Call @ Spade @ Spade

The cruelty of compassion

2009-08-28T00:31:00.001+08:00

My article at Pajamas Media:

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/freeing-the-lockerbie-killer-in-the-name-of-compassion/

Sultan Knish's article

http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2009/08/inhumanity-of-being-humane-to.html

The Unreported Truth

2009-08-04T18:03:00.002+08:00

...during operation cast lead the IDF did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare.

- British Colonel Richard Kemp

Netanyahu's AIPAC Address

2009-05-04T23:59:00.000+08:00

One man's torture is another's Friday night

2009-04-24T01:04:00.003+08:00

The faux outrage and response to the [torture] memos recall an old international law class, from some years ago, where the discussion turned to the immorality of coercive interrogation. The United States was torturing prisoners, the professor suggested, because the al-Qaeda detainees were subjected to female interrogators, barking dogs, and loud music. As fundamentalist Muslims, the detainees were not “comfortable” with women “speaking down” to them, the professor contended. Nor were they fans of the heavy metal music played in their cell. Additionally, as Middle Easterners, they were accustomed to a society where dogs are undomesticated, dangerous animals — think: the way Westerners perceive wolves — or so the professor’s argument went.

It was at that moment that I realized how similar these “torturous” acts were to my own everyday lifestyle. “Wait a second,” I interjected. “Being in the same room with a dog, listening to Metallica, and getting reprimanded by a female for something she thinks I did wrong? That’s not torture. That’s my Friday night!”

...

To afford captured detainees the ability to determine what is and is not objectively torture based upon their subjective cultural preferences, religious sensitivities, or personal dislikes and fears is not only asinine morality and poor practicality — but bad law, as well. Imagine if we enforced this logic to the fullest extent or at least to its natural conclusion.

Would, say, placing bananas in the cell of a cibophobic al-Qaeda detainee constitute torture? Would it be torture if an unattractive and homely interrogator pleasantly asked a cacophobic detainee a few questions? What about a murderous dikephobic captive, who simply couldn’t stand being brought to justice? Perhaps imprisonment itself is torturous, for a koinoniphobe. Or maybe, for an eleutherophobic jihadist, the true torture occurs during those soccer matches outside in the Gitmo courtyard. What if the detainee’s “religion” required frequent conjugal visits — and a few Budweisers, while we’re at it?

Nicholas Guariglia @ Pajamas Media

What does Netanyahu really think?

2009-03-29T17:59:00.008+08:00

Binyamin Netanyahu will take the premiership of Israel in two days after managing to form a goverment with both the left and right hands of Israeli politics. Meanwhile, Netanyahu has yet to show his hand on the contentious issue of the two state solution.

This 1978 video shows a 28 year old Ben Nitay (aka Binyamin Netanyahu) arguing that the US should oppose the creation of a Palestinian state.

Whether Netanyahu still believes that is arguable. I think that while the idealist Netanyahu does not necessarily believe that Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza have an assumed right to self determintaion, he is pragmatic enough to realise that a two state solution is all but inevitable.

The political landscape has changed somewhat since 1978:

Israelis are under a constant threat of war or terrorism, and are willing to pay a dear price to end that state of living (even if yes, it is giving in to terrorists)
The peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan (from which Gaza and the West Bank were conquered) were concluded without the inclusion of the disputed territories in the peace agreement - due to objection from the Arab states. Thus the proposal of the paletinians receiving full citizenship in Jordan and Egypt are no longer realistic.
The demographic threat that Ben dismisses back in 1978 is very real today, such that granting Palestinians full Israeli citizenship would undermine the Jewish majority in the state of Israel and its ability to preserve itself as such.
The multi state solution (two-state; or three - incuding Hamastan; or four - including Jordan) is therefore seen as the only other realistic alternative. The global acceptence of this principle is such that rejection thereof would lead to diplomatic isolation for Israel. Netanyahu of saged hair is well aware that he may need to shed some of the ideals of his days of youth.

Netanyahu can't say much of this publicly as it conflicts with the idealism of his power base. His aggressive pursuit of a left wing party in his government and the expensive price he paid for it suggest that he is pursuing strategies that are consistent with the two-state solution.

Another possibility is that the next 3 years will focus on the Iranian threat and ignore the Palestinian issue, an issue that is seen as impossible to resolve while the Palestinian population and leadership is so fractured. On this issue Barak and Netanyahu see eye to eye as the existenial threat Iran poses to Israel breaks all barriers of left and right.

Israel serenading India

2009-03-17T01:08:00.003+09:00

An Israeli government-owned arms company, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, produced the Bollywood-esque video in aims of strengthening Israeli-Indo defence ties. The clip, which was recently showcased at the Aero India exhibition in Bangalore, features a man (Israel) who promises to defend and shield a woman (India) asking for protection and security. Dancing on a stage flanked by flower draped missiles, the actors jointly sing: ‘Together, forever, I will hold you in my heart. Together, forever, we will never be apart' The Obsevers

I'm not quite sure what to make of this. The love affair between Israel and India is nothing new. In fact, the selection of the Mumbai chabad house as a target by the Pakistan's Lashkar-e-Taiba had little to do with the middle east conflict and much more to do with Israeli-Indian military relations. The masculination of Israel and feminisation of India may be somewhat insulting to India but is far more natural than the reverse.

One thing though I now know for certain - Indians make far better bollywood clips than Israelis.

The Morning After: An Analysis of the Israeli Political Landscape

2009-02-12T05:51:00.000+09:00

The Israeli elections ended with two and a half victory speeches and one concession speech.

The biggest loser was clearly the Labor Party (HaAvodah). Despite Barak’s star performance in the recent Gaza operation as Defence Minister, the party that had dominated the Israeli political landscape since inception, that had ruled without loss for the first 30 years of nationhood (as Mapai and the Alignment) is tonight no longer a force in Israeli politics. It came in a dismal fourth place, having secured only 12 seats in Israel’s 120-seat Knesset. Israel’s voters, the sons and daughters of socialists, have firmly rejected the left. The Labor party would do best to stay in opposition and regroup, as Likud has done in recent years. The only scenario in which it is likely to be in government is in a national unity government alongside Likud and Kadima (where it may place the national interest over party politics).

Livni, the woman who called these elections having failed in her previous attempts in coalition building, claimed victory after securing first place. Kadima’s 28 seats reflect a one seat margin over Likud and a one seat loss from its position in the last Knesset. Within the span of three years, Kadima experienced two elections; the loss of its founding fathers (Sharon and Peres); a bogged corruption scandal; a worsening security situation; two controversial wars; and a likely recession. Livni delivered an excellent result for her party and should be proud of beating the pollsters. She ran a good campaign, and made the most of the last minute momentum Kadima experienced, buoyed by a high voter turnout. That said, having secured first place, she is back where she was when she called these elections, unable to form a stable coalition.

The other victory speech came from Netanyahu, the man most likely to be Israel’s next prime minister. With all the cards stacked against Kadima, this was his election to lose, which he did. He ran the classic frontrunner’s campaign (firmly rejecting Livni’s repeated requests for a debate) and ended up in second place. On the flip side, Netanyahu led the Likud back from its meagre 12 seats in the last Knesset to a political beast of 27 seats and most importantly, as the leader of the national block, he can thwart attempts by Livni to form a government. He is therefore most likely to become Israel’s next prime minister.

The Russian-immigrant- secular-nationalist party, Israel Bateinu (‘Israel is our home’) claimed half a victory, having delivered 15 seats that may well hold the balance of power in the next Knesset. This result (below polling expectations but above its 11 seats in the last Knesset) moves it from fifth place to third place, surpassing the Labor party. Avigdor Lieberman will play both sides to his advantage. Having ran on a platform that is more nationalist than Likud, he has recently proclaimed that his party cannot be assumed to recommend Netanyahu as the next Prime Minister and may indeed recommend Tzip Livni (if the price is right) or indeed himself for the top job.

Over the next few days, Tzipi Livni would be trying to mend fences with all those who would be happy to see the end of Kadima and try to ensure Shimon Peres gives her the first crack at forming a coalition – an unenviable task. Meanwhile, Bibi Netanyahu would be forming a block that would prevent her from governing. In between the rounds of meeting with political allies and foes, they may well play with Ynet’s recently-released game Build Yourself a Coalition. No doubt, Bibi would be having more fun than Livni. He is more likely to get the message “You can form a government” and far less likely to get the annoying popup: “Your coalition is politically unreasonable”.

Israel’s president, Shimon Peres, may find himself in the awkward position of handing the premiership to his former nemesis, the man who beat him in the 1996 elections, and the man who lost the current elections. He would probably much rather hand the reins to the woman whose party won these elections, to the party he co-founded, and to the people continuing the vision of the partners he lost along the way (Rabin and Sharon). Peres may well facilitate the formation a national unity government with a rotational approach, like the one he entered with Yitchak Shamir following the 1984 election deadlock. Barring that, Peres is bound to choose the candidate most likely to form a stable government, and like it or not, that person is Binyamin Netanyahu.

Only in Israel

2009-02-12T05:42:00.001+09:00

Will you hear two victory speeches and one concession speech
Will you be able to vote for Holocaust Survivors and Grown Up Leaf Party, the party advocating for pension reform fo Holocaust surviors and marijuana legalisation.
Will you find a ticket promoting the environment and the separation of religion and state headed by the Chief Rabbi of Norway (son of the former Chief Rabbi of Denmark). Unfortunately, the party did not make the cut and Rabbi Melchior’s exemplarity conduct will be sorely missed in the next Knesset.

Three Falafels: An analysis of the Israeli elections

2009-02-10T09:21:00.004+09:00

Three Falafels:

Three Israelis discussing their choices at the Ballot at Shimshon, the Falafel King

Characters:

Ari: Avoda/Labor supporter

Kefir: Kadima supporter

Lavi: Likud supporter

Ari: Hey Shimshon, give us three falafels with extra tahina and chilli ...and don’t be stingy with the falafel balls. We’re starving!

Lavi: So guys, don’t tell me you lefties are voting for the same thing again on Tuesday, some more Kadima and yet more Avoda. What do want? Four more years of pain and no gain?!

Kefir: First of all, Lavi, I’m not a leftie. Don’t forget the days we attended those Likud rallies together. Do you remember the one in ’96, when Olmert, then Mayor of Jerusalem, stood by Bibi [Netanyahu] and unveiled the election slogan ‘Peres will divide Jerusalem’?!; Remember the rally at Zion square where we chanted till we lost our voices ‘Arik, king of Israel, may he live forever’?! I’m not some starry-eyed leftie!

Lavi: Yeah, I remember. And now Arik [Sharon] is a vegetable, while Peres, who is still alive and kicking, will hand over the premiership to Bibi next week. Meanwhile, it is Olmert who offered North, South and East Jerusalem as part of final status agreement with Fatah. How the tables have turned? Imagine what happens if Hamas takes over the West Bank and starts shooting Qassam rockets from East Jerusalem at Ben Gurion airport or worse, here at Shimshon - the Falafel King.

Ari: It’s all very well to sit in opposition and criticise an incumbent, but the right never seems to come up with an alternate solution. I don’t think Kadima has all the answers, and it is a party formed in opportunism, but at least it made some brave decisions.

Lavi: Like what?! the disengagement?! I remember three years ago you were both arguing in favour of disengagement from Gaza, saying we had no business there. Leave them and they will leave us, you said. But we left them and they didn’t leave us. They elected a government that has our destruction as its aim; they used their borders to smuggle in weapons and fired thousands of rockets at us. I see the sacrifice but where is your peace?

Kefir: True, but at least now we can hit back. We can close borders when we need to. We can build a security fence between us, which you know very well has curbed the wave of suicide bombings that preceded disengagement. It is far easier to deal with an enemy state than with an insurgency.

Lavi: If only the world saw it that way. Look at them demonstrating, they want to put Olmert on war crimes trials; they call Peres a traitor. Peres! the darling of the left. So, you ceded territory, created a stronger enemy and gained zilch diplomatically. Where has Kadima disengagement plan taken us? This is achora (backwards), not kadima (forwards). Only Bibi stood up and predicted this is how it will turn out, while your leaders were busy expelling our own people from their homes.

Ari: But that’s the nature of peace. You make it with enemies, not with friends. And besides, what is your solution? Population transfer?!

Lavi: Drop it! Bibi is not Lieberman. The solution is to negotiate with the right partner from a position of strength, and not to negotiate from a position of weakness with partners who are either unwilling - like Hamas, or incapable - like Fatah, to stem the violence.

Ari: But meanwhile while you wait for your ideal partner, the problem is only getting worse, not better. You cannot have two million people living under occupation without expecting things to heat up. People have a right to live freely in their land!

Lavi: What occupation are you talking about? The one they have today with full control over their subjects; international recognition; government institutions and elections and an independent security apparatus? – or the old fashioned one, where under ‘occupation’, we supplied all their basic needs, and witnessed their population quadruple and life expectancy increase from 46 to 73?

Ari: It’s about pride, national pride. They are entitled to have a land like you do; to sing their own Hatikvah! This is not about the past, but about the future. The reality is that they, like us, are here to stay.

Lavi: If only they, like you, accepted that we are here to stay.

Kefir: Don’t forget, Lavi, that the biggest threat the Palestinians can inflict on us is demographic rather than military. As soon as they become a majority between the Mediterranean and the Jordan, the Palestinians will be seeking a one state solution, in which you and I will become a minority. Your choice is simple: either you give them their country or compete with them in the bedroom and at the ballot. The sooner we divorce ourselves from them, the better. Kadima is all about pragmatism, not idealism. There is no easy way out here. We have to strive for peace with the likes of Fatah while weakening the forces opposed to peace, like Hamas.

Ari: Well, that sounds not unlike the position of the Avoda. After all, it was Barak who led Operation Cast Lead, and he certainly delivered a military success as Minister of Defence, something that cannot be said of the diplomatic accomplishments of the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Hey, Kefir?!

Lavi: Ari, Ari, listen to yourself boasting military credentials. What happened to “Lift your eyes with hope; not through the rifles' sights; sing a song for love; and not for wars”. I see you guys no longer sing the ‘song of peace’. Disillusionment has set in, huh?!

Ari: I suppose, that’s somewhat true, but mark my words, the day will come and we must bring on that day. But maybe not this time around. This election is already over before it began... Bibi will become the next prime minister and will lead a broad-broad coalition with Barak on the inside and Livni on the outside – if he can afford to.

Kefir: Why would he prefer Barak over Livni?

Lavi: Both Likud and Avoda would be happy to see your party crumble in opposition. Kadima was a one term party and you had your day in the sun.

Ari: Okay guys, let’s drop the subject. How about we give the voting booth a miss this Tuesday and pop by my place for a barbeque instead?

Kefir: That’s a better way to spend a public holiday than standing in a queue.

Lavi: Count me in!

Ari: Hey Shimshon, can we have some Turkish coffee here?! ...and don’t be stingy with the sugar. I’ve seen bitter days!

The Davos Debates: Getting Emotional

2009-01-30T18:49:00.006+09:00

Peres' argument for Israel's operation in Gaza and Erdogan's response.

The light side of things

2009-01-27T20:27:00.002+09:00

A man on a beach sees a shark near a child in the shallows. Ignoring personal safety, he dives in the water and, with his bare hands, kills the shark. He brings the tot to shore and is met with tumultuous applause from spectators. "Geez, mate" says a BBC reporter "You should get a medal. What part of Britian are you from?" Modestly our hero says: "Actually I'm from Israel"

Next day on BBC's breaking news: "Israeli reservist kills child's pet"

The Blame Game in Gaza

2009-01-26T10:17:00.001+09:00

In the Gaza Strip people are returning home -- or to the rubble that was once their home. Many are blaming Hamas for the destruction because the militants hid among civilians and attracted Israeli fire. Yet no one dares to speak out openly.

"I used to support Hamas because they fought for our country, for Palestine," says Sadala. Hamas stood for a new start, for an end of corruption, which had spread like cancer under the moderate Fatah. In the 2006 elections Hamas won the majority with their message of change, said Sadala, who earned a living in the building business. Gesticulating wildly, the 52-year-old surveyed the ruins of the bedroom: "That is the change that they brought about. We were blasted back 2,000 years."

Der Spiegel

Goodbye George: From the Diary of Former Liberal

2009-01-21T14:42:00.000+09:00

I didn’t always like George.

There was a time I thought of him as a stupid stooge, a man undeserving of power. There was a time I thought he had shattered America’s greatest asset – its democracy.

I had followed every twist and turn in that infamous ballot count, read all the relevant legal proceedings and felt personally wronged when on 12 December 2000 the US Supreme Court ruled against the man I voted for. I was so incensed by what I saw as an appointment against the will of the people that I inquired about rescinding my US citizenship. Thankfully, I never followed through.

It was nine months later, I felt American again, and a proud one at that.

