The Guardian's editor is gone

The Daily Ablution reports that the EIC of one of the UK's worst newspapers, the Guardian, has resigned his position due to the Sassygate scandal, though the official confirmation by the paper doesn't say why.

I must say that, coming from the UK, this is certainly good news. Given what this grimy paper has done, that exactly why the EIC's resignation is warmly welcomed.

Hat tip: Michelle Malkin.

Petition to free imprisoned girls, plus something it resembles from history

From Voice of Judea, something that reminded me of a notorious national tragedy back in the 1950s:

Thousands of people throughout the world are voicing their moral outrage against the unprecedented arrest of minors in Israel. In one recent case three girls aged 13. 14 and 16 are being held without bail for participating in anti-disengagement protests. Sign the petition and send the link wherevere you can if you think they should be released.

http://www.voiceofjudea.com/eng/petition.asp

The girls have already sat for one month and their trial may take many months. The prosecution has agreed to release them only to foster parents in kibbutzim to be indoctrinated and "reeducated", a move reminiscent to the kidnapping of Yemenite children in the early years of the state. Many of the Yemenite olim children were placed in Kibbutzim or given up for adoption, a national crime that has never healed in the hearts of most Israelis.

I'm not sure if the crowd here that's of Yemenite backgrounds is thought of as Sepharadic (what the Jews who're descendants of Spanish Jews who fled during the Inquisition to countries like Morroco are called), but that they should acually be willing to attempt something similar is to put a huge stain on Israel's own image as kidnappers.

Here's a page that includes the history of what happened when Yemenites were denied their freedom for religion during the 1950s, and the state made the embarrassingly stupid attempt at indoctrination.

I wouldn't be surprised if anyone in this country who's from a Yemenite/Sepharadic background would be the most offended by this kind of news, and if they are, that's definately understandable.

The lonely crowd

On Voice of Judea, we discover that a rally organized by the former Shin Bet chief was a big flop. As they point out here:

Once again the nation of Israel has indeed spoken. The pro-disengagement camp has difficulty mustering together 50 people for a brief pro-Sharon rally. At the same time, anti-Sharon protesters repeatedly bring out more than 50,000 people who march for days in the most difficult conditions.

Yup. But here's something that comes prior to that part, that I want to discuss here for a moment:

Marchers held signs calling for a "Return to Zionism and to surrender Gaza."

This is hilarious. Zionism is the Jewish form of patriotism, and loyalty to all areas of land that are Jewish by national claim and history. Historically, that includes even Gaza.

So with all due respect, just what exactly are Mr. Ayalon and whatever followers he's got, if at all, trying to achieve by exploiting the word "Zionism" as they do?

They're just making themselves look silly. Because if they were Zionists, I'd think they'd be wearing kippas by now! And going to a synagogue.

Who knows, maybe they should. And by that, I mean more than just a Reform synagogue, assuming that's where they'd decide to go.

No women at Shark el-Sheik, but there is indoctrination

Quite facinating, this op-ed that I found on the NY Sun:

No women were there, no mothers, or sisters, or wives. Egyptian women almost don't live in Sharm. The family and children of the workers are in the villages near Cairo, and their beloved men come to visit for one week once a month. Sharm is inhabited by a couple of thousand military people and public officials that President Mubarak, just like President Sadat, keeps as a defense vanguard near his own villa; or by poor workers, waiters, drivers, plumbers, and cooks - lots of day laborers that serve the enormous tourism business. Only a large group of very poor workers, the other face of the holiday town of Sharm el-Sheik, have been the killed and the wounded here.

And not only that,

Anyhow, Islam is out of the question, And then, we ask again, who is behind the attacks? Well, you know the answer, they smile with a smart expression. Mahmoud, who comes from a periphery of Cairo, where he now cannot go back because he doesn't have the money for a bus ticket, knows the answer, and so do all his other friends, about 10, all from the same town, now all together as one, standing in the corridor of the Hospital of Sharm, no air-conditioning, their friend Khaled in bed with a wound in his back ("I was lucky. Nadem had both of his legs amputated," Khaled says).

They know the answer, yes: the television said that only the Israelis and the Americans have a real interest in seeing Egypt on its knees; General Fuad Allam said that the perpetrators of the Taba attack of October 2004 were apparently linked to the Israeli security forces, and so, supposedly, it is today. Also Al-Jazeera and even Al-Arabia interviewed "experts" to confirm this point of view. A big, beautiful guy with a red T-shirt just puts it down bluntly: "We know only what the television tells us."

Let's not forget the fact that Egypt, even if it's been unjustly hit by terrorism, is still a country that indoctrinates hate, whether by television or radio or schoolbooks, and views Israel and US as its scapegoats for all problems suffered. Not Islam itself.

Recent media conference on coverage in Israel

Here's a very interesting article I found on Israel National News (via Cosmic X) on how the media's been approaching the whole withdrawal/expulsion tommyrot over the past several months. Among the most interesting excerpts from the meeting include the following:

Among various candidates for the top headline at Tuesday's B'Sheva Conference, none topped Labor MK Yuli Tamir's admission that the press is protecting PM Sharon merely to ensure the expulsion plan.

So there's the first point of interest here. Next:

From Caroline Glick:

She criticized the media for not having sufficiently analyzed the disengagement plan: "Ever since Sharon revealed this plan in December 2003, the media accepted it as a done deal - without discussing its pros and cons, and concentrating only on superficial issues, such as, 'Will Uzi Landau be fired? What will Bibi do? Will roadblocks cause chaos? Who's against the plan? etc.' There was no long-range discussion of the issues... I have no expectations or desire to change the world; I simply feel that there must be more competition in the media, and that whoever has money for a radio station, for instance, must be allowed to open one."

Good points. That they should be worrying about whether or not, say, Landau would be fired from the cabinet (he was) is trivial, and was only pointing out how much they actually hoped that it would happen.

From Yaakov Achimeir:

Achimeir was most vocal about what he called Ariel Sharon's "inaccurate portrayal" of the Bush promises. "In his few speeches in the Knesset, the Prime Minister often mentions the importance of the promises made by President Bush. But in fact, this is incorrect; the public is being misled! Bush's letter of April 14, 2004 contains no unambiguous promise that there will not be a 'right of return' for Arab refugees... nor that the settlement blocs will be able to remain. Everyone can read it and see that this is true."

And as it so happens, there's little chance, if at all, that any of Dubya's promises are genuine. Both the US and Israeli public, in fact, are being misled.

From Amos Schocken:

Haaretz publisher Amos Schocken was asked by Israel Media Watch director Prof. Eli Pollack why Haaretz appears to have more sympathy for the Arabs of Judea and Samaria than for the Jews therein, as well as several other questions about the paper's coverage. Schocken said, first of all, that he views his presence at the seminar as something "very natural - for with all the disputes that we have in our society, there must be dialogue between the sides. Nothing will be solved if the sides do not go to each other's events."

As seen in the rest of the article, he caused quite a lot of anger with what else he said too. And the paper is worthless.

From Knesset member Tsvi Hendel:

MK Tzvi Hendel said that he had been "naive" in not recognizing, "throughout all the years in which I worked closely with him, that Sharon was corrupt. I saw that no matter which government position he held, he always made sure that the Lands Authority was under his jurisdiction - I thought it was because he was a man of action and that in this way he could make sure to get things done. It never dawned upon me that he would use it in such corrupt ways..."

Hendel asked the media not to "chicken out like the politicians, and to 'shake the foundations' by revealing the corrupt orders that come from the highest government echelons..." He said that one police commander told him that the strict orders on checking ID cards of Gush Katif residents and the resultant arrests were government-ordered policy to "drive the residents crazy."

So the very undemocratic way in which the police/army acted did have something to do with the government's own "policies". Dumb and embarrassing, IMHO.

From Emanual Shilo:

Shilo mentioned an 11-year-old girl who made a strong impression on national television when she was filmed giving an impromptu speech against the expulsion to policewomen at Kfar Maimon. "Would you also evict your own mothers?" she asked forcefully. "Would you?!" Shilo said that the girl's parents passed up many invitations to bring her to a television studio for an interview, "despite the obvious media points it would have gained us. And do you know why? Because they said it wouldn't help at all. This shows how deep is the mistrust of the media within the right-wing camp..."

Well, not just the right wing camp. Even the left wing camp could or is starting to become distrustful of the media.

From David Bedein:

Independent Journalist David Bedein, speaking from the audience, asked Dankner a biting question, which the latter did not answer. Bedein wanted to know whether tomorrow's edition of Maariv would feature a report on the conflict of interest of Eival Giladi, recently appointed by Sharon to a high-ranking disengagement post - despite the fact that he represents major investors in Palestinian Authority housing projects. Bedein noted that reporters from the right-wing papers covered this story, but that no one from the mainstream newspapers did.

