UN Reforms Needed for Palestinian Refugees

Via Washington Times:

# Our next president should focus on reforming the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). For nearly 60 years, UNRWA has perpetuated opinions among the Palestinians that could hardly be better calculated to impoverish and embitter them, and subvert the achievement of the two-state solution that Annapolis envisaged.

# UNRWA's very existence promotes the belief among Palestinians that a two-state solution is essentially unjust. It encourages Palestinians to believe that the international community owes them repatriation to the land their parents and grandparents fled when five Arab armies invaded Israel in 1948.

# For nearly 60 years, the United Nations has maintained a successful and respected organization for refugees apart from Palestinians - the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The UNHCR's aim is to enable refugees to become citizens somewhere as quickly as possible. In contrast, for the Palestinians, the UN has effectively eliminated local integration and third country resettlement as desirable or even possible outcomes, and instead has enshrined in UNRWA's mission the 1950s promise of repatriation that was implicit in the resolution that established the agency.

# Moreover, contrary to the policy that it generally applies to refugees, the UN regards Palestinian refugee status as transferable from parents to children without limit. This enables UNRWA to fuel the conflict with Israel by cultivating a trans-generational belief among Palestinians that the one-and-only solution to their plight consists in returning to homes and lands vacated more than half a century ago.

# America should seek to bring to an end to UNRWA's mandate that reinforces the Palestinians' false hopes. The U.S. must persuade the UN to fold UNRWA into the UNHCR, where it belongs.

For a further dissection of UNRWA, see this excellent post by GrEaT sAtAn'S gIrLfRiEnD.

Palestinians Have Avoided Opportunities for Statehood

Just repeating the facts that prove Palestinian Arabs have never wanted peace with Israel. From Palestinians Have Avoided Opportunities for Statehood:

The Palestinians [Arabs], backed and at times manipulated by the Arab world, have done nearly everything possible to avoid setting up their own state. They:

1) rejected UN Resolution 181 in 1947 and attacked Israel, thereby precipitating war and exile.

2) They avoided creating a state in the West Bank and Gaza between 1949 and 1967,

3) created UNRWA which perpetuated rather than solved their refugee problem,

4) rejected Egypt and Israel's offer of autonomy in 1978,

5) jailed at state-building under Oslo after 1993,

6) invoked suicide terrorism that alienated some of their most ardent Israeli supporters, and

7) failed again at consolidating the territorial foundations of a state after Israel withdrew unilaterally from Gaza in 2005.

UN Secretary-General Orders Probe of Rocket Launching from Gaza School

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked for a full investigation of an incident in which Palestinian scum fired rockets at Israel from a UN-run school in Gaza

However, Ki-moon did not condemn the attempted murder of Jews. Israeli officials said the statement failed to mention potential victims on the other side of the border or to make a direct reference the November 2 incident. "Regrettably, the abuse of human shields by Palestinian terrorists and the violation of a U.N. installation for terrorist purposes have not yet been clearly condemned by the U.N.," an Israeli envoy to the U.N. General Assembly committee overseeing Unrwa, Gershon Keidar, said.

UNRWA's full name is United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Founded in 1948, it provides education, health, relief and social services to over 4.4 million refugees in the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, according to its Web site.

Ten Ways Israel Is Treated Differently

From Ten Ways Israel Is Treated Differently:

First, Israel is the only UN member state whose very right to exist is under constant challenge. Notwithstanding the fact that Israel was created with the imprimatur of the UN and has been a member of the world body since 1949, there is a relentless chorus of nations, institutions and individuals denying Israel's very political legitimacy. No one would dare question the right to exist of Libya, Saudi Arabia or Syria. Why is it open hunting season on Israel, as if we didn't know the answer?

Second, Israel is the only UN member state that's been publicly targeted for annihilation by another UN member state. Think about it. The Iranian president calls for wiping Israel off the map. Is there any other country that faces such an open call for genocidal destruction?

Third, Israel is the only nation whose capital city, Jerusalem, is not recognized by other nations. Imagine the absurdity of this. Foreign diplomats live in Tel Aviv while conducting virtually all their business in Jerusalem. Though no Western nation questions Israel's presence in the city's western half, where the prime minister's office, Knesset and Ministry of Foreign Affairs are located, there are no embassies there. In fact, look at listings of world cities, including places of birth in passports, and you'll often see something striking - Paris, France; Tokyo, Japan; Pretoria, South Africa; Lima, Peru; and Jerusalem, sans country - orphaned, if you will.

Fourth, the UN has two agencies that deal with refugees. One, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), focuses on all the world's refugee populations, save one. The other, the United Nations Refugee and Works Administration (UNRWA), handles only the Palestinians. But the oddity goes further than two structures and two bureaucracies. They have two different mandates. UNHCR seeks to resettle refugees; UNRWA does not. When, in 1951, John Blanford, UNRWA's director, proposed resettling up to 250,000 refugees in Arab countries, those countries refused, leading to his resignation. The message got through. No UN official since has pushed for resettlement.

Moreover, the UNRWA and UNHCR definitions of a refugee differ markedly. Whereas the UNHCR targets those who have fled their homelands, the UNRWA definition covers "the descendants of persons who became refugees in 1948," without any generational limitations.

Fifth, Israel is the only country that has won all its major wars for survival and self-defense, yet it's confronted by defeated adversaries who insist on dictating the terms of peace. In doing so, ironically, they've found support from many countries who, victorious in war, demanded -- and got - border adjustments.

Sixth, Israel is the only country that has been censured by name -- not once, but nine times -- since the new UN Human Rights Council was established in June 2006. Astonishingly, or maybe not, this UN body has failed to adopt a single resolution critical of any real human rights abuser. When finally discussing the Darfur situation, the Council shamefully balked at pointing a finger at Sudan.

Seventh, Israel is the only country that, in violation of the spirit of the UN Charter, isn't a full member of one of the five regional blocs -- Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and West Europe and Others (WEOG) -- that determine eligibility for candidacy for key UN posts. While Israel achieved a breakthrough in 2000 and joined WEOG, its membership is limited to New York, not other UN centers, and is both conditional and temporary.

Eighth, Israel is the only country that's the daily target of three UN bodies established solely to advance the Palestinian cause and to bash Israel -- the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People, and the Division for Palestinian Rights in the UN's Department of Political Affairs.

Ninth, Israel is the only country that is the target of a boycott by the British-based National Union of Journalists. An earlier British boycott against Israeli academic institutions was voided on a technicality because the union that adopted the measure merged with another. There is now an incipient call by some in the British Medical Association to exclude its Israeli counterpart from the World Medical Association.

And tenth, Israel is the only country where some associated with its majority population, i.e., Jews, openly call, for political or religious reasons, to dismantle the state. Is there a comparable situation to those religious voices of Neturei Karta, for example, who traveled to Teheran to join publicly with a leader seeking Israel's destruction, as well as those political extremists who seek to delegitimize the State of Israel and call for a "one-state" solution? Speaking of our own worst enemies... Tackling any one of these ten, much less all of them, is a daunting challenge, to state the painfully obvious. And, as I suggested, this list is far from complete. But it gives a sense of what's going on beyond the daily headlines.

The old ad used to say that you don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's Jewish rye bread. Well, surely, you don't have to be an ardent pro-Israel activist to be troubled by the unjust treatment of Israel. All it takes is a capacity for outrage that things like this are going on before our very eyes.

What did the Palestinians do with their "Marshall Plan"?

