Tel-Chai Nation

I've usually been unsure if I should take issue with anything negative the French president's done, though I realize he's as capable as any other politician, but here, it seems he did something considered an attempt to intervene in another country's personal politics: he asked for foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman to be replaced with Tzipi Livni:

(Israelnationalnews.com) During their meeting last week in Paris, French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to replace Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman with opposition leader Tzipi Livni. Netanyahu's office declined comment, but the Foreign Ministry response was less diplomatic.

"With her and [Defense Minister Ehud] Barak you can make history," Sarkozy told Netanyahu, according to a Monday night report on Israel TV's Channel 2 News. "I have always accepted Israeli foreign ministers, and I loved to have Tzipi Livni here at the Elysee [Palace], but with [Lieberman] I can't." The French leader allegedly also made a dismissive hand gesture when mentioning the Israeli Foreign Minister. Livni, he added, made a strategic mistake in refusing to join Netanyahu's cabinet.

In addition to Netanyahu, three Israeli officials reportedly heard the undiplomatic statements by Sarkozy.

[...]

In a statement from the Foreign Ministry Monday night, officials insisted, "We expect every political institution in Israel to condemn this blatant intervention of a foreign country in our private affairs, no matter what its political stance."

Minister of National Infrastructure Uzi Landau, a leader in Lieberman's Israel Beiteinu party, reacted to the Channel 2 report on Tuesday morning in an interview on IDF Radio.

"It's difficult for me to believe that a leader of a friendly country could make such remarks," Landau said, "but were I the Prime Minister, and such comments were made in my presence, I would bang on the table and object. That's how a prime minister should conduct himself to defend his country's honor."

I wonder what Sarkozy would say if he knew that Ehud Barak refused to recommend Livni for a PM candidate when Shimon Peres asked what the Labor party thought? What Sarkozy has done is and should be an embarrassment. If the objections are made loud enough, he'll certainly have to quiet down and avoid making foolish arguments like that again.

Labels: France, Israel

I watched an interview with Elliott Abrams yesterday on TV. He confirmed that there was an agreement between the Sharon government and the Dubya administration on the subject of "settlement growth". But there were some problems I'm afraid I'm going to have to take issue with.

First, Abrams does confirm that there was a deal. But what exact kind of deal was it? I found Abrams's op-ed in the Wall Street Journal (via Yid With Lid), which, while it does prove that Obama is lying about there not being a deal, still tells something very disturbing:

They were not secret, either. Four days after the president's letter [note: this is a letter from Bush to Ariel Sharon], Mr. Sharon's Chief of Staff Dov Weissglas wrote to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that "I wish to reconfirm the following understanding, which had been reached between us: 1. Restrictions on settlement growth: within the agreed principles of settlement activities, an effort will be made in the next few days to have a better definition of the construction line of settlements in Judea & Samaria."

Stories in the press also made it clear that there were indeed "agreed principles." On Aug. 21, 2004 the New York Times reported that "the Bush administration . . . now supports construction of new apartments in areas already built up in some settlements, as long as the expansion does not extend outward."

Not outward? Some people may not realize it, but that suggests a ghetto concept was being agreed upon. In other words, the residents would be "crowded in" within a cramped space. The letter from Bush to Sharon said that the major settlement blocs would have to be taken into account in any final settlement.

There may have been an agreement, but the irony is that it actually was a bad one.

Labels: Israel, United States, White House

Haim Ramon, one of the most awful leftist politicians in Israel, who was first a Labor party member and then left for Kadima, is going to quit the Knesset. And here's why it's good that he's leaving:

Ramon has served as minister of interior, health, justice and vice premier. His term as justice minister ended when he resigned on August 16, 2006, after a July 12, 2006, incident, in which he gave an unwanted kiss on the lips to a female soldier at the Prime Minister's Office.

He was convicted of sexual harassment in January 2007 and served 120 hours of community service, while remaining an MK. He wanted to quit politics then, but he remained at the insistence of then prime minister Ehud Olmert and afterwards Kadima leader Tzipi Livni. He returned to the cabinet in July 2007 and was re-elected to the Knesset for the last time in February.

Yes, he committed crude sexual harrassment, and crude is the word that describes his very personality. And the worst thing about his offense is that he got off very easy compared to former president Moshe Katzav, who's been persecuted by the attorney-general Menny Mazuz for the past 2-3 years on charges that by contrast were trumped up. If Ramon became a minister again, it'd be an embarrassment, and I don't think even the Labor party wants him anymore because of that.

Ramon's departure from the Knesset will be most welcome.

Labels: Israel, Knesset, political corruption

Last week, Haaretz said that Gilad Shalit would be moved to Egypt as part of a deal to free him. But now, in this latest news, it's told there's nothing doing:

Senior Israeli political sources denied over the weekend that progress has been made in Egyptian-brokered negotiations on securing the release of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

"There is no substantive progress on the matter," one of the sources said.

Frankly, this is just like a left-wing newspaper that Haaretz happens to be to come up with non-stop misinformation like what they earlier reported, which is insulting to Shalit's cause. This is just why the paper is failing in sales today, and why nobody with common sense should think of paying for them in print.

I am quite fed up with Haaretz's constant misinfo campaign, which is surely meant to do more harm than good for victims of terrorism like Shalit.

Labels: Israel, msm foulness

30 years ago, the Iranians invaded the US embassy Tehran, under the influence of the Ayatollah. Now, look what's happened over in Sweden (Hat tip: Hot Air):

Angry demonstrators broke into the Iranian Embassy outside Stockholm on Friday, climbing in through shattered windows and injuring one embassy worker, police said.

More than 150 people had gathered outside the embassy to protest against the Iranian regime, when some of them attacked the building with rocks and tore down a fence to enter the embassy grounds, police spokesman Ulf Hoglund said. [...]

“We want a regime change,” said Firouzeh Ghaffrpour, one of the organizers. “The Islamic system is not wanted by the people of Iran.”

The protesters, mostly Iranians, also demanded the embassy be closed.

Isn't that something. If I'm reading this right, these demonstrators reject the Islamic system of totalitarianism. More from Gateway Pundit.

Labels: iran, islam, Scandanavia

One Jerusalem points to a new social networking-style website called DeNukeIran, that's trying to help stop Iran's tyranny, and provide a platform for opponents of Obama's policies. Most interesting is that some Democrats were involved in helping get it launched!

Labels: iran

The Weekly Standard discovers Haaretz reporting that:

European diplomatic sources said Thursday that kidnapped Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit will be transferred to Egypt in the coming hours or coming days.

This information has yet to be confirmed by Israeli officials.

I'd like to think this were believable, but after countless articles that said virtually the same things, I really doubt this'll happen. The Hamas is the Hamas, and will remain so eternally.

Labels: Israel, jihad, terrorism

At long last, the man whom Ariel Sharon undemocratically barred from running for the position has rightfully obtained it:

Natan Sharansky, the 61-year-old author, activist and former Soviet dissident, was elected chairman of the Jewish Agency by a unanimous vote of the 120-member Jewish Agency Assembly on Thursday afternoon.

"This closed a great circle for me," Sharansky told The Jerusalem Post shortly after the election. The circle "began in Moscow, where we lived as Jews without identity, weak. After 1967, we suddenly began to feel the existence of Israel, of the Jewish people. We had an identity. We started to fight."

