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monday, june 30, 2003

Musharraf Backs Israel, Muslims Seethe

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf made some noises recently about possibly, maybe, tentatively recognizing Israel’s right to exist—which of course drove Pakistani Muslims into a seething frenzy, threatening violence and revolution: Outrage as Musharraf backs Israel. (Hat tip: NC.)

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, secretary-general of the Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal, an alliance of six Islamic parties said: "Gen Musharraf has no right to recognise Israel and if any action is taken at any level, the MMA would launch a mass agitation to overthrow him."

Religion of Peace™, at your service.

A Burning Ring of Fire

More photo ops for those wacky Palestinian flatfoots today, in training for ... well, who knows what? Any guesses? Ringling Brothers, maybe?

These guys kill me. No, really. They slay me. Next up: how many Palestinian police recruits can fit into a VW bug? How about a flaming VW bug?

(Notice in the bottom photo, the guy has a cast on his wrist ...)

Protest the ISM in Cambridge

Here’s an LGF action alert, courtesy of reader Benjamin, about a protest in Cambridge Massachusetts against the terror enabling pro-Palestinian group known as the International Solidarity Movement:

Tuesday, July 1, at 6:30 pm, there will be a demonstration at 51 Inman Street, Cambridge (behind Cambridge City Hall, between Harvard St and Mass. Ave). ISM is meeting in the Peace Commission offices at 7:00.

We will protest the support by Massachusetts taxpayers of a group that endorses and supports terrorism.

BACKGROUND
International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is a group of socialist estremists that supports Palestinian terrorism by sending "peace" activists, some of whom are currently under indictment in Israel for shielding known terrorists from arrest. ISM is explicit in its support for the Palestinian right to commit terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians. Although several ISM activists are now under indictment for shielding terrorists from arrest, the group denies that its support for terrorism goes beyond the verbal.

The city of Cambridge has a Peace Commission that supports ISM in various ways, including allowing the group to hold its regular meetings in the Peace Commission's city-owned offices.

The Director of the Cambridge Peace Commission, Cathy Hoffman, is quite open about her belief that the Palestinians should be supported in their liberation struggle and that they have a right to use terrorism in that struggle. Hoffman is a salaried employee of the City of Cambridge.

ACTION
1. If you live in the Boston area, try to join the protest.
2. Spread this message to others who might participate.

Can Hamas Be Trusted?

If you read only one piece about the hudna (Arabic for “strategic truce”) to which Hamas has agreed, let it be this excellent, illuminating article by Robert Spencer that demonstrates beyond any doubt why the hudna isn’t worth the paper on which it’s written: Can Hamas Be Trusted?

Hamas holds a vastly different vision of the nature of the conflict and its resolution from that of the PA. Yasir Arafat, although he himself has called for jihad on many occasions and is notorious for saying one thing to the West and something very different to the Muslim world, still keeps a cross on his desk (as well as a paperweight replica of the Dome of the Rock) and is careful, especially when speaking on the international stage, to call (as he did at the UN in 1974) for “one democratic state where Christian, Jew, and Muslim live in justice, equality, fraternity and progress.” This kind of statement, however contravened in practice, demonstrates the PLO’s ideological provenance in enlightenment thinking that abhors religious divisions and envisions a secular state. This, of course, is just what numerous American analysts of the Middle East want to see established for the Israelis and Palestinians.

Hamas was founded in 1988 in direct opposition to such ideas. The Hamas charter confronts this problem directly, describing the idea of a secular state as a Western colonial imposition upon the Muslim world: “Under the influence of the circumstances which surrounded the founding of the PLO, and the ideological confusion which prevails in the Arab world as a result of the ideological invasion which has swept the Arab world since the rout of the Crusades, and which has been reinforced by Orientalism and the Christian Mission, the PLO has adopted the idea of a Secular State.”

Such a state, in Hamas’s view, must be rejected: “Secular thought is diametrically opposed to religious thought. . . . Therefore, in spite of our appreciation for the PLO and its possible transformation in the future, and despite the fact that we do not denigrate its role in the Arab-Israeli conflict, we cannot substitute it for the Islamic nature of Palestine by adopting secular thought. For the Islamic nature of Palestine is part of our religion, and anyone who neglects his religion is bound to lose.”

In line with all this, and in contrast to Yasir Arafat’s frequent public overtures to Christian Arabs (which are not necessarily matched by his less-publicized behavior), Hamas is an exclusively Muslim movement. “As the Movement adopts Islam as its way of life, its time dimension extends back as far as the birth of the Islamic Message and of the Righteous Ancestor. Its ultimate goal is Islam, the Prophet its model, the Quran its Constitution.”

Nor is its mission restricted to Israel only. Of its Islamic mission, the Hamas charter says: “Its spatial dimension extends wherever on earth there are Muslims, who adopt Islam as their way of life; thus, it penetrates to the deepest reaches of the land and to the highest spheres of Heavens. . . . By virtue of the distribution of Muslims, who pursue the cause of the Hamas, all over the globe, and strive for its victory, for the reinforcement of its positions and for the encouragement of its Jihad, the Movement is a universal one.”

Palestinians Still Want More

A poll of Palestinians shows a majority in favor of continuing the stupidfada that has wrecked their economy and society: Poll: 57% of Palestinians oppose ending armed intifada.

A public opinion poll carried out by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion showed that more than 57% of the Palestinians are opposed to ending the armed intifada against Israel.

The poll, which covered 723 adults and has a margin of error of 3.6 %, also showed that 64% of the Palestinians support Arafat as opposed to 41.4% who support Abbas.

BBC Covers Oxford Flap

Oxford University has finally released a much stronger statement about Professor Andrew Wilkie’s bigoted rejection of an Israeli postgraduate candidate—and wonder of wonders, even the BBC is forced to cover it: Israel row professor apologises. (Hat tip: Tom Gross.)

An Oxford professor accused of rejecting a student because he was Israeli faces an "immediate and thorough investigation" by university authorities.

The university has issued a tough statement that "under no circumstances" would it allow discrimination on grounds of nationality - and the professor at the centre of the row has apologised for his "wholly inappropriate" comments.

Pathology professor Andrew Wilkie has been accused of rejecting an application from an Israeli student on the grounds that the professor opposed the Israeli government's policy towards the Palestinians.

In response, the university says that the vice-chancellor will receive the findings of an inquiry into the allegations this week - with the possibility of action to be taken against Professor Wilkie.

LGF: Shark Blog Site of the Day

A big LGF domo arigato to Stefan Sharkansky, who has honored us as his Shark Blog Site of the Day. And if Stefan’s site isn’t on your daily visit list, you’re missing one of the best blogs on the web.

Straight Dope Tries To Figure Us Out

The Straight Dope Message Board is trying to figure out whether LGF is a “hate site” in a discussion started by a pro-Palestinian member in Scandinavia who (as usual when these sorts of people mount a smear campaign against LGF) takes a selection of the most vehement comments from our open, unmoderated comments system, totally out of context.

The comments quoted are the responsibility of those who made them, but by taking them out of context, with no reference to the items that provoke them, the LGF detractors make the discussions look much worse than they are—and they always completely ignore any responses that refute and castigate the more radical commentators, because those responses wouldn’t fit the agenda.

However, I do urge our readers to be aware that over-the-top “kill them all” comments have been in the past and will continue to be used against this site. Please consider your words before you commit them to a comment.

Moses Wine Tasting

Roger L. Simon is hosting a book signing and wine tasting party this Wednesday evening at the wonderful Dutton’s Bookstore in Brentwood. Click the link for full details; here’s your chance to get a signed copy of Roger’s new Moses Wine book, and meet some of the luminaries of the blogosphere at the same time. A good time will be had.

Media Clueless As Usual

How can a major network correspondent be so clueless that they could actually say what I just heard on MSNBC?

“The truce between Israel and the Palestinians seems to be holding, despite two attacks by militants today.”

Aaaarrrrggghhhh.

(By the way, the question above is purely rhetorical.)

Similar statement: “Yes, I’m a strict vegetarian, despite those two hamburgers I had for lunch.”

Armed Forces Sent to Radical Islamic Web Site

According to the Washington Post, the Defense Department’s chaplain services have been directing servicepeople interested in learning more about Islam to a radical Muslim web site.

The chaplains' service Web sites for the Navy and the Air Force refer sailors and airmen interested in learning more about Islam to Islamworld.net, a Web site that provides links to the lectures of fundamentalist clerics, some of whom advocate jihad against the United States and Israel.

Islamworld.net includes links to lectures that denigrate Christianity and Judaism as "forms of disbelief," and to material that praises the imprisoned blind Egyptian cleric Omar Abdel Rahman, contending that "he was framed for the [1993] World Trade Center bombing and sentenced by a Jewish judge for life in solitary confinement."

The chaplains' Web sites describe Islamworld.net as "rich in information about the Islamic faith," including "an introduction for non-Muslims" and "basics for new Muslims."

Although the number of Muslim chaplains in the military is small, some officials are concerned that only Sunni Muslims have been appointed and that they are selected by two Muslim organizations that tolerate hard-line views. The situation is similar to complaints from some segments of the Muslim community that chaplains who espouse a strict brand of Islam have come to dominate the ranks of prison chaplains. That situation has gained the attention of the FBI and other law enforcement agencies concerned that prisons are a breeding ground for extremists.

Wahhabi Propaganda on the Web

Randall “Ismail” Royer, arrested in Northern Virginia for alleged connections to a Pakistani jihad group, runs a web site called A True Word that offers a smorgasbord of Islamic supremacism and anti-Americanism, and features the writing of several other Islamist Wahhabi flacks such as Amir Butler.

UPDATE: see this LGF comment by Palandine for more background information on “Ismail” Royer.

Wahhabi Influence in the US

The Senate hearing on Wahhabi influence in the United States is live on C-SPAN 2 right now. An important milestone in the war on terror.

CAIR Spokesman Indicted in Jihad Plot

One of the 11 men recently arrested in Northern Virginia for alleged Islamic terrorist plots against India (and there’s evidence they were also targeting US troops in Iraq and the FBI building in Washington DC) was a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations: 11 Indicted In Alleged Va. Jihad Network. (Hat tip: J.)

One of those charged, Randall Todd Royer, arrested yesterday at his home in Falls Church, characterized the allegations as baseless during an interview Thursday. He dismissed the discovery of pistols and rifles inside the homes of some group members as insignificant. "Ooooh, gosh, they have weapons," said Royer, a former spokesman for such organizations as the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim American Society. "I really resent the idea that a Muslim with a gun -- he's a threat. A Jew with a gun -- he's not a threat."

UPDATE: Stephen Schwartz writes about Randall “Ismail” Royer, and his appalling racism and support for terrorist activities: Portrait of a Wahhabi.

Hudna Watch

A Romanian truck driver has been murdered by an Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades shooter while driving in the West Bank. This is the first murder of the hudna, and it certainly won’t be the last. The local Al Aqsa gang leaders say, “What truce?” (Hat tip: Morten.)

A local leader of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which is affiliated with President Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, said his armed group was behind the attack near the city of Jenin and that it would not abide by the ceasefire announced on Sunday.

"We are not committed to so called truce and we will fight the (Jewish) settlers and the Israeli military inside the occupied territories," he said, referring to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

An Israeli police spokesman said the dead worker, who was on the road near the targeted truck, was Bulgarian.

"There was a terror attack near Yabed in the northern West Bank and a foreign road worker from Bulgaria was killed," police spokesman Rafi Yafeh said.

The Associated Press carried a statement for a group of militiamen in Jenin which said: "We do not agree with the cease-fire. This is our first action. This is the beginning."

sunday, june 29, 2003

What's On Arafat's Desk?

The unthinkable has happened. No, I’m not talking about the laughable cease fire Hamas and Islamic Jihad are trying to sell us.

I’m talking about the truly unthinkable.

Someone has cleaned up Arafat’s desk.

And yet ... and yet ... I swear I see the red binder—the horrible red binder—still lurking ... still exerting its malevolent influence ... in that diminished stack of papers to the right of the world’s oldest terrorist.

RIP Katherine Hepburn

Katherine Hepburn passed away today, and with her an era. Chip Joyce has a comment that rings very true:

Katherine Hepburn died today at 96. I think she was not only a wonderful actress, but she was so very American in the best sense. She was a fiercely independent woman--which is something the goddamned Muslim countries want to squash out of existence. It's for your spirit we fight, Kate.

Indeed it is.

The Mullahs Are Losing Their Grip

The younger generation in Iran is increasingly turning to the Internet, and pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable under the rule of the mad mullahs—and the mullahs are trying to fight back. MTV helped expedite the fall of the Soviet Union, and it may be the Internet—and the weblog—that helps bring down the Islamic Republic of Iran.

It is sometimes called Iranian porn.

It appears on certain Web sites that specialize in mocking the Islamic Republic's puritanism, featuring women with hair tumbling out of their head scarves or exhibiting deep decolletage at family gatherings,

Such sites have been officially labeled depraved recently, joining a host of other political, social and truly pornographic online destinations in Iran's first attempt to restrict Internet access.

"After the limitations put on newspapers and other mass media, they understand that people are looking for news on the Internet," said Reza Parisa, the director of an association of Internet service providers. "So of course, the government wants to limit access to the Internet, too."

But like much of the regulation in Iran, the line between what is acceptable and degenerate, legal and illegal, remains fluid, so the crackdown has prompted a cat-and-mouse game between the conservative hierarchy and Iran's younger generation, which is growing ever more technically proficient.

Even those who support filtering Internet content suspect that the effort is doomed, like earlier bans on videotapes and satellite television. The government is bound to lose, they say, as the almost 50 million Iranians under age 30 seek to have more fun.

Rice Influenced by Holocaust Denier

In the last 33 months more than 250 suicide bombers have entered Israel from the West Bank, while none have entered from Gaza. Why? Because the Gaza Strip is surrounded by a security fence.

But Condoleezza Rice is pressuring Israel to stop building a similar fence to contain the Arab murderers of the West Bank—apparently because she was swayed by the sustained whining of the Holocaust denier, Abu Mazen: Israel-US rift emerges over security fence. Must be Mazen’s grandfatherly Jew-hating charm.

Rice, during a meeting with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the inner cabinet, expressed US concern that the fence was creating facts on the ground that would prejudge a final settlement, and indicated the US would like to see construction stopped as a confidence building measure.

Sharon, however, replied that if the choice was between having a disagreement with the US over the fence, or burying Israeli victims of suicide bombers, it is clear what choice Israel would make. ...

Rice responded by saying that even though Israel claims the fence is not a political border, the fence creates facts on the ground and is seen in the eyes of the Palestinians as a political boundary and may create problems in the future.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas reportedly spent a lot of time in his meeting Saturday night with Rice complaining that the fence is usurping Palestinian land and creating a border that will severely limit a Palestinian state.

Details of a Bogus Truce

Well, here they are, what you’ve been waiting for; the texts of the Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad truce declarations. (Hat tip: Steven Den Beste.)

If good faith were measured in centimeters, these documents would be thinner than a human hair.

In return for stopping terrorist attacks, these murderous animals only want a few things: the complete cessation of any attempts by Israel to defend her citizens, the immediate release of all Palestinian prisoners, the lifting of restrictions on Yasser Arafat‘s movements, and too much more outrageous garbage to even bother reading. And if any of their conditions aren’t met, they promise to keep shooting little girls as they cower in their beds, and walking into shopping malls wearing semtex vests stuffed with shrapnel.

Such a deal. Who wouldn’t jump at this?

Pigs.

Why I'm an Anti-Anti-American

Here’s a terrific article by Dinesh D'Souza, with too much great stuff to pull out a quote. Just go ye and read of it, for it is good: 10 things to celebrate / Why I'm an anti-anti-American. (Hat tip: Braddah Michael.)

Malawian Muslims Still Seething, Rioting

Thrown into a paroxysm of rage and violence by the arrest of five Al Qaeda suspects, followers of the Religion of Peace™ in Malawi indulged themselves with a second day of rioting, vandalizing Catholic churches and attacking priests.

Witnesses said mobs attacked churches and Christian priests in a second day of rioting in the lakeside resort district of Mangochi, 120 miles northeast of the commercial capital Blantyre.

Malawi's sizeable Muslim minority was outraged by unconfirmed reports that U.S. security officials taken the five suspected Islamic militants out of the country on Tuesday with Malawi's approval before they could appear in court.

The government dispatched troops to restore order and President Bakili Muluzi, himself a Muslim, said he would not tolerate religious violence. ...

Witnesses said at least six churches had been vandalized and three people injured. There was reports that the homes of local priests had been looted.

"Our Muslim brothers were marching against the extradition of...al Qaeda suspects. We had nothing against their march. But what has amazed us is that they are attacking our churches," Father Mathews Likambale of the Mangochi Parish told Reuters by telephone on Saturday.

"They also stopped a Catholic priest who was driving in their direction, pulled him out of the car, overturned it and then torched it. The priest escaped unhurt after being whisked away by sympathizers," Likambale said.

No Antisemitism in Europe

Remember: according to EUroweenie Javier Solana, there is no antisemitism in Europe.

Remember those words as you read Merde in France’s account of a crossword puzzle recently published in Le Parisien.

'Wholesale meats' was the definition given for 'genocide'. 'Taken far from home' was the definition for 'deported' and 'Pejorative for Jewish girl' was the definition for 'kike-ette'. When questioned by the AFP, Christian de Villeneuve, Managing Director of Le Parisien, admitted 'that there had been a lack of vigilance'.

Terrorists Beware

Wire services have been flooding the zone with photos of small groups of Palestinian “police recruits” in training, apparently to convince us that the PLO really is determined to ... uh ... do something.

Here we see these idealistic young peace officers learning effective anti-terror tactics like handstands, and leaping over crouching men. Be afraid, Islamic Jihad. Be very afraid.

The Hudna Treaty

Aaron at Internet Haganah has a great post on the truth about the so-called “truce” that Hamas and Islamic Jihad have announced: The Hudna Treaty. Once again, the Islamists are not even trying to hide their intentions; you can find out the real meaning of hudna on many web sites, written in their own words. Islamists rely on the willful blindness of Westerners, many of whom are incredibly eager to believe that all people share their desire for peace, and incredibly stupid about recognizing threats from those who don’t. As Aaron writes, anyone who agrees to such a treaty with Islamists is at best an idiot.

Hudnas and Loopholes

Hamas and Islamic Jihad announced their hudna (an Arabic word meaning a temporary strategic truce intended to allow Muslims to gain strength before resuming a battle) today, but Fatah is refusing to play along.

The Pediatrician of Death made sure they had a loophole big enough to drive a truck bomb through:

Rantisi reiterated a list of demands — although not preconditions — for the suspension of attacks. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have said they want Israel to halt all military strikes, including targeted killings of wanted militants. The groups also seek a release of Palestinian prisoners.

"We consider ourselves free from this initiative if the Israeli enemy does not implement all the conditions," said Rantisi, who was the target of a recent Israeli attack.

saturday, june 28, 2003

Mandela Shuns Bush, Sucks Up to France

As President Bush prepares to make an important trip to Africa to promote a wide-ranging policy initiative that could mark a new era in US-Africa relations, South African President Nelson Mandela plans to shun him: Mandela says he won't meet with Bush.

Mr. Mandela, a vocal critic of the Iraq war, said Friday it was wrong for Bush to circumvent the United Nations and overthrow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein by force, and praised French President Jacques Chirac for his opposition to sending troops to the area.

"Since the creation of the United Nations there has not been a World War since 1945. Therefore for anybody, especially the leader of a superstate, to act outside the United Nations is something that must be condemned by everybody who wants peace," Mandela told reporters after a meeting with French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin.

Root Causes

Itamar Marcus puts his finger directly on the root of the problem in the Middle East: Planting the seeds of the next war.

One of the most meaningful gauges of the integrity of the peace process and its likelihood of success is the degree to which the parties educate toward peace. It is by this yardstick that the Palestinian Authority's education apparatus, formal and informal, has been such a dismal disappointment.

Instead of seizing the opportunity to educate future generations to live with Israel in peace the PA has done everything in its power to fill young minds with hatred.

Making matters worse the PA has been spreading two clever lies about its schoolbooks that have succeeded in deflecting international pressure for change.

PA Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath answered Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom's complaint about the schoolbooks by saying that the PA has "spent five years" rewriting the books implying they are now acceptable.

Then, he added, Israel itself used these same old Jordanian books for educating the local Arab population "for 30 years," which means it can have no valid complaint to the PA.

The truth about the PA schoolbooks is that they contain anti-Semitic content, delegitimize Israel's existence and incite to hatred and violence.

For example, the new 6th-grade Reading the Koran openly presents anti-Semitic messages as children read about Allah's warning to the Jews that because of their evil Allah will kill them: "...Oh you who are Jews ...long for death if you are truthful... for the death from which you flee, that will surely overtake you..."

In other sections they learn of Jews being expelled from their homes by Allah, and in another Jews are said to be like donkeys: "Those [Jews] who were charged with the Torah, but did not observe it, are like a donkey carrying books...."

This religious-based anti-Semitism is particularly dangerous because children are taught that hating Jews is God's will. Islam also contains positive attitudes toward Jews yet PA educators chose to incorporate only hateful teachings.

It's Not Right

I’m a fan of Condoleezza Rice. I understand the need for diplomacy. Not every problem can be (or should be) solved at the point of a gun.

But it really bothers me to see a photo of Condoleezza Rice, a representative of the United States, smiling and shaking hands with a Holocaust denier.

It’s not right, damn it.

It’s not right.

Oxford Antisemitism Update

The Telegraph (alone among the major media) is covering the story of Andrew Wilkie, the Oxford professor who turned down Israeli PhD candidate Amit Duvshani’s application simply because of his nationality: Outrage as Oxford bans student for being Israeli.

A report into the matter will be presented to Sir Colin Lucas, the Vice-Chancellor, later this week and Prof Wilkie could face disciplinary action or even dismissal.

Speaking from his home in Oxfordshire last night, Prof Wilkie apologised "unreservedly" for his actions. "I made a mistake," he said. "The email was inappropriate. I expressed personally-held opinions that have nothing to do with Oxford University and they should not have been expressed in that manner. I have learned a lesson.

"I have a view on the situation in the Middle East but I am not a racist or anti-Semitic. I just want to draw a line under the whole thing."

The professor, who was elected Nuffield professor of pathology last month, said that he could understand the distress and anger felt by Mr Duvshani. When asked if he would look again at the student's application for a PhD, he replied "absolutely" and added that he "entirely accepted" the university's equal opportunities and race equality policies.

A series of attempts have been made to isolate Israeli scholars in protest at their country's operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In Britain, calls for an academic boycott have been led by Steven Rose, an Open University professor.

Last year the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology was forced to hold an inquiry after The Sunday Telegraph revealed that Mona Baker, a professor, had sacked two Israeli academics from the editorial boards of two journals because of their nationality.

A Umist inquiry found that Prof Baker had not acted improperly under its rules because the journals she owns were not connected to the university.

New Bin Laden Video?

Pakistani authorities have arrested an Egyptian Al Qaeda freakazoid near Peshawar—and he supposedly had in his possession a videotape of Osama Bin Laden: 'Bin Laden video' seized in Pakistan.

The Egyptian national was arrested on Wednesday in a raid on a house in the northwestern city of Peshawar, near the border with Afghanistan, said two intelligence officials.

Found at the home were three video cassettes, including one allegedly of bin Laden warning of attacks against US interests in Saudi Arabia, according to one of the two intelligence officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Officials say the man, identified as Haris bin Asim, apparently wanted to deliver the video cassettes to the Arab satellite station Al-Jazeera. The al-Jazeera correspondent in Islamabad, Ahmed Zaidan, said he had no knowledge of any cassettes or deliveries.

I still believe Osama’s bin dead for a while, but it will be interesting to see if this pans out.

Fatwa of the Day

An influential Presbyterian minister Shi'ite Muslim cleric in Iran has issued a fatwa that says any Jew who buys Iraqi land should be mildly chastised killed.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iran-based cleric, Ayatollah Kazem al-Husseini al-Haieri, also said in his fatwa that selling real estate to Jews was forbidden for Muslims.

A cleric at Haieri's representative office in the holy city of Najaf said several Iraqis had sought Haieri's religious decree after Jews from abroad approached them over the past six weeks.

"Any Jew who tries, from now on, to buy a lot of land or a house in Iraq should be killed," the decree said. "Selling any lot of land or a house in Iraq to Jews is forbidden."

Nazimedia Stalker At It Again

Well, they’ve posted that inept Photoshop job featuring yours truly again, and called me a “Zionazi” again, and they still don’t know the difference between Google search and Google News. Not only that—they still haven’t caught on to the terrible secret of LFG, either. If they weren’t so flat-line one-brain-cell-max schtoopid it might make me mad—but really at this point it’s simply pathetic.

Note to my Indymedia stalkers: posts like that are exactly why Indymedia was removed from Google News, so please, by all means, continue! Knock yourselves out! (That’s Google News, you morons.)

Arab Search Requests

Today’s curious search request from the Persian Gulf comes from Saudi Arabia, where someone found LGF by searching Google for: what do saudi princess use in their bath?

Was it a random pervert, or a real princess looking for body wash recommendations? The mind reels.

Islamic Jihad Takes a Break

Islamic Jihad has announced that they will take a short pause to rest, reload, and rearm, before they resume murdering Jews.

"We have accepted a conditional cease-fire for three months," the leader," al-Hindi told The Associated Press on Saturday. "I expect that it's going to be finished within 24 hours and after that it will be declared, if not tomorrow, the day after."

I’m sure it’s just sheer coincidence that this announcement comes at the last minute before Condoleezza Rice’s visit to the area.

A Society of Extremism

We’ve been focusing on the bad side of the BBC lately, but one bright spot in their wasteland of pro-Arab, anti-Israel and anti-American bias is Tim Sebastian’s Hardtalk program. Here’s a quite amazing interview with Dr. Abdul Rahman Al Matroudi, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for Islamic Affairs, who denies everything—he denies that Wahhabism is the mainstream Saudi version of Islam, he denies that extremism is preached in the mosques, he denies that the religious police enforce the laws against women driving, he denies there is religious discrimination, and then suddenly he admits ... that hatred of Jews is taught in their school textbooks. But he justifies this stunning admission by saying that the Jews do it too. This interview shows the truth about what’s happening in Saudi Arabia, in direct contradiction of the smooth lies of mouthpieces like Adel al-Jubeir, as Al Matroudi squirms and weasels and tries to evade every question. (Hat tip: the Viking.)

In the Arab World, Bigotry=Heroism

The Arab News lavishes praise on a disgusting bigot, table tennis player Nabeel Al-Magahwi, who refused to play against an Israeli and was barred from competition for a year: TT Player Becomes Celebrity After Refusing to Face Israeli. (Hat tip: Jewels.)

On the second day of the table tennis World Championship in Paris in May, the tournament was marred by the intrusion of an unwanted guest at the Bercy arena when Nabeel Al-Magahwi from Saudi Arabia and Hani Al-Hammadi from Yemen refused to play their scheduled men’s singles qualifiers against Gay Elensky from Israel.

The decision not to face the Israeli player was the best he ever made, Al-Magahwi told Arab News here in Jeddah, and was worth it even though he was banned from the rest of the competition.

“What I did in Paris was the right thing and I feel proud of it,” he said. “It is a natural for an Arab or a Muslim not to want to face an Israeli, because of our protest against the Israeli aggression in Palestane [sic].” ...

“In addition to the great support I received from government officials, residents and expatriates, I have received a special certificate from the Palestanian President Yasser Arafat that I’m very proud of,” Al-Magahwi said.

Banned he may have been, but “I feel like a winner after the reaction I received from everybody.”

Israel: Fed Up With the BBC

Following the showing of a blatantly anti-Israel “documentary,” the Israeli government press office has announced they will break off contact with the BBC.

“The BBC will discover that bureaucracy can be applied with goodwill or without it. And after the way that they have repeatedly tried to delegitimise the state of Israel, we, as hosts, have none left for them,” Daniel Seaman, director of the government press office, told The Times.

“We see the well-known pro-Arab touch of the Foreign Office and the traditional anti-Semitism of parts of Britain’s Establishment in the way they are acting against us.”

Also planned are non-co- operation in all requests for assistance with such restrictions as military road blocks in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. A decision to expel all BBC correspondents has been put on ice, but not dismissed out of hand. The first test comes today when the BBC requests that Israeli officials go to its studios to comment on the weekend visit of Condoleezza Rice, the US National Security Adviser, who is to have talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders about the “road map” to peace.

Mr Seaman, 42, said the sanctions had been decided at an angry meeting of representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister, the Foreign Ministry and the government press office because of what was seen as an overall BBC attitude towards Israel “verging on the anti-Semitic”. They were in reaction to a series of programmes which had sought “to delegitimise Israel and showed some of the attitudes once familiar in Der Stuermer (the Nazi journal).”

Mr Seaman added: “Our complaint is with the BBC as an organisation rather than its bureau here, which does try from time to time to rectify its mistakes. The weapons programme, which contains the ridiculous false assertion that we used nerve gas against the Palestinians, was the last straw.

friday, june 27, 2003

BBC vs. British Government

An extraordinary battle is taking place between the BBC and its sponsor—the British government—over the BBC’s incredibly biased, relentlessly negative coverage of the Iraq war. Here is the statement from 10 Downing Street: PMOS afternoon briefing - 26 June. And here is the BBC’s take: Iraq dossier row 'extraordinary'.

The most amazing thing about this is that the BBC seems to be claiming that they have no biases, a claim that on its face is utterly absurd.

Last April I noted a report that the British Navy had pulled the plug on BBC broadcasts aboard the flagship HMS Ark Royal, after numerous complaints from crew members about the blatant anti-war agenda. Here’s how one sailor put it:

"The BBC always takes the Iraqis' side," one senior rating complained.

"It reports what they say as gospel but when it comes to us it questions and doubts everything the British and Americans are reporting.

"A lot of people onboard are very unhappy."

A lot of people ashore have also been unhappy with the Beeb for quite some time. This could be their New York Times moment.

The Politics of Mass Destruction

The Politics of Mass Destruction.

Even as evidence is uncovered that Saddam Hussein was planning to revive his nuclear-weapons program at the earliest possible date, politicians and pundits alike lament the failure of coalition forces to find a "smoking gun." Despite the recent discovery of plans and parts for a uranium-enrichment centrifuge, some presidential candidates have accused the Bush administration of lying about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction to justify the war with Iraq.

Such assertions ignore all that has been learned and has transpired during the last 12-plus years. As I've said time and again, expecting any inspection regime to find a massive cache of WMDs is a lesson in self-delusion. Such folly can only bring cheer to those who opposed the war in the first place and to those who simply oppose the Bush administration.

Saudi Funds Linked to US Sleeper Cells

Saudi Arabia continues to spend large sums of money promoting an image of friendliness to the United States. Here’s an example; a site that showed up in our referrer log today for some reason (they’re watching us): Saudi Arabia United States Relations.

The problem, though, is that for the past 3 decades, while we weren’t watching them, they’ve spent an unbelievable amount ($70 billion) to infiltrate our society to a very scary degree: Saudi-financed Wahabi crusade tied to U.S. sleeper cell network.

Administration officials said the U.S. intelligence and law enforcement community has linked the threat from Al Qaida to Saudi financing of Wahabi institutions that promote an anti-West ideology.

Larry Mefford, assistant director of the FBI counterterrorism division, yesterday told a Senate subcommittee on terrorism that the FBI has launched an effort to uncover and capture Al Qaida sleeper cells in 40 states. He said the sleeper cells could contain those who helped Al Qaida in the September 2001 suicide attacks.

Treasury Department general counsel David Aufhauser, who has negotiated extensively with Riyad, said Saudi Arabia has become the epicenter of financing for Al Qaida and related movements. Aufhauser said Saudi Arabia's efforts to disseminate its Wahabi doctrine comprise a "very important factor to be taken into account when discussing terrorist financing."

"It needs to be dealt with," Aufhauser told the Senate subcommittee on terrorism.

"The problem we are looking at today is the state-sponsored doctrine and funding of an extremist ideology that provides the recruiting grounds, support infrastructure and monetary lifeblood to today's international terrorists," subcommittee chairman Sen. Jon Kyl said. ...

Saudi Arabia has launched several campaigns to persuade Americans that the kingdom does not support Al Qaida and has cooperated in the U.S.-led war against Islamic insurgents. The Saudi embassy in Washington has held several news conferences in which government spokespeople asserted that more than 1,000 Saudi clerics suspected of being Al Qaida loyalists have been dismissed. [Do I have to say it? Bullshit.—ed.]

The Senate Judiciary Committee panel heard testimony from experts and warnings from senators that the administration has not addressed the threat of Saudi dissemination of Wahabi doctrine in the United States. Committee members said the Saudi effort includes the construction of hundreds of mosques and the indoctrination of U.S. soldiers, particularly Muslim chaplains.

"The Wahabi presence in the United States is a foreboding one that has potentially harmful and far-reaching consequences for our nation's mosques, schools, prisons and even our military," Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, said. "My fear is, if we don't wake up and take action now, those influenced by Wahabism's extremist ideology will harm us in as of yet unimaginable ways."

The focus of the Saudi efforts to spread Wahabi doctrine was the Al Haramain Foundation which until earlier this year had a network throughout Asia, Africa and Europe. The United States has deemed Al Haramain a financier of Al Qaida and ordered the foundation's assets frozen.

The committee heard testimony, much of it contained in U.S. government reports, that disclosed the huge Saudi investment in disseminating Wahabi doctrine, including control of most national Muslim organizations in the United States. Alex Alexiev, a researcher at the Washington-based Center for Security Policy, said Riyad spent $70 billion from 1975 to 2002 in Islamic projects around the world.

Malawian Muslims Seething, Rioting

Malawian Muslims were so enraged about the arrest and extradition of five suspected Al Qaeda members that they had to burn down a Catholic church and the local offices of the “Save the Children” charity: Malawi Muslims Riot Over Alleged Extraditions.

BLANTYRE, Malawi (Reuters) - Angry demonstrators in the resort district of Mangochi burned down offices of the global "Save the Children" charity and a Catholic church, while others attacked the offices of the Muslim Association of Malawi in Blantyre, police said.

No one was seriously hurt in the protests, which were fueled by anger over unconfirmed reports that U.S. security officials whisked the five suspects out of the country earlier this week, with the approval of Malawian authorities. ...

"We are so angry, especially with (President Bakili) Muluzi -- who should be the first person to protect Muslims," said Amir Juma, a Muslim businessman in his 30s. Muluzi is a Muslim. ...

MAM public relations officer Saiti Jambo told Reuters that irate Muslims ran amok in the organization's offices -- smashing windows and burning furniture, computers and vehicles -- after they failed to gain access to its chairman, Sheik Omar Wochi.

"Sheik Wochi was not in the office and this angered them," Jambo said. "We watched helplessly as they decided to vent their anger on the offices."

The Muslims chanted anti-government slogans, accusing their government of relinquishing its sovereignty by succumbing to pressure from the U.S. government. They also accused their association of failing to protect fellow Muslims.

Nazimedia on VDH

Ever wondered what the drooling moonbats at Nazimedia think about Victor Davis Hanson? (Hat tip: NC.)

V D Hanson is infected with Mad Corporation Disease and Hemorrhagic Stupiditas.

He is a perfect specimen of the notoriously ridiculous 'RAPACIOUS NEOCONDERTHAL OILODON GLUTTON". He is deluded, vain, conceited and WRONG.

I could go on and on and on...but it's useless because "Americans" don't have a long enough attention span when it comes to anything that could threaten their comfort, their superiority complex and their "right" to distract and amuse themselves ad nauseum.

The USA is a real shame to those True Americans who have been silenced and threatened if they dare speak the TRUTH about their God damn evil "government"...!

Iran Denies Zawahiri Report

Iran denies arresting bin Laden's top aide.

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry denied Friday that the government has arrested Ayman al-Zawahiri, the right-hand man to terror mastermind Osama bin Laden.

The al-Arabiya satellite television network, citing unnamed diplomatic sources, reported al-Zawahiri and al Qaeda spokesman Suleiman Abu Ghaith were among several al Qaeda suspects Iran had arrested in recent months.

But Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hamid Reza Asefi, said the report was untrue.

"First of all this is not the case," Asefi said. "The people in question have not yet been identified. Also, there is no reason that even after the identification process is completed that we should discuss this issue with the media because this is a security issue."

A Non-Apology Apology

Professor Andrew Wilkie, author of the blatantly antisemitic email reproduced two posts down, has issued a ... well, not an apology, exactly. He apologizes for the “distress” his email caused and admits it was “inappropriate” to express his personal opinions, but doesn’t back down one bit from those opinions. It’s the classic weasel’s non-apology apology, designed to take the heat off while not recanting the offensive actions in any substantial way, and admitting only enough guilt to shut up the critics.

Following is the statement released by the University of Oxford:

27 June 2003

Comments by Professor Andrew Wilkie

A spokesperson for the University of Oxford said:

“Our staff may hold strongly felt personal opinions. Freedom of expression is a fundamental tenet of University life, but under no circumstances are we prepared to accept or condone conduct that appears to, or does, discriminate against anyone on grounds of ethnicity or nationality, whether directly or indirectly. This candidate is entitled to submit an application and to have it dealt with fairly according to our normal criteria.

“Professor Wilkie has issued a personal apology regarding remarks he made by e mail to an applicant for a research degree at Oxford. An immediate and thorough investigation of this matter is now being carried out in accordance with the University’s procedures and a report will be presented to the Vice-Chancellor next week.”

Note to editors:

The full text of Professor Wilkie’s apology is:

“I recognise and apologise for any distress caused by my e mail of 23 June and the wholly inappropriate expression of my personal opinions in that document. I was not speaking on behalf of Oxford University or any of its constituent parts. I entirely accept the University of Oxford’s Equal Opportunities and Race Equality policies.”

Professor Wilkie has certainly learned his lesson: in the future, he’ll do a much better job of hiding his bigotry.

Stephen Rittenberg had the email on his blog yesterday, and Roger Simon has an interesting post on this subject.

Medved on Corrie and al-Dura

Michael Medved is discussing Rachel Corrie and Mohammed al-Dura on his radio show right now: Listen live here.

Antisemitism at Oxford

When Israeli Amit Duvshani applied to Oxford for a doctoral position, he received the following reply from Andrew Wilkie, Nuffield Professor of Pathology at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine (Hat tip: Naomi Ragen):

--------------------

From: "Andrew Wilkie" awilkie@worf.molbiol.ox.ac.uk
To: "Amit Duvshani"
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2003 9:58 AM
Subject: Re: PhD application

Dear Amit Duvshani,

Thank you for contacting me, but I don't think this would work. I have a huge problem with the way that the Israelis take the moral high ground from their appalling treatment in the Holocaust, and then inflict gross human rights abuses on the Palestinians because they (the Palestinians) wish to live in their own country.

I am sure that you are perfectly nice at a personal level, but no way would I take on somebody who had served in the Israeli army. As you may be aware, I am not the only UK scientist with these views but I'm sure you will find another suitable lab if you look around.

Yours sincerely,
Andrew Wilkie

Nuffield Professor of Pathology,
Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine,
The John Radcliffe,
Headington,
Oxford OX3 9DS,
UK.

Tel (44)-1865-222619
Fax (44)-1865-222500

Breaking News from Iran

Possible big news at the Drudge Report:

Al Arabiya reporting Ayman Zawahri, Al Qaeda's #2, one of Osama's sons, and Suliman Abu Ghaith, a spokeman for Al Qaeda, captured in Iran... MORE... Iranian diplomatic sources saying they want to deport them to their native countries... Developing...

Missing 727 Update

The Boeing 727 that mysteriously disappeared from an airport in Angola was a factor in the recent closing of the US embassy in Kenya—and one of the FBI’s 22 most-wanted terrorists is affiliated with a 727 plane operator in Africa: Missing 727 Inspires Fear.

U.S. intelligence agencies are trying to trace the plane's whereabouts using satellites and human intelligence, but have not yet been able to locate it.

Officials do not automatically link the aircraft's disappearance to terrorism, but sources say they are concerned that a man who currently operates 727 jets in Africa — and who is described as a suspected former unofficial aviation adviser for the Taliban — is affiliated with Fazul Abdullah Mohammed. Mohammed is an alleged al Qaeda operative who was indicted in the United States in the 1998 East African embassy bombings and is still at large.

The U.S. State Department closed its embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, for six days starting last Friday after the Defense Department learned that it was a specific target of a terrorist attack. Kenya has been on heightened alert status for more than a month due to a range of intelligence red flags signaling terrorist activity in the region, including the sighting of Mohammed near the Somali border several weeks ago, sources told ABCNEWS.

Intelligence officials also learned of a transfer of a cache of weapons into Kenya from Somalia, a large infusion of cash into a suspicious bank account in Kenya, and the transit into Kenya of one or more British nationals of Somali descent recently.

UN Wants US to Pay

The United Nations building in New York is decrepit and falling apart. And even after their disgraceful behavior towards the US, their installing Libya as chair of the Human Rights Commission, and their ineffectual coddling of murderous dictators worldwide, they seem to think America should foot the bill for renovations—to the tune of an interest-free $1 billion loan.

Who will pay to fix the 1952 original plumbing, get rid of asbestos and raise security fences? Repairs would cost U.S. taxpayers about $600 million over 30 years.

Critics want the U.N. to pay for the renovation itself.

The sour economy means Americans are not exactly in the giving mood. That, along with the U.N.'s foot-dragging over the war in Iraq, has sparked outrage.

"It is irrational, it is simply just looking to the United States to pay that which we should not have to pay," Leo Kayser III, former director of the U.N. Development Corporation, said. "We have no commitment, there is no legal basis for it."

Old and in the Way

Victor Davis Hanson says the American street is fed up with the ingratitude of those who suck up our foreign aid, and that big changes are on the horizon: Old and in the Way.

During this entire crisis tired voices of convention have misunderstood the nature of this war and the temporary presence of Americans in exotic places like the Asiatic provinces of the former Soviet Union, the Gulf, or Kurdistan. Instead of seeing such deployments in their proper context of ad hoc military efficacy and reaction to 9/11, they have instead shrilly alleged some sinister conspiracy to harness the world's oil through the use of permanent military deployment abroad and perpetual war.

