Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Friday, August 15, 2008

Today's PalArab press roundup

Ma'an quotes the UNIFIL head in Lebanon as complaining that only Israel is violating UN Resolution 1701; saying that relations between UNIFIL and Hezbollah are "wonderful" and that the reason that UNIFIL doesnt attempt to stop weapons smuggling from Syria is because the Lebanese government never asked it to. The Hezbollah statement was confirmed in the Jerusalem Post (using the word "excellent" instead of "wonderful"); neither statement made it into the official press release from UNIFIL.

The news about the Hamas leader's son who converted to Christianity, and is now attacking Islam as a whole, is finally being believed by the PalArab press after his TV interviews.

PLO official Yasser Abed Rabbo is now referring to Hamas leader Zahhar as "speaking like he is mentally ill". Apparently there is a dispute concerning the PA continuing to pay salaries to people in Gaza.

Islamic Jihad is bragging about new rockets that they have been developing during the "calm. " (They've also enlisted CNN in this PR push; here's how the CNN reporter described the "factory":

The "factory" is anything but; it's a tiny room with rockets lining the walls and masked men trying to light a fire from a gas canister to heat the explosives.
First, the lighter doesn't work, then there's a gas leak and the room becomes filled with suffocating gas.
You hear of unexplained explosions in Gaza from time to time, euphemistically called "workplace accidents." That thought is enough to make us squeeze out of the room and wonder whether we've gotten just a little too close to the story.

Egypt considers a planned rail line between Haifa, Ashdod and Eilat to be a threat to the Suez Canal, as freight trains can move huge amounts of material between the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Aqaba in 6-12 hours.

More and more Muslims are warning against Jewish plots to take over and destroy the Al Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount, claiming that plans for the Third Temple by various religious groups are being studied by the Israeli government. One said despairingly that "it could be argued that the city of Jerusalem is already Jewish."

UPDATE: Another Helles family member died from his wounds from Hamas' attack two weeks ago. The 2008 PalArab self-death count is now at 149.

Four years

Four years, 4668 published posts, 317,000 visitors, 390,000 page loads, 5,441 comments.

Blogging is certainly an interesting pastime. As readership goes up, my sense of responsibility increases as well, leading - mostly - to less and less sleep.

The blog has changed over the years, and if there is any real pattern I think it is that I dislike doing what other bloggers are doing. More than anything I want to be original, to find stories that others miss or to find an angle on a story that others might have overlooked. I don't expect people to only read this blog; there are plenty of other excellent Zionist blogs that cover many other topics and I encourage everyone to read as many as they can. I will ignore some good stories because I see that they have been covered very well elsewhere, so I hope you are also reading elsewhere.

My major frustration has been the inability for many of my newsworthy "scoops" to ever make it to the media. I am not a natural at self-promotion and I need to get into the habit of sending some of my postings to superstar bloggers or to cultivate contacts in the MSM. Unfortunately, even after four years I cannot figure out which posts would strike a chord and become very popular and which will drop unnoticed.

I would like to thank those bloggers who link to me. To me, there is no greater compliment than to know that I am a resource that other bloggers use, including the foreign-language bloggers who spend the time translating some of my posts.

Thank you all for visiting, especially the regulars, both the commenters and the lurkers. I cannot say how gratifying it is to know that apparently a few hundred people make a daily habit out of reading what I have to say.

I hope I can keep you interested.

Women pictured on pharmaceuticals: Haraam!

The Saudi Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice has a website, so we can see every day what they consider newly forbidden for all Saudi citizens.

Today's evil? It appears that some pharmaceutical companies try to make their packaging attractive, and some will put pictures of people on the packages. Of course there is nothing wrong with that, as long as the people pictures aren't - shhh! - women.

Eastern Conference [of the Muttawa?] demanded that the Ministry of Health needs to blur the images of Saudi girls on packages of medicines in circulation in the Saudi markets, according to an order issued by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

Issued by the Abdullah Al-Qahtani, resulting Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs in the Eastern Conference, addressed to the Saudi Minister of Health, the need to develop [means to cover up] outrageous photos on packages of medicine.

Attributing the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice of Saudi Chambers of resolution after noting the spread of the phenomenon of using pictures of girls in the pharmaceutical packaging principles that degrades the image of women of their dignity, pointing out that this matter is contrary to the provisions of the Standing Committee for Scientific Research and Ifta Saudi Arabia in the sixth paragraph of the Committee Legality of the controls.

He says «that the presentation of semi-nude pictures of women in the form of drug posters is an affront to women, not to mention it being a taboo with dignity, and participates in the men living, why make cheap commodity is traded and become designed this way, legitimate and consistent with our tradition to respect the feelings of people frequent and obscure Photo against morality and religion ».
The ads prompted major global pharmaceutical companies infuriated the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which called urgently to take the necessary precautions, and tighten control over the medical products offering semi-nude pictures of girls in indecent assault and public morals.

It sounds like they may be also upset over ads for drugs, not just packaging.

Those Jordanian "refugees"

Reuters decided to send this picture out over the wires:

A young Palestinian refugee walks near her school wall at al-Baqaa Refugees camp, outside of Amman, May 15, 2008. The graffiti reads 'I will not stay as a refugee forever'.(Muhammad Hamed/Reuters)

We have discussed many times in the past how the definition of "refugee" is completely different for Palestinian Arabs than for any other group in the world, and how UNRWA operationally defines the descendants of Palestinian Arab refugees to be refugees themselves forever. This misuse of the word is so ingrained that wire services routinely refer to anyone with Palestinian Arab ancestry as "refugees."

What about American or Canadian citizens of PalArab origin? Are they "refugees" too? Of course not, because they have a nationality. Everyone recognizes inherently that those who gain citizenship in another country are no longer refugees - they are immigrants. (UNRWA's definition is operational, purely for the purpose of deciding who it should help; the rest of the world adapted that as a real definition for Palestinian Arabs alone.)

Jordan gave citizenship status to Palestinian Arab refugees when Jordan annexed the West Bank. According to this 1997 study, 95% of the Palestinian "refugees and displaced" who live in Jordan today are Jordanian citizens. Some 13% of Jordanian "Palestinian refugees" still live in "refugee camps" even though they don't have to - unlike those in Lebanon, Jordanian PalArabs have every right to move to real houses or apartments elsewhere in Jordan. They choose not to leave because they are getting free housing, schooling and medical care from UNRWA. The less-lazy majority got jobs, moved out of the camps, bought houses and became more self-sufficient.

So it is more than a bit ironic that some young Palestinian Arab graffiti artist who lives in a "refugee" camp, who is not a real refugee by any reasonable definition, and who could choose to leave the camp and raise a family in honor if he would just decide to get a job, would say that he "will not stay as a refugee forever." He in fact chooses to be considered a "refugee" and to live off the largesse of the UN - and to bitterly blame the rest of the world for his choice.

Nokia endorses Islam

From Trade Arabia (the press release is on a number of other sites as well):

Nokia said it has launched of a range of mobile applications and content for the holy month of Ramadan.
It said the new solutions are free and come preloaded in select Nokia devices or as downloadable applications.

’The overwhelming response and feedback that we received from last year’s offering allowed us to improve and expand this year’s application, making it a complete solution that gives Nokia users a single and easy access to many of the cherished experiences that Muslims like to be close to during the Holy Month,’ said Chris Braam, vice president, sales, Nokia Middle East and North Africa.

The 2008 Ramadan offering from Nokia includes the Holy Quran, which allows users to read, search, bookmark and listen to Quran recitation.