I've got an even more biting question: what if the government did something that could be damaging to the left. Would the media, whether it be Maariv or any other "leftist" paper, ignore even that to ensure that the expulsion plan goes through? I'm interested in knowing if Giladi or anyone else of his presumed standing would try to ignore that!

So there you have it for now, everyone. Read the whole article for the whole story.

Israel's friends in Washington are against withdrawal from Gaza, but what do they think of their own premier's standing?

One Jerusalem talks about how some of Israel's strongest supporters in the US Congress are rightfully opposed to withdrawal from Gaza:

I have heard from several Israeli leaders that Israel's strongest supporters in Congress are expressing vigorous opposition to the retreat from Gaza. Senators and Congressmen, who happen to be in leadership positions, are reluctant to support any aid to Israel related to the retreat. They believe that Israel is endangering itself with this policy and that it is a setback to the global war on terror.

One lawmaker said, "Doesn't Israel understand that this pull-out is rewarding terrorism, encouraging the sworn enemies of the United States and the Free World."

A better question, however, is if Dubya and Condi understand any of this. As this topic here from the Yourish blog shows, plus this report from Haaretz (H/T: Low Earth Orbit), she is pretty much following in the footsteps of her predecessor, Colin Powell:

In public, Condi was all smiles. But in private, she showed herself to be one tough cookie, full of demands on Israel. "She ticked us all off," said an insider. "The chutzpah of that woman. The way she totally ignored Sharon's critical problems at home. The way she twisted our arm and said we had to make all kinds of concessions and gestures to strengthen Abu Mazen."

This time, Rice's demands did not go through the Weissglas filtering system. There was no sugar to sweeten the pill or make it easier to swallow. There was no beating around the bush. Israel, she said, must supply the Palestinian Authority with weapons and ammunition. It must speed up the lines at checkpoints. It must be nice to Abu Mazen's buddies and allow them to operate. As if the missiles and the Qassam rockets fired at Israeli towns every day were our doing. As if the chairman of the PA deserves some kind of compensation.

One participant said Rice spoke like a teacher scolding her students. She demanded that Israel exercise restraint in responding to terror and let Abu Mazen fight Hamas, lest all of Gaza fall into its clutches. As if Israel were standing in his way. When she visited the Palestinians, she praised Abu Mazen's leadership abilities and his "war on terror." In Israel, she went on about how weak and frail he is, and urged us to strengthen him. As if Israel were Leader Remodeling Inc.

As the Yourish blog says:

Facts like these leave me no other conclusion: The Bush Administration does not include palestinian terrorists in the war on terror.

So. How is this president any different from his predecessor in that regard?

Simply put, he isn't.

That's exactly why Congress members are going to have to bear in mind that if they want to have any real influence on a subject like this, then they're going to have to start taking the president and his administration to task, regardless of what party they're a part of.

Likewise, even world commentators and bloggers are going to have to start to understand that only if they voice genuine disagreement towards any particular policy of the US government, regardless of their political standings, will they have any influence and impact on the subject of defending the US and Israel, among other democracies.

So that's why, if you're a politician or a commentator or even a blogger, then, if you're against the policy that Ariel Sharon is advocating, you're going to have to start taking a clear stance against even the Bush administration's own positions, in order to make it clear that you do not approve of what Dubya is doing, which is as damaging to the US, as well as to Israel.

The mother of all connections

From the July 18 issue of the Weekly Standard:

FOR MANY, the debate over the former Iraqi regime's ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network ended a year ago with the release of the 9/11 Commission report. Media outlets seized on a carefully worded summary that the commission had found no evidence "indicating that Iraq cooperated with al Qaeda in developing or carrying out any attacks against the United States" and ran blaring headlines like the one on the June 17, 2004, front page of the New York Times: "Panel Finds No Qaeda-Iraq Tie."

But this was woefully imprecise. It assumed, not unreasonably, that the 9/11 Commission's conclusion was based on a firm foundation of intelligence reporting, that the intelligence community had the type of human intelligence and other reporting that would allow senior-level analysts to draw reasonable conclusions. We know now that was not the case.

John Lehman, a 9/11 commissioner, spoke to The Weekly Standard at the time the report was released. "There may well be--and probably will be--additional intelligence coming in from interrogations and from analysis of captured records and so forth which will fill out the intelligence picture. This is not phrased as--nor meant to be--the definitive word on Iraqi Intelligence activities."

Lehman's caution was prescient. A year later, we still cannot begin to offer a "definitive" picture of the relationships entered into by Saddam Hussein's operatives, but much more has already been learned from documents uncovered after the Iraq war. The evidence we present below, compiled from revelations in recent months, suggests an acute case of denial on the part of those who dismiss the Iraq-al Qaeda relationship.

There could hardly be a clearer case--of the ongoing revelations and the ongoing denial--than in the 13 points below, reproduced verbatim from a "Summary of Evidence" prepared by the U.S. government in November 2004. This unclassified document was released by the Pentagon in late March 2005. It details the case for designating an Iraqi member of al Qaeda, currently detained in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as an "enemy combatant."

1. From 1987 to 1989, the detainee served as an infantryman in the Iraqi Army and received training on the mortar and rocket propelled grenades.
2. A Taliban recruiter in Baghdad convinced the detainee to travel to Afghanistan to join the Taliban in 1994.
3. The detainee admitted he was a member of the Taliban.
4. The detainee pledged allegiance to the supreme leader of the Taliban to help them take over all of Afghanistan.
5. The Taliban issued the detainee a Kalishnikov rifle in November 2000.
6. The detainee worked in a Taliban ammo and arms storage arsenal in Mazar-Es-Sharif organizing weapons and ammunition.
7. The detainee willingly associated with al Qaida members.
8. The detainee was a member of al Qaida.
9. An assistant to Usama Bin Ladin paid the detainee on three separate occasions between 1995 and 1997.
10. The detainee stayed at the al Farouq camp in Darwanta, Afghanistan, where he received 1,000 Rupees to continue his travels.
11. From 1997 to 1998, the detainee acted as a trusted agent for Usama Bin Ladin, executing three separate reconnaissance missions for the al Qaeda leader in Oman, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
12. In August 1998, the detainee traveled to Pakistan with a member of Iraqi Intelligence for the purpose of blowing up the Pakistan, United States and British embassies with chemical mortars.
13. Detainee was arrested by Pakistani authorities in Khudzar, Pakistan, in July 2002.

Interesting. What's more interesting: The alleged plot was to have taken place in August 1998, the same month that al Qaeda attacked two U.S. embassies in East Africa. And more interesting still: It was to have taken place in the same month that the Clinton administration publicly accused Iraq of supplying al Qaeda with chemical weapons expertise and material.

But none of this was interesting enough for any of the major television networks to cover it. Nor was it deemed sufficiently newsworthy to merit a mention in either the Washington Post or the New York Times.

Exactly why it's a good thing we've got the internet and the blogverse to compensate for that, right?

Update: speaking of Afghanistan, in May, The Boston Herald, New England's 2nd largest daily, via the mega-establishment Associated Press, reported that violence has been on the increase in Afghanistan recently:

"His [President Hamid Karzai's] remarks come after an increase in the number of shootings and bombings across the country by Taliban-led insurgents, as well as the kidnapping of an Italian aid worker in the capital, Kabul."

Of course, what they don't mention is that this is also part of the ways of Islamic jihad, and that that's one of the reasons why they're declaring war on the new government in Afghan.

If they really want to help stop all these crimes of terrorism, they're going to have to start discussing the in-depth details of what makes these terrorists tick.

PLO still covets Jerusalem

On One Jerusalem's blog, they report on how the PLO and Hamas are still coveting Jerusalem, encouraged to do so via Condoleeza Rice's blind and wrongful praise for their supposed willingness to crack down on terrorism, when in fact they have not:

Yesterday, on a trip to Gaza with Abbas at his side, the Palestinian Prime Minister declared: "We are telling the entire world, today Gaza tomorrow an independent Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital."

Undoubtedly, encouraged by the undeserved praise from Secretary of State Rice, the Palestinian leadership sees clear sailing to what they refer as their "homeland" with the capital Jerusalem. In their dreams they will enter Jerusalem with the body of their terrorist founder Arafat and bury him on the Temple Mount.

Months ago, many would have dismissed this as a fantasy, but today, with Israel's Vice Primer predicting Jerusalem will be divided, we had better take it seriously.

Once again, I urge our American friends to contact Senator Sam Brownback and express support for his united Jerusalem legislation. Brownback is determined to push for passage of this legislation but he needs our help.

