Palestinians give honorary citizenship to child murderers

This is a tough one to swallow.

Frankly, it's items like this that reinforce my basic conviction that the Israelis made a mistake of biblical proportions not only in ever agreeing to the idea a Palestinian state but in allowing these people to continue to live next to them...plotting and cheering on the next atrocity.

I've mentioned Samir Quntar and Sultan Al-Ajaluni before on the site, as the bosum pals and companions of convicted terrorist murderer Marwan Barghouti. This week the Palestinian Authority has announced that it is granting honorary citizenship to these two Arab terrorists, a Lebanese and a Jordanian respectively. Both are serving life sentences in Israeli jails.

Here's why...and this will give you an idea of what the Palestinian death culture is all about.

One night in April, 1978, Kuntar and three accomplices landed at the Israeli coastal town of Nahariya from the sea, seized Danny Haran, 28, and his daughter Einat, 4, from their home. They shot Danny dead in front of his child and then smashed the child’s head on a rock. Danny’s wife Smadar survived but while hiding in a closet from the killers, she accidentally smothered to death their 2-year old daughter, Yael. Police Sgt. Eliahu Sassar rushed to the rescue and was shot dead.

Smadar Haran, wife and mother of the murder victims, described the murder in the Washington Post in 2003 in these words:

"It was a murder of unimaginable cruelty. It had been a peaceful Sabbath day. My husband, Danny, and I had picnicked with our little girls, Einat, 4, and Yael, 2, on the beach. Around midnight, the terrorists burst into our building. Danny helped our neighbor climb into a crawl space above our bedroom; I went in behind her with Yael in my arms. Danny grabbed Einat and was dashing out the front door when the terrorists came crashing into our flat. They held Danny and Einat . I will never forget the joy and the hatred in the terrorists voices as they swaggered about hunting for us, firing their guns and throwing grenades. As I lay there, I remembered my mother telling me how she had hidden from the Nazis during the Holocaust. "This is just like what happened to my mother, I thought.

The terrorists took Danny and Einat down to the beach. There, according to eyewitnesses, one of them shot Danny in front of Einat so that his death would be the last sight she would ever see. Then he smashed my little girl's skull in against a rock with his rifle butt. That terrorist was Samir Quntar."[Smadar Haran Kaiser, Washington Post, May 18, 2003]

There is something indescibably savage and rotten in a culture that not only produces such wanton cruelty, but celebrates it.And, as I show above, educates the next generation to emulate the same murderous evil.

You can tell a lot about a culture by what it chooses to reward and the heroes it honors.

A hat tip to THE AUTONOMIST for bringing this to my attention.

What Bush needs to do to come back

There's no sense in the White House living in denial any more. President Bush has been seriously damaged politically, and frankly he deserves it, in my opinion.

That being said, the last thing I want to see is damaged leadership during war time.

The failed Dubai Ports deal was a watershed event in the Bush Presidency, and emphasized what a lot of Americans who initially supported the president have felt for a very long time, even if they haven't articulated it; that he is simply too close to the Saudis and other Sunni Arab autocracies to conduct what he refers to as the `War on Terror' in the way it needs to be waged. The Ports deal was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Another aspect of this, of course is the political failure of the administration to prepare the ground properly by briefing congressional leaders before attempting to push this through the system. If in fact a strategic quid pro quo was involved with the Saudis and/or the UAE and the president was able to sufficiently justify it, things might have been different.

To be fair, President Bush from the day he was elected has faced unreasonable hostility from his partisan political opponents. And he has had to face challenges no one anticipated and that were not of his making. Nevertheless, he has consistently seemed to take only half measures in addressing those challenges, and been less than adequate in one of the main tasks of leadership..to make policy and sell that policy to the electorate.

If I had the opportunity to sit down with President Bush for a few minutes of conversation, here's what I'd tell him:

The biggest plus you have, Mr. President, is your image with the average American as a regular guy, and not one of the elites. People perceived this as an inside deal that was cooked up for the benefit of your Arab pals at the expense of America's security. And I don't think many people bought the line that you were unaware of it until it was a done deal.

Neither did they agree with you that the UAE is a loyal ally against Islamic terrorism. Or our `eternal friends' the Saudis, for that matter. Most Americans get a foul taste in their mouths every time you utter that turgid little phrase. The Saudis and the other Sunni autocracies might be useful at keeping the oil taps turned on at record high prices, or reassuring allies like India that the oil flow will continue no matter what happens with Iran, but friends? Uh uh.

Let's not confuse a relationship of convenience with friendship, Mr. President. Real alliances come out of shared values, not convenience.

This is an ideological war as much as anything else, and you owe the American people some candor in that regard.

The Saudis have been exporting hardline Wahabi-style Islam with its jihadist rhetoric to the US for years through the co-opting of America's mosques, madrassahs and mideast studies departments in our universities, and do it to this day. The roster of ex-US legislators and diplomats on the Arab payroll as lobbyists is astounding and pervasive. And virtually every radical Islamic group in the USA receives funding from these people.

So for a start, Mr. Bush, that sorry state of affairs needs tending. Most Americans are not aware of the fact that you sent both Condi Rice and your personal envoy Karen Hughes to Saudi Arabia to ask them to curtail the export of radical Islam into America, and that the Saudis politely told them to go pound sand. But you're aware of it, and need to take steps to stop it here at home. And if that means legal restrictions on foreign gifts to presidential libraries and speaking fees, or on ex-legislators and government employees acting as lobbyists for foreign governments, so be it.

If it means legislation forbidding foreign funding of religious institutions in America and a hard line on radical mosques, imams and madrassahs, then that's what needs to happen, if you want to start convincing Americans that we really are in a war and that you personally are not corrupted by your cozy relationship with certain Arab countries.

And I would urge you to reach out to American Muslims, urge them to take sides in this war and to give them a platform to fight the takeover of their religious institutions by radical Islam. Many of them came here to flee exactly the kind of Islamist tyranny represented by your Saudi friends. So far, the only American Muslims you've given the time of day to have been Islamists like CAIR.

You also need to stop accomodating these Arab regimes by backdoor funding of Arab terrorists that target Israel and stop winking at their breaking of US law by funding terrorist groups like Hamas and boycotting Israel. You may think you can curry favor with your pal Abdullah of Saudi Arabia by funneling cash through the World Bank instead of US Aid, but it doesn't fool anybody that's paying attention, it isn't helping the war effort and makes you look like a hypocrite. Believe it or not, Dubbyah, Israel is kind of popular with Evangelical Christians as well as a lot of other Americans who voted for you. And they didn't appreciate you shilling for the UAE once the UAE's involvement in things like this came out. You once said something about us opposing countries that harbor and finance terrorism. I respectfully suggest you revisit the Bush Doctrine and begin practicing it. It would restore a lot of lost credibility.

Towards that end, you might want to do more than just talk about our dependence on Arab oil. Level with your fellow Americans, put the country on a war footing if you have to, and rev up America's domestic energy creation. Give your fellow Americans credit for being willing to endure a few sacrifices for victory. They might just surprise you. In any event, it needs to happen regardless.

I would also advise you to figure out what you're planning on doing about Iran, if you haven't already. Iran was not problem of your making, but it popped its ugly head out two years ago, during your watch, and thus far the only action you seem to have taken has been to let the EU3 muddle around in useless negotiations and to push for the referral of Iran to the UN for sanctions that would be meaningless even if you managed to get past a Russian veto. This is not the kind of problem that can be deferred to the next administration without a major risk to America's security.

This is the sort of leadership the American people re-elected you for, Mr. President. And I sincerely think you have it in you to deliver.

Step up to the plate, Mr. President. The comeback starts today. And I'm rooting for you.

Moussaoui update

As I reported here, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema had considered throwing out the death penalty case after discovering that a government lawyer had improperly coached and shared testimony with witnesses.Bloomberg.com: Top Worldwide
After a day-long hearing, she decided to resume on Monday the sentencing phase of the trial that will determine if Moussaoui, who has pleaded guilty to conspiracy in connection with the hijacked airliner attacks, will be executed.

But Brinkema handcuffed the Government's case by disallowing the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration witnesses who had been contacted by government lawyer Carla Martin. They will not be able to testify and evidence from them would not be allowed.

"I am removing from this case any and all witnesses and evidence dealing with the aviation component," Brinkema said.

"What we have in this case ... is that six witnesses -- two for the government and four potential defense witnesses, were tainted," she said.

