AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/14/2002 03:41:00 PM
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Israeli Blogs
Most of you probably know that there are only a few political Israeli Blogs (Warblogs) written in English, What you probably don’t know is that there are even less political Israeli Blogs written In Hebrew. I have to admit that I don’t read Hebrew written blogs, the main reason for that is that most of them are personal web journals, which I don’t find interesting. I might be missing one or two here (and Israeli readers are welcomed to correct me) but the only one I know of is Free Radicals by Amir Anavy which is also one of the oldest Israeli blogs.
I can only speculate what is the reason for that, but I’ll say it is part of the general low key political activity in Israel today. There isn’t much opposition to the government and the little there is are usually extremist to the left or to the right.
Imshin wrote a few days ago: “I have noticed that I usually don't discuss politics with friends whose politics I disagree with. What’s the point? And if I don't know how a friend stands politically, I'll probably steer clear of the subject, so as to avoid unpleasantness.” Like Imshin I also don’t get into political arguments it is usually futile and it just makes me angry and/or upset, so why go in to it in at all?
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/13/2002 10:52:00 PM
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The U.N. is a ridicules institution
Israelis have bad memories about the U.N. This organization is controlled by third world dictatorships there for I don't see any reason for democracies to listen to its decisions. Just a quick reminder of two out of the many miserable moves of the U.N. 1967 - the U.N evacuates it's ‘peace’ keeping force from the Sinai desert and allows the Egyptian army to move in against international agreements and threaten Israel, one of the reasons of the break of the Six Days War. The other is the very miserable decision that equaled Zionism to Racism. And there many examples to this Anti Israeli Attitude through the years.
The following was written by Nikita as part of a discussion in the comments section that followed one of my posts. It's too important to be left alone in the comments section, so here it is:
"Did you know that Syria, a country on the U.S. list of countries that sponsor terror, sits on the UN security council (actually had its rotating chairmanship too) and that while the US is excluded from the UN Commission on Human Rights, countries with the horrific human rights records of Saudi Arabia, Cuba and Sierra Leone serve on it and Libya is to chair it? Gadaffi's one-year term begins next March.
Did you know that Israel is the only U.N. member state excluded from a regional group within the overall body of the UN, and as a result, Israel cannot sit on the Security Council or other key committees?
Did you know that of the 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel, and of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against Israel? The UN has convened emergency session after session to condemn Israel. As Israeli Ambassador Pazner said, "No such session has ever been convened with respect to the Chinese occupation of Tibet, the Indonesian occupation of East Timor, the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, the slaughters in Rwanda, the disappearances in Zaire or the horrors of Bosnia. Israel is a democracy. It is ludicrous to suggest, as the U.N. has, that Israel is a worse abuser of human rights than Iraq or Syria."
SHAME on the U.N. And shame on the European states, dependent on Gulf oil and afraid of their Muslim immigrant populations, for their eagerness to condemn Israel. It smells bad. It smells really bad, and brings back strong memories". More from Nikita in the comments section.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/13/2002 02:05:00 AM
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Bush’s message to the U.N.
"When you have to shoot -- shoot, don't talk." Tuco Benedicto Juan Ramirez aka "The Rat" (Eli Wallach) in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966), as he shoots a one-armed man from his foamed bathtub.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/12/2002 05:04:00 PM
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Want to Join the Mossad?
It’s first time that the Israeli secret service Mossad is looking for new male and female agents through the Internet. You can try your luck if you qualify these demands: Foreign language as a mother tongue, maturity, diverse life experience, background in foreign countries, ability to work alone and as part of a team in conditions of uncertainty, acting ability, flexible and creative thinking, integrity, curiosity, high interpersonal abilities and the willingness to serve abroad. Oh and one other thing, to fill out the resume form you need to know Hebrew. Good luck!
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/12/2002 04:18:00 PM
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Good signs
2 important steps were made yesterday: Israel decided to annex Rachel’s Tomb, between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and Atarot Airport at the north part of Jerusalem. The other important was made when the defence minestry picked two companies that will build the electric seperation fence. One is an Israeli firm and the other is an American company that build the fence in the US-Mexico border.
