zaterdag 28 juli 2007

Palestijn bij checkpoint met twee bommen


Een kort berichtje in de Jerusalem Post vandaag, zoals er zo vaak in staan:

"IDF soldiers caught a Palestinian trying to cross Chawara checkpoint with two bombs Saturday evening.

According to reports, the man had in his possession two pipe bombs and two improvised grenades. IDF sappers destroyed the devices in controlled explosions.

The Palestinian was transferred to security forces for further interrogation."



Toch niet helemaal voor niets dus, die checkpoints.


Iran: "Holocaust grootste leugen en vervalsing uit de geschiedenis"

 
De ontkenning van de Holocaust door de Iraanse leider Achmadinejad is niet slechts bedoeld als provocatie aan het Westen, om de VS te jennen en het 'enfant terrible' uit te hangen. Het is gewoon de mening van een groot deel van de machthebbers in Iran. Ze ontkennen zelf uiteraard dat dit iets met antisemitisme te maken heeft en wijzen graag op de tienduizenden in Iran levende Joden die vrijheid van religie genieten. Net als de Holocaust bestaat antisemitisme gewoon niet volgens de Iraanse mullah's, en is het een uitvinding van de Zionisten om hun snode plannen voor werelddominantie te kunnen maskeren.
 
Het volgende bericht komt van het CIDI, volgens "Stop de Bezetting" een terroristische organisatie die ontmanteld moet worden en handelt in dienst van een misdadig regime. Is hier soms sprake van eenzelfde soort paranoia en complotdenken?
 
Ratna
_______________________

CIDI, 19 juli 2007

Iraanse nieuwsbladen: Holocaust is de grootste leugen en vervalsing uit de geschiedenis

In het Iraanse weekblad Sobh-e Sadeq is maandag een artikel verschenen waarin gesteld werd dat de Holocaust de grootste leugen en vervalsing uit de geschiedenis is. In het artikel dat de titel "De Holocaust - De Grote Leugen" draagt, wordt gesteld dat 'de Joden deze leugen gecreeerd hadden' en dat 'de Joden geloofden dat hun miserabele situatie de internationale gemeenschap ervan zou overtuigen om voor hen een staat te creeren.' Het weekblad Sobh-e Sadeq is een spreekbuis van de Iraanse religieuze leider Ali Khamenei en wordt verspreid onder de Revolutionaire Garde.

In het eveneens aan ayatollah Khameini gelieerd nieuwsblad Kayhan Daily verscheen eerder deze maand een artikel van dergelijke strekking. Hierin werd gesteld dan ten tijde van het Nazi-regiem er geen gaskamers bestonden.

© CIDI, 2007

Palestijnse nationale beweging in diepe crisis door kloof Fatah - Hamas

De machtsstrijd tussen Fatah en Hamas heeft catastrofale vormen aangenomen nu zij tot een ideologische en politieke scheiding tussen Gazastrook en Westelijke Jordaanoever heeft geleid. De Palestijnen hebben er al een term voor: Wakseh.

 

__________________________________

 

The great Palestinian downfall

Palestinian national movement faces deep crisis over Fatah-Hamas rift

Ronny Shaked

Published:  07.27.07, 12:49 / Israel Opinion

Wakseh – this is the new political term prevalent on the Palestinian street.

 

Following the Nakba (the 1948 defeat and the State of Israel's establishment) and the Naksa (the 1967 defeat,) the Palestinian split and the disconnection from the Gaza Strip are being referred to as "Wakseh". The word means humiliation, ruin, and collapse as a result of self-inflicted damage.

 

The term expresses the great downfall of the Palestinian national movement and Palestine's division into two ideological camps – the national camp and the Islamic camp.

 

The latest term, Wakseh, joins a series of political terms that have been etched into the collective Palestinian conscience and memory. In the Arab tradition, Wakseh is worse than Naksa because it is not caused by an external enemy, but rather, constitutes a self-inflicted wound that is almost akin to suicide.

 

In national terms, the Wakseh has brought Palestinians to one of the worst low points in their history. The Palestinian national movement has regressed 50 years to the reality of 1948-1967. It is back to a period of Palestinian geographical dispersal in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and the Palestinian diaspora in Arab countries, an era of national disintegration and focus on a daily struggle for personal survival.

 

'Catastrophic situation'

 

This time the split is ideological: The Hamas movement aspires to unite the West Bank and Gaza under the banner of Islam, while Fatah wants them united under the banner of democracy. This unification will apparently have to wait for many years.

 

The Wakseh has left the Palestinian street depressed and hopeless. Public life has collapsed and the average Palestinian is occupied with personal survival.

 

The Fatah movement, which started disintegrating following Arafat's death, has collapsed and shattered. Its leaders are still members of the "old Tunisian guard" – Mahmoud Abbas and his group. The changing of the guard between generations has skipped over the Palestinians. The transitional generation is tired and broken. The Fatah young guard no longer exists.

 

"We are facing a catastrophic situation," says Kadura Fares, who can still be referred to as one of the leaders of Fatah's transitional generation. Marwan Barghouti has turned into a savior and messiah, yet even if he is released from prison it is highly doubtful whether he would be able to heal the Palestinian rift.

 

Abbas, who is counting the days to the end of his term in office, did not appoint a successor but continues to talk about an agreement and a diplomatic solution, as if nothing happened to the Palestinians.

 

He keeps repeating the usual mantras: An independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, the right of return, and removal of the settlements. In practice, he is no more than the ruler of the Muqata, the government compound in Ramallah.

 

'Days of mourning'

 

Abbas' government is replete with ministers of tourism, transportation, agriculture, and other important ministries. Yet everything is virtual. The Palestinians in the Territories refer to the Salem Fayyad government as the "government of salaries."

 

Indeed, the Palestinian Treasury has enough money to pay salaries for many months to come. The Western world, which views radical Islam as the enemy, blindly follows Abbas' declarations and continues to hand over large sums of money. Abbas sends the money to Gaza and helps stabilize the Hamas rule there.

 

Muhammad from Jabaliya doesn't care who pays his salary – Abbas or Haniyeh, Israel or Iran. For him, the important thing is that the money arrives and enables him to buy food for his children.

 

Meanwhile, the Hamas rule in Gaza is stabilizing, partly thanks to the money Israel has transferred to Abbas, who proceeded to transfer it to more than 100,000 Gazans in the form of monthly salaries.

 

Hamas is conducting itself very wisely. Law and order prevails, there are no weapons on the streets besides the ones held by government forces, and no clan disputes. Even the market stalls at Palestine Square have been removed, and traffic is flowing.

The introduction of Islam by the regime is being undertaken at a slow pace, but consistently and with determination. Hamas has no shortage of money either, and it pads the pockets of its new supporters with welfare and aid funds.

 

Gaza residents have become used to Hamas and do not miss the corrupt Fatah officials. More than any other nation, the Palestinians are able to quickly adapt to changing situations.

 

One of the leaders of the transitional generation of what is left of Fatah, who asked to remain anonymous, told us with great sadness and pain: "The Wakseh took us back 50 years. National hope has been lost. Those are days of mourning."

Getuigenis van een Joodse vluchtelinge uit Libië

Een indrukwekkend verhaal van een Joodse vluchteling uit Libië. Te vaak wordt vergeten dat bijna een miljoen Joden uit de Arabische landen zijn gevlucht en verdreven, en voor hun leven moesten vrezen. Te vaak wordt gesuggereerd dat zij uit vrije wil vertrokken naar Israël of de VS om daar een beter leven op te bouwen, of omdat zij loyaal waren aan deze landen. De Joodse vluchtelingen uit Arabische landen verdienen op zijn minst erkenning van het onrecht dat hen is overkomen.
 
______________________________________________________
 
JIMENA's Regina Bublil Waldman in Washington
Congressional Human Rights Caucus hears testimony on Jewish refugees from Arab countries 
 
 
Regina Bublil Waldman testifying in Washington D.C.
Regina Bublil Waldman testifying before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus last Thursday

 
Text of testimony given by Regina Bublil Waldman, Chairperson, of the San Francisco-based Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa (JIMENA)

 
Thank you Mr. Chairman.
 