Fools! The real danger is not that we are interventionists, but rather are on the verge of a weird insularity not seen since the 1920s — a paradox of still being engaged abroad but not in the usual manner of the past. The American Street is in a strangely revolutionary — read "fed-up" — mood. It is growing distant from Europe. It is angry with the Arab world especially, and it is tired with South Korea — and most whiny nations that either take billions of dollars in direct American aid or ankle-bite under the aegis of American arms.

The result is while hothouse analysts in Paris and spoiled teenagers in Seoul with Reeboks and football jerseys damn America the imperialist, the United States they knew is changing right before their eyes in ways that they might not like in the next decade — but that will in fact relieve most Americans.

Move Along, Nothing to See Here

At the US-EU summit meeting in Washington, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana told the House of Representatives International Relations Committee that there is no antisemitism in Europe. None. Nope. Zilch. Zip. Nada. It was all just a bad dream.

"When the issue of increased anti-Semitism was raised, he looked at us and said, 'There's no anti-Semitism. There's no wave of anti-Semitism in Europe,'" said Florida Democratic Rep. Robert Wexler, who has visited Israel and Syria recently.

"I was stunned to hear him say, more or less, that there has not been a rise in anti-Semitism in Europe," said Florida Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a leader on the committee. "And so I said, 'Oh, it must be another Europe.' And other members couldn't believe it either."

The Simon Wiesenthal Center and other groups have noted a spike in anti-Semitic attacks in Europe since 2001, with 1,300 attacks in France alone, including the stabbing of a rabbi in Paris and the torching of a synagogue in Marseilles. Last week, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) held its first-ever conference on anti-Semitism in Vienna. At the conference the head of the US delegation, former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani, referred to anti-Semitism as "a burden that has held Europe back for two millennia.' Germany agreed to host a follow-up conference to be held next year in Berlin on anti-Semitism specifically.

This corrupt unelected parasite also said the EU will continue to meet with Arafat, and he dodged the issue of putting Hamas on the EU terrorist list.

thursday, june 26, 2003

Made in America

Tough words for Iran from Condoleeza Rice: Rice warns of 'Made in America' solution to Iran's nuclear plans.

America gave notice yesterday that it was ready to act alone against Iran and North Korea if European countries did not co-operate in stopping them from developing nuclear weapons.

"If we do not want a 'Made in America' solution, let's find out how to resolve the issues of North Korea and Iran," declared Condoleezza Rice, the US national security adviser, during a visit to London.

She tried to play down the prospect of a war against Iran, saying: "We do not ever want to have to deal with the proliferation issue as we did in Iraq." But her comments had strong echoes of the blunt talking that surrounded the debate before the Iraq war.

Accusing Iran of seeking secretly to build nuclear weapons, and vowing that North Korea would not be allowed to "blackmail" the world with threats to resume its nuclear programme, Miss Rice said the US sought international co-operation.

She said Iran's programme was best dealt with by convincing the nation to agree to intrusive inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency. North Korea was best addressed by regional powers exerting pressure.

But Miss Rice, who leaves for the Middle East today, pointedly did not rule out military action. "The avoidance of war is not in itself a final goal," she said. "Sometimes one has to fight wars to deal with tyrants."

Australia Minces No Words

Wow. Australia has told the United Nations to bugger off. (Hat tip: Victrade.)

CANBERRA, Australia -- The Australian government on Thursday branded multilateral forums such as the United Nations "ineffective and unfocused" and said its foreign policy will increasingly rely on "coalitions of the willing" like the one that waged war in Iraq.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer also said that in Canberra's view, other nations' sovereignty was "not absolute."

The assertive new doctrine outlined by Downer came a day after Australia announced it would lead an international force of troops and police to restore order to the violence-wracked Solomon Islands in the southwest Pacific.

Downer's speech reflected comments late last year by Prime Minister John Howard that Australia would be prepared to launch pre-emptive strikes against terror targets in Asia -- words that sparked outrage in Asia.

Good on ya, mates!

LGF at HughHewitt.com

A big LGF thank you to Hugh Hewitt, for including LGF on his list of “Key Blogs.”

Ain't No Peace Symbol, AP

Question: is the Associated Press really so clueless that they don’t know the Palestinians use this two-finger gesture as a victory sign?

Answer: I doubt it.

A young Palestinian protester flashes the peace sign during a rally calling for the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails at the International Red Cross office in Gaza city, Thursday, June 26, 2003. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Unclear on the "Truce" Concept

The Palestinian Arabs have been awfully busy today, preparing for that “truce:” Militants Increase Attacks in Mideast.

JERUSALEM - Palestinian militants stepped up violence against Israelis on Thursday, dispatching bombers, roadside snipers and a teenage gunman even as Palestinian officials and militia leaders discussed the time and place to announce a three-month halt in attacks. ...

Israeli troops intercepted four Palestinians carrying two backpacks stuffed with explosives, killing two in a clash and capturing the others.

An Israeli motorist was seriously wounded in a shooting attack in the West Bank late Thursday, the Israeli rescue service and military said. The attack took place between the Palestinian town of El-Khader, near Bethlehem, and the West Bank Jewish settlement of Beitar Elite, they said. Two other people in the vehicle were not wounded.

Earlier, a Palestinian teenager shot dead an Israeli phone company technician near the West Bank before he was seriously wounded by a security guard and captured. A militia linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement claimed responsibility.

Palestinians also fired several mortar shells and homemade rockets at a Jewish settlement in Gaza and an Israeli community bordering the strip.

Road Map to Murderville Update

Another sniper attack against an Israeli motorist this evening.

An Israeli civilian was shot this evening as he was driving his car near the West Bank settlement of Beitar Ilit, west of Bethlehem.

The terror attack took place in the area of Palestinian village of El Hader, according to media reports.

Final Report: Corrie Death an Accident

The Israel Defense Forces have finished their investigation into the death of ISM tool Rachel Corrie, concluding what most reasonable people already knew—that her death was an accident, and that the circumstances bore little or no relation to the descriptions given by Palestinian and ISM “eyewitnesses.”

The military investigation conducted by the Judge Advocate's Office concludes that Corrie, who was in a closed military zone and interfering with IDF operational activities, was killed by accident.

On March 16, Corrie, a 23-year-old college student was said to have been run over and killed by an IDF bulldozer.

The Military Advocate General`s office further stated that it was impossible for the driver to have seen or heard Corrie.

"The driver at no point saw or heard Corrie," a military source told the Jerusalem Post. "She was standing behind debris which obstructed the view of the driver and the driver had a very limited field of vision due to the protective cage he was working in."

"The driver and his commanders were interrogated extensively over a long period of time with the use of polygraph tests and video evidence. They had no knowledge that she was standing in the path of the tractor. Both the driver and his commanders were cleared of any wrongdoing. An autopsy of Corrie's body revealed that the cause of death was from falling debris and not from the tractor physically rolling over her," the source stated.

"It was a tragic accident that never should have happened," the source said. "The International Solidarity Movement, for which Corrie belonged to, was directly responsible for illegal behavior and conduct in the area of Corrie's death and their actions directly led to this tragedy," the source concluded.

Expect this to have little or no effect on the ISM’s efforts to exploit Corrie’s death, or on the news media’s continual repetition of the lies about the way she died.

It must be driving the ISM and their Palestinian backers crazy that they haven’t been able to turn Corrie’s death into the huge propaganda victory they thought it would be; they started the lies and myth-making as soon as she was crushed under that falling debris.

One in Three Americans "Invincibly Ignorant"

In an editorial that was apparently written after the discovery of gas centrifuge components in Iraq—but still pushes the “Bush lied” line—the Toronto Star says that one out of every three Americans is invincibly ignorant.

Most Americans remain persuaded that the war and 8,000 Iraqi deaths were justified, to topple an America-hating, murderous despot.

But nearly one American in two now believes Bush intentionally misled them about Saddam's nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

Bush's credibility would be lower still, except that a sturdy core of invincibly ignorant people — one American in three — is convinced that these weapons already have been found.

The “Bush Lied” Case Falls Apart

Byron York gets it exactly right, in a piece about the discovery of gas centrifuge parts and plans buried in a Baghdad backyard—a major discovery that is being relentlessly downplayed and second-paged in the New York Times and the Washington Post: The “Bush Lied” Case Falls Apart.

Moussaoui Trial Backfire Watch

Back in January 2002, I wrote:

A criminal trial is too good for the likes of Zacarias Moussaoui, who by any definition of the words has to be considered a spy and a saboteur. But he will now be afforded all the rights and privileges of a US citizen, in a trial that has a good possibility of becoming a fiasco. This is a very misguided decision, and I hereby predict that it’s going to come back and bite someone on the ass.

It gives me no great pleasure to say that my prediction is coming true, with a vengeance: Federal Court Dismisses Appeal in Moussaoui Case.

A federal appeals court dealt a blow to the case against alleged Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui today, dismissing a government appeal of a ruling that granted him access to a key al Qaeda witness.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit based its ruling on jurisdictional grounds, with a three-judge panel saying it is "compelled to conclude that we are without authority" to rule on the appeal because the lower-court ruling granting access is not a final one.

The ruling could have major implications for the continued prosecution of Moussaoui, a French citizen who is the only person charged in the United States in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Government officials have said they will likely move the case to a military tribunal if they lose the appeal, which could imperil future prosecutions of other terrorism suspects in the civilian court system.

Moussaoui had sought access to Ramzi Binalshibh, the self-described coordinator of the attacks, to help prepare his defense. U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema in Alexandria in late January allowed a deposition of Binalshibh.

But the government strongly objected on national security grounds, saying a deposition would disrupt a vital interrogation and threaten national security.

The 4th Circuit's decision throws the issue directly back at the Bush Administration.

Three Suicide Bombers Stopped

The Palestinian Arab murderers are doing their best to get in a few last killings before their leaders agree to a “cease fire”—which they will, of course, immediately violate: 2 militants killed in north; Israeli shot dead by Palestinian. (Hat tip: Colt.)

Two Palestinian would-be suicide bombers were shot dead Thursday afternoon by Israeli security forces near Baka al-Garbiyeh, only hours after a Palestinian teenager shot dead an Israeli in the northern village, situated close to the Green Line border.

Police sources said that members of the special police unit caught three terrorists with explosives belts, and that at least two of them were killed by police fire.

Amit (Amos) Martin, 31, from Hadera, a technician for the Bezeq telecommunications company, was shot dead by a 15-year-old Palestinian while traveling with a Bezeq crew in the center of the village. The gunman approached their vehicle, opened fire and fled. Martin was critically injured and later died of his wounds.

The gunman, who was shot and wounded by a Bezeq security guard who chased him, was detained by security forces who arrived at the scene shortly after the attack. He was evacuated in serious condition to hospital where he underwent surgery.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs` Brigades, which is linked to Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction, claimed responsibility for the attack, Israel Radio reported.

Arafish Says...

Looks like the fish is behind the wheel again, with reporters hanging on his every word.

Arafat told reporters at his West Bank headquarters Thursday that a formal announcement would be made soon....

But Mahmoud Zahar, a Hamas leader in Gaza, said more time was needed.

"There is a great deal of communication between all the parties which has intensified ... but at this point, I don't expect that there will be a declaration about our position ... in the coming hours," he said.

Meanwhile, another one of Arafish’s goons defied President Bush and said the terrorist groups will keep on killin’.

GAZA (Reuters) - The Palestinian Authority rejected Thursday President Bush's call to dismantle Hamas and other militant anti-Israeli groups, saying such an attempt would ignite a Palestinian civil war.

"The talk about dismantling factions is a flagrant call for a civil war that is rejected by the Palestinian people, the Palestinian Authority and by the factions, and it will never happen," said Ahmed Adel-Rahman, a senior aide to President Yasser Arafat.

wednesday, june 25, 2003

Palestinian Car Swarm Watch

House Votes Overwhelmingly in Favor of Israel

U.S. Congress backs Israel's response to terrorist attacks.

A House resolution, passed 399-5, condemned attacks on Israel since President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas met in Jordan three weeks ago to pledge for the U.S.-backed peace plan.

But a few lawmakers warned that the measure, coming on the same day that Islamic militants agreed to halt attacks on Israel for three months, was one-sided.

I watched this House session on C-Span today, and I have to say our representatives made me proud. Little Green kudos to Tom Lantos and Denise Majette especially. The few who spoke against this measure will have a lot to answer for in the next election.

Blowing My Own Horn

Muchas gracias and a big domo arigato to Israpundit, for making LGF their first Site of the Week.

Hangin' With the Prince

LGF reader CastorOil has discovered (read: Photoshopped) a picture of Thomas Friedman with another of his friends:

UPDATE: it’s a riff on this photo we linked to yesterday.

Gas Centrifuge in Baghdad

Here it is, folks: Nuke component unearthed in Baghdad back yard.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The CIA has in its hands the critical parts of a key piece of Iraqi nuclear technology -- parts needed to develop a bomb program -- that were dug up in a back yard in Baghdad, CNN has learned.

The parts were unearthed by Iraqi scientist Mahdi Obeidi who had hidden them in his back yard under a rose bush 12 years ago under orders from Qusay Hussein and Saddam Hussein's then son-in-law, Hussein Kamel.

U.S. officials emphasized this was not evidence Iraq had a nuclear weapon -- but it was evidence the Iraqis concealed plans to reconstitute their nuclear program as soon as the world was no longer looking.

UPDATE: MSNBC has more about new WMD evidence discovered in Iraq:

Sources told NBC News’ Jim Miklaszewski that within just the past week, U.S. investigators had found two shipping containers filled with millions of much more recent documents relating to chemical and biological weapons.

One of the documents, from 2001, was titled “Document burial and U.N. activities in Iraq,” the sources said. It gave detailed instructions on how to hide materials and deceive U.N. weapons inspectors, the sources said.

Other documents related to the concealment of VX nerve gas, the sources said.

The sources said U.S. troops also discovered about 300 sacks of castor beans, which are used to make the deadly biological agent ricin, hidden in a warehouse in the town of al-Aziziyah, 50 miles southeast of Baghdad, the capital. The castor beans were inaccurately labeled as fertilizer.

U.S. search teams have also been led to a site near Nasiriyah, a key Euphrates River crossing 200 miles south of Baghdad, where Iraqi informants said Scud missiles were buried.

US Intel Centers in Iraq

Here’s a very interesting report at Debkafile: Two Huge US Intelligence Centers Go up in Iraq.

The Americans are secretly building two giant intelligence facilities in Iraq at a cost of some half a billion dollars, according to an exclusive report received from DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s intelligence sources. US engineering and construction units are setting up what amounts to an “intelligence city” on a site north of the oil city of Mosul in Kurdistan and a second facility in Baghdad’s Saadun district on the east bank of the Tigris. Our military experts infer from the vast dimensions of the two projects and their colossal expense that it is Washington’s intention to retain a large US military presence in Iraq in the long term, for a decade at least.

The new installations will greatly enhance America’s military, intelligence and electronic command and control over Iraq and its neighbors, notably Iran and Syria. The Mosul facility will guard northern Iraq’s oilfields and the pipelines carrying Iraqi gas and oil to Mediterranean terminals. Its instruments will reach into every corner of Iran and Syria, replacing America’s electronic eyes and ears in southern Turkey. This facility will be activated a section at a time according to need. Upon completion at the end of 2005, it will employ an operating staff of around 4,000 American intelligence personnel and electronic engineers.

DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s Middle East sources report that the intelligence center going up near Mosul is causing much nervousness in Damascus and Tehran. Both governments understand that when the first sections are activated in three months time, not a single military or intelligence move of theirs will go unseen by America’s electronic spies – and that goes for terrorist activity as well.

If this isn’t true, it ought to be.

Ba'athists Take a Bath

The US Treasury has frozen more than $1.2 billion in Iraqi assets from former senior Iraqi officials. (Hat tip: Victrade.)

The US Treasury Department added the names of 55 former senior Iraqi officials, known as the Department of Defense's 55 "Most Wanted" figures, to the Foreign Assets Control list, freezing any accounts in US jurisdiction and prohibiting them from having any transactions with US persons.

The United States will also submit the 55 names to the United Nations for designation under UNSCR 1483, which requires all member states to freeze without delay funds or other financial assets or economic resources of Iraqi state bodies, corporations, or agencies located outside of Iraq, as well as funds or economic resources removed by Saddam Hussein, senior officials of the former Iraqi regime, and their immediate families.

The Treasury Department has located well over $1.2 billion in previously unknown Iraqi assets and is working to facilitate the return of those assets to the Iraqi people through the Development Fund for Iraq, according to the press release.

Dubya Gets It

Here are some very heartening words from George W. Bush, who has been driving me crazy with his equivocating lately—but now seems to get it: Bush Skeptical of Mideast Truce Reports.

WASHINGTON - President Bush reacted skeptically Wednesday to a reported agreement by Palestinian militants to halt attacks on Israelis for three months. "I'll believe it when I see it," Bush said.

Bush demanded that Hamas and groups like it be taken out of business.

"The true test for Hamas and terrorist organizations is the complete dismantlement of their terrorist networks, their capacity to blow up the peace process," Bush said at a news conference with European Union leaders.

"It's one thing to make a verbal agreement," he said. "But in order for there to be peace in the Middle East, we must see organizations such as Hamas dismantled, and then we'll have peace, we'll have a chance for peace." ...

Bush said he did not know details of the reported deal, but said he was dubious about it, "knowing the history of the terrorists."

Breaking: US Embassy in Liberia Attacked

From Ha'aretz Flash News:

20:17 Blasts rock U.S. Embassy compound in Monrovia; injuries among thousands of Liberians seeking protection there

UPDATE: More details from the AP: Shells Explode in U.S. Embassy in Liberia. (Hat tip: ralph.)

MONROVIA, Liberia - Explosives landed in a U.S. diplomatic complex in Liberia's besieged capital Wednesday, causing injuries among thousands of people seeking refuge from a civil war engulfing Monrovia, a U.S. official said. There was no immediate report of any injuries to Americans.

A U.S. Embassy official said authorities had no details on the numbers of casualties. The embassy is across the street from the high-walled residential complex where the explosives landed.

Moral Stupidity

A great clear-sighted essay by writer Orson Scott Card: Moral Stupidity.

Israel seems to be taking the only course that is left to them. They are building a Berlin Wall around the West Bank, as they have already done around Gaza. When it is complete, they will simply withdraw behind that line -- as will any sensible Israelis living in settlements on the wrong side of it -- and leave the Palestinians to govern themselves.

The idea will be to patrol that wall and keep any Palestinian from crossing it. That will go a long way toward eliminating terrorism in Israel, since it's that long, permeable border that has allowed the suicide bombers to get in.

Of course, it will also mean a permanent end to Palestinian participation in the Israeli economy. And since it was jobs in Israel that kept the West Bank economically alive, you will hear an amazing amount of whining about how cruel the Israelis are to "starve" the Palestinians.

But Israel has no moral obligation to provide jobs for people who harbor the terrorists who murder Israelis.

All that the Palestinians had to do to keep their jobs in Israel -- or even to bring Israeli investment to the West Bank -- was to reject terrorism, denounce those who plan it, and cease honoring those who carry it out.

Another Attack Thwarted

As Hamas and Islamic Jihad lie about a three-month “truce” with Israel, two more terrorists from Nablus have been caught with a large bomb before they could commit mass murder: Security forces thwart terror attack in central Israel. (Hat tip: CastorOil.)

The terrorists were identified as Nidal Subhi Abdelhak and Mohammed Ramadan, both residents of Nablus. The arrests were made in Kfar Kassem, an Israeli Arab village northeast of Tel Aviv.

Security forces went on high alert in the Sharon region this morning due to intelligence warnings of an impending terror attack. Roadblocks were set up outside Netanya and Kfar Saba and there was an increased presence of police along the Green Line. The alert came even as Palestinian terror factions held talks in Cairo and were reportedly close to agreeing on terms for a hudna, or temporary Palestinian cease-fire.

Border Police received a report indicating that a Palestinian terrorist was in Kfar Kassem and making his way to central Israel. Security forces launched an extensive manhunt in the village and located the terrorist shortly afterwards.

"At first glance, he looked like an Israeli," a soldier told ynet. "No one would have suspected that he was a Palestinian terrorist planning to blow himself up. Luckily we had received a general description of his appearance. We saw that he was carrying a large bag."

"You have nothing to check. I only have books," the Palestinian told police after being stopped for questioning. But police discovered ten kilograms of explosives hidden in the bag. The bomb was subsequently detonated safely in a controlled explosion.

Breaking News

From Ha'aretz Flash News:

19:13 Palestinians: Israeli helicopter strike in Gaza could thwart 3-month cease-fire truce
18:26 Palestinian sources: One person dead in Israeli air attack on Palestinian car in the Gaza Strip

Irish Foreign Minister Makes a Choice

Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen was told that if he met with the bloodstained murderer Yasser Arafat, he would not be allowed to meet with Israeli officials.

He chose to meet with the terrorist.

Cowen is slated to arrive Wednesday night and meet Thursday in Ramallah with Arafat, PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, and PA Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath.

Israeli diplomatic officials said that when it was made clear to the Irish that if Cowen meets Arafat, he will be unable to meet any Israeli officials, the Irish decided to forgo the meetings in Israel.

"This is no small crisis, and unfortunately reflects Europe's position," one senior Foreign Ministry official said.

The official said that Cowen's move is more representative of European sentiment than the recent visit of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who met Sharon and refused to meet Arafat. He, in turn, was snubbed by Abbas.

Although Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson and the foreign ministers of Denmark and Norway all recently postponed visits because they did not want to find themselves in a similar dilemma, Cowen is the first diplomat to have decided to bypass Israeli officials to pay what Philip Grant, an official at the Irish Embassy in Tel Aviv, called a "courtesy call" to Arafat.

tuesday, june 24, 2003

Friedman's Roots

Here’s a photograph of New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman that I’m sure he wouldn’t like his buddy Crown Prince Abdullah to see. (Hat tip: Allison Kaplan Sommer.)

EUroweenie Fascism

The unelected weeniecrats of the European Commission continue their efforts to regulate all human behavior to fit the desires of the übervolk, with a proposed ban on “sexist” TV programs and advertising: EU plan for sexism law draws fire.

BRUSSELS, June 24 — Media groups on Tuesday reacted with disbelief to the disclosure that the European Commission is considering a law to ban sexist television programs and advertising. The European Publishers Council, which represents 29 media corporations, described the move as an “extraordinary” move towards censorship.

ANGELA MILLS WADE, executive director of the council, said the television, radio and publishing industries had not been consulted. “We would oppose any interference with editorial decisions and we don’t believe the European Commission has a remit to do that.”

The Commission is in the final stages of drawing up a directive to ban sex discrimination, with implications for the media, advertising and insurance industries.

The draft directive, revealed in Tuesday’s Financial Times, would leave it to the courts to decide whether programs or advertisements were sexist or “did not respect human dignity”. An explanatory note says: “The purpose of this provision is to avoid throughout all forms of mass media all stereotypical portrayals of women and men, as well as any projection of unacceptable images of men and women affecting human dignity and decency in advertisements.”

If You See a Message...

...that you are “not allowed to post comments,” it’s because I had to block a range of IP addresses to stop a group of drooling antisemitic morons from harassing us. Sorry for the inconvenience; email me for more information.

Here Comes the Tour

At the Trek Bikes web site, here’s a nice, concise look at the key stages of this year’s Tour de France, which begins July 5 and continues for three grueling weeks: About The Tour de France. Lance Armstrong is in fantastic shape and positioned to win his fifth Tour in a row, humiliating the French in their own race yet again.

No More Errors, Ever

If you’ve been noticing odd “scripting errors” the first time you load the Little Green Footballs page, I’m happy to report that I debugged that problem today. It was related to the new “Users Online” feature that shows the number of people currently browsing the site. Thanks to all who notified me about the errors.

Qatari Antisemitism Watch

The ADL site has a collection of utterly appalling antisemitic cartoons published in the Qatari newspaper, Al-Watan. (Hat tip: NC.)

RIP Leon Uris

Rest in peace, Leon Uris.

Everyone knows his most popular book Exodus, but I also highly recommend a lesser-known novel, The Haj.

Breakthrough Time (Yeah, Right)

It looks like Hamas is finally figuring out how easy it is to pull the wool over the eyes of the West; just say the words we want to hear! Hamas: We envision Palestinian and Israeli states side by side. (Hat tip: J. Lichty.)

Hamas has said that it envisions a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel, a senior Hamas official told reporters in an interview in Gaza City late Tuesday night, in what might be the group's first public recognition of the state of Israel.

The statement, unprecedented in an organization which had called for the eventual destruction of Israel, closely followed reports by both Israeli and Egyptian officials that Hamas is on the brink of declaring a cease-fire with Israel.

Hamas has come under intense, Egyptian, Palestinian, European and American pressure in recent weeks to curb terrorism against Israel, enabling the road map to move forward.

"What is the point in speaking in rhetoric," said Abu Shanab, "lets be frank, we cannot destroy Israel. The practical solution is for us to have a state along side Israel."

In related news, observers in Africa were shocked to see leopards with stripes instead of spots.

Get ready for the deluge of statements from Colin Powell, Kofi Annan, King Abdullah, Clown Prince Abdullah, and some guy named Abdullah in Boca Raton, that this is the breakthrough we’ve been awaiting for so long. Good Hamas! Good! Biscuit for you!

The French Hamas Connection

TIME Magazine reports that France is winking at Hamas fund raising: Hamas' French Funds? (Thanks to all who emailed about this.)

State Department and White House sources tell TIME the U.S. has lodged complaints that Paris is turning a blind eye to fund raising in France by front organizations for Hamas, the terrorist group that has claimed responsibility for most of the recent wave of suicide attacks. The U.S. also claims France is blocking European Union efforts to restrict these front groups elsewhere. "There's a lot of intelligence to suggest that the French have become increasingly a conduit for funds to Hamas and that they're just not taking the steps that are necessary," says a State official. Some Administration hard-liners suspect the French of positioning themselves to influence the Arab-Israeli peace process by leveraging Hamas' European funding. France says it has found no evidence of such funding. "We fight against any terrorist groups who might have bases in France or find financing from France," says embassy spokeswoman Natalie Loiseau.

Emphasis added, to highlight the fact that France does not recognize Hamas as a “terrorist group.”

Ibn Warraq in Cambridge

If any of our readers in Massachusetts are without plans for the evening, please note: Ibn Warraq, author of the book “Why I Am Not A Muslim,” will give a reading/ lecture in Cambridge tonight at 7 PM entitled, “Apostasy and Apostates under Islam.” Here’s the info:

Tuesday Evening June 24, 2003
7 PM
The Charles Hotel
One Bennett Street
Cambridge, MA

(Thanks to Andrew Bostom for the heads-up.)

Al-Zawiya Paranoia Redux

Our paranoid Jew-hating friends at the al-Zawiya Forum have posted another hilarious message, charging that LGF is funded by evil Zionists bent on world domination. Or maybe we’re actually evil Zionists ourselves. They’re trying to figure it out.

It would be difficult to prove that Zionists are funding the weblog directly or through donations, or if the owners of the site are Jews themselves ( http://www.littlegreenfootballs.com/about/about.htm ), but both possibilities seem likely.

This time they take a bash at our colleague Michael J. Totten, who may also be part of the nefarious conspiracy:

There are also other "spontaneously" pro-Zionist/anti-Muslim/anti-Arab/pro-war sites that may be funded by Israel, for example: http://michaeltotten.blogspot.com/ [owned by a "liberal" non-Jew]

Little do they realize the truth—the terrible secret of LFG! Bwahahahahaaa!

Hope vs. Experience

Here we go again with a meaningless Hamas truce deal, which even if true, would be nothing but a temporary cease fire (in Arabic, a hudna) to allow them to regroup and rearm, on the way to their often-stated goal of wiping out Israel.

The always excellent Shark Blog has a revealing list of other Hamas promises, cease fires, and truce deals:

June 18, 2003: Palestinians and Hamas near truce
June 16, 2003: Palestinian FM -Hamas ceasefire possible on Tuesday
June 15, 2003: Egyptian mediators work to reach ceasefire deal with Palestinian militants
June 8, 2003: Hamas Expected to Rejoin Truce Talks
June 3, 2003: Hamas Official Says Truce Possible with Guarantees
June 1, 2003: Palestinians confident on ceasefire deal
May 31, 2003: PNA to meet with Hamas as soon as truce is ready
May 29, 2003: Abu Mazen confident of Hamas ceasefire
May 22, 2003: Following Abu Mazen meeting, Hamas hints at limited truce
August 13, 2002: Hamas may agree to ceasefire
April 28, 2002: Hamas would accept Saudi peace plan, spokesman says; Group would stop attacks on Israelis if occupation ends
December 21, 2001: Hamas declares ceasefire in Israel
October 1999: Hamas offers truce

The Arafat-Gadafi Connection

Now that Saddam Hussein is in no position to fund Palestinian terrorism, Libyan wacko Muammar Gadafi is stepping up to the plate: Arafat alleged to raise Libyan money. (Hat tip: kamala.)

Sources close to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat say he has raised $2. 5 million from Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy to finance continued terror attacks against Israel, undermining efforts by reformist Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to achieve a cease-fire as the first step on the U.S.-backed road map toward peace.

The sources say the Libyan money has been paid into bank accounts controlled by Arafat in Beirut and Cairo to underwrite the terror activities of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the paramilitary wing of Arafat's Fatah movement.

Members of the Brigades confirmed to this reporter last week that they were receiving funds from Arafat's office despite efforts by the new Palestinian government headed by Abbas to end attacks against Israel.

Israeli and Palestinian officials say privately that the Arafat-Khadafy link is part of a series of secret diplomatic moves by Arafat designed to undermine Abbas, who is engaged in intensive talks with Palestinian extremists on the terms of a cease-fire.

Just another confirmation that the term “Israel-Palestinian conflict” is a misnomer; the truth is, it’s a conflict between Israel and the entire Arab world.

Activist Car Bomber

Last night Israel arrested 154 Palestinian Arabs in the West Bank, accused of being members of Hamas. The Palestinians are, naturally, whining about how this undermines their authority just as they were on the verge of making a deal with Hamas (where have we heard this one before?):

Michael Tarazi, legal adviser to the Palestinian Authority, condemned the arrests, accusing Israel of a "clear attempt at undermining the Palestinian Authority and the road map" to a Middle East peace.

"While the Palestinian Authority is pushing for prisoners to be released as a sign of good will, Israel is doing the opposite and taking more political prisoners," Tarazi said. "Israel is undermining the Palestinian Authority because, if there is a deal with Hamas and the group ends its violence against Israelis, it will mean Israel will have to meet its obligations under the road map. It doesn't want to do that."

Disgusting hypocrisy; par for the course.

This article at CNN contains a shockingly blatant example of how the media whitewashes Palestinian terrorism. First, they report that Islamic Jihad is officially considered a “terrorist” gang by the US and Israel:

Palestinian Islamic Jihad is considered a terrorist group by Israel and the United States.

...and then, just a few sentences later, they call an Islamic Jihad member who tried to drive a car bomb into Israel an “activist:”

Israeli troops also demolished the house of Jalal Khalil Muhammad Mahmid in a village near Jenin. He is an Islamic Jihad activist who Israel said tried to drive a car bomb into the country last September.

Missing 727 Update

Here’s an update on that Boeing 727 missing in Africa; the new piece of information here is that Ben Padilla was not alone in the plane when it took off from Angola: Missing Cargo Jet Prompts Africa Search.

U.S. Federal Aviation Association records show the aircraft was most recently owned by Aerospace Sales and Leasing Company Inc. of Miami.

The company's listed phone number in Miami has been disconnected.

Helder Preza, director of Angola's civil aviation authority, told The Associated Press that the 727 was leased by Air Angola and had been grounded for about a year because it lacked proper documentation for its conversion to a tanker.

Preza said an American named Ben Padilla approached authorities a month before the plane disappeared, saying the owner wanted to take the plane out of Angola.

"We said no problem," Preza said — as long as Padilla first paid $50,000 in fees for the year the aircraft sat in Angola and provided proof Air Angola approved.

Padilla asked airport authorities to do maintenance on the plane in the meantime, Preza said, and it was during maintenance work that Padilla and another man were seen boarding the plane just before it took off.

According to Padilla's family in Florida, he was hired to repossess the jet after Air Angola failed to make lease payments. His sister, Benita Padilla-Kirkland, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel she feared the plane had crashed or Padilla, 51, was being held against his will.

monday, june 23, 2003

The Crushing of Dissent

Today John Ashcroft called for the death penalty for protesters.

Wait ... did I write “John Ashcroft?” I meant to write “the Ayatollah Mohammed Yazdi:”

A senior hardline cleric in Iran has called on the judiciary to bring charges carrying the death penalty against people arrested for involvement in the recent series of disturbances.

Ayatollah Mohammed Yazdi, himself a former head of the judiciary, accused the demonstrators of taking their line from the Americans and he warned Washington itself not to think that Iran could be another Afghanistan or Iraq.

Reformist leaders have urged that protesters be dealt with leniently while US President George W Bush described them as brave souls who should be treated with the utmost respect.

Human Shields for Israel

If you’re planning to visit Israel, here’s a great idea from reader Gadi Niram, as a response to the cowardly American Apology Shirt we wrote about yesterday: Human Shields for Israel. Gadi has priced all the pro-Israel items at cost.

Hamas Declares War on US

Senator Arlen Spector wants Palestinian murderer Hassan Salameh, who was convicted in Israel of the 1996 bus bombing that killed three American citizens, to be extradited to the US. (Hat tip: Robert.)

Sen. Arlen Specter told CNN's Late Edition that U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft supported extraditing Hassan Salameh to the United States for the 1996 bus bombing in Jerusalem.

"Attorney General Ashcroft told me that he was interested in doing this, and that we ought to pursue it and take up the specifics," the Pennsylvania Republican said.

Specter said top Israeli officials have also shown an interest.

U.S. law considers the murder of any U.S. citizen, while outside the United States, a capital crime, subject to the death penalty.

"I don't see any reason in the world why that man ought not to be brought back to the United States and tried in a U.S. court, where he can get the death penalty," Specter said.

This news has apparently driven the Pediatrician of Death even more insane, because he is now calling the United States the first enemy of the Palestinian people.

Dr. Abd-al-Aziz al-Rantisi, member of the political leadership of HAMAS Movement, has said that the US request to the Zionist entity to extradite mujahid Hasan Salamah -- engineer of the operations that were carried out to avenge the death of engineer Yahya Ayyash -- asserts that the United States is the first enemy of the Palestinian people and their ambitions.

Al-Rantisi added: "This US request indicates that it [the United States] has started war on the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS."

On whether the Zionist entity will respond to the US request, Al-Rantisi said: "The Zionist entity and the United States are a common enemy. There is no difference between them in terms of enmity to the Palestinian people."

Religion of High Explosives

A huge cache of C4 explosive was discovered in the Philippines, after a clash between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Philippine Army troops: Big explosives cache found in Maguindanao. (Hat tip: Andrew Weisburd.)

More than 450 kilos of explosives, enough to demolish a 10-story building, were recovered on Saturday by government troops who had clashed with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in a village in Maguindanao.

Bomb experts from the Army’s Explosives Ordnance Disposal Battalion said the C4 they found could be fashioned into more than 700 devices and used in terrorist attacks.

Reports reaching the office of the Army chief, Lt. Gen. Gregorio Camiling, showed that troops from the 6th Infantry Division were sent to Barangay Payan, Kabuntalan, after residents saw MILF rebels there.

The troops exchanged fire with the rebels for almost two hours before the rebels retreated.

No casualties were reported on either side.

Maj. Gen. Generoso Senga, 6th ID commander, said his troops searched the area and recovered the C4, 165 kilos of gunpowder and materials for making bombs.

Terrorist Incident Chart

Here’s the latest breakdown of terrorist incidents in Israel and the Palestinian Authority, over the past three weeks. They average out to about 100 attacks per week—attacks that were supposed to end before “negotiations” began.

Al-Zawiya Yahoo Group Notices LGF

Hey, look who’s talking about us: Yahoo! Groups : al-Zawiya Messages. (With a special warning not to post comments here.)

This'll Get Them Back in Google News

Here’s good old Nazimedia, showing once again why they deserve the name I’ve given them, by asking thoughtful, intelligent questions like, “Did Jesus hate Jews?”

Funeral Gun Fun

An armed Palestinian fires his weapon while others chant anti-Israeli slogans during a funeral Monday, June 23, 2003, in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun. Four Palestinians were killed apparently when a bomb they were planting went off in northern Gaza.

Back the Freedom Fighters

Michael Ledeen says democratic revolution has broken out in Iran, and there’s no going back.

Even the fragmentary reports from journalists operating under tight regime control in very limited areas of the country show that the mass demonstrations now involve all classes and regions. This is no longer purely or even primarily a "student" movement, as it has been for the past four years -- although many of its leaders come from student ranks. People of all ages, from all walks of life, in every major city in the country, have taken to the streets every night for more than a week to demand an end to the Islamic Republic and the free election of a secular, democratic government.

Saint Rachel Finds a Home

Rachel Corrie is in good company on a mural in San Francisco’s Mission District, alongside communist guerilla/T-shirt idol Che Guevara, and brutal cop-killer Mumia Abu Jamal. (Hat tip: Tim Blair.)

Here’s Saint Rachel in her more three-dimensional days, instructing the little children of Gaza in the proper way to burn a US flag.

Roadmap to Murderville Update

Colin Powell says the Palestinian Authority has made “a considerable effort” to put an end to the terrorist violence.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday that in the past two and a half weeks there has been considerable progress made in talks between Israel and the Palestinians and that the talks will continue vigorously and continuously, Israel Radio reported.

He pointed out that the PA has made considerable effort to arrive at an end to violence on the side of Palestinians, though such as Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade do not want progress like this.

At a World Economic Forum press conference in Jordan, Powell said that the US would continue put pressure on them. He stated that envoys John Wolf and William Burns would remain in the region in order to aid the American effort.

Meanwhile, a motorist was wounded by sniper fire near the West Bank city of Jenin, a bomb was discovered near the West Bank city of Nablus, four Palestinians in Gaza were killed when a bomb they were planting went off by accident (the PA announced that the four died while “fulfilling their national duty”), and Israeli intelligence has received more than 60 terror warnings.

I’d hate to see what things would be like if the Palestinians weren’t making a “considerable effort.”

Explosives Ship Headed for Sudan

The Baltic Sky, a ship discovered by Greek authorities to be carrying 680 tons of explosives and 8,000 detonators, was headed for Sudan.

The ship was carrying 680 tonnes of explosives, mainly TNT -- the "equivalent of an atomic bomb" -- and 8,000 detonators, Greek Merchant Marines Minister Georges Anomeritis said during a press conference.

"We are sure that the boat was loaded in Tunisia and was heading for Khartoum," the minister added. ...

"As no-one knows where the explosives were going, no-one knows what they were going to be used for," he insisted. ...

One ministry official described the vessel intercepted on Sunday as "packed to breaking point".

"This is the biggest quantity of explosives ever seized in the world from a boat sailing illegally," the merchant marine ministry said in a statement.

Ship documents showed the explosives were destined for a company called Integrated Chemicals and Development. The only address listed was a post office box in Sudan's capital Khartoum, Anomeritis said.

The investigation so far showed that no such company existed, he added.

sunday, june 22, 2003

Breaking News

A Ha'aretz news flash:

04:02 Security officials: 15 IDF tanks enter central Gaza town of Qarara, surround house of Hamas leader

Alpha Shipping

UPDATE: on that ship discovered carrying 680 metric tons of explosives. News reports say the owner of the ship is a company named Alpha Shipping registered in the Marshall Islands. Lloyd’s World Shipping Directory has four search results for Alpha Shipping.

The Lady of Steel

The Palestinian Authority’s official newspaper Al-Ayyam published a bizarre article about Condoleeza Rice today; the Jerusalem Post calls it a scathing attack, but I’m not sure I agree. Oh, it is dripping with racism and sexism, yes—but the author seems to have a bit of a crush on Condi, in a twisted way.

"She (Rice) is as pretty as supermodel Naomi Campbell and much more intelligent than the iron woman Margaret Thatcher," the communist, who writes on a regular basis in al-Ayyam, said.

"She is the most powerful National Security Advisor in the US administration since "darling" Henry Kissinger. The White House has seen some women with strong personalities, such as the 'dominant' wife of Ronald Reagan, the 'bright' and 'ambitious' wife of Bill Clinton, and the 'beloved' wife of John F. Kennedy. But Condoleeza Rice, the first black woman to serve in the most serious post in the White House, is the brains of the [US] President."

The article added: "The 'intelligence' of this black advisor and the 'bravery' of Gen. Colin Powell, raised this black woman and this black gentleman to the highest positions ever occupied by blacks in the US Administration.

"When Henry [Kissinger] the Jew used to pretend that he was crying because of the Israeli leadership's 'stupidity' and 'shortsightedness' during the disengagement of troops with Egypt, he would say, 'Israel needs to be saved from itself.' Mrs. Rice is now planning to visit Israel for the second time and Palestine for the first to salvage the road map or to save 'brave' and 'moderate' black [Powell] from failure."

The article concludes by warning Palestinians to be wary of the "single black woman," adding: "We don't want to say the black widow out of respect for her femininity, her brightness and her determination, which makes her the lady of steel."

680 Tons of Explosives Discovered

Greek forces today discovered 680 metric tons of explosives on a ship bound for Africa. That’s a whole lotta boom boom stuff.

UPDATE: and here is the ship Baltic Sky.

Job Safety

Three Palestinian Arabs were killed in a work-related accident today in the Gaza Strip: IDF: 3 Palestinians killed in northern Gaza Strip died in "work accident."

IDF sources said that the three Palestinians killed late Sunday night in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip were not killed by IDF forces, but more than likely died in a "work accident" while preparing explosives.

The IDF spokesperson released a statement saying that there was no fire of any kind whatsoever by Israeli forces in Beit Hanoun on Sunday night. The IDF also said the three men were in uniform.

Palestinian witnesses and security officials told the Associated Press that Israeli tanks fired shells at a group of Palestinian militants in northern Gaza late Sunday, killing three.