As I watched the second plane crash into the World Trade Centre, I realised the world had changed forever; that a dark new reality has set in; that the world my children will grow in will not be the world of my childhood.

I understood this in seconds and so did George, my old foe. Some have still to grasp this.

On that day, George grew into his role as leader of the free world. Hanging chads no longer mattered when smoke filled the skies of Manhattan. A man not known for his words was saying exactly what I needed to hear. He spoke on that fateful day:

Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.

America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.

It was comforting to hear of good and bad, of right and wrong. It was great to hear some answers when all around me were questions. I now know that this strength of George led ultimately to his demise and I am sure that he understood this as well, but by the then the course was set and history is unwavering.

As a former liberal, I had to get used to living with George’s moral clarity, a world of black and white, good and evil, Cowboys and Indians. But then I realised, even black and white has its place on a full colour spectrum. There is a time and place for monochrome. I also realised that the alternate view, proposed by the liberal camp, was even more limiting in its spectrum. Unlike George, their world was painted a single shade of murky grey, a world where perpetrator and victim were morally equalled. This alternate view suggested that America had brought September 11 upon itself and should see itself as its own aggressor and its aggressor as its victim. In this topsy-turvy weltanschauung, old allies and long held values should be abandoned for the sake of expediency. It is the same logic that blames the rape victim for her ordeal: she should have never worn that mini skirt in the first place.

George recognised that the problem was more fundamental than America’s mini skirt; that Osama and the 9/11 crew had little grievance about US policy in the Arab-Israeli conflict but were rather fiercely opposed to the spread of secular thought in the Middle East; that the best way of beating them was to do just that, spread democracy in the region, by whatever means necessary. A government by the people for the people has no interest in perpetuating ongoing conflict. George was not the first American to hold such a universalist view of freedom and democracy. Some years ago, his predecessors wrote:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government... to effect their Safety and Happiness.

The world has changed a lot since these words were written, and America has changed too – with men and women of all races allowed to vote and run for office - but mankind has not changed much. We all still strive for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. George believed this was true of everyone, even the Arabs.

The Iraqi elections proved that the unspoken notion of non-interventionalists that Arabs are (a) incapable or (b) undeserving of democracy was indeed a fallacy. It took a man of black and white to rid the world of this grey notion. The premise of basic human rights is set on universal principals that apply to all people at all times at all places – an absolutist notion. The relativist approach that opposes the imposition of democracy has pushed human rights championship away from their camp to the political right.

An so I too found myself on the other side of politics. I had become a neocon and have loved George ever since.

I believe history is likely to prove George right. We may not know the full impact of his actions for some decades to come and by then I know he is unlikely to get the credit for the wheels he set in motion. Meanwhile, we have witnessed democratic elections in Iraq and Palestine; the institution of parliaments in Qatar and Bahrain; Municipal elections in Saudi Arabia; Shura (Consultation) Council elections in Oman; Increased allowances for opposition parties in Syria, Egypt, and Tunisia; a royal decree granting women rights in Morocco; and the renunciation of terrorism by Lybia – to name but a few developments. As George said back in March 2005, “the trend is clear. In the Middle East and throughout the world, freedom is on the march”. His ally John Howard backed this view up when he stated that “these things wouldn't have been thought remotely possible a year ago and I have no doubt that ... one of the reasons ... was the overthrow of Saddam Hussein”. Even old foes like Walid Jumblatt, the leftist Lebanese Druze leader shared the view:

I was cynical about Iraq. But when I saw the Iraqi people voting three weeks ago, eight million of them, it was the start of a new Arab world. The Berlin Wall has fallen.

The Berlin Wall has fallen once again while your news reporters were looking the other way, counting body bags in Iraq and actively embroiling themselves in partisan politics.

And so I bid farewell to the man who sacrificed his legacy to protect America’s greatest asset, freedom and democracy. Ironically, he had become the defender of the asset I had once accused him of robbing.

Some news you may have missed...

2009-01-19T01:13:00.002+09:00

While the conflict between Israel and Hamas unfolded in Gaza over the past few weeks, many innocent Gazan civilians stuck in the middle have no doubt suffered much. Meanwhile, another group of civilians further south has been going through a nightmare of no lesser proportion. You may be forgiven if you haven’t heard about the dire situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where over 1,000 civilians have been killed by a Ugandan rebel group since Christmas (Source: ResolveUganda). After all, the papers were so filled with coverage of the situation in Gaza, they had left little space to report this story; the late-night news devoted half its time to scenes of death and destruction in Gaza, running out of time before they had the chance to update you on the massacres in the DRC

...

Confronted with two crises of a similar scale evolving over the same timeframe, the media chose to devote its full attention to one while blankly ignoring the other. Looking at these statistics, the mainstream media has little right to preach the doctrine of proportionality.

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/gaza-vs-congo-a-tale-of-media-double-standards/

A time for war and a time for peace

2009-01-12T21:30:00.001+09:00

It was the wisest of men who said there comes “a time for war,and a time for peace.” The doctrine of a just war was later formulated by Aristotle, Cicero, and Augustine and finally incorporated in Article 51 of the UN Charter, which states that “nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense.”
Much has been said about the current military operation Israel is conducting against Hamas and doubt has been raised over its moral and legal legitimacy. So, is the war on Hamas immoral? Is any war indeed just?

To find out more, read my article at:

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/is-the-war-on-gaza-immoral/

President Kramer?

2007-06-13T23:10:00.001+08:00

JERUSALEM, June 13 -- Shimon Peres -- the octogenarian former prime minister, Nobel laureate, and perennial loser of elections -- handily won Israel's presidency Wednesday, in his second bid for what will likely be his last job in public life.

Washington Post

"Israel has been waiting hopefully for the election of Peres as president." - PM Ehud Olmert

Haaretz

Finally, a Mazal Tov!

2007-06-13T21:28:00.000+08:00

Shimon Peres, the oldest of Israel's surviving founders, has been elected for the first time. The man who has been Israel's Prime Minister three times without ever winning an election has finally done it at 84. So finally, a Mazal Tov!

Peres became prime minister first for a month in 1977 following Rabin's sudden resignation, only to lose the upcoming elections; then during the power sharing governments of the 80's when he managed a draw (yes, draw) in 1984 then a loss in 1988; and finally taking over the premiership after Rabin's assassination in 1995 losing months after to the new boy on the block, Bibi.

Peres can finally shed the nickname he earned on Israel's political scene: 'Loser'. The phrase was coined after his 1996 election defeat when he posed the question to his party faithful, "so what am i , a loser?!' only to find out that they didn't take it rhetorically and simply answered "yes". Ironically, even today, his victory in the second round came after the resignation of the two other contestants following Peres' impressive showing in the first round. Technically, Peres has yet to defeat a candidate in an election.

The blow commited to Peres 7 years ago, when he was betrayed by 'allies' on ballot day for the last presdiential election, has been rectified today as he replaces the disgraced president as Israel's First Citizen and earns the title of being the Western World's eldest statesman in recent history. Its good to count Peres amongst the winners. Its good to see a man get his just deserts.

For more on Shimon Peres and his contribution to the economic, military and diplomatic development of the State of Israel see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimon_Peres

Note: the presidential election in Israel is done by 120 members of the knesset, themselves democratically elected by the people.

Moral Equivalence?

2006-07-30T02:08:00.000+08:00

SEATTLE, July 29 (Reuters) - Police stepped up security at Seattle synagogues and mosques on Saturday, a day after a Muslim man who said he was angry at Israel shot dead one woman and wounded five others at a Jewish center.

"We are also protecting mosques, because there is always the concern of retaliatory crime," Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske told a news conference late on Friday.

Are they for real?! I wonder if the Seattle Police also protect burglars, murderers and rapists for fear of retaliatory crime? Does he not realise that one group of people in this story are the victims and the other - the agressors?! This is not the time for moral equivalence; cycle of violence and political correctness.

Solidarity

2006-07-29T22:17:00.000+08:00

CHIEF RABBI SIR JONATHAN SACKS
SPEECH AT SOLIDARITY RALLY FOR ISRAEL
SUNDAY 23 JULY 2006

We have come together today
To stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel
And to say a simple prayer.

Ribbono shel olam [Master of the universe],
Let your people Israel live in peace.
Let there be an end to bloodshed and violence.
Let there be an end to hostility and hate.
Let Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev come home.
Let Israel’s defence forces come home.
What else did Your people ever want,
Except the right to live with security, without fear, in peace?
Almighty G-d, let your people Israel live in peace.

Today we stand in solidarity with Israel,
And rarely have I felt so proud of Anglo-Jewry as I have done these past few days.
Especially of our young people.
Last week 1300 of them, from youth groups right across the religious spectrum,
Went out to Israel.
Every one of them, or their families, might have said: no. Not now. It’s too dangerous.
Yet almost none of them did.
I want to say to every one of those young people: Kol hakavod. You make us proud.

And today I want a message to go forth from us to Israel to say: Israel, you make us proud.
In a mere 58 years, in a country half the size of Lake Michigan, you have done things that are unbelievable.
You have gathered together Jews from more than a hundred different countries speaking more than eighty different languages and out of them made a great nation.
You have taken a land with no natural resources and turned it into one of the great economies of the modern world.
You have created a democracy in a part of the world where no one thought it possible.
You have taken a desolate land and made it blossom and bear fruit.
You have developed medical technologies to save life.

Wherever in the world there has been a natural disaster, you have been among the first to offer humanitarian aid.
Through six decades under almost continuous threat you have given the world poets and philosophers and musicians and novelists whose heart is Jewish and whose love is for all humanity.
You have taken the language of the Bible and made it speak again
You have taken a people from the valley of the shadow of death and made it live again
You have taken hope itself – hatikvah shnot alpayim – and made it breath again.
Israel: you are our people and our pride and we stand with you today.

Why then does a people who have consistently said Yes to life and No to death,
Who have consistently said Yes to peace and No to terror,
Find itself today fighting in Lebanon and Gaza?
The answer is so simple, yet so unbelievable, that we must hear it clearly and unequivocally:
Israel is fighting today in Lebanon because 6 years ago it withdrew from Lebanon.
Israel is fighting today in Gaza because 1 year ago it withdrew from Gaza.
And Israel discovered the terrible truth spoken by the late Mother Theresa
That no good deed goes unpunished.
Every gesture of goodwill undertaken by Israel has been seized on by its enemies as a sign of weakness.
Every Israeli effort towards peace has led without exception to an increase in violence against Israel.
The Oslo Peace Process led directly to the first Palestinian suicide attacks in Israel
Taba: the most generous offer Israel ever made to the Palestinians, led directly to the most concerted set of terrorist attacks against any nation in modern history.
The Gaza Withdrawal, the most painful act Israel has ever had to undertake, led within less than a year to 1000 Kassam rocket attacks on Israeli civilian targets including schoolchildren.
And finally the Lebanon withdrawal, undertaken by Israel six years ago in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 425. That resolution was immediately broken by Hizbullah, about which the United Nations special envoy to Lebanon warned at the time, in November 2000: “Such breaches of international peace and security in the south threaten to ignite a new spiral of violence with tragic consequences for the civilian population.”
That failure led in 2004 to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 which called categorically for the disarming of militias in Lebanon. Again rejected. This time Kofi Annan himself protested to the Syrians. The effect? The arming of Hizbullah with weapons that threaten the very heart of Israel.
Israel withdrew from Lebanon.
Israel does not want to be in Lebanon.
It does not want to do any of the things it is now doing.
It accepted in good faith the commitment of the United Nations that it would not have to.
It is acting today only because the international community has failed to ensure that its neighbours met their obligations when Israel met hers.
Israel, the Israel we know and love, is a people that pursues peace, yearns for peace, sings about peace, needs peace.
For 58 years it has done everything a nation could do in pursuit of peace, and it has been rewarded instead with violence and terror.
It has done what the world has asked it to do, and the result has been that it has been left vulnerable and alone.

Which of us does not weep when we see the news day after day?
Does any of us, God forbid, take satisfaction at the devastation of Lebanon?
Is that who we are?
Let me be clear and unambiguous.
We weep not just for Israel
But for the people of Lebanon also.
Lebanon was once a great country,
A centre of civilization
A beacon in the Middle East --
Until Jordan drove the Palestinians out of Jordan into Lebanon
Until Syria used them to terrorise the Lebanese
Until Iran armed and funded and manipulated them;
Until the whole country of Lebanon, every man, woman and child, became a hostage.
And so a great country was destroyed and reduced to ruins.
And today Israel is fighting in Lebanon so that Israel should not become, G-d forbid, another Lebanon,
As any country in the world will become If it lacks the clarity and courage to say No to terror and Yes to peace.

Tragically Jews have learned over the centuries
That when their enemies speaking of killing them, driving them into the sea, wiping them off the face of the earth, they mean what they say.
What Hizbullah and Hamas have said in word and deed is:
We will kill you if you stay
And we will kill you if you leave.
We will kill you if you retaliate
And we will kill you if you don’t retaliate.
What can Israel do but to seek to end the terror
That threatens and is meant to threaten its very existence?
When alone among the 192 nations that make up the United Nations, after 58 years it still finds its very right to exist denied?

Friends, let me tell you what is wrong with terror. It is not just that it murders the innocent: the young, the old, the defenceless, the uninvolved.
It is that it murders innocence itself.
It turns virtue into weakness, decency into vulnerability.
And if we, if Israel, if Europe, if America do not take a stand against terror, if we ignore it as the world ignored it for so long, then it will leave a stain on the human future that no tears, no regrets, will ever remove.

The battle Israel is fighting today is not for itself alone.
It is for the sake of all those who say no to terror
No to the desecration of life
No to killing in the name of God
Whether they live in Bali or Beslan, or Madrid or Mumbai.
And therefore let me end with simple words of prayer:

Ribbono shel olam: Be with your people Israel now.
Hear their cry
Heed their tears
Listen to this, our prayer on their behalf.
Grant peace to all your children, Jew, Christian and Muslim alike.
Help us live together, respecting one another.
Help us cherish life.
Help us to use the powers You gave us, to heal, to mend, to build.
We ask of You, Almighty God, just one thing:
You who make peace in high places,
Help us make peace down here on earth.

Rogue Regime: How to get what you want in 3 easy steps

2006-06-07T21:50:00.000+08:00

Start developing a military nuclear program
Threaten to wipe out Israel of the face of the plane
Get a basket of goodies from the EU including, but no limited to:

an end to economic sanctions,
nuclear power plants,
nuclear fuel,
military aircraft parts, and
the guarantee of non-aggression from the US and Israel (no matter how many
Shiabs missiles are pointed at Israel or US military camps in Iraq)

Dangerous Territory

2006-04-03T13:25:00.000+08:00

It looks like Peretz is trying to work on the nightmare scenario described in my last post in which he would govern as prime minister despite coming a far second in a democratic election. There are no boundaries for this man - a man who for the sake of self-advancement is considering setting up a coalition with far-right parties, thus stalemating any diplomatic developments for the next few years. I guess that can be expected from a union leader: self-interest first; the good of the nation second.

It has been sugested that these moves are the result of Peretz's ego getting bruised by calls from Kadima memebrs that Peretz would be dangerous as treasurer. Kadima for their part were just stating the obvious.

Israeli Election Analysis: Winners & Losers

2006-03-29T13:59:00.000+08:00

The elections in Israel were won by the minor parties and lost by the major parties. Labour, Likud and Kadima all received final results that were below their polling levels. An apathetic electorate, despondant of the security issue, affected the result in two distinct ways:

Turning up and voting on niche issues (such as pensions, immigration and religion)
Not turning up to vote: voters for smaller parties are more likely to be passionate enough to turn up to vote, a low turnout will skew the results away from the major parties.

The biggest loser:

Netanyahu's Likud: With 11 seats, the party which had until 100 days ago been at the centre of Israeli politics commanding a third of Israel's 120-member Knesset is now a minor party (finishing in fifth position).
Olmert's Kadima: With 28 seats, the party is finishing well behind the 45 seats that were within reach only months ago. In the final weeks of the campaign, Olmert gambled by publicly announcing plans to withdraw from the West Bank. With the recent rise to power of Hamas, these statements were not well received by the electorate. The statements do have 2 positive effects:

a) Olmert positioned himself as a leader in his own right

b) Olmert has given his government a mandate to deal with the final borders of the State of Israel

Pertz’s Labour party failed to gain any momentum on social issues as it has expected. It had three parties vying into its hitherto exclusive ‘social territory’: Shas won over the disaffected Sefardi minority; Israel Beitanu - the Russian migrants and the Pensioners party were the stars of the night winning over a large share of the retiree vote. That said, Peretz did prevent a slump in the labour vote that was expected to go to Kadima and as such can count the night as a moderate success.

