Other side of a Coin...

THE FREE GAZA MOVEMENT (Chedet)

2009-08-15T13:14:00.004+08:00

First of all, I would like to apologize for not updating this blog for almost a month.
I was overwhelmed with jobs on hand as well as welcoming a new member in my nucleus family

Heated debates in chedet has been a norm for public in expressing their thoughts.
We are fortunate to have Hanan from the land of conflict to share with us his perspective.
And Thanks Hanan for being a follower in this blog too.

I selectively pick Hanan's response below to share with you from chedet's latest Gaza post.
My personal favourite:

Brutality is not how the Israeli soldiers treated the people on that boat but
how prisoners are beaten to death in the Malaysian police stations under
detention. Before talking about brutality, it is better to come with clean hands
to the meal.

Enjoy...

THE FREE GAZA MOVEMENT(Chedet)
Asslamualaikum dear Dr. Mahathir and friends.
I would like to comment on that post. I may be interpreted a bit “Sarcastic” and too sharp but it was done in the intention to put a more balanced picture of the description of Dr. Mahathir. Yes, you must contribute and donate for the poor Palestinian people and do it generously. I like the idea but somehow dislike the propaganda that encourages that idea.

I' m considering to establish a blog which will be called “Friendship prior Peace”. If all people will accept that approach then peace is not an issue anymore and criminalizing war will be passé. Once it will be established I’ll let you know and welcome you to participate, even write your own articles and expressions.
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1. We all remember the brutal Israeli attacks against Gaza last year. Many of us were outraged by the killings of some 1,300 Gazan Palestinian, men, women, the disabled, the children, the sick and the maimed. Hospitals and schools were destroyed.

But you tend to forget or ignore easily what those Gazans did prior the massive attack on them. You forgot the massive of what you call “poppet rocket” – Qassams launching against innocent civilians, synagogues and schools. Suicide bombers blasting in malls, busses and restaurants.
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2. The condemnation of this brutal assaults had forced the Israelis to stop the massive retaliation against alleged Hamas rocket attacks against Israel.

Why do you try to humanize the rocket attacks on Israel and define them improper as “alleged”. You are purely distorting history and telling half truth like you always did.
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3. Many of the rich countries had pledged billions in aid for the rebuilding of Gaza.

Does mean pledging that they will give the money to rebuild “Hamastan”? Is Gaza a place of normal people ruled by their own Islamic extremists? Where are the oil rich Muslim countries? They sit with their fat bellies covered with gold, jewelry and diamonds, wearing Breitling watches, driving 10 RR cars, sleeping on pure silk sheets and sailing 5 yachts. Do they care for their own brothers?
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4. After that, things became quiet. There was hardly any report in the press on what was happening. I suppose most people assume that the reconstruction of Gaza was proceeding apace.

The reconstruction of the Qassam rockets is probably proceeding apace. Engineering work forces are focused on destruction instead of rebuilding.
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5. But the reality is far different. The Egyptians limited the medicine and the building materials from entering Gaza from its territory. The sea is blockaded illegally by the Israelis. The people of Gaza have literally been made prisoners by these actions.

You are a very good friend of the Egyptians, even simulated there a trial and judged Ariel Sharon for his crimes. So why aren’t you meeting with president Mubarak in order to understand his limited transition of materials to Gaza and maybe you can convince him to be more generous, more human to his own brothers as you are so generous from thousands miles away. Who says that the sea blockade is illegal? Who gave you the job to judge what means legal or illegal? Is it legal to hold in prison an Israeli soldier named Gilad Shalit for more than 3 years without letting the Red Cross representative to visit him regularly? Is this legal? Why can’t you say something about that? The Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons are enjoying TV with their all favorite channels, enjoy the Zionist Open University academic learning free of charge and of course visits of their families from time to time. What Israel is doing to the Palestinian prisoners is a crime but what Hamas is doing to the Israeli single prisoner is legal, human and generous, following the Islam.
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6. The Free Gaza Movement led by Huwaida Arraf was set up in order to send needed supplies to beleaguered Gaza. But after five small boats were successful in delivering much need supplies, the Israeli navy began to intercept them and forcing them to abort their humanitarian aid.

