Wednesday, July 02, 2008

  • Wednesday, July 02, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
Everyone who tries to apologetically claim that most Palestinian Arabs are against terror attacks should read the comments autotranslated from Arabic in the Palestine Press Agency story about today's attack in Jerusalem.

Every single comment shows great joy at this attack.

Keep in mind that the audience that reads this news source is generally pro-Fatah and anti-Hamas. Here are some of the joyful comments:

Allahu Akbar
Victory in Gaza and the resistance in West Bank
Fathia tribute to the heroes of every Qassam Brigades
In all of Palestine

Lion of God
God have mercy on you, hero

Allahu Akbar
Allahu Akbar, praise to God

Allahu Akbar, praise to God

Allahu Akbar, praise to God

Allahu Akbar, praise to God

Allahu Akbar, praise to God

Allahu Akbar, praise to God

Allahu Akbar, praise to God

Allahu Akbar, praise to God

And victory for us

You delivered your hands Aqsa Martyrs Brigades

Allahu Akbar

Brigades heart falcon declare absolute responsibility for this heroic operation and that this process will be the first in a series of operations following

And because we to believe this nomenclature fired on a truce or calming and secure negotiations with the enemy, but we believe in revolution until victory because we eliminated at the stage of national liberation from the Zionist replacement

It is a revolution until victory to victory turn into victory

Allah is God
Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar, praise to God
Thank God Almighty for the wonderful news Panah
It is a victory for us and our inherent

Revenge
May God martyr in him and the occupation must leave the eye Bil'in Pilsen, age, blood and blood apparent darkest We in the Al Aqsa Brigades congratulate this process quality and make sure that the occupier will reply next Aedm fever bastions O tyrants from Khan in Chdaa Aqsa Brigades - Palestine if she did, and if fulfilled Maauadt Struck with pain and to calm the angry Mojtzeh with the enemy

God God is the greatest
Oh God, dearest of Islam and Muslims in Palestine
Oh God, Tamim Secretary
Informing the pig does not impede anything, you pigs,
A greeting to you, martyr fresheners
You are indeed a martyr martyr martyr
Oh God, he introduced rest in peace
Oh God, Secretary of Secretary
Heal us of you, you pigs

Oh God, hit a throw Mujahedeen
We want operations in the depth of the usurper entity and the establishment of this entity God to end more quality strikes


Here is the promise of victory started waving
First, my congratulations and blessings to the family of martyr struggling Hossam [lastname] to the Gardens of Eternity O martyr of Palestine Albar Here is Qaradawi victory looming on the horizon, this heroic operation comes at a time when we need a heroic example of this process at a time when weakness of the cowardly Zionists and given a free truce profaned the blood of our people Bank cherished wish Loya coup learn from the heroic martyr instead they guarded built Zion and finally say to the Gardens of Eternity O martyr, God willing
  • Wednesday, July 02, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
From MEMRI: (TV clip here)
Following are excerpts from "The Secret of Armageddon," an Iranian television series. In it, Iranian scholars, historians, researchers, academicians, and scholars criticize Christian Zionists, affirm the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, promote various conspiracy theories, discuss the Jews' "genocidal plan for the genocide of humanity," claim that Iranian Jewish and Baha'i communities are plotting to take over Iran, and more.

The series aired on the Iranian news channel IRINN in May and June 2008:

"The Zionist Jews believe that the divine promise was given to them, and that their rule will not be restricted to the land between the Nile and the Euphrates. They believe that God gave them the entire world. They base this belief on the false stories that they themselves invented and keep telling."

[...]

Narrator: "The economic and political power of the Jewish oligarchy and nobility has played an important role in the history of Iran and the world, wreaking havoc – to the point that the ancient Jewish editors of the Book of Jeremiah wrote in it that Jehovah, the god of the Israelites, is the god of all of humanity."

Iranian university lecturer Ali-Reza Karimi: "What is known worldwide today as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion contains the plans and policies of the elders of this sect to conquer the world and establish a global Jewish government, which were discussed at the 1897 [Zionist] Congress in Basel, Switzerland."

Narrator: "These plans, which exposed the views and designs of the Zionists, were edited and collected into 24 protocols. They deal with political, educational, social, economic, and legal strategies, which they planned to use after the destruction of the culture, civilization, and religions of other nations. These strategies will be carried out using dishonorable means and conspiracies, leading to the establishment of a global Jewish kingdom."

[...]

Iranian researcher Shams Al-Din Rahmani: "The goal of the Zionists is the total destruction of Islam. They know that this destruction will not be achieved easily, and therefore, they are trying to Americanize the religion of Islam."

[...]

Iranian researcher Sayyid Hashem Mir-Louhi: "Over a century ago, the Russians attacked a [Jewish] gathering, and got hold of this book. Later, the book was published in various languages, and recently in Farsi as well. Some of those Jew-boys deny it, and say it is not theirs. But when you look into the modus operandi of those Jew-boys, when you examine it carefully, you realize that they are trying to operate in the same way that was outlined in their protocols.

[...]

"The Zionist Jew-boys talk about a 'Greater Israel' – from the Euphrates to the Nile – but their actual goal is world domination.

[...]

"In their third protocol, they say: 'This term' – they are referring to the term 'liberty' – 'turns the masses into bloodthirsty creatures. When the bellies of these bloodthirsty creatures are satiated with blood, they will go into a deep slumber and will become unconscious of anything. In this condition, it will be easy to shackle them.'"


Iranian university lecturer Ali-Reza Karimi:
"The Rothschilds were members of a certain society, which spread its network throughout the world for hundreds of years, and acted as a secret political organization.

[...]

"By hoarding the wealth plundered by the Europeans in their colonialist attacks, this international network became an unrivaled economic force, and situated itself in the center of the global nobility.

[...]

"According to historical documents, it was the Rothschilds who instilled the idea of Palestine as the Promised Land in the minds of the wealthy and enlightened Jews, and insisted on making it happen. At the time, most of the Jews did not have a specific country in mind, and some even considered America or South Africa to be the Promised Land. It was due to the economic and political power of the Rothschilds that this plot was realized.

[...]

"The British government, which was controlled by the Zionist empire, [and] led by the Rothschild family, committed itself to the realization of the Zionist aspiration." [...]

Iranian researcher Shams Al-Din Rahmani: "Oliver Cromwell, the dictatorial prime minister of England, placed England entirely at the service of the Jews in the 17th century. This [policy] became so deeply engrained that by the early 18th century, the Jews had a colonialist empire, which reached as far an India. They launched the slave trade, which is a Jewish trade par excellence. Most of the slaves back then were black Muslims from Africa. This was part of their evil plan to eradicate Islam in Africa. This plan was guided entirely by the Jews."[...]

Iranian historian Mohammad-Taqi Taqipour: "Iran, which is a country with a rich history, and a special cultural status and geographical location, like Turkey, has become a target for the plans of those Jewish

Iranian university lecturer Ali-Reza Karimi: "The Persian nobility and the wealthy Jews were involved.."

Narrator: "[Former Iranian PM] Sayyid Ziya Al-Din Tabtabai maintained secret ties with global Zionist imperialism. When he left office, in 1921, he went to Palestine, in order to carry out yet another mission of global Zionism. His mission was to purchase lands from Muslim Arabs in Palestine at a low price, and to give them to Jewish immigrants, in order to establish the State of Israel. Since the Muslim Palestinians were not prepared to sell their lands to Jewish immigrants, Sayyid Ziya Al-Din Tabtabai, in the guise of a Muslim, would buy these lands and pass them on to the Jewish immigrants."[...]

