Zion. An island of sanity in an ocean of savagery.
Friday, October 08, 2004
Summing it up: UN at war with Israel
You must think I'm exaggerating. Well, NOT. And here's why. In this article by HonestReporting, a complete list is presented of how the UN actively sponsors Hamas, an organization so violent and radical that even the EU thinks it really is a terrorist organization.
Latest and greates of the UN's enormities is Peter Hansen's admission that Hamas members are on UNRWA's payroll.
Hamas sole purpose is the destruction of Israel.
Hamas uses UN ambulances to transport terrorists and materiel.
Hamas uses UN buildings to hide terrorists in, and as storage for weapons and explosives.
● May 2004: Armed Palestinians are filmed (at left) using UNRWA ambulances to transport terrorists and, possibly, remains of fallen Israeli soldiers in Gaza.
● Sept. 2003: After the Israeli military court convicts three UNRWA employees for terrorist activities (such as throwing firebombs at a public bus), Israel detains at least 16 other UNRWA staff members for various security-related matters.
● Dec. 2002: A Shin Bet report indicates that numerous UNRWA facilities in the West Bank and Gaza had been used by Palestinian terrorists as meeting grounds and for weapons storage.
● Sept. 2002: Nahd Attala, a senior official of UNRWA in Gaza, reveals that in June-July 2002, he used his UNRWA car for the transportation of armed members of Fatah who were on their way to carry out a missile attack against Jewish settlements. In addition, Nahd admits he used an UNRWA car to transport a 12 kg explosive charge for his brother-in-law, a Fatah member.
● August 2002: Nidal Nazzal, a Hamas member and ambulance driver employed by UNRWA, confesses to transporting weapons and explosives in an UNRWA ambulance, and that he had taken advantage of the freedom of movement he enjoyed to transmit messages among Hamas members in various Palestinian towns.
● February 2002: Alaa Muhammad Ali Hassan, a Tanzim member, confesses during interrogation that he had carried out a sniper shooting from the school run by UNRWA in the al-Ayn refugee camp near Nablus. He also told his interrogators that bombs intended for terrorist attacks were being manufactured inside the UNRWA school's facilities.
And now the UN, in the person of Peter Hansen, openly admits to paying Hamas members.
The conclusion is inescapable: The UN is at war with Israel. Not the hidden, subtle type which is fought in the General Assembly and Security Council in New York, no, the UN is purposely, knowingly and actively supporting and paying the deadliest terrorists Israel has ever faced.
But it gets much much worse.
The UN as such has no funds. It has no money of its own. It lives off donations of its member states. And in the case of UNRWA, funding comes almost exclusively from the US, EU and Canada.
The salaries of UNRWA workers are paid through contributions that UNRWA receives from 38 contributing countries. The U.S. provides 30% of that budget, Canada contributes 4% of that budget, and the European countries contribute well over 55% of that budget.
Which makes those countries directly responsible for the violence and death caused by Hamas terrorists they paid for. And they know it. And they don't care.
But I don't think the UN (or its predecessor) was EVER, EVER worried about Israeli's or Jews.
The United Nations has warned in a special report of an impending humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
It says as many as 72% of Palestinians will be living in poverty by the end of 2006, and that Israeli restrictions are hampering emergency aid deliveries.
In this article, the BBC reports on the UN's concern for the people of Gaza.
"The UN organisations recognise Israel's legitimate security concerns, particularly the need to stop Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks into civilian areas, however its actions should be in conformity with international humanitarian law and it should not use disproportionate force," the report says.
GAZA HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
In 2004, an average of 45 Palestinians have died every month in fighting
In September 2004, 133 homes were destroyed by the Israeli army, 807 Palestinians were made homeless
24,547 Gazans have been made homeless in the last four years by Israeli army house demolitions
72% of Gazans will live in poverty by 2006
Source: United Nations
The report says residents have difficulty finding work, exporting goods, moving around Gaza and sending their children to school.
All this poverty despite the billions of aid poured into the PA every year, despite Arafat making the Forbes 500 list and his wife living (literally) like a God in France. The Gazans are indeed destitute. But the Israeli's are not the culprits. The Gazans are, because they choose war with Israel and because they choose monsters like Arafat and the late, great Rantisi and Yassin as their leaders.
BTW, this time the UN didn't use "but" to qualify their recognition of Israel's legitimate security concerns, no, they use "however". It is still a qualification, however (no pun intended). No the UN should be more concerned with Arafat and where the aid billions go.
So just to remind you, what exactly ARE Israel's concerns? Apart from the four people murdered by rocket attacks (three of which were small children), there's the thousands of inhabitants of Sderot who have fled their homes out of fear of those rockets. To paraphrase my three-year old son: "They started it!". They certainly asked for it. If the Arabs wouldn't fire rockets at Sderot, this would not have happened. It really is that simple. Now it has to stop. No matter what it takes.
Robert Spencer of course speaks for himself. I may not actually be anti-Muslim, but in my book, anyone who professes to be a Muslim needs to prove that at the same time, he or she is still a sane and rational human being. The burden of proof rests on the believer.
But Spencer makes good points here of course.
Americans are “anti-Muslim” because they think Islam teaches violence and hatred? With Muslims shouting “Allahu akbar” (Allah is greatest) while beheading civilians in Iraq and murdering children in Beslan, Russia, perhaps it’s a bit premature to convict this 25% of Americans of bigotry. With the leader of the Pakistani radical Muslim group Jaish-e-Mohammed, Maulana Masood Azhar, saying last year that “in Islam the only meaning of jihad was killing,” maybe that twenty-five percent is on to something.