The biggest winner:

There is no doubt that the biggest winner was Rafi Eitan and his Pensioners party who received 7 seats and were expected to get 1 seat at most. As a social leaning party, they would be natural partners of a centre-left coalition
Shas is the other big winner of the night, with 13 seats, they have captured the populist vote of the Likud and have surpassed that party in size. As the third largest party in Israeli politics and considering that the centre-left block could not reach 61 seats – Shas is looking at warming up some cabinet seats.
Liberman’s Israel Beitanu was the other scavenger on the Likud vote, having captured the fiscally conservative vote from Likud and again surpassing that party in size. The Jerusalem Post noted that for the first time, Israel now has a party espousing both fiscal and political conservatism.

All in all, the results are disappointing as they give the next prime minister a weak mandate and large multi-partnered government that will pull policy in different directions. Ehud Olmert has the tough task of forming a coalition from a much smaller base than he had anticipated. This means many Kadima minister-designates loosing their cabinet seats to members of opposing parties, leading to potential rumblings within Kadima.

I had anticipated a coalition of Labour, Kadima and Meretz. It now looks like Meretz would have to vacate its position to its archrival Shas, and the Pensioners party will come out oblivion into government, leading to a coalition of 68 seats.

One should note the following nightmare scenario: Amir Peretz may have a chance to block Ehud Olmert by getting the Pensioners party and Shas on his team first. This could lead to a Peretz is in a position to demand to act as prime minister on a rotary basis (as Shamir and Peres have done in 1988), or worse, be given the opportunity by the president to form a coalition in his own right.

Multiculturalism

2006-03-28T23:42:00.000+08:00

I have heard it said that Israel is the most multicultural state on earth (I believe measured by the number of people who speak a first tongue other than the main language). To support this claim, I present the gingle for the Kadima party in... Amharic.

kadimaisrael.co.il

For those who don't know, Amharic is the official language of Ethiopia and the language spoken by the nearly 100,000 Ethiopian migrants of Jewish origin who live in Israel. For a closer look at Israel's demographics, visit this site.

It looks like this election is going to have the lowest turnout in the country's history. It seems apathy is the big winner of the day.

No more "Acting" Prime Minister

2006-03-28T19:33:00.000+08:00

Ehud Olmert, Sharon's loyal sidekick will be rewarded today with an election victory. His next task is to form a coalition - which is likely to include Labor on the left (who are likely to demand the coveted treasury portfolio) and Meretz (who are likely to seek soft portfolios like education, environment, etc). All parties joining the coalition will agree to the notion of Israel forgoing most of the west bank and drawing its own borders - unilaterally if need be - within four years.

At the time of writing the election is still taking place and there seems to be a very low turnout, which is bad news for Kadima. I would therefore expect Kadima to get a result in the mid 30's rather than anything in the 40's and to expect a very narrow coalition with Labour and Meretz. Depending on the final results, there may be a need to invite additional parties to ensure a more stable coalition.

Ehud Olmert is getting one of the toughest jobs on this planet. Let's hope to G-d he is up for the job.

Must see TV - Al Jazeera

2006-03-09T14:28:00.000+08:00

This is really a "must see tv" segment by Arab-American Psychologist Wafa Sultan on Al Jazeera television (Qatar) - 21 February 2006.

Memri TV

Please post your comments below once you have seen the segment.

Unchartered waters

2006-02-11T21:50:00.000+08:00

I have been off the blog scene for a few months and in that time much has happened in the Middle East. First, Ariel Sharon suffered a major stroke and has been in a coma ever since. He is now fighting for his life after a sever malfunction in his digestive system. Ariel Sharon –Israel’s grandfather figure, the general, and the popular Prime Minister – was forced by G-d to bow out of politics.

Meanwhile, the unassuming Ehud Olmert picked up the reigns and has managed to bring stability to his party and country – he prevented the predicted exodus from Kadima (post Sharon) while sending the right messages at home and abroad ensuring that the Israeli stock market remained stable and that Israeli-US relations remain cordial.

Polls show that Israeli voters seem still believe that the disengagement model is the way forward and are undeterred by the fact that its architect is lying in a hospital bed.

Ehud Olmert is by no means in an enviable position. He has been thrown into the seat of power, unelected, in the midst of an election campaign – having to contend with the real threat of a Nuclear Iran and the newly elected Hamas leadership. Having gotten to the point where there is no road, Ehud will have to do what Bush did on September 11 2001 – rise up as a leader and charter his own course.

The Big Bang

2005-11-29T10:51:00.000+08:00

Well, the stage looks for Peres to join Sharon either as a member of the Kadima party or as an external supporter of the party. The elder statesman leaving the Labour party will no doubt cost them a few seats.

While Peres has yet to anounce his plans, as he is currently in Barcelona, his co-confidant Dalia Itzick joined the Kadima party today - an apparant jesture to Peres, as she would have been left to be eaten a live by the pack of wolves that now control the Labour party.

This is a truly interesting development. Now, the two antithesis visions, that of unified Israel on the right and that of a friendly peace on the left, and their respective visionaries - Sharon and Peres have chosen a pragmatic middle way... Kadima (onwards)!

The elections to watch

2005-11-21T22:56:00.000+08:00

It looks like Israel will be having elections around March 21 or March 28 of this year. This will be extremely interesting elections to follow where anything can happen.

The direct impetus to the election has been the election of a fanatic left wing union leader as the head of Israel's Labor party. Amir Peretz (Israel’s Mark Latham) has always put self-interest first, and believes that early elections will give him a chance to ride on the wave of euphoria that has gripped some Israeli circles. This man has cost the Israeli economy hundreds of millions of dollars (through frequent infrastructure strikes) and intends to run on a socialist platform, aiming to attract North African voters from Likud and Shas. (Incidentally, Shas will retaliate by attempting to capitalise heavily on the popularity of its former leader Aryeh Deri – who served three years for a bribery conviction).

Amir Peretz will fail in this mission. Ariel Sharon, however, may not.

He is by far the most popular Israeli prime minister in a decade, if not longer - and he now can count on his personal popularity to break his ties with the party he created and its oppressive central committee (where is archrival Netanyahu pulls the strings). While his last such attempt at breaking from the likud with the establishment of ShlomZion (lit. peace in Zion) failed, Sharon stands a far better chance now. Each of the 10-14 sitting parliamentarians (MKs) who cross the floor to run with Sharon bring with the 1.15 Mil in election funding according to Israeli election funding rules - that's good news for a party with no infrastructure and little air time.

Aside from taking a third a third of sitting Likud MKs, Sharon's party has attracted two talented Labour MKs - Dalia Itzik and Haim Ramon. Unfortunately, the most talented politican in the house, Shimon Peres, seems to be staying at home for now (Hopefully, he will cross the floor after the elections).

What’s left of the Likud will be a party full of leaders with no followers. Of the long list of leadership challengers, Netanyahu is the man to beat. The defence minister Mofaz is the challenger to watch (as a non-parliamentarian over the past couple of years, he has has attended the Bar Mitzva ceremony’s of the sons of every swinging central committee member. Will the bad food and music pay off?! Probably not. Will Mofaz then accept Sharon’s offer and cross over to the new party?! Maybe.

Whatever happens, these elections are extremely important and hopefully will come up with a viable alternative to the right and left. My two cents: this alternative party will play its function in the next term of Knesset, then amalgamate and disappear back into the Likud : Labor paradigm. The binary adversarial model is just too damn sexy.

Alexander and I

2005-11-21T22:11:00.000+08:00

2005-10-22T23:39:00.000+08:00

Well, it seems the UN have finally managed to do a half decent task - its report into the assasination of former Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri. I cannot recall th last time I have given the UN a compliment but Detlev Mehlis, the UNIIIC commissioner and author of the report deserves credit for his frank report.

The full text of the report can be found here.

The report does not name the five main suspects. Their names are:
1) Mahr Assad - Brother of Syrian President Bashar Assad
2) Assaf Shoukath - Brother in law of Syrian President Bashar Assad & second in command
3) Hassan Halil - Former head os Syria's intelligence agency
4) Bahjeth Suliman - Senior officer in Syria's intelligence agency
5) Jamil A-Sayed - Head of Lebanon's internal security agency

2005-08-18T14:33:00.000+08:00

Necessary Evil?

2005-08-14T22:05:00.000+08:00

Disengaging

My 2 Cents on Disengagement

2005-08-14T22:00:00.000+08:00

We are standing on the eve of the disengagement process in Israel or the Hitnatkut (lit. detachment \ disconnection \ severance), and while my mind is at ease with this process, my heart is aching for the many who will lose their homes and the many hundreds of thousands of others who will see this move as regressing a two thousand year old dream.

THE LOGIC OF DISENGAGEMENT

I have long supported this move by Sharon and see this proactive step as a necessary evil for Israel to gain control over a peace process that has spiralled beyond its control and has become typified by a series of reactive measures. But above all, the disengagement delays the effects of Israel’s biggest threat – “the wombs of Palestinian mothers” (as described by the Palestinian leadership). The threat posed by the disparity in population growth between the Israelis and Palestinians is a ticking time bomb. It is clear to say that Israel does not have time on its side and without disengagement and consequent steps separating Israel from the bulk of the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), there will be more Arabs than Jews living between Jordan and the sea – by which time the Palestinian request will no longer be for a two state solution, but rather a one state solution in which they control government.

That said, I share the pain of those who will be affected by this process and of those who have yet to internalise the severity of the threat that disengagement is defusing. I suppose the process is akin to a person who must amputate a gangrenous leg. The process itself is necessary for the survival of the body as a whole, but try and sell that theory to the leg that is about to be amputated.

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

The international community will no doubt be on the wrong side of justice once more:

The will not understand that Israel has risked deeply dividing its nation for the sake of disengagement, a cause the Palestinian leadership has cited for not fighting against their brothers in Hamas; they will not understand the inherent unfairness in the fact that the forcible removal of every Jew from the land to be transferred to the Palestinians is seen as a necessaty, while an equivelant forcible removal of Arabs from land controlled by Israel is unthinkable; and as always, they will not understand the extent of the Jewish connection to this land.

They will minimise the sacrifice Israel has made (more concrete than any step taken by the Palestinian side); they will dispute her control over the Palestinian-Egyptian border and Gaza’s ports (air and sea - necessary for arms control); and they will prevent Israel from annexing those parts of the West Bank that will clearly remain Israel under any future agreement (such as Gush Etzion and Maaleh Adumim).

But nevertheless, this is a process that Israel must go through for its own sake, not for the sake of the international community.

THE DAY AFTER

The disengagement and Netanyahu’s resignation from government last week have some implication on the future of Israeli politics.

The timing of his resignation suggests that Netanyahu wanted the process of disengagement to be completed under Sharon’s tenure. Netanyahu could have quit some months back and provided strong political leadership for the anti-disengagement movement, but rather he voted for the move, sat in the government throughout its planning phase and merely stepped aside prior to implementation to position himself politically for his next battle – control of the Likud party.
At this stage, Sharon’s future as the leader of the Likud party is shaky and unless a new centrist party emerges in Israel, Sharon now has little chance of being on a ticket in next year’s election.
Sharon will be judged by his last major political move – the disengagement. A process that ends in perceived failure (such as Hamas flags waving on former settlements); on in an unclear result (the most likely result) is likely to reduce Sharon’s popularity. I see no real way of the process being a resounding success. There is only that much spin you can put on an amputation.
With Sharon and Peres out of the running for the next year’s election (barring the emergence of a new centrist party), it will be the battle for the next generation’s leadership (a la Netanyahu vs. Barak’s 1999 election. Certainly, Barak has been doing all he can to have his rematch). The question is can Israel’s next generation offer the public the same security and vision that Israel’s founding generation had?
It seems that Sharon like Barak before him have bet their political future on a single strategic move. Barak lost his bet. Let’s hope Sharon does not lose his.

2005-07-26T13:37:00.000+08:00

Israeli Soldiers and anti-disengagement protesters join up on both sides of the fence outside Kfar Maimon to make up the required quorum for afternoon prayers.

Iraq Body Count

2005-07-21T12:34:00.000+08:00

Recent media reports quoting the newly sanctioned "bureau of statistics" Iraqi Body Count (IBC) reiterated its claims that 25,881 civilians have been killed in Iraq since April 2003.

Here are some basic calculations:

IBC have claimed in the past that the 1,200 civilians who died in Afghanistan were in fact 3,800 civilians.
Considering a standard IBC exaggeration error of 216% (based on the Afghanistan statistic), the Iraqi death count should be scaled back to 8,173.
Since the liberation of Iraq, mass graves containing 400,000 people killed by Saddam Hussein have been discovered. This figure, which represents a fraction of the dead and does not account for nearly a million casualties of the Iraq-Iran war, averages nearly 17,000 people per annum over 24 years of a brutal regime.
This figure equates to 37,500 saved lives since April 2005.
Based on the above, there is a net figure of 29,327 Iraqi men and women who are walking around freely in Iraq who would be rotting in graves had Bush yielded to left wing activists that form the backbone (or lack thereof) of IBC and its sister organisations.

That’s 29,327 reasons why the liberation of Iraq was necessary and legitimate!

When factoring in what the future held under Saddam and what the future holds under the emerging democratic state, this figure expands exponentially.

An Open Letter to the Mayor of London

2005-07-21T12:12:00.000+08:00

London mayor defends the use of Palestinian suicide bombers

By Haaretz Service and News Agencies

Less than two weeks since the London terror attacks, the city's Mayor Ken Livingstone has sparked controversy by defending the use of suicide bombers in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and charging that Israel had indiscriminately slaughtered Palestinians in acts that "border on crimes against humanity."

"Given that the Palestinians don't have jet planes, don't have tanks, they only have their bodies to use as weapons," Livingstone told Sky News in an interview.

"In an unfair balance, that's what people use," said Livingstone, who has often been strongly critical of Israel in the past.

On July 7, more than 50 people died in four London bombings believed to have been carried out by suicide terrorists.

At the time, Livingstone was uncompromising in his condemnation of the terror acts.

Livingstone said that Israel has "done horrendous things which border on crimes against humanity the way they have indiscriminately slaughtered men, women and children in the West Bank and Gaza for decades."

Livingstone also said that he does not distinguish between members of Likud and Hamas, branding them "two sides of the same coin."

"I think it is the Israelis who are leading the stubborn line," said Livingstone. "The Likud and Hamas members are two sides of the same coin. They need each other in order to attract support."

"Each side emphasizes the extremism of the other in order to attract sympathy," Livingstone said.

Livingstone agreed to the interview in the wake of the media frenzy surrounding the possible visit of controversial Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who has voiced support for Palestinian suicide bombers and has been banned from entering the United States.

Livingstone denied that Qaradawi will visit London,.

"I believe it is forbidden to take human life," Livingstone said. "I will welcome and meet with senior members of the Israeli government if they come here because they serve their country's government even though I believe they have done terrible things bordering on crimes against humanity."

____________________________

Ken Livingstone
Mayor of London
Greater London Authority
City Hall
The Queen's Walk
London SE1 2AA

To the Right Honourable Mayor of London, Mr Ken Livingstone:

I can imagine that your comments (as reported in Sky News, July 20, 2005) equating the Hamas and the Likud and justifying Palestinian terrorism against innocent Israeli civilians have provoked considerable response. Accordingly, this letter may end up in the trash bin, but my hope is that either you, or one of your close aides, will nonetheless take the time to read it.

It is tragic that precisely at this momentous juncture in history, when leaders in the Muslim community in the UK and worldwide are at long last issuing unequivocal and unconditional fatwas against the murder of innocents, that a man in your position has once again found reason to condone the slaughter of my people.

From your equation of the Hamas with the Likud, one can only deduce that you are either ignorant of the historical facts and political realities of the conflict in the Middle East or impassioned by the blind hatred that has inspired so many totalitarian leaders throughout the ages to rationalise the extermination of Jews.

