Report: 'Rioters' Kill 16 in Attack on China Border Station

Violence in China. Is this another example of Muslim terror? From FoxNews:

"Unidentified" attackers rammed a dump truck into a patrol station in China's Central Asian border province Monday morning, tossing grenades in a raid that killed 16 officers and wounded others, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. The attack in Xinjiang province was in an area where local Muslims have waged a sporadic rebellion against Chinese rule.

It came just four days before the start of the Beijing Olympics — an event that at least one radical Muslim group has vowed to attack.

Two of the attackers were arrested, Xinhua reported. It called the attackers "rioters" but did not further identify them.

The exact location of the attack could not immediately be determined. Kashgar, or Kashi in Chinese, is the name of an oasis town that was once a stop on the Silk Road caravan routes and is also the name of the surrounding region that abuts Pakistan, Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan.

A local Turkic Muslim people, the Uighurs (WEE'-gurs), have chafed under Chinese rule, fully imposed after the communists took power nearly 60 years ago. Occasionally violent attacks in the 1990s brought an intense response from Beijing, which has stationed crack paramilitary units in the area and clamped down on unregistered mosques and religious schools that officials said were inciting militant action.

Chinese defense and police commanders have warned that radical Uighurs fighting for what they call an independent East Turkistan in western China pose the single greatest threat to the Olympics.

Terror Camp in China Had Links to Al-Qaeda

I used to categorize posts about China as Off-topic. Now I'll be filing them under al-Qaeda. From Terror Camp in China Had Links to Al-Qaeda:

Shi Dagang, a lawmaker from China's Xinjiang region, confirmed Friday that 18 people from the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), who were killed in a raid on a terror camp in January, had links to al-Qaeda and the Taliban. "The terrorists were trained by the Taliban in Afghanistan and sent to China by them," Shi said. "They had close connections to al-Qaeda." Militants among the region's dominant ethnic Uighurs are leading a violent Islamic separatist movement in Xinjiang. The Uighurs are Turkic-speaking Muslims with a language and culture distinct from the majority of Chinese.

Breaking News -- Iran Set to Try Space Launch

Iran has converted its most powerful ballistic missile into a satellite launch vehicle. The 30-ton rocket could also be a wolf in sheep's clothing for testing longer-range missile strike technologies, Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine reports in its Jan. 29 issue.

The Iranian space launcher has recently been assembled and "will liftoff soon" with an Iranian satellite, according to Alaoddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission.

The move toward an independent space launch capacity is likely to ratchet up concern in the U.S. and Europe about Iran's strategic capabilities and intents. Orbiting its own satellite would send a powerful message throughout the Muslim world about the Shiite regime in Tehran.

U.S. agencies believe the launcher to be a derivation of the 800-1,000-mi. range Shahab 3 missile. A Shahab 3 fired from central Iran could strike anywhere in Israel, Saudi Arabia, the entire Persian Gulf region and as far west as southern Turkey.

There are concerns in the West that space launch upgrades, however, could eventually create an Iranian intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with a range of nearly 2,500 mi., giving Tehran the ability to strike as far as central Europe, well into Russia and even China and India.

The U. S. Defense Intelligence Agency has told the Congress that Iran may be capable of developing a 3,000-mi. range ICBM by 2015.

"But ultimately, their space program aims to orbit reconnaissance satellites like Israel's "Ofek," using an Iranian satellite launcher from Iranian territory, says Uzi Rubin, the former head of the Israel Missile Defense Organization. Rubin made his assessment in a report for The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

"A reconnaissance satellite of reasonable performance should weigh about 300 kg. [660 lb.] Once Iran learns how to put 300 kg. into earth orbit, it could adapt the satellite launcher into an ICBM that could drop more than 300 kg anywhere in the world.

Boroujerdi's made his remarks about the imminent Iranian launch in a speech before a group of religious students and clerics in the city of Qom near where Iran has conducted some of its ballistic missile tests. Iran is now in the midst of military exercises that include a series of shorter-range missile tests, Iranian officials say.

Although designed as a technology demonstrator, the planned satellite launch would be a potent political and emotional weapon in the Middle East.

The new space launcher and ongoing missile development is also significant in that it highlights close technological ties between the Iranian and North Korean missiles programs, intelligence agencies agree.

Analysts at the strategic think tank GlobalSecurity.org believe that the new Iranian modification could be a stepping stone to an Iranian clone of the North Korean Taep'O-Dong 2C/3 ballistic missile that failed in a launch attempt from North Korea last July 4.

A November 2006 Congressional Research Service report reinforced concerns over Iranian and North Korean missile development ties. It notes that Israel's military intelligence chief has information indicating that North Korea has shipped to Iran eighteen 1,500 mi. range BM-25 ballistic missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

"Largely with foreign help, Iran is becoming self-sufficient in the production of ballistic missiles," says the report's author, Kenneth Katzman. And he reminds that a 2006 U.S. National Security Strategy Document notes, "The United States may face no greater challenge from a single country than Iran."

U.S. vetoes Security Council resolution assailing Israel

The U.S. vetoed a Security Council resolution on Saturday that condemned Israel for its military actions in Gaza. U.S. Ambassador John Bolton told the Council that the resolution "does not display an even-handed characterization of the recent events in Gaza, nor does it advance the cause of Israeli-Palestinian peace."

In the vote, 4 countries abstained - Britain, Denmark, Japan, and Slovakia - and 10 were in favor - Argentina, China, Congo, France, Ghana, Greece, Peru, Russia, Qatar, and Tanzania. The U.S. traditionally opposes what it considers one-sided Security Council resolutions on Israel.

What is the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) ?

Pro-Palestinian Marxist-Leninist terrorist group

Founded in 1967 by George Habash

In 1970, succeeded in hijacking four airplanes over the course of six days

Still operates in Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) was established on December 11, 1967, six months after the end of the Six Day War. PFLP's founder and General Secretary was George Habash, a socialist who was formerly a member of the group "Oppose to Political Settlement with Israel." Habash's leadership of PFLP was supplemented by Wadi' Haddad. Both men were medical doctors who helped found the Arab Nationalist Movement, a Pan Arab and Arab Socialist initiative seeking to destroy Israel and to create, in its stead, a secular, socialist Palestinian nation. In its fledgling stage, PFLP enjoyed the support of then-Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser.

PFLP was formed as an amalgamation of three smaller organizations: (a) The Young Avengers, the Palestinian military branch of the Arab Nationalist Movement; (b) The Heroes of the Return, a Lebanese organization largely controlled by The Young Avengers; and (c) The Palestinian Liberation Front, which was established by Palestinian officers in the Syrian army, and which possessed military bases in Syria as well as a network of operatives in the West Bank.

In 1968, PFLP joined the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and quickly became its second-largest faction (behind Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction); but unlike Fatah, which sought support from Arab nations, PFLP looked to Russia and China for assistance.

Blending Palestinian nationalism with Marxist ideology, PFLP describes itself as "a progressive vanguard organization of the Palestinian working class [dedicated] to liberating all of Palestine and establishing a democratic socialist Palestinian state." It views the destruction of Israel as a prerequisite to its ultimate goal of eliminating all Western influences from the Middle East and sparking a global Communist revolution. PFLP also opposes Arab regimes that it deems friendly to Israel, the United States, and capitalism -- and seeks to replace those regimes with Marxist-Leninist governments. In addition, PFLP counts the "Arab bourgeoisie" among its enemies, on grounds that it "us[es] the Palestinian problem in order to distract the Arab masses from their own interests. ... The bourgeoisie claims to aspire to a peaceful solution with Israel, but its real objective is to benefit from its role as mediator between the imperialist and domestic markets. ... The Arab bourgeoisie is prepared to provide limited aid to the national struggle, such as Saudi Arabia's aid to Fatah."

