Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Sunday, August 12, 2007

The utter lack of Arab empathy for others

As I research the next chapter of my series on the history of Palestinian Arabs, I have been having some troubles finding sources on how ordinary PalArabs were living or thinking in the 1950s and 1960s. But tonight I found a single article that is a goldmine - a long article in The Atlantic from Martha Gellhorn, who visited many Palestinian Arabs in a number of countries in 1961.

One part of this article is very illuminating (although the entire article is very worthwhile). Gellhorn spent a large part of her time trying to understand the PalArab mindset and how they can be understood by Westerners,and then she came across an Israeli Arab man who also clung to fantasies about 1948:

At this point, I decided to make one long, determined stand to see whether there was any meeting ground of minds on a basis of mutually accepted facts and reasoning.
"Please bear with me and help me," said I. "I am a simple American, and I am trying to understand how the Arab mind works, and I am finding it very difficult. I want to put some things in order; if I have everything wrong, you will correct me. In 1947, the United Nations recommended the Partition of Palestine. I have seen the Partition map and studied it. I cannot tell, but it does not look to me as if the Arabs were being cheated of their share of good land. The idea was that this division would work, if both Jews and Arabs accepted it and lived under an Economic Union. And, of course, the Arab countries around the borders would have to be peaceful and cooperative or else nothing would work at all. The Jews accepted this Partition plan; I suppose because they felt they had to. They were outnumbered about two to one inside the country, and there were the neighboring Arab states with five regular armies and forty million or more citizens, not feeling friendly. Are we agreed so far?"

"It is right."

"The Arab governments and the Palestinian Arabs rejected Partition absolutely. You wanted the whole country. There is no secret about this. The statements of the Arab representatives, in the UN are on record. The Arab governments never hid the fact that they started the war against Israel. But you, the Palestinian Arabs, agreed to this, you wanted it. And you thought, it seems to me very reasonably, that you would win and win quickly. It hardly seemed a gamble; it seemed a sure bet. You took the gamble and you lost. I can understand why you have all been searching for explanations of that defeat ever since, because it does seem incredible. I don't happen to accept your explanations, but that is beside the point. The point is that you lost."

"Yes." It was too astonishing; at long last, East and West were in accord on the meaning of words.

"Now you say that you want to return to the past; you want Partition. So, in fact you say, let us forget that war we started, and the defeat, and, after all, we think Partition is a good, sensible idea. Please answer me this, which is what I must, know. If the position were reversed, if the Jews had started the war and lost it, if you had won the war, would you now accept Partition? Would you give up part of the country and allow the 650,000 Jewish residents of Palestine -who had fled from the war--to come back?"

"Certainly not," he said, without an instant's hesitation. "But there would have been no Jewish refugees. They had no place to go. They would all be dead or in the sea."

He had given me the missing clue. The fancy word we use nowadays is "empathy"--entering into the emotions of others. I had appreciated and admired individual refugees but realized I had felt no blanket empathy for the Palestinian refugees, and finally I knew why--owing to this nice, gray-haired schoolteacher. It is hard to sorrow for those who only sorrow over themselves. It is difficult to pity the pitiless. To wring the heart past all doubt, those who cry aloud for justice must be innocent. They cannot have wished for a victorious rewarding war, blame everyone else for their defeat, and remain guiltless. Some of them may be unfortunate human beings, and civilization would collapse (as it notoriously did in Nazi Germany) if most people did not naturally move to help their hurt fellow men. But a profound difference exists between victims of misfortune (there, but for the grace of God, go I) and victims of injustice. My empathy knew where it stood, thanks to the schoolteacher.

"Do you follow the Eichmann trial?" I asked. An Arabic daily paper, weeklies, and radio station thrive in Israel.

"Yes. Every day." He wrinkled his nose with disgust.

"Do you not imagine that all the Jews in Israel believe this massacre of their people could have been prevented if the Jews had had a homeland to escape to? Don't you think that they knew,, also, what you just said: there would have been no Jewish refugees from here--they would be dead or in the sea? Doesn't that perhaps explain them to you a little?"

He shrugged, he smiled; with these gestures he tacitly admitted the point, but it was of minor importance.

This is a brilliant observation. The Palestinian Arabs (who, for the most part in 1961 were living better lives than other Arabs due to the UNRWA and US aid) didn't want justice - they wanted to see all the Jews dead. When they whine about "justice" what they really mean is "give us everything we demand and ask nothing in return." In their mindset, they have no blame, no guilt, no shame - everything is always the Other's fault.

This is not only a Palestinian Arab trait - it is universal among Arabs. The Arabs, by their nature, seem to feel that they deserve everything and no one else deserves anything. You will not see Arab charities giving aid to non-Arabs or non-Muslims. You will not see them say that the Jews (or Kurds...) have a right to live in peace in their own country. What few concessions some of them may have made towards the West have been out of political necessity, never out of a true belief that these concessions were the right thing.

The absolute lack of Arab empathy is the key reason why true peace is illusory. Without empathy you cannot even begin to see how the other side thinks; you cannot even begin to come up with an equitable solution. The entire Arab point of view is not one based on a win/win or an accommodation, it is based on the pure selfishness that is a component of the inability to empathize.

How can two sides come to an agreement when one side has no ability to think past his own self?

Another section later in the article, starting with a conversation with her Israeli Jewish driver:

"What's the matter, Nissim?"
"Nothing. What the children say."

"You mean just now, shouting?"

"Yes. They say: 'Where you going, bastard? I spit on you.'"

What for, I thought, what for, and will it never stop?
"Do you hate the Arabs, Nissim?"

"No. Of course no."

"Why not?"

"What is the good of hate?"

What indeed? Arabs gorge on hate, they roll in it, they breathe it. Jews top the hate list, but any foreigners are hateful enough. Arabs also hate each other, separately and, en masse. Their politicians change the direction of their hate as they would change their shirts. Their press is vulgarly base with hate-filled cartoons; their reporting describes whatever hate is now uppermost and convenient. Their radio is a long scream of hate, a call to hate. They teach their children hate in school. They must love the taste of hate; it is their daily bread. And what good has it done them?

This week's episode of Saudi Vice

In this week's episode of Saudi Vice...

Muslims like to point out that in Mecca, it doesn't matter what race you belong to or what country you are from; there is a beautiful feeling of unity with all other Muslims worldwide for the pilgrims who travel there from near and far. As Ummah.net describes it:

Although Makkah is always filled with visitors, pilgrims wear special clothes: simple garments which strip away distinctions of class and culture, so that all stand equal before God.
Peace is the dominant theme. Peace with Allah, with one's soul, with one another, with all living creatures. To disturb the peace of anyone or any creature in any shape or form is strictly prohibited.
Muslims from all walks of life, from every corner of the globe assemble in in response to the call of Allah. There is no royalty, but there is loyalty of all to Allah, the Creator....It is also to remember the great assembly of the Day of Judgement when people will stand equal before Allah.

A group of eight pilgrims from the US and Britain of Iraqi descent visited Mecca last week with the intention of participating in this holy rite where all are equal before Allah.

But they were Shi'ite.

When they tried to perform a Shi'a - flavored version of the holy ritual while circling the holy Kaaba stone, they were arrested by our heroes, the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

As was described by an infidel newspaper:

“While in police custody we were handcuffed and savagely beaten with chairs, bats, sticks, shoes and police radio communication devices,” 24-year-old pilgrim Amir Taki said.

He said they were refused food, water, medicine and access to toilets. One was told they would be “killed and thrown to the dogs”.

The group, aged between 16 and 26, said they were not allowed to contact their embassies or relatives.

However, using a cell phone hidden by one of the pilgrims, they were able to contact family members and were released after intervention from the embassies.

The Shi'ite infidels may have won this round, but the Commission (known as the Muttawa) will be ever vigilant to make sure that the sanctity and holiness of Mecca is unsullied by the infidels again.

Last week's episode is here.

