Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Elder of Ziyon |  |
If you are looking for a laugh, here are some of the recent headlines (almost all end with exclamation points). They encourage responses, too...
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Elder of Ziyon
If you are looking for a laugh, here are some of the recent headlines (almost all end with exclamation points). They encourage responses, too...
- Wednesday, May 31, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
How mature people handle stock losses:
Sounds like they're ready for statehood! After all - they deserve it!
At approximately 01:00 on Friday, 26 May 2006, unknown gunmen fired shots at the Palestinian Stock Exchange located in the Qasr Hotel building, in the Rafedia Quarter of western Nablus. The attack caused material damage to the exchange. Sources from the stock exchange indicated that the attack was motivated by losses incurred by some individuals, due to the decline in stocks of some companies.I'm sure that Palestinian Arab stocks skyrocketed right after the gunfire.
Sounds like they're ready for statehood! After all - they deserve it!
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
- Tuesday, May 30, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
bbc
The BBC has an amazing article online now about the release of a British Hamas supporter.
They give specifics on Hamas' social work, but any specific examples of terror are left unwritten - in fact, the implication is that only Israel considers Hamas a terrorist organization, while the rest of the enlightened world knows that Hamas is a humanitarian network of charities and hospitals.
The BBC also fails to mention that Islamic Relief has been accused of terror ties itself. Russia accused it of supporting Chechnyan terror groups; they seem to have accepted money from Al-Qaeda front groups, and their "orphans" are often the children of terrorists, allowing Islamic Relief to reward terror.
In other words, any facts or background information that may indicate that Ayaz is in fact a terror supporter are completely ignored, and anything that makes him look like an innocent aid worker and victim of unwarranted Israeli aggression is highlighted.
Hat tip to Judeopundit
Israel has ordered a British aid worker to leave the country, accusing him of backing a militant group.So the BBC, clearly sympathetic to Mr. Ayaz, highlights Hamas' "social services" and "kindergartens and clinics"; starts a new section of the story, and then mentions as an afterthought that Israel considers Hamas a terrorist organization.Ayaz Ali, 36, originally from Bradford, had been held in a top security Israeli prison for three weeks without charge.
Mr Ali, who worked in Gaza for Islamic Relief, was freed on Monday and given seven days to leave Israel.
Israel had accused Mr Ali of helping groups linked to Hamas. Islamic Relief, which is Birmingham-based, said his release was a relief to aid workers.
Hamas, which is the ruling Palestinian party, runs an extensive network of social services including kindergartens and clinics.
- 'Great relief'
But it is considered by the Israeli government to be a terrorist organisation.
Islamic Relief's president Dr Hany El Banna OBE said: "I am glad that this whole situation has come to an end.
"It is a great relief to Ayaz's family, humanitarian workers all over the world and Islamic Relief.
"We are grateful to all those individuals, international NGOs and the UK government who helped secure Ayaz's release."
They give specifics on Hamas' social work, but any specific examples of terror are left unwritten - in fact, the implication is that only Israel considers Hamas a terrorist organization, while the rest of the enlightened world knows that Hamas is a humanitarian network of charities and hospitals.
The BBC also fails to mention that Islamic Relief has been accused of terror ties itself. Russia accused it of supporting Chechnyan terror groups; they seem to have accepted money from Al-Qaeda front groups, and their "orphans" are often the children of terrorists, allowing Islamic Relief to reward terror.
In other words, any facts or background information that may indicate that Ayaz is in fact a terror supporter are completely ignored, and anything that makes him look like an innocent aid worker and victim of unwarranted Israeli aggression is highlighted.
Hat tip to Judeopundit
- Tuesday, May 30, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
The National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education in Britain voted to urge their members to boycott all Israeli academic researchers and institutions, unless they publicly disavow supporting Israel's policies.
It's OK by me if the state of British academic research is so strong that they can afford to ignore all research coming out of Israel. But I think if they really care about the Palestinian Arabs, they should make the boycott much broader.
For example, using Intel Pentium 4 and Centrino/Pentium M chips in their computers should be strictly forbidden. THey were designed in Israel, and many of the Israeli researchers came from academic backgrounds.
Similarly, Windows XP was mostly designed in Israel, so they should really boycott that entire OS.
But such sacrifices should be a small price to pay for their principles. Boycotting Israel, and not, say, Iran, shows that these academics have strong principles indeed. So as they throw their cell phones using Motorola technology developed in Israel into the Thames, I will cheer them on.
Until that happens, one must assume that they are hypocritical anti-semites.
It's OK by me if the state of British academic research is so strong that they can afford to ignore all research coming out of Israel. But I think if they really care about the Palestinian Arabs, they should make the boycott much broader.
For example, using Intel Pentium 4 and Centrino/Pentium M chips in their computers should be strictly forbidden. THey were designed in Israel, and many of the Israeli researchers came from academic backgrounds.
Similarly, Windows XP was mostly designed in Israel, so they should really boycott that entire OS.
But such sacrifices should be a small price to pay for their principles. Boycotting Israel, and not, say, Iran, shows that these academics have strong principles indeed. So as they throw their cell phones using Motorola technology developed in Israel into the Thames, I will cheer them on.
Until that happens, one must assume that they are hypocritical anti-semites.
- Tuesday, May 30, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
- media bias
Something interesting happened in the world of wire services yesterday.
Palestinian Arab terrorists planned to shoot their daily rocket barrage into Israeli villages, but the IDF was waiting for them. Between the gun battle and the helicopter missile, four of the bad guys ended up dead, rather than the kindergarteners they were aiming at.
AP was at the scene shortly after the terrorists got their just reward. The AP photographer shot a series of pictures showing the dead subhumans right next to their rocket launchers:
A Palestinian militant lies dead next to a homemade rocket prepared to be fired into Israel after he was killed by Israeli army gunfire in the town of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip early Tuesday May 30, 2006. An Israel Air Force helicopter fired also a missile after the gunfight. At least three militants were killed and four other people were injured during the two attacks, Palestinian security and hospital officials said. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
Reuters, alas, missed the opportunity to take similar photos. (A charitable explanation.)
But apprently to make up for missing the story, Reuters rushed to the hospitals in Gaza to show - what else - grieving relatives:
No mention of Kassam rockets at all! Only the poor, mourning Arabs, who died in a gunbattle with the cold, unfeeling IDF.
Considering Reuters' stated editorial policy...
UPDATE: BackSpin looks at this from a completely different angle. Also, see AbbaGav's take on the AP picture.
Palestinian Arab terrorists planned to shoot their daily rocket barrage into Israeli villages, but the IDF was waiting for them. Between the gun battle and the helicopter missile, four of the bad guys ended up dead, rather than the kindergarteners they were aiming at.
AP was at the scene shortly after the terrorists got their just reward. The AP photographer shot a series of pictures showing the dead subhumans right next to their rocket launchers:
A Palestinian militant lies dead next to a homemade rocket prepared to be fired into Israel after he was killed by Israeli army gunfire in the town of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip early Tuesday May 30, 2006. An Israel Air Force helicopter fired also a missile after the gunfight. At least three militants were killed and four other people were injured during the two attacks, Palestinian security and hospital officials said. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
Reuters, alas, missed the opportunity to take similar photos. (A charitable explanation.)
But apprently to make up for missing the story, Reuters rushed to the hospitals in Gaza to show - what else - grieving relatives:
A Palestinian woman cries in a hospital in north Gaza Strip May 30, 2006. An Israeli helicopter gunship fired a missile during a gun battle between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Monday night, killing three and causing several casualties, local witnesses said. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
Considering Reuters' stated editorial policy...
Reuters news operations are based on the company's Trust Principles which stipulate that the integrity, independence and freedom from bias of Reuters must be upheld at all times.Which wire service showed more integrity in covering this story?
UPDATE: BackSpin looks at this from a completely different angle. Also, see AbbaGav's take on the AP picture.
Monday, May 29, 2006
- Monday, May 29, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
Three-day conference of European NGOs calls for a total boycott of IsraelFund terrorists and boycott Jews. What a great bunch of people for governments to send their money to!
GENEVA, May 29 (KUNA) -- The European Coordination Committee of Associations for Palestine, called for a boycott of Israel including sanctions and halting of investments. At the end of a 3-day conference Sunday the ECCAP applauded the mobilization of public opinion aimed at convincing governments and the International Community to exert its pressure on Israel to abide with its international obligations, as an occupying power, in conformity with international law.
- Monday, May 29, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
In May, 1939, Britain issued the infamous White Paper which overturned previous British policies of partitioning Palestine into two separate Jewish and Arab states. The White Paper itself is a remarkable read, as it shows the mindset of capitulating to Arab terror clearly, as well as the implicit idea that since Jews don't make as much trouble as Arabs, it is better to capitulate to Arab demands at the expense of Jewish lives.
