Iran's gameplan in Lebanon

Is Iran the puppet master in the Lebanon crisis? That is what the Israelis and American allege and they may be right. So what is Iran's game plan in provoking the war between Israel and Lebanon that has taken such a deadly toll?

Iran's goal seems to be to achieve a strategic position of power vis-a-vis the US and get international recognition for Iran's regional power status. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launched a campaign in July with a critical letter to US President George W. Bush on religious values, history and international relations. He also wrote a friendly letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel on how Germany and Iran could tackle the Palestinian issue and Zionism. In an interview to an Indian newspaper, Ahmadinejad said the letters were messages from Iran, which had 'proposals, ideas to help find solutions to the many international problems'.

Why does Iran want negotiations? And on what issue? The first is Iran's nuclear ambitions. The UN Security Council passed a resolution in August threatening economic sanctions on Iran even as the latter promised to respond to a European package of incentives by Aug 22. Iran is continuing to expand its nuclear fuel activities. The West fears that Iran will use enriched uranium to make atom bombs while Tehran argues that it merely needs the fuel to run its power plants.

Upping the ante on the nuclear issue clearly made the Iranian parliament very nervous. For several months, they heard analysts suggest that America will use Israel to conduct strikes on Iran's nuclear plants. And for years, ever since the 1979 hostage crisis when US diplomats in Tehran were taken hostage, Iranians heard several American presidents pledging to bring about a regime change in Iran. The post 9/11 actions of Bush in Afghanistan, and particularly the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, added a dollop of reality to American intentions in the Muslim world.

In order to force the US to agree to negotiations, Iran needed to show that it is a potent force to contend with in the Middle East. Ahmadinejad wanted to reclaim legitimacy for Iran on the world stage. For that, Iran had to ensure that the Americans abandoned their commitment to regime change. Short of engaging in war, how could Iran show its strength and weaken Israel, its challenger in the Middle East? Well, enter the Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia group long supported by Iran with weapons. The Lebanon crisis has helped Iran accomplish three things.

First, the timing of Hezbollah's actions reflects one of Iran's objectives, namely, to deflect western (particularly US) attention from Iran's nuclear programme. The kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers took place just before the G8 summit in Russia where presumably the western powers were going to discuss curbs on Iran's nuclear ambitions. The Israeli attacks diverted summit attention.

Second, the larger goal for Iran seems to be to show the US that it is the regional power in the Middle East - it can create tensions and defuse them at will, and it is backed by nuclear capability. By tweaking the tail of Israel, America's closest ally in the Middle East, Iran is sending a message to Bush - negotiate or else you and Israel will be embroiled in an endless war.

Israel and America cannot afford to be embroiled in yet another conflict. The US is already over-extended in Iraq and to a lesser extent in Afghanistan. Israel has its hands full with the pullout from occupied areas of Palestine and cannot really face a long war on its northern flank.

Third, Iran used the Hezbollah to trap Israel in local conflicts and made it harder for the latter to continue as the regional hegemon.

How far has Iran succeeded and how do we measure success? One criterion would be to see if Israel failed in achieving its objective in south Lebanon. Israel's strategic goal, according to its military intelligence, was to force the Lebanese government to impose its authority over the Hezbollah, which controls the south. Israel has to wipe out the Hezbollah; anything less will be perceived as defeat for Israel. If that is the goal, then Iran has succeeded.

The Hezbollah continues to fire rockets at Israeli towns, while the central Lebanese government helplessly calls for UN help in imposing a ceasefire. The death of hundreds of Lebanese civilians has inflamed passions. Far from losing public support, Hezbollah is extolled by the Arab and Muslim world for standing up to a powerful regional power. Hezbollah has transformed itself into a strong fighting machine, capable of launching guerrilla style attacks on Israeli battalions. It spent the last six years, since Israeli withdrawal, preparing for just such a conflict by digging tunnels along the border. It is going to be much harder to inflict a crushing defeat, something that Israel is already in the process of learning as Hezbollah fighters launch rockets and disappear into the bunkers underground.

Another criterion to measure success is to see if western powers fight over the best course of action. A recent paper suggests that sanctions against Iran, which is one of the world's largest oil exporting nations, would hit European economies hard. Europe would lose some 13 billion euros in exports and 10 billion in imports each year, mainly in gas and petrol. If Iran were to stop exporting crude oil and gas, oil prices could reach $125 per barrel. Iran has very successfully used its economic clout to temper European actions by pitting Russia and France against America on the nature and timing of a ceasefire in Lebanon.

So, as things stand, Iran is trying to have its cake and eat it too. Unlike Libya's Muammar Gaddafi who had to abandon his effort to get nuclear capability in exchange for America's renunciation of a regime change in that country, Iran is trying to retain its nuclear programme and achieve recognition as a regional power. If the Lebanon crisis continues, then Iran may well achieve its goals.

Russia - 17 Islamic Terrorist Organizations Listed For The First Time

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S) Israel

Russian government released a list of what it considers to be17 Islamic terrorist organizations, outlawed in Russia.

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S), Israel

For the first time, the Russian government released a list of what it considers to be 17 Islamic terrorist organizations, outlawed in Russia. The list does not include the two most prominent Middle Eastern terrorist organizations, Hezbollah and Hamas, as the Russian government claims that they constitute no threat to Russian security, thus ignoring Hamas’s ideological association with and propaganda support of the Chechen separatists.

1. On July 28, 2006, the Russian government published a list of what it considers to be 17 Islamic terrorist organizations whose activity is outlawed in Russia (consult the Appendix for the names of the organizations, all of which are Islamist in nature).

2. The list was formulated by the Russian Federal Security Service and approved by Russia 's Supreme Court. According to Yuri Sapunov, President Putin's representative on international counter-terrorism, the list is a first-of-a-kind officially valid document. Sapunov presented the criteria for the inclusion of an organization in the list of terrorist organizations, foremost among which are: armed activity against the constitutional structure of the Russian government; association with banned organizations in North Caucasus ; belonging to organizations declared as terrorist by formal international bodies.

3. The list of terrorist organizations does not feature Hamas or Hezbollah (it does feature, however, the Muslim Brotherhood, which is not directly involved in terrorism and of which Hamas is an offshoot). The reason, according to Yuri Sapunov, is that these two movements pose no threat to Russia 's security. Sapunov specified the reasons for the non-inclusion of Hamas and Hezbollah in the list: “First of all, these organizations are not globally recognized as terrorist organizations; second, this is a national list that only includes organizations posing a threat to Russia 's security. Hamas and Hezbollah do not fit this criterion.” He further noted, “When terrorist leaders in North Caucasus attempted to persuade the Hamas and Hezbollah leaders to take part in their activity in Chechnya in exchange for assistance in the struggle against Israel , Hezbollah and Hamas rejected the proposal. There is not even a single fighter in these organizations willing to perpetrate a terrorist attack in Russian territory.” 1

4. In our assessment, the non-inclusion of Hezbollah and Hamas in the Russian list of terrorist organizations is based on Russia 's foreign policy considerations. Russia 's foreign policy strives to strengthen its influence in the Middle East and promote its relations with the world of Islam, which includes Iran , Hezbollah's patron, attempting to differentiate its policy from that of the US , which considers Hamas and Hezbollah to be terrorist organizations.

