Red Tigress' Lair

Surveyed Likud voters ready to reject Sharon pullout plan 04.30.04 (3:49 pm)   [edit]
I found this rather interesting! Any comments people would like to share?
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[i][b]by John Ward Anderson, Molly Moore, Washington Post [/i]
Friday, April 30, 2004[/b]

Maleh Adumim, West Bank -- From his apartment in the West Bank's largest Jewish settlement, Likud activist Gidon Ariel is waging a rearguard action against his party's leader, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon -- a battle that Sharon seems on the verge of losing.

As he pounds his keyboard -- updating a database listing which party members support and oppose Sharon's plan to withdraw Jewish settlers and Israeli soldiers from the Gaza Strip -- dozens of other like-minded activists are pounding the pavement and working the phones, arguing, cajoling and pleading with Likud members to vote "no" to Sharon's plan in a party referendum Sunday.

Just two weeks ago, Sharon returned from Washington with a strong endorsement of his disengagement plan and an assortment of U.S. guarantees favorable to Israel, including promises from President Bush that the United States opposes the return of Palestinian refugees to Israel and supports Israel's eventual annexation of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

But the bottom fell out Thursday with the release of three new polls of Likud members showing Sharon's disengagement plan going down to a stunning defeat when his party's 193,000 members vote Sunday in an advisory referendum.

In print and broadcast interviews Thursday, Sharon seemed to be relying on his leadership and charisma to pull him through, saying a vote in favor of the plan is a vote of confidence in him. He stopped short of threatening resignation if the plan is defeated.

"You can't support me and not vote in favor of disengagement," he told Maariv newspaper. "It doesn't work that way. Those who want me have to vote with me."

Defeat of the plan, he told Israel Radio, would damage Israeli-U.S. relations, the economy and the stock market. He said it would lead to the downfall of Likud and would be a major victory for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Hamas, which has been one of the main groups waging a suicide bombing campaign against Israel for more than three years.

It was unclear whether Sharon could marshal the forces necessary to turn around the numbers in such a short time, especially since the opposition -- as illustrated by Gidon Ariel -- is highly motivated, ideologically driven and well organized.

A loss would leave Sharon at odds with his party, which has aggressively advocated the expansion of Jewish settlements in Gaza and the West Bank, not their dismantling. If he loses, some analysts say, he would have to resign, given his enormous personal and political investment in the proposal.

"If he fails, he will try to find the most promising way to have his own way after all," said Abraham Diskin, a political science professor at Jerusalem's Hebrew University. "He might call for early elections."

Sunday's referendum is not legally binding, although initially Sharon's advisers said he would be morally bound by it and would do as instructed by Likud's members. While the prime minister and his supporters scoffed at a traditional media campaign, opponents of the disengagement plan rallied supporters to man phone banks and go door to door to twist Likud arms.

They plastered the streets with posters saying "Disengagement (Equals) Suicide" and "You vote in favor, you get Peres," a reference to the head of the Labor Party, Shimon Peres, who as a father of the much-criticized 1993 Oslo peace accords is anathema to many Likud members. If right-wing parties bolt Sharon's coalition, political analysts consider it likely that Labor would step in to give Sharon a majority and keep his government afloat.

In a development underscoring the difficult state of security in the Palestinian territories, the Israeli military acknowledged Thursday that a Palestinian academic shot dead last week in a West Bank village had not been involved in terrorism, as the army initially claimed, and was a civilian hit during a shootout with Palestinian gunmen.

Yasser Abu-Laymoun, 33, was shot in a field in Taluza, north of Nablus, last Friday. That day, Israeli military officials said they had killed an armed member of the Hamas faction, although they did not identify Abu-Laymoun by name.

The dead man's relatives and colleagues at the Arab American University in Jenin, where he had taught courses in hospital administration for the past two years, described him as a doting father and husband with no ties to militant groups.

In a statement, the Israeli army said it had determined that Abu-Laymoun was accidentally caught in the cross fire between the army and Palestinian gunmen. The Israeli military "regrets Abu-Laymoun's death," a statement said.

Palestinians said the army's admission of guilt was incomplete.

[i]The New York Times contributed to this report.[/i]

Israeli Polls Forecast Defeat for Sharon 04.30.04 (2:49 pm)   [edit]
The time has come for the return of Nitanyahu. Sharon will be gone! :D
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[b]Thu Apr 29, 2:53 PM ET
[i]By KARIN LAUB, Associated Press Writer [/b][/i]

JERUSALEM - With polls forecasting defeat, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Thursday portrayed this weekend's Likud Party referendum on his proposed withdrawal from the Gaza Strip as a vote of confidence in him.

Sharon stopped short of saying he will resign if he loses, but he warned that rejecting a plan supported by a vast majority of Israelis might eventually force Likud out of power. He portrayed his opponents in Likud as extremists who he said use "lies, obscene language and deceitful propaganda" in their campaign.

The prime minister spoke after polls reflected a dramatic flip-flop among the 193,000 eligible Likud voters just three days before Sunday's referendum.

In recent weeks, plan supporters maintained were ahead by several percentage points, but three polls published Thursday indicated a clear advantage for plan opponents.

The referendum marks the first time a vote is being held in Israel on an issue that has divided the nation for decades: whether to give up land captured in the 1967 Mideast War.

Under the plan, Sharon would withdraw troops and 7,500 settlers in the Gaza Strip and evacuate four small settlements in the West Bank.

Palestinians suspect Sharon is giving up Gaza to tighten his hold on much of the West Bank, and the prime minister's critics in Israel believe he proposed the plan partly to deflect attention from two corruption probes against him.

Yet the withdrawal proposal also marks a drastic departure from Sharon's former views. During decades of championing settlement expansion, he often placed new Israeli enclaves where they would most effectively break up contiguity of Palestinian areas.

In recent weeks, though, he has increasingly attacked his former core constituents. The settlers, he told the Maariv daily newspaper Thursday, represent a minority in Israel and must not be allowed to impose their will on the country.

A vote against his plan is a vote against the prime minister, he told Israel Radio.

"You can't be for me but be against my plan," he said, addressing Likud members.

He said a defeat would sour relations with the United States and deal a serious blow to the Israeli economy.

Still, polls published Thursday indicated the plan would be defeated.

A Yediot Ahronot daily newspaper poll said 47 percent of Likud members would vote against it, compared with 39 percent who would vote for it. Two weeks ago, the same polling company, Dahaf, found 54 percent in favor and 32 percent against.

Thursday's poll questioned 583 respondents, and no error margin was given.

A Maariv poll showed 45 percent of Likud members opposing the plan and 42 percent supporting it, with 13 percent undecided. The poll of 470 Likud members had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.

A survey in the Haaretz daily had 43 percent opposing the plan and 36 percent supporting it, with 14 percent undecided and 7 percent refusing to answer. The poll was conducted among 504 Likud members and had an error margin of 4.35 percentage points.

Dan Meridor, a prominent Likud member and former Cabinet minister, said Sharon should not have called the referendum. Meridor noted that former Prime Minister Menachem Begin never asked the Likud for permission to sign the historic Camp David peace accord with Egypt in 1979.

It remains unclear whether Sharon would take the plan to his Cabinet and parliament for approval if he loses the referendum. He initially said he would be bound by the Likud vote, but he has backtracked in recent days.

On Thursday, Sharon raised the possibility of calling new elections if he loses. Another option is to reshuffle his Cabinet by bringing in the moderate Labor Party, a strong plan supporter.

Opponents are telephoning and visiting Likud members at home. Their campaign has focused on the emotional cost of uprooting people from their homes and accused Sharon of caving in to terrorism.

Activists have visited more than half the 193,000 Likud members and will continue such meetings through Sunday, said Eran Sternberg, a spokesman for the Gaza settlers.

"We have a very good feeling about the campaign," he said. "We think we're going to win."

Settlers also plan to send volunteers to 168 polling stations Sunday for last-minute lobbying. Official results are expected Monday.

Opponents got a boost Thursday from 300 rabbis with ultranationalist views, who urged Likud members to vote against the withdrawal. The rabbis said in a letter that a pullback violates religious precepts and endangers lives.

A revered rabbinical sage, Yitzhak Kadouri, also opposed the plan. Kadouri, who is in his 90s, has some influence among observant Likud voters.

In another development, a remote-control bomb went off Thursday in the home of Gaza police chief Ghazi Jabali, destroying the ground floor but causing no injuries. The blast was seen as part of a power struggle between Palestinian security chiefs.

This is Great!

04.30.04 (12:55 am)   [edit]
Found this at [url=http://cmaze.tblog.com]cmaze's[/url] blog:



=http://www.tblog.com/user_ima...

Hilarious, no? :)

The Real Story. Uncut, Unbiased.

04.29.04 (7:08 pm)   [edit]
You decide what you want to believe....

Ok, so here we have it folks.

From [url=http://www.tblog.com/template...]whoisjohngalt's[/url] blog:

http://www.tblog.com/comments.php?bid=144952" title="http://www.tblog.com/comments.php?bid=144952" target="_blank"http://www.tblog.com/comments...

These are comments in my conversation with WhyNot. Notice how I even extended the olive branch to him in the name of decency.

He later misquoted and mis-stated the actions of that chat on his blog. That's the truth, folks. Un-cut, unbiased, and raw.

But what of Spymaster? Well, if you venture to
[url=http://www.tblog.com/template...] WinstonSmith's blog[/url]:

http://www.tblog.com/comments.php?bid=163199" title="http://www.tblog.com/comments.php?bid=163199" target="_blank"http://www.tblog.com/comments...

That's the true story there of what happened. Uncut, unbiased, and raw.

Decide for yourself what your opinion of those happenings were.

Don't listen to misquoted lies from some frenchie.

Twisted Words & Sad Little Men

04.29.04 (4:17 pm)   [edit]
I sit before you at my computer. I have just read an unfounded attack on me. Someone called me the usual racist epitaths (I'm a facist zionist, bent on the mass extermination of all arabs... yada yada yada). I responded to that person, angrily, but I think that my anger was totally understandable and rightful. Then, some peice of crap frenchman decided that he'd take the ball and run, posting a blog filled with out of context misquotes and lies (not to mention some pretty vulgar imagry).

I'm tired.

Tired of being lied about. Tired of being sterotyped. Tired of crap. My only crime is being here and being who I am. These sad little men, who get orgasmic thrills from being horrible people make me sick.

"Bush is evil! Ne-con, neo-orwellian facists are ruining America..."

Here's a tip, you really want to know what's "ruining America"? Sad little men who twist the words of the truthful in the name of their racist little dicks. That's right, I said it.

Either they are mentally handicapped, unfamiliar with the English language, or evil men who know exactly what I said but refuse to portray that accuratly in the name of their own hatred for me, my people, my cause.

