Feb. 27, 2009
Article originally printed here.
Amnesty International has called on the Obama administration to immediately suspend weapons sales to Israel after the human rights organization said it found that most of the weapons Israel used in the Gaza Strip were manufactured in the United States.
“To a large extent, Israel's military offensive in Gaza was carried out with weapons, munitions and military equipment supplied by the USA and paid for with U.S. taxpayers’ money,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International's director for the Middle East. “The Obama administration should immediately suspend U.S. military aid to Israel.”
Israeli officials say the report robs Israel of its right to self defense.
Amnesty’s report, “Fueling Conflict: Foreign Arms Supplies to Israel/Gaza,” also calls on the United Nations Security Council to “impose immediately a comprehensive ... arms embargo on Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.”
The group accused both Israel and Hamas of war crimes in its 38-page report, but focused heavily on Israeli actions and American weapons used in the Gaza Strip. Amnesty researchers found that weapons fragments in school playgrounds, hospitals and in homes were mostly made in America, the report said.
In a statement, Israel's Foreign Ministry slammed the report calling it a biased version of events during and leading up to Operation Cast Lead, which left 1,300 Palestinians dead. The report neglected to mention Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields, the statement said.
“Hamas openly and in an organized fashion uses women and children to protect military targets, and booby-trap homes and public buildings,” the foreign ministry said. “The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) never intentionally targeted civilians.”
The report also called for halting arms sales to Hamas, but admitted that “Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups have smuggled small arms, light weapons, rockets and rocket components into Gaza, using tunnels from Egypt into Gaza; this weaponry has been acquired from clandestine sources.”
Hamas’ weapons, funded by Tehran and other Arab regimes, are illegally supplied through tunnels connecting the Strip to Egypt.
NGO Monitor, a watchdog group of non-governmental organization, said, “Amnesty’s attempt to equate the transfer weapons to Israel for legitimate defense, with clandestinely smuggled arms to a terrorist organization, is defamatory, immoral and absurd.”
NGO Monitor Director Gerald Steinberg said the report was “clearly part of a campaign to deprive Israel of the means to defend itself.”
But the report could gain traction in the U.S. After a visit to the region last week, Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., said he planned to recommend the U.S. reassess its military support for the Jewish state. Baird, who visited Gaza with Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., said he was troubled by the American origin of Israeli weaponry.
“We need to use every pressure available to make these needed changes happen,” he said. “If our colleagues had seen what we have seen, I think their understanding of the situation would be significantly impacted. They would care about what happened to the Palestinians.”
Danny Reisner, a legal advisor to the Israel Defense Forces, countered accusations that Israel committed war crimes and noted that Israel suspended the war every day to allow humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza.
“People are complaining that war crimes are being committed - and I agree,” he said. “War crimes are being committed by Hamas.
“They are waging war. Therefore we can respond within the realm of war. The other side does two things fundamental to the problem: they don’t abide by the rules and they don’t identify themselves as combatants.”
Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the United States.
The Amnesty report questioned a 10-year agreement ending in 2017 in which the U.S. would provide $30 billion in military aid to Israel. Israeli defense officials said they were concerned, especially ahead of U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell’s arrival in Israel today, that President Barack Obama will cut military aid to Israel.
“Mitchell is a known opponent of the outposts and the settlements,” a senior defense official told The Jerusalem Post. “The Americans may try to use the military aid as a way of pressuring the new government into dismantling outposts and freezing construction in settlements.”
Meanwhile, the British government is being sued by pro-Palestinian groups for selling weapons to Israel. The suit, filed this week, accuses the government of flagrantly breaching international law by continuing British export of arms to Israel. The Foreign Office said that the British government “monitors the situation in Israel with care in considering applications for arms export licenses.”
This case calls for suspension of arms to Israel and for the European Union to suspend a preferential trading agreement with the Jewish state. It also calls for the arrest, on the basis of war crimes, of Israeli agents visiting England. Lawyers for Al Haq, a Palestinian charity representing 30 families in the case, said more legal action is planned against Israel.
Feb 26, 2009
And now more reconcilation: a PLO-Hamas Coalition
Feb. 26, 2009
Who will come up with a coalition government first: the Palestinians or Israelis? After nearly two years of civil war and targeted assassinations against each other, Fatah and Hamas suddenly announced they are seeking a unity government and have even released prisoners on each side to that tune.
What does this pose for the Obama administration and other governments which have cast Hamas as a terrorist organization? Could they negotiate with a government that included Hamas when so many states have already declared their refusal to do so?
Yes they can. Many foreign governments are promoting a “coalition government” between the PLO and Hamas, they leave out the fact that Hamas still hasn’t and probably won’t recognize Israel’s right to exist. Oh, and Hamas does not even recognize the authority of the PLO.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was in Oslo the day before negotiations were set to begin in Cairo:
Who will come up with a coalition government first: the Palestinians or Israelis? After nearly two years of civil war and targeted assassinations against each other, Fatah and Hamas suddenly announced they are seeking a unity government and have even released prisoners on each side to that tune.
What does this pose for the Obama administration and other governments which have cast Hamas as a terrorist organization? Could they negotiate with a government that included Hamas when so many states have already declared their refusal to do so?
Yes they can. Many foreign governments are promoting a “coalition government” between the PLO and Hamas, they leave out the fact that Hamas still hasn’t and probably won’t recognize Israel’s right to exist. Oh, and Hamas does not even recognize the authority of the PLO.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was in Oslo the day before negotiations were set to begin in Cairo:
“We want to see the formation of a Palestinian national unity government or a government of national consensus — it doesn’t matter, as long as we agree upon a government,” Abbas said. “This government must fully honor the commitments that we agreed to in the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization),” he said, adding: “When governments come, they respect and honor and accept obligations of previous governments.”
Feb 25, 2009
Congressmen to recommend cutting back military support to Israel
Feb. 25, 2009
Last week saw a parade of American congressmen to Gaza on separate fact-finding missions to the Holy Land. In keeping with the undertone of anti-Israel sentiment seeping out from the new administration, Rep. Brian Baird, a Democrat from Washington state, planned to report back to DC that the U.S. should reassess its military support for the Jewish state.
Baird said he was troubled by the American origin of much IDF weaponry used in Gaza and suggested that America reconsider military aid and weapons sold to Israel.
"We need to use every pressure available to make these needed changes happen," he said. "If our colleagues had seen what we have seen, I think their understanding of the situation would be significantly impacted. They would care about what happened to the Palestinians."
The congressman alleged that Israel had "apparently willfully destroyed any capacity of the Palestinians to rebuild their own infrastructure" and said he was struck, he said, by "the level of destruction, the scope of it, specifically the civilian targets - schools, hospitals, industry."
Baird managed to balance his message with some photos he took of damage from rocket fire on Sderot, which he did condemn. He he said he plans to bring in aid and medical workers from Gaza to share their stories.
Displaying his lack of knowledge of the situation, such as security and humanitarian aid being held hostage by Hamas, the congressman called for more humanitarian aid and goods to Gaza, accompanied by open border crossings that would allow Palestinians to travel for trade and medical care-- and presumably terror attacks.
He visited Gaza with Rep. Keith Ellison (D Minnesota)
Pro-Israel organizations, while upset at Baird’s conclusions, weren't concerned that many minds would be changed.
"By and large, we continue to see support for Israel and understand why it was necessary for Israel's leaders to do what they did," one official said about Congress, speaking anonymously. "I'm not afraid of these members coming back and giving a briefing."
Last week saw a parade of American congressmen to Gaza on separate fact-finding missions to the Holy Land. In keeping with the undertone of anti-Israel sentiment seeping out from the new administration, Rep. Brian Baird, a Democrat from Washington state, planned to report back to DC that the U.S. should reassess its military support for the Jewish state.
Baird said he was troubled by the American origin of much IDF weaponry used in Gaza and suggested that America reconsider military aid and weapons sold to Israel.
"We need to use every pressure available to make these needed changes happen," he said. "If our colleagues had seen what we have seen, I think their understanding of the situation would be significantly impacted. They would care about what happened to the Palestinians."
The congressman alleged that Israel had "apparently willfully destroyed any capacity of the Palestinians to rebuild their own infrastructure" and said he was struck, he said, by "the level of destruction, the scope of it, specifically the civilian targets - schools, hospitals, industry."
Baird managed to balance his message with some photos he took of damage from rocket fire on Sderot, which he did condemn. He he said he plans to bring in aid and medical workers from Gaza to share their stories.
Displaying his lack of knowledge of the situation, such as security and humanitarian aid being held hostage by Hamas, the congressman called for more humanitarian aid and goods to Gaza, accompanied by open border crossings that would allow Palestinians to travel for trade and medical care-- and presumably terror attacks.
He visited Gaza with Rep. Keith Ellison (D Minnesota)
Pro-Israel organizations, while upset at Baird’s conclusions, weren't concerned that many minds would be changed.
"By and large, we continue to see support for Israel and understand why it was necessary for Israel's leaders to do what they did," one official said about Congress, speaking anonymously. "I'm not afraid of these members coming back and giving a briefing."
Stimuli for Everyone
Even Hamas, er, Gaza gets some
Feb. 25, 2009
While the U.S. continues to create more stimuli, the administration is considering a $900 million package to stimulate the Gaza economy and its former skyline. The package, which needs congressional approval, purports to strengthen the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which is nowhere near Gaza.
In fact, anyone representing the political party of the PA, Fatah, has already been shot in the knee caps or thrown off a building by Hamas. So how it will strengthen PA President Mahmoud Abbas remains a mystery.
Even better! The UN, whose facilities were used as Hamas firing positions and whose supplies were hijacked by Hamas, will get to distribute the money.
Feb. 25, 2009
While the U.S. continues to create more stimuli, the administration is considering a $900 million package to stimulate the Gaza economy and its former skyline. The package, which needs congressional approval, purports to strengthen the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which is nowhere near Gaza.
In fact, anyone representing the political party of the PA, Fatah, has already been shot in the knee caps or thrown off a building by Hamas. So how it will strengthen PA President Mahmoud Abbas remains a mystery.
“This money is for Gaza and to help strengthen the Palestinian Authority. It is not going to go to Hamas,” said the official, who asked not to be named as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton planned to announce the funding at a donors’ conference in Egypt next week.
Even better! The UN, whose facilities were used as Hamas firing positions and whose supplies were hijacked by Hamas, will get to distribute the money.
Reuters: The United States wants Abbas’s PA to play a central role in the reconstruction effort in Gaza, hoping this will increase its influence in the Hamas stronghold. Washington is also putting pressure on other donors to bolster Abbas.From blogger Jules Crittenden: Well, if that’s what they wanted, Obama should have got on the phone with Olmert last month and said, “Don’t stop.”
“We call on donor countries to focus their pledges to meet the Palestinian Authority’s priorities, including budget support, and on projects that can be funded through the Palestinian Authority and other existing, trusted mechanisms,” said a State Department official.
Not just anti-Israel but pro-bin Laden
Feb. 25, 2009
A few days ago I reported on former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia Chas Freeman, who is Obama's choice to head the National Intelligence Council. He’s expressed his anti-Israel sentiment before. But now we come to find out he also had business with the Bin Laden family--even after 9/11.
Ashley Rindsberg in the Daily Beast reports:
A few days ago I reported on former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia Chas Freeman, who is Obama's choice to head the National Intelligence Council. He’s expressed his anti-Israel sentiment before. But now we come to find out he also had business with the Bin Laden family--even after 9/11.
Ashley Rindsberg in the Daily Beast reports:
Charles “Chas” Freeman, a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, had business connections with the bin Laden family and their Saudi Binladin Group, a multi-billion dollar construction conglomerate founded by the father of Osama bin Laden. As chairman of Projects International, Inc., a company that develops international business deals, Mr. Freeman asserted in an interview with The Associated Press less than a month after September 11 that he was still “discussing proposals with the Bin Laden Group—and that won't change.”
In the same interview, Freeman also contested the notion that international companies who had business with the bin Laden family should be “running for public relations cover”, noting that bin Laden was still “a very honored name in the kingdom [of Saudi Arabia]”, despite its family tie to the Al-Qaeda leader. (Freeman wasn’t immediately available for comment.)
Mr. Freeman frequently maintained that the larger bin Laden family was closely aligned with American interests. Contrary to the notion that the family was still supporting and even funding Osama bin Laden, the bin Laden family and its business conglomerate were part of the “establishment that Osama's trying to overthrow,” as Mr. Freeman told The Wall Street Journal in a separate interview less than two weeks after September 11.