From Maariv-Hebrew, 5 Jan07:

The Palestinians have bought themselves a place of honor on the list of unfortunates in the world. A well-oiled public relations campaign has turned them into a nation of victims. Misery pays. One of the countries hated by the Palestinians the most, the United States, has since 1993 helped them more than any other nation in the world, according to World Bank figures. From 1994 to 2004, the U.S. provided the Palestinians with $1.3 billion, the EU $1.1 billion, and Japan $530 million. In addition to direct aid, the U.S. is also the largest contributor to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

In 1992, the Palestinian per capita GDP was $2,683 per person. If there had not been terror, the Palestinian economy could have grown during the 1990s into one of the leaders in the Middle East. The money was used for three major purposes: perpetuation of the refugees as victims, purchase of weapons and explosives, and corruption. Opportunities to achieve independence and prosperity were rejected for the ultimate goal: the removal of Israel from the map.

In relation to their numbers, the Palestinians have received more aid than provided by the Marshall Plan after World War II. Since the Oslo agreements, the Palestinians in the territories have received $5.5 billion, or $1,300 per person. By comparison, in the Marshall plan, each European enjoyed only $273 (in today's numbers). Above all, the guilt lies with those who gave these huge sums without having the Palestinians undergo a period of recovery from their futile dreams of the destruction of Israel. The result is, primarily, the continued destruction of Palestinian society.

Smooth's Question and Answer segment

Q: When is a Qassam rocket fired by Palestinian terrorists at civilian population centers in Israel not really dangerous?

A: When it is “homemade".

Yup, that's what United Nations Relief and Works Agency Commissioner-General Karen Koning Abu Zayd, based in Gaza, said on November 21, 2006. Her bio.

Here is the response to her detestable comment by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Who elected Karen Koning Abu Zayd to her post?

Kofi Annan.

Quelle surprise.

NGO Monitor: Politics or Altruism: An Analysis of Palestinian Children's NGO's

Omri wants us to get our snark back on. Count me in, Omri, I'm on it. To my Jewish readers, I don't know if you shared the same experience yesterday during your Yom Kippor synagogue services, but my rabbi pointed out to our congregation how important it is to do tzedakeh. Tzedakeh is Righteousness manifested through charitable donations. Tzedakeh is a rabbinical and Biblical commandment to give to charity. My Christian friends are already ordained with this mission and I know that based on the several dozen Christian services I have attended in my lifetime. Jeff Jacoby tells us that our sages teach us that God Himself is the original model of kindness

He clothed Adam and Eve when they were naked, visited Abraham when he was sick, comforted Isaac in his grief, buried Moses after he died. We, who are commanded to follow in God's ways (Deuteronomy 13:5), must likewise clothe the naked, visit the sick, comfort the bereaved, bury the dead. We pray on Rosh Hashana - and Yom Kippor - for God to treat us with charity and kindness -- asei imanu tzedaka va'chesed -- not randomly but daily, not on a whim but constantly. Hashem wants the same from us. "For I desire kindness, not sacrifices," said the prophet Hosea 2,700 years ago. Our rabbis teach us to understand how important Tzedaka is for the world, and knowing this, it would only make you want to give more.

But I implore both my Jewish and Christian friends, I beg you to consider who you give charity to. Not all charities deserve your hard-earned dollar. Here's an important article with several good reasons why you should always review the charity prior to giving a donation. From NGO Monitor:

Although numerous NGO's (Non Governmental Organization) dedicated to assisting Palestinian children claim to be apolitical, few actually meet this criterion. Indeed, the purported political neutrality of Palestinian children's NGO's is often tainted by their sources of funding, the dissemination of virulent anti-Israel propaganda and the controversial activities of their staff.

Palestinian Children's Welfare Fund (PCWF), an NGO "whose goals are to improve the living standards of the children of Palestine," provides a classic example of the blatant politicization of certain Palestinian children's NGO's.

The PCWF mission statement proclaims "the group is a non-political, non-religious enterprise whose aspirations are purely humanitarian." Yet, the children's charity recently held a drawing contest for young children entitled, Why I love Palestine. The judged rewarded, almost without exception, entries that featured disturbing and vehement anti-Israel themes.

The PCWF website also promotes a call for papers and encourages the recruitment of volunteers to the "First National Convention of American Jews for a Free Palestine." According to the PCWF, "Members of the steering committee are academics, professionals, political and social activists who intend to form a national committee to confront AIPAC and its monopoly in the media over the representation of the Jewish community in the United States."

In addition, the PCWF website prominently features the political and violently charged lyrics of a song entitled "Olive Tree", performed by the Iron Sheikh, a Palestinian rapper. In his song, the Iron Sheikh declares that, "Trouble began before 1948, when Zionists founded the Israeli state." The Palestinian rapper also accuses of Israel of practicing "apartheid," and graphically describes how he would like to physically assault Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Clearly, the promotion of the above-mentioned convention, contest and musical lyrics are inconsistent with the PCWF's apolitical mission statement, and casts a negative pall over legitimate humanitarian activities carried out by the organization.

Similarly, a virulent anti-Israel political agenda overshadows the important humanitarian services offered by the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF), "established in 1991 by concerned people in the U.S. to address the medical and humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian youths in the Middle East." While the PCRF mission statement declares the NGO to be "a registered non-political organization," it is headed by journalist Stephen Sosebee who, in an article published in the Akron Beacon, urged the Bush administration to "pressure Prime Minister Ariel Sharon" to accede to the Saudi peace plan. Sosebee also speaks extensively at universities and other political "solidarity meetings" where he expounds on classic anti-Semitic, anti-Israel statements. During a lecture at the Zayed International Centre for Coordination and Follow-Up (ZCCF), Sosebee charged that a "Zionist lobby and Zionist influence" manipulated the U.S. government, its citizens and media.

In addition, the PCRF received assistance from The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, Global Relief Foundation, and The International [Islamic] Relief Organization - all of which were closed down by the U.S. government for funding terrorist groups.

In sharp contrast to the PCRF and PCWF, Zeina, a Jerusalem based Palestinian NGO established to aid children suffering from cancer, can be described as a truly humanitarian and apolitical organization. According to its website, Zeina was "founded in mid-2001 by a group of parents of children inflicted with cancer, who were undergoing therapy at Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital." The organization is "concerned with providing psychological and emotional support to the children suffering from cancer and their families. The center aims at helping and counseling their families to face the disease and its side effects and to help ease its effects and to overcome it."

Although Zeina was only founded in 2001, it has already obtained an operation registration from the Israeli Ministry of Interior as a Jerusalem based charitable society, "developed a professional relationship with Hadassah Ein Karem and Sha'reh Tzedek Hospitals," and received "a grant from the French Consulate General in Jerusalem, to fund for the set up of a new center infrastructure, and to cover expenses for practical activities and counseling."

Unlike the PCRF and PCWF, the staff at Zeina has chosen to form a positive relationship with their Israeli counterparts. Rather than engage in counter-productive anti-Israel propaganda via questionable contests, hateful music, and vehement diatribes, the Zeina website offers only a summary of their apolitical accomplishments and goals.

While it may be difficult for Palestinian children's NGO's to maintain neutrality in a politically charged environment, Zeina has illustrated that such conduct is possible.

The PCRF and the PCWF would do well to follow Zeina's example. Advancing a partisan and ideological cause under the guise of children's education and medical care only contributes to the cycle of hatred dominating the Middle East.

NGOs are autonomous, non-profit, and politically unaffiliated organizations that advance a particular cause or set of causes in the public interest. The range of causes on which an NGO can focus is unlimited, but a cardinal principle is that the NGO must operate in a manner consistent with the objectives for which it receives funds. Donations are the lifeline of NGOs, because they are independent organizations. Funding can come from governments, the United Nations, private trusts and philanthropies, individual donors, religious institutions, and, in many cases, other NGOs. NGOs can contribute to democracy by challenging governments and promoting social interests, but they themselves are not democratic institutions and have no democratic accountability. An NGO is only accountable to its particular funding organizations and members.

