The Very Real Threat - Baby-faced Jihadists

The Homegrown Young Radicals Of Next-Gen Jihad
By Marc Sageman

We are fighting the wrong foe. Over the past six years, the nature of the international Islamist terrorist threat to the West has changed dramatically, but Western governments are still fighting the last war -- set up to fight an old al-Qaeda that is now largely contained. Unless we understand this sea change, we will not be able to ward off the new menace.

The version of al-Qaeda that Osama bin Laden founded is a fading force. After a week in which five detainees who allegedly planned the Sept. 11, 2001, atrocities were arraigned before a U.S. military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, it's worth remembering that the terrorists behind 9/11 were mostly young, well-educated middle-class expatriates from Muslim countries who had become radicalized abroad, especially in the West. Such key 9/11 plotters as Mohamed Atta, Ramzi Binalshibh, Ziad Jarrah and Marwan al-Shehhi met and became radicalized as students in Hamburg, then went to Afghanistan looking for al-Qaeda. But over the past six years, most of the professional terrorists who fit this profile have been eliminated during the U.S.-led manhunt for "high-value targets." The few that remain are huddled in the Afghan-Pakistani border area, struggling to extend their reach beyond Pakistan.

That old guard is still dangerous and still plotting spectacular attacks. But it is the new wave that more urgently requires our attention. This cohort is composed of homegrown young wannabes who dream of glory and adventure, who yearn to belong to a heroic vanguard and to root their lives in a greater sense of meaning. Inspired by tales of past heroism, they hope to emulate their predecessors, even though, for the most part, they can no longer link up with al-Qaeda Central in the Pakistani badlands. Their potential numbers are so great that they must now be seen as the main terrorist threat to the West.

This threat is not well understood by U.S. policymakers. After 9/11, I realized that spectacular instances of collective violence such as terrorism and the Holocaust tend to be the product of small-group dynamics, not individual action. (As a former CIA case officer who ran programs in Afghanistan in the 1980s, I learned how hard it was to motivate groups to perform field operations.) I began putting together graphs and charts to see how friendships and kinship groups had shaped al-Qaeda's networks. I was able to recognize these concepts precisely because of my isolation from the U.S. government, which was focusing on old, top-down, command-and-control theories. And I worry again today that those charged with protecting us are not being imaginative or rigorous enough to understand the next generation of jihadists.

Unlike their pre-9/11 predecessors, today's would-be terrorists are usually the poorly educated teenage children of unskilled and secular Muslim immigrants. They have been born, raised and radicalized in their host countries (unlike, say, Atta, an Egyptian who recoiled at modern Germany). This new generation's youth culture celebrates a sort of "jihadist cool."

Consider the "Hofstad Netwerk" in the Netherlands, which I believe is typical of this new wave. It consists mostly of young people who were born in Holland or immigrated to that country very early in life. They met around their neighborhoods, in Internet cafes or in online chat rooms, then self-radicalized through their admiration for the supposed Islamist heroes fighting the West. One man linked to this cohort, Mohammed Bouyeri, repeatedly shot the Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh in 2004 on an Amsterdam street. Other members of this informal network reportedly planned to murder prominent Dutch politicians and bomb the Dutch parliament, a nuclear power plant and Amsterdam's international airport.

Or consider another network that sprang up in placid surroundings: the group of second-generation immigrant men and youths in the Toronto suburbs who Canadian authorities allege plotted to set off truck bombs in Toronto, bomb the Canadian Parliament and kill Prime Minister Stephen Harper. They reportedly spent time praising their terrorist heroes on the Internet and living out mujaheddin fantasies by playing paintball games in rural Ontario.

What makes next-gen terrorists tick? How did these ordinary kids come to be so attracted to political violence? The process of radicalization consists of four prongs, which need not occur in sequence. Here's the recipe: having a sense of moral outrage; seeing this anger as part of a "war on Islam"; believing that this view is consistent with one's everyday grievances; and mobilizing through networks.