Quite right. That's why I too would strongly encourage all reading to help the good senator Brownback in managing to push the bill through. Here's the page on the bill he's trying to legislate, and here's also his own page in the US Senate website. And, here's the White House contact page as well.

Teen car crashes in Boston

The Boston Herald reports about how teenage drivers in the area are losing themselves in recklessness, and at the risk of their lives:

"Massachusetts has had its share of tragic car wrecks involving teens this summer, and each case should prompt more vigilance: From parents, from young drivers and from lawmakers who are considering changes that could make Bay State roadways safer.

In the most recent tragedy, 17-year-old Charles Ware of Billerica was killed when his car struck a utility pole at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, after he was allegedly drag-racing with a friend.

His death comes a month after a 14-year-old girl was killed in Woburn when her boyfriend - licensed for just two days - tried passing a friend's car at high speed. Both young men got behind the wheel in apparent violation of their junior operator licenses, which limited the hours they could drive and the passengers they could carry."

I think it's a shame that, among the problems we're facing in today's world, even reckless teenage driving is still proving to be quite a danger. So I should hope that the legislation spoken about here will be fully passed to prevent teens from losing themselves to the "driving drug" they seem to be succumbing to.

Looks like Iran is still a threat to democracy

The ultra-establishment AP Wire reports (via the Montery Country Herald) that Iran is gaining in the missile-building business of war:

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran said for the first time Wednesday it has fully developed solid-fuel technology in producing missiles, a major breakthrough that increases the accuracy of missiles hitting targets.

Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani told The Associated Press that Iran has made an "important step forward" in developing the technology, which provides the Islamic Republic with the ability to fire solid-fuel ballistic missiles like the Shahab-3.

The Shahab-3, with a range of 810 miles to more than 1,200 miles, is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and reaching Israel and U.S. forces in the Middle East.

"We have fully achieved proficiency in solid-fuel technology in producing missiles," said Shamkhani in Iran's first declaration that it has locally developed full access to solid fuel missile technology.

Such technology enables the production of solid fuel, which makes missiles more durable and dramatically increases their accuracy in reaching targets. Missiles using liquid fuel are short-lived.

And the Mehr News from Iran itself also confirms this:

TEHRAN, July 27 (MNA) -- In a formal letter to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei, Iran has announced that it is prepared to resume nuclear activities at some nuclear centers in the next few days, a European diplomat said in Vienna on Wednesday.

This should pretty much confirm that Iran is still as bad today as it was when they waged a war with Iraq back in the 1980s, and shows just why they too will have to be democratized, though who knows if the Bush administration is going to take any convincing steps for that? Don't overestimate either a Republican or a Democratic led government on even this. Iraq, after all, came up with a racist "bill of rights" when they said that Jews were not allowed to live in the country or to have citizenship there.

Hat tip: The Dread Pundit Bluto.

UK police capture bombing suspect in Birmingham

On FOX News, and also SKY News, we find out about the raid that was made on some suspects in the Birmingham area.

That doesn't excuse their having gunned down a Brazilian electrician who didn't understand English, as they did last week at a subway station in London. For more on that, see this posting from the Dread Pundit Bluto blog.

Update: in semi-related news, on the Counter-Terrorism Blog, we discover that the third most wanted member of the al-Qaeda, Abu Faraj al-Libbi, has been captured:

"Today, Pakistani authorities announced the capture of the third-ranking leader of al-Qaeda, a native Libyan named Abu Faraj al-Libbi (alias Dr. Taufeeq). Al-Libbi, along with five other foreign al-Qaeda operatives, was captured following a shootout in the village of Fatami in northwestern Pakistan. Authorities had long been searching for al-Libbi-- Pakistan had posted a reward of 20 million rupees (approximately $333,333) for his arrest and the United States also offered a 5 million dollar reward."

Thank goodness he too has been captured. Can we hope then that Osama will be next?

Harry Potter to get paroled monsters in reality for defense?

This is insane news, provided via The Therapist:

Washington—Acting upon what are being referred to as “extraordinary circumstances” surround the inadvertent pre-sale of JK Rowling’s fifth installment in the famed Harry Potter series, senate democrats are acting upon a combination of literary emergency and a perceived dearth of crime-fighting motivation.

“We have a two-fold plan to protect children,” said California senator Barbara Boxer. “One is ensure that any future Harry Potter book sales no longer require the intervention of any country’s Supreme Court to stop informational hemorrhaging, and two—to make sure we are not squandering our grief counselors on bombing victims, and maintaining them for any fallout emerging from the untimely death of a Potter character.”

Many children have been reportedly traumatized by the death of a pillar character in the latest book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, requiring therapy.

Boxer noted that, as many convicted sex offenders are already struggling to find mainstream employment, that many could be mandated to provide a “human shield” around what is being billed as a protracted and final sixth installment in the series.

I can't believe it. Boxer is proving herself to be a no-good senator, is that it?

Most importantly of all though...

WILL THE MADNESS NEVER END?

Diplomatic assassinations and the Sahel

Bill Roggio talks about the murders of diplomats from Algeria and Egypt, and how jihad is even a war of one muslim against the other:

"The murders of the Egyptian and Algerian diplomats in Iraq reinforces the fact that al Qaeda’s war is not only against the United States, but also against Muslim governments. As discussed in al Qaeda's Diplomatic Mission, one goal of the murders is to discredit the Iraqi government and force foreign governments to withdraw their diplomatic missions. Another purpose is to destabilize Arab governments considered apostates for their unwillingness to adhere to the Islamist form of government and for their cooperation with Western governments. This can be clearly seen in the case of the kidnapping and murder of the Algerian diplomats."

Part of the problem though is that many of these Muslim governments are also so tolerant and otherwise unwilling to deal with these fanatics that, as a result, their own indoctrination thus turns upon them.

So if they don't want this to happen, they're going to have to start going with the rest of the flow over in the west, and start demolishing these horrorists once and for all.

Dan Pipes explains the true intentions of terrorists

Daniel Pipes writes an op-ed in the Australian explaining what the jihadists really want:

"The Islamists who assassinated Anwar Sadat in 1981 decorated their holding cages with banners proclaiming "The caliphate or death".

A biography of Abdullah Azzam, one of the most influential Islamist thinkers of recent times and an influence on Osama bin Laden, declares that his life "revolved around a single goal, namely the establishment of Allah's rule on earth" and restoring the caliphate.

Bin Laden spoke of ensuring that "the pious caliphate will start from Afghanistan". His chief deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, also dreamed of re-establishing the caliphate, for then, he wrote, "history would make a new turn, God willing, in the opposite direction against the empire of the US and the world's Jewish government". Another al-Qa'ida leader, Fazlur Rehman Khalil, publishes a magazine that declares: "Due to the blessings of jihad, America's countdown has begun. It will declare defeat soon", to be followed by the creation of a caliphate."

Pipes is absolutely correct. At the same time, let us note that the Egyptian dictator Sadat was a nazi spy, as was revealed years ago in Prof. Paul Eidelberg's book "Sadat's Strategy." And that dictator Sadat was practically asking for it.

Hat tip: Chrenkoff.

Update: On Front Page Magazine, Daniel Pipes has written about the results of a challenge he offered to the readership to name any other cases in history of forcible removal of citizens from their homes and property at the hands of a democracy. It's an interesting topic to read about.

Update 2: earlier from April: In the Jerusalem Post, Daniel Pipes reports of a new propaganda outfit called the Conflicts Forum, which wants to challenge "the prevailing Western orthodoxy that perceives Islamism as an ideology that is hostile to the agenda for global democracy and good governance." And they're led by a former member of the European Union, Alistair Crooke.

Plus, if you want to see the full document that Crooke wrote, expressing his biased positions in, here's the link to a copy of what he wrote from Intelligence.Org's website.

Caroline Glick: Gaza residents express their democratic rights

On Town Hall, Caroline Glick writes on how the Jewish residents of Gaza have made it clear what side they're on, and how the police/army have violated democratic laws. For example:

"If the police's trampling of democracy by attempting to block the protesters from arriving at Netivot and Kfar Maimon weren't enough, we had the hysterical reaction of the police and the IDF to ensure that the general public understood that, like the media, the commanders of the police and the IDF had fallen for the discriminatory stereotypes of the settlers and their supporters. Arrayed against these families was a division and a half of security forces. There were more security forces laying siege to Kfar Maimon than participated in the Operation Defensive Shield in Judea and Samaria in April 2002. In the entire US invasion force of Iraq in 2003, only 20,000 troops actually participated in combat operations. As the Palestinians in Gaza continued their Kassam rocket and mortar attacks, rather than fight Israel's enemies, the IDF deployed six combat brigades to Kfar Maimon, where the soldiers were told to lay siege on their own family members."

