OUR MOMENTS Posted by Paula R. Stern, October 16, 2005.

The holiday of Sukkot is a yearly event that reminds us of the fragility of life. We make ourselves vulnerable, a reminder of how small we are in the universe. The stars above us through the night and the sun beating down on us during the day remind us that life is about the moment. Yesterday we had a home, today we dwell in a hut. Tomorrow is hours away. Sukkot is about this moment. There's a before and after to many things in life. Moments that change your life forever, there's just no going back. Sometimes you recognize them as they are happening, sometimes you know even before, and sometimes you can't even anticipate the effect something will have until you realize how different things suddenly have become. There are personal moments and national moments that touch our lives and form the people and nation we have become. The plane ride to Israel when I moved here more than a decade ago lasted many hours, but at some point deep over the Atlantic as my sons dozed nearby, it became clear to me that my life had changed. It was a personal moment that enabled me to finally become the Israeli I had longed to be and at the same time leave behind another part of my identity that never quite fit. All the years that have followed have simply reinforced what I felt the moment my feet touched the ground. This is my Israel, my country. I love this land, this people, this state and will never love another. This is my home and I have no other. A newly-freed Natan Sharansky walking across the bridge to freedom and the Jewish passengers of a hijacked Air France plane arriving back in Israel from Entebbe were national moments that told the world that Israel is a place of refuge for all Jews. In a world that pays lip service to attacks on Jews, their cemeteries, schools and synagogues, Israel offers safety and protection. Poland was another of those mind-altering personal experiences. There's the person I was before I walked into a gas chamber for the first time in Maidanek, and the person I became as I emerged, reborn, more aware of what "they" had tried to do to "us," and forever aware of what we had survived. Chelmno, Treblinka, Auschwitz, the cemeteries and synagogues all reinforced what I learned in the moments I stood inside that first small room knowing I stood in the exact spot where so many had died. When Israel sent jet fighters to bomb the Iraqi nuclear plant in 1981, we experienced another national moment of pride. It would take the world another 10 years to realize and deal with the danger Saddam Hussein had become to his people and to the world, to recognize that Israel had done the world a great favor by preventing Iraq from developing nuclear power and so that moment was ours alone to savor. We taught the world and ourselves that we will protect ourselves and not rely on others. The first time they announced that we should open the gas masks and try them on preceding the US invasion of Iraq, was another personal moment, one I shared with every parent in Israel. It was a moment we each suffered together, and yet alone. I watched as my older sons brought the younger children down from their beds and tried to coax them to try the masks on. There is something about seeing your child with a gas mask on that forever redefines what you are willing to endure for something in which you believe. They will not drive me from my land, though they may try. They will not make us run. The first time I went to the Western Wall during the Priestly Blessing and stood among tens of thousands of people listening to hundreds, if not thousands of descendents of the tribe of Levi reciting the ancient blessing for the people, I knew that I was forever part of the Jewish people. We stood as one, heard as one, and were united. The Disengagement process, the orange campaign, Kfar Maimon, soldiers and settler praying and crying together, and finally the rubble and the desecrated synagogues were also life altering moments for our nation. These moments taught us that despite the unity we thought there was, we are still divided in many fundamental ways. And tonight, as my daughter and I decorated our Sukkah in preparation for the holiday, I turned on the radio only to hear the ominous interview between the broadcaster and a hospital representative. I've heard it so many times in the last five years, and yet each time, the dread is new, the anxiety, the pain, the anger. This is a moment for which there is no preparation even though we know what moments are to follow. In the end, three young lives were taken tonight, several others severely injured in the latest attack by Abu Mazen's Fatah movement. This terrorist attack yet again reminds us of how fragile our lives really are. Young people standing at a bus station, perhaps on their way home to waiting families. They will not celebrate the holiday; they will not sit in a Sukkah with their families. For them, there will be not more personal moments. Instead, there will be funerals and mourning, the lives of their families forever changed in an instance, no going back. A sukkah is a temporary dwelling, fragile and open to the elements. It is the ultimate test of our trust and faith. We leave the comfort and safety of our fortified homes to dwell below bamboo and tree branches. Despite its proximity to Yom Kippur, a solemn day of fasting, Sukkot is a holiday of joy, a celebration of the rainy season soon to come and the harvest. It is the beginning, a new chance at life after the long and dry summer. No matter what happens to us as a people, no matter how many terrorist attacks, how many missiles, how many times outside forces attempt to stop us, we remain in our land. We remain united, despite that which divides us. We remain strong, despite that which weakens us. Israel, in a very real sense, represents a Sukkah for the Jewish people. What protection we have from those who would do us harm, can be found in the strengths and the will of this nation. Israel protects us and brings us joy and we must protect Israel. Tomorrow night as we sit in our sukkah, let us remember that we are the sum total of the moments in our individual lives and the lives of our country. These moments determine our strengths and our weaknesses, our unity and our division, our births, our lives and ultimately, our losses. What enables us to survive the horrors of the Holocaust, the threats from Saddam Hussein, terror attack after terror attack, and the sacrifices we have forced upon our own people, will ultimately unite us for the battles that are to come. Paula R. Stern is a freelance journalist and the founder and documentation manager of WritePoint, a technical writing company, based in Israel. Her personal website is: www.paulasays.com To Go To Top

ONE-THIRD OF PA ARABS THINKING ABOUT EMIGRATING Posted by Avodah 15, October 31, 2005.

This comes from Arutz-Sheva (www.IsraelNN.com) and was written by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu. A new survey reveals that 31 percent of Arabs in the PA think about living permanently in another country, and a jailed terrorist and the Hamas leader are the favorites to be PA president. The large number of those contemplating emigration is reflected by concern for security, revealed in the newly released Palestinian Center for Public Opinion poll by Dr. Nabil Kukali. Almost two-thirds of the people (64.8 percent) are worried about their personal safety. Dissatisfaction with the current PA administration was registered with 61.5 percent of the respondents favoring a new cabinet, currently headed by Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala), who serves as president of the PA. The most popular person to replace him is Marwan Barghouti, who is serving multiple terms of life imprisonment for terrorist attacks He was commander of the Fatah and Tanzim terrorist gangs when arrested in April 2002, and Barghouti was convicted two years later on five counts of murder, one of the victims being a Greek Orthodox monk. The second most popular candidate is the leader of the Hamas terrorist movement, Mahmoud al-Zahar. Qureia trailed the list with support of only 5.4 percent. The PA legislative council recently passed a no-confidence vote, which technically forced Abbas to appoint a new president, but no action has been taken. The PA has scheduled elections in January for its legislative assembly. It postponed them this past summer following fears that the Hamas terrorist organization would win more than one-third of the seats. Dr. Kukali said his latest poll shows that 25.6 percent of the participants support Hamas and that 37.6 percent back Abbas' Fatah party. Support for the Islamic Jihad terrorist group jumped from three percent in June to 5.2 percent. The changes in numbers for Fatah and Hamas were marginal. He also reported that an overwhelming majority (81.4 percent) wants an end to the anarchy and violence that has plagued the PA, but a similar majority also supports getting rid of the heads of all security departments. The survey included men and women over the age of 18 from villages and cities and was conducted between in mid-October, according to Dr. Kukali. Contact the author at avodah15@aol.com To Go To Top

TEHREN "BOUNTY" FOR ROCKET ATTACK ON ISRAEL FROM WEST BANK Posted by Avodah 15, October 31, 2005.

These are excerpts from an article written by Uzi Mahnaimi and archived at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1849215,00.html Iran has promised a reward of $10,000 to Islamic Jihad if the militant group launches rockets from the West Bank towards Tel Aviv, a senior Palestinian intelligence official said last week. Speaking in his Ramallah office, the official produced a fat wad of $100 notes which he said had been confiscated from a pro-Iranian Islamic Jihad activist. The money was said to have gone from Iran to Damascus, from where Ibrahim Shehadeh, Islamic Jihad's head of overseas operations, transferred it to the West Bank. The official said the PA has located workshops where Al-Quds rockets are being made and has given their coordinates to the Israelis. "We understand they destroyed some of them," he said. The Israeli media claimed last week that rocket attacks from the West Bank were widely expected: Ben-Gurion airport's eastern runway is just five miles away and the outskirts of Tel Aviv are within 10 miles. ( Times-UK ) Israeli intelligence officials said that Iran was threatening the country on three fronts: through long-range missiles based in Lebanon; through terrorist networks around the world; and through the new arsenals of the West Bank. Contact the author at avodah15@aol.com To Go To Top

KURDISH CONSTITUTIONAL CONSESSIONS COULD PORTEND A ROAD MAP STEWN WITH ROAD KILL Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, October 31, 2005.

The Bush Administration's arm-twisting of presumed Kurdish allies to accept Iraq Constitutional concessions against their own interests should not go unobserved by prescient Israelis with U.S. orchestrated Road Map negotiations not far down the road. Pressured Kurdish negotiators were persuaded to drop their demands for the right of self-determination, have agreed to stress the Arab nature of Iraq even though they are of a different ethnicity, and have accepted the idea that Arabic be used in Kurdistan. Furthermore, the Baathist slogans of unity and freedom for Arab Iraq have been prominently displayed within the newly crafted document. That indeed is a slap in the face for the intrepid Kurdish peshmerga who valiantly battled Sadist Hussein's Baath party before the U.S. led invasion. Additionally, erstwhile loyal secular Kurds are expected to comply with restrictive theological tenets that so define a nascent Constitution supported by American politicos obviously more concerned with bragging rights and enhanced poll numbers at home than the best interests of their Kurdish friends. Will G.W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice et al expect Israel to forgo Judea, Samaria, and East Jerusalem with no substantial concessions from Abbas sometime in the future when the Road Map rears its ugly head? Will Hamas lob mortar shells at the beleaguered Jewish state while G.W. tells Sharon not to retaliate as it might upset his master plan and envisioned planetary kudos? Ask such questions to most any disrespected Kurd and see what he or she says. Contact the author at luniglicht@snip.net To Go To Top

WORSHIPPING ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT Posted by Evelyn Hayes, October 31, 2005.

This was written by Jan Magne Johnsen of Olsvik-Norway. Contact him at jam-joh@online.no Norwegian Friends of ISRAEL According to the Holy Scriptures and many Jews to day, the Temple Mount is the most holy site for the Jewish People. King David bought this holy site from the Jebusit Ornan at a price of 600 shekel in gold 3000 years ago. No other people have juridical right to the Mount, but the Jews. In spite of this, in many decades until to day - no Jews can go to their holiest site and pray. It's strictly forbidden. This is a shame and desecration to God and the Jewish people. In more than 33 years now groups of Jews, as Temple Mount Faithful Movement and others, several times have applied to Israeli authorities for permission to pray on the Mount. But every time they were refused, latest few days ago. Concerning to the security for worshipping Jews at the Western Wall, young men under 45 years old had no admittance to the Al Aqsa Mosque for some weeks now. Many of these young men threw stones and other devices for aiming the praying Jews at the Wall beneath. UN and the world-opinion have ignored completely an abominable desecration of Jewish Sanctity. After denying and refusing dedicated and devoted people like Gershon Salomon and fellows, the current leftist government of Israel again permitted the young fanatic stone-throwing youngsters to the Mount. What are they praying for, these young men? Repent, reconciliation with and love to the Jews and the Jewish state? I don't think so. The more they are "praying", the more fanatic and hateful becomes their mind. Even their imams are often encouraging them to hate and slay the Jews. This evil spirit and hostile activity is Israel permitting to dwell and thrive on this Jewish Holy Mount. In the meantime the Jewish people who has the calling from God to build the Holy House on the site, the Temple for a blessing to all the Mankind, including the Arab people (Isaiah 2,1-4), have to remain outside. I believe now that this "Al Aqsa intifada"-war has woken up many Jews, and hopefully the Israeli leaders for their divine calling now in this prophetic end-time. What's occurring now, is surrendering for hostility and cruel evil. The Muslim world has made its decision - The Temple Mount, who they call Haram al Sharif, is for all eternity belonging to Islam. Arafat and his fellow Muslims know that this holy site is the main-nerve, the focus and the head on the Jewish body and soul. Therefore they do their outmost to keep the Jews away from this holy site. It seams that many Israeli leaders are trembling for the Muslim shameless fanaticism, and let them keep sovereignty on the Jewish Holy site. All honour to Ariel Sharon who jeopardised and showed what all the Jewish leaders should do long time ago. He took a peaceful trip on the Temple Mount. This didn't provoke anybody, but the Islamic evil. The horrible anti-Semitic spirit in the world wants rather that Israel shall submit to Islamic law and reject their own law and divine calling forever. As a Christian, I have high respect for good and noble worship. As children we learned to pray. We learned praying for love, humility, kindness, patience and all good virtues from God. A religion, which is not praying for such good deeds in their own lives for providing them even to their enemies, is not from God. A religion, which is praying for curse, murder and death to the enemies, is from the Devil, either they call them selves Christian, Muslim, Jewish or not. The Mankind is now waiting for the Great Moment, when the Temple Mount again will come on the hands of the Jewish people, and become a great blessing, first and foremost for the Jews and Arabs. If the Arabs knew what blessing Israel is intended to become for them, they would immediately stop all hostility, and go together with their Jewish brothers. "Thus says the Lord: In those days (in our time) ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you". Zechariah 8,23. Evelyn Hayes is author of "The Eleventh Plague, Twins, because their hearts were softened to accept the unacceptable" and "The Twelfth Plague, Generations, because the lion wears stripes." Contact her at haze@rcn.com. To Go To Top

ISRAEL, TELL THE WORLD THE TRUTH! Posted by Ariel Natan Pasko, October 31, 2005.

This past Shabbat (Saturday) Synagogues and Temples around the world began reading the Torah from the beginning of Genesis again. Jews of every stripe read about G-D beginning to create everything. And the commentary they turned to most often to understand the message, printed under the text of the Torah itself in most printed books, was that of Rashi - Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki - the famous 11th century French Biblical and Talmudic commentator. In the beginning, literally, of Genesis, Rashi asks a question, "Why does the Torah start with the story of creation? Since the Torah is a book of laws for the Jewish People, why doesn't it begin with the first law given by G-D to the Jews, the law for establishing a calendar?" Rashi answers, that it starts with the creation narrative to establish that G-D is the Master of the Universe. Then Rashi says the most amazing thing that still resonates almost a thousand years later. Based on earlier sources and a thorough knowledge of the meaning of Judaism, Rashi says, "So, that if the nations come to Israel and say, 'you are thieves - in Hebrew, She-Kevash-Tem, you conquered and occupied - the land from the nations living there', you can tell them that all the universe is G-D's, He created it and gave it to the nations, and when He decided, He took it from them and gave it to us." Three things become starkly clear today. First, that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has begun using regularly the same Hebrew root/term - Kibush, occupation - as the Israeli Left has used for years to denigrate the miraculous victory of the 1967 Six-Day War. It's the same term, "occupation," used by most of the world in their criticism of Israeli policies in the "territories". The Israeli Prime Minister has adopted the language of the self-haters among the Jews (those disconnected from Jewish history and tradition) and the Judeo-paths among the nations. Second, that Rashi's explanation of the Torah has in fact come true. The nations today claim, as Rashi explained they would, that we "stole" the land from others, namely the Palestinians. And finally, that the only basis for the Jewish People's national life in their homeland is G-D's promise as set down in the Bible, not history, not security, but G-D's promise to their forefathers. Rashi told the Jewish People to tell the world, "He took it from them and gave it to us." A true Israeli leader needs to stand up, not frightened of anyone or anything, and declare, "The Master of the Universe took it from them and gave it to us." The Promised Land belongs to the Jews exclusively, and not to any other nation! Any Israeli Prime Minister, who can't get on TV or go to a meeting with world leaders or speak at the UN, and say these words, should either quit or commit suicide before rejecting the promises of G-D and working to help another group take over part of the Land of Israel. As King David said, "If I forget you Jerusalem - a term for the entire Land of Israel - let my right hand wither - rather than sign any false peace agreement - let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth..." (Psalms 137: 5-6) rather than agree to foreigners taking over part of the Jewish People's homeland. What would King David have done to Sharon, for his Gaza Expulsion Plan? If "Palestinians" can blow themselves up to gain a land not their own, if kamikaze pilots can kill themselves in war, if soldiers can risk their lives in "suicide missions," then the Israeli Prime Minister can quit or "step out" rather than lie to the world and say, "We must end the occupation". Occupation is when you steal someone else's land. The Jewish People liberated parts of their Promised Homeland in stages, first in 1948 and then in 1967 with G-D's help. The Jewish People didn't "steal" anything. Israel, Tell The World The Truth! Every Jew, in fact, every Christian and Muslim, know that the Land of Israel was promised to the Children of Israel, the Jewish People, by G-D forever. The same G-D they claim to worship. So why continue to perpetuate this lie called the "Peace Process"? The Palestinians might gain some temporary control over the land - for G-D's own reasons - but in the end, it will be taken from them and returned to its rightful tenants - I didn't say owners - because G-D is the only true owner of everything. It's true that an elected government in Israel, might choose for political expediency to transfer control over parts of the Jewish People's homeland to others (such as with Gaza), and that in political terms it might be seen as legitimate, but in the Court of Final Justice, above, there never will be any Spiritual Legitimacy to the act. Anyone going against the will of G-D will ultimately have to account for their actions, reward and punishment is a basic concept in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Heaven help those who try to take away the "Promise Land". Why lie to the Palestinians? Why make them believe they are right, that Israel "stole" their land? Why fool them into believing that Israel will give them land and a state for keeps? What's most important for them and the world to understand is, that no matter what the Israeli government decides to do, it has no Religious Legitimacy in Judaism. No Israeli leader or government has the moral, historical, or spiritual right to take away parts of the Promised Land from the Jewish People and give it to others. It's not theirs to do with as they please; the Land of Israel is an inheritance from G-D and it is not for one generation to decide what to do with it. It is also for all future generations of Jews. It will never be accepted by Jews steeped in their heritage and tradition, or by G-D. Gaza and elsewhere will return to the Jewish People... "Ani Ma'amin... I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah, and even if he takes a long time to come, I believe every day, he's coming!" It's one of the thirteen principles of faith as codified by Maimonides. The Jews will get back their homeland; the Palestinians will not have a state. So why start now so close to his coming? The Land of Israel was promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Master of the Universe told them that even though their children will suffer terrible exiles - an educational and cleansing process - in the end, He would bring them home. In the 1948 War of Independence, G-D gave political sovereignty to the Jews for the first time in almost 2,000 years. In the 1967 Six-Day War, G-D returned the Holy City of Jerusalem in its entirety - including eastern Jerusalem and the Temple Mount - to the Jewish People. Hebron - Judaism's second holiest city - with the Cave of the Patriarchs, the burial place of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the city King David ruled from before Jerusalem, was returned as well. Truthfully, Judea and Samaria - the so-called West Bank - is drenched in Jewish history and Jewish holy sites. The Jewish People have been brought home! Those who have built their world-view on security needs and have claimed that we cannot allow a Palestinian state to come into existence because of that, have missed the point. The Palestinians, and the world, are playing the "Peace Card". Even if they promised up and down, that there would be a thousand years of "Peace," how can Israel spurn G-D's promise? Once there was a nice family who lived in a rough neighborhood... They wanted to get along with their neighbors, but the neighbors hated them, and used to throw rocks and break their windows all the time. One day, the leader of the neighbors came over and said, "This is my house," and demanded it. The owner, father of the nice family replied, "No it's not, its mine." The neighbor insisted. Not wanting any more trouble, the owner invited him in to talk. The neighbor demanded the house and refused to leave, he threatened the owner. The owner decided to "be nice" and offered him a room. Later, the neighbor claimed that the owner's wife was in fact his wife. He implied he would kill the owner. The owner of the house, thought for a moment, "My wife, my life" and then decided to share his wife. "Why cause problems?" He thought. The neighbor emboldened, next claimed the owners arm. "Give me your arm or else," he demanded. Well, the owner had a tough time, he thought, "my arm or my life, hmmm" and he meekly cut off his arm. Finally, the neighbor demanded, in the most insolent way imaginable, "Give me your heart..." The Land of Israel is the Jewish People's heart! Members of the ruling Likud Party and the National Camp have for years based their claim to the "occupied territories" meekly on historical claim, and more importantly have said for security reasons they couldn't give it away. The Israeli Left in contrast, argued for quite some time that control over Judea, Samaria, and Gaza was a security liability and not an asset. Sharon also said this recently about Gaza and Northern Samaria. The Left argued that the only true security is in "Peace" with the Arabs and not the status quo. The American President, George Bush has basically said the same thing, recently, following the lead of European leaders. And what about settlement leaders, those so-called right-wing extremists who spurn all talk of "Peace"? After the Israeli cabinet's decision to accept the "Roadmap" with objections, the spokesman for the Yesha Council - of Jewish Settlements in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza -Yehoshua Mor-Yosef said, "What is done is done. What we can do is try to amend the roadmap and shift it to the right." Shift it to the right? It's not a matter of a little shift here and a little shift there. And these are the so-called leaders of the 'Settlement Movement'. No wonder their pathetic "resistance" to the Gaza expulsions was so anemic... Sharon, the Likud, the National Camp, the Yesha Council, have all missed the point. The Israeli Left never had it. To the world, well what can we say? Except, "He took it from them and gave it to us." There is no spiritual legitimacy to retreat from the Land of Israel. There is no spiritual legitimacy in refusing to graciously receive G-D's Promised Land. There is no spiritual legitimacy to any of these so-called "Peace" agreements. There is only G-D's Plan... Israel, Tell The World The Truth! Ariel Natan Pasko is an independent analyst and consultant. He has a Master's Degree in International Relations and Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites, in newspapers, and can be read at: www.geocities.com/ariel_natan_pasko To Go To Top

SHARON'S SECRET BETRAYAL; NEW ISRAEL FUND PROGRAMS FOR POGRAM; ONCE A TERRORIST Posted by Richard H. Shulman, October 31, 2005.

WHAT P.A. CALLS MURDER An official P.A. website recounted the IDF slaying of a terrorist. He had driven to where two Israeli security vehicles lay in wait. He raced away, crashed, and emerged on foot. Firing his pistol at them, he was killed by their return fire. The P.A. website calls this "murder." So does the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, on that same website. The Center, however, omits his initiation of the gunfight. It claims he could have been captured (IMRA, 10/17). Interesting self-contradiction. I think that on encountering known terrorists, the IDF should open fire without waiting to give an opportunity for surrender. Otherwise it would afford terrorists an opportunity to shoot first. Many terrorists choose to do so. Israeli troops should not risk their lives to spare terrorists as ripe for hanging as any pirate. The risk is much less when a terrorist emerges from hiding with hands up and empty. Then his surrender may be accepted. WHAT THE SHARON REGIME TOLD NO ONE The Sharon regime presented for Knesset approval its "disengagement" plan, but not its side letter to the US. These side letters promised to remove most of the security measures that had been protecting Israelis from shooting -- checkpoints, barring of P.A. vehicles from certain main roads in Yesha, and stationing of troops to block terrorist egress from P.A. cities. The retraction of those measures was to be done as soon as Sharon had appeased pubic opinion with tough reactions to increased terrorism. The result of the retraction is the current increase in terrorism. The head of Victims of Arab Terrorism tried to get those letters publicized, but was unable to (Arutz-7, 10/17). "Israel imposed new travel restrictions on Palestinians (Arabs) in the W. Bank on Monday and suspended contacts with the P.A. in response to two drive-by shootings that killed three young Israelis and wounded several other people a day earlier. Abbas commented about the attacks, "We know certain people want to undermine us, and carry out acts such as these, which harm us." (Greg Myre, NY Times, 10/18, A9.) The NY Times frequently portrays Abbas as opposed to violence. However, he never condemns the gangs that commit it and often praises gangsters killed committing it. He does not denounce these terrorist attacks as terrorism, wanton murder, and unacceptable. The Times is rationalizing in his favor, I find, because it wants his anti-Zionist diplomacy to succeed. The measures are not "new" but a re-imposition of old ones. This is a frequent see-saw practice: (1) The US demands that Israel stop inspecting at checkpoints; (2) Terrorists go through the former checkpoints and attack Israelis, killing some, so Israel re-imposes the restrictions, and we are back to "square one." The US demands are callous, and the Israeli accession is criminal, for they invariably lead to terrorist attacks and often to death. US policy stands for the murder of Jews. What does Sharon's policy stand for? Democracy is in a sad state when its media screen out sensational news that would reflect ill on the government. Rather than being a watchdog, the oft-dubbed "vibrant media" of Israel is a lapdog of pro-government, pro-Arab, anti-Zionist propaganda. Sadder is the Jewish state that clandestinely caves in to US demands, while people are under the illusion that Sharon is a tough upholder of Jewish national security. What can one say of a US President, widely believed to support Israeli survival, but who allows his State Dept. to erode it? Since what the US is fostering at Israel's expense is a society engaged in jihad against the West, one may contend that both leaders are betraying their countries. One is not supposed in polite society to accuse PM Sharon of being a traitor, but his sneaky actions speak for themselves. NEW ISRAEL PROGRAM FOR POGROMS The security fence is mostly a fence and hardly a wall. What do fences around settlements portend about Israeli governmental intentions towards preserving them, allowing them space for normal growth, or dismantling them? It's not a simple matter, because the fences around Gaza settlements helped isolate them from supporters. On the other hand, exclusion from fenced areas implies they would be offered to the Arabs. PM Sharon tries to reassure patriots that he will preserve settlement blocs from further withdrawals. He cites Pres. Bush's letter of friendship for Israel, which is too vague and offers no guarantees. He, himself, has never defined which settlements he would preserve. (This keeps all of them subject to dismantling) One can draw conclusions about Sharon's intentions from the planned route of fences in the Gush Etzion bloc, in which 50,000 Jews live. Several of its communities there are outside of the fence. The route gives priority to Arab property rights over Jewish property rights and security. "Yet, the route of the security fence will artificially wreck Bat Ayin's ability to protect itself. The planned route places the fence no more than a couple of dozen meters outside the houses of the community's residents on the incline separating their homes from the wadi below. The route excludes the hilltop immediately across the valley from Bat Ayin and so puts the homes of the residents within assault rifle range of terrorists. Fenced into their community, the residents will have no ability to deter attackers or to pursue those who shoot from outside the fence." "Aside from that, the land that is set to be placed on "the Arab side" of the fence includes 400 dunams of privately owned Jewish land bought for Gush Etzion by the JNF in the early 1940s. As well, thousands of dunams of state land, cultivated by the JNF, is set to be transferred to "the Arab side." The effective mass seizure of these lands is justified by the government as a way of ensuring that the residents of the small Arab village of Jabah (which is controlled by Hamas), will be able to cultivate a few dozen dunams of olive groves." "The plans for the security fence involve investing some NIS 100 million in order to move Route 367 (sole access to the settlement) to Jabah's north. This is to be accomplished in order to connect Jabah to the Arab village Beit Tzurif (which is also controlled by Hamas), and to leave both villages out of the fence route. The new road will be located on a narrow mountain ridge beneath Jabah and all motorists traveling along the road will immediately be exposed targets for any terrorist wishing to shoot a Jew from the village... 'We'll be like fish in a barrel.'" :As to Highway 60, across from the northern entrance to Efrat is a hilltop that controls the highway. The route of the security fence is set to transfer control over the top of this hill to the Palestinians. As a result, anyone entering Efrat from Highway 60 will be exposed to attack." The Civil Administration's legal advisor answered complaints from residents that the purpose of the fence is to prevent infiltration, not shooting. (No kidding, he said that!) The route of the fence invites shooting. The New Israel Fund and EU underwrite the Council for Peace and Security, in Israel. The Council helped persuade the Supreme Court to demand that fences give priority to Arabs' property rights over Jews' property rights. "In the council's proposed route, the security fence would surround Efrat on the east and west effectively turning it into a ghetto. Indeed, the route would ghettoize all the Jewish communities in the region and connect them to one another by narrow corridors, transferring all the outlying areas to Arab control. In spite of the vast differences in geography and topography, the council's route would effectively transform Gush Etzion, on the southern border of Jerusalem, into a second Gush Katif - fenced-in communities with no ability to expand." (IMRA, 10/15 from Caroline Glick of Jer. Post, 10/13.) Corridors get besieged, cut, and annexed. Sharon's new assurances about settlements may be as false as his past ones. ISRAELI MILITARY DEVELOPMENT Israel is almost ready to launch its first unmanned speedboat, equipped with cameras and a machine gun. It would be patrol the coast without risk to Israeli sailors (IMRA, 10/15). THEORETICAL ARAB PROGRESS The King of S. Arabia said that Saudi women would be allowed to drive "some day." IMRA remarks, "Some day not soon." The King does not want to impose the right to drive upon his people, while they think it would conflict with Islam. First religious scholars would have to issue rulings that driving is permissible. That will take patience, he said (IMRA, 10/15). The Arabs are making rapid progress towards democracy, in theory, for the undefined future. At least they are making press releases to the West about it. This kind of press release sometimes draws sympathetic respect from the NY Times. THEORETICAL EGYPTIAN COOPERATION Israeli TV correspondent Oded Granot said that Egypt had informed Israel that longer-range missiles had been smuggled into Gaza, after the IDF stopped patrolling that border. Granot praised this intelligence-sharing as an example of Egyptian cooperation. IMRA evaluated it differently: Egypt is allowing worse arms-smuggling. That deserves censure and rectification. From Gaza, a third rocket has landed on Ariel Sharon's ranch, again harmlessly (IMRA, 10/15). But it shows the folly of Sharon's abandonment of Gaza, especially as more accurate missiles get brought in. U.S. CONCERNED OVER SAUDI WMD DEVELOPMENT With at least past help from Pakistan, S. Arabia has been working on weapons of mass-destruction. The US is disquieted by this effort and is "monitoring" it (IMRA, 10/16). What is the good of US monitoring, when no action ensues, and Arabs study science here? NEW LIBERATION GOAL Prof. Steven Plaut had warned that if Israel withdrew from the Territories, the PLO would demand the Galilee. For that he was condemned as a right-wing extremist. Now Israel has withdrawn from Gaza and part of Samaria, and Sharon secretly prepares to withdraw from more. The PLO has just declared it would continue terrorism until Galilee is liberated (Plaut, 10/16). Why couldn't the Left see it when Plaut did? Too ideologically blind. When the Arabs meet some goals, they add new ones. Who will liberate Arabs from P.A. rule and Jews from P.A. attack? POLL OF ISRAELIS ON ABANDONMENT Maariv's poll found that more than half of Israelis approve of the recent abandonment, but 68% object to further withdrawal without a final peace agreement. PM Sharon said there would be no more, but his aide said they work and that the Army is planning some (Arutz-7, 10/16). Watch for polls either falsely taken or reported or asked of uninformed, deluded, and approving people. AGENTS PROVOCATEURS STRIKE, AGAIN? Major-Gen. Elazar Stern was a leader of the abandonment. He reacted to some religious leaders' advice to disobey IDF orders to dispossess Jews from Gaza and northern Samaria and to Orthodox people joining ultra-Orthodox IDF units by threatening to disband those units. (He did not say what is wrong with Orthodox membership in them. If he objected to Orthodox membership in them, he could reject Orthodox applications to join them.) Gen. Stern went to pray at the Western Wall. About 5,000 ultra-Orthodox men, some natives and some tourists, were there. About 100 pelted him with water balloons. His claims that the hundred had spontaneously organized themselves into doing this. Emanuel Winston wonders how the 100 could do so in a crowd of 5,000. Stern claims that tourists joined in the attack, but Mr. Winston points out that tourists usually turn away from native altercations. The general remarked that he wouldn't let that "garbage" destroy the state or prevent soldiers from praying at the Wall. Winston notes that he is generalizing, for no other soldiers have been hindered from praying there. (But all Jews are prevented from praying atop the Temple Mount. Where is his indignation over that denial of the Jewish religious rights and of State sovereignty? PM Sharon echoed the general and suggesting arresting as many perpetrators as possible. A TV film crew recorded the incident. Winston finds that conveniently coincidental to a government campaign to defame the yeshivas and perhaps break them up. (The government has been reducing their funding but not those of other schools.) The government may be wishing to reduce ultra-Orthodox influence for political reasons. For one thing, the ultra-Orthodox reject as fraudulent the hasty conversions of the generally antisemitic gentile Russian immigrants. The 300,000 Russians in Israel have upset the demographic balance. The government answer is to rush them into a conversion that they don't want, and then proclaim that the demographic problem has been solved. This incident resembles staging by agents provocateurs (Winston Mid East Analysis, 10/16). It does. Winston was a bit disingenuous, however, about possible ultra-orthodox hostility to the general, who, after all, threatened to break up their successful military units which treated them with sufficient respect for their religious needs for them to be willing to serve. ONCE A TERRORIST? Israeli security forces recently arrested a murderous Hamas terrorist. Turns out, he had been arrested a few years ago, for various attacks. He dispatched gunmen on missions that murdered and wounded Israelis. After only 21 months, Israel released him. He resumed the attacks (IMRA, 10/16). Half do. Release is like Russian roulette with a 2-shot Derringer. Those committed to terrorism never should be released, though the Arabs demand it. When they attain it, they call it a victory over Israel. Nevertheless, Israel complies, because the US demands it. Thus the US government favors murder and the Israeli government acts like Quislings about it. P.A. BLAMES ISRAEL FOR ARAB TERRORISM Abbas criticized a murderous Fatah attack merely as inconvenient to his diplomacy, but blamed Israel for its retaliatory targeting of terrorists as prompting terrorism (IMRA, 10/17). Proof that the fault is the Arabs' is that Israel had suspended pursuit, but the Arabs kept attacking. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. To Go To Top

THE LIKUD AND HONEST ARIK Posted by Women in Green, October 31, 2005.

This was written by Professor Paul Eidelberg, who is President of the Foundation For Constitutional Democracy. He can be reached by mail at 244 Madison Avenue, Suite 427, New York, NY 10016, Tel: 212-372-3752, and by email at Constitution@usa.net His previous book, "Jewish Statesmanship: Lest Israel Fall", provides the philosophical and institutional foundations for reconstructing the State of Israel. It has been translated into Hebrew and Russian. His most recent book is: "A Jewish Philosophy of History." (Downloadable digital: "A Jewish Philosophy of History." Her leaders judge for bribes -- and her prophets divine for money -- Micah 3:11 The Likud has contributed mightily to Israel's reputation as having the second -- I dare say the -- most corrupt government in the developed world. For this shameful reputation Jews are very much indebted to Likud chairman Arik Sharon. Sharon obtained the chairmanship of the Likud party in 1999 with the help of foreign funds -- a violation of Israeli law. For all we know, the Likud was or has been bought by foreign agents. Such a thing can be done only because the citizens of Israel are compelled to vote for party slates, not individual candidates. Buy the party leader and you buy the party. In 2003 honest Arik deceived the nation by transforming the Likud, reputedly a Zionist or nationalist party, into an anti-Zionist party. He did this by campaigning against Disengagement from Gaza in the January election, only to adopt that left-wing policy ten months later. Honest Arik simply stole the votes of hundreds of thousands of citizens who belong to the nationalist camp. In October of the following year, honest Arik suborned 23 Likud MKs to violate their pledges to the nation by voting for Disengagement. This can readily be done in Israel where MKs owe their position, power and perks to their party leaders, not to the voters in constituency elections. To repeat, in Israel you vote for party slates, not individual candidates -- a system that has greatly contributed to Israel's glowing reputation. Anyway, Likud leader Sharon, having become the Left's surrogate prime minister, proceeded to expel 10,000 Jews from their homes in Gaza and northern Samaria. He then gave their land to Israel's enemies, in consequence of which Gaza is now the capital of international terrorism. Honest Arik may now be regarded as the number one patron of Arab terror. Although Arik trashed the Zionist principles of the Likud party, the party had already betrayed those principles by voting against former MK Michael Kleiner's law project to abrogate the Oslo Agreement. After all, despite the fact that Sharon had long been on record as advocating a Palestinian state, the Likud nonetheless elected him its chairman. The corruption of the Likud antedates Sharon; he only brought that corruption to its leftist conclusion. No wonder many leftists want Sharon to remain prime minister. No military hero one can so anesthetize and betray the nation and still receive fairly high public ratings. Which suggests that Sharon is Israel's most devious and dangerous prime minister. But let's remember that the parties that signed the coalition guidelines of Sharon's Likud-led government after the 2003 election are not paragons of virtue and patriotism. National Union, then led by Avigdor Lieberman, and the National Religious Party, then led by Effie Eitam -- and let's not forget Manhigut Yehudit -- knew very well that Sharon was a corrupt politician committed to a Palestinian state. They too betrayed their voters. You can't collaborate with, or work within, a party without being partly responsible for its policies, including its criminal deeds -- pious professions to the contrary notwithstanding. As for those who register for the Likud to advance the far-fetched cause of Manhigut Yehudit, but with the intention of voting for another party -- which party? National Union? Mafdal? Both bear responsibility for making 10,000 Jews homeless. But only a fascist-like state can despoil 10,000 citizens -- and this is not the end of the depredations awaiting the Jews of Israel. Sharon and his Likud party are primarily responsible for this horrific state of affairs. That Sharon continues to rank fairly high in opinion polls means that much of the public has been corrupted. The Likud, like Labor, is part of the Establishment, which is linked to world-wide banking interests and multinational corporations. Anyone who thinks the Likud is going to return to its pristine principles does not understand politics in general, and Israeli politics in particular. Politics is not just a matter of numbers. Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org To Go To Top

GAZA WITHDRAWAL Posted by Henry Tobias, October 31, 2005.

The Gaza withdrawal was a political decision and history will be the judge the wisdom of this decision. I feel that we must put it behind us and move on. We have many more serious issues in Israel, none of which is more important than the poverty in Israel. To the politicians who were against the withdrawal I say, "You lost, that is politics, get over it" We cannot go on arguing about the past ad nauseum. The writer lives in Maale Adumim, Israel. He can be contacted at alison@013.net To Go To Top

EDUCATION, EDUCATION,...AND MORE EDUCATION Posted by Lolita Zamir, October 31, 2005.

The ONLY POSSIBLE SOLUTION for the conflict between ISRAEL and THE ARAB COUNTRIES is EDUCATION. EDUCATION OF THE SO-CALLED PALESTINIANS. 1) CHILDREN'S BOOKS 2) THE ARAB COUNTRIES SHOULD TREAT THE PALESTINIANS exactly the way ISRAEL have been treating its JEWISH REFUGEES from ARAB LANDS. I know something about that since I was one of them. I was born in Cairo, Egypt. I am JEWISH and my parents were jews too. My mother was born in Hevron but came to Egypt because her father ( a rabbi) had received a position as a rabbi in Egypt. My father was born in Turkey...and somehow...moved to Cairo. In 1948, all my relatives (grandmother and aunts) moved to Israel. Unfortunately my immediate family (mother, father and younger sister) ..did not. The reason being that they had sent my older brother (a boy in a Jewish Family has a SPECIAL place) to study in FRANCE (Montpellier). We lived in an apartment (5, Manchiet el Mahrany in Bab-El look)...and I was always terrified as a child to hear (when for some political reason, they had demonstrations): 'THE JEWISH FAMILY ON THE 4 th FLOOR, WE ARE COMING TO KILL YOU.' My mother would try to comfort me with a sentence which did not help: "They ALWAYS SAY THAT....DID THEY EVER KILL US?" In 1957, after the Egyptians lost the war (for the nth time) with Israel, they decided to revenge on the local Jews..that is US. They put my father in prison for almost a year. My mother succeeded in having us being expelled from Egypt to ITALY since we had an italian citizenship. So finally, we left in a boat and had the promise from the ITALIAN consulate that my father will be in the boat with us. We came to the boat......and my father was not there. ONLY AFTER THE BOAT PASSED THE EGYPTIAN WATER did they released him from the PRISON IN THE BOAT. The 32 Jews were HANDCUFFED!!!as if they were CRIMINALS....(for being JEWS). Well, we arrived in Italy, in Brindisi, in a camp for refugees coming from many different arab countries. I do not remember how long we stayed in the camp...but I remember ...that ...mothers were fighting...for eggs to give to the children. From Brindisi, we were separated into different locations in Italy. We ended up in Padova, Italy and had a room at the rabbi's apartment. We waited until the SOKHNOUT (Israeli liaison I guess) arranged for us the trip to Israel. When we arrived there, Israelis found a pharmacy for my father to work. When Israelis asked my mother what she would like me to do. (I am a girl, therefore she automatically said: she can WORK!!) I was super jealous of the big brother, so when the israelis asked ME (I was only 17!!) what I WANTED TO DO. I did not hesitate ..I said: TO STUDY! "What do you want to study???" I did not say pharmacy (because it would be obvious ..that I was jealous.....) but when we were in Padova, there was someone in the community (Gustavo Reichenbach) who was studying ORGANIC CHEMISTRY. So, of course that is what I said. I was introduced to the Chairman of the Chemistry Department at the Technion, an American-born Isreali who had a BIG HEART. He asked me why I wanted to be an organic chemist? Of course my answer was stupid: "to make lots of molecules" as if you could see molecules!!!!" He understood, I knew nothing about ORGANIC Chemistry but HE HAD A GREAT heart. I finished the Technion with a master degree, lived in the dormitories .....and with his recommendations...I did a Ph.D at Yale and a post-doctorate at Harvard....and am a FULL professor for more than 22 years!!!! SO, I WAS LUCKY TO BE A JEWISH REFUGEE!!! Indeed, the PALESTINIANS who are ARAB REFUGEES ......and there are LOTS OF ARAB COUNTRIES ....certainly RICHER AND BIGGER THAN ISRAEL.....who could absorb them...and EDUCATE THEM ...... AS I have been....BEING A JEWISH REFUGEE. Lolita Zamir has been full professor at Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique in Canada for the last 22 years. Contact her at lolita.zamir@iaf.inrs.ca To Go To Top

GIVING KING DAVID'S TOMB AWAY! Posted by Evelyn Hayes, October 30, 2005.

This comes from The Committee To Save Mt. Zion (www.isfsp.org/katsav.html). An Open Letter to Moshe Katsav President of the State of Israel October 24, 2005 The Honorable Moshe Katsav President of the State of Israel 3 Hanassi Street Jerusalem, 92188 Israel Dear President Katsav: Recently the Vatican newspaper, El Messagero, reported you might sign an agreement handing over part of Kever David HaMelech (the traditional tomb of King David) on Mt. Zion to the Roman Catholic Church. For many years the Vatican has wanted the room they describe as the "Last Supper Room" of which all historians agree, is not the location where a supposed event of the same name ever took place. It is well established and accepted that this part of the building is nowhere near 2000 years old, it may not even be 700 years old. Until the liberation of the Old City of Jerusalem in 1967, it was the roof of this location that people went to pray, as it was the closest they could get to the Western Wall. Prime Minister Ben Gurion planted trees in its old courtyard, Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatszeira (the Baba Sali) made a pilgrimage there, and people continue to travel from all over the world to visit and pray at this traditional burial location of King David. President Katsav, I am sure you are well aware that over the years, several Christian organizations have been making strides to control all of Mt. Zion. Sadly, we now know Jews are assisting them. It is well known that one party involved is a Jew that was knighted by the Pope; he in the past has unmistakably acted as a liaison from the Vatican to the Israeli authorities. This American Jew has previously met with Chaim Silberstein, the chief of staff of the Minister of Tourism, and Director of Religious Affairs Gadi Golan. It is truly shameful that Jews would work towards the elimination and hand over of a piece of Erets Israel, no matter how large or small it is. I lived on Mt. Zion just a few meters from this location and there I spoke with a highly respected rabbi that advised me that the Church has wanted the part of the King David complex for decades, because ownership of it would allow them to Christianize the site and the entire surrounding area. You truly must realize that handing over part of a Jewish landmark would not only be wrong, but it would establish precedence for the Vatican to take over even more property in the future. I understand that the potential hand over of part of the Kever David would include a trade of the El Transito Synagoga in Toledo, Spain. The Transito was once a grand synagogue, built by Samuel Abulafia in the 14th century. It was built during a period when Toledo was still a thriving city filled with Jewish families and Jewish intellectualism. However, just thirty years after the Transito was built, Jews fell victim to a savage campaign of murderer and plunder by Christians who rose up against them in 1391. During this period, over two dozen synagogues were abandoned or destroyed, thousands of Jews murdered; Abulafia himself was put to death by the king of Spain. Toledo is a city where all Jews were chased out or killed by mobs that were incited by Ferrand Martinez and later Vicente Ferrer. The latter was the teacher of future Catholic Grand Inquisitors. After his death, the Vatican canonized him as the heroic Saint Vincent. The Catholic Encyclopedia declares, "Multitudes were won over by his preaching... the number of Jews converted at 25,000." The magnitude of the terror is remembered in the words of Rabbi Hasdai Crescas who witnessed the horror in Toledo: "A day of pain and admonition, a day of multiple sorrows, the anger of the Lord lighted on the community from which Torah and the word of the Lord have gone forth, namely the community of Toledo; priest and prophet were killed in the Lord's temple. There the rabbis publicly died a martyr's death, the good and chosen seed, the seed of Rabbi Asher [Rabbi Yehuda, grandson of the ROSH], they and their sons and students. There, too, many who could not defend themselves converted. On these three communities the earth roared. Aside from other communities in their environs, their number came to about seventy cities...and we have been on guard night and day..." When Abulafia and the Jews of Toledo prayed each morning, they faced east towards Jerusalem. It was not Toledo that they desired, but Erets Israel, which was still unobtainable. Now, we have Jerusalem, we can go to the holy sites and we can live in the land. If today Samuel Abulafia knew that his abandoned and empty synagogue in Christian Spain was being traded for a piece of real estate in Erets Israel, he would roll over in his grave. Today the Transito is nothing but a tourist attraction in a city where no Jews remain. President Katsav, I have not addressed the fact that the building should have been given back to the Jews in the first place-that we must remember the Jews were chased out of it; I leave this subject open to future discussion. The primary point I wish to communicate is that it is grossly improper to even consider entertaining the idea to cede any part of Israel to any foreign government; this includes holy locations and historic buildings as much as it does entire cities. I beseech you not to give into political pressure and hand over any part of Erets Israel, even just one building, for it will come back to haunt us. We need to hold on to every square centimeter of land inside Israel. I write this on behalf of the 1.2 million Sephardim around the world and as a respected admirer of your service to a grateful nation. Yours truly, (signed) Shelomo Alfassa Executive Director International Society for Sephardic Progress To Go To Top

JEWISH TOMBSTONES UNCOVERED BENEATH SILWAN DUMP Posted by Arieh King, October 30, 2005.

This article was written by Etgar Lefkovits. JERUSALEM (August 1) - A committee of Jewish residents from the Old City of Jerusalem has uncovered nearly two dozen 400-year-old Jewish tombstones from the Mount of Olives that were laying underneath a garbage dump in the adjoining east Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. A 1930 aerial photograph of the Mount of Olives that the group acquired several weeks ago shows hundreds of Jewish graves in the area where the present-day Silwan garbage dump now lies. The group, Life in Jerusalem, received permission from the Burial Council to look for the graves. About a dozen youth volunteers have started digging up the earth in the area under the dump, and have so far unearthed 22 tombstones, the head of the committee, Arieh King, told The Jerusalem Post last night. Among the graves found was that of the famous 18th century Jerusalem rabbi, Yehuda Pepo, who was known as "Rav Peleh." "We haven't found even one-eighth of all the graves that are there," King said, adding that the group will continue its work next week. He said that the Arab residents have not given them any problems whatsoever, and were only puzzled why anyone would be looking through what is today a garbage dump. The oldest Jewish cemetery in the world, the Mount of Olives is the place where Jewish tradition holds that the resurrection of the dead will begin. To Go To Top

BRING BACK THE MANDATE ERA Posted by Zalmi Unsdorfer, October 30, 2005.

Bring back the Mandate to Palestine? What an absurd suggestion, least of all coming from an ardent admirer of Menachem Begin who did more than most to remove the British from this country. However, if there is to be a new state of Palestine to be established behind our newest border at Gaza, I say that it should be born out of the same mandatory conditions from which the State of Israel emerged. The parallels are interesting and ironic. The carve-up of the Middle East into "Mandatories" was initiated by the League of Nations at the end of the First World War, using Britain and France as "big brothers" to normalise the territories formerly controlled by the disintegrated Ottoman Empire. Whilst the mandate for Palestine was supposed to be based on the principles of the Balfour Declaration, its British trustees made it their business to frustrate, undermine and ultimately endanger the builders of the Jewish National Home. The British saw their primary role as protecting the majority Arab population and ensuring that they would not be undermined by Jewish immigrants seeking to take over their land and resources. Whilst Jews struggled to procure essential supplies, fuel and, ultimately, arms and ammunition, these resources flowed freely to the Arabs unhindered at checkpoints and seaports. Isn't this exactly what is needed for the new state of Palestine? Its Arab population has been undermined for decades by outsiders like Iran's mullahs, Saudi Arabia's sheikhs, and Syria's dictators not to mention the Egyptian born Yasser Arafat. The world now waits to see whether the Palestinian Authority will survive as a fledgling state or if it will be overrun by Hamas and turned into a terrorist kleptocracy. Currently all the bets are on Hamas. So I say, let the mandate return to Palestine. Let it support Abbas and his people with the same resolve as the British supported the Mufti. Let it control the arms smuggling tunnels just as fiercely as the British operated their roadblocks against the Jews. And if Gaza is to have its own international seaport, let the new mandatory force turn back Iranian arms shipments with the same cold-blooded resolve as they turned back Jewish refugees to face certain death in Nazi-occupied Europe. And let them hang Hamas terrorists with the same convenient interpretation of the Geneva Convention as the British justified the hanging of seven heroes of the Irgun resistance in 1947. The sad truth is that, for us, the mandate never really did come to an end. Look at us now. With all the world-beating progress we have made in 57 years, we have still been living under someone else's mandate. Whether it's the US, the EU, the Quartet or the UN. In all that time "the powers that be" have presumed to re-draw the borders of our sovereign nation -- all to keep their oil supplies flowing and, more recently, to keep terrorism off their own streets. Having travelled a treacherous route through Camp David, Madrid, Oslo, Wye, Taba and Sharm the State of Israel is now told it needs a Road Map. How little has changed since the League of Nations' mandate was created. It was on a sunny April day in 1920, in the small Italian town of San Remo that officials from Britain and France drew up a new map of the Middle East whilst the American ambassador read a newspaper in his garden. Has this process not continued, with the same indifference to our people, over the last 50 years? The only way to purge this latent mandate is with the same tactics as we forced the end of the British mandate. We must stop looking and acting like a client state and be prepared to assert our rights to this land with active resistance to external control over our borders and security needs. However daunting it may seem to upset our strongest ally in the US or our largest trading partners in the EU, it would be a far lesser challenge than our fledgling nation stood up to in 1948, when the price of ending the British mandate was having to face invasion by five Arab armies. The writer is UK Chairman of Likud-Herut. To Go To Top

THE END OF ISLAM'S JIHAD IN EUROPE Posted by IsrAlert, October 30, 2005.

This was written by Allan E. Mallenbaum, the founder and Chairman of the Jewish Survival Legion and a frequent commentator on affairs that affect Jewish survival. Why do we bother with "History"? Often, we don't. "That's ancient history" is a common remark we use to dismiss something we don't want to deal with. But "ancient history" is still alive today, in the languages we speak, in the nationalities we adhere to, and in the religions we practice (or, more often, don't practice.) Islam has a longer collective memory of history than most Western societies. And this "ancient history" governs much of what Muslims think and do today - especially in the religiously-mandated area of jihad. Although Islam had been pillaging, raping, and trying to convert Christians for hundreds of years, in 1345, the Christian Byzantine emperor John VI Cantacuzenus shortsightedly requested aid from the Turks in a dynastic controversy. Over the next dozen years, the Muslim armies crossed over the Dardanelles, occupied Gallipoli, and captured the major Christian fortress of Adrianople. Two years later, in 1359, Sultan Murad I conceived of and brought into being the "janissary corps". These were Islam's most fearsome fighters against Christianity. Every year Christian fathers living under the Islamic dhimma were compelled to bring their sons to the village squares. There, the "best and the brightest" were taken for military training, never to be seen by their families again. Those among the kidnaped Christians who refused to convert to Islam "of their own free will" were put to death. Europe was in a state of total disunity with many local rulers in constant conflict with neighboring areas. The Muslims were thus able to expropriate ever greater land masses withing Europe. Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, and more became "Muslim lands" - forever, under Islamic law. Spain had been conquered centuries earlier, and the balance of Europe was now pretty much open to Muslim domination - and the eventual disappearance of Christianity and European Jewry. Now, a strange twist of fate came to the rescue of European civilization. The Muslim (of the "peaceful" Sufi sect) Mongols, led by the infamous Tamerlane, a descendant of Genghis Khan, began to attack Muslim lands in the Middle East. This forced the jihadists in Europe to defend their own lands rather than to pursue new conquests. But by 1402, Tamerlane defeated the Muslims at Ankara and went on to China, leaving a weakened Islam behind, and - in effect - saving Europe, Christianity, and European Jewry....temporarily. The Ottoman Sultan Murad II laid siege to Constantinople in 1422, vanquished Thessalonica in 1430, and defeated the "last hope" Christian army at Varna, Hungary, in 1444. Finally, in 1453 Constantinople fell and the Muslim hordes savagely massacred its inhabitants. The jihadists continued their struggle, as commanded by Muhammad. Belgrade was besieged in 1456 but the Muslim attempts to overrun Rome were unsuccessful. Although they failed in their first siege of Vienna in 1529, they defeated the Poles in 1672 and were able to usurp large areas of Ukraine. The final battle, the one which marked the turning point of the Islamic jihad against Europe, took place when they attempted to lay siege to Vienna once again. This time they were thoroughly defeated, not by the legendary Germanic fighters, but by the often derided Polish hussars under Poland's King Jan III Sobieski. Europe was finally freed from the very real threat of Islamic domination on a day in 1683 that Muslims recall as a day of mourning: September 11. Harv Weiner, a businessman in Dallas, Texas, is the founder and moderator of Isralert. To subscribe to IsrAlert, send an email to isralert@aol.com To Go To Top

JNF LAND SWAP Posted by Jack Golbert, October 30, 2005.

Referring to the Haaretz article below, Gilbert Zamonsky (zamonsky@interlog.com) wrote: Can you tell me the implications of this land deal? Are we (the Jewish people) losing sovereignty over Medinat Yisrael? Would you want to put any more pennies into the Blue Box? I replied that Yes, I think I can explain the implications. Not many years ago, the government of Saudi Arabia expressed an interest in purchasing bankrupt kibbutzim. It was blocked from doing so, even though they found kibbutzim willing to sell, because the JNF owns the land and its rules preclude sale to non-Jews. A few months ago, the Supreme Court held that the Israel Lands Authority, which administers JNF lands, can not discriminate against non-Jewish citizens in the disposition of JNF lands. An ILA tender has to be open to non-Jews the same as to Jews, notwithstanding that the lands are owned by the JNF, not the government. That means that the lands that have been purchased by the JNF with money donated by Jews over the last 100 years for the purpose of acquiring land in Eretz Yisrael for Jews to settle will be sold to Arabs on an equal footing. The JNF has protested emptily and its web site urges people to join its protest but has not moved to administer its own lands, as does the Wakf, as does every Church. That means that the JNF accepts the result and will proceed to sell its lands to Arabs on the same basis as to Jews. The acquisition by the Israeli government would open the way for the purchase by the Saudi government of urban areas as well as kibbutzim and the settlement of Arabs on those lands. The Saudi government has opened an interest section in Tel Aviv. It is widely known that the Saudis take good care of their friends. Selling out your country is good business. Jack Golbert The Haaretz article is called " State offers JNF NIS 1.3b in biggest land deal ever" and was written by Amiram Barkat, Haaretz Correspondent. It appeared on October 28th and is archived at http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/638758.html The government is offering the Jewish National Fund (Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael) NIS 1.3 billion for municipal lands it owns, in what is expected to be the largest real estate deal ever transacted in Israel. In addition, the state will give the JNF alternative lands in the Negev and the Galilee. The JNF's rights to Israeli municipal lands are estimated at NIS 2.5 billion, according to an estimate the JNF commissioned and which is published here for the first time. The land exchange deal is expected to open the way to implementing the Gadish Committee recommendations and enable selling the lands to private individuals. JNF sources said the chances of reaching an agreement have increased after acting Finance Minister Ehud Olmert almost doubled the treasury's initial offer of NIS 700 million. At a recent meeting with JNF chiefs, Olmert offered NIS 1.3 billion spread over 10 years, as well as equivalent territories in the Negev and the Galilee. JNF chair Yehiel Leket believes the remaining differences between the JNF's demand and Olmert's offer could be bridged if the treasury added NIS 600 million in leasing fees. In June the cabinet approved the Gadish Committee's recommendations for a real estate reform and for privatizing lands in municipal areas. However, the report is inapplicable as long as the JNF owns a considerable part of the state's municipal lands. These consist of 117,000 dunams, half of which are residential and half are used for industry, commerce, tourism and other non-farming uses. The JNF protocol prohibits selling land ownership and selling any rights to non-Jews. The JNF could take one of three ways of action. It could launch a legal battle against privatizing land in the hope of squeezing more concessions from the government. This option would draw unprecedented public criticism. Another way is to demand a land assessment, a prolonged process which would delay the implementation of the committee's recommendations for a long time and be very costly. Meanwhile, the JNF would receive an advance fee of NIS 500 million. The third possibility is that the JNF could agree in advance on the compensation and enable an almost immediate implementation of the Gadish report. A panel of experts appointed by the JNF has recommended the second option. The panel calculated that the JNF's land is worth some NIS 2.5 billion, while Olmert's offer, including transferring some 100,000 dunams in the Negev and Galilee to the JNF, comes to only NIS 2.17 billion. However, the JNF would have to pay VAT on the deal, thus reducing its value to a mere NIS 1.84 billion. The treasury has advised the JNF there is "no chance" of the attorney general's exempting it from VAT on the deal, as required by law. Leket told Haaretz that the JNF would not agree to the deal if it infringes on its rights, purposes or economic situation. He said the fund would use the money from the state for environmental development such as foresting, building water reserves, education and agricultural research. Yrachmiel Elias and Professor Ya'akov Golbert are Directors, The New Jewish Agency for the Reconstruction of Eretz Yisrael. To Go To Top

THANK YOU FOR SIGNING PETITION ON BEHALF OF TZIVIYA Posted by Ya'aqov Ben-Yehudah, October 30, 2005.

Between early Friday morning Israel time and now, early Sunday morning over 1000 people have signed our on-line petition on behalf of Tziviya Sariel. The President will receive all of those emails again today in hard copy, when we deliver them to his office in Jerusalem. Tziviya's trial has been brought forward to Monday at 8:30 AM in Kfar Saba and we hope you will be able to attend the protest outside, starting at 8:00 AM. Please forward this message to anyone you think might be able to attend. It is obvious that our publicity of this injustice has embarrassed the courts and that there is a better chance than ever to secure her release tomorrow. For this reason we implore you to circulate and forward the email urging people to sign the petition demanding her release. Tziviya, is a 16 year-old girl who is being persecuted and prosecuted for her political and religious beliefs. It is outrageous to hold a minor for months in jail, without bail for minor offences such as protesting against the disengagement. It is absolutely obscene that the courts have sent her for psychological evaluation because "she insists upon a trial before a rabbinic court." While we are glad that we have raised our first 1000 signatures on Tziviya's behalf - we would love to return to the Presidents house this afternoon with boxes containing an additional 10,000 signatures. Please forward and circulate this email to every and any forum, friend and family member who you think might sign our petition. Additionally, the posters, petitions and demonstration all cost money that we don't have. Every time "Mishalot Yisrael" embarks upon a campaign on behalf of prisoners such as Shimshon Cytryn, Tziviya Sariel or the other minors who have been wrongfully imprisoned, with G-d's help we have made tremendous impact. However, the printing bills and other expenses pile up. On the one hand, we can't say no to the parents of these courageous kids, while on the other hand we need to turn to you and others to help us help them. And so we call upon you to help us circulate the online petition and to send a generous contribution to help us defray the costs of this vital campaign. To view an article on Tziviya you can visit http://www.voiceofjudea.com or see below for October 27, 2005. To sign the petition demanding Tziviya's release, click here. To contribute funds to "Mishalot Yisrael": Donations can be made directly to our account: Mishalot Yisrael - Yerushalayim at Bank Hapoalim, Branch 698, account number: 676769 Checks can be sent to: Mishalot Yisrael , POBox 6592 Jerusalem , Israel Bank transfers/wires can be sent to: Mishalot Yisrael - Yerushalayim, Bank Hapoalim - Jaffa Rd.- Branch 698 - AC # 676769, Swift Code: Poalilit The author is with Voice of Judea (http://www.voiceofjudea.com ). To Go To Top

STUDENT EDITORS APOLOGIZE FOR ANTI-SEMITIC COLUMN Posted by Camera, October 30, 2005.

Editors at Portland State University's student newspaper, the Daily Vanguard, have righted an egregious wrong. On Oct. 18, the newspaper published a column by staff member Caelan MacTavish. The opinion piece, entitled "Religious disputes over Jerusalem require diplomacy," blamed the Jews themselves for anti-Semitism, disparaged the Jewish people, and included a number of absurd factual errors about Judaism and Israel. Along with an abundance of other inflammatory rhetoric, the column suggested that "the Jews" themselves are to blame for historic anti-Semitism and even the Holocaust, claimed that nobody can convert to Judaism, and claimed that Israelis are imitating the Nazis. That same day, CAMERA contacted the Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper to point out the problems and errors in MacTavish's column and to express grave concern with the piece. We also urged the newspaper to publish an apology for running the column. Portland State students, faculty and others also protested the newspaper's decision to publish the hateful column. To his credit, the editor listened to our concerns, and readily agreed to consider our points and discuss the matter with his colleagues. This week, the crude and bigoted column was pulled from the Daily Vanguard Web site and replaced with the following editor's note: Editor's note, Oct. 27, 2005: This article has been removed from the web site by the editors because after review, we find it does not meet the editorial standards of the Vanguard. A statement on the article by the editorial board has been published and is linked below, along with other opinion pieces about this article. A staff editorial in the Oct. 28 Daily Vanguard forcefully addressed the issue, noting that "The column was riddled with factual inaccuracies and overbroad generalizations of the Jewish faith, people and history," and adding that "The Vanguard deeply regrets that the column was not given as much editorial attention as it deserved, and realizes in retrospect that the column simply should not have been published....The column neither contributes to educated debate on the subject matter nor provides any insight into the issue that it ostensibly addresses." The newspaper also published a guest column by CAMERA about free speech, civil discourse, and journalistic ethics. Other published op-eds, one by the Jewish Student Union and another by Portland State faculty, condemned the MacTavish piece and faulted its errors, and letters by the University President and others also tackled the issue. While the newspaper's original decision to publish the column was deplorable, it is a positive and hopeful sign that the staff -- a group of students that likely includes future journalists -- was willing to engage in difficult self-examination and admit their mistake. This article was written by Gilead Ini. It is archived atwww.camera.org///index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=182&x_article=1006 The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) monitors the news and TV media for how fair they are in reporting on Israel. The website address is www.camera.org. To Go To Top

KRISTIANSEN: THE ISRAEL GOVERNMENT EXPULSION OF THE JEWS OF GUSH KATIF Posted by Root and Branch Association, October 30, 2005.

Please find below the August 19, 2005 "Statement on the Israel Government Expulsion of the Jews of Gush Katif" by the Honorable Ka'are Kristiansen. KAARE KRISTIANSEN is Past President of the Norwegian Parliament, Former Norwegian Minister of Oil and Energy, Former Norwegian Nobel Committee Member, and Founding Chair of the Jerusalem Embassy Initiative of the Root & Branch Association, Ltd. (www.rb.org.il). Mr. Kristiansen is available for press interviews and speaking engagements. Greetings to you from Mr. Kristiansen in Oslo. Many people here in Scandinavia ask me these days what criminal acts the Jews of Gush Katif have committed, since they are now persecuted even by their own government, the Government of Israel. As a friend of Israel who has tried to keep myself informed on developments in the Middle East, it is really very difficult to understand the severe disgrace and suffering bought upon the hard working and pious Jews of Gush Katif by the Israeli Government. I do understand that Israeli leaders want to stop the Arab terror which has afflicted Israel for so long. Impossible to understand is, however, how the Israel Government expulsion of Gush Katif Jews will help stop Arab terror against Israel. According to my view from here in Oslo, there is a belief in Israel that a new possibility for peaceful relations with Palestinian Arabs arose following the death of Yasser Arafat ("Arafat" being a nom de guerre taken from the mountain near Mecca referred to in the Qur'an, "The Cow"/Sura 2:198), who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December, 1994 and in protest of which I resigned from the Nobel Prize Committee. Some Israelis think that there is a "new" attitude towards peace with Israel on the Palestinian side. Seen from here, the current optimistic view on the part of the majority in the Knesset regarding "new" positive attitudes among the Palestinians is a deja vu repetition of the most complete failure of the Middle East conflict, the so-called "Oslo Agreement". Over a decade ago, Israeli and international champions of Arafat and the "Oslo Agreement", people who presented themselves as "experts" on Middle East affairs, ran before the chariot of their Palestinian "Prince of Peace" throwing flowers and singing the "great man's" praises. Over a decade later, the same "experts" who inflicted the Oslo disaster upon Israel in the first place received the revelation after Arafat's death that the departure from this world of their idol created new opportunities for resolving Middle East conflict by removing a major obstacle to peace: Arafat himself. These "experts" have been cranking up the old "peace" merry-go-round ever since. They apparently are too busy proffering "expertise" ever to have read "Why Don't We Learn From History?" by British historian Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart. It is of course possible that Israel's academic, legal, media, military and political "elites" (and their foreign patrons) know something that I do not. I sincerely hope so. According to my view, giving in to Arab terrorist pressure, whether that pressure comes from P.L.O. terrorists or members of other terror groups, adds fuel to the fire of Arab terrorism against Israel. I fear that Palestinian Arabs perceive the Israel Government expulsion of Gush Katif Jews as proof that Arab terror pays after all. I also fear that throughout the world the Israel Government expulsion of Gush Katif Jews will strengthen the false belief that the Land of Israel belongs to Arabs and that Jews have no rights there at all. For the sake of Israel I hope that my fears are never realized, but the latest news about Arab intentions is not comforting. The news here clearly shows that Arabs rejoice over the Israel Government expulsion of Gush Katif Jews as they rejoiced over the 9/11 Al Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. The gravity of the situation is underlined by reports that both Hizbullah and al Qaeda plan to move en masse into Gaza. Finally, being neither an Israeli citizen nor a Jew, I have been reluctant to express my opinions publicly in a situation where the expression of such opinions might be interpreted as foreign meddling in internal Israeli affairs. My excuse is love for Israel. The Israel Government expulsion of Gush Katif Jews is not an internal Israeli affair. It is everyone's affair. This expulsion is an immoral and illegal act violating international ethical, human, legal and social rights. This reality was affirmed by Israel Supreme Court Justice Edmund Levy in his dissenting opinion opposing the Gush Katif expulsion and by University of Sydney Professor of International Law Julius Stone of blessed memory. Over a decade ago, I protested as immoral the Nobel Prize Committee awarding a "peace" prize to Yasser Arafat in December, 1994, and resigned from the Nobel Prize Committee as an expression of that protest then. Over a decade later, I protest as immoral the illegal Israel Government expulsion of the Gush Katif Jews today. Shabbat Shalom from Oslo, Ka'are Kristiansen The Root & Branch Association, Ltd. (www.rb.org.il), "an all-volunteer, non-member organization founded by Torah-observant Jews, promotes cooperation between the State of Israel and other nations, and between B'nai Israel (Children of Israel) and B'nai Noach (Children of Noah) in Israel and abroad, to build a better world based on the universal Noahide Covenant and Laws as commanded by the G-d of Israel in the Bible and Jewish tradition." To Go To Top

HISPANICS UNCOVERING ROOTS AS INQUISITION'S 'HIDDEN' JEWS Posted by Mordechai Ben-Menachem, October 30, 2005.

This was written by Simon Romero and it appeared in the New York Times October 29, 2005. HOUSTON, Oct. 28 - When she was growing up in a small town in southern Colorado, an area where her ancestors settled centuries ago when it was on the fringes of the northern frontier of New Spain, Bernadette Gonzalez always thought some of the stories about her family were unusual, if not bizarre. Her grandmother, for instance, refused to travel on Saturday and would use a specific porcelain basin to drain blood out of meat before she cooked it. In one tale that particularly puzzled Ms. Gonzalez, 52, her grandfather called for a Jewish doctor to circumcise him while he was on his death bed in a hospital in Trinidad, Colo. Only after Ms. Gonzalez moved to Houston to work as a lawyer and began discussing these tales with a Jewish colleague, she said, did "the pieces of the puzzle" start falling into place. Ms. Gonzalez started researching her family history and concluded that her ancestors were Marranos, or Sephardic Jews, who had fled the Inquisition in Spain and in Mexico more than four centuries ago. Though raised in the Roman Catholic faith, Ms. Gonzalez felt a need to reconnect to her Jewish roots, so she converted to Judaism three years ago. "I feel like I came home," said Ms. Gonzalez, who now often uses the first name Batya. "The fingerprints of my past were all around me, but I didn't know what they meant." It is difficult to know precisely how many Hispanics are converting or adopting Jewish religious practices, but accounts of such embraces of Judaism are growing more common in parts of the Southwest. In Clear Lake, a suburb south of Houston, Rabbi Stuart Federow has overseen half a dozen conversions of Hispanics in recent years. In El Paso, Rabbi Stephen Leon said he had converted almost 40 Hispanic families since moving to Texas from New Jersey 19 years ago. These conversions are the latest chapter in the story of the crypto-Jews, or hidden Jews, of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, who are thought to be descended from the Sephardic Jews who began fleeing Spain more than 500 years ago. The story is being bolstered by recent historical research and advances in DNA testing that are said to reveal a prominent role played by crypto-Jews and their descendants in Spain's colonization of the Southwest. For more than two decades, anecdotal evidence collected by researchers in New Mexico, Colorado and Texas suggested that some nominally Catholic families of Iberian descent had stealthily maintained Jewish customs throughout the centuries, including lighting candles on Friday evening, avoiding pork and having the Star of David inscribed on gravestones. The whispers of hidden rituals coming from thoroughly Catholic communities were at times met with skepticism. One explanation for these seemingly Jewish customs was that evangelical Protestant sects active in the Southwest about a century ago had used Jewish imagery and Hebrew writing in their proselytizing, and that these symbols had become ingrained in isolated Hispanic communities. Skepticism aside, some rabbis view assistance to or conversions of crypto-Jews as a responsibility. "The American Jewish community provided support in bringing Soviet, Albanian or Syrian Jews to the United States, and helping them in their transition," said Rabbi Leon of Congregation B'nai Zion, a Conservative congregation in El Paso. "I don't see how the crypto-Jews are any different." Modern science may now be shedding new light on the history of the crypto-Jews after molecular anthropologists recently developed a DNA test of the male or Y chromosome that can indicate an ancestral connection to the Cohanim, a priestly class of Jews that traces its origin back more than 3,000 years to Aaron, the older brother of Moses. Family Tree DNA, a Houston company that offers a Cohanim test to its male clients, gets about one inquiry a day from Hispanics interested in exploring the possibility of Jewish ancestry, said Bennett Greenspan, its founder and chief executive. Mr. Greenspan said about one in 10 of the Hispanic men tested by his company showed Semitic ancestry strongly suggesting a Jewish background. (Another divergent possibility is that the test might suggest North African Muslim ancestry.) "The results have just blown me over, reminding me of something out of Kaifeng," Mr. Greenspan said, referring to the Chinese city of Kaifeng, where a small Jewish community persisted for about 1,000 years until the mid-19th century when it was almost completely assimilated. "Lots of Hispanic people tell me they're interested in something Jewish and they can't explain it. Well, this helps explain it." Not everyone who discovers Jewish ancestry, either through genealogical research or DNA testing, has decided to convert to Judaism, but some Hispanics who have found links still feel drawn to incorporate Jewish customs into their life. For instance, the Rev. William Sanchez, 52, a Catholic priest in Albuquerque, spent years researching his family's past in New Mexico before a DNA test three years ago showed that he almost certainly had the Jewish Cohanim marker. Since then, Father Sanchez has sought to educate his parishioners on the connections between Catholicism and Judaism, and has helped oversee the Nuevo Mexico Project, which tries to identify Sephardic ancestry among Hispanics from New Mexico. He has encouraged more than 100 of his parishioners to take DNA tests. Father Sanchez has also introduced some Jewish customs at St. Edwins Church in Albuquerque, where he serves; he blew the shofar, or ram's horn, this month during the Yom Kippur holiday. At another parish where he used to work in rural northeastern New Mexico, in the village of Villanueva, he would hold an annual Passover supper. "I have a pluralistic, not an antagonistic, view of our religions," Father Sanchez said. Still, others feel they have to make a clean break upon exploring their Jewish roots. John García, a lawyer in El Paso whose family moved to the United States two generations ago from northern Mexico, said he had heard stories since he was a boy that his family had a Sephardic Jewish past. He formally converted to Judaism in 2001 and last year had a bar mitzvah in El Paso, at the age of 53, together with five other crypto-Jews. These days Mr. García,, a lawyer in the public defender's office in El Paso, never works on the Sabbath and is an active member of Temple Mount Sinai, a Reform congregation in El Paso. "I've had to go beyond my comfort level in something I would call a reversion rather than a conversion," Mr. García said. "There were an intervening 400 years when my family had become Catholic, but something about Judaism, I don't know exactly what it was, was kept alive." Mordechai Ben-Menachem is at Ben-Gurion University. He can be reached by email at quality@computer.org To Go To Top

A LETTER FROM THE DEAD VICTIMS TO ARIK SHARON Posted by Evelyn Hayes, October 30, 2005.

Translated from the original letter by Harvey Tannenbaum. Dear Mr. Prime Minister We were buried today in Hadera and you probably did not know us before we made headlines in the morning papers about our lives. The terrorist that you freed from jail two months ago was fortunate enough to come back and kill the five of us in the Hadera shuk. We were all senior citizens minding our own business, trying to eat a falafel and buy some fruits and vegetables when your freed terrorist blew himself up. We are now up in the sky or shamayim crying as we watch our families sit shiva for us. Our children and grandchildren never expected to sit shiva for us from a terror attack, only two days after we danced with the Torahs on Simchat Torah. We still remember giving out candies and flags and apples to our grandchildren on Monday night in our communities, not knowing that your freed terrorist was on his way to 'get us' on Isru chag. We can see from above as you have decided to send up our IAF planes and helicopters to continue your bombing of empty fields, buildings, and land in Gaza. We know that since you evicted 9000Jews from their homes this summer in Gush Katif, you always thought that the terrorists would now be quiet. But, if you free the terrorists that our children as soldiers risked their lives to capture over the past months, what good is it that you evicted 9000Jews from their homes? You always lied to the Israeli public that defending 9000Jews was too much for IDF and that once the 9000 Jews were out of their homes, the IDF could take offensive and defensive action more easily. Well, we are watching tonight as we get used to our space near G-d in the heavens above you. We cannot understand how you have authorized the counter 'attack' on terrorists in their cars and in their homes tonight in Gaza Strip. If you and the military knew and knows where these terrorists roam, hang out, and live, why does it always take Jews' funerals to cause you to act? Why did we 5 Jews have to be killed yesterday first before you begin to get rid of the terrorists around us Jews everywhere? Mr. Prime Minister, three of us voted for you last time, but we cannot believe that we are now dead because of your assistance to the terrorists, freeing our killer, only two months ago! How many more dead Jews in Israel will it take before you stop your ludicrous bombing and waste of our taxpayer monies to 'hit' empty fields and buildings? We are here on our first night after burial today in Hadera where thousands of our friends came to cry and answer amen to our childrens' kaddish recitals. If the Shabak, the police, and the IDF know where these terrorists live, play, and plan their terror, why are they not eliminated BEFORE we Jews get blown up? Two weeks ago three young Jews were gunned down on the highway junction at Gush Etzion, four weeks ago, a Jew was murdered near Ramallah, and the numbers keep growing. We have to sign off now as we see the burning empty buildings below in Gaza and one car that was attacked by the IAF that killed only 7 terrorists tonight. We're sure that this all smoke, photo ops, and sound bytes for the population to show that you've done something against terrorists. We're confident that by next week when our families get up from shiva for us that life will be back to 'normal' for the Arab terrorists everywhere in Israel. You helped to kill the five of us by freeing the terrorist. We will never forget your action. Keep up the fake 'responses' The 5 Hadera victims(4 Jews and 1 Israeli Arab) Evelyn Hayes is author of "The Eleventh Plague, Twins, because their hearts were softened to accept the unacceptable" and "The Twelfth Plague, Generations, because the lion wears stripes." Contact her at haze@rcn.com. To Go To Top

WHO SAYS JEWS ARE SMART BUSINESSMEN? Posted by Aubrey Wulfsohn, October 30, 2005.

RE: Exchanging of the building housing King David' tomb in Jerusalem with a synagogue in Toledo. FACT: The synagogue in Toledo is used as a church. CONCLUSION: The Catholic Church is doing the exchange with a property it stole from the Jews. Contact the author at awu@maths.warwick.ac.uk To Go To Top

HISTORY OF JEWISH-PERSIAN RELATIONS Posted by Rachel Kapen, October 30, 2005.

History doesn't always return. The most beautiful and enduring songs Israel produced were born out of its numerous wars it had to fight against its enemies during its short modern existence During the War of Independence one popular song which sticks in my memory was Rabotai Ha'historia Hozeret- My Sirs, History Returns, an expression which is used daily in Israeli discourse (similar to the English: what goes around, comes around). However, this can't be said regarding the history of relations between Persia -- now called Iran -- and the Jews and Israel. History tells us that after King Cyrus (Koresh in Hebrew) conquered Babylonia from the Babylonian in 539 B.C.E. he executed a what is called; The Koresh Declaration in it he permitted the exiled Jewish Community, exiled by the Babylonian King Nebuhadnezzar in 586 to return to their land and rebuild it. Alas, only a minority of Jews acceded to his generous gesture and returned to the land. The majority of Jews prospered both materially and spiritually in the Babylonian Diaspora and decided to stay, sound familiar. With the Muslim rule of 642-1258 the situation of Jews in the empire suffered a setback but still Jewish life in Persia flourished. In modern times though, with the adevent of the Persian Shah as he was known, Muhammad Riza of the Pahlevi dinasty, there was a great improvement in the situation of the now Iranian Jews as well as friendly relations with the State of Israel. This came to a screeching halt with the ouster of the Shah in 1978 and the coming of the Ayattolahs. The Jews of Iran started to find ways to emigrate mostly to Israel or the United States and the dire situation reached an unprecedented low with the recent outrageous remark of the newly-elected Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinehad that Israel should be "wiped out of the map", a statement which some Iranian ambassadors in Western countries tried to sugar-coat only to have the president and his Foreign Minister to repeat it soon after. And albeit there were voices of protest from some Western countries as well as from the Secretary General of the United Nations, the total silence from any Moslem country is deafening, including from the two Arab neighbors with whom Israel has peace treaties. In this case, it seems, the generous declaration of King Cyrus of Persia in 539 B.C.E to the Jews to go and rebuild their temple and their country, was supplanted by the outrageous declaration of the current president of Iran that the newly-established State of Israel should be wiped off the map. What irony!! Contact the author at skapen285466mi@comcast.net To Go To Top

THANK YOU MAHMOUD OF IRAN FOR CLARIFYING THINGS Posted by American 1627, October 29, 2005.

Iran's leader (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) says "Wipe Israel off map." (www.iht.com/articles/2005/10/26/news/mideast.php). We in the west were brainwashed by Arab Muslim propagandists, and no less by radical leftists who try to tell us that the 'cause' of "Palestinian" Arab Muslims is a "State", fighting the SO-CALLED "occupation", etc. We have been lied to via invented "massacres", when each time the lie explodes (like example the HOAX of "500" in Jenin, turned out to be around 50 mostly terrorists, and so on), that Goliath propaganda machine was already busy with the next lie, we even saw such a shocking video of a poor kid being shot, when we realized that the video was staged and Muhammad Al Dura was killed by Arabs it was too late to reverse the effect - exactly the propagandists' plan. We have been led to believe that the reason for the checkpoints set up in the terrorists' infected areas is because of "oppression", funny I don't see it when they check me at the airport security gate though. We have been led to believe that the defense-shield anti-terror-wall is somehow any different than the Spanish Eu's border wall, etc. We have been lied to about the genocide bombers as if they're 'just desperate acting on their own'. We have been led to believe that there aren't any shooters behind those little stone throwers... We have been also pushed in the media to say what we really do not believe in, I know that you don't have this problem in your "beautiful" DICTATORSHIP, but by us it is called 'politically- correctness'. And then, you came. You the notorious "peaceful TORTURER of American hostages in 1979, Remember that? How fortunate for you to speak out. How fortunate to lay it down for us to see what Islamic Jihad, Hamas, 'Palestinian' Official Fatah's "Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade", really are all about. I have to admit before you came so forwardly, I had real trouble convincing a blind-Liberal, that failed to see that 'Palestinian' Genocide bombers have in mass-killing & ethnic cleansing already a great cause, not necessarily a "means" towards any other goal from there on. So thank you for being so honest, to speak for those Islamo Arabs that will not admit. Thanks go also to all Arab Muslim leaders around the glove. Each and everyone of you receive a medal for honesty.. Oh, and you Governor of Persia? You should really read the book of Esther (at least you should visit the tomb of Mordecai there). Pharaoh tried - FAILED. Haman tried - FAILED. Hitler tried (succeeded in a big portion, but ultimately) FAILED. So will you. But thanks anyway. The author can be contacted at american1627@yahoo.com To Go To Top

WHEN RUDY TOSSED ARAFAT Posted by Jason Maoz, October 29, 2005.

Ten years ago this week, the UN was marking its fiftieth anniversary with a series of events around New York City, including an Oct. 23 invitation-only Lincoln Center concert performed by the New York Philharmonic for a glittering list of dignitaries and diplomats. When Rudy Giuliani spotted Yasser Arafat and his entourage making their way to a private box seat near the stage that evening, the mayor immediately ordered the Palestinian leader off the premises. The man in the street cheered the mayor's gutsy move, but the city's liberal elite was appalled. "The proper role of New York, as the UN's home city," sniffed The New York Times, "is to play gracious host to all of the 140 or so world leaders present for the organization's gala 50th birthday celebrations." A spokesman for the Clinton administration, which had done so much to build up Arafat's reputation as a statesman, termed Giuliani's action "an embarrassment to everyone associated with diplomacy." Former mayors David Dinkins and Ed Koch held a joint press conference to denounce Giuliani. "Mayor Giuliani has behavioral problems dealing with other people," Koch told reporters. Two days after the concert an unrepentant Giuliani said, "I would not invite Yasser Arafat to anything, anywhere, anytime, anyplace. I don't forget." While a good percentage of the city's Jewish population applauded Giuliani's stance, there was a noticeable divide between Orthodox Jews -- a rally outside City Hall in support of the mayor drew "dozens of mostly Orthodox Jewish leaders and elected officials," the Times reported on Oct. 26 -- and their secular counterparts. Just what Giuliani was up against is clear from some of the remarks made that week by Jewish bigwigs such as Dr. Lawrence Rubin, executive vice chairman of the National Jewish Community Relations Council, who sought to portray Giuliani's action as one motivated purely by politics. "We think it's important to demonstrate that the normalization of relations between Israel and the Palestinians can go forward," said Rubin. "But clearly Mayor Giuliani has domestic political considerations." Let's recall where things stood in October 1995. In the two years since the signing of the Oslo Accords, Arafat had time and again spoken to Arab audiences about his dreams of jihad for Jerusalem and about how Oslo was simply the implementation of the PLO's long stated goal of destroying Israel in stages. Buses were exploding in Jerusalem. Support among Israelis for Oslo had fallen precipitously, and polls showed Prime Minister Rabin losing to Benjamin Netanyahu, an outspoken critic of Oslo, in hypothetical matchups. But Jewish leaders just couldn't help themselves. Hours before getting the heave-ho from the Lincoln Center event, Arafat had met in Manhattan with about 100 prominent American Jews. A jolly time was had by all, and Arafat apparently made a very nice impression. "He's got a very good sense of humor, by the way," said Israel Levine -- described by the Times as "a spokesman for many Jewish organizations" -- of the man responsible for the murder of more Jews than anyone since Hitler and Stalin. Speaking at a UJA-Federation fundraising breakfast shortly after the Lincoln Center controversy, Giuliani said he was "proud of that decision [booting Arafat]. I'd make it again, and the day I'd stop making it is the day I'd resign as mayor... When I write my memoirs, this is one of the things that I probably will be proudest of." According to news reports, Giuliani's comments were applauded by roughly a quarter of his audience. This at an ostensibly Jewish event! Such was the mesmerized state of organized Jewry during that remarkable time, just ten years ago, when a mass killer of Jews was feted and honored around the world, and invited countless times to the White House by an admiring Bill Clinton. The aforementioned Israel Levine may have loved Arafat's sense of humor, but Rudy Giuliani found nothing amusing about the Palestinian terror chief. And that's the difference between real leadership and Jewish leadership. Jason Maoz is senior editor of the Jewish Press (www.JewishPress.com). Contact him at jmaoz@jewishpress.com This article appeared in the Jewish Press October 24, 2005 and is archived at www.jewishpress.com/news_article_print.asp? article=5599 To Go To Top

OLEG CARTOON: TYPICAL HYPOCRICY OF ARAB LEADERSHIP Posted by Women in Green, October 29, 2005.

Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org To Go To Top

TWO ITEMS FROM THE TERRORIST UPDATE NEWSLETTER 10/28/2005 Posted by Jeffrey Epstein, October 29, 2005.

1. "Terrorist's Wife Used Baby to Hide Grenade," from Arutz Sheva (www.IsraelNationalNews.com) Soldiers arrested a terrorist's wife who held her baby to hide a grenade. In the same house, troops found a suitcase of explosives. The IDF also killed four other terrorists who attacked them. Haruv Battalion soldiers searched a house in a village near Shechem early Saturday after receiving reports that ammunition was hidden there, according to Lt.-Col. Arik Chen. They discovered 22 pounds of explosives in a suitcase and arrested five terrorists. Noticing that Aziza Jawabra, the wife of one of the terrorists, was holding her one-month-old baby in an unusual manner, the troops searched her and found a grenade in a jacket she was wearing. "To see a woman using her baby to hide a grenade is not typical," Lt.-Col. Chen said. "She didn't have much to say," he added, except to deny knowing that the grenade was in the jacket. After soldiers arrested the terrorists, sappers blew up the explosives, which destroyed the three-story building. 2. Sheikh Seeking to 'Terminate' Jews Honored" from WorldNetDaily (www.wnd.com) A Muslim cleric who has prayed to "terminate" the Jews was awarded Islamic Personality of the Year at a ceremony in which he called Islam a religion of "harmony and kindness" that rejects terrorism. Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al Sudais - the veteran Quran reader and imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia - prayed to Allah in 2003 in front of 2 million followers to "terminate" the Jews, who he called "the scum of humanity, the rats of the world, prophet killers ... pigs and monkeys." But he was honored Sunday during the closing ceremony of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award, an annual event in the United Arab Emirates capital during Ramadan aimed at promoting Islam's main text. According to the event's website, the Islamic Personality of the Year "must have an honorable history in serving Islam and Muslims." Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al Sudais, left, receives Islam Personality of the Year award in Dubai (photo: Gulf News) To Go To Top

MOSLEMS BASH ISRAEL ON "JERUSALEM DAY" Posted by Mordechai Ben-Menachem, October 29, 2005.

These are two news items from today's Arutz-Sheva (www.IsraelNN.com). 1. "Moslems Bash Israel on 'Jerusalem Day'" by Hillel Fendel Tens of thousands of Moslems in Iran and all over the Arab world are celebrating Jerusalem Day - a reminder of what the late Ayatollah Khomeini called "the danger posed by usurper Israel." Tens of thousands of Moslems in cities throughout Iran were heard chanting "Death to Israel!" and "Death to America!" Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, meeting with ambassadors from Islamic countries on Thursday, told them that Iranians would show their indignation against Israel in the demonstrations to be held throughout the country today (Friday). Similar anti-Israel events were also to be held in Bahrain, Lebanon, and in many other countries. The annual event was initiated by the infamous Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran's late spiritual leader, as a show of solidarity with the Palestinian Arab struggle against Israel. In 1979, ten years before his death, Khomeini announced, "I have been notifying the Muslims of the danger posed by the usurper Israel. I ask all the Muslims of the world and the Muslim governments to join together to sever the hand of this usurper and its supporters... and, through a ceremony demonstrating the solidarity of Muslims worldwide, announce their support for the legitimate rights of the Muslim people." Khomeini, father of the Islamic revolution in Iran, designated the last Friday of the Moslem holy month of Ramadan as the date of the commemorations. In Bahrain, the demonstration was also to highlight objections to any normalization with Israel. Participants were to sign a petition to reject Bahrain's lifting of the boycott against Israeli goods, said one local official, adding, "The people refuse any kind of normalization or compromise at the expense of the rights of the Muslim and Arab world." The anti-Israel events in Iran come just days after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for Israel to be wiped off the map. Foreign Minister Mottaki reiterated the sentiments in his meeting with the ambassadors, saying that Iran would never recognize Israel, and that the "Zionist regime, which prospers by banishing the right owners of the land, is not legitimate." Western leaders sharply attacked Iran for its threats against Israel. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said, "If they [Iran] continue down this path, then people are going to believe that they are a real threat to our world security and stability." In response, the Iranian Embassy in Moscow announced that "Mr. [President] Ahmadinejad did not have any intention to speak up in such sharp terms and enter into a conflict." Bill Samii, regional analysis coordinator with RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty Online and editor of the "RFE/RL Iran Report," wrote on Thursday that Jerusalem Day has been celebrated faithfully in countries with sizable Shi'a Muslim minorities. "It has become a ritualized outpouring of hatred directed at Israel," Samii continued. "If this hatred was restricted to an annual rally, it could be dismissed as a meaningless display. However, because of Iran's alleged support for terrorist organizations and suspicions that it is developing nuclear weapons, many in the international community are concerned." Just last week, in his sermon at Friday prayers in Tehran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Jerusalem Day is especially important this year, partially because of the "conspiracy instigated by the Americans, the Zionists, and some of their allies" leading some Islamic states to normalize their relations with Israel. 2. "Israel Demands U.N. Expel Iran" by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu Vice Premier Shimon Peres demanded on Thursday that the United Nations expel Iran for the country's president's statement Wednesday that Israel should "be wiped off the map." President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made the comment at a Tehran conference on "The World Without Zionism." In a statement issued by the office of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Peres said, "A country that calls for the destruction of another people cannot be a member of the United Nations." Prime Minister Sharon added, "Such a country [Iran] that has nuclear weapons is a danger, not only to Israel and the Middle East, but also to Europe." However, Peres and Sharon stopped short of declaring that Israeli would officially request the international body to oust Iran. "I don't know if it has any chance of success," Peres explained. Expulsion would require a Security Council recommendation and a two-thirds majority vote in the General Assembly, a virtual impossibility given the large anti- Israel bloc in the U.N. European countries, Russia and the United States condemned the Iranian president's statement but did not join Peres' call to expel Iran from the U.N. "Calls for violence, and for the destruction of any state, are manifestly inconsistent with any claim to be a mature and responsible member of the international community," European Union leaders said in a statement. White House spokesman Scott McClellan commented, "It underscores the concerns we have about Iran's nuclear intentions." Russia also denounced Iran for the verbal attack on Israel. Mordechai Ben-Menachem is at Ben-Gurion University. He can be reached by email at quality@computer.org To Go To Top

ABUSE OF LAW OF RETURN - DEVASTATION OF THE JEWISH NATION Posted by Steven Shamrak, October 28, 2005.