5. A reflection of this policy could be seen in President Putin's invitation of a Hamas delegation to visit Russia (February 9, 2006). The Russian government says it will maintain relations with Hamas as long as the latter refrains from actively (as opposed to ideologically) supporting the Chechen separatists. Thus, the Russian government, as already mentioned avoids including Hamas in the list of terrorist organizations. The implication is that the Russian government has in fact come to terms with Hamas's ideological association with the Chechen separatists and the acts of terrorism they perpetrate.

6. Hamas's ideological association with the Chechen separatists is a result of the organization's view of the Chechen struggle as part of the international Islamic resistance movement — the global jihad. This is reflected in leaflets, posters, and disks found by IDF in Hamas institutions in Judea and Samaria, which express admiration and sympathy for the Chechen separatists and encourage the continuation of “the path of jihad” (i.e., violence and terrorism against Russia). Hamas's website even published religious rulings by Muslim clerics (among them Hamed al-Bitawi, a senior Hamas cleric), justifying suicide bombing attacks against the Russians and associating them with similar actions against the Jews. 2

A Hamas poster titled “ Chechnya , Afghanistan , Balkan, Kashmir, Palestine , Lebanon ”. It was found on a propaganda CD produced by Hamas and distributed, in our assessment, to (mainly educational) institutions in the Palestinian Authority administered territories. The poster features Ahmed Yassin (upper left) with two Chechen Islamic terrorism leaders (killed by the Russians) and Osama Bin Laden.

Appendix
A list of Islamic terrorist organizations (in the Russian government's view)
outlawed in Russia 3

1. Al-Qaeda (a terrorist organization of global reach)

2. Taliban ( Afghanistan )

3. The Muslim Brotherhood (an Egyptian organization with branches across the Islamic world)

4. Al-Jama'ah al-Islamiyyah ( Egypt )

5. ‘Usbat al-Ansar (an Al-Qaeda associated terrorist organization operating in Lebanon )

6. Tanzim al-Jihad ( Egypt )

7. Hizb al-Tahrir al-Islami (founded in Jordan in 1953, has branches in many countries, in particular operatives in the UK and in Uzbekistan )

8. Lashkar-e Taiba (an Al-Qaeda oriented Islamist organization operating in India )

9. Jamaat-e Islami ( Pakistan )

10. Al-Hizb al-Islami fi Turkistan ( Uzbekistan )

11. Jam'iyyat al-Islah al-Ijtima'i ( Kuwait )

12. Jam'iyyat Ihya' al-Turath al-Islami ( Kuwait )

13. Mu'assasat al-Haramain ( Saudi Arabia )

14. Majlis al-Shura al-Harbi al-A'la li-Quwwat al-Mujahedin fil-Shishan ( Chechnya )

15. Majlis Ishkiria wa-Daghestan (Ishkiria and Dagestan — Caucasus )

16. Jund al-Sham (founded in Afghanistan by Al-Zarqawi; its members are mostly Syrians, Palestinians, and Lebanese. The organization apparently operates in Iraq and in Syria )

17. Jama'at al-Mujahedin (possibly an organization operating in Kashmir )


1. Source: Ynet, July 28, 2006 , citing Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta. The list of the 17 terrorist organizations (see Appendix) was published in Al-Sharq al-Awsat, July 19.

2. See Information Bulletin dated July 19, 2006 : “Shamil Basayev, leader of the Chechen separatists and responsible for the Beslan school massacre, was killed by the Russian security forces. His organization is identified with Al-Qaeda and the global jihad. Hamas identifies with and is inspired by Chechen separatist ideology.”

3. According to Al-Sharq al-Awsat, July 19. See: http://www.asharqalawsat.com/details.asp?section=4&issue=10095&article=373898&search = ???%20?????& state=true.

*******************************************************************************************
There will be no sanctuary for those who attack Jewish people,
Jewish Institutions, or Jewish Interests anywhere in the world.
                            Never Again!

Erets Yisrael Le’Am Yisrael
LeShana HaBa'ah BeYerushalayim SHELANU
                                                       
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A wake-up call to Slumbering Anti-Semites

Chevra,

Earlier today, we published our comments and an article entitled "Know the Enemies of Israel and the Jewish People". The anti-Semitic article printed below, written by Joanna Francis is one example of thousands. Read this rant and if you had any doubts about dangers facing us in the Diaspora, they will be erased.

We have many Christian friends, i.e., Pat Robertson and the millions of people who follow him in Evangelical Christianity. We should reach out to embrace our true friends. On the other hand, all Christians are not friends of Israel and the Jewish People. Simply put - know our enemies and act accordingly. Our days as “Sheeple” are over! Toda, B'nai Elim BlogMaster
____________________________________________________________________

Hezbollah: Model for Manliness — Joanna Francis

As I watch the genocidal war crimes being committed against the Lebanese people, I’m struck by the images that come across my television screen. I see women and children badly burned by the illegal chemical weapons our tax dollars provide to the Israelis for the incineration of their enemies; bridges, homes and roadways bombed into oblivion; hundreds of thousands of internal refugees; and death and misery palpable from halfway around the world.

But I must confess that what strikes me the most profoundly is the sight of young Lebanese men marching proudly, as they trample an Israeli flag underfoot. Hezbollah. Many of them don’t even look old enough to shave, and yet, they are truly men. The rest of the world hems and haws at the carnage the Jews have wrought on the once modern and beautiful country of Lebanon. But the average (so-called Christian) American merely echoes the mantra of his Zionist masters as he has been trained to do all his life. Americans confidently state that the Khazar Jews have a right to “defend their country” and that Hezbollah are terrorists, militants, and now, insurgents. What they fail to mention is that those Khazar Jews have about as much right to Palestine or Lebanon as the Chinese have to France, i.e., none. They are simply Jewish squatters on Arab land. And the Arabs intend to evict them. That is not terror. That is justice. And that is manly.

So, Mr. Brave Christian Weekend-Warrior, call Hezbollah terrorists if you will, but one thing you cannot call them is: cowardly. With few exceptions, they are the only people brave enough to stand up to the Jew and spit back in his face. They are willing to fight to the death for their homeland, their honor, their religion, and their women. Yes, I said “their women.” You see, unlike you, they will not let the Jewish pornographers and abortionists defile their culture and turn their women into whores. You have been brainwashed into believing that Muslim women hate their plight of being protected from sexual predators, getting married young, becoming mothers, being treated with respect and dignity, being taken care of in their old age by their children, and living like innocent, strong, beautiful women. To your surprise, they do not seem to miss the beer-guzzling, Playboy reading, commitment-phobic, narcissistic men-children who turn their women over to the Jewish enemy. Their men are truly manning the frontlines, as you strain your back to bow as low as possible before your Jew masters, in true lackey fashion. They own you, because you have sold yourselves (and us) out to them. You, Mr. Macho, have become their bitch.

You are the unworthy sons of the great Christian men who built Western Civilization. They were not cowards, and they did not fight for the Jew, but for their own religion, for Europe, and for the safety and honor of their women. They kept the evil Khazar monsters locked up in cages where they belong; only to see their descendants unleash those beasts at the time of the Protestant Revolt. How our Christian ancestors must be turning over in their graves. Today, Christian men will only fight against other Christians (World Wars I and II) or against brave, honorable Muslims, at the behest of the Jew. Now, the Christians are the beasts in cages, only allowed out long enough to pimp for their Zionist masters, and buy the latest edition of “Girls Gone Wild.”