It is all Americans (and indeed all Westerners) see of Muslims, in spite of the fact that the MSM (=Mainstream Media) do their utmost to hide as much as possible. There is simply no other news coming out of the Islamic world. But our conclusion that Islam basically sucks in a major way is wrong?
The courageous ex-Muslim Ibn Warraq writer explains: “For every text the liberal Muslims produce, the mullahs will use dozens of counter-examples [that are] exegetically, philosophically, historically far more legitimate.” He adds that “it is time for moderate Muslims to question honestly the principles of their faith. To admit the role of the Qur’an in the propagation of violence.”
And what, after all, is it that we really want from Islam?
It is not hating Muslims to ask them to remove the hate from their religion, and to accept the principles of human rights that are accepted everywhere else in the world.
That's right. Stop hating. Stop the violence that automatically is directed against anyone who does not believe what you do.
It's getting more and more difficult for the Jew-murderers to do their thing in Israel. So they blow up a hotel in Egypt, where many Israeli's were celebrating holidays. Jews are not the only victims however, but the fact that other tourists were killed and injured, as well as some Arabs at best leaves the terrorists indifferent, probably elated though.
BBC NEWS - Explosions rock Red Sea resorts
More info here. Seems they are celebrating in Cairo and Gaza. Let's give these depraved barbarians another state.
Update:
...it was reported that the bodies of dead Israelis were looted by Egyptians, with their wallets and other personal belongings being taken from them.
Ghouls. Celebrating the murder of innocents. Robbing the dead. It's easy to see where the predispostion for Car Swarms comes from.
In a stunning admission, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's senior adviser said that the purpose of the Israeli government's policy was to supend diplomatic moves to establish a Palestinian state. "The significance of the 'disengagement' plan is the freezing of the peace process," Dov Weissglas told Haaretz.
In short, Sharon thinks that by unilaterally withdrawing from Gaza, he has all but checkmated the 'Palestinians' in their bid for another Arab state. Why would this be so?
Weisglass trumpets that the main achievement of the Gaza plan was the freezing of the peace process in a "legitimate manner."
"That is exactly what happened," he said. "You know, the term 'peace process' is a bundle of concepts and commitments. The peace process is the establishment of a Palestinian state with all the security risks that entails. The peace process is the evacuation of settlements, it's the return of refugees, it's the partition of Jerusalem. And all that has now been frozen.... [W]hat I effectively agreed to with the Americans was that part of the settlements would not be dealt with at all, and the rest will not be dealt with until the Palestinians turn into Finns. That is the significance of what we did."
I had (and still have) a much simpler way to achieve all this: Just say No. No to any foreigners who feel they can interfere with how the Israeli's deal with their mortal Enemies. No to Arabs who feel they need a 23rd state to run as a corrupt private enterprise. And No to the UN, who uses democratic methods to get undemocratic states what they desire most: The destruction of Israel.
Sharon - or whoever leads Israel - does not need an OK from the US to 'freeze the roadmap'. Seeking approval from foreign government bodies such as the US Senate and Congress is sickening. Judea and Samaria should not be de-facto Israel, something to be held onto by no longer discussing its status, THEY ARE ISRAEL. There need be no discussion on this! SHEEZ!!
I wasn't aware this is even an issue. Shows you how much I think the Europeans like Israel.
Anyway. According to this article Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi will support an Israeli bid to become part of the EU.
"As far as Italy is concerned, Israel is completely European in terms of its standard of living, heritage and cultural values. Geography is not a determinant."
Berlusconi added that he supported Israel's disengagement plan. He noted that he had refused to meet Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat during a visit to Israel, and announced that Italy would include Hizbullah in its list of terrorist organizations.
I believe Berlusconi. I think. Economically and socially this is good news. Wether or not Israel should WANT to be part of the EU is quite another matter... And considering the fact that all members of the EU have a veto in allowing new members, chances of Israel getting in are about the same as Yasser Arafat becoming democratic leader of a democratic Palestinian state. 'Cause what are the chances of France, Greece, Spain, etc voting in favour of or even abstaining?
So I guess it's easy for Berlusconi to say this. He knows he'll never be called on it.
I don't think I'll ever feel good about massacres such as these. Even though it's Enemies of Israel killing each other.
...a car bomb killed at least 40 people at a meeting of Sunni Muslims. The attack took place at the end of an all-night vigil to mark the first anniversary of the killing of militant Sunni leader Azam Tariq.
Police said a car exploded as thousands of mourners were leaving the gathering.
Last week, 31 people died in a bomb attack on a mosque used by Pakistan's minority Shia community.
Sectarian violence, it is called.
I call it Muslim madness. You wanna know what this "dispute" is about? It is about this.
The division between Shia and Sunni dates back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad, and the question of who was to take over the leadership of the Muslim nation. Sunni Muslims agree with the position taken by many of the Prophet's companions, that the new leader should be elected from among those capable of the job. This is what was done, and the Prophet Muhammad's close friend and advisor, Abu Bakr, became the first Caliph of the Islamic nation. The word "Sunni" in Arabic comes from a word meaning "one who follows the traditions of the Prophet."
On the other hand, some Muslims share the belief that leadership should have stayed within the Prophet's own family, among those specifically appointed by him, or among Imams appointed by God Himself.
The Shia Muslims believe that following the Prophet Muhammad's death, leadership should have passed directly to his cousin/son-in-law, Ali. Throughout history, Shia Muslims have not recognized the authority of elected Muslim leaders, choosing instead to follow a line of Imams which they believe have been appointed by the Prophet Muhammad or God Himself. The word "Shia" in Arabic means a group or supportive party of people. The commonly-known term is shortened from the historical "Shia-t-Ali," or "the Party of Ali." They are also known as followers of "Ahl-al-Bayt" or "People of the Household" (of the Prophet).
