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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

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?”

_____________________________________________________________

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

_____________________________________________________________________

Palestinian Authority political leaders advocated kidnapping-for-hostage policy
By Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook

Foreign Minister, Mahmud Al-Zahar: Hamas will not hesitate to kidnap Israeli soldiers "to exchange for [Palestinian] prisoners, should the opportunity arise." [Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, March 7, 2006]

Interior Minister Saed Siam: "It is inevitable to kidnap soldiers to exchange for them... There is nothing the resistance cannot do. And when there is a goal and a good plan, the goal can be achieved... [In the past] Hamas succeeded in kidnapping and hiding bodies, but unfortunately, two bodies were handed over for nothing." [Undated video clip from Abu Dhabi TV - before Hamas came into power]

Introduction: The Palestinian Authority political leadership has been attempting to distance itself from the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Yesterday, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas instructed PA Prime Minister Haniyeh and Interior Minister Saed Siam to "guarantee the release of the abducted soldier." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 27, 2006] . However, one must question the sincerity of such public displays, especially by the Hamas leadership. A review of policy articulated by Hamas political leaders, including Interior Minister Siam himself and the PA Foreign Minister, shows that it was the avowed policy of the Hamas political leadership to kidnap Israeli soldiers as hostages to exchange for terrorists.There's another clear show of support for the kidnapping from the political leadership. The Hamas website, Palestine-info.net, has celebrated the killings and kidnapping in graphic posters of smoldering and destroyed Israeli positions, with the words: "Smashed Illusion Operation", and "Crushing Blow on Zionist Enemy". [See opposite and below]. Another poster in English on their web site has the names of the three groups accepting responsibility, which includes the Al Qassam Brigades of Hamas, followed by the words: "In the first movie - Mission 1 - Be Back!" [See below] 

 The following are policy statements of both Hamas political leaders and Islamic Jihad:

Mahmud Al-Zahar, Hamas, Foreign Minister: "The Head of Hamas party in the Palestinian Legislative Council, [and current Foreign Minister-ed] Dr. Mahmud Al-Zahar, said that his movement would not hesitate to kidnap soldiers of the occupation in order to exchange them for [Palestinian] prisoners, should the opportunity arise." [Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, March 7, 2006]

Saed Siam, PA Interior Minister (now charged with locating the hostage): "In the past Hamas succeeded in kidnapping many Zionist soldiers. There are thousands of prisoners of our forces, they have to think how to free these prisoners. And I believe that it is inevitable to kidnap soldiers to exchange for them. In the past Hamas kidnapped 10 soldiers. There is nothing the resistance cannot do. And when there is a goal and a good plan, the goal can be achieved, especially about the prisoner issue, [which] is top priority. During the PA administration, Hamas succeeded in kidnapping and hiding bodies, but unfortunately, two bodies were handed over for nothing. When there is a kidnapping, and it is secured, each case in its own time, has its own negotiations." [Undated video clip from Abu Dhabi TV - before Hamas came into power]

Click here to view Minister Siam explaining policy of Kidnapping

Fathi Hamad, Member Palestinian Legislative Council, Hamas: "The Islamic resistance movement "Hamas" yesterday threatened to carry out kidnapping operations of soldiers in the Israeli army, in order to release Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. The threat was announced by Hamas Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Fathi Hamad." [Al-Ayyam, March 16, 2006]

Sheik Halid Al-Batash, Islamic Jihad: "[Palestinian Authority] Prime Minister Ismail Haniyah emphasized the importance of forming a mechanism for the release of our heroic prisoners who are held in the jails of the occupation, without making concessions... Prominent Islamic Jihad movement leader, Sheik Halid Al-Batash... called for seeking different mechanisms for the release of our heroic prisoners. He emphasized that among the mechanisms is the kidnapping of Zionists to exchange for the release of the [Palestinian] prisoners." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah, April, 17 2006]

Sheik Halid Al-Batash, Islamic Jihad: "The Islamic Jihad [Movement] says: kidnapping of Israeli soldiers - the fastest way for the release of the prisoners. Islamic Jihad movement senior official [Halid Al-Batash] called on the factions of the resistance to kidnap Israeli soldiers in order to exchange them for Palestinian prisoners, who Israel holds and refuses to release." [Al-Ayyam, May 9, 2006]
 

[Quality Operation - Smashed Illusion Operation]

Hamas: Islam will conquer US and Britain

By Itamar Marcus & Barbara Cook

Hamas Video: A Hamas video just released on their web site focuses on the broader Palestinian Islamic ideology, promising the eventual conquering and subjugation of Christian countries under Islam. The way Israel "ran" from Gaza after terror is presented as the prototype for future Israeli and Western behavior in the face of Islamic force. The video is a collection of statements by Hamas terrorist leader, Yasser Ghalban, killed last week by Palestinians, in the ongoing internal fighting. To view this video, anticipating Islam's conquering of US and Britain, click here.
www.pmw.org.il/asx/PMW_yasserghalban.asx

The following is the transcript of selections from the Hamas video: "We will rule the nations, by Allah's will, the USA will be conquered, Israel will be conquered, Rome and Britain will be conquered. The Jihad for Allah... is the way of Truth and the way for Salvation and the way which will lead us to crush the Jews and expel them from our country Palestine. Just as the Jews ran from Gaza, the Americans will run from Iraq and Afghanistan and the Russians will run from Chechnya, and the Indian will run from Kashmir, and our children will be released from Guantanamo. The prisoners will be released by Allah's will, not by peaceful means and not by agreements, but they will be released by the sword, they will be released by the gun". The video identifies itself as from the "Al-Qassam Brigades Media Office."  "Al-Qassam Brigades" is the name the Hamas calls its military wing. (www.palestine-info.net) June 22 2006:

Al-Qaeda Video: The ideology is similar to the Al-Qaeda ideology, and this can be seen by viewing an Al-Qaeda video seen now on many sites on the Internet, likewise anticipating battles with other religions throughout the world. "They Are Coming" is 12 minute collection of scenes of Al-Qaeda's training around the world: Afghanistan, Iraq, Chechnya, Eritrea, Indonesia, Kashmir, Somalia, Philippines, UK, Algeria and Pakistan. This propaganda video addresses the American public with captions in English, images of dead and injured American soldiers, and threats such as: "They Are Coming", "Start digging your graves", and ends with a burning US flag. Click here to see Al-Qaeda video. www.pmw.org.il/asx/PMW_theyarecoming.asx

 

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.


Mr Alan Garwood MBAPhoto: 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.

