You have to love John Howard

The more I know about John Howard, the more I like. He is beyond a doubt one of my favorite world leaders, and Australia and the West are lucky to have him.

Austrailia's Prime Minister took the occasion of the tenth aniversary of his rise to power to make a few well chosen comments on Islam and Australia..and refused to be intimidated into a retraction.The Daily Telegraph | PM stands by Muslim comments

He said that certain segments of Australia's Muslim population are antagonistic to Australian culture, and that a commitment to jihad and extreme attitudes towards women were two problems unique to Muslims that previous intakes of migrants from Europe and Asia did not have.

Self-evident, I know, but when Mr. Howard came under fire from the usual suspects, he simply stated, without bombast, that it was his "right and duty" to express his thoughts.

"I stand by those comments that there is a small section of the Islamic population in Australia that, because of its remarks about jihad, remarks which indicate an extremist view, that is a problem," Mr Howard told reporters in Sydney.

"It is not a problem that we have ever faced with other immigrant communities who become easily absorbed by Australia's mainstream."

Australians wanted people to assimilate, Mr Howard said.

"We want people when they come to Australia to adopt Australians ways.

We don't ask them to forget the countries of their birth, we respect all religious points of views and people are entitled to practise them but there are certainly things that are not part of the Australian mainstream."

The Prime Minister also expressed concern about Muslim attitudes to women.

"There is within some sections of the Islamic community an attitude towards women which is out of line with mainstream Australian society," he said.

"It needs to be dealt with by the broader community, including Islamic Australia.

"There is really not much point in pretending it doesn't exist."

Well said, Mr. Prime Minister.

U.S. Envoy Warns Iraq to Unify Government

Amid talks for setting up the new Iraqi coalition government, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad issued a blunt warning urging Iraq to unify its government and said the US will not support the government if the key defense and interior ministries are allocated to sectarian politicians associated with militias.

Khalilzad said that Iraq's next Cabinet ministers, particularly those heading the Interior and Defense ministries, "have to be people who are nonsectarian, broadly acceptable and who are not tied to militias" run by political parties.

Otherwise, he warned that "Iraq faces the risk of warlordism that Afghanistan went through for a period." Khalilzad was born in Afghanistan and served as U.S. envoy there.

Khalilzad also reminded the Iraqis that the US has spent billions to build up Iraq's police and army and said "we are not going to invest the resources of the American people and build forces that are run by people who are sectarian" and tied to the militias, especially those which received "arms and training" from Iran.

It remains to be seen if Jaafari and friends get the message.

This seems like backpedaling to me. After standing by and letting a Shiite who spent the Saddam years in Iran win the presidency, the Bush Administration now seems to be hedging its bets and pushing for more high profile Sunni appointments in the government. I feel like I'm reaching here, but is this related to the Bush Administration's championing of the lucrative management by the Sunni UAE owned Dubai Ports Corporation of six busy American ports?

I think I have a glimmer of something, but I'll come back to this later.

Russia /Iran nuke talks drag on..sort of

An Iranian delegation met Russian negotiators in Moscow Monday to discuss an offer to enrich uranium outside Iran, while Tehran's foreign minister spoke with EU officials in Brussels about Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Moscow has an offer on the table to enrich uranium for Tehran on Russian soil -- an offer Russia says is open IF Iran completely halts its nuclear enrichment program inside its borders.

However, Iranian officials have said in the past that they refuse to consider any deal that would deny Iran's right to enrich uranium on its own soil.

The day ended with both sides saying that talks would continue, but neither side had any information as to when that might be. Hardly surprising.

In Brussels, in a meeting with EU officials Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki repeated that Iran's nuclear program was for `peaceful purposes'.
You would think that the Iranians would get tired of that song by now...

But EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana reported that no progress had come in his meeting with Mottaki and said that the Iranians' position had not changed.

Hamas picks a government..and picks up some new aid and supporters

Hamas officially took over the Palestinian governement today, and named Ismail Haniyeh as its choice for Palestinian prime minister in a meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

Haniyeh has suitably anti-Israel and Islamist qualifications to satisfy Hamas hardliners as well as a reputation as a pragmatist, willing to work with other Palestinian factions.