Still unsure of what I mean? Check out these NGO sites. Some of them will make your skin crawl:

Adalah
Advocacy Project
Al-Dameer
Al-Haq
Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights
Alternatives
American Near East Refugee Aid
Amnesty International
Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem
Arab Association for Human Rights
Ard el Atfal
Ard el Insan
Asia Society
Association for the Defense of the Rights of the Internally Displaced (ADRID)
Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
Betselem (B'tselem)
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Caritas Internationalis
Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR)
Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine (CPAP)
Christian Aid
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT)
Defense for Children International/Palestine Section
Department for International Development

Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel
Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN)
European Union
Free the Children
Grassroots International
Habitat International Coalition
HaMoked -- Center for the Defense of the Individual
Health, Development, Information and Policy Institute
Hebron Restoration Committee
Human Rights First
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
I'lam
International Association of Democratic Lawyers
International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development
International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
International Crisis Group (ICG)
International Development Exchange
International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH)
International Institute for Peace
International Progress Organization
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD)
Ittijah
Jerusalem Media and Communications Center
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives

LAW
Machsom Watch
MADRE
Medecins du Monde
Medecins Sans Frontieres
Medical Aid for Palestinians
Mennonite Central Committee
Mercy Corps
Middle East NGOs Gateway Project (MENGOS)
MIFTAH
New Israel Fund
Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia and Latin America
Oxfam International
Palestine Children's Relief Fund
Palestine Children's Welfare Fund
Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International affairs (PASSIA)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR)
Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network (PENGON)
Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO)
Palestinian Youth Association for Leadership and Rights Activation (PYALARA)
Partners For Peace
Physicians for Human Rights - Israel
Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center
Save the Children Fund

Swedish International Development Corporation Agency (SIDA)
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Ta'ayush
Terre des Hommes
Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR)
United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)
United Nations World Conference Against Racism (UNWCR)
War on Want
World Bank Palestinian NGO Project
World Organization Against Torture
World Vision International (WVI)

NGO's, like the United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Ford Foundation, International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) New Israel Fund, Miftah, Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), Physicians for Human Rights - Israel (PHR-I), LAW, Christian Aid, and the Advocacy Project each collect funds for a variety of projects and areas from generous donors, philanthropic institutions, and government budgets, but they themselves are not democratic institutions and have no democratic accountability. An NGO is only accountable to its particular funding organizations and members.

Remember: These self-declared 'humanitarian NGOs' promote politically and ideologically motivated anti-Israel agendas and they lend a false credibility to the notion that Palestine is even a real nation. Don't be scammed.

UNWRA is funding terrorism

In a letter to Secretary of State Rice on Thursday, Congressmen Steve Rothman (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) accused UNRWA of distributing funds to terrorist organizations and called for "stricter oversight" of the more than $100 million in U.S. foreign aid provided to UN humanitarian programs each year. "We know that Hamas supports the indiscriminate killing of civilians. We know that UNRWA cannot account for large amounts of money it has spent. And we know that UNRWA does not check Palestinian beneficiaries against a list of known terrorists," said Rothman.

"Are U.S. tax dollars funding terrorists through UNRWA?"

Israel's Priorities at the 61st UN General Assembly

From Israel's Priorities at the 61st UN General Assembly:

The Northern Border - Israel will spare no diplomatic effort to see the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 in full, and will highlight Israel's struggle with terrorist elements that have dominated the politics in our region and dragged the region into war.

Palestinian Organs in the UN - Israel believes that the time is right to deal with the mandates of the Palestinian organs in the UN, by abolishing them or merging them with other mandates or organs in the Secretariat. Over the years, the General Assembly (GA) and the Councils established 120 mandates and procedures relating to the Palestinian issue. Israel views the maintaining of these mandates and organs as superfluous and one-sided and as a distorted and wasteful use of the resources of member states against a fellow member state, whose narrative is neglected.

Annual Resolutions Relating to the Conflict - The General Assembly votes on about 70 resolutions every year, of which about 20 deal with the Israeli-Arab conflict. The need to limit the number of annual pro-Palestinian resolutions, or to consolidate them, dovetails with the proposals of the Secretary General to streamline the work of the GA and to make it more effective.

UNRWA - The UN agency for relief and work has become, after 60 years, the second biggest employer of Palestinians operating in the PA. (UNRWA operates also in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.) UNRWA perpetuates the Palestinian problem, rather than resolving the refugee status of the people or rehabilitating them. It devotes all its resources to three functions that are usually run by a state or governing authority: elementary education, public health, and food security. We believe it is possible, in the long term, to transfer the daily tasks, together with existing budgets, of the agency to governmental bodies in the PA, as should be done in Jordan and elsewhere.

The Human Rights Council - The UN upgraded the Commission for Human Rights to the status of a council. Israel voted against its establishment, together with the U.S., due to the worry that the new council would not be an improvement over the commission it replaced. Indeed, since its first meeting, it has discriminated against Israel. The council has convened an emergency session twice in its short history - once regarding Gaza and once regarding Lebanon, and in both cases decided on action against Israel. The international community should know that the council is failing to deal with real humanitarian crises and cases of serious violations of human rights in other parts of the world because it is dealing nearly exclusively with the Middle East and particularly with Israel.

More of them killing each other: arabs die preparing bomb and in clan clash

Oopsy daisy. From PCHR - Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

#1 Security Chaos and Proliferation of Small Arms, Misuse of Weapons by Armed Groups and Security Personnel

Field Update
20 August 2006

4 Palestinian Killed by Misuse of Weapons in Jenin and Qalqilya

Four Palestinians were killed over the past two days in Jenin and the town of Kufr Laqif, near Qalqilya, in incidents of misuse of weapons.

PCHR's preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 03:00 on Friday, 18 August 2006, a large explosion was heard in the Marj Bin Amer Park and Swimming Pool, owned by the Yassin family from Deir Abu Da'if, northeast of Jenin. Ambulances arrived at the scene and transported the torn bodies of 3 Palestinians to Khalil Suliman Hospital in Jenin. The killed are:

- Malek Jaber Mohammad Yassin (26) from Deir Abu Da'if;
- Shadi Hussein Ali Mallah (28) from Beit Qad; and
- Anan Ahmad Mustafa Daraghma (28) from Toubas.

It is noted that the three were agricultural engineers. It is believed that they were preparing an explosive device. They were members of Izzedeen El-Qassam Battalions, the armed wing of Hamas.

And at approximately 19:00 on Saturday, 19 August 2006, Mahmoud Amin Awad Jaber, a 43-year old resident of Kufr Laqif (east of Qaliqilya) was returning home from a hunting trip in the mountains to the east of his hometown. He was riding in a tractor and was leaning on his hunting rifle. A bullet accidentally fired from the rifle. It penetrated the body from the right armpit, killing Jaber instantly. At approximately 20:15, Jaber's body was taken to Rafedia Hospital in Nablus.

PCHR is extremely concerned over the continued falling of victims by misuse of weapons by armed groups and individuals, which are a continuum of the security chaos plaguing the Occupied Palestinian Territory [ROFL]. The Centre calls upon the Palestinian National Authority, represented by the Attorney-General, to seriously investigate these incidents and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

#2 Security Chaos and Proliferation of Small Arms
Armed Personal and Clan Disputes

Field Update
20 August 2006

1 Palestinian Killed and 4 Injured in Armed Personal and Clan Clashes in Rafah and Khan Yunis

One Palestinian was killed and four others were injured on Friday, 18 August 2006, in three incidents of armed personal and clan clashes in Rafah and Khan Yunis.