This is really a funny thing. You are pulling your own leg. You say “5 small boats” are to feed 1.5 million Gazans. You really believe that this is the absolute possibility to solve the feeding problem. Those 5 boats are not more than a political show more to harm Israel than to help the Gazans. And you, when you can join that cruel dance party, you just join the ring of dancers.
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7. One small boat with a number of Palestinians, Arabs, European and American (a U.S. Congresswoman) was rammed by Israeli warships. The people in the boat, all civilians were thrown into the sea. Luckily they survived.

Just to be polite and respectful to you among your fans I will not call it what I need to call it. I’ll call it as a sentence with an attribute of non fully truth. If they were thrown into the sea (far from the shore), did you ask yourself how did they survive if the Israeli navy was there? They brainwashed you and you let them wash your brain and now you are washing the brains of your own fans. That simple question is missing which you didn’t ask them because you didn’t want to ask them since I think you are wise enough to ask it. Aren’t you equal to 7 Jewish brains (like zul81 commented in one of his comments)?
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8. Recently another little boat, loaded with food, medicine, stationery for school use and toys, with 25 unarmed civilians including a Nobel Peace Laureate from Ireland and the American women candidate for presidency of the U.S. was fired at by Israeli commandos, who then boarded the boat, giving rough treatment to the people on board.

Once again, to be polite, it is a partial truth. That boat was warned far away through the radio not to attempt to enter the limited waters. That boat captain ignored the warning of the INS (Israeli Navy ship). Since that was the situation, it is possible that the INS fired into the air far from the boat in order to change its direction and revert. But the boat was consistent to continue so there was no other possibility but to send the soldiers on board in order to stop its voyage. Brutality is a matter of interpretation. Brutality is not how the Israeli soldiers treated the people on that boat but how prisoners are beaten to death in the Malaysian police stations under detention. Before talking about brutality, it is better to come with clean hands to the meal.

9. Repeated shouts on the loudhailer that there were only unarmed civilians and the boat carried no arm failed to stop the commandos. The boat was steered by the commandos to an Israeli port and the people on board were thrown into Israeli jails.

Hahaha, what are you expecting to do with someone who violated the warning? Would you expect to fetch him to a luxury hotel with a limo?
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10. The people of the Free Gaza Movement have now been released. They are determined to carry on sailing from Cyprus to Gaza to bring relief.

They may try.
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11. Winter is coming and it will be bitterly cold in Gaza. A great number of the Gazans whose houses were destroyed by the Israelis have no shelter and would suffer terribly in the winter.

I agree, it will be cold in the winter. Many houses were destroyed.
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12. Modern civilization is supposedly very concerned about human rights. It is only right that we care for those heroes and heroines who are standing up to oppressive Governments.

Which civilization or in particular, a single Muslim, is concerned about the human rights of the Israeli prisoner of war Gilad Shalit? Are you?, Is it the Iranian clown president? Any Malaysian?........Silence……

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13. But shouldn't we also be concerned and caring for the 1½ million people of Gaza, who had lost 1,300 fellow inhabitants, whose houses, schools and hospitals have been destroyed, who do not have water or sanitary facilities, who will be without shelter from the coming winter.

Are you concerned about the darkness of the underground bunker for more than 3 years and the explosive belt that Gilad Shalit is wearing and detained? Are you urging your Hamas brothers to let the Red Cross representative to visit him. Who is not human don’t deserve any human treatment.
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14. It is sad that Governments who had pledged aid have so readily allowed the Israelis to blockade Gaza. It is disgusting that Israel can break international laws with impunity.

If Israel breaks the international laws, why aren’t you charging Israel in the international court? Maybe you should charge Israel in a Sharia court. Then I know what will be the punishment – I’ll not be any more on this blog. But before you charge Israel for that you need to charge Hamas as well for breaking international law. Done a deal?
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15. I went to Cyprus to meet these brave members of the Free Gaza Movement. I was shocked at how tiny was the only fishing boat that they still have for future trips to Gaza.