Those “girls gone wild” are your sisters and daughters, yet you contribute to their exploitation for your own dirty, secret pleasure. You have abdicated your role as men and defenders of the Faith. You have allowed yourselves to be emasculated by a bunch of ugly, Jewish feminists. You did not fight for our honor. It is truly stunning how quickly you ceded Western Civilization, deciding that if you can’t beat them, you’ll join them. And so you gleefully set about exploiting our vulnerability, using us like unpaid prostitutes, too weak and selfish to accept your responsibility as head of a family. As a Christian, I do not believe in polygamy, but I can’t help but admire the kind of man who can take care of four wives, and all their offspring; while American men put their one wife to work and then expect her to cook, clean, feed their insatiable egos, and then have to compete with their childish, Jew-inspired fantasies in bed at night.

So admit that you are powerless before the Khazar, step aside, and let “your women” do the fighting. I have only my pen with which to fight, but at least I’m not afraid to wield it, full blast, aimed right at my enemy. Criticize me if you will, but I will pull no punches, use euphemisms, or grovel before my enemies. I have lost too much to them. I will not be their bitch. Unlike you, with your sycophantic pen, when you dare even broach the subject at all, regarding who has usurped the great heritage our ancestors created. You make me ashamed to be an American woman. Muslim women need feel no such shame. Their men would die (and are dying) rather than hand their daughters and sisters over to the Jew to be defiled and degraded. Their honor is safe in the hands of their Muslim mujahadeen. That is manly.

And don’t tell me that Jesus Christ was a pacifist and that you are only turning the other cheek. Christ was not the effete, kumbaya, Birkenstock sandal-wearing, proto-hippie that the liberals would have us believe. He wanted us to love one another but He also believed in justice. Render unto Caesar, and all that. He confronted the Pharisees face to face with words that you could only fantasize about using, and wouldn’t dare utter, even though we live in the last country in the West where it’s legal to confront the Pharisees. Yet you cower before them, justifying their incineration of Lebanese babies, while you pay the Jew to murder the babies you create with us. You bow before the Israeli flag, a foreign flag, while the young men of Hezbollah march on top of it. Don’t hide behind Christianity. It is not for wimps and cowards. Let us not forget the image of Christ turning over the tables of the money changers and whipping them out of the temple! That was manly.

So the next time you turn on the Zionist-controlled television news and see images of dead and wounded women and children in Lebanon, just remember: their men are fighting for them against a far superior military force (thanks to us). But they are not cowering in fear. And I wouldn’t be surprised if they were to steal victory after all of this is over (if it ever is). Because all they have to do is survive and they have won. The Israelis have to eliminate Hezbollah to win, and that is unlikely. You can’t beat a force that is fighting for their families and for their homeland – in their own homeland. The home team always has the advantage. Truly, a moral victory is already assured for Hezbollah. Regardless of the outcome, they win just for having withstood so much firepower, and still being able to launch their hapless little Katyusha rockets back over the fence. Yes, that is manly. Maybe you American Christian men could learn something from them about fighting for honor, family and homeland. Maybe you could try to emulate Hezbollah. They might teach you a lesson or two in manliness. And if you’re nice, they might even lend you some testosterone.

joannafrancis2005@yahoo.com

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The Imperative....

Based upon the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe:

"There are times when the imperative is simply: Do!
The ability to act because action is required, even if
knowledge and understanding are lacking, even if
it is "out of character" for us, is an all-important--and
redeeming--feature of the human soul."

Know the enemies of Israel and the Jewish People

The insidious Hatred for us as Jews and for the State of Israel which seems to be lodged in the hearts and souls of many in Europe is once again bubbling to the surface. We are at war for our survival as Jews and as a Country.

We face a war against not a particular nation or country, but a war against a fanatical ideology. Those who seek to destroy us welcome death and are born and trained sociopaths, fixated on the extermination of the Jewish People.

In modern times, there has never been such a threat to civilized nations. Our enemies are barbarians and cannot be negotiated with! They will only take satisfaction in our Death and the destruction of Israel.

Too many of us in the Diaspora feel comfortable and unthreatened. We have to wake up and smell the burning flesh because chevra, that flesh is ours. This is not a suggestion, it is an imperative.

The sinister tide of anti-Semitism in Europe, Moslem Asia, Africa, the Arab World and elsewhere is as horrific now as it was 1933 Nazi Germany. It is absolutely essential that you recognize the ominous and menacing danger to Jews in the Diaspora that looms on the horizon.

Jews Unite!! We must prepare to defend our Communities and our Families. Put aside differences between Secular, Reform, Conservative and Orthodox. Stand together. Begin immediately to increase the security at your Synagogues, Shuls, Temples, and Schools. Be aware of your surroundings.

We can help. Join B'nai Elim http://www.bnaielim.org.

Toda, B'nai Elim BlogMaster

Europe and Anti-Semitism

http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/2006/08/europe_and_anti.html

Comments by Andrew Sullivan on his blog "The Daily Dish"

07 Aug 2006 11:44 am

Here's a full translation of Norwegian writer Jostein Gaarder's call for the obliteration of the state of Israel in the leading Norwegian newspaper, Aftenposten. Gaarder is an establishment literary figure in Europe. His anti-Semitism is far more widely held than most understand. Another money-quote:

There is no turning back. It is time to learn a new lesson: We do no longer recognize the state of Israel. We could not recognize the South African apartheid regime, nor did we recognize the Afghan Taliban regime. Then there were many who did not recognize Saddam Hussein's Iraq or the Serbs' ethnic cleansing. We must now get used to the idea: The state of Israel in its current form is history.

We do not believe in the notion of God's chosen people. We laugh at this people's fancies and weep at its misdeeds. To act as God's chosen people is not only stupid and arrogant, but a crime against humanity. We call it racism...

We acknowledge and pay heed to Europe's deep responsibility for the plight of the Jews, for the disgraceful harassment, the pogroms, and the Holocaust. It was historically and morally necessary for Jews to get their own home. However, the state of Israel, with its unscrupulous art of war and its disgusting weapons, has massacred its own legitimacy. It has systematically flaunted International Law, international conventions, and countless UN resolutions, and it can no longer expect protection from same. It has carpet bombed the recognition of the world. But fear not! The time of trouble shall soon be over. The state of Israel has seen its Soweto.

We are now at the watershed. There is no turning back. The state of Israel has raped the recognition of the world and shall have no peace until it lays down its arms.

Famous Author Excoriates Israel

by Sirocco
Sat Aug 5th, 2006 at 12:23:35 PM EST

Crossposted from my blog.

Jostein Gaarder, the author of the global literary phenomenon Sophie's World (printed in 26m copies in 53 languages), launches a scorching attack on Israel in Aftenposten, Norway's paper of record. Gaarder, a historian of ideas, describes himself as a friend of the Jewish people but doubts whether Israel truly is the same. Suffice it to say that this will not appear in the New York Times anytime soon.