Iranian historian Mohammad-Taqi Taqipour: "As soon as news about the Balfour Declaration reached the leaders of the Iranian Jews, they held conferences and established the Iranian Zionist Organization, also known as the Central Committee of the Zionist Organizations in Iran.

[...]

"The Zionists and their organizations in Iran devised a plan, which was signed in 1931 by Rabbi Azizullah Naim, chairman of the Iranian Zionist Organization. This plan included eight clauses. In brief, according to this plan, Reza Shah's regime must permit Jews from all over the world to enter Iran and settle wherever they wish, in accordance with the plan that they themselves devised. In addition, these Jewish immigrants would be granted liberties by law, and no one could deny them these liberties. There would be equality between Jews and non-Jews in Iran – most of whom are Muslims. Fertile lands throughout Iran would be allocated to these Jewish immigrants free of charge. After two years, they would be granted citizenship, and a visa from the government also free of charge."

Iranian university lecturer Ali-Reza Karimi: "They planned to take over large parts of Iran, and to establish concealed camps, which would be populated by Jews from around the world, particularly Europe. This way, they wanted to gradually take over Iran, like they did in Palestine." [...]

Narrator: "Is it possible that according to the schemes of the global Zionist empire, Iran was meant to become another Israel, like in the case of Palestine?" [...]

Iranian researcher Shams Al-Din Rahmani: "The sole reason Reza Shah and the Pahlavi dynasty were brought to power was to enable the Jews and the Freemasons to take control of Iran. Reza Shah was brought to power during World War I, and was deposed during World War II. Movies, TV series, and so on about that period demonstrate how deeply Israel, the Jews, and the Freemasons had managed to infiltrate Iran." [...]

Narrator: "In the early days of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's regime, the Zionist organizations grew so much that the Jews began to immigrate to Palestine via Iran. Many of these Jewish immigrants, supposedly on their way to Palestine, stayed in Iran in order to consolidate the plan to turn Iran into a second Israel. This is why many Jewish children who immigrated from Europe to Iran came to be known as 'the Tehran Children.'

"Following these events, the Jewish Agency started its activity in Iran. Under the guise of transferring Jewish immigrants to Palestine, it began its operations in Iran. The rise of Jewish and Zionist organizations and associations enabled the Jewish leaders and tycoons to penetrate the realms of politics, society, intelligence, and most importantly, the economy, and to maintain a significant presence and influenced there.

[...]

"Reports by the SAVAK intelligence agency about the financial and economic situation of the Jews in the days of the Pahlavi dynasty stated: 'Most of Iran's tycoons are Jews. If the Jewish tycoons were to withdraw their money from the Bank of Commerce and the other [Iranian] banks, the Iranian government would find itself in a serious crisis.'"

[...]


Former Iranian TV correspondent Mahdi Sabonchian: "Back then, I used to go to the airport to get information and take pictures. There was continuous contact [between Iranian Jews and Israelis]. Even then, [Iranian Jews] would immigrate to Israel. I would see El Al and Air France airplanes landing. I used to stand near the planes, take pictures, and prepare my reports.

"The Jews traveling to Israel would carry hens with them. I saw them carrying cages with two hens each. Some Jews from Rasht were about to travel to Israel, and I asked them why they were taking hens with them. They said: 'We were told to bring hens with us.'

[...]

"By taking all these hens, they have become so advanced that they export eggs to the entire world, both for consumption and for incubation." [...]

Narrator: "For many years, Hollywood constituted another aspect of the cultural war. The film industry in the early 20th century was shaped by Jewish immigrants, most of whom belonged to Zionist organizations."

[...]

Iranian researcher Sayyid Hashem Mir-Louhi: "Moral corruption will spread wherever these Jew-boys tread. In other words, every Jew-boy believes it is his personal duty to destroy the moral values of other nations, in order to control people's minds and souls. This menacing problem has penetrated American theater and cinema, and is clearly evident."

[...]

Once again, their first protocol reads: 'Addiction to alcohol and excess drinking of intoxicating beverages became the problem of non-Jews when liberties are granted.'"

[...]

Narrator: "Thus, a new front against the Islamic revolution is opened. Global imperialism invests billion of dollars and uses a broad distribution network to flood Iran with videos, CDs, and DVDs of the latest vulgar, destructive Western films with Farsi subtitles. These films are sold cheaply to the youth in dark alleys, as well as in broad daylight, in public places. The films spread vulgarity, and feed the youth with the falsified Zionist way of thinking, so that in future attacks they will remain defenseless." [...]

Iranian researcher Sayyid Hashem Mir-Louhi: "There is a genocidal Zionist Jewish plan for the genocide of humanity at the hand of the Zionist Jew-boys. Even though the Jew-boys sometimes talk about a 'Greater Israel,' their real goal is world domination."

[...]

Narrator: "Today, there are many indications that the 'hidden hands' of world Zionism were involved in the 9/11 terrorist attack. According to a large group of Western intellectuals, the Zionists are the real rulers of the United States. According to irrefutable documents published by independent American media outlets, the Zionists used intelligence agents and spies, with the full cooperation of agencies with the country, to carry out this terrorist operation in full view of the world, in order to prepare the ground for taking over Afghanistan and Iraq, and to realize the dream of a greater Israel."

There's lots more, watch the whole thing.
  • Wednesday, July 02, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
A Palestinian Arab terrorist commandeered a bulldozer and went on a rampage in Jerusalem, killing 3 or 4 and injuring dozens before he was killed.

The group Freedom for Galilee Brigades claimed responsibility, but they have a penchant for lying.
----------------
One Palestinian Arab newspaper describes the episode of female mega-terrorist Dalal Mughrabi as a "stain on the conscience of Palestinian leaders" - but it isn't because of her terror attacks. It is because they hadn't demanded her body years ago.
----------------
The Iraqi president apologized for shaking hands with Ehud Barak earlier this week. Apparently, it is OK for Palestinian Arabs to shake hands with Zionists, but not for any other Arabs.
----------------
A Fatah-linked organization, translated as "The Storm Hawks," claimed responsibility earlier this week for the rocket attack on Sderot on Monday. The Al Aqsa Brigades now denies that this group is part of Fatah.
-----------------
There are reports that people are storming the Rafah crossing from Gaza.
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I had missed this story about the smuggling of rare Jewish manuscripts from Iraq to Israel. Although these priceless works were confiscated by Saddam Hussein, the current Iraqi government is very upset that these manuscripts - many of which were damaged during the Gulf War - are leaving Iraq.
-----------------

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

  • Tuesday, July 01, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
Firas Press is reporting that part of Israel's deal with Hezbollah will involve handing over the body of one of the most notorious female terrorists ever, Dalal Mughrabi.

On March 11, 1978, Mughrabi led a band of eleven terrorists who took boats from Lebanon and landed north of Tel Aviv. Upon landing, they met an American photographer, Gail Rubin. Their intended target was Tel Aviv so they asked her where they were. Once she told them, they murdered her.

They then hijacked a bus filled with families going on an outing, seemingly with the intent to take it to Tel Aviv.

