Tel-Chai Nation

Moshe Phillips explains on News Real Blog why Hosni Mubarak may go to the House of Saud for refuge and retirement if he's ousted:

The so-called Arab Street knows something that most Americans don’t–and that the media has thus far missed.

For decades, Saudi Arabia has sheltered the most brutal, anti-American and anti-Semitic dictators and strongmen that the Islamic world has to offer. Despite half a dozen successive U.S. administrations’ claims to the contrary the Saudis are not the benign trustworthy American allies they seek to be portrayed as. The rogue’s gallery of criminals that the House of Saud has given sanctuary and protection to should be clear evidence of that.

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the former president of Tunisia, is just the latest to take advantage of Saudi hospitality.

Spot on, and there's more at the link. It wouldn't surprise me if they'd given haven to nazi war criminals following WW2. Mubarak has proven himself just as bad as many other dictators in the Islamic world, and he'd fit right in with the awful Saudi monarchy.

Labels: anti-americanism, anti-semitism, Egypt, House of Saud, islam, jihad, terrorism

The AFP, as is often the case, isn't providing very good coverage, but the news itself is important to note:

The Israeli army on Monday rearrested Hamas lawmaker Mohammed Jamal al-Natsh, five months after he was released from prison, Palestinian security officials said.

Natsh, 53, was arrested in the West Bank town of Hebron.

He spent eight years in detention, Palestinian officials said, during which time he ran elected for office.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said Natsh was rearrested "because he's a Hamas activist," but did not elaborate.

Israel has in recent months begun rearresting dozens of Palestinian MPs with the Islamist movement Hamas who were first detained in 2006 after Gaza militants seized Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

And the Hamas officials should be kept locked away, because they're hell-bent on Israel's destruction, and it helps in the war on terrorism.

Labels: anti-semitism, islam, Israel, jihad, terrorism, war on terror

The New York Sun has written about Ariel Sharon's POV of Egypt, but considering his act of defeatism and dhimmitude, I can only say that I wish I could appreciate this more than I do:

Some murmurs of surprise were heard. In theory, after all, Egypt and Israel had been at peace since Camp David. But the man who was about to become prime minister of Israel said that not only was Egypt the most hostile but it was also the most dangerous. It was the most populous Middle East country; it was influential in the Arab world. Egypt had something like 12 divisions in its Army alone, one of the 10 largest air forces in the world, and millions of males of military age. In recent years, it had been armed and trained by America. That worried him. He didn’t belittle the fact that some Egyptians were prepared to gamble on peace. But the gamble had cost President Sadat his life, and the peace had been cold. In the order of battle, the great strategist had his eye on Egypt.

As Egypt is engulfed in flames, we can’t help thinking of Ariel Sharon’s warning. He was prepared to treat with Mr. Mubarak, and did on a number of occasions, but he never had illusions about him. He was well aware of Mr. Mubarak’s machinations against Israel in the United Nations, of his agitation against Israel’s nuclear capacity, of the fact that if Egypt really wanted to stop the arms smuggling into Gaza it would have.

But now, almost 6 years after he expelled Jews from their homes, and even came dangerously close to uttering something anti-semitic when he said that there would be no Jews left in Gaza after what he did, I'm afraid Sharon's viewpoint is largely nullified. Especially after the Hamas ultimately took over the Gaza strip, and rockets were fired at Jewish residences, mainly in Ashkelon.

Based on this, I don't think the NY Sun is making much of an impact. Granted, the view of Islamofascism dominating Egypt and why it's dangerous is a very vital argument, but Sharon is no longer someone to look to for the explanations, as he trashed them shortly before he went comatose.

I would recommend Prof. Paul Eidelberg instead, as he spotted the problems too, and unlike Sharon, Eidelberg hasn't betrayed his principles.

Labels: Egypt, islam, Israel, political corruption

Let's see, as Egypt continues to deteriorate on its way to sharia, the population's anger turns against Israel and the USA. And worse, El Baradei is in talks with none other than the Muslim Brotherhood to form a dictatorship worse than the current (via Jihad Watch):

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition group,is in talks with other anti-government figures to form a national unity government without President Hosni Mubarak, a group official told DPA on Sunday. [...]

Gamal Nasser, a spokesman for the Brotherhood, told DPA that his group was in talks with Mohammed ElBaradei - the former UN nuclear watchdog chief - to form a national unity government without the National Democratic Party of Mubarak.

I wonder if Nasser is related to the dictator who dwelled in the 1950s? I did a search to make sure my knowledge was accurate that Gamal Abdel Nasser was the dictator - the second official one - in Egypt from 1956 till his death in 1970. The Brotherhood's spokesperson's name sounds surprisingly similar, so one can only wonder.

And seeing all this chaos forming, I feel I have to say: thank you Menachem Begin,* for signing a "peace treaty" with that nazi spy Anwar Sadat in 1979, and ceding the Sinai peninsula. This Expatica article, published just 2 years ago, gives some insight into how the nazis invested in monsters like Sadat during WW2. Because Begin had to be so stupid to even allow someone like Sadat into the country at the time, we ended up losing a defensible border. Now, because of that, not only did Israelis from Yamit lose their homes at the time, but if the Muslim Brotherhood rises, they could set up an army in the Sinai and use it as an attack base.

Begin's grave error is something to learn from, and it's going to be the hard way.

Update: Barry Rubin has written his own commentary about El Baradei.

* Benny Begin, his son, never attended the "anniversaries" held for this now crumbling peace treaty. He seems to understand.

Labels: anti-semitism, Egypt, islam, Israel, jihad, political corruption, terrorism, United States

The son of the horrific Ron Paul, the wolf in the flock on the conservative side, has told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that the US should cut foreign aid, including to Israel. He's already been panned by the RJC:

“We share Senator Paul's commitment to restraining the growth of federal spending, but we reject his misguided proposal to end US assistance to our ally, Israel,” said RJC Executive Director Matthew Brooks. "We are heartened to know that, with very few exceptions, congressional Republicans understand and appreciate the importance of this alliance to America's national security. And we are confident that few - if any - of Senator Paul's Republican colleagues will cosponsor a plan that reneges on an agreement with a critical ally."

Brooks also raised questions about Paul’s “grasp of the fundamentals of our alliance with Israel” based on his comments to Blitzer. “Any concern that US assistance might undermine Israel's security is groundless.”

When Blitzer asked about continuing aid to Israel, Paul replied, “When you send foreign aid, you actually [send] quite a bit to Israel's enemies, Islamic nations around Israel get quite a bit of foreign aid, too.”

He was apparently referring to aid to countries such as Egypt, which receives money as part of the peace treaty it signed with Israel.

“I don't think funding both sides of the arm race, particularly when we have to borrow the money from China to send it to someone else, we just can't do it anymore,” he said.

Hot Air's got a video available. If my calculations are correct, he may be blurring the differences here between Israel and its enemies in the Islamic world. It's so morally equative, and similarly so blatant, I'm devastated that anyone would associate themselves with this man who, like his own father, gives "libertarianism" a bad name.

I think some of the people who supported Rand Paul in his campaign may owe an apology now. He certainly does.

Labels: Egypt, islam, Israel, United States, US Congress

Stratfor reports that Hamas may be coordinating their positions with the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been the source of more or less every Islamic terrorist movement, including Hamas, since their origins in the 1920s in Egypt (Hat tip: Power Line). And while Hamas can exaggerate its roles, there's still cause for concern.

Update: be sure to also read this item for more on the Muslim Brotherhood.

Update 2: and also note this American Thinker item, which rightly wonders if this is 1979 all over again, when Jimmy Carter made overtures to the Islamists in Iran, leading to the collapse of the Shah's rulership.

Labels: Egypt, islam, Israel, jihad, terrorism

I've read the news on how the riots in Tunisia have led to more riots, in Egypt, for example, and potentially to more sharia doorways as the middle east deteriorates. And Jordan looks like it may be headed in that direction too. With this, we have to wonder: are Muslim countries in the mideast about to get worse?

Labels: Egypt, islam, jordan

Dan Friedman at Big Peace writes about some alleged "rabbis" who're part of a group called "Jewish Funds for Justice" that attacked Glenn Beck for exposing George Soros' collaborations with the nazis during WW2. Their site doesn't have much about Judaism or history, if at all, and is clearly just another leftist front. Plus, where did they get their funding from?