The prosecution had argued the witnesses were vital, with that portion of the government's argument representing about half of the evidence of Moussaoui's guilt.

The government is trying to prove that if Moussaoui had not lied to the FBI when he was arrested three weeks before Sept. 11, the FAA would been able to thwart the attacks through increased security measures on airplanes.

Martin, a veteran attorney, e-mailed transcripts of the trial and tried to coach potential witnesses on how to respond to questions.

"I don't think in the annals of criminal law there has ever been a case with this many significant problems," Brinkema said.

Martin appeared briefly in court but did not testify because she did not have a lawyer to represent her. "I was unable to get counsel at all," Martin said. "This is an adversarial proceeding, but I am not represented."

Brinkema advised Martin of her Miranda rights, which are read to crime suspects arrested in the United States, and warned her she might be held in civil or criminal contempt.

After a conference with lawyers from each side, Brinkema approved a postponement of the trial until Monday to give prosecutors time to consider whether to appeal Brinkema's decision, the court said in a statement.

CAIRful!

CAIR: Islamists Fooling the Establishment - Middle East Quarterly - Spring 2006

Myths of Iraq

Ralph Peters tells it like it is, as usual:

"During a recent visit to Baghdad, I saw an enormous failure. On the part of our media. The reality in the streets, day after day, bore little resemblance to the sensational claims of civil war and disaster in the headlines.

No one with first-hand experience of Iraq would claim the country's in rosy condition, but the situation on the ground is considerably more promising than the American public has been led to believe. Lurid exaggerations and instant myths obscure real, if difficult, progress.

I left Baghdad more optimistic than I was before this visit. While cynicism, political bias and the pressure of a 24/7 news cycle accelerate a race to the bottom in reporting, there are good reasons to be soberly hopeful about Iraq's future."

read the rest here:Myths of Iraq

UN Security Council deadlocked over Iran

NITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States, Britain and France moved a dispute over Iran's nuclear weapons program to the full U.N. Security Council after failing on Tuesday to win Russia and China's support for a proposal to pressure Tehran.

The British-French draft calls on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment efforts, end its violations of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and end its ambitions on nuclear weaponry. It would ask the IAEA for a quickprogress report.

The five permanent members met for a fourth time on Tuesday morning in search of a deal but broke off after failing to reach an agreement after an hour and a half of talks.

U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said the five would meet again on Wednesday. "We're going to keep talking about this. We think it is important to keep 'perm five' unity," Bolton told reporters. "We are united in our determination to ensure that Iran does not achieve a nuclear weapons capability."

Russia and China did not want the Security Council involved, because it has the authority to impose sanctions; they wanted the IAEA to retain control.

The United States wants Mohamed ElBaradei, the director-general of the IAEA, to report to the council within 14 days on Iran's compliance. Russia and China want a six-week deadline and want the report to go to the IAEA rather than to the Security Council.

If the split continues, the Western powers may decide to drop the idea of a Security Council statement, which requires the consent of all 15 members. Instead they are considering putting a resolution to a vote and forcing Russia and China to abstain or veto.

Iran rejected an offer from Russia to enrich Iranian uranium on Russian soil. But it then wanted to reopen the talks, which Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said would happen soon...just like all the other talks for the past two years while the mullahs works towards nuclear weapons, dispersing and hiding their facilities and improving their air defences.

Israeli forces take assassins of Israeli minister Rehavam Zeevi into Israeli custody from Jericho jail

The IDF went into Jericho today and forcibly removed several prisoners, to prevent an Israeli minister’s assassins escape from jail after the American and British monitors posted there under an international agreement signed by the Palestinian Authority abandoned their watch. The men they were guarding are Ahmed Sadaat, head of the PFLP who ordered the murder of the Israeli tourism minister in 2001, his four gunmen and the Ahmed Shoubaki, financier of the Karin-A illegal arms ship.

After Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Zeevi was assasinated in 2001, the Palestinian assassins,PLFP leader Ahmed Sadaat and his men were confined under an agreement between the Quartet, Israel and the Palestinian Authority in Jericho under American and British monitors.

The American and British monitors evacuated their posts after a U.S.-UK letter to Abbas was sent to the Palestinian Authority accusing them of failing to abide by international agreements or provide the guards with proper security.

Both Hamas and Chairman Abbas had promised to free them after the Palestinian elections, and Abbas apparently gave the order while he was in Europe.

The IDF moved in this morning with Nahal Brigade troops along with the police's special anti-terror unit and broke into the facility amidst reports of explosions and heavy gunfire. PA sources said two Palestinians were killed - one policeman and one inmate - while three others were wounded in the gun battle that ensued.

(I wonder how `jailed' prisoners ended up with firearms, unless the PA supplied them after the British and Americans left?)

Aside from the six, some 200 prisoners surrendered to IDF troops and were taken to the nearby Jewish town of Vered Jericho for interrogation. According to the IDF, anyone who was of interest to Israeli security forces would be kept in Israeli custody. Seventy-six others who didn't make the all star team were returned to the custody of the PA.

The IDF took a hard-line stance throughout the day. One officer said, "We want to take them out alive, but if they threaten us we won't hesitate to kill them.

The Palestinians went berserk afterwards, taking hostages, rioting and burning buildings in the style all of us have come to know and expect. They attacked offices linked to the United States and Europe and torched the British Council building in Gaza City. They kidnapped 21 foreigners throughout Gaza and the West Bank, including an American university professor, a Swiss employee of the Red Cross and three journalists from France and South Korea, plus a handful of aid workers.

The American, an english teacher at American University was later released.

Hamas sets its agenda

The freely elected Palestinian government of Hamas has now officially laid out its agenda.

Hamas designated prime minister Sheikh Ismael Haniyeh transferred the document to Abbas,and it was made public on Saturday night, after being leaked to journalists.

These are the Hamas' founding principles. Let's take a look:


"To respect the blood of martyrs and sacrifices of the Palestinian people for the safeguarding of the national rights of the Palestinians, which cannot be given up, for the sake of carrying on the struggle to remove the occupation, and safeguarding the right of return, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as it capital. We announce that the founding principles of our government will be based on the following points.

By `martyrs', Hamas means homicide bombers and terrorists guilty of murdering innocent Israeli civilians. And you will note that this document refers a couple of times to `an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as it capital'. And there is no mention of a Jewish presence in even part of Jerusalem or of a Jewish State.

1. The expulsion of the occupation and the establishment of a sovereign independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Like I said, no mention of a Jewish State or any part of Jerusalem under Jewish sovereignity.

2. A commitment to the right of return of Palestinians to their homes and property. We believe that the right of return is a private and collective right that can't be given up.

In other words, Israel is to be flooded with hostile Arabs who claim to have resided in what is now Israel prior to 1948 and their decendants! And Hamas, of course, will not entertain the rights of return for Jews forced to leave their homes due to Arab ethnic cleansing after 1948.

3. Resistance in all its formed is a legitimate right of the Palestinian people in its path to put an end to the occupation and the reinstatement of its national rights.

In other words, all forms of violence and terrorism are fair game.

4. The start of a wide reform process in the Palestinian Authority's institutions. These institutions should be based on the principles of democracy, justice, the rule of law, political pluralism, and the principle of the separation of authorities and the guarding human rights and private property.

In other words, no more Arafat-style mafia. And human rights are all very well provided they don't conflict with the stated goal of Hamas of instituting Islamic sharia law. Hamas will undoubtedly look to its sponsors, Iran and Saudi Arabia as models of the types of `human rights' it plans to institute.

5. The Palestinian government will address the reality created following previous agreements between the Authority and the occupation and it is the right of the government to reassess these agreements on the basis of international law and in accordance with the rights of the Palestinians people.

In other words, Hamas will keep the agreements it feels like keeping, when it feels like keeping them.

6. The Palestinian government will protect the independence of the choice Palestinian people and its institutions, and will safeguard its sovereignty in this matter.

The good ol' green hats at Hamas are in charge, Bubba. Get used to it, or someone could get hurt.

7. The government will emphasize the Arab and Islamic character of the Palestinian issue and will act to enlist Arab and Islamic support for the Palestinian people in every sector.

Sharia law is coming your way. If you happen to be a Christian, I'd either get used to bowing in the direction of Mecca and wearing a burkha real quick, or make some travel plans.

8. The government will hold friendly and positive relations on the basis of mutual respect with Arab and Muslim countries and with the countries of the world.

We'll take aid from the Saudis, the UAE and Iran and continue to enlist the support of the Muslim world in the War Against the Jews.

