Also, if anyone can find an old-fashioned rendition of Hava Nagila, fast and preferably sung only by a bunch of men, please let me know. I have an idea for a video that should be pretty funny but I need that music. YouTube has a huge number of Hava Nagilas but I couldn't find any that fit the bill, although some of them are mind-blowing.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
- Tuesday, December 30, 2008
- Elder of Ziyon
Also, if anyone can find an old-fashioned rendition of Hava Nagila, fast and preferably sung only by a bunch of men, please let me know. I have an idea for a video that should be pretty funny but I need that music. YouTube has a huge number of Hava Nagilas but I couldn't find any that fit the bill, although some of them are mind-blowing.
- Tuesday, December 30, 2008
- Elder of Ziyon
A doctor in Saudi Arabia was able to stop the wedding of a five and 11 year-old whose family wanted to marry them to protect financial assets. "Thanks to the law that compels spouses to carry out blood analyses before marriage, we were able to stop a wedding with underage girls, among them a five year-old," said Hani Harsani, the doctor in charge of laboratory analysis in an interview with Saudi daily al-Watan.The unanswered question is what stops the family to find a less ethical doctor?
"Two sisters came to us accompanied by their parents to undergo pre-marital blood analyses. The first one was five, and the other 11 years-old. When we asked the mother why they wanted to do the tests, she told us that she wanted to marry the girls to cousins to preserve the family's property rights."
During the interview, Harsani remembers an episode when a 10-year-old orphan was brought to do pre-marital blood tests by her brother, who wanted to marry the sister to a 40-year-old friend who already had two other wives.
"We cannot technically impede a marriage with a girl of this age. However, we can delay the process (by refusing to carry out the tests)," said Harsani.
- Tuesday, December 30, 2008
- Elder of Ziyon
In his visit to Egypt, PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) placed the responsibility for the Israeli attack on Hamas, saying, "We called the leaders of Hamas, and told them both directly and directly, through Arab parties and non-Arab parties. We talked with them on the phone. We told them, 'Please, do not end the tahdiah.'"It bears repeating that at the exact same time that Gaza was going downhill under Hamas rule, the West Bank has been economically booming - as the PA started to take responsibility for its own people, Israel has been easing restrictions, and the result has been that West Bank residents' quality of life has been improving dramatically. This proves that Israel is not a racist entity hell-bent on enslaving Palestinian Arabs but a pragmatic country that yearns to live in peace with its Arab neighbors and takes its security seriously.
Nimr Hammad, an advisor to Mahmoud Abbas, said: "The one responsible for the massacres is Hamas, and not the Zionist entity, which in its own view reacted to the firing of Palestinian missiles. Hamas needs to stop treating the blood of Palestinians lightly. They should not give the Israelis a pretext." He called upon the leaders of Hamas to stop carrying out "operations which reflect recklessness, such as the firing of missiles."
Bassem Abu-Sumayyah, director of the Palestinian TV & Radio Authority and columnist for the PLO daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, reiterated the accusation that "Hamas blocked its ears… They should have had even a little bit of political and security sense, and not left the people wandering, and losing their way, getting killed and injured. It is clear that Hamas was struck by megalomania since they took over Gaza, which blinded them so they would not listen to any advice.
Editor of the PLO daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida Hafez Al-Barghouthi criticized Hamas for not prolonging the tahdiah, and for kidnapping Gilad Shalit: "Prolonging the tahdiah was a supreme national interest. Why hasn't [Hamas] prevented the aggression and the massacre? How many times have we written, and President Abu Mazen has declared, that these missiles [that Hamas is firing at Israel] as ineffective and contrary to the supreme national interest.
Columnist Muwaffaq Matar called for creating an internal Palestinian investigation committee, and blamed Hamas for being responsible for the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza: "Will we learn the lesson, or are our leaders going to run away from bearing responsibility, as they usually do? ...What did the commanders in Gaza expect? That the commanders of the Israeli army will let them know what is the zero hour, so that they will remove their people from the military and security headquarters?.