Labels: communications, Moonbattery, United States

News Real Blog reports there's a new variation on Munich in the works depicting British police pursuing "Jewish terrorists" in 1940s Israel, titled "The Promised Land":

The movie is about the Zionist underground that opposed British rule in Mandatory Palestine in the early 1940s and will be set in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Colin Firth is starring in the movie. Matthew Macfadyen and Jim Sturgess play British police officers tasked with stopping the Zionist underground. The story is told from the British point of view; Zionist hero Avraham/Yair Stern is the main target. This is a story never told before in any major movie production. The British labeled Stern and his comrades as terrorists and criminals. The group eventually called itself the LECHI, or Fighters For the Freedom of Israel. It was maligned as the Stern Gang by the Brits.

Stern was driven by a desire to rid Israel of British rule at all costs. He knew that the British opposition to European Jewish immigration into the Mandate meant that his brothers and sisters would be left in the hands of the Nazis and would lead to horrific tragedy.

As in Steven Spielberg’s Munich (2005) Israelis will be depicted in such a way as to produce a strong sense of moral equivalence. There are no real good guys. Everyone has done wrong. All religions have their violent extremists.

What’s worse is that British director Michael Winterbottom revealed in an interview with ComingSoon.net that he brought a significant bias to the project. He labeled Stern a terrorist and is claiming it’s a true story. He stated in his interview “…right now, we’re wanting to do a film set in Palestine in the 1930s about British police chasing Jewish terrorist groups. There’s a guy called Avraham Stern, who was one of the leaders of the Jewish underground from when Britain was controlling Palestine, so it’s set in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and it’s about police trying to capture Stern and Stern trying to kill the police. It’s based on a true story.”

But not based on a fair viewpoint. Clearly, the British are still seething at our victory of throwing them out after all the trouble they caused us with their dhimmitude and betrayal. Their moonbat elitists have not changed a bit. They've never recognized us as a true entity, and it's clear they don't intend to. No wonder Winterbottom uses the demeaning P-name the Romans came up with to reference Israel as he does.

And we've come a long way since the time of 1960s Exodus, although that was an American production. But would you see a movie like that today even in Hollywood? I doubt it.

Labels: anti-semitism, Israel, londonistan, showbiz

Pamela Geller writes in the American Thinker (via Jihad Watch) about the opening trials of Islamofascists Muzzaimmil Hassan and Faleh Almaleki, who murdered their wife/daughter in cold blood. There's more on the first case here. Geller says:

In Buffalo, the moderate Muslim beheader and bridge-builder to the West, Muzzammil Hassan, was granted the right Monday to act as his own attorney. That should make for some interesting trial transcripts. Hassan had an attorney, Jeremy Schwartz, but Schwartz told the judge that he met with Hassan on Friday and they had an impasse and "irreconcilable differences and opinions" that go to the heart of the defense.

[...]

And in Arizona, an Iraqi Muslim named Faleh Almaleki went on trial this week for murdering his daughter for being too "westernized." The Almaleki trial damn near didn't happen. They were negotiating a plea deal for this cold-blooded adherent to the sharia. But readers of my website AtlasShrugs.com called, wrote, and e-mailed, and in a huge victory for Atlas readers who fought the impending plea deal, it was withdrawn.

Thank goodness. As she also tells in the article, the Muslim community knew of this yet nobody said anything, and it's clear then they're unreliable.

Both Hassan and Almaleki should receive the death sentence for their violent crimes, and everything must be done to prevent further tragedies like this from occurring.

Labels: islam, misogyny, United States

Big Peace reports about the outrage Richard Falk, an alleged human rights activist for the UN, caused with his own accusation that the US engineered the attacks in 9-11. Falk said the following:

Falk wrote in his personal blog on January 11 that there are "awkward gaps and contradictions in the official explanations" given for the attacks when hijacked jets crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington.

He said there was "an apparent cover-up" by the US government over its knowledge of the attacks masterminded by Osama bin Laden.

Falk said mainstream US media had been "unwilling to acknowledge the well-evidenced doubts about the official version of the events: an Al-Qaeda operation with no foreknowledge by government officials."

Truly disgusting, but what's really absurd is that, if you know where to look, there may have already been MSMers who've espoused the same 9-11 trutherism that he did. All this does is tell how many leftists of his standing don't respect one another on the whole.

Ban Ki-Moon, awful man he is himself, may have condemed his statements, but cannot fire Falk since he was appointed by the UNHRC. But then isn't that why those with common sense should quit the UN membership?

Labels: anti-americanism, UN corruption, United States

Big Peace has a video interview from CBN's Stakelbeck show with Edwin Black, which focuses on the Islam-nazi alliance, and also a horrific case largely unknown in the west, the massacre of Iraqi Jews in Baghdad in 1941. The book takes its title from the name of that horrific massacre.

Labels: anti-semitism, germany, Iraq, islam

This is a good development, and I hope the legislators will stand firm and do whatever needed to prevent dhimmis from trying to block it. From Human Events (via Jihad Watch):

COLUMBIA, S.C. - A legislative initiative aimed at preventing "a court or other enforcement authority" from enforcing foreign law in the Palmetto State was introduced today in both the S.C. House and Senate by Rep. Wendy Nanney (who drafted the bill) and Sen. Mike Fair respectively, who say the bill will preempt violations of a person's constitutional rights resulting from the application of foreign law. Legislators and other proponents of the bill say America has unique values of liberty which do not exist in foreign legal systems. Yet foreign laws are increasingly finding their way into U.S. court cases, particularly in the area of family law, involving divorce and child custody where, for instance, Islamic Shariah Law has been invoked in several U.S. states.

According to Christopher Holton with the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Security Policy (CSP), "There are numerous examples in dozens of states in which parties to such a dispute attempted to invoke Shariah."

David Yersushalmi [sic], general counsel to the CSP, argues it's not just "patently bad foreign laws [creeping into our court systems]," it's that once in the system, the state's police power would be used to "enforce laws that could never pass federal or state constitutional muster."

An interesting point. Everything must be done to prevent those kind of insanities from infiltrating democratic systems.

Labels: islam, United States

The Muslim convert Lauren Booth has actually declared she wants him tried for war crimes (via Big Peace):

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's sister-in-law Lauren Booth, a rights campaigner and Muslim convert, said on Wednesday that he should be tried for war crimes over the invasion of Iraq.

Booth, the half-sister of Blair's barrister wife Cherie, is in Malaysia for lectures organized by Viva Palestina, a British-based organization associated with controversial politician George Galloway.

Asked whether Blair should be arrested and sent to the International Court of Justice in The Hague for war crimes, Booth replied: "Absolutely. He misled the British people and took Britain to war on a lie."

The conflict in Iraq was "an offense", she told reporters after a speech at a Malaysian university, saying it was organized well in advance between Blair and the United States leadership.

Booth has been a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq, and a supporter of the Palestinian cause, and in 2008 travelled with other activists to Gaza by ship to protest against Israel's blockade of the territory.

And to top it all off, she lets out a backwards claim:

"Muslim women are not oppressed, it is Western women who are oppressed... Western women are bored, lonely and oppressed."

Somehow this doesn't surprise me coming from a British convert to the RoP.

And just look at that, lefty Blair can't please even his own relatives.

Labels: anti-americanism, anti-semitism, Asia, dhimmitude, Iraq, islam, Israel, jihad, terrorism

Melanie Phillips writes about the "leaked" documents published by al Jazeera, that Fatah supposedly gave up their claim to Jerusalem and other parts of Israel, and estimates that they're likely phonies. Barry Rubin's also written about them. What all this suggests is that al Jazeera's got an axe to grind with Fatah, and that no matter what their stand is on Israel, al Jazeera doesn't have much respect for Fatah.

Labels: islam, Israel, msm foulness

Marine le Pen, the daughter of the awful Jean-Marie le Pen, has taken over as leader of the Front National this past week. She may have said that she intends to change the party's image, and perhaps make it more friendly to Jews, for example, and even oppose Islamofascism. But there's still some very disquieting questions left unanswered. Commentary's Benjamin Weinthal has written about the Front National's associating with the repugnant "comedian" Dieudonne M'Bala, who just 2 years ago formed an anti-Zionist party. So far, there's no telling if they've actually distanced themselves from him yet.

