Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, January 16, 2006

The Carter Center gives Hamas a free pass

Here is what the Carter Center had to say on January 5th about Hamas participating in Palestinian elections, in its entirety:

Participation of Hamas
The 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council elections face a unique challenge in that they include the participation of a group, the Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, that defends violence (including the killing of civilians) as a means to achieving a political end, refuses to give up arms or to declare a permanent ceasefire and is committed to the destruction of a United Nations member state, Israel. While it is in the long term interest of Palestinian democratic development and likely in the long term security interests of Israel that a wide spectrum of groups participate in lawful and peaceful political processes, Hamas’ current political participation, while simultaneously advocating violence, undermines a fundamental principle of democratic elections. In an August 2002 pre-election assessment, NDI, the International Republican Institute (IRI), and the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), recommended the adoption of candidacy requirements for the expected 2003 PLC elections. The 2002 report also suggested that a code of conduct be developed and enforced which committed all parties to transparent and democratic principles, disallowed election related violence and restricted individuals engaged in, or advocating violence from becoming candidates.

A code of conduct was developed by the Arab Thought Forum in conjunction with NDI in late 2005, which went some way toward this goal. While stopping short of disallowing certain candidates, the code does contain important undertakings that will help enforce peaceful and fair campaigning and promote a peaceful acceptance of the results of the polls. Most political parties have signed on to the code of conduct, and Hamas, as of January 5th, also accepted and signed the code. The international community and domestic observers should be vigilant in watching for violations.

The code is a necessary but incomplete step toward ensuring that elections are about peaceful means to achieve political ends. The Palestinian Authority and newly elected PLC should, as a priority, amend the election and party laws to ensure that political entities participate in elections fairly and peacefully and do not advocate the use of violence as a political tool. This prohibition should apply equally to all groups.

Noble words indeed. Too bad it ignores the reality of Hamas in favor of what they hope Hamas is.

Addressing a Hamas rally in the southern city of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, Zahar reiterated his movement's opposition to any form of economic and security cooperation with Israel.

"To all those who claim that Hamas has abandoned the resistance option because of its participation in the election, we say that we remain committed to the resistance," he declared.

"Israel is an enemy, not a partner or a friend or a neighbor. We won't negotiate with them and this is our final position. Palestine, all of Palestine, belongs to the Muslims and the Arabs and no one has the right to give up one inch of its land."

Fathi Hamad, a Hamas candidate from the Gaza Strip, said his movement would continue to develop its armed wing, Izzaddin al-Kassam, by recruiting more members and manufacturing more rockets and bombs.

I'm sure that the Carter Center will duly register its "concern" over such "unfortunate" statements, and then go ahead and certify the election anyway - while castigating Israel for limiting Hamas campaign activity in "East Jerusalem."

I have been unable to find this "code of conduct" explicitly, although many articles on the Arab Thought Forum talk about it. An Al-Jazeerah article summarized it as follows:

1-Full abiding by the provisions of the Central Election Committee;

2- Respecting the role of the national and the international observers, and cooperating with them;

3- Committing to the privacy of vote casting, and to the right of the voters to choose the electoral register freely;

4- No arms to be displayed or used during the pre-election publicity;

5- Committing to the decisions of the judiciary concerning the electoral process; and

6- Accepting the final official results of the elections which will be issued by the Central Election Committee.

Not a word about terror, violence or accepting Israel's right to exist. This is what Jimmah thinks is important - the fact that Hamas won't publicly show weapons for a few weeks.

Hamas, by waiting until January to sign this "code", allowed itself maximum time to show arms during rallies during most of the campaigning anyway.

The Jew-hater behind Scruples

Once again, Google News comes through with indexing an article that is pure, unadulterated Jew-hatred as if it is a legitimate news source.

Today's article comes from EtherZone and it combines the classic paranoia of anti-semites from centuries past with a couple of bizarre twists. His claim to not be anti-semitic is from saying most Jews aren't aware of their leaders' perfidy. Excerpts:

THE "JEWISH BANKER CONSPIRACY"
UNDERSTANDING ANTI-SEMITISM

By: Henry Makow

Just mention the "Jewish Banker Conspiracy" and you'll be as popular as a skunk at a garden party. Tolerant and sophisticated people regard this concept as a hateful and tired cliche. They believe "anti-Semites" should be slandered, sent to jail, and lose their livelihood.

But what if there actually were a "Jewish Banker Conspiracy?" Then these sophisticates would have egg on their face, wouldn't they? They'd be exposed as rubes, victims of a stereotypical Jewish deception achieved by media owned by the very same bankers.

The "Jewish Banker Conspiracy" is not a chimera. It is the plan of Rothschild-controlled central bankers to create a totalitarian system to protect their illegal private monopoly of the world's credit. They print government currency for the price of the paper and then lend it to the government with interest.

The central banking families and their allies used their unfair advantage to gain a monopoly on the world's wealth and a stranglehold on culture and politics. To make us accept their "New World Order," (a.k.a. globalization) they need to divide and degrade humanity by destroying the four pillars of our personal identity and social cohesion (nation, race, religion and family.)

They sponsor Communism, Zionism, Socialism, Neo Conservatism, Liberalism, Feminism, Multi-culturalism and "Diversity" to achieve this purpose. (Socialism substitutes government for family.) Through control of intelligence agencies and secret societies, they sponsor terrorism (incl. 9-11), revolutions, wars and depressions. They may be planning another world war.

Anti-Semitism is caused because Jewish idealists, opportunists and dupes play a prominent role in the above movements, especially Communism. As the New World Order becomes more onerous, anti-Semitism will inevitably increase. Jews need to acknowledge this rather than pretend "anti-Semites" are hallucinating.

Many "anti-Semites" like Texe Marrs and Des Griffin believe that the Jewish Pharisees accepted the offer from Satan that Jesus rejected: "I will give you the Kingdom of the World (i.e. Money, Power) if you obey me." They believe Talmudic Judaism is dedicated to enthroning Lucifer and always has conspired to destroy Christianity. The recent treatment of Christmas is proof that they are not hallucinating.

I am just beginning this immense study and shouldn't be mistaken for an expert. My present hypothesis is that enthroning Satan/Lucifer means enthroning man in the role of God. This is called Illuminism (Hence the "Enlightenment.")

God is rejected. (God represents the natural development of mankind through adherence to spiritual absolutes like morality, justice and truth.)

When gold is God, the extremely rich are the "Chosen People." This myth, together with the Talmudic and Cabalistic traditions, is a perfect mechanism for elite totalitarian control. According to Israel Shahak, Talmudic Judaism has always been a model for a closed oppressive society.

In other words, the whole Jewish enterprize, Judaism etc. may be a "powerful weapon" to enthrone a rule of the super rich, who are "Jewish" mainly by virtue of wealth. But the average Jew will take the blame in the form of anti-Semitism.

For example, the British royal family sees itself as descending from the House of David. A Jewish Mohel circumcised Prince Charles. Are the Windsors Jewish? (Douglas Reed, Somewhere South of Suez, p.356.)

Henry Kissinger once said, "a people who have been persecuted for 2000 years must be doing something wrong." His unsympathetic attitude may reflect that of his employers, the Illuminati bankers.

But check out the author!

Henry Makow, Ph.D. is the inventor of the board game Scruples and author of "A Long Way to go for a Date." His articles on feminism and the New World Order are archived at his web site. Henry is a regular columnist for Ether Zone.

The insane scribblings of a lunatic are paid for, and given legitimacy, by a popular board game!

Haveil Havalim #53 is out

This week's Haveil Havalim is hosted by Elie at Elie's Expositions.

Elie was nice enough to link to three of my posts on his own initiative; much appreciated!

I hope it is not too gauche to mention that my name is spelled with a "Y" (Elder of ZiYon) for reasons too boring to go into here.

Check it out - it is great, as usual!

Boom.

From the Telegraph:

The most remarkable aspect of Mr Ahmadinejad's piety is his devotion to the Hidden Imam, the Messiah-like figure of Shia Islam, and the president's belief that his government must prepare the country for his return.

One of the first acts of Mr Ahmadinejad's government was to donate about £10 million to the Jamkaran mosque, a popular pilgrimage site where the pious come to drop messages to the Hidden Imam into a holy well.