The form of Gaarder's condemnation is inspired by Amos, the first Judaic prophet whose message is preserved in scroll (ca. 750 B.C.). Quoting Wikipedia: "The central idea of the book of Amos according to most scholars is that Yahweh puts his people on the same level as the nations that surround it -- Yahweh expects the same morality of them all."

God's chosen people

Jostein Gaarder, Aftenposten 05.08.06

From the Norwegian by Sirocco

There is no turning back. It is time to learn a new lesson: We do no longer recognize the state of Israel. We could not recognize the South African apartheid regime, nor did we recognize the Afghan Taliban regime. Then there were many who did not recognize Saddam Hussein's Iraq or the Serbs' ethnic cleansing. We must now get used to the idea: The state of Israel in its current form is history.

We do not believe in the notion of God's chosen people. We laugh at this people's fancies and weep over its misdeeds. To act as God's chosen people is not only stupid and arrogant, but a crime against humanity. We call it racism.

Limits to tolerance

There are limits to our patience, and there are limits to our tolerance. We do not believe in divine promises as justification for occupation and apartheid. We have left the Middle Ages behind. We laugh uneasily at those who still believe that the God of flora, fauna, and galaxies has selected one people in particular as his favorite and given it funny stone tablets, burning bushes, and a license to kill.

We call child murderers 'child murderers' and will never accept that such have a divine or historic mandate excusing their outrages. We say but this: Shame on all apartheid, shame on ethnic cleansing, shame on every terrorist strike against civilians, be it carried out by Hamas, Hizballah, or the state of Israel!

Unscrupulous art of war

We acknowledge and pay heed to Europe's deep responsibility for the plight of the Jews, for the disgraceful harassment, the pogroms, and the Holocaust. It was historically and morally necessary for Jews to get their own home. However, the state of Israel, with its unscrupulous art of war and its disgusting weapons, has massacred its own legitimacy. It has systematically flaunted International Law, international conventions, and countless UN resolutions, and it can no longer expect protection from same. It has carpet bombed the recognition of the world. But fear not! The time of trouble shall soon be over. The state of Israel has seen its Soweto.

We are now at the watershed. There is no turning back. The state of Israel has raped the recognition of the world and shall have no peace until it lays down its arms.

Without defense, without skin

May spirit and word sweep away the apartheid walls of Israel. The state of Israel does not exist. It is now without defense, without skin. May the world therefore have mercy on the civilian population. For it is not civilian individuals at whom our doomsaying is directed.

We wish the people of Israel well, nothing but well, but we reserve the right not to eat Jaffa oranges as long as they taste foul and are poisonous. It was endurable to live some years without the blue grapes of apartheid.

They celebrate their triumphs

We do not believe that Israel mourns forty killed Lebanese children more than it for over three thousand years has lamented forty years in the desert. We note that many Israelis celebrate such triumphs like they once cheered the scourges of the Lord as "fitting punishment" for the people of Egypt. (In that tale, the Lord, God of Israel, appears as an insatiable sadist.) We query whether most Israelis think that one Israeli life is worth more than forty Palestinian or Lebanese lives.

For we have seen pictures of little Israeli girls writing hateful greetings on the bombs to be dropped on the civilian population of Lebanon and Palestine. Little Israeli girls are not cute when they strut with glee at death and torment across the fronts.

The retribution of blood vengeance

We do not recognize the rhetoric of the state of Israel. We do not recognize the spiral of retribution of the blood vengeance with "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." We do not recognize the principle of one or a thousand Arab eyes for one Israeli eye. We do not recognize collective punishment or population-wide diets as political weapons. Two thousand years have passed since a Jewish rabbi criticized the ancient doctrine of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."

He said: "Do to others as you would have them do to you." We do not recognize a state founded on antihumanistic principles and on the ruins of an archaic national and war religion. Or as Albert Schweitzer expressed it: "Humanitarianism consists in never sacrificing a human being to a purpose."

Compassion and forgiveness

We do not recognize the old Kingdom of David as a model for the 21st century map of the Middle East. The Jewish rabbi claimed two thousand years ago that the Kingdom of God is not a martial restoration of the Kingdom of David, but that the Kingdom of God is within us and among us. The Kingdom of God is compassion and forgiveness.

Two thousand years have passed since the Jewish rabbi disarmed and humanized the old rhetoric of war. Even in his time, the first Zionist terrorists were operating.

Israel does not listen

For two thousand years, we have rehearsed the syllabus of humanism, but Israel does not listen. It was not the Pharisee that helped the man who lay by the wayside, having fallen prey to robbers. It was a Samaritan; today we would say, a Palestinian. For we are human first of all -- then Christian, Muslim, or Jewish. Or as the Jewish rabbi said: "And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?" We do not accept the abduction of soldiers. But nor do we accept the deportation of whole populations or the abduction of legally elected parliamentarians and government ministers.

We recognize the state of Israel of 1948, but not the one of 1967. It is the state of Israel that fails to recognize, respect, or defer to the internationally lawful Israeli state of 1948. Israel wants more; more water and more villages. To obtain this, there are those who want, with God's assistance, a final solution to the Palestinian problem. The Palestinians have so many other countries, certain Israeli politicians have argued; we have only one.

The USA or the world?

Or as the highest protector of the state of Israel puts it: "May God continue to bless America." A little child took note of that. She turned to her mother, saying: "Why does the President always end his speeches with 'God bless America'? Why not, 'God bless the world'?"

Then there was a Norwegian poet who let out this childlike sigh of the heart: "Why doth Humanity so slowly progress?" It was he that wrote so beautifully of the Jew and the Jewess. But he rejected the notion of God's chosen people. He personally liked to call himself a Muhammedan.

Calm and mercy

We do not recognize the state of Israel. Not today, not as of this writing, not in the hour of grief and wrath. If the entire Israeli nation should fall to its own devices and parts of the population have to flee the occupied areas into another diaspora, then we say: May the surroundings stay calm and show them mercy. It is forever a crime without mitigation to lay hand on refugees and stateless people.

Peace and free passage for the evacuating civilian population no longer protected by a state. Fire not at the fugitives! Take not aim at them! They are vulnerable now like snails without shells, vulnerable like slow caravans of Palestinian and Lebanese refugees, defenseless like women and children and the old in Qana, Gaza, Sabra, and Chatilla. Give the Israeli refugees shelter, give them milk and honey!

Let not one Israeli child be deprived of life. Far too many children and civilians have already been murdered.