And I am wracking my brains for a way to blame this on the Jews somehow. Because, you know, THEY must somehow be responsible.
On Sunday, August 15, a 16-year-old girl in the town of Neka, northern Iran, was executed. Ateqeh Sahaleh was hanged in public on Simetry Street off Rah Ahan Street at the city center. The sentence was issued by the head of Neka’s Justice Department and subsequently upheld by the mullahs’ Supreme Court and carried out with the approval of Judiciary Chief Mahmoud Shahroudi. In her summary trial, the teenage victim did not have any lawyer and efforts by her family to recruit a lawyer was to no avail. Ateqeh personally defended herself. She told the religious judge, Haji Rezaii, that he should punish the main perpetrators of moral corruption not the victims. The judge personally pursued Ateqeh’s death sentence, beyond all normal procedures and finally gained the approval of the Supreme Court. After her execution Rezai said her punishment was not execution but he had her executed for her "sharp tongue".
The High Court of Justice on Wednesday canceled land seizure orders issued by the army applying to 30 of 40 kilometers of the route of the separation fence west of Jerusalem because of the "disproportionate harm" it would cause the 35,000 Palestinians living in the area.
The decision, handed down by Supreme Court President Aharon Barak, Deputy President Eliahu Mazza, and Justice Mishael Cheshin, establishes criteria for dealing with more than 20 other petitions protesting the route of various sections of the fence in the central part of the country and greater Jerusalem.
The petition was submitted by attorney Muhammad Dahla on behalf of many Palestinian villages in the area, including Beit Surik, Bidu, El-Kubeiba, Katanna, Beit Anan, Beit Likya, Beit Daku, and Beit Azaja, and farmers and landowners (emphasis mine - Ed) whose lands were either confiscated for the fence or cut off from their homes by the fence.
What's the relevance? That Israel is moral. That Iran is not. And that therefore articles like referred to here are as morally bankrupt as is Iran itself.
And that it is a good thing that this site exists.
A few days ago, in a very angry mood (two children were brutally murdered by Arab psychotics firing rockets at random in the general direction of an Israeli town, Sderot), I wrote that I feel the Arabs should pay a hundred-to-one. A hundred dead Arabs for every Israeli murdered.
I don't know if I'm still that angry, or wether I simply really feel this way, but it's good to know I'm not alone. Steven Plaut feel this way:
A single Kassam, mortar shell, Katyusha, suicide bomber or large rock used by the PLO or its affiliates in Gaza to attack S'derot will result in the saturation bombing of the entire Gaza Strip. Sharon need not worry, because there will be no Jews or Israeli soldiers there to risk getting hit or to be blamed. If the Gaza Strip is simply emptied of population due to the retaliation shelling, well, that is no worse a consequence than S'derot being emptied out as a result of Oslo cowardice and defeatism.
He makes a long and very valid point before he comes to this conclusion. He shows that Israeli media and politicians are all but indifferent to what happens to the people of Sderot.
Let us emphasize that S'derot is not in the Gaza Strip. It is in pre-1967 Israel, well with the Green Line. It is not a "settlement", unless one considers Tel Aviv and Haifa also to be settlements.
Like me, he also is convinced that unless harshly dealt with, it will not stop with the forced evacuation of Sderot.
There is absolutely no doubt that the moment Sharon's unilateral capitulation to terror is implemented in Gaza next year - when the Jewish "settlers" are expelled, when Jews are prohibited thereafter from entering Gaza, and when not a single Israel soldier will be stationed any longer inside the Gaza Strip - the carnage from the Kassams will escalate enormously. S'derot will simply be emptied out, in the next stage of the Oslo capitulation and appeasement. Ashkelon has already been targeted by Kassam missiles from Gaza and is likely to be the next town down the line to be emptied under PLO fire.
So a hundred-to-one then. Bring on the Qassams. We have Hellfire's a-plenty.
... then don't report it! This must be what the MSM (= Mainstream Media) are thinking.
Jonah Goldberg clearly has other ideas. He wonders why the MSM has refused to report on the current struggle going in Iran, a struggle against the Mad Mullahs and in favour of freedom and humanity.
...Iran is poised for a democratic revolution.
Tehran and several other cities have been wracked in recent days with widespread anti-government protests and violent crackdowns by government forces. Buildings have been set ablaze, and exiles are calling for revolution. According to reports on Activistchat.com, a website dedicated to freeing Iran from the oppressive rule of the mullahs, numerous protestors have been killed. Ledeen — who has many sources inside Iran and out — reports that the roundups and executions of young men have picked up at a terrific pace. Iran has staged 120 public hangings since March, according to the government's own news agency.
The unpopularity of the mullahs, primarily with the younger, Western-oriented generation, is causing panic inside the regime. The appeal of revolutionary theocracy has been bled dry. The Christian Science Monitor reported — some would say "reluctantly reported" — that discontent with the regime and a desire for "change" according to various "polls" equals 90 percent.
And why is this not reported? Because at least to some degree, this fervor is a direct result of the policy and actions of President Bush. And we wouldn't want to see anything positive come out of anything HE does, now would we?
Even if this weren't such a powerful human-interest story, it would still be appalling how completely the mainstream media have downplayed what could be one of the most important news stories of our lives. If Iran were to throw off the shackles of the mullahocracy in favor of anything like a sane, decent, and democratic regime, it would be the most significant advance for freedom and decency since the fall of the Berlin Wall. It would be a national-security victory of staggering proportions.