As expected, the UN criticized Israel for cutting off tax rebate funding to the Hamas government. U.N. envoy to the Middle East Alvaro de Soto raised objections on Monday to Israel's decision to withhold tax funds from the Palestinian Authority after a Hamas-led parliament was sworn in. He called the decision `unhelpful and premature'. Hmmm. I suppose in his view Israel can be expected to provide Hamas with the money to buy weapons to use against its citizens.



Jimmy Carter (of course) weighed in as well, saying that Israel and the US should not punish the Palestinian people with sanctions against their government.'Don't punish Palestinians'

I'd LOVE to know how he works out the logic of that one!

You can't endorse people making a democratic choice on the one hand and say that they should be exempt from the actions and positions of that government on the other hand,Mr. Peanut. Unless, of course, the whole idea of the survival of the `Zionist entity' is something you're against simply as a matter of principal. Right, Mr. Carter?

Meanwhile Sweden, home of probably the most vociferously anti-Israel government in Europe except for Norway stepped up to the plate and said it would provide $6.4 million to the Palestinians for `humanitarian aid'. And the Arab League was debating last night whether to spend $60 million a month to keep the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority afloat.

Now that would be a welcome change; the Arabs actually assuming some responsibility for the refugee problem they caused by attacking Israel in 1948 and 1967!

As someone who's observed this charade for some time, I feel that part of the problem
with peace in the Middle East, if not the major problem is that the Arabs have never paid a price for their choices, whether those choices involved attacking a memeber in good standing inviolation of the UN charter on numerous occasions,and not being required to be accountable to deal with the Arab refugees that resulted after their acts of aggression, let alone compensating the numerous Jewish refugees ethnically cleansed from the Arab world after 1948.

In the case of the Palestinians, their leaders have continually broken the agreements signed with Israel and failed to do anything beyond empty promises to prevent terrorism against Israeli citizens or to educate their people to live in peace next to the Jewish state. And they have not been required to pay a price that might just make it worth their while to do what's necessary for a peaceful settlement to the conflict.If anything, it sends a message to the Palestinians that they can endorse an even more hardline position without cost to themselves or their national aspirations.

Several Israeli governments as well as the EU and the USA bear no small responsibility for allowing this to continue. Let's hope that at least some of these people have learned something.

And now....a word from our sponsor

Thanks and a hat tip to Retecool!

Not a great day in Iraq...20 killed by terrorist bombings

20 people including a US soldier died yesterday in terrorist violence in Iraq, as the Government confirmed that terorist violence cost the country's oil industry about $6.3 billion in sabotage and lost revenue last year.

It's also been confirmed that two foreigners were kidnapped in Basra two days ago. on their way from the airport to the city centre. The kidnappers have demanded a ransom,
and this looks like business as usual in Iraq, unfortunately.

The US soldier was killed by a roadside bomb exploded about 8am near the Shaab soccer stadium in eastern Baghdad. Sounds like an ambush to me. The number of US personnel killed since the Iraq war began in March 2003 is 2273, according to the Associated Press count.

There was also an attempt to assainate a senior Baghdad police official when a bomb exploded near his convoy in the Karradah district. Brigadier Abdul-Karim Maryoush was unharmed but two police escorts died.

Another bomb in Fallujah, 65km west of Baghdad, killed a child and blew off his brother's legs,according to the Iraqi police.

US soldiers killed three men trying to plant roadside bombs in Baghdad's notorious Dora neighbourhood, police said. High five to our guys for a difficult job well done.

Arab terrorist funding cell busted by the Shin Bet

A terrorist front used to fund Hamas and Islamic Jihad was shut down by the Shin Bet today.

Goods in containers worth thousands of dollars were seized at the Israeli port of Ashdod.The goods belonged to Khan Younis businessman Faiz Abu Akka.

According to the Shin Bet, Abu Akka illegally transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of goods to Islamic Jihad and Hamas operatives to finance terrorist activities.