Sharansky's fight for human rights under the Soviet regime, as part of the movement led by Andrei Sakharov, led him to be arrested on espionage charges in 1977. He served nine years in a Siberian labor camp before being released in 1986 in an exchange for two Soviet spies captured in the West.

His own awakening, he continued, "has to happen now to Jews around the world. We're in a world where Jews are losing their identity. Israel and world Jewry are like receding galaxies, floating apart at a time when contact is easier than ever."

Since 1986, Sharansky has lived in Israel, serving as a minister in Likud-led governments and as the chairman of the Adelson Institute for Strategic Affairs in Jerusalem's Shalem Center. He was awarded the US Congressional Gold Medal in 1986 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006.

Born in the Ukraine in 1948, Sharansky graduated from the Physical Technical Institute in Moscow with a degree in computer science. He has played chess all his life, from winning the championship of his birth town of Donetsk at age 15 to defeating world champion Gary Kasparov in a simultaneous exhibition game when Sharansky was minister of industry and trade at age 52.

He may need all of his strategic prowess to take on the job of running a Jewish Agency whose complex leadership structure is drawn from throughout the Jewish world. The agency has suffered badly in the international financial storm and must answer serious questions about its future and goals in the years to come, as aliya dwindles and some of its functions are spun off to smaller boutique organizations.

His goals for the agency go beyond connecting with Diaspora Jews abroad, he says.

"Abroad there is the problem of assimilation, but in Israel, too, young Jews are growing away from their roots. It weakens us as a people. If we create contacts between the Diaspora and Israel, we strengthen their identity and ours at the same time. The Jewish Agency is that meeting place, the ideal tool for developing that connection."

His first act as chairman? "To start to understand what the Jewish Agency is exactly."

For the first time, the chairmanship of the agency is not also the chairman of the World Zionist Organization. Recent reform efforts aimed at separating the agency's leadership from Israeli political influence have weakened the link between the two leaderships.

Sharansky was elected for a full four-year term that will end in 2013, not, as some have called for, as an interim chairman until the Zionist Congress next summer. The WZO, meanwhile, will continue without a chairman until the congress.

I applaud Sharansky for finally getting the role he sought to qualify for. Now, he'll be able to take up the mission of helping Jews worldwide immigrate to Israel, and making things better for them.

Labels: Israel

Oh dear, it looks like Obama isn't having much luck peddling his badly planned healthcare program:

President Obama’s town hall meeting on health care delivered a sickly rating Wednesday evening.

The one-hour ABC News special “Primetime: Questions for the President: Prescription for America” (4.7 million viewers, 1.1 preliminary adults 18-49 rating) had the fewest viewers in the 10 p.m. hour. The special tied some 8 p.m. comedy repeats as the lowest-rated program on a major broadcast network.

And ABC News is so bad, they were asking for this catastrophe.

Hat tip: Michelle Malkin.

Labels: msm foulness, political corruption, United States

Barry Rubin at the Gloria Center writes about how Obama's policies have brought many Israelis to the point where only 6 percent think his administration is pro-Israel while the rest feel it's hostile to Israel.

Labels: Israel, United States

In this article from the AP Wire, they talk about how the Dead Sea has been drying up, and how this causes a problem with earth that caves in:

EIN GEDI, Israel – Eli Raz was peering into a narrow hole in the Dead Sea shore when the earth opened up and swallowed him. Fearing he would never be found alive in the 30-foot- deep pit, he scribbled his will on an old postcard.

After 14 hours a search party pulled him from the hole unhurt, and five years later the 69-year-old geologist is working to save others from a similar fate, leading an effort to map the sinkholes that are spreading on the banks of the fabled saltwater lake.

These underground craters can open up in an instant, sucking in whatever lies above and leaving the surrounding area looking like an earthquake zone.

The phenomenon, Raz said, stems from a dire water shortage, compounded in recent years by tourism and chemical industries as well as a growing population. "This is the most remarkable evidence of the brutal interference of humans in the Dead Sea," he said.

The parched moonscape, famous as the site of biblical Sodom and Gomorra, is the lowest point on earth and runs more than 60 miles through Israel and the West Bank.

Large sections of the coast are fenced off and signposted in Hebrew and English: "danger, open pits" and "sinkhole area ahead." But it's too expensive to inspect every place for danger. Just two months ago an Israeli hiker wandered into an area that had no warning signs and was critically injured when he fell into a sinkhole.

While such accidents are rare, Raz says there are up to 3,000 open sinkholes along the coast and likely just as many that haven't burst open yet. And they're having a big impact on Israeli development plans.

The collapsing terrain has forced authorities to close a campground, date groves and a small naval base, and to scrap plans for 5,000 new hotel rooms, said Galit Cohen, director of environmental planning at the Ministry of the Environment.

The holes, also found on the Jordanian side of the sea, are the result of the Dead Sea having shrunk by a third since the 1960s when Israel and Jordan built plants to divert water flowing through its main tributary, the Jordan River.

The holes form when a subterranean salt layer that once bordered the sea is dissolved by underground fresh water that follows the receding Dead Sea waters.

The main road along the shore has been torn apart by streams whose energy is increased because they are flowing farther to reach the receding sea, and all construction along the strip between sea and highway is banned, Cohen said.

Both Israel and Jordan evaporate Dead Sea water to extract its phosphates and have built hotels along the coasts for the thousands of tourists who come in search of the curative powers of Dead Sea mud, or simply for the experience of floating unsinkably in its salt-saturated waters.

Only micro-organisms survive in the Dead Sea, but indigenous species of fish, amphibians and snails live in small nearby ponds fed by underground springs, and these could be wiped out as the Dead Sea gets smaller, Raz said.

Many of the changes are masked at the pricey resorts on the sea's southern end, which lie on the banks of a large artificial pond built by the mineral industry. But around Ein Gedi, the kibbutz or communal farm where Raz lives, the Dead Sea's shrinkage is evident.

Twenty-five years ago Ein Gedi built a spa by the sea. Now it's a one-mile trolley ride from the water.

"Any visitor that's come back for a second visit in these last 10 years would see a dramatic change," said Gidon Bromberg, Israel director of Friends of the Earth Middle East, an advocacy group. "The sea has run away from the cliffs and it's exposed kilometers of mud and sea floor."

No quick solution is in sight.

The World Bank is studying a proposal to dig a canal from the Red Sea, more than 100 miles south, to replenish the Dead Sea's waters. But with costs estimated at up to $15 billion, there's little optimism it will happen.

Without a solution, the sea is expected to shrink to lose another third of its area over the next century.

I remember how, back when I was a youngster, you could see the Dead Sea from Jerusalem if you were standing on a big enough hilltop. Today, it's much harder to see it, as it's dwindled since then.

They're going to have to start taking steps to enable water to flow through to the Dead Sea area anew, and may also have to clear away some of the ground from potentially dangerous areas where the earth could burst open and people could accidentally fall into the sinkhole. There is plenty of potential that the area holds, but without proper steps to fix it, it won't be realized.

Labels: Israel

Newspapers are failing, and even the television news broadcasters are, it turns out. CBS and ABC have both recorded record lows for their recent TV evening news broadcasts. They deserve it. 60 Minutes is one of the crappiest, and ABC has been too. I think they became even worse ever since Disney bought into them in the mid-90s. And let's not forget NBC, with such awful reporters as Tom Brokaw! If they go under, they're asking for it.

Hat tip: Power Line.