Watching the Watchers

For the past two weeks, posts of mine have been nominated to the weekly Watcher of Weasels list of the best posts of the week (for non-Council members.) While I didn't win. I didn't expect to - when up against serious heavyweights from serious on-line sources and authors like Newsweek or Michael Totten.

Thanks to Soccer Dad who nominated me and to those who voted for me or just read the nominated articles: the article I wrote on the "Grim Milestone" (which has to date received roughly 5000 hits) and "The Extremism and Bigotry of PA 'Moderates' " from last week.

Mustafa Barghouti condemns Jews daring to stay alive

From Arutz-7:

Shortly after 11 AM not far from the Old City of Jerusalem's Jaffa Gate, an Arab terrorist grabbed the gun of a guard in a building belonging to Yeshivat Ateret Cohanim. The Arab managed to shoot at the legs of the guard, while another guard opened fire and killed the Arab. Nine other passersby were hurt in the incident as well, some by bullet grazings and others as they fell while running away. The guard and two passersby sustained moderate wounds.

So of course, we need to hear from "Dr." Mustafa Barghouti, one of the more moderate members of the PA government (autotranslated from Palpress:)

MP Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary General of the National Initiative, denounced the Israeli crime perpetrated by a Jewish extremist (this) afternoon, and led to the martyrdom of the Palestinian people and injuring eleven others wounded in the old town of Jerusalem.

Al-Barghouthi feet to guard Jewish extremist killed in a Palestinian neighborhood of Jerusalem Christians and wounded 11 others suffered light to moderate volume and the viciousness of the Israeli crimes and shed Palestinian blood on the hands of the occupation.

You see, according to our allies in the PA that we are giving millions of dollars to, the Jewish guard should have just let himself be killed. This is considered the natural order in the Arab world - Jews cower in fear for their Arab superiors and they are forbidden to do anything to defend themselves. If, Allah forbid, they actually try to stop themselves from being murdered in cold blood, then they are clearly violating the rules that have been passed down in Arab tradition from time immemorial.

Thus we have the conflict in a nutshell. Even the most moderate, anti-corruption, educated, suit-clad Palestinian Arab will never allow any Jews to live in a position of power in the Middle East if he can help it. They claim that every Jewish activity is offensive - building a wall, immigrating, building a synagogue - every single activity that is not done from a position of dhimmitude is automatically deserving of condemnation. The very existence of guards to protect Jews in Jerusalem is thoroughly offensive to these bigots.

They would much prefer to see all the Jews slaughtered, because that would herald a return to the good old days of Muslim rule.

These are the people we are showering with millions of dollars because of their moderation, pragmatism and pro-Western thinking.

Moderate PA tortures Hamas member to death in prison

You will no doubt have noticed the screaming headlines worldwide condemning Mahmoud Abbas for allowing torture in his prisons. But in the tiny chance you missed them, here are the details:

Hamas have said that Palestinian security sources in the West Bank have confirmed the death of a Hamas member they claim was tortured in a Palestinian security prison.

Twenty-two-year-old Mou'aiad Bani Odeh in an Israeli hospital, from Tamon in the north of the West Bank Tobas, died in an Israeli hospital after he was transferred from Al Junied Jail in Nablus.

The Palestinian media centre said that according to Palestinian sources, "Bani Odeh died after he was severely tortured in Al Junied Jail, which is run by the Palestinian Authority.

Bani Odeh's family are blaming the Palestinian security services for their son's death.

In a news conference Hamas said that this is an example of the torture their members are facing in Palestinian Authority jails.

The PalArab self-death count rises to 505 for the year.

UPDATE: It was apparently a fake-out; Fatah put the man on TV and he claimed he was a Hamas member and a collaborator with the Shin Bet. Back down to 504.

Hollywood takes honor killing out of movie; leaves in anti-semitism

An amazing article from Debbie Schlussel.

As Robert Avrech points out, Hollywood producers don't have to worry about being killed when they bash Jews or Christians. The crude Muslim version of censorship - claim "Islamophobia" while subtly hinting that violence may happen to break out and threaten the set or the producer - works quite well, even in America.

The 6000 stranded PalArabs are down to 30 Hamas members

Remember the 6000 Arabs stranded in Rafah because the EU no longer monitored that crossing from Egypt to Israel? The PalArabs, especially Hamas, whined incessantly about the humanitarian crisis, about how they were sick and dying, and how Israel must open that crossing point.

Israel, meanwhile, made a deal with Egypt for them to cross through Israel into Gaza, and over the past week, that's what has been happening.

Now there are only 30 left - all of them refusing to go to Gaza because they know Israel will arrest them as being terrorists:

ARISH, Egypt -- The last batch of 6,000 Palestinians stranded in Egypt since Hamas took control of Gaza in June returned home Thursday, leaving behind 30 Hamas supporters who cannot travel via Israel.

The final group of 400 Palestinians crossed the Oja (Nizana) checkpoint, near the divided town of Rafah on the Egypt-Gaza border, before continuing to Gaza via the Jewish state, a Palestinian source at the border said.

Rafah, the usual crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, has been closed since Hamas militants violently took over the territory June 15, stranding thousands in dire conditions in the Egyptian desert.

"These 30 Palestinians would rather stay in Egypt until the Rafah terminal is opened, and they refuse to cross via Oja," an Egyptian border source said. "They know they're down as belonging to or sympathizing with Hamas and fear being arrested by the Israeli authorities," he said.

"They don't have any choice but to wait for the Rafah crossing point to open, because either they're wanted by Israel or because the Zionist enemy won't allow them in," Hamas MP Moushir Masri said Tuesday.

"We demand that the Rafah crossing point be opened and reject any Israeli involvement" in controlling who crosses, said Masri, himself stranded in Egypt.

When open, Rafah is operated in close cooperation by Egypt, European Union monitors, Israel, and the Palestinians, and can be closed if any one party refuses to participate.

Here we have a classic case of erstwhile "leaders" of Palestinian Arabs who are willing to allow thousands of their people to suffer for their cause. Hamas did everything they could to not allow the stranded people to come to Gaza - and they continue to blame Israel, when the hated Zionist entity worked so hard to help out the Palestinian Arabs stuck in the desert.

Once again, Israel shows more concern for the welfare and well-being of Palestinian Arabs than their own leaders do.

Once again, Israel was vindicated in its reasoning of why the Rafah crossing needed to be monitored to begin with - because known, wanted terrorists were freely crossing between Gaza and the rest of the world via Egypt.

And once again, a few weeks ago the world media had a field day with suffering PalArabs that could (erroneously) be blamed on Israel, but now when Israel helps those people despite their own leaders' objections and Hamas is still fuming that their human pawns have disappeared, the story is almost impossible to find.

UPDATE: Look how the Palestinian Arab English propaganda press is spinning this story to make Israel look as bad as possible. Orwell is alive and well at IMEMC.org.

Hamas blaming internal fighting deaths on Israel?

The Palestine Press Agency, which is rabidly pro-Fatah, anti-Hamas but also rabidly anti-Israel, is reporting that Hamas is hiding deaths from internal clashes and then, if any Israeli activities happen anywhere in Gaza, they claim the deaths came from Israel.

I'm still on the fence about how accurate Palpress.com is, but on the other hand it is clear from many examples that there is no independent press in the PA that is willing to report objectively about Hamas because of death threats against reporters and a general atmosphere of intimidation (the public relations director of Shifa Hospital, who said that medical supplies in Gaza were running low, was arrested overnight by Hamas.)

My working policy on counting PalArabs being killed by PalArabs is that if the news source mentions names, I regard it as legitimate. And this story names the victims. Also, one of the commenters corroborates that Hamas indeed does things like this. On the other hand, the IDF does confirm that they killed two armed men in Gaza yesterday and then Hamas announced that they were Hamas members, and named them.