Very inept, I must say they are. To say nothing of stultifying.

"When a democratic government adopts an immoral policy, it is the duty of its loyal citizens, through acts of protest and civil disobedience, to hold up a mirror to their leaders and their fellow citizens to force them to contend with the implications of their policies. At Netivot and Kfar Maimon this week, the protesters did just that. What we saw on the one side was the dignified, humble and stubborn Zionism of the citizens set to be expelled and of their supporters.

On the other side, we saw the anti-democratic and discriminatory face of the government that stands against them. The time has come for the people of Israel to be allowed to freely and democratically decide which side they are on."

Absolutely correct.

Ricky Martin aids PLO terrorists

Debbie Schlussel gives an update on the singer Ricky Martin, who's been committing the atrocity of aiding PLO terrorists.

I must say, he is one very disgusting looking kook.

One Jerusalem has also got a topic that discusses this awful would-be singer.

Update: and in a partly related subject, on Front Page Magazine, Rachel Ehrenfeld writes about how the current PLO dictator, Mahmoud Abbas, is nothing more than just another terrorist himself, just like his predeccessor:

...Mahmoud Abbas, who is better known under his nom de guerre, Abu Mazen, is continuing in Arafat’s footsteps and has done nothing to change the culture of hatred towards Israel that prevails in the Palestinian territories and encourages continuing terror attacks against Israel. According to Amnesty International’s recent report, “Palestinian armed groups have repeatedly shown total disregard for the most fundamental human rights, notably the right to life, by deliberately targeting Israeli civilians and by using Palestinian children in armed attacks.”

At the same time though, let us point out that Amnesty themselves are otherwise a phony operation that's sympathetic to terrorist causes, and has done nothing genuine in years past to protest the PLO's own acts of terrorism against innocent Israelis. That they would seemingly argue against the use of children in acts of war proves little that they've changed.

Also, earlier, Israel Insider reported last May on how the US has tried to launch a pro-America campaign to win over the Yesha Arabs by telling them that courtesy of US generosity, they now have better water and classrooms. But, as the article points out:

Chances of success appear slim.

None of the Palestinian entertainers and athletes approached by the campaign were willing to serve as America's goodwill ambassador, reflecting widespread anti-US sentiment.

Exactly. But not only that, there's also the problem of that more than half of what the US gives to the Arab population in monetary aid and such goes straight to the PLO's own headquarters, to be used for financing their own inner circle, including Mahmoud Abbas himself, and are not used to build any genuine infrastructure or better living conditions for the Arab community in Yesha. As a result, living conditions there are very poor, and only for the rich do they actually mean anything.

FOXophobia comes to Portland, Oregon's weekly newspaper

Wouldn't you know it. The FOXophobes in the weekly newspaper publishing are at it again, and this one practically made the cover story of the issue! The Willamette Week of Portland, Oregon, published an article attacking their local FOX station 12. And here's something at the start of the buffoonery they publish that gives away their less then sincere intentions:

"Forget London bombers, Caribbean hurricanes or Baghdad insurgents. Portland, in its own right, is one scary town."

Portland may be a scary town alright, but no less so than the bombers in London, or even what the author of this article calls "insurgents" in Baghdad. And that starting sentence there pretty much gives away what this tommyrot was really meant for: sensationalism. Exactly what they accuse FOX News of doing.

"Fox 12 is a breed apart, though, from its three local competitors. Even though Portland's crime rates in most categories are down, many nights the newscast hosted by Wayne Garcia and Shauna Parsons seems like one crime story after another. Among the station's calling cards are the near-nightly METH WATCH feature and "Cyber Stings," in which the station lures idiots into humiliating exposure with online promises of sex with teens."

No kidding. I remember in the early 90s some other stations like CBS used to do things like that. Whether or not FOX 12 is doing that, are they any different? That's selective arguing for you, everybody.

"But guess what? It seems to work. Last month, for the first time ever, Fox 12's 10 o'clock had a larger audience than any other local news show at any time during the day, according to the Nielsen ratings (see sidebar, page 23)."

And why? Because they're giving people a lot of the things that BBC and CNN won't report about, like the oil-for-food scandal at the UN. But they don't mention that here, now do they? No way, 'cause that would be praising them for doing something good, which they'd rather not do.

The rest here is mostly attempts to smear the station as flat-out tabloid, doing its darndest to make them look as repugnant as possible in their propaganda lens, while ignoring whatever stupidity in a similar vein various other TV stations have committed. And of course, the article leaves out all the positive parts, not mentioning any of them, if at all.

I once knew an obnoxious Oregonian who worked for a very sugarcoated reporter from the mid-south, who also specialized in promoting sensationalistic material, exactly what this article above supposedly condemns. I'm betting he'd enjoy reading article like what the Willamette Week publishes here, ditto his former boss.

Benjamin Netanyahu returning?

One Jerusalem points out that recently:

...may become the start of a new phase in opposition to Israel's unilateral pull-out from Gaza and the security debate in general. Finance Minister Netanyauhu, told Israel Army Radio that he opposes any Israeli withdrawal that does not require the Palestinians to reciprocate in substantive ways. He also came out against turning over the strategic Philadelphia corridor to Egypt. This sentiment was echoed by one of Israel's most prominent left-wing journalist who said that Egypt's security lapse over the weekend is proof that Egypt is not up to the task of policing any sensitive areas.

Now is this good news? Good question. It would certainly be a good idea, given how Sharon may be willing to divide Jerusalem, and certainly seems to be trying to do so already, by putting a stone wall through the city. As pointed out in this entry here:

Unlike the terrorists who usually broadcast what they are going to do, Sharon's policy generally is contrary to his announcements. Recently, he has been making declarations about keeping a united Jerusalem and some settlements. Then he is silent as Peres announces that Jerusalem must be divided. You can bet that the odds are better than 50/50 that Jerusalem will be divided by a Sharon government. How else can you explain the Sharon government's decision not to back Senator Brownback's legislation to declare Jerusalem the undivided capital of Israel?

Sharon's refusal to back the senator's efforts is an insult to a friend of Israel who is trying to help strengthen its legitimacy, and if that's how he's going to do things, then that's one more reason why he cannot lead anymore.

Starvation in Niger

According to the AP Wire, thousands of children are starving in Niger (Nigeria?) in West Africa. However, I would not trust the United Nations, perpetrator of the Oil-for-food scandal, to make any genuine effort to repair the damage that they could've prevented years before.

In fact, there's something very fishy in their report:

"A 16-ton shipment of oil, sugar, and nutritional paste arrived in Maradi from France on Thursday, and several more shipments were scheduled, the U.N. World Food Program said.

But the need is great and growing in this desert nation of 11.3 million regularly ranked among the world's least developed. When the first appeal was made, only $1 per day, per person would have helped solve the food crisis, the U.N. has said. Now that the situation has worsened and people are weaker, $80 will be needed per person."

Pardon me? It wouldn't have gotten worse, had the UN not been so otherwise negligent, and the press so otherwise ignorant, of the crisis in Niger. Don't let the Associated Pinheads fool you. This negligence by the UN of the plight of innocent Africans has been going on for years already, and they could've taken genuine steps to stop the starvation and poverty in African countries like Niger if they wanted to - but they didn't. They could've prevented even the slavery and genocide in Rwanda and Sudan if they wanted to, but didn't do a genuine thing about those problems there either.

And the mainstream press, including the AP, is also to blame for crises like these, because they too ignored them when they could've paid attention to and given press coverage of the horrors that were going on, but tragically...they didn't.

Jerusalem couple murdered

Rachel and Dov Kol were murdered in a terrorist attack.

Dov, 58, and Rahel, 53, were murdered in a shooting attack on the Kissufim Route linking Gush Katif to Kissufim Checkpoint. The couple had spent the Shabbat with Rahel's sister in the Gush Katif settlement of Ganei Tal, and were returning to their home in Jerusalem as part of a convoy of civilian and military vehicles leaving Gush Katif.

However, it's doubtful that Ariel Sharon is really going to take convincing steps to deal with this. As Gush residents point out here:

Settler leaders complained Sunday morning that the IDF was not effective enough in their response to the fatal shooting.

They complained that soldiers who were at the scene failed to return fire at the terrorists, Army Radio reported. After the attack soldiers scoured the area and detected one of the perpetrators, whom they shot and killed.

Additionally, the settlers claimed that the local armored ambulance was detained by soldiers near Re'im Junction outside the Gaza Strip while it was on its way to respond to the attack.

Could this have something to do with Sharon's wish to appease the US government?