PFLP's political ideology and strategy is outlined in one of its seminal documents, The Military Thinking of the Front, which reads: "A basic condition for a true, radical revolution in our times is a revolutionary party, whose function is to orchestrate a national liberation war and lead it to victory. ... The structural basis of the revolutionary party is the revolutionary doctrine it espouses. ... A revolutionary doctrine that scientifically confronts the problems of the times is Marxism. ... A revolutionary understanding of Marxism means seeing Marxism as a guide to action, rather than as a rigid and stagnant ideology. ... The Popular Front therefore adopts Marxism-Leninism as the basic strategic line for building a revolutionary party predicated on a solid, theoretical structure. ... It is essential [to] adopt the path of the popular liberation war and establish alliances with all revolutionary forces worldwide, in order to defeat the enemy's technological superiority. ... On the basis of this international strategy, we shall be able to encircle Israel, Zionism and Imperialism, and recruit all global revolutionary forces to support us in the battle."

PFLP has carried out innumerable terrorist attacks during its history, many of them of a spectacular, high-profile nature. In November 1968, for example, the organization hijacked an El Al plane en route from Rome to Tel Aviv and forced it to land in Algeria. The following month, it attacked an Israeli aircraft at Athens airport and demanded that Israel release Palestinian terrorists from prison. (Israel refused, retaliating by attacking Beirut airport and destroying thirteen parked aircraft.) Over a six-day period in September 1970, PFLP succeeded in four out of five attempted hijacks of Western and Israeli passenger airliners; three of the planes were diverted to Jordan and one to Egypt; all four were blown up on the ground after the passengers had been evacuated.

This prompted King Hussein of Jordan to expel Palestinian organizations from his country, declare war on the PLO, and impose martial law. Armed conflict between PLO supporters and Hussein's forces persisted until July 1971 and resulted in some 3,000 deaths. At that point, in a peace agreement brokered by the Arab League and Egyptian President Nasser, the PLO moved its headquarters from Jordan to Lebanon.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, PFLP's influence began to wane and was surpassed by that of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which enjoyed growing support in the Palestinian Territories. In 1993, in protest to the Oslo Peace Accords, PFLP broke from its affiliation with the PLO and joined the Alliance of Palestinian Forces. Three years later, however, PFLP split from the APF over ideological differences. PFLP reestablished ties to the PLO in 1999, when Abu Ali Mustafa, a veteran of the PLO and the designated successor of George Habash, traveled to Cairo to initiate renewed dialogue with Arafat and to concede acceptance of the latter's Palestinian Authority.

In May 2000, George Habash resigned as PFLP's General Secretary because of failing health and was succeeded by Mustafa, who rejected all peace initiatives with Israel and directed a renewed campaign of terror (including car bombings and suicide attacks) against the Jewish state. Mustafa was killed in a targeted attack by Israel on August 21, 2001. He was replaced by Ahmad Sadat, who similarly supported the continuation of armed struggle against Israel. Sadat has directed most of PFLP's terrorist activities during the current Intifada, most notably the October 17, 2001 assassination of Rehavam Ze'evi, Israel's Minister of Tourism. In response to Israeli and international pressure, the Palestinian Authority arrested Sadat and currently holds him in nominal "custody" in Jericho.

PFLP's membership today stands at about 800. Headquartered in Syria, the organization is also active in Lebanon, Israel, and the Palestinian Territories.

With gratitude to DiscoverTheNetworks.org

Off topic: Keeping an eye on China

Within sight of horrified climbers preparing an assault on Everest, Chinese troops stationed on the Tibet-Nepal border have shot dead at least two Tibetan refugees trying to cross the border. The refugees were trying to reach Nangpa La pass last Saturday and the Everest advance base camp was swarmed by Chinese troops after the shootout. Climbers regularly see caravans of traders and refugees crossing out of Tibet, but this is the first witness report by western climbers of the People's Liberation Army shooting refugees...

Vandals attack synagogues in Russia

Unidentified attackers vandalized two synagogues in Russia on Friday, shattering windows at one and briefly setting a door ablaze at another in attacks that highlighted rising xenophobia and anti-Semitism in Russia. No one was reported injured. Russia's chief rabbi Berel Lazar said the Jewish community was shocked by the attacks, which happened hours before the Jewish New Year begins at sundown Friday.

"It's a pity that there are still some people who think they can solve their problems by hurling stones at holy buildings," Lazar said in a statement released by his office. "It's particularly sad that these incidents happened on the eve of the Jewish New Year.

If those who attacked the synagogues expected to scare Jews on those holy days, they have been mistaken."

In one pre-dawn attack on the synagogue in Khabarovsk, a city of 580,000 on the border with China, attackers shattered windows in the building which was empty at that hour, the regional department of the Interior Ministry said. A criminal investigation was launched into the attack.

Last summer, unidentified attackers spilled gasoline at the same synagogue's entrance and set it on fire. No one was hurt in that incident and there was no damage to the building. Police have failed to track down the perpetrators, the Interior Ministry's regional department said.

In another attack early Friday, unknown assailants threw a Molotov cocktail at a synagogue in the Volga River city of Astrakhan in southern Russia, setting its door ablaze. A guard at the building quickly put down the fire, the ITAR-Tass news agency quoted a district prosecutor Sergei Knizhnikov as saying.

A spokesman for the city police confirmed that the synagogue had been vandalized, saying that no one was hurt and refusing to give further details.

Russia has seen a marked rise in xenophobia and hate crimes in recent years that rights groups say is fueled in part by the authorities' reluctance to crack down on hate crimes and tackle growing nationalism. In an apparent response to such criticism, a man who burst into a Moscow synagogue last January and stabbed nine people with a hunting knife was sentenced to 16 years in prison last week.

Nationalist groups may have launched Friday's attacks to avenge Alexander Koptsev's conviction, said Alexander Brod, head of the Moscow Bureau for Human Rights, which monitors xenophobia and extremist groups.

"Radical nationalist circles were pained by the severe sentence handed down" to him, Brod said, according to the Interfax news agency. "The attacks on synagogues in Astrakhan and Khabarovsk are a response to this just sentence."

Vital Perspective: Exclusive: IAEA Reports on Iran's Continued Defiance

Hat tip to Vital Perspective:

Heads up -- IAEA report on Iran's continued defiance has been released, read it here and only here:

IAEA Reports on Iran's Continued Defiance; UNSC Must Swiftly Enact Sanctions

We've just received a copy of the IAEA report being distributed to diplomats at the UN today on Iran's nuclear program. Read the whole IAEA report exclusively here on Vital Perspective. As Sean McCormack, spokesman for the State Department said today, over the past three months Iran has "continued along the pathway to developing a nuclear weapon, continued in their defiance of the international community."

The IAEA report details the progress that Iran has achieved, noting the continued testing of P-1 centrifuges with UF 6 and the installation of a second 164-centrifuge cascade. It also details Iran's continued stonewalling and lack of cooperation with the IAEA. According to the report, Iran has not made any new information available on their P-1 and P-2 centrifuge programs. Iran has not provided a copy of a 15-page document describing procedures for the reduction of UF 6 to uranium metal, which is critical to understanding the full scope of offers made by 'foreign intermediaries.' Iran has not been forthcoming with clarification on is plutonium spearation experiments. Iran has not issued multiple entry visas to weapons inspectors on time. Iran refuses to discuss Project Green Salt, address verification and transparency issues, suspend enrichment related activities or act in accordance with the Additional Protocol. As a result, the IAEA still cannot make a determination as to the nature of the Iranian nuclear program.

It is crucial that the Security Council move swiftly and decisively to enact sanctions against the regime. Unfortunately, it looks as if John Bolton is going to have his work cut out for him. The Chinese ambassador said today that there was still more time for dialogue with Iran, as opposed to sanctions. Responding to that issue today, Bolton said "the foreign minister of China, some months ago, agreed with the foreign ministers of the other permanent members of the Security Council in Germany that if Iran did not fully suspend its uranium enrichment activity they would support coming to the Council to seek economic sanctions. And I would assume that the governments in question would live up to the commitment that their foreign ministers have made."