So here's why we should all be ashamed we haven't paid more attention to this situation: The only way Iranian regime change will ever come about is if we — Americans, Europeans, the West — want it to. By ignoring the story, the press is in effect lending its support to the corrupt theocrats ruling Iran. One can't help but think this story is particularly inconvenient to those who think no good could ever come, even as a partial result, of the president's foreign policy.
Iran is arguably the very epicenter of global terrorism. It funds, trains and spawns groups like Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah and the Al-Sadr milita. It will give anything to get its hands on nuclear weapons. But the media would rather ignore what could become a revolution than pay attention and thus indirectly help, because it might show that not everything Bush does is a disaster. And that is just inconceivable.
This is Hanan Ashrawi. Official 'Palestinian' spokesperson.
She looks nice, doesn't she? When I first saw her on TV, I thought to myself "If the Arabs can put people like her in the lead, this problem will go away in no time. We can talk with her".
And although her tongue has become a bit sharper since her entrance onto the world stage, she still mostly says things like this (in public anyway).
"Peace with justice is not an abstract value; it is a real determining factor of our lives. It is a most basic human right, and we appreciate everything you've done, in order not just to talk about peace with justice for Palestine and Israel, but also to act on that basis"
This quote comes from a video message to the World Council of Churches.
Hanan Ashrawi is PA cabinet member and 'Palestinian' spokesperson. She is Arab. She speaks Arabic. Chances are she's been speaking Arabic since she was 18 months old...
So she must know what's being said at the other end of the PA political spectrum.
Sheikh Ibrahim Madiras told the Arab neighbors of the Jews in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza:
"The Prophet said: the Resurrection will not take place until the Muslims fight the Jews, and the Muslims kill them. The Muslims will kill the Jews, rejoice [in it], rejoice in Allah's Victory. The Muslims will kill the Jews, and he [the Jew] will hide. The Prophet said: the Jews will hide behind the rock and tree, and the rock and tree will say: O servant of Allah, o Muslim this is a Jew behind me, come and kill him! Why is there this malice? Because there are none who love the Jews on the face of the earth: not man, not rock, and not tree everything hates them. They destroy everything. They destroy the trees and destroy the houses. Everything wants vengeance on the Jews, on these pigs on the face of the earth, and the day of our victory, Allah willing, will come."
Ashrawi is no fool. She plays her part, and she plays it beautifully. Few Jews are fooled by her, but the English-speaking world loves her, and is taken in by her secular, sophisticated looks and a demeanor that radiates reason and rationality. But she is part and parcel of a society that thinks and acts like this:
Numerous times in recent years, Arab religious leaders and academics in the areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority have taught publicly that the Islamic teaching calling for the murder of Jews applies today. Even Ashrawi herself, according to PMW Director Itamar Marcus,
"did not condemn in Arabic the suicide bombing that killed tens in a Jerusalem pizza shop, or the hundreds of civilians murdered on buses, in recent years. Not even once... The first public statement against suicide terrorism in Arabic was made by Ashrawi only in an open petition she signed with other Palestinians in the Al-Quds newspaper on June 19, 2002... However, even a simple reading of the petition shows that she explicitly does not reject terror as a tool when it is politically effective, but only when it causes political damage. The petition does not include a single word of condemnation of suicide terrorism, and does not rule out terrorism at times when it is an effective tool. It deals entirely with the negative political results of suicide terrorism now for her cause."
Marcus concludes: "Ashrawi is not a moderate by any Western standard. She is a slick terrorist supporter who understands the importance of public relations, proper timing and spin for terrorism."
They are crude, unguided two-metre-long steel weapons filled with explosives, that seldom do much damage but occasionally cause injuries.
They are quick to assemble, quick to launch and they land moments after being fired. Before Israel's forces can respond, the rocketeers have fled the scene.
On two occasions they have proved lethal.
It's true. On two occasions Arab terrorists were successfull in using Qassams to murder Jews. Four fatalities altogether, three of which were little children.
There are also dozens of wounded, something the BBC neglects to mention. Also, the terror of having hundreds and hundreds of these 2 meter (=more than 6 feet) rockets raining on your town is disregarded by the BBC.
Otherwise, the BBC report is accurate. And it should make clear to anyone why the IDF is doing what it's doing now in Gaza. Left unchecked, the Arab terrorists, supported by Egypt, will increase range, power and accuracy of the rockets, and make life hell for Israeli's far beyond the Gaza 'border'.
As I predicted they would, the US saved Israel from another outrageously biased SC resolution. It was drafted by the 'Palestinian' representative and sponsored by Algeria (gee, that country usually only pops up when an axe-wielding maniac tries to down an airplane (TRUE STORY!) or something). Anyway,
The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 11 in favor and one against, with Britain, Germany and Romania abstaining.
Eleven in favor. The European countries could not find it in themselves to vote against, despite their objections.
Eleven in favor, and there was 'only' one Arab country on the SC this time.
After the vote, Algeria's U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Baali, the only Arab member of the council, thanked the resolution's supporters and noted that the measure got more than the minimum nine "yes" votes needed for adoption.
The unexpurgated Koran offers the perfect “moral” game plan for killers who are fundamentally the same as Charles Manson, Richard Speck, or the Son of Sam, obsessed with death, their victims’ and their own. After all, Mohammed commands the true Moslem to:
“Kill the disbelievers where we find them.”
“Slay or crucify or cut the hands and feet of the unbelievers.”
“Strike off the heads of the disbelievers…(make a) wide slaughter of them…”
Those are just samplers from the Koran.
Cline characterizes Islamic extremism as Nihilism. And there's a lot to say for doing so. Extreme proponents like Al-Zarqawi clearly have nothinn on their mind than mayhem for mayhem's sake.