An IDF unit chased the bus and finally forced it to stop, and then the shootout began. Mughrabi and her gang started shooting passengers point-blank and then they firebombed the bus itself, trapping the passengers. At least 35 were killed, including 13 children, in what became known as the Coastal Road Massacre.

The Palestinian Authority named a girls' school in Hebron after Mughrabi. PA summer camps and other special events are named in her honor as well. By any measure, she is regarded by Palestinian Arabs as a role model.

The Fatah-leaning Firas Press article about her as well as all the commenters even today consider this bloodthirsty terrorist as a "martyr."

Once again, we see the caliber of Palestinian Arab "heroes" - the people who have murdered the most innocent people.
  • Tuesday, July 01, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
A hilarious article in Palestine Today laments Israelis supposedly co-opting Palestinian Arab culture, including Jews wearing the keffiyeh. The autotranslation is a little hard, but here is part of it:
It is not enough that Israel occupies Palestinian land and displaced thousands of Palestinian citizens from their homes and stripped most important elements of normal life, but now it comes round to steal the Palestinian heritage, including the Palestinian keffiyeh and Palestinian clothes ...

Even dishes and Thyme oil and olives!

The keffiyeh is a symbol of significant importance to the Palestinians, and it was awarded by the late Palestinian president Yasser Arafat "Abu Ammar" a special elegance until the last day of his life.

He specially formed it on his head so that it resembles a map of Palestine, and stayed put on his head a sign of the Palestinian Al Shoumoukh, wherever they kufic found the pulsating heart of Palestine and everywhere in the fragrance of the smell of olives and oranges, a symbol of lasting rejection of occupation and resistance, and for the whole world symbol of the struggle And the right, the symbol of the Palestinians.

(The article goes on to say that the keffiyeh became an important symbol during the 1936 riots when terrorists would wear it to cover their faces making it hard for the British to find them. It served the same purpose in the 1987 intifada.

Now the Israelis are attempting to steal Palestinian heritage, especially the keffiyeh. Two Israeli designers, Gabi Ben-Haim and Amoco Harel designed a keffiyeh with the colors of the Israeli flag and Stars of David in an attempt to seize Palestinian folklore. They said the lines will be designed as blue on a white background, pointing out that this design is part of integrating Israel into the Middle East, and that Israel had a right to be in possession of the keffiyeh as being a part of the Middle East.

(The next paragraph says that El Al stewardesses in the 70's also wore keffiyehs.)

...These thefts were not limited to the keffiyeh and Palestinian clothing heritage, but the Israelis also wanted to seize «falafel» and present it as a popular Israeli food, and promoted via posters of the crowded shops selling souvenirs at Israeli cities and Israeli restaurants in European and American.
Notice that according to Palestinian Arabs themselves, the keffiyeh is a symbol of "resistance."

The falafel kerfuffle has been around for years. Seriously, would any Jew be insulted if for some strange reason Palestinian Arabs started loving sweet gefilte fish, Tam-Tams or Bisslis?
  • Tuesday, July 01, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
Normally I don't quote Debka, whose accuracy is sometimes questionable, but this fits in with what I've been reading in the Palestinian Arab press:
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that the Palestinian Hamas’ armed wing, determined to keep fellow terrorist groups from violating the ceasefire with Israel, has in the last two days deployed a string of 1,000 sentries and monitors at the missile sites of the northern Gaza towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya.

Oddly enough, Hamas has assumed the role of protector of Sderot against Palestinian missiles and mortars. Even harder to believe, Hamas’ hard-line “chief of staff” Ahmed Jabari has taken personal responsibility for maintaining the ceasefire.

Hamas security officers have been assigned with sticking close to every Jihad Islami and Popular Resistance Committees operative thought likely to start shooting missiles or mortars, and making sure it does not happen. Military sources report that Hamas operatives beat the daylights out of the Fatah Al Aqsa Brigades operatives who launched a Qassam missile against Israel as a provocation five days after the truce Egypt brokered between Israel and Hamas went into effect on June 19.

As DEBKAfile has reported, Hamas hopes to make good use of the respite in hostilities to recuperate, rearm and regroup for the next round. To win popular standing as rulers of the Gaza Strip, the Islamist group must demonstrate how it forced Israel to lift the blockade and reopen the border crossings, which Israel shut for two days when the missiles and mortars started flying last week.

This was quoted in the pro-Islamic Jihad "Palestine Today". My guess is that the main reason Israel hasn't responded to any cease-fire violations is because it sees how seriously Hamas is taking it.

Inevitably, this is causing mounting pressure on Hamas from the other terror groups in Gaza, like PIJ and Al Aqsa. Unlike 2006, Hamas is not tacitly encouraging other groups to continue firing.

Monday, June 30, 2008

As usual, this is far from complete, and it is more to show how ignored the Qassam issue is rather than to show how many are being fired. Many Qassams never make it in the news, and the rare times that the IDF publishes statistics shows that I am usually undercounting . Also, these are Qassams that don't make it to Israel; many that are fired explode in Gaza itself, often causing damage or even deaths.


This list does not include mortars being shot from Gaza, which are usually much more numerous on any given day. The mortars are turning deadlier as well. It also does not count the occasional rocket from Lebanon. It does attempt to count Grad/Katyusha rockets from Gaza.


June 2008

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
3
4
1 11
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
4

5
7
25
1

15
16
17
18
19
20
21

4
8
29



22
23
24
25
26
27
28


3R, 1M

2R
2M
2M
29
30
1
2
3
4
5

2R


1R


6
7
8
9
10
11
12

1M, 1S
1M

2R



Previous calendars:

May 2008
April 2008

March 2008
February 2008
January
December 2007

November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February

  • Monday, June 30, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
From JTA:
A German sports expert has raised hackles for saying that Israeli Olympic athletes wanted to die to gain sympathy for Israel.

Arnd Krueger, director of the Sport Sciences institute at the University of Goettingen, said at a recent conference that this was the only way he could explain why the athletes killed by Palestinian terrorists in the 1972 Munich Olympic Village did not leave the village, even though they had felt insecure there. He later told Ha'aretz that he had been at the Munich games as a young reporter, and that one of the Israeli athletes had told him the village did not seem safe.

At the conference, Krueger also suggested that Israelis had a "different concept of the body" from that in other western countries, which he also linked to their supposed "self-sacrifice." According to his thesis, Israel tries "with all possible means" to avoid disabilities, and he added that Israel has a higher abortion rate than other western countries.

According to Der Spiegel, Krueger repeated his theories in a written statement to the university, with the disclaimer that he is not an anti-Semite.
Nah, of course not. He's just projecting his own Aryan theories on Israel.

By the way, Israel's abortion rate is listed at #65 out of 95 countries listed on this website, well behind the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France and, of course, Germany. (It is still way too high, though. If you are interested in lowering that number, give generously here.)

See also SnoopytheGoon's take.
  • Monday, June 30, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
PCHR came out with a report last month on human rights violations in the PA. They significantly undercount the number of Palestinian Arabs killed by each other, but even according to their own numbers here is an interesting statistic:















Total number of Palestinian Arab women killed by their own people in 2007: 47
Number of Palestinian Arab women killed only by "honor killings" in 2007: 14
Total number of Palestinian Arab women killed by Israel in 2007: 4

(My own count was that 41 women were killed, so I will adjust my 2007 count upwards by 6.)
  • Monday, June 30, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
From AFP (h/t Global Freezing):
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was the target of an "X-ray radiation plot" during his trip to Rome for the UN food summit earlier this month, the official IRNA news agency reported on Monday.