I would like to express my deep gratitude to this Caucus and its distinguished chairmen, the Honorable Cong. Frank Wolf, the Honorable Congressman Tom Lantos and Mrs. Annette Lantos for your moral courage and willingness to hear about the Forgotten Refugees - a subject that is crucial to an accurate understanding of the contemporary Middle East, a history neglected for many decades.
 
Today, I am here to break the silence surrounding the history of displacement of nearly a million Jews  Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa.      I would like to do that, honorable members of this Caucus, in the only way I know how - by sharing with you, my personal story.
 
Jews have lived in Libya and the rest of the Middle East and North Africa for more than two-thousand years. By the time I was born, in 1948, there were about 36,000 Jews living in Libya. By 1967, there were only six-thousand left.  Today, there are no Jews left in Libya. 
 
I grew up in a middle-class Jewish family. I am the eldest of four children. My father, Brahmin Bublil, imported equipment for oil companies. My father often spoke of the 1945 Mora'ot - the anti-Jewish Pogroms which took place in Tripoli. He spoke of burying severed bodies of his Jewish friends - an experience that traumatized him for life. My ancestors have lived in Libya for hundreds of years; however they were not given citizenship nor passports. They were denied basic civil and human rights granted to all other Libyan citizens.
 
I was six-years-old when I first experienced hatred. It was in 19-54, when I attended an arithmetic lesson at the local Madrasah school, where the teacher instructed the students, "If you have 10 Jews, and you kill five of them, how many Jews do you have left to kill?" This was a traumatic and painful experience. I came home crying and asked my mother, "Does this mean that I will be killed?" In order to cope, we lived in denial and pretended that everything would be okay because, as Jews, we were forbidden to leave the country.
 
Forty years ago, on June 6th, 19-67, the Six-Day War broke out between Israel and its Arab neighbors. I was 19-years-old. The mobs took to the streets and shouted, "Edbah el Yehud!" "Slaughter the Jews!" Armed with bottles of gasoline, the mobs surrounded Jewish homes and businesses and burned them down to the ground. Many Jews were killed.
 
At the time, I was working for a British Engineering company. I received a desperate phone call from my mother Laura asking me not to come home.  The only person I could turn to for help was my Christian British employer: Brian Foreman. Brian took me home to his wife Deidre who lent me her clothes. I was hidden by the Foremans for over a month. While in hiding, I learned that the mobs had burned my father's warehouse and that they were about to burn our home, when a Muslim neighbor stopped them and saved my family's lives. I am eternally grateful to the honorable and kind Muslim neighbor who stood up against evil.
 
One month after the Six-Day War of June 1967, the Foremans took me back to my home. It was at that time that the Libyan government ordered the expulsion of all the Jews. We were being expelled from a country were Jews had lived for more than two millennia. The government confiscated our homes and all of our assets.
 
At first, we were relieved to escape from the violence. Then, we realized we had no place to go! We had no money or resources. I can never forget how for days, my family and I sat silent and motionless around the table, desperately thinking about our future. We felt anguish and fear, which grew into anger and despair.
 
A few days later, with one suitcase per person, and the equivalent of only 20-dollars in our pockets we boarded a bus to the airport. We were the only passengers on the bus. Half-way to the airport, the driver and the conductor of the bus pulled over on the side of the road. They told us there was something wrong with the bus, and one of them left to supposedly, get some help.
 
Fortunately, I remembered that Brian Foreman lived nearby so I followed the conductor planning to call Brian and ask him for help.
 
I followed the conductor to a nearby gas station, where he was using the telephone. He refused to let me use the telephone. I struggled with him physically and with my hands trembling I called Brian Foreman. I spoke to him in English, hoping that the conductor would not understand. I begged him to come quickly, and told him we were in serious danger. I gave the location and hung up.
 
When I tried to leave the small office, I found the conductor and two other men trying to block my path to the door. I pushed my way out and ran back to the bus. When I arrived at the scene I saw my mother and my 13-year-old brother Ever gazing out of the window. They were paralyzed by fear. I saw my 70-year-old orthodox grandfather praying in silence.
 
THEN, I saw the driver standing by a pool of gasoline, under the bus with my whole family inside. He held a box of matches in his hand.  The lives of my parents, my brother, grandparents and my uncle, were NOW in that box of matches. This image is forever engraved in my memory.
 
I don't know how much time passed, but I am sitting here in front of you today, because Brian and his friend came to our rescue. The two British men took one look at the pool of gasoline, and quickly helped my family out of the bus and into their jeeps. We sped off to the airport. Our lives were miraculously spared!
 
At the airport, a police officer said to us, "Bublil family? You are not supposed to be here!  Yehud Kalb Al Arab - Jews are the dogs of the Arabs!"  Airport officials spat on us and strip-searched us, before allowing us to board the plane to Italy.  It was a one-way ticket out of the country, never to be allowed to return.  I want to call you attention to the Temporary Travel Document reproduced on this poster.  This was issued to my sister.   
 
In Rome, our lives were very difficult. We lamented the absence of the rich and vibrant culture we left behind. We missed our traditions carried on for MORE than two millennia. For example our pre-nuptial Henna ceremony with Judeo Arabic music and dance, our exquisitely hand-woven and colorful costumes, our unique cuisine, our  rituals. These traditional customs will never be seen again. My community is now extinct.  Today there is NOT A SINGLE  Jew left in Libya. We mourned the loss of "our own selves" for we felt that we had been lost to civilization, lost to history forever.
 
Despite our oppression, despite our suffering, and despite our humiliation, we rose above seeing ourselves as victims. We rose above desire for revenge . We focused on rebuilding our shattered lives. We sought dignity and hope and searched for a better life.  I have personally forgiven the people who tried to kill my family and me. I do not believe in hating and I truly believe that hate is a weapon of mass destruction.
 
I wish I could say that this story represents only my own experience - and mine alone. But I cannot. My story is not unique; it is the story of nearly one-million Jews who were displaced from   Arab countries. The majority of  these populations - approximately 600,000 - fled to Israel. Honorable members of the Caucus - Israel became not only the largest refugee camp in the Middle East, but also, the most successful one -  The State of Israel successfully integrated these refugees - giving them dignity and hope. The remaining 300,000 were kindly and generously absorbed by the United States and the rest of the western world.
 
Two years after my expulsion, I came to the United States as a refugee. My Jewish community in San Francisco integrated me. For the first time in my life, I felt safe. I am very grateful to this country for the opportunity and I am proud to be an American.
 
One of the most painful things for me to endure - was my later discovery that the United Nations as well as the rest of the international community was apathetic and indifferent to our historical injustice.
 
We felt abandoned by the United Nations and the rest of the Western world which knew of our plight, and still ignored us.
 
The real consequence of this omission from history creates an inaccurate view of the Middle East refugee narrative. The fact that these displaced Jewish populations were forgotten is not just a matter of history.  Forgetting nearly one-million Jews who were indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa means, that we have a distorted view of the Middle East Refugee Problem today. This omission has created political consequences relevant to the future of the Middle East Peace Process.  
 
It is time to recognize the plight of nearly one million Jews from the Middle East and North Africa.  It is time to recognize the destruction of a two-thousand year old Jewish civilization.
 
Today, I appeal to you to restore my story and a million others like mine to its rightful place in history - to condemn the discriminatory treatment and the displacement of the Jews from the Arab Countries. Only with the   recognition of this historical injustice can we move forward towards reconciliation and a fair and balanced peace in the Middle East. 
 
 Thank you.
 
 
Justice for Jews from Arab Countries and B'nai B'rith International, worked with the Congressional Human Rights Caucus to plan the briefing.  JIMENA participated in the preparation and coordination of Ms. Bublil-Waldman's testimony.
 

vrijdag 27 juli 2007

De subtiele gekleurdheid van de BBC website

Deze analyse van de BBC berichtgeving op haar website geeft twee voorbeelden waarop gekleurdheid van de media kan werken:

* Wanneer Israël de agressor is wordt dit direct zo benoemd: "Israël schiet raketten af op Gazastrook". Wanneer de Palestijnen de agressor zijn wordt vaker de passieve vorm gebruikt of in het midden gelaten wie het precies heeft gedaan: "Veel doden door geweld in Gaza", "Israëli komt om in Jeruzalem."