Ariel Sharon vowed that Israel would bring in 1 million new immigrants by 2020. "Israel must have a large Jewish population," he said. "I have ordered the government to make this a main objective." This is another Sharon's political stunt, made in order to divert public attention from the immorality of failed deportation of Jews from Gaza, preparation for the future deportations of Jews from Judea and Samaria, as well as from existing economic, political and social problems! Israeli politicians and press are silent about hundred of thousands of Jews who have been leaving Israel due to corruption and economic uncertainty. This atmosphere has being fostered by successive Israeli governments! Governing of Israel became a mafia outlet business. It allows complete disregard for existing laws and widespread extortion, fraud and abuse of power. Little is done to improve existing legal legislations and governmental procedures. Vitamin "P" = Protexya (it is who you know that is important) is still the ugly norm of the Israeli way of life! The important economical, political and military problems have been perpetuating for decades without any serious attempt to resolve them. The Labour infested judicial system is completely ineffective and often used as a tool of political intrusion or blackmail mechanism. The aggression of the Arab countries and the Islamic terrorism is conveniently used as a perpetuating excuse to divert public attention and anger from political corruption and inaction! The Law of Return has been widely violated by Sharon and previous Labour governments. Hundred of thousands non-Jews from former Soviet Union and Ethiopia have been brought to Israel by Jewish Agency. The Agency has become a powerful, unaccountable to anyone, apparatus with the main goal of keeping "business" alive. The Jewish background of new migrants is not even checked and has become irrelevant. As a result, even the Russian-speaking fascists found a "home" in Israel. Yet, no legal actions were taken against the Jewish Agency. Furthermore, the Ministry of Absorption does nothing to correct unlawfulness in the immigration process. The "fake Jews" are still in Israel and there are no plans for their expulsion. Nobody even wants to consider the enormous national, religious, political and social ramifications of this incredibly devastating and self-destructive stupidity that Israel and all the Jewish people are facing already. It will escalate in the future if the problem is not dealt with now! We need the Jewish Nation proudly standing on all Jewish land, not a nation full of fake Jews! At the moment, apathy, materialism, National displacement and frustration are dominant tendencies of Israeli society. Idealistic Zionism fades away! This is not another alarmist's theory. This problem is the treacherous reality. It is even more dangerous to the survival of the Jewish people than the Holocaust was or existing International anti-Semitism! Steven Shamrak writes, "I was born in the former Soviet Union where for several years I was participating in the Moscow Zionist ("Refusenik") movement. I used to work as a construction engineer and Computer consultant. During the last 4 years I have been publishing independent weekly Internet based editorial letter regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict. Contact him at StevenShamrak@gmail.com To Go To Top

IRANIANS BOYCOTT ANTI-JEWISH RALLY Posted by SMCCDI for Democracy in Iran, October 26, 2005.

Millions of Iranians boycotted, today, the yearly "Qhods (Jerusalem) Day" rally which is organized by the Islamic republic regime in order to wage hate against Israel and the Jewish people. This Islamist-racist action was initiated by Rooh-Ollah Khomeini, the founder of the theocratic regime, in 1979. He made the destruction of Israel one of the pillar of his backwarded creation. This year's rally should have been the most important ever, as, the new Islamic President has started to openly request the wiping off the map of the State of Israel. But more than ever, Iranians stayed home or used their Friday in order to go out of cities and turn their backs to the unpopular Islamic regime and its new symbol of power. In the Greater Tehran, which has an estimated thirteen millions of inhabitants, just a crowd estimated between fifty thousand to eighty thousand, what was the Islamic regime was able to bring for its show of hate and force. Professional demonstrators benefiting of welfare or forced to participate, wives of hard-line Islamist elements, school students and members of Bassij para-military force and Guardians of Revolution were the bulk of the demonstrators. Several thousands of Pakistanis, Afghanis or Iraqis who are living in Iran, were also brought to the demonstration from other cities in order to inflate the size of the Capital's rally. In provincial cities the trend was the same and showed the popular rejection of the Islamic regime and its ideology. It's to note that an absolute majority of Iranians are known for their friendship toward the Jews and an important Jewish community was residing, from twenty six centuries ago and till the advent of the Islamic regime, in Iran. Several Israeli officials and high military commanders, such as, President Moshe Katsav (Kassav) are natives of Iran; And Katsav - who's fluent in Persian - addresses often the Iranians via the Persian service of Radio Israel. The Jewish People were freed from the oppressive Babylonian rule by Cyrus the Great who was the founder of Iran. The "Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran" (SMCCDI) / "Komite e Hamahangui e Jonbesh e Daneshjoo i Baraye Democracy dar Iran." E.mail: peyk@daneshjoo.org; Websites: www.iranstudents.org and www.daneshjoo.org To Go To Top

THE MIDDLE EAST IS ALL ABOUT GIVE AND TAKE Posted by Barry Shaw, October 28, 2005.

Barry Shaw writes the "View from Here" columns from Israel. To sign up to receive his emails, contact him at netre@matav.net.il To Go To Top

GUILTY "PALESTINIAN" ARAB MUSLIM LEADERS Posted by American 1627, October 28, 2005.

How to be behind radical Jihadi murder and then "condemn" it... Another "Palestinian" Jihadi Genocide bomber, this time in Hadera on innocent civilians in a market, murdering 5 and wounding dozens. The 'Palestinian" Saeb Erakat was quoted in the main news as "condemning" it by saying the "Cycle of Violence must stop"... Iran: wants to wipe off Israel... What? I 'thought' that these Jihadists have a mere "occupation" excuse!!! What else is new? Israel continues to give gestures, especially the latest historic give-away of Gaza to the "Palestinian" Arab Muslims and what? It didn't take the "Palestinians" 48 hours until they stabbed 2 non n Zionist religious students. It didn't take them a few weeks to kidnap an Israeli innocent civilian and executing" him Iraqi-Jihad style. It didn't take them a few weeks until they threatened again a boy to be a human bomb (including by Mahmoud Abbas own Fatah man. It didn't take them a few weeks until they succeeded in butchering more innocent civilians in a market, I repeat "succeeded", not "attempted". Does anyone really think that the "Palestinian" Arab Muslim butchers, weather be members of Hamas, Islamic Jihad Palestinian authority's own Fatah's-Alaqsa, miss any opportunity to murder? Why? When? The only difference is that they succeed each time Israel gives in more security measures, they see it as "weakness" and not as humane, which Israel is all about: Life-Survival & kindness! And this notorious Jenin-Liar, Saeb Erakat, says "the cycle of violence must stop". What a bluffing-cliche statement! This "Palestinian" leadership wants to have it both ways, terrorize Israeli civilians by allowing their own or other groups act its mass murder, and than putting on a face of "condemnation. Guilty "Palestinian" Arab Muslim leaders, guilty and hypocrites! The blood is on your hands! To Go To Top

FBI ASKS/MEDIA REPORTS TOO LITTLE; HOW THE "NY TIMES" MISLEADS; VIDEOS NOT FACT-CHECKED Posted by Richard H. Shulman, October 28, 2005.

ON THE MISSILE FRONT Pres. Putin pledged to PM Sharon that Russia would not sell to Syria a missile capable of knocking out Israeli military bases, but asked Sharon not to reveal their agreement. Within days, Sharon leaked the news. The leak embarrassed Putin, whose own military wants all sales made so as to gain the revenue with which to develop more advanced weaponry. Now Puttin is reconsidering Syria's request for the missile. What may have stopped the sale earlier was Syria's lack of funds. It then asked S. Arabia for the money. (Evil Axis at work.) Ukraine sold Iran some missiles, a few years ago. Iran had its military complex, staffed with scientists from rogue states, analyze some. They worked out its secrets and now Iran makes the missile for itself. Iran can threaten cities of Europe with it. Iran has experimented with nuclear warheads in missiles, set to explode at the height that inflicts maximum damage. So far, the warheads are unarmed (IMRA, 10/14). Did Sharon think he would lock Putin into his pledge? The tactic boomeranged. THE CLANNISH PALESTINIAN ARABS Members of Fatah belonging to two clans had a dispute that led to armed assaults back and forth. Groups attacked members of the other clan and destroyed their houses. The dean of Al-Azhar U. in Gaza warned a male student not to enter a certain female area. He refused. The University prepared to dismiss him. In response, a few dozen students, graduates, and P.A. police broke into the board room, beat the members, drove them out, and destroyed some of the furniture. Now the University wants to retract dozens of degrees (IMRA, 10/14). Gun control might not be advisable in the US, but it is vital for the Palestinian Arabs. Armed, their lawlessness respects no authority. FBI ASKS TOO FEW QUESTIONS A Muslim engineering student at the U. of Oklahoma blew himself up. The FBI investigated whether he was working for a terrorist organization. Apparently he wasn't. The FBI also should investigate whether he was inspired by jihadist propaganda. Many Muslim youth commit terrorism on their own, after having been radicalized by terrorist organizations, (Daniel Pipes #611) including speakers at their mosques. MEDIA REPORTS TOO LITTLE Pres. Bush made a major speech redefining the "war on terrorism" as a "war on Islamism." The US media brushed it off with minimal coverage as nothing new or a tactic to divert attention from hurricane problems (Op. Cit.). There would be reports of arms smuggling into Gaza, if Israel still controlled the border and could allow its journalists to set foot and observe. Israel doesn't. Terrorists do. Thus they confidently planned to kidnap Israelis vacationing in the Sinai and bring them into Gaza, where they would trade them for Arab prisoners in Israel. Likewise, Fatah commanders went through the border into El Arish in Sinai to hold a conference with a Lebanese terrorist. Neither Egypt nor the P.A. stopped them. If people of unknown origin and training are allowed passage from Gaza into Judea-Samaria, as Sec. Rice demands they be, terrorism would ramp up. As it is, Israel has lost control over the Gaza border and, by not fulfilling its threats to retaliate harshly against attacks from abandoned Gaza, it also has lost its deterrent (IMRA, 10/14) MOVIE ABOUT MCCARTHY ERA The infamous McCarthy era is receding from our memories, but we enjoyed the movie reminder, "Goodbye and Good Luck." The clash of issues came out faithfully and wittily. I wish the scope had been broader. It omitted the fact that the Communists had been building up their influence in the US, and had infiltrated the State Dept. and had spies in place. Most reminiscences in the media make this same mistake, as if they are under a leftist revisionist impulse. They leave the impression that the only problem was McCarthyism, almost insinuating that Communism never was a problem here. The movie did emphasize the Senator's unfairness and exaggeration. It might have explained that he never identified a single Communist infiltrator. By the time he rose to prominence, Pres. Truman had expelled the Communists and their influence was dispelled under the fire of the Cold War and the frost of the Korean War. He was a fraud. Under his concept of guilt-by-association, I jokingly asked whether I should have been considered a security risk. Three of my aunts were Communists. As a result of an aunt telling my grandfather that if they came to power, they would have people like him "put up against a wall and shot," I gained an unforgettable insight into Communism. I was five years old. The Senator engendered fear. Whomever he named, employers fired. Who can blame the employees for their apprehension? One can blame employers for cowardice. They could have stood up to him and stood him up to ridicule. They should have said, "We will deal with any employee against whom you present irrefutable evidence of treason or susceptibility to it. So far, you accused many but proved nothing. You wave alleged lists but give no opportunity to rebut. Most of what you call evidence are vague recollections of mere acquaintance. Sure, many people read Communist leaflets, signed their petitions on non-Communist issues, attended a meeting, or knew someone who did. As soon as they realized what this was about, they eschewed the movement. They now oppose Communism. Put up or shut up." HOW THE NY TIMES MISLEADS One of the P.A. options that the NY Times would consider plausible, if the P.A. would reform and unite, is taming Hamas and committing it to a "two-state solution." After all, Abbas is "committed to nonviolence" and is "admired by Israel." Israel regrets that Abbas is weak and unable to carry out agreements. The US would like to bring both parties "back to the 'road map,' a rough outline for progress toward peace. The Israelis and Palestinians (Arabs) say they are committed to the map, but disagree on the path. Israel first wants terrorist groups dismantled; the Palestinians want parallel negotiations on a final peace, which Israel rejects while groups like Hamas remain an armed challenge to Palestinian governance and Israel's existence." (Steven Erlanger, 10/14, A6.) Talk of taming Hamas and of P.A. independence as a solution reflects an anti-Zionist attitude that builds upon the misleading impressions that the Times cultivates. Hamas is fanatically Islamist. It cannot be tamed; it must be defeated. Allowing PLO jihadists statehood guarantees strife problems. P.A. independence would be dreadful, considering that the PLO, Hamas, and Fatah charters follow Islamic principles. These charters explain that whatever territories Israel vacates would be used in conquering the rest of Israel. The Arab-Israel conflict is over the existence of Israel, not its extent. For Israel, it is all or nothing. The Arabs honor no proposed solutions. Therefore there is no "two-state" solution. The absurdity of such a notion would be obvious, if the Times explained that the Arabs have more than 20 states covering all of the Mideast except Israel, about 200 times as much area as has Israel; that one of those states, Jordan, is a Palestinian Arab state; and that there is no separate Palestinian nationality just an Arab nationality. The notion is a Western self-delusion, not Arab policy. Yes, Abbas is weak. But the claim of P.A. weakness long has been used as an excuse for the P.A. to condone terrorism. Arafat did have the strength to stop it but strengthened it. Abbas' proposed "reforms" -- unifying and retraining the P.A. forces and enrolling in them the Fatah, Hamas, and other militias -- would further strengthen terrorism and evade the agreements to eradicate terrorism. The P.A. is all about getting concessions from Israel and evading Arab commitments. That is the Arab way. Weak or strong, Abbas would not fulfill agreements. This now is his record as well as Arafat's. Abbas is "committed to non-violence?" No, he lauds suicide bombers on broadcasts and names stadiums and streets after them. He objects merely to anarchic violence that undermines his reputation and rule and to poorly timed violence against Israel just when his and US diplomacy is lulling it into making more concessions. Fact: Abbas reassured his people that if negotiations fail to bring them the desired concessions, and they seek crippling ones, they may return to the armed struggle? Abbas refuses to disarm Hamas. He is committed to jihad! Mr. Erlanger is editorializing, I think dishonestly. The Road Map has nothing to do with peace. Peace is not made out of Quartet notions of depriving Israel of secure borders and strategic depth; war is. Peace is made when the Arabs drop the Islamic goal of religious imperialism. That may not occur for centuries. On what does Erlanger base his claim that Israel admires Abbas? Is it on the usual propaganda that builds up an Arab demagogue into respectability for negotiating territory away from Israel? There is nothing to admire about Abbas, who was Arafat's deputy in international terrorism for 40 years. To suggest that the Arabs have different "opinions" about what the Map requires is disingenuous. The Map clearly calls for certain steps in a certain order. The Arabs strive, contrary to the Map, to get Israel to make its self-sacrificing steps first, and then, with the Quartet as pro-Arab judge and jury, the Arabs would disregard their own commitments. That is how they violated Oslo. EPISCOPAL CHURCH VS. ISRAEL The Episcopal Church released a report in the name of justice and peace. Asserting that Israelis and "Palestinians" have the right of self-determination, it proposed that the descendants of Arab refugees be permitted to enter Israel. Its wording sounds as if translated from an Arab's. IMRA points out what you know, that such an influx would terminate the Jewish state and preclude Jewish self-determination (IMRA, 10/13). Thus the report contradicts itself. A further self-contradiction is to call the proposal one for peace and justice. Destroying Jewish self-determination in favor of jihadists is not justice. Neither is letting the Arabs rule over the Jews, as history shows. In our time, it means large-scale slaughter of Jews. Hardly "peace"! This Church refers to justice and peace, but proposes what would produce injustice and war. The policy reflects bias and ignorance. How should one understand a Church that expresses lofty motives in behalf of one of the world's most violent and intolerant people, likely to result in another Holocaust? How is this different except in style from traditional antisemitism? The social activism of some of the Protestant sects has gone astray. They should have learned that Utopianism does not work among fanatics. Let them return to their own ministry! WHEN DID THE ARAB BOYCOTT START? The Arab League was founded in 1945. It started out with a boycott of Jewish goods. This was before the Arabs made their first war on Israel (IMRA, 10/131). The Arabs are the aggressors. THE PERMEABLE SINAI-GAZA BORDER Israel has complained to the US and Egypt that Egypt still is letting arms through the border into Gaza. The flow is steady. PM Sharon purportedly hoped that Egypt intended to stop the flow that it had allowed all along. This was a contrived rationalization for Israeli withdrawal from border control. Actually, Egypt's policy is for a war of attrition against Israel until US aid has built up Egypt's army sufficiently to challenge Israel's (Dr. Joseph Lerner, IMRA, 10/13). GERMANY TO AID P.A. SOME MORE Germany announced a Euro 30 million jobs program for the P.A. (IMRA, 10/14). German voters just overturned its government largely because the old one could not reduce that country's high unemployment. What is the government doing, spending money on employment for another people? (An undeserving people that hates the West.) DANCING AROUND THE TRUTH & JUSTICE The Sundance Channel has released one pro-Arab video after another: There was "Checkpoint," "Ford Transit," "The Inner Tour," "Detained," "My Terrorist," "Aftershock," "Raging Dove," and "Writers on the Borders". Their unproved assertions are that the poor Arabs are humiliated at checkpoints, but they omit the reason: the murderousness of the Arabs with whom the films sympathize. At least one film had to be withdrawn -- it staged incidents that cast Israelis in a poor light. Thevideos misleadingly present the Arabs as having been dispossessed (and omit Arab dispossession of Jews). The worst one denounces Israel as brutal, in the midst of one of the worst terrorist onslaughts, which it ignored. It likens IDF policy to Auschwitz (Andrea Levin of CAMERA, NY Sun, 10/14, Op. Ed.) Auschwitz murdered millions. Israel murders no Arabs but defends itself from them with excessive restraint. The likening is so unfair as to be defamation. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. To Go To Top

CAN JEWS ESCAPE FROM THEIR CHAINS? Posted by Professor Paul Eidelberg, October 28, 2005.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau pointed out that "slaves lose everything in their chains, even the desire of escaping from them." This precisely describes the Jews of Israel, enslaved by the fascist government of Ariel Sharon, who stole their vote in the January 2003 election and became Labor's surrogate prime minister. Sharon, with the collaboration judge Aharon Barak, deprived 10,000 Jews of their civil rights. Sharon destroyed their homes and synagogues, their farms and factories in Gaza and northern Samaria. This same Sharon lied to them, cheated them, degraded them. Sharon's generals, who boast of their humanity by making every effort to prevent Arab civilian casualties, demonstrated how humane they were by making 10,000 Jews homeless -- casualties of Sharon's perfidious policy of Disengagement. The monumental injustice perpetrated by Sharon against these ten thousand Jews -- this is or should be the paramount issue on the public agenda. Yes, but wasn't this monumental injustice done in the name of "democracy"? Ah, so it's democracy that endows Sharon with respectability and his crimes with legitimacy! It's democracy that makes Israel smell like a rose among the nations. And yet, did not a French diplomat call Israel "a shitty little country," and did he not say this before Sharon retreated from Gaza and northern Samaria and made 10,000 Jews homeless? But what of the Jews who are silent about Sharon's excremental government? What of the professors who continue to offer more analyses of the so-called Israel-Palestinian conflict as if the deportation of ten thousand Jews never happened? And what of the rabbis who continue to offer more expositions of Scripture as if these homeless Jews do not exist? Have these educators nothing to say about the villainy of Israel's prime minister? Have they nothing to say about the system of government that made his villainy possible? Have they nothing to say about the myth of Israeli democracy? Are they unaware that they live in a country in which obedience to the State is the highest law? Don't they know that this is the definition of a fascist state -- a definition actually confirmed by Israel's High Court of Justice and its president, judge Aharon Barak? Does anyone understand that Israel, thanks primarily to Sharon and his lackeys, has lost the war against Arab terrorism? Does anyone understand that the state of Israel has become a criminal state by making 10,000 Jews homeless? Does anyone understand that the expulsion of those Jews by Sharon and his underlings is the most shameless act in Jewish history -- in the history of a people that once was the light of mankind? Does anyone understand that civil disobedience against the government of this State is futile, if only because this State is not a democracy? And even if it were a democracy, ponder this passage from the American Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundations on such principles and organizing its powers in such from, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Of course, revolution is politically out of the question, not only because the government controls all the levers of power, but also because the Jews of this country are enslaved by the myth or mask of democracy -- periodic, multi-party elections. This myth induces them to believe they need only wait for the next election to change the party or party leader in power and thereby achieve salvation. Still, after 12 years of Oslo and 10,000 Jews murdered, maimed, and traumatized, to which add 10,000 more made homeless by the Sharon government -- and countless more face deportation from Judea and Samaria -- only spineless cretins would fail to see that this government deserves to be abolished. Thus, if there are any sober and stouthearted Jews in this country, they must concentrate on removing Sharon from power and changing the form of government that has made his dictatorship possible. The Foundation for Constitutional Democracy POB 23702, Jerusalem 91236 E-Mail: Eidelberg@foundation1.org; Tel. 02-586-9208; Cell phone 0544-407581 Professor Paul Eidelberg is President of the Foundation For Constitutional Democracy. He can be reached by mail at 244 Madison Avenue, Suite 427, New York, NY 10016, Tel: 212-372-3752, and by email at Constitution@usa.net His previous book, Jewish Statesmanship: Lest Israel Fall, provides the philosophical and institutional foundations for reconstructing the State of Israel. It has been translated into Hebrew and Russian. His most recent book is: A Jewish Philosophy of History. (Downloadable digital: A Jewish Philosophy of History. To Go To Top

IRAN AND WHAT WE CAN BELIEVE AFTER AUSCHWITZ Posted by Jerome Gordon, October 28, 2005.

Brilliant incisive commentary from noted scholar Dr. Richard L. Rubenstein, author of "After Auschwitz" and "The Cunning of History", former President of the University of Bridgeport and member of the board of trustees of the Beth Sholom Memorial, U.K. asnd Aegis Trust, U.K. People often ask me, "What can we Jews believe after Auschwitz." I have a simple answer: Believe those who promise to kill us. Although I don't have the book in front of me, there is a scene in Elie Wiesel's Night that depicts a crazed youth on the death march screaming "I believe in Hitler." When asked, how he can say something like that, he replies something to the effect that Hitler was the only one who kept his word to the Jews. He said he'd kill them and he did. After Auschwitz, whenever someone promises to kill the Jews or even hints at it indirectly, he must be believed. That is the real 614th commandment. This is not paranoia. It is learning from experience and self-protection. Let's not deceive ourselves. Iran's president is being more honest than many so-called "moderate" Muslims. He has given the game away. They want their "final solution" so complete that no future Jewish community would ever survive to attempt to come back to Israel. Remember the Armenian genocide! They have far worse in store for us should we ever let our guard down. They will not be satisfied with a two-state solution. The reaction to impotence is often rage. In the Muslim religious imagination, the Jews were never supposed to defeat the Muslims in not one but three wars. The Muslims knew them as obsequious dhimmis, not as a people capable of defending themselves. Rage is at the root of contemporary Muslim anti-Semitism just as it was with German anti-Semitism after World War I. Contemporary Muslim anti-Semitism is a very different and more dangerous phenomenon than traditional Muslim hostility towards Jews, which had an element of the contempt of a militarily superior people toward those who ancestors they had defeated. Contact Jerome Gordon at jerry_gordon38@yahoo.com To Go To Top

JEWISH HOLY BOOKS DESECRATED Posted by Hebron Community, October 28, 2005.

Hebron Arabs, celebrating the impending conclusion of the month of Ramadan, today desecrated dozens of Jewish holy books, at Ma'arat HaMachpela, the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs. Hebron residents discovered the remains of the books, torn to pieces, in the garden behind the " Gutnick Center," which is in front of Ma'arat HaMachpela. Ripped-up books were discovered on the ground, spread out throughout the garden, and in a garbage pail. (2. 2 pix side by side) Today and tomorrow Ma'arat HaMachpela is closed to Jewish visitors and open only to Muslims. Every Friday, for the past month, when the Ma'ara has been closed to Jewish worshipers, Arabs have vandalized Jewish property in the area. However, today's desecration of holy books is the most serious damage yet. Hebron leaders demanded that the site be immediately closed to Arab worshipers, in response to the desecration. However, as of yet, this demand hasn't been fulfilled. A Hebron spokesman issued the following statement: It seems that military and political leaders are more concerned with "Arab sensitivity" as opposed to desecration of Jewish holy books. One can only imagine the response had Arabs discovered 'desecrated Korans' in the vicinity of Ma'arat HaMachpela. It should be remembered that an Israeli woman, Tatiana Soskin, was jailed for two years for 'desecrating' a Koran. It is unheard of that such a desecration should be left unpunished. We demand that Ma'arat HaMachpela be closed to Muslim worship until the culprits responsible for this crime are apprehended, tried and punished. You can contribute directly to The Jewish Community of Hebron, POB10, Kiryat Arba-Hebron 90100, hebron@hebron.org.il, 972-2-9965333 or write to The Hebron Fund, 1760 Ocean Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11230, hebronfund@aol.com To Go To Top

ALL ISRAELI CITIZENS 'ARE MILITARY TARGETS' Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, October 28, 2005.

This article was written by Aaron Klein, WorldNetDaily's Jerusalem bureau chief. It is archived at www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47095 JERUSALEM -- While Israelis were burying casualties from this week's suicide bombing and over a dozen injured were still lying in hospitals -- some in critical condition -- a senior leader of a terror group reportedly involved in the attack told WND the blast just north of Tel Aviv was "legitimate" because all Israelis are "military targets, they are not civilians." "As long as Israelis do not react against their government and its policy, we will never consider them as innocent civilians and they will always be a legitimate goal for our attacks," said Abu Carmel, a West Bank leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of PA President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party. Abu Carmel was speaking to WND after a suicide bomber exploded in an open-air market in the coastal city of Hadera Wednesday, killing five people and wounding more than two dozen others. The attack was carried out in front of a falafel stand at the entrance to the market. Hadera has been a frequent target of bombings during the past five years. The Islamic Jihad terror group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, saying the bombing was retaliation for the death of one of its senior leader in an Israel Defense Forces raid in the West Bank earlier this week. Sources close to the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades told WND the group was involved in the attack as well. Abu Carmel confirmed his group coordinates attacks with Islamic Jihad: "I don't want to speak about [Wednesday's] attack, but we coordinate and collaborate very often. It is true that we have excellent relations with our brothers in the Islamic Jihad. We felicitate our brothers in their heroic attacks, and we promise not to leave them alone in the campaign that Israel is leading against them." Abu Carmel emphasized his group considers Jews living anywhere in Israel legitimate military targets. "Only the Palestinians, who get killed every day, are innocent civilians," Abu Carmel said. Meanwhile, thousands of mourners turned out yesterday to pay their last respects at the respective funerals of the five Israelis killed. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced a "broad and nonstop offensive" against terrorism, pledging the Israeli Defense Forces response - which is primarily aimed at Islamic Jihad - would continue until terror attacks end. Israel yesterday fired a rocket at two senior Islamic Jihad terrorists in northern Gaza, also reportedly killing four other Palestinians. Jihad pledged "harsh retaliation." Earlier in the day, the IDF fired at suspected Qassam rocket factories and launching sites in Gaza, imposed tight closures of West Bank towns and arrested several wanted terrorists. The army also deployed ground troops outside Gaza for a possible ground incursion. Abu Carmel warned the terror attacks would continue, saying his group may carry out additional bombings in the near future. "It is possible that as solidarity with [Islamic Jihad] and as a response to Israeli crimes, we will lead our own [independent] attack inside Israel and in the coming period we will prove our position," Abu Carmel said. Aryeh Zelasko lives in Beitar Illit, south of Jerusalem. He is Director of Sales and Marketing of Israel Visit (www.israelvisit.co.il) which provides information and an internet buying facility for American visitors to Israel. To Go To Top

DEPORTED FOR PLOT TO BLOW UP THE MOSQUES? Posted by David Ben-Ariel, October 27, 2005.

Once again, an attempt to spread DISinformation (on a popular forum) about my unjust deportation from Israel, only provides me with another opportunity to clearly state my case and continue to highlight the plight of the Temple Mount suffering under a Nazi-Muslim occupation: "You had only been in Israel for 9 months... and you're telling me it had already EXPIRED?!?!?!" IF you knew anything about Israel, and those who do can vouch for this FACT, one usually receives a visa for three months, after which time such visa must be renewed. Mine was renewed time and again, but they don't permit you to renew it after a year's stay in the Holy Land. You have to leave the country for awhile, even if just to Egypt or Cyprus. Since the Israeli government office of the office of the interior, misrad hapanim, was working on my application for resident alien or temporary residence (since I'm not Jewish according to halacha, they rarely grant citizenship to non-Jews) status, they give you a piece of paper, a strip of paper with the date on it and an offical stamp which authorizes your continued stay in the country. The two ladies I frequently met concerning my case were Anat and Yochi. When the Israeli authorities detained me, they took that piece of paper and never returned it, knowing they had predetermined to deport me to try and silence my outspoken articles (all legal and aboveground), read in Jerusalem and throughout all Israel, from Dan to Beersheva, against the illegal Muslim religious discrimination against Jews and Christians daily, illegally forbidding Christians and Jews their religious rights to pray and worship upon the Temple Mount that is destined to host the House of Prayer for All Peoples. Such an unjust deportation from the Holy Land I love only "encouraged" me to "cry aloud and spare not" and further expose their complicity with the Nazi-Muslim occupation of Judaism's holiest site! When I attempted to return the same year of my unjust deportation I was detained at the airport and refused entry. In 1997 I petitioned Senator Mike DeWine to inquire about a visa for me and he received an initial reply from Itzhak Oren, Minister for Congressional Affairs, March 7, 1997, that read, in part: "It is our understanding that Mr. Ben-Ariel will not be granted a tourist visa at this time...The Ministry of the Interior...has made the decision not to grant the visa and does not offer any information behind their decision." That was in regard to the requested visa, NOT to my former unjust deportation! Note the difference. Consequent correspondence informed Senator DeWine that I would not be "eligible for a tourist visa until 2005." That's why this year I petitioned Senators DeWine and Voinovich to help me to obtain my visa, especially since Israel is the custodian of Christian holy sites and allegedly guarantees "freedom of access" to make holy pilgrimage to them in their 1967 Law for the Protection of the Holy Places. Such guaranteed "freedom of access" is impossible unless one is granted freedom of entry into the Holy Land. Regarding my unjust deportation, that political prostitute, former Consul General in Jerusalem, Edward Abington, Jr., wrote the Honorable Marcy Kaptur, my Congressional representative, June 28, 1996: "On June 6, 1996 the Consulate General in Jerusalem received your letter of May 6, 1996 about the deportation of David Ben-Ariel. On April 2, 1996, we responded to an earlier query of yours about Mr. Ben-Ariel. In that letter we noted that Mr. Ben-Ariel was held at the Jerusalem jail from January 4, 1996 until February 1, 1996, when he was deported by the Israeli government for overstaying his permission to stay in Israel.Consular staff visited him twice while he was in jail. He reported no mistreatment while in jail..." (emphasis mine). My strong response to his incompetence, to his pro-Nazi-Muslim and anti-Jewish and anti-Christian stance, has been made very public, since my letter to Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur is available for all to see and read: Edward Abington: political prostitute. The United States State Department, Senators DeWine and Voinovich, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur and the Israeli authorities among many others, know I was never deported from Israel for anything other than "an expired visa." Which is just another lie, since it was not expired as I had that special piece of paper from the Ministry of the Interior, but they used that lame excuse to cover themselves since the plain truth was, as Gershon Salomon, chairman of the Temple Mount Faithful stated, "this is a clear cut case of politico-religious discrimination." May Israel right the wrong and lift the ban against my entry to the Promised Land of Israel, the Holy Land to Christians and Jews, as recorded in our sacred writings. David Ben-Ariel, an American author who has travelled widely and who has lived throughout Israel, shares a special focus on the Middle East and great interest in Jerusalem, reflected in hard-hitting articles that help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. He is author "Beyond Babylon." This article is archived at www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=84392 To Go To Top

PLEASE FORWARD THIS PETITION TO HELP FREE 16-YEAR OLD TZIVIYA FROM JAIL Posted by Mike of Jewish Legion, October 27, 2005.

After more than two months of media censorship and silence, the shameful story of the Israeli government prosecution and persecution of a 16-year-girl for her political and religious beliefs has broken through the media ban. The story of Tziviya Sariel of Elon Moreh finally hit the papers and her uncle was about to be interviewed on Israeli Channel 2, when an Israeli court issued a gag order against any publicity concerning her case. Tziviya has been languishing in an Israeli jail for women, without bail for more than 60 days charged with involvment in anti government protests following the expulsion of Jews from Northern Shomron. She has angered the Israeli authorities by refusing to recognize the secular Israeli legal system, demanding to be tried before a Rabbinic court. This new trend of Jews demanding trials according to Torah law has caused absolute hysteria among many Israeli judges. The judge presiding over Tziviya's trial actually ordered Tziviyah to be sent for psychiatric evaluation because of her insistance to be tried in a Torah court. The fact that Tziviya's case has now broken through government censorship has embarrassed the prosecutor and the courts to bring forward her next trial date to this coming Monday October 31, 05. Tziviya's family is urging the public to attend a protest outside the Kfar Saba courthouse, Monday 8:00 AM. The family will be holding signs that read: "If it is crazy to be Jewish and to prefer Jewish law, then lock us all up in mental institutions." "The use of psychological repression against political rivals with opposing ideological beliefs is a tactic used by repressive regimes and has no place in the land of Israel. We hope to deliver thousands of signed petitions to the President of Israel against this insanity," said Yekutiel Ben Yaakov of Mishalot Yisrael. To sign the petition, click here. Send contributions for campaign to Mishalot Yisrael - Jaffa Rd 210/14 Jerusalem, Israel Mike of the Jewish Legion can be contacted by phone 0544876709 or go to the website: http://www.voiceofjudea.com To Go To Top

MY OPINION OF ISLAM Posted by Bactam 1110, October 27, 2005.

Anyone who accepts the notion or propaganda that Islam is a kindly or benevolent religion is gullible or a complete fool. God chose the Jews to be his people of the covenant, the children of Israel, not Ishmael. Any Christian against Israel is at best mis-informed and at worst just plain evil. whatever the sect, how can they forget that Jesus is a itinerant Jewish rabbi, DUH! I happen to be a Roman Catholic raised in new york city and have always known that Jews are our elder brothers and worthy of all respect from us. We happen to believe that Catholicism is the fullfillment of Judaism (and our elder brothers don't have to believe this, but it puts our belief in context) and why would God have started another religion? Islam is and always will be the greatest threat to mankind until the coming of the Messiah. All Christians should firmly support Israel and all its people and keep a firm face against Islam. how can so many people be so blind? Thank God for Israel!!!!!! ! A humble friend. To Go To Top

ISLAMIC PANDEMIC & THE HAND OF G-D Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, October 27, 2005.

Is a plague, like the avian flu, to be feared? After all, such an influenza pandemic killed 50 million people in 1918. Indicators show that it is likely to repeat itself. However, in 1918 there were only perhaps a billion people on earth. Now there are roughly 6.5 billion. Many things are threatening we humans with catastrophic events - tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, AIDS, SARS, etc. Another plague that has proven to be a deadly killer is radical Islamic fundamentalism as it moves forward to subjugate or kill whoever does not agree to enter their planned World Caliphate, as presented to the world's population. Leaders of radical Islam plan to conquer and dominate the world for Allah to force everyone to live according to the strict Sharia'ah laws of Wahhabi Islam. Like any other virus, it attacks its host with changing or mutating forms. Its victims do not know how to defend themselves. One time they are a part of something and suddenly, they change into something more demanding and very dangerous. When they are ready, some part of that body attacks with deadly force while the other part of that same body claims immunity. Like a virus which quickly adapts to the body's or host's defenses, Islamists also change and morph into something more fierce or passive - depending on the cover needed. One time they are law-abiding citizens and, suddenly, they gain critical mass in their host country and threaten the citizenry. Sometimes they attack institutions of their host country or corporations, threatening them with external threats - such as boycotts - or worse. At other times, they use Muslim workers inside the system to threaten and carry out work stoppages. The threats - whatever they may be - always carry the unspoken or implied threat of something deadly. This kind of a threat is, of course, believable, because they have demonstrated globally that they are willing to bomb, behead, burn to death, cut throats, shoot, murder en masse - while at other times, the threats are more subtle. As Islamo-Fascists spread across the face of the globe, they are likened to more civilized nations and cultures as an Islamic Pandemic that knows no restraint in their ruthless drive for world domination. But, Islam has many faces from which to choose. When Muslims wish to be friendly, no one can be more charming and seemingly passive. Thus they have their twin states of war. One of which they call Dar al Islam (world or house of Islam), where they wait peacefully, to gather their strength. The other is Dar al Harb (world or house of war). When ready, trained, armed and organized, they enter the "House of War" and all peace treaties are broken as if they meant nothing - which is true for Muslims. The civilizations of the Free West cannot grasp this switch and abrogation of agreements. They still think that negotiating a contract for a peace agreement is firm, once signed by both parties. They cannot bring themselves to believe that the other party (Islam) goes into the agreement with the understanding and conviction that they will move from Dar al Islam to Dar al Harb when time, opportunity and strength of arms is on their side. A simple homily explains their stance as follows: "Kiss the hand of your enemy until you can cut it off". Perhaps you have seen this in our (the West's) agreements with Iraqis, Syrians, Saudis, Egyptians and Muslims generally. We of the West, whether Christian or Jew, are the infidels and therefore, according to Islam, deserve no honor - let alone the keeping of an agreement. We are the lowly Dhimmi people of the book, but second class citizens who deserve contempt and to be tricked. We deserve to be conquered and given the choice of accepting Sharia'ah laws to become Muslims - or to become slaves to a Muslim's superior status as a believer in Allah (who was Zin, the moon god, before Mohammed) or to be slain by the proverbial sword. 'Peace' with Islam can only come by the sword - NOT by agreements. We in the Free West keep negotiating and negotiating and negotiating. No matter how many agreements our Muslim adversaries have broken, we come back for more. Americans, Europeans and Israelis (Jews) and Christians always look for the better side of Islam, although they may never find it. Only when our cities lie in ruins, our people are burning and we start to bury our people in thousands, perhaps millions, will we begin to understand that this Clash of Civilizations is not a Hollywood feature film. ISLAMIC PANDEMIC: PART 2 - THE HAND OF G-D What group, religion, army has not proclaimed that "G-d is on our side!"? When a catastrophe occurs, such as a tsunami in Indonesia or hurricanes such as Katrina and Rita, we hear the pundits speaking about "G-d's Mind" or "The Hand of G-d delivering retribution". But, and it's a BIG but, suppose one of the claimants is absolutely right. Suppose G-d has a set of Celestial Rules that cross the Universe into the Infinite. Suppose that, from the Micro to the Macro, there is a Matrix of Universal order of all things. Suppose that the perception of man which is the best he can do with limited intelligence, sees only a fraction of why things happen. We have all heard stories of the great flood of Noah's time, wherein the people had spiraled down to pure evil and G-d just decided to start over. There were many peoples, civilizations, nations who evolved worship of a deity. Even cave men worshiped through fear the lightning and thunder. They moved on to worship beetles, trees, animals, the moon and the sun. They moved forward again and began to find higher levels of worship when man accepted the concept of the One G-d who could not be seen. Even then they needed alternate versions to make their version of G-d special to them. It was of no matter given the preferred fact that they would invariably follow the 7 Noahide laws - if not the 613 Laws and codes of conduct mandated for the Jews. That was not to be as those who adopted new religions with the idea that Jews were to be eliminated so their religion could be Number One. This continues today as we heard October 26th at a conference called "A World Without Zionism" the new hardline President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told an audience in Tehran that "Israel must be wiped off the map" and warned Muslim countries that recognized Israel. Ahmadinejad told the audience that the "new wave" of Palestinian attacks would destroy Israel, that Muslim countries that made peace would "burn in the fire of the Islamic nations' fury" and that a world without the US and Israel would be possible. (1) Most of the leaders of the Free West nations, including Russia, America, England and France said publically that such intentions of the Iranian regime with nuclear weapons was inadmissable, critical, dangerous, unacceptable....etc. Note that Iran launched a space satellite missile from northern Russia today! Iran is also working on another satellite built in Italy with Ukraine and Russia which was supposed to be launched today, held up only by technical problems. Russia is a commercial launch provider for many other nations, including Israel. But, this launch required permission at the highest level of Russia. If G-d was listening, perhaps he may agree that, in this clash of civilizations it must be Islam that is scheduled for the fate Ahmadinejad ordered for Israel and America. Clearly, the Islamo-Fascism Pandemic is upon us, giving us the choice of dying of a virulent disease or evolving a permanent cure for this deadly virus. ### 1. "Iranian President: 'Wipe Israel Off Map'" by Orly Halpern, Jerusalem Post, 10/26/05. Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). Contact him at gwinston@interaccess.com To Go To Top

THE REAL GAZA STORY Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, October 27, 2005.

Jewish Israeli citizens now evicted from their homes and dismantled communities within the Gaza Strip, bestowed upon planet Earth sophisticated state of the art hydroponic agricultural techniques, allowing mankind to grow vegetables supplying liquefied nutrients outside of depleted desert soil, indeed an ever so necessary procedure within such inhospitable terrain. These hearty souls, less than 9,000 in number, encouraged by a prescient government chose to inhabit harsh secluded settings abutting the Mediterranean Sea, surrounded by over one million Arab Muslims, to raise their families alongside nature. These parcels of habitation were shunned by the majority population, apparently not at all enthralled by less than fertile ground still belligerent Islamic fundamentalists despised the fact that Jews had come to come to the rescue to build vital communities over barren plots of earth. These fulminating Muslims wished to eradicate the 'infidel' that dare trod on 'in their minds' Arab Muslim territory, indeed would have attempted to slaughter fellow humans born of a different belief system, if not for armed Israeli bodyguards sent to protect their physical being. Such bodyguards, falsely reviled as occupiers, now have left the tiny developed region along with evicted Jewish brothers and sisters, alas not even lauded by a misinformed world for their courage, resourcefulness, and intellectual achievements in the science of agriculture. The truly inspirational saga of pioneers tending to small enclaves within 20th and emerging 21st century Gaza is so far lost to the hearts and minds of planetary citizens. Those portions of Gaza assuredly are a microcosm of core Israel. Pioneers endowed with keen intelligence, ambition, and fortitude, beleaguered by hostile forces, gripped the reins of an untamed wilderness steering it towards a state of civilized symbiosis with their species. The hydroponic technique indeed is a metaphor for Jews historically, utilizing the inventiveness of natural wit, nurturing resilient roots to thrive vibrantly within nutrient replenished substrates sheltered from often intolerant outside milieus. In contrast to the banished intrepid Jewish pioneers of Gaza, the150 fold dominant Arab populace anguishes in a chaotic quagmire of their own making in lieu of crafting a civil contemporary industrious expanse worthy of the new millennium, having been ruined by obsessed weapon brandishing megalomaniacs and ideologues besot by greed as well as seething hatred of the 'Satanic bane-of-their-existence Jew'. Such reprobates of humanity would rather bomb a greenhouse managed by a Jewish Israeli scientist than encourage their brethren to follow in his or her footsteps. Might Stephen Spielberg focus on these abundant facts to produce an enlightening legacy honoring such worthy pioneering Israeli souls? The world needs at least a glimpse of the 'Real Gaza Story'. Contact the author at luniglicht@snip.net To Go To Top

SHORT, (THE HELL WITH) SWEET), AND TO THE POINT Posted by Gerald A. Honigman, October 27, 2005.

So the Jews' military intelligence served them well again as they located yet another of the Arab butchers' leaders...and their common sense, as has happened too often in the past, went AWOL. On the heels of dozens of more innocent Israelis deliberately murdered and maimed by the allegedly moderate Mahmoud Abbas' brethren (folks whom he refuses to deal with effectively as the roadmap demands), Israel launched its long overdue counterpunch. Arabs believe that they should be allowed to murder Jews at will, and if the latter dare to pursue them afterwards, this then becomes the next excuse to murder again. This is precisely what happened recently, after Israel nailed yet another of the disembowelers of babes, grandmas, and the like--setting off the recent Israeli raid. But sadly, once again, the Jews have blown it. How many times does it take for them to learn? Israel has no death sentence in its justice system. Stupid mistake, and don't spout the moronic liberal manure excusing this. I've heard it all...dumber than dumb. We're not looking to score Brownie points on a hypothetical scale of relative ethics and morality here. We're talking about how, realistically, to deal with beings lower than animals who deliberately target the most innocent for the cruelest of deaths. The Jews habitually capture their murderers, then have to feed and house them at their own expense for years. Worse yet, they also habitually wind up releasing them...to once again blow up more Jews. The bomber who just blew up folks at a falafel stand had been released from jail about one month earlier--and largely to appease the American State Departments' Arabist Chamberlains' perpetual quest for largely one-sided Israeli concessions. The Arabs laugh their derrieres off at this. I don't blame them. It is pathetic. The time for Jews playing the "I won't stoop to your level" game must end. While I don't advocate blowing Arabs up in restaurants or on buses, taking these armed heroes alive once they they have been cornered--as Israel has once again now done--is only counterproductive and suicidal. When these folks are located, they must be eliminated...pure and simple. They're usually armed, so now they'll have to deal with fighting armed Jews--unlike the ones they usually target. I've been nice up until now. So... What I really would also like to suggest is that the Jews immerse their bullets and such in pig blood before such special "events." I don't know if this would matter much to the jihadists or not...but it couldn't hurt, as long as this was well publicized in Arabic. I saw something about this before. Admittedly, however, I haven't looked into this fantasy enough yet. Back to reality, America has a death sentence not only for murderers, but also for their accomplices. Those targeting Israel want to kill both Jews as individuals and their State. Abbas and his fellow Arafatians are no different than Islamic Jihad and Hamas in this regard. Both groups call for the destruction of Israel and turn the terror on and off at will. They differ only on tactics. The Abbas crew worries about public relations more...that's all. There will be times when such prisoners must be taken alive to get information from them. Afterwards, they too must be eliminated...one way or another. Up until now, they too often have simply been released later on at absolutely no gain for the Jews. Indeed, too often they have rewarded the latters' attempt to "do it better" by butchering their children yet again. If Israel had a death penalty and really put it into use, then there could be another alternative. But it doesn't. So it's time for the Jew of the Nations to act the same way its Arab neighbors--or the United States--would act with folks committing similar crimes...no worse, but no better either. Nice guys finish last...especially when there are at least two hundred million of the enemy and five million of yourselves in the game. Gerald A. Honigman, a Florida educator, has created and conducted counter-Arab propaganda programs for college youth, has lectured on numerous campuses and other platforms, and has publicly debated Arab spokesmen. His articles and op-eds have been published in both the print media and on websites. To Go To Top

AIPAC CONNECTED SPY INVESTIGATION COULD BE A SET UP FOR JEWS/ISRAEL Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, October 27, 2005.

An occasional whisper morphing to sonic boom, soon to blast a besieged Israel off an empowering pedestal, cannot now be ignored. Larry Franklin, erstwhile stalwart Iranian analyst, practicing his trade within the now besmirched bowels of retired Pentagon VIP Iraqi war planner Douglas Feith's fiefdom, has agreed to testify against two fired AIPAC lobbyists in what will likely become a scandalous episode in the ever-imperiled life of an embattled Israel. Franklin is charged with perpetrating a heinous crime against America by relaying essential top-secret information, concerning both Iraq and Israel's Persian soon-to-be-nuclear nemesis, to the recently indicted lobbyists who then would deliver the goods to America's presumed Middle East pal. A prescient observer might question why the convoluted caper was even necessary if the State of Israel is truly America's bud. Shouldn't the Jewish democracy be privy to data necessary for its very survival, considering the malignant mullahs of Iran no doubt would have Tel Aviv in its nuclear crosshairs? Why were FBI watchdogs unleashed in the first place to infiltrate a not uncommonly practiced practice within a spy vs. spy world, awash in information exchange, that feverishly flourishes throughout the hyperactive national and international feeding trough corridors of Washington? Might former Iraqi war planner Feith become an ultimate fall guy and Israel an ultimate scapegoat fed to a potentially disillusioned American citizenry, baring its teeth in a feeding frenzy of retribution, otherwise chomping down on a Bush Administration for crafting its dysfunctional war against Sadist Hussein's repugnant regime? Iraq and Iran meld in the minds of most Americans, with exponentially growing frustration over rising pump prices, a souring economy, a war without end, and a collective need to take it out on a convenient target. Enter the Jewish/Israeli shlamazel. If a pummeled population can be made to believe that their nation went to war primarily to save Israel's hide, the Katrina-battered Bush cadre, poll numbers already below sea level, will dodge a direct deluge of contempt from a frothing fed up diverted jilted Jew/Israel bashing public. This is serious stuff. Bush at the behest of upper crust bosses preemptively invaded Iraq to preserve personal oil interests and the petrodollar. PERIOD! Crack a history book to refresh selective memory. Hussein was Ronald Regan and Papa Bush's 80's secular bud and buffer within a fanatical Islamic Middle East, until he blew it by invading Kuwait thus threatening Bush's House of Saud petro-partners, yet even more importantly had the audacity to trade fossil fuel for euros, in effect relinquishing his free pass to annihilate internal political enemies. It's all about oil-not democracy-not Israel! Wake up before your naive Jewish jaws drop to the floor oh somnambulistic Knesset. Contemplate the spy caper prologue to this Machiavellian script before its devilish denouement unfolds. Jews/Israel do not deserve another kick in the teeth. Contact the author at luniglicht@snip.net To Go To Top

IRAN'S PRESIDENT: "ISRAEL MUST BE WIPED OFF THE MAP." Posted by Mordechai Ben-Menachem, October 27, 2005.

Iran's president told attendees of a conference in Teheran on Wednesday that "Israel must be wiped off the map." Last week, Iran promoted anti-Semitic literature at a German book fair. "The creation of the occupying regime in Jerusalem is a strong action by the ruling arrogant world order against the world of Islam. There continues a historic war between the [powers of] World Arrogance and the Islamic world, the roots of which go back hundreds of years," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared. "The Islamic nation will not allow its historic enemy to exist in its heartland." Ahmadinejad was addressing a Teheran conference entitled "A World Without Zionism". "I have no doubt that the new wave [of attacks] which has started in dear Palestine and which we witness today all over the Islamic world will soon wipe this scourge of shame from the Islamic world. This is doable," Ahmadinejad encouraged the audience, which included thousands of Islamic students, as well as representatives of Arab terrorist organizations and their supporters. He noted his belief that the turn towards Islamism in the Palestinian Authority has brought the Arabs success against Israel. Western Civilization, the Iranian leader said, "turned the Zionist regime occupying Jerusalem into a staging-ground to dominate the Islamic world. ...They have created a base, from where they can expand their rule over the entire Islamic world; it has no other purpose other than this." The goal of a world without the United States or Zionism, Ahmadinejad said, is "attainable and could definitely be realized. ...Our dear Imam [Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini] ordered that the occupying regime in Jerusalem be wiped off the face of the earth. This was a very wise statement." [mbm] emphasis mine Compromise over the elimination of Israel, the Iranian president said, is tantamount to the defeat of the Islamic world, as "the central and command base of the enemy... is the occupying regime in Jerusalem." Ahmadinejad characterized the unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria as a "trick" intended to seduce Islamic leaders to recognize Israel. In reaction to the Iranian premier's statements, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Gillerman was told by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to demand Iran's removal from the world body. In Iran, this Friday - the last Friday of the Islamic month of Ramadan - is Jerusalem Day, as per the late Ayatollah Khomeini's designation. Demonstrations against Israel and America are a feature of the day's events. Meanwhile, in the heart of the West in Europe, Iran promoted Western-style anti-Semitism at its pavilion at the Frankfurt Book Fair last week. Among the books on display were The czarist anti-Semitic propaganda tract The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, Henry Ford's The International Jew and Tale of the "Chosen People" by an Iranian author. The publishing event, which ended Sunday, attracted more than 250,000 people this year. The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) confirmed that all books on display in Frankfurt were selected with government oversight. No action was taken against the Iranian delegation by German officials, even though German law prohibits the sale of some of the books displayed in the Iranian pavilion. Mordechai Ben-Menachem is at Ben-Gurion University. He can be reached by email at quality@computer.org To Go To Top

THE JUDICIARY IN ISRAEL Posted by Walter Bingham, October 27, 2005.

This was published on "Walter's World" on Israel National Radio. I have often talked about our judiciary here in Israel, and I hope that by now you know my feelings about them; but for the many new readers & listeners who join us every week, here is a brief reminder. For most of my life I lived in England and learned to trust the legal system, because there, judges are not appointed by the political establishment of the day. They evolve from the ranks of distinguished lawyers. Politics plays no part whatsoever. Therefore, - the judiciary is not beholden to any government policy, and is totally independent and fair. They scrupulously carry out the legislation laid down by parliament and case law. Now, what about Israel's Judiciary? The slogan on their Website is very interesting. It quotes Isiah 1: "Zion will be redeemed with Justice, and her captives with righteousness." Recent events have turned this slogan on its head. You know that they imprison children for demonstrating and hold them without trial. They call it protective custody. It's a term that was used by the Nazis to imprison Jews and other opponents of the regime without trial. Draw your own conclusions. One of the better-known names is Chaya Belogorodski who was freed in September after 40 days, but only into Settlement arrest, a severe restriction on her movements. To this day, no trial date is fixed. And there is the case of 18 year old Shimshon Cytryn who has now been in prison for four months charged with attempted murder, in fact he is the main suspect in a 'Lynch' attack on an Arab youth. Now that's a very serious charge, lynching; but if we look into the facts as they have become known we find nothing of the sort. During the period of the Gush Katif expulsions he was, with others - occupying an old disused building on the beach, when they were attacked by Palestinian youth. Rocks were thrown by both sides. A photo Journalist took a picture of an Arab youth who was hurt and on the floor. It was claimed that a rock, thrown by Cytryn totally incapacitated him, in fact nearly killed him. But -- the Arab youth was soon seen to get up and walk away unaided. It is alleged by Cytryn's defence that the Arab himself said it was the butt of a rifle that caused his injury and not a rock. Yet he, a participant in the attack on the Jews walks free, while Shimshon Cytryn is languishing in Jail still without trial. So much for the slogan on the website. Several appeals for his release on bail were turned down, probably because like 14 year old Chaya Belogorodsky, he is deemed to be a danger to the State. Isn't that utterly ridiculous and a feeble unconvincing excuse? Those cases together with many others are an example of the judiciary's political bias, because the supreme court is stacked with government appointees, - and the government carried out the expulsion in Gush Katif, so the opponents who exercised their democratic right to peacefully demonstrate and oppose, are treated harshly as an example - and to dissuade other right wing political opponents from being too active. Thousands were arrested illegally and The Supreme Court approved legal and political processes that cement its position as an arm of power, rather than as an independent judicial authority. Sometimes, just sometimes someone will persist in getting justice, like Noam Federmann who for more than a year was either kept in protective custody or sentenced to house arrest. At one time he was free to move by day, - but at night he was deemed a terrorist and restricted to his home. Another ridiculous order. After un countable court appearances, each adjudging him guilty or dangerous, with a similar negative outcome, the court of appeal finally overturned it all - and awarded him a substantial sum in compensation for unlawful detention. Now, that this precedent is set, similar awards should follow. What a waste of tax payer's money - to keep innocents in prison in the first place, and then having to pay compensation. Here is another example. According to a report in Ynet, David Axelrod who was convicted for treasonous statements on the radio in connection with the murder of Yitzchak Rabin - requested a retrial on the basis of the outcome of the trial of Mohammed Yousef Jabarin, an Arab poet who praises terrorist murders in poems and who was apparently acquitted. I quote from an article in Ynet: "Aharon Barak, the Chief Justice didn't like the request, to put it mildly, and sent the appealer to request a presidential pardon. The prosecution agreed, but Moshe Katsav, himself a well-worn politician who probably has plans of returning to politics, understood that one doesn't play games with the Rabin assassination. He rejected the request for a pardon. Now, Chief Justice Barak has no choice, and on the eve of the Sukkot holiday, despite the unfortunate timing -- a few days before the tenth anniversary of the Rabin murder -- Barak asked Attorney General Menachem Mazuz to acquit Axelrod. If Mazuz refuses, Barak will (have to)[ed.] order a re-trial." Our courts are serving the government, and the way our judges are appointed will never lead to a truly independent judiciary. Just as the selection of Knesset members must be radically overhauled to achieve accountability if Israel wants to display Democracy in action and not only in name, so must the Judiciary be overhauled and their term of office predetermined. Walter Bingham is a veteran journalist and broadcaster from London who made aliyah and now lives in Jerusalem. His weekly radio programme, Walter's World, can be heard on Israel National Radio.com. Contact him by email at walter@IsraelNationalNews.com To Go To Top

SWAPPING KING DAVID'S TOMB! Posted by Aubrey Wulfsohn, October 27, 2005.

The 'Israeli' government has decided to swop our King David's (and other kings of Judah) tomb for a Roman Catholic church in Toledo, Spain, which used to be a synagogue. What will Israel do with the synagogue? Build a museum? On the one hand this is a disgusting move by the government and blatant robbery by the Catholic Church, as it was stolen from the Jews in the first place. This will not cause the Roman Catholic Church to love the Jews, which is maybe the aspiration of the government. It leaves open the high probability on restriction of Jews entering the tomb, the erection of Catholic crosses,etc What is just as disgusting is the apparent failure of religious Rabbis and religious Jews to complain. There is of course the possibility that the government, in trying to get rid of Yehuda's territory (in which is included the Gaza strip), intends to give that part of Jerusalem to the Arabs and feel that rather the Catholics desecrate the tomb rather the Arabs. It is more likely that the government could not care less either way. Nor does the supposedly religious-leaning President of Israel who is due to sign the takeover. Contact the author at awu@maths.warwick.ac.uk To Go To Top

BUT WE NEVER GOT A WARNING! Posted by Ruth Matar, October 27, 2005.

Dear Friends, Recently there has been a marked increase in terror attacks against Israeli citizens. The Sharon Government laments that "we never got a warning", as an excuse for the lack of response to the renewed Arab violence. "But we didn't get a warning" is what we were told, when just eleven days ago, three young people were gunned down by Arab terrorists at a bus stop in Gush Etzion in a drive by shooting. Two young women, Matat Rosenfeld-Adler, 21, a bride of only three months, and her cousin, Kineret Mander, 23, as well as Oz Ben-Meir, a 15 year-old boy, were murdered. Simultaneously Arab terrorists opened fire at teenagers walking on a road near the Eli Junction in Samaria, causing serious injuries. What caused, or at least contributed to this tragedy? Highway 60, the tunnel road, which is the main north-south traffic artery in Israel, had until recently been closed to private Arab cars. Sharon had removed the checkpoints on this road, as a 'confidence building' measure to the Arabs, thereby giving the terrorists the opportunity to murder Jewish civilians. After the attack, the terrorists sped away in their private car and escaped to Hebron. To date they have not been apprehended. The checkpoints have been temporarily reinstated, but there is already talk by the Sharon government of eliminating them again. Last Monday, numerous Kassam rockets were launched into Israel from Gaza, some landing in Sderot. Of course, The Arabs did not bother to warn us before they carried out this attack. Miraculously nobody was hurt. Such attacks have become more numerous since we left Gaza. "But we never had a warning!" is what we were again told by the Sharon Government when an Arab terrorist blew himself up yesterday at the Hadera market, killing at least five innocent shoppers and wounding more than thirty, seven of them seriously. What caused, or at least contributed to this particular tragedy? The terrorist who detonated himself in the Hadera market had recently been released by the Sharon Government from an Israeli prison, this in a gesture of support for Palestinian Authority Chief, Mahmoud Abbas! Of course, the Sharon government is not truthful when they say that Israel has not received warnings. Honestly now, does Sharon expect a telephone call from the terrorists announcing the time and place of their next attack? Indeed, the Sharon Government has had plenty of warnings. The Arab celebrations over Ariel Sharon's shameful surrender of Biblical Gaza and Northern Samaria stressed that this victory was made possible by the terror war against the Jews and the rest of the Infidels. Mahmoud Abbas jubilantly stated, "Today we are celebrating the liberation of Gaza and the northern West Bank (Samaria)" he said. "Tomorrow we will celebrate the liberation of Jerusalem." At the groundbreaking ceremony of Sheikh Khalifa City on October 8, built on the ruins of the Jewish Gaza community of Morag, Mahmoud Abbas said: "The Palestinian Nation will continue its campaign towards the liberation of the West Bank and Jerusalem and towards the construction of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital." Those remarks were not enough of a warning? The Sharon Government was further warned when Abbas stated that he had no intention of disarming terror groups, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. (This is his own group of terrorists.) Any such action on his part, he said, "would lead to civil war". These remarks by Mahmoud Abbas certainly were a clear warning of Arab intentions to continue their terror war. Warnings came as well from the Israeli Defense Establishment. One such warning came from Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, who had originally, before the expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif, expressed his view that terror would decrease after the disengagement. After the expulsion, however, he changed his view completely and stated, "Judea and Samaria will become the main theater in the struggle against terrorism." Former Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Moshe Yaalon, was one of the first to warn of the dangers of Sharon's disengagement plan. He said, more than a year ago, that disengagement would provide a "tail wind" for terrorism. In a speech in Herzliya on April 19, 2005, he said: "The Israeli public must not think that the Mashiach (Messiah) is arriving with the withdrawal. Immediately after the disengagement we can expect a burst of terrorism- especially in Judea and Samaria." Yaalon was subsequently removed from his job for daring to publicly disagree with Ariel Sharon. Army Intelligence Chief, Aharon Ze'evi Farkash warned of Al-Qaeda's intentions toward Israel. He has stated that this global terror group has exploited holes in the Egypt-Gaza border to infiltrate Gaza. Al-Qaeda's presence in Gaza, in the name of "The Jihad Brigades in the Promised Land", has also been announced on Islamic websites known to be friendly to Osama Bin Laden's terrorist network. Al Qaeda is known to have a working relationship with Hamas. Credit us with some intelligence, Ariel Sharon! Jews are being killed, not because they do not have advance warning of Arab attacks, but rather because your suicidal surrender policies of Jewish land have encouraged a renewed onslaught of terror. There you have it, dear friends. Because Sharon gave parts of G-d's Promised Land to Israel's enemies, Gaza is quickly becoming the capital of international terrorism. Are Sharon's policies dangerous only for Israel? Yesterday, Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad openly called for Israel to be "wiped off the map", and lashed out at Muslim nations which recognize the Jewish state. "We should not settle for a piece of land," he said of Israel's pullout from the Gaza strip. "Anyone who signs a treaty which recognizes the entity of Israel means he has signed the surrender of the Muslim world," Ahmadinejad said, warning Muslim leaders who recognize Israel they "face the wrath of their own people." "The skirmishes in the occupied land are part of a war of destiny. The outcome of hundreds of years of war will be defined in Palestinian land," he thundered in a fiery speech on what he called an "historic war between the oppressor and the world of Islam". "The establishment of the Zionist regime was a move by the world oppressor against the Islamic world," the Iranian President told a conference in Tehran entitled "The World without Zionism". Who then is the "Oppressor" the Muslim leaders keep talking about? This is the term used by the Muslim World to refer to the "Great Satan", the United States. Israel, in Muslim eyes, is just the "Little Satan", the creation of the "Great Satan". Get real, America! It is important that President George W. Bush, the US State Department, and Condoleezza Rice finally realize that Israel must be allowed to defend itself and that it is counterproductive to pressure Israel to give up land to the Arab enemy. It is harmful to American interests if Israel is pressured to indiscriminately open up Gaza border crossings, which may be used by potential Arab terrorists. Pressure, as well, to provide a road from Gaza to the West Bank, thereby cutting Israel in half, would be sheer folly. In the wake of 9-11, would America allow a road from Mexico to Canada to bisect the United States, even though both of these nations are friendly to the US? It is erroneous to say that the Muslims have never given us warning. On the contrary, America experienced Islamic terror on 9-11. Israel experiences Islamic terror virtually every day. We do not need any warnings. We need to recognize the destructive goal of Islamic terror. We will be able to defeat Muslim worldwide terror, only when we realize that both Israel and America are considered the common enemy. With Blessings and Love for Israel, Ruth Matar * * * P.S. To better understand what worldwide Muslim terror is about, we recommend that you obtain the documentary DVD, "IN THE FACE OF TERROR". An email correspondent wrote me that he had seen the DVD at a friend's house and had found it very interesting. He asked me to send him a few copies of the DVD, and requested that same arrive by a certain date, as he planned to show the video at his home to a group of friends. To view the trailer of "IN THE FACE OF TERROR" go to http://www.gwu.edu/~fidfc/index.htm. The DVD is produced by Ilana Gabriel and costs $20, including shipping. To order the DVD, visit our website www.womeningreen.org. Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org To Go To Top

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? Posted by Ken Heller, October 27, 2005.

Dear Friends: Our "peace partners" seem to be intent on continuing to kill us and we continue what appears to be a "business as usual" attitude by not launching an all-out, continuous military, not journalistic attack, on them wherever they may be. We also continue to allow the man directly complicit in the Hadera murders to stay in office! Arik the Terrible, the Prince of Perfidy, it has been learned, let the latest crazed killer out of prison several weeks ago as a "favor" to the King Terrorist in the area, Mahmoud Abbas. Arik the Terrible also continues to violate his "promises" to the People of Gush Katif and Northern Samaria after an unconscionable forced expulsion. Even if the life of one Jew is still in a state of upheaval, it's too many. Why is this fiend allowed to stay in office? Why, with all the supposed intelligence remaining in Israel can a group of people get together to unceremoniously throw him out...and then lock him up for crimes against the Jews? No more favors! No more negotiations! No more unilateral or bilateral concessions to the intractable enemy of the Jews! They all want to die for their cause, don't they? Why can't we help them meet their goals? And why, oh why, can't we overthrow the Evil One? Can somebody provide answers? Ken Heller is a pro-Israel activist and a member of the Philadelphia Chapter of Americans For A Safe Israel. He can be reached at kayjayphilly@yahoo.com To Go To Top

CUTS BOTH WAYS Posted by Walter Soles, October 27, 2005.

Several weeks ago, Germany announced its decision to stop all arms sales to Israel. Since then, other countries have followed suit. In response, Israel has canceled its annual multimillion dollar contract for its nationwide DAN buses which were manufactured in Germany, and is looking at other bus suppliers in the US, and Japan. The Europeans and their Muslim allies should understand that boycotts works both ways. When we said NEVER AGAIN, we meant it. Europe is stuck in the mentality of 1933 and conditioned to thinking of Jews as defenseless entities. The reality is very different. As long as Europe adheres to and supports its primitive Middle Ages death cult, European products must be off limits. We continue to call for a complete boycott of travel and products from the following countries France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Holland, and China, due to their support, sponsorship, and/or participation in global Islamic terror. The voting record of the above countries at the UN openly endorses Muslim terror. Remember, every time you buy a bottle of Evian, a Carlsberg product, a Spanish melon, a Godiva chocolate, a Dior lipstick, a Gucci bag, or a German kitchen appliance, you are financing the next Muslim mass murderer. The European Union gives over $10 million per month to the Palestinian Authority, knowing full well that the money is funneled to buy, import, and train Muslim terrorists and their weapons of mass murder. We strongly encourage everyone to buy American and Israeli products instead. Buy Estee Lauder or Ahava instead of Chanel, Dior, and YSL. Tell the salespeople why. Educate the public when you shop. Europe is underwriting the Arab war to exterminate the Jewish state. We cannot sit idly by while this happens. Make your voice heard and let them feel the sting in their pocketbooks. Let the Europeans know that supporting terror does not pay. To Go To Top

'DO-IT-YOURSELF' KING LOOKS TO HELP FIX ISRAEL Posted by David Nathan, October 27, 2005.

This was written by Sheera Chaire Frenkel, and appeared in the Jerusalem Post on October 19, 2005. 'Do-it-yourself' king looks to help fix Israel He was jobless at 50, and a billionaire a decade later. Bernie Marcus, whose home repair empire of Home Depot ranks as one of the great American success stories, wants to see that same success for Israel. "The State of Israel is the sanctuary of Jews around the world," he said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post during a recent visit to Israel. "I want the State of Israel to survive. I want the state of Israel as a strong, self-sufficient, democracy." To that end, he has given millions of dollars to various charities supporting Israel and Jewish causes. Listed as one of Forbes wealthiest Americans (he ranked No. 116 with a net worth of $2.2 billion), he was also listed among the top charitable donors in the United States by The Chronicle of Philanthropy in 2005. At 76 years old, he says his work is not yet done. As he visited Israel on one of his bi-yearly trips, he spoke to settlers and politicians about the aftermath of the disengagement, which he called a "life and death issue." Paramount, however, is his interest in facilitating debate in the political sphere, where Israel has the potential, he said, to tear itself apart. "The greatest threat to Israel's State is internal," he said. "They have a great deal of strength and have demonstrated that they can fight. Israel has destroyed itself, over the centuries, internally." To advance political dialogue, Marcus founded the Israel Democracy Institute, which assists the Israeli government in gathering information to be used in forming legislation. It also strives to aid the Knesset in researching and developing a constitution for the State of Israel. "A constitution is a guideline for a more stable government," he said. "Everyone I talk to here says they need a constitution." The IDI invites representatives from various sectors of society, ranging from ultra-orthodox to Arab Israeli, to participate in debates over the content of a possible constitution. It then feeds that information to the Knesset Constitution Committee, the body that will formally write and propose a constitution to the rest of the Knesset. "In a good constitution everyone is equally unhappy," said Marcus. "That is the way it was in the US when that constitution was developed. There are no winners, everyone compromises." Achieving those compromises and producing a draft will be crucial, said Marcus, to Israel's survival. "The constitution is the backbone of the State in the future. I don't think it's the ultimate answer, but it's the guideline, the starting point," he said. "After 50 years if you don't have that guideline between the Prime Minister's Office, the judicial system and the Knesset, there is a clash. The guidelines have to be definitive; they are all checks and balances." Marcus, a proponent of the free enterprise system, which encourages entrepreneurship and capitalism, says that the constitution is a necessary step in supporting that system. "The less government there is the wealthier we become because we allow our people to work," he said. In the US, Marcus has been known to support Republican candidates. Last year, he drew criticism from the Jewish community after it was made public that he donated money to the election campaign of Georgia Lt.-Governor Ralph Reed, who purportedly supported making Christianity the official state religion of the US. But his critics have been relatively few. More often Marcus is praised for his charitable contributions, such as the recent donation of $200 million of his personal fortune to the largest indoor aquarium in the United States, the Georgia Aquarium, near his home in Atlanta. Marcus, who runs most of his charities with his wife, Billy, and three children, said his charities operate in a businesslike manner. "Giving away money is hard work, because we don't give away money, we invest money, we look at the outcome of a charity," said Marcus. "We watch the dollars and if they aren't used properly we don't give anymore." When looking at charities, Marcus said he looks for broad programs that affect as many people of possible. He gives primarily to Jewish charities, medical research, and organizations which help develop entrepreneurship. Charity was part of his upbringing, said Marcus, who remembers giving part of his ice cream money each week to help plant a tree in Israel. He was raised in an orthodox household in Newark. Marcus, who now oversees the Home Depot chain that launched a nation of "do-it-yourself" home improvement projects, said that he himself showed little ability with tools when he helped his father, a cabinet maker. Marcus's true love was medicine. His mother pushed him to get a pharmacy degree from Rutgers University when he could not get into medical school due to a quota system that limited Jewish student enrollment. "That was one of my first cases of really feeling discrimination," he said. Marcus recalls facing discrimination throughout his life, starting from neighborhood bullies who harassed him for being Jewish. "It was never a case of learning who you were, we were Jews," he said. "I was born a Jew, grew up a Jew, proud to be a Jew, got into fist fights because I was a Jew." He credits Judaism with providing him with the values that were integral to his success. "I've always felt that common sense drives every decision I make," he said. "There is always talk about Jews being successful in business... maybe Jews are just born with a yiddishe kup [common sense] that has been honed over the years." To Go To Top

COPTS RELEASE VIDEO OF MASS RIOTING, DESTRUCTION OF CHURCHES AND BIBLES Posted by Maria Sliwa, October 27, 2005.

Copts Release Video of Mass Rioting, Destruction of Churches and Bibles Fear impending ethnic cleansing of Christians in Egypt UNION CITY, NJ: Fearing a repeat of the recent riots against the Coptic Church in Alexandria, Egypt, which left four dead, over 80 wounded and seven churches defaced, the International Christian Union (ICU) and American Coptic Association (ACA) are calling on the U.S. Government and the United Nations to take immediate action to stop the bloodshed and destruction of churches. Exclusive video footage released by the ICU/ACA today, on http://mychristianblood.blogspirit.com reveals the destruction of the Assemblies of God Church for Evangelical Copts in Moharam Bek, on Friday, Oct. 21. "We are receiving numerous reports that extremist Muslim groups are planning to surround the Alexandria churches again on Friday, Oct.28, and at the end of Ramadan on the following Tuesday, promising the death of Christians and the continued destruction of churches throughout Egypt," Dr. Monir Dawoud, president of the ICU/ACA, said. Dawoud faults the security forces for encouraging violence by first "giving the green light to the mob," and then failing to control the resulting riots. "If the momentum of the riots is allowed to continue, the crowds will be impossible to contain," Dawoud said. Over 5,000 Muslims demonstrated outside of the Alexandria Coptic Orthodox Church last Friday to protest the production of a drama staged at the church two years ago. The protestors say the play blasphemes Islam. According to recent statements by the Coptic Church, however, the play does not defame Islam. "Copts and other minorities in Egypt are continually subjected to physical and verbal harassment by extremist Muslim groups. Yet we do not destroy their houses of worship or call for bloodshed," said Amgad Zakhari, one of the youth leaders with the ICU/ACA. In addition to the protests, the Egyptian newspaper, El Fagr, published threats made by Muslim radicals against the Coptic Pope Shenouda III. According to this report, Muslim radicals publicly announced their threats through mosques in the outskirts of the city of Alexandria and were calling for the death of the Pope in revenge for an alleged insult to Islam's prophet. The ICU and the ACA are planning a demonstration in front of the UN next week to protest the persecution of Christians in Egypt. Contact Maria Sliwa atFreedom Now Communications, 973-272-2861 or at SliwaNews@gmail.com To Go To Top

DISMISSING YOUR OPPONENT AS "ANTI" Posted by Shaul and Aviva Ceder, October 27, 2005.

This was written by Dennis Prager. It appeared in Jewish World Review (http://www.JewishWorldReview.com), Oct. 27, 2005. One of the more appealing aspects about being on the Left is that you do not necessarily have to engage your opponents in debates over the truth or falsehood of their positions. You can simply dismiss your opponent as "anti." Anti-worker: It all began with Marxism. If you opposed communism or socialism, you were not merely anti-communist or anti-socialist, you were anti-worker. This way of dismissing opponents of leftist ideas is now the norm. Anyone, including a Democrat, who raises objections to union control of state and local politics is labeled anti-worker: "anti-teacher," "anti-firefighter," "anti-nurse," etc. This is how the unions are fighting California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's attempts to rein in unauthorized union spending of members' dues to advance leftist political goals. He is depicted as an enemy of all these groups. Anti-education: Those who object to the monopoly that teachers' unions have on public education and to their politicization of the school curricula are labeled "anti-education." Of course, the irony is that if you love education, you must oppose the teachers' unions. Anti-intellectual: If you object to the dwindling academic standards at universities, or to the lack of diversity in ideas there, you are dismissed as "anti-intellectual." Given the universities' speech codes, the intellectually stifling Political Correctness that pervades academia, and the emotionalism that characterizes most leftist views on campus (American "imperialism," Israeli "apartheid," "war for oil" are emotional outbursts, not serious positions), if any side seems to express anti-intellectualism, it would be the Left. Anti-Semite: Leftists who attack Israel frequently claim that they are shut down by irresponsible charges of anti-Semitism. The claim is that people who criticize Israeli government policies are labeled anti-Semites. I have never come across a normative conservative or any other pro-Israel source that has labeled mere criticism of Israel as anti-Semitic. It is those who single out Israel of all the nations of the world for intense criticism, those who argue that Israel has no right to exist as a Jewish state (that it is, by definition, a "racist" state) who are sometimes charged - and sometimes validly so - with anti-Semitism. What is rarely noted is how often the Left will label anti-liberal comments as "veiled anti-Semitism." A left-wing Jew at a Jewish seminary sent out an e-mail charging Ann Coulter with anti-Semitism. His grounds? All of her attacks on liberals were really attacks on Jews. That she herself never made such a connection and that the vast majority of liberals are not Jews mean nothing to those who believe that "anti-liberal" often means anti-Jew. Anti-black ("racist"): Perhaps the most common of the Left's "anti" epithets is "anti-black," i.e., "racist." If a person opposes race-based affirmative action, for example, he is likely to be called a racist. And, of course, the recent libeling of Bill Bennett as a racist was a classic example. Though he and his wife have done more for blacks than most people in public life, black or white, Bennett implied while making another point (about abortion) that blacks were disproportionately involved in violent crime. This is a statistical fact and a sociological tragedy. But because a conservative made the point, the charge of racism permeated the (liberal) media. Anti-woman: If you oppose any aspect of feminism, you are likely to be called anti-woman or "misogynist." If you oppose "equal pay for equal work" because you believe it undermines economic freedom, you're anti-woman. If you oppose abortion on demand because you believe that the human fetus has a right to live, you are against women's rights. Anti-peace: The very fact that anti-war and "peace" activists have labeled themselves "pro-peace" and "anti-war" renders their opponents vulnerable to charges of opposing peace and even loving war. Again, no intellectual argument is needed. According to much left-wing rhetoric, those who support the war in Iraq do not love peace. Of course, there was no peace in Iraq prior to the American deposing of Saddam Hussein, and there would be far more bloodshed if America now left Iraq. But it is far harder to engage those arguments than to label those who make them "anti-peace." Anti-gay (homophobe): It is the rare proponent of same-sex marriage who acknowledges that it is possible to oppose this redefining of marriage yet affirm the equal humanity of gays. Overwhelmingly, the response to those who wish to maintain the normative way of forming a family - basing it on a married man and woman - is to simply declare them "homophobic." The same is true for conservative policies on the economy - "anti-poor" - and for opposition to any leftist policy on the environment - "anti-environment." The "anti" arguments are effective. Conservatives have to spend half their time explaining that they are not bad people before they can be heard. But the Left has paid a great price. Because they have come to rely so heavily on one-word dismissals of their opponents, they have few arguments. Contact the authors at ceder@netvision.net.il To Go To Top

HAS ISRAEL BECOME A BUSH PROTECTORATE? Posted by Lawrence Uniglicht, October 27, 2005.

Israel officially declares itself a protectorate of the Bush Administration. The elected President of the United States and non-elected President of Israel has declared he will not support Israel's reasonable position that an armed Hamas must not participate in the upcoming Palestinian elections, thus Israeli sycophantic pusillanimous leaders tuck their collective tails between their scrawny limbs, perform a deferential curtsy, and ask how high must we now raise our voices in affirmation of a position that was totally unacceptable when we had a spine? Apparently G.W., whose current poll numbers are lower than the New Orleans basin, has more success bullying his Israeli subjects than convincing his own official constituency that he is a worthy leader. How dare Israel display such a craven response to this heinous insult! Have the words sovereignty and survival lost all meaning? This State has intrepidly and successfully battled Arab adversaries since birth, this State has developed a robust economy and state of the art technology in one of the most dysfunctional regions of the planet, this State till now has not yielded to blatantly biased world opinion, why must this State grovel when today's Big Kahuna superpower disrespectfully gives it marching orders to bend over while its sworn enemy, armed to the teeth, attempts to craft its gift of a Palestinian enclave into a toxic neighbor that will ever threaten the Jewish democracy's existence? If G. W. Bush will not hold the smoothie Abbas' feet to the fire and insist he crush the fanatical fringe that infects the fledgling Islamic Gaza, prescient stewards of Israel must reassess the validity of any presumed commitment the U.S. President and his cadre have for their beleaguered nation. A self-respecting sovereign state will not desert the spirit of its forefathers with wishful rationalizations. Prime Minister Sharon must look Mr. Bush in the eye telling him that if an armed Hamas usurps Road Map negotiations, as Commander and Chief of a united Israel he will tell the fanatics in no uncertain terms to get off the road and 'drop dead in a ditch'. Any lesser response is totally unacceptable! Contact the author at luniglicht@snip.net To Go To Top

WHAT DID YOU EXPECT? Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, October 27, 2005.

What did everyone expect after the Sharon Pogrom? Did they expect more love and kisses? An oppressed people will eventually react. 1.  This article is called "Halutz condemns 'thuggish' protesters". It was written by Efrat Weiss and appeared in Ynet News and is archived at www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3160070,00.html Illegal outpost (Shaul Golan) Troops dispatched to remove illegal West Bank outposts face punctured tires, curses, and assaults. IDF officials slam settlers, leadership, saying 'We protect them day and night, and then get beaten up.' Meanwhile, rabbi lauds 'healthy' settler youths A total of 50 punctured tires, damaged military vehicles, and a burned down army van is only part of the damage reported in the aftermath of the evacuation of a new West Bank outpost erected illegally near the settlement of Elon Moreh. Army officers later said settlers were getting out of control and added the situation was worse than during disengagement. Clearing the outpost (Sharon Katz) Chief of Staff Dan Halutz released a statement in which hashly "condemns the thuggish acts that accompanied the clearance." "Physical and verbal abuse have no place in the country... IDF soldiers and commanders work day and night to provide security for citizens. The IDF and police will work tirelessly in order to ensure that the criminals are tracked and face justice for their acts," said Halutz. Earlier, Palestinians have reported that settlers from the Kiriyat Arba settlement attacked residents n Hebron. They claimed that the attackers took over a number of shops in the area and walked armed with sticks and metal bars, and are harassing people passing by. Residents also say that Israeli police and soldiers are not entering the scene, since they themselves have been attacked repeatedly. Troops began evacuating the outpost at 2:30 a.m. Thursday, after the ultimatum issued to the settlers there expired. About 150 youths gathered at the scene and hurled insults at the incoming troops, the army said, including "Nazis" and "your mother must be turning in her grave when she sees what you're doing." A high-ranking officer was dispatched to the scene, but a group of five youngsters blocked the jeep he was traveling in and began puncturing its tires. Meanwhile, a clash broke out between some of the youngsters and troops. The settlers then proceeded to rip off the officer's shirt and ranks. The officer was also punched in his right eye, before the rioters escaped. Meanwhile, the forces continued to evacuate the outpost and placed many youths on an IDF military transport vehicle. However, at 6 a.m., after the vehicle began traveling towards Ariel, settlers punctures more tires and hurled stones at soldiers, while about 30 detainees rioted inside the vehicle, broke windows, and devastated other equipment. At one point, one of them torched a chair, forcing IDF troops to rescue the youngsters before they succumb to the fire. The evacuation was finally completed around 7 a.m. 'Worse than pullout' On Wednesday, Ynet reported that a new movement comprised of hundreds of youths from across the nation is established six new illegal outposts on hills in the West Bank. "The youths are beginning to lose their direction," IDF sources told Ynet, after summarizing Wednesday night's events. "It has gone beyond what happened during disengagement; there we knew we were carrying out a government decision and that it would end within one-to-two days. Here, we see (violence) going up. They've lost control." "Specifically during a period of terror attacks, when the forces are supposed to act against the terror organizations, we are forced to deploy soldiers against settlers," the sources added. "The very settlers that we have to protect day and night are precisely the ones attacking us. Today it's hitting, and tomorrow - we don't want to think about that," they said. "It is a legitimate battle, but it has gone beyond all limits." The military sources that spoke with Ynet blamed the settler leadership for this recent upraising. "An eight-year-old child does not just do something without their parents or leaders' guidance. Their leaders cause the youths to act they way they do. We are calling for them to regain their composure and not lose control." 'Youths fighting next pullout' The IDF is planning to lodge a complaint with Ariel Police in order to stop those behind the disorder. In response to the army's claims, Benny Katzover, a settler leader and resident of Elon Moreh, told Ynet: "The youths are fighting a war to prevent the next disengagement, and their behavior should be seen from this context. This time, it (another pullout) will never happen." Katzover, who learned of the overnight incidents this morning, added: "The feeling is that the IDF is operating today out of a desire to satisfy the government, and in response to American pressure." The hilltop youths have also received the backing of rabbis. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, of the Ateret Cohanim yeshiva, published an opinion piece under the headline: "Orange is waking up." "How good it is to see our wonderful youth... it knows this is our land, the land of Israel and not the land of Ishmael, and we therefore commanded, in accordance with our heritage, history, and nation, to settle our land everywhere. We have in our midst the power of youth, the promise of our future, healthy forces which we see as representatives of the entire nation... we are not like our rabbi Moses. In our time, the Land of Israel should not be viewed from afar and longed for - its time to come to the land, to build it and settle it everywhere." Minister slams government inaction Earlier, Interior Minister Ophir Pines-Paz wrote a letter to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and slammed government inaction when it comes to illegal outposts. "...no enforcement action has been taken against the illegal outposts, which continue to grow and develop almost uninterrupted," Pines-Paz charged. "Government inaction on the matter encourages the continued abandon and open violation of the law by the new and old outpost residents who continue to conduct themselves as before." "On some occasions restraint is interpreted as weakness, and the Israeli government must start treating lawbreakers at the illegal outposts with a firm hand, dismantle existing outposts, and adopt all necessary measures in order to prevent the erection of new outposts," Pines-Paz said.   2.  This article is called "West Bank Youths establish 6 new illegal outposts" and it was written by Efrat Weiss. It is archived at www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3159641,00.html Ronny Sofer contributed to the report. Building new outpost. (Sharon Katz) Hundreds of youngsters set up new West Bank outpost. One girl says: We're sick and tired of talking and are starting to act. We went through a nightmare in Gaza and northern West bank and are responding now A new movement comprised of hundreds of youths from across the nation is establishing six new illegal outposts on hills in the West Bank Wednesday. Israeli youngsters are sick and tired of the desire to hand over land belonging to the people of Israel, 18-year-old Tamar Kimchi, a member of the group and a resident of the settlement of Efrat told Ynet. "We are youths who care. We are sick and tired of talking and are starting to act so the criminal plan of the fence is called off. We plan to rise up on every hill in the battle for the land of Israel. We are fighting to be here," she said. New West Bank outpost (Sharon Katz) According to Kimchi, the new outposts are to be established near Efrat, Elon Moreh, Kedumim, Kiryat Arba, and Maon. Arik Yitzhaki, a Gush Katif evacuee and a prominent anti-disengagement activist, who joined the latest initiative, told Ynet that "we (the settlers) lost a fight over Gush Katif yet the battle for the Land of Israel is ahead of us." A former resident of Gush Katif who is currently living with members of his family in the Efrat settlement of Gush Etzion, Yitzhaki spoke to Ynet from the construction site where the new outpost is being erected. He explained that the outpost is part of efforts to stop the construction of the West Bank security fence, whose current route separates Efrat from its community's cemetery. "There are about 100 teenage members of the new movement, who were labeled 'illegal aliens' over the summer when they arrived to support Gush Katif settlers," he said. "There they absorbed proper principles and we are using them today to pursue the fight over the Land of Israel," he said. He added that settlers will seek to expand their construction of outposts deep into the West Bank so as to include "many Jewish settlements on the other side of the fence. Another aim is a struggle against Shimon Peres and people from the 'peace camp' who are planning the dismantling of 30 to 40 Jewish outposts in Judea and Samaria," said Yitzhaki. Aryeh Zelasko lives in Beitar Illit, south of Jerusalem. He is Director of Sales and Marketing of Israel Visit (www.israelvisit.co.il) which provides information and an internet buying facility for American visitors to Israel. To Go To Top

IT IS A DISGRACE. BUT WHO SHOULD BE ASHAMED? Posted by David Frankfurter, October 27, 2005.

Dear Friends, Yesterday (26 October 2005), at 11.21 am in the UK House of Commons, The Minister for the Middle East (Dr. Kim Howells) had this to say:[1] I was in Ramallah three weeks ago. I had not been there for 13 years, and I did not recognise it. It was full of flashy apartments. Where did the money come from? A prominent Palestinian told me, "Well, we've had a decade and a half of chronic, corrosive corruption." That is where the money has come from. Year after year, the donor countries gave money to the Palestine Liberation Organisation, and what happened to it? It was used to pay off Arafat's cronies, and a lot of it ended up in bank accounts in Zurich and in property. It is a disgrace. I can only wonder if any of my readers might point out to Dr Howells[2] that the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Finance website reports[3] that the Palestinian Authority uses its expense budget to send money every month to PLO institutions. In fact, it provided some $16 million in the first 8 months of this year alone. And I am sure that as Minister for the Middle East, he knows that approximately 25% of this money comes from overseas donors - including the EU. He would also be able to confirm the PA report that, since January 2003, approximately $12.3 million was provided directly to those PA expense budgets by the UK via his sister Ministry - the Department for International Development (DfID). Something I have never quite understood is how providing taxpayer money to the PLO - whether directly or indirectly - can be legal under UK law. After all, the PLO charter[4] clearly lays out that it has a specific goal of wiping out a particular sovereign state which has full, friendly diplomatic relations with the UK - spelling out that the terrorist euphemism "armed struggle" is the only way and "commando action" is the nucleus. And in case Dr Howells thinks that corruption stopped with the demise of Arafat, or at the doors of the PLO, you may quote to him the words of a Palestinian Legislative Council investigative committee[5] earlier his month, explaining that it recommends the dismissal of the Palestinian cabinet, as there has been a "clear failure in implementing the reform and development plan, as well as in the war against corruption." I can only agree with Dr Howells. It is a disgrace. David Footnotes: 1. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/ cm051026/halltext/51026h02.htm#51026h02_spmin0 2. kimhowells@eirlys.demon.co.uk 3. http://www.mof.gov.ps/english/reports05.asp 4. http://www.iris.org.il/plochart.htm 5. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/632847.html To subscribe to David Frankfurter's 'letter from Israel', email him at david.frankfurter@iname.com. Or go to http://www.livejournal.com/users/dfrankfurter/ To Go To Top

SIDES OF A WALL Posted by Batya Medad, October 27, 2005.

