Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

PalArabs demand timetable for a state

More demands from people who have a limitless appetite for them:

The chief Palestinian peace negotiator threatened on Tuesday that there would be no talks with Israel unless a deadline is set for establishing a Palestinian state — the first indication the Palestinians could scuttle a U.S.-sponsored peace summit over the issue.

Reading between the lines, Ahmed Qureia is saying that their statehood is not in the least bit dependent on their actions. Israel can ask for security guarantees or anything else and the PalArabs might pretend to agree or not, but no matter what there will be a state by some future date.

It is like a juvenile delinquent telling his parents that he demands a new car on his sixteenth birthday regardless of whether he gets good grades, stays in school, goes to prison - it all doesn't matter because he deserves it. And if he doesn't get it, well, he will make life miserable for everybody.

And the world that has spoiled this kid rotten from day one - the world that has given billions of dollars in free food, free education and willful ignorance of the kid's crimes, the world that has taken the kid's side whenever he got into a fight and that bailed him out every time he got into trouble - that world is falling all over itself to buy a Ferrari.

Before his temper tantrum.

Recent MSM failures

I try to dig up news that others have missed, but this is still not an excuse for the professional journalists to ignore stories that are available and are clearly newsworthy. Here is a round-up of recent postings I wrote that completely flew under the MSM radar, judging from mentions in Google News:

"Kill Jews Everywhere" - Although I got this out of the English-language Ma'an newspaper, and Arutz-7 put it into a newsbrief, this story where Hamas/PRC terrorists threatened Jews worldwide is nonexistent on Google News.

More Holy Temple Denial, where the former Mufti of Jerusalem denied that there was ever a Jewish Temple at the site of the Temple Mount, was only mentioned in a couple of Israeli newspapers and a simgle mention in EarthTimes (UK). EarthTimes credits UPI but the absence of this story from the thousands of newspapers indexed by Google means that every single one did not think that this story was worth mentioning.

Why the horrible Israelis inspect Gaza-bound sugar, mentioned the fact that Gaza terrorists have imported potassium for explosives in sugar shipments. This was only mentioned in Ha'aretz and Israel Insider.

Two Jewish professors at Columbia targeted - this story was only mentioned in the New York Post and NY1.

Another day, another "protection racket" threat by Fatah - Ahmed Qureia's threats of war should the conference not go the way he wants was only covered by YNet.

Saudi king insults everyone's intelligence in Britain, where the Saudi king speaks hypocritically about "human rights" and says many other outrageous things about Israel, women and terrorism, was only mentioned by Arab News and Bits and Pieces. Even the BBC did not seem to put its own interview on the web, in either transcript or full video form.

This is only from the past week.

The mainstream media has no interest in looking for real stories - they are mindlessly following the lead from wire services and a couple of influential newspapers, whose agendas clearly do not include stories such as these. When it comes to the Middle East or anti-semitism they have already decided what they want to think and these items - which upset the applecart of complacency that the "even-handedness" coverage encourages - just do not fit into the story they want to say.

Saudi king insults everyone's intelligence in Britain

Saudi King Abdullah spoke to the BBC before his trip to Britain and made some amazingly hypocritical statements. Of course, the Beeb couldn't be expected to call him on them, as the formerly great kingdom submits to the current Kingdom, its largest trading partner. (The transcript in not online, but a small part of the video is.)

“We don’t want concessions. We are people with rights and we demand our rights,” the king told the BBC when asked whether he expected any Israeli concessions in order to reach a Middle East peace settlement....

Speaking about the US-sponsored Middle East peace conference, the king said he believed that the conference would fail unless the Palestinians’ needs were taken more seriously. He emphasized the return of Palestinian refugees to their country. “This is a humanitarian condition for peace.”

Too bad the interviewer was too ignorant to point out that it is a wee bit hypocritical for Abdullah to whine about Palestinian Arab rights when the Kingdom itself refuses to give citizenship to Palestinian Arabs, even as hundreds of thousands have helped build his country. It is truly bigotry.

And even so, he pretends to identify with them saying not that Palestinian Arabs have rights, but "we are people with rights." For all the incessant whining that the US and Europe aren't "evenhanded" when it comes to the Middle East, this basic standard is completely thrown out the window by his own words as he sheds even the pretext of objectivity on this issue.

Not to mention that to hear the Saudi king talk about "rights" from one of the most repressive regimes on Earth should cause anyone overhearing to vomit on the spot.