* In de vele artikelen die het perspecief van de 'man op straat' (M/V) lieten zien, betrof de overgrote meerderheid dat van de Palestijnse man (19 van de 23 artikelen).

_______________________________________________________
  

EXCLUSIVE - SIX MONTH ANALYSIS
BBC: THE SUBTLE BIAS

 
The BBC is an organization under pressure. Over the past few weeks, the international broadcasting giant has seen its reputation reach its lowest ebb as a result of:
·        Allowing an openly anti-Semitic posting to remain on a messageboard, which falsely claimed that Jewish Talmudic law allows Jews to lie to non-Jews and that Zionism is a racist ideology. Only after pressure from UK Jewish organizations did the BBC eventually remove the offensive posting.
·        Faking phone-in competition winners on a popular children's TV show and a major charity fundraising event (more examples of faked phone-ins are also coming to light).
·        Editing a documentary trailer that falsely made the Queen look like she had stormed out of a photo shoot.
 
No other international media outlet elicits as many complaints of bias from our readers as the BBC. If the organization is capable of showing such little respect for the British monarch and the British public (which pays a compulsory license fee for the privilege of funding the BBC), is it any surprise that it consistently treats Israel with utter disdain?
 
HonestReporting took a snapshot of BBC reporting of the Arab-Israeli conflict over the first six months of 2007.
 
 
BBC Reporting During the First
Six Months of 2007 - Summary of Findings:

 
·        Headline selection for stories in relation to violent incidents is inconsistent.
 
·        15% of stories about Palestinian violence named the aggressors while 60% of articles about Israeli operations accused Israel directly.
 
·        Greater attention is paid to Palestinian voices and opinions than Israeli ones.
 
19 out of 23 articles and picture series capturing the "man on the street" perspective were from the Palestinian viewpoint.
 
This is the first in a new HonestReporting series that will analyze whether specific media outlets demonstrate a discernible bias over the long term.
 
Bias in the mainstream media can sometimes be patently clear – deliberately manipulated or staged photographs, articles comparing Israel to apartheid South Africa, or sympathetic descriptions of terrorists, to name but a few. We try to respond to all of these cases, encouraging you, our readers, to contact the media directly and ask why the facts are not being reported accurately.
 
However, bias is often more subtle. There is nothing inherently suspect about a picture of a Palestinian civilian or a human interest story detailing the life of a Palestinian child. An account of a Palestinian shopkeeper's life can be useful in shedding light on how the conflict affects ordinary people. Articles and photographs can be 100% accurate and, taken at face value, are completely within the realms of professional journalism.
 
Yet, a closer examination of specific media outlets over a longer period of time can reveal troubling patterns which indicate a more subtle and potentially more harmful bias. 
 
When pictures and accounts detailing only one side of a conflict are given prominence on an almost daily basis, it is a classic example of a bias so deep that it colors a media organization's entire reporting.
 
HonestReporting's researchers recently completed a six month study of articles appearing on the BBC News website. We monitored 286 articles and pictures appearing on the BBC News website from January 2007 until June 2007. What we saw was a clear pattern of showcasing the Palestinian perspective, at the expense of Israeli voices.
 
 
Headlines and Grammatical Style
in "Hard News" Articles

 
Finding: BBC headlines and text tend to use a style that describes Palestinian violence ambiguously (only naming the aggressor 15% of the time) while being much more direct in cases where the Israeli military is involved (Israel is mentioned in 60% of these cases.)
 
Editors often create extremely succinct headlines to refer to complicated stories. The headline can take a variety of styles. An "attack" can name the attacker, the victim, or both. The headline can utilize a strong, active verb such as "attacks", "kills", "shoots", etc. Or it can be more subtle i.e.: "man dies after attack." But is there consistency? The results of our study are revealing in that they show that there is a different style that is used depending on the subject of the headline.
 
For example, On May 7, 2007, the BBC covered Palestinians firing Qassam rockets into the Israeli town of Sderot. In response, the Israeli Air Force struck a car carrying two men on their way to launch more Qassams. The BBC article carried a strong, active headline: "Israel air strike hits north Gaza". It was only in the fourth paragraph that the Qassam attack that precipitated the air strike was mentioned.
 
In isolation, the use of the active tense does not indicate any sort of bias. However, compare the above headline with a story from May 15, 2007 describing a Hamas attack which left eight Palestinians dead. Rather than a headline similar to the one from May 7, the BBC employed a softer approach with "Eight killed in 'ambush by Hamas'". The second paragraph details how "16 people have died (emphasis added) in Gaza since Sunday."
 
Other headlines that describe Palestinian-initiated violence were either written without naming the aggressor at all, or written in the passive tense: "Gaza unrest gains own momentum" (May 16), "Gaza erupts in renewed violence" (May 17), "Threatened at a Gaza roadblock" (May 18), and "Fresh violence hits Gaza Strip" (May 19). In many cases, passive language described the event in the opening paragraph ("At least 20 people have been killed"). The two reported cases (in May, 2007) of Palestinian attacks against Israelis featured similar headlines: "Israeli dies in Gaza rocket raid" (May 21), "Casualties in Jerusalem shooting" (May 26). Technically, these articles are not incorrect. If an Israeli died after a rocket attack, it is not wrong to use a headline such as the one above.
 
However, in the vast majority of articles reporting on Israeli actions, the headlines were more direct: "Israel launches raids into Gaza" (May 17), "Fresh Israeli air strike on Gaza" (May 19), "Israel backs tougher Gaza action" (May 20), "Israel hits Hamas politician home" (May 21), "Israel strikes at Hamas in Gaza" (May 23), "Israel renews strikes across Gaza" (May 26), and "Israeli raids follow PM's warning" (May 28). While all these headlines appeared during the month of May (a month in which there was a great deal of reporting on violent attacks), the pattern is consistent.
 
In fact, during the first six months of 2007, out of 26 articles reporting on violent attacks perpetrated by Palestinian groups (on either Palestinians or Israelis), the group responsible for the violence was mentioned in only 15% of the cases. By contrast, in 38 articles where an operation was carried out by Israel, Israel was directly named in 60% of the headlines.
 
Selection of Perspectives in "Soft" News
 
Finding: The BBC consistently highlights Palestinian perspectives at the expense of Israeli voices. In twenty-three articles containing pictures and interviews of random subject, nineteen were of Palestinians.
 
Another form of subtle, long term bias can be detected in "human interest" stories. For statistical consistency, we discarded all articles written in response to a specific news event. We also did not include articles that solely featured the viewpoint of a government official, either Israeli or Palestinian. Instead, we examined those focused on the Palestinian or Israeli "man on the street". For example, a January 19 article ("Frustration over Ramallah violence") gives the perspective of three Palestinians. Another January article ("Voices: Palestinian faction violence") gives four Palestinian perspectives. In February, "Gaza viewpoint" interviews a Palestinian mother who describes the violence in Gaza. While she does not mention Israel in the short piece, it is linked to her blog, in which she makes clear her opinion that even the fighting between rival Palestinian groups is Israel's fault.
 
During this same time period, there are interviews with Israelis, but these are centered around issues not directly concerned with conflict (such as internal Israeli political events). In fact, the perspective of Palestinians was highlighted with far greater frequency than Israelis. Over the six month period, there were ample opportunities where a "Voices" piece could have focused on Israeli families living under constant rocket attack in Sderot, for example.
 
Conclusions
 
·        While the BBC does not overtly distort facts in its Middle East coverage, a number of subtle biases combine to create a false impression of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. As a result, the British public and the BBC's many international viewers are poorly equipped to assess the situation accurately.
·        By presenting coverage that builds empathy for the Palestinians at the expense of Israelis, the BBC is manipulating public opinion rather than promoting open debate – the foundation of democratic action.
·        Readers should insist on coverage that allows all relevant voices equal time and space to present their views. Only then is the public good truly being served.
·        Contact the BBC and demand more balanced coverage in its reporting of the Middle East.
 