Labels: communications, msm foulness

Power Line said recently that Benjamin Netanyahu should part company with Barack Obama. When it comes to the subject of Iran, you could say that in a way, he did:

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, in his second public pronouncement on Iran is as many days, was quoted in a German newspaper Monday as saying that friendly relations could be established with Iran if there were a regime change.

In an interview published in the German newspaper Bild, Netanyahu - when asked whether a victory for Hossein Mussavi would be good news for Israel - replied: "What would be good news for Israel is a regime that stops crushing dissent, stops supporting terror and stops trying to build nuclear weapons.

"It would mean a regime that stops denying the Holocaust and stops threatening Israel with destruction," he said. "There is no conflict between the Iranian people and the people of Israel and under a different regime the friendly relations that prevailed in the past could be restored."

Israel and Iran enjoyed a friendly and constructive relationship prior to the overthrow of the Shah and establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979.

On Sunday, in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," Netanyahu said that while Israel wanted a regime change, like most of the rest of the world, what was even more important was stopping Teheran's nuclear march.

Netanyahu, in his interview with Bild, said that he believed the protests, and the way the Iranian regime was suppressing them, had "unmasked" the true nature of the Iranian regime. Netanyahu said that if the Iranian people had a free choice, he had no doubt they would opt for a different government.

"What we have seen in Iran is a powerful desire on the part of the Iranian people to be free," he said. "Don't forget, Iranian elections are not like elections in Europe or Israel. First of all, the regime vets candidates. They eliminate those who are unacceptable to them in advance. This is a theocratic, totalitarian and brutal state that doesn't really give free choice to the Iranian people."

Netanyahu has certainly gone one up on Obama, who, while he has spoken on the issue of Iran's current self-savagery, has still avoided taking a solid stand.

Labels: anti-semitism, iran, Israel, jihad, racism, terrorism, United States

Who would've thought that Nicholas Sarkozy, of all politicians, would voice opposition to the burqa, and especially the niqab? But that's what he's done now, just what Barack Obama likely doesn't have the courage to do:

PARIS – President Nicolas Sarkozy said the Muslim burqa would not be welcome in France, calling the full-body religious gown a sign of the "debasement" of women.

In the first presidential address to parliament in 136 years, Sarkozy faced critics who fear the burqa issue could stigmatize France's Muslims and said he supported banning the garment from being worn in public.

"In our country, we cannot accept that women be prisoners behind a screen, cut off from all social life, deprived of all identity," Sarkozy said to extended applause at the Chateau of Versailles, southwest of Paris.

"The burqa is not a religious sign, it's a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement — I want to say it solemnly," he said. "It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic."

Dozens of legislators have called for creating a commission to study a possible ban in France, where there is a small but growing trend of wearing the full-body garment despite a 2004 law forbidding it from being worn in public schools.

France has Western Europe's largest Muslim population, an estimated 5 million people, and the 2004 law sparked fierce debate both at home and abroad.

Even the French government has been divided over the issue, with Immigration Minister Eric Besson saying a full ban would only "create tensions," while junior minister for human rights Rama Yade said she was open to a ban if it was aimed at protecting women forced to wear the burqa.

The terms "burqa" and "niqab" often are used interchangeably in France. The former refers to a full-body covering worn largely in Afghanistan with only a mesh screen over the eyes, whereas the latter is a full-body veil, often in black, with slits for the eyes.

A leading French Muslim group, the French Council for the Muslim Religion, has warned against studying the burqa, saying it would "stigmatize" Muslims.

Sarkozy was due to host a state dinner Monday with Sheik Hamad Bin Jassem Al Thani of Qatar, where women wear Islamic head coverings in public — whether while shopping or driving cars.

Don't give in to those Islamists if they start their likely whining. This is exactly the call that's needed now, for stopping the wearing of that terrible, asphyxiating garment called the niqab, which is only a prison for women, and deprivation of their identity.

Labels: Europe, France, islam

This article on Israel National News tells of a very surprising thing the IDF intends to do: to emboss the Ten Commandments on Korans given to Muslims who serve in the military:

(IsraelNN.com) The IDF Rabbinate intends to emboss its emblem on military-issued Korans, according to IDF journal BaMachaneh. This may be the first time in history that an overtly Jewish symbol – the emblem of the Israel Defense Force Rabbinate – will be embossed on Muslim holy books. The Rabbinate’s emblem depicts the Tablets of the Ten Commandments, as well as the sword and olive branches that appear in numerous IDF logos.

The IDF provides Korans for its Muslim soldiers. These include Bedouins, as well as non-Bedouin Muslim Arabs, who have served in the IDF as trackers and in other combat roles since its earliest days.

The idea for embossing the emblem on IDF Korans was brought up by the Chief Jewish Chaplain for the French Army, Maj.-Gen. Rabbi Haim Corsia, who visited the IDF last week. Corsia noticed that the IDF Rabbinate emblem is embossed upon the prayer books that the army hands out to religious Jewish soldiers, but does not appear on military Korans.

Rabbi Corsia pointed out the matter to the IDF’s Chief Rabbi, Brig.-Gen. Avichai Ronsky, who promised to fix the situation, the military magazine reported.

“Not having the Military Rabbinate’s emblem on the Koran is a mistake," Rabbi Corsia said. “If the IDF issues Korans to Muslim soldiers, that means the Koran is part of the army. I look at the Book of Tehillim (Psalms) and it has the stamp, but the Koran does not. In the French army this would not happen. This is an area in which we can help the IDF."

There are surely a few ways this can be interpreted. On the one hand, one could say that this is a perfect way of backlashing against Islam for its hatemongering. On the other hand, I think that to put a Jewish symbol upon books of a hatemongering religion is a very stupid idea. I think it'd be a good idea thus to remind of one of the Koran's most creepy verses:

"Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks..." (Qur'an 47:4).

Now should the Rabbinate of the IDF - any Rabbinate for that matter - be putting its stamp upon something as vile as that? I think not.

Let this serve as an example of PC-stupidity that is plaguing some of Israel's most important systems.

Edit: oh, and how could I have forgotten: how can the Rabbinate put their stamp on something that promotes...anti-semitism?

Labels: islam, Israel, military

The Iranian public are fed up with Ahmedinejad, and have taken to the streets to protest his rigging the election, even though, had his rival been elected it would surely have made little difference. Hot Air has a whole roundup here.

A young woman named Neda, which translates roughly in Farsi as "voice", was murdered by the Iranian police while protesting. And all this while, Obama just does nothing.

The woman's full name was Neda Agha Soltan.

Labels: iran, misogyny, political corruption

According to this article (via The Jawa Report and Interested Participant):

SAN FRANCISCO -- Marijuana smoke has joined tobacco smoke and hundreds of other chemicals on a list of substances California regulators say cause cancer.

The ruling Friday by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment likely will force pot shops with 10 or more employees to post warnings. Final guidelines are expected by the time warning requirements take effect in a year.

The listing only applies to marijuana smoke, not the plant itself.

Spokesman Sam Delson says the state agency found marijuana smoke contains 33 of the same harmful chemicals as tobacco smoke.

Delson says the findings came from a review of more than 30 scientific papers.

California's Proposition 65 requires businesses to warn consumers of chemicals that cause cancer or reproductive harm.

So it's not just simply brain damage (more info on that available here), but also damage to the lungs that this POS drug can cause, and that can be if it's smoked the same way the standard tobacco cigarette is.

By the way, notice how Frisco is apparently a safe haven for cannabis marketing? I think this calls for a federal level investigation into the municipality's conniving with crime and corruption.