The official statement of the British government leads to believe that the British military men and top officials are stationed in Riyadh. But World Jewish News Agency discovered that the British squad has mushroomed to Tabuk, Khamis, Dhahran and several naval and military bases throughout the Saudi kingdom. This could explain the concerns and suspicions of  many observers who claim that the British squad had to be much bigger than what the British government "pretend" to be. In fact, to cover the territories of 7 military and naval bases in Saudi Arabia, any military squad should and must  have more than 200 men  in active duty to carry its operations. Political observers and military  analysts estimate that Great Britain has stationed more than 2,000 men in Saudi Arabia. World Jewish News Agency has discovered that no less than 100 British pilots and 150 technicians of the British air crew were spread over 2 Saudi air bases. The British airmen belong to the RAF (Royal Air Force) and are actively serving in the Saudi Air Force, flying the Hawks and the Tornados which were sold in a large quantity to Saudi Arabia. It is estimated that  no less than 75 British jet fighters were bought by the Saudis under the provisions of the "AL YAMANA" arms sales contract between the two countries. DESO head claims that his squad and British airmen are serving in the capacity of military advisors and trainers. While skeptic analysts believe that the British military task force is much more than a " team of military instructors". They claim that DESO and Great Britain's men are active Saudi jet fighters and head pilots. Our sources told us that a large number of Saudi and British pilots are stationed in a region called Tabuk neighboring Israel. This unit is under the direct command of Group Captain Nick Watson who is in charge of all the operations, including sorties, logistics, flight operations, special training unit and tactics. Watson's financial and managerial assistant is Mr John Radcliffe, a civilian. This year, Great Britain has sold nearly £7bn worth of weapons. Much of these weapons systems were supplied to  Saudi Arabia, the world's largest arms buyer. Last year, Saudi Arabia  purchased more than £5bn worth of weapons. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) report revealed that  Arab countries spent £42bn on defence last year.

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.

Map

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
19 Aug 2003: Bombing of UN office in Baghdad, 23 dead
29 Aug 2003: Bombing of Najaf shrine killing Shia cleric Muhammad Baqr Hakim, 85 dead
2 March 2004: Co-ordinated attack on Shia mosques during Ashoura ceremony, 181 dead
11 May 2004: Nick Berg beheaded, first of at least nine foreign hostages killed in 2004
14 Sept 2004: Car bomb targeting police recruits in Baghdad, 47 dead
19 Dec 2004: Car bombs in Najaf and Karbala, 60 dead
9 Nov 2005: Triple attack on hotels in Amman, 60 dead

 

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 Ben Gurion airport. While Olmert claims that Israel will be protected because the completion of the security barrier between the West Bank and Israel will be completed by the time Israel carries out the retreat, that barrier will be unable to protect Israel from missile and rocket fire on its densely populated cities. Even if the IDF retains a presence in the areas after the expulsion of the civilian population is accomplished, its counter-terror capabilities will be compromised by domestic political considerations, international pressure and the increased military capabilities and basing prerogatives for local and global terrorist elements.

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan will be destabilized by Israel's withdrawal from the West Bank. Jordan's citizenry is 80 percent Palestinian. Al Qaida, the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas all have a strong presence in the country. A redeployment of Israeli military forces will degrade Israel's ability to prevent the convergence of these terror forces on the east bank of the Jordan River with those on its west bank for the purpose of toppling the Hashemite regime. Al Qaeda commander in Iraq Abu Musab Zarqawi, a Jordanian citizen, has already attacked the regime and called for its overthrow. Hamas has similarly committed itself to the overthrow of the regime.


The following are the likely impacts of an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank on U.S. national security:
1. Establish a new terror refuge in the West Bank that will serve as a training ground for terrorists who will fight not only against Israel and Jordan, but also against U.S. forces in Iraq.

2. Weaken U.S. logistical capabilities in Iraq. The destabilization of Israel and Jordan through the establishment of a Taliban-like regime in the West Bank will endanger the overland supply route used by U.S. forces from Israeli ports through Jordan and into Iraq. This will increase U.S. dependence on Persian Gulf ports and thus motivate Iran to create crises in the Straits of Hormuz.

3. Enhance the prestige of declared enemies of the U.S. including Iran, Syria, al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, Wahhabist extremists in Saudi Arabia and Salafist extremists in Egypt at the expense of the U.S. The widespread Arab and Islamic perception of Israel as a U.S. client state will cause an Israeli retreat and the consequent destabilization of Israel and Jordan to be perceived as a strategic defeat for the United States. This will motivate thousands throughout the world to join the forces of global jihad against America.

4. Decrease motivation to cooperate with the U.S. in the war against Islamofascism throughout the Arab and Muslim world. The perceived victory for the global jihad will harm U.S. efforts to gain the support of regimes and individuals in the Arab and Islamic world such as leaders like Gen. Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan. He, like democracy activists in Iraq, and advocates of Islamic moderation in Europe, will be undermined by the perceived strategic victory of the jihadist forces in the aftermath of Israel's withdrawal from the West Bank.In light of the above the U.S. should not lend its support to the Israeli premier's planned withdrawal from the West Bank.  Instead, it should encourage him to pursue strategies that will deny victories for forces at war with both the United States and Israel.

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Hamas: "Children fight alongside the adults in the resistance"

The Hamas promotion of terror and violence among Palestinian children continues unabated. This past week, Hamas placed pictures on its web site (see pictures below) of children in combat roles and combat dress, taken during "Palestinian Children's Festival" held in Yemen. The third picture below shows a girl wearing a sash with the name Reem Riyashi on it. Reem Riyashi was a woman suicide terrorist who killed four Israelis.

Yemen News reported: "A Hamas representative [in Yemen] Jamal Issa … stated that the Palestinian children fight alongside the adults in the resistance."
[http://www.newsyemen.net/en/view_news.asp?sub_no=3_2006_03_10_5870]

These pictures were on the Hamas web site [www.palestinian-info.net] home page for a week, and can be seen today at this link:
http://www.palestine-info.net/arabic/palestoday/dailynews/2006/mar06/18_3/photo/index.htm

It is somewhat ironic, that while this terror role-modeling for children is being glorified by Hamas, the actual celebration of terror for children took place in Yemen. This is the same Yemen, who according to US News and World Report last week: "has become one of America's most unexpected allies in counter terrorism."

Al-Qaeda Commander in Saudi Arabia Fahd Al-Farraj: I ask every Muslim on the face of the earth: Would you agree that one of these infidels enter your home, and violate the honor of your sister, your mother, or your daughter?