We plan to continue publishing long term analyses of specific media to determine whether reporting is fair and consistent. 
 

HonestReporting.com
To View this article with graphics,
click here.

donderdag 26 juli 2007

Hamas TV met Nahoel de Bij en sleutel clip

 

Nahool: "You and we will liberate the sad Al-Aqsa that is waiting for us. Yes, we will liberate Al-Aqsa from the filth of the criminal Jews, who killed my grandfather, and killed Farfur, and history will bear witness to that…"

A young caller, Sabah, is asked what she wants to be when she grows up.
Sabah: "Journalist."
Saraa', girl in studio: "Wow, journalist! Nahool, we need journalists."
Nahool: "Why? So that… so that they will photograph the Jews when they are killing Farfur and the little children?
Saraa': "Yes, Nahool."
Another young caller says: "We will go on [the path] of Jihad when we grow up."
Nahool: "Yes, we are all Jihad warriors.
Saraa': "Allah willing."
[Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), July 20, 2007]

Nahoel de Bij is de neef van de onlangs door de Joden vermoorde Farfoer Muis, een Mickey Mouse lookalike, die de kinderen eveneens opriep tot de heilige strijd tegen de vijanden van de islam. Saraa is de gastvrouw in het programma, die telefoontjes van de jonge kijkers beantwoordt. Verschillende kinderen belden om hun woede te uiten over de moord op Farfour door de Joden.

Om de een of andere reden mag je dit soort dingen van links niet aan de kaak stellen, want dan doe je aan 'islam bashing'. Ik ben links, en ik vind dit walgelijk. Zo wordt een generatie Palestijnen opgevoed tot haat. Hoe kun je voor vrede zijn in het Midden-Oosten, voor respect voor alle volken en religies, en hier geen aanstoot aan nemen??  

 

Ratna   

______________


 

Palestinian Media Watch Bulletin - July 22, 2007

Contact details here

View this bulletin online here

Blood libels on Hamas TV

by Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook

The promotion of hatred of Jews through their depiction as cold-blooded murderers is a recurring theme on Hamas TV. Over the weekend at least 2 broadcasts presented these images.

One was during the latest episode of the children's program with Nahool the Hamas Bee, in which Nahool twice reminds the children that the Jews are guilty of murder.

Click to view video on YouTube or PMW website

The following are excepts:

Nahool: "You and we will liberate the sad Al-Aqsa that is waiting for us. Yes, we will liberate Al-Aqsa from the filth of the criminal Jews, who killed my grandfather, and killed Farfur, and history will bear witness to that…"

A young caller, Sabah, is asked what she wants to be when she grows up.
Sabah: "Journalist."
Saraa', girl in studio: "Wow, journalist! Nahool, we need journalists."
Nahool: "Why? So that… so that they will photograph the Jews when they are killing Farfur and the little children?
Saraa': "Yes, Nahool."
Another young caller says: "We will go on [the path] of Jihad when we grow up."
Nahool: "Yes, we are all Jihad warriors.
Saraa': "Allah willing."
[Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), July 20, 2007]

The killing of Farfur referred to by Nahool, the bee, was from a previous episode when beloved Farfur, the Mickey Mouse look-alike, was beaten to death by an Israeli interrogator. [Click to view video on YouTube or PMW website or to see original bulletin.] In an unusual propaganda technique that could only be effective with young children, it is this beating "death" that was created on their own TV that is now being used as a reason to see Jews as murderers. In an earlier program a child called in and insisted the Jews were dogs because they killed Farfur. So the propaganda may be working.

The second murder by Jews over the weekend on Hamas owned Al-Aqsa Television [July 22, 2007] shows a child running with an adult, presumably with his father, until the adult is shot in the back. The child seems to ignore the dead father but takes the key the father was holding – implying it is the key to their home in Israel.

Previously on Tomorrow's Pioneers, Nahool said: "We shall avenge the enemies of Allah, the murderers of the prophets [i.e., the Jews], the murderers of innocent children, until Al-Aqsa will be liberated from their filth." [Al Aqsa TV, July 13, 2007]

Also previously on the children's program, a three year old caller went on air saying the Jews killed Farfur. The hostess of the show, Saraa', replied: "That's right… The Jews are criminals and enemies, we must expel them from our land." [Al-Aqsa TV, June 27, 2007]

 Please feel free to forward this bulletin, crediting Palestinian Media Watch.


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Syrische pers bekritiseert vredesinitiatieven Arabische landen

Syrië zegt met Israël te willen onderhandelen over vrede, en president Assad zei onlangs dat Israël moet onthouden dat de prijs van vrede lager is dan de kosten van oorlog. In kranten die dicht bij de regering staan is heel andere taal te lezen:

"The Lebanese Judas Iscariot is the individual or group that rejects national unity and attempts to keep [Lebanon as a fragmented] federation of ethnic cantons, based on the advice of the Elders of Zion... The Lebanese Judas Iscariot is the one who accuses Syria of [any] crime, assassination, or bombing seconds after it occurs and prior to any criminal investigation, in violation of both logic and law. [He does this] not out of concern for Lebanese interests, nor in solidarity with the martyrs and victims, nor even out of any narrow interest – but solely because he, like Judas Iscariot, wants to crucify Lebanon and the Arab identity for the sake of the [Lebanese] 'neoconservatives' who brandish the emblem of the cedar, and in order to serve the old-new American-Zionist plan for the region."

"The Palestinian Judas Iscariot is everyone who disregards the national interest and raises a weapon against his Palestinian brother. He is everyone who serves the interest of the enemy, whether he admits to it or not, and who renounces resistance, opting instead for compromise and defeatism [referring to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas]".


Een compromis in plaats van gewapende strijd, dat moeten we natuurlijk niet hebben. En de problemen in Libanon en Palestina, daar zitten de Wijzen van Zion achter, dat is toch duidelijk?

"The rift between the majority of the governments and their people has widened, and the governments, which started out with the three no's of the [1967] Khartoum summit, ended up signing separate peace and surrender treaties, falling as low as the Arab initiative [i.e. the March 2005 Saudi peace initiative]... This initiative was undertaken in 2002, that is, after southern Lebanon was liberated through the efforts of the resistance, and after the Israeli army was defeated, [leading] to its subsequent withdrawal, without exceptions, conditions or agreements.

Die goeie oude tijd, toen de Arabische staten nog onomwonden 'nee' tegen vrede met en erkenning van Israël zeiden, toen ze nog onomwonden opriepen tot oorlog en de vernietiging van de Joodse staat. Kom daar nu maar eens om. Jammer alleen dat men die oorlogen vroeger nooit kon winnen, dat hopen soldaten omkwamen en men ook nog land verloor, dat dan weer in een nieuwe oorlog bevrijd moest worden. Maar je moet wat over hebben voor je idealen. Beter eindeloos blijven vechten dan vrede sluiten met die vieze Joden...

Ratna
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Special Dispatch-Syria
July 25, 2007
No. 1666

Harsh Criticism of Arab Countries in Syrian Press

To view this Special Dispatch in HTML, visit:
http://www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SD166607.

Recently, the Syrian government press has been directing harsh criticism against some Arab countries, claiming that they are helping the U.S. implement its plans at the expense of the Arabs. The columnists have also condemned the Arabs for rejecting the policy of resistance – which they said had proven its effectiveness in Lebanon – and for normalizing relations with Israel. The writers used harsh terms to describe certain elements within the Arab countries, calling them "Judas Iscariot," Arab "neo-cons," "forces of evil," and "Jews within [the Arab world]."

The following are excerpts from the columns:


Some Arabs Are Acting Like "Judas Iscariot," Instigating Internecine Wars Among Arabs

Editor of the Syrian daily Teshreen 'Issam Dari wrote: "The Arab citizen does not see the connection between the overwhelming chaos that is spreading throughout the Arab world and the long-term plans and projects proposed [by the West]. [When] he hears of [plans such as] 'The New Middle East,' 'Constructive Chaos,' or 'Preventive War'... he places the responsibility on the Great Superpower, since he cannot conceive that some of his own [brothers] are involved in the past, present and future plans directed against the Arab nation. He [therefore] suppresses this thought out of wishful thinking [and blames the West alone].