Israel is beginning the crucial separation from the Palestinians, even if Sharon and Ben Eliezer won’t admit that. The Tomb has great importance to a lot of Jewish people, even for myself, a secular Jew, there is an importance to sits like this that are our strong connection to this land and to our ancient history. The Tomb, which I’ve been to, is really close to Jerusalem, only a few hundred meters. If the Tomb will be in Palestinian control it is likely that Jews will not be allowed in and there is a chance the Tomb will be destroyed like the Tomb of Joseph in Nablus.
The Palestinian Legislative Council said that the decision to "annex Rachel's Tomb and Atarot airport" goes against all agreements between the two sides, they just forgot that it was them who broke the agreements 2 years ago. The Palestinians demonstrated that they have no will to decide the borders through negotiations so Israel has the right to decide for her self what borders will suit her.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/12/2002 01:59:00 AM
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Business as usual over at the Palestinians
Another two Palestinians were murdered on Wednesday by fellow Palestinians because they were suspected of collaborating with Israel. Ha’aretz reports that: “This was not the first time that Palestinians have been killed for collaborating with Israel. Last month a mother was killed in front of her children by Fatah activists who accused her of passing information leading to the death of a senior militant to Israel”.
Actually that’s an old custom among the Palestinians. I found out that the phenomena was so wide spread during the first intifada (1987-1993) that out of 2066 Palestinian casualties, 942 - almost half of them were executed by other Palestinians because they were suspected in collaboration with Israel. Amazing numbers.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/12/2002 01:31:00 AM
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Were was I on 9/11/01
9/11 2001 - It was around 16:15 when my dad called to tell that 2 airplanes have hit the World Trade Center. I was at home and immediately turned the television on. I was amazed by what I was watching. It looked like on of Hollywood’s disaster movies. Just two days ago Israel suffered three different terrorist attacks on the same day: A drive by shooting, a car bomb and a suicide bomber resulting in the death of five. Israeli newspapers declare it was a day of terror, but on September 11 those three “regular” terror attacked looked minor. There was nothing much to do, I spent a few hours watching TV. I was mesmerized. Later at night I met with my friends for a “team meeting” in light of the current events. I was concerned about 2 American cousins living in Manhattan, 2 days later we were able to contact them, they were fine.
I had the chance to see and visit the Twin towers twice, in 1993 just a few months after the first attack and in august 2001, less then a month before they collapsed. In both times I went up to the observation deck for a spectacular view of New York, in daylight and at night. As I watching the towers collapse I just couldn’t believe that these are the same huge mighty buildings that less then a month I was standing on top of them.
But it was less then a day before we went back to deal with our local terror when a woman was shot to death in a drive by shooting near Alfei Menashe.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/11/2002 12:00:00 AM
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WTC, August 1993. My first visit to New York.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/10/2002 05:54:00 PM
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Palestinians preparations for 9/11 anniversary
From Ha’aretz:”Containers with guns on their way to the Palestinian Authority were seized by security forces in June at the Ashdod port, the Shin Bet released for publication Tuesday. The containers, which were supposed to transport toys, were instead filled with guns, air rifles and binoculars. Cigarette lighters with pictures of Osama Bin-Laden and the Twin Towers destroyed in the September 11 attacks were also found in the containers. The lighters were to be sent to a Khan Yunis merchant in the Gaza Strip. Security officials said that distribution of the lighters in the territories close to Sept. 11 reflects the Palestinians' support of the terror attacks in the United States carried out by Al-Qaida."