Abdallah Awwad, columnist for the PA daily Al-Ayyam, argued against Hamas' attempt to be both a government as well as a fighting resistance: "The Israeli incursions after 2000 [during the Al-Aqsa Intifada] and the destruction of the PLO headquarters were enough [for the PLO] to see the incompatibility of being a government at the same time as fighting the resistance… We are paying the price of stupidity, and the maniacal love of being rulers, that has nothing in it except for hollow slogans.
And it underlines that Hamas is indeed the party responsible for what a hellhole Gaza has become.
- Tuesday, December 30, 2008
- Elder of Ziyon
I was similarly nominated in 2006 and was roundly destroyed in the final round, getting less than 10% of the vote of the winner. So to make it interesting I announced my goal to beat The Sudanese Thinker for a distant fourth place, which I managed to get at the last minute.
This year I expect to do about the same as I did then. The category includes some serious heavyweights:
Michael J. Totten - Excellent professional journalist who ran away with the award last year
Martin Kramer on the Middle East - A prolific author, professor and noted Middle East expert. Oh, great.
Fundamentally Freund - Writer who blogs for Israel National News
My Marrakesh - The adventures of an American family in Morocco
Informed Comment - Juan Cole's site. I would love to beat him just to prove how irrelevant he really is. Unfortunately, he'll get 100% of the moonbat vote.
The Sudanese Thinker - my old nemesis. We meet again!
Muslimah Media Watch - I don't know it, but it looks interesting.
Days of My Life - An articulate teenage girl in Iraq.
Israellycool - Popular and essential Israeli blog where I contribute posts as well
Elder of Ziyon - um, who? Some anonymous guy who doesn't even live in the Middle East! What's he doing here?
There were some 23 nominations, so it is a great honor to have been chosen to even compete in this category. I'll let you all know when the voting begins.
Other Israel-themed blogs that were nominated in other categories include Daled Amos, Israel Matzav, and Snapped Shot. Congratulations!
- Tuesday, December 30, 2008
- Elder of Ziyon
- unrwa
Meryl's synopsis:
Here’s what Omri caught:There was a time that the UNRWA actually had scruples and morals, and tried to do the right thing. That time passed over fifty years ago, as it transformed from an organization that tried to end the Arab refugee problem into one that was dedicated to prolonging it.“What we understood here (was) that there was a 48-hour lull to be called, and this was called by the Israelis,” Abu Zayd said. “They said they would wait 48 hours. That was on Friday morning, I believe, until Sunday morning, and that they were going to evaluate.”
“There was only one rocket that went out on Friday, so it was obvious that Hamas was trying, again, to observe that truce to get this back under control,” she said.
“Then, everything got loose on Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m. We were all at work and very much surprised by this,” Abu Zayd said.
Here’s what’s wrong with Abu Zayd’s facts: Everything. She is lying through her teeth. Hamas was not “trying, again, to observe that truce.” Hamas was firing rockets and mortars at will.
Dozens of mortar shells and Qassams have been fired at Israel since Thursday night. Several mortar shells were launched while Israel opened border crossings to allow humanitarian aid into the Strip, but all of them landed within Palestinian territory.
Heads of the Gaza vicinity communities were outraged Friday by Israel’s decision to allow 40 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip, despite the incessant rocket and mortar fire at the western Negev.
The AP could easily fact-check this article by looking in their own archives.
The militants kept up their fire on Israeli border areas despite Israel’s agreement to open its crossings Friday. In all, 13 rockets and mortars were fired toward Israel by Friday evening, the military said. One home was struck but no injuries were reported.
And yet, the AP is passing along Abu Zayd’s lies, uncritically.
The Free Gaza mailing list quotes a Ha'aretz article about the incident but prefixes it with "We all know the Israelis are inveterate liars, so I wouldn't assume any of it is actually true."