Yesterday Arutz 7 had short article about the community Tzofim being cut off from other communities in the Shomron. Tzofim is to be on the ghetto side of the so called "security fence," which will be a de facto border between Israel and the terrorists. According to the article, a majority of Tzofim considers themselves part of the Shomron and enjoys the educational, cultural, social and medical facilities which, when the wall is completed, will be much, much further away. They will have to do with getting used to either longer traveling or become more part of the ghetto. As I was trying to fall asleep last night, it hit me that this was in actuality a very peculiar article, since it only dealt with the inconveniences of living in the ghetto, not at all touching on the inconvenience, difficulties and dangers that will await those Jews on the terrorist side of the wall. Yes, in case you were wondering, Shiloh, is on the terrorist side, though not in the Tzofim neighborhood. Besides the complaints from the Gush Etzion area, which had believed that they were included entirely in the ghetto side, I'm not aware of much publication of the negative effects that the wall will have for Jews. My community is ignoring it. We don't even have a fence around Shiloh. We have never had one, for ideological reasons. Personally, I generally ignore the whole fence business, because I don't think that it will bring anyone peace and security. It's just bringing some contractors a lot of money, and one day it will go down, be blown up or whatever. Determined terrorists will get "around it," over, under--it won't stop them, and enough Arabs live within the proposed ghetto, so they can offer refuge for their friends and relatives. And their convenience is monitored by the world and self-hating Israelis. As I've said so many times, the Arabs are interested in pre-'67 Israel, the part within the ghetto. They never lived in Shiloh, so rich in Jewish history, and Jews have no ancient history in Tel Aviv. Most of the kibbutzim are on Arab villages destroyed post-'48. Stop building the wall, and let's build our country in all of Eretz Yisrael. Batya Medad lives in Shiloh. She can be reached by email at Shilohmuse@yahoo.com or visit her website http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/ or go to http://www.shilo.org.il This essay is archived at http://samizdatblogfree.blogspot.com/2005/10/ ir-haemuna-update.html To Go To Top

HOMICIDE BOMB BY ISLAMIC JIHAD IN HADERA, 5 MURDERED, 30 WOUNDED Posted by Gail Winston, October 27, 2005.

BREAKING NEWS October 26th: Bomb in coastal city Hadera marketplace, 70 Km. North of Tel Aviv, at 4 PM Israel time, October 26th near falafel stand in middle of Market. Islamic Jihad claims responsibility (day after funeral of senior leader of Islamic Jihad killed Monday by Israel Defense Force for which Islamic Jihad threatened revenge.) W as a suicide bomber according to CNN or homicide bomber, according to FOX News. ADDENDUM: TERRORIST WAS 'RELEASED' 2 MONTHS AGO, SUPPOSEDLY BY SHARON!! [According to Harvey Tannenbaum] Wounds include metal parts lodged in bodies, metal parts penetrate patient, flying glass, eardrums burst, burns caused by explosion. Yonaton Yagodovsky, head of Israel Medical Emergency Services reports on CNN. Hope no further deaths. Long process of recovery for those wounded like this. Mr. Yagodovsky sends out requests for blood and blood products. At 4:40 at least one such shipment received. Emergency calls for additional medical personnel. Air Force ready with Medivac helicopters to transport patients, if necessary. Hadera, a small city about 50,000 people - has had other such Terror attacks, called in Hebrew Pigua. Since pullout from Gaza in August more than 40 bombs (Kassem Rockets) were thrown into Israel by Hamas. IDF response called "strong" by CNN. Terror leaders taking extra precautions, will be target of IDF. Without presence of 10,000 people and the IDF troops in Gaza, Israeli military can operate without restraint. Terrorist was later identified as Hassan Abu Zayad, 23 years. Market & stores damaged within 10-15 meters around. Inspector Mickey Rosenfeld, Head National Security. European Union urged Israel to "show restraint." CNN Anchorwomen: Veronica: "Pressure now on Palestinian Authority who are 'in the middle'." CNN Jerusalem Anchorperson: John: "PA doesn't have modern weapons to stop these attacks on Israelis. Till these attacks stop, Israel cannot go back to Road Map. Those opposed to 'Disengagement' will point to this. But, because of Fence around Gaza, [Terrorists] probably not from Gaza. Therefore, little to do with 'pullout'. Opens way for PM Ariel Sharon to launch strong response. Fear by moderates on both sides, whether Israelis or Arabs that there will be more strikes against Muslim Terrorists. Whole 'cycle of violence' about to emerge again. Mahmoud Abbas came for talks with Pres. George Bush with encouragement. Israelis say 'words are cheap', want to see action by strong PA security services." ADDENDUM 2: This Jerusalem CNN analyst, John, needs to utilize more strategic thinking & critical analysis to his reports. Seems he can't quite make the connection between this latest Islamic terror attack & expulsion from Gaza. Well, had there not been an open sesame between Gaza, Egypt and Judea & Samaria, weapons & Terror fiends would have not had unimpeded traffic patterns. Is that connection too hard to expect for a Jerusalem anchor? -- Adina Kutnicki EMERGENCY HOTLINES: Hillel Yaffe Hospital (Hadera) 12-55-166 Laniado Hospital (Netanya) 12-55-191 Meir Hospital (Kfar Saba) 12-55-199 [Three weeks ago Oct. 17th 2 drive-by ambush shootings by Hamas murdered 2 girls, age 21 and 23 and a 14 year old boy at the Gush Etzion junction, wounding 5. Same day, 40 minutes later (therefore, simultaneous for all intents & purposes) another Arab sniper shot & seriously wounded one on road between Eli & Shilo.] Gail Winston is founder of MEIR (Mid East Information Resource). To Go To Top

GUILTY "PALESTINIAN" ARAB MUSLIM LEADERS, GUILTY AND HYPOCRITES! Posted by American Chin High, October 27, 2005.

Another "Palestinian" Jihadi Genocide bomber, this time in Hadera on innocent civilians in a market, murdering 5 and wounding dozens. The "Palestinian" Saeb Erakat was quoted in the main news as "condemning" it by saying the "Cycle of Violence must stop"... Iran wants to wipe off Israel... What? I thought that these Jihadists have a mere "occupation" excuse!!! What else is new? Israel continues to give gestures, especially the latest historic give-away of Gaza to the "Palestinian" Arab Muslims and what? It didn't take the "Palestinians" 48 hours until they stabbed 2 non Zionist religious students. It didn't take them a few weeks to kidnap an Israeli innocent civilian and executing" him Iraqi-Jihad style. It didn't take them a few weeks until they threatened again a boy to be a human bomb, including by Mahmoud Abbas own Fatah man. It didn't take them a few weeks until they succeeded in butchering more innocent civilians in a market, I repeat "succeeded", not "attempted". Does anyone really think that the "Palestinian" Arab Muslim butchers, weather be members of Hamas, Islamic Jihad Palestinian authority's own Fatah's-Alaqsa, miss any opportunity to murder? Why? What for? When? The only difference is that they succeed each time Israel gives in more security measures, they see it as "weakness" and not as humane, which Israel is all about: Life-Survival & kindness! And this notorious Jenin-Liar (remeber how he said that there were "500" killed in Jenin, when it turned out that there were around 50 mostly armed terrorists?) : Saeb Erakat says "the cycle of violence must stop", What a bluffing-cliche statement! This "Palestinian" leadership wants to have it both ways, terrorize Israeli civilians by allowing their own or other groups act it's mass murder, and than putting on a face of "condemnation. No way! Guilty "Palestinian" Arab Muslim leaders, guilty and hypocrites! The blood is on your hands! Contact the author at americanchinhigh@yahoo.com To Go To Top

IRAN LEADER CALLS FOR ISRAEL'S DESTRUCTION Posted by Avodah 15, October 27, 2005.

This comes from Little Green Footballs and is archived at www.littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/ ?PHPSESSID=68a8ba7f98b3fa2ade57a1f00c9352f5 And Iran will soon have nuclear weapons. TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's hard-line president called for Israel to be "wiped off the map" and said a new wave of Palestinian attacks will destroy the Jewish state, state-run media reported Wednesday. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also denounced attempts to recognize Israel or normalize relations with it. "There is no doubt that the new wave (of attacks) in Palestine will wipe off this stigma (Israel) from the face of the Islamic world," Ahmadinejad told students Wednesday during a Tehran conference called "The World without Zionism." "Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation's fury, (while) any (Islamic leader) who recognizes the Zionist regime means he is acknowledging the surrender and defeat of the Islamic world," Ahmadinejad said. Ahmadinejad also repeated the words of the founder of Iran's Islamic revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who called for the destruction of Israel. "As the imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map," said Ahmadinejad, who came to power in August and replaced Mohammad Khatami, a reformist who advocated international dialogue and tried to improve Iran's relations with the West. Ahmadinejad referred to Israel's recent withdrawal from the Gaza Strip as a "trick," saying Gaza was already a part of Palestinian lands and the pullout was designed to win acknowledgment of Israel by Islamic states. "The fighting in Palestine is a war between the (whole) Islamic nation and the world of arrogance," Ahmadinejad said, using Tehran's propaganda epithet for the United States and Israel. "Today, Palestinians are representing the Islamic nation against arrogance." Contact the author at avodah15@aol.com To Go To Top

TERRORIST BOMBING STRIKES HADERA MARKET Posted by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz and Hillel Fendel, October 27, 2005.

This appeared October 26, 2005 in Arutz-Sheva. It is archived at www.mymarketing.co.il/Show/ 0XFAF647A66065914EDAEC26B7DAA095F2.htm#a91791 A terrorist bombing in a Hadera open-air market killed five people and wounded more than 30 Wednesday afternoon. Shortly before 4:00pm, an Arab suicide bomber made his way into the market in the northern city and detonated explosives he carried on his person. The initial police investigation points to a white vehicle that may have transported the terrorist to the Hadera market. Reports that the terrorist was a woman were later denied. Four people were pronounced dead at the site of the attack, while the fifth victim died on the operating table at Hillel Yaffe Hospital in Hadera. The many wounded, five of whom are listed in very serious condition, were evacuated to local hospitals. Hillel Yaffe Hospital, located a few blocks from the market, has established an emergency phone number for information at 1255166. The Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for the murderous attack. Though the organization has said it would avenge last week's killing of top terrorist Luis Saadi, it is doubtful whether such an attack could have been arranged on such short notice. It is therefore assumed that this attack against Israel was in planning long before Saadi's death. This was at least the 4th murderous terror attack in Hadera since the Palestinian Authority instigated the Oslo War five years ago. Previous attacks in the city: * In Nov. 2000, two people were killed by a car-bomb in the city. * In Oct. 2001, four women were killed by PA policemen from Jenin who opened random fire on a crowded street from inside a car. * In Jan. 2002, a terrorist entered a Bat Mitzvah celebration and opened random fire, killing six. Several bombs were detonated in the city during this period, but without murderous results. In May 2001, for instance, a car bomb exploded on a crowded Hadera street, but the only person killed was the driver of the car bomb himself. In other terrorism incidents over the holiday, two 20-kilogram (44-lb.) explosives were found and neutralized near the fence surrounding northern Gaza... An IDF position was fired at from southern Gaza... For the third time in several weeks, terrorists fired at an IDF position near N'vei Tzuf, in the Binyamin region; an Arab was hurt by the army's return fire... Two firebombs were hurled at an Israeli car near the Tapuach junction; no one was hurt... In a clash with terrorists in Jenin, an IDF vehicle was damaged. To Go To Top

THE SOLUTION Posted by Jacob Gurewich, October 27, 2005.

1. The State of Israel shall secede from the corrupt United Nations organization, and disconnect itself from the European Union, the hostile descendants of Hitler and their collaborators--despite the inevitable ramifications. 2. The government of Israel shall strongly reject doomed to failure road maps of terror and death--which pseudo allies reeking with petroleum are initiating. 3. The State of Israel shall expel Arab murderers from the Land of Israel, the so-called Arab falastinians who never had a region or a country in the Land of Israel. Ever. The Land of Israel shall not become the Czechoslovakia of the 1940s, and there will be no more terror nor homicidal murderers in The Land of Israel. I see the followers of Ze'ev Jabotinsky, Israel's revered leader and visionary, and all the Holocaust survivors arising and establishing a powerful organization with the objective to prevent any more Holocausts. A government that will encompass members from all the irrational numerous parties/factions, and bring our Enemy Within to justice. A government that will be supported by a vast majority of the Jewish Nation -- in Israel, as well as within the Jewish communities over the world. A government that shall not cede one inch of The Land of Israel, and shall re-settle and fully compensate the expelled settlers from Gaza, Judea and Samaria. Israel shall blot out the Arab repugnant caves with smuggled arms and rockets into the Land of Israel. And it will become a proverb and a byword among us, and among the rest of the world, akin to the blotted out to rubble the nuclear facilities of the butcher of Baghdad, which ironically the entire corrupt United Nations along with the hostile European Union including our pseudo ally--harshly condemned Israel. A government that would not hesitate to preempt and/or powerfully retaliate against the Iranians who - like the tyrant of Baghdad - publicly pledged to annihilate the Land Israel. Israel shall eradicate the thugs of the Egyptian murderer Arafat, the thugs of the Bin-Ladens--of today, and Arab murderers of the days to come--because they may come! The State of Israel shall declare to the corrupt and hostile United Nations, to our pseudo friends, and to the entire world: We have one goal--Freedom, Security, to us, to our generations to come--and no one on this planet shall ever dare to imperil us again. Jacob Gurewich is author of "The Enemy Within" ISBN: 0966639820) and "Fear Factors" (ISBN: 0966639839). Contact the author at jacob@jackgur.com or visit his website: http://www.jackgur.com To Go To Top

ARE THESE NEWS ITEMS RELATED? Posted by David Frankfurter, October 27, 2005.

1. Hamas have announced an ongoing policy of kidnapping Israelis until murderers currently held in Israeli jails are released, and that Hamas will not stop its violence until all of Israel is converted to an Islamic Palestinian state. Meanwhile, Hamas rockets continue being fired out of Gaza, falling on southern Israel. 2. All international parties, including the UK, the EU, the United States and the UN have agreed that Hamas must be allowed to run in the Palestinian election. The precedent of the IRA having to disarm before contesting Irish elections is not of any relevance. Not to mention the Taliban in Afghanistan. 3. There has just been a terrorist attack in the Hadera markets, on this last day of the Sukkot school holidays here in Israel. At least 4 are dead and 30 injured. Islamic Jihad of Gaza has claimed "credit" for the attack. 4. Condoleezza Rice, on behalf of the USA, and James Wolfensohn on behalf of the Quartet, demand that Israel open its borders and allow freedom of movement of goods and of people between and through the West Bank, Gaza and Israel. To subscribe to David Frankfurter's 'letter from Israel', email him at david.frankfurter@iname.com. Or go to http://www.livejournal.com/users/dfrankfurter/ To Go To Top

"YOUTH FOR LAND OF ISRAEL" BUILDING NEW NEIGHBORHOODS Posted by Hillel Fendel, October 27, 2005.

This was published yesterday in Arutz-Sheva and is archived at www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=91780 An initiative by hundreds of youths from around the country begins today for construction of new neighborhoods in Efrat, Kedumim, Elon Moreh, Kiryat Arba and Maon. "Expansion in Place of Destruction" - har'havah bimkom hah'ravah - is the motto of the new initiative. The group released an announcement stating: "Wednesday, the day following Sukkot, we will ascend en-masse, unashamedly and by the light of day, as proud owners of the Land, to establish new neighborhoods in several areas around our Land... "In the past months we were witness to the terrible crime of the ripping out of parts of our holy and beloved Land, the expulsion of Jews from their homes, the uprooting of graves and the abandonment of synagogues to Arab murderers. We saw with our own eyes that which is called the 'leadership of the state' abandoning our inheritance. "As youth that grew up on love of the Land, and who realize that without the Land of Israel there is no blessing and the Divine Presence has no place to rest, we ask: What's next? Our answer is that specifically now, we will replace destruction with expansion; we will replace retreat with going out and holding on to our land." Many of the youths involved in the program were among those who snuck into Gush Katif or the Shomron during the days and weeks preceding the expulsion, giving up their summer vacation to fight the uprooting. The Land of Israel Youth organization was founded in recent weeks in Kiryat Arba, and just a few days ago conducted a march of some 700 youths in the Shomron. Rachel, one of the leaders of the organization and in today's Kiryat Arba initiative, told Arutz-7 that the location that was chosen for rebuilding in her area is known as Heroes Hill, between Hevron and Kiryat Arba. An outpost was originally built there three years ago after a terrorist ambush nearby in which 12 civilians and soldiers were killed. The army tore the site down, and residents built it up, in a cycle that repeated itself several times since then. This morning, some 60 Land of Israel Youths brought a new aluminum shack to the place, and hope to rebuild the neighborhood for the last time. "We believe in building up new neighborhoods in the Land of Israel," Rachel said. "We can't merely settle for sneaking in another caravan here and another one there. We have to build openly and proudly." One former Gush Katif resident, Raz from N'vei Dekalim, was not so sure that the initiative is worthwhile. "Forget your illusions!" he wrote. "In the year before the expulsion, Gush Katif grew significantly - but it didn't help at all. Physical growth will not stop the decree to uproot us, as we have seen. In my opinion, we should invest all these energies in disseminating the Torah's truth to every Jew and Jewess. I saw many soldiers [involved in the expulsion] who were not at all aware of the severity of what they did." Rachel said in response, "He's right, we do have to work on Torah, but we also have to work on the physical plane. We saw in the last year or two that only a few new outposts were built; these are just expansions of old locations. We have to build many more new neighborhoods." At the Elon Moreh site, Yirat S. told Arutz-7 what was going on: "We are about 50 girls and 70 boys, in two different areas of the same location; this was one of our clear decisions, that there would be total separation... At present, both groups have completed about a meter of height on new stone-and-cement buildings... We have lots of water and much food, and soon we'll be holding a groundbreaking ceremony, with the participation of Rabbi Elyakim Levanon and others." Asked about the plans for the immediate future, Yirat said, "The plan was for the boys to sleep here tonight, but the army - which is watching our every move from a hilltop overlooking us - has just informed us that though we may remain here today, they will forcibly remove us if we try to stay the night. So we will have a meeting and decide what to do." Voices from the religious-Zionist public calling of late for less emphasis on Land of Israel issues do not faze the new group. "Our rabbis have taught us," Yirat said, "based on works such as Kol HaTor [by Rabbi Hillel of Shklov, a top disciple of the Gaon of Vilna] that in the period of the Ingathering of the Exiles and the like, we have to concentrate on the Land of Israel." To this end, the organization is calling for more classes on this topic in high schools all over the country. In Efrat, the activities began this morning with a prayer service adjacent to the IDF checkpoint on the Efrat-Tekoa road, then continued with building, planting, singing and classes. There are no plans at present to actually move to the site, but rather to hold various activities and stabilize the Jewish presence there. "We know that wherever Jews are not present," said Tamar K., aged 17.5, one of the leaders of the some 100 youths at the site, "the Arabs take over. Jews are now afraid to go to lots of places and we're in danger of losing them. As youth who are truly concerned over what has happened in Israel lately, we simply cannot merely sit at home and read Arutz-7 and complain. We have to get out and do something. This is merely our opening shot." Asked if the army had arrived to interfere with their attempts to build the site, Tamar said, "So far, about seven soldiers have come to protect us. Why should they interfere with us? Doesn't everyone realize that it's only natural for the Jews to settle and build up their Land?" The new location is being built on a hilltop precisely where the government's separation fence is scheduled to be built. "We don't want to be closed in and ghettoized by fences," Tamar said "Youth all around the country realize that we can't just let it happen, but must get out and do something to stop it. Expansion instead of destruction!" The Kedumim site appears to be the largest of all. Merav, coordinator of the activities there, updated Arutz-7: "About 100 are already here, and several dozen more are on their way. We are two groups - boys and girls. This [separation] was one of the first decisions we made." The chosen site for the new Jewish presence near Kedumim is known as Beit HaDegalim [House of Flags], which currently features a couple of long-abandoned structures between Kedumim and the Arab village of El-Funduk. "We will paint them," Merav said, "and clear out the weeds, and possibly build another temporary structure or two. Our purpose, of course, is to express and manifest our bonds with our Land. This is our response to terrorism and to the expulsion." Asked about the calls to tone down Land of Israel efforts in favor of other causes, Merav said, "We certainly must work on several fronts at once. I, for instance, also belong to a group that works to increase Jewish identity... Now is certainly not the time to abandon the cause of the Land of Israel." Hillel Fendel is Senior News Editor for Israel National News. To Go To Top

AN OPEN LETTER TO MOSHE KATSAV RE GIVING VATICAN LAST SUPPER ROOM Posted by Ellen W. Horowitz, October 27, 2005.

Dear President Katsav: Recently the Vatican newspaper, El Messagero, reported you might sign an agreement handing over part of Kever David HaMelech (the traditional tomb of King David) on Mt. Zion to the Roman Catholic Church. For many years the Vatican has wanted the room they describe as the "Last Supper Room" of which all historians agree, is not the location where a supposed event of the same name ever took place. It is well established and accepted that this part of the building is nowhere near 2000 years old, it may not even be 700 years old. Until the liberation of the Old City of Jerusalem in 1967, it was the roof of this location that people went to pray, as it was the closest they could get to the Western Wall. Prime Minister Ben Gurion planted trees in its old courtyard, Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatszeira (the Baba Sali) made a pilgrimage there, and people continue to travel from all over the world to visit and pray at this traditional burial location of King David. President Katsav, I am sure you are well aware that over the years, several Christian organizations have been making strides to control all of Mt. Zion. Sadly, we now know Jews are assisting them. It is well known that one party involved is a Jew that was knighted by the Pope; he in the past has unmistakably acted as a liaison from the Vatican to the Israeli authorities. This American Jew has previously met with Chaim Silberstein, the chief of staff of the Minister of Tourism, and Director of Religious Affairs Gadi Golan. It is truly shameful that Jews would work towards the elimination and hand over of a piece of Erets Israel, no matter how large or small it is. I lived on Mt. Zion just a few meters from this location and there I spoke with a highly respected rabbi that advised me that the Church has wanted the part of the King David complex for decades, because ownership of it would allow them to Christianize the site and the entire surrounding area. You truly must realize that handing over part of a Jewish landmark would not only be wrong, but it would establish precedence for the Vatican to take over even more property in the future. I understand that the potential hand over of part of the Kever David would include a trade of the El Transito Synagoga in Toledo, Spain. The Transito was once a grand synagogue, built by Samuel Abulafia in the 14th century. It was built during a period when Toledo was still a thriving city filled with Jewish families and Jewish intellectualism. However, just thirty years after the Transito was built, Jews fell victim to a savage campaign of murderer and plunder by Christians who rose up against them in 1391. During this period, over two dozen synagogues were abandoned or destroyed, thousands of Jews murdered; Abulafia himself was put to death by the king of Spain. Toledo is a city where all Jews were chased out or killed by mobs that were incited by Ferrand Martinez and later Vicente Ferrer. The latter was the teacher of future Catholic Grand Inquisitors. After his death, the Vatican canonized him as the heroic Saint Vincent. The Catholic Encyclopedia declares, "Multitudes were won over by his preaching.the number of Jews converted at 25,000." The magnitude of the terror is remembered in the words of Rabbi Hasdai Crescas who witnessed the horror in Toledo: "A day of pain and admonition, a day of multiple sorrows, the anger of the Lord lighted on the community from which Torah and the word of the Lord have gone forth, namely the community of Toledo; priest and prophet were killed in the Lord's temple. There the rabbis publicly died a martyr's death, the good and chosen seed, the seed of Rabbi Asher [Rabbi Yehuda, grandson of the ROSH], they and their sons and students. There, too, many who could not defend themselves converted. On these three communities the earth roared. Aside from other communities in their environs, their number came to about seventy cities...and we have been on guard night and day." When Abulafia and the Jews of Toledo prayed each morning, they faced east towards Jerusalem. It was not Toledo that they desired, but Erets Israel, which was still unobtainable. Now, we have Jerusalem, we can go to the holy sites and we can live in the land. If today Samuel Abulafia knew that his abandoned and empty synagogue in Christian Spain was being traded for a piece of real estate in Erets Israel, he would roll over in his grave. Today the Transito is nothing but a tourist attraction in a city where no Jews remain. President Katsav, I have not addressed the fact that the building should have been given back to the Jews in the first place-that we must remember the Jews were chased out of it; I leave this subject open to future discussion. The primary point I wish to communicate is that it is grossly improper to even consider entertaining the idea to cede any part of Israel to any foreign government; this includes holy locations and historic buildings as much as it does entire cities. I beseech you not to give into political pressure and hand over any part of Erets Israel, even just one building, for it will come back to haunt us. We need to hold on to every square centimeter of land inside Israel. I write this on behalf of the 1.2 million Sephardim around the world and as a respected admirer of your service to a grateful nation. Yours truly, (signed) Shelomo Alfassa Executive Director International Society for Sephardic Progress 1375 Coney Island Avenue #215 Brooklyn, NY 11230 347-350-7695 www.isfsp.org Ellen W. Horowitz is the author of "The Oslo Years: a mother's journal." The book is available through retailers listed at http://osloyears.com/retail.htm Contact her at ellenwrite@bezeqint.net To Go To Top

ISLAMOPHOBIA Posted by David Nathan, October 27, 2005.

This was written by Daniel Pipes and appeared in the New York Sun, October 25, 2005. It is archived at http://www.danielpipes.org/article/3075. The original article has live links to additional material. An Islamist group named Hizb ut-Tahrir seeks to bring the world under Islamic law and advocates suicide attacks against Israelis. Facing proscription in Great Britain, it opened a clandestine front operation at British universities called "Stop Islamophobia," the Sunday Times has disclosed. Stop what, you ask? Coined in Great Britain a decade ago, the neologism Islamophobia was launched in 1996 by a self-proclaimed "Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia." The word literally means "undue fear of Islam" but it is used to mean "prejudice against Muslims" and joins over 500 other phobias spanning virtually every aspect of life. The term has achieved a degree of linguistic and political acceptance, to the point that the secretary-general of the United Nations presided over a December 2004 conference titled "Confronting Islamophobia" and in May a Council of Europe summit condemned "Islamophobia." The term presents several problems, however. First, what exactly constitutes an "undue fear of Islam" when Muslims acting in the name of Islam today make up the premier source of worldwide aggression, both verbal and physical, versus non-Muslims and Muslims alike? What, one wonders, is the proper amount of fear? Second, while prejudice against Muslims certainly exists, "Islamophobia" deceptively conflates two distinct phenomena: fear of Islam and fear of radical Islam. I personally experience this problem: Despite writing again and again against radical Islam the ideology, not Islam the religion, I have been made the runner-up for a mock "Islamophobia Award" in Great Britain, deemed America's "leading Islamophobe," and even called an "Islamophobe Incarnate." (What I really am is an "Islamism-ophobe.") Third, promoters of the "Islamophobia" concept habitually exaggerate the problem: * Law enforcement: British Muslims are said to suffer from persistent police discrimination but an actual review of the statistics by Kenan Malik makes mincemeat of this "Islamophobia myth." * Cultural: Muslims "are faced with an extreme flow of anti-Islamic literature that preaches hatred against Islam," claims the president of the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Virginia, Taha Jabir Al-'Alwani: "novels, movies, books and researches. Just among the best selling novels alone there are almost 1000 novels of this type." One thousand bestsellers vilify Islam? Hardly. In fact, barely a handful do so (for example, The Haj, by Leon Uris). * Linguistic: A professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, falsely reported (in his keynote speech at a U.N. event, "Confronting Islamophobia," reports Alexander Joffe) attempts to hide the Arabic origins of English words such as adobe -- which derives in fact from ancient Egyptian, not from Arabic. * Historical: The term anti-Semitism was originally used to describe sentiment against Arabs living in Spain, Mr. Nasr also stated in his speech, and was not linked to Jews until after World War II. Nonsense: anti-Semitism dates back only to 1879, when it was coined by Wilhelm Marr, and has always referred specifically to hatred of Jews. Fourth, Hizb ut-Tahrir's manipulation of "Stop Islamophobia" betrays the fraudulence of this word. As the Sunday Times article explains, "Ostensibly the campaign's goal is to fight anti-Muslim prejudice in the wake of the London bombings," but it quotes Anthony Glees of London's Brunel University to the effect that the real agenda is to spread anti-Semitic, anti-Hindu, anti-Sikh, anti-homosexual, and anti-female attitudes, as well as to foment resentment of Western influence. Finally, calling moderate Muslims (such as Irshad Manji) Islamophobes betrays this term's aggressiveness. As Charles Moore writes in the Daily Telegraph, moderate Muslims, "frightened of what the Islamists are turning their faith into," are the ones who most fear Islam. (Think of Algeria, Darfur, Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan.) "They cannot find the courage and the words to get to grips with the huge problem that confronts Islam in the modern world." Accusations of Islamophobia, Mr. Malik adds, are intended "to silence critics of Islam, or even Muslims fighting for reform of their communities." Another British Muslim, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, discerns an even more ambitious goal: "all too often Islamophobia is used to blackmail society." Muslims should dispense with this discredited term and instead engage in some earnest introspection. Rather than blame the potential victim for fearing his would-be executioner, they would do better to ponder how Islamists have transformed their faith into an ideology celebrating murder (Al-Qaeda: "You love life, we love death") and develop strategies to redeem their religion by combating this morbid totalitarianism. Contact the author at davenathan@aol.com To Go To Top

FORGOTTEN AT THE WHITE HOUSE Posted by Michael Freund, October 27, 2005.

Who said terrorists can't kill Americans and get away with it? This past Saturday, October 15, marked precisely two years since Palestinian terrorists blew up a US diplomatic convoy in Gaza, killing three Americans and injuring one. In the intervening period, the Palestinian Authority, first under Yasser Arafat and now with Mahmoud Abbas at the helm, has repeatedly refused to punish the perpetrators, preferring instead to allow those who killed Americans to roam free. But that doesn't seem to bother George W. Bush all that much. Rather than using the second anniversary of the attack to berate the Palestinians for harboring terrorists, Bush chose instead to hand them a diplomatic gift. In a brief memorandum addressed to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Bush approved a six-month waiver of the 1987 Anti-Terrorism Act, thereby allowing the PLO's offices in America to remain open. In his memo, Bush wrote, "I hereby determine and certify that it is important to the national security interests of the United States" that PLO offices on US soil continue to function. No explanation was offered by Bush as to how precisely it serves US national security interests to allow a terrorist organization with American blood on its hands to operate on US territory. Nor did the president feel it necessary to make his issuance of the waiver contingent on any concrete Palestinian steps to crack down on terrorist groups. It was just another 'freebie' tossed their way, by none other than the leader of the war on terror himself. Halfway across the globe, Rice was also busy making nice to the Palestinians. In a press briefing aboard a flight from Moscow, where she had met with senior Russian officials, Rice made sure to note just how important it is for the US to assist the Palestinian Authority - the very same gang providing safe haven to the killers of Americans. "What we need to do," opined Rice on October 15, "is to help Abu Mazen create an atmosphere in which calm can be maintained." She said not a word, not a single word, about pressing the Palestinian leader to finally arrest and hand over the perpetrators of the 2003 attack. AND SO, on the very same day that the families of the three Americans were mourning their loved ones killed two years ago by Palestinian terrorists, all Condi Rice could speak of was the need "to help" the terrorists' chieftain and protector, Mahmoud Abbas. To really appreciate how absurd and offensive the Bush Administration's current stance on this issue is, it's worth recalling just how brazen the convoy attack was. This was not a case of the terrorists hitting the "wrong" target. Reports at the time indicated that the perpetrators used a remote-controlled explosive device, activating it only once the Americans were in range. The vehicles targeted all had diplomatic license plates, and were traveling on a road that was closed to Israeli traffic, so it was obvious the attackers knew whom they were hitting, and that it was a methodical and intentional assault. Moreover, in the weeks leading up to the incident, the Palestinian media were rife with vitriolic anti-American incitement and rhetoric. Just five days prior to the bombing, Palestinian television broadcast a sermon delivered in Gaza in which the preacher threatened "destruction for the United States" and noted ominously, "From this place [i.e. Gaza] we warn the American people that this president is dragging them to the abyss." Likewise, in another broadcast four weeks earlier, a Palestinian spokesman declared, "We will defeat America as long as it supports our enemy... we consider America to be our No. 1 enemy." And lest one think that the Palestinians have been doing all they can to track down the killers, here is what the late PA military intelligence chief Musa Arafat told Reuters in September 2004: "Palestinian security forces know who was behind the killing of three Americans in Gaza nearly a year ago but cannot act against the factions while fighting with Israel continues." In the wake of the recent Israeli retreat from Gaza, even this flimsy Palestinian excuse no longer holds water, and it is high time for the Bush administration to put its foot down and demand some action from the PA. Indeed, Abu Mazen is slated today to pay a visit to Washington, where he will undoubtedly be feted as the "last great hope" for Middle Eastern peace, freedom and stability. But however many champagne glasses are clinked at the White House during the Palestinian leader's stay, they cannot drown out the elemental cry for justice that has thus far gone unheeded. TWO YEARS ago, John Branchizio, 37, of Texas; John Linde Jr., 30, of Missouri; and Mark Parsons, 31, of New Jersey, all died in Gaza as a direct result of Palestinian terror. They are among the more than 50 American citizens murdered by Palestinian terrorists since the signing of the Oslo accords, and none of their killers have yet to pay for their actions. In a rousing speech earlier this month, President Bush underlined his determination to fight those who target Americans. "Against such an enemy," he said, "there is only one effective response: We will never back down, never give in, and never accept anything less than complete victory." Nonetheless, as he prepares to roll out the red carpet for the blood-stained Palestinian patron of terror, Mahmoud Abbas, the president's words cannot help but ring just a little bit hollow. Michael Freund is Chairman, Shavei Israel, e-mail: michael@shavei.org, web: www.shavei.org He served as an adviser to former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. 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AN OPEN LETTER FROM A FORMER GUSH KATIF RESIDENT Posted by Sara Shomron, October 25, 2005.

As a 13 year resident of Gush Katif and current resident, with my family, of a Caravilla in Nitzan I am writing an open letter to the heads of Judea and Samaria communities and moetzas. Many of us are not satisfied with building permanent homes and establishing our communities in the Nitzan coastal area between Ashkelon and Ashdod. This area does not satisfy our Zionist ideology as it is well secure in the national consensus and has no Arabs in the area. There is a lack of religious-zionist schools in the area and certainly not many employment opportunities. It does, however, offer growth in value of real estate -- not why I made Aliyah! Residents of Gush Katif are well split as to future plans. We need permanent housing solutions (assuming temporary solutions will soon be solved). We are not being well served by our former mazkiruts or moetza as there is no planning or communication within or between many communities. There has been a deafening silence from YESH. Judea and Samaria communities that can offer a Zionist solution have been strangely silent. Such communities can offer: housing, stronger religious-zionist education, ideological and communal support. We can offer YESH communities demographic and ideological strengthening in the face of imminent land give-aways. I appeal to those communities that have building projects of 5, 10, 50 or more houses to come to places where Gush Katif residents are temporarily residing (Nitzan, Yad Benyamin, tent encampments, hotels, etc) and sell us on your community. You must bypass our former mazkiruts -- they have their own interests and have not served us well before, during and after the pinui. Fulfilling this request is not insurmountable. Let me describe my personal needs as an example: A 150-180 meter home on a third or half dunum plot (approximately $150,000) in a religious-zionist community over the "green line" with available services (schools, macolet, health clinic, public transportation) that needs strengthening. Yad Benyamin, Nitzan, Shafir, Lachish , do not need more Jews, the communities of YESH do -- we can help each other in strengthening our hold on Eretz Yisrael. With Love of Israel Yossi Shomro Contact Sara Shomron at shomron@email.com To Go To Top

MORE ON IR HAEMUNA Posted by Batya Medad, October 27, 2005.

A few weeks ago I posted a very uplifting report from a friend who had been in the Ir HaEmunah Refugee Camp. Here's her latest report, which tells of a very different situation. You may distribute this; just please attribute. Dear Everyone, After the first couple of e-mails I sent out about the Jews from Gush Katif whose homes were taken from them and about the Atzmona transitcamp at Ir HaEmuna, I felt an update was in order, so here it is. Not Such Good News Over a month ago, I wrote to many of my friends in Israel and the US about the Ir HaEmuna (near Netivot) transit camp for those whose Gush Katif homes were taken from them and destroyed. My daughter and her family and friends from the late lamented Atzmona live there. No, make that "exist" there. I returned from my second visit to the camp a couple of weeks later depressed. The upbeat feeling I had after my first visit was gone, and I felt I had to send another mass e-mail and correct the erroneous impression I may have given. But I didn't write, both because of the hopelessness I now found, and because I felt I needed to spend a longer time there and speak to more people. I've now spent more time at Ir HaEmuna, but probably still can't give as panoramic a description as I'd like to, the needs of children and grandchildren being what they are. But I'll try. It would be wonderful if some of you could pay a visit yourselves and add to these impressions of mine -- or better yet, show them to be unnecessarily bleak. * The uncertainty that people feel is a killer. Is their government for them or against them, or simply indifferent? Will the lives and the homes they lost, or an approximation thereof, ever be restored to them? When, and where, and with whom? At a cost they can allow themselves? How well will they and their children recover from the terrible psychological scarring inflicted on them? * The living conditions are impossible. Basically, there are 3 types of dwellings at Ir HaEmuna. First, there are individual family tents within an enormous cement-floored and partially-roofed industrial space. It turns out these tents are enormously expensive, so most of them have been dismantledand the families relocated to... Second, the caravans surrounding the original space. (These cost little or nothing, because they're in such bad repair that they're everybody else's rejects.) My daughter, her husband and threechildren are considered a small family, so they've been allotted half acaravan. They have two tiny rooms with a toilet, a shower, and a kitchenette with a sink. They're lucky, because there's also... Third, the meguronim. These are basically four-walled caravans that can be turnedinto as many "rooms" as the family can come up with drapes to divide them. No toilet, no shower, no water. There are public toilets and showers, most of whose doors haven't broken yet, but it's quite a distance to walk to these, and if it's in the middle of the night, it's cold. My niece's daughter yanked on a window curtain and part of the ceiling fell down. This after heavy rains a couple of days ago, when a couple of the dwellings facing the wrong direction got soaked through, with much damage caused. A word about privacy: especially in the individual family tents, there is none. People have to develop the skills of a cat burglar and the speech habits of a spy to keep private things private and to avoid disturbing neighbors. Oh yes, and food: mass-produced food is not to everyone's taste. One woman I spoke with said she and her family have been a lot happier since they decided "only Ima's home cooking from now on." Another woman, who made no such decision, is afraid she's forgetting how to cook. Needless to say, both kids and grown-ups are going to town on carbs and fats. Diet clubs should be picking up lots of new clients. * A month ago one woman said something that's been haunting me. Referring to the children, she used the word hefker. She called out to one group of kids to get down off the roof, and they ignored her. A couple of minutes later, she warned a group of toddlers to come away from the road. No sooner did she round two up than two others appeared in harm's way a few meters further down. These children, whom I'd always known to be obedient and respectful, saw their parents, rabbis, and teachers rendered impotent when they were torn from their homes. Why should they acknowledge their authority now? My own three little grandchildren look to me like little wild animals. When their lives return to normal -- whenever? -- can this damage be undone? * I have a personal serious objection to something I only suspect but am not certain of. I'm afraid of paternalism. Even among the dispossessed themselves -- do their leaders and functionaries communicate "Relax, we'll take care of everything" to them? If they are, I can only hope the people are miserable being patronized, because they could very easily grow to like it. I want them to be in contact with each other, to empower each other. I want their representatives and leaders to know they're being overseen and held to account. I'm unhappy whenever a DP says of any leader that he promised such-and-such would or wouldn't happen. Our reliance can only be on G-d, remember I spent Shabbat Hol Hamoed Succot at Ir HaEmuna with my daughter. Some families have their succot right outside their caravans; others have theirs in groups with some of their neighbors' succot some distance from their dwellings. I was deeply moved, walking from my daughter's to my niece's to another friend's succa, hearing divrei Torah, blessings, and singing from a pot-pourri of ethnic melodies and styles, no Dolby necessary. The feeling was similar to what I felt many years ago when the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires was bombed by terrorists just before Purim, and I was filled with love and admiration for my friends who were able to rise above their pain and sadness to rejoice on Purim because a Jew rejoices on Purim. Maybe the queasiness I've been feeling is only because of the extreme discomfort my people are coping with -- not badly -- at the moment. After all, as wandering from one succa to another and enjoying the harmony and people's cleaving to what's eternal brought home to me this past Shabbat, thevitality of this people and this Torah is something neither bulldozers nor bureaucrats can beat down. Chag Simchat Torah Sameach. To Go To Top

HOW DID THE PALESTINIANS DESCEND INTO BARBARISM? Posted by Avodah 15, October 24, 2005.

This was written by Bret Stephens and appeared in the Wall Street Journal (http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110007443) The checkpoints and curfews are not gratuitous acts of unkindness by Israel, nor are they artifacts of occupation. On the contrary, in the years when Israel was in full control of the territories there were no checkpoints or curfews, and Palestinians could move freely (and find employment) throughout the country. It was only with the start of the peace process in 1993 and the creation of autonomous Palestinian areas under Arafat's control that terrorism became a commonplace fact of Israeli life. And it was only then that the checkpoints went up. In the Gaza Strip, the departure of Israeli troops and settlers has brought anarchy, not freedom. Members of Hamas routinely fight gun battles with members of Fatah. Just as often, the killing takes place between clans. So-called collaborators are put to the gun by street mobs, their "guilt" sometimes nothing more than being the object of a neighbor's spite. Honor killings of "loose" women are common, as is the torture and murder of homosexuals. Talk to Palestinians, and you will often hear it said, like a mantra, that Palestinian dignity requires Palestinian statehood. This is either a conceit or a lie. Should a Palestinian state ever come into existence in Gaza and the West Bank, it will be a small place, mostly poor, culturally marginal, most of it desert, rock, slums, and dust. (Wall Street Journal) To Go To Top

OLD PREJUDICES REVIVED Posted by Roz Rothstein, October 24, 2005.

Throughout October, a largely unseen wave of anti-Semitism has been washing up across North America in a series of conferences run by a Jerusalem-based organization called the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center. At gatherings in Chicago and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Sabeel-trained speakers have demonized Israel, with similar speeches expected later this month at their conferences in Denver and Toronto. Started by Palestinian Christians in 1989, Sabeel does not promote peace or a genuine understanding of the Middle East conflict but instead musters support for punishing Israel through divestment campaigns, part of its larger goal of dismantling Israel to make way for a Palestinian-dominated one-state solution. I attended the two-day Sabeel conference held at Chicago's Lutheran School of Theology, where I witnessed intolerance and prejudice against Jews and the Jewish State. I did not think I would witness this in America's third largest city, especially at the close of yearlong celebrations of the 350th anniversary of the arrival of Jews in America and only 65 years after the Holocaust. The Oct. 7-8 gathering in Chicago attracted about 200 people. At the conference, Palestinian activist George Rishmawi actually claimed that Israel uses a poison gas that weakens the muscles of Palestinian demonstrators so they can't run away, and that the IDF quickly retrieves the canisters so that no one can identify the gas. This echoed of the blood libel stories that have caused Jews so much suffering in the past. I wish people of good faith had been with me to hear the relentless litany of historical distortions and slander. Michael Tarazi, a Harvard-educated attorney and former advisor to Palestinian leaders, accused Israel of starting all the Arab-Israeli wars, saying Israel probably withdrew from Gaza because Israel has, "depleted all the usable drinking water." Tarazi also warned audience members, "not to be side-tracked from divestment from companies who do business in Israel by those who want to have dialogue about this." Instead, he urged people to, "stick to your convictions because there is no point to having dialogue with people you disagree with." There were also a couple of Jewish presenters including professor Marc Ellis of Baylor University. Describing himself as an "outrageous Jew," Ellis compared Israel to Nazi Germany, attacked some progressive Jews as racists, and claimed that Jews had taken the "wrong lesson from the Holocaust." He also showed photos of two of Judaism's holiest objects, the Ark that holds the Torah and also a Torah scroll, both defaced by superimposed images of Apache helicopters. He said that this is what he thinks of when he looks at arks and Torahs. Perhaps the well-meaning Christians who attended this event have not researched how the Sabeel center tries to give religious justification to, and also Christian support for, a radical Palestinian agenda. In 2001, Sabeel's founder, the Anglican Rev. Canon Naim Ateek, wrote that, "Jesus is on the Cross again with thousands of crucified Palestinians around him.The Israeli government crucifixion system is operating daily." In 2005, Ateek said that Palestinians suffer as Jesus did: "We had the Contemporary Way of the Cross, the Via Dolorosa for Palestinians.These are the demolished homes, destroyed villages, checkpoints. Every one of those is a station of the cross, a station of suffering." Such anti-Semitic images of deicide were thought to have been buried with the Holocaust, after which many Christian churches repudiated such rhetoric. But at the Sabeel conference in Chicago, no one asked Ateek to retract words he has used to degrade Judaism and Jews. Throughout the Chicago talks by Ateek and his allies, the audience simply nodded, as though agreeing with the noxious statements and attacks. No one asked searching questions. No one sought out Israel's side of the story, about the terrorist campaign that Israel has been trying to fend off, about how there cannot be reconciliation if Palestinian leadership does not accept genuine responsibility for terrorism or even accept Israel's right to exist, or about how moderation and peace cannot emerge from such hateful presentations at Sabeel conferences. Sabeel's North American backers have organized the conferences in Cedar Rapids, Denver and Toronto. I fear that other well-meaning audiences will be deceived by Sabeel's cloak as a Palestinian Christian group seeking peace, and thus unwittingly sponsor Sabeel's hate-filled, deceptive programs. Many Israeli policies can be criticized. But unwarranted is to have Israel maligned with echoes of old anti-Semitic canards and also hear Israel's humanitarian efforts and reasonable compromises either ignored or twisted. I am saddened to see such ugly rhetoric given free rein in America. How troublesome to see Christians sit quietly as Sabeel's misguided friends speak in their name. But mostly, I am sad to see such hatred erupting again, as it bodes badly for us all. Roz Rothstein is national director of the non-profit Israel advocacy group StandWithUs, which in September premiered its 50-minute documentary, "Tolerating Intolerance: Hate Speech on Campuses." StandWithUs is also a member of The Coalition for Responsible Peace in the Middle East. To Go To Top

A MESSAGE FROM YAMIN ISRAEL Posted by William Post, October 24, 2005.

Yamin Israel -- The Party to Empower the Jewish People In 1992, seven U.S. Senators and more than 45 Representatives (several with safe seats) announced they would not seek re-election, and many cited "disillusionment with a political system that accomplishes so little of value." What would they say of Israel's political system, where the Prime Minister can surrender parts of land of Israel to Arab terrorists and expel thousands of Jews from their homes -- thereby implementing a policy which he and his Likud party opposed in the most recent election, but which policy was also rejected by an overwhelming majority of the electorate? What would they say of a political system in which the Prime Minister, by means of political bribery, induced 23 Likud members of the Knesset to vote in favor of his bill to surrender that land and expel those Jews? What would they say of a political system in which the members of the Knesset are not individually elected by and accountable to the voters in constituency elections, a Knesset whose members can therefore ignore the will of the people with impunity -- as they did when they voted for that bill? What would they say of a political system where citizens are compelled to vote for an anonymous party list, in consequence of which system, 29 members of the Knesset once hopped over to rival parties to obtain a safe seat? What would they say of a political system in which the Prime Minister can not only conclude agreements with a terrorist organization proscribed by law, but can do so without the approval of the Legislature? What would they say of a political system where the Prime Minister can release and arms thousands of Arab terrorists without evoking the outrage of the Knesset? What would they say of a political system in which the Supreme Court is a self-perpetuating oligarchy, one whose Chief Justice can actually determine who is appointed to that most important branch of government? What would they say of a political system in which that Supreme Court, in the absence of any constitution, disregards laws of the Knesset, substitutes its (inexpert) judgment for that of the defense establishment, renders decisions that blatantly violate the heritage of its own people, and does all this without serious opposition from the other branches of government? But why would the Americans mentioned above say anything about Israel's political system? After all, don't they know that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East ? Contact the author at zevpost5@yahoo.com To Go To Top

PIGGY BANKS BANNED ON MUSLIM FEARS Posted by IsrAlert, October 24, 2005.

An example of political correctness gone mad or something else more sinister? This comes from www.theage.com.au/news/World/Piggy-banks-offend-UK-Muslims/2005/ 10/24/1130006056771.html BRITISH banks are banning piggy banks because they may offend some Muslims. Halifax and NatWest banks have led the move to scrap the time-honoured symbol of saving from being given to children or used in their advertising, the Daily Express/Daily Star group reported today. Muslims do not eat pork, as Islamic culture deems the pig to be an impure animal. Salim Mulla, secretary of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, backed the bank move. "This is a sensitive issue and I think the banks are simply being courteous to their customers," he said. However, the move brought accusations of political correctness gone mad from critics. "The next thing we will be banning Christmas trees and cribs and the logical result of that process is a bland uniformity," the Dean of Blackburn, Reverend Christopher Armstrong, said. "We should learn to celebrate our difference, not be fearful of them." Khalid Mahmoud, the Labour MP for a Birmingham seat and one of four Muslim MPs in Britain, also criticized the piggy-bank ban. "We live in a multicultural society and the traditions and symbols of one community should not be obliterated just to accommodate another," Mr Mahmoud said. "I doubt many Muslims would be seriously offended by piggy banks." Harv Weiner, a businessman in Dallas, Texas, is the founder and moderator of Isralert. To subscribe to IsrAlert, send an email to isralert@aol.com To Go To Top

"WHERE IS EVERYONE? OUR COMMUNITIES ARE FALLING APART!" Posted by Hillel Fendel, October 24, 2005.

This is from today's Arutz-Sheva (www.IsraelNN.com). While the government is delaying communal solutions, some former Gush Katif communities are simply disintegrating - and this is the real tragedy, says Naamah Zarbiv of Moshav Katif. The families of Moshav Katif were taken, on Expulsion Day over two months ago, to the Kfar Pines Girls High School, where they have been living in dormitories. Though originally committed to relocating together as a group - in accordance with unambiguous psychological recommendations submitted to the government over a year ago, based on the experience of the expulsion from Yamit in 1982 - some families have essentially given up and left. Naamah Zarbiv, a long-time veteran Katif resident, is clearly anguished at the situation: "When we say the popular slogan, 'We won't forgive and we won't forget,' it no longer refers to the expulsion itself - it's mainly because of what has happened to the communities since then. Our beautiful communities are simply falling apart. The government is keeping us hanging, not providing the [communal] solutions, and little by little people are just leaving. Some of them have gone off on their own, and others to Yad Binyamin or other locations. "In addition, another 10 or so have gone to the Faith City encampment of Atzmonah - but they have not split off from us; on the contrary, they are there in our name, in order to exert pressure on the government. But it doesn't look like this plan worked, and instead it has merely increased the sense of disintegration." "To be precise," Naamah continued - simultaneously showing almost full attention to her little children who needed her help as they drew pictures - "let me emphasize that we were originally 70 families in Moshav Katif - and a full 65 of us arrived here in Kfar Pines after the expulsion. This was very impressive, considering all the pressures we all faced. Just in the past few weeks, however, another 20 families have left (not including the 10 to Atzmonah) - and that is a very large percentage. Many simply couldn't take the uncertainty any more, and because of this, our beautiful community is falling apart. For me and many others, this is simply the end of the world. Why doesn't the religious public realize this? Why are the intersections not full of protests over the destruction of the towns? Where are all our politicians from the National Union, and Uzi Landau, and all the others? "Even the families that went to Atzmonah - if the prefab housing units the government promised us are not ready, then as time passes, they will become more and more attached to Atzmonah, and are likely not to return. The same with the other families who have gone elsewhere... In other communities, too, the situation is similar: Atzmonah has split up into two, and Netzarim, and Gadid, and of course N'vei Dekalim [the largest of the Gush Katif communities - ed.]... If our prefab housing site near Lahish and Nehushah had been ready, where we want to build our new community, 50 families would have been there now. But instead, the units have not even begun to be built! The black humor going around here is that the only one who really believed that 'hayo lo tihyeh' [the promise by some rabbis that the expulsion would not take place] was Yonatan Bassi [the head of the Disengagement Authority, who did not prepare sufficient housing for the expellees]..." "We were told that only if 120 families promise to move in, would the government start building the prefab housing site. We were close to this number, with families from N'vei Dekalim and elsewhere - but the government refuses to enter into real negotiations with us because the matter of Kfar Darom's move to their apartment building has not yet been finalized, though we don't know why there has to be a linkage. And so every day that it drags on, more people drop out; just yesterday and today, two more families dropped out." "It appears that for most of the country, the problem of Gush Katif was over the day of the expulsion - and from then on, it became our own private problem. Is it just a matter of donations and charity from the various funds? Is it just our private issue, or is it a national calamity that the beautiful communities of Gush Katif are disintegrating? All along the highways you see signs warning that Gush Katif was just the beginning and that other areas are next - as if there is nothing left to work for on behalf of Gush Katif itself. People are busy arguing about what should be our attitude towards the State in light of the expulsion - are barely even know about the concrete problems that the expulsion has caused and is causing." The only bright note that Naamah can see is the upcoming holiday of Simchat Torah, which begins tonight: "All the families of Katif are returning to Kfar Pines for the holiday, as well as many of the people who were with us in our last days and weeks before the uprooting, and this should raise our morale. But the day after, we're being shuffled off to a hotel in Ashkelon for who knows how long; it's not considered a good hotel, and we're sure to lose some more families in the process..." Hillel Fendel is Senior News Editor for Israel National News. To Go To Top

TRAINING OUR ENEMIES Posted by Women in Green, October 24, 2005.

This was written by Patrick Devenny and appeared in www.FrontPageMagazine.com on October 18, 2005 Last month, NBC News correspondent Lisa Myers tracked down one Jihad Jaara, a veteran Palestinian militant who currently resides in Ireland. Jaara's career as a terrorist has been a remarkably effective one. As a member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade -- a violent militia tied to Yasser Arafat's Fatah party -- Jaara supervised and planned dozens of assassinations and bombings against a wide-range of American and Israeli targets. One of the more reprehensible actions authorized by Jaara was the kidnapping of Avi Boaz, a 72-year-old American architect who was abducted by Al-Aqsa terrorists while he waited at a Palestinian police checkpoint. His bullet-riddled body was found a few hours later, dumped just outside of Bethlehem. Upon being questioned by Myers, Jaara swore that he had renounced such terrorism, a claim that was dismissed by former associates, who identified him as an important interlocutor between Hezbollah and various Palestinian terrorist groups. What distinguishes Jaara from many of his fellow Palestinian terrorist leaders is that he plied his bloody trade while simultaneously serving as an officer in the Palestinian Preventive Security Service, a body assigned with combating militants. His official status gave Jaara the ability to travel freely throughout the territories, enabling him to plan his attacks while enjoying the protection afforded to Palestinian officials by the Israelis. While his position gave him some advantages, Jaara was unhesitant when asked what single factor had most contributed to his transformation into a successful terrorist: small-arms training supervised by officers of the Central Intelligence Agency. The fact that the CIA trained a man such as Jihad Jaara is hardly surprising. For almost ten years, the American government has been engaged in a series of hopelessly misguided endeavors designed to train and fund the Palestinian security services, an initiative which can be deemed, politely, as a dismal failure. Tens of millions of American taxpayer dollars have simply disappeared into the covert bank accounts of corrupt Palestinian officials, while CIA-trainers recklessly lent their considerable combat expertise to fanatics such as Jaara. The misguided attempt began in 1996, when the CIA led an effort -- engineered by then deputy director George Tenet -- to train the Palestinian authorities in anti-terror tactics. The initiative was secretly authorized by President Clinton, who later signed a Presidential order sanctioning the expansion of the program to include chaperoned tours of the CIA and FBI headquarters buildings for Palestinian security chiefs. The covert training and funding operation continued over the next two years, existing wholly outside of the public's view. In 1998, President Clinton -- anxious to cement his legacy as Middle East peacemaker -- pushed for an expanded and formalized security assistance effort which would be included as a provision in the Wye River agreement. While the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was initially reluctant to accept such an idea, Clinton managed to browbeat the Israeli delegation into compliance, an acquiescence which ensured the continuation and growth of the formerly covert training program. In doing so, the President ignored the warnings of several veteran Israeli counter-terrorist officials, who repeatedly warned their American counterparts that several high-ranking Palestinian terrorists such as Al-Aqsa Brigades leader Nasser Awis were simultaneously serving as senior security officials in the Palestinian Authority, with responsibility for conducting counter-terrorist operations. Within months of the Wye agreement, the first Palestinian trainees arrived aboard U.S. government aircraft. Their training regimen was rigorous, far superior to the domestic "boot camps" offered by the Palestinian government or terrorist groups. The Palestinian units were ferried to various military installations, where they were given advanced small-arms training on firing ranges normally used by the U.S. Army and special forces units. Additionally, the recruits were taught how to effectively protect high-value targets and "motorcade operations," skills that could easily be transferred into protecting terrorist leaders from Israeli capture. Many of the former CIA trainees turned terrorists have since praised the CIA course, including Jaara, who made a point to extol the CIA's "shooting" course. Perhaps most disturbingly, however, was that the Palestinian officers were given "interrogation" training, which, in the hands of those who work in the espionage services of groups such as Fatah, could prove extremely valuable. American officials reasoned that -- emboldened by their new training -- Palestinian authorities would immediately and aggressively crack down on terrorist groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who were consistently breaking ceasefire agreements during the late 1990s. To the U.S. government's dismay, many of the Palestinian security officers quickly joined or began aiding the very terrorist groups which they had been trained to combat. Security personnel were also observed transferring arms and their American training to militia groups such as the Tanzim, which was led by convicted terrorist Marwan Barghuti. Indicative of the Clinton administration's staggering ignorance over this issue was a class of 18 Palestinians brought to a top-secret location near CIA headquarters in 1998 for a course in "anti-terrorist techniques." American officials failed to realize, however, that most of the men hailed from cities where militant infiltration of the police forces was acute, such as Nablus. Not surprisingly, as detailed in the San Francisco Chronicle, several of the students went on to become some of the most dangerous terrorists in the Palestinian territories, including the infamous Khaled Abu Nijmeh, who used his CIA training to supervise multiple suicide bombings in 2001 and 2002 in Bethlehem. More than half of the original class of 18 went on to become fighters in the Al-Aqsa brigades. Beginning in 1999, Israeli government officials began suggesting that the American training effort be scaled back, in order to better judge its overall effectiveness. In addition, Prime Minister Ehud Barak complained to the White House that Yasser Arafat was using his seemingly close relations with the CIA to bolster his negotiating position, which had become increasingly aggressive. Tel Aviv's requests fell on deaf ears in Washington, which stubbornly clung to the pipe dream that Arafat's police forces would -- given enough American aid and training -- eventually confront the various militant organizations. This expectation was abruptly dashed during the intifada of 2000, in which large numbers of Palestinian police joined militant groups in fighting the Israeli Defense Force. The sight of Palestinian police stripping off their uniforms and engaging in raging street battles with Israeli forces became commonplace. At the same time, the Palestinian authorities failed miserably to curtain the actions of terrorist organizations, who operated with total impunity inside the territories. Apart from the blowback effect precipitated by the Clinton administration's foolishly training men such as Jihad Jaara and Khaled Abu Nijmeh, the futile quest to prop up a Palestinian security service has been an unqualified financial disaster. All told, the U.S. government has squandered almost one billion dollars in the effort to construct a viable Palestinian state, a large portion of which has gone into building a Palestinian security force. Despite this massive amount of funding, the Palestinian services have shown little signs of progress, as detailed in a July 2005 report compiled on behalf of the U.S. government by the consulting firm Strategic Assessments Initiative (SAI). The SAI report stated that, even with millions of American dollars and years of CIA training, the PA police were wholly ineffective, wracked with divided loyalties and inferior equipment. Many of its officers, charged the SAI analysts, were active or complicit in terrorist attacks or organized crime rings. Recent events have provided ample evidence of the overall program's failure. The ongoing chaos in Gaza and the current inability of the Palestinian Authority to enforce its own disarmament provisions with regard to Hamas should serve to prove the utter futility of "reforming" the Palestinian security apparatus. The latest example came on Tuesday, when Palestinian police officers brazenly stormed the offices of the national legislature, complaining that they lacked the basic resources to confront the heavily-armed militant groups. Their lack of weaponry or funding suggests that the tens of millions of dollars in Western aid which was specifically earmarked for arming the police had been directed elsewhere, a violation of the agreed-upon protocols. Regardless of these past failures, the Bush administration seems determined to follow a similar path, as training the Palestinian security services remains at the heart of President Bush's efforts to keep the Palestinians involved in the negotiation process. Earlier this year, while visiting London, Secretary of State Rice suggested, "There will need to be some international effort, and the United States is prepared to play a major role in that, to help in the training of the Palestinian security forces and in making sure that they are security forces that are part of the solution, not part of the problem.? Echoing the Secretary of State's words was President Bush, who -- while meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in May -- pledged to "reform" the PA's security services through a $50 million dollar aid package, assigning an American general to oversee the process. Just two weeks ago, American officials in Ramallah proudly announced the transfer of three million dollars to the Palestinian security services, for the "enhancement of their capabilities." Additional measures have been approved by the President, chief among them a CIA-run effort which would give the Palestinians a supplementary $300 million dollars for security operations. These recent overtures are the latest example of our government's puzzling willingness to pour additional millions into anonymous Palestinian coffers, all in the name of highlighting our "even-handedness" with regard to the peace process. As we have already witnessed, however, any American initiative to reform the Palestinian security services is doomed to fail so long as no credible Palestinian government or judicial systems exists in the territories. Yet -- desperate to accrue some sort of good will from our erstwhile Arab and European allies -- the Bush administration sees fit to throw such considerations by the wayside, disregarding our security -- not to mention Israel's -- in favor of overseas image management. Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org To Go To Top

INFORMATION ABOUT ISRAEL ACADEMIA MONITOR Posted by Mordechai Ben-Menachem, October 24, 2005.

In recent years the activities of Israeli academic extremists have drawn increasing attention and are the subject of increasing public concern. Scores of Israeli academic radicals are today active in abetting anti-Israel activities around the world, such as the recent campaign to impose an academic boycott on Israel. They are frequently the initiators of anti-Israel petition drives, 'divestment' campaigns, and they turn out large numbers of anti-Israel propaganda articles in magazines and web sites, including some that are openly anti-Semitic. The critical role of Israeli academic extremists in the recent boycott attempts by professors in the UK and by several church groups has served to raise alarms in Israel and in the overseas Jewish communities about the activities of these people. Israeli mainstream media are increasingly taking a journalistic interest in what these people do and in the enormous damages they cause. At Israel Academia Monitor our purpose is to expose and monitor the political activities of Israeli academic extremists. We seek to bring information to light, mainly from the articles and statements of the extremists themselves, on and off Israeli campuses. Anti-Israel and occasionally anti-Jewish articles by these people appear in numerous publications around the world, including on the internet. We archive and report about these. Some of these articles openly endorse and promote international boycotts of Israel in general and boycotts of Israeli universities in particular. Others include open endorsements of anti-Israel violence, terrorism, and recruitment of support for Israelis collaborating with anti- Israel organizations. Still others promote insurrection and mutiny by Israeli soldiers. We at Israel Academia Monitor believe in free speech and academic freedom. We also believe in the right of donors, alumni, students, journalists, taxpayers, and others to know about the political activities of Israel's tenured radicals, people whose salaries come from the public fiscal trough. Israeli universities are public taxpayer-financed institutions and owe the members of the public accountability. By publishing this information, we are aware that some, including donors to Israeli universities, will find this information disturbing, possibly shocking. We want to make it clear that we are not calling for an end to support of and donations to Israeli academic institutions. We do think that donors should be aware of how their funds are spent and how their generosity is used and sometimes misused. As part of our work, we monitor and publicize abuses and misbehaviour, taken from each Israeli campus. We invite our readers to read for themselves the statements of Israeli academic extremists in their original form and to draw their own conclusions. We seek to serve as a data base and media resource for journalists and others interested in these matters. To view the full article and previous ones go to www.israel-academia-monitor.com Israel Academia Monitor, P.O.Box 920 Kfar Shmaryahu 46910, Israel.; e-mail@israel-academia-monitor.com Monitoring Anti-Israel publications of Israeli academics. Note: [mbm] I am a board member of Israel Academia Monitor. Mordechai Ben-Menachem is at Ben-Gurion University. He can be reached by email at quality@computer.org To Go To Top

LA TIMES, NOV 2016 Posted by Israel Zwick, October 23, 2005.

The following article was reprinted from the Los Angeles Times, November 30, 2016 and submitted by Israel Zwick. latimes.com THE WORLD Palestinians and Israelis Accept 1947 UN Partition Plan, Bringing End to Long Conflict: Jerusalem to become capital of new Palestinian state By Mahmoud Al-Shahibi, Times Staff Writer November 30, 2016 WASHINGTON -- President Hillary Clinton announced that the lengthy final-status negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis have been concluded with an agreement reached between the two parties. Both Israelis and Palestinians have agreed to accept most of the recommendations of UN Resolution GA 181 adopted on November 29, 1947 (www.mideastweb.org/unpartition.htm). The primary difference is that Jerusalem will become the capital of the new state of Palestine, instead of being an international zone. This brings an end to one of history's longest conflicts that has raged for close to a century. At the conclusion of the signing ceremony, Prime Minister Yossi Beilin of Israel and Prime Minister Mohammed Dahlan of Palestine hugged and kissed each other according to Arab custom. Also present at the signing ceremony was Suha Arafat, widow of Yasir Arafat, the Nobel laureate, who is widely recognized as the originator of the peace process and advocate of peaceful coexistence between Jews and Arabs. Also looking on was former Israeli Prime Minister and Nobel laureate, Shimon Peres, who was flown in from Hadassah Hospital where he is undergoing stem-cell treatment for Alzheimer's Disease. President Clinton gets the credit for brokering the talks, which have been going on throughout most of her 8-year administration. Shortly after the signing, many of the 190 members of the UN agreed to recognize the two states and establish an embassy in the capital of Palestine, which will be renamed Al-Quds. Pope Yusuf I hailed the accords from his office at the Vatican, and pledged Vatican assistance to help rebuild the vibrant Arab Christian communities that existed in the Holy Land prior to the Israeli military occupation and illegal establishment of Jewish settlements. The agreement was made possible by the cooperation of European and Arab governments who were willing to accept the Jewish residents that will be relocated from the areas that will revert to Palestinian control. The countries Germany, Poland, Austria, Lithuania, Hungary, Russia, Morocco, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Yemen agreed to take in as many Jews as existed in their respective countries in 1939, at the onset of World War II, which displaced many Jews from their homes. According to the Institute for Historical Review, (www.ihr.org) the origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict began with the displacement of Jews during World War II and the death of many thousands of Jews by mysterious causes. When Hitler occupied Poland in 1939, he established a number of refugee camps for Polish citizens who were displaced by the war. The new disinfectant, Zyklon B, was introduced in some of these camps to maintain sanitary conditions. It was not known at that time that Ashkenazic Jews had a specific genetic sensitivity to Zyklon B. As a result, many of the Jews in these refugee camps died from severe allergic reactions to Zyklon B. Then when the bodies had to be cremated for hygienic reasons, rumors started to spread among the Jewish population that the Germans were engaged in a program of mass genocide against the Jewish people and the Jews started to panic. In America, these rumors were spread by Peter Bergson, who was really Hillel Kook from Jerusalem, nephew of the first Chief Rabbi of the Palestine Mandate. In Hungary, a young maverick Swedish diplomat named Raoul Wallenberg convinced Hungarian Jews that they were being sent to extermination camps. He wanted to "save" them to further his own political ambitions. He was later captured by the Russians and imprisoned for his crimes. The head of the German Disinfection Program, Adolf Eichmann, was living peacefully in Argentina when he was forcibly kidnapped by Israeli agents, tried for "war crimes," and executed. As a result of the genocide rumors in Europe, the surviving Jews of Europe no longer wanted to live there. Many thousands of them tried to enter Palestine illegally in violation of the British White Paper. These Polish "illegals" then displaced the indigenous Arab population. Then when the Arab population resisted the Jewish domination in 1948, the heavily financed Jewish Army waged war, captured more land, and established a capital in Jerusalem, which was not recognized by any country. The status of Jerusalem became the chief stumbling block in the final-status negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian negotiators. For a long time, the Israeli negotiators refused to relinquish control of Jerusalem, claiming that Jews have strong historical, cultural, and religious connections to the city. The breakthrough came when the prestigious Institute for Palestine Studies (www.palestine-studies.org) produced documents providing compelling evidence that Jerusalem was originally an Arab city named Al-Quds. The documents showed convincingly that there was never a Jewish Temple in the area and that King Solomon was only a fictional character from Jewish mythology. After reviewing the documents carefully, the Israeli negotiators realized that the story of a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem was only a malicious fabrication by religious Zionist extremists. They withdrew their demands for Jewish control of Jerusalem and the negotiations proceeded rapidly from then on. The landmark agreement ends the long, harsh Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (www.pcbs.gov.ps) released a report called |Impact of the Israeli Measures on the Economic Conditions of Palestinian Households" which documented the severe economic hardships inflicted on the Palestinians by the Israeli occupation. The hardships became even more severe in August, 2005 when Jewish farmers in the Gaza Strip suddenly abandoned their homes and greenhouses to seek "greener pastures" elsewhere. This left many destitute Palestinian workers without any source of income. Attempts by the Palestinians to use the greenhouses were futile because the departing Jews spread a mutant plant virus in the greenhouses that prevented anything from growing there. Attempts to establish tourist and business centers in the Gaza Strip were also unsuccessful because the humiliating Israeli checkpoints discouraged tourists and businessmen from traveling to Gaza. Now with the evacuation of the Israeli military and all illegal Jewish settlements, Palestine is destined to become a world-class center for technology, research, tourism, and commerce. In announcing the landmark agreement, President Clinton said, "Because of this document, my successor, President-elect Ahmed Jefferson, will be leading our country into a much more peaceful era than the one that existed when I took office in 2009. This agreement is the greatest accomplishment of my administration." Contact Israel Zwick at israel.zwick@earthlink.net To Go To Top

DEAR YASHIKO Posted by Yashiko Sagamori, October 23, 2005.

Dear Yashiko, I started this e-mail with my honest and impartial views on the violence men wage and why. I then read your article on staying morally superior to sharks () and realized that those views were not for you. Is two eyes for an eye really our only option or is there hope for the human soul? Kind regards J Dear J, In the context of your letter, the term view must be synonymous with opinion. I will assume that you can tell an opinion from a fact; it's not a trivial supposition, but I've got to give you at least some benefit of the doubt. An opinion can be based on facts, or superstition, or ignorance, or, as often happens, nothing at all. Like weather, it can be neither honest nor dishonest. It can be expressed honestly if you have the courage to do so, or dishonestly if you have ulterior motives, but, in your case, we will never know, will we? We will never know how impartial your views are either, because one is never in the position to pass that kind of judgment against one's own views. Most probably, you opinions are at least as biased as mine or anyone else's, simply because everything you and I confidently claim to be universal truth is in fact culture-dependent. Strictly speaking, there is no universal truth outside mathematics, but you have to be a mathematician to understand that. And since you decided that your views were not for me, both their impartiality and whatever you mean by their honesty will forever remain a mystery. What can I tell you? Life is full of mysteries, and yours is not the most intriguing of them. Sorry. It is the last question in your short missive that I find the most interesting. Apparently, you are trying to find a compromise between revenge ("two eyes for an eye") and salvation ("hope for the human soul"). I have never written on either of these two topics, but since you are asking? Revenge, in my opinion, is a pretty senseless thing. It continues back and forth until one of side runs out of people willing to keep the feud going. And when that happens due to good will rather than attrition, the wiser side inevitably loses. See how unfair life is? Quite expectedly, the course of revenge does not depend on the name the participants affix to it. In the case of Israel, for example, it's been called retaliation or disproportionate response or treating the "Palestinians" the way the Nazis treated the Jews, or any number of other equally wrong things. No matter what you call it, it is exactly what it is: you kill one of mine; I will kill two of yours. Two times two is four, followed by 8, then 16, and so it goes. And look where it took Israel: straight out of Gaza. If you are one of those who believe that giving the Arabs everything they want will bring peace to Israel, you must be asking why Israel hadn't given them Gaza, Judea, and Samaria decades earlier. And if you are not that naïve, you must be asking why Israel doesn't take steps that really could bring it peace. I don't know who you are rooting for in this conflict. Most probably, you are one of the hundreds of millions of Christians and Jews who think that life on this planet will get better as soon as that shitty little country, as Israel was once publicly called by a French diplomat, disappears from the face of the earth, overrun by murderous savages. Just like it became better when the world allowed savages to overrun South Africa, but more so. However, trying to look at it from Israel's perspective, there is only one way for it to achieve peace. It is to win the war. Win it quickly, decisively and unapologetically, rather than letting it simmer year after year for decades on end, getting more and more out of control. Win it in a way that would preclude even a theoretical possibility of Arabs ever again trying to doubt Israel's right to exist. That wouldn't be revenge. That wouldn't be punishment. That would be victory, and only victory can bring peace. But Israel, of course, is not going to do anything like that. After all, it is no less concerned about the human soul than you are. Mohandas Gandhi is so much closer to our hearts than George Bush or Ariel Sharon that it seems sacrilegious to even mention them in the same sentence. Why can't we all get along? Why can't we all be like Gandhi? Or, at least, like Rodney King? I read somewhere that, during World War II, when Londoners lived under an incessant barrage of German V-2's, Gandhi wrote Winston Churchill a letter offering him a sure, clean way to win the war. Gandhi suggested that the Brits surrender to the Germans, let them occupy their country and peacefully wait until the Germans finally understand that what they are doing is wrong. Then the Germans would leave, enriched with newly acquired enlightment, and the British victory would have been achieved with impeccably clean hands. Wouldn't you agree that keeping one's hands clean and one's conscience clear is more important than victory? Gandhi was not unique in his humanitarian approach to the world's greatest conflicts. A reader, who probably wouldn't be able to spell Gandhi and, I suspect, thought he was Mother Teresa's husband, wrote to me once that if countries occupied by Hitler hadn't resisted the occupation, there would have been no World War II. This is a wonderfully simple recipe for peace. Do not resist evil, and there will be no violence, except against you. Greet everyone you meet with wide spread legs, and you will never get raped. The trick is to learn to like it. As far as I can tell from your letter, you are half way there. Let me break it to you gently, J. Your house is on fire. You could have put it out, but you were taught that it might deprive the arsonist of water. And so, instead of doing something to save your family, your house, and yourself, you are explaining away the rise of temperature by global warming, which, as we all know, is being caused by the poisonous SUV exhaust maliciously produced by evil American imperialists. Yeah, right. The last ice period ended 20 thousand years ago. What caused global warming then? Mammoth fart? I guess so. And terrorism is caused by the despair of the oppressed. And AIDS was invented by Jews. And so, here you are, sitting in your burning house, worrying about the condition of human soul. Do you believe you are saving your soul by letting evil spread? No, dear J., you are confusing salvation with keeping your hands clean. In my opinion, we are in a situation when decent human beings cannot afford to care about the cleanliness of their hands, but most civilized people share your confusion. As a result, the British, the only Western European nation that so courageously fought Hitler, is now, along with the rest of the civilized world, like a bunch of sheep at the end of Ramadan, docilely following Gandhi's idiotic advice in the face of the ongoing Muslim invasion. How soon do you think the Muslims will realize that what they are doing is wrong and renounce their jihad, their "honor killings", their stonings and beheadings, their martyrdom operations, their false, bloodthirsty, hateful non-prophet, and their entire devil worship that you, along with so many other seemingly good people, whose ability to do good is severely curtailed by their determination to keep their hands clean, consider just another monotheistic religion? Well, consider this. Christianity began as an insignificant Jewish sect. Then smart people saw its potential as political ideology, and, gradually, Christianity became what it is today. The transformation took 2 thousand years. Half of that time we now call the Dark Ages. During the Dark Ages, out culture plunged far below the level where it was in ancient Greece and Rome thousands of years earlier. Had it not been for the Renaissance, we would still be living in the Dark Ages. If you take the Renaissance for granted, consider that it happened only in Europe. It never happened in Asia, or Africa, or the Muslim world, and the degree to which other cultures managed to leave their own Dark Ages behind is commensurate to the degree to which they have accepted Judeo-Christian values. Muslims, for instance, are still the same people they were when they mistook their homegrown fuehrer for an ultimate prophet. Egyptian peasants today are using the same irrigation technology that was invented by the real, non-Arab Egyptians at the time they were building the pyramids. All Muslims have learned in the last 14 centuries is how to wear pants and use modern weapons. And they learned that from us. Try to imagine the Dark Ages that the advent of Islam will inevitably bring to our world. If your imagination is not that good, simply look at Afghanistan during the Taliban years. That was Islam uncorrupted by Western influence. That's the model for our life when Western influence is no more. And here's another question. Why are you addressing your concerns about the human soul to me? Why don't you try discussing them with a Jew on his way to the gas chamber? Because that was before your time? Then try discussing it with Israeli mothers whose sons and daughters died at a discothèque or a pizza parlor. We, humans, have done nothing, nothing, and nothing to save them. Nor are we planning to. What makes you think we still have a soul? What makes you believe that cowardice might, even in theory, lead to salvation? * * * Dear Yashiko, In your What's Good for the Jews is Good for the Gender (Click here.), you write: "Besides, at least one Pope, John VIII, was a woman..." Baloney! How about some proof? ... MAB Dear MAB, Try Googling for woman pope. Here is what you will find in the very first entry returned: John Anglicus was a ninth century Englishman. He traveled to Athens where he gained a reputation for his knowledge of the sciences. Eventually he came to lecture at the Trivium in Rome where his fame grew even larger. He became a Cardinal, and when Pope Leo IV died in 853 A.D., he was unanimously elected pope. As Pope John VIII he ruled for two years, until 855 A.D. However, while riding one day from St. Peter's to the Lateran, he had to stop by the side of the road and, to the astonishment of everyone, gave birth to a child. It turned out that Pope John VIII was really a woman. In other words, Pope John was really Pope Joan. Other sources dispute this account. Frankly, my respect for Catholicism and Catholics didn't shrink when I found the morsel above. It won't grow if you manage to prove to me that it was a lie. And suppose it is true. If you are a Catholic now, will that bit of historic knowledge compel you to become, let's say, a Southern Baptist? A Muslim? A Chassid? I don't think so. So, why worry? And why worry if you are not a Catholic? But wait! You mention in your letter that "France doesn't look Catholic" to you. Do you know what Catholic is? * * * Dear Yashiko, The gasoline taxes that you are quoting from the American Petroleum Institute seem to be cents per gallon, not percent. It will make a huge difference in actual dollars. You may decide to write a correction. Regards, YL Oops? * * * And, finally, here's an unprovoked thought with which I am hoping to provoke your outrage today. Without diminishing the role D-Day and the sacrifices of American soldiers, we have to acknowledge that World War II in Europe was won by the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union also suffered the greatest losses in that war: 25 to 35 million people killed, much of its European territory reduced to rubble. The cruel irony of it stems from the fact that, had Germany won, the Soviets would have suffered the least losses compared to the rest of Europe. Their slavery under the Nazis would not have been that different from their slavery under the Bolsheviks. The terror unleashed by the Germans in the Soviet territories they occupied was no worse than the terror unleashed by the Bolsheviks while they were consolidating their power after the revolution of 1917. As a matter of fact, Communists killed and imprisoned more Soviet citizens than the Nazis. Of course, the Kremlin nomenclature would not have survived, but the ordinary people might even have benefited from the German victory, because the Communist regime was, in many respects, more oppressive than the Nazi one. For instance, the Nazis did not eliminate the right of people to own property. Besides the Soviet elite, there was only one category of people for whom the outcome of that war was literally the matter of life and death -- the Jews. So, when the Russian soldiers were dying on the battlefield with their famous battle cry, "For the Motherland! For Stalin!" they were, in fact, sacrificing themselves to the survival of Jews in Russia and whatever little was left of European Jewry. Apparently, those Russians knew not what they were doing. Do we? Yashiko Sagamori is a New York-based Information Technology consultant. To read other articles by the author, go to http://www.middleeastfacts.com/yashiko/ or email ysagamori@hotmail.com To Go To Top

SUPREME COURT QUICKLY RETRACTS PERMISSION TO PRAY AT HOLY SITE Posted by Bryna Berch, October 23, 2005.

Gee, wouldn't it be nice if the Jews owned Jerusalem. Then they'd own the Temple Mount and the Jews could pray there without hindrance. I bet they'd even let the Arabs pray there even though the Arabs don't like Jews or Christians praying any place the Arabs take over. Oh, if the Jews only had their own country! This is by Hillel Fendel, Senior News Editor for Israel National News. Ir appeared in today's Arutz-Sheva. The Supreme Court has ordered a change to its ruling allowing Jews to pray on the Temple Mount on the Sukkot holiday. The Jews may visit, but not pray there. A ruling had been issued allowing members of the Temple Mount Faithful to ascend to Judaism's holiest site and pray there during the weeklong Sukkot holiday. The ruling went a step further than previous rulings of this type, and permitted the Jews to actually pray there - until it was noticed by the alert State representatives. The Moslem Waqf, which controls the holy site's day-to-day operations, has long objected to Jewish prayer at the site. Israel's police, government and courts, unwilling to take a chance of violence breaking out, have gone along with the Waqf's dictates. The Temple Mount Faithful petitioned the Court on the eve of the holiday, asking to be allowed to conduct a "cornerstone laying" ceremony. The Court permitted the group to ascend to the holy spot for a limited time, in a manner that would not clash with Moslem commemorations of the month of Ramadan. The ruling specified that the Jews could pray there. When the "mistake" was noticed, very shortly after its issuance, representatives of the government asked Deputy Chief Justice Mishael Heshin to replace the word "prayer" with the word "ascent." Justice Heshin wrote in response, "The State claims that several 'mis-writes' were noted in the ruling, and it therefore asks that we correct that which needs to be corrected. We read the claims of the sides, and after having become convinced that in fact several 'mis-writes' had occurred, as the State claimed, we will correct that which needs correcting." Thus, instead of reading, "...enable Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount," the ruling now states, "...enable Jewish ascent to the Temple Mount." Further on in the ruling, the words, "permission to the Jews to pray on the Temple Mount" was replaced by "permission to the Jews to ascend to the Temple Mount." "It was clear from the beginning that it was a mistake," said Yehuda Etzion, a leader of the Temple Mount Faithful group and a veteran of many court struggles for the right of Jewish presence and prayer there. "We never thought for a moment that they meant to permit us to pray at our holiest site." The Temple Mount was open for Jewish visitors only from 7:30-9:00 this morning, and will be open at the same hours tomorrow, the eve of the last day of the Sukkot-Simchat Torah holiday. To Go To Top

AUSTRALIA TAKES A STAND Posted by Max Yas, October 23, 2005.

This is called "Israel can bank on our support" and was written by Greg Sheridan The new policy of the Government of Australia makes the point that the actions of any government are open to criticism, but concentrating continually and frequently exclusively on one small country is prejudicial, tantamount to racism and should not be condoned at the United Nations. Shalom from Max WHEN people say they want a more independent Australian foreign policy, they generally mean they want a policy that agrees more with them. The Howard-Downer diumvirate in Australian foreign policy has changed our position on the Middle East at the UN in a way that is wholly remarkable, not only independent but positively brave, utterly politically incorrect and undoubtedly right in principle; and, amazingly, is meeting with success. Australia has always been a strong friend of Israel. But for most of the past few decades it has taken an understandable, if less than inspiring, refuge in abstaining from most of the plethora of routinely one-sided anti-Israel resolutions and actions at the UN. But about two years ago the Howard Government decided to change all that. As much as anything, it was watching the international community respond to the wave of suicide bomb attacks on Israel, which elicited muted international condemnation. But when Israel tried to protect itself by building a fence to keep the terrorists out, the fury of the bien pensants, especially at the UN, was boundless. The UN has a deep structural bias against Israel. To take one of many examples, there has been at the UN Commission on Human Rights a separate agenda item devoted to Israel at every meeting. No other nation gets a whole agenda item, not China, not North Korea, not Iran. It has been impossible even to get up a single resolution about Zimbabwe's recent murderous practices. For 40 years more than one-quarter of the resolutions passed at the commission have been aimed at Israel. Anyone who believes Israel is responsible for one-quarter of the world's human rights violations needs to get their medication changed. Similarly, the UN has established a vast bureaucracy dedicated to blackening Israel's name. There is within the UN secretariat a whole division called the Division for Palestinian Rights, while the General Assembly has the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People. Of course the human rights of Palestinians should be respected and the UN should play a role in this. But no other nation is singled out for the relentless attacks at the UN that Israel has to cope with. All this anti-Israel activity does nothing to improve the Palestinians' lot. It makes the UN worthless in the Middle East because Israel is utterly hostile and distrustful of it, while the Palestinian cause is endlessly inflamed in soaring and worthless rhetoric, taken over by the international bureaucrat class far from the realities on the ground. And it is in any event simply a grotesque distortion of what the UN is supposed to be about. Most nations that Australians would regard as like-minded, such as the west Europeans, the Canadians and some others, traditionally find this all too hard to deal with and seek a coward's solace in abstaining from most anti-Israel resolutions and activities. Until about two years ago, that was Australia's way as well. But then came the wave of terror attacks on Israel, Israel's fence and the absurd overreaction to it. Alexander Downer and John Howard decided enough was enough. So Australia voted against referring the fence to the International Court of Justice. The ICJ inevitably ruled against Israel and in July last year the UN General Assembly passed the normal anti-Israel resolution. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advised the Government to abstain. The Government overruled the bureaucracy and decided to vote against the resolution. We were one of only six nations to do so, the US, Israel, the Marshall Islands, Palau and Micronesia being the others. The Howard Government's position here was not reflexively pro-Israel. The Government criticised parts of the route taken by the Israelis in building their fence. But it wasn't going to go along with the usual Israel bashing. In truth it was a proud moment in Australian foreign policy and certainly one of the deepest independence. Australia's ambassador to the UN, John Dauth, said at the time: "We remain of the view that the resolution unfairly isolated a single issue in a complex conflict; that it served no purpose, given the nature and content of resolutions already passed by this assembly; that it would politicise the court; and that it would distract the parties - as is happening - from the urgent need to resume negotiations." This vote was not a one-off. It has become the pattern of our voting on Israel-related issues. Canberra has attempted to use its influence with Pacific Island nations, and even in Southeast Asia, to try to produce a change. And, get this, it is working. Canada has joined Australia on some critical resolutions and the attitude towards Israel at the UN has begun to change noticeably. Traditionally, Israel was unique in not even being allowed to join a UN regional grouping; now it is, like Australia, a member of the Western Europe and Others Group. As The New York Times recently reported, Israel has proposed a UN resolution, its Prime Minister has been received at the UN and it is to stand for a term on the Security Council, all unprecedented moves. There is still vast and objectionable anti-Israel bias in the UN system, but this is progress and it was much less likely to have come about without Australia's actions. These moves, though they annoyed the Arab League, have certainly cost us nothing in Arab trade or diplomatic relations. (Syria and Libya have recently opened embassies.) But they are a sign of taking a position of political principle on an international issue and having an effect. They couldn't be more independent, but of course independence, real independence, is the last thing the serried ranks of the unanimous commentariat want. Contact Max Yas at maxyas@victoria.tc.ca To Go To Top

BROTHER-IN-LAW OF SYRIAN LEADER IMPLICATED IN HARIRI ASSASSINATION Posted by Jeffrey Epstein, October 23, 2005.

This comes from Myway (http://apnews.myway.com/article/20051021/D8DCETB00.html). It was written by Nich Wadhams and Edith M. Lederer. UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The brother-in-law of Syria's president was implicated in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and Lebanese intelligence officials helped organize it, according to a U.N. inquiry that officially linked Damascus to the slaying for the first time. The exhaustive report into the Feb. 14 car bomb that killed the popular opposition leader and 20 others stopped short of fingering Syrian President Bashar Assad or his inner circle. But it accused the regime of failing to cooperate in the inquiry and alleged Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa lied in a letter to the investigating commission. It also cites one witness as saying Assad's brother-in-law Assef Shawkat, Syria's military intelligence chief, set up a false confession to Hariri's murder 15 days before it took place. Syria rejected the report. Chief investigator Detlev Mehlis' findings were issued to the U.N. Security Council late Thursday and will almost certainly inflame tensions in the region. The Security Council is likely to use the report to renew pressure on Syria to ease its continued influence on Lebanon. The council is expected to discuss it on Tuesday, and may consider sanctions against Syria. The decision to assassinate Hariri "could not have been taken without the approval of top-ranked Syrian security officials and could not have been further organized without the collusion of their counterparts in the Lebanese security services," the report said. At the time of Hariri's assassination, Syria had about 14,000 troops in Lebanon and essentially controlled the country along with its Lebanese government allies. Mehlis was careful not to assign blame but cites witness testimony that strongly implicates several officials suspected of conspiring to assassinate Hariri. Lebanon has already arrested four of them, all Lebanese generals close to Syria. The report also raised questions about Lebanon's pro-Syrian president, Emile Lahoud, alleging he received a phone call minutes before the deadly blast from the brother of a prominent member of a pro-Syrian group. The same man also called one of four generals arrested, Brig. Gen. Raymond Azar, who at the time was head of Lebanon's military intelligence. Lahoud's office said it "categorically denies" that the president received such a phone call. The 53-page report outlines Hariri's worsening relationship with Syrian officials and said the motive for his killing appeared to have been political. Hariri had fallen out with Syria and eventually resigned as prime minister in October 2004, a month after a decision to change Lebanon's laws and extend Lahoud's term. Pro-Syrian opponents had accused Hariri of being the driving force behind a U.N. resolution adopted in September 2004 that unsuccessfully attempted to stop Lebanon's parliament from extending the term of Lahoud, Hariri's longtime rival. The resolution also demanded Syria withdraw all its troops and intelligence operatives from Lebanon. The report cites one Syrian witness living in Lebanon who claimed to have worked for Syrian intelligence. He said Lebanese and Syrian officials decided to assassinate Hariri about two weeks after the Security Council adopted the resolution. At the beginning of January 2005, a senior Syrian officer in Lebanon told the witness: "Hariri was a big problem to Syria." "Approximately a month later the officer told the witness that there soon would be an 'earthquake' that would rewrite the history of Lebanon," the report said. The report quoted another witness as saying Brig. Gen. Mustafa Hamdan, another of the four Lebanese generals under arrest, ended an October 2004 conversation by saying: "We are going to send him on a trip, bye, bye Hariri." The witnesses were not identified. Hariri's death set off huge anti-Syrian street protests in Lebanon and intense international pressure which forced Damascus to withdraw all its troops from Lebanon a few months later, ending nearly three decades of military domination. The report includes a single reference to Shawkat, Assad's brother-in-law who oversees all of Syria's domestic and foreign intelligence operations. According to one witness, Shawkat forced a man to tape a claim of responsibility for Hariri's killing 15 days before it occurred. That tape was aired on the Al-Jazeera satellite channel the day of the blast but was discredited by the Mehlis investigators as an apparent attempt to divert attention from the real perpetrators. The man who made the tape, Abu Adass, left his home Jan. 16 and was likely taken to Syria, where he disappeared. The report documents in meticulous detail how Hariri's movements and phone conversations had been monitored for months. It casts suspicion on a decision by one of the four arrested Lebanese generals, Ali Hajj, to reduce Hariri's state security detail from 40 to eight in November 2004. Mehlis identified Sheik Ahmed Abdel-Al, a prominent figure in the pro-Syrian Al-Ahbash Sunni Muslim Orthodox group, as "a key figure in an ongoing investigation." Abdel-Al had extensive contacts with top Lebanese security officials before and after the blast, and tried to hide information from investigators. It was his brother - also a member of the same pro-Syrian group - who called Lahoud just before the blast. Mehlis said there were still many leads to follow before all the details of Hariri's killing will be known and asked for more time to work with Lebanese investigators. In a letter accompanying the report, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he would extend Mehlis' investigation until Dec. 15. In one of the most critical parts of the report, Mehlis said Syria must cooperate if the continued investigation is to succeed. "If the investigation is to be completed, it is essential that the government of Syria fully cooperate with the investigating authorities, including by allowing interviews to be held outside Syria and for interviewees not to be accompanied by Syrian officials," Mehlis said. Syria's Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah said the report was "100 percent politicized" and "contained false accusations." Dakhlallah was speaking to Al-Jazeera television on Friday from the Syrian capital. There was not a single reference in the report to Syrian Interior Minister Ghazi Kenaan, who had been questioned by the Mehlis team. Kenaan, who was Syria's intelligence chief in Lebanon for 20 years and effectively controlled its government, was found dead in his office last week with a gunshot wound to his mouth. Officially, Syria said Kenaan committed suicide. But some in Lebanon and at least one veteran U.S. mediator for the Middle East suggested he may have been killed to try to cover up Syrian involvement in the Hariri assassination. U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said shortly after the report's release that the United States has "considered various contingencies" but would decide what to do next only after it had read the report and consulted with "other interested governments." "An initial reading of the report indicates some deeply troubling findings and clearly the report requires further discussion by the international community," U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. The United States is also at loggerheads with Syria over its alleged support for Iraqi insurgents, accusing it of doing too little to stop foreign fighters from crossing into Iraq. Jeffery Epstein emails "The Terrorist Update Newsletter". To sign-up for "The Terrorist Update Newsletter", send an email to staff@peoplestruthforum.com To Go To Top

THE FIRST WORD: STOP WHISPERING Posted by Isi Leibler, October 23, 2005.