Many Muslims feel a powerful sense of moral outrage at the treatment of their coreligionists, be it the sight of U.S. troops killing Muslims in Iraq or the aftermath of police harassment of local mosques. To lead to political violence, a next-generation jihadist must come to believe one simple sound bite: that there is a "war against Islam."
Unlike their fanatical predecessors in the old al-Qaeda, the new terrorists are not particularly religious. The defendants in the Hofstad trials, the March 2004 Madrid bombing trial, the Toronto case and the many trials in Britain are not intellectuals, let alone Islamic scholars. Many became religious only a few months before their arrests, and some are not religious at all. The new generation is not likely to be swayed by abstract arguments. Young jihadist wannabes do not go to Iraq to have theological debates; they go there to blow themselves up.

The problem has been worse in Europe than in the United States. In the land of the American dream and the melting pot, a broader, more inclusive view of American-ness undermines the jihadist insistence that the U.S. government is at war with its Muslim citizens. Notwithstanding some ugly jeering by nativist bigots and some clumsy profiling by law enforcement, ordinary Muslim Americans simply do not feel some "war on Islam" in their daily experiences.

But things are far less cheerful in Europe. The children of unskilled Muslim immigrants there face discrimination across the continent, resulting in striking unemployment rates. Many non-Muslim Europeans resent having to compete with Muslim immigrants for low-level jobs and worry that poor immigrant suburbs mean higher crime rates. Anti-immigrant sentiment, which propelled far-right parties to win around 20 percent of the vote in contests in France, Austria and Switzerland in recent years, only reinforces the message of rejection -- and produces grist for the terrorists' mill.

There are many angry young Muslims in the world, of course. What transforms a tiny number of them into terrorists is mobilization by networks. Until a few years ago, these networks were made up of face-to-face groups: local gangs of young immigrants such as the Hofstad group or expatriate students such as the Hamburg cell that planned 9/11. These cliques of friends became radicalized together. The group acted as an echo chamber -- amplifying grievances, intensifying members' bonds to one another, deepening their rejection of the values of the host society and making it easier to gradually separate themselves from it.

Over the past two or three years, face-to-face radicalization has started to be replaced by online radicalization. People's beliefs used to be changed in small cliques; now they are being altered in jihadist Internet forums. These forums have become virtual marketplaces for extremist ideas -- the "invisible hand" organizing terrorist activities worldwide. They are transforming the terrorist movement, attracting ever younger members and women, who can now join in the discussions.

The West has successfully contained the terrorists who perpetrated 9/11. But al-Qaeda has adapted from the bottom up, producing a network that's scattered, disconnected and decentralized. The new jihadist movement doesn't have an operational leader, but it is every bit as dangerous as the old one.

Marc Sageman is a sociologist, forensic psychiatrist and scholar in residence at the New York Police Department. He is the author of "Understanding Terror Networks" and "Leaderless Jihad."

DOMESTIC TERRORISTS WERE READY TO ATTACK JEWISH TARGETS

Blogmaster's Comments: Those of us who feel warm, cozy, and secure in our homes because we live in the United States had better think again! Jews in the Diaspora and in America in particular are at serious risk... and most of us don't give it a thought. There are intelligent, dedicated, and extremely dangerous individuals in our midst who are planning our destruction. The story below (which by the way has received no media attention) released today by the Justice Department, details how countless Jewish, American Military, and other innocent victims lives have been saved by the diligent efforts of the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). So far, we have been extremely fortunate. But know this... the JTTF will not always be successful and local law enforcement authorities are 99% reactive. I am urging you to be vigilant, be prepared, and learn how to defend yourselves, your families, and your community. In other words, buy a firearm, and take a course of instruction in its use for home defense and personal security. Being a proud liberal and anti-gunner will do nothing but empower those who want to kill you. Rabbi Meir Kahane (OBM) said the following: "Every Jew, a .22" and "Stay Alive With a 45". His words ring true for us today.