The news agency quoted Iran's ambassador to Italy, Abolfazl Zohrehvand, as saying that the plot was to use extreme radiation in the place where Ahmadinejad was due to stay.

The diplomat spoke out after Ahmadinejad himself charged that he had been the target of an assassination plot during his landmark trip to Iraq in March and his aides spoke of a similar attempt in Rome.

"One day before Ahmadinejad's trip, I checked and found out that the (security) X-ray machine set up in the place where he was staying gave off excessive radiation," Zohrehvand said.

He said that the regular radiation level of such equipment in Italy was "300" but on this machine it had reached "800".

He gave no indication of the units he was using but radiation is normally measured in millirems with the average American experiencing a total annual exposure of an average of 360, according to medical websites.

"First we suspected the machine was broken and after replacing it with another one it turned out that the radiation was controlled from another source," the ambassador said.

"When the president entered this place, the radiation increased and exceeded '1,000' so that the intensity of the radiation was completely felt inside the building," he added.

The diplomat did not say if the place where Ahmadinejad was staying was a hotel or official residence.

Ahmadinejad said in mid-June that enemies had planned to kidnap and kill him in Iraq but the plot was foiled after the Iranian delegation changed their travel plans.

Some reformist newspapers openly ridiculed his suggestion, with one daily saying that if the Americans had wanted to kidnap him they would have done it during Ahmadinejad's annual visit to the UN General Assembly in New York.

To quote the Kinks, "Paranoia, the destroyer."

  • Monday, June 30, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
In the wake of yesterday's arrest by Hamas of the Fatah Gaza spokesman Abu Qusay (since released,) Fatah's Al Aqsa Brigades accused Hamas of arresting him on the orders of "their Zionist masters."

Once again proving that anyone considering Fatah to be "moderate" is nuts.
  • Monday, June 30, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
From Ma'an:
Israeli border police pursued and arrested a Palestinian man driving a stolen Israeli jeep on Sunday, the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported.

According to Maariv, the man was a high-ranking Palestinian police officer from the Barghouthi family, who had been wanted by Israel.

Amit Louzin, the director of a company named "Autoran," which helped the police track the car electronically, said, "A new Mitsubishi Bajero jeep was stolen from Qisariya [in Israel] two weeks ago, just a few days after the owners received it from the company. It seems that robbers used a copy of the key, and that they knew the secret start-up code. Autoran knew that the jeep was taken to Ramallah, but the Israeli military did not allow the company to enter the West Bank and try to get the car back."

Autoran continued to monitor the car and until last Thursday it was seen traveling from Ramallah towards a village near Israeli settlement of Ofra. The company alerted the border police who tracked down the jeep and arrested the driver.
It is always heartening to know that not only are the police of Israel's "peace partners" the biggest criminals, but also that their crimes are far more innovative and organized than their policing.

UPDATE: It gets better:
The jeep had PA police license plates, a communications system, a siren and blue police lights.
h/t Yerushalimey

Sunday, June 29, 2008

  • Sunday, June 29, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
It has always been problematic to say that Hezbollah won the 2006 Lebanon war, notwithstanding their bragging about it. After all, Hezbollah and Lebanon suffered far more during the war than Israel did, and the UN resolution that ended it did place severe restrictions on Hezbollah, even if they knew they were going to ignore it.

Unfortunately, in one sense, Israel just handed Hezbollah its victory.

In February, 2006, months before Regev and Goldwasser were abducted, Hezbollah chief thug said at a large public rally in Lebanon, "We are working on making this year the year to free our brothers in Israeli detention. Samir Kantar and his friends, which will in turn pave way to free our Syrian and Jordanian brothers detained in Israeli prisons."

In other words, Hezbollah planned to kidnap Israeli soldiers specifically to bargain them for the disgusting child-killer Samir Kuntar months before it happened. While he later stated that he did not anticipate that Israel would go to war over the issue, this was his explicit motivation.

Now, two years later, Israel is ensuring that Nasrallah's plan worked as well as he had hoped. And from all indications, he didn't even have to keep the two brave soldiers alive in order to effect this swap.

I cannot imagine the pain that the Regev and Goldwasser families have been going through, but giving Hezbollah their stated prize - in which they give up nothing that is of any value to themselves - is doing nothing less than giving them total retroactive victory in the Lebanon war, by their own stated goals. We know by now that the UN forces in Lebanon are not enforcing their own mandate and that Hezbollah has more than recouped their losses from 2006, and now Israel is doing nothing less than conceding defeat.

The sickening piece of filth called Samir Kuntar was the only thing that stopped Hezbollah from being able to declare total victory. Now, victory is theirs.

And now we need to examine the second half of Nasrallah's remarks from 2006, that Israel's release of Kuntar will "pave the way" for more such releases. Just as the Shebaa Farms is not the end of Hezbollah's territorial claims, neither is Kuntar the end of Hezbollah's goals in gaining prisoners. Nasrallah has already shown that he can get Israel to do whatever he wants, even if not as directly as he would wish. Kadima is Nasrallah's puppet, albeit a reluctant one.

Israel's current government has just made the lives 121 soldiers and 44 civilians who were killed during the Second Lebanon War to be worthless. They died, literally, for nothing. Not only that, but Israel has just created circumstances where it is a certainty that there will be more attempted abductions and murders.

This exchange is the height of immorality, ensuring the suffering of countless future Regev and Goldwasser families. Their pain, as heartbreaking as it is, does not justify this capitulation of Israel to the demands of Nasrallah and the pigs he commands.
  • Sunday, June 29, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
Despite the mounting number of violations of the "cease fire," all indications are that Hamas is really trying to adhere to its terms. This is evidenced not only in Hamas statements made in Arabic but also in their actions.

Hamas has gone on a spree of arresting members of the Al-Aqsa Brigades, which perhaps is nothing new, but their latest arrest is noteworthy: they abducted Abu Qusay, the Fatah spokesman who on Thursday and Friday criticized Hamas for the truce.

While Hamas has acted in duplicitous ways in the past, they have always been comparatively far more honest than their Fatah counterparts. Even in the "truce" of late 2006, Hamas could argue that they had never formally accepted a truce nor had they agreed to enforce one among other groups.

Obviously Hamas continues to smuggle explosives and weapons into Gaza in opposition to the Israeli understanding of the "calming" (Hamas never publicly accepted that position, as far as I can tell.) And it is entirely possible that Hamas considers this truce minimally binding because they made these promises to fellow Muslims in Egypt and not to the Jews directly. It does, however, bring up an interesting question:

What should a state that cares about democracy and human rights do when its most credible negotiating partner has zero concern for democracy or human rights? What is the moral course to take when the conditions of the agreement involve the partner acting immorally?

For better or for worse, both ancient and modern Israel is situated in a really bad neighborhood, and it has enough of a hard time existing in relative security without adding concerns about how the neighbors act towards themselves. On the other hand, any ultimate peace - if it is remotely possible - will be based on all the actors in the region accepting basic human rights for everyone else, and any short-term solutions might endanger the longer-term ones.

I don't have a good answer.
  • Sunday, June 29, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
Firas Press reports on a Turkish TV drama that stars a handsome character named Muhannad (when dubbed into Arabic.) Apparently, he is so good looking that he is now responsible for 6 divorces in the Arab world.