Anglo-Jewry can take pride in its exemplary contribution to world Jewry and Zionism. From Moses Montefiore's interventions during the Damascus blood libel, to the Balfour Declaration, through to the Soviet Jewry protest movement, British Jews played an important role. The contribution of British immigrants to Israeli society also sheds luster on Anglo-Jewry. But Anglo-Jewry is in decline. From a community in excess of 400,000 at the end of the Second World War, it has shrunk to roughly 280,000 and while reliable statistics are unavailable, it is almost certain that the intermarriage rate at least matches the 50 percent level in the United States. Parallel with this over the past few years, anti-Semitism, which had been in remission for 40 years, has dramatically revived. Violent acts against Jews are soaring, with 532 incidents recorded last year - a 42% increase from 2003. In many respects Jews are now regarded as pariahs, like their antecedents in the 1930s. While many Anglo-Jews insist that anti-Semitism is primarily a product of Muslim immigrants, the reality - as recently confirmed in a London police study - is that the core of anti-Semitism in England emanates from indigenous Britons. They are the ones demonizing Israel in the media. They shamelessly create Nazi-style caricatures like the one published by the Independent newspaper which portrayed Ariel Sharon as an ogre physically devouring Palestinian children. That obscene cartoon was awarded first prize as the best political cartoon of the year. It is "white" British academics, not Muslim immigrants, who promote anti-Israeli boycotts and divestment campaigns. And, needless to say, the BBC which has evolved into one of the greatest global agents demonizing Israel is not run by Muslims. IT IS therefore unfortunate that many Anglo-Jewish leaders and opinion makers bury their heads in the sand, denying that they are undergoing a real crisis. One Jewish journalist even went so far as to observe that "there are no pogroms in the high street, no concentration camps in the parks, and no crematoria in the shires." Is that the benchmark for anti-Semitism in the year 2005? At the outset of the intifada, the Anglo-Jewish establishment bitterly opposed demonstrations, insisting that they would be poorly attended and counterproductive. They were subsequently stunned when, in response to spontaneous pressure from the street, rallies took place at which large numbers of Jews gathered to express their solidarity with Israel. In contrast to their American counterparts, most Anglo-Jewish leaders fail to appreciate that the traditional approach based on shtadlanut which they now refer to as "silent diplomacy" is today simply ineffective. Henry Grunwald, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, epitomizes this less than heroic stance when he proclaims that demonstrations are not necessarily the appropriate course to adopt in Britain, and that the "softly softly" approach can usually achieve better results. He even pleads "why must one shout when a whisper can be heard?" I would respectfully suggest that in this day and age such an approach emboldens those who seek to transform us into a pariah community. More importantly, it dissuades Jewish youngsters living in a hostile environment from defending themselves in public confrontations against those defaming them. Instead, they are encouraged to behave like "trembling Israelites," grateful for "protection," and conscious above all that they must not rock the boat. I DO not make these observations as an armchair diplomat. I headed the Australian Jewish community for many years and our leadership successfully transformed the prewar Jewish image in Australia from one of inferiority and subservience to one of pride and dignity. It is not coincidental that Australia today stands at the forefront of nations in which there is a broad bipartisan political support for Israel, and a genuine sensitivity to the requirements of its Jewish community. This could never have been achieved had our Jewish leadership relied primarily on silent diplomacy and not adopted what critics frequently condemned as an "ugly" and tough lobbying approach. The situation in Britain is rapidly worsening. Prior to the July 7 London Underground bombings, Muslim clerics were publicly calling for pogroms against Jews. Yet instead of publicly demonstrating and demanding action, all Anglo-Jewish leaders would do was to mutter concern. The atmosphere at universities is awful and it is surely a sad reflection of the times when Grunwald proclaims it a great victory when the boycott by the Association of University Teachers was narrowly reversed. The fact that such an obscene act could ever have been endorsed by university teachers in the first place is glossed over. The same applies to the Church. Here once more, Grunwald publicly expresses relief that as "a result of improving dialogue with the Church of England," the Church's Ethical Investment Advisory Group will now not boycott Caterpillar for trading with Israel. What a grand achievement that is! The Anglo-Muslim leadership has the chutzpah to call for the abolition of Holocaust Memorial Day. What does the Board of Deputies do? It initiates a press campaign stressing that Holocaust Memorial Day is no longer exclusively devoted to the European genocide of the Jewish people but also "covers Cambodia, Rwanda, the Balkans and elsewhere." It is a sad state of affairs when Jewish leaders themselves trivialize the uniqueness of the Holocaust by bracketing it with general human rights abuses. London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who has now assumed the role of a 21st-century Oswald Mosley, continues his anti-Israel and anti-Jewish outbursts unabated. But there are no protests outside the mayor's office. Is it any wonder in such a passive environment that Livingstone's anti-Jewish rhetoric becomes even more offensive? This in an environment in which opinion polls confirm that the vast majority of British citizens support Livingstone, and regard Israel as a greater threat to world peace than North Korea or Iran. British Jewish leaders should say it as it is and not confuse the issue by babbling about progress being achieved in interfaith relations. Everyone agrees that like motherhood and apple pie, dialogue with decent Muslims is good. But we should be under no illusions. The vast majority of Muslims either support the extremists or are intimidated to such an extent that they would never stand up and be counted. IT SO happens that Prime Minister Tony Blair is a genuine friend of the Jewish people. All the more reason why the leadership should stop pretending the situation is tolerable. They should speak up and fight more aggressively against the peddlers of hatred. They should concentrate more on public action rather than relying so heavily on "silent diplomacy." They should exploit the not inconsiderable power of the Anglo-Jewish community to influence friends and allies. They should heed the recent comment of Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks, a man not prone to exaggeration, who stated that "there have been times for the first time in my memory when it has been uncomfortable to be a Jew in Britain." If Jews will not fight back, they will soon have to ask themselves: Is this the sort of society in which our children and grandchildren are going to live? If they are unable to come to terms with such a future, perhaps they should consider encouraging their children to make aliya. The writer chairs the Diaspora-Israel relations committee of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, and is a veteran international Jewish leader. Contact him at ileibler@netvision.net.il To Go To Top

JEWISH AGENCY TO AID ARAB VICTIMS OF TERROR Posted by Robert Turk, October 23, 2005.

This news item was in The Jerusalem Post Oct. 20, 2005. Director-General of the Jewish Agency, Ze'ev Bielski, will arrive in Shfaram this Sunday, October 23, in order to present to the families of the victims of terror financial aid from the terror victims fund. The occasion will mark the first time that Jewish money will go towards aiding Arab victims of terror. The terror victim's fund, founded on money collected from the world's Jewish communities, will aid the Shfaram families with up to NIS 100,000. IDF Cpl. Eden Natan Zada shot and killed four Arabs in Shfaram in August. The Jewish Defense League does not condone the use of Jewish charitable funds for disbursement for damage awards to these families. The Israeli government is responsible to remunerate damages to the families due to the fact that the government knew of Corporal Eden Natan Zada's mental status at the time of the incident. Robert Turk is a member of the Jewish Defense League. Contact him at jdlnews@jdl.org.il To Go To Top

CHANGE OF NAME AND MISSION Posted by Yrachmiel Elias and Professor Ya'akov Golbert, October 23, 2005.

Pressures of the past several months has caused us to reconsider the path that we should be taking. The Jewish People world-wide needs a voice of sanity and resolve to speak for it, and to carry out the original job of what was long considered its national voice -- The Jewish Agency. Now it is only an adjunct of the corrupt and diseased government of Israel -- whose basic thrust is to un-Jewify or de-Jewify Eretz Yisrael and is now recruiting olim from among non-Jews in the former Soviet Union. At the same time, the Jewish National Fund, whose raison d'etre is the purchase of land by Jews, is allowing its lands to be sold to Arabs. We are therefore in the process of incorporating as a nonprofit corporation and changing our organizational name to -- The New Jewish Agency for the reconstruction of Eretz Yisrael -- (in Hebrew, HaSokhnut HaYehudit Hehadash leTehiyat Eretz Yisrael) and will soon have a new web site up and running. We therefore need your assistance in making sure the you wish to be subscribed to the new mailing list. Please reply to this email and the only message you need to put in the body of your reply is your current email address where you want information sent. The mission of The New Jewish Agency for the Reconstruction of Eretz Yisrael will be forthcoming within the next month -- but you can be sure that it will be directed and supporting the needs of the entire world Jewish Community. The Rebbe of Lubavitch never made a distinction between Jews -- He never labeled Jews as Orthodox, conservative or reform, datti or chiloni -- all He called us was "Alles Yidden or Kulam Yehudim -- all Jews". Moadim V'Simcha Hag Sameach Yrachmiel Elias and Professor Ya'akov Golbert are Directors, The New Jewish Agency for the Reconstruction of Eretz Yisrael. To Go To Top

A STAR FROM ISRAEL'S STATE-OWNED TV AND PEACE NOW ARE LOBBYING FOR PALESTINE Posted by Susie Dym, October 23, 2005.

Chaim Yavin, state-owned Israel TV's prime-time news show host, will give a Peace Now-funded virulently anti-settlement presentation for a Palestinian lobby group, the ATFP, in Washington DC. The event was scheduled for Tuesday 25 October - although this date is a Jewish and Israeli national holiday (Shmini Atzeret abroad - Simchat Torah in Israel). The ATFP -- American Task Force on Palestine -- is a Palestinian lobby group endorsed by Abu Mazen and others. Information characterizing this Palestinian lobby group appears below -- along with a reproduction of the email sent out by the group to its distribution list regarding Yavin. The Yavin presentation, which has been shown here in Israel, consists of a film about the Jews of Yesha. Billed by Yavin as a "documentary", the film is in fact partisan and one-sided, having been described even by the liberal New York Times as "angry" and "intensely personal". Israel's Yediot Achronot, hardly a friend of the settlement movement, described the film as being crafted to inspire viewers to "get up next Saturday, go to the settlement nearest to his place of residence, and drag its inhabitants, kicking and screaming, across the road". Israel State TV broadcasts news nightly on Channel 1. Yavin has been the anchor for decades. Yavin's salary comes not from the private sector but from the budget of the State of Israel - and from a tax levied by the State on all Israeli television set owners. Therefore, most newsmen working under and with Yavin are strictly prohibited from publicly promoting contraversial positions. How then, could Yavin be entitled to do this? We are informed by Israel's Media Watch (www.imw.org.il) that technically, Yavin is not an employee of the Israel Broadcasting Authority. He has circumvented this status by establishing a "company" which employs one person only - himself. He has a contract to supply services to the Israel Broadcasting Authority in the form of Yavin. The contract between this company and the Israel Broadcasting Authority is such as to allow Yavin to work for anyone he wants to -- whereas all other IBA workers are contractually prohibited for working for anyone else without IBA's express permission. Minister Ehud Olmert is responsible for Israel State TV. Is there anything specific that Minister Olmert can do -- since after all the contract between the Israel Broadcasting Authority and Yavin is a fait accompli? The answer is YES: a. Olmert can take official note of the fact that Yavin's behavior, even if legal, is unprofessional. He can state that Yavin's contract will not be renewed. He can embarrass Yavin by publicly asking him to resign. b. A minimalistic alternative to (a) is that Olmert can clarify to Yavin that if he chooses to continue appearing on behalf of contraversial, pro-Palestinian concerns, his contract will, as a result, not be renewed. c. Olmert can close the Yavin loophole by issuing the following obvious instruction to the IBA's legal advisor: that all contracts with "companies" like Yavin's must in future include clauses prohibiting Israel TV stars from taking unfair advantage of the publicity they receive to promote causes which are objected to by Yavin's captive audience -- the Israeli taxpayer. If you would like to encourage Minister Olmert, the Israel Broadcasting Authority and Israel TV to stop Yavin's unprofessional behavior, please simply forward this email to the following email addresses (click "forward", then color all addresses below with your mouse and paste into the "to" field): lishka@moital@gov.il; sar@moit@gov.il; mabat@iba.org.il; dover@iba.org.il; ombudsmann@iba.org.il; ombudsman@iba.org.il; webmaster@iba.org.il sshalom@knesset.gov.il; zhanegbi@knesset.gov.il; yiskatz@knesset.gov.il; llivnat@knesset.gov.il; dnaveh@knesset.gov.il; sar@mfa.gov.il; sar@moag.gov.il; sar@education.gov.il; sar@matat.gov.il; The above address groups belong to, respectively, Minister Olmert, the Israel Broadcasting Authority, and several possibly sympathetic Likud ministers. APPENDIX A: Facts about the Palestinian lobby group (ATFP) which Yavin has chosen to work with. * Israel is blamed for 9-11: The American Task Force on Palestine lobbies against Israeli "conquests", a euphemism for Israeli presence beyond the 1967 cease-firelines, going so far as to blame this presence for the 9/11 terror attack at the World Trade Center ("The ill will directed at the United States by its perceived support for Israeli conquests ... has created serious security risks for our country, as demonstrated so horrifically on 9-11." * Israel is not on the map: Israel is not marked on at least one map appearing in the ATFP website (in contrast, so-called "Palestine", which is not a state, is marked); instead, Israel's entire land area is shaded brown on the map to indicate that Israel's land area is considered part of the Arab World (in contrast, Western Sahara, for example, is not shaded brown in the same map). * Violence OK while Israel remains east of Green Line: The ATFP's understanding of the Roadmap's "central feature" is "a simple quid pro quo: an end to Palestinian violence against Israelis in exchange for an end to Israeli settlement of Palestinian lands." * Veiled threats re renewed Arab boycott: "The Arab world: 2.2 Arab countries, 300 million people, $1.2 trillion. Palestinian statehood will ... open the door to a trillion dollar market.", the ATFP website promises. The flip side of this glowing conditional statement, however, is that failure to set up a Palestinian state might cause the United States to forfeit that trillion dollar market - a subtle ATFP threat that the Arab boycott might just return. * Fatal bus attacks by suicide bombers downgraded (compared to accidental deaths in combat areas): One day after a double suicide bombing in Beer-Sheva left 16 dead Israeli civilians including 10 women and a three year old child, the ATFP had this to say: "[Y]esterday's bombings ... along with the deaths of hundreds of Palestinian civilians over the course of the past several months... stand in the way of peaceful coexistence between the two peoples". *Lack of credibility: The ATFP does not give a source for the above claim that "hundreds of Palestinian civilians" were killed within a few months. We fact-checked and found that even the extreme left affiliated B'tselem organization puts the total number of Palestinians killed by the IDF in the months preceding the ATFP statement, including combatants, at a few hundred. B'tselem's website makes no claim whatever that this number includes substantial numbers of civilians (as opposed to combatants), as implied by the vague ATFP statement. The ATFP has six "principles". These principles or positions, plainly put, include: * Another terror state endangering Israel's population centers : Establishment, with no pre-conditions, of yet another Arab state, bordering with Israel on the old, dangerous 1967 cease-fire lines, situated just opposite Israel's narrow waistline where most of Israel's population resides. The ATFP's position favoring (unconditional) establishment of a Palestinian state is NOT in accordance with the official positions of the Government of Israel. The Israeli Government has never agreed to the unconditional establishment of a Palestinian state. The opposite is the case: The GOI (Gov't of Israel) agreed to accept establishment of another Palestinian state, only conditional on 14 preconditions, chief among them the full and complete cessation of Palestinian terrorism. The huge fleet of bulletproof buses serving Israeli schoolchildren and other citizens daily, is mute evidence to the vast distance between this precondition and Middle East reality. * No Jewish minority tolerated in Palestine : Forced deportation (euphemism: "evacuation") of the hundreds of thousands of Israelis and Jews resident in Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem. At the same time, it goes without saying that a sizeable Arab minority is entitled to continue residing in Israel. * Independent of demand for Palestinian statehood -- continued pestering of Israel re "Palestinian refugee problem": Over and above the demand for a new Palestinian State in Principle 1, Principle 3 contains a separate demand regarding the Palestinian refugees, whose situation is to be changed "in accordance with "international legality and the relevant UN resolutions" -- forums in which Israeli vital interests are automatically discounted. APPENDIX B: The email sent out by ATFP regarding Yavin's presentation The American Task Force on Palestine invites you to a luncheon briefing with 'The Land of the Settlers' documentary star and director Chaim Yavin, to be held at the Palestine Center in Washington, DC. Mr. Yavin is a founder of Israeli television and the anchor of Israeli TV 's Channel 1 broadcast since 1968. 'The Land of the Settlers' is an explosive Israeli documentary series that deals with Israeli settlements in the West Bank and their impact on Palestinians and Israelis alike. Mr. Yavin will begin his briefing with a screening of 30 minutes of excerpts from the 5-part documentary series. The series is a personal production in which Mr. Yavin visited the occupied territories over a period of two years as a private individual. His critics cross the entire spectrum of Israeli politics, from those who say he abandoned his objectivity, to others who complain that he kept silent for too long. Mr. Yavin's DC appearance is part of a speaking tour encompassing Washington, New York, and Chicago and is sponsored by Americans For Peace Now. The tour is made possible through a generous contribution from the Foundation for Middle East Peace. The Washington portion of his tour is being co-sponsored by the American Task Force on Palestine. When: Tuesday, October 25, 2005, 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. Where: The Palestine Center, Potomac Plaza Building, 2425 Virginia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037 Registration required. RSVP by 3:00 p.m. Monday, October 24. Call 202-887-0177 or email rdajani@atfp.net News Media on 'The Land of the Settlers': " A documentary about Israel's settlements in the West Bank that is pessimistic, angry and intensely personal." New York Times "The breath becomes short, the heart is choked with anger... After watching 'The Land of the Settlers,' every caring Israeli, every humane Israeli, should get up next Saturday, go to the settlement nearest to his place of residence, and drag its inhabitants, kicking and screaming, across the road to the side of sanity." Yedioth Ahronoth "As a journalistic television product, what can one say about Yavin's personal journey between roadblocks, in front of the soldiers who are hardhearted because those are the orders, next to the chilling Daniela Weiss and in the living room of the denizens of the settlement outposts, who are so friendly (until reminded that there are, even fairly close to us, such beings called 'Palestinians.')?" Ma'ariv The ATFP is a not-for-profit organization that aims to educate the American people about the national security interests of the United States in establishing a Palestinian state. Specifically, ATFP seeks to promote the awareness of the far-reaching benefits that Palestinian statehood will have for the United States in the following areas: (1) enhancing national security, (2) proliferation of American values of freedom and democracy, and (3) expansion of economic opportunities throughout the Arab and Islamic worlds. American Task Force on Palestine 815 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20006 www.americantaskforce.org Susie Dym is spokesperson from Mattot Arim, an Israeli grassroots organization working toward peace-for-peace since 1992. Contact her at sddym@bezeqint.net REMINDER: PLEASE forward this email to the following email addresses (click "forward", then color all addresses below with your mouse and paste into the "to" field): lishka@moital@gov.il; sar@moit@gov.il; mabat@iba.org.il; dover@iba.org.il; ombudsmann@iba.org.il;ombudsman@iba.org.il;webmaster@iba.org.il ; sshalom@knesset.gov.il; zhanegbi@knesset.gov.il;yiskatz@knesset.gov.il;llivnat@knesset.gov.il;dnaveh@knesset.gov.il; sar@mfa.gov.il; sar@moag.gov.il; sar@education.gov.il; sar@matat.gov.il; NOTE: IF YOU RECEIVED THIS EMAIL FROM A FRIEND, YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE FOR MATTOT ARIM UPDATES DIRECTLY BY SENDING A "SUBSCRIBE" MESSAGE TO sddym@bezeqint.net. PLS INDICATE WHETHER YOU RESIDE IN ISRAEL OR ABROAD. To Go To Top

DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS Posted by Gerald A. Honigman, October 23, 2005.

Some statistics to keep in mind before we begin: Texas covers about 268,000 square miles. Israel covers about 8,000 square miles. About 34 Israels fit inside of Texas. The almost two dozen nations which make up the "Arab World" cover over 6,000,000 square miles of territory--land mostly conquered and forcibly Arabized in the name of the Arab nation and/or the Dar ul-Islam from mostly non-Arab peoples. Abu Mazen came a callin' the other day. The Holocaust denyin', sweet-talkin' Arafatian in a suit and darlin' of the West, Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, came to visit Dubya and to demand yet more one-sided concessions from the Jews. He's got them on the run, ya know...Lebanon, Gaza and all that. Strike while the iron's hot (and the Jews can't seem to muster the backbone to do what must be done regardless of whose hypocritical feathers get ruffled)! A number of years before Dubya became President, he allegedly commented that some Texas driveways were longer than the width of Israel at its waist, where most of its population and industry are located. Boy, does he need to remember this! Not long ago I heard a catchy tune and pride of my Houston friends, Don't Mess With Texas. This saying has become like an oath, second only to the Pledge of Allegiance in the Lone Star State. Soon afterwards, three more young Israelis were deliberately murdered by the bad cop half of the Arab good cop/bad cop team operating against the Jews. Dubya's buddy, Abbas, gave the standard empty condemnation for Western consumption: He's against this sort of thing--for now at least, with Israel in retreat and constantly caving into pressure from others who have conquered and acquired lands far and wide in the name of their own nations' security interests--because the timing is bad and it may hurt the Arab demand to create a second, not first, state for themselves in "Palestine." Bad press, and all that stuff. Never do we hear from any of these folks (the alleged "moderates," mind you) that it is morally wrong to kill innocent Jews. And for good reason... In Arab eyes, no Israeli Jew is innocent. They who have conquered and continue to conquer scores of millions of non-Arab peoples and their lands--Kurds, Berbers, Black Africans, Copts, Jews, Assyrians, Semitic but pre-Arab Lebanese, and so forth--simply see the Jewish babe that they disembowel as an occupier of "purely Arab land." Read the above sentence carefully, dear reader, for it sums up the Arab-Israeli conflict in a nutshell. Movin' on... All of this--the song, the latest atrocity, and so forth--got me to thinkin'. What would the Don't Mess With Texas crew do if faced with what the Jews have to deal with on a daily basis? I mean, I'm at least a fourth generation red-blooded American boy too, but a few facts need to be considered here. Texas, after all, was conquered from Mexico as part of a drive by America to further its own "Manifest Destiny." Might made right. And, unlike Jews with thousands of years of history and land ownership in the disputed territories now in question, Texans had no prior connection to the land they grabbed from Mexico. The Alamo was no Masada. This is an important point, but readers, who probably know something about the Alamo, will have to search themselves about Masada on the internet or elsewhere. The story of the Jews' heroic stand for freedom against their Roman conquerors--documented by the contemporary Roman-sponsored historians themselves--demands more than just the few lines I can give it here. Imagine, please, what a Governor Bush's reaction would have been (or a President Bush's after 9/11) if Texan kids were deliberately gunned down in their schools, blown apart on buses, at night clubs, or eating pizza with their friends, and such. Better yet, what would Dubya's reaction be, G-d forbid, if the young women recently murdered waiting for a ride were his own daughters instead? Would he try his best to prevent this from happening again? Would he worry about any "inconveniences" he may cause to an enemy population deliberately targeting his people and who rejected Texas' very right to exist--regardless of its size? Would Dubya listen to others who demanded that he do nothing, or at least nothing meaningful, to stop the barbarism? Do I even need to ask such questions? Yet the President has recently told the Jews that their moves to prevent this sort of thing from happening again to their own kids must come to a halt. Checkpoints, detours, and such--that America has in place in Iraq--cause too much "inconvenience" for Abbas' folks. That evidently is more important than saving Jewish lives. Not to mention the fact that without the terror, there would be none of these "inconveniences." Hey, did ya'll know that there's a big fence out West keepin' Mexicans from crossing the border mostly just to find jobs? But Dubya--Israel's alleged best friend--demands that any such thing the Jews erect to keep Arab jihadists at bay be rendered virtually useless at the most sensitive locations. Instead of allowing for the needed buffer, Israel is being forced to cling to the '49 Auschwitz/armistice lines. It's main airport, for example, Ben Gurion, is thus left exposed and vulnerable. The President knows full well that U.N. Security Council Resolution 242--which supposedly forms the basis for any future peace making--does not demand that Israel return to its vulnerable, pre-'67, 9-mile wide armistice line existence. Indeed, it calls for the creation of "secure and recognized borders" to replace that earlier travesty imposed upon the Jews. Back in April 2004 he publicly acknowledged this himself. But, what a difference the past year has made...especially since his reelection. Now, instead, he, along with Condi, demand that the second state for Arabs to be created in Palestine (Arab state #22) be no bantustan, have contiguity, and the like. What this means for an Israel that one already needs a magnifying glass to find on a map of the world is apparently of no consequence. Recall that, regarding those armistice lines, as would become the routine, the U.N. stood by and did nothing when a half dozen Arab armies invaded a reborn, miniscule Israel in 1948. Only when the Jews turned the tide did the U.N. step in...to limit Arab losses, not to halt their aggression. Armistice lines (marking the point where hostilities ceased)--not borders--were then set before Israel could advance any further. Judea and Samaria--only in the past century, due to British imperialism and "Transjordan's" land grab in '48 known as the "West Bank"--were non-apportioned areas of the original Mandate for Palestine that Britain received on April 25, 1920, after the Paris Peace Conference ending World War I. The non-Arab Turks--who controlled much of the region for over four centuries--chose the wrong side during the war and saw what was left of their over-extended empire carved up as a result. As leading experts like Eugene Rostow (one of 242's architects) have pointed out, Jews, Arabs, and others were entitled to live in these non-apportioned lands. Indeed, as I've often written before but which necessarily--for the sake of new readers--has to be repeated anyway, the League Of Nations Permanent Mandates Commission and other sources documented that many, if not most, so-called native Palestinians came from elsewhere themselves during the Mandatory period. Indeed, when the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) was set up exclusively to deal with Arab refugees created as a result of the war their own brethren started in 1948 (while there was no such U.N. help for a like number of Jews from "Arab" lands who were forced to flee as well), the very definition of the word refugee had to be modified to accommodate all of the new Arab settlers. Recall also (another fact that must be repeated, like it or not) that "purely Arab" Transjordan was itself created in 1922 from 80%--the lion's share--of the original 1920 Mandate of Palestine. As no Jews were allowed to live in what became known as, after 1948, "Jordan" (since it now held both the east and west banks of the Jordan River), only Arabs were subsequently able to take up residence. Prior to this, Jews had been slaughtered there earlier in the Mandatory period. But, enough of the past... Back to the present, Dubya now needs to regain the moral high ground he assumed back in April 2004 when, standing across from Israeli Prime Minister Sharon, he uttered simple yet magical words...the key to any real peace between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. Dubya stated, before millions watching him on television, the two key ingredients for such a recipe: Israel should not be expected to return to the indefensible armistice lines of 1949 (and he called them just that, not "borders"), and real and fudged Arab refugees would have to go to the proposed new Arab state, not overwhelm the Jews in what was left of Israel. Again, half of Israel's Jews were refugees from Arab/Muslim lands--but without the almost two dozen states that Arabs already have to call their own. Einstein was not needed to concoct such a recipe. But Arabs have long been given reason, via the world's actions, to hope that Israel would yet become an updated Czechoslovakia with the West Bank serving as its Sudetenland. All that was missing was a resurrected Chamberlain to allow for another Munich-type sellout to achieve "peace." President Bush's April 2004 words, as simple as they were, remain the necessary magical ingredients to end this conflict. Unfortunately, as we have seen, they apparently proved to be fleeting. No sooner than they were spoken, the Foggy Folks began to water them down. No surprise here. The State Department fought President Truman over the very rebirth of Israel more than a half century earlier. That Dubya, himself, has backtracked on this as well over the past year, however, is a far more serious--if not totally unexpected--development. "Born Again" or not, Dubya's family, after all, has considerable ties to Arab petrodollars, and close family friend, James Baker, Bush the First's Secretary of State, is notorious for his Jew-hatred as well as his anti-Zionism. Baker is famous for his "_ _ _ _ the Jews, they don't vote for us anyway " comments; speaking of his "Jew Boys" working for the State Department; referring to Israel as a turkey that needed to be carefully stalked; has his own law firm representing the Saudis in this country; and other such goodies. Not long ago, Dubya made him his Special Middle East Envoy. This can't be good news for anyone who cares about Israel getting a fair hearing. Remember, Dubya can't run for reelection and doesn't need millions of Evangelical voters again any time soon. Bush's apparent flip flop seems to have coincided with the onset of America's Iraqi prison problems. After the scandal erupted, this--added to an already increased overall level of Arab animosity surfacing regarding America's invasion of Iraq, the Arab-Israeli conflict, etc.--led the Foggy Folks to quickly search for additional ways to appease the Arabs. The Jew of the Nations has always been their favorite sacrificial lamb in these regards. Puff... Gone, apparently in an instant, was the magic of April, vintage 2004. As we have seen, both State and the President himself have since made statements which basically retracted much of what Dubya had said standing across from Prime Minister Sharon two Aprils earlier. But consider, please, what this all says to Israel... At the first sign of problems, its best friend, America, is all too willing to retract its support for what all other nations would naturally expect...the right to protect itself from an alleged "peace" that is really designed to bring about its very destruction. Remember that the alleged "moderate" Arafatians in suits still insist that they will never recognize a Jewish Israel and declare that a 9-mile wide Israel must consent to being overwhelmed by millions of jihadist-raised, allegedly "returning" Arab refugees. This would all be funny if it wasn't deadly. And if Arabs didn't have America now assisting them in forcing the Jews to cave in. Trying to look at all of this as optimistically as possible (not really my nature, however), and despite his recent mess-ups in these regards, President Bush still has time to make this right. The basic ingredients of the recipe for peace are what they are. They will not change. It's still a matter not of how big Israel is that causes Arabs grief--but that Israel is. And the Arabs are quite open about all of this, as a visit to all of their official websites, maps, textbooks, media outlets, mosques, and such illustrate. The most that even the so-called "moderates" offer Jews for the latter's giving away the entire store is a temporary hudna, not peace (despite what the President tries to claim for them), with the Jewish State. Furthermore, they call all negotiations with the Jews merely a Trojan Horse designed to bring about their own updated version of the "Final Solution." In a world in which perfect justice is non-existent among the realm of man, relative justice demands that if Arabs ever expect to get anything meaningful regarding that additional state they insist upon, they will have to come to understand that others, besides themselves, also have a right to a bit of justice in the region. When they do this, they will find an Israel forthcoming in its willingness to meet them far more than half way. But, in the meantime, America (and given certain "realities" at the State Department, this means the American President) must also demand no less. The time for America forcing repeatedly unilateral, dangerous, and concrete concessions from Jews in return for mere sweet-talk from those who still plan their destruction must come to an end. Gerald A. Honigman, a Florida educator, has created and conducted counter-Arab propaganda programs for college youth, has lectured on numerous campuses and other platforms, and has publicly debated Arab spokesmen. His articles and op-eds have been published in both the print media and on websites. To Go To Top

HORRIFIC ANTI-SEMITIC SERIES NOW ON JORDANIAN TV Posted by Marcus Itamar and Barbara Crook, October 23, 2005.

The Diaspora (Al-Shatat), a Syrian-produced TV series depicting how Jews, as ideology and religious conviction, are trying to subjugate the entire world, is now being broadcast for the third time in recent years on Arabic language Satellite TV. It was first broadcast in 2003 on Al-Manar (Hizbollah TV), in 2004 is was aired on Iranian TV, and now it is being broadcast during the Ramadan on Jordanian TV Al-Mamnou [See below about Al-Mamnou]. The series presents itself as an authentic historical depiction of the period of the Zionist movement and revolves around the "Secret Jewish World Government," whose members meet and plan how to control the leaders of the world, and thus, direct all of history. The Jewish Government is shown plotting and causing the Russian Revolution, the World Wars, encouraging the Nazi murder of Jews, and engineering the use of atomic bombs on Japan. The Jews are described as evil and bloodthirsty, interested only in power and world domination. The series also includes horrific distortions of Judaism, including the presentation of the use of a Christian child's blood in preparation of Matzah for Passover, as religious necessity. The graphic episode features Jews kidnapping a Christian boy and slitting his throat to drain his blood, and the brutal execution of a Jew by a "Talmudic" court, by pouring boiling lead down his throat. [Warning: These two links, which appear below, are very difficult to view.] All of the anti-Semitic libels in this series are presented as fact. The following are links to seven representative segments of this series that is now showing on Jordanian TV (Al-Mamnou), as they appeared in 2003 on Al Manar. [Al-Mamnou is an independent Jordanian television station, whose goal, according to their mission statement, is to bring a broad range of opinions to Arabic satellite TV.] Go to http://www.pmw.org.il/tv%20Al-Shatat.html to view seven short segments from the series. THE TRANSCRIPTS 1. "Secret Jewish Government" discuss benefits of extermination of Jews in the Second World War Chairmen, Secret Jewish World Government: We have to assist Hitler in the extermination of the Jews, because this is the only way to drive the Jews in the countries which haven't been occupied by Hitler, to immigrate to the Promised Land. Member of Government: Isn't there another way to draw the Jews to the Promised Land, except by extermination? Chairmen: To my sorrow, no, because there is no Jew, living a comfortable life, who would consider coming back to here [Palestine 1940], unless he is convinced that he may otherwise be exterminated... Let us all cooperate in order to extend the abolishment so that, in the end, we will realize our dream to establish the great empire in the Promised Land... We have tried and he [Hitler] refused, unless we offer him a fortune, which is beyond our means. Member: We can try to raise donations, and help our brothers over there. Chairmen: This is infantile thinking. With the sum of money that Hitler is demanding, we can help ten million Jews emigrate from the rest of the countries of the world, instead of the thousands in his [country]. Member: From your words I can understand that increasing the number of Jews in the Promised Land is more important than saving the innocent ones in Germany? Chairman: Of course, there is no doubt... any cow in Palestine is more important than the Jews of Germany. 2. "Secret Jewish Government" plans the dropping atomic bomb on Japan A member of the Jewish government: Excuse me, Doctor, Before we start the activating and we finish the war, we must close the small matter with Japan. The Chairman of the Jewish government: I asked our people in America to put pressure on President Truman to use the atomic bomb for the first time. (Pictures of destruction from the bomb are shown under the Magen David) 3. The Jews prepare Passover Matzah by using the blood of a Christian boy WARNING: This is very difficult to view Scene I: Two men talking. Rabbi speaking to a young man seated next to him): "We have a task from the leadership. We need the blood of a Christian child before Passover for Matzah". Scene II: Dimly lit hallway. Rabbi with young man behind him. A third man enters dragging a child. Christian child: "Nathan save me!" Nathan: "Don't be afraid". Rabbi nods to the young man who nods to Nathan. Nathan forces the child down onto the floor and cuts his throat. Someone catches the blood in a bowl. Scene III: Rabbi and young man standing, eating Matzah. 4. The opening scene of the series, in which Edmund De Rothschild on his death bed divides the world up among his children and shares with them his plans for world domination Rothschild: All the non-Jewish nations are the seeds of an ass ... God has honored us, the Jews, with the mission of ruling, through money, knowledge, politics, murder, sex and by all other means... He ordered us to establish a Jewish state... The government's mission is preserving the Jewish religion and ruling the world, the whole world, through faithful agents who will infiltrate the foreign governments and force their [the Jews'] ideas and views upon them [the world]. My role is over. Now your turn has come. Europe is not going be easy [to infiltrate], therefore all of you must work side by side in order to strike country after country and region after region. You must cause wars and internal conflicts. I have left a sum of money to each of you, making each of you of the richest men in the world. Son: But the money alone is not enough to fulfill the mission. Rothschild: True, true. You must use cunning... Anslem? Anslem: Yes Rothschild: Your role is Germany. I want you to not let it get out of one war without getting into another. Anslem: OK. Rothschild: And you, Solomon, stay in Austria... Nathan. I have left you the most comfortable country - Britain... Karl, I want you to have all your genius available to annoy the Pope in Rome and destroy it over his head. James, You must be France's king more than any other king. James: You can be sure that I will be. Rothschild: Now I want you all to swear on the Torah to carry out God's will in ruling the world. 5. Adolf Eichmann discusses with a Jewish Agency official the similarities between Nazis and Jews Kastner: Mr. Eichmann, believe me that if we, the Zionist, were not Jewish, we would have been Nazis... It is deep and true, and can be the basis for cooperation... You, the Nazis, consider the Aryan race to belong to the perfect people, and the German people as the most perfect one. We also consider ourselves a perfect people, and Zionists, the most perfect ones. Eichmannn: But we consider, as has been proven by science, that the Jewish people are the most inferior people. Kastner: This is not a problem. What matters is that we are alike in principle... 6. "Secret Jewish Government" toasts the murder of Jews in the Second World War. Deaths will now be used for profit Chairmen: First, let us raise a toast to the millions of dead pagans in the war declared by Hitler against the world. Member: Before we raise a toast to the death of pagans in general, and Christians in particular, we should mention our German Jewish brothers, who are in great and unbelievable disaster. Chairman: This subject has become boring ... Isn't this war worth some victims? ... We will take advantage of Hitler's oppression against them and the world's loathing [of Hitler] for tens or hundreds of years... As the number of the dead Jews rises in this war, the world will be convinced that "Protocols of the Elder's of Zion" is only a lie... Let us raise a toast to the Great War. 7. Jewish "Talmudic" court's brutal execution of a Jew, by pouring boiling lead down his throat Rabbi, to different people: You will close his nose, you will open his mouth with forceps, you will pour lead in his mouth. You will cut off his ears, you will stab him with a knife before he dies of the lead. Did you understand me? This is the holy Talmud court. Who ever fails in his mission, will be sentenced by me like this criminal. Victim: Water, I want water. Itamar Marcus is director of PMW -- Palestinian Media Watch - (http://www.pmw.org.il). PMW is based in Jerusalem. Barbara Crook, a writer and university lecturer based in Ottawa, Canada, is PMW's North American representative. To Go To Top

MR. BUSH, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ISRAEL? Posted by Women in Green, October 23, 2005.

This was written by Joel Katzman October 19, 2005. Three decent, respectable and productive Israeli Jewish lives were brutally snuffed out, Nazis style, by automatic weapon fire, while these victims waited for a ride. The assailants were none other than your drive-by Palestinian clients trawling for Jewish life in the Gush Etzion area of Israel. As you read the following you may feel insulted or even angered by implication that in some way you were involved in the death of these Israeli Jews. But, the sad and irrefutable fact is that many of your policies and pressures on the Israeli government, since you began your "War on Terror", have resulted in the needless deaths of Israeli citizens; more deaths of its citizens than any other nation in history would tolerate. Mr. Bush are you aware of what has been happening since you approved Mr. Sharon's ludicrous and near insane ethnic cleansing of Jews from Gaza? Are you aware of the high probability that the brutal murder of 3 young Israelis was directly related to your Administration's pressure on the Sharon government to make life easier for the so-called Palestinians (including armaments and land)? Are you informed about the morally questionable pressure, threats, ridicule and humiliation leveled against Israel's body politic by your department of State? Are you aware that since Israel has been withdrawing from disputed territories and making life easier on Palestinians Al Queda is moving in, missiles and other armaments are moving in, missiles rained down on Israel, Egypt "neglects" its "security" job, and Jews continue to die; yet, your administration ruthlessly demands more concessions from Israel? An Israeli of some prominence and respectability said, "Israel's hands are tied by the U.S., and that the military measures it took after Sunday's fatal terrorist attack will end when public opinion is pacified". This Israeli is just one of many Israelis and Americans of good conscience who are becoming more enlightened about your Administration's complicity, and Sharon's obedience, both of which are reducing Israel's security, and thereby resulting in the sacrifice of Jewish lives for someone's moment of glory. In case you may have missed the latest--- Israel reestablished restrictions on the freedom of movement of the Palestinians as a result of the terrorist murder of three Israeli civilians in the Gush Etzion area; including several severely wounded Israelis. Prior to the recent reestablishment security restrictions, Israel dismantled many security precautions against the Palestinians in response to your demands and those of the State Department. Some representatives of the U.S. State Department, McCormack in particular, "chided" Israel about its reestablishment of security restrictions on Palestinian following the brutal murder of these Israeli youth. Your State Department represented by Mr. McCormack was politically correct enough to remind Israel and others that Israel had right to defend itself, but that it should not make life difficult on the Palestinians (the majority of whom are enemies of Israel), and that Israel should return to easing restrictions- a patronizing example of doublespeak, and a despicable case of the proverbial Catch-22. Every time Israel compromises with your Administration and the Palestinians, Israel's streets are strewn with the PIECES of Jews, not peace. Except for a very brief and tenuous respite, Israeli citizens receive the "benefit" of concessions in the form of the promise that more terror will haunt them and take away their family members. Yet, you Mr. Bush and many in your Administration willfully continue to use Israel as the "carrot" to "win the hearts and minds" of the Islamic/Arab world. You and your Administration are ruthlessly pursuing your dreams of freedom and "democracy" in the Middle East, while cowering behind the skirts and backs of Israeli men, women and children. As you use Israel for a steppingstone to actualizing your dreams you are cheapening the value of Jewish life. You are reducing Israelis Jews to simple pawns to be traded to advance your international game strategy of appeasing the U.N. and EU and their Arab clients. It is well known that since the birth of Israel, many in the U.S. State Department and in past U.S. Administrations have coercively extracted compromises from Israel to appease the Arab world, even though the compromises resulted in thousands of Israeli dead, and resulted in absolving Arabs of their responsibility for their genocidal attempts against the Jews of Israel. Recall, if you will, that Arab terror has little or nothing to do with Israel. Arab terror was the outgrowth of an evil within the religion of Islam, an evil within the governments of the Arab world, and an evil in the Arab streets. This evil in the Arab world, coupled with the many years of neglect in the form of worldwide unwillingness to hold the Arab accountable for harboring and promoting terror is the reason that we live in fear of Islamic terror. Appeasing the wrath of Islam's fanatics with the gift of historical Israeli lands and the lives of Israeli citizens does not make the U.S. a friend or ally of Israel. Acts of such appeasement merely reduce Israel to a cheap shield or human sacrifice that the U.S. uses with impunity to pursue its national interests. Mr. Bush you need to fight your "war on terror" independent of using Israel as a vehicle to achieve your objectives. If you cannot respect the sanctity of Israeli life, and cannot fight the "war on terror" with Israel as an ally, than refrain from the moral decadence of using Israel as a shield or pawn to advance and protect American interests by honoring the lies and deceit of Islamic/Arab world. Your war on terror is not an act of bravery when you offer up the land and citizens of your true friend in the Middle East, Israel, and present them and their land as a sacrifice to the UN, EU and the Arab world; such an offering is nothing less than outright cowardice, and a brazen neglect of morality. To Go To Top

VATICAN'T Posted by Ellen W. Horowitz, October 23, 2005.

"An official Vatican newspaper has reported that during his upcoming visit to the Vatican, President Moshe Katsav will sign an agreement giving parts of David's Tomb over to papal control." (Israel National News.com) "The Times reported that Israel will hand over control of the reputed room of Jesus' last supper, in a building on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. In return, a historic synagogue in Toledo, Spain, which became a church after the Inquisition...| (The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles) "Throw in a Mary Magdelen rookie card, and you've got a deal!" (Reaction on blogsite j-walkblog.com) I had a privileged upbringing, and with it came the opportunity to travel, see and study my share of art, history and culture. I've beheld man-made structures that are both magnificent and imposing. I've viewed the ceiling of the Sistine chapel and have been inside of the Dome of the Rock (just don't tell the Waqf). And this Jew can say with full confidence that I find nothing intrinsically holy in grand architecture or in the finest wood, stone, mosaic or iron work - no matter how glorious. In fact - in all of their grandeur - domed ceilings, marble flooring and decorative pillars leave me a bit cold. For a Jew, a simple canvas structure standing in Eretz Yisrael, and filled with the joy of those observing the mitzvot of Succot, should win the holiness contest hands-down when juxtaposed against the most magnificent of historical synagogues in Toledo Spain. And yet, it appears that years of immersion in the material, and exile from the spiritual, has sapped the ability of the Jewish people to perceive and value that which is sacred? Our friends the Evangelicals seem to have a good grasp of the importance of the Holy Land, and the Catholics are willing to exchange prime church real estate and an architectural masterpiece for the upper room of a rather relatively non-descript building. But some Israelis will sell their very souls in order to secure dubious diplomatic alliances, fill the nation's coffers with tourist dollars, and to curry a bit a favor with the Pope. I find it upsetting that upon reporting the swap, the The Catholic News at http://www.cathnews.com/news/510/70.php failed to make mention of the fact that the building on Mt. Zion which is involved in the purported deal not only currently houses a vibrant yeshiva, but is also the traditional location of the Tomb of King David. I find it disturbing that according to Vatican Radio at http://www.oecumene.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?id=52079 a Catholic Mass celebrating the Last Supper will be heard in the upper room of a place which, at present, echoes with the sounds of Torah learning and Jewish prayer. And I find it nauseating that a number of Diaspora Jews who will spend their last suppers in exile, in some treif uptown restaurant, are intent on deciding my future here in Eretz Yisrael. According to an article, The Vatican and Its Friends, which appeared back in February at http://www.israelnn.com/article.php3?id=4832, it seems some well-heeled, well respected Jews (some Torah observant among them) have been pushing for this "historic" deal with the Vatican. If this is the case, then you should surely pay a visit to http://www.pavethewayfoundation.org/My_Homepage_Files/Page11.html in order to see to see who's who behind this latest sacrilege (I think you'll be surprised). But it appears that the unholy roots of this scandal are home grown and began back in 1998 when the negotiations over the room first commenced. By September 2004, then Interior Minister, Avraham Poraz, met with the Pope and endorsed the Vatican 's request to assume control of the area of the Old City where David's Tomb is located (I believe that's the same Avraham Poraz who worked so hard to legalize the sale of pork here in Israel). Now you can be sure that there are plenty of academic and archeological experts who will try to assuage any anxiety over this, G-d forbid, upcoming swap by insisting that the actual Tomb of King David is elsewhere in Jerusalem. Rather than forcefully address the actual matters at hand, there are some rabbinic leaders who will choose to skirt the issue by engaging in hair splitting debates over the location of the tomb. Gentlemen, please! I stopped worrying about split-ends when I turned 18, and moved on to far more pressing concerns -- like the territorial integrity of the Land of Israel. With all of the rantings over our recent failures at securing Gush Katif and certain communities in Shomron, there are some activist leaders who will, once again, miss the boat by failing to take note of this issue and vigorously protest. They may not comprehend that Jerusalem is on the line and realize how important it is to unite, raise a public outcry, and apply immense pressure on President Katsav before his November 17th trip to Rome. They may choose not to, because some of our top activists and organizations are themselves currying favor and funds from various Christian groups and are afraid to make waves or poison the relationship. This issue should be at the top of our agenda and is cause for all Torah observant Jews to unite together, as well as those of our people with any sense of self respect and Jewish history. I wonder how Katsav's speech writer, the religiously observant Yaakov Ma'or, will handle his duties without compromising his principles? For the record please know that I have contacted Rabbi Goldstein of the Diaspora Yeshiva (which is housed in the building on Mt. Zion involved in the purported swap), and he has fully sanctioned our protesting at his time. While many of us have been fully engaged in the battle against the physical threat to our nation, we must remember that there is an equally critical battle taking place over our very souls. Missionary activity abounds in Israel and there is something of a land grab taking place by various Christian interest groups. But make no mistake, as it's we Israelis who have encouraged, strengthened and establish relationships at any cost. By making generous offers to the few "friends" we have, or would like to have, we've invited and created another very real threat to our very existence. Religious Christian influence in the Jewish state is growing by leaps and bounds. According to an October 20th article in the Guardian, the Jerusalem Post will soon be introducing a monthly Christian edition. And Haaretz recently reported that plans are in the works to develop an evangelical Christian center on 125 acres (500 dunams) of prime Lake Kinneret real estate. It's described as a mini-Israel of sorts which may include a biblical theme park and will provide Christians with a sense that "Jesus lived here". But anyone who has toured the Galilee region will tell you that the point has already been made. If spiritual concerns aren't your thing, then at least consider the following: relinquishing control of buildings to the church has, in the past, placed our soldiers in precarious situations and our government in a diplomatic mine field. Recall that for almost 6 weeks in 2002 Palestinian terrorists were hole-up in the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. There was an impossible and ridiculous standoff which ended up with the terrorists being sent to hotels in Europe. And need I remind anyone of the dangers and logistical nightmare we face with the Moslem Waqf in control of the Temple Mount. Am I being overly sensitive? Before I wrote this piece, I asked myself that question and called my rabbi for a reality check. After hearing the details, he laughed the kind of laugh which I'm sure Rabbi Akiva laughed upon seeing the foxes on Har HaBayit. He suggested that I write the strongest piece possible, but advised that I remain dignified. He said "dignified", but he didn't say "diplomatic" (that gives me a bit of leeway, doesn't it?) So Friends, Romans (I'll get to countrymen soon), lend me your ear... and please understand that when you're in Israel, we welcome you as our guests. We have excellent tourist facilities, archeological and religious sites, museums, stunning vistas, restaurants and places of entertainment. We will protect your body with the best security forces and apparatus in the world. And we will provide for your soul by ensuring open access to sufficient sites that are sacred to all religions. We ask in return that you accept and respect the Jewish nature of our state and our need to keep it that way. President Katsav, members of our diplomatic core, members of Knesset and Diaspora do-gooders... when in Rome, remember who you are and the obligations you have to your people. Ensure the integrity of our land, Torah and heritage. You are public servants representing the Jewish nation, not slaves beholden to any foreign power. A little self-respect is called for. We don't have to pay any tribute to Rome, but they may owe us something (like some of the items hidden away in those underground vaults of theirs). And please keep in mind that building fences to protect our spiritual self -preservation is as important and as legitimate as constructing fences to protect our physical well- being. That means that no matter how overwhelmingly impressive you find the pomp, ceremony and architectural achievements of an oval office, vatican complex, or synagogue-turned-church in Toledo, there is nothing more valuable or precious than the Land of Israel. It is simply not to be swapped, sold or surrendered. "For Your servants have cherished her her stones and favor her dust" (the words of King David, Psalms 102:15) [Thank you to Yisrael Medad for bringing this issue to my attention and for his research assistance.] Ellen W. Horowitz is the author of "The Oslo Years: a mother's journal." The book is available through retailers listed at http://osloyears.com/retail.htm To Go To Top

AN UGLY MIND Posted by Angela Bertz, October 22, 2005.

In January 2005, 21 year old Wafa Samir Ibrahim al-Biss had an unfortunate accident in her kitchen. A gas cylinder exploded while she was cooking, causing severe burns to her body. This event did not open the media floodgates and Wafa's injuries, painful and severe as they were would have held little interest to the medical profession. Several months later on June 20th Wafa was yet again at the center of an explosion. This time it was far away from the boundaries of her kitchen in the Gaza strip and had it happened, it could have killed dozens. This time the explosion was part of a premeditated, carefully executed plan that was to have taken place in a large hospital in Israel. Surprisingly enough the sequence of events that unfolded that day surrounding Wafa were sickening beyond belief, yet they received very little media coverage. In fact outside of Israel the only news outlet to cover it was Fox News, bringing to mind the popular adage "if it doesn't bleed, it doesnt lead." That morning Wafa arrived at Erez checkpoint, one of several crossing areas into Israel. She would have presented her personal medical authorization documents to the soldiers. In her case this enabled her to continue receiving medical treatment at Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva for her burns. Wafa would most certainly have been treated with the same deference as any Israeli patient, putting paid to the constantly pathetic claims of Israel 's Apartheid Policies. Wafa would not only have received the same level of care, but something which is rarely reported, is that the costs, for not only her treatment, but thousands more Palestinians receiving medical aid in Israel are usually offset by Israel. Wafa would certainly have had to undergo a security check at the checkpoint. This is sadly required for nearly all Palestinians, not, as it is often portrayed, to cause humiliation, but to protect Israel 's civilian population from over 25,000 Palestinian terrorist attacks in the last five years. Nearly 150 of these have been homicide bombs on buses, restaurants and any number of public places, with a number of them carried out by women. On that particular morning Wafa aroused the suspicions of the soldiers and when she was taken aside she tried unsuccessfully to detonate 10 kilograms of explosives. They had been hidden in her underwear. The explosives were detonated safely by IDF sappers and no one was harmed. Wafa would later appear on Israeli TV. In a press conference, rarely permitted by the security forces she would tell reporters "I believe in death. All my life I have been preparing to be a martyr. Mother, please forgive me for failing in [my] mission." Her mission had been to head for the same hospital, which had for the last few months been treating her and detonate the explosives. Her instructions from the Fatah-al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, who she admitted during the interview, had dispatched her on her deadly mission, had been to detonate the bomb inside the hospital and to kill as many people as she could especially children. Wafa's intended carnage was a corroborated fact. It wasn't a tale spun from the annals of Grimm's fairy tales or Palestinian mythology. The very dubious "Physicians for Human Rights", plunged the medical profession into an all time low by dismissing this very obvious premeditated massacre in such a cavalier fashion that they referred to it as nothing more than an "unfortunate incident". This bunch of medical hypocrites, who claim to hold perpetrators of human rights abuses accountable for their actions then went on to sanctimoniously issue Israel with a clear warning that they should not use this "unfortunate incident" as an excuse to now restrict medical passes to Palestinians. Not a word was uttered about Wafa and her intentions, to not only murder those that had cared for her wounds, but to slaughter scores of innocent sick people that may have been unfortunate enough to have been at the hospital that day. One needs to wonder what far flung galaxy these physicians hail from; the only conceivable place is "Planet Palestine". Shortly after these so-called Physicians for Human Rights (as long as it's not Israel 's of course), vented their very one sided biased rhetoric a certain Derek Summerfield would refer to the same incident as an "anecdote about a Palestinian woman". The dictionary refers to an anecdote as "a usually short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident". One needs to wonder how an honorary senior lecturer at London 's Institute of Psychiatry could treat a potential mass murder as nothing more than a bit of a lark. Mr. Summerfield went on to say that he would only believe it if it was confirmed by an unimpeachable source. His rather candid choice was not the Israel Defense Forces. It wasn't even the Israeli TV channel that showed the interview with Wafa proudly declaring her evil intentions. It certainly wasn't the Ministry of Israeli Foreign Affairs that documented this almost tragic tale on its website. Mr. Summerfield's choice was "B'Tselem. B'Tselem; The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories is as the name suggests and as they even more clearly state on their website devoted solely to Israel's human rights violations in the Occupied Territories". One has to conclude that he saw no possibility of conflict of interest here. To consider a source, that in all honesty admits it dedicates itself to basically portraying Israel in a bad light is, if Mr. Summerfield is to be believed a much more unimpeachable source than even the Israeli Government. In view of Mr. Summerfield's very dodgy unimpeachable sources should one take his recent article in the British Medical Journal "Israeli army's shoot to kill policy: Israeli soldiers confirm the policy" as anything more than part of his very obvious agenda of demonizing Israel. It would sadly seem that Mr. Summerfield has fallen victim to one of his own illnesses; delusions. It is beyond belief to suggest that a country like Israel who only last year won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, paving the way for a possible cure for cancer would encourage anything as ugly as the deliberate shooting of Palestinians, especially as Mr. Summerfield is concerned to point out, includes children. What is even uglier is that a reputable magazine like the British Medical Journal should devote any space to this uncorroborated diatribe. Maybe its time for Mr. Summerfield to take a dose of his own medicine and find himself a physiatrist who would be able to explain to him the seemingly simple theory that to every conflict there are always two sides. The whereabouts of Wafa are not public knowledge. The chances are that she is now serving time in one of Israel 's jails. One thing is for sure is that the treatment for her burns would have certainly continued. Israel is that sort of country. Angela Bertz, originally from England, made aliya in the 1980s. She has a background in Human Resources. To Go To Top

OLEG CARTOON: CHAG SUCCOTH SAMEACH Posted by Women in Green, October 22, 2005.

Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org To Go To Top

AL AQSA LEADER: JEWS HAVE NO RIGHT TO TEMPLE MOUNT Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, October 22, 2005.

The following is a WorldNetDaily exclusive interview by Aaron Klein with Sheik Kamal Hatib, vice-chairman of the Islamic Movement, the Muslim group in Israel most identified with Temple Mount militancy. The Movement, which Israel says is associated with Hamas, campaigns for Islamic control of Israeli holy sites, and has been calling the past few weeks for Muslims to ascend the Mount en mass to protect it from "Jewish attacks." The author, Aaron Klein, is WorldNetDaily's Jerusalem bureau chief, whose past interview subjects have included Yasser Arafat, Ehud Barak, Mahmoud al-Zahar and leaders of the Taliban. It was translated from Arabic by Ali Waked. WND: Who should have sovereignty over the Temple Mount -- Jews, Christians, or Muslims. Or should it be shared? HATIB: We absolutely believe that Al Aqsa, all its different parts, all its walls, all its courts, and everything down the mosque or up it, all these fully belong to the Muslims. Only to them. No one other than the Muslims has any right over Al Aqsa, or even over any grain of its sand. We, the Muslims, insist and emphasize that the only sovereignty over Al Aqsa must be for the Muslims. We will not accept or recognize any other sovereignty, including shared control. WND: But what about the previous Jewish Temples? Do you believe they existed? Do Jews have any historic claims to the Temple Mount whatsoever? HATIB: We the Muslims believe that Al Aqsa was built since the time of Adam -- God bless him. It was built 40 years after the construction of the Al Haram Mosque in Mecca which was built thousands of years ago. Al Aqsa was built by the angels as it is mentioned in a verse of the Quran. The mosque is mentioned in the Quran, which speaks about the raising of the prophet. We believe that the Jewish Temples existed, but we deny they were built near Al Aqsa. When the First Temple was built by Solomon -- God bless him -- Al Aqsa was already built. We don't believe that a prophet like Solomon would have built the Temple at a place where a mosque existed. WND: What you are saying contradicts reality. There is no serious scholar or archeologist in the world who argues Al Aqsa was built before the Jewish Temples. And if the Temples didn't exist on the Mount, what then do you say is the Western Wall? What do you make of all the archeological findings? HATIB: About the Kotel (the Western Wall), we deny any relation between the Temple and the Al Aqsa Mosque. We believe that the Western Wall is part of the mosque and not the Wall of Lamentation, as the Jews say. ... The Western wall is an inseparable part of the mosque. And all the historical and archeological facts deny any relation between the Temples and the location of Al Aqsa. We must know that Jerusalem was occupied and that people left many things, coins and other things everywhere. This does not mean in any way that there is a link between the people who left these things and the place where these things were left. WND: You have been calling repeatedly for Muslims to protect Al Aqsa from Jewish attack. Which Jews exactly are trying to attack Al Aqsa? HATIB: We believe the danger over Al Aqsa existed and continues. As long as Jewish groups have ambitions to reconstruct their Temple at the same place of Al Aqsa, the danger of an attack will still exist. Some of these Jewish extremist groups even believe the years between 2005-2007 is the period in which the Temple must be built, and not building it by then means the Lord's anger will be directed towards them, as they argue. Therefore, this is a very sensitive period and we call in a very loud voice to all who are concerned that the mosque is a redline for us, and any harm caused to it will bring a great catastrophe and a great disaster. The Israelis and the Jewish people will have to face one and a half billion Muslims from all over the world. WND: It seems you and the Islamic Movement are using Al Aqsa as a political tool to incite Muslims against Israel. HATIB: Our relation with Al Aqsa is not a political question. Far from that, it is a question of religion and faith. We have the honor to fill this role in favor of Al Aqsa. If the Israelis thought that the Arabs in Israel would not have strong relations and feelings towards Al Aqsa, then they were mistaken. This mosque will always be part of our faith. Our demand from the Israelis and the world is not to desecrate it. WND: What if a Jew did attack the mosque? HATIB: We suggest to the Jews and Israelis not to be dazzled from the weakness of our nation at this period. [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon's provocative visit five years ago caused an intifada for the last five years and caused the killing of more than 4,000 Palestinians and more than 1,300 Israelis. Therefore we say that any attack against Al Aqsa means the deluge. WND: You were talking about Al Aqsa being mentioned in the Quran. But I understand it is never directly mentioned. And the city of Jerusalem is not mentioned once. Commentators later concluded a verse about Muhammad descending to the furthest mosque referred to Al Aqsa. Meanwhile, Jerusalem is mentioned thousands of times throughout the Torah. Half the Torah is about Temple worship. Explain why you feel the Mount is not holy to Jews? HATIB: The fact that Jerusalem is mentioned in the Torah does not in any way mean that the city was populated or built by the Jews. Everyone knows that when the prophet Abraham came from Iraq in 1850 before Christ he was given by the Arab King Melchizedek the land where he and his wife lived in Hebron, and it was 600 years before Moses' message, which also proves that Abraham was not a Jew. And your saying that our faith is based on this interpretation of the verse [about Al Aqsa] is a totally wrong analysis. The Al Aqsa of the Quran is the same Al Aqsa of our days, not any other mosque. That is what our Sharia says. As for what you say that Jerusalem is mentioned thousands of times in the Torah; it is not a matter of numbers and quantity. There is a very clear historical event mentioned in the Quran concerning the mosque that was built by Adam and where all our prophets prayed. WND: Speaking of praying, currently, Jews and Christians can only ascend the Mount at certain hours on certain days, and only with approval from the Wafq (the Mount's Muslim custodians). If they go up, it is to tour. Non-Muslims are not allowed to pray on the Mount. Why is it so offensive to you if Jews or Christians pray on the Temple Mount? HATIB: We don't want even these scheduled visits, which are allowed to take place only because of the Israeli occupation. The visits are not the result of a free choice of the Muslims and the Wafq. If it was not for Israel, these visits could not take place at all. As a principle, we are not against the possibility that Jews and Christians enter our mosques, but in present there is a campaign against Al Aqsa and the Jewish occupation still has dangerous ambitions towards the mosque and every entry will be done to demonstrate a religious presence. Therefore, if they would enter freely into the mosque, there will be political consequences and interpretations that we cannot accept. Speaking about the Christians, I say that every person who believes in God must act for peace and for love among human beings and not to help in creating hate and war. Unfortunately, the evangelical Christians believe in the necessity of a war of civilizations. Because of this belief, President Bush, supported by these groups, is leading this war against the Muslim world. The crazy support of these Christian groups for Israel is based on their faith that the return of the Messiah -- God bless him -- would be in Israel. Therefore they support Israel, because they believe that the continuation of Israel to exist hastens the arrival of the Messiah. God forbid! The Messiah can never be the reason for war. To Go To Top

A LITTLE "FREEDOM OF RELIGION" Posted by Batya Medad, October 22, 2005.

Israel is supposed to be a "western, liberal, modern democracy," so I'd expect and the law claims that there's freedom of religion. The main religion is obviously Judaism, since it's official the one and this is the only Jewish State. According to some people, the world "allowed us" a state as compensation for the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. Actually, the Zionist movement predated the Nazis, and the Jewish People, including thousands of years as a people--nation--in our Homeland, predated the European countries and the discovery of America. Don't for get that Jesus was a Jew, and Mohamed's aim was to convert all the Jews to his new religion. And all the three main western religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam are found in Israel. All of Judaism's holiest places and Biblical landmarks are all in the Holy Land. Islamic holiest spot is Mecca, and Christians have some holy and significant landmarks here. Israel bends over backwards to accommodate Moslems, especially when there's a conflict between Jewish religious needs and Moslem. The Bible tells of Abraham's buying of a piece of Land in Hebron to bury his wife Sarah. Tradition has it that Adam and Eve were buried there. Later Abraham was and later Jacob and Leah. It has been a holy place for Jews ever since Abraham, the first Jew bought it. The Moslems adopted it, and for many years they didn't allow Jews to enter it at all. Finally in 1967, after Israel's victory in the Six Days War, Jews were allowed to enter and pray there. Of course, Moslems still do, too, and tourists of any religion can always enter. The inspections at the gate are just for weapons. But on certain Moslem Holidays the Israeli government closes it to Jews. Another piece of land bought by Jews, as recorded in the Bible, was in Shechem. In 1967, Israelis joyfully returned and opened a yeshiva at Joseph's Tomb there. The government never allowed Jews to live in the city, and a few years ago, the government handed it over to the Arabs who promptly destroyed everything the Jews had put there. And Jews are forbidden to go there to pray, study or live. The third piece of land bought by Jews, as recorded in the Bible was in Jerusalem. The Holy Temples were built there. Today it's known as Har HaBayit, the Temple Mount. It is the HOLIEST PLACE IN THE WORLD ACCORDING TO JUDAISM. Moslems built mosques there, and Jews are not allowed up there at all. The Israeli government decided to ban Jews as soon as it was liberated in the Six Days War. They didn't want to confront the Arabs. For Moslems, the Temple Mount is the third holiest place in the world. For Jews it is the holiest place. According to Moslem tradition, Mohammed tied his donkey up there. And it's Jewish, so they want it. For Jews to get permission to go up, even on holidays, there must be court orders, from the High Court. And even then, prayer is restricted. Unfortunately, there isn't freedom of religion in Israel for Jews. Batya Medad lives in Shiloh. She can be reached by email at Shilohmuse@yahoo.com or visit her website http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/ or go to http://www.shilo.org.il This essay is archived at http://samizdatblogfree.blogspot.com/2005/10/ little-freedom-of-religion.html To Go To Top

OCUPATION? WHAT OCCUPATION? Posted by Naomi Ragen, October 21, 2005.

Friends, An excellent rebuttal of the "Occupation Myth" and of all the violence (suicide bombings, 9/11, etc.) it's supposed to justify, from the straight-shooting Robert F. Fitzgerald in today's Jihad Watch (http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/008640.php). Occupation? What occupation? All the territories the Israelis now possess are theirs by legal right -- the right conferred by the League of Nations Mandates Commission, when it carefully defined the territory which would be set aside, from the vast territories in the Middle East that had formerly been in the control of the Ottoman Turks as part of their empire, and which had been won by the Allies. An Arab State, a Kurdish State, and a Jewish state were all promised. The Arabs got their state -- no, in the end, they got far more than their state but rather, in 2005, 22 members of the Arab League, the most richly endowed with natural resources of any states on earth, enjoying the fruits of the greatest transfer of wealth in human history The Kurds did not get their state, because by the time things had settled, Kemal Ataturk was driving a hard bargain and would not permit it. The Jews got the Mandate for Palestine set up for the express purpose of establishing the Jewish National Home, which would inexorably become, all parties realized, in time a Jewish state. It did not seem wrong then, and does not seem wrong now, that the Jews should have a state of their own. They asked only for the right to have no barriers put up to their immigration, and no barriers put in the way of their buying land. That was it. That was the sum total of what they demanded. Until the 1948 war, when five Arab armies attacked, not a single dunam of Arab-owned land (and remember that nearly 90% of the land, in any case, remained the possession of the state or the ruling authority, as in the Mandatory period) was appropriated. No one should dare to write about this subject without having done the research on demography, land ownership, and law. The Israeli claim to the West Bank (as Judea and Samaria were carefully renamed by Jordan after 1948, in precisely the same way, and for the same reason, that the Romans, nearly two thousand years before, had renamed Judea as "Palestine" and Jerusalem as Aelia Capitolina) is not that of a military occupier, though it is also that. The main legal and historic claim is that based on the League of Nations Mandate, which in turn, was based on a considerable historic and moral claim recognized by the educated leaders of the then-civilized world, who actually knew something of the history of the area, and were not nearly as misinformed as so many have been by the mass media, and the laziness and prejudice of journalists today. The notion of "occupation" of course evokes imagines of Occupied Paris, or Occupied Berlin, after the war. It implies no justification for the claims of the power with the military presence. But the claim of Israel to the lands it took in 1967 are based, for the Sinai, on the standard rules of post-war settlement, the rules which have obtained for centuries, whereby a victor in a war of defense keeps what he has won. If the Israelis chose not to, or were forced not to exercise that right, it does not mean that the right did not exist. It did, and it applies even more forcefully to Gaza and the West Bank. But the claim there is not based merely on the successful conquest of territory to which otherwise Israel had no claim. It did have a claim, a claim based clearly on the Mandate for Palestine -- and like all the other League of Nations Mandates, was formally accepted, taken over as it were, by the United Nations when it came into being. This is a matter of record. It cannot be undone. Whatever else one wishes to say about the West Bank or Gaza, the word "occupation" is a tendentious, and cruel, misnomer. What it seeks to imply, what it seeks to implant in the minds of men, is clear: Israel has no rights here. This is nonsense. This is the very reverse of the truth. Read the Mandate, and the Preamble to the Mandate, for Palestine. Then read the records of the Mandates Commission -- and especially how they reacted when the British unilaterally announced that the terms of the mandate would not be applied to Eastern Palestine -- that is, the consolation prize given to Abdullah of the Emirate of Transjordan. Naomi Ragen is an American-born novelist and journalist who lives in Jerusalem. She can be contacted at www.naomiragen.com, where you can subscribe to her newsletter. To Go To Top

HOLLYWOOD CAN'T EVEN SPELL ISRAEL Posted by Arlene Peck, October 21, 2005.

Here in La-La-land, the land of Opening Nights, red carpets, Benefits and Gala events, you almost drown in a sea of A and B-list stars, paying for their 15 minutes with their privacy. Most of them have no idea of the charity they are allegedly supporting, only aware that their publicists arranged for them to show up for the accolades at minimum or quite often an "honor" of some sort. This way, they can be assured of walking the red carpet and having the national press cover the event. Often, the honouree walks back to the limo with a plaque. California is wall-to-wall with "causes" and "issues". We absolutely love the whales, the environment, our Jags, nannies and botox, among many, many "causes". Amazingly, some of the Jewish stars I have met actually kept their original names, despite, I'm sure, advice from agents with an eye to the box-office. Most, though, have no clue as to what the word 'Jewish' actually means. They seem to believe that once Gaza is cleared of the group they have been brain-washed for years into thinking were interlopers or "settlers", that the "Palestinians" would go about printing their own currency and stamps and be on the way to their own peaceful country. Now, faced with the predictable, wholesale, bloody carnage that, to my amusement, "Palestinians" are perpetrating on their own people with a fervour that increases in savagery each day because they can't get over the fence and kill Jews so easily, many of these ersatz Jews and people with "causes", seem to be amazed that the answer to changing the nature of these Palligators isn't to throw them more meat. Or, to put it in language Hollywood relates to, with more of our tax dollars, at this moment hard at work funding these barbaric groups. I did not have a doubt in the world about what is now occurring, I even wrote a year ago that the minute the Jews left Gaza, chaos would rein supreme and they would form an instant terror base from which to attack Israel in every corner of that small land. Why are the majority of the A-list so surprised? Don't they read the papers? That is what Islamic terrorists do, isn't it? Peace? Not in my lifetime. Or yours, baby. They don't want the democracy that we are trying to push down their throats. They live and love to the tune of "death to the Jews" all day... every day, sort of a hypnotic melody that drones on and on in the background, widely reinforced by their media, schools, camps and clerics, so that, like Pavlov's dogs, they slaughter on cue. No matter how many pieces of land Israel gives away, there will never be acceptance of a Jewish state anywhere. I used to think, "only in the Middle East ", but now know it is not to be anywhere. The only thing that buys time for the Jewish state, and Western civilization as we know it, is power, and then, only if exercised. That, they understand. Hamas has only one myopic goal and that is the eradication of Israel. One slice at a time until they break their spirit and gain the submission that Islam demands and that they want over infidels, especially Jews. I have always thought that once they got the Saturday people the Sunday people were next. However, now it seems that the crazed culture of death is speeding up their "final plan", hell-bent on destroying any remaining culture and country that isn't "them". Perhaps they realise the only chip they have, oil, has a use by date, that is approaching fast? We, as a nation, are bankrupting our country with ineffectual and wasteful spending, for causes that our polls show only 28% are in favour of continuing and which are, manifestly, not working! The same seems to be happening in Israel. Sometimes the outright stupidity of what I see astounds me but, frankly, nothing really surprises me anymore. Whose idea was it to raise millions of dollars to leave Israeli hothouses to Arabs, in the moronic belief that they would be used to find jobs for the new residents of the neighbourhood when the Jews left? How long did it take "them" to rampage and burn their gifts, the synagogues and everything else in their path? How does one deal with this kind of leftist mentality? Why? So Peres or any of the other talking heads in Israel can walk home with an award for their supposed peace-oriented efforts? Who pays for these stupid actions? Israel certainly doesn't have the money to make the mistakes being made by her corrupt politicians, who have lost sight of the only reality that matters to Islam, that, just like the Hollywood stars, they are Jewish. That this is true is proven by statistics and the evidence of our eyes! Unbelievably and shamefully, for the first time in her history, over 1/3 of Israel's children, more than 700,000, are living below the poverty level! Never, but NEVER, would I have believed that the land of milk and honey could not even buy milk for its own children! This, in a society which supposedly honors its children above all else. I was astounded to read that Israel, which I believed to be at the forefront of medicine, whose doctors and researchers have provided the world with dozens of Nobel Prize-winning breakthroughs and advances, now has thousands of cancer patients who can no longer receive the medicines they need to stay alive. I even heard, during the High Holy Days when we were having services that were so opulent and where, from the audience, one could almost get the feeling that they were in a pageant as lavish as a production like "Miss Saigon", over 40% of the population in Israel did not even have enough money this past year to buy the food needed for the High Holy Days. Could it be possible that 40 percent of our Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel make less than $800 a month? I find it ludicrous that there are now 266,000 families, compared to 170,000 last year, who are considered destitute. Who would have believed, in just a few short years that nearly one out of every three elderly Israelis requires state aid to enable him/her to survive. In addition, the list of Israelis over the age of 65 in need of monthly financial assistance is growing. We are making out checks for the Katrina victims as we should, yet few are aware that about twenty-five percent of Israel's senior citizens must make a monthly decision to use their limited funds towards the purchase of food OR medicine. So? I wonder. Who benefits from the Public Relations bounty from the constant giving and giving of the Israeli people? My goodness, could the undeserving beneficiaries of the "aid" to the Middle East be the very same ones who have, at last count, over eleven BILLION dollars in hidden accounts in Switzerland and Shua Arafat's shopping bag in Paris, and who have just been promised a further 3 Billion/3 year deal? Will they be cashing the cheques provided by our grandiose giving? I do know that there are efforts being made locally and that drop off and pick up locations are being organized in California and New York. And, there are people who are finally taking notice and working on airlifts from Chicago, Toronto, and Miami. A lot of good people are contacting: DarylTemkinPHD@aol.com or calling 310-508.0950 and The Israel Education Institute (www.Israel-Institute.com) and Congregation Joseph Jacob Abraham, all of which are requesting help and participation for the Israel Clothing and Urgent Needs Airlift which is leaving for Israel on Oct. 30th. So, some help is on the way, hopefully a great deal. Don't misunderstand or misquote me, please. Helping needy causes is honourable, a responsibility we all have as humans, regardless of which country is in need of assistance. However, my momma, Queen Mollie used to tell me, "He who tends everybody else's garden gets weeds in their own!" Besides, as they like to think in the land of the stars, is it tax deductible? In this case, it is, it is. And, from me to you, dear readers, thanks in advance for your generous contributions. Arlene Peck is an internationally syndicated columnist and television talk show hostess. She can be reached at: bestredhead@earthlink.net and www.arlenepeck.com To Go To Top

WE MUST STOP THE MADNESS Posted by Jerome S. Kaufman, October 21, 2005.

This is redacted from an interview with Member of Knesset, Uzi Landau conducted by Aaron Klein. It appeared in The International Jerusalem Post, October 14, 2005. Aaron Klein is Jerusalem Bureau Chief for WorldNetDaily and a Jewish Press columnist. Question: You and Bibi Netanyahu tried last month to prompt early Likud primaries in hopes of deposing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as party leader, which would also have initiated new national elections. What is your plan now to get rid of Sharon? Landau: We are preparing for the regular Likud primaries in April, in which I hope to be elected as the party leader. This allows another few months for the nation to see the enormous deficiencies brought about by the Gaza withdrawal and the price Israel will pay and is already paying for this great strategic mistake. Rockets are hitting Sderot and other Negev communities. Hamas is in charge in Gaza and ready to attack. The economy will suffer as a result. Time will only hurt Sharon as these truths become more and more clear. Question: Israelis were stunned when Sharon's microphone went dead during the Likud convention called to debate the early primaries. And he walked out without speaking. Apparently the mike failure was an act of sabotage, with Sharon's camp blaming yours and some accusing Sharon of orchestrating the whole thing to make him look sympathetic. Sharon ended up winning that vote by a tiny majority. Do you think the microphone fiasco influenced the vote? Landau: I think for sure this assisted Sharon. I myself got angry that someone deliberately tried to silence our prime minister. It obviously didn't effect my personal vote, but I can see how it would influence the voting. Question: Why do you feel you are best suited to lead the Likud? Landau: Because my policies of being against unilateral concessions, of demanding we see action from the Palestinians -- represent the rank and file of Likud voters and the national camp in Israel. It is clear Sharon has lost the party and has strayed entirely from what we are supposed to stand for. There is also a lot of corruption in the ranks and I am campaigning for a clean Likud. It's time Likud has a leader that represents its true platform. Question: And if you're elected party chairman, your plan is to run for prime minister? Landau: Absolutely. So far the roadmap and the policies of Sharon have been a disaster. Question: The Gaza withdrawal has already been carried out. Would you reverse it? Would you re-establish Gush Katif? Landau: What has been done cannot be reversed, but now we need to return to our former policy of combating terror relentlessly. Until you defeat it, there is no chance of terror going away. The rocket attacks, for example, need to be met with a fierce and huge response. Which is something we haven't seen yet. I think Sharon's treatment of the Gush Katif refugees also highlights all that it wrong with the current government. The refugees need to be treated on a human level. Put aside all the previous debates for or against the withdrawal. We now have a humanitarian crisis on our hands. These people are disgraced and have been turned into charity cases. They are wandering in hotels and have no jobs, no school system for their children. Even the temporary housing that was supposed to be ready for them is still not yet constructed. This is inexcusable. We need to be immediately compensating the refugees, developing new communities and special jobs for them. There was a recent case where fish were re-located from the Dead Sea. Israel actually put together a careful long-term plan for the re-location of the fish. There was much thought and it was done properly. Here there are humans who we forced from their homes. How can we be treating humans this way? Question: And what would be your policy toward the Palestinians? I would make it clear to them that Israel will not take any steps until they do what they are committed to do -- they need to dismantle Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the entire terror infrastructure and stop terrorism. I am going to make the immediate demand of a total basic change in the Palestinian education system, which is the foundation for so much hatred. They need to stop teaching their kids to believe Jews are poisoning their wells and stop preparing little boys and girls to become suicide bombers. All this needs to happen as a pre-condition for any negotiations, and it needs to be tied to the foreign aide the Palestinians receive, including aide from America and Europe. Question: We talk about the Palestinian education system. What about the Israeli education system? Do you see major problems that need to be fixed? Landau: Yes, and it is one of the gravest problems we face today as a country. I speak of the gradual loss of Jewish Zionism and a sense of proper direction. So many have forgotten where we come from, forgotten that this is a Jewish nation that is supposed to have values that set us apart. And let me say when you hear the prime minister speaking at the United Nations so passionately about a Palestinian state and what needs to be done to help the Palestinians, it really has a poor effect because, what about us? Speak about the future of the Jewish state and what needs to be done to help us. The Palestinians have many countries in the world that care for them. Who cares for Israel? Question: You worked very closely with Sharon until you quit his government in 2004 to protest the withdrawal. What were Sharon's motivations for evacuating from Gaza? Was this his own doing, or was it U.S. pressure? Landau: This was Sharon acting on his own policies. He initiated all of this. I don't know what his motivations were. I remember after [Israeli Prime Minister Yizhak] Rabin signed the Oslo accords 12 years ago, Sharon said to me he didn't know Rabin anymore. That Rabin became a totally different man. This is the same thing now with Sharon. I don't know him anymore. Sharon is a different man. There was no logic behind the Gaza withdrawal, we are inviting more terror and setting the precedent for future withdrawals. Jerome S. Kaufman is National Secretary of the Zionist Organization of America. and host the Israel Commentary website (http://www.israel-commentary.org). To Go To Top

SETTLERS' TENT CITIES FLOODED BY RAIN Posted by Bryna Berch, October 21, 2005.

This is a news item from October 19, 205 Ynet news; Shmulik Hadad contributed to this report. Pity that it won't stop the Israeli government from trying to kick the Jews of Samaria and Judea out of their homes and onto the streets as welfare cases. Considering how lousy they've done rehousing the Jews of Gaza, can you imagine the confusion in Israel when -- to add to the 9000 from Gaza -- they have a quarter of a million Jews as internal refugees! Evacuated settlers residing in tent cities suffered flooding, damages caused by first rains of the year; Meanwhile, solutions to communities delay, PM fails to give answers to evacuees -- Anat Bershkovsky The evacuated settlers of the Atzmona and Elei Sinai settlements, who have been living in 'tent cities' since the pullout, suffered Wednesday from flooding, mud and puddles, resulting from the first rains. Ever since their evacuation from Gush Katif about two months ago, the settlers of Atzmona have been living in temporary housing facilities, in what they have named 'The City of Faith." In a site near the southern town of Netivot, the people of Atzmona have put up tents and improvised structures which, apart from residence, serve them as a school, a kindergarten, a synagogue, a common dining hall and a playroom. Fighting the flooding at the ATzmona tent city (photo: Amir Cohen) The entire compound was flooded Wednesday when the first rains of the season hit Israel. The water penetrated everywhere, overflowed the single common bathroom and turned the place into a big puddle of mud. Residents of the 'city of faith,' have however remained loyal to their community and stayed optimistic. 'Reinforce the Tent City' "This morning we encountered a new challenge -- the rain. But we are not afraid of challenges or from the rain," Noa Shayer, a mother of eleven who resides in the place, said. "This is a good trial for us before winter comes. This way we can see what requires mending and strengthening," she said. Meanwhile, the head of the community Zvulun Kalfa met today with government representatives in Jerusalem to discuss a solution for the temporary settlement. Both sides have already agreed that a permanent community will be established in the Hevel Lachish region, but the construction of such a community may take up to four years to be completed. The evacuated settlers are set to move to carravillas until their new houses are ready, but the allocation of the caravillas (mobile homes) is also being delayed. Kalfa said he hopes that the government will realize that the best solution for 'The Tent City' at present is to reinforce it against the rain. The issue of the "City of Faith" is scheduled to be discussed in a government debate Thursday. Surprised by the rain The people of the Elei Sinai tent city near kibbutz Yad Mordechai have partly prepared for the rain, but the site suffered damages from the precipitation which poured during the day. "We were caught by surprise by the rain, and by the fact that the whole area has turned into a big puddle of mud," Sarita Maoz, the community's spokeswoman, said. "In order to prevent damages we started transferring all the small tents into the big, public tents, but this did not help because the rain penetrated them as well," she said. Maoz said that the community intends to erect a huge 'hothouse' over the complex, in order to prevent water from pouring into the tents. The people of Elei Sinai approached Prime Minister Ariel Sharon last week with a request to hasten the treatment of their case, but have yet to receive a reply. To Go To Top

THE POLITICALLY INCORRECT NOBEL LAUREATE Posted by Steven Plaut, October 21, 2005.

Israeli academia is usually as leftist, if not more so, as American academia. So, the Israeli Academic Left was ecstatic when it was announced that an Israeli economist (who grew up in the USA ), Professor Robert J. Aumann from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, had been co-awarded the Nobel Prize this year in economics. (A previous Nobel winner in economics, Daniel Kahneman, grew up in Israel, but did his work mainly after moving to the US.) While Israelis have gotten Nobel Prizes before, most were given to politicians as rewards for Israeli political capitulations and appeasement of Arabs, and one was in literature. The only previous academic Nobel Prize for people at Israeli universities was for two chemists from the Technion, who exploited the occasion of their award to promote politically correct Israeli liberalism, about how Israel was supposedly spending too much on defense and not enough on doing nice things. So, you can imagine the glee in the hearts of the local Moonbatocracy when they figured another Israeli leftist from academia would get his Kodak moment to promote political correctness. But, alas, the academic Left was in for a surprise. Prof. Aumann is not only politically incorrect, he is strongly opposed to the entire Oslo "peace process", he believes Ariel Sharon's Gaza "disengagement" was the height of folly, and - Marx protect us! - he actually believes in God. He is personally religious, wears a yarmulka (skullcap), and has done serious academic work on applying mathematical and economic principles to some ethical debates from the Talmud. The far-leftist anti-Zionist Israeli daily Haaretz labeled him a "far-rightist". (He is in good company by the way; the have also labeled me one, minus the Nobel Prize, of course.) Aumann is a veteran member of Professors for a Strong Israel, an anti-Oslo hawkish organization, and he opposed the Sharon disengagement. At the Center for the Study of Rationality at the Hebrew University, they said he arrived daily with an orange ribbon, symbol of those opposing the Sharon Gaza capitulation, and kept doing so after the Disengagement Plan was implemented. He insists on calling the disengagement "the expulsion". "Irrespective of game theory, I think it was immoral, inhuman, and stupid," he said. "We gained nothing, and there's a good chance we lost a great deal. What sort of message did they want to send with this expulsion? They wanted to send the message that we are sticking with the Green Line no matter what." (The Islamofascists are already in anguish.) Academia in Israel is in shock. "Where did we go wrong?" they whined. "How could such a reactionary creature grow up in our midst? How could we have let this happen? Perhaps we need to fast on Yom Kippur to atone for our transgressions in allowing this to happen!" To Go To Top

ISRAEL'S SUCKED IN; PHYLIS CHESSLER, INDEPEN.THINKER; HEARTBREAK OVER GAZA; SOLDIERS ILL OVER ABANDONMENT Posted by Richard H. Shulman, October 21, 2005.