Update: according to this older UK Times article, they can cause something like schizophrenia too.

Labels: Moonbattery, political corruption, United States

Creeping Shari'a has a video of Rep. Frank Wolf tackling unindicted co-conspirator in terrorism CAIR, and best of all, he discussed them at the House (Hat tip: Counterterrorism Blog). Every effort made to confront the cowards of CAIR is a big help to tons of innocent people the world over who want to lead their lives in safety.

Labels: CAIR corruption, islam, jihad, terrorism, United States, war on terror

Reading the latest reports of the current clash between Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton (via Jihad Watch), it wouldn't surprise if theirs will be a very bitter relationship, because Clinton clearly wants it that way. I praise Lieberman for standing strong on the issues of the "settlements", and refusing to agree to her insane wish to freeze them and their natural growth. Her whole way of putting things is quite deplorable.

Here's another article about this with a video included.

Update: and here's the Financial Times' article about this, via Hot Air, which points out how Hilary shows more concern about settlements than she does about freedom for Iran.

Labels: Israel, Moonbattery, United States

The New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez has given a speech where he answers Barack Obama's misleading speech in Cairo. Sen. Menendez said:

Far too many misrepresent the significance of the Holocaust, especially in regard to the State of Israel and her people. And far too many people deny it happened altogether, out of bigotry, hatred, and spite. In the face of so much misunderstanding, I am compelled today to speak up about the role of the Holocaust in Israel’s history and Israel’s challenges in preventing anti-Semitic murder from continuing to happen. The Holocaust was the most sinister possible reminder that the Jewish population in exile was in constant jeopardy. It was a definitive argument that anti-Semitism could appear anywhere, and its horrors galvanized international support for the State of Israel.

But let us be very clear: While the Shoah has a central role in Israel’s identity, it is not the reason behind its founding and it is not the main justification for its existence.

The extreme characterization of this mistaken view is the following: The Western powers established Israel in 1948 based on their own guilt, at the expense of the Arab peoples who lived there. Therefore, the current state is illegitimate and should be wiped off the face of the map.

This flawed argument is not only in defiance of basic human dignity but in plain defiance of history. It is in defiance of ancient history as told in biblical texts and through archeological evidence. It ignores the history of the last several centuries. Because of what is at stake, it is well worth reviewing this history in detail, and let me make a modest attempt at a very broad overview.

There has been a continuity of Jewish presence in the Holy Land for thousands of years. Jewish kings and governments were established in that area that is now Israel several millennia ago. After untold years of Jewish sovereignty, based in Jerusalem, the land of the Jewish people fell repeatedly to invaders—Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, and many others. Jews were repeatedly massacred and expelled, and the departure of so many from the land they had always called home developed into an unparalleled diaspora. From the 16th century until the earliest 20th century, the land that is now Israel was under the control of a distant Ottoman caliphate based in Istanbul, and during this time, as earlier, many Jews returned to their ancestral homeland.

The Ottoman Empire collapsed after World War I, and the treaty granted Great Britain a mandate over the area then known as Palestine. The League of Nations endorsed and clarified this mandate in 1922, requiring Britain to reconstitute a Jewish national home within the territory they controlled, in accordance with the declaration made by British Foreign Secretary Balfour in 1917, making the restoration of Jewish communities in that area a matter of international law. By the time World War II had ended, there were more than 600,000 Jews living in the British Mandate of Palestine.

In 1947, the United Nations approved a plan to partition the territory into Arab and Jewish states. The Jewish Agency accepted the plan. The Arabs did not. On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel declared its independence. On May 15, five Arab nations declared war. Despite being surrounded on all sides, Israel prevailed and expanded its borders, providing a small additional measure of security against attacks which were certain to come and did. So to be clear, the more than 700,000 Palestinians who left Israel were refugees of a war instigated by Arab governments, bent on seizing more land for themselves. But the Arabs who left Israel after its modern founding weren’t the only displaced population in the Middle East. In addition to the hundreds of thousands of Jews who left Europe during and after the Holocaust in the 20th century, more than threequarters of a million Jews fled or were expelled from their homes in Arab and Middle Eastern nations—in cities that many of their families had lived in for nearly a millennium. Their possessions were taken, their livelihoods were destroyed, victims of nationalism and hatred of Israel.

Read the transcript in its entirety. And, you can go here for a video of Menendez's own speech. He deserves much praise for being a US counterpart to Benjamin Netanyahu in correcting Obama's propaganda.

Update: you know, after reading about Menendez's corruption, I think I'm going to have to reconsider, and wonder if he's just a panderer. His corruption certainly isn't excusable.

Labels: Israel

Once again, Germany's government has revealed its evil side (Hat tip: Jihad Watch):

BERLIN — A prominent Saudi cleric who has extolled Osama bin Laden and preached violence against Shiites, Jews and Christians slipped quietly into Germany for medical treatment in April and even received police protection in the hospital before his departure last month, government and medical officials acknowledged Wednesday.

Most interesting is how even Shiite Muslims are a target of this particular cleric, an example of how Muslims can turn against even themselves.

The disclosure has set off a fierce political debate here because the cleric’s diatribes are considered a crime in this country, where hate speech is illegal.

The cleric, Sheik Abdullah ibn al-Jebreen, believed to be in his mid-70s, is one of the most influential clerics in Saudi Arabia and a devotee of Wahhabism, a strict form of Islam. American and European counterterrorism officials say he has supported radical Islam and condoned violence against Jews and Christians. Some of his followers are under surveillance by the German intelligence services.

His visit to Germany was first reported early this month by Spiegel Online, the Web site of the newsmagazine Der Spiegel, after an Iraqi exile read about it on the cleric’s Web site and filed a complaint against him. Government officials confirmed details of the visit under questioning in Parliament on Wednesday. Some angry lawmakers demanded to know why he had even been granted entry.

“The man has called for the killing of Shiites, and this is definitely a crime in Germany, and he also praised Osama bin Laden,” said Omid Nouripour, a Green Party member of Parliament, adding, “This is a scandal.”

Yep, it sure is, though I notice that Jews and Christians don't make it into the above parliamentarian's speech. But then, I notice that his name may be Arabic, so I have to assume that he's a Muslim too?

August Hanning, state secretary of the Interior Ministry, said by telephone that he had no warning of the visit and that the cleric had entered with a French visa. “The government had no idea about this,” he said.

Peter Altmaier, another state secretary of the Interior Ministry, told Parliament that government officials first heard about the cleric’s presence in Germany when the Saudi interior minister contacted the German Embassy in Riyadh on May 11 and asked that Mr. Jebreen receive police protection in a Berlin hospital where he was undergoing heart treatment.

The police stopped by the hospital several times to check on him. “We were in regular contact with the hospital and the Saudi Embassy,” said Martin Otter, a Berlin police spokesman.

Guido Steinberg, a terrorism expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said, “Everything that you have heard about him is absolutely Wahhabi mainstream, that the Shiites are apostates and that people should go to Iraq and fight against occupiers.”

The Iraqi exile, Ali al-Sarray, whose lawyer filed the complaint to the German police in May, said Mr. Jebreen “is one of the brainwashers who is responsible for terrorism and the killing of innocent people.”

When the Saudi government learned of the complaint it asked for police protection because it feared reactions from Shiite groups, a German diplomat said.

There is no evidence that the cleric is tied to any particular extremist group, but in a speech, he said of Osama bin Laden, “May God aid him and bring victory to him and by him.”