Other elements include Emsakya, Ramadaniat and Mozzaker.

Developed by ASGATech, the only Forum Nokia Premium Partner in the Middle East, all content of the Ramadan applications has been reviewed and approved by Al Azhar Al Shareef.

Building on Nokia’s existing Maps platform, the new mobile services also feature locations of major mosques in KSA, UAE, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, and Pakistan, which can be navigated to using the Nokia Maps service.

’As the number one mobile device company in the world, we are now expanding into offering services and software that empower and enable Nokia device owners to fully realise the benefits of mobility, and the Ramadan applications come as part of this strategy.

’In 2007, 14 per cent of Nokia’s global net sales came from the Middle East and Africa, so this is a region that is greatly important to us and we have committed to ensuring that we are tailoring solutions that meet the local needs,’ added Braam.

Current users of the [supported devices] will be able to download the Ramadan applications, content and services, regardless of their location, through www.nokia.com/ramadan, which is available in English, Arabic and French.

The English Nokia Ramadan site is here.

This is not a third party Islamic site offering software for phones. This is Nokia specifically pushing a religion, advertising downloads of the Quran including "Audio Narrated by Sheikh Ali Al Hudhaify."

As far as I know, Nokia doesn't offer anything similar for Christians or Buddhists (although third parties do.) This is simply a multinational company choosing to endorse a single religion.

Jordanian contacts with Hamas continue during the marriage of Khaled Meshaal's son in Damascus.

Islamic Jihad released photos of their use of the "calm".

Egypt found another cache of ammunition and explosives in the Sinai to be smuggled into Gaza.

Egypt denied reports that Israel is opening up the Kerem Shalom crossing on Sunday.

Memorization versus understanding (expanded)

A ten year old boy, son of one of the terrorists who used the Church of the Nativity as a place to shoot from (as well as a toilet), has memorized the entire Quran in two months during summer camp.

While it is undeniably impressive, it is striking that Islam emphasizes the mindless memorization of the Quran while Christians and Jews emphasize study and understanding of their religious texts. To other religions, debate by ordinary people about the interpretation of a passage is praiseworthy; to Islam, it is seen as a threat.

Compare Quran memorization with Israel's annual International Bible Contest (not the best Wiki article...) The questions in the Bible contest are meant to test understanding, not mere memorization.

While Islam has taken a lot of its philosophy from Talmudic-era Judaism, here is one place where they crucially differ. The Talmud not only contains passionate discussions of how to interpret various Biblical verses; it also shows that these sorts of arguments are crucial for a belief system to grow and adapt.

This fundamental difference between Judaism and Islam can be seen in the Jewish concept of "chiddush." A chiddush is a novel interpretation or insight into source materials, consistent with basic principals, that had (seemingly) not been thought of before. The very word "chiddush" has the same root as "new." A student or rabbi is applauded for coming up with daring chiddushim.

The Muslim world does not seem to have anything analogous. The Muslims not only canonize the Quran but they shut the door for any new interpretations. Rather than emphasizing creativity and interpretation, Islam emphasizes rote and memorization.

Many of the problems the Western world faces from the Muslim world today can be traced to this mindset. Not only does Islam resist interpretation (which is necessary for modernization) but it set up a situation where those who even try to do so are ostracized or worse. Reform becomes impossible as the reformers are, almost by definition, deserving of death.

A photographic memory is a useful tool but it does not indicate wisdom. To praise memorization for its own sake is the same as trying to create a generation of unthinking robots. As the child himself said:

Asked how he feels about sitting inside and learning the Qu'ran while others are outside playing, he answered "I prefer learning the words of God instead of playing in the parks."

It isn't an either-or proposition, unless one has a peculiarly sick upbringing.

UPDATE: Reader L. King points out: "Islam does have a tradition called "itjihad" which appears to serve this role. One might be critical that this tradition has atrophied in general use but it is not entirely absent."

And fellow blogger Daled Amos adds a lot, with the upshot being that not only do Muslims memorize by rote but that most don't even understand what they are saying because essentially no one speaks classical Arabic nowadays. (I did just read about a parent who decided to speak to his son only in classical Arabic.) This is as opposed to modern Israel - while modern Hebrew is different from biblical Hebrew, modern Israelis can read the Dead Sea Scrolls today (those written in ktav Ashurit) and understand it.

Zionist Muslim editor on trial in Bangladesh

I have not yet blogged about the trial of Shoaib Choudhury, the pro-Israel editor of The Weekly Blitz, whose Zionist views may get him executed.

Details of the trial have not been forthcoming out of Bangladesh but I encourage you to read this article that nicely summarizes his precarious situation. Excerpts:

There lives in Dhaka one of the elusive souls for whom most of the world, or at least most Western politicians, have been searching: a true Islam-loving moderate Muslim who believes in brotherhood among all religions and respect for all nations by all nations. Unfortunately, it is possible that this priceless and endangered species may soon become extinct. At least since September 11, 2001, world and communal leaders have been touting the virtues of the "moderate Muslims." The express or implicit message is always that Islam has been hijacked by aberrant radicals but if we look to, nurture and promote the moderate Muslims, all will be well with the world. I've found a moderate Muslim, one who loves his religion and sincerely believes and steadfastly writes about his dreams for respect and understanding amongst all the great religions of the world. His name is Sallah Udin Shoaib Choudhury. He may well be executed for those beliefs soon. This Bangladeshi Muslim journalist dares to defy the party line of hatred towards Israel and contempt for all religions other than Islam. Not only does he write about the need for communication and understanding among Muslims, Christians and Jews in his newspaper The Weekly Blitz, but he dared to accept an invitation to attend and speak at a writers' conference in Israel. The topic of the conference was "Education Towards a Culture of Peace." On November 29, 2003, as he was about to board the plane in Dhaka on his way to that conference, Shoaib was dragged from the tarmac and arrested. His crime? He violated Bangladesh's Passport Act which forbids citizens from visiting countries such as Israel, with which it has no diplomatic relations. That law typically carries a fine of $8. What he found out the next day, however, when the magistrate announced it in court, was that he was accused of being a "spy for Israel."

...On September 18, 2006, the Bangladesh government ordered Shoaib to stand trial for sedition. The charges, as read to Shoaib by Judge Md. Momin Ullah on November 13, 2006, informed him that he "made offensive comments on [the] Muslim world, Islam and Muslims in Bangladesh and commented about the existence of al Qaeda and other Islamist militant groups, by which you have tarnished the image of Bangladesh in the outside world." Such sedition is punishable by death.

Finally, after years of delay coupled with repeated government-backed episodes of intimidation, brutal attacks and the repeated ransacking of his newspaper's offices, the case against Shoaib Choudhury began on August 6, 2008.

...for a glimpse into the rarified soul of Shoaib Choudhury, hear what I heard when he answered two very obvious questions he fields wherever he goes.

The first question is -- why he doesn't seek political asylum and get out of Bangladesh as soon as possible? His answer -- I heard it with my own ears -- is that if he were to leave, what kind of message would that send to his many silent supporters who want him to succeed, who want greater freedom and broader understanding, but who fear speaking out themselves. He says he won't abandon those people and leave them without any hope.

The second question I not only heard with my own ears, but felt right through my heart. When asked whether he was afraid that he was going to get killed, he said: "Look, everyone is going to die. The only issue is what you do while you are alive." And what he is doing is trumpeting his message, educating toward a world culture of peace. Imagine a world in which people like this were lionized instead of victimized, if they became world-renowned and lauded instead of being threatened and hounded.