Since there were journalists on board, I am sure that a video will soon be available showing whether Israel fired at them. The CNN video report interviewing a CNN reporter on board says nothing about any shooting, only that the Israeli boat "rammed" the "Dignity." No doubt if there was any live fire, the CNN reporter would have mentioned it. Showing who the "inveterate liars" are.
The FGM freaks explicitly said yesterday in a press release that they will refuse to stop, no matter what:
We are not asking Israel for "permission" to go, and we will not stop until the DIGNITY lands in Gaza.
Just for context: The Free Gaza boat was supposed to have 3 tons of medical aid. During the past three days, Israel has sent 186 trucks filled with aid to Gaza - plus ten ambulances. Each truck, from past experience, holds between 10 and 20 tons of material.
Which means that for all the noise the FGM makes about how necessary their trip is to help Gazans, their "aid" equates to roughly 0.1% of what the hated, lying Zionist enemy has given while under direct attack from Gaza. Proving yet again that the off-key moonbats' purpose is not to help Gazans (they could coordinate sending aid through Israel, as Jordan does, or through Egypt, which sent 72 trucks of its own) but to hurt Israel through PR.
(I'm pretty sure that Israel's tractor trailers filled with aid are far larger than Egypt's.)
(h/t Humanitarian Aid commenter.)
UPDATE: Al Jazeera's report here.
UPDATE 2 - More proof of Free Gaza's lies.
Monday, December 29, 2008
- Monday, December 29, 2008
- Elder of Ziyon
The Brigades of the Martyr Izz el-Deen al-Qassam, the military wing of the "Hamas" movement bombed on Monday (29/12) the port of Ashdod with "Grad" rockets and the settlement of Nahal Oz with three mortar shells. The Zionist enemy admitted the deaths of four rapists, including an officer, and injuries to more than 20 others wounded by the Qassam rockets.Of course, one of the victims was a 39-year old mother of four, another was an Israeli Arab and a third was a 58-year old man sitting at home. Only one of these attacks hit a military target, and a career officer was killed - who was a Druse.
The group said in its "The Mujahduha bombed the Ashdod port, which lies 40 km north of the Gaza Strip, Grad rockets at 9:15 "which led to the death of Zionist rapists and injuring more than 20 others, three of them seriously.
The Mujahduha battalions have also shelled the settlement of Nahal Oz with three mortar shells at 9:40 and the Zionist enemy admitted the killing of two soldiers, one officer and wounding four others.
The statement said "We declare jihad on the work of shelling Zionist settlements with Grad rockets and mortar shells, which resulted in the recognition of the Zionist enemy of the killing of four rapists and wounding more than 20 others, three of them seriously.
The group said the bombing was a response to the continued Zionist aggression against our people in Gaza and the West Bank, in response to the Zionist massacre in Gaza, which led to the deaths of more than 350 people and injured hundreds, and on the continuing unjust siege on our people.
Hamas knows this quite well, and celebrates the murder of innocent civilians even as it pretends that it targets only soldiers.
In English, however, Hamas has not yet published this press release. Instead, it aims straight at the heartstrings of the useful idiot crowd, with this graphic. It is pretty much the talking points of the pro-terror "peace" crowd in one convenient picture
It is also the exact antithesis of how Hamas sounds on the Arabic website. In Arabic, death is glorified; in English, it is tragic. In Arabic, martyrdom is the highest achievement; in English it is barely mentioned.
- Monday, December 29, 2008
- Elder of Ziyon
September 12, 2005: The Israeli flag is lowered in Gaza and disengagement is over.
September 12: Rocket attack on Sderot.
September 12: Rocket attack on Yad Mordechai.
9/23: Islamic Jihad attacks Kfar Aza
9/24: Hamas attacks Sderot, 11 injured
9/25, 26, 27, 30 - At least six separate rocket attacks - followed by more...
October 2005: At least 7 rocket attacks
November 2005: At least 11 rocket attacks
December 2005: At least 34 separate rocket attacks, causing numerous injuries and much damage
January 2006: At least 27 separate attacks (most with multiple rockets)
January 25, 2006: Hamas wins the PLC elections.