However, The Journal also noted that Freeman's connections with the bin Laden family went beyond business: Freeman's Middle East Policy Council, a think tank dedicated to Mideast issues, was receiving “tens of thousand of dollars a year from the bin Laden family” at that time. Since the rumors of his appointment broke, Freeman has been criticized because the pro-Saudi MEPC also accepted donations in the millions of dollars from the Saudi royal family.
Subsequent investigation by U.S. intelligence agencies and journalists of bin Laden family ties to Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden raised questions about the authenticity of the family's claim of financial and emotional distance from the world's most wanted terror leader.
Feb 24, 2009
Al-Qaeda No. 2 encourages more fighting from Hamas
Feb. 24, 2009
Al Qaeda’s no. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri called on Palestinians to reject a cease-fire and instead be steadfast while Jewish targets are attacked around the world.
"The jihad to liberate Palestine and all the homelands of Islam mustn't cease, and if the field tightens in one place, it widens in other places, and Crusader and Jewish targets are spread all over the world," he said according to speech transcription provided by the US-based SITE Intelligence Group.
Zawahri promised that Islamic terrorists would help the Palestinians by mounting attacks everywhere, "for the entire world is our field against the targets of the Zionist Crusade."
Osama bin Laden also issued an audio message on Gaza in January urging Muslims to launch a jihad against Israel.
The authenticity of the 25-minute recording could not be independently confirmed, but it was posted on an Islamist Web site known as a clearing house for al Qaeda messages.
Al Qaeda’s no. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri called on Palestinians to reject a cease-fire and instead be steadfast while Jewish targets are attacked around the world.
"The jihad to liberate Palestine and all the homelands of Islam mustn't cease, and if the field tightens in one place, it widens in other places, and Crusader and Jewish targets are spread all over the world," he said according to speech transcription provided by the US-based SITE Intelligence Group.
Zawahri promised that Islamic terrorists would help the Palestinians by mounting attacks everywhere, "for the entire world is our field against the targets of the Zionist Crusade."
Osama bin Laden also issued an audio message on Gaza in January urging Muslims to launch a jihad against Israel.
The authenticity of the 25-minute recording could not be independently confirmed, but it was posted on an Islamist Web site known as a clearing house for al Qaeda messages.
Rockets still breaking the "quiet" in the South
Feb. 24, 2009
While the international community is still under the illusion that a cease-fire is in effect between Israel and Hamas, rockets are still flying overhead. They just aren't hitting anyone.
The Israeli army reported also foiling a large-scale attack against troops or a southern Israeli community, security officials said. Soldiers spotted two Palestinians laying explosive devices near the border crossing on Monday.
Islamic Jihad claimed the would-be attack was an effort to kidnap Israeli soldiers.
Two rockets were also fired at southern Israeli cities on Monday. One hit an open area and another landed in a field near Sderot. No one was wounded and no damage was reported. Hence, nothing reported.
While the international community is still under the illusion that a cease-fire is in effect between Israel and Hamas, rockets are still flying overhead. They just aren't hitting anyone.
The Israeli army reported also foiling a large-scale attack against troops or a southern Israeli community, security officials said. Soldiers spotted two Palestinians laying explosive devices near the border crossing on Monday.
Islamic Jihad claimed the would-be attack was an effort to kidnap Israeli soldiers.
Two rockets were also fired at southern Israeli cities on Monday. One hit an open area and another landed in a field near Sderot. No one was wounded and no damage was reported. Hence, nothing reported.
Israeli soldier barraged with new weapon of choice: shoes
Feb. 24, 2009
An Israeli soldier was speaking to a gathering of Dutch Jews in Amsterdam on Sunday when four shoes were hurled at him, two of which hit him.
Ron Edelheit, who holds both Israeli and Dutch citizenship, travels to Holland about once a year to visit his mother. He was asked by the Women's International Zionist Organization to speak at a gathering. But pro-Palestinian activists in Holland have been threatening the speech from the moment it was announced with calls and letters. The event original location was canceled.
"The police were at the 50-man demonstration outside," said Edelheit, referring to a rally organized by the Dutch Palestine Committee. "But these three young people, who you could tell did not belong [at the event], came right in."
Shoe-throwing is a sign of disrespect in the Islamic world and was popularized by an Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at former US president George Bush during a press briefing last December.
On Feb. 4, Israeli Ambassador to Sweden Benny Dagan was hit by a shoe at Stockholm University while defending the Israeli army’s Operation Cast Lead offensive against Gaza.
“Today it's a shoe, tomorrow a knife,” Edelheit said.
An Israeli soldier was speaking to a gathering of Dutch Jews in Amsterdam on Sunday when four shoes were hurled at him, two of which hit him.
Ron Edelheit, who holds both Israeli and Dutch citizenship, travels to Holland about once a year to visit his mother. He was asked by the Women's International Zionist Organization to speak at a gathering. But pro-Palestinian activists in Holland have been threatening the speech from the moment it was announced with calls and letters. The event original location was canceled.
"The police were at the 50-man demonstration outside," said Edelheit, referring to a rally organized by the Dutch Palestine Committee. "But these three young people, who you could tell did not belong [at the event], came right in."
Shoe-throwing is a sign of disrespect in the Islamic world and was popularized by an Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at former US president George Bush during a press briefing last December.
On Feb. 4, Israeli Ambassador to Sweden Benny Dagan was hit by a shoe at Stockholm University while defending the Israeli army’s Operation Cast Lead offensive against Gaza.
“Today it's a shoe, tomorrow a knife,” Edelheit said.
Feb 23, 2009
Report: Obama to tap anti-Israel appointee to intel council
Feb. 23, 2009
Prez. Obama is about to appoint a fierce critic of Israel to his National Intelligence Council, according to Foreign Policy magazine's website column "The Cable."
Chas W. Freeman, Jr., the former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, will become chairman of the National Intelligence Council. Why fear though?
Freeman has blamed Israel for the strife in the region. In a 2007 speech he said:
Here's some more from another 2007 speech:
Prez. Obama is about to appoint a fierce critic of Israel to his National Intelligence Council, according to Foreign Policy magazine's website column "The Cable."
Chas W. Freeman, Jr., the former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, will become chairman of the National Intelligence Council. Why fear though?
Freeman has blamed Israel for the strife in the region. In a 2007 speech he said:
"American identification with Israeli policy has also become total. Those in the region and beyond it who detest Israeli behavior, which is to say almost everyone, now naturally extend their loathing to Americans. This has had the effect of universalizing anti-Americanism, legitimizing radical Islamism, and gaining Iran a foothold among Sunni as well as Shiite Arabs. For its part, Israel no longer even pretends to seek peace with the Palestinians; it strives instead to pacify them. Palestinian retaliation against this policy is as likely to be directed against Israel’s American backers as against Israel itself. Under the circumstances, such retaliation – whatever form it takes – will have the support or at least the sympathy of most people in the region and many outside it. This makes the long-term escalation of terrorism against the United States a certainty, not a matter of conjecture."Freeman also advocates Hamas, and called the terror organization "the only democratically-elected government in the Arab world."
Here's some more from another 2007 speech:
"We abandoned the role of Middle East peacemaker to back Israel’s efforts to pacify its captive and increasingly ghettoized Arab populations. We wring our hands while sitting on them as the Jewish state continues to seize ever more Arab land for its colonists. This has convinced most Palestinians that Israel cannot be appeased and is persuading increasing numbers of them that a two-state solution is infeasible. It threatens Israelis with an unwelcome choice between a democratic society and a Jewish identity for their state. Now the United States has brought the Palestinian experience – of humiliation, dislocation, and death – to millions more in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
Feb 22, 2009
Amid threats, Jewish family flees Yemen in secret operation
Anti-Semitism on the rise in this Arab nation
Feb. 22, 2009
It wasn’t the repeated death threats that caused Sa'adia Ben Yisrael to decide it was for him and his family to move to Israel. A grenade thrown at his home was the final straw.
Ben Israel, a leader in the tiny Jewish community, and his family of nine left the Muslim nation for Israel in a secret airlift planned by the Jewish Agency and Israeli officials. Another man joined the entourage.
Jewish Agency Spokesman Michael Jankelowitz refused to say how the 10 were rescued, citing security concerns, but said they had been threatened by al-Qaida and that the grenade attack on the family's home could have been carried out by al Qaida-affiliated extremists. No one was injured in the attack.
There are only 280 Jews left in Yemen, most of them in the newly constructed Jewish Quarter in Raida, where anti-Semitism is on the rise. About 50 live in Sanaa, the capital. Yemenite Jews have the special protection of the President of Yemen Ali Abdallah Salah. However, anti-Semitic attacks have escalated in recent years culminating in the murder of Moshe Yaish Nahari, father of 9, by a Muslim extremist, in December.
Following Israel's recent three-week offensive in Gaza, threats against Yemeni Jews rose significantly.
"They're actually in great danger,” said Rabbi Moshe Tenamil. “They're in real danger, we know who we're dealing with.”
Ezra Tzubari, Ben-Yisrael's cousin, said he hoped the family's decision would encourage others to do the same.
"To the people still there in Yemen who are even a little in danger – just come here and see this completely different world," he said.
Feb. 22, 2009
It wasn’t the repeated death threats that caused Sa'adia Ben Yisrael to decide it was for him and his family to move to Israel. A grenade thrown at his home was the final straw.
Ben Israel, a leader in the tiny Jewish community, and his family of nine left the Muslim nation for Israel in a secret airlift planned by the Jewish Agency and Israeli officials. Another man joined the entourage.
Jewish Agency Spokesman Michael Jankelowitz refused to say how the 10 were rescued, citing security concerns, but said they had been threatened by al-Qaida and that the grenade attack on the family's home could have been carried out by al Qaida-affiliated extremists. No one was injured in the attack.
There are only 280 Jews left in Yemen, most of them in the newly constructed Jewish Quarter in Raida, where anti-Semitism is on the rise. About 50 live in Sanaa, the capital. Yemenite Jews have the special protection of the President of Yemen Ali Abdallah Salah. However, anti-Semitic attacks have escalated in recent years culminating in the murder of Moshe Yaish Nahari, father of 9, by a Muslim extremist, in December.
Following Israel's recent three-week offensive in Gaza, threats against Yemeni Jews rose significantly.
"They're actually in great danger,” said Rabbi Moshe Tenamil. “They're in real danger, we know who we're dealing with.”
Ezra Tzubari, Ben-Yisrael's cousin, said he hoped the family's decision would encourage others to do the same.
"To the people still there in Yemen who are even a little in danger – just come here and see this completely different world," he said.
Random Katyusha lands in the north, wounds three
Feb. 22, 2009
A Katyusha rocket fired from Lebanon on Saturday nearly hit home in Israel’s western Galilee region, injured three family members in that home and damaged the building.
A second Katyusha was said to have landed in Lebanon. Israel fired into southern Lebanon. No warning sirens went off and no group claimed responsibility for firing the rockets.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said Lebanon was committed to implementing UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended a month-long war between Israel and Hizballah in 2006, but blamed Israel’s counter attack for threatening the area's.
"Prime Minister Siniora (said) the rockets launched from the south threaten security and stability in this region and are a violation of resolution 1701, and these issues are rejected, condemned and denounced ... Israeli artillery (fire is an) inexcusable violation of Lebanese sovereignty," the statement said.
Hizballah denied involvement in the attack.
A Katyusha rocket fired from Lebanon on Saturday nearly hit home in Israel’s western Galilee region, injured three family members in that home and damaged the building.
A second Katyusha was said to have landed in Lebanon. Israel fired into southern Lebanon. No warning sirens went off and no group claimed responsibility for firing the rockets.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said Lebanon was committed to implementing UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended a month-long war between Israel and Hizballah in 2006, but blamed Israel’s counter attack for threatening the area's.
"Prime Minister Siniora (said) the rockets launched from the south threaten security and stability in this region and are a violation of resolution 1701, and these issues are rejected, condemned and denounced ... Israeli artillery (fire is an) inexcusable violation of Lebanese sovereignty," the statement said.
Hizballah denied involvement in the attack.
Feb 18, 2009
Why I Am a Bad Jew
An enlightening look at modern anti-Semitism
Feb. 18, 2009
This editorial was written by Rami Kaminski
For centuries, we lived in Berdichev. In the brutal Ukrainian winter of 1941, SS soldiers arrived there and rounded up eighty-seven members of my family - babies, young adults, octogenarians - stripped them naked, marched them to a nearby ditch, and executed them. Their lifeless bodies
fell silently into a mass grave.