As I write this, I'm crying. I guess I probably shouldn't even admit to that because then that fuels their little orgasms more. Oh how elated they must be to know that they made the little Jewish facist cry. Well, I'm glad they're happy. At least someone can be.

All my life, I have been dicriminated against because I'm Jewish. It continues to this very day. People ignore what I say, but rather, revamp it with their own idea of what they think I [i]should[/i] say to forfil their prophacy of racism. I'm misquoted, taken out of context, and lied outright about.

What consequences to these sad little characters face? None. At least, not in this world.

I've written before about some of these same people. Some of them are the same who my 'Shut Me Up' article was devoted to, others are newcomers with the same goal. One is a french pussy who thinks it's witty to put me on his "blogs that suck" list. You know what? I don't suck half as much as he sucks other French cock. OOOOh, yea I said it.

These are sad little men. Very sad, petty, little men.

You won. I'd rather die than take this anymore.

You are all pathetic.

Find me quotes by me that say I hate all arabs and advocate their extermination. Find me quotes anywhere that say I want war always and not peace. Find me quotes that support the denial that I am nothing more than someone who wants to make the world a better place for human kind.

You won't find them.

I'm not giving any of your blogs any visits anymore. You can't benefit from anything that I have to say. You can't benefit from any kind of sanity. You don't want me there, I don't want to be there. The feeling is mutual. I'm keeping to myself, aside from the few SANE blogs that are left here.

Your racist little brat selves won. You're all a bunch of hypocrites. Don't go lecturing everyone about how you want to take this country back for the powers of good, don't lecture everyone about how you fight against antisemitism (that's a real joke and a half!), don't lecture everyone on how you are a proponent of diversity. You're all a bunch of liars.

I hope everyone sees you for what you are. If they don't, they're just as backwards as the lot of you.

You all make me sick. If I could, I'd spit on you.

Feel free to leave your hateful comments below. I'm not reading them anyhow. I really just don't give a shit anymore.

=http://israelimages.com/mediu...
[i]And I think to myself; What a wonderful world...[/i]

Nobel Laureate Warns on Anti-Semitism 04.29.04 (2:22 pm)   [edit]
Words to heed!
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[b]Wed Apr 28, 8:16 AM ET
[i]By GEIR MOULSON, Associated Press Writer[/i][/b]

BERLIN - Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel warned European and North American countries Wednesday that anti-Semitism is on the rise and fervently urged them to keep "the poison from spreading."

The appeal by Wiesel, a survivor of the Auschwitz Nazi death camp, marked the start of a 55-nation conference of foreign ministers called to debate ways to fight anti-Semitism, including more education and stricter law enforcement.

"Stop! Stop a disease that has lasted so long. Stop the poison from spreading," Wiesel said.

Wiesel, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 for his writings on the Holocaust and campaigning against evil in the world, pointed to violence against Jews and desecration of cemeteries in many countries.

"The Jew I am belongs to a traumatized generation. We have antennas. Better yet, we are antennas," he said.

"If we tell you that the signals we receive are disturbing, that we are alarmed ... people had better listen."

Foreign ministers from Europe and Secretary of State Colin Powell were expected to address the two-day meeting, which follows a rise in anti-Semitic incidents and attacks last year in France, Britain and elsewhere in Europe.

Held amid extremely tight security, the gathering of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is the third major conference in Europe to address anti-Semitism in the past year.

Wiesel said it was fitting that the conference was taking place in the German capital, where the Nazis developed their plans to destroy the world's Jews. The venue is the German Foreign Ministry, a huge building that once served as Nazi Germany's central bank.

"It is precisely because it takes place in Berlin that a powerful message ... should be composed here," Wiesel said, urging the leaders to send a manifesto against anti-Semitism in all languages to everyone in the world.

He said he found "particularly contemptuous" comparisons of Israel's policy toward the Palestinians to Nazi Germany's atrocities against the Jews.

Simone Veil, a Holocaust survivor who became a French Cabinet minister and president of the European Parliament, said anti-Semitism has grown in France but the government has taken commendable steps to protect Europe's largest Jewish community.

Still, Veil said, "It's less and less a good thing to be Jewish in France or have a Jewish name or even display a Hebrew letter."

An Israeli anti-Semitism watchdog group said last week that worldwide incidents of attacks on Jews and vandalism against Jewish sites increased 15 percent in 2003 from the previous year.

The Stephen Roth Institute of Contemporary Anti-Semitism and Racism said France, Britain, Russia, Germany and Canada had the highest rates of anti-Semitic incidents.

The conference's timing has focused attention on eight former Soviet bloc countries joining the European Union on Sunday. Some say the eastern European nations have lagged in tackling anti-Semitism.

"The anti-Semitic potential in the EU is going to get bigger," Salomon Korn, the vice president of Germany's Central Council of Jews, said in the Berliner Zeitung daily newspaper.

Jewish organizations urged the OSCE governments to devote more resources to fighting anti-Semitism, strengthen law enforcement, promote education about the Holocaust and appoint a high-profile official to ensure countries are meeting their commitments.

Youths from large Arab communities in France, Belgium and other European countries have been blamed for attacks on Jewish property and individuals that have increased as violence surged in the Middle East.

German President Johannes Rau said it was important to distinguish between anti-Semitism and criticism of Israel, although he acknowledged that "massive anti-Semitism" is behind much of the opposition to Israeli policy.

"I know many friends of Israel who criticize Israeli policies toward the Palestinians because they are greatly concerned about the state of Israel and Israeli society," Rau said. "Friends have the right to be told openly what others think about what they are doing."

But he said critics of Israeli policy had to temper their views — and sometimes keep it private — with the understanding Israelis have lived since the founding of their state under a threat to their existence.

College Paper Regrets Holocaust Cartoon 04.29.04 (1:58 pm)   [edit]
"[i]I am hopeful that this apology is a sign of progress toward more responsible editorial judgment and exercise of their First Amendment rights,[/i]" ... I couldn't have said it better myself. Media has an obligation to be responsible with what their paper says.
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[b]Wed Apr 28, 8:20 PM ET[/b]

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - Student editors of a campus newspaper at Rutgers University apologized Wednesday for publishing a cartoon that mocked the Holocaust.

Editors of the Medium acknowledged they had hurt the feelings of readers by printing an illustration on the cover of the April 21 edition showing a man throwing a ball at another man sitting on an oven at the campus' spring fair. The text read: "Knock a Jew in the oven! Three throws for one dollar! Really! No, REALLY!"

"It is the responsibility of our staff to ... act with dignity by responding with a due apology," the newspaper said in a statement.

The cartoon sparked strong objections from many students and school officials, including university President Richard L. McCormick. Several national Jewish organizations also condemned the alternative weekly newspaper.

Editors said the drawing was not intended to be anti-Semitic but was "meant to amuse through extraordinary absurdity."

McCormick said he was pleased with the newspaper's apology. "I am hopeful that this apology is a sign of progress toward more responsible editorial judgment and exercise of their First Amendment rights," he said in a statement.

The Medium receives nearly $10,000 a year through the university's student government.

Israeli Troops Foil Suicide Car Bombing in Gaza 04.28.04 (3:54 pm)   [edit]
Wed Apr 28, 2:09 AM ET


GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers thwarted an attempted car bombing against the Jewish settlement of Kfar Darom in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, military sources said.

Soldiers in a military vehicle gave chase after a Palestinian jeep disguised as an Israeli car and decorated with an Israeli flag approached the settlement, the sources said.

Suspecting an attack, the soldiers opened fire at the vehicle and it exploded, they said. The blast wounded four soldiers, one seriously, a military source said.

The militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. It identified the bomber as Tareq Hmaid, 24, from central Gaza's Nusseirat refugee camp and said he was killed in the blast.

"A military vehicle chased the jeep bomb. They fired at it and hit it and the jeep bomb blew up," Israel Radio said.

The attack took place a day after tens of thousands of Israelis attended Independence Day celebrations at Gaza's Gush Katif settlement bloc to protest against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plans to evacuate Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.

Sharon's Likud party will hold a referendum on Sunday on his Gaza withdrawal plan, which is part of a broader scheme of unilateral separation from the Palestinians.

An Image I like

04.28.04 (3:30 pm)   [edit]
Came accross this today:



=http://img19.photobucket.com/...

I really like this! It makes me feel real patriotic. It's my new desktop wallpaper now.

If you can't read the caption there (you probably can't), it reads,

[b]"THESE COLORS DON'T RUN"[/b]

Nice, eh?

Russell Crowe Offers Aid to Montreal Jewish School 04.28.04 (2:45 pm)   [edit]
I love Russell Crowe even more now!
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[b]Tue Apr 27, 2004 02:50 PM ET[/b]

TORONTO (Reuters) - Tough guy actor Russell Crowe was so upset by a fire-bombing at a Jewish elementary school in Montreal, he called the school to offer a donation to help rebuild its library, a school spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

Crowe is in Toronto to film "Cinderella Man," a film directed by Ron Howard about the life of boxer James J. Braddock, who defeated world champion Max Baer in an upset match in 1935.

"It was a huge morale boost for the school community," said Shelley Paris from Montreal.

United Talmud Torahs elementary school was fire-bombed earlier this month and police said a note with anti-Semitic comments was found on the outside wall of the gutted library.

"He said he was very upset about what had happened that a place of learning should be attacked that way," Paris said.

"He wanted to make sure that our students knew that he was thinking about them and that he was very upset about the fire-bombing," Paris said.

The Academy Award-winning actor, who captured an Oscar for "Gladiator" four years ago, offered to make a donation to help rebuild the library, Paris said. The figure was not available.

Paris said the school hopes to reopen the library by August, the start of the new school year, and has received donations and support from across the country.

The arson attack sparked outrage in Canada and prompted a fierce condemnation from Prime Minister Paul Martin. The incident was one of a series of attacks on Jewish targets in Canada and raised concerns about a rise in anti-Semitism.

In March, vandals knocked over dozens of tombstones in a Jewish cemetery in Toronto while someone sprayed swastikas on a synagogue in a separate incident.

($1=$1.35 Canadian)

Lapid to PM: Government not bound by outcome of Likud poll 04.28.04 (2:36 pm)   [edit]
[i][b]By Mazal Mualem and Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondents, and Haaretz Service [/b][/i]

Justice Minister Yosef Lapid warned Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Wednesday that the government would not be committed to the results of Sunday's referendum of Likud members on his disengagement plan.

"I must inform you that the Likud's stance is not binding for Shinui representatives [of the government], and not, of course, for the Israeli government itself," Lapid wrote in a letter to the prime minister.

"The vote by Likud members has no legal authority, and is just an expression of opinion. I stand by the fact that the plan will go to the government for debate and it, and only it, has the authority to make a decision regarding [the plan]," the missive said.

Also Wednesday, the High Court of Justice rejected four petitions against the disengagement plan and the Likud ballot. The panel of three justices accused the petitioners of having political motives.