February 2006: At least 55 rocket attacks
March 2006: At least 47 attacks, with injuries
April 2006: At least 53 separate rocket attacks
..and on and on. (Statistics from the Worldwide Incidents Tracking System.)
Rocket attacks occurred before, during and after disengagement; before, during and after Hamas elections; before, during and after the Hamas/Fatah unity government; through the Hamas coup, through the worldwide blockade of Gaza, through the 2007 "truce" and through the 2008 "truce." They happened while Gazans were happily employed at the Erez Industrial Park in Gaza as well as when it was shut down, they happened while Jews lived in Gush Katif and when they didn't, when the crossings were opened and when they were shut.
Qassam rockets have been shot at Israeli areas since October, 2001, and their numbers have only increased over time. To say that somehow Israeli actions are forcing the terrorists to shoot Qassams and mortars at Israel and to dismiss Israeli justifications for finally saying that enough is enough is the height of arrogance.
- Monday, December 29, 2008
- Elder of Ziyon
- self-death
I can understand a single accidental bullet, but three?
It seems that a woman threw something out of her window that might have caused the soldier to fire. So she was arrested.
The 2008 PalArab self-death count is now 230.
- Monday, December 29, 2008
- Elder of Ziyon
Maybe those words translate into Persian as "We love flowers and cute cuddly animals." You can't really be sure, can you?
- Monday, December 29, 2008
- Elder of Ziyon
Saraya al Quds, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, stated that it shot at Israeli occupation soldiers in the Jenin province, on Thursday evening, and confirmed casualties among the soldiers.There is no doubt that Islamic Jihad and Hamas would love to see this conflict expand to the West Bank, so this is an arena that needs to be watched.
On the other hand, this could be from a slingshot, as was so artfully photographed by an AP photographer.
- Monday, December 29, 2008
- Elder of Ziyon
One editorial in the Gulf News that caught my eye doesn't use the word explicitly but implies it, as it castigates Arab governments for not doing anything:
While Gaza is burning, Arab officials are busy working the phones in an attempt to arrange an Arab emergency meeting. The earliest date possible, we are being told, is Friday.Putting aside all issues about how many of the dead are terrorists or civilians, let's examine this statement.
By then though, there will be fewer Gazans in Gaza.
According to the CIA World Factbook, there are 1,500,202 people living in Gaza as of July 2008. The population growth rate is 3.422%, with the birth rate outpacing the death rate by more than ten to one.
This means that some 51,000 Gazans are born every year - and that translates to 141 more Gazans every day than the day before.
So, while on Saturday night there were indeed fewer Gazans than there were in the morning, that gap has been made up by Sunday night.
This also means that Saturday was the only day - ever - that Israel killed more people in Gaza than were born.
The Zionists can't even do genocide right!
- Monday, December 29, 2008
- Elder of Ziyon
- self-death
Certainly, no one wants to see innocent people die in a massive military operation. But before you criticize Israel you need to answer a simple question:
What is the alternative?
It is easy to mindlessly repeat the comforting words "peace" and "truce" and "practice utmost restraint." Mantras require no thought. They are just soothing, comforting sounds with no meaning and no depth.
But calling for "peace" without a plan is not only shortsighted; it is counterproductive to the idea of peace itself. Certainly terrorists are not subject to international pressure nor to criticism by peace activists; their goals are inherently antithetical to peace. By calling on "both sides" to halt "hostilities" you are equating terror with self-defense, you are legitimizing terrorism and you are calling on the terrorized side to turn the other cheek and become the passive recipient of death and destruction - because the terrorists are unlikely to be swayed by your arguments. A vague desire for "peace" is not only meaningless, but it helps embolden terror.