PCHR's preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 18:30 shots were fired during a clash between members of Zannoun clan near the UNRWA clinic in Rafah. The shooting resulted in the death of Ismail Khalil Qishta (19). He was killed by a bullet to the abdomen by mistake as he was sitting in front of the house of his friend, Ra'ed Abdel Hakim Zannoun (22). Ra'ed was moderately injured by a bullet in the left hand. In addition, Ramzi Awad Zannoun (24) was moderately injured by a bullet in the left thigh. The victims were taken to Mohammad Yousef El-Najjar Hospital. Qishta was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

At approximately 20:00, Ahmad Zuheir Osrof, a 22-year old resident of Khan Yunis, was admitted to Naser Hospital in the city. He was moderately injured by two bullets in the legs. A gunman fired the bullets at Osrof during a dispute between them on the Khan Yunis beach.

And at approximately 22:00, a dispute between members of El-Shawwaf clan in Greater Abasan, east of Khan Yunis, escalated into an armed clash. Three members of the clan were moderately injured during the exchange of fire.

They were taken to Naser Hospital for treatment. The injured are:
- Ala' Suliman El-Shawwaf (20), injured by a bullet in the abdomen;
- Mohammad Hussein El-Shawwaf (27), injured by a bullet in the left thigh; and
- Bilal Abed El-Shawwaf (20), injured by a bullet in the shoulder.

PCHR is extremely worried over the continued security chaos that includes the use of arms in personal and clan disputes. The Centre strongly condemns these crimes that are taking place at a critical time for the Palestinian people in light of the Israeli military operation against the Gaza Strip. The Centre calls upon the PNA, represented by the Attorney-General, to investigate these incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice.

UNWRA to Help Expelled Jews

Beth Goodtree asserts it is time to right a wrong. UNWRA is well-funded to aid Palestinian refugees. More Jews were made refugees when they were forced to flee Arab countries, and so came into "Palestine" pre and post the creation of the Jewish state than there were Arabs who fled Israel (not Palestine) to Jordan and other Arab countries. Yet UNRWA has never helped Jewish refugees. Now that there will be Jews forced out of Gaza - and thus classifiable as Palestinian refugees - UNRWA has a second chance to live up to its charter.

Read UNWRA to Help Expelled Jews.

Condoleezza Rice/Hamas: Election Dispute - More info

Hamas’ Participation in Palestinian Legislative Elections Violates Oslo Accords and Road Map to Peace

Background and Key Facts

On Sept. 12, Israel ended its presence in the Gaza Strip after evacuating all of its roughly 8,500 Jewish residents. The withdrawal paved the way for the Palestinians to start on a path to a peaceful state alongside Israel. However, recent events show that the terrorist group Hamas is committed to carrying out violent acts against Israelis in Israel proper and inside the West Bank.[1]

On Jan. 25, the Palestinian Authority will hold Parliamentary elections. Although it is a violation of the Oslo Accords,[2] Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will allow Hamas to participate. Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice protested the armed group’s participation in Palestinian elections, stating, “Hamas is a terror organization and it has to be disbanded, both for the sake of peace and security in the Middle East and for the sake of the proper functioning of the Palestinian Authority.”[3]

Negotiations based on the Oslo Accords led to an agreement in 1995 that stated, “The nomination of any candidates, parties or coalitions will be refused, and such nomination or registration will be canceled, if such candidates, parties or coalitions 1) commit or advocate racism, or 2) pursue the implementation of their aims by unlawful non-democratic means.”[4]

Hamas’ existence was the primary reason for the creation of that provision, according to Yossi Beilin, a principal architect of the Oslo Accords. Said Dr. Beilin, “In a world seeking to combat terrorism and still looking for the right way to do it, it would be surprising indeed if Israel, paradoxically, were to acquiesce in the legitimization of terrorist organization under its very nose…”[5]

Since Sept. 2000, Hamas has carried out thousands of terror attacks, killing 425 Israelis and wounding 2,233 others.[6]

During the past 12 years, Hamas has been responsible for sending 113 suicide bombers into Israel.[7] The United States has designated Hamas a terrorist organization.[8]

Additionally, it has been declared a terrorist organization by Australia, the European Union, Canada and Israel and has been condemned by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights as a racist organization.[9]

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Hamas’ participation in the January elections pose a serious threat to Israel if the group isn’t first disarmed and doesn’t renounce its pledge to destroy Israel. Said Mr. Sharon, “This reality contradicts the Road Map and our understandings with the Palestinians.”[10]

The group’s name is the acronym for the Arabic term Islamic Resistance Movement. It is an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and was founded by the late Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in 1987.[11]

Hamas maintains numerous cells throughout the world that conduct illegal fundraising for its Palestinian branch but maintains a strict protocol of targeting Israeli civilians in Israel proper, the West Bank and, before the disengagement, Gaza.[12]

In addition, Hamas:

++ Rejects peaceful solutions to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. According to Hamas, giving up any part of the land it claims as Palestine would be tantamount to renouncing part of Islam. Hamas’ charter states, “[Peace] initiatives, the so-called peaceful solutions, and the international conferences to resolve the Palestinian problem, are all contrary to the beliefs of the Islamic Resistance Movement.”[13]

++ Is bent on Israel’s destruction, as exemplified by proclamations by senior Hamas commander and terrorist mastermind, Mohammed Deif.[14]

++While other groups once branded as terrorist organizations, such as the Palestinian Liberation Organization, later changed their missions to benefit their people and give themselves a place at the international table, Hamas has steadfastly refused to do so. For example, the national charter of the PLO once called for the destruction of the state of Israel. In 1998, however, Palestinian leaders agreed to nullify the offending sections of the charter.[15]

++The Palestinian National Authority, established in 1994 as an interim administrative ruling body of the Palestinian people, has since won recognition from Israel and the rest of the international community. The PLO wasn’t the only group to make such reforms – as part of the Good Friday Agreement (a.k.a. Belfast Agreement) of 1998, the British required the IRA to decommission its paramilitary weaponry before it could participate in domestic politics.[16]

++Maintains a charter that explicitly calls for the annihilation of Israel. Hamas’ leader in Gaza, Mahmoud Zahar, when asked in a Sept. 2005 interview about Hamas’ final goal, said, “If you ask any Palestinian or Muslim, wherever he lives - in America or in Britain or in Indonesia - he would tell you that according to the religious point of view, this land is part of the Arab and Muslim nations. This means that there is no other option but to reunify this land once again.”[17]

++Aims to kill Jews at every opportunity. The late Hamas leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin said, “The purpose of every operation is to kill Jews, for by killing Jews, all the Zionist settlers and their allies will be driven from the area.”[18]

++Is commissioned by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), utilizing their emergency medical vehicles to transport Hamas terrorists. Peter Hansen, the Commissioner General of UNRWA acknowledged this, stating, “There are Hamas members on the UNRWA payroll,” but added, “I don’t see that as a crime.”[19]

++Provides financial incentives ranging from $1,300 to $5,300 to those who have been wounded – or to families of those who have been killed – carrying out terror attacks against Israelis.[20]

++In Jan. 2005 boycotted the first ever Palestinian democratic presidential elections.[21] But during subsequent municipal elections, Hamas fared well at the polls, particularly in Gaza. In council elections in Jan. 2005, Hamas gained 77 of 118 seats in Gaza.[22]

++Doesn’t differentiate between Israeli military and civilian targets. In 2003 alone, Hamas conducted more than 150 attacks against Israelis.[23]

++Terrorist assaults included shootings, suicide bombings and standoff mortar-and-rocket attacks. Hamas was responsible for sending a suicide bomber to blow up the well-know American expatriate restaurant, Mike’s Place, situated directly next door to the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, signifying its intent to target foreigners in Israel.[24]

++Has, following Israel’s disengagement from Gaza, actively campaigned to become the ruling political body. Thousands of fliers have been printed and distributed at mosques throughout the West Bank and Gaza listing names of Hamas’ political leadership.[25]