The following are excerpts from a recorded will of Al-Qaeda Commander in Saudi Arabia Fahd Al Farraj, aired on www.alsaha.com . The will of Commander Fahd bin Farraj Al-Jweir Al-Farraj, one of the commanders of the Al-Qaeda organization in the Arabian Peninsula. Fahd Al-Farraj in training in the Arabian Peninsula. The Battar Camp. Drive the polytheists out of the Arabian Peninsula. Fahd Al Farraj: "I want to clarify and to reiterate the goals we wish to accomplish, with Allah's help, and to respond to some doubts about the mujahideen, raised by the scholars of evil, who level such accusations  against them. First of all, the goal of our jihad is to elevate the word of Allah, to drive the polytheists out of the peninsula of Muhammad, to apply his law in all aspects of life and on all people, and to remove injustice from our oppressed brothers everywhere. To all the Muslim peoples wherever they may be, I say: How long will you remain silent? How long will you accept this humiliation and degradation? How long will you continue to be ruled by the law of the tyrants, yet remain silent? Where is your Islam? Where is your worship of Allah? Islam is not a religion in name only - it  is a religion of faith and action. The Crusaders, the Hindus, the Zoroastrians, and their apostate helpers rule and control you and your brothers. They are fighting against your religion, and are fighting you in your livelihood. They are violating your honor, yet you remain silent. Have your humiliation and degradation brought you that low? Would you agree to become apostates, Jews, or Christians? Would you agree to abandon the religion of Islam? I ask every Muslim on the face of the earth: Would you agree that one of these infidels enter your home, and violate the honor of your sister, your mother, or your daughter? Of course you would not. The women in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Indonesia, Kashmir, and the Philippines are our sisters, our mothers, and our daughters. I am amazed how you can continue to sleep undisturbed, while your brothers are being killed, and the honor of your sisters is being violated. Awaken from your slumber, and support your oppressed brothers. Fight for the sake of Allah, and you will receive one of the two good things: victory or martyrdom. To the security forces, I say: I am amazed at you. When you are told to wage jihad, you cling to this world. But when [Saudi Interior Minister Prince] Naif Bin Abd Al-'Aziz tells you to sell your souls to his government and to fight for his sake, and to defend the Americans, in exchange for 3,000 riyals and hell - you are willing to sell your souls cheaply. Have you stooped so low? Are your souls worthless for you? He calls you 'martyrs of duty,' but think what you will say to Allah if you meet him, after having killed a mujaheed who fought for the sake of Allah, in order to defend the Americans, or if he killed you when you were defending the tyrants. Stop working for the tyrant, and join the mujahideen, otherwise - you know full well who the mujahideen are, and what they have prepared for those who stand in their way. To the Saudi government, I say: All I say to you is what the Prophet Muhammad said to the infidels of Qureysh, when he was alone: 'I have brought slaughter upon you.' By Allah, your kingdom will come to an end. The mujahideen will defeat you. Do you know why? Because Allah supports us, and no one supports you. Do you know why? Because Allah said in the Koran: 'If you support Allah, He will support you,' and we trust and believe in the promise of Allah. If you only knew what our young men have in store for you, you would be busy arranging your escape from this peninsula. To the Americans, I say: Get out of the peninsula of Muhammad, and all the lands of the Muslims, and stop supporting the Jews in Palestine and the Christians in the lands of the Muslims. Otherwise, you will encounter only death, destruction, and explosions." Source: Memri

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Reem Riyashi" [suicide terrorist]

Terror attack thwarted and two terrorists arrested as Islamic Jihad increases its activity against Israel

Attributed to "security sources" [Distributed by the IDF Spokesperson's Office].

On March 7th 2006, security forces at the Erez crossing arrested Samih Haddad, an Islamic Jihad terrorist who intended to carry out a terror attack inside Israel. Six days earlier, security forces arrested Islamic Jihad terrorist Ihab Tity, who was sent to develop the organization's terror infrastructure in the West Bank in order to carry out attacks against Israel. On March 7th 2006, ISA forces arrested Samih Maher Salameh Haddad, 21, a resident of the Gaza Strip. Haddad arrived at the Erez crossing with false medical documents with which he had managed to obtain an entry permit into Israel. During his questioning Haddad admitted to being a member of the Islamic Jihad terror organization. Haddad had undergone training in the organization and had participated in projectile rocket attacks against Israel. In January of 2006, Haddad was informed by his operators that they intended to smuggle him into Israel through Erez with false medical documents, which stated that Haddad was in need of urgent medical treatment in Israel. Once inside Israel, Haddad would receive an automatic weapon which he would use to carry out a terror attack against Israeli civilians. Haddad had attempted to smuggle into Israel several months earlier by infiltrating the Israeli-Egyptian border, but had not succeeded. On March 7th 2006, Haddad was given the forged documents by his operators and met with Mahjed Harazin, head of Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, who gave him his blessing to carry out the terror attack. Haddad was then taken to the Erez security crossing, and was arrested by Israeli security forces while attempting to pass through. This thwarted attack is an example of a recent upsurge in Islamic Jihad's efforts to carry out attacks against Israel. As part of this effort Islamic Jihad has also accelerated the development of terror cells in the West Bank:

On March 1st 2006, security forces arrested Ihab Tity, an Islamic Jihad terrorist and explosives instructor who had been sent to the West Bank on February 2006 in order to establish a terror infrastructure which would carry out attacks against Israel. Tity, 25, a resident of Al Aroub (in the Hebron region), moved to the Gaza Strip in the year 2000 and enrolled in a university there. In 2004 Tity was drafted to the Islamic Jihad, and in 2005 underwent several training sessions aimed to qualify him as an explosives instructor. During this training period Tity was instructed on explosives production and the construction of detonators, explosive devices, explosive belts and methods of use. Tity was also trained in the use of automatic weapons and anti-tank missiles. Upon finishing his training in February 2006, Tity was instructed by his operators to return to the West Bank in order to establish an Islamic Jihad terror infrastructure, consisting of several sub-cells, which would carry out terror attacks against Israeli targets- primarily military targets. These attacks would be funded by the Islamic Jihad terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, and would possibly be conducted in cooperation with other organizations. Tity was instructed to build an explosives lab and to draft new recruits who would be trained in the production of explosives, bombs and explosive belts. Among the attacks planned by the new infrastructure were suicide bombings, the detonation of roadside bombs against IDF forces, shooting attacks against civilian and military vehicles, and possibly the kidnapping of soldiers or civilians in order to negotiate the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel (for this Tity's operators suggested that he enlist a female collaborator to seduce and kidnap the designated target, or that he alternatively set up a false meeting with an Israeli drug dealer in order to kidnap him). In addition, the infrastructure was to collect information on security measures-specifically security vehicles-used to protect Israeli communities in the West Bank. Tity arrived in the West Bank near the end of February 2006. By the time of his arrest on March 1st, he had already managed to mark a number of targets for terror attacks, among them IDF vehicles near Al Aroub and a bus stop near Gush Etzion, and had also collected information on security measures in a nearby community. As part of its efforts to increase terror activity against Israel, Islamic Jihad has been implementing three major methods in order to smuggle terrorists into Israel:

1.  Exploitation of Israel's humanitarian policy on medical cases:


This method of operation is exemplified in the case of Samih Haddad which is detailed above. The past few years have shown a major increase in attempts to smuggle terrorists into Israel in the cover of patients in need of medical treatment. Another example of this is the incident of Wafa Bas, who was arrested in the Erez crossing on June 2005 while wearing an explosive belt. Bas, carrying legitimate medical documents, was scheduled for a medical examination in an Israeli hospital. Under the pretense of a genuine need, Bas, who had been recruited by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades organization, was planning to execute a suicide bombing at the hospital which had treated her.