Like most Jews in Europe, my family "cooperated" with the Final Solution. They did not resist or fight back. Six million Jews were slaughtered in a period of four years. They received little sympathy while they were still alive and hunted down like animals. There was no public outcry because the Holocaust fit the world's narrative for Jews during the past 2000 years: a people destined to be persecuted and slaughtered.
During their two millennia in the Diaspora, Jews were not known to resist. There are few recorded instances in which Jews turned against their host nations or retaliated against their murderers. Instead, the survivors - if there were any - were expelled or left for another place.
The murdered were regarded as "good" Jews. They accepted their fate helplessly, without resistance. This narrative of the Jews has played out on the historical stage with boring monotony: Jews get killed because they are Jews. Nothing novel about it. After the Holocaust, however, the world, disgusted by this particularly ghoulish period of history, accorded some sympathy for the Jews.
Media commentary about the ongoing Gaza War reveals the world has now reverted to its pre-Holocaust perspective. Today, the only good Jew is a powerless Jew willing to become a dead one. The Zionist Revolution is to blame. It changed everything. Jews re-created their own country. The Arabs attacked the new Jewish state the day after independence and
promised to complete Hitler's genocide. In succeeding decades, the Arabs attacked again and again. Strangely, the Jews, many of them refugees from Arab nations, adopted a surprising, new tactic: they fought back.
With Zionism, the Jews stubbornly refused to follow the centuries-old script. They refuse to be killed without resistance. As a result, the world has become increasingly enraged at their impertinence.
The recent events in Gaza and Mumbai make this plain. In 2005, Israel eliminated all Jewish presence in Gaza making it "Judenrein," and handed it over to the Palestinians. Left behind were synagogues and thriving green houses. The Arabs looted and destroyed them literally the day
after Israel's withdrawal was complete. Where these structures once stood, the Palestinians built military bases and installed rocket launchers to shell Israeli civilians. To date, some 7,000 missiles have fallen on Israeli cities and towns, killing and maiming dozens, and sowing widespread terror. Medical studies reveal nearly all Jewish children in the communities bordering Gaza suffer from serious, trauma-induced illness.
The Gazan Palestinians then elected Hamas to lead them. Hamas proceeded to kill or imprison their political rivals, and its leaders, true to the Hamas charter, were unabashed in clearly stating their aims: they will not stop until they achieve their Final Solution, kill all the Jews, take over the land of Israel, and establish a theocracy governed by Islamic law.
As killing Jews for being Jews has been a national sport for centuries, Islamic militants are justified in believing they are merely fulfilling historical tradition in Argentina, India and Gaza. Surely the Jews in Mumbai did not occupy Gaza. They were tortured and killed just for being
Jews. And predictably, in the eyes of the world, they immediately became good Jews, just like my murdered family in Bertishev.
Good Jews would wait until Hamas has weapons enabling its members to achieve their ultimate goal of absolute mass murder. Those enraged by Israel's defensive military action insist Hamas uses only "crude" rockets, as if Qassams were BB guns, and military inferiority were somehow equivalent with moral superiority. In fact, Hamas now has Iranian-supplied Grad missiles which have landed on Be'er Sheva and the outskirts of Tel Aviv.
Westerners have had only sporadic exposure to the indiscriminant killing in the name of "holy war" which Israel has lived with for years. Memories of 9-11, Madrid, and London have dimmed. This is not because the Islamic militants made a careful choice of weapons. They simply have
not yet acquired nuclear bombs. Once they do, the West will develop a less detached view about the Islamists' professed intentions for the "infidels."
The only enlightened people in the civilized world who actually get it are the Israelis. They've not had time for detached philosophical ponderings. They've been too busy confronting the reality of Islamic fundamentalism.
Soon, Iran will have nuclear weapons. It will give them to Hezbollah and Hamas. Today, Jews must take a position: either be "good" Jews willing to be slaughtered without resistance, or be "bad" Jews who defend themselves at the cost of being pariahs of our enlightened world. Good
Jews would wait for another six million to be murdered, and pick up to leave for another country to start the cycle again. The bad ones refuse to go calmly into the ditch.
I confess: I'm a bad Jew.
Rami Kaminski, MD, is Director and Founder of the Institute for Integrative Psychiatry in New York, a not-for-profit organization aimed at evaluating current psychiatric services and how they integrate with medicine, such as the mutual effects between medical and psychiatric conditions. Prior to that, Dr. Kaminkski was the Commissioner's Liaison to Families and Community and Medical Director of Operations at the New York State Office of Mental Health. Dr. Kaminski also holds an academic position as Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University. He
earned recognition in 1990 from Mt. Sinai Hospital as Physician of the Year, and received the Exemplary Psychiatrist Awards from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Dr. Kaminski's research explores neuropsychiatric aspects of brain disorders, such as Alzheimer and
Parkinson's disease and movement disorders, as well as psychopharmacology of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. He was for many years Director of The Schizophrenia research Unit at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC. Dr. Kaminiski also served as the Medical Director
of the PMHP and consultant to the committee in charge of developing the Special Needs Program.
Feb. 18, 2009
This editorial was written by Rami Kaminski
For centuries, we lived in Berdichev. In the brutal Ukrainian winter of 1941, SS soldiers arrived there and rounded up eighty-seven members of my family - babies, young adults, octogenarians - stripped them naked, marched them to a nearby ditch, and executed them. Their lifeless bodies
fell silently into a mass grave.
Like most Jews in Europe, my family "cooperated" with the Final Solution. They did not resist or fight back. Six million Jews were slaughtered in a period of four years. They received little sympathy while they were still alive and hunted down like animals. There was no public outcry because the Holocaust fit the world's narrative for Jews during the past 2000 years: a people destined to be persecuted and slaughtered.
During their two millennia in the Diaspora, Jews were not known to resist. There are few recorded instances in which Jews turned against their host nations or retaliated against their murderers. Instead, the survivors - if there were any - were expelled or left for another place.
The murdered were regarded as "good" Jews. They accepted their fate helplessly, without resistance. This narrative of the Jews has played out on the historical stage with boring monotony: Jews get killed because they are Jews. Nothing novel about it. After the Holocaust, however, the world, disgusted by this particularly ghoulish period of history, accorded some sympathy for the Jews.
Media commentary about the ongoing Gaza War reveals the world has now reverted to its pre-Holocaust perspective. Today, the only good Jew is a powerless Jew willing to become a dead one. The Zionist Revolution is to blame. It changed everything. Jews re-created their own country. The Arabs attacked the new Jewish state the day after independence and
promised to complete Hitler's genocide. In succeeding decades, the Arabs attacked again and again. Strangely, the Jews, many of them refugees from Arab nations, adopted a surprising, new tactic: they fought back.
With Zionism, the Jews stubbornly refused to follow the centuries-old script. They refuse to be killed without resistance. As a result, the world has become increasingly enraged at their impertinence.
The recent events in Gaza and Mumbai make this plain. In 2005, Israel eliminated all Jewish presence in Gaza making it "Judenrein," and handed it over to the Palestinians. Left behind were synagogues and thriving green houses. The Arabs looted and destroyed them literally the day
after Israel's withdrawal was complete. Where these structures once stood, the Palestinians built military bases and installed rocket launchers to shell Israeli civilians. To date, some 7,000 missiles have fallen on Israeli cities and towns, killing and maiming dozens, and sowing widespread terror. Medical studies reveal nearly all Jewish children in the communities bordering Gaza suffer from serious, trauma-induced illness.
The Gazan Palestinians then elected Hamas to lead them. Hamas proceeded to kill or imprison their political rivals, and its leaders, true to the Hamas charter, were unabashed in clearly stating their aims: they will not stop until they achieve their Final Solution, kill all the Jews, take over the land of Israel, and establish a theocracy governed by Islamic law.
As killing Jews for being Jews has been a national sport for centuries, Islamic militants are justified in believing they are merely fulfilling historical tradition in Argentina, India and Gaza. Surely the Jews in Mumbai did not occupy Gaza. They were tortured and killed just for being
Jews. And predictably, in the eyes of the world, they immediately became good Jews, just like my murdered family in Bertishev.
Good Jews would wait until Hamas has weapons enabling its members to achieve their ultimate goal of absolute mass murder. Those enraged by Israel's defensive military action insist Hamas uses only "crude" rockets, as if Qassams were BB guns, and military inferiority were somehow equivalent with moral superiority. In fact, Hamas now has Iranian-supplied Grad missiles which have landed on Be'er Sheva and the outskirts of Tel Aviv.
Westerners have had only sporadic exposure to the indiscriminant killing in the name of "holy war" which Israel has lived with for years. Memories of 9-11, Madrid, and London have dimmed. This is not because the Islamic militants made a careful choice of weapons. They simply have
not yet acquired nuclear bombs. Once they do, the West will develop a less detached view about the Islamists' professed intentions for the "infidels."
The only enlightened people in the civilized world who actually get it are the Israelis. They've not had time for detached philosophical ponderings. They've been too busy confronting the reality of Islamic fundamentalism.
Soon, Iran will have nuclear weapons. It will give them to Hezbollah and Hamas. Today, Jews must take a position: either be "good" Jews willing to be slaughtered without resistance, or be "bad" Jews who defend themselves at the cost of being pariahs of our enlightened world. Good
Jews would wait for another six million to be murdered, and pick up to leave for another country to start the cycle again. The bad ones refuse to go calmly into the ditch.
I confess: I'm a bad Jew.
Rami Kaminski, MD, is Director and Founder of the Institute for Integrative Psychiatry in New York, a not-for-profit organization aimed at evaluating current psychiatric services and how they integrate with medicine, such as the mutual effects between medical and psychiatric conditions. Prior to that, Dr. Kaminkski was the Commissioner's Liaison to Families and Community and Medical Director of Operations at the New York State Office of Mental Health. Dr. Kaminski also holds an academic position as Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University. He
earned recognition in 1990 from Mt. Sinai Hospital as Physician of the Year, and received the Exemplary Psychiatrist Awards from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Dr. Kaminski's research explores neuropsychiatric aspects of brain disorders, such as Alzheimer and
Parkinson's disease and movement disorders, as well as psychopharmacology of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. He was for many years Director of The Schizophrenia research Unit at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC. Dr. Kaminiski also served as the Medical Director
of the PMHP and consultant to the committee in charge of developing the Special Needs Program.
Feb 17, 2009
Ayalon: Christians are Some of our Best Friends
Feb. 17, 2009
Danny Ayalon, former Israeli ambassador to the US and a member of the Israeli parliament on the “Israel our Home” ticket, said he did not agree with the harsh policies against Christian volunteers living in the Holy Land.
“We should be ore open to our Christian brothers,” Ayalon told me in an interview. “Yisrael Beitenu (Israel our Home) will push for making relations between Christians and Jews and ISraelis much closer, much stronger.”
Many Christian volunteers are now subject to tighter visa rules which have required many to leave the country with just two-weeks notice. The sudden enforcement of an old rule on the books has slashed the staffs at Christian outreaches in Israel by one quarter to one half at various institutions in the past six months.
Ayalon said Israel should recognize Christian Zionists as some of the best friends of the Jewish state.
The right-wing party picked up momentum during the campaign with the addition of well known politicians like Ayalon and conservative Uzi Landau who defected from Likud.
“I want to zero in on what distinguishes us from the other parties and why we are becoming so popular,” Ayalon said at a debate with members of the four top parties prior to the election. “We believe Israel should be a normal country. (We want to) resume normalcy... and become a country like every other country.”
“Normalcy” would require a loyalty test to the State of Israel as a Jewish State. Ever since party leader Avigdor Lieberman proposed a “loyalty test” to determine the identity of citizens, presuming many Israeli Arabs and Arabs who don’t have citizenship in Israel would not side with the Jewish state, the party was labeled racist. Ayalon, however, compared the situation in Israel to Spain when the high court there ruled that parties opposed to Spain itself could not run in national elections
“We want the same yardstick here,” Ayalon said referring to the Arab parties who are represented in the Knesset yet oppose Israel and work with the Palestinian government.
Danny Ayalon, former Israeli ambassador to the US and a member of the Israeli parliament on the “Israel our Home” ticket, said he did not agree with the harsh policies against Christian volunteers living in the Holy Land.
“We should be ore open to our Christian brothers,” Ayalon told me in an interview. “Yisrael Beitenu (Israel our Home) will push for making relations between Christians and Jews and ISraelis much closer, much stronger.”