UPDATE: the Associated Press story on this event is typically biased.

JERUSALEM - Four Palestinian militants died late Sunday, apparently when a bomb they were planting went off in northern Gaza. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Israel could still build Jewish settlements in defiance of a U.S.-backed peace plan.

The deservedly dead “militants” were planting a bomb—but it’s Sharon who’s in “defiance” of the peace plan, because of something he said?

Anti-Roadmap Protest

At Israpundit, Joseph Alexander Norland has the information about a planned international day of protest against the “roadmap to Murderville,” on July 20.

The New Antisemitism

You know that the antisemitism of the Arab world is bad when even Britain’s Observer can no longer ignore it: The new anti-Semitism. (Hat tip: Julian.)

There is a great deal to shudder about. The amount of anti-Semitic literature, journalism and television in Arab countries is voluminous. The more sophisticated Arab governments, however, who tolerate this stuff, understand the need to turn a less contorted face to the West, with its anti-racist liberal campaigners. They play it down, or ignore it. It isn't easy, though.

When you are confronted with the collected anti-Semitisms of the post-11 September Arab world, what is most striking is the weirdness of journalists and politicians raiding the ancient political sewers of old Europe for arguments. Take the example of what is called the 'blood libel'. This is the old medieval story of how Jews kidnap Christians, kill them and use their blood in arcane rituals. We had a spate of these tales in England in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and many Jews lost their lives as a result.

So what on earth is the blood libel doing in a column in the respected Egyptian mass daily paper Al-Ahram, in a book by the Syrian defence minister and in broadcast sermons from various Palestinian mosques? The libel in question is the 1840 Damascus case, in which several Jews (including a David Harari) 'confessed' to the Ottoman authorities - under torture - to kidnapping a priest and stealing his blood.

Look But Don't Touch

Palestinians look at the blood of Abdullah Kawasme, a militant of the Palestinian Islamic group Hamas, at the site where he was killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank city of Hebron early Sunday June 22, 2003.

The guy at lower left is doing more than looking.

Texas Attack Warnings

Newsweek has an exclusive report of possible imminent Al Qaeda attacks in Texas—around the Fourth of July. (Hat tip: NC.)

Earlier this month, NEWSWEEK has learned, U.S. intelligence intercepted chat-room conversations between suspected Qaeda associates about attacks in Texas around the Fourth of July. One of the operatives, known only as “Sakr,” said the attacks had been planned for a long time and that the terror-ists were simply waiting for approval from “the sheik” —a possible reference to Osama bin Laden or another top Qaeda commander. No specific targets were mentioned, but law-enforcement officials tell NEWSWEEK they believe the objective may be to take out oil facilities or pipelines. (Al Qaeda has often talked about attacking the U.S. energy sector as a way to hurt the economy.)

Intel officials receive a steady stream of threat traffic, much of which is unreliable. Why did Sakr’s warning get their attention? Two days before the deadly Casablanca bombings on May 16, he predicted “good news” coming from “Morocco,” according to Homeland Security documents obtained by NEWSWEEK. It’s unclear where Sakr is based. He has claimed in his Internet communications that he operates out of a Qaeda camp in Sudan. Officials haven’t confirmed this. But his information raises the possibility that more terrorists lurk among us.

American Apology Shirt

Here’s a T-shirt for US travellers abroad who are ashamed of their own country, with a charming slogan translated into several languages: “I’m sorry my president’s an idiot. I didn’t vote for him.” American Apology Shirt. (Hat tip: Douglas.)

To really complete the message, though, it should also read: “Please don’t say anything mean to me, or hit me.” And it should have a broad yellow stripe running down the back.

Hamas: "This is Not Iraq"

The director of London’s Arabic language Al-Hayyat newspaper, Jihad Khazen, says Hamas will not agree to a cease fire because they haven’t been defeated. Exactly right.

Khazen, who spoke at Saturday's session on Middle East Politics at the World Economic Summit in Jordan, said he had been asked by Mohammed Dahlan to broker an agreement between Hamas and Fatah.

"They will not accept. They say they have not been defeated. There is no confidence in Israel, but there is also no confidence in the Palestinian side. Many in the Hamas leadership barely know Abu Mazen. These people are absolutely categoric. They say 'Abu Mazen asks us to pluck our eyes with our own hands. This is not Iraq. We have not been defeated.'"

It doesn’t inspire optimism that the person trying to negotiate with Hamas is named “Jihad.”

saturday, june 21, 2003

Muslim Youth Camps of America

The Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia are trying to set up a “youth camp” near North Liberty, Iowa, along Coralville Lake, and the US Army Corps of Engineers is doing their best to make it happen: Proposed Recreation Area - Formerly Daybreak Camp Site. See this thread for more information. (And a hat tip to Fiery Celt for bringing this to my attention.)

UPDATE: Searching Google for “Muslim Youth Camps of America” brings up ... nothing specific about the MYCA (an organization that seems to have sprung up out of nowhere), but lots of links that bear further examination: Google Search: Muslim Youth Camps of America.

UPDATE: LGF reader “db” points out another Google search that yields a great deal of interesting information: Google Search: Aossey Midamar Corporation.

Observer: Missile Strike on "Saddam Convoy"

Britain’s Observer has a report that Saddam Hussein and at least one of his sons may have been killed in a Hellfire missile strike against a convoy of vehicles travelling in the Western Desert near Syria: DNA tests after missiles strike Saddam convoy. (Hat tip: Aaron.)

I don’t know about you, but I am deeply troubled by this attempt at targeted assassination.

Adam Shapiro Self-Hate World Tour

The next stop on Adam Shapiro and wife Huwaida Arraf’s terror enabling world tour is the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi, where they seem to feel quite at home—so much so that Arraf let her mask slip.

They agreed that the Arabs do support the Palestinians but that the support they are asking for is different. Arraf said, "We are trying to change the image that we are victims. Yes Israel is strong but we are stronger, working together we can beat them."

"The Arab world does send a lot of aid, but it is what I call emergency aid or putting a bandaid on an infected wound."

"They send a lot of food, medicines, blankets. All this is very important but it is not helping the Palestinian people to fight Israel or prevent the continuous brutalities committed against the people."

She means a non-violent kind of fighting, though. Of course she does.

But the real corker is this one from Arraf:

Elaborating on the issue, she said, "Israel's main power lies in its media. America's money goes into their media to support Israel while the Arab money goes into building hospitals and schools."

She must be thinking of schools like An-Najah University in Nablus, where the students specialize in creating clever skits and colorful exhibits.

Israel Size Comparison Maps

Here’s an interesting series of maps showing the size of Israel in comparison to other parts of the world, revealing how small the country is in reality: Israel Size Comparison Maps.

Got Another Hamas Creep

Another Hamas subhuman went to that great celestial bordello today: Senior Hamas terrorist killed by IDF in Hebron.

Abdullah Kawasme, the head of Hamas' military wing in Hebron, was killed in a gunbattle as security forces moved in to arrest him, a military source told the Jerusalem Post.

Kawasme is suspected of several recent terror atacks including a bus bombing in Haifa on March 5th and the Jerusalem bus bombing on June 11 which claimed 17 lives and wounded over 100.

Iran Buys Some More Time

Iran is using the same cheat-and-retreat tactics that Iraq got away with for years, to buy time for its nuclear weapons program. And the United Nations is, of course, perfectly willing to play along: Iran Backs Away from Nuclear Row, Vows Cooperation.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran backed away from confrontation over its nuclear program on Saturday, saying it was ready to cooperate more actively with U.N. inspectors to dispel doubts about the Islamic republic's nuclear ambitions.

"We will definitely try to cooperate more than before with the IAEA and give them the necessary assurances about Iran's activities," the head of Iran's atomic energy program, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, told a news conference in Tehran.

Iran has faced mounting pressure in recent weeks from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, and the United States over the nature of its nuclear program.

The IAEA reprimanded Iran on Thursday for repeatedly failing to report nuclear material, facilities and activities as required under its safeguards agreement with the agency. ...

Asked in Jordan about Aghazadeh's latest comments, IAEA chief Mohammed ElBaradei said he would welcome Iran's cooperation.

"I have lots of confidence that Iran will understand that it is in its best interest to work with the International Atomic Energy Agency," he told Reuters at an economic meeting.

"The more cooperative they are, the more transparent they are, the more confidence they can create in the international community and the quicker we can resolve the whole nuclear issue in Iran, " he said.

Kavkaz Center Goes Dark

Aaron at Internet Haganah reports that the evil jihadi site called Kavkaz Center is offline, after its web server was physically seized by the Lithuanian Security Service. Excellent. Those server logs will be a goldmine of information.

Belgium: The Conscience of the World

Yesterday the Belgian Foreign Minister found himself accused under the same Belgian war crimes law that is being used against Ariel Sharon, George Bush, and Donald Rumsfeld.

He didn’t like it very much.

Now, all of a sudden, a leading Belgian politician wants to abolish the law. (Hat tip: Amos.)

Former prime minister Jean-Luc Dehaene made the proposal late Friday following repeated U.S. demands that the 1993 law be repealed.

“I think our ambitions are higher than our possibilities and that can jeopardize the role we have to play as European capital,” Dehaene told the Canvas television network.

“It's a bit crazy to think we could be the conscience of the world,” he added.

They’re so pathetically funny, it’s hard to even get angry at the hapless poodles of Belgium. (Unlike the French.)

Antisemitism in Malaysia

Last time I checked, the Jewish population of Malaysia was approximately ... zero. So why the hell is Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad handing out copies of Henry Ford’s ugly antisemitic book The International Jew and the infamous Russian forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion? Mahathir's Party Hands Out Anti-Semitic Books.

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Officials of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's party gave out copies of U.S. industrialist Henry Ford's anti-semitic book "The International Jew" to delegates at their annual assembly on Saturday.

The 77-year-old Mahathir, who steps down in October after 22 years of rule, told a news conference afterwards that the distribution of the book was nothing to do with him.

"I don't need that book to tell me what is right and what is wrong. I'm not responsible for the distribution," said Mahathir, who had earlier basked in the adulation of his party faithful.

Tens of thousands of Muslim Malays attended the last day of the three-day United Malays National Organization (UMNO) assembly to see Mahathir deliver his final speech as party president.

Party workers at the assembly's secretariat handed out free copies of an abridged version of Ford's book, translated into Bahasa Malay and published in Johannesburg.

The book, first published in the 1920s, also contained the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" -- originally published in Russia in the early 20th century and used down the decades to peddle theories of an international Jewish conspiracy.

Mahathir said he had read the book years ago, but was not influenced by it, adding that it was the injustice of the West handing Palestinian land to the Jews which upset him.

Notice how Mahathir said he wasn’t “responsible for the distribution” ... but did nothing to stop it.

Malaysia, ladies and gentlemen: the showcase “moderate” Islamic state.

"Top Secret" Documents Found

Soldiers searching an abandoned community hall in Baghdad have found something very interesting: U.S. Forces May Have Found WMD Documents.

About 50 soldiers from the 1st Armored Division stormed the building at about 1 a.m. after sealing off part of Baghdad's Azamiyah district — a center of support for Saddam's ousted regime. The neighborhood was where Saddam — or someone presenting himself as the Iraqi leader — last appeared in public before the capture of Baghdad was completed April 9.

After trying to break through the door with a sledgehammer, the troops were surprised when a squatter opened the lock from the inside and welcomed them in.

Upstairs above the hall, American troops found two large rooms stacked with cryptograph machines, secure transmission devices and binders of documents, with more papers strewn on the floor.

Soldiers examining the papers by flashlight with an Arabic interpreter found many of them marked "top secret" and "personal." They loaded dozens of boxes of paper files and some of the electronics into vehicles and took them away.

friday, june 20, 2003

Death Cults of War

Arnold Beichman has a chilling piece at NRO on the Islamic Death Cults of War, fueled by fatwas from the highest Muslim authorities in the world.

So how will the next suicide bomber disguise him or herself to execute an Israeli-killing mission? Now that every orthodox Jew with black hat and side curls or every Israeli soldier getting on a bus could be a suicide bomber in disguise, what new stratagem will Islam's death cultists adopt? I advise the Israeli secret police that the next suicide bomber will actually be two: a seeming or actual mother and a child; after all what could be more innocent than such a pair mounting a bus or pushing a baby carriage through a Tel Aviv shopping mall?

How can we account for this almost two years of suicide terrorism which has taken four Israeli lives for every Arab bomber? Assuming that each of these terrorists has been a willing accessory, this kind of suicide must come out of a cultural pattern centered on a cult of death worship. And it may be interpretation by Muslim clerics of the Koran that is responsible for this wave of Arab suicides and other acts of terrorism. For example, the Imam Abdel-Samie Mahmoud Ibrahim Moussa, in his Friday, June 6, sermon at the Grand Mosque of Rome, asked for "Allah's help in the destruction of the homes and destruction of the enemies of Islam, for their annihilation, and the victory everywhere of the Nation of Islam." According to the Deutsche Press news agency, the Grand Mosque of Rome is Europe's largest Islamic culture center and gets financial backing, naturally, from Saudi Arabia. The 32-year-old Imam was removed June 13 from his post, not by Egypt's al Azhar University that appointed him in the first place, but by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government.

Holy Land Foundation Loses Again

Today an appeals court upheld the government’s freezing of the financial assets of the Holy Land Foundation, one of the Islamic “charities” that funded Hamas’s efforts to slaughter women and children on buses in Israel.

On Dec. 4, 2001, the U.S. Treasury Department designated the foundation a terrorist group and blocked all its assets because it allegedly funneled millions of dollars to Hamas, a Palestinian group blamed for repeated attacks in Israel.

"We hold as other courts have held that there is no First Amendment right nor any other constitutional right to support terrorists, and that the record supports no conclusion that the designation or blocking violated any constitutional right of the (foundation)," Judge David Sentelle said in the ruling.

"There was evidence demonstrating that (Holy Land Foundation) operated as a fund-raiser for Hamas in the United States and that Hamas officials provided (the foundation) with funds," he said.

Holy Land Foundation challenged the freezing of its assets and the designation. It argued it was not linked to Hamas and that it was not a terrorist organization.

LGF reader Ben F forwarded the link to the actual appeals court decision: Holy Land Foundation vs. John Ashcroft. (PDF file.) The court held that there is no First Amendment right to fund terrorism under principles of freedom of speech, freedom of association, or free exercise of religion.

Egypt: What Jewish State?

Egypt’s Al-Ahram blew a gasket when George Bush referred to Israel as a “Jewish state” in his speech at the Aqaba summit meeting: What Jewish state? (Hat tip: Tal G. in Jerusalem.)

Egypt receives $2 billion a year in foreign aid from the United States, and substantially more this year after they whined about the decrease in tourism due to the Iraq War.

The Real Quagmire

Ralph Peters writes that the idea floated by Senator Richard Lugar (to send US troops to Israel and the PA) would result in a real quagmire.

RECENTLY, a number of senators who are usually clean and sober suggested that American troops should be inserted to separate the Israelis and Palestinians.

That just may be the worst idea raised by any Americans since our public-housing authorities proposed building high-rise ghettoes for the poor. All men and women of common sense and conscience should resist sending our over-stretched forces on a hopeless mission that would butcher our soldiers for nothing.

Peters isn’t saying this because he doesn’t support Israel, or because he harbors any illusions about a “roadmap to peace.”

The best way to promote peace isn't to create a shooting gallery featuring G.I. Joe. It's to hunt down and kill every single terrorist. The terrorists, not the average Ari or Ahmed, are the problem. They want every Jew dead, and then they want the power to impose their perverted religious views on the rest of the Palestinians.

If you want to make peace, you must make it over their corpses.

As a career soldier, Peters’ main concern is the drastic depletion of our military forces, slashed to the bone during the Clinton administration.

The fact is that we have a very small military for our global obligations. The Army in which I served - during the Cold War - had 18 divisions, plus numerous independent brigades and separate regiments. Frankly, we didn't have much to do but wait and watch the Russians get drunk across the thousand-mile fence that divided yesterEurope.

Today's Army consists of 10 divisions. Half of those are committed to Iraq. More forces serve in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Korea and, in smaller numbers, in dozens of other countries. The Army's strategic reserve here at home is just about large enough to execute a Saturday night raid on a mid-size whorehouse.

For the missions we already face, we need an Army of at least 12 divisions. But the Army won't get those additional forces. Stymied in his attempt to chop several divisions from our already-lean ground forces, Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld now proposes to transfer a quarter of a million military jobs to the private sector as a gift to big business.

I promise you: None of our soldiers wants FedEx delivering the ammunition during a firefight, which is essentially what Rummy's scheme proposes. It's a low-down shell game, designed to cheat our soldiers and our citizens.

Read it all; Peters is a whip-smart guy whose opinions are based on experience and intelligence.

"Butcher It The Islamic Way"

A Kuwaiti newspaper published a message today purportedly from Al Qaeda’s “chief of training” Abu Muhammad Al-Ablaj, threatening an impending attack against the “international media serpent.”

The communiqué stated that Al-Qa'ida's chief of training Abu Muhammad Al-Ablaj said Osama bin Laden is about to direct a "fatal blow" to the "head of the international media serpent that serves the American whims and interests." He added that the upcoming phases against the U.S. will "cut off the wings of the American eagle, slice its arteries, and finally butcher it the Islamic way."

Al-Ablaj also claimed that Al-Qa'ida has an independent brigade in Iraq.

EU Springs into Action

The European Union has called on Hamas to stop murdering Israelis—or risk being listed as a terrorist organization. (Hat tip: Daniel.)

PORTO CARRAS, Greece - Backing U.S. appeals, European Union leaders on Friday called on Hamas to declare an immediate cease-fire and halt all terrorist activity or face having the entire Palestinian militia listed as a terrorist group.

In a draft statement issued at an EU summit, the leaders said they were "urgently examining the case for wider action against Hamas fund raising."

They called on Hamas and other groups to declare immediately a cease-fire and "to halt all terrorist activity." ...

Echoing calls by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is in Jerusalem for meetings with the Palestinians and Israelis, EU officials urged Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to do more to halt Hamas attacks against Israelis.

"We want to say very clearly to the Palestinians and to Hamas that they must come to a cease-fire," the EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana told reporters.

The EU leaders said they remained "deeply concerned by the continuing violence on the ground."

Cose Turche

Frequent LGF commentator and fiery defender of Western values “Zaza” now has her own weblog: Cose Turche, an Italian idiom which roughly translates to “crazy stuff, wild things, unbelievable.” Congratulations, Zaza!

Iraqi Poll Backs US

Iraq’s first-ever public opinion poll, taken in Baghdad, reveals that a substantial majority of Iraqis are glad for the US presence: Iraq's 1st Public Poll Backs U.S. (Hat tips: speedster and Bill Herbert.)

Sixty-five percent of Iraqis polled in Baghdad claimed they want the U.S. military to stay until Iraq is stable and secure; only 17 percent want American soldiers out now.

This amazing piece of good news is buried by CBS in a lengthy doom-and-gloom piece moaning about ... well, everything.

Poetic Justice for Chocolate Poodle

Sublime schadenfreude; the Foreign Minister of Belgium is being accused of war crimes under the same law that has been used against Ariel Sharon, President Bush and Donald Rumsfeld: Belgian Foreign Minister Joins Americans as Target of War Crimes Law.

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Belgium's government itself became the target Friday of a law that has damaged the country's relations with the United States by allowing war crimes complaints against President Bush and other prominent Americans.

A small opposition party said it had filed a suit against Foreign Minister Louis Michel for authorizing a Belgian company to sell arms to Nepal. The New Flemish Alliance, a nationalist party from Belgium's Dutch-speaking north, alleged the sale made Michel an accomplice in human rights abuses by the Nepalese armed forces.

"The law says every collaboration with these crimes is a crime itself and should be punished in the same way," party spokesman Ben Weyts said. "The sentence for this crime is life in prison."

And oh, how the poodle is snapping and yapping:

Michel, an outspoken critic of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, was furious about the allegations against him.

"This is extremely irresponsible. It's completely crazy and irrational," Michel told reporters at a European summit in Greece.

"It will ridicule Belgium on the world stage ... I'm accusing them of blackening our name."

How much more black could it be? And the answer is ... none ... none more black.

UPDATE: Courtesy of the INS (Iowahawk News Service) we have a report on a crack Belgian military team of elite war crimes prosecutors, sent on a vital mission to the United States:

--------------------

BELGIAN ARMY ARRIVES AT O'HARE; BUSH ARREST SCHEDULED TUESDAY

Chicago - An elite force of 400 highly trained Belgian military arrived this afternoon at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, where Field Marshall Claude Daubuisson vowed "an all out offensive" to arrest US President George W. Bush, "after we locate several pieces of lost luggage."

The lost luggage incident was the latest setback in the Belgian effort to bring Bush to justice for international war crimes, following a brief flare up at the Duty Free Shop when Daubuisson was not permitted to buy a second carton of Marlboros. The Belgian Army was also stymied in their effort to make a direct assault on Washington when they were unable to obtain SuperSaver tickets to Dulles on Air France.

"How were we to know the invasion was on a blackout date?" complained Foreign Minister Louis Michel.

Pacing nervously near an empty baggage carousel in O'Hare's Terminal 5, Daubuisson said that his elite SpecOps team had a fluid, rapid-contigency battle plan in place for such setbacks. "Our rental car team has already been deployed to the Avis counter to postpone our reservations," he noted, "and we made sure to bring the confirmation number."

Air France baggage claim spokeswoman LaTasha Cummings noted, "I don't know where they damn bags is. You can fill out a damn voucher. I'm on break."

Daubbuisson said that the Belgian Army would bivouac at the nearby Red Roof Inn tonight, and embark on the land-assault portion of their mission at 0900 hours tomorrow after complimentary breakfast.

"Do you know where we can get a good roadmap?" he asked.

Terror Threat in Kenya

The US Embassy in Nairobi has been closed due to a terror threat against “a specific target.”

The warning, issued Thursday by the Defense Intelligence Agency, is based on specific information about a threat against a specific target, the official said, speaking only on condition of anonymity.

Details of the warning, including the target and the nature of the threat, are classified secret, the official said.

The official would not say whether the target was the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.

There are four terrorism warning levels; "high" is the highest of the four.

Kenya and other countries in the Horn of Africa have been a focus of U.S. counterterrorism efforts for many months. A special U.S. military task force has been operating in the Horn of Africa since late last year.

They Never See It Coming

From Cox & Forkum, of course.

BBC is Sick to the Core

There’s no other way to say it; the BBC makes me sick.

In this article about Colin Powell’s visit to Israel—Powell warns Mid-East militants—you’ll find a sidebar summary of events titled “Roadmap’s Path to Crisis” that is so blatantly biased it’s just nauseating. (Hat tip: Model4.)

4 June: US-Jordanian-Israeli summit in Aqaba
8 June: Palestinian militant groups reject roadmap
10 June: Israel tries to kill Hamas leader Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi
11 June: 16 die in suicide attack on Jerusalem bus
19 June: Jewish settlers clash with Israeli troops dismantling a West Bank outpost

No mention of the Palestinian shootings that killed a 7-year old girl and others, no mention of the suicide bomber that destroyed a grocery, no mention of the sneak attack on Israeli soldiers—but prominent coverage of Jewish settlers in a scuffle with police. The article devotes its entire second half to the incident, but doesn’t have a single word about Rantisi’s hateful comments about Colin Powell.

I have a feeling if they could have found a way to justify ignoring the Jerusalem bus bombing, that wouldn’t have been mentioned either.

UPDATE: LGF reader Colt makes a good point about the sidebar quoted above:

Note that Israel tries to kill Rantissi, but the 16 on the bus just die, and the group responsible is not worthy of mention.

Atta Lived in Jersey

Mohammed Atta, the demon who led the September 11 hijackers, lived for a year in a motel in Wayne, New Jersey: State police tie Sept. 11 leader to Wayne inn. (Hat tip: Michael S.)

The revelation - the first time authorities have placed Atta in the motel - came after state police Superintendent Joseph R. Fuentes testifed Thursday afternoon before the Assembly Homeland Security Committee about his agency's efforts to combat terrorism.

In his testimony, Fuentes confirmed what officials had said previously: New Jersey was one of the launching points for the Sept. 11 attacks and that some of the 19 hijackers moved through New Jersey hotels and used New Jersey-based criminal networks to obtain identification documents.

Fuentes would not go into detail, but Sgt. Kevin Rehmann, a state police spokesman, later said Fuentes was referring to Atta. Rehmann said Atta had lived in the Wayne Motor Inn on Route 23 for a year. Atta is thought to have been the ringleader of the Sept. 11 attacks and was on American Airlines Flight 11, which slammed into the north tower of the World Trade Center.

Rehmann could not provide dates for Atta's stay or say whether other hijackers stayed at the motel. He said the matter was still under investigation.

I’m not saying there’s a connection, but it’s a curious coincidence: I’ve noticed that a lot of the hate email I receive from Islamists seems to trace back to ISPs in New Jersey.

Powell Speaks, People Die

Today in Israel, Colin Powell called Hamas an “enemy of peace,” but he still insists on moving forward with the doomed “roadmap.”

In response to Powell’s lukewarm condemnation, Hamas leader Adel Aziz Rantisi, in typical fashion, raved and foamed like a rabid animal:

Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi responded angrily, calling Powell a "big liar."

"This is a statement that reflects and proves that he is a little slave to the Zionists and to his master Sharon, that he is the real enemy of peace and justice in the world," he said.

In a meeting with Holocaust denying Arafat puppet Abu Mazen, Powell said, “Violence and terror is not the way to build a state.” In response, Abu Mazen said, “Blah. Blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah. Occupation. Settlements. Blah.” Not in so many words, of course:

After meeting with Powell, Abbas demanded that Israel take steps to ease restrictions on Palestinians, stop settlement building and "change itself from an enemy into a partner."

"The logic of confrontation cannot match the logic of peace," Abbas said.

Does that even mean anything?

Palestinians are very anxious for Israel to remove all checkpoints and roadblocks, so they can do even more of this: Fatal shooting attack during brief Powell visit.

One Israeli was killed and three were injured, two seriously, when shots were fired at a car discovered overturned near the Sha'ar Binyamin factory outlet mall complex outside of Jerusalem between Psagot and the village of Hizme.

At first the incident was thought to be a car accident as the vehicle had tipped over. The attack occured on Friday at about 1:40pm.

The car was attacked near Ofra but the driver continued towards Jerusalem. He lost control of the car near Sha'ar Binyamin.

Two of the wounded are Americans; they arrived in the country on Thursday for a family celebration.

Across town, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and US Secretary of State had just finished holding a joint press conference.

Winning After All

It’s Friday, and that means Victor Davis Hanson: Winning After All.

If on the evening of September 11th, an outside observer had predicted that the following would transpire in two years, he would have been considered unhinged: Saddam Hussein gone with the wind; democratic birth pangs in Iraq; the Taliban finished and Mr. Karzai attempting to create constitutional government; Yasser Arafat ostracized by the American government and lord of a dilapidated compound; bin Laden either dead or leading a troglodyte existence; all troops slated to leave Saudi Arabia — and by our own volition, not theirs; Iran and Syria apprehensive rather than boastful about their own promotion of terror; and the Middle East worried that the United States is both unpredictable in its righteous anger and masterful in its use of arms, rather than customarily irresolute and reactive.

Finally, do not expect to read headlines like "85% of Baghdad's Power Restored," "Afghan Women Enroll in Schools by the Millions," or "Americans Put an End to Secret Police and Arbitrary Executions in Iraq." It is not the nature of the present generation of our elites — so unlike our own forefathers in postwar Japan or Germany — to express confidence in our culture, much less in the moral nature of our struggle to end the conditions that caused this war.

CSM's Galloway Documents Forged

The Iraqi documents obtained by the Christian Science Monitor linking British MP George Galloway to payments from the Saddam regime were forged. (Hat tip: WAS.)

However, the CSM’s Iraqi expert still maintains that a similar set of documents published by Britain’s Telegraph are genuine.

thursday, june 19, 2003

Comments Disabled

Comments will be disabled for a few hours, so the Morlocks don’t stink up the place with their foul spoor while I rest.

UPDATE: Comments are on again, is what I’m sayin’.

NK Has Nuclear Missiles

North Korea has nuclear ballistic missiles. (Hat tip: Julian.)

US authorities have unofficially told their Japanese counterparts that North Korea already possesses several small nuclear warheads for ballistic missiles, a news report said today.

It is the first confirmation that Pyongyang has nuclear missiles that can immediately strike Japan, the Sankei Shimbun said, citing sources related to Japan and the United States.

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other US officials have publicly confirmed that North Korea was developing nuclear weapons.

Until now, however, they have not been clear about what stage of development North Korea was at, the Sankei said.

Washington has told Tokyo that the number of nuclear warheads that North Korea has is "not just one or two," the Sankei said.

Another Failed Palestinian Attack

Another attempted terror attack was foiled at a checkpoint for Palestinian workers in Gaza today: Bicycle explodes near Gaza pass for Palestinian workers.

A bicycle laden with explosives detonated Friday morning next to a checkpoint for Palestinian workers in the central Gaza Strip, Israel Radio reported. No injuries or damage was caused by the blast.

According to the report, Israel Defense Forces troops noticed Palestinian laborers acting strangely as they awaited entry to Israel at the checkpoint next to Ganei Tal in the Gush Katif settlement bloc. They decided to keep the entry closed, and a short time later the bicycle parked in the area exploded.

Arab News Squirms, Whines

On June 14 we linked to a particularly hideous example of Saudi Arabian lies: a blatantly distorted article about a “research study” on the Mentality of Jewish Children.

Today the oil ticks at the Arab News published one of the most amazingly squirmy, whiny, transparently guilty articles I’ve ever read, in response to the criticism they received for the dishonest piece mentioned above: A Just Cause Does Not Need to Rely on Lies. (Hat tip: Robert.) You won’t believe this one.

There is an article translated from Arabic into English and published in this very same Arab News that is now being circulated on the Net as evidence of “Saudi lies.” The article was purported to have been based on research presented at the London School of Economics and was entitled “A Psychological Study of the Mentality of Jewish Children.”

I won’t go into the details, but apparently the author of the original research, a Mr. Assi Sharabi, denied it had been presented at the school or published in Arabic, and said the quotations were taken out of context. I am not in a position to discuss this incident, but the principle is clear and it is one that can backfire.

A just cause does not need to rely on lies, semi-truths, or even hyperbole. Strange as it might sound, the world is discovering us, and we seem to be squirming with stage fright.

A study of this nature, if it exists, would probably find that the children of Israel as well as the children of Palestine are haunted by fear and instinctive defensiveness. That does not mean that any of them are “different” from other children in the world.

The legacy of horror and blood is an uncomfortable heritage for both. Unfortunately, they will carry it for a while yet, even when the guns and bombs have fallen silent.

To this day young men and women who grew up during the civil war in Lebanon instinctively duck under a table when Israeli jets break the sound barrier over Beirut. They can’t help it.

At the risk of stating the obvious, I would say that one is “allowed” to hate an enemy but not to hate a people. There is a difference, and this space cannot fully tackle it. But since Sept. 11 we have been trying to make the point that, as a people, we are not all terrorists. It is hardly sane or just to go around practicing what we preach against.

Loathsome. This is what passes for an apology in Wahhabi-land, I guess.

Shame on the Washington Post

An unbelievably biased statement at the Washington Post, in an article about Colin Powell’s trip to Israel. (Hat tip: Eran Z.)

DEAD SEA, Jordan, June 19 -- Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, in advance of meetings Friday with senior Israeli and Palestinian leaders, suggested the Bush administration had reached an understanding with Israel to refrain from the assassinations of militant group leaders that nearly derailed the peace process last week.

I thought it was the murder of a 7-year old girl and several suicide bombings that “derailed the peace process.”

Shame on the Washington Post. This isn’t even moral equivalence—it’s sheer moral bankruptcy. Shame.

Why Not for Israel?

Edwin Black gets it exactly right, in an editorial for Newsday: If U.S. Tactics Are OK, Why Not for Israel? (Hat tip: Leslie.)

When it comes to Israel's fight against Hamas, a triple standard seems at work.

Israel is now completely at war with Palestinian terror groups, no less than America is at war with al-Qaida worldwide and Saddam Hussein loyalists in Iraq.

Hence, Israel must escalate its rules of engagement, mimicking those recently established by American forces in our own war against terror waged in Iraq and Afghanistan. As such, Israel should pre-emptively and unrelentingly eliminate Hamas and company where they stand as soon as they are identified or self-identify.

By "eliminate," I mean kill.

By "as soon as they self-identify," I mean as soon as parading militants don the green-masked and explosive-bedecked uniform of a suicide bomber, or publicly proclaim themselves as waiting for orders to do so, whether the militant is beating his chest in a rally or cradling a megaphone in a press conference.

By "where they stand," I mean wherever they are located - in a car, in a training camp or in a public protest procession. Israel must hit Hamas members while marching in uniform in the West Bank and Gaza before they change clothes into Hassidic garb and Israeli pop attire and then board buses in Jerusalem.

For precedent, we need only look to recent tactics employed by our own military and coalition forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and elsewhere.

Religion of Peace Burns Churches in Kenya

In Kenya, five Christian churches have been burned down, apparently by followers of a pastor who converted to the peaceful religion of Islam: Five churches torched in Tana River District. (Hat tip: Juliette.)

The churches that were burnt down include Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) in Bura, Pentecostal Evangelism Fellowship of Africa (PEFA), the East African Pentecostal Church (EAPC), Full Gospel Church of Kenya (FGCK) and Bethel Church.

When reached for comment, the new Tana River District Commissioner, Mr Athman Bakari Shauri, confirmed the June 13 incident and said the provincial administration had moved in to quell any further disturbances in the area.

He said a former Christian pastor who had converted to Islam had incensed Christians in the area with his teachings against Christianity.

The DC said that police were alerted about the activities of the said Islamic preacher and fetched him for interrogation.

But during the brief period he was in police custody, his followers are said to have gone on the rampage and torched Christian churches in the area.

CAIR Action Alert Reveals an Ugly Truth

The Wahhabi Islamist front group known as the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) organized a hate mail campaign (they call them “action alerts,” but in truth these campaigns are nothing more than organized harassment) against Shawn Steel, former chairman of the California Republican Party, because a speech he made was misquoted so that it appeared as if he had called Islam a “disease.” Steel, who during his tenure as chairman made many efforts to reach out to the Muslim communities of California, was shocked at the virulent hatred of America (and Israel, of course) that was expressed in the hundreds of emails he received as a result of CAIR’s campaign, and he writes about it at NRO: Who CAIRs? (Hat tip: Keelie.)

Of the hundreds of messages I've received as a result of this CAIR-organized e-mail bombardment, not one has contained a good word for the president. None expressed any support for our troops or for the liberation of their fellow Muslims in Iraq from the tyrannical yoke of radical secularist Saddam Hussein. The incessant refrain was I was hateful for warning against a poisoned element of contemporary Islam, or simply spiteful broadsides against Israel.

* Mr. Rumsfield and Cheney along with Wolfowitz are a bunch of murderers, plunderers and should be tried for war crimes.

* You will never get rid of us. Will marry and have children with the born Muslim man from....You can't stop it and we will increase in numbers.

* The problem is that we Americans lump Democracy together with Capitalism and Consumerism. ... American values are pushed down the throats of the world population as being the best and far superior to ones that people have had for hundreds and maybe thousands of years. Capitalism has only benefited the US and it's corporations while exploiting the third world and robbing them of their natural resources....

* Not only Muslim countries, but the overwhelming majority of third world countries reject Capitalism under the guise of Democracy, as Capitalism cannot be sustained unless others are being exploited

* 1. The US Government is a failure of a democracy and is instead in effect an aristocracy ... .Muslims are also very angry with Mr. Bush because of his recent actions that discriminate against Muslims such as the wrongly-termed Patriot Act....
2. The only reason that more Muslims are supporting violence is that there is a lot of unrest with respect to America's wars against Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc....
3. All of the violence that occurs in Israel, including the suicide bombing, is as a direct result of Israeli oppression.

* ...are you aware that the MAJORITY of the world's population sees Mr. Bush as a greater threat to world peace than Saddam or Bin Ladin or North Korea? (recent opinion polls by western pollsters)...a majority of the world's population that sees the war on Iraq as not a war of "liberation" but a war of aggression, occupation and Imperialistic control of resources and regional politics....

* What is true, however, is that Muslims (and the rest of the world) despise the practices of the American government when its force is used callously.

* The Palestinians are treated cruelly and harshly every day and the U.S. remains silent. That is why the Muslims always bring up the issue of Israel.

* I suggest that US should stop supporting Israeli and now Indian Terrorism against Muslims. Should stop changing the governments, including democracies.

Got One in Columbus, Ohio

An Ohio truck driver named Iyman Faris, aka Mohammed Rauf, who is from Kashmir but became a naturalized US citizen in 1999, has pleaded guilty to supporting Al Qaeda: Ohio Trucker Pleads Guilty in Terror Case.

Iyman Faris, 34, of Columbus acknowledged in court documents that he met bin Laden in 2000 at an al-Qaida training camp in Afghanistan and provided operatives there with sleeping bags, cell phones and other assistance.

Later, Faris received attack instructions from top terror leader Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, authorities said, for what they suggested might have been a second wave planned for New York and Washington to follow the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. ...

A government statement, signed by Faris, says that he was instructed by a senior al-Qaida operative to obtain "gas cutters," probably acetylene torches, that would enable him to sever the cables on "a bridge in New York City" that officials said was the Brooklyn Bridge.

Although the senior operative is referred to only as "C-2" in the documents, a U.S. law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity identified him as Mohammed. He was captured in Pakistan on March 1 and is said to be providing interrogators with a wealth of information about al-Qaida's global reach.

Faris was told to refer to the cutters as "gas stations" so eavesdroppers would not get wind of the plot.

In addition, Mohammed told Faris that he should obtain heavy torque tools — code-named "mechanics shops" — that could be used to derail trains in the United States, the affidavit says. No details about location or time of an attack is mentioned in the court papers, and they name only New York and Washington.

Palestinian Child Abuse

The headbands these children are wearing are from the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

PFLP/DFLP Won't Stop

The Palestinian B team terror gangs, the PFLP and the DFLP, have now followed the lead of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah, and told Abu Mazen that they intend to continue slaughtering Jews.

Abbas met separately in Gaza City Thursday with representatives of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), who told him that they reject his cease-fire proposal.

Describing the meeting as "frank and positive," the DFLP said in a statement that its leaders "reaffirmed the Palestinian peoples' legitimate right to resist the occupation and to pursue the intifada." The statement rejected Abbas's use of the term terrorism in referring to their terrorist attacks.

"A hudna (temporary cease-fire) should be the result of a comprehensive national accord and should put an end to all forms of aggression against the Palestinians, including assassinations, arrests, incursions and collective punishment," the statement added, calling also for the immediate release of all Palestinian prisoners.

The PFLP said after the meeting with Abbas that in principle it is opposed to the road map plan for peace in the Middle East "because it doesn't serve the interests of the Palestinian people."

The group said a hudna with Israel was "impossible because there can be no truce with the occupation, which is one form of aggression."

Securing the Gulf

Here’s a very interesting, thought-provoking article by Kenneth M. Pollack at Foreign Affairs magazine, on the problems we face in the Persian Gulf: Securing the Gulf. It’s a long piece, but very much worth reading.

The Case of the Missing 727

Here’s an update on that Boeing 727 that vanished after taking off from an airport in Angola—and ABC News now confirms that the plane was outfitted as a fuel tanker: Family of AWOL Plane's Pilot in 'Anguish.' (Hat tip: RF.)

In a baffling aviation vanishing act, workers at Luanda Airport in Angola watched dumbfounded on May 25 as the Boeing 727 taxied down the runway and took off — without permission. The plane — which ABCNEWS has learned was refitted to haul diesel fuel tanks, making it a potential flying bomb — has not been seen since.

The man the U.S. government suspects of piloting the 727 is Benjamin Padilla — a U.S. citizen from Florida. Padilla, too, has vanished, and his family is worried.

"I am concerned that he might have been hijacked," Padilla's brother, Joseph, said in an exclusive interview with ABCNEWS.

"It's very painful," said Padilla's sister, Benita Kirkland Padilla. "The whole family is in anguish, not knowing what happened to our brother."

The last time the family heard from Padilla was on May 14, when Benita received an e-mail from her brother informing her that he was on his way to Africa and would get in touch with his ailing mother as soon as he returned home.

But more than a month since their last communication, Padilla has not yet returned home. And with international authorities concerned that the missing jetliner could be used for terrorist purposes, the family maintains that he would never be involved in such a plan.

Giuliani Stands Up

Rudy Giuliani has proven to be one of the most principled of American politicians, and he shows it once again by taking a stand at a grudgingly-convened European conference on the rise of anti-Semitism: Giuliani: Europe must do more to combat anti-Semitic violence. (Hat tip: NC.)

The two-day conference, grouping more than 350 delegates from Europe, central Asia, the United States, Russia and Canada, comes amid an alarming spike in anti-Semitic acts, mostly in Europe. The gathering of delegates from 55 OSCE-participating states and more than 100 non-governmental

organizations (NGOs) is the first such exploration of the subject by a major European security organization, according to a State Department web-site.

Last year, the Europeans rebuffed attempts to convene such a conference. This year, apparently under U.S. pressure, they conceded to the need for a meeting.

Giuliani, who heads the American delegation to the conference, urged Europe to learn the lesson of the Holocaust and take action rather than just talk about anti-Semitic crimes.

"Words do not suffice to turn the tide of anti-Semitism that is once again growing in Europe and other parts of the world," Giuliani said at the start of the two-day conference.

He said concrete steps should include keeping statistics on hate crimes separate from other acts of violence, monitoring those figures to spot problems early and holding regular OSCE meetings on the topic to compare each country's performance.

Shapiro: Tear Down This Wall, Mr. Arafish

Self-loathing terror enabler Adam Shapiro and his Palestinian wife are in Malaysia, preaching to the choir about the evil Israelis and how best to contribute to the Palestinian goal of wiping Israel out: US activist: Boycott Israel's supporters. (Hat tip: Bert Wolff.)

Malaysia and the international community should boycott supporters of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, which is a better strategy than humanitarian assistance that will only pay for the occupation, an American activist said.