9. In principle, we will be prepared to continue with the current calm, which is a path to obtain national goals, and not a goal. The calm does not mean a cancellation of the right to resist and the right to respond to Israeli violations. The calm is stipulated on the end of all Israeli aggression and the release of prisoners."

Hamas will keep a temporary `truce'-which doesn't preclude our using Islamic Jihad, al Aksa or other `martyrs' to make terrorist attacks or to shoot Qassam missles against Israel-for as long as we need to build up our forces for the next phase of the war...maybe until we get better, more accurate missles from our friends inIran. Enjoy it while you can.

PA Chairman Abbas is abroad just now, but Hamas said that they're expecting talks with Abbas to resume after the PA chairman returns. As if Abbas has anything to say about it!

The Road Map is a dead issue. And Israel had better start preparing for the next phase of this war. The emotionally satisfying fairy tale of `disengagement' may feel good, but it is not reality.

Happy Purim!

Today, in honor of Purim, the world's largest ever hamentaschen was baked by Friends of the IDF volunteers and Angel Bakery in Israel. It weighed in at 650 kg!

Hamentaschen are tri-cornered shaped pastries traditonally associated with the Jewish holiday of Purim, which commemorates the Jewish defeat of Hamen, the evil minister of the King of Persia who planned to exterminate them.

Will a certain Ahmadinejad turn out to be another Hamen? Stay tuned..and Happy Purim!

Trial of 9/11 hijacker Moussaoui runs into roadblock

The trial of self-confessed al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui was recessed today by an angry federal judge who is considering a mistrial in the sentencing portion of the trial because of a major government error involving alleged coaching of witnesses.

A mistrial would mean that Moussaoui would not be eligible for the death penalty and he would receive life in prison.

A Transportation Security Administration lawyer allegedly sent transcripts of the opening statements and some trial testimony to potential government witnesses, apparently trying to coach them.

"This is the second significant error by the government affecting the constitutional rights of the defendant and the criminal justice system in this country in the context of a death case," U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema told lawyers in the case outside the presence of the jury.

Defense attorney Edward MacMahon moved to have the judge dismiss the death penalty as a possible outcome, saying "this is not going to be a fair trial." In the alternative, he said, at least she should excuse the coached government witnesses from the case. I guess that's what defense lawyers do, even if your client is an al Qaeda terrorist.

Federal Prosecutor David Novak replied that removing those witnesses would "exclude half the government's case." Novak said that the problem could be addressed in cross-examination by the defense.

Brinkema said she would need time to study what to do.

"In all the years I've been on the bench, I have never seen such an egregious violation of a rule on witnesses," she said.

It's hard to know where to draw the line on this one. Moussaoui, a French citizen, is the only person charged in the United States with the 9/11 attacks. He pleaded guilty in April to conspiring with al Qaeda, and also says he was training for a possible future attack.

To say he's not getting a fair trial after already confessing to being involved is really pushing the envelope, even for a Leftist Clinton appointee like Brinkema.

But as much as I hate to admit it, she may be right on this one.

Even prosecutor Novak admitted that the witness coaching was "horrendously wrong."

It was, and it's yet another screwup by the Bush Justice Department in prosecuting Islamic terrorists.

Before the trial was recessed by Brinkema, the jury was scheduled to hear from the FBI agent who arrested Moussaoui — perhaps the key witness in the trial.

Special Agent Harry Samit's testimony is equally important to prosecutors and the defense at Moussaoui's sentencing trial. Samit has already testified in the trial for the prosecution was scheduled for cross-examination.

Prosecutors are taking the position that Samit and the FBI would have foiled the Sept. 11 attacks had Moussaoui confessed his membership in the al Qaeda terror network and his plans to hijack an airplane after he was arrested on Aug. 16, 2001, and interrogated by Samit.

To obtain the death penalty, prosecutors must first prove that Moussaoui's actions — specifically, his lies- were directly responsible for at least one death on Sept. 11.

Dubya Talk

Dry Bones is a long running comic strip that is the work of Yaakov Kirschen..and he sure hit the bullseye with this one!

Check out more of his work here: the Dry Bones Blog

Russia proposes March 20th Date for new talks on Iran

Once again. that ominous March 20th date pops up.

According to diplomatic sources, Russia has proposed that new talks on Iran's nuclear program take place on March 20 - most likely in Vienna - with the United States, China, France and Britain - the other four permanent members of the Security Council.Jerusalem Post | Russia proposes March 20 for new talks on Iran

The Russians also want the participation of the IAEA's own Inspecter Clouseau, Mohamed ElBaradei, and of Germany, which, along with France and Britain, the other members of the so-called EU 3 broke off talks with Iran after two years of futility once the Mullahs decided to go ahead with work on uranium enrichment.

Remember, as I reported that March 20 coincides with the Persian New Year, Noruz and that the same group of Iranian dissidents who first outed Teheran's hidden nuclear weapons program claim to have reliable information that an Iranian nuclear weapons test is sceduled for that date.
J O S H U A P U N D I T: Iran planing nuke test...
It's obvious to me that the Russians are trying to buy as much time for the mullahs as they can. Will the West go along with it?

Stay tuned...

Slain American hostage shot, tortured.

Tom Fox, a 54-year-old member of Christian Peacemaker Teams from Clear Brook, Va., was found dead near a railroad line in Baghdad with gunshots to his head and chest and signs of torture on his body, Iraqi police said.

There's no news on his fellow hostages, a Briton and two Canadians
who were last seen in a video dated Feb. 28 and broadcast Tuesday, March 7 on Jihad TV, AKA Al-Jazeera.

The Islamic group Swords of Righteousness Brigades claimed responsibility for kidnapping the four Christian Peacemaker Teams members--Fox, Canadians James Loney, 41, and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32, and Briton Norman Kember, 74. They disappeared Nov. 26.

Fox's Chicago-based group said: "We mourn the loss of Tom Fox, who combined a lightness of spirit, a firm opposition to all oppression, and the recognition of God in everyone."

"In response to Tom's passing, we ask that everyone set aside inclinations to vilify or demonize others, no matter what they have done," Christian Peacemaker co-directors Doug Pritchard and Carol Rose said in a statement.

Well, maybe.

My heart goes out to Mr. Fox's loved ones, and I'm sorry he died in this fashion. But I also can't forget that this so-called Christian Peacemaker Teams organization is little more than a bunch of apologists for Islamic terrorism. Fox's previous stint as a `peacemaker' involved shilling for Palestinian terrorists who target Jews in Israel and have the blood of Fox's fellow Americans on their hands..just like the terrorists in Iraq who ended up adding Fox to their list of kaffir victims.

Sometimes, when you lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas, as the old saying goes. And sometimes those fleas end up killing you.

Saudis to continue to aid Hamas

Hamas Politbureau Chief Khaled Meshaal was all smiles after talks in Riyadh with Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and Prince Muqrin bin Abdul-Aziz, the Saudi intelligence chief.Hamas says gets Saudi promise on continued aid - Yahoo! News

"They affirmed that political and financial aid to the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian people would continue," delegation member Ezzat El-Resheq told al-Reuters news agency in Riyadh.

Condi Rice had asked the Saudis pretty please not to fund the terrorist group, but as always when it comes to Islamic terrorism, our `eternal friends' to quote President Bush told her politely to go pound sand.

This is an interesting little waltz because of the Saudi connections with the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas' parent organizaton and their long time funding of fundamentalist groups like Hamas. Among other Muslim Brotherhood offshoots that the Saudis fund is the American Islamist groups CAIR and the Muslim Students Association.

After all, it the Saudis wouldn't comply with Rice and Bush envoy Karen Hughes' request to quit exporting jihad to America, why would they stop funding jihad directed against Israel? J O S H U A P U N D I T: Pretty Please?? Hughes asks Saudis to curb hate literature in US mosques.

One interesting thing is that the Saudis made Hamas do an audit..and found 37,000 fictitious positions on the Palestinian Authority payroll! Now I wonder where that money ended up...

Former IDF Chief of Staff Yaalon: Israel can neutralize Iran's threat

Speaking at the conservative think tank The Hudson Institute in Washington Thursday, Gen. Moshe Yaalon said strategic targets spread across Iran could be struck by means other than an air force attack. Because they are stationary, they can be hit with greater accuracy than Israeli air force attacks on terrorists , who are usually traveling in vehicles.

This was the first explicit reply to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahamdinejad’s repeated threats to wipe Israel off the map and its nuclear delegate’s warning to inflict “pain and harm” on the United States.