The auto-translation is a little difficult but this is interesting:

Sources close to Hamas martyrs of the Qassam Hamas claimed today cites the impact of a military confrontation with the Zionist occupation forces were only two dead fell following internal clashes occurred yesterday between leaders of the executive power lawless and banned street Palestinian Qassam around Disagreement over the loot that had been looted from the headquarters of the Palestinian National Authority in the wake of the bloody coup carried out by Hamas against the organs and the PA offices and the two deceased were killed in the west of Gaza City supporters.

The same sources "that the two deceased were Fadi Fawaz Arkic 22 general, Mohamed Subhi Batunaiji 24, both from the Shajaiyeh neighborhood east of Gaza, Hamas has had to transfer their bodies to a nearby site of the Al-Mintar and conceal the fate of deaths for fear of detection daily crimes occurring between gangs and Qassam militia force operational sharing the Palestinian people and the property sold and divert funds to personal accounts.

The source continued that the Qassam Brigades took Bomb occupation soldiers mortar, which is the first time the bombing by Hamas rallies after the coup on the Israeli Palestinian legitimacy and to work to lure the occupation forces to respond to the bombing scene to show picture engineered by Hamas that targeted or killed in military operation against the Israeli occupation forces.

The source confirmed that the explosion which occurred near the towers of Sheikh Zayed northern Gaza days ago, which claimed the lives of the family Zulkiparneh Tefilin is the result of leaving the Hamas elements of explosive devices and ready-Bina children, which exploded after tampering (packaging belonging to Hamas)

This is known that Hamas had lied to the methods and falsifying many to justify its crimes against our people growing in the Gaza Strip, and the sons of the Fatah movement in particular.

And the commenter adds:

God give wrong evil-doers ... that the statement in the news is true ..

And I live very close to the compound supporters and the Office brother President Abu Mazen and heard heavy firing light and medium weapons and was clear that the clash lasted about a quarter of an hour and saw many ambulances and heard many screams in the place .. and assured me that there were dead and wounded the day before yesterday I met one of the businesses in the ER section of Shifa Hospital, told me that he had seen the dead and wounded .. When asked by a member of the so-called operational reason, I keep silent answer is not to do with you .. and this happened last Sunday evening, and God on what to say a martyr ... and that the firm also of those killed yesterday allegedly at the al-Mantar crossing is not right, did not kill them

There were killed because of missing two days before the announcement of the killing, and this Aydhahussb many of the witnesses and relatives Alkateliokadd heard this from some of their relatives ... have revealed all their papers and found enclosed in their misrepresentations and deceit everyone I, Banat Hamas for what God .. unmasking them violin and violin .

I knew the violins were important!

In the light of the IDF statement, I will not count these - I can't see how Hamas could fake the deaths of two already-dead people. In all likelihood, Palpress.com is not adhering to any journalistic standards in its anti-Hamas zeal and is willing to believe anything.

Even so, it is interesting that there are a couple of photos of the dead PalArabs - in Hamas colors - but no omnipresent wire service photos of grieving relatives at those two funerals.

Now, Olmert is alienating American Jewish donors

I've heard of tone-deafness, but this is ridiculous:

By Brad A. Greenberg, Staff Writer

[JERUSALEM, Aug. 8] "You are not to directly quote the prime minister," Ehud Olmert's press handler told a group of American Jewish journalists I've been traveling with this week.

This directive came as we sat in a conference room in the leader of Israel's Jerusalem offices. It seemed a ridiculous request, but the prime minister's fears made more sense once the meeting was over.

When Olmert walked confidently into the conference room, he shook some hands, said 'Shalom' and posed for a photo with a few journalists. Dressed in a navy suit and red tie, he sat tall, speaking in fluent English as he cracked jokes and invited our questions -- and that's when the meeting went south.

Asked about the hundreds of millions of dollars sent by American Jews to help Israel during and after last summer's war with Hezbollah, Olmert responded that the donations were very important -- but not necessary.

If a giver wants to give and the receiver wants to get, Olmert said, God bless that situation.

And as we've seen this week, God -- or human resourcefulness -- has blessed a quick reconstruction of northern Israel. But Olmert's comments seemed particularly ungrateful because he spoke not only to the American journalists, but also to some top officials of the United Jewish Communities (UJC).

Through the UJC's Israel Emergency Campaign last summer, North American federations sent $360 million to Israel. UJC is also the sponsor of this media trip, which was designed to show reporters and editors how American donations have been used. UJC officials have shuttled our group, including editors and writers from major Jewish publications in Washington, New York, Philadelphia and L.A., to show us the pain inflicted by war.

They arranged this forum with the prime minister to allow him to speak to the most philanthropic Diaspora community -- and this is what he says?

...Olmert has been heavily criticized for myriad mistakes in last summer's war, and even now, 12 months after the ceasefire, he appears oblivious to the situation on the ground.

I've spent the past three days in Northern Israel, near Haifa, Nahariya, the Galilee - and most everyone I've met has talked at some length about the lingering and traumatic affects of having been bombarded by Katyusha rockets for 34 days last summer.

Take, for instance, Shiri Havkin, who lives in the town of Rosh Pina. Havkin runs a small business, Drora's Herb Farm, out of her home; it was started by her mother, the Israeli singer Drora Havkin, and the younger Havkin took over when her mother died in 1995. She nearly lost it all last summer when tourism stopped -- her savings shriveled and she bounced so many checks the bank froze her activity.

She only stayed afloat thanks to a low-interest loan from a small-business development center that was supported by UJC. Another war, though, might be enough for Havkin to give up on the Galilee.

"If there will be another war, I will have to sell my house," she said. "I'm sorry to say but I cannot stand another war."

Olmert dismissed such sentiments as isolated and insignificant.

There is no trauma, he said: Nothing is collapsing; the north is booming; income is higher than ever; employment is higher than ever.

And, in fact, his claims are partially true. Israel's economy is once again going gangbusters. People have returned to the north, and the most visible remnants of war are a few blackened trees on the hillsides close to the border. Nahariya's streets and boardwalk are filled day and night with young revelers.

But that doesn't account for the emotional wreckage inside many Israelis.

Numerous psychologists and social workers told our group that post-traumatic stress disorder is a public-health crisis in northern Israel. Rami Benbenishty of Hebrew University said he'd found that 10 percent to 11 percent of children in Nahariya are in "critical, immediate need" of psychological treatment. They suffer not from war fatigue, but concussion paranoia. Debilitating fear is literally a sneeze away for some.

But what did the leader of Israel say when told many psychologists would not agree with his analysis of how war has affected his citizens?

He said it was time to change the psychologist.

We've seen leaders in history who didn't care about what their people thought. We've seen leaders who felt that they knew what was best for the nation in the face of facts and reason. We've seen leaders who spat in the face of their citizens when they pointed out the problems.

But I am not aware of any democracy that has ever had a leader who acted with such smugness, such dismissiveness, when his approval rating was in the single digits. The disconnect between what is in Olmert's head and reality is a gaping canyon. And yet, because of the peculiarities of Israel's parliamentary system, he has no reason to fear being voted out any time soon - by which time the amount of damage he can do to Israel is unimaginable.

Olmert is now acting as a king, not a servant of the people. And his reign is not just a mistake - it is a catastrophe.

UPDATE: See this article at Human Events.

Ahmadinejad: Newscasters' "holy war" - plus why censorship is important to Iran

See how objective Iranian news is?

IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Wednesday during his visit to the country's official news agency, IRNA, "Today our duty is proper informing to enable the people to adopt proper decisions."

Addressing IRNA staff, the president added, "Your mission for proper and in time news dissemination is a sacred one, and you should with your strong will push aside the oppressors' news networks." He reiterated, "The oppressors' front takes advantage of news and information dissemination at the service of inducting their policies and their programs in the hearts and minds of the world nations." According to IRNA Political Desk, Ahmadinejad who was visiting IRNA on the occasion of Iran's Reporters Day, added, "Today, proper information dissemination equals presence at the frontline of a holy war to liberate the mankind, and a liberating confrontation." He added, "The reporters are precious assets of our nation and revolution, and the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) has qualified personnel at its disposal that are valuable assents for our nation and our revolution."