All streams of Islam believe in a divine saviour, known as the Mahdi, who will appear at the End of Days. A common rumour - denied by the government but widely believed - is that Mr Ahmadinejad and his cabinet have signed a "contract" pledging themselves to work for the return of the Mahdi and sent it to Jamkaran.

Iran's dominant "Twelver" sect believes this will be Mohammed ibn Hasan, regarded as the 12th Imam, or righteous descendant of the Prophet Mohammad.

He is said to have gone into "occlusion" in the ninth century, at the age of five. His return will be preceded by cosmic chaos, war and bloodshed. After a cataclysmic confrontation with evil and darkness, the Mahdi will lead the world to an era of universal peace.

This is similar to the Christian vision of the Apocalypse. Indeed, the Hidden Imam is expected to return in the company of Jesus.

Mr Ahmadinejad appears to believe that these events are close at hand and that ordinary mortals can influence the divine timetable.

The prospect of such a man obtaining nuclear weapons is worrying. The unspoken question is this: is Mr Ahmadinejad now tempting a clash with the West because he feels safe in the belief of the imminent return of the Hidden Imam? Worse, might he be trying to provoke chaos in the hope of hastening his reappearance?

Let Ahmadinejad answer that question:

Tehran, Iran, Jan. 12 – Iran’s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday evening that the Islamic Republic’s 1979 Islamic revolution was a great movement and a stepping stone to a final “great event” in the world.

Speaking to a crowd in the southern city of Roudan, Hormozgan province, Ahmadinejad said, “The Islamic Republic is the continuation of the path of the prophets which came to begin a great movement and the final occurrence”.

“The Islamic revolution was a great leap in leading the people and reaching the climax of history”, Ahmadinejad said.

Hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance for the second quote.

Q: How can you tell the difference between Palestinian plainclothes policemen and Fatah terrorists?

A: Difference?

Dozens of Palestinian gunmen, including off-duty policemen, blocked two major roads in the Gaza Strip for more than an hour Saturday in the latest sign of chaos gripping the area ahead of Jan. 25 elections.

The gunmen were demanding a government response to the killing of a policeman in a drug bust a week ago.

The protesters urged Abbas to impose order in Gaza. They also called for the resignation of Interior Minister Nasser Yousef, who oversees Palestinian security.

The plainclothes officers said they are members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a militant group linked to Fatah.

Well, this explains how so many Palestinian Arabs have jobs as "policemen" and we never see them - they are undercover plain-clothes detectives!

The innovations from PA security forces some almost too fast to keep track of!

Protocols of the Elders of Iranian Islam

I cannot overstate the danger the entire world is facing from Iran.

The world is starting to rouse, ever so slowly, to the danger of Iranian nuclear weapons and offensive missile capabilities with much of Europe within its range.

I have stated before the Iranian aim is to become the world's second superpower, as well as to become the world leader of Islam. When you combine the two, it is clear that the ultimate goal is nothing less than world domination.

I do not write these words easily. I am very careful with my language and I try to be precise, often leavening my posts with "usually"s and "often"s to make sure that I am not making sweeping alarmist statements that are not true. But I have been spending quite a bit of time reading the Iranian news sites and the voluminous quotes from Iran's president and other political leaders, and not only is it clear that my inital analysis of Iran's goals were correct, but they have been understated.

Two articles, when combined, show Iran's goals:

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here on Saturday that Tehran's foreign policy towards global affairs is highly dynamic, systematic and up-to-date.

Addressing a press conference, Ahmadinejad said that Iran's foreign policy vis-a-vis regional and global affairs is based on a "very clear" logic, which is the logic of tranquility and peace for all and is founded on justice and spirituality.

"We are for expansion of relations (with other countries," said Ahmadinejad.

He said Iran's foreign policy seeks peace and tranquility for all nations and "By the grace of God, we have been moving in the same line until today."
The president regretted that today, human societies are ruled by certain rulers who are against spirituality and have no faith in it.

"A number of arrogant individuals, who get tranquilized only by exploiting and dominating nations, are at the helm of power," said the president.

He regretted that today, mankind is under control of certain governments which intend to impose "artificial peace" on the international community in defiance of justice and spirituality. "We believe that such peace and tranquility will not be established because they lack necessary foundation for peace.

"Today, humanity is dominated by the rulers who want to provide security for their own people by imposing war on other nations," added the president.

Such high-sounding principals! But what exactly does he mean? Anyone who has been reading Ahmadenijad's words for any length of time knows that he is talking about a world Islamic 'ummah, a "peace" where everyone in the world is either a Muslim or a willing second-class citizen of the single world entity ruled by sharia, Islamic law. (Hindu and Buddhist infidels may be less than welcome in this world.)

This is made explicit in another article:

Iran faces a multi-dimensional threat and so it needs a multi-faceted preventive strategy.

The Supreme Leader's representative to the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Hassan Rowhani, made the remark while attending the commemoration ceremony of several senior commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) who were martyred in a plane crash in northwestern Iran.

"The enemy intends to damage our Islamic and Iranian identity and national confidence by promoting secularism, immorality and market for the Western cultural goods.

"As for domestic security, the enemy encourages and prepares counterrevolutionary forces and intends to inflict damage on our economy," he warned.

Rowhani added, "Now that that Muslim forces in the Middle East have resisted the global arrogance strongly, the role of the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot be ignored.

"Iran is the only powerful state in the region which plays an effective role but the enemy would not like Iran to play such a role.

"The IRGC have played a very effective role over the past three decades during the post-Islamic Revolution particularly in cultural, political, spiritual and educational fields. It has protected the Islamic Revolution against different conspiracies."

He pointed to incidents taking place in the aftermath of September 11 events, occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq by Iran's enemies and other developments in the Middle East, saying, "The role of IRGC, Basij (volunteer forces)and other armed forces should not be ignored."

Iran's foreign policy, its scientific research policies, its cultural and religious and military policies, all point to Iran's becoming the de facto leader of the Islamic world and the ultimate spearhead of the war against the United States and Israel, with Europe happily playing a role as a neutral frightened Switzerland, scared both of Iranian nukes and her own demographic Islamic fifth column.

Iran is still far from its goal. It does not have the economy to withstand a real concerted set of sanctions from the West. There are many in Iran who oppose the Islamization of their country's laws. Iran's relationships with the Arab world are still strained. But diplomatically, Iran is in far better shape than the West thinks, and recent history proves that Europe will choose short-term economic gains over long term strategy - preferring to buy Iranian oil that will ultimately bankroll their nuclear-tipped missiles aimed at Paris and Berlin (besides, of course, Tel-Aviv.) And the Arab world would happily rally around an Islamic power rather than an infidel one, when push comes to shove.

The time to act against this threat is now, not later. Iran has perfected the game of buying time and this is not the time to play by their rules.

How to shut up terror supporters

Here is another posting that I created when I was on Yahoo News message boards a couple of years ago:

Terrorist supporters like to pretend that they are only working to protect the poor, downtrodden Palestinian people.

Yet many Palestinian Arabs would LOVE to, voluntarily, move to another Arab country to raise their families in peace, to get jobs and get their pride back. But their Arab "brethren" won't let them come in!

Jordan no longer allows Palestinain Arabs to even visit, or travel through Jordan to go to Mecca! Syria has always kept their Palestinian Arabs in inhumane refugee camps. Kuwait expelled 600,000 Pals in 1991.

So ask a terrorist supporter if he thinks that Palestinian Arabs should be allowed, if they want, to move into other Arab countries and become citizens there.

Their silence will be deafening.

Or at best they will feebly try to change the subject.

Because if they answer honestly, they prove to the world that they don't give a damn about Palestinians, only that they want Israel to disappear.

al-Turki's wisdom

It is time to use the Culture of Death to some advantage.

Thousands of pilgrims were rushing to complete the last of the three days of the stoning ritual before sunset when some of them began to trip over dropped baggage, causing a crush, said Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki, spokesman for the Interior Ministry. ''This was fate destined by God,'' al-Turki said. ''Some of the pilgrims were undisciplined and hasty to finish the ritual as soon as possible.''"

From now on, whenever any Palestinian Arab gets killed, the Israeli press releases should have a mantra-like statement:

"We regret the loss of life, but, as Mansour al-Turki has stated so eloquently, 'This was a fate destined by God.' We trust that the deceased are in Paradise and that their families are proud that they died for such a worthy cause."

It should be said as automatically and unfeelingly as every single Palestinian "condemnation" of terror attacks.

