JULY 2006

Washington losing confidence in Israel as inexperienced leadership paralyzed by crisis
Geostrategy Group.

Israel's new defense minister, Amir Peretz, has no experience in either the military or in government. But he has been thrown into a crisis that could lead to war in the Middle East. Peretz, a longtime peace activist, has been struggling to contain a growing Palestinian threat that includes daily missile salvos against the Jewish state from the Gaza Strip and the abduction of Israeli civilians and soldiers. A career union activist, Peretz is caught in a vise of military commanders, warning that the nation's deterrence is being eroded, and the United States and the international community, seeking Israeli restraint. "We have no intention to recapture the Gaza Strip or control the Palestinian population," Peretz said. "We do not want our soldiers running through the alleys of refugee camps between Gaza City and Rafah." A key question is whether Peretz will agree to a massive ground assault on the Gaza Strip to destroy missile production facilities, insurgency strongholds and the Hamas government. Or, will the military wait for international efforts to free an Israeli soldier abducted by Hamas. Perez, born in Morocco, served his country as a paratrooper and rose to the rank of captain. He was severely injured in the 1973 Arab-Israeli war and spent a year in convalescence. Still in a wheelchair, he became a farmer and in 1983 was elected mayor of the southern town of Sderot. For the past five years, Peretz stood by as Sderot came under constant Palestinian missile strikes. Since his appointment to defense minister in March, Peretz's home in Sderot has been the prime target of Hamas and other Palestinian gunners. Peretz made his reputation as chairman of Israel's Histadrut labor union. As national union chief, Peretz was quick to paralyze the country with frequent strikes and labor slowdowns to pressure the government over issues involving economic policy and trade union affairs. As defense minister, however, Peretz has imposed a policy of restraint on the military. As a result, the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority has launched
an offensive against Israel that includes daily Kassam-class missile salvos against such cities as Ashkelon and Sderot.

The missile strikes have been increasingly effective, with some crashing through the homes of Peretz's neighbors in Sderot. Peretz has hesitated in approving the military's plans for a full-scale ground invasion of the Gaza Strip in fear of U.S. reaction and the prospect that Israel would return to the territory it evacuated in 2005. I wish 10 months ago they [the Palestinians] had hit a strategic facility in Ashkelon," said [Res.] Maj. Gen. Yom Tov Samia, former head of the military's Southern Command. "Then we would have taken action and we would not be in this mess today." As a result, Israel's military has grown demoralized and is targeting empty buildings, including the office of Prime Minister Ismail Haniya. Military commanders are continually warned that they could be held personally responsible for attacks in which Palestinian civilians are killed. "If we know that [the terrorist] is holding his son's hand, we do not fire," Israel Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Eliezer Shkeidy said. "Even if the terrorist is in the midst of firing a Kassam, and the Kassam is aimed to kill, we do not fire." Peretz has received little support from his superior, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Olmert, who also has no defense or military experience, has sought to avoid direct responsibility for the crisis with the PA. The two men have poor relations and both have turned to the United States for advice and help. Officials said President Bush has ordered Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to handle the Israeli crisis. Rice has been speaking to Peretz and Olmert nearly every day since Hamas attacked an Israeli military post and abducted a corporal on June 25. So far, Rice has stressed that Israel must limit any military operation in the Gaza Strip. Officials said Rice has warned Israel against attacks that could harm Palestinian civilians or PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas or damage infrastructure. Rice also insisted that Israel's borders with the Gaza Strip be reopened to allow delivery of food, medicine and other supplies.

On June 30, Bush downgraded, and then reinstated, the status of the Palestine Liberation Organization's office in the United States. The president agreed that the PLO and Palestinian Authority failed to honor its peace commitments and, under U.S. law, should be penalized. But he then immediately exercised a waiver to avoid sanctions. The sanctions under the 2003 law include denial of visas to PLO and Palestinian Authority officials, designation of either group as a terrorist organization and revoking U.S. aid to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Bush's waiver is intended to last for six months. Peretz has followed Rice's advice and is negotiating with Hamas via Egypt. Peretz has agreed to free an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners and has pledged not to strike the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of the Israeli soldier, sources said. Western diplomatic sources said Rice's heavy involvement marked an increasing concern in the Bush administration that Israel cannot be relied upon to make strategic decisions against terrorism. The source said that Vice President Richard Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other senior officials hold such an assessment. As a result, the sources said, Washington would best serve Israel and U.S. interests in the region by urging restraint. This is particularly vital amid the Western showdown with Iran over its nuclear program." This [Israeli] government is very unstable and what the United States does not want is to encourage an inexperienced and hesitant leadership to launch a strategic attack in the Middle East," a Western diplomat said." For quite a while, Washington has been dealing with cases where Israel began an operation and then turned to the United States to clean up the mess," the diplomat said.

 

Jesus the Palestinian In Palestinian Authority ideology

By Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook

The cartoon in today's Al Quds depicts a Palestinian and an Iraqi being crucified on the same cross. This expresses a common Palestinian motif, found in both text and cartoons, that depicts Palestinians as Jesus, and Jesus as a Palestinian. [See below for more cartoons of Palestinians on cross like Jesus.]