HOW ISRAEL LETS ITSELF GET SUCKED IN Politicians often start a new subsidy or exception in a small way. They think it innocuous either because the perceived beneficiaries are limited, so it would not cause problems or arouse powerful opposition. As other lobbies hear about the program, they demand similar exceptions be made for their constituencies. If legislators develop second thoughts about this fiscal Frankenstein, they find themselves unable to resist what has become an entitlement for many. They find the budget saddled beyond their control. To reassert control is to inflict monetary pain, something that politicians are loathe to do to a population that thinks democracy means that the best way to shop is to have other taxpayers subsidize them. As example is the establishment in my State and City, New York, of independent authorities. The cry was to take politics out of education or enable some need to be met outside of the legal debt limit. Those agencies then ran up a debt that may bring down the State. They spend money unsupervised and therefore sometimes on slush funds or other non-legislated purposes. They pursue policies that elected officials sometimes find contrary to public goals. What seemed sensible in modest form, was then pursued to excess. A better example is that of Medicaid. When it helped a few people, it seemed like a humane program. When it expanded, it started to break state budgets and to compete with other humane programs. For every program of expenditure, service providers arise to milk it. The way some of these programs are set up, they induce people to select more expensive and less satisfactory solutions. Thus people got more of a complete subsidy for placing in nursing homes their elderly relatives, than for health care aides to assist those relatives in living at home at a fraction of the total cost. Likewise, some people pay less out of pocket for certain types of hospital in-patient care, than for out-patient care at a fraction of the total cost. This inefficient practice does not invalidate the program, but it occurs so often that one should bear it in mind. An example of using a small start as a precedent for a big problem is the masterful way the State Dept. sucks Israel into recognition of terrorists and withdrawal of territory in their favor. The State Dept. has a comprehensive agenda, but deals with Israel on only one step at-a-time. Unable culturally to plan ahead, and hindered by a leftist and antisemitic ideology of appeasement of gentiles, Israeli officials think the one step not too onerous for US support. It really doesn't get US support but continued US demands. Israel never learned to tell the US it is out of line and should mind its own business. Part of this reticence is due to Israeli hopes that the US would pay for this or other programs. The US, however, has been reducing financial aid to Israel and increasing it to the Arabs. Greed even if sated, is not worth the loss of independence. The more Israel becomes dependent (psychologically more than actually monetarily), the worse it is treated and the more concessions demanded of it. Some people would defend the right of the US to demand something of Israel in return for the aid. They are upholding the right of the US to buy other countries, I don't. It is bribery and interference. Worse, this process is a hostile one, seeking to deprive Israel of secure borders, strategic depth, and national patrimony in behalf of genocidal totalitarians. Benjamin's brothers had no right to sell their own to Bedouin. Ironically, those concessions and State Dept. successes with Israel are not good for the US. It is a lose-lose proposition, because the Islamist terrorists in the P.A. are enemies of the entire West, not just of Israel. Since the West is at war with Islamism, it makes no sense for the US to reduce the power of a faithful ally, Israel, and increase the power of Islamists. Israel is capable of digging its own grave. When Peres set up Oslo, with his combination of chicanery, naivete, and leftist disdain for Israeli sovereignty and Jewish patrimony, he let the Arabs have not just an administrator, but a legislature and judiciary. It was excessive for that tiny autonomy. Israelis for a long time called the head of the P.A. "Chairman," but with a legislature and judiciary, however slighted they were by him, he called himself "President" and now nobody calls his successor "Chairman." As a president, the successor is in a better position in the public mind to demand statehood. Whatever foresight it took to imagine the horrors of statehood for those genocidal fanatics, we now have the current spectacle of its disorderly and corrupt jihadist rule, and the orderly and non-corrupt but unlawful Hamas jihadists waiting in the wings. Thus Israel started small, with just a modest title for Arafat and control over him. Then the P.A. wriggled out of Israeli control in Gaza even as it bombards Israel. If Israelis understood that the State Dept. babies them along, and that every instance of their weakness is cited as precedent and becomes a source of pressure for more, they would have fought against the abandonment of Gaza as if it were the abandonment of all the Territories, Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights, and then ..., for that is where it is leading to. The tip off was State Dept. insistence on withdrawing from more than Gaza. The additional withdrawal, from northern Samaria, did not meet the conditions cited as an excuse for abandonment of Gaza. Earlier precedents were set in abandonment of the Sinai, that the Prime Minister claimed was not a precedent. Logically, he was correct. He did not realize that logic is not followed when there is an opportunity to harm the Jewish state. Let his mistake be our lesson! PHYLLIS CHESSLER, INDEPENDENT THINKER Efforts were made to keep feminist Phyllis Chessler from speaking at CUNY, on October 14. The "Nation" importuned her sponsor, National Organization of Women, and her host, CUNY, to bar her for willingness to discuss policy with the Bush Administration. She hopes to work out some satisfactory agreements. By contrast, the "Nation" is practically in rebellion, in non-recognition of our government. Instead of asking for an opportunity to make its own presentation, the "Nation" proposed censorship. Thus the Left does not believe in democracy. Since the "Nation" long has been pro-Communist, its dictatorial way should not surprise us. What surprised Miss Chessler was being cold-shouldered by many colleagues in the feminist and leftist movements in which she long has played a pioneering or prominent role. Colleagues stopped speaking with her, because she asserted that Jews have a right to live. They cannot abide someone who does not toe the approved line. The Left is intolerant like Orwell's thought police and Saudi sex police. It missed a series of cogent and independent thoughts clearly expressed in perfect diction. One comes away with substance for one's entrance fee. Some of her antagonists' intolerance was manifested from members of the audience who heckled and hogged the microphone to insist on their jaundiced view of the US and Israel. Such people have bought regimentation, anti-Americanism, and anti-Semitism into US academia, as has subsidy by S. Arabia. (Saudi subsidy is a Faustian temptation.) In an Orwellian misuse of language, people who label themselves "peace activists" really just want to keep the US from defending itself against attack. They hate the US and want it brought down, even though many of them live in it. Perhaps they imagine themselves exempt from conquerors' retribution. But victorious Islamists wouldn't make exceptions. Scapegoating the US and Israel would not spare anyone here. It was as a naive young but rebellious woman that Chessler was courted for two years by a wealthy young Muslim Afghan. They spent much time together as boon companions in Western culture here. He persuaded her to marry him and move to his country. There he reverted into the typical Muslim, ignoring her by day and mistreating her by night. The women were sequestered with women and rarely allowed to go outside. Even in her wealthy home, the other women were uneducated. There her feminism was born. By severely restricting the lives of Muslim women, Muslim men allegedly "protect" women from - Muslim men. Nevertheless, no woman is safe there. And oh what the men do to boys! Pederasty is common there and among the Arabs. Their practice of sex with immature females may be injurious. In Iran, there is legally and religiously sanctioned marriage-for-an-hour, though it smacks of prostitution. What beasts the women live among, not that they have not imbibed similar attitudes! This was pre-Taliban Afghanistan, in which women could be beaten, murdered, and kept under veils they hardly could breathe through. Her examples exposed Muslim family life as worse than Westerners understand. Since Afghanistan never had been occupied, one cannot blame its backwardness and oppression upon Western imperialism. We in the West should stop feeling guilty and should stop romanticizing the Third World. Some in the West did some harm to some in the East, but the East was quite capable of degrading its own people by itself. It is this romanticism of the Third World that has produced what Chessler wonders is the death of feminism, the title of her new book. She urges feminists to recognize what conditions for women are in the Third World, and especially to try to help women in the Muslim world. The current, approving and patronizing attitude towards the Third World gives a free pass to Muslim sexism and bigotry. Many Western feminists betray their own gender and innocent people, by siding with the Muslims against Israel. They have taken on the Arab' antisemitism, instead of taking on the Arabs' anti-feminism. They have swallowed myths of Islam being a religion of peace and of having been tolerant. Over the centuries, Islam persecuted other faiths, whether the Muslim countries were considered secular or clerical. Egypt expelled its Jews, as did the other Arab states with Jewish populations. All those states were called "secular." (Background: What is called "secular" is Muslim culture is not secular in Western culture. In the Mideast, "secular" means not run by the clergy the way Iran or S. Arabia is run. Nevertheless, in, say, Egypt, Islam is the favored and established religion; the others are restricted. Islam and Arab culture shaped each other, and it is difficult to separate the two. So far, Islam has resisted the fundamental reform that Christianity experienced and the developing maturity of Judaism.) We should analyze Muslim oppression and develop a strategy against it, as part of our defensive war against Islamism. When we understand how far from a religion of peace Islam is, and realize the depth of the oppression and backwardness of Muslim culture, it may dawn on us how difficult it would be to bring democracy to them. In this regard, it was not helpful of Chessler to equate "fundamentalists" of the three monotheistic faiths. All practicing Muslims believe in the fundamentals of their faith, but the term has been mistakenly ascribed to the Islamists. Unlike Christianity and Judaism, the Islamists and the fundamentals of Islam believe in religious imperialism and intolerance. Although it ought to be obvious, she advises the basic task of studying the culture and ways of thinking of the enemy we are trying to fight. As she realized from her husband's turnabout, Muslims rarely assimilate. They act according to the circumstances, but revert to type when given the opportunity. Having no ideal of Truth (not that Westerners are angels, this is relative), they fabricate or doctor their reports. They count on the credulity or bigotry of the Western media to accept their lies. Chessler finds the media so tendentious, that she reads many newspapers, in order to glean the truth. She ended her speech with a plea for people of differing views to end their polarization and work together to solve problems on which they can agree. Finding utopianism impossible, she suggests ideological diversity. Let us form a united front in the war on radical Islam! HEARTBREAK IN GAZA When a Jewish population had returned to Gaza in 1972, the mukhtar observed that nothing grew there since Isaac plowed it, welcome back. In recent months, those Jews withstood hundreds of terrorist rockets. What they could not stand was their own army rousting them from the area they built up. They were shut out of their own homes, in many cases deprived of their possessions within. Their plots of land were given to those who had been trying to kill them. That broke their hearts. "And despite clause seven of the disengagement plan which forbid the government of Israel from handing over any assets to terrorists, the government of Israel handed over warehouses, schools, sports clubs, community centers, greenhouses, shelters, water resources and the electric grids of Katif to terrorists." (400 buildings were transferred, says Emanuel Winston. Except for greenhouses, this was not reported in my newspapers.) Some of these internal refugees are too old to earn a living any new way (and without capital). To add insult to injury, these brave people were told that that most Jews elsewhere supported their uprooting (which was done cruelly) and that rabbis even called it a courageous step towards peace, although the abandonment was introduced with the observation that there is no Arab partner for peace. The government brochure taking up the theme of stepping towards peace reprinted the plan except for that clause! Further concealing the depth of deprivation of Jewish victims, the government informed Jewish organizations that the internal refugees were well taken care of. Actually, the legal documents that the government required of them, before the two-month waiting period for compensation, were in the towns that the government destroyed. The lucky ones are in temporary shelters (and on short rations) while their former farms are turned into terrorist bases. They have been deprived of their dignity (David Bedein, Media@actcom.co.il, 10/12) or at least treated in an undignified manner. TERRORISTS DRAFT MINORS Adult terrorists put pressure on minors to commit suicide bombings. Tanzim (Fatah) operatives disregarded a 14-year-old boy's plea that he was just a child and did not want to do it. They brought him into their houses, photographed him with the usual paraphernalia, and threatened to murder him and leave word that he was a collaborator. He asked his family for help. His story came out when Israeli security forces captured him (IMRA, 10/12). Is he telling the truth? AFTER-EFFECTS OF ABANDONMENT The shame of their perfidy so far has brought 600 of the 40,000 troops utilized in the expulsion of Gaza Jewry, into psychiatric care, and seven to commit suicide. It is too soon to tell how many others will end up likewise. Ariel Sharon will not, for he has the mentality of a thug. (He used to beat up right-wing opponents.) He apparently never gave up on his 1970 attempt to set up a PLO state, for which he formed a political party that failed. The soldiers are in despair over having followed the orders of a semi-dictator ithout gain to Israel, brought power to terrorists and ruin to thousands of Israelis and degraded the IDF from an institution of honor to henchman of that dictator. The "disengagement document" was not even read by most members of Knesset who, like their fellow officials in Likud, covet their jobs more than they protect their country. The document did express some decent principles, but Sharon ignored them (Winston Mid East Analysis, 10/12). He acted befits a dictator. He was not called to account for his violations. One wonders whether the principles were a pretext for Knesset approval. (Why waste conscience on suicide? Take out remorse on the dictator!) IMPLICATION & LIMITATION OF BUSH SPEECH VS. ISLAMISM Pres. Bush's recent speech switched our enemy from being the tactic of terrorism to the ideology of radical Islam. Islamism joins those ideological enemies of mankind, Communism and fascism. The enemy having been more precisely identified, it can be more properly combated. Now immigration and law enforcement authorities may take Islamist allegiance into account in deciding whom to admit or indict. "Focusing on Muslims as the exclusive source of Islamists permits them finally to do their job adequately." (So one hopes. Political correctness still may thwart this.) Although that speech was an advance from earlier conceptualizations of our enemy, Pres. Bush still makes excuses for jihad by erroneously describing the Islamist view of it as a distortion of Islam. Jihad, however, usually meaning "holy war," is not an innocent struggle but a spearhead of intolerance. One can be impaled on that spearhead! Pres. Bush referred to a certain sweep of territory as the goal of Islamist conquest, seemingly excluding the US. Our government should make clear and emphasize that the Islamists want to replace our Constitution with Shariah. Americans finally were told who the enemy is; now they must be told what that enemy wants (Daniel Pipes, NY Sun, 10/11, p.6). The President's incomplete geographical example, "from Spain to Indonesia," may simply have been careless. More inclusive would be from "Spain to Spain," but "global" is clearer. Bush makes a glaring exception 0f Islamism against Israel. Apparently the West still is engaged in a war on the Jews, now by indirect means. The State Dept. is humiliating the Jewish state piecemeal, getting it to participate in its own destruction via appeasement. Few supporters of the war on Islamism complain much about that, if at all. Why are they blind about temporizing with terrorists against Israel, while alert to terrorists in Iraq? UNO WANTS TO TAKE OVER THE INTERNET The US government devised the original Internet. It set various technical standards, but let it develop on its own, and turned over control in 1998 to a non-profit board comprising people of different nationalities and running on a budget of only $23 million. With EU approval, a UNO conference recommended that the UNO take control over the Internet. One of its motivations, at least among the French, was that this would be a blow to American dominance. Actually, the US does not control Internet There are no particular complaints that it is not working well. The system contributes to prosperity. It is not broken, so fix it? Another motivation is empire-building. The UNO declares it would be a "people-centered, inclusive, and development-oriented" enterprise adhering to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. One wonders whether the UNO sees a potential for injecting fees and enriching itself (Harold Furchgott-Roth, NY Sun, 10/10, p.7). The UNO is corrupt and subservient to unsavory interests. With that to recommend it, it seeks to become a world government. For the US, now an international scapegoat, usually for poor reasons but sometimes for good ones, the prospect is daunting. I think the US should delegitimize the UNO and depart from international organizations that curb our sovereignty over protections from toxic products and the products of slave labor. The Internet is used by terrorists. UNO control would not change that. China, which censors the Internet internally, probably would seek further censorship. The Arabs might block Israeli usage. ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION As a serious infringement of civil liberty and an imposition of great hardship, administrative detention must be a last resort. Perhaps the government should declare war, which permits capture of enemy soldiers. There may be a place for administrative detention in an emergency against an imminent rebellion or terrorist attack, when there is no time for slower judicial procedure. Civil strife increasingly inflicts societies that invited Muslim populations. There, trials would reveal government agents and methods that could allow more harm than prosecution would curb. Leaving known terrorists at large, however, endangers society. Hence non-trial detention. Administrative detention is abused in Israel, which lacks American civil liberties rules and notions such as a formal separation of powers both among the branches and between a federal government and sovereign states, limits to judicial jurisdiction, democratically appointed or elected judiciary, restraint of police, trial by jury, prompt trial, non-double jeopardy, neutral forensic medicine and standards of crime detection, broadcasting independence and press diversity from the government line, full freedom of speech and assembly, equal application of the law among ideologies and religions, constituency representation rather than rule by parties and their bosses, and civilian review of the police, and DOES HAVE in the secret service agents provocateurs and assassins and whose Prime Minister has reduced parliamentary democracy by usurping the power to fire Ministers representing other, elected parties. Whether declared administrative detention or amounting to it by virtue of keeping people under arrest for long periods without trial, it increasingly is Israel's first resort, but against Jews and for political purposes. Israel represses many dissenters. Israeli Arabs riot and murder with impunity. Jewish protestors are punished for resistance. Non-violent Jews who may organize objection to government policies, when not jailed may be placed under house arrest or internal exile. A trial date may not be set or may be set far off. Meanwhile, they cannot earn a living or see their families as much. Such a government should not command the allegiance of its Jewish citizens - it already has lost the allegiance of most of its Muslim citizens, but to that, the leftist regimes are blind or turn a blind eye. The government neutralized one of the most effective dissidents, Noam Federman, by constant detention or arrest, usually for petty matters. Dozens of times, he disposed of their frame-ups. Most recently, they had him under house arrest for two years. Finally a court admitted that this house arrest was improper. It awarded Mr. Federman NIS 100,000. That is equivalent only to about $1000 a month. It was an under-estimate of the economic harm inflicted upon him. Fair compensation would or could cause the government to weigh its proposed detentions more carefully (this essay was inspired by Dr. Aaron Lerner, IMRA, 10/13, but I reshaped it from my own perspective). Judging by their undemocratic misbehavior, the authorities should be arrested. I'm not sure that fair compensation for victims would constitute a financial check-and-balance. Government officials feel free to spend taxpayers' money on personal policies or making favorable public relations. Democratic reform in Israel should go further than reversing the malpractices cited. The primary reform would be converting secularist hatred of religious Jews into Judaism's prescribed love of one's fellow Jew and a return to Zionism, developing purposeful lives instead of hedonism. A close second would be to renew patriotism and end the spirit of appeasement of gentiles, especially of the US and of Muslim Arabs. Third would be to balance normal obedience to military orders against refusing politicized orders driven by appeasement and national dissolution. Fourth, end government ownership of most industry and arbitrary government regulation that serves no purpose but raises costs and waste lends government too much power. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at richardshulman5@aol.com. To Go To Top

FOREIGN FIGHTERS CAPTURED IN IRAQ COME FROM 27, MOSTLY ARAB, LANDS Posted by Avodah 15, October 21, 2005.

This is an excerpt from an article written by Dexter Filkins that appeared in the New York Times (www.nytimes.com/2005/10/21/international/middleeast/21baghdad.html). Some 312 foreign nationals, including one American, have been captured while taking part in the insurgency in Iraq since April of this year, Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, the spokesman for American forces in Iraq, said Thursday. A breakdown lists Egypt, 78; Syria, 66; Sudan, 41; and Saudi Arabia, 32. The rest come from 23 countries, most of them Muslim nations, but also Britain, Denmark, France, and Ireland. The American in custody was of Arab descent, as were the two Britons and one Israeli. Non-Iraqis are believed to comprise less than 5% of the fighters in the insurgency, but American commanders say foreigners make up more than 90% of the suicide bombers. Contact Avodah 15 at avoday15@aol.com To Go To Top

AMBULANCE WITH ISRAELI MARKINGS SPOTTED IN THE PA Posted by Bryna Berch, October 21, 2005.

This article was written by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz and appeared in today's Arutz-Sheva (www.israelnn.com). I'm just surprised the Israeli Gov't let it be sold -- I'm surprised they didn't  just give it away because, after all, the PA isn't behaving as a reliable "peace partner." That doesn't make sense? Neither did retreating from Gaza because the PA wasn't a reliable "peace partner." In fact, I'm surprised they didn't give the ambulance away for free to supply transportation for the Arab terrorists they keep freeing -- after all, it would awful if Amnesty International or Peace Now or Society to Butcher Jews complained the poor ex-prisoners had to walk home. An ambulance bearing Israeli markings has reportedly been sold to elements in the Palestinian Authority. Concerned the vehicle may be used as cover in a terrorist bombing, police are investigating. The vehicle, belonging to the HaGalil Ambulance company - a private Galilee area ambulance service - was spotted by Samaria District police officers on Wednesday. Subsequently, Afif Zaied, affiliated with HaGalil Ambulance, was picked up by police for questioning in connection with the transfer of the ambulance to Arabs from the PA. Zaied told investigators that the ambulance was sent for service to a garage in the PA-controlled city of Tulkarem, east of Netanya. Zaied was released by police on Friday, while the investigation into the sale continues. Authorities are concerned that the HaGalil emergency medical services vehicle, previously owned by the national Magen David Adom (Red Star of David), could serve terrorists as cover for a bombing at an Israeli hospital or at the scene of another mass casualty incident. While the former MDA markings were removed from the vehicle prior to its sale to the private Galilee company, the ambulance is still equipped with Israeli license plates and Hebrew markings, which would facilitate bringing it into sensitive areas. Security services have repeatedly warned that Arab terrorists are making efforts to obtain an Israeli ambulance for purposes of a car-bomb attack. Special security measures have thus far been implemented to keep Israeli ambulances out of the hands of PA elements and to protect hospital emergency rooms. One scenario for which the hospitals are taking precautions is a suicide bomber in one location followed by an ambulance-bomb at the hospital to which the wounded are evacuated. For this reason, even in the wake of a terrorist attack, ambulances arriving at any hospital must be cleared by security before they can approach the emergency room. Just last month, police chased down a Palestinian Authority car thief driving a stolen ambulance on a major Tel Aviv highway. The arrested driver stole the vehicle from outside the home of a medic who was on call for the emergency medical services. A paramedic from the Tel Aviv area spotted and identified the stolen vehicle, and called the police. To Go To Top

'ROAD APARTHEID' DEBUNKED Posted by Honest Reporting, October 21, 2005.

On Sunday (Oct. 16), Palestinian terrorists killed three young Israelis in a drive-by terrorist shooting in the West Bank. In response to pointed warnings of more attacks of this type, the IDF imposed restrictions on Palestinian traffic on certain West Bank roads. Though the road closures were temporary and aimed at preventing further loss of life, several media outlets quickly spun this story in a different direction -- suggesting they are part of a larger Israeli plan to implement 'road apartheid' in the West Bank. The Guardian stated: The Israeli military has blocked Palestinians from driving on the main artery through the West Bank in a first step towards what Israeli human rights groups say is total "road apartheid" being enforced throughout the occupied territory. The New York Times also quoted a Palestinian official making the 'road apartheid' claim, and The Scotsman said: On the ground, the condition of Palestinian civilians seems to be deteriorating further... Israel is moving ahead with plans to make permanent a ban on Palestinian use of main roads in the West Bank. Two falsities are disseminated with these media-driven claims: 1) Israel is not 'moving ahead' with plans to 'permanently ban' Palestinian traffic on West Bank roads. What has occurred -- in the wake of Sunday's shooting and the many others that preceded it -- is further discussion of a how separate road systems might make the West Bank safer for travel, given the ongoing threat of drive-by terrorist fire. Such discussions are always conducted while balancing the humanitarian concerns to peaceful Palestinians. 2) The term 'apartheid' is once again, absurdly brought into the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. HonestReporting previously provided a side-by-side comparison of the two situations that debunked the association vis-a-vis the security fence. That comparison is just as relevant here. And as former US Mideast negotiator Dennis Ross stated in an op-ed this week: Yasir Arafat loved to equate the Palestinian struggle for statehood with the struggle of South Africans against apartheid, but his was always a false analogy. In South Africa, less than 15 percent of the population controlled all the power and wealth and subjected the other 85 percent to a degrading, inhuman and segregated existence... Compare that to the Palestinian movement for self-determination. Arabs today remain a minority in the area that encompasses Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. To be sure, given demographic trends, Jews will become a minority in that area within this decade, but even by 2050, Arabs would outnumber Jews by only 60 percent to 40 percent. The international community supports a two-state solution because it recognizes that there are two national movements with populations in rough equality. That was never the case in South Africa. As Israel continues to consider methods of protecting its citizenry from Palestinian terror, HonestReporting encourages subscribers to be on the lookout in your local media for unfounded claims of West Bank 'apartheid roads', and respond with the facts if they appear. Thank you for your ongoing involvement in the battle against media bias. HonestReporting Honest Reporting monitors the media for inaccuracy and unfairness in how they report the news about Israel. Ther website address is http://www.honestreporting.com. You can help support their research online or by sending contributions to: HonestReporting, 400 South Lake Drive, Lakewood, NJ 08701-3167. To Go To Top

THE RAIN OF SUKKOT Posted by Rachel Saperstein, October 21, 2005.

Jerusalem turned cold and rain poured into our hotel sukkah so we were forced to eat in the lobby. A sukkah is a temporary dwelling to remind us of our people's forty year sojourn in the desert. The lobby of the Jerusalem Gold Hotel, our temporary dwelling, is our meeting hall, sometimes dining room and the same area where we meet with friends and family amidst the chaos of children's cries, piano thumping and new guests arriving. How easily have we slipped into hotel life -- no responsibility, no room to clean, no shopping for food, no favorite meals to prepare, no dishes to wash, no plans to make. Our once vital people fighting for their homes and ideals have slipped into lethargy. The country, the media, the people around the world, have forgotten us, duped by the government's massive public relations campaign into believing our lives are settled and compensation has been paid. So far from being settled, we are now threatened with eviction from these temporary dwellings after this Sukkot holiday. It is said that lethargy is needed as a time for healing. We still cannot look at pictures of our house in rubble. We still weep as we recall the young people crying rachamu, rachamu, mercy, mercy, in our synagogue on that last day in Neve Dekalim. We still weep in the middle of the night as we recall "home". Thousands of Christians from over eighty lands were in Jerusalem for Sukkot. They call this massive gathering "The Feast of the Tabernacle". Their love for Israel is intense and they are not ashamed to admit it. Many wear the Jewish star, the magen david, as a sign that they are supporters of the religion that is the root of their own. I spoke for Gush Katif at two gatherings and received warm hugs and abundant tears. To a person, they attributed the catastrophes befalling their countries since the Gaza pullout as the Lord's way of punishing the world for its complicity in the sellout of the Jews in the holy land. It is raining into the sukkah for there is no joy in Israel but many, many tears. Rain is a blessing in Israel for our parched land must be nourished after the summer dryness. This year rain brings no joy for there is a sense of desolation engulfing the people of Israel as they, too, relive the scenes of expulsion. Thousands in Judea and Samaria, in the Golan Heights and Jerusalem, live in fear that they too will be forced out of their homes for a nebulous "peace". After the Simhat Torah holiday I will be leaving my beloved Israel for my great-nephew's bar-mitzvah in New York. From there I will travel to Canada -- Toronto and Montreal -- to raise money for my people. May the Almighty make my trip successful. The "Band Aid Fund" is now part of Operation Dignity. In addition to providing a discrete envelope of 500 shekels to every Neve Dekalim family we have also been able to provide aid for the tent city of Ir Emunah, City of Faith, and to the Gush Katif Student Scholarship Fund. Please help us. Make out and send your checks to: Central Fund for Israel Rehov Hagoel 13 Efrat, Israel 90435 earmarked for: Rachel - Operation Dignity "Band Aid Fund" Rachel Saperstein and her husband Moshe lived in Neve Dekalim, Gush Katif, Gaza, Israel. She was a teacher at the Neve Dekalim ulpana and a spokeswoman for the Katif Regional Council. Her recent book, "Eviction: A Gush Katif Viewpoint", with photos by Moti Sender can be ordered from www.pavilionpress.com. She is currently at the Jerusalem Gold Hotel. To Go To Top

YOU KNOW IT'S SUKKOT IN JERUSALEM BECAUSE... Posted by Balint, Judy Lash, October 21, 2005.

1. You can't get on a bus without being poked in the rear a dozen times with someone's stray lulav. 2. The sweet smell of etrogim in Jerusalem's Machane Yehuda (Yehuda Market) is overpowering. Huge crowds descend on the parking lot near the market to vie for the best lulav and etrog. 3. An enterprising bookstore is offering "Machzor rentals" for tourists who inadvertently left their holiday prayerbooks at home. 4. You've never seen such gaudy sukkah decorations in your life--unless you've been to Wal Mart on Xmas eve. Kiosks manned by bearded Haredim in Meah Shearim are selling gold, green and red tinsel hangings---exact replicas of Xmas decorations in the Old Country. 5. Huge piles of schach (palm fronds for the roof of the sukkah) cover major city squares, and citizens are invited to take as much as they need for free. 6. The usual throngs are expected at the Western Wall for the thrice yearly observance of the ancient ritual of Birkat Cohanim--Blessing by the Priests--that takes place during the intermediate days. 7. Hotels report almost 100 percent occupancy as Israelis join foreign tourists in celebrating the week-long holiday. 8. Sukkot of every size and description can be seen on balconies, rooftops and in courtyards in every neighborhood of the city. Every kosher restaurant in town has one and boasts bigger and better holiday specials to entice customers. 9. Since the entire week of Sukkot is a national holiday you'll have a tough time deciding which festival/event to take part in. There's the first ever Festival of Israeli Comedy in Kiryat Shmona; the New Age Bereishit Festival at Dugit beach; The Tamar music and arts fest at the Dead Sea; Acco's acclaimed Fringe Theater Festival and a revival of the Carlebach Festival at Mevo Modi'in, to name just a few. 10. Touring the country is another favorite Sukkot activity and every political group is promoting trips to "See For Yourself." Hevron is a perennial favorite for Chol Hamoed (intermediate festival days) with a special opening of the Isaac Hall in the Cave of the Patriarchs that's normally off-limits to Jewish visitors. 11. Not to be left out are those Christian friends of Israel--the International Christian Embassy will bring 5,000 members from 80 nations (including China and Russia this year) to attend the annual Feast of Tabernacles celebration. Opening ceremonies this year will take place in the majestic Sultan's Pool outdoor space just below the walls of the Old City. The Christian contingent will also take part in the Jerusalem March, another annual Sukkot event, dressed in costume of their countries of origin. Organizers claim that the Christian event will pump $15 million into the local economy, taking up 15,000 hotel room nights during their stay. 12. Another prominent group of tourists set to arrive are refugees from the young frum singles scene who make an annual migration to Jerusalem from the Upper West Side for Sukkot. Discreet meetings of earnest, well-scrubbed, modestly dressed twenty-somethings take place in all the major hotel lobbies. 13. And speaking of refugees--spare a thought for those 1,700 families expelled from their homes in Gush Katif in August. Most of them have still not been rehoused nor received the promised compensation, and are trying to maintain some semblance of family life in hotel rooms and dormitories all over the country. This year they won't need to be reminded of one of the essential messages of the Sukkot holiday--the flimsiness of our physical existence and our reliance on God for sustenance and shelter. May we all experience the true joy of Sukkot and merit to see the rebuilding of the Beit Hamikdash. Judy Lash Balint is an investigative journalist and author of "Jerusalem Diaries: In Tense Times" (Gefen). It is available for purchase from www.israelbooks.com To Go To Top

TUNNELS, OVERPASSES AND MYOPIA Posted by Janet Lehr, October 20, 2005.

What's good for the goose ought to be good for the gander - but never where Israel is concerned !! As we march toward nationhood for the palestinians [?!?], contiguity poses a problem between Gaza and the West Bank. The nations of the world see the solution as a physical link between the two areas in the form of a roadway -- effectively dividing Israel into two parts where one now exists. The issues are greater still which you will see by reading through this clearly written article. It was written by Evelyn Gordon and appeared yesterday in the Jerusalem Post. It is archived at www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1129540565571&pagename= JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Following Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, an issue that had been dormant for five years suddenly reappeared at the top of international community's agenda: the creation of a physical link between Gaza and the West Bank, along which Palestinian people and goods could travel without Israeli interference. The United States, the European Union and international agencies such as the World Bank all argue that without such a link, Gaza cannot survive economically in the post-disengagement era, and therefore, its establishment is now urgent. Earlier this month, the US agreed to finance a study on various options for creating such a connection; the study is due to be completed by January. But the two leading options appear to be the World Bank's proposal for a sunken road between Gaza and the West Bank and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's proposal for a railroad between them. Either option creates obvious security problems. While border crossing arrangements between Gaza and Egypt have still not been finalized, Israel will certainly exercise much less control over who and what enters Gaza than it did before the disengagement. Thus if the Palestinians are allowed to move people and goods from Gaza to the West Bank with a similar lack of Israeli interference, Israel will have no way of preventing a massive flow of arms and terrorists via Gaza to the West Bank. Sharon's willingness to countenance such an idea while violence still rages in the West Bank therefore seems grossly irresponsible. But beyond the security implications, both options have something else in common: Either the road or the railroad would run straight through the Negev, effectively slicing Israel in two. The physical connection between northern and southern Israel would be reduced to a series of overpasses spanning the West Bank-Gaza link. Even if the security problem could somehow be solved, for Israel to agree to cut itself in two in the absence of a comprehensive peace treaty would constitute a major concession that ought to be conditioned on a suitable quid pro quo. But what makes the idea particularly outrageous is the world's hypocrisy over this issue: While the international community views a few overpasses as a sufficient link between northern and southern Israel, it has adamantly rejected Israel's contention that a similar link is sufficient between the northern and southern West Bank. THIS HYPOCRISY has been particularly evident in the world's reaction to an Israeli plan to link Ma'aleh Adumim, the largest West Bank settlement, with Jerusalem by building some 3,500 apartments along a narrow corridor known as E-1. Despite Sharon's repeated pledges that disengagement would enable Israel to strengthen its hold on the West Bank settlement blocs, the government has thus far not even dared to submit this plan to the zoning board, much less actually start work, due to vehement opposition from the international community, and particularly the US. The world's argument is that since Ma'aleh Adumim lies about half the width of the West Bank from Jerusalem, Israel's proposal would effectively cut the West Bank in two, forcing Palestinians to make a wide detour east of Ma'aleh Adumim in order to travel between the northern and southern West Bank. Sharon's response is that this problem could be solved by building tunnels or overpasses under or over E-1 to create a transportation link between the northern and southern West Bank - a link identical to the one that the international community has proposed between northern and southern Israel. But it turns out that in the world's eyes, what is good enough for Israel is not good enough for the Palestinians. Even the Bush administration - the same administration that, according to Sharon, agrees that Ma'aleh Adumim should remain part of Israel under any final-status agreement - has adamantly rejected Sharon's idea; so, needless to say, has the rest of the international community. As far as the world is concerned, Israel can make do with a mere transportation link between its northern and southern halves - but the Palestinians must enjoy full territorial contiguity between the northern and southern West Bank. IF SHARON were serious about leveraging the disengagement to strengthen Israel's hold on the settlement blocs, the Israeli response to this hypocrisy should be obvious: Jerusalem will not agree to a West Bank-Gaza link that reduces the connection between northern and southern Israel to a series of overpasses unless the Palestinians and the international community agree to similar links between Israel and the major West Bank settlement blocs, with the connection between various parts of the West Bank being similarly maintained via tunnels and/or overpasses. In practice, this means at the least allowing Israel to enclose such connecting corridors within the security fence - a project that, due to international opposition, has remained a dead letter despite Sharon's repeated declarations of intent to execute it. However, Sharon has made no such demand for reciprocity - just as he has not built the fence around the settlement blocs, authorized large-scale construction within the blocs or taken any other concrete step to strengthen Israel's hold on them. Instead, he agreed to the principle of the West Bank-Gaza link without a murmur; his only request is that the link take the form of a railroad rather than a road. Due to the grave security implications of the West Bank-Gaza link, Israel must condition actual construction on an end to the violence - which, as Sunday's terror attacks made clear, is not yet in sight. But since discussion of this link has already begun, a diplomatic campaign for eventual reciprocity on this issue should be launched now. Jerusalem must make it clear that if mere "transportation contiguity" is sufficient between northern and southern Israel, it is equally sufficient between the northern and southern West Bank. Janet Lehr is editor/publisher of a daily e-mail called "Israel Lives." She can be contacted at israellives@gmail.com To Go To Top

BORN WITHOUT A CONSCIENCE Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, October 20, 2005.

To be born without a conscience is a terrible thing but, not if you don't know it. I believe that Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is one of these unfortunate people along with those who bond with such leaders. In the future psychological tests should be mandatory, wherein would-be political leaders pass such tests before being allowed to take the seat of political power. People who lack a conscience soon learn that they must cover their aberrant tendencies. They adopt a pleasant face and acceptable words as in "promises" they never intend to keep. Some would call this a 'Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde' syndrome. Perhaps you will recall that the seemingly affable Jekyll turned into the cruel monster called Hyde - his other personality. People born without a conscience express their secret half in lies, half lies, cruelty, no pity and they enjoy planning attacks on all those they consider opponents. This pathological obduracy works well for Generals who must think like the adversaries they're fighting. It takes a paranoid personality to think like a Terrorist in order to thwart his murderous intentions. However, when that disturbed split personality becomes the monster Hyde and hunts his own people, then the people suffer - often with death. Having a leader with no conscience means that you cannot rely upon any commitment, any promise - except those where he promises in subtle words that he will savage the nation, aka "I will make painful concessions". Such a promise you can rely upon because it was made by the 'true' self. Conscienceless leaders will cheat their public, plunder its treasury, threaten anyone who defies him. They are not above gathering unethical plotters who will assist him with the entrapment of individuals or the public at large. Such a conscienceless leader will appoint other corrupters for the Courts, the Police, the Military leaders - all with the same empty conscience. Of course, these aberrant personalities want something to pay off for their betrayal of their own nation. They want more power, more money. They expect to be let in on any crooked deals (made legal by finessing the Courts). They become 'hit men' for a government without ethics, morals or conscience. We presently are observing an example of consummate evil by PM Sharon in the 'ethnic cleansing' of 10,000 Jewish men, women and children from Gaza/Gush Katif and Northern Samaria. For zero gain, for an increase in Terror attacks predictable and predicted by all military and intelligence experts, they then claimed 'no fault' in their pre-planning while forcibly expelling these good people out of their homes to wander the Land. Contrary to their Media proclamations, the Sharon government provided them no housing, no jobs, no medical care and no money. These good Jews, both religious and secular, were thrown on the mercy of other Jews to gift clothing, shoes, diapers, school supplies. Now they are demonized by the Government and their supporters in the Media as if these hard-working people were vagabonds - when they had successfully created a beautiful blooming, economically beneficial Garden of Eden for the sake of the Jewish State. A leader without conscience mounted a well-organized attack against these people using the lie that all was prepared to re-house them. However, there were no houses to replace the 4-6 bedroom homes they had built themselves and they must still continue to pay their mortgages for homes that were demolished. Their life-long belongings were heaped into small steel containers to bake in 190' heat - without being insured - so everything they owned will be ruined. Even then these containers were stacked in Army bases, many were looted but no one could access their belongings - and they are being charged for such poor storage. Sharon also insured that the communities were split up - presumably so they could not collectively protest what should be known as "Sharon's Pogrom". But, one cannot expect consideration or sympathy from people who are born without a conscience. They cannot and will not feel your pain, particularly when they caused it. Sharon and his hulking son can sleep comfortably, eat lots of the best food while the Jews of Gush Katif are scattered in poor hotels, tent cities, 60 to 90 square meter trailers - euphemistically called 'caravillas' for which they must pay rent. They have no winter clothing which they need in the center and north of the country. This is only a fragment of a shameful scandal which should weigh on the conscience of the nation because it most certainly does NOT weigh on the consciences of Sharon and his fellow thugs. They sleep well, eat like proverbial pigs while many in the nation live below the poverty line. Sharon, like others before him, appoint managers for each political division to say "NO" to applicants for rightful compensation. They adopt the Sharon rules of governing by denying responsibility. "Come back tomorrow or in a week and we will see if your claim has merit." Sometimes you try to go to the corrupt Leftist courts to seek relief but, that too is a ploy to make you pay legal fees you cannot afford and even then it takes years. Corruption has risen to a high state of art. Prof. Avram Friedman of Hebrew University says that Israel is listed as 28th on a list of 159 countries on a scale of corruption. (1) Want to get a good deal? Call Sharon's advisor Dov Weisglass and maybe he will let you in on the Casino deals to be built in Gaza on the Land the Jews were forced to evacuate. But, don't count on getting into the deal which is reserved for heads of government, heads of political parties, shyster lawyers or monied Jews with no conscience. To be born without a conscience is a terrible thing! Sharon, who wears the mantle of both the Left and the Right, has again turned finally into a radical Leftist. He also inherits the evolving vocabulary of artful avoidance when Arab Muslim Palestinian Terrorists murder Jews. Here we find Sharon's propaganda machine churning out promises to protect the people and stop Terror. Sunday, October 16th two Terrorist attacks killed 2 young girls, one Matat Rosenfeld-Adler 21 years old - just married for 2 months, her cousin Kineret Mendler, 23 years old and a 14 year old boy Oz Ben-Meir with five wounded. The two girls lived in Carmel, in South Mount Hermon. They were shot down by a road side ambush of Arab Muslim Palestinians who machine-gunned a bus stop post at the Gush Etzion junction shortly after Sharon had disassembled the Army Check-points and opened the roads to Arab Muslim Palestinian private cars - which is how these two Terror attacks were able to occur. Oz Ben Meir was almost simultaneously shot to death between the communities of Eli and Shilo. He has lived in Maon since he was 2. A Maon spokeswoman said: "This murder is a direct result of the expulsion of Jews from their Land as a prize for Terrorism. We see the government of Israel as directly responsible for this murder. We are paying for its tribute to the Palestinians with our blood and with our children's blood. Israel: Don't cover up their blood." Then we hear the inevitable Sharon government statement: "We are breaking off 'Peace Talks' with you until you cease Terror." This is usually followed by a few days or a few weeks of Check Points on the roads - which quickly fades away. The inevitable phone calls to the White House and State Department will seek permission to put up road blocks and kill a few of the Terrorist leaders. Then there are always those mysterious threats to the effect: "If you don't stop killing us, we will know what to do! We'll hit you Really, Really Hard." (That's the RRH syndrome as labeled by Prof. Steven Plaut.) Of course, under Sharon's watch the withdrawal tactic is supposed to put the weight and responsibility on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) to disarm Hamas and all other Terrorists. But, as predicted, Sharon merely gave up defensible areas so Hamas, Al Qaeda, Al Aksa, Islamic Jihad..... all will move in to the 'Judenrein' (Jew-free) Gush Katif and establish a fully operational base for Global Terror. That will teach them to mess with Sharon! It is revealing to note that while Sharon was forced to cancel his summit meeting with Abu Mazen, President George Bush did not! Today, October 20th Mahmoud Abbas is visiting Bush and Rice who have become enablers to Abbas as he deliberately fails to disarm Hamas or any other Terror organizations. Abbas comes to Bush with a long list of requests to include placing more pressure on Israel, a list of weapons requested and much more. Then there are the mysterious buildings that are kept as 'stand-by inventory' to be blasted by the Israeli Air Force. These are claimed to be manufacturing buildings which produce Kassem Rockets and/or suicide belts. Strangely, these buildings are never hit when they are discovered and supposedly operative. Instead, these buildings are saved by Sharon's planners to bomb only AFTER a Terrorist act which kills Israelis. Only then are they hit and usually proved to be empty but, it makes good interim propaganda until the Israelis' anger dies down and then back to the Quisling appeasement. In the Yitzhak Rabin-Shimon Peres days when a PLO Police Station or Training Camp was to be hit in retribution for Terror murders, somehow they were always miraculously emptied before the attack. Most thought that Peres would phone ahead to be certain there would be no PLO casualties but that, of course, was speculation. Sharon has enhanced the vocabulary of the Big Lie not so much to frighten the Terrorists but rather, to manipulate the Israeli public to think he is doing something to protect them. He has a superb team of propagandists to advise him on the next best Lie to tell his public. Of course, he has an even better back up team in the U.S. State Department, anxious to insure most of Israel is vacated in order to appease the Arab Muslims in their oil states. Perhaps Sharon, his cabinet and the Peace Now organization would volunteer to be hood ornaments on tanks so they could get a closer look at their Palestinian friends. In closing, I was watching the first day of Saddam and cohorts on trial in Iraq for crimes against humanity. I could not help but wonder if Sharon's government may have thought of themselves sitting in the dock, explaining why they have put the Jewish State of Israel at such great risk. ### 1. Interview on Israel radio, Oct. 19, 2005 Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). Contact him at gwinston@interaccess.com To Go To Top

ANALYSIS OF NGO FUNDING: SWISS AGENCY FOR DEVELOPMENT & COOPERATION (SDC) Posted by NGO Monitor, October 20, 2005.

SUMMARY: The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), a department within the Swiss Foreign Ministry, is very active in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone. While its mission is to provide humanitarian assistance, SDC also provides funding for a number of NGOs with strong political agendas, such as Al Mezan, ARIJ, and "Dev.tv". These groups emphasize external issues including the justification of violence, rather than contributing to internal norms of good governance and civil society. The political emphasis on SDC's website and the indirect funding of other NGOs via Swisspeace are also inconsistent with and undermine central development goals. The SDC was established "to foster transformation processes with regard to democratization, participation of the local population and improvements in living conditions. To achieve this, it supports the political, economic, social and institutional efforts of these countries. (Development) cooperation is directed primarily at reducing poverty and empowering disadvantaged groups, as well as eliminating structural inequalities." On this basis, and like many other government development agencies (see previous NGO Monitor reports on CIDA, EU, and USAID), the SDC has been particularly active in projects providing assistance to Palestinians. In Gaza and the West Bank, the SDC's strategic objectives are to"enhance the prospects for peace, improve living conditions, and promote viable and sustainable institutions." In 2005 the budget of CHF 28.24m (approximately $U.S. 22 million) for this region is designated explicitly for activities that "contribute to the development of a pluralist and democratic Palestinian society, to respect for constitutionality and to the creation of public institutions capable of assuming their responsibilities in a future Palestinian state." However, the department's funding of some NGOs that emphasize radical anti-Israel political positions, in contrast to promoting structural change within the Palestinian framework, undermines these objectives and often promotes violence and its consequences. These political groups include al Mezan, which has been supported by the SDC since 1999 and received $0.6m (2003-2005). The evidence indicates that Al Mezan is primarily involved in promoting the political attacks against Israel (including allegations of "war crimes") that contribute to conflict via the United Nations, the media, and many other frameworks. In contrast to this NGO's formal title as a "Center for Human Rights", its reports do not include criticism of Palestinian abuses of human rights, both internally, and through terror attacks against Israelis. In parallel, the SDC has provided $0.8m to the Applied Research Institute Jerusalem (ARIJ) since August 2002, in the form of a "core contribution to the general programme" - allowing this highly political organization to promote its campaigns on the "apartheid wall" and anti-Israel divestment. ARIJ's activities, instead of promoting Palestinian governance and institutional development, are inconsistent with and interfere with the SDC's mission. The SDC also funds Dev.tv, an NGO whose claimed "goal is to promote the production and distribution of television coverage of issues related to human, economic and environmental crises." However, an analysis of Dev.tv's documentaries such as "Bedouin Ghetto" and "Everyday Violence in Gaza" also demonstrate the primary goal of attacking Israel, rather than promoting Palestinian development in, for example, the areas of democracy, accountability, and sound economic policies. In "Bedouin Ghetto", Dev.tv claims that the Israeli government has a "policy of destroying the Bedouin way of life" and that Israel is motivated by a need to "Judaize and Zionize" the country by impoverishing the Bedouins and polluting their culture. And in "Everyday Violence in Gaza," the film seems to justify terrorism by claiming that "a symbol of power for a Palestinian child is a martyr." The producers of this film assert that the need for such a "symbol" emerged from the Palestinians' attempt to overcome the image of the 'father' as "helpless" against the "Israeli soldier [who] represent[s] power." Thus, Israel is held responsible for fostering a Palestinian culture of terror. The bias and absence of any Israeli perspectives in the documentaries help to promote the conflict, rather than assisting in achieving development goals. In 2004 the SDC also provided CHF 1.2m to Swiss Peace, an "action-oriented peace-research institute in the area of conflict analysis and peace-building". Swisspeace is a major partner in the Center for Peacebuilding, which organizes events to "bring together representatives from government, development cooperation, peace movement and economic and scientific circles for the methodical sharing of experiences and knowledge". However, in contrast to its claims of neutrality and promotion of peace, this organization works closely with highly politicized NGOs such as World Vision and Caritas. In its links and resources page, Swisspeace provides connections and endorses the Alternative Information Center, Badil, PNGO, and many others. Their externally directed and radical political agendas have been analyzed in detail by other NGO-monitor reports, and shown to be part of the conflict process, rather than useful in promoting good governance. Questions regarding the political emphasis in the SDC's activities were reinforced by a July 2004 conference held in Geneva on 'Meeting the Humanitarian Need of Palestinian Refugees', chaired by Walter Fust, the Director of the SDC. This conference, which was cosponsored by UNRWA, presented a biased political discussion based exclusively on the Palestinian "narrative". The conference program also promoted the controversial political claims regarding the "right of return" and similar issues that maintain the conflict and hinder Palestinian assumption of political and economic responsibility. The SDC website's background summary on the West Bank and Gaza is also based entirely on the Palestinian "narrative" and its interpretation. For example, while Israel is condemned for imposing "blanket curfews in many West Bank cities sometimes lasting for weeks", the context of terrorism is absent. The report also blames "Israeli attacks" for the destruction of Palestinian "[s]tate structures which had been developed in recent years." Furthermore the SDC's special website for 'Gaza and the West Bank' displays pictures of the IDF and security barrier with the title "humiliation, home demolition, right of access" - all reflecting this one-sided political perspective. By failing to provide any mention of Palestinian corruption and leadership malfunction that have contributed to the economic and social situation, the reports lacks credibility and cannot be a basis for a successful development programme. Additional SDC funds for projects outside the area are also problematic. In 2004 the SDC awarded CHF 12.9m to Caritas Switzerland and CHF3.4m to Medicines Sans Frontieres, both of which have been involved in externally directed political campaigning, despite their humanitarian remits. Although the SDC does not directly fund these organizations' activities in the Middle East, the large sums provide overhead costs, and administrative and personnel expenses that subsidize other activities. In summary, the evidence in this report demonstrates use of SDC funding for activities and groups that focus primarily on the political conflict with Israel, rather than on promoting development and good governance. This agenda has also filtered through to the SDC's own literature on the region, undermining the efforts to promote economic and social progress. In order to achieve results, and foster conditions that allow for cooperation, stability and growth, SDC should insure that funding for Palestinian NGOs that claim to promote development and civil society is actually used for this purpose. NGO Monitor is published by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs / Institute for Contemporary Affairs founded jointly with the Wechsler Family Foundation This article was researched by Judith Heistein (Summer 2005). To Go To Top

PAKISTAN'S DIRTY LAUNDERING Posted by Jeff Jacoby, October 20, 2005.

''PAKISTAN on Saturday welcomed an offer of earthquake assistance from Israel," the Associated Press reported on Oct. 15, ''but said it would have to be channeled through the United Nations, the Red Cross, or donated to a relief fund." On the surface, an unremarkable detail amid the devastation in Kashmir. But this is a story worth pausing over. For between the lines, it speaks volumes about the real stakes in the war between the civilized world and radical Islam. The magnitude 7.6 earthquake that struck on Oct. 8 triggered, in the words of Pakistan's prime minister, ''a disaster of unprecedented proportions in Pakistan's history." In one terrible upheaval, it killed tens of thousands of people, trapped or injured thousands more, and left an estimated 2 million homeless. Pakistan's president, General Pervez Musharraf, went on television with an urgent plea for international help. Among the offers of humanitarian aid that began streaming into Islamabad was one from Israel, which is all too experienced in disaster rescue and relief. When a natural calamity strikes, Israel is often among the first nations to offer help; within 48 hours of the tsunami last December, for example, Israel had airlifted teams of medical and emergency workers, as well as 80 tons of supplies, to the stricken countries. But as days went by and the Pakistani death toll mounted, there was no reply to Israel's offer of assistance. The Jerusalem Post recalled the 2003 earthquake in Iran, when the Tehran theocracy announced that it would welcome ''all kinds of humanitarian aid from all countries and international organizations, with the exception of the Zionist regime." Pakistan, the world's second-most-populous Muslim nation, had never established diplomatic relations with Israel, but, unlike Iran, its attitude was supposed to be changing. In Istanbul on Sept. 1, the Israeli and Pakistani foreign ministers had met publicly for the first time; two weeks later Musharraf had shaken Ariel Sharon's hand at a United Nations reception in New York. Equally dramatic was Musharraf's conciliatory speech to the American Jewish Congress on Sept. 17, the first time a Pakistani ruler had ever addressed an audience of American Jews. Yet it was not until Oct. 14, six days after Israel had communicated its willingness to help the earthquake victims ''in any way possible," that it finally received a formal response. Yes, aid from Israel would be welcome, provided it was laundered through a third party. ''We have established the president's relief fund, and everyone is free to contribute to it," a government spokeswoman coolly acknowledged. ''If Israel was to contribute -- that's fine, we would accept it." Israel could help save Pakistani lives, in other words, as long as it wasn't too public about doing so. There mustn't be any embarrassing images of planes with Israeli markings offloading relief supplies at Islamabad's airport. And no one should imagine that Israel's generosity toward a nation that has long been among its harshest critics and in which anti-Semitism is rampant would have any effect on Islamabad's thinking. According to the Daily Times, a Pakistani newspaper, the spokeswoman insisted that ''accepting an indirect donation from Israel did not mean that Pakistan had planned to recognize it" or to alter its stance toward Israel, ''which was unchangeable." Israel will not criticize Pakistan's insulting behavior, preferring to understand it as a reality of Pakistani domestic politics. For Musharraf, a diplomat in the Israeli Foreign Ministry told me, ''the number one priority is regime survival" -- and any regime that failed to treat the Jewish state with the appropriate level of contempt would outrage Pakistani public opinion. But that loathing of Israel and Jews is not just a quirk of Pakistani politics. It is a hallmark of the radical Islamists whose terrorism worldwide has shed so much blood -- and who hold sway over more than 70 percent of Pakistan, according to Tashbih Sayyed, editor of the weekly newspaper Pakistan Today. An outspoken Muslim moderate, Sayyed sees Musharraf's recent overtures toward Israel as a feint -- an insincere tactic intended to impress Washington. ''That is why he has done nothing to challenge the way Jews and Israel are portrayed by the Islamists -- as demons, as an evil force," he argues. Many Pakistanis would welcome a genuine effort from the top to combat the radicals' hatred and lies but are not brave enough to fight them on their own. And so the Islamists go on spreading their lethal ideology. And that, writ large, is the problem at the core of the war on terrorism. ''The Muslim world is plunged into an abyss of darkness, antimodernity, anti-Americanism, and anti-Semitism," Sayyed says. Only a minority of Muslims are personally hateful or fanatic. But a minority can wreak enormous damage when the majority is unwilling to act. To Go To Top

UN'S "VIRTUE" IS ITS VICE Posted by Elan Journo, October 20, 2005.

On the United Nations' 60th anniversary, let us remember that the U.N.'s vaunted neutrality props up evil regimes. The United Nations, according to many, is a crucial institution nobly working to foster peace. Even the UN's critics, believing that its manifold flaws can be papered over with "reforms," agree that it is indispensable. But such adulation of the United Nations--which was officially born on Oct. 24 sixty years ago--evades the organization's essence: its corrupt "ideal" of moral neutrality. The fundamental feature of the United Nations is its policy of opening membership non-judgmentally to all nations--whether free or oppressive, peaceful or belligerent. This is upheld as the UN's central virtue and a vital means to peace. Admitting blatantly tyrannical regimes, proponents say, creates opportunities for "dialogue" and rehabilitation. As Kofi Annan explains, the very fact that such "nondemocratic states" sign on "to the UN's agenda opens an avenue through which other states, as well as civil society around the world, can press them to align their behavior with their commitments." But UN membership did not prevent the USSR (a founding member) from herding its citizens into gulags and forced-labor camps, murdering untold numbers of them, and invading other states; nor China from crushing under its military boot pro-freedom demonstrators and peaceful ideological dissenters; nor Iran and Saudi Arabia from infusing Islamist terrorist groups with abundant financial means and the ideological zeal to wage jihad against the West. The UN's policy of neutrality accomplishes precisely the opposite of its putative effect; it actually protects and bolsters vicious regimes. Participation in the UN confers on them an unearned moral legitimacy. That the leaders of such regimes are routinely invited to speak before the UN rewards them with an undeserved respectability. So it was with Fidel Castro: his self-justifying UN speech after seizing power in Cuba elicited rapturous applause. He was raised to the dignity of statesman--a man who deals in reasoned argument--despite being a totalitarian ruler who brutally silences dissidents. And the unwarranted recognition of arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat as a statesman arguably began when he first spoke at the United Nations in 1974. Though such men attain and hold power by force, though they preach murderous ideologies, though they devastate the lives of their subjects--the United Nations unfastidiously endorses them and their regimes. The United Nations thus gives them a means to entrench their power. Consider, for instance, the beleaguered UN Human Rights Commission, ostensibly responsible for protecting rights across the world. On the principle of neutrality, a country's brutal practices are no disqualification from joining this commission. Indeed, it has become infested with tyrannies; Syria and Cuba, two blood-soaked dictatorships, have each served as its chairman. And through the commission, notorious violators of individual rights scheme to bury any criticism of themselves. A bloc of Islamic countries, for example, self-righteously defends barbaric practices--stoning to death, crucifixion--carried out in certain states governed by Sharia. When a proposal was drafted to censure North Korea, which arbitrarily executes its enslaved citizens, the motion was soundly defeated thanks to Cuba, Algeria, Libya, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and others all guilty of similar and worse atrocities. Or consider the money corrupt regimes gain access to. For years the United Nations has showered millions of dollars in aid on the Palestinian Authority, the interim government in Gaza and the West Bank. That aid, mostly swallowed up by the leadership, has buoyed up a brutal regime that strips its people of their rights, their wealth, their dignity, and foments terrorism against Israel. UN aid has also flowed into North Korea's belligerent Stalinist dictatorship, which starves its people in order to fund an enormous military machine and a nuclear weapons program. What these handouts do is reinforce the walls of prison regimes like North Korea, exacerbate the misery of their citizens, and arm corrupt rulers. That the United Nations benefits evil regimes is a necessary consequence of its avowed ideal of neutrality. The willful refusal to discriminate between good and evil, between freedom and slavery, can benefit only the vicious. It is only an evil regime that fears moral scrutiny, that needs to conceal its crimes, and that struggles for a veneer of moral legitimacy. The UN's policy of moral neutrality is precisely what evil desperately craves: a license to commit any depravity and escape with a reputation for being decent. No organization can resolve conflicts if it evades the objective difference between right and wrong, and perversely treats an aggressor as the moral equal of his innocent victim. The United Nations is far from a means to achieving peace. Because it arms and bestows a moral sanction on vicious regimes, it is an accessory to their incalculable atrocities and murders. The 60th anniversary of the United Nations should be a time not to celebrate, but to end this morally irredeemable organization. Elan Journo is a junior fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute (http://www.aynrand.org/) in Irvine, Calif. The Institute promotes the ideas of Ayn Rand--best-selling author of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead and originator of the philosophy of Objectivism. To Go To Top

PROMISE THEM EVERYTHING BUT GIVE THEM NOTHING Posted by Ruth Matar, October 20, 2005.

Friends, I received an email from a friend, Jennifer, dated October 14, 2005. I am reproducing her letter in its entirety. I believe that she expresses what many of us feel. Ruth, This is deplorable! All the media hype about the compensation that the Jews would get for making this concession. Where is the media now when the promises are empty? Where is the outcry from the Israelis? Where is Sharon? Where is the international community? If this had happened to the Palestinians the media would be all over it. Where is Pres. Bush and America? I think you need to post this in your weekly letters letting us all know what a farce this is. We need to put pressure on Sharon to follow up. If he doesn't keep his word the world needs to know for the sake of the next group they want to evict. Jennifer On Sunday October 16, the Jerusalem Post published a very timely article entitled, "Time Runs Out For Gaza Evacuees" and written by Tovah Lazaroff. This article is a "Must-Read"! For the sake of the survival of the Jewish State we pray that we will soon be able to get rid of Ariel Sharon as Prime Minister, so that he will not be able to evict the rest of us from our homes in our Promised Land. With Blessings and Love for Israel, Ruth Matar The word "fair" made Gaza evacuee Jay Aizen jump out of his chair in anger and start shouting. His face was as red as the baseball cap he wore. "That's bullshit," he yelled at the Disengagement Authority representative who told him that the government had acted fairly with regard to him and other evacuated settlers from Gaza. In his anger, the US immigrant slipped momentarily into his native English. The two men were sitting in the lobby of the Shirat Hayam Hotel in Ashkelon this week assessing the possibilities available to the eight members of the Aizen family, who have been living in three hotel rooms for close to two months. They are no closer to finding a home now than they were when they arrived. The hotel's plans to, by Sunday, evict him and the 29 other families living there have added an extra element of pressure to the situation. The government will house the families in another hotel, but many do not want to endure a second move, to the extent that Aizen and a number of other families plan to refuse to leave. Only after the hotel's decision to close was made have the Aizens learned that they have been charged NIS 300 a night since October 6 because, having not yet settled on a temporary home, they were among the families whose hotel subsidies have been cut by the government. What's stumping Aizen at present is the question of where to live while he works out the details of his family's future. In the long term, he expects to receive compensation funds from the government to build a new home, but there is no saying when these funds will arrive or how much the family will receive. He is already anticipating that he will have to sue the government for what he considers the full value of his loss. In the meantime, while the government has budgeted a two-year span in which settlers can build permanent homes and receive a rental subsidy, Aizen feels stuck between what appears to him as two untenable options for that period after his government-sponsored hotel stay expires at the end of October. It's a problem he has been kicking around since he returned from the US at the end of July, where he had been on a three-month assignment as a consultant. He could sign a two-year contract for an 80-meter modular home provided by the government. With six children, however, it would be a drastic shift from life in the 350-meter home he built with a porch off every bedroom. His other option is to spend $300 of his own money on top of the $550 rental subsidy to rent an apartment or a home large enough to fit his family more comfortably. In addition to the monetary cost, however, that move would also isolate him from friends and former neighbors who have chosen the modular home route. "It's like asking me if I want to jump into the sea or a fire," Aizen said. He believes the government is responsible for providing him with a home of equivalent value even during this two-year period, but at this point, he said, he would settle for something even one-third the size. "Be smart. Spend the money, rent the home," advised the representative, as he put his hand protectively on Aizen's, now that the 61-year-old former Elei Sinai resident had calmed down from his outburst and was again sitting in his chair. But Aizen was incredulous that the government wouldn't simply provide him with a home big enough for his family. "Why should I have to pay money because the government kicked me out of my house?" he asked. Having already once in his life saved for and built his own home, he now fears that he will have to waste his money on rental costs and not have enough funds left to build another. That fear is also present when he considers signing a two-year contract for a modular home. If the modular home doesn't work for his family and they want to leave it, they stand to lose all rental subsidies, he said. Hindsight would be helpful here, Aizen mused, looking at the pool and palm trees outside the hotel lobby. "All my options are fraught with big defects," he said. Each day of waiting in the hotel is a financial loss for the Aizens. With their possessions in storage, they have found themselves spending money on both replacement items and the storage itself. Even examining the possibilities is expensive. The Aizens are looking at a rental in Ashkelon, but the owner lives in Switzerland, and this means international calls and faxes. What makes it hard, Aizen told The Jerusalem Post, is that it's a risk either way. He knows of a Gaza family that, having initially rented a place, is now looking to join a modular community of settlers instead because their children feel isolated. "We are afraid of that, too," he said. With his blue floral Hawaiian shirt, Aizen looks more like a tourist on vacation than a frustrated, cynical evacuee with no home. "This isn't how I usually dress," Aizen later told the Post following the exchange with the Disengagement Authority representative. The Hawaiian shirt was the only clean one he had left, he said. The red Phillies baseball cap hid his poor haircut from the day before. "Even in a crisis, you have to deal with bad hair days," he said. The Zionist fervor Aizen felt when he came to Israel from Philadelphia in 1974 has soured. In different times, he said, he and his wife Pnina so admired Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that the couple named their youngest son Arik after him. They even invited Sharon to the circumcision. Sharon declined, but when the prime minister visited Elei Sinai later that year he asked to see the baby and held him in his arms. They have photos, but those are in storage along with the rest of their possessions. Aizen recalled how he and his wife Pnina had slowly built their home on the sea's edge in north Gaza. Thinking about how it had been reduced to a pile of rubble brought tears to his eyes. "It wasn't just a house," Aisen said. "It was something I spent years of my life developing and designing. I built it myself." He had wanted to take everything, including the tiles, but in the end he didn't even manage to get out all of his possessions. Only after the house had been torn down did he remember storing old record albums like Sylvester the Seal in the attic along with some sentimental letters and other mementos. "I look at the 15 years of my life in Elei Sinai as a waste of time," he said bitterly. "I trust nothing about this country. I feel rejected and betrayed by everything I believed in." He has even considered the option of returning to the United States, but is hesitant to give up his 30-year investment in Israel. It's more likely, he said, that he will move up north with a small number of Gaza families, but the plans have yet to be finalized. Aizen said he feels like the character of Tevya from the Shalom Aleichem play Fiddler on the Roof, who was chased out of his village in Russia. "Except that I am living in Israel, for God's sake," he said. Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org To Go To Top

KOFI ANNAN OUT OF BOUNDS Posted by Avodah 15, October 20, 2005.

This was written by Dr. Joseph Lerner, Co-Director of Imra and it appeard yesterday In the brief Haaretz story which follows, the UN Secretary General advises that Israel shouldn't "oppose Hamas taking part in January's... election", that "no armed militias sit in the Palestinian Parliament" and that the demand that Hamas disarm before the election is undesireable. These are substantial issues which have not been considered by the the UN. Consequently, it is inappropriate for Annan to make declarations concerning these issues. This differs from expanding on, or focusing on, policy issues which have received definative UN consideration. Also, it is not appropriate for Annan to present such advice through Yossi Beilen and Aboud Rabbo who oppose the government of Israel. Sharon has already taken a weak position in opposing Hamas' electoral position saying he is opposed in "principle" but will not act in practice even though the agreements which the Palestinian Authority joined rule out Hamas paricipation. Also, there have been other cases in which some organization has been denied participation in elections, as in Iraq. Annan's reservation that armed militias not sit in the Palestinian legislative body is unrealistic. Does it mean they are not to bring weapons into the premises? Significantly, the struggle against terrorism is not limited to those who fire weapons. It includes fund-raisers, physical supporters and advocates. Disarming Hamas is a long-standing requirement. The election should not excuse ignoring it. Furthermore, it will be even more difficult to disarm Hamas after the election in which they will acquire enhanced political power. It must be kept in mind that Hamas is not an undefined armed malitia. It proudly practices terrorism, is dedicated to Israel's destruction and anti-Semitism as shown in its enthusiastic embrace of the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion". For sure, Kofi Annan knows all of this and thus lets us know him for what he is. Haaretz, 19 October 2005:"Annan: Israel must allow Hamas to run in Palestinian elections", by Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondent United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan on Tuesday met with the heads of the Geneva peace initiative, Yossi Beilin and Yasser Abed Rabbo, and told them that Israel should not oppose Hamas taking part in January's Palestinian Authority general elections. Annan said, however, that it was important that no armed militia sit in the Palestinian parliament. He also said that the demand that Hamas disarm itself before the general elections would only strengthen the radical Islamic group on the account of other moderate movements To Go To Top

AMERICAN PRESSURE ON ISRAEL Posted by Batya Medad, October 20, 2005.

We all know about the "double standards." Yes, in plural. U.S. President Bush screams "zero tolerance for terrorism" when the U.S. is even vaguely threatened. Let me correct that. It's not the United States' existence that's threatened, just lives and ego. But when Israel is endangered, attacked, and its citizens suffer sometimes daily from Arab terrorism, Israel is instructed, as if it's just an American possession to desist from any defensive moves. The world's nations are doing everything they can to support the floundering terrorist state. It's floundering, because it's not viable in any sense of the world. There was never a Palestinian nation, nor people. It was invented by the British in order to find an excuse not to give the Mandate to the Jewish People. The only thing those Arabs have in common is a blood-thirsty aim to murder Jews and destroy the State of Israel. Despite this, Arab terror leaders are welcomed in the White House. Just looking at the bare statistics of "Islamic Terror Attacks of the past 12 Months," I'd be pretty wary of getting so friendly with the Arabs, no matter what gifts they're bearing. Israel is also chastised by the U.S. for normal development, for building homes for its citizens. We must not be silent. Following is a letter a friend wrote to U.S. Bush. I suggest that more letters with the same message are written. Dear President Bush, Today the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Abu Mazen, accused Israel of responsibility for the attack on young Israelis waiting at a bus stop - 3 deaths and 5 wounded. Another Israeli was wounded in a second attack. I, an American citizen who voted for you twice and trusted your words am simply OUTRAGED!!!! You say one thing about fighting terrorism without compromise - wherever it is - yet you mean it for every other nation but Israel which has been at the receiving end of Muslim terror for most of the last century. Are you not aware of the fact that 85% of the Palestinian Arabs want to annihilate Israel and world Jewry? How can your conscience permit you to think of pressuring the only democracy and loyal friend in a region that reeks of the treachery of lynchings and beheadings of human beings?!!! The evil murderer, Abbas/Abu Mazen, excuses his killers by claiming not enough concessions from Israel and you support his criminal rage and want to give him a terrorist state! Your need to appease the corrupt Muslim world is appalling; those who attacked and murdered Americans on our own soil were cheered by those whom you would reward with a state from which to carry on more such evil! It is time for you to stop pressuring Israel and confront the real danger to Western civilization; it is the Islamicist movement that is threatening not only Israel's existence but also that of Europe and every other democratic country - including the United States. NO MORE CONCESSIONS TO MUSLIMS WHO MURDER INNOCENT PEOPLE. NO MORE CONCESSIONS TO A FUNDAMENTALISM THAT WANTS TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD. NO TERRORIST STATE OF PALESTINE! WE ARE ALL AWARE OF THESE GOALS, MR. BUSH. WHY CAN YOU NOT RECOGNIZE IT BEFORE IT DESTROYS CIVILIZATION? YOUR APPEASEMENT OF THE MUSLIMS IS AN UNFORGIVEABLE BETRAYAL OF WESTERN VALUES THAT BROUGHT YOU TO LEAD THE FREE WORLD. I AM A DISTRAUGHT AMERICAN CITIZEN - ONE OF THOUSANDS -WHO NEVER EXPECTED TO HAVE TO SAY THIS TO AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT. CG This is Musing #145. Batya Medad lives in Shiloh. She can be reached by email at Shilohmuse@yahoo.com or visit her website http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/ or go to http://www.shilo.org.il This essay is archived at http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2005/10/ 145-new-year-old-problem.html To Go To Top

SOMETIMES IT IS WORTH GOING TO WAR Posted by IsrAlert, October 20, 2005.

This was written by Mark Steyn and is archived at www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml;jsessionid= ZYOBAHGUN4ZSLQFIQMFCNAGAVCBQYJVC?xml=/opinion/2005/10/ 18/do1802.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2005/10/18/ixop.html I yield to no one in my disdain for the United Nations and all its works, but I did find myself warming up to Unicef the other day. Last week, on Belgian television, the UN children's agency premiered the first adult movie featuring the Smurfs. By "adult", I don't mean it was a blue movie. Only the characters were blue. But it was an adult movie in the sense that the Smurfs were massacred during an air strike on their village, until, in the final scene, only Baby Smurf is left, weeping alone surrounded by wall-to-wall Smurf corpses. It's the first Smurf snurf movie. Well, I thought, say what you like about the UN, but any organisation that wants to bomb the Smurfs can't be all bad. Instead of those wimps at Dudley council banning Piglet like a bunch of nancy boys, why couldn't they make some blockbuster video nuking the Hundred-Acre Wood and leaving Pooh to die in a radioactive Heffalump pit? My mistake. Apparently Unicef made the short film as a fundraiser to highlight how children are the principal victims of war. As Baby Smurf wails amid the shattered ruins, we see the words: "Don't let war affect the lives of children." Oh, well. It's not clear from the Smurf carnage whether their village is a sovereign jurisdiction - the ultimate blue state - or whether they're merely some hapless minority within a multi-ethnic nation, the Kosovars to Elmo's Slobodan. But either way the warplanes come and blue body parts are exploding all over the village. Good luck to Unicef and all. But I can't help thinking that, if you are that concerned for children in war zones, you might have done something closer to what real conflict is like in those places. In Rwanda, Sudan and a big chunk of west Africa, air strikes are few and far between. Instead, millions get hacked to death by machetes. Even on the very borders of Eutopia, hundreds of thousands died in the Balkans in mostly low-tech, non-state-of-the-art ways. In 2003, Charles Onyango-Obbo wrote a fascinating column in the East African musing on the resurgence of cannibalism, after reports that Ugandan-backed rebels in the Congo were making surviving members of their victims' families eat the body parts of their loved ones. "While colonialism is bad," he said, "the coloniser who arrives by plane, vehicle or ship is better - because he will have to build an airport, road or harbour - than the one who, like the Ugandan army, arrived and withdrew from most of eastern Congo on foot." Just so. If you're going to be attacked, it's best to be attacked by a relatively advanced enemy. Compared to being force-fed Grandfather Smurf's genitals, having his village strafed in some clinical air strike is about the least worst option for Baby Smurf. Why would Unicef show such an implausible form of Smurficide? Well, whether intentionally or not, they are evoking the war that most of their audience - in Belgium and beyond - is opposed to: the Iraq war, where the invader did indeed have an air force. That's how the average Western "progressive" still conceives of warfare, as something the big bullying Pentagon does to weak victims. But this week is a week to remember that there are worse things than war that "affect the lives of children". If I were Papa Smurf, I wouldn't want Baby Smurf to grow up in Saddam's Iraq. I don't mean just because we'd be the beleaguered minority of Smurfistan, to be gassed and shovelled into mass graves. Even if we were part of Saddam's own approved class living in the Smurfi Triangle, it's still a life permanently fixed between terror and resignation, in which all a parent's hopes for his children are subordinate to the whims of a psycho state. That Iraq is gone now - not because of Unicef and the other transnational institutions that confer respectability on dictatorships, but because America, Britain and a few others were prepared to go to war. As the Guardian harrumphed on Saturday: "People who opposed the war in Iraq will find it hard to stomach attempts to present the referendum as a triumph." Fair enough. For my part, I find it hard to stomach the degrees of support offered to the "insurgency" by George Galloway, John Pilger, Tariq Ali and Michael Moore. But it's not about what I or the Guardian find hard to stomach. Peripheral though they may be to the concerns of the "peace" crowd, it is in the end about the Iraqi people, and, as with all the previous will-they-won't-they deadlines, at the eleventh hour they managed to rouse themselves and pull it off. Sixteen out of Iraq's 18 provinces - including Sunni-majority ones - voted for the most liberal, democratic, federal and pluralist constitution in the Middle East. Sorry to make the Guardian throw up, but that is indeed a "triumph". Whatever the Americans got wrong, they got one big thing right - that, if you persevered, Iraq had the potential to function as a free society in a part of the world where no such thing has ever existed. That was a long shot, and much sneered at, not least by British "conservatives". But Washington judged correctly: given the radicalisation of the Arab world, and the Arabification of the Islamic world, and the Islamification of much of the rest of the world, in the end you have to fix the problem at source. In his book The Clash Of Civilizations, Samuel Huntington has a section on "Islam's Bloody Borders". "The overwhelming majority of fault line conflicts," he writes, "have taken place along the boundary looping across Eurasia and Africa that separates Muslims from non-Muslims." That looping boundary is never not in the news. Last week, it was Nalchik in the Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, where the Islamists killed more than 60 people. The week before, it was Bali, again. Different regimes on the looping boundary try different strategies: in Indonesia, appeasement; in Chechnya, the Russians have reduced Grozny to rubble and still not got anywhere. Pushing back the Islamists on their ever expanding margins will never work. Reforming the heart of the Muslim world just might. Sometimes war is worth it. And, if you don't think so, look at the opening scenes of that Unicef video - Smurfs singing, dancing, gambolling merrily - and try to imagine living in a Smurf enclave in a province that wants to introduce Sharia. Harv Weiner, a businessman in Dallas, Texas, is the founder and moderator of Isralert. To subscribe to IsrAlert, send an email to isralert@aol.com To Go To Top

DOCUMENT NAMES 300 ORGANISATIONS SEEKING NUCLEAR AND WMD TECHNOLOGY Posted by Avodah 15, October 20, 2005.

This was written by Ian Cobain and Ewen MacAskill and it appeared in The Guardian, Oct 8, 2005. It is archived at www.guardian.co.uk/armstrade/story/0,,1587750,00.html It can be read at the Independent Media Review and Analysis (IMRA) website: www.imra.org.il The determination of countries across the Middle East and Asia to develop nuclear arsenals and other weapons of mass destruction is laid bare by a secret British intelligence document which has been seen by the Guardian. More than 360 private companies, university departments and government organisations in eight countries, including the Pakistan high commission in London, are identified as having procured goods or technology for use in weapons programmes. The length of the list, compiled by MI5, suggests that the arms trade supermarket is bigger than has so far been publicly realised. MI5 warns against exports to organisations in Iran, Pakistan, India, Israel, Syria and Egypt and to beware of front companies in the United Arab Emirates, which appears to be a hub for the trade. The MI5 document, entitled Companies and Organisations of Proliferation Concern, has been compiled in an attempt to prevent British companies inadvertently exporting sensitive goods or expertise to organisations covertly involved in WMD programmes. Despite the large number of bodies identified, the document says the list is not exhaustive. It states: "It is not suggested that the companies and organisations on the list have committed an offence under UK legislation. However, in addition to conducting non-proliferation related business, they have procured goods and/or technology for weapons of mass destruction programmes." The 17-page document identifies 95 Pakistani organisations and government bodies, including the Pakistan high commission in London, as having assisted in the country's nuclear programme. The list was compiled two years ago, shortly after the security service mounted a surveillance operation at the high commission which is the only diplomatic institution on the list. Abdul Basit, the deputy high commissioner, said: "It is absolute rubbish for Pakistan to be included. We take exception to these links." Some 114 Iranian organisations, including chemical and pharmaceutical companies and university medical schools, are identified as having acquired nuclear, chemical, biological or missile technology. The document also attempts to shed some light on the nuclear ambitions of Egypt and Syria: a private chemical company in Egypt is identified as having procured technology for use in a nuclear weapons programme, while the Syrian atomic energy commission faces a similar charge. Eleven Israeli organisations appear on the list, along with 73 Indian bodies, which are said to have been involved in WMD programmes. The document also highlights concerns that companies in Malta and Cyprus could have been used as fronts for WMD programmes. The United Arab Emirates is named as "the most important" of the countries where front companies may have been used, and 24 private firms there are identified as having acquired WMD technology for Iran, Pakistan and India. A spokesman for the UAE government said it had always worked "very closely" with the British authorities to counter the proliferation of WMD. To Go To Top

UN STUDY OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN THE ARAB WORLD Posted by Sasha Fleigler, October 20, 2005.

Is this ALL Israel's fault? 1. Legalized slavery in Mauritania and Sudan. 2. Genocide of 2,000,000 Christians and Animists in Sudan. Nearly 6,000,000 of displaced people. 3. Slaughter of Coptic Christians in Egypt, 4. 2,000,000 homeless in the civil war in Algeria (for 10 years), 5. Ghadaffi's secret search for nukes, 6. Syria's massacre of thousands of Lebanese (mostly Christians) 7. Iraq's Saddam and his 1,300,000 victims and use of WMDs, 8. Saudi brutal and primitive oppression of women, 9. Saudi apartheid treatment of all non-Moslems 10. Saudi funding of terrorist jihad and madrasas of hatred, 11. The lowest literacy rates in the world, 12. The greatest disparities of wealth distribution in the world, 13. The vast populations that are among the very poorest in the world 14. The lowest literacy rates for women in the world, 15. The least democratic forms of governance in the world, 16. The worst treatment of minorities in every Arab country, 17. The brutal treatment of children in many Arab countries, 18. The smallest number of science/math graduates in the world. Contact the author at thelady@bayarea.net To Go To Top

GHETTOIZING GUSH ETZION Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, October 20, 2005.

When you hear absolute, unqualified guarantees by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Deputy PM Ehud Olmert, Deputy PM Shimon Peres and/or Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz about Jewish Land not (I repeat!) NOT to be transferred to Arab Muslims, be assured that's exactly what they are planning. Their denials a priori (before the fact) are their "trial balloons" to see how much opposition the denied action will provoke. Sharon has stated plainly that the Gush Etzion block will never be transferred or abandoned to the Arab Muslim Palestinians. Their well-planned tactic is to use the Sharon Wall under the guise of protecting Jewish citizens to divide and conquer. If one bothers to track the route of this ghetto-izing Wall in the Gush area, one can see clearly that it is meant to divide this area into small segments. When the time comes, Sharon - under the rubric of the now famous "Road Map" can once again send in troops to evacuate each segmented piece more easily. Something like this was what the Czars and Josef Stalin managed to accomplish in Russia by forcing the Shtetl Jews into small villages. Historically, this was called a pogrom. This absurdly planned Fence follows a twisty route often bringing the Fence and the Terrorists behind it within a few meters of Jewish homes. This, of course, is an accommodation of Aharon Barak, Chief Justice of Israel's radically Left Supreme Court. Working hand-in-hand with Sharon and Peres it seems that Sharon is ready to move on dissecting the Jewish nation of Israel in order to accommodate a "Road Map" which was a dream/nightmare put together by the State Department, former Secretary of State James Baker, the European Union and put into the mouth of the President George Bush. Sharon and his crowd are people born without a deep conscience. Nothing is as important as maintaining power, generating money for themselves and those followers who would sell their mothers to keep their seats of power. Hopefully, the people of the Gush Etzion block will not fall for the propaganda that Sharon will not sell out Gush Etzion as well as all of Judea and Samaria, Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, the Jordan Valley..... and so forth, until we Jews are left with a smidgin of Tel Aviv. BS"D (with G-d's help), one day the people will tire of corruption within both major political parties and form a Peoples' Court to bring Justice to a nation now buried in corruption. In the meantime, a new Council should be formed to handle the affairs of Gush Etzion. The old administration, while no doubt well meaning, is clearly in over their heads and is too soft, too accommodating to protect the area from a predatory government whose promises mean absolutely nothing. Make it a rule that whatever and whenever the Sharon Mafia make a commitment, assume the reverse. Good people go to sleep without plots and conspiracies on their minds. The corrupt wait until you are fast asleep to begin plotting. Only in the next morning do decent people discover that the political mafia have stolen their homes and made common cause with the Jewish people's sworn enemies. I refer you to the following article by Caroline Glick who toured the current planned Gush Etzion Fence route and saw clearly what Sharon was up to! The article is called "Battle for the 'settlement blocs'" and was written by Caroline Glick. It appeared in the Jerusalem Post, Oct. 13, 2005. When the Sharon government decided to expel all Jews from Gaza, their communities' physical isolation and the fact that they were fenced-in and thus geographically limited, eased the work of the evacuation forces both during the planning and implementation of their mass expulsion. Today for residents of Judea and Samaria as well as for those on the Left who seek their uprooting, the successful expulsion of Gazan Jews has raised a number of questions regarding the government's plans for erecting the security fence around communities in the areas. On the one hand, residents of settlements not included in the fence route contend with the fact that from the perspective of the political Left -- including the Sharon-Peres government and the Supreme Court -- Israel is less than likely to demand the inclusion of their communities within the borders of sovereign Israel in any future peace deal with the Palestinians. For those whose communities are included in the fence route, the question becomes what the route of the planned fence says about the government's intention to enable their growth and prosperity and to guarantee their security. When addressing non-leftist audiences, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon loudly extols his commitment to the preservation of what he refers to as "settlement blocs" in Judea and Samaria. Sharon ostentatiously points to the letter he received from US President George W. Bush in April 2004 where the subject of Israel's final borders is vaguely discussed. The letter is presented as a sort of trophy meant to prove Sharon's Zionist bona fides to the majority of Israelis who categorically reject the return to Israel's indefensible frontiers along the 1949 armistice lines. Yet beyond his evocations of non-existent American guarantees and vague declarations of fealty to Israel's right to our ancestral lands in Judea and Samaria, Sharon has never specifically delineated what he means when he refers to settlement blocs. Given Sharon's silence on the subject, the best way to test his intentions is to visit the proposed route of the security fence in Gush Etzion -- one of the settlement blocs that Sharon insists will always remain part of Israel. Work on the security fence around Gush Etzion, located just south of Jerusalem, is scheduled to begin immediately after the High Holy Days. Three disturbing conclusions arise from a survey of the proposed route. First, in spite of Sharon's protestations to the contrary, the route of the fence shows that he has no intention of preserving the entire settlement bloc. Many of the communities inside of the Gush Etzion Regional Council -- like Karmei Tzur in the south and Nokdim and Tekoa in the east -- are excluded from the fence route. Aside from that, the route gives priority to Arab property rights over both Jewish property rights and the security needs of the 50,000 Israelis who live in the area. The following examples illustrate this disturbing truth. The community of Bat Ayin does not have a security fence. Distinct from the other communities in Gush Etzion, Bat Ayin was conceived and developed along the view that its best guarantee of security and prosperity is for its land to be settled sparsely along the wide expanse of the Judean hills rather than densely and in a limited geographical area. This view has enabled the community to grow and secure itself rather well. Yet, the route of the security fence will artificially wreck Bat Ayin's ability to protect itself. The planned route places the fence no more than a couple of dozen meters outside the houses of the community's residents on the incline separating their homes from the wadi below. The route excludes the hilltop immediately across the valley from Bat Ayin and so puts the homes of the residents within assault rifle range of terrorists. Fenced into their community, the residents will have no ability to deter attackers or to pursue those who shoot from outside the fence. Aside from that, the land that is set to be placed on "the Arab side" of the fence includes 400 dunams of privately owned Jewish land bought for Gush Etzion by the JNF in the early 1940s. As well, thousands of dunams of state land, cultivated by the JNF, is set to be transferred to "the Arab side." The effective mass seizure of these lands is justified by the government as a way of ensuring that the residents of the small Arab village of Jabah (which is controlled by Hamas), will be able to cultivate a few dozen dunams of olive groves. Today Gush Etzion is connected to sovereign Israel by Route 367 which connects it to the center of the country, and by Highway 60 which connects it to Jerusalem. Route 367 today runs south of Jabah. The plans for the security fence involve investing some NIS 100 million in order to move Route 367 to Jabah's north. This is to be accomplished in order to connect Jabah to the Arab village Beit Tzurif (which is also controlled by Hamas), and to leave both villages out of the fence route. The new road will be located on a narrow mountain ridge beneath Jabah and all motorists traveling along the road will immediately be exposed targets for any terrorist wishing to shoot a Jew from the village. As Daniel Winston from Bat Ayin puts it, "We'll be like fish in a barrel." As to Highway 60, across from the northern entrance to Efrat is a hilltop that controls the highway. The route of the security fence is set to transfer control over the top of this hill to the Palestinians. As a result, anyone entering Efrat from Highway 60 will be exposed to attack. Last month Gush Etzion's Regional Council sent a letter to the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria laying out the residents' concerns regarding the proposed route of the fence. The response they received in a letter dated September 20 from the Civil Administration's legal adviser was as revealing as it was alarming. "The goal of the security fence is to prevent penetration into these communities, and is not being designed to prevent shooting at the communities," the legal adviser noted. But the sad truth is that the current route does not simply prevent shooting attacks, it invites them. When residents of Kibbutz Kfar Etzion -- the original community in Gush Etzion, which was built in the 1930s, destroyed by the Jordanian Legion in the War of Independence and then rebuilt in 1967 -- were given the details of the proposed route of the fence, they published a declaration on September 24 where they stated, "The proposed route of the separation fence around the communities of Gush Etzion is a terrible solution that harms both Jews and Arabs. As a result we are relinquishing it and ask to substitute it with alternative security methods that are being planned for communities in Judea and Samaria." Following Kfar Etzion's declaration, the heads of the regional and local councils of Gush Etzion, Beitar Illit and Efrat met this week and published their own statement. There they announced they are "demanding that the Minister of Defense not conduct any work on the route of the security fence until the debate between the area residents and the security establishment has been completed." In addition to the government's approved fence route, the ultra-leftist Council for Peace and Security, which is financed by the European Union and the New Israel Fund and headed by Major Gen. (res.) Danny Rothschild, has its own proposed route for the security fence around Gush Etzion. The council's route is relevant because on several occasions in the past, the council has petitioned the Supreme Court and demanded changes in the government's route. Its past petitions have been warmly received by the politicized court that has adopted its routes in spite the IDF's strenuous assertions that they endanger Israel's security. The court has defended its decisions by adopting the council's view that Palestinian property rights should be given priority over Israel's security and Jewish property rights. In the council's proposed route, the security fence would surround Efrat on the east and west effectively turning it into a ghetto. Indeed, the route would ghettoize all the Jewish communities in the region and connect them to one another by narrow corridors, transferring all the outlying areas to Arab control. In spite of the vast differences in geography and topography, the council's route would effectively transform Gush Etzion, on the southern border of Jerusalem, into a second Gush Katif -- fenced-in communities with no ability to expand. Shaul Goldstein, the head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, believes that the residents must try to cooperate with the IDF and the government in an effort to change the proposed route of the fence. In his view, if Gush Etzion follows the line set out by residents of Kfar Etzion and rejects the fence completely, the result will be to dry up industry, investment and tourism in the region. Goldstein also fears that in the absence of the fence, prospective new residents will opt not to move to the area and current residents will opt to move away out of fear that the area will be uprooted in the future. At the same time, Goldstein believes that if the government does not change the proposed route of the fence, Gush Etzion will have no choice other than to reject the fence in its entirety because of the security threats that emanate from the current route. In such a scenario, the residents of Gush Etzion will be forced to fight a political battle against the widespread assumption that all areas not located within the route of the fence will eventually be transferred -- Judenrein -- to Palestinian control. Whatever happens in the coming weeks and months, the dispute over Gush Etzion's fence will have long-term significance for the future of Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria as well as in east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. As the battle unfolds three things will become clear. First, the Sharon-Peres government's attitude towards the fence route will clarify what the government's actual intentions are in terms of preserving and enabling the security and prosperity for Sharon's so-called "settlement blocs" in Judea and Samaria. Second, the IDF's stance regarding the fence route and its willingness, as the statutory body responsible for ensuring Israel's security, to stand up to the Supreme Court in defense of Israel's right to defensible borders (which necessarily must be beyond the indefensible 1949 armistice lines), will establish a precedent for the long-term dispute over all Israeli claims to sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. Finally, in the wake of the complete failure of the leadership of the Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza to prevent the destruction of the communities in Gaza and northern Samaria this summer, the political strength of these leaders vis-a-vis the government and state on the one hand and the public on the other is again about to be tested. No matter how the battle pans out, its results will form the basis for all future battles regarding Israel's sovereign borders. Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). Contact him at gwinston@interaccess.com To Go To Top

REPORT #11: STATE OF (EVICTED) GUSH KATIF, NORTHERN GAZA AND NORTHERN SHOMRON COMMUNITIES Posted by Toby Klein Greenwald, October 20, 2005.

This was commissioned by Israel Resource News Agency and the Center for Near East Policy Research Update on the 30,000 shekel burial for Netzer Hazani victim As a result of this report, and the fact that the researcher contacted the office of Minister of Science and Technology Matan Vilnai, the matter was dealt with by his office and they contacted us yesterday (Sunday) to report that all the money would be returned to Hezi Hazani's family and that, as a result of this terrible story, the situation won't repeat itself. Vilnai's staff is eager to let the public know that if, G-d forbid, another evacuee dies, his family will not have to pay to have their loved one buried. (Explanation for those who missed the previous report: Every citizen of Israel has the right to be buried free of charge in his home town, but the Netezer Hanazi heart attack victim's family was asked to pay to bury him in Rishon Ltzion, since it's not his "home town". He had no current home town, since his home is rubble in Gaza.) Moshav Katif According to the internal Gush Katif website, Katif.net, the community of Moshav Katif, that has been living in very difficult dorm conditions since the disengagement, thought they would finally achieve a modicum of peace of mind when they move to the guest house of Hafetz Haim, after it is vacated by the people of Ganei Tal, who are due to move into their caravans in Yad Binyamin (which, the people of Ganei Tal say, are not yet ready, and in livable condition). The Katif people, however, had a rude awakening this week when their representatives were told that the Disengagement Authority was willing to pay the hotel only 10% of the cost of the rooms. The hotel had been willing to give a 20% discount, but the Authority reportedly wanted a 90% discount. It also insisted that the hotel provide only one hot meal a day, and that the evacuees would have to manage in their rooms for the other two meals. Having visited the Ganei Tal community in Hafetz Haim, we can report that the rooms are very small, about 60% the size of a regular hotel room, and there are no cooking facilities. Nevertheless, the Moshav Katif people were willing to live in those conditions, but the deal fell through, according to them, due to the demands of the Disengagement Authority. The Palestinian Authority was contacted for a response but there is only a recorded message that the spokesman will be back after the 19th. Bdoloch The community of Bdoloch staying in the Shirat Hayam Hotel has been told that the hotel will be closed, and it should stop providing food and other services. We spoke with Uri Mensharf, the Disengagement Authority contact at the hotel, who refused to give details without permission of the Authority spokesman, but he's abroad on vacation and won't be back till the end of the week. According to Adi, a volunteer at the hotel, there are three families there with no where to go; the others are making do at the homes of friends and families. Some families have moved into caravans in Nitzan. Aaron Farjun, spokesman for Gadid, who moved into a caravan in Nitzan several weeks ago, said they are very poor quality and when asked about the fire-proofedness of them, he laughed and said, "First ask if they're waterproof!" since there have been problems with water pipes leaking, bursting, and some of the waterproofing tests done in recent days proved that some of the caravans (the percentage is not clear) will not withstand the winter. Gadid Shoshi Journeau of the Gadid community staying in the Neve Ilan Hotel, said that some of the families are, for the Succot holiday, back in the same decrepit hotel in Tiberias where they were for Rosh Hashana (as Neve Ilan once again needed their rooms for regular tourists), but the hotel supposedly put in the effort to have cleaned up its act. "There is a little bit of improvement," says Shoshi, "but we've stopped complaining because it doesn't help much, one can't ask them for too much." Yesterday (Sunday) representatives from Gadid went to see the apartment hotel rooms that the Disengagement Authority had offered them in Ashkelon for the next four months. "There are very tiny rooms, one small burner per family, very uncomfortable. It appears they didn't even check the place before they sent us to see it," says Shoshi. "The main thing is they say, 'We offered the settlers and they refused.' They also offered larger apartments, that were empty, but for that we'd have to empty all our containers, to get to the furniture we'd need, and we're afraid that if we leave the hotel for something temporary, that isn't really a solution, no one will take a second look at us. Now the ball is in their court. For Simhat Tora we were invited to the settlement of Dolev." What about the problem with no proper laundry arrangements? "The laundry problem was partially solved. We try to solve our problems through friends, but it's frustrating." Kerem Atzmona The containers of Kerem Atzmona, which were packed by the sub-contractors of the Ministry of Defense of Israel, were delivered to their homes in Nitzan this week, and the community's people were shocked to discover that refrigerators, washing machines, stoves, bookshelves, closets and other furniture had been broken. Other objects were missing. Not all the boxes even made it into the containers, because, they were told by the packers who were also the unpackers, "There wasn't room." Asaf Shariv, media advisory for PM Ariel Sharon, had told this researcher several weeks before the disengagement, when asked if the contents of the containers would be insured, that "the settlers will not bear the financial burden of anything that is broken or missing". In general, said Avia Halevi, our contact in Kerem Atzmona, originally from Toronto, "The attitude to us during the disengagement was terrible. It took seven hours to go by bus from Kerem Atzmona to Sderot, a 30-minute trip. First we sat on the bus for three hours, and they wouldn't even let pregnant women who need the bathroom to get off. Finally they let them go to the bathroom at Kissufim, after a four-hour wait." They are currently in Karmia and Nitzan, neither of which encampment has security rooms in the homes or nearby bomb shelters. Karmia and Nitzan According to Yossi Ben Baruch, the project director of the building in Karmia and Nitzan, they are "in the process" of building security rooms in Karmia. "We are waiting for money from the Ministry of Defense; it is now being negotiated between the owner of Evelon Technologies, and the Ministry of Defense." There have already been attempts of infiltrations by terrorists into Karmia. Ben Baruch said that there are currently 56 buildings in Karmia, of which 46 have been occupied. The remaining 10 are all 90 square meters. He said that there are no security rooms being built now at Nitzan and regarding bomb shelters, "It is in the hands of the Ministry of Defense and other ministries." When he was asked if the caravans were fire-proof, he said, "We build according to the Institute of Standards," but he would not provide documentation proving this. Aaron Farjun, a spokesperson for Bdoloch currently living at Nitzan, laughed when asked if they're fireproof. "Ask if they're waterproof! They're substandard. There are all kinds of problems with them. They're made of a little bit of cement wiped over a piece of netting?" According to Ben Baruch, Evelon is a private company owned by Ofer and Tali Asher. Help for Gush Katif College Students There is an effort underway to help finance college students from Gush Katif who will have a more difficult time meeting their tuition and living demands this year. Since college starts in Israel after the holidays, which this year end toward the end of October. In most years, college students work during the summer and early autumn to help pay their tuition and dorm fees. This year the Gush Katif students were involved in the Disengagement and, later, in helping their families settle into their temporary quarters, so they could not work as usual. Anyone interested in more information concerning this effort should contact Anita Tucker at: atucker@isdn.net.il Contact Toby Klein Greenwald at toby@wholefamily.com To Go To Top

TWO KINDS OF POLICE Posted by Arieh Zaritsky, October 20, 2005.