International Solidarity Movement organiser Adam Shapiro said a particular US company that provided bulldozers to the Israeli army should be boycotted.

“The most basic element of occupation is the bulldozer, used in the building of (Jewish) settlements, confiscation of land and destruction of homes,” he said after giving a talk on “Deir Yassin Remembered,” organised by Penang-based Citizens International here on Tuesday.

Shapiro advocates boycotting Israeli sports teams, but look on the bright side. If Israeli teams are boycotted, Shapiro’s terrorist friends won’t be able to slaughter them at international competitions.

He said other boycott measures could include the barring of Israeli academics at international conferences unless they were against the Israeli occupation, the barring of Israeli sports teams from competitions and the boycott of US companies that set up factories in land confiscated by the Israelis.

This article also contains the lovely news that the International Solidarity Movement is planning to attempt to knock down the security wall Israel is building in the West Bank, because it might help prevent suicide bombers from doing their noble work.

He said 1,000 activists from around the world would join the International Solidarity Movement next month to knock down a partly completed wall which the Israelis were building around the West Bank to annex land and water and further isolate and imprison the Palestinian population.

Iranian Self-Immolation Watch

It’s not just happening in France and Britain; Iranians are setting themselves on fire in Rome too: Due iraniani si danno fuoco a Roma. (Hat tip: godfrey.)

Here Comes Jonah

Uh oh. Colin Powell is going to Israel again, planning to meet with Israeli and Palestinian “officials.”

After a visit to Jerusalem for talks with Israeli officials, Powell said he will travel to "another location," probably Jericho, to meet with Palestinian officials.

Seems like Powell is worried about something. “Another location,” eh? Why so vague, Colin? After all, it’s just a “few killers,” trying to “destroy the hopes of the Palestinian people,” isn’t it?

Powell condemned the latest suicide bombing in Israel, contending that "such acts of terrorism are committed by people who don't want to see two sides living side by side in peace." Powell added that such people "want to destroy the hopes and dreams of the Palestinian people."

If I keep saying, to anyone who will listen, that my bank account balance has 10 digits before the decimal point, will that make me a billionaire?

Or will it make me a willfully blind fool?

Sworn not only to ousting Israel from occupied Gaza and West Bank terrain but to destroying Israel itself, Hamas and its smaller ally Islamic Jihad together now outstrip the mainstream Fatah faction running the Authority in opinion polls.

Hisham, 13, is one of many young aspiring volunteers for Hamas suicide bombing missions that have killed scores of Israelis since militant groups launched an uprising in 2000.

"Why? Hamas is a fearful name to the Jews," he said outside a mosque in Jabalya, one of the sprawling, cinder-block refugee camps that house the majority of Gaza's 1.2 million Palestinians and resonate with bitterness on which Hamas thrives.

"I want to join them and die as a martyr to please my God, my parents and my people," he told Reuters. "When I become a Hamas martyr, my name will be written on the walls and my picture will be held by others who would hope to follow."

Hamas and the PA are One

Alyssa Lappen writes an open letter to the president, pointing out the fallacy of drawing an artificial (and false) separation between the PA and Hamas: Hamas and the Palestinian Authority are One.

Dear Mr. President:

The Road Map dangerously subverts the U.S. War on Terror.

As a journalist specializing on Middle East history, I urge you to refocus on the goals you brilliantly outlined on June 24, 2002. We must not ask Israel to negotiate for a Palestinian State until the renewed terrorist attacks stop and the terrorist infrastructure is dismantled.

Hamas is not at war with the Palestinian Authority, despite a PR campaign to the contrary. The PA has worked actively with Hamas for years. In 1995, it wrote a pact with the Islamist terrorists in Hamas. Mahmoud Abbas’ protests are evidently for show. On March 3 of this year, Abbas urged that violence continue.

A draft of the Hamas-PA pact, appended below, ran on Sept. 20, 1995 in Egypt’s Al-Ahram government weekly. Article 12 requires the PA to cease all preventive security and let Hamas operate without PA interference. The agreement gives Hamas a role in the PA government, which Abu Mazen fulfilled by naming a Hamas partisan as education minister.

Indeed, PLO political chief Farouq Al-Qaddoumi confirmed on Jan. 3, 2003, Fatah was “never different from Hamas ... Strategically, we are no different from it.”

Once again, the terror gangs have told us in their own words what they plan, and how they intend to achieve their goals.

Italy vs. France

Bravo, Silvio! Bravissimo! Berlusconi slaps down France over Israel trip. (Hat tip: Joel G.)

”They missed a good opportunity to shut up,” Berlusconi told reporters in response to French criticism of his decision not to meet Palestinian leaders during a recent trip to Israel.

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said this week that Berlusconi had ”not satisfied the European position” by holding talks only with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon during his June 9 visit to Jerusalem.

”I went (to Israel) as the prime minister of Italy. There's no way France can issue criticism over something that was the sole right and responsibility of the Italian prime minister,” Berlusconi said, clearly bristling with irritation.

His choice of words in telling France to keep quiet precisely echoed comments made by French President Jacques Chirac earlier this year when he criticised east European leaders for their staunch backing of the U.S. position on Iraq.

Moonbat Mahathir Mouths Off

The craziest Muslim supremacist leader in the world, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, launched another utterly bizarre attack on “the European race” today. (Hat tip: the Viking.) Mahathir has done this before, but today’s speech was a true marvel of paranoid moonbattery.

The 77-year-old medical doctor, who has attained almost mythical status in this former British colony, predicted Thursday that he would be condemned as a racist [Naaaah!—ed.], but said he needed to warn his people that the Europeans wanted "to control the world again."

Spelling it out so there would be no mistaking his racial profiling, he said Europeans included "those who migrated and set up new nations in America, Australia and New Zealand."

At the same time he insisted: "I am not anti-European. I have many friends and acquaintances who are Europeans.

"They are very clever, brave and have an insatiable curiosity."

But "unfortunately they are also very greedy and like to take forcibly the territories and rights of other people."

In an obvious reference to the recent war on Iraq he said "they have demonstrated that they are ready to invent false allegations in order to go to war to kill children, old people, sick people" to achieve their objectives.

Europeans had "begun to invade and rule certain countries, ostensibly for their security but in fact to exploit the wealth in these countries," he said.

Mahathir, who heads a moderate Muslim government, said the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States were "an excuse for the Anglo Saxon Europeans to return to their old violent ways.

"Their strategy to fight terrorism is through attacking Muslim countries and Muslims, whether they are guilty or not." ...

Mahathir said Europeans also wanted to impose their cultural values on the world, including "unlimited freedom for the individual" and "the practice of free sex including sodomy as a right." [What about the whiskey?—ed.]

"Marriage between male and male, between female and female are officially recognised by them. What we call incest is not regarded as serious by them."

He said he was "embarrassed" to criticise Europeans, knowing that friendly countries would feel hurt, "but it is very important that we know this race ... because they will play a big role in our life and our race, our religion and our country."

wednesday, june 18, 2003

Comments Temporarily Disabled

Comments are turned off for a few hours while I rejuvenate my wetware.

UPDATE: Comments are now back on!

Holocaust Denier Plays Charades

Strong words from Abu Mazen.

He told the “militants” to end attacks.

He urged Hamas to stop murdering innocent people.

He even “pushed” them to stop.

That’s tellin’ ’em, Abu.

Bush: We Will Not Tolerate Iranian Nukes

Today President Bush said he will not tolerate nuclear weapons in Iran. (Hat tip: Mara G.) Thank you, George. Now follow through, please.

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Wednesday that he and other world leaders would not tolerate nuclear weapons in Iran, and administration officials expressed concern to the U.N. nuclear agency about the country's atomic program.

Bush also urged Iranian leaders to treat protesters with "the utmost of respect" as they seek the ouster of the Islamic government.

Though Bush's words of warning were strong, he gave no indication that Iran, which he has characterized as part of an "axis of evil" along with Iraq and North Korea, might face military action under his policy allowing pre-emptive attacks where he sees threats.

Iran is thought by U.S. officials to be developing nuclear weapons, though the Iranian government denies it. Iran's chief representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Ali Akbar Salehi, rejected allegations that his government failed to honor promises made under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which aims to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.

"Iran considers the acquiring, development and use of nuclear weapons inhuman, immoral, illegal and against its very principles," he said. "They have no place in Iran's defensive doctrine."

Bush suggested he did not believe such denials.

No one with an ounce of brain matter believes their denials.

And Again

Another suicide bombing in Israel, at a grocery in an Israeli village near Jenin. One human being was seriously wounded. Bastards.

JERUSALEM - A suicide bomber blew himself up at an Israeli village in the Jordan River valley early Thursday, police said, killing himself and wounding an Israeli.

The bomber entered a grocery in the village of Sde Trumot and exploded, killing himself and wounding the owner, they said.

The bombing came as Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas was holding a series of meetings in Gaza City with the leaders of violent Palestinian groups, trying to persuade them to stop attacks against Israelis, a key to implementing the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan. No agreements have been reached.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, which occurred shortly after 6 a.m.

The Israeli was seriously wounded, police said. Rescue services arrived at the scene and were treating him, Israel Radio reported.

UPDATE: The wounded man was the owner of the grocery, and he has died.

A suicide bomber blew up early Tuesday morning in a grocery on Moshav Sdeh Trumot, near Beit Shean in the north, killing the owner of the grocery.

The man, who was critically injured in the attack, died of his wounds after being evacuated to Haemek Hospital in Afula.

Isn't It Strange?

Mona Charen asks the question of the day:

Isn't it strange that the very same people who were prepared to give the United Nations weapons inspectors months and even years to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq are screaming after just a few weeks that our failure to discover them is proof of a hoax?

When Will It End?

Excuse me while I pick up my jaw from the floor, because the BBC has an article about Shiri Negari, who was murdered in a Palestinian suicide bomb attack one year ago—and it actually shows some sympathy for her family.

On 18 June, 2002, Palestinian suicide bomber Mohammed al-Ghoul blew up a bus in Jerusalem killing 19 of the passengers. In the aftermath of the attack that claimed her sister, Sharon Negari talked to BBC News Online about that day. A year on, she speaks to us again about how her life has changed.

"I walked into a nightmare the day my sister was killed," says Sharon Negari, recalling the day her 21-year-old sister Shiri, a passenger on the doomed bus, died of massive internal injuries.

"It's a nightmare that will never go away. I'm so angry. I just can't accept the fact that I will never see Shiri again.

"It's not even that she was killed because of an unavoidable natural disaster. It's simply because of people's cruelty. This is something I just can't live with."

Shiri lived with her family in Gilo, Jerusalem. The residents were the target of the bus attack.

UPDATE: Here’s my entry from one year ago, after reading the account of Mohammed al-Ghoul’s suicide note. (The link to a Yahoo News story is now stale, unfortunately.) The last two comments for this entry are from a Jew-hater in Kuwait.

Defeat Terrorism First

At NRO, Tashbih Sayyed makes what would seem to be an obvious point—that rewarding Palestinians with a state before they have done anything to renounce terrorism as a tactic to destroy Israel would only engender more terrorism: Defeat Terrorism First. It seems obvious, yet much of the world is in total denial of this simple fact; so it needs to be said again and again to overcome the blindness.

A year ago, President Bush said he wanted to help Palestinians create "a practicing democracy, based on tolerance and liberty." A month ago, he told Arab leaders in Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt that "We must not allow ... a few terrorists to destroy the dreams and hopes of the many."

If it only it were that simple. The sad truth, however, is that those "murderers and attackers" are today heroes of Palestinian society. Opinion polls in the past three years consistently show that over 60 percent of Palestinians support bombings and violence inside Israel. Suicide/homicide bombers are held up as role models in schools and mosques. City plazas and stadiums are named after them. Their pictures are plastered all over the walls of Gaza and proudly displayed in their parents' living rooms. Children are encouraged by teachers and authority figures to follow in their footsteps and sacrifice themselves for the Palestinian cause. All day long, Palestinian Authority television broadcasts videos that show "martyrs" being greeted by beautiful "virgins" in the fountains of heaven, their reward for killing Jews. And when a Palestinian terrorist, with more than a dozen murders on his hands, was recently released from prison by Israel as a good will gesture, Yasser Arafat celebrated his return and named him a top adviser.

Terrorists not only benefit from wide support through Palestinian society, they embody only too well the deepest hopes of the majority: to destroy the Jewish state. Over 50 percent of Palestinians say that the goal of this intifada is not a two-state solution, but the destruction of Israel — referred to as "ending the occupation of territories lost in 1948." The children and grandchildren of Palestinian refugees who have been made second class citizens in Lebanon, Syria, or the Gulf States (nations which refuse to grant them citizenship or equal rights) cling to the illusion that defeating the Jews will restore their dignity.

This mindset is no accident. It is the result of over 50 years of relentless indoctrination.

Iranians Self-Immolating in Paris

Iranians in Paris are self-immolating to protest the French government’s crackdown on the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen Khalq. Warning: the link above goes to a disturbing and graphic slideshow of the protesters setting fire to themselves. (Hat tip: WAS.)

Big Fish Caught in Iraq

Saddam Hussein’s presidential secretary has been captured in Iraq. (Hat tip: Caton.)

US forces in Iraq have captured Saddam Hussein's presidential secretary, Abdel Hamid Mahmoud, the fourth most wanted official of the former regime, a US defense official said.

Abdel Hamid Mahmoud Al-Tikriti, described by the US as a presidential secretary to Saddam Hussein and charged with his security, was captured Tuesday by the US military and the Central Intelligence Agency.

He is said to have personal knowledge of Saddam's whereabouts.

The US already has conducted an interrogation of Al-Tikriti, but it was not clear if he has provided any information.

He is said to have had access to information on Iraq's banned weapons program.

And in Tikrit, more millions of dollars in cash have been discovered, along with one of Saddam’s bodyguards.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, US forces raided two farmhouses near the Iraqi town of Tikrit, seizing millions of dollars in cash and about 20 people associated with members of the former regime's special security services, including a bodyguard of Saddam Hussein, a US commander said.

Another Suicide Bombing Averted

A 16-year old Israeli Arab apparently lost his nerve and turned himself in before carrying out a suicidal mass murder.

The young man said that he was to receive an explosives belt from his operative in Qalqilyah but the curfew imposed on the city Wednesday morning postponed the suicide attack, at which point he handed himself over, reports Army Radio.

The Regional Court of Tel Aviv found him guilty of conspiring to aid the enemy and of having contact with an enemy agent. After signing a plea bargain, the youth received a two-year prison term.

Remember this when the media try to tell you there has been a “lull” in Palestinian terror attacks.

Another Scheme from Abu Mazen

Rather than cracking down on the terror gangs as he is required to do by the “roadmap to peace,” Arafat’s puppet prime minister has decided to offer them a role in the Palestinian ... well, I was going to write “government,” but to have a government you need to actually make an attempt to govern. Abbas offers to include Hamas, Islamic Jihad in new leadership.

In an attempt to persuade Hamas and other radical Palestinian factions to agree to a temporary cease-fire with Israel, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas offered to give the groups political representation in a newly formed body called the unified national leadership.

Abbas, who met with leaders of all the Palestinian factions in Gaza City Tuesday and Wednesday night, told them that PA Chairman Yasser Arafat agreed to form a unified national leadership within the PLO.

The prime minister said the issue would be discussed in detail at a second round-table meeting on Thursday in Gaza with the Higher Follow-up Committee, a coalition comprising representatives of all the Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad. He expressed hope that Hamas and Islamic Jihad would agree to join the new body.

How long will Arafat and his terrorist buddies be allowed to get away with this transparent charade? The Palestinians have so far failed to fulfill even one condition of the “roadmap” that they accepted “unconditionally.” And no one seems to care.

Axis of Evil Now Includes Libya

Ha'aretz reports today that Libya is paying large sums of money to Iran for assistance in developing mid-range missiles capable of reaching Israel.

The Iranian delegation, most importantly, reveals the secret, dangerous connection among members of the coalition that U.S. President George W. Bush refers to as the "axis of evil." Although the connection involves only the missile sphere at this time, it could develop into the sharing of

nuclear munitions know-how. North Korea provided Iran with the know-how and assistance to develop the Shihab-3 missiles and gave Syria the know-how to develop Scud-D missiles. Tehran, in turn, has responded to Libya's requests for help developing mid-range missiles.

Tehran is now in the advanced stages of developing the Shihab-3, which could reach Israel. However, some say Tehran still needs to extend the missile's range by 100-300 kilometers in order to cover a large section of Israel.

Libya has old Scud missiles with a 300-km range, and is making a major effort to acquire or develop longer-range missiles. Tripoli is examining the possibility with Tehran and is ready to pay a high price for such assistance.

Foggy Bottom Promotes Islam

The State Department, whose Visa Express program allowed three of the 9/11 hijackers to enter the United States with blatantly false documents, is also engaged in the business of promoting Islam in America, with a very extensive presentation that reads just like a CAIR propaganda pamphlet. (Hat tip: fiery celt.) No other religious or ethnic group gets similar treatment at Foggy Bottom’s web site.

At the center of both traditional American life and the lives of the generally more recent Muslim immigrants is the family. As Shahed Amanullah, an engineer who lives in San Franciso, California, puts it, " American values are, by and large, very consistent with Islamic values, with a focus on family, faith, hard work, and an obligation to better self and society."

Elsewhere at the State web site, you will find a travel advisory document warning American women against marrying Saudis, and detailing the appalling restrictions on the freedom of women in Saudi Arabia, the world center of Islam and financier of many of the mosques and Islamic schools in America.

tuesday, june 17, 2003

Germans Likely to Visit France

A new poll shows that Germans are more likely to visit France than the US, because of France’s anti-war stance.

A similar trend was noticed 63 years ago.

The Only Exception

Here’s a sad commentary on the world’s tolerance for murdering Jews, by Jeffrey Dunetz: Except When You're Targeting Jews. (Hat tip: Laura.)

On the world political stage, there is only one exception and it's the same for each rule. It's called, "Except when you're targeting Jews." Let me explain how it works.

Take for example targeted assassinations, like the first lightning strike in the recent war against Saddam Hussein, which was followed up with more targeted strikes against Saddam, his sons, and others such as "Chemical Ali." These hits were hailed as masterstroke by the media. U.S. leaders said that they were instrumental in shortening the war.

On the other hand, when Israel pursues terrorist leaders with targeted strikes, they are criticized by the world community as excessive and provocative. That is because Exception #1 of World Politics states: Targeted killings of terrorists are okay, except when the terrorist is killing Jews.

Civilian casualties? This week, the Associated Press reported there were over 3,200 civilian deaths in the recent Iraq war. The United States government says as much as they have tried, civilian deaths are unavoidable because the Iraqi military is breaking the rules of Geneva Convention by deploying in civilian areas.

It was just a year ago that an Israeli Air Force jet dropped a bomb on a Gaza apartment building housing Salah Shehadeh, the commander of Hamas who had ordered scores of terrorist acts. In the bombing, 15 civilians perished. Israel was severely rebuked.

Obviously the IDF never read Exception #2 of World Politics: Civilian deaths are to be avoided, but cannot be criticized when the enemy is using civilians as human shields... except when you are targeting someone who is killing Jews.

Director Loots Own Museum

Even Britain’s al-Guardian is now forced to report that the looting of the Iraqi National Museum was 1) nothing like the appalling tragedy they first reported, and 2) probably carried out by none other than the director of the museum, Dony George: Staff revolt at Baghdad museum.

Roger L. Simon was one of the first to float the idea that Dony George was behind the looting. Oh man; now Roger’s gonna be even more insufferable...

Romania Forced to Tell Truth

It took a worldwide storm of bad publicity, but today Romania acknowledged they did take part in the Holocaust.

The government issued a statement Tuesday saying the pro-Nazi Romanian regime "was guilty of grave war crimes, pogroms, and mass deportations of Romanian Jews to territories occupied or controlled by the Romanian army" from 1940 to 1944.

It employed "methods of discrimination and extermination, which are part of the Holocaust," the statement added.

The government said Prime Minister Adrian Nastase and his Cabinet consistently condemned the wartime persecution and killing of Jews, but did not explain why it changed its view since Friday, when it claimed that "within the borders of Romania between 1940 and 1945 there was no Holocaust."

American Woman Trapped in Saudi Arabia

Sarah Saga is living a nightmare in Saudi Arabia, where she sought refuge in the US consulate in Jeddah with her two children: Sarah and the Saudis. (Hat tip: ploome.)

Ms. Saga ... found herself trapped in Saudi Arabia at age six, when her Saudi father defied a U.S. custody agreement by simply refusing to return her to America after a 1985 visit. There she has languished ever since. Yet she never gave up on America or her American mom. Married off to another Saudi, Ms. Saga used a computer to track her long-lost mother via the Internet and tell her of her hopes for escape.

Most Americans, we suspect, would find it hard to reconcile the facts of Ms. Saga's case with the new Saudi PR campaign invoking "shared values," or Prince Bandar's happy talk about "normal people living normal lives." Just ask Ms. Saga's mother, Debbie Dornier.

Ms. Dornier says her Saudi ex-husband (Sarah's father) has always vowed he'd see Sarah dead before seeing her return to America. Safely ensconced inside the consulate, this woman now faces the usual Saudi choice given those in her predicament: your freedom or your children.

Ms. Saga isn't the first American woman to report death threats from a Saudi father or husband. Nor is she the only one to have sought refuge at the Jeddah consulate. Another American woman spent the last two weeks with her three children in the same compound, with the Saudis saying she could go only if she left her American children behind. Surely there exist other American woman too terrified to risk even trying to get to a U.S. consulate or embassy.

And according to this latest Reuters release, it seems she has now left the consulate. How many hours does she have left to live?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An American woman who is married to a Saudi man and who took refuge with her children in the U.S. consulate in Jeddah left the building voluntarily on Tuesday, the State Department said.

"She departed today of her own accord. We're going to be continuing to monitor their well-being and provide all possible assistance to her," spokesman Philip Reeker told a briefing.

Another American woman remains in the building with her children, and the United States is in talks with the Saudi authorities to resolve the case, Reeker said.

Reeker said he thought the group who left was one that had been there since early June. The other group took refuge in the consulate last weekend.

At least one of the women wanted to return to the United States but Reeker's remarks suggested that she would be staying in Saudi Arabia, at least for the moment.

He Did It "Out of Sympathy"

The Reuters headline for this update to the story of Sgt. Hasan Akbar, the American Muslim soldier accused of murdering two officers and injuring 15 others in Kuwait, says he did it out of “sympathy for Muslims:” Muslim Sympathy Said to Prompt Kuwait Camp Attack.

FORT KNOX, Ky. (Reuters) - A sergeant accused of a deadly attack inside his U.S. Army camp in Kuwait acted out of sympathy for Muslims who he reportedly said Americans had come to "kill and rape," an investigator testified on Tuesday. ...

Maier, assigned to the Army's Criminal Investigation Division, said Col. Ben Hodges told investigators that Akbar admitted the attack in the early stages of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Hodges indicated that Akbar "made spontaneous statements to the effect that he had done this act because they were going to kill and rape Muslims," Maier said."

Akbar, 32, is assigned to the 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He is a Muslim who grew up in Southern California and Louisiana.

And no sympathy at all for his fellow soldiers, one of whom he allegedly shot in the back at close range.

And Again

Palestinian terrorists shot at a car today near the Green Line border with the West Bank, wounding a five-year old girl, a baby and an adult.

One of the children was seriously hurt and the other was in moderate condition, a representative of the Magen David Adom ambulance service told Israel Radio. The adult with them was lightly wounded, she said.

UPDATE: Ha'aretz now reports that the seriously wounded girl was 7 years old.

And she died of her wounds.

UPDATE: It took Reuters just a few hours to start spinning this despicable story, in their usual despicable way: Israeli Girl Killed, Fueling Cycle of Violence.

France Arrests Iranian "Terrorists"

France thinks Hamas is a legitimate “mass movement” and resists efforts to have them blacklisted by the EU—but an Iranian opposition group that threatens the ruling mullahs is a gang of terrorists: France Raids Compound of Iran Opposition.

PARIS - Masked and heavily armed police raided the compound of an Iranian opposition group Tuesday, detaining activists on suspicion of plotting terrorist attacks in France and building a support base for operations abroad.

The dictators of Iran are very pleased with France.

The Iranian government, which calls the Mujahedeen Khalq a terrorist organization, praised the raids. "We expected French authorities ... to take actions against them," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told the government news agency IRNA.

Daniel Pipes wrote about the Mujahedeen-e Khalq in an article for the New York Post on May 20, that sheds more light on why France may have decided to crack down on this group at this time: A Terrorist U.S. Ally?

About That Missing 727...

Last Friday we noted a report that a Boeing 727 had apparently been stolen from an airport in Angola.

I’m not sure how much credibility to give this, but LGF reader “Cowboy Engineer” points out this thread at the Professional Pilots Rumor Network in which a poster claims that the plane was outfitted as a fuel tanker, with 10 500-gallon aluminum tanks in the cabin.

A Matter of Time

The head of Britain’s domestic intelligence service says it’s only a matter of time until Al Qaeda hits a Western city with “unconventional weapons.”

"We are faced with the realistic possibility of some form of unconventional attack" that could include chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons, said Eliza Manningham-Buller.

In her first public speech since taking over the MI5 in October, Manningham-Buller said intelligence suggested that "renegade scientists" gave terrorist groups the information they need to create such weapons, which will only become more sophisticated.

Morality Not Money

Here is a petition asking Harvard Divinity School to reject the $2.5 million donation from the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan: Morality Not Money.

Sheikh Zayed is the founder of the Zayed Center for Coordination and Follow-Up, an Arab “think tank” about which we’ve written many times at LGF, for their combination of sheer lunacy, Holocaust denial, antisemitism, anti-Americanism, and unrestrained hate speech.

It would be bad enough if the Zayed Center were only trying to get their evil tentacles into Harvard. But this center of Arab/Islamic hate has hosted many US politicians and public figures, including former president Jimmy Carter, former vice president Al Gore, former secretary of state James Baker, and President George W. Bush’s brother, Neil Bush.

These people should be ashamed—because they lent their reputations and credibility to a place that has also sponsored talks by Lyndon LaRouche and David Duke, and by Arab writers promoting the Jewish blood libel and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

The Zayed Center must pay pretty well.

Arafish Says: Barghouti to Be Sprung

Will Israel really hand the Palestinians another huge propaganda victory and release Marwan Barghouti? (Hat tip: PDM.)

JERUSALEM - Yasser Arafat called the family of a Palestinian uprising leader early Tuesday and said that he will be released within two days, Marwan Barghouti's wife said.

Fadwa Barghouti told The Associated Press that she was skeptical her husband would be freed. She said Arafat delivered the news in a 2 a.m. phone call.

Israeli officials refused to comment on the report.

Barghouti is on trial for murder, charged by Israel with complicity in terror attacks that took the lives of 26 Israelis. The prosecution completed its case on June 2, but Barghouti, who does not recognize the right of the Israeli court to try him, had not decided whether to present a defense.

Barghouti is the West Bank leader of Arafat's Fatah movement. He made fiery speeches in favor of Palestinian resistance and became a symbol of the current uprising. But he has insisted that as a member of the Palestinian parliament he is a political figure and has no connection with violence.

Emotional Weather Report

You know, I was hoping to wake up today and discover that the world had suddenly come to its senses, and realized the United States has been the greatest force for positive achievement and human freedom in the history of mankind.

But it looks like they still hate us. (Hat tip: NC.)

Over half the sample felt that the US was wrong to invade Iraq - this included 81% of Russian respondents, and 63% of the French response.

Thirty-seven per cent thought it right to invade - including 54% of the UK response, 74% of the US response and 79% of the Israeli sample.

Asked who is the more dangerous to world peace and stability, the United States was rated higher than al-Qaeda by respondents in both Jordan (71%) and Indonesia (66%).

America was also rated more dangerous than two countries considered as "rogue states" by Washington.

It was rated more dangerous than Iran, by people in Jordan, Indonesia, Russia, South Korea and Brazil, and more dangerous than Syria by respondents all the countries, except for Australia, Israel and the United States.

Hamas Ridicules Lugar

A headline from MEMRI’s scrolling news ticker shows Hamas blustering and insulting Senator Richard Lugar:

THE PALESTINIAN RESISTANCE GROUP, HAMAS, RIDICULED A CALL BY US SENATOR RICHARD LUGAR TO SEND U.S. TROOPS TO THE WEST BANK AND GAZA STRIP TO FIGHT HAMAS. 'IT SEEMS THE SENATOR'S TONGUE FUNCTIONS MUCH MORE SWIFTLY THAN HIS MIND DOES,' SAID HAMAS' SPOKESMAN IN RAMALLAH, HASAN SILWADI. 'DOESN'T HE KNOW THAT HAMAS EXISTS IN EVERY PALESTINIAN HOME?' (IRNA, 6/16/03)

“Every Palestinian home?” But how can that be? Doesn’t President Bush keep telling us that it’s “only a few killers” trying to wreck “the peace process?”

monday, june 16, 2003

Akbar Hearing Opens

The military hearing of Sgt. Hasan Akbar, the American Muslim accused of attacking his fellow soldiers with grenades in Kuwait, began today: Officer Testifies in Grenade Attack Case.

Akbar was present at the hearing, looking subdued. He yawned and closed his eyes a few times.

Capt. Terence Bacon had shrapnel injuries to both knees and suffered hearing loss in the attack. He said he remembered hearing screaming and seeing blood in the aftermath of the attack.

"It was kind of an ugly scene there," he said.

Maj. Kenneth Romaine said he was working on his computer in the tent he shared with other officers around 1 a.m. when he heard footsteps. Then a grenade was rolled into the tent.

He was not injured by the grenade. He said he loaded his pistol and stepped outside, and was shot. The single bullet hit both of his hands and his left thigh.

"I just know whoever it was shot before I could recognize who it was," Romaine said.

Another soldier, Maj. Verner Kiernan, testified that Akbar was the last noncommissioned officer who had been guarding a cache of grenades and four of them were unaccounted for after the attack.

And it looks like his lawyers will be playing the Muslim card:

Under cross-examination from Akbar's lawyers, Sgt. First Class Patricia Ann Lewis, the brigade's equal opportunity adviser, said there have been cases of Muslim soldiers complaining about being treated unfairly.

If You Get a Message That You're Blocked...

...once again, it’s because I’ve had to block a range of dial-up IP addresses to shut out some abusive users. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Note: blocking a user does not prevent them from reading LGF—only from commenting.

Zayed Centre is Stalking LGF

Tonight I watched as someone from the lunatic center of the Islamic Nutbin—the Zayed Centre for Coordination and Follow-Up—kept loading the same page at LGF over and over and over. After a while, this obsessive behavior began to creep me out, so I blocked them. If you run a blog and you’d like to keep these weirdos away from your site, you need to block 213.42.173. to do it.

Recruiting for Jihad

Joe Kaufman follows the jihad trail from an ugly terrorist site called palestine4ever.net—on whose homepage you will find the statement “Death is more than escape from occupation, it is the way of life for our courageous countrymen”—to the Islamic “charities” that operate in the United States, Recruiting for Jihad.

Religious Fanatics Target Islam's Center

More details are emerging about the Al Qaeda cell in Mecca that was broken by the Saudis before it could launch an attack: Qaeda May Have Targeted Mecca. (Hat tip: NC.)

Mecca, located some 450 miles west of Riyadh, is the birthplace of Islam's seventh-century prophet Muhammad, the heart of the annual pilgrimage every able-bodied Muslim must perform at least once in a lifetime, and considered so holy it is off-limits to non-Muslims.

The legitimacy of Saudi rulers rests in part on their custodianship of the holy city, and a strike on it by Muslim extremists would be profoundly symbolic.

The Saudi newspaper Okaz reported Monday that suspects who escaped Saturday's raid fled in a car that broke down on the outskirts of Mecca Sunday afternoon. The men continued on foot and four were arrested at a mosque complex just outside of Mecca Sunday evening.

A fifth made it to the mountains surrounding Mecca where he was cornered, threatening to detonate a bomb. After a three-hour standoff, the suspect was overpowered and arrested and his bomb did not go off, the paper said. The paper did not give details on the arrest of the sixth suspect.

Other Saudi newspapers had similar reports. Saudi newspapers are privately owned but government-guided.

I can’t put my finger on it yet, but something about this story is not ringing true.

The Straight Dopes

Cecil Adams has long been someone I turn to for “The Straight Dope,” but the people commenting on his Straight Dope Message Board are some of the most clueless I've ever seen. Lots of uninformed knee-jerk LGF bashing here.

Shame on the New York Times

Here’s an unbelievably sickening whitewash of Hamas that makes no mention of their openly avowed genocidal intentions (see the Hamas Charter for their own words), at—where else?—the New York Times: Defining Hamas: Roots in Charity and Branches of Violence. Just “branches of violence,” of course. Never mind the simple fact that without terrorist murderers like Hamas, endlessly stoking the hatred and violence, the Palestinians who avail themselves of Hamas’s “charity” might have real lives, jobs, families that exist for a purpose other than mass murder of Jews, and hope.

Once again I say, shame on the New York Times. Shame.

Explosives Found in Vancouver

A huge quantity of explosives has been seized by Canadian police in several towns near Vancouver, British Columbia—enough to flatten a building.

Police said they now believe the C$50,000 ($37,000) worth of explosives were to be used for criminal activity in British Columbia, where gangs have been fighting a turf war for the province's lucrative marijuana growing business.

The explosives were recovered in raids last week in several towns around Vancouver. A Coquitlam, British Columbia, man is charged with possession of explosives and several others are being held in custody for questioning.

Armstrong Wins 2nd Dauphiné Libéré

Lance Armstrong is on track to brutally punish all rivals and humiliate the French (who are not rivals) once again at this year’s Tour de France: Armstrong sews up Dauphiné.

Al-Azhar to Meet with Anglicans on 9/11/2003

Al-Azhar University in Egypt, the most influential Sunni Muslim seminary in the world, has issued statements approving of Palestinian suicide bombings, and calling for jihad against the United States. But, as Christopher Johnson reports, that doesn’t seem to bother the Anglican church, which is planning a meeting with the jihadis from Al-Azhar in New York City on September 11 of this year. If it weren’t for Dominique de Villepin’s sickening statements of support for Hamas, this would be our outrage of the day.

De Villepin Hits Bottom, Digs

Article 13 of the openly genocidal and thoroughly insane Hamas Charter states:

There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors.

Nevertheless, French Foreign Weasel Minister Dominique de Villepin (who is a man) says Hamas is a “mass movement,” whose leaders should be “interlocutors”—and France is opposed to blacklisting them.

De Villepin made a distinction between "mass movements" and "terrorists." "It is in our interest to have Palestinian interlocutors, I distrust a strategy based on cutting off dialogue," he said.

I recommend reading the entire Hamas charter linked above, to get the full import of de Villepin’s ugly refusal to cut off relations with Hamas. If you’ve never read it before, the depth of Hamas’s hatred and rejectionism will blow your mind.

But to the French, they are “interlocutors.”

Outrage of the Day

The Romanian Ministry of Public Information has claimed that “within the borders of Romania between 1940 and 1945 there was no Holocaust.” (Hat tip: the Viking.)

There were 760,000 Jews in Romania before World War II and an estimated 420,000 were killed according to Jean Ancel, a leading Israeli expert on the Holocaust in Romania, and other historians.

Today, about 6,000 Jews live in Romania.

Documents show the Romanian government was directly involved in the extermination, said Ancel, author of a two-volume book on the subject published by Yad Vashem, Israel's leading Holocaust research institute.

"Romania was the only ally of Germany that had its own plan of destruction and used its own army to exterminate Jews," Ancel said.

The German Nazis and their allies killed 6 million Jews during World War II, gassing many to death in extermination camps and shooting others after forcing them to dig their own graves. Ancel said that in the Ukraine, Romanian soldiers also burned Jews alive.

The Jew-haters are coming out of the closet in Europe.

The Plot to Kill Wellstone

James Lileks takes aim at James H. Fetzer, “McKnight professor of philosophy at the University of Minnesota, Duluth”—a dyed-in-the-wool barking moonbat who believes Paul Wellstone was assassinated, Israel is identical to Nazi Germany, and America is a terrorist state.

Why Europe Doesn't Get the Internet

The Council of Europe, a quasi-governmental body (read: unelected weeniecrats) that drafts conventions and treaties, is finalizing a proposal to grant anyone criticized on an online site a “right of reply”—and this would include weblogs. Declan McCullagh at CNET has the details on this typically European attempt to “protect” freedom of speech by limiting it: Why Europe still doesn't get the Internet. (Hat tip: Blogs of War.)

The all-but-final proposal draft says that Internet news organizations, individual Web sites, moderated mailing lists and even Web logs (or "blogs"), must offer a "right of reply" to those who have been criticized by a person or organization.

With clinical precision, the council's bureaucracy had decided exactly what would be required. Some excerpts from its proposal:

* "The reply should be made publicly available in a prominent place for a period of time (that) is at least equal to the period of time during which the contested information was publicly available, but, in any case, no less than for 24 hours."

* Hyperlinking to a reply is acceptable. "It may be considered sufficient to publish (the reply) or make available a link to it" from the spot of the original mention.

* "So long as the contested information is available online, the reply should be attached to it, for example through a clearly visible link."

* Long replies are fine. "There should be flexibility regarding the length of the reply, since there are (fewer) capacity limits for content than (there are) in off-line media."

LGF reader and satirist par excellence “iowahawk” points out that there is a precedent for this European proposal—in the Stone Age.

--------------------

COUNCIL OF GROK ESTABLISHES NEW RULES FOR WORD TOTEMS

Cave of Elder Bones - A study group of the official Grok Shaman Council today announced new guidelines to curb the growing misuse of word totems in area caves and purification huts.

The totems, of "sounding-pictures," allow lookers to eye-hear words from picture makers, even when the picture maker is not there to mouth-tell the words. These have become popular with younger tribal members, and are thought to have evil spirits.

According to the new guidlines:

* Word picture-makers must make camp at the word-picture, to also talk-tell words to word picture-lookers, until Earth Woman rain washes word pictures into sacred dirt.

* Word pictures must not tell of sacred rituals or good mammoth cliffs.

* Word pictures must not tell of happy rumps of good breeding clan womans.

Shaman Eegah of the Moon-Spirit Clan explained that the guidelines were a benefit to all tribes. "It is important that we not upset Great Earth Woman. We must respect the wisdom of clan elders, many are more than 25 bison-hunt seasons."

Muslim Vote Campaign

Islamic groups are making a concerted, highly organized effort to get Muslims to register to vote. (Hat tip: Michael S.)

After the call to prayer, there came the call to politics.

As worshipers at the Islamic Center of Long Island, in Westbury, Nasau County, chatted and rose from Friday Prayers last week, Ghazi Khankan stepped before a microphone and called for the crowd's attention. Mr. Khankan, ready with a box of voter registration forms, wanted to make voters of everyone present, as part of his effort to register 100,000 Muslims across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

"As Muslims, as you are, so shall your rulers be," Mr. Khankan, president of the New York Council on American-Islamic Relations [Note: this is the radical Islamist front group CAIR—ed.], told the worshipers. "If we do not participate in the political process, we will not be able to influence it. It is urgent that we do so."

So began a New York campaign by the group to bolster voter registration among Muslims, part of a continuing national campaign by the council, an advocacy group based in Washington. With an eye on the 2004 elections, Muslim groups across the country want to strengthen their political voice, and political agents like Mr. Khankan are going mosque to mosque to do so.

In the United States, of course, every citizen has the right to vote, and we wouldn’t want it any other way. But the troubling aspect of this Muslim voter registration campaign is that much more effort is expended on influencing American politics than on disavowing and rooting out the support for terrorists in their own communities.

UPDATE: A similar campaign is going on in Northern Virginia, partly sponsored by groups currently under investigation for ties to terrorists: N.Va. Muslims Raising a Voice In Area Politics.

Hossain argues that the Virginia suburbs sprawling west from Washington are especially fertile ground for building a movement.

Last week, Hossain helped Afeefa Syeed, director of the private Al Fatih Academy in Herndon and a board member of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, engineer a surprise victory in a Democratic primary in Loudoun County. Syeed declared her candidacy hours before the scheduled primary, then, in a vote of 11 to 4, knocked off the candidate anointed by party elders. Syeed will face independent Carol E. Peters and Republican Bruce E. Tulloch in the race for the Potomac District supervisor this November.

Hagga Abugideiri, who voted for Syeed, said "it's about time" Muslims in the area "have somebody representing and speaking for us."

"If we have a voice, maybe people will understand a little better about Islam and Muslims," said Abugideiri, who works for the International Institute of Islamic Thought, one of the organizations whose offices were searched by federal agents.

UPDATE: Here’s a Google search of FrontPage Magazine for articles related to the International Institute of Islamic Thought in Northern Virginia, a Wahhabi front group financed by Saudi Arabia.

Jews and Anti-Jews

An excellent piece by Ruth Wisse at OpinionJournal today: Jews and Anti-Jews.

The White House still cannot bring itself to admit the true nature of the aggression against Israel. It still tends to treat the regional crisis as "a conflict of two people over one land" that can be resolved by the creation of a Palestinian state. According to this view, since Jews and Arabs both lay claim to the same territory of Israel-Palestine, some division of the territory between will bring about a peaceful resolution. This is the assumption behind the "road map" the president presented at the recent meetings in Egypt and Jordan, inviting the Palestinians to halt their terror and Israel to withdraw some of its settlements from the disputed lands.

Unfortunately, the Arab war against Israel is no more a territorial conflict than was al Qaeda's strike against America, and it can no more be resolved by the "road map" than anti-Americanism could be appeased by ceding part of the U.S. to an Islamist enclave. From the moment in 1947 when Jewish leaders accepted and Arab rulers rejected the U.N. partition plan of Palestine, the Arab-Israeli conflict bore no further likeness to more conventional territorial struggles. Arab rulers defied the U.N. charter by denying the legitimacy of a member state. Arab countries refused to acknowledge the existence of a single Jewish land. Arab rulers did not object to Israel because it rendered the Palestinians homeless. Rather, they ensured that the Palestinians should remain homeless so that they could organize their politics around opposition to Israel.