Yaalon, who was IDF Chief of staff until he fell out with Sharon over the Gaza withdrawal nine months ago said it would be preferable for other nations to do the job, “but you can’t rule out Israel.”

Indeed.

The general appears to have contradicted statements by acting prime minister Ehud Olmert and former Israeli leader Ariel Sharon that Israel cannot deal with the Iranian nuclear threat alone and must work with the United States and the international community.

Students of recent history might remember how the late Likud prime minister, Menahem Begin, ordered a successful Israeli air force strike against Saddam Hussein’s nuclear reactor in 1981...also right before an election.

Yaalon says Israel could expect an Iranian counter-attack to an Israeli knockout blow to its nuclear installations. They might shoot missiles, but would more likely activate Hizballah in Lebanon which has 12,000 rockets supplied by Tehran which are capable of striking inside Israel. However, the joint venture Israeli/American Arrow anti-missile system is fully deployed and operational, Yaalon revealed, and capable of intercepting the missiles, either from Iran or Hezbollah.

He further predicted the Iranians could have enough know-how for building a nuclear device within the next six to 18 months and produce one within three to six years.

I personally think he's optimistic, and that a nuclear-capable Iran is a lot closer than that.

The Islamintern

Baron Bodissey of the excellent blog 'Gates of Vienna' has a scintillating piece on how the current Islamist movement resembles the Communist assault on Western freedom
Gates of Vienna: The Islamintern

The Baron and his cohort Dymphna are involved in something called the `Bloody Borders' project..tracking the attacks of violent Jihad on the world map.

The Baron writes:

"The Islamofascists bear more than a passing resemblance to the Communists of the mid-20th century. Consider:

* They are international in scope, transcending national boundaries and languages.
* Their clandestine networks are guided and funded by shadowy, secret central groups abroad.
* The dissemination of propaganda and disinformation is a central strategy for their cause.
* They are aided and abetted by apologists and fellow travelers in the West.
* One of the prime vectors for the spread of their contagion is the Academy."

Indeed, as the Baron points out this is very much a war of ideas, and will be won or lost in the arena of public opinion in the West.

The Jihadists very much mirror the strategy of the Communists. They are spread out, funded and supported by a few sources but operate more or less independently, cooperating on the shared goal of subjucating the West.

The Baron writes:

"As soon as Communism consolidated power in Soviet Russia, it began its preparation for the World Revolution by establishing the Communist International. For the next sixty years or so the dedicated cadres and willing dupes of the Comintern took Soviet money, propaganda, and materiel, and used them to undermine and overthrow governments all over the world.

But Stalin did not directly command most of these operations. Even at the apogee of Soviet power, the Kremlin could only enforce its ukases in the Soviet Union itself and the “near abroad,” those communist vassals immediately contiguous with Soviet territory.

Tito, Hoxha, Mao, and Castro all followed Soviet guidelines when its suited their interests, and departed from them when required. But all of them were acting in the name of Communism, and all were intent on establishing their version of its soul-destroying totalitarianism.

And so it is with militant Islam. The Islamists are not directly controlled by bin Laden or King Abdullah or the mullahs of Iran; but they work towards a common purpose, co-operating with each other out of self-interest and deferring the cutting of each other’s throats until the opportune moment arrives.

Look at the Sunni-Shiite division as a parallel between Soviet Communism and Maoism. Give Zarqawi the role of Josip Broz Tito, with his propensity to ignore central direction and follow his own plans. The Communists had the KGB to spread money and disinformation; the Islamofascists have the Saudi “charities” to perform the same functions."

Such a comparison of Sunni and Shia Islam would not have occurred immediately to me, but the Baron's analysis holds water when when looks at the relationship between Sunni and Shia Islamists and compare it, as he does, to the competition between the Soviets and Mao.

As for the role of appeasors in this war, again, the Baron's historical parallels apply:

"The Comintern, of course, was aided in its efforts by all the fools and shills in the West.

The 1930s had George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, Walter Duranty, and The New York Times.

In the 21st century, the Islamintern has Dan Rather, Cindy Sheehan, Jimmy Carter, and The New York Times.

Every generation has its useful idiots."

Indeed. And every generation has it clearsighted individuals who apply the lessons of history as well.

Iraq hangs 13 terrorists

Patrick at Clarity and Resolve has a great piece on Iraq's new place as a role model for dealing with Islamic terrorists. Clarity & Resolve: "Iraqi Government Makes Mujahideen Pay to Play

These are the first terrorists executed in Iraq since the US-led invasion.

As he says, if innocent Americans are murdered again on our shores to the sound of hearty cries of `Allahu akbar!' you can expect a wide consensus among Americans for quick military tribunals, followed by what our British friends refer to as the Tyburn Jig.

Only thing missing is the pigskin shroud!

Hamas plays `Show me the money!'

The former US envoy to the Middle East, General Zinni, famously compared dealing with the Palestinian Authority to dealing with the mafia, with Arafat as the capo del tutti. Looks he wasn't far wrong.

Today, Forbes ran a story about Hamas trying to get its bloody little hands on part the stash of the late Yasir Arafat that was skimmed off of `aid money' to the supposedly destitute Palestinian people.Hamas Goes For The Gold - Forbes.com

Ol' Yasir set up a whole slew of off-the-books investments in a slush fund culled from the aid money. before he died in 2004, Selim Fayyad, then the finance minister before Abbas got rid of him for being a little too honest and efficient, managed to locate and latch onto some of this slush fund and consolidate it into something called the Palestine Investment Fund. It even published audited financials showing that it held over $1 billion at the end of 2004, including a big chunk of Egyptian cell company Orascom Telecom and PALTEL, a Palestinian telecommunications company...a company in which Israeli peacenik and perpetual appeasor Shimon Peres has a half stake!

Arafat made the investments by diverting $900 million from Authority bank accounts, according to a 2003 International Monetary Fund report.

This fund now has assets worth $1.4 billion...and it is by no means the only one.

So much for the lies Special Envoy James Wolfensohn was telling about how the Palestinian Authority could go bankrupt within weeks if they didn't get that $42 million grant the World Bank released on Tuesday, supposedly to pay 'public-sector salaries'.

The Palestinian Authority is running a deficit of $500 million per year, mostly in payroll; Abbas raised salaries across the board including on those 37,000 non-existent jobs on the payroll I reported on here. Abbas got the money by taking out loans against the assets of the investment fund, after the EU froze donor money because of what was politely labled `lack of transparency and accountability'.

At this point, there's a fight ging on over what's left of the Fund, which was set up by Fayyad to fund long-term economic development projects and provide economic stimulus to the West Bank and to Gaza. It was never intended to fund government budgets, and was originally designed to be out of the reach of the Palestinian Authority president so that Arafat could not tap into it.

At this point, Both Abbas and Hamas are fighting over control of the money. Hamas could draft new legislation to give its government control of the fund, or it could swipe it outright.

What no one mentions is that this is stolen aid money that was supposed to go to the Palestinian people for humanitarian purposes.

And of course,no one is talking about bringing suit for embezzlement against Abbas or against the estate of Arafat.

Negative perception of Islam in US higher than after 9/11

According to a Washington Post/ABC News poll, nearly half of the US population has a negative view of Islam, 7% higher than polls taken after 9/11. And a majority now say that Muslims are `disproportionately prone to violence'.Negative Perception Of Islam Increasing

According to the poll, the proportion of Americans who believe that Islam helps to stoke violence against non-Muslims has more than doubled since the attacks, from 14 percent in January 2002 to 33 percent today.

Personally, I think the numbers are even higher.

As I've written here before, one of President Bush's biggest failures in this war was in not defining jihad and Radical Islam as the enemy until recently and by not calling on loyal American Muslims to take sides in this war and help combat Islamism.

US to close Abu Ghraib detention center

The US has announced that it will close Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison 'in three months'.

Its 4,500 prisoners are to be transferred to other jails in Iraq, a military spokesman said.US to close Iraq's prison 'in three months' - Top stories - Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au

"We will transfer operations from Abu Ghraib to the new Camp Cropper once construction is completed there," Lieutenant Colonel Keir-Kevin Curry said.

"No precise dates have been set, but the plan is to accomplish this within the next two to three months," said Col. Curry, spokesman for US detention operations in Iraq.

Camp Cropper is a detention facility in the US military headquarters base at Baghdad airport, not far from Abu Ghraib. And probably more convenient for air transpo to Club Gitmo or other points.