Does he have to be tied to an extremist group in order to be dangerous? Fact is, he IS an extremist, and Germany should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to go completely unopposed.

Labels: anti-semitism, germany, islam, jihad, racism, terrorism

It seems that ABC News is going to be a mouthpiece for Barack Obama's dreadful healthcare program, and will not allow opposing viewpoints or questions about it. Only "diverse" opinions are allowed.

ABC started going way south after the Disney corporation bought ownership of it in 1994. What's the use of wasting one's time with them anymore? They're hopeless.

Labels: communications, msm foulness, United States

It's time now that I try and assess a few thoughts about Benjamin Netanyahu's speech yesterday at Bar-Ilan University, which John Hinderaker writes about at Power Line. First, I'm not pleased that he brought up the mention of a palestinian state, even if he said it should be a scattered one. But overall, he does not appear to have changed his position, and has indicated that he's for allowing what are called "settlements" to continue their natural growth and right to it as well. And, he also corrected a very seriously misleading statement Obama made in his ludicrous speech in Cairo, which met with serious criticism.

Most interesting is the reaction it produced from the palestinian side: they're not happy with it at all, and regard Netanyahu as an enemy:

Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah expressed outrage and shock on Sunday over Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's call for the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state and his demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

The officials said that the speech that Netanyahu delivered at Bar-Ilan University was much worse than they had expected.

They also warned that Netanyahu's policies would trigger a new intifada.

Some of PA President Mahmoud Abbas's top advisers accused Netanyahu of "burying the peace process" and said the ball was now in the court of US President Barack Obama.

"Netanyahu's speech is a blow to Obama before it's a blow to the Palestinians and Arabs," an Abbas aide said. "It's obvious, in the aftermath of this speech, that we are headed toward another round of violence and bloodshed."

Abbas's office issued a terse statement in which it accused Netanyahu of destroying efforts to achieve peace in the region.

"The speech has destroyed all initiatives and expectations," the statement said. "It has also placed restrictions on all efforts to achieve peace and constitutes a clear challenge to the Palestinian, Arab and American positions."

Nabil Abu Rudaineh, a spokesman for Abbas, also lambasted Netanyahu for refusing to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state and his call for solving the issue of Palestinian refugees outside Israel.

"Netanyahu's remarks won't lead to a just and comprehensive peace based on United Nations resolutions," Abu Rudaineh added.

Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior PLO official closely associated with Abbas, launched a scathing attack on Netanyahu, calling him a "swindler and liar."

Netanyahu wanted the Palestinians to join the Zionist movement by offering them a state under the protectorate of Israel, Abed Rabbo said. He also rejected Netanyahu's demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

The speech, Abed Rabbo said, was worthless and meaningless and hampered efforts to move forward toward a fair solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict.

"Netanyahu is creating tricks to sabotage the peace process," he said. "The response to Netanyahu must be firm."

Chief PA negotiator Saeb Erekat called on the Arab countries to suspend the Arab peace initiative in protest against Netanyahu's statements. "We were not surprised by this speech," he said. "It didn't come as a surprise to all those who are familiar with the Israeli mentality. It's time for the Arab world to announce a clear position toward Netanyahu's speech."

There you have it. Same old selves they are, and have not changed. Everything must be done solely according to the palestinians' dictates. Worst: they threaten to perform more violence. And, they also want Obama to serve as their ultimate weapon. Shameful indeed.

So, what this shows is that nothing will satisfy these vermin but total annihilation of Israel. There is nothing else to do now but turn away from them and start dealing with Iran, and with the palestinians too if they start acting violent.

Update: more from One Jerusalem.

Labels: anti-semitism, islam, Israel

The son of James Von Brunn, who murdered the guard Stephen Tyrone Johns at the US Holocaust Memorial, says he wishes his father had died instead of the guard:

Also on Thursday, von Brunn's 32-year-old son, Erik, released a statement to ABC News, condemning his father's beliefs and actions, and decrying the results of his father's shooting attack.

"I cannot express enough how deeply sorry I am it was Mr. Johns, and not my father who lost their life yesterday [Wednesday]," wrote Erik. "It was unjustified and unfair that he died, and while my condolences could never begin to offer appeasement, they, along with my remorse is all I have to give."

Erik, who grew up in the shadow of his father's hatred, also offered advice to Aryans, "For the extremists who believe my father is a hero: it is imperative you understand what he did was an act of cowardice," Erik wrote. "To physically force your beliefs onto others with violence is not brave, but bullying. Doing so only serves to prove how weak those beliefs are. It is simply desperation, reminiscent of a temper tantrum when a child cannot get his way."

I'm glad the son realizes the wrongness of his father's way. The vile bastard should be put to death for the murder he committed, and not provided with medical attention at all.

Update: child pornography was found on the neo-nazi's computer (Hat tip: Hot Air Headlines).

Labels: anti-semitism, racism, terrorism, United States

General Petraeus was attacked by leftists during the Bush administration's run. At that time, I did feel appalled at how he was being targeted.

Now, I discover via Nicholas Guariglia at Pajamas Media that Petraeus blames the existence of terror groups like Hezbollah on the Israeli-palestinian conflict:

Petraeus is a respected man, whose opinions are highly valued and held in high esteem — which makes his recent comment about the terrorist group Hezbollah all the more surprising. Just prior to the Lebanese elections — elections that Hezbollah lost, thank goodness — Gen. Petraeus spoke with the Arabic-language al-Hayat newspaper, published by the Lebanese Daily Star, and blamed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the existence of Hezbollah. “Hezbollah’s justifications for existence will become void,” Petraeus said, “if the Palestinian cause is resolved.”

Does he really believe that? Some way to toss all appreciation for him to the winds. Here, he had the chance to win the admiration of people like me. Instead, more than a year after his unfair targeting by the left, and he makes it impossible to do so.

General Petraeus, I'm sorry, but if that's how it's going to be, then I cannot offer my support.

Update: as I've since discovered, it appears that the info here on Petraeus was inaccurate, a fabrication of Mark Perry, an Arafat advisor.

Labels: islam, Israel, jihad, terrorism

It is so NOT surprising, I'm telling you. If Iran ever supposedly set up a democractic system in the 1990s, it's gone now. As these reports here tell, the election was rigged.

Unrest has followed, as seen in these videos (Hat tip: Judith Apter Klinghoffer at History News Network):


Michael Totten's got more updates on this.

Update: more on the subject at Hot Air.

Labels: iran, political corruption

He just fired Miss California Carrie Prejean, who has a post about this on Big Hollywood. Despite having honored her contract, it seems Trump has succumbed to PC-stupidity and fired her.

As for the new Miss California, she by contrast seems to be taking the opposite stand than that of Prejean on the subject of marriage, another clue that this must've been...a political decision. Clearly, nobody with sense should have anything to do with Donald Trump and his crummy casinos.

Update: here's another news clip from the AP Wire.

Labels: misogyny, Moonbattery, United States

There's more news about what James Von Brunn, the murderer at the US Holocaust Memorial, was like. Starting with this item:

The suspect in Wednesday’s shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is James von Brunn, an 88-year-old white supremacist from Maryland, two law enforcement officials told CNN.

Von Brunn served six years in prison on federal attempted kidnapping, assault and firearms charges after what he called a citizen’s “legal, nonviolent citizens arrest” of members of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

On his Web site, “Holy Western Empire,” von Brunn said he was “convicted by a Negro jury, Jew/Negro attorneys, and sentenced to prison for eleven years by a Jew judge.”