“Brother from Iraq, Relative from Palestine”

[Al Quds July 6, 2006]
 

Palestinian historical revisionism: Historical revision is a backbone of Palestinian political and academic behavior, as the leaders attempt to create a separate "Palestinian Arab" history and identity for themselves, distinct from the general Arab and Islamic history. "Palestinian" Arabs are a very recent creation, and did not exist before the advent of PLO terror in 1965. Note, for example, that under UN resolution 194 in 1948, refugees were not called "Palestinian Refugees," relating to a national identity, but were called "Palestine Refugees," referring to geography - from where they came.

Jesus was Palestinian, the Palestinians are Jesus: One aspect of this attempt to create a Palestinian history is to present Jesus, who according to Christian scriptures was a Jew (Judean) living in the land of Judea-Israel, as a Palestinian. (In fact the name was changed to Palestine 136 years after Jesus' s death as part of Rome's plan to cut the Jews' ties to their Land of Israel.) Jesus has even been presented by Palestinians as the "the first Palestinian Shahid – Martyr for Allah," [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, January 17, 2005] applying to Jesus Islamic theology that evolved centuries later. On a culture program on Palestinian TV, a Palestinian artist depicted Israeli soldiers arresting Jesus, and explains that Jesus symbolizes the Palestinians.

The following are some of these examples identifying Jesus as a Palestinian:

1. “We must not forget that (Jesus) Messiah, may peace be upon him, is Palestinian, the son the Mary the Palestinian, who is sanctified by hundreds of millions of believers in this world.”
   [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, November 18, 2005]
2. "It was quite natural that the Palestinians rose to save their sanctuaries [in Nazareth] without anyone thinking there is a difference between a Christian and a Muslim… since in the Palestinian situation, the lord Messiah [Jesus] and his mother [Mary] are both Galileans and Palestinians …"
   [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 9, 2006]
3. “The Palestinian Galilee village of Kfar Kana takes pride in the fact that in [the village] the Palestinian Messiah succeeded to turn water into wine.”
   [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, December 14, 2004]
   
   Jesus is likewise defined as a Shahid (Martyr for Allah):
4. “…And a child from the De’haisha refugeecamp will shout: “Yes, we have won, just as the prophets and [Jesus’] Apostles won,” and the shahids will cry, ‘We shook the palm trees alongside Lady Earth and the lady of the people, the Virgin Mary, and with her son the first Palestinian Shahid.”
   [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, January 17, 2005]
   
   The flip side of turning Jesus into the Palestinians is the turning of Palestinians into Jesus.
5. “Muhammad [Al Dura, child who was killed by undetermined gunfire] ... a tiny sleeping Jesus...”
   [Al-Quds, May 25, 2001]
6. During a culture program, a Palestinian artist depicts Israeli soldiers arresting Jesus, and explains that Jesus symbolizes the Palestinians.
   
   Pic from web and link from web
   
   Artist: "Our struggle today against the other side is an eternal one. It can be said that it started 2,000 years ago and continues until today. I demonstrate this through the figure of Jesus… The Israeli soldiers are wearing army uniforms while Jesus has nothing except for the truth. When they searched him at the entrance of Jerusalem, they found a stone, a piece of bread and fish and he was cuffed. This is the Palestinian from the beginning of the struggle until the end."
   [PA TV, July 21, 2000]

Misappropriating Jesus into Palestinian Islamic tradition allows the image of the Crucifixion to become a Palestinian symbol, which they then use to portray themselves and other Muslims as victims of Israel. The following are additional examples of this visual motif: 1. Palestine is Jesus

[PA Website]

[Text on woman: “Palestine
Al Hayat Al Jadida supplement-Intifada, Dec. 11, 2000]

[Al Hayat Al Jadida April 15, 2001]

2. Israeli and U.S. shells targeting Palestinians representedby the cross

[PA daily supplement Dec 14 2000]

3. Another attempt at defining Palestinians as the modern day Jesus. Palestinians killed by Israel is called "repeating history" of Crucifixion.

[Al Hayat Al Jadida May 9 2001]
Pope: Praying for Mid-East peace
Sharon: “What do you think about repeating history?”

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I Love Paris but despise the Parisiens and their rulers. Anti-Semitism in France is getting worse every week.