He added, "We need to take advantage of the idealist, brave, and pious reporters, analysts, and professional news people, and the country's information dissemination networks as a huge capital, in order to enter the international scenes."

Ahmadinejad referring to the psychological war launched by the world oppressors media through news making, said, "Today the entire media, news agencies, news production and newspapers of the country must leave their defensive status and let the world nations hear the message of divine messengers of God, and the message of mankind's grandeur."
He added, "Today the oppressors' front tries to keep the people under the influence of inappropriate news dissemination, but when some of these people travel to Iran they experience a great mental evolution."

The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran emphasized, "One of the reasons why US is opposed to the visits of American nationals to Iran is that they have been bombarding our nation with their news weapons, and when they visit Iran and witness the cheerful people, or the advancement and positive developments in Iran, their viewpoints on Iran are altered."
Ahmadinejad referred to the point that the oppressors news agencies, resorting to words, report the news on criminal acts of the Zionist regime in a way that the oppressors are introduced as the oppressed, and vice versa. He reiterated, "The majority of the public that are not opposed to hearing the truth, when they are exposed to proper news dissemination find their proper way, and today our duty in the world is proper news dissemination."

Elsewhere in his remarks the president stressed the need to broadcast "useful news" in the country, arguing, "There might be lots of news that are authentic, but they should not be broadcasted, because they would disturb the peace of mind of the society." Stressing that we are not pro-censorship, Ahmadinejad said, "Censorship was invented by those who also devise standards for news dissemination, defining the news and the reporters in a way to match their standards and propagate their policies in the world." Addressing the IRNA reporters, he said, "My dear fellows, you shoulder a heavy responsibility today, because news work and news dissemination is a divine occupation, and the job of holy prophets." The president emphasized, "If we are to be witness to the occurrence of a positive event, we need to remember that one of the main pillars for it is proper news dissemination."

Ahmadinejad added, "You should know that your message is the message of divine prophets, the message of real liberation, justice, brotherhood, love, and kindness."

Dutch MP calls for banning the Koran

Get ready for more deadly riots...

The leader of the Netherlands' right-wing Freedom Party, Geert Wilders, has called for a ban on the sale and distribution of the Qur'an. He would also outlaw the book’s use in the mosque and at home. Mr Wilders says the Qur'an (Koran) is a fascist book which promotes violence and is similar to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

Geert Wilders with finger raised

In a letter-to-the-editor in today’s de Volkskrant newspaper, Wilders argues that the Qur'an should only be permitted for research at an academic level.

However, the MP - who is known for his controversial statements about Islam - says he knows his proposal doesn’t stand a chance of being approved by parliament. His Freedom Party has nine seats in the 150-seat Dutch lower house of parliament.
A warning
Geert Wilders says he wants his proposal to serve as a warning to radical Muslims who misuse the Qur'an to justify the use of violence. His statement comes in response to the recent attacks on Ehsan Jami, founder of the Committee for Former Muslims. He says the perpetrators use the Qur'an as an excuse for the attacks. Wilders writes that“The book incites hatred and killing and therefore has no place in our legal order.”The jurist, commentator and co-member of the Committee for Former Muslims, Afshin Ellian also thinks that the Qur'an “possesses extremely violent passages with regard to women, Jews and non-believers”. However, he is against a ban. Mr Ellian says you should take measures against the people who abuse the Qur'an, not the book itself:

“It’s a religious book which of course can be read and discussed. What we really should fight are the radical imams and mosques which use the Qur'an to spread hatred. We must take firmer measures against them.”

Hitler
Geert Wilders compares the Qur'an with Mein Kampf, which was written by Adolf Hitler in 1924. In his book, Hitler explained his theories about National Socialism, anti-Semitism and the superiority of the Aryan race.

The sale of Mein Kampf is outlawed in the Netherlands, but owning or trading old copies is permitted. However, Mr Wilders’ proposal to ban the Qur'an is more drastic than the ban on Mein Kampf because it would also outlaw the possession of the book.

Hamas: Early release for prisoners who memorize Koran

From Ma'an:

Gaza – Ma'an – The administration of Gaza's central jail, As Saraya, which is controlled by the Hamas-operated Executive Forces, announced on Tuesday that it will reduce any prisoner's sentence by one year if they are able to memorise five parts of the holy Qu'ran.

The director of the prison complex, Abu Al Hamid, affirmed that he wants to encourage the prisoners to learn the Koran by heart.

The Executive Force's website reported that Al Hamid has formed a committee that will monitor the prisoners' progress.

The EF has been in control of the complex after Hamas established control over the Gaza Strip. Since then, at least 850 prisoners are said to have escaped.

Presumably, the escaped prisoners already knew the Koran by heart so it is all good.

3500 Hamas terrorists "accidently" got paid

Looks like life in Gaza just got a lot easier - if you are a murderous thug dedicated to wiping out all Jewish existence from the Middle East:

A well-informed source in Ramallah confirmed that the new Palestinian ministry of finance in the caretaker government mistakenly transferred one year's salary to 3,500 members of Hamas' Executive Force in the Gaza Strip.

The source added "it was a mistake in the computer, as the Fatah employees were surprised that their salaries were not transferred to the banks in Gaza, but the salaries of the EF were."

Ma'an's correspondent in Gaza confirmed that Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's government paid not just one month of the salaries; but an entire year's earnings.

Spokesperson of the Executive Force, Sabir Khalifa, confirmed to Ma'an that 3,500 members of the force received salaries for 12 months. He added that it is almost half of the force that received their salaries.

Khalifa said "this is an official recognition from [Palestinian President] Abbas and Fayyad that the force is legitimate and legal."

The remainder of the EF, who did not receive their salaries, said that half of the force received a grant from deposed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. The unpaid force members said that they expect that they will be paid by Haniyeh's government in the future.

The best numbers I can find for average PA worker salary is about $375 a month.

This means that nearly $16 million just got transferred from the EU and USA-funded PA coffers to Hamas.

Given that there have been consistent reports of attempts to bring Hamas back into the PA, one may very well wonder how "accidental" this "computer error" was.

UPDATE: Pro-Hamas Palestine Today claims that it was no mistake and Fayyad meant to pay Hamas for past paychecks, and they claim that a Fatah official confirmed it.

No violins in Islam

The BBC published an article about life in Gaza. One of the interviews was very interesting:

I lead a group of 26 musicians - we play traditional Palestinian music. But for the last two months we haven't been able to work.

This group, Hamas, believe they are the leaders of Islam. The violin, piano, flute, all these instruments are banned. Only the drum is allowed. They say any other instrument is not mentioned in the Koran.

Hamas have already beaten one of my singers for singing for Fatah.

Far be it from me to try to interpret the Koran. But if Hamas says that believing Muslims must stay away from anything not mentioned in the Koran, may I suggest a few other things that would also be haraam:

AK-47s
Bomb belts
"Homemade" rockets
The Internet
Electricity
Gasoline
Jerusalem

Better be careful. Allah knows best.