In her later writings, especially in Atlas Shrugged, Miss Rand identified the nature of the beast, that is, its motive and purpose: a hatred of existence, of the good for being the good; and destruction of it for the sake of destruction, and killing for the sake of killing.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines nihilism (which, as a political philosophy, first appeared in Tsarist Russia) as: “Negative doctrines in religion or morals; total rejection of current religious beliefs or moral principles.” In a strictly philosophical context, nihilism is “an extreme form of skepticism, involving the denial of all existence,” or “nothingness, non-existence.”
The Columbia Encyclopedia describes the modus operandi of nihilist “activists” in Russia, which differ not an iota from the contemporary terrorist methods of Al-Quada, Hamas, Hezballah, the IRA, Basque Separatists, and other terrorist organizations:
“Nihilism stressed the need to destroy existing economic and social institutions, whatever was to be the nature of the better order for which the destruction was to prepare…” Agreement between different programs of nihilism “was not essential to the immediate objective, destruction. Direct action, such as assassination and arson, was characteristic. Such acts were not necessarily directed by any central authority. Small groups and even individuals were encouraged to plan and execute terroristic acts independently.”
Anne Bayefsky must be my favourite author, certainly on the subject of Israel and the UN. In this article at NationalReview she disects the world accordinn to Kerry, would that man ever become President of the US.
She supplies us with a useful UN-NormalSpeak dictionary, so we too can understand what UN members mean when words come out of their mouths:
Let's sum up the rules of the U.N. game as set out by its most ardent fans from France to Cuba over September's festivities:
(1) Democracy is the governing principle between countries (read outvoting the United States), regardless of the rights of actual inhabitants.
(2) International measures to insist on democracy within states constitute unacceptable interference in a state's internal affairs.
(3) Nuclear non-proliferation is O.K. in theory provided it won't be put into practice until Israel and the United States are weapons-free, and any pressure in the meantime is oppression of developing countries.
(4) The only acceptable contributions of developed countries to the affairs of developing countries are cash donations.
(5) Terrorism is defined as harming one's friends, so Israelis are fair game.
(6) Israel is the greatest threat to world peace.
(7) Sudan should be commended for its role in reducing the spontaneous humanitarian crisis within its borders and anything but minute numbers of friendly neighboring forces would be an illegitimate interference in Sudanese sovereignty.
(8) The U.N. is the centerpiece of all legitimate international action concerning peace, security, self-defense, and the war against terrorism.
And then she administers that sick demented %&!* Kofi Annan another kick in the sensitive parts.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan works well at the top of this heap. He opened this year's Assembly by drawing moral parallels between the ongoing acts of unrepentant terrorists in the name of religion and the isolated acts of American soldiers condemned and punished by their countrymen. Annan said: "[W]e see civilians massacred in cold blood and...non-combatants...taken hostage and put to death in the most barbarous fashion. At the same time, we have seen Iraqi prisoners disgracefully abused." In his address, Annan named only one country in the world as violating international law through the "excessive use of force." You guessed it: Israel.
Into this toxic mix came President Bush with a message as honest as it was different. While the secretary general never once mentioned "democracy," "free speech," "political parties," "free press," "trade unions," "independent courts," every one of these was central to the president's address to the General Assembly. Announced the president in a statement which should have warmed tender hearts from Turtle Bay to Massachusetts: "For too long, many nations, including my own, tolerated, even excused, oppression in the Middle East in the name of stability. Oppression became common, but stability never arrived. We must take a different approach.
Moral equivalence. No actual concern for "democracy" "free speech" "political parties" "free press" "trade unions" "independent courts". No, it's the US President, to whom the world could barely be bothered to listen, and who is generally reviled for his unilateral position on issues like trade, terrorism, and just basic "right and wrong", who has to remind the world that it's not about Israel.
Nonie Darwish. She's graced these pages before. Her mere existence gives hope for the future of Muslims, and mankind in general.
I was born a Muslim and raised in the 1950’s in Cairo, Egypt and in the Gaza strip. A moderate form of Islam was prevalent in those days. But destructive forces loomed large in other aspects of Arab society – in particular, shame and pride. Arab culture, not Islam, taught me to hate.
In 1978, I moved to the United States, bringing the usual baggage and prejudice from a Middle East upbringing: fear of Jews, of government, of speaking my own mind. I had lived through the ‘56, ’67, and ‘73 wars with Israel, which left me with deep skepticism of authority. A new and pleasant life in America soon opened my mind – and allowed me to look objectively at myself and my culture of origin.
To admit one’s flaws and mistakes, to correct and repent, challenges a person of any nationality. In Muslim culture, however, it is inconceivable. To acknowledge one's shortcomings before first blaming others would bring deep shame and dishonor not only to the individual but to his or her entire family. Those who admit fault, even unintentional guilt, are regarded as foolish. If the mistake is a cultural taboo, one's reputation may be scarred for life and the perpetrator might end up brutally punished.
In Arab society, I was discouraged from sinning out of fear of a wrathful God – and fear of society's cruel punishment, which awaited sinners right here on earth. There was no reward for loving humanity as whole, striving to improve oneself, and bringing out the best in the human spirit. Many aimed only to please brutal dictators, currying favor and wealth at the expense of their fellow Arabs. Such widespread corruption in a religious society may seem paradoxical.
Read it all. It gives insight. But more importantly, hope.
Repeat after me: The US is not our friend, The US is not...
It must seem very ungrateful of me to say the US is not a friend of Israel. After all, even today they're stopping the UN SC from adopting another outrageously biased resolution. So I do need to qualify the statement somewhat.
Most American citizens have positive feelings towards Israel. If they had anything to say about it, Israel would fare a lot better than it actually does today.
