AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/28/2002 12:07:00 AM
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Def escaped but only till the next time
Well it seems that "The Cat with Nine Lives” Mohammed Def, Hamas military wing commander, survived the latest Israeli attempt to bring forward his meeting with the 72 virgins. Everything went well but def was lucky enough to come out only with moderate wounds. It’s nice to know that it seems he suffered a head injury and lost one of his eyes. The man is responsible for the death of dozens of Israelis, most of them in horrific Suicide bombings in which people get blown to pieces. Some of the injured in those attacks lose legs, hands, ears, eyes – body parts just get torn away leaving the poor survival a human wreck. A few weeks ago I read a story about one of the survivors of the suicide bombing in the bus near mount Meron in northern Israel. The poor young guy is alive but he was severely burned, lost his sight and he is completely deaf. The only way he can try to communicate with his surroundings his through touch. It was awful to read it. Back to Def – So him losing his eye, and I bet his hearing is not so well after two hellfire missiles were blown in his face, it’s only fair. Def can feel the torments he inflicted on so many. Hopefully the next attempt to waste him will leave him paraplegic.
From Ha’aretz: State Department spokesman Richard Boucher condemned the attack Friday evening, and said that the United States was opposed to Israel's policy of assassinations and the use of heavy arms in the midst of urban areas. "We are against targeted killings. We are against the use of heavy weaponry in urban areas, even when it comes to people like Mohammad Def, who have been responsible for the deaths of American citizens."
I know that it was said as part of the political game of Bush to placate the Europeans and the Arabs in order to maybe get a little support from them on the Iraqi issue. When Israel demolished Arafat’s compound the world cried out why punish Arafat for Hamas crimes, well you see the Hamas pays too. Now how exactly did they think Israel will hurt Hamas? Ask them politely to appear in front of an Israeli court and sentence them to communal service? The way to Hamas is either to enter massive forces of the IDF into Gaza strip and take control over it, risking many casualties on both sides, or you can hunt them down with helicopters trying to hurt the terrorists only. We all know how much everyone of those noisy blabbers would love an IDF incursion into Gaza. They Said that Israel should Punish Hamas and so she did.
One more thing, the Palestinians reported that 35 people were injured in the attack on def’s car, some of them are children seriously hurt. I doubt those numbers. The aiming was perfect this time, only def’s car was directly hit by the missiles. The Palestinians are famous for their tendency to exaggerate or simply lie, sometimes they are telling the truth and when it comes to civilians getting hurt they usually invite the media to take pictures of the injured and the dead. I noticed that this time there were almost no pictures of injured Palestinians, very surprising. They said that people were seriously wounded and they usually love to wave them in front of the cameras, what happened this time? Where are the photos? Another trick that they use is to evacuate people to the hospital even though they were not wounded. Imshin caught this trick being pulled off in latest attack on Def.
Def escaped once again but I’m sure the man’s life won’t last long.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/27/2002 11:56:00 PM
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It’s being built slowly, too slowly, but at least they started building. Separation wall near Qalqiliya (I reckon less than 10 miles from where I live).
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/26/2002 12:26:00 PM
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Forgotten history
Imshin J reminds us about the forgotten Damour Massacre that was perpetrated by the living martyr Yasser Arafat. One post below Imshin sheds some light on Belgium, the self proclaimed new moral judge of the world, which brutally oppressed Congo. Speaking about Belgium: If you watched the latest Austin Powers (Goldmember) you know why Austin’s brother Dr. Evil grew to be so Evil – He was raised by a Belgian and his teenage sex mistress. ;-)
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/25/2002 07:58:00 PM
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American pressure
The US is pressuring Israel to stop the siege over Arafat’s headquarter. The Americans think they gave enough time for Israel to blow off steam but that’s enough, they are afraid it will jeopardize their failing efforts to gain international support for their strike against Iraq. Bush knows that Israel’s support for attack against Iraq is unconditional and therefore guaranteed. The US can only benefit from rebuking Israel making Arab countries and Anti Israel Europe rejoice and mellow their objection for a strike in Iraq.