Bat Mitzvah girl donates $100K for playground in Israel

This is amazing:

Samantha Resnick had only one item on her bat mitzva wish list. Unlike most girls her age, who cross their fingers for anything in a powder-blue Tiffany's box, Resnick set her sights on something a bit bigger than a ribbon fit around: $100,000 worth of donations to build a brand-new playground in Israel.
About a year-and-a-half before Resnick's bat mitzva, her father, Josh, sat his precocious, curly-haired daughter down for a talk.
"I said 'You've always had everything you've needed and you've also had everything you've ever wanted. Do you really want people to buy gifts for you or do you want to do something special for kids in Israel?'"
Without a moment's pause, Resnick agreed to the idea. "I was really proud of her," said Josh.
Over 500 friends and relatives received an unusual invitation for Resnick's bat mitzva last September: Included in the envelope was a small card requesting that donations be made to the Jewish National Fund (JNF) in lieu of gifts. Every family invited to the event contributed to assemble one of the largest bar or bat mitzva donations the JNF has ever received.
On Monday, in Israel for the first time, Resnick and her parents formally opened the playground that is attached to Sapir Park in the Arava Valley. The playground is designed to accommodate children who have special needs alongside those who do not.
Resnick, whose mother, Debbie, is a language and hearing therapist in the Pittsburgh public school system, explained why it was important to her to include special-needs children in the project.
"I feel so upset when you see all these kids playing and a mentally challenged kid is left out," she said. "You see them thinking 'I wish I could go and play, too.'"
Though content to be a 14-year-old philanthropist for the moment, Resnick has plans to expand the park.
"I want it to be huge," she said, adding that she hopes to emulate a park near her own home in Fox Chapel near Pittsburgh. She described her dream park with the matter-of-fact certainty of being a kid who knows exactly what a kid would want. "There's a slide of course, because everyone loves slides... and there are tire swings because I wanted to bring some stuff from America."

I'm getting Instalanched

Instapundit's Glenn Reynolds picked up on the "grim milestone" of 500 PalArab self-deaths I've counted this year.

So have Soccer Dad, Meryl Yourish, Yid with Lid, Boker Tov Boulder, Daled Amos, Seraphic Secret, Fiery Spirited Zionist, Discarded Lies and Protein Wisdom.

But in the hour since Glenn Reynolds posted his link, I've gotten about 1200 hits - and he only posted it an hour ago.

Welcome to all the new people visiting - I hope you get a chance to check out some of my other postings!

Today's morality news from Iran

From AKI: (h/t Dhimmi Watch)

Tehran, 7 August (AKI) - Iran stepped up its moralisation campaign this week with the arrest of 17 teenagers aged between 13 and 17 years of age at a birthday party in Tehran.

It is the latest arrest in a controversial campaign ordered by president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and enforced by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

The United Nation's children's fund, UNICEF, immediately expressed concern about the arrests of nine males and eight females - all minors - who have been accused of "promiscuity", "alcohol use", and "dressing indecently".

The adolecents, being held at the court's discretion, could be sentenced to three years' jail, a police spokesman said.

In Iran young people are considered adults from the age of 15 and therefore legally punishable.

At Kerman, in western Iran, local police announced the imminent execution of 12 "hoodlums" arrested with another 186 people during the last four months.

None of the 12 sentenced have been accused of serious crimes.

"These hoodlums have committed crimes from alcohol consumption to the molestation of women," a police spokesman said.

The arrests are part of a nationwide moralisation campaign which began in Iran in May.

During the first three months of the campaign, 2,500 businesses were reportedly closed down for allowing men and women to mix freely, 8,000 people were arrested for "offending public morals" and almost 63,000 women were stopped by police for allegedly breaching the Islamic dress code.

Ya gotta hand it to the mullahs - they really understand the importance of being immoral in the pursuit of "morality."

Iran rejoicing over US weapons sales to Arab states

From Iran Press Service:

Paris, 7 Aug. (IPS) Not only Iran must not be afraid of the big sale of American weapons to the Arab regimes of the Middle East, but it must rejoice, as they would end up in the hands of Muslim fundamentalists whom Iran is the main supporter.
This prediction was made by Mr. Hoseyn Shari’atmadari, an influential journalist regarded as the senior mouthpiece of Ayatollah Ali Khameneh’i and an ardent advocate of the “offensive policy” adopted by the fanatic Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadi Nezhad.

Iran has no reason to feel concerned about the planned arms sale to Arab countries by the United States.
“One must consider the sale of American weapons to the Arab countries as a good omen, a divine gift offered to the Muslim fundamentalists by their enemies”, Mr. Shari’atmadari, a high-ranking intelligence officer appointed by the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran as Chief Editor of the radical daily “Keyhan”.

The article, published on 4 August and signed by was referring to the 20 billions US Dollars military hardware and package to Saudi Arabia and another 10 billions to the other members of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council that comprises, besides Saudi Arabia, the Island of Bahrain, oil rich Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman.

Speaking of Qatar, Hamas leader Haniyeh praised that nation today for continuing to support Hamas after its split with Fatah.

Yup, they are a great nation to send weapons to.

Meanwhile, Iran is a little impatient waiting for US jets to land on its doorstep, so it has built its own homegrown fighter jet.

2 children killed in Gaza. Let the lies begin!

From Ma'an:

Gaza – Ma'an – Palestinian child, Hala Wael Abdalah, aged 7, and her brother, Islam, aged 9, were killed in an explosion on Tuesday morning in a housing estate, in the An Nada area of the northern Gaza Strip.

Eight others were injured in the incident.

The cause of the explosion has not been verified.

Palestinian medical sources from Kamal Adwan Hospital said that Hala arrived dead, with her body severely burnt and in pieces. Her brother, Islam, died shortly after arriving at hospital.

Ma'an contacted local residents in the area to decipher the cause of the incident. Many said they believe it was a Palestinian homemade projectile, launched by one of the factions and targeting Israel, which landed in the area and killed the two children.

None of the factions have as yet announced responsibility for launching the projectile.

A leader within the Palestinian resistance commented on Ma'an's report of the death of the children. He said "the investigation of the resistance revealed that the explosion resulted from an unexploded rocket, launched by the Israelis."

He added "the rocket was found by the children and while they were playing with it, it exploded and caused the disaster."

YNet has a different spin:

Witnesses said a group of children stumbled upon a homemade rocket or a mortar shell and began playing with it. The device exploded, injuring all seven children, two of whom died later of their wounds.

The area is a frequent launching pad for gunmen who fire rockets toward Israel.
No Palestinian group blamed the IDF for the explosion.

All evidence, including within the Ma'an article, is that this was a PalArab rocket and not an Israeli one. But how does Ma'an headline the article?

"Unexploded Israeli rocket detonates killing two children in Gaza."

Thus solidifying the fact that even the most unbiased Palestinian Arab news source is, in fact, incredibly biased. Or at the very least that the many Hamas threats against journalists is being taken very seriously and is affecting how the news is being reported out of Gaza.

The PalArab self-death count is now at 503.

UPDATE: This has been a banner day for PalArab kids, as a 13-year old gets killed by some other kids while on a fishing trip near Nablus. I guess when everyone has a gun, some of them might be discharged. 504.

UK: Violent anti-semitic attackers avoid jail

From Totally Jewish: (h/t zionist spy)

The Jewish community has accused the courts of not taking anti-semitism seriously after three teenagers escaped prison for attacking and threatening to kill two yeshiva students.

Two men aged 18 and 19 were given suspended sentences and a 17-year-old was handed a curfew and community service at Bolton Crown Court on Monday after pleading guilty to racially aggravated assault.

The teenagers initially pleaded not guilty at Bolton Magistrates Court last October when accused of attacking two 17-year-olds in Bury New Road, Prestwich, on 8 June 2006. But they changed their plea when appearing at the Crown Court this week.

The court heard that the defendants shouted anti-semitic abuse at the students as they walked home, telling them, “you are going to die tonight”. One victim received a broken tooth and needed 23 staples in his head after being hit with a metal bar by one of the attackers while the others kicked him while he was on the floor. The other victim was left with a pain in the leg.

The 19-year-old was given a 12-month youth offender’s sentence, suspended for two years, a 12-month supervision order and 200 hours unpaid community service. The 18-year-old was given eight months in a young offenders institute, suspended for two years and the 17-year-old received a 12-month community rehabilitation order.

Jewish leaders and MPs have condemned the verdict claiming it sends out ‘entirely the ‘wrong message’ about anti-semitism.

I'm sure that the court felt that it was partially the yeshiva students' fault, for walking around so provocatively wearing yarmulkas. It's almost as if they were asking for it.