But Average Joe is not in charge. The US State department is.
And the US State department has been an outright enemy of Israel since before its inception. Please read "The Secret War Against The Jews" before even attempting to dispute the point.
But even if you never read this book, look at what goes on between the US and Saudi, and between the US and Egypt. Ever since Egypt and Israel signed the Camp David accords, Egypt's been receiveing more than two BILLION US dollars annually. Since September 11th, this amount has been augmented with further gifts or rewards for Egypt's 'staunch support' in the war on terror.
Well over 50 BILLION US DOLLARS so far.
Much of this support takes the form of weapons. The US has nothing to gain from giving Egypt weapons, but spending US tax dollars on US weaponry, to give to Egypt is nice for General Electric, Boeing, and all the other companies that make the weapons. So far so good. The US tax payer I should say then - has nothing to gain from giving Egypt billions of dollars worth of weapons. And the US has little to lose.
But Israel has EVERYTHING to lose.
Egypt today is a nation of some 70 million, with a huge standing army of about 440,000 plus reserves. After the 1978 peace agreement with Israel, Egypt embarked on a decades-long program of military buildup - this time with the top-of-the-line American weapons. They are building their army and equipment to match and even to surpass Israeli capabilities, thanks to U.S. aid. Their training exercises are all aimed at fighting a future war against Israel. Their populace and military remain indoctrinated with extreme hatred against Israel and against Jews.
It's not like Egypt hasn't done this before. Egypt went to war against Israel in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973. And when it wasn't actively engaged in war, it fought one by proxy, letting the 'Palestinians' do the murdering and dying.
Suppose Israel came under coordinated attack from Iran, Syria, Hezb'Allah, Hamas and Arafat’s Palestinian Authority - comprising a major threat. Then what would prevent Egypt from seizing the opportunity to join in that war? In 1967 Jordan attacked Israel with U.S.-supplied tanks in violation of U.S. assurances that they were only for defense. Jordan was not punished, but rather received replacements from America for those tanks lost to Israel. In like manner, there is no U.S. guarantee that Egypt would refrain from an unprovoked attack and Egypt’s own experience suggests that there would be no tangible U.S. opposition and Israel would be on her own. Our ongoing arming of Egypt, to the point where it can seriously threaten Israel while it remains hostile and in gross violation of its peace treaty, needs some explanation.
I gave the explanation, although I'm sure it is not news to ms Neuwirth. It is just too painful to face for many people.
Egypt is being armed by America far in excess of its legitimate defense needs and toward a growing offensive capability. Israel must now divert more of its limited resources to defending yet another border against a huge and powerful enemy. Israel is a country of only 5.5 million Jews, and they must defend against other implacable enemies in the region, totaling many times their size, and with some (Jordan and Saudi Arabia and not counting the Arab Gulf states) being armed with U.S.-supplied weapons.
Another reason Egypt prefers not to help us is that Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian dictator, might feel threatened by the emergence of a free and democratic Iraq in the region. It might give ideas to his own oppressed and exploited masses. He is busy grooming his son to become the next dictator over Egypt. And he won his last ‘election’ by some 99% of the vote. Of course he was the only candidate running! So, thanks to American indulgence, he is free to threaten Israel, arm the Palestinian terrorists and in general undermines U.S. attempts to democratize the Middle East.
And as long as US business interests dominate the foreign policy of the US, this will not change. There's no indication that it ever will. It's been like this for more than a century now, and the clique that dominates Foggy Bottom is as strong as ever. Please read the entire article, it is important stuff, if a bit sickening to ingest.
I've said it before, I'll say it again: Israel needs to rely on itself, and on NO ONE else.
Daniel Pipes has the following entry in his blog. It links to this piece about a group called "Hizb ut-Tahrir (Liberation Party)".
Scores of young men like him moved to Pakistan mainly from Britain and the United States to work for the Islamic cause.
With their trimmed beards and Western clothes, they stand in contrast to the turban and skull cap-wearing traditional followers of local Islamic parties. But their anti-West rhetoric is as radical as that of their more orthodox counterparts.
Intelligence officials say the shadowy network is taking root among educated Pakistanis and a few of its members are under surveillance. Group members include engineers, chartered accountants, computer experts and doctors.
This has become something of a theme for me lately: Where does Islamic extremism originate from? What causes men such as described above to strive for a society that constricts human beings in every conceivable way? Women even more than men? And strive in a way that knows no limitations. There are no taboos. Everything goes. And while the West gives them every oportunity to study and prosper, this just makes them hate us more.
I am interested in what drives these men. I truly am. However, a higher priority I place on killing them before they achieve their ideals. My way of life allows freedom for everyone else on this planet, as long as they let me be. Their way of life means death, both spiritual and physical for me and all my family.
So I am interested. Just not as interested as I am in seeing them dead.
US Ambassador John Danforth said Monday another Security Council resolution was not the answer and admonished the council, which he said "acts as the adversary of the Israelis and cheerleader to the Palestinians."
Just to remind people why the Israeli's are back in Gaza:
Gillerman told the council on Monday, that 460 Kassam rockets have been fired indiscriminately at "innocent civilians as they lie in their beds, sit in their living rooms or take their children to school," said Gillerman.
But while the murderers do not yet have their own country, they do have their 'UN representative', who can count on just about the entire General Assembly and most of the Security Council to vote for them.
The UN is a sick, diseased travesty. Small wonder too, considering most of the countries that make up its membership.
The UN's refugee agency said it wanted to ensure genuine refugees were not expelled along with illegal migrants arriving by sea from North Africa.