Sharm el-Sheik: history

Yesterday, the Sharm el-Sheik hotel was totalled in a terrorist attack. The whole building was destroyed. The death toll has possibly reached 90 by now.

I would strongly advise all Israeli citizens - and Europeans - to stay away from that place. Anyone who thinks that a dictator like Mubarak is going to take genuine steps to stop terrorism even in Egypt's own vicinity is mistaken, especially when attacks on tourists have still gone on there over the past years.

Spielberg's "War" flounders along with the others

No surprise, really. As FOX News reports, a new movie called Hustle is but one of a few that knocked Spielberg's take on War of the Worlds out of the top spot.

Interesting thing about this article:

"The $182 million horror epic, struggling to hold its own among new releases, was beaten at the box office by an indie film [Hustle] about a pimp-turned-rapper."

Hmmm. Not sure if it's really an authentic horror movie per se, but they're right nevertheless: that Spielberg should be letting his personal biases and political postions get in the way of the entertainment factor turn it into something possibly worse than a regular horror movie shown at your local matinee house.

War of the Worlds just barely broke even, thanks to foreign grosses, but the fact that it failed domestically pretty much shows how tired the US audience is of this futile charade.

Second poll showing that support for expulsion from Gaza drops below 50 percent

Here's another poll published recently that shows that support for Ariel Sharon's expulsion plans has dropped below 50 percent, by Jerusalem Newswire and posted on Israel Insider, published July 21:

While 75 percent of Israelis believe the forced evacuation of Jews from Gaza and northern Samaria will be implemented, the poll showed only 48 percent now support the plan in its current unilateral framework.

And the poll includes all Israelis, including Arabs, so that among Jews it would appear that opponents are reaching parity with proponents of 'disengagement.'

A large majority feels quitting Gaza and northern Samaria in a manner that looks like retreat will result in increased Palestinian Arab terror against Israel's Jews.

Only 25 percent said the pullout would bring a decline in terror, as originally promised by Sharon.

Fifty-two percent of respondents expect implementation of the plan to further tear Israeli society in two.

Most interesting about this poll is that it indicates that the Israeli Arabs are among those who're on the side of disengagement, which could indicate that Jewish support is even lower than it may seem. As one respondent on the topic at Israpundit that spoke about this says:

"The 20% of the population are Israeli Arabs and you know how they voted. Deduct the 20% and the pros for evacuation would be 28%."

It could be even less than that; it's a good question indeed.

Iraq forbids Jewish citizenship

Shocking, yet who knows if it's surprising. On WorldNetDaily, they've published a link to the draft of the Iraqi "constitution", which reveals that Jews apparently do not have the right to seek citizenship in the country that we fought so hard to free from dictatorship of Saddam. Here's a link to a PDF file containing the would-be bill of rights. And in it, it says:

"Any individual with another nationality (except for Israel) may obtain Iraqi nationality after a period of residency inside the borders of Iraq of not less than ten years for an Arab or twenty years for any other nationality, as long as he has good character and behavior, and has no criminal judgment against him from the Iraqi authorities during the time of his residency on the territory of the Iraqi republic."

Is that how the people of a country that even Israel supported against the tyrant who ran it, shows its thanks? That's how they return the favor for our support for them in a time of need?

Joseph Farah: NO to "disengagement"

Via Israpundit, here's an editorial by WorldNetDaily's editor in chief, Joseph Farah, that makes it clear that expulsion of Jews from Gaza is racism and an invitation to murder, pure and simple.

As many as 100,000 Israelis have walked away from their families and jobs in the last few days to march to the Jewish community of Gush Katif in an attempt to save it from Israeli bulldozers.

The confrontation threatens to turn Israel upside down and draw the country into a civil war.

And it's no wonder.

Jews who have any historical memory don't like the idea of being told by anyone – not even the Israeli or U.S. government – that they can't live in certain places because they are Jews.

And make no mistake about it, that is the only reason the Jews of Gush Katif and other communities in Gaza and the West Bank are being forced out – because they are Jews.

Imagine this happening in any other part of the world. Imagine any other religious or ethnic group being told they have to abandon their homes and businesses because a budding new government has no use for them. Imagine any other peaceful group of people being forced off their land because of appeasement to a terrorist enemy.

It is one of the most shocking developments in my lifetime. And I say this as an Arab-American Christian and former Middle East correspondent.

It is ethnic cleansing. It is racism. It is an invitation to another genocide.

There is no moral or legal justification for it.

Understand that these Jews took no one's land. They developed an arid wasteland unused for decades and made the desert bloom. The community of Gush Katif is so successful, so prosperous, it produces some 70 percent of all the produce consumed in Israel. And it provides some of the only decent-paying jobs to Arabs in Gaza besides the high-turnover positions of suicide bombers.

This is also why, if you think that the Jewish community would support the Bush administration just because he's "conservative", and seemingly pro-Israel, think again. Plenty of Jews, in Israel and outside of it, are disillusioned with the Bush administration, including Condi, because of their double-stance (ostensibly fighting terrorism, while at the same time legitimizing it), and even if I weren't from a Democratic background, I doubt I'd support the Bush government now.

Update: An editorial in the Jerusalem Post points out how Christian Arabs are in danger of the Muslim extremism, mainly because security and protection for them is shockingly lacking.

Christian presence in the Holy land – on either side of its Green Line – is dwindling and Christian-Arab communities increasingly feel beleaguered and set upon. Many Christian Arabs have emigrated and others consider doing so. From the Jewish perspective that is a great shame and pity.

Perhaps the government would be so kind as to pay some attention to the Christian population, and stop worrying so much about "disengagement" which only serves to endanger the Christian population even more?

Disengagement or no disengagement, Ariel Sharon's problems are far from over

As WorldNetDaily reported, 100,000 Israelis attended the protest against the disengagement lunacy.

Ariel Sharon would be strongly advised to pay attention to that, because withdrawal or not, his problems, both in the government and with the public are not over. In fact, they're just beginning.

It's not just the Israeli public that's against it. As the Jerusalem Post reported recently, 63 percent of Americans oppose a pullout, as shown in a poll conducted by McLaughlin & Associates:

By 50% to 28%, Americans believe that "this Gaza plan sends a message that Arab terrorism is being rewarded."

Other findings showed that 63% of Americans believe "Jerusalem should remain under Israeli sovereignty – not Palestinian sovereignty," in comparison to only 5% who did not agree.

Also, 80% said they opposed "the continuation of $350 million in US aid to Palestinian Arabs."

By 61% to 28%, Americans believe that "if Hamas members are elected or appointed to official positions in the Palestinian Arab government, US officials should not meet or negotiate with them."

So it's not just the Israeli public Sharon would be alienating, but also the American one as well.

Not only that, but, as Israel National News reported recently, his attempt to obtain US aid for expulsion may also backfire. As told in here:

Sharon's plan to use American aid to develop the Galilee and Negev to attract Jews from Gaza and northern Samaria faces opposition in the U.S., which may insist the money be used for Arabs.

(snip)

The pro-Israel lobby AIPAC is trying to drum up support in Congress for the aid package, but the Victims of Arab Terror International organization has launched a campaign against it. It plans to purchase newspapers ads encouraging Americans not to allow their tax dollars to be used as ‘blood money’ for the expulsion plan "which rewards Arab terrorists for their continuous murderous atrocities.”

You can be quite sure that there are more than enough American citizens out there who would not want their money going into the hands of murderers.

And, on a related note...

As the reporters Raviv Drucker and Ofir Shelach assert, Sharon has been going through with all this in hopes of trying to keep his son Omri from being indicted in the Greek Island scandal. However, it appears that even that is starting to backfire on him, as YNetnews reports that now, the AG is running an election fraud hearing for Omri Sharon. As told in this report:

"The indictment upon which Mazuz will decide includes accepting illegal campaign money, receiving money exceeding legal amounts, and mismanagement of accounting books. Sharon is also accused of filing false documents, breach of trust, fraud, conspiracy to commit a crime, and lying under oath."

Chances now are that the younger Sharon will also be jailed pending investigation.

At the same time, it should be noted that, as some analysts argue, Sharon may be doing it all in order to please George Bush, or to keep a commitment made to Bush during the Defensive Shield operation in March/April 2002, in return for Bush stopping his strenuous opposition to Israel's defensive military actions at that time.

Human rights violations committed against disengagement opponents

Via Israpundit:

"12:57 Jul 21, '05 / 14 Tammuz 5765

(IsraelNN.com) MK (National Union) Uri Ariel turned to Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra with sharp criticism against Israel Police, calling the department’s behavior outside the parameters of acceptable norms.

Ariel pointed out earlier that 250 disengagement opponents arrested during the predawn hours were held for seven hours without food or water, and not permitted to pray in compliance with daily religious obligations."