Two of the petitions called for the prime minister to declare that he is not bound by the results of the vote and that he will bring the proposal to the cabinet and the Knesset for approval, no matter the outcome at the ballot.

The State Prosecution called on the court to throw out the petitions since the referendum is an internal party matter and that the court should not be dragged into a political party dispute.

Another petition called for Sharon to postpone the referendum until the attorney general decides whether to indict the prime minister for alleged corruption.

Justices Eliezer Rivlin, Ayala Procaccia and Asher Grunis said that the petitions do seem to be rather weak. Justice Rivlin said that the petition calling for Sharon to postpone the referendum until the attorney general has reached a decision is particularly weak since the court has already ruled in the past that the prime minister has the authority to sign on far-reaching diplomatic initiatives, even while serving in a transition government.

Homesh settlers disrupt pro-pullout meet
A gathering convened by supporters of Sharon's disengagement plan was disrupted Wednesday after residents of the West Bank settlement of Homesh burst into the Kiryat Motzkin hall in which the meeting was being held and caused a ruckus.

Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, as well as a number of other Knesset members were taking part in the meeting when the settlers brought it to a halt.

Some 193,000 registered Likud members are eligible to vote in Sunday's referendum, it was revealed on Wednesday. There will be 443 voting stations in 168 locales, with 167 lawyers observing the vote. Five companies will provide 1,300 guards to provide security on the day. Police will also beef up their presence around the voting stations.

The voting stations will open at 8 A.M. on Sunday and close at 10 P.M., and a high turn out is expected.

With four days to go to Sunday's Likud referendum on Sharon's disengagement plan, his associates increasingly fear the plan will not pass.

Likud MK Haim Katz informed the prime minister on Wednesday that he would be heading the campaign teams against the disengagement initiative, despite Sharon's request not to do so.

The Tel Aviv District Court was also due on Wednesday to rule on a petition to post two observers at each voting station - one who supports the plan and one who opposes it, and not merely employment agency workers.

Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the prime minister's point man on the plan for a Gaza withdrawal, said Wednesday that he was "very happy" that tens of thousands of Israelis attended the Tuesday mass protest in the Gush Katif settlement bloc against the proposed pullout, saying it showed the world how painful the step was for Israel.

There have been fears that momentum generated by some 60,000 demonstrators who took part in the Independence Day protest would sap vital support for Sharon's plan in the Sunday vote.

Asked for his reaction to the demonstrations, Olmert told Israel Radio on Wednesday "I am very happy about that," adding that "I would have felt awful had I seen us taking apart settlements and it passing without any reaction, protest, or opposition.

"I am certainly happy that there is opposition, because the entire world must understand that every such step involves terrible pain for us, terrible misgivings, and great suffering."

Olmert also voiced doubt that all the tens of thousands of participants in the demonstrations were opposed to the plan.

Olmert had been scheduled to visit the settlers in the Strip on Wednesday, but he said the tour had been canceled at the settlers' request. "Three days ago, they said that they feared that their meeting me would aid my public relations effort and not theirs, so they were deterred."

Sharon's supporters will spend the next few days striving to persuade Likud members to show up at the polls Sunday, on the assumption that the higher the turnout the more likely the disengagement plan will pass.

The prime minister himself plans many telephone conversations with numerous Central Committee members, on the assumption that a personal call from Sharon, in which he asserts that the defeat of his plan would spell the end of the Likud government, will galvanize them. Sharon will also take this approach in public appearances and interviews.

Sharon's associates also plan to draft Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat into their campaign, by claiming that Arafat is the person who will be happiest if the plan is defeated. They dismissed Tuesday's massive rally in Gush Katif, saying that most of the 60,000 people who attended are not Likud members in any case.

Israelis marching through the Gush Katif bloc of settlements in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. (Reuters)

Iraqi Governing Council changes colors of new flag after protests it resembled Israel's 04.28.04 (2:32 pm)   [edit]
So now that it's a darker shade of blue, it makes them feel better because their hatred of the Jewish infidels runs that thick. PATHETIC and SAD!
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[i][b]The Associated Press[/i]
4/28/04 2:35 PM[/b]


BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iraqi leaders presented a new national flag Wednesday after protests that a version unveiled earlier this week resembled the flag of Israel.

The new design was more or less the same as the one announced earlier this week: two blue stripes along the bottom with a yellow stripe between them, and a crescent above them in a white field.

But the stripes and crescent were a considerably darker shade of blue than the original version published in an Iraqi newspaper, which showed the stripes as being light blue.

Many said the light blue stripes were reminiscent of the light blue bands on the Israeli flag. Hundreds of university students in Mosul demonstrated against that version Wednesday.

They waved the old Saddam-era flag -- a red, black and green banner emblazoned with the words "God is great" -- and said it should not have been changed because it carries the name of God.

Council spokesman Hameed al-Kafaei said the flag's colors were not changed, but rather "the copies you saw in newspapers were not accurate."

In the new flag, the parallel blue lines represent the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers -- and by extension Iraq's Sunni and Shiite Arabs, since the river basin is their heartland. The yellow line represents the Kurds, while the crescent is a symbol of Islam.

But Governing Council president Massoud Barzani said the design was temporary.

"This will be Iraq's flag for the coming months until a permanent flag is chosen," he said.

He said of the former flag: "We cannot raise the flag of a party that committed many crimes against Iraqi people."

Powell: Not anti-Jewish to censure Israel, but Nazi imagery is 04.28.04 (2:29 pm)   [edit]
[i][b]By Haaretz Service and Agencies
[/b][/i]

BERLIN - U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told an international conference on anti-Semitism Wednesday that while censure of Israel was legitimate, "the line is crossed" when critics employ Nazi symbolism to do so.

The summit, called by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and attended by 600 top officials from 55 nations, remained split Wednesday on whether criticism of Israel should be seen as a form of anti-Jewish bias, amid warnings Jews faced growing threats.

"It is not anti-Semitism to criticize the State of Israel," Powell said, "but the line is crossed when the leaders of Israel are demonized or vilified by the use of Nazi symbols."

The conference at the German Foreign Ministry in Nazi Germany's former central bank comes after rising attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions in some European countries over past years.

Israel swiftly moved to center stage of the meeting, with German officials saying a debate was raging behind the scenes pitting some Arab countries and Turkey against most of the Western nations.

President Moshe Katsav lashed out Wednesday at anti-Semitism in all its forms, calling anti-Jewish sentiment an urgent issue of global proportions.

"Any revival of anti-Semitism is a matter that affects the entire world," Katsav said told the Berlin summit.

"Anti-Semitism is clearly on the rise... but not only in Europe," said Holocaust survivor and Nobel prizewinner Elie Wiesel in a speech to the meeting.

"France is up against a wave of anti-Semitism," said Simone Veil, Auschwitz survivor and former president of the European Parliament.

Katsav's remarks were made after he emerged from talks with German President Johannes Rau, who earlier warned that anti-Semitism is often cloaked in criticism of Israel.

Katzav praised Rau for his remarks, calling the German president "the best friend that Israel has in the world."

Rau opened the meeting by underlining that the Middle East conflict and Israeli policies were playing a growing role in anti-Semitism debate in Europe.

"Everybody knows that massive anti-Semitism has been behind some of the criticism of Israeli government policies in the past decades," said Rau.

But Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said playing the race card was wrong whether used to attack or in defense.

"The exploitation of race for political purposes by any government or any politician, be it as an offensive weapon or as a shield to fend off criticism, is quite simply unacceptable."

A U.S. participant said an important step was made late Tuesday when Russia provisionally accepted the interpretation of anti-Israel criticism as a form of anti-Semitism.

This issue will be a key element of the final declaration the OSCE conference has to adopt unanimously Thursday when the two-day meeting ends.

Criticizing Jews and Jewish institutions was allowed, said Rau, adding, "but we certainly also know that criticism of Jews and Jewish institutions frequently comes from people with deeply held anti-Semitic sentiments."

Wiesel noted that while a just solution was needed for the Arab-Israeli conflict, he could never associate himself with those who sent out suicide bombers.

And he bitterly attacked some Muslim nations for, as he put it, making "Jew hating... part of official policy."

Wiesel admitted he was better at posing questions than finding ways to fight anti-Semitism. "If Auschwitz didn't kill anti-Semitism, what can?" he said.

Nevertheless, Wiesel said that holding the conference in Berlin - just a few blocks from where Adolf Hitler plotted the Final Solution - would send out a powerful message to "stop the poison."

Other officials attending, including German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, talked about practical matters including beefing up European police cooperation, collecting and publishing national data on anti-Semitic attacks and passing more laws aimed at anti-Semitism in Europe.

OSCE Chairman Solomon Passy stressed that education was the key to rooting out anti-Semitism.

But Veil, the current president of the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah, warned that French schools were faltering in this task as young immigrants from Muslim countries took up what she called "victim competition."

Some French teachers were now declining the teach about the Holocaust for fear of causing controversy with such students, she said.

Summing up the overall situation of Jews in Europe, President Rau underlined that there was clearly a big difference between today's problems and those of the 1930s and 40s.

"Back then the barbarism came from the state - the German state," said Rau, adding that today all European states and the international community staunchly oppose anti-Semitism.

Colin Powell and Joschka Fischer addressing reporters during the anti-Semitism conference in Berlin on Wednesday. (AP)

Sister Soldiers Won't Return to Iraq 04.27.04 (6:30 pm)   [edit]
[i][b]By JR ROSS, AP[/b][/i]

MADISON, Wis. (April 27) - Two young Army women who were given the choice of returning to combat in Iraq after their sister was killed in a Baghdad ambush decided Tuesday not to go back.
A Family's Struggle

Rachel and Charity Witmer chose instead to ask for noncombat jobs outside Iraq.

"It's by far the most difficult decision we have ever made,'' the women said in a statement.

They said they were concerned that if they went back, the increased attention on their units might put their fellow soldiers at risk.

Their new assignments have not been determined yet.

The two arrived home April 12 to attend the funeral of Michelle, their 20-year-old sister and Charity's twin, who was killed April 9 in an attack.

The decision ends weeks of speculation over whether the sisters would head back to Iraq. The family's ordeal drew nationwide attention after the women's father issued an emotional plea to the military to spare his daughters from having to return to combat.

"I can't live another year like I've lived this one,'' John Witmer said at the time. "It's a burden I can't bear.''

Under Pentagon policy, when a soldier is killed while serving in a hostile area, other family members in the military may request a non-combat assignment.

Rachel Witmer, 24, serves with the 32nd Military Police Company, as did Michelle. The Wisconsin Army National Guard unit already has served a year in the Middle East and recently had its service extended four months.

Charity Witmer is a sergeant and medic with the 118th Medical Battalion, which arrived in Baghdad in February.