FATAH (AL-FATAH)

URL : http://www.fateh.net/e_public/constitution.htm

-- Terrorist group founded by Yasser Arafat in early 1960s, prior to 1967 Six Day War.

-- Dedicated to annihilating Israel

Fatah, or al-Fatah, was established in about 1959 by Yasser Arafat.

The organization’s name is a reverse acronym standing for Harakat Al-Tahrir Al-Watani Al-Filastini (“the Movement for the National Liberation of Palestine”). As a word, "Fatah" in Arabic means "conquest by means of jihad [Islamic holy war]." From its inception, Fatah’s overriding objective, as expressed in its original Covenant, was to bring about the annihilation of Israel. (Notably, this Covenant explicitly disavowed any interest in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which were then under the control of Jordan and Egypt, respectively. Only in 1968, after Israel had taken control of these regions following its victory in the Six Day War, was the Covenant amended to demand the establishment of a Palestinian State on the entire territory of the nation of Israel.)

With the backing of Syria, in 1965 Fatah began carrying out dozens of terrorist raids each year against Israeli civilian targets, launching these attacks from Jordan, Lebanon and Egyptian-occupied Gaza. By 1969, Fatah had grown into the largest constituency of Yasser Arafat's multiparty confederation, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and was under Arafat's direct control.

In the 1960s and the 1970s, Fatah provided training to numerous European, Middle Eastern, Asian, and African rebel and terrorist groups. Fatah was supplied with weaponry during this period by the Soviet Union, the Communist states of eastern Europe, and Communist China.

When Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982 (as a means of combating Arab terrorist groups that were using the region as a launching pad for artillery attacks against northern Israeli towns), Fatah members based in southern Lebanon dispersed to several Middle Eastern countries, among them Tunisia, Yemen, Algeria, and Iraq. From 1982 to 1993, Fatah’s leadership was based in Tunisia.

Today Fatah defines as its principal goal the achievement of the "complete liberation of Palestine, and eradication of Zionist economic, political, military, and cultural existence." According to Fatah, this objective is not to be accomplished by peaceful means; nor does it allow for Israel’s continued existence: “Armed public revolution is the inevitable method to liberating Palestine. … [T]he Palestinian Arab People's armed revolution is a decisive factor in the liberation fight and in uprooting the Zionist existence, and this struggle will not cease unless the Zionist state is demolished and Palestine is completely liberated." Candidly opposed to "any political solution offered as an alternative to demolishing the Zionist occupation in Palestine," Fatah has made its organizational emblem a grenade and crossed rifles, superimposed on a map of present-day Israel. Fatah’s military arm, Tanzim, is funded by the Palestinian Authority and has played a leading role in Palestinian violence in recent years.

Fatah enumerates as the "Essential Principles" of its Constitution the following tenets, among others:

--Palestinian struggle is part and parcel of the worldwide struggle against Zionism, colonialism and international imperialism.

--Liberating Palestine is a national obligation which necessities the materialistic and human support of the Arab Nation.

--UN projects, accords and reso[lutions], or those of any individual which undermine the Palestinian people's right in their homeland, are illegal and rejected.

--The Zionist Movement is racial, colonial, and aggressive in ideology, goals, organization and method.

--The Israeli existence in Palestine is a Zionist invasion with a colonial expansive base, and it is a natural ally to colonialism and international imperialism.

--Liberating Palestine and protecting its holy places is an Arab, religious, and human obligation.

Fatah currently has "Observer Party" status at the Socialist International.

DiscoverTheNetwork

Hundreds of Iranian Troops Fighting in Lebanon

From Hundreds of Iranian Troops Fighting in Lebanon:

Hundreds of Iranian Revolutionary Guard personnel are on the ground in Lebanon fighting Israel, security sources say. "I have no doubt whatsoever that they are there and operating some of the equipment," an Arab diplomatic source said Tuesday. Another foreign source, based in Washington, said the Revolutionary Guard contingent in Lebanon is based in Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. He said the troops usually number a few dozen, but that the size of the force increased in connection with the recent hostilities. The sources said the Iranians had directly operated a radar-guided C–802 missile that Iran acquired from China and that hit an Israeli navy missile boat off the coast of Lebanon on Friday, killing four sailors. The Revolutionary Guard's mission includes keeping custody of Zalzal medium-range missiles and unmanned drones.

Boycott British Products

Members of Britain's largest college teachers' union on Monday voted to boycott Israeli academics over what members termed "apartheid" policies and discriminatory practices toward Palestinians. Read more about this foolish and errant British boycott here and here.

The 69,000-member National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) passed the motion at its annual conference in the northern English city of Blackpool. Two parts of the proposal passed with a show of hands, while a third went to a vote.

Opposition to the vote culminated on Saturday with a letter to The Guardian in which hundreds of academics called on NATFHE to reject the motion.

On Friday, The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) also announced that it condemned the proposed boycott and similarly urged NATFHE to withdraw the motion.

The statement released by the AAAS board of directors said it joined with other organizations "in condemning this proposed boycott as antithetical to the positive role of free scientific inquiry in improving the lives of all citizens of the world, and in promoting cooperation among nations, despite political differences." It added, "Free scientific inquiry and associated international collaborations should not be compromised in order to advance a political agenda unrelated to scientific and scholarly matters."

Folks, it's time to boycott British products. We did it in 1769, in opposition of "taxation without representation," with a Colonial boycott of British trade goods.

There was the boycott of British goods in December 1921 by Mahatma Gandhi, known as the swadeshi policy. Gandhi also urged people to boycott British educational institutions and law courts, to resign from government employment, and to forsake British titles and honours.

What are some British products? Tetley Tea, BBC World Service, Royal Patrician English Teaware and China, Cadbury Chocolates or any of the following United Kingdom companies:

3i
AC Cars
Alexander Dennis
Alliance & Leicester
Alliance Unichem
AMVESCAP
Anglo American plc
Anglo Swiss Capital
ARM Holdings
Arriva
Art of Memory
AstraZeneca (Anglo-Swedish)
ASDA (part of Wal-Mart)
Aston Martin Lagonda
Aviva
BAA plc (formerly British Airports Authority)
BAE Systems (merger of Marconi Electronic Systems and British Aerospace)
BBC
Barclays Bank
Bentley Motors Limited
British Airways
British American Tobacco
BHP Billiton (Anglo-Australian)
The BOC Group (formerly Brin Oxygen Company, British Oxygen Company)
Boots Group
Bowens International Ltd
BP (formerly "British Petoleum" and "BP Amoco")
Bradford & Bingley
Brambles
Brintons
British Airways
British Land
BSkyB
BT Group plc (formally British Telecomumnications
Burberry
Cable & Wireless
Cadbury-Schweppes
Cameron Balloons
Carnival Corporation & plc (Anglo-American)
Centrica
Co-operative Group
Compass Group
Corus Group (Anglo-Dutch)
Crown Group
Daily Mail and General Trust plc
Diageo
DSG International plc
Dunlop
EasyGroup
EasyJet
EMAP
FCUK
Focus (DIY) Ltd
Forbidden Technologies
Gallagher
GKN plc
GlaxoSmithKline
Greene King
GUS
HBOS
Hilton Group (separate from the US Hilton company)
HSBC
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Tobacco
iScene Limited
ITV plc
Jaguar Cars
Jardine Matheson
Jawasoft
John Taylor Bellfounders
Johnson Matthey
Kangol
KESA Electricals
Kingfisher plc
Land Rover (part of Ford Motor Company)
Land Securities
Laura Ashley
Legal & General
Lloyds TSB
Lonsdale
Lotus Cars
Lunn Poly
Marconi Corporation plc (formerly The General Electric Company plc)
Marks and Spencer
Manganese Bronze
MFI
MG Rover Group
MoneyScene
Morrisons
National Express Group
National Grid Transco
Nationwide Building Society (a mutual)
Northern Rock
NTL
O2 (part of Telefónica)
Oldroyd Publishing Group Ltd
Prudential
Rank Group
Reebok (part of adidas)
Reed Elsevier (Anglo-Dutch)
Remarkable
Rio Tinto Group (Anglo-Australian)
Rolls-Royce plc
Royal Bank of Scotland
Royal Dutch Shell (Anglo-Dutch)
Royal & Sun Alliance
Royal Mail
The Sage Group
J Sainsbury
Save a Cup Recycling Company
Scottish & Newcastle
Scottish & Southern Energy
SMG plc
Shire Pharmaceuticals Group
Smith & Nephew
Smiths Group
Somerfield
Stagecoach Group
Standard Chartered
Standard Life
Swire
Tate & Lyle
Tesco
Telewest Broadband
Tomkins
Touch Local
Triumph Motor Company
TVR
UTV plc
Umbro
Unilever (Anglo-Dutch)
Uniross
United Business Communications Company PLC
Vauxhall Motors (part of General Motors)
Vestey Group
Virgin Atlantic Airways
Vodafone
W H Smith
William Grant & Sons
Williams Medical Supplies plc
Wolseley
Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries PLC
Woolworths
Xrefer

Olmert makes a pretty good speech...