This is very serious, and I'd say that Mr. Ezra himself has a lot to answer for.

Haroon Aswat lived at a mosque in Seattle

Another report on where the terrorists who carried out the London bombing lived before carrying out their acts of savagery, this one from The Seattle Times. Two of the terrorists, Haroon Aswat and Oussama Kassir, lived in both the Washington and Oregon areas, and the latter certainly scouted the ranch in Bly as a possible location for which to train terrorists in America. And among the parts that really disturb me about these savages:

"At one point, Kassir suggested that they might even consider eating — if they got hungry enough — a few of the ranch dogs, a dish he told others at the ranch he'd sampled while a fighter battling the Soviets in Afghanistan, according to sources who were there at the time."

Now THAT is really sick.

Jihadists strike London again today

It's happened again. Three subway stations and a bus were hit by explosions.

For the record, Michelle Malkin discovers that the father of the terrorist Mohammed Atta, in an interview with CNN, praised his son for the London bombings. And one of the most sickening things the monster said was:

"When asked if he would allow a CNN crew to videotape another interview with him, el-Amir said he would give his permission — for a price of $5,000. That money, he said, would not be kept for himself, but would be donated to someone to carry out another terror attack. El-Amir said that $5,000 was about how much it would cost to finance another attack in London."

Are these the kind of people that the UK considers worth tolerating?

Reuters: one of the London bombers visited Israel shortly beforehand

The ultra-establishment Reuters reports that one of the London bombers visited Israel shortly before carrying out the evil deed:

One of the suspected bombers in the London attacks visited Israel in 2003, an Israeli government official said on Monday, bolstering a news report the British-born Muslim helped plan a Tel Aviv suicide bombing.

The official said Mohammad Sidique Khan, who police believe blew himself up on an underground train in London on July 7, arrived in Israel on Feb. 19, 2003, and left the next day. The official declined to speculate on reasons for the visit.

Israeli daily Maariv said on Sunday that Khan was suspected of helping plan a pro-Palestinian suicide bombing by two fellow Britons of Pakistani descent on April 30, 2003. Three Israelis were killed in the attack on Mike's Place bar in Tel Aviv.

Hat tip: Garfield Ridge.

WorldNetDaily: Gaza Arabs don't want withdrawal

WorldNetDaily shows you what the Arabs of Gaza really think of Israeli withdrawal:

WorldNetDaily talked yesterday with several Nezer Hazani greenhouse workers. They agreed to the interviews on condition their last names not be printed and explained no photographs could be taken out of fear of retaliation from area militants who, they said, would be upset at their expressing solidarity with Jews.

Saed, a 42-year-old greenhouse worker who commutes every day from Khan Yunis, said, "For me, it's a really good life. I make enough money to feed my family. I am close with [my bosses], who treat me with respect. I don't want to be out of a job."

Fhaud, 63, a greenhouse supervisor, said he has grown attached to his Jewish employers.

"I've known my boss since he was a kid and I worked for his father," he said. "Some workers here have known three generations of Jewish families. I was invited to all the bar mitzvahs and weddings."

Mahmoud, who works in the same greenhouse, said, "I don't want the disengagement to go through. Not just because I'll lose a job, but because I'll lose friends."

Mahmoud said he thinks the Gaza withdrawal is immoral. "The Jews who live here didn't do anything wrong. They were put here by a lot of help from the Israeli government, and told they would stay forever," he said. "Now the Israeli government wants to rip them out. It's not right."

Anita Tucker, one of the pioneer farmers of Gush Katif, told WND, "Like usual, the Palestinians are losing out when Israel leaves. These workers have large families who depend on the income they get in our greenhouses. We've all grown quite close. Before the intifada and all the closures, I used to go to their homes on the Palestinian side. We've shared a lot of family celebrations."

The workers also say they fear the domestic consequences of Israel's Gaza withdrawal.

"We know once Israel leaves, Hamas is in power. A lot of the Palestinians in Gaza are really upset about this because life won't be good for us," said Mahmoud.

"We are treated much better in Israel than by Palestinians in charge," said Saed.

Saed explained when he crosses into Katif he is regularly extorted by Palestinian forces to guarantee his safe passage.

"On the Israeli side no problems. But on the Palestinian part of the crossing, the security forces make us give them sometimes 50 percent of any produce we bring back just to get through okay."

Said Mahmoud: "It's not good for us. I want Israel to stay."

Has Sharon ever taken the opinions of these fine, bold representatives into consideration?

Hat tip: var/log/otto.

Abortion clinic bomber Eric Rudolph sentenced to life

The AP Wire reports (via FOX News) that Eric Rudolph, who bombed an Atlanta abortion clinic in 1998 and even targeted the 1996 Olympics, has been given a life sentence by the courts in Alabama.

And very well he should receive as severe a penalty as that. His attack on innocents was exactly the same crime as what the Hamas and the Al Qaeda committed against innocent Israelis and Londoners: terrorism.

Why H'wood is floundering

Courtesy of Sobering Thoughts, I found this article from the LA Times by Giovindini Murty that tells exactly why the film industry is doing so badly:

Hollywood's box office has hit the skids, and the entertainment media are in overdrive trying to explain why. The most obvious explanation for box office malaise is consistently overlooked: Hollywood's ruling liberal elites keep going out of their way to offend half their audience.

Constant gibes about Republicans, Christians, conservatives and the military litter today's movies and award show presentations like so many pieces of trash on theater floors.

And with all that horrible litter on the floors of the auditorium, is it any wonder that the audience would rather stay out of it?

And she's right when she asks these questions:

Did we need a movie like "Kingdom of Heaven" asserting moral equivalency between medieval Crusaders and modern Muslim terrorists, by putting lines in Crusaders' mouths such as: "To kill an infidel is not a sin"?

Did we need George Lucas implying that his latest "Star Wars" film is intended as an anti-Bush parable about the Iraq war, in which America plays the evil empire? (I thought the movie was an artistic success, but Lucas' comments spoiled my enjoyment and kept me from repeated viewings.)

Did we need to hear from "War of the Worlds" screenwriter David Koepp that the aliens in his movie are stand-ins for the U.S military — and the innocent Americans they attack are stand-ins for Iraqi civilians? Or that Americans are guilty of post-9/11 anti-Muslim "paranoia"? (A question to Koepp: Were we "paranoid" after Pearl Harbor too?)

Absolutely not. Is it any wonder that even here, at the Jerusalem Film Festival, quite a few people walked out of the Spielberg screening?

And post-Sept. 11, no studio movie has been made supporting America's war on terrorism, or denouncing Islamic terrorism.

The thing is: did they ever really denounce terrorism convincingly? Personally, I'm just not sure they ever have.

A most disturbing thought BTW, is that the same self-hatred that the movie industry is currently suffering from is also leaking over into the comic book industry as well. And if something isn't done about it even there, then is it any wonder it's going to go down in flames as badly as it could be now?

Update: and here's another item from earlier worth noting. As revealed by Discover the Network, they've either keeled over, or they've deliberately written a whitewash of history when it comes to making a movie about the Crusaders in medival times, as is the case with Hollywood and Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven, by making the Crusaders the baddies and the Muslims the goodies! And if that's how it going to be, is it any wonder that a public that would most appreciate some meat-and-potatoes answers to the questions of if Islam is good or bad has no interest in seeing this movie?

The most appalling thing about it though, is that it doesn't seem to contain any genuine focus on the Jewish community of ancient Israel either, as Debbie Schlussel indicates in this column from Front Page Magazine, and also Robert Spencer.

The Washington Times has some more on the film too, if that's what it's to be called.

Let's not forget about "Boomerang"

Seeing an argument on Israpundit that "Boomerang" by Ofer Shelach and Raviv Drucker had falled under the public radar, I guess that's why, if it's important, here's a link to an article on the subject from Jewish Indianapolis.

The book reveals how Sharon apparently wants to do this "disengagement" thing of his in order to keep from getting indicted in the Greek Island scandal his son Omri pulled a few years ago. No, this should not go unnoticed or unnoted.

Update: but here's another very good topic on the Greek Island scandal from the Hedgehog Blog, in which one of the contributors explains very well why Sharon's been going through with this. As explained in two different viewpoints:

First the charitable view: Sharon believes that the stress of governing a hostile Arab population in Gaza and the Northern Shomron is placing great stress on Israel politically and economically. Politically, it has alienated Europe and even at times put Israel at odds with its only friend in the world, the United States. It has split Israeli society. It is incredibly expensive in money and in blood. Sharon sees no meaningful negotiating partner on the other side, and does not see even the prospect of one appearing for years. Therefore, like a general (and Sharon was a general) who finds that his lines are overextended, he is conducting a tactical withdrawal that he believes will strenghten his defensive lines. He believes that this move will buy him goodwill with Europe (and he is wrong). He believes that it will unite Israeli society. (Wrong again--he is splitting Israel like never before.)