Whether Shoaib Choudhury will be given a forum in which to speak and educate all citizens of his sublime worldview remains a question. The Islamic fundamentalists who, in Shoaib's conception of the universe pervert their religion and use it as a tool to oppress and even murder all those who disagree with their worldview, have imprisoned him, tortured him, threatened his children and threaten to kill him. If they remain steadfast in their position, Shoiab will be silenced forever.

Open thread II

Just in case people feel chatty....

Outraged Saudis spring into action!

Last week I mentioned a report that a delegation of Arab students, as part of a young leadership program sponsored by the US government, went to the Israel embassy for a briefing and had their pictures taken with the Israeli spokesperson.

The Saudi government, outraged, went to the original Yediot Aharonot article and examined the pictures closely. Today it triumphantly announced that none of the students that showed up were Saudi:

Officials, immediately upon receiving the news of the visit acted quickly to check the visiting dignitaries in the picture shown by the Israeli newspaper which published the news.

After careful scrutiny it was shown that there is no one who appeared in the newspaper picture that were Saudis, according to all the files of students studying the United States.

I'm just picturing a bunch of Saudi officials hunched over an Israeli newspaper with a magnifying glass, spending days carefully comparing the pictures there with those of hundreds or thousands of known Saudi students in America to ensure that no holy Saudi hands were dirtied by being shaken by an Israeli.

I wonder if they requested a copy of all the photos from the Israeli embassy to make sure that there weren't some pictures that Yediot didn't publish that might have shown otherwise.

No swimsuits in Kuwaiti Olympic coverage - Zionists next?

The MEMRI blog reports that Kuwait is censoring some Olympics competition because of the way the women dress.

It also mentions two Salafist MPs who were upset not only at the immodest dress but also wanted to make sure that no Israeli athletes pollute pure Kuwaiti airwaves.

The original article states:

The [MP] Al Omeir, who called the Information Ministry to reconsider the policy of transferring Games held in Beijing, pointed out that some sports are in violation of the law, ethics and public taste.

Al Omeir and wondered about the usefulness of the broadcast of such games "exercising clothes are a violation of taste and decency," stressing that "the best way to solve this is not to broadcast some games".

Al Omeir and warned that some sports involving Israel, where they raise the flag, which was raised as Muslims and Arabs reject normalization with the Israeli entity, calling on the TV station to take caution and attention to prevent the broadcast of any games involving Israel "so as not to contribute to promoting the participation of the enemy during which normalization with him ".

Jordan admits its citizens hate Jews

YNet reports that Jordanian authorities have been confiscating Jewish prayer books and tefillin from tourists. The reason given is that this "Jewish paraphernalia" could risk the lives of the tourists.

Jordan insists that this is not anti-semitism, just that it is a prudent move because these objects identify the people as being Jewish and therefore it puts them in danger. Even though Jews would generally pray in private when in Jordan, the Jordanian authorities still believe that this is the best way to ensure the tourists' security.

Of course, this means that religious Jews are effectively banned from travel to Jordan. And Jordan has a number of interesting Biblical and historic sites that appeal to religious Jewish tourists.

What is more interesting, though, is the underlying thinking. Jordan is admitting that the "terrorists" and their sympathizers aren't anti-Israel (after all, plenty of non-religious Israeli tourists visit Jordan) nearly as much as they are, in fact, anti-semitic. The targets aren't Jews, they are religious Jews. (I guess it goes without saying that wearing a kippah in Jordan is putting your life into your own hands, just as it is in most of the West Bank.)

For people who follow the conflict, this unadulterated anti-semitism that Jordan exhibits should not be a surprise. In 2006, a Pew Global Attitudes Survey put Jordan dead last in its question whether its citizens had a favorable attitude towards Jews (only 1% said "yes," 98% said "no.")

It is also notable that Jordan isn't offering to protect the tourists, but rather telling the tourists to either throw away their religion or not bother coming. This is one of the "moderate" Arab countries we hear so much about. The Jew-hatred in Jordan is so accepted as fact that it is not even worth trying to solve the problem.

A humorous example can be seen in this story from 1998, where a Jordanian newspaper claimed that Jews were trying to turn Jordan into a Jewish land; attempting to buy sites near Biblical landmarks and secretly burying Jewish coins and artifacts to be "rediscovered". Of course, patriotic Jordanians were seeing right through those evil Jewish schemes.

Compare to my previous story about how Bahrain is actively seeking Jews to move back into that country, and one can see that Jordan is not simply "anti-Zionist" but actively anti-semitic.

Today's PalArab press

A Fatah member who was tortured in Hamas prisons writes to Firas Press, saying that Hamas torture was even worse than Israel's. "We stood, blindfolded, even during prayers, flogging, humiliation and insults, without pity or mercy, without water or food or medicine, and complained he will get one of us following the strike in the same place him in pain..."

An Arab analysis of why Jordan started talking to Hamas concludes that Jordan wants more influence with the Palestinian Arabs in bringing about a truce between Fatah and Hamas as well as Jordan wanting to influence Hamas to dissuade the Muslim Brotherhood from acting against Jordanian interests. Meanwhile, Hamas is nervous about a Syrian peace treaty with Israel that might force it out of Syria and wants to re-open its office in Amman.

Bahrain's king, in London, called on Jews who left Bahrain to return either as citizens, investors or tourists. Bahrain's Jewish community is tiny but enjoys good relations with Bahrain's Arabs, and Bahrain is the only Gulf country with a synagogue.

A week ago Egypt opened up the Rafah crossing for a VIP - Sheikh Yassin's son. Yesterday, it opened it up for another VIP: Mahmoud Zahhar's son. Meanwhile, there are reports that Gaza still has hundreds of Egyptians who cannot cross Rafah into Egypt.

Mahmoud Zahhar himself rejected any dialogue with Fatah, claiming that Abbas is under the "robe of America" and that any dialogue is useless until Bush, Olmert and Abbas are out of office. (Hamas has previously said that it will not recognize Abbas' presidency after this year, citing the PA's own laws.)

On the "goodwill gesture" front, Israel decided to re-open the Kerem Shalom crossing for the first time in four months after a deadly terror attack there. Also, Israel decided to allow some prisoners with "blood on their hands" to be released. Goodwill gestures on the Palestinian Arab side includes a 16-year old boy with bombs who tried to go through the Huwara checkpoint.

Saudi Vice, episode 19: Sacrilegious sister

The lives of the prestigious members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice are not easy. All day they have to be on the alert, patrolling the streets of Saudi Arabia with an eagle eyes, tuned in the slightest hint of impropriety among the thankful Saudi populace.

But sometimes, the whiff of vice hits too close to home, and the results can be tragic.

In this case, one of our heroes, an upstanding member of the Muttawa, found out a terrible secret that his sister had been keeping from him:

She had converted to Christianity.

The woman, named Fatma Al-Matairi, confided in her brother about her terrible secret, secure in the knowledge that he would be understanding and supportive.

Little did the 26-year old know that her brother, as a member of the Commission, has a much higher moral code than just brotherhood and support. Converting to Christianity is blasphemy, and is punishable by death.

So he killed her.

Now, Saudi Arabia has one less blasphemer, and our hero can sleep well knowing he did the right thing.

UPDATE: It appears that it was her father that was a member of the Muttawa, and he cut out her tongue before burning her to death.