At any point during the past 55 years, Arab governments could have helped the Palestinian Arabs settle down to a decent life. They could have created the infrastructure of an autonomous Palestine on the West Bank of the Jordan and the Gaza territory that Egypt controlled until 1967, or encouraged the resettlement of Palestinians in Jordan, which constitutes the lion's share of the original mandate of Palestine. Rather than fund the Palestine Liberation Organization to foment terror against Israel they could have endowed Palestinian schools of architecture, engineering, medicine and law. What Israel did for its refugees from Arab lands, Arabs could have done much more sumptuously for the Palestinians displaced by the same conflict. Instead, Arab rulers cultivated generations of refugees in order to justify their ongoing campaign against the "usurper."

Radioactive Material and Mustard Gas Found

Georgia Finds Dirty Bomb Material in Taxi.

Police searched the taxi on May 31 and found two metal boxes stuffed with radioactive by-products of nuclear fission, Cesium-137 and Strontium-90. One container, inscribed in Russian and English, weighed at least 170 pounds.

A separate container had Mustard Gas, or Yperite, an odorless chemical used in World War One and which can be lethal in small quantities.

"The most likely version is that the containers were intended to be transported on to Turkey and to be resold," police spokesman Givi Mgebrishvili told a news conference.

Mgebrishvili said police found the material during a routine raid in a Tbilisi suburb.

The taxi driver was unaware of his dangerous cargo and has been released. Two suspects are in police custody, accused of trying to take the material to the former Soviet state's Adzhara autonomous republic on the border with Turkey.

This is scary stuff, folks. “Dirty bombs” are not city-killing nuclear weapons, but they would be very effective at generating terror in a civilian population. If they’re discovering this much material (more than 170 pounds!) in taxis, by accident, how much is getting through?

It’s just a matter of time until a “dirty bomb” is used against either the United States or Israel.

Denial in the Gulf

Just for fun, I’ve installed some code that notifies me when a visitor from a Gulf state hits our weblog, with an email containing the referring page. Turns out that a large number of them are referred by search engines—usually msn.com—and that an overwhelming majority of those are searching for—you guessed it—pornography. The Muslim ummah is in a deep, deep state of denial about human nature, and it’s tearing them apart. It’s pathetic, really.

In Defense of Paranoia and Intolerance

One of the defining features of the Islamic supremacists who rule Saudi Arabia is their complete intolerance for other points of view. Another is raging paranoia.

And another is their unrepentant support for “charities” that finance world-wide jihad.

All these lovely traits are on full display in this bizarre article at the Arab News: In Defense of Charities. (Hat tip: Paul of Arabia.)

We should remember that the West had plans to convert the world’s largest Muslim state, Indonesia, to Christianity by the year 2000. The focus is now on Africa. Their method is to extend relief with one hand and offer a Bible with the other, all the while manipulating poverty, ignorance and destitution so prevalent in so many places.

Are we to allow our brothers to fall an easy prey to such campaigns that seek to deprive them of the most valuable thing they possess, their religion? If we do so while knowing that we are capable of changing their lives for the better, we would be committing a very great sin. Those who accuse philanthropists of terrorism have already done much damage to a noble cause. The media should play a more active role in educating people about poverty and how all of us should become involved in fighting it.

Interesting note: the author of this article is Ahmad Al-Ghamdi. If you’ve been paying attention you may have noticed how often the Al-Ghamdi family name crops up in relation to terrorist activities; Winds of Change has a good post about this.

News from Iran

As unrest in Iran continues to spread, here’s a web site with up-to-date Iranian news reports: Iran va Jahan. (Hat tip: SteynOnline.)

Whiplash

One hour and 20 minutes ago, the Associated Press headline read: Palestinians Say Truce Announcement Near.

One hour and six minutes ago, the Reuters headline read: Gaza Talks with Militants Fail to Make Breakthrough.

For a change, Agence France Presse seems to be the only wire service willing to report what the terror gang leaders actually said: Egyptian delegation ends Gaza talks without ceasefire breakthrough.

"The time is not for a truce, the time is for solidarity ... in front of Israeli attacks against our people," Ismail Abu Shanab, a senior Hamas leader, told reporters after the three-hour meeting Monday.

"We want to show our strength, we want to show our determination and we want to tell the whole world that the Israelis are the terrorists in the region," Abu Shanab said in English.

"Hamas wants Israel to withdraw the occupation and wants to insist on continuing the resistance," he added.

Mohammad al-Hindi, a senior leader of the Islamic Jihad movement, said that "in the meeting there was no ceasefire proposal but only ideas within the framework of the Palestinian dialogue to confirm the right to resist occupation."

sunday, june 15, 2003

Letters from Iran

I’m not fond of the BBC; in many ways they’ve become a tool of the world’s anti-civilization forces. But there must still be a few lonely souls laboring away in windowless offices, carrying on the tradition of Winston Churchill, because this page full of letters from Iranians about the growing protest against the mullahs’ regime is very much worth reading: Iranian protesters remain resolute. (Hat tip: Msimon.)

I had a telephone conversation with my nephew who is 22 and lives in Tehran. He told me that he had never in his life run the way he did two nights ago when he went to the demonstrations in Tehran. The vigilantes had ran after him with chains and clubs, the reason being that he saw them beating a girl to death and she was bleeding. He said four of them were at her and kicking her in the head, stomach and another one was beating her with the chain he had. So he shouted you sons of the bitches, leave her alone, you animals..... Then they ran after him and luckily he managed to escape from them.
Shahrokh Biniaz, Kuwait

PRESIDENT BUSH PLEASE HELP US
Ali M., Iran

I am one of the students of Tehran university. i am studying law. let me tell you that the protesters are not students. they are some workless people that all the time looking for trouble. nobody from our own faculty has been participating in this protest.
Mena, Iran

The ruling party in iran must start sharing power with the pro-democracy now before is too little too late like the former ruler, the shah.
mike bargani, iran

The vigilantes once beat me up because I was taking part in a protest. They didn't use weapons because I am 13. But they punched and kicked me in a violent manner.
Paya, Iran

The Iranian people have shown their urgent tendency for freedom. Now the US must start to support the demonstration by warning the Iran government not to act against the people. This enforcement from the outside and people's demonstration inside, will finally down the Iran regime. We are waiting for immediate support of the US.
Farshad, Iran

AP Distorts the Truth (Again)

LGF reader Ariel has an account of the Israel Day celebration in Boston here:

There was a live band playing Israeli metal and a lot of nice little stores. Really good atmosphere. There was the obligatory pro-paleonazi protest on the opposite side of the street, including Naturei Karta members. I went with my Jewish Little Brother (from Big Brother/Little Brother), who's Orthodox, and I had to explain to him that just because you're Jewish doesn't mean you can't be an antisemite. I wore my LGF T-shirt and was pleasantly surprised when two random people recognized it and said it was a great website. One of them lives in the "People's Republic of Cambridge" (his words, though I agree), and might soon become a commentor here - right now he's just a reader. It was definitely cool to wear the shirt there - even though I know LGF has a fair readership, I didn't think people would recognize it there. Very cool. I encourage everyone to wear them on the weekend so that we can recognize each other ;).

This is the only account you’ll read of the event, because neither Reuters nor the Associated Press thought it was worth a single word of coverage.

But AP did send a photographer who sought out the Neturei Karta members mentioned by Ariel above, and filed this photo—with a horribly misleading, blatantly untrue caption:

Greg Margolin, left, shows his disapproval of the proposed U.S.-backed Middle East peace plan as he gathers with Palestinian supporters to protest the Israel Day Celebration Sunday June 15, 2003, at the World Trade Center in Boston. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

The Neturei Karta freaks are obviously protesting the celebration in their customary self-hating way, but Mr. Margolin is just as obviously a supporter of Israel, not the Palestinians. What the hell? Is this just terrible, sloppy writing, or something worse?

UPDATE: Greg Margolin responds to the distortion in this AP caption.

Hello, I'm Greg Margolin pictured on AP photo. I had a good conversation with AP journalist who appeared to be a sensible young man. I can not understand how he could write such an obviously wrong text. I was there to support Israel and carefully explained to AP writer that we are there to protest any negotiations with terrorists and protect peaceful celebration of Israel against violent verbal abuse of the anti-Semitic mob. I dread to think that the quality of AP work overall could be as poor as in my case.

Capital in the Arab World

While the Arab world obsesses over the evil Jews and their heinous Zionist state, lodged like an unreachable splinter in the butt of Islam, Arab economies are utterly stagnant, with little prospect of improvement: Democratization of Capital in the Arab World.

To be sure, the Arab world has stagnated. Per capita income in Arab countries grew at an annual rate of just 0.5% during the last quarter century - less than half the global average. Despite being blessed with massive quantities of "black gold," Arabs have seen their average standard of living decline relative to the rest of the world. The combined GDP of all Arab countries ($531.2 billion) is today less than that of Spain (a country that Arabs once ruled).[1]

It is also true that international investors have shown little interest in the Arab world. The region nets less than 1% of global foreign direct investment (FDI), and only about 4% of FDI flowing to the developing world. Most of this, moreover, is concentrated in the oil and gas industry, leaving non-energy sectors high and dry. But it is not the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict that scares away investment. Outside of a few hotspots, like the West Bank, Gaza, and south Lebanon, Arab-Israeli violence does not make companies go under. And, of course, suicide bombings have not made Israel inhospitable to investors. Investor confidence in the Arab world is also said to be deflated by the region's "delicate political climate," but in fact the region is more stable than most.

The main reason why the Arab world receives so little FDI is very simple - the returns are low. In April, the World Bank reported that the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) "had the lowest investment returns on FDI compared to other regions of the world."[2] Arab states have been rapidly outpaced by productivity growth in other regions of the world. According to a September 2002 report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), "with the exception of Egypt, Oman, Syria, and Tunisia, productivity growth in the Arab world has been negative."[3] In short, the Arab world is not a great place to do business - and it's not getting any better.

Hey, but it’s not their fault! Hating Jews that much takes a lot of work!

Truck Bomb in Ireland

In terrorist news from the Emerald Isle, a devastating attack (probably planned by the IRA) was averted today when police intercepted and defused a huge truck bomb in Northern Ireland: British Army Dismantles Bomb in Ireland. (Hat tip: zulubaby.)

Police said the bombers were spotted driving the van on the Foyle Bridge, one of two bridges that connect Londonderry's predominantly Catholic west side with its mostly Protestant east.

A senior officer in the city said the attackers abandoned their bomb before reaching their intended target, possibly because they feared being arrested.

"We don't know yet what the target was. There are a number of possible targets in the city and the wider area but it is quite clear it was intended for an imminent attack," police Chief Inspector George Brien said.

After the bombers left the van at a roadside near the city's hospital, police said they inspected the vehicle and found two explosives-filled drums attached to wires. The estimated size of the bomb, about 1,200 pounds, was extremely large by the standards of dissident IRA groups.

"We must all be thankful that this bomb was intercepted. If it had not been, untold carnage could have been caused in Derry today," said city councilman Gerard Diver, a moderate Catholic.

Funniest Headline of the Day

It’s not often that an AP headline makes me laugh out loud: Egypt Tries to Rescue Mideast Peace Plan.

Like a cat tries to rescue a mouse caught in a trap.

Uh, I guess we’re just supposed to forget about the Egyptian broadcast of the serialized “Protocols of the Elders of Zion?” And the smuggling tunnels from Egypt into Gaza that the Egyptians never seem to ... uh ... notice? And the...

But why go on?

Lebanese Finance Minister: Persona Non Grata

The Lebanese finance minister, Fuad Saniora, has been barred from entering the US for donating money to Hizb'Allah.

Saniora's spokesman said the minister donated 1 million Lebanese pounds, or $650, last year to the Islamic Benevolent Society headed by Grand Ayatollah Sheik Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, often cited as a spiritual leader of Hezbollah. The Lebanese guerrilla group backs the Palestinian uprising and is listed in Washington as a supporter of terrorism.

According to the spokesman, the U.S. ambassador told Saniora that a new U.S. anti-terror law imposes sanctions against groups or individuals who make contributions to organizations considered supporters of terrorism. Saniora argued the donation was part of his religious requirement to give alms, one of the five pillars of Islam.

Capable Muslims are required by their religion to give a percentage of their annual income for distribution to poor and needy co-religionists, often at the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Collecting alms at gatherings to end a day's fasting is a common practice.

Saniora's spokesman said the minister told Battle that if applied, the anti-terror act would affect thousands of Lebanese who make such donations.

Ahem.

Got One in Nablus

A suicide bomber from the West Bank town of Nablus (home of the University of Death, An-Najah) was caught today before he could commit mass murder.

The terrorist was captured in the West Bank city of Nablus amid reports of numerous intelligence warnings about plots to carry out attacks against Israel.

Attack threats have grown in the past week following Israel's botched targeted attack on Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi, in which he was injured and eight other people were killed last Monday.

Holy City of Bombs and Terrorists

The Saudis claim they foiled an “imminent” attack today—in the holiest city of Islam, Mecca.

At about 9:30 p.m., Saudi security agents broke into an apartment in al-Khalidiya district about three miles from Mecca's main mosque, where "a group of terrorists ... were preparing an imminent terrorist act," the official said. He did not say what the intended target was and gave no other details on the alleged plot.

Five suspects were killed in a gun battle initiated by the "terrorists," he said. Two police were killed and five injured; and four bystanders were slightly injured, the official said.

The official said the apartment was booby-trapped with explosives. Some 72 bombs of different sizes were found in the apartment along with a number of weapons, including semiautomatic rifles and knives, and communication devices, bomb-making materials and masks.

Saudi authorities, accused of acting too slowly against Islamic extremism after the Sept. 11 attacks, have taken pains to show their commitment to fighting terrorism in the kingdom, the birthplace of bin Laden and 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers.

In a report Sunday, the Saudi newspaper Okaz had said the violence started when traffic police tried to stop a car whose occupants fired on officers and fled to the apartment building.

The Interior Ministry did not mention the attempted traffic stop.

One has to wonder why Allah permits murderers to hide in his holy city. Could it have anything to do with the hate speech that gushes from the holy mosque every Friday?

I’m just askin’.

The New Rorschach

From Cox & Forkum Editorial Cartoons.

US Ambassador’s Cousin Murdered

Allison Kaplan Sommer notes a report in the Hebrew daily Yediot Aharonot that one of the murder victims of the recent Jerusalem bus bombing was US Ambassador Dan Kurtzer’s cousin Anna Orgel, 55.

Al Qaeda in America

Newsweek has a scary report on terror cells within the United States: Al Qaeda in America: The Enemy Within.

During his interrogation, KSM identified a man named Ali S. Al-Marri as “the point of contact for AQ operatives arriving in the US for September 11 follow-on operations.” KSM described Al-Marri as “the perfect sleeper agent because he has studied in the United States, had no criminal record, and had a family with whom he could travel.” Actually, Al-Marri had been charged with driving under the influence in Peoria, Ill., in 1990. The Qatari national had returned to the United States on Sept. 10, 2001, to pick up a graduate degree in computer information systems from Peoria’s Bradley University. He was accused by the FBI of phoning an alleged Qaeda operative in the United Arab Emirates, Qaeda paymaster Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi, and lying about it that same December. Al-Marri’s apartment was filled with Islamic jihadist materials. His computer included bookmarked Web sites for hazardous chemicals, computer hacking and fake IDs, according to court documents. Bookmarks in an almanac marked entries for dams, reservoirs and railroads. U.S. officials were outraged when the Saudi Embassy helped Al-Marri’s wife obtain a passport to leave the United States in November (U.S. officials say she was still under subpoena; Saudi lawyers disagree). Al-Marri, who pleaded not guilty to charges of lying to investigators and credit-card fraud, is in prison in Peoria, awaiting trial.

Intelligence records obtained by NEWSWEEK list other Qaeda operatives who may be hiding out somewhere in America. “KSM has identified Adnan el Shukri Jumah, a Saudi born permanent US resident alien as an operative with standing permission to attack targets in the United States that had been previously approved by Usama bin Laden,” reads one entry in a Homeland Security document. “El Shukri Jumah lived in the US for six years and received an associate’s degree from a Florida college. He reportedly surveilled targets in New York, as well as the Panama Canal.” Osama’s made man has apparently vanished.

(Note: there’s a weird schizophrenia on display in this article; even as it details the actions of Al Qaeda operatives in the US, it takes several gratuitous slaps at John Ashcroft and the FBI for taking the necessary steps to stop them.)

Bush: "Deal Harshly" with Hamas

George W. Bush makes me proud again that he’s the President: Bush urges ”deal harshly” with Hamas.

”The free world and those who love freedom and peace must deal harshly with Hamas and the killers,” Bush told reporters when asked whether Israel was justified in recent attacks against the group.

”That's just the way it is in the Middle East,” he said as he left Sunday services at First Congregational Church in Kennebunkport.

The remarks were his most extensive on the situation in the Middle East since a wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence last week threw his peace ”road map” into turmoil, and they intensified earlier calls for action against Hamas.

U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the Republican chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said, ”clearly, if force is required ultimately to root out terrorism, it is possible there would be American participation.”

Asked if that meant such troops would go after Hamas or other groups, he said, ”That may be the conclusion.”

Useful Idiot Comes Home

ISM terror enabler Brian Avery, shot in the face (he claims by the Israeli military, although there is some doubt) returned to the US, receiving a hero’s welcome from a small group of fellow terror enablers. (Hat tip: PDM.)

Avery smiled, despite the wires and rubber bands clamping his jaw shut, as the crowd welcomed him home to his mother and father, Julie and Robert Avery of Chapel Hill.

"As long as there's this many people ready to support peace and justice in the world, we're in good hands," Avery told the crowd through clenched teeth. "I'm glad to be alive and that I'm going to keep meeting so many wonderful people."

No mention, of course, that Israeli doctors saved his life and patched him up. Gratitude is too much to expect from Avery’s type.

But the Associated Press never misses a chance to get in a plug for the patron saint of the ISM, or to continue spreading lies about the way she was killed and what she was doing when she met her fate:

Rachel Corrie, 23, of Olympia, Wash., was crushed to death March 16 as she tried to prevent a bulldozer from tearing down a home in Gaza.

Fish and Puppet

A.N.S.W.E.R Infiltrated

Protest Warrior infiltrated the International A.N.S.W.E.R. conference in New York with a hidden camera and videotaped these enemies of the United States “empire” (and that’s no exaggeration; they say it themselves) as they plotted their “Action Plan” for this fall. A must-see: A.N.S.W.E.R Infiltrated. (Hat tip: Sean Fleming.) One important date for these freaks: September 27, when they plan to coordinate with the terrorists of the intifada and the Arab world to stage massive demonstrations.

saturday, june 14, 2003

Mass Murder = "Resistance"

An Arabic satellite TV channel financed by the Qatari government broadcast a live talk show called “Open Dialogue” earlier today, featuring the Pediatrician of Death, Dr. Abd-al-Aziz al-Rantisi, and the Palestinian Authority’s Information Minister, Nabil Amr—who once again made it clear that they do not consider the wholesale murder of Jews to be terrorism.

At 1915 GMT, PA Information Minister Nabil Amr joins the discussion via satellite from Ramallah.

Asked about Mahmud Abbas' speech in the Al-Aqabah summit, Amr says: "As regards the word terrorism, I do not know why when the Palestinians denounce the word terrorism, certain people think that this means resistance. There is no text anywhere that says that the Palestinian people's resistance is terrorism, which we denounce. President Yasir Arafat said this in Geneva 15 years ago. This is part of our policy. Yes, we denounce terrorism. Anyone who says that denouncing terrorism means denouncing resistance is doing an injustice to legitimate resistance and is in effect labeling it with terrorism. Therefore, the statement that was read in Al-Aqabah is based on a commitment that the PLO made in Geneva, after which the Palestinian-US dialogue started in Tunis."

Roadmap to peace, anyone?

UPDATE: a bit earlier in the day, the same PA Information Minister pledged that Palestinian “security forces” are ready to take responsibility in Gaza, if the Israeli military pulls out.

Late Friday night, the Palestinian Supreme Security Council announced its willingness to accept security responsibility in all Palestinian areas from which Israel withdraws its troops.

"We have taken a decision that if Israel shows readiness to withdraw from any Palestinian territory, we will take security responsibility in this area," PA Information Minister Nabil Amr said after the meeting convened by PA Chairman Yasser Arafat in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Aaarrrggghhh.

The Gaza Coast

Here is a fascinating, informative, and rather sad photo essay on the history and present-day situation of the Israeli communities along the Gaza Coast, including many very useful maps. (Hat tip: Caton.) This is a view of the area you will never see from Western mass media.

The Palestinian Nelson Mandela

Ahmed Jbarra, the Palestinian terrorist who was released from prison in Israel as a “goodwill gesture” after serving 28 years of a life sentence for murdering 14 people and wounding 62 with a booby-trapped refrigerator in 1975, has been appointed a “special adviser” to Yasser Arafat.

Senior PA officials told The Jerusalem Post that the decision to appoint Jbarra to the new post was a "natural" one, taking into consideration his "great contribution to the Palestinian cause."

Jbarra, 69, who is better known by his nom de guerre Abu al-Sukkar, was released as a goodwill gesture on the eve of the Aqaba summit, which brought together Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, and US President George W. Bush.

The officials said Arafat decided to appoint Jbarra as his special adviser for prisoners' affairs. Jbarra, who is a member of Fatah, was also appointed a member of its revolutionary council, the officials added.

Since his release from prison, Jbarra has become known as the "Palestinian Nelson Mandela," because he was the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner. Both Arafat and Abbas have endorsed Jbarra by giving him a hero's welcome and offering him senior posts in the PA.

Tell me again about the “roadmap to peace.”

If You See a Message That You're Not Allowed...

...to post comments, try again in a little while.

Hamas: "Ceasefire" Not in the Dictionary

Once again, Hamas and Islamic Jihad say they intend to continue slaughtering Jews.

"Hamas is rejecting any call for ceasefire under occupation," senior Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi said in Gaza City. "The word ceasefire is not in our dictionary. We are being attacked, the Palestinian people, our land, our religious sites are being attacked by Zionist terrorists. This is a situation of self-defense and we will continue to defend ourselves."

Islamic Jihad also rejected the proposal, describing it as "trick".

"What is a three-day ceasefire? Will he [Prime Minister Ariel Sharon] start shelling again after three days? If there is no clear position on ending the occupation and releasing prisoners, we will go back to the cycle of violence," said Mohammed al-Hindi, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip.

"Sharon's proposal looks to us like a trick for international opinion, but in the meantime we are the ones being hit," he said. "We reject this ceasefire."

Conservative Egyptian Kills Self

An Egyptian woman committed suicide hours after giving birth to a girl, because her husband threatened to kill her if the baby was female. (Hat tip: nikolakis.)

The 27-year-old woman left her home in Saff, a rural town about 25 miles [40 kilometers] south of the Egyptian capital, Cairo, and drowned herself in an irrigation canal three hours after giving birth to her second daughter, police officials told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Before his wife gave birth, her husband had threatened to kill or divorce her if the couple had any more daughters, police said.

The Associated Press says this happened because Egyptian rural society is “conservative.”

Society in rural Egypt is largely conservative, and many parents often prefer having sons to daughters for cultural and economical reasons.

Makes perfect sense when they put it that way. Why, I was almost ready to comment that a culture that produces atrocities like this is backward and barbaric. Glad to know she had a good reason.

Religion of Peace

Local Paper Struggles for Survival

David Burge (known as “iowahawk” at LGF) tells the sad story of a scrappy local New York newspaper fallen on hard times. Make sure to have a tasteful floral print box of facial tissues nearby while you read. (Hat tip: Rand Simberg.)

"Everyone knew that Jayson was Howell's favorite and a really fantastic reporter," said one plant insider. "He was so dedicated that he would sometimes fly to France, Australia and Kentucky on the same day to get a good story."

"No wonder he had the stamina to pick up three doctorates by the time he was 16," she added.

Despite his glowing credentials and support from top management, Blair departed on May 1, the result of gross journalistic fraud, plagiarism, and failure to chip in for the office coffee fund.

Another Times writer, veteran correspondent Rick Bragg, left soon afterwards when an investigation revealed that he was taking byline credit for the plagiarism and fraud of younger workers.

The Blair and Bragg departures sparked a great deal of grumbling among rank-and-file staffers, and some began openly questioning Raines judgment as plant editor.

To quell the growing labor unrest, Sulzberger, Raines, and Boyd called an emergency 'town meeting' for all workers, where they performed a motivational hand puppet show entitled 'Mikey the Moose and His Pals Say: Turn That Frown Upside Down!"

While some in the audience were held spellbound by Raines' and Boyd's dazzling puppetry and infectious singing, the damage was done. By June, they too were gone.

American Victims of Arab Terrorism

A reader emailed a link to this eye-opening page, listing the many American Victims of Palestinian/Arab Terrorism—starting with Robert F. Kennedy in 1968.

UPDATE: Looks like the traffic from LGF has overwhelmed the site’s Tripod bandwidth limit. Thanks to reader RF for digging up the Google cache of the page.

If You Get a Message That You're Blocked...

...once again, it’s because I’ve had to block an entire range of dial-up IP addresses to shut out a gang of antisemitic Morlocks that insist on spewing hatred in our comments. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Note: blocking a user does not prevent them from reading LGF—only from commenting.

Iran Reaching the Boiling Point

The situation in Iran is really heating up, with a fourth night of protests brutally suppressed by pro-mullah thugs, called militants by the Associated Press.

TEHRAN, Iran - Hundreds of pro-cleric militants and security forces clashed with Iranians throughout the capital late Friday, firing machine guns in the air and using tear gas and batons to put down any public opposition to the country's hard-line regime.

The clashes were the most intense and widespread of four consecutive nights of clashes in Tehran, which were sparked by university students and snowballed into broader displays of opposition to Iran's clerical establishment.

Unlike previous nights, no protests against supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were seen, making it unclear what sparked Friday night's clashes involving hundreds of militants — some in groups of two to four, others on motorcycles — who beat pedestrians with batons, brandished knifes or hurled rocks at crowds and homes.

Protesters had been calling for an end to the country's hard-line establishment and for supreme leader Khamenei's death. Criticism of Khamenei is usually punished by imprisonment, and public calls for his death had been unheard of until this week.

Interview with VDH

From March of this year, here’s an interview with military historian Victor Davis Hanson on the Hoover Institution’s Uncommon Knowledge show, with links to RealPlayer and Windows Media streaming video: Carnage and Culture. (Hat tip: bull.) Highly recommended.

The 36-Year War

Michael B. Oren, author of Six Days of War, writes about the true root cause of the Arab-Israeli conflict—the rejection of Israel’s right to exist: The 36-Year War.

In order for the road map to succeed, President Bush must confront the profound asymmetry between the Palestinian and Israeli concepts of peace. While he may press Mr. Sharon to fulfill his promised "painful concessions" for peace, and assure the Palestinians of statehood, the president must first insist that the Palestinians abandon their hope of overwhelming Israel by demographic or other means. The alternative is a Palestinian state that will not coexist peacefully with Israel, but will persistently strive to supplant it.

The Six Day War resulted from many factors, including disputes over borders and waterways. But the most basic factor was the Arabs' refusal to accept a Jewish state, and their readiness to wage war to destroy it. Israel's peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan were achieved precisely by addressing the root cause of Arab rejection. While Palestinian tactics have become more flexible, Palestinian goals remain unaltered since 1967. If President Bush succeeds in changing those goals, the road map may indeed lead to the mutual recognition, renunciation of force, and foreswearing of all future claims, which form the only basis for durable peace. Failure to do so, however, will only create conditions for yet another Middle East war.

This simple fact, well-known and frequently discussed here at LGF, underlies the entire conflict. Yet there is an incredible lack of willingness in government and media to admit it and face the implications. It can’t be restated often enough.

Saudis Caught in a Vicious Lie

A few days ago the Arab News published an English translation of an article from an Arabic language Saudi magazine, titled Psychological Study of the Mentality of Jewish Children, that was discussed in our comments quite a bit. I didn’t feature it on the front page at LGF because it caused a serious spike in my BS detector; I had a strong suspicion it was fraudulent, but didn’t have time to follow it up.

The article is about a “research study” supposedly presented at the London School of Economics and Political Science, in which Israeli children described their hatred of Palestinians; here’s a section of it:

These are excerpts from some of the letters written by Israeli children to their Palestinian counterparts. A girl wrote, “I wish that you would die and be sick. I am looking forward for the day of your death.” Another child wrote, “I do not like what you are doing to us and I hope you die.” Another child wrote, “To disgusting Muhammad, I want you to die. I want you to live a bad life. I do not like you. I hate you because you are terrorists. I hope you burn in hell.” Another child wrote, “To ugly Yassir, do you think you will win? I think you are very wrong. Here is some advice for you —take a knife and stick it in your father’s and mother’s hearts and then blow yourself up.” Another child wrote, “Greetings to a girl who lives with bad people. I want you to tell your father to stop attacking us and for peace to prevail. I hope you will grow old quickly and die fast.” Another one wrote, “I hope you are sick and will die quickly.”

An Israeli child drew a cartoon of a Palestinian child watching a suicide bomber on TV and saying as he laughed, “This is exciting. Many people are killed.” Another child wrote, “To me, you are nothing. You are stupid and dissolute. We are going to blow you up until you all die. You are happy because you blow us up and kill us. Wait until we blow you up.” Another child wrote, “I know it is difficult to live without a home. I do not like your people fighting my people. We want to live in peace.” Another child wrote, “I want to say you are a piece of garbage. I hope you die, amen. That is all what I wanted to say.” Another child said, “Oh Killers! You are disgusting. Your bodies are rotten. I wish you sons of dogs would all die.” A young child wrote, “What do you want from us? You have taken everything. Stop.” Another one wrote, “The only thing I want to know is why you look ugly and wear torn clothes. It is easy to distinguish one of you in a crowd. It only makes me sick.”

Students of psychology will note many instances of projection in the “letters” quoted above; “sons of dogs?” Sound much like the hate sermons flowing out of Mecca every Friday?

It turns out my BS detector is pretty well calibrated. Alex at The 12th Man tracked down the author of this “study,” who revealed that (surprise!) the Saudi magazine had not only taken much of the research out of context, but fabricated some quotes and misrepresented others. Here’s part of the reply that Alex got from Assi Sharabi, the author of the study:

Firstly, I was very disappointed the journalist never spoke to me directly. I could have explained that my research has never been translated into Arabic and was never presented to a teaching committee at the London School of Economics, as Jabber wrote in the article.

My study was written about in the newspaper Ma’ariv in August 2001 — almost two years ago — and it was from that article that Jabber took much of his information. However, he chose to reprint sections selectively to give readers an unfair representation of the whole study.

....I have never said, nor have been quoted as saying, that “all Israeli children believe that Arabs are bad and Israelis are good, that Jews want peace and Arabs want war and that Jews are human and Arabs are not” nor that “such feelings are increasing in these children.” Neither did I ask an Arab child to write a letter to an Israeli child or say — as was quoted in Al-Majallah — “The letter came as a shock to me.”

“The Arab girl wrote: ‘To the Israeli child that I saw at the Pyramids in Egypt. My father refused to allow me to talk to you. I told him I wanted you to be my friend so I could ask you why Israelis are killing Palestinians.’ Now, let us look at the difference of vision between Israeli and Palestinian children.” The above words are fiction, not journalism. Show me your evidence of these quotes, or of this conversation.

There’s no mystery why the Saudis would do something like this; they have been coming under fire lately for the insane hatred spewing from their mosques and taught in their Islamic schools, and all they can do when confronted with the truth is lie, lie, lie ... and hope the infidels are dumb enough to buy it.

WorldNetDaily also has a report on this latest disgusting example of Saudi duplicity.

friday, june 13, 2003

Comments Are Back

Since the banned Morlocks are buzzing like apoplectic wasps on crack tonight, trying one ISP account after another in their futile attempts to post comments letting me know how much they hate me, I’m shutting off comments until the morning.

UPDATE: The comment door is now open again.

Sharon's Unenviable Decision

Here’s another excellent column by Caroline B. Glick, on Sharon's unenviable decision.

With brotherly love and deepest respect, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas Sunday embraced Ahmed Jbarra during his morning press conference in Ramallah. In the shadow of a dawn attack conducted jointly by Fatah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad that left four IDF soldiers dead and four wounded, Abbas lauded Jbarra who on July 4, 1975, placed a refrigerator full of mortar bombs in Jerusalem's Kikar Zion.

The bomb left 14 Israelis dead.

So far, securing Jbarra's release from prison and that of another 91 terrorists is Abbas's proudest accomplishment as prime minister, and his embrace was pregnant with symbolism. Like Yasser Arafat's eulogy for Hamas bomb-maker Yahya Ayash after Ayash was killed by Israeli security services in February 1996, Abbas's gesture was made to show that that the PA's reformist prime minister is a loyal soldier in the Palestinian terrorist war against Israel. The message couldn't have been clearer. Terrorism is legitimate. Terrorists are heroes of the revolution.

We Got Mail

A lovely gentlemen in Great Britain (who was banned from posting comments at LGF) set his Caps Lock key on stun and sent the following rant to me today, with the title “LITTLE BLIND IDIOTS SHOULD BE THE NAME OF YOUR SITE.” Just to make sure I knew how much he admired me, he emailed it twice.

Dear Zionazi,

YOU MUST BE GETTING A SHIT LOAD OF HATE MAIL TO HAVE TO BAN SO MANY USERS AND HIDE BEHIND EMAIL PROTECTION! (NOT A SURPRISE REALLY IF YOU ARE GONNA SUPPORT A TERRORIST STATE AND BAN ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT IT - YOU BRAINDEAD BIGOTS). KEEP LIVING IN YOUR "ISRAEL IS THE GREATEST" FANTASY WORLD - IT IS A DIRTY LITTLE LAND STEALING STATE WITH WMD AND IN VIOLATION OF UN RESOLUTIONS - WE SHOULD BE INVADING ISRAEL NOT IRAQ. ...

It goes on in this vein for several more upper case paragraphs, then finishes up with this:

SOMETHING FOR YOUR DIRTY LITTLE HATE SITE SINCE YOU ONLY ALLOW POSTS FROM THOSE WHO HAVE SHARON'S COCK FIRMLY IN THEIR MOUTHES:

...before including a very lengthy, very ugly article from the always hateful counterpunch.org, titled “What Is Antisemitism?”

Twice.

I would include my admirer’s Hotmail address in this entry, except that he no longer has that address. A few hours after I sent a complaint to Hotmail, I received the following email from their abuse department:

Dear Charles:

Thank you for writing to Hotmail Support.

Charles, I am sorry to hear that you have received the above mentioned harassing e-mail in your account.I look forward to providing you with appropriate assistance today.

Following up with your issue, I would like to bring to your attention that, I have closed the account "[deleted]@hotmail.com" that you reported in accordance with the Hotmail Terms of Use (TOU). It is a strict violation of the TOU for our members to send objectionable material of any kind or nature using our service.

The moral of the story is that some email providers will actually enforce their Terms of Service—and Hotmail is one.

I’m sure my admirer will read this, and he may be upset about losing that account. But I’d like to assure my admirer that if he continues to harass me, this is only the beginning of what I can—and will—do to put a stop to it.

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Student Movement for Democracy in Iran

Here’s a site that may become very important for breaking news in the weeks and months to come: Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran. (Hat tip: Robert.)

Think-Israel

Here’s an excellent site featuring commentary and context for current events in the Middle East: Think-Israel. Now added to our anti-idiotarian links page.

LGF Under the Bus

Thanks, Dawn. I don’t want to start (another) war, but I think you got it exactly right.

Long Live the King

Body Parts Collector Tells All

A chilling and horribly sad account of what ZAKA workers in Israel have to do, as they clean up the aftermath of Palestinian terror attacks. Those who try to find an equivalence between the crazed mobs of Palestinians pictured below and the efforts of these volunteers should listen to this; and if they have a heart and a soul, weep for their own humanity. (Hat tip: selpaw.)

European Economy is Tanking

European Central Bank President Wim Duisenberg has warned that the 12-nation “Eurozone” economy is in serious trouble: European economy very weak. (Hat tip: msimon.)

The warning, from European Central Bank President Wim Duisenberg, comes just a week after the ECB slashed interest rates by half a percentage point to 2% in the face of fears of deflation and renewed recession.

Now, in his quarterly appearance before the European Parliament, Mr Duisenberg has cut back the ECB's forecasts for eurozone growth to 0.4-1.0% in 2003 from the 2% he had previously predicted.

"Economic growth in the first half of 2003 is likely to have been weak, very weak, and expectations for annual average growth of this year and 2004 have had to be scaled down," Mr Duisenberg told a European Parliament committee.

As their economy goes down the drain, they sure picked a great time to piss off the United States.

Another Car Swarm

Palestinians hold up remains from a destroyed car after Israeli helicopter gunships attacked the car in Gaza City June 13, 003.

Palestinians chant islamic slogans standing on top of a car that was hit by missiles following an Israeli helicopter gunship attack in Gaza city Friday evening, June 13, 2003.

Tacitus thinks photos like this show the Palestinians doing nothing more abnormal than “retrieving their dead.” And if they happen to keep body parts for souvenirs—why, that’s no different from what Christians do with saintly relics. In Tacitus’s comments, Aziz Poonawalla says this is no different from what ZAKA rescue and recovery volunteers did after the Jerusalem bus bombing.

Moral equivalence at its finest. So pathetic it takes the breath away.

Corrie to Graduate Posthumously

Evergreen State College is honoring ISM terror enabler Rachel Corrie today at their graduation ceremonies: Graduation day activities to honor slain activist. (Thanks to all who emailed about this.)

Of course, this article in the Olympian repeats the lie that she was “run over by a bulldozer” again. This is becoming an item of faith, repeated endlessly, never checked for truth.

Rachel Corrie, the young Olympia woman who died March 16 in the Palestinian community of Rafah when she was run over by an Israeli military bulldozer, would have graduated today.

Instead, her mother, Cindy Corrie, will accept a posthumous diploma on her behalf. It is one of two posthumous diplomas being awarded.

The diploma is part of the official program, but at least two separate efforts in Corrie's name promise to inject a dose of politics into Evergreen's graduation program.

Hundreds of volunteers from Women in Black, an international women's group promoting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, will stage a vigil during graduation.

The group's twin goals today are to honor Rachel Corrie's memory and to push Congress to demand a full investigation into her death.

Organizers are aware that some critics have expressed concern about the attention given to Rachel Corrie and see it as criticism of Israel that borders on anti-Semitism.

Yes, organizers are “aware” of this, but that isn’t stopping this offensive travesty of a graduation ceremony.

Is the college aware of this photograph showing Saint Rachel teaching the little children of Palestine, which can still be found at the web site of the Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace?

Islamic Whitewash Alert

We have a visitor attempting to whitewash the radical Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir over here.

"Serious Mental Problems"

Belgian police narrowly averted an attack on a synagogue in the city of Charleroi today: Synagogue bomb plot foiled. (Hat tip: ploome.)

BELGIAN police arrested a man today shortly after he tried to explode a vehicle loaded with gas canisters in front of a synagogue in the southern city of Charleroi.

The man parked the vehicle near the synagogue with five gas canisters in the back, and then poured petrol over it, prosecution official Jules Mathieu told AFP.

He then sprinkled a line of petrol away from the vehicle, and set it alight, he added.

The vehicle caught fire but the gas cannisters, including two that were open, were pulled from the vehicle before they could explode, the private RTL-TVI television station reported.

A firefighter who happened to be passing alerted police and pulled the gas cannisters out, said RTL-TVI, which showed pictures of the burnt out vehicle in front of the synagogue in Charleroi, about 60km south of Brussels.

The man was arrested a short time later, and confessed to the plot, said Mathieu, declining to reveal his identity.

According to RTL-TVI, the man was a 32-year-old Moroccan-born resident of Brussels.

His brother told the television station that he suffered from "serious mental problems".

Probably just another mentally ill Presbyterian, who chose a random target. Ahem.

Andrew Sullivan Replies

Last night, after learning that Andrew Sullivan had withdrawn his link to our entry about the crazed Palestinian mob swarming over a terrorist’s destroyed car and pulling out body parts with their bare hands, I emailed him about it—because he seemed to be implying that I had intentionally deceived our readers into believing the photo showed “murdered Jews.”

Of course, I did no such thing.

Today, Andrew replied to my email. I’m still not sure why he “regrets” the link to the photo; the important thing about it is what it shows about the nature of Israel’s enemies, not the identity of the people whose corpses were defiled. And as the ghastly lynching of two Israeli reservists in Ramallah in 2000 shows, when a Palestinian mob gets their hands on Jews the results are even more horrifying.

In any case, with permission, here is Andrew Sullivan’s email (note: “sully watch” is an inane attempt by an anonymous wanker—who writes an awful lot like Max Sawicky—to defame Sullivan, and now LGF as well; I won’t provide a link because they don’t deserve the traffic):

--------------------

Charles,

First off, ignore the crazies at sully watch.

Second, I've apologized for the link and regret it.

Third, I cast no aspersions on your blog which is often excellent and to which I have linked before. It was my fault for not understanding the context of the discussion on your blog, for not reading carefully enough, and for jumping to the wrong conclusion. Sometimes with instant blogging, that kind of error occurs.

Feel free to publish this email if you think it helps clarify things. I mean no offense at all.

andrew

Another Missile Attack in Gaza

From Ha'aretz Flash News:

Palestinian medical sources: At least two IAF missiles fired at car in Gaza City, killing one and wounding 15

Murderers Marching in Gaza

Notice how there are always children at these Palestinian freak shows, watching the masked gunmen with admiration.

The Associated Press refers to the Islamic terrorists pictured above as “militants,” of course—and the terrorist killed in yesterday’s missile attack as a “colleague.”

Hamas militants march during the funeral processions of their colleague Yasser Taha...

Merriam Webster defines “colleague” as:

An associate in a profession or in a civil or ecclesiastical office.

Sure, AP. That fits.

Disgraceful.

UPDATE: and here’s another photo of Palestinians manhandling the corpse of an infant, after putting a Hamas headband on it. Sick, sick, sick.