In the sincere hope that the moral flaw revealed through your statements is in the first category, may I remind you of the following:

The so-called "occupation" of the West Bank and Gaza began in 1967 following a defensive war that saw Egypt blocking the Gulf of Aqaba and 500,000 troops from five Arab armies poised on Israel's borders with the publicly declared aim of its destruction.
Following the conquest of these armies, Israel did what Egypt and Jordan-- the former "occupiers" of the West Bank and Gaza from 1949 -1967 who deliberately left the Palestinian refugees in squalor-- had never done; it built roads, hospitals. schools and housing. Having lived in Israel during that time period and having visited the territories, I can assure you there were no roadblocks, checkpoints or IDF raids. The Palestinians enjoyed the benefits of tourism and an unprecedented economic prosperity that continued until the outbreak of the Intifada. (It is for these economic reasons that 70% of Jerusalem Arabs are today opposed to giving up their Israeli citizenship to live under the corrupt rule of the PA).
Hamas and Islamic Jihad are fundamentalist organizations that reject the concept of a two-state solution and the existence on a Jewish state. Its leaders, like the late Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, have publicly endorsed the murder of innocent Jews, in Israel and worldwide, as legitimate tools of resistance to the "occupation". (Take note that there are 26 states officially described as "Islamic" and that the tiny sliver of the Jewish State of Israel occupies but a fraction of a percent of these vast Arab lands stretching from Morocco to Iraq.) On the contrary the Likud is a nationalist political party that, in the past, has given up territories conquered in 1967 to make peace with Egypt and Jordan, and, on numerous occasions under different governments has-- unlike the Islamic terror groups you implicitly support-- accepted the notion of a two-state coexistence.
Your spurious claim that a people without an army has no recourse but to target innocent civilians is outrageous and, as mentioned previously, reinforces a repugnant ideology that responsible Muslim leaders are only now attempting to repair. It may be somewhat understandable, though in my mind still unacceptable, to stage attacks on IDF troops stationed in what is perceived by the Palestinians as their land (technically, according to international law, it is not their land; as there never was a Palestinian state, it is legally speaking disputed rather than occupied territory.) How can any decent human being, however, justify the killing of innocent people in restaurants, busses, discotheques, synagogues and wedding halls? Furthermore, leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, who also lacked military forces at their disposal, managed to achieve independence through altogether non-violent means. If the Palestinians had had such leaders, an independent Palestinian state and peaceful co-existence would long ago have become realities rather than wistful dreams.
Intelligence from all sources, Palestinian included, reveal that the Intifada ignited by the late Yasser Arafat begun in the year 2000 was not, as many mistakenly believe, in reaction to Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount (Jewish people visit the Temple Mount all the time); but rather to Ehud Barak's offer to grant the Palestinians their very wish of an independent state on 99% of the territories with Jerusalem as its capital! Unable to co-exist with Israel, because of the same rejectionist philosophy that the Palestinian Authority, despite its public declarations, shares with its Islamofascist brethren, the response to a proposed two-state solution was the predictable bloodshed against hundreds of innocent Israeli men, women and children.
Finally, the alleged "Jenin massacre", where the IDF at great risk to its safety fought dozens of jihadists in hand-to-hand combat in the casbah, was exposed by both UN and Palestinian sources to have been a fabricated media myth. Your declarations notwithstanding, I challenge you to find even a single instance where Palestinian civilians have been deliberately targeted by the IDF or one policy statement by the Israeli government that would endorse such killings. On the contrary, soldiers are periodically brought to trial in Israel when perceived individual violations do occur. In contrast, the murder of innocent Jews is the policy of the jihadist groups; those who commit such crimes, rather than being brought to trial, are exonerated and publicly lauded as "martyrs" with the great reward of 72 virgins in paradise.

Given these indisputable facts, your seeming ignorance of them precludes you from making any political commentary on the situation. In fact, in the opinion of many, an ignorance of these truths would debar you from political office entirely, particularly in a metropolitan city like London that has large Jewish and Moslem populations.

If, however, you are aware of these facts, your declaration equating the Likud with Hamas and the justification of Palestinian terror against Israeli civilians is nothing more than racial incitement. If that is the case, rather than occupying the mayoral seat of London, your place should be behind bars, where any criminal who foments the killing of innocent people belongs.

I hope that you, or some of your more responsible associates, will take the time to read this letter, and that you will reflect on the grievous error you have made. Your insidious statements demand nothing less than an immediate retraction and apology-- not only to the government of Israel but to all peace-loving peoples worldwide who eschew the ugly, murderous ideology of terrorism.

Sincerely,

MYB
PO Box 222
Bangalow NSW 2479
AUSTRALIA

The Ultimate Torture

2005-05-26T15:37:00.000+08:00

Detainees Told FBI of Koran Desecration
Los Angeles Times

Well, there you have it: Gitmo detainees read Newsweeek - and if that 's not torture, what is?!

Pharaoh & Saddam's ungodly side

2005-05-21T22:41:00.000+08:00

Last night, a French lawyer for Saddam threatened to sue The Sun for $1million in damages.

Emmanuel Ludot said: “I think it’s a strategy duly orchestrated by the Americans to destroy the image of Saddam Hussein — to say ‘look at this man, he’s not a god, he’s only a man’.”

The Sun

And what exactly is he suggesting, that he is a god?!

According to Jewish tradition, Pharaoh tried to hide the fact that he defecated as it is unseemly for a god figure and hence used to go out early in the morning to the river where he will not be seen. I guess Saddam in his underpants is tantamount to Pharaoh shitting.

An Ode to Blair & Democracy

2005-05-06T08:40:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow I intend to go down to 10 Downing Street like many tourists in London do. However, on this day I will be able to witness the re-election of last of the “Coalition of the Willing” leaders - or the Three Musketeers as some would have it.

In a fair and a democratic society, the election is the most accurate gauge public opinion. British tabloids, American media polls and Australian news commentators have time and time again been getting the basic sentiments of society wrong. It is basic statistical dictum that a poll conducted on 10’s of millions is far more accurate than a poll conducted on 1000. When time and time again, the public manages to baffle the MSM pundits, it would suggest that the media is more out of touch with the populus than the leaders they love to bash.

After all, have the media even considered the possibility that Bush, Howard and Blair may have won ‘because’ of Iraq rather than ‘in spite of it’?!

It is high time for the media to acknowledge that this gap exists and that it is problematic. If they are to call themselves the “Fourth Estate” (after the Executive, Legislative & Judicial) and evoke the concept of ‘freedom’ to declare a free press as an untouchable cornerstone of a democratic system, they must acknowledge another tenant of democracy – ‘representation’. Like the other Estates, the media ought to be represent the nation’s opinions, not attempt to mould them; they must ensure that their editorials are not compliant with the 80:20 rule against Bush or Blair or Howard – or for that matter Michael Moore.

Thank God, the Coalition of the willing is a live and kicking and will hopefully continue to spread Democracy throughout the world, a democracy based on freedom and representation.

A Free Iraqi's Poem

2005-04-14T15:55:00.000+08:00

Two years now and
"they" still wonder
And "they" still ask Was it worth it?
Was it right?
Two years and it seems to me Like it was yesterday
Two years and "they" keep trying
To silence the voice inside us
Yet it only grows louder

I was once free When I was a kid
But when I grew up
I couldn't be the man I am
I couldn't be the kid I was
And I couldn't flee

Two years since I finally became
The man in me, and the kid in me.
And "they" want to take this away?
"They" would have to kill them both first
The man and the kid
And turn the clock back around
And still "they" can't change me back

Two years since I stopped weeping
Inside of me, day and night
Two years since the widow
Found her husband's body
In a feast of death for the human death lord.
Two years since the orphan
knew Where his father lied
And now they finally have peace
And they have a future
No matter how painful it is to go on
And their dreams still go on

Two years since I started dreaming
Dreams that have a chance
And are becoming true
Two years since I regained my heart
And then I found her...
And she found me...
And the world looked beautiful!
And "they" think they can separate us?!
Think again, or keep wishing.

Two years and some are still
Trapped in the past
And some cannot withstand the moment
And want to arrive without struggle to a better future
While others just enjoy what is already better now
And work to meet the future, bettered with them.
Two years and they ask Should I be grateful?
Am I?
Do I even need to answer that!?
YES, and to the last breath!

Ali from Baghdad, A Free Iraqi

The Australian gets it wrong

2005-04-11T11:02:00.000+08:00

THE fragile truce between Israel and the Palestinians was shaken at the weekend when Palestinian militants fired at least 60 mortar shells at Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip after Israeli soldiers killed three unarmed Palestinian youths who had entered a military no-go area on the border with Egypt.

The Australian

A short analysis of the above:

Arms: 60 mortars vs 3 bullets
Targeting: general vs specific
Victims: settlers vs "unarmed Palestinian youths"

The article is structured so that the latter imbalance justifies the former two. Later on, tucked away in the midst of the article is the following statement: "Palestinian security officials later acknowledged they were involved in an arms smuggling operation" and explains that the figures were crawling through the restricted military zone. With this in mind, is the term "unarmed Palestinian youths" correct? and accordingly, the entire framing of the article is wrongfooted.

Tensions rose further with the attempt by an extreme right-wing Jewish organisation to stage a massive pray-in yesterday on Jerusalem's Temple Mount, a site holy to both Muslims and Jews. Islamic organisations warned of the outbreak of a new intifada if Jews violated the sanctity of the site, dominated by the al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third holiest site.

Another short analysis:

Temple Mount: "a site holy to both Muslims and Jews" (joint/equal claim)
al-Aqsa mosque: Islam's third holiest site (special claim: Muslim)

The article fails to mention that the Temple Mount is (and has been for some 3000 years) Judaism's holiest site. Despite that, for the sake of the peace, Israeli police have consistently supported the WAQF (Islamic administrator of the holy site) and refused or limited Jewish entry to their holiest site. The Western Wall is the nearest Jews can get to their holy site.

(Note: Jews all around the world pray facing the temple mount, while Muslims of the middle east will face their backside to the mosque and pray to Mecca)

Further, the article fails on the facts, the temple mount is not dominated by the al-Aqsa mosque, but rather the dome of the rock - Qubbat As-Sakhrah, which does not even make the top three list. In fact, it is not even a mosque, and your local mosque and 123 Main Street is holier than this structure. The following image and links highlight this:

See Wikipedia or your encyclopedia's own definition of the terms Temple Mount, Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque.

Aerial view of Temple Mount, with the Dome of the Rock in the center and the Al Aqsa Mosque on the upper left of the compound

The Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is not to be confused with the Dome of the Rock

Pope John Paul II dies

2005-04-03T23:27:00.000+08:00

May he rest in peace.

The Pope at the Western Wall in March 2000 inserting a note that seeks forgiveness for Christian sins against Jews

Arthur Chrenkoff, one of my favourite bloggers, has a great post on the pope's death entitled My Pope. Arthur is of Polish origin and gives over a very interesting perspective. Other "must read"s are PowerLine's article on the Pope as well as Charles Krauthammer's article on the subject.

ScrappleFace's Double Whammy

2005-04-03T23:12:00.000+08:00

Condi Congratulates Zimbabwe's Mugabe on Reelection
by Scott Ott | ScrappleFace.com

(2005-04-02) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condaleezza Rice today congratulated Robert Mugabe on winning this week's free and fair presidential elections to continue his 25-year rule of Zimbabwe.

"Under Mr. Mugabe's leadership," said Secretary Rice in a written statement, "Zimbabwe has become a recognized world leader in unemployment (70%), inflation (~620%) and HIV adult prevalence rate (33.7%). Thanks to this popular, legally-reelected, leader, the average lifespan of a Zimbabwean has gone from 61 years to 34 years in just the past 15 years, making his nation one of the most rapidly-youthful in the world."

Secretary Rice hailed Mr. Mugabe's leadership as "a textbook case which will be studied in universities around the world for years to come."

In addition to his legal reelection, the 81-year-old Mr. Mugabe's party this week legally won approximately 70 seats in the 150-seat legislature, and he legally will appoint an additional 30 legislators, giving him the two-thirds majority needed legally to re-write the constitution to allow him legally to hand-pick his successor.

As a reelection gift, U.S. Ambassador Joseph Sullivan presented Mr. Mugabe with a bound copy of President George Bush's second inaugural address with this excerpt engraved on the cover.

"All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you."

Wolfowitz to End World Bank Funding of Poor Nations
by Scott Ott| ScrappleFace.com

(2005-03-31) -- Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, headed for almost-certain approval as the new chief of the World Bank, said his first official move would be to withdraw funding to poor nations whose people suffer from a "low quality of life with little hope of recovery".

"I look at some of these impoverished people and think, 'I wouldn't want to live that way'," said Mr. Wolfowitz. "The most merciful thing to do is cut their funding and let these people slip into a peaceful, euphoric state through dehydration and starvation."

The new World Bank chief said he has the authority to deprive poor nations of food and water, since their leaders have been trying to do that for years.

Terry Schiavo Dies

2005-04-01T12:47:00.000+08:00

May she rest in Peace.

(For more, see the New York Times)

The Lily Revolution

2005-03-31T23:21:00.000+08:00

Following a corrupted election in which Mugabe will be "reelected" President, the people of Zimbabwe face an window of opportunity to bring the country to a halt and force Mugabe to seek refuge elsewhere.

People of Zimbabwe, look at Georgia's Rose Revolution, Ukraine's Orange Revolution, Kyrgyzstan's Tulip Revolution & Lebanon's Cedar Revolution and be inspired.

Zimbabwe's National Flower

GLORIOSA ROTHSCHILDIANA is a native to tropical Africa. It is known as the "flame lily" in Zimbabwe. The large, claw like flowers open yellow and red and then change to a rich claret edged with gold. Their fascination lies in the way the pendulous buds turn up in a 180 degree curve and then down again. It is a very successful cut-flower that will last two weeks. A mature tuber can give up to 25 blooms. It can grow up to 1.8 meters tall and climbs using tendrils at the ends of the leaves to hold on.

Let's add a Lily to this beautiful mosaic!

Freedom's Beauty

Media Coverage during the 2004 Election Campaign

2005-03-17T20:52:00.000+08:00

The State of the Media Report by run by Journalism.org and a stroy reported on by Yahoo News came up with the following startling conclusion: media coverage of the 2004 election was slanted against Bush. After you finish gasping, you might note that this comes from a Journalist body (Strike 1) with ties to academia (Strike 2), namely Columbia Univesity - and yet even they, in a fleeting moment of self reflection, came up with the following facts:

Please note that when unspecified all TV/Media statistics of election coverage INCLUDE Fox News. Imagine what the statistics would be otherwise.

Brainwave: perhaps Fox's slogan "Fair and Balanced" does not mean that they present fair and balanced news but that it is only FAIR they tilt the scales the other way to create BALANCE.

Presidential Campaign TV Ad Spending, 2004

Cable News Believability, by Political Leaning

Bias in Campaign Coverage

Believability of Network News Outlets

Presidential Campaign News for Television Viewers - by Party

Media Outlets Ranked by Believability, 2004

Believability of News Outlets Over Time

From the people who awarded Fahrenheit 911

2005-03-08T16:42:00.000+08:00

Last Friday a suicide bomber blew himself up in Tel Aviv killing four Israelis. This was the first suicide attack in Israel since November. Five days before, on February 20, the Berlin Film Festival or “Berlinale” came to a close with the awarding of its coveted prizes. The “Blue Angel” Award for Best European Film went to what was undoubtedly the most talked about film in the competition: Hany Abu-Assad’s “Paradise Now”, a by all accounts – including the director’s – sympathetic portrayal of two young Palestinian men recruited to carry out a suicide attack in Tel Aviv. The description of the film in the Berlinale program notes that on the day of the “operation”, things do not go according to plan. “Separated from each other and left to their own devices,” the program comments, “it’s up to them to face their destiny and stand up for their convictions.”

In addition to the “Blue Angel” Award, “Paradise Now” won the “Audience Prize” sponsored by the Berlin newspaper the Morgenpost and intended to capture the sentiments of the public as opposed to the supposedly expert opinions of the jury.

Al Qaida vs The Gladiator

2005-03-08T16:15:00.000+08:00

IN one of the more bizarre terror plots hatched by al-Qaeda, Australian actor Russell Crowe was the target of a kidnapping scheme as part of a "cultural destabilisation plan".

Crowe has revealed he was approached by the FBI in the months leading up to his Academy Award win for Gladiator in 2001 and warned, vaguely, of the threat: "That was the first (time) I'd ever heard the phrase al-Qaeda.

It was about - and here's another little touch of irony - taking iconographic Americans [Neo: !!!] out of the picture as a sort of cultural destabilisation plan."

entertainment.news.com.au

Italian Hostage Botch Up

2005-03-07T00:37:00.000+08:00

Sgrena told colleagues the vehicle was not travelling fast and had already passed several checkpoints on its way to the airport. The Americans shone a flashlight at the car and then fired between 300 and 400 bullets at if from an armoured vehicle.

Guardian

Let's examine this statement:

We're supposed to believe that the car she was in took three to four hundred rounds from an armored vehicle, and only one person was killed? An armored vehicle usually has a 50 caliber machine gun mounted on it, or an MK-19 grenade launcher, it would have made Swiss cheese out of that car and all of its occupants. (Hat tip: Marty)
Sgrenger now claims that there were no lights or signals. (Fox News)
If the US intended to assasinate her, as she claims, why on earth did they evacuate her and the occupants of the car to a hospital for treatment?! (Hat Tip: Amos)

It almost looks like she's sniffing for a cause after being bought out of captivity by one of Bush's staunchest allies - the government of Berlusconi. She thanked her captors (!), shunned the Italian government and claimed to be a US assasination target.

Before conspiracy theorists start theorising, is it not possible that there was a beakdown in communication, the car sped and failed to stop, a soldier pacicked and pressed the trigger and his comrades joined the shootout?! That seems far more reasonable than any alternative I have read so far.