1. TShai Malka and Ariel Vangrover were injured by Police From boaz3333@bezeqint.net: For the Court case of "The State" against Shai Malka and Ariel Vangrover, heads of "HaBaiyt HaLeumi." Evidences and pictures are necessary, of Policemen Violence During The Expulsion in general, and particularly in Junctions on the "Nisui Keilim: day (May 16). * PLEASE, send material to noar@manhigut.org, fax 02-6512.664, or call Ariel 0525-665.852 or Shai 0525-665.851 * Contributions toward their legal representation can be deposited at Account # 105/056022, at HaBank HaBeinleumi HaRishon (# 31), branch # 122 2. But then there were police men like Avidan Weitzman Great Speaker - Hero (From: Schilit Shoshanna srschilit@yahoo.com) We had the distinct pleasure to host Avidan Weitzman of Ramat Beit Shemesh, former Yassam policeman who was "mesarev pekuda" before the churban of Gush Katif. Married with 3 children and 11-year veteran of the police force, Avidan gave up his career for his principles and for Torah values. A quiet, soft spoken gentleman, he has a compelling Jewish message for our youth and for us. He is currently learning to be an electrician, washing dishes in a yeshiva to supplement his unemployment (only receives half, because he is studying!) and his wife had to go to work part time as well. He says that he would be a street cleaner, in order not to throw Jews out of their homes. * He can be reached at 02-9999.887 Dr. Arieh Zaritsky is Professor of Molecular Biology at Ben Gurion University in the Negev. To Go To Top

A SINGULAR EFFORT FOR IMMIGRANT SOLDIERS Posted by Judy Lash Balint, October 20, 2005.

I have met a lot of people through the course of my immigration to Israel and absorption into the country and culture, and I have received a great deal of help, support, and advice throughout the process. There is one particular man, however, who stands out in my life, and to whom I will forever be grateful for an infinite amount of reasons. His name is Tziki Aud, and I think his story needs to be heard. Tziki and his lone soldiers: Tziki Aud is the head of the Information Center for new immigrants at the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem, and he spends his days fielding office visits, phone calls, and emails by the truckload from "fresh off the boat" immigrants from North and South America, France, Canada, Ethiopia, and Russia who don't know what they're doing and have no idea who to turn to next. He holds their hands and he reassures them that things will be fine, and then he picks up his seemingly magical phone and finds them a place to live, potential options for school and/or work, and a way out of their desperation and fear and aloneness. This is his day job. In every other second of his spare time, Tziki assists chayalim bodedim, or "lone soldiers." These are young Jewish boys between the ages of 18 and 23, who have chosen to leave their home countries -- often very much against their parents' wishes -- to come to their homeland, become Israeli citizens, and enlist in the Israel Defense Forces. Some would say this is Zionism in its purest form; after all, "real" Israelis are required to become soldiers. These chayalim bodedim have no family here; in fact, some of them don't know a soul in the country. They cannot rent an apartment because they don't get enough income from the army, and they can go long stretches without more than one or two weekends off per month. When they do get off the base, therefore, they literally have nowhere to go. That's where Tziki comes in. He picks them up from the bus station, takes them to his tiny three-bedroom apartment (where he lives with his wife and three teenaged boys, one of whom has also just entered the army), feeds them until they can't move, does their piles of laundry, and puts a pillow under their heads moments before they collapse from exhaustion. When they wake up, many hours later, they are treated like kings at his Shabbat dinner table every week. There are never less than seven to twenty soldiers there every Friday, stuffing their faces hungrily with the first home-cooked meal some of them have had in weeks. And then there's always me, one of the lucky ones who managed to get an invitation to Tziki's dinner table back in the first week after immigrating to Israel, and I have barely missed a meal there since. It's been almost two years that I've been spending my Friday nights with Tziki, his American wife, Aya, their three sons, his mother and father (a Holocaust survivor), and all the chayalim bodedim he can fit at the table. Tziki calls us all his adopted children, and we delight in having an adoptive family to get us through our tribulations. It took me a while to feel comfortable at their house, even though I became fast friends with Aya. There are still times that I feel out of place, given that I am at least seven years older than even the oldest soldier, and I know nothing about the endless macho games played at the table surrounding army units and 40-kilometer hikes and what type of gun is the best. Some of the soldiers seem to treat me like a surrogate mother, some like a sister, and most of them just spend most of the night trying to hit on me. I spend most of my time at the Aud house thanking my lucky stars that people like this exist in this world, and in Israel in particular. I simply don't know what I would have done without them, from the moment I immigrated up to and including today. And I always knew that Tziki spends his time helping these soldiers, advocating for them, steering their way through the army bureaucracy, sending them care packages, and lending them money when they can't make it to their next paycheck. But not until I went to visit some of Tziki's soldiers "in action" a few months ago did I truly understand what really goes on behind the scenes. A mitzvah like no other: Meir was the first soldier on my list to visit. He is 20 years old, was born in Morocco but grew up in France, and made aliyah nearly two years ago and has been in an elite unit in the IDF for a year and a half. When I arrived at Meir's quarters, a quick tour of the dilapidated room -- complete with no running water, an array of holes in the walls, a visible layer of mosquitoes, garbage in every corner as well as in the toilet bowl, and of course, piled high with army gear and weapons -- made me want to put him in the car and take him home with me. He had been chosen to guard the unit's equipment for the day, and he was waiting for the rest of the soldiers to return from training. He was sitting on an inch-thick, filthy mattress on the floor, with a half-eaten can of pineapple chunks in front of him, no spoon or fork anywhere in sight. Meir rested his gun gingerly on his lap and grabbed hungrily for the now-not-so-hot meal I had brought into the camp for him, the temperature of which did not seem to bother him in the slightest. He tore off the cover, exclaiming that he had eaten nothing but tuna sandwiches for days, as he is adamantly opposed, both physically and in principle, to eating loof, the Israeli version of Spam. As I watched Meir voraciously filling his pita bread with humus and chunks of chicken, his mouth already full and his eyes shining, I was struck with the realization that what I was feeling must be what Tziki experiences every day. There was such gratitude in Meir's eyes, and he was so hungry for civilian human contact (in addition to good food); I instantly resolved to visit every day. I was filled with a deep satisfaction that such a simple mitzvah (good deed) on my part had brought such joy to him. I had always asked myself how Tziki can expend so much time and energy on helping these boys, and what drives him to do so, so selflessly, and in that instant, I had my answer. Later, I went to visit another soldier, Yehuda, a 20-year-old American who immigrated to Israel less than a year ago and has been in the army for already over eight months. We stood together on the side of the road, at the checkpoint he was guarding in the middle of the night, talking and smiling and hugging. As it neared 2:30am, Yehuda remarked that he was so grateful to have been able to really talk. "It can be really rough out here," he said, "and I can't often find anyone to listen to me when I need to talk. When I get out for the weekends, I usually just sit with Tziki and let it all out, but I haven't had the chance to do that in a while. I have friends here in the army, but no one wants to hear about my problems. Everyone has the same problems here, and mine aren't any more important than anyone else's." As he told me this, I was hit with the reality of his situation. I had never really thought through what this experience must be like for these young chayalim bodedim. They cannot call their parents in America to talk about being scared, or lonely, or angry about something that happened to them while they are doing something of which their parents don't approve. None of their friends in America have any frame of reference to understand what they are doing, guarding a checkpost in the middle of "enemy territory" in a faraway country. Even their friends here in the army can't possibly constitute a solid support network, as they are dealing with their own worries, fears, and experiences. Tears sprang to my eyes, and I rushed to hug Yehuda goodbye, so that he wouldn't see any signs of my worry for him. He hugged me tightly in return, and I whispered in his ear, "You know you can call me anytime, don't you?" He pulled away from me momentarily, looked me in the eyes, and said with complete sincerity and utter surprise, "Really?!" Shocked and a bit ashamed that I hadn't managed to convey this to him sooner, I just hugged him tighter. And I left him there on that road around 3:00 in the morning, his eyes glistening and a huge smile on his face. Tziki's impact.. on all of us: I spent the drive home that early morning thinking about Tziki, and about the financial and emotional output that he makes on a daily basis. He willingly gives to these soldiers time and money that he doesn't have, and sacrifices sleep constantly to answer midnight phone calls from soldiers filled with fear, or anger, or frustration. They cry with him, and yell at him, and complain to him, and he counsels them all, with the calm (and calming) voice and caring manner of an experienced father. And we all soak it in, his warmth and his sensitivity and his giving nature. We all clamor to be around Tziki and his family because they are filled with such love for each other and for all of us, and we become filled with it just by being around them. Some of us are more aware of it than others, but the time we have spent with the Aud family has changed us, in deep and powerful ways. I have watched the boys who come to dinner each week grow up before my eyes, and I have seen them become closer to Tziki and to each other over the time that they have spent at his table. It is a powerful bond we all share, all of us the "chosen" few who have been invited to share in such a special experience each week. I think the moment I realized this for myself was when Meir and Yehuda both separately referred to me as their "adoptive sister" for the first time. The next day, Tziki called me early in the morning, his first words, "Kol hakavod, I take off my hat to you." Tears came to my eyes for perhaps the gazillionth time in those two days, and I choked out a "Thank you." He relayed how Yehuda had called him in the morning to tell him I had visited, and how excited and pleased he had been. Tziki and I have always had a special relationship, mostly because I am older and seem to need less "hands on" support than some of the others, but when he told me he was proud of me for what I had done that day, I was overwhelmed with emotion. I realized, in that instant, that it was now my turn to contribute, to do my part to help these young soldiers of ours, and to help Tziki to do so as well. Since that day, and since I have begun to truly understand how much Tziki does, I have become so much closer to him, and to the boys that he has taken under his wing. Meir and Yehuda call me almost daily these days, and I am now privileged to receive some late-night phone calls as well. I prepare care packages and I try to take them to wherever the boys are, or get them to them somehow. And now that I know what they're doing every day, which includes some fairly dangerous missions, I worry a lot more too. Sometimes I lay awake at night worrying, and sometimes Tziki and I worry together. Sometimes I wish I didn't know so much about these boys' lives -- that I could go back to my blissful ignorance of a month ago. But most of the time I am intensely grateful to be able to be involved in the lives of these incredible people, and to be able to contribute my own time and energy. We need your help Tziki and his family give so much of themselves to these young, lone soldiers. In fact, they sometimes give more than they have to give. Tziki's old, battered van recently and finally gave out, and he had to take out huge loans to finance the purchase of a new one. He needs a van so that he can continue to chauffeur all the boys and their piles of belongings, and the gas costs are a tremendous burden for him. He also spends no less than $150 (and frequently more) each Friday for his weekly Shabbat dinners alone. There are a number of soldiers who tend to need more special help, both financially and otherwise, and Tziki and his family is always shelling out money they simply do not have. Please help them to be able to continue to do this wonderful, powerful (expensive) voluntary work. Tziki and I would be forever grateful for your contributions. Please contact me if you'd like to help out: Alison Golub, Beersheva: Cell: 011-972-525-434-471 American phone line: 206-384-4262 E-Mail: Alison_Golub@hotmail.com Judy Lash Balint is an investigative journalist and author of "Jerusalem Diaries: In Tense Times" (Gefen). It is available for purchase from www.israelbooks.com To Go To Top

THE TRULY DEVOTED MUSLIM Posted by Robert Turk, October 20, 2005.

This article was written by Michael Devolin. Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, in his illuminating book 'Hitler's Willing Executioners,' writes, "A society's conversation defines and forms much of an individual's understanding of the world. When beliefs and images are uncontested or are even just dominant within a given society, individuals typically come to accept them as self-evident truths." Mr. Goldhagen was writing primarily about anti-Jewish hatred within Germany's society before and during the Nazi era, yet the same principle can equally be applied to any Muslim society or community, whether within or without those particular countries where Islam is the dominant religion. What I am trying to say here is that Islamic terrorism and hatred of the Jew is not tangential to Islam. This is my position, which is contrary to what legions of the West's so-called experts purport every time they appellate Muslim suicide bombers as "extremists" and "fundamentalists," as if Muslim extremists and fundamentalists were far removed from "moderate" or mainstream Islam. What these same experts are either failing to recognize or refusing to recognize (for any number of reasons, reasons which I have always contended are in no way justifiable) is that Islamic terrorism is not tangential to Islam but rather derivative of Islam. Read any newspaper from any Arab country and you will very quickly discover what "beliefs and images are uncontested or are even just dominant" within those particular Islamic societies. Those beliefs and images have nothing to do with tolerance and religious pluralism and have everything to do with anti-Jewish hatred. In saying this I am attempting to convey here the much obfuscated and equivocated truth about the Koran and the religious violence educed from the hearts and minds of all those who choose to fully adhere to its insalubrious and anti-Jewish doctrine, that truth being that this same violence and bloodshed is nothing else but the Koranic prescribed fulfillment of Islam's highest religious prerequisite to meriting Mohammed's crimson coloured promise of Paradise: the murder of the Jew and the destruction and desecration of his property. Hamas, whose every member is religiously consecrated to the extermination of the Jewish people and the destruction of the State of Israel, is the most glaring yet overlooked example of what has always been attendant upon Islam's every foothold in the world: the very real threat of violence and bloodshed against the non-Muslim, but most often and especially against the Jew. To say that Muslims who have become so devoted to their religious tenets as to kill a non-Muslim are but extremists and tangential from mainstream Islam would be tantamount to saying that the Nazi SS or the Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing units) were tangential from mainstream German Nazism. Nothing could be further from the truth, not during the reign of Adolf Hitler and his Third Reich, and certaily not now, when Islam and its mendacious apologists are seeking to inculcate humanity with the lie that Muslim terrorists are but corruptions of the purest teachings of the Koran. The truth is, sadly for the Jew, that anti-Semitism and bloodshed are very much the ultimate prerequisites and religious obligation of the truly devoted Muslim. Anything less is an Islam unfulfilled and incomplete. "Where the basis of identity and cohesion in society, the bonds of loyalty and duty in the state, are all conceived and expressed in religious terms, the familiar Western distinction between religion and politics -- between religious and political attitudes and activities -- becomes irrelevant and unreal." -- Bernard Lewis Robert Turk is a member of the Jewish Defense League, an activist organization, founded in 1968 by Rabbi Meir Kahane. The JDL is cognizant of the all too real dangers presented by the white supremacy, neo-nazi and Islamic fascists. To contact them, write jdlnews@jdl.org.il or visit their website: http://www.jdl.org.il. To Go To Top

A NEW LOW AT THE NEW YORK TIMES Posted by David Nathan, October 20, 2005.

The New York Times website regularly includes links to editorials from other newspapers, published overseas. This week, the Times reached a new low when it included a link to an editorial from the Egyptian Al-Ahram Weekly, under the headline, "Change policy, not presentation," which contained the following anti-Semitic paragraph: "How could US President George Bush, at the Aqaba Summit, pledge to preserve the Jewish identity of Israel? How, in the 21st century, can an American president support a racist state founded on a religious basis?" This paragraph is clearly anti-Semitic, renouncing Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state and calling on President Bush to renounce support for the Jewish homeland. The editorial is written in the spirit of the shameful UN resolution 3379 (1975) "Zionism is Racism" - a resolution that was repealed, finally, in 1991, when the world body acknowledged the resolution's anti-Semitic nature and acted to correct the historic mistake. Al-Ahram obviously hasn't updated its world view since the 1970s, at least on this subject. The Al-Ahram Weekly editorial bases itself on the same anti-Semitic premise, by considering Judaism to be only a religion and deliberately ignoring the fact that the Jews are also a people, in every sense of the term, and as such -- like all other nations -- have the right to exercise their sovereignty, in the one, small Israel. (The Arab people have 22 separate states in which to exercise their sovereignty as a nation -- yet the Al-Ahram paper begrudges the Jewish people the one country which they can call their own!) But the Al-Ahram Weekly editorial in not only anti-Semitic, it is also hypocritical. As opposed to Israel, where people from all religions have equal rights, other countries in the Middle East ARE "founded on a religious basis." These countries sit alongside Egypt in the Arab league. They receive no condemnation from the paper's editorial board. For example: * In Saudi Arabia, you cannot even become a citizen if you're not Muslim. * In Jordan, according to law, you cannot become a citizen if you are Jewish. Furthermore, there is blatant racism throughout the Arab world which receives no attention from the Al-Ahram newspaper. In Egypt, the Christian Copts have been prosecuted for decades, based on religious prejudice. The Iraqi prosecution of the Kurdish minority is another example of ethnic and religious prejudice. In brief, the Al-Ahram Weekly editorial is both anti-Semitic AND hypocritical. When a respected newspaper such as The New York Times includes links to such anti-Semitic material on its website, it's time to ask pointed questions. We ask The New York Times to remove the link the the Al-Ahram Weekly editorial ASAP and to apologize to its readers. Please send emails to The New York Times and let them know what you think: letters@nytimes.com Contact the author at davenathan@aol.com To Go To Top

SPOKESMAN FOR COALITION OF THREE TERRORIST GROUPS TALKS TO WND Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, October 20, 2005.

Following is a WorldNetDaily exclusive interview with Mohamed Abdel-Al, spokesman of the Popular Resistance Committees, a network of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terrorists. The Committees has taken responsibility for many of the mortars and Qassam rockets fired at Israeli towns the past few years and for more than a dozen suicide bombings. It was also blamed for the bombing of a U.S. convoy in Gaza in October 2003, killing three Americans. The interview was translated from Arabic by Ali Waked. The interview was conducted by Aaron Klein, WorldNetDaily's Jerusalem bureau chief, whose past interview subjects have included Yasser Arafat, Ehud Barak, Mahmoud al-Zahar and leaders of the Taliban. WND: On Sunday the Israeli Defense Forces found a Qassam rocket just outside Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Sycamore ranch, located a few kilometers from Sderot, the town at which over 20 rockets were fired immediately following Israel's withdrawal from Gaza last month. Do you take responsibility for the rocket? ABDEL-AL: The period mentioned by the Israelis regarding that rocket is that it was fired three weeks ago. At that time we and Hamas launched many rockets, and I cannot confirm which of the two organizations is responsible for that specific attack, but it is obvious that the Palestinian resistance has improved its capacities in shooting these rockets. Even the Israeli officers agreed that the improvement is at all levels. To begin with, the distance that these rockets can reach, the capacity of explosives and their accuracy. In the last five years there is no doubt that our abilities have improved. WND: Are you targeting Sharon with rockets? ABDEL-AL: We have a very accurate map of Sderot of each and every street in and near the city including Sharon's ranch. During the intifada we launched many rockets at the ranch, and thanks to God, every new rocket firing gets closer to its goal [of hitting Sharon.]. The rocket attacks against Sderot cause larger and larger damages to the Israelis and we saw in the last week the state of panic of [Israeli Defense Minister Shaul] Mofaz when we shot at Sderot. We shall use these rockets against Sderot, against Sharon's ranch and against every city in Israel any time there is need to do so. The Israelis shall wait for surprises from the Palestinian resistance. WND: What do you mean 'against every city'? Are you saying you will fire rockets at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv? ABDEL-AL: Yes. Israel bombards all the Palestinian regions and the Israelis must know that any of their regions and areas will not enjoy security if the Palestinians will not enjoy it too. They know that our rockets are improving. If there is need, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and everywhere in Israel can become our target. Israelis must also know that we have already transferred the knowledge and the technology of producing rockets to the West Bank. That means that in case of any big attack of Israel against the West Bank or the Gaza Strip, we will not hesitate to use these rockets. It is true that before using them we will take into consideration the consequences upon the Palestinian people and we will act in a way that takes into consideration the collective interest of the Palestinians, but the rule is that we will respond using rockets every time Israel launches a big attack against the Palestinian people. The suicide attacks are becoming too hard to be carried out, therefore rockets are the best alternative and our abilities in the West Bank are ready for using them. WND: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is due to meet President Bush in Washington tomorrow. Aren't you afraid this interview will embarrass Abbas? ABDEL-AL: I don't see why the PA should be embarrassed. The leadership of the PA knows that the great majority of the Palestinian people support the Palestinian resistance. This same majority knows that the Gaza withdrawal was due to the resistance. Furthermore, most of the Palestinian people are members in the resistance organizations. What is needed is that the PA must behave according to the Palestinian public opinion, to their belief that Gaza was liberated by these rockets. I must say that we never took the initiative to launch these rockets and they were launched only as a response to the Israeli attacks. The PA should know our operations are in order to defend the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority. It is time the PA understands that the Israelis do not differentiate between the Palestinian resistance organizations, the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority. WND: Your Committee claimed responsibility for the bombing of a U.S. convoy in the Gaza Strip in October 2003, killing three American guards. Later you denied responsibility. Four of your men were arrested by the PA and later let go. I have interviewed the families of the killed American men. They are furious and they want justice. Tell me the truth about the bombing, did your group do it? ABDEL-AL: It is the media that pushed us into that story because of one anonymous phone call that was made to a press agency and claimed responsibility on behalf of the Committees for that attack. We officially denied any relation, but unfortunately the PA decided to push us consciously into this affair and declared that we were responsible and arrested four of our men. After a long investigation, it was discovered that those men had no relation to the incident and a judge in the Palestinian court decided to free them, but [the late Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser] Arafat decided not to respect the decision and kept them in jail. Therefore we were obliged to free them by force and to apply by arm the judge's decision. We informed all the local and international sides that we don't have any relation to the bombing affair and although many Palestinians were killed by American tanks and weapons used by the Israeli army, we do not target the Americans. WND: Meanwhile, the Americans are still asking the PA to arrest your members for the bombing. The file is still open. How would your group react of the PA re-arrests your people? ABDEL-AL: We will not allow any arrests of our men. We declared that we had no relation to the incident and we shall not accept any try of anybody to make political profits that could turn us into victims. The PA is convinced that we do not have any relation to the convoy explosion. WND: The Israeli, the U.S. and the international community is demanding that your group and others disarm before you can be allowed to participate in Palestinian legislative elections this January. Any plans to disarm your group? ABDEL-AL: This is a pathetic demand. Bush thinks he is God Almighty. We are Muslims and we are ready and capable of defending ourselves and our right to participate in these elections. This is an interior Palestinian affair and we shall not allow the Americans to interfere in it. We will participate like all the other Palestinian organizations. Every Palestinian organization that had shot a single bullet against the occupation has the right to participate in the elections, and I'm wondering, did Sharon shoot us with roses? WND: Israel has now withdrawn from the Gaza Strip. Was this a victory for your so-called resistance operations? ABDEL-AL: The withdrawal from Gaza had nothing to do with the political and diplomatic negotiations which for 10 years brought nothing to the Palestinian people. It has nothing to do neither with the so-called Israel's unilateral decision. Actually it was more a 'running away' step of the Israeli army than a withdrawal. Sharon himself said in Gush Katif, 'I prefere that we cry with tears than with blood.' We exhausted the Israeli army which during the last month received tens of killed soldiers, hundreds of rockets, suicide attacks ... and the Israelis concluded that if they will not run away they will lose more victims. WND: So is your plan now to take that victory and continue on to 'liberate' the West Bank? ABDEL-AL: We have one important guideline. According to this guideline we will not leave Sharon to escalate his aggressions against the Palestinian people in the West Bank. We were not born to liberate Gaza. The struggle will continue until the liberation of Jerusalem and what remains of the West Bank. We are one unified Palestinian people and one blood. We will not let the Israelis separate this blood and these people. Our policy is to respond to any Israeli attack in the West Bank from the West Bank, but in case of a major Israeli attack or a big massacre, we in Gaza shall not stay handicapped. WND: Let's say the Jews grant your wishes and give you the West Bank and the eastern sections of Jerusalem. Will that be the end of it? Peace between your nations? Or do you want Jews out of all lands? ABDEL-AL: Gaza was the first step. The next one shall be the West Bank. Following the West Bank we will chase the Israelis until they leave Jerusalem. The struggle will end only when the Jews will leave all of our land. For many of us Gaza isn't our home. We are refugees in Gaza. Our homes are in Jaffa, Lod and Ramla. We advise every Jew who came to be a settler in our land, to go back to the place where he came from. We will not keep a place for their bones or even for their graves. The struggle is for the whole Palestine. All this land is Palestine, and if the Jews want to rescue themselves they should run away. Aryeh Zelasko lives in Beitar Illit, south of Jerusalem. He is Director of Sales and Marketing of Israel Visit (www.israelvisit.co.il) which provides information and an internet buying facility for American visitors to Israel. To Go To Top

SOME PEOPLE SAY THE DUMBEST THINGS Posted by Morris J. Amitay, October 20, 2005.

Prominent people often make what can only truly be called "stupid" statements. But with so much media and internet overload too many inane utterances are lost in the clutter. In the interests of preserving some of these for posterity, we offer a number of recent examples -- while letting the reader decide which one ranks as the most stupid. Last month, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan can be credited for two rather remarkable statements. He told a receptive BBC interviewer that the war in Iraq was the source of Muslim anger in the world, that Muslims "feel victimized in the West, and they feel this profiling against them". What a relief to know whose fault it is the jihadists want to kill us infidels! And three weeks later Annan told Israeli PM Sharon that the Israeli-held Shaba Farms were "a thorn in need of extraction" in the region. We note that this very same area was delineated by the UN as being part of Syria, not Lebanon, as Hizbullah maintains and uses as a pretext for continuing its armed struggle against Israel. Shaba Farms was described by Annan as being in Syria in his own report, but we have a pretty good guess as to who would suffer from Annan's "extraction". Much in the same vein of blaming the victim, we had billionaire financier George Soros telling a gathering here in Washington that "we are not going to win the war on terror by killing people abroad even if they are terrorists". He added that "by using military force we run the risk of doing the same thing as terrorists". All Soros seems to be saying is "give peace a chance" -- by permitting terrorists to kill and maim innocents without fear of any reprisal. This only proves again that you don't have to be that smart to make lots of money and have recipients of your largesse agree with you. Not to be outdone in expounding on how to bring about peace we had His Royal Highness Prince Saud Al Faisal, the Saudi Foreign Minister, telling a Council on Foreign Relations meeting here in Washington that "once the conflict between Israelis and the Palestinian Arabs is resolved by Israel's total withdrawal, the other conflicts in the region would vanish and fade". Sure they would -- presto! And if you can believe this, there was also his declaration to the same audience that the Saudi monarchy functions "by constantly heeding the voice of the people". I'm certain the CFR crowd was much too polite to snicker out loud at this ode to Saudi democracy. But highly touted American foreign policy mavens have also contributed their share of dubious commentary. Former NATO Commander General Wesley Clark, who still has presidential aspirations recently wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post outlining his plan for Iraq. He stated that as "a must the U.S. should form a standing conference of Iraq's neighbors, complete with committees dealing with all the regional economic and political issues, including trade, travel, cross-border infrastructure projects and, of course, cutting off the infiltration of the jihadists". The obvious question here to the general is whether he is aware of who Iraq's neighbors are (e.g. Iran, Syria), and given their current activities, what short of regime change would elicit this kind of cooperation and good neighborliness? No matter the validity of some of Clark's other recommendations, this gathering of neighbors is such a non-starter, it qualifies for our list. Not to be outdone, two former Clinton NSC staffers a few days later did Clark one better by expounding on how to solve all our problems in the Muslim world. Writing in the Los Angeles Times they called upon the U.S. to "apply the full range of our diplomatic capabilities to win allies among moderates in the Muslim world and lead non-Muslim countries to resolve their disputes in Kashmir, Indonesia, Chechnya, Palestine and Thailand to name the most famous that fuel militancy. It would put our financial might to work with assistance on a scale that would make it far more difficult for regimes to evade real political and economic reform". What this seems like is a plan to buy off all the bad guys with kind words and big bucks and thereby bring about peace on Earth. Another rather curious statement reported twice in the media (and also made within earshot of this writer) was by the newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Richard Jones. A career Foreign Service Officer who has served in a number of Arab countries, Jones has declared that as a result of his own experience there, he sees one of his major attributes as the U.S. envoy to the Jewish State is his ability to give the Israelis "the Arab perspective". One would expect that it's an American perspective his Israeli interlocutors would be more interested in, already knowing all about "the Arab perspective." In a spirit of "even-handedness" it is incumbent to point out that some of our Israeli friends are also prone to sometimes engaging their mouths before their brains. In the euphoria following his meeting with Pakistan's Foreign Minister (and after President Musharraf's speech to a Jewish audience), Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom gushed over "President Musharraf for his courage in promoting peace and moderation in our region and in general". Without getting into all the messy details of the Pakistani government's role in nuclear proliferation, support of the Taliban by its intelligence service, and the fact that Musharraf's guiding principle is his own survival -- I recommend that Mr. Shalom read Steven Coll's -- Ghost Wars -- to get a true picture of Pakistani policies. And, in general, I wish Israeli leaders weren't so eager for the crumbs of legitimacy occasionally thrown to them by Muslim despots. No listing of curious statements would be complete without citing "former everything", Shimon Peres, who recently predicted a Nobel peace prize some day for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. If there is a leader today who has shown less inclination to fight terror, combat corruption, or move toward genuine peace, it is Abu Mazen who could win the booby prize. But, then again if Yasser Arafat could get a Nobel, anything is possible, and we might forgive Peres for his latest flight of fancy. On a much more positive note -- if you are looking for something truly perceptive and right on point with regard to the nature of the terrorist threat we face, President Bush's Oct. 6 address to the National Endowment for Democracy here in Washington is well worth reading. For the first time he named our real enemy -- Islamo-fascism. Now it is a question of how to deal with it. Morrie Amitay is a former Executive Director of AIPAC and founder of the pro-Israel Washington PAC (www.washingtonpac.com). To Go To Top

WHERE ARE MOST TERRORISTS? YESHA COUNCIL'S BETRAYAL; EXPANDING AXIS OF EVIL; CORRIE MYTHOLOGY Posted by Richard H. Shulman, October 20, 2005.

QUARTET ASSUMES A HAMAS TAKEOVER Officials' and expert testimony to Congress and sources from the Quartet have written off Abbas' regime. He has tackled neither corruption nor lawlessness. His forces are unable to disarm Hamas. Within a year, Hamas is expected to take over the P.A.. Nevertheless, the Quartet plans to spend a billion dollars a year on the P.A.. Congress is afraid that this investment would be used against the US. The US has no alternative in mind (IMRA, 10/8). I do. Israel. Let the Jewish people have their homeland back from the Arabs, and Israel could defeat this portion of international jihad. It would be a salutary victory, as Iraq seems not so. The wheels in international subsidy grind on, regardless of its waste and counter-productivity. Whether controlled by Hamas or Fatah, the West is wrong to send the P.A. money. LEBANON HEATING UP Syria has not given up its attempt to roil if not rule Lebanese waters. It is letting hundreds of Palestinian Arabs bring large amounts of arms from Syria into their bases in Lebanon (just as the Lebanese Army seems ready both to disarm the bases and let the refugees work in Lebanon). Syria's goal is to destabilize the region and counter US pressure on Syria and Iran. Lebanon is trying to block the border and has asked for US help in doing so (IMRA, 10/8). Celebrations of victory over Syria were premature and superficial. We'll have to wait and see. PALESTINIAN ARAB REFUGEE CAMPS IN LEBANON After the civil war ended in Lebanon, the Arabs in the refugee camps of Lebanon retained their arms even during the Syrian occupation. When Syria withdrew from Lebanon recently, it sent more arms in, in violation of a UNO resolution. The armed bands control those camps *Benny Avni, NY Sun, 109/10, p.5) ISRAELI GOVERNMENT'S HOPE Sharon, Peres, and Defense Min. Mofaz expect and hope that Egypt eventually will seal the border at Gaza (IMRA, 10/8). There is no basis for that hope, a hope that has been contradicted by Egyptian actions. That this trio still entertain such a hope reflects their blindness and stubbornness. They forget that Egypt is the enemy of Israel. PAKISTAN DIDN'T ASK ISRAEL FOR HELP Pakistan asked many countries for help in dealing with its earthquake. Israel was not mentioned (NY Times, 10/10), though Israel offered (IMRA, 10/10). In fact, Pakistan did not ask Israel for help (IMRA, 10/8), despite Israel's reputation for excellence in this field. So much for the improved relations between the two countries, surmised from Pres. Musharraf's speech. Pakistan prefers its people to die. And perhaps it would be better if they did, if they are so religiously biased towards decent foreigners who wish to extend humanitarian aid. They call their enemies sub-human, but they feel no commonality towards fellow human beings of other faiths who just wish to live in peace. GAZA FISHERMEN A P.A. human rights group reported on Arab fishermen's access to the sea. Oslo accorded access 20 miles out. Recently, however, Israel didn't allow the ships to leave their piers. Now the ships may go 9 miles out. The Israeli navy and air force enforce the limit. Not only are the Arabs limited in harvesting of Gaza's main natural resource, but it the restriction tempted them to over-fish the small permitted zone (IMRA, sorry, lost date). What is wrong with that report? The rights group reports it as a matter of rights, but omits the Israeli side of the argument. The P.A. has attempted to use shipping to smuggle in heavy weapons. Periodically, P.A. violations of the Oslo peace agreements become so flagrant as to arouse Israeli restrictions. Israeli restrictions are the product of Arab abuses. When the fighting dies down, or US pressure flares up, Israel relents. It is wrong to relent. Being considerate of Arab civilians leads to the murder of Israeli civilians. Have Jews no rights? POLICE BRUTALITY DURING ABANDONMENT All complaints against police brutality have been dropped "for lack of public interest," not for lack of crimes or of evidence against the accused. There is photographic evidence against the police, as placing a protestor on a roll of barbed wire, so that he was cut. Police used dangerous substances. They committed perjury, as by falsely alleging to have been injured by settlers. Prosecutors have filed 17 cases against demonstrators, however (Arutz-7, 10/10). Remember, the committee that decides whether to drop charges is comprised of police officers! They use this excuse, "lack of public interest," as a stock phrase to drop cases against their fellow officers. That is the mark of a police state. PART OF THE CHAOS IN THE P.A. Fatah has a force of about 3,000 gunmen that is on the loose in the P.A.. It attacks opposition groups and P.A. officials (but not much, Hamas). It seems to be trying to take over the P.A., which subsidizes it (IMRA, 10/8) thanks to subsidy from the West, the Arabs, and from Israel. The PLO has proved itself unready for statehood and undeserving of it. WHERE THE MOST TERRORISTS ARE Perhaps the most terrorists operate in Kashmir. It took India 42 more years after having recognized Israel to establish full diplomatic relations with it. India had been afraid that if it did, the Arabs would turn against India, on the Kashmir conflict. The fallacy of that reasoning is that the Arabs sided with Pakistan over Kashmir, anyway, while Israel sided with India. In 1999, Israeli airlifted emergency military supplies to India within a day of its clashes with Pakistan. Israel also has helped US-India counter-terrorism in Kashmir. Unfortunately, the Arabs keep sending more funds in to rebuild the terrorist network (Pranay Gupte, NY Sun, 10/10, p.7). Governments have difficulty figuring out what is in their national interest and learning from experience. The Arab help for terrorism in Kasmir and for disruption in Lebanon indicates that evil axis regimes must be overthrown. Problem is, they most likely would be succeeded by equally bad or worse regimes. Their military assets, including technicians, must be neutralized. Then coalition forces could evacuate until the defeated country rebuilds some of its military. EGYPT CONTROLS P.A. IN GAZA Whatever decisions the P.A. makes in Gaza, first it gets Egyptian approval for (IMRA, 10/10). When will the P.A. rebel against Egyptian rule? MURDER REVEALS EXTENT OF P.A. CORRUPTION Who murdered Gen. Arafat? Most assessments concluded it was Hamas or Fatah. They are coming to suspect Gaza strong man Dahlan. "Dahlan's Preventative Security force established local racketeering networks that generated hundreds of thousands of dollars monthly in protection money and from suppliers of gasoline and cigarettes. Dahlan was also accused of receiving kickbacks for issuing licenses and for charging illegal fees for VIP border crossings into Israel." "Beginning in 1997, taxes collected at the Karni cargo crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip were transferred to a new account controlled personally by Dahlan. Documents captured by the IDF show Dahlan's Preventative Security force involvment in joint investments in the Gaza construction business, from cement production and gravel import to resort development." "An unprecedented competition among local Gaza warlords and crime families has broken out over control of Gaza real estate, as well as for hundreds of millions of dollars in international financial investment and aid earmarked for infrastructure development. According to Palestinian assessments, the market price of Gaza land adjacent to the evacuated Jewish settlements has risen from approximately $52,000 dollars per acre just six months ago to $300,000 per acre near the Gaza coast." Senior P.A. officials are grabbing title to the appreciating land in Gaza, as international donors propose much building there. Those donors carelessly pick local partners tied in with the criminals (IMRA, 10/10). US policy: fight warlords in Afghanistan, pay them in Gaza? This is the real land grab, of which the Arabs are guilty but Israel is accused. YESHA COUNCIL ROLE ON ABANDONMENT The Yesha Council reported on the fight against abandoning Gaza. It asserted that the government betrayed the people, God abandoned them, the Police acted persecuted them, and the media defamed them. Then the Council went on to blame a loss of public support upon youth, allegedly organized by the Far Right to pour nails and oil on the roads. It affirmed its wisdom in condemning civil disobedience, including efforts to get soldiers to disobey orders. Barry Chamish finds these claims false or misleading. The secret police sabotaged the roads, in the hope of turning the people against the settlers. The fight against abandonment suffered greatly from the condemnation of civil disobedience. The Council kept a fence from being cut that otherwise would have let in masses of protestors. The Council seems to have become a tool of the government. Its prescription for the future is to continue to cooperate with the government (Chamish, 10/10, e-mail). Faced with such a passive or cooperative opposition, further abandonment seems inevitable. Its decision to cooperate validates Chamish's suspicion that it betrayed the settlers HOW TO PICK A POLICY People select policies easily. It they have a strong ideology, policy is prescribed. Otherwise, they are guided by inclinations, assumptions, factoids, and what passes for logic. Most policies fail. The factors that produced a policy may be so strong, that the policy survives the failure, even if the policy causes society to unravel. That is happening to Israel in the form of its leftist anti-Zionism and to the West in its politically correct, multi-cultural, appeasement of an Islam bent on world conquest. It has not occurred to most people that these days, the sources of news and opinion are biased. But they seek out sources that conform to their own opinions. This gives them comfort and bias. Americans decry low educational standards. Their observation is only about other people's education. A sound education teaches a person how little he knows. A weak education and poor news sources give one the impression of knowing a great deal. These victims of such schools and their media cannot distinguish propaganda from fact and reason. The problem pervades most countries, including ones known for high scholastic standards. One of the ways by which people determine policy is according to popular sayings. I recall being given the salutary example of the tree that bends before the winds and springs back afterwards, as contrasted with the oak, that resists until it breaks. Not every oak breaks, however. In real life, resistance may be of paramount value, for bending before dictatorship is not tenable. Most sayings stress only one aspect of a situation. Sometimes that aspect is crucial, sometimes its opposite is. Wisdom is knowing when to apply which. Wisdom without information is useless; information without wisdom gets misused. AFTEREFFECTS OF AN IRAQ WITHDRAWAL The usual American impatience with a seemingly enduring war has reappeared in the Iraq war. I think it will over the Afghanistan war, too, during the current resurgence of the Taliban, thanks to help from Pakistan (ranked by the State Dept. as an ally, but whose government can't or won't stop breeding terrorists). There are valid reasons for impatience. The war is fought well but the political strategy and the refreshing and supplying of the troops has been faltering. Many people suppose that the answer is to withdraw. Have they considered the consequences of withdrawal? I have. They are frightening. Our current enemies there are Saddamists, fanatical Shiites, and fanatical Sunnis. I think the jihadists would prevail. They would more than rebuild a hostile regime. They would capture another oil-bearing country. Islamists would feel triumphant; recruits would flock to the green standard. The word would go out that the US is not a superpower and in any case is no match for Islam. Jihad would gain great emphasis. What would the US do? Would it bomb Syria and Iran to make up for lost ground? Would it stop its selfish government-by-subsidy and build a sufficiently large military and a better strategy for meeting such challenges? AXES OF EVIL WIDER THAN ACKNOWLEDGED Pres. Bush was sparing in his list of members of the Axis of Evil. There is more to the concept than he allowed. Recently, a large Swiss company was found to be laundering money for Cuba and Iran, and Venezuela is helping Cuba and eliciting Iranian nuclear know-how. Evil regimes realize that the US is their enemy, and gradually work together to bring it down. The gnomes of Zurich are evil accomplices first of the Nazis and now of the clerics. CORRIE PARENTS DISSEMBLE ABOUT THEIR DAUGHTER The parents of the dead Rachel Corrie continue to spread myths about her death. They report that: (1) She was "killed by an Israeli bulldozer;" (2) She worked for a "non-violent resistance organization" "trying to stop the demolition" of Arabs' houses; and (3) The Arab situation was devastated. They omitted the fact that she died under P.A. medical care. Suppose there were medical incompetence? They also omitted the circumstances, such as her not being visible to the bulldozer driver, as she stood in front of the towering machine. She was irresponsible; the driver and Israel were not at fault. The organization she worked for was far from peace-loving. It endorses Arab terrorism against Israelis and collaborates with the terrorists. It has hidden wanted terrorists and weapons in its offices. ISM's main mission was to interfere with Israeli detection of Arab arms smuggling tunnels. Without those tunnels, the Arabs would have been unable to wage much warfare against Israel. Without houses to camouflage the tunnels, smuggling would be much more difficult. The residents of those houses take a fee for allowing it. They are not the innocent victims that the parents imply. The bulldozer was being put to good use; Rachel wasn't. She had come to Israel also to act as a human shield protecting terrorists from the soldiers they attack. She came under false pretenses, as ISM activists do. The parents, who pretend to be apostles of humanitarianism, expressed no sympathy for devastation of Jews, resulting from attempted genocide against them. Why sympathize over the impoverishment of Arabs resulting from their own aggression and corruption? Decent folks would not take up the cause of their daughter, who threw away her life in behalf of murderers. They suppose that the Arab-Israel conflict is about the Arab right to self-determination. It is about the Jewish right to self-determination, which the Arabs deny (Prof. Steven Plaut, 10/10). The parents are lying in behalf of terrorists who would murder them, too. The Arabs and their supporters are creating false myths, which grow in popularity even though exploded. The truth does not get out to the masses, who wouldn't believe it, anyway. Are we really advanced over the superstitious Middle Ages? ISRAELI & U.S. GOVTS. HIT NEW LOW The US has demanded that Israel reclassify its terrorist prisoners as POWs rather than as terrorists not entitled to the rights and privileges of prisoners of war. The purpose of the demand, as the P.A. has declared (and Israel did not) is to set the stage for the next US demand, that Israel release the prisoners. Some of those prisoners were convicted for murder. Their excuse for early release is that they want to run for the P.A. legislature. Israel is said to be amenable. Inconsistent with that stand is Israel's two-decade stalling against declaring Pollard, sentenced excessively, as a prisoner and agent, although he meets the criteria. In that inconsistency, also demanded by the US, Israel denies him his rights under Israeli law and impedes attempts to get him freed (IMRA, 10/11). The two governments' motivations are sordid. The State Dept. is obsessed with setting up the Arabs over the Jews. The Jewish state is obsessed with currying favor with the gentile states. The Arab pretext, running for office, is bad enough. Wanting any office confers no dignity or privilege upon terrorists. Terrorists are like pirates, entitled to release only to the afterlife. Worse is that the offices these Arabs would seek form part of a genocidal, dictatorial, kleptocracy. PFLP WORKED WITH KGB A new book relates KGB involvement with the PFLP, such as arming it and advising on kidnapping of CIA agents. The KGB planted a spy in Arafat's entourage (IMRA, 10/11). The KGB didn't particularly need a spy on Arafat. He was their agent. His deputy and successor, Abbas a.k.a. Abu Mazen, received his master's degree from the USSR. The KGB armed the PLO as a whole. This was part of the Soviet plan to destabilize the non-Soviet world. NEW HIZBULLAH TV STATION Iran is paying for a new satellite TV station to be run by Hizbullah. It would broadcast mostly to N. America and Europe. It is named after a Jewish tribe that Muhammad exterminated (IMRA, 10/12). Get the point? This is the fruit of our energy gluttony and oil company price manipulation. We sell technology to the highest bidder, who may turn it against us. This is indeed a new era, when enemy mass-propaganda cannot be barred without extensive effort. Our society hardly strives to counter-act it. We spend billions on defending airports from terrorism, but little, ineffectively and amateurishly on defending from terrorist propaganda. Indeed, we allow Islamists in the West to set up schools in which they alienate students from our society. EPISCOPAL CHURCH CHANGES DISINVESTMENT POLICY Don't disinvest in Israel, advises a new Episcopal Church policy statement. Instead, invest in Israel and the P.A., which it (incorrectly) calls "Palestine." But invest in behalf of the polices of the Church, which are to promote Israeli withdrawal from Judea-Samaria and substitution of Arab sovereignty, an end to violent "resistance," and peace. Use shareholder status to have a dialogue with corporations. Besides investing, the Church should lend money to Arab lending organizations. The goal of this policy is to promote change (IMRA, 10/12). Giving foreign aid to the Arabs usually means letting terrorists steal it or preserving enough of their society so that jihadism can persevere. While most of that society is organized in totalitarian fashion to commit jihad, the small effort of foreign do-gooders is not likely to have effect. Sometimes foreign activists have no role. The role in Israel is subversive. The Church acts as if it were superior to Zionism, but Zionism is the national liberation of the Jewish people from the likes of Holocaust perpetrators acting out of a culture emanating from that Church's mental forebears. Zionism has encountered Islam, which brooks no rivalry, however benign. That should induce Church sympathy for the tolerant Jewish state, rather than for the intolerant Arabs. Israel needs encouragement to resist jihad. The notion of socially-minded organizations not investing simply for income but also for social reform seemed benign when it was merely environmental. It grew ominous when it became political and the politics were not benign. One wonders whether a Church should be so political. Worse is when that religious body is on the side of immoral fanatics. Inconceivable to me is that this sect favors a group that would destroy Christianity, as, thanks to Christian support, it becomes more able to add strength to global jihad. Is the Episcopal Church so blinded by ignorance of the Arab-Israel conflict, a misguided notion of Third World victimization, naivete about the implacability of fanatics, and antisemitism? Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at ricshulman@aol.com. 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BUSH TELLS PA: 'DON'T WORRY, I'LL SWAY ISRAEL' Posted by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu, October 17, 2005.

U.S. President George W. Bush summoned PA officials to his office this past week and reassured them he will "sway" Israel to open up the Gaza area and not expand Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria. The New York-based Bloomberg News reported that President Bush summoned Palestinian Authority (PA) officials to a 30-minute unscheduled meeting following complaints conveyed by Undersecretary of State Karen Hughes. She told the president that Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey regard his support for a new Arab state in Israel as an empty slogan. When the PA delegation complained to President Bush that expanding Jewish communities, such as the city of Ma'aleh Adumim, might make a new Arab state unacceptable, he eased their fears and said, "Don't worry. I have some political sway with Israel and will use it if need be." PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) is in Jordan and on a tour to Egypt, Vatican, France and Spain before flying to Washington to meet President Bush on Thursday, and the White House meeting was aimed to ease PA worries. Israel has maintained that no further concessions can be granted to the PA until it takes measures to stop incitement and disarm terrorists. One example of the PA's "revolving door" policy of arresting and releasing terrorists was described in the New York Times on Friday. It reported that Prime Minister Sharon asked Abbas at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit in February to inform Israeli authorities of the address of Arab terrorist Hasan al-Madhoun, a former member of the PA security forces who helped organize the suicide bombing at Ashdod in March 2004. Abbas promised he would arrest the terrorist within 48 hours. After the time expired, the Prime Minister raised the issue with the American government, and the PA arrested al-Madhoun and then released him the following day. Later, the same terrorist was behind the attempted suicide bombing of a Be'er Sheva hospital by a woman. Prime Minister Sharon and Abbas canceled a planned meeting this past week after aides told Abbas that Israel would refuse to commit itself to PA demands for the release of jailed Arab terrorists and IDF withdrawals from more cities. "It was only Washington that wanted the meeting," the Times reported. At the impromptu White House meeting with PA officials, President Bush assured them that he would pressure Israel to open up the Gaza region, according to the Post. Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres met with PA negotiator Saeb Erakat on Friday on re-opening the Rafiah border between Gaza and Egypt. "I believe that in a short time we can come to an agreement," Peres said. He added Israel might remove its opposition to third party supervision of the crossing, leaving Israel without direct surveillance. However, Erakat rejected Israeli demands that cameras be mounted at the terminal. The crossing was closed several days before Israel pulled out its troops from the area early last month, but Arab terrorists quickly re-opened it. Egypt officially has been manning the crossing, but Foreign Ministry officials said arms smuggling continues daily. Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu is a writer for Arutz-Sheva, where this article appeared today. To Go To Top

JEWISH PATHOLOGY Posted by Moshe Brody, October 17, 2005.

The big news, as reported by the Israeli media, is the possibility that another backwater Muslim country may condescend to talk to Israel. Now that the negligible Pakistani overtures have evaporated after being milked for all they were worth, along comes Afghanistan (!) and dangles the golden worm of diplomatic recognition before our eyes. We are overcome with excitement and eager anticipation that these hillbillies of the Far East should think we are worthy to be looked upon by their haughty selves. These are people who won't even accept aid from Israel after a major disaster strikes. They'd rather suffer and die than (Allah forbid) allow a Jew to help them. -- OK, I'm exaggerating a bit: they'll agree to take our money and material "indirectly" ... provided we don't show ourselves to the cameras. (And honestly, the United States is no better -- officially, they wanted Israeli aid for the hurricane disasters to be channeled through American Jewish organizations... they didn't want the Israeli flag being seen anywhere.) Our own people here in Israel are suffering, while we go begging Muslims who despise us to take our money. This is some of the pathological Jewish mentality we're up against. No wonder we're suckers for hosting Islamic terrorists. Contact Moshe Brody at moshe95@bezeqint.net To Go To Top

SHAMEFUL RECORD OF ISRAELI GOVT-SPONSORED SUFFERING Posted by AFSI, October 17, 2005.

Hillel Fendel, writing for Arutz Sheva on Oct. 17, describes the Land of Israel Legal Forum second report to the State Comptroller, entitled, "The Failures In Caring For Those Uprooted From Gush Katif And Northern Shomron." "The 19-page report details all that went wrong with the government's treatment of the residents after their expulsion. The report paints a 'sad picture of faulty treatment of people whose entire world was destroyed.'" While many were impressed with the cruel efficiency of the Israeli police and army in forcibly removing 10,000 Jews from their homes, farms, schools, playgrounds, synagogues, yeshivot, places of employment, and cemeteries, the total lack of efficiency in caring for the displaced persons leaves a shameful record of neglect and broken promises on the part of the Israeli government. Fendel's summary of the report details the elongated stays in hotel rooms inadequate for families, with the lack of normal amenities available in a home. It describes the plight of the yeshiva students, left without any means of support; property stored in containers - at the owners' expense - which cannot be accessed, and the contents, stored at abnormally high temperatures, undoubtedly damaged; the failure of the Disengagement Authority to live up to its slogan, "Every resident has a solution," since housing, employment, schooling, agricultural plots, counseling and more remain unresolved and largely unaddressed. The "general inefficiency and lack of consideration on the part of the Disengagement Authority" is seen in the failure to deal with the emotional problems of the refugees, especially those who had to rebury their dead, and the failure to provide proper security for the displaced persons, many of whom have been relocating in the western Negev, not far from the Gaza border. Unbearable financial burdens are placed on the refugees. They are required to continue paying mortgage payments on their destroyed homes, while the government fails to provide the promised inadequate "compensation" monies. As the seasons are changing, money is needed for winter clothing as well as a hundred different purposes, and most of the refugees remain unemployed, having had their sources of income destroyed. This once proud, productive community of people has now been reduced to the position of becoming beggars, relying on the kindness of strangers to give them some relief. All of this is unconscionable, and should arouse the anger of all those truly concerned with human rights and dignity. Instead, we find in another Fendel report of Oct. 17, in discussing the latest PA cold-blooded murders of three young Israelis, and the wounding of five more, a quote from Yossi Beilin. He objects to the safety measures that the IDF will impose -- probably for just a short time as MK Effie Eitam predicts -- and is quoted as saying, "We have said all along that if the diplomatic process (emphasis mine) does not continue in Judea and Samaria, the disengagement from Gaza will have been a waste." In other words, the lives of beautiful young Israelis don't matter at all. They are sacrifices to the "diplomatic process." And the destruction of 21 communities in Gaza will have been for naught unless 250,000 more Jewish refugees are created in the give-away of Judea and Samaria to the terrorists who are gunning down Israelis whenever they choose. What we have here is shame and disgrace of the highest order. The government of Israel is failing its people at every turn. Another Fendel article in Arutz Sheva's Oct. 17 report tells us that America is pushing this program and received promises from Israel in a side letter to the "Disengagement Plan", which were not discussed in the Cabinet or the Knesset. These promises severely compromise Israel's ability to protect its citizens in Judea and Samaria. We see the results of Israeli government "concessions", "confidence-building" and "humanitarian gestures" towards the Arabs in the increased attacks on Israeli citizens. While we wait for the government to assume its obligations, those wishing to help the abandoned Jewish refugees of Gush Katif may send tax-deductible contributions made out to FRIENDS OF GUSH KATIF, mail to Americans For a Safe Israel, 1623 Third Ave., Suite 205, New York, NY 10128. Rachel Saperstein, a refugee from Nevei Dekalim, has a band-aid fund where money is distributed to those who request it. Checks may be made out to "The Central Fund of Israel" c/o Jay Marcus, Rehov Hagoel 13, Efrat Israel 90435 and earmarked for "Rachel-Operation Band-Aid." Another organization, HONENU, that provides legal assistance to over a thousand Jews, including 650 children between the ages of 12-18 arrested for protesting the expulsion, is in need of funds. Donations to: Honenu, 8204 Lefferts Blvd., Suite 381, Kew Gardens, NY 11415 Tel: 718-441-7300 www.Honenu.org.il Americans For a Safe Israel/AFSI is a pro-active pro-Israel advocacy group. AFSI may be contacted by mail at 1623 Third Ave., Suite 205, New York, N.Y. 10128 (Tel: 212-828-2424; Fax: 212-828-1717); by email at afsi@rcn.com; or by accessing its website: www.afsi.org. Helen Freedman is Executive Director. To Go To Top

INFORMATION SHEET RE: ROADSIDE SLAYINGS OF ISRAELIS IN JUDEA AND SAMARIA Posted by Bruce Tuchman, October 17, 2005.

a. The three Israelis who were shot to death yesterday (Sun. 16/10), including 2 girls who were cousins, died in so-called "drive-by attacks". Drive-by attacks are the most fatal variety of all shooting attacks, for 2 reasons: a. It is easy for the terrorist to approach the victim; and b. It is easy for the terrorist to flee after he has shot his victims. b. Due to the particular danger presented by drive-by attacks, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), for the duration of the Oslo War which broke out in 2000, have maintained separate roads for the Israeli and Arab populations in Judea and Samaria. These roads were impertinently termed "apartheid roads" by the loony left, despite their being perfectly well aware that the system was not in fact motivated by racism but rather by the need to save lives. The Sharon government and its embassies abroad did not respond to these serious allegations on behalf of the loony left. c. As part of the disengagement plan, and responsive to heavy American pressure to "strengthen Abu Mazen", Israel has once again opened roads which were slated for Israelis only, to Palestinian traffic. At the same time, the roads slated for Palestinians only continue to serve Palestinians only and are forbidden to Israelis. d. Each and every time this road-opening step takes place, the result is a fatal road attack. For example, the terror attack 4 months ago resulting in the death of two teenagers at Bet Haggai, happened under exactly the same circumstances. All commanders in the IDF are aware of the fact that opening roads serving Israelis, to Palestian traffic, will eventually cause a fatal road attack (dead Israelis). When Israelis resident in Judea and Samaria (repeatedly) raise this point with IDF commanders, the commanders never make any attempt to deny the undeniable. e. These predictable "patterns of death", intended to serve international peace (sic) diplomacy, have occured dozens of times in the past few years. They occur as follows: I. Due to "negotiations", "progress", "confidence-building measures" and other code-words, Israel opens Israeli roads to Palestinians as described above. II. Often, non-fatal road attacks are the first indication that something is wrong -- such as the event when Israeli idealogue Moshe Feiglin's 18 year old daughter was sprayed with bullets and miraculously survived. That attack, which was relatively well publicized, is the exception which proves the following rule: non-fatal attacks (on Israelis in Judea and Samaria are extremely common and are not treated as newsworthy. Therefore, the Israeli roads are not closed to Palestinian traffic in the aftermath of attacks, unless the attacks are fatal. III. Eventually then, or immediately, a fatal road attack occurs. At this point the road is closed. IV. The period of time for which the road is closed depends on whether pro-Israel elements scream louder than the loony left, or vice versa. If the pro-Israel elements in Israel and abroad scream loudest, the roads remain closed -- at least for a while. If the loony left screams louder, the roads re-open to Palestinian traffic almost immediately -- back to step I. And on. And on. f. The allegation that Palestinians cannot live with roads being closed to them, is nonsense. Just as Israelis had circumventing roads built for them during the Oslo years, Palestinians had circumventing roads built for them, during the forthcoming Oslo war (waged by Palestinians against Israelis). It is true that the Palestinian roads are very poor in quality, due to the total lack of concern that the so-called Palestinian Authority demonstrates toward its own people. However, the Sharon government has not dared to publicly demand that these roads be improved for Palestinians by Palestinians. Sharon's government has preferred to order Israeli roads to be opened -- for the Palestinian public. And if that causes some Israelis to lose their lives -- so be it. g. The allegation that Palestinians are discriminated against due to the separate road system, being forced to travel long circuitous routes rather than cutting through Israeli roads, is absolutely baseless -- because the Israelis are also forced to travel equally long circuitous routes of their own, rather than cutting through Palestinian roads. Note that both populations did actually share roads in harmony and mutual satisfaction, for 25 years (1967 - 1992) until peace broke out in 1992 (Oslo) and ruined everything. h. Palestinian and loony left sources imply that the small price of having a few Jews shot to death is well worth it, compared to what happens when the roads are blocked to Palestinians -- which calamity results in "60% of Palestinian births at roadblocks terminating in death", to paraphrase a recent UN allegation. This too is nonsense. First, the UN allegations are based on what is optimistically termed "data" supplied by the corrupt and hostile Palestinian Authority. There is no reason to feel any confidence that this "data" is reliable in any way at all. However, assuming it is partly reliable, there is also no reason for the Palestinian women in question to be heading for Israeli hospitals. They should have been heading for Palestinian hospitals, in which case the entire roadblock issue would not have arisen. WHY were they not willing to go to Palestinian hospitals? Again -- because Abu Mazen, the Physicians for Human Rights, the European Union and others are all busy burning money for political causes and have absolutely no time or inclination to set up decent hospitals for their own people. Conclusion: Instead of allowing the IDF to be blamed, Israel should be pointing its finger at the people who are really selling out the Palestinian babies: the Palestinian leaders and their diplomacy-crazy cohorts in Israel, Europe and the United States. i. You can help create the political awareness necessary to terminate this absurd situation, even though the international (including Jewish) media refuses to do so. If you learned something by reading this email, PLEASE forward it to the following Israel politicians (simply press "forward", and paste all the following email addresses into the "to" field: pm_heb@pmo.gov.il,sar@mof.gov.il,sar@moit.gov.il,sar@mfa.gov.il,sar@justice.gov.il,sar@molsa.gov.il,sar@moch.gov.il,sar@tourism.gov.il,sar@mops.gov.il,minister@most.gov.il,sar@moag.gov.il,sar@moia.gov.il,sar@education.gov.il, sar@mot.gov.il,sar@mod.gov.il,sar@environment.gov.il,sar@matat.health.gov.il, gezra@knesset.gov.il, sar@moin.gov.il,sar@mni.gov.il,shitrit@knesset.gov.il, ars@int.gov.il,yedri@knesset.gov.il, zhanegbi@knesset.gov.il,nblumentl@knesset.gov.il, ggamliel@knesset.gov.il, ysteinitz@knesset.gov.il, david_levi@knesset.gov.il, gsaar@knesset.gov.il, dbenlulu@knesset.gov.il, eyatom@knesset.gov.il, mcachlon@knesset.gov.il, mgorlovski@knesset.gov.il, gerdan@knesset.gov.il, yhazan@knesset.gov.il, lnes@knesset.gov.il, rrivlin@knesset.gov.il, katz@knesset.gov.il, akara@knesset.gov.il, yedelstein@knesset.gov.il, mratzon@knesset.gov.il,eyishay@knesset.gov.il, ylitzman@knesset.gov.il, ndoron@knesset.gov.il,iyasinov@knesset.gov.il, davidt@knesset.gov.il Contact Bruce Tuchman by email at http://www.nycat.org/ To receive these emails directly from Mattot Arim in future, please write sddym@bezeqint.net and subscribe. Thank you -- Susie Dym, spokesperson Mattot Arim an Israeli grassroots organization working toward peace-for-peace since 1992 To Go To Top

AGGRESSOR'S DEMANDS DEPICTED AS REASONABLE; GAZA BORDER; SHOW TRIALS Posted by Richard H. Shulman, October 17, 2005.

ISRAELI SUPREME COURT RULES AGAINST IDF The Court banned the IDF practice of using Arabs "as human shields" when approaching wanted terrorists' houses. The court ruled that the Arabs had no free choice when asked to warn fugitives to surrender and not get bystanders killed (Steven Erlanger, NY Times, 10/7, A6). The Army suspended the policy of seeking to capture besieged, wanted terrorists unless known to be planning a new attack. The risk to soldiers approaching the houses by themselves is too great, senior commanders believe. They criticized the Court for failing to understand the tactical situation. They are trying to devise some new policy (IMRA, 10/8). The Army did not use human shields, which would mean thrusting neighbors ahead of them while assaulting the fugitives. Sometimes it asked and sometimes it ordered Arabs to knock on the door and relay the message. Only one such neighbor ever got hurt that way. Undoubtedly, many people on all sides got spared. They won't be spared any longer, because the Israeli Court is solicitous of their "rights." It prefers the right to die over the right to life. THE AGGRESSORS COME WITH DEMANDS The head of the P.A. intends to make demands of the PM of Israel, when they next meet. "...his most important demand would be that Israel carry out the measures the two men agreed on in February." One demand is to release more terrorists. This would boost Abbas' standing in the P.A. elections. Israel is pressing Mr. Abbas to tame Hamas and disarm it before those elections." Hamas is described as a "radical Islamic group" (Op. Cit.). The style of describing only Hamas that way gives the false impression that Fatah is not radical. Fatah, however, has been waging jihad, promotes antisemitism, commits war crimes, etc.. The "NY Times" is describing the two organizations is if they are good cop and bad cop. Why should Israel help Fatah win the election, at the price of releasing more terrorists, of whom statistically half resume terrorism against Israel? The way the article puts it, the P.A. has demands upon Israel, demands to fulfill its promises, but Israel just has requests of the P.A., unrelated to promises. Actually, since the P.A. has been in violation of Oslo for a dozen years, including its pledge to eradicate terrorism, the P.A. has not fulfilled any major commitment to Israel. That releases Israel. One would not understand that from the "Times." The "Times" sows misunderstanding that jibes with its traditional anti-Zionism. WHO HAS THE MURDEROUS CONSPIRACY An Islamist terrorist claimed the West is conspiring against Islam (Daniel Pipes, 10/6, weblog). Nonsense. He is part of a jihadist conspiracy against the West. The Arabs do what they complain we do. A RELIGION OF PEACE OR A WAR SOCIETY? "Large crowds of Muslims are taking part in prayer services in Jerusalem, at the mosques located on the Temple Mount. As a result, police in the capital are on heightened alert status, as Friday prayers during Ramadan are frequently followed by rock and other attacks." The attacks usually are on Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall, below, or on Israeli security forces (Arutz-7, 10/7.) Is it a religion that stirs its followers to attack members of other faiths, or is it a war society? Should its followers be allowed in the country, if this is their usual behavior? SAUDI FAMILY VALUES S. Arabia denounces other societies as being corrupt and needing Islamist reform. It promotes Islamist education all over the world, and then wonders why there is Islamist terrorism and why it strikes S. Arabia. A report from India exposes Saudi family values, cloaked under Islam Islam allows its men four wives at-a-time, with easy arrangements for marriage and divorce. Accordingly, wealthy, middle-aged and elderly Saudi men come to Hyderabad, and examine virgin Muslim minors as if at a slave market. They pay the parents a fee, arrange in advance both for marriage and divorce, marry four at-a-time, and divorce them within the day or the week. Local Muslim authorities are pleased with the income that this thinly veiled prostitution brings into their communities. Prostitution is known as a vice, but the Arabs pretend that these throw-away marriages are within the realm of virtue, sanctioned by religion. Arabian "sex tourism" occurs elsewhere, too. This degraded practice is part of a broader, related problem. "Concubinage, forced labor, indentured servitude, slavery - these deep problems are nowhere near being addressed in the Gulf region, much less solved." These pre-modern mores should be reformed out of Islam (Daniel Pipes #609, 10/7). Some modern principles are decent, some indecent. The Arabs should reform those practices not because they are not modern, but because they are not decent. ARAB MK ACCUSED OF PARTICIPATING IN LYNCH Some weeks back, an Israeli captured after wantonly shooting Arabs, was lynched by a mob that seized him from police. Arab MK Baraka threatened Arab rioting, if police arrested participants in the lynching. It turns out that a video of the incident shows MK Baraka in the bus, standing among those committing the murder. This makes him a suspect (Voice of Judea, 10/7). No wonder he threatened violence! He wanted to protect himself. When will Israel enforce the law, rather than let a lawless sector intimidate it? ISRAEL, ON THE BORDER SITUATION Foreign Min. Shalom scolded Egypt for "not doing enough" against arms smuggling into Gaza. He said that the problem is not that the P.A. lacks ammunition, but that it lacks the will to disarm Hamas. Military sources, however, indicated that Israel would allow the P.A. more ammunition, including armored personnel carriers, though supposedly without their heavy machineguns. Min. Shalom asserted that Israel will not withdraw unilaterally, again, and will not turn over any assets without receiving something. Nevertheless, Israel was said to be reviewing favorably Abbas' request that it release more terrorists for nothing (IMRA, 10/7). First Israel blames the Arabs for letting arms through, then it plans to let arms through? Who coordinates Israeli policy? Notice the same language with which Israel and the US describe the P.A., "not doing enough." It is the same euphemism for not doing anything. Those slow learners in Israel and the US don't want to admit that the Arabs simply disregard agreements; agreements to them are opportunities to get something for nothing and over which to exercise deceit. Israel just can't say "no" to Arab and US chutzpah. It should refuse and explain so well, that its opponents have nothing further to say. For example, freed terrorists attack again. SHOW TRIALS OF GOOD JEWS The US is indulging in an anti-Zionist and antisemitic show trial. In a break with custom, it is prosecuting two Jewish lobbyists as if spies. The clouds over advocacy for Israel that the government is seeding are meant to discourage further advocacy in Israel's behalf. The Jewish Establishment failure to speak out against this transparent effort and the haste with which it disassociated itself from the accused indicate that the campaign is working. Israel has its antisemitic show trials, too. Jews have not yet grasped the notion of antisemitism being a phenomenon of the Far Left, as well as of the Far Right. (They should, because the Soviets were antisemitic.) The Left, which runs Israel, has become convinced that the Jewish people is not entitled to sovereignty. The Left hates affirmative Jews, especially the settlers, for promoting Zionism. Their show trial is of Avri Ran, renowned for having started several settlements in western Samara, where he built the first organic farm in the Territories. He defends his farm from trespassers. That, apparently, is his sin. Most of the Arabs had departed from western Samaria. Rabbis for Human Rights and international agitators, such as members of ISM, came to a village that had only two Arabs left, to urge the others to return. Under a pretext that indicates they had trespassed, several agitators entered the farm. Mr. Ran expelled them. They accused him of butting one with a rifle. Soldier witnesses who denied it were depicted by the prosecution as unreliable because they sympathized with Ran, but the judge found that the accuser was unreliable because he practically was foaming at the mouth. Case dismissed. Not long afterwards, a couple of Arabs drove a tractor onto the farm a couple of months before harvest, as if preparing to destroy his crop. He expelled them, too. As he and his workers did so, the same accuser and associates suddenly appeared, along with police. (Obviously, this was a set up.) They accused him of using force. (How else does one oust agitators and criminals?) The prosecution refuses to bring charges against the agitators for trespassing with criminal intent. The Supreme Court insists on barring Ran from Judea-Samaria until the conclusion of the trial, which in Israel drags out for many months. A judge called him a danger to the public, because of "ideological zealotry." (Public menace? What about the agitators who trespass in order to invite such charges? What about Arabs who break into a farm with tractors?) If a Jew has no right to defend his property from criminal trespass, then Zionism has no means of defense. That is what Ran's show trial is about. It also is about antisemitic Jews who have internalized hatred of Zionism (IMRA, 10/8). Leftist judges penalize accused right-wingers by subjecting them to internal exile or incarceration in trials that drag on. It is a form of political oppression. Israel doesn't recognize the right to a speedy trial. When one learns the dismaying truth about Israeli "democracy," one is grateful to live in the USA. Catering to gentiles once was a means of Jewish survival. such appeasement has become a threat to Jewish survival, and therefore is neurotic. When leftist and secularist Jews become equally hostile to Jewish religion and rights, they become mental cases. By working with the ISM terrorist auxiliaries, they forfeit credentials as "progressives." Organized US Jewry has not learned from the Holocaust that silence is dangerous. It remains as timid as ever. In a sense, its failure to fight for its people's rights is un-American. It becomes manipulated by governmental agencies taking advantage of its sense of insecurity. This is a sinister development. Where are the Bush-bashers when needed? Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at ricshulman@aol.com. To Go To Top

MIKEY DOES BERKELEY Posted by Steven Plaut, October 16, 2005.

This was written by Mark D. Tooley and is called "Michael Lerner assembles the 'Religious Left.'" It is archived at http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/006/194nejfc.asp Mark D. Tooley directs the United Methodist committee at the Institute on Religion and Democracy. MICHAEL LERNER was back on campus at Berkeley. But this time he is a portly Jewish rabbi leading 1,200 mostly middle-aged "spiritual progressives," and not the young Students for a Democratic Society agitator targeted by J. Edgar Hoover in the 1960s. The "Politics of Meaning," Lerner's label for his spiritual liberalism, peaked in the early 1990s, when his supposed fans, Bill and Hillary Clinton, ascended to power. But Hillary disavowed Lerner when his quirky views attracted fire, and the old Berkeley activist, though still publishing Tikkun, seemingly faded. Now Lerner is back. And his "Conference on Spiritual Activism," held at Berkeley this summer, tried to present a left-wing alternative to the dreaded Religious Right. Amid opening "visualizations" directed to Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, and the "goddess Divine Mother," Lerner hosted a fairly prominent array of Religious Left luminaries. Although professing to transcend political labels, Lerner seemed pretty un-transcendent: "In Europe they [the right] turned against the Jews," he declared. "In the U.S. they demeaned African Americans and Native Americans. Increasingly that role [targets of the right] is played today by gays and lesbians, feminists, liberals, and secular humanists." Conservatives get away with this because liberals "don't get it" about religion, Lerner explained. His message dovetailed with the bestselling Why the Right is Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get it, by evangelical left activist Jim Wallis, who shared the podium with Lerner. A former SDS himself, Wallis founded Sojourners, a journal of liberal Christian activism, over 30 years ago. Although ostensibly more moderate now, Wallis inevitably resorts to nostalgic talk of arrests and demonstrations. "This is how you do interfaith work," Wallis joked. "You all get arrested for your faith and talk theology in jail." Millions of evangelicals and Catholics don't feel represented by Jerry Falwell or "right-wing bishops," Wallis insisted, describing a battle in "all of our great traditions between fundamentalism and prophetic faith." The trouble, Wallis and Lerner agreed, is that too many liberals don't appreciate religion. Wallis recalled a young homosexual saying it was easier to "come out gay" than be "religious" in the Democratic party. Central to Lerner's and Wallis's "spiritual activist platform" was opposing the war in Iraq. Berkeley professor Michael Nagler noted that the same U.S. Congress that tried to keep Terri Schiavo alive "cheerfully voted to kill 100,000 Iraqis without batting an eye." David Robinson of Pax Christi said of the Bush administration: "They're lying our kids to death in Iraq." More succinctly, Rev Osagyefu Uhuru Sekou of Clergy and Laity Concerned opined that "Arabs have become the new niggers" and Iraq is the new "white man's burden." After war, sex was a favorite theme. "My grandmother believes God has a penis," Rev. Sekou reported, warning activists to sublimate their "feminist arrogance" and not attack traditional religious teachings directly. Unitarian minister and sexologist Debra Haffner complained, "Too many of us learned [as children] that some sexual acts are sinful." But she told a supportive audience that she favors "sexual and relational justice for all." Churches, synagogues, mosques, and ashrams need to be claimed in the name of sexual freedom, Haffner urged. United Church of Christ pastor Ama Zenya thanked Hafner for her insights but then criticized liberal religious activists. "Is human life sacred only after birth?" she asked a surprised audience. "Can we expand our loving concern beyond our own lives?" Describing regret over her own abortion, Hafner complained, "The Left has bought the capitalist paradigm" and its "individualist materialism." SUCH SELF-CRITICISM of the left was rare. Almost all vitriol was aimed rightward. Berkeley linguist George Lakoff, a frequent advisor to religion-perplexed Democrats, explained that the left worships a "nurturing" God, while the right adores a "punitive" deity. Conservatives believe in a "strict" God who requires good behavior for getting into heaven, according to Lakoff, while progressives emphasize "unconditional love." United Methodist lobbyist Jim Winkler was less analytical: "Angry white men [which describes almost all religious conservatives] are like a wounded bear striking out in desperation," he observed. Defrocked Catholic priest Matthew Fox, now an Episcopalian, blamed war and economic injustice on "those who want to worship a dominating punitive Father God which includes the put down of women, nature, [and] gays." In soothing contrast, Fox offered a unisex, pantheistic "mother/father God who is embedded in nature, creativity, our bodies and all our art forms." Fox lambasted the Pope for defeating liberation theology and faulted Protestants for succumbing to a "kooky Christianity" of "domination and not of justice." Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong lashed out at this "domination" religion. "It's time to name evil as evil when sounded in pious accents of biblical religion," Spong declared. Conservative Catholicism and "evangelical fundamentalists" are growing because "hysterical people are seeking security," Spong fretted. Referring to the rise of religious conservatives based in the South, Spong claimed, to the audience's delight, "The old [segregationist] George Wallace vote simply applied perfume and call themselves the Religious Right." Not able to match Spong's rhetoric, Congresswoman Lynne Woolsey of California still tried to talk about religion. "If you measure progressive goals against conservative goals there is no question which comes closer to meeting the tenets we associate with faith," Woolsey stammered. "I don't know about you, but I missed the part of the Sermon on the Mount that mentioned tax cuts and an ownership society." Mindful of such progressive spiritual goals, an opening "visualization" exercise summoned a wide range of spirits, including the archangels, Adam and Eve, Hindu deities, Socrates and Aristotle, Moses and Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius, Leonardo Da Vinci, White Buffalo Woman (from Sioux mythology), anthropologist Jane Goodall, environmentalist Rachel Carson, Gandhi, Anne Frank, Mother Theresa, and the Dalai Lama. "Breathe, remember to breathe," the visualizer instructed the unusually quiet activists. Such religion provides "existential weaponry" for fighting political injustice, Rev. Sekou stressed. "Not enough Democrats are willing to tell the truth," he said. "So we're depending on you." Rabbi Lerner, seemingly no less enthusiastic than when agitating on Berkeley's campus nearly four decades ago, smiled and smoothly moved back and forth from podium to audience. It was like old times again. Steven Plaut is an American-trained economist, a professor of business administration at Haifa University and author of "The Scout." He frequently comments -- both seriously and satirically -- on Israeli politics and the left wing academic community. His website address is http://www.stevenplaut.blogspot.com. Or contact him by email at splaut@econ.haifa.ac.il To Go To Top

PALESTINIAN MEDIA AND OFFICIALS SAY ABBAS'S OWN FATAH KILLED 'SETTLERS' Posted by Naomi Ragen, October 16, 2005.

For all those ostriches who view the man in the suit as anything other than the spiritual successor to his unwashed boss, Yasir Arafat, the mass murderer, the recent death of a young bride, her cousin and a fourteen year-old boy should erase any doubt. Under Abbas, the murders continue. The incitement continues. They even brag about it. I wonder what Ms. Rice has to say to this? This was written by Dr. Michael Widlanski is a specialist in Arab politics and communication whose doctorate dealt with the Palestinian broadcast media. He is a former reporter, correspondent and editor, respectively, at The New York Times, The Cox Newspapers-Atlanta Constitution, and The Jerusalem Post. He has also served as a special advisor to Israeli delegations to peace talks in 1991-1992 and as Strategic Affairs Advisor to the Ministry of Public Security, editing secret PLO Archives captured in Jerusalem. This article comes from IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis - www.imra.org.il Voice of Palestine Radio, the official voice of Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority, declared Sunday night that both of today's attacks on Israelis were carried out by members of the Fatah organization headed by PLO leader Abbas. At least three people were murdered and another five wounded-including women and children -- in the two drive-by shooting attacks that took place within minutes of one another: one on a group of civilians at a bus-stop south of Bethlehem, the other on the road between Jerusalem and Nablus. "Both armed attacks were carried out by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades which are part of the Fatah Movement," asserted Voice of Palestine, which, along with the other Palestinian media stressed that the attacks were on "mustawtaneen"-the Arabic word for settlers. The murders were not condemned by the official Palestinian media or any Palestinian officials who have generally called such previous attacks on "settlers" a legitimate form "resistance" to occupation. Dr. Abbas and his aides also did not condemn the kidnap murder three weeks ago of a Jerusalem man, Sasson Nuriel, who was tortured by Palestinian terrorists from the Hamas organization and then made to read a "confession" that was filmed and distributed on Hamas websites. The attacks have occurred during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan which is often a time set aside not only for penitence but also for jihad, holy war. Indeed, official Mosque addresses as well television and radio shows during recent weeks have been depicting Israelis and Americans as murderers and as victimizers of Muslims, highlighting the need for more "resistance" [muqawwama], "fighting" [kifaah] and "active struggle" [nidaal]. Palestinian leaders have repeatedly promised to curb violence and curtail incitement to violence, but since Dr. Abbas came to power as PLO chairman last December, there has been a general continuation of anti-Israeli and anti-Western propaganda as under the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Although Abbas has removed some "martyr videos," government-controlled newspaper cartoons and television montage films habitually depict Israelis and Americans as sadists. A cartoon in the Al-Quds newspaper this month shows America turning the Arab world into a human slab of beef with a US government stamp, while staged "documentary films" show Israeli jailers torturing Palestinian prisoners or Israeli soldiers gloating while killing Palestinian women and children. Naomi Ragen is an American-born novelist and journalist who lives in Jerusalem. She can be contacted at www.naomiragen.com, where you can subscribe to her newsletter. To Go To Top

THREE VICTIMS OF THE PLO Posted by David Bedein, October 16, 2005.

[JERUSALEM - Palestinian gunmen from Abu Mazen's Al-Fatah organization killed three Israelis and wounded five in a roadside ambush outside a Jewish settlement in the West Bank today. Israel Radio said the ambush occurred at a hitchhiking post outside the Gush Etzion bloc of settlements about 15 km (nine miles) south of Jerusalem.] Meitat Rosenfeld-Adler, 23, Meitat was married two months to Yisrael Adler and is survived by 5siblings and parents in Carmel. Meitat had finished her IDF service in the intelligence division only 4months ago. Meitat was going to law school to become a lawyer and a judge because she wanted to be 'give justice' to the judicial system in Israel. Tomorrow her newlywed husband will bury his wife of two months, sit shiva for a couple of hours, and then as the Sukkot holiday is ushered in, Yisrael Adler will get up and stop his shiva to try and sit in the sukka built last night for the two of them. Yisrael will light yom tov candles while looking at the memorial candles for his wife, Meitat while crying and sitting in the sukka in Carmel. Kinneret Mandel was Meitat's cousin and was the first born girl in Carmel, 24years ago. Kinneret is survived by her parents and four siblings. She was a 5th grade science teacher at Alon Shvut school. Next Shabbat chol hamoed sukkot, Kinneret's cousin was to celebrate his barmitzvah in the Mandel sukka in Carmel. The cousins had decorated the sukka last night and this morning for the holiday and for shabbat's barmitzvah luncheon in a few days. The cousins will be buried within hours of each other as their parents and grand parents stand to say kaddish tonight and tomorrow morning. The lulav and etrog that she was bringing to Carmel was now not kosher as it was broken and full of Kinneret's blood on the Gush Etzion highway where she was killed by the free roaming(thanks to Sharon) terrorists. Oz ben Meir from Maon, 15, was a star athlete, a veteran of the small town of Maon. He is survived by 5siblings, parents, and grandparents..all of whom were to be together tomorrow night in their sukka. Tomorrow morning Oz will be buried in Sussia's cemetery, so close to the talmudic town of Sussia. Oz was an avid gemara student in Dimona, a leader in Bnei Akiva and was on his way home to finish the decorating of his family sukka. It is raining outside now, once again, G-d's tears are dampening our lives with sadness and anger as the sukka schach and decorations are getting ruined. We bury three young students of our Jewish youth -- they were 15, 23, and 24 yrs old. There are three more seriously injured Jewish kids in hospitals on this night before we enter our sukka. David Bedein is Bureau Chief, Israel Resource News Agency. (http://Israelbehindthenews.com). To Go To Top

REALITY IMITATES PARODY Posted by Steven Plaut, October 16, 2005.

I first published "Peace at Last" in different forms several years ago. Here is one version: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/article.php3?id=2277 Here is another: http://conservativetruth.org/opinionet/archives/stevenplaut/06-07-02.shtml In that piece, published in 2002-3 and in a different form some years before that, I predicted that the moment Israel agreed to move back to its 1967 "Green Line" borders, the PLO's next demand would be the "liberation" of the Galilee. By claiming this, I became an instant "rightwing extremist." Many people dismissed me as a doomsday nay-saying fatalist, detached from reality. Surely no such scenario would be possible! Well, Sharon has expelled the Jews of the Gaza Strip and is clearly planning a similar "disengagement" for the West Bank. And this week the PLO announced that it would continue the terror until the Galilee is "liberated"! See http://israelnn.com/news.php3?id=91361 Steven Plaut is an American-trained economist, a professor of business administration at Haifa University and author of "The Scout." He frequently comments -- both seriously and satirically -- on Israeli politics and the left wing academic community. His website address is http://www.stevenplaut.blogspot.com. Or contact him by email at splaut@econ.haifa.ac.il To Go To Top

RUSSIAN "MILITARY ADVISERS" LAND IN THE GAZA STRIP Posted by David Nathan, October 16, 2005.

This is from yesterday's DEBKAfile reports exclusively. Jerusalem was not informed of this latest violation of the military protocols Egypt signed. The Egyptians and Palestinians deliberately opened the Rafah border crossing from Sinai to Gaza on Yom Kippur Thursday, Oct. 13 - this time not just for illicit Palestinian and weapons traffic - but to let in 15 Russian intelligence officers. Officially described as "military advisers" to train Palestinian security forces, their arrival floored Israel. DEBKAfile's military sources say this is a landmark, the first Russian military presence in a Palestinian war zone against Israel. It also represented another flagrant Egyptian violation of its commitments under the new military protocols it signed with Israel to bar the Philadelphi border crossing to foreign military personnel. Their arrival was approved a day earlier, Oct. 12, in Ramallah between Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and the Russian Middle East envoy for the Peace Process Alexander Kalugin. Israel has not reacted to the violation because since its pullout from the Gazan-Egyptian border region a month ago, it has lost all control of the unbridled activity permitted by Cairo in defiance of all the accords it signed with Jerusalem. However the insertion of Russian military advisers to a Palestinian-Israeli flashpoint zone undoubtedly came up in the talks US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice held in Moscow Saturday, Oct. 15. DEBKAfile's military sources add: the Russian officers were flown in directly from Moscow to Cairo and then overland to the Egyptian side of Rafah where they were welcomed by Egyptian military intelligence officers. No notice was received in Jerusalem. Moscow is clearly in mid-momentum of a fresh Middle East initiative. Putin has promised the Palestinian Authority in Gaza 1,000 armored personnel carriers. He is also going through with the sale of the state of the art Iskander SS-26 surface missiles, as first disclosed by DEBKA-Net-Weekly 224b> on Sept 30. The Kalugin talks in Ramallah came on the heels of a visit by senior US official David Welch to wind up details of the Abbas White House visit. The Palestinian leader kept word of the Russian gambit close to his chest. DEBKAfile's intelligence experts recall Abu Mazen's Cold War Russian connections with the former KGB's First Directorate. A graduate of Moscow University, he retains those connections to the present day. Three foreign intelligence missions are now operating in the Gaza Strip - the American CIA, the British MI6 and now the Russian FSB - as well as the Egyptians. They have all failed signally to prevent the Gaza Strip from falling into the clutches of the radical terrorist Hamas and Jihad Islami or stem al Qaeda's percolation from Sinai. The Russians are unlikely to be any more successful. David Nathan can be contacted by email at davenathan@aol.com To Go To Top

CONSISTENT Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, October 16, 2005.

This is consistent with the most fundamental legal concept of the State of Israel. Israelis are not citizens of the State but subjects of the State. They do not have rights but privileges granted to them by the benevolence of the State. The constitutions of the old U.S.S.R. and its various colonial entities were similarly conceived. This is a point missed by nearly all newcomers from democratic countries. Those, of course, who came from the Arab world or Eastern Europe take this principle for granted. As a result, when Western Olim involve themselves in political activism here, they suffer endless frustration and can not understand why no one takes them seriously. A subject does not demand his rights (he has none), he humbly petitions his superiors. He uses whatever PROTEKTZIA he might have and cuts whatever deal he can to get what he wants. No doubt that if the issue is important enough, it will be in the next deal the Haredi parties will cut with Sharon or whatever replaces him. It is even within the Israeli political traditions to deliberately create an issue like this so that there will be something to trade in the future. 1. This is from today's Arutz-Sheva (www.IsraelNationalNews.com) and is www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=91342. It is entitled "High Court Rejects Petition for Hot Lunches in Hareidi Schools" (IsraelNN.com) The State High Court has turned down a petition filed on behalf of the educational institutions in the hareidi (fervently-Orthodox) community of Beitar Illit. The petition sought fair government practice, seeking subsidized hot lunches for the tens of thousands of school children within that strongly-religious segment of the population, just as such meals are offered in many public schools, which strongly tend to offer much less Torah-oriented education. In his response, Justice Cheshin stated that if the Beitar Illit Municipality wants its children to benefit from hot lunches then the children should be enrolled in public schools. 2. Today's Arutz Sheva - IsraelNationalNews.com http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=91346 by MK Tamir, "Hareidi Children Should Receive Hot Meals Too" (IsraelNN.com) Responding to Sunday's High Court ruling against state-subsidized hot lunches for hareidi Orthodox students in Beitar Illit, Labor MK Prof. Yuli Tamir stated hareidi children are entitled to hot lunches too. Tamir stated, "As long as a standardized public school education does not exist, we should not discriminate regarding hot lunches for hareidi children." "It appears unreasonable and irresponsible to me that funding is not allocated for hareidi educational institutions since there are no public schools in Beitar Illit," concluded Tamir. The High Court stated in its decision that if the Beitar Illit Municipality wants hot lunches for its school children, they should attend public school. Aryeh Zelasko lives in Beitar Illit, south of Jerusalem. He is Director of Sales and Marketing of Israel Visit (www.israelvisit.co.il) which provides information and an internet buying facility for American visitors to Israel. To Go To Top

OLEG CARTOON: NEXT YEAR IN AL QUDS! Posted by Women in Green, October 16, 2005.

Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org To Go To Top

WHO STAGED STERN PROVOCATION Posted by Gail Winston, October 16, 2005.

