January 30, 2004

Listen, Israel

On this sad day when more Israeli families are mourning for their dear-ones whose blood was shed by evil inhuman people, messengers of satan, I also want to say to the enemies of Israel and these evil terrorists and their allies in the world. - don't have illusions that you can destroy Israel. Do not have illusions that you can destroy what G–d is doing with His people in these critical and exciting days when G–d together with his people Israel, is building His kingdom which will bring redemption and a real peace, not only to Israel but to all the world and even to the nations that are standing and encouraging the enemies, of the people of G–d. The judgement of the G–d of Israel as He warned them is soon to come.
"For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your reward shall return upon your own head. For as you have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually; indeed, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been. But upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions. And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble, and they shall burn them and consume them; and none shall remain of the house of Esau; for the Lord has spoken it. And they of the Negev shall possess the Mount of Esau; and they of the Shephelah the land of the Philistines; and they shall possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria; and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. And this exiled host of the people of Israel, who are among the Canaanites, as far as Zarephath; and the exiles of Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the Negev. And saviors shall ascend Mount Zion to judge the Mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's." (Obadiah 15-21)

The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement

January 29, 2004

The next time the subject of destroying art comes up...

The next time the subject of destroying art comes up, referring to Zvi Mazel's righteous act in unplugging Dror Feiler's tribute to a "Palestinian" suicide bomber, tell the Jew bashers about Al-Qaida's plot to blow up a Bologna church fresco. And don't forget to remind them about how the Taliban blew up the Buddhist statues in Afghanistan. And tell them how, for Arab Muslims, it became a standard practice to destroy Indian, Persian, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Jewish or Christian temples and build a mosque on the ruins, an act that was always interpreted by historians as a kind of one upmanship, a way to demonstrate the superiority of Islam and humiliate the defeated. And once you do tell these facts to the enemies of the Jews, you will wipe their grins right off their Jew baiting faces.

Pray these Psalms for the people of Israel

Please pray these Psalms for the peace of the people of Israel, Jerusalem and the land which G–d gave them in an eternal covenant and to show the G–d of Israel that we trust in Him completely and love Him.

Psalm 121
A Song of Ascents. In my distress I cried to the Lord, and he answered me.
Save my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.
What shall be given to you? What shall be done to you, O false tongue?
Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of the broom tree.
Woe is me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!
My soul has long dwelt with those who hate peace.
I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.

Psalm 122
A Song of Ascents of David. I was glad when they said to me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.
Our feet shall stand inside your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is built as a city which is bound firmly together;
There the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
For thrones of judgment were set there, the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; those who love you shall prosper.

Psalm 123
A Song of Ascents. To you lift I up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens.
Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until he shall be gracious to us.
Be gracious to us, O Lord, be gracious to us; for we are overfilled with contempt.
Our soul is overfilled with the scorn of those who are at ease, and with the contempt of the arrogant.

Psalm 124
A Song of Ascents of David. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, let Israel now say;
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us;
Then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us;
Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul;
Then the proud waters would have gone over our soul.
Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as a prey to their teeth.
Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 125
A Song of Ascents. Those who trust in the Lord shall be like Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abides for ever.
As the mountains are around Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people from this time forth and for evermore.
For the sceptre of the wicked shall not rest upon the share allotted to the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands to do wrong.
Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts.
As for those who turn aside to their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them away with the evildoers; but peace shall be upon Israel.

Psalm126
A Song of Ascents. When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like men who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing; then they said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them.
The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.
Bring back our captivity, O Lord, like the streams in the Negev.
Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.
He who goes forth weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come back with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

January 28, 2004

Iraqi government docs: Saddam bribed France

Iraqi government docs: Saddam bribed France
All we can say is Quelle Surprise.

A new French citizen

Jean-Claude Gaudin, Mayor of the French city of Marseilles recently disclosed that "Palestinian First Lady Suha Arafat" received French citizenship. Perhaps Mrs. Arafat did that because, let's be truthful, folks, "Palestine" is not a real country, no matter what propaganda and fabricated rhetoric comes out of Arab newspaper articles, like the one posted below, Arab radio stations, Arab satellite dish networks, mosques or imam's mouths. So read the article below, and remember the source when you read the keyword Arab phrases like "occupied" and "first lady of Palestine". The following is from www dot albawaba dot com:
Bon Jour, Mrs. Arafat…

22-01-2004, 12:23

From time to time, the name Suha Arafat resurfaces in various media reports – usually as part of some controversial story, aimed at discrediting Palestinian leader Arafat. Obviously, such reports largely emanate from either Israelis or Israel supporters, but at times, also from sources in the Arab world who don't see eye to eye with Yasser Arafat's policies on different issues.

Jean-Claude Gaudin, Mayor of the French city of Marseilles recently disclosed that Palestinian First Lady Suha Arafat received French citizenship.

During a recent visit to Israel, Gaudin, considered a supporter of Israel, said that when he served as minister in charge of immigration, he himself signed the approval to grant Suha French citizenship.

Suha, originally raised in a wealthy Christian home in the West Bank, educated by nuns and refined at the Sorbonne, currently lives in France with her daughter Zahwa.

Asked if Yasser Arafat is now entitled to French citizenship as spouse of a French national, Gaudin said that according to French law, the Palestinian president is not automatically entitled to such citizenship, but if he meets certain criteria, he theoretically can get a French passport, Israel's mass-circulation Yediot Aharonot daily reported.

For years after they were secretly married in Tunis, Mrs. Arafat was dismissed as merely a "decoration" for the longtime bachelor, but was soon to show the entire world that through her humanitarian activities in the occupied territories and outspoken stance on the Palestinian struggle – she had much to offer.

President Arafat's marriage to Suha Tawil, a Palestinian half his age, was kept secret for over a year. She had already begun significant humanitarian activities at home, especially for disabled children, but the prominent part she took in the public events in Oslo was a surprise for many.

"It was not easy to enter into their world," Suha once said. "It is a man's world, and very closed - like a family with a lot of intermarriages, and, well, you know the result of that."

Throughout the years, and maybe perhaps due to the secrecy regarding Suha's personal life, there have been continuous rumors circulating about Suha's alleged shopping sprees abroad, spending fortunes on jewelry, clothing, handbags and other accessories.

Needless to say, elements that seek to harm Yasser Arafat's image have also given a hand in slamming the life and conduct of Palestine's First Lady.

Born in Jerusalem, Suha grew up in an affluent and political household, first in Nablus, then Ramallah. Her father was a banker, and her mother, Raymonda Tawil, a well-known journalist who was frequently placed under house arrest by Israeli authorities.

When Suha met the Palestinian leader, in the course of a trip to Jordan's capital of Amman, the young lady was working as a freelance journalist based in Paris. Yasser Arafat hired her to do public relations for the PLO in Tunis, where she nominally converted to Islam before they wed.

"I married a myth," she said. "But the marriage helped him step down from his pedestal and become a human being."

At the age of 32, Suha gave birth to the couple's only child (till date) in the Paris suburb of Neuilly. Zahwa was named after Yasser Arafat's mother, who died when he was five years old.

Asked by the French magazine Le Parisien why Zahwa was born in Paris instead of Palestinian territory, Suha Arafat explained, "Our child was conceived in Gaza, but sanitary conditions there are terrible."

Last year, in yet another report targeted at slamming Arafats' wife, the Israeli Ma'Ariv daily carried a story citing "sources" as saying a company, Al-Bahar, owned by Suha Arafat forged license plates for stolen cars. Israeli army sources, according to the report, had handed top government officials a document indicating that a company owned by Suha was forging license plates for cars stolen from Israelis.

Rumors of the 40-year-old Suha Arafat's "over-spending" - and her 74-year-old husband's use of public funds to pay her expenses have been circulating for years in the Arab world and beyond, and emerge from time to time.

Recently, reports said that Suha lives in Paris on $100,000 a month from Palestinian Authority funds. According to rumors, Suha Arafat's mother, Raymonda, also lives extravagantly - apparently off international generosity and the Palestinian taxpayers.

"The last I heard, she was living in the Bristol Hotel, which is regarded as one of the premier hotels - if not the premier hotel - in Paris," an Arab source told the New York Daily News last year. "It is not far from the Elysee Palace and the American Embassy and the fashionable shopping district, Rue St. Honor.

"I understand that she has a whole floor to herself and her entourage, and that she has been living there for over a year. Must be quite expensive, especially given the financial situation of the Palestinians. ... And that does not include shopping and dining!"

However, the concierge at the Bristol, where a suite and 19 rooms cost $16,000 a night said no one listed under the last name Arafat was living at the hotel.

Arafat's wife, who has been living away from her husband and out of the West Bank "for security reasons," said she wishes to be with him during the siege imposed on him in the West Bank town of Ramallah. "I am prepared to return [to the Palestinian territories] the minute I am asked to," she was quoted as saying.