"Indeed, we had hoped that those who take part in formulating these conspiracies would not be from among our own [nation]. But [the fact is that] 'Judas Iscariot' is in our midst, fully involved in conspiracies directed against [our] nation. He can be found wherever there is rift, tension, explosion, or chaos. At times he acts openly, and at other times surreptitiously – but [either way] he often works against supreme Arab interests, instigating internecine wars and resentment, sowing chaos, inciting to anarchy and to conflict among brothers, planting mines and driving wedges in relations among Arab countries, enlisting foreigners to act against his country and against other [Arab] countries, treating a brother as an enemy and Israel as a friend – [all] with the protection of the U.S...

"The Lebanese Judas Iscariot is the individual or group that rejects national unity and attempts to keep [Lebanon as a fragmented] federation of ethnic cantons, based on the advice of the Elders of Zion... The Lebanese Judas Iscariot is the one who accuses Syria of [any] crime, assassination, or bombing seconds after it occurs and prior to any criminal investigation, in violation of both logic and law. [He does this] not out of concern for Lebanese interests, nor in solidarity with the martyrs and victims, nor even out of any narrow interest – but solely because he, like Judas Iscariot, wants to crucify Lebanon and the Arab identity for the sake of the [Lebanese] 'neoconservatives' who brandish the emblem of the cedar, and in order to serve the old-new American-Zionist plan for the region.

"The Palestinian Judas Iscariot is everyone who disregards the national interest and raises a weapon against his Palestinian brother. He is everyone who serves the interest of the enemy, whether he admits to it or not, and who renounces resistance, opting instead for compromise and defeatism [referring to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas].

"The Iraqi Judas Iscariot is everyone who murders people based on their [ethnic] affiliation [referring to Sunnis who murder Shi'ites]; everyone who perpetrates massacres and despicable acts of terrorism against innocent people; everyone who encourage resentment and internecine wars; and [everyone] who acquiesces to occupation and accepts his fate.

"The Arab Judas Iscariot is everyone who disregards the dangers [that threaten] the nation, striving to save his own skin and cling to his seat; everyone who forgets his people and its interest and adopts... principles and declarations of defeatism in order to justify [his] negligence and impotence."(1)


"The 'Jews' Within [the Arab World] Strive to Destroy the Spirit of Resistance"

Syrian columnist 'Abd Al-Karim Al-Na'em wrote in Teshreen: "This time, the joint plan [formulated by] Washington and Tel Aviv is being implemented by others, who are supposed to be [loyal to] the nation and the motherland. The U.S. has managed to set up a natural experiment and a model for dividing society throughout the entire [Middle East] region. The 'Jews' within [the Arab world] have thus begun to destroy the spirit of resistance. Stubborn rejection of all Arab initiative is a clear sign of what the near future will bring. It is a contemptible act of hate which aims to eradicate all the achievements of the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine [and to prevent] the shedding of American or Zionist blood in these countries. Those who believe in opposing the American-Israeli plan have only one remaining option – namely, resistance."(2)

Teshreen columnist Hanan Muhammad wrote: "Some in the Arab world have exploited the desperation permeating [the Arab countries] in order to yield to the statement that 'the enemy is invincible'... They delayed reaping the fruits of victories that had been achieved, starting with the October [1973] war – where the victory was wiped out through a government decision [i.e. the Egypt-Israel peace agreement] – and ending with the victory of July [2006, in the recent Lebanon war], which caused an earthquake within the Zionist entity.
The majority of Arab regimes responded to this victory with doubt and criticism. Even when they did concede to regard it as a victory, they sabotaged [every chance] of capitalizing on it so as to change the balance [of power] in the conflict – specifically by rejecting resistance as an option that had proved effective in achieving liberation. Moreover, they remained inactive, arguing that it is impossible to attain a balance of power vis-à-vis Israel...

"The rift between the majority of the governments and their people has widened, and the governments, which started out with the three no's of the [1967] Khartoum summit, ended up signing separate peace and surrender treaties, falling as low as the Arab initiative [i.e. the March 2005 Saudi peace initiative]... This initiative was undertaken in 2002, that is, after southern Lebanon was liberated through the efforts of the resistance, and after the Israeli army was defeated, [leading] to its subsequent withdrawal, without exceptions, conditions or agreements.

"The revival [of the Arab initiative] followed the victory that was dearly won by the resistance... At the same time, the resistance was subjected to pressures, both from within and without, intended to distort its image and blur the distinctions between resistance and terrorism. The members [of the resistance] were portrayed as individuals who seek death and hate life – their own and that of others. The initiators of this program [to distort the image of the resistance] and their followers resorted to lies and deception, sparing no effort to remove the halo of sanctity from the emblems of resistance."(3)

Columnist 'Ali Sawaha, writing in the Syrian daily Al-Thawra, protested against those among the Arabs who questioned the ability of the resistance: "Our nation, at the moment, is experiencing disintegration and a rift of unprecedented proportions, and is [especially] in need of resistance values and culture... We have no choice but to return to the culture of resistance, now that Iraq has been turned into a kind of American state, and Lebanon into a backyard of the White House, and in view of what is being planned for Syria, Sudan, and all Arab countries as part of the American-Zionist plan.

"In our Arab media today, destructive voices can be heard, sowing desperation among the Arab population and officials, so as to dampen the [Arabs'] aspirations and question their ability to resist their enemies."(4)


The Forces of Good Within the Arab Nation are Stronger Than the Forces of Evil

Columnist for the Syrian daily Al-Ba'th Elias Murad wrote: "The American-Israeli plan in the region has now reached its peak, and it is no secret that its success will be at the expense of the Arabs and their existence. Consequently, we must ask some crucial questions: Where is the Arab counter-plan [that is designed] to confront the American-Israeli [plan], which is spreading like cancer? Are we to deal with the American-Israeli plan by silently acquiescing to the siege on the Palestinians? Are we to deal with it by allowing [the Americans and the Israelis] to shape our present and future existence and to draw the borders of our countries? Or by supporting those who believe that redemption lies in foreign occupation and that the foreign forces are our [saviors]? Or by asking for an international peacekeeping force, [as though] we never fought the imperialist [forces] to liberate our countries and are not celebrating our independence? Or by turning our back on active and important elements in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq?

"[On the contrary], we must stand by their side and lend them support... We shall not lose hope, for the forces of good hidden within the nation are far stronger than those of evil."(5)


Arab "Neoconservatives" Are Collaborating With the U.S.

Nasri Al-Sayigh, columnist for the Syrian daily Teshreen, wrote: "The U.S. gave us the gift of 'constructive chaos,' drowned Iraq in a blood-soaked democracy, gave its blessing to the civil war in Palestine, and 'issued a fatwa' permitting the killing of the resistance [fighters]. Furthermore, it provoked the Lebanese people into perpetrating illegal acts, rendering chaos the only permitted option... Arab neoconservatives enthusiastically collaborated to promote an American future in the Arab land... and to renounce [Arab] principles under the pretext of modernization."(6)


Some Arabs Grant Israel a Character Reference, and Believe Iran is More Dangerous Than Israel

Al-Ba'th columnist Dr. Khayr Al-Din 'Abd Al-Rahman wrote: "[Recently], a group emerged from among the Arabs that takes the issue of Israeli nuclear weapons lightly. They have adopted the rationale of the Israelis, who claim that what matters is who actually has the weapons and uses them, and how prudent they are in handling the weapons, rather than the danger inherent in the weapons [themselves]...

"Then there emerged another group, which, adopting the same line of reasoning, purports that Iran and its nuclear weapons are more dangerous than Israel...