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/09/2002 11:06:00 PM
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Why won’t the Europeans back the US against Iraq
So it seems that, for now, except for Britain no other European country is willing to back a US attack against Iraq. The last thing that I could say is that is surprising, you may not like this European approach but at least they are consistent. The Europeans know the facts: Sadam is trying for many many years to achieve nuclear capabilities and if it wasn’t for the Israeli attack on his nuclear reactor in 1981 the golf war might not have been so easy; Sadam is a brutal dictator; Iraq already achieved chemical and biological capabilities; Sadam gassed is own people in the past; he invited Kuwait; Launched missiles on Israel with no Israeli provocation; He kills and torture any opposition to him among his people. I probably forgot some of the details in Sadam’s delightful biography. Anyway the Europeans know he is a menace.
This is how I think the Europeans got to their “against war” view. The Europeans know that they are not the direct targets/enemies of Islam and Arab countries, the US and Israel are the one most threatened. The Europeans see it as America and Israel’s problem, not theirs. They know that Sadam is dangerous, but not to them. They don’t want to pick a fight with a lunatic so they stay aside. You can think about as a man walking down the streets and he sees a criminal abusing a friend of his. Instead of helping the friend the man chooses not to intervene for he might be hurt if he’ll do so. So the man continues in way. In some countries you’ll be prosecuted for not preventing a crime.
The same goes with Muslim terror groups, Here the US get more corporation but till I get the notion that the European countries try not to angry the Muslim world to much or it will be added to it’s targets list.
This European trick worked in the 1970’ as well. Palestinian terror was waging across Europe, mostly against Israeli targets but not only. The Europeans who didn’t understand why do they have to play cops with the Palestinians terror organizations reached a silent agreement with the terrorists: The terror organizations were allowed to settle in Europe and mange their business freely as long as the output of their activity, meaning terror attacks, will not be executed on European land, and so was it.
If you look on a gain lost list of the Europeans you can see that they can lose a lot if they will get messed up with Islamic terror and mad dictators with chemical/biological and maybe one day nuclear capabilities. They would be much safer staying out of this mess. The only problem is that staying aside can suit an economic system, it cannot be settled with moral values. Values that Europe preach to.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/09/2002 02:46:00 PM
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The US storing army equipment in Israel
According to the daily Israeli newspaper Maa’riv the US will begin shifting in large amounts of arms, ammunition and other army equipment to Israel as preparations for a strike in Iraq. American source empathized that Israel is not going to take an active part in the attack. The American weapons will be stored in IDF bases and for that task there are already a few dozens American officers in Israel. One Officer is quoted: “The amounts of equipment that will and already arrived are huge because Israeli is the only state we can count on. According to American officers Bush said in a briefing about Iraq that he doesn’t trust the Arabs. He only trusts friendly countries such as Britain and Israel.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/08/2002 09:47:00 PM
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Don’t ever forget who cheered when the WTC towers collapsed
A Palestinian woman receives free sweets from a vendor as groups of locals in east Jerusalem's Old City celebrate after hearing the news of a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001. (AP Photo/str)
Charles Johnson reminds us who celebrated on 9/11. Of course the Palestinians were not the only one to celebrate, it was a joyful day in all the Arab countries, but the Palestinians who use the media so well made a terrible mistake. In other Arab countries the governments were able to prevent documentation of the celebrations by foreign media, the Palestinians, by then lacking a strong leading force, went out to celebrate in their foreign journalist flooded streets. It took a few hours before they realized how stupid they have been, and started threatening photographers and news agencies not to publish the photos of celebrating Palestinians.
A day after 9/11 I collected photos of Palestinians cheering added some text from the Jerusalem Post about the PA threatening reporters not to show the photos and launched it into the cyberspace. I don’t have any idea as to how many people received that e-mail. I wasn’t sure if those self incriminating photos were shown to Americans in their moments of pain.
The photos of the cheering Palestinians were shown here in Israel time after time, but no one was surprised it even looked kind of natural/obvious. The Palestinians were stupid enough to celebrate even in East Jerusalem in front of Israeli cameras before they were scattered away by Israeli Police.
A zillion excuses were made later by Palestinian leaders, I don’t buy any excuse. The Palestinians in a very innocent way showed their true nature, plain and simple. All the politicians talking later were just trying to do some damage control.
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