However, it seems that as of now, harsh and fragile political conditions in the occupied territories may keep Suha apart from living with her husband. The first lady of Palestine may need to still live abroad till security circumstances enable the first family to reunite. (Albawaba.com)

January 27, 2004

Trumpet Sounds

Trumpet Sounds
Why is it that world leaders are so frothed up about establishing a Palestinian state, a concept with no legitimacy, but disinterested in a state for the Kurdish people? The Kurds in Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and Syria can make a much more convincing case for their own nation, but few listen. Why? It's because the Palestinians want to take Jewish land. The world is always eager to gang up against the Jews.

"The Islamic State Will Arise Only Through Blood and Body Parts". Oh, um, great.

The Islamic State Will Arise Only Through Blood and Body Parts

"Question: 'Is there a final message you want to send to the Algerian Muslim people in these difficult times?"

"Sahrawi: 'The conflict in the world today is a conflict between belief and unbelief. The war in Palestine, in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Algeria, in Chechnya, and in the Philippines is one war. This is a war between the camp of Islam and the camp of the Cross, to which the Americans, Zionists, Jews, their apostate allies, and others belong.' "

Well, folks, there you have it, proof of the pudding.

Click here to read the rest of this interview - as if you didn't already know what to expect.

January 26, 2004

Resolution 242 - What's it really say?

Here are the facts about Resolution 242:

Resolution 242 calls for the recognition of Israel's right to exist, an end to the state of war maintained by the Arab world against Israel and secure and recognized boundaries for Israel.

Resolution 242 does NOT require Israel to return to the non-secure borders of pre-1967.

Arthur J. Goldberg, an author of U.N. Resolution 242, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (1965-1967):
It calls for respect and acknowledgment of the sovereignty of every state in the area. Since Israel never denied the sovereignty of its neighbouring countries, this language obviously requires those countries to acknowledge Israel's sovereignty."

The notable omissions in regard to withdrawal are the word 'the' or 'all' and 'the June 5, 1967 lines'… the resolution speaks of withdrawal from occupied territories, without defining the extent of withdrawal." - "The Meaning of 242" - June 10, 1977
Lord Caradon, an author of U.N. Resolution 242, U.K. Ambassador to the United Nations (1964-1970):
We didn't say there should be a withdrawal to the '67 line; we did not put the 'the' in, we did not say all the territories, deliberately… We all knew – that the boundaries of '67 were not drawn as permanent frontiers, they were a cease-fire line of a couple of decades earlier… We did not say that the '67 boundaries must be forever." -- MacNeil/Lehrer Report – March 30, 1978
Eugene V. Rostow, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs (1966-1969):
"Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338… rest on two principles, Israel may administer the territory until its Arab neighbors make peace; and when peace is made, Israel should withdraw to 'secure and recognized borders', which need not be the same as the Armistice Demarcation Lines of 1949." "The Truth About 242" - November 5, 1990
Lyndon B. Johnson, U.S. President (1963-1968):
"We are not the ones to say where other nations should draw lines between them that will assure each the greatest security. It is clear, however, that a return to the situation of June 4, 1967 will not bring peace." -- September 10, 1968
What does 242 say?
"Termination of all claims or states of belligerency… "
"…respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of every State in the area… "

"…[every State's] right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force."

"Withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories in the recent conflict."

What does 242 mean?
The Arab states must end the state of war initiated and maintained by them since 1948.

The Arab states must recognize Israel's right to exist. Israel is entitled to clearly defensible borders. This is not a privilege, but rather a right guaranteed by international law. Israel should withdraw from some, not all, of the territories captured in the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel's indefensible pre-1967 borders provided no security. The Arab states should sit down with Israel, without preconditions, to negotiate peace.

For further information, see Palestinian Time Machine, from the May 1999 Middle East Digest.

January 25, 2004

Saddam's WMD hidden in Syria, says Iraq survey chief

Saddam's WMD hidden in Syria, says Iraq survey chief
Quelle surprise.

It's not like we didn't warn Iraq approx 6 months in advance so that they would have enough time to transfer their mobil weaponry to Syria.

A hat tip to Solomonia for linking this article to his site.

January 24, 2004

Jenny Tonge, British MP: "I'd be a suicide bomber"

Jenny Tonge of the Liberal Democrat Party, told a House of Commons meeting the Palestinians engaged in terrorism because of the "everlasting humiliation" of Israeli occupation, the London Sun newspaper reported.

Yeah, right. Did you feel the same way about the British occupation of Palestine? Did you feel the same way about British occupation of other countries? Did you applaud when Hezbollah blew up 250 American Marines?

Jenny Tonge, I bet you wouldn't give up a single cup of tea or a single crumpet to get off your high horse if it meant you could no longer pass judgement on the Jews.

Jenny Tonge, did you know that when the Palestine Problem was created by Britain in 1917, 70% of the land was British (first Ottomon) state land, the Arabs only owned a fifth of the total land, and the majority of that fifth was by wealthy landowners?

Did you know that during the thirty years of British occupation and rule, the Jews were able to purchase only 3.5% of the land of Palestine, in spite of the encouragement of the British Government? And that much of this land was transferred to Jews by the British Government directly, and was not sold by Arab owners?

Jenny Tonge, did you know that, considering the British owned just over 70% of the land, they could give it to anyone they wanted to, it certainly wasn't stolen from the Arabs, that's for sure. It's pretty nervy of you to tell someone else what they should do with their own land. It's also incredibly ethnocentric to claim that only a certain ethnic group has rights to own land, as is the claim by the Arabs.

Jenny Tonge, did you know that when British passed the Palestine Problem to the United Nations in 1947, Zionists owned 8.6% of the total land area of Palestine?

Jenny Tonge, did you know that it is Jordan that occupies the largest landmass of what was once considered Palestine? How "interesting" that there is no concern that the Hashemite king owns most of Palestine, but the Jews' existence on a small strip is the basis for a continuous ethnic and religious war at the insistance of guess who.

Jenny Tonge, did you know that what the Arabs call "territorial expansion" before 1948 is known by the rest of the world as LEGAL PURCHASE OF LAND?

Jenny Tonge, did you know that after 1948, the land of Arabs who left the territory of Israel was assigned to an administrator of absentee lands, and under Israeli law the absentee Arabs could return and reclaim their land? Thousands of them did so (the figures I have seen are over 15,000). As to those absentee Arab land owners who refused to deal with Israel, their land was taken by eminent domain (called "compulsory purchase" in British law, or "expropriation" in European civil law), and they were paid fair market value plus interest. This is a story that for some reason has not received any publicity, an act of informational neglect that from the point of view of hasbara is positively criminal. This story should be told. Don't take my word for any of this. Check it out with your Israeli sources. I believe that the Office of Administrator of Absentee Property still exists in Israel. Check it out, you elite bitch.

Jenny Tonge, did you know that Israel remained, ever since its inception, a total stranger in the emerging world of Afro-Asia; and that Israel has been refused admission to any inter-state conference of Asian, African, Afro-Asian, or Non-Aligned States ever held?

Jenny Tonge, did you know that you should insist on some resolutions condemning China's brutal occupation of Tibet, or Morocco's occupation of Western Sahara, or Turkey's occupation of Cyprus? What's interesting is that none of these nations need the land they occupy. The same is not the case with Israel. Israel is not allowed to live on its own land, but these other countries are allowed to occupy that land because they want to. Nice.

Jenny Tonge, did you know that the overwhelming majority of Arabs left on their own two feet a) either because they were tricked into doing so by their own so-called brethren, or b) because they were encouraged to do so in order to facilitate the Arab armies creating a Judenrein Palestine? The evidence is over-whelming on this.

Jenny Tonge, did you ever question why are there still refugee camps in areas under the PA for the past, oh, 7 years? What about how the Jordanians and Egyptians kept the Palestinians in refugee camps, doesn't that matter? Of course not, it only matters if Israel can get blamed somehow, otherwise, forget it.

Furthermore, the reason why Israel keeps a tight lid on the Palestinian territories is because they, "the Palestinians" stupidly won't shut up about the fact that their ultimate goal is to destroy Israel at the first given opportunity.

Arabs want to continue to call for Israel's destruction, of course, launched from the West Bank and Gaza, yet they refuse to understand why Israel keeps a tight grasp over them.

Jenny Tonge, did you know that you should tell the Arabs to shut the f*** up about destroying Israel, and instead, usher the Jew hating Arabs to launch a successful peace campaign, end their ethnocentric boycott, stop their calls for holy war, stop misappropriating Jewish holy sites, and then talk peace. Arab nations only want Israel to be weak so they can overwhelm her with their hostile hoards and you, Jenny Tonge, you and your stink are their accomplices.

Walid Jumblatt, a Lebanese Jew Hater and Member of Lebanon's Parliament.

Lebanese leader praises suicide bomber
In case anyone has delusions - or illusions - about the vehemence and dedication and fanaticism of those who hate Jews, read what Walid Jumblatt, a member of Lebanon's parliament said. In fact I'll quote the dog here:
...the fall of one Jew, whether soldier or civilian, is a great accomplishment...
I hope now that people will finally realize for once what we are up against. [Smooth: Please note that Syria occupies Lebanon, but the UN ignores that fact, conveniently.]