"Saudi intellectual 'Eid bin Mas'oud Al-Jahni, dead of the Arabian Gulf Center for Energy and Strategic Research, stated: 'Some Arab leaders hastened to normalize relations with Israel, and some intellectual writers announced the advent of a new age – one of peace, brotherhood and unity, of trade, economic and cultural relations, and of intellectual dialogue with Jews.' In spite of the tragedies they suffered at the hands of Israel, some Arabs have failed to learn their lesson and continue to gamble on peace."(7)


Endnotes:
(1) Teshreen (Syria), June 16, 2007.
(2) Teshreen (Syria), July 1, 2007.
(3) Teshreen (Syria), June 4, 2007.
(4) Al-Thawra (Syria), June 19, 2007.
(5) Al-Ba'th (Syria), June 24, 2007.
(6) Teshreen (Syria), June 20, 2007.
(7) Al-Ba'th (Syria), June 19, 2007.


*********************
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background information, are available on request.

MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with proper attribution.

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Search previous MEMRI publications at www.memri.org

Hamas boos over gestolen schoenen

Wie stal Haniyehs' schoenen uit de moskee? Nadat hij na het vrijdaggebed ontdekte dat zijn schoenen waren verdwenen werd een grote zoektocht begonnen en werden extra troepen van Hamas naar de moskee gestuurd. Je weet immers maar nooit.
Zijn schoenen werden echter al gauw gevonden, en in Hamas' goedheid werd besloten het kind dat ze had meegenomen niet te straffen.

Gelukkig waren het geen dure schoenen en ze waren gestolen tijdens het gebed, en niet terwijl Haniyeh baadde in de zee bij Tel Aviv of tijdens een luxe etentje met Condoleeza Rice, zei een woordvoerder van Hamas als sneer naar het Fatah leiderschap, dat als decadent en collaborerend met Israël en de VS wordt gezien.
 
Hamas sluit de mogelijkheid niet uit dat Fatah er achter zat, en het kind erop uit heeft gestuurd om de schoenen te jatten. En wie weet handelde Fatah wel in opdracht van de Zionisten....
Ratna
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Jul. 23, 2007 1:58 | Updated Jul. 23, 2007 11:04

Hamas angry over footwear faux pas
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1184766037347&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Who stole the shoes of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh while he was attending Friday prayers in Gaza City?

This is the question that Hamas's security apparatus has been trying to answer since last Friday.

The incident has embarrassed Hamas, whose leaders tried on Sunday to play down the case by claiming that the theft was the work of a child.

Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip accused Fatah leaders in Ramallah of exploiting the incident to defame Haniyeh.

The shoes were stolen after Haniyeh and his entourage arrived at a mosque in Gaza City for Friday prayers. Ever since he was appointed prime minister, Haniyeh has been delivering Friday sermons in various mosques in the Gaza Strip.

In line with Islamic tradition, worshipers are required to take off their shoes upon entering mosques.

Following the prayer, Haniyeh discovered that his shoes were missing. His nervous bodyguard immediately began searching for the missing shoes and all worshipers were required to remain inside the mosque until the search was over.

"It was a very embarrassing situation," said a Palestinian journalist who was present at the scene. "Hamas sent reinforcements to the area and a frantic search for the shoes began."

The shoes were discovered minutes later in the possession of a Palestinian child who admitted that he had stolen them, a Hamas official in the Gaza Strip told The Jerusalem Post.

"The kid did not even know that the shoes belonged to the prime minister," he said. "He saw shining and neat shoes and decided to take them."

According to the official, the boy was released immediately without punishment. "We didn't take the case seriously because this is not the first time children have stolen shoes of worshipers during the prayers," he said.

Asked if Haniyeh's shoes were expensive, the official said: "These are cheap shoes made in Egypt. I don't think the boy stole them because they looked expensive. He simply saw neat shoes and decided to take them. Haniyeh does not wear Armani suits and Italian-made shoes."

Another Hamas official told the Post he did not rule out the possibility that Fatah activists were behind the theft.

"These Fatah people are doing their utmost to discredit Hamas," he said. "It's possible that the boy was sent by some Fatah activists to steal the shoes to embarrass Hamas. But for us this is not a big issue and we have nothing to hide. Haniyeh's shoes were stolen while he was praying inside a mosque and not while he was swimming on the beach of Tel Aviv or eating in a fancy restaurant with Condoleezza Rice."

dinsdag 24 juli 2007

Hezbollah weigert informatie over ontvoerde soldaten te geven

Het is niet zeker of de ontvoerde Israëlische soldaten nog in leven zijn, en Hezbollah leider Nasrallah weigert informatie over hen 'weg te geven'. Voor ieder stukje informatie zal hij de vrijlating van een groep Palestijnse gevangenen eisen, en als ze straks dood blijken te zijn zal hij hun lichamen duur verkopen zoals ook gebeurde met drie in 2000 door Hezbollah ontvoerde soldaten.
 
Vanuit zijn positie is dit natuurlijk erg slim. Hij weet dat Israël bereid is veel te 'betalen' omdat het in de Joodse cultuur zit dat je al je mensen thuis brengt, hij weet dat de families van de ontvoerde soldaten veel invloed hebben op de publieke opinie en de politiek (een probleem dat alleen in democratieën bestaat), en hij weet wat Israël in eerdere deals heeft gegeven. 1000 Palestijnse gevangenen, met bloed aan hun handen uiteraard, voor beantwoording van de vraag of de soldaten nog in leven zijn, indien nog in leven nog 1000 voor de vraag of ze gezond zijn, of zou het 1000 gevangenen per vraag per soldaat zijn? Altijd hoog inzetten. Voor summiere informatie over de omstandigheden waarin ze worden gehouden, voor een levensteken van een van hen, het overbrengen van een boodschap via een derde, voor dit alles zal men hoge aantallen gevangenen in ruil eisen.
De Israëlische politiek worstelt ondertussen met de keuze tussen twee onmogelijke eisen. Als er al gevangenen worden vrij gelaten wil men dat alleen voor vrijlating van de soldaten doen, men wil niet in dit macabere spel worden getrokken. Maar mag je je eigen soldaten, die bereid zijn hun leven te geven voor verdediging van het land, achterlaten? Moet je niet alles doen om ze terug te krijgen?

De enige remedie tegen deze morele chantage is te stoppen met gevangenendeals. Gevangenen kunnen om twee redenen worden vrijgelaten: omdat hun tijd erop zit of omdat Israël ze vrijwillig amnestie verleent, zoals de 256 gevangenen afgelopen vrijdag. Ontvoerde soldaten moeten, hoe pijnlijk ook, worden beschouwd als verloren, net als alle andere soldaten die tijdens de Tweede Libanonoorlog zijn gesneuveld. Uiteindelijk zal dit meer levens redden dan het ingaan op de eisen van de ontvoerders. 
Ratna
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'Hizbullah's military might is restored'
JPost.com Staff, THE JERUSALEM POST Jul. 23, 2007
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1184766044844&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Hizbullah has restored its military capability and replenished its stockpiles of weapons and missiles since the end of the Second Lebanon War, Israel Radio quoted a senior defense official as saying Tuesday morning.

The official claimed that Syria was transferring weapons to Hizbullah with the full knowledge of the Lebanese army and behind UNIFIL's back.

He said that Hizbullah didn't want to ignite the region at the moment but preferred a period of quiet so that it could restore the sites from which the rockets were launched during last summer's war.

On Monday, Hizbullah Chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah refused to say whether kidnapped reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were alive.

"The French foreign minister understood that they are alive, but our people do not tend to answer questions of this kind," said Nasrallah in an interview with Al Jazeera, broadcast by Qatari-based satellite television.

The head of the guerrilla group was referring to a recent statement made by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner who said that he "understood" the soldiers were alive after talks with Hizbullah officials in Paris last week.

Nasrallah claimed that he was the sole official authorized to give details on the matter and added that "for every utterance such as this we can receive human compensation, and therefore there is no reason that we would give information for free."

During an earlier section of the same interview released Sunday, Nasrallah announced that Hizbullah had the ability to launch rockets against any point in Israel.