About 127 major detainees, including Saddam Hussein are housed at Abu Graib (how's THAT for irony!). Camp Cropper supposedly will provide better conditions and security for terrorist prisoners.

The Ports deal is dying as UAE Company agrees to divest itself of American holdings

The UAE company that was attempting take over management of 22 U.S. ports announced today that it will divest itself of all American interests.Dubai Port Company to Divest Itself of American Holdings

This appears to be a face saving device to head off a major confrontation between Congress and President Bush over the controversial deal.

The announcement came just hours after Republican leaders from the House and Senate met with President Bush to tell him Congress appeared ready to block the deal, and was given by Senator John Warner (r-VA) who has been attempting to broker a compromise between Congress and the president.

The assessment by influential congressmen came at a private meeting at the White House, according to Amy Call, a spokeswoman for Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) It came only one day after lawmakers took their first formal steps toward killing Dubai Ports World's deal to manage American ports, as reported here.

Bush has repeatedly said he would veto any attempts to crush the deal. But over 70% of Americans have reacted viscerally to the proposd deal, giving Congress momentum towards a confrontation with the White House.

"We want to protect the American people," said House Speaker Sen. J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill). "We've been doing it the last four and a half years. We fought a war in Iraq, fought a war in Afghanistan, stood up to the Homeland Security Department. We will continue to do that. We will maybe have our differences, but we think we're going to continue to" oppose the Dubal deal," he said this morning.

The House Appropriations Committee Wednesday tacked on a measure to block the deal to funding for Katrina relief and a war-funding bill. The vote on the bill was 62-2. A full House vote on the bill is expected to pass overwhelmingly next week if it comes to a vote.

The ports deal split conservatives from the Bush administration on the president's own key issue -- national security.

Bush appears to still be hanging onto his original stance on this like a dog on a well loved bone. At the same time the GOP leadership was meeting with Bush, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan repeated Bush's vow to veto any legislation that interferes with the deal.

That kind of cluelessness and indeed, arrogance has only made things worse. And many conservatives are livid at the White House handing a gift to the Democrats on anissue that many of them are rightfully perceived to be weak on.

This looks to be headed in one of two directions -- a veto confrontation between the president and Congress or a decision by Dubai Ports World to abandon its takeover plans.

Either way, this appears to be a done deal. And rightfully so.

Whatever were you thinking, Mr. President?

IAEA Report on Iran goes to the UN

The IAEA report on the Iranian nuclear program went to the Security Council today for consideration of possible sanctions.

The most probable outcome is a 30 day period for compliance by Iran with the IAEA's directives before any further action.

US delegate Gregory Schulte said "the time has now come for the Security Council to act." According to Sculte, Iran has around 85 tons of feedstock uranium gas already in hand...enough raw material for about 10 nuclear weapons if enriched.

Lovely.

Iran upped the ante last week by launching a new, locally-built submarine, the Nahang (whale) in the Persian Gulf. It's especially adapted to the Persian Gulf waters. Jane's says Iran also has six Russian-built SSK or SSI Kilo class diesel submarines patrolling the Persian Gulf.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pulled a major funny when he said that Moscow would oppose sanctions on Iran because such measures rarely work...of course they don't Sergei, especially when Russia doesn't abide by them no matter what! (*rimshot*)Remember how the Russians helped Saddam evade them via the UN and the Oil For Food program?

Quote O' The Day

"The United States has the power to cause harm and pain. But the United States is also susceptible to harm and pain. So if that is the path that the U.S. wishes to choose, let the ball roll."

-Ali Asghar Soltanieh, a senior Iranian nuclear negotiator.

House Republicans work to block Ports Deal

You KNOW it's bad when you own party turns against you, Dubbya...even the House Majority Leader and the Speaker!

Today, House Republicans proposed legislation that would block UAE owned Dubai Ports World from taking over operations at 22 U.S. ports, shrugging off a veto threat from President Bush.

"We believe that the U.S. should not allow a government-run company to operate American ports," said Ron Bonjean, a spokesman for House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

The legislation is esupposed to hit the House floor next week as part of a $91 billion appropriation for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and aid for Gulf States recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Way to stack, guys!

"This is a very big political problem," House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said. "I have seen it in my district. I have seen it every place I have been."

I'll just bet he has.

Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said he would attach the ports legislation to the spending bill Wednesday. It it works out that way, it would explicitly block DP World from assuming control of terminals at U.S. ports.

Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is one of the Bush Administartion's most loyal voices in Congress. He pledged to block the deal and introduced his own legislation Tuesday.

President Bush is reportedly livid about this defection. he's still threatening to veto any measure that would block or delay DP World's takeover.

"The president's position is unchanged," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Tuesday.

Maybe he should reconsider. I can almost guarantee the votes are here to overide any veto...and as much as I disagree with President Bush on this, the last thing I want is to see him humiliated.

This is a bad deal, and a major security risk. Whatever promises Dubbya made to his friends at the UAE, he needs to get a grip and reconsider.

Russia tries to push through a compromise with its ally Iran..then backs away

The news this morning was all about Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov trumpeting the wonderful compromise he had made with Iran over its nukes program. Hey,he said, let's allow the mullahs to continue their atomic research if they let Russia do most of the uranium enrichment...just let Iran enrich a little bit for itself, just to be nice, OK?

Well, that fell through pretty quickly, after Lavrov had a conversation with Condi Rice and the other members of the EU3 (Britain, France and Germany).

At this point, The United States and the European Union want Iran to shelve all its work to enrich uranium because of the persistent pattern of, shall we say, dissembling about its nuclear program.

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney said on Tuesday that Iran would be stopped from getting atomic bombs and faced "meaningful consequences" if it persists in defying calls to stop nuclear work which could lead to weapons.

Lavrov backed off quickly,denying that he had made a new proposal to defuse the crisis over Iran's nuclear program.VOA News - Lavrov Denies Russian Nuclear Compromise Offer to Iran

"There is no compromise new proposal," Lavrov said at a news conference with Rice, who added: "The Russians did not tell us of any new proposal ..." Uh huh. Right.

So much for that trial balloon.

It remains to be seen whether the UN Security Council is prepared to adopt sanctions against Iran and whether those sanctions would be meaningful.

Terrorist bombings in Hindu Holy City

One of the holiest and most important places on earth for India's hundreds of millions of Hindus is the city of Varanasi, also known as Benares, situated on the sacred Ganges River.




Today the city was rocked by three bomb blasts.Set up to go off ten minutes apart, the blasts were similar to last year’s bombing attacks by an al Qaeda-linked Kashmir group in New Delhi that killed 60 people... or for that matter, the London Bombings of last year.

The technique is designed to get people fleeing from one explosion into the blast range of a second timed to go off a few minutes later, and is,as they say, typical of the normal pattern in these things used by adherants of the Religion of Peace.

The shrine in Hinduism’s holiest city was crowded with thousands of pilgrims making offerings to the monkey-god Hanuman when the explosion occurred. Two more blasts struck a packed rail carriage at the local station and a ticket counter. Four unexploded bombs were found at a bathing platform of the River Ganges that runs through Varanasi.

Fifteen people are reported dead so far, and hundreds injured. As with the Dewali bombings last year, no group has taken responsibility....yet.

Mo' money for the nice terrorists at Hamas, inc.

Money, money, money!







Terrorism is gooood business,lemme tell you.

Today, the World Bank approved a $42 million grant to the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority. That's a grant, as in gift, not a loan.Bloomberg.com: Top Worldwide

By the way, the World Bank never would authorize a grant of this size without receiving a green light from Washington. What was that `Bush Doctrine' about either being with the terrorists or being with us again?

It seems some terrorists are more acceptable to the `International Community' than others....provided they target Israel.

This is probably the Bush Administration's way of complying with the Saudi's wishes and setting up funding for the Palestinians while bypassing the pending Congressional legislation prohibiting funding Hamas.

Sometimes, I really wonder how some of these people can talk about a
`war on terror'without breaking out in wild laughter. Or how they manage to sleep at night.

Hillary Clinton 'unaware' of Bill's Dubai ties; but her senatorial financial disclosure says different!

Senator Hillary Clinton (d-NY) is a leading opponent of the UAE owned DP World's takeover of US port management at 21 different locations.

This week, she stated that she wasn't aware that her husband had advised Dubai leaders on how to handle the growing dispute.Hillary Clinton 'unaware' of Bill's Dubai ties - Financial Times - MSNBC.com

But former President Bill Clinton's ties to Dubai and the United Arab Emirates should not have come as a surprise to his US senator wife.