... if only his vision were equal to his words... [IMRA: Mr. Olmert's spinmasters have opted for a new word for retreat: "realignment". To his credit, he does not even attempt to explain how retreating from most of the West Bank so that a mini-terror state can fill the vacuum would actually reduce friction and "prevent much of the conflict" when the conflict is over Israel's very existence (including the return of refugees to within Israel) and certainly over Israel's existence in every centimeter that Israel doesn't retreat from.

"Realignment would be a process to allow Israel to build its future without being held hostage to Palestinian terrorist activities. Realignment would significantly reduce the friction between Israelis and Palestinians and prevent much of the conflict between our two battered nations.The goal is to break the chains that have tangled our two peoples in unrelenting violence for far too many generations. With our futures unbound peace and stability might finally find its way to the doorsteps of this troubled region. "]

From the Jerusalem Post:

On behalf of the people and State of Israel, I wish to express my profound gratitude to you for the privilege of addressing this Joint Meeting of the US Congress. This building, this chamber, and all of you stand as testament to the enduring principles of liberty and democracy.

More than 30 years ago, I came to Washington as a young legislator, thanks to a program sponsored by the State Department. I had a chance to tour this building, and I saw then what I believe today - that this institution, the United States Congress, is the greatest deliberative body in the world. I did not imagine then, that a day would actually come, when I would have the honor of addressing this forum as the Prime Minister of my nation, the State of Israel.

The United States is a superpower whose influence reaches across oceans and beyond borders. Your continued support, which, I am happy to say, transcends partisan affiliations, is of paramount importance to us. We revere the principles and values represented by your great country, and are grateful for the unwavering support and friendship we have received from the US Congress, from President George W. Bush and from the American people.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "I am a success today because I had a friend who believed in me, and I didn't have the heart to let him down."

Israel is grateful that America believes in us. Let me assure you that we will NOT let you down.

The similarities in our economic, social and cultural identities are obvious, but there's something much deeper and everlasting. The unbreakable ties between our two nations extend far beyond mutual interests. They are based on our shared goals and values stemming from the very essence of our mutual foundations.
This coming Monday, the 29th of May, you commemorate Memorial Day for America's fallen. The graves of brave American soldiers are scattered throughout the world: in Asia and in the Pacific, throughout Europe and Africa, in Iraq and throughout the Middle East. The pain of the families never heals, and the void they leave is never filled.

It is impossible to think of a world in which America was not there, in the honorable service of humanity. On Monday, when the Stars and the Stripes are lowered to half-mast, we, the people of Israel, will bow our heads with you.

Our two great nations share a profound belief in the importance of freedom and a common pioneering spirit deeply rooted in optimism. It was the energetic spirit of our pioneers that enabled our two countries to implement the impossible. To build cities where swamps once existed and to make the desert bloom.

My parents Bella and Mordechai Olmert were lucky… They escaped the persecution in Ukraine and Russia and found sanctuary in Harbin, China. They immigrated to Israel to fulfill their dream of building a Jewish and democratic state living in peace in the land of our ancestors.

My parents came to the Holy Land following a verse in the Old Testament in the book of second Samuel "I will appoint a place for my people Israel and I will plant them in their land and they will dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more".

Distinguished members of Congress, I come here - to this home of liberty and democracy - to tell you that my parents' dream, our dream, has only been partly fulfilled. We have succeeded in building a Jewish democratic homeland. We have succeeded in creating an oasis of hope and opportunity in a troubled region. But there has not yet been one year… one week… even one day… of peace in our tortured land.

Our Israeli pioneers suffered, and their struggle was long and hard. Yet even today, almost 60 years after our independence, that struggle still endures. Since the birth of the state of Israel and until this very moment, we have been continually at war and amidst confrontation. The confrontation has become even more violent, the enemy turned even more inhumane due to the scourge of suicide terrorism. But we are not alone. Today, Israel, America, Europe, and democracies across the globe, unfortunately, face this enemy.

Over the past six years more than 20,000 attempted terrorist attacks have been initiated against the people of Israel. Most, thankfully, have been foiled by our security forces. But those which have succeeded have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians… and the injury of thousands - many of them children guilty ONLY of being in what proved to be the wrong place at the wrong time.

These are not statistics…. These are real people with beautiful souls that have left this earth far too soon.

In the decade I served as mayor of my beloved City, Jerusalem, we faced the lion's share of the seemingly endless wave of terrorism.

I remember Galila, a twelve year old girl, an Ethiopian immigrant, whose parents worked in the King David Hotel. On one particular morning, Galila's parents' fear of their daughter taking the bus overwhelmed them, and they asked to drive her to school. She refused, assuring her parents "Don't worry, I know where it is safe to sit". She found a seat she thought was safe. Unfortunately, a suicide bomber ascended that very bus Galila was on and exploded himself right next to her.

When I visited her grieving parents, Galila's mother came to me and pleaded "you are the mayor of Jerusalem. Please find me some item, anything, of remembrance belonging to my daughter, even a shoelace". I did everything a mayor could do, checking repeatedly with the police, insisting that they continue to scour the wreckage of the burned out bus. But the police confirmed the terrible truth: not even a shoelace could be found.

Among the victims of this brutal and unremitting terror, I am sorry to tell you, are also American citizens. Only last week, Daniel Cantor Wultz, a 16 year old high school student from Weston, Florida, who came to spend the Passover holiday with his parents in Israel, succumbed to his sever injuries, incurred in Israel's most recent suicide attack.

I asked Daniel's parents and sister, Yekutiel, Sheryl and Amanda Wultz, who only finished the traditional period of mourning two days ago, to be with us here today. Daniel was a relative of Congressman Eric Cantor of Virginia, an honorable member of this house. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

I bring Galila's memory, Daniel's memory, and the loss of so many others, with me to my new post as Prime Minister. I also bring with me the horrific scenes I saw with my own eyes when I visited New York just a few days after the devastating attacks on September 11th. A tragedy that transcends any other terrorist attack that has ever occurred.

As I told my good friend Rudy Giuliani, on that dreadful day, our hearts went out to you. Not only because of the friendship between us, but because, tragically and personally, we both know what it is to confront the evil of terrorism at home.

Our countries do not just share the experience and pain of terrorism. We share the commitment and resolve to confront the brutal terrorists that took these innocent people from us. We share the commitment to extract from our grief a renewed dedication to providing our people with a better future.

Let me state this as clearly as I can: we will NOT yield to terror…we will NOT surrender to terror….. and we WILL WIN the war on terror and restore peace to our societies.

The Palestinian Authority is ruled by Hamas - an organization committed to vehement anti-Semitism, the glorification of terror and the total destruction of Israel. As long as these are their guiding principles, they can never be a partner.

Therefore, while Israel works to ensure that the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian population are met, we can never capitulate to terrorists or terrorism. I pay tribute to the firmness and the clarity with which the President and this Congress uphold this crucial principle which we both firmly share.