Internet Jihad cells

I find this amusing because in the time I used to spend on Internet message boards, the terrorist-supporters always accused the Zionists on the boards of being organized (and paid) by worldwide Jewry.

An announcement by the Global Islamic Media Front, an al-Qaeda mouthpiece, was recently disseminated across several jihadist forums in which the group presents the “jihadi information and the Western peoples.” The message, written by Ahmad al-Hatheq Bi Allah, argues that the Internet serves as the best alternative to broadcast television for Muslims to execute a “kind of jihad” involving preaching and information disbursement. As the Western media allegedly obfuscates “facts,” the author believes that it is incumbent upon Muslims to join Western Internet forums, to show the truth convincingly through visual or voice arguments, especially as it concerns Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and Chechnya. With successful debate, the author claims the American people will place pressure upon the U.S. government, “the guardian or terrorism and its marketing,” to reverse its foreign policy, else the people are culpable for attacks brought upon them, as Ayman al-Zawahiri exclaimed.

The group, in addition, advocates that individual Muslims should not engage in these forum debates; rather, cells of Internet jihadists must be employed. The message urges Muslims knowledgeable in English, Spanish, French, or German languages to answer this call, and especially those who have great debating skills and know the “methods of convincing”.

Hamas pretends to soften, idiotic media swallow it whole

Literally hundreds of articles have been published in the past few hours, claiming that Hamas has softened its position on Israel because the "manifesto" that it published prior to the PA elections didn't mention destroying Israel explicitly.

Has there ever been a better example of wishful thinking replacing facts than this?

Not one person from Hamas has ever suggested that their goal to destroy Israel, enshrined in their charter, has been changed or abrogated. Nothing in their "manifesto" contradicts a word of their charter.

But the world media is so heavily invested in the slightest wisp of hope for "peace" that Hamas' pragmatic omission of Israel's destruction in the manifesto, clearly calculated to gain votes as opposed to any real change of attitude or tactics, is regarded as a major breakthrough toward Palestinian Arab democracy and lasting peace.

A culture that embraces lies to mislead the media now has a new method - just don't bother mentioning your goal, and the willing puppets in the Fourth Estate will fill in the lies for you.

The death toll could rise to 300 in Saudi Arabia where Muslim pilgrims were crushed to death on Thursday during a stoning ritual on the last day of the hajj, medical sources said.

"It's likely to be around 300 in the end," said a medic in Mena. Medical sources earlier said more than 100 people died.

The crush was the second tragedy to hit this year's pilgrimage. Last week, 76 people were killed when a hostel in Mecca collapsed in a narrow street.

Here's a rough body count from previous Hajj's:
1979 - 250 (fighting)
1987 - 400
1990 - 1426 (fire)
1994 - 270
1997 - 343
1998 - 118
2001 - 35
2004 - 251
2005 - 376

That's over 3400 Muslims dead in recent years from the Hajj.

This is more than the number of Palestinian Arabs killed in the Intifada (according to B'tzelem.)

You don't have to be high to vote for Hamas

...but it helps.

A Palestinian boy waves a Palestinian flag during a Hamas election campaign rally in the southern West Bank town of Idna, Wednesday Jan. 11, 2006.

Iran says Europe is discriminating against it!

Iran has grasped the fact that the European Left will do anything to avoid being called certain names, no matter how ridiculous they might be.

Iran's ambassador to the EU, Belgium and Luxembourg, Ali Ahani, in a meeting with the foreign minister of Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn, Tuesday condemned the discriminatory European reaction against the statements of Iranian President Ahmadinejad regarding the Holocaust.

This is political correctness taken to its logical conclusion: people who make racist, lying and inciteful statements cannot be criticized because that is "discriminatory."

And they deserve to be "condemned."

It would be laughable, except that this is very consistent with Iran's master plan of becoming a superpower, becoming the leader of the Islamic world, and bringing Europe on its side (or at least neutralizing it) in its global jihad against America and Israel.

Other articles from Iran's news agency are also entirely consistent with my thesis of Iran's plans:

Iranian city declared "Islamic world cultural capital" in ceremony attended by ambassadors of 24 Islamic countries - second in importance to Mecca.
Increasing ties with Kazakhstan
Expanding ties with Kenya and Qatar
Praise for Iran from Saudi Arabia

Gorilla in the Room

A lovely piece of Jew-hatred from some rag in Nevada whom Google thinks of as a legitimate news source:

GORILLA IN THE ROOM
Jim Moore
Let’s cut out all the bull-pedaling, pussyfooting, and pretending. There’s a sinister element in full flower, not just in this administration, but in this entire country. And we should confront it and talk honestly about it.

Some have called it a “gorilla in the room” and finding it reminiscent of the “emperor with no clothes” is not far off the mark.

That “gorilla in the room” is, with no hedging or qualifying, the stranglehold that the Israel lobby (AIPAC) and the Zionist cabal have on this administration’s foreign policy: meddling in the world in general, and the Middles East in particular.

It peeks out of the shadows occasionally as if to say, “Here we are, influencing America’s foreign policy, making sensitive decisions that pamper Israel, and you don’t even realize it. Even if you did you’d be too shocked, complacent, or intimidated to do anything about it.

Yes, we are the ‘gorilla in the room’, but you refuse to “see” us because you’ll be called an anti-Semitic, or a Jew hater, and in this age of political correctness, you certainly don’t want to be called that, do you? And that is how the “gorilla”, became your keeper and put YOU in the cage, instead of the other way around.”

The Zionists in the administration -- many are Jews, some are not -- are often called America’s “shadow government”, and this internal nemesis has plagued our nation almost from the beginning, which our founding fathers were well aware of.

Long before Zionism became a political pariah in America, George Washington, of all people, said this: “They (the Jews) work more effectively against us than the enemy’s armies. They are a hundred times more dangerous to our liberties and the great cause we are engaged in.”

And at the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention of 1787, Benjamin Franklin put it more bluntly: “I fully agree with George Washington, that we must protect this young nation from an insidious impenetration. The menace, gentlemen, is the Jews. If you do not exclude them from these United States, in less than 200 years they will have swarmed in here in such great numbers that they will dominate and devour the land and change our form of government, for which we Americans have shed our blood, given our lives, our substance, and jeopardized our liberty.”

You didn’t have any idea that the “founders of our country” said that, did you? But they were smart, discerning men. They apparently saw the “gorilla” even before it got into the room.

Now, let’s put into play some related factors. We are not speaking here about all Jews. The Jews of the Diaspora, or “wandering Jews” are true to their biblical heritage, and as such, are peaceful, cooperative citizens of the countries they inhabit. But they are at odds with their Zionist brothers who they claim have no right to the land called Israel, since it is territory “stolen” from the Palestinians. Whether this odd situation is historically accurate is beyond the scope of this article.

It is useful to remember that pure bigotry and anti-semitism exists, today, in America, both on the extreme right and extreme left.

The real gorilla in the room is that the absurd hatred that the world still has for Israel has nothing to do with Arab rights or "Palestinians" or land. It is purely because of Jew-hatred and its accompanying lies, as the bogus quotes above prove. Everything else is window dressing, just like Mr. Moore's claims that dhimmi diaspora Jews are all right, as long as they oppose the idea of Jews having any land of their own.

Islamic terror is an oxymoron, according to Saudi moron

A senior Saudi cleric told Muslim pilgrims on Tuesday that the West was using the existance of terrorism to scare people away from Islam and discredit legitimate Muslim causes. Sheikh Abdulrahman al-Sudeis, the state-appointed preacher at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, also called for stability in Iraq and noted Islam was innocent of the charge of "terrorism."

"Islam is innocent of this grave phenomenon (of terrorism). The shedding of blood in this country and other Islamic states is a forbidden criminal act," the cleric said. "We should not forget our brothers in Iraq in the continuing spiral of injustice and murder, and (we must) act seriously to bring security, stability and unity to them," he said.

"The campaign against Islam has become fierce and Muslims are being described in insulting terms to distort the image of Islam and scare people away from it," he told the 2.5 million pilgrims in a sermon to mark the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha.

OK, let's see what the peaceful sheikh has to say on other topics: (This is from April, 2002)

A top Saudi Arabian Muslim cleric prayed to God on Friday to "terminate" the Jews and urged Arabs and Muslims to abandon efforts to make peace with Israel.