2.  Infiltration into Israel through Egypt:

Since October 2000, and at a highly increased rate following the IDF's pullout from the Gaza Strip, there have been many efforts by all terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip, among them Islamic Jihad, to smuggle terrorists into Israel by sending them over the Gaza-Egypt border and then over the Israeli-Egyptian border, while exploiting the lack of a contiguous physical obstacle along this border. On the 8th of February, a 17 year old Palestinian terrorist carrying an explosive belt, and an additional collaborator assigned to drive him to the site of the planned attack, both of them Islamic Jihad terrorists, were arrested after trying to infiltrate Israel via Egypt. Their plan was to carry out a suicide bombing in the city of Jerusalem. As previously mentioned, Samih Haddad had also attempted to enter Israel in this method.

3. Exploitation of Israel's policy towards residents of the West Bank wishing to leave the Gaza Strip:

This method of operation is exemplified in the case of Ihab Tity. Tity, originally of the West Bank, came to the Gaza Strip for the purpose of studies and rather easily received authorization to return to the West bank thanks to his West Bank ID. Islamic Jihad took advantage of Tity's special status in order to train him and send him to the West Bank to establish an Islamic Jihad terror infrastructure there. An additional example is the arrest of Mahmad Bahitzi in March 2005. Bahitzi, a Hamas terrorist and a resident of the Gaza Strip, planned to carry out a suicide bombing after having left the Gaza Strip in the cover of a potential kidney donor. Because of these medical considerations, and in light of being registered as a resident of Kalandiya, Bahitzi received an entry permit.

 

 

Al-Qaeda Commander in Saudi Arabia Fahd Al-Farraj: I ask every Muslim on the face of the earth: Would you agree that one of these infidels enter your home, and violate the honor of your sister, your mother, or your daughter?

The following are excerpts from a recorded will of Al-Qaeda Commander in Saudi Arabia Fahd Al Farraj, aired on www.alsaha.com . The will of Commander Fahd bin Farraj Al-Jweir Al-Farraj, one of the commanders of the Al-Qaeda organization in the Arabian Peninsula. Fahd Al-Farraj in training in the Arabian Peninsula. The Battar Camp. Drive the polytheists out of the Arabian Peninsula. Fahd Al Farraj: "I want to clarify and to reiterate the goals we wish to accomplish, with Allah's help, and to respond to some doubts about the mujahideen, raised by the scholars of evil, who level such accusations  against them. First of all, the goal of our jihad is to elevate the word of Allah, to drive the polytheists out of the peninsula of Muhammad, to apply his law in all aspects of life and on all people, and to remove injustice from our oppressed brothers everywhere. To all the Muslim peoples wherever they may be, I say: How long will you remain silent? How long will you accept this humiliation and degradation? How long will you continue to be ruled by the law of the tyrants, yet remain silent? Where is your Islam? Where is your worship of Allah? Islam is not a religion in name only - it  is a religion of faith and action. The Crusaders, the Hindus, the Zoroastrians, and their apostate helpers rule and control you and your brothers. They are fighting against your religion, and are fighting you in your livelihood. They are violating your honor, yet you remain silent. Have your humiliation and degradation brought you that low? Would you agree to become apostates, Jews, or Christians? Would you agree to abandon the religion of Islam? I ask every Muslim on the face of the earth: Would you agree that one of these infidels enter your home, and violate the honor of your sister, your mother, or your daughter? Of course you would not. The women in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Indonesia, Kashmir, and the Philippines are our sisters, our mothers, and our daughters. I am amazed how you can continue to sleep undisturbed, while your brothers are being killed, and the honor of your sisters is being violated. Awaken from your slumber, and support your oppressed brothers. Fight for the sake of Allah, and you will receive one of the two good things: victory or martyrdom. To the security forces, I say: I am amazed at you. When you are told to wage jihad, you cling to this world. But when [Saudi Interior Minister Prince] Naif Bin Abd Al-'Aziz tells you to sell your souls to his government and to fight for his sake, and to defend the Americans, in exchange for 3,000 riyals and hell - you are willing to sell your souls cheaply. Have you stooped so low? Are your souls worthless for you? He calls you 'martyrs of duty,' but think what you will say to Allah if you meet him, after having killed a mujaheed who fought for the sake of Allah, in order to defend the Americans, or if he killed you when you were defending the tyrants. Stop working for the tyrant, and join the mujahideen, otherwise - you know full well who the mujahideen are, and what they have prepared for those who stand in their way. To the Saudi government, I say: All I say to you is what the Prophet Muhammad said to the infidels of Qureysh, when he was alone: 'I have brought slaughter upon you.' By Allah, your kingdom will come to an end. The mujahideen will defeat you. Do you know why? Because Allah supports us, and no one supports you. Do you know why? Because Allah said in the Koran: 'If you support Allah, He will support you,' and we trust and believe in the promise of Allah. If you only knew what our young men have in store for you, you would be busy arranging your escape from this peninsula. To the Americans, I say: Get out of the peninsula of Muhammad, and all the lands of the Muslims, and stop supporting the Jews in Palestine and the Christians in the lands of the Muslims. Otherwise, you will encounter only death, destruction, and explosions." Source: Memri

Suicide terror for children glorified on Hamas children's web site

[Picture in: "A Palestinian Girl's Heroism]

Suicide terror for children is now being actively promoted on the Hamas children's web site al-fateh.net. The new material posted yesterday is a short fictional story for children, glorifying a young girl's suicide terror attack. It describes how she calmly progresses, step by step, planning and executing her death in a suicide terror attack. The girl heroically leads "Zionist soldiers" to their death, all the while knowing she will be killed along with them. In death she is said to be "smiling, lying on the grass, because she died as a Shahida (Martyr for Allah) for Palestine." The story is entitled "A Palestinian Girl's Heroism." The illustration with the story on the web shows a young smiling girl with four candles. The image of a living, smiling child in a story about the death of a child appears to echo a familiar message in PA children's education, that those who die as Shahids (Martyrs for Allah) are not really dead. (Click here to see PA TV broadcasts of Shahada promotion for children.) The Jerusalem Post reports today on Hamas's attempt to deny responsibility for this and other web sites administered from its Beirut office. The Jerusalem Post article is reprinted below, following the translation of the short story from the web site. It should be noted that after PMW publicized that the Hamas children's website was encouraging children to seek martyrdom, the Russian server (CORBINA TELECOM Network Operations) immediately closed down the website on March 9, 2006. However, the site reopened a couple of days later and is now being hosted by a Malaysian webhoster (Eastgate;Telekom Multimedia of Telekom Malaysia Berhad;Telekom Exchange II, Jalan Lingkaran Fauna).