Israel commends this Congress for initiating the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act which sends a firm clear message that the United States of America will not tolerate terrorism in any form.

Like America, Israel seeks to rid itself of the horrors of terrorism. Israel yearns for peace and security. Israel is determined to take responsibility for its own future and take concrete steps to turn its dreams into reality. The painful but necessary process of Disengagement from the Gaza Strip and Northern Samaria was an essential step.

At this moment, my thoughts turn especially to the great leader, who, in normal circumstances, should have stood here. Ariel Sharon, the legendary statesman and visionary, my friend and colleague, could not be here with us but I am emboldened by the promise of continuing his mission. I pray, as I am sure you all do too, for his recovery.

Ariel Sharon is a man of few words and great principles. His vision and dream of peace and security transcended time, philosophy and politics. Israel must still meet the momentous challenge of guaranteeing the future of Israel as a democratic state with a Jewish majority, within permanent and defensible borders and a united Jerusalem as its capital - that is open and accessible for the worship of all religions.

This was the dream to which Ariel Sharon was loyally committed. This was the mission he began to fulfill. It is the goal and the purpose of the Kadima party that he founded and to which I was the first to join. And it is this legacy of liberty, identity and security that I embrace. It is what I am working towards. It is what I am so passionately hoping for.

Although our government has changed, Israel's goal remains the same. As Prime Minister Sharon clearly stated: "The Palestinians will forever be our neighbors. They are an inseparable part of this land, as are we. Israel has no desire to rule over them, nor to oppress them. They too have a right for freedom and national inspirations."

With the vision of Ariel Sharon guiding my actions, from this podium today, I extend my hand in peace to Mahmoud Abbas, elected President of the Palestinian Authority. On behalf of the State of Israel, we are willing to negotiate with a Palestinian Authority. This authority must renounce terrorism, dismantle the terrorist infrastructure, accept previous agreements and commitments, and recognize the right of Israel to exist.

Let us be clear: peace, without security, will bring neither peace nor security.

We will not, we cannot, compromise on these basic tests of partnership.

With a genuine Palestinian partner for peace, I believe we can reach an agreement on all the issues that divide us. Our past experience shows us it is possible to bridge the differences between our two peoples. I believe this - I KNOW THIS - because we have done it before, in our peace treaties with Egypt and with Jordan. These treaties involved painful and difficult compromises. It required Israel to take real risks.

But if there is to be a just, fair and lasting peace, we need a partner who rejects violence and who values life more than death. We need a partner that affirms in action, not just in words, the rejection, prevention and elimination of terror.

Peace with Egypt became possible only after President Anwar Sadat came to our Knesset and declared, once and for all, "No more war and no more bloodshed." And peace with Jordan became possible only after the late King Hussein, here in Washington, declared the end of the state of belligerency, signed a peace treaty with us, and wholeheartedly acknowledged Israel's right to exist.

The lesson for the Palestinian people is clear. In a few years they could be living in a Palestinian state, side by side in peace and security with Israel. A Palestinian State which Israel and the international community would help thrive.

But no one can make this happen for them if they refuse to make it happen for themselves.

For thousands of years, we Jews have been nourished and sustained by a yearning for our historic land. I, like many others, was raised with a deep conviction that the day would never come when we would have to relinquish parts of the land of our forefathers. I believed, and to this day still believe, in our people's eternal and historic right to this entire land.

But I also believe that dreams alone will not quiet the guns that have fired unceasingly for nearly a hundred years. Dreams alone will not enable us to preserve a secure democratic Jewish state.

Jews all around the world read in this week's Torah portion: "And you will dwell in your land safely and I will give you peace in the land, and there shall be no cause for fear neither shall the sword cross through the Promised Land".

Painfully, we the people of Israel have learned to change our perspective. We have to compromise in the name of peace, to give up parts of our promised land in which every hill and valley is saturated with Jewish history and in which our heroes are buried. We have to relinquish part of our dream to leave room for the dream of others, so that all of us can enjoy a better future. For this painful but necessary task my government was elected. And to this I am fully committed.

We hope and pray that our Palestinian neighbors will also awaken. We hope they will make the crucial distinction between implementing visions that can inspire us to build a better reality, and mirages that will only lead us further into the darkness. We hope and pray for this, because no peace is more stable than one reached out of mutual understanding not just for the past but for the future.

We owe a quiet and normal life to ourselves, our children and our grandchildren. After defending ourselves for almost 60 years against attacks, all our children should be allowed to live free of fear and terror.

And so I ask of the Palestinians: How can a child growing up in a Culture of Hate dream of the possibility of peace? It is so important that all schools and all educational institutions in the region teach our children to be hate-free.

The key to a true lasting peace in the Middle East is in the education of the next generation.

So let us today call out to all peoples of the Middle East: replace the Culture of Hate with an outlook of hope.

It is three years since the Road Map for Peace was presented. The Road Map was and remains the right plan. A Palestinian leadership that fulfils its commitments and obligations will find us a willing partner in peace. But if they refuse, we will not give a terrorist regime a veto over progress, or allow it to take hope hostage.

We cannot wait for the Palestinians forever. Our deepest wish is to build a better future for our region, hand in hand with a Palestinian partner, but if not, we will move forward, but not alone.

We could never have implemented the Disengagement plan without your firm support. The Disengagement could never have happened without the commitments set out by President Bush in his letter of April 14, 2004, endorsed by both houses of Congress in unprecedented majorities. In the name of the People of Israel, I thank President Bush for this commitment and for his support and friendship.

The next step is even more vital to our future and to the prospects of finally bringing peace to the Middle East. Success will only be possible with America as an active participant, leading the support of our friends in Europe and across the world.

Should we realize that the bilateral track with the Palestinians is of no consequence, should the Palestinians ignore our outstretched hand for peace, Israel will seek other alternatives to promote our future and the prospects of hope in the Middle East. At that juncture, the time for realignment will occur.

Realignment would be a process to allow Israel to build its future without being held hostage to Palestinian terrorist activities. Realignment would significantly reduce the friction between Israelis and Palestinians and prevent much of the conflict between our two battered nations.

The goal is to break the chains that have tangled our two peoples in unrelenting violence for far too many generations. With our futures unbound peace and stability might finally find its way to the doorsteps of this troubled region.

Mr. Speaker,

Allow me to turn to another dark and gathering storm casting its shadow over the world….

Every generation is confronted with a moment of truth and trial. From the savagery of slavery, to the horrors of World War Two, to the gulags of the Communist Bloc. That which is right and good in this world has always been at war with the horrific evil permitted by human indifference.

Iran, the world's leading sponsor of terror, and a notorious violator of fundamental human rights, stands on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons. With these weapons, the security of the entire world is put in jeopardy.

We deeply appreciate America's leadership on this issue and the strong bipartisan conviction that a nuclear-armed Iran is an intolerable threat to the peace and security of the world. It cannot be permitted to materialize. This Congress has proven its conviction by initiating the Iran Freedom and Support Act. We applaud these efforts.

A nuclear Iran means a terrorist state could achieve the primary mission for which terrorists live and die: the mass destruction of innocent human life. This challenge, which I believe is The Test of Our Time, is one the West cannot afford to fail.

The radical Iranian regime has declared the United States its enemy. Its President believes it is his religious duty and his destiny to lead his country in a violent conflict against the infidels. With pride he denies the Jewish Holocaust and speaks brazenly, calling to wipe Israel off the map.

For us, this is an existential threat. A threat to which we cannot consent. But it is not Israel's threat alone. It is a threat to all those committed to stability in the Middle East and the well being of the world at large.

Mr. Speaker, our moment is NOW. History will judge our generation by the actions we take NOW…by our willingness to stand up for peace and security and freedom, and by our courage to do what is right.

The international community will be measured not by its intentions but by its results. The international community will be judged by its ability to convince nations and peoples to turn their backs on hatred and zealotry.

If we don't take Iran's bellicose rhetoric seriously now, we will be forced to take its nuclear aggression seriously later.