The most recent case was ion Saudi Arabia, where a woman complained that her husband didn't show emotion the way her dreamy Muhannad does. This caused the husband to get upset and he divorced her on the spot.

In Jordan, a man divorced his wife after seeing that she put a picture of the Muhannad character on her cell phone.

Four cases occured in Syria, including one where a man overheard his wife jokingly say that she just wanted to spend one night with "Muhannad" and then she could die.

If my research is correct, the actor playing that part is a former "Best Model of the World" named Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ. The name of the show is Noor, which is the name of Muhannad's wife in the Arabic version (translated as "Light" in the Firas autotranslated article.)

Saturday, June 28, 2008

  • Saturday, June 28, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
From Ma'an:
Akram Abu al-A'atayah, 60, was killed by a relative Saturday afternoon in what appears to be a family fued.

Sources close to the family said that Abu al- A'tayah, a resident of the al- Sheja'iyah neighborhood east of the Gaza city, was stabbed with a knife by a family member and was killed instantly.

Tulkarem – Ma'an - Security sources in Tulkarem said that a local man had burned his uncle during a family clash Saturday.

The police in Tulkarem arrested the attacker following an initial investigation. According to the police, the man poured petrol over his uncle during a family clash. The Thabet Thabet Hospital reported that the man has third degree burns all over his body.

The police have opened a file for continued investigation into the incident.
Our 2008 PalArab self-death count rises to 101.

Friday, June 27, 2008

PalPress reports on a 57-year old man who was arrested six days ago by Hamas, and whose family was informed by Hamas today that he had unfortunately died in custody.

He was in good health before this sudden, coincidental deterioration that just happened to occur while he was under Hamas' benevolent control.

The 2008 PalArab self-death count now hits the grim milestone of 100.

UPDATE: Firas Press says the man was 72.
  • Friday, June 27, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
YNet: 3 female paramedics save lives in Gaza

MEMRI: Liberal Syrian Journalist Abi Hassan: My Day in Haifa

PalPress (autotranslated): Attempted bombing at Islamic University in Gaza

Israel eNews: Israeli Musician Idan Raichel Stars On Al-Jazeera
  • Friday, June 27, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
A small but illuminating brouhaha erupted over the past two days.

Fatah's Al Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility for yesterday's rocket attack, but then another statement was released denying those claims and saying that the person who made them, Abu Qusay, were wrong and he was banned from the Brigades.

Then this morning the Brigades reclaimed responsibility and denied the denial.

Beyond the amusement at watching bumbling terrorists try to figure out how to best manage their PR, some of Al-Aqsa's statements are worth examining. Al Aqsa has been criticizing Hamas for the truce, saying that it should have included the West Bank (an indeed they claimed that their rocket attacks have been in retaliation for Israeli raids in the WB.) Even so, in response to an appeal by Mahmoud Abbas, Al Aqsa now say they will respect the "calm."

Fatah and Hamas can't stand each other. This does not in any way imply that one of them hates Israel any less. When it is convenient, Fatah will take an even harder line than Hamas against Israel, even though Western journalists are loathe to mention it. Similarly, any conciliatory gestures towards Israel are also based on convenience, nothing else. And when that "peaceful" Holocaust-denying Fatah leader wants to exercise authority over this "rogue" organization, he can - which means that when they do terror attacks, they have his tacit agreement.

It is a major mistake to think that one of these competing organizations is any more peaceful than the other. One could credibly argue that Hamas' current "calm," as flawed as it is, is more effective than anything Fatah ever accomplished since 2000. The fact that Fatah and Hamas compete with each other has essentially no bearing on whether one or the other is more pro-Israel - that term is completely foreign to both organizations, and both still share the goal of eradicating Israel even if their tactics differ.
  • Friday, June 27, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
Reuters reports:
Israel's Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) group accused Israeli doctors on Thursday of ignoring what it described as the torture of Palestinian detainees during interrogations.

The PHR said its findings were based on testimony from two Palestinians who developed trauma-related symptoms, such as weak hearing, panic attacks and incontinence during and after their detention.

Israel said those findings were "fraught with mistakes, groundless claims and inaccuracies".

Palestinian prisoners undergo medical examinations before, during and after their interrogation, but doctors in detention facilities fail to report such symptoms, making them complicit in "prisoner torture", the PHR said in a statement.

PHR Executive Director Hadas Ziv told Reuters her organization's findings were also based on reports by other Israeli human rights groups.

Last year, two groups, B'Tselem and HaMoked, said they had found Israeli security interrogators routinely mistreat and sometimes physically torture Palestinian detainees.

The PHR urged the Health Ministry in a letter to forbid doctors from participating in interrogations carried out by Israel's internal security service, the Shin Bet.
I found the original PHR Israel report, strangely only as a link to a Word document on their home page.

One would be generous to say that their arguments are flimsy. Here, in brief, is their proof that physicians are complicit in torture:

1) We hear that torture exists. Not from any physicians, mind you, but from a couple of alleged victims and other "human rights" groups who also get their information from the same alleged victims.

2) We know that physicians are employed by the Israel Prison Service and that others have seen these patients in emergency rooms.

3) None of them corroborate any of these allegations of torture.

4) Therefore, the allegations must be true and the hundreds of physicians who don't say a word must be afraid of losing their jobs, or guilty of racism, or supportive of torture.

There is not an iota of proof, or even logic, behind this report. It is purely an attempt to try to add relevance to the PHR organization itself. It is an absurd conspiracy theory that lacks even the shreds of evidence that most such theories use.

Ironically, it also indicates that most Israeli physicians consider IHR a joke, as the IHR cannot even find a single left wing doctor one with first-hand knowledge to support their theory.

Reuters, of course, is only too happy to parrot their claims.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

  • Thursday, June 26, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
The acronym WTF has rarely been more appropriate. From Arutz-7:
The Prime Minister's office has admitted, in a letter to the Shurat Hadin Israel Law Center, that it is enabling the transfer of huge amounts of shekels into Hamas-run Gaza.

Asked about this issue by Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, director of human rights organization Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center, the PM's office replied, "The transfer of funds to the Palestinian Authority in the Gaza Strip takes place with the knowledge of the Israeli government, for diplomatic reasons."

Notably, the letter states that the money is transferred to the PA, when in actuality, Hamas - not the PA - runs Gaza.

The PM's Bureau letter continues, "The money transfer takes place after consultations on the matter with the relevant elements, in which are taken into consideration various possibilities and ramifications of the stoppage of the transfers. At this stage, in light of the conclusion that was reached that it was an Israeli interest that the money transfers continue, it was decided to continue to transfer certain sums to Gaza."

Law Centers Demands Stop to Money Transfers

Shurat HaDin, an organization representing hundreds of terror victims in ongoing global battles against terror funding, had sent letters to the Prime Minister, the Bank of Israel and the Israel Postal Bank, demanding an immediate cessation to the transfer of funds to Hamas.

Israel Launders Hamas Money
A Law Center representative explained that the funds are transferred in two ways: "For one thing, trucks from Arab banks in Judea and Samaria bring new banknotes and shekels issued by the Bank of Israel to the Gaza crossings, where the money is exchanged for dollars and euros smuggled into Hamas under the Philadelphi Corridor from Iran and elsewhere. This means that Israel is essentially laundering Hamas's smuggled money."