The following is the new short story on the web site:

A Palestinian Girl's Heroism

"Suad, the bright Palestinian girl, remembered what the Zionist criminals did, when they killed her father and mother. One day while Suad was walking, she heard a voice from the trees. She turned and saw three men planting land-mines on the road leading to the Zionist camp. Suad kept on walking. After a while, she saw a car with some Zionists, and an idea popped into her mind. She walked to the officer who was in the car, and told him: "I'll lead you to Palestinian Fida'yon (literally: self sacrificing fighters) in return for food, because I am hungry". The officer was afraid of the Fida'yon's reputation, and didn't believe what Suad told him. He then said to his soldiers: "Take her to the camp so we will clarify her story". In the camp, the soldiers brought food to Suad, so she would lead them to the Fida'yon. She told them: "Before I taste any food, I must lead you to the Fida'yon". The officer was very happy and told his soldiers: "Let's go fast". On the way, Suad got ready to carry out her plan. She decided to cause the car to ride over the land-mines, so that all of the soldiers would die.  Suad sat next to the driver, to direct him, and she led him to the land-mines. Then the [car] blew-up and all of the soldiers were killed. As for Suad, well she became a Shahida (Martyr for Allah) on the grass, while smiling, because she died as a Shahida for Palestine".
[Al-Fateh - Hamas Website, March 15, 2006].

 

Terrorist-murderer Quntar awarded honorary Palestinian citizenship.
Girls, 4 and 2, and father killed in Quntar's 1979 terror attack
 

[Quntar: killer of Haran Family]

Introduction

Societies measure their heroes in different ways. Some societies honor athletes or performers. Others celebrate caregivers and humanitarian workers. The Palestinians, on the other hand, have consistently chosen to honor murderers as their national icons. The Palestinian Authority has announced that it was granting honorary citizenship to two Arab terrorists who killed Israelis – a Lebanese terrorist, Samir Quntar, and Jordanian terrorist, Sultan Al-Ajaluni. Both are serving life sentences in Israeli jails.  In 1979 Lebanese terrorist Samir Quntar murdered Danny Haran and his four-year-old daughter, Einat. Danny's daughter Yael, aged two, suffocated while hiding in a crawl space with her mother. Quntar is serving multiple life sentences totaling 542 years in prison.

Smadar Haran, wife and mother of the murder victims, described the murder in the Washington Post in 2003:

"It was a murder of unimaginable cruelty… It had been a peaceful Sabbath day. My husband, Danny, and I had picnicked with our little girls, Einat, 4, and Yael, 2, on the beach. Around midnight … the terrorists burst into our building. Danny helped our neighbor climb into a crawl space above our bedroom; I went in behind her with Yael in my arms. Danny grabbed Einat and was dashing out the front door when the terrorists came crashing into our flat. They held Danny and Einat … I will never forget the joy and the hatred in the terrorists voices as they swaggered about hunting for us, firing their guns and throwing grenades. … As I lay there, I remembered my mother telling me how she had hidden from the Nazis during the Holocaust. "This is just like what happened to my mother," I thought. .. The terrorists took Danny and Einat down to the beach. There, according to eyewitnesses, one of them shot Danny in front of Einat so that his death would be the last sight she would ever see. Then he smashed my little girl's skull in against a rock with his rifle butt. That terrorist was Samir Quntar." [Smadar Haran Kaiser, Washington Post, May 18, 2003]

This is the Samir Quntar who last week was granted honorary Palestinian citizenship. Palestinian organizations responded with applause to this announcement:

"The "friends of the prisoners" organization sees the decision, of the present [Fatah led] government, to award Palestinian citizenship to two Arab prisoners – Samir Quntar from Lebanon and Sultan Al-Ajaluni from Jordan – an act of Palestinian national obligation and in dedication to this honored history, that the Arab prisoners have provided to the Palestinian issue."...[Al-Quds, Mar. 7, 2006]..."The Palestinian Liberation Front, through general secretariat member, Dr. Wasil Abu Yusuf, praised the government's decision… to award the imprisoned fighters, Sarmir Quntar and Sultan Al-Ajaluni , honorary citizenship and Palestinian citizenship as an act of dedication to their struggle and their heroic suffering in the occupation's prisons....[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Mar. 8, 2006]..."The Palestinian Popular Committees expressed their appreciation for the government's decision to award the two imprisoned fighters, Sarmir Quntar and Sultan Al-Ajaluni, honorary citizenship and Palestinian citizenship as an act of dedication to their struggle and their heroic sufferings in the occupation's prisons. [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Mar. 9, 2006]

From PMW archives: Sarmir Quntar – for years a Palestinian hero: PATV and PA leaders have long seen Quntar as a hero. His picture is repeatedly shown on TV and he was proclaimed the "model warrior," "brave," and a "leader" and "head" of the prisoners. PA Minister of Prisoners, Hisham Abdul Razeq, defined Quntar as the leader of the prisoners:

The torch of freedom [that] was lifted by our heroic prisoners and headed by the great warrior Samir Quntar...and our thanks to you.
[PATV, Aug. 15, 2004]

Prominent PA TV broadcaster Muhammad Albaz:: "Here before us is the picture of the great Lebanese Palestinian warrior Samir Quntar. A thousand blessings to the warrior Samir Quntar [the audience claps] and to his family in Lebanon and to this hero who was sentenced to 576 year [in prison] and this is the evil and this is Israeli democracy.  [PATV, Aug. 25, 2004]. PA TV extolled him:: "Quntar is a model of a brilliant warrior - who believes in his goals, knows his way, and perseveres in achieving those goals...." [PATV, Aug. 18, 2004]. Another TV broadcaster referred to him as a leader: "The leader Samir Quntar, our wish for him is that he will soon be released." [PATV, Aug. 18, 2004] . A broadcast describing Quntar's life defines his murder as "brave: "He was sentenced to 542 years in prison for committing the brave Nahariya action in Palestine (note-Israel city of Nahariya is defined as 'Palestine.'), [PATV, Aug. 18, 2004]...Palestinian demonstrators supporting a prisoner hunger strike singled out Quntar as a model to be followed: "We bless the family members of Samir Quntar, we are with you. He is your son but he is also our son, the son of Palestine. We ask of Allah, that there will be 100 more Samir Quntars, 1,000 more Samir Quntars, 1,000,000 more Samir Quntars, that do and act for the Palestinian issue.
[PATV, Aug. 18, 2004.