And you are so naive to believe that the fishing boat can feed all Gazans? This is not a fishing boat but a political phishing boat against Israel and not to aid the Gazans.
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16. I had been sailing in a much bigger yacht and I know how rough was the sea. Yet 25 people dare to sail in this tiny boat, sleeping on the open deck, being seasick, being without proper food, and being made to face Israeli attacks. We really live in an uncivilized world where the fate of one or two people, useful for condemning certain Governments are constantly played up, yet the suffering, the freedom of 1½ million Gazans are ignored. I admire then Gazans whose main concern is for their right to be a free people, free that is from Israeli oppression, supported by the rich people who talk a lot about human rights and freedom.

If they were so concerned about carrying aid to Gaza, they could carry about 2000Kg more if just a crew of 5 people could sail the boat instead of 25. I wonder what weight can such a bout contain that 2000Kg of aid is not so valuable for the “starving” Gazans. You just pulled your leg once again. That phishing boat is a political tool not an aiding tool.
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17. I don't think I would be able to endure the kind of discomfort and dangers faced by the activists of the Free Gaza Movement. All I can do is to give moral support to them.

And you really give them your support. I cannot take that credit from you. Please keep supporting them.
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18. Malaysians who wish to do so may volunteer to sail with these intrepid people. But if they cannot, then they can contribute towards their need to buy a bigger boat as no one would rent boats to them.

I would suggest to buy a petrol tanker ship with a huge volume where you can place all their needs in one turn. Also you should ask the Malaysian navy ships to escort them safely to Gaza so the Israeli Navy cannot interfere and finally the blockade will break. Maybe such a tanker is available in Saudi Arabia and it would be good to ask the Saudi King to hire the tanker for a few weeks (of course free of charge, a couple of diamonds value is not a big deal for the brothers). And the escorting of the Malaysian Navy ships shouldn’t be a problem at all since it is just “home business”.
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19. The PGPO (Perdana Global Peace Organisation) would like to appeal for donations in aid of the Free Gaza Movement members to purchase a small ship to carry cement and building materials apart from medicine and food etc.

You really believe that a small ship can handle a volume of cement needed to rebuild the demolished houses? Have you ever saw the size of a 50Kg sack of cement and how many of them is required for the rebuilding? The small ship will not be able to carry much and it may take even 10 years of voyage to transfer the amount of cement. Try to think about the tanker ship. Keep in mind the relatively heavy cement which is 3.1 times heavier than water in the same volume.
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20. All contributions by cheque can be issued to: KLFCW (Gaza Fund). KLFCW stands for the Kuala Lumpur Foundation to Criminalise War. Cash contributions can be channeled to KLFCW Maybank Account: 5123 3430 6634.

From reading my comments you may think that I’m against the donation campaign. I’m not. You should help the Gazans as much as you can but it should be done with truth and not half truth propaganda. I wish you great success with the donation for your brothers who deserve to live like human beings but they should also behave like human beings. Please don’t forget the banner to free Gilad Shalit (just the banner, donations are not required at the moment just some sunlight) on your blog header.
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Wassalam

Hanan, Jewish,
Israel

Europe raises pressure on Israel to stop settlements (Reuters)

2009-07-22T13:35:00.002+08:00

More pressures to halt the settlement expansion but will this help the Peace process?
Who knows? But we just have to start somewhere...in this case IS side. Will Ne agrees? Guess not...then what?

Europe raises pressure on Israel to stop settlements (Reuters)

By Allyn Fisher-Ilan
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Germany, France and EU president Sweden on Tuesday joined Western nations pressing Israel to stop building settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank under a U.S.-led effort to resume stalled peace talks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has resisted international calls to freeze building in occupied territory, seemed to show a sign of flexibility as a newspaper reported a secret plan to remove two dozen unauthorized settler outposts.

Israel has long pledged to dismantle hilltop outposts that it never approved, but has continued building larger settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, land it captured in a 1967 war, and where Palestinians want to build a future state.

Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said he would not resume peace talks with Israel, stalled since Israel elected Netanyahu, a right-wing settler champion in February, unless all settlement construction stopped.