It's OK - Olmert doesn't care about Christian feelings either

For all Jews who are insulted that Ehud Olmert is amazingly inconsiderate about the strong feelings that Jews have towards Hebron and other Jewish holy places, and that he appears to care more about pleasing Arab Muslims who want to see the entire Middle East to be Jew-free than about the citizens that he is supposed to be defending....

Don't worry; Olmert is equally inconsiderate about Christians.

One of the requests that Abbas made of Olmert today was to allow the terrorists who desecrated the Church of the Nativity in 2002 to return to the West Bank.

Abbas, according to sources in Olmert's office, called on the prime minister to release more security prisoners, beyond the 250 who were let go last month, and to allow the return of some 20 Palestinian gunmen who were deported in 2002 to Europe and the Gaza Strip after they holed up in Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity.
Olmert, again according to his office, said he would consider these requests. Abbas also asked him to remove checkpoints in the West Bank and to allow Palestinians more freedom of movement, something Olmert said he would discuss with the defense establishment.

While this news may be buried in the bottom of the Israeli news stories, it is at the top of the Palestinian Arab news articles.

As usual, the West completely misses the importance of symbolism to Arabs.

If Olmert allows the Church of the Nativity terrorists back into the West Bank, he is thinking like a Westerner - it is a small, almost meaningless price to pay for some pretense of an illusory "peace."

But to the Arabs, it means that the terrorists end up not being punished at all; their five years of exile were just a tiny blip in a worldview where perceived slights from the 15th century still rankle. It means that in yet another battle between the West and Islam, Islam has won. It means that Arabs can get away with demeaning the Christian religion with impunity.

Symbolic victories, to Arabs, are indistinguishable from real victories - the entire point of a battle is honor, and the honor that was temporarily lost by these terrorists being sent away will be restored, and then some. They will be hailed as heroes if they return to their old homes, and no Palestinian Arab would even consider denouncing them.

While they remain abroad, there is a small deterrent against PalArabs desecrating Christian holy places. As soon as they return, that disincentive disappears, and we can expect that next time there will be no hesitation in using priests and nuns as human shields, or using church grounds as weapons repositories. On the contrary - we can expect that the terrorists will be celebrated and cheered by the Arab masses.

Symbolism intersects with reality because PalArabs will react in real terms to symbols. The Western idea that symbols are not important does not work when dealing with people for whom symbols are of supreme importance. As a result, the enemies will always be emboldened and heartened by their symbolic victories, making it much harder for the civilized world to win the real war. Every Western concession to "peace" almost inevitably turns into a new weapon of war.

Too many times, we fall into the trap of not understanding the enemy.

Fayyad: 50,000 policemen but no security

Nothing that we didn't know, but:

The Palestinian Authority's security organizations are unable to assume security control of cities in the West Bank, Prime Minister Salam Fayad told senior Israeli officials during recent meetings. Fayad told Israeli officials that the PA's security forces are unable "to impose law and order in the West Bank at this time."

During meetings with senior Israeli officials, the interim Palestinian prime minister and his interior minister, Abd al-Razek al-Yihiya, made it clear that the PA's security cannot at this time assume control of West Bank cities. Among those to whom this message was conveyed recently was Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin.

Originally, Fayad and al-Yihiya made the transfer of some West Bank cities to PA security control one of their prime requests of Israel. Israel did not immediately reject the request, but asked that the PA security forces be prepared to take action against any militants who may try to carry out a terror attack against Israel from areas in which Israel would surrender security control.

However, Palestinian security commanders admitted before the PA leadership that their forces are not currently capable of preventing terrorist attacks against Israel, or, as Israel defines it, of "combatting terrorism."

Fayad told Israel that the PA's security forces are unable to "impose law and order in the West Bank at this time."

We've made fun of the pathetic Palestinian Arab police forces mercilessly in the past, but in the context of this story it is important to revisit the issue.

The PA is effectively a giant public works project, with the difference being that in real public works projects something gets accomplished. But in the PA, the people who are being paid by international funds are not building anything - they are just slapped with the name "policemen" and then they go back to whatever they were doing before, usually nothing but often moonlighting as terrorists. And more terrorists are joining all the time.

At least Fayyad is being honest, but where is the logical Western reaction? Why isn't the EU and the US going to Abbas and saying - OK, we've given you billions, why can't you have a police force that can do basic tasks, as was required by Oslo for 14 years?

A similar question can be asked as to why exactly the Palestinian Arabs, the group of people who support terrorism more than any other group on the planet, deserve a state to begin with? Unfortunately, when Israel's PM runs interference and supports the idea of a terror state "as quickly as possible" why should the West be more pro-Israel than Israel seems to be?

From the New York Post:

Activists with ties to the principal of the city's controversial new Arabic-themed school are hawking T- shirts that glorify Palestinian terror, The Post has learned.
The inflammatory tees boldly declare "Intifada NYC" - apparently a call for a Gaza-style uprising in the Big Apple.
The organization selling the shirts, Arab Women Active in Art and Media, shares office space on Brooklyn's Third Avenue with the Saba Association of American Yemenis.
Dhabah "Debbie" Almontaser, principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy - which is scheduled to open in Brooklyn next month - is a board member and spokeswoman for Saba.
Members of AWAAM refused to comment.
But Almontaser downplayed the significance of the T-shirts.
"The word [intifada] basically means 'shaking off.' That is the root word if you look it up in Arabic," she said.
"I understand it is developing a negative connotation due to the uprising in the Palestinian-Israeli areas. I don't believe the intention is to have any of that kind of [violence] in New York City.
"I think it's pretty much an opportunity for girls to express that they are part of New York City society . . . and shaking off oppression."
AWAAM's co-founders, Rama Kased and Mona Eldahry, are also active in the more militant pro-Palestinian group, al-Awda, whose main U.S. office is in California.
That organization, according to the Anti-Defamation League, is an active supporter of the terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas.

The principal is engaging in unbelievable sophistry when she says that the word "intifada" in the T-shirt has a peaceful meaning, given the al-Awda's history.

Her connection with terror may be tenuous but her refusing to denounce a transparent call for violence by her co-religionists make her a very, very poor choice for a public school principal - especially a public school that caters only to Arabs.
(h/t: Eye on the World and Hot Air)

Penmanship exercise in England praises Allah

From the Sun (UK):

ANGRY parents have blasted a teacher for telling ten-year-olds to copy a Muslim prayer saying “There is no God but Allah”.
Helen Green is said to have picked the Muslim call to prayer as HAND-WRITING practice.

It includes the lines “Allah is the greatest” and “I bear witness that there is no God but Allah”.

Pupil Billy Darbyshire’s stepmum Hayley Clayton said: “The explanation was that the children were learning about Islam in RE.

“But this was like he was taking an oath. A Muslim child would never be asked to write a Bible passage.

“Why didn’t she choose a passage from a normal story book to teach handwriting?”

Hayley, 23, said Mrs Green — deputy head of Newlands Primary School in Wakefield, West Yorks — had acknowledged it was a “sensitive issue” because three of the 7/7 suicide bombers came from Leeds, 15 miles away.

Freedom of the press, PalArab style (VII)

The series continues...

An Al-Hayat reporter in Gaza was threatened by Hamas for reporting stories unfavorable to the terrorist organization. Here's the autotranslated article from Al-Hayat al-Jadidah - the words "new life" are the autotranslation of "Al-Hayat al-Jadidah."

threatening anonymous claimed that Abu Ubaydah Hamas yesterday morning colleague journalist improve Astal immediately stop the publication of any news affecting the Hamas movement, stressing that the movement will not hesitate to Deter if he continued to disseminate lies, according related.

Astal said that the threat came against the backdrop of news bulletin Hamas attacks against the Fatah movement in Khan Yunis, the latest of which was the abduction and torture of leadership in the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Yousef Abu Sabha and his companions.

He pointed out that the related threatened to stop the introduction of the newspaper as well as the new life of the Beit Hanoun crossing that did not stop spreading lies, according to him, as well as directly threatened him, saying "We will Baltevgues in Btank that did not stop and consider this latest warning."