Eviction Notice

by Jim Nutting


If there was a poll tomorrow, the majority of Americans would vote to move the United Nations to France. They have done nothing of value for the USA. They consistently vote against the USA. I do have to say they are pretty good at relief efforts when their not committing rape. If a war raged within our borders, would any American welcome a UN peace-keeping force? The answer is NEVER. The reality is, we just may be fighting a war here in the future. The enemy is here, Hezbollah and Al Qaeda has cells here. Even though there are tribal differences, they have a common enemy. Now with the recent love affair between the Egyptian Arab terror organization Gamma Islamiya joining forces with Al Qaeda, there's an added concern. 11 Egyptian students went missing when their plane landed at JFK Airport in New York. They never made it to school in Montana. If it were up to the talking heads at the UN, they would be considered truant. Kind of like calling terrorists "freedom fighters" or "angered activists". Fighting a guerilla war is proven to be tough. Guerrilla tactics were used successfully by Americans to defeat the British. If the cells here awaken, we will be in a long drawn out battle. The Islamo-fascists will use every freedom America has offered them while residing here in the USA. Even though many of them are here illegally or on expired visas, they enjoy the rights many of us overlook. Our government will finally wake up and start profiling. As with the Japanese in WWII, the Muslim immigrants will be rounded up and our borders will be shut down. The world will then turn against us and request that the UN step in with their peace-keeping force. This is where the rubber meets the road. The leftist cowards will probably cave in and some may even convert to Islam. Jewish and Christian Americans will reject the UN and fight the battle to the end. This is just a possible scenario. I say that before any of this happens, we leave the UN and send it to France. We put together a coalition of brave allies and let our government do what they have to do to fight the war on terror before the alarm clock wakes up the cockroaches. The UN sat and watched while Hezbollah infested southern Lebanon. They even left their observers in a war zone, unarmed like sitting ducks, human shields for Hezbollah. The result, they were killed. The UN should bare some of the responsibility for the current war in the Middle East. For six years, they opened the door and allowed the islamo terrorists to bring in rockets and offensive weapons right under their noses. I'm sure

Brave Palestinian Terrorists use children as human shields

The Faithful Keep Coming

The War doesn't Deter Olim: Hundreds Emigrants Arrives to Israel by Special Flights

by Yitzhak Levinson

(Ben-Gurion International Airport) . - The war doesn't deter Olim (newcomers to Israel - immigrants) - significant growth in Aliyah (immigration to Israel) from western countries took place from the beginning of this year as only during the first month of the war (July) about 2,700 Olim arrived to Israel, most of them from western countries. Tomorrow (Thu.) will arrive at the Ben-Gurion International Airport a special flight, arranged by the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and Nefesh B'Nefesh (NBN) Association, with 240 Olim of North America, including Tzabar group youngsters' who are to join serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Three additional special flights are expected during the next week, from New York, Toronto and London with over than 600 Olim.

The JAFI delivered that amongst 2,700 new Olim who arrived during the last months,
about 1,000 came from western countries and over 62- from Northern America (the USA and Canada). Despite the security situation, growth in Aliyah took place during seven first months of the year, as from the beginning of this year until the end of July 2,426 Olim arrived to Israel from Western Europe countries, compared with 2,226 during parallel period of the previous year. 1.331 Olim arrived from North America compared with 1'265 during parallel period of the previous year.

As stated, in addition to the Olim airplane which is to land tomorrow (Thu.) with over 240 Olim from North America on board, Olim will also arrive from western countries by 3 special flights during les than one week. Over 600 new Olim will arrive on next Wednesday (August 16) by 3 special flights from New York, Toronto and London. It will be the first time a special Olim flight will arrive from Brittan. 150 Olim will be on board of this airplane.

JAFI chairman, Ze'ev Bielski referred to the growing Aliyah wave, saying: "There is no better answer to our enemies than the continuation of immigration of thousands of hundreds Jews for reinforcing the state of Israel".

Hezbollah Hiding Places

Books on Islamic Militancy to be sent to U.S. Troops

Please help us send thousands of books on Islamic militancy to our soldiers. For every $3 donated, a soldier will receive a book on militant Islam. Please contribute by clicking here.

UAC Book Drive For Our Troops!

The United American Committee today announces the launch of a book drive for our troops. The UAC will be sending thousands of books on Islamic militancy to our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Education is a major key to winning this war.” says UAC Chairman Jesse Petrilla. Petrilla continues “Regardless of one's opinions of the wars in Afghanistan or Iraq, by providing thousands of books on Islamic militancy to our troops, we will be giving them a better understanding of the true nature of our enemies.” However, this drive absolutely needs your support in order for the goal to be reached of sending a minimum of 10,000 books. Authors Robert Spencer and Abdullah Al-Araby have agreed to provide copies of their books for this campaign at an extreme discounted rate in order to make this drive a success. For an average of every $3 donated, one of our soldiers will receive a book. If you can help, please make your most generous contribution by following the link below: https://128bit.clickandpledge.com/Default.asp?ID=11036

Talkin' about a revolution

By Caroline B. Glick

None of the diplomatic moves being considered involve the one action that would prevent the next war

It is hard to know how the current phase of the war will end. If all goes according to Condoleezza Rice's plan, the UN Security Council will vote today on the draft cease-fire resolution negotiated between the US and France.

Whatever marginal diplomatic gains the Olmert government may try to convince the public the draft resolution contains for Israel, the fact is that regardless of the language eventually adopted, and whatever force of French, Egyptian, Turkish, Italian and German soldiers will or will not be deployed to Lebanon, all any cease-fire resolution will do is ensure that there will be another round of war.

This is the case because none of the moves being considered involve the one action that would prevent the next war. That action is an Israeli victory against Hizbullah in Lebanon, and an Israeli and allied strike against Hizbullah's state sponsors Syria and Iran, which promote Hizbullah's wanton aggression against Israel as a central campaign in their global jihad aimed at annihilating the Jewish state and defeating Western civilization.

In the hours that followed Hizbullah's massive missile barrage against Israel Sunday, which left 15 dead and more than 150 wounded, many voices expressed the hope and expectation that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the IDF General Staff would finally approve a military campaign aimed at destroying Hizbullah's capacity to attack Israel. It was anticipated that they would finally authorize the IDF's plan to advance ground forces to the Litani River and take the necessary measures in Tyre, Sidon and other cities to wipe out Hizbullah's capacity to launch missiles against Israel.

But Olmert would have none of it. In the aftermath of the carnage in Kfar Giladi and Haifa, he continued to maintain that Israel had already won the war, and that the best way to end the conflict was to accept a Security Council resolution that would enable Hizbullah — the advance guard of the Iranian army of jihad — not only to survive as a fighting force, but to declare victory against Israel.

OLMERT TODAY devotes his attention not to addressing the question of how Israel can win this war, but rather to how he can convince the Israeli public that he is not a failure. And he is not alone. Over the past week or so the main push of the Olmert government, the IDF General Staff and the left-wing establishment in Israel has been to prepare the public to accept their version of events.

All three groups have their own specific agenda. But their goal — maintaining their power and evading accountability for their leadership failures — is a shared one.

Olmert and his colleagues are pushing three ideas to advance their claims of competence. First, they claim that Israel has already won the war. They back up this claim by pretending that the draft UN Security Council resolution is a success, and that a multinational force will protect us.

Second, they pretend that the Palestinian jihad against Israel is unrelated to the Lebanese jihad against Israel and that, as a result, their plan to transfer control over Judea and Samaria to the Palestinians remains sound. To this end they continue to support Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas even as he openly praises Hizbullah and his own security forces participate in terrorist attacks against Israelis. Moreover, they ignore the fact that Hizbullah terrorist-in-chief Hassan Nasrallah is the most popular figure in Palestinian society.

Finally, by preventing the ground offensive that all those IDF reserve divisions were called up to execute, they continue to pretend that the control of territory is unnecessary for national defense. After all, what is an air-based strategy other than a way to convince the public that wars can be won without land?