Quotable Quntar

Samir Kuntar, that child-murderer and hero of all Palestinian Arabs and Lebanese, just gave forth some more of his wisdom.

According to Aafaq.org, a relatively liberal Arab website based in Washington, DC, he said "Sadat's assassination was an excellent job and I hope to see more similar assassinations."

Calling for the assassination of Arab leaders may sour those leaders on him a little bit.

Open thread

The comment boards have been active lately but often the topic strays from the original post, so here is a place for people to discuss whatever is on their minds. I will ask my commenters to stick to the topic when commenting on posts, and use open threads otherwise.

Thanks!

Guess who's confiscating land?

There was a large rally in the town of Mughraqa, south of Gaza City, protesting Hamas' confiscating of land that belonged to the people of Gaza, some of it for generations.

The article is a little hard to decipher but it does mention a law that makes it illegal to sell land to non-Muslims.

As far as I can tell, none of the towns abandoned by Israel three years ago has ever been given to Gazans to build houses or apartments. Instead, Hamas uses at least some of them for military training and has shot rockets to Israel from them.

Today's PalArab news

The peaceful Fatah Al Aqsa Brigades in Gaza threatened to blow up the "calm" because Israel temporarily closed a couple of crossings - in response to rocket fire over the past few days.

Hamas leader Zahhar, in an amazing display of logic, said that those who shot the rocket yesterday (which landed in the center of Sderot) are "collaborators" with Israel. With friends like those....

Some Jewish Hebron residents were accused of saying derogatory things about Islam. When Arabs complained to the Israeli police, they were shocked to find out that the depraved Israelis don't have a law making insulting the Prophet illegal.

Windows were shattered at Al Quds University in Gaza because Hamas was practicing weapons and explosives training nearby, causing students to evacuate.

There was a huge explosion in Gaza City Sunday evening that has still not yet been explained.

No word yet on further casualties or finding the missing people from the two tunnel collapses over the past couple of days. Last I heard some five men were still missing.

Chief Palestinian Arab Liar Saeb Erekat denies a Haaretz report of a detailed "peace" plan that Olmert was reported to offer that includes 93% of the West Bank plus additional land in the Negev adjacent to Gaza. Erekat said, all of West Bank or nothing. Another PalArab spokesman said the same thing, that not one Jew can remain in the West Bank (and all the "refugees" must return to destroy Israel) for there to be "peace."

Hamas asked Gazans to call the police if any masked men pretending to be security forces try to confiscate their property or harass them. It is unclear how the citizens would know if the masked men harassing them are from Hamas or are imposters. (h/t Israellycool)

Video of Hamas leader's Christian son

Fox News interviewed Masab Yousef, the son of a West Bank Hamas leader who converted to Christianity and moved to California. Here's the video:

Pavlov and the Terrorists (Golden Oldie)

As my four year blogoversary approaches, I continue to look for interesting older articles that most of you haven't seen. (In fact, three years ago this blog had not yet hit 10,000 total visitors.)

Here is one of my better old postings, from July 25, 2005:

Pavlov and the Terrorists

Why do Palestinian leaders and press lie? Why did Palestinians switch from hijacking airplanes to package bombs to suicide bombs? Why did they seem to accept Camp David and then turn around and start the second intifada?

In short, why do Palestinian terrorists act so seemingly irrationally?

This question has been asked in various ways thousands of times over the decades. And in many cases, I have looked at these questions from a goal-oriented approach: if the Palestinian goal is to have an independent Palestinian state, none of the actions make sense. If the goal is the destruction of Israel, then all of their actions are consistent.

But one can also look at the problem, especially some of the specifics, with a behavioral approach. In short, actions that are rewarded tend to be repeated, while actions that cost more than their rewards tend to be abandoned.

As has been noted, Palestinian spokespeople and press lie continuously. Just to give two examples from the past week: they described the two murdered grandparents as "settlers" and they claimed that "witnesses" saw Gaza settlers kill a 12-year old Palestinian boy when it was later proved that it was Palestinians themselves who killed him.

If Israel's spokespeople lied, you can be sure that the world media would not hesitate to call them on it - and rightfully so. Israel's government and army have volumes of information on their websites and even a single purposeful error would make them useless.

But Palestinian media, even their English websites, are so full of holes that they are a joke. Their spokespeople have lied so often that they are completely unreliable. Yet the Western press continues to quote them seriously, without so much as a single caveat that they are known to have made up facts out of thin air in the past.

In short, lying works for Palestinians. It is rewarded with news stories that either never get retracted or get corrected so silently that the damage can never be undone. When a behavior is rewarded, it gets repeated; this is simple behavioral psychology.

On the flip side of the coin, Palestinian terrorists first made headlines with their famous series of airplane hijackings in the 1970s. For a while it got them rewarded with world press, and free publicity for their cause of destroying Israel. But soon, the reward turned into a punishment as the world governments who they wanted sympathy from turned against them. So they started their diplomatic offensive and abandoned explicit international terror, because the rewards had dried up.

For a while there, Israel could claim to have won the intifada war against Palestinian terrorists - Israel's building of the fence combined with pro-active targeted killings against terror leaders curtailed terror attacks dramatically. Terror leaders were in hiding and even the Palestinian people were turning against them in some circumstances.

But now, Israel has turned a punishment into a reward. The retreat from Gaza is the biggest reward that Palestinians could have asked for - it directly gives them a piece of what they always wanted, control over land that Jews had control over. No amount of doubletalk can deny that the Palestinian terrorists perceive that they are now being rewarded for terror. And as in countless other situations, the reward ensures that the behavior that caused the reward will continue.

The only way to stop terror, whether in Tel Aviv or London or Egypt, is to ensure that the cost is higher than the reward. "Proportional" and "measured"responses do not punish terror, it needs to be disproportionate and immediate.

This is how you train a dog, and this is how you train terrorists.

More Islamic science - Radiation from Mecca seen from space

It would be easy to say that the story I posted yesterday of the Muslim rumor that Apollo astronauts heard the Muslim call to prayer on the moon as being a bit unfair; that beliefs like these are not widespread and that one cannot blame a large number of people for the beliefs of an ignorant minority.

But what if you saw that Saudi Arabia TV had an Egyptian scientist saying similar things, in 2005?

From MEMRI TV:

The following are excerpts from an interview with Dr. Abd Al-Baset Al-Sayyed of the Egyptian National Research Center. Al-Majd TV aired this interview on January 16, 2005
Dr. 'Abd Al-Baset Sayyid: The centrality [of Mecca] has been proven scientifically. How? When they traveled to outer space and took pictures of the earth, they saw that it is a dark, hanging sphere. The man said, "Earth is a dark hanging sphere – who hung it?"

Interviewer: Who said that?

Dr. 'Abd Al-Baset Sayyid: [Neil] Armstrong. Armstrong was basically trying to say: Allah is the one who hung it. They discovered that Earth emits radiation, and they wrote about this on the web. They left the item there for 21 days, and then they made it disappear.

Interviewer: Why did they make it disappear?

Dr. 'Abd Al-Baset Sayyid: There was intent there…

Interviewer: So it may be said that this suppression of information was significant.

Dr. 'Abd Al-Baset Sayyid: It was very significant, since…the Ka'ba [in Mecca]… They said it emits radiation. This radiation is short-wave.

When they discovered this radiation, they started to zoom in, and they found that it emanates from Mecca – and, to be precise, from the Ka'ba.

Interviewer: My God!!

Dr. 'Abd Al-Baset Sayyid: It was said…

Interviewer: Does this radiation have an effect?