Rachel's Tomb, a History.

Taken from the Committee For Rachel’s Tomb website, http://www.rachelstomb.org/:
Judaism's third-holiest site, has been the scene of prayer and pilgrimage for more than three thousand years. [Smooth: Mohammed, by the way, wasn't even born until 570 AD. ] Rachel, the beloved wife of the third Patriarch, Ya'acov (Jacob), died in childbirth on the way to Hebron returning to his family's home:
They set out from Bayt-El; but when they were still some distance from Efrat, Rachel went into childbirth, and she had hard labor, When her labor was at it's hardest, the midwife said to her, "Have no fear, for it's another boy for you." But as she breathed her last --as she was dying-- she named him Ben-Oni, but his father called him Benyamin. So Rachel died. She was buried on the road to Efrat -- now Bethlehem. Over her grave Ya'acov set up a pillar, it is the pillar at Rachel's grave to this day. Torah, Parshat Vayishlach (Genesis 35:16-21)
Ya'acov buried Rachel at this spot, rather than a the family burial plot at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, because he foresaw that his decedents would pass this site during the the forced exile to Babylon in the year 423 B.C.E.

And then Rachel would pray for their safety and ultimate return, as it's written:
Rachel, weeping for her children, she refuses to be comforted for her children who are gone. Thus said HaShem: Restrain your voice from weeping, your eyes from shedding tears for there is reward for your labor' declares HaShem. 'They shall return from the enemy's land and there is hope for the future' declares HaShem: 'Your children shall return to their own country.' Jeremiah 3:15-17

So Ya'acov set up a monument over her lonely grave site so that exiled Jews would recognize it and pray and be comforted as they were being led into captivity. Ancient writings describe the grave marker as 12 stones that represented the 12 tribes of Israel with one large stone that symbolized Ya'akov.

Since the time of her burial the Tomb of Rachel has always been a special place for prayer. To this very day, men and women go to Rachel's Tomb to shed tears and beg "Mother Rachel" to intercede with G-d on their behalf -- for the health of a loved one or for Divine Intervention for those in need. Rachel, the childless woman who ultimately became mother of the Jewish People, has become a special symbol of hope for childless women -- teaching them the power of prayer. Hundreds of requests are sent every month to the Committee For Rachel's Tomb from Jews world wide, requesting prayers to be said on behalf of the ill, the childless and those in need of a special blessing.

From the Byzantine period until the 1800's Rachel's Tomb consisted of a tiny domed structure. It was Sir Moses Montifeori who renovated the Tomb in 1841 and added on an anteroom and enclosed the dome over the grave marker so that pilgrims could find shelter from the elements.

The town of Bethlehem has grown several fold but then Mother Rachel's Tomb was in an open area on the road side.

Today it stands in the center of the town with one of the main streets passing right next to it. Since 1948 Muslims have created their own cemetery surrounding the building on three sides.

Our own generation remembers these views of rustic charm from the time before the State of Israel agreed to give Bethlehem to Arafat and the Palestinian Authority.

Rachel's Tomb is a living symbol of HaShem's promise to Rachel that her children will return to the Land Of Israel. Jewish life today thrives in Rachel's Tomb. In these days, despite the on-going war of attrition people still go to recite Tehillim (Psalms), pray and learn Torah. Classes by renowned Jewish speakers are held there. Rachel's Tomb has also become a place of joy as Britot and Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebrations are held within it's walls.

The Committee For Rachel's Tomb is sponsoring the Rachel's Tomb Educational Center which reaches out to the thousands of teenagers visiting Israel and to Israeli students, teaching Jewish heritage through the legacy of the Matriarch Rachel and the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

The Palestinians, who have shot at the compound nearly every day, have already singled it out as the next Jewish holy site which they want to "liberate." Recently, the Palestinian Authority newspaper Al Hayyat al Jedida published an article entitled: "After the liberation of Joseph's Tomb - Can we liberate the Belal ibn Rabakh mosque? (the Arabic name for Rachel's Tomb).

"Rachel's Tomb, or the Belal ibn Rabakh mosque," the article stated, " is one of the nails hammered into many Palestinian cities by the occupation governments and the Zionist movement. The outpost lies at the northern entrance to the town of Bethlehem. After the Oslo accords, the place became a military outpost surrounded by a beautiful marble wall, and a Jewish synagogue and other rooms were built.

"The Palestinians," reported Al Jedida, "affirm that this tomb is fake, and that it was originally a Muslim mosque ... until the occupation forces captured the Palestinian territories and considered the place to be Rachel's Tomb. The question is whether after the evacuation of Joseph's Tomb in Nablus, the Palestinians will succeed in forcing the occupation to evacuate Rachel's Tomb as well."

In sermons given in the mosques, the "mosque" is also referred to as the next brick which must be removed from the Jewish-Zionist edifice, after Joseph's Tomb.

And these are just some more of the reasons why Jews negotiating peace with racist-terrorists, who believe themselves to be superior to all others, is never going to work. Islam's hatred of non-Muslims explains why Israel, on May 14 and May 15, 1948, [the DAY AFTER Israel declared her independence], was invaded by seven Arab armies: Egypt, Trans-Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Yemen.

So folks, it's not about "occupied territories". Muslims began their reign of terror before one Israeli ever stepped foot into the West Bank or Gaza Strip. The current killings of Jews by Palestinians -- and, earlier, by Arabs who didn't yet consider themselves Palestinians -- predated the establishment of the state of Israel. The killers did not differentiate among their targets. They just had to be Jews, random Jews, any Jews: farmers on some remote kibbutz in the Galilee, working people in Haifa, or pious men and women from a town like Hebron where Jews had lived continuously since several centuries before Mohammed ever set foot on this earth.

January 23, 2004

In the streets of Jerusalem's Old City, an old Temple Mount ritual is renewed

JERUSALEM, Dec. 31 (JTA) — A new phenomenon is catching on in the streets of Jerusalem's Old City: walking to the fates of the Temple Mount to recite from the Book of Psalms.

Just before every Rosh Chodesh, the first day of the Hebrew month, thousands of men and women gather in the courtyard next to the Western Wall to go on a holy parade.

The crowd is led in a chant of Psalm 24, the words reverberating off the ancient walls. "Lift up your heads, ye gates, and the King of Glory will come in," they read.

This ritual actually is a revival of an ancient tradition that dates back to the days of the Temple.

Click here to read the rest of this exciting article.

Oslo, Wye, Road map, Geneva accords predicted by Isaiah

"We have signed a treaty with death, and made a contract with the grave."
--- Isaiah 28, 15

January 21, 2004

The Quandary of Arab Denial

For all of the oil revenue that has flowed into the wealthier Arab countries, consider the overall state of the Arab world:

* It does not produce a single manufactured product of sufficient quality to sell on world markets.

* Arab productivity is the lowest in the world.

* It contains not a single world-class university.

* The once-great tradition of Arab science has degenerated into a few research programs in the fields of chemical and biological warfare.

* No Arab state is a true democracy.

* No Arab state genuinely respects human rights.

* No Arab state hosts a responsible media.

* No Arab society fully respects the rights of women or minorities.

* No Arab government has ever accepted public responsibility for its own shortcomings.

We live in a self-help world - we can't force reform upon Arab states. If Arabs prefer to dream of imaginary triumphs while engaging in fits of very real savagery, then they are their own ultimate victims.

Various ideas and words for this article are attributed to Ralph Peters, columnist for the New York Post, and his article entitled "Tragedy of the Arabs."

Spreading Torah Truth to Hasten the Redemption

HaMeir L'David
HaMeir L'David is a non-profit organization headed by David Ha'ivri and dedicated to raising awareness of national and Jewish issues in Israel and the Diaspora to hasten the Redemption.

Ha'Meir L'David undertakings include printing books by Rabbi Meir David Kahane and his son, Binyamin Ze'ev; printing booklets on various Halachic subjects; raising awareness of Zionist history such as the actions of the Irgun and Lechi and printing T-shirts and bumper stickers to publicise its message.

January 18, 2004

lndia Continues Security Fence. OMG, Alert the Media

lndia Continues Security Fence
India will keep building a security fence to prevent attacks by militants from Pakistani-administered Kashmir, the country's top army officer says. General N C Vij said the Indian army had intercepted thousands of messages sent from militant bases on the Pakistani side. He said the activity indicated that the bases were still operating. Meanwhile gun battles in Indian-administered Kashmir have left several militants and Indian soldiers dead. The issue of Kashmir is expected to figure in talks in Islamabad later this month between Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf. India has already built a section of the security fence, which will eventually stretch hundreds of kilometres.

I don't know about you, but I wasn't informed of any outrage by the "international" community regarding this fence. Were you?