When an IDF Maj.-Gen Elazar Stern gets pelted with water balloons at the Kotel (Wester Wall), it certainly seems rather suspicious. Who brings water balloons to the Kotel? (1) How were "over 100 worshipers" in a crowd of "over 5000" ' spontaneously' able to organize into a group to pelt Stern? Why would "haredi tourists" join the melee? Stern's advocacy of disengagement is not a haredi issue. Any normal tourist would quickly move in the other direction when voices are raised and violence threatens. What in the world was a film crew from Channel 2 TV doing at the Kotel Friday evening? Did they just happen to be there? Perhaps the cafes were all closed and they went for spiritual rejuvenation at the Western Wall - and they forgot they happened to have their cameras, microphones and staff with them. Or maybe they just wanted to offend worshipers by filming them on the Sabbath? Stern said that "he felt he had drawn the ire of haredim and religious zealots due to his efforts to change the religious status quo in the IDF." What status quo? Which haredi would be particularly surprised at anything that goes on in the IDF? It seems Stern has been made into the point man for a number of issues. Stern said quite well himself: "I hope this garbage is taught to understand the limits. We won't let them destroy the State. WE won't let anyone prevent us from praying at the Western Wall". There are always plenty of soldiers at the Western Wall. They are always welcomed. Stern is the first reported case of any solider being harassed. Yet he is quick to generalize "We wont let anyone prevent us from praying at the Western Wall". This rather strange incident was all too quickly picked up by no less then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon himself who then calls (on Shabbat) the Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, Justice minister Tzippi Livni and Internal Security minister Gideon Ezra and "directs them to do everything to make sure that IDF officers and soldiers are able to pray at the Wall without being attacked by worshipers there", Sharon also instructed them to "do everything possible to arrest those involved in this violence". Our guess is that Stern is willingly being used to accomplish at least three goals: 1. To break up the Hesder Yeshivas. He has already stated this as his goal. Somehow a staged incident at the Kotel will be used to show that Hesder Yeshivas are bad places where water-balloon flinging is taught. 2. Increase the rate of conversions - without regard to Jewish law. Despite the fact that the vast majority of the 300,000 non-Jews brought to Israel from Russia by the Jewish Agency have no interest in becoming Jewish but are pressured to do so because the government needs to find a solution to its self-created demographic problem. These Russians view Jews (whom they call Zhids even here) with open contempt, verging into anti-Semitism [note the upsurge in neo-Nazi materials sold here]. Despite the fact that the proud descendants of Cossacks say they don't want to become Jewish - quicky conversions are still a favored option by the government. Needless to say, haredi authorities point out that these ersatz converts are not Jewish. 3. Reward Stern for his loyalty to Sharon over the disengagement by making him a 'courageous poster child' willing to brave water balloons to pray. How will they toast their success? No doubt over a bottle of cheap "Champagne" from the well-known vineyards of provocation. ### 1. "IDF's Manpower Chief Harassed On Shabbat At Kotel" by Arieh O'Sullivan JERUSALEM POST 10/16/05 Gail Winston is founder of MEIR (Mid East Information Resource). To Go To Top

THE MYTH OF INTERNATIONAL LAW Posted by Gerald M. Steinberg, October 16, 2005.

This appeared in the Jerusalem Post, and is archived at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid= 1129113921688&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull The High Court of Justice recently ruled that the separation barrier built to protect Israelis against Palestinian terrorist attacks was morally justified as well as legal. While ordering some changes in the routing to limit the impact on Palestinians, the Israeli court rejected the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion, which called the barrier illegal. The ICJ's majority had erased the context of terrorism, and focused exclusively on distorted political claims related to the legal status of "occupied territory". Judge Aharon Barak and his colleagues rebuked the ICJ, but could not yet bring themselves to state that international law has become another weapon in political warfare, without any moral authority. But this is the reality, as also shown in the example of Daniel Machover, a lawyer living in London who exploits the idea of human rights to promote a very narrow crusade against Israel. Accompanied by a chorus of NGOs singing hymns to international law, and empowering himself, via the British courts, as a neo-colonial high commissioner over Israel's democracy, Machover brands Israeli leaders as war criminals. (A few months ago, he also promoted the academic boycott of Israel.) SUCH CLAIMS regarding international law and universal human rights norms, whether made with respect to Israel, the United States, Britain, or other countries do not reflect any consistent moral position. Instead, they are used to pursue a political and ideological agenda that is essentially anti-democratic. If the principles of universal justice were the objectives, rather than simply the means for supporting personal goals, then Palestinian, Syrian, Saudi and other terrorists would have been tried in Britain for war crimes and human rights violations long ago. And the same is true for their European weapons suppliers, bankers, etc. The basic weaknesses of international law and human rights are not in the theory, which seeks to establish a moral code of conduct that encompasses the entire world, to prevent genocide, terror campaigns, and slavery. These objectives, which were added to traditional law governing less explosive issues such as trade disputes and piracy on the high seas, are entirely worthy. And as peace and democracy spread in parts of the world, the relations between such nations are indeed governed by common principles and negotiations, and less by force and violence. But most parts of the world, particularly in the Middle East, are not governed by the principles of democracy. As a result, the claim that international law in practice can be determined by majority decisions of political organizations like the UN made up primarily of totalitarian regimes is nonsense. Similarly, there is no moral basis for claims by the unelected leaders of non-governmental organizations, such as Machover and Human Rights Watch's Ken Roth, to speak for "civil society". They can only speak for themselves and the organizations they head, and their opinions on morality and human rights have the same value as anyone else's-- no less, and no more. In this reality, the principles that are said to constitute "international law" lack the two central properties required for any legitimate legal system: the consent of the governed, and uniform and unprejudiced application. International law and the claims made in its name fit neither criteria. In a democratic framework, the legal system gains legitimacy through the consent of the citizens, and must be accountable to democratic procedures. We accept the limitations placed on us by the system of laws and the role of the police in enforcing these laws as part of the requirements for justice and order in any functioning society. But we do not accept limitations imposed from the outside, without our consent. Thus, the claims of the UN, the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and campaigns run by obsessed extremists in Europe, lack any legitimate moral foundation or standing in democratic societies with their own legal system. Similarly, when judges sitting on the Israeli High Court base decisions on international law, they are attempting to impose an external framework which lacks the legitimacy provided by the consent of the governed. THE OTHER problem with the use of international law is the absence of equitable implementation. No legal system that focuses its attention selectively can be considered legitimate. Thus, the routine condemnations of Israeli or American policy by the UN, the ICJ, and accompanying NGOs have no moral or legal validity when the principles are not applied uniformly. In contrast to these destructive polemics, in order to promote a meaningful universal moral code, it is necessary to recognize the need for the consent of the governed and for consistent and universal enforcement. International law based on justice, and not ideology, remains a worthy objective. But the substitution of political rhetoric that invokes the myths and rhetoric for the real thing is entirely counterproductive. Gerald M. Steinberg directs the Program on Conflict Management at Bar-Ilan University and is the editor of www.ngo-monitor.org He can be contacted by email at steing@Wmail.biu.ac.il To Go To Top

DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS HEAD? Posted by Gerald A. Honigman, October 16, 2005.

While the past year has brought other issues back to the front burner on the Middle East scene (the future of the Gaza Strip, now that Israel has withdrawn, and the rest of the disputed territories as just a few examples), it's worth rethinking another all-too-real fact of life that has driven events over recent past years, especially since the onset of the era of the so-called Oslo "peace," and still very much with us. I'm speaking, of course, about the Arab suicide/homicide bomber. Watching the news the other day as reports came in about the latest suicide bombing against innocents at a hotel in Bali, authorities were asking for help in identifying the heads of the bombers. Among others, young children have also been recruited as human bombs by these alleged Islamic sources of ethical enlightenment. Such are the times that we live in... Indeed, we have heard much too much about suicide/homicide bombers these days, and when Israel pursues the deliberate murderers of its innocents, this then becomes the next excuse for Arabs to kill yet more innocents. When it was "just" Jews being affected, the world didn't care much. In fact, in many circles, the Jews were blamed themselves. "Moral equivalency" too often became the name of the game...even in the American media and the State Department as well. Jews were expected to simply sit back and watch their kids get blown apart on buses, in pizzerias, and such. But, of course, the way most Arabs see all of this, there really is no such thing as Israeli "innocents"...They're all simply Jews who have stolen "purely Arab" land. That's the way it's still taught in their textbooks, appears on their websites, is preached in their mosques, and inbred everywhere else as well. After the September 11, 2001 tragedy, when nineteen Arabs (mostly Saudis) hijacked civilian aircraft and flew them as guided missiles into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing some three thousand Americans and others as well, the situation has become even more of a national concern for our own country. It has also become common place for Sunni Arabs, mourning the loss of their previous murderous control of Iraq via Saddam, to blow everyone else apart who are now trying to build a more equitable Iraq. Officials believe that it's just a matter of time before the United States, itself, once again becomes victimized this way. There is no doubt that this is a horrendous human tragedy. But while Arabs and their supporters place the blame for all of this on Israel, the truth is actually far more depressing. Like in many other places, there are conflicting historical and political claims over the land contested between Arabs and Jews as well. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of scholarly books written about the connection of the Jews to the land of Israel. The very name Jew, itself, comes from the later name of the land, Judaea, which in turn was named for the Hebrew tribe of Judah--one of Jacob's sons. Judaean equals Jew. Early Muslim Arab historians recorded this in their works, as does the Qur'an itself, the Holy Book of Islam. Similarly, there are many books which deal with the imperial Arab conquest, settlement, and incorporation of the land of Israel/Judaea/Palestine--and much of the rest of entire region as well--into the two earlier Arab Caliphates based in Damascus and Baghdad. Imperialism is evidently only nasty when non-Arabs so indulge in it. Suffice it to state, therefore, that a quest for relative justice demanded some sort of compromise over the land in question. Unfortunately, that was too much to ask... Arabs saw themselves as the only legitimate heirs to a defeated Ottoman Turkish Empire which had replaced the Arabs (and others) as imperial rulers and had ruled most of the region for some four centuries prior to the end of World War I. After the Allied defeat of the Turks, Arabs subsequently treated the region as "purely Arab patrimony" and acted accordingly. Despite the presence of scores of millions of non-Arab Berbers, Kurds, Jews, Black Africans, Copts, Semitic but non-Arab Lebanese, and others as well, Arabs saw these as purely Arab lands. As just a few of many other examples of what next transpired, both Berber and Kurdish languages and cultures were periodically "outlawed," churches of the Copts were burned down, Black Africans in the Sudan and Kurds in Syria and Iraq were massacred, and more Jews fled "Arab" lands than Arabs who fled Israel...the other side of that famous refugee problem that few folks ever talk about. Those who resisted this forced Arabization process were simply killed, turned into refugees, and the like...millions over the decades, and continuing to this very day. Returning to our main topic, the Arab rejectionist response to the question of a compromise with the Jews over the question of Israel/Palestine falls into this same pattern. Arabs rejected any solution which would grant Jews any rights at all. They attacked a minuscule, reborn Israel in 1948...and thus the continuing problem regarding the plight of Arab refugees. But it didn't have to be this way... Hundreds of millions of people became refugees in the course of the last violent century (not to mention the millions before then). Many were displaced between the two world wars. Scores of millions were uprooted in the 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan. Many more examples exist, like that involving Turks and Greeks; but, as is already hinted to above, one truly stands out in light of the current turmoil in the Middle East: The one half of Israel's five million Jews whose families fled Arab/Muslim lands around the same time Arabs fled in the opposite direction because of the invasion of Israel by five Arab states upon its rebirth in 1948. This does not include another million of these Sephardim who fled to other lands in the Diaspora, notably France and the Americas. Greater New York City alone now has tens of thousands of Syrian Jews. They were known as kilab yahud--"Jew Dogs"--in those Arab lands...So much for what Arabs like to claim was their alleged tolerance of "their Jews" before the rise of modern political Zionism. And in regards to the latter movement (the national liberation of the Jewish people), how dare anyone else but Arabs demand a tiny sliver of national dignity in the region! As those of us involved with these issues have to repeat far too often, at virtually the same time that the partition of the Indian subcontinent was taking place, the Arabs rejected a similar plan that would have created a second state for themselves in historic Palestine. Jordan had already emerged on some 80% of the original territory of the Mandate issued to Great Britain in the wake of the Paris Peace Conference on April 25, 1920. Colonial Secretary Churchill had separated all of Palestine east of the Jordan River and handed it over to Britain's Hashemite Arab allies in the creation of Transjordan in 1922. Take a careful look at what Sabri Jiryis, a prominent Palestinian Arab researcher at the Institute for Palestinian Studies in Beirut, had to say about all of this in the Lebanese newspaper, Al-Nahar, on May 15, 1975: "While it is estimated that 700,000 Arabs fled the 1948 war...against this...Arabs caused the expulsion of just as many Jews from Arab states...whose properties were taken over...a population and property exchange occurred and each side must bear the consequences." Much more evidence for this exists in books written by Arab kings, officials, and others as well. So, why is it that over a half century later, Arabs--who have received billions of dollars in aid from the United Nations, the European Union, America, oil revenues, other international funds, and elsewhere as well--still have not relieved the plight of their own refugees...a problem which, by their own rejectionist attitudes, they largely created themselves? They have, after all, almost two dozen states on some six million square miles of territory--lands that belonged mostly, as we have already discussed, to other non-Arab peoples before they were conquered in the name of the Arab nation. Jews absorbed their own refugees into a sole, tiny state roughly the size of New Jersey. The answer to the above question can perhaps best be illustrated by Arab actions. Some years back, with the status of the disputed territories Israel found itself in control of in the aftermath of the 1967 War still unresolved, Israel offered to knock down the dilapidated refugee camps and replace them with new housing and better living conditions. It's worth remembering that Egypt and Jordan occupied these territories from 1948 to 1967 and not only did nothing about this problem but never discussed the creation of that additional Palestinian Arab state here either. So, how did the Arabs respond to that Israeli offer? They demanded that Israel do nothing to remedy life in the camps. Again, why? It's really not hard to understand... Quite simply, and as it has been known for decades, Arabs have used their own refugees as pawns in their perpetual war to delegitimize Israel. For them, there is no justice nor suffering besides their own. Arabs don't want the refugee problem solved--not as long as it means that a viable Israel will still exist on the morrow. That's why they tacked on the "right of return" of millions of real or alleged jihadist-raised Arab refugees to the so-called Saudi peace plan a few years back, and Arafat walked away from an offer to get some 97% of the disputed territories, half of Jerusalem, and other major Israeli concessions as well at Camp David 2000 and Taba. The two Abus currently in charge of the "moderate" Palestinian Authority make the same demands. That's why they refuse to recognize Israel as a Jewish State. Also keep in mind that so many Arabs were in fact newcomers themselves into "Palestine" that the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) had to redefine the very word refugee to accommodate them. Recall, as well, that if surrounding Arab states hadn't invaded a minuscule, reborn Israel in the first place in 1948, there would hardly have been any Arab refugees. The result of both the Arafatian and the Saudi so-called "peace plans" still envisions Israel's Jews being overwhelmed so that a second Arab state within the original 1920 borders of Palestine will replace Israel, not live side by side with it. This should come as no surprise since all Palestinian (and many other) Arab maps, school books, web sites, and the like omit Israel as well. This is also why talk about creating a "provisional Palestinian Arab State" under these circumstances is scary. Faisal al-Husseini, the late showcase moderate of the PLO, said that while he'd accept any land diplomacy would yield, a purely Arab Palestine from the River to the Sea was the real goal...the same old "destruction of Israel in stages" strategy dominant since after the "one fell swoop" alternative collapsed due to failure in the 1967 Six Day War. Al-Husseini's successor "moderates" are leopards with the same spots. Their long-term goal for the Jewish State is no different than that of Hamas or Islamic Jihad. Thus, tragically, this conflict still really has no end in sight, despite what Mahmoud Abbas' cheerleading squad has to say...including in our own country. And the horrendous human costs specifically associated with suicide/homicide bombings for both sides have been created and sustained by the Arabs themselves. Reasonable compromises have been repeatedly offered--and rejected--to end the Arab-Israeli conflict...certainly more than anything Arabs have ever offered to the numerous native, non-Arab peoples they have conquered and forcibly Arabized in carving out most of the almost two dozen states they now call their own. Gerald A. Honigman, a Florida educator, has created and conducted counter-Arab propaganda programs for college youth, has lectured on numerous campuses and other platforms, and has publicly debated Arab spokesmen. His articles and op-eds have been published in both the print media and on websites. To Go To Top

JIHADS--FROM MUHAMMAD TO ATTA Posted by Women in Green, October 14, 2005.

This was written by Andrew G. Bottom. He is an associate professor of medicine and the author of "The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims," just published by Prometheus Books. We Americans, with our singular heritage of religious freedom, endeavor to think the best of all faiths. But the past four years - since Sept. 11 - have challenged our accustomed ecumenism. The questions arise: How much do we actually understand about Islam, and is it compatible with liberal democratic ideals that evolved, uniquely, in the West? Elected leaders tell us that Islam is a religion of peace and that the Muslim terrorists who destroyed New York's World Trade Center, slaughtering 3,000 noncombatants, adhered to a perverted form of their own faith. Muslim leaders in America now routinely condemn terrorist acts against innocent civilians. "Islam considers the use of terrorism to be unacceptable for any purpose," declared the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) after the recent bombings in London, also perpetrated by Muslims. "MPAC condemns the exploitation of people and issues, regardless of the perpetrators and their justifications." Although Muslim spokesmen may condemn the killing of innocents - neglecting to make explicit who "qualifies" as innocent - few have spoken up to condemn and disown the Islamic doctrine of jihad. The reason may be that jihad, which means "to strive in the path of Allah," is so much a part of Islamic faith and history, it represents a permanent Muslim institution. The foundations of the institution are found in the Quran. Sura (chapter) 9 is devoted in its entirety to war proclamations. There we read that the Muslim faithful are to "slay the idolaters wherever you find them. ... Fight against such as those who have been given the scripture as believe not in Allah. ... Go forth, light-armed and heavyarmed, and strive with your wealth and your lives in the way of Allah. That is best for you, if ye but knew." From such verses in the Quran and in the "hadith" (i.e., words and deeds of Muhammad, recorded by pious transmitters), Muslim jurists and theologians formulated the Islamic institution of permanent jihad war against non-Muslims to bring the world under Islamic rule (Sharia law). The consensus on the nature of jihad from major schools of Islamic jurisprudence is clear. Summarizing this consensus of centuries of Islamic thought, Muslim scholar Ibn Khaldun, who died in 1406, wrote: "In the Muslim community, the holy war is a religious duty because of the universalism of the mission and (the obligation to) convert everybody to Islam either by persuasion or by force. The other religious groups did not have a universal mission, and the holy war was not a religious duty for them, save only for purposes of defense." Only Islam, Ibn Khaldun added, "is under obligation to gain power over other nations." Muhammad himself started things off with a series of proto-jihad campaigns to subdue the Jews, Christians and pagans of Arabia. Within a century of his death in 632, the jihad wars of his successors had expanded the Muslim empire from Portugal to Pakistan. Later Muslim conquests continued in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. The Christian kingdoms of Armenia, Byzantium, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia and Albania, in addition to parts of Poland, Hungary and Romania, were conquered and Islamized. Arab Muslim invaders also engaged in continuous jihad raids that ravaged and enslaved sub-Saharan African animist populations, extending to southern Sudan. When the Ottoman Muslim armies were stopped at the gates of Vienna in 1683, over a millennium of jihad had transpired. These tremendous military successes spawned a triumphalist jihad literature. Muslim historians recorded in detail the number of infidels slain, or enslaved and deported, the cities and villages pillaged, and the lands, treasure and movable goods seized. Christian and Hebrew sources, and even the scant Hindu and Buddhist writings that survived the ravages of the Muslim conquests, independently validate this narrative and complement the Muslim perspective by providing testimonies of the suffering of the non-Muslim victims of jihad wars. A prominent 14th-century Muslim treatise on jihad written by Ibn Hudayl revealed the violent methods employed during the conquest of the Iberian peninsula: "It is permissible to set fire to the lands of the enemy, his stores of grain, his beasts of burden - if it is not possible for the Muslims to take possession of them - as well as to cut down his trees, to raze his cities, in a word to do everything that might ruin and discourage him." Terrorism was often a prelude to conquest. The Muslim historian al-Maqqari, commenting in the 17th century on the brutal tactics of Arab raiders, wrote, "Allah thus instilled such fear among the infidels that they did not dare to go and fight the conquerors; they only approached them as suppliants, to beg for peace." Later centuries saw Muslim fortunes decline. Many conquered lands liberated themselves from Muslim rule. But the ideology of jihad was handed down unchanged to all future Muslim generations. "Even today, the study of the jihad is part of the curriculum of all the Islamic institutes," wrote Lebanese law professor Antoine Fattal in 1958. "In the universities of Al-Azhar, Najaf and Zaitoune, students are still taught that the holy war (jihad war) is a binding prescriptive decree, pronounced against the Infidels, which will only be revoked with the end of the world." Sadly, almost 50 years since Fattal made his observations, learning the Manichean theory of jihad war remains an integral part of the formal education of many Muslim youth. The historical record demonstrates that this jihad war theory has been put into practice by Muslims across the globe for well over a millennium through present times. This fourth anniversary of the carnage of 9-11 - caused by a major act of jihad terrorism - would be an appropriate occasion for contemporary Muslim clerical and ruling elites to formally acknowledge, renounce and begin dismantling the devastating Islamic institution of jihad war. Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org To Go To Top

LOVE US OR LEAVE US Posted by David Nathan, October 14, 2005.

This comes from Walter Soles, who can be contacted at walter@soles.ca CANBERRA: Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia, as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks. A day after a group of mainstream Muslim leaders pledged loyalty to Australia at a special meeting with Prime Minister John Howard, he and his ministers made it clear that extremists would face a crackdown. Treasurer Peter Costello, seen as heir apparent to Howard, hinted that some radical clerics could be asked to leave the country if they did not accept that Australia was a secular state and its laws were made by parliament. "If those are not your values, if you want a country which has Sharia law or a theocratic state, then Australia is not for you," he said on national television. "I'd be saying to clerics who are teaching that there are two laws governing people in Australia, one the Australian law and another the Islamic law, that that is false. If you can't agree with parliamentary law, independent courts, democracy, and would prefer Sharia law and have the opportunity to go to another country which practises it, perhaps, then, that's a better option," Costello said. Asked whether he meant radical clerics would be forced to leave, he said those with dual citizenship could possibly be asked move to the other country. Education Minister Brendan Nelson later told reporters that Muslims who did not want to accept local values should "clear off". "Basically, people who don't want to be Australians, and they don't want to live by Australian values and understand them, well then they can basically clear off," he said. Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spies monitoring the nation's mosques. AMERICANS, CANADIANS - ARE YOU LISTENING? and reading? Contact David Nathan at davenathan@aol.com To Go To Top

IDENTIFYING PURE-BRED MOONBATS Posted by Steven Plaut, October 14, 2005.

1. "Identifying Pure-Pedigree Moonbats" Posted by Plaut's Complaint. Looking for a concise and fast way to identify moonbats? Try this: Simply ask the candidate for the honor whether he or she believes that the Syrian Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan committed suicide, and then ask if he or she thinks that Rachel Corrie committed suicide. Anyone answering "yes" to the first and "no" to the second is a moonbat of definitely pure pedigree. 2.http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/634847.html In Haaretz today a poll is published in which Israeli Labor Party rank and file are asked who they would like to be the next Prime Minister. Half said Sharon. After all, he is so much more effective in implementing Labor policies than the Labor Party politicians themselves! Meanwhile, Amir Peretz, the Moustache Pete of the Histadrut Crime Family, is the main challenger to Shimon Peres for head of the Labor Party these days, proving that reading, writing, and 'rithmetic are not prerequisites to run for Labor Party head. 3. http://moonbatcentral.com/wordpress/?p=1547 Moonbat Pinter is ALSO an anti-Israel Self-Hating Jew Posted by Plaut's Complaint @ Friday 14 October 2005, 7:15 am What a surprise. Nobel playwriter Harold Pinter not only hates America and Britain, but also hates Israel and Jews. The fact that he is a Jewish-born hater of Israel is hardly unusual these days in the fever swamps of the Left. Pinter a while ago made these moonbatesque defamations against Israel and Jews: "Pinter went on to assert that the one situation that outraged him above all else was the Israeli `injustice to the Palestinians'. which is an issue that exercises many, but he then went on to say, in the context of George Bush's pursuit of Saddam and his weapons of mass destruction, that Israel possesses these weapons `and has used them'. Pinter also is quoted there as saying: "The USA is intent on controlling the world and the world's resources.: "Bush is on a par with Saddam." "Please wash the cucumber sandwiches down with a glass of blood, with my compliments." (open letter to George Bush) Israel's injustice to the Palestinians is an outrage.. Pinter however did not volunteer to be blown to bits by the Palestinians as a symbolic show of solidarity with their "struggle". Pinter has long been a promoter of Israel's most famous convicted traitor, Mordecai Vanunu, who spent time in jail for espionage activities against Israel. Treason against Israel makes him a hero in Pinter's mind. When interviewed and challenged about his anti-Americanism, Pinter responded, "Look, there is a vast Gulag going on in America." (If Pinter is so concerned about human rights in the United States, why did he accept the hospitality of scores of Americans who spent a fortune on feting him in 2001?) We take note of Pinter's loathing of a country that has provided him with millions of dollars in theatre takings and that has honoured him with recognition. Steven Plaut is an American-trained economist, a professor of business administration at Haifa University and author of "The Scout." He frequently comments -- both seriously and satirically -- on Israeli politics and the left wing academic community. His website address is http://www.stevenplaut.blogspot.com. Or contact him by email at splaut@econ.haifa.ac.il To Go To Top

OVER-SENSITIVITY TO OVER-IMAGINATIVE MUSLIMS; ISRAEL'S FAULT; VIOLENCE Posted by Richard H. Shulman, October 14, 2005.

MUSLIMS PROTEST IMAGINARY INSULTS In 1998, some Muslims protested against Nike jogging shoes, bearing the word, "air," because, they said, it resembles the Arabic for Allah. Nike recalled 800,000 pairs of shoes. Recently, some Muslims protested against the line drawing on ice cream cones, because, they said, it resembles the Arabic for Allah. Complainants claimed to have been humiliated. Burger King recalled thousands of cones from the market (Op. Cit.). Large corporations are letting themselves get pushed around by Muslims' over-active imagination, and they are over-active, tending to hyperbole and hysteria. There was no intent to spell out that word. That is obvious. It is the Muslims who are offensive. Why refrain from what only they consider sinful? Let them yield or go! SENSITIVITY TO MUSLIMS IMPOSES ISLAM ON NON-MUSLIMS Muslim employees complained about what other employees displayed in the office. In the name of tolerance for Muslims' views, a Canadian municipal agency banned all representation of pigs. The ban included toys, calendars, a tissue box, and porcelain figures. In a Canadian nursery school where most children are Muslims, the head teacher banned stories about pigs. The library retains its books about pigs. A British university established a sister university in Kuwait. It sent its Kuwait counterpart materials purged of all references to pork, alcohol, homosexuality, and unwed mothers. The theory of evolution is taught, but it is accompanied by a statement of Islamic creationism. The West is censoring itself (Daniel Pipes, 10/6, weblog). I think that some of this is reasonable and some is not. We in the West should not alter our own culture, in obeisance to the recently arrived Muslims from an exotic culture. It means that they are not tolerant of our culture and we are subordinating ourselves to them, which is what they seek. Tolerance should work both ways. What people put on desks can be viewed in more than one way. What do you think about it? Subjects such as alcohol, homosexuality, and unwed mothers are not offensive. Promoting those activities would be. Certain actions harmful to individuals or societies should be discussed, in order to resolve personal and public policy on them. That is what education is about. Muslim countries generally have backward curricula. Let us not emulate them. It is not the duty of Western universities to censor themselves. Let the Arabs censor material given them, if they must! It they do much of it, let our universities question the value of the program! Should our medical schools ignore vaccination, to please Christian Scientists? Over-sensitivity to others becomes insensitivity to oneself. Reading stories about pigs to a largely Muslim student body is a matter of choice that, I think, is tactless. When I attended public schools, where our student body was mostly Jewish, I resented an emphasis on Christian songs. The Christian emphasis violated our Church-State separation. Stories about pigs do not. Banning such stories might - it partially establishes Islam. (The example was from Canada, whose legal principles I do not know.) MUSLIMS ATTACK JEWS IN SWEDEN, TOO Sweden considers itself an advanced society, where antisemitism is a minor problem restricted to the neo-Nazi fringe. Most Swedes ignore the rampant and rabid antisemitism of the Muslims there, who physically attack Jews. Gentile Swedes have not been attacked particularly, but jihadists there displayed a video taken of themselves training with explosives in a Swedish forest. The video threatens Sweden. Sweden's anti-Israel stance affords no immunity (Daniel Pipes, 10/6, Weblog). IRAN PREPARES FOR WAR Iran is following the example of nuclear defiance set by North Korea. Iran is not afraid of the US, now that it has missiles and an advanced nuclear program. It ruling faction believes in war with the US. It is gearing up for military confrontation, partly by financial allocation both within Iran and within Iraq, and partly by purges of the military and government in favor of the Revolutionary Guard. Iran is flush with money from the recent oil spike. Iran has sent weaponry to Iraqi insurgents specially suited against the Coalition. Bases are arising in Iran to house a few hundred thousand troops. (I wish the US had had a few hundred thousand troops for Iran.) The dominant faction anticipates that the US will withdraw its forces from Iraq next year. Then it would put radical Shiites in charge of Iraq and expand its own influence in the region. The US cannot afford to let this get out of control (IMRA, 10/6). The US doesn't have left many options, much time, nor much domestic support. Is the US preparing to face Iranian troops? GAZA BORDER FIASCO PARTLY ISRAEL'S FAULT? Fearing attack, and timing it for when PM Sharon would be at the UN, the IDF withdrew its forces before their Egyptian replacements were ready, admitted Israeli Maj.-General Ziv. Several Israeli commanders had urged the government to wait until the Egyptians were in place. Israel still has not set up the formal Israel-Egypt border coordination command for response to attempts at smuggling or at attacking. With the Egyptian troops finally in place, smuggling is not wide open any more. But Gaza Arabs already rushed in thousands of powerful weapons and hundreds of thousands of bullets (IMRA, 10/6) while their sympathizers try to justify suicide bombing on the amoral and false grounds that the Arabs have no arms and Israel has tanks. I had misinterpreted the events, and blamed the Arabs totally. Why don't the Arabs blame Israel for departing too hastily? BUSH'S INFLUENCE People blame the hurricane on Pres. Bush for not having signed the Kyoto agreement. Actually, the Senate rejected it, 95:0 -- that Democrats and Republicans alike disapproved of it. Moreover, there have been major hurricanes generations ago (Prof. Steven Plaut, 10/7). On the negative side of his ledger, he has helped Israel become more undemocratic, sp its Prime Minister could please the US by withdrawing from Gaza (Winston Mid East Analysis, 10/7). Pres. Bush deserves credit for helping some countries become democratic. I never heard a Democrat acknowledge that. I would not yet rank Iraq among them. VIOLENCE AGAINST ISRAELIS TREATED AS IF A GAME "The Israeli Army and a crowd of protesters squared off almost joyfully on Friday for their weekly tactical battle here over the construction of Israel's separation barrier?" The protestors were Arabs, Israelis, and foreigners, at least 20 from International Solidarity Movement (ISM). They "? were eager to take their case against the barrier to the world through the news media and to try to provoke the army and the police into overreacting." So as not to lose this battle of public relations, the Army has tried not to use weapons. "?the army was also trying to deny these experienced protesters any scenes that could be construed as brutal behavior, which feed an image of Israel that is becoming more widespread in Europe: a country of victims transformed into oppressors by the long-time occupation of Palestinian land." A soldier lost once an eye to a protester's rock. This time, Arabs approached "with slingshots, a weapon they are skilled with." The protest was at Bilin, where half the agricultural land is on the non-P.A. side of the barrier. Journalist Steven Erlanger puts it that the barrier "cuts Bilin off from many of its olive trees." A few paragraphs later, rather than as a rebuttal, the journalist admits, "The Israelis say there will be gates in the barrier so Bilin residents can farm their land. They also argue that the barrier is an effective measure against suicide bombers and that it is temporary, able to be moved or removed following a final peace settlement, or a court order." "The protesters and villagers argue that the route has less to do with security concerns than with a scheduled expansion of nearby Israeli settlements like Modiin, Illit, Qiryat Sefer and Mattiyahu - settlements themselves viewed is illegal by the UN because they are built on occupied land." (NY Times, 10/8, A10.) The article gives neither evidence of Israeli plans to expand nor verification of the IDF assertion. It is no joy for Israeli troops to be stoned and fired upon with slingshots, and to be taunted by enemies while their reactions are scrutinized by their own Courts to see whether they meet the excessively restrained IDF rules of combat. The blithe way the journalist puts it, as the Arabs and their allies act out their primitive hatred, is callous and misleading. The journalist mentions ISM, but does not identify it as a group under direction of terrorists and trying to disrupt IDF defenses. Israel fails to respond to enemy propaganda, so it does not complain enough about ISM being an auxiliary terrorist organization nor consistently jail ISM members. Then Israel wonders why it is losing the propaganda war that it doesn't wage. Do "Times" readers question the treason of those Israeli allies of the Arabs, who commit violence against Israeli troops as part of a jihad to eradicate Israel and perhaps also the Israelis? The disloyalty of Israelis who hope to provoke the Army into reacting too strongly for the hostile world media, is repugnant. Too bad Israel does not know how to demand the opportunity to respond to biased media that tries to paint them as violent, when obviously it is the Arabs and their allies who are violent. Worse is that much of the world reacts adversely to violence by the military, even if in justifiable self-defense. Europeans react to their false stereotype of Israel. It is a pretext for their old antisemitism, fanned by the new Muslim population of Europe. Note the term, "occupation of Palestinian land." There is no "Palestinian land" there, there is no Palestinian nationality, and there is no occupation. The Territories cannot be considered occupied or as belonging to the Arabs, when the League of Nations recognized the superior Jewish historical claim to it, and then the Arabs, of whom the locals were mostly immigrants, made genocidal war over it. If anything should disqualify the Arabs, it is their commission of aggression to seize it in 1948 and then to commit genocide from there, in 1967. One does not find this out from the "Times," which indulges its bias. The UNO is cited as if it weren't dominated by biased dictators. The protestors are not "eager to take their case" to the world, but to entice Israeli troops into seeming what they are not, so the pro-terrorists can make a false case. The cynicism of that tactic is repellent. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at ricshulman@aol.com. To Go To Top

THE CHANGING LANDSCAPES OF ISRAEL Posted by Judy Lash Balint, October 14, 2005.

This was written by Laura Ben-David, who lives in Neve Daniel. Contact her by email at laura@lbwx2.com The landscape of Gush Etzion has changed. Its Neve Daniel landmark, the huge grey structure on the mountaintop that appears to have a flying saucer parked on top of it, was actually the shell of its long-unfinished synagogue. It is no longer just a shell. Slated to be finished "by Rosh Hashana" almost every year since we've been here, it almost came as a shock when, seemingly overnight, the grey cement was covered in gleaming white, and shortly before Rosh Hashana, it was actually completed enough to hold services. The Shabbat before Rosh Hashana marked the inaugural prayer service in the long-awaited sanctuary. The usual five-separate Friday night services combined into one for this special, momentous service. And so, the Friday night before Rosh Hashana, I made my way to the top of the mountain that is Neve Daniel. I, along with my family, and every other family in the neighborhood, more than 1000 people in all, joined together at our new, old landmark. Even knowing what to expect, I couldn't know what I was really about to experience. It was already getting dark as we turned the corner that suddenly put the shul in our view. We were stunned to see the familiar silhouette suddenly bathed in light- from the inside! Strategically placed windows that were hardly noticed before, cast a beautiful pearly glow on the whole structure. It was truly a sight to behold! As we neared the synagogue, strains of "Lecho Dodi", my favorite of the Friday night prayers, carried to our ears from within. The beautiful singing emanating from the sanctuary along with the light from the windows made for a truly magical experience; and all this before I even made it inside the doors. Of course the timing of the completion of our beloved synagogue was not lost on anyone in our deeply Zionistic community. While most of the uprooted families from Gush Katif still linger in uncomfortable temporary living arrangements, their destroyed synagogues lying in desecrated ruins, we were celebrating the bittersweet dedication of ours. Unfortunately this irony could become something much more. It seems that the landscape of Gush Etzion is about to change again- this time, much more drastically. The change may give us something in common with the former fenced-in lives of our brothers and sisters who were removed from Gush Katif. The famous, much-debated "Security Fence" is suddenly to be built in Gush Etzion. "Suddenly" because though we knew it was going to be built, there was never a specific timetable given nor a specific route. Shortly before Rosh Hashana we were told that "right after Sukkot" they will begin building and only then were we told the route. And what a terrible route it is. The fence will literally cut off parts of Gush Etzion from the rest, place an unsightly fence all around, and protect us from exactly nothing. In fact neither us, nor the Arabs around us have anything to gain from this fence in the short term. For all of us it will be cutting into property, cutting us off from areas, and turning the places we live in into ghettos. Of course the route is not a fait accompli. Many lawsuits will almost guarantee at least a variation of the planned route. But what variation will actually improve the situation? Currently there are close to a quarter of Gush Etzion neighborhoods that are on the "wrong side" of the fence. South of Gush Etzion finds Hebron, one of the four holiest cities to Jews, containing the burial place of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of Judaism, along with neighboring Kiryat Arba where my two daughters go to high school (and many thousands of Jews live) which will all be on the "wrong side" of the fence. Putting them all on the "right side" of the fence will be putting thousands of the Arabs who they are trying to protect Tel Aviv from on the "right side" of the fence. Yes, Tel Aviv. One may wonder why we are fighting a fence that is presumably being built to protect us, but that is not the purpose at all. It is designed to protect Tel Aviv by keeping the Palestinian Arabs behind the fence. Because of this there are those who suggest that we avoid the feeling of living in a Gaza-like compound and ask for the fence to be built along the Green line which does not intersect the Gush at all. Serious objections to this are that once a fence is built it can be used all-too-easily as a future border with Israel potentially sacrificing anything on the other side - MY side. The more immediate concern is that a fence is a psychological border, much more so than the "invisible" Green line, and, as such, people will neither visit nor invest in areas beyond the fence. Other options being discussed are TWO fences - one on the Green line (to protect Tel Aviv...) and one around the Gush Etzion communities. The second fence, which is actually being considered as an alternative even without the Green line fence, would criss-cross Gush Etzion, making it a scary and unsightly place to live. None of these options are appealing. In the meantime we are relying on the leftist-Israelis who are sure to sue the courts in support of the Arabs to move the fence in their favor. For whatever its worth, at least it will delay the building of it. As the High Holidays came to a close this year, there have been mixed feelings along with great turmoil of emotions among the citizens of Gush Etzion. While praying in the relative safety and security of our beautiful new synagogue, many of us weren't even exactly sure what we should be praying for. We can only hope and pray that the One we were praying to will guide us to decisions that will bring safety, security and prosperity for the entire land of Israel. Judy Lash Balint is an investigative journalist and author of "Jerusalem Diaries: In Tense Times" (Gefen). It is available for purchase from www.israelbooks.com To Go To Top

VATICAN WANTS TO SWAP FOR ROOM OF THE LAST SUPPER Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, October 14, 2005.

Wow. Such generosity. They offer to exchange a building that they obviously stole that is no longer of any use to Jews for prime real estate in Jerusalem. How could the unJewish Government of Israel refuse? "Vatican offers swap deal to regain site of Last Supper" by Richard Owen in Rome, www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0%2C%2C13509-1823149%2C00.html, The Times October 13, 2005. THE Vatican is hoping to regain control of the Room of the Last Supper in Jerusalem, one of the most sacred sites in Christianity. It will, in exchange, hand over to the Jewish community the historic synagogue at Toledo in Spain, at present a Catholic church. The proposals, contained in a draft agreement between the Israeli Government and the Vatican, come on the eve of a state visit to the Vatican next month by President Katzav. Final details on a long-delayed accord on the status of Roman Catholic properties in the Holy Land are expected to be agreed during the visit, marking a new era of reconciliation between Christians and Jews after centuries of hostility. The Upper Room, where the Last Supper is said to have taken place, is held by Christians to be the place where Jesus broke bread and drank wine with the disciples on the eve of his Crucifixion and also where the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples at Pentecost. The Last Supper has become an iconic Christian image, painted most famously by Leonardo. The Room of the Last Supper is the fourth most holy place in Christendom after the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, built over Christ's tomb, the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, where the Virgin Mary was told by an angel she was to give birth, and the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where the birth took place. The present Gothic-arched room is not the original but was built by the Crusaders in the 14th century. It was taken over in 1342 by the Franciscans, the Catholic custodians of Christian sites in the Holy Land. Along with the rest of Jerusalem, it fell to the Ottoman Turks in the 16th century and was transformed into a mosque, whose Arabic inscriptions are still visible. Since the foundation of Israel the area has served as the site of Jewish yeshivas, or religious schools, since Jews believe that the Tomb of King David lies beneath the spot. Il Messaggero, the Rome daily, said possible reciprocal gestures include the return to Jewish control of the 12th-century synagogue in Toledo, which, after the suppression of Judaism in Spain in the 15th century, became the Church of Santa Maria La Blanca. A synod of bishops in the Vatican, the first to be held by Pope Benedict, is currently discussing issues related to the Eucharist, or Holy Communion. The renewed Christian-Jewish dialogue comes on the 40th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council document which condemned anti-Semitism and paved the way for the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the Vatican in 1993. The German-born Pope has reached out to Jews as well as Muslims since his election in April, and in August visited the Cologne synagogue. THE ROOM The Upper Room is in a building outside the Dormition Abbey behind the Franciscan house on Mount Zion in Jerusalem King David;s Tomb is believed to be at the base of the building It is thought to also be the scene of Jesus' appearance before the Apostles after the Resurrection and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon them at Pentecost The building was the seat of the Mother Church of Jerusalem for many years, and was a Franciscan medieval friary until 1561 The room was later turned into a mosque, as shown by the mihrab (niche set in the wall indicating the direction of Mecca) and Arabic inscription forbidding public prayer at the site Aryeh Zelasko lives in Beitar Illit, south of Jerusalem. He is Director of Sales and Marketing of Israel Visit (www.israelvisit.co.il) which provides information and an internet buying facility for American visitors to Israel. To Go To Top

YOM KIPPUR REFLECTIONS Posted by Yoram Ettinger, October 12, 2005.

1. Yom (Day of) Kippur has been a breakthrough contribution to humanity, highlighting HUMILITY and SOUL-SEARCHING as a pre-requisite for improving one's conduct. Yom Kippur encourages individuals to admit that they are FALLIBLE, identify their own wrong-doing, and ask forgiveness for any faux pas committed (intentionally or unintentionally) against relatives, friends, socially, at work, or otherwise. 2. The Hebrew word KIPPUR (atonement/repentance) is a derivative of the biblical words, KAPORET, which covered the holy ark at the sanctuary and KOPHER, which covered Noah's Ark and the holy altar at the Temple. The reference is to a spiritual cover (dome), which does not cover-up, but rather separates between the holy and the secular, between spiritualism and materialism. The cover intends to enhance preoccupation with inner deliberations and soul-searching. The KIPPA, which covers one's head during prayers (or - in the case of observant Jews - at all times), reflects that meaning. Thus, YOM KIPPUR covers the Ten Days of Atonement (starting with Rosh Hashana), separating them from the rest of the year. 3. The Hebrew word for Repentance is TESHUVAH, which means RETURN (to values, morality, good behavior). Yom Kippur is also called - in Hebrew - SHABBAT SHABBATON (the highest level Sabbath), which has the same root as TESHUVAH. The last Sabbath before Yom Kippur is called SHABBAT TESHUVAH. While the Sabbath is the soul of the week, Yom Kippur is the sole of the year. 4. Yom Kippur is observed on the tenth day of the Jewish month of TISHREY, which is an ancient word for forgiveness. Number TEN has a special significance in Hebrew: G-D, Ten Commandments, Ten reasons for blowing the Shofar, Ten Percent Gift to G-D, etc. Forgiveness is accorded, according to Jewish Sages, ONLY IF one expresses and exercises (talks and walks) repentance and alters one's behavior significantly through the heart as well as through the head. The initial prayer on the eve of Yom Kippur (Tefila Zaka) enables each worshipper to announce universal forgiveness. 5. Yom Kippur commemorates G-D's forgiveness: the end of G-D's rage over the sin of the Golden Calf. According to tradition, Yom Kippur was the day of Abraham's own circumcision, signifying G-D's covenant with the Jewish People. 6. Yom Kippur is observed through a Fast, which clears the body and the mind, facilitating one's empathy with the needy. 7. Yom Kippur underlines unison, and synagogues become a platform for righteous folks, as well as for sinners. 8. The Scroll of Jonas is read on Yom Kippur, demonstrating that repentance and forgiveness is universal to all Peoples, urging one to sound the alarm when wrong-doing is committed anywhere in the world. 9. Yom Kippur is concluded with a long sound of the Shofar, which commemorates the covenant with G-D (almost sacrifice of Isaac), the receipt of the Torah on Mt. Sinai and the opening of G-D's gates of forgiveness. The Hebrew root of Shofar means to improve oneself (Shafar). A Hebrew synonym for Shofar is KESE, which means cover-Kaporet-Kippur.

HEAR OH ISRAEL: A POWDER KEG IS WAITING TO EXPLODE Posted by Harv Weiner, October 12, 2005.

Why is the world - Jew and Gentile alike - ignoring the deteriorating plight of the Jews expelled from Gaza? Here's the reality: tent cities, families sharing squalid hotel rooms, communal structures destroyed and residents scattered, delays in promised funding and housing, lies at the highest levels of government, mortgage payments due on homes no longer there, no employment, no access to personal goods, exorbitant funeral expenses ("because you don't live here"), children jailed, soldiers seeking counseling or committing suicide over the guilt of Jew-expelling-Jew. A powder keg is waiting to explode. You can no longer claim that you did not know. Gmar Chatima Tova, Harv Weiner Host of The Isralert Network 1. "Waiting to explode. There's still time to fix disengagement errors," by Ami Shaked, www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3154363,00.html. Ami Shaked is a former resident of Kfar Yam and served as a security chief for the Gaza Beach Regional Council Since the expulsion, there's not a lot of time to watch TV. But we were amazed the other day to see there the sweet face of Ilan Cohen, director of the Prime Minister's Office, telling the country with measured words just how much we failed to understand the situation, how much good Dov Weisglass' plan has really been for us, and how much more than planned the disengagement is costing us. And we, in our naivete, just don't get it. We just can't understand why two months after this dear man's workers destroyed our homes; our children still cry, still dream of their homes and want to see their friends. They just can't understand why Dad doesn't get up to go to work anymore, or why Mom doesn't really have a family farm to run anymore. Or how people are living in tents and temporary housing. And where, exactly, are the schools. Wasting money And we don't understand why the Knesset Finance Committee authorized NIS 110 million (USD 23.7 million) to buy land for us at exorbitant prices, when the State itself owns thousands of dunams in the area. We don't understand the vast amounts paid to building contractors building our refugee camps. There is no question that at these prices it would have been possible to build proper communities, if the politicians were more concerned with the fate of the evictees than that of their contractor buddies. We don't understand, because we are simple people who conducted a just struggle against the State, with no hint of violence, under the banner of "We'll win with love." We did everything we could to prevent a civil war. We are naive, and we don't understand how it is possible that no director general has spoken to us, spending time instead with potential voters of the big boss, a man who betrayed us and sold us down the river in exchange for closing the criminal investigations against him. Ilan Cohen's task is to make us disappear from the eyes of the voter, because Jewish refugees aren't so good for elections. It just doesn't look good. He and the rest of Sharon's image guardians planned their cruel moves to look good to potential voters. And so the Gaza expulsion was carried out with no preparations for the refugees' future, under the bombastic slogan, "With sensitivity and determination." But for some reason I, the client, can't seem to remember any sensitivity. I do remember the incitement that preceded the expulsion and the police "situation analyses" about those damn settlers and their threats to democracy, and the potential they would open fire. I remember the violence against our children at the Kissufim Crossing, the illegal arrests and fabrication of evidence, the young girls in jail and the bulldozers destroying our homes and our lives. And I remember the march of soldiers through the streets of Neve Dekalim, pandering a fear I will never forget. And I remember the commander of the eviction company proudly declaring he went through the operation without hugging anyone. What a hero. Deceit and fraud Ilan Cohen is the inventor of a system of deceit and fraud that includes plaster walls, paint, grass carpet being used to build the refugee camps at Nitzan and other places. It is fraudulent because beyond the creativity familiar to us from puzzles and Lego, we have nothing. There are no crops for the farmers and no infrastructure, no industrial zone or places to work. Our communal structure and leadership were torn to bits. And anyone thinking this is a temporary situation is living in a dream world. Ilan, you are guilty of expelling and uprooting us without making any alternate preparations. By breaking up our community despite recommendations from every professional body around to preserve them. By destroying our sources of income and parental daily schedules, which create clashes and splits within individual family units. By creating social detachment and no connection to our surroundings, for fear that our current surroundings are temporary and out of fear of anotheolicy Research. A member of Moshav Netzer Hazani, Hezi Hazani (no relation to the man for whom it was named), 53, dropped dead yesterday in the marlet place in Netivot, where he and his wife made a stop on the way to his son's IDF army ceremony in southern Israel. There was no prior heart condition. They have six children ranging in age from 8 to 25, including two sons in the army. The Hazanis had lived in Netzer Hazani for 25 years. Hezi Hazani http://www.katif.net/ro_new.php?id=9306 A close friend of the family who made a shiva call today (there is only one day of shiva, ending with Yom Kippur), said that according to Yedida, Hezi's widow, they had to pay NIS 30,000 to bury him in Rison L'tzion, because he is not a resident and if one is buried someplace other than his home town, that's what it costs. Hazani's "home town" now in lies in ruins, bulldozed in Gaza. The Hazanis, like many others from their moshav, have been living for the last two months in the guest house of Hispin, in the Golan Heights, where they were sent by the Disengagement Authority when the only other solution offered was apartments but the moshav did not want to be split up. The same family friend spoke to a municipal worker from another region about the issue. He explained, "That's the price one pays when he wants burial in a specific place where he doesn't have the right to be buried. "So where should he have been buried" asked the friend. Hazani's mother is currently in America, visiting a daughter in Boston, and could not make it back to Israel for the funeral or for the shiva. He had originally worked in agriculture in Netzer Hazani but later worked with a building company. The family had previously decided not to go to Ein Tzurim, with the rest of the Netzer Hazani people, but to rent in the Golan Heights for a year. However, now Yedida does not know where they will go or what they will do. The General Situation of Netzer Hazani According to Anita Tucker, the situation is "Even worse than before. They haven't started building mobile homes in Ein Tzurim yet because it hasn't been straightened out between the kibbutz and the government. "We also have no access to our containers, because we were told by Zim that we will have to pay NIS 7,000 just to open our containers to remove things, and then we'll have to take the containers with us, as they will no longer be Zim's responsibility, but we don't have our permanent homes yet and we don't even know where we'll be so where would we put them. Tucker's son, Aviel, has opened a kollel in the Golan for the Netzer Hazani people, for which she is trying to raise money. Netzer Women in the Golan: A personal note Two days before Yedida's husband died, I met her and two other women from Netzer Hazani at the guest house in Hispin, in the Golan. I walked into the dining hall at 2:30 PM and it was almost empty. Looking at the view of the Golan through the window, one could be fooled into thinking this is a pastoral vacation. But the sadness in the women's eyes tells a different story . There were a few women sitting around a table. Yedida, who is a pre-school teacher, Nava Yisraeli, a pre-school director, and Chaya Shifman. Chaya was a teacher in Sderot, in the Negev who says she has "taken a sabbatical". The others are unemployed. The Golan is particularly cold in the winter and the Netzer people, who have nowhere to put their containers, don't know what they'll do about winter clothing, since most of them have not yet received the NIS 50,000 advance on compensation. Chaya says that the process of receiving compensation is long and difficult, and it works better if one has connections. They also say that the teenagers are having a particularly difficult time of it; they are asking questions about the disengagement, about the state, about religion. Some of them are in high schools that are far away from the Golan, but the Ministry of Education won't pay the cost of bus transportation, that is expensive. Nava says, "The Ministry of Labor has offered retraining courses but, since we don't know where they'll ultimately live, it's difficult to know which courses to take, and they may extend beyond the time that we'll be in the Golan" Nava also says that some young people are working part time harvesting myrtle branches to be used in lulavim on Succot. "They were in such a hurry to get us out of our homes, but it's to add a in to that crime, that the government didn't worry about employment, about our possessions, or about where we would live. "There certainly is not a solution for every settler?" Outside, in the lobby, there is a special bulletin board for Netzer Hazani, and the notices include time schedules of Tora classes, a letter telling them that they will have to start paying for their hotel rooms, and the meal times. A little girl rides a tricycle through the hotel hallway. On the lawn there is a large succa being erected by the hotel. There are Netzer men who are helping put up the succa. It gives them one more thing to do in the course of a long day. Just before I leave, I'm leaning over the reception counter, looking at some of the tourist brochures. I feel a loving hand on my shoulder and hear "Shana tova". I turn around. It is a woman dressed in the hotel uniform. "Oh, I thought you were someone else", she apologizes, as she walks out the door. I follow and ask her what her take is on the situation. "I wouldn't change places with them", she says. "A family with five kids in two hotel rooms? But we do our best". The Disengagement and El-Kaida Yoram Bin Nur, a Channel Two military analyst, said on the Reshet al Haboker morning show, October 11, that, in the wake of the disengagement, "We know that El-Kaida have infiltrated from the Sinai". Regarding Judea and Samaria, he said, "Hamas, Islamic Jihad, El-Kaida = : It's an issue of orientation. It's all the same". He said that some of the recent terrorists who have been arrested or who are on the wanted list range in age from 19 to 25, which means they were 15 when the current intifada began, which means that Hamas considers them "fresh meat"; they have no [police] records yet so it is harder for the Shabak to track them down. Other Hotels At the time of this writing, there was still no solution for the people staying in the Shirat Hayam Hotel in Ashkelon. The Gadid people, who had a terrible experience on Rosh Hashana at the Shalom Plaza branch in Tiberias, say they were promised that the hotel would be "cleaned up" in time for Succot. Some of them will stay at Neve Ilan for Succot and some of them will go either back to the Shalom Plaza, if it is in better condition, or somewhere else - they don't know where yet. Shoshi Journeau reports that the Disengagement Authority has told the Gadid people that at the end of October they have to leave Neve Ilan, even if their caravans are not yet ready in Masuot Yitzhak, which is waiting to absorb them. Meanwhile, the Authority has told them to choose from among the apartments available in Beer Sheva, Ashkelon and elsewhere. Important examples of previous Isralert articles on this subject: Fame of Shame http://www.isralert.com/archives/2005/09/the_fame_of_sha.php When Silence is a Sin http://www.isralert.com/archives/2005/09/when_silence_is.php The Unbearable Ease of Destruction http://www.isralert.com/archives/2005/08/the_unbearable.php A Roadmap for The Right http://www.isralert.com/archives/2005/08/a_roadmap_for_t.php A Light Unto The Nations http://www.isralert.com/archives/2005/08/a_light_unto_th.php Gaza, How it all Got Started http://www.isralert.com/archives/2005/08/gaza_how_it_all.php Historic Documents from The Expulsion Forces http://www.isralert.com/archives/2005/08/historic_docume.php Leaving Gaza: Is The Withdrawal Good for Israel? http://www.isralert.com/archives/2005/08/leaving_gaza_is.php The Human Cost of Disengagement http://www.isralert.com/archives/2005/08/the_human_cost.php Three Years After the Expulsion (A projection of Events to Come) http://www.isralert.com/archives/2005/07/three_years_aft.php Knesset Investigates Corruption at Highest Level of Disengagement Process http://www.isralert.com/archives/2005/07/knesset_investi.php HIGH COURT: DISENGAGEMENT LEGAL DESPITE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS http://www.isralert.com/archives/2005/06/high_court_dise.php Updates on The Expulsion of Jews From Gaza http://www.isralert.com/archives/2005/08/updates_on_the.php Harv Weiner, a businessman in Dallas, Texas, is the founder and moderator of Isralert. To subscribe to IsrAlert, send an email to isralert@aol.com To Go To Top

MY LETTER TO THE BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL Posted by Barry Shaw, October 12, 2005.

Please assist. The original letter comes from Joy Wolfe, who writes I know that time is very short but please could all the Doctors on our list (and of course others) please respond to this latest BMJ article. I have sent the following to the British Medical Journal following the publication of another awful Derek Summerfield article on what he claims is Israel's policy of shooting to kill children I would appreciate it if others would access the BMJ site and send their own responses. Joy Wolfe REF: http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/331/7518/699 "Derek Summerfield's obsession with vilifying Israel" article ID: 331/7518/699 Letter to the British Medical Journal One cannot help wondering what motivates Derek Summerfield's obvious obsession and compelling need to vilify Israel and to focus in such a negative way on the one country that has probably given more innovative research and resulting medical breakthroughs to the world than any other. What is it that makes the BMJ think it is appropriate to give so much space to his half truths, misinformation and quoting of unreliable anti Israel sources such as Physicians for Human Rights, Btselem and a group of former IDF personnel who have turned their backs on their country. To suggest that Israeli soldiers deliberately target children or are ever actually ordered to shoot at them is so obscene that it barely deserves an answer. The same applies to his monstrous suggestion that Israeli doctors are involved in or condone torture. On the other hand, a perfect example of the lies that are told about Israel is the case of Muhammed al Dura, the young boy allegedly shot by Israeli fire. There is now plenty of scientific evidence to prove that story was entirely untrue yet it continues to be quoted. Not so the story of 10 month old Israeli baby Shalhevet Pass, shot by a sniper in her father's arms or the little Hatuel sisters aged two to eleven and their 8 month pregnant mother who were shot in their car. The Palestinian terrorists walked up to the 4 terrified little girls and shot each one of them twice in the head, according to the police, while their mother was shot in her stomach at point blank range as she tried to cover her children. A similar example was the Ohion brothers aged four and five, shot with their mother as she read them a bedtime story. That, Mr. Summerfield is what you really can condemn as deliberate targetting of children, but your voice is silent when it is Israelis who are the victims. It amazes me that the BMJ is prepared to give so much space to the rantings of this man who clearly is fulled with such hatred and bias that his views barely merit inclusion in a reputable medical journal. There simply is no independent reliable evidence of any policy of shoot to kill as alleged in Summerfield's latest diatribe. I can only assume that as you so frequently print his anti Israel rants that you much yourselves give credence to his misinformation and outright lies. Personally I would prefer to see more about Israel's fantastic medical achievements in your journal, and less of the political incitement. It seems to be that would be a more appropriate use of your column inches Joy Wolfe Barry Shaw writes the "View from Here" columns from Israel. To sign up to receive his emails, contact him at netre@matav.net.il To Go To Top

U.S. TOUGH IN WORDS, SOFT IN ACTION; WEST TOO AMATEURISH; THE JEWISH IMPERATIVE Posted by Richard H. Shulman, October 12, 2005.

WHAT AMMUNITION SHORTAGE? P.A. police feel that their government does not support them in its policy towards Hamas nor with sufficient ammunition. After having clashed with Hamas gunmen recently, some police raided the P.A. legislature, firing their supposedly scarce ammunition into the air. IMRA finds their action puzzling. Ammunition became cheap, when tons of it flooded Gaza, after Israel turned border control over to the Arabs, who had pledged not to allow arms smuggling. The P.A. was known to have bought a considerable quantity. What puzzles IMRA is why did it not issue such ammunition to its own troops (IMRA, 10/3). Arafat had a policy of feeding Fatah and starving P.A. police. Is Abu Mazen is continuing that policy? Perhaps the police do have ammunition, and really sought political and moral support. MORE CIVIL STRIFE IN P.A. Attacks by, and clashes between, armed factions in the P.A. have become frequent. Increasing numbers, half not involved in the disputes, are being shot. Some of the victims are children. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights condemns these crimes against civilians (IMRA, 10/3). One does not hear of others condemning Fatah, Hamas, etc., for their terrorist and warlord behavior against their own people, just as they don't condemn it against Israel. The outside world seems not to care what the Arabs do or is done to them. I think it cares only for the opportunity to criticize the Jewish state. THEN it feigns concern for the "poor Palestinians" (Arabs). SHARON PROTECTED FROM INDICTMENT Both Austria and S. Africa have provided new investigative reports about Cyril Kern, who lent large sums to the Sharons. The purpose of one loan was to rescue Sharon, who had been ordered to return that amount of illegally raised campaign funds. Sharon claims the loans were simply a friend's help. The suspicion is that Mr. Kern was fronting for the Austrian, major partners in the P.A. casino. The Sharons and government advisors are partners in it too, and their help has been needed to get it into operation and to get another one going in Gaza. The foreign countries claim to have performed the investigations Israel requested. The Israeli police ministry claims these countries did not cooperate with Israel. The constant claim of not having received cooperation may be an excuse for dropping the case, as the ministry has been hinting it would do (IMRA, 10/3). Israeli authorities usually drop or minimize cases against leftist officials and Arabs. THROWING GOOD MONEY AFTER BAD Gaza's transformation into a terrorist base against Israel should expose the fallacy of abandoning territory. Instead, Peres and Sharon are pursuing further abandonment. They are not doing this out of logic or national interest. Some of their appeasement is due to their supposition that terrorism would become minor if Israel withdrew from all the Territories. They fail to understand that the Arabs want all of Israel, just as they did before Israel held the Territories. They still don't recognize that the conflict is religious. They condemn the settlers as "religious fanatics," but not the Muslims, who really are such, and also not certain religious enemies among the Christians (Winston Mid East Analysis, 10/3). BUSH DENOUNCES TERRORISM Pres. Bush gave another speech on international terrorism. This time he defined it more finely, as the product of radical Islam. He said we must not falter, but must stop the "charities" that finance terrorism and the regimes that shelter or sponsor terrorism. The terrorists and those regimes blame their failures on the US and Israel. (It is their failure, not ours.) The terrorists are aided by Arab journalism that preaches antisemitism, conspiracy theory, and the non-existent US war on Islam, ignoring US military actions to protect Muslim victims of persecution, as by Serbia. What they call their grievances are mere excuses, masking their expansionism. "Like the ideology of communism, our new enemy teaches that innocent individuals can be sacrificed to serve a political vision. And this explains their cold-blooded contempt for human life." That tough speech is contradicted by US appeasement of the Palestinian terrorists (IMRA, 10/6) and of S. Arabia). That's Bush's and Israel's pattern: talk tough but empower Palestinian Arab terrorists. It is the ultimate demagoguery. Unfortunately, only a few of us recognize Bush's pattern. Most officials and journalists ignore his self-contradiction, and focus only on his stand on Iraq. RICE SOFT ON TERRORISM (Under agreements between the P.A. and Israel, terrorists are not supposed to keep their arms or run in P.A. elections. That goes for Hamas, among others.) Sec. of State Rice was asked, wasn't the US being soft on Hamas, by not insisting that if Hamas intends to field candidates, it must disarm, first. Rice gave a free pass to Hamas and to terrorism in general, by suggesting they may run now and disarm "ultimately." She referred to the IRA "peace process," as an example, but was not sure that the IRA really is disarming as it claims to have done in a secret procedure. It is an example of the problem with giving terrorists too much latitude. Hamas insists it will not disarm until Israel is conquered, but under the Rice formula, it could "promise" "ultimately" to disarm. Israeli politicians and their media should have complained that the US is boosting terrorism and betraying them. Instead, they treated her weasel wording as wisdom. Wishful thinking (Dr. Aaron Lerner, IMRA, 10/6)! If the US continues to subsidize the P.A., and Israel continues to give the P.A. concessions, and both the US and Israel tell that jihadist entity that "ultimately" it must disarm terrorists, it never will disarm them. It did not do so from 1993 on, when its leader signed the Oslo Accords. For a dozen years, it has pretended it will end terrorism. Instead, it imposed terrorism. Israeli leaders should tell the US that its reply and P.A. procrastination are not good enough, because it enables the Arab side to continue to make war on Israel while the Arabs are accepted as peace partners in good faith and entitled to land and money. This is money that the US no longer can afford to waste. U.S. DEFINES "JIHAD" A US indictment defined Jihad as holy war or violence against perceived enemies of "fundamentalist" Islam (Daniel Pipes, 10/6, weblog). No, jihad is central to Islam. LATE-BREAKING NEWS ON SUPREME COURT The vigorous, young, Chief Justice has persuaded his colleagues that the Supreme Court is not supposed to be a geriatric institution. They all resigned, to enable Pres. Bush to infuse new energy and a modern outlook into that august body. Pres. Bush intends to nominate one Justice from the energy industry, one from the arms industry, one from the pharmaceutical industry, one from the religious Right, and one from broadcasting. TERRORIST MOTIVATIONS Islamists believe their duty is to war on infidels by any means. When the means utilized are terrorist, they violate international law and the ethics behind it. That is bad enough, in my view. The Muslim credo is that terrorists killed in action immediately, regardless of past sins, ascend to paradise and enjoy the thrills of 40 maidens servicing them. That seems like a misguided appeal to man's baser instinct for gluttony. That, of course, is a matter of opinion. But when terrorists recruit on the basis of that self-serving promise, it is reward-for-murder. HUMANENESS AGAINST INTL. LAW? The Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the IDF may not enlist neighbors of terrorists to inform the fugitives that their house is surrounded, and that if they surrendered, they would keep innocent bystanders from getting killed, as well as preserve themselves. The news briefs did not state which principle of international law was meant. It is difficult to understand how a humane practice violates human rights. THE JEWISH IMPERATIVE It is imperative for the Jews to persuade the Christians that selling the Jews out does not buy Muslim forbearance for themselves. WEST TOO AMATEURISH Mercenary interests and emotional stances guide Western states into ineffective foreign policies. Some of their working theories, in addition, are ill-informed. The stakes have become too high, and Western resources too limited, for its policies to be so amateurish. We still don't know which local factions are decent and effective. That is a major failure of intelligence that the Vietnam War should have taught us to avoid in future. Just as the S. Vietnamese would not fight for independence, neither, apparently, do Iraqis. They seem to have a shadow government there that steals the money we give it, while the militias seem to control or cow the populace. Little strategic planning is evident. Is there nobody in our National Security Council or Defense Dept. who asks, "Suppose this doesn't work?" or "What might the enemy do in reaction?" Instead, we proceed in the naïve or conceited supposition that our assumptions are valid and things will work as planned. We don't know when to be mild and when to be harsh. In Iraq, we thought that minimal forces would suffice. Turned out to be incorrect. Meanwhile, we have not tried to rebuild our armed forces. Wedded still, are we, to new theories about smaller, smarter, mobile forces. Those theories apply to fighting armies, but not to guerillas. We cannot hold down foreign cities and simultaneously pursue terrorists. If we had local allies, we could let them guard the liberated cities against terrorist re-infiltration. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at ricshulman@aol.com. To Go To Top

JEWS WILL SOON BEGIN OUR 5,766TH YEAR ON THIS EARTH! Posted by Alex Grobman, October 12, 2005.

Jews will soon begin our 5,766th year on this earth! Who would have believed this possible? If anyone had told Abraham that his people would be around this long he probably would have been astounded. NOTE: Imagine, we did this without beheading anyone, without a single suicide bomber, without kidnapping and murdering school children, without slaughtering Olympic athletes, and without flying airplanes into skyscrapers. We lasted this long despite: 400 years as slaves in Egypt, 40 years of wandering in the desert, the mighty Roman army who nailed us to ten thousand crosses; despite the best efforts of the Christian crusaders, the Spanish Inquisition, Hitler's third Reich, Stalin's gulags, five Arab wars of annihilation, 100 years of Arab and Arafat terrorism, and 800 hate-filled UN resolutions! How did we Jews do it? We did it by concentrating our efforts on education, love of family, faith, hard work, helping one another and a passionate dedication to life no matter what evil befell us! We hung in there with hope that the rest of the world would one day overcome its hatreds, jealousies, violence and join us in a life of cooperation and mutual respect. We're not there yet, but we're still hopeful. And when we enter our places of worship, this is what we always pray for, with all the strength in our hearts. Dr. Grobman's most recent book is "Battling for Souls: The Vaad Hatzala Rescue Committee in Post War Europe" [KTAV]. He is also co-author of "Denying History: Who Says The Holocaust Never Happened?" (University of California Press, 2000) His next book "Zionism=Racism: The New War Against The Jews" will be published in 2005. To Go To Top

600 ISRAELI SOLDIERS UNDER PSYCHIATRIC CARE PLUS 7 SUICIDES -- SO FAR! Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, October 12, 2005.

Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has left a trail of broken bones, pernicious lies and all the things that indelibly mark a Dictator driven by his own interests. The following is unreported by the Leftist Media: Of the 40,000 soldiers sent in to roust Jews from their homes, 600 are under psychiatric care with 7 having committed suicide so far - according to reliable, confidential sources. For every one who has sought help and committed himself to psychiatric facilities, one may assume there are multiples of those numbers who are brooding, depressed who may yet end up in a psychiatric facility or "G-d forbid" commit suicide for their role in being one of Sharon's storm troopers. Except for some, Jewish boys and girls are not suited to be warriors against their own people. Some can meet the role model of pathological thugs. Former PM Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres and now Arik Sharon fit that role model, along with the Yattam units, specially selected for their cruel personalities. Clearly, the Sharon government is desperate not to have this story get into either the Hebrew Media or the International Media. Many played a role in this senseless tragedy of forcible evacuation which brought the Jewish nation nothing but elevated Terror. The Left cheered (and they still are) the hurt done to the pioneering Settlers. Half of the Right of the Likud Party voted to keep their paying jobs rather than to de-throne Sharon. As the Jewish evacuees wander from hotel to hotel, in filthy rooms, little promised compensation, forced to pay mortgages for homes Sharon had demolished, the political hacks appointed by Sharon make promises to the desperate evacuees of Gush Katif and the Northern Shomron (which are rarely kept). In the meantime, the large army Sharon raised to force the Settlers out are watching the results of what they have done. A dictatorial thug attacked and claimed a legal "Democratic" right to order the forced evacuation. This turned the wonderful IDF (Israel Defense Forces) into a legal but immoral force of criminals. The decent young members of what was once the most honored institute in Israel, suddenly saw a reflected image of themselves in the infamous Yattam troupes, dragging 10,000 men, women and children out of the homes, gardens and verdant farms they had built themselves over 38 years from the barren sand dunes of Gaza - on land the Arab Muslims didn't want and couldn't make bloom. Then, they saw these good people thrown to the winds by a ruthless Sharon government and knew they had become part of it. They were told that this was their duty "under democracy" but, in fact, the Sharon Thuggery was a democracy in name only. If there is a word for a democratic dictatorship, this is what Israel has become. The change from a semi-democracy that cared about her people to a dictatorship who cared only about itself was not lost on either the young soldiers or the people. The once vaunted Army has lost its luster as a protectorate of the people. The Israeli Knesset has confirmed that it is a useless organization, dedicated only to its well-paid seats and the financial perks that attend their office. As for Sharon and his gaggle of corrupt appointees and advisors, they have stained the "Mark of Cain" on their foreheads as criminals worthy of facing the gallows of a Nuremberg Tribunal. Sharon's word and even his legal commitments are less than worthless. In the Prime Minister "legal" and binding document entitled: "ADDENDUM A: REVISED DISENGAGEMENT PLAN - MAIN PRINCIPLES", many disingenuous and illegal claims which Sharon ignored as if documents are irrelevant. (Note! Most of the Knesset and Sharon's Cabinet did not even bother reading this so-called "Legal Document of Purpose") Note item #7: Real estate assets: In summation, Sharon states that "he" will transfer to a third international party the commercial, agricultural and industrial properties owned and developed by the Gush Katif Settlers for the benefit of the Palestinian population not involved in Terror. (Sharon did transfer all named assets to Terrorists, including 400 buildings - those not burned down and looted - which were, indeed, turned over to Terrorists. I would remind the reader that, in the late 1970s, Sharon started his own Party "Shlomzion" which had a pledge to start a State of the PLO with Yassir Arafat as its leader. His Party failed but, the idea continued on through Rabin and Peres who (in the early 1980s when it was illegal) met with Arafat to plan an evacuation of the "West Bank" (Judea and Samaria). Apparently, the sub-level linkage between Sharon, Rabin and Peres (was always there) on the forceful evacuation of Jews from Judea and Samaria. That plan morphed into the failed Oslo Accords and now is a mixture of Yossi Beilin's Geneva Accords (connected to the Bush "Road Map"). That snake still lives and no one has thought to cut off its head which would insure the snake is finished. In the meantime, the 600 soldiers who suffer deep psychological problems for their role as storm troopers are taking their toll. Separating them from other soldiers who themselves are depressed from being misused, is growing. In every Army, there is always a certain shock, causing mental disturbance. This grows exponentially when a soldier is ordered to attack his own people. Please forward this to your local newspaper wherever you are. In Israel, the Leftist Hebrew Media are trying to keep Sharon in power by suppressing such news as soldiers under psychiatric care. Force them to print the facts. Force the Army to divulge the statisticians of Sharon's Folly. ### 1. "Addendum A: REVISED DISENGAGEMENT PLAN: Main principles: #7. Real Estate Assets In general, residential dwellings and sensitive structures, including synagogues, will not remain. The State of Israel will aspire to transfer other facilities, including industrial, commercial and agricultural ones to a third, international party which will put them to use for the benefit of the Palestinian population that is NOT involved in Terror. The area of the Erez industrial zone will be transferred to the responsibility of an agreed upon Palestinian or international party. The State of Israel will explore, together with Egypt, the possibility of establishing a joint industrial zone on the border of the Gaza Strip, Egypt and Israel. [Get whole "Plan" at webmaster@pmo.gov.il] Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). Contact him at gwinston@interaccess.com To Go To Top

THE POLITICALLY INCORRECT NOBEL LAUREATE; REMEMBERING MADHAT YUSEF Posted by Steven Plaut, October 12, 2005.

1. Oh where did we go wrong, sigh the Israeli Academic Leftists. Israeli academia is usually as moonbatiesque, if not more so, than that in the US. The Israeli Academic Left was ecstatic when it was announced that an Israeli economist (who grew up in the USA) Prof. Robert J. Aumann from the Hebrew University in Jerusalm, had been co-awarded the Nobel Prize this year in economics. (A previous Nobel winner in economics, Daniel Kahneman, grew up in Israel but did his work mainly after moving to the US.) While Israelis have gotten Nobel Prizes before, most were the politicians getting prizes as rewards for Israeli political capitulations and appeasements of Arabs, and one was in literature. The only previous academic Nobel Prize Israel for people at Israeli universities was for two chemists from the Technion, who exploited the occasion of their award to promote politically correct Israeli liberalism, about how supposedly Israel was spending too much on defense and not enough on doing nice things. So you can imagine the glee in the hearts of the local Moonbatocracy when they figured another Israeli leftist from academia would get his Kodak moments to promote political correctness. But, alas, the academic Left was in for a surprise. Prof. Aumann is not only politically correct, he is strongly opposed to the entire Oslo "peace process", he believes Ariel Sharon's Gaza "disengagement" was the height of folly, and - Marx protect us! - he actually believes in God!! He is personally religious, wears a yarmulka (skullcap), and has done serious academic work on applying mathematical and economic principles to some ethical debates from the Talmud. The far-Leftist anti-Zionist Israeli daily Haaretz labeled him a "Far Rightist". (He is in good company by the way; the have also labeled me one, minus the Nobel Prize of course.) Aumann is a veteran member of Professors for a Strong Israel, an anti-Oslo hawkish organization, and he opposed the Sharon disengagement. At the Center for the Study of Rationality at the Hebrew University, they said he arrived daily with an orange ribbon, symbol of those opposing the Sharon Gaza capitulation, and kept doing so after the Disengagement Plan was implemented. He insists on calling the disengagement "the expulsion." "Irrespective of game theory, I think it was immoral, inhuman, and stupid," he said. "We gained nothing, and there's a good chance we lost a great deal. What sort of message did they want to send with this expulsion? They wanted to send the message that we are sticking with the green line no matter what." The Islamofascists are already soiling themselves in anguish! The academia Moonbatocracy in Israel is in shock. Where did we go wrong, they whine. How could such a reactionary creature grow up in our midst? How could we have let this happen? Where did we go wrong? Perhaps we need to fast on Yom Kippur to discover our transgressions in allowing this to happen?!! 2.Published in the Jewish Press. http://jewishpress.com/news_article.asp?article=5535 On Rosh Hashanah five years ago, Madhat Yusef became a martyr to the Oslo "peace process" and the policies of the Israeli government of Ehud Barak. Madhat was a nineteen-year-old Druze soldier serving in Israel`s border patrol. He was murdered by Palestinian bullets but allowed to bleed to death by the government of Israel. Like many in his town of Beit J`an, Madhat was a member of the same border patrol in which his father had previously served his country for 25 years. And like American Jews who work on Christmas to allow their countrymen to celebrate their holiday, Madhat was doing guard duty at Joseph`s Shrine in Nablus/Shechem on the Jewish New Year when he was slain by PLO stormtroopers sent out by Yasir Arafat. Joseph`s Tomb had by the fall of 2000 become a sort of Jewish Alamo, the scene of daily violence by Palestinians. Jews took their lives in their hands just going there. A small group of courageous yeshiva students stayed on, guarded by some soldiers and border patrolmen. The students refused to listen to Israel`s Lobotomized Left, whose spokesmen were urging them to abandon Joseph`s Tomb so as not to antagonize the poor Palestinians with their presence. (Things were not much better at Rachael`s shrine, which served as yet another indicator of what Jews could expect to happen at the Western Wall if Israel`s Left ever had its way and the Old City of Jerusalem was handed over to the Palestinians.) For years the PLO had sought to ruin Jewish holidays with violence. On one memorable occasion, Arafat decided to send the Jews a Sukkot greeting in the form of a pogrom, launched after Israel had decided to allow Jews to visit an old Maccabee Tunnel near but not under the Temple Mount. Arafat fabricated a story of how the Jews were endangering the Al-Aqsa Mosque and polluting it with their proximity, and ordered his gunmen to open fire. Purim had for years been open season for Arab atrocities, including bombings. Finally, in 2000, Arafat decided to order pogroms on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It was all part of the Al-Aqsa Intifada, as it was officially named by Arafat. For years we critics of Oslo had been saying that the "peace process" would produce not peace but the metastasis of violence from the "territories" into pre-1967 Israel, where Israeli Arabs would be radicalized. The Rosh Hashanah pogrom proved how correct we were. The official excuse for the pogrom was that Ariel Sharon, at the time the Likud opposition leader, had gone for a walk on the Temple Mount. Jews are only allowed to visit the Mount as tourists but are not allowed to pray there, and even silent lip-movement can get a Jew arrested. There was never any serious danger that Sharon was about to pray there, as it's doubtful he even knows how. But let us return to Madhat Yusef -- whose name in Arabic means Joseph -- defending Joseph`s Tomb from the Philistines in Nablus. The PLO thugs, at the direct orders of Arafat, had begun firing into the shrine. Yusef was badly wounded. The medics did what they could for him. They radioed out for help. Nearby stood a large Israeli military base atop the Mount of Blessings. But Ehud Barak had issued orders. Israeli troops were to do nothing to"provoke" the Palestinians. They were to cower and hide, much like they were ordered to do at the Lebanese border. They were to do everything to avoid situations which might have required them to use their weapons. They were to wait for Israel's PLO "peace partners" to restore order. The military base nearby had tanks and APCs that could have been used to disburse the Palestinians and open the road to the Alamo, allowing Yusef to be evacuated and rescued. But the army had its orders from Barak. It sat back. It did nothing. The Israeli military that once rescued hostages in Entebbe could not rescue a single Druze soldier bleeding to death in Nablus. Madhat Yusef was lying on the floor. He lay there for hours while the Israeli army sat back waiting for the PLO "police" -- many of whom were the very gunmen firing into the shrine -- to restore order. Like Will Travis, Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett in their Alamo, Yusef simply bled to death. Remember Yusef's Alamo on this, its fifth anniversary. Hatima Tova! Steven Plaut is an American-trained economist, a professor of business administration at Haifa University and author of "The Scout." He frequently comments -- both seriously and satirically -- on Israeli politics and the left wing academic community. His website address is http://www.stevenplaut.blogspot.com. Or contact him by email at splaut@econ.haifa.ac.il To Go To Top

...AND A TIME TO GIVE Posted by Rachel Saperstein, October 12, 2005.

The purity of chessed, loving kindness, lies behind the concept of Operation Band Aid. According to the Jewish philosopher Maimonides the first degree of charity is employment, to make an adult self-supporting. The second degree is total anonymity between the giver and the receiver. To be able to give is the pleasure, and to be able to receive in a dignified way is the morality of this form of charity. For the giver there is no letter of thanks, no certificate of appreciation, no dinner in one's honor. One gives for the sake of giving. For many years the farmers of Gush Katif were given the privilege of donating green vegetables to all the soup-kitchens in Israel. The large number of charity collectors who made the long trek to Gush Katif are witness to our generosity. Our children were constantly raising funds for cancer research and aid to the blind and disabled. Amounts raised in Gush Katif were often greater than the national average. The concept of the gemach, a free loan society, was an outstanding feature in Gush Katif. Diapers, baby formula, simcha supplies were loaned and returned. Families sponsored gemachs for every need. And every act of charity was done without fanfare, to preserve the self-respect of the recipient. Today the people of Gush Katif, homeless and without jobs, are themselves in need of monetary aid. Farmers, teachers, business people are idle while the once prosperous Gush Katif area, whose exports brought millions of dollars into the national coffers, lies in ruins, its people scattered in hotels, dormitories and tent cities. Today each family must pay a daily fee for the room into which it has been forced. Belongings are stored in ship containers for which we pay an exorbitant fee, "punishment" for our not having surrendered earlier. We are forced to continue paying mortgages on homes reduced to rubble. The government of Israel has paid limited compensation to a very few of the people of Gush Katif. There has been little government help, only pronouncements and promises. Now we are being threatened with expulsion from our hotel rooms after the holidays. Many of our fellow Israelis believe the lies of the government. Only those who know the truth have come to our aid. Today the proud, brave people of Gush Katif are reaching out to you for help. Operation Band Aid is just that, a band aid on a gaping wound. Each family receives an envelope with 500 shekels to use for small items -- a newspaper, bus fare, a toy for a child. This Yom Kippur please set aside funds to aid the people who held on despite years of bombardment to save Eretz Yisroel, only to be evicted and abandoned. May this New Year bring us joy. May each family enjoy the pleasures of a home, a job, loving family and friends... and above all, good health. Tax deductible dollar checks can be sent to: Central Fund for Israel Rehov Hagoel 13 Efrat 90435 Israel earmarked for: Operation Band Aid For shekel checks: Women in Green POB 1269 Efrat 90435 earmarked for: Operation Band Aid Rachel Saperstein and her husband Moshe lived in Neve Dekalim, Gush Katif, Gaza, Israel. She was a teacher at the Neve Dekalim ulpana and a spokeswoman for the Katif Regional Council. Her recent book, "Eviction: A Gush Katif Viewpoint", with photos by Moti Sender can be ordered from www.pavilionpress.com. She is currently at the Jerusalem Gold Hotel. To Go To Top

NO FORGIVENESS, NO PARDON, NO ATONEMENT? Posted by David Wilder, October 12, 2005.

Erev Yom Kippur Erev Yom Kippur. There's a flyer floating around titled, "No Forgiveness, No Pardon, No Atonement." Someone wrote to me asking, " I'm confused, I'm sitting in Jerusalem, and everywhere I go, people are talking about selichot, penitence, humility... and yet there are these messages saying Lo N'Shlach.. we won't forgive -- have we changed Jewish theology? Have we decided that we humans are to sit in the place of Dayan HaEmet (the Supreme Judge)? Where is the humility? Where is the ahavat chinam? Where is the whole idea of renewal and rebirth -- for all Jews, in fact, I thought, for the whole world?" My immediate answer, emailed back: "It's understandable that you're confused. After all, you still have a home - a place to live. You're not living out of a suitcase in a hotel, without anywhere to go. You (I hope) have a job, clothing, whatever you need to live. Today, in Israel, there are some 10,000 people that are missing all those things -- they were tossed out of their homes like rag dolls -- and the personal aspect aside, our land was taken from us and handed over to the enemy -- BY THE VERY PEOPLE WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT US AND KEEP OUR LAND FOR US. How are we supposed to forgive and forget - Did you know that families in a hotel in Ashkelon had their water and electricity cut off 3 hours before Shabbat - what are they supposed to do? That's part of it, in short." I'd like to expand a little on this subject. A couple of nights ago Rabbi Avraham Schreiber, the Rabbi of Kfar Darom in Gush Katif, spoke here in Hebron. His topic was, Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. Towards the end of his presentation he mentioned that there are those who ask, "well, did we win, or did we lose? Of course we cannot say that we won. Here I am, a genuine refugee, no home, no belongings, no clothing, living out of suitcases in a hotel - everyone thinks, wow, living in a hotel, what a life? Well, I can tell you, everyone is climbing the walls - the children don't want any more 'hotel food.' No, we surely didn't win. But there is no doubt that a tremendous spirit was born and revealed, and I am sure that we, that Am Yisrael, will return to Gush Katif. It is inevitable." What does this have to do forgiveness? Aside from their own intrinsic importance, these words are my introduction to a short story Rabbi Schreiber told. In order to clarify this account, a few minutes ago I had a phone conversation with Rabbi Yakov Savir, a resident of Elon Moreh in the Shomron. Rabbi Savir teaches at the Elon Moreh Yeshiva, Birchat Yosef and is father to nine children, the youngest of whom is a five month old girl. During the expulsion of Kfar Darom, Rabbi Savir was one of the dozens standing atop the community synagogue, on the roof. His presence on the roof was a protest against the planned expulsion/destruction of Kfar Darom. He was, together with many others, arrested following the group's voluntary exit from the roof. However, Rabbi Savir was charged with multiple crimes, including being the 'ringleader' and 'organizer' of the entire episode. He spent time in jail and was finally released, but placed under 'house arrest' in Elon Moreh. Not too long ago, another hearing was held and the prosecutor offered to allow him 'community arrest,' i.e., he could leave his home, but not the community. There were, however, several conditions. One was a deposit of 30,000 shekels bond, and two, that he was forbidden to ... teach Torah at the Elon Moreh Birchat Yosef yeshiva. Why? Because he is dangerous to the public and such a danger must not be allowed to proliferate his thoughts and ideologies. Therefore, he may not teach Torah at his yeshiva. Shades of the Romans! I remember decrees like this, two thousand years ago, when Jews were forbidden from teaching Torah to the masses. Shades of the British. I remember hearing from Rabbi Moshe Segal zt"l, who dared blow the Shofar at the Kotel, at the Western Wall, following Yom Kippur in 1931, despite the British ordinance forbidding such a criminal act. Shades of Ariel Sharon, whose ruling junta permits such atrocities, as forbidding a Rabbi to teach Torah?! Only a government which expels Jews from their homes could stand behind such a wicked decree. By the way, according to Rabbi Savir, the case against him is virtual and has no place in reality. The trial keeps getting put off and as of yet, no judge has been appointed to hear the case. They have a fat file, with absolutely no evidence, pictures, witnesses, or anything else. What's important: Rabbi Ya'akov Savir, a dangerous element to Israeli society, may not teach Torah in his yeshiva. Story number two - short, not sweet, and overwhelmingly sad. Yesterday night a beeper message popped up on my screen. I am quoting it, as it came in. "An additional sacrifice of the Akeda (sacrifice of Yitzhak): Yehezkel Hazani, 52 years old, a resident of Netzer Hazani for 25 years, who was as healthy as could be, collapsed and died suddenly tonight, at the Netivot shuk. He leaves a wife and six children. He had been, together with other Netzer Hazani refugees, living for the past two months at the Hispin community in the Golan. Today, he went south to attend an army ceremony which included his son. He was one of the pillars of the moshav, a farmer, who lost all everything as a result of the expulsion, and was transformed into 'unemployed.' The Netzer Hazani community will pray this Yom Kippur that Yehezkel Hazani's blood be registered to the debts of the Shichmim Ranch (the Sycamore ranch - Sharon's home), in addition to the expulsion." Yehezkel Hazani was buried at 10:30 last night in Rishon l'Tzion. May be memory be blessed. During a recent class with Rabbi Dov Lior, a question was posed: If a soldier or policeman who participated in the expulsion requests forgiveness from those he expelled, must his regrets be accepted. Rabbi Lior's response was positive, if the regret is genuine. This is the way of Torah. However, Torah demands that a request for forgiveness not only be based upon regret at that past. It is also dependant on 'acceptance in the future.' In other words, anyone who was, in any way, shape or form, a part of the expulsion machine headed by Sharon, Mufaz and cronies, who has any pangs of guilty conscience, must not only say "I'm sorry" and request 'forgiveness.' They must also say, loud and clear, that they will never, ever again participate in such an event again, irregardless of orders, job demands, or anything else. Anyone who cannot or will not agree to this condition need not be forgiven. In all honesty, I've heard of soldiers who are 'sorry' but haven't heard of too many who've promised 'not to do it again.' And G-d forbid, if the present prime minister remains in office, those orders will undoubtedly be issued again, and again, and again, G-d forbid. When I look back, reflecting on what was and what wasn't, I have a feeling, way down deep inside, that tomorrow, we all have to ask forgiveness, pardon and atonement, even those of us here in Hebron, and many others like us, who worked very hard to try and prevent the catastrophe. Why? Because, in the end, we didn't do enough, one way or another. Perhaps we didn't work together, the way we should have. Perhaps our decisions were wrong, strategically and tactically, maybe we didn't pray enough, I don't know. But I do know that if we had done enough, the expulsion wouldn't have occurred and Gush Katif and the northern Shomron would still contain Jewish homes, not ruins. Gush Katif would still be in Jewish, Israeli hands, and their synagogues would not be desecrated, filled with Arab-Moslem filth. Forgiveness must be requested from all of those we let down, some 10,000 homeless, evicted from their homes, jobs and lives. We must ask selicha from Eretz Yisrael, our holy homeland, which had limbs torn from it. Picture your arms or legs being ripped off, without anesthetic. That's what happened to our Eretz Yisrael. And we must ask atonement from G-d, for letting it happen. For not being awake enough, for not being wise enough to see the light early enough to stop it, period. And we must accept upon ourselves, that we will do anything and everything, to never ever let it happen again. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe you did do everything you could. Well, I can only speak for myself, pleading and hoping that the words "No Forgiveness, No Pardon, No Atonement don't apply to me too. Gmar Hatima Tova. With blessings from Hebron   IF your heart is aching for the families of Gush Katif. Most of them will be Succot in tents and other temporary residences. Those families went through so much sacrifice for the sake of our nation. The least we can do is let them know how much we care, respect,love and admire them. You can give them a hug of support by purchasing this package to be personally sent to families of Gush Katif. (the packages will be distributed by people who are in touch and know the whereabouts of all the uprooted families) Remember these families are simply Tzadikim they went through so much for the sake of our nation the least we can do is show them our appreciation and concern. Shana Tova. SO GO TO http://shop.katif.net/" David Wilder is spokesman of The Jewish Community of Hebron. You can contribute directly to The Jewish Community of Hebron, POB10, Kiryat Arba-Hebron 90100, hebron@hebron.org.il, 972-2-9965333 or write to The Hebron Fund, 1760 Ocean Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11230, hebronfund@aol.com To Go To Top

THE DIGNITY FACTOR IN DISENGAGEMENT Posted by David Bedein, October 12, 2005.