The women said Wisconsin's adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Al Wilkening, had advised them to seek reassignment outside Iraq.

"Although he said he could not order us to request reassignment, he was very clear to point out that a decision to return to Iraq might expose our fellow soldiers to increased danger. This we will not do,'' the statement said.

Gov. Jim Doyle also weighed in on the matter, encouraging the women to stay with their family. "No one can say that this family has not done enough to serve our country,'' Doyle said in a statement.

The sisters' unit commanders in Iraq had also recommended that the two be given non-combat assignments, Wilkening said.

04/27/04 17:36 EDT

[i]Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.[/i]

HAha!

04.27.04 (1:06 pm)   [edit]
These quizzes are great!


Take the quiz: "What instrument are you?"

Guitar
You are a Guitar. You have a bit of ego and you like to show off. Look at me I'm doing a solo for way too long. Shut the fuck up thats only exceptable in instrumental music.

Take the quiz: "Which Late Night Host Are You?"

Conan O'Brien
You are closest to Conan O'Brien. You're funny, witty, likable, modest, and the best! You don't get enough credit for all of the things you do and have done.

Take the quiz: "What Disney Princess Are You?"

Ariel
You can swim, flip, dive and be one with fish...WHY DO YOU WANT MORE?

Take the quiz: "Which prop from 'American Pie' are you?"

The Bottle of Prescription Laxative
You are the industrial strength Laxative Stifler put in Finch's Mochachino. You are the tool of everyone's vengence. People seek you out for the ditry work.

Take the quiz: "Should You be Allowed to Breed?"

Congratulations! It's a boy!
You'd make such a good parent I've taken the liberty of impregnating you myself. Just send your medical bills to me. If i's a boy, we'll name him Phoenix. If it's a girl, we'll name her Sophia. See you in nine months!

Blasts heard outside Canadian Embassy in Syria 04.27.04 (11:48 am)   [edit]
[b]Last Updated Tue, 27 Apr 2004 14:20:47[/b]

DAMASCUS - Explosions and shootings rocked the diplomatic residences in Damascus on Tuesday, including the Canadian Embassy.

Syrian state TV reported that security forces clashed with a "terrorist band" in the Syrian capital.

In London, a British Foreign Office official said explosions and shootings were heard near the Iranian ambassador's residence and in the vicinity of the British ambassador's residence.

"At the moment, there are no injuries to U.K. Embassy staff. Our staff are in the process of assessing the situation," the Foreign Office official said on condition of anonymity.

The BBC reported three to five explosions were heard near the Canadian and Iranian embassies in Syria.

[i]Written by CBC News Online staff[/i]

PA threats to annul recognition of Israel 04.27.04 (11:39 am)   [edit]
Considering the fact that the maps in the textbook-atlases in their children's schools don't include Israel (but rather, show the region with a great big 'Palestine' draped accross it instead), I dunno about you, but this threat has REALLY got me shakin' in my boots.
[line]
Gaza, , Apr. 27 (UPI) -- An aide to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat warned Tuesday harming Arafat means annulling Palestinian recognition of Israel.

Ahmad Abdel-Rahman told reporters Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's recent threats against Arafat cross the line. Sharon last week said he was no longer bound by a promise no to kill Arafat but said there were no immediate plans to act. Members of his government later played down the threat.

Abdel-Rahman urged Palestinians to halt "all practices that could provide Sharon with the necessary pretext to target Arafat."

He also called on Palestinians and other Arabs to develop a unified position.

The Bottom Line / Made in Israel

04.27.04 (11:21 am)   [edit]
[i][b]By Oded Hermoni, Haaretz[/i][/b]

Israeli women who rave about the products of the American lingerie chain Victoria's Secret would likely be surprised to discover that there is a small tag on the bras noting that they were manufactured in the Tefron factory in Israel.

Israelis who drive Opel, Peugeot or Porsche models are probably unaware that the oil pan at the bottom of the automobile's engine is produced here in Israel by Tadir-Gan (Precision Products). It's doubtful whether users of Intel's new mobile computers, equipped with the Centrino chipset, know that this chipset was developed in Haifa. Similarly, farmers using Natafim's drip irrigation system are not always aware that it originates in Israel.

It's true that Israel has yet to produce a company the size of Finland's Nokia, but quietly, with almost no public relations locally, dozens of Israeli firms in various fields - agriculture, automotive, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and technology, of course - have succeeded in making an impact on the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the world. Most of these people, like us, have no idea that these products come from this conflict-ridden part of the world they hear about in the news.

The Israeli technology industry is the exception: There is worldwide recognition of the R&D capability of Israeli brainpower in this area. "The world's Silicon Valley" and "a global source of technological innovation" are just some of the superlatives the world has attributed to the Israeli high-tech industry. Trailblazers have included Scitex, Checkpoint, Comverse, Zoran, Indigo, and M-Systems, as well as some 50 R&D centers of foreign companies like Intel, Motorola and Texas Instruments. Common to all of them is technological innovation that allowed them to create new markets or change existing markets. Today, in practically every area of technology, there is something Israeli - a chip, application, or particle.

Hundreds of Israeli companies have developed in this atmosphere of technological innovation and hundreds of startups are following in their path. The long line of Israeli companies registering patents in the United States, and the huges sums invested in Israeli startups (surpassing Europe in recent years), are additional evidence of Israeli inventiveness.

In addition to its achievements in "traditional" technological fields like medical equipment, software protection, digital printing, chips and telecommunications, the last two years have seen new and promising developments in the areas of digital video, nanotechnology, Internet and cellular applications.

These technological developments are bringing investors and foreign companies to Israel in search of "the next thing" - even during days of terror attacks. Of course, not all of these new technologies will succeed and only a small percent will prove to be revolutionary. Even when Israeli technological innovations do not result in business success, they often generate additional ideas, some of which will succeed and end up affecting the lives of us all.

Thousands participate in Independence Day events 04.27.04 (11:17 am)   [edit]
[i][b]By Haaretz Service[/b][/i]

Over one million people frequented Israel's national parks on Tuesday, celebrating Independence Day, Israel's media reported.
According to Israel Radio, police in the Tel Aviv area requested that celebrants avoid Ramat Gan National Park, Hayarkon, Charles Clor and Safari parks, noting they were jammed and no additional parking was available for visitors.

Ashkelon police announced the national park in the city was completely full.

Park Golda in the Negev was reported full, and heavy traffic was reported on the roads leading to the Gush Katif settlement bloc in the Gaza Strip, where 60,000 people attended a mass rally on Tuesday afternoon.

There were also reports of very heavy traffic in the north, around Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee.

On Monday night, the eve of Independence Day, hundreds of thousands of people took part in celebrations throughout the country, Army Radio reported early Tuesday.

As the sobriety of Memorial Day for Israel's fallen soldiers faded into the revelry of Independence Day on Monday night, municipalities across the country began their planned festivities, secured by the police and private security firms.

Thousands of police officers and soldiers were patrolling Independence Day Eve events and city centers, following threats of terror attacks planned for the holiday. On Tuesday, security forces will be patrolling outdoor recreation areas such as parks and the seashore. Monday night and Tuesday mark the 56th year of Israel's independence.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Sunday that Hamas and Tanzim were concentrating their efforts to carry out a terror attack on Independence Day, telling the cabinet that 13 would-be terrorists planning to carry out attacks over the holiday were killed over the last few days.

A state torch-lighting ceremony was held at Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem to kick off Independence Day. Tel Aviv hosted a number of Independence Day events Monday night.

Tel Aviv's main stage was at Rabin Square, which was to host performances by Boaz Sharabi, Gidi Gov, Habalyanim, Hani Nahmias and Tse'irei Tel Aviv.

Jaffa's Davidoff Park was to feature singers Yoav Yitzhak and Avner Gadassi, who were also planned to play at Tel Aviv's Park Darom. Davidoff Park will host activities for the entire family on Tuesday.

Herzliya's main event was to take place at the city's center Monday night, featuring Eidan Reichel and Monica Sex. The city was also planned to host a Hasidic performance as well as a stage for children's shows.

Ra'anana's celebrations were to take place in the city's main park, with performances by Monica Sex, Shotei Ha'nevua and Shigatz.

Mosh Ben-Ari, Olearchik and Miki Gavrielov were to perform in Ramat Hasharon, while Sophie Tsedaka, Ron Shuval and a sing-along with Gaby Berlin, Aviv Avidan and others were to entertain Holon residents.

However, several cities, including Bat Yam and Kiryat Shmona, have decided to cut back on Independence Day celebrations due to budgetary constraints.

Mayor Shlomi Lahiani has decided that because of its huge deficits, the city cannot spend large sums of money to bring in big-name performers, so local singer Ravid Goeta will head the bill at Bat Yam's amphitheater.

A number of local authorities in the north - including Hatzor Haglilit, Tirat Hacarmel and Kiryat Shmona - have also decided to cut back due to budgetary problems.

Tirat Hacarmel Mayor Arieh Farjoun said he was forced to cancel contracts with artists who had been invited, and to advertise that the festivities had been canceled. Farjoun said that some of the money set aside for the festivities would be used for educational projects.

Israel identifies Hamas leader Zahar as next target 04.27.04 (11:14 am)   [edit]
TEL AVIV: A top Israeli security official said that Hamas senior leader Mahmoud a-Zahar would be a potential assassination target.

After assassination of Shaikh Ahmed Yassin and Rantisi, Hamas leadership has decided not to disclose the identity of the new Hamas leader in Gaza. However Israeli newspapers identify Mahmoud Zahar the new leader of Hamas.

Israeli military chief in a recent interview to an Israeli daily had said that Zahar becomes new leader of Hamas after assassination of Rantisi no action will be taken against him if Hamas remains silent.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Hospitalized 04.27.04 (10:46 am)   [edit]
JERUSALEM - Former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir Yitzhak Shamir was hospitalized Monday after fainting, but was in good condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Shamir, 88, a hard-line prime minister from 1983-84 and then again from 1986-92, represented Israel at the historic 1991 Madrid peace conference, the first time Israel openly sat with Palestinian Liberation Organization members.

Shamir was taken to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv after fainting, a spokeswoman said.

What A Great Audience!

04.26.04 (8:26 pm)   [edit]
My weekly article at [url=http://www.behindenemyheadlin...] BehindEnemyHeadlines.com[/url] had a wonderful response last week! I even got mentioned at sites I have never even heard of! Like this one, for example -- [url=http://www.imao.us/cgi-bin/mt...]IMAO.us[/url]

I really like that site, too.

A couple other sites linked to it as well. And the responses in the comments were overall highly positive and congradulatory!

So, I just wanted to say thanks to all my new fans!

I wouldn't be so popular without such a great audience!