Mrs Clinton's own senatorial financial disclosure forms reveal that her husband earned $450,000 giving speeches in Dubai in 2002.

Officials from the UAE also donated between $500,000 and $1m to fund Mr Clinton's presidential library in Arkansas!

According to the Financial Times article, this was part of an effort by the emirates, said a person close to UAE officials, to forge a close relationship with a former US president who is influential and highly regarded in the region.

Is that another way of saying `let's bribe us an ex-President and hire hime as a lobbyist?'. I think so. Mr. Bill joins an impressive list of UAE paid lobbyists hammering congress on their behalf,including ex Senate majority Leader Tom Daschele, Clinton's ex-Secretary of State Madeline Albright and ex Republican Senate Minority Leader and presidential candidate Bob Dole.

None of these people work cheap, which leads me to question why the UAE is willing to spread this kind of money around on this deal to get it through.

Mrs Clinton is widely regarded as the leading Democratic candidate for the 2008 presidential elections, and she has used her opposition to the ports deal to attack the Bush administration on national security, an issue that has been a weak point for Democrats.

Some would regard this as classic Clinton-having it both ways.

Needless to say, Mrs. Clinton's selective amnesia may cause some of her proponents to think twice about whether they really want Mrs. Clinton and her husband back in the White House.

Iran's nuclear negotiator `How we duped the West'

The man who for two years led Iran's nuclear negotiations has laid out in unprecedented detail how Iran duped the West.

In a speech to a closed meeting of leading Islamic clerics and academics, Hassan Rowhani, who headed talks with the Britatin, France and Germany (the EU3) until last year, bragged how Teheran played for time and fooled the West after its secret nuclear program was uouted by the Iranian opposition in 2002.Telegraph | News | How we duped the West, by Iran's nuclear negotiator

Iraqi Parliament to meet as terrorist attacks continue

Victim of bomb attack today in Baghdad.

Iraq's president said today he would convene the new parliament for the first time on March 12, starting a 60-day countdown during which lawmakers must elect a new head of state and sign off on a prime minister and Cabinet.

Terrorist attacks continued as a string of explosions in Baghdad and north of the capital killed at least 14 Iraqis and wounded 52.

The Iraqi constitution requires parliament to meet no later than four weeks after the vote was certified, which occurred Feb. 12.

"We will call today for holding the meeting on the 12th of this month because it is the last day that the constitution allows us to hold the meeting of the new parliament," President Jalal Talabani told reporters.

But a leading member of al-Jaafari's Dawa Party, Ali al-Adib, said parliament's main Shiite bloc would request the session be postponed until an agreement was made between the various factions on who should occupy the top government positions.

Shiite parliamentarian Ahmed Chalabi, the one-time US favorite as Iraq's post-Saddam Hussein leader, said al-Jaafari deserved the opportunity to form a government.

"Dr. al-Jaafari should be given a chance. … It is to the benefit of all parties to keep the (Shiite) Alliance strong and unified," Chalabi said.

But Talabani, a Kurd, said al-Jaafari was too divisive a figure.

"We want a prime minister who can gather all the political blocs around him, so that the government would be one of national unity," he told a news briefing in Baghdad.

The U.S. has been pushing Iraq's Shiite majority for more concessions and power for Iraq's Sunni minority, at one point even threatening to cut off aid inthe absence of a `unity' government. President Bush regards a government with participation across Iraq's ethnic and religious communities as a key step in improving security that would allow Washington and its allies to begin pulling out troops.

Under the constitution, the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance, the largest bloc in parliament, gets the first try at forming a government. It chose al-Jaafari as its nominee for prime minister, and he defeated current Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi by just one vote in the Shiite caucus.

It remains to be seen what the makeup of the unity government will consist of, or who will be at the head of it.

Hamas revokes Abbas powers in first Palestinian parliamentary session; Fatah walks out

Palestinian Speaker Aziz al-Duwaik involved in a shouting match with Fatah

The first Palestinian Parliamentary session ended in a shouting match as the Hamas majority parliament promptly rescinded the extra powers granted to Palestinian Chairman Abbas at the last Fatah dominated parlimentary session. Aljazeera.Net - Hamas votes to revoke Abbas powers

Those powers included control of the `security' services and the ability to appoint a panel of judges to override parliamentary decisions.

Whoopsie. So much for `working with Abbas' and ignoring Hamas. And so much for channeling money to the Palestinians via Abbas..Hamas can grab whatever it wants whenever it wants at any time.

Before they walked out, Fatah argued that Hamas was twisting the rules by holding the vote, and that the last session of the Fatah-controlled parliament was legal. Hamas made quick work of that by using its majority.

Hamas had hoped to paste over the nature of its regime by including Fatah. That is now highly unlikely. And perhaps unnecessary in view of Hamas support from Iran, The Saudis and the Arab League and the Russians...and quite possibly, the EU.

Another Islamic Jihad commander learns the hard truth about job security

Munir Abu Suker, a senior Islamic Jihad commander involved in bomb attacks against Israelis and the firing of Kassam rockets at Israeli targets ended up on the wrong side of an IDF missle today in Gaza. Also in the car was his aide, Iyad Abu Shaouf, who was likewise killed.

Abu Suker's specialty, along with Kassam attacks, was smuggling weapons and operatives back and forth between Gaza and Sinai.

The attack occurred in the Sajaya neighborhood in northern Gaza City. Witnesses said that the car was traveling when the explosion went off.

No doubt they'll be missed inGaza, but Abu Saker and Shaouf did provide another dandy opportunity for the unique Palestinian sport of the car swarm:


"Looky, looky...I dipped my hands in the blood, maw!"

Russia gives Hamas a warm welcome

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (right) and Khaled Mashaal

Hamas received a warm welcome as a delegation headed by Damascus-based politburo chief Khaled Meshaal which arrived in Moscow today.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov made a cursory request of the six-man Hamas delegation to recognize Israel and to abide by the Palestinian Authority's agreements with Israel.

But Lavrov made no comment on Mohammed Nazzal’s declaration on arrival: “We will not recognize Israel. The issue of recognition is a done issue.”

Seems pretty plain to me....

The Palestinians, however,emerged out of the meeting with Lavrov with an offer of Russian friendship and Security Council backing.

Lavrov made no real demands of Hams, but said "..our Palestinian friends can count on the support of Russia both in a bilateral sense and from Russia as a member of the Quartet of international mediators and as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.”

The erosion of the Middle East Quartet’s demands of Hamas - to recognize Israel renounce terror, disarm and make good on international accords - is advancing rapidly. Moscow as a member of the Quartet has led the way for international acceptance of the new terrorist government.

So much for Russia's objectivity as a memeber of the so-called Quartet!

The EU apparently is not far behind.

An surprise arrival in Moscow today was European Parliament Secretary Terry Davis. He explained at a news conference that he was there to “represent Europe” for the Hamas visit.

Davis also announced he was not ruling out Hamas being invited to European Council headquarters in Strasbourg.

The Olmert government continues to falter diplomatically as Israel becomes more and more isolated.

Don't underestimate Iran

El Jefe Maximo had an extremely interesting post on Iran's military plans and capabilities, using Newssmax and Kenneth Timmerman as sources. You can read his analysis here Kingdom of Chaos: Iranian Military Plans

Apparently Timmerman and newsmax claim to be in receipt of a copy of provisional plans by Iran to close the Straits of Hormuz, in the event of US/Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. And El Jefe goes on to analyze Iran's military capabilities and probable strategy and IMHO, he is underestimates them in several regards.

"...if they really think they can win an air/naval/missile contest, the Iranian staffers are smoking crack... unless that is, Iran has a big power backer. ..Do they ?....If the Iranians are foolish, they will take our President's sinking poll numbers, and our happy UN talk, much too much to heart." And he refers to Iran's Ahmadinejad as a `yokel'.

Here's how I differ.

With all respect, Ahmadinejad is far from a yokel, and has calculated things very nicely, or so it seems. I wouldn't underestimate him, or Iran.

First of all, let's remember that Ahmadinejad is a hired hand, who takes his orders from Khamani and the Council of Guardians anyway..but that said, let's look at what has been accomplished by Iran so far..

First, Iran has managed to co-opt the position of the major power in the Muslim world, and now controls the Teheran-Damascus-Hezbollah axis, as well as having a great deal of influence over Hamas and the Palestinians.