United States Attorney's Office

Central District of California

Thom MrozekPublic Affairs Officer

(213) 894-6947 thom.mrozek@usdoj.gov


December 14, 2007


TWO PLEAD GUILTY TO DOMESTIC TERRORISM CHARGES OF CONSPIRING TO ATTACK MILITARY FACILITIES, JEWISH TARGETS


WASHINGTON-Two men who were part of a domestic terrorist cell pleaded guilty this morning to federal terrorism charges, admitting that they conspired to attack United States military operations, "infidels," and Israeli and Jewish facilities in the Los Angeles area.


The two men - Kevin James, who formed the terror group while in a California state prison, and Levar Washington, who was recruited by James while in state prison and recruited others into the plot - pleaded guilty to conspiring to wage war against the United States.


A third member of the radical Islamic organization which James dubbed Jam'iyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh, or JIS - Gregory Patterson - is expected to plead guilty to the terrorism conspiracy charge on Monday. The fourth member of JIS named in an indictment - Hammad Samana - has been found unfit to stand trial and is currently receiving psychiatric care at a federal prison facility.


"We are keenly aware of the threat posed by home-grown terrorism. As the guilty pleas today demonstrate, we will continue to identify and disrupt extremist cells before they can inflict harm. This case demonstrates how law enforcement cooperation at all levels thwarted a domestic plot that targeted U.S. military facilities as well as Israeli and Jewish facilities in the Los Angeles area," said Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey.


FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III stated: "This is a case in which a terrorist cell grew out of a prison cell. Despite the fact that they had no connection to al-Qaeda leaders, they had adopted their cause. These home-grown terrorists had raised the money, recruited the people, chosen the targets, obtained the weapons and set the date. All they had left to do was to strike. The JIS case is an outstanding example of how the Joint Terrorist Task Force system works. A local crime yielded clues that pointed to terrorism. That information was brought to the JTTF and soon over 300 FBI personnel and police officers were tracking suspects and unraveling the plot. It was the superb partnership between law enforcement agencies that prevented that."


U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien commented: "The prevention of future terrorist attacks is the number one priority of the Justice Department, and the investigation and successful prosecution of the JIS terrorist organization stands out as a landmark case in Southern California. With the defendants considering a series of targets to attack - including U.S. Army personnel, synagogues and others perceived as 'infidels'- this terror plot had reached an advanced level. Because these men were driven by ideological fervor, had a demonstrated ability to obtain weapons, and had planned attacks on identified targets, an untold number of lives may have been saved when this terrorist cell was dismantled."


In plea agreements filed this morning and court proceedings conducted this morning in United States District Court in Santa Ana, James and Washington admitted that they conspired "to levy war against the government of the United States through terrorism, and to oppose by force the authority of the United States government."


FBI Assistant Director in Charge Salvador Hernandez said: "Law enforcement personnel at all levels put forth a tremendous effort to put this case together and the proof of that is evident today. A terrorist attack on the city of Los Angeles, hatched in our midst and on our soil, was thwarted in the advanced planning stage. This case is a perfect example of the Joint Terrorism Task Force in that no single agency could have done this alone."


After forming JIS in 1997 while in state prison, James recruited Washington into the organization in late 2004 while both were prisoners at New Folsom Prison, where James had Washington swear an oath of loyalty and obedience to James and to JIS. After his release from prison several weeks after taking the JIS oath, Washington recruited Patterson and Samana into JIS and had them swear oaths of allegiance and obedience to JIS. After forming this cell, Washington and Patterson conducted about a dozen armed robberies of gas stations to supply money for the group's planned attacks in the Los Angeles area.


Samana researched targets and prepared a document called "Modes of Attack." The document listed "LAX and Consulate of Zion," "Military Targets," "Army Recruiting centers throughout the county," "Military base in Manhattan Beach" and "Campsite of Zion."


After Torrance Police investigators linked the two to a gas station robbery, various Jihadist documents were found at a South Los Angeles apartment where Washington and Patterson lived. In addition to the "Modes of Attack" document, investigators discovered a document titled "Notoriety Moves," which contained a James-authored statement to be given to the media after a deadly attack. The proposed press statement reads, in part, "This incident is the first in a series of incidents to come in a plight to defend and propagate traditional Islam in its purity." The document also warns "sincere Muslims" to avoid a series of targets, including "Those Jewish and non-Jewish supporters of an Israeli state."