January 15, 2004

"Palestinian" Children Play With Terror

"Palestinian" Children Play With Terror
We believe to be true that some of our readers already know the following facts about the Palestinian Authority's choice of school textbooks, but Smooth Stone aims to assist readers in DEFINING and DEFENDING Israel by being a source of relevant information and that includes bringing to light the notoriety of the kleptocracy, Palestine.

Ergo:

Arab “Palestinian” children are taught to play with terror.

The children are taught from infancy through adulthood all the basic lessons and techniques of terrorism. From birth and the cradle the children learn hatred, incitement, terrorism and violence.

Their education begins at home by parents who are willing to accept “blood money” as “compensation” for their loss from state-supporters of terrorism. Hatred of Jews is then promulgated daily in camps, day schools, madrassas and mosques. It is also supplemented by the Palestinian Authority (formerly called the Palestine Liberation Organization) state-controlled media.

A few examples from school textbooks sum up the sentiments…

“Drive out the Jews” – Our Arabic Language for Fifth Grade

“Jews are evil” – Islamic Education for Seventh Grade

“Jews are the Enemies of the Prophets” – Islamic Education for Fourth Grade

In summary, the PA/PLO school textbooks contain absolutely no attempt to encourage reconciliation with Israel. Israel is dishonestly and falsely presented as inhumane and Greedy.

There are no camp counselors wearing shorts sharing a friendly game of basketball with campers. The counselors wear army uniforms. The children undergo weapons training.

The implicit aspiration in the Arab “Palestinian” education system is to instill a deep-seeded evil hatred, incitement, terrorism and violence against the Children of Israel and to replace the entire State of Israel with an Arab State of Palestine.

Posters of “homicide bombers” or so-called “Shahids” (“Martyrs”) are everywhere.

They are worshipped like pagan idols. Glorified. Immortalized. As heroes and saints.

The Arab “Palestinians” are willing to sacrifice their children in so-called “suicide” (actually “homicide”) missions to cause as much murder and mayhem towards a chosen people.

In the latest example of Arab “Palestinian” teaching tools for children are the glorification of terrorists through trading cards - depicting terrorists as heroes – which have become widespread collectibles in the Gaza, Judea & Samaria (wrongly called “West Bank”), The Jerusalem Post reported.

Majdi Taher, the maker of the cards said that 6 million cards have been sold over the past two years.

This is clear documentary evidence that Arafat, the PA/PLO, and the numerous affiliated terrorist subsidiary organizations, including but not limited to Fatah, PFLP, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad have not been playing with a full deck” when it comes to the peace process.

Meanwhile, a new report from the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) finds that the Arab “Palestinian” sermons broadcast live from mosques under control of the Palestinian Authority and shown on official television contain common themes including "calls for the destruction of the United States, the perceived American Crusader war against Islam, honoring so-called shahids (pawns in political propaganda) and glorifying the rewards of the “shahids” honored “martyrdom” in the name of G-D, educating children to martyrdom and anti-Semitism, including calls for the killing of Jews." In addition to the weekly-televised sermons, new Arab “Palestinian” textbooks also continue to instill hatred for Israel, rejecting its right to exist and calling it "evil," The Jerusalem Post reported last week. According to first phase of the U.S.-backed Roadmap "all official Palestinian institutions [must] end incitement against Israel."

Teaching terrorism is the curriculum for the children who are brainwashed with hatred, incitement, terrorism, and violence since birth. One simply cannot blame children who do not know any better or different. But one can hold them and their teachers fully accountable. One can not preach and teach terrorism and expect peaceful results.

Throwing rocks at tanks makes it look like a struggle in which the Arabs are David vs. an Israeli “Goliath” but in reality it is exactly the opposite with 22 Arab nations utilizing the “children” as cannon-fodder to annihilate the very tiny little Jewish nation state of Israel which is a sore reminder and wound of democracy and freedom in a region of repressive ruthless rulers and tyranny. They have been very successful thus far in the war of images and words despite the fact that there is nothing factual, honest, or truthful in the message.

These same children are sent by parents to throw pipe bombs, smuggle so-called “suicide bombers” and weapons and vests. Would you willingly send your child to death with false promises that by doing so they will enter paradise? This defies dishonesty and morality.

Teach the children reading, writing and arithmetic. Not how to fire automatic weapons, building “bombs” and murdering people on buses, in cars, in homes, in restaurants, in shopping malls, and in universities. Not terrorism.

When you do not dishonestly use school textbooks to teach the annihilation of human beings who actually want to honestly live normally in peace.

Only then can an honest real peace ever be achieved.�

Arafat's Radio Blesses Woman Bomber

Arafat's Radio Blesses Woman Bomber
In an unprecedented show of support for a human bomb attack, Yasser Arafat's official radio greeted with elation the news of latest suicide assault in the Gaza Strip.

The style of the news item, which opened the afternoon news round-up, was more like a birthday greeting than a regular news report, stressing the woman's identity and "heroic martyrdom" (Arabic: istish-haad) repeatedly.

There was no mention that she was a member of the Islamic terror group known as HAMAS (Haraka al-Muqawwima al-Islamiyya: Islamic Resistance Front).

Arafat's VOP radio said Israel was to blame for the attack, [ROFL] and it offered no condemnation for the assault at the Gaza crossing point which also serves as a place of employment and access into Israel for Palestinian laborers.

Courtesy of IMRA

=====

Wonder if Adam Shapiro did a superiority dance and handed out sweets when he heard the news...

Yasser's wealth of problems

Yasser's wealth of problems

While nearly half his people are unemployed and survive on less than $2 a day, Arafat's wife and daughter live in a swanky Parisian hotel and get a monthly allowance of $100,000. Arafat lives in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

"If Yasser Arafat and the thugs running the PA hadn't stolen their people's money and spent it on terrorism, not only would they be able to make payroll, they would have the money to invest in improving people's lives. Clearly, terrorism is their priority." - AIPAC

  • Yasser Arafat’s estimated worth is between $300 million and $1.3 billion.

  • Wife Suha and daughter Zahwa live on $100,000 a month in Paris, far from Arafat’s two-room West Bank residence.

  • He holds a 23% stake in a $28.5 million casino in the West Bank city of Jericho.

  • Profits from all gasoline imported into territories.

  • Owns a $55 million firm that controls most of the cement trucked to West Bank and Gaza.

  • Has several Swiss bank accounts.


  • Quelle surprise.

    Click here to read the rest of this article.

    January 14, 2004

    FOX News.com is really starting to tick us off

    FOXNews.com - Top Stories - Homicide Bomber-Mom Kills Four at Gaza Border
    Oooh yeah, we're pissed. As we reported earlier today, a Palestinian woman, Reem Al-Reyashi, murdered four other Israelis this morning on the border of Israel and - I'm sorry, did you say Gaza? Pardon us, let us clarify, a place which the media calls Gaza, as if to distinguish it from Israel. Since there is no such real place as Palestine, it behooves us why people reference a fake border between Israel and Gaza as if this border were indeed separating two nations. Isn't Gaza in Israel? There is no such place as Palestine so why did the news report state that the murders occurred on the border of Israel and Gaza?

    Perhaps Gaza is outside of Israel in the minds of the uneducated and indoctrinated. Just because the PA prints maps of Israel with the word Palestine on it, doesn't make a truism out of their fiendish hope that Israel does not exist.

    Israel exists, Palestine does not. And Baruch HaShem, let us pray it never will.

    But that's not what is angering us because we're already used to the mendacious nature of the fake Palestinian nation and their tribesmen.

    What we find profoundly disturbing is the report by Fox News that the Palestinian woman homicide murderer - was a mom.

    Well, Fox News, any woman can lie on her back with her legs spread and later birth out two human babies - that doesn't make her a mother.

    And don't EVER think that we here at Smooth Stone believe for one second that Reem Al-Reyashi was anything similar to what the normal and evolved define as a mother; Al-Reyashi WILLFULLY abandoned her offspring by committing suicide and condemning her offspring to becoming orphans. If you believe that Al-Reyashi is a mother and you're a westerner, then you're just another shill for the Palestinian horse and pony show.

    Furthermore, that Fox News even qualifies Reem Al-Reyashi as a mother, dilutes the enormity of Fox News NEGLECTING to mention that among the thousands of dead Israelis that the unevolved Palestinians have been murdering over the past thirty five years were themselves the REAL mothers and REAL fathers and REAL grandsons and the REAL granddaughters. Did Fox News ever attribute THOSE familial properties to the dead Jews that were being reported?

    I doubt it in spite of their claim of "fair and balanced" reporting and we find it absolutely disgusting that Fox News would attribute the noun "mother" to a piece of dirt like that.

    Homicide Bomber Kills Four at Gaza Border

    Homicide Bomber Kills Four at Gaza Border
    A female "Palestinian" homicide bomber blew herself up Wednesday at the main crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip, killing four Israelis, emergency officials said.