In Berlin, Ruprecht Polenz, a senior member of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party, was quoted as saying Israel ran the risk "of gradually committing suicide as a democratic state" if it did not stop the construction.

Polenz, head of the German parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, further told the Rheinische Post daily that "Israel is overlooking the fact that neither Palestinians nor Arab states will agree to a solution without East Jerusalem."

The French Foreign Ministry summoned Israel's ambassador, Daniel Shek, in Paris, to protest against a planned Israeli housing project for East Jerusalem, which Israel considers part of its capital and which Palestinians also seek to make their capital.

Israel annexed East Jerusalem shortly after its capture, in a move never recognized internationally.

THOUSANDS THREATENED WITH DISPLACEMENT
European Union president Sweden urged from Stockholm that Israel refrain from demolishing homes in East Jerusalem where thousands are threatened with displacement.

Jerusalem has emerged as a focal point of the settlement controversy since Israeli officials accused the U.S. State Department on Sunday of telling Israel's ambassador to Washington, Michael Oren, Israel should suspend plans to build about 20 housing units in the city's eastern sector.

The United States has never confirmed it made this demand, but Netanyahu rejected it in televised remarks to his cabinet, a move analysts saw as capitalizing on broad popular support in the country for Israel's continued control of the disputed city.

Israel shut a hotel fair in East Jerusalem in the latest of several Palestinian cultural events it has disrupted in recent months saying an interim peace deal permits it to bar the Palestinian government from holding events in the city.

"They want us to leave Jerusalem, but we will not," Rafiq al-Husseini, an aide to Abbas, said.

Neither Netanyahu's office nor the Israeli army would comment on a report in the respected Haaretz daily that the military was preparing to "forcibly evacuate 23 illegal outposts in one day," in a plan drawn up with Netanyahu's knowledge.

The same Haaretz columnist disclosed plans to remove troops and Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip before that pullout occurred in 2005.

Separately, a report by the Macro Center of the Israeli European Policy Network said settlements were receiving a larger share of government funding than municipalities inside Israel, and the settler population was also growing three times as fast.

"While Israeli municipalities as a whole receive 34.7 percent of their income from (the government) and obtain another 64.3 percent from their own income, settlement municipalities obtain 57 percent from the (government) and only 42.8 percent from their own income," the report said.

(Additional reporting by Madeline Chambers in Berlin, Niklas Pollard in Stockholm, Mohammed Assadi in Ramallah, and Douglas Hamilton and Ali Sawafta in Jerusalem)

Are Israeli courts staffed by Nazi judges? (PIC)

2009-07-21T16:29:00.002+08:00

Who to trust? What to believe?
It is all superficial but wasted sacrifices. Word is against word & it can be further manipulated by the color of your skin. This is the reality...

Are Israeli courts staffed by Nazi judges? (PIC)

By Khalid Amayreh in the West Bank
Just as anti-Semitism became official policy in Germany in the mid 1930s, it is seems hostility toward Arabs, including Israel’s own 1.5 million Palestinian citizens, is becoming a de facto official policy of the Israeli state.

This ominous orientation is being constantly promoted by a number of manifestly racist cabinet ministers and Knesset members who declare openly that their aim is to make everyone in Israel “submit to the Jewish nature of the state.”

The brash racism is now permeating through the entire apparatus of the Jewish state, from the police, to the justice system, to the army, to the educational system and, of course, the media.

Last week, Israeli courts showed off their racist credentials when two Israeli settlers, a murderer and a would-be murderer were acquitted of murdering a Palestinian and seriously wounding two others.

In the first case, a West Jerusalem judge acquitted a Jewish settler named Ze’ev Braude who had shot and seriously injured two unarmed Palestinians in al-Khalil ( Hebron ) several months ago.

The settler was caught on video shooting at the two Palestinians who were pleading to Israeli troops to stop rampaging settlers from attacking their homes and families. The settlers were vandalizing Arab property and trying to set homes on fire in protest against the evacuation by the army of Jewish squatters who had seized an Arab building a few years earlier.