It’s not surprising but still a bit annoying that the US is building her case against Iraq on Israel’s back. It looks like Sharon will please Bush and the siege will be lifted. Even if the wanted terrorists won’t be extradited Israel still gained from the move. The pressure on Arafat grew and his compound is in rubble. It is estimated that some 200 people are squeezed in Arafat’s building, so when the siege is lifted most of the people inside won’t be able to stick around too long. There’s no more big compound to house them all. I hope some of the wanted men will have to seek another hiding place. Out of Arafat’s building those terrorists are an easy pray for the IDF.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/24/2002 07:35:00 PM
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Fascinating reading
If you want to get an overview on the status of the Arab world you have to read this article from Ha’aretz. (Link via Tal.G). Here are some excerpts:
“ The findings are catastrophic. The Arab states are at the bottom of the Human Development Index, after the nations of South America, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. One out of every five Arabs lives on less than $2 a day. Over the last 20 years, per capita gross domestic product in the Arab world has risen at an annual rate of 0.5 percent - the lowest rate in the world except for sub-Saharan Africa. In 1998, the combined GDP of all the Arab countries (more than 250 million people) was only five times greater than that of tiny Israel…
…The reason for all these statistics is not natural poverty. Some of the 22 members of the Arab League covered by the report are rich in oil and other natural resources. Most have an abundance of land and water. The Arab population is not only heir to a glorious culture but is also comprised of talented individuals. The fact is that those who emigrate to the West do well…
… What, then, is the reason for these grim statistics? Dictatorial regimes and the lack of political freedom and human rights? One survey, conducted by the American organization Freedom House, classifies countries into three categories. No Arab state is ranked as having a free system of government, and only three are ranked as partly free (Djibouti, Morocco and Jordan). All of the Arab states lack the essential characteristics of modern democracy. Their regimes do not change through elections, and in Syria power was even handed down from father to son as if it were a feudal inheritance. What has emerged in the Arab world is not only poverty and backwardness, but also the enforced imposition of the opinions of the ruling majority on minority groups, such that this world has become a unidimensional, monocultural society that hates foreigners and women - a society that hates the Other…
… 51 percent of the teens and 45 percent of the young men and women interviewed for the report want to leave their countries. What has happened in the Arab world is the opposite of what has happened in Israel. Israel changed from a monocultural society into a pluralistic and varied one. Its young people can leave with ease, but they prefer to remain in Israel, and if necessary, even to fight for it. Arab society has taken the opposite path: Its young people want to escape the stranglehold, but are not allowed, or are unable, to do so.”
The Arab countries are responsible for their poor condition but of course they blame it on the US and Israel. The only way they can improve their countries is to become democracies, but why on hell those in power would want to that? They are so afraid that the Americans will establish a democracy in Iraq.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/24/2002 12:13:00 PM
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Their only chance
Israel knows there can be only a political solution to the Israeli – Palestinian conflict. Israel also knows that such a solution cannot be achieved as long as Yasser Arafat is the Palestinian leader, we tried it didn’t work. Some claim that Israel must negotiate with Arafat who is the “elected” Palestinian leader. Arafat’s term ended a couple of years ago and any way it’s clear that his status is not the same as a leader who is elected in a democracy. Anyway that’s not really important, No one can force Israel to negotiate with a man she considers as a man who betrayed the peace process, a liar who do not recognize the right of Israel to exist. Israel will not negotiate with the Palestinians if they or someone else won’t remove him from power. The Palestinians must understand that with Arafat all they’ll get is more fighting. Their only chance is to get read of the man who led them into disaster.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/23/2002 04:40:00 PM
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More evidence that Iraq trains Al Qaeda terrorists
The Shabak, Israeli internal security service, recently discovered a Palestinian terror cell that was trained at military camps in Iraq. It’s not really exciting or anything, terror cells that were trained in Iraq were already discovered in the past. It’s also well known fact that Saddam pays thousands of dollars to families of suicide bombers.
Ha’aretz reports that: “A delegation of senior IDF officers has left for Washington in order to brief the CIA on a Palestinian terror cell discovered in Israel that had trained at military camps in Iraq.“
But what's so important that the CIA need to be briefed about? According to Ynet (Israeli news site) the members of the Palestinian cell trained along with Al Qaeda terrorists under the guidance and supervision of the Iraqi intelligence service. Now that is something that the CIA would like to know about.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/22/2002 09:50:00 PM
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Good commentary
“Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasir Arafat is at the end of his rope, surrounded in his Mukata headquarters as Israeli bulldozers and heavy equipment rip apart the last semblance of what was to be future Palestinian independence. Along with several dozen advisors, security men and terrorists (the most prominent being Tufik Tirawi – head of General Intelligence in the West Bank) Arafat will be confined to one building, or maybe just part of it.
Despite the fact the operation began on Thursday night after the terror attack in Tel Aviv (5 killed and tens wounded), the UN Security Council will only meet tomorrow and so far world protests have been light. There have been demonstrations in the Palestinian areas and some diplomatic activity by the Arab states, but nothing too intense.
In Israel the discussion is once again whether to throw Arafat out or not. Prime Minister Sharon, apparently for internal political reasons has made it clear he wants Arafat’s exile, but since the Labor Party and all the security services, including the army (and its new Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon) object, no expulsion will take place in the near future. Former PM Benyamin Netanyahu and the Right demand Arafat’s removal, and Sharon has out maneuvered them through agreement.”
Read the rest of the post over here.
This commentary is from an excellent Middle East blog named “Mideast: On Target” that i found courtesy of Haggai, one of my readers. Two Israelis, Elliot Chodoff and Yisrael Ne’eman write it and according to their site “both have years of experience teaching and analyzing the Mideast "situation" and presenting it in a comprehensible fashion to the novice and veteran alike”. They have more interesting post’s I recommend on reading, check it out.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:9/22/2002 12:26:00 PM
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Yoni Jesner
The family 19 year old Scottish yeshiva student Yoni Jesner, who was murdered in Thursday’s suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, donated his organs to be transplanted. Yoni’s kidney was transplanted by Israeli doctors in 7 year old Yasmin Abu Ramila, a Palestinian from the village Akeb in East Jerusalem. Story from Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv, I wonder if it will be mentioned by any foreign media.
Update: AP has the story by one of their Israeli correspondents.
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