Genuine refugees? In the Arab context, WHAT ARE THOSE? No one in his right mind wants to live in Algeria or Lybia, only an Arab could!
You can treat the huge influx of illegal Muslim immigrants as an isolated issue. But it is not. As Bat Ye'or shows above, there is a conscious political movement to Islamize Europe. Results of this movement can be seen here.
According to the United Nations, Europe's Muslim population has doubled in the last decade, and an estimated half a million new immigrants -- most of the from Muslim nations -- arrive every year.
Some Muslims in Europe resist the call to assimilate into the culture of their new home. Many Muslims live in separate, parallel societies where poverty and rampant unemployment are further distancing Muslim youths from the mainstream life of their adopted homeland.
That 'distance' is a good thing, as far as the immigrants are concerned. There never was a need or desire to blend in. They never had anything in mind but transplanting their culture and beliefs into ours. And with such flooding of Europe through Italy, France and Spain (both legal and illegal), and a reproductive rate of five-to-one, Europe's days as a Judeo-Christian culture are rapidly diminishing.
I wrote yesterday on the capturing on videotape of a UN ambulance being used to transport Arab weaponry.
The UN official responsible for the UNRWA staff is Peter Hansen. This man has a long history of open hostility towards Israel (in keeping with the tradition established by his employer). On this issue he had this to say:
"Oh I am sure that there are Hamas members on the UNRWA payroll and I don't see that as a crime. Hamas as a political organization does not mean that every member is a militant and we do not do political vetting and exclude people from one persuasion as against another," Hanson told CBC TV.
"We demand of our staff, whatever their political persuasion is, that they behave in accordance with UN standards and norms for neutrality," he said.
UNRWA is paid largely by the US and the EU. UNRWA is staffed largely by Hamas. Whose sole raison d'etre is murdering Jews. And they get paid for it even. Talk about career opportunities.
Annan issued a statement Sunday through a spokeswoman condemning Israel's actions. He urged the Israeli government "to halt its military incursions into the Gaza Strip, which have led to the deaths of scores of Palestinians, among them many civilians, including children.
"The secretary-general likewise calls on the Palestinian Authority to take action to halt the firing of rockets against Israeli targets by Palestinian militants. He reminds both sides to this conflict that they have a legal obligation to protect all civilians."
Condemning Israel. Calling on the PA to take action.
This isn't even a case of misplaced moral equivalence, no, Israel is condemned for taking action after Arabs murder two children. A murder which is not an isolated case but which fits a pattern of constant and sustained rocket attacks against a town completely outside of any officially disputed area.
I am not going to write here what I would like Al-Zarqawi to do to Annan. Perhaps you can guess. I don't think Al-Zarqawi would though: Annan is one of his greatest allies.
Israel presses on with Gaza operation
Coming out of the closet more and more, I should say. Distinguishing between mere belligerence from the UN and outright war is becoming more and more difficult. I wrote earlier of the way the UN whitewashes Arab terrorism, and assists in transporting men and materiel for the murderers. Well, here's another fine example.
Israel has once again documented United Nations involvement in anti-Israel terrorism. The IDF Spokesman's Office disseminated a short video clip yesterday, showing terrorists loading a UN ambulance van with a Kassam rocket.
So what does UNRWA say?
UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Work Agency) Gaza district chief Peter Hansen says, "We want to get to the bottom of this" - but at the same time denied the Israeli allegations. Hansen said that the item being placed into the UN ambulance van is not a rocket but rather a stretcher. He said that a rocket weighs close to 50 kilograms [32 kilograms, or 70 lbs. - ed.], and that "only Goliath and not even a weight-lifting champion could lift such a heavy weight and throw it with one hand into the back of the van," as the man is seen doing on the film.
Israel officially demands Hansen's dismissal, based on this and other incidents of perceived pro-Palestinian activity by him. A letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan by Israel's Ambassador Dan Gillerman states, "Hansen has ministerial and practical responsibility for the disreputable use of the UN van and the transport of the lethal Kassams... Instead of serving the interests of peace, the UN enlists in Gaza - apparently with Hamas' knowledge, on the side of terrorism."
Read it all. If you have the stomach for it. Update: Read more on the UN's atrocious position here.
15 months ago, the Hamas terror organization won more than 90% of the vote to run the UNRWA workers union in the UNRWA Arab refugee camps in Gaza. The salaries of UNRWA workers are paid through contributions that UNRWA receives from 38 contributing countries. The U.S. provides 30% of that budget, Canada contributes 4% of that budget, and the European countries contribute well over 55% of that budget.
In other words, the western democracies of the world pay the salaries of the Hamas terrorists on the payroll of UNRWA.
During a special UNRWA conference on the subject of Palestinian Arab refugees in Geneva last June, I asked UNRWA Director Peter Hanson about the fact that Hamas dominated his personnel. Hansen did not deny that fact. Instead, Hansen remarked that, "UNRWA does not check the religious affiliation of its workers" – as if the Hamas was some kind of religious denomination.
The FrontPageMag article goes into quite a bit of detail regarding the 'elections' to the 'clerks unions'. The outrageous truth is that Western countries are effectively paying Hamas to murder Jews. Under the auspices of the UN. What a cozy little arrangement. Annan must be really pleased!
As the war in Gaza is intensifying, it should become clear to even the most willfully blind that abandoning Gaza to the barbarians is only the first step in abandoning Israel entire.
Why is this so?
If Sharon would have his way, Gaza would become an Arab-controlled entity. An area from which assaults can be staged at will, because all preparations for such assaults would be unhindered.
But more immediate is the example of Sderot. Sederot is situated eight km (five miles) away from Gaza. Yet already it is under constant rocket attack from a Gaza that still has an IDF presence in and near it.