Once again, the real news is conveniently not being reported as it should. At present, in my Hebrew class, there is a woman who recently made aliya from Paris with her family. I have spoken with her about anti-Semitism in France and she confirmed that it is very, very serious and getting worse every week. She and her family fled Paris and came to Israel, fearing for their lives -- literally. This is first hand, my friends. To give you an idea of what's going on in France where there are now between 5 and 6 million Muslims and about 600,000 Jews, here is an email that came from another Jew still in France. Please read! Will the world say nothing - again - as it did in Hitler's time? He writes, "I, AM, JEW -- therefore I am forwarding this to everyone on all my e-mail lists. I will not sit back and do nothing." Nowhere have the flames of anti-Semitism burned more furiously than in France. In Lyon, a car was rammed into a synagogue and set on fire. In Montpellier, the Jewish religious center was firebombed; so were synagogues in Strasbourg and Marseilles; so was a Jewish school in Creteil - all recently. A Jewish sports club in Toulouse was attacked with Molotov cocktails, and on the statue of Alfred Dreyfus in Paris, the words "Dirty Jew" were painted. In Bondy, 15 men beat up members of a Jewish football team with sticks and metal bars. The bus that takes Jewish children to school in Aubervilliers has been attacked three times in the last 14 months. According to the Police, metropolitan Paris has seen 10 to 12 anti-Jewish incidents PER DAY in the past 30 days. Wake up, world! > Walls in Jewish neighborhoods have been defaced with slogans proclaiming "Jews to the gas chambers" and "Death to the Jews." A gunman opened fire on a kosher butcher's shop (and, of course, the butcher) in Toulouse, France; a Jewish couple in their 20s were beaten up by five men in Villeurbanne, France. The woman was pregnant; a Jewish school was broken into and vandalized in Sarcelles, France. This was in the past week. So I call on you, whether you are a fellow Jew, a friend, or merely a person with the capacity and desire to distinguish decency from depravity, to do, at least, these three simple things: First, care enough to stay informed. Don't ever let yourself become deluded into thinking that this is not your fight. I remind you of what Pastor Neimoller said in World War II: First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me. Second, boycott France and French products. Only the Arab countries are more toxically anti-Semitic and, unlike them, France exports more than just oil and hatred. So boycott their wines and their perfumes. Boycott their clothes and their foodstuffs. Boycott their movies. Definitely boycott their shores. If we are resolved we can exert amazing pressure and, whatever else we may know about the French, we most certainly know that they are like a cobweb in a hurricane in the face of well directed pressure. Third, send this along to your family, your friends, and your co-workers. Think of all of the people of good conscience that you know and let them know that you and the people that you care about need their help. The number one best selling book in France is "September 11: The Frightening Fraud," which argues that no plane ever hit the Pentagon. Is it any wonder that Aliya from France to Israel has increased dramatically?-By Leah Lekareev via Shifra, Israel

_____________________________________________________________________

ONE QUARTER OF THE BRITISH MILITARY MEN POWER  WORKS FOR SAUDI ARABIA. THE MILITARY BRITS AND SAUDIS ARE IN SYNC.

SECRET ARMS SALES AND DEALS BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND SAUDI ARABIA WORTH $12 BILLIONS

By Peggy North, World Jewish News Agency, Senior Correspondent in Great Britain.

Photo: Mr Alan Garwood, head of DESO.

Here in the UK, more than a quarter of her Majesty's  government  ammunitions, explosives, guns and arms sales machine is  geared toward  Saudi Arabia and categorically committed to the Saudi military and naval forces. Meaning bluntly, selling arms to the Saudis. Our sources as well as, official communiques and printed circulars distributed to defence factories and arms firms in Great Britain, revealed in a most alarming manner, the intensity and enormous magnitude of arms sale to the Saudi kingdom. Today, it has become clear, that extensive secret deals were made between the Saudi royal family and Great Britain's  ministry of defence. And this has been going on for the past 18 months. It seems that the United States is not fully aware of all these arms transactions.  Documents obtained by the World Jewish News Agency categorically showed the secretive nature of these frightening deals and the alarming number of British military experts and arms manufacturers working for the Saudi crown. Almost 165 British officials are on the payroll of the Saudis. In fact, that number constitutes one quarter of the total work force of the military "products" machine in the UK. The arm deal has been referred to as "The Saudi Project". Others call it the "SAFP", meaning the "Saudi Armed Forces Project". Of course, the Saudis have denied the existence of such a project. Top British and Saudi officials will meet today in London to choreograph a joint statement to be issued and given to the media. Meanwhile,  senior officials and top brass of the British army, are addressing -as we talk- a closed conference of DESO, the DEFENCE EXPORT SERVICES ORGANISATION, the entity responsible for selling the weapons to the Saudis, as well as to many foreign countries around the globe. Tony Blair is not pleased with the recent development of the scandal and the secret deals which have created a huge embarrassment to Great Britain. He wants DESO to close down for good. All the fingers are pointing at Air Vice-Marshall John Thompson who allegedly orchestrated the whole bonanza. Thompson was the major key player in the UK-Saudi affair, since he was the head of the negotiations team. In addition, Thompson is a member of the board of DESO. The chairman of the board is Mr Alan Garwood , a tycoon in the arms industry and a former senior executive of BAE, one of Great Britain's largest armaments manufacturers, factories and companies.