I wouldn't be too happy if someone threatened me with being Baltevguesed in my Btank, either.

The symbolism of Hebron

Once again, the Jews of Hebron are being threatened with expulsion - but, this is not 1929 and the ones who want the Jews out of Hebron are Jews.

Others are blogging about the incredible hostility in the media toward's Hebron's Jews, as well as the absurdity of 3,000 IDF soldiers planning to evict 2 Hebron Jewish families.

A couple of years ago, I wrote:

Hebron is the second-holiest city in Judaism. Morally, Jews should have the right to move there if they wish with no limitations. The ones that moved back to Hebron after 1967 were nothing short of heroic. There certainly has been friction between the Jews and Arabs of Hebron. Nevertheless, there is a huge symbolic importance to maintaining - and increasing - the Jewish areas of Hebron.

The Arabs understand the symbolism of Israel giving up on historically Jewish land. That is why they fight, beyond all logic, for the tiniest slivers of land, far beyond its useful value. That is why they never compromise on land. If there were no Jews there, they wouldn't care in the least - they do not fight because it is Arab land but because it is Jewish land.

When Israel gives away the indisputably Jewish parts of Israel, then it loses part of its character. Israel's claim to the land is not based only on logic, it is not based only on the law - it is based on emotions. When the Jewish state suppresses its emotions and its historic ties to the land in the name of an illusory "peace process" it loses far more than land. Emotions and symbols are important, and Israel is at a disadvantage because the world expects the Jews to be logical and Arabs emotional. Logical people can compromise, emotional people cannot. Hebron is not a logical issue.

Some things are worth fighting for, and Hebron is one of them.

PalArab technological innovation: explosive sheep

Never let it be said that the Palestinian Arabs are technologically backward. Innovation just oozes from the territories, if you know where to look.

An IDF force operating in the West Bank on Monday morning uncovered an explosive device weighing 40 kilograms (88 pounds), which was hidden inside the corpse of a sheep.

The soldiers were led to the device by a Palestinian terrorist who was arrested and questioned by the defense establishment.

According to intelligence information, military sources believe that the device, which was found on a road near the settlement of Elon Moreh, was slated to be used in a terror attack in one of the settlements in the area – Elon Moreh, Kedumim, Itamar or Bracha.

Exploding sheep has been a popular meme in the computer gaming community for years, and the earliest pop-culture reference to an exploding sheep seems to date from this Johnny Carson Carnac clip.

This attack may have been inspired by this fake ad for a New Zealand meat pie:

And this is not the first Palestinian Arab innovation in using animals for blowing up Jews. Donkeys have been the animal of choice up until now, as the Jersualem Post helpfully explains:

In 2003, a donkey rigged with explosives blew up as a bus passed on the road from Jerusalem to Gush Etzion, approximately 80 meters from a nearby IDF roadblock and the ascent to Har Gilo and Beit Jala on Sunday morning.
No one was wounded, though a bus passenger was treated for shock.
According to the army, a gas canister filled with explosives and metal rods was strapped to the donkey and a second, full of explosives, was placed next to it. The bombs were detonated simultaneously by two cellphones.
In the Gaza Strip in June 2001, a Palestinian drove a donkey cart laden with explosives toward a group of soldiers. At the last minute he jumped off the cart and detonated the bombs that exploded only partially. The cart had been loaded with four gas canisters, two mines, a bag of oil, and a bag of nails.
In January 2001, terrorists left a donkey cart laden with explosives unattended near the Netzarim junction. Soldiers fired at the cart, detonating the large amount of explosives and killing the donkey.
In June 1995, a Palestinian suicide bomber detonated a donkey-led cart rigged with explosives near an IDF base near Khan Yunis. No soldiers were wounded in the blast, but the Palestinian and the donkey were killed.

One must look at these incidents in context. After all, the jackasses at the Dubai-based Gulf News consider all of the thousands of terror attacks, including the innovative animal-based attacks, as evidence of the Arab world's desperate attempts to make peace with Israel (h/t Judeopundit at Soccer Dad):

Since 1991 the Arab world has been fixated on a peaceful Israel. For years, Arabs have been desperately waiting for Israel to give a nod of approval on accepting to live in peace with them.

You see? Arabs are so desperate for peace that they are willing to blow up their own animals for the cause! Every flying donkey kidney is nothing more than a cry for a more peaceful world.

This week's episode of Saudi Vice

In this week's episode of Saudi Vice....

Ibrahim Mohammed Lawal is a Nigerian student living in Saudi Arabia. He recently converted to Islam and he was enthusiastic about his new religion. He would spend time looking for ways to share his beliefs with others and to do good deeds.

He had a sickly 63-year old neighbor who needed help. Ibrahim tirelessly brought her to hospital after hospital, only to see her being rejected by all of them for treatment. He finally appealed to Sheikh Fawaz, director of Badiya Islamic Center, who took pity on the woman and admitted her.

This horrific behavior could not be condoned, and it was a stain on all believing Muslims and Saudis.

Thank Allah, the heroic Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice swooped in and arrested him, as he visited the apartment of the sick woman and checked up on her status with three other relatives who live there. They placed him and the three other women in jail, thus ensuring that such a horrendous crime would be publicized and never repeated.

It causes one to shudder to contemplate the very idea of a young man, actually secluded alone multiple times with a sick 63-year old woman!

Hamas reportedly kidnapped female professor, forced her to convert to Islam

From the Jerusalem Post:

Fatah officials in Ramallah claimed over the weekend that Professor Sana al-Sayegh, who teaches at Palestine University in Gaza City, was kidnapped by Hamas militiamen who forced her to convert to Islam against her will.

The officials said the president of the university, Dr. Zaher Khail, had assisted Hamas in kidnapping the professor.

They added that senior officials in the office of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh played a major role in forcing her to convert to Islam.

"She was forced to convert to Islam against her will," the Fatah officials said. "She was kidnapped and held for two weeks during which time she was not allowed to contact her family." Sayegh is the dean of the Science and Technology Faculty at Palestine University. She has represented the university at numerous conferences around the world over the past few years and is considered one of the most prominent experts in her field.

According to the Fatah officials, she went missing in late June. When her family's attempts to find her failed, they sought the help of Haniyeh's office.

Two weeks later the family was summoned to a meeting with some of Haniyeh's aides, who were accompanied by the professor.

At the meeting, which was held at the home of Hamas official Rafik Makki, the family was told that the professor had converted to Islam and married a Muslim man.

When the professor's stunned mother asked her if this was true, she nodded her head, murmuring: "Yes, God has guided me through the right path." The mother later claimed that her daughter made the statement under threats from Hamas gunmen who were in the room.

The Hamas officials are also reported to have shown the family a document signed by the professor indicating that she had converted to Islam and married a man named Izz al-Arab Awur.

But the family claims that the man told them that he never married the professor.

Several attempts by the family to arrange a meeting with Haniyeh to find out the truth failed. At one point, said a relative, they found the professor's car parked outside Haniyeh's office.

"When we told them that we wanted to see her, we were ordered to leave immediately," he recounted. "We were told that we could take her car and go away. But we told them that we didn't come to get the car, but Professor al-Sayegh." Leaders of the tiny Christian minority in Gaza City who requested a meeting with Haniyeh to solve the problem were also turned down.

Some 3,000 Christians live in the Gaza Strip. Following the Hamas takeover of the Strip, many of them have expressed their desire to leave.

The board of directors of Palestine University confirmed Sunday that Sayegh had converted to Islam, but denied that the university was linked to the case in any way. "We won't allow anyone to exploit our name in political disputes," it said in a statement, referring to the Hamas-Fatah power struggle. "The case of Professor al-Sayegh is a personal one and does not reflect the policy of the university."

Hamas officials strongly denied that they had forced the professor to convert to Islam and accused Fatah of spreading lies designed to undermine Hamas's credibility. The officials said that Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar met with Sayegh, who told him that she had converted out of her own will to marry her colleague, Awur.