THE ONLY way Israel can beat Hizbullah is by conquering enough Lebanese territory to take Israeli territory out of missile range and holding that territory long enough to kill the Hizbullah operatives launching the attacks and destroy their arsenals. Yet today ground operations center on retaking the former security zone — a tiny foothold, control of which makes no impact on Hizbullah's continued ability to rain missiles on sovereign Israeli territory and render a quarter of the population internal refugees or relegated to hiding in bomb shelters for weeks upon weeks.

And the message is clear: Since the ground campaign has been unsuccessful in stopping the onslaught, control of territory is not a guarantee of defense and can therefore continue to be surrendered.

As for the IDF, its narrative was best enunciated by OC Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin at the cabinet meeting on Sunday. After impressing the impressionable ministers and media with data on the number of bombing sorties and the number of Hizbullah missile launchers destroyed, Yadlin presented the IDF's case for victory. He claimed that Nasrallah has gone from being perceived as the hero of the Arab world to being seen as the destroyer of Lebanon. According to Yadlin, all Hizbullah has going for it is now is Syrian and Iranian support and a whole mess of missiles.

In so arguing, Yadlin conveniently ignored the fact that pro-Hizbullah rallies are being attended by millions throughout not just the Muslim world, but in the West as well. The war in Lebanon has led senior Egyptian figures to call for the abrogation of the peace treaty with Israel; to the galvanizing of support for jihad in Iraq and, indeed, throughout the world; and to the scapegoating of Israel again by Western leftists as the aggressor in the conflict.

For their part, the leftist pontificators in the media, supported by their fellow travelers in Israeli academia, who together took control over the public debate a generation ago, are continuing their advance. These people, who forced the public to replace enquiry with intellectually fatuous slogans like "occupation" and "the Lebanon quagmire" and "peace," which all serve to block enquiry, are plowing on.

Rejecting the growing accusation that their push to force Israel to surrender South Lebanon to Hizbullah six years ago and surrender Gaza to Hamas and Fatah last summer is the reason for the current war, they claim they were right all along.

LEFTIST NEWSPAPER columnists and television and radio commentators are arguing that the cause of the current war is Israel's refusal, to date, to surrender the Golan Heights to Syria, and Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem to Fatah and Hamas. In their world the fact that global jihadists are explicit about their intention to destroy "the Zionist entity," whatever its territorial boundaries may be, is studiously denied. The fact that Palestinian society is a jihadist society and that the international Left increasingly rejects Israel's very right to exist remains either irrelevant, or a matter that can be appeased away by further territorial giveaways.

Additionally, leftist opinion-makers are now arguing that the main lesson of the war is that unilateral Israeli actions are the problem. Writing in Ma'ariv last Thursday, Nadav Eyal argued that the next step will be to use the multinational force that the UN, the Olmert government and the State Department wish to deploy to Lebanon as a model that will enable future Israeli withdrawals from Judea and Samaria (and presumably from the Golan Heights and Jerusalem). By this new logic we should continue to retreat, but next time, the French and the Turks will protect us.

Many international commentators who understand what a Hizbullah victory will mean for international security rightly argue that the international community today is repeating the mistakes of the 1930s, when it refused to contend with the growing dangers emanating from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

Here in Israel, the historical period that is being recalled with increasing frequency is the winter of 1973. Then, in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War, as Golda Meir and Moshe Dayan sought to place all the blame for Israel's refusal to prepare for Egypt's October 6 invasion, in spite of obvious signs that it was about to take place, on the IDF, demobilized IDF reservists, led by Captain (res.) Moti Ashkenazi, launched a national protest movement. Their demand for accountability forced Meir and Dayan to resign and set the conditions for the Likud's rise to power in 1977.

THERE IS a palpable sense in Israel that we are on the edge of a revolutionary moment. Our national leadership in the government, the IDF and the media has utterly failed us.

As we stand poised on the edge of an even larger war, the main question that hangs in the balance is what lessons the Israeli people will take from the current fiasco. Will we continue to believe their fictions, or will we find a way to abandon them and move on with leaders who understand that territory is vital, that the jihad is real, that Israel has a right to defensible borders, and that Israel is not to blame for our enemies' hatred?

"ISRAEL IS NOTHING BUT A SHITTY LITTLE COUNTRY"

"SHITTY LITTLE COUNTRY"
Just ask the French (See below)

The Middle East has been growing date palms for centuries. The average tree is about 18-20 feet tall and yields about 38 pounds of dates a year.

Israeli date trees are now yielding 400 pounds/year and are short enough to be harvested from the ground or a short ladder.

Israel, the 100th smallest country, with less than 1/1000th of the world's population, can lay claim to the following :

1. The cell phone was developed in Israel by Israelis working in the Israeli branch of Motorola, which has its largest development center in Israel .
2. Most of the Windows NT and XP operating systems were developed by Microsoft-Israel.
3. The Pentium MMX Chip technology was designed in Israel at Intel.
4. Both the Pentium-4 microprocessor and the Centrino processor were entirely designed, developed and produced in Israel.
5. The Pentium microprocessor in your computer was most likely made in Israel.
6. Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.
7. Both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the US in Israel.
8. The technology for the AOL Instant Messenger ICQ was developed in 1996 by four young Israelis.
9. Israel has the fourth largest air force in the world (after the U.S, Russia and China). In addition to a large variety of other aircraft, Israel's air force has an aerial arsenal of over 250 F-16's. This is the largest fleet of F-16 aircraft outside of the U. S.
10. Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined.
11. Israel has the highest percentage in the world of home computers per capita.
12. According to industry officials, Israel designed the airline industry's most impenetrable flight security. US officials now look (finally) to Israel for advice on how to handle airborne security threats.
13. Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world.
14. Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation by a large margin - 109 per 10,000 people --as well as one of the highest per capita rates of patents filed.
15. In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world. In absolute terms, Israel has the largest number of startup companies than any other country in the world, except the U.S. (3,500 companies mostly in hi-tech).
16. With more than 3,000 high-tech companies and startups, Israel has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world -- apart from the Silicon Valley, U.S.
17. Israel is ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds right behind the U.S.
18. Outside the United States and Canada, Israel has the largest number of NASDAQ listed companies.
19. Israel has the highest average living standards in the Middle East.
20. The per capita income in 2000 was over $17,500, exceeding that of the UK.
21. On a per capita basis, Israel has the largest number of biotech startups.
22. Twenty-four per cent of Israel's workforce holds university degrees, ranking third in the industrialized world, after the United States and Holland and 12 per cent hold advanced degrees.
23. Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East.
24. In 1984 and 1991, Israel airlifted a total of 22,000 Ethiopian Jews (Operation Solomon) at Risk in Ethiopia, to safety in Israel.
25. When Golda Meir was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1969, she became the world's second elected female leader in modern times.
26. When the U. S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya was bombed in 1998, Israeli rescue teams were on the scene within a day -- and saved three victims from the rubble.
27. Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship -- and the highest rate among women and among people over 55 - in the world.
28. Relative to its population, Israel is the largest immigrant-absorbing nation on earth. Immigrants come in search of democracy, religious freedom, and economic opportunity. (Hundreds of thousands from the former Soviet Union)
29. Israel was the first nation in the world to adopt the Kimberly process, an international standard that certifies diamonds as "conflict free."
30. Israel has the world's second highest per capita of new books.
31. Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees, made more remarkable because this was achieved in an area considered mainly desert.
32. Israel has more museums per capita than any other country.
33. Medicine... Israeli scientists developed the first fully computerized, no-radiation, diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer.
34. An Israeli company developed a computerized system for ensuring proper administration of medications, thus removing human error from medical treatment. Every year in U. S. hospitals 7,000 patients die from treatment mistakes.
35. Israel's Given Imaging developed the first ingestible video camera, so small it fits inside a pill. Used to view the small intestine from the inside, cancer and digestive disorders .
36. Researchers in Israel developed a new device that directly helps the heart pump blood, an innovation with the potential to save lives among those with heart failure. The new device is synchronized with the camera helps doctors diagnose heart¹s mechanical operations through a sophisticated system of sensors.
37. Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 in the U. S., over 70 in Japan, and less than 60 in Germany. With over 25% of its work force employed in technical professions. Israel places first in this category as well.
38. A new acne treatment developed in Israel, the Clear Light device, produces a high-intensity, ultraviolet-light-free, narrow-band blue light that causes acne bacteria to self-destruct -- all without damaging surrounding skin or tissue.
39. An Israeli company was the first to develop and install a large-scale solar-powered and fully functional electricity generating plant, in southern California's Mojave desert.