To many observers, DESO is a secretive cell. For instance, The DESO Partners Site is "ONLY open to members of the UK defence industry, UK Government officials, members of UK financial institutions and defence Trade Association officials". And this is the official statement of DESO.  Equally secretive and strange IS  the listing of DESO Senior Officials. For such listing exclusively includes Mr Alan Garwood, head of DESO. No other officials are either listed or mentioned in the official list of senior officials of the entity. Mr Garwood took up his position as head of the DES, the Defence Export Services on  23rd September 2002. He is the man in charge of " taking the lead, both within Whitehall and in the UK's relations with other Governments, on the promotion of overseas sales of the products and services of the British defence industry, consistent with the Government's defence export policy. " stated the company on its website.  Garwood is also, the sole responsible to the Secretary of State for Defence and for advising the Secretary of State and other Ministers as appropriate on defence export matters. His bio contained this: " He joined British Aerospace in 1977, commencing his career in Export Contracts in the Middle East. Mr Garwood subsequently became Sales and Customer Support Director of BAe Dynamics, joining the board in 1994. In 1996 he moved to BAe Headquarters and was appointed Managing Director, Europe and North America, in the newly created International Marketing and Sales Organisation and in 1998 returned to the Missiles sector, joining Matra BAe Dynamics as Deputy Chief Executive. Mr Garwood gained an MBA at Cranfield University and in 2003 was made an Honorary Doctor of Science - again at Cranfield. He is also a visiting Professor at the Royal Military College Shrivenham. Alan Garwood is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society."

 
DESO AND BRITAIN'S MEN IN SAUDI ARABIA

DESO stationed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia some of their best civilians, tacticians, business negotiators and military men. Grenville Johnson, a royal navy captain is currently commanding the Saudi fleet of Vosper mine-hunters in the area of Jubail. In fact, Johnson is the commanding officer of the whole Saudi Naval team in that region. He is assisted by 40 British military experts and naval pilots who are officially wearing Saudi military uniforms. Among DESO's most military prolific military men are Air Commodore John Chandler and Air Commodore Ray Hodgson who are in charge of logistics and "greasing the wheel". And they are not alone. A squad of 75 British military men and 55 officials who are permanently based in Saudi Arabia is under their direct control. To a certain degree. For the Saudi Ministry of Defence is de facto in charge of the whole military operations under the British umbrella. The Saudis have the final word.

JUNE 2006

Steinberg: HRW's rush to judgment -- launches another PR attack against Israel

HRW is clearly under pressure to "prove" that its support for the Palestinian version is correct --- and the subheading "Palestinians Agree to Independent Inquiry" could have been used in the Jenin "massacre" myth campaign, and on many other occasions.  For HRW and the Palestinians, "independent" means the UN or another body dominated by anti-Israel ideologues, where the outcome is never in doubt. In today's press release, like the previous one, Garlasco and HRW present the narrow claims that might support their version, while ignoring all of the contradictory data.  The claim that the Israeli government has attributed this explosion to a mine planted by the Palestinians is also incorrect -- there is some unofficial speculation, particularly in the media, but no official statement on the possible cause.  And it is interesting that while Garlasco portrays himself as a military expert, we know very little about his actual combat experience, if any.  What is his political agenda, and why has he not provided a report on the sources and manufacture of Palestinian rockets and missiles?  For the mass media, the NGO "halo effect" remains intact, at least for now.- By Gerald Steinberg

More Evidence on Beach Killings Implicates IDF. Palestinians Agree to Independent Inquiry

 A digitally dated and time-stamped blood test report of a victim treated at a Palestinian hospital that admitted wounded from the June 9 killings on a Gaza beach suggests that the attack took place during the time period of an Israeli artillery attack, Human Rights Watch said today. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have denied responsibility for the killings, saying that although they fired six artillery shells onto the beach between 4:32 p.m. and 4:51 p.m., the fatal incident must have occurred after that. Human Rights Watch first challenged this conclusion, concluding that the IDF most likely caused the killings, in a press release, www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/06/13/isrlpa13544.htm , based on an investigation by its researchers in Gaza. Human Rights Watch researchers examined the computer-generated record from the Kamal Adwan hospital, which documents the blood test of a victim from the beach incident being taken at 5:12 p.m. on June 9. Furthermore, hand-written hospital records log patients from the incident as having been admitted starting at 5:05 p.m. If the records are accurate, based on the time needed to dispatch an ambulance and drive from the hospital to the beach and back, this suggests that the fatal explosion took place at a time when the IDF said they was firing artillery rounds. Both sets of records also directly call into question the account of the IDF that ambulances did not reach the beach until 5:15 p.m. that day. Altering the records would require re-setting the computer's clock and re-writing pages of the hospital's admissions log. Human Rights Watch researchers said that the pages they saw documented patients un-related to the beach incident, followed by two pages of victims from the beach. The first of those were admitted at 5:05 p.m. The researchers saw no evidence that the times might have been altered.