Replacing Old With New

"In addition, the Bank of Israel sends Brinks trucks to the Gaza crossings to replace old, unusable shekel banknotes. It replaces the old ones with shiny new ones - and last November, just days after such an exchange took place, the whole world saw pictures of Hamas terrorists holding their Kalachnikov rifles kissing Israeli banknotes with pictures of Yitzchak Ben-Tzvi and Shmuel Yosef Agnon that they had just received as their salaries; they had not been paid in months, and the Hamas government appeared to be on the verge of collapse, when Israel stepped in with this delivery."

"Without these criminal acts," the Law Center writes, "Hamas' financial hold on the Strip would collapse, and thus these measures are directly responsible for shoring up the Hamas control over Gaza and its continued terrorist activity launched from the region."

Shurat HaDin director Darshan-Leitner had sharp words for the government of Israel, saying it "cannot fight against the Hamas terrorist organization with one hand, and continue to secretly finance it with the other. Hypocritically, the Prime Minister demands that governments around the world isolate and and embargo the Hamas terrorists in Gaza, and stop transferring funds to them, while at the same time he authorizes the transfer of Israeli currency into the hands of the enemy. "

"There can be no doubt," Darshan-Leitner said, "that the Israeli government's policy of transferring shekels is assisting the Hamas terrorists with their missile attacks on the Negev communities. If the Prime Minister does not immediately halt the currency transfers to Gaza, Shurat HaDin will take all legal means available against the government to bring this terror financing to a close."
I knew that the PA was giving the lion's share of its money to Gaza but I didn't realize that Israel was the source as well as the conduit.

Throughout the siege, Hamas managed to hang on to power, and now we understand why - there was no siege. It has been known for months that Hamas has taken over the PA institutions in Gaza and that any money that goes to PA/Fatah elements there really go to Hamas.

As a result, Hamas' prestige and power increased during Israel's closing the Gaza border, rather than the stated opposite goal by this same Israeli government.

And this Kadima government is staying in power. Unbelievable.

See also Israel Insider and Seraphic Secret. As of yet, nothing in the mainstream Israeli news media.
  • Thursday, June 26, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
From the Al Qassam Brigades website of Hamas, a smiling child learning hate and murder from his now-dead father.

The Hamas website published a letter written by Gilad Shalit to his parents. I do not think this is the same letter as the one delivered earlier this month - that one was undated and this one says "June '08."

The Hamas Al Qassam website is using this letter as supposed proof of its humanity, although Shalit does say that he is suffering both physically and psychologically. Of course, the Red Cross has not been allowed to see Shalit.

In the letter, he also calls for negotiations for his release.



Translation by Annie:
Dear Mum and Dad, my dear family, I send to you my many homesick feelings. Two long hard years have passed for me since I left you and have been forced to live in prison conditions.

I continue to suffer from health and emotional difficulties and depressions that exist in this kind of life.

Like in my previous letters, I very much hope that your health and emotional situation has not been harmed since you began to live without me.

I still continue to think and dream of the day when I will be released and meet you again, and I still have the hope that this day is close, although I know it is not dependent on me or on you.

I turn to the government that it should not neglect the negotiations for my release, and it should aim its efforts only at releasing the soldiers in Lebanon.

Missing you,
Gilad
June 2008

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

  • Wednesday, June 25, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
The PHRMG has a poorly organized and belated count of various deaths in the PA territories, and I just saw this one where a man in Nablus was beaten to death on February 22 that I had not counted before.

So the 2008 PalArab self-death count is at 99.

Also, a hat tip to Eric from The Israel Situation who has placed my self-death count pseudo-widget on his blog.
  • Wednesday, June 25, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
AP reports:
An international conference aimed at strengthening the Palestinian police force and judicial system has secured commitments of US$242 million for specific projects, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Tuesday.

The outcome of the one-day conference, which brought together representatives from more than 40 countries, including U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice,Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, "exceeded our expectations," Steinmeier said.
"The result, I must say, is that a clear signal of support for the building of a Palestinian state was sent from here today," Steinmeier said.
This is very interesting. The Palestinian Arabs had a judicial system before the 2000 intifada that had been functioning - with severe problems but functioning - for a number of years since Oslo. The money the put that in place and kept it going has certainly not disappeared; in fact the amount that donor countries have given the PA has increased since then. And there have been no shortage of other funded security initiatives, such as training a special force of officers in Jordan. So why do they need a special conference just to get even more money for "security" when there are already more police per capita in the PA than anywhere else in the world?

PA prime minister Fayyad has managed to pare down the security forces somewhat - from 83,000 to 60,000 according to some - which is still a huge number and included PA police in Gaza who are either doing nothing or working for Hamas. More pointedly, the way he has done so was not a way that would impact the payroll - he has offered thousands of police to "retire" on full-salary pensions. Why would he not try to find real work for these people? Why is he telling international conferences that he needs even more policemen? And what is he doing to ensure that the newly idle "police" don't take their free money and join that other Fatah organization known as the Al Aqsa Brigades?

Once again, Palestinian Arabs are soaking the world for more money but they are unwilling to make the hard decisions that would allow them to save money on their own. So the world can kiss another quarter of a billion dollars goodbye, to chase the billions already wasted into trying to convince Palestinian Arab leaders to act responsibly.
  • Wednesday, June 25, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
Ma'an reports that a 3 1/2 year old Gaza child was killed by his uncle. Apparently the killer was insulted by his brother so he decided to take revenge by drowning the child in the bathroom.

Although this happened on the 14th, I did not see it mentioned in any PalArab newspaper until now.

The 2008 PalArab self-death count is now at 98, of which 17 have been children.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

  • Tuesday, June 24, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
The international community is pledging hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild the Nahr al-Bared camp in Lebanon, destroyed last year in factional fighting.

Lebanese Prime Minister Siniora wants to make absolutely sure that these donors don't even think that this money will go towards giving Palestinian Arabs permanent homes in Lebanon. In response to a question at the donor conference, Siniora stressed that while Lebanon needs to maintain its sovereignty over all its territory this cannot mean that Palestinian Arabs who have lived there for generations will ever become normal citizens. So Siniora needs to make himself look like he cares about Palestinian Arabs who have lost their homes due to fighting, just not too much. Just enough to soak the international community for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Ironically, at the same time there is more factional fighting in Lebanon, with a death toll so far of eight. A Kuwaiti newspaper is reporting that Syrian soldiers are behind the latest clashes, between Alawites and Sunnis. Siniora won't comment on that one, though.
  • Tuesday, June 24, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
Ha'aretz reports that things are not all sunshine and flowers in Hamasland (h/t EBoZ):
The Hamas military wing, Iz al-Din al-Qassam, has split into two groups after an attempt to depose its military commander, Ahmed Al-Jabari. Palestinian sources say the attempt to replace Al-Jabari with Imad Akal failed, but has split the organization into two camps: one led by Al-Jabari and the other by Akal.

Mohammed Deif, the former head of Iz al-Din al-Qassam, was behind the attempt, according to the sources.

The crisis in the Hamas military wing started, among other reasons, because of the long-standing disagreements and tension between Al-Jabari and the political leadership of Hamas in Gaza. But the tension exploded into the public eye as a result of the Hamas police's attempt to arrest members of the military group who were suspected of criminal activities. The Hamas militants resisted arrest, and the police and Iz al-Din al-Qassam members exchanged fire.