Dr. 'Abd Al-Baset Sayyid: They found that this radiation is infinite. When they reached Mars and began to take pictures, they found that the radiation continues beyond. They said that the wavelength known to us… or rather the shortness of the wavelength known to us… This radiation had a special characteristic: It is infinite, and I believe that the reason is that this radiation connects the [earthly] Ka'ba with the celestial Ka'ba.

Imagine that you are the North Pole and I am the South Pole – in the middle there's what is called the magnetic equilibrium zone. If you place a compass there, the needle won't move.

Interviewer: You mean that the pull is equal from both sides?

Dr. 'Abd Al-Baset Sayyid: Yes, and that's why it's called zero-magnetism zone, since the magnetic force has no effect there. That's why if someone travels to Mecca or lives there, he lives longer, is healthier, and is less affected by Earth's gravity. That's why when you circle the Ka'ba, you get charged with energy.

Interviewer: Allah be praised.

Dr. 'Abd Al-Baset Sayyid: Yes, this is a fact.
This is a scientific fact…
Interviewer: Because you are distant from…

Dr. 'Abd Al-Baset Sayyid: Earth's magnetic fields have no effect on you in this case.

There's a study that proves that the black basalt rocks in Mecca are the oldest rocks in the world. This is the truth.

Interviewer: The oldest rocks? Yes. Has this been proved scientifically?

Dr. 'Abd Al-Baset Sayyid: It's been scientifically proven, and the study has been published.

Interviewer: They took basalt rocks from Mecca…

Dr. 'Abd Al-Baset Sayyid: …Basalt rocks from Mecca, and investigated the places where they were formed.

In the British Museum there are three pieces of the black stone [from the Ka'ba] …and they said that this rock didn't come from our solar system.

Another sick Saudi marriage

It seems to be a daily event:

UNAIZAH: In order to settle his debts, a Saudi father here married his eight-year-old daughter to a man in his 50s, who already has two wives, a local newspaper reported yesterday.
Details of the case came to light when the mother of the girl took it to the court calling for an abrogation of the marriage contract. The mother, who is estranged from the father, urged all concerned parties and the National Society for Human Rights to support her in canceling the marriage.
“This is an unmatched marriage, which will deprive our daughter of her childhood,” the mother said.
A source at the court said this is not the first case of its kind.
A court in Asir is currently considering a similar case in which a man married his 10-year-old daughter to a man in his 70s for SR170,000.

Legal child slavery, prostitution and rape.

Saudi married off his three little girls to old men

From Arab News:

The Wadi Bin-Hasheel court has postponed the trial of a Saudi father who married his 10-year-old daughter to a man in his 70s, as the bride and bridegroom failed to appear in court, Al-Madinah newspaper reported yesterday. The trial is now set for Sept. 10, as only the girl’s father, her divorced mother and her uncle attended the hearing. The judge ordered the police to bring the girl and her husband to the next session.

The newspaper said the girl’s uncle, who filed the case against the father, has refused all offers of mediation to drop the case, and said he would continue until justice was done.

The father had earlier married two of his young daughters to elderly men. A judge in the Grand Court of Riyadh divorced the first, who was 12, while the second ran away with her mother to a women’s shelter in Riyadh.

This does not appear to be the same as last month's story about the 64-year old man marrying a 10 year old in the Hail province. In that case, the father married the girl off on a dare.

I guess it isn't surprising that the girl gets to be raped nightly by her "husband" while the courts wait to see if the blissful newlyweds show up to the next hearing.

What a difference a couple of years makes

Russia, 2006: "One cannot justify the continued destruction by Israel of the civilian infrastructure in Lebanon and in Palestinian territory"

Russia, 2008: "Our goal was not to harm civilians, and to the best of my knowledge, we only hit military installations. But like they say, war is war – and it could be that civilians were hurt, this also happens in Israel's military operations in Gaza, for example. "

It's 1947 again! Arabs demand "binational state" - or else

YNet:

A top negotiator said on Sunday Palestinians may demand to become part of a binational state with Israel, if the Jewish state continued to reject the borders they propose for a separate country.

Ahmed Qurei, who heads Palestinian negotiators in US-brokered talks with Israel, told Fatah party loyalists behind closed doors that a two-state solution could be achieved only if Israel met their demands to withdraw from all occupied land.

"The Palestinian leadership has been working on establishing a Palestinian state within the '67 borders," Qurei said, referring to land in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that Israel captured in a 1967 war, which Palestinians seek for a state.

"If Israel continues to oppose making this a reality, then the Palestinian demand for the Palestinian people and its leadership (would be) one state, a binational state," he added at the meeting held in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

Isn't it interesting that Palestinian Arabs, who supposedly are so desperate for their own independent state, keep acting as if they can "demand" everything they want with no concessions on their part from israel? One would think that they have won a war or something. But, no. All they have is the ever-present threat of terror and the continuing absence of any desire for real peace and compromise, as their list of "demands" keeps including things that Israel cannot and never will accept, no matter how left-wing the government is.

As Ami Isseroff notes:

The "1967 borders" were negotiated as armistice lines with Jordan, Egypt and Syria. Along the frontier with Jordan, they reflected no justice or demographic realities. They reflected the achievements of the Trans-Jordan Legion, made possible by arms and officers supplied by the British, in order to further their imperialist designs in the Middle East. No Arab country, and no Palestinian Arab group ever recognized or honored these borders while they existed. These borders, in the version of the Palestinian authority, put East Jerusalem in "Palestinian" territory. But officially, Jerusalem was to have been internationalized. As that was never implemented, owing to Arab and British opposition, Jerusalem is a subject for negotiation. It is unimaginable that Israel would agree to surrender all national rights to the old city of Jerusalem and environs. The Palestinian claim to Jerusalem seems to be based on the fact that no Jews lived there before 1967. Evidently, the Palestinians think the world has a short memory, and it might be so. The Jewish community of Jerusalem, which had lived there for hundreds for years, was forcibly "ethnically cleansed" from Jerusalem by a series of racist pogroms, culminating in the removal of the remaining Jewish population when the Jewish quarter was conquered by the British officered Trans-Jordan Legion in the Israel War of Independence (see The Ethnic Cleansing of Jerusalem).

It is also noteworthy that the Arabs have made this demand before.

As the UN was arguing over what to do with Palestine in 1947, the Arab solution was simple: a single Arab state, period. As partition came closer to reality, the Arab counter-offer stayed the same, along with some words about how much they would protect the Jewish minority in this state. But this is only as long as Jews remain the minority - because they were adamant that no Jews would ever be allowed to immigrate.

Note all of the verbiage meant to assuage Western concerns that this would be another Arab state where the Jews would be delegated to permanent dhimmi status.

This was all a sham, of course, a last-ditch effort to stop a Jewish state from ever being created. The fact that the new Palestine would be pre-defined as "Arab" shows that democracy was the last thing on Arab minds.

And five days later, as it became clear that the world saw that the Arabs weren't serious about planning to treat the Jews fairly, the Arabs proved them right. Jamal Husseini gave an implicit threat against Jews in Arab countries if a Jewish state would exist:

On the same day, Egypt made the threat a bit more explicit, couching it in terms like "we of course want to protect our Jews, but if a Jewish state turns into reality, well, we cannot be responsible for what our hot-headed people do:"

Qurei is following in the exact footsteps of his Arab forefathers - not accepting compromise and threatening to kill Jews if he doesn't get exactly what he demands.