Many Christian volunteers are now subject to tighter visa rules which have required many to leave the country with just two-weeks notice. The sudden enforcement of an old rule on the books has slashed the staffs at Christian outreaches in Israel by one quarter to one half at various institutions in the past six months.
Ayalon said Israel should recognize Christian Zionists as some of the best friends of the Jewish state.
The right-wing party picked up momentum during the campaign with the addition of well known politicians like Ayalon and conservative Uzi Landau who defected from Likud.
“I want to zero in on what distinguishes us from the other parties and why we are becoming so popular,” Ayalon said at a debate with members of the four top parties prior to the election. “We believe Israel should be a normal country. (We want to) resume normalcy... and become a country like every other country.”
“Normalcy” would require a loyalty test to the State of Israel as a Jewish State. Ever since party leader Avigdor Lieberman proposed a “loyalty test” to determine the identity of citizens, presuming many Israeli Arabs and Arabs who don’t have citizenship in Israel would not side with the Jewish state, the party was labeled racist. Ayalon, however, compared the situation in Israel to Spain when the high court there ruled that parties opposed to Spain itself could not run in national elections
“We want the same yardstick here,” Ayalon said referring to the Arab parties who are represented in the Knesset yet oppose Israel and work with the Palestinian government.
Israel's Protest Vote: Kidnapped Soldier Shalit for PM
Feb. 16, 2009
Article originally published here.
Hundreds of Israeli soldiers and citizens chose to cast a ballot on election day for their kidnapped colleague Gilad Shalit, now nearing 1,000 days in Hamas captivity. Some said it was their way of protesting a dismal selection of politicians, while others wanted to send a message.
“In the upcoming elections ... let us show the government that we care more about Gilad Shalit than the prime minister does,” one of the petitioners wrote on an internet group that began the Shalit campaign. Supporters taped a white paper that read “Israel wants Gilad Shalit” over their ballot.
Suddenly though, the issue is leading Israel’s cabinet agenda. Shalit's fate could be resolved this week as outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert seeks to leave office with a positive legacy rather than the cloud of corruption allegations that forced him to call for new elections in the first place.
“The security of residents of the South and the release of Gilad Shalit are currently at the top Israel’s priorities,” Olmert said, speaking at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations on Sunday. “There are those who might say it is a point of weakness, others will call it a point of great strength that the life of one is so important to us.”
Olmert has a “strong need (for) some kind of an achievement, such as the release of the Israeli soldier,” said Ismail Radwan, a Hamas official in Gaza.
Hamas has presented Egyptian negotiators with its demands: the return of about 1,000 prisoners - perpetrators of some of the worst attacks in the second intifada - and the opening of border crossings. The last time Israel exchanged prisoners, in July, two soldiers’ bodies were returned to the Jewish state in exchange for five Lebanese prisoners including Samir Kuntar, who killed a four year old, her father and a policeman in cold blood in 1979.
Volunteers, who have been holding vigil for Shalit outside the prime minister’s official residence for months now, say Israel must show it cares about its soldier’s lives.
“(The Palestinians) don’t care about their people like we do. They send them to die like it’s nothing,” said Varda Schmerler. “We care about each kid.”
Hamas, meanwhile, is rebuilding its arms smuggling tunnels destroyed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter told the cabinet Sunday.
“When Hamas speaks about the reconstruction of Gaza, they are talking about reconstruction of their supply of rockets, which will be fired into Israel,” he said.
Article originally published here.
Hundreds of Israeli soldiers and citizens chose to cast a ballot on election day for their kidnapped colleague Gilad Shalit, now nearing 1,000 days in Hamas captivity. Some said it was their way of protesting a dismal selection of politicians, while others wanted to send a message.
“In the upcoming elections ... let us show the government that we care more about Gilad Shalit than the prime minister does,” one of the petitioners wrote on an internet group that began the Shalit campaign. Supporters taped a white paper that read “Israel wants Gilad Shalit” over their ballot.
Suddenly though, the issue is leading Israel’s cabinet agenda. Shalit's fate could be resolved this week as outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert seeks to leave office with a positive legacy rather than the cloud of corruption allegations that forced him to call for new elections in the first place.
“The security of residents of the South and the release of Gilad Shalit are currently at the top Israel’s priorities,” Olmert said, speaking at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations on Sunday. “There are those who might say it is a point of weakness, others will call it a point of great strength that the life of one is so important to us.”
Olmert has a “strong need (for) some kind of an achievement, such as the release of the Israeli soldier,” said Ismail Radwan, a Hamas official in Gaza.
Hamas has presented Egyptian negotiators with its demands: the return of about 1,000 prisoners - perpetrators of some of the worst attacks in the second intifada - and the opening of border crossings. The last time Israel exchanged prisoners, in July, two soldiers’ bodies were returned to the Jewish state in exchange for five Lebanese prisoners including Samir Kuntar, who killed a four year old, her father and a policeman in cold blood in 1979.
Volunteers, who have been holding vigil for Shalit outside the prime minister’s official residence for months now, say Israel must show it cares about its soldier’s lives.
“(The Palestinians) don’t care about their people like we do. They send them to die like it’s nothing,” said Varda Schmerler. “We care about each kid.”
Hamas, meanwhile, is rebuilding its arms smuggling tunnels destroyed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter told the cabinet Sunday.
“When Hamas speaks about the reconstruction of Gaza, they are talking about reconstruction of their supply of rockets, which will be fired into Israel,” he said.
Feb 13, 2009
Israeli Right's Rise Means Borders Could Shift Again
As theories abound as to what type of govt will be best for Israel, here's one thought
Feb. 13, 2009
(Article originally posted here.)
While Palestinian, American and European leaders worry how Israel’s shift to the right will negatively impact the peace process, perhaps the only ones who need to fear an Israeli right-wing government is the Israeli right wing, which is generally opposed to giving away land for peace.
History shows that the major land-for-peace giveaways in Israel have been undertaken by right-wing Israeli governments and politicians who have campaigned against dividing the land. The left has traditionally advocated “land-for-peace” policies, but has hesitated to follow through.
The election of 65 right-wing parliamentarians to the Israeli parliament on Tuesday versus 55 centrists and left-wingers should enable Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu to build a coalition government, presumably of hawkish parties. This drew predictable reactions from Palestinians and foreign peace-process negotiators.
But they need not worry -- yet. Israeli voters have a mercifully short memory that politicians appreciate.
“There’s a famous phrase of Israeli politicians, ‘I never promised to keep my promise,’” said Jonathan Rynhold, senior research fellow at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.
Netanyahu ran a hard-line campaign against dividing Jerusalem and giving away land and is an outspoken critic of the 2005 Gaza withdrawal. But it was Netanyahu who, during his previous tenure as prime minister from 1996 to 1999, ceded Hebron, one of Judaism’s holiest cities, to the Palestinians as part of the Oslo Accords.
“The decision to honor the terms of the Oslo agreement and withdraw from Hebron marks an important turning point for the right wing in Israel,” Joel Peters wrote for Middle East Review of International Affairs in 1997. “Netanyahu and the Likud have traveled a long way over the past year.”
Despite initial opposition to Oslo, Likud and Netanyahu began the process that locked Israel into negotiations with the PLO and further territorial concessions in the West Bank.
“Perhaps Netanyahu has matured as a leader but, the old adage, ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me,’ implies Likud might have recruited a fresh face,” Daniel Pipes, author and director of the Middle East Forum, writes on his website. Pipes reported in 1999 that Netanyahu was in secret talks to give away the strategic Golan Heights, another sticking point of the Right.
“The prime minister, in contrast to both his hardline image and his promises to supporters, was ready to make big concessions to (Syrian President Hafez al-) Assad for a peace agreement from which Israel would get diplomatic recognition, trade, and other attributes of peace,” Pipes reported in The New Republic that same year.
Menachem Begin, one of the nation’s most highly regarded leaders and founder of the Likud party, made the first sweeping Jewish withdrawal as a result of the Camp David Accords.
In the spring of 1982, despite widespread protest in Israel, Begin withdrew from the Sinai and evacuated the Jewish settlements there. Most of the 5,000 settlers had voluntarily moved, but some resisted. Ironically, it was then-Defense Minister Ariel Sharon who was sent to forcibly remove them.
Sharon is the most recent example of right-wing territorial compromise. A fierce military general, who claims in his autobiography to have promoted Israel’s settlement movement, Sharon ran against Amram Mitzna who called for Israel’s withdrawal from Jewish settlements in Gaza.
Likud pounded Mitzna’s Labor party - winning 38 seats to Labor’s 19 - in the 2003 elections precisely because of its opposition to the disengagement. But within two years, Sharon spearheaded the Gaza withdrawal, causing, among other things, a split within the Likud. Sharon went on to form the Kadima (Forward) party and paved the way for Netanyahu’s return to head of Likud.
But this hasn’t stopped the world from worrying. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on the international community to impose upon a right-wing government headed by Netanyahu the same diplomatic conditions it imposes on Hamas, a terrorist organization.
European leaders expressed fear over the rise of a Netanyahu-led, right-wing Knesset.
“That seems the most realistic outcome, sadly, although I would like to see a progressive government committed to the peace process,” said Andrew Gwynne, a Labor Party legislator in Britain.
A right-wing coalition also seems to worry the United States: “There would be great unease,” a Capitol Hill source told The Jerusalem Post.
Article originally posted here.
Feb. 13, 2009
(Article originally posted here.)
While Palestinian, American and European leaders worry how Israel’s shift to the right will negatively impact the peace process, perhaps the only ones who need to fear an Israeli right-wing government is the Israeli right wing, which is generally opposed to giving away land for peace.
History shows that the major land-for-peace giveaways in Israel have been undertaken by right-wing Israeli governments and politicians who have campaigned against dividing the land. The left has traditionally advocated “land-for-peace” policies, but has hesitated to follow through.
The election of 65 right-wing parliamentarians to the Israeli parliament on Tuesday versus 55 centrists and left-wingers should enable Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu to build a coalition government, presumably of hawkish parties. This drew predictable reactions from Palestinians and foreign peace-process negotiators.
But they need not worry -- yet. Israeli voters have a mercifully short memory that politicians appreciate.
“There’s a famous phrase of Israeli politicians, ‘I never promised to keep my promise,’” said Jonathan Rynhold, senior research fellow at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.
Netanyahu ran a hard-line campaign against dividing Jerusalem and giving away land and is an outspoken critic of the 2005 Gaza withdrawal. But it was Netanyahu who, during his previous tenure as prime minister from 1996 to 1999, ceded Hebron, one of Judaism’s holiest cities, to the Palestinians as part of the Oslo Accords.
“The decision to honor the terms of the Oslo agreement and withdraw from Hebron marks an important turning point for the right wing in Israel,” Joel Peters wrote for Middle East Review of International Affairs in 1997. “Netanyahu and the Likud have traveled a long way over the past year.”
Despite initial opposition to Oslo, Likud and Netanyahu began the process that locked Israel into negotiations with the PLO and further territorial concessions in the West Bank.
“Perhaps Netanyahu has matured as a leader but, the old adage, ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me,’ implies Likud might have recruited a fresh face,” Daniel Pipes, author and director of the Middle East Forum, writes on his website. Pipes reported in 1999 that Netanyahu was in secret talks to give away the strategic Golan Heights, another sticking point of the Right.
“The prime minister, in contrast to both his hardline image and his promises to supporters, was ready to make big concessions to (Syrian President Hafez al-) Assad for a peace agreement from which Israel would get diplomatic recognition, trade, and other attributes of peace,” Pipes reported in The New Republic that same year.
Menachem Begin, one of the nation’s most highly regarded leaders and founder of the Likud party, made the first sweeping Jewish withdrawal as a result of the Camp David Accords.
In the spring of 1982, despite widespread protest in Israel, Begin withdrew from the Sinai and evacuated the Jewish settlements there. Most of the 5,000 settlers had voluntarily moved, but some resisted. Ironically, it was then-Defense Minister Ariel Sharon who was sent to forcibly remove them.
Sharon is the most recent example of right-wing territorial compromise. A fierce military general, who claims in his autobiography to have promoted Israel’s settlement movement, Sharon ran against Amram Mitzna who called for Israel’s withdrawal from Jewish settlements in Gaza.