The head of the Hamas police in Gaza, Taufik Jabar, who is not a Hamas member, asked one of the heads of the Hamas political side, Said Siam, to intervene and ask Al-Jabari to hand over the militants - but Al-Jabari refused.

After the refusal, Siam turned to Deif, who was considered Israel's most wanted man for years; he holds no official post, but Deif is still considered to be a symbol to the movement and one of the most respected activists by Hamas militants.

Siam asked him to arbitrate between the sides, examine the matter and make a decision. After a short time Deif announced that Akal would replace Al-Jabari, but he refused.

In recent weeks assassination attempts have been made against one of Al-Jabari's closest supporters, Ali Jundiyeh, and Gazans assume Akal is behind the attempts.
I did not read about any of these in the Palestinian Arab newspapers yet, even the anti-Hamas ones. They did report on a number of violent arrests by Hamas over the weekend of Fatah members as well as a bomb outside the offices of a different terror group.

What is the world coming to when you can't trust bloodthirsty terrorists to act responsibly?
  • Tuesday, June 24, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
The "Freedom for Galilee Brigades" (also known as the "Imad Mughniyah Brigades"), an Arab terror group based in Israel itself, has claimed a number of high-profile terror attacks - of which very few seem to have actually occurred.

The latest is the claim that they exploded a bomb in a Tel Aviv restaurant today. They even specify the address: 18 Balfour Street. Yet there is nothing in the Israeli media about this.

Even stranger, they claim to have kidnapped a female IDF soldier, named "Dana", and have published her picture (original link lost, this picture is from June 6.

They have previously taken credit for the Mercaz Harav massacre.

They do seem to be a real terror group and to have done real attacks in the past, but these specific claims are very strange.

Monday, June 23, 2008

  • Monday, June 23, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
It is not only shoes and chocolates that Gazans have been unable to get during the "siege" - they also seem to have been suffering from a severe shortage of mathematical ability:
Five days into the truce between Palestinian resistance factions in the Gaza Strip and Israel, vital supplies of goods are continuing to trickle into the besieged enclave.

Israel allowed 80 lorry loads of goods into the Gaza Strip on Monday - twenty more than the number allowed in per day before the truce was agreed, a Palestinian security source at the Sufa crossing told Ma'an.

The source confirmed to Ma’an that under the truce an increase of 30% in food supplies was agreed. But what is actually being allowed in is no more than 20%, which is not sufficient for the 1.5 million residents of the Gaza Strip.
If Israel allowed 60 truckloads a day into Gaza beforehand, and now allows 80, that is an increase of 33%, not 20%. Which means that Israel is exceeding the agreement, not falling short.

The fact that Ma'an quotes this unidentified source approvingly shows that the math deficiency is widespread.
  • Monday, June 23, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
A nice summary of the true facts of "ethnic cleansing" in the Middle East, by Ashley Perry:
Israel is perhaps the least efficient "ethnic cleanser" in the history of mankind, calumnies to the contrary notwithstanding.

In 1947 some 740,000 Palestinians lived in the British Mandate for Palestine. Today, the Arab residents of the West Bank and Gaza, together with Arab citizens of Israel, comprise a total of over five million Palestinians (altogether over nine million people worldwide refer to themselves as Palestinian.)

Using a popular population growth rate equation, the Palestinian growth rate has been calculated as close to double that of Asia and Africa over a comparable period of time.

Drazen Petrovic defines ethnic cleansing as "a well-defined policy of a particular group of persons to systematically eliminate another group from a given territory." By this definition, only one type of ethnic cleansing has occurred in the Arab-Israeli conflict - that of the Jews of Asia and North Africa. Whereas before 1948 there were nearly 900,000 Jews living in Arab lands, by 2001 only 6,500 remained.

THOSE WHO claim Israel carried out ethnic cleansing of Arabs can point to no official command to that effect. Jewish ethnic cleansing from Arab lands, on the other hand, was often official state policy.

Jews were formally expelled from many areas in the Arab world. The Arab League released a statement urging Arab governments to facilitate the exit of Jews from Arab countries, a resolution which was carried out through a series of punitive measures and discriminatory decrees that made it untenable for Jews to remain in their native lands.

On May 16, 1948, The New York Times recorded a series of measures taken by the Arab League to marginalize and persecute the Jewish residents of Arab League member states. It reported on the "text of a law drafted by the Political Committee of the Arab League, which was intended to govern the legal status of Jewish residents of Arab League countries. It provides that, beginning on an unspecified date, all Jews except citizens of non-Arab states would be considered 'members of the Jewish minority state of Palestine.' Their bank accounts would be frozen and used to finance resistance to 'Zionist ambitions in Palestine.' Jews believed to be active Zionists would be interned and their assets confiscated."

IN 1951, the Iraqi government passed legislation that made affiliation with Zionism a felony and ordered "the expulsion of Jews who refused to sign a statement of anti-Zionism." This pushed tens of thousands of Jews to leave Iraq, while much of their property was confiscated by the state.

In 1967, many Egyptian Jews were detained and tortured, and Jewish homes confiscated. In Libya that year, the government "urged the Jews to leave the country temporarily," permitting each to take one suitcase and the equivalent of $50.

In 1970, the Libyan government issued new laws confiscating all the assets of Libya's Jews, issuing in their stead 15-year bonds. But when the bonds matured, no compensation was paid. Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi justified this on the grounds that "the alignment of the Jews with Israel, the Arab nations' enemy, has forfeited their right to compensation."

These are just a few examples of what would became common measures throughout the Arab world - not to mention the pogroms and attacks on Jews and their institutions that drove a major part of the Jewish exodus.

THE ECONOMIC suffering on the part of the two refugee populations was equally lopsided.

According to the newly released study "The Palestinian Refugee Issue: Rhetoric vs. Reality" by former CIA and State Department Treasury official Sidney Zabludoff in the Jewish Political Studies Review, the value of assets lost by both refugee populations is strikingly uneven.

Zabludoff uses data from John Measham Berncastle, who in the early 1950s, under the aegis of the newly formed United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine (UNCCP), undertook the task of calculating the assets of the Palestinian refugees. Zabludoff calculates that their assets were worth $3.9 billion in today's currency.

The Jewish refugees, being greater in number and more urban, had almost double those assets.

On top of this equation, it must be taken into account that Israel returned over 90 percent of blocked bank accounts, safe deposit boxes and other items belonging to Palestinian refugees during the 1950s. This considerably diminishes the UNCCP calculations.

THESE FACTS are conveniently forgotten or not publicized, leaving the way open for Israel-bashers like Exeter University history Prof. Ilan Pappe to omit any mention of the Middle East's greatest ethnic cleansing.

However, a few recent events are clearing the world community's perception of this history. On April 1, the US Congress adopted Resolution 185, which for the first time recognizes Jewish refugees from Arab countries. It urges that the president and US officials participating in Middle East discussions ensure that any reference to Palestinian refugees "also include a similarly explicit reference to the resolution of the issue of Jewish refugees from Arab countries."

Just as importantly, the first-ever hearing in the British parliament on the subject of Jewish refugees from Arab countries takes place today in the House of Lords. It will be convened by Labor MP John Mann and Lord Anderson of Swansea, a joint briefing organized by Justice for Jews from Arab Countries (JJAC) in association with the Board of Deputies of British Jews.