Today's PalArab news

Mahmoud Darwish was the leading Palestinian Arab poet who died over the weekend. His burial is being politicized as some of his friends are demanding that he be buried in pre-1967 Israel, not Ramallah.

Fatah is mulling abandoning Gaza altogether. If they do, will they still be sending 58% of their budget to Gaza?

Palestine Today is reporting on secret European talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia about the common threat from Iran - including Israel offering advice on Saudi defenses and intelligence cooperation.

A long standing feud between two families in Beit Lahia is apparently over as they decided to have two members get married. We'll see how well the ceremony goes before passing judgment.

Tunnel collapses!

Yesterday there was a tunnel collapse between Rafah and Egypt. Initial reports claimed 6 dead; the latest reports say there are 3 dead and seven still missing, so I am adjusting the self-death count accordingly until we hear more.

But meanwhile there was another tunnel collapse this morning, killing a 22-year old who was in the process of digging it.

On August 1, five were killed in a major collapse but I didn't count them because of Ha'aretz reports that Egypt had caused the collapse. Yet in reports about yesterday's tunnel collapse in Palestinian Arab media they did not refer to the earlier collapse as being the fault of Egypt, although they have accused Egypt of pumping poison gas in the tunnels in the past.

The tunnel industry is booming, and a Gaza man even stocked his zoo with animals smuggled under the border, including lions and monkeys that were drugged and dragged through tunnels (not to mention "frilly underwear.") Meanwhile, demand for goods that Israel has allowed into Gaza has been reduced greatly, while more exotic items are coming daily.

Which begs the question: if Gazans are still dying daily because of the "siege" (the latest claim in PalArabic media is about 230 dead since last year), why are they not smuggling sick people into Egypt?

I guess their lives aren't worth as much to Gazans as having a couple of monkeys in a dusty zoo.

The 2008 PalArab self-death count is downwardly adjusted for now to 147.

UPDATE: A second dead man from today's collapse, possibly the two are a father and son. 148.

The mysterious Iranian sports illness

It is really intriguing that there are so many sheer coincidences that stop Iranian athletes from competing with Israelis.

In 2004, Iranian judoka Arash Miresmaeli strangely missed his weight and thus didn't get to compete against an Israeli.

The International Judo Federation investigated and concluded that he didn’t miss his weight to avoid the bout.

Even so, in the spirit of fair play, Iranian president Ahmadinejad rewarded Miresmaeili with the same $125,000 that Iranian gold medal winners received.

And in this Olympics, Iranian swimmer Mohammad Alirezaei mysteriously developed "stomach cramps" a half hour before his meet, where, coincidentally, an Israeli was going to compete. From IRNA:

Iranian swimmer Mohammad Alirezaei has pulled out of the Olympic men's 100m breaststroke heats due to severe pain in his stomach, an official with the Iranian team said on Saturday.
The head of Iran's Swimming Federation, Vahid Moradi, told IRNA that Alirezaei failed to attend the competition as he felt a severe pain in his stomach and nauseous 30 minutes before the contest.
The physicians accompanying Iranian swimming team have diagnosed Alirezaei with appendicitis or herina rupture and said he should immediately be taken to hospital, Moradi said.
He added that Alirezaei's coach has informed the Olympic Games Committee of his sickness prior to transferring him to hospital.

The IOC says it will investigate, but as long as there is no proof that he didn't get sick, there will be no sanctions.

And Alirezaei stands to profit mightily from his "illness".

Some Muslims believe that astronauts heard call to prayer on the moon

I just read a fatwa in Arab News where the response included an answer to a question that was not published:

As for your other questions, I may say that there is no truth whatsoever in the story of an American astronaut having heard the call to prayer as he landed on the moon. He denied it himself. It simply does not fit. There are no humans living on the moon. There may be other creatures, having a totally different form of life, but then they would not be using human language in calling to prayers.

Which prompts the question: do some Muslims believe that astronauts heard the Muslim call to prayer on the moon?

Sure enough, there has been such a belief among some Muslims for decades. Muslim newspapers published these rumors as fact in 1983 (you can see some of the titles in this footnote to a biography of Neil Armstrong) and it is still being spread.

Here is how the current version of the rumor looks:

Armstrong and his two fellow astronauts, Aldrin and Collins, saw an object on the Moon’s horizon, which looked like an open book, and then they heard some mysterious “music.” They reported this back to Earth. At first, no one on Earth believed them: how could there be a book on the Moon and music in airless space? But the “music” was also heard on Earth over the radio transmission, and the “book” was photographed.
It is believed that the book the astronauts saw on the Moon is the prototype of the earthly Koran that exists in the heavens.
But all this information was classified.
In February 1983, fourteen years after his flight to the Moon, Astronaut Neil Armstrong went to Egypt to participate in a scientific conference. During the meeting, the azan sounded. Armstrong, sitting in the presidium, went pale and asked: “What is that music?” Surprised by the astronaut’s behavior, the conference participants explained that it was the Muslim call to prayer. “That voice. That’s what I heard when I first stepped on the Moon, hearing it is giving me goose bumps!… O Allah! I found You not on Earth, but on the Moon!… I stepped onto the Moon without praying, but now I will pray, you can consider me a Muslim.” So the first person to walk on the Moon, American astronaut Neil Armstrong, became a Muslim.
Later a NASA employee, who recorded all the conversations between the spaceship and Earth during the astronauts’ time on the Moon, declassified this information by allowing the public to listen to the tape.

The same website goes into full details:

Astronaut Aldrin: “We can see some object that looks like an open book. Right above the Sea of Tranquility (Mare Tranquillitatis).”
Astronaut Armstrong: “It looks like two rings, or to be more exact, like an open book.”
Astronaut Collins: “I changed the position of the sextant, now we can clearly see that it is shaped like a book.”
Observation from Earth: “What are you talking about, how can there be a book on the Moon?”
The voices were recorded on tape. The next day the book disappeared, however some external interference constantly jammed the radio transmission, a sound kept breaking in similar to the siren of a fire engine.
Collins: “Earth, can you hear me, get rid of the interference, that siren, or I’ll go deaf…”
Earth: “That sound is not coming from Earth, it’s coming from without, are you sure there isn’t another ship there besides yours?”
Armstrong: “And now some music has started, Earth, are you going to get rid of the music or not?”
Earth: “Everything here is in working order. The music is coming from you.”
Aldrin: “What nonsense! Can we agree or not? That music is coming from you!”

* * *

The next day, Armstrong went onto the Moon again. “The Eagle has landed!” he said with emotion. A person was walking on the Moon for the first time. Suddenly the sound like a siren was heard again. But this time (this is all recorded on tape), the following words were heard: “RABBI-EL ARDZ-DINI ENDAHU-IZA-KUN-ALIM.”
Earth: “Hey, who’s talking?”
Armstrong was walking on the Moon at this time. Again the sound of music was heard: “Ashgadu ala illaga illallag.” (I testify – there is no God but Allah.)
Earth: “UFOs again? What were the words in that music?”
Collins: “Ashan mahatma rasamballa…,” something like that. Sounds like Indian…”
Armstrong: “I heard it (the Arabian prayer presented above. – Ed.) to the end. It somehow makes you feel good. I think it’s from African radio stations…”
Aldrin: “I changed the frequency, the same sound again. It’s coming from the Moon. It’s not a radio wave. It’s something hard to believe.”
Earth: “What, have you all gone crazy up there? How can there be sound in airless space?” Collins: “So what is it then? UFOs?”
Armstrong: “Can UFOs be shaped like books?”
Earth: “A strange indisposition. Or some space wave? It’s obvious that the voices, sounds, are all figments of your imagination?”
Armstrong: “You can’t take pictures of figments! You can’t record an imaginary voice on tape!”
Earth: “Alright, but how can sound spread in airless space?”
Sometime later, the astronauts returned to Earth. The cassettes were listened to again. In the meantime, consultations were held with Al-Baz, NASA’s executive secretary. He gave an explanation of the “music” heard on the Moon, declaring it to be a holy saying in Arabic.
Much time passed, and Warden, an Apollo 16 astronaut, heard the same “saying.”
What is more, while photographing the Earth in infrared rays, he picked up something akin to the aura of our planet, which looks like the Arabic inscription of the Creator’s name – Allah.
This photograph, which was published in “National Geographic,” has traveled around the whole world.