"We must say farewell to peace initiatives with these people (Jews)," Sheikh Abdul-Rahman al-Sudais told worshippers at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest shrine, in a sermon, carried live by several Arabic television and radio networks.

He prayed to God to "terminate" the Jews, whom he described as "the scum of humanity . . . the rats of the world . . . prophet killers . . . pigs and monkeys".

And in 2004:

He told those listening to “read history,” in order “to know that yesterday’s Jews were bad predecessors and today’s Jews are worse successors. They are killers of prophets and the scum of the earth. Allah hurled his curses and indignation on them and made them monkeys and pigs and worshippers of tyrants. These are the Jews, a continuous lineage of meanness, cunning, obstinacy, tyranny, evil, and corruption…”

Mr. al-Sudayyis elaborated on the conflict between Muslims and Jews: “O Muslims, the Islamic nation today is at the peak of conflict with the enemies of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, with the grandsons of Bani-Quraydah, al-Nadhir, and Qaynuqa’ [Jewish tribes in the early days of Islam]. May Allah’s curses follow them until the Day of Judgment.”

“The nation must know that these are people with a disgraceful history and a black record… They want to establish the Greater Israel with Jerusalem as its capital. They also aspire to demolish the Al-Aqsa Mosque and build their alleged temple in its place. They want to liquidate the State of Islam and the Koran, and build the State of the Torah and Talmud on its debris. They will get what they deserve from Allah…

“Our Al-Aqsa is crying out saying all mosques have been liberated, while I — a great holy mosque — am still being desecrated. Is the aspiration of over 1 billion Muslims to preserve their holy places [to be] considered savagery and terrorism? What a great lie, O Allah, O steadfast brothers in struggler and steadfast Palestine, the land of honor, loftiness, sacrifice, jihad, and bravery. The captivity of our Al-Aqsa in the hands of the tyrants makes us sleepless. May Allah please us with its liberation.Victory is coming soon, Allah willing.”

“...Here are the flags of victory looming on the horizon. We can smell it. It is crowned by a brave jihad, an intifada, which is still the winning card and the lit candle in the hands of the devout sons of this nation…O nation of jihad and sacrifice, it is the duty of Muslims to support their brothers in creed in Palestine and elsewhere and to back them with material and moral support. Jihad with money sometimes supersedes jihad with soul, as mentioned in many Koranic verses and the prophet’s traditions.”

Yup, nothing dangerous about Islam here!

The road to Hamastan

Every day brings more news of anarchy and chaos in PA-administered areas as the experiment in Palestinian Arab nationhood goes its merry way.

Today's items include an interesting op-ed from the Telegraph showing how Gaza is doing:

The first sign of just how dodgy security has become came when Said Ghazali, The Daily Telegraph's local man in Jerusalem, and I arrived at the Palestinian side of the crossing to learn that our regular driver - stocky, dependable Ashraf - would not be there to meet us.

He had a reasonable excuse. He has the bad luck to belong to the Masri clan, who are currently engaged in a blood feud with their rivals, the Kafarnehs. The toll so far is five dead and 70-odd wounded. Yesterday a Kafarneh was injured in a shooting attack and Ashraf thought it prudent to leave his cab in the garage.

We found another driver and set off for Rafah, the scene of an extraordinary outbreak of anarchy last week. A mob killed two Egyptian border guards and bulldozed concrete walls in a successful attempt to force the authorities to release a man suspected of kidnapping the British aid worker Kate Burton and her parents.

On the way, we passed through the town of Khan Younis. The main road was blocked by what I took at first to be an election rally.

Wrong. The Masri boys were at it again, this time wading into the Tahas, their sworn enemies in the southern end of the Strip.

The action in the main street was confined to fists and boots, but, as we turned into a parallel street to detour round the mob, we ran into a gun battle, with the rivals trading Kalashnikov fire from opposing blocks of flats. The cars in front of us sped up a bit, but 50 yards from the shooting, life was going on as normal.

Most Gazans grew up with gunfire. Before, it was only the Israelis they had to worry about. Now they are shooting each other. The security forces are no help. Their rivalries are the cause of much of the bloodshed.
[...]
At the end of a day like yesterday, I would normally retire to the UN Beach Club, a low-rise concrete joint whose seediness is more than compensated for by its views of the Mediterranean. And, of course, the fact that it is the only place in Gaza where you can get a drink.

Yesterday the Beach Club was still there. But the bar wasn't. Unknown saboteurs arrived at dawn a few days ago, tied up the guards and planted a bomb that reduced the interior to matchwood.

The way things are going in Gaza, it seems unlikely that the dear old Beach Club will be re-opening its doors any time soon.

More heartening news from the World Bank:

The PA is on the verge of functional bankruptcy. The failure to make the salary payment in full and on time will affect hundreds of thousands of people who feed at its table, and the tens of thousands of suppliers and merchants who earn their living from its employees. They will join the masses of unemployed. According to the World Bank, the unemployment rate in the territories exceeds 20 percent, with a rate of about 30 percent in the Gaza Strip, over 40 percent in the southern part of Gaza and among young people (ages 16-25) in southern Gaza, the favorite source of cannon fodder for Islamic Jihad, unemployment reaches the alarming rate of 70 percent. The bankruptcy of the PA following the elections, Roberts warns, could generate a shock of unimaginable dimensions.

"The Palestinian government needs the continued assistance of the international community," Roberts declares, "and to secure that, it must begin to assume its responsibilities." Raising salaries at a time when resources are unavailable for this, he notes, is precisely the opposite of demonstrating responsibility and reliability. The direct consequence of this move was a decision by the Bank, supported by the European Commission, to freeze $60 million for funding the PA's operating budget. According to Roberts, this far-reaching step was taken because the Palestinians did not fulfill their commitments on budget control. Were the donors not to hold the PA responsible, they would lose the confidence of their taxpayers that enough control can be exercised to prevent the money from being used to finance acts of terror.

Roberts notes that the amount of assistance the Palestinians are getting - $5 billion in five years, or $300 per capita annually - is the highest granted to any entity since World War II. "To maintain the deep involvement of the donors, and their diplomatic attention, as well as the desire of the private sector to invest additional money, the PA must improve its performance," Roberts states. Unfortunately, he continues, Yasser Arafat's departure has not brought about a dramatic change for the better - in fact this last year has witnessed serious deterioration in internal law and order and budget management.

And even the PA's friends are getting a bit upset:

Egypt threatened to withdraw its support for the Palestinian Authority if the PA did not act to control the rampant anarchy in the Gaza Strip, according to a report in the London Arab newspaper Al Quds.

The report claimed that following the incident at the Rafah border crossing in which two Egyptian soldiers were killed, Egyptian authorities delivered the threat to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas as part of a specially delivered message.

Egypt also threatened to withdraw its support for the peace process if the PA did not take the proper steps to restore order to Gaza.

The countdown to the Islamic Republic of Hamastan is well underway.

May 28, 1936: Chaim Weizmann predicts peace while Arabs destroy trees

Dr. Weizmann may have been a very wise man, but he underestimated Jew-hatred - even when it was happening under his nose. In the same issue of the Palestine Post, the major headline was "Armed Hooligans Fire on Jewish Settlements."

Another interesting story that May was this one:

Today, Palestinians as well as the Israeli Left and even acting premier Ehud Olmert are accusing Jews of destroying Arab olive trees. The settler movement hotly denies any involvement, and in some cases it was proven that Arabs and leftists in fact lied about these charges.

We've touched on this topic before - Arabs have destroyed fruit trees in Palestine, and in much greater numbers, way before any Jews allegedly destroyed Arab trees.

But the accusations and lies have remained constant now for 70 years. Dr. Weizmann's prediction, unfortunately, did not come true - because the "political agitation" that he downplayed in fact became Arab policy vis a vis Israel.

Note also the last paragraph of the first story - the fact that Arabs were immigrating to Palestine in huge numbers in the 1930s shows that a large percentage of today's Palestinian Arabs in fact originated elsewhere.

More from the Iranian hajj hate festival

MEMRI has video of the Party in the Desert. Notable: the level of pure hatred shown by the Religion of Peace, how even when Muslims are talking to Muslims they have integrated the anti-Bush liberal talking points (it is comical how the murderous Great Satan is singled out for wiretapping phones without a warrant!) and the Freudian slip at the end about "peaceful nuclear technology."