Israeli military officials have also suggested the explosion, which killed seven members of the Ghalya family and wounded many others, might have been caused by a mine. But Human Rights Watch researchers also examined blood-crusted shrapnel given to them by the father of a 19-year-old male who suffered abdominal wounds in the beach explosion. They determined that the shrapnel is a piece of fuse from an artillery shell. "The likelihood that the Ghalya family was killed by an explosive other than one of the shells fired by the IDF is remote," said Marc Garlasco, senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch. "This new evidence highlights the urgent need for Israel to permit an independent, transparent investigation into the beach killings." Human Rights Watch received a fax today from the office of Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, saying that the president's office, which is holding much of the shrapnel removed from the blast victims, would cooperate and share evidence with an independent inquiry team. For further information,  contact: In Jerusalem, Lucy Mair: +972-548-167-775. In Gaza, Marc Garlasco: +972-548-067-027 (mobile). In Gaza, Bonnie Docherty: +972-548-067-027 (mobile). In New York, Sarah Leah Whitson: +1-212-216-1230
 

Explosive Device Detonated near a Judge's House in Gaza City

Unknown assailants detonated an explosive device near the entrance of the Chief Judge of the Gaza First Instance Court. The explosion resulted in material damages, and no injuries were reported. PCHR's preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 1:40 on Thursday, 15 June 2006, an explosive device was detonated at the entrance of the house belonging to Judge Fayez Suliman Zeyara (53) in the Sheikh Ejleen Quarter in the southern part of Gaza City. Judge Zeyara is the Chief Judge of the Gaza First Instance Court. The explosion caused extensive damages to the house door and to the Judge's car. The glass windows of the Judge's house and nearby houses were destroyed as well. Furthermore, two civilian vehicles parked near the house suffered damages. After the attack the Palestinian Bar Association and the Higher Council of the Judiciary announced the suspension of work in all courts and district attorney offices in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. PCHR strongly condemned this attack, and is gravely concerned over the repeated attacks on public officials and institutions. These attacks are a continuum of the security chaos plaguing the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The Centre called upon the Palestinian National Authority, represented by the Attorney-General, to investigate these attacks and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Iranian Presidential Advisor Mohammad Ali Ramin: "The Resolution of the
Holocaust Issue Will End in the Destruction of Israel"

Mohammad Ali Ramin,  advisor to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

On June 9, 2006, the reformist online daily Rooz reported that during a visit with students at Gilan University in Rasht, Iran, Mohammad Ali Ramin, advisor to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, discussed historical accusations against the Jews and questioned the Holocaust. The following are excerpts from the Rooz article, in the original  English:(1) "Throughout History, This Religious Group [i.e. the Jews] has Inflicted the Most Damage on the Human Race'"

"On a visit to Gilan University, president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's advisor Mohammad Ali Ramin said to a group of students in the town of Rasht, 'Ten years ago, when I brought up the issue of the Holocaust for the first time in this country, my goal was to defend the Jewish people. But among the Jews there have always been those who killed God's prophets and who opposed justice and righteousness. Throughout history, this religious group has inflicted the most damage on the human race, while some of its groups engaged in plotting against other nations and ethnic groups to cause cruelty, malice and wickedness. 'Historically, there are many accusations against the Jews. For example, it was said that they were the source for such deadly disease as the plague and typhus. This is because the Jews are very filthy people. For a time people also said that they poisoned water wells belonging to Christians and thus killed them," Ramin said. "Ramin also pointed that there were other plots that powerful people used to mislead public opinion around the world. 'When the Islamic Revolution of Iran succeeded and attracted many people around the world, including Christians, the AIDS epidemic came about, and fear again overtook the world. After the September11attacks, the deadly epidermis broke out, which was destroyed when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan. On the eve of the invasion of Iran, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) illness broke out, but disappeared after the invasion,' he said. "Nobody Asks How a Bird That had the Flu Could Fly From Australia to Siberia." Ramin also claimed that the spread of bird flu was a conspiracy plot  cause[d] by the failure of America, Israel and Britain in the Middle East. Ramin pointed out that to cover up and hide their failures, these countries have spread the news about the bird flu to preoccupy and distract public opinion for some 5 to 6 months. 'Nobody asks how a bird that had the flu could fly from Australia to Siberia,' he said, adding that even the Iranian minister of health had claimed to have stopped the disease at Iran's borders. He claimed the holocaust story and bird flu rumors are interrelated. He attributed the killing of millions of chicken was to control the price and amount [of] chicken in the market. In Order to Deny the Germans the Ability to Increase Their Power, 'the British and Americans Present Them as a Human-Burning Nation. While acknowledging not knowing the source of these events around the world, Ramin said, 'I only know that Jews have been accused of such conspiracies and sabotage throughout history and have not performed well. And repeating the president's claims about the Holocaust, he presented four theories that are presented in its support. The first is that in order to deny the Germans the ability to increase their power, 'the British and Americans present them as a human-burning  nation.' The second theory is that the Americans and the British have cocked up this story with the Zionists, so as to create the state of Israel in the middle of the Islamic world and thus control the Islamic world on the Holocaust pretext, and getting rid of the Jews from Europe. The third hypothesis relates to the traditional animosity between Christians and the Jews. 'The U.S., Britain with the cooperation of France, Russia and Germany, and because of their Christian leanings and its animosity with the Jews, launched the idea of the Holocaust after the Second World War to scare off the Jews and sent them to what is now Israel in order to get rid of them in Europe and America,' he said. He further said that the movement that created  Israel is in fact against the Jews. The fourth theory relates to covering up the crimes of the U.S. and Britain. He claimed that Britain had killed some 100 million red Indians in the last 300 years and the U.S. had leveled Hiroshima, which he said were the real Holocausts. The Resolution of the Holocaust Issue Will End in the Destruction of Israel Claiming that the Holocaust was the principal reason why Palestine was occupied while Israel was the main cause of crises and catastrophe in the Middle East. 'So long as Israel exists in the region there will never be peace and security in the Middle East,' he said adding, 'So the resolution of the Holocaust issue will end in the destruction of Israel. Turning to President Ahmadinejad's comments on the Holocaust, Ramin said that he criticized the president for making those comments. 'We do not know whether the Holocaust existed or not and so must find out in order to defend the suffered party. My suggestion to him was to set up an investigative committee on this to collect the supporting documents,' he said."