His insulting words didn't end here, though:

In the BBC interview, King Abdullah said it would take 20 to 30 years to defeat terrorism. “My advice to all countries including Britain is that they should not show any leniency in fighting terrorism,” he said. The king also revealed the recent arrest of some terror financiers in the Kingdom and said Al-Qaeda continued to be a big problem for Saudi Arabia.
...The BBC also reported that King Abdullah is annoyed that the rest of the world has largely failed to act on his proposal to establish an international counterterrorism center. “Everybody has accepted the proposal but then did nothing to implement it,” the king said.
“This center, under the umbrella of the United Nations, will collect information related to terrorism. We have learned from our experience that the speedy dispatch of information is the main factor in combating terrorism,” he explained.
...King Abdullah also said that Saudi Arabia had provided intelligence information to British authorities about a possible terrorist attack in the UK. “We sent information to Great Britain before the terrorist attacks in Britain, but unfortunately no action was taken and you know what happened,” the king said about the deadly July 7, 2005 bombings.

One British newspaper, Bits of News, described the reaction to this last statement as "Whitehall officials have been almost as quick to offer embarrassed, low-key denials as government ministers have been to placate the King with sycophantic, simpering, clichéd words promising friendship and cooperation."

Notice also the outlines of Abdullah's proposal for a "counterterrorism" center. Under UN auspices, it would ensure that Islamic terror would be downplayed and nothing would be able to impede the spread of Saudi Wahhabi Islam that has inspired so many jihadists.

Then, with a straight face, Abdullah continued:

“Islam has given the most rights to women in the world and they are strong and important participants in our society,” he said when asked about the condition of women in Saudi Arabia.

Coming from a country where women are not allowed to drive, where they cannot testify in court, where they cannot vote and where they make up a tiny percentage of the workforce, this is a statement that an ordinary journalist would have demolished.

But the obnoxious King can say such absurd things with impunity, because his wealth and control over worldwide energy resources burnish the fiction that he is an ally in the war on terror, rather than the enemy.

Abdullah came to the UK with an entourage of 400 people, on four planes, taking 84 limousines from the airport. He personally gets rich off of Western petrodollars and uses his wealth skillfully to keep the West in permanent submission to his will. Saudi influence in First World governments far outweighs the fabled "Israel lobby".

This rush to placate the Kingdom in its most wretched hypocritical glory is disgusting. But it will continue as long as we keep having to buy oil.

PA TV's vision of "peace"

The PA television has been playing a music video that shows, even while Abbas and Olmert are preparing for a "peace conference," what the Palestinian Arab concept of "peace" is:

The lyrics make it quite clear:

"Oh mother, they destroyed our house
The house of my brother and my neighbor [2X]
Do not be angry, oh mother, we got more stones [2X]
We are Palestinians, we are not terrorists [2X]
"We have the right, oh mother, we want to bring our home back
Hand in hand, and arm in arm, we will protect your land, Palestine
We will pray in Al-Aqsa and the [Church] of the Nativity, Islam and Christians
[2X]
"We will liberate [Palestine] the Land of Religions.
And we will build Jerusalem of the homelands.
We are the sons of glory, oh mother....
"We are Palestinians we are not terrorists
We are the students of freedom we are not terrorists
"Oh Arab, oh noble son, your blood is in my blood and your business is my business
Peace will be achieved through unity, oh my brother and cousin
The land is Arab in history and identity
Palestine is Arab in history and identity
We will live in peace, oh mother, and our lives will not be wasted
"Oh mother, they destroyed our house
The house of my brother and my neighbor [2X]
Do not be angry, oh mother, our rocks increased [in number]
"From Jerusalem and Acre, from Haifa and Jericho and Gaza and Ramallah [2X]
From Bethlehem and Jaffa, from Be’er Sheva and Ramla, [2X]
from Nablus to the Galilee, from Tiberias to Hebron." [2x]

So the Palestinian Arab concept of "peace" is where there are no Jews in the land of Israel, only Palestinian Arab Muslims and Christians. The "land of religions" only includes two religions, in this very "peaceful" song that broadly implies a Judenrein Palestine from the Mediterranean to the Jordan.

Wonder where the Jews are in this oh-so-peaceful place?

Monday links

Michael Medved at TownHall: Why Not Ask About Pakistan's "Right to Exist"?
14 million refugees? Nah, who cares?

Blogger News Network: The Desert Bloom - An Insult to Human Dignity?
Deconstructing Ahmadinejad

Reform Judaism Magazine: The Protocols of Hamas
Well known but worth repeating

Islam Online covers the Italian seizure of the Koran-imprinted toilet seats:

Al-Khalidi smelled a rat in the Italian company's act.

"Inscribing the toilet seat covers with Ayat Al-Kursi (The Verse of the Throne) and putting the noble verse in the nastiest place was not unintentional," he said.

On how he learnt about the matter, Al-Khalidi said a fellow Italian Muslim happened on the sacrilegious pieces as he went shopping in Latina on Wednesday, October 24.

Al-Khalidi said he does not buy the company's excuses that it did not know what the Arabic words written on the cover seats really meant.

"This is not about art and beauty as the company claims; this is a crime," he said.