Finally it should be noted that this act of granting honorary Palestinian citizenship to Quntar was done by the present Fatah headed government. The Hamas led government has not yet been appointed.

New PMW Webpage

Hamas in its own words

Palestinian Media Watch has documented the duplicity of Palestinian Authority messages all the years it was headed by Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas. Throughout this period, language of moderation and peace was promoted in English for the international media, whereas hatred and terror was promoted in Arabic. Now as Hamas prepares to take a leadership role, it is critical that the world follow the internal Arabic language messages of Hamas. PMW has built a new web page, which appears below, where the latest Hamas videos and messages are displayed. The page will be updated regularly. The messages in the videos below include repeated promises that Israel will be destroyed through violence, horrific anti-Semitism ['the blood of Jews is the best for drinking'] glorification of terror and death for Allah, and honoring of terrorist murderers. We at Palestinian Media Watch encourage you to regularly check back on this page in order to keep abreast of the message Hamas is delivering to Palestinians in Arabic. You can view the page on the Palestinian Media Watch website by clicking here or by scrolling down.

PMW Video Archives

In January 2006 the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas won almost two-thirds of the seats in the Palestinian Authority parliamentary elections. The Hamas charter calls for the extermination of Jews as well as the destruction of Israel as an Islamic necessity. On this page you can view Hamas election statements and music videos - including from after the election - which make it clear that its goal remains the destruction of Israel, and that the preferred means it chooses is continued "resistance" and Jihad, the PA euphemisms for terrorism.

Hamas Video:
We will drink the blood of the Jews: Half a month after its electoral victory, the Hamas website presented the parting video messages of two Hamas suicide terrorists. One message was for Jews, whose blood Hamas promises to drink until Jews "leave the Muslim countries," and the second to a mother, as she helps dress her son for battle prior to his suicide terror mission. Click here to read the transcript

Post-Election Video: Gaza leads to Haifa: A video placed on the Hamas website after its victory in the January 25, 2006 Palestinian Authority parliamentary elections makes clear that Hamas still considers itself as a violent group aiming at nothing less than Israel's destruction. The video promises that the "homeland is returning through blood" at the same time an image of the Israeli coastal city of Haifa is displayed. Click here to read the transcript.

Hamas Video:
More terror; Israel will be destroyed : In October 2005, Hamas placed on its website a half-hour video that can only be seen as part of its election campaign. The video reviews what its makers see as recent Hamas successes as well as its plans for the future. The video features military-style training for Hamas terrorists and explicit encouragement of suicide terrorists and their mothers. The well-publicized Hamas plan to destroy Israel is reiterated, as are Hamas plans to remain the "resistance" (the Palestinian euphemism for terror) group of choice for all Palestinian and jihad terrorists. The video appeared on the Hamas site at almost the same time that the US State Department made clear that it would make no attempt to block Hamas from participating in the January 25, 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections. The EU and UN also agreed that Hamas, which appears on official EU and US lists of terrorist organizations, could participate in the elections.

The video includes the following:

  • Scenes of Hamas terrorists in military-style training

  • The opinion that including female suicide terrorists in Hamas ranks has led to Palestinian mothers being more willing to encourage their sons to become suicide terrorists

  • The promotion of Shahada (death for Allah) as better than life (a message parallel to that of the Palestinian Authority, as can be seen here

  • A refusal to disarm, despite running in parliamentary elections

  • The hope that Hamas will continue to be "a home for all Palestinian and jihad fighters"

  • The opinion (also parallel to that of the PA) that the recent voluntary Israeli withdrawal from Gaza is the first step in the destruction of Israel

  • Finally, the promise of more terrorism, as Hamas' military commander promises to Israelis, "we will make all of Palestine [i.e. Israel] a hell for you"

Palestinian Media Watch has added a segment of an August 2005 broadcast by Muhammad Deif, commander of Al-Qassam Brigades, the terrorist wing of Hamas (also posted on the Hamas website), in which he reasserts the Hamas goal to "liberate" the Israeli cities of Jerusalem, Safed, Haifa, Jaffa and others.

 

 

BIN LADEN DENIES MOUSSAOUI TOOK PART IN 9/11 ATTACKS

TEXT OF BIN LADEN AUDIO TAPE:

(As translated by IntelCenter, a private US Intelligence contractor)

"In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and prayers and peace upon the Prophets and Messengers. As for what follows:

From Usama bin Muhammad bin Ladin to the American people: peace be upon he who has followed the Guidance.

This is a brief message whose topic is my testimony on behalf of the Muslim prisoners you are holding, and in it I will talk about the truth concerning them, which is something which the Bush administration hates and is hostile to. I begin by talking about the honorable brother Zacarias Moussaoui. The truth is that he has no connection whatsoever with the events of September 11th, and I am certain of what I say, because I was responsible for entrusting the 19 brothers - Allah have mercy upon them - with those raids, and I did not assign brother Zacarias to be with them on that mission. And his confession that he was assigned to participate in those raids is a false confession which no intelligent person doubts is a result of the pressure put upon him for the past four and a half years. And were this pressure lifted from him for him to return to his normal state, he would state the fact I mentioned. And among the things that confirm this fact is that the participants in September 11th were two groups: pilots and support teams for each pilot in order to control the aircraft. And since Zacarias Moussaoui was learning how to fly, it follows that he wasn't component #20 from the teams which helped to control the airplanes, as your government previously claimed, and your government knows this fact with certainty. And if Moussaoui was studying aviation to become a pilot of one of the planes, then let him tell us the names of those assigned to help him control the plane. But he won't be able to tell us their names, for a simple reason: that in fact they don't exist. This is from one perspective, and from another perspective, the brother Moussaoui was arrested two weeks before the events, and had he known anything - however little - about the September 11th group, we would have told the brother Commander Mohamed Atta and his brothers - Allah have mercy upon them - to leave America immediately before their affair was exposed. And with this it becomes clear to even the novice investigator - not to mention the seasoned one - that there is no connection between him and the events of September 11th.
And then I call to memory my brothers the prisoners in Guantanamo - may Allah free them all - and I state the fact, about which I also am certain, that all the prisoners of Guantanamo, who were captured in 2001 and the first half of 2002 and who number in the hundreds, have no connection whatsoever to the events of September 11th, and even stranger is that many of them have no connection with al-Qaida in the first place, and even more amazing is that some of them oppose al- Qaida's methodology of calling for war with America. And this is in addition to the arrest of those who were working in the relief agencies, like Abu Abdul Aziz al-Mutrafi, or those working in the media, like Sami al-Hajj and Taysir Alouni, who was imprisoned at the instigation of the American administration. So the conclusion is that all the prisoners to date have no connection with the events of September 11th and knew nothing about them, with the exception of two of the brothers, may Allah free them all. Bush and his administration are aware of this fact, but they avoid mentioning it, for reasons not hidden to the discerning.
Among these reasons is that it is necessary to create justifications for the massive spending of hundreds of billions on the Defense Department and other agencies in their war against the Mujahideen. My mentioning of these facts isn't out of hope that Bush and his party will treat our brothers fairly in their cases, because that is something no rational person expects, but rather it is meant to expose the oppression, injustice and arbitrariness of your administration in using force and the reactions that result from that.
This is from one perspective, and from another perspective, perhaps there will one day come from the Americans someone who desires justice and fairness, and that is the path to security and safety, if you are interested in it.
This is what needed to be said. And may peace be upon he who has followed the Guidance."