Endnote:
(1) Rooz, June 9, 2006, http://www.roozonline.com/english/015942.shtml .
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Shocking Film Exposes  Growing Terrorism in the U.S.

Exclusive Viewing on June  20. Contact: Maria Sliwa, _M.Sliwa Public Relations_ (http://msliwa.com/) ,
973-272-2861, _msliwa@msliwa.com_ (mail to:msliwa@msliwa.com)  Exclusive film footage of Terrorist  Indoctrination in the U.S. At Seaport Museum at Penns Landing, PA, Tuesday, June 20 at 7:30  p.m.

While the U.S. seeks to target Abu Musab  al-Zarqawi's successor, terrorism  indoctrination within the U.S. continues to flourish at an alarming  rate.  On  Tuesday, June 20, three former terrorists will present  never before seen film  footage, which provides evidence of long standing  extremist operations that are festering here in the U.S. One of the former terrorists will  discuss the training he received by his mentor, who is featured in the  film. The exclusive footage, produced by _The Investigative  Project_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investigative_Project) ,  includes:
    *   A  commemoration of the martyrdom of Abdullah Azzam, the mentor of Osama bin  Laden. 
    *   A  detailed report by a masked Hamas commander on his squad's killings and  assassinations. 
    *   A  lecture by the head of a terrorist group to a packed audience, (including  small children), calling for them to chop off the heads of  "unbelievers." 
    *   A  Friday night sermon addressing an audience of American children on  the  nobility of killing. For more information, see: _http://3xterrorists.com _
(http://3xterrorists.com/) . Contact: M. Sliwa, 973-272-2861,  212-202-4453.

 

HADASSAH RECEIVES ADVOCACY AWARD FROM GENETICS POLICY INSTITUTE AT ANNUAL CONFERENCE AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY

 Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, received the 2006 annual National Advocacy Award presented by the Genetics Policy Institute at its annual policy institute awards dinner held last night at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. Hadassah was awarded the prestigious honor for its continued work in advocating for favorable stem cell legislation and funding at both the federal and state level, since August, 2001 when the Administration placed federal funding limitations on stem cell research. In Spring, 2005, Hadassah mobilized its grassroots membership to participate in SOS: State of Stem Cell, an effort that saw Hadassah delegations visit legislators in all 50 state capitals. In accepting the award, National President June Walker expressed gratitude from Hadassah, which "with the 300,000 women in every state and every age group is 'the every woman's organization,' and stem cell research is an issue that touches everyone.... The most recent poll I've seen shows that nearly three quarters of Americans support stem cell research. If our experience at Hadassah is any indication, we can easily transform this support into a groundswell, " she said, adding "The past few years have been frustrating politically in terms of gaining federal support for our research. You all, like me, were ready years ago to see the President's stem cell policy overturned and we wait every day for Congress to act." Walker explained that Hadassah originally became involved in stem cell advocacy because "We think that it is important to bring the Jewish perspective to this debate.  As Jewish women who are committed to the Jewish imperative of tikkun olam - repairing the world - we think it is essential to make clear that religious voices are not monolithic.  Every major stream in Judaism supports stem cell research.  This is in part because of the Jewish religious obligation to save lives." The award was presented within the framework of the Genetics Policy Institute's second, annual "Stem Cell Policy and Advocacy Summit: Empowering the Pro-Cures Coalition," this year hosted by the center for Biomedical Ethics at Stanford University and co-chaired by Bernard Siegel, J.D., executive director of the Genetics Policy Institute, and Christopher Thomas Scott, Ph.D., executive director of the Stanford Program in Stem Cells and Society. According to Siegel, "The National Advocacy Award goes to the organization that has made the greatest impact in promoting awareness of the lifesaving cause of stem cell research. Hadassah has earned the gratitude of patients around the world for its effective leadership on this issue. GPI is pleased to provide Hadassah recognition at this annual summit meeting of the "Pro-Cures" community."  In presenting the award, Siegel told Walker: "Scientists know about you [Hadassah], you are making such an incredible impact."


Founded in 1912, Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, is the largest women's, largest Zionist, and largest Jewish membership organization in the United States. In Israel, it supports pacesetting medical care and research, education and youth programs, and reforestation and parks projects.  In the US, Hadassah promotes health education, social action and advocacy, Jewish education , volunteerism and leadership skills, Young Judaea and connections with Israel. For complete information about Hadassah, visit www.hadassah.org

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LATEST REPORTS

Zarqawi, leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, has died in a US air strike.