Torrance Police Chief John J. Neu said: "I am proud of the dedication and professionalism displayed by all involved in this critical case. The awareness, knowledge, skills and abilities of the officers involved effectively thwarted this terrorist plot. This case is a prime example of the powerful radical influence which poses a serious threat from within right here in Southern California. Today's announcement shows that through teamwork we can effectively combat this threat. Unity is the key."


Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief Michael Downing, Commanding Officer, Counter-Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau, stated: "This case was an outstanding example of cooperation between local, state and federal law enforcement and in particular the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) model. It also illustrates that the best information comes from the cops on the beat and those involved in criminal investigations, hence the all-crimes approach to terrorism prevention. Homegrown terrorism remains a grave concern for the security of our country and this cell was closer to going operational than any we have seen post-911. Jamiyyat UI Is Saheeh (JIS), translated as Assembly of Authentic Islam, practiced a form radicalized Islam that was neither authentic nor peaceful."


James and Patterson pleaded guilty this morning before United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney, who is scheduled to sentence James on March 31 and Washington on April 28. As a result of his guilty plea, James faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. Washington, who also pleaded guilty to using a firearm in relation to the terrorist plot, faces up to 25 years in prison.


"Investigators from the Office of Correctional Safety dedicated a significant amount of time and resources to this case. Our department has a long history of dealing with prison gangs and inmates who advocate violence. We assist our law enforcement partners on many investigations to root out criminal organized enterprise activity in our prisons," said Undersecretary David L. Runnels, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.


The investigation into the terrorist conspiracy was led by the FBI's Long Beach Joint Terrorism Task Force, whose participating agencies include the Los Angeles Police Department; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the Torrance Police Department; the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department; the Long Beach Police Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the Los Angeles Port Police; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; the Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Redondo Beach Police Department.


Substantial assistance during the investigation was provided by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Bureau of Investigations; the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; the California Department of Justice; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations; and the Department of Defense. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office worked collaboratively with the United States Attorney's Office during the investigation.

FBI Home Page Los Angeles Home Page LA Press Releases Privacy Policy

“Jihad Bee” Calls for Child Martyrs on Hamas TV

Published: 07/22/07, 9:21 PM
“Jihad Bee” Calls for Child Martyrs on Hamas TV

by Ze'ev Orenstein

(IsraelNN.com)

Arab children in Gaza, like their peers around the world, enjoy watching television programs with cartoon like characters. However, in Hamas-controlled Gaza, Palestinian Media Watch reports that the seemingly cute and loveable cartoon-like characters do not promote kindness and friendship, rather they continue to systematically indoctrinate Arab children to maim and murder Jewish men women and children and to take part in the destruction of the Jewish State.
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The latest character on the children’s show Tomorrow’s Pioneers on Hamas’s Al-Aqsa television station is Nahool the Bee, who encourages young children to follow “[the path] of Jihad” and to become “Jihad warriors” in order to “liberate Al-Aqsa from the filth of the criminal Jews.”
Click here to watch the latest episode of Nahool, the Jihad Bee.

In the latest episode, Nahool the Bee repeatedly reminds the children that the Jews are guilty of murder – particularly of murdering children and the elderly.

Below are excerpts from the latest episode:

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

A young caller, Sabah, is asked what she wants to be when she grows up.

Sabah: “Journalist.”Saraa', girl in studio: “Wow, journalist! Nahool, we need journalists.”Nahool: "Why? So that… so that they will photograph the Jews when they are killing Farfur and the little children?Saraa’: “Yes, Nahool.”Another young caller says: “We will go on [the path] of Jihad when we grow up.”Nahool: “Yes, we are all Jihad warriors.Saraa’: “Allah willing.”

[Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), July 20, 2007]

In Nahool’s debut episode on Hamas TV (click here to watch episode), Arab children are encouraged to follow “the path of martyrdom, the path of the Jihad warriors… and in his name we shall take revenge upon the enemies of Allah, the murderers of the prophets...” According to Itamar Marcus, Director of Palestinian Media Watch, “The expression 'Murderers of the prophets' is an Islamic expression used by Palestinian Authority religious leaders to refer to Jews. [Furthermore], defining the Jews as the enemies of God is a common theme in Palestinian Authority religious broadcasting.”

Nahool the Bee is only the latest cartoon character like manifestation to appear on Hamas TV. Prior to Nahool’s appearance, Arab children received anti-Israel indoctrination from Farfur, a character very much resembling Disney’s Mickey Mouse. The New York Daily News dubbed the character “Terror Mouse,” while Walt Disney’s daughter Diane described it as “pure evil.”

In Farfur’s final appearance on Tomorrow’s Pioneers (click here to view episode) he was beaten to death at the hands of an Israeli interrogator, thus becoming a Shahid - a martyr for Allah - and a role model to countless Arab children.

Below are excerpts from Farfur’s final episode:

[Text:] “Farfur in Interrogation”

Israeli interrogator: “Sit down, Farfur… Farfur, we want to buy the land, we will give you a lot of money. You will get a lot of money, and we will take the documents.”Farfur: “No!! We will not sell our lands to terrorists!”Interrogator: “Farfur!!! I want you to give me the documents, give me the documents!”Farfur: “I’m not giving the documents! Not giving! Not giving!”Interrogator: “Farfur!!! [Visual: interrogator beats Farfur] Farfur! Hand me the documents. Farfur! Hand me the documents, Farfur!”Farfur: “I am not handing them to criminals, to terrorists!”Interrogator: “You call us terrorists, Farfur?! [Visual: interrogator beats Farfur again] Take this! Take this! Take this! Take this!”Farfur: “Stop! Stop!”

Saraa’: “Yes, our children friends, we lost our dearest friend, Farfur. Farfur turned to a Martyr while protecting his land. He turned into a Martyr at the hands of the criminals, and murderers. The murderers of the innocent children… [Talking to a child caller] You saw that the Jews let Farfur die as a Martyr. What do you want to say to the Jews?”Shaimaa’, 3 years old, on the phone: “We don’t like the Jews because they are dogs! We will fight them!”Saraa’ [sarcastically]: “No, the Jews are good, oh Shaimaa’. The Jews are our friends, and we play with them, isn’t it so?”Shaimaa’: “They killed Farfur!”Saraa’: “That’s right, oh Shaimaa’. The Jews are criminals and enemies, we must expel them from our land.”

[Hamas, Al-Aqsa TV June 27, 2007]
Nahool the Bee, whose appearance followed the murder of Farfur, debuted on Hamas TV’s Tomorrow’s Pioneers with the following message to Arab children, “I want to continue the path of Farfur,” says Nahool to the show’s hostess. “I and my friends shall continue the path of Farfur…. the path of martyrdom, the path of the Jihad warriors…and in his name we shall take revenge upon the enemies of Allah…until [the] Al-Aksa (mosque in Jerusalem) will be liberated from their filth.”
Recently, footage was shown on Hamas TV of Arab children graduating from a kindergarten in Gaza. In the video, the children are seen marching in formation while holding machine guns and then dropping to the floor, crawling on their bellies and vowing to become terrorists when they grow up. The video was brought to global attention through the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

Click here to watch the Hamas kindergarten graduation ceremony.

LONDON ISLAMO-NAZIS JAILED FOR A TOTAL OF 22 YEARS!!!

Blogmasters Comment: This is exactly what should be done in the United States when dealing with subversives. These Islamo-Facist Nazis must realize that when they enter a Western Democracy, they will not be allowed to subvert our Democracies in their war against Western Civilizaton with impunity. We must use the laws present in our society against those who seek to destroy us. Only thus will we survive.