Dirty Bomb Material Seized in Thailand

Police in Thailand have arrested a man who was trying to sell a quantity of cesium-137 for use in a “dirty bomb.” (Hat tip: NC.)

OFFICERS ARRESTED Narong Penanam, 44, in the parking lot of a Bangkok hotel after he offered to sell agents a metal container that he said contained uranium, police Col. Pisit Pisutisak said. Narong expected to be paid $240,000.

An analysis of the material by the Office of the Atomic Energy for Peace later revealed it was not uranium but cesium-137, which has a number of medical and industrial applications and can used in a bomb designed to spread radioactive material over a wide area.

“It could be deadly if it got into the hands of terrorists. We have heard reports that terrorists were planning attacks on embassies in Thailand,” Deputy National Police Chief Sombat Amornvivat told Reuters.

Officials said the suspect had confessed to smuggling the cesium from neighboring Laos and claimed his sources have more. They said it was believed to have originated in Russia.

Email Overload

It’s time for my periodic disclaimer about my email overload; if you’ve sent email and haven’t received a response, it’s not because I’m ignoring you. I try (really, I do!) to read it all, but in the past week I’ve received more than 3,000 emails. I just don’t have time to respond to all of this, get some paying work done, and also update LGF at the same time. Please know that it’s nothing personal; I just can’t answer everything.

727 Disappears From Angola

Here’s a very disturbing report from the Jerusalem Post that a Boeing 727 aircraft has disappeared after taking off from an airport in Angola. (Hat tip: zulubaby.)

Western investigators are seeking a Boeing 727 passenger aircraft that disappeared May 25th under mysterious circumstances from the airport at Luanda, the coastal capital of Angola, Maariv reports. There is concern that terrorist organiations will use the aircraft in a September 11th-style attack.

"The pilots simply switched on the engines and took off," said an air traffic controller. The plane has not been spotted since. "I'm not aware of such an incident in the entire history of civilian aviation," said a US National Security Agency official.

An Indirect Approach?

It’s Friday, which means another excellent column from Victor Davis Hanson, who argues that peace in the Middle East will not be won in the West Bank: An Indirect Approach?

Israel, it is true, is relatively safe from conventional enemies, but not from suicide bombers, assorted terrorists, and the exhausting Intifada. Its enemies wisely turned to an asymmetrical, postmodern struggle in which the Arab world and Europe — thanks to the global media, political calculation, Western postcolonial guilt, fear of terror, oil worries, and old-fashioned anti-Semitism — would reinvent killers into freedom fighters. Meanwhile, the Palestinian street adopted a sort of nihilism that their own ongoing wretchedness was worth it if at least a modicum of the same misery might be imparted to the Jews.

In this new rope-a-dope strategy, what good are some of the worlds' best pilots and tankers when their enemies do not attack in armored columns or aircraft sorties, but as killers shooting from the sanctuary of houses and women with bombs strapped inside their shawls?

In short, while the war will not be lost along the West Bank, it still will not quite be won there either, since neither armed action nor peace processes will restrain all the Palestinian terrorists and killers. Under any agreement, a no-nonsense Sharon can do his part by controlling Israeli extremists in a manner impossible for any present Palestinian leader.

For all the crocodile tears about mayhem emanating from Palestinian "moderates," there is private satisfaction that there are at least a few hundred fanatics around whose brains and bomb belts make them projectiles as accurate as the latest GPS bomb. Again, Israel cannot achieve strategic victory — given world opinion and its own moral code, which prevents permanent annexation on the lines of a Tibet, Cyprus, eastern Germany, or Soviet-controlled Japanese Islands — by daily defeating just the forces Hamas, Hezbollah, or Mr. Arafat's stealthy cadres send at them.

Yet Israel can still achieve stalemate with the militants, as was proved in the latest round of sniping in the alleys of the West Bank, even as it seeks alternate methods of weakening its enemy. While pessimists lament the intractable forces that prevent resolution, the position of the Islamic and Palestinian radicals has in fact already markedly weakened — and from the rear.

thursday, june 12, 2003

History of a Lie

Earlier today I linked to a New York Times article that mentioned the “massacre” of Palestinians at Deir Yassin by Menachem Begin’s Irgun militia in 1948. In response to this article, a reader emailed me about this very interesting, very detailed ZOA study of the Deir Yassin incident: Deir Yassin: History of a Lie. The resemblance to the Jenin massacre hoax of April 2002 is rather striking.

American Muslims Seething at Bush

The Straits Times reports that American Muslims are threatening that they won’t vote for Bush in 2004—because they feel persecuted and anxious and filled with seething rage over the requirement for immigrants from Islamic countries to register with authorities. (Hat tip: Juliette.)

The issue which most riles Muslims and Arab-Americans is a registration programme that was introduced after the Sept 11 attacks and seen as discriminatory.

The programme requires immigrants from 25 countries to register with the authorities.

All the countries involved, with the exception of North Korea, are Islamic.

'The programme just targets Muslim countries,' said American Muslim Council communications director Faiz Rehman.

The official rationale for the programme is to correct visa irregularities but it is seen as stereotyping Arab and Muslim immigrants as potential terrorists.

'It is causing anxiety because we believe it is a selective prosecution of the law,' said Mr Nihad Awad, executive director of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations. 'It defies the American tradition of treating people equally before the law.'

More insidious behavior from CAIR, whose primary agenda seems to be to get the United States to completely drop its guard against the increasing likelihood of more Islamic terrorism.

The Ayatollah’s Funeral

Several readers pointed out the similarity between today’s Palestinian car swarming scenes and the 1989 funeral of Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini, at which mobs of millions (yes, millions) of Iranians stormed the funeral bier and tore Khomeini’s corpse apart in a frenzy to obtain magical relics—i.e., body parts.

Old Dog, Old Tricks

The world’s oldest terrorist condemned terrorism yesterday, and now he’s waiting for the US to give him a biscuit. It always worked before...

A senior Palestinian official said Arafat now expects some recognition from the US in return for his condemnation of terror. "If they continue to isolate him and consider him irrelevant he will stop [urging an end to terror attacks]," the official said.

No Cycle Here

Western media insists on portraying the IDF attack on Abdel-Aziz Rantisi and the Jerusalem bus bombing as a “tit-for-tat” cycle of violence/retaliation. But both the IDF and Hamas say the attacks were unrelated.

Both IDF and Hamas spokesmen announced this evening that the suicide bombing in Jerusalem and the IDF elimination of a car full of terrorists were unrelated to the events of the last 24 hours. The Hamas spokesman, while warning that the organization intends to take revenge for yesterday’s IDF helicopter attack on Abdel-Aziz Rantisi, admitted that his organization is incapable of organizing an attack on such short notice and called the timing ‘a fortuitous coincidence.’

The IDF, in turn, said that the attack in Gaza was launched on a purely military basis and was carried out without relation to this evening’s bombing in Jerusalem.

Comment Cornucopia

Great googly moogly. Would you believe that we’ve had more than 2,000 comments posted today? (Including all the blocked comments from trolls, haters, and Morlocks?) And the sun is still out on the west coast...

UPDATE: and by the way, I don’t want to point a finger at anyone. But I think we need to be a bit more cautious about accusations of trollhood. Yes, trolls do exist (do they ever!), and yes, they are a royal pain in the posterior; but not everyone who expresses a dissenting opinion qualifies for the title. Let’s keep that in mind, and always remember the LGF Prayer:

Lord, grant me the serenity to ignore the trolls,
the courage to debate with honest opponents,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

LAT-Early

LGF reader and frequent commentator Michael Levy has started a new project to look at LA Times media bias: LAT-Early. He certainly won’t lack material.

Morlocks Figure It Out

Now see—this is why I call Indymedia “Nazimedia.” The antisemitic Morlocks have figured out who was responsible for the Jerusalem bus bombing. Forget what you heard about Hamas “taking responsibility.” That’s just more cointelpro disinformation. The real culprit was ... well ... guess who? (Hat tip: NC.)

So today an unmistakenly Orthodox Jewish man blew himself up at a busy bus station, killing at least 26 and injuring hundreds. Israel is now trying to blame the Palestinians, for this 'response' attack, but it seems clear to all onlookers, this is simply a ploy by the Israeli's to blame the derailment of the peace process on the Palestinians.

In frustration, the Israeli's once again try to fool the world into believing that they are the victims. Yet the worlds press doesn't seem to say that there were 3 continuous days of deaths and missle bombings by the Israelis. The world doesn't seem to want to suggest that the Orthodox Jew, may well have been AN ORTHODOX JEW ! No. This would mean that Israel was the aggressor, but that is not what the US want, hence it is not what is reported.

You gotta wonder why the moderators let things like this remain. Do they enjoy their reputation as the creamy nougat center of a gigantic nut sandwich?

Learning from a Turning Point

Here’s a thought-provoking article on Israel’s landmark decision to enforce the government’s monopoly of arms—and What Palestinians Can Learn From a Turning Point in Zionist History. (Hat tip: Judith Weiss.)

Mr. Sharon and his aides say a cease-fire pact is not enough, however, that what is needed is to arrest and disarm the militants. What Israelis increasingly say is that the Palestinians need "their own Altalena." Little known to the outside world, the Altalena episode is frequently invoked because without some equivalent, the Palestinian state may never come to be.

In the final years of the British mandate in Palestine, there was not one Jewish militia but several, just as there are competing Palestinian groups today. The main one, the Haganah, was led by Mr. Ben-Gurion. A more violent and radical one, the Irgun Zvai Leumi, often called simply the Irgun, was led by Menachem Begin. The Irgun, along with an even more radical group, the Stern Gang, was responsible for a massacre of more than 200 Palestinians in the village of Deir Yassin in April 1948.

A month later, after the British walked out of Palestine and Mr. Ben-Gurion declared the state of Israel, Arab armies attacked. On June 1, the Haganah and Irgun agreed to merge into the Israel Defense Forces, headed by Haganah commanders. The accord called on Irgun members to hand over arms and terminate separate activity, including arms purchases abroad.

But there remained the question of an old American Navy landing vessel bought by the Irgun's American supporters and renamed the Altalena. The ship, whose purchase had predated the June 1 agreement, was packed with 850 volunteers, 5,000 rifles, 3,000 bombs, 3 million cartridges and hundreds of tons of explosives.

Mr. Ben-Gurion wanted every soldier and bullet he could get and ordered the ship to dock. But Mr. Begin said the arms should go to Irgun troops. Mr. Ben-Gurion refused; at that point, Irgun men headed to the beach to unload the arms.

Mr. Ben-Gurion realized the challenge he faced. As he put it in his memoir, "I decided this must be the moment of truth. Either the government's authority would prevail and we could then proceed to consolidate our military force or the whole concept of nationhood would fall apart."

He ordered the Altalena shelled. Dan Kurzman, in his biography of Mr. Ben-Gurion, "Prophet of Fire," describes the old man sitting with his cabinet just before his decision, "his eyes inflamed from sleeplessness, his hair in even wilder disarray than usual," and saying, "The state can not exist until we have one army and control of that army."

Explosives Found on Plane

A suspected explosive device has been found on a plane at an airport in Italy, hidden in a life jacket under a seat. (Hat tip: nikolakis.)

Islamic Jihad Leader Killed in Jenin

Guysen Israel News (in French) reports that a leader of Islamic Jihad, Salah Djardat, has been killed in Jenin by an Israeli sniper. (Hat tip: Caton.)

UPDATE: It may not have been a sniper, as Caton first reported. The Guysen story seems to indicate that Djardat was shot by soldiers who came to arrest him. More details soon.

These Aren't Savages?

OK. I’m sorry to post a photo like this, but it’s time to put an end to the denials that Palestinians pull body parts out of missile-struck cars with their bare hands, and the accusations that I’m somehow a “racist” for pointing it out.

Deny this.

Andrew Sullivan has removed his link to this item, saying that he thought the photo showed murdered Jews. What? How in the world did he get that idea? I wrote “missile-struck cars.” The only “missile-struck cars” in the past two days were carrying Hamas terrorists, and I thought this was perfectly clear from the context, and from the numerous other entries here at LGF. I’m rather disappointed that Sullivan seems to think there was some kind of effort to deceive, when there clearly was not.

RoP: It Served Them Right

The Islamic freakazoid who masterminded the Bali bombing says it served the whites right. (Hat tip: the Viking.)

Amrozi, 40, also said he had been involved in several bombings across Indonesia including a blast outside the home of a Philippine ambassador in 2000 that killed two people.

The mechanic from Java island is charged with plotting, organizing and carrying out crimes of terror and causing mass casualties in the October 12 Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists.

When asked how he felt about the impact of the Bali attack, Amrozi told the court: "There's some pride in my heart. For the white people, it serves them right."

He said foreigners introduced moral decadence to Indonesia through television and Western lifestyles.

"They know how to destroy religions using the most subtle ways through bars, gambling dens. And you must realize the debauchery of their television," he told the court.

But Amrozi, testifying at his own trial for the first time, also said he was "more than remorseful" for the Balinese killed in the attack.

He said he had also helped prepare explosives for a blast at the home of the Philippine ambassador Jakarta, bomb attacks in the eastern city of Ambon between 1999 and 2002 and at various churches on Christmas Eve 2000. He said he provided the van that became the car bomb that exploded outside the packed Sari Club in Bali.

"The car was brought here then it was laden with a bomb. It was brought here for the purpose of bombing," he said.

Wearing a black and white Muslim prayer cap and a white shirt, Amrozi appeared relaxed as he sat in the center of the makeshift courtroom and chuckled as he explained how he and alleged chief bomb plotter Imam Samudra referred to the bomb by its code name "dodol," an Indonesian sweet.

"We did not say bomb because we did not want others to know. Nobody should know about it, so how could we say bomb? We usually said we were delivering dodol," he said.

Lileks on the Road Trap

James Lileks is brilliant as always. You already read his site every day, right?

I haven’t written much about the “Roadmap to Peace” for the same reason I wouldn’t write much about attempts to crossbreed a llama with a vacuum cleaner: I don’t think it’s going to work. I never thought it would work. The only question is how many dead Israelis it will take before the point is made, for the 3,234th time.

I don’t want to spoil the conclusion by quoting his whole mini-screed; just go ye and read of it.

US: Hamas is the Issue

After President Bush’s “deeply troubled” remark on Tuesday about the attack on Rantisi, I’m encouraged to see the latest statements from the White House, placing the blame for the violence in the Middle East squarely where it belongs—on the terrorists: U.S. Blasts Hamas as Main Obstacle in Middle East. (Hat tip: Solomon X.)

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (Reuters) - The United States accused the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Thursday of being the major obstacle to Middle East peace amid a wave of bloodshed that has thrown a U.S.-backed peace plan into turmoil.

"The issue is Hamas. The terrorists are Hamas," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters traveling with President Bush to Connecticut.

His comments marked a change in tone from U.S. criticism of Israel for its attempt to kill a Hamas leader on Tuesday. Hamas has rejected Bush's Middle East peace "road map" as too generous to Israel. ...

"The issue is not Israel, the issue is not the Palestinian Authority, the issue is terrorists who are killing in an attempt to stop the (peace) process," Fleischer said.

Another Mob of Savages

After today’s Israeli missile attack in Gaza against a car carrying Hamas terrorists, once again a huge mob of Palestinians swarmed over the destroyed vehicle—and in a ghoulish, debased display of savagery, reached into the car with their bare hands to pull out ... well, see for yourself.

They’re obviously performing for the cameras, eager to exploit the propaganda opportunity, yet strangely oblivious to what this behavior reveals about them and their society.

Washington State Student Arrested for Bomb Plot

A 20-year old college student in Washington state has been arrested for plotting to blow up Coast Guard, Army National Guard, and oil facilities near Bellingham: Washington State Student Arrested for Bomb Plot. (Hat tip: spidly.)

Paul Revak, 20, a student at Western Washington University, was charged with threatening to use weapons of mass destruction and solicitation to commit a crime of violence, said Andrew Hamilton, assistant U.S. attorney.

Revak, who appeared in federal court in Seattle on Wednesday, allegedly asked an undercover FBI agent for help in obtaining C-4 plastic explosive and hand grenades.

Revak, who faces up to life in prison if found guilty, was turned in by another student at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, about 60 miles north of Seattle.

In a manifesto that Revak showed to other students, he allegedly wrote: "You need not worry about Osama or Saddam or the boogeyman, but if you are part of this empire, you should fear us. Our will is strong, our message is just and we will prevail."

His friends at the college are, like, totally surprised, dude.

Colin Priebe, a 19-year-old freshman who lives four doors down from Revak's sixth-floor room in Mathes, said he was surprised to hear the words in Revak's alleged "manifesto" declare that "You need not worry about Osama or Saddam or the boogeymen, but if you are part of this empire, you should fear us."

"That's not how he presented himself," Priebe said. "In person, I would never hear those words come out of his mouth."

Not many people heard Revak say much of anything, said other sixth-floor residents. The group of mostly freshmen coalesced into a group of friends, but Revak kept his distance, Priebe said.

"He just didn't socialize with us on the floor that way most people do," he said. "Mostly, he didn't talk all that much."

He did sometimes share his opinions about President Bush, said Gary Adams, who is friends with Revak's roommate and lives across the hall.

"I know he hates Bush and stuff," Adams said.

But Revak never talked about terrorist threats, he said.

Revak had a cartoon on his door that was a spoof on the James Bond film, "The World is Not Enough," which said "The world has had enough," with a picture of Bush, said Priebe. He noted that anti-Bush door art is hardly unique at Western.

Israel Strikes at Hamas

Israeli Missiles Kill Nine in Gaza City.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli helicopters fired rockets at two cars carrying Hamas activists Thursday in Gaza, the latest strikes after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon swore to hunt Palestinians militants in response to a suicide attack on a bus that killed 16 people and wounded 100.

In the third airstrike against Hamas in 24 hours, Israeli helicopters fired missiles at a car carrying activists of the Islamic militant group, killing seven people, including a young child, and wounding 29, doctors said.

Hamas said the car belonged to one of its activists. A leader of the Islamic militant group, Mahmoud Zahar, said those killed in the airstrike were Yasser Taha, a member of the Hamas military wing, Taha's wife, and the couple's two small children. A baby bottle was among the items pulled from the burning car.

The first strike early Thursday killed two low-level Hamas activists, ages 22 and 24, from a unit that guards city streets. The Israeli military said the target was a cell of Palestinians who were about to fire a mortar shell at the nearby Netzarim settlement.

The terror gang warned foreigners to leave Israel, and issued threats of revenge:

Hamas said in its statement Thursday that more attacks would follow.

The bus bombing "is the beginning of a new series of attacks and part of a bill the Zionists must pay," the Hamas statement said. "We call on all military cells to act immediately and act like an earthquake to blow up the Zionist entity and tear it to pieces."

And Ariel Sharon seems to be trying to shame Abu Mazen into doing something about the murderers:

In a Cabinet meeting Thursday, Sharon dismissed Palestinian leaders as "crybabies" for saying they can't use force against the militias, according to a Cabinet official briefing reporters.

Israel said it will not stand by until Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas — described by Sharon as a "chick that hasn't grown its feathers yet" — persuades the armed groups to halt attacks.

wednesday, june 11, 2003

Palestinian Child Abuse

These are the commencement ceremonies at An-Najah University in the West Bank, hotbed of Hamas terrorist activity and origin of many suicide bombers, where a Palestinian child is never too young to learn to hate and kill.

People Burned Like Torches

People burned like torches.

"I saw a woman going up in flames, as if she were a torch. Her clothes burned first and then her skin," said Eli Shmueli as he described the Jerusalem suicide bomb attack that killed 16 and wounded 100 others.

A parking inspector for the city, Shmueli, 36, was standing by the Clal Building on Jaffa Road late Wednesday afternoon when he heard the explosion. He turned to see a bus full of burning people.

Shmueli ran toward them. There was no glass left in the mangled bus. So he was able to reach inside to try and help douse the flames on people's skins, slightly hurting his own hands in the process.

"It was a barbecue, people burned like torches," he said. It was worse, he said, than anything he had seen at Yad Vashem.

Shmueli was one of a number of wounded who walked or were taken by ambulance to Bikur Holim Hospital, only a short distance from the attack.

Lying on a hospital bed, Virginia Arbeli, 24, from the Philippines, said she had been standing at the bus station waiting for another bus, when she saw bus No. 14A arrive and pull away.

"I was standing there, my bus hadn't arrived yet. I saw the bus come, a regular day. I saw the driver; he was so happy, and he turned to get closer to the bus stop. He stopped and then I heard the blast and saw the smoke. I was standing there looking at the bus and it exploded.

"People were shouting and I thought, 'dead people,' and many people were dead. How can I say it, I saw a man, I thought he was alive, he was standing there, I thought he was shocked. But when they pulled him over he was dead," she said, clenching her fist as she spoke.

It hurts. It’s horrible. But read it all. The world needs to look at this.

NYT Lies About Israel (Again)

Several people emailed about this one; the New York Times has been caught in another enormous lie about Israel’s history.

An article yesterday about the dismantling of a rusty tower by an Israeli settlement in the West Bank as a gesture of compliance with the American-led peace initiative misstated the origin of Israeli control of the territory. During the 1967 war, Israel seized the West Bank from Jordan and took Gaza from Egypt, not from the Palestinians.

10 Would-Be Suicide Murderers Arrested

In a story at the Jerusalem Post about today’s bus bombing in Jerusalem and the subsequent Israeli strikes against Palestinian terrorists, we find a very revealing, sad, and maddening fact:

Israeli Security officials warned that no Hamas leader will be immune to Israel's wrath and noted that since the Aqaba Summit last week, 23 Israelis have been murdered in terror attacks and ten potential suicide bombers arrested by security forces.

As the media blindly accepts and spreads the Hamas lie that today’s bombing was a “retaliation” for Israel’s attempt to kill the Pediatrician of Death, Adel Aziz Rantisi, please take note: ten potential suicide bombers in the last week. (Hat tip: Banagor.)

A Mob of Savages

Following today’s Israeli missile attack that killed two Hamas terrorists in Gaza, a Palestinian mob swarmed over the car, pulling out body parts with their bare hands—as they always do.

UPDATE: in our comments, some readers questioned my description of this event. Please see this entry at LGF for a much more graphic picture of a similar mob scene following the assassination of Hamas leader Ibrahim Makdme, in March of this year.

More Mail from a Jew-Hater

Our friend calculum1@yahoo.com has emailed another admiring love note:

Yea let's just keep it short:

FU ZIO.

Thanks.

It’s always amusing when one of these inarticulate Morlocks ends a hate mail with a genial salutation.

You’re quite welcome, calculum1@yahoo.com!

NJ Senator's Daughter Injured

One of those injured in today’s horrific suicide bombing in Jerusalem was the daughter of New Jersey State Senator Robert Singer.

The daughter of New Jersey Senator Robert W. Singer was lightly injured in Wednesday's terror attack on the Number 14 bus.

Israel Radio reported that Senator Singer will set out for Israel Thursday to be with his daughter in hospital.

Landmark Speech #12,401

Agence France Press calls Yasser Arafat’s latest condemnation of terrorism “a landmark speech.”

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AFP) - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and prime minister Mahmud Abbas for the first time described Palestinian attacks as "terrorist operations" and called on all factions to declare an immediate ceasefire.

Arafat made his landmark speech live on television from his battered Ramallah compound after one of the worst eruptions of violence in the 32-month-old intifada left 30 people dead in two days.

"I strongly condemn the terrorist operation in Jerusalem, as strongly as I condemn the assassination attempt against (Abdul Aziz) al-Rantissi," Arafat said.

A Google search for “Arafat condemns terrorism” returns 12,400 results.

Breaking News

A news flash at Ha'aretz:

Eyewitnesses: Israeli helicopters strike target in Gaza Strip

Iranian Student Protest

The Iranian pot is coming to a boil, as students protest against the mad mullahs: Iranian students stage anti-government protest; Scores arrested. (Hat tip: Victrade.)

A student protest against privatizing some of Iran's universities early Wednesday turned into a larger demonstration against the hard-line clerics that rule the country.

Some 300 male students had gathered outside dormitories at Tehran University, along with 200 women who were demonstrating from inside its gates. According to AP, the men then started marching up and down a main street nearby and were joined by another 300 people.

"The clerical regime is nearing its end," the protesters chanted.

Many of the demonstrators also called for Iran's president, Mohammad Khatami to quit. They accused him of not introducing promised reforms.

Hundreds of police blocked traffic to the dormitories. According to Reuters, a few motorcycles were set ablaze and windows of shops and a bank were damaged as demonstrators dispersed.

Security forces detained 80 people during the overnight clashes, Iran's Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi was quoted as saying by the student news agency ISNA. "These people, incited by extremists outside the country, were shouting illegal slogans," Yunesi told the agency.

France: We Got Another

French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that a German arrested on June 2 at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport is a top Al Qaeda leader.

"(Intelligence) services know that he is a top leader of al Qaeda, in contact with Osama bin Laden himself, and has been in Afghanistan and Bosnia," Sarkozy told parliament.

"This individual is a specialist in computers and in radio communication services," the minister added.

Christian Ganczarski, 36, had been previously detained—and released—by both Germany and Saudi Arabia.

When his arrest was announced, French police said he was suspected of links both to the Djerba bombing that killed 21 people and the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, but it was not clear what role he may have played in either.

Saudi Arabia previously arrested and released Ganczarski, according to German media. Germany rejected an application for his arrest last month, with prosecutors saying he knew of the Tunisian attack plan beforehand but played no direct role.

Macadamia Alert

Here’s another lovely message from a member of Metafilter going under the name “The Jesse Helms,” who takes it upon himself to tell our readers what a bunch of ignorant hate-filled saps they are.

Referred by this ignorant hate-filled thread at MetaTalk.

UPDATE: and they’re now indulging in yet another bash-LGF session.

Moonbat Playwright Rant

Harold Pinter is off his medication again and raving like a loon: Pinter blasts 'Nazi America' and 'deluded idiot' Blair. (Hat tip: Victrade.)

The playwright said: "The US is really beyond reason now. It is beyond our imagining to know what they are going to do next and what they are prepared to do. There is only one comparison: Nazi Germany.

"Nazi Germany wanted total domination of Europe and they nearly did it. The US wants total domination of the world and is about to consolidate that.

"In a policy document, the US has used the term 'full-spectrum domination', that means control of land, sea, air and space, and that is exactly what's intended and what the US wants to fulfil. They are quite blatant about it."

Pinter blamed "millions of totally deluded American people" for not staging a mass revolt.

He said that because of propaganda and control of the media, millions of Americans believed that every word Mr Bush said was "accurate and moral".

The US population could not be let off scot-free for putting the country under the control of an "illegally elected president - in other words, a fake".

He asked: "What objections have there been in the US to Guantanamo Bay? At this very moment there are 700 people chained, padlocked, handcuffed, hooded and treated like animals. It is actually a concentration camp.

"I haven't heard anything about the US population saying: 'We can't do this, we are Americans.' Nobody gives a damn. And nor does Tony Blair." Pinter added: "Blair sees himself as a representative of moral rectitude. He is actually a mass murderer. But we forget that - we are as much victims of delusions as Americans are."

The New Face

From Cox & Forkum Editorial Cartoons.

AP Bias Watch

The onslaught of biased news reports about Israel is unceasing. Relentless.

Israel Unapologetic About Botched Attacks.

RAMALLAH, West Bank - Egypt's intelligence chief renewed truce efforts Wednesday in a long-shot mission aimed at persuading Hamas to halt violence despite an Israeli missile strike that wounded a leader of the Islamic militant group.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was unapologetic about Tuesday's botched strike against Hamas co-founder Abdel Aziz Rantisi, despite a sharp reprimand from President Bush who said the attack made it harder for Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to fight terrorism.

Sharon said after Bush's rebuke that Israel will "continue to fight the heads of the extremist terrorist organizations — those who initiate, those who fund and those who send terrorists to kill Jews."

The missile strike jeopardized the so-called "road map," a U.S.-backed peace plan for Mideast peace and a Palestinian statehood by 2005. Bush has invested his presidential prestige in the initiative, formally launching it with Sharon and Abbas at a summit last week in the Jordanian resort of Aqaba.

That’s an incredible amount of whining about Israel’s responsibility for jeopardizing the “peace process,” by attempting to kill a terrorist leader, eh?

But AP writer Lara Sukhtian apparently believes that when terror gangs walk out of negotiations and promise to continue slaughtering, that’s just ... well ... normal.

Hamas opposes the peace plan. Last week, Hamas broke off talks with Abbas on laying down arms and, along with two other militias, killed five soldiers in shooting attacks over the weekend. After Tuesday's missile strike, Hamas threatened bloody revenge. The group has already killed hundreds of Israelis in recent years.

Abbas denounced the missile strike as terrorism, appealed to the United States to intervene, and said he would keep trying to reach an understanding with Hamas and other militias. Abbas opposes the idea of a crackdown on the armed group, saying there is no substitute for dialogue and that he will not risk a civil war.

Not a single word from Ms. Sukhtian to indicate that Hamas may also bear some responsibility for “jeopardizing” the so-called “peace process.”

And buried at the very bottom of this blatantly slanted report is this little tidbit:

"I swear we will not leave one Jew in Palestine," he said. "We will fight them with all our might." Hamas has carried out dozens of suicide bomb attacks in Israel, killing more than 300.

Disgraceful.

UPDATE: LGF reader “WAS” informs us that Lara Sukhtian is a Palestinian herself (no surprise) and regularly gives speeches at events sponsored by the Stalinist front group International A.N.S.W.E.R. Can you say “conflict of interest?” I knew you could.

By the Way...

Yes, I did just hide an entry, in case you’re wondering what happened to it. I posted in great anger about a person who used to be something of a friend, but who sent me a very nasty piece of hate mail—and reconsidered.

If You Get a Message That You're Blocked...

...once again, it’s because I’ve had to block an entire range of dial-up IP addresses to shut out an antisemitic Morlock that insists on spewing its hatred in our comments. And the creature is really stirred up today; mass murder of Jews seems to get them going. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Note: blocking a user does not prevent them from reading LGF—only from commenting.

Scenes from a Mass Murder

Hamas: We Did It

Hamas claims Jerusalem bus bomb on website.

GAZA CITY (AFP) - The Islamic movement Hamas claimed responsibility for the Jerusalem suicide bus bombing which killed 17 people, including the bomber, in a statement published on its website.

"16 killed and 75 wounded, several of which are clinically dead, following an operation by the Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades against a Zionist bus on Jaffa street in Jerusalem," the statement said Wednesday.

We Got Mail

Another piece of human garbage emailed this morning, with a concise little rant that reveals an incredible amount of sick hatred:

Zionism is racism though with the interesting twist of having a Biblical sanction.

I wish to applaud the Palestinians on their struggles with a colonizing power.

If it means killing more ZIO's to assert their rights - well so be it.

If that doesn’t seem quite as insane as some of the other hate mail I’ve posted at LGF; consider this.

This animal with an email address—calculum1@yahoo.com— and an IP address—66.185.84.73—similar to that of a human being, was prompted to send this evil crap after viewing our page on the murder of 5-year old Gal Aizenman.

And Again

I was afraid I would wake up to this.

Suicide Bomber Kills 13 on Jerusalem Bus.

JERUSALEM - A suicide bomber blew himself up on a bus in central Jerusalem on Wednesday, killing at least 13 bystanders and wounding at least 68, police and paramedics said. The bombing comes one day after Hamas threatened bloody revenge for an Israeli attack on one of its leaders.

Soon after the bombing, an Israeli helicopter fired missiles at a car in Gaza City, targeting a senior Hamas militant, Israel TV reported, the second such assassination attempt in as many days.

The TV report said an Israeli Apache helicopter fired two missiles at a car, targeting Tito Massoud, described as a commander of the Hamas military wing.

The bombing "is a message to all the Zionist criminals that they are not safe and that the Palestinian fighters are capable of reaching them everywhere," said Mahmoud Zahar, a leader of the Islamic militant group, but stopped short of claiming direct responsibility.

I can’t help noticing that the wire stories don’t include the statement that this “deals a blow to peace efforts.” That one seems to be reserved for Israeli defensive actions.

tuesday, june 10, 2003

The Death of France?

Here’s a great read (as long as you don’t live in France): a two-part symposium hosted by Jamie Glazov, featuring an excellent panel of French experts, writers, and academics, entitled The Death of France?

The notion of the death of France is not, by any means, an absurd notion. To the contrary: it is an increasingly plausible possibility - or a reality occurring right before our eyes, according to some. The presence of a huge and growing Muslim population in France has fundamentally altered the identity of the nation. Anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism have become endemic, asFrance chooses Islamicization and friendship with Arab dictators over friendship with America and Israel.

The reports that France helped Iraqi officials escape to Europe were not surprising, because France is now the European leader of the Arab world and of Arab interests.

In light of these circumstances, many would argue that France is no longer . . . well, France.

If You Get a Message That You're Blocked...

...once again, it’s because I’ve had to block an entire range of dial-up IP addresses to shut out an antisemitic Morlock that insists on spewing its hatred in our comments. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Haughey Deletes Another LGF Thread at MeFi

Our readers might be interested to know that Matt Haughey at Metafilter has deleted the post about Cafe Press’s Jihad Unspun store. Here’s the deleted thread, just for posterity’s sake. (And I mean “posterity,” as in “posterior”—because many of the foul mouthed Metafilter kiddies are talking out of that part of their anatomies.)

Danny Pearl Case Isn't Closed

Here’s a scary, thought-provoking piece about the murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl by Ron Rosenbaum: Danny Pearl Case Isn't Yet Closed For Journalists.

"[Bernard-Henri] Lévy concludes," according to the Time account, "that [Pearl’s] kidnapping, decapitation and dismemberment was essentially a ‘crime of state’ that implicates parts of the Pakistani government. And it is in Pakistan, he believes, where al-Qaeda’s ‘madmen of God’ mesh with nuclear scientists and intelligence chiefs, that a battle must be joined that will dwarf the controversy over Iraq."

Here’s Craig Karpel’s preliminary judgment on what might actually be explosive about Lévy’s contention: the so-called "Islamic bomb." Pakistan, of course, is already a nuclear power, with an unknown number of nukes at its disposal, and there have been troubling stories about Pakistani nuclear scientists cooperating with Al Qaeda in the past.

"The bottom line," Mr. Karpel wrote me, "is that if BHL is onto something—namely that Daniel Pearl was onto something—and there are indeed Pakistani elements who might be willing to supply al Qaeda or some other Islamist network with not merely a ‘dirty nuke’ but with a nice, shiny nuke (the kind that can level a city, not just spew a lot of goop), we’ve got a problem that doesn’t appear like it’s being addressed." (The Pakistani embassy’s press attaché denied any cover-up and told me his government had worked closely with the F.B.I. on the case.)

Duranty's Pulitzer May Be Revoked

The Pulitzer Prize awarded to New York Times correspondent Walter Duranty in 1932 may be revoked because he deliberately ignored Stalin’s forced famine that killed 7 million Ukrainians.

Members of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America joined Ukrainians worldwide this year in urging the withdrawal of Duranty's award, said President Michael Sawkiw Jr., adding that more than 15,000 postcards and thousands more letters and e-mails were sent to the Pulitzer Board.

"Exactly like Jayson Blair, the heart of all this is journalistic integrity and ethics," said Sawkiw, referring to the Times reporter who was found to have falsified and plagiarized dozens of stories.

The effort was timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the famine, which claimed as many as 7 million Ukrainian lives. Josef Stalin's regime created the famine to force Ukrainian peasants into surrendering their land.

"Like any significant complaint, we take them seriously," Sig Gissler, administrator of the Pulitzer Board, said Tuesday of the charges against Duranty. "They are under review by a board subcommittee, and all aspects and ramifications will be considered."

Gissler said the decision to review the Duranty award was made before most of the postcards and letters arrived.

Duranty covered the Soviet Union for the Times from 1922 to 1941, earning acclaim for an exclusive 1929 interview with Stalin.

But Duranty was eventually exposed for reporting the Communist line rather than the facts. According to the 1990 book "Stalin's Apologist," Duranty knew of the famine but ignored the atrocities to preserve his access to Stalin.

Corroboration from a Most Unlikely Source

Iran agrees Iraq hid arms. (Hat tip: Victrade.)

"Yes, we agree with the Americans. Our intelligence indicated that Iraq did possess weapons of mass destruction and was hiding them from the U.N.," the official said.

The official, from the top ranks of Iran's cleric-led government, asked to remain anonymous amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.

He went on to say that the big question is, "What did the Iraqis do with these weapons?"

Although Tehran does not know where these weapons may be today, there is a strong suspicion that some may have filtered onto local black markets.

"We know other items, once under military control [such as broadcast transmission equipment], have found their way onto the black market," the official said.

"We have people coming to Tehran from Baghdad with catalogs of items [stolen from the Iraqi government] offering them for sale."

The Most Popular Political Blogs On The Net

Ranking schemes for weblogs are always open to question, and this one by John Hawkins relies on Alexa’s system, which only tallies results from people who have installed their toolbar. The Alexa toolbar only works under Windows, and only with Microsoft Internet Explorer. So even though Alexa claims “millions” of users, a very significant number of Internet browsers are not counted by their system; perhaps even a majority.

Even with that caveat, though, I must admit I’m pretty darn thrilled that Little Green Footballs is tied—with the great James Lileks—at number four on John’s list of The Most Popular Political Blogs On The Net.

UPDATE: John Hawkins informs me that he made a mistake in the listing, and LGF is not tied with James Lileks, but slightly behind. We’re actually number 5. Damn you, Lileks! We’ll getcha. Oh yes, we’ll getcha.

With Peacekeepers Like These...

The French, working with the United Nations, have begun to intervene in the Congolese civil war.

The Guardian has obtained a transcript of a French military briefing, in which the French “peacekeepers” admit outright that their intervention will be very short-lived and have little impact on the fighting. (Hat tip: ploome.)

But they’ll look marvelous.

The document says: "The operation in Bunia is politicaly [sic] and military [sic] high risk; very sensitive and complex. France has no specific interest in the area except solidarity with the international community." The end of the intervention, it says, has been "firmly established at Sept 1st 2003", by which time a contingent of Bangladeshi peacekeepers is expected in Bunia.

The Bangladeshis are to relieve 700 Uruguayan peacekeepers, who have been humiliated by their failure to prevent a string of massacres.

During a 10-day battle for control of the town last month they remained in their barracks, without the numbers or a mandate to stop the slaughter of hundreds of civilians.

Two unarmed UN military observers were murdered, and seven peacekeepers taken to hospital after having nervous breakdowns.

Seven nervous breakdowns? Could the UN possibly be any more useless?

Iraqi Weapons Imports

Courtesy of Admiral Quixote at The Command Post (and some other folks listed at the bottom of the illustration), here’s a chart showing the countries who sold the most weapons to Iraq, during the period when reliable records were still being kept.

A Plot to Deceive?

LGF reader addison tipped us to a great piece by Robert Kagan that points out how stupid the argument over Iraq’s “missing” weapons has become: A Plot to Deceive?

...if Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair are lying, they're not alone. They're part of a vast conspiratorial network of liars that includes U.N. weapons inspectors and reputable arms control experts both inside and outside government, both Republicans and Democrats.

Maybe former CIA director John Deutch was lying when he testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Sept. 19, 1996, that "we believe that [Hussein] retains an undetermined quantity of chemical and biological agents that he would certainly have the ability to deliver against adversaries by aircraft or artillery or by Scud missile systems."

Maybe former defense secretary William Cohen was lying in April when he said, "I am absolutely convinced that there are weapons. . . . I saw evidence back in 1998 when we would see the inspectors being barred from gaining entry into a warehouse for three hours with trucks rolling up and then moving those trucks out."

Maybe the German intelligence service was lying when it reported in 2001 that Hussein might be three years away from being able to build three nuclear weapons and that by 2005 Iraq would have a missile with sufficient range to reach Europe.

Maybe French President Jacques Chirac was lying when he declared in February that there were probably weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and that "we have to find and destroy them."

Maybe Al Gore was lying when he declared last September, based on what he learned as vice president, that Hussein had "stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country."

Finally, there's former president Bill Clinton. In a February 1998 speech, Clinton described Iraq's "offensive biological warfare capability, notably 5,000 gallons of botulinum, which causes botulism; 2,000 gallons of anthrax; 25 biological-filled Scud warheads; and 157 aerial bombs." Clinton accurately reported the view of U.N. weapons inspectors "that Iraq still has stockpiles of chemical and biological munitions, a small force of Scud-type missiles, and the capacity to restart quickly its production program and build many, many more weapons." That was as unequivocal and unqualified a statement as any made by George W. Bush.

Clinton went on to insist, in words now poignant, that the world had to address the "kind of threat Iraq poses . . . a rogue state with weapons of mass destruction, ready to use them or provide them to terrorists . . . who travel the world among us unnoticed." I think Bush said that, too.

So if you like a good conspiracy, this one's a doozy. And the best thing about it is that if all these people are lying, there's only one person who ever told the truth: Saddam Hussein. And now we can't find him either.

NPR’s Terror Problem

Here’s an excellent article by Alex Safian of CAMERA about National Public Radio’s duplicitous coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict: NPR’s Terror Problem.

Suicide bombers strike civilian targets in Saudi Arabia and Morocco, and National Public Radio quite reasonably labels the attacks "terror" and the attackers "terrorists," but when — at almost the same time — Palestinian suicide bombers launch five attacks against Israelis, NPR reporters, and hosts, as they have in the past, virtually banish the word "terror" from their vocabulary.

Is this because NPR believes that Israelis, even women and children on a Tel Aviv bus, are not "innocents," or perhaps that, by definition, those who attack Israelis cannot be terrorists? While some might consider these possibilities farfetched, NPR's online style guide for reporters suggests otherwise. In the guide, available here, NPR instructs that the word terrorism "connotes" that the victims are "innocents," clearly indicating that if the victims of an attack are not innocent, then the attack is not terror. To drive the point home, NPR's definition then explicitly questions whether Palestinian attacks against Israelis should be termed terrorism:

terrorism, terrorist — Terrorism is the act of causing terror, usually for political purposes, and it connotes that the terror is perpetrated on innocents. Thus, the bombing of a civilian airliner clearly is a terrorist act, but an attack on an army convoy, even if away from the battlefield, is not. Do not ape government usage. The Israeli government, for instance, routinely refers to PLO actions as terrorist. A journalist should use independent criteria to judge whether the term is accurate. [Emphasis added.]