---------------------------------------
UPDATE 8 March 2005

Who does this "B" grade journalist think she is that she is worthy of an assassination plot?
In her latest version, she had tanks firing at her (and yet she walks out in one piece)
She admits that the car had lost control shortly before - which could concur with the US account.
The italian press is reporting that Italian intelligence authorities seem to have paid the ransom for Sgrena without informing their American counterparts. Effective communication would have probably prevented the tragedy.
So the terrorist's got their "cause" promoted on the Italian media in the first instance; cashed in a hefty cheque; and ended up walking away with an even greater media coup than they had in the begining.
Is Italy suffering from Spanish Mini-Cohones Syndrome?

Black and White Vision

2005-03-06T10:44:00.000+08:00

What we are seeing in the Middle East now is a very promising sign that in a number of places democracy and hope are both starting to emerge...

You've had the democratic election of Mahmoud Abbas by the Palestinians and, for the first time in years, there's a real prospect of some settlement. You've seen these very helpful developments in Syria (and) municipal elections in Saudi Arabia and even a multi-candidate slate for the presidential elections in Egypt.

These things wouldn't have been thought remotely possible a year ago, and I have no doubt that ... one of the reasons ... was the overthrow of Saddam Hussein...

Those who were so ready to condemn the coalition, particularly the Americans, for what they did in Iraq should bear that in mind.

John Howard, Australian Prime Minister - News.com.au

Isn't it ironic that it is the "Arab Street", the nuances of which only Europe and the political left supposedly understood, that has bought in to Bush's "cowboy vision" of good and evil, freedom and oppression, tyranny and democracy?!

The Iraqi elections proved the hitherto commonly held notion that Arabs are A) incapable and/or B) undeserving of democracy - a fallacy. It took a man of black and white to rid the world of a grey notion.

In fact, the premise of basic human rights is set on black and white principals that apply to all people and all times at all places - a very ablolutist notion. The left's dependency on relativism has pushed Human Rights championship away from them to the political right.

Let no one fool you, all the changes that are taking place in the middle east would have not occurred but not for Bush's brazen vision. There were no wheels in motion prior to Iraq. On all fronts, the wheels were well and truly bogged down.

Much of the world owes an apology to President Bush, a man whom history-in-the-making is proving right.

Mark Steyn on voting & gloating

2005-03-04T17:44:00.000+08:00

THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY
One man, one gloat

The Arab's Berlin Wall has Crumbled

2005-03-02T02:27:00.000+08:00

Three years ago - April 6 2002, if you want to rummage through the old Spectators in the attic - I wrote: "The stability junkies in the EU, UN and elsewhere have, as usual, missed the point. The Middle East is too stable. So, if you had to pick only one regime to topple, why not Iraq? Once you've got rid of the ruling gang, it's the West's best shot at incubating a reasonably non-insane polity. That's why the unravelling of the Middle East has to start not in the West Bank but in Baghdad."

I don't like to say I told you so. But, actually, I do like to say I told you so...

Consider just the past couple of days' news: not the ever more desperate depravity of the floundering "insurgency", but the real popular Arab resistance the car-bombers and the head-hackers are flailing against: the Saudi foreign minister, who by remarkable coincidence goes by the name of Prince Saud, told Newsweek that women would be voting in the next Saudi election. "That is going to be good for the election," he said, "because I think women are more sensible voters than men."

Four-time Egyptian election winner - and with 90 per cent of the vote! - President Mubarak announced that next polling day he wouldn't mind an opponent. Ordering his stenographer to change the constitution to permit the first multi-choice presidential elections in Egyptian history, His Excellency said the country would benefit from "more freedom and democracy". The state-run TV network hailed the president's speech as a "historical decision in the nation's 7,000-year-old march toward democracy". After 7,000 years on the march, they're barely out of the parking lot, so Mubarak's move is, as they say, a step in the right direction.

Meanwhile in Damascus, Boy Assad, having badly overplayed his hand in Lebanon and after months of denying that he was harbouring any refugee Saddamites, suddenly discovered that - wouldja believe it? - Saddam's brother and 29 other bigshot Baghdad Baathists were holed up in north-eastern Syria, and promptly handed them over to the Iraqi government.

And, for perhaps the most remarkable development, consider this report from Mohammed Ballas of Associated Press: "Palestinians expressed anger on Saturday at an overnight suicide bombing in Tel Aviv that killed four Israelis and threatened a fragile truce, a departure from former times when they welcomed attacks on their Israeli foes."

Why is all this happening? Answer: January 30. Don't take my word for it, listen to Walid Jumblatt, big-time Lebanese Druze leader and a man of impeccable anti-American credentials: "I was cynical about Iraq. But when I saw the Iraqi people voting three weeks ago, eight million of them, it was the start of a new Arab world. The Berlin Wall has fallen."

The Telegraph

The Colour of Change

2005-03-02T00:59:00.000+08:00

DayByDay

This process of change has started because of the American invasion of Iraq

Walid Jumblatt (Lebanese Opposition Leader)

The Cedar Revolution has arrived!

2005-03-01T09:26:00.000+08:00

Lebanon's pro-Syrian PM resigns
Monday, February 28, 2005

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- The Lebanese government abruptly resigned Monday during a stormy parliamentary debate, prompting a tremendous roar from tens of thousands of anti-government protesters in central Beirut.

The demonstrators, awash in a sea of red, white and green Lebanese flags, had demanded the pro-Syrian government's resignation -- and the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon -- since this month's assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Demonstrators in Beirut's Martyrs Square chanted, "Syria out! Syria out!" after Prime Minister Omar Karami announced his resignation in a speech aired by the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation.

..."The battle is long, and this is the first step, this is the battle for freedom, sovereignty and independence," Ghattas Khouri told a cheering protest in central Beirut, according to Reuters.

CNN

For coverage of the current revolution, see Publius Pundit, LebanonWire, & AccrossTheBay. For an historical overview of Syria's occupation of Lebanon, see LGIC. The page comparing Assad's regime to Saddam Hussain's is particularly interesting.

There are some very positive signd that Syria is buckling under pressure and there have even been some indications from Syrian quarters that a withdrawal will take place in the latter part of this year (this is probably too late for the Lebanese on the street). Other than that, Syria has been accused by Israel of harbouring the terrorist organisation who carried out the Tel Aviv homocide attack over the weekend in an effort to destablise the fledgling PA-Israel ties, and Israeli foreign minister had strong words to say about their unfriendly neighbour.

Syria has also made two drastic steps today which seem to indicate that the regime is struggling to stay afloat. Firstly, "Syria has handed over Saddam Hussein’s half-brother. Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan al-Tikriti who is one of the most wanted leaders in Iraq’s Sunni-based Iraqi insurgency" (CBS) [neo: It seems that Syrian Kurds handed him over to their Iraqi brethren - the suggestion is that Syria turned a blind eye or even facilitated it to reduce the pressure it is under]. Secondly, "Syria agreed today to hand back to Jordan a huge tract of land along their border, heralding a new era in ties with Amman after disagreements over the Middle East peace process and US policy in Iraq" (News.com.au). Pretty desperate moves for a hetherto intransigent regime.

We don't think Syria should remain in Lebanon. Their occupation should come to an end...

We should isolate the extremists and empower the moderates... We should isolate the extremists -- that means Syria, Iran, the Hizbollah, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad and at the same try to work together with Egypt, Jordan, Abu Mazen (Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas) the north African countries and the Gulf states.

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom - LebanonWire

The United States and France also reiterate our call for the full and immediate implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1559. That means that full and immediate withdrawal of all Syrian military and intelligence forces from Lebanon. And it means the consolidation of security responsibilities under the authority of a Lebanese government free from foreign domination.

We strongly believe that the people of Lebanon must have the opportunity to make their own political choices, without threats of violence and intimidation. They must have the opportunity to chart their own course through free and fair parliamentary elections this spring, bolstered by an international observer presence prior to and during the elections.

Joint Statement by The United States and France on Lebanon, Department of State - Office of the Spokesman, March 01 2005 - AccrossTheBay

The Cedar Revolution

The Cedar Revolution

The Cedar Revolution

Old Europe & Old Love

2005-02-25T17:26:00.000+08:00

International relations are like ex-girlfriends: if you're still deluding yourself you can get her back, every encounter will perforce be fraught and turbulent; once you realise that's never gonna happen, you can meet for a quick decaf latte every six – make that 10 – months and do the whole hey-isn't-it-terrific-the-way-we're-able-to-be-such-great-friends routine because you couldn't care less. You can even make a few pleasant noises about her new romance (the so-called European Constitution) secure in the knowledge he's a total loser.

Mark Steyn

2005-02-24T11:41:00.000+08:00

Conspiracy Theory: The 2004 Elections

Sharon on France

2005-02-24T09:44:00.000+08:00

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told television talk-show host and comedian Eli Yatzpan that France favored the Arab states, and criticized its refusal to condemn Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

"First of all, the French are pro-Arab," Sharon told Yatzpan yesterday in an interview conducted while strolling around Sharon's ranch.

"One of the strangest things is that France is not prepared in any way to define Hezbollah as a terror group, though it is one of the most dangerous ones in existence," he said, referring to the Lebanon-based group.

Haaretz

"The Berlin Wall Has Fallen"

2005-02-24T09:35:00.000+08:00

The leader of this Lebanese intifada is Walid Jumblatt, the patriarch of the Druze Muslim community and, until recently, a man who accommodated Syria's occupation... Over the years, I've often heard him denouncing the United States and Israel, but these days, in the aftermath of Hariri's death, he's sounding almost like a neoconservative. He says he's determined to defy the Syrians until their troops leave Lebanon and the Lahoud government is replaced.

It's strange for me to say it, but this process of change has started because of the American invasion of Iraq," explains Jumblatt. "I was cynical about Iraq. But when I saw the Iraqi people voting three weeks ago, 8 million of them, it was the start of a new Arab world." Jumblatt says this spark of democratic revolt is spreading. "The Syrian people, the Egyptian people, all say that something is changing. The Berlin Wall has fallen. We can see it."

Washington Post

Second Thoughts: Bush in Germany

2005-02-24T09:08:00.000+08:00

When the voter turnout in Iraq recently exceeded that of many Western nations, the chorus of critique from Iraq alarmists was, at least for a couple of days, quieted. Just as quiet as the chorus of Germany experts on the night of Nov. 9, 1989 when the Wall fell.

Just a thought for Old Europe to chew on: Bush might be right, just like Reagan was then.

Der Spiegel

Hat Tip: Chrenkoff

Good News from Gaza

2005-02-23T23:00:00.000+08:00

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia does not intend to present a new cabinet for parliamentary approval on Wednesday or Thursday, sources close to Qureia said on Wednesday.

In such a case, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas may decide as early as Thursday to entrust the task of forming a new government on a new candidate for the premier post.

"There is an internal plot in the [Palestinian ruling party] Fatah to hamper any cabinet presented he will present, and therefore he does not intend to do so," the sources close to Qureia said.

Haaretz

Although this may add to instability, the net effect of replacing Abu Alla with a non "old guard" member is likely to be a move in the right direction. The new government of Abu Mazen is future focused with some good technocrats on board (and the wild & powerful Dahlan). Remember, Arafat chose Abu Alla as his candidate of choice when he overthrew Abu Mazen (hence the name of an Abu Alla support base: "the Loyal Sons of Yassar Arafat"). If you are after a candidate who wants progression, here's a tip: don't back the guy Arafat backed.

Palestinian legislature continues to withhold confirmation from PM Qureia’s cabinet even after he scrapped first lineup and promised professionals, except for two ministers, instead of corruption-tainted veterans.

Main opposition comes from Qureia-Abbas’ own Fatah majority. DEBKAfile reports PA Chairman Abbas is manipulating Fatah to sustain crisis and humiliate Qureia until he quits. PM expected to resign if no majority Thursday.

Debka

See also debka's report about Dahlan's assassins - "Dahlan’s Death Squads Bring a Bit of Iraq to Gaza Strip". I still think overall this guy is a good influence in Gaza - despite his shortcomings - which doesn't say much about the Gaza leadership slate.

Tony & Son

2005-02-22T19:43:00.000+08:00

An Australian reunion with a twist

Abbott says he want to make a fresh start with his new-found son

An Australian minister who was reunited with the son he placed for adoption 27 years ago found out they had been working in the same building.

Health Minister Tony Abbott said he was "flabbergasted" when he was contacted by Daniel O'Connor, the boy he and his teenage girlfriend last saw in 1977.

Both men realised they had been working close by in parliament where Mr O'Connor is a sound technician.

"I think it is a wonderful story," said Prime Minister John Howard.

Mr Abbott told reporters about his Christmas reunion with the son he had last held as a five-day-old baby.

BBC News (For more of the story, click on the link)

A nice, heartwarming story! And for those who will no doubt try and portray Mr Abbott as hypocritical due to his conservative stance on abortion, the opposite is true. Adoption, in many cases, is a viable alternative to abortion. And unlike abortion, and adoption results in all parties benefiting (even 27 years later...) including the biological parents, the step parents and most of all - the child. The latter point is emphasised by Daniel's first words to his biological father: "Thank you for having me".

An Ode to Chrenkoff

2005-02-22T13:12:00.000+08:00

Arthur Chrenkoff has outdone himself with this great interview with author and scholar Michael Ledeen in Blog interview titled "Never, never, ever give in to tyranny"

Also, check out his killer (excuse the pun) news roundup from Lebanon.

An Enemy Called...

2005-02-22T10:22:00.000+08:00

Linda Heard is a British editor, journalist and columnist currently based in Cairo where she is a correspondent for the English-language Saudi daily The Arab News...

Linda’s road has often been a lonely one since she refuses to align herself with any political system, party, activist group, or campaigning society. Without the constraints of ‘belonging’ and having to toe an official line, she strives to be an objective observer of the international political arena [Neo: Thesis].

...“When I hear the hauntingly beautiful call of the muezzin, I know I’m home,” she is known to say. [Neo: Anti-thesis]

Due to decades of witnessing so many good things about Arab culture - hospitality, compassion, charity and respect for family values - Linda feels that the Arabs, and even Islam, are currently being maligned by leaders of Western powers to suit their own power-led agendas. [Neo: Syn-thesis?!]

An Enemy Called Apathy

Palestine is occupied. Iraq is occupied. Afghanistan, the Middle East, Gulf and the Caspian are seething with US military personnel, pilots, submarines, Apache gun-ships, fighter jets and spy drones. Iran and Syria are being threatened [Neo: Oh No!!! Heaven forbid!]. And yet, it is absolutely imperative that Syria quits Lebanon tout suite, or so goes the White House line.

Naturally, the vast majority of the Lebanese want a complete Syrian withdrawal in the same way that Palestinians want to reclaim their land and Iraqis want the invaders out (except those in government suffering from severely twisted arms [Neo: by the hands of the terrorists or the Americans?!]). What human being on earth wants foreigners dictating their “do’s and don’ts” or telling them how their country should be run?

But there is a fundamental difference between the Syrian “occupation” and the others previously mentioned. The Syrians were invited into Lebanon in 1976 when the country’s civil war was at its bloodiest to bring stability [Neo's Newsflash: The Israelis were also invited to protect the Christians and were greeted with rice and flowers in 1982]. Over time, this it helped to achieve [Neo: would you also credit Israel with that?! Would you also credit the USSR for promoting global stability through MAD - technically true but odd...].

Furthermore, the Syrians have long said they have a plan for a staged withdrawal [Neo: staged over another 31 years, no doubt], which is more than one can say for the Americans in Iraq. Indeed, its troop levels are already substantially down.

...Put simply, the Syrians have overstayed their welcome, although given that Lebanon doesn’t possess an army to speak of, it has always maintained it would leave when the Israelis quit Lebanese land (there is still the Shiba Farms issue outstanding) and the Palestinians received their much-coveted state [Neo: Hold on a sec, the problem with Israel giving back Shiba Farms to Lebanon is that Syria is the country that is laying claim to the small land area. Further, the UN confirmed it was never part of Lebanese territory and as such concluded that Israel withdrew in full. So, no issues are outstanding! And as for the "much-coveted" Palestinian state - what does that have to do with Syria's occupation of Lebanon. Are they holding a fellow Arab country at ransom for the sake of a third Arab national group]. At the same time, Syria has long been attempting to hold peace negotiations with Israel, which still occupies its strategic Golan Heights, but has been constantly rebuffed [Neo: For two important reasons: 1) Sharon is not going to offer Assad a breather when the pressure cooker is on 2) Barak's attempts proved that Israel cannot negotiate on two fronts at the same time for internal reasons].

In addition, Syria was a main player in the “war on terror” during the months following the Sept. 11 attacks in the US [Neo: Interesting hypothesis] when both No. 10 and Buckingham Palace received Bashar and his wife as honored guests. What has changed?

...Then along came the tragic assassination of Lebanon’s former and widely beloved Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut’s downtown, which he so lovingly restored. Who did it?

“Syria,” said the US in nonverbal terms by withdrawing their ambassador and demanding the immediate Syrian pull out of Lebanon. No proof, nothing.