Pictures of Zarqawi's body were put on display by the US.

The US and UK have hailed news that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, has died in a US air strike. Zarqawi died when US planes dropped two 500lb (230kg) bombs on a site near the city of Baquba. He was identified by fingerprints, tattoos and scars. The US struck after receiving specific tip-offs from within Zarqawi's organization, officials said. US President George W Bush described the news as a severe blow to al-Qaeda and "justice" for Zarqawi. British PM Tony Blair described it as "very good news", but both leaders said Zarqawi's death would not end violence. The news came shortly before the Iraqi parliament approved the key posts of defense and interior ministers. The two crucial roles had remained unfilled despite the formation of a coalition government last month. Zarqawi's death was an opportunity for the new government to "turn the tide", President Bush said. "The ideology of terror has lost one of its most visible and aggressive leaders," he added. Correspondents say it remains to be seen if one man's death will bring a breakthrough in Iraq. Zarqawi "safe house" about 8km (five miles) north of Baquba was struck at 1815 (1415 GMT) on Wednesday, officials said. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki announced the news on Thursday, telling a news conference in Baghdad: "We have eliminated Zarqawi." The news sparked sustained applause. The strike was the "painstaking, deliberate result" of intelligence over "many weeks", US military spokesman Major General William Caldwell said. He showed a picture of the militant leader's body and a videotape of the attack, in which he said American F-16 fighter jets dropped the two 500lb bombs on the site. The body was moved to a secure site where Zarqawi's identity was confirmed, the official said. A Jordanian government spokesman said Jordanian agents had contributed to the operation against Zarqawi. Mr. Maliki said intelligence from Iraqi people had also helped to track down Zarqawi, who had a $25m price on his head - the same bounty as that offered by the US for Osama Bin Laden. A statement on the internet attributed to an umbrella group for jihadi organizations including al-Qaeda in Iraq has confirmed Zarqawi's death, reports say. Jordanian-born Zarqawi was said to have been in a meeting with associates at the time. Five other people were killed in the raid, including spiritual adviser Sheikh Abd-al-Rahman and an unidentified woman and child. Within hours of the killings, troops launched 17 simultaneous raids around Baghdad, which yielded a "treasure trove" of intelligence, according to the US official. Zarqawi was not a global mastermind like al-Qaeda leader Bin Laden. Instead he was a bloodthirsty and violent thug, our correspondent says - who made enemies and several mistakes that might have contributed to his downfall. These included ordering a triple suicide bombing against hotels in Amman, Jordan, last November, that killed 60 people, our correspondent says. Zarqawi was accused of leading the rash of kidnappings and beheadings of foreign workers. It has been suggested that he appeared personally on one video posted on the internet, cutting off the head of an American hostage. A video released in April showed Zarqawi shooting an automatic rifle and berating the US for its "arrogance". The video provided the most up-to-date picture of the fugitive. Violence continued on Thursday as 13 people were killed and 28 injured in a bomb at a Baghdad market, while an evening car bombing killed five and injured at least 13, police said.

Jordanian intelligence reportedly assisted the US-led operation. Zarqawi traced to isolated safe house approximately 8km north of Baquba, north east of Baghdad. US aircraft launched air strike at about 1815. The militant leader was reportedly holding a meeting with associates, including spiritual adviser Sheikh Abd-al-Rahman, at time of raid. Several others were reportedly killed. Iraqi police were first on the scene, followed by troops from the Multi-National Division North. Zarqawi's identity confirmed by fingerprints, facial recognition and known scars.

 

ZARQAWI-CLAIMED ATTACKS

 

Rafi Eitan reveals Mossad knew Arafat's goal was to destroy Israel after Oslo

"During one of the Palestinian conferences I was able to infiltrate, Yasser Arafat reiterated what he had said his entire life: 'We will build a Palestinian system of many separate military units; only in this way will we be able to defeat the Jews and expel them to the sea'," ]

Minister Eitan: Israel in no position to attack Iran

Pensioners' Affairs minister says, 'Iran will produce operational nuclear bomb within 3-10 years; Israel cannot attack without Washington's consent.' Adds: No chance of reaching agreement with Palestinians in near future Moran Zelikovich YNET  20 May 2006. Pensioners' Affairs Minister Rafi Eitan said Friday, "according to intelligence information Iran will produce an operational nuclear bomb within 3-10 years," adding that Israel has been left to deal with the situation on its own as the US under the Bush Administration will not attack Iran. Speaking before members of the Trade and Industry Club in Tel Aviv, Eitan said, "I believe that there is no power in the world that can prevent Iran from producing a nuclear bomb. Currently Israel does not have the military-political option of attacking Iran, as the US controls the Persian Gulf, Iran and Iraq area," he said. "We cannot attack without Washington's consent," Eitan said. "Bush is weak within the US, and the chance that he'll launch an attack against Iran is slim. I don't think sanctions will affect Iran in its quest for a bomb. The threat is not only directed toward Israel, but also at Arab and other countries." Turning his attention to Israeli-Palestinian relations, Eitan said, "there is no chance of reaching an agreement with the Palestinians in the near future."

