internal affairs, stressing that the Russian people supports Syria.

They don't just like Syria and its leader - they love them!

Saudi woman claims to have hacked into anti-Muslim websites

From Arab News:

An Alkhobar woman studying in the United States is taking credit for destroying 23 Danish websites that denigrated the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Al-Madinah newspaper reported on Thursday.

Nouf Rashid told the Arabic newspaper she was hacking into Danish websites having references to cartoons of the Prophet along with other sites that had questionable content in her view.

She said she had also destroyed a number of pornographic sites and hacked into the computer systems of young men who had tried to blackmail girls by threatening to publish their private photos. She gained expertise in the field out of a desire to learn new things in the IT field.

Nouf said she had hacked into some of the Danish websites that denigrated the Prophet and shut them down. “I also sent messages and articles about Islam and the Prophet to those who managed those sites,” she pointed out.

A woman with that name from that same town in Saudi Arabia has a Facebook profile where she says she likes Grey's Anatomy and Friends - TV shows that feature premarital sex.

But she obviously can determine and enforce what is holy and what is profane.