That was the reason for all of the anti-Israel rhetoric, which struck a resounding chord throughout the Muslim world. Iran knows very well that Israel has second strke cpability and that even in the event of a successful nuclear attack on Israel the carnage in Iran would be horrendous. Instead, they will fight to the last Palestinian or Hezbollah fighter, and reap the credit.

Second, Iran has progressed in its nuclear weapons program to the point of being ready to start testing; it can already enrich its own uranium. And Iran does have sattelite capacity, to answer another of El jefe's questions...the Russians built them one

Third, it has allied itself with al- Qaeda in its quest for its real agenda and area of growth. It might be fun to burn up a few million Jews in Israel, but Iran's real area of expansion which is the energy rich Caucasus and central Asia.

Fourth, it has successfully split off Russia from the West, even while sponsoring attacks in the region, like the one at Nalchick last year. Iran has now secured its eastern border, just as Hitler did with Stalin in the 1939 Comintern Pact. Just as Stalin did, Putin has become Iran's backer and will continue aiding the Mullahs until the Iranians are ready to attack what's left of Russia.J O S H U A P U N D I T: The new Russia/Iran nukes deal..and what's behind it

Iran will not endanger the Gulf of Hormuz until the last extremity, because that would cut off its own cash flow. And there is no need, because I'm not certain that President Bush will attack Iran unless something blatant happens. If that was the plan, he could already have done so. He might instead attempt to isolate Iran and go for face saving if meaningless sanctions..because President Bush has a vested interest in keeping the oil flowing as well..and so do the Saudis.J O S H U A P U N D I T: True fiction: the US. the UN and Iran

The key to dealing with Iran would indeed involve a pre-emptive strike, but in my opinion, the most productive use of US power would be to not only take out what nuclear facilities we can reach but Iran's oil fields as well. Iran's challenge is both as a nuclear power and as an exporter of jihad. Simply striking at Iran's nuclear facilities merely buys time until they're replaced. Cutting off the cash flow resolves both problems.

Is Dubai breaking another US law and providing material support to a terrorist group?

In 1996, Congress enacted the material support statutes in our counterterrorism law. (Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 2339B is the provision germane for present purposes.) The law states, in pertinent part:

Whoever, within the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, knowingly provides material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization, or attempts or conspires to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 15 years, or both, and if the death of any person results, shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life.

Hamas was officially designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States government in 1995, and reaffirmed again as one in 1997.

The $8 billion deal to turn over commercial shipping operations at major American ports to Dubai Ports World hinges in large part on the Bush Administration's assertion that the UAE is an ally against Islamic terrorism and can be trusted.

So, is the UAE providing material support to Hamas, a specially designated terrorist organization?

Any American citizen found guilty such a thing would be imprisoned. Any American company doing it would surely be convicted and put out of business — and its principals liable for criminal action and imprisonment.

Apparently the UAE has provided millions to Hamas, including direct payments to homicide bombers and terorists...and continues to do so today.FrontPage magazine.com :: Welcoming Terror to U.S. Ports by Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld and Alyssa A. Lappen

On July 27, 2005, HAMAS issued a statement that included a special tribute to "the generous donations of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan,” the father of the current UAE president.

HAMAS statement thanked the UAE for it’s “unstinting support.” The statement said: “We highly appreciate his highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan (UAE president) in particular and the UAE people and government in general for their limitless support…that contributed more to consolidating our people's resoluteness in the face of the Israeli occupation".

The HAMAS statement continued: "the sisterly UAE had… never hesitated in providing aid for our Mujahid people pertaining to rebuilding their houses demolished by the IOF… The UAE also spared no effort to offer financial and material aids to the Palestinian charitable societies."

The multi-billionaire Sheikh Zayed, was an early patron of the PLO, and from the 1970’s until his death in 2004, contributed millions of dollars to the PLO, HAMAS and Islamic Jihad. he also established the government supported Zayed Center, source of the most horrific anti-American and anti-Semitic literature found anywhere. The Center continues operation today..still at government expense.

Human Appeal International, a UAE government-operated “charitable” organization, whose board includes the current UAE president, funds HAMAS as well as other Palestinian organizations. The HAI operates by transfering money to the Palestinian Red Crescent Organization whose West Bank and Gaza branches are operated by HAMAS. They, in turn, distribute the money to HAMAS “charities.”

Those "charities" include $3,000 for every Palestinian homicide bomber, $2,000 for his family, $1,500 for those terrorists arrested by Israel, $1,200 for each orphan. In addition, families of those terrorists whose homes Israel demolished each received $10,000.

These are some of the same charities outlawed in the USA as terrorist fronts!

On March 25, 2005, the Palestinian paper Al Hayat al-Jadeeda reported that the UAE Friends Society transferred $475,000, through the UAE Red Crescent, to West Bank “charitable” organizations in Hebron, Jenin, Nablus and Tulkarem to distribute to the families of “martyrs” and imprisoned Palestinian terrorists.

The Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayyam reported on March 22, 2005, that in 2004 the UAE Red Crescent donated $2 million to HAMAS “charities” to be distributed to 3,158 terrorists’ orphans.

On February 15, 2005, the HAMAS website reported on funds transferred from HAI to two HAMAS front organizations in the West Bank, IQRA and Rifdah.

If the UAE is transgressing our fundamental antiterror law, in the middle of a war on terror, why would it be prudent to put a government owned UAE company in charge of 21 of our ports?

THE BUSH DOCTRINE "Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime."
-President George W, Bush, September 20th, 2001

Danish cartoonist's daughter stalked at school by Muslim gang

A group of Moslem males have tried to kidnap and/or injure the daughter of one of the 12 cartoonists who drew the cartoons of Muhammed at her school. The political spokesman of the Liberals, Jens Rohde, revealed this during an interview with TV-Avisen.

Rohde said that the 12 cartoonists have had their lives overturned and are now living in hiding, after receiving several death threats.

"And a daughter of one of cartoonist was sought out by 12 Moslem males - they were looking to get to her. Fortunately she wasn’t at school," Jens Rohde said.

So much for the fearless muhjadeen..a gang against one girl. This is getting beyond serious.

Palestinians return $30M to US

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas meets with US envoy Lt. Gen. William E. Ward (left) and US Consul in Jerusalem Jacob Walles. And looky who's picture's on the wall.....St. Yasir!

The Palestinian Authority returned $30 million to the American government out of the $50 million in aid that it agreed to send back to the US after the Hamas victory, according to US envoy David Welch.

Welch, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, told lawmakers on Thursday the money was returned a day earlier and the Palestinian Authority had promised to give back a further $20 million before Hamas took over.

The US is investigating different methods of transferring the financial aid directly to the Palestinian people, thereby circumventing US law against direct aid to Hamas.

A senior State Department official said the $50 million would probably be "reprogrammed" for humanitarian aid to the Palestinians but Congress would have to agree to that.

Of course, there absolutely no guarantee that like most of the billions in the other aid the Palestinians have received won't wind up in European bank acounts or funding terrorism.

Same old stuff..

India and US sign nuclear deal

President Bush and Indian PM agreed on a landmark nuclear deal between the two countries today.

India will receive American nuclear know-how and fuel but won’t have to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which was the main sticking point in the deal.

“We concluded an historic agreement today on nuclear power,” US President George W. Bush said. “It’s not an easy job for the Indian Prime Minister to achieve this agreement. I understand. It’s not easy for the American president to achieve this agreement.”

The agreement acknowledges India’s status as a nuclear military power and provides for cooperation on civilian nuclear energy.

Now it's off to Pakistan, which should be a much harder nut to crack.
President Bush and the US and not particularly popular in the Muslim country.

The Musharref government has crackesd down on anti-American militants, banned protests in some areas and arrested people suspected of being security risks during Bush's visit.

Today, 4 people died in a car bombing outside the Marriott Hotel and the U.S. Consulate. At least one American foreign service officer was killed, and the fate of two other American diplomats who were in the car remained unclear.

No Jews need apply : Israel's Shahar Peer Not Allowed in Dubai Open

Dubai,that wonderfully progressive Arab country that Dubbya wants to manage our ports has a thing about Jews. And it extends not only to actively participating in a boycott of Israel but even to allowing a Jew in the country for a tennis tournement.

Dubai is a major stop in the tennis world because of the huge prizes offered to winners of the Dubai Open. The appearance fees are amazing, rumored to be in the $1 million range for the top names. Prize money is tremendous. Players leave the event with jewelry, watches and, at least in one case, a horse.