The cynical view: Two left-wing writers have published a book documenting that Sharon conceived of the withdrawal in order to avoid a criminal indictment of him and his son Omri for political corruption charges. In Israel, the courts and the Ministry of Justice, like the media, are controlled by the Labor left. By pushing withdrawal, he is gambling that the left will prefer winning the concessions to the Arabs that they advocate to destroying Sharon. Predictably, this book has relatively received little publicity inside Israel, because the main newspapers, television and radio media are controlled by the Labor left, who are backing Sharon against his own Likud party.

I remember that Israpundit once said that they couldn't tell for sure how many bloggers in the US were focusing on the subject. They can now rest assured that the great bloggers at the Hedgehog Blog are one source that most certainly is.

Important news for the week

In the latest news developments:

Police brutality against demonstrators in Gaza. Via Israpundit.

Hamas declares Jihad again.

Also from the Jerusalem Post, in an earlier article:

Avi Dichter, who retired as Shin Bet head last week, warned on Wednesday that Hamas had built an army in Gaza based on the Hizbullah model in Lebanon.

"In the Gaza Strip, despite our pinpoint [military] actions, the terrorist infrastruture remains intact," Dichter told an economic conference in Jerusalem.

"An army of thousands of people who belong to Hamas are building on the model of Hizbullah in Lebanon." He did not elaborate.

Ariel Sharon holds back on serious operations against Hamas, all in order to appease Condoleeza Rice, when she announced her intention to visit.

Solidarity with anti-disengagement prisoners.

On Discover the Network's Moonbat Central, there's a discussion about how in truth, the mideast conflict has nothing to do with land. In fact, Peter David once pointed out on his own weblog a few years ago that in truth, the "palestinians" don't want a state; rather, they want a way in which to attack Israel:

One of the few things unchallengeable about the Middle East conflict is that it has virtually nothing to do with land. Arab countries already control 6,145,389 square miles of land. That is almost twice the land area of the United States, which is 3,537,438 square miles, and about the same as the land area of Russia. Israel, even when including all of the "occupied territories" retained from the 1967 SIx Day War, controls less than 10,000 square miles.

Perhaps this will help those who don't understand what this conflict is all about to understand it now?

ZOA discovers that Foxman's poll isn't valid.

Last March, it was discovered that the ultra-knee-jerk Observer/Guardian website has reported that an anti-Israel play based on Rachel Corrie has become a hit in London. Oh, and look at what the newspaper said:

"She was the young American with blond hair whose death became an unlikely but powerful political symbol for the troubles of Palestine.

Now Rachel Corrie, crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer in the Gaza Strip two years ago, has caught the imagination of a fresh audience as her life story emerges as one of the most sought-after theatre tickets in the country."

Wow. And they even use the Roman name for Israel in its typical deligitimazation manner. But they don't include the following scene in the play:
I would personally recommend a boycott of British products if that's how they're going to behave, and allow this kind of trash to continue, ditto the use of propaganda words and sugarcoated reports on how a play like this "captivates" the audience.

Front Page Mag's got an article on how Arab parents in PLO controlled areas are actually willing to sacrifice their children, and even women, for the sake of "peace". Including their current dictator Mahmoud Abbas.

Preaching before an audience that included Abbas, Sheikh Yusuf Juma’ Salamah said in Friday’s sermon on PA TV that the ideal Palestinian woman is like Al Khansah, the heroine of Islamic tradition who celebrated her four sons’ death in battle by thanking God for the honor. Salamah, the PA Minister of Waqf, quoted Al Khansah: “Praise Allah, who granted me honor with their deaths.” [PA TV, March 11, 2005] It’s important to note that this was the first Friday sermon broadcast since the PA announced last week that it would control and vet all Friday sermons delivered in West Bank and Gaza strip mosques. This portrayal of the ideal Palestinian woman as one who willingly sacrifices her sons as Shahids, therefore, continues to represent official PA ideology – especially since this sermon was delivered in the presence of Abbas.

I think it could very well be said that Abbas is more or less a misogynist if this is what he's going to tolerate, advocate and promote.

On a side note, here's an earlier article telling how Hamas got elected in Qualqilya.

In the Jerusalem Post, Daniel Pipes points out how, even after Yasir Arafat's death, the Arabs are still determined to go to war with Israel:

How do things look a half year after Arafat's death? About as awful as anyone might have expected. Specifically, Abbas is unambiguously leading the Palestinians to war after the Israeli retreat from Gaza in August 2005.

More to follow in the article.

Update: Israel National News reported that defense minister Shaul Mofaz has told the cabinet that Strella anti-aircraft missiles have been smuggled into Gaza by terrorists:

Defining the recent weapons smuggling as “crossing a red line”, Mofaz said, “We have passed messages on to the [Palestinian] Authority so they can get their hands on the Strellas.”

He said the PA still has not complied with Israel’s demands regarding the missiles, however. As a result, he said he has “ordered preparations for handing over the city of Kalkilya [to PA control], but not to transfer” the city just yet. Kalkilya, located in the Sharon area, is just a few miles from Israel’s most populous region.

As usual, no surprise here. It was reported by The Jewish Press once several years ago that the previous dictator, Yasir Arafat, tried to smuggle weapons those into his headquarters in Gaza, and this is certainly no different.

The ADL has reported that anti-Semitic incidents in the US have reached a 9-year high. Not good.

And Barry Rubin reports at the Jerusalem Post that terrorism is still being endorsed in many Arab countries in the middle east. Not good either.

British authorities not taking serious steps in dealing with terrorism

As Allen Roth points out on One Jerusalem's blog, it does not appear that the British police are taking genuine steps to stop terrorism in the UK. As he points out here:

In London, the depth of the ignorance of British authorities as to who is the enemy was on display as the Met Police Commissioner defended his Department's decision to invite Tariq Ramadan to analyze the causes of the attack in London. You may remember Ramadan being in the center of a controversy when an Institute at Notre Dame University tried to employ him. In light of his record the Immigration Department refused to allow him into the United States. Daniel Pipes has written several pieces on this matter. Ramadan had also been banned by France because of his terrorist background. For one, his family is directly connected to the bloodthirsty Muslim Brotherhood. This is the man British Authorities are going to learn from. Guaranteed he will identify Israel and the United States as the main culprits. Ramadan is a smooth operator who will say the right things to get his foot in the door but he is still an apologist for Islamic terrorists.

Some people say that Britain is worse than France in terms of dealing with Islamist fanatics, and in their approach to the problems with bigotry in the world, and they've certainly got a point. Britain is not going to succeed in stopping the Islamist threat to even their country if they're going to be willing to consult someone like Ramadan on the subject, and the UK government certainly isn't doing any better by going along and paying money to the PLO, as pointed out in this blog entry.

Update: see also this page at Trumpet Sounds, which shows a horrific anti-Israel rally that took place in March, and nobody in the UK had any problem with it.

Special rally against "disengagement" plan on Tuesday, July 19, 2005

On July 19, 2005, be at the Tel Aviv rally against expulsion of Jews from Gaza. Here's the address of a special website advertising the rally for next Tuesday.

It is important to send a message to Ariel Sharon that no, we do not accept what he wants to do.

Update: it appears that the rally is supposed to be in Netivot. Please turn to there for everything.

WorldNetDaily: 63 percent of Americans oppose withdrawal from Gaza

This was reported earlier in the Jerusalem Post. The ZOA has obtained a poll that makes it clear that 63 percent of Americans oppose Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

ZOA President Morton A. Klein said the poll exposes the "myth" that Americans support the withdrawal plan.

"Americans realize that it's a bad deal for Israel to make these major concessions without getting anything in return," he said. "They also understand that this rewards the Hamas and Fatah suicide bombing terrorists whose counterparts are killing Americans every day in Iraq."

Klein said the plan also harms the U.S. war against radical Islamic terrorism by sending a message that "terrorism pays and pays well."

The survey found that 61 percent of Americans oppose dealing with even elected or appointed Hamas members.

By a margin of three to one, Americans believe a Palestinian state's goal would be the destruction of Israel; by a margin of more than two to one they believe a Palestinian state would be a terrorist state; and by a margin of 10 to one they do not believe Saudi Arabia is a reliable ally in the U.S. war against radical Islamic terrorism.

Sixty-three percent support Jerusalem remaining under Israeli sovereignty, and 58 percent support economic sanctions against Saudi Arabia.

Ariel Sharon would also be advised to take a good look at these findings, since they also point out what America's citizens could think of him if he goes along with this.