All the above while engaged in regular wars with an implacable enemy that seeks its destruction, and an economy continuously under strain by having to spend more per capita on its own protection than any other county on earth.


... AND THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR IN ENGLAND SAYS :

"ISRAEL IS NOTHING BUT A SHITTY LITTLE COUNTRY"

(What have any of the other countries in the Mid-East contributed to the world other than hatred, intolerance and oppression of their own people - especially women??)

JimH

BASIC Facts About Israel

1. ISRAEL BECAME A STATE IN 1312 B.C., TWO MILLENNIA BEFORE ISLAM;

2. ARAB REFUGEES FROM ISRAEL BEGAN CALLING THEMSELVES "PALESTINIANS" IN 1967, TWO DECADES AFTER (MODERN) ISRAELI STATEHOOD;

3. AFTER CONQUERING THE LAND IN 1272 B.C., JEWS RULED IT FOR A THOUSAND YEARS AND MAINTAINED A CONTINUOUS PRESENCE THERE FOR 3,300 YEARS;

4. THE ONLY ARAB RULE FOLLOWING CONQUEST IN 633 B.C. LASTED JUST 22 YEARS;

5. FOR OVER 3,300 YEARS, JERUSALEM WAS THE JEWISH CAPITAL. IT WAS NEVER THE CAPITAL OF ANY ARAB OR MUSLIM ENTITY. EVEN UNDER JORDANIAN RULE, (EAST) JERUSALEM WAS NOT MADE THE CAPITAL, AND NO ARAB LEADER CAME TO VISIT IT;

6. JERUSALEM IS MENTIONED OVER 700 TIMES IN THE BIBLE, BUT NOT ONCE IS IT MENTIONED IN THE QUR'AN;

7. KING DAVID FOUNDED JERUSALEM; MOHAMMED NEVER SET FOOT IN IT;

8. JEWS PRAY FACING JERUSALEM; MUSLIMS FACE MECCA. IF THEY ARE BETWEEN THE TWO CITIES, MUSLIMS PRAY FACING MECCA, WITH THEIR BACKS TO JERUSALEM;

9. IN 1948, ARAB LEADERS URGED THEIR PEOPLE TO LEAVE, PROMISING TO CLEANSE THE LAND OF JEWISH PRESENCE. 68% OF THEM FLED WITHOUT EVER SETTING EYES ON AN ISRAELI SOLDIER;

10. VIRTUALLY THE ENTIRE JEWISH POPULATION OF MUSLIM COUNTRIES HAD TO FLEE AS THE RESULT OF VIOLENCE AND POGROMS;

11. SOME 630,000 ARABS LEFT ISRAEL IN 1948, WHILE CLOSE TO A MILLION JEWS WERE FORCED TO LEAVE THE MUSLIM COUNTRIES;

12. IN SPITE OF THE VAST TERRITORIES AT THEIR DISPOSAL, ARAB REFUGESS WERE DELIBERATELY PREVENTED FROM ASSIMILATING INTO THEIR HOST COUNTRIES. OF 100 MILLION REFUGEES FOLLOWING WORLD WAR 2, THEY ARE THE ONLY GROUP TO HAVE NEVER INTEGRATED WITH THEIR CORELIGIONISTS. MOST OF THE JEWISH REFUGEES FROM EUROPE AND ARAB LANDS WERE SETTLED IN ISRAEL, A COUNTRY NO LARGER THAN NEW JERSEY;

13. THERE ARE 22 MUSLIM COUNTRIES, NOT COUNTING PALESTINE. THERE IS ONLY ONE JEWISH STATE. ARABS STARTED ALL FIVE WARS AGAINST ISRAEL, AND LOST EVERY ONE OF THEM;

14. FATAH AND HAMAS CONSTITUTIONS STILL CALL FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF ISRAEL. ISRAEL CEDED MOST OF THE WEST BANK AND ALL OF GAZA TO THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY, AND EVEN PROVIDED IT WITH ARMS;

15. DURING THE JORDANIAN OCCUPATION, JEWISH HOLY SITES WERE VANDALIZED AND WERE OFF LIMITS TO JEWS. UNDER ISRAELI RULE, ALL MUSLIM AND CHRISTIAN HOLY SITES ARE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL FAITHS;

16. OUT OF 175 UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS UP TO 1990, 97 WERE AGAINST ISRAEL; OUT OF 690 GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTIONS, 429 WERE AGAINST ISRAEL;

18. THE U.N. WAS SILENT WHEN THE JORDANIANS DESTROYED 58 SYNAGOGUES IN THE OLD CITY OF JERUSALEM. IT REMAINED SILENT WHILE JORDAN SYSTEMATICALLY DESECRATED THE ANCIENT JEWISH CEMETERY ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES, AND IT REMAINED SILENT WHEN JORDAN ENFORCED APARTHEID LAWS PREVENTING JEWS FROM ACCESSING THE TEMPLE MOUNT AND WESTERN WALL.

THESE ARE TRYING TIMES. WE MUST ASK OURSELVES WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING, AND WHAT WE WILL TELL OUR GRANDCHILDREN ABOUT OUR ACTIONS DURING THIS CRISIS, WHEN WE HAD THE CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Reuters admits altering Beirut photo

Reuters withdraws photograph of Beirut after Air Force attack after US blogs, photographers point out 'blatant evidence of manipulation.' Reuters' head of PR says in response, 'Reuters has suspended photographer until investigations are completed into changes made to photograph.' Photographer who sent altered image is same Reuters photographer behind many of images from Qana, which have also been subject of suspicions for being staged

A Reuters photograph of smoke rising from buildings in Beirut has been withdrawn after coming under attack by American web logs. The blogs accused Reuters of distorting the photograph to include more smoke and damage.

The photograph showed two very heavy plumes of black smoke billowing from buildings in Beirut after an Air Force attack on the Lebanese capital. Reuters has since withdrawn the photograph from its website, along a message admitting that the image was distorted, and an apology to editors.