London Cartoon Protesters Jailed for a Total of 22 Years
Mushtak Parker, Arab News

LONDON, 19 July 2007 — Four young British Muslims were yesterday jailed for a total of 22 years at the Old Bailey for their role in a protest outside the Danish Embassy in Sloane Street on Feb. 3, 2006 against cartoons depicting and satirizing the Prophet Muhammed.
Website designer Mizanur Rahman, 24, of Palmers Green; British Telecoms IT technician Umran Javed, 27, from Birmingham; and Abdul Muhid, 24, of Whitechapel were each jailed for six years for soliciting to murder after urging the crowd or carrying placards with threats, including “Bomb Bomb UK”; “Be prepared for the real holocaust”; “Osama is on his way”; and referring to British soldiers in Iraq: “We want to see their blood running in the streets of Baghdad and them coming home in body bags.”
A fourth man, Abdul Saleem, 32, from Poplar in east London, was jailed for four years on a single charge of stirring up racial hatred at the protest in February 2006.
The sentences were handed out as a dozen or so supporters of the men sat in the public gallery. Outside the court building, however, there were some 50 or so ‘Islamist’ demonstrators, many of them women in full black burkas covered from head to toe. The latter’s venom in their message of hate against the British establishment could not have been more evident. They waved placards reading: “British Police Go to Hell” and “Muslims Under Siege.”
But the warning to the extremists of all colors and creed who want to spread messages of hate was loud and clear from Sir Ken Macdonald, director of public prosecutions: “Terrorism attacks our way of life and incitement can make a very real contribution to it. We shall continue to take incitement very seriously and prosecute it robustly where there is enough evidence for us to do so.”
The Common Serjeant of London, Judge Brian Barker, said the words of the four convicted had been designed to encourage murder and terrorism; and that none of the placards or speeches mention the cartoons, which had never been published in the British media. “Everybody is entitled to freedom and protection under the law and no one is entitled to urge the perverted use of ideology to propagate destruction, distress and death,” he declared.
“The freedoms of speech and assembly have long been jealously guarded by our laws, but with freedom comes respect and responsibility — none of which was demonstrated by you and the hardcore of your fellow protesters, demonstrating in February last year. Six months after the London bombings you subjected the multicultural citizens of London to a constant barrage of hatred and intolerance through your thoroughly offensive placards and speeches by three of you,” the judge added.
The convictions arose from the aftermath of an incident when about 300 protesters marched from the Central London Mosque in Regent’s Park to the Danish Embassy in February last year after cartoons satirizing the Prophet Muhammad were published in newspapers in Denmark and other European countries.
The men denied harboring extremist views and said they were simply following others rather than leading the protests.
Meanhwile, in another development yesterday, three Muslim men were arrested by Greater Manchester Police counter-terrorism officers under terrorism laws after receiving information about a “potential threat.” The three are being held at a police station in the Stockport Road district of Longsight, Manchester. A fourth man was detained under immigration laws.

LET THE TERRORISTS GO BUT KEEP THE JEWS...NU????

Freedom for Jewish Prisoners Demanded

22 Tammuz 5767, 08 July 07 08:23

by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) The Honenu civil rights organization demands freedom for Jewish security prisoners, in the wake of the release of Palestinian terrorists from Israeli prisons.

"We are against the release of any Arab terrorists from Israeli prison," emphasizes Shmuel (Zangy) Medad, the indefatigable founder of Honenu. "This includes the four Jordanian murderers who were freed this week, and the 250 whom Prime Minister Olmert is planning to release as a 'gesture' to Abu Mazen, and the hundreds or more that Israel may soon give in exchange for Gilad Shalit. The release of terrorists is a sign of weakness, adds experienced terrorists to the war effort against us, and is a dangerous precedent that encourages more terrorism and kidnappings."

"However, the fact is that Israel has already freed terrorists," Medad says, "and therefore, in all fairness and justice, Jews and Israelis in prison for security crimes must also be released."