The White Paper limited Jewish immigration for the entirely absurd reason that Palestine could not possibly economically support so many people without impacting the existing population - even as it admits that the Jews that immigrated so far has had no problems integrating and growing the economy. It is a wonder that the population of the area is increased many times over since then and yet somehow Israel hs a better economy than its more-roomy neighbors. Imagine that.
The White Paper also infamously capitulated to the Arab demands that Arab land sales to Jews be limited, in an amazing bit of enshrined political bigotry.
Unsurprisingly, the White Paper does not address the huge amount of illegal Arab immigration into the country. Only Jews are deemed a threat to the area.
In reality, of course, the reason is more clearly indicated here:
The fact that Palestine's economy was almost entirely the result of Jewish immigration is ignored. Economic reasons are the fig leaf of British fears of Arab terror, and Arabs then as now used terror to manipulate Western fears and policies, something I recently called the diplomacy of fear.
Against this backdrop. the World's Fair opened up in New York. The official British government of Palestine had no interest in exhibiting there, so the Jews of Palestine created their own exhibit. It is instructive to read Chaim Weizman's radio speech to the attendees, as it lays out the Jewish reaction to the bigoted and ultimately genocide-friendly White Paper. He makes the points that while the White Paper is immoral, it will not stop the ultimate rebirth of a Jewish state, that it was Jewish sweat that built Palestine up from an ignored slum to a major player in the Middle East.
Notice also Chief Rabbi Yitzchok Herzog's address, which was written before the White Paper, emphasizing how the Jewish return to Palestine has ecomonically benefited their Arab neighbors. Rather than talking about displacement and colonization, as is commonly charged nowadays, the Jewish leadership of Palestine always and consistently spoke of a win-win situation where Arabs and Jews both prosper.
The Arab leaders always pretended that Palestine was a zero-sum game, and the British White Paper codified that thinking. The Jews and the facts bore out a completely opposite conclusion - Palestine could and did turn into an economic powerhouse, benefiting hundreds of thousands of ordinary Arabs who moved in to take advantage of the Jewish-built economy.
Then, as now, outsiders pretend that they know the best solution to the Jewish "problem", and they come up with sometimes well-meaning plans to solve this problem. And then, as now, if their ideas end up accidentally resulting in the mass murder of Jews, they can say "oops - but we meant well."
The White Paper limited Jewish immigration for the entirely absurd reason that Palestine could not possibly economically support so many people without impacting the existing population - even as it admits that the Jews that immigrated so far has had no problems integrating and growing the economy. It is a wonder that the population of the area is increased many times over since then and yet somehow Israel hs a better economy than its more-roomy neighbors. Imagine that.
The White Paper also infamously capitulated to the Arab demands that Arab land sales to Jews be limited, in an amazing bit of enshrined political bigotry.
Unsurprisingly, the White Paper does not address the huge amount of illegal Arab immigration into the country. Only Jews are deemed a threat to the area.
In reality, of course, the reason is more clearly indicated here:
The lamentable disturbances of the past three years are only the latest and most sustained manifestation of this intense Arab apprehension [...] it cannot be denied that fear of indefinite Jewish immigration is widespread amongst the Arab population and that this fear has made possible disturbances which have given a serious setback to economic progress, depleted the Palestine exchequer, rendered life and property insecure, and produced a bitterness between the Arab and Jewish populations which is deplorable between citizens of the same country. If in these circumstances immigration is continued up to the economic absorptive capacity of the country, regardless of all other considerations, a fatal enmity between the two peoples will be perpetuated, and the situation in Palestine may become a permanent source of friction amongst all peoples in the Near and Middle East.In other words, Arabs riot and murder and rampage when Jews move in, so if we have a choice of saving millions of Jews from certain death in Europe or upsetting Arabs who are quick to riot, it is much better to let the Jews die. Jews don't make as much trouble.
The fact that Palestine's economy was almost entirely the result of Jewish immigration is ignored. Economic reasons are the fig leaf of British fears of Arab terror, and Arabs then as now used terror to manipulate Western fears and policies, something I recently called the diplomacy of fear.
Against this backdrop. the World's Fair opened up in New York. The official British government of Palestine had no interest in exhibiting there, so the Jews of Palestine created their own exhibit. It is instructive to read Chaim Weizman's radio speech to the attendees, as it lays out the Jewish reaction to the bigoted and ultimately genocide-friendly White Paper. He makes the points that while the White Paper is immoral, it will not stop the ultimate rebirth of a Jewish state, that it was Jewish sweat that built Palestine up from an ignored slum to a major player in the Middle East.
Notice also Chief Rabbi Yitzchok Herzog's address, which was written before the White Paper, emphasizing how the Jewish return to Palestine has ecomonically benefited their Arab neighbors. Rather than talking about displacement and colonization, as is commonly charged nowadays, the Jewish leadership of Palestine always and consistently spoke of a win-win situation where Arabs and Jews both prosper.
The Arab leaders always pretended that Palestine was a zero-sum game, and the British White Paper codified that thinking. The Jews and the facts bore out a completely opposite conclusion - Palestine could and did turn into an economic powerhouse, benefiting hundreds of thousands of ordinary Arabs who moved in to take advantage of the Jewish-built economy.
Then, as now, outsiders pretend that they know the best solution to the Jewish "problem", and they come up with sometimes well-meaning plans to solve this problem. And then, as now, if their ideas end up accidentally resulting in the mass murder of Jews, they can say "oops - but we meant well."
Sunday, May 28, 2006
- Sunday, May 28, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
I noticed today that Hyscience has linked to my scholarly debate of whether Ahmadinejad is a chimp or an ape.
On a related thread at Israellycool, someone named Woland pointed out this great picture that sheds light on the topic:
On a related thread at Israellycool, someone named Woland pointed out this great picture that sheds light on the topic:
- Sunday, May 28, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday that the "international Zionist web" was trying to keep him from visiting Germany for the World Cup soccer match.
Well, this is flattering. Considering that ZOG and the Worldwide Zionist Conspiracy and the dreaded Israel Lobby get all the good press, my own Web division of the Elders has been keeping low-key.
But now that Ahmadenijaddio has blown the lid on the IZW, I have to 'fess up. I'm one of the founders of the IZW, and I even designed the logo with super-secret ancient Hebrew writing:
If you want to join the IZW, just place the logo from my sidebar on your blog and link to this posting, and I will add you to the Conspiracy!
- Sunday, May 28, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
WestBankMama at WestBankBlog hosts this week's Haveil Havalim #71, listing notable posts from the J-Blogosphere.
As usual, I dislike self-nominating, so I am honored that two of my posts are listed: Old Jerusalem and the post about the Americans killed by the terrorist Israel arrested last week (also linked by BackSpin.)
And of course it includes many good articles that I didn't notice the first time around, so check it out!
As usual, I dislike self-nominating, so I am honored that two of my posts are listed: Old Jerusalem and the post about the Americans killed by the terrorist Israel arrested last week (also linked by BackSpin.)
And of course it includes many good articles that I didn't notice the first time around, so check it out!
- Sunday, May 28, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
The Arab American News, a newspaper in Dearborn, Michigan, covered a "Liberation Day" rally that Detroit suburb last Thursday night, celebrating Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon (they call it a military defeat.) The rally organizers stressed that they are loyal Americans - and that they support Hezbollah against Israel:
They glossed over the fact that their heroes killed 241 American servicemen in October 1983 and 17 in April, 1983. In fact:
The speakers stressed the importance of remembering the community’s victories, and the need to stay brave in the face of intimidation against expressing support for movements of justice and liberation. Osama Siblani, AAPAC president and publisher of The Arab American News; Abed Hammoud, President of CAAO; and Consul General of Lebanon, Dr. Ali Ajami, were adamant about the need to make it clear to American policy makers that the Lebanese are very loyal to America and its people despite having strong objections to the hypocrisy in the U.S.’ policy towards Lebanon and its one-sided support for Israel.The speakers insisted that the Lebanese American community’s support for the resistance in Southern Lebanon and their opposition to the crimes of the state of Israel do not, in any way, detract from their loyalty to America.
Osama Siblani said “I have never been to the South of Lebanon until my recent trip earlier this month. I went from Beirut all the way to the border in the South. I want all of the American officials to know that I did not see a single person with a firearm from Beirut all the way to the border, except at one Lebanese Army checkpoint. What I have seen calls for us to be proud: people living their lives, smoking the water pipe, playing cards, watching their kids play on both sides of the border without threat! So why are you calling Hizbullah a terrorist organization, and why do you want to take their arms? I didn’t see any arms.”