If this is what NPR reporters and hosts are taught and are expected to follow, then it is little surprise that the attacks in Saudi Arabia and Morocco, which clearly targeted innocent civilians, were routinely described by NPR employees as terror perpetrated by terrorists.

This isn’t just Safian’s opinion, either; as his exhaustive list of examples shows beyond any doubt, it’s a plain fact. Read it all.

Israel Asks Diplomats to Leave Gaza?

A very interesting item at MidEast Web News: a TV station in Dubai is reporting that Israel has asked diplomats and foreigners to leave Gaza. (Hat tip: Robert.)

Dubai Al-Arabiyah Television in Arabic, an independent television station financed by Arab businessmen, at 0950 GMT on 10 June carries an interview with Al-Arabiyah TV correspondent in Gaza, Sayf al-Din Shahin to discuss the situation in Gaza following the Israeli attempt on HAMAS leader Abd-al-Aziz al-Rantisi. The correspondent says: "I learned a short while ago that the Israeli Army and Government have asked the representatives of the diplomatic missions, consuls, and foreigners in Gaza to leave the city. We do not know whether this request means that Israeli escalation will continue or that Israel will launch new attacks on Gaza."

Take with a shaker full of salt, of course; but if true, this could mean that a big crackdown on Hamas is coming.

Sheik Yassin is a Marked Man

Israeli television is reporting that in addition to Rantisi, Hamas “religious leader” Sheik Yassin is also in the crosshairs. (Hat tip: Laurence Simon.)

Israel Television Channel 2 correspondent Udi Segal reported this evening that Israeli officials say that in addition to Hamas leader Rantissi, Israel has been decided to kill the top man in the Hamas, Sheik Yassin.

Speaking earlier on Channel 2, MK Yuval Steinitz, the head of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said that the Government of Israel would be shirking its duty and obligation to the citizens of Israel if it stood by with its arms folded just because the Palestinians are thinking about talking about having some kind of time out.

Steinitz said that President Bush would never take such a stand regarding American citizens facing terror, noting that the difference between Israeli and American operations is that while Israel waited for an opportunity to hit Rantissi with a minimum of peripheral damage, an American operation would have simply dropped a bomb on the top of Rantissi's house, killing everyone there.

He’s right about that. Recall that when we believed Saddam Hussein was having dinner at a restaurant in a residential area of Baghdad, we bombed the living hell out of that building and didn’t care whether there were innocent people around. Note: I’m not saying this was wrong either; but we have no right to hold Israel to such a blatant double standard.

Also note that these actions by Israel against the top leadership of Hamas come only after:

1) Abu Mazen stated that he absolutely would not take any action against the terror gangs, and

2) The terror gangs stated that they absolutely would not stop their attacks against Israel.

According to the terms of the “road trap,” the PA was supposed to have already taken steps to halt the terrorism by June 1st. No one should be surprised by this latest turn of events.

Pediatrician of Death Speaks

Hamas leader calls U.S. peace plan 'mistake.' (Hat tip: NC.)

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — A founder of the militant Islamic group Hamas condemned the latest U.S.-backed Mideast peace effort yesterday as Israel began dismantling an outpost for Jewish settlers as required by the initiative.

"It's a big mistake. You won't find any Palestinian who will tell you otherwise," said Abdel Azziz Rantisi, a leader of Hamas, which is resisting appeals from Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to call off a 2 1/2-year campaign of attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.

Mr. Rantisi helped found the militant Islamic group in the late 1980s.

In an interview, Mr. Rantisi said Sunday's strike on an Israeli army checkpoint that killed four soldiers demonstrates that opposition to the U.S.-backed "road map" is widespread among the population. Hamas joined with rival militias Islamic Jihad and Fatah to carry out the attack.

"All Palestinian factions, both nationalist and Islamic, are with the resistance because no one supports the negotiations," he said.

And people wonder why Israel tried to kill this guy?

Almost Got the Bastard

Israel tried to kill the Pediatrician of Death today, but unfortunately he escaped with injuries: Israeli Rocket Attack Wounds Hamas Leader.

The attack on Rantisi, a pediatrician, began before noon Tuesday, when three Israeli Apache helicopter gunships appeared over the skies of Gaza City. In quick succession, they fired seven missiles toward Rantisi's Jeep Pajero as it drove in a crowded thoroughfare near a 16-story apartment building.

"I opened the door and jumped out immediately," Rantisi said.

The vehicle burst into flames and was reduced to a scorched pile of metal.

A witness, bread vendor Salim Abdullah, 23, said the first missile missed Rantisi's car.

"The doctor (Rantisi) ran from the car. One of the helicopters started firing machine guns at him while he was running. At the time, I was hiding next to a wall. I saw the doctor bleeding," said Abdullah, who also was injured.

President Bush says he is deeply troubled by this action.

WASHINGTON - President Bush scolded Israel on Tuesday for a helicopter attack on a senior Hamas leader that killed a bystander and a bodyguard, warning that such a strike "does not contribute to the security of Israel."

President Bush is wrong. The attack on Rantisi is long overdue, and after Hamas has openly declared war on Israel and stated that they will not even negotiate a “cease fire,” this action by Israel is completely legitimate. They have a duty to protect their citizens from the terrorist acts that the swine Rantisi and his terror gang have sworn to commit.

If groups like Hamas were operating in the United States, I would expect our president to do the same thing. Shame on President Bush for this disgraceful double standard.

Cafe Press Closes Down Jihad Store

Cafe Press has done the right thing and closed the store promoting jihad and terrorist related merchandise.

That shop was not merely offensive. It was the front for a site called Jihad Unspun, that is openly aligned with—and promotes—the agenda of Islamic militancy. This goes beyond offensive, into the area of enemy behavior. And they were glorifying Osama Bin Laden—the person who murdered 3000 of my countrymen on September 11—by putting his picture on baby clothes.

I won’t put a link to Jihad Unspun here, but if you want to see what they’re about, search for the name at Google.

This is not a “freedom of speech” issue, as the weenie who posted a link to us at Metafilter tried to portray it. Here is the First Amendment to the US Constitution:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

This is perfectly clear and unequivocal. It is intended to prevent the government from enacting laws to restrict the speech of US citizens.

Cafe Press has no obligation at all to host stores that sell that kind of merchandise, and when enough people complained to them about it, it was removed. This has nothing to do with censorship or free speech, and everything to do with free market capitalism.

I’d like to thank Cafe Press for realizing how wrong that merchandise was, and removing the store.

monday, june 09, 2003

Here Come De Trolls

If you should happen to notice a sudden influx of nasty know-nothing weenies in our comments tonight, just visit our referrers page and you’ll see where they’re coming from.

UPDATE: And here’s our first one already, right on cue.

Graphing the Terror

Here’s a graph of terrorist incidents in Israel during the past three weeks—278 attacks, more than 13 per day.

Tell me again about that roadmap.

The Boy Who Cried Wolfowitz

Here’s a must-read column from Christopher Hitchens, on the far left media’s disgraceful, intellectually dishonest vendetta against Paul Wolfowitz: The Boy Who Cried Wolfowitz. (Hat tip: James.)

"Yes that's all very well," said the chap from the BBC World Service, "but what about this man Vulfervitz who seems to run the whole show from behind the scenes?" For the fifth time in as many days, and for the umpteenth time this year, I corrected a British interviewer's pronunciation. You see the name in print, you hear it uttered quite a lot in American discussions, you then give a highly inflected rendition of your own. ... What is this? In my young day, the BBC had a special department for the pronunciation of foreign names for the guidance of those commenting on Thailand, say, or Mongolia. But this particular name is pronounced as it is spelled. "Very well," said the BBC chap, with a hint of bad grace. "This man Wolfervitz ..."

It takes a lot, I hope, to make me feel queasy. (I had, during my appointment at the BBC offices in London, already had to pass a door with a sign reading "Male Prayer Room," which means that the British taxpayer is already funding not just religious observance on public property but the sexual segregation of same.) And this is not quite like old-line reactionaries going out of their way to say "Franklin Delano Rosenfeld." Still, I don't think I am quite wrong in suspecting that a sharpened innuendo is in play here. Why else, when the very name of Paul Wolfowitz is mentioned, do so many people bid adieu to the very notion of objectivity?

Osama-Love in Baghdad

You’re welcome, Iraq.

OK. I know there are a lot of people in Iraq who are grateful to be free of the murdering monsters. But demonstrations like this are ... to use a State Department buzz phrase ... not helpful.

Peaceful Religion Watch

On the Friday immediately following the summit meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh (where Clown Prince Abdullah smiled and posed for photos with George Bush), the sheikhs of the spiritual centers of Islam in Mecca and Medina went right back to their hate-spewing business as usual.

Here’s a headache-inducing dose of crazy illogic, from the Holy Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, broadcast live over official Saudi television:

Assailing those using violence to achieve their goals, the imam says: "Some individuals in our nation, who speak our own language, are used to carrying out acts of violence against a Muslim society and to die along with other innocent people. ["Other innocent people?" So the killers are also "innocent" because they "speak our language?"—ed.] By encroaching on the nation's security, some individuals bury the concept of stability, cut the lifeline of the present generation, and destroy hopes for a better future. Vile infidels, the enemies of Islam, use such violence as an excuse to put pressure on Muslims and even to seize Muslim countries." [Ah...there's the real crime; not the killing and violence, but the fact that it gives the vile infidels an excuse!—ed.] The imam then says that Islam prospers in an atmosphere of confidence and constructive understanding based on the Islamic law, stressing the importance of the security issue in the view of Islam. Security, he also says, does not only mean protecting the society from theft and killing, but also the need for a Muslim society "to stick to the Islamic law, without which no security can be achieved."

The imam then elaborates on security in general, including health and food security, and warns of "those casting doubts on the religiousness of the Muslim society and the soundness of the Islamic heritage." The imam says: "For example, if a man steals something from a mosque, then some unfair people will call for shutting down or even destroying mosques in order to prevent theft. If a veiled woman cheats, then some people will call for removing the veil in order to prevent cheating. Instead of cutting the thief's hand and exposing the cheater, these people want to destroy the mosque and to remove the veil. [Because amputation and misogyny is the Saudi birthright!—ed.] This is strange and draws violent reactions, which harm the moderation of a Muslim society." [That's right ... try to stop us from hacking off hands and repressing our women, and we'll really get violent!—ed.]

And what would a Friday khutba be without begging Allah to destroy stuff?

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, strengthen Islam and Muslims, humiliate infidelity and infidels, destroy Islam's enemies, and grant safety to this country and the other Islamic countries."

Over at the other spiritual center of Islam, the Holy Mosque in Medina, the sheikh is seeing enemies everywhere:

The imam says: "Both overt and covert enmity has been directed at Islam, its countries, its ulema, and its followers, principles, and curricula by some writers in the nation. Attacking these writers as "hireling" secularists, the imam says that they "have imported secularism" because they have no loyalty to their nation. Denouncing these people for demanding "equality between men and women," [The horror!—ed.] he says: "They want us to abandon our faith, morals, values, history, and glories and to follow infidelity, its morals, values, and life. They also ridicule ulema and good people, level accusations against them, focus on their mistakes, harm their honor, hide their achievements, and keep silent over their merits." These people, the imam says, "have even encroached on religious books, calling for "the reduction of the religious school curricula, which are derived from the Koran and the messengers Sunna." [Note: the Saudis are aware that we're on to the hatred they're teaching in their schools.—ed.] Assailing secularists once again, the imam says: "They have controlled education, information, economy, the army, administration, and legislation for more than one and a half century. What is the result? They have failed to promote economy, technology, and administration and have suffered successive defeats in the battlefield."

Who are these “secularists” this lunatic is ranting about? Who knows?

And of course, the obligatory bloodthirsty finish, to send the crowd into the street with murder in their hearts:

"O God, strengthen Islam and Muslims, humiliate infidelity and infidels, and destroy Islam's enemies, including the vile Jews." He also asks God to protect the country of the custodian of the two holy mosques and "to help the Palestinian brothers defeat the usurper Jews, to shake the ground under them, to instill fear into their hearts, and to make them prey for Muslims."

“Prey for Muslims.” Well, isn’t that lovely? Brought to you, as always, by the Religion of Peace and Tolerance.

G8 Combats "Terrorism"

The G8 Summit earlier this month in Evian, France came up with a document titled Building International Political Will and Capacity to Combat Terrorism - a G8 Action Plan, which opens with the following paragraph:

The international community has been united in fighting against international terrorism since the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001. The threat of terrorism still, however, remains serious as has been seen in a series of terrorist incidents including in Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Yemen over the past year.

Which country is missing from this list? Can you guess why?

Hint: it’s a country that has suffered more than 17,000 attacks since September 2000. And it ain’t Luxembourg.

Religion of Annihilation and Suicide Bombers

The imam of the largest mosque in Europe, the Saudi-financed Grand Mosque of Rome, calls for the annihilation of Israel and the destruction of the enemies of Islam: Imam in Rome says suicide bombings OK—in Israel at least.

He called for Allah's help in "the destruction of the homes and destruction of the enemies of Islam", for their "annihilation", and "the victory everywhere of the Nation of Islam."

In a report by Magdi Allam, the Italian columnist of Egyptian origin who writes regularly about the Arab and Muslim world for the national daily La Repubblica, 32-year-old Imam Abdel-Samie Mahmoud Ibrahim Moussa is quoted as having told the correspondent that suicide attacks in Israel are religiously legitimate, whereas they are not in Saudi Arabia, Morocco or Italy.

"From an Islamic viewpoint there is no doubt that the operations of the mujahidin against the Jews in Palestine are legitimate. They are missions of martyrdom and those who commit them are martyrs of Islam because all Palestine is a Dar al-harb, a territory of war. This is because all of the Jewish society illegally occupies an Islamic land."

Of course, the “experts” say that the vast majority of Italian Muslims are not radical. It’s sheer coincidence that the leader of the most influential mosque is a raving maniac.

Leaders of Muslim organizations in Italy have made contrasting comments to this episode, which Magdi Allam, author of several books on Islam in Italy, considers not an isolated phenomenon of the preaching of hate.

Very few openly condemned the Imam for his words, finding "excuse" in the fact that he is foreign and not used to the Italian mentality—tacitly justifying such preaching in an Arab Islamic context. There are approximately one million Muslims in this country (mostly immigrants), by far outnumbering the numerically small but historically important 35,000-member Jewish Community.

He considers the majority of Muslim immigrants, a very pluralistic lot who come from all over the world, to be moderate and peaceful. However, the minority of fundamentalists who openly espouse anti-US and anti-Israel extremist positions are harbored in some of the 250-odd mosques spread across the country and by the official organizations of Islam, such as the UCOII organ of the Union of Italian Islamic Communities, connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, an international association of Islamic integralism originating in Egypt and responsible for the murder of Sadat, among many other acts of terror in the past.

A “minority” harbored in mosques and official Islamic organizations? Yet, “very few” openly condemn this sort of incitement?

Danger, Will Robinson. Does not compute!

If You Get a Message That You're Blocked...

...once again, it’s because I had to block an entire range of dial-up IP addresses to shut out an antisemitic Morlock that insists on spewing its hatred in our comments. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Lies and Bias at AFP

Wow. Get a load of the captions for these two photos from our pals at Agence France Presse. (Hat tip: Barak M.)

Palestinian prime minister Mahmud Abbas stood by his pledge to put an end to anti-Israeli violence.(AFP/Jamal Aruri)

Professionally shot and edited spots produced by the State Department show good news as the only news, extolling the altruistic virtue of the United States is without a hint of irony. (AFP-Pool/File/Dan Chung)

Toronto Benefit for Mike's Place

Notice to LGF readers in Toronto: there will be a benefit concert tonight for security guard Avi Taviv and the other victims of the suicide bombing of Mike’s Place in Tel Aviv. Here are the details:

--------------------------------------

“Mike’s Place Toronto”

A benefit concert for Avi Taviv And the Victims of the Mike’s Place Bombing

WHAT: Good friends, tasty beverages and great live music

Featuring:
The Fridge-magnets
The Virgins
Lizard and the Pricks
The Mike’s Place Jammers
10 Year Drought

WHERE:
SILVER DOLLAR ROOM
486 Spadina Road, just north of College St.

WHEN:
Monday, June 9, 2003 -- Doors open at 8 pm

Tickets $15 -- All proceeds go to the Life after Terror fund

For donations and further information contact: eyesoftheworld03@hotmail.com

Bomb in Dresden Train Station

An unattended suitcase found in Dresden’s Central Train Station last Friday contained a bomb that, according to German police, “could have killed many travelers.” (Hat tip: Outsider.)

French Hypocrisy Watch

In a mind-bendingly hypocritical “open letter” to Israel, Dominique de Villepin (who is a man) says that France loves Jews, loves Israel, and that they have never compromised on Israel’s security. (Hat tip: davesax.)

I guess that’s why they continue to prop up Yasser Arafat. It’s a love thing. For Jews.

Retch.

NYT Whitewashes Furiously

The New York Times completely ignores Abu Mazen’s statement that he will not use force against terror gangs, focusing instead on yesterday’s statement that he “prefers” to use dialog: Abbas Answers Critics; Vows Support for Palestinian Issues.

UPDATE: Amazing! The New York Times has actually changed the headline on this article to be even more deceptive and biased: Abbas Answers Critics as Israel Shuts Down a Few Outposts.

Iran Failed to Report Uranium Imports

Iran has admitted to the United Nations that it imported uranium 12 years ago, and didn’t report it.

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran admitted Sunday it failed to inform U.N. authorities that it imported a small quantity of uranium 12 years ago but said that failure did not violate the international Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Gholamreza Aghazadeh, Iran's nuclear energy chief, also urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to widely publish the report it released to member nations last week on Iran's nuclear program.

The Bush administration accuses Iran of wanting to build a nuclear bomb and wants the U.N. agency to declare Iran in breach of the treaty. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

Aghazadeh said the IAEA report did not back up U.S. claims that Iran was violating international atomic protocols.

"There is no mention of the word 'violation,'" he told state-run television. "The report only mentions 'failure,' which is still a legal debate between us. And these are normal differences."

Asked whether Iran is planning to build nuclear weapons, Aghazadeh replied, “That depends on what the meaning of the word is ... is.”

As Iran ducks and dodges and denies that they have any intention to get nukes, please recall that back in the old days, when they considered the United States a paper tiger who would let them do anything without repercussions, they were very forthright about their plans:

Rafsanjani said that Muslims must surround colonialism and force them [the colonialists] to see whether Israel is beneficial to them or not. If one day, he said, the world of Islam comes to possess the weapons currently in Israel's possession [meaning nuclear weapons] - on that day this method of global arrogance would come to a dead end. This, he said, is because the use of a nuclear bomb in Israel will leave nothing on the ground, whereas it will only damage the world of Islam.

Also remember that the highest ranking Islamic cleric in Egypt and one of the most prominent Muslims in the world has said Muslims have a duty to acquire nuclear weapons:

Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Dr. Tantawi called upon the Arabs and the Muslims "to acquire nuclear weapons as an answer to the Israeli threat and [to possess] nuclear readiness in order to counter the Israeli intransigence which rejects the signing of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty."

Tantawi continued, "The instruction that our master Khalifa [Caliph] Abu Bakr [the first successor to the Prophet] to Khaled Ibn Al-Waleed [one of the first Muslim commanders] when he called upon him to fight the enemy was: 'if they fight you with a sword fight them with a sword; if they fight you with a spear fight them with a spear.’ If Abu Bakr had lived today he would have said, 'if they fight you with an atomic bomb you must fight them with an atomic bomb.’"

The Roadmap is Dead, Long Live the Roadmap

Arafat’s puppet prime minister has now said outright that he will not crack down on the terror gangs under any circumstances, and that Arafat is still very much in charge—as if it weren’t obvious.

RAMALLAH, West Bank - The Palestinian prime minister said Monday he will not use force against militant groups under any circumstances, despite their stated determination to derail a U.S.-backed peace plan with attacks on Israelis, including two weekend shootings that killed five soldiers.

The prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, also defended himself against complaints at home that he has been too conciliatory to Israel, including in a speech at a Mideast summit last week, and that Israel has given little in return.

Abbas said he has coordinated every move with Yasser Arafat — a barb at the veteran leader who said in public last week that the summit yielded no achievements.

Israel, meanwhile, appeared to be making a first small step toward meeting part of its obligation under the peace plan, the so-called "road map" to Palestinian statehood by 2005. Media reports said the military has drawn up a list of 15 settlement outposts, nearly all uninhabited, that are to be removed in coming days.

Reached for comment, Colin Powell said, “Well, who cares really? We’re just gonna keep on drivin’ this 18-wheeler right over that cliff you see comin’ up. Show restraint, Israel!”

He didn’t really say that, of course. Not in so many words.

sunday, june 08, 2003

A Clinton Bombshell?

Joseph Farah of WorldNetDaily has a breaking news story about an alleged attempt by Bill and Hillary Clinton to influence the 1999 Israeli elections, with money laundered through the extreme leftist group Americans for Peace Now: Another Clinton crime. (Hat tip: aturin.)

Whistleblower Scott Marks of Orlando, Fla., recently concluded an investigation into the use of American charitable dollars to impact Israel's 1999 elections.

"This is in violation of many U.S. federal laws, as well as is just plain reprehensible," Marks concludes in a request for injunction he has filed with the IRS and FBI.

Marks documents what many of us have long suspected – that Bill and Hillary Clinton and other top U.S. political operatives laundered money for Ehud Barak's campaign to become prime minister of Israel through Americans for Peace Now, a 501(c)3 tax-deductible "educational" charity strictly limited from such activity.

The Federal Election Campaign Act prohibits both for-profit and non-profit organizations from engaging in campaigns for political candidates. Both federal tax law and regulations prohibit non-profit organizations from engaging in political activity that supports a candidate for public office.

Nevertheless, that's just what Americans for Peace Now did – with the fund-raising assistance of the president and first lady.

.Mac Problems

Suddenly I am unable to access my Apple iDisk, and all the picture files on this page (which are on my iDisk) are showing up as "Forbidden." Trying to mount the iDisk on my desktop results in an "error -5000." I've searched everywhere on the Apple site and found one reference to "error -5000" which suggested I delete and re-enter my passwords—but this didn't help.

My .Mac email account still works fine, and I can log in to my account at the Apple web site with no trouble.

Do we have any Apple-savvy users out there who know what this means? I'm wondering if I've exceeded my iDisk bandwidth allotment. (But good luck trying to find out what that allotment is; there doesn't seem to be a single word about it at the Apple site.) Anyone? Bueller?

Morally Bankrupt

A great web prank with a razor-edged point: follow this link to MorallyBankrupt.org. (Hat tip: james.)

Another Mass Grave in Iraq

Saddam's last victims dug up in Iraqi grave.

MADAEN, Iraq (AFP) - One by one the last victims of Saddam Hussein's regime, prisoners summarily shot through the head or chest as coalition forces attacked Baghdad, are being unearthed at this mass grave.

Rotting flesh still hanging to the bones, locks of hair and striped prison uniforms are set out on plastic sheets under the hot sun.

The stench is nauseating. The killing here was recent, unlike at most of the mass graves uncovered so far in Iraq. ...

People who flocked to the site concur that about 150 people are buried in Madaen, 30 kilometres (18 miles) west of Baghdad.

"There are bullet wounds in the heads and chests of the bodies," says Sattar Sheffi from Al-Walaa which is fronted by prominent Iraqi Shiite cleric Sheikh Qadhem Al-Fartusi.

The mass grave was found a few days after the end of the war when farmers were alerted by the sight of dogs devouring unearthed bodies.

Residents said they covered the graves with as much earth as they could and informed the US occupation authorities who asked them to leave the site untouched so as not to destroy any more evidence.

Local people say they saw dozens of prisoners brought in aboard two trucks on April 4 and then executed.

"We drew up a list of 500,000 prisoners jailed between 1985 and 2002 based on documents found in secret service files of the old regime after the end of the war," said Sheffi.

"We have only found the remains of 250 of them."

Short: The UN is the Solution to All Problems

Former UK cabinet minister Clare Short says the United States should just shut up and let the United Nations handle things. And in the great tradition of Neville Chamberlain, she says that by fighting terrorism, we’re only generating more of it: What future for the UN? (Hat tip: NC.)

The United States is now, of course, the world's only great power.

Its economic and military might is massively greater than that of any other country, but too few Americans seem to understand that American power cannot make America safe.

If America continues to throw its weight around and to bully or punish anyone who gets in its way, it will stoke up more and more resentment and hatred across the world.

And this atmosphere acts as a recruiting sergeant for terrorism - the very enemy against which the post-11 September focus of American attention is directed.

People like Short seem to think that if we’d taken the punishment we were due on September 11, and gone into an extended spell of self-loathing and self-blaming, the world would be a much better, safer place.

Roadmap to Hell

From the always on-target Cox & Forkum.

Terrorism and Other Scholarly Pursuits

David Tell of the Weekly Standard rips the American Association of University Professors for their disgraceful (and continuing) support of accused Islamic Jihad kingpin and former University of South Florida professor Sami Al-Arian: Terrorism and Other 'Scholarly Pursuits.' (Hat tip: davesax.)

The American Association of University Professors appears inclined to blacklist the University of South Florida (USF)--by a formal, annual-convention vote of indefinite "censure" this coming Saturday--as punishment for the steps that school has taken to terminate the employment of Prof. Sami Al-Arian. Whom we have met before, many times, in these pages. And whose decades-long "active extramural interest in Palestinian and Islamic developments," as AAUP investigators have blandly glossed the matter, has lately earned him solitary confinement at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County, Florida, pending trial on a detailed, massive, multi-count terrorism-conspiracy indictment.

The AAUP's Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure, advising the group's full membership about the proper disposition of the Al-Arian case, allows as how the good professor's alleged crimes are a "manifestly very serious" business. But Committee A believes it a more serious business that the crimes in question "remain to be proven in a court of law," since "the principle of 'innocent until proven guilty' ought to be observed in our institutions of higher learning no less than it is in our courts." Setting an example for us all, then, the Committee formally embraces a wholecloth, wait-and-see presumption that Al-Arian's "extramural interest" has always been entirely innocent of criminal character and that it consequently falls "well within the ambit of academic freedom"--a sanctum that USF has violated by firing the man.

PA Calls Terrorists "Freedom Fighters"

The official Palestinian Authority International Press Center calls the terrorists from today’s attack in Gaza “freedom fighters.”

Three Palestinian Freedom Fighters and Four Israeli Soldiers Killed in Gun Battle Gaza

BEIT HANOUN, Palestine, June 8, 2003, IPC Agencies-- Three Palestinian freedom fighters and four Israeli occupation soldiers were killed early Sunday morning near the Beit Hanoun checkpoint, north of the Gaza Strip.

Three Palestinian freedom fighters attacked an Israeli military post near the Beit Hanoun check point. The fighters used light weapons in the sudden attack. They were killed after a fierce gun battle erupted with the Israeli soldiers, Palestinian local sources said.

No mention of the fact that they were disguised as IDF soldiers, or that they sneaked into the military post. That would detract from the “noble freedom fighter” image.

The Jihad Mosque

A Hamas cell was apparently using a Palestinian mosque as cover for a series of mass murder attacks against Israelis—eight members of the mosque soccer team have been connected to terrorist actions. The name of this house of worship for followers of the Religion of Peace™: the Jihad Mosque. (Hat tip: Montaigne’s Cat.)

At his apartment in Hebron, Ziad Al Fakhouri proudly displayed the shirt worn by his son Fadi, a striker. The front of the shirt bore a hand wielding an axe, ringed by an inscription which read: "Prepare for the enemy and to fight the occupation."

Fadi, 21, died in March in an attack on an Israeli settlement on the edge of Hebron, during which he and a team-mate shot dead four people before being gunned down themselves. Within 24 hours, two of the team's defenders were killed while carrying out another shooting attack. "Maybe they talked about these operations during football practice," Mr Al Fakhouri said. "My son was in the first group of shahids [martyrs] and I would have stopped him if I had known. I think the others in the team wanted to follow them to paradise."

Mr Al Fakhouri only discovered that Hamas was behind the operation a few days after the attack, when he received an envelope containing a photograph and a farewell note from his son.

At the top of the street near the Jihad Mosque, a group of young men were hanging around by the concrete football area where the team had trained. They told how the team would chant their motto before every match: "Jihad, Jihad, Jihad. Allahu Akbar [God is Great]." Graffiti scribbled across the walls read: "We will avenge the killing of every Hamas follower."

Notice how dear old dad denies he knew anything at all about Hamas, even though the team chanted Jihad before games, and the mosque walls were covered with Hamas graffiti. Maybe he’s worried that the IDF will knock his house down?

Maybe they should.

Antisemitic Posters at Holocaust Museum

Sick hatred in Richmond, Virginia: Police investigating anti-Semitic posters at Holocaust Museum. (Hat tip: Reginleif.)

RICHMOND, Va. -- Police are investigating posters found at the entrance of the Virginia Holocaust Museum that claim Jews are exploiting the Holocaust for commercial gain.

The three posters printed on computer paper were discovered pasted to pillars facing the Cary Street entrance of the museum in Richmond on Friday morning, according to Al Rosenbaum, co-founder and treasurer of the museum.

"It's very disheartening and shows the reason the museum was built," Rosenbaum said.

Abu Mazen Says He Was Misunderstood

Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency has a report that Abu Mazen is now recanting his speech at the summit meeting with George Bush and Ariel Sharon in Aqaba, because it wasn’t rejectionist enough. (Hat tip: Aaron Weisburd.)

Al-Khalil, June 8, IRNA -- Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday his controversial speech in the Jordanian city of Aqaba last week was 'misunderstood' by the Palestinian public, particularly by the Hamas.

Speaking to reporters in Ramallah, Abbas indicated that his remarks in no way amounted to a denunciation of the Palestinian struggle against the Israeli occupation.

He said he wouldn't be surprised if his speech was misunderstood or misconstrued to mean things he never intended to say.

Abbas said he would hold a press conference in Ramallah on Monday to clarify his position.

His speech drew angry reactions from the main Palestinian resistance groups and the Palestinian public.

Hamas accused him of 'turning his back to the Palestinian cause and dishonoring Palestinian struggle for freedom and independence'.

The Islamic Movement also decided to boycott the Palestinian government until Abbas publicly recanted his speech.

Any report from a source like this has to be greeted with a great deal of skepticism, but this has the ring of truth. We’ll see tomorrow if Abu Mazen does hold the promised press conference—although I don’t necessarily trust AP or Reuters any more than IRNA to accurately report what he says.

From the Likud Convention

Haaretz News Flashes from the Likud convention in Israel:

20:33 Sharon at Likud convention: We may raise our voices but not our fists; eventually we will attain peace

20:31 Sharon at Likud convention: We will proceed carefully and responsibly; we will face difficult challenges

20:27 Sharon at Likud convention: We will not waive the 14 reservations we have on the road map

20:25 Sharon at Likud convention: By no means will we accept the Palestinian demand for the right of return

20:20 Sharon speech halted by jeers after stating that he carries responsibility for fate of the country

20:11 Netanyahu: A Palestinian state will serve as a school for suicide bombers from around the world

If You Get a Message That You're Blocked...

...once again, it’s because I had to block an entire range of dial-up IP addresses to shut out an antisemitic Morlock that insists on spewing its hatred in our comments. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Roadmap to Murderville Update

Two more Israeli victims of the roadmap.

The severely mutilated bodies of Moran Menachem, 17, and David Shambik, 27, were discovered in the early afternoon near Moshav Even Sapir, just beyond Jerusalem's Hadassah-University Hospital at Ein Kerem.

The two had been repeatedly stabbed in the chest, abdomen, and face with a knife or axe, and were struck with stones and another sharp instrument, police said.

After viewing the scene of the attack, Jerusalem police chief Cmdr. Mickey Levy called the double murders, which came just a day after the Aqaba summit, "horrific and very grave." Police later said that the cruelty with which the two were slain led them to suspect a terrorism-related motive to the murders, which they believe were carried out by more than one assailant.

RoP Kills 11 in Pakistan

Gunmen Kill at Least 11 Pakistani Cops.

QUETTA, Pakistan - Two gunmen on motorcycles sprayed a truck full of policemen with machine-gun fire in this Pakistani town near the Afghan border Sunday, killing at least 11 and wounding nine, police said.

Most of the police were members of the minority Shiite sect of Islam, a Shiite leader in the southwestern town of Quetta said, suggesting the attack may have been the latest by extremist Sunnis.

The policemen were riding in the back of a pickup truck on their way to a training school when they came under attack on Quetta's main thoroughfare, said police senior superintendent Rehmatullah Khan Niazi.

The gunmen fled, and no arrests had been made. Authorities surrounded the bloodstained blue pickup truck.

Birds of a Feather

Arafat’s puppet, Holocaust denier Abu Mazen, gives a hero’s welcome to a mass murdering swine:

Ahmad Jubarah was released from prison by Israel as a “good faith” gesture. In 1975, this foul creature perpetrated a terrorist attack that killed 14 people and wounded 62, including two American citizens:

According to the findings of the police investigation, some 45 minutes before the explosion on Friday a Volkswagen vehicle with a double cabin, displaying administered territories plates, was observed parked near the Tefahot bank on Helene Hamalka street. It appears that there were two persons in the vehicle. One of them offloaded a renovated old refrigerator into a cart, pushing it manually along the road as far as the site of the explosion. There, he had difficulty getting the cart onto the sidewalk, one of the porters nearby helped him lift the cart onto the sidewalk, without remuneration. The refrigerator was placed next to the wall of a building, with stores on the ground floor and an hotel above.

The refrigerator stood there unnoticed for about 7-8 minutes. After about nine minutes, two telephone linesmen working nearby on line repairs - that is why a large number of the telephone lines were inoperable at the time -stepped up to the refrigerator, opened its door and the freezing compartment, and discovered nothing inside. One woman went up to the second storey of the building to inform the police. Explosives of a force equal to 5-6 kg. TNT, packed inside the refrigerator's motor, were set off by a timing device set to blow at 10.00 hours. The explosion occurred precisely then, 25 minutes after the refrigerator had been placed there. Immediately following the explosion, comprehensive steps were taken by the police and the security forces to locate suspects.

To this day, Jubarah is totally unrepentant about his crimes. After his release he was carried on the shoulders of a cheering Palestinian crowd, and declared: We are not murderers.

"We are not murderers," said Mr Jubarah, 68, who had been the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner."We are not criminals. We are people who seek peace and freedom."

Roadmap to Murderville Update

Border Policeman shot in Hebron.

Initial reports indicated that the gunman had intended to enter the Machpela Cave, a holy Jewish site, and carry out a shooting attack there, Army Radio reported.

According to the radio, border policeman at the entrance to the site stopped the gunman in order to inspect him. The radio said that once the gunman realized that he would not be able to enter the cave to carry out the attack, he opened fire at the officers manning the entrance to the site, injuring the border policeman.

Bomb explodes under IDF jeep in northern Gaza Strip.

A bomb exploded under an IDF armored vehicle operating in the northern Gaza Strip Sunday afternoon.

There were no injuries.

The incident took place in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, an area used by Palestinians to fire Kassam rockets and mortars at Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip and at Sderot, an Israeli city in the northern Negev.

Palestinian youths stab bus security guard in Jerusalem.

Two public transportation security officers were attacked by three Palestinian youths on a bus in the center of Jerusalem Sunday.

The attack occurred after the Palestinians were asked by the security officers to identify themselves on a bus on King George Street in central Jerusalem.

The youths refused and one of them stabbed a security officer with a pair of scissors.

IDF kills armed terrorist in Gaza.

"A combined force of Givati and reserve IDF troops who were patrolling the area spotted an armed terrorist attempting to pass under a bridge," the source stated. "When the terrorist realized that he had been discovered, he opened fire at the IDF patrol. The patrol did not return fire, rather they surrounded the gunman and made repeated efforts to arrest the terrorist. A gun battle followed in which the armed Palestinian was killed."

The IDF spokesperson stated that the terrorist was carrying a Kalachnikov automatic rifle, several ammunition magazines and was wearing a flak jacket.

The IDF is currently searching the area for other terrorists who may have been part of a larger terror operation.

Manhattan Church Caves In to Terror Threats

A church on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that had rented space to a synagogue for several years suddenly closed its doors to the Jewish worshippers—after allegedly receiving threats from Arabs: 'Terror Threats' Put Jews on Street. (Hat tip: Bensmom.)

Rabbi Bruce L. Cohen - who was forced to perform a bar mitzvah at his home yesterday after being shut out of Rock Church at 153 E. 62nd St. - said one reason a church official gave him for evicting Congregation Beth-El of Manhattan Messianic Synagogue was because an "Arab-looking man" had threatened the church to "get rid of the Jews - or else."

"We think it's morally reprehensible that they said, 'Get rid of the Jews,' and the church just said, 'OK,' " Cohen said. "It would have been a better example if the Christians had said, 'Over our dead bodies.' "

Rock Church's pastor, the Rev. Roger Casey, and other church leaders declined to comment.

The church, at 153 E. 62nd St., has operated harmoniously as both a synagogue and a Protestant chapel, splitting time in the building with Beth-El since December 1997.

But when Beth-El members arrived for services yesterday, they found they were no longer welcome.

Cohen, 48, said he had first received a letter from the church last October informing him of a rent increase. He said he was open to discuss changes with Casey.

Disgrace of the Day

Mr. Appeasement speaks out.

"What we have to do now is make sure we don't let this tragic incident derail" the summit's gains, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday.

The administration and Israel have in the past blamed such attacks on the longtime Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, especially those that came when prospects for peace seemed brighter.

Powell stopped short of faulting anybody except the groups that took credit for the killings. Arafat "is still the president of the Palestinian Authority. I recognize that," Powell told Fox News Sunday.

But, he said, "Yasser Arafat has to play a more positive role than he has played in last few days, more than that over the last couple of years."

Powell said he is certain Abbas would arrest perpetrators of the attack if he could find them.

"Now we have to give him the capacity and capability" to resist the anti-Israeli attackers. The United States is ready to provide him the help to do that, Powell said, and is asking others to do the same thing.

Arafat in Charge

Yasser Arafat is still acting as the leader of the Palestinian Authority; today he appointed a new head of the PA’s “Preventative Security Service.” (Hat tip: Susan.)

Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat on Sunday appointed a new commander to head the PA's Preventative Security Service in the West Bank.

The new commander, Col. Ziad Hab Erih, 45, from the Jenin refugee camp, will succeed former Jenin governor Zuhair al-Manasreh, the man who replaced Jibril Rajoub as head of the service in the West Bank.

Hab Erih had been No. 2 in the service and commander of its Jenin branch under Rajoub.

Israel says it found documented evidence at the offices of the Preventive Security Service offices during "Operation Defensive Shield" which linked the Palestinian organization to terrorism.

It’s no wonder, since this morning Colin Powell threw our entire effort to sideline Arafat into the toilet. We’re back to rewarding terrorists for their acts of savagery.

What the Hell is Colin Powell Saying?

Powell: Arafat Must Do More to Promote the Peace Process.

“Yasser Arafat has to play a more positive role than he has played in last few days, more than that over the last couple of years," US Secretary of State Colin Powell said in an interview with “Fox News Sunday.”

According to Israel Radio, Powell said despite Arafat having not been helpful to past peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis, he remains the chairman of the Palestinian Authority and is thus influential.

Arafat "is still the president of the Palestinian Authority. I recognize that," Powell said.

This is unbelievable. What is happening at the State Department? Can Powell possibly have President Bush’s permission for these remarks?

Aaarrrgggghhh.

And Again

This morning, three noble Palestinian jihadi warriors disguised as IDF soldiers infiltrated an army post in Gaza and mounted a sneak attack (the only kind of attack these brave holy warriors ever mount), killing 4 Israelis before they were stopped.

Three armed groups — Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade — claimed joint responsibility for the shooting. A leaflet gave the names of the gunmen, all in their early 20s, one from each group.

"This joint operation was committed to confirm our people's united choice of holy war and resistance until the end of occupation over our land and holy places," the leaflet said.

An earlier AP story has a disgracefully biased headline, revealing once again where their sympathies lie: 3 Palestinians Killed in Gaza Gunfight.

saturday, june 07, 2003

Comments Disabled

NOTICE: Comments are temporarily disabled, while I dream of a world without antisemitic trolls. See you tomorrow...

UPDATE: We’re open for business again...

Loopholes for Terrorists

I missed this story when ABC News broke it a few days ago; two men who bankrolled suicide bombings for Hamas in Israel have been living the good life as US citizens, thanks to a dangerous loophole in US immigration laws that makes it virtually impossible to deport a naturalized citizen: Terrorist moneymen.

Mohammad Salah had worked for the Chicago school system since February 2002. He was fired this week for failing to report his conviction on terrorism charges in Israel on his employment application. Mr. Salah, a U.S. citizen who emigrated from Jordan in 1970, was on a Treasury Department list of "specially designated terrorists" because of his role in providing money to Hamas during trips to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza in the early 1990s. Arrested by Israel in January 1993, he pleaded guilty to membership and participation in Hamas in an Israeli court in 1995. After five years imprisonment, he returned to the United States. In 1998, the federal government seized approximately $1.4 million in assets from Mr. Salah and a nonprofit group in suburban Chicago, on grounds that the funds went to support violence against Israel.

The second man was Jamil Sarsour, who became a U.S. citizen after moving to Milwaukee two decades ago from the Ramallah area of the West Bank. During his time in Milwaukee, Mr. Sarsour ran grocery and furniture stores, and visited the West Bank several times a year, where he maintained a laundromat and car dealership. Israeli officials say that, in 1997 and 1998, he provided $40,000 to Adel Awadullah, a senior Hamas operative who planned suicide bombings against Israel. After four years imprisonment in Israel, Mr. Sarsour was released and deported to the United States, and arrested on a criminal complaint when he returned to the country last Dec. 27. On Jan. 22, Mr. Sarsour was indicted in the Eastern District of Wisconsin for evading currency transaction reporting requirements that cash transactions in excess of $10,000 be reported to the IRS. He made bail, and ABC News found Mr. Sarsour gainfully employed at a Milwaukee grocery store. Israeli and U.S. authorities say one of the suicide bus bombings financed by Mr. Sarsour killed two Americans — Matt Eisenfeld and Sarah Duker — who were planning to be married. The couple's parents were astonished that Mr. Sarsour is a free man on American soil.