Using his business as a front, Abu Akka ordered goods from suppliers abroad. Those suppliers were paid directly by Hamas and Islamic Jihad headquarters abroad. The goods were then sent to Gaza where, after deducting costs and a percentage for his troubles, Abu Akka would then transfer the funds to the terrorist groups.

Perhaps the Israelis will be a little more careful of whom they allow to do business and work in Israel in the future.

Note to the Palestinians: Choices carry consequences

Predictably, with the official Hamas takeover of the Palestinian government, the Hamas disavowal of recognition or negotiation with Israel and the continuation of terrorist assaults and rocket attacks, certain actions have occurred.

Israel has decided that it will no longer provide any assistance or consideration to a government sworn to its destruction and has instituted some relatively mild sanctions, including cutting off monthly transfers of tax revenues to the Palestinian government, stepping up security precautions and restricting the movements of Hamas and other Palestinians between Gaza and the West Bank.

The US has gone on record as saying that it will cut off all aid to the new Palestinian government except bare bones humanitarian aid distributed through NGO's, and asked Abbas to return $50M in aid given to the Palestinians allocated for infrastructure projects after Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza last year.

Just as predictable is the whining (I can't put it any other way) of Palestinians like Abbas who complain that the evil Americans and Israelis are putting the Palestinian Authority in a `financial crisis' by cutting off aid and supposedly punishing the Palestinians for exercising their democratic choice.

Maybe Abbas might consider tracking down and utilizing the billions in aid given to the Palestinians since Oslo that was stolen by Arafat and his fellow Fatah mafiosos and is now nestling comfortably in hidden private bank accounts in Europe and the United Arab Emirates? J O S H U A P U N D I T: Palestinian Aid? Take a peek at where the money went.
Sura Arafat lives the lifestyle of the rich and famous in Paris with a monthly stipend provided by the Palestinian Authority of $12 million. Maybe she could take a small paycut until things improve?

Or perhaps the Palestinians can find new funding from their Arab brothers...which is how it should have been from the very beginning, if there was any justice or fairness involved in this sordid enterprise.

The truth of the matter is that the Palestinians had a free and fair election in which they were given a choice, with full knowledge of what that choice entailed. Unlike the last `election' when Arafat was a candidate, voting for the opposition didn't have terminal consequences.

No matter what the apologists tell you ( and they've certainly come out of the woodwork since Hamas took power) the Palestinians didn't just vote for less corruption or for better bus service in Ramallah. They voted for an Islamist government which promised more success in the War against the Jews.

Well and good. Democracy, if nothing else, clarifies things. But Abbas and the Palestinians can't have it both ways. When you bring a terrorist entity to power, expect that at least part of the world will react accordingly.

Controversy over the management of major US ports by Arab firm continues

Well, the fit has hit the shan on this, as they say. And well it should.

As I reported a few days ago, The Bush Administration approved what I consider to be an unbelievably unsound measure to let a UAE Dubai-based company take over six of our busiest ports, including New York Harbor, Baltimore and Miami.J O S H U A P U N D I T: Should the Arabs control American ports?

I cold understand how this might have slipped through the Federal bureacracy, and expected the President to call for an investigation of this deal. Instead, they are defending it! Unbelievable.

You might remember the UAE's history as an operational and financial base for the Mohammed Atta's hijackers who carried out the attacks of 9/11. One of the hijackers hailed form this area. In addition, the UAE was an important transfer point for shipments of smuggled nuclear components sent to Iran, North Korea and Libya by the infamous Pakistani nuclear scientist Dr.A.Q. Khan.

The head of Homeland Security, Nicholas Chertoff made the rounds of the Sunday talk shows defending the ports deal.

"You can be assured that before a deal is approved we put safeguards in place, assurances in place, that make everybody comfortable that we are where we need to be from a national security viewpoint," Chertoff said on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."

Frankly, I don't believe him. This sounds more like an example of Washington bureaucrats attempting to cover for one another.