In the same way that individuals have been branded as terrorist supporters and bundled off in chains to Guantanamo, Bagram or Abu Ghraib, so Syria has been effectively labeled Hariri’s killer [Neo: I can't pin point why, but this victim story isn't working for me. Maybe if I see Assad sexually humiliated...].

For its part, Syria maintains Hariri was a friend [Neo: That's news to us all including Hariri and Syria itself] and has pointed out that it wouldn’t be in its interests to have him killed, especially in the light of so many international knives out for its blood. What could Syria possibly have to gain? We shouldn’t forget, too, that Bashar is highly educated and intelligent, not someone who would be stupid enough to believe Syria could get away with such an outrageous act [Neo: So, unlike the past half a dozen political assassinations committed by Syria, they now have a dentist at the realm who wouldn't dare do anything but remove Hariri's plaque].

Unfortunately, those Lebanese, who have united against Syria following Hariri’s demise, have fallen right into the trap.

Once again, Syria is not the aggressor here... [Neo: "Once again", let's ignore its acts of aggression of 1948, 1967, 1973, 1974, 1982, 2003, etc.] It is time for the Lebanese to decide where they stand during these threatening times. Their choices are thus. They can go shoulder to shoulder with their Syrian cousins, or trust the Americans and the Israelis to secure their safety and future prosperity?... [Neo: I think Lebanon is making its choice loud and clear. Long live the Cedar Revolution!]

Arab News

Bush's Doublespeak

2005-02-21T23:14:00.000+08:00

Our greatest opportunity and immediate goal is peace in the Middle East. After many false starts and dashed hopes and stolen lives, a settlement of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is now within reach.

America and Europe have made a moral commitment: We will not stand by as another generation in the Holy Land grows up in an atmosphere of violence and hopelessness.

America and Europe also share a strategic interest. By helping to build a lasting peace, we will remove an unsettled grievance that is used to stir hatred and violence across the Middle East.

Our efforts are guided by a clear vision: We're determined to see two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. The Palestinian people deserve a government that is representative, honest and peaceful. The people of Israel need an end to terror and a reliable, steadfast partner for peace. And the world must not rest until there is a just and lasting resolution to this conflict.

All the parties have responsibilities to meet.

Arab states must end incitement in their own media, cut off public and private funding for terrorism, stop their support for extremist education, and establish normal relations with Israel.

Palestinian leaders must confront and dismantle terrorist groups, fight corruption, encourage free enterprise, and rest true authority with the people. Only a democracy can serve the hopes of Palestinians and make Israel secure and raise the flag of a free Palestine.

A successful Palestinian democracy should be Israel's top goal as well. So Israel must freeze settlement activity, help Palestinians build a thriving economy, and ensure that a new Palestinian state is truly viable, with contiguous territory on the West Bank.

A state of scattered territories will not work.

The Guardian - Transcript of Bush Remarks in Belgium

In his effort to appease European nations who were not there when he needed them most, President George Bush laid on the line his closest ally - the State of Israel. Until now, Bush has always referred to Israel's obligation to allow for "contiguous" (as oppose to "continuous") territory to make up the West Bank component of the new Palestinian state. He has now gone a step further and hinted that he has blurred the line between contiguous and continuous and requires the territories not to be scattered. This wording posses serious problems for the State of Israel and allows for a fet a compli declaration of borders resembling the pre 1967 borders.

The reference seems to indicate that Barak's Camp David proposal is no longer good enough in the eyes of the US administration. This gives in to the European position that despite the fact that the territory covered 90 odd percent (it varies somewhat by method of calculation) of land and included 98% of West Bank Palestinians, it was not attractive as it was quartered (allowing for potential road blocks in the event of a terror attack).

It is vital for Israel's sake and for the sake of peace seeking nations around the world that the Palestinian position after resorting to 4 years of violence is somewhat worse than the position they could have had if not for their choice to walk out at Camp David. Otherwise, there is no potential territorial loss from leaving the negotiation table and trying to force a better hand through terrorism. This is the same reason why Israel must not return to the pre-1967 borders - the instigators of a war must know that the downside of defeat is real and permanent.

Bush seeks to get out of Iraq and has made the strategic decision that the Europeans can be of use to him at this stage. As he is requesting European help with Iraq and a consolidated position on nuclear states, they hold the chips in the bargaining process, and he has offered them the only chip he can still play with - Israel's future.

The new "Intifada"

2005-02-20T23:41:00.000+08:00

The Lebanese opposition has declared an "intifada" against the current Lebanese regime and Syria following last week's assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.

The opposition in Lebanon is demanding a complete withdrawal of Syrian troops from the country. The opposition, declaring its "intifada of independence" on Friday, said it was directed against the Lebanese and Syrian governments, in response to their "crimes." It announced it would not participate in parliamentary elections, slated for May, as long as Syria's occupation of Lebanon continues. Opposition leaders met Friday at Beirut's Bristol Hotel, where they decided not to resign, so as not to forsake the political arena to Syrian loyalists.

HaArtetz

If this Intifada eventuates, it would be the fifth uprising the Middle East has experienced in recent history and forebodes severe blood loss. The others include the Shia uprising against Saddam in the early 90's, both Palestinian uprisings of the late 80's and the current/recent one; and the 2003 Kurdish uprising against Syria.

It seems that many within and out of Lebanon consider the Hariri's death to be attributable to Syrian intelligence agents. This brings me to the Al Jazeera poll which offered the following choices for the culprits: a) Israeli agents b) American agents c) Syrian rebels d) Lebanese rebels e) others. Considering that rebels of the Labanese puppet government alse rebels against Syria and are likely to hold similar ideals of democracy advocated by Israel as a regional model and the USA as a global model, the choice is as genuine as the choice in the following statement: you are to a) yourself b) your mother's child c) your child's parent d) your siblings' sibling.

And yes, it seems that Al Jazeera has added this one to the list of acts that Israel has shot itself in the foot just so that it looks like an Arab is holding the smoking gun - September 11th; Tsunami; Hariri; etc.

And this from a publication with volatile reliability (although they are sometimes very right):

Monday, February 21, presidents George W. Bush and Jacques Chirac meet in Paris. With Lebanon at the forefront of their agenda, they will have to look hard at some tough questions. How to handle the situation if Assad orders his Syrian troops in Lebanon to march on Beirut in defense of his puppet government? And worse still, what if the full weight of the Syrian army is sent across the border to squash the uprising? Will the two Western leaders dispatch a joint US-French force to repulse the Syrian onslaught?

If they did, it would be the most drastic event to hit the Middle East since the March 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. The second American invasion of an Arab land might this time be partnered or endorsed by a European power.

To force the hands of the American and French presidents, the leaders of the Lebanese uprising are preparing a spectacular event to coincide with their summit. One proposal is for a hundreds of thousands of protesters to march through Beirut’s streets and seize the parliament building.

Other “intifada” events in the planning:

Giant rallies to strangle normal life in the capital.

A human chain from Hariri’s tomb to government headquarters on the seam-line dividing the Hizballah-dominated southern district from the Christian-controlled West that would aim to paralyze government activity.

Opposition leaders have notified Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, head of the Shiite Amal, that the only session they will allow to be held is an open debate on the murder of the former prime minister that produces the formation of a state inquiry commission. This commission’s mandatory guideline must be to call General Rostum Ghazallah as its first witness.

The mobilization of Lebanese expatriate communities in the United States and Europe for synchronized street rallies to generate broad international popular sympathy on the same lines as Ukraine’s Orange Revolution.

Armenian Christians in Lebanon and Western countries will be asked to join the struggle.

Debka

Disengagement Plan wins 59:40

2005-02-18T15:16:00.000+08:00

Ariel Sharon & Shimon Peres voting for the disengagement plan

The Unholy Trinity

2005-02-16T23:29:00.001+08:00

An unholy trinity (sorry, "axis of evil" has been used already) is being fostered between Iran, Syria and the Hizbollah. Although they were always loosely affiliated via Hizbollah, it seems like Iran and Syria wish to embolden their direct ties to counterweight US pressure. It seems both nations fear the second Bush term.

The timing is particularly interesting considering the assassination of former Lebanese PM Rafiq Hariri in Beirut yesterday, the worsening of US-Syrian relations and the Iranian nuclear showdown.

Iran and Syria say they are to form a common front to face challenges and threats from overseas.

"We are ready to help Syria on all grounds to confront threats," Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref said after meeting Syrian PM Naji al-Otari.

Both countries are under intense US pressure, with Washington accusing Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons.

BBC

UPDATE: Al Hariti's Assassination

2005-02-16T21:32:00.000+08:00

Hizbollah suspected in killing

ISRAELI Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom indicated today that his government believed the Syrian-backed Hizbollah militia may have been involved in former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri's killing. "We do not have a definite guess" as to who was behind the explosion
that killed Hariri in Beirut on Monday, Mr Shalom told reporters during a visit to London.

"We know that there are many powers that are the enemies of the efforts to develop democratic institutions or democratic systems in Lebanon," Mr Shalom said.

"Democracy is good for the Lebanese. I'm not so sure it is good for the Syrians. But to tell you now that specifically that the (Syrian-backed) Hezbollah were behind it, I cannot tell you now," Mr Shalom said.

The Australian

Funeral of Rafiq Hariri - Beirut 16.02.05

It seems that some kudos is due to Kirk Sowell (see previous post) for predicting Hizbollah's involvement and for forecasting an outcry - although it is still shy of a revolution.

In another Middle Eastern report, they mentioned this interesting fact: Hariri's vehicle had advanced technology preventing it to be rigged with explosives (a common assassination tactic). If a suicide bomber is not found to have been present, then it would suggest the use of advanced explosives - with the finger pointing to a sophiticated regime or a backed terror organisation rather than the unknown group who claimed responsibility. It will be interesting to see what the final findings are (if they are not tainted)

Funeral of Rafiq Hariri - Beirut 16.02.05

Al Hariri's Assassination

2005-02-16T15:05:00.000+08:00

Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri has been assassinated by a suicide bomber. A Shia terrorist group calling itself “Victory and Jihad” has taken credit, and the Lebanese opposition is blaming Syria, of whom Hariri was a critic... Al-Jazeera showed a video of the terrorist organization taking credit for the assassination. The man, identified by Al-Hayat as Ahmad Abu Ads, a Palestinian, read from a written statement, stating that Hariri's killing was necessary to rid "Bilad al-Sham" - Greater Syria - of "unbelievers."

Kirh Sowell's Arab World Analysis

Kirk Sowell goes on further to suggest that this group may not be an external international terrorist as has been suggested by Lebanon but rather a branch of the Hizbollah. His analysis makes some sense considering Al Hariri's anti-Syrian stance - which is one of two Hizbollah sponsors - as well as the statements made against Saudi Arabia, a theological competitor to the Shiite Hizbollah. Hizbollah is the only major pro-Syrian Shiite terror organisation. The US took the opinion that Syria had a hand in this (which does not necessarily contradict the aforementioned thesis) and recalled its ambassador from Syria (NY Post's US YANKS ENVOY OVER LEB SLAY is unmatched in eloquence) while France is calling for an international inquiry on the matter. In fact, this seems to mark the first occsaion in recent history that the US and France see eye to eye on a major geopolitical event (See The Seatle Post on this).

Lebanon has a long history of political assassination and Syria seems to have a hand in most of them, including President-elect Bashir Gemayel in September 1982 which in turn sparks the Sabra & Shatila massacre by Christian Fallanja loyal to Gemayel, leading to a longer than anticipated Israeli entanglement in Lebanon and the escalation of a fierce civil war.

It would be interesting to learn what the modus operandi for the latest attack was. Early reports suggested a car bomb and this seems consistent with the level of damage caused. However, the latest reports from Lebanon suggest this is the act of a suicide bomber. As car bombs were typical of Syrian assassination while suicide bombings are a modus operandi that is atypical of Syria or even Hizbollah (which at one point condemned suicide bombings as un-Islamic), the distinction between the two methods has significant repercussions on the "who done it" analysis.

Al Hariri assasination bombing - Beirut 14.02.05

Hundreds of thousands of mourners swarmed the streets of Beirut in a sea of Lebanese flags, chanting slogans against Syria, as the funeral cortege made its way to Mr Hariri's final resting place at a mosque in the centre of the capital.
The murder of Mr Hariri, a billionaire businessman and five-time prime minister who resigned over the dominant role Damascus played in his country, stoked fears across the globe of a return to the dark days of the 1975-1990 civil war.

Mr Hariri was killed on Monday with 14 other people, including seven of his bodyguards, when a huge explosion ripped through his motorcade in Beirut, leaving a trail of carnage and destruction not seen in the capital since the war.

"Beirut weeps for its martyr. Beirut salutes Rafiq Hariri," said of the many banners hung in streets in the capital along with black flags and posters of the man regarded as the father of the country post-war reconstruction.

News.com.au

Sowell suggests that this public dissent of Syria might spark the "Orange revolution" of Lebanon. I am not so optimistic, but my fingers are crossed (or tied up in a convoluted multi-ethnic sign - for the politically correct amongst us). Whatever happens, Syria is definitely caught between a rock and a hard place.

The UN's "Oil for Spoils" Program

2005-02-16T09:27:00.001+08:00

In the second hearing by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) on the United Nations Oil-for-Food Program, Chairman Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) said new evidence suggests Benon Sevan, former Executive Director of the U.N. Office of the Iraq Program, personally received oil allocations worth $1.2 million and called for the United Nations to waive Sevan’s diplomatic immunity from criminal prosecution immediately. The Oil-for-Food program (OFF) was instigated in 1996 to provide food, medicine and humanitarian goods for the Iraqi people through the controlled sale of Iraqi oil, but ultimately generated an estimated $21.3 billion in illegal revenue for Saddam Hussein through smuggling, kickbacks, and other schemes in contravention of U.N. sanctions regimes.

...“The gross mismanagement of almost every aspect of the Oil-for-Food program is simply inexcusable and wasted over $690 million,” Coleman said. “Every organization has its shortcomings, but I cannot recall any organization where the scope of its problems encompassed every basic management skill needed to ensure an effective program. American taxpayers pay close to 22 percent of the U.N.’s operating costs. They need assurances that their tax dollars are well spent, especially in light of the fact that sanctions will likely be imposed upon rogue nations in the future.”

Senator Norm Coleman Website

This goes to the heart of the case for invading Iraq. The status quo that existed at the time was just not a viable alternative. I have heard many criticisms of the war for Iraq, and many have their merits, but I have yet to hear a viable alternative to the confrontation.

Lifting the sanction would have set a destructive precedent and as such was not an option;
Keeping the sanctions in full would have killed many more Iraqis. Even if you accept Iraqi statistics, over 10 times more people died as a result of sanctions (which no longer exist) than did in the war and its aftermath; And
The Oil for Food program put the oil in the wrong hands and the food in the wrong mouths.

War was the only choice. It was the option with the lowest human-cost.

Dreading Democracy

2005-02-15T21:38:00.000+08:00

GM at Big Pharaos laments the lack of coverage of the Iraqi election in the Egyptian government controlled daily Al Ahram

When it turned out that the streets of Baghdad were not filled with blood, when it turned out that the only stain on that day was on the voters’ fingers (and it was purple and not red), my dear newspaper threw Iraq’s landmark elections to the bottom of its page. What a shame.

Why are they afraid of Iraq’s elections? Are they afraid to show that America’s plan might look as if it is working? Are they afraid lest people recognize that they were ranting on the wrong side ever since Saddam’s statue fell? Or are they afraid to show that yesterday’s winners did not win by 99.99999%?

It would seem that Arab dictatorships are very converned about Iraq's democratic triumph inspiring repeats in the rest of the Arab world in much the same way as Belarus is concerned about the spillover effect from Kiev (For more on this, read ZUBR). Freedom is infectious!

One correction though - Saddam Hussein did not get 99% of the vote. In fact the figure was 104%

Valentines Day Special: Iran does not love Israel

2005-02-14T17:02:00.000+08:00

Iran won't recognise Israel: spokesman
05:50 AEDT Mon Feb 14 2005

AP - An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said it won't recognise Israel and it's not ready to compromise on its position.

Iran and Israel have been bitter enemies for years - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called Israel a "cancerous tumour" that must be wiped out from the Middle East - but European leaders have recently suggested to Iran that it recognise Israel.

"No. We don't recognise Israel ... and we are not ready to compromise over this with any country," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters.

Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, has repeatedly said the destruction of Israel is the only way to solve the problems of the Middle East.

But other Iranian officials have signalled a softer tone, calling for a free, democratic referendum to decide the fate of the conflict.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said recently that American differences with Iran go well beyond its nuclear program, saying it was "really hard to find common ground with a government that thinks Israel should be extinguished".

Ninemsn

Iraqi democracy wins!

2005-02-14T14:06:00.000+08:00

13 February 2005 -- Iraq's Independent Election Commission today announced the final results of the 30 January general election, the first free poll in the country in five decades.