Sultan Knish: Dealing with the Devil
For those who want a decent analysis of the conservative blog war over anti-Muslim racists in Europe.

Palestinian Police Phunnies XXVIII

Yeah, I know it's been a while since my last one, but this one is too good:

Police officer in Gaza accidentally kills himself

A Palestinian traffic police officer affiliated to the de facto Palestinian government in the Gaza Strip died on Monday as a result of the misuse of his weapon.

Palestinian police in Gaza issued a statement naming the deceased as twenty-three-year-old Safwat Abu Al-Naja from Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Which brings my 2007 PalArab self-death count to 566.

Meanwhile, the 80,000 PalArab policemen are being threatened by PM Fayyad, who says that he will slash their numbers by 30,000 (which still means that there will be some 20,000 more of them than allowed according to a 1995 agreement with Israel.)

Under pressure from the US and EU, PA President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salaam Fayad recently agreed to reduce the number of policemen in the West Bank by half.

Previous attempts by the PA leadership to lay off thousands of policemen were called off for fear of a mutiny inside the Palestinian security services.

According to the new PA plan, all policemen over the age of 45 would be forced into retirement. In addition, thousands of men and women whose names appear on the payroll of the security forces but don't do any work would be fired immediately.

Only in the Western-financed welfare state of the PA would the idea of firing people who do nothing be controversial. Of course, if their salaries would be paid by PalArab taxes rather than EU and American handouts, this opinion might change.

Bahrain freaks out over meeting with Israelis

The "moderate" Arab country of Bahrain routinely goes crazy whenever there is a whiff of Zionists (or Jews) in the air. From the October 12 Gulf Daily News:

BAHRAIN has denied claims that Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa acted against the conscience of Bahrainis, Arabs and Muslims by holding an unofficial meeting with his Israeli counterpart Tzipora Livni. MPs have condemned the minister for the meeting, which happened while both were attended a summit at the UN in New York last week.

Members of the opposition Al Wefaq parliamentary bloc are drafting a new law that would ban any normalisation of relations with Israel and include tough penalties for anyone who broke it.

Some have also threatened to push for the reopening of an Israel Products Boycott Office, which was closed according to terms in the US-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement.

MP Jalal Fairooz alleged that American Jewish groups were infiltrating Bahrain and demanded an explanation from the minister, saying he could face questioning in parliament if he does not make clear what happened.

The Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the meeting took place, but says it was within Bahrain's role in the Middle East peace process.

...The news was taken from Israeli daily Haaretz, which reportedly claimed that Bahrain held political meetings with Israel in the 1990s, along with Oman and Qatar.

It also said that Israel's former foreign minister Yossi Sarees headed a delegation to Manama 12 years ago to meet Bahraini officials on environmental issues.

Al Akhbar added that Livni had already met former UN General Assembly president Shaikha Haya bint Rashid Al Khalifa, according to Haaretz.

Last week, they were still talking about it:

A CALL to stop any normalisation of relations with Israel went out from angry MPs yesterday.
They demanded that the government immediately break any contact with the Zionists, saying it was hurting the feelings of Bahrainis.

The urgent proposal will now be studied by parliament's foreign affairs, defence and national security committee in co-ordination with the temporary Palestinian Support Committee.

The proposal was drafted by a cross-section of MPs, who said that tough measures should be taken to ensure that there are no meetings with Israelis, in line with Amiri Decree Number 15, issued in 1955. The MPs are parliament's first vice-chairman Ghanim Al Buainain, Al Wefaq bloc president Shaikh Ali Salman, parliament legislative and legal affairs committee vice-chairman Shaikh Jassim Al Saeedi, Nasser Al Fadhala and Hassan Al Dossary.

They also called for the immediate reopening of the Israel Products Boycott Office, which was closed under the US-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
"Bahrain's laws ban any type of normalisation and what's really annoying is that the meeting was held without anyone being informed about it, the government or even us, the people's representatives."
"We want MPs to prepare a report on what they want to do now on the issue to ensure that no other official follows his footsteps.

"The Israel Products Boycott Office should also be reopened to ensure that the Zionists' products don't enter our country in any way possible, because the moment one product enters the market, others would follow."

Aw, he hurt their feelings!

And the controversy has not died down in the week since:

ANTI-ISRAEL activists are calling for a wider public involvement in their campaign against normalisation with the "Zionists".
A meeting is being held today by the Bahrain Society Against Normalisation with the Zionist Enemy, Adliya, at 8pm, where a host of non-governmental organisations and MPs have been invited.

They will discuss steps to be taken following the Foreign Minister's unofficial meeting with his Israeli counterpart in New York earlier this month.

The society maintains that Bahrain should not have any interaction with anyone in Israel at any level.