Likud pounded Mitzna’s Labor party - winning 38 seats to Labor’s 19 - in the 2003 elections precisely because of its opposition to the disengagement. But within two years, Sharon spearheaded the Gaza withdrawal, causing, among other things, a split within the Likud. Sharon went on to form the Kadima (Forward) party and paved the way for Netanyahu’s return to head of Likud.
But this hasn’t stopped the world from worrying. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on the international community to impose upon a right-wing government headed by Netanyahu the same diplomatic conditions it imposes on Hamas, a terrorist organization.
European leaders expressed fear over the rise of a Netanyahu-led, right-wing Knesset.
“That seems the most realistic outcome, sadly, although I would like to see a progressive government committed to the peace process,” said Andrew Gwynne, a Labor Party legislator in Britain.
A right-wing coalition also seems to worry the United States: “There would be great unease,” a Capitol Hill source told The Jerusalem Post.
Article originally posted here.
Feb 12, 2009
U.S. professors call for boycott of Israel
Feb. 12, 2009
A group of American university professors is calling for an academic and cultural boycott of Israel, marking the first time that a national academic boycott movement has come out of the United States.
Anti-Israel groups in Great Britain have attempted academic boycotts against Israel several times, but the American movement took Israeli professors by surprise. The campaign was founded by 15 academics, mostly from California.
David Lloyd, a professor at the University of Southern California, told Israel’s Ha’aretz that the initiative was “impelled by Israel’s latest brutal assault on Gaza and by our determination to say enough is enough.”
Lloyd also said pro-Israel lobbying groups exert too much control over US politics and the media and have instigated a “campaign of intimidation” against academics who criticize Israel’s policies. Officially called the US Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel, the group released a statement saying that it opposed the “censorship and silencing of the Palestine question in US universities, as well as US society at large” and called for “non-violent punitive measures” against Israel.
Lloyd also stated, albeit incorrectly, that “Hamas has sought direct negotiations with Israel, a pursuit that constitutes de facto recognition of Israel, and has openly discussed abandoning its call for the destruction of the State of Israel conditional on reciprocal guarantees from Israel.”
Israeli academics downplayed the boycott, but Jonathan Rynhold, a professor at Bar Ilan, said the ultimate goal of the boycott is to blur “the distinction between criticism of Israeli policies and criticism of Israel’s existence. Their game is to move the liberals, who accept Israel’s right to exist ... and turn them into radical left-wing critics [who believe] Israel is racist in its core and everything it does is wrong.”
A group of American university professors is calling for an academic and cultural boycott of Israel, marking the first time that a national academic boycott movement has come out of the United States.
Anti-Israel groups in Great Britain have attempted academic boycotts against Israel several times, but the American movement took Israeli professors by surprise. The campaign was founded by 15 academics, mostly from California.
David Lloyd, a professor at the University of Southern California, told Israel’s Ha’aretz that the initiative was “impelled by Israel’s latest brutal assault on Gaza and by our determination to say enough is enough.”
Lloyd also said pro-Israel lobbying groups exert too much control over US politics and the media and have instigated a “campaign of intimidation” against academics who criticize Israel’s policies. Officially called the US Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel, the group released a statement saying that it opposed the “censorship and silencing of the Palestine question in US universities, as well as US society at large” and called for “non-violent punitive measures” against Israel.
Lloyd also stated, albeit incorrectly, that “Hamas has sought direct negotiations with Israel, a pursuit that constitutes de facto recognition of Israel, and has openly discussed abandoning its call for the destruction of the State of Israel conditional on reciprocal guarantees from Israel.”
Israeli academics downplayed the boycott, but Jonathan Rynhold, a professor at Bar Ilan, said the ultimate goal of the boycott is to blur “the distinction between criticism of Israeli policies and criticism of Israel’s existence. Their game is to move the liberals, who accept Israel’s right to exist ... and turn them into radical left-wing critics [who believe] Israel is racist in its core and everything it does is wrong.”
Anti-Semitic Incidents Up Worldwide during Israel’s War with Gaza
Feb. 12, 2009
The number and severity of anti-Semitic acts skyrocketed during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza this year. The Jewish Agency for Israel’s Annual Report on Anti-Semitism said 250 incidents were reported in December to January compared with 80 during the same period in the previous year.
While many European governments uncharacteristically sided with Israel this time, most of the recent attacks took place in Western Europe and were perpetrated by local Moslems, the report said. There were approximately 100 incidents in both France and in Great Britain, including violent assault on Jews and Israelis.
“We shall continue our endeavors to curb this unpleasant phenomenon by addressing our observations and proposals to leaders of the world and demanding that they implement effective measures to counter anti-Semitism, as well as promoting our own educational programs through our emissaries worldwide,” said Hagai Meirom, Jewish Agency Treasurer.
Isaac Herzog, Israel Minister for Welfare and Social Services, expressed his concern at the rise in extremist Moslem groups.
“We are witnessing the growth of Islamic and extreme left-wing groups who are taking center stage in the arena of anti-Semitism in general, and anti-Semitic acts against Jews, in particular,” he said.
The overall number of anti-Semitic incidents fell by 15 to 20 percent in 2008 compared to 2007.
The number and severity of anti-Semitic acts skyrocketed during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza this year. The Jewish Agency for Israel’s Annual Report on Anti-Semitism said 250 incidents were reported in December to January compared with 80 during the same period in the previous year.
While many European governments uncharacteristically sided with Israel this time, most of the recent attacks took place in Western Europe and were perpetrated by local Moslems, the report said. There were approximately 100 incidents in both France and in Great Britain, including violent assault on Jews and Israelis.
“We shall continue our endeavors to curb this unpleasant phenomenon by addressing our observations and proposals to leaders of the world and demanding that they implement effective measures to counter anti-Semitism, as well as promoting our own educational programs through our emissaries worldwide,” said Hagai Meirom, Jewish Agency Treasurer.
Isaac Herzog, Israel Minister for Welfare and Social Services, expressed his concern at the rise in extremist Moslem groups.
“We are witnessing the growth of Islamic and extreme left-wing groups who are taking center stage in the arena of anti-Semitism in general, and anti-Semitic acts against Jews, in particular,” he said.
The overall number of anti-Semitic incidents fell by 15 to 20 percent in 2008 compared to 2007.
Israeli Economy Slowing Down, but Banks Not in Crisis
Long-term prospects more positive in Israel than other western nations
Feb. 12, 2009
The global financial crisis took awhile to cross the continents, but its tentacles have at last reached the Israeli economy forcing the Bank of Israel to revise its 2009 forecast to reflect a .2-percent decline rather than 1.5-percent increase.
The Israeli economy has more easily adapted to hostility than to these external factors. In 2006, the 40-day war with Hizbollah only briefly interrupted an economic boom. But this growth spurt came to a halt in the third quarter of 2008 as the global recession entered the scene.
“The effects of the global financial crisis on real economic activity in Israel are evident,” the Bank of Israel said in a report. “World trade, which exerts a major influence on domestic activity, has dropped, and is expected to fall further.”
The Bank of Israel is forecasting a 6.9 percent drop in exports and a 6.4 percent fall in imports in 2009. Foreign exports make up 45 percent of Israel’s GDP.
According to government figures, the Israeli economy expanded by 4.1 percent in 2008 to a record $190 billion capping off four years of higher than 5 percent annual growth. The slowdown hit Israel when demand for exports plummeted. Foreign companies downscaled their investment projects and consumers reduced spending.
“Israel’s economy is oriented toward export markets and other international activity,” the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange said in its annual report. “It is expected that the global crisis will adversely affect exporting firms as well as Israeli entrepreneurs abroad.”
Even so, Israel’s economy is expected to weather the situation better than many other developed nations.
“It’s going to be pretty gloomy, but it’s not like the United States or Germany,” said economist Jonathan Katz at HSBC. “It will be more of a slowdown than a recession.”
Also working in Israel’s favor is a conservative and stable banking system that is not in crisis.
“Happily for us, Israel’s economy hasn’t caught the three American diseases--consumer and private credit greater than 50 percent of GDP, a bursting real estate bubble, and a bankrupt financial system because of the first two diseases (and other causes)” wrote Ha’aretz financial reporter Guy Ronik. “Americans spent the last decade living well beyond their means. Israelis saved.”
Another factor in slowing the crisis’ arrival in Israel has been the Bank of Israel’s steady hacking of interest rates, down to 1 percent in January from 2.5 percent in November. In fact, investment bank UBS analyst Reinhard Cluse maintains his long-term forecast for 2010 of 2.7 percent growth. UBS said it expects a moderate recovery as early as the second half of the year.
“Following years of prudent fiscal policy, Israel is one of the few countries in (Europe Middle East Asia) where the government now has substantial scope for fiscal stimulus,” Cluse wrote. “After a balanced budget in 2007 and a deficit of 2.1 percent of GDP in 2008, we expect the deficit to rise to 4 percent of GDP or even higher in 2009, thus helping to prevent a more serious decline in growth.”
Feb. 12, 2009
The global financial crisis took awhile to cross the continents, but its tentacles have at last reached the Israeli economy forcing the Bank of Israel to revise its 2009 forecast to reflect a .2-percent decline rather than 1.5-percent increase.
The Israeli economy has more easily adapted to hostility than to these external factors. In 2006, the 40-day war with Hizbollah only briefly interrupted an economic boom. But this growth spurt came to a halt in the third quarter of 2008 as the global recession entered the scene.
“The effects of the global financial crisis on real economic activity in Israel are evident,” the Bank of Israel said in a report. “World trade, which exerts a major influence on domestic activity, has dropped, and is expected to fall further.”
The Bank of Israel is forecasting a 6.9 percent drop in exports and a 6.4 percent fall in imports in 2009. Foreign exports make up 45 percent of Israel’s GDP.
According to government figures, the Israeli economy expanded by 4.1 percent in 2008 to a record $190 billion capping off four years of higher than 5 percent annual growth. The slowdown hit Israel when demand for exports plummeted. Foreign companies downscaled their investment projects and consumers reduced spending.
“Israel’s economy is oriented toward export markets and other international activity,” the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange said in its annual report. “It is expected that the global crisis will adversely affect exporting firms as well as Israeli entrepreneurs abroad.”
Even so, Israel’s economy is expected to weather the situation better than many other developed nations.
“It’s going to be pretty gloomy, but it’s not like the United States or Germany,” said economist Jonathan Katz at HSBC. “It will be more of a slowdown than a recession.”
Also working in Israel’s favor is a conservative and stable banking system that is not in crisis.
“Happily for us, Israel’s economy hasn’t caught the three American diseases--consumer and private credit greater than 50 percent of GDP, a bursting real estate bubble, and a bankrupt financial system because of the first two diseases (and other causes)” wrote Ha’aretz financial reporter Guy Ronik. “Americans spent the last decade living well beyond their means. Israelis saved.”
Another factor in slowing the crisis’ arrival in Israel has been the Bank of Israel’s steady hacking of interest rates, down to 1 percent in January from 2.5 percent in November. In fact, investment bank UBS analyst Reinhard Cluse maintains his long-term forecast for 2010 of 2.7 percent growth. UBS said it expects a moderate recovery as early as the second half of the year.
“Following years of prudent fiscal policy, Israel is one of the few countries in (Europe Middle East Asia) where the government now has substantial scope for fiscal stimulus,” Cluse wrote. “After a balanced budget in 2007 and a deficit of 2.1 percent of GDP in 2008, we expect the deficit to rise to 4 percent of GDP or even higher in 2009, thus helping to prevent a more serious decline in growth.”
Feb 11, 2009
Livni surprises with lead, but results remain inconclusive
Right-wing bloc could propel Netanyahu to PM
Feb. 11, 2009
(Article originally posted here.)
TEL AVIV - Tzipi Livni's Kadima party took a surprise lead in Israel’s parliamentary elections on Tuesday, but even if she edges out her rival Benjamin Netanyahu in a final vote count the foreign minister could fail to rally enough seats to build a coalition government.
Despite a one- or two-seat margin for the centrist Kadima party predicted in early exit polls, the left-wing bloc is outnumbered by a strong showing of right-wing, nationalistic and religious parties that casts doubt on Livni’s ability to establish a coalition and become prime minister.
“With all due respect to Tzipi Livni, she won’t be able to build a government. And that is very clear,” said Gilad Erdan, a parliament member on the Likud ticket. “Those in Israel who opposed the disengagement (withdrawal from Gaza in 2005), those who oppose giving up territories for nothing now have the clear majority.”
At Likud headquarters a victorious mood quickly deflated when initial exit polls announced Kadima as the front runner. But party members were quick to spin the results in party leader Netanyahu’s favor.