'Arafat realized his vision'

Eitan, who served as Mossad's director of operations for many years, said "such agreements can be reached, but they wouldn't be worth anything at this stage of our lives." "During one of the Palestinian conferences I was able to infiltrate, Yasser Arafat reiterated what he had said his entire life: 'We will build a Palestinian system of many separate military units; only in this way will we be able to defeat the Jews and expel them to the sea'," he said. "Arafat realized his vision and built separate units that were added to the PLO's military wings. This structure still exists in today's Palestinian Authority; Hamas won't change it, and neither will Fatah. I don't see anyone who can change it." As to Prime Minster Ehud Olmert's plan to unilaterally evacuate settlements in the West Bank Eitan said, "Israel must remain in the security zones, meaning all those zones we do not plan on annexing." IMRA: One would have expected the following revelation to lead to calls for an inquiry into why the Government of Israel ignored such a clear message.

 

REPORT URGES BUSH TO REJECT ISRAELI PULLOUT

WASHINGTON [MENL]-A U.S. security think-tank has urged President George Bush to reject an Israeli government plan for a unilateral withdrawal from 90 percent of the West Bank. The report by the Washington-based Center for Security Policy,  regarded as  close to the Defense Department, warned that the plan prepared by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would destabilize the Middle East and threaten U.S. interests in Iraq and Jordan. The report said the West Bank would quickly come under the control of Iran and other U.S. adversaries. "Although an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and the dismantlement of Israeli communities there seems consonant with traditional American policies in the Middle East, in light of the radicalization of Palestinian society, as evidenced by Hamas' electoral victory in January 2006, it is unclear how an Israeli withdrawal today will align with U.S. national security interests and goals," the report, entitled "Ehud Olmert's Convergence Plan for the West Bank and U.S. Middle East Policy," said. "Unfortunately, it seems evident that an Israeli retreat from the West Bank will empower the terror supporting, anti-American de facto Palestinian state and will create a new base for global terrorism." The report marked an effort by Republican Party conservatives, who include leading members of the House and Senate, to oppose Olmert's plan. Conservative supporters of Israel, including the Christian Right, did not lobby against U.S. support for Israel's decision to withdraw from the Gaza Strip in 2005.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Planned Withdrawal from the West Bank: A Threat to U.S. Interests and Security

Background: Israel's new Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is scheduled to visit Washington, DC later this month in order to secure administration and congressional support for his plan to withdraw Israeli civilians and the Israeli military from between 90-95 percent of the West Bank and large sections of the city of Jerusalem. On the budgetary side, Olmert asserts that the implementation of his plan will cost $10 billion and he intends to seek U.S. financing to underwrite this cost. Olmert's plan involves expelling between 50,000-100,000 Israeli civilians from their homes and the destruction of between 50-100 Israeli communities in the West Bank and the redeployment of Israeli military forces to garrisoned positions. He claims that this plan will enhance regional stability, improve Israeli security, increase the prospects of peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and boost Israeli and American standing in the
international community. These claims are identical to those advanced by former prime minister Sharon when he advocated Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip which took place last September.

Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip last year failed to do any of these things. Indeed the actual consequences of the withdrawal have been the exact opposite of what Sharon predicted. A reenactment of that operation on the West Bank - which is both 20 times larger than the Gaza Strip and vastly more significant on a strategic level - will exacerbate the failure of the Gaza withdrawal strategy to the detriment not only of Israel's national security, but the stability of the Jordanian regime and American national security interests.

Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip fomented the transformation of Gaza into a Taliban-like state. The Palestinians perceived Israel's decision to retreat to the 1949 armistice lines as a victory for Hamas and the jihadist ideology that negates Israel's right to exist. This perception contributed greatly to Hamas' stunning electoral victory in the Palestinian legislative elections in January. Under Hamas's leadership, Palestinian society is being swiftly transformed into an Islamic extremist society like Taliban-led Afghanistan. After Israel withdrew, Gaza was flooded with terrorists and terror armaments that passed through Gaza's international border with the Egyptian Sinai. Katyusha rockets, anti-aircraft missiles and advanced anti-tank missiles have all been brought into the area. Al Qaeda, Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards all set up forward operating bases in Gaza. Hamas itself has become a client of Iran. The destroyed Israeli settlements in Gaza are now used as terror-training camps and as missile-launching sites. Israeli artillery and air strikes against terrorist elements in Gaza since the withdrawal have been ineffective in preventing the escalation of missile, rocket and mortar attacks against all Israeli cities and villages bordering Gaza.

An Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank will cause a similar situation to arise in the areas abandoned by Israel. But unlike the Gaza Strip, the West Bank provides the Palestinian and global terrorist elements that will operate freely in the area with the ability to launch missile and rocket attacks against all of Israel's major cities, highways and civilian air traffic taking off and landing at