Mr. Speaker,

The true Israel is not one you can understand through the tragic experiences of the complex geopolitical realities. Israel has impressive credentials in the realms of science, technology, high-tech and the arts and many Israelis are Nobel Prizes laureates in various fields.

A land with limited resources, eager to facilitate cooperation with the United States, Israel devotes its best and brightest scientists to Research and Development for new generations of safe, reliable, efficient and environmentally friendly sources of energy. Both our countries share a desire for energy security and prevention of global warming. Therefore, through the United States - Israel energy cooperation act and other joint frameworks, in collaboration with our US counterparts, Israel will increase its efforts to find advanced scientific and technological solutions, designed to develop new energy sources and encourage conservation.

Just one example of Israel's remarkable achievements is the recent 4 billion dollar purchase by an American company of Israel's industrial giant Iscar. This is an important endorsement of the Israeli economy, which has more companies listed on NASDAQ than any country other than the United States and Canada. It is also a vote of confidence in Israel's strategic initiative to enhance the economic and social development of our Negev and Galilee regions.

But above all it is recognition that what unites us, Israel and America, is a commitment to tap the greatest resource of all - the human mind and the human spirit.

We believe in the moral principles shared by our two nations and they guide our political decisions.

We believe that life is sacred and fanaticism is not.

We believe that every democracy has the right and the duty to defend its citizens and its values against all enemies.

We believe that terrorism not only leads to war but that terrorism is war. A war that must be won every day. A war in which all men and women of goodwill must be allies.

We believe that peace among nations remains not just the noblest ideal but a genuine reality.

We believe that peace, based on mutual respect, must be and is attainable in the near future.

We, as Jews and citizens of Israel, believe that our Palestinian neighbors want to live in peace. We believe that they have the desire, and hopefully the courage, to reject violence and hatred as means to attain national independence.

The Bible tells us that as Joshua stood on the verge of the Promised Land, he was given one exhortation: 'Chazak Ve'ematz' 'Be strong and of good courage".

Strength, without courage, will only lead to brutality. Courage, without strength, will only lead to futility. Only genuine courage and commitment to our values, backed by the will and the power to defend them, will lead us forward in the service of humanity.

To the Congress of the United States and to the great people of America, I wish to say 'Chazak Ve'ematz' be strong and of good courage, and we, and all peoples who cherish freedom, will be with you.

And God Bless America,

Thank you

Pass the vomit bag.

Nineteen Charged with Racketeering to Support Hizballah

From Nineteen Charged with Racketeering to Support Hizballah:

A federal grand jury in Detroit charged 19 individuals with operating a global racketeering conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Murphy announced in an indictment unsealed on Wednesday.

The indictment alleges that portions of the profits made from the illegal enterprises were given to Hizballah, a foreign terrorist organization. Nine of the individuals were arrested on Wednesday.

The indictment charges that between 1996 and 2004, the group dealt in contraband cigarettes, counterfeit rolling papers, and counterfeit Viagra, produced counterfeit cigarette tax stamps, transported stolen property, and laundered money.

The enterprises operated from Lebanon, Canada, China, Brazil, Paraguay, and the U.S.

Reaping the benefits of a large Muslim population

Folks, violence has hit a Paris suburb for the fifth straight night in unrest that officials said has also spread to neighboring towns. The areas affected have a heavy concentration of immigrants including first and second generation Muslims from France's former colonies.

I suspect the root of the problem, and the pervasiveness of Muslim violence, is the feeling that they are so superior to infidels, anointed of Allah, followers of Mohammed and, yet .... they are often doing pretty badly because they tend to sit on their asses waiting for success rather than getting out and earning it. The history tends to bear out the idea that their first recourse is to steal it, rather than work for it. Equally likely is the idea that, if you destroy what your neighbor has, you have achieved his level. ("Allah, my neighbor has a goat. Please kill it. ")

Please note that there is an event in history that played a tremendous role in creating the disaster presently unfolding in Europe, specifically Paris. Ironically, "politically correct" historians, politicians and journalists refer to this historical event in a positive light, despite the terrible consequences.

The event that opened the door to a Muslim takeover of Europe was France's decision to grant independence to Algeria.

America and Israel have much to learn from this gross French blunder.

Modern France's chronic weakness and cowardice have led from one disaster to another.

In World War II, France had a larger standing army than Nazi Germany. Yet the cowardly French offered practically no resistance as the Germans marched into Paris and then conquered all of France.

Even worse, most French actively collaborated with the German occupation forces.

The ruthless Vietnamese Communist terrorist leader Ho Chi Minh, called "Uncle Ho" by his equally ruthless followers, revolted against the French in 1946

When World War II ended, Vietnamese Communists encouraged by French weakness and gutlessness started a massive rebellion against French colonial rule in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

The Communists were called the Vietminh because they were followers of the ruthless terrorist leader Ho Chi Minh.

The Communist war against the French began in December 1946, and soon even non-Communist Vietnamese nationalists joined in the revolt.

With strong support from the Soviet Union and Communist China, the Vietnamese rebels killed thousands of French soldiers and cost the French treasury a fortune as Paris was compelled to maintain a large military force in Southeast Asia in a futile attempt to crush the revolt.

The bunker at Dien Bien Phu, now a Marxist shrine, where the French surrendered to the Vietnamese

Year after year, France's military situation in Vietnam continued to deteriorate until the huge French fortress in Dien Bien Phu was overrun by the Communists in May 1954, in a humiliating defeat for the French army.

Shortly thereafter, on July 21, 1954 - exactly fifty years ago today - France surrendered control of Southeast Asia. North Vietnam was left in the hands of the mass murderer Ho Chi Minh and his fellow Communist terrorists; South Vietnam was handed over to non-Communist Vietnamese nationalists; and Laos and Cambodia were also granted full independence.

Emboldened by France's ignominious defeat in Southeast Asia, North African Arab Muslims started rebelling against French colonial rule.

In 1956, France granted full independence to Morocco and Tunisia in a vain attempt to concentrate all French armed forces in Algeria - where the French had huge oil and natural gas interests and where 750,000 French settlers had established communities.

The French were determined to keep Algeria as part of France. Over 400,000 French soldiers were sent to Algeria to crush the Arab Muslim terrorist revolt.

The Algerian Muslim rebellion started in November 1954, several months after the French defeat in Vietnam.

The French responded vigorously to Algerian Muslim terrorist attacks. The French army killed many thousands of Algerian Muslims in retaliation for the Islamic terrorism.

But the terrorism continued. Strong military reprisals did not solve the problem.

Was there any way for France to save Algeria from takeover by Muslim terrorists?

The previous is excerpted from JTF, an exceptionally truthful and courageous site.

Ulysses S. Grant and the Rabbi from Jerusalem

Rabbi Hayim Tzvi Sneersohn, a great-grandson of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the "Alter Rebbe" of Chabad Hasidim, visited the United States in 1869 on a mission for the Jewish community of Palestine. He was received at the White House by newly inaugurated President Ulysses Grant.

The Washington National Intelligencer described the reception of Rabbi Sneersohn, wearing traditional Palestinian Yerushalmi costume, by the President of the United States.

Rabbi Sneersohn said,

"Mr. President: Permit me to give my thanks to the Almighty, whose mercy brought me here to behold the face of the chosen by the millions of this great nation... I come to your Excellency from the East, to entreat you in the name of G-d, who created all men equal, to listen to the prayer of your humble servant, standing before you to advocate the cause of his oppressed brethren in the Holy Land. The Israelites in Palestine possess no political or civil rights whatever, and oftentimes deprived of protection by the representatives of the civilized nations which the Christians enjoy, are exposed to violence and arbitrary rule. The only shelter the Israelites occasionally find is in the courts of the different European consulates, where one of their co-religionists is employed either as interpreter or deputy consul, who convey their grievances to the proper channel. This free Republic alone, whose banner covers the oppressed, whose foundation is based on equality, toleration, and liberty of conscience, has no Israelites employed near the consul at Jerusalem. I do pray, therefore, your Excellency, to turn your attention to the deplorable condition of my brethren in the Orient, that the principles of this government may be truly embodied in its representatives abroad; and I do further pray that your Excellency may show me that mark of favor which will enable my brethren in the Holy Land in the hour of need to seek refuge under the Stars and Stripes, that this free country and its exalted chief should be blessed on the sacred spot of our common ancestors."