I think it can be very easily said that, if Sarkozy and the UMP don't make a more serious effort to deal with the problems of Islamofascism, for example, they do risk allowing Marine le Pen to accomplish what her terrible father never could. And that wouldn't be good at all.

According to this post on GalliaWatch, some conservative sites are wary of the possibilities she'll let the mask slip. And this one tells even more alarming news, translated from Novopress and Infos Bordeaux:

Even though several journalists from publications, such as Minute, that advocate the same political positions as the Front National were not authorized to cover the convention in Tours, and other journalists were banned entry and even molested, the right hand man of the imam of Bordeaux received an accreditation in good and due form! Camel Bechikh (above) was in fact covering this weekend's convention of the Front National in Tours for the bimonthly journal Flash, a journal described by Jean-Yves Camus as the "organ of anti-globalization of the extreme Right", and in which essayist Alain Soral, who as we all know is very concerned about the "Zionist" question", writes a column. The international political news is supervised by Christian Bouchet, a radical supporter of Marine Le Pen within the Front National, and another adversary of "Zionism".

But Camel Bechikh is not a "journalist" like the others. He's not a journalist at all. A close associate of Tareq Oubrou, imam of the Bordeaux mosque and author of Profession Imam (published by Albin Michel), Camel Bechikh is in charge of public relations for the CBSP (Center for Aid to the Palestinians), an association connected to the UOIF (Union of Islamic Organizations of France) and high on the official list of terrorist organizations in Canada and the United States (both countries blame the CBSP for financing Hamas).

Camel Bechikh, who is head of the Muslim Scouts of France in the Aquitaine region, was the key figure in the April 2009 conference in Bordeaux that brought together Alain Soral and imam Tareq Oubrou.

Good god. So has the leopard changed its spots? Not by a longshot. There may be lawsuits being filed because of the assaults, and if the FN's allowing that kind of obnoxious behavior to go around in their headquarters, they deserve to be sued. The FN will definitely have to be monitored closely.

Update: John Rosenthal does some work on Pajamas Media, and discovers that not only is the Front National drawing a lot more support on the left, their hostility to free trade is really no different from the older le Pen's rhetoric from years before.

Labels: anti-semitism, France, islam, Israel

Terrorist attacks in Russia are increasing:

An explosion ripped through the international arrivals hall at Moscow's busiest airport on Monday, killing 31 people and wounding about 130, Health Ministry officials said.

Russian news agencies reported the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber and that the device was packed with shrapnel.

More at Jihad Watch. This is truly terrifying.

Update: the AP Wire (via Hot Air) notes that the airport's security is terrible:

Domodedovo is generally regarded as Moscow’s most up-to-date airport, but its security procedures have been called into question.

In 2004, two suicide bombers were able to board planes at Domodedovo by buying tickets illegally from airport personnel. The bombers blew themselves up in mid-air, killing all 90 people aboard the two flights.

But who knows if this'll serve as a wakeup call to the public about how their leaders - Putin and Medvedev - have let them down? If I were Russian, I'd certainly be angry that they did nothing to improve airport security, which they're tragically in charge of ever since they reinstated old communist tactics.

Labels: jihad, Russia

While this may not be new - for all we know, the Clinton administration probably did the same - it's still very astonishing. Here's a rundown of what's been gleaned:

The WikiLeaks website last week leaked a secret State Department cable from October 31, 2008, directing United States officials to spy on Israel. The cable, dated only days before the 2008 American presidential elections, was signed by then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The recently leaked cable reveals former U.S. President George W. Bush’s foreign policy czar instructing American diplomats in Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as well as the Defense Intelligence Agency and the CIA, to conduct a massive espionage operation against the Jewish state. The sought-for information covered all aspects of Israel’s political system, society, communications infrastructures and the Israel Defense Forces.

Regarding the IDF, US diplomats and spies were instructed to gather intelligence on planned Israeli military operations against the American-backed Palestinian Authority, Syria and Lebanon.

American agents were also asked to probe the attitudes of Israeli military commanders and to gather information on “IDF units, equipment, maintenance levels, training, morale, and operational readiness[;] IDF tactics, techniques and procedures for conducting conventional and unconventional counterinsurgency and counterterrorist operations[; and] Israeli assessment of the impact of reserve duty in the territories on IDF readiness.”

As for political leaders, Rice instructed diplomats and spies to provide detailed information about government plans, potential ways Washington can influence politicians, how politicians decide to launch military strikes, the attitudes of Israeli leaders towards the U.S. and more.

Rice also sought information about various aspects of Israeli society. She instructed diplomats and spies to gather details on everything from “Information on and motivations for any increased Israeli population emigration from Israel” to detailed information on Israeli residents of Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights.

Regarding residents of the Golan, Samaria and Judea, collectively labeled by Rice as “settlers,” the cable requested information on “Divisions among various settlement groups[;] details on settlement-related budgets and subsidies[;] settlers’ relationships with the Israeli political and military establishment including their lobbying and settlement methods.”

Bush’s secretary of state expressed deep interest in all details related to Israel’s military and nonmilitary communications infrastructure. For instance, she directed American officials to gather information on “Current specifications, vulnerabilities, capabilities, and planned upgrades to national telecommunications infrastructure, networks, and technologies used by government and military authorities, intelligence and security services, and the public sector.”

Perhaps most interesting, Rice requested personal data on Israeli leaders, asking for “official and personal phone numbers, fax numbers, and e-mail addresses of principal civilian and military leaders.”

Rice's secret orders also included espionage against the American-backed PA and its rival Hamas. The cable requested "biographical, financial and biometric information on key PA and Hamas leaders and representatives, to include the young guard inside Gaza, the West Bank and outside."

It is not presently known whether or how the information gathered on Rice's orders was put to use by the U.S. or if the espionage efforts against Israel put in place by the Bush administration are still in effect under President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Can there be any real difference then between Dubya's government and the senior Bush, or between Condi Rice and her predecessor James Baker? I don't think so. This is absolutely ludicrous. Caroline Glick writes more about this as well as the false charges that were leveled against 2 AIPAC officials:

Two documents reported on this week shed a troubling light on the US government's attitude toward Israel. The first is a 27-page FBI search warrant affidavit from 2004 targeting then senior AIPAC lobbyist Steve Rosen, published Wednesday in the Washington Times. The second is WikiLeaks leaked secret State Department cable from October 2008 signed by then secretary of state Condoleezza Rice directing US officials to spy on Israel. Both indicate that in certain quarters of the American government Israel is viewed as at best a banana republic and at worst an enemy of the US.

The text of the FBI affidavit directed against Rosen makes clear that the FBI had no particular reason to suspect that he was an Israeli agent or was harming US national security. Rosen's activities during his tenure as AIPAC's senior lobbyist as described in the affidavit -- meeting with government officials, journalists and Israeli diplomats -- were precisely the type of activities that lobbyists in Washington routinely engage in. Despite this the FBI followed Rosen for five years and indicted him and his AIPAC colleague Keith Weissman on felony charges under the all but forgotten 1917 Espionage Act. The FBI probe and subsequent trial harmed AIPAC's reputation, destroyed both men's careers, and did untold damage to the reputation of both the State of Israel and its American Jewish supporters. That it took five years for the Justice Department to drop these outrageous charges is a testament to the strength of the FBI's commitment to criminalizing American Jewish advocates of a strong US-Israel alliance.

And then there is Rice's secret cable. Just days before the 2008 presidential elections, the Secretary of State instructed US diplomats in Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia as well as the DIA and the CIA to conduct a massive espionage operation against Israel. The sought for information covered all aspects of Israel's political system, society, communications infrastructures and the IDF.

[...]

Taken side by side, the first striking aspect of the US's fabricated Israeli spy scandal on the one hand and its massive espionage operation against Israel on the other hand is the shocking hypocrisy of it all.

But hypocrisy isn't the real issue. The real issue exposed by the documents is that the US is carrying out a deeply hostile policy against Israel in the face of massive public support for Israel in the US. That is, whereas two thirds of Americans support Israel, a minority constituency in the US government treats Israel with scorn and hatred. And the question that arises from this is how is this minority able to get away with it? Part of the answer was exposed this week in the aftermath of Defense Minister Ehud Barak's move on Monday morning to break ranks with the Labor Party. To understand how the two issues are related it is important to understand the plight of Labor since the demise of the peace process with the PLO in 2000.