    Sadly, the unevolved do again what they do best; murder, maim, cripple. Murderous acts that are constantaly perpetrated by "Palestinians" merely galvanize all of the civilized world against them and does not further their cause, and please note, it's a cause completely flawed and based on lies, rooted in rhetoric, promoted by propaganda, rampant with racism and - most importantly, jealousy of the Jewish nation and their vast accomplishments and contributions.

    U.S. Islamic leader indicted for terror link

    U.S. Islamic leader indicted for terror link
    Imam Fawaz Mohammed Damrah, head of the Islamic Center of Cleveland allegedly withheld information on his membership or affiliation with several groups, including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which is on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations.

    Damrah, also known as Fawaz Damra, was filmed making a 1991 fundraising speech in Chicago for Palestinian Islamic Jihad in which he urged attacks on Jews.

    "[Muslims should be] directing all rifles at the first and last enemy of the Islamic nation, and that is the sons of monkeys and pigs, the Jews," he told the audience.

    Damrah was one of the 170 possible co-conspirators in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing named by the U.S. attorney for the southern district of New York. He was not arrested in connection with the bombing after being questioned by the FBI.

    =====

    Good. Another two-faced Muslim racist bigot gets taken down. Here's hoping that Damrah gets to cuddle with his other farrow-mate, Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, an Egyptian cleric serving a life sentence for conspiring to blow up New York City landmarks.

    Arab Liberal Writer: Blames Arab Media for Hatred of the US

    Arab Liberal Writer: Blames Arab Media for Hatred of the US
    Reform in the Arab and Muslim world is a rare concept and a concept that Arabs and Muslims generally repel, for oh so many reasons. So, when an Arab writer speaks on behalf of the benefits of reform, Smooth Stone listens:

    An op-ed by Abd Al-Bari Atwan, editor of London Arabic daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi, claiming that the U.S. is to blame for the Arab world's hatred of it, [1] sparked a debate in the Arab press.

    Munir Al-Mawari, a Yemenite journalist and columnist for the London Arabic-language daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, wrote several articles responding to Atwan's claims.

    The following is an excerpt from two of Al-Mawari's articles that made us sing. You can read the rest of his excerpts here.
    "According to Abd Al-Bari Atwan, 'the U.S. has given the world a model of equality, human rights, an independent judicial authority, and democratic institutions, but has always acted to deprive Arabs and Muslims of these achievements…'

    "Mr. Abd Al-Bari Atwan… It is not possible to impose these achievements if they don't want them. Democracy is not a commodity that the U.S. can export or donate.

    "Atwan complains that, 'At the Aqaba summit, the U.S. president pledged to preserve Israel's Jewish identity…' and [he wonders] 'how the U.S. – a country with ethnic, religious, and cultural pluralism – can support a racist country that is based on religion…'

    "Mr. Atwan, the U.S. does not support Israel because it is a Jewish country, but because Israel has succeeded in linking its existence with the supreme national American interest. We have 22 religious countries. In all of them but one, the constitution stipulates that Islam is the national religion and that Islamic law is the principle source of legislation. [And yet] despite this, the U.S. maintains ties with us. The reality is that Israel is more democratic than any Arab country, and the suffering of the Palestinian citizen in Israel is much less than the suffering of the Arab citizen in his homeland and his own Arab country, whatever country that may be …"

    Aaahhh. Now *that* was good reading.

    January 13, 2004

    Why isn't Palestinian chaos relevant? Why is the media ignoring the socio-pathology described here?

    Why isn't Palestinian chaos relevant?
    For the first time since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority nearly a decade ago, aides to chairman Yasser Arafat have come under repeated attack.

    Palestinian sources said several aides of Arafat as well as senior PA officials have been threatened by Palestinian insurgents connected to the ruling Fatah movement. In some cases, officials and aides were prevented from touring residential areas, blocked from entering their offices or even abducted.

    "The threats have focused on aides believed to have withheld money meant for Fatah people," a Palestinian source said. "Nobody will threaten Arafat directly, so his aides have been the target."

    Arafat has come under muted but severe criticism for the huge celebration to mark Fatah's 39th anniversary on Wednesday. A senior Fatah source said the demonstrations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip cost more than $3 million.

    [Smooth Stone says: Fatah was born a couple of years before the 6-day war. Keep in mind that "Fatah" means "conquest" in Arabic. Do the math, folks.]

    On Sunday, Ramzi Khoury, director-general of Arafat's office, was kidnapped by about 25 Fatah insurgents as he was driving through the Gaza Strip. The sources said Khoury, based in the West Bank city of Ramallah, was returning from Egypt through the Sinai Peninsula where he had visited his parents.

    Khoury, one of the few Christian aides of Arafat, and Gaza military governor Mohammed Ali Qidweh were held for several hours by the Fatah insurgents. They said Khoury was taken to an insurgency stronghold in Rafah where he was beaten. He was finally released.

    The sources said the threats to PA officials come in wake of a reduction in funds relayed by Arafat to loyalists in the Gaza Strip. They said the PA chairman has also been blamed for failing to stop Israeli military attacks on the tunnels that connect Rafah to the Egyptian-controlled Sinai, a leading source of revenue for Fatah loyalists in the southern Gaza Strip city.

    In early December, Fatah insurgents attacked PA Housing Minister Abdul Rahman Hamad in Rafah. Hamad had been on a tour of the city to inspect the damage from an Israeli military operation to search and destroy Palestinian weapons smuggling tunnels that connect with Egypt.

    On late Monday, about 30 Fatah operatives, armed with rifles, stormed the Khan Yunis municipality in the central Gaza Strip, the third such incident since October. The gunmen demanded that Arafat recruit them into the PA security forces. The Fatah operatives left the building after they said they received a pledge to hire them.

    =====

    Welcome to the kleptocracy-in-the-making, "Palestine", where chaos, guns, drugs, and violence abound, and which we are all supposed to believe is irrelevant. Now, can someone please explain how it is that a prerequisite to anti-Zionism is to have a total lack of critical thinking skills? How can anybody insist upon a unilateral withdrawal from the WB and Gaza?

    Do Moslems, Christians & Jews Believe in the Same God?

    Do Moslems, Christians & Jews Believe in the Same God?
    In a word, no.

    One of the clichés endlessly repeated by those who would conceal the dangerous potentialities inherent in Islam is that Moslems "believe in the same God" as Christians and Jews. But this is a severe distortion of the truth, for what Moslems fundamentally believe is that they know the true nature of the God that Judaism and Christianity tell lies about. Lies for which Christians and Jews will be punished in hell. The fact that Moslems share Levantine monotheism with us thus makes them more, not less, antagonistic to us on a religious level. Hopes for reconciliation on the grounds of common monotheism, as opposed to a realistic "good fences make good neighbors" civilizational détente, are wishful thinking.

    Click here to read the entire analysis.

    "Relief" Planes Transported Weapons From Iran To Hezbollah Via Damascus

    "Relief" Planes are one more ruse used by the enemies of God

    Israel Radio reported this morning [Date: 9 January 2004] that Israeli security sources say Syria and Iran have recently stepped up the flow of weapons to Hezbollah via the cover of "humanitarian relief" planes bringing aid to the Iranian earthquake victims. The planes were loaded with weapons in Iran and flown back to Damascus where the weapons were transferred to Hezbollah. The United States has been informed of the situation.

    IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
    Website: http://www.imra.org.il

    January 11, 2004

    How will Israel fare if shrunk to its pre-SIX DAY WAR (1967) Borders?

    Israel is simply too small to allow for the deployment and maneuver of large warring armies, hence, as the Arabs persistently resolve to destroy Israel, Yigal Allon, as a Labor Deputy Prime Minister, declared (February 1967):
    "Israel is entitled, nay, obligated and therefore capable of opening pre-emptive hostilities whenever war is imposed upon it - this being the most important and, in certain circumstances , the only means of securing its survival."
    Click here to read the rest of this paper.

    Worth repeating: Why does Israel need a security fence?

    Why does Israel need a security fence?

    A Smooth Stone "What if?"

    What if the US government took into account the fact that Palestinian society is infected, root and branch, by terrorist ideology?

    How can the US deter terrorism when it is actively involved in the rapid establishment of a terrorist state?

    January 09, 2004

    Talk host under fire for slamming Arabs

    Talk host under fire for slamming Arabs

    Folks, get a load of this new hypocritical policy coming out of the BBC:

    A British television talk-show host for BBC1 is under fire for a newspaper column he wrote criticizing Arabs. Robert Kilroy-Silk faces a possible police investigation after referring to Arabs as "suicide bombers, limb amputators, women repressors," reports Sky News. The comments, which included a charge that Arabs "murdered" 3,000 civilians on September 11, were published in a weekend column in the Sunday Express.