“Tzipi Livni only has 43 votes in order to create a government and we have 63 members of Knesset who support the idea that Benjamin Netanyahu will be the next prime minister of Israel,” said Likud Knesset Member Reuven Rivlin.
Both Livni and Netanyahu declared victory Wednesday morning and Livni left the door open for her rival to join her government.
“I proposed to you before the elections were set to join a unity government under my leadership. You refused,” she said. “Now all that is left is to do the right thing, to honor the decision of the citizens of Israel, to do what is right for Israel at this time…and to join a unity government led by us.”
Netanyahu hinted at the possibility of working with Livni, but with him as head of the government.
“From this day on, the right wing bloc rises to an absolute majority in the Knesset,” he said. “There is no doubt regarding our own movement’s meteoric rise. In the last Knesset we had only 12 seats, 10 percent of the Knesset. We have more than doubled our power and grown more than any other party.”
After all the votes are counted, President Shimon Peres has one week to decide which party leader will be first to attempt to build a government and the prime minister-designate then has six weeks to form a coalition. Peres may decide that even with fewer mandates Netanyahu has a better chance at establishing a stable government.
Israel Beiteinu (Israel our Home) became the third largest party, surpassing Labor, traditionally one of the top two parties. A polarizing figure who has been called a racist by the media and opponents, Israel Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman appears to have galvanized the secular Zionist vote.
Lieberman’s campaign theme, “No loyalty, no citizenship” refers to his proposed loyalty test aimed at Israeli Arab members of parliament who speak out against the Jewish state and, in some cases, advise the Palestinian government. Lieberman’s views struck a cord among voters who are disillusioned with faltering peace talks and unabated terror attacks.
Leading up to the elections many factors indicated a shift to the right, including a desire to balance Barack Obama’s democratic administration with a more hawkish Israeli government in U.S.-led negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Likud jumped from 12 seats in the previous government to an estimated 27 or 28, while Israel Beiteinu surged to a likely 16 seats from 11. The right-wing bloc is bolstered by religious parties Shas, Jewish Home and United Torah Judaism.
“The conservative side of the political spectrum has gotten stronger,” observed Dore Gold, author and director of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
The left-wing vote was split just three ways. Kadima led with 29 possible seats. Rounding out the leftist parties was Labor, which saw a dismal drop from 19 seats to an estimated 13, and Meretz, expected to earn four or five seats. In that context, Prof. Barry Rubin of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herziliya said Kadima’s apparent edge is not surprising despite Likud’s strong lead in the polls in recent weeks.
Rubin also disagrees with the assumption that Israelis voted more hawkishly this year and that the Likud party is right wing.
“The real move has been toward the center, which is represented not only by Kadima and Likud but also by Labor,” he wrote in Tuesday’s The Jerusalem Post. “A greater majority is about to vote for parties close to centrist positions than at any time in history.”
The final voter turnout was 65.2 percent compared to 63.2 in 2006.
Feb. 11, 2009
(Article originally posted here.)
TEL AVIV - Tzipi Livni's Kadima party took a surprise lead in Israel’s parliamentary elections on Tuesday, but even if she edges out her rival Benjamin Netanyahu in a final vote count the foreign minister could fail to rally enough seats to build a coalition government.
Despite a one- or two-seat margin for the centrist Kadima party predicted in early exit polls, the left-wing bloc is outnumbered by a strong showing of right-wing, nationalistic and religious parties that casts doubt on Livni’s ability to establish a coalition and become prime minister.
“With all due respect to Tzipi Livni, she won’t be able to build a government. And that is very clear,” said Gilad Erdan, a parliament member on the Likud ticket. “Those in Israel who opposed the disengagement (withdrawal from Gaza in 2005), those who oppose giving up territories for nothing now have the clear majority.”
At Likud headquarters a victorious mood quickly deflated when initial exit polls announced Kadima as the front runner. But party members were quick to spin the results in party leader Netanyahu’s favor.
“Tzipi Livni only has 43 votes in order to create a government and we have 63 members of Knesset who support the idea that Benjamin Netanyahu will be the next prime minister of Israel,” said Likud Knesset Member Reuven Rivlin.
Both Livni and Netanyahu declared victory Wednesday morning and Livni left the door open for her rival to join her government.
“I proposed to you before the elections were set to join a unity government under my leadership. You refused,” she said. “Now all that is left is to do the right thing, to honor the decision of the citizens of Israel, to do what is right for Israel at this time…and to join a unity government led by us.”
Netanyahu hinted at the possibility of working with Livni, but with him as head of the government.
“From this day on, the right wing bloc rises to an absolute majority in the Knesset,” he said. “There is no doubt regarding our own movement’s meteoric rise. In the last Knesset we had only 12 seats, 10 percent of the Knesset. We have more than doubled our power and grown more than any other party.”
After all the votes are counted, President Shimon Peres has one week to decide which party leader will be first to attempt to build a government and the prime minister-designate then has six weeks to form a coalition. Peres may decide that even with fewer mandates Netanyahu has a better chance at establishing a stable government.
Israel Beiteinu (Israel our Home) became the third largest party, surpassing Labor, traditionally one of the top two parties. A polarizing figure who has been called a racist by the media and opponents, Israel Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman appears to have galvanized the secular Zionist vote.
Lieberman’s campaign theme, “No loyalty, no citizenship” refers to his proposed loyalty test aimed at Israeli Arab members of parliament who speak out against the Jewish state and, in some cases, advise the Palestinian government. Lieberman’s views struck a cord among voters who are disillusioned with faltering peace talks and unabated terror attacks.
Leading up to the elections many factors indicated a shift to the right, including a desire to balance Barack Obama’s democratic administration with a more hawkish Israeli government in U.S.-led negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Likud jumped from 12 seats in the previous government to an estimated 27 or 28, while Israel Beiteinu surged to a likely 16 seats from 11. The right-wing bloc is bolstered by religious parties Shas, Jewish Home and United Torah Judaism.
“The conservative side of the political spectrum has gotten stronger,” observed Dore Gold, author and director of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
The left-wing vote was split just three ways. Kadima led with 29 possible seats. Rounding out the leftist parties was Labor, which saw a dismal drop from 19 seats to an estimated 13, and Meretz, expected to earn four or five seats. In that context, Prof. Barry Rubin of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herziliya said Kadima’s apparent edge is not surprising despite Likud’s strong lead in the polls in recent weeks.
Rubin also disagrees with the assumption that Israelis voted more hawkishly this year and that the Likud party is right wing.
“The real move has been toward the center, which is represented not only by Kadima and Likud but also by Labor,” he wrote in Tuesday’s The Jerusalem Post. “A greater majority is about to vote for parties close to centrist positions than at any time in history.”
The final voter turnout was 65.2 percent compared to 63.2 in 2006.
Feb 10, 2009
Election Day Reading
Feb. 10, 2009
The polls are open and all the major party leaders have already cast their votes. I will be at Likud headquarters this evening covering the results. Tomorrow I will post articles and reaction to the elections.
In the meantime, here's some good reading for the day:
High-ranking Foreign Office diplomat arrested over anti-Semitic gym tirade London Daily Mail
Sounding a lot like Iran's A'jad: Stunned staff and gym members allegedly heard him shout: 'F**king Israelis, f**king Jews'. It is alleged he also said Israeli soldiers should be 'wiped off the face of the earth'. Sometimes anti-Israel IS anti-Semitism, just couched in political terms making it appear on the surface less ugly.
Dispatch from the Gaza border by Michael Totten
Fewer than twenty Israelis have been killed by rocket fire from Gaza since Hamas and Islamic Jihad adopted the tactic. ... It’s not just about casualties, though. Thousands of rockets have fallen on Sderot. And every rocket launched at the city triggers an air raid alert. Everyone within ear shot has fifteen seconds to run into a shelter. Imagine sprinting for cover 5,000 times.
Ending the West's Proxy War Against Israel Wall Street Journal online
As long as the West continues to subsidize Gaza's extreme demographic armament, young Palestinians will likely continue killing their brothers or neighbors. And yet, despite claiming that it wants to bring peace to the region, the West continues to make the population explosion in Gaza worse every year. By generously supporting UNRWA's budget, the West assists a rate of population increase that is 10 times higher than in their own countries.
The polls are open and all the major party leaders have already cast their votes. I will be at Likud headquarters this evening covering the results. Tomorrow I will post articles and reaction to the elections.
In the meantime, here's some good reading for the day:
High-ranking Foreign Office diplomat arrested over anti-Semitic gym tirade London Daily Mail
Sounding a lot like Iran's A'jad: Stunned staff and gym members allegedly heard him shout: 'F**king Israelis, f**king Jews'. It is alleged he also said Israeli soldiers should be 'wiped off the face of the earth'. Sometimes anti-Israel IS anti-Semitism, just couched in political terms making it appear on the surface less ugly.
Dispatch from the Gaza border by Michael Totten
Fewer than twenty Israelis have been killed by rocket fire from Gaza since Hamas and Islamic Jihad adopted the tactic. ... It’s not just about casualties, though. Thousands of rockets have fallen on Sderot. And every rocket launched at the city triggers an air raid alert. Everyone within ear shot has fifteen seconds to run into a shelter. Imagine sprinting for cover 5,000 times.
Ending the West's Proxy War Against Israel Wall Street Journal online
As long as the West continues to subsidize Gaza's extreme demographic armament, young Palestinians will likely continue killing their brothers or neighbors. And yet, despite claiming that it wants to bring peace to the region, the West continues to make the population explosion in Gaza worse every year. By generously supporting UNRWA's budget, the West assists a rate of population increase that is 10 times higher than in their own countries.
Feb 9, 2009
Hamas' Secret Service: the Ghost unit
Feb. 9, 2009
A slightly chilling article from The Jamestown Foundation by Abdul Hameed Bakier describes a Hamas unit called “Ghost” Suicide Bombers:
A slightly chilling article from The Jamestown Foundation by Abdul Hameed Bakier describes a Hamas unit called “Ghost” Suicide Bombers:
Recently, Islamic and jihadi internet forums circulated an article entitled “The Ghost suicide bombers. Who are they? And how do they spend their day?” (hanein.info, January13). The posting, written by the Gaza correspondent for the influential Doha-based Islamonline website, included a short interview with the trainers of Hamas’ suicide bombers (Islamonline.net, January 12).
Islamonline’s correspondent, Muhammad al-Sawaf, said the suicide bombers, known as “Ghosts” to other Gaza militants, are the first line of defense in Gaza. They spend up to 48 hours at a time in ditches, reciting verses from the Quran while waiting for Israeli forces to pass by in order to blow them up. The bombers belong to the military wing of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam battalions of Hamas. Abu Moath, an al-Qassam leader supervising the suicide bombers, said the bombers are very determined individuals chosen carefully by Hamas: “They live like any other pious Palestinian youth. Some of them are university students that go about their lives without raising unwanted attention or bragging about their end mission. They go through a special faith program.”
Since the start of the conflict in Gaza, the “ghost” suicide bombers have isolated themselves from families and friends. They spend their time hidden close to areas where Israeli forces deploy. On the selection criteria for suicide bombers, Abu Moath briefly explained that only young people are chosen from the ranks of al-Qassam’s battalions, which number up to ten thousand fighters. Abu Moath disclosed females are also recruited to the ranks of the suicide bombers. The candidate bombers are secretly scrutinized by al-Qassam lieutenants to make sure they are religiously committed and responsible. The next phase is to notify the bomber of their acceptance and put them through psychological and military training on weapons and tactics, especially those used by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Abu Moath asserts that all through the selection and training phases the suicide bombers are tutored by religious clerics and Islamic preachers. Upon completion of training, the bombers are sent behind enemy lines. Each group of suicide bombers is compartmentalized and does not know the location or composition of other groups to avoid compromising their comrades if one of them is captured by the Israelis. Abu Moath admits such captures happen very often because the suicide bombers operate behind enemy lines. Each suicide bomber is issued special weapons and a custom-tailored explosive belt.
Other Hamas units of suicide bombers include the “Booby-Trapped Martyrs.” These martyr units are designed to deploy on the streets and alleys of Gaza’s cities, armed with heavier explosive belts than those used by the “ghosts.” These units are as secret and compartmentalized as the “ghost” suicide bombers and deploy with Hamas commando units tasked with kidnapping Israeli soldiers.
Many forum chatters hailed and prayed for the “ghost “ and “martyr” suicide bombers, posting comments such as: “It is only my lack of luck that I am not with them. I wish them all the best in this life and hereafter. May God give them steadfastness and determination, amen.”