Details about this hoax can be seen at Answering Islam. Neil Armstrong has had to deny these rumors multiple times, and even the State Department got into the act (click to enlarge):

Death Dung re-Dux

Since I shamelessly stole Aussie Dave's "Zionist Death weapon" phrase, I point you to his followup post on the real weapon that Israel was testing out that convinced the protesters that they were being sprayed with feces last Friday.

Guess what country is the "Holy Land" to NBC?

The NBC Olympics site has brief country descriptions. Some are briefer than others.

Here is the description of Israel:

Located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea and is bordered to the west by Egypt, to the east by Syria and Jordan, and to the north by Lebanon. Proclaimed its independence in 1948 as the state of Israel.

But check out the more expansive description of "Palestine":

Often called the "Holy Land." A historic region of southwest Asia between the eastern Mediterranean shore and the Jordan River, comprising parts of modern Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. Israel has handed most of the Gaza Strip and seven West Bank population centers to Palestinian rule under a process set in motion by the historic Israel-PLO peace deal in 1993.
In the late 1990s, the PLO and Israel agreed to expand The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), headed by Yasser Arafat, was founded in 1964 and is recognized by the United Nations as the government of the Palestinians. After a three-year hiatus, negotiations to determine the future of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank began in September 1999 but were cut off in September 2000 after violence broke out in both regions.
In April 2003, United Nations, European Union, United States and Russian officials announced the "Road Map to Peace," which outlined the steps that Israel and Palestinian authorities would have to take to achieve peace - including the creation of an independent Palestinian state - by 2005. The path was stymied along the way, as Palestinian authorities were unable to stop anti-Israeli terrorism and Israel's military struck back against Palestinians with force. But in 2005, all Israeli settlers were evacuated from the Gaza Strip and control was transferred to the Palestinian Authority.

So "Palestine" is the "Holy Land" while Israel is just some country that started in 1948 and has no history at all. And I I didn't know that "Palestine" claims some land in modern Jordan and Egypt; I wonder which parts?

(Other Arab countries have more expansive descriptions, but curiously all the descriptions of the Gulf nations seem to revolve around the US and Iraq.)

The Holocaust wasn't a secret in 1942

It isn't that the West didn't know about the Holocaust; it is that it chose to ignore it.

Here is an article in the Palestine Post from November 26, 1942 that was quite detailed as to what was happening to Jews in Poland, before the bulk of Jews were murdered:
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In December 1942, many more details were published and widely disseminated. The genocide of the Jews was very well known by the end of 1942 in England, the United States and worldwide. (The following three articles were all from the Palestine Post, December 20, 1942):

London newspapers all published the information as well as ideas on how to help the remaining Jews:

Jewish agencies pleaded for help and prominent politicians were informed about the details of the Holocaust, many of whom professed their support:
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And yet at this point there were still over 3 million more Jewish men, women and children who were fated to be butchered over the next two years, while the Allies did almost nothing to save them.

Weeping over the ruins of Jerusalem

Today is Tisha B'Av, the anniversary of the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem.

In the 19th century a large number of Christian pilgrims voyaged to the Holy Land, and a good number of them recounted their experiences in books and lectures back in their native lands. Here are three descriptions of how the Jews would, year-round, weep over the destruction of the two Temples from within the ruins of Jerusalem.

From "The Quiver", 1862:

THE Jews' Wailing Place," says Dr. Stewart, "is a narrow court or passage adjoining the western wall at the Haramwhich has been lately paved by a Jew tor the benefit of his brethren, and is one of the most interesting places in the city. No one can look at the immense blocks of stone in that wall without being convinced that he has before him, in its original state, a portion of the Temple enclosure.

It is from thirty to forty feet in height, built with large stones, some of which are nearly twenty feet in length. The Jews have purchased from the Government the privilege of resorting to this place ; and on every Friday many of both sexes are to be seen sitting in the court, reading the Scripture and their prayer- books, and weeping over the ruin of their temple and nation

Some of them rock their bodies about, rattling over their prayers at the same time with a tremendous rapidity. Others go up to the wall, and putting their mouths to the openings between the stones, pray in that attitude, because tiiey imagine that their prayers are more sure to reach Jehovah's ear when breathed through the foundation walls of what was once his holy and beautiful house. It is a most touching sight to see these mourners weeping over the fallen Jerusalem.

The account which Dr. Robinson gives of this spot is as follows : — " I went with Mr. Lanneau to the place where the Jews are permitted to purchase the right of approaching the site of their Temple, and of paying and wailing over its ruins and the downfall of their nation. ...Two old men, Jews, sat there upon the ground, reading together in a book of Hebrew prayers. On Fridays they assemble here in greater numbers. It is the nearest point in which they can venture to approach their ancient Temple... Here, bowed in the dust, they may at least weep undisturbed over the fallen glory of their race, and bedew with their tears the soil which so many thousands of their forefathers once moistened with their blood. This touching custom of the Jew is not of modern origin. Benjamin of Tudela mentions it, as apparently connected with the same spot, in the twelfth century ; and very probably the custom has come down from still earlier ages.

The Jew who was our guide, on approaching the many stones, took off his shoes, and kissed the wall." Speaking of the large stones, they tell us " some of them are worn smooth with the tears and kisses of the men of Israel."

The Land and the Book, William McClure Thomson, 1870:

No sight meets the eye in Jerusalem more sadly suggestive than this wailing place of the Jews over the ruins of their Temple. It is a very old custom, and in past ages they have paid immense sums to their oppressors for the miserable satisfaction of kissing the stones and pouring out lamentations at the foot of their ancient sanctuary. With trembling lips and tearful eyes they sing, " Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever : behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste."

My Trip to the Orient, John Collinsworth Simmons, 1902:

I went down to what is known as the "Wailing-place of the Jews." Here were scores of Jews, from lads of a few summers to old men who had grown gray and stooped in waiting. Stretching for a hundred yards or more was a part of the old wall of their city. These stones were there in the days when their Temple stood on Mount Moriah, when their altars smoked with their sacrifices, and they were the people of God, known and recognized among all men. And now they were strangers in their own city, and here they, and their fathers for generations, have assembled every day, and, with their faces to these unsympathizing stones, are wailing out their sorrows, and waiting for the coming of their Messiah. I saw nothing in Jerusalem that touched me so deeply as the scene at this wall. I heard their murmur all along the line as they stood with their backs to the light, and their faces to the hard, senseless stones....