    ~~~~~

    If a British television talk-show host were criticizing Israeli Jews, then the BBC would have applauded the sentiment. The corrupt Leftists who run the BBC typically report on the conflict in Israel by referring to Arabs who are killed while rioting as: "Palestinian demonstrators shot dead by Israeli armed troops". They then drum up statistics showing how disproportionate are the numbers of Jewish casualties as compared to Arab casualties. The implication is that Israel is a brutal oppressor which puts down democratic expression of dissent by shooting protestors. Clearly it is understandable that, in reaction to this brutality, the Arabs will shoot back. Seeing the statistics, it appears as though the Arabs are only defending themselves and standing up bravely against Israeli oppression.

    But these are lies, and the BBC knows it. Tom Gross, former Middle East reporter for the London Sunday Telegraph and New York Daily News, and author of "Jeningrad", writes: "I believe that the profound anti-Israel bias -- and now I am convinced that it does exist -- has, over the years, become ingrained in the BBC's corporate culture. Combine that with a massive dose of anti-Americanism and you have a combustible cocktail."

    It is astonishing, too, but not surprising, that the Oxford "poet" Tom Paulin should continue to star on the BBC Newsnight's Late Review, despite his call, published in the Cairo-based al-Ahram, to kill Jewish settlers.

    One can only guess at the BBC's reaction if his remarks had been directed at Arabs instead of at Jews.

    Kulanu - All Of Us

    Kulanu

    So what color are Jews - white? Wrong. Jews come in just about every color imaginable, and here is the website to prove it. Kulanu is a Hebrew word meaning "all of us," and seeks to bring lost Jews or marginal Jews back into the fold.

    Visit Kulanu, a fascinating site about world-wide Jewry.

    Keyword(s): World Jewry

    Palestinian refugees: championed by Arab world yet treated like outcasts

    Palestinian refugees: championed by Arab world yet treated like outcasts
    As the foreign minister of Egypt, the largest Arab country, Ahmed Maher might have expected a warmer welcome from Palestinians when he joined their worshippers in Jerusalem.

    But the scuffles that erupted at Al Aqsa Mosque last month, with Islamic extremists yelling "You are collaborating with the killers of Muslims," underscored a strong current of discontent among many Palestinians toward Arab states.

    The anger is focused chiefly on Egypt and Jordan for having signed peace treaties with Israel, but it goes further, to the frustration of having lived as second-class citizens in neighboring Middle Eastern states for 55 years since fleeing their homes when Israel became a state.

    Arab states, which have fought four wars against Israel in the name of Palestine, maintain that to grant them citizenship would be to give up on their dream of returning to the homes they lost when the Jewish state was created.

    But to the Palestinians, the wars were fought as much out of self-interest as concern for the Palestinians, that the verbal championing of their cause is rhetoric to rally the Arab states' own masses, and that it isn't matched by decent treatment of the refugees.

    "There is always a political motive behind the Arab states' positions toward the refugees in their countries," says Tayseer Nasrallah, who heads the Palestinian Refugee Rights Committee in the West Bank, home to 650,000 refugees. "They consider us an unstable element so they always oppress the refugees and try to get rid of them."

    Hundreds of thousands of 1948 refugees and their descendants are crammed into impoverished and often violent camps, some of which have grown into urban slums.

    UNRWA, the U.N. Relief and Works Agency set up in 1948, has 4 million refugees on its books in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and many more are scattered farther afield in the Arab world -- 70,000 in Egypt, for instance.

    Palestinians in Egypt suffer restrictions on employment, education and owning property. When Egypt announced in September it would grant nationality to children of Egyptian mothers married to foreigners, it did not include Palestinians.

    In Lebanon, nearly 400,000 Palestinians live in 12 refugee camps, where crime is rife and clashes between rival Palestinian factions are common. Palestinians cannot own property or get state health care.

    According to Nasrallah, Lebanon bans refugees from 72 areas of employment, including medicine and engineering.

    Things are better for Jordan's 1.7 million Palestinians, who are nearly one-third of the population and enjoy Jordanian citizenship. But relations have a tumultuous history. A Palestinian assassinated Jordan's king in 1951, and two decades later Jordan fought a war against Yasser Arafat and his Palestine Liberation Organization. In recent times the government has steadily moved to "Jordanize" jobs in the army and other sensitive areas like state radio and television and the Interior Ministry.

    The result, say Palestinians, is that they are discriminated against in getting such jobs, even though no law officially bans their employment.

    Awni Shatarat, who lives in the Baqaa Palestinian refugee camp, said, "some Jordanians think that Jordan is not home for the Palestinians, that we are only guests."

    Syria, with a population of 18 million, is a strong verbal supporter of the Palestinian cause, and refuses citizenship to its 410,000 Palestinian refugees.

    Hisham Youssef, spokesman for the 22-nation Arab League, acknowledged that Palestinians live "in very bad conditions," but said the policy is meant "to preserve their Palestinian identity."

    "If every Palestinian who sought refuge in a certain country was integrated and accommodated into that country, there won't be any reason for them to return to Palestine," he said.

    The PLO tends to agree with that line, while adding its voice to demands for better treatment of the refugees.

    "Palestine is the national home for the Palestinian people wherever they are now," Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat, a West Bank Palestinian, told the AP. How they achieve that right is a matter for negotiation with Israel, he said, but added:

    "We are against the settlement of the refugees in any country, but the host countries should provide the refugees with a dignified living. ... The host countries should allow the refugees to work, to live and to move in dignity until they achieve their right of return."

    In el-Arish, an Egyptian town 25 miles from the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip with its 900,000 U.N.-registered refugees, 35-year-old Ahmed Mahmoud Zahar says he considers Egypt his home and has no desire to return to his Palestinian father's birthplace.

    Zahar was born in Egypt to an Egyptian mother, married an Egyptian and has 10 children. Yet he and the children are Palestinians under Egyptian law.

    "We can't own a house, land or get a loan from the bank, despite the fact that I was born here and have no idea what is Palestine," Zahar told the AP.

    "It is an evil hypocrisy," said prominent Palestinian writer Mureed al-Barghouti, who lives in Cairo. "The language of the (Arab) governments and media is in one direction and the real practices on the ground are totally the opposite."

    Al-Barghouti is married to an Egyptian but he and his Egyptian-born son can't have Egyptian nationality.

    The Arab media, particularly state-run newspapers, constantly denounce Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, but the refugees say it doesn't give them any concrete help.

    "All the Arab countries want to keep this problem looking like an open wound" to keep world attention focused on Israel's occupation of Palestinian land, said Ana Liria-Franch, regional representative in Cairo for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

    Some Palestinians in Egypt have endured two bouts of exile.

    Libya deported around 30,000 in 1995-96 because its leader, Moammar Gadhafi, opposed peace accords signed between Israel and Arafat. Kuwait expelled hundreds because Arafat sided with Saddam Hussein after the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

    "Arab countries deal with Palestinian refugees as a political issue," said Oroub El-Abed, a Palestinian who researched the Kuwait expulsion. "Any humanitarian solutions, in their point of view, will lead to marginalizing the Palestinian cause."

    Lebanon holds a grudge against its 10 percent Palestinian minority for taking sides in the country's devastating 1975-90 civil war between Muslims and Christians. Most Palestinians are Muslim, so Palestinians are refused legal status so as not to upset the country's delicate religious balance.

    "For 55 years now, Palestinian refugees in Lebanon have been oppressed and robbed of their most basic civil rights," said Ibrahim al-Shayeb, who lives in the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp -- Lebanon's largest -- and works for the PLO's media office.

    He complained that the Palestinians' degrading life in Lebanon "causes extremist and fanatical ideas to grow and take root."

    EDITOR'S NOTE -- Associated Press writers Jamal Halaby in Amman, Zeina Karam in Beirut and Laurie Copans in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

    January 08, 2004

    The View from Here by Barry Shaw

    2003 - A Year in the Death of Israelis

    This month-by-month review encapsulates only the tip of the Palestinian terror iceberg during the last year.

    January:
    Elderly man stoned to death by Palestinians in Jordan Valley.
    2 bombers kill 23 in a tel Aviv pedestrian mall.
    2 Palestinians kill father of four in moshav near Afula.
    Soldier killed by terrorists by Egyptian border.
    Palestinian kills father of 5 at Shabbat dinner table, daughter and guests wounded.
    3 soldiers killed near Hebron by Palestinian.

    February:
    I.D.F. officer shot and killed in Bethlehem.
    Soldier shot in the back and killed by Palestinian sniper near Gaza.

    March:
    Bus bomber kills 15 and injured dozens on Haifa bus.
    Two Palestinians kill couple at their Shabbat dinner table.
    20 year old soldier killed in Hebron ambush.
    Paratrooper killed in gun battle with terrorists.
    Israeli motorist shot dead near Jenin.

    April:
    Terror attack in Tel Aviv kills 3 and injures 50.
    One killed and 14 injured in suicide bombing at Kfar Saba train station.
    I.D.F. photographer killed by Palestinian gunfire at Rafah refugee camp.
    3 killed by infiltrating Palestinian at Karni crossing.
    Palestinian kills 2 soldiers, wound 9, at Jordan Valley army base.