The Lebanese Consul General in Detroit, Dr. Ali Ajami, gave brief remarks in English and Arabic. Responding to the Lebanese government’s deletion of Liberation Day as a national holiday he said “If they don’t want to celebrate liberation there, I will celebrate it here!” He also said that the resistance in Lebanon was to be celebrated and that it was a natural reaction of any people to occupation, threat and aggression. Ajami said “We did what any simple man would do. If your house is invaded you have to know what should be done, drive them out of your house. We are no terrorists, we are simple people trying to live in peace … yes I would agree both of us, Lebanese and Israelis, want peace, we want peace, p-e-a-c-e, and they want piece, p-i-e-c-e, a piece of our land!”
They glossed over the fact that their heroes killed 241 American servicemen in October 1983 and 17 in April, 1983. In fact:
Using names like the Organization of the Oppressed on Earth and the Revolutionary Justice Organization, Hezbollah is also believed by the United States to have kidnapped and tortured to death[11] U.S. Marine Colonel William R. Higgins and the CIA Station Chief in Beirut, William Buckley, and to have kidnapped around 30 other Westerners between 1982 and 1992, including the American journalist Terry Anderson, British journalist John McCarthy, the Archbishop of Canterbury's special envoy Terry Waite and Irish citizen Brian Keenan. Hezbollah was accused by the US government of being responsible for the April 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut that killed 63; of being behind the suicide truck bombings that killed 241 U.S. Marines in their barracks in Beirut in October 1983; of bombing the replacement U.S. Embassy in East Beirut on September 20, 1984, killing 20 Lebanese and two American soldiers; and of carrying out the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847 en route from Athens to Rome. Hezbollah denies involvement in these attacks and no evidence has come forth since.No dual-loyalty there....just "loyal" Americans who support terrorists and would-be genocidal murderers who scream "Death to America!" at every opportunity.
Friday, May 26, 2006
- Friday, May 26, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
For some reason, today's Daily Alert is filled with a huge number of links to great stories, and I don't have enough time to dedicate separate posts to each like I would like to. Here are some highlights:
A preview of how Hamastan would be:
A preview of how Hamastan would be:
Zarqawi Backers Lay Down Sharia Rules - Sharon Behn (Washington Times)This sounds like some "peace activists" are trying to provoke Israel into killing some of the people they pretend to defend, in order to get some good video:
Imams loyal to terrorist leader Abu Musab Zarqawi have issued threats in mosques in a western Baghdad neighborhood against anyone who does not follow Islamic law, terrified residents are saying.
Zarqawi supporters reportedly killed six men for wearing knee-length shorts in another Baghdad neighborhood on Tuesday, despite the 106-degree weather.
Other rules laid down by the Zarqawi supporters forbid men from wearing orange or red clothes or using gel in their hair. Women no longer are allowed to work, and girls cannot study.
Palestinians Testing Gaza Fence Security - Hanan Greenberg (Ynet News)Just like "peace activists", NGOs need to be monitored:
Around 20 Palestinian arrived at the Gaza border fence on Sunday near Kibbutz Nir Am. They crossed one fence and approached the electronic sensor fence.
Despite requests by soldiers, the Palestinians refused to leave the area and began rioting. In an attempt to disperse the rioters, IDF soldiers fired in the air, but the Palestinians did not disperse.
One of the Palestinians approached the fence, and in response soldiers fired at his legs.
Last Wednesday, a few dozen Palestinians arrived at the border in northern Gaza, burned tires, threw rocks, and even climbed the electronic fence.
Attempts by the IDF to disperse the rioters by firing in the air failed, and eventually the soldiers fired at their legs.
European NGOs Against Israel - Interview with Gerald Steinberg (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)Another small victory in the battle against dependence on Arab oil:
Many in European politics, academia, the media, and the NGOs use almost identical semantics. These four elements of society parallel each other, and work together as well, reinforcing each other in the overall attack on Israel.
The key anti-Israeli policies are emphasized by powerful European NGOs.
Trash Treatment Plant Makes Clean Energy - Leah Krauss (UPI)An American Righteous Gentile from WWII:
ArrowBio Waste Management Technologies' on-site generator just outside Tel Aviv is powered by biogas, the rich methane gas mixture released when organic trash decomposes.
About 25% of this energy goes to power the machinery at the site. The other 75% of the non-polluting power goes back onto the national grid, and the Israel Electric Corp. credits the company for it.
With rising oil prices and a growing concern for the environment, Israel, like other countries all over the world, is making a push to rely on more sources of alternative energy.
New Stamp To Honor U.S. Envoy in WWII Who Helped Jews Escape - Christopher LeeA very long and incredible article about a woman who fights terror on the Internet:
66 years ago, Hiram Bingham IV, a blue-blood American diplomat in France, defied U.S. policy by helping Jews escape the Nazis in the early years of World War II. Bingham's actions cost him his Foreign Service career but won him the undying gratitude of the more than 2,000 refugees he helped save by issuing them travel visas and false passports, and even at times sheltering them in his home. The Yale-educated son of a former U.S. senator, Bingham died in 1988 at age 84. His own children did not learn the extent of his wartime deeds until 1996, when a son found a cache of old journals and correspondence stashed in a hidden closet in the family's Connecticut home. The U.S. Postal Service issues a stamp next Wednesday in his honor. (Washington Post)
Private Jihad - Benjamin Wallace-WellsDespite everything, Israel's economy is booming:
Rita Katz, who was born in Iraq and speaks fluent Arabic, spends hours each day monitoring the password-protected online chat rooms in which Islamic terrorists discuss politics and trade tips: how to disperse botulinum toxin or transfer funds, which suicide vests work best. Katz, who is the head of the Search for International Terrorist Entities, or SITE Institute, and her researchers mine online sources for intelligence. She has worked with prosecutors on more than a dozen terrorism investigations, and many American officers in Iraq rely on Katz's e-mails to brief their troops on the designs for explosives that are passed around terrorist websites. (New Yorker)
Israel's Economy Leaving Palestinians Far Behind - Joshua MitnickAnd more:
At a time when the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza are teetering on the brink of a collapse, Israeli growth - with a 6.6% GDP rise in the first quarter of 2006 - has returned to the torrid pace set before the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising. It's also a recognition of a growing separation between the Israeli and Palestinian economies. Per-capita income - a measure of the standard of living - is 17 times higher in Israel than among its neighbors from the West Bank and Gaza. Now the possibility of full economic disengagement looms. (Christian Science Monitor)
See also Israeli Business Sector Shines Despite Dangers - Abraham Rabinovich
Sever Plotzker, economics editor of the Yediot Ahronot newspaper, noted that Israel's business-sector GDP growth rate of 10.6% outpaced even China's, as did the industrial sector's 27% annualized growth. (Washington Times)
Syrian Subversion by Proxy - Editorial
Syria continues to occupy the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon. Lebanese who visited the Bekaa several weeks ago said they saw Syrian military forces on Lebanese territory. Last week, the Lebanese Army clashed with members of Fatah Uprising, a Palestinian rejectionist group based in Damascus. After the fighting began, Palestinians based in Syria sent 50 fighters, as well as trucks, jeeps, and an anti-aircraft gun, across the border to aid the Fatah group in combating the Lebanese Army. Syria, in short, is subverting Lebanon by proxy. (Washington Times)The Protocols, 21st Century-Style - Benjamin Neuberger
Another academic boycott of Israel is being organized in Britain. The organizers are not a majority but clearly rather a small minority. However, there are no initiatives for boycotts against other countries: not against Iran, which is denying the Holocaust and threatening to destroy Israel; not against Sudan, which is committing genocide in Darfur; not against Saudi Arabia, where people are executed for religious infractions; and not against China, which is carrying out oppression in Tibet and Shenzhen. Nor is the hated United States being boycotted.
When I was on sabbatical at Oxford University in 2003-2005, I was astonished to see how many professors and students identified Zionism with racism, imperialism, and colonialism. In these circles there is no understanding at all of the Jewish history of pogroms, persecution, and deportations, or of the meaning of the Holocaust. They do not know, and they do not want to know, that we have historical roots in this country, that our language is non-European, that half of the Jews in Israel did not come from Europe, that those who did come from Europe were considered alien and shunned "Semites" there, and that the Zionists had no colonialist mother country. The writer is a professor of political science at the Open University. (Ha'aretz)
See also Stop the British Academic Boycott of Israel - Colin Shindler
The writer lectures in Israeli Studies at the University of London. (Jerusalem Post)Egyptian-Italian Journalist: Hamas Terror Is Not a Reaction to Occupation - Assaf Uni
"Israel's right to exist is today the international criterion for distinguishing between the terrorist camp and the camp of life," says Magdi Allam, the Egyptian-Italian journalist and writer who is now visiting Israel. "On one side, there is the Hamas government, Iran, fundamentalist Islam and even parts of the extreme left and right in Europe." On the other side, he says, are Western countries and "supporters of the right to live." The West, he believes, does not understand that it is under attack, and is trying to conduct a dialogue with the Muslims attacking it. Allam, 54, immigrated to Italy some 30 years ago and is today the deputy editor of Corriere della Sera, Italy's largest newspaper. (Ha'aretz)
- Friday, May 26, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
Unbelievable.