Over the past few years, our news agency helped to facilitate news stories from Katif for the news media. The media reported the human face of these thriving communities, many of whom had been welcome to there by their Arab neighbors.. Arab leaders in Gaza would tell the media that they had no interest in the arid dunes along the beaches of Gaza. When the Muktar of Gaza welcomed the Jews to Netzer Hazani in 1975, he greeted them with the message that "Nothing has grown here since Isaac plowed the fields of Gerar. Welcome back to what we have always called Gerara". What happened to the people of Katif been their loss of dignity. People who had worked their whole lives to replenish were been robbed of any way of making a living, of entering into their destroyed homes, of touching their material possessions, or dovoning in the burnt out schules which they had built. The people in Katif were were able to cope, when hundreds of PLO rockets were reigning upon them. They prayed hard and felt that their prayers were heard, when those who hated the people of Israel were thwarted in their attempt to destroy their Jewish community with mortars, kassam missiles and drive by terror attacks. However, when the Israeli army began to lay siege to Katif in mid-July, what the people of Katif could not cope with was the fact that the government of Israel declared war on them. Even worse, the PLO announced on July 25th that they would divide the possessions of the people of Katif among the terror organizations that had been trying to kill them. And despite clause seven of the disengagement plan which forbid the government of Israel from handing over any assets to terrorists, the government of Israel handed over warehouses, schools, sports clubs, community centers, greenhouses, shelters, water resources and the electric grids of Katif to terrorists. Meanwhile, the unkindest cut of all emanated from the news reports that Jews around the world supported the efforts of the government of Israel to decimate their lives, accompanied by Rabbis making pronouncements in their Rosh Hashanah sermons that Ariel Sharon has made a "courageous step on the road to peace" Yet clause one of the disengagement plan stated that the reason behind the plan was that "there is no peace partner". However, embassies and consulates of the government of Israel distributed a multicolored glossy brochure on how the disengagement plan would lead to peace. The text of the plan enclosed in that brochure deleted clause one, that "there is no peace partner". Meanwhile, Jews around the world believed the statement of Sharon's closest advisor, Dov Weisglass, who on September 16th told the conference of presidents of Jewish organizations that every evacuated family had been fully compensated, while he "neglected" to say that compensation would only be given to families a full 60 days after they had filled out paper work, at a time when the municipal council of Katif no longer existed to help each family get necessary legal documents that the government insisted that they submit. Jews evicted from their homes now wallow in temporary shelters and in temporary mobile homes, in a state of shock that their privately owned property has been turned into Arab terror bases. Like a man watching his wife and children being raped by marauders...with the agreement of the government of Israel. Rabbis around the world owe these people an apology, before Yom Kippur. This is a matter of dignity. David Bedein is Bureau Chief, Israel Resource News Agency. (http://Israelbehindthenews.com). To Go To Top

ISRAELIS GIVE MURDERERS SPECIAL STATUS. POLLARD STAYS IN JAIL Posted by Aryeh Zelasko, October 12, 2005.

1. "Murderers to Get Special Status Denied to Agent American Interests Take Precedence" from http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=27139 From yesterday's Jerusalem Post For years, in deference to the US, the Israeli government has fought to prevent their own agent, Jonathan Pollard, from receiving special prisoner status, even though he meets and exceeds eligibility requirements. Moreover the Israeli political establishment, in concert with the defense establishment, has foot-dragged, obfuscated, and repeatedly scuttled Jonathan's legitimate rights as an Israeli agent by failing to implement his captivity status. Pollard's rights have been unfairly denied by Israel for 2 decades, even though it was generally known that granting him special prisoner status could be the key to seeking his release and thereby saving the life of an Israeli agent. But now, under American pressure, Israeli leaders want to give special POW status to Palestinian murderers and terrorists. This status clears the way for Israel to bow to US demands to release murderers and terrorists with Jewish blood on their hands. Marwan Barghouti, referenced in the article below as one of those who may receive the special status, is serving five life sentences for the murder of Israeli citizens. The blood of his victims screams from the earth, as Israel now considers rewarding this cold-blooded murderer with POW status, thus paving the way for his release. 2. "PA: Israel may reconsider status of prisoners" by Khaled Abu Toameh, The Jerusalem Post, Oct. 11, 2005 www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1128955357254&pagename= JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Israel was showing readiness to reconsider the status of Palestinian prisoners so that they would be seen as prisoners of war, Palestinian Authority Minister of Prisoner Affairs Sufian Abu Zaida announced Tuesday. In an interview with Israel Radio, Abu Zaida said that for the first time, Israel was ready to consider changing its policy and to recognize Palestinian security prisoners as POWs. "On the issue of prisoners I am very happy, very happy. This is the first time Israel is considering changing its position regarding the release of prisoners," he said. "For the first time, the Israelis are saying they are ready to think about the prisoners in a different way." Abu Zaida later explained that the prisoners, especially those who were arrested before the signing of the Oslo Accords, had been acting on the instructions of the PLO as part of the struggle against Israeli occupation. "The entire PLO leadership is responsible for the prisoners," he explained. "These prisoners are therefore entitled to be classified as prisoners of war." Abu Zaida said the PA was seeking the immediate release of veteran Lebanese prisoner Samir Kuntar and Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti. Israel's refusal to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners was behind the decision to postpone a planned summit between PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "But the prisoners is an issue much bigger than Samir Kuntar or Marwan Barghouti," Abu Zaida said. "Yes, Samir has been in jail more than 25 years and that's enough, and Marwan's trial was in our eyes political, but this is a bigger issue." The PA minister disclosed that Barghouti, who was arrested three years ago, was planning to run as a candidate in the next parliamentary elections. He said several other Fatah prisoners had announced that they would also contest the vote. Abu Zaida said the PA had asked Israel to allow the prisoners, including Barghouti, to run in the elections. Chief PA negotiator Saeb Erekat said the PA was demanding the release of 20 prisoners who have been in jail for more than two decades. He said the list included Barghouti because he was a lawmaker. Aryeh Zelasko lives in Beitar Illit, south of Jerusalem. He is Director of Sales and Marketing of Israel Visit (www.israelvisit.co.il) which provides information and an internet buying facility for American visitors to Israel. To Go To Top

LAND FOR PEACE OR LAND FOR TERROR? Posted by Ruth Matar, October 12, 2005.

Dear Friends, Has there ever been another country in the world which has tolerated the murder of its own citizens by an enemy, calling them "Victims of Peace"? This is what they were called by Yitzchak Rabin after he signed those cursed Oslo Accords with Arafat on the White House lawn in 1993. Has there ever been another country in the world which has expelled its own citizens from their homes and given away their land to the enemy calling it "Land for Peace", as has just been done by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his government? Last Saturday, October 8, 2005, Palestinian Authority Chairman, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), laid the cornerstone for a new housing project set to rise from the rubble of the former settlement of MORAG. The new town will be named Sheikh Khalifa City, in honor of the President of The United Arab Emirates (UAE), who is donating the $100 million its construction will cost. The new town is to have 25,000 residents. Morag is part of the Biblical birthright of the Jewish people, which includes all of Gush Katif. It is within the boundaries of Shevet Yehuda (the tribe of Judah) in Biblical Israel. (See Genesis 15, Joshua 15:47, Kings 15:47 and Judges 1:18.) The earliest settlement of the area is by Abraham and Isaac, both of whom lived in the Gerar area of Gaza. Morag was the southernmost settlement in Gush Katif. It was first established in 1972 as a pioneer military outpost (Nachal), which became civilian in 1983 and a religious agricultural worker's cooperative, whose residents earned their living growing flowers and vegetables in hothouses. There were about 40 families with 220 people in Morag. We will now have, in their stead, 25,000 potential Arab terrorists in Sheikh Khalifa City, very close to the new Israeli border. Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas said on October 8, at the groundbreaking ceremony of Sheikh Khalifa City: "The Palestinian Nation will continue its campaign towards the liberation of the West Bank and Jerusalem, and towards the construction of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital." "West Bank" is the late Jordanian King Hussein's name for Biblical Judea and Samaria. Jerusalem is the first and most important holy place for the Jews and is mentioned over 700 times in the Tanach (Bible), whereas Jerusalem is not mentioned even once in the Koran. Significantly, Jews pray facing Jerusalem, while Muslims pray with their backs towards Jerusalem. It has become evident that, by giving away some of our Biblical inheritance, Sharon has not achieved "Peace", but rather made it easier for the Arab enemy to destroy the Jewish State (G-d forbid). In fact, as a result of the disengagement from Gaza, Sharon has enabled even Al Qaida, in addition to other terrorists groups, to build a base in Egyptian Sinai. From there, terrorists and a great quantity of weaponry are smuggled into Gaza and from there to Israel. The digging of secret tunnels is no longer necessary, as the Egyptian-Gaza border has become very porous. IDF Intelligence Chief, Gen. Ze'evi-Farkash, says that Egypt has done nothing whatsoever to stop this illegal traffic. This is a danger not only for Israel but for the United States, as well. President George W. Bush, in his speech at the National Endowment for Democracy, finally used "Islamic" and "terrorism" in the same sentence. Also, in that same speech, he recognized that Islamic terrorism has at its goal the "destruction of Israel." President Bush must also recognize and admit that Islamic terrorism has as its primary goal not only the destruction of Israel, the "Little Satan", but is even more intent on the destruction of the "Great Satan", the United States. It is counterproductive for President Bush and US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, to continue pressuring Israel to give up more of its land to the Arab enemy. Doing so would not be "Land for Peace", but rather "Land for Increased Terror." It is now no longer sufficient to just pray for the "Peace of Jerusalem". I believe that G-d may want us to prove ourselves deserving of his miracles. How about asking your Senator or Representative for an appointment for a group of 8-10 people to see him/her at his/her home office in his/her state? You can then express to him/her that you worry about the threat of Arab Terrorism, which you think is as dangerous for America as it is for the Holy Land. It does not matter whether the Representative you meet with is a Democrat or a Republican, they are all up for reelection sometime in the not too distant future. Contact the Capitol Hill switchboard at 202-224-3121. Give them your address, and they will give you the location and the phone number of the District Office of your Representative and Senator. You will be surprised how willing they are to meet with you. After all, you are an important voter in their next election campaign! In this connection, we recommend that you obtain the powerful documentary, "IN THE FACE OF TERROR". An important segment deals with the testimony of Walid Shoebat, a former Muslim terrorist, who now lives in the US and has converted to Christianity. He speaks about his personal knowledge of the dangers of Arab-Muslim Terror. Mr. Walid Shoebat's testimony is so damaging to Arab terrorists, that when he speaks in public, he is surrounded by bodyguards. Muslim terrorists are intent on silencing him by any means possible. You may want to send a copy of this DVD to your Representative or Senator when you request a meeting. To view the trailer of, "IN THE FACE OF TERROR" go to http://www.gwu.edu/~fidfc/index.htm. The DVD is produced by Ilana Gabriel and costs $20 including shipping. To order the DVD, visit our website: http://www.womeningreen.org. With Blessings and Love for Israel, Ruth Matar Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org To Go To Top

SOWING THE WIND Posted by Time to Speak, October 11, 2005.

For they sow the wind and they reap the whirlwind. -- Hosea 8:7 The Retreat-Expulsion Plot [also known as Disengagement] has stained Israel with the ignominy of producing the first generation in 4000 years to break its covenants with the Promised Land. It has burdened it with being the first nation in history to throw away its ancestral historic land to an enemy that is murdering its people and bent on destroying it. The obtusely materialistic Disengageniks were indifferent even to the tangible and strategic damages they inflicted. With some blunders of policy it may take time before the bad consequences are apparent, but on this occasion they were both glaringly foreseeable and instantly obvious. Yet the perpetrators of Retreat-Expulsion and their claque were and still are unconcerned for the harm they have done. * * * * * * * * * * * * [1] The perils to Israel and its people have been compounded. The Osloids brought a terrorist entity into the heart of the Land of Israel and gave it power there. The Disengageniks gave it full control of a strategic strip of territory within the Land of Israel where they now rule and operate without hindrance or even token restriction. The leaders of Fatah and Hamas already in residence in Gaza are now joined by colleagues coming from Syria, while Al-Qaeda is establishing its own local presence. Virtually all of Israel is now under threat from the those terrorists recently given control of Gaza and those earlier given control of the border with Lebanon. The Disengagenik government had appointed Egypt as gatekeeper of the crossing point between Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula and Egypt left the gate wide open for the flow of weaponry. The Israeli retreat was scarcely completed before Gaza became a depot for tens of thousands of guns, automatic rifles and Kalashnikovs, millions of rounds of ammunition, tons of explosives, hundreds of anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft missiles, Katyusha rockets and long-range Qassam missiles. Some of these imports were purchased by U.S. protègè Abu Mazen, who could well afford them with the billions of dollars donated to him by the United States and the European Union. It remains to be seen whether this martial environment attracts customers to the Gaza vacation resort and gambling casino complex planned by Sharon's henchman Dov Weisglass and other greedy cronies. [See Issues Nos. 51, 55] For the help of Egypt shall be vain and empty. -- Isaiah 19:7 Every war against Israel since 1948 was led by Egypt. In the Israel-Egypt peace treaty of 1978, Israel yielded the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt -- although it had never been Egyptian sovereign territory -- on condition that Egypt would not again station its military forces there. Despite being officially at peace, Egypt always kept up its anti-Israel campaign in propaganda, support for PLO terrorism, and political and diplomatic mischief. The terrorists in Gaza have for years been supplied with weapons smuggled from Egypt via tunnels -- tunnels that IDF soldiers have bled and died to find and seal. The incumbent regime in Israel derived from this record a confidence that Egypt can and should be entrusted with supervising the frontiers of the new terrorist Gaza entity, and to this end invited Egyptian military forces to re-enter the Sinai and roll up to Israel's southern border. Apologists for Retreat-Expulsion argued that it would shorten Israel's lines of defense. Instead, it has stretched them to include not only the borders of Gaza but the long border with the Sinai Peninsula. Deputy Premier Shimon Peres, arch-Osloid, arch-appeaser, compulsive conniver and devoted comrade of the PLO [see Issue No. 49] has been put in charge of arrangements for security on the Gaza-Sinai border. * * * * * * * * * * * * [2]Tzahal [IDF - Israel Defense Force] has been tainted and compromised. Tzahal has been the shield of Israel against its hate-crazed foes. Its valor, its skills, and its honor was without parallel and so was the pride and love that the people of Israel felt for the young men and women who serve in it. [See Issue No. 43] But it allowed itself to be misused as an enforcement squad for a corrupt political trickster. The mischief Ariel Sharon did to the IDF is illustrated in a pair of before-and-after snapshots June 1967. Israeli Soldiers Taking Part In The Liberation Of Jerusalem Reach The Western Wall Of The Ancient Jewish Temple August 2005. Israeli Soldiers Taking Part In The Expulsion-Retreat Destroy Jewish Communities In The Land Of Israel Some of the soldiers misused now suffer emotional distress, depression, nightmares, and fits of weeping. Some seek out the victims of their actions and try to express regret for what they did. Six have committed suicide. * * * * * * * * * * * * [3] Ten thousand of a nation's finest citizens have been treated with calculated brutality by their own government. Gaza -- part of the Mandate's Jewish National Home -- was twice liberated from Egyptian occupation. After the second time, Israeli pioneers went to uninhabited wastelands of sand dunes and there built self-reliant communities, flourishing and productive, decent and dignified. They withstood thousands of missile attacks and endured much lethal terrorism. But they could not withstand the betrayal by a politician who once ardently encouraged them and then made them the victims of a whim for which he has yet to give a plausible rationale. All of the communities, the homes, synagogues, schools, farms, and businesses, were bulldozed, to cheers of approval coming from secure newspaper offices, broadcasting studios, and suites of secular-leftists politicos. The residents were herded into buses and their fate entrusted to a government Disengagement Authority. The government's management of that fate goes far beyond normal incompetence, and suggests the malice of the mean-spirited toward those they have wronged. The members of displaced communities have a desperate need to stay together. Therefore, the Disengagement Authority breaks them up them up and scatters them far apart. Families who had made for themselves handsome comfortable houses and beautiful gardens are now squeezed into one small hotel room, or a trailer, or a tent. Many were rendered dependent on the kindness of strangers for their most basic necessities. Some live under threat of eviction even from the hotel room. They were left with no way to earn a living and virtually no income, but are required to make mortgage payments on the houses the government turned to rubble, and even to reimburse the government for shutting off the electricity. What personal possessions could be salvaged from the wreck of their lives are shoved into containers that the government stores where the owners had no access to their belongings. For this service they are charged fees equivalent to thousands of dollars that, like the rent for the hotel room, will be deducted from "compensation payments" -- when and if the promised payments are ever made. However, the government has not been entirely unaware that there is a problem. It is using the taxpayers' money to hire public relations experts to circulate the falsehood that each "settler" family was given $500,000 in pocket and a nice new house. * * * * * * * * * * * * [4] Delusional expectations Among the fortune-cookie predictions of the Disengageniks was that the sacrifice would win sympathy for Israel and support for its remaining positions, and forestall more demands for more concessions. [See Issues Nos. 51, 55] In fact it won only contempt, that the Disengageniks themselves deserve but Israel does not. Sharon was treated to a smattering of applause in the United Nations, the European Union, and other venues where there is always applause for injuries to Israel. His deed was taken as evidence that Israel had cracked under pressure, and inspired the belief that under more pressure it would shatter. The foreign supervisors of Israel's fate so far from giving fairer consideration to its rights and its needs, wag their tongues in warning that the retreat was just a "first step" that must be followed by more and more drastic retreats. Thus, rather than forestalling demands for more surrender he invited harsher demands for surrender from homeland, security, and dignity. As to the notion that Israel would be permitted to resist attacks from an All-Terrorist Gaza, a spokesperson for the European Union both rejected such leniency and assumed that Sharon would not disobey its dictates. From a "senior Western diplomatic official" quoted in The Jerusalem Post, 8 September 2005: "Israel is mistaken in believing that, by withdrawing from Gaza, the international community will tolerate all types of military retaliation against rocket fire originating from Gaza, a senior western diplomatic official said [. . . .] "The diplomat dismissed an argument used by various government spokespeople that, by leaving the Philadelphi Corridor and the border crossings, Israel would effectively end its occupation of Gaza and thereby gain international legitimacy for harsh reprisals against continued violence from the area. "'The only people to accept that argument are the Israelis,' the official said. He said that the world viewed the West Bank and Gaza as a single Palestinian entity, and that Israeli occupation would not end because the IDF had evacuated one part of this area. "In addition, the official said, Israel could not claim to have ended its occupation of Gaza while it still retained control over Gaza's airspace. "The official said that the international community did not accept Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's interpretation that the first stage of the road map was sequential, with the Palestinians obligated to dismantle terrorism before Israel had to freeze all settlement construction and remove the unauthorized settlements. Rather, the official said, the Europeans believed that the steps must be taken in parallel. This position was also endorsed by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in a recent press briefing. "The official said that although Europe realized that Sharon had said repeatedly there would be no negotiations until the Palestinians dismantled the terrorist infrastructure, they also believed that Sharon had shown a willingness to change his mind as circumstances had changed." * * * * * * * * * * * * So little did the Retreat-Expulsion win respect, that it was quickly followed by an expression of open contempt rare even from the U.S. Department of State. In the immediate wake of Hurricane Katrina, Israel was one of the first nations to offer to send to New Orleans its highly trained and all-too-experienced rescue teams, as well as emergency supplies. The U.S. Department of State "postponed" accepting this succor for the victims of the disaster. Then, the State Department gave a list of the nations proffering assistance the unwelcome name "Israel" was omitted, while exaggerated prominence was given to Arab names. The administration admitted that it refused assistance from Israel lest it "deter Arab and Islamic countries from offering assistance". * * * * * * * * * * * * "They must have worked long and hard to make themselves what they are, for such stupidity does not come naturally." -- Samuel Johnson Salient elements in the Retreat-Expulsion Plan and its aftermath are the fecklessness of the enterprise, the shabbiness of the motives, and the inanity of the excuses.     [a] Much of the impetus and support came from the anti-Judaic post-Zionist elements in Israel who have achieved control of most of the news media, judicial system and academia. A chief beneficiary of their solipsistic whims has now rendered them the appreciation they earned: Reported by IsraelNationalNews, 14 September 2005: "In an address in Gaza on Tuesday marking the Palestinian Authority (PA) victory over the "occupying force," PA leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) made a point of thanking the Israeli left-wing for their efforts towards ousting the Jewish residents and IDF from Gaza." It is not clear how these kudos will protect them from the hazards they have helped to inflict on the normal Israelis that so scorn.     [b] Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. to the U.S. leftist-Jewish Israel Policy Forum : "We all desperately need it [the Expulsion-Retreat]. We are tired of fighting, we are tired of being courageous, we are tired of winning, we are tired of defeating our enemies, . . . ." Olmert after this pronouncement on imaginary collapse of Israel's morale went on to a dhimmi-witted prediction that it would inspire the enemy respond with peace and friendship.     [c] Hillel Halkin, an American-Israeli maven-for-all-seasons, professed himself unable to understand how any reasonable person could oppose the Retreat- Expulsion plan. After that plan was carried out, he explained in Commentary Magazine that: "It was necessary, it would seem, for the Disengagement from Gaza to take place for the strategy behind it to be revealed as unworkable". The opponents he so scorned detected in advance that it was unworkable, and did not need the massive damage done and deadly dangers incurred before the reality was "revealed".     [d] Mortimer Zuckerman, a big man in American Jewish affairs and publisher of U.S. News and World Report was inspired to collect $14 million dollars from some affluent buddies to buy the very valuable and highly productive agricultural greenhouses of the Jewish communities of Gaza and donate them to the PLO. The moment the greenhouses became PLO property, mobs of its subjects attacked, looted, ransacked, and shattered them. Mr. Zuckerman found this response to his generosity "inexplicable".     [e] The IDF flight from Gaza was immediately followed by an across-the-border rain of terrorist missiles. An Israeli government spokesperson opined that the terrorists had deliberately aimed not to hit anything.     [f] After a barrage of missiles fired from Gaza into Israel, the Israel Air Force launched strikes targeting open spaces to deter Palestinian militants from firing Qassam rockets at Israeli communities. This is "A Time to Speak -- Messages About Israel" (Vik V:9, Issue No. 57, September 2005 - Av-Elul 5765). "A Time To Speak" appears once a month, and each issue is on a theme that relates to Israel and the Middle East past and present, including history, background, current events, analysis and comment. All issues appear on its website: http://www.israel.net/timetospeak. A complimentary subscription to the e-mail edition is available by request to: speak@actcom.co.il. To Go To Top

ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT -- IGNORED FACTS! Posted by Marcel Cousineau, October 11, 2005.

1. When Israel was feared, Her enemies begrudgingly 'respected' her and for many years this served well as a deterrent. That was until the peace process was used to slowly choked Israel into retreat and surrender mode. 2.Israel had limits to her tolerance,we used to hear about 'red lines', now her threats are no longer feared as they have been proven to be empty and untrue,the enemy knowing that Israel, under America's thumb is RESTRAINED and unable to do much more than flap her jaw. 3.Because of her show of weakness, the enemy is emboldened and Israel is in more danger than ever. 4.Today Israel invites war by appeasment and surrender and going along with the failed and doomed policies of her new slave master, the U.S of A. Israel now bows before a decrepit old eagle and feeds off of the poisoned droppings of Oslo, Wye, Tennant, Zinni, Sharm El Sheikh, Aquaba. 5.The poison has done it's work, as Israel is no longer sovereign but enslaved to the policy and agenda of the sickly eagle,sacrificing their own flesh and blood to their new god who never delievers on the promise of peace. This blind obedience and faith to failure is incredible. Israel, emascualated and weaked by the FASLE peace of Mr. Bush must have permission to defend itself, and often does not get that permission. 6. The truth Israel is afraid to face is that she is no longer permitted to win wars against the Arab/Islamic hordes. The U.S. will not allow Israel to win as their Arab bedmates must save face and not be humilitated by a 6-0 record of loss. 7.Restraint is the Bush solution for Islamic terrorism against Israel while the Iraq solution is to go in and kill all of them near the Syrian border. CONCLUSION The average Jew, with incredible blind faith to a dubious ally, seems dead asleep and clueless. Dumbed down sheep heading to the slaughter. A perfect picture of Israel's leadership. Will they awaken in time and defeat the Palestinians before they get much stronger or continue towards mass suicide to please their god and master, George? Faithless Israel which bows to their god,and his eagle droppings needs a miracle from her God to survive. That is her only hope! Thus says the Lord, Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength,and whose heart turns away from the Lord. Israel, it's time to get off the cursed train you are on. Yeremiah 17:5. Marcel Cousineau can be reached at up2zionsg8@yahoo.com or go to his website: http://averyheavystone.blogspot.com To Go To Top

GOV'T TRIES TO BREAK APART GUSH KATIF COMMUNITY Posted by Hillel Fendel, October 11, 2005.

This appeared in today's Arutz-Sheva (www.IsraelNN.com) Thirty families from the former Gush Katif community of Gadid who have long demanded to remain together have now been told that they are to be scattered in different directions. Waiting nearly two months for their new temporary community to be ready, the families were informed last night that they are to move at the end of the month to apartments in various cities. The now-destroyed synagogue in Gadid Almost two months ago, at the height of the Katif-Shomron expulsion when 9,000 residents were thrown out of their homes, the families of Gadid were taken directly to the N'vei Ilan Hotel outside Jerusalem. The intention was to house them there for the immediate short-range, just until the longer-range temporary solution could be found. Negotiations between the residents and the Disengagement Authority began immediately to house them in a caravilla community in Masuot Yitzchak. Masuot, north of Ashkelon, was chosen partly because of its proximity to two other neighborhoods of Gush Katif expellees, in Shafir and Ein Tzurim. The negotiations dragged on, but the residents understood that the final agreement was merely a matter of ironing out details and receiving the proper approvals - when suddenly last night, they received a shock: A Disengagement Authority representative named Moti Elimelech arrived and informed them that at the end of this month, they would be moved to private apartments in Sderot, Ashkelon and elsewhere. "People cried, and many couldn't get to sleep last night," said long-time Gadid resident Orli Mazuz this morning. "It's just an impossible situation. We didn't ask to be thrown out of our homes, but now the government can't get its act together and has barely started work on our site. Why are we to blame?" Some 30 families from Gadid, including spiritual leader Rabbi Yigal Hadaye, are currently living in N'vei Ilan; another 30 are at the Nitzan caravilla site. Mazuz said that she and the others refuse to leave N'vei Ilan without a communal solution: "Should our children have to switch kindergartens and nurseries three times in a few months? This is an impossible situation, and I'm telling you, if they want us out of here, they'll have to force us out with Yassam police again like they did the first time." Work on the Masuot Yitzchak site has barely begun; surveyors were first seen there just a number of days ago. Government officials claim that it will cost too much to continue to house the residents in the hotel for the four months that will likely be required to complete it. The residents are not impressed: "We were perfectly willing to remain in our homes in Gadid for another few months while the government completed the temporary homes," Mazuz said, "and it wouldn't have cost the government anything. So the money issue is truly not our concern." Mazuz said that though the hotel management is going out of its way to make their stay pleasant, "and the Disengagement Authority has tried as well, but the fact is that this is not a way for families to live. But relative to others, the conditions here are pretty good - we have nurseries and kindergartens here, and the people of Dolev [in southern Shomron] have adopted us very warmly, and our neighbors in Telz Stone are helping too. How can the government scatter us now to different places? And if we are scattered all around, who says that Masuot will ever be finished? There's no guarantee." Chaim Altman, spokesman for the Disengagement Authority, was not willing to accept blame: "A recent government decision stipulated that no expellees will remain in hotels beyong the end of this month. They will therefore be relocated to private apartments, paid for as stipulated in the Evacuation-Compensation Law." He further said that as long as the contract for Masuot Yitzchak had not been signed, there was no government obligation to house them there, implying that the residents should also not have anticipated such a solution. Another resident, Ariel Porat, who was involved in the negotiations with the Authority, said today,"The delay in the negotiations was certainly not due to us, except for maybe the last two days. Throughout the entire period, they kept giving us conflicting messages, saying we would not be able to get a particular approval, then saying we would, or telling us that we wouldn't last and would start splitting up... In general, they wanted to break us up as a group, hoping all along that they wouldn't have to grant us a communal solution. They keep dropping us little threats, such as that we will have to pay for our stay in the hotels, and then raising the amounts that we'll have to pay, and the like..." "I can't say for sure that they never planned to build Masuot for us," Porat said, "but I also can't say the opposite. It could be that the contract will be signed in a few days, and I hope that work on the site will begin right away - but on the other hand, it's now the holiday season, and then the winter begins, etc. ... We have been strong until now, and I hope and am confident that we will remain that way in the future." Many of those who remain in N'vei Ilan have no work, while others travel fairly long distances to their previous jobs in the south. Porat himself owns a flower nursery, which he rebuilt at the entrance to Masuot immediately after the expulsion. "I had no idea at the time that we might actually live here," he said, "but merely because I had no place to go and the people of Masuot were so very generous and helpful." Other Gadid farmers were not as fortunate, because they need to test the land to see what they can grow, and thus remain idle, in limbo and income-less. Asked to characterize those who remained in N'vei Ilan, as opposed to those who have left the group and are on their own, one resident said, "We are basically those who believed up until the last minute that we could and should fight this thing, and refused to accept the decree." Hillel Fendel is Senior News Editor for Israel National News. To Go To Top

OKLAHOMA JIHAD Posted by Vernon Richards, October 11, 2005.

Football fans in Oklahoma dodged a bullet Sat Oct 1 2005, and most of the lucky remain blissfully ignorant of how close they came to being the latest victims of Islam's world-wide Jihad. In a minor report buried amongst the Supreme Court nomination stories, main-stream media reported an apparent suicide by a "small" explosive device by a disturbed Oklahoma Student outside a Sooner's football game. Poor disturbed Joel Henry Hinrichs III, a distraught engineering student from Colorado, had decided that taking the time to build a powerful explosive vest complete with unnecessary shrapnel and blowing himself up near a huge public event was preferable to shooting himself in the head all alone in his apartment he shared with roommates from Pakistan. 87,000 fans only learned about the "suicide" when they were delayed from leaving the stadium for a bit while the site was cleaned up. No one was told that part of the clean-up consisted of rendering harmless an additional large bomb nearby, or that the blast was strong enough to be heard 4 miles away and blow out windows of a building 200 yards away. CNN somehow failed to catch the fact that the boy was known to visit the nearby mosque sporting the typical beard of the devout. We don't want to be accused of being insensitive to our peaceful fellow Muslim Americans, so the spin by mainstream media in keeping this huge story off the front page is ongoing. A lot of additional information has been coming out of this event which has somehow been missed by all but the most conservative news blogs. The Norman mosque around the corner from his apartment already has a long history. July 2000, 9/11 hijackers Mohammed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi visited the Airman Flight School in Norman, Oklahoma, and Ziad Jarrah's ticket (United Airlines Flight 93) was purchased from a computer terminal at Oklahoma University. Norman, OK is also cited a number of times in the best-selling book 'The Third Terrorist' by Jayna Davis titled, about the April 1995 truck bomb blast that destroyed the Murrah Federal Building killing 171. The Norman mosque also happens to be the same one attended by the "twentieth hijacker" Zacarias Moussaoui, who opened a bank account in Norman depositing $32,000 in cash, then attended the Airman Flight School in Norman, ending his classes early. But that is not national news, so they instead report an insignificant suicide and stuff it in a small byline. Still, information is slowly leaking out. A blogger named PhiKapMom posted: "I was at the game so I might as well post what a girl at my son's fraternity said. She is Iranian (Persian) and she said two dark Middle Eastern types came running into the stadium and separated several minutes after the bomb went off. She said since she was Middle Eastern she felt safe in saying they fit the profile. She made a point of saying they were much darker skinned then the Iranian people and when she heard the bomb blast, she was convinced at the time it was a suicide bomb and these two were part of what was happening." The police raided the young mans apartment and found some other interesting facts and items apparently not worthy of reporting, like lots of extremist Jihad material and enough explosive material to keep the bomb squad busy for an entire day removing it. It turns out some of the explosives were of the London Tube variety so popular with terrorists, but hey, it could all be a coincidence. It was also discovered that the boy had two Pakistani roommates, and we all know how moderate Pakistani Muslims are. No word as to whether they were the same two reported making their escape after the blast. It also emerged that Dustin Ellison, the general manager of Ellison Feed & Seed on Porter Avenue reported that Joel Henry Hinrichs had previously inquired about purchasing a significant amount of ammonium nitrate, but couldn't offer a reason why he needed it. Hinrichs recently took a year off from his studies, but no-one seems to know what he did with that time. Apparently Hinrichs was an at-risk depressed young man who fell into the clutches of Fanatical Islam. As has been shown in Israel and Iraq, Islamists often manipulate the humiliated, the depressed, and sometimes the intellectually handicapped to carry out their most vile acts of murder by explosion. The boy is dead, but his handlers, either the local Imam/Cleric and/or Muslim roommates, still run free. One wonders why their faces are not broadcast nation-wide to bring them to justice. The largest attempted attack on a public venue since 9-11 and our media suppresses the facts in order to insure public support for the War on Terror continues to deteriorate. Spin and misinformation (or no-information) remain effective tools of an extreme Socialist agenda playing a fatal political game with American lives. CBS affiliate, KWTV's news reported Joe Hinrichs not only had a ticket to the game, but also tried to enter the stadium at two different entrances and was turned away both times when he refused to let security look through his backpack. He then retired to the bench where he was reported to manipulate the contents of his cache. Either Mr. Hinrichs had reservations and was killed to cover his co-conspirators escape, or the explosives were mishandled attempting to transfer then to his person or arming them. Either way, hundreds of lives were spared the horror of yet another sanctimonious act demonstrating pure Islam. The secondary bomb was obviously intended to be set-off after the stadium weapon had been detonated, and the potential for panic and countless deaths by stampede was all too real. The secondary bomb, the 400 lbs of explosive found in his car and the 1000 pounds found in his apartment seem a little overkill for a simple suicide, don't you think? And what would have been the reaction if the young man and his handlers had succeeded in killing hundreds of Americans? Mmmmm? Well, of course CAIR would have condemned the act as having nothing to do with Islam and requested authorities to protect poor picked on Muslims from any unjustified backlash. Meanwhile the same individuals would have praised Allah in secret, while Muslims world wide danced in the street. Soundly condemned in English, the act would enter Muslim lore as another example of Islam's superiority to all other peoples and nations. We can also be sure that every leftist from Washington to Seattle would blame Bush and his neo-cons for provoking otherwise peaceful Muslims to such extreme measures, as if Muslims have ever had any difficulty coming up with the necessary pretext to kill infidels. Few truly familiar with Islamic culture are surprised by crazed mobs stirred up in Mosques worldwide, but it is troubling indeed when born and bread Americans fall under the spell of this culture of death. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised since the indoctrination in sacred script, official publications, and media creates the belief that Americans, Jews, Hindus, and other non-Muslims are not human beings in the same sense as Muslims, and can and should be slaughtered with impunity. You see, a basic principle of Islamism holds that humanity is divided according to a strict hierarchy of worth. At the top of this hierarchy are free Muslim males, the cream of humanity. Below them, in descending order of worth, are: Muslim male slaves, free Muslim women, Muslim female slaves, the males of the "People of the Book" (Jews and Christians). Following this group are females of the "People of the Book", and finally the rest of humanity comes in dead last (excuse the pun) because they lack a soul they are regarded as worthless having no rights whatsoever. This unfortunate final grouping includes Buddhists, Hindus, secularists, atheists, agnostics, and others. But before Jews and Christians celebrate escaping last-place in this uniquely Islamic popularity contest, the fine print should first be carefully studied. Quotes referencing Christians and Jews from the Qur'an include: -- "Worst of Creatures, Perverse, and Friends of Satan". The clear direction from Muhammad is that Muslims are not allowed to even be friends or take favors from Jews and Christians, unless that devotion/tax is extracted by force or threat of force. Christians and Jews were regarded with contempt by Muhammad, the final words reported from the mouth of the dying Prophet were a curse on them "Allah's damnation be on the Jews and the Christians ...." Some other interesting Koranic tidbits: Sura 98:6: Verily, those who disbelieve (in the religion of Islam, the Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad) from among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) and Al-Mushrikun will abide in the Fire of Hell. They are the worst of creatures. Sura 5:51 O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as Auliya' (friends, protectors, helpers, etc.), they are but Auliya' to one another. And if any amongst you takes them as Auliya', then surely he is one of them. Verily, Allah guides not those people who are the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong­ doers and unjust). Also note that even blood ties are to be broken in the cause of Islam. Country and family ties, devotions, and sensibilities are declared dissolved. When one takes into consideration that Muhammad demands all faithful to support and/or engage in Jihad, the direction to have no Muslim friends makes perfect sense. It's all part of the psychology of violence. Built-in natural human feelings of empathy and all impulses of conscience must be overcome before an individual can perform an act of violence or treachery. Islam thus grooms otherwise nominal humans into becoming an effective, non-thinking, non-feeling Jihadist killing machines. But whether Mr. Hinrichs was brainwashed or coerced by his handlers is of secondary importance, the point is that it was pure Islamic theology which created this weapon, and so it is Islam that must be fought. It's imperative that our schools begin to teach the real nature of Islamic doctrine and how it relates to 1400 years of ongoing violence with all who come in contact with its faithful. The first order of the day is to protect more of our own impressionable and passionate young from becoming the unwitting tools of the most inhumane theology in the world today. Middle Eastern men are much easier to spot than American Jihadist recruits, so by protecting our young with the shield of truth, we also protect ourselves. Or, we can comply with the manipulation of our national media and just roll over and go back to sleep "the choice is ours as individuals and communities. Somewhere in the night Ted Koppel is dressed in a blue uniform waving through the useful idiots ... "Move along,... nothing to see here ...just move it along." Vernon Richards is author of "Islam Undressed." It can be read at http://www.islamundressed.com To Go To Top

A NEW HEBREW DICTIONARY Posted by Elyakim Ha'etzni, October 11, 2005.

This year the number of Israelis leaving Israel for good will top 25,000. In the past 3 years 60,000 people have left the country. Interior Minister, Ophir Pines, says the country must do some soul-searching, and hopes "the Gaza pull out and the improved economic and security situation that will follow" will bring about a positive change. But the ones leaving are not the poor and the elderly, but rather the young and ambitious. They are drawn by the allures of other countries, because the spiritual values that drew Jews to the Land of Israel are no longer enough to keep them here. The Gaza pullout formula - giving up land for an illusion of peace and quiet - is, on the individual level, the calculation of the emigrant, and that's where Pines is mistaken. Also this year, there has been a sharp rise in the number of youths avoiding military service. Overall, 12.5 percent of those legally required to serve were released for "mental reasons". During the last 12 years the number of the shirkers tripled. Just as the émigrés, the shirkers do not come from the weaker sectors of society. Most are "good kids", and the IDF personal branch is fully aware of the reason: "A loss of values in the Israeli society. More and more soldiers are asking themselves 'what's in it for me', rather than 'what can I contribute to the country'. This has already become a norm. The youngsters have lost shame". The results of the recent Likud Central Committee vote reveal a similar phenomenon: Ideology against (Knesset) "seatology". Personal interest vs. "national emotions". These three phenomena - emigration, shirking military duty, and cynical "me first" politics - are reflected in the murky waters of the "new" Hebrew language. But the language is the mirror of the national soul, and therefore this soul is sick. The word "land" has disappeared, because it is charged with too many emotions (the song "Land, my land"; "National Land"). Land was replaced with "real estate". Similarly, war, enemy and victory have been erased. We die from a "conflict" that cannot be 'won", but rather we must find a "political solution". And it's not the Palestinian people who murder us, but rather "terrorism". Therefore in this "conflict" there is not enemy. The phrase "Land of Israel" is also gone. Even the weather takes place "in the State". The IDF didn't withdraw or flee from Gaza, but rather "disengaged". But one disengages from a nuisance. And if you get rid of a pest you don't ask for a consideration,. such "disengagement" being by itself compensation enough. A homeland as a pest. National honor and national pride are also out of use. Redemption (personal, national or land-based) is now considered nothing more than a fanatic hallucination, as has Vision and any mention of our Forefathers (try calling Israel "the inheritance of our forefathers"). Also in Gaza, there was an "evacuation", not an expulsion.(But what was it in 1492? The "Spanish Evacuation"?). Revenge is rejected as a primitive instinct, settlements and settlers have become derogatory words, "homeland" has become "territory". The classic Hebrew phrases "Aliyah", which means "going up to live in Eretz Israel" and "Yerida" which means "going down from living in the Land of Israel", are also on the way out, in favor of the sterile "immigration" and "emigration". Judea and Samaria are simply called " theWest Bank". The use of the word "terrorist" is suspected of being subjective and so is replaced with "activist" ("Hamas activist"). This is exactly what the BBC does, as long as the victims aren't British. In Israel, the word "terrorist" is reserved only for Jews who kill Arabs. We still use here the terms "Zionism" and "Ideology", but only to belittle them as belonging to the past. Any attempt to implement them in our days is shouted down as insane or pure fantasy. Also, there are no more "Jews" here, only "Israelis". "Jews" live overseas and pop up once in a while down in Hebron, usually in criminal or comic circumstances. But let the reader be warned: These new language rules apply only to Jews. For the Palestinians - Land, homeland, honor and national pride, expulsion and revenge - are all very much alive, and are treated with great respect. If you wish to know, why the emigrants, the shirkers and the political egotists do not have a flag, a dream, a hope, a vision, an aspiration, which would take precedence over the instant desires of their ego, look for an answer at their new Hebrew/ Elyakim Haetzni is a former member of Knesset. Contact him at ehaetzni@netvision.net.il To Go To Top

CLOTHING TO ISRAEL AIRLIFT Posted by Daryl Temkin, October 11, 2005.

Arlene Peck commented on this, "If any of you are interested in helping, then contact me and together we might be able to do something. We have money for every Tsunami aid or Hurricane project that comes along. Billions go into them from all over the world. Maybe at this time of year it might be a good thing to think of needy Jewish people? Who would have thought that the land of milk and honey.. didn't have the $$ to buy bread for its children? Lets do what we can to help..Arlene Peck (310-827-0807) and my cell, 310-666-6990 It's about time someone is helping Israel! Please call your synagogue or church and ask them to announce this. The Israel Education Institute Israel-Institute.com and Congregation Joseph Jacob Abraham request your help and participation for the Israel Clothing and Urgent Needs Airlift Los Angeles Departure October 30th LAX The approximately 9,000 Israeli displaced evacuees from Gaza and the Shomrom along with the many Israeli poor, are in serious need of help and support. Thanks to El Al and British Air, we have an airlift for sending contributed clothing and supplies which will be quickly distributed to the right people by the Israel Homeless Association and Lamaan Achai of Yad Sarah, the greatly respected charity of Israel. The needs are for everything that you think could be useful and specifically all sizes of, winter clothes, coats sweaters and gloves, rain coats, umbrellas, shoes boots, all general clothing, infant clothes, toiletries, toys and supplies, games,school supplies, backpacks,computers,sport equipment, kitchen ware, toaster-ovens, irons, ironing tables, ideally 220V electrical appliances, but 110V appliances can also be sent, and anything else you can think of or access in quantity. Major Needs: Large Quantity Donations from Clothing Manufacturers, Distributors, Supply Houses, as in Staples, 99 Cent Stores, Toys-R-Us, Ross Dress-for-Less, Smart and Final, Comp USA or any other place you might have a contact with an executive decision maker. Ideal Condition: New or Excellent Condition Anything that you can help with - please contact DarylTemkinPHD@aol.com Or call: 310.508.0950 Local Community Drop off and Pick up locations are being organized. Vans and Trucks needed for doing pickups. Any Help You can give or important contacts to send this to, please help us! All Donations are Tax Deductible Financial donations are very important to make this happen. Please Send Checks to the non-profit organization: "CJJA" and send to: CJJA - Israel Clothing 8383 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 610 Beverly Hills, CA 90211 Credit Card Donation can be taken by calling 310.508.0950. This Israel Airlift will also be organized in New York!!! We will also try to have airlifts from Chicago,Toronto, and Miami. If you can volunteer or know someone to help make this happen in the above cities, please call or email. Together, We will Make this Happen! Am Yisrael Chai Contact Daryl Temkin at DarylTemkinPhD@aol.com To Go To Top

SPIRIT, STRENGTH, VICTORY - NAHAL HAREDI Posted by Arutz-7, October 11, 2005.

Dear Friend, There are times when it hurts to love Israel so much. At moments like these, when trust between Israel's government, its army and its people is at an all-time low, we need something to help us restore our faith in Israel and its institutions. Allow me to tell you about a very special group of courageous young men. These are devout and brave combat soldiers, sons of Haredi and religious society, who are injecting much-needed religious spirit and values into the IDF. They are highly trained, extremely motivated, and have shown extraordinary strength in combating terrorism. And they are changing the face of the Israeli army - bringing greater unity to the IDF and ensuring eternal victory, both physical and spiritual, for Israel over its enemies. These are the young men of the Nahal Haredi. Founded in 1999 by a group of rabbis in conjunction with the Israel Defense Forces and the Ministry of Defense, Nahal Haredi provides men, aspiring to the highest religious standards, with a Torah-true framework in which they can receive top training and perform meaningful military service within a group of equally committed soldiers. What started in 1999 as a group of 30 new inductees has swelled into a battalion of close to 1,000 soldiers. The success of the Nahal Haredi program is unprecedented. With 400 new recruits per year, Nahal Haredi is expanding at a remarkable pace and is setting its sights on reaching the threshold for designation as a fully operative infantry brigade. The IDF, Ministry of Defense and the Nahal Haredi Organization are partners in this vital social, nationalistic project. The participation of the Nahal Haredi Organization as an advisory board and financial contributor is key to the program and without its participation in both aspects; the program would not be viable. That's where YOU come in. Your tax-deductible contribution enables the fulfillment of the unique religious needs of close to one thousand soldiers per year. TO DONATE, CLICK HERE. It helps arrange for the soldiers to participate in special military courses within an appropriate environment. It provides for shiurim, Torah lectures by eminent rabbis and for on-site personal rabbinic guidance to encourage individual and spiritual development and affords these young soldiers with a year of education/vocational training. The Nahal Haredi Organization raises funds to establish adequate synagogues/batei midrash and recreational facilities that are so necessary. Your contribution fosters Ahavas Yisroel and provides the spiritual and educational backbone which makes the Nahal Haredi program so successful, ensuring that religiously striving young men will always have an appropriate place where they can serve their country with pride and be able to provide for themselves upon completing their service. Nahal Haredi is much more than just a tight-knit crack fighting force. It is a palpable reminder that physical strength is not enough... that the spirit of Torah and Mitzvot linking us to our 3,000-year old inheritance of Eretz Yisrael, must underlie our military accomplishments if we wish to achieve eternal victory. To Go To Top

BUSH DECLARES WAR ON RADICAL ISLAM Posted by David Nathan, October 11, 2005.

THIS IS THE ESEENCE OF WHAT IT'LL TAKE TO WIN...OR AT LEAST NOT LOSE! This was written by Daniel Pipes and appeared in today's New York Sun. To see the Daniel Pipes archive, go to http://www.DanielPipes.org A courageous speech by George W. Bush last week began a new era in what he calls the "war on terror." To comprehend its full significance requires some background. Islamists (supporters of radical Islam) began their war on the United States in 1979, when Ayatollah Khomeini took power in Iran and later that year his supporters seized the American embassy in Tehran. For the next 22 years, however, Americans thought they faced merely a criminal problem and failed to see that war had been declared on them. For example, in 1998, when Islamists attacked two U.S. embassies in East Africa, Washington responded by unleashing detectives, arresting the perpetrators, taking them to New York, assigning them defense lawyers, then convicting and jailing them. The second era began on September 11, 2001. That evening, Mr. Bush declared a "war against terrorism" and the U.S. government promptly went into war mode, for example, by passing the USA Patriot Act. Though welcoming this shift, I during four years criticized the notion of making war on a military tactic, finding this euphemistic, inaccurate, and obstructive. Instead, I repeatedly called on the president to start a third era by acknowledging that the war is against radical Islam. Bush did occasionally mention radical Islam - in fact, as early as nine days after 9/11 - but not with enough frequency or detail to change perceptions. The British prime minister, Tony Blair also advanced the discussion in July, when, after the London transport bombings, he focused on "a religious ideology, a strain within the world-wide religion of Islam." But the third era truly began on October 6 with Mr. Bush's speech to the National Endowment for Democracy. He not only gave several names to the force behind terrorism ("Some call this evil Islamic radicalism; others, militant Jihadism; still others, Islamo-fascism"), but he provided ample details. In particular, he: * Presented this "murderous ideology" of Islamic radicals "the great challenge of our new century." * Distinguished it from the religion of Islam. * Drew parallels between radical Islam and communism (both are elitist, cold-blooded, totalitarian, disdainful of free peoples, and fatefully contradictory), then noted in how many ways the U.S. war on radical Islam "resembles the struggle against communism in the last century." * Pointed out the three-step Islamist drive to power: ending Western influence in the Muslim world, gaining control of Muslim governments, and establishing "a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia." * Explained the "violent, political vision" of radical Islam as comprising an agenda "to develop weapons of mass destruction, to destroy Israel, to intimidate Europe, to assault the American people, and to blackmail our government into isolation." * Defined its ultimate goal: "to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world." * Observed that Muslims themselves have the burden of doing the "most vital work" to fight Islamism. * Called on "all responsible Islamic leaders to join in denouncing" this ideology and taking steps against it. The detailed texture of Mr. Bush's speech transforms the official American understanding of who the enemy is, moving it from the superficial and inadequate notion of "terrorism" to the far deeper concept of "Islamic radicalism." This change has potentially enduring importance if finally, 26 years later, it convinces polite society to name the enemy. Doing so means, for example, that immigration authorities and law enforcement can take Islam into account when deciding whom to let into the country or whom to investigate for terrorism offenses Focusing on Muslims as the exclusive source of Islamists permits them finally to do their job adequately. Despite these many advances, Mr. Bush's speech was far from perfect. His quoting the Koran harks back to 2001, when he instructed Muslims about the true nature of their faith; his comment about extremists distorting "the idea of jihad" unfortunately implies that jihad is a good thing. Most serious, though, is his limiting the "radical Islamic empire" (or caliphate) to just the Spain-to-Indonesia region, for Islamists have a global vision that requires control over non-Muslim countries too - and specifically the United States. Their universal ambitions certainly can be stopped, but first they must be understood and resisted. Only when Americans realize that the Islamists intend to replace the U.S. Constitution with Shariah will they enter the fourth and final era of this war. Contact David Nathan at davenathan@aol.com To Go To Top

JEWISH & ARAB LOGIC; OSLO WAR'S TOLL; P.A. MEDIA CALUMNY AGAINST ISRAEL Posted by Richard H. Shulman, October 11, 2005.

IS GOD PUNISHING THE U.S. FOR BEING ANTI-ISRAEL? "What do these major record-setting events have in common? Nine of the ten costliest insurance events in U.S. history Six of the seven costliest hurricanes in U.S. history Three of the four largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history Nine of the top ten natural disasters in U.S. history ranked by FEMA relief costs The two largest terrorism events in U.S. history All of these major catastrophes transpired on the very same day or within 24-hours of U.S. presidents Bush, Clinton and Bush applying pressure on Israel to trade her land for promises of "peace and security," sponsoring major "land for peace" meetings, making major public statements pertaining to Israel's covenant land and/or calling for a Palestinian state." (Winston Mideast Analysis, 9/1 from Chaim Hershenov.) Assuming that those statistics are correct, do they mean what is implied? Clinton and Bush made so many such announcements, that it is less surprising that those events occurred during such statements. Storms have increased in intensity, in recent years. We probably should check with ocean currents and other natural factors. I would resent a deity who punishes whole countries for the misdeeds of a few, and doesn't declare why. It is not merciful, just, nor intelligent. ARAB LOGIC The P.A. complained that Israeli attacks are provocations endangering the ceasefire. Contradicting themselves that day, Abbas also claimed that Hamas provokes Israel by attacking it (IMRA, 9/1). Because there is no Arab ceasefire but many attacks, i.e., provocations, Israel has gone in pursuit of the terrorists. There is no other way. Israeli forces cannot anticipate where terrorists will attack. Therefore, it must seek them out and annihilate them, first. LAW & ORDER IN ISRAEL "The Israeli police announced that they know who murdered Eden Natan Zada in the lynch on the bus in Shefaram but that they have no intention of arresting them, "for fear that this might ignite Arab riots and violence". (Voice of Judea, 9/2.) Helps murderers' morale. Israel is afraid to enforce the law against Arabs. As a result of Israel's pusillanimous policy, Arab criminality and terrorism intensifies. "PSYCHOBABBLE" Prof. Steven Plaut reviewed a couple of Tel Aviv U. psychology professors' book about stereotypes. The professors express great alarm over stereotyping, without evidence to justify the alarm. Prof. Plaut proves that stereotypes have not held back Chinese-Americans from great economic success. (Plaut can be too facile. Stereotypes get Jews murdered.) The book denounces all stereotyping as prejudiced, although some stereotypes are true, and therefore not prejudiced. Prof. Plaut cites stereotypes of terrorists as likely to be Arabs or other Muslims, for example. Since almost all Palestinian Arabs favor suicide bombing, Israelis would be only logical, not prejudicial, to conclude that on the whole, the Palestinian Arabs are a savage people. The professors don't understand that. The psychology professors refer to groups as "ethnocentric," when they mean "ethnic." The only stereotypes they strongly object to are alleged Israeli ones against the Arabs, so they call the Jews ethnocentric and prejudiced. They identified supposed stereotypes from very young Israeli children's expressions and a tendentious interpretation of the Israeli media, which actually is pro-Arab. It is possible that pre-schoolers think in terms of stereotypes that they grow out of. The book presents no evidence that early childhood prejudices persist. The authors are upset by Israeli characterizations of Arabs, but fail to object to Arab media and textbook calls for exterminating Jews as evil. The Israeli media does publish stereotypes, but mostly about religious Jews, settlers, and, favorably, about kibbutzniks. The authors do not care about those, either. They have an ax to grind. One of the authors is so anti-Zionist, that he condemns Israeli measures of defense. Their book was received favorably on the P.A. website, as evidence of how bigoted Israelis are. (10/1). But no group is more bigoted than the Muslim Arabs. OSLO WAR'S TOLL "Today (Thursday), 29.9.05, will mark five years since the start of the current round of Palestinian violence, during which 26,159 terrorist attacks were perpetrated against Israeli targets, in which 1,060 Israelis were murdered and 6,089 were wounded." (IMRA, 10/2.) U.S. GETTING ISRAEL TO REDUCE ITS RAIDS ON HAMAS After abandonment (and before that a one-way ceasefire that allowed Hamas to regroup), Hamas stepped up attacks on Israel. Israel was forced to resume its raids and targeted assassinations, particularly of Hamas members. The US asked Israel to reduce those raids. PM Sharon accordingly may raid just terrorists known to be on their way to a mission (Arutz-7, 10/2). This is not the first time. Now what was that the antisemites say of Israel dictating to the US? If not for US objections, Israel could promptly have pursued the terrorists more vigorously and thoroughly and disarmed them. LOOK FOR WHAT IS NOT SAID Israel, the US, etc., favor abandoning parts of the Territories, while PM Sharon assures his people that the main settlement blocs would become part of Israel. In this controversy, what is not said and not done may be as important as what is said and done. What is not done is a start at annexing these areas. What is not said, because it didn't happen, is that PM Sharon consulted the US about such annexation and that the US agreed to it. Instead, foreign countries are working to set the P.A. up as sovereign throughout the Territories, and without eradicating terrorism. The Arabs plan to use the Territories as a base for attacking Israel. If patriotic Jews are to gain popular support for retaining the rest of the Territories, they must put the issue in terms not of the harm to the Jewish residents there but to the harm to all of Israel, which would come within range of armed terrorists (IMRA, 10/3 from David Bedein). SHARON'S NEW ASSURANCES Even as Vice-PM Peres announced that he is planning new abandonment, PM Sharon assured his people they were not. The people hardly reacted. They find that he routinely lies and is totally corrupt. They feel helpless. (But they still think Israel is democratic.) The P.A. it has no need to negotiate anything with Israel. Israel will surrender the Territories to it without making any demands on it (sorry, lost source). P.A. MEDIA CALUMNY AGAINST ISRAEL The Muslim Arabs have a policy and, when in power, a record, of prohibiting Jewish worship at holy sites claimed by both faiths. Jews and Muslims use the Cave of the Patriarchs at the same time, on non-holidays, but in different rooms. The Israeli government lets the one faith or the other have exclusive use of the Cave on its holy days, when a crowd is expected. It is an attempt to be tolerant and fair. On the days when the Cave is open only to Jewish worshippers, the P.A. media describes the government allocation of it as a violation, a provocation, and as other forms of oppression, as if it were not fair. Thus the P.A. inflames its people against Israel demagogically (IMRA, 10/5). The Muslims also tend to claim sites of other faiths, to serve as pretexts for prohibition. They are doing this on the Temple Mount, aided by most rabbis' reluctance to designate where on the Mount Jews may trod. If the Arabs were given charge of the Old City, as the State Dept. wants, Jews would be barred from their holiest site, regardless of what international guarantees are promised them in advance, to induce them to relinquish sovereignty over it. How more obvious can it be that those Arabs are too vicious and fanatical to make peace? IF IRAN GETS NUCLEAR WEAPONS? Efraim Kam asserts that Iran must beware that if it launches nuclear weapons against Israel, the US would retaliate against it, in support of its ally (IMRA, 10/6 from Wechsler Foundation). State Dept. officials would think, with glee, "Now we don't have the Arab-Israel conflict any more." If the US retaliated, it would not be out of concern for Israel. Then it should start worrying how much harder Islam would be to contain without Israel's large army. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at ricshulman@aol.com. To Go To Top

HOW HAMAS MARKETS TERRORISM BY INTERNET Posted by Dr. Reuven Erlich, October 10, 2005.

These are excerpts from the original article, which contains graphics and live links to additional material. It is archived at www.intelligence.org.il/eng/eng_n/internet_m05e.htm The Hamas terrorist movement continues using Internet Service Providers in Eastern Europe and South East Asia to operate its leading sites. Hamas use of the Internet to market its terrorist message: pictures from the Hamas online children's magazine Al-Fateh showing children holding weapons, stones and volumes of the Qur'an and sporting green Hamas headbands. The site's ISP is Russian, while the site itself, like many others, is operated from Beirut and is orchestrated by Damascus. Overview An examination performed in January 2005 1 revealed that five of Hamas' seven leading Internet sites have Eastern European ISPs 2: three in Russia and two in the Ukraine. A Hamas English-language site had its ISP in Indonesia. More recently (beginning October 2005), we examined nine of Hamas' leading Internet sites to determine whether their ISPs had changed. The examination revealed that most of Hamas' sites still use Eastern European (Russian and Ukrainian) and South East Asian (Malaysian and Indonesian) ISPs. Another leading site receives its ISP services from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In certain instances (Russia and the Ukraine) even the ISP companies are the same as they were in January 2005. It should be noted that some of the aforementioned countries play host to liaison personnel employed, in our assessment, by Hamas and linked to the operator of the organization's Internet infrastructure in Beirut. The entire infrastructure is operated by Nizar al-Hussein from the office of Osama Hamdan, the head of the Hamas branch in Lebanon, himself, in our assessment, guided by Hamas' headquarters in Damascus. In addition, secondary Hamas Internet sites were examined. Two of them have Russian ISPs, and the others receive their services from Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait/Sudan and Netherlands (one in each country). Hamas' leading Internet sites Www.palestine-info.net is the Hamas terrorist organization's leading group of sites (a main site and several secondary sites), operating under the cover name of "The Palestinian Information Center." It first appeared in 1998 and began regular operations in 1999. It provides both basic information and current news and is primarily oriented towards Hamas, its ideology and history. It posts official announcements and interviews with high-ranking members of the movement, and vicious hate propaganda aimed at Israel and on occasion at the Palestinian Authority (PA). It also encourages acts of terrorism against Israeli targets and praises the terrorists who commit them. In addition, it conducts surveys and "research" and provides propaganda and "information," including posters and pictures. The leading sites are managed by Nizar Hassan Suleiman al-Hussein, a senior Hamas activist who operates from the Beirut, Lebanon branch of Hamas, which is headed by Osama Hamdan. His address, as it appears on the Internet, is Nizar al-Hussein, P.O. Box 68125, Beirut. Nizar al-Hussein's position makes him responsible for the registration and management of various sites. In our assessment, he receives his guidance from Hamas' information office in Damascus, which controls Hamas' Internet site infrastructure. In our assessment, political considerations and the desire to hide its connection to Syria are the reasons the Hamas leadership prefers to operate its Internet sites from Lebanon. The main site is in Arabic and has links to sister sites in English, French, Farsi (Iran), Urdu (Pakistan), Russian and Malaysian (currently inoperative). Each link and its contents are different and designed with the target populations in mind. Each link also has its own ISP. The countries where Hamas has ISPs for www.palestine-info.net The main site in Arabic The main site in Arabic is Hamas' most important Internet presence and serves as its primary "information" and propaganda tool, aimed at both the Palestinians and other target audiences in Arab and Muslim countries, as well as in Arab and Muslim communities around the world; it is regularly updated on a daily, often hourly, basis. During the disengagement Hamas assiduously inundated its readers with postings, pictures and announcements about disengagement progress and Hamas activity. The site served as the spearhead of the propaganda campaign Hamas conducted against Israel and the PA. It repeatedly referred to Israel's withdrawal as a Hamas "victory" and stated that the movement was firm in its commitment not to disarm, and to continue its terrorist attacks on Israel until its destruction. The main site in Arabic - unusual for an Internet site - has at least three different URLs, each provided by a different ISP. That might suggest a desire to reach as wide an audience as possible and/or it might be a security measure stemming from the fear that one of more of the sites might be shut down at the result of political or technical factors. The ISPs for the main site in Arabic are located in three countries in three different geographical areas, each with its own political orientation: Russia, the UAE and Malaysia. In our assessment, all three are countries Hamas considers resistant to external pressures which might be exerted to suspend ISP services and close the sites, thus preventing the proliferation of Hamas terrorist and hate propaganda. This is not the first time Hamas has used ISPs in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia; it is a common phenomenon. The English link (www.palestine-info.co.uk): The contents and style of the English link are different from the Arabic sites and adapted to the English-speaking target audience in the Western world. The site posts mainly news stories written from Hamas' point of view which contain a much lower level of hate propaganda than what appears on the Arabic site. Dr. Reuven Erlich is Head of the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center in Israel. Its website address is http://www.intelligence.org To Go To Top

THE ONE QUESTION TEST Posted by Shmuel Sackett, October 10, 2005.

As I travel around the country speaking about Israel and what will happen in the "post-disengagement" year to come, many people ask all kinds of questions. While these people mean well and ask genuine questions from the bottom of their heart, nobody has ever asked the only question that really matters: In less than seven months, elections will be held for Chairman of Likud, which in effect is actually the election for Prime Minister of Israel. In that election, four men are running; Ariel Sharon, Benjamin Netanyahu, Uzi Landau and Moshe Feiglin. That election is vital to the future of Israel. The key to making a change in Israel's leadership is to win that primary and send Ariel Sharon to retirement to either his Sycamore Ranch in the Negev or a country club in Boca Raton. How does one participate and vote in that critical election? That question sounds quite simple and innocent. Yet, it is the only question worth asking. Because if you want to make a change in Israel's leadership, you had better find a way to vote in that election. Israel's political leaders understand one thing... political power. The struggle for Gush Katif proved that protests and rallies, however big and impressive, are totally worthless. Public relations gimmicks didn't work and neither did civil disobedience. Massive distributions of DVD's, concerts, letters to MK's and even a huge "human chain" across the country did nothing more than grab some headlines. In the end, Sharon did exactly what he wanted in just 6 days. If these are the only weapons in your political fight, throw in the towel and go home. In order to be strong and wage a serious battle, you must make the politician fear for his public career. You must challenge his Knesset seat and threaten his political future. Self proclaimed political experts, writers and professors of political science will all explain how messy the Likud is and stress the need to stay away. They will explain how working inside Likud is like swimming in shark-infested water. Yet, none of them will admit to one simple truth; like-it-or-not, that's where the leadership game is played and if you want to lead the Jewish State, you must do it from there! No united right wing party will ever materialize into anything serious, except to -- once again -- scream and protest from the outside in total weakness. As stated previously, the leadership party in Israel is Likud, and ignoring that is simply ignoring reality. Think about it. This election (finally!) gives us a chance to make a change. If you don't like the policies of Ariel Sharon, you can vote against him! But wait? there's more: If you didn't like "The Bibi Movie - Part I," you can make sure there won't be a "Bibi Movie - Part II." If you are concerned with Uzi Landau's constant support for "painful concessions" (he says it all the time) and commitment to the Road Map you can vote against him. And, if after all these years, you feel that the leader of the Jewish Nation should be one who is connected to our Father in Heaven and a man of deep Emunah (faith) in G-d and His Torah, then you have the chance to vote for first religious man in Israel's history to run for Prime Minister, Moshe Feiglin. There's only one problem... and here's the answer to the one question stated above: In order to vote in the primaries, you have to be a member of Likud. Participation in the human chain is not good enough. Membership in the NRP, National Union, Bnei Akiva or Kach does not qualify. Neither does wearing an orange shirt, living on a hilltop or sending out 18,459 emails a week. Being good friends with Dr Steven Plaut, Professor Paul Eidelberg, Mort Klein or Dov Hikind is great but won't help you either. Like the slogan for the NY Lotto says; "You've got to be in it to win it". You must join Likud! It is the only way to make a change. Your voice means nothing when screaming from the outside but carries tremendous weight when on the inside. Consider the following: One week before Gush Katif was ethnically cleansed of Jews, over 250,000 people prayed by the Kotel. Had half of them signed up for Likud that night -- in addition to praying -- the outcome of Gush Katif might have been different!!! Even though by Likud law one must be a member for 16 months before being allowed to vote, the "powers that be" would have realized that the Likud is being taken over by healthy forces interested in a Jewish State -- and they would have acted accordingly. The existing Likud Knesset members owe their political careers to the members of the party and they would have started to impress them. Remember that 1-2 days before every major vote in the Likud Central Committee, Ariel Sharon acts like his old self and bombs Hamas, kills terrorist leaders and acts tough. Ever wonder why he does that? Because he wants to impress the voters inside his party? he wants and needs to get on their good side. Imagine instead of 15,000 of these members, we had 150,000! After all, the total membership of Likud is only 133,000. What are we waiting for??? Dearest friends; let's all make some New Year's resolutions. No more protests. No more human chains. No more email complaints. No more concerts in Central Park. No more right wing parties that box us in the corner. No more support for secular leadership. No more ribbons, stickers, hats, t-shirts, wristbands or car flags. What we need are members. Members inside the one and only party that leads Israel; Likud. Those members give us influence and that influence can make permanent changes. So take this one question test and ask yourself; How does one vote in the Likud primary where the Prime Minister of Israel will be chosen? Simple; by joining Likud! It must be pointed out that membership in Likud does not require one to vote Likud in the general election. This can be compared to American politics where membership in a party means that you can vote in their primaries and then do whatever you like in the general election. The same rule applies in Israel. Membership in the Likud Party allows you to vote in the Likud primary but does not limit you in any way in the general election. Don't waste this opportunity! Join Likud today and vote for a new leader. Vote for a new Central Committee that picks the Likud Knesset list and make a difference! Make the Sharons, Bibis and Landaus sweat. Send the only message they understand; that their political future is history and that new leadership, based exclusively on Jewish values -- led by Moshe Feiglin -- is about to replace them! Shmuel Sackett is International Director, Manhigut Yehudit. To Go To Top

DEAR MR. AND MRS. CORRIE Posted by Steven Plaut, October 10, 2005.

By now your open letter to the world, "A Call to Action; Rachel's Words Live", has been reprinted in many different media outfits, including the viciously anti-Jewish Counterpunch magazine, in the Guardian, and was even published in Hebrew in Israel's far-leftist anti-Zionist daily Haaretz. You begin your epistle by recalling that your daughter was "killed by an Israeli bulldozer", but you neglect to mention the circumstances under which she was so killed (nor the fact that she died from her injuries while under Palestinian medical care). You then add, "She had been working in Rafah with a nonviolent resistance organisation, the International Solidarity Movement, trying to stop the demolition of Palestinian homes and wells." She was not. She was trying to prevent the demolition of tunnels used to smuggle weapons for Palestinian terrorists seeking to murder Jewish civilians. The ISM openly endorses Palestinian "armed struggle" against Jewish children and civilians and openly collaborates with terrorists. It has hidden wanted terrorists and their weapons in its offices. It is an accomplice in murder. Two Arabs who entered Israel under ISM auspices blew up a Tel Aviv pub and murdered Jews. Lying is not the best way to drum up sympathy for your dead daughter. Your daughter was in Rafiah to serve as a human shield to defend and promote Palestinian terrorism. The International Solidarity Movement is a pro-terrorist, pro-violence anti-Semitic organization that your daughter chose to join. You pretend that your daughter died trying to protect an "innocent house". You are lying again. That "innocent house" was camouflage for a not-so-innocent terrorist smuggling tunnel and the residents of that innocent house knew all about the tunnel. Your daughter was in a war zone as a belligerent, as one who had - perhaps wittingly and perhaps not - recruited herself on behalf of a genocidal movement of Arab fascists seeking to destroy Israel and murder as many Jews as possible. Your daughter died while interfering with an anti-terror operation carried out by an army in a land in which she had no business being at all, after having lied upon entering that foreign country at the instructions of her ISM superiors. Your demand that I feel your pain at the loss of your daughter, yet your daughter died as part of her efforts to prevent Israel from destroying tunnels into Gaza from Egypt through which explosives are smuggled for the purpose of murdering my children. Your daughter conscripted herself as an aid for those seeking to murder my children. The raison d'etre of the ISM is to assist Palestinian terrorists murder Jewish children, and to prevent all Israeli efforts to fight that campaign of murder. Your daughter foolishly put herself in harm's way by challenging a large bulldozer and placing herself in a position where the operator could not see her. You know damned well that the bulldozer operator was not seeking to harm your daughter. And you know damned well that no harm would have fallen her had she not decided to "play chicken" with the machine, about as responsible a form of behavior as running across unlit segments of LA freeways at midnight. You write, "We had not understood the devastating nature of the Palestinians' situation." Of course you have never expressed any interest in the devastating nature of the Jews' situation. The Jews have been battling Arab fascism and terrorism for a hundred years, before, during, and after the Nazi Holocaust of six million Jews. Your daughter was allied with those seeking to continue the perpetration of nazi-like atrocities against randomly selected Jews. You smugly praise the propaganda play about your daughter in London, which ignored all the other Rachels, the Jewish women victims of terror in Israel, who were murdered by the genocidal terrorists with whom your daughter's ISM friends collaborate. Your daughter, and apparently you as well, never had any understanding of the Middle East conflict. The Middle East conflict is NOT about the right to self-determination of Palestinian Arabs, but rather is about the right to self-determination of Israeli Jews. For a century the Arabs have attempted to block any expression of Jewish self-determination, using violence, armed aggression, and terrorism. The Arabs today control 22 countries and territory nearly twice the size of the United States. They refuse to share even a fraction of one percent of the Middle East with Jews, even in a territory smaller than New Jersey. The Arab countries invented the imaginary Palestinian "people" and their imaginary "plight" after 1967 as a propaganda ploy in imitation of the German campaign on behalf of Sudeten self-determination in the 1930s. Just like the struggle for "Sudeten liberation" was nothing more than a fig leaf for the German aggression aimed at annihilating Czechoslovakia, so the struggle for "Palestinian liberation" is nothing more than a jihad to destroy Israel and its population. And it is in support of that goal that the ISM operates, even taking its operational orders from the terror leaders. Your write, "Clearly, our daughter has become a positive symbol for people." I am afraid you are mistaken. Your daughter has become a symbol for dangerous foolhardiness. She committed suicide as an empty gesture meant to assist murderers and terrorists. You want the world to mourn for your daughter, who died as part of her efforts to assist those trying to murder my children. You demand on the pages of anti-Semitic propaganda web magazines that the world mourn your daughter, but you do not have a single word of sympathy for the families of the thousands of innocent victims of the terrorists with whom your daughter chose to ally herself. Signed, Steven Plaut Steven Plaut is an American-trained economist, a professor of business administration at Haifa University and author of "The Scout." He frequently comments -- both seriously and satirically -- on Israeli politics and the left wing academic community. His website address is http://www.stevenplaut.blogspot.com. Or contact him by email at splaut@econ.haifa.ac.il The original article contains live links to additional material. It isarchived at http://moonbatcentral.com/wordpress/?p=1514 To Go To Top

AL-QAEDA BASES IN SINAI Posted by Mordechai Ben-Menachem, October 10, 2005.

This is by Hillel Fendel, Senior News Editor for Israel National News. Egypt is an "ally" of the US. The American taxpayer has awarded this ally, some forty BILLION dollars to purchase weapons and military technology. Egypt is one of the world's tightest police states. Does anybody really believe that this could occur without them being aware of it? Al-Qaeda has built at least one base in Sinai, from where terrorists are sent to Gaza and from there to Israel. Egypt has done nothing to stop it, says IDF Intelligence Chief Gen. Ze'evi-Farkash. Gen. Aharon Ze'evi-Farkash told the Cabinet ministers at their weekly meeting on Sunday that a gang of the international terrorist organization Al-Qaeda recently took over a large area in the Sinai Peninsula. After banishing the residents, they placed mines around their new base - signaling Egyptian police and army forces not to come near. Activities at the base include the training of terrorists and preparations for sending them to Gaza, from where they can more easily enter Israel to perpetrate attacks. Almost a month ago, Mahmoud A-Zahar, regional head of Hamas, told the Italian newspaper "Corriere de La Sierra" that several Al-Qaeda terrorists had already crossed into Gaza. Ze'evi-Farkash said that in the days and weeks following Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, Al-Qaeda sent large amounts of weapons and many terrorists into Gaza, with the purpose of strengthening the terrorist infrastructure there. Among the weapons smuggled in are shoulder-launched missiles, long-range Katyusha rockets, and tremendous amounts of automatic rifles and bullets. It is even reported that a new Kassam rocket has been introduced into the Gaza arsenal, one that explodes in mid-air, releasing lethal falling shrapnel even if it misses its essential target. The Intelligence Chief said that Egypt is refraining from taking action against the new terrorists. He said Egypt fears that a direct clash with Al-Qaeda will lead to terror attacks against Egypt itself. Other reports are that Egypt cannot take massive military action in the demilitarized desert without Israeli permission - something it does not wish to request. Farkash's report jibes with other accounts. A recent article in The Jordan Times cites reports to the effect that Al-Qaeda has set up makeshift camps in Sinai's rough terrain and inaccessible peaks just as it did in Afghanistan's Tora Bora mountains. Debkafile, which reported on Al-Qaeda's presence in Sinai a week ago, said that Egyptian forces basically control only the perimeter of Sinai, while up to half of the interior is exclusively Al-Qaeda-land. The Anti-Terrorism Task Force, under the auspices of the Prime Minister's Office, has not withdrawn its warning against travel to Sinai, issued in light of "specific and well-based intelligence" indicating plans to kidnap vacationing Israelis there. Gen. Ze'evi-Farkash told the Jaffe Center for Strategic Studies last week that Al-Qaeda terrorists had entered Gaza from Egypt following Israel's withdrawal, though he did not emphasize their presence in the Sinai. The general also said that during the ten days after the withdrawal, Palestinian terrorist groups brought in 3,000 AK-47 assault rifles, 300 rocket-propelled grenades, 1.5 million rounds of ammunition and an undetermined number of anti-tank rockets and surface-to-air missiles from Sinai. Mordechai Ben-Menachem is at Ben-Gurion University. He can be reached by email at quality@computer.org To Go To Top

U.S. IS SAUDI ALLY; SAUDI REMEDY FOR HIGH PRICES; ARAB TESTIMONY Posted by Richard H. Shulman, October 10, 2005.

THE ARABS COMPLAIN ABOUT JEWS BEING CORRUPTIVE A sermon on P.A. TV cited "the French intellectual, Garoudy," as having exposed a Crusader and World Zionism effort to unseat Islam. Garoudy based his warnings on "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion." Another lesson from "The Protocols" was beamed from Hizbullah TV by the secretary-general of the Islamic Universities Assn., that the Jewish mission is to "spread corruption amongst all human societies so you (Jews) can rule." (Steven Stalinsky, NY Sun, 9/28, p.6 from MEMRI.) What Crusaders? Garoudy, a denier of the Holocaust, and in trouble in France for crazy slander, is a French "intellectual," and warns people based on "The Protocols," a Czarist forgery or, rather, a re-editing of an earlier work not about Jews. Do the French consider that madman an intellectual, or do only the Arabs? Jews need not spread corruption to the Arabs, who already have plenty. Rule societies? My poor fellow Jews are trying to hold on to their own State and to their very lives. This conspiracy theory of the Arabs is as false as it is vicious. One wonders what passes for a university education among the Arabs. It must be inferior even to a US degree. EGYPT ENLISTING EU AGAINST SMUGGLING Egypt is negotiating with a French representative of the EU to assist it against smuggling of arms from Sinai into Gaza (IMRA, 9/2). Egypt could have halted the smuggling years ago, if it wanted to deploy its police, as permitted and actually required under its treaty with Israel and under international law. The sparse desert terrain, having only one road in, made the task simple for Egypt. Instead, while Israeli forces intercepted much smuggling, Egypt intercepted almost none. Egypt claimed it needed regular troops with armor and then that it needed naval forces. As IMRA has explained, those were excuses to re-militarize the Sinai. Once some troops would be emplaced, Egypt probably would cheat and increase their number. Pressure was put on Israel to leave the entire task to Egypt and the P.A., both of which professed to be ready. When the IDF departed, thousands of Arabs smuggled en masse, and Egypt and the P.A. confessed not to be ready. Just as there was no need for Egyptian troops and armor, but Egypt's claim to need them was an excuse, there is no need for EU troops. What is the EU bid an excuse for? I suspect it is a means of getting European forces into position to confront Israel. Israel is said to approve. In a Western movie, probably "Broken Arrow," the hero hears the Indians gathering around the encampment. He prepares to be attacked, and in fact, goes out to meet them and drive them off. Savages gather around Israel, but it does not prepare to be attacked and approves their arrival. HOW THE U.S. IS S. ARABIA'S ALLY To appease Saudi complaints, the US at times stopped delivering spare parts for Israeli helicopters, cut off jet fuel, and pressed Israel to abandon Gaza and northern Samaria. The US also entraps some US Jews to embarrass Israel. It dangles before them intelligence about pending Arab attacks on Israel, and if they take that data to Israel, it arrests them and serves notice on Americans not to inform Israel. The State Dept. would leak such news to the "NY Times," which is anti-Zionist. The stings amount to show-trials, to warn off friends of Israel. Show-trials are an old tactic against the Jewish people, preparing the way for further persecution. If US tactics succeed in getting Israel destroyed, the US would rue the day when Iran gets nuclear weapons and there is no IDF to help the US against Iran (Winston Mid East Analysis, 9/1). Ironically, S. Arabia is a major enemy of the US. ISRAEL SUPPLIES U.S. FORCES IN IRAQ Run out of ammunition, the US has been purchasing some from Israel (Arutz-7, 9/27). FISHY PLEA BARGAIN Dr. Yehuda Hiss was director and chief pathologist of Israel's only center for forensic medicine. He was accused of collecting and even selling body parts from 125 cadavers, without family permission or against their directives. (His collection was on display, therefore was irrefutable evidence.) He was dismissed as director but not as chief pathologist. He was released from criminal charges for having given testimony about autopsies he had not witnessed and for having used parts from autopsies without permission. A judge once reprimanded him for testifying that an Arab boy died from an alleged beating by a right-wing Israeli (for which there was no evidence in that politicalized case), after ignoring forensic evidence that contradicted his testimony. His testimony has sent many people to jail. He also was accused of giving false testimony, including covering up the nature of Rabin's wounds contrary to the medical reports. After five years of investigation into the illegal collection, he plea-bargained: a reprimand in return for admission of wrongdoing (Arutz-7, 9/27). Pro-Establishment criminals enjoy leniency. JEWS, ARABS, & POLICE IN HEBRON Noam Arnon, spokesman for the Jews of Hebron, relates that a Jewish boy was leading his family's goat down the street. Some Arab youths had cut through a fence, threw rocks at the boy, hit him, and stole his goat. The boy gathered some friends and ran to the casbah, to seek out the goat. They also alerted adults, including Mr. Arnon. Soldiers arrived. The boy identified one of his attackers. The soldiers detained him. Then they let him walk away, and refused to explain why. Instead, the officer called over some Yassam police (selected for callousness and cruelty towards Gaza Jews being expelled), who pushed the Jews away and arrested four of them, including the victim. They were arrested for throwing stones at the Arabs and for holding an illegal assembly. (All they did was search for stolen property and identify a mugger.) This is typical of the blaming of Hebron Jews for Arab crimes (Arutz-7, 9/30). Who is worse, the Arabs who commit these crimes or the police who free the Arabs and arrest the victims? If the police did their jobs, the Arabs would hesitate to attack and rob. Not generally known is that police in Yesha and especially in Hebron secretly were commissioned to harass the Jews and protect the Arabs from justice. The idea is to sully Hebron Jews' reputation, so that there is sentiment to expel them. It is the Arabs who deserve to be expelled and the leftist prosecutors and police to be punished. PANIC IN SUDAN Foreigners shook hands with Arabs in Khartoum, Sudan, and gave one a comb. Lo and behold, the penises from dozens of men disappeared! Eventually the Arabs figured out that only Israel has the technology to perform such a feat, as by making the comb a secret laser (Prof. Steven Plaut, 9/30 from MEMRI from S. Arabia's Al-Watan). Disappear? Israel should demand unconditional Arab surrender or it will make all their penises disappear. If it doesn't work, it nevertheless would create a sensation. It would demonstrate the unreliability of Arab witnesses. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at ricshulman@aol.com. To Go To Top

ISLAM - THE WORLDWIDE FOCUS OF ANTI-SEMITISM Posted by Don Feder, October 9, 2005.

A committee appointed by the British government, composed of Muslims, wants the nation to scrap its Holocaust Memorial Day, in the name of inclusiveness and sensitivity. No word yet on whether they also want to eliminate Passover - said to be insensitive to Egyptians. The committee recommends replacing the observance (started in 2001 and held annually on January 27) with a Genocide (AKA, Victimhood) Day, which would recognize the alleged mass murder of Muslims in "Palestine," Chechnya, Bosnia, and wherever else followers of the Religion of Peace have come into conflict with the accursed infidel. In making its case for inclusiveness, the committee somehow neglected to mention the many victims of Muslim mayhem - Armenians, Sudanese Christians, Kosovar Serbs (ethnically cleansed in the wake of NATO's war on Yugoslavia), and Hindus - to name but a few. If an Arab stubbed his toe on the boot of a Christian knight sometime in the 11th. century, it's a crime against humanity that must be memorialized throughout the ages, according to the imams. On the other hand, the slaughter of infidels is seen as the will of Allah, and worthy of a Heavenly reward. The committee maintains that Britain's Holocaust Memorial Day fuels feelings of isolation and alienation among Muslim youth. And - well - to have a special commemoration of the systematic slaughter of one in every three Jews on earth (in an effort to annihilate a people), is grossly unfair, the committee suggests. Sir Iqbal Sacranie, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, cautions: "We can never have double standards in terms of human life. Muslims feel hurt and excluded that their lives are not equally valuable to those lives lost in the Holocaust time." Perhaps Sir Iqbal also believes that 9/11 memorials should pay homage to the Muslims in the planes, as well as the infidels in the office buildings - so that his coreligionists won't feel that their lives have less meaning/. To understand the obscenity of Iqbal's equation of the Holocaust with casualties in the aforesaid armed conflicts, consider the Muslims favorite "genocide" -- that supposedly inflicted on the Palestinians. Since the onset of the latest Intifada (started and maintained by Muslims), 4,000 Palestinians have died, out of a population of over 1 million. Most were combatants. At the same time, almost 1,000 Israelis have lost their lives - overwhelmingly civilians, mostly women, children and the elderly. Palestinian society celebrates jihad and suicide bombings. Israeli society unilaterally relinquishes territory in its quest for peace. For the Palestinian/Holocaust analogy to be valid, Israel would have to be operating death camps - herding naked Muslims into gas chambers and burning their remains in crematoria. And Jerusalem would have to have slaughtered every third Palestinian in the world. Instead the Palestinian population has increased dramatically - as has their life expectancy and standard of living -- since Israel came into possession of the territory they inhabit at the end of the Six-Days War. To put it in Shakespearean terms, genocide should be made of sterner stuff. Muslims can't stand the thought of Holocaust commemorations, because - with certain honorable exceptions -- Islam's attitudes toward the Jews frequently mirror those of the Nazi killers. Islamic polemicists have three responses to the destruction of European Jewry: 1) It never happened 2) It happened, but the numbers are grossly exaggerated, and Zionist leaders collaborated with the Nazis and 3) It happened, and the Jews - who are the enemies of humanity -- had it coming. Mahmoud Abbas, capo mafioso of the Palestinian Authority and renowned moderate, is the author of a 1983 book titled, "The Other Side: The Secret Relationship Between Nazism and the Zionist Movement." In it, the first president of Palestine (if Washington has its way) maintains that Hitler killed "only a few hundred thousand Jews," not six million, moreover that the Zionist leadership "was a partner in the slaughter of the Jews" - supposedly to create sympathy for the Jews, thus facilitating the creation of the Jewish state. Holocaust denial is rampant in the Muslim world. * In 1964, then-Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nassar (who precipitated the Six-Days War) insisted: "No one ... takes seriously the lie about six million Jews who were murdered." * In 2000, a columnist for The Syria Times wrote, "The most famous myth is that of the so-called Holocaust... We strongly believe that gas chambers were not used for burning (sic.) Jews." * Also in 2000, Sheikh Adel Bin Ahmad Bana'ma, a Saudi religious authority speaking at a Jeddah mosque, charged that Jews "disseminate everywhere the lie of the Holocaust and claim that Hitler killed six million Jews in gas chambers... This is pure falsehood." * A year later, Palestinian religious leader Sheikh Ibrahim Mahdi declared: "One of the Jews' evil deeds has come to be called the Holocaust." However, the Sheikh insisted, it has been irrefutably proven that "this crime, carried out against some of the Jews, was planned by the Jews' leaders." Like other Holocaust-deniers, those of the Islamic world aren't just flat-Earth cranks, but virulent anti-Semites. Except for a handful of European skinheads and Aryan Nation types holed up in Idaho, "The Protocols of The Learned Elders of Zion" is still taken seriously only among Muslims -- where it's the Harry Potter of Middle East publishing. This Czarist forgery (which purports to expose a Jewish conspiracy to control humanity) is ubiquitous in jihad land. Saudi Arabia's late King Faisal often gave copies to foreign visitors. Yasser Arafat was a fan. Arab periodicals quote it religiously, to demonstrate the perfidy of the Jews. In 2002, Egyptian television broadcast a 41-episode, dramatized version of The Protocols, titled "Horseman Without A Horse." The roots of Islamic anti-Semitism run deep. Muhammad never forgave the Jews for rejecting his message. After he came to power, Jewish tribes in the Arabian peninsula were converted by the sword or massacred. The Koran is rife with the Prophet's disdain for Jews. (He called them descendants of apes and pigs.) Alongside this are calls to fight the Jews, who are indicted as the enemies of Allah. Over the centuries, this theological anti-Semitism has evolved into a conviction that Jews are the repositories of evil in the world and Islam's principal enemies. It's not surprising that the resurgence of widespread anti-Semitism on the European continent, after years of quiescence, parallels the influx of Middle East Muslims. When Pope John Paul II paid a state visit to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in 2001, he must have thought he'd stepped off the plane and into a Nuremberg rally. In welcoming the pontiff, Assad proclaimed, "They (Jews) try to kill all the principles of divine faiths with the same mentality of betraying Jesus Christ and torturing Him, and in the same way that they tried to commit treachery against the Prophet Muhammed." One who took the Prophet's call to its logical conclusion was Hajj Amin al-Husseini, grand mufti of Jerusalem before World War II. The mufti spent the war years in Berlin as an honored guest of Adolf Hitler. Working from his office in the capital of the Third Reich, al-Husseini devoted himself to a Nazi victory, recruiting spies to serve in the Middle East and raising a Bosnian Muslim division of the Waffen SS. Described at Nuremberg as one of Eichmann's best friends, the mufti even visited Auschwitz and urged those who ran the gas chambers to "work more diligently." In a radio broadcast from Berlin on November 2, 1943, Hitler's partner in genocide condemned the Jews in language that echoed Mein Kampf : "The overwhelming egotism which lies in the character of Jews, their unworthy belief that they are God's chosen nation and their assertion that all was created for them and that other people are animals" is why, "They cannot mix with any other nation but (must) live as parasites among the nations, suck out their blood, embezzle their property, corrupt their morals....The divine anger and curse that the Holy Koran mentions with reference to the Jews is because of this unique character of the Jews." After the war, the mufti met a young Yassar Arafat in Cairo, and the torch was passed to the next generation of Islamo-fascists. (Arafat often referred to the Nazi henchman as "our hero al-Husseini.") In his book, "The Myth of Hitler's Pope," Rabbi David Dalin discloses, "Arafat continued the mufti's Nazi legacy by recruiting Nazis and neo-Nazis for Fatah and the PLO. In 1969, for example, the PLO recruited two former Nazi instructors, Erich Altern, a leader of the Gestapo's Jewish affairs section, and Willy Berner, an SS officer in the Mauthausen extermination camp. Another former Nazi, Johann Schuller, was found supplying arms to Fatah." There are unavoidable parallels between Nazism and Islamacism. Both are totalitarian ideologies (though one is disguised as a religion); each trains its adherents to kill without compunction and to show mercy to neither the young nor old; both nurse historical grudges and long for a settling of accounts; and each see Jews as the principal obstacle to the achievement of its utopian vision. Of course British Muslims are offended by Holocaust Memorials. While Nazism was a European phenomenon, post-World War II, Hitler wannabes are found almost exclusively in the Arab and Muslim world. After the fall of Berlin, the center of anti-Semitic agitation shifted to Cairo, Damascus, Tehran, Riyadh and Ramallah. If the Blair government is really in an appeasement mode, it could balance Holocaust Memorial Day -- and lessen the awful sense of alienation among Muslim youth -- with a Hajj Amin al-Husseini Appreciation Day. Don Feder was an opinion writer for the Boston Herald and a syndicated columnist. He is currently a political/media consultant. Contact him by email at or go to his website: www.donfeder.com A version of this column ran on Front Page Magazine. To Go To Top