You can read the whole article, which tells how Tzipi Livni has replaced Barak as the American government's favorite politician, but for now, what can be said is that this does considerable damage to the reputation of some so-called conservatives, and tells why even the tea parties are going to have to campaign for better governmental policy.

Labels: anti-semitism, dhimmitude, islam, Israel, political corruption, United States

The Turkel committee, set up to investigate how Israel dealt with the Turkish flotilla fiends, has concluded that the IDF acted properly:

The four Israeli members and two international observers who composed the Turkel Commission to investigate the flotilla incident on May 31 unanimously agreed that Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and its overland import restrictions, as well as its military actions in capturing the Mavi Marmara were in accordance with international law.

According to the concluding remarks of the committee members and international observers, "The naval blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip – in view of the security circumstances and Israel's efforts to comply with its humanitarian obligations – was legal pursuant to the rules of international law. The actions carried out by Israel on May 31, 2010, to enforce the naval blockade had the regrettable consequences of the loss of human life and physical injuries. Nonetheless, and despite the limited number of uses of force for which we could not reach a conclusion, the actions taken were found to be legal pursuant to the rules of international law."

Here's also a witness account by a soldier who was attacked, and a video report here.

If there's anyone who's not impressed with the findings, it's none other than Turkish premier Tayyip Erdogan:

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday dismissed the Turkel Committee's findings defending the actions of IDF troops in the interception of a Turkish-led protest flotilla to Gaza last year.

Erdogan told reporters in Ankara that the report had "no value or credibility."

Well gee, he's already brought his anti-Israel standings to the fore. This shouldn't surprise anyone.

Update: more on the case at the Turkel site (via IsraeliGirl).

Labels: anti-semitism, islam, Israel, jihad, military, terrorism, turkey, war on terror

The Washington Post (via Hot Air Headlines) reports that a Georgetown U. study has discovered the murderer who's already in custody was the savage who murdered Pearl:

According to the new report, which was prepared by faculty members and students at Georgetown University, U.S. officials have concluded that vascular technology, or vein matching, shows that the hand of the unseen man who killed Pearl on video is that of Mohammed. The report also says Mohammed told the FBI that a senior al-Qaeda operative advised him to take control of Pearl from his original kidnappers.

The 31,000-word report, published in conjunction with the Center for Public Integrity at www.publicintegrity.org, is among the most complete and graphic accounts of Pearl's death. The 3 1/2-year investigation, called the Pearl Project, was led by Asra Q. Nomani, a former colleague of Pearl's at the Journal, and Barbara Feinman Todd, director of the journalism program at Georgetown.[...]

According to the report, Mohammed told FBI interrogators at Guantanamo Bay that he received a call from Saif al-Adel, an Egyptian and a senior figure in al-Qaeda.

Adel “says, ‘Listen, he’s been kidnapped. These people don’t know what to do with him. They want to know if we want him,’ ” Mohammed told the FBI, according to the report, which is based on hundreds of interviews as well as court records, FBI reports, and Pearl’s e-mails and personal notes. Adel “thought this was an opportunity. We can take advantage of it. He said he wanted to make sure it’s an Al Qaeda thing.”[...]

Mohammed slashed Pearl’s throat, killing him, but one of his accomplices failed to operate the video camera, which they had brought to capture the murder for propaganda purposes. Mohammed restaged the killing, this time decapitating Pearl, according to the report. He then dismembered Pearl’s body, and it was buried on the compound. Guards washed the bloody floor and then prayed, foreheads to the ground, on the same surface where their prisoner had just been killed, the report said.

For this, Mohammed must receive the death sentence. And afterwards, his shitty flesh should be cremated into hell. For now, everything must be done to ensure that Mohammed will not be released, and kept locked up tight.

Labels: anti-americanism, anti-semitism, islam, jihad, pakistan, terrorism, United States, war on terror

A mural artist down under has stood up for oppressed women, and defies leftist/Islamic bullying and threats (via Jihad Watch):

A SYDNEY artist whose anti-burka mural has infuriated left-wing and Islamic activists is vowing that the provocative artwork will stay in place despite death threats, abuse, a string of vandalism attacks, a violent weekend protest and a police request to remove it.

Newtown glass sculptor Sergio Redegalli has this week restored the mural painted outside his studio for more than the 40th time after dozens of graffiti and paint-bomb attacks by protesters who say it is racist and inflammatory.

In the latest incident last Sunday, a crowd of 50 activists hurled paint at the mural and then turned on police who had to call in reinforcements to restore order.

Seven men were arrested and charged with offences including resisting police, assaulting police and destroying or damaging property.

The charges will be heard in Newtown Local Court next month. Redegalli blames local left-wing groups, rather than Muslim activists, for the incident.

The sculptor, who is a well-known figure in inner-suburban Newtown, says he has since been visited by local police who asked him to take down the mural after learning of a threat to fire-bomb it.

He refuses to do so in the interests of free speech and public debate.

"I'm not going to let the bullies win," Redegalli told The Australian yesterday.

"I'm not doing it for pride (but because) I don't believe bullies have the right to stand over people and deny us our freedoms."

Redegalli painted the mural and slogan "Say no to burqas" on an exterior wall of his glassworks last September, after a local fashion designer received death threats over a plan to feature models wearing the traditional Islamic garment in a fashion parade.

The artist says his objective is to promote debate about the Islamic face veil, which he sees as a symbol of repression and violent extremism.

You know, he may be right, that this is more a problem with violent leftists than with Islamofascists. Maybe that's why his next mural should be "say NO to violent leftism".

Labels: Australia, islam, misogyny, Moonbattery

Big Peace presents a very chilling topic with videos included about Islamic support for throat cutting and intercourse with underaged girls. Most important part the author notes:

I recently found a perfect example of this in an Arabic-language fatwa from the website IslamOnline.net, which was founded by Yusuf al-Qaradawi and is currently listed as the sixth-most popular Islam-related website. The fatwa frankly admits that Islam makes it “permissible to have sexual intercourse with a prepubescent girl”; because, the fatwa continues, “It is true that the prophet (peace be upon him) entered into a marriage contract with A’isha when she was six years old, however he did not have sex with her until she was nine years old” (emphasis in original).

It makes no difference - she was still way underage, and aside from that, she was a slave. The part about neck cutting should be no surprise to anyone familiar with verse 47:4 in the Koran.

Labels: islam, misogyny

Michele Alliot-Marie was harrassed by a mob in Gaza:

French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie was attacked by a mob in Gaza on Friday morning. Her attackers were enraged over statements she had allegedly made the day before supporting human rights for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Alliot-Marie was mobbed as she entered Gaza, with a crowd surrounding her car, pounding on its windows, and throwing shoes at the vehicle. One person jumped on the car. Two children were pushed in front of the first car in Alliot-Marie's convoy, forcing the convoy to a stop while the attack continued.

One sign at the rally had a picture of Alliot-Marie with a red cross over her face. Others called on the foreign minister to leave Gaza.

Hamas police eventually stopped the furious protest and allowed the convoy to continue. Hamas leaders expressed sympathy with the rioters, saying Alliot-Marie's comments regarding Shalit reflected a “total bias toward Israel.”

Alliot-Marie was not hurt in the attack.

More from the Jerusalem Post:

Protesters were waiting for Alliot-Marie as she crossed from Israel into Gaza through the Erez Crossing, lying on the road and jumping on her vehicle. Hamas police eventually dispersed those protesters, but more gathered outside a United Nations office in Gaza City that was her first stop in the Palestinian territory, and later followed her to a nearby hospital, pelting her motorcade with eggs. AP Television footage showed Alliot-Marie narrowly dodging a shoe thrown by a protester as she climbed into a jeep under heavy guard.

Is the French government going to let Hamas off the hook and continue its existence after this? Sadly, it looks very possible.

Labels: anti-semitism, France, Israel, jihad, terrorism

A few days ago, the Canadian National Archives was going to screen a documentary called "Iranium" that talks about the threat of Iran's nuclear research. They initially canceled it because of threats made (Hat tip: Hot Air Headlines). Fortunately, a government minister ordered them to screen the documentary (also via Hot Air Headlines) and now, we'd better hope they respect free speech this time and run it on schedule. Iran is a very serious menace to the world, and it's important to know what they're up to with their horrific nuclear research.