TO VIEW THIS CLIP, VISIT: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=991.
Crowd: "Israel is the enemy of Allah."
Man: "May the hands of the infidels be chopped off."
Crowd: "May the hands of the infidels be chopped off."
Man: "May the hands of the infidels be chopped off."
Crowd: "May the hands of the infidels be chopped off."
Man: "[Chopped off] from the land of the believers."
Crowd: "From the land of the believers."
Man: "The audience will now split into two groups: One group will settle the score with America, and the other will settle the score with Israel. This group now: Death to America!"
Crowd: "Death to America!"
Man: "Death to Israel!"
Crowd: "Death to Israel! Death to America!"
Man: "Death to America!"
Crowd: "Death to America!"
Man: "Death to America!"
Crowd: "Death to Israel! Death to America!" Death to Israel!"
Man: "All together now: Death to America! Death to Israel!"
Crowd: "Death to America! Death to Israel! Death to America! Death to Israel! Death to America! Death to Israel! Death to America! Death to Israel!"
[...]
Speaker: "Today, the impure world Zionism, in the modern Age of Ignorance, has emerged with the same [polytheistic] ideology, but with new methods. It wants to take over the fields of economy, of culture, and politics, as well as the military, throughout the world."
[...]
"We, the pilgrims who have come to the house of God, condemn the plots and the measures taken by the international Zionism - the deceitful Satan who spreads heresy, polytheism, and idolatry, enslaving human beings with a new method. It abuses the divine religion of Moses. It takes satanic measures, and arouses the world's hatred towards this divine religion and its true followers. We denounce these criminal acts. We call upon the world of Islam and the free peoples to take significant measures to thwart the satanic policy of this camp."
Crowd: "Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar."
Speaker: "We, the pilgrims who have come to the house of God, strongly condemn the aggressive measures of 'the global arrogance,' led by the idol and center of evil, the criminal America. We condemn it for its aggression, warmongering, its murder, plundering, torture, espionage, its abductions, and its secret jails. We strongly condemn it.
"We emphasize that the occupation forces must leave the lands of Islam. We express our hatred and our disgust at the mother of all corruption of this century, the Great Satan, and at its illegitimate offspring, the plundering Israel."
Crowd: "Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar."
[...]
Speaker: "My believing brothers, I will now read to you the text of the call of the leader of the Islamic revolution, Imam Khamenei, to the pilgrims who have come to the house of God:"
[...]
"...Today, the fleets of arrogance are, once again, using new methods of deceit, in order to perpetuate and strengthen their control over the Islamic world. Their slogans of spreading democracy and human rights is one of these methods of deceit. The Great Satan, who embodies evil and violence against humanity, raises the banner of defending of human rights, and summons the peoples of the Middle East to democracy.
"The democracy that America wants to implement in these countries, however, means that general elections - which pretend to be popular, but are in fact American elections - will give rise, by means of conspiracies, bribery, and deceptive propaganda, to obedient American collaborators.
"These collaborators will accomplish America's goals of arrogance, and first and foremost stopping the spread of Islam, and removing Islamic values from the scene."
[...]
"The fact that the slogan of democracy is being raised by the greedy people who for many years have supported the dictatorial regimes in Asia, Africa, and the American continent is completely unacceptable. Likewise, when the call to fight violence and terrorism by those who support Zionist terrorism, and who carry out the bloodiest kind of violent acts in Iraq and Afghanistan this is a mockery."
[...]
"The American and British governments, which permit the torture of suspects, and the spilling of their blood in the streets, and the tapping of citizens' phone calls without a court order, do not have the right to claim they are defending civil rights.
"The governments that have blackened the face of modern history with their production and use of nuclear and chemical weapons to not have the right to impose their patronage on the issue of preventing the spread of weapons of mass... on the issue of preventing the spread of nuclear technology."

Austria's Federal Chancellor and the rotating Head of European Union Wolfgang Schuessel said here Monday the EU has no reason to impose sanctions against Iran because of Tehran's nuclear policies.

Speaking to the reporters after meeting with members of European Commission, Schuessel said, 'Although there have always been the possibility of imposing sanctions, the EU member states take that measure as the last option'.

He added it is not time to consult about sanctions yet.

At the same time, EU rotating president condemned Iran's announcement to start its nuclear research.

Schuessel stressed the EU is following the issue with concern because Tehran is distancing from a settlement based on consensus.

Isn't it interesting that santions are now the last resort - and attacking their nuclear facilities is not even a possibility?

One must wonder why Europe bristles at the US always taking the lead in tackling world crises, whether rightly or wrongly, but when the EU actually has a chance to do something, they invariably close their eyes and plug their ears and sing "LA-LA-LA-LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

Iranians sure know how to have fun!

Par-ty! Par-ty!

Thousands of Iranian pilgrims participating in the 'Disavowal of Pagans' ritual in this sacred desert on Monday issued a resolution condemning the existence of a mercernary government called Israel by big powers.

Expressing their hatred towards International Zionism, the pilgrims condemened the crimes and machinations being committed by the Zionist regime.

The ralliers urged all Muslims to unite in order to neutralize the satanic policies of International Zionism.

They further condemned the hegemonic and war-mongering policies of the US and its allies that find expression in the occupation of Islamic states, massacre of civilians, torture of prisoners and establishment of secret and inhuman prisons.

The pilgrims expressed their affirmation to the peaceful use of nuclear technology as a legitimate right of all nations, including Muslims, and denounced the imposition of double standards on Islamic and western states in certain fields, particularly in the field of nuclear energy.

Stressing the rich economic and trade potentials of Muslim states, the ralliers called for establishment of an Islamic market and greater participation of Muslim nations in the production and distribution of goods.

Voicing their support for the people of occupied Iraq, they condemned terrorism in whatever form in that war-torn country.

Meanwhile, the pilgrims renewed their allegiance to the aspirations of the Founder of the Islamic Republic, the late Imam Khomeini, and Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.

Tens of thousands of Haj pilgrims gathered in the Desert of Arafat, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Mecca, chanted anti-US and anti-Zionist slogans during the `Disavowal of Pagans' ceremony held here Monday.

This is like Vegas East!

More details in an inexplicably separate article from the same august source:

Tens of thousands of Haj pilgrims chanted anti-US and anti-Zionist slogans during the `disavowal of pagans' ceremony held here Monday.
"God is Great," "There is no Deity but Allah," "Death to Israel" and "Death to America" were among the slogans chanted by the masses in unison as they gathered in the Desert of Arafat, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Mecca, for a day of prayer and meditation.
The faithful -- men clad in two-piece seamless white shrouds and women all covered except for their hands and faces to symbolize equality -- converged on Arafat by bus and on foot from the tent city of Mina, where they spent the night.

With any luck, an alternate energy source will come soon, making oil obsolete and allowing them to stay in tent cities permanently, just like their holy ancestors.

Shocking omission at the JIB awards

As I was looking at the JIB award nominations this morning to vote for my favorites, I was shocked to see that AbbaGav was not nominated (successfully) for Best Jewish Humor Blog.

So since one point of the awards is for people to see blogs they would not otherwise see, I wanted to point my readers to AbbaGav.

AbbaGav has the sense of humor that you must have when you know that the rest of the world is crazy and you are the only sane one. (Not to mention that the world would love to see you disappear, because you are the cause of all their problems.)

The black humor and sheer prolificity (to coin a term) makes AbbaGav my favorite funny site of the moment, so I recommend it highly.

(This entire missive is just a ploy to get Gav to comment on my blog, because the comments have been pretty light lately.)

Demolition Democratzia

It is fascinating watching the Palestinian Arabs pretend to embrace "democracy."

We have the Palestinian Authority, which is a subsidiary of Fatah - a terror group - running as the moderate alternative to Hamas, a terror group.

Both groups have impeccable terrorist credentials. Fatah has the legacy of master terrorist Arafat - and they are trying to capitalize on it:

But Fatah is also trying to be seen as a moderate party, a pursuer of peace with Israel. This schizophrenia is making it hard to get anything done. Not to mention the intra-Fatah fights: between the "young guard" and the old-timers, between the Tunis leadership and the Ramallah leadership, between the Palestinian "police" and the Abbas.

At the same time, Hamas has a consistent message - destroy Israel and get rid of the Fatah corruption. A single-minded focus on terror can only help, with a healthy dose of Islamic fundamentalism (Hamas, just like Al Qaeda, is a direct descendant of the Muslim Brotherhood.) Add this to the fact that Hamas has actually shown interest in improving the lives of ordinary Palestinian Arabs (in order to recruit them to terror, but still...) and it is hard for Hamas not be seen as the clear winner in any fair election - even though most actual Palestinian Arabs would prefer the pre-intifada world, they do not want to be led by the corrupt and hypocritical Fatah.