Senator Lindsay Graham (r-SC), among others, agrees with me. He said said it was a mistake for the administration to approve the sale and called on Congress to investigate it.

"It's unbelievably tone deaf politically at this point in our history, four years after 9/11, to entertain the idea of turning port security over to a company based in the UAE who avows to destroy Israel," Graham said on "Fox News Sunday."

"I don't think now is the time to outsource major port security to a foreign-based company."

This puts Senator Graham(and me)in the embarassing position of being on the same side of this issue as Senators Schumer, Boxer, Clinton and Menedez, all of whom have said they would support legislation to block this sale.

I was on the horn to some of my favorite congressmen last week, and I urge you to do the same.

President Bush needs to intervene and stop this sale. Now.

Muslim institute dares Iranian leader to visit Auschwitz

A Muslim cultural institute in Germany on Monday criticized Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for dienying that the Holocaust took place..and dared him to visit the Auschwitz concentration camp.

"In this place of horror he can again deny the Holocaust, if he has the courage," a spokesman for the Islam-Archiv-Deutschland Central Institute told the German Catholic press agency KNA.
EJP | News | Germany | Muslim institute dares Iranian leader to visit Auschwitz

Perhaps President Ahmadinejad could also talk to 76 year-old Holocaust survivor Herman Rosenblat if he doesn't quite buy Ahamadinejad's remarks.

At 13. Herman Rosenblatt was imprisoned in a German concentration camp during World War II. His early teens were spent carrying the dead bodies of his fellow prisoners from the gas chamber to the crematorium.

Wearing nothing but rags and beaten so hard he once went blind for three days, Rosenblat was certainhe would die in the camp. He survived by the merest chance.

Not quite the same thing as being forced to suffer the offense of a few lame cartoons in a Danish newspaper, but everything is relative, right?

$1M Fatwa bounty for the head of Danish cartoonist

The latest bit of news from the Religion of Peace is a $1M bounty placed by a major Pakistani cleric on the head of the Danish cartoonist behind the Mohammed catoons.
USATODAY.com - Cleric announces $1M bounty on prophet cartoonist
Wide spread, violent protests in which five people have been killed in Pakistan this week over the Mohammed cartoons culminated today in the usual fatwa:

Mohammed Yousaf Qureshi, Imam at the historic Mohabat Khan mosque in the city of Peshawar, announced the mosque and the Jamia Ashrafia religious school he leads would give a $25,000 reward and a car for killing the cartoonist who drew the prophet caricature. And that local businessmen would put up an additonal $1 million for the head of the infidel responsible fo rthe `toons.

"This is a unanimous decision of by all imams (prayer leaders) of Islam that whoever insults the prophet deserves to be killed and whoever will take this insulting man to his end, will get this prize," Qureshi told about 1,000 people outside the mosque after Friday prayers.

Sounds like a typical end to Friday prayers at Jihad central to me!

Qureshi did not name any particular cartoonist in his fatwa. He might not be aware that 12 different people had drawn the pictures. I forsee problems...what if TWO different jihadis murder TWO different cartoonists? Do they have to split the prize, or do they each get a cool $1M for the murder? And what about the car? Do the lucky assassins have to alternate days of the week?

The crowd outside the mosque burned a Danish flag and an effigy of the Danish prime minister to cap off the happy festivities.

Note that the Jyllens Posten has already apologized for running the cartoons, and Denmark has officially expressed its regret. I could have told them in advance that it wouldn't buy them any peace..because as I've previously written, this is not about the cartoons, or defaming religion. It's about diverting attention from Iran and Syria and about intimidating Europe and the West from any criticism of Islam at a time when people are asking tough questions about the motivation and goals of th Religion of Peace, and begining to take some action against the jihadis in their midst.

It is high time for the West to reject this intimidation and begin to fight back.
You can't appease a bully by catering to their whims.

US Patriot Act headed for renewal in the Senate

The renewal of the US Patriot Act anti-terrorism law passed after the Sept. 11 attacks, cleared a key procedural hurdle in the Senate today and appears headed for renewal and approval in the House and Senate.