It is said that these Jews at their wailing-place use the Lamentations of Jeremiah as their texts. Among those there the day I saw them, my guide told me were some of the richest Jews in Jerusalem. 1 could not but mark the earnestness and the seriousness that characterized old and young. When I knew of the oppression to which they are subjected in this the land of their fathers, I could not wonder so much that they never wearied in crying for help. And one generation is taught by another that here they are to find relief.

Zionist Death Dung

The ridiculous IMEMC "reports:"

The Israeli army dispersed the weekly nonviolent protest located in Bil'in village north of the West Bank city of Ramallah on Friday midday with gas, guns and grenades.local sources reported.

A number of civilians reported suffering from gas inhalation and for the first time Israeli troops threw smelly manure at the protestors.

I couldn't find any wire service photos from today's Bil'in protest, but yesterday's Naalin protest which the IMEMC also described as "non-violent" was captured by this AP photographer, showing a non-violent protester punching an aggressively violent IDF soldier in the face. (Also a picture of some non-violent rock hurling with slingshots.)

Ah, but that's not the half of it. The Arabic media is reporting that the nefarious IDF did much, much worse things in Bil'in, calling this "field testing" new weapons (autotranslated):

The march started from the village centre and headed towards the wall, where participants tried to cross into their confiscated land , but the occupying soldiers fought them with fire hoses (using) contaminated wastewater cow dung and chicken (dung) with some chemicals, thus leading to the injury of dozens of cases Altakiu , Where demonstrators surprised color green and fragrant water stinking, and that became his clothes for several hours.

Just imagine the infrastructure necessary to weaponize cow dung and wastewater. You gave to fill out the necessary paperwork, requisitioning the manure for the purposes of stopping non violent protests; you have to establish a relationship with the manure bendor, you have to test the manure to make sure that it has the correct consistency for flinging at the optimum distances (you don't want blowback!) which means having farms dedicated to creating consistent diets for cows and chickens in order to ensure quality dung; you need a good mechanism for dung delivery which means that weapons need to be created for each type and size of manure bullets or cannons (as the case might be), you have to have a way of loading the weapons without getting dirty or smelly, meaning special gloves and clothing....and that's just the dung. For the wastewater you need to transport it in special trucks just for the purpose of putting down protesters....

Wow, my respect for the IDF's logistics personnel just went up a hundredfold!

The three star general of wishful thinking

Ha'aretz has a wide-ranging interview with General Keith Dayton, who is tasked with building up the PA security forces so that they can effectively defend against terror groups as well as give the IDF enough confidence to be able to leave security tasks to them.

The challenge facing him is very complicated. He must convince the Palestinians that if they manage to organize their security forces, they will be bringing statehood closer. He must show the Israelis that if they loosen their restrictions a bit, the Palestinians will prove they are a responsible neighbor, and that it is worth the Israelis' while to support the Palestinians and not focus only on Iran and the Hezbollah. He must also explain to the Congress in Washington that American taxpayers' money is not being wasted on another futile attempt at reform in the Arab world.

"We're trying to build their capacity to govern themselves, in such a way that their territory does not become a launchpad for attacks against Israel."

The question troubling Israelis is whether that force will ever be able to take responsibility, to allow us to live without fearing rockets and without the Israel Defense Forces having to maintain a presence among the Palestinians all the time.

Dayton: "I'll give you a one-word answer, which is yes, but it is going to take time. I work with your defense forces. I understand very clearly the challenges they face. But I take great inspiration from something I heard, and I've heard more than once, from [IDF chief of staff] Gabi Ashkenazi. He says: As they do more, we will do less. My goal is to give them the capability to do more, so that the IDF will do less. And I have to assume logically that, eventually, the IDF will feel comfortable that it can leave altogether. I think they can do it."

Dayton is not stupid. He is doing everything he can and in many ways he is making sure that mistakes from the past aren't repeated.

But this initiative, like all others, is doomed.

Even if we accept the premise that the PA truly wants peace - a dubious assumption at best, given their continued incitement in their media and canonization of terrorists - the fact is that the days of Fatah having a true leadership role are numbered, if not already expired.

The current PA leaders have no charisma and no message. While corruption has decreased since the heyday of Arafat, so has the PA's ability to lead the people. The simplistic Islamist and terrorist message of "destroy Israel" resonates much more deeply with the average PalArab then "say we'll destroy Israel and continue to demonize it while we work together with it to help its security and meanwhile fight against the extremists who are our fellow Muslims and Arabs whom we profess solidarity with." The PA tries to appeal to the base - which consistently supports terror attacks against Israel.

A real leader, by definition, leads. He would use his leadership abilities to convince the people to agree with him. In the Arab world, it is much easier to sway public opinion: in the late 1970s Anwar Sadat managed to convince an entire nation who were weaned on unremitting hatred towards Israel to support Camp David - and then a short time after Egypt reclaimed the Sinai, the entire nation swung almost entirely back to hatred.

The PA does not only need a real leader, but an exceptionally skilled leader who can convincingly say to his people that if they are ever going to have a chance for a state it will involve real compromise and no more sloganeering for "right of return" and "100% of the territories" which are never, ever going to happen. The choice is clear - a real state or a continuation of 60 years of limbo. The Arab world is already getting sick of the Palestinian issue in part because the PA leadership keeps on being wishy-washy.

The people who depend on the PA payroll - really welfare - go with the flow but have no enthusiasm. (The welfare component also hits at Arab pride, a factor that cannot be discounted.) Gaza showed this problem starkly; Fatah simply didn't put up a fight, even with all its support from world leaders. It doesn't matter; no matter how well trained a security force is, and no matter how good its weapons are, its members need to believe that what they are doing is right.

That belief in the cause simply does not exist among the PA security forces that General Dayton is trying so hard to shore up. He can teach them discipline and he can teach them tactics, but he cannot teach them to believe in their cause enough to die for it. This is the fundamental difference between the Islamist terror groups and today's Fatah, and that hasn't changed since Hamas' Gaza coup. Even the polls that seem to show more support for Fatah in the West Bank don't say the whole story, because the passion is overwhelmingly on the side of the Muslim extremists, and passion is what wins in the end.

Today's peaceful PalArab news

An Islamic Jihad leader says that there are a large number of "human bombs" waiting for the "calm" to end so they can be sent into Israel for what Arabs refer to as "quality attacks." In this case, "quality" means "lots of women and children murdered."

The Arab media is upset over a story that a delegation of Arab students, as part of a young leadership program sponsored by the US government, went to the Israel embassy for a briefing - and then had the gall to take souvenirs and pose for photos with the Israeli speaker, saying that he is the first Israeli they have ever met.

Palestinian Arabs are starting a new lobbying and PR organization in the US today that is meant to battle the Israel lobby. Does this mean that they will try to influence American policy towards a foreign entity? I thought that was immoral!

A Sharia question was asked about whether it is permissible to drink soda daily. The fatwa in response was complex, but the gist seems to be that while carbonated drinks are not forbidden per se, one has to be mindful not to support Zionist soda companies. The question gets a little muddled, though, because the fatwa author realizes that one cannot boycott every Western company or else the Arab world would go back to living in tents in the desert (my phrase, not his!), so one needs to be wise as to when to avoid American and Zionist products and when to embrace them until the Arab world is strong enough to reject them and dictate its own terms to the West.

UPDATE (8/9): Clan clash in Hebron, one dead. The 2008 PalArab self-death count is at 142.

UPDATE(8/10): Another member of the Helles family succumbed to his injuries from Hamas' attack last week. 143.

Six dead in Gaza tunnel collapse. I'm including it in the death count unless there is any reason to think that Egypt caused the collapse. 149.