Braude’s lawyer reportedly asked for “classified information” which he said would help clear his client of any wrongdoing. However, instead of meeting the lawyer’s request, the attorney-general decided to drop all charges against Braude. Thus the would-be killer, who had shot and seriously injured two innocent Palestinians, was effectively declared innocent.

In the second case, a Jewish farmer by the name of Shai Dromi was acquitted of manslaughter by a Bir al Saba’a (Beer Shiva) court despite damning evidence indicting him.

In 2007, Dromi shot and killed a Bedouin “infiltrator,” claiming that he was trying to steal his livestock.

Racist system

One doesn’t have to be a great expert on Israel to be able to describe the Israeli justice system as inherently racist, being based on religious-ethno centricism.

Indeed, had the victims been Jewish, there is not the slightest doubt that the perpetrators would have been given harsh prison sentences, without a chance for parole for decades.

However, in a state that murders innocent children at will “for self-defense” and lies as often as it breathes, this type of justice ought to be viewed as being within the normal order of things.

Indeed, Israel itself, one might argue perfectly rightly, is a crime against humanity, having been created on the ruins of another people, the Palestinians.

Hence, it is only “natural” and “normal” that Israeli courts would deal with utmost flaccidity and utter leniency with Jewish perpetrators of crimes as long as the victim is not a member of the “holy tribe.”

This tradition goes back to the establishment of Israel more than 62 years when a given Jewish murderer of a Palestinian was fined a dime on the ground that the life of a non-Jew wasn’t worth more than a dime.

A few years ago, an Israeli soldier who was serving in southern Gaza murdered a Palestinian school child, Iman al Hums, as she was going to school.

The soldier, dubbed Captain R. shot and seriously wounded the young girl, and as he saw her agonize and wallow in pain, he walked toward her, empting an entire magazine of bullets into her tender body to make sure that she was dead and didn’t pose a threat to his life.

The practice is still widely practiced in the Israeli army and is known as “verifying the kill.”

The reaction of the Israeli justice system to this event was very telling, indeed.

For instead of prosecuting and punishing the murderer, the Israeli army actually awarded him thousands of dollars in damages he claimed he deserved because his reputation was tarnished by the media.

Westerners, especially North Americans, who have been consuming Zionist lies for decades may be prompted to think that the above-mentioned cases are an aberration and in no way represent Israel’s general behaviors.

However, the truth, which Israel and her supporters strive to hide from the eyes of the world, is that the Israeli justice system is inherently and profoundly racist, to put it mildly, especially when non-Jews, particularly Palestinians, are involved.

In recent years, hundreds of settler judges and others affiliated with extremist terrorist Jewish groups, such as the Kahana group, Gush Emunim and Chabad infiltrated the Israeli justice system.

These people are indoctrinated in the Nazi-like ideology that Jews are genetically and humanly superior than non-Jews and that Jewish lives are worth more than non-Jewish lives.

Hence, when a Jew and a non-Jew appear in court, the Jewish judge feels obliged to take all these considerations into account and refrain, as much as possible, from passing stiff punishments against Jewish defendants.

This is often done by meticulously searching for or even concocting extenuating circumstances, or by finding a procedural loophole, that would make the judge seriously reduce the proscribed punishment for the Jewish defendant or acquit him of any wrongdoing.

Israel claims to be a western country, a democracy and a state where the rule of law is upheld.

Well, this trinity of lies should be obvious for anyone who has had the opportunity to know Israel first-hand.

But, there is always a certain level of “veracity” in these claims. In Israel , the rule of law is indeed upheld just as the rule of law was also upheld in Nazi Germany .

But the question remains, what laws are exactly being upheld?

Netanyahu rejects US calls to halt east J'lem project (Ynetnews)

2009-07-19T21:44:00.003+08:00

Both sides are speaking their own terms. Up to date, there is no official terms coming from the Pal side as part of Peace process. Is the call to halt J'lem project merely from US as the Peace negotiator?