Nazimedia Denies Holocaust

The antisemites who have turned Indymedia into Nazimedia are at it again—denying the Holocaust. What a twisted bunch of pathetic losers. (Hat tip: NC.)

(The person who posted this entry at Nazimedia uses the same name as a slug who was banned from commenting at LGF; and this is why.)

Castles Made of Sand

Here’s an interesting roundtable discussion from the Hoover Institute’s PBS show Uncommon Knowledge, featuring Abraham Sofaer, Daniel Pipes, and a far left Arabist professor, As'ad AbuKhalil: Castles Made of Sand. (Hat tip: William.) The page has streaming video in RealPlayer and Windows Media formats.

As'ad AbuKhalil: How can the Arabs have control over their own destiny when the United States has three hundred thousand troops in the region, when they support dictatorship over the will of their own people, and when the United States bankrolls the state of Israel and everything that it does to the Palestinians and this being a great factor in Arab antipathy and Muslim antipathy to the United States.

Daniel Pipes: It's all our fault. Oh, the left is so predictable.

If You Got A Message That You're Blocked...

...it's because I had to block an entire range of IP addresses to shut out a particularly obnoxious troll—and unfortunately, this creature is still attempting to abuse our comments. Sorry for the inconvenience, but it should be temporary.

Religion of Peace Threatens Pope

A Bosnian Muslim group calling itself the “Islamic Front of el-Mujahadeen” has threatened to kill Pope John Paul II “in the name of Allah.” (Hat tip: zulubaby.)

Croatia's state-run news agency HINA reported Friday that it and a Croatian Catholic news agency had received e-mails threatening to kill Pope John Paul II "in the name of Allah."

The e-mails, signed by the "Islamic Front of el-Mujahadeen" and addressed to "the infidels," appeared to have originated in neighboring Bosnia, said Interior Ministry spokeswoman Zinka Bardic.

She said Croatian and international police agencies were investigating, but that there was no danger to the pontiff because of the heavy security around him.

AP: Hamas is Pragmatic

The PA’s foreign minister politely asks their “friends” in Hamas and Islamic Jihad to “act responsibly.”

Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath on Saturday accused Hamas of pulling out of talks before the Palestinian officials could meet with them to explain what happened in closed-door meetings at the summit.

"They listened to the speeches on television and declared their decision to stop the dialogue and stop listening," Shaath said in an interview with Future TV, based in Lebanon.

Their actions could derail the U.S. backed "road map" to Mideast Peace, he said.

"We either reach a voluntary cease-fire ... or there will be no deal with Israel or road map," Shaath said. "Our friends in Hamas and Jihad should acknowledge this and act responsibly."

Right.

Maybe Nabil Shaath should also ask his own frickin’ Deputy Foreign Minister, 'Adli Sadeq, to act responsibly.

Oh, I forgot. We’re not supposed to know about that.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press says Hamas is known for its “pragmatism.”

Palestinian officials say the Hamas walkout Friday may not be final and there's still a chance for a truce. Hamas, known for its pragmatism, would not risk a confrontation with security forces and would quickly resume talks, they said.

Pragmatism: a practical approach to problems and affairs.

In the case of Hamas, this means sending practical mass murderers to solve the problem of Jewish women and children who breathe.

Religion of Masked Murderers

Anyone seen my roadmap?

Seeds of Hate (Long Sown)

For LGF readers, there’s nothing new in this article about the sickening bigotry and hatred relentlessly drummed into the heads of Arab children: Seeds of Hate in Saudi Arabia. (Hat tip: Montaigne’s Cat.) I’ve been writing about this appalling situation ever since 9/11/2001; it’s taken the Washington Post a year and a half, but they’re finally noticing.

When will they take the next step, and realize that the mindless multi-culti credo that all religions are positive forces and that “Islam is a religion of peace” is a dangerous, deceptive smokescreen for a totalitarian world view? How can they continue to cling to the belief that it’s only a “small minority” of “radicals” that cause all the problems, when one of the largest, most prosperous (which isn’t saying much) Islamic nations in the world is indoctrinating their citizens with such virulent, uncompromising animosity?

In a country where 53 percent of the population is younger than 20, the first question Americans should ask is: What are Saudis learning and how does it affect their worldview? While Saudi Arabia is often portrayed as one of America's staunchest allies in the Muslim world, the sad truth is that the demonizing of Christians, Jews and the West is pervasive in official books used throughout the government-controlled school system.

The Saudi ruling family's priority should be to revise this tainted curriculum. We know the urgency of the problem. A study, co-sponsored by the American Jewish Committee, of the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Education books used in grades 1 through 10 reveals that Saudi children are taught intolerance and contempt for the West, Christians and Jews in subjects ranging from literature to math.

Children in the eighth grade learn in a geography book that "Islam replaced the former religions that preceded it" and that "a malicious Crusader-Jewish alliance is striving to eliminate Islam from all the continents." Christians and Jews are denounced as "infidels" and are presented as enemies of Islam and Muslims. Saudi schoolbooks implore Muslims not to befriend Christians or Jews, as in a ninth-grade jurisprudence schoolbook that states: "Emulation of the infidels leads to loving them, glorifying them and raising their status in the eyes of the Muslim, and that is forbidden."

Even grammar and math books are full of phrases exalting war, jihad and martyrdom. Saudi youth are educated to reject all notions of Western democracy. Saudis are instructed that the West is a "decaying society" on its way to extinction.

Teaching hatred is reprehensible under any circumstances. It is especially alarming when it forms an integral part of the school curriculum in a country long viewed as a close friend of the United States and regarded as the center of the Muslim world.

friday, june 06, 2003

No Solution

David Warren says the situation in the Middle East is Hopeless. And I’m very much afraid he’s right.

It is terminal. It doesn't matter whether Mr. Abbas is sincere in his promise to end the Intifadah, and pursue a negotiated settlement that will lead to the creation of a democratic and constitutional Palestinian state. He hasn't the power to deliver on it anyway. Others have the power, and entirely lack the will. The whole Palestinian society is in the hands of terrorists, and it doesn't matter how many individual Palestinians approve or disapprove. Those who may actually want peace with Israel have neither the leadership nor the physical means to defeat Hamas, Islami Jihad, Hizbollah, Fatah, or even their dancing-master, Yasser Arafat. And nothing short of a Palestinian civil war could possibly remove them.

That is the fuse, but the bomb must also be considered. The entire Arab world, and most of the Muslim beyond it, is too deeply and emotionally invested in that proxy war against Israel, to embrace what must be done to avoid the catastrophe, which I fear lies ahead. As we now learn, even King Abdullah of Jordan very nearly withdrew as host of the summit between Ariel Sharon, Mr. Abbas, and Mr. Bush. He is the best-disposed of all the Arab leaders towards a permanent peace acknowledging Israel's existence, within whatever borders and terms can be agreed. The political heat from below and around was nearly too much, even for him. It must quickly become too much.

Bus Bomb Kills 5 German Peacekeepers

A bomb has exploded in a bus carrying German peacekeepers in Kabul, Afghanistan: Bomb Hits Bus in Kabul, Kills Five.

The International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, bus was traveling from the airport toward eastern Kabul and driving near the city's customs house when the bomb exploded inside it, Kabul Police Chief Basir Salangi told The Associated Press.

"Some foreign people have died and some have been injured," Salangi said. He said he believed five or six people had been killed and about 11 wounded.

Gen. Abdul Raouf Taj, the police chief in District Nine of the Afghan capital, said he believed the bomb had exploded near the bus.

Maj. Sarah Wood, an ISAF spokeswoman, said there were casualties aboard the bus, "some of which we believed are ISAF," but she wouldn't say who or how many. "Our priority is to get them medical assistance as soon as possible," she said.

Will Iran Go Nuclear?

Tonight we have a new poll for the first time in months, thanks to a suggestion from Nathaniel Harari: Will Iran Go Nuclear?

Iran’s Nuclear Plans

Even the UN’s moribund nuclear agency is beginning to get vaguely worried about Iran’s nuclear aspirations: U.N. Says Iran Not Complying on Nuke Info. (Hat tip: Gary G.)

VIENNA, Austria - Iran has not fully disclosed the extent of its atomic program to the U.N. nuclear agency as required by international treaty, the agency said Friday as its inspectors left for Tehran.

The State Department found the International Atomic Energy Agency report and Iran's nuclear program deeply troubling, department spokesman Richard Boucher said in Washington.

The long-awaited report comes 10 days before the IAEA meets to discuss Iran's programs. The United States wants the IAEA to declare Iran in violation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty at the June 16 session.

A diplomat from an IAEA member country said the report indicated that Iran failed to declare the import of some nuclear material and its subsequent processing.

Another diplomat said Iran agreed to accept the inspection team to defuse accusations it was working on a nuclear program. Both diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity.

Still, the report was critical.

"Iran has failed to meet its obligations under its safeguards agreement with respect to the reporting of nuclear material, the subsequent processing and use of that material and the declaration of facilities where that material was stored and processed," the first diplomat quoted the report as saying.

Iran, however, has said it is complying with IAEA rules and has no plans to make a bomb.

Uh huh. No plans.

If you believe that, I have a palace overlooking the Tigris I’d like to sell you.

Meanwhile, our vodka-swilling pals in Russia say they’re going to keep helping Iran build nuclear plants—no matter what. (Hat tip: NC.)

Moscow vowed yesterday to continue its nuclear assistance to Iran even if Tehran rejects the tougher international inspections demanded by the United States, as a senior foreign policy adviser to President Vladimir Putin brushed aside U.S. criticisms of the Russian program.

"We genuinely do not understand what the Americans want from us," said Dmitry Rogozin, the influential chairman of the Russian State Duma's committee on international affairs, in an interview yesterday at the start of a visit to Washington.

Arguing that Russia would be a primary target if Iran did acquire nuclear weapons, Mr. Rogozin said, "We are not so insane as to set up a time bomb under our own chairs."

The Head of the Snake

Immediately before President Bush’s summit meeting with Ariel Sharon and Abu Mazen in Jordan, the Palestinian Authority daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida published an insanely vicious attack on Bush and the United States by PA Deputy Foreign Minister 'Adli Sadeq.

"The Arab-American summit is convening today with the participation of the head of the snake of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and the head of the snake of the American oppression against both the Palestinians and the Arabs. It could be that the arrival of the head of the snake will become an additional opportunity for the [representatives] of the Arab regimes who are present [at the summit], to realize that appeasing the U.S. and acquiescing to it will not benefit them or their peoples ... "

"This Bush is landing in Sharm El-Sheikh with demonstrated arrogance, as if he accomplished a 'victory of the brave' in Iraq. [But] logic and reason say that he is no hero and that he is not among the courageous victors in true battles between equals. On the other hand, the simple Iraqis waged battles in remote villages, at the gates of their cities and deserts, to defend their country, not heeding the oppression, the tyranny, and the suffering that they endured at the hands of a backward and repressive 'familial' regime [i.e. Saddam and his sons], as well as the lack of [the] balance of power [compared to the U.S.] and the amounts of ammunition fired on their cities and population centers." ...

"The paradox is that Bush will present himself at the Sharm El-Sheikh summit as one who has the ultimate goal of fighting terrorism, and all [the Arab representatives] will agree among themselves – one way or another – that their strategies had not been shaped to serve the building of an American empire, with imperialistic goals disguised as a war on terrorism ... Bush will find no one to tell him openly that the American policy will lead to disaster and that it is the source of vengeance which led some young Arabs and Muslims to explode. As long as the Arab regimes obey Washington for no good reason, and as long as Washington endorses criminal acts and aggression against [other] nations' honor and resources – the terror will not cease and America will not be able to eradicate it ... "

"We envy Bush's ability to land arrogantly on any Arab land, while he is [the] head of the snake of the despicable invasion snake in Iraq ... He triumphed only because of betrayal within Saddam's [military] command ... and even that happened after two weeks of strong resistance from Iraqis who had only rusted weapons in their hands." ...

"We have no doubt that Bush will use intimidation tactics against the Arab regimes and that he will put his full weight in favor of repressive solutions to every problem. It would have been better and more rational for the Arab representatives in Sharm El-Sheikh to make an effort to convince him that he is the one who should fear, and that they are the ones who should frighten him. It is he who should fear the future, because his experience in Iraq is not bright and America is sinking deeper and deeper in a putrid swamp, and will extricate itself from it only as a defeated, stinking loser ... "

Sounds a lot like loonblogger Hesiod.

Krauthammer: Let's Be Plain

Charles Krauthammer seems to be just as confused and unhappy about the Bush administration’s apparent coddling of Arab tyrants as I am—and just as pessimistic about the “roadmap to Murderville:” Shades of Oslo. (Hat tip: EE.)

Let's be plain about what happened at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The president of the United States put his prestige on the line for the sake of Arab-Israeli peace and the Arab states gave him nothing. They refused to endorse Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. They spoke of their opposition to "terrorism," even as they repeatedly present their own publics with the most elaborate intellectual and religious justifications of why the killing of Jews in "Palestine" is "resistance" and not terrorism.

They did not take a single concrete action, not even a gesture, toward Israel. Egypt did not offer to return its ambassador to Israel. The Saudis threatened a boycott if Israel was even invited. And most important, the Arab states refused what Bush most desperately wanted: explicit endorsement of the American view that Yasser Arafat's time had come and passed.

That would have been crucial in elevating Mahmoud Abbas, who appears to want to make peace. What did Bush do? What American presidents always do in response to such rebuffs: smile politely and say thank you.

WaPo Whitewashes Freeman

Here are two copies of the same Associated Press release about Sultaana Freeman, both carrying the same writer’s byline (Mike Branom), but with an interesting difference. (Hat tip: Steven Zak.)

First, from the Miami Herald: Judge: Woman Can't Wear Veil in ID Photo.

Then, from the Washington Post: Muslim Woman Cannot Wear Veil in Driver's License Photo.

The difference: the Washington Post version removes all reference to Freeman’s criminal background.

Hmmm.

If You Got a Message That You're Blocked...

...it's because I had to block an entire range of IP addresses today to shut out a particularly obnoxious troll. Sorry for the inconvenience, but it should be a temporary thing.

Plane Crashes in Apartment Building

Breaking News: a small plane has crashed into an apartment building near Fairfax High School in Los Angeles...

History's Twists and Turns

An excellent op-ed piece by Diana West on History's twists and turns.

Rather abruptly, it seems, the reluctance to endorse a Palestinian state has become the minority view in the Israeli government. This may also be the case in the United States, where it used to be that any politician who even touched on the statehood concept found himself sparking the third rail of politics. It wasn't so very long ago that Hillary Clinton, for example, who funnelled grant money to branches of the PLO in the 1980s, caused a ruckus by calling for a Palestinian state, later going so far as to dig up a Jewish relative (by marriage) to calm a cheek-kissing furor involving Yasser Arafat's wife Suha. Now, the United States is committed to President Bush's vision of "the state of Palestine and the state of Israel, living at peace with each other and with every nation in the Middle East." Now, Mrs. Clinton would probably let sleeping relatives lie.

What changed? Certainly, American sympathy for Israel continues to run high; and certainly, Palestinians haven't fulfilled the conditions for American support that President Bush laid out last June, such as ending incitement or dismantling the terrorist infrastructure. What is different now, I fear, is that the world sees Palestinian terrorism, including suicide terrorism, in a new light.

Left Wing Idiot Can't Read

This guy—cdavies.org—is promoting a lie about my referrers script, claiming that it has a security hole that would allow people to insert Javascript code in the referrers list.

C. Davies is an insulting moron who didn't even bother to examine the code fully before calling me a "right wing nut who can't code." The script, as provided in my scripts download section in the left sidebar of this page, has no such flaw.

This entry is to reassure anyone who is using my script: cdavies.org is completely full of fragrant, low grade scheisse. The script is safe.

UPDATE: If you have any questions, please download the latest version of the script here.

Life in Israel

From LGF reader Lizzy, here’s a glimpse into the reality of living in Israel—under constant threat of murder from the gangs of marauding terrorist thugs who live right next door:

----------------------------------

Hag Semeach to all. Today I was in downtown Jerusalem with my husband and two daughters. Eden, my eldest, had her bat mitzvah money, and just bought herself a huge stuffed dog, which she was walking along and cuddling. We stopped for lunch to get a falafel, and we should have been having a lovely time out, enjoying each others company before the holiday came in.

Suddenly Eden asked how we were getting home. "On the 18 bus," I told her. My poor big brave bat mitzvah girl started crying, "Please please please lets take a taxi, there are too many terrorist attack warnings today, and I'm scared. I don't want us to all die!"

My poor little girls; all the poor israeli kids here. I tried explaining to her that we are all scared, but we can't give in to it, we have to overcome the fear, we have to live our lives, there are more car accidents than terrorist attacks, etc., blah blah blah...

This talk usually works, but the kids are just in a frazzle already from it all.

My words just sounded so hollow. I was wondering, where else in the world do you have to tell your 12 and 8 year old kids they have to be brave about taking a chance on the bus not blowing up?

In the end, we did take a taxi.

We are just so bone weary, exhausted. Please god -- I just want some form of peace already...

EUroweenie Silliness Reaches New Height

The unelected bureaucrats of the European Union are now taking away children’s playground equipment in Great Britain: EU give swings the push. (Hat tip: ploome.)

The three swings were erected more than 25 years ago. Kids playing on them have suffered nothing worse than a grazed knee ever since.

But now Brussels bureaucrats have introduced a new maximum height order for swings throughout the UK.

The EU edict, European Standard BS EN 11 76, states the height of children’s swings must be no more than three metres (9ft 10ins).

The set at the park in Great Somerford, Wilts, are 60cm (2ft) over the limit.

The directive also includes a mind-boggling set of other rules including the distance from the seats to the frame and to the ground.

The Great Somerford swings were condemned during a routine inspection by playground equipment firm Wicksteed Leisure last month.

Now the seats have been removed to stop kids using the swings and a notice has gone up explaining why.

Outrage of the Day

The owner of the sick Islamist propaganda site Jihad Unspun (no link) is using Cafe Press to market a line of merchandise featuring terrorist murderers like Osama Bin Laden—and it includes baby clothing: Welcome to JUS Gear, you source of unique gear! (Hat tip: Ben.)

I’m going to complain strongly to Cafe Press about this, and urge all LGF readers to do likewise. This is unacceptable.

UPDATE: Here’s the contact page at Cafe Press.

UPDATE: Here’s the Osama Bin Laden bib:

Radical Islam Loses One in Florida

After three days of listening to whining about “religious freedom,” the judge in the Sultaana Freeman case has ruled that she cannot wear a black sack over her face in her driver’s license photograph.

Muslim Charities Sue Terrorist Hunter

Last month we had an entry about a woman who tracks down terrorists and their supporting organizations, who goes by the name of Sarah.

Today the Washington Post reports that a group of Muslim “charities” (currently under investigation for ties to terror gangs) is suing CBS and a woman they say is “Sarah:” CBS Sued Over '60 Minutes' Report. (Hat tip: speedster.)

The plaintiffs in the case are two charities based in Herndon that are part of a large cluster of Muslim foundations, companies and think tanks based in Northern Virginia that are under federal investigation for alleged ties to radical Muslim activists in Europe and Florida.

Like the other organizations in this constellation of groups, the two charities that filed suit -- Heritage Education Trust and Safa Trust -- are generally known as moderate and patriotic outfits, and deny ties to terrorism.

"60 Minutes" quoted "Sarah" saying the network of groups in Herndon is "the heart of a terrorist financing ring."

In the book and on television, "Anonymous" and "Sarah" describe how she persuaded federal agents to investigate the groups, sometimes collectively called the Saar network for the name of another of the groups under investigation. She also told of engaging in dumpster-diving outside their Herndon offices to retrieve documents. That led to the charge of trespassing in the suit filed yesterday.

Pipeline of Hatred

Here’s a terrific Flash presentation on radical Islam’s present day exploitation of an ancient plague: Anti-Semitism: Pipeline of Hatred.

Remembering D-Day

On this day in 1944, one of the largest invasion forces ever assembled landed on the beach at Normandy, beginning the assault on Hitler’s “Fortress Europe.”

Please take a moment to honor the memory of the many brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives that day.

Here’s a riveting, horrifying account of the chaos and blood and death that these men endured, so that we could continue to live as free human beings: First Wave at Omaha Beach. Never forget.

The Old Game

It’s Friday and you know what that means—another great read from Victor Davis Hanson: The Old Game.

If I had been a terrorist in the 1980s and 1990s, I would have sized up the rules of the contest something like this. Kill or take hostages at no more than ten or so Americans at a clip, about every other year. Big operations — like killing hundreds of Marines in Beirut or taking embassy hostages in Teheran or blowing a crater in the USS Cole — would be possible, but only if they were cloaked in general Muslim radicalism and purportedly independent of state sanction. Or, such mayhem could be carried out on the home soil of an Islamic state without much law and order, ensuring that American reprisals would not be deemed logical by strict cost-benefit analysis. The aim, of course, would be something like a perpetual series of smaller Vietnams — Mogadishus and Haitis where Americans threw up their hands, withdrew, and allowed killers and thugs to drop the pretense of political reform and simply take over. At worst, retaliation might involve a battleship salvo or a few dozen cruise missiles — usually a minor irritant and sometimes valuable for publicity purposes if there were enough collateral civilian damage.

Gun in One Hand, Koran in the Other

Hamas Bails on Talks

Abdel Aziz Rantisi, the Pediatrician of Death and leader of Hamas, has walked out of talks with Holocaust denier Abu Mazen, preferring instead to continue slaughtering Jews. (Hat tip: Henry S.)

"He does not represent us," said Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a senior Hamas official, "And we refuse to meet with him because there is no point in doing so." Rantisi accused Abbas of forfeiting Palestinian rights and called for him to resign.

He called the 'road map' the greatest danger for Palestinians and stressed that his organization is unwilling to give up the Palestinian "right of return", an Islamic Palestine, Jerusalem, and release of prisoners.

thursday, june 05, 2003

A Rachel Corrie Wannabe

The terror enablers continue their increasingly desperate, increasingly disgusting efforts to turn Rachel Corrie into a heroic martyr:

A passer-by wheels his stroller around Rachel Perrotta a Jewish activist of Chicago lies on the sidewalk outside the Israeli consulate in Chicago, Thursday, June 5, 2003, as she portrays the death of Rachel Corrie who died after being run over by a bulldozer during a protest in Israel. The group was at the consulate to protest the on the anniversary of the 36th year of the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza by Israel.

And the Associated Press continues to promote the blatant lie that Corrie was run over by a bulldozer.

These useful idiots forgot to build mockups of the Egyptian weapons smuggling tunnels that Corrie was trying to protect.

Anyone want to portray this scene from Rachel Corrie’s short, misguided life?

UPDATE: Here’s another view of this deceptive little propaganda play.

If You Ran the New York Times

Roger Simon asks: if you had the god-like power to choose the New York Times weekly op-ed columnist, who would you pick ? My choices: Victor Davis Hanson and/or Mark Steyn.

Peaceful Religion Watch

Last Friday, May 30, the spiritual leaders of the Islamic world spewed an astonishing amount of hatred and bigotry in their weekly khutba (sermons) in the holiest mosques of Islam, as they do week after week, year after year—and it was all broadcast live on the official television stations of the Arab world, reaching an audience of many millions.

From the Grand Mosque in Sanaa, Yemen:

Shaykh Ahmad Abd-al-Razzaq al-Ruqayhi delivers the sermon, in which he urges worshippers to ponder their daily actions and seek God's pardon and mercy for their sins. He says that despite the tragedies that have befallen them, Muslims have not changed. The imam alludes to "the seizure of Palestine by Jews and of Iraq by the United States and Britain" as disasters. Nevertheless, he says, Muslims have not returned to God and corrected their behavior. The imam urges Muslims to learn the lessons of these disasters and return to God.

The imam concludes with a prayer to God to deal with the "tyrannical enemies." He prays: "O Lord, Support whoever supports religion and humble whoever humbles Muslims. O Lord, deal with your enemies, the enemies of religion, including infidels, atheists, Americans, British, and others. Shake the land under their feet, kill them one by one and leave no one alive."

At the martyr King Abdallah I mosque in Amman, Jordan, the sheikh was on his best behavior, probably because George Bush was due to visit in a few days ... but the paranoia still crept out:

The imam says that unity is strength and disunity is weakness. This is why, he adds, enemies exploit our differences. He calls on worshippers to hold on to the tether of God and not to disperse. He also says that Muslims are in dire need of unity. He cites verses from the Koran and traditions from the Hadith emphasizing Islamic unity.

The enemies ... they’re everywhere! Get ’em off me!

Even in Jordan, though, the sheikh asked Allah’s blessing on the mujahidin—the holy warriors of Islam:

The imam concludes with a general prayer for pardon, mercy, and salvation for Muslims. He also prays to God to unite Muslims and support the "mujahidin" everywhere.

“Everywhere.”

At the Tariq Bin-Ziyad mosque in Syria, the Mufti of Damascus also asked Allah to help the holy warriors in “Palestine and everywhere:”

"O Lord, whoever wishes Muslim well make him successful, and whoever wishes them otherwise, deal with him and make him a lesson to others. O Lord, support our brother mujahidin in Palestine and everywhere. O Lord, support and help our brothers in Iraq."

At the very center of Islam, the Holy Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the paranoia was raging:

The imam also says that the nation needs to protect the young generation from any "alien ideology," which leads to "extremism and alienation of society." He calls for "giving special attention to youth affairs in order to build a generation that believes in religion, the nation, and its resources."

The imam says that men of religion have a duty to guide the young, "especially in these times in which they are influenced by deviate ideas and alien doctrines."

The imam continues with the same theme in the second sermon. He condemns what he terms the "serpents" that have exploited the recent incidents to "spit their venom" by harming the Islamic religion, ridiculing the pious, and blaming the school curricula and religious and welfare institutions. He warns against any attempts to create sedition and divisions within the nation.

The imam concludes with a prayer to God to support Islam and Muslims, humble infidelity and infidels, destroy the enemies of religion, and make this and other Muslim countries safe and secure. He prays: "O Lord, make us safe in our countries, guide our imams and rulers, and support our imam and ruler." He also prays: "O Lord, support our brother mujahidin for your sake everywhere. O Lord, support them in Palestine. O Lord, deal with the aggressor Jews and sinful Zionists. O Lord, deal with them for they are within Your power. O Lord, deal with the enemies of religion and show us the miracles of Your power on them."

The most virulent hatred, of course, was on display in the Al-Aqsa Mosque of the Palestinian Authority, where the imam denied all Jewish claims to the city of Jerusalem in a bizarre apocalyptic rant:

"Do the Israeli officials want to cancel a period of 15 centuries of a prosperous Islamic rule of the city?" He says: "The City of Jerusalem with its two parts is also not subject to negotiations from the Islamic viewpoint. Why? Because it is the land of the night journey and ascension to the heavens and because it is the earth's gateway to heaven." He adds: "It is an Islamic endowment that cannot be for sale, purchase, or negotiation. Last but not least, the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque is located in the heart of this pure, blessed, and holy city. Therefore, the City of Jerusalem is too sublime to be subject to negotiations. Our legitimate right is crystal clear. This right will continue no matter how long it takes until God inherits the earth and all that is on it."

The mufti says: "Jerusalem institutions must coordinate and cooperate with one another in order to face the Judaization process. Those concerned in the Arab and Islamic World must assign an adequate budget for these institutions so that they can continue their health care, educational, social, and humanitarian services and protect the lands in Jerusalem. This does not exempt the rulers and kings in the Islamic World of their big responsibility to work earnestly toward ending the Israeli occupation of this holy city and all Palestinian territories. We affirm that the people of Jerusalem and its vicinity hold to their unshakable religious stand until final destiny."

Tell me again about the “roadmap to peace.”

Arafish Says...

The Mole Man is Dead

Stefan Sharkansky reports that antisemitic German politician Jürgen W. Möllemann is dead, following a bizarre parachuting accident/suicide. Stefan has been following the strange career of this strange man for some time; see The Jürgen W. Möllemann File for the story.

Weasels Get One

Moroccan Arrested in France Over Sept 11 Attacks. (Hat tip: Merde in France.)

PARIS (Reuters) - A Moroccan man wanted in connection with the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States has been arrested in France, a judicial source said on Thursday.

Karim Mehdi, 34, was arrested Sunday. Thursday he was put under official investigation -- one step short of pressing charges in France -- for "participation in an association of criminals linked to terrorist activities."

The source said Mehdi was suspected of being connected to an al Qaeda cell in Hamburg, Germany, which is accused of planning the attacks. The cell also included Mohamed Atta, who U.S. authorities say piloted one of the two planes that crashed into the World Trade Center.

Mehdi, the first person to be arrested in France in an investigation into the attacks, was seized at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport after arriving on a flight from Germany, the source said. He was waiting to fly on to the French-ruled Indian Ocean island of La Reunion.

Iraqi Arrested for Toxic Letters

An Iraqi man has been arrested in connection with the toxic letters case we wrote about yesterday. (Hat tip: Robert Crawford.)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian prosecutors said on Thursday they had detained a man of Iraqi nationality after a series of letters containing a nerve gas ingredient were sent to the prime minister's office and the U.S. and British embassies.

A spokeswoman for the federal prosecutor's office told a news conference the 45-year-old man was arrested late on Wednesday in the western Belgian town of Deinze.

Two postal workers were taken to hospital after being exposed to the chemicals in the letters at mail depots.

No one else was hurt by the 10 letters sent to a variety of targets, including a court trying al Qaeda suspects in Brussels, the Saudi Arabian embassy, three ministries, an airport and a port authority. The letters were received on Wednesday.

The brownish-yellow powder contained phenarsazine chloride, an arsenic derivative used in nerve gas, as well as hydrazine, an agent used as a rocket propellant, the Health Ministry said. Both substances are also found in pesticides.

The Guardian Story Gets Worse

The Guardian’s lie about Paul Wolfowitz was even more egregious and disgraceful than it first appeared—because the accurate quote from Wolfowitz was published on their own web site last weekend, in a context that makes it unmistakably clear what Wolfowitz was saying: U.S. to Put Economic Pressure on N. Korea.

North Korea would respond to economic pressure, unlike Iraq, where military action was necessary because the country's oil money was propping up the regime, Wolfowitz told delegates at the second annual Asia Security Conference in Singapore.

“The country is teetering on the edge of economic collapse,” Wolfowitz said. “That I believe is a major point of leverage.”

“The primary difference between North Korea and Iraq is that we had virtually no economic options in Iraq because the country floats on a sea of oil,” he said.

40 Taliban Creeps Die

In a 7-hour battle near the Pakistan border in Afghanistan, up to 40 Taliban freakazoids have been rendered harmless.

Florida Muslims Whine, Seethe

Here’s an update on the case of Sultaana Freeman, the convicted child batterer who wants to have her driver’s license photograph taken while wearing a black sack over her face: S. Floridians split on whether Muslim woman should unveil for license photo. (Hat tip: Brenda Walker.)

To start with, the headline is completely misleading. South Floridian Muslims are split over the issue; but the reader poll on that page shows 94.3% opposed to this insanity.

But the really outrageous quote in this article is from Ibrahim Dremali, the imam of the Islamic Center of Boca Raton, who whines:

Ibrahim Dremali, spiritual leader of the Islamic Center of Boca Raton, interprets the same Quranic verses to require all women, not just the prophet's wives, to cover their faces as well as their hair. Still, he cautioned convert Marie Hernandez about her decision to cover her face in the current environment. His own wife stopped veiling her face after persistent public harassment after Sept. 11, 2001.

Dremali said he expects the court to rule against Freeman "because we don't have rights anymore as Muslims in this country."

If it’s so awful for this creep in the United States, may I suggest that he move to somewhere like Iran or Egypt, where he will no doubt find those “rights” that are so sadly lacking in this country?

By the way, we’ve noted this guy Dremali before at LGF; in October of 2000 he ...

... spoke at a rally where Israeli flags were burned and slogans, such as “With jihad we'll claim our land, Zionist blood will wet the sand,” were shouted. Dremali told the crowd “not to be sad for those who were martyred and to not be afraid to die for what they believe in.”

The Community of the Disobedient

Steven Zak has a good article at Israel Insider about Susan Sontag’s morally confused, nihilistic paean to terror enabler Rachel Corrie: The community of the disobedient.

Corrie was acting on behalf of the radical Arab-led International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a group dedicated to "resistance" against "the occupation of Palestine." In her diary, Corrie writes sympathetically of the killing of Israelis by Arab terrorists. "[T]ry to imagine, please," she gushes, "the courage it requires."

Sontag likewise romanticizes courage, narrowly defined as taking risks to oppose civilized society -- "to defy the wisdom of the tribe."

"Let us start with risk," she says. "The risk of being punished. The risk of being isolated." The risk of being in continual opposition. Sontag laments that for some, "alienation or dissidence is not your habitual or gratifying posture." For her, by contrast, such a posture is the greatest good. Not as a means but for its own sake. "At the center of our moral life," she writes, are "the great stories of those who have said no."

In her worldview, then, society -- not by its nature but by definition -- is a force to be renounced. "Generally," she says, "a moral principle is something that puts one at variance with accepted practice." Again: To be moral is to disaffirm what others value.

Even nihilists, though, must convince themselves that they are something more. Their main tool is the selective accounting of facts. And so Sontag condemns Israel as a country in crisis "brought about by the policy of steadily increasing and reinforcing settlements on the territories won after its victory in the Arab-Israeli war of 1967." That Arab aggression brought about that and other wars -- unprovoked by any "settlements" -- is beside the point. The point is oppugnance. Israel has faced life and said yes; Sontag must find reason to say no.

Children Buried Alive in Iraq

On Tuesday we noted the discovery of a mass grave in northern Iraq containing the remains of 200 children. Today, KurdishMedia News reports that the children were buried alive. (Hat tip: Laurence Simon.)

Guardian Admits Their Lie

LGF reader Marc forwarded this email from the Guardian, about their outrageous distortion of Paul Wolfowitz’s remarks:

"A report which was posted on our website on June 4 under the heading "Wolfowitz: Iraq war was about oil" misconstrued remarks made by the US deputy defence secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, making it appear that he had said that oil was the main reason for going to war in Iraq. He did not say that.

He said, "The most important difference betwen North Korea and Iraq is that economically we just had no choice in Iraq. The country swims on a sea of oil."

The sense was that the US had no economic options by means of which to achieve its objectives, not that the economic value of the oil motivated the war. The report appeared only on the website and has now been removed."

UPDATE: The same retraction is now posted on the front page of their web site: Guardian Unlimited.

UPDATE: Well, that was quick. The retraction printed above has already been removed from the Guardian’s front page. A little too embarrassing, was it?

STILL ANOTHER UPDATE: Here’s the retraction, on the Guardian’s Corrections and clarifications page.

Pushing the Bias Button

An excellent article by John Leo looks at CAIR’s insidious, dishonest focus on wildly exaggerated claims of “hate crimes” against Muslims: Pushing the Bias Button. (Hat tip: William.)

Every now and then a Muslim spokesman slips and admits that the numbers aren't grave. When the executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, Salam al-Marayati, testified before the California State Senate in May, he noted that fewer hate crimes against American Muslims were reported during this year's war in Iraq than during the 1991 Gulf War. Good news. But by the end of his testimony, he was back on message, claiming that "Anti-Muslim bias is a systemic disease of our culture today."

Why do CAIR and other groups push the "bias" button so hard? Well, the victim stance works. It attracts press attention and has made the "bias against Muslims" article a staple of big-city dailies. It encourages Muslims to feel angry and non-Muslims to feel guilty. It raises a great deal of money, garners a lot of TV time, and gets the attention of Congress. And by pre-positioning all future criticism as bias, it tends to intimidate or silence even the most sensible critics. From a lobbying point of view, who would want to give up a set of advantages like this?

I have an answer right here: anybody who thinks the future is more important than strumming the same old bias guitar for several more years. The obsession with bigotry is delaying the honest discussion Muslims have to have with non-Muslims in America. Here's one conversational topic: In light of the threat from Islamist terrorists, what kind of heightened scrutiny of Muslims in America is appropriate and fair? By insisting that all such heightened scrutiny is illegitimate "racial profiling," the Muslim lobby and its allies have in effect banned rational discussion. In response, the government has opted for a broad policy of hypocrisy, denouncing racial profiling in public while encouraging it among workers who have the job of guarding against terrorism. Officially, it is committed to the notion that a Swedish nun is as likely to set off a bomb as a young male visitor from Iran.

Death Cult Photo Album

Howell Raines Resigns!

Breaking News: Executive editor of the New York Times Howell Raines has resigned!

The Lie About Wolfowitz

I just turned on the radio in my office, and the first thing I heard was clueless idiot Ken Minyard (local LA radio “personality”) repeating the lie about Paul Wolfowitz’s “swimming on a sea of oil” statement from the Guardian. (If you haven’t read the truth about what Wolfowitz said, see this entry for the details.)

I don’t even want to look at the New York Times today. I just know what I’m going to find.

wednesday, june 04, 2003

Religion of Suicide Bombers

The Islamic Jihad suicide bombers-in-waiting, with the blessings of their families and spiritual leaders, are getting anxious to slaughter Jews. As many Jews as possible.

GAZA (Reuters) - Ever since Abu Mujahed abandoned his university studies to join the ranks of Muslim militants, he has been preparing to die.

Now, after being selected to carry out a suicide bombing for the radical Islamic Jihad faction, the soft-spoken 30-year-old Palestinian hopes he won't have much longer to wait.

"God willing, I will use my body to make a perfect explosion and kill as many Israelis as possible," he said as he sipped sweet tea in an unmarked office in Gaza City. ...

Recruited in the mid-1990s, he underwent lengthy spiritual and military training before joining the ranks of "living martyrs," or bombers-in-waiting. They are rarely seen in public except as masked, white-clad cadres marching beside the coffins of their dead comrades.

Islamic Jihad, dedicated to destroying Israel and replacing it with an Iranian-style Islamic republic, divides its fighters into underground cells of four to five operatives who receive their instructions through secret channels.

"We each have our own (explosive) vest so we can be ready when the order is given," said Abu Mujahed at a secretly arranged meeting in central Gaza.

Like his brethren, he has accepted the preachings of Muslim clerics that a martyr -- one who dies in the act of "jihad," or holy war -- will be rewarded with an instant ticket to paradise.

That has proved so tempting that Islamic Jihad leaders say they have had to turn away volunteers. "It is the dream of every youth to undertake a martyrdom operation to make the Israelis pay dearly for their aggression," Abu Mujahed said.

Like many of the new generation of bombers, he has more in common with the hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States than with the stereotypical profile of poor, desperate young men with nothing to lose.

He is a father of eight, well educated with a middle-class background and has even taken the unusual step of letting his family in on his plans. "They are proud of me," he said.

Gaahh! My Eyes!

Here’s a Windows Media video from reader Channy A. that may traumatize you for life, showing the world’s oldest terrorist getting some good, good lovin’ from the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem. I’m sorry to do this to you.

Fark Free-for-All

Someone at FARK.com linked to our entry about Paul Wolfowitz being misquoted by the Guardian. It’s pretty funny that someone posting a comment at “FARK.COM” would say this:

Well it's good we're getting the REAL STORY from a LEGITIMATE, REPUTABLE source like "LITTLE GREEN FOOTBALLS!!!"

I may turn off comments tonight.

UPDATE: and here’s a good illustration of why I think it might be best to turn off comments in a little while—a lovely email:

Wolfowitz is a Zionist coc*sucker and ought to be forced out of the country for the good of the nation.

He and his cabal of chickenhawk neocons are running us into the ground for NO VITAL AMERICAN INTEREST and are treasonous bastards of the lowest kind. Vile, ruthless Zio-nazi scum.

Interview with the Beheader

Saudi Arabia lives in a 7th century time warp, and they’re proud of it: Kingdom's Leading Executioner Says: 'I Lead a Normal Life.'

“Despite the fact that I hate violence against women, when it comes to God’s will, I have to carry it out.”

There is no great difference between executing men and women, except that the women wear hijab, and nobody is allowed near them except Al-Beshi himself when the time for execution comes.

When executing women he will use either gun or sword. “It depends what they ask me to use. Sometimes they ask me to use a sword and sometimes a gun. But most of the time I use the sword,” he adds.

As an experienced executioner, 42-year-old Al-Beshi is entrusted with the task of training the young. “I successfully trained my son Musaed, 22, as an executioner and he was approved and chosen,” he says proudly. Training focuses on the way to hold the sword and where to hit, and is mostly through observing the executioner at work.

An executioner’s life, of course, is not all killing. Sometimes it can be amputation of hands and legs. “I use a special sharp knife, not a sword,” he explains. “When I cut off a hand I cut it from the joint. If it is a leg the authorities specify where it is to be taken off, so I follow that.”

Al-Beshi describes himself as a family man. Married before he became an executioner, his wife did not object to his chosen profession. “She only asked me to think carefully before committing myself,” he recalls. “But I don’t think she’s afraid of me,” he smiles. “I deal with my family with kindness and love. They aren’t afraid when I come back from an execution. Sometimes they help me clean my sword.”

For the Sake of the Peace Process

Caroline Glick puts her finger on the lie at the heart of the “roadmap:” For the Sake of the Peace Process.

There is no doubt that President Bush means well in his efforts. His genuine hope for peace in the Middle East literally dripped from every word he uttered on Wednesday. And yet, like all his predecessors, he is doomed to fail in his mission because, like them, he is basing his policy on a lie.

That lie that Israel has done something to warrant Arab rejectionism and aggression is necessary if one wishes to continue to truck with Arab autocracies whose subjects continue to engage in virulent hatred of everything the US stands for including its friendship with the Jewish state.

For the sake of the peace process, it is much easier to find a Jewish scapegoat on which to pin the blame for Arab and Muslim rejection of Israel.

And so the settlements in the long term and the outposts in the immediate term are singled out. It is far easier to demonize agronomists and rabbis than deal with the single-minded hatred of the Arab world.

American Gigolo