Next week's article at B.E.H. will be back to your regularly scheduled programming. :) In the meantime, check out [url=http://rasta.tblog.com]Rasta's blog![/url]

Israel celebrates 56th Independence Day 04.26.04 (4:39 pm)   [edit]
Woo! Happy Independence Day!!! Happy Birthday, Israel!
[line]
[i][b]By NINA GILBERT, The Jerusalem Post[/b][/i]

Israel began celebrating its 56th birthday Monday evening, at the end of the solemn commemoration of the annual Memorial Day for Israel's fallen soldiers.

At sundown, the somber atmosphere abruptly gave way to fireworks displays, open-air concerts and spirited street festivities. Israelis explain the juxtaposition by saying that the battles in which the soldiers died helped create and maintain the Jewish state.

Interviewed on Channel One's Independence Day broadcast Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he was confident that by this time next year, "we will be in the midst of disengagement from Gaza. This is good for Israel, good for Israel's security, good for the economy and good for peace, which I believe will come one day."

Despite Leftist criticism, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin dedicated the lighting of an Independence Day torch Monday night on Mount Herzel in part to the residents of Kfar Darom, who have been slated for evacuation from the Gaza settlement under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan.

The text of Rivlin's dedication reads: "In honor of the Knesset, Israel's legislature, the pioneers, all of the settlers of the land of our forefathers and their redeemers – from Hanita to Kfar Darom, from Negba to Kiryat Arba, Hebron – and in honor of Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel."

Rivlin's words drew a round of applause from the large audience, Israel Radio reported.

Earlier, addressing a crowd at a Remembrance Day ceremony in Gush Etzion settlement bloc, south of Jerusalem, Rivlin said: "We will continue to hold on to the lands of this wonderful country, even in times when the hands of those who carried on their shoulders the vision of the Land of Israel have become weak."

Rivlin came under fire from Knesset factions to the Left of the Likud for his plan to mention the residents of settlements. MKs criticized Rivlin for exploiting the opening ceremony for Independence Day to campaign against the disengagement plan.

Meretz MK Zehava Gal-On called the planned speech a "disgrace" and an "exploitation and politicization" of the Knesset speaker's position.

Gal-On also said Rivlin was trying to ignite public debate about settlers at a state ceremony.

Shinui faction leader Reshef Cheyne said that Rivlin has become swept up in the political storm over the plan, and has apparently forgotten about the fine line between his political and state persona. "He has brought politics into one of the most (important) national ceremonies, and by doing so has harmed the Knesset and his own stature," Cheyne said.

Rivlin reacted to the criticism by saying that all of the settlements he mentioned existed before the establishment of the state, Knesset spokesman Giora Pordes said.

Security was tight and Palestinians were banned from entering Israel during the holiday, which began at sundown.

[i]With Associated Press[/i]

Is the Jewish claim that the world is 5,764 years old controdictory to science?

04.26.04 (4:31 pm)   [edit]
Torah and science can never contradict each other, because two truths cannot be contradictory. When we find an apparent contradiction between the two, it is generally due to a misunderstanding regarding what one is saying.

Science cannot really prove the age of the universe. All that scientists can do is speculate about the age of the universe by extrapolating from observed phenomena. No scientist alive today can say that he or she has first-hand information regarding the beginning of the universe.

The Torah tells us how old the universe is.

Science tells us how old the universe seems to be.

To give a simple example: how old was Adam when he was first created? Was he a baby? Young man? Old man?

Our sages tell us that he had the body and maturity of a 20-year-old man. Now, let us imagine Adam going for a medical exam a day after he was created. The receptionist asks for his age and he answers: “one day”. “You must be kidding me,” she would reply. “You seem to be at least 20 years old!”

They are both right. Adam is saying how old he really is, while the receptionist is estimating his age based on “scientific proof.”

The scientist that does not believe in God has no reason to assume that the age of the world is different than what it appears to be. The one who believes in God, however, can perfectly accept the fact that the world was created in a mature state and therefore does not contradict the fact that it is really younger than it seems to be.

Israel Identifies New Secret Hamas Leader 04.26.04 (2:25 pm)   [edit]
Did they really think they could keep this kind of thing from Israeli intelligence, the best intelligence on the planet?! If so, then they're more delusional than I thought! This guy isn't going to last long either! So, in case anyone doesn't hear, the new Hamas leader is 53 year old Mahmoud Zahar!
[line]
[i][b]By MARK LAVIE
Associated Press Writer[/i]
Originally published April 26, 2004, 4:19 PM EDT[/b]

JERUSALEM -- Israel identified the new, secret Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip as Mahmoud Zahar, a 53-year-old Egyptian-trained physician, and signaled Monday he won't be targeted if the militant group halts attacks on Israelis.

Hamas, however, refused to reveal the name of its leader for fear he will be assassinated like his two predecessors.

Also Monday, Israeli troops killed a 14-year-old Palestinian boy and seriously wounded a 15-year-old girl near Israeli settlements in Gaza. The girl, described as mentally retarded, had wandered into a restricted area.

The Palestinian attorney general said he would speed up prosecution of dozens of suspected collaborators with Israel and search for those who helped Israel kill Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi on April 17. Fifty-three alleged informers are in Palestinian custody awaiting trial.

Rantisi, the successor of Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin, himself assassinated by Israel, had taken extreme precautions, but Israel spotted him when he made a rare visit home and killed him in with a missile attack.

Hamas declared after Rantisi's death that it would not disclose the name of his replacement. However, speculation centered on Zahar -- Rantisi's deputy, Yassin's personal physician and for years one of the most visible and uncompromising Hamas spokesmen.

Three Israeli newspapers on Monday identified Zahar as the group's new leader. Several days ago, Zahar told reporters Hamas would not disclose the name of the new leader but did not deny he had the title.

Israel's military chief, Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon, told the Yediot Ahronot daily the new Hamas leader had inherited the post "automatically" and reluctantly accepted the position. Yaalon also signaled Israel would avoid attacking him as long as the group remains quiet.

"He doesn't want it, and he is apparently avoiding making decisions, and he is apparently avoiding terrorism," Yaalon said. "Anyone who doesn't use terrorism against us, we do not deal with."

Yaalon did not identify the Hamas leader, but military officials said he was referring to Zahar. The officials said it is impossible to identify the leader with certainty because of Hamas' fluid leadership structure.

Zahar has escaped two Israeli attempts on his life, most recently in September when his eldest son and a bodyguard were killed. Zahar rejects any settlement with Israel and compromise with the Palestinian Authority.

In Washington, the CIA declined to comment on whether Zahar is the new Hamas leader.

In the Gaza violence, a 14-year-old boy was shot in the back by Israeli army fire and died, Palestinian medical workers said. The boy was among several youths who had climbed sand dunes to watch soldiers deployed around the Israeli settlement of Nissanit in northern Gaza.

Witnesses and Palestinian security officials said the boys were about 700 yards from an Israeli watchtower when the teen was killed.

Military officials said soldiers used non-lethal means to disperse stone throwers near a settlement and did not know about a boy who was shot.

Medical workers also said a 15-year-old, mentally handicapped girl was seriously wounded after approaching the Israeli settlement of Morag near the Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza.

Military officials said soldiers saw a woman running toward the settlement in an area off-limits to Palestinians, assumed she was attacking the settlement and opened fire after she ignored calls to stop and warning shots. They said the settlement has been a frequent target of Palestinian militants.

Morag and the other 20 Jewish settlements in Gaza and Israeli military installations would be removed under Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's "unilateral disengagement" plan. However, Palestinians suspect Sharon's real agenda is to trade the small settlements in Gaza for a permanent hold on most of the West Bank, where 90 percent of Israeli settlers live.

In an interview Monday on the Al-Arabiya satellite TV channel, former Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinians should not cooperate with the Israeli withdrawal.

He also harshly criticized President Bush, who gave backing to the main points of Sharon's plan.

"America has now no credibility at all," Abbas said.

On Sunday, members of Sharon's Likud Party vote in a referendum on the withdrawal plan. Polls indicate that the outcome will be close.

[i]Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press [/i]
[line]
Just to recapp; Hamas' new leader: [b]Mahmoud Zahar, 53![/b]

Anything else you'd like to hide from Israel, Hamas?

Rutgers Paper Runs Holocaust Cartoon 04.26.04 (2:15 pm)   [edit]
I think this joker should apologize. And I wrote that in my letter to that paper.
[line]
[b]Fri Apr 23, 4:00 PM ET [/b]


NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - Rutgers University's president says the student editors of an alternative campus newspaper should immediately apologize for a cartoon that mocked the Holocaust.

The full-page drawing on Wednesday's cover of the Medium weekly showed a man throwing a ball at another man sitting on an oven at a campus fair. The text read: "Knock a Jew in the oven! Three throws for one dollar! Really! No, REALLY!"

President Richard L. McCormick said the cartoon was "outrageous in its cruelty."

Ned Berke, 19, the editor who selected the cartoon, said it was clever. "It took a serious situation and made it ridiculous," he said.

Berke, who is Jewish, he had relatives who died in the Holocaust.

"Humor is a way of honoring them and trying to get over it and to laugh," the journalism major said. "The Holocaust has been taboo for years."

Michael Stanley, the Medium's editor in chief, was out sick and did not edit the issue, and he said he probably would not have used the cartoon. "I certainly understand why people are offended by it," he said.

The Medium receives nearly $10,000 through the Rutgers College and Livingston College student government.

Please pass around this email!

04.26.04 (2:12 pm)   [edit]
I recieved this in an email. Please pass it around! :)
[line]
Shalom from Yerushalayim.

This week Israel commemorates Soldiers Remembrance Day immediately
followed by Independence Day. This juxtaposition serves to remind us that
our independence is dependent on the continued service and sacrifice of
our Regular and Reserve soldiers to the Jewish people.

PizzaIDF continues to deliver Pizza & Soda, as well as Burgers, Healthy
Hot Winter Soup, Ice Cream and traditional treats for Jewish festivals,
to our active duty soldiers on behalf of Israel's many supporters like
you.

On this Independence Day, we wish to thank you very much on behalf of
the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces for all your support. The
soldiers greatly appreciate every contribution and especially your warm
words of encouragement and support. Even when they are not in the
headlines, they are always there, on the front lines, for all of us. We all
depend on them at the forefront of the fight against terror.

It is our honor to continue representing you to our soldiers. Thank
you.

Wishing you all Yom ha'Atzmaut Sameach.

Shimon
www.PizzaIDF.org

PS Your gifts of over $250 are eligible for a US IRS tax deduction.
Please tell your friends about this way to help our soldiers:
www.PizzaIDF.org/SendToFriend.htm

Remembering Israel’s Fallen Throughout Modern History 04.26.04 (2:09 pm)   [edit]
[b]18:35 Apr 26, '04 / 5 Iyar 5764[/b]

(IsraelNN.com) Today at 11:00, a two-minute Memorial Day siren was heard around the country, bringing the nation to a standstill of silence. Memorial services for the fallen are being held today in cemeteries around the country.