The Senate voted 96-3 to limit debate on the bil;, allowing the chamber to proceed to a final vote scheduled for March 1. Speaker Dennis Hastert said Feb. 10 that the House would pass the legislation after the Senate did.

Of course, our old friend Senator Russell Feingold (d-WI) tried to stall the legislation today with a filibuster. He was assisted by Klansman turned senator Robert Byrd (d-WV)and Jim Jeffords (I-VT)in the usual obstruction for obstruction's sake. Outrageous.

The Patriot Act merely made the same tools available to law enforcement for use against organized crime under the RICO statutes available to federal agents and law enforcement involved in investigating terrorists.

High time this essential legislation was renewed and these anti-terrorists weapons utilized to the fullest.

Kofi Annan calls for US to shut down Club Gitmo

That paragon of virtue, Kofi Annan called for the US to shut down its terrorist holding area in Guantanamo Bay for `human rights violations'.
Bloomberg.com: U.S.

The United States politely declined.

By the way, Mr. Secretary General Annan...speaking of human rights violations, you plan on getting the UN to do anything about Darfur anytime soon? Or are the rules different when it comes to your friends in Muslim regimes that have oil to sell?

Here's a picture of a Christian slave from Darfur who was purchased back from her Arab masters who'd love to hear your answer...

Turkey meets with Hamas in an official visit

Turkish PM Erdogan

A Hamas delegation headed by hard-line leader Khaled Mashaal arrived in Turkey Thursday in order to meet with official Turkish representatives.Ynetnews - News - Turkey hosts Hamas; Israel furious

This is the first visit by Hamas to a non-Arab country since the group won the Palestinian elections at the end of January. Meanwhile, an official invitation to visit Russia was received at Hamas' Gaza office.

The Turkish government said the invitation to Hamas came from the ruling Islamic party in the country and not from the Foreign Ministry.

The Israeli government is unhappy about this, to say the least.As I predicted, once Israel expressed ambivilance and paid out money to the Hamas led government, it was a signal to the rest of the world (except the US) that it was business with the Palestinians as usual.

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul had a conversation with Israeli FM Tzipi Livni Wednesday and briefed her on the upcoming meeting with Hamas. Gul took note of Israel's objections, but gave the expected assurances that Turkey would send Hamas a clear message to recognize Israel and renounce violence. I'm certain the subject may have come up, at least for a minute or so.

Israel and Turkey maintain a close alliance that includes, among other things, extensive military cooperation. After the election of Erdogan and the Islamic party, those ties appear to have cooled...and this is just another sign of the times.

US Congress - No aid to the Hamas government

US House urges halt of direct aid to Palestinians - Yahoo! News: The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution on Wednesday urging that direct U.S. aid to the
Palestinian Authority be stopped as long as Hamas, controls the Palastinian government and refuses to recognize Israel or end terrorism.

The nonbinding resolution expressing the sense of Congress was approved 418-1. The Senate passed the measure earlier this month.

'Until Hamas changes course, dismantles its terrorist organization, and agrees to work toward a peaceful settlement with Israel, no taxpayer money should be provided to support the Palestinian government,' said House Majority Leader John Boehner, an Ohio Republican.

As I reported, the House is also pushing binding legislation to halt U.S. aid and withhold U.S. funds to the United Nations equal to the amount the world body provides the Palestinians.J O S H U A P U N D I T: Common sense in Congress, if not in the White House or the State Department

That amounts to $150 million in assistance to the Palestinians, and a further $84 million to the U.N. fund.

Secretary of State Condi Rice, speaking in the Senate yesterday,told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the Bush administration would not turn its back on such humanitarian programs as immunizing children against disease.

"But no money will go to that government," Rice said under questioning by Sen. George Allen (r-VA).

"I don't want a penny of taxpayer money going to Hamas," Allen told Rice.

"Neither do I," she replied.