++Hamas has openly said that if the PA police attempt to disarm the group, it will resist with force.[26]

++Hamas is attempting to actively compete with, rather than join the Palestinian Authority. A quarterly report published in June 2005 by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights states, “Hamas and others have been taking the law into their own hands and challenging the President’s authority.”[27]

++Openly clashed with Palestinian Authority Police forces on Oct. 2, 2005. In an attempt to disarm Hamas terrorists, Palestinian police came under fire and the Shati police station in Gaza City was burned down. Mohammed Nazel, a senior Hamas official in Damascus, threatened that Hamas would not allow PA police to remove their weapons at any cost, “Even at the price of civil war.”[28]

++Has established a unit for kidnapping Israeli civilians.[29] After kidnapping and killing an Israeli man in late Sept. 2005, Hamas warned, “The operation is just beginning.”[30]

++At times collaborates with other terrorist organizations such as Islamic Jihad and, more recently, al-Qaeda.[31] International funding of about $50 million annually provides for arms purchases, training and monetary rewards.[32] Hamas receives most of its funding and financial assistance from Iran, Syria, Palestinian expatriates around the globe and private donors from Western Europe, the Americas, Canada and the Persian Gulf.[33]

++Isn’t perceived by the Palestinian leadership as a terrorist organization; [34] is supported and maintains ties with certain PA government ministries.[35]

++For example, Hanan Ashrawi, a popular Palestinian figure and former cabinet minister, is quoted as saying, “Hamas is not the enemy, it is part of the political fabric.”[36]

++Refused to accept the outcome of municipal elections held on Sept. 30, 2005. Fatah, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ political party, won in 51 of 104 districts; Hamas succeeded in 13 and accused the Palestinian Election Committee of falsifying results.[37]

* * *

The Israel Project is a new international non-profit organization devoted to educating the press and the public about Israelwhile promoting security, freedom and peace. It was started by three mothers who became concerned that negative images about Israelin the media were endangering the future of children who want to live in a world free of the sorts of anti-Semitism faced by generations before them. The IsraelProject provides journalists, leaders and opinion-makers accurate information about Israel.

Board of Advisors: Senator Evan Bayh (IN), Senator Saxby Chambliss (GA), Senator Norm Coleman (MN), Senator Ben Nelson (NB), Senator Rick Santorum (PA), Senator Arlen Specter (PA), Senator Ron Wyden (OR), Congressman Rob Andrews (NJ), Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (NV), Congressman Tom Davis (VA), Congressman Eliot Engel (NY), Congressman Frank Pallone (NJ), Congressman Jon Porter (NV), Congressman Jim Saxton (NJ), Congressman Brad Sherman (CA), Congressman Joe Wilson (SC), Actor and Director Ron Silver

[1] Herzog, Michael, “A Wind in Hamas’s Sails: Palestinian Militants Gather Post-Disengagement Momentum,” PeaceWatch No. 516, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Sept. 13, 2005

[2] The Israeli Palestinian Interim Agreement http://www.mideastweb.org/intanx2.htm or http://mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH00qc0

[3] Benn, Aluf, “Rice: Hamas must disarm before entering Palestinian politics,” Haaretz, Oct. 2, 2005, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/631395.html

[4]The Israeli Palestinian Interim Agreement http://www.mideastweb.org/intanx2.htmor http://mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH00qc0

[5] Beilin, Yossi, “An Israeli View: Recognizing Hamas is irresponsible,” Bitterlemons.org, Sept. 26, 2005, http://www.bitterlemons.org/issue/isr2.php

[6] Israel Embassy Briefing, Sept. 23, 2005

[7] Abrams, Max, “A Moment Lost; The chances for Mideastpeace remain elusive as long as Arab rejectionists use terrorism,” Los Angeles Times, June 12, 2004

[8] Country Reports on Terrorism, Chapter 6, Terrorist Groups, Title 22, Section 2656f, April 27, 2005,

[9] U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, 66th session, 1683rd meeting, Feb. 28, 2005

[10] Bahur-Nir, Diana, “Sharon: Ball in Palestinian Court,” YnetNews (Yediot Aharonot online edition), Oct. 2, 2005

[11] Sheikh Yassin: Spiritual Figurehead, BBC, March 22, 2004,

[12] Globalsecurity.org, “Military: HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement),”

[13] “Article Thirteen: Peaceful Solutions, [Peace] Initiatives and International Conferences,” Selected Documents Regarding Palestine: Hamas Charter (1988), Palestine Center, http://www.palestinecenter.org/cpap/documents/charter.html

[14] Associated Press, “Hamas bomber calls for Israel’s destruction,” Canadian TV, Aug. 27, 2005, http://www.ctv.ca.servlet/ArticleNews/CTVNews/20050827/

[15] Katz, Lee Michael, “To Israel, charter passages 'advocate violence and terror,’” USA Today, Dec. 14, 1998

[16] “Armed is Dangerous: The IRA Should See That its Time is Past,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Oct. 17, 2002

[17]Berman, Yaniv, “Exclusive Interview with Hamas Leader,” The Media Line, Sept. 22, 2005,

[18] CBC News, “In Depth: Middle East: Sheik Ahmed Yassin,” CBC News Online, March 23, 2004, http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/middleeast/yassin.html

[19] Globalsecurity.org, “Military: HAMAS,” June 7, 2005, http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/hamas.htm

[20]“Erased In A Moment: Suicide Bombing Attacks Against Israeli Civilians,” Special report by Human Rights Watch, Nov. 1, 2002

[21]Council on Foreign Relations, “Terrorism Q & A: Hamas, Islamic Jihad (Palestinian Islamists),” http://cfrterrorism.org/groups/hamas

[22]Ibid.

[23] U.S. Department of State, “Patterns of Global Terrorism 2003,”Released by the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, April 29, 2004

[24]Ibid.

[25]Associated Press, “http://www.haartezdaily.com/hasen/spages/631746.html

[29] Haaretz Service and News Agencies, “Abbas to visit Washingtonnext month to discuss peace process,” Haaretz, Sept. 28, 2005 http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtVty.jhtml?sw=abbas+to+visit+washington&itemNo=630348

[30]Harel, Amos and Regular, Arnon, “West Bank Hamas plans new attacks in spite of ‘lull’,” Haaretz, Sept. 28, 2005, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/630031.html

[31] Globalsecurity.org, “Military: HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement,” http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/hamas.htm

[32] Globalsecurity.org, “HAMAS funding”

[33]U.S. Navy, “Terrorist group profiles: Hamas,” May 11, 2005, http://library.nps.navy.mil/home/tgp.hamas.htm

[34] Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center, “The Palestinian Authority’s support for Hamas’ suicide terrorism,” Oct. 2004

[35] Levitt, Mathew, “Palestinian Authority Minister of Economy tied to Hamas?” PeaceWatch No. 496, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, March 4, 2005, http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2269

[36] Lerner, Joseph, “Fighting terrorism,” The Jerusalem Post, July 25, 1995, p.6.[37] Associated Press, “Hamas says election results distorted,” Al-Jazeera.net, Oct. 1, 2005

Give Israel Equal Treatment and Representation

From The Miami Herald:

Congress is currently engaged in a detailed and comprehensive review of the UN with the goal of recommending reforms that will ensure transparency, accountability, and efficiency.

A critical component of this effort must include measures to ensure that Israel is afforded equal treatment and representation, while addressing the anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic component that is pervasive in many UN bodies and agencies.

Israel is a democracy, and yet its sovereignty and its right to defend itself are frequently called into question in the UN system. The ruling last summer by the International Court of Justice on Israel's security fence is a case in point. Not only was Israel's inherent right to self-defense branded illegitimate by the UN, but terrorists and suicide bombers remained uncensored.