Reuters' head of PR Moira Whittle said in response: "Reuters has suspended a photographer until investigations are completed into changes made to a photograph showing smoke billowing from buildings following an air strike on Beirut. Reuters takes such matters extremely seriously as it is strictly against company editorial policy to alter pictures."

"As soon as the allegation came to light, the photograph, filed on Saturday 5 August, was removed from the file and a replacement, showing the same scene, was sent. The explanation for the removal was the improper use of photo-editing software," she added.

Earlier, Charles Johnson, of the Little Green Footballs blog , which has exposed a previous attempt at fraud by a major American news corporation, wrote : "This Reuters photograph shows blatant evidence of manipulation. Notice the repeating patterns in the smoke; this is almost certainly caused by using the Photoshop “clone” tool to add more smoke to the image."


Johnson added: "Smoke simply does not contain repeating symmetrical patterns like this, and you can see the repetition in both plumes of smoke. There’s really no question about it."

Speaking to Ynetnews, Johnson said: "This has to cast doubt not only on the photographer who did the alterations, but on Reuters' entire review process. If they could let such an obvious fake get through to publication, how many more faked or 'enhanced' photos have not been caught?"

A series of close ups are then posted on the blog, showing that "it’s not only the plumes of smoke that were 'enhanced.' There are also cloned buildings." The close ups do appear to show exact replicas of buildings appearing next to one another in the photograph.

The Sports Shooter web forum , used by professional photographers, also examined the photo, with many users concluding that the image has been doctored.

'Looks so obviously doctored'

"I'll second the cloned smoke...but it looks so obvious that I don't know how the photographer could have gotten away with it," wrote one user.

After further research, Johnson posted a photograph he says is the original image taken before distortions were made, showing much lighter smoke rising.

Other blogs have also analyzed the photographs, and reached similar conclusions, such as Left & Right , which states: "The photo has been doctored, quite badly."

The author of the Ace of Spades blog wrote: "Even I can see the very suspicious "clonings" of picture elements here. And I'm an idiot."

The Hot Air blog also looked at the photo, describing the image as "the worst Photoshop I have ever seen."

Adnan Hajj, the photographer who sent the altered image, was also the Reuters photographer behind many of the images from Qana – which have also been the subject of suspicions for being staged.

"A photographer who would blatantly falsify an entire 'news' image would certainly not be above posing and staging photographs of rescue workers," Johnson concluded.

Yaakov Lappin - Ynet

Hey, I'm Anti-War, Too!

By Arlene Peck

Just because I am against war, doesn’t mean that I can’t see the necessity of fighting one... especially when I realize that I am watching a wave of savage 7th century barbarians climbing over the hill ready to kill everyone in sight. I just happen to be a little more basic in my thinking than what I am seeing in most of the press and for sure the political pundits in the EU and United Nations. We have an enemy that wants to kill us. And, when I say “us” I, am talking about our entire western culture. Israel doesn’t have a thing to do about it except that they are a modern democratic country living in a bad neighborhood, surrounded by a savage culture that has been carefully nurtured on hatred and survives on submission. Do you remember when we lived 'normal' lives and were not consumed 24/7 with pictures of raging savages with fists raised shouting "Jihad" "Jihad?”

We have turned the men in this country into such feminized versions of manhood that they have no conception of what war really is. All the new pretty boys and soft-core-feminist news commentators need is that they look like Sophia Loren and be about 20 years old. Gone are the Walter Cronkites or Edward R. Morrows who actually had a grasp of history and the “big picture" and recognized the realities of war. The new ‘think tanks’ deliver split screen ‘debates’ between groups of men or women who have never even seen battle beyond the ROTC. Yet, they know, with absolute conviction, that all Israel has to do to stop this war of aggression against them is to ‘cease fire’ and put another group of unfriendly and incompetent United Nations ‘soldiers’ along their borders , and it will magically all go away.

Our country is filled with wimps; so-called men who, in my opinion, couldn’t have gotten a date for the prom but feel so assured of their politically correct positions that they are giving advice about how to run a war. A war, incidentally, that should never run over two weeks time. Gawd! What happened to our men? Real men, like those of my father's era, who fought in the Second World War and never had a problem with their identity. They knew who the enemy was and what they had to do about it. The war they fought didn’t have a deadline of two weeks!

Today, some political pundit gets in front of the camera and tells us with complete authority that "Folks, this conflict is going to have to go on another couple of weeks"

I think it first happened when the magazines begin to convince them that it was a ‘manly’ thing to shave their chest and body parts so they could have ‘’carved abs’. Hell, I’ll bet the men in Israel still have hairy chests. I will not be surprised if I opened GQ one day and saw that they had managed to removed the belly button as the ultimate rejection of motherhood. However, I digress.

Maybe because I have actually been to the area a couple of dozen times and visited many of the Arab countries… including Lebanon in June of 1982, as a journalist covering the IDF and again in 1993, that I was able to see with my own eyes what a sick society the Jewish state is actually fighting. Now, I don't have to go so far to see what the Israelis live with every day. All one has to do is walk into any of your local mosques and listen to what they are saying... here! In America!

Last year, I spent a few hours listening to what this “gentle” nation was saying at a mosque here, in Los Angeles. Granted, they did not tell their well-dressed western audience to go out and kill everyone who is not one of them, as, I have no doubt, is the case with Imams in Arab countries. They were more sophisticated than that. They gave "sermons" telling the audience that their job was to go back to their homes and channel their “American” children into educational tracks leading to occupations such as journalism and politics , because those are the areas they need to ‘infiltrate’ to get their point across. Folks, that is what scares the living bee-gees out of me! Because a lot of our media reporting looks like they have done just that!

I have a friend who told me about her return last year to her hometown of Dearborn, Michigan for a class reunion. She even went back to her school for the obligatory visit. Rhona was astounded! Gone were the cheerleaders and girls in tight jeans. Headscarves and clothes that completely covered the female students have now replaced them. Dearborn Michigan! That was her moment of truth.

However, I truly believe that only a few of my fellow Americans are ‘getting’ it. The rest I just chalk up to basic Anti-Semitism. They have already welcomed the Muslims into their countries and are becoming Islamic dominated nations. Already their children are being indoctrinated by this death cult, which lives for death, in anticipation of their seventy-two virgins.

I am at the point that I don't have the slightest clue for whom to cast my vote in the next election. I've long been a fan of Joseph Farah, the founder and editor of World Net Daily, and I completely agree with what he wrote in a recent article. "Personally, I don't think Republicans or Democrats truly get it when it comes to the Mideast. The last U.S. president who comprehended Israel's value as an ally against Islamic-fascism was President Reagan." I couldn't agree more with his thinking that if it weren't for the evangelical component of the Republican Party, and the religious right it contains, U.S. politicians would have abandoned Israel long ago. Now I understand why the left is so determined to shut down "the religious right!"

The Democrats seem to have no policy except that of staying neutral and being available to 'give a hug' and form a support group when necessary. They seem to adhere to a policy of staying separate from the conflict so as not to acknowledge the fact that we are in a war of good vs. evil that will destroy us all, if we lose! I live in fear that neither party actually “gets it!”

I grew up believing that America stood for something. When did we turn into a nation that embraces all that is hell bent on destroying everything that America stands for?