2nd al-Arian trial set for April...if it happens

Federal prosecutors haven't announced definitively whether they will retry Islamic Jihad's chief organizer and fundraiser in America Sami Al-Arian,but a federal court filing today announced that a second trial would begin sometime in April, with a specific date to be set later.News Stories - Tampa Bay's 10 News - WTSP

PLEASE get it right this time, DOJ.

Should the Arabs control American ports?

Call me primitively suspicious, but I don't like this one little bit.

Some of America's biggest and busiest ports are about to become the property of a government-owned United Arab Emirates firm.

This includes the ports in New York Harbor, Newark, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia. all busy terminals for cargo. Do we really want our major ports in the hands of an Arab country where al Qaeda recruits and raises money?

The U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment, a Treasury Department group which reviews such foreign investments approved a $6.8 billion transaction between the ports' current British owners and Dubai Ports World, a government-owned United Arab Emirates firm. The United Arab Emirates, you'll remember, was home to Marwan al-Shehhi, a September 11 hijacker and the Emirates known transit points and funding havens for
al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist groups.And there are a number of terrorist symphathizers who live in the Emirates and in nearby countries.

The Bush administration calls the United Arab Emirates an ally in the war on terror, just as they do the Saudis.Both essentially fight and arrest terrorists who operate against their own countries and turn a blind eye at terrorists involved anywhere else.

The sale doesn't displace American ownership, and the British Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co., who managed the ports previously probably never gave much thought to port security, but that's no reason to ignore an extremely questonable transactions and make matters worse. We should be improving port security right now, not outsourcing management of these ports to a company owned by a government that can and does have hostile anti-American and pro terrorist adherants among its citizens.

And what about Dubai Ports World? Where is the money coming from? Dubai Ports World is claiming 20 percent annual growth since 2001. That's not unverifiable since its a foreign private company. For all we know, Dubai Ports World is an undeclared arm of a foreign government...or worse.

Senator Chuck Schumer(NY-d), of all people is asking tough questions about this deal. For once, I have to agree with him: President Bush should overrule the committee and not permit this transaction.If he won't Congress should take action. The country's busiest ports shouldn't be owned or managed by a company owned by a foreign government.

Especially one that hails from a part of the world not noted for exactly wishing America well.

Hamas makes its first Parliamentary Appointments

Hamas decided on its first parliamentary appointments today.

It named Mahmoud al-Zahar from Gaza, one of its most hardline leaders, as head of the Hamas majority faction in the legislature, which convenes on Saturday for its first session since the group won the January 25 Palestinian election.

Aziz Dweik, from the West Bank, was chosen by Hamas as parliamentary speaker.

Here's something to note: As the leader of parliament, Dweik would become interim president, pending an election within 60 days, in the event of the death, resignation or incapacitation of President Mahmoud Abbas of the Fatah faction.


In view of the fact that Hamas is livid with Abbas about his last minute attempt to consolidate power in the presidency and away from the Hamas-controlled legislature, this is an interesting appointment to say the least.

New American Gallup poll on Israel, the Palestinians

According to the poll, American support for Israel has reached a new high since the first Gulf War; at an approval rating of 59 percent.

The rate of those supporting the Palestinians fell by four percent, regressing to 15 percent.

Peace expectations in the Middle East decreased with HAMAS’s election victory; 57 percent of the US population is totally against any financial aid to the Palestinians.

Syria sends arms to Hezbollah and the Palestinians

The UN has requested that Lebanon explain arms trucks crossing from Syria for delivery to Hezbollah.

The tipoff came from Anti-Syrian Druze leader Walid Jumblatt.

The Lebanese army reportedly army intercepted truckloads of arms and missiles, but allowed delivery to Hezbollah and Palestinian militias being trained in Hezbollah's stronghold in the Bek'aa Valley in southern Lebanon.

The UN is involved, thanks to US ambassador to the UN John Bolton who said any continued supply of weapons from Syria to armed groups inside Lebanon is a violation of UN Security Resolution 1559. Tuesday, UN officials demanded an explanation from the Lebanese government.

"Lebanon should not remain an open battlefield against Israel and this state-within-state status should end," Jumblatt said