Labels: Canada, dhimmitude, iran, islam, jihad, terrorism, war on terror

Paul Sperry at Front Page Magazine writes about the disturbing case of Suhail Khan, one of Grover Norquist's close buddies, who's been caught associating himself with Muslim Brotherhood vermin. Khan is a former staffer from the time of the Dubya administration, and has infiltrated the GOP.

I hope Sperry is right that Khan's been exposed, and that more Republicans are aware of the shady acts he's been doing. The GOP, if it wants to reestablish itself effectively in leadership, is going to have to distance itself from any "lobbyists" who could seek to undermine the war against Islamic terrorism.

Labels: islam, jihad, political corruption, terrorism, United States

Last year, I'd mentioned Shas MK Rabbi Chaim Amsalem, who feels that yeshiva students should go to work and other steps in self-reliance, and was sadly ousted by Shas for voicing his opinions. He's come up again in the news, in a case where he defends religious conversions performed in the army:

MK Rabbi Chaim Amsalem of the hareidi-Sephardic Shas party, who is widely felt to be a party renegade, says he knew he was right all along in supporting IDF conversions to Judaism.

The latest ruling by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, spiritual leader of Shas and of most of Sephardic Jewry in Israel, states that the soldiers who converted to Judaism in the framework of the IDF Rabbinate are “kosher.” He added, though, that future conversions should be done according to more stringent rules.

The issue of such conversions had been a controversial one of late, with many rabbis claiming that the soldiers were not planning to be religiously observant and that therefore their conversions were not valid. Rabbi Amsalem had been among the minority that stated that once a kosher Rabbinical court converts a non-Jew to Judaism, the deed cannot be undone.

The Shas party is now continuing its efforts to stymie a proposed bill by MK David Rotem – a religious member of Israel Our Home – to have such conversions recognized once and for all. Shas says that the latest ruling by Rabbi Yosef obviates the need for such legislation.

Speaking with Arutz-7, MK Rabbi Amsalem – the author of a book detailing Halakhic [Jewish legal] leniencies regarding conversion – said that many in the religious world have apologized to him over the past few days. He says he forgives all except the political leadership of Shas.

“All along,” he told Arutz-7 on Wednesday, “my position was based on Rabbi Yosef's rulings regarding conversion, which I quoted precisely. They attacked me and said I was a heretic, etc., but now everything has been overturned. Because of their attempt to stop Rotem’s bill, Rabbi Yosef came out with his letter recognizing the conversions that have been done until now. All the attacks in the Ashkenazi yeshiva world are now against Maran [Rabbi Yosef – ed.] instead of against me. I am happy to be in good company with Maran.”

“On the one hand, it’s hard for me to see how they now attack and insult Rabbi Yosef, but on the other hand, I am happy that I have been vindicated.”

I don't know if Shas has reconciled with him - they really said some nasty things about him that really shocked me - but if their spiritual mentor has recognized the conversions, then yes, I think it can only be said that Shas has given their approval to one of his positions.

But if Shas is still shunning Amsalem, that's sad, and sets a galling example. That's why I'll completely understand if he wants to join up with another party, and if he does, I hope he'll make a good choice and join another right-wing party. I do think he may be just what Israel needs to provide a positive example, and hope that he can inspire and encourage more people to take up on his beliefs.

Labels: Israel, military

Diana West points to an article on Politico where Rep. Peter King is trying to assure "nervous" Muslim community members they have nothing to worry about regarding the upcoming hearings on "radical Islam". I think the following sums it all up:

In a move that will come as a relief to Muslim leaders, King told POLITICO that he’s not planning to call as witnesses such Muslim community critics as the Investigative Project on Terrorism’s Steve Emerson and Jihad Watch’s Robert Spencer, who have large followings among conservatives but are viewed as antagonists by many Muslims.

I suppose he's not going to invite Frank Gaffney either? To be fair though:

Possible witnesses, according to King, include Dutch critic of Islam Ayaan Hirsi Ali

But that still doesn't excuse his failure to invite some of the experts on the Koran itself. So how can we be certain this'll be the powerhouse it ought to be?

Update: and now, both Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller explain why King WILL be a major disappointment. You know what? King is a disgrace. That he would cave in so badly, it's clear he's adding himself to a list of farcemongers who can only let down.

Labels: CAIR corruption, islam, jihad, terrorism, United States, war on terror

This is an interview she gave to Jacob Achimeir a couple days ago.

I have to admit, she's right, that Israel's own PR skills are not being handled properly. I have no idea how much it'd avail in Britain though, where the public is otherwise not guarunteed to accept what the Israeli side have to say.

Via IRIS Blog and One Jerusalem.

Labels: Israel, jihad, londonistan

I wish I could've written earlier for Martin Luther King Day, but hard work can get to me too. Anyway, what I will present here is Rep. John Lewis' research on the great King's speeches, via Jihad Watch:

"I cannot stand idly by, even though I happen to live in the United States and even though I happen to be an American Negro and not be concerned about what happens to the Jews in Soviet Russia. For what happens to them happens to me and you, and we must be concerned." "Israel's right to exist as a state in security is uncontestable."

"Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality."

"I solemnly pledge to do my utmost to uphold the fair name of the Jews -- because bigotry in any form is an affront to us all."

"When people criticize Zionists they mean Jews, you are talking anti-Semitism."

This is one of the many reasons why King is such a great man and deserves a lot of honor for his efforts in the civil rights movement.

Update: here's also Blackfive's post for MLK Memorial Day.

Update 2: here's a video of MLK's famous speech, "I have a dream":

Via The New York Sun.

Labels: anti-semitism, Israel, racism, United States

A week after the horrible violence committed by the crazed gunman Jared Loughner in Arizona, Dana Loesch reports that conservatives are receiving death threats. Here's one very disturbing story about such a case. And all this in spite of the fact that Loughner was basically a leftist and even a marxist, and even hated Dubya.

Update: see more about this subject here.

Labels: Moonbattery, United States

Israel National News has an interview with Rami Levy, a businessman who's primarily into the supermarket biz, but is entering the real estate biz to boot, starting with his purchase in Nof Zion, which has helped save the neighborhood from a takeover by Fatah sympathiser Basar al-Masri:

Israeli supermarket magnate Rami Levy recently got involved in a new business – real estate. And not just any real estate; several days ago, Levy made a successful bid to take over development of the Nof Zion project, a new Jewish neighborhood in lands liberated by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War that was in danger of being purchased by an Arab businessman.

In an interview, Levy told Israel National News TV's Yoni Kempinski that he was investing in the project, of course, because it was a good business move – but also, he said, because “of my love for the city of Jerusalem and its importance to the Jewish people.”

Levy is a businessman – a successful one, judging by his accomplishments in the supermarket business. But he's a businessman with a “neshama" (soul). As he tells Israel National News TV, one of the reasons he gives such high discounts in his supermarkets is because “it helps some families 'finish the month' with their food budget, or even helps put meals on their Shabbat table.” Levy is in business to make money, but he tries to do it by sticking to Jewish and Zionist values.

Call it “Jewish capitalism.”

Levy's new foray into real estate could turn out to be his most important one, from a Zionist point of view, as it rescues the neighborhood from the clutches of Arab-American businessman Bashar Al-Masri, who was willing to pay a pretty penny to the bankrupt builder of the project, Digal. “This is going to be a large neighborhood,” says Levy, who is also a member of the Jerusalem City Council. “Ninety homes have already been built, and another 300 are planned. There is no reason why Jews should not live there.” The opportunity to take over the project was an attractive one, he says, both from a financial and ideological perspective. “It's a business opportunity, but also an opportunity to invest in Jerusalem in a major way. I love Jerusalem and prefer to invest here than in other places.”

[...]

Levy's “Jewish capitalism” extends to his business practices as well, including discounting, not only as a means of pulling customers into the store, but as a means of helping lower-income families stretch their food-shopping shekels. “I work hard to make sure that the total bill a family can expect to pay for their food costs is between 20% and 25% lower here than in other stores,” he says. As a result, the chain runs specials, especially around the holidays; last Rosh HaShanah, Rami Levy stores charged customers only one shekel per kilo for chicken, apples and honey!

Of course, he says, he wants to make a profit – and he does. But it's important not to forget the human aspect of business relations, Levy says. “I try to help out the customer, enabling him to buy products he wants that he may not have been able to afford. Profit is important – I have to pay the bills – but helping out others and giving the customer a good feeling is also important.”