The most common plan is never stated but it is implied by "peace activists." This plan is for Israel to do nothing - to accept rockets in the Negev as an ugly but permanent fact, perhaps to move residents further north for their own protection; to continue to provide Gaza with aid and to medically treat Gazans, to open the borders for unlimited trade with Gaza, to allow Hamas to import as many weapons as it wishes - because anything less than that is still considered "occupation." These so-called peace activists are nothing of the sort - they just want Israel to be destroyed as much as the Arab terrorists do. Their real plan is to replace the Jewish state with another Arab state where terror attacks against Jews can again become a daily occurrence in Tel Aviv and Haifa and Jerusalem. If this describes you, sorry for wasting your time - I suggest that you volunteer as a human shield for Qassam rocket launchers.
Some have called for another "truce." The idea seems appealing - let both sides stop attacks and bring things back to the status quo.
However, the status quo was completely unacceptable. Let's look at the last "truce." While Israel sent hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid, building materials, food, fuel, clothing and many trucks full of other essentials, Hamas eliminated any vestiges of freedom, arrested scores of Fatah members who survived the coup, imported Katyusha rockets and tons of weapons and explosives, built hundreds of Qassams, built up its cash reserves by indirectly using money that the international community sent to build up the PA, and started building tunnels for the express purpose of kidnapping Israelis. Even the rocket fire didn't halt until September and it restarted only two months later.
It is a well-established rule that it costs much less to solve a problem earlier rather than later. The "truce" - as well as the one that preceded it in late 2006 and early 2007, when Israel likewise refrained from military actions while Gaza terrorists continued to shoot rockets and arm themselves - is not a solution to any problem; it is a postponement of a much bloodier clash that is inevitable when we are dealing with one side that wants no less than the utter destruction of the other.
Another alternative that peace activists like to trot out is "end the occupation." Somehow, it is hoped, Israel's giving up land will magically make Hamas and Islamic Jihad and the PFLP and DFLP and PRC and Al Aqsa Brigades and Free Galilee Brigades and all the other terror groups put down their arms and happily accept Israel's existence.
Not only is this wishful thinking, but all evidence proves the exact opposite. Israel quit Gaza and it only emboldened terrorists to do more. What can explain thousands of rockets towards Sderot if you think that Arab terrorists do not have any land ambitions beyond the "territories"? In Arabic, they call Sderot and Ashkelon and Netivot "settlements," which means that the careful distinction that the world laboriously makes between "Israel proper" and the "territories" is completely meaningless to one side of this conflict.
Some say they understand Israel's motivation, but call for Israel's response to be "proportionate." What they don't recall is that Israel has had that policy for years now. Rather than respond immediately and devastatingly to rocket attacks, Israel has counseled its Negev residents to grin and bear it; it built shelters and installed sirens; it occasionally responded with targeted attacks against rocket launchers or terrorist leaders. This did not stop the rocket fire - rockets that have no purpose other than to terrorize civilians. For Israel to slowly increase the level of response is the guaranteed way to start the dreaded "cycle of violence."
A single attack by Israel to shut down the kidnap tunnel in November resulted in hundreds of rockets in response. A massive attack is meant to stop the "cycle of violence," and it has a much better chance of doing so.
Of course Israel needs to ensure that a minimum of civilians are hurt - and it is doing so. If you have any suggestions of how Israel can do a better job in that respect, I'm sure that the IDF is more than willing to listen. But keeping Hamas in power, unchecked, is not a formula for peace.
Criticizing is easy. Solving a problem is much harder. If those who say they want peace can offer better and realistic alternatives, where Israeli citizens as well as Gazans can both be safe and secure, please offer them.
Becuase if you can't, then the best advice is the crude but effective STFU.
- Monday, December 29, 2008
- Elder of Ziyon
Meanwhile, Islamic Jihad took credit for shooting mortars at Nahal Oz this morning. Nahal Oz is where Israel transfers fuel to Gaza, so by bombing the crossing Islamic Jihad is consciously trying to stop any fuel from reaching Gaza.
Once again we see that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are more interested in politics than in the people they pretend to be defending.