The late Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren, who made the decision to institute Israel's Memorial Day immediately before Independence Day, once explained Memorial Day's significance:

See the comprehensive story -- http://www.israelnationalnews...

An explanation of our search results.

04.23.04 (4:57 pm)   [edit]
From Google:
[line]
If you recently used Google to search for the word "Jew," you may have seen results that were very disturbing. We assure you that the views expressed by the sites in your results are not in any way endorsed by Google. We'd like to explain why you're seeing these results when you conduct this search.

A site's ranking in Google's search results is automatically determined by computer algorithms using thousands of factors to calculate a page's relevance to a given query. Sometimes subtleties of language cause anomalies to appear that cannot be predicted. A search for "Jew" brings up one such unexpected result.

If you use Google to search for "Judaism," "Jewish" or "Jewish people," the results are informative and relevant. So why is a search for "Jew" different? One reason is that the word "Jew" is often used in an anti-Semitic context. Jewish organizations are more likely to use the word "Jewish" when talking about members of their faith. The word has become somewhat charged linguistically, as noted on websites devoted to Jewish topics such as these:

* http://shakti.trincoll.edu/~mendele/vol01/vol01.174
* http://www.jewishworldreview....

Someone searching for information on Jewish people would be more likely to enter terms like "Judaism," "Jewish people," or "Jews" than the single word "Jew." In fact, prior to this incident, the word "Jew" only appeared about once in every 10 million search queries. Now it's likely that the great majority of searches on Google for "Jew" are by people who have heard about this issue and want to see the results for themselves.

Our search results are generated completely objectively and are independent of the beliefs and preferences of those who work at Google. Some people concerned about this issue have created online petitions to encourage us to remove particular links or otherwise adjust search results. Because of our objective and automated ranking system, Google cannot be influenced by these petitions. The only sites we omit are those we are legally compelled to remove or those maliciously attempting to manipulate our results.

We apologize for the upsetting nature of the experience you had using Google and appreciate your taking the time to inform us about it.

Sincerely,
The Google Team

p.s. You may be interested in some additional information the Anti-Defamation League has posted about this issue at http://www.adl.org/rumors/goo... In addition, we call your attention to both the Jewish Internet Association, an organization that addresses online anti-semitism, at http://www.jewishinternetasso..., and Google's search results on this topic.

SA man's Iraqi killer: 'I killed the Jew' 04.23.04 (4:55 pm)   [edit]
[b][i]By Graeme Hosken and Reuters[/b][/i]

A former South African police task force member has been shot dead in a Baghdad supermarket just days after leaving South Africa.

The former police officer, who cannot be named until his next of kin have been informed of his death, had just returned to Baghdad.

He had been in South Africa for a week's visit after his wife and infant child were hijacked near their Centurion home.

'There was meant to be a get-together for all of us'
The man, who worked for a South African security company, was shot dead in the Sunni Muslim district of Adhamiyah in the capital on Thursday.

Sources who worked with the South African in Baghdad said on Thursday evening that the man, who was shot twice in the head and once in the back, had been sent to a butchery to buy meat for a farewell braai for another South African due to return home later this week.

"There was meant to be a get-together for all of us before our colleague returned home," said a security personnel man who asked not to be named for fear of repercussions from the South African government.

The man - the fourth South African to be killed in Iraq since January - was working on a four-month contract as a bodyguard for the United States-led Coalition Provisional Authority.

The three other South Africans who have been killed in Iraq are Francois Strydom, Gray Branfield and Hendrik "Vis" Visagie, also a former task force member.

'This is a Jew, why do you deal with him and sell to him?'
Witnesses said the dead man's translator, who was also at the small supermarket, was wounded and taken to a nearby hospital.

"A gunman came in and shot them both," said Aslan Khalil, a worker at the shop where the incident took place. "When the gunman came in, he told us 'This is a Jew, why do you deal with him and sell to him?' "

The owner of the supermarket was wounded by a bullet in the leg.

Another witness, Aydan Khalil, said the gunman had a keffiyeh headdress wrapped round his face and used an assault rifle. Afterwards, he left the shop and tried to get into the victim's four-wheel-drive vehicle across the street.

"He tried to smash a car window and then turned and said 'I killed the Jew inside - you burn his car'."

The gunman then left in his own car, the witness said.

There are numerous South Africans working in Iraq, mostly employed by private security firms.

The department of foreign affairs said arrangements were being made through the South African mission in Oman and the man's employers to ensure that his remains were repatriated.

Meanwhile in Cape Town, Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane said the United States and Britain owed it to the world to admit they had invaded Iraq based on inaccurate information.

He said they should also admit that they falsely alleged that Iraq posed an immediate threat to the world.

Speaking on Thursday after bomb blasts in Basra, Iraq, that caused more than 60 deaths, he said: "The US had no real evidence for war on Iraq."

ADL Praises Google for Responding to Concerns about Rankings of Hate Sites 04.23.04 (4:47 pm)   [edit]
One more thing before I'm outta here for the weekend. It seems we have a victory for the forces of good!
[line]
[b]Thu Apr 22, 2:41 PM ET

To: National Desk, Technology Reporter[/b]

Contact: Myrna Shinbaum, 212-885-7747, or Todd Gutnick, 212-885-7755, both of the Anti-Defamation League

NEW YORK, April 22 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today praised Google for responding to its concerns about rankings of extremist Web sites. Google has assured ADL that its staff is looking at various technical modifications that will enable the Internet search engine to better identify and categorize racially offensive sites that come up in search results.

In a letter to ADL, Google President Sergey Brin apologized to users who found the search results for the word "Jew" upsetting and promised to work for a solution that would satisfy ADL's concerns and those of users offended by the No. 1 ranking of an anti-Semitic Web site.

"We are extremely pleased that Google has heard our concerns and those of its users about the offensive nature of some search results and the unusually high ranking of peddlers of bigotry and anti-Semitism," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "Google has shown great responsiveness to this issue and a willingness to consider changes to better identify extremist Web sites, so that users can still have the benefit of Google's unique search technology while being alerted when they are about to enter into a hate zone."

In response to a deluge of e-mails about Google, ADL contacted the company earlier this month to express its concern and offer suggestions for categorizing hate sites without censoring them in the results. Google's response was immediate and has led to ongoing discussions between ADL's Internet monitoring team and Google's technical experts.

Until the technical modifications are implemented, Google has placed text on its site that gives users a clear explanation of how search results are obtained. Google searches are automatically determined using computer algorithms that take into account thousands of factors to calculate a page's relevance.

"We apologize for the upsetting nature of the experience you had using Google and appreciate your taking the time to inform us about it," Brin said in his letter. "This is clearly an issue that we care deeply about, and we plan to explore additional ways of addressing it in the future."

------

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.

http://www.usnewswire.com/" title="http://www.usnewswire.com/" target="_blank"http://www.usnewswire.com/

-0-

/© 2004 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/

D'var Torah for Tazria-Metzora (Leviticus 12:1-15:33)

04.23.04 (1:17 pm)   [edit]
(Hey, that title kind of rhymed!) :wink:
Both Parshat Tazria and Metzora discuss skin ailments on one's flesh, who to see about it (the Priest), how to treat it (isolate it), what to do if it spreads (isolate yourself), and so on. While we get caught up in the details of the treatments, we might fail to realize how strange all of this is. This is the first time the Torah discusses personal physical hygiene.

Why would the Torah spend almost two entire Parshiot (multiple Parsha) on personal hygiene?

Rabbi Munk in [i]The Call of The Torah[/i] explains that by giving these afflictions so much attention, the Torah points to them as examples of the spiritual causes at the root of many illnesses (In our case, Tzaraas -- the affliction discussed in the Parsha -- is caused by one of seven sins: Slander, murder, perjury, debauchery, pride, theft and jealousy [Talmud Arachim 16a]).

As the Rambam (Maimonides) asserts, the best medication is based on ethical values, helping to re-establish harmonies between spiritual and physical forces (Guide to the Perplexed 3:27). This discussion in the Torah is meant to remind us that illness is sometimes spiritual, and that it's connected to our physical well-being.

We should feed our bodies, so long as we nurture our souls!

Have a nourishing Shabbos!

Some funny quizzes...

04.22.04 (6:03 pm)   [edit]
HAHA, I don't know if I like this one!



Take the quiz: "Which American City Are You?"

Washington DC
You're rotten to the core. You're deeply agressive; street-level violence and big-time politics.

Diffused.net would never cease to entertain you. What Kind Of Webmistress Are You?

what sort of weirdo are you?

this quiz by orsa

Non-Jews, please respond!

04.22.04 (5:24 pm)   [edit]
I happened upon someone else's blog where they asked a couple of good questions about how non-Christians felt about Christians. I figured I'd do a similar take on that here.

Please read the first question and then answer it before you read and answer the second question!!! Also, if you could just kind of state what religion you are, or if you don't have one, etc.



1. How do you feel about Jewish people?







2. What do you think Judaism is about?



Thanks for participating!!!!!

Uncomfortable

04.22.04 (4:35 pm)   [edit]
I've come to the conclusion, recently, that I make people uncomfortable. No, it's not because I'm a poor hoastess. It's not becuse I'm rude or nasty to people (in less they start it! :wink:). It's not because I pick my nose in public or scratch myself (well, I at least don't get caught).

It's because I'm Jewish.

In thinking about a comment that was left on my blog recently, I got to musing about it. Allow me to chart out the reasons, as I see them, as to why this might be...

[b]1. I believe in God.[/b]
That's right. I do. I will affirm this whenever I am asked; and I will do so proudly. This, I feel, aggrevates some atheists. They could give me all the 'proof' in the world that there is no God and I'll reject it and bring my own proof to the table in response. No one can really proove it either way. It's all a matter of opinion. I'm correct. <-- and that very statement makes people uncomfortable, if not angry to say the least. >
And, it's not just any God, it's the Jewish God and no other. I won't accept anyone else's god's claim to supremecy or even existence. I don't believe in Jesus, I don't believe in Vishnu, I don't believe in Giya. I understand that there are people who believe contrarily. I can respect them for having beliefs, however, I don't validate their beliefs by stating that their's *may* be the true being(s), for whatever reason.

It's not that I'm intolerant. On the contrary, as I just said, I understand other people's positions and I wish not to offend them. However, I hold my own opinion and it is unchanging and unwavering. There is a God: HaShem. HaShem is my God, He is the One and Only. This makes people uncomfortable.

[b]2. I feel that Jews have a right to exist in a homeland. I believe that homeland is Israel.[/b]
In accordance with my belief in God, I also believe He gave this land to the seed of Jacob. That would be us Jews. It does not belong to anyone else. All others should stop killing themselves (literally) to take it from us. We've got, among others, God on our side.