The main Shi'ite list won a victory, taking about 48 percent of the votes cast, according to the official figures. The United Iraqi Alliance took over 4 million of the 8.55 million votes cast.

A Kurdish alliance was second with 2.17 million votes, while third place went to interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's list with
about 1.16 million.

The commission said 58 percent of the country's registered voters cast ballots.

Commission member Farid Ayar told reporters, "Today marks the birth of a new Iraq and a free people."

Radio Free Iraq
See also Iraq Votes 2005

UPDATE 2: Mithal Al-Alousi

2005-02-14T13:17:00.000+08:00

January 28, 2005
Profile of an Iraqi Politician
By James J. Na

"I would like to thank the United States for liberating Iraq from Saddam Hussein's terror," said the quiet man on the podium. There was a momentary, almost stunned silence, which was quickly followed by a raucous cheer from the audience. The place was Herzliya, Israel -- yes, Israel -- and the speaker was Mithal al-Alusi, then the director general of the Supreme National Commission for De-Baathification in Iraq.

Last September, I attended a conference on counter-terrorism in Herzliya, which drew security experts, military and law enforcement officers, policymakers and researchers from around the world. Al-Alusi's participation -- in an event taking place in Israel -- was not much heralded before the conference. He seemingly slipped into the proceedings, made a plainspoken declaration devoid of any bluster and then discussed the prospect of stability in Iraq.

Al-Alusi's words and action were both daring and significant. Here was an official from the "new" Iraq who publicly thanked the United States for liberation and dared to visit Israel openly. I excitedly called my wife back in the United States, hoping that she caught press coverage of this development.

There was not much coverage in the Western media. In fact, I had to do some digging to find an odd article or two about it later.

My wife's reaction at the time, characteristic of her practicality, was "Does he have any family?"

Indeed, as the news reached Iraq, al-Alusi's family had to flee from home under terrorist death threats. He was expelled from his political party (he had been a spokesman for Ahmed Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress at one time) and was stripped of his government position and security protection, ostensibly for violating Iraq's old Baathist injunction against visiting Israel. An arrest warrant soon followed. He was quietly told to leave the country or face being jailed together with Baathist murderers, meaning a certain death.

Al-Alusi was previously exiled for 27 years for working against Saddam's tyranny, so he was not about to leave the country again precisely when it finally had a chance for freedom. He returned to Iraq, vowing not to be cowed by terrorists. Eventually, the Iraqi interim government realized the ridiculousness of the charge and quietly dropped the indictment. Still al-Alusi has remained under the terrorist gun since and has survived repeated attempts on his life, the last a grenade attack on his house just this month.

Al-Alusi was born in 1953 to an Arab Sunni family of educators in al-Anbar province of Iraq. These days, like many other Iraqis interested in having a say in shaping the nation, he is busy organizing and running a political party. The platform of his new party, the Democratic Party of Iraqi Nation (www.dpin-iraq.org), is to institute a stable government based on "a liberal constitution and free economy," by which he means "no borders for [technical] know-how and open doors for real investment, for example, to build a modern Iraqi oil industry." He considers a strategic alliance with the United States indispensable for Iraq.

Al-Alusi also thinks that Iraq should normalize its relationship with Israel. He told me recently "There is a need to be far away from fanatical ideas, and it's time for Iraq to have politics based on reality." He went on, "The reality is that Israel is a fact, and I cannot accept Iraqi politics based on Palestinian or Syrian interests." Al-Alusi elaborates that Iraq and Israel share common strategic interests and should cooperate on economic and technical issues.

He is openly critical of some countries. He laments, "When Saddam was inflicting terror on the Iraqi people, no Arab or Islamic country supported the Iraqi people against Saddam. The reality was that these countries supported Saddam against the Iraqi people. France, Germany and Russia did the same."

In comparison, he says, "I saw in Israel that 30 percent of Israeli citizens were of Arab origin, and that they had more rights than other Arabs in their own countries." With Iran looming on Iraq's eastern border, he thinks a relationship with Israel can serve as a strategic balance to "keep our new Iraq safe." He explains, "We cannot live in 2005 and still think like in 1005. The strategic relationships [with the United States and Israel] can be a pole to protect human rights, democracy and peace."

As Iraqis get ready to vote in a free election for the first time in at least fifty years, al-Alusi's party is fielding a modest slate of 24 candidates. He does not expect miracles this Sunday. He says, "We started the DPIN in 3 months, with no financial or government support. The only thing we have is our vision. That means even if we win only one seat, it will be a great event."

Even as Western media attention is fixated on terrorist attacks -- real voter intimidations and disenfranchisements, not the imaginary kind we often hear about in the US media -- and other negative news, there are new Iraqi politicians like al-Alusi who are working quietly but energetically to translate their ideals into practice.

I lived through the tumultuous democratization of South Korea from a military dictatorship, so I like to think that I know something of the price of democracy firsthand. Yet, I believe that the upcoming Iraqi election will be perhaps the greatest example of a burgeoning democracy I will have witnessed.

There will be, without doubt, more violence and other difficulties ahead on the road to this noble achievement in Iraq. Al-Alusi's son, Gamal, puts it best when he states, "It is true that we are in danger, but if this is the price for democracy and peace, it is a very low price." [neo coneli: Less than a month later, Gamal and his brother paid the ultimate price for their quest of demoacracy and peace]

James J. Na is a senior fellow in foreign policy at Discovery Institute in Seattle and runs the "Guns and Butter Blog."

Article from RealClearPolitics.com
James Na's posts in his blog Guns and Butter Blog on the subject are a must read.

Mithal Al-Alousi standing by the bodies of his sons

Blogsphere Power

2005-02-14T11:46:00.000+08:00

Eason Jordan Quits, Bloggers Mull Next Target
by Scott Ott

(2005-02-11) -- Even as embattled CNN chief news executive Eason Jordan announced his 'resignation' tonight, the ad hoc consortium of unedited writers known as the blogosphere met online to discuss which journalist should be the next to fall.

Still riding high from its role in the 'memogate' firings at CBS and the demise of two editors at the New York Times, the blogosphere took less than two weeks to turn rumors from Davos, Switzerland, into a pink slip for the 23-year veteran of CNN.

In a brief statement just after the networks' Friday evening newscasts, Mr. Jordan condemned the "targeting of journalists by bloggers."

However, some bloggers contend they have not gone far enough in their attacks on the mainstream media.

"So far, we've just weighted [sic] for some one [sic] to say or do something stupid before we ride them [sic] like a coal car into the ground," wrote one unnamed blogger. "But now it's time to get proactive. We're going to pick the next soon-to-be-former journalist and then force him into some career-ending vortex of deception and denial."

When asked about the threat, Mr. Jordan simply shook his head and muttered, "Hubris. Hubris."

Osama's lullaby

2005-02-13T23:48:00.000+08:00

I just watched the 60 Minutes special about Mamdouh Habib (one of two Australians who spect many years in US custody in Gitmo - See my earlier post on the subject). While his wife gave a strong performance (and it is possible that a terrorist would not inform their spouse of their double life), his act was less than convincing, particulalry his refusal to explain how he ended up in Afghanistan and by some account - in an Al Qaida terror training camp.

The main message though that was clearly conveyed was that he was a human being like us all - with a loving wife and a solid family structure. I almost went soft on him, but then I realised: does Osama bin Laden not kiss his son goodnight or sing a lullaby to his daughter?!

One could even argue that the "humane" terrorist is worse than the tyrant - the latter knows no love while the former knows it, yet chooses to inflict the cruelest harm on others.

The Iran Update

2005-02-13T22:38:00.000+08:00

Here are a few headlines from Iran, courtesy of the superb blog on the subject RegimeChangeIran (The bold articles are a 'must').

Condoleezza Rice major speech in Paris where she argued the case for a united US/EU stand for freedom and democracy.
Michael Ledeen came out in support of the Iranian opposition referendum this week.
The Iranian regime arrested Iranian activist leader Nargess Adeeb and others.
Iran says it won't give up nuclear technology.
In response, Condi warns Iran must or be referred to the UN Security Council.
Senator Santorum introduces Iran regime change legislation, with White House approval.
North Korea and Iran circle the wagons.
Contrary to popular opinion, one Iranian press service reports: The Iranian people would not defend the regime against a foreign attack.
Rafsanjani, (whom many consider the puppet master in Tehran) gave USA Today a rare interview.
Michael Rubin wrote an excellent introduction to the present crisis with Iran in, Will Washington Support Democracy in Iran?
I chastise Time magazine's report, Why Iran will go Nuclear.
Iran wants the EU to accept a "promise" not to build nuclear weapons.
Iran starts producing torpedoes.
Iranian Blogger describes her 36-day stay as 'guest' in a Tehran prison.
For the first time Pakistan admits that Dr A Q Khan passed secrets and equipment to Iranian officials.
And the US is using drones over Iran.

Carly Fiorina for Telstra

2005-02-11T12:27:00.000+08:00

Let's start the rumour!

IHT (about HP's Fiorina)
News.com.au (about Telstra's Switkowski)

A tip to a Saudi royal

2005-02-11T10:57:00.000+08:00

Saudi men have voted in a municipal election in the capital Riyadh.

It's the first stage in an unprecedented nationwide vote as the absolute monarchy inches toward reform.

The polls, from which women are excluded, are part of a cautious programme of reform introduced by de facto ruler Crown Prince Abdullah.

He's faced calls for change at home and from Saudi Arabia's main ally, the United States, after the September 11 attacks which were carried out by mainly Saudi hijackers.

Voters are deciding just half the members of municipal councils, whose powers are likely to be limited. The government will appoint the other council members.

More than 1,800 candidates competed in Riyadh and some have spent large sums on campaigns.

They range from businessmen, tribal figures and security chiefs to academics and officials.

ABC Radio Australia

If you are a royal Saudi monarch who stumbled upon my blog (sorry to disappoint - the "spade" is not oil rigging tool nor is it a weapon), here's a tip - if you want to appear progressive, don't run elections where half your population are banned from voting!

UPDATE: Mithal Al-Alousi

2005-02-10T00:13:00.000+08:00

Following yesterday's post on the subject, I found an article on this brave politician on ITM. They mantioned that his party's logan is "Don't Let Them Win" and in true form, Mithal Al-Alousi had words of peace, courage and strength on the Radio Free Iraq (RFI) interview he conducted on the day his sons died.

The Sunni areas groan under the hands of murderers and criminals who are neither Sunnis nor Iraqis. They are intruders in Iraq from among Al-Qaeda groupings and Ba'ath [Party] henchmen. They are the ghosts of death... They claim that Islam is a message of killing, while Islam is a message of peace. They claim that the principles [of Islam] encourage killing, while the only principles that encourage killing are the principles of the Ba'ath [Party] and of the heathens from Al-Qaeda groupings.

We will be building Iraq. We will be building Iraq despite all that has happened. May God help us.

RFI, 8 Feb 2005

I note that no one is willing to mention the reason for his targetting (the latest one being at least the fourth time - by my reckoning) - not even the good people at RFI or ITM. Although the RFI interviewer did allude to Mithal's attitudes towards Israel:

RFI: You have been the target of repeated assassination attempts. Do you believe the reason is your opinions and political attitudes, or is there another factor that has made you such a target?

Al-Alusi: They do not exclude anyone [from violence]. They target a [normal] citizen on the way to do shopping in the market; they target hospitals and schools; they target everyone. On the fact that I have been targeted personally, I have kept saying, "There is no way for Iraq but the way of peace," and, "There is no way for Iraq but the way of dialogue and institutions," and, "Nothing should exist in Iraq except according to the will of the Iraqi people." As for the advocates of religious intolerance willing to kill the [Iraqi] identity, or those who now imagine they might establish a [new] state in Iraq, be it religious or non-religious, I tell them, "Brothers, verily you have made a grave mistake." I tell them, "There can be no state in Iraq except for one founded on institutions and law." Mithal al-Alusi says from his unshaken positions, "I was calling for peace, and I will continue to call for peace -- even [for peace] with Israel." And may all the world hear that there will be no war if the Palestinians, Syrians, Egyptians, and Jordanians do not want war. I am not prepared to allow Iraqis to be turned into kindling for the flames of terrorists and ghosts of death.

Saluting Ayman and Jamal Al-Alousi

2005-02-09T20:14:00.000+08:00

You may have come across this paragraph stacked in the footnotes of a CNN Article – a story deemed by an MSM editor as not worth telling:

An Iraqi politician survived an attempt on his life Tuesday, but his two sons and a bodyguard were killed, police said. Unknown gunmen opened fire on Mithal al-Alousi's convoy in Baghdad, police said. Al-Alousi is the general secretary of the Iraqi Nation Democratic Party.

KurdishMedia have gone further than CNN but also lack the gravity and context of this sad yet heroic saga (Note: kudos to KM for dropping the Shahid reference):

Yesterday morning in Baghdad, terrorists attempted to assassinate the leader of the Iraqi Nation Democratic Party (Hizb al-Umma al-Iraqiya al-Dimuqrati), Mithal al-Alousi.

While Mr. Alousi escaped, his two sons, Ayman and Jamal and a bodyguard were killed in the attack.Mithal al-Alousi, who has recently survived numerous assassination attempts, previously played a significant role in the de-Baathification of Iraq following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime.

In late 2004, Mr. Alousi founded the Iraqi Nation Democratic Party, which ran in the recent Iraqi elections as list number 322.

In an RFI (Radio France Internationale) interview with Mr. Alousi, he stated, "one of my body guards and two of my children died as heroes, no differently from other people who find their heroic deaths."

KurdishMedia seems to ignore the main reason why he became a target. In September of this year, Mithal responded positively to an invitation to participate in an Israeli conference on terrorism. Al-Alousi, who was allied with Ahmed Chalabi’s Iraqi National Congress, was expelled from the party while in Israel. Al-Alousi ignored safety concerns and rejected an offer for safe refuge in London but rather chose to return home as a free Iraqi. Upon return, he was then charged with a Saddamite law banning travel to the "Zionist Entity". This, despite the protection of Article 13D of the Interim Constitution which declares that “each Iraqi has the right of free movement in all parts of Iraq and the right to travel abroad and return freely”.

Jamal Mithal al-Alousi, ex-head of the debaathification committee and an ex-member of the National Iraqi Congress party, headed by renown US supporter Ahmad Chelabi. Today Mr. Al-Alousi is an ex, a used-to-be, an outcast whose only crime….is a visit to Israel. Mr. Al-Alousi was invited to participate in international conference on global impact of terrorism that took place in Herzlliya, Israel11 -14/09/04. While still in Israel al-Alousi was notified that he was sacked from his position and from the party for visiting “a Zionist state”.

Not long after his return to Iraq al-Alousi learned that there was a court order against him and that he is about to be arrested. On what grounds, you ask? Well, apparently new Iraq still lives by old legal codes, and while Saddam Hussein is in prison and will soon be tried for his crimes, the laws that were produced by his regime are nevertheless valid!

The particular law that was broke by Mithal al-Alousi was issued in 1968 and states that any Iraqi that had visited Israel is to be punished severely. Not long ago all Iraqi passports bared a stamp “valid for visitation in any country except for Zionist entity”. Today the stamp is gone, but it seems that the routine is still very much alive. And although the bad guy with a moustache is locked away, his supporters around the country are determined to stick to the tradition of hatred, terror and fear.

Arabic Media Internet Network (note: a left wing slant but with valid points)

Our friends at Iraq the Model make reference to an interview he gave in October, a month in which he defends his visit

“The Palestinians have communications with Israel, and so do the regimes in Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Oman, Tunisia and even Iran although we don’t know exactly the size of communication between Iran and Israel”. [ITM: He also criticized Saddam’s policies in dealing with the Palestinians ]“Iraq was generous with both, financial and moral support but the result was an economic disaster and terrible living conditions for the people but on the other hand, millions of dollars accumulated in bank accounts of the corrupt officials.”

From Sawt Al Iraq (Link in Arabic).

In an interview given after the latest tragedy struck him, Al-Alousi stated the following:

I will continue to call for normalisation with Israel, even if the terrorists will try and assasinate me again. Peace is the only option; Peace with Israel is the only option for Iraq; Peace with everyone but the terrorists

Our hearts and prayers are with the Al-Alousi and his family who sacrificed his sons, his only sons, which he loved - Ayman and Jamal - for a higher ideal. Yet, he did not claim the crown of a martyr's father and described their death as being "no differently from other people who find their heroic deaths". Once again, placing the national tragedy of terrorism in higher regard than his own sentiments. A man of true valor!