Netanyahu rejects US calls to halt east J'lem project (Ynetnews)

Prime Minister responds to US State Department demands to halt construction of
hotel in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood; says 'Our sovereignty in Jerusalem is
indisputable... I wish to make this clear - the united Jerusalem is the capital
of the Jewish people in the State of Israel'

The US has demanded that Israel suspend a planned project in east Jerusalem, senior Israeli officials said Sunday - the latest sign of a deepening conflict between the two allies over Israeli settlements.

The officials confirmed that Israel's ambassador to the US, Michael Oren, was summoned to the State Department over the weekend and told that the project being developed by American millionaire Irving Moskowitz should not go ahead.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss with the media diplomatic flaps with the US. Spokesmen for the US Embassy and the Jerusalem municipality had no comment.

The international community considers Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem to be settlements and an obstacle to Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.

Israel Radio and Army Radio reported Sunday that the US has summoned Oren and demanded that planning approval for the project be revoked,

The project is being developed by American millionaire Irving Moskowitz and is near Israel's national police headquarters. The radio reports said Israeli planning authorities have approved the project.

In response to the demands Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of Sunday's cabinet meeting, "Our sovereignty in Jerusalem is indisputable. We can't agree to such a demand in east Jerusalem."

"I wish to make this clear – the united Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish people in the State of Israel," he added.

The project in question is the construction of the Shepherd Hotel in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.

"Israel is building in Jerusalem and will build in the future. The Israeli enforcement and planning bodies are in charge of this. This is private land. Up until now, there has been no criticism of Israel in Washington over construction in Jerusalem," a top government source said.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman also commented on the demand, calling it "unthinkable".

"There are many Arab families that build homes in the Neve Yaakov and French Hill neighborhoods. I have never heard any remarks on this matter, neither from the United States, nor from Europe," he said.

"This is not an isolated distant Palestinian neighborhood. Should we of all people discriminate against Jews? This is unthinkable," he added.

'US demands prove dangers of settlement talks'
However, other sources said it would be unwise to get into a dispute with the Americans over the matter at such a sensitive time.

One source said, "It would be best if all involved, including the Jerusalem Municipality, demonstrate restrain in order to find an educated solution that is acceptable to all parties in the settlement issue."

Minister of Information and Diaspora Yuli Edelstein said such a demand to halt the construction of a project just meters from the Hebrew University "proves how dangerous it is to get dragged into talks of a settlement freeze".

"Such talks will lead to a demand to completely freeze our lives in the entire State of Israel," he added.

MK Ofir Akunis, head of the Likud's response team said, "There is a broad consensus in the Israeli public around Jerusalem's unity as the eternal capital of Israel.

"All countries of the world should understand that attempts to endanger Jerusalem's unity and Israel's sovereignty in it, will be rejected immediately."

Science and Technology Minister Daniel Hershkowitz said the demand "proves that whoever demands a settlement freeze in Judea and Samaria will eventually also demand construction be frozen in the government offices in Sheikh Jarrah.

"I invite the US administration representatives to visit my office in Sheikh Jarrah, so they can witness Israel's sovereignty in the united Jerusalem".

Earlier Sunday it was reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled meeting with US Mideast envoy George Mitchell was postponed at least until the end of the month.

Another meeting between the two, which was set to take place in Paris last month, was also cancelled.

Mitchell was originally due to arrive in Israel on Sunday and later hold meetings with senior Palestinian officials in Ramallah. Jerusalem did not state the official reason for the delay, but some officials suspect it relates to the fact that the Netanyahu and Obama administrations have yet to resolve their differences on the issue of settlement expansion in the West Bank.

EU apologizes for statements against settlements (Ynetnews)

2009-07-09T10:59:00.003+08:00

Looks like the news that was reported yesterday was purely fiction. Today's post is showing US still stick with his original stand.

EU apologizes for statements against settlements (Ynetnews)
Foreign Ministry says satisfied after EU apologizes for statement made by one of its officials in which he claimed European taxes were paying for damage caused by settlements. Meanwhile US State Department clarifies administration's position remains unchanged

Roni Sofer Published: 07.09.09, 01:27 / Israel News

US: No change in policy
But while the confrontation on the European front has abated – the US on Wednesday reiterated its demand to see a complete freeze on settlement construction.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly dismissed a report on Wednesday that it had agreed to let Israel build about 2,500 housing units already under construction in West Bank settlements.