In another interview by Islamonline correspondent al-Sawaf, al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida said Hamas fighters have surprised the Israeli forces with offensives attacks rather than the expected defensive operations. He said the suicide-bomber Mahmoud al-Rifi, whom he claimed stayed for days in a ditch on the al-Raes mountain west of Gaza city and blew up an Israeli commando unit, was one example of Hamas’ successful new guerilla warfare tactics. However, other sources said al-Rifi did not carry out a suicide attack; rather, he waited for Israeli forces in a ditch on the al-Raes mountain and attacked a detachment of Israeli commandos with a machine gun, killing two Israeli soldiers before being killed while trying to take a third injured soldier prisoner (muslm.net January 9).
According to earlier threats by Hamas leaders, Hamas is expected to resume suicide bombing attacks in Israeli cities in retaliation for the war on Gaza. Regardless of the Israeli wall built to prevent suicide bombers from entering Israel, Hamas leaders allege they have managed to infiltrate tens of their suicide bombers who are already in place in Israel and the West Bank awaiting orders (alrainews.com, December 22, 2008). Even though Hamas has enough experience and possible accomplices among Palestinians living in Israel to resume suicide attacks in Israeli cities, Israeli forces demonstrated their ability to prevent suicide attacks in the assault on Gaza. The absence of successful suicide attacks on Israeli forces in the conflict is likely an indication of Hamas’ inability to recruit enough volunteers to perpetrate suicide bombings, regardless of whatever claims are made by the Hamas leadership.
UN-neutral Getting Bitten by the Dog it Feeds
Summarizing recent weeks of the Hamas-UN battle
Feb. 9, 2009
If nothing else positive, and there was little positive, the Gaza war has brought to light several inconsistencies, or shall I say ‘UN-consistencies,’ when it comes to the United Nations and its dealings with Hamas, Israel and the Palestinians.
First, here are some incidents that have occurred in recent weeks:
1. When Israelis saved Arab students trapped in a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) school in East Jerusalem, they encountered pictures depicting the IDF as murderers. Several students fell into a six-foot deep hole when a floor in the school collapsed on Feb. 1. Israeli responders found drawings depicting Israeli soldiers at the Gaza border shooting Palestinians at them at point blank range while they tried to get food. Another picture, drawn by a student, showed an Arab shot to death by an Israeli soldier.
2. The United Nations agency in charged of a school in Gaza where dozens of civilians were killed by Israeli mortar fire in Operation Cast Lead has admitted to employing terrorists to work at its Palestinian schools in the past, has no system in place to keep members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad off its payroll and provides textbooks to children that contain hate speech and other incendiary material against Israel and Jews.
3. UNRWA brought the media to watch while it tried to pass unapproved goods through the Gaza border Tuesday, Feb. 3. The Israeli army, as expected, turned away the unappoved trucks then slammed UNRWA for trying to pass through the unkosher good and bringing the media to film Israel’s rejection of the trucks. Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Spokesman Maj. Peter Lerner said the incident was a “regretful provocation. ... UNRWA receives preferential treatment at the crossings, and today alone 50 of its trucks were allowed in.”
Just two days later, however, Hamas put on its own show albeit not for the cameras. Hamas turned against its complicit ally, the UN, and twice in one week (Feb. 3 and 5) commandeered hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid from UNRWA. The UN actually ceased shipping aid over the border until Hamas returns the goods.
Perhaps the UN is beginning to see the light. Or at least one ray. In another first, it announced this week it will probe Hamas’ use of children as human shields during the war, according to The Jerusalem Post.
“It is still very difficult for us to say that it was actually happening and we still need to conduct a full investigation into what exactly took place... but we are not denying that it happened; it is absolutely possible that Hamas was using its civilians as human shields,” said UN special representative for children and armed conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy.
A small leap for morality, but a huge step in the right direction for the UN nonetheless.
Also, in a report released last week, a former legal official with UNRWA accused the organization of politicizing the Palestinian refugee issue. James Lindsay, UNRWA’s legal advisor from 2002 until 2007, said the agency should conduct background checks so as not to hire terrorist organization members anymore; help those who wish to move out of refugee camps by expanding loans; and shift from a “status-based” system of aid designated for refugees to a “needs-based” system.
Andrew Whitley, director of the UNRWA representative office at UN headquarters, slammed the report and immediately did what the report lambasted the UN for: politicizing the situation.
“Someone reading this paper with no background would assume that the Israeli government was a benign actor.,” he said. “No mention is made of the occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.”
But NGOs are notoriously biased against Israel. A Jerusalem-based watchdog, NGO Monitor, documented more than 500 statements by some 50 NGOs just in one month during the recent fighting in Gaza.
“These statements are characterized by overwhelming condemnation of Israel, devoting minimal attention to Israeli human rights and casualties,” the organization reported. “These same groups were markedly hesitant to condemn the widespread and illegal use of human shields by Hamas. ”
A Palestinian from Gaza blamed Hamas for the humanitarian crisis in the Strip. Nuaf Atar, a Fatah operative captured during the operation, accused Hamas government officials of controlling humanitarian aid Israel allowed in and selling it instead of distributing it for free, as was intended. But Israel continues to get blamed by the NGOs and the international community, which clamors for it to open the borders for a more free flow of goods. Goods that never make it to the people who need them.
NGO Monitor Executive Director Gerald Steinberg summed it up best: “The consistent attempt to demonize Israel in the media and in the courts while turning a blind eye to the illegal activities of Hamas demonstrates that many human rights groups have lost their moral compass.”
Feb. 9, 2009
If nothing else positive, and there was little positive, the Gaza war has brought to light several inconsistencies, or shall I say ‘UN-consistencies,’ when it comes to the United Nations and its dealings with Hamas, Israel and the Palestinians.
First, here are some incidents that have occurred in recent weeks:
1. When Israelis saved Arab students trapped in a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) school in East Jerusalem, they encountered pictures depicting the IDF as murderers. Several students fell into a six-foot deep hole when a floor in the school collapsed on Feb. 1. Israeli responders found drawings depicting Israeli soldiers at the Gaza border shooting Palestinians at them at point blank range while they tried to get food. Another picture, drawn by a student, showed an Arab shot to death by an Israeli soldier.
2. The United Nations agency in charged of a school in Gaza where dozens of civilians were killed by Israeli mortar fire in Operation Cast Lead has admitted to employing terrorists to work at its Palestinian schools in the past, has no system in place to keep members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad off its payroll and provides textbooks to children that contain hate speech and other incendiary material against Israel and Jews.
3. UNRWA brought the media to watch while it tried to pass unapproved goods through the Gaza border Tuesday, Feb. 3. The Israeli army, as expected, turned away the unappoved trucks then slammed UNRWA for trying to pass through the unkosher good and bringing the media to film Israel’s rejection of the trucks. Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Spokesman Maj. Peter Lerner said the incident was a “regretful provocation. ... UNRWA receives preferential treatment at the crossings, and today alone 50 of its trucks were allowed in.”
Just two days later, however, Hamas put on its own show albeit not for the cameras. Hamas turned against its complicit ally, the UN, and twice in one week (Feb. 3 and 5) commandeered hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid from UNRWA. The UN actually ceased shipping aid over the border until Hamas returns the goods.
Perhaps the UN is beginning to see the light. Or at least one ray. In another first, it announced this week it will probe Hamas’ use of children as human shields during the war, according to The Jerusalem Post.
“It is still very difficult for us to say that it was actually happening and we still need to conduct a full investigation into what exactly took place... but we are not denying that it happened; it is absolutely possible that Hamas was using its civilians as human shields,” said UN special representative for children and armed conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy.
A small leap for morality, but a huge step in the right direction for the UN nonetheless.
Also, in a report released last week, a former legal official with UNRWA accused the organization of politicizing the Palestinian refugee issue. James Lindsay, UNRWA’s legal advisor from 2002 until 2007, said the agency should conduct background checks so as not to hire terrorist organization members anymore; help those who wish to move out of refugee camps by expanding loans; and shift from a “status-based” system of aid designated for refugees to a “needs-based” system.
Andrew Whitley, director of the UNRWA representative office at UN headquarters, slammed the report and immediately did what the report lambasted the UN for: politicizing the situation.
“Someone reading this paper with no background would assume that the Israeli government was a benign actor.,” he said. “No mention is made of the occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.”
But NGOs are notoriously biased against Israel. A Jerusalem-based watchdog, NGO Monitor, documented more than 500 statements by some 50 NGOs just in one month during the recent fighting in Gaza.
“These statements are characterized by overwhelming condemnation of Israel, devoting minimal attention to Israeli human rights and casualties,” the organization reported. “These same groups were markedly hesitant to condemn the widespread and illegal use of human shields by Hamas. ”
A Palestinian from Gaza blamed Hamas for the humanitarian crisis in the Strip. Nuaf Atar, a Fatah operative captured during the operation, accused Hamas government officials of controlling humanitarian aid Israel allowed in and selling it instead of distributing it for free, as was intended. But Israel continues to get blamed by the NGOs and the international community, which clamors for it to open the borders for a more free flow of goods. Goods that never make it to the people who need them.
NGO Monitor Executive Director Gerald Steinberg summed it up best: “The consistent attempt to demonize Israel in the media and in the courts while turning a blind eye to the illegal activities of Hamas demonstrates that many human rights groups have lost their moral compass.”
Carter strikes again
Former president exhibit his usual anti-Israel gusto
Feb. 9, 2009
I have a hard time choosing. Is former Pres. Jimmy Carter blindly optimistic or blatantly anti-Israel? He can’t be an optimist, he was a US president, but that leaves us with the latter.
If you are going to solve the Israel-Palestinian issue you cannot be against wither side, but in an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Carter clearly outlines which side he believes must pay up in order to achieve peace. Perhaps its the reporter’s fault for not asking tough questions, but he never puts the onus on Hamas or the Palestinian Authority for stopping acts of terrorism.
Carter, 84, talks about his new book, the assertive and cheerily titled “We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land.” I have yet to read the book, but in the interview with reporter Mike Tolson, Carter, 84, notes that he is optimistic for “peace” because “the vast majority of Israeli citizens also are committed to withdrawing from the West Bank.” No recognition of the State of Israel by Hamas or cessation of terror is a prerequisite for peace apparently.
He goes on to say that the war in Gaza has engendered “more intense hatred and resentment against Israelis for doing this.” No mention of the Hamas rockets that were unanswered for nine years and which terrorized innocent civilians occasionally killing a few, but only a few because they are miraculously inaccurate..
Feeling at one with The One is he?
How interesting. He is basically calling Israel supporters war mongers. This is an incomprehensible insult to intelligence and to the people who support Israel. No mention of Hamas supporters and pro-Palestinian lobbyists. They are for peace.
In conclusion, if you don’t agree with Carter’s approach to peace, then you are not for peace. Diplomatic, hey?
Feb. 9, 2009
I have a hard time choosing. Is former Pres. Jimmy Carter blindly optimistic or blatantly anti-Israel? He can’t be an optimist, he was a US president, but that leaves us with the latter.
If you are going to solve the Israel-Palestinian issue you cannot be against wither side, but in an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Carter clearly outlines which side he believes must pay up in order to achieve peace. Perhaps its the reporter’s fault for not asking tough questions, but he never puts the onus on Hamas or the Palestinian Authority for stopping acts of terrorism.
Carter, 84, talks about his new book, the assertive and cheerily titled “We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land.” I have yet to read the book, but in the interview with reporter Mike Tolson, Carter, 84, notes that he is optimistic for “peace” because “the vast majority of Israeli citizens also are committed to withdrawing from the West Bank.” No recognition of the State of Israel by Hamas or cessation of terror is a prerequisite for peace apparently.
He goes on to say that the war in Gaza has engendered “more intense hatred and resentment against Israelis for doing this.” No mention of the Hamas rockets that were unanswered for nine years and which terrorized innocent civilians occasionally killing a few, but only a few because they are miraculously inaccurate..
Feeling at one with The One is he?
“Most presidents have been very cautious and have waited until the last part of their administration before they would expend that capital, and it’s too late. (Obama) has taken a different position, as I did 30 years ago. I started the first day, even before I became president, to do that.”Carter insults the “Israeli lobby” in the United States: “You have to remember that the major Israeli lobbies, they’re not in favor of peace. They never have professed to be. What they are in favor of is protecting the policies of whatever government is in charge in Israel. If you look at their Web sites, they make that quite clear. So they’re for Israel, they’re not for peace between Israel and its neighbors.”