He's done more than help food customers - he's helped real estate customers too, not to mention people who rightfully worry about encroachment by Islam. Even earlier, he made an ideal decision to cancel all orders of Turkish food in response to their growing anti-Israel hostility. I wish there were more people like him, who could even make special investments in companies in the USA that are in need of rescuing (say, in the book biz, though for now, it's another story). He's done a good deed, and I hope he goes on to really build up his business investments and ownerships in other industries besides the supermarket biz.

Labels: islam, Israel, Israeli Arabs, Jerusalem

Surprising news about the Labor party, and where will it be in the future? Well, let's begin with the announcement that Ehud Barak has quit it, along with at least 4 other members:

Ehud Barak and four supporters are splitting the Labor party, forming a new faction and leaving Labor in shambles. He will remain Defense Minister.

Knesset Members Matan Vilnai, Shalom Simchon, Einat Wilf and Orit Noked are joining Barak in the move to a new party, which may be called ”Independence.”

It will be called that, according to this. And they tell us:

Speaking at a press conference at the Knesset after he and four other Labor MKs submitted the request, Barak said that the new faction that would be "centralist, Zionist and democratic."

Barak said that the faction's agenda will be "first of all the state, then the party, then the media, and only then ourselves." He vowed that he and Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai, Simhon, Deputy Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Orit Noked, and Wilf would "do what's best and what's right for Israel."

"We are creating a new faction and we will call on everyone who believes in our path to join."

"We are leaving for a new path. We are leaving a home and people we love," Barak continued.

"It wasn't always healthy and good for Labor. We noticed a shift towards the Left and post-Zionism," Barak said.

Einat Wilf explained that the two parties ideologically cannot sit together anymore. "One party wants to be close to Meretz and one, that in the tradition of Mapai, sees itself as pragmatic.This party believes that threats to leave the coalition harm the diplomatic process," she said.

"We believe the best way to advance the process is with the current government. It's important that there be a leftist social party in Israel but it wasn't right for us," Wilf continued.

Vilani also explained his reasons for joining the initiative to leave the party.

"Honestly, we were left with no choice. It was intolerable. We couldn't work that way anymore," he said.

Vilani said, "There are many party members who are angry and said how can you do this to us?"

"I am sure we can do something different. We will act with full force for peace, first with the Palestinians then with the entire Arab world," he continued.

Just don't take their statements at face value: if they're going to remain leftist, it might not turn out to be what some might hope for. Also, in this article, we're told that:

It appears that the final straw for Barak was the intention to hold a convention of all party members in March to determine the timetable for the party's future in the government. Labor MK Shelly Yechimovitch, one of those noted for her outspoken demands to quit the government, responded to Barak's announcement with wrath: "This was a corrupt and opportunistic move, designed to save Barak's seat in the government. He has brought a catastrophe upon Labor."

But they've been asking for it for a long time now, and it's been long in coming. They went way downhill in 1993 when they signed the Oslo accords, and now, payback may be upon them.

Following this move, 3 ministers who remain in Labor have quit the government. I don't know what the coalition will look like following their resignation, but I do know this: the Labor party's future does not look very bright.

Labels: Israel, Moonbattery

Following the Tunisian government's attempt to jack up food prices, and the ensuing riots, Zine el Abidine Ben Ali has fled to the perfect spot - Saudi Arabia.

This doesn't mean Tunisia is going to improve, unfortunately. There is a very sad chance that either way, Islamofascism will take over worse than it has before.

Labels: House of Saud, islam

Caroline Glick writes about the Knesset's decision to probe where leftist NGOs get their funding from. It hasn't been without [leftist] opposition, of course, but there's something else here that's startling as well:

Israel is today in the throes of a powerful backlash against the Knesset’s decision last week to establish a parliamentary commission of inquiry into the foreign funding of Israeli NGOs that engage in political warfare against the state.

Opposition leader Tzipi Livni claimed on Tuesday that the commission shows that “Israel today is deteriorating and abusing the very values for which we want to fight. The way that Israel is presented by the belligerent, violent government is hindering Israel’s ability to defend itself.”

As head of the opposition, over the past two months Livni has angrily opposed every initiative supported by the government as loudly as she can, regardless of its merits. So it isn’t surprising that she would condemn the commission. More jarring are the statements by Likud ministers condemning the Knesset move.

It has been known for years that European governments finance Israeli anti-Israel pressure groups. The exact amount of funding has never been determined. No one can tell the public whether or not these groups could survive without foreign funding. The Israeli public deserves to know just how Israeli these groups are and what foreign governments require them to do in exchange for receiving funding.

So does the European public - it's their tax Euros at work, after all. Money that could be used to help create better job opportunities in European countries that have problems with business is being abused for the sake of anti-Israel activities.

And lest I forget, Livni, on her part, once again lets down.

Some estimates place foreign funding for Israeli NGOs at NIS500 million per year. Some estimates have claimed that foreign donations make up the majority of many of the radical leftist groups’ budgets.

Take Ir Amim for instance. Ir Amim is a group dedicated to undermining Israeli sovereignty in eastern, southern and northern Jerusalem. Last year NGO Monitor reported that Ir Amim receives 67 percent of its budget directly from European governments.

What does this mean about the nature of this group? Can it be reasonably called an Israeli organization?

It is hard to understand why exposing this information to the public would be a cause of consternation and worry for the likes of Likud ministers Dan Meridor, Bennie Begin, Michael Eitan and Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin who have been outspoken in criticizing the formation of the Knesset panel of inquiry.

More likely than not, what really bothered these gentlemen from Likud was that these groups are not simply being called out for the European funding they receive. They are being accused of receiving money from Arabs and assisting terror groups.

In remarks in support of the probe proposed by his Yisrael Beitenu party, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman did not simply accuse the likes of Ir Amim, B’Tselem, Adalah, New Profile, Breaking the Silence, the Public Committee Against Torture, Human Rights Watch, Ittijah, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Gisha, Moked: Center for the Defense of the Individual, Yesh Din and Physicians for Human Rights in Israel of being on Europe’s payroll.

He said that these groups, “help terrorists, and their main aim is to weaken the IDF and its ability to protect the citizens of the State of Israel.”

The notion that Israeli NGOs may have ties to terrorists is without a doubt political dynamite. And people get frightened by dynamite. But a new report indicates that Lieberman’s accusations are an accurate depiction of reality.

THIS WEEK Im Tirtzu, the Zionist student movement released a report that makes a convincing case that foreign Arabs are funding Israeli Jewish and Arab NGOs with the aim of criminalizing Israel and influencing Israel’s political discourse in a way that constrains Israel’s ability to defend itself.

Im Tirtzu’s report is titled, “Support by Arab foundations and states for organizations working against the policies of the State of Israel and the IDF.” It focuses on two Palestinian organizations headquartered in Ramallah: The Welfare Association, and the NGO Development Center.

The Welfare Association was established in 1983 for the purpose of building a sustainable Palestinian society. It operates in Judea, Samaria, Jerusalem, Gaza, throughout Israel and in Lebanon. It receives money from the EU and the World Bank and separate European governments. It also receives money from Arab governments and Arab governmental funds from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and OPEC. Of its 2004 budget of nearly $30 million, more than half came from Arab sources.

Let's take a moment now to say that's it's very disappointing that a few ministers made such a foolish opposition of their own to this legislation. The public has a right to know, and they're acting as though this is wrong? Good grief.

However, Dan Meridor has already been on the quasi-leftist side for a long time now, so it doesn't seem too surprising if he opposes this.

THE PROPOSED inquiry has not only raised the hackles of Israeli politicians. It has provoked the ire of European politicians as well. During his visit here this week, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store threw diplomatic niceties to the seven winds. In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, he condemned Lieberman for sponsoring the inquiry into foreign funding of Israeli NGOs hissing, “I think it is a worrying sign,” about the state of Israeli democracy.

Norway is a key funder of some of the most radical Israeli and Palestinian NGOs. It is also increasingly a major fount of anti-Semitic blood libels. Store himself endorsed one such blood libel when he wrote a blurb on the back cover of a book about Operation Cast Lead written by two radical physicians named Eric Fosse and Mads Glibert.

The two men spent the mini-war at Shifa Hospital in Gaza which Hamas used as its command center. There they broadcast Hamas propaganda back to Norway. Then they returned home and wrote a book in which they claimed that the IDF entered Gaza with the express goal of murdering women and children.