So now that the democratic table is set for Hamas to win any elections, the Western world suddenly becomes anti-democratic, or at the very least it gets its own schizophrenia about how Palestinian elections should be. This is in no small part due to the Bush mantra of "democracy" when in fact the mantra should have been "freedom."

Democracy depends on an emotionally mature nation, and the Palestinian Arabs have acted any way but mature. Asking them to vote in the screwed-up world they live in is like asking seven-year olds to vote based only on the content of cereal commercials.

That being said, I do not have the same problem with Hamas running for elections that most of the Western world seems to. There is no real difference between Fatah and Hamas in their policies vis-a-vis Israel, just Hamas is more honest about its goals. A Hamas leadership would not have the Arafatian-style lies and half-measures to lean upon to make the world pressure Israel to make even more concessions. And it does appear that the world is wearying of the entire Palestinian Arab problem, as it is finally noticing that even when Israel gives them land for free, the Palestinian Arabs cannot show any ability to govern. (I think giving up Gaza the way it was done was a mistake, but this was one positive result.)

Also, any election that Hamas wins will be the last elections of "Palestine" - shari'a law will become the norm and some Imam will become the de-facto dictator.

Now that the Palestinian Arabs have a chance to show the world that they can run a country, they will show the exact opposite. Too bad so many innocent people had to die to prove what should have been obvious from the beginning.

The UN gives Hamas a raise, the PA keeps "refugees" in camps

Hat tip Iris blog.

We've known about the UNRWA support for terror for years, but this article shows even more clearly how much Hamas uses UN funds for its own terror activities.

It also adds a telling detail - that the PA itself refuses to dismantle "refugee" camps in Gaza to allow its people to live in decent conditions! As we've known for years, the supposed leaders of the Palestinian Arabs and of other Arab countries are more interested in keeping Palestinian Arabs in miserable conditions (to pressure Israel) than they are in their welfare. There is little that proves this as clearly as the facts in this article.

The decision taken at the end of December 2005, by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to provide a large increase in salaries for its thousands of workers, contributes directly to HAMAS’ coffers. The significant raise takes effect this month.

The 7.5 – 21% increase for UNRWA’s workers was ostensibly enacted to bring their salaries closer to the much higher level of Palestinian Authority employees. UNRWA is “the second biggest employer” in Gaza after the Palestinian Authority.

The UNRWA raise also has had the dire effect of increasing UN funding to HAMAS. Most UNRWA workers in Gaza – in fact 90 percent - voted for HAMAS in their 2003 union elections. HAMAS also runs the union’s executive committee, and controls 23 of the 27 seats in of the workers’ representatives in the different sectors, such as teachers, clerks, services, etc.

Since HAMAS deducts membership fees of its activists from their UNRWA salaries, the UNWRA raise contributes directly to the HAMAS budget

The more HAMAS gains the more Fatah stands to lose. Indeed, a Gaza Fatah leader and candidate for elections in the Khan Yunis refugee camp, Doctor Sallah Bardawil, strongly protested the UNRWA salary increase. On December 29, 2005, Bardawil noted that the HAMAS election campaign is supported directly by fees paid to HAMAS by its UNRWA members. According to Bardawil, HAMAS also finances its activities with additional contributions from the Palestinian public and the Muslim World.

However, since Hamas, like its parent organization, the Muslim Brotherhood, obligates each member to pay dues proportionate to 3 to 5%, of their salary, the raise increases both the Zakat – the obligatory payment of at least 2.5% of their annual income – as well as the membership dues. Thus, the UNRWA workers’ contributions add more funds to the HAMAS campaign chest.

Israel demanded long ago and repeatedly that UNWRA fire workers who are members of the Hamas terror organization. Many of the terrorists and the suicide bombers were either UNRWA employees, or originated from UNRWA run refugee camps and educational institutions. UNWRA denied the charges despite the evidence.

UNRWA, since its establishment in 1949, together with the Arab/Islamist nations, and with the Palestinian Authority since 1993, has been working to preserve and continue the Palestinian refugee problem, rather than eliminating it. Thus, UNRWA maintains the Arab/Israeli conflict. In the latest telling example, even after the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, when the Palestinian Authority refused to help the refugees in the refugee “camps,” despite receiving generous international aid for economic development, UNRWA did not demand that the PA resettle the refugees. For example, the PA received $100 million from the United Arab Emirates (UAE),) to build a new town named Sheikh Khalifa City, in honor of the UAE president on the ruins of MORAG, one of the Israeli settlements. This new city was to house the families of shahids, prisoners, and families harmed by the conflict.

Yet, despite the poor housing conditions in the refugee camps, the Palestinian Authority deliberately refuses to settle these refugees in the new city. The PA maintains this attitude in order to maintain the refugee problem, and to claim the Palestinian “right of return” to Israel. UNRWA plays along with the PA. Moreover, it provides financial support to HAMAS, which is devoted to the perennial Jihad against Israel and the West.

You can now vote for your favorite Jewish and Israeli blogs at the JIB Awards.

I am happy to see that Rose's Story did make it in the competition for Best Series!

You are allowed to vote once every three days, so you can spread your votes among worthy nominees or try to stack the deck for your favorites! :)

The first round of voting is open through January 19th.

Ethical terrorists save the day!

Hamas is mad as hell, and isn't going to take it anymore!

GAZA CITY, January 7, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – Palestinian resistance factions have accused the Palestinian Authority of failing its security responsibility, revealing plans to set up a joint force to maintain order and grind the raging chaos in the territories to a halt.

'If the PA dragged its feet over this issue, we would set up a special security force to undertake this responsibility,' Ezz El-Dine Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs and Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades, said in a joint statement, a copy of which was obtained by IslamOnline.net on Saturday, January 7.

They stressed that the PA was expected to restore order, maintain security and adopt a zero-tolerance policy with those behind the recent anarchy.

The factions pointed the finger at 'suspicious bodies' for plunging the Gaza Strip into a state of lawlessness.

The factions further denounced the unrest at the Gaza-Egypt border and the spat of kidnappings in Gaza , saying these irresponsible acts did not reflect the ethics of the Palestinian people.

'We condemn this incident in the strongest possible terms as it badly hurts the image of the Palestinians, who only use their weapons against the Zionist enemy,' read the statement."

Isn't it heartwarming to see Hamas, Fatah and Islamic Jihad work together in the spirit of unity, ethics and brotherhood to make Gaza the paradise it is meant to be - where weapons and explosives are only to be used against Jews?

I'm sure the EU and UN will be praising this new, tripartisan movement as a positive sign towards peace.

(I must also mention how snazzy the terrorists look in their green Hamas caps. So friendly!)

Chilul Hashem

The list of people happy about Sharon's illness:

It does not reflect well on these people to be in such company.

Washington DC Imam: Muslims will destroy Jews, Israel

These words come not from some bizarre fringe Saudi cleric, but from Imam Mohammed Al-Asi, the "the elected Imam of Muslims in Washington DC". A quick Google finds many Muslim sites quoting him approvingly. His latest screed ends thusly:

Little do they know, but the Jewish worshippers of Israel who are publicly celebrating 57 years of a historical aberration are, by all the forces of history and divine decree, celebrating the coming of a day when they will have to come to terms with Islamic self-determination in the Holy Land area and beyond that into the expanses of Africa and Asia. The prophet of Allah, upon whom be peace, summed it up when he said:

'The final hour shall not commence until the Muslims engage Yahud in warfare. And the Muslims will deal the deathblow to Yahud. These Yahud will hide behind timber and boulder that will call out on Muslims: “O Muslim there is a Yahudi in disguise, come and annihilate him.”

It is entirely possible, however, that this esteemed Imam is a liar, as his name is not mentioned anywhere on the Islamic Center of Washington website. According to the ADL, the Islamic Center denies any connection to him.

Even so, the existence of such an Islamic supremacist bigot who is publishing incitement and hate against Jews in the US is noteworthy.

Democracy in action

By SALAH NASRAWI, Associated Press Writer
At least 15 pilgrims were killed Thursday and 39 injured when a building near the Grand Mosque collapsed around them just after they returned from midday prayers, the Interior Ministry said.