Hizbullah had the capability to strike every part of Israel during last summer's war, and retains that capability, he said. "Even in the months of July and August 2006 there was not one place in occupied Palestine that we could not reach, every point and every corner," Nasrallah was quoted as saying. "I stress that we can do this today as well."

maandag 23 juli 2007

Iraanse oud-ambassadeur: VS zat zelf achter 11 september

Een veelgehoorde opvatting in Iran: Amerika zelf zit achter de aanslagen op het WTC om een voorwendsel te hebben om het Midden-Oosten te blijven domineren.

Hossein Sheikholeslam: [The Americans], using their creation, Al-Qaeda, carried out the events of 9/11.
9/11 prepared the ground for their attack on the region, using all possible means.

De huidige situatie is bepaald niet wat de Amerikanen in gedachten hadden toen zij Irak binnen vielen, en men wil nu vooral zonder al teveel gezichtsverlies weer weg zien te komen, erkent ook Sheikholeslam. Hoezo is de huidige situatie dan een scenario dat vantevoren is voorbereid? Logica is niet de sterkste kant van extremisten.

Hossein Sheikholeslam: In my opinion, the Americans created this situation, and what is happening today, is a scenario prepared in advance. Now the conflict in the elections between the Democrats and the Republicans focuses on seeking a way to get out [of Iraq].

Zijn visie op Israël is opmerkelijk: In tegenstelling tot veel islamisten, erkent hij dat Israël onder internationale druk staat en de laatste tijd kleiner, en niet groter is geworden, verwacht hij dat het zich verder terug zal trekken tot achter de 'muur' en erkent dat het heeft gepoogd vrede te sluiten. Maar, zoals ook na de terugtrekking uit Libanon en Gaza veelvuldig was te horen, interpreteert hij dit alles als teken van Israëlische zwakte; een zwakte die tot haar ondergang zal leiden.  

________________________

MEMRI

Clip # 1512 - Hossein Sheikholeslam, Former Iranian Ambassador to Syria and Member of the Foreign Policy and National Security Council in the Iranian Parliament: The Americans Perpetrated 9/11

Hossein Sheikholeslam: [The Americans], using their creation, Al-Qaeda, carried out the events of 9/11. 9/11 prepared the ground for their attack on the region, using all possible means. One good question that arises is: If nobody knew in advance what time the first airplane was supposed to hit the first tower, how come there were several professional cameras that zoomed in to film the event? This is understandable with regard to the second tower, because the first tower was already in flames. All the journalists present were zooming in on the first tower, when the second plane came and hit the second tower. That's how they filmed it. But professionally filing the attack on the first tower, from different angles, if nobody had prior knowledge that it was going to happen

[The Americans] carried it out, at the expense of the region and the American people, and at the expense of the Europeans and others. That is how they got us to the current situation. Fortunately or unfortunately, they cannot even get out of there, end this battle, and leave.

Interviewer: Do you think that the Americans anticipated that it would come to this?

Hossein Sheikholeslam: In my opinion, the Americans created this situation, and what is happening today, is a scenario prepared in advance. Now the conflict in the elections between the Democrats and the Republicans focuses on seeking a way to get out [of Iraq]. But America in its entirety - both the democrats and the Republicans - is incapable of resolving this problem, because it got itself stuck in a quagmire, from which it cannot get out.

[...]

Since the victory of the Islamic revolution, the pressure exerted on Israel is so great that Israel, which was growing bigger and bigger in the past, is now growing smaller and smaller. It has withdrawn from Lebanon - from Beirut and from the occupied strip in South Lebanon, the security zone - and it has withdrawn from Gaza. Now it is building a wall, which, by the way, we oppose. What does this mean? It means that [Israel] plans to move behind this wall. All their theories of Arab and Zionist coexistence have collapsed. If the pressure continues - and Allah willing, it will - Israel will cease to exist. They will have to return to where they came from.


TO VIEW THIS CLIP:  www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1512

***********************
For assistance, please contact MEMRI TV Project at memritv@memri.org
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East.
Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background information, are available on request.

MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with proper attribution.

MEMRI TV Project
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
www.memritv.org

Hezbollah leider: Onze raketten kunnen heel Israël treffen

Dreigende taal uit Libanon:

"Even in the months of July and August 2006 there was not one place in occupied Palestine that we could not reach, every point and every corner," Nasrallah said. "I stress that we can do this today as well."
The 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah erupted following the July 12 abduction of two Israel Defense Forces soldiers by the militant group and the deaths of eight others.


Hezbollah ontvoerde op 12 juli vorig jaar niet alleen twee Israëlische soldaten, maar vuurde ook verschillende raketten af op Israël. Nasrallah maakt duidelijk dit opnieuw te kunnen doen. Iedereen die vorig jaar zo fel tegen de oorlog was zou deze dreigementen hard moeten veroordelen, maar ik verwacht op dit punt weinig van alle anti-oorlog comité's en linkse parlementartiers.
Iedereen die voor een twee-statenoplossing is of zegt te zijn zou bovendien moeten vallen over de aanduiding 'occupied Palestine' en meneer Nasrallah vriendelijk moeten uitleggen dat slechts de Westelijke Jordaanoever en de Golanhoogte bezet zijn, plaatsen die vorig jaar geen doelwit van Hezbollah waren....

Ratna
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Hezbollah chief: Our reach spans every point in Israel
By Yoav Stern and Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondents
Last update - 22:19 22/07/2007
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/884527.html

Hezbollah claimed Sunday that it is able to strike at every part of Israel, and had the same capability during the Second Lebanon War last summer.

The leader of the Iranian and Syrian-backed organization, Hassan Nasrallah, made the comments to Qatari-based Al-Jazeera satellite television, in an interview to be aired in its entirety Monday.

"Even in the months of July and August 2006 there was not one place in occupied Palestine that we could not reach, every point and every corner," Nasrallah said. "I stress that we can do this today as well."

The 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah erupted following the July 12 abduction of two Israel Defense Forces soldiers by the militant group and the deaths of eight others.

Meanwhile, Israeli military sources say that Hezbollah has moved its short-range Katyusha rockets into built-up areas in southern Lebanon, mostly in Shi'ite villages, to hide them from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Since its reinforced deployment after the cease-fire last August, UNIFIL has carried out extensive searches in southern Lebanon's open brush areas, where Hezbollah built up extensive underground fortifications and set up launch pads for its rocket attacks against Israel.

In recent months, more than 90 percent of these areas have been searched, and UNIFIL patrols have found and destroyed Hezbollah arms, including Katyusha launchers, Katyusha rockets and explosives.

Details of the UN operations in southern Lebanon are in reports sent from UNIFIL to the organization's headquarters in New York.

During searches after the war, 33 such areas - which the IDF euphemistically terms "nature reserves" - were located.

These included bunkers and underground tunnels, some of which are sufficiently complex to include sub-systems, all built by Hezbollah south of the Litani River during the six years following the IDF withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Most of the rockets fired against Israel during the war last year were launched from the "nature reserves."

Military Intelligence had information on the location of most of these areas, but not about the extent of the fortifications built by Hezbollah there.

Throughout the war the General Staff - and particularly Northern Command - restricted the offensive operations into these areas following the initial encounter July 19, 2006, during which two soldiers were killed in a confrontation with Hezbollah in the "nature reserve" code-named Shaked near the town of Maroun al-Ras.

The UNIFIL searches have revealed that the condition of the bunkers and fortifications in the "nature reserves" has deteriorated - suggesting that Hezbollah fighters have not tried to return to these permanently. However, it is also clear that some Hezbollah fighters do occasionally return to the area to maintain some of the fortifications.

As an alternative to the "nature reserves," Hezbollah is trying to transfer significant numbers of its rockets into built-up areas, mostly in the dozens of Shi'ite villages south of the Litani.

Most of the organization's long-range rockets are kept north of the river, but there is a continuous effort to smuggle missiles into southern Lebanon, controlled by UNIFIL.

Israel has recently issued a number of warnings to Lebanon that if in the future there is an outbreak of hostilities and Hezbollah launches rockets from built-up areas, the IDF will not hesitate to bomb - and even totally destroy - urban areas after it gives Lebanese civilians the chance to flee.