Israel is denied the ability to serve or run for leadership positions in multiple UN bodies and agencies. By contrast, there are several UN groups devoted to "Palestinian Rights" and an entire agency, UNRWA, specifically designated for "Palestinian refugees" at a cost of over $400 million in 2004.

Any efforts at reforming the UN must include an end to the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiment that has infected that organization for so long.

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Miami) chairs the Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia of the House Committee on International Relations.

Give Israel Equal Treatment and Representation

The Double Standard

When Israel became independent in 1948 it was attacked by FIVE Arab nations. Israel did NOT fight or attack Arabs already in Israel, but defended itself AGAINST the invading Arab armies.

Nearly 1 million Jews, expelled from Arab and Persian lands and absorbed by Israel, are not considered 'refugees' because of Israel's law granting a 'right of return' of all Jews to Israel. Nor are the 300.000 Arab and Persian Jews who went to countries OTHER THAN Israel considered 'refugees'.

Jews and other ethnic groups had lived in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf region for more than 2.500 years, more than 1.000 years before the advent of Islam. A greater number of Jews (1.160.000) were displaced than Palestinians (600.000) as a result of Israel's establishment and wars against the Jewish state. According to the American Sephardi Federation, less than 4.000 Jews remain in these areas today.

Jordanian law includes to this day a 'right of return' to Jordan for the 450-600.000 non-Jewish 'Palestinian' displaced persons and their descendants. Yet these 'Palestinians' (Jordanians) are considered 'refugees' despite the Jordanian law. (Jordanian Nationality Law, Official Gazette, No. 1171, Article 3 (3) of Law No. 6, 1954, 16 February 1954, p. 105. [reactivated in law no. 7, sect. 2, of 1 April 1963. When Jordan made peace with Israel in 1994, this judenrein legislation remained])

THE UNHRC removes names from refugee rolls everywhere in the world after refugees are resettled. Yet UNRWA ensured that 'Palestinians' retained 'refugee' status despite their Jordanian citizenship and despite the fact that 3/4 of these displaced persons have never resided in camps (i.e., they are effectively resettled).
Why were 'Palestinians' the only refugee group in the world, despite being one of the smallest groups after WWII, entitled to a separate UN agency( UNRWA)? And if this group was somehow so special, why was a separate refugee agency NEVER provided for the larger Jewish refugee group (Arab and Persian Jews), not to mention the Jewish survivors of the Holocaust?

The UNHCR defines refugees as those persons having lived in an area 'habitually' for at least 10 years. The UNRWA shortened that definition to 2 years, because they otherwise could not enroll the vast majority of displaced persons, who otherwise failed to meet global refugee criteria:

UNRWA Director Howard Kennedy on 1 November 1 1950, reported to the United Nations Ad Hoc Political Committee that "a large group of indigent people totalling over 100.000 ... cannot be called refugees, but ... have lost their means of livelihood because of the war and post-war conditions ... The Agency felt their need was even more acute than that of the refugees who were fed and housed." -Joan Peters, From Time Immemorial, p. 18n

The UN eligibility officer, George B. Vinson, reported that the refugee rolls were inflated by as much as 30%. UNRWA stated in it's 1951 report that refugees "eagerly report births and ...reluctantly report deaths" and that it was impossible to exclude nomadic Bedouins and impoverished migrant workers for "humanitarian" reasons.

Mythbusting Talking Points

Hey, you Jewish libs: Wake up and smell the coffee: Saddam bankrolled Palestinian terrorists

FRASER NELSON
POLITICAL EDITOR

Key points
• Documents show Saddam funded Palestinian terrorist group
• Syrian business front funded terrorists through UN oil-for-food programme
• 1991 tape reveals Saddam wanted to use biological weapons against Israel

SADDAM Hussein’s links to terrorism have been proven by documents showing he helped to fund the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

The PFLP, whose history of terrorism dates back to the "black September" hijackings of 1970, was personally vetted by Saddam to receive oil vouchers worth £40 million.

The deal has been uncovered by US investigators, trawling millions of pages of documents showing a network of diplomats bribed by Saddam’s regimes, and political parties who qualified for backhanded payments from Baghdad.

The Iraq Survey Group (ISG), which is still working its way through 20,000 boxes of documents from Saddam’s Baath party discovered only recently, found a list of pressure groups bankrolled by Saddam.

Using the United Nations’ own oil-for-food scheme - ironically intended as a sanction to control the behaviour of his dictatorship - Saddam gave Awad Ammora & Partners, a Syrian company, two million barrels of oil.

Documents handed over to US authorities by a former Iraqi oil minister only four months ago show that this was a front for the PFLP - which was then embarked on a spate of car bombings aimed at Israeli officials.

The Iraqi records show only one six-month period - suggesting the payments could go on for much longer. While some allocations to the likes of Russian political parties were not cashed in, the PFLP oil deal was carried out in full.

Since its inception after the Six-Day War of 1967, the PFLP has been dedicated to violence - and for this reason split from the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) when it accepted the peace process.

Its first atrocity came in September 1970 when its members hijacked four aircraft bound for the United States. All planes were blown up on the ground after the passengers were evacuated. A hijacking at Lod airport in Israel two years later left 24 dead.

It is now devoted to thwarting the "roadmap" plan for peace in the Middle East - recently mainly through a campaign of car bombs.

While the PLO has been rehabilitated into the political process, the PFLP has remained opposed to it. On Wednesday, it issued a statement saying it had joined forces with Hamas, the main Palestinian terrorist group, in a machine gun attack on a busload of Israeli soldiers.

Earlier last week, it launched a rocket attack at an Israeli kibbutz.

Interviews from Iraqi officials captured by US troops confirm that Saddam saw himself as the potential "liberator" of Palestine. Taped conversations have been uncovered from 1991 saying he wanted to deploy biological warfare on "the Israeli cities - all of them".

Debriefings from Iraqi regime members have also disclosed that "Saddam was conscious of Israel’s WMD arsenal and saw Israel as a formidable challenge".

Three years ago, Saddam gave a speech on Iraqi television saying "there can never be stability, security of peace in the Middle East so long as there are immigrant Jews in the land of Palestine".

His financial support also extended to Abu Al-Abbas, leader of the Palestinian Liberation Front - another terrorist group - who was allocated 11.5 million barrels of oil.

The PLO is also named as a main beneficiary from Saddam’s scheme - receiving four million barrels under its own name and five million barrels for its "political bureau". The cash was again passed through Syria, a known conduit for Palestinian terror organisations.

This article: http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1199662004

Middle East conflict: http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=13

Iraq: http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=404

Websites:

Israeli Government http://147.237.72.16/eng/mainpage.asp

Palestinian National Authority http://www.pna.org/

UN Relief & Works Agency for Palestinian refugees http://www.un.org/unrwa/

US Dept of State Bureau for Near Eastern Affairs http://www.state.gov/p/nea/

UK Foreign Office peace process site http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029394617

The Palestinian Information Center http://www.palestine-info.com/

Baghdad Burning http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

Al Jazeera (English) http://english.aljazeera.net/

Iraq Today http://www.iraq-today.com/

Electronic Iraq http://electroniciraq.net/news/

Iraq Daily (World News Network) http://www.iraqdaily.com/

Red Cross / Red Crescent http://www.ifrc.org/

UN - Office of the Iraq Programme http://www.un.org/Depts/oip/

Christian Aid report - The missing billions http://www.christianaid.org.uk/indepth/310iraqoil/index.htm

The World Bank http://www.worldbank.org/

UNRWA's Hamas Employees by HonestReporting.com

The head of the UN administration in the West Bank and Gaza admits Hamas members are on his payroll. Media outlets ignore it.