The tragedy in Islam's holiest city came as millions of Muslims converged for the annual hajj pilgrimage, which begins Sunday.

A statement from the Interior Ministry, quoting Ali al-Tuwejli, head of Mecca's civil defense team, said the death toll could reach 20 and the number of wounded could number more than 80.

A civil defense official told government-run Al-Ekhbariya television that the 40-year-old building's foundations were cracked and too weak to support the weight.

While this is of course a tragedy, there is an interesting media angle to this story:

How can the media report anything that happens in Mecca and Medina objectively when no non-Muslims are allowed in those cities?

If only Muslim reporters and photographers are allowed in the cities, and clearly they themselves regard the cities as holy, will they report news or just toe the official line?

How do we know that this building collapse wasn't a bomb that would embarrass the Saudi government, for example?

Apparently, here is how "due process" is done in Palestinian Arabia:

* Arrest the criminal suspect.
* Let him go.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Jan 5, 2006 — Palestinian authorities on Thursday released a militant held in connection with the kidnapping of a British family in Gaza, a day after his followers went on a rampage and smashed holes in a wall along the Egypt border.

Palestinian security officials refused to comment on why they released Alaa al-Hams, a militant from the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. The group is affiliated with the ruling Fatah Party.

'I was released as a result of the agreement reached between Fatah and the (Palestinian) Authority yesterday. This will calm all types of protests from our side,' al-Hams told The Associated Press by telephone.

Al-Hams was arrested late Tuesday on suspicion his group kidnapped human rights activist Kate Burton and her parents for two days last week. They were released unharmed.

Early Wednesday, his supporters stormed government buildings in the southern Gaza town of Rafah and blockaded the border crossing with Egypt. Later, they hijacked bulldozers and broke down a wall along the border, sending hundreds of angry Palestinians streaming into Egypt.

Two Egyptian troops were killed and 30 were wounded by gunfire in the rampage, a brazen challenge to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' authority.

It is funny how when Israel controlled Gaza, all terrorist activity was blamed on Israel and no one considered that the terrorists are just criminals who are inculcated in a culture of violence. Every terror attack had a "reason" and that reason was never plain Jew-hatred.

Now that they don't have Israelis around, they are attacking their own supposed leadership. And their allies in Egypt. And any Western supporters who happen to be around.

Haters don't need a reason to hate, and the constant attempts to "understand" them is counterproductive, to put it mildly.

Mi-mi-mi-meme

I was tagged by Elie for the "four" meme. Why there are more than four questions, I do not know.

Four jobs you've had in your life:

Sunday-school teacher
Computer security consultant
Video editor
Font designer

Four movies you could watch over and over:

Groundhog Day
My Cousin Vinny
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Shawshank Redemption

Four places you've lived:

Allentown, PA
Edison, NJ
Philadelphia
Pikesville, MD

Four TV shows you love to watch:

The Simpsons
The Prisoner
Taxi
South Park

Four places you've been on vacation:

London
The Bahamas
Cancun
Israel

Four websites you visit daily (or at least every weekday):

Four of your favorite foods:

Yodels
Tribe of Two Sheiks Cracked Chili Pepper Hummus
Schwarma
Calzones (every pizza shop makes them radically different)

Four places you'd rather be: (I'm assuming at the moment, not lifetime)

Israel
Home instead of work
Bermuda
San Francisco

Four books you'll read over and over again - not counting Torah:

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series
Harry Potter series (at least before the 7th book comes out)
Any Scott Adams' Dilbert books
Our Bodies, Our Selves (kidding!)

Four that I'll tag with this Meme:

Rogue Jew (because he said hi on my tagboard)
Callie
Atheist Jew
Maharal (because he made a nice comment to me)

Professional courtesy

Earlier today it was reported that Palestinian gunmen burst into a house in Rafah and tried to kidnap the parents of Rachel Corrie, an American activist who was killed in 2003 as she protested the demolition of a house in the southern Gaza town.

According the Corries' host, the five gunmen appeared to be affiliated with Fatah, though it was unclear whether they were from the same group that blockaded the border.

The gunmen eventually relented after being told who their targets were, he said.

Just waiting for the Corries to issue a statement blaming Israel...

In other news...I wonder if it was a Caterpillar?

A group of gunmen associated with Palestine's ruling Fatah movement has used a stolen bulldozer to smash through a barricade on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

I wish I knew what he was talking about

Anyone know what this is?

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi here Wednesday condemned a Zionist company's humiliating act against Muslims, saying it shows the stupidity of the company's officials.
"This measure shows the Zionists' grudge against not only Muslims but also all who believe in the Almighty.

"A printed card which apparently mocked Muslims and their religious beliefs explicitly indicated the lack of confidence of the followers of Zionism in the sanctity of al-Aqsa Mosque as the first qibla of Muslims and a holy site for all Ibrahimite religions," he said. (That statement by itself is priceless. -EoZ)

The spokesman added, "Iran's Foreign Ministry calls on the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the UN Secretary General (Kofi Annan) to show a strong reaction to and condemn such an act of impudence.

"Other regional and international organizations are also required to protest the impudence of the Zionist company and seriously adopt necessary measures to punish it," he said.

So what did the "Zionist company" do? And how can I get a copy of this card?

Give 'em what they want

Sometimes, you find Arab positions that are even more bizarre than usual.

Two examples from today's news:

Dr. Elias Akleh in Arab2000.net (slogan: "Looking forward to the 20th Century") argues that a Palestinian state just plays into the hands of the imperialist Western infidel dhimmi descendants of apes and pigs. So, presumably, he is against the establishment of such a state. Sounds fair to me.

Cybercast News Service discusses the peculiar Wahhabi phenomenon of destroying all major Islamic landmarks:

Al-Ahmed, a Saudi scholar and expert on Saudi political affairs, estimates that the majority of Islamic landmarks in Saudi Arabia have already been destroyed. Islamic architecture expert Sami Angawi told media earlier this year that at least 300 historical buildings have been leveled in Mecca and Medina over the past 50 years.

"A telling example is the house where the Prophet Mohammed was born and [another] house he lived in until he was 29 are going to be demolished," Al-Ahmed said. Also destroyed was the 18th -century Ottoman-era Ajyad Fort. "They destroyed it at night. They blew up the hill where the fort was situated to make room for hotels," Al-Ahmed said.

Other reportedly destroyed sites cited by Al-Ahmed include: the first house in Islam, where the prophet Mohamed held secret meetings with his followers, which was destroyed in the 1980s; the houses of the prophet in Medina, where he lived for the last 10 years of his life; the Al-Fadik mosque in Medina built during Mohammed's life and destroyed in July 2003; and the Ali Al-Oraidi Mosque and Shrine in Medina destroyed in 2004. "It had been in operation for 1,200 years," said Al-Ahmed.

Behind the destruction is the Wahhabist strain of Islam, which seeks to destroy any revered physical structures that clerics believe could lead believers to idolatry, said Al-Ahmed. Real-estate development, especially around Mecca and Medina, which hosts millions of pilgrims every year, is also a major factor.

Religious politics also plays a role. When authorities allegedly destroyed one of the five renowned "Seven Mosques" built by the Prophet Mohammed's daughter and four of his "greatest Companions," Wahhabists were approving. "The mosques are not welcomed by Wahhabis," said Al-Ahmed. "It's partly political. They don't want Shia to go there to pray."

Where the Abu Bakr mosque stood, there is now an ATM machine, said Al-Ahmed. The home in which the founder of Islam grew up is slated to be destroyed, as well as his birthplace, which has a library built over it. Two major battlefields with both historic and religious significance have also reportedly been paved over.

So if the Wahhabis want to come to Israel to destroy the Dome of the Rock, I think Israel should welcome them with open arms.

Both of these initiatives can go a long way in increasing understanding and love between the peoples.

Hamas will eliminate corruption and bring back law and order to the Palestinian Arab territories.

But graffiti artists defacing walls for AFP photographers will evidently have a free pass.

Good thing that this dude isn't dyslexic - imagine how embarassed he'd be if he had written "SHAAM" instead.

Call for Papers: Terror Conference '07

The National Conference to Support the Resistance just finished a very successful program in Lebanon. Details helpfully provided by the Lebanon Daily Star:

BEIRUT: The National Conference to Support the Resistance said that Hizbullah is a "national duty and the only real option to defend Lebanon's territories, national sovereignty and independence."