UNIFIL's efforts have touched a raw nerve with Hezbollah, and Israeli analysts have interpreted the recent attack against a UN armored vehicle, in which six soldiers of the Spanish battalion were killed, as being directly linked to the pressure the peacekeepers have put on the extremist Shi'ite organization.

Nasrallah's visit to Damascus on Thursday, where he met with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was something Israeli intelligence was not aware of in advance.

Israëlische onderwijsminister keurt vermelding Nakba in schoolboeken goed

Een moedige beslissing van de minister van onderwijs om ook ruimte te geven aan de Arabische versie van de geschiedenis in Israëlische schoolboeken. Volgens rechts speelt men hiermee de vijanden van Israël in de kaart, en leren Israëlische Arabieren dat de strijd tegen Israël dus gerechtvaardigd is. De harde kritiek ter rechterzijde is begrijpelijk, maar niet terecht.
 
Het mag aantrekkelijk lijken de kinderen alleen de Zionistische versie te leren, zij worden buiten de schoolklassen geconfronteerd met velen die er anders over denken en hebben een betere basis als ze ook de Arabische versie kennen. Bovendien is het belangrijk dat zij feit en mythe kunnen onderscheiden. Ja, er zijn veel Arabieren verdreven in 1948; nee, de Zionistische beweging was niet uit op het etnisch zuiveren van Palestina. De Zionisten wilden een Joodse staat in Palestina, dat zij als hun historische thuisland zagen, maar geen 'Joods exclusivistische staat', en ook geen religieuze staat.
 
Op het moment dat de schoolboeken dergelijke Arabische mythes als even waar als de Zionistische versie neerzetten is er natuurlijk wel een probleem. De legitimiteit van Israëls bestaan moet buiten kijf staan, maar kinderen moeten wel weten wie daar met welke argumenten tegen waren.
 
Ratna
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Education Ministry okays new textbook featuring Nakba

Ministry gives go-ahead for use of book acknowledging Nakba in Arab schools. 'Book offers Arab pupils a balanced picture' says Minister Yuli Tamir
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3428223,00.html
Moran Zelikovich Published:  07.22.07, 10:53 / Israel News

The Education Ministry has authorized Arab schools to use a history book featuring the establishing of the State of Israel as a disastrous to the Palestinians, Israel radio published Sunday.

The third-grade book, Living together in Israel, states that some Arab residents were driven out of their homes and became refugees and that Israel confiscated many of their lands.

Controversy
The book's authors made it a point to state that it was the Arabs that refused the United Nations offer to divide the land between the Palestinian and the Jews (UN resolution 181), while the Jews accepted it.

"When the war ended, the Jews prevailed and Israel and its neighbors signed a truce. the Arabs call the war the 'Nakba', meaning the war of disaster and destruction. The Jews call it the War of Independence."

A balanced picture
Education Minister Yuli Tamir told Ynet Sunday that the ministry's decision was "part of a new curriculum, which has been in the works for a number of years and includes mentioning the Nakba.

"The book underwent an evaluation by a professional viewing board and was sent to dozens of readers prior to being approved for distribution," said Tamir.

"The book offers the Arab pupils a balanced picture, so that they may put what they exposed to in their home environment in the proper context," she added.

The national board of education geography supervisor, Dalia Pening, said the new curriculum is meant to be uniform for all school sectors.

"This program features the term 'Nakba'. When the Hebrew book was translated, we need to make some cultural adjustments," she said. "Writing a version detached from reality is counterproductive to our goal of creating a joint sense of relevance."

Tamir's decision sparked harsh criticism: National Religious Party Chairman MK Zevulun Orlev called on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to fire Tamir immediately saying her decision was "anti-Zionist and goes against the very existence of Israel as a Jewish state."

Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman slammed Tamir's decision as well "Tamir is like Avraham Burg. She expresses not only the post-Zionist spirit but also political masochism. The political left is constantly looking for ways to justify the other side, when we have nothing to apologize for."

Former Education Minister MK Limor Livnat (Likud) called the decision "miserable" adding that "once the Arab pupils are taught that the establishing of Israel was a disaster, they might infer that they should be fighting against us. our very own educational system may be raising a fifth column," said Livnat.

This isn't the first time Tamir authorized a controversial book be added to the schools curriculum. In December 2006 she ordered new textbooks featuring the Green Line - Israel's borders prior to the Six Day War - be distributed

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Orlev: Fire Tamir over Arab text book approval
By JPOST.COM STAFF
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1184766030067&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Zevulun Orlev (NU/NRP) called on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to fire Education Minister Yuli Tamir for approving text books that include the Arab version of the 1948 war - namely, that it was a "catastrophe" for the Palestinians.

Orlev said that allowing the Palestinian version of events into school books was erasing Jewish history and granting the Arabs legitimacy in refusing to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

zondag 22 juli 2007

Stop de Bezetting eist ontslag 'pro-Israëlische' Afshin Ellian

Er is weer een klein relletje ontstaan in de Nederlandse media over het Israëlisch-Palestijnse conflict. Dit keer niet door de beruchte Gretta Duisenberg, maar door haar minder bekende collega van de actiegroep "Stop de Bezetting", Jan J. Wijenberg.
 
Deze oud-ambassadeur in Saoedi-Arabië heeft blijkbaar een zonnesteek opgelopen op zijn laatste standplaats, of is volledig gehersenspoeld door de Arabische oliesjeiks met hun middeleeuwse visie op Joden en op vrijheid van meningsuiting.
 
Wijenberg blijkt in zijn haat voor Israël niet onder te doen voor Gretta; zijn schrijfsels op de website van Stop de Bezetting spreken boekdelen. Bedroevend is dat deze stichting via Oxfam-Novib geld van de overheid heeft ontvangen. Het is onaanvaardbaar dat de Nederlandse regering financiële steun geeft aan een dergelijke groep haatzaaiers.
 
Abby
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http://www.elsevier.nl/nieuws/nederland/artikel.asp?artnr=161322

NRC zal 'pro-Israëlische' Ellian niet ontslaan

donderdag 19 juli 2007 11:40
NRC Handelsblad gaat niet in op de eis van het comité Stop de Bezetting om columnist Afshin Ellian wegens diens standpunten over Israël te ontslaan.
Dat laat hoofdredacteur Birgit Donker weten in een reactie aan elsevier. nl. 

Emoties
'We begrijpen dat de emoties hoog oplopen in dit debat. Maar wij vinden niet dat onze columnist grenzen heeft overschreden. We zijn niet van plan de vrijheid van onze columnist in deze in te perken, net zo min als die van mensen die het tegenovergestelde beweren,' schrijft Donker.
Bestuurslid van stichting Stop de Bezetting Jan J. Wijenberg, oud-ambassadeur in onder meer Saoedi-Arabië, had in een brief aan de hoofdredactie van NRC aangedrongen op het ontslag van Ellian.
Wijenberg verwijt Ellian dat hij hem en andere 'vredesactivisten' beschuldigt van antisemitisme. Wijenberg doelt daarbij op Ellians column 'Vergeet Gaza', van zaterdag 7 juli (niet toegankelijk op internet).
'Het is onaanvaardbaar dat de NRC aan iemand met een dergelijke mentaliteit ruimte in haar kolommen biedt,' schrijft Wijenberg in zijn brief van 15 juli.
'Verbijsterd'
Afshin Ellian is 'verbijsterd' over het nieuws, zo laat hij elsevier.nl vanuit Italië weten. Wegens vakantie was hij nog niet op de hoogte van de brief van Wijenberg, die aan hem was gecc'd.
Ook Elsevier had een afschrift gekregen, omdat Ellian met Leon de Winter een duoblog bijhoudt op deze site. Hoofdredacteur Arendo Joustra piekert er niet over Ellian zijn blog te ontnemen.
'Ik ben verheugd dat NRC en Elsevier onomwonden hebben laten weten dat zij het recht op de vrijheid van meningsuiting hoog in het vaandel dragen,' zegt Ellian.

Maandag zal hij in zijn weblog nader op de zaak ingaan.