Al-Alousi at the Herzliya conference on terrorism (11-14 September 2004)

---------------
Some afterthoughts:

Israeli Foreign Minister Shalom and Iraqi Prime Minister Alawi bump into each other in the UN corridor and after a few seconds of confusion, Alawi shook Shalom's outstretched hand and exchanged pleasantries. Upon returning to Iraq, Alawi had to defend the shake and he stated that he did not know who the man was [ed - yeah right! just turn on CNN every other night].
A question to any Iraqi readers: Why should Israel and Iraq be enemies? They share no borders or competing resources; Iraqis are no guradians of the Palestinians, and the issue is anyway on the road to resolution. Is it the Nuclear facility bombing? Years of propoganda? Is the fact that Israel did not respond to an Iraqi attack in 1991 so easily forgotten?! or was that a sign of weakness.
As a footnote, I make reference to this interesting article in Ha-Aretz which also makes reference to Alousi.

In their own words: Sharon & Abbas announce an end to violence

2005-02-08T22:25:00.000+08:00

We shall all declare today that violence will not murder hope. This is the day when the process began moving forward - to bring peace for all the people of the Middle East...

[There is a] new wind [blowing] and we should not let it pass, leaving us empty handed. We must not miss this opportunity to put a stop to four years of violence; this is a delicate opportunity, and we must be careful... we agreed that the Palestinians will put a stop to violence and Israel will stop its military actions against the Palestinians.

We must not make do with a temporary stop in violence, but rather be determined and make sure that terror comes to a full stop, for good. We are willing to commit to all the obligations we agreed upon, and expect the same from the other side.

To our Palestinian neighbors I promise that we intend to honor your right to live a life of peace; we have no desire to occupy you. You should prove you have the courage to reach compromises and live alongside us in peace and respect.

To my people: We have gone through four tough years – and overcome. Now is the time to bring about security, peace and quiet. This is the only way to reach a situation where there are two states, living in peace alongside each other.

- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Sharm e-Sheikh summit

We have agreed with PM Sharon to cease all acts of violence against the Israelis and the Palestinians wherever they are.

[Today is the] beginning of the process of bridging the gap between all of us.

It is high time that our people enjoy their right to live a normal life just like normal people under the rule of law. We look forward to that day and hope it will come quickly when the language of negotiations will replace the language of bullets.

- PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Sharm e-Sheikh summit

For more on this story, read this Jerusalem Post article

Other developments:
- Egypt to return ambassador to Tel Aviv
- Jordam to return ambassador to Tel Aviv
- I predict over half a dozen Gulf and North African states will follow suit within 6-12 months

Middle-Eastern Anomaly

2005-02-08T11:44:00.000+08:00

Headline 1: Sharon, Abbas to announce an end to violence
Jersusalem Post

Headline 2: Fear of attack ahead of summit
Jerusalem Post

Desperate Desperados

2005-02-07T20:51:00.000+08:00

So let me get this straight, the Iraqi elections go off smoothly and those seeking to avenge those who voted are struck down by the good Lord - with a little help from His/Her friends:

Citizens of Al Mudhiryiah (a small town in the "death triangle") were subjected to an attack by several militants today who were trying to punish the residents of this small town for voting in the election last Sunday.

The citizens responded and managed to stop the attack, kill 5 of the attackers, wounded 8 and burned their cars.

3 citizens were injured during the fire exchange. The Shiekh of the tribe to whom the 3 wounded citizens belong demanded more efforts from the government to stop who he described as "Salafis".

Hat Tip: Free Iraqi

The insurgents resort to the lowest of the low - kidnapping handicapped children and using them as walking explosives (conjures up images of Hamas' use of Children and the mentally challenged in Israel):

The suicide attack that was performed on an election center in one of Baghdad's districts (Baghdad Al-Jadeedah) last Sunday was performed using a kidnapped "Down Syndrome" patient.

Eye witnesses said "the poor victim was so scared when ordered to walk to the searching point and began to walk back to the terrorists. In response the criminals pressed the button and blew up the poor victim almost half way between their position and the voting center's entrance".

Hat Tip: IraqTheModel

And to top it all up they kidnap "John Adams" or should I say "Cody" the toy soldier and threaten to decapitate him (Now, there is a beheading I wouldn't mind seeing). See Toy Story (and if you are in a good mood - Toy Story 2).

One party is definitely losing this war, and unlike what CNN, BBC, et al. will have you believing - it is not the Iraqis or their allied partners.

The Habib (in)justice

2005-02-07T14:49:00.000+08:00

I Saw this article in the Green Left Weekly (a substandard Australian publication which supports civil liberties "Chavez style" - see banner on their site)

The Habib injustice — a threat to us all
Sarah Stephen & Aaron Benedek, Sydney

Consider this scenario: an Australian citizen travels to another country, is kidnapped by the military of a third country, receives absolutely no assistance from the Australian government, is imprisoned for three years at the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay without charge and suffers repeated torture.

Eventually, this citizen is released due to lack of evidence and allowed to go home. Rather than apologising for its lack of action and offering compensation for his ordeal, the Australian government announces that the man will be kept under surveillance.

Well, Benedek & Stephen are quite correct, Mamdouh Habib’s Gitmo and post-Gitmo experience is a threat to all of you out there who plan to associate yourselves with a terror organisation (such as Lashkar-e-Taiba), meet the leaders of such groups, undergo the highest level of terror training Al Qaida offers, take part in the planning of September 11th, and call your wife in advance of WTC Attack and forewarn her that “something big is about to happen in America”. If the above is an apt description of yourself, beware, your freedom is in danger! Otherwise, soak up the sun, chuck a shrimp on the BBQ and enjoy the surf.

Habib got off on a technicality. Prior to 2002, it was not illegal for an Australian to be part of a terror group. When the legislators did get their act together, it was not retroactive and hence Habib enjoys freedom – albeit somewhat curtailed. Should his freedom be absolute? Should he be given a passport and allowed to board a plane to Pakistan? Give Osama & cronies a phone call? Or expect to live under no surveillance? Absolutely not!

Imagine this scenario: A paedophile is arrested after police confiscate a video in which he performs sexual acts with a ten year old boy. At the trial, the tape is held to be inadmissible for a technical reason (e.g. no search warrant). The man is released and applies to work in the kindergarten which you operate. Would you give him the job?

What the likes of the Green Left seem to forget is that with “rights” come “obligations” – both moral and legal. Joining a terrorist group is a clear breach of such an obligation, and as far as I care, Habib’s rights are dispensable.

Axis of Evil & the Seven Headed Dragon

2005-02-04T13:44:00.001+08:00

"The Islamic Republic of Iran, because of defending the rights of the oppressed and confronting oppressors, is being attacked by the global tyrants" [At least he is picking up some of Bush's lingo – ed.]

Iranian Supreme Leader, Mullah Ali Khamenei on 3 Febuary 2005 in response To Bush’s State of the Union address.

Comparing the United states to "one of the heads of a seven-headed dragon" [see artist’s illustration below –ed.], Khamenei said Bush had been put in the White House by "Zionist and non-Zionist capitalists to serve their interests." [It would seem that “all Zionists are capitalists, but some capitalists are non-Zionist” - ed.]

And in an apparent reference to Iran's nuclear program, he said: "The Iranian nation's achievements and developments are surprising in many fields and have attracted the attention of the world."

The Persian Journal

USA Dragon Head - second head from right

Supreme Mullah Khamenei - head on the right

The Next Four Years

2005-02-04T01:46:00.000+08:00

President Bush seemed to indicate that he intends to put into practice the elements of his inaugural address and seems to expect the following of various Arab nations over his coming term in office:

A budding democratic process in Iraq, Afghanistan & the Palestinian entity: We have started to see this already.
A move towards human rights from Egypt and anti-terrorism from Saudi Arabia: These are US allies by necessity who don't quite fit the mould described in the inaugural address
A significant change in direction by Syria: Face sanctions or stop terror support; withdraw from Lebanon; and aim for conflict resolution with Israel.
The big one: A non-military backed regime change in Iran: Bush evoked the recent events in Ukraine and Iraq to appeal to the man on the street in Iraq all while maintaining diplomatic pressure coupled by neighboring military muscle - the classic Good Cop (EU), Bad Cop (US) game.
North Korea remains unclear

Read the highly recomended take on the Iran prediction at:
Regime Change Iran: Reading the tea leaves - Bush's Strategy on Iran

What if the Right was right?

2005-02-04T01:31:00.000+08:00

Maybe you're like me and have opposed the Iraq war since before the shooting started -- not to the point of joining any peace protests, but at least letting people know where you stood.

You didn't change your mind when our troops swept quickly into Baghdad or when you saw the rabble that celebrated the toppling of the Saddam Hussein statue, figuring that little had been accomplished and that the tough job still lay ahead.

Despite your misgivings, you didn't demand the troops be brought home immediately afterward, believing the United States must at least try to finish what it started to avoid even greater bloodshed. And while you cheered Saddam's capture, you couldn't help but thinking I-told-you-so in the months that followed as the violence continued to spread and the death toll mounted.

By now, you might have even voted against George Bush -- a second time -- to register your disapproval.

But after watching Sunday's election in Iraq and seeing the first clear sign that freedom really may mean something to the Iraqi people, you have to be asking yourself: What if it turns out Bush was right, and we were wrong?

It's hard to swallow, isn't it?

-------------------------------------------------------------

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mark Brown (a democrat) in his column What if Bush has been right about Iraq all along?

State of the Union

2005-02-03T14:41:00.000+08:00

Click on the image for a summary of the address & a link to a webcast.

The Hug

2005-02-03T14:40:00.000+08:00

U.S. first lady Laura Bush (R) applauds while her guest [Iraqi voter] Safia Taleb al-Souhail comforts Janet Norwood (C), whose son, Marine Corps Sergeant Byron Norwood of Pflugerville, Texas was killed during the assault on Fallujah, as the Marine was honored during U.S. President George W. Bush State of the Union address in the House Chamber in Washington February 2, 2005. REUTERS/Larry Downing

UPDATE

SAWYER: It was such a moving moment for everyone, including clearly the president, in the room last night. Safia al-Suhail, whose father had been killed under Saddam, and who had held up her finger with ink on it to show she had voted for the first time in her life, was sitting in front of you.
First, did you know she would be there? And did you know you were going to lean over [and hug her]?

MRS. NORWOOD: No. We had no idea who was going to be there. We met as we went in the door [to the gallery]. She turned around and introduced herself. I asked her if her finger was purple and she held it up and showed me that it was. And I just grabbed her finger.

It would have made our son so proud to see the success of elections in Iraq.

MR. NORWOOD: We didn't know about her dad until something was mentioned. But it certainly enhanced our opinion of her. She was a very, very fine person.

MRS. NORWOOD: She thanked us for our son's sacrifice and made sure we knew that the people of Iraq were grateful for the sacrifices that were made, not just by our son, but by all of them.

SAWYER: And what did you say to her?

MRS. NORWOOD: I just told her how happy we were that the elections were successful and told her that our son would have been pleased.

MR. NORWOOD: Byron really believed that the Iraqi people deserved a chance to take ownership of the concept of freedom. And they certainly proved that they can do that now. So he would have been very pleased.

Hat Tip: Conservative Life

Toy Story 2

2005-02-02T16:27:00.000+08:00

NEWSFLASH: Private "Elmo" captured

The US Army is said to be investigating claims that Private Elmo of the Fluffy Red Brigade (Alpha Unit) has been taken captive by insurgents near the town of Samarra. In one footage, released on the Arab network Al Jazeera, the toy is threatened with decapitation if he "doesn't stop his annoying laughter". The circumstances leading up to the kidnapping as well as Private Elmo's state of health remain unclear. His long time partner Zoe has been kept updated by a Department of Defence official and has refused to comment on the story. Long time friend and neighbour Big Bird commented that "Elmo was loved by all and is missed by many".

Hat Tip: PowerLine

Toy Story

2005-02-02T15:50:00.000+08:00

"Our mujahideen ... have managed to capture the American soldier John Adam after killing a number of his colleagues... We will cut his throat in 72 hours if our male and female prisoners in the occupation jails are not released"

Ansarnet.ws carried the above statement with a picture showing a U.S. soldier sitting in front of a black banner with a rifle pointed at his head. The mainstream media ran with the story, only to be placed in check by a few bloggers. The problem is that a) the US army is not aware of any missing soldiers and that b) "John Adams" is conspicuously similar looking to a toy model produced by DragonModels.

The following are the images of "John Adams" and the Toy as well as an animation comparing the two. It seems that some Mujahideen are getting pretty desperate. Would a successful Iraqi election have something to do with it?!

Hat Tip: Drudgereport.com and BlogsForBush.com

A must read!!!

2005-01-31T13:34:00.000+08:00

http://iraqilibe.blogspot.com

This is the blog of Ali from Baghdad whose tag line says it all: "I was not living before the 9th of April and now I am, so let me speak!" God bless him and all the free people of Iraq.

Give 'em the Finger!

2005-01-31T13:15:00.000+08:00

Another Iraqi postcard

2005-01-31T13:10:00.000+08:00

I just finished my phone call to my Father in Baghdad, Iraq. He voted, my 84-year-old Grandmother voted, my uncles and aunties voted, my cousins voted. They were elated, happy, energized, empowered and grateful.

To all the men and women who have served and serving in Iraq, to all the families of those who have paid the ultimate price to all those who have suffered during their service in Iraq, my family’s and my deepest thanks, gratitude and pride both from the U.S. and Iraq for all the sacrifices, endurance and service for our great country and Iraq and the Iraqis. God bless all of you and keep you safe.

God bless this great country of ours, and God bless our leadership who have the courage to free oppressed people in our times.

Haider Ajina in PowerLine

An email from Baghdad

2005-01-31T13:07:00.000+08:00

Regardless of what happens tomorrow or the next day, or the day after that, today, the insurgents lost.

[Tonight], the bombs[,] the mortars and the gunshots which still echo in the streets sound different.

Men and women, whose children, mothers[,] fathers, sisters and brothers have been murdered by madmen took a few simple, but very difficult steps, out of their homes and into polling stations.

There will be debates about turnout and legitimacy and occupation and every other conceivable thing, but everyone who is here right now, knows something
extraordinary happened today.

Today, the insurgents lost.

AndrewSullivan.com

I am not comfortable about politicising this process, but considering that every single negative element of the war has been pinned on the Commander in Chief, I think it would be unfair if this day was not credited to the same man.

Look at the pictures below and ask yourself would this have taken place if:

Al Gore had won Florida?
Michael Moore and his cronies managed to pursuade the public to withdraw support from Operation Iraqi Freedom
Iraqis were left to UN and European inaction and indecision

Like or hate him, Bush is a man of his words. He believes in a concept and then puts it into action. Something that cannot be said about many of his political opponents.

All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.

President Bush in his inauguration speech

Today, these words ring true!

Pictures worth a thousand words

2005-01-31T11:25:00.000+08:00

Democracy in action

Democracy in action

Democracy in action

Assyrians in tradiditional costume vote in Australia

Tsunami toll passes 280,000

2005-01-27T11:40:00.000+08:00

The overall number of presumed dead stands at more than 280,000, but nobody knows for certain how many perished in the giant waves that engulfed coastlines on December 26.

Sydney Morning Herald

The "new" Nazis - Aushwitz Memorial Day Special

2005-01-27T10:56:00.000+08:00

But look at how my colleagues at The Spectator chose to mark the anniversary. They ran a reminiscence by Anthony Lipmann, the Anglican son of an Auschwitz survivor, which contained the following sentence: "When on 27 January I take my mother's arm - tattoo number A-25466 - I will think not just of the crematoria and the cattle trucks but of Darfur, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Jenin, Fallujah."

Jenin? Would that be the notorious 2002 "Jenin massacre"? There was no such thing, as I pointed out in this space at the time, when Robert Fisk and the rest of Fleet Street's gullible sob-sisters were going around weepin' an' a-wailin' about Palestinian mass graves and Israeli war crimes. Twenty-three Israelis were killed in fighting at the Jenin camp. Fifty-two Palestinians died, according to the Israelis. According to Arafat's official investigators, it was 56 Palestinians. Even if one accepts the higher figure, that means every single deceased Palestinian could have his own mass grave and there'd still be room to inter the collected works of Robert Fisk. Yet, despite the fact that the Jenin massacre is an obvious hallucination of Fleet Street's Palestine groupies, its rise to historical fact is unstoppable. To Lipmann, those 52-56 dead Palestinians weigh in the scales of history as heavy as six million Jews. And what's Fallujah doing bringing up the rear in his catalogue of horrors? In rounding up a few hundred head-hackers, the Yanks perpetrated another Auschwitz? These comparisons are so absurd as to barely qualify as "moral equivalence".

Mark Steyn in The Telegraph

Hat Tip: HonestReporting.com, Melanie Phillip's Diary

Viva la Orange Revolution - Good Luck Ukraine!

2005-01-25T15:25:00.001+08:00

Left to Right: Yulia - Incoming Ukrainian PM ; Orange Revolution; President Yushchenko

I have become the President of Ukraine by the free will of the Ukrainian people. Today I want to speak to you face to face. Today I have the honor of speaking to free people who hold in their hands the destiny of their nation.

Yushchenko's Inaugural Address

For more info, visit Orange Ukraine and Ultima Thule