Ala Aklouk, a senior Muslim cleric in Gaza City who was entrusted by the Haniyeh government to look into the case, said the professor converted to Islam of her free will. "She was too afraid to inform her family that she had converted to Islam," he said. "So she asked me and other officials to inform her family. She also made it clear that she had no intention to return home unless all her family members converted to Islam." Aklouk claimed that the professor did not convert because she wanted to marry a Muslim man, but because she "really believed in Islam." "If you sit with her, you will feel as if you are sitting with a devout Muslim woman and not a Christian," he said. "She abandoned a good and easy life for the sake of Islam. She challenged everyone and did what she was supposed to do - become a devout Muslim."

Hanan Matar, a female activist working for the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights, said she met with the professor over the weekend and heard from her that her decision to convert to Islam was not related to her marriage to a Muslim man. She said the professor was wearing the hijab and "behaved like any religious Muslim woman would."

Palestinian police use bulldozers to destroy confiscated cars, stolen from Israel, during a continuing crackdown on illegal vehicles in the West Bank town of Jenin, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2007. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ballas)

Why don't they just return them to Israel?

Members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' security force guard in a checkpoint at the enterance [sic] of the West Bank city of Jericho, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2007.

Somehow, when Palestinian Arabs set up a checkpoint it is never considered oppressive.

A Palestinian woman and her child attend a rally of Palestinian security forces of the Hamas [sic] in Gaza City Sunday, Aug. 5, 2007.

Now, that looks like a successful rally!

Six years since Sbarro's bombing

Carl in Jerusalem notes that this is the sixth anniversary of the horrendous Sbarro's pizza shop bombing in Jerusalem, when Palestinian Arab terrorists murdered 15 innocent people including 7 children during a busy lunchtime, plus an unborn child and one victim who remains in a coma today. I cannot improve on his lengthy and heartbreaking post about the victims, especially how their families are taking tragedy and turning it into positive actions to help improve the world.

It is worthwhile to read the webpages of organizations started by those victim families: Keren Malki and A Tradition of Kindness.

Noah Pollak blogs at Jewcy about the flattering New York Times picture of one of the terrorist planners of the attack and the moral cretinism that prompts the Times to ignore the details of her role as well as her current pride in what she had done.

And this woman is hardly the only Palestinian Arab to feel pride over that mass murder. An-Najah University famously hosted an "art exhibition" celebrating the bombing.

Here are the victims of the bombing, from Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs website:

The names of the victims:
- Giora Balash, 60, of Brazil
- Zvika Golombek, 26, of Carmiel
- Shoshana Yehudit Greenbaum, 31, of the U.S.
- Tehila Maoz, 18, of Jerusalem
- Frieda Mendelsohn, 62, of Jerusalem
- Michal Raziel, 16, of Jerusalem
- Malka Roth, 15, of Jerusalem
- Mordechai Schijveschuurder, 43, of Neria
- Tzira Schijveschuurder, 41, of Neria
- Ra'aya Schijveschuurder, 14, of Neria
- Avraham Yitzhak Schijveschuurder, 4, of Neria
- Hemda Schijveschuurder, 2, of Neria
- Lily Shimashvili, 33, of Jerusalem
- Tamara Shimashvili, 8, of Jerusalem
- Yocheved Shoshan, 10, of Jerusalem

Zvika Golombek	S. Greenbaum	Tehila Maoz	Frieda Mendelsohn
Michal Raziel	Malka Roth	Lily Shimashvili	T. Shimashvili

Mordechai and Tzira Schijveschuurder		Giora Balash	Yocheved Shoshan
Ra'aya, Avraham Yitzhak, and Hemda Schijveschuurder

"New 'Salman Rushdie' in Italy" - Egyptian writes pro-Israel book

From Jordan's Al-Bawaba, via Daily Alert:

The Union of Islamic Communities in Italy has urged all Muslims across the country to express their views following a new book which hails Israel and slams Palestinian resistance groups. According to a Saudi newspaper, the leaders of the Islamic community in Italy are furious about the new book which amazingly was edited by an Egyptian-born Italian writer and journalist!
Magdi Allam, 55, deputy chief editor of Italy’s most influential newspaper Il Corriere della Sera, is again at the center of the storm following his seventh book, dubbed “Viva Israele” (Long Live Israel). The subtitle of the book reads “From the ideology of death to the civilization of life: my story.”

“Long Live Israel” is the tale of his life ever since his youth under the republican regime of late Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser.

According to Allam, Nasser is responsible for having turned Egypt - and the rest of the Arab world - into the cradle of the "ideology of death". Allam claims Nasser brought about an aggressive pan-Arabic dream based on the denial of Israel’s right to exist. The need for the destruction of Israel is the dominant theme that, Allam states, made death and destruction the core values of a once liberal Islamic culture.

Thus, the new book defends the existence of Israel and terms armed Palestinian groups as "dangerous terrorist threats." In addition, Allam wrote that during their operations in the Palestinian territories, Israeli forces have been trying to avoid hitting Palestinian civilians and only aim to defend Israeli citizens….

Furthermore, Allam added that the main cause for the Israeli – Palestinian dispute stems from the Palestinian terror.

Allam says that "Israel - along with Pope Benedict XVI - represents the residual hope for Western civilization, which, more than other civilizations, embodies the sacredness of life and personal freedom."

Allam also slams the Arab calls for the killing of Jews. In the past, Allam also criticized resistance groups in Lebanon and Iraq.

Muslims in Italy have been claiming that Allam is an unreliable person who spreads suspicion and hatred against Islam and Muslim people by reporting undocumented, unverified or even utterly false news, just to flatter to the West.

It should be noted that during his adolescent years, Allam maintained completely different views. Allam was raised as a Muslim and attended the Italian school of Cairo. In Italy since 1972, Allam started his stay there as an enthusiastic activist for the Palestinian cause. At that period, Allam thought of Israel as a racist and aggressive state "invented by the Western world as some kind of compensation for the horrors of the Jewish Holocaust".

Years later, his interest in the history of Zionism and a meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat brought him to realize that "Arafat was responsible for Palestinian terrorism" and that "the predication of the ideology of death eventually hit and harmed the Palestinians themselves."

The latest book has changed Allam's life. The Saudi newspaper reported that following threats to his life, the Italian police decided to intensify his security escort. Under these circumstances, it is not surprising that many Muslims in Italy denounce Allam as a new "Salman Rushdie", the British writer who was forced into hiding in the 1990s after Iran's religious leaders issued a fatwa (religious edict), calling for his death.

Friday micro-blogging news links

As is often the case, there are too many stories to blog properly, so here's a few micro-blog entries:

Egyptian soldiers brutally lynched 4 Sudanese refugees trying to reach Israel - and IDF soldiers caught it on videotape.
This story has been all but ignored by the MSM; I found it at only a German site outside Israeli and Sudanese news sites. The Sudanese site credited AP which means it is not the wire services' fault but the individual news editors - in some ways this is worse.

Google News seems to have gone back yet again to indexing The People's Voice despite its repeated anti-semitic articles.
This pattern has repeated often enough.

Ma'an News has a "breaking news" (non-linkable) headline saying that Hamas and Fatah are in talks to form another unity government. (Ma'an Arabic has the story.)
...thus assuring that international aid meant to prop up Fatah goes to Hamas as well, as it always does. Here's the illustration in the Arabic story, showing that PalArabs will always prefer Hamas to the West - always.

Three Qassams were fired at Israel today, injuring one; four on Wednesday evening.
These attacks barely rate as news anymore, while Sderot residents live in daily fear.
Some Israelis are shooting back - vegetable rockets.

The "amnesty deal" for Fatah is reported to be falling apart as it is found out that the "weapons" they handed in were ancient rifles.
Who is surprised about this?

(h/t Judeopundit, Israel Matzav)