"That report in that Israeli media outlet is inaccurate," said after the Maariv newspaper reported that Minister Barak and US envoy George Mitchell had struck such a deal.

Under the arrangement reached in London on Monday, Maariv reported, Israel would be allowed to continue work on about 700 buildings already under construction on the occupied West Bank, or about 2,500 units.

But Kelly said "the bottom line" for US President Barack Obama's administration has not changed, "that all parties in the region have to honor their obligations.

"And you know what our position is regarding settlements... This activity has to stop. This is laid out in the roadmap. So the reports are inaccurate," Kelly said.

He added that Mitchell plans to travel to Israel soon to continue his discussions, adding that his talks with Barak on Monday had been "good, productive." He gave no dates for the planned visit.
The European Union Commission apologized to Israel's Ambassador to the Union, Ron Kuriel, over statements it made earlier this week claiming that the settlement policy was stifling the Palestinian economy and increasing Palestinian dependence on foreign aid – and therefore was costing European citizens in taxes.

The apology was issued after EU Ambassador to Israel Ramiro Cibrian-Uzal was reprimanded by Deputy Director of the Foreign Ministry Rafi Barak. A senior Commission official told Ambassador Kuriel that the statement released by the head of Operations at the European Commission's office in east Jerusalem

The Foreign Ministry said in response that it was satisfied was the apology.

Ambassador Kuriel stressed the severity with which Israel sees Dickinson's statement, saying that the issue was not only the lack of diplomatic manners but also the clear deviation from the Commission's stated role, "which is to coordinate aid with the Palestinians, not arrogantly criticize Israel."

Kuriel was assured that an official communiqué had been issued to clarify that the earlier statement did not reflect the Commission's position.

The original statement caused a storm in Israel and Europe after it was released last Monday. According to the statement, the Commission believes Israel's settlement policy is strangling the Palestinian economy and makes the Palestinian government more dependent on foreign aid – the burden of which falls on the European taxpayer. The European Union is one of the largest donors to the Palestinian Authority.

According to the EU, expropriation of fertile land for Israeli settlements, roads that serve only settlers, and West Bank checkpoints help constrain Palestinian economic growth and make the Palestinian government more dependent on aid.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak called the Commission out for ignoring a recent World Bank report indicating an improvement in the Palestinian economy. "The Mideast Quartet (US, Russia, EU and the UN) welcomed Israel's plans to improve the Palestinian economy, and recognizes Israel's right to security," the Defense Ministry said.

"Thanks to the cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, 140 (West Bank) roadblocks have been removed over the past few months. These measures may double the growth rate of the Palestinian economy from 5 to 10%. Unfortunately, all of these details were omitted from the European Commission's statement."

Israeli report: U.S. and Israel strike settlement deal (Reuters)

2009-07-08T20:46:00.002+08:00

Will this decision gating the peace process? Will explore Palestinian side of the story in my next post tomorrow...

Israeli report: U.S. and Israel strike settlement deal (Reuters)
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli newspaper said on Wednesday Israel had won agreement from the United States for the continued construction of 2,500 housing units in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, despite U.S. calls for a freeze.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said the United States and Israel have been trying to find common ground on the sensitive settlement issue, but he had no comment on the unsourced front-page report of a deal in the Maariv daily.

A U.S. embassy spokesman in Tel Aviv also had no immediate comment.

The report followed a briefing by Defense Minister Ehud Barak to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his talks in London Monday with U.S. envoy George Mitchell on ending a rift with Washington over its demand for a settlement freeze.

Western officials said the United States was moving in the direction of making allowances so Israel could finish off at least some existing projects which are close to completion or bound by private contracts that cannot be broken.

"This is a concession to avoid causing undue hardships on individuals" who have signed contracts and have already paid for work that cannot be refunded, one of the officials said, adding that discussions were still under way.

"We're talking about polishing off things that are basically done," the official said.
Israel estimates that 2,500 units are in the process of being built and cannot be stopped under Israeli law. Maariv reported the units are in 700 buildings in various settlements and that Washington had agreed to their completion.