_________________________

THE ADMIRATION OF HITLER AMONG PALESTINIANS

Hamas newspaper boasts: Hitler called Palestinians model revolutionaries

Husseini inspects Nazi troops.

The Hamas newspaper this week chronicled with pride the ways in which different foreign leaders singled out the Palestinians as examples of ideal revolutionaries. The first leader cited by the Hamas weekly, Al-Rissala, for praising the Palestinians was Adolf Hitler: "Adolf Hitler, while exciting the Germans of the Sudetenland - the Sudetenland is a German province that the Allies had annexed to Czechoslovakia after the First World War - told them in his broadcasts: Look at what the Palestinian revolutionaries are doing to Great Britain!!" [Al-Rissala (Hamas Weekly), May 18, 2006]

Hitler with Husseini.

Overview: Admiration of Hitler in the Palestinian Authority: It may be surprising to Western observers to see Palestinians taking pride in having been praised by Hitler. But it is important to understand that the utter revulsion of Hitler expected in the West is not true in Palestinian society. Palestinians can be found who are named "Hitler" as a first name: Hitler Salah [Al Hayat Al Jadida, Sept. 28, 2005], Hitler Abu-Alrab [Al Hayat Al Jadida, Jan. 27, 2005], Hitler Mahmud Abu-Libda [Al Hayat Al Jadida, Dec.18, 2000]. This phenomenon of Palestinians being named after Hitler was explained in an article in the official PA daily praising the rewriting of history and the doing of "justice" to Hitler: "Even Adolf Hitler, who after the fall of Nazi Germany turned into a political horror for most of the writers and artists, during the last decades has started to return himself to his part of the picture. There are some in Britain who defended Hitler and tried to do justice for him. There are elderly people, among them Arabs, who still carry the name Hitler since their fathers, who were charmed by him, linked them [their children] with his name."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 13, 2000]. One article explained the phenomenon of naming Palestinians after admired foreign leaders - such as Napoleon and the Nazi General Rommel: "Sometimes parents name their children with foreign names, due to the father's admiration to a foreign personality. This is the source of the names: Rommel [famous Nazi General] and Napoleon."  [Al-Ayyam, November 15, 2001 "Woman's Voice" supplement]. The admiration for Hitler is consistent with the status of Mein Kampf, which a PA daily cited as a book on the best sellers' list.  [Al Hayat Al Jadida, Sept. 2, 1999].

A contributing factor to this admiration may be the history of the Hitler - Arab alliance during World War 2. The Arab leader in British Palestine, the Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini, was actively allied with Hitler. The numerous meetings between the Mufti and Hitler are well documented. Finally, the PA daily published an interview with an elderly Lebanese which described the man's professed friendship with Hitler, as well as his pride in fighting for Hitler: And whereas this is a personal account whose historical accuracy is not important, what is significant is the positive, even proud attitude about his friendship with Hitler, that is being expressed so routinely. Interview with Sheikh Ali Hussain Abu-Ibrahim, a Palestinian resident of Lebanon who claims he is 116 years old: "Question: What are the important events in your life that left the biggest impression? Answer: The first was the Hitler event. I met him in Jerusalem in one of the Turkish Army camps, and the friendship between us was very tight. At the time I was a sergeant while Hitler was a simple private. The relationship between us tightened even more once Turkey entered the war together with Germany. The second event was when I participated [with the Nazi army] in entering France and conquering it. I was in charge of the cannon that shelled Paris, which had an active influence on the fall of the French capital and its conquest without any notable resistance. Hitler congratulated me on this shelling and its consequences… As an artillery officer I took part in many operations against the English and France, until the end of the Second World-War …" [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 12, 2003]. Clearly, the name Hitler does not have the stigma in PA society that it has in the West. Indeed, not only the Hamas daily, but the Fatah controlled PA dailies as well, have written in favorable tones about Hitler. Clearly, to some Palestinians the man and his name are sources of admiration.

_________________________

Director of the Agricultural Bureau in the Central Gaza Strip and a Security Official Kidnapped in Two Separate Incidents in Deir al-Balah and Beit Hanoun

On Monday morning, 27 March 2006, unknown armed persons kidnapped and violently beat Nasser Yousef D'ib, 43, director of the agricultural bureau in the central Gaza Strip, and stole his car.  In the evening, militants
from the Salah al-Din Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, kidnapped a member of the Palestinian Military Intelligence Services in Beit Hanoun. According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 08:00 on Monday, 27 March 2006, 6 unknown armed persons intercepted D'ib's car near his house, while he was on his way to the agricultural bureau in al-Zawaida village in the central Gaza Strip.  They forced him out of his car and handcuffed and blindfolded him.  They then violently beat him and pushed him into their car.  Nearly an hour later, they dumped him in an area to the east of Khan Yunis.  Official documents and keys from the agriculture bureau had been in D'ib's car, when it was taken. At approximately 21:00 on Monday, militants from the Salah al-Din Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, kidnapped Ahmed Mahmoud Sha'ban al-Za'anin, 25, a member of the Palestinian Military Intelligence Services from Beit Hanoun, and took him to an unknown destination. According to investigations conducted by PCHR, a civilian car, in which 4 militants were traveling, stopped near al-Za'anin as he was walking in al-Sikka Street in Beit Hanoun.  They forced him to get into the car and took him to an unknown destination.  At approximately 23:00, the kidnappers handed al-Za'anin to the Military Intelligence Services in Beit Hanoun. PCHR is concerned about the continuation of such attacks, which serve to perpetuate the state of security chaos in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  PCHR calls upon the Palestinian National Authority, represented by the Attorney-General, to investigate these attacks and to bring the perpetrators to justice. #2 Security Chaos and Proliferation of Weapons Using Weapons in Personal and Family Disputes Field Update 28 March 2006, 10 Students Injured as a Result of the Explosion of a Home-Made Hand Grenade in Beit Hanoun. On Tuesday morning, 28 March 2006, 10 students were injured when another student threw a home-made hand grenade at them in a quarrel related to a family dispute in Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip. According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 09:30, a quarrel erupted inside Hayel 'Abdul Hamid Secondary School in Beit Hanoun, with relation to a dispute between the families of al-Masri and al-Kafrna in the town.  The quarrel escalated and students used stones in it.  Later, a student threw a home-made grenade at other students, injuring 10 of them:

1. Mohammed Ayman al-Kafarna, 15, injured by shrapnel to the right ear;
2. Mohammed Eyad al-Kafarna, 17, injured by shrapnel to the back;
3. Tayseer Basim al-Kafarna, 17, injured by shrapnel to the right shoulder;
4. Ahmed 'Othman al-Kafarna, 15, injured by shrapnel to the right shoulder;
5. Ahmed 'Abdul Rahman al-Kafarna, 17, injured by shrapnel to the head;
6. Mohammed Hatem al-Kafarna, 17, injured by shrapnel to the right hand;
7.Ahmed Jalal al-Kafrana, 17, injured by shrapnel to the hands;
8.Ghazi Marwan al-Kafarna, 18, injured bys shrapnel to the chest;
9. 'Ali Subhi al-Kafarna, 18, injured by shrapnel throughout the
body; and
10.  Ibrahim Hassan al-Masri, injured by shrapnel to the right hand.

A police officer was also injured in the head by a stone, when the police  intervened to stop the quarrel. It is worth noting that 7 persons were killed and 40 others, including 5 children, were injured during an armed dispute between the families of al-Kafarna and al-Masri in Beit Hanoun in December 2005.

PCHR is concerned about the continuation of internal violence, including the use of weapons in personal and family disputes, which constitute a continuum of the state of security chaos in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  PCHR calls upon the Palestinian National Authorities, represented by the Attorney-General, to investigate such attacks, and to bring the perpetrators to justice.
 

Catastrophic Nuclear Terrorism Report

While the “threat of a nuclear attack by terrorists has never been greater,” the U.S. government has yet to make prevention the highest priority, says a new Council on Foreign Relations report that outlines ways to reduce the possibility of nuclear terrorism.  “The probability of nuclear attack has increased because traditional deterrence—threatening assured destruction against a valued asset such as a national territory—does not work against the terrorist groups most likely to covet nuclear weapons,” says the report, Preventing Catastrophic Nuclear Terrorism, authored by Council Fellow for Science and Technology Charles D. Ferguson.  “Securing and eliminating vulnerable nuclear materials and weapons offer points of greatest leverage in preventing nuclear terrorism,” says the report. “For these activities, much more national and international action is urgently needed to address the problems of Pakistan’s highly enriched uranium [HEU] and nuclear arsenal; Russia’s highly enriched uranium; highly enriched uranium at more than one hundred civilian facilities in dozens of countries; and tactical nuclear weapons. The biggest impediment to reducing the threat of nuclear terrorism involving Pakistan is President Musharraf’s expressed belief that terrorists cannot make nuclear weapons,” says Ferguson. The United States should try to “convince [President Musharraf and Pakistani leaders] that certain terrorist groups can build crude, but devastating, nuclear weapons if these groups have access to enough highly enriched uranium. Securing Russian weapons-usable nuclear materials is vitally important but not adequate,” says the report. A recently released Council-sponsored, Independent Task Force report on U.S. policy toward Russia underscores this point: “The United States must expand its cooperation with Russia to keep the most dangerous international actors from acquiring the most dangerous weapons, technologies, and materials. This is a fundamental American security interest—one that is far easier to protect if Washington and Moscow work together and far harder if they do not. Preventing nuclear terrorism is also closely connected to stopping the spread of nuclear weapons to other countries,” writes Ferguson. “By reducing the number of countries with nuclear weapons or weapons-usable nuclear materials, terrorists will have fewer places to buy or steal these critical components of nuclear terrorism.”

The report identifies areas where efforts have fallen short in securing and eliminating nuclear weapons and weapons-usable nuclear materials, and offers recommendations to plug these gaps: “To help dissuade transfers of nuclear weapons from ‘rogue’ leaders to terrorist groups, the United States should clearly articulate a declaratory policy that it reserves the right to respond with the strongest measures including removal of those leaders from power." The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which inspects nuclear facilities to detect diversion of weapons-usable nuclear materials, is underfunded and understaffed.  The report recommends doubling the $15.5 million that the IAEA has budgeted for its nuclear security fund and says “the member states should give the IAEA the authority it requires to expand its nuclear security assistance and inspection activities.”  The Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) aims to convert HEU-fueled civilian reactors and remove HEU stored at poorly protected civilian facilities, but it has lagged behind schedule. “The United States, Russia, the IAEA, and their partners within the GTRI should expand the scope of the GTRI to include all currently operating HEU-fueled civilian reactors.” “The United States should announce an unambiguous policy that it supports delegitimizing the use of highly enriched uranium in the civilian sector.”  The United States should “offer security assistance [to Pakistan] that includes generic physical security procedures, unclassified military handbooks, portal control equipment, sophisticated vaults and access doors, and personnel reliability programs.” “The United States should reach agreement with Russia to accelerate and expand the successful Megatons-to-Megawatts Agreement,” which converts weapons-grade HEU to a non-weapons-usable, low enriched form for nuclear reactor fuel. The United States should extend the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) agreement, which is set to expire in June 2006. The CTR agreement helps to secure Russian nuclear materials and dismantle Russian decommissioned ballistic missiles, submarines, land-based missile systems, and chemical weapons.  “Washington and Moscow should quickly resolve access issues to complete security upgrades at the remaining 20 percent of Russian facilities containing about half of Russia’s stockpile of weapons-usable nuclear materials by 2008 or earlier.” “The United States and Russia should work together to secure and reduce tactical nuclear weapons that are more portable and forward deployed than strategic nuclear arms and thus can be more susceptible to terrorist acquisition.” By The COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS


Founded in 1921, the Council on Foreign Relations is an independent, national membership organization and a nonpartisan center for scholars dedicated to producing and disseminating ideas so that individual and corporate members, as well as policymakers, journalists, students, and interested citizens in the United States and other countries, can better understand the world and foreign policy choices facing the United States and other governments. Contact: Anya Schmemann, DC Communications, 202-518-3419 or aschmemann@cfr.org