Peter Hansen (pictured at right), Commissioner-General of the UN agency in Gaza and the West Bank, made a startling admission in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on Monday (10/4):

I am sure that there are Hamas members on the UNRWA payroll and I don't see that as a crime... we do not do political vetting and exclude people
from one persuasion as against another.

With this statement, Hansen verified what Israel has long contended ― the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), rather than performing
a neutral humanitarian role in Palestinian regions, is actually infested with
terrorists who use international funds and UN safe havens to facilitate attacks on
Israeli civilians.

Hansen attempted to draw a distinction between UN employees who identify with Hamas 'politically,' as opposed to 'militant' Hamas members, but that distinction has been categorically rejected by the United States and the European Union, both of which blacklist all branches of Hamas, and freeze all Hamas assets, without exception.

Despite the gravity of this matter, Hansen's admission that Hamas members are on the UN payroll has ― as of now ― received scant media attention. The Associated Press, for example, buried Hansen's statement in an article that focused primarily on IDF air strikes, and the New York Times has yet to even acknowledge Hansen's admission.

This error of omission is particularly troubling in light of Israel's ongoing campaign in Gaza to stop Hamas from firing rockets into Israeli towns such as Sderot.

Hansen has long been accused of anti-Israel bias. In the wake of the 2002 Jenin operation, Hansen gave interviews falsely describing 'wholesale obliteration... a human catastrophe that has few parallels in recent history,' 'helicopters... strafing civilian residential areas,' and 'bodies... piling up' in 'mass graves.' Some of this carnage Hansen even claimed to have seen 'with my own eyes.'

HISTORY OF ABUSE

Hansen's admission of UN/Hamas links came amidst a controversy over suspicious use of a UN ambulance in Gaza, with some claiming that footage from an airborne drone (pictured at right) shows Palestinian terrorists hiding a Kassam rocket in the vehicle. (View the film here.)

Regardless of whether this specific incident constituted abuse, the UNRWA ― under Hansen's watch ― has been responsible for numerous documented acts of abetting Palestinian terrorism, including:

● May 2004: Armed Palestinians are filmed (at left) using UNRWA ambulances to transport terrorists and, possibly, remains of fallen Israeli soldiers in Gaza.

● Sept. 2003: After the Israeli military court convicts three UNRWA employees for terrorist activities (such as throwing firebombs at a public bus), Israel detains at least 16 other UNRWA staff members for
various security-related matters.

● Dec. 2002: A Shin Bet report indicates that numerous UNRWA facilities in the West Bank and Gaza had been used by Palestinian terrorists as meeting grounds and for weapons storage.

● Sept. 2002: Nahd Attala, a senior official of UNRWA in Gaza, reveals that in June-July 2002, he used his UNRWA car for the transportation of armed members of Fatah who were on their way to carry out a missile attack against Jewish settlements. In addition, Nahd admits he used an UNRWA car to transport a 12 kg explosive charge for his brother-in-law, a Fatah member.

● August 2002: Nidal Nazzal, a Hamas member and ambulance driver employed by UNRWA, confesses to transporting weapons and explosives in an UNRWA ambulance, and that he
had taken advantage of the freedom of movement he enjoyed to transmit messages among Hamas members in various Palestinian towns.

● February 2002: Alaa Muhammad Ali Hassan, a Tanzim member, confesses during interrogation that he had carried out a sniper shooting from the school run by UNRWA in the al-Ayn refugee camp near Nablus. He also told his interrogators that bombs intended for terrorist attacks were being manufactured inside the UNRWA school's facilities.

FUNDED BY WESTERN DEMOCRACIES

The infiltration of the UNRWA by Palestinian terrorists is all the more disturbing given the funding structure of this international 'humanitarian' organization.
As David Bedein reports:

The salaries of UNRWA workers are paid through contributions that UNRWA receives from 38 contributing countries. The U.S. provides 30% of that budget, Canada contributes 4% of that budget, and the European countries contribute well over 55% of that budget.

In other words, the western democracies of the world pay the salaries of the Hamas terrorists on the payroll of UNRWA.

Upon hearing Hansen's admission of Hamas members on the UNRWA payroll, a spokesperson for Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs said, 'we are deeply concerned, and will immediately seek clarification from Mr. Hansen directly and from UN authorities.'

Canada's contribution to UNRWA is $10 million a year, and total US support to UNRWA is approximately $100 million per year. This, despite the fact that the use of US taxpayer funds for foreign refugees who have engaged in acts of terrorism is illegal under the amended Section 301(c) of the 1961 Foreign Assistance Act.

A conference of UN donor countries to discuss ongoing aid to Palestinians is slated to meet in Norway on November 30.

This article can also be read at:
http://www.aish.com/jewishissues/mediaobjectivity/UNRWAs_Hamas_Employees.asp

Radio Rote, a kindred spirit

From Radio Rote:
=====

Canada Seeks Clarity on U.N.-Hamas Link

Ottawa says it will investigate whether or not Canadian money is being used to fund a group the nation considers a terrorist organization.

Israeli officials Sunday said United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East supports Hamas and demanded the United Nations investigate the agency head, Peter Hansen, Ha'aretz reported Monday.

Hansen has for years has expressed anti-Israeli, biased, unrestrained positions and statements, Dan Gillerman, Israel's UN ambassador, told Israel Radio.

In addition, Israel released a picture it says shows a U.N. vehicle being used to move a rocket for Hamas.

When contacted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., Hansen said, Oh, I am sure that there are Hamas members on the UNRWA payroll, and I don't see that as a crime. Hamas as a political organization does not mean that every member is a militant, and we do not do political vetting and exclude people from one persuasion as against another.

The Canadian government, which gives some $10 million yearly to UNRWA, said it would be deeply concerned should Hansen's remarks have been taken in context and said it will immediately seek clarification from Mr. Hansen directly and from U.N. authorities. (Big News Network)

Rote Note: Not merely HAMAS, but Hezbolla as well. The UN shares a terrorist camp (and information) with the Hezbolla on the Southern Lebanese border. Sometimes their Iranian friends stop by and chat up new ways of killing children on buses. At their entrance way, one is greeted with a billboard of captured (and ill looking) Israeli soldiers with the caption in Hebrew reading: We have your sons. This does not seem to bother their UN guests, scared out of their gourd as usual. We know this because if we were 25 feet closer to a pack of them, one of them would have been a lucky recipient of a Double R jackboot lodged up their arse. The miscreants of malcontent had to settle for a Bronx cheer as they blankly stared towards us, wondering if we just hand signaled to them: "One beer please."

RadioRote

Israel Films Palestinians Loading Rocket into UN Vehicle, Demands Investigation

Israel demanded Sunday the UN investigate whether Palestinians filmed in the Gaza Strip were militants using a UN van to transport rockets for use against Israel. The pictures showed men running toward a vehicle with UN painted on the roof, carrying a long thin object which Israeli officials said was a Kassam rocket. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Gillerman, demanded that Secretary-General Kofi Annan order a full investigation. "This is a totally unacceptable situation...in which the UN, which is supposed to keep the peace, is cynically used by murderers to transport Kassam rockets in UN vehicles," Gillerman said.

Peter Hansen, the UNRWA commissioner-general, said he believed the object was a stretcher, since a Kassam rocket weighs "some 30 to 50 kg." Israeli military officials countered by saying the footage had been analyzed by aerial experts and they were certain it was a rocket. (Reuters)

According to the IDF website, the Kassam 1 rocket is about 2 meters long and weighs on average 5.5 kg. Acting IDF spokesperson Amit Livni said Sunday that most of the Kassam rockets fired at Sderot are of the Kassam 1 type. (Jerusalem Post)

In-Depth Issue:

Kassam Terrorists Captured on Film (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
See IDF videos:
Terrorists loading a Kassam rocket into a vehicle marked "UN" (1 Oct.)
Terrorists preparing an explosive charge in a Jabalya street (1 Oct.)
Terrorists launching a Kassam rocket near a crowded residential street (30 Sept.)
Terrorists preparing to bury an explosive charge, a land mine, in a crowded Jabalya street (30 Sep.)
Terrorists loading Kassam rockets into a vehicle in Gaza City and then transferring them into a home (20 Sep.)
See also The Production and Launching of Kassam Rockets from Gaza (IDF)

Why are Palestinian Refugees Different?