    May:
    3 killed and 70 wounded by Palestinian woman at Afula shopping mall.
    8 killed and 20 injured in Jerusalem bus bombing.
    Couple killed by Palestinian gunman in Hebron.
    Man killed by Palestinian gunfire on his way to work.
    Father killed, daughter injured, in the car.
    6 Palestinian suicide attacks, 4 rocket and mortar attacks, in May.

    June:
    Bezeq technician shot to death by 15 year old Palestinian.
    Two rockets fired at Sderot.
    US-born man killed, parents and wife injured, by Palestinian gunfire near Ofra.
    Moshav grocer killed by Palestinian bomber.
    7 year old girl killed by Palestinian.
    22 year old killed and 2 women injured.
    Netanya man killed by Palestinians.
    22 killed and 100 wounded in Jerusalem by Palestinian dressed as a haredi Jew.
    5 soldiers killed by Palestinian infiltrators near Erez.

    July:
    Missing solider found murdered near Arab village.
    Man stabbed to death.
    Woman killed in her home by Palestinian.

    August:
    Man killed, pregnant wife seriously wounded.
    Teenager killed by Palestinian.
    Commando killed at Hamas bomb factory.

    September:
    Baby killed on Rosh HaShana.
    3 soldiers killed in separate ambushes.
    7 killed, dozens wounded, in Jerusalem coffee shop bombing.
    Suicide bomber kills 9 soldiers at bus stop.

    October:
    3 killed in ambush.
    22 killed in Haifa restaurant bombing.

    November:
    2 guards killed near security fence.
    Female tourist killed at Akaba-Eilat border.
    2 soldiers killed at roadblock.

    December:
    Bomber kills 3 women and a man at a Tel Aviv bus stop.

    It would be bad enough if this list covers all the terror attacks perpetrated against Israel by Palestinians. Alas, it only personifies the thousands of terror attacks, suicide bombings, rocket and mortar shellings, shootings, stonings, knifing incidents, car bombings, explosions, suffered by Israelis through 2003.

    Palestinian society thrives on a culture of incitement and hatred. The whole of its community lives and breathes a fanaticism and passion to destroy Israel and kill Jews. Those who do not actively engage in terrorism support those that do.

    If Palestinian energies and monies that pour into murder and mayhem would be channeled into social services and building a modern society they would find Israel to be a willing neighbour with open borders giving them employment, medical assistance, commercial and industrial development. Israel, instead, has become a country that is forced to produce the antibodies against the negative forces that are constantly bombarding and attacking it. Just as a body only produces antibodies when negative germs are formed and attack, so Israel is forced to produce the antibodies to protect and defend itself. These antibodies include the controversial security fence which has already saved many lives.

    The frenzy of such attacks peaked in March 2002 with seventeen successful suicide bombings. Since then, and due to the brilliance and bravery of Israel's unsung heroes in intelligence, secret agents, the I.D.F., the police, and the construction of the security fence, more attempts have been foiled than those that have succeeded. In 2003, twenty three suicide bombers got through to their targets and wreaked their death and destruction. However, one hundred and eighty one failed, or were foiled, due to the vigilance of Israel's defenders. Tireless efforts by Israel's intelligence agents and military, the ongoing construction of the security fence, proper international pressure on the Palestinian Authority, prevention of support by neighbouring states to local terror groups, will all help to reduce the effectiveness of Palestinian terror.

    Israelis do not have any realistic hopes that Palestinian society will reform itself, or put an end to the terror and destructive policies. So, Israelis will continue to display their remarkable fortitute in 2004. Hopefully fewer Israelis will be murdered, despite all the passionate ambitions of the Palestinians to see Israel destroyed.

    January 07, 2004

    Smooth Stone presents the Poster Boy for "Palestinian Hatred of Israel"

    I'm ready for my closeup, Mr. Demille
    This is a photo of Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher being escorted to safety by an IDF soldier. The IDF soldier is the one on the lower left wearing the kippa, and Maher is in the center on the right. Maher was being attacked by Palestinian thugs for daring to visit Israel to discuss peace.

    Notice the demonic look on the face of the Palestinian in the back, on the right, who has earned Smooth Stone's "Palestinian Poster Boy" award.

    For those who are not familiar with what happened to Maher, click on this link to a Smooth Stone archive for background info.

    The Israel Forum for International Humanitarian Aid

    For the first time ever, an Israeli entertainer has been chosen to serve as a good will ambassador for a United Nations organization.

    The announcement of singer Achinoam Nini's (known internationally as "Noa") appointment took place in Rome on World Food Day. Representatives of 168 countries - including several Arab nations such as Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt - stood up and cheered enthusiastically as singer Achinoam Nini's appointment was announced and she made her acceptance speech.

    The Israel Forum for International Humanitarian Aid

    January 06, 2004

    Facts: Arab vs Arab Conflicts

    Resolved Conflicts

    Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over the Buraimi area(resolved in 1974).
    Saudi Arabia and Kuwait over the Om Al-Maradiim, Kara, Neutral zone (resolved in 1995).
    Saudi Arabia and Iraq(resolved in 1989)
    Saudi Arabia and Bahrain over the Fascht Abu Sada, Labiina senior and junior.
    Saudi Arabia and Yemen(preliminarily solved in 1995).
    United Arab Emirates and Qatar over Haluyl, Al Ashaat, Sharauu, Daiina, Yassat-Khur al-Adid.
    United Arab Emirates and Oman over Baraimi, Wadi Madha, Wadi Al-Qawr Dhahira.
    Jordan and the PLO
    Jordan and Syria
    Iraq and Syria
    Lebanon and the Palestinians

    Un-resolved Conflicts
    Iraq and Kuwait
    Iraq and Saudi Arabia
    Qatar and Bahrain
    Qatar and Egypt
    Morocco and Algeria
    Morocco and Western Sahara (Sawari)
    Mauritania and the Polisario
    Tunisia and Libya
    Djibouti and the armed FRUD-faction

    Arab vs non-Arab conflicts
    Djibouti and Eritrea
    Iran and UAE
    Iran and Iraq
    Iran and Egypt
    Israel and Egypt
    Israel and Syria
    Israel and Lebanon
    Israel and Jordan
    Israel and the Palestinians
    Turkey and Iraq
    Turkey and Syria
    Chad and Libya

    Intrastate conflicts
    Algerian Civil War
    The Lebanese Civil War
    The Yemeni Problem
    The Kurdish Problem
    Sudanese Civil War
    Slaughter at Hama

    Keyword(s): Facts

    January 05, 2004

    How did Israel get its land?

    According to British government statistics, prior to the establishment of the State of Israel, 8.6% of the land area now known as Israel was owned by Jews; 3.3% by Arabs who remained there; 16.5% by Arabs who left the country. More than 70% of the land was owned by the British Government. Under international law, ownership passed to Israel in 1948. The public lands included most of the Negev Desert --half of Palestine's post-1922 total area.

    --Survey of Palestine, 1946, British Mandate Government
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    "At the end of World War I, some of Palestine's land was owned by absentee landlords who lived in Cairo, Damascus and Beirut. About 80% of the Palestinian Arabs were debt-ridden peasants, semi-nomads and Bedouins. Analyses of land purchases from 1880 to 1948 show that 73% of Jewish plots were purchases from large landowners, not poor fellahin."

    --The Peel Commission (1937)
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    "The arab charge that the Jews have obtained too large a proportion of good land cannot be maintained. Much of the land now carrying orange groves was sand dunes or swamp and uncultivated when purchased...there was at the time at least of earlier sales little evidence that the owners possessed either the resources or training needed to develop the land. Jews paid more than $20 million (at 1936 rates) to arab landowners, mostly estate holders."

    "In 1944, Jews payed between $1000 and $1100 per acre in Palestine, mostly for arid or semi-arid land; in the same year, rich black soil in Iowa was selling for about $110 per acre (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture)"

    -- Land Ownership in Palestine, 1880-1948
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Arab Land Sales

    The weekly Fasl al-Maqal, owned by Arab-Israeli parliament deputy Azmi Beshara and based in the predominantly Arab city of Nazareth in north Israel, ran a list of 54 leading Palestinians who sold land to Jews from 1918-1945. The paper reported Thursday that Palestinian nationalist leaders, including the grandfather of the PLO's current top official in Jerusalem, sold land to Jews in the years before Israel's founding.

    The paper ran a story titled "Our Fathers On The Take," takes the issue back to the era of the British mandate before Israel's founding in 1948, when the Zionist movement was seeking land in Palestine to create a Jewish state.

    The paper reports that some of those highest up in the Palestinian nationalist movement which opposed the Jewish state were at the same time selling land to the Jewish Agency, the body spearheading the Zionist drive.

    The weekly's editor-in-chief, Awad Abdel Fatah reports that the names came from an official document dating back to the British mandate in Palestine, which the paper received from official sources in Jordan. He said, "We published only a partial list from the document, showing the role of the Palestinian leadership in the flow of lands to the Jewish Agency before the disaster of 1948," he said.