What bugs me greater is people who say contrarily in the name of God (ie. Muslims and even sometimes fellow Jews). Islam, an offshoot of Judaism, states that everything in the Torah is God's word. It states this in the Koran. The Muslims have no claim to Israel. The Koran even agrees that God gave it to us. And my fellow Jews who also feel differently really need to read up.

[b]3. I'm 'Different'.[/b]
I do things differently. I won't work, drive, or even turn on and off lights on Saturdays and holy days. I won't eat pork, shrimp, or osterich (among other things). I wear skirts and modest clothing (I don't think my stomach has seen the sunlight since I was a young child!). I pray and I do it in a different language (which I understand). People always fear or are uncomfortable around something or someone that is unfamiliar or unlike them. I feel I fall under this catagory.

[b]4. I have defined notions of morality and right & wrong.[/b]
There are right things to do and wrong things to do. We each have the ability to choose which we will execute. Protesting something we don't agree with is right and just fine. Decemating property and hurting people in that process is wrong. Killing in self-defense is right. Killing just for the fun of it is wrong. Abortion is immoral as a form of birth control. Not having sex is a moral form of birth control. Taking illegal drugs are wrong. Stealing is wrong. Lying is wrong. These are all unchanging. They are constant.

This notion makes people uncomfortable. I think it's because they don't like being told that they can't do whatever the hell they want, no matter how stupid and immoral it is. I also think that may be part of why so many people hate Jews. We're the ones who convey these standards. No one likes the messanger. No one likes to be told what they're doing is wrong. The human physical inclination is to do whatever the hell I want, whenever and screw the consequences and scew those who warn us about the consequences.

[b]5. I try and be the best person I can be.[/b]
This may sound like a weird point. However, I really think it's valid. In having the above mentioned moral standards, I try and live my life that way. Of course, I'll screw up every now and then. That's a given. I'm not perfect nor am I devine. I'm human and fallible just like anyone else. Thing is, though, I strive to be better. I really do. I try and be a nice person, I try and be respectful and not use hatespeech, I try and be fair, I try and be a good person!

With everything I mentioned above about that, people are put off. They think I'm being holier than thou. Nope. Like I said, I'm not better than anyone; I just try and be the best me I can be. That said, people think I'm hiding something with that. No one can have these ideals, moral standards, etc..., and not be somehow evil. I must try and make people live how I want them to.

Nope. I simply am here to help people in any way I can. I can't make anyone do anything. It's all up to them. I can give you my opinion, you can take it or leave it. It all depends on yourself. Just like it all depends on myself to try and be a good person. I'm sure someone reading this is uneasy about that because it sounds too good to be true or whatever. That's really how I feel. You can choose to believe me or not. The choice is yours; I know where I stand.

[b]6. I'm misunderstood.[/b]
I know I've mentioned this kind of thing before, but it's SO true! Just because I am who I am and I believe what I believe, sometimes, because people are uncomfortable by it all, they make up their own pre-conceived notions of what to expect. This is usually the biggest mistake someone can make about anyone! Stereotypes, no matter where they come from, are the biggest opsticles to understanding, enlightenment, and the betterment of our world.

Listen to what everyone has to say before you judge things for yourself, not just what I have to say. Stereotypes make everyone uncomfortable!

Letter To the Editor: An Update!

04.22.04 (2:21 pm)   [edit]
You may remember the letter I wrote to the editors of my college newspaper. You can glance at it here -- http://www.tblog.com/template...

The newest development of my story here is I received an email this afternoon from the newspaper. It reads:

[i][b]Dear [me],

I must have a last name in order to print this letter.

Holly Smith
Editor in Chief
[my college newspaper's name][/b][/i]

So, it appears, my letter may just get printed after all! Considering that I've written to them SO many times because they have a VERY biased peice of work, this really shows that persistancy pays off when you are defending a Jewish cause in a prodominantly Muslim school.

Needless to say, I replied with the requested information. I hope it does get printed.

It's not like I'm trying to be famous. No. And if I were trying to do so in a collge newspaper, that would be reall sad/pathetic. (If I cared that much about that, I'd join the staff!)

My entire reasoning in my rejoice of the prospect of getting published (finally) is solely based on my commitment to fight antisemitism and the media's bias therein, etc. Even if it does start with such small potatos as this college's news outlet.

The truth must be heard.

Libels, medieval and modern

04.21.04 (8:17 pm)   [edit]
[b]Apr. 20, 2004 23:29
[i]By MICHAEL FREUND, the Jerusalem Post[/i][/b]

Situated outside the Swiss village of Montreux, along the shore at the eastern end of Lake Geneva, sits one of the most impressive architectural relics of the Middle Ages.

With its turreted towers and Gothic architecture, the Chateau de Chillon, or Chillon Castle, built on an islet nearly 1,000 years ago, projects an image of beauty and serenity that strikes all who come to see it.

But the dazzling exterior is deceiving, for beneath it lies a dark and sinister secret, one that says a great deal about Europe's relationship with the Jews in the distant past as well as in the present.

The year was 1348, and the Black Death was ravaging the Continent, wiping out entire communities in its wake. The Jews of Europe suffered no less from the plague than did their non-Jewish neighbors, but that did not save them from being blamed for it anyway.

Slander against the Jews, such as rumors of well-poisoning, spread quickly throughout France and Switzerland, laying the groundwork for massacre and persecution.

In September 1348, the Jews of the Swiss town of Villeneuve were taken to the Chateau de Chillon and imprisoned in its dungeons. Horrible tortures were inflicted on them until a Jewish surgeon named Balavignus finally "admitted," under duress, that local Jews had concocted a poison made of Christian hearts and flesh, spiders, frogs, and lizards, topped off with the "sacred host" used in Catholic ritual, with the aim of poisoning Christian wells and rivers.

As a result, Villeneuve's Jews, its men, women and children, were burned alive in the depths of the castle.

As historian Joshua Trachtenberg writes in The Devil and the Jews, "This tale, in one form or other, spread on the heels of the plague and was eagerly seized upon by the terror-stricken populace as an adequate explanation of its origin."

A few months later, in January 1349, 600 Jews in Basel were burned to death.

This horrific pattern repeated itself in all its horror in other communities throughout France, Switzerland and Germany. Back then, Europe's treatment of the Jews was shaped and molded by a ridiculous lie. In that sense, at least, very little seems to have changed.

FOR WHILE Europeans once charged us with the "blood libel," saying we illicitly used other people's blood, they now falsely tar us instead with "land libel," alleging we have taken other people's territory.

Just this past Monday, we were witness to this, when Swiss ambassador to Israel Ernst Iten refused to attend a street-naming ceremony in Jerusalem in honor of a Swiss Righteous Gentile. The reason for the ambassador's rudeness was that the street in question is located in the Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood, which Israel took in the 1967 Six Day War and Europe considers to be "Arab land."

"Unfortunately," the ambassador wrote in a letter to Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski, "the embassy cannot attend a ceremony for a street that is not located within the internationally recognized territory of Israel."

In other words, what His Excellency was really saying was: You Jews are a bunch of thieves because you stole Palestinian land.
This, of course, represents not only the individual view of Switzerland but that of Europe as a whole, which has long pressed Israel to yield control over Judea, Samaria and Gaza to the Palestinians.

Just last week, the EU reiterated its stance on this issue after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met with US President George W. Bush in the White House. At an April 15 news conference in Brussels, European Commission spokesman Reijo Kemppinen said that Israel and the Palestinians would have to negotiate an agreement resulting in two "viable and independent states based on Israel's 1967 borders."

"The European Union," he added, "will not recognize any changes to the pre-1967 borders, other than those arrived at by agreement between the parties."

Now the Europeans are free to ignore thousands of years of history and archeology, which prove that the Jewish presence in places such as Hebron and Bethlehem predates that of their own civilization. And if they wish to pay no heed to the Bible and its mandate, which promises the land of Israel to the Jewish people and no one else, that is between them and God.

But they have no right to slander us and cast aspersions on us, falsely accusing the Jewish state of occupying someone else's land. This is not just a question of historical truth, but a matter of life and death.

For just as belief in the medieval "blood libel" legitimized the murder of Jews in the minds of its adherents, so too does the modern European "land libel" lend legitimacy to those who now target us, be they Islamic fundamentalists, Palestinian nationalists, or European anti-Semites.

After all, no one likes a land-grabber, and if, as Europe insists, the Jews are pilferers of Arab territory that would appear to set the stage for transforming them into a justifiable object of hatred and disgust.

Over six centuries ago, it was precisely this kind of attitude that led to innocent Jews being burned in the dungeons of Chillon. In its modern-day incarnation, the result is suicide bombings, synagogue desecrations and shooting attacks. And so, despite the passage of hundreds of years, one thing remains unchanged. Then, as now, Europe is no less culpable for what it has wrought.

[i]The writer served as deputy director of communications & policy planning in the Prime Minister's Office under Binyamin Netanyahu.[/i]

Justified and productive

04.21.04 (8:10 pm)   [edit]
[b]Apr. 18, 2004 20:38
Updated Apr. 19, 2004 15:08
[i]The Jerusaelem Post[/i][/b]

"[i]They had the opportunity to hand themselves to justice and answer for their crimes. They refused to do this. It goes without saying that we would have much preferred this, but the news that Saddam's sons are no longer a threat to the security of Iraq will be a reassurance to the Iraqi people.[/i]"
– Jack Straw, July 22, 2003, on the killing, by US troops, of Uday and Qusay Hussein

"[i]One has to treat such claims and proposals by al-Qaida with the contempt they deserve. This is a murderous organization which seeks impossible objectives by the most violent of means.[/i]"
– Jack Straw, April 16, 2004, on the proposal, by Osama bin Laden, to arrange a truce with Europe

"[i]Unjustified and counterproductive.[/i]"
– Jack Straw, April 18, 2004, on the killing, by Israeli forces, of Abdel Aziz Rantisi

Will the British foreign minister explain why the killing of Uday and Qusay Hussein was justified and "productive," but the killing of Abdel Aziz Rantisi was not? All three are, or were, leaders of what the British government defines as terrorist organizations.

Will the minister also explain why it is unthinkable for European countries, including Britain, to negotiate with al-Qaida, while it is not only thinkable, but necessary, for Israel to negotiate with a Palestinian regime implicated in Hamas's terrorism? All bin Laden asks of Europe is what Europe asks of Israel, which is to get out of Arab lands. If that demand is reasonably made of Israel, why is it any less reasonably made of Europe?

And will the minister tell us why, in June 2002, after describing suicide bombers as "misguided and depressed," he went on to say that "behind those people are some very evil terrorist leaders who do not put their own lives on the line when they are making sure that others' lives are ended." Was this not a description of people like Rantisi and Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, whose killing last month Straw also condemned in the strongest possible terms?