Greater recognition of the refugee issue and the ethnic cleansing of Jews from the wider Arab world will bring clearer definition of the area's history to a greater number of people.

A people cannot be said to have been "ethnically cleansed" from an area in which it has grown at double the rate of its geographic neighbors. On the other hand, a people that lost more than 150 times its number from an area over the course of a few decades can make a very strong case for having undergone ethnic cleansing.

The writer, a political analyst who has worked with many organizations including the Israel Prime Minister's Office, is the editor of the Middle East Strategic Information project.

www.mesi.org.uk

  • Monday, June 23, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
Ha'aretz reports today on a recent poll of Israeli Arabs that shows that 77% of them would rather live in Israel than anywhere else.

What it doesn't mention is that this poll was released nearly four weeks ago, mentioned in IMRA and Daily Alert and afterwards linked and blogged here.

Well, better late than never, Ha'aretz. Maybe one day you can learn what "news" means.
Palestinian children sit next to bottles they filled at a drinking fountain in Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, June 22, 2008. Israel increased the trickle of badly needed goods flowing into the Gaza Strip on Sunday, a military spokesman said, in the latest stage of a four-day-old truce with Hamas militants. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Palestinian children carry bottles of waters in Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, June 22, 2008. Israel increased the trickle of badly needed goods flowing into the Gaza Strip on Sunday, a military spokesman said, in the latest stage of a four-day-old truce with Hamas militants. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Why would cute Palestinian Arab children be forced to carry bottles of drinking water home? According to AP, it must have something to do with Israel's "siege" of Gaza, because it is illustrating a story about Israel "increasing a trickle" of "badly needed goods" into Gaza, and what is a more badly-needed good than water?

The implication is that Gaza water problems are Israel's fault, and not the fault of Palestinian Arabs who have invested more in Qassam rockets rather than their infrastructure. Furthermore, it is implying that Israel has been restricting shipments of water into Gaza, when in fact Israel has been bending over backwards to help Gazans get clean water. The more paranoid can see an analogy with age-old anti-semitic canards of Jews poisoning the wells of gentiles, a standard Muslim accusation.

AP - doing what it does best.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

From Yemen Times:
Yemen is at the threshold of starvation and could probably face a significant food crisis within the next five years unless farmers stop growing qat and adopt modern agricultural techniques, says Ismail Muharam, director of the General Authority for Agricultural Research.

It’s currently impossible to dispense with outside wheat and grain donations. According to Muharam, “We’re trying to be self-sufficient, but this will take at least 10 years and will only happen if – and only if – we get rid of qat and use efficient methods of agriculture.”

During the past two years, there was a 75 to 92 percent gap between consumption (needs) and production of wheat. Muharam points out that Yemen could produce a hundred-fold more than what it is now – but only if there’s a proper system in place and the country stops growing qat.

He adds that qat is taking up 141,000 hectares out of 1.5 million hectares of fertile land, whereas wheat takes up only 100,000 to 140,000 hectares.

...The other main problem in Yemen is lack of water and fertile soil for agriculture, as most farmers prefer growing qat instead of other crops, which would bring in greater income.

The debate on qat cultivation and its role in supplanting food crops recently has resurfaced and fueled resistance from a society that views the controversial narcotic as a traditional necessity.

Because they fear for the future, farmers’ production of fruits, vegetables and coffee has increased; however, wheat and grains remain the same – and are even decreasing – whereas qat is increasing.
Indeed, we have an entire country that might starve to death because they like their qat. Their addiction to qat explains a lot:
Khat consumption induces mild euphoria and excitement. Individuals become very talkative under the influence of the drug and may appear to be unrealistic and emotionally unstable. Khat can induce manic behaviors and hyperactivity. Khat is an effective anorectic and its use also results in constipation. Dilated pupils (mydriasis), which are prominent during khat consumption, reflect the sympathomimetic effects of the drug, which are also reflected in increased heart rate and blood pressure. A state of drowsy hallucinations (hypnagogic hallucinations) may result coming down from khat use as well.
Duuuude!

Saturday, June 21, 2008

  • Saturday, June 21, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
Much has been written about the honor/shame psyche that the Arab world has. The seminal work on the topic in the blogosphere was written by Dr. Sanity back in 2005 and has been touchedupon in many places, including on this blog.

One aspect of this mindset that has perhaps been overlooked one specific component of honor: prestige. At first glance it would appear that prestige is almost identical to honor, but they are not quite the same. People who want honor will do everything to avoid shame, while those who crave prestige will want to avoid irrelevance.

Much of recent Arab history is the story of Arab leaders doing everything they can to prove their own importance and to avoid irrelevance. Yasir Arafat, Saddam Hussein, Hafiz Assad, as well as Gamal Nasser all strove to get into positions where their decisions would reverberate worldwide, and where they become key to decisions made by superpowers.

In Arafat's case, he used any means possible to remain relevant. Two times in his life he was faced with irrelevance - once during the first intifada when the Palestinian Arab national movement seemed to leave him behind, and secondly when he decided to launch the second intifada and he was shunned by all world leaders. He managed to co-opt the first intifada but never recovered from the second, although he still maintained prestige among his people despite his corruption and counterproductive decisions.

Likewise, Assad and Hussein enjoyed placing themselves in positions where they could wreck any plans by their enemies, usually through terror.

Terror is in fact one of the favored tools of those who fear irrelevance. One well-placed bomb can destroy a peace treaty, and the importance of dealing with those who have such abilities makes them, perversely, powerful.

Israel's current government has recently given incredible gifts of prestige and relevance to two parties who deserve it least: Hamas and Syria. By negotiating with Hamas and Syria, Olmert has elevated their statures immensely. In the space of a month, Hamas has gone from being viewed as an illegal terror organization into the de facto leader of 1.5 million people with defined borders, and Syria has changed from the despised sponsors of terror in Lebanon into someone whose favor is desired.

Similarly, Condoleeza Rice has given similar prestige to Hezbollah, bringing its own grievances against Israel to the forefront and effectively recognizing it as governing Lebanon, even to the point of claiming that Syrian meddling in Lebanon is what the Lebanese people want.

There has been little given back to the West for these gifts. Terrorists and their supporters have been catapulted back into the positions they most desire; for free. None of them are likely to moderate as a result; on the contrary, they have just been hugely rewarded for their years of causing chaos by being elevated on the world stage.

The West needs to understand the psychology of its enemies, of people who daily call for its destruction. Boosting them is exactly the wrong thing to do, as it empowers them and gives them incentive to up the ante in behaving like spoilers.

This month has been a huge setback for those who want to eradicate Arab terror, and reverberations will be felt for years.

Friday, June 20, 2008

  • Friday, June 20, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon
Palestine Press Agency published pictures from Israel's Channel 10 showing Khaled Meshaal in a luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi:




Life is really tough when you are forced to keep your people miserable while you are forced to enjoy such depravity.
  • Friday, June 20, 2008
  • Elder of Ziyon




By the way, the US Consulate to Jerusalem is located in the Western part of the city, within the Green Line.

I've discussed other interesting things about the US Consulate to Jerusalem and how it exclusively caters to Palestinian Arabs previously.

CORRECTION: A commenter points out that the consulate is indeed in East Jerusalem.

CORRECTION 2: Indeed the main office is in West Jerusalem; there is a separate leased satellite office in East Jerusalem.

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