How interesting. He is basically calling Israel supporters war mongers. This is an incomprehensible insult to intelligence and to the people who support Israel. No mention of Hamas supporters and pro-Palestinian lobbyists. They are for peace.
In conclusion, if you don’t agree with Carter’s approach to peace, then you are not for peace. Diplomatic, hey?
Feb 5, 2009
Troubles with Turkey cause Jews to rethink Armenian genocide
Feb. 5, 2009
And now for an issue dear to my heart: Jews check Armenian genocide stance. Only fitting that one genocide survivor support another. However, the article is thin on proof of an actual movement. From the Jerusalem Post:
On the other hand, it is rare for Israel to have strong ties with a Muslim nation and recognizing the genocide would risk their friendship with Turkey. But after the outburst of Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan at the Davos conference, Israelis are starting to see just how far their friendship with Turkey stretches, or not. Erdogan stalked off the stage there on Jan. 29, calling Israeli Pres. Shimon Peres a murdered.
Since then relations ahve been strained with both sides trying to patch things. But trust has been damaged.
Turkey: “It’s not a business-as-usual relationship anymore,” said Cengiz Candar, a columnist for Radikal, a Turkish daily. “It’s a very uneasy sort of cohabitation in this region now.”
Israel: "He has burned all the bridges with Jerusalem,” said one senior Israeli official, who spoke anonymously to the NY Times. “He won’t be seen as an honest broker anymore.”
Turkey denies slaughtering 1.5 million Armenians beginning in 1914. Recognition of the genocide would mean denying Turkey's claims, thus ruining relations with the vast Islamic country.
To learn more about the Armenian genocide, of which my husband's grandparents were survivors, check this out: Armenian Genocide (http://www.armenian-genocide.org)
And now for an issue dear to my heart: Jews check Armenian genocide stance. Only fitting that one genocide survivor support another. However, the article is thin on proof of an actual movement. From the Jerusalem Post:
An official with a leading American Jewish organization told the The Jerusalem Post on Monday that a deterioration in Israel-Turkey relations might prompt his group and others to reconsider Armenian efforts to win recognition of the century-old Turkish massacres as genocide.I’d like to add that even several Israeli politicians oppose recognition for the same reason.
A bill that would ensure such recognition by the US, which was backed by Rep. Adam Schiff - a Jewish Democrat who represents a heavily Armenian area of Los Angeles - failed to make it to a Congressional vote in 2007. However, it sparked a row in the American Jewish community between those who sided with Turkey in an effort to protect Israel's political interests, and those who argued that Jews were particularly responsible for helping other groups block the public denial of genocide.
"No Jew or Israeli in his right mind will insult Turkey," the official told the Post. "But next time... they might not come to Turkey's aid or equivocate quite so much on the issue."
The Bush administration opposed the bill out of concern for what it would do to US-Turkey relations.
The current blowup between Israel and Turkey comes amid expectations that the Obama administration will name academic and writer Samantha Power, an expert on genocide, to a key National Security Council post dealing with multilateral institutions. Power has been outspoken in labeling the Turkish massacre of Armenians genocide, albeit from outside the government.The Armenian community of some 20,000 in Israel has long lobbied the Israeli government to recognize the genocide. Several Israel scholars have taken up the cause arguing that of all people groups, Jews should express sympathy with genocide victims. But the issue hasn't taken hold in the political world. Three years ago, Knesset Member Yuri Shtern told me (noticing that my married name is Armenian) that he and Israel's chief Rabbi Yona Metzger traveled to Armenia and were fighting for recognition. Shtern--a fair and compassionate politician--has since died of cancer, however, and no one has taken his place on this issue.
Anti-Defamation League head Abraham Foxman - whose opposition to the Armenian genocide legislation in 2007 provoked widespread criticism - told the Post that as long as Israel maintained its diplomatic ties with Turkey, he saw no immediate reason to change his position on any future genocide resolutions.
"This is not a punishment or a reward issue - we don't change our position on what's right or wrong based on what people say," Foxman said. "The interests between Israel and Turkey continue."
Foxman also noted that he knew of Jewish friends who had cancelled trips to Turkey over Erdogan's comments, but described the Erdogan flap as a disagreement between "friends."
On the other hand, it is rare for Israel to have strong ties with a Muslim nation and recognizing the genocide would risk their friendship with Turkey. But after the outburst of Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan at the Davos conference, Israelis are starting to see just how far their friendship with Turkey stretches, or not. Erdogan stalked off the stage there on Jan. 29, calling Israeli Pres. Shimon Peres a murdered.
Since then relations ahve been strained with both sides trying to patch things. But trust has been damaged.
Turkey: “It’s not a business-as-usual relationship anymore,” said Cengiz Candar, a columnist for Radikal, a Turkish daily. “It’s a very uneasy sort of cohabitation in this region now.”
Israel: "He has burned all the bridges with Jerusalem,” said one senior Israeli official, who spoke anonymously to the NY Times. “He won’t be seen as an honest broker anymore.”
Turkey denies slaughtering 1.5 million Armenians beginning in 1914. Recognition of the genocide would mean denying Turkey's claims, thus ruining relations with the vast Islamic country.
To learn more about the Armenian genocide, of which my husband's grandparents were survivors, check this out: Armenian Genocide (http://www.armenian-genocide.org)
Feb 4, 2009
UN-neutral accuses Hamas seized Gaza aid
Feb. 4, 2009
The UN, after blaming Israel for not letting aid through, albeit unapproved aid, is now accusing Hamas police of raiding a UN aid warehouse in Gaza City on Tuesday and snatched 3,500 blankets and hundreds of food parcels.
According to a UN statement: "This took place after UNRWA staff had earlier refused to hand over the aid supplies to the Hamas-run Ministry of Social Affairs. The police subsequently broke into the warehouse and seized the aid by force. The aid was due to be distributed to five hundred families in the area. UNRWA condemns in the strongest terms the confiscation of its aid supplies and has demanded that it is returned immediately."
Obviously Gazans are in need of aid after Israel's three-week military offensive against Hamas. Gunness also said Wednesday this is the first time Hamas has seized UN aid. Er hmm. Not according to the Jordanians, but whatever.
Israeli officials have charged that the militant group routinely confiscates supplies meant for needy Gazans. But Israelis are biased, of course.
Isaac Herzog, responsible for the humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip, called the robbing of UN warehouses by Hamas “further proof that Hamas is continuing to make life miserable for the population of Gaza and will use any means to intensify its suffering.”
Israel insists that humanitarian assistance transferred to the Gaza Strip go to the civilian population only, without allowing Hamas to benefit from it. Herzog noted that Israel allowed aid trucks through even while under fire.
Hamas had no comment.
The UN, after blaming Israel for not letting aid through, albeit unapproved aid, is now accusing Hamas police of raiding a UN aid warehouse in Gaza City on Tuesday and snatched 3,500 blankets and hundreds of food parcels.
According to a UN statement: "This took place after UNRWA staff had earlier refused to hand over the aid supplies to the Hamas-run Ministry of Social Affairs. The police subsequently broke into the warehouse and seized the aid by force. The aid was due to be distributed to five hundred families in the area. UNRWA condemns in the strongest terms the confiscation of its aid supplies and has demanded that it is returned immediately."
Obviously Gazans are in need of aid after Israel's three-week military offensive against Hamas. Gunness also said Wednesday this is the first time Hamas has seized UN aid. Er hmm. Not according to the Jordanians, but whatever.
Israeli officials have charged that the militant group routinely confiscates supplies meant for needy Gazans. But Israelis are biased, of course.
Isaac Herzog, responsible for the humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip, called the robbing of UN warehouses by Hamas “further proof that Hamas is continuing to make life miserable for the population of Gaza and will use any means to intensify its suffering.”
Israel insists that humanitarian assistance transferred to the Gaza Strip go to the civilian population only, without allowing Hamas to benefit from it. Herzog noted that Israel allowed aid trucks through even while under fire.
Hamas had no comment.
Mahmoud “Wipe out the Jews” Ahmadinejad a Jew?
Feb. 4, 2009
Could it be? The son of a leading Iranian authority alleges that the Iranian president, who has called for the destruction of the Jewish state, is himself Jewish.
Mahdi Khazali apparently wrote in a blog that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has Jewish roots. The story was picked up by the Hebrew-language Omedia website and Radio Free Europe. He said Ahmadinejad changed his name, attacks Israel and the Jews and expresses strong Muslim religious beliefs in order to hide his Jewish roots.
The name under scrutiny is Saburjian and A’jad hails from the Aradan region of Iran. The accusations appear in an article Khazali wrote entitled, “The Jews in Iran” where he says the time has come to “reveal the truth” about the Jews’ role in Iran. Not sure what that means.
A'jad's relatives once told the The Guardian that the family had changed its name for "a mixture of religious and economic reasons."
Of course this could be a political strategy: A'jad is up for re-election five months from now. Perhaps his opponents think they can defeat him by using his own rhetoric against the Jews.
Could it be? The son of a leading Iranian authority alleges that the Iranian president, who has called for the destruction of the Jewish state, is himself Jewish.
Mahdi Khazali apparently wrote in a blog that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has Jewish roots. The story was picked up by the Hebrew-language Omedia website and Radio Free Europe. He said Ahmadinejad changed his name, attacks Israel and the Jews and expresses strong Muslim religious beliefs in order to hide his Jewish roots.
The name under scrutiny is Saburjian and A’jad hails from the Aradan region of Iran. The accusations appear in an article Khazali wrote entitled, “The Jews in Iran” where he says the time has come to “reveal the truth” about the Jews’ role in Iran. Not sure what that means.
A'jad's relatives once told the The Guardian that the family had changed its name for "a mixture of religious and economic reasons."
Of course this could be a political strategy: A'jad is up for re-election five months from now. Perhaps his opponents think they can defeat him by using his own rhetoric against the Jews.
Hope and Change, also for Hamas
Feb, 4, 2009
Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal told the Iranian Parliament yesterday that Hamas has even more legitimacy after winning the war against Israel. Fars News reports:
Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal told the Iranian Parliament yesterday that Hamas has even more legitimacy after winning the war against Israel. Fars News reports:
Hamas government's legitimacy has grown stronger after the Israeli regime failed to attain its goals through the invasion of Gaza, Hamas Political Leader Khaled Meshaal said on Tuesday.
"The enemy announced ceasefire without any preconditions for Hamas and it's a great success," Meshaal said.
He viewed Hamas's victory a result of faith and jihad (holy war).
"Today when Iran and Turkey stand by the Palestinian cause, they strengthen our cause and it's a real conflict with the US administration and Israel's supporters."
"Israel's power is in destruction and killing and this power is not useful for them anymore," the senior Hamas official said, adding, "There will be no security even through occupation and Israel's downfall has began already."
Addressing European countries, he reiterated, "We are still waiting for them to play a different role based on their long past history with the Islamic and Arab world and based on their experiences which are deeper than those of the Americans."
"The US president's change may be an opportunity for Europe and the western world to change their policies and press the new US administration not to repeat the past mistakes," Meshaal added.
UN-neutral?
Feb. 4, 2009
Is the UN declaring its own war on Israel? Consider some previous incidents:
Is the UN declaring its own war on Israel? Consider some previous incidents:
- When Israelis saved Arab students trapped in a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) school, they encountered pictures depicting the IDF as murderers. A floor in the school collapsed on Feb. 1 and several students fell into a six-foot deep hole. Israeli responders found drawings depicting Arabs handing out food at the Gaza border while Israeli soldiers shot at them at point blank range. One of the pictures, drawn by a student, showed an Arab shot to death.
- The United Nations agency that administers a school in Gaza where dozens of civilians were killed by Israeli mortar fire in Operation Cast Lead has admitted to employing terrorists to work at its Palestinian schools in the past, has no system in place to keep members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad off its payroll, and provides textbooks to children that contain hate speech and other incendiary information.
- UNRWA brought the media to watch while it tried to pass unapproved goods through the Gaza border Tuesday, Feb. 3. The Israeli army, as expected, turned away the unappoved trucks then slammed UNRWA for trying to pass through the unkosher good and bringing the media to film Israel's rejection of the trucks. Coordinator of Government Activities in the Spokesman Maj. Peter Lerner said the incident was a “regretful provocation. ... UNRWA receives preferential treatment at the crossings, and today alone 50 of its trucks were allowed in.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