At least former French foreign minister Dominique de Villepin was consistent when he warned that the killing of Uday and Qusay would contribute to the cycle of violence in Iraq. That's a foolish view, but it is not a hypocritical one. Straw's view, however, is hypocritical. It is also foolish and at variance with his previous statements.

The minister says Israel may act against the likes of Rantisi, but only within the parameters of international law. That suggests that Rantisi ought to have been arrested and tried, not killed.

Well then: Arrested how, and by whom? Maybe we have missed the minister's calls for the Palestinian Authority to meet its responsibilities under the road map to "undertake visible efforts... to arrest, disrupt, and restrain individuals and groups conducting and planning attacks on Israelis." But if the minister has in fact issued such calls, he hasn't made them with the force and indignation of his denunciations of Israeli action.

Maybe the minister will allow that Rantisi may lawfully be arrested by Israel. But wouldn't that require an unlawful entry by Israeli troops into Gaza City? And would it not also have entailed a much larger loss of life? And possibly the use of military components supplied by Britain? This last the minister is on record as strongly opposing.

To follow the minister's pronouncements to their logical conclusion, Israel may take no measure in its self-defense except to arrest suicide bombers when they reach Israeli soil, which is as good as no defense at all. Alternatively, he believes Israel must resume negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, notwithstanding the failure of the PA to take steps against terrorist organizations and the evidence that it is deeply implicated in terrorist activity.

This is foolishness. Either the minister accepts Israel's right to take what efforts it thinks necessary against terrorism, or he must demand the PA do the same and make it pay a price if it doesn't. So far, the minister's government does neither.

It is noteworthy that after Saturday's killing of Rantisi, Hamas would not name its new leader. The bravado is gone. They are afraid. This will not prevent future attacks on Israel. But it puts paid to the lie that attacks on Hamas only embolden it. In that sense, Saturday's strike has served a purpose.

Vanunu's release

04.21.04 (8:04 pm)   [edit]
[b]Apr. 20, 2004 23:53
Updated Apr. 21, 2004 1:20
[i]The Jerusalem Post[/i][/b]

Among the many things said about Mordechai Vanunu, the Israeli due to be released from prison today after serving his 18-year sentence for revealing the country's nuclear secrets, is that he is a champion of the anti-nuclear cause.

Not so. In 1981, Vanunu, with Arab activists, protested against Israel's destruction of Iraq's Osirak reactor. Vanunu, then, wasn't against the bomb outright. He apparently approved of it in Arab hands.

Indeed, for years prior to Vanunu's arrest and trial, he was a pro-Arab extremist to the point that Hebrew University students and staff, who knew he was employed at the Dimona reactor, wondered how such a person could be allowed near the nation's most secure facility. This was the first, most easily preventable, and most egregious error of the entire affair.

Today, Vanunu has become the stuff of legend, at least to some people. He has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. There is a US "Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu." He was the subject – indeed, the hero – of a BBC Panorama documentary that aired last summer.

Upon his release he will be greeted by a coterie of high-profile admirers, including Irish Nobelist Mairead Maguire, British MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Colin Breed, and Bruce Kent of Britain's Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Letters of support from actress Emma Thompson and playwright Harold Pinter will be read aloud.

Ostensibly, Vanunu owes his fame to what he stands for: nuclear disarmament, freedom of information, human rights. In fact, it is owed mainly to what he stands against. "I am against Israel," he is reported to have told the Shin Bet. "I am against your state." It would be interesting to know how many of Vanunu's supporters share this sentiment.

In Israel, Vanunu gets little sympathy, even from the Left. Shimon Peres, who was prime minister when Vanunu was seized and tried in 1986, is blunt: "Vanunu violated norms and betrayed his country," he told Army Radio.

"This is justice."

In an editorial, Haaretz accuses him of "seriously harming state security." Yossi Sarid, the former leader of Meretz, describes him as a pathetic, mentally disturbed man. His advice is to ignore Vanunu to allow the current media feeding frenzy to die with a whimper.

We wish we could be as sanguine that Vanunu will disappear from public view. More likely, he will become a handy tool for anti-Israel campaigners, particularly if he is allowed to leave Israel in a year. The cumulative damage he will continue to do to Israel as a propagandist will considerably exceed the damage he caused as a spy.

That said, we do not mean to suggest that Vanunu should be forbidden to leave a country he no longer recognizes as his own. On the contrary, this was a right he ought to have exercised long before he chose to betray Israel's secrets and must be allowed to soon exercise again.

Vanunu may remain a threat, but that consideration ought to have been taken account during his sentencing in 1986. Now his sentence has been served and his rights must be respected. In this regard, the decision by the government not to place Vanunu in administrative detention is correct.

Indeed, it is this very fact that most powerfully gives the lie to the arguments of Vanunu's defenders. An Israel that gratuitously violated the rights of its citizens would not have sentenced him to a fixed term and then released him, proud and by all appearances healthy, when his time came.

Much less would it have countenanced the celebration that will be held today in his honor.

In the very act of letting him go free, Israel proves wrong Vanunu's contentions about the State of Israel.

We do not expect Vanunu or his defenders to take this into account. These are people who are beyond persuasion, animated by rage and undisturbed by fact. But as they make the moral case against Israel, Israel will make the moral case for itself. We trust that fair-minded observers will draw the obvious conclusion.

In the case of Vanunu, justice has been served and will sooner or later be recognized.

US eases visa requirements for Israelis 04.21.04 (7:59 pm)   [edit]
[b]Apr. 21, 2004 18:06
Updated Apr. 21, 2004 21:03
[i]By HERB KEINON[/i][/b]

US Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer formally announced Wednesday the US is easing visa requirements for Israelis born in countries on its list of states sponsoring terrorism.

According to the new regulations, one's country of birth will not be a determining factor in deciding whether the visa application will be processed in Israel, or sent to Washington.

Sending visa applications for Israelis born in Iran, Libya and Syria to Washington considerably lengthened the visa process. The other countries on the US list of states supporting terror are Sudan, Cuba and North Korea.

The main criterion now for determining how to process the visa will not be where one was born, but rather to which country one owes allegiance. Since most Israelis born in Iran, Libya and Syria have no tie to their country of birth, their visa applications will be processed in Israel like all other Israelis.

After 9/11, the US severely tightened the visa process, and Israelis born in the blacklisted countries – even if they had not been there for decades – were subjected to greater scrutiny than others.

This procedure caused problems for such high-profile personalities as Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and the singer Rita, both born in Iran.

Philip Covington, the consul-general at the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, urged Israelis to apply early for visas to the US, saying that the rate of requests for visas from Israel is among the highest in the world.

Covington also warned Israelis against overstaying their visit to the US, saying those who do so are likely to face problems getting a visa the next time they apply.

Israel Begins Annual Holocaust Mourning 04.21.04 (7:42 pm)   [edit]
[b]Sun Apr 18, 9:22 PM ET
[i]By STEVE WEIZMAN, Associated Press Writer[/i][/b]

JERUSALEM - Israel on Sunday began its annual day of remembrance for the 6 million Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis, with a torch-lighting ceremony at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum.

Places of entertainment shut down for the evening, radio stations played mournful music and TV channels broadcast Holocaust-related documentaries and dramas. Flags on public buildings were lowered to half-staff.

Though nearly six decades have passed since the end of World War II, the effect of the killing of a large portion of the Jewish people plays heavily on the psyche of Israel, and observance of the annual day of remembrance is almost total among Israel's Jews.

At the ceremony, shortly after nightfall, six Holocaust survivors, all veterans of the Auschwitz death camp, lit memorial flames, one for each million victims.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Israel had learned the lessons of the past and would never again tolerate attacks in Jews.

"We shall never allow the murderers of today or those of tomorrow to harm our people," Sharon said in his address. "Anyone who dares to do that will be struck down."

The ceremonies came a day after Israel assassinated the Gaza Strip leader of the Islamic militant Hamas group, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, in a missile strike.

During a visit to the Yad Vashem memorial earlier Sunday, the commander of Israel's armed forces said Rantisi was a Holocaust denier who claimed present-day Israelis were more evil than wartime Nazis.

"One of his recent comments was that comparing the Jews to the Nazis is an insult to the Nazis," Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon said.

On Monday morning, sirens were to sound, with streets becoming still and motorists stopping their cars to stand at attention beside them for two minutes of silence.

The theme of this year's commemoration is the continuing effort to document each individual victim of the Nazi extermination of Jews, under the slogan, "To the last Jew, to the last name."

Yad Vashem has about three million names on record of Jews killed in the Holocaust, only half the number of victims.

Also Sunday, in Germany, more than 500 people gathered at the Sachsenhausen memorial to mark the 59th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp located in Oranienburg, just outside Berlin.

Some 200,000 people — including political prisoners, captives from Poland, Soviet POWs as well as Jews — were interned at Sachsenhausen between 1936 and 1945, and tens of thousands died.

"The memory of the murdered must serve as a warning for coming generations," said former prisoner Zdzislaw Jasko, now vice president of the International Sachsenhausen Committee.

The camp, liberated April 22, 1945, by the Red Army, was then used by the Soviet occupiers to hold prisoners for several years until it was turned into a memorial.

A new visitor center was opened at the camp earlier this month, and the entrance to the site is to be moved for the 60th anniversary of the camp's liberation so that visitors pass through the same gate as prisoners did.

Some 500 others attended a similar weekend service at Ravensbrueck, a concentration camp for women 55 miles north of Berlin, which was liberated by the Soviets on April 30, 1945.

More than 130,000 women and children and 20,000 men were imprisoned at Ravensbrueck, and tens of thousands died.

Schwarzenegger Attends Holocaust Memorial 04.21.04 (7:34 pm)   [edit]
[b]Sun Apr 18, 9:11 PM ET
[i]By LAURA WIDES, Associated Press Writer[/b][/i]

LOS ANGELES - Crimes against Jewish people are crimes against all humanity, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Sunday during an annual Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony.

"We accept the Holocaust as a symbol of our duty and responsibility to prevent such travesties from ever happening again," said Schwarzenegger, a longtime supporter of Holocaust memorial efforts who also paid for an investigation into his father's Nazi past.

The event, which drew about 3,000 people to the Los Angeles Holocaust Monument in Pan Pacific Park, was held to remember the 6 million Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis.

Schwarzenegger, a native of Austria, was joined by Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo. Lantos noted what he called a rise of anti-Semitism in Europe and defended recent military actions taken by Israel, including the assassination of leaders of the Islamic militant group Hamas.

"People are perfectly prepared to commemorate the Holocaust, but they won't recognize our right to prevent the next Holocaust," Lantos said.

Dignitaries from Hungary and Israel also attended the ceremony, after which hundreds of people circled the Holocaust monument, six black granite pillars that evoke the chimneys of gas chambers.

Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has been working to resolve claims of Holocaust survivors. Speaking at the event, Garamendi said only 172 claims have been paid of the 7,000 Holocaust-related insurance claims submitted i