Here's also an article from the WND-owned Whistleblower magazine, on Israel's betrayal.

Wash. Times sums it up correctly

The Washington Times has said it correctly in their latest editorial, (via Israpundit) about how Israel truly has no peace partner.

Ever since he signed a cease-fire agreement with Israel in February, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has pursued a policy toward rejectionist organizations that is strikingly similar to the approach pursued by Yasser Arafat following the 1993 Oslo Accords. Instead of using force against those organizations that remained committed to terror, Palestinian leaders embarked on what amounted to a plan to beg the terrorists to behave themselves.

Absolutely correct. It was all an entirely phony act all along that Arafat employed, and Abbas is no different.

Also, Shmuel Katz, the respected veteran essayist, writes in the Jerusalem Post that a palestinian state will not bring peace. And, as he says here:

"It may not be fashionable to say so, but the evidence is overwhelming: If the Arabs were given a state in a part of Palestine, they would surely accept it as the next of the "phases" for attaining the rest of the country – which they have been forecasting for years. It would inevitably make a serious contribution to the grievous weakening of Israel, strategically and politically. It is illusory in the extreme – and shockingly misleading – to suggest that it will bring peace."

Absolutely correct. I do wonder if even president Bush understands that?

I once met and shook hands with Katz at a ceremony in his honor here in Jerusalem. A very wise and well-learned man indeed, and I would very strongly recommend his writings.

Giuliani in USA Today

Former NYC mayor Giuliani talks about the lessons learned or that should be learned from the terrorist attacks in London in USA Today.

The sad part is of course, that in Europe, any lessons learned could take a very long time in some parts.

Arab suicide bomber attacks Netanya shopping mall

Like it happened before, Ariel Sharon has once again been proven wrong that terror attacks won't happen. Now, in Netanya, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Sharon Mall, murdering at least three people, and injuring 90 others.

Most interestingly enough, this attack comes shortly after the PLO's current dictator, Abbas, met with Islamic Jihad in Syria last week. As reported:

Islamic Jihad has taken credit for the bombing. Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas met with Islamic Jihad leaders in Syria last week.

Put simply, it wouldn't surprise me if Abbas throughly approved of this abomination committed against Israeli civilians.

Update: here's an older report on terrorist arms smuggling: In the Jerusalem Post this week, we find out that the Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and Hizbullah have been stepping up their efforts to smuggle arms from Egypt to Israel.

The document revealed that between July and February, 180 anti-tank rockets, five anti-aircraft missiles, 600 kilograms of explosives, 3,000 rifles, 400 handguns and 400,000 rounds of ammunition were smuggled from Egypt into the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

And it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Egypt's dictator, Hosni Mubarak, were enabling them to do so from his end of the spectrum as well. It's time to democratize Egypt as well as Syria and Iraq now too.

And here's a Wash. Times article about attacks on tourists in Egypt.

Israel National News reports on the current surge in terrorist attacks against Israelis by using kassam rockets to fire at Gush Katif and the west end of the Negev:

Four attempts to smuggle explosives and suicide bomb vests from Shechem (in Samaria) and Bethlehem (in Judea) were thwarted in the past two weeks. Two of these incidents involved 14- and 15-year-old Arab youths, who were assigned the task of transporting the explosives through a military checkpoint.

And yet, ever so yet, Ariel Sharon would rather be ignorant and jeopardize Israel's security.

Now, here's something else really shocking that happened recently: Arab and leftist demonstrators caused a soldier to lose sight in his left eye:

An IDF soldier lost an eye in a violent demonstration staged by Arabs and leftists protesting the security barrier. A new non-lethal weapon failed to disperse the crowd before the violence began.

Well! Even for Israeli leftists, this is considered acceptable, is it? Dumb and embarrassing, to say nothing of obscene, that's what it is.

Update: it's important to note the following as well: Winds of Change reports about a new gang that's been rising in Gaza called Jundallah, whose members identify with the al-Qaeda in its ideologies, and include many former Hamas and Islamic Jihad members in their ranks:

Finding Palestinians (particularly the Jordanian variety) among al-Qaeda is nothing new, but over the last two days it seems that the network's infrastructure in Gaza has finally organized into a distinct group according to media reports. Called Jundallah, the majority of its members consist of former Hamas and Islamic Jihad members who decided that the other groups were "too moderate" for their liking.

If you ask me though, truly, nothing is too moderate for any of them. And this certainly isn't good news either.

Is the media sanitizing the London bombing?

Bill O'Reilly takes a look at how some of the most notorious press sources have dealt with the bombing in London, and finds that they're no different than before.

The New York Times, which called the murderous terrorist al Zarqawi a Jordanian fighter a few days ago, today ran a page one article about Al Qaeda executing an Egyptian diplomat in Iraq and referred to the terrorist group as the "insurgent group Al Qaeda." So I guess The New York Times is now a terrorist-free zone. More on that in a moment.

The Washington Post also playing this game, today described Al Qaeda in Iraq as an "insurgent group" as well.

CNN called Al Zarqawi an "Islamic militant."

But the absolute worst appeared in The Boston Globe. And op-ed written by Derrick Jackson compared the dead in London to those killed in Iraq by coalition forces.

Jackson writes, "Yet ever invoking of the innocents (in London) also reminds us of our despicable, cowardly killing of innocent Iraqi civilians."

The Boston Globe must be very proud. Even in a liberal state like Massachusetts, that kind of moral equivalency is simply unacceptable to decent people.

As you can see from the above, it doesn't matter where it happens, you can be quite sure they'll be as whitewashing as possible of the subject of terrorism.

Glick gets it

Lawrence Simon's weblog points to an excellent column by Caroline Glick in the Jerusalem Post, wherein she points out that there most certainly is a parallel between what goes on in Israel and the rest of the world, as the bombing in London has shown. As Glick says in the article:

We understand that our enemies truly do seek to annihilate us. And we also understand that the rest of the civilized world, which is being attacked by the same forces, must stand up to them just as we must stand up to them if any of us is to prevail.

Exactly. And so it's a shame that Ariel Sharon told his government officials not to make any parallels between what happened in London to what's happened now for many years in Israel.

Hat tip: Ocean Guy.

Steven Spielberg is no longer a great filmmaker

While Ha'aretz is usually a crummy newspaper, this is one of their better efforts: Steven Spielberg has apparently relied upon a poorly written book for his next movie, "Vengeance."

"The problem that Spielberg and the producers of the new film have is that of the wealth of available information on the subject, they have chosen the most controversial book, "Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team," by Canadian journalist George Jonas, which was published in 1984. According to reports, "Vengeance" is also the provisional title of Spielberg's film.

The book, upon which a film screened on the American HBO
television channel has already been based, tells the story of "Avner," who heads the hit team. The book is strewn with mistakes. Some of them are obvious: For example, Avner tells how he was summoned to prime minister Golda Meir's office and assigned the mission of heading the unit."

Now I know that, as Debbie Schlussel pointed out recently in one of her articles, this is already looking bad enough. But this certainly tells a whole lot more about Spielberg's upcoming movie, and why it's better left unattended.

Derfner is way off base

Larry Derfner, a very pretentious columnist for the Jerusalem Post, tries to smear Chabad for "scattering nails and oil" on the highway during a demonstration a week ago.

However, as this report shows, the possibilities of agents provocoteurs being the ones responsible for such stupidity is more likely. Unfortunately, Derfner would rather take the easy route than the hard one in seeking out answers to these kind of things.

And to think, that he could have such contempt for a religious movement that's contributed only so much to Jewish society over the years, and most certainly doesn't advocate violence, contrary to what he argues.

In any case, why would he specifically target Chabad, of all things? All he's doing is making himself look like he's going after easy targets even in the religious communities, that's all. Are stereotypes easy, even for him?

Update: this disrespectful editorial from same paper attacks what they call "fanatics" whom they criticize for wanting to demonstrate their right as Jews to pray on the Temple Mount, which, let us be perfectly clear here, is Jewish by origin and national claim.

If anything, allowing radical ultra-nationalists to turn the issue into a cause celebre does little to bring closer the day when those Jews who so wish will be able to pray freely and naturally on the Mount, just as Muslims now do.

Very funny. Do they honestly think they're going to make it any better by trying to deligitimize the right of the Jewish community to pray at one of its most ancient holy sites?

It's also in very bad form to use the term "ultra-nationalist" the way they do, considering that it's almost akin to calling them "jingoists". And it goes without saying that, while they may not have actually referred to anyone there as Hasidic, they're more or less insulting them by deligitimizing their own right to place of prayer as well. Which seems to be a very common desire among many of these media establishment suckups these days too, unfortunately.