Unless, of course you're a Jew.

Top 40 ranked Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer and the 10 other Israeli players ranked by the WTA are not allowed to compete in this tournement..simply because they are Jews.

I wonder if the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) would even think about sanctioning an event in a country or club that excluded African-Americans?

According to this Sports Illustrated article, the ATP and WTA were asked about this issue and both tours reported that before giving their sanction, they had assurances that no player would be denied entry into the Dubai event. SI.com - Writers - Jon Wertheim: Dubai events rich in cash, richer in politics - Wednesday March 1, 2006 12:16PM

I guess they didn't ask very loudly.Obviously they just looked the other way, as did the tennis pros who participated, given the amount of prize money to be had.

Shame on them all for participating in and enabling this rampant bigotry.

Singh Along!!

A Manifesto against Islamism

This important document was published today in the Jyllands-Posten by 12 brave intellectuals. It is scheduled to be widely published throughout Europe:

MANIFESTO: Together facing the new totalitarianism

After having overcome fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, the world now faces a new totalitarian global threat: Islamism.

We, writers, journalists, intellectuals, call for resistance to religious totalitarianism and for the promotion of freedom, equal opportunity and secular values for all.

The recent events, which occurred after the publication of drawings of Muhammed in European newspapers, have revealed the necessity of the struggle for these universal values. This struggle will not be won by arms, but in the ideological field. It is not a clash of civilisations nor an antagonism of West and East that we are witnessing, but a global struggle that confronts democrats and theocrats.

Like all totalitarianisms, Islamism is nurtured by fears and frustrations. The hate preachers bet on these feelings in order to form battalions destined to impose a liberticidal and unegalitarian world. But we clearly and firmly state: nothing, not even despair, justifies the choice of obscurantism, totalitarianism and hatred. Islamism is a reactionary ideology which kills equality, freedom and secularism wherever it is present. Its success can only lead to a world of domination: man's domination of woman, the Islamists' domination of all the others. To counter this, we must assure universal rights to oppressed or discriminated people.

We reject cultural relativism, which consists in accepting that men and women of Muslim culture should be deprived of the right to equality, freedom and secular values in the name of respect for cultures and traditions. We refuse to renounce our critical spirit out of fear of being accused of "Islamophobia", an unfortunate concept which confuses criticism of Islam as a religion with stigmatisation of its believers.

We plead for the universality of freedom of expression, so that a critical spirit may be exercised on all continents, against all abuses and all dogmas.

We appeal to democrats and free spirits of all countries that our century should be one of Enlightenment, not of obscurantism.

12 signatures

Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Chahla Chafiq
Caroline Fourest
Bernard-Henri Lévy
Irshad Manji
Mehdi Mozaffari
Maryam Namazie
Taslima Nasreen
Salman Rushdie
Antoine Sfeir
Philippe Val
Ibn Warraq







Thanks and a bow at the waist to the inimitableMichelle Malkinfor pointing this out.

Absolute Certainty and the True Nature of Islam - an excellent read

Commentator Bruce Thornton has some hard and necessary truths to state about the conflict of the secular West with the faith behind radical Islam. A must read.

"..... This is a faith fanatically certain of its truth and righteousness, the culminating vision of God’s relations with humanity, the ultimate meaning of human existence on every level, including the social and political. As such, its destiny is to spread over the whole world until the benefits, both in this life and the next, of submission to God are bestowed on all humans, and the dysfunctional man-made values–– including democracy, materialism, “equal rights,” and freedom–– are swept away....


If, then, you are in possession of this truth that you are absolutely certain holds the key to universal happiness in this world and the next, why would you be tolerant of alternatives? Why should you tolerate a dangerous lie? Why should you “live and let live,” the credo of the spiritually moribund who stand for everything because they stand for nothing? And why wouldn’t you kill in the name of this vision, when the infidel nations work against God’s will and his beneficent intentions for the human race?


This is precisely what the jihadists tell us, what fourteen centuries of Islamic theology and jurisprudence tell us, what the Koran and Hadith tell us. Yet we smug Westerners, so certain of our own superior knowledge that human life is really about genes or neuroses or politics or nutrition, condescendingly look down on the true believer. Patronizing him like a child, we tell him that he doesn’t know that his own faith has been “hijacked” by “fundamentalists” who manipulate his ignorance, that what he thinks he knows about his faith is a delusion, and that the true explanation is one that we advanced, sophisticated Westerners understand while the believer remains mired in superstition and neurotic fantasy."

Read the whole piece here

U.S. Senate Approves Changes in Patriot Act Extension

The Senate finally cleared the way for Congress to renew the USA Patriot Act that gave the FBI the same powers to investigate suspected terrorists as to investigate organized crime and the Mafia.

The Senate voted 95-4 to accept minor changes to a proposed extension of the law. It is a virtually certain to pass the House next week.

``There has been a certain amount of hysteria whipped up about this to cause people to have unreasonable concerns about civil liberties,'' said Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn. ``The balance between security and civil liberties has been struck in an entirely appropriate way.''

Wisconsin Democratic Senator Russ Feingold, who led efforts to force more changes in the legislation, argued that today's revisions were purely cosmetic...`nothing other than a fig leaf.'

29 Democrats, including Hillary Clinton (d-NY), joined all 55 Republicans in voting 84-15 today to limit debate.

``The die has now been cast,'' Feingold said. ``Final passage of the reauthorization is now assured.''

I can just hear the violins playing....

Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist, in a statement, urged Feingold and several other Democrats to stop delaying final passage and avoid aformal vote to limit debate.

Feingold was in `tantrum' mode, showing no willingness to comply and proceeding to drone on reading from various documents until the vote was called.

As Bill Frist complained in a radio interview I heard. Senate business that could and should have been settled in a matter of hours ended up taking almost three weeks, thanks to Feingold and his handful of obstructionist allies in the Senate.

Palestinian terrorism against Israel goes on...

An Israeli was murdered, and a second one seriously injured in two Palestinian drive by shooting attacks claimed by Fatah-al Aqsa Brigades in northern Samaria (The West Bank ) today.

The murder victim was Eldad Abir, 48, from Migdalim, a father of three. he was shot dead at close range by two masked Palestinians at the local gas station east of Ariel and southeast of Nablus. Three hours later, a second Israeli was seriously hurt in a Palestinian drive-by shooting near Nebi Elias near Qalqilya. Another car was also fired on, but the driver was unhurt.

This follows a stabbing attack yesterday that injured two Israelis near Gush Etzion.

By the way, the Fatah faction is led by `moderate' Abbas...the same terrorist the EU, UN and US just gave money to. Apparently the Palestinians are attempting the same tactics in Jewsih communities in Judea and Samaria that were successful in Gaza.

Speaking of Gaza, the `moderate' Palestinians also fired off 4 more Qassam rockets from Gaza at Israel last night. No casualties were reported.

Let me know when the `truce' everyone keeps talking about starts....

Iran/Russia talks continue..so does Iran's uranium enrichment

As the Monday UN deadline approaches, Iran is expanding its nuclear enrichment program - a calculated stance that crosses a "red line" for the US and EU.

Details of Iran's new steps to enrich uranium were revealed in a confidential report by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamad ElBaradei. Iran plans to set up 3,000 centrifuges later this year.

The report, as I predicted, was full of lopholes and ambivilant language, but even the IAEA's own Inspector Clouseau could not disavow that the actions that Iran has taken - to get enrichment up and running - "that is clearly a provocation."

The report also lists a string of questions about Iran's nuclear program that it has yet to answer...for instance, where'd all those centrifuges come from?

"Iran is taking a pretty deliberate position not to cooperate with the IAEA," says David Albright, a former IAEA weapons inspector and head of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington. "It's not a surprise, but it's sad, because it seems it will inevitably lead to a confrontation."

Iran continued talks with Russia Wednesday about a proposal to shift Iranian enrichment to Russian soil. The basic framework of the deal is that Iran would keep a `token, experimental' enrichment capacity in Iran itself - perhaps a cascade of 500 centrifuges - while the Russians do the large,industrial-scale work. Such a deal would be a "very bad compromise," says Albright. "If you allow 500, and they master that, they will want 5,000. You have to have the confrontation now, and see what happens. Not a year from now."

Preident Bush made a surprise trip to Afghanistan today and was quite clear:
"We shall not let Iran have the means, the knowledge to make nuclear weapon. This would destabilize the world."

Well, I agree, Dubyah. And I really want to see what you have planned to stop them.