-- The Palestinian refugees who abandoned their homes in 1948 were casualties of a war started by the Arab world with the objective of preventing the creation of a Jewish state. The nascent State of Israel was fighting a war of existential survival. It owes no apologies for its behavior in 1948.

-- UN General Assembly Resolution 194 was adopted in 1949 with the aim of ending the new refugee problem quickly by means of return and compensation. It reads: if refugees agree to "live at peace with their [Israeli] neighbors," then they "should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date."

-- Hardline Palestinians argue that Israel must allow millions of refugees to inundate the country, thereby in effect compromising its status as a Jewish state and negating UN General Assembly Resolution 181, which explicitly created "Jewish and Arab states" in Mandatory Palestine.

-- Not only has UN Resolution 194 been distorted beyond recognition in the Arab narrative, but Palestinian refugees have been awarded their own unique UN agency, UNRWA, while all the rest of the world's refugees make do with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

-- Further, according to statutes promulgated by UNRWA, refugee status is passed on from generation to generation, to eternity. With a fifth generation of Palestinian refugees upon us, and factoring in intermarriage between refugee and non-refugee Palestinians, soon virtually all Palestinians will be able to claim refugee and "return" status. Nowhere else in the world has a refugee problem been treated, or mistreated, this way.

-- One possible compromise could have Israel reiterate categorically that it rejects the right of return, but in the spirit of UNGAR 194, it would offer to repatriate those original refugees, i.e., Palestinians who themselves left the country in 1948, who wish to spend their last years in Israel and are prepared to do so in a spirit of peace. No extended families - only the original refugees themselves, all at least 56 years old, who would number between a few thousand and a few tens of thousands.

-- Palestinians could interpret this as a humanitarian gesture that goes to the core of their grievance. Israelis could claim to be faithful to the original intent of UNGAR 194, without in any way validating the Palestinian narrative regarding 1948 or the Palestinian interpretation of UNGAR 194, both of which are antithetical to the spirit of a genuine two-state solution and to reconciliation between the two peoples.

Why are Palestinian Refugees Different? - Yossi Alpher (Media Monitors Network)

Squalid refugee camps

Anyone viewing the media photos from Israel can't help but notice the stark contrast between the Jewish areas and the Arab areas. In the Jewish areas, there are modern homes, businesses, shopping centers, museums, and recreational sites. In the Arab areas there are primitive homes, unsanitary food markets, children herding goats, and "squalid refugee camps."

The accompanying news articles from Associated Press, New York Times, and Reuters, emphasize the "deplorable humanitarian conditions in the squalid refugee camps." The articles lament how the Palestinians are suffering from the lengthy, harsh Israeli military occupation. The turbulence in the Middle East is attributed to a handful of young, idealistic Jewish families living in "settlements" around Jerusalem and the Gaza coast. If only these settlements were dismantled, everlasting peace would follow quickly.

Readers may conclude that the modern cities in Israel, as well as the "settlements," are supported by the rich Jews in America who control the banks, the corporations, and the entire U.S. Congress. Yet the poor downtrodden Palestinian Arabs can't get jobs and have no one to turn to. If they only had a little piece of land to call their own, they would be happy and peaceful.

However, if the reader took the trouble to read other articles from the same newspapers he would learn that American Jews make up less than 2% of the American population. These Jews are widely dispersed and fragmented in their beliefs. That's an unlikely position for controlling American wealth and politics. On the other hand, the Palestinians Arabs are surrounded by over 20 oil-rich, Arab states with a combined population over 300 million. What have these states done for their Palestinian brothers besides encourage violence, train terrorists, and provide explosives? In addition, over the last 30 years, the Palestinian Arabs have been the largest recipients of funds from UNRWA, UNICEF, IMF, and EU.

Instead of attributing Middle East turbulence to "Israeli occupation," "humiliating checkpoints," and "Jewish settlements on occupied Arab lands," news reporters should be asking the following questions:

1. What happened to all of the billions of dollars that the Palestinians received in foreign aid over the last ten years?

2. Where are all the homes, schools, businesses, and hospitals that the PA was supposed to build with the aid they received from the EU and UN?

3. What was the purpose for all of the "offices" and "security" buildings that the PA built in Ramallah, Gaza, and Hebron? Why did the PA need a complex of buildings that was almost the size of the Pentagon, but the people didn't have decent housing?'

4. Why are there so many "metals factories" in Gaza but we don't see one item that says "Made in Gaza."?

5. Where are Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the other terrorist groups getting their military equipment from?

6. Where was the "Israeli occupation" in September, 2000, when 98% of the Palestinian Arab population was under control of the PA?

7. Why did the PA respond to Barak's generous offer of a Palestinian state with a call for "Intifada," "jihad," and "liberation of Palestine"?

8. Why does the PA insist on "right of return" of 4 million descendents of the 1948 refugees but Jews have no right to live in Arab lands where they have lived for hundreds of years?

9. What ever happened to the renunciation of terrorism and security arrangements that were agreed to in the Oslo accords?

10. Why do Palestinian schools teach their children hatred and intolerance towards Jews while glorifying violent suicide bombers in their "struggle for the liberation of Palestine?"

11. Why is it permissible for Christian missionaries and foreign workers to live in the lands around Jerusalem but the young, Jewish "settlers" may not?

12. Why are people who plan, support, finance, and condone mass homicide against Jewish civilians referred to as "political leaders struggling for an independent state?"

13. Why is there no talk among the Arabs of "peaceful coexistence, mutual cooperation, tolerance, and negotiated compromise?"

There is one answer to all of the above questions: The main reason for the strife, suffering, and turmoil in the Middle East is the absolute refusal of the Arab population to accept the existence of the Jewish State of Israel and their struggle to replace it with another militant Islamic state. They teach their children that hatred, violence, intolerance, suicide, and mass homicide are all acceptable methods in the "struggle to liberate Palestine." The strife, violence, suffering, and turbulence will cease only when the Arabs realize that they will not benefit from violence, but will benefit from peaceful harmony and cooperation with the State of Israel.

Peaceful cooperation between Arabs and Jews could turn the sand and limestone of the Judean Hills into gold and jewels. Tourists would flock to a land that offers warm weather with sunny, blue skies for 8 months of the year. There are modern hotels, beaches, and recreational areas. Modern amenities are only a few kilometers from ancient, historical, and religious sites. If there was peace, tourism and commerce would flourish to the benefit of both Arabs and Israelis.

Instead of blaming "settlements" and "occupation," the civilized peoples of the world should be condemning hatred, violence, intolerance, and mass homicide. Only when the Arabs and Islamic fundamentalists realize that this type of behavior is not acceptable in civilized society will they realize that peaceful coexistence is a better alternative. Their leaders should not be legitimized by being invited to diplomatic conferences with promises of an independent state. That only encourages their violence and intransigence. Only when there are responsible Arab leaders who are sincere in promoting true peaceful coexistence and abandon their hateful rhetoric, should there be talk of establishing Palestinian autonomy. Then there wouldn't be any issue of "Jewish settlements" or "IDF operations in occupied territories," or "squalid refugee camps." Arabs, and Jews would live together in peace, harmony, security, and prosperity.

Israel Insider