And Store endorsed their book.

No wonder he's scared and chitter-chattering about the inquiry into NGO funding - there's every chance his government's shady dealings will register big in this case. Israeli politicians from the right who're against the inquiry would do well not to oppose it, because Norway in particular must be exposed for the horrors they've invested in funding.

Labels: anti-semitism, Europe, Israel, Israeli Arabs, Jerusalem, Knesset, Moonbattery, political corruption, Scandanavia, terrorism

According to this news (via Jihad Watch), the terrorist supporting imam Feisal Rauf is being distanced from the Ground Zero mosque plotters. But there's another leader coming in, Abdullah Adhami, who's just as bad: he supports Siraj Wahhaj.

In any case, let us be clear: that mosque does not belong anywhere near Ground Zero, or anywhere else in the world, for that matter. It must be called off completely. And another mosque that's nearby should be shut down as well.

Labels: dhimmitude, islam, jihad, New York, terrorism, United States

From this AP article (via Jihad Watch) we learn that the Islamofascist who murdered his daughter Noor Almaleki with a Jeep Grand Cherokee in Arizona will not be given any plea bargains, and will be tried for his crime.

We have to hope he'll be given the death sentence, and indeed he should be sent to the chair, just like Jared Loughner.

Labels: islam, misogyny, United States

Commentary's Alana Goodman reports that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is recovering from the attack on her by the madman 9-11 truther who tragically murdered at least 5 people at the conference she was giving at a supermarket. She's lucky to be alive.

An interesting fact: in 2002, she visited Israel, and said that "land for peace" was a farce.

It's shameful and abominable that in the wake of this tragedy, the left has exploited it for assaults on Sarah Palin and the tea parties, completely ignoring that the repugnant Jared Loughner was certainly not a conservative and didn't even have any party affiliations. He should recieve the death sentence for his murder of a little girl.

I hope that, following this horror, politicans will begin receiving security measures when in public. It's something one would think they'd realize needed to be done years ago, and unfortunately, until now, wasn't.

Update: here's a video of Palin's statement following the tragedy.

Update 2: see also this topic at Daled Amos.

Labels: anti-semitism, misogyny, Moonbattery, racism, United States

This past week or so, I'd been reading more about the case of Jonathan Pollard and the requests to pardon him after so long a time. I also found some very alarming stuff. Let's begin with a very galling item I found from Peter Schweizer, where he claims that Pollard's supporters are wrong, and to justify his standing, he cites the work of propagandist Seymour Hersh, a writer for the New Yorker. who claimed that the info Pollard gave to Israel ended up in the hands of the Soviet Union.

But what really raised my eyebrows was when Schweizer revealed that he'd worked:

...under the late Caspar Weinberger, who was Sec Def during the Reagan Administration, for more than a decade.

That's when I realized that there was something really wrong with this man who refused to comprehend the reason why a number of rabbis and their wives signed letters urging not to sell property to Arabs or to date/marry them. As Phyllis Chesler, when she wrote recently about the case, told:

...Caspar W. Weinberger whose paternal grandparents were Jews and whose father was a Jewish lawyer. When Caspar was a boy, he was taunted for supposedly being Jewish. His mother was a Christian and he was raised as a Christian. When he visited Yad Vashem, the Memorial to the Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust, he said loudly: “I am not a Jew.” He said this in response to the guard who told him that “he, too, would have been murdered in the Holocaust.”

Weinberger submitted a 40 page affidavit in which he insisted that Pollard should be harshly sentenced. In later years, he said that “the Pollard matter was comparatively minor.” Weinberger is now dead and no doubt roasting in Hell. One wonders: What did he have over CIA head George Tenet (who threatened to resign when President Clinton suggested pardoning Pollard)? What did Weinberger have over President Bush’s Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, both of whom went along with Weinberger’s revenge?

This is the man whom Schweizer considers a master in law and order? One of the commentors noticed this too that he wasn't being particularly honest and pointed out the irony of his using a [leftist] propagandist's article to uphold his position. And are there any court documents to prove exactly what happened? I'm sure there's something he could've offered, but he hasn't so far. The only thing here I can agree with is that Pollard shouldn't be released as a way for Obama to try undermining Israel's security.

Rachel Ehrenfeld, on the other hand, gives a much better argument, that he should be released, but NOT as a bargaining chip. She also tells that:

Pollard received a life sentence in 1987 for transferring classified information to Israel. The data involved Iranian, Syrian, Iraqi, and Lebanese ballistic missile development and nuclear and biological warfare capabilities. He also transmitted information on planned terrorist attacks against Israel, probably saving Israeli lives. The U.S. withheld this data from Israel despite a 1983 memorandum of understanding entitling Israel to such disclosure.

Pollard received and is serving a much longer sentence than most others who were convicted of selling America’s secrets to its enemies. The much-publicized discovery of a Russian spy-ring in 2010 ended with the United States swapping ten Russian sleeper agents for four Americans held by Russia on charges of espionage. Michael S. Schwartz, a U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander, who between November 1992 and September 1994 illegally transferred Department of Defense classified documents and computer diskettes to the Saudis, plea-bargained to avoid a court-martial and imprisonment. He was discharged from the Navy in 1995 without serving jail time. J. Reece Roth, a professor of engineering who passed U.S. Air-Force secret technologies to China and Iran, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2008. And Robert Kim, who spied for South Korean, was sentenced to nine years in jail in 1997. He was released in 2004.

Pollard’s sentence was disproportionate and unusual. In his letter to Obama, Netanyahu noted that Pollard’s sentence greatly exceeded the penalty requested by his prosecutors at the time of the plea bargain agreement.

If Pollard only gave the info to Israel, then while I won't dispute whether his taking the data without permission was illegal, I will have to dispute why he got a such a staggering sentence where the other examples cited did not.

If there's anything more troubling though, it's some of the replies to the articles, who, whether they believe Schweizer's side of the story, are being most shockingly vile in their responses, calling for Pollard to be executed, or worse. Are these even conservatives? If they are, they've done their side a grave disservice. Disagreement is one thing, but being so foul depending on the circumstances is another. As Phyllis Chesler later said, Martin Peretz wasn't making things any better when he stooped to disturbing stereotypical descriptions of Israel.

As Rick Richman says, Pollard's release is unlikely, though stranger things have happened. That said, there are some other conservatives from the time of Reagan who also support Pollard's release: Former secretary of state George Schultz has come out on behald of Pollard (via Israel Matzav), and asked that he be pardoned too:

I am writing to join with many others in urging you to consider that Jonathan Pollard has now paid a huge price for his espionage on behalf of Israel and should be released from prison.

I am impressed that the people who are best informed about the classified material he passed to Israel, former CIA Director James Woolsey and former Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Dennis DeConcini, favor his release.

I find the letter you received from former Attorney General Michael Mukasey of the Bush administration particularly compelling.

And the Jerusalem Post says:

"This is huge because he is the only one out of the Reagan-Weinberger-triumverate who were involved in the case who is still alive, and he is saying enough is enough," Pollard's wife Esther said. "This is significant news that a man of his stature has gotten involved. It adds dramatically to the compelling nature of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's dramatic call for Jonathan's release." Schultz is the first former US cabinet minister to openly call for Pollard's release and is a respected Republican figure. People involved in the effort to release Pollard said Schultz's endorsement would go a long way toward persuading other Republicans to join the campaign.

I hope they'll follow him and help, even though there's no telling if this'll bear any fruit.

Update: I also thought to point to some more info on Pollard referencing the Walker family and Christopher Boyce, whose sentences around that time were also pretty minor compared to his, and they spied for Russia, whereas Pollard did for a friendly country.

And, Jan 17, the Jerusalem Post has reported that Pollard's father is traumatized by these events, and what he feels is an overwhelming miscarriage of justice.

Labels: anti-semitism, msm foulness, political corruption, RINOs, United States

The Jerusalem Post (via The Jawa Report) tells that a British website has published the names of soldiers who took part in Operation Cast Lead, who are now in danger:

The IDF has warned 200 soldiers and officers whose names appeared on a British website as war criminals for their involvement in Operation Cast Lead, about the possibility that they will be targeted by anti-Israel and possibly terrorist elements.

[...]