In our brave new schools, Johnny can't say the pledge, but he can recite the Quran. Yup, the same court that found the phrase "under God" unconstitutional now endorses Islamic catechism in public school.Keep in mind that, according to Islam, simply saying the words "There is no God except Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." is enough to make you a Muslim. So California has just allowed more than just teaching about Islam - it has sanctioned the mass conversion of public school children to a different religion.In a recent federal decision that got surprisingly little press, even from conservative talk radio, California's 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled it's OK to put public-school kids through Muslim role-playing exercises, including:
Reciting aloud Muslim prayers that begin with "In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful . . . ."
Memorizing the Muslim profession of faith: "Allah is the only true God and Muhammad is his messenger." Chanting "Praise be to Allah" in response to teacher prompts. Professing as "true" the Muslim belief that "The Holy Quran is God's word." Giving up candy and TV to demonstrate Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. Designing prayer rugs, taking an Arabic name and essentially "becoming a Muslim" for two full weeks. Parents of seventh-graders, who after 9-11 were taught the pro-Islamic lessons as part of California's world history curriculum, sued under the First Amendment ban on religious establishment. They argued, reasonably, that the government was promoting Islam.
But a federal judge appointed by President Clinton told them in so many words to get over it, that the state was merely teaching kids about another "culture."
So the parents appealed. Unfortunately, the most left-wing court in the land got their case. The 9th Circuit, which previously ruled in favor of an atheist who filed suit against the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, upheld the lower court ruling.
The decision is a major victory for the multiculturalists and Islamic apologists in California and across the country who've never met a culture or religion they didn't like — with the exception of Western civilization and Christianity. They are legally in the clear to indoctrinate kids into the "peaceful" and "tolerant" religion of Islam, while continuing to denigrate Judeo-Christian values.
In the California course on world religions, Christianity is not presented equally. It's covered in just two days and doesn't involve kids in any role-playing activities. But kids do get a good dose of skepticism about the Christian faith, including a biting history of its persecution of other peoples. In contrast, Islam gets a pass from critical review. Even jihad is presented as an "internal personal struggle to do one's best to resist temptation," and not holy war.
The ed consultant's name is Susan L. Douglass. No, she's not a Christian scholar. She's a devout Muslim activist on the Saudi government payroll, according to an investigation by Paul Sperry, author of "Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives Have Penetrated Washington." He found that for years Douglass taught social studies at the Islamic Saudi Academy just outside Washington, D.C. Her husband still teaches there.
So what? By infiltrating our public school system, the Saudis hope to make Islam more widely accepted while converting impressionable American youth to their radical cause. Recall that John Walker Lindh, the "American Taliban," was a product of the California school system. What's next, field trips to Mecca?
This case is critical not just to our culture but our national security. It should be brought before the Supreme Court, which has outlawed prayer in school. Let's see what it says about practicing Islam in class. It will be a good test for the bench's two new conservative justices.
- Friday, May 26, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
The AP has an interesting description of the Iranian suicide bomb celebration yesterday:
Yet AP plays it straight. It is almost as if they believe that blowing up women and children, on purpose, thousands of miles away from your country, is sometimes a necessary part of defending your land or your religion.
TEHRAN, Iran -- Under a banner showing coffins draped with American, British and Israeli flags, more than 100 Iranian men and women pledged Thursday to become suicide bombers - if necessary - to defend their country and Islam.Has there ever been a sentence that needed scare quotes more than this one?
Yet AP plays it straight. It is almost as if they believe that blowing up women and children, on purpose, thousands of miles away from your country, is sometimes a necessary part of defending your land or your religion.
- Friday, May 26, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
Remember last week when Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri was caught trying to smuggle over $800,000 into Gaza?
Well, the European monitors confiscated the money. Abbas demanded the money so he could launch a full investigation. And now...Hamas is using it to buy weapons for its terror gangs.
The EU is strangely silent about their complicity in this crime. Perhaps their job at the border crossing is to ensure that RPGs and Katyushas have been built by companies that adhere to the Zionist boycott.
Well, the European monitors confiscated the money. Abbas demanded the money so he could launch a full investigation. And now...Hamas is using it to buy weapons for its terror gangs.
The EU is strangely silent about their complicity in this crime. Perhaps their job at the border crossing is to ensure that RPGs and Katyushas have been built by companies that adhere to the Zionist boycott.
Some 640,000 Euros confiscated from a Hamas smuggler at Rafiach crossing last week have been given to the Hamas Authority. Some of it will pay for a militia manned by Izaddin Al-Kassam terrorists.
The cash, the equivalent of some $820,000, was discovered in the baggage of the Hamas spokesman as he made his way into Gaza from Egypt. European Union inspectors confiscated the money, which was over 400 times more than the amount permitted without declaration. A band of Hamas gunmen arrived on the scene demanding the return of the money, but they were soon dispersed.
PA Chairman Abu Mazen ordered the money transferred to the prosecution offices of the PA, and demanded an investigation into the Hamas spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhari, and his activities.
However, Abu Zuhari said this week that the money had in fact been officially given to the PA's interior minister on May 22. Speaking with the official Hamas publication, Abu Zuhari promised that the donations would reach their "correct destinations."
Earlier this week, PA affairs correspondent Dalit HaLevy reports, Hamas Authority officials said that economic aid would be partially used to pay for the interior ministry's special security force. Members of the force were recruited from the Popular Resistance Committees and Izaddin Al-Kassam terrorist groups.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
- Thursday, May 25, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
- media bias
Others have trashed (or are planning to trash) this nonsensical editorial in today's NYT, and frankly Israel Matzav did a brilliant job. I am just wondering what planet the editorialists are from:
The pre-conceived notion that has attained Biblical status among the left is that Palestinian Arabs somehow "deserve" a state.
I am not quite sure what criteria are used to make this assumption. Why, for example, do the Kurds not "deserve" a state but Palestinian Arabs do? Exactly how does a people attain the status of "deserving" a state?
If Gaza has taught us anything, it is that Palestinian Arabs cannot responsibly govern themselves. I cannot say for how many generations they will continue acting like infants with grenades, but it is manifestly clear that today's Palestinian Arabs do not have the capability to act responsibly even regarding their own people, let alone other nations.
The question is not "how to make a viable state out of the West Bank and Gaza." The question is, why on earth is this desirable? Why is the world throwing hundreds millions of dollars to a group of people who have shown no ability to govern, no ability to act maturely, no ability to build, no ability to even distinguish between right and wrong?
Is it because the UN decided that there should be a Palestinian Arab state in 1947? Of course not - the Arabs themselves didn't want it.
Is it because the West Bank and Gaza are/were "occupied"? Of course not - hardly anyone cared when Jordan and Egypt occupied the same areas.
Is it because the Palestinian Arabs finally recognized Israel at Oslo? Of course not - because they have withdrawn that recognition and no one even blinks. A state is still assumed to be the Solution.
The only real reason why the world says that Palestinian Arabs deserve a state of their own is because the Arabs have scared the world into thinking that if Israel would just give them what they want, we won't have any more terror attacks. In other words, it is a reward for the airline hijackings of the '70s and the Al Qaeda pronouncements of the 2000's. It is a Mafia protection racket on a scale that has never been imagined.
It is easy for the world to offer Israel as a human sacrifice to appease the Arab gods - because the world doesn't much like Israel anyway. So everyone from Osama bin Laden to the New York Times blames Israel for a problem that is being framed as Israel's fault rather than as a logical continuance of Arab and Islamic terror towards the West. The Palestinian Arabs have no responsibility according to the morally retarded "elite":
We have seen the Palestinian Arabs, over and over again, being handed an independent state on a platter. We have seen them, again and again, reject that state, always for absurd reasons that blame Israel. And we have seen, again and again, the New York Times swallow the Palestinian Arab narrative whole, so much so that their editors can no longer even notice the utter incompatibility of how Palestinian Arabs are acting today with statehood. Gaza is a brilliant lesson in how an ultimate Palestinian Arab state would look - but one cannot expect the New York Times to notice anything that obvious.