“He is in our files going back way into the 1980s,” said Heidi Beirich, a researcher for the Montgomery, Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center.

“He has extremely long history with neo-Nazis and white supremacists. He’s written extremely incendiary publications, raging about Jews, blacks and the like.”

The suspect and a security guard were wounded in Wednesday afternoon’s shooting at the museum, U.S. Park Police said.

District of Columbia police and the FBI said the shooting appeared to have been the work of a single gunman and there was no prior indication of the attack.

It's tragic to report that the heroic security guard he shot has died. Please keep Stephen Tyrone Johns in your prayers.

Now, here's where it becomes even more lurid: the culprit was a 9-11 Truther type who hated conservatives:

The man accused of opening fire at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC on June 10, James W. von Brunn, left a trail of unhinged writings around the internet.

The anti-semitism of von Brunn is the first thing one notices when visiting these bizarre websites. However, like those of most “white supremacists”, many of von Brunn’s political views track “Left” rather than “Right.” Clearly, a re-evaluation of these obsolete definitions is long overdue.

For example, he unleashed his hatred of both Presidents Bush and other “neo-conservatives” in online essays. As even some “progressives” such as the influential Adbusters magazine publicly admit, “neoconservative” is often used as a derogatory code word for “Jews”. As well, even a cursory glance at “white supremacist” writings reveals a hatred of, say, big corporations that is virtually indistinguishable from that of anti-globalization activists.

James von Brunn’s advocacy of 9/11 conspiracy theories also gives him an additional commonality with individuals on the far-left.

There's a case to be made that, if there's any white racists around today, it's likely to be on the far-left, as the creepy von Brunn's actions suggest.

Also important to note is that von Brunn was anti-Christian. Indeed, as the years have gone by and I read more about these repugnant characters, they do seem to be as hostile to Christianity as they are to Jews and Judaists.

Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch also notes:

The Aryan Nations has stated: "Islam is our ally, and the 1500 cults all claiming to be 'Christian' are our opposition."

Note also that white supremacist David Duke has traveled to Syria to express his support for the jihad against Israel.

And remember that in World War II, the Mufti of Jerusalem, Hajj Amin Al-Husseini, allied with Hitler and recruited a Muslim SS division.

These details too are something very important to remember.

Update: Michelle Malkin also discovers that von Brunn hated FOX News. And, he may have even thought of targeting the Weekly Stardard staff. According to Politico:

FBI agents visited the offices of the conservative Weekly Standard magazine yesterday after a shooting at the Holocaust Memorial Museum and told employees they’d found the magazine’s address

A senior Standard staffer confirmed the visit but declined to discuss it in detail. An FBI spokeswoman, Katherine Schweit , also declined to comment on the investigation.

Two other sources said two FBI agents arrived shortly after 5:00 p.m. Thursday at the 17th Street offices of the magazine. They told staffers that they had found the address of the magazine on a piece of paper associated with the shooter, James von Brunn, and asked whether the Standard had received any threats.

The magazine is about a mile north of the Holocaust Museum, and there’s no other indication that von Brunn had targeted it. Von Brunn’s published rants included attacks on “neocons,” and the Standard has been at the heart of the neoconservative movement.

The suggestion that the Standard may have been a target complicates any view of the racist shooter in contemporary left-right terms.

Others on the subject include Hot Air, The Anchoress, Frugal Cafe Blog Zone, Suzy Rice, Prudence Ponder, Q and O, Moe Lane, Red State, Right Angles, Wellsy's World, Scared Monkeys.

Labels: anti-semitism, racism, terrorism, United States

Con Coughlin writes about the upcoming Iranian elections in the Wall Street Journal, and why there's little to no chance it'll change anything. And why? Because only candidates vetted by the ruling Islamic clerics have been allowed to take part. And these are mostly candidates with ties to the Ayatollah Khomeini and Supreme Leader Khamenei.

Hat tip: One Jerusalem.

Labels: iran, islam

An act of violence took place, and it appears the perpetrator is a white supremacist:

WASHINGTON – An elderly gunman opened fire with a rifle inside the crowded U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday, gravely wounding a security guard before being shot. Authorities said they were investigating a white supremacist as the possible shooter.

The assailant was in critical condition, said Washington, D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty.

D.C. Police Chief Kathy Lanier said the gunman appeared to have acted alone. He was "engaged by security guards immediately after entering the door" with a rifle, she said.

The museum normally has a heavy security presence with guards positioned both inside and outside. All visitors are required to pass through metal detectors at the entrance, and bags are screened.

But Lanier told reporters at a hastily convened news conference, "The second he stepped into the building he began firing."

Authorities said they were investigating for any possible connection with terrorism or hate crime.

The museum, located just off the National Mall near the Washington Monument, is a popular tourist attraction. It draws about 1.7 million visitors each year.

Roads surrounding the museum were closed at least temporarily and blocked off with yellow tape. Several police cars and officers on horses surrounded the area.

One law enforcement official said James Von Brunn, a white supremacist, was under investigation in the shooting, and a second official said the elderly man's car was found near the museum and tested for explosives. They spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.

If that's the name of the culprit, it sounds German. I assume this is some lubricant from the dark days gone by who sadly survived until now.

Update: more on this over here.

More at Hot Air Headlines.

Labels: racism, terrorism, United States

I was unable to blog before about the tragic crash of an Air France plane, Flight 447, but now, some most shocking news has come up, and I'm not going to let it out of mine, and your, sight (Hat tip: The Jawa Report):

Two passengers with names linked to Islamic terrorism were on board the Air France flight that crashed in the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 228 on board, it has emerged.

French secret servicemen established the connection while working through the list of those who boarded the doomed Airbus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 31.

Agents are now trying to establish dates of birth for the two dead passengers, and family connections.

There is a possibility that the name similarities are simply a "macabre coincidence," the source added, but the revelation is still being "taken very seriously."

Now we know just why the plane went down - safety measures are much better these days, and a simple failure couldn't happen so easily. The question now is - how did these two men manage to get on board? Did they have fake passports and false names? And most importantly, how did security let them get through?

Others on the subject include Infidels Are Cool, Hot Air.

Labels: Latin America, terrorism

Here's an interesting report on how Uri Ariel, a member of the National Union party in Israel, has been elected to the Knesset's committee for appointing judges:

(IsraelNN.com) In a close and secret vote, the Knesset voted MKs David Rotem (Israel Our Home) and Uri Ariel (National Union) as its representatives on the Committee for the Appointment of Judges.

Rotem, who chairs the Knesset Law Committee, was a foregone favorite to win one of the two slots - while Ariel was a surprise winner for the "opposition" slot. Ariel's race against Bar-On was the subject of great tension, with some Likud members saying they would vote for Bar-On - despite Bar-On's centrist-left orientation. In the event, Ariel received 59 votes, one more than Bar-On's 58.

[...]

MK Ariel, a former mayor of Beit El, has had some criticism of the legal system, including what he feels is its overly-active judicial activism, lack of proportionate representation among justices for minorities, and sluggishness in hearing and deciding cases. He criticized the Supreme Court judges for not visiting Gush Katif before ratifying the Knesset's Disengagement laws.

MK Ariel is also among those who feel that land disputes, such as those brought by Arabs and the Peace Now organization against Jewish neighborhoods in Judea and Samaria, should not be decided by the Supreme Court, but rather by lower courts, as are other disputes between neighbors.