Asked what recent terrorist releases he is referring to, Zangy - who lives with his wife Ettie and their ten children in Hevron - said, "There have been several, in addition to the release of the Jordanians today. Just a couple of weeks ago, when Hamas overrode Gaza and a host of Fatah terrorists ran for their lives, Israel deliberated for a couple of days, and finally allowed them to be taken safely to Ramallah - instead of arresting them on the spot, like a normal country would have done."

"In addition," Medad continued, "there was the release of hundreds for Elchanan Tenenbaum and three dead bodies. Shortly before that, a few hundred more were released." In August 2003, Israel released 339 Palestinian Authority prisoners as a goodwill gesture to the PA. Of these, 182 were in prison for terrorist activity, and 157 were administrative detainees.

Double Standard
Medad decried the approach of some Israelis who apply a double standard - to the detriment of Israel. As an example, Arutz-7 notes former Education Minister Shulamit Aloni. In October 1995, Aloni voiced her opposition to the release of Ami Popper (see below). At the same time, Minister Aloni said that Arab terrorists could be released because they were fighting for the "freedom of their nation" and acting in the service of a recognized organization. Dr. Aryeh Bachrach, the father of Ehud who had been murdered two months earlier by Arabs in Wadi Kelt, asked then-Attorney General Ben-Yair to remove Minister Aloni's parliamentary immunity and prosecute her for legitimizing the murder of Jews by terrorists.

Honenu has prepared a list of 37 men who are in prison or who are charged with security-related crimes. Virtually all of the alleged crimes were perpetrated, if at all, in response to Palestinian or other Arab terrorism. Jewish prisoners whose release, or an end to their legal proceedings, Honenu demands:

Shimshon Cytryn, 20, convicted of aggravated assault (though innocent of attempted murder) in a rock-throwing incident in Gush Katif two years ago. He is to be married in one month, and to be sentenced in two months.

Border Guard Policeman Shmuel Yechezkel, 22. In a clash with Arabs in eastern Jerusalem, one of whom was placed under arrest, he shot a terrorist who tried to run him over and free his arrested friend. Yechezkel was acquitted in trial, but the State is appealing.

Shai Dromi - Awoke in the middle of the night to find four Arab burglars who had poisoned his dog and were about to make off with his flock of sheep. Fearing for his life, he opened fire and wounded two of the Bedouin, one of whom later died.

Haggai Amir - in addition to his conviction on charges related to the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin, for which he has completed his sentence, he is also serving another four years for planning partisan attacks against Arabs in defense of Yesha towns.

Danny Halamish, Itzik Halamish, and Baruch Feldbaum - accused of firing in the air to scare off a group of Arabs who encroached on their grazing land in Gush Etzion. They were sentenced to 17, 8 and 9 months in prison, respectively.

Nissim Kurkus of Jerusalem. He was attacked by a group of Bethelehem Arabs, who wounded him in his head with knives and other means. He fought back and stabbed to death one of his attackers - and was ordered placed in an Israeli Prison Service psychiatric hospital for nine years.

David Emouyal of Rishon LeTzion - shot and wounded two Arabs in response to the murder of the 8-month-old Shalhevet Pass in Hevron. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Ami Popper, who killed 7 Arab workers in response to a series of Palestinian terrorist attacks. Sentenced to life, but his sentence was later reduced to 40 years by the late President Ezer Weizman. His wife and son were recently killed in a car accident (Popper was driving), and his two remaining sons, with no parents to look after them, have been given over to the foster care of a generous Jerusalem family.

Gur Hamel, 35, of Itamar. On the one-month anniversary of the terrorist murder of his two friends Harel Bin-Nun and Shlomo Libman, and the day that Danny Vargas of Hevron was similarly murdered, he shot and killed an Arab in a neighboring village. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Four Jerusalem Jews, who were sentenced to 2, 3, 3, and 6 years respectively for membership in an organization to attacks Arabs in Jerusalem.

Honenu was established several years ago to help citizens whose spontaneous acts of self-defense in life-threatening situations had embroiled them in legal trouble. In addition, Honenu hired lawyers, at group discounted rates, to represent the hundreds of youths who were charged with crimes related to their protests of the Disengagement/expulsion of 2005.

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