That would mean they'd have to admit they were wrong, and it is much easier to support another terror state than to admit that you are wrong when you are the Newspaper of Record.
UPDATE: See also AbbaGav's comments.
Mr. Olmert wants to go ahead with Ariel Sharon's misbegotten plan to unilaterally redraw the borders of what could eventually be Palestine. The key word here is unilaterally, because the Israelis are prepared to do this without any input from the Palestinians. They would be left to try to cobble together a country out of whatever remained behind.The New York Times, along with the rest of the MSM, just cannot even conceive that their basic assumptions are wrong.
The pre-conceived notion that has attained Biblical status among the left is that Palestinian Arabs somehow "deserve" a state.
I am not quite sure what criteria are used to make this assumption. Why, for example, do the Kurds not "deserve" a state but Palestinian Arabs do? Exactly how does a people attain the status of "deserving" a state?
If Gaza has taught us anything, it is that Palestinian Arabs cannot responsibly govern themselves. I cannot say for how many generations they will continue acting like infants with grenades, but it is manifestly clear that today's Palestinian Arabs do not have the capability to act responsibly even regarding their own people, let alone other nations.
The question is not "how to make a viable state out of the West Bank and Gaza." The question is, why on earth is this desirable? Why is the world throwing hundreds millions of dollars to a group of people who have shown no ability to govern, no ability to act maturely, no ability to build, no ability to even distinguish between right and wrong?
Is it because the UN decided that there should be a Palestinian Arab state in 1947? Of course not - the Arabs themselves didn't want it.
Is it because the West Bank and Gaza are/were "occupied"? Of course not - hardly anyone cared when Jordan and Egypt occupied the same areas.
Is it because the Palestinian Arabs finally recognized Israel at Oslo? Of course not - because they have withdrawn that recognition and no one even blinks. A state is still assumed to be the Solution.
The only real reason why the world says that Palestinian Arabs deserve a state of their own is because the Arabs have scared the world into thinking that if Israel would just give them what they want, we won't have any more terror attacks. In other words, it is a reward for the airline hijackings of the '70s and the Al Qaeda pronouncements of the 2000's. It is a Mafia protection racket on a scale that has never been imagined.
It is easy for the world to offer Israel as a human sacrifice to appease the Arab gods - because the world doesn't much like Israel anyway. So everyone from Osama bin Laden to the New York Times blames Israel for a problem that is being framed as Israel's fault rather than as a logical continuance of Arab and Islamic terror towards the West. The Palestinian Arabs have no responsibility according to the morally retarded "elite":
To a significant degree, the Palestinians put themselves in this spot by electing Hamas to run their government, and the Bush administration is right to refuse to legitimize a government dedicated to the destruction of Israel. But Mr. Bush should not punish the Palestinian people by endorsing any unilateral proposal — doing that would punish them for exercising their democratic right to vote.In other words, we can scold Palestinians for choosing a terror group to lead them, but to actually hold them responsible for it is just way too mean. No - it is Israel that needs to do everything the Palestinian Arabs demand, because, after all, it is somehow Israel's fault that they freely elected Hamas.
We have seen the Palestinian Arabs, over and over again, being handed an independent state on a platter. We have seen them, again and again, reject that state, always for absurd reasons that blame Israel. And we have seen, again and again, the New York Times swallow the Palestinian Arab narrative whole, so much so that their editors can no longer even notice the utter incompatibility of how Palestinian Arabs are acting today with statehood. Gaza is a brilliant lesson in how an ultimate Palestinian Arab state would look - but one cannot expect the New York Times to notice anything that obvious.
That would mean they'd have to admit they were wrong, and it is much easier to support another terror state than to admit that you are wrong when you are the Newspaper of Record.
UPDATE: See also AbbaGav's comments.
- Thursday, May 25, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
For Yom Yerushalayim I wanted to find the earliest pictures of Jerusalem on the Internet from Jewish, Christian and Muslim sources. I didn't do an exhaustive search so if anyone can send me a link to earlier pictures I'll add modifications.
The earliest Christian picture is almost certainly the mosaic on the floor of a church in Madaba, Jordan from the 6th century CE(predating Islam altogether!) The map is of most Biblical places and the Jerusalem part is fascinating:
Many other ancient maps of Jerusalem, from the 12th through 19th centuries CE, can be found here.
Perhaps pre-dating this one is a map known as the Peutinger Map, drawn in the 12th or 13th century CE that was apparently an exact copy of a 4th century Roman road map that included Jerusalem. This is far more a map than a picture, though:
An Islamic map of the area from the 10th century is fascinating for how it represents Jerusalem (one of the upper circles):
I imagine the earliest picture of Jerusalem in Jewish art would probably be in one of the famous illuminated Haggadahs from the 15th century CE on the page where it says "Next Year in Jerusalem," but the earliest I could find was this one from a this early printed Amsterdam Haggadah (1695):
One of the first photographs of Jerusalem was taken in 1844 by Jiro De Franje:
This picture is a mirror image of the way Jerusalem looks.
I cannot find any Muslim artwork of Jerusalem specifically before the 20th century. Again, if someone can point me to an earlier picture I will post it.
The earliest Christian picture is almost certainly the mosaic on the floor of a church in Madaba, Jordan from the 6th century CE(predating Islam altogether!) The map is of most Biblical places and the Jerusalem part is fascinating:
Many other ancient maps of Jerusalem, from the 12th through 19th centuries CE, can be found here.
Perhaps pre-dating this one is a map known as the Peutinger Map, drawn in the 12th or 13th century CE that was apparently an exact copy of a 4th century Roman road map that included Jerusalem. This is far more a map than a picture, though:
An Islamic map of the area from the 10th century is fascinating for how it represents Jerusalem (one of the upper circles):
The Arabs never regarded the Land of Israel, which they called Falastin, as a distinct geographical or political unit, and mapped it as an integral part of ash-Sham, Syria, as in the example shown here. Jerusalem is represented by one of the circles in the upper part of the map (which is directed towards the south-west and is named Bayt al-Maqdas (Hebrew: Bet haMiqdash, the Temple).
I imagine the earliest picture of Jerusalem in Jewish art would probably be in one of the famous illuminated Haggadahs from the 15th century CE on the page where it says "Next Year in Jerusalem," but the earliest I could find was this one from a this early printed Amsterdam Haggadah (1695):
One of the first photographs of Jerusalem was taken in 1844 by Jiro De Franje:
This picture is a mirror image of the way Jerusalem looks.
I cannot find any Muslim artwork of Jerusalem specifically before the 20th century. Again, if someone can point me to an earlier picture I will post it.
- Thursday, May 25, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
Hamas is seeking the ability to attack Israel using small airplanes laden with explosives to be flown September 11-style into important targets, possibly Tel Aviv skyscrapers, a leader of Hamas's so-called military wing, Abu Abdullah, told World Net Daily yesterday.Sometimes it seems like a contest among terror groups as to who can be the most depraved.
Palestinian security officials said they believe Hamas recently smuggled into Gaza three small airplanes that can carry explosives and be used to attack Israel.
They said the aircraft were purchased from Eastern European dealers and that Hamas members received flight training in Sudan, Iran, and Syria.
UPDATE: Full story is here.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
- Wednesday, May 24, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
An interesting article in YNet:
Luckily, I have a solution to the "problem" of a Jerusalem without TV antennas: Encourage non-Hareidi Jewish families to have lots and lots of kids as well! I guarantee, no "ultra-Orthodox" will get upset at this, and as a bonus, the "demographic problem" that is convincing Olmert to give up parts of Israel to terrorists will no longer exist!
To start, donate money to Just One Life, an organization that finds Israeli women who want to have abortions because they cannot afford to have a baby and supports them monetarily and emotionally so they can safely give birth. Over 7200 children have been born to women who have been helped by this program, and most of these are not Hareidim.
It's the least you can do to help save Jerusalem!
From the hysteria in this report one would think thatYNet would prefer Arabs taking over Jerusalem rather than thse Jews who are so....Jew-y.Most Israeli citizens are well-aware of the division between east and West Jerusalem, but there exists another border in the capital, that which runs from north to south and separates the secular part of the city (south) and the ultra-Orthodox.
Even some northern neighborhoods previously considered to be secular enclaves are becoming more and more religious.“On Mishmar Hagvul Street, near the religious Sanhedria neighborhood, you won’t see any TV antennas on the rooftops,” ultra-Orthodox reporter Yisrael Gliss says.
The situation in neighborhoods such as Ramot Eshkol or Maalot Dafna is most indicative of the fact that north Jerusalem is becoming more and more ultra-Orthodox, so much so that the northern part of the city is attracting many religious couples, most of whom are Anglo-Saxon.