In a final statement adopted on Monday at the end of the two-day conference, protecting the resistance was at the top of a list of 14 recommendations.

The conference endorsed Friday the option to resist and confront the "American-Israeli schemes against Lebanon and other Middle Eastern countries."

Several civil society organizations took part and emphasized the need to promote the culture of resistance and reinforce the society's immunity to meet the current challenges facing Lebanon.

During the conference, eight working papers were discussed. Some of them dealt with "Distinction between Terrorism and the Resistance," "Role of Culture in the Resistance," and "Methods to Reinforce National Unity."

The conference president Yehya Ghaddar read out the 14 recommendations and said "several similar conferences and activities will be held in Lebanon soon."

Following the discussions and interventions, participants announced the establishment of the National Gathering to Support the Resistance in order to increase the participation of the civil society organizations in the gathering.

In the recommendations, the conference called upon the National Gathering to Support the Resistance "to strengthen the awareness about the nature of the Zionist enemy and its danger."

Furthermore, the recommendations said comprehensive and civil resistance should be a priority of the civil society, the parties, forces and youth, cultural and women's associations.

The conference also called "to mobilize all immigrant forces to confront the Zionist project that targets Lebanon's territories, people, state and entity."

It also made an appeal to "generalize Lebanon's national culture among immigrants so that they form a pressure group wherever they are and defend the resistance and national interests."

This perennial favorite conference among the biggest and best terrorists in the world may have been the most fun yet! The 2002 Conference, although it included such after-hours activities as "Blow up the Jewish child" and "Hang the US President", suffered from the extended name of "The National Conference to Support the Resistance and Freedom and Reject US Interference" and it was widely acknowledged that the extra four words made the acronym TNCTSTRAFARUI was a bit too hard to pronounce, even in Arabic.

But this year's was a smash! Delegates had break-out sessions in the evenings, over drinks of Mecca Cola. These "birds of a feather" sessions allowed bombmakers to socialize and network with Arab governmental officials in an informal way.

The highlight of the conference had to be the Honor Killing session on Saturday night. The delegates went "out on the town" in Beirut, looking for any unmarried woman who was socializing with a man (or a woman ugly enough to be a man.) Dragged by their hair to the delight of onlookers, their throats were slashed in the Grand Ballroom as their proud parents looked on.

It is not too late to register for the 2007 conference! Of particular importance are any scholarly papers that can prove that Jews are genetically closer to apes than humans; much research is being done in prestigious Arab universities and they are very close to announcing a breakthrough. "How to talk to CNN" is another always popular topic.

Of course, the usual papers extolling Nazism and at the same time identifying Zionism with Nazism are welcome, as always.

We might not have the global star-power of some other conferences, but we are confident that we are the leader in Middle East terror conferences, and we intend, inshallah, to stay number one!

Hotel packages are available - make your reservations now!

More stats from the "calm"

As a followup to yesterday's post about the end of the fake "calm," here are the numbers:

As Islamic Jihad, the Popular Resistance Committees and Fatah's Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades announced an end to their self-declared truce of January 2005, under which they pledged to refrain from attacking Israeli targets, an annual summary of terror activities for 2005 released by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) on Sunday revealed that a total of 2,990 attacks were launched against Israeli targets. The attacks occurred after the truce was announced the report stated.

...There was a significant increase in Kassam rocket attacks on Israel with 377 recorded, compared with 309 in the previous year. At the same time there was a decrease in mortar shellings with 848 launched in 2005 compared with 1,231 in 2004. There was also a drop in bombing attacks with 199 recorded in 2005 compared with 592 in 2004. A total of 1,133 shooting attacks were carried out by terror groups in 2005 compared with 1,621 in 2004.

In 2005 security forces arrested 160 potential suicide bombers in raids in West Bank villages and towns, 59 affiliated with the Islamic Jihad, 29 with Hamas, 47 with Fatah Tanzim, 14 with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and 11 with other terror groups.

Over ten attacks a day during the "calm."

I see stuff like this on "Law and Order" all the time!

About 200 policemen stormed government offices in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah on Monday to protest at the failure of the Palestinian Authority to fight growing lawlessness, witnesses said.

The incident was the latest sign of chaos in Gaza, which has suffered growing internal unrest since Israel withdrew last September after 38 years of occupation. (What? It is not a "cycle of violence?" - EoZ)

Firing into the air as they ran through the streets, the policemen raided government offices, courthouses, an election office and the municipality building in Rafah.

They smashed windows at the Interior Ministry building and forced the staff to leave.

The number of police taking part in the protest swelled to some 200 officers, most of them armed, who forcibly shut down one government building after the other.

'We are calling on all officers to take off their uniforms because the Palestinian Authority has tied the hands of policemen, preventing us from implementing law and order,' one policeman told Reuters.

The police rampage followed the killing of a police officer in fighting with a Rafah clan on Thursday. After that incident, Palestinian police backed by gunmen imposed an armed blockade on the Rafah border crossing and forcibly ejected travellers.

Witnesses said the police did not wear uniforms -- in protest at what they said was the Palestinian Authority's failure to give them the power to restore law and order in Gaza. Some wore masks.

Masks! What a great idea! I wonder where they got the idea of masks from?

Here is a picture from September of Palestinian policemen wearing masks. Who could have been their inspiration?

HH #51

This week's Haveil Havalim is now up, hosted by Shiloh Musings. It is yet another excellent collection of the Best of the Jewish Blogosphere. And I'm not just saying that because of the links to my blog.

Because, this time, there aren't any!

I would be crushed, but the combination of the JIB awards and the fact that I got more hits today than ever before helps to ease the pain.

The fake "calm" is over

The fake "tahadiye" that Palestinian Arab terror groups said they agreed to in March 2005 is officially over.

Of course, during that "calm" the only let-up in terror attacks is because of Israeli responses to terror and the terrorist desire not to sabotage the Gaza withdrawal, not from any real commitment from the terrorist side. The amount of logistics involved in organizing a suicide attack proves quite well that the "calm" was a joke.

As Daled Amos points out, there were 23 major terror attacks during the supposed calm. He does not count the hundreds of rocket attacks and unsuccessful attacks on Jews during that same time.

There never was a truce (as the wire services called it) or even a calm. The constant references to such by the media will not be missed.

The fundamental problem

This morning I saw two very different essays that touched on the same theme from different worlds.

Redneck Texan wrote a very articulate essay arguing that the real clash of civilizations between Islam and the West is inevitable unless the West surrenders, and bemoaning the fact that in many ways the West is acting in French mode.

The Balitimore Sun published an essay and review of recent books about religious fundamentalism that argues that there is really no difference between Islamic fundamentalism and the fundamentalism of any other religion; that all fundamentalisms encourage violence. Although the author does mention that Islamic fundamentalism has a violent component that is lacking in other religions, she doesn't press the point.

I'm not quite as right-wing as Redneck Texan. Perhaps my own religious views make me more sympathetic to Islam as a religion as opposed to Islamism as a political ideology, although it gets harder to distinguish the two as time goes on. But to downplay or ignore the fact that the only major religious bloodshed that is occurring today is exclusively due to people who claim to be acting in the name of Allah is suicidally shortsighted.

The political component is what gets lost in the argument. I do not believe that there are any theocracies in the world today besides Islamic theocracies. Once a nation adapts fundamentalist religious law as national law, or a major component of national law is religion-based, that is when the dangers of religious fundamentalism become apparent. It is not likely that we will be seeing a Christian nation arise that is aimed at forcing the "second coming" so while it may be possible to argue that all fundamentalisms have a violent component in theory, in fact the only one that is a danger to the world is Islamic.

The Islamists have no qualms about couching their political arguments in religious terms, making the Western kneejerk reaction of supporting freedom of religion the major stumbling block in fighting Islamism. This mixing of politics and religion only helps the violent Islamic supremacist cause, as it paralyzes the West's reaction to Islamic terror.

So while I may be naive in my sympathy to Islam as opposed to Islamism, I think it is critical that the world make the same distinction - one is a religion that should be protected, the other is a violent political supremacist ideology that must be eradicated as quickly as possible. And the only way that will happen is through war, ugly as it is.

Perhaps even more importantly, Muslims themselves must clearly distinguish between the two. The fact that they appear to overwhelmingly support the political ideology of Islamism will only hurt them in the end, and it does not reflect well on their religion.