At the close of his address, the President, evidently deeply moved by the Rabbi's sincere and feeling words, inquired with interest as to the circumstances affecting the Jews at Jerusalem which might be guarded by the American consulate; and replied, with his wonted quick decision, "I shall look into this matter with care."

The Rabbi then closed the interview with the following fervent invocation:

"Before I part from you, Mr. President, allow me to offer my fervent prayer from the depth of my heart: Almighty G-d, whose dominion is an everlasting kingdom, may he bless and preserve, guard and assist your Excellency and your family. May the supreme King of Kings grant you a long life, and inspire you with benevolence and friendship towards all mankind."

At its close, the whole crowd, who had forgotten each his own personal interest in the impressive scene which was passing, were seen to be affected, some even to tears; and from some lips a fervent "Amen!" was heard in response. The President replied, with evident feeling, "I thank you for your wishes and prayers." While he was making a note for future reference, the Rabbi and his friends retired. Even office seekers seemed to say, "That man's mission ought not to fail." Of course, American sympathy will respond to such an appeal; and the American government cannot refuse so humble a request as that the Israelites of our own and other lands shall have in the American consulate at Jerusalem, an advocate whose voice will be heard throughout Christendom, as well as at the court of the greatest of the Mohammedan powers.

Rabbi Sneersohn and a large body of his friends in this and other countries look to our government to take the initiative in accomplishing for the Israelites of Jerusalem what they have secured for Germans in Germany and Chinese in China. The Holy Land is the "Fatherland" of the Israelites.

In May, 1869, Rabbi Sneersohn traveled to Cincinnati, where he told audiences that he felt he could discern the finger of G-d pointing to a day "not far distant, he hoped, when the great deliverance would take place and the land of Israel be restored to the Jewish people."

This account of Rabbi Sneersohn and President Grant was taken from The First Rabbi by I. Harold Sharfman, Joseph Simon Pangloss Press, Malibu, 1988, p. 528-9. ISBN 0-934710-15-5. Used with permission.

Palestinians attempt to murder Jewish children. Again.

Palestinians have no qualms about murdering innocent Jewish children. Just like their Nazi mentors during WWII, Palestinians on Friday morning fired an anti-tank rocket at a school bus carrying Jewish children outside the southern Gaza Strip settlement of Kfar Darom.

The rocket failed to hit the bus.

Thank G-d.

Palestinians fired four Kassam rockets at the southern Israeli town of Sderot Friday. One of the rockets hit a building, causing damage. Several people were treated for shock.

Of course when Jews go into shock, or when a Jew is murdered by Arabs who were breastfed on hatred and ethnocentrism, there is no outrage from Amnesty International, Amnesty and Human Rights Watch, Miftah, Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), Physicians for Human Rights - Israel (PHR-I), LAW, the Ford Foundation, International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) New Israel Fund, Christian Aid, and the Advocacy Project, all defenders of Arab Muslim terror. According to those organizations funded with your $$ dollars, only Arabs are entitled to self-determination, even though Jews are indigenous to the Middle East.

Folks, do the Chinese of San Francisco who have lived there for generations have the right to self-determination in creating a new China? Do the Muslims who live in Detroit, Michigan have the right to self-determination in creating a new Mecca?

No. They absolutely do not.

The Palestinian Arabs -- as opposed to the Palestinian Jews, both residents of the Mandate of Palestine, from which the term "Palestinian" comes from -- have no absolute, natural right to self-determination without the reciprocal absolute natural right of the Palestinian Jews, because Palestinian Jews ALWAYS had a prior right to create a national existence in the lands of the Mandate of Palestine.

A Homeland for the Palestinians? Why they? Why not anyone else?

The need and justification of a “Palestinian homeland” has been repeated so often and so insistently that people all over the world have come to accept it as an inevitability. That “homeland,” it is generally agreed, would consist of the Gaza Strip and most of Judea/Samaria, generally referred to as the “West Bank.” Even many good people in the U.S. and even our president, a well-intentioned man, advocate a “homeland,” a Palestinian state, at the end of the so-called “road map.”

What are the facts?

An unwarranted request. There is no such thing as a “Palestinian people.” That is a concept that, by the drumbeat of incessant propaganda, has been foisted on the world. The so-called Palestinians are the same Arabs that live in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Never at any time in history did the “Palestinians” have a homeland, nor did they ever demand one.

In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly voted to set up both a Jewish and an Arab state within the borders of the territories. The Arabs were allotted three contiguous areas and the enclave of the city of Jaffa. The Jews were allotted three discontiguous areas. Jerusalem was to be an international city. In order to get their homeland, the Jews reluctantly accepted the unfavorable deal. The Arabs rejected it out of hand and instead invaded the nascent Jewish state with the armies of six nations. The ragtag Jewish forces decisively defeated the aggressors and stayed in control of most of the area. Egypt retained control of the Gaza Strip, and Jordan occupied Judea/Samaria (the “West Bank”). Had the Arabs accepted the United Nations partition plan, they would have had their “Palestinian homeland” for almost 60 years. They spurned the opportunity when it was available to them.

For nineteen years, until the Six-Day War, the territories involved were under the control of Jordan and Egypt. Never during those years was there ever a demand for a “Palestinian homeland.” Only after the Six-Day War in 1967, when the territories reverted to Israeli control, did the insistent clamor for a “Palestinian homeland” arise.

Although the Israelis would probably be glad to get rid of those bothersome and rebellious people, it is regrettably not that simple. The declared goal of the Arabs, a goal never rescinded, is the destruction of Israel. Were they granted an independent state, it would geographically and strategically dominate all of Israel. Within a very short time, this “Palestinian homeland” would be bristling with the most advanced weaponry, in all likelihood including weapons of mass destruction. Arab armies would be invited to participate in what they would hope to be the final onslaught against Israel and against the hated Jews.

How about other nationalities that yearn for a homeland, for their own state? There are first of all the Basques, the vast majority of whom live in the northwestern region of Spain. They are a unique people, with a language and a culture that has no relationship to anything else in the world. They have been fighting to become liberated. But Spain – most vociferous in the promotion of a “Palestinian homeland” – refuses that. An independent Basque homeland would not endanger Spain in any way. But does the world, does the UN support the Basques in their quest for independence? Of course not!

Or take the Kurds. They are a distinct group. They live in a land that is part of Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria, and Armenia. They have been fighting for independence for centuries, but it has never been granted. An independent Kurdestan would not endanger the countries that now occupy it. But does the world, does the UN support the Kurds in their quest for independence? Of course not!

And then there are the Tibetans. They are a distinct people, unique in language and religion. They have been annexed by China, which has flooded the country with its “settlers.” The Chinese are fully in the process of making Tibet into an integral part of China. Clearly, an independent Tibet would not be any existential threat to China. But does the world, does the UN support the Tibetans in their quest for independence? Of course not!

The quest for an independent homeland for the Palestinians is unwarranted because the Palestinians are not a distinct people which never had or even claimed such a homeland, and because the creation of such a homeland would be an existential threat to Israel. Both the world and especially the Europeans don’t really care about self-determination – they don’t lose any sleep over the Basques, the Kurds, the Tibetans or others who yearn for a homeland. They care about their own political and economic interests, which they cloak in the language of political morality. And of course, there are quite a few who wouldn’t shed a tear if, at the end of the day, Israel were indeed wiped from the face of the earth.