Architect David Kroyanker says “the ultra-Orthodox are settling predominantly in the north, but the problem is that the border continues to move south. At first traditional religious people arrive, then come the more modern ultra-Orthodox, but it is not long before the neighborhoods become completely ultra-Orthodox.”
Former Mayor Teddy Kollek, who understood in the early 1980s that something has to be done, initiated the construction of a sports complex in north Jerusalem to attract the secular population. The ultra-Orthodox protested against the plan, saying the cars traveling in the area would disrupt the Sabbath. Some haredim even went as far as throwing sand and stones in the tractors’ engines to interfere with the construction works.
Eventually the plan was foiled, and the city’s soccer stadium, which was named after mayor Kollek, was built in the southern Malcha neighborhood.Each year the religious population takes control of additional Jerusalem neighborhoods and sites, such as the Schneller military base, which is set to be cleared in the coming year. According to an agreement between United Torah Judaism and Agudat Yisrael, the Gur hasidic sect will own the site, and 800 housing units will be built there for its members.
Across the street from Schneller is the Tnuva compound, which was also sold to haredi real estate entrepreneurs.
Kroyanker, who lives in Malcha, is not optimistic regarding Jerusalem’s future.
“The city’s story is one of simple demographics,” he says. “This is a natural process whereby the haredi population is growing at a rate ten times higher than the secular population.”
“There is no solution this problem,” he says.
Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, the founder and chairman of the religious ZAKA organization, says “haredim are not taking control of the city because a few rabbis planned it. They are taking control because ultra-Orthodox couples have many children – that’s just how it is.
Luckily, I have a solution to the "problem" of a Jerusalem without TV antennas: Encourage non-Hareidi Jewish families to have lots and lots of kids as well! I guarantee, no "ultra-Orthodox" will get upset at this, and as a bonus, the "demographic problem" that is convincing Olmert to give up parts of Israel to terrorists will no longer exist!
To start, donate money to Just One Life, an organization that finds Israeli women who want to have abortions because they cannot afford to have a baby and supports them monetarily and emotionally so they can safely give birth. Over 7200 children have been born to women who have been helped by this program, and most of these are not Hareidim.
It's the least you can do to help save Jerusalem!
- Wednesday, May 24, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
Elie at Elie's Expositions has finally finished telling his tragic story of his son's passing, exactly one year after the shiva was over.
Read it and then hug your loved ones.
Read it and then hug your loved ones.
- Wednesday, May 24, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
In a staged shot worthy of the worst B-movie director, Palestinian Arab women pretend to be thrilled to give what appears to be a bag of garbage and a Hebrew National salami to a Hamas "militant". The reason appears to be that they want to show their appreciation that the Palestinian Arab security forces have increased in size yet again so they feel so much safer.
Since they didn't seem enthusiastic enough, the photographer instructed them to put a "thumbs up" sign to get the message across. Unfortunately, third-from-left Fatima's thumb had been sliced off by her husband when she was late giving him dinner one night so she can only show a fist.
Since they didn't seem enthusiastic enough, the photographer instructed them to put a "thumbs up" sign to get the message across. Unfortunately, third-from-left Fatima's thumb had been sliced off by her husband when she was late giving him dinner one night so she can only show a fist.
- Wednesday, May 24, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
Today's GoozNews is yet another classic rant from the seemingly syphillic Ahmadenijad:
Even the mere thought of staging an aggression violating the rights of the Iranian nation will receive a stiff response from the nation, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Wednesday.They cannot refine their own oil but they are hellbent on getting nuclear "energy"."Enemies should know that they cannot inflict the slightest harm to Iranians from the outside and that is why they are trying to create discord among the people," said the president in his address before a huge crowd in this southern city.
Saying Iranians "are on the eve of a great breakthrough," the president said "everyone has a responsibility to contribute to Iran's development and eventual rise as an advanced and powerful Islamic state."He urged the nation to stay vigilant, and stressed that "our people have successfully conquered the highest peak of scientific progress with their resistance and unity."
"Unity, justice and hard work" have been major factors in the Iranian nation's achievement of its goals," he added.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
- Tuesday, May 23, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
One would think that the American media would be slightly interested in the names of the American victims of terror whose murderer was arrested by Israel yesterday.
It is also worth mentioning that the murderer is a member of Hamas, and that he is responsible for 78 deaths in terror attacks.
Here are the names and pictures of the American victims:
The clear implication is that when Israel even arrests a known terrorist, it is Israel that is escalating the conflict. The other BBC implication is that even though Hamas has been heavily involved in terror since the "truce," only suicide bombings are worth worrying about. The BBC even goes so far as to juxtapose Israel's arrest of a Hamas arch-terrorist with another meaningless Hamas pretense at flexibility towards peace, all to demonize Israel and boost Hamas.
It is also worth mentioning that the murderer is a member of Hamas, and that he is responsible for 78 deaths in terror attacks.
Here are the names and pictures of the American victims:
And here is a picture of the Hamas celebration at the news of the Hebrew University murders:
Marla Bennett
Benjamin BlutsteinMarla Bennett (24) of San Diego, California, David Gritz (24) of Peru, Massachusetts, Benjamin Blutstein (25) of Susquehanna Township, Pennsylvania and Janis Ruth Coulter (36) from New York were murdered when a remote-controlled bomb detonated in the Frank Sinatra Cafeteria on Jerusalem's Hebrew University Mt. Scopus campus.
Janis Ruth Coulter
David Gritz
Meanwhile, the BBC just doesn't understand why Israel would consider arresting a mass murderer:
BBC correspondent Caroline Hawley in Jerusalem says it is not clear why the army moved against Hamad.Hamas has not carried out any suicide attacks for 15 months and Israeli military operations in the past few months have focused instead on the militant Islamic Jihad group, which has been responsible for most of the recent bombs.
- Tuesday, May 23, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
In the light of the recent controversy about whether Iran is considering instituting a national dress code that may or may not distinguish non-Muslims from Muslims (Amir Taheri stands by his original article); it is worth looking at how Shi'a Muslim leaders in Persia treated Jews in the time period before the Pahlavi dynasty. This time period, from the 16th through 20th centuries, may well indicate the direction that the current Shi'a Muslim Iranian leadership wants to move their nation.