I wasn't happy with how the National Union conducted an election campaign that had little to no constructivity in it, but I do applaud them for electing Ariel to the panel. I just hope that he's going to be doing a dedicated job here, and that he'll be altruistic.

Labels: Israel, Knesset

The ex-Kadima minister has been convicted for stealing a million:

The Tel Aviv District Court Monday morning convicted former Kadima Finance Ministry Avraham Hirschson of stealing four million shekels ($1 million) and of breaching public trust. He also was convicted for money laundering and falsifying documents. His sentence will be determined at a later date.

Hirschson was a trusted minister and close confidante of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is facing indictment hearings on various criminal charges. The hearings have been postponed after the High Court accepted his claim that his prostate cancer surgery in the United States was urgent.

Hirschson was convicted of stealing most of the money from a branch of the Histadrut national labor union between 1998 and 2005. He received some of the money in cash-stuffed envelopes for “bonuses,” trips and political campaigns.

He should now rot in prison for robbing the public of their tax money.

Labels: Israel, political corruption

This is the speech that the late Ronald Reagan gave circa 1984 (Hat tip: Michelle Malkin).

Update:on a related note, here's a special post by Greyhawk at the Mudville Gazette.

Labels: France, United States

Another eyebrow-raiser: Obama has snubbed a European leader (H/T: Jim Blazsik):

The Obamas turn up in Paris this evening, but have declined a dinner invitation from the couple next door: the Sarkozys.

President Obama’s reluctance to spend more than minimum time with the French leader on his visit for the D-Day anniversary has come as an embarrassment to the Elysée Palace.

America’s First Family will not be dining with President Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni, even though they are staying at the residence of the US Ambassador, yards from the Elysée apartments where the Sarkozys spend their weekends.

Mr Sarkozy’s staff were trying yesterday to arrange another private moment between the couples. Mr Obama is due to fly back to Washington tomorrow night or on Sunday.

This is certainly disturbing, and signals how US relations with Europe, just like with Israel, may be on the verge of a serious stumbling.

Update: more from Michael Van Der Galien.

Labels: Europe, France, United States

Following Obama's Cairo speech, his Justice Department has issued: NOT a statement condemning the Muslim who murdered a soldier in Arkansas, or even the attempted Bronx jihadists, but rather, a statement that's meant to protect American Muslims (Hat tip: Michelle Malkin and La Shawn Barber):

Statement of Attorney General Eric Holder on Department of Justice’s Outreach and Enforcement Efforts to Protect American Muslims

Thursday, June 4, 2009

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement relating to President Obama’s historic speech today in Cairo, Egypt:

“The President’s pledge for a new beginning between the United States and the Muslim community takes root here in the Justice Department where we are committed to using criminal and civil rights laws to protect Muslim Americans. A top priority of this Justice Department is a return to robust civil rights enforcement and outreach in defending religious freedoms and other fundamental rights of all of our fellow citizens in the workplace, in the housing market, in our schools and in the voting booth.

“There are those who will continue to want to divide by fear - to pit our national security against our civil liberties - but that is a false choice. We have a solemn responsibility to protect our people while we also protect our principles.”

As bad as anything the State Dept. could say.

Meanwhile, here's some more info about the jihadist in Arkansas:

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The man accused of fatally shooting a soldier outside a recruiting center begged for FBI agents to free him from a Yemeni jail where he was "radicalized" by Islamic terrorists, his lawyer told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Lawyer Jim Hensley described Abdulhakim Muhammad as an impressionable youth driven to public service in an impoverished Middle Eastern country. But teachings by "hardened" terrorists in Yemen and experiences with Afghan child refugees who were missing limbs drove him to become someone his parents didn't recognize, Hensley said.

This is really weird now.

And from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

The FBI confirmed Wednesday it was investigating the possibility an Atlanta Jewish site was among other planned targets of a Muslim convert accused of killing a soldier outside a Conway, Ark., recruiting center this week.

Stephen Emmett, spokesman for the Atlanta FBI office, said the investigation into the shooting turned up evidence to suggest Abdulhakim Muhammad, 23, of Little Rock, had plans for a “Jewish entity” in Atlanta. The Associated Press reported memos from the investigation showed Little Rock, as well as New York, Philadelphia, Louisville, Ky., and Memphis, were also on his list.

Emmett declined to say what specific site in Atlanta might have been in Muhammad’s plans, but “precautions were taken [in Atlanta] because of the serious nature of the Little Rock” shooting.

And Eric Holder is worried about Islamists, but not Judaists and Christians?

Check also this very important entry from Blue Collar Republican about an investigation he did into the mosque in Memphis where Abdulhakim Muhammed worshiped.

Others on the subject include The Jawa Report, The Mudville Gazette, Frugal Cafe Blog Zone, Fire Andrea Mitchell, Good Time Politics.

Labels: Christianity, islam, jihad, political corruption, terrorism, United States

The UK Telegraph reports that the bold Dutch politician's party has made significant gains (via Hot Air Headlines):

The European Parliament elections had been widely expected to punish governments struggling to cope with the global economic crisis, and polls released by the ANP news agency and broadcaster NOS put the Right-wing Freedom Party on course to win four of the 25 Dutch seats in the parliament, after having none in the previous assembly. This put Mr Wilders' party second only to the ruling Christian Democrats, which got nearly 20 per cent of votes, according to the poll.

Mr Wilders, who was banned from Britain by the Home Office because of his controversial views on Islam, won support from Protestant and Catholic voters disenchanted with what has been perceived as the growing influence of the nation's 800,000 Muslims, many of them immigrants from Morocco and Turkey.

It's clear that the electorate wants to send a message. I congratulate them for that.

Labels: Europe, islam, Netherlands

Barry Rubin at the Gloria Center writes about how the PA is not moderate, and Mahmoud Abbas's visit to the White House was so incompetant, even the NY Times took notice.

Labels: islam, terrorism, United States

The White House has finally issued a press statement on the case of the jihadi murder in Little Rock, Arkansas:

“I am deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence against two brave young soldiers who were doing their part to strengthen our armed forces and keep our country safe. I would like to wish Quinton Ezeagwula a speedy recovery, and to offer my condolences and prayers to William Long’s family as they mourn the loss of their son.”

I'm going to be quite honest here, but what Obama is saying is really underwhelming.

Caleb Howe (via Michelle Malkin) finds it underwhelming too:

“It’s in keeping with the Obama administration’s passive language, such as the euphemisms “overseas contingency operation” or “man-caused disaster” … Obama’s statement on the murder of Pvt. William A. Long is just as passive in voice and blame. He’s not outraged, he’s saddened. Not by someone who committed a “heinous act” but rather by a senseless violence. It might have been a bolt of lightning for all the pushback Obama has to share.

He waits three days and then the best he can muster is an abstract sadness at something that, judging by his statement, might well have been a mere accident of fate.

There's some more very disturbing news found as well: Stratfor Research (via Directorblue) tells that the FBI and other law enforcement divisions may have been intentionally prevented from investigating radicalized converts to Islam:

Several weeks ago, STRATFOR heard from sources that the FBI and other law enforcement organizations had been ordered to “back off” of counterterrorism investigations into the activities of Black Muslim converts. At this point, it is unclear to us if that guidance was given by the White House or the Department of Justice, or if it was promulgated by the agencies themselves, anticipating the wishes of President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder.