The rockets being fired are crude, simple devices, but already quite capable of killing. The most recent victims are two children, aged two and four, but they were not the first victims. I am afraid they won't be the last either, and it seems the people of Sderot feel the same way, because thousands are fleeing the city. And this brings me to my point of abandoning Israel.
At present, Sderot is the principal target because it is the largest target the Arabs can yet reach. People are fleeing Sderot, and who can blame them? The IDF has sofar shown itself incapable of protecting them.
Fleeing outside the range of the Qassam rockets seems a natural, if shortsighted act. Soon, anywhere the current Qassams can reach will be off limits for Israeli's, and a form of no-mans land will be created.
And this no-mans land will be as wide as the Qassams (or whatever other weaponry the Arabs can come up with) can reach. The no-mans land will become a disputed area, not officially but in practice, because there will be no people living there, so the only way Israel will have any semblance of control over it will be through patrolling it vigorously. But the only other people in the area besides the IDF will be terrorists. And remember, this is on land that no one (besides the murderers of course) disputes is Israel's land. So the IDF is then faced with a constant battle for control of land which is officially Israel's. If this fight is abandoned or lost, the no-mans land becomes de-facto Arab land. From which attacks will be staged against the adjoining area's.
And even though the fight therefore can never be lost, it also cannot be won. Because the enemy lives in Gaza, unhindered, safe, supplied by sea, air and land, and supported by Egypt.
Gaza, more than any other part of Israel, should be made an undisputed part of Israel. All arabs living there should be moved one way or another into Egypt or any other country of their choosing. Then, if the Arabs want to wage war, they'll have no place to do it from or hide in that Israel can't properly and officially strike back at. If Egypt then still persists in this war, it can no longer do so by proxy. And it can be made to answer for its actions.
At the same time, Hamas and the rest of the murderers will loose their base of operations. They will effectively become Egyptians or Jordanians, and can be dealt with as such by Israel.
The international community accepts whatever the 'Gazans' do. A de-facto state of war, as long as only the Arabs fight it is perfectly legitimate to the UN, the EU, and the world at large. Even the US are clear in their position on Gaza: As far as they are concerned, it belongs to the Arabs.
Even if it rightfully did (which it DOESN'T), practical considerations should force Israel to create the no-mans land zone INSIDE of gaza, and not by default let towns like Sderot become the no-mans land. Because it will not end there.
Asked during a visit to the front Sunday what the army would do if the Palestinians start firing longer range Kassams, Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya'alon answered curtly that, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
But in truth, the IDF is trying to ensure that Hamas never does come to it. Backed by the Shin Bet, the IDF has embarked on a campaign to shatter the Kassam rocket industry in Gaza.
I can't believe this is the scope of the vision of the IDF. To 'embark on a campaign to shatter the Kassam rocket industry in Gaza'. Even if you manage to destroy all metalshops, all explosives, and kill everyone who knows just how to light a fuse, what will you accomplish? Will anything have changed three months after the IDF successfully concludes this mission and withdraws? Of course not. New materials will be imported from Egypt, along with the people who can construct the rockets.
Why doesn't Egypt attack Israel, and why doesn't Syria? Because they'll get beaten severely. But now these terrorist nations get Israel to bleed, and pay no price.
The no-mans land is to be created inside Gaza. Fine. If you make it as wide and as deep as the rockets can reach, soon no Arab can live there anyway.
As I stated before: Desperation and poverty are not the cause of terrorism. In this Guardian article it is documented that one of the perpetrators of the Beslan massacre was a British citizen, and that two others also had been active in the UK.
A member of the group responsible for the Beslan school massacre last month is a British citizen who attended the infamous Finsbury Park mosque in north London, The Observer can reveal.
Two other members of the group, loyal to Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, are also believed to have been active in the UK until less than three years ago. They are suspected of taking part in the raid on the school in which 300 people, half of them children, died.
Russian security sources described Kamel Rabat Bouralha, 46 years old and the oldest of the three, as a 'key aide' of Basayev, who has a £5.5 million price on his head. Basayev has boasted of training the men who took control of the school and wired it with explosives. Investigators believe that the three men, all Algerian-born, travelled to Chechnya from London to take part in fighting there in 2001.
All Algerian-born. Even in the Arab world, that country must really be the pits, for it to spawn so much of the scum that makes up the world Islamic Terrorist Brotherhood.
The Guardian tries to ridicule the Russians for claiming a link between the Chechen terrorists and Al-Qaeda.
According to Russian security sources, there are up to 300 Arab mercenaries operating with rebel formations in Chechnya. However, Moscow has been keen to exaggerate 'foreign' elements among Chechen militants, often blaming 'al-Qaeda' despite little evidence to suggest the group's involvement.
Leftist newsoutlets like the Guardian like to keep up the notion that there is no link between terrorism in Chechnya (and its overflow into Russia itself), Israel, Indonesia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Saudi, Kenya, etc, etc. This despite the claims of the terrorists themselves!
No, as far as the Guardian is concerned, the cause of terrorism in Israel is the 'occupation'. The cause of terrorism in Chechnya is the Chechens' 'love of freedom'. In Indonesia? Why it must be those drunken Australian infidel bastards! And so on. And in that same spirit, what possible motive could a British-born and raised Muslim have for murdering Jewish children in Israel, or an Algerian-born, lifelong citizen of the UK for mudering Russian children in Beslan?
Keep head firmly in sand. At least that way you won't see the dull knife coming to saw your own head off when the time comes.
We search the purses of little old ladies so that recent immigrants from Saudi Arabia named "Mohammed" wearing massive backpacks don't get singled out.