"We are expecting a large number of people to attend this meeting where we will suggest presenting a number of letters to the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Arab League to denounce the move," said society secretary Abdulla Abdulmalik.

"The meeting will also discuss an incident that took place in a private school where students were asked to colour the Zionist regime's flag."

I am dying to know details about this flag incident, but cannot find it anywhere. My guess is that some Bahraini school got a hold of an International Flags coloring book and didn't censor it properly.

I think that if someone would spread a rumor that Bahraini toilets use a modern Israeli flushing mechanism then you will see a huge new market in outhouses.

Another day, another "protection racket" threat by Fatah

Fatah has a real good racket going on - they do the Mafia-style "threats" and no one calls them on it:

The top negotiator for the Palestinian Authority, Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala), warned on Sunday that the region would suffer greatly in the event that the upcoming Annapolis peace conference failed.

"If the summit fails – frustration will win out over everything else and it will have a negative affect on the region. I cannot predict exactly what will happen, but it may lead to more wars.

"I warn now against failure there, which will open the door for extremists and extremism – and that door will be very difficult to close," said Qureia at a conference held by Meretz activists.

Oh, he can predict precisely what will happen all right - if past history is any guide, Fatah is planning the newest intifada phase right now in anticipation of a summit that doesn't accede to all of their demands, just as they did in 2000.

Notice also the usual Arab subtext that they cannot control their "street." This excuse has been used for decades, but for some reason they manage to control their people quite fine - and brutally - when they go against the wishes of whatever regime they are in. It is only when they want to do something that the Arab regimes agree with that they turn into such a "threat."

I have previously described this as "the diplomacy of fear," a well-used part of the Arab negotiating lexicon. It is quite effective so there is no reason for Arabs and Muslims to stop using it.

October 29, 1947: Egypt refuses Jewish help on cholera epidemic

Starting in September, 1947, a devastating cholera epidemic tore through Egypt. By the time it was done some 20,000 Egyptians were killed.

Neighboring Palestinian Jews followed the story closely, with daily Palestine Post articles like this one:

Soon after the outbreak, in late September, Hebrew University offered to help Egypt, saying that it could manufacture tens of thousands of vaccines immediately and, with help, millions within 4-6 weeks. Had Egypt taken this offer they could have turned the tide by early November.

Hadassah Hospital also formally offered to help the Egyptians.

But, of course, Egypt couldn't handle the indignity of being helped by lowly Jews:

In December, rumors started circulating in Egypt - not that the Jews offered to help stop the epidemic but that they had caused it by poisoning the water supply! In 1948, the Arab Higher Committee formally complained to the UN that the Jews were behind the epidemic

As recently as 2003, Egypt's Al Ahram Weekly has repeated the charges that Jews were responsible for the cholera epidemic, not only in Egypt but the smaller outbreak in Syria that started in December, 1947 (along with a host of other supposed crimes involving WMD.) "Evidence" cited is that the Syrians affected were near the Palestine border - while ignoring the fact that the Arab armies were coordinating to attack at borders of Palestine in that time period.

HH #CXXXVIII

This week's Haveil Havalim, the 138th edition pointing out the best of the JBlogosphere, is out at the indefatigable Soccer Dad.

My post on The Bidoon was included.

Check it out!

The best and the brightest PalArabs want more terror

A few days ago was the anniversary of the death of Fathi Shikaki, a master terrorist who co-founded Islamic Jihad. To celebrate, there was a massive rally in Gaza calling on fighting Israel, where Shikaki's successor said, "Palestine was usurped at the hands of the armed Jewish groups by force, and, therefore, it couldn’t be retrieved but by force and resistance....We should not allow ourselves to believe, even for a moment, that our struggle with Israel has come to an end...This conference is dangerous for the Palestinians, because its aim is to drag Arab countries into normalizing their ties with Israel, define its borders, and allow the US to attack Iran. The Palestinians must not participate in this conference."

You might think that these is only the rantings of a single, small terror group, and not representative of the larger PalArab population.

But not only was Islamic Jihad there, but also Hamas leader Islaml Haniyeh, who said, days after fatal clashes between Hamas and Islamic Jihad,"Our relation with Islamic Jihad is strategic, stable and will not be shaken with a few events."

You might think that these sentiments are only endemic throughout Gaza, but not in the more secular, peaceful West Bank. But at Bir Zeit University, where the future leaders of Palestinian Arab society are molded, they also had a celebration of Shakaki's death (autotranslated):

Bir Zeit University students in 12th anniversary of the departure of Dr. Fathi Shakaki affirmed that the resistance and the certificate is correct and proper way, the only solution is to liberate the land of the blessed impurity Zionists rapists.

The Council called in a statement all the resistance factions and cards to escalate the resistance and strike the Zionist occupier everything Ottey force.

Of course we already knew how much Bir Zeit students support terror.