The names of the 200 officers and soldiers were posted with their personal details on a website in November under the headline “Israel War Criminals,” for their involvement in the operation in the Gaza Strip two years ago. The website featured names, photographs, ranks, positions, birthdates, identity numbers and addresses of people who it claimed had played key roles in the operation.

According to an investigation launched by the IDF Operations Directorate, some of the information was obtained via Facebook. Other information is believed to have come from parts of the Interior Ministry’s Population Registry which was leaked to the Internet several years ago. The IDF, The Jerusalem Post has learned, is also still investigating the possibility that a soldier still in military service was involved in leaking the information.

Since the list was published, some of the soldiers on it have received letters from an Islamic center in Spain accusing them of war crimes.

“The threat varies,” a senior officer involved in the ongoing investigation said this week. “On the one hand, it could be hate mail, but it also could be a letter bomb.”

This is truly sick. The worst part, I suspect, is that Britain's authorities will do nothing to get rid of that site, but in any case, the damage has been done. And it may have all been committed by an interloper in the army. That's what comes when insufficient policies are drafted against criminals who endanger lives.

Labels: anti-semitism, Israel, jihad, Lebanon, londonistan, terrorism

Finally, this particular tale ends well:

Digal Investment and Holdings Ltd. bondholders have withdrawn their support from Palestinian American businessman Bashar Al-Masri in favor of Jerusalem supermarket owner Rami Levy and his partner Australian Jewish businessman Kevin Bermeister, who will buy the company’s Nof Zion residential project in eastern Jerusalem.

The struggle for control of Nof Zion opened in December, when it was revealed that Al-Masri was the client of Adv. Dov Weissglass, who bought the project.

Digal’s bondholders accepted his offer to pay NIS 0.60 per NIS 1 nominal value per bond. The news infuriated Israel’s religious sector, leading to protests and counter bids.

Rami Levy and Bermeister, who founded the file sharing program KAZAA, have now successfully blocked Al-Masri’s bid.

If al-Masri, as some prior reports told, was considered a security threat to Israel, shouldn't there be a law that bars people like him from backdoor interloping?

And who says its just the religious sector that's mad? Non-religious can be too, and are. The article is actually a tad ambiguous, since al-Masri himself, as a PLO supporter, was the problem; Weissglass is second. It's very fortunate this deal with a terrorist supporter was prevented. And laws are going to be needed to stop people like that from taking over property here they don't deserve.

Labels: islam, Israel

The Shepherd Hotel in the Sheik Jarrah neighborhood, which served as the headquarters for the nazi-collaborating mufti, has been torn down to make way for Jewish housing:

The old Shepherd Hotel, in the Shimon HaTzaddik-Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood was brought down today (Sunday) by bulldozers in preparation for the construction on the site of a new, 20-unit housing project. The hotel was the former home of Haj Amin Al-Husseini, the mufti of Jerusalem who engineered murderous riots against Jews in 1929 and 1936. During World War II, Husseini met with Hitler and mobilized Muslim support for the Nazis among Muslims.

"It is very symbolic," said Daniel Lurie, Executive Director of the Ateret Cohanim Association, "that the home of this former Nazi sympathizer is being razed – even so many years later – to make way for Jews to return to Jerusalem.

Watching the hotel go down, Lurie said, "This building is a symbol of genocide; Husseini was practically a full-fledged Nazi; the British arrested him for starting pogroms in the 1920's, and he established on his own a unit that murdered hundreds of thousands of Jews in Yugoslavia during World War II… The Jews are now returning to our natural home; no one can claim that Jerusalem is not Jewish, and this particular spot is in the heart of Jerusalem. Some Arabs live here, but it is a Jewish area; Simon the Just is buried here, Jews live right below, the Police Headquarters are located nearby. The natural process of the Jews returning home is continuing, and with G-d's help it will pick up even more steam."

The Shepherd Hotel was purchased by Dr. Irving Moskowitz of the U.S. back in 1985. His plans to build Jewish homes there met up with various bureaucratic and political obstacles, but now – 25 years later – they have begun taking on physical shape and form. Moskowitz and his wife Cherna also purchased the land on which the Ma'aleh HaZeitim complex continues to be built, opposite the Mount of Olives.

Unfortunately, once again, this could not go through without disgraceful reactions from the EU and US government, who again refuse to recognize that this is a privately owned project and oppose Jews living in Jerusalem:

"Calling Jerusalem a settlement is a misinterpretation, an insult to the history of the city," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told the French news agency AFP. "It is incomprehensible that they are mixing questions of private rights, international law and politics," he added.

He was reacting to European Union and American condemnation of Israel for Sunday’s demolition of the old and unused Shepherd Hotel. The lot is owned by Irving Moskowitz, an American Jew and a strong supporter of a Jewish presence in all of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.

[...]

The Prime Minister's Bureau pointed out in a statement that the government was not involved in the demolition and that it was carried out “in accordance with Israeli law. There should be no expectation that the State of Israel will impose a ban on Jews purchasing private property in Jerusalem. No democratic government would impose such a ban on Jews and Israel will certainly not do so.

“Just as Arab residents of Jerusalem can buy or rent property in predominantly Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem," the statement continued, "Jews can buy or rent property in predominantly Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem.”

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the demolition a “disturbing development,” while Catherine Ashton, the foreign policy chief of the EU, repeated her oft-stated stand that ”settlements are illegal under international law, undermine trust between the parties and constitute an obstacle to peace."

The EU, the United States and the United Nations does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over what it calls “East Jerusalem,” meaning large areas of southern, northern and eastern Jerusalem that were restored to Israel in the Six Day War in 1967. The term "settlement" also has been used by U.S. President Barack Obama when referring to United Jerusalem.

Their statements only damage peace prospects and encourage more disrespect from the Islamic world. But we really can't expect much else from them at this point.

Labels: anti-semitism, Europe, germany, islam, Israel, Jerusalem, United States

Jihad Watch and Atlas Shrugs present some pictures and info from a Coptic rally in Milano, Italy, where the demonstrators against jihadist attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt scared away several people who wore Israeli flags on their shoulders.

And it definitely is embarrassing as it is shocking. It's not new, that there are Christian "representatives" who've been scapegoating Israel and the Jewish community, which only obscures the real concern, that being the Islamofascists, of course. Sometimes I wonder if this kind of irresponsibility is what discourages some Europeans from finding full faith in Christianity - when the leaders and reps fail to show real guts, and/or resort to blame game tactics against Jews, it might have the effect of making people in Europe feel dispirited, seeing that the leaders are not acting seriously about combatting creeping shari'a.

As Robert Spencer says, not all Copts are anti-semitic, but those who pulled this awful behavior are taking a serious risk of damaging the Jewish community's ability to fully back their cause. How will the war against Islamofascism be fought successfully if communities against it are divided?

Labels: anti-semitism, Egypt, Europe, islam, Israel, Italy, jihad, terrorism

The Hamas has been continuing its assault on Israel, apparently seeing the stall of "peace talks" as a perfect opportunity to terrorize Israel anew.

When is Israel's government finally going to understand that only if they reenter Gaza to smash the Hamas once and for all, it will stop the missiles from coming?

Labels: anti-semitism, islam, Israel, jihad, terrorism

A Jewish congresswoman in Arizona, Gabrielle Giffords, was shot and seriously wounded by a crazed leftist gunman named Jared Loughner. This monster also murdered 6 other people, including a judge and a 9-year-old girl. Our condolences go out to the families of the victims.

The most disgusting thing about this case is that the left, quite predictably, has been trying to place the blame upon the right, when the monstrous gunman happened to be and do things that were quite the opposite. Michelle Malkin has much more very frightening details here, as well as condolence statements for the victims from several politicians.

Also, the Melbourne Herald-Sun asks if Giffords was targeted because she was Jewish.

The gunman and any accomplices he may have must be sent to the chair for his/their horrific crimes.

Others shocked by this horror include Cassy Fiano, Bookworm Room, The Anchoress, Bizzy Blog, Temple of Mut, Ed Driscoll, Americans Against Obama, Hot Air, Caffeinated Thoughts, Pirates' Cove, Scared Monkeys, Dakota Voice, Paxalles, The Daley Gator, Macsmind, The Pink Flamingo, Right Minded, Chockblock, The Right Scoop, Moonbattery, DaTechGuy's Blog, Five Feet of Fury, Conservative Nation.

Labels: anti-americanism, anti-semitism, misogyny, Moonbattery, United States