They imply that this was politically motivated, and may have been done out of cultural sensitivity:

...politics have proved obstructive to all facets of counterterrorism policy. And politics may have been at play in the Muhammad case as well as in other cases involving Black Muslim converts...

This is very disturbing, and Congress MUST demand an immediate investigation.

Update: and while we're on the subject, it turns out that Abdulhakim Muhammed wanted to target many more people and sites (H/T: Hot Air):

The Arkansas man accused of killing an Army recruiter and wounding another had used the popular Google Maps application to investigate recruiting centers in at least five states, as well as Jewish institutions, a day-care center, a post office and a Baptist Church, according to a report issued Tuesday evening by the Department of Homeland Security, ABC News has learned.

Recruiting centers in New York, Atlanta, Louisville and Philadelphia were on a list of possible targets, based on evidence found in the home of the suspect, Muslim-convert Abdulhakim Muhammed, according to the report.

The report was prepared based on the evidence seized in a search of Muhammed’s home that included information indicating that he had used Google maps to investigate various locations.

Secure Community Network, a not-for-profit group that addresses security concerns among some of the national Jewish leadership, and is widely considered to be a reliable source on potential threats to that community, expanded on the government report to conclude that, “Muhammad may have considered and conducted research on other targets in addition to the military recruiting center in Little Rock, including military sites, government facilities, as well as Jewish institutions in several cities throughout the United States.

“Law enforcement officials have reported that Muhammad may have researched Jewish entities in Little Rock, Philadelphia, Atlanta, New York, Louisville and Memphis. It is unknown at this time if other locations were considered,” according to SCN, which is a Jewish Federations of North America initiative.

It's clear that in Yemen, he practically studied to become a real assassin. It's fortunate that he was stopped before a lot more damage could be done.

Others on the subject include Mere Rhetoric, The American Pundit, Rhymes With Right, Stop the ACLU, Baldilocks, Right Wing News, Pirates' Cove, Pink Elephant Pundit, The Rhetorician, Fire Andrea Mitchell, Hot Air Headlines, The Anchoress.

Labels: anti-americanism, anti-semitism, islam, jihad, military, terrorism, United States, White House

He's been trying his reconciliatory speeches in Egypt, but has it made any impression on Iran's Ahmedinejad? Doesn't look that way (Hat tip: Jammie Wearing Fool):

Iran's supreme leader said on Thursday the United States was deeply hated in the Middle East and told U.S. President Barack Obama that "beautiful" speeches alone would not improve its image in the Muslim world.

Speaking on the same day Obama was due to give a major speech to the Islamic world in Cairo, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the hatred felt towards America could not be changed with "slogans" but that different U.S. action was needed.

In a break from the policies of his predecessor George W. Bush, Obama is offering improved ties with the Islamic Republic if it "unclenches its fist." Iranian leaders say they want to see a real shift in the policies of their old foe.

"The nations of this part of the world ... deeply hate America because during many years they have seen violence, military interference, rights violations, discrimination ... from America," Khamenei said in a televised speech.

"Even if they give sweet and beautiful talks to the Muslim nation ... that will not create a change," said Khamenei, Iran's most powerful figure with the final say on all matters of state. "Nothing will change with speeches and slogans."

And no message of "reconciliation" with the Islamic world Obama tries out, nor any appeasement, will change their evil ways either.

Labels: anti-americanism, iran, islam, United States

The father of William Long, the army private murdered in cold blood by the Muslim convert in Little Rock, AK, has given an interview to KATV. Blackfive also has the video (via Michelle Malkin).

Again, my condolences to the victims of this filthy, savage act.

ArmyWife says that her family left Little Rock, where they were stationed, because of the violence in the city.

Labels: islam, jihad, military, terrorism, United States

Benjamin Netanyahu has described the Obama administration's demand to halt Jewish "natural growth" in Judea/Samaria as unreasonable:

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu characterized on Monday as "unreasonable" US demands to freeze all building east of the Green Line, adding that he was "still unclear" as to what exactly the United States was demanding of Israel regarding construction in the settlements.

The prime minister, briefing the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on his recent trip to Washington, said, "it is likely that we are not going to reach an agreement with the Americans" regarding settlement building, but did his best to portray his meeting with US President Barack Obama in a positive light.

Netanyahu said that "new important understandings were reached" in the course of the meeting, but added that in some fields there was no agreement, and did not elaborate on the "new understandings."

Netanyahu broadly hinted that it was the US which was now changing understandings with Israel regarding settlement construction.

"If they would come to us and say 'there were understandings, live up to them,' then that we could understand," he said. But, he added, if the US instead said, "'there were understandings, but we are abrogating them,' then that would be difficult."

Israeli officials maintain that over the past five years there were tacit agreements with the US over where construction could continue in the settlements, and that the new administration was now essentially rolling back those understandings.

Quite right about the Obama administration's demands, but they're missing an important detail about the Dubya administration: they wanted a "settlement freeze" too, as Condi Rice's stance could suggest.

Update: Hot Air reports that Obama may now be seeking revenge.

Labels: Israel, United States

More political violence has erupted, this time in Little Rock, AK (Hat tip: Hot Air):

One Army recruiter was killed Monday and a second was wounded in a shooting at a recruiting office, and a suspect was arrested, police said.

Police Lt. Terry Hastings said the recruiter was shot when a man in a black SUV opened fire on the office in west Little Rock at about 10:30 a.m.

The vehicle was stopped on Interstate 630 a short time later and a suspect was taken into custody. Hastings said the suspect pulled over and surrendered without incident.

Police said they found an assault rifle in the vehicle.

Here's an extra report:

Authorities say the incident occurred around 10:00 a.m. at a U.S. Army Navy Career Center inside the Ashley Square Shopping Center at 9112 North Rodney Parham Road. According to Lt. Terry Hastings with the Little Rock Police Department, two enlisted soldiers standing outside the office were hit when the unidentified suspect drove up and began shooting.

Both of the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital, where one of the victims died a short time later, according to police.

My condolences to the victims of this savage crime.

UPDATE: wouldn't you know it: the perpetrator was a Muslim convert:

A Muslim convert who said he was opposed to the U.S. military shot two soldiers outside an Arkansas recruiting station, killing one of the soldiers, police said Monday.

“This individual appears to have been upset with the military, the Army in particular, and that’s why he did what he did,” Little Rock Police Lt. Terry Hastings said in a phone interview.

“He has converted to Muslim here in the past few years,” Hastings said. “To be honest we’re not completely clear on what he was upset about. He had never been in the military.”

Hastings identified the man in custody as Carlos Bledsoe, 24, of Little Rock, who was going by the name of Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad. He did not have further details. The names of the soldiers were not released, nor was the condition of the wounded soldier.

Jihad Watch says that the culprit studied Islam in Yemen. Gateway Pundit asks if this is a case of "sudden jihadi syndrome". And Breitbart says that the culprit will be charged with one count of murder and 15 counts of terrorism.

ABC News (also via Hot Air) reports that the FBI had been on Mujahid Muhammed's trail for awhile. It's a shame they didn't apprehend him in time before he committed his sick crime.

Update 2: has Obama issued a statement about this yet? The Weekly Standard says he hasn't.

Others on the subject include Michelle Malkin, The Mudville Gazette, Cassy Fiano, The American Pundit, Right Voices, Blue Collar Republican, Jihad Watch (plus, another one), The Political Inquirer, Fire Andrea Mitchell, Newsbusters.

Labels: islam, jihad, military, terrorism, United States