    The names are embarrassing to the PA as one is a relative of Yasir Arafat and he is one of the most prominent names on the list. His name is Mohammed Taher al-Husseini, father of al-Hajj Amin al-Husseini, the mufti of Jerusalem and supreme head of the Palestinian nationalist movement. Another was Kazem al-Husseini, grandfather on the mother's side of Faisal Husseini, the top PLO official in Jerusalem. Kazem sold lands in Jerusalem, where he was mayor from 1918-1920. The list includes five other members of the Husseini family, one of the most prominent clans in pre-1948 Palestine and today.

    Other members of leading Palestinian families also showed up on the list, as did members of the High Arab Committee, the High Islamic Council and the Arab Executive Committee, the main bodies which led the nascent Palestinian nationalist movement against Zionism. Mussa al-Alami, who headed the Palestinian delegation to the London Conference of 1939 convened to discuss the future of mandate Palestine, sold 90 hectares (222 acres) to Jews in Bisan, now the north Israeli city of Beit Shean, according to the list. Ragheb al-Nashashibi, mayor of Jerusalem from 1920-1934 and head of the National Defense Party, sold over 120 hectares (296 acres) of land in Jaffa, outside Tel Aviv. Nashashibi also sold land in east Jerusalem upon which Hebrew University was later built.

    Yaakub al-Ghussein, who headed the Arab Fund created to gather money to support the Palestinian cause, sold land to Jews in Jaffa and what is now the Gaza Strip for 4,000 Palestinian pounds, equivalent to British pound sterling at that era. And the other elite Muslim and Christian families of Palestine, including the Abdel Hadi, Bseiso, and Fahum clans, were represented on the list.

    So, folks, tell me. How was an entire homeland stolen?

    Keyword(s): facts

    January 04, 2004

    Democrats who said that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction must be liars too, no?

    Who are the 'liars'?
    Folks, this is a little OT but in response to the Bush-bashers out there who shout that "George Bush said we had to go into Iraq because it had weapons of destruction. He lied.", we offer this:

    Syndicated columnist William Rusher has done some computer search homework that makes anyone's lying-by-the-president contention not only defamatory, but absolutely ludicrous. For Rusher reports:
    Feb. 17, 1998: 'We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program.' - President Clinton.

    Feb. 18, 1998: '[T]he risk that the leaders of [Iraq] will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security risk we face.' - Clinton Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

    Oct. 9, 1998: '[We] urge you ... to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs.' - Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Tom Daschle, Carl Levin, John Kerry and others.

    Sept. 23, 2002: 'We know [Saddam] has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country.' - Al Gore.

    Fall 2002: 'We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction.' - Sen. Ted Kennedy.

    Dec. 8, 2002: 'We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has ... a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction.' - Sen. Bob Graham of Florida of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
    There ain't nothin' like some good ol' research to chase away a nasty political headache.

    Keyword(s): Iraq War; WMD; 2004 election; quotes

    CAIR goes on the attack once again

    CAIR raises its leg again

    Folks, please continue to raise your antennae about CAIR, the dangerous Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations.

    In a press release accusing WorldNetDaily of "demonizing Muslims," CAIR denied its chairman of the board, Omar Ahmad, made the statement declaring the Quran should be America's highest authority, and said it is seeking a retraction from the newspaper that published the story July 4, 1998.

    However, Lisa Gardiner, the reporter, said the statement in question is her paraphrase but insisted it is accurate, she stands by her story and will not retract the story.

    Joseph Farah, the creator and editor of World Net Daily, says:
    "CAIR's leadership has an Islamic totalitarian mindset just like their funders in Saudi Arabia and their friends in the Hamas terrorist group. They dish it out pretty well, but they can't take any criticism – not even e-mails! You should see the hate mail I get from CAIR's members. It would make your hair stand on end."

    Farah added: "These extremists like to try to intimidate people, but they can't stand up like men and take it. Now they are running to the Justice Department for help. Fortunately for us, we don't have Shariah law in this country; we live free under the U.S. Constitution."
    For more info on this terror front, visit Anti-CAIR, a site worthy of support.

    Keyword(s): CAIR

    January 03, 2004

    Muslim pro-Israel activist threatened

    Muslim pro-Israel activist threatened
    A devout Muslim college student in Canada known for her pro-Israel views on campus has received death threats after expressing support for the Jewish state's right to exist.

    "As a result of my pro-Israel views, I have received a lot of verbal assault, and a few threats to my life," Sarah Nasser, a third-year student at the University of Toronto, told The Jerusalem Post.

    "I received some violent resentment from the pro-Palestinian left-wing majority on campus. Most of my Muslim friends do not respect my views," she said.

    Born in Canada to parents who migrated from Tanzania, Nasser is a religious Muslim who covers her head with a veil and lives according to the rules of the Koran. She recently returned from a visit to Israel, and signed a petition to the United Nations denouncing suicide bombings.

    "Being a supporter of the existence of Israel does not conflict with Islam, it complements Islam," she said. "The Koran does not have any verses that do not allow for the Jews to return to the Land of Israel." Nasser says that the North American media fails to portray the "severity" of the Palestinian uprising, and says that the armed uprising is proof that "Yasser Arafat and his followers will do whatever it takes and cause as much bloodshed as is necessary to overtake all of Israel."

    Active in campus political groups, Nasser urges the Jewish State to do more to improve its image abroad, saying that pro-Israel Muslims should be brought here to "show them what Israel is like, and to equip them with the knowledge to speak out in their communities about how sweet a country Israel is."

    "I love Jews as I love true Muslims," she said. "Therefore, I believe Jews should have a right to live legitimately in their homeland."

    =====

    We here at Smooth Stone want to thank Sarah for her courage and honesty, traits so rarely seen in the Muslim community. Thank you Sarah Nasser.

    (and a thank you to Hasidic Gentile for posting this on his site.)

    January 02, 2004

    Stop thinking like a Westerner and you will begin to understand terrorism

    Why Terrorism Works
    Terrorism works. Why? Stop thinking like a Westerner and you will begin to understand.

    That's the answer provided by Irwin Graulich in this excellent article.

    Mr. Graulich explains when a once great civilization and religious culture fails miserably, it has only two choices. Go out of business or delude itself into believing it has not failed at all, by producing a new false reality of physical strength and spiritual greatness.

    The previously mighty, powerful Arab and Muslim world has fallen into the dustbin of history. It no longer produces anything of value, wisdom, discovery or progress. Those amazing Arabian armies of the desert have been reduced to the laughing stock of West Point studies, with the six strongest Arab nations together being totally decimated by a tiny Jewish nation.

    Thus, terrorism was born to compensate for a hatred of the good and successful, who are also superior in virtually every way.

    Click here to read the entire article. It's a keeper.

    January 01, 2004

    Egyptian media thrash Palestinians

    Egyptian media thrash Palestinians
    The Egyptian press, normally supportive of the Palestinian cause, is now lashing out at Palestinians in the strongest terms in memory.

    Why are the Egyptians outraged? A group of Palestinians attacked Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmad Maher during his recent visit to the al-Aqsa Mosque on Israel's Temple Mount and it embarassed the Egyptians.

    So, grab yourself a cup of coffee, sit back, kick off your shoes, and click here to read some of the Egyptian responses to the behavior of the "Palestinians".

    "State of Palestine" Constitution Institutes Islamic Law. Christianity is forbidden.

    "State of Palestine" Constitution Institutes Islamic Law
    Well, don't we have a lot to look forward to in 2004. The Palestinian Authority has adopted an official constitution based on Koranic "Sharia" Law, rendering all people living in the PA subject to Islamic Law.

    The PA Constitution begins by stating that the territory of the "State of Palestine" is an "indivisible unit based upon its borders on the even of June 4, 1967" - which include, of course, all of Jerusalem and many of its Jewish suburbs. It also states, "All residents of this territory shall be subject to Palestinian law exclusively."

    (Equally improbable is Article 3, which states, "Palestine is a peace loving state that condemns terror, occupation and aggression". ROFL!)

    The fact that the PA has adopted Sharia Islamic Law, based on the Iranian and Saudi Arabian models, means that Palestinian Christians will no longer be able to practice their faith openly. The United States refuses to acknowledge this development, despite the fact that it was US AID that financed the formulation of the PA State Constitution.

    Instead, officials of US AID have fostered a constitution that envisions creation of the Islamic totalitarian state of Palestine, completely devoid of religious freedom and human rights. At present, no church can operate in Bethlehem without Islamic approval. This is the legacy of what US financial AID has facilitated.

    Now, when Jew hating Palestinian Arabs, the left-wing terrorist apologists, and their allies shout "Zionism equals Racism", it will be incumbent upon them to defend why it is okay for the kleptocracy "Palestine" to not allow religous faiths except for Islam. They will not be able to defend the indefensible. And their denial and defense of The Big Lie will reveal exactly who the real racists are.

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