From Wikipedia:
From Wikipedia:
Safavid and Qajar dynasties (1502-1925)Further deterioration in the treatment of Persian Jews occurred during the reign of the Safavids who proclaimed Shi'a Islam the state religion. Shi'ism assigns great importance to the issues of ritual purity — tahara, and non-Muslims, including Jews, are deemed to be ritually unclean — najis — so that physical contact with them would require Shi'as to undertake ritual purification before doing regular prayers. Thus, Persian rulers, and to an even larger extent, the populace, sought to limit physical contact between Muslims and Jews. Jews were not allowed to attend public baths with Muslims or even to go outside in rain or snow, ostensibly because some impurity could be washed from them upon a Muslim.[11]
The reign of Shah Abbas I (1588–1629) was initially benign; Jews prospered throughout Persia and were even encouraged to settle in Isfahan, which was made a new capital. However, toward the end of his rule, the treatment of Jews became harsher; upon advice from a Jewish convert and Shi'a clergy, the shah forced Jews to wear a distinctive badge on clothing and headgear. In 1656, all Jews were expelled from Isfahan because of the common belief of their impurity and forced to convert to Islam. However, as it became known that the converts continued to practice Judaism in secret and because the treasury suffered from the loss of jizya collected from the Jews, in 1661 they were allowed to revert to Judaism, but were still required to wear a distinctive patch upon their clothings.[9]
Under Sunni Muslim Nadir Shah (1736–1747), who abolished Shi'a Islam as state religion, Jews experienced a period of relative tolerance when they were allowed to settle in the Shi'ite holy city of Mashhad. Yet, the advent of a Shi'a Qajar dynasty in 1794 brought back the earlier persecutions. In the middle of the 19th century, a European traveller wrote about the life of Persian Jews: "...they are obliged to live in a separate part of town...; for they are considered as unclean creatures... Under the pretext of their being unclean, they are treated with the greatest severity and should they enter a street, inhabited by Mussulmans, they are pelted by the boys and mobs with stones and dirt... For the same reason, they are prohibited to go out when it rains; for it is said the rain would wash dirt off them, which would sully the feet of the Mussulmans... If a Jew is recognized as such in the streets, he is subjected to the greatest insults. The passers-by spit in his face, and sometimes beat him... unmercifully... If a Jew enters a shop for anything, he is forbidden to inspect the goods... Should his hand incautiously touch the goods, he must take them at any price the seller chooses to ask for them... Sometimes the Persians intrude into the dwellings of the Jews and take possession of whatever please them. Should the owner make the least opposition in defense of his property, he incurs the danger of atoning for it with his life... If... a Jew shows himself in the street during the three days of the Katel (Muharram)..., he is sure to be murdered."[12]
Another European traveller reported a degrading ritual to which Jews were subjected for public amusement:
At every public festival-even at the royal salaam [salute], before the King’s face — the Jews are collected, and a number of them are flung into the hauz or tank, that King and mob may be amused by seeing them crawl out half-drowned and covered with mud. The same kindly ceremony is witnessed whenever a provincial governor holds high festival: there are fireworks and Jews.[13]
In the 19th century there were many instances of forced conversions and massacres, usually inspired by the Shi'a clergy. A representative of the Alliance Israélite Universelle, a Jewish humanitarian and educational organization, wrote from Tehran in 1894: "...every time that a priest wishes to emerge from obscurity and win a reputation for piety, he preaches war against the Jews". [14]. In 1830, the Jews of Tabriz were massacred; the same year saw a forcible conversion of the Jews of Shiraz. In 1839, many Jews were massacred in Mashhad and survivors were forcibly converted. However, European travellers later reported that the Jews of Tabriz and Shiraz continued to practice Judaism in secret despite a fear of further persecutions. Jews of Barforush were forcibly converted in 1866; when they were allowed to revert to Judaism thanks to an intervention by the French and British ambassadors, a mob killed 18 Jews of Barforush, burning two of them alive.[15][16] In 1910, the Jews of Shiraz were accused of ritual murder of a Muslim girl. Muslim dwellers of the city plundered the whole Jewish quarter, the first to start looting were the soldiers sent by the local governor to defend the Jews against the enraged mob. Twelve Jews, who tried to defend their property, were killed, and many others were injured.[17] Representatives of the Alliance Israélite Universelle recorded other numerous instances of persecution and debasement of Persian Jews.[18]
Driven by persecutions, thousands of Persian Jews emigrated to Palestine in the late 19th – early 20th century.[19]
Monday, May 22, 2006
- Monday, May 22, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
- Uruknet seems to blame Israel for the Darfur genocide in "Zionist rain [sic] of death on Sudan"
- Iran accuses Israel of holding Iranian kidnapped diplomats at Aljazeera.com
- AxisGlobe says that Israel's Declaration of Independence was written by a Communist spy
- A Los Angeles Times op-ed ignores Israel's consistent giving away of land since 1977 as it claims that Israel keeps on taking "Palestinian" land. (OK, he doesn't ignore it - author Sandy Tolan threw in a 14-word parenthetical comment in an 1187 word article: [In the early 1980s,
- Australia's Green Left Weekly happily reports on a Nakba rally where 50 people attended.
- Monday, May 22, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
Yesterday's Qassam rocket that hit a classroom in Sderot is only the latest in a series of slow escalations that the current Israeli administration seems willing to allow. Just like the settlers have been demonized for choosing to live in dangerous areas, so too will we see the leftist Israeli leaders blame residents of Sderot for staying in rocket range of Hamastan. The hollow words of "defense" minister Amir Peretz that "The lives of the children in the schools and kindergarten should be top priority" ring false when he is not willing to do anything to solve the problem.
His big plan? Make the walls of schools thicker!
Already, the Israeli government recommends that top floors of classrooms in rocket range not be used:
Instead of actually addressing the problem, Israel is looking towards spending billions of dollars to fortify some classrooms. Those who live in houses, well, tough luck. And when Katyushas replace Qassams, I guess that is just another few tens of billions of dollars to fortify a few more miles in.
I guess in a few years every Israeli will be told to walk around outside with suits of armor, as a normal defensive move against bloodthirsty Arab terrorists. And we will be reading articles about how brave Israelis live sort of normal lives underground.
This is insanity.
It is impossible to defend Israel against rockets and other attacks at the same time that Israel is giving land to the terrorists. Not only because giving land emboldens the terrorists, but also for the simple reason that land is the only defensive buffer that can effectively forestall rocket attacks.
I am not saying that Israel should abandon defensive mechanisms. Rocket interception and some fortification of course will be needed. But it is clear that the Gaza withdrawal has not enhanced Israel's security at all; it just pushed the defense line closer to the major population centers. And it is equally clear that continued withdrawals will also not make the Palestinian Arabs any more peaceful, despite all the leftist Jimmy Carter-ish wishful thinking that pervades not only Europe but much of Israel itself.
It is time for Israel to abandon its wishy-washy policy of tough words followed up by bombing empty fields, or at best a targeted assassination here and there. I am unaware of a single fact that would indicate that Palestinian Arabs are capable of acting responsibly or even rationally in valuing the lives of their own people or wishing for true independence. Unless this changes dramatically, Israel will have to militarily re-occupy parts of Gaza sooner or later.
And when one is speaking about defense, sooner is almost always better than later, saving a lot of money and many lives.
His big plan? Make the walls of schools thicker!
Already, the Israeli government recommends that top floors of classrooms in rocket range not be used:
Home Front Command officials explained that there is an instruction not to teach in classrooms on the top floors of schools located around the Gaza Strip, for fear a rocket will directly hit the building.Capitulation to terror is now becoming normal in the New Israel.
Instead of actually addressing the problem, Israel is looking towards spending billions of dollars to fortify some classrooms. Those who live in houses, well, tough luck. And when Katyushas replace Qassams, I guess that is just another few tens of billions of dollars to fortify a few more miles in.
I guess in a few years every Israeli will be told to walk around outside with suits of armor, as a normal defensive move against bloodthirsty Arab terrorists. And we will be reading articles about how brave Israelis live sort of normal lives underground.
This is insanity.
It is impossible to defend Israel against rockets and other attacks at the same time that Israel is giving land to the terrorists. Not only because giving land emboldens the terrorists, but also for the simple reason that land is the only defensive buffer that can effectively forestall rocket attacks.
I am not saying that Israel should abandon defensive mechanisms. Rocket interception and some fortification of course will be needed. But it is clear that the Gaza withdrawal has not enhanced Israel's security at all; it just pushed the defense line closer to the major population centers. And it is equally clear that continued withdrawals will also not make the Palestinian Arabs any more peaceful, despite all the leftist Jimmy Carter-ish wishful thinking that pervades not only Europe but much of Israel itself.
It is time for Israel to abandon its wishy-washy policy of tough words followed up by bombing empty fields, or at best a targeted assassination here and there. I am unaware of a single fact that would indicate that Palestinian Arabs are capable of acting responsibly or even rationally in valuing the lives of their own people or wishing for true independence. Unless this changes dramatically, Israel will have to militarily re-occupy parts of Gaza sooner or later.
And when one is speaking about defense, sooner is almost always better than later, saving a lot of money and many lives.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
- Sunday, May 21, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
This week's Haveil Havalim is hosted by Soccer Dad.
I am honored that he chose two articles of mine; Tehran Lies and Israeli Morality and Canonical list of reasons idiots give to fund Palestinian Arabs.
Check it out - because as usual, it is an excellent round-up of the JBlogosphere.
I am honored that he chose two articles of mine; Tehran Lies and Israeli Morality and Canonical list of reasons idiots give to fund Palestinian Arabs.
Check it out - because as usual, it is an excellent round-up of the JBlogosphere.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
- Saturday, May 20, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
Iran continues to get regular earthquakes. Just today there were three!
1. Quake hits eastern Iran
According to the seismological base of Birjand affiliated to the Geophysics Institute of Tehran University, the quake occurred at 10:49 hours local time (07:19 GMT).
The quake was felt in an area measuring 59.49 degrees in longitude and 32.49 degrees in latitude, the report added.
Saturday May 20, 2006 2. Quake hits southern Iran
Iran-Firouzabad-Quake
According to the seismological base of the Geophysics Institute of Tehran University, the quake occurred at 01:29 hours local time (21:59 GMT Friday).
The quake was felt in an area measuring 52.28 degrees in longitude and 28.6 degrees in latitude, the report added.
Saturday May 20, 2006 3. Quake jolts Dehdasht in midsouthern province
An earthquake measuring 3.5 degrees in the Richter scale jolted surrounding areas of Dehdasht in midsouthern province of Kohgilouyeh & Boyer Ahmad on Saturday.
As I mentioned before, building nuclear power plants in the most earthquake-prone region of the world is not the brightest idea. But on the bright side, it may end up that Iran's genocidal desires end up being foiled by a literal act of God.
Friday, May 19, 2006
- Friday, May 19, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
One of the assumptions that have been made since at least Oslo is that it would be a Good Thing for Palestinian Arabs have their own state. Israel has subscribed to this idea, as has the US, and of course all of Europe.