FLAME

Dershowitz: Faculty Encourage Islamic Terrorism Crisis at Columbia

Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, speaking Monday at Columbia University, said: "This is the most unbalanced university that I have come across when it comes to all sides of the Middle East conflict being presented." "The kind of hatred that one hears on campuses like Columbia, and let me say especially Columbia, is a barrier to peace....They are encouraging the terrorists. They tell the terrorists you will have academic support even if you oppose the peace process."

"Anybody who advocates for divesting only from the Jewish state...at a time when Iraq was posing a great threat to the world, when Iran was posing great threats...when China is oppressing millions of Tibetans, when the Kurds are still denied independence and statehood, to single out only Israel for divestiture at that point in time cannot be explained by neutral political, even ideological consideration." "I'm appalled at how many professors at Columbia University privately support Israel, and privately support many of the students, but are publicly afraid to speak out."

Dershowitz: Faculty Encourage Islamic Terrorism Crisis at Columbia

Remembering the Wannsee Conference and the Liberation of Auschwitz

Smooth Stone, along with 150+ other participants of the January 27, 2005, BlogBurst, are posting this article to remember the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, sixty years ago, on January 27, 1945.

On January 20th, we marked the anniversary of the 1942 Wannsee Conference. In the course of that Conference, the Nazi hierarchy formalized the plan to annihilate the Jewish people. Understanding the horrors of Auschwitz requires that one be aware of the premeditated mass-murder that was presented at Wannsee.

Highlighting these events now has become particularly important, even as the press reports that '45% of Britons have never heard of Auschwitz' (Jerusalem Post, December 2, 2004)

The Holocaust, symbolized by Auschwitz, the worst of the death camps, occurred in the wake of consistent, systematic, unrelenting anti-Jewish propaganda campaign. As a result, the elimination of the Jews from German society was accepted as axiomatic, leaving open only two questions: when and how.

As Germany expanded its domination and occupation of Austria, Czechoslovakia, France, the Low Countries, Yugoslavia, Poland, parts of the USSR, Greece, Romania, Hungary, Italy and others countries, the way was open for Hitler to realize his well-publicized plan of destroying the Jewish people.

After experimentation, the use of Zyklon B on unsuspecting victim was adopted by the Nazis as the means of choice, and Auschwitz was selected as the main factory of death (more accurately, one should refer to the “Auschwitz-Birkenau complex”). The green light for mass annihilation was given at the Wannsee Conference, January 20, 1942, and the mass gassings took place in Auschwitz between 1942 and the end of 1944, when the Nazis retreated before the advancing Red Army. Jews were transported to Auschwitz from all over Nazi-occupied or Nazi-dominated Europe and most were slaughtered in Auschwitz upon arrival, sometimes as many as 12,000 in one day. Some victims were selected for slave labour or “medical” experimentation. All were subject to brutal treatment.

Auschwitz: Children, victims of Mengele's "medical" experiments on twins.

In all, between three and four million people, mostly Jews, but also Poles and Red Army POWs, were slaughtered in Auschwitz alone (though some authors put the number at 1.3 million). Other death camps were located at Sobibor, Chelmno, Belzec (Belzek), Majdanek and Treblinka.

Auschwitz was liberated by the Red Army on 27 January 1945, sixty years ago, after most of the prisoners were forced into a Death March westwards. The Red Army found in Auschwitz about 7,600 survivors, but not all could be saved.

For a long time, the Allies were well aware of the mass murder, but deliberately refused to bomb the camp or the railways leading to it. Ironically, during the Polish uprising, the Allies had no hesitation in flying aid to Warsaw, sometimes flying right over Auschwitz.

There are troubling parallels between the systematic vilification of Jews before the Holocaust and the current vilification of the Jewish people and Israel. Suffice it to note the annual flood of anti-Israel resolutions at the UN; or the public opinion polls taken in Europe, which single out Israel as a danger to world peace; or the divestment campaigns being waged in the US against Israel; or the attempts to delegitimize Israel’s very existence. The complicity of the Allies in WW II is mirrored by the support the PLO has been receiving from Europe, China and Russia to this very day.

If remembering Auschwitz should teach us anything, it is that we must all support Israel and the Jewish people against the vilification and the complicity we are witnessing, knowing where it inevitably leads.

Interesting Israel Statistics

This list has been going around some mail circles. Thought you might find these statistics interesting:

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

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

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

The cell phone was developed in Israel by Israelis working in the Israeli branch of Motorola, which has its largest development center in Israel.

Most of the Windows NT and XP operating systems were developed by Microsoft-Israel.

The Pentium MMX Chip technology was designed in Israel at Intel.

Both the Pentium-4 microprocessor and the Centrino processor were entirely designed, developed and produced in Israel.

The Pentium microprocessor in your computer was most likely made in Israel.

Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.

Both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the US in Israel.

The technology for the AOL Instant Messenger ICQ was developed in 1996 by four young Israelis.

Israel has the fourth largest air force in the world (after the U.S, Russia and China). In addition to a large variety of other aircraft, Israel's air fo! rce has an aerial arsenal of over 250 F-16's. This is the largest fleet of F-16 aircraft outside of the U. S.

Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined.

Israel has the highest percentage in the world of home computers per capita.

According to industry officials, Israel designed the airline industry's most impenetrable flight security. U. S. officials now look to Israel for advice on how to handle airborne security threats.

Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world.

Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation by a large margin - 109 per 10,000 people --as well as one of the highest per capita rates of patents filed.

In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world. In absolute terms, Israel has the largest number of startup companies than any other country in the world, except the U.S. (3,500 companies mostly in hi- tech).

With more than 3,000 high-tech companies and startups, Israel has the highest concentration of hi- tech companies in the world -- apart from the Silicon Valley, U. S.

Israel is ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds right behind the U. S.

Outside the United States and Canada, Israel has the largest number of NASDAQ listed companies.

Israel has the highest average living standards in the Middle East.

The per capita income in 2000 was over $17,500, exceeding that of the UK.

On a per capita basis, Israel has the largest number of biotech startups.

Twenty-four per cent of Israel's workforce holds university degrees, ranking third in the industrialized world, after the United States and Holland and 12 per cent hold advanced degrees.

Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East.

In 1984 and 1991, Israel airlifted a total of 22,000 Ethiopian Jews at Risk in Ethiopia, to safety in Israel.

When Golda Meir was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1969, she became the world's second elected female leader in modern times.

When the U. S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya was bombed in 1998, Israeli rescue teams were on the scene within a day -- and saved three victims from the rubble.

Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship -- and the highest rate among women and among people over 55 - in the world.

Relative to its population, Israel is the largest immigrant-absorbing nation on earth. Immigrants come in search of democracy, religious freedom, and economic opportunity.

Israel was the first nation in the world to adopt the Kimberly process, an international standard that certifies diamonds as "conflict free."

Israel has the world's second highest per capita of new books.

Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees, made more remarkable because this was achieved in an area considered mainly desert.

Israel has more museums per capita than any other country.

Medicine. Israeli scientists developed the first fully computerized, no-radiation, diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer.

An Israeli company developed a computerized system for ensuring proper administration of medications, thus removing human error from medical treatment. Every year in U. S. hospitals 7,000 patients die from treatment mistakes.

Israel's Givun Imaging developed the first ingestible video camera, so small it fits inside a pill. Used to view the small intestine from the inside, cancer and digestive disorders.

Researchers in Israel developed a new device that directly helps the heart pump blood, an innovation with the potential to save lives among those with heart failure. The new device is synchronized with the camera helps doctors iagnose heart's mechanical operations through a sophisticated system of sensors.

Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the w orkforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 in the U. S., over 70 in Japan, and less than 60 in Germany. With over 25% of its work force employed in technical professions. Israel places first in this category as well.

A new acne treatment developed in Israel, the ClearLight device, produces a high-intensity, ultraviolet-light-free, narrow-band blue light that causes acne bacteria to self-destruct -- all without damaging surrounding skin or tissue.

An Israeli company was the first to develop and install a large-scale solar-powered and fully functional electricity generating plant, in southern California's Mojave desert.

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

Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world.

THE STATE OF ISRAEL CONTINUES to EXCEL!