Now that the Muslim-Brotherhood affiliated Hamas is running the show in the territories, it appears that the countries that are most against a Palestinian Arab state are its Arab neighbors!
They see the lessons of Gaza, where any vacuum in the Middle East will be filled by the most radical elements who hate non-religious Arab regimes as much as they hate America.
It would behoove the West to take a second look at the desirability of the success of the Oslo experiment. Inertia is not a reason to continue to go forward towards supporting what would inevitably become the next chaotic center of international terror.
Now that the Muslim-Brotherhood affiliated Hamas is running the show in the territories, it appears that the countries that are most against a Palestinian Arab state are its Arab neighbors!
- Egypt has already had problems of its own with religious extremism in the form of the Muslim Brotherhood, which started there. And since Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, the Sinai has become a much more hospitable place for Al Qaeda and other sister groups that advocate a worldwide Islamic 'ummah. Not to mention Hamas shielding terrorists from Egypt.
- Jordan has already acted against its local Hamas members. It has always straddled the line between Islam and the West, and it stands to lose a lot should it suddnly become neighbors with Hamas. In 1970 it showed the world how sympathetic it was to Palestinian nationalism, and the newer religious component is turning into a greater threat than the PLO was then.
- Lebanon is still trying to get rid of its Hezbollah albatross, and Hezbollah is essentially the same as Hamas - and it has assisted Al Qaeda as well. Hamas would strengthen Hezbollah significantly.
They see the lessons of Gaza, where any vacuum in the Middle East will be filled by the most radical elements who hate non-religious Arab regimes as much as they hate America.
It would behoove the West to take a second look at the desirability of the success of the Oslo experiment. Inertia is not a reason to continue to go forward towards supporting what would inevitably become the next chaotic center of international terror.
- Friday, May 19, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
Humanitarian reasons: (EU)
If the reason is purely humanitarian, then why do Palestinian Arabs deserve millions of dollars more than starving kids in sub-Saharan Africa? It is not like they do not have resources to grow crops or provide medical care - and they received state-of-the-art greenhouses giftwrapped. At what point does the world say that Palestinian Arabs need to show some level of responsibility for themselves rather than being bailed out by the West?
Political influence: (Arab states)
The fear is that if we don't give money to Hamas, Iran will, thus increasing Iran's influence in the conflict. Of course, Hamas has made it clear that it wants money with no preconditions and it will not be influenced easily. And what is the difference between Arab goals for Palestine and Persian goals?
Hamas was elected democratically (loony leftists and Arabs who support Saudi Arabia):
So the people that elected murderers should have no responsibility for electing murderers?
Withholding money is "collective punishment" for the majority of peace-loving Palestinians (loony leftists and Arabs)
This one directly contradicts the one before. And since when is receiving money from the West a human right?
The PA is owed money due to prior agreements: (loony leftists and Arabs)
Since the current PA government does not recognize any prior agreements, it is a bit hypocritical to insist that other parties continue to abide by theirs. An agreement is two way; a concept that does not seem to have permeated the average Palestinian Arab mind yet.
If money isn't given to Palestinian Arabs, they will start terrorizing each other/Israel/the world: (Hamas spokesman)
This is the standard blackmail/Mafia argument. Just because it is couched in other words does not make it any less of a threat. And history shows that giving in to threats is the best way to ensure that more will be coming.
Besides the fact that they terrorize each other/Israel/the world anyway, whether they get money or not.
We will only fund hospitals [and maybe schools] (Israel and the US):
No one is saying that Arabs should starve or sicken, but shouldn't the primary responsibility for funding Palestinian Arabs come from the Fatah money squirreled away worldwide and from other Arab nations?
If the reason is purely humanitarian, then why do Palestinian Arabs deserve millions of dollars more than starving kids in sub-Saharan Africa? It is not like they do not have resources to grow crops or provide medical care - and they received state-of-the-art greenhouses giftwrapped. At what point does the world say that Palestinian Arabs need to show some level of responsibility for themselves rather than being bailed out by the West?
Political influence: (Arab states)
The fear is that if we don't give money to Hamas, Iran will, thus increasing Iran's influence in the conflict. Of course, Hamas has made it clear that it wants money with no preconditions and it will not be influenced easily. And what is the difference between Arab goals for Palestine and Persian goals?
Hamas was elected democratically (loony leftists and Arabs who support Saudi Arabia):
So the people that elected murderers should have no responsibility for electing murderers?
Withholding money is "collective punishment" for the majority of peace-loving Palestinians (loony leftists and Arabs)
This one directly contradicts the one before. And since when is receiving money from the West a human right?
The PA is owed money due to prior agreements: (loony leftists and Arabs)
Since the current PA government does not recognize any prior agreements, it is a bit hypocritical to insist that other parties continue to abide by theirs. An agreement is two way; a concept that does not seem to have permeated the average Palestinian Arab mind yet.
If money isn't given to Palestinian Arabs, they will start terrorizing each other/Israel/the world: (Hamas spokesman)
This is the standard blackmail/Mafia argument. Just because it is couched in other words does not make it any less of a threat. And history shows that giving in to threats is the best way to ensure that more will be coming.
Besides the fact that they terrorize each other/Israel/the world anyway, whether they get money or not.
We will only fund hospitals [and maybe schools] (Israel and the US):
No one is saying that Arabs should starve or sicken, but shouldn't the primary responsibility for funding Palestinian Arabs come from the Fatah money squirreled away worldwide and from other Arab nations?
- Friday, May 19, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
I'm sure that he was planning to distribute the money to hospitals and food banks. He just forgot to declare it at the border.
This is the same guy who swears up and down that Hamas is nothing like Al Qaeda, no-sir-ee-bob.
GAZA CITY (CNN) -- European monitors at a crossing between Gaza and Egypt caught a Hamas official Friday carrying about 900,000 euros, Palestinian officials said.
That amount is worth more than a million dollars.
The Associated Press identified the official as Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.
This is the same guy who swears up and down that Hamas is nothing like Al Qaeda, no-sir-ee-bob.
Commenting on bin Laden's message shortly afterwards, Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas, said the group's ideology was "totally different" from that of bin Laden and al-Qaeda.Hamas is very keen to have good relationships with people who give it money for free, with no preconditions, and who look the other way when they smuggle some in themselves.
"What Osama bin Laden said is his opinion, but Hamas has its own positions which are different to the ones expressed by bin Laden," he said.
However, he said that what he called the "international siege on the Palestinian people" would inevitably lead to tensions in the Arab and Islamic world.
"It's natural that this tension is going to create an impression that there is a Western-Israeli alliance working against the Palestinians," Abu Zuhri said.
He added that Hamas was "very keen to have good relations with the West" but said that Western policies were inflaming tensions.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
- Wednesday, May 17, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
Rocket-propelled grenades are an essential part of every police force. After all, what better way is there to combat crime? You can be sure that a shoplifter will think twice knowing that this is what he is up against when the police patrol the streets with RPGs.
A Palestinian militant of the Islamic group Hamas, carrying a RPG (Rocket propelled grenade) launcher, patrolls a street in the Nusseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip Wednesday, May 17, 2006. The Palestinian interior minister declared a new Hamas-dominated police force operational on Wednesday, defying President Mahmoud Abbas in a powerful challenge that could stoke more internal bloodshed.
A Palestinian militant from the Hamas movement patrols the street of Gaza city May 17, 2006. The Palestinian interior minister declared a new Hamas-dominated police force operational on Wednesday, defying President Mahmoud Abbas in a powerful challenge that could stoke more internal bloodshed.
Palestinian militants from the Hamas movement patrol the streets of Gaza city May 17, 2006.
Palestinian militants that are part of a new security force of the Hamas-led Palestinian government patrol the street after deploying in the Nusseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip Wednesday May 17, 2006.
A Palestinian militant of the Islamic group Hamas, carrying a RPG (Rocket propelled grenade) launcher, patrolls a street in the Nusseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip Wednesday, May 17, 2006. The Palestinian interior minister declared a new Hamas-dominated police force operational on Wednesday, defying President Mahmoud Abbas in a powerful challenge that could stoke more internal bloodshed.
A Palestinian militant from the Hamas movement patrols the street of Gaza city May 17, 2006. The Palestinian interior minister declared a new Hamas-dominated police force operational on Wednesday, defying President Mahmoud Abbas in a powerful challenge that could stoke more internal bloodshed.
Palestinian militants from the Hamas movement patrol the streets of Gaza city May 17, 2006.
Palestinian militants that are part of a new security force of the Hamas-led Palestinian government patrol the street after deploying in the Nusseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip Wednesday May 17, 2006.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