A report in the Yedioth Ahronoth daily, Israel's most popular newspaper, was more cautious, saying Israel and the United States were "close to an agreement on settlements." It also cited the same housing figures.

NORMALISATION
Barak has been seeking a deal with the United States that would include initial steps by Arab states to normalize relations with Israel in return for limiting settlement activity.

Yedioth Ahronoth quoted unidentified cabinet ministers, who attended Barak's briefing, as saying reports a U.S.-Israeli agreement on settlement had been sealed were wishful thinking on the part of the defense chief.

Palestinian leaders have said U.S.-backed peace negotiations with Israel could not resume unless there was a complete halt to settlement activity in the West Bank, Israeli-occupied territory where they hope to establish a state.

While in London, Barak told reporters that he presented to the Americans "the scope of current construction work, which from a practical point of view can't be stopped."

Netanyahu, under U.S. pressure, has pledged not to build new settlements in the West Bank or expropriate more land. Further discussions are planned between Mitchell and Netanyahu as early as next week.

(Writing by Jeffrey Heller and Ori Lewis; Additional reporting by Adam Entous, Editing by Myra MacDonald)

Iran ready for Israel attack on nuclear facilities (Ynetnews)

2009-07-06T14:48:00.003+08:00

The situation is getting tense with both sides waiting to offend & defend.
With more burdens draggings from the Palestinian issue, IS is now distracted to a bigger nuclear threat from Iranian. Is this the coming of WW3?

Iran ready for Israel attack on nuclear facilities (Ynetnews)
Head of Islamic republic's parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy responds to US Vice President Biden's signal that Washington will not try to prevent any Israeli assault. 'Both the US and Israel are aware of the consequence of an erroneous decision,' he says

Iran is ready to take "real and decisive" action if Israel attacks its nuclear facilities, a senior Iranian parliamentary official said Monday.

The remarks by Alaeddin Broujerdi, the head of Iran's parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, came after US Vice President Joe Biden signaled that Washington would not try to prevent any such Israeli assault.

Both the US and Israel are aware of the consequence of an erroneous decision," Broujerdi told reporters at the Iranian Embassy in Tokyo.

"I believe our response will be real and decisive," Broujerdi said. He declined to elaborate.

Israel fears Iran is developing nuclear weapons to target the Jewish state. Iran denies it is pursuing an atomic arsenal, saying it only wants to produce nuclear power.

Israel's government has said it would prefer to see Iran's nuclear program stopped through diplomacy, but that it cannot rule out a military strike.

In an interview on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, Biden was asked whether the US would stand in the way if Israel – viewing the prospect of an Iranian nuclear bomb as a threat to the existence of the Jewish state – decided to launch a military attack.

"Look, we cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do," he said.

Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, said neither the United States nor Israel could allow Iran to gain a nuclear weapon.

"The US, like Israel ... has determined unequivocally that Iran must not have nuclear military capability," Ayalon told Israel's Army Radio.

"A military operation in Iran is something difficult and complex and perhaps would have severe consequences and there could be serious damage, but this is much less dangerous and complicated than to allow a nuclear Iran," he said.

'Totally peaceful situation in Iran'
Broujerdi also defended a recent crackdown on protesters following Iran's presidential election.

Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi has said the June 12 election, in which incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared winner, was illegitimate and marred with fraud. Riots and protests have followed, although Iran's restrictions on media coverage have made it difficult to confirm some reports.

Broujerdi said Iranian police had merely acted to restore order, and accused Mousavi of instigating the protests.

"There is no confusion. It is (now) a totally peaceful situation in Iran," he said. Broujerdi is visiting Japan as chairman of the Iran-Japan Parliamentary Friendship League.

The Guardian Council, Iran's top electoral oversight body, pronounced the election results valid last week. Ahmadinejad is set to be sworn in later this month for a second four-year term.

Reuters contributed to this report

For some Israeli Bedouin, border smuggling is a way of life (Haaretz)

2009-07-03T14:23:00.002+08:00

The smuggling business is a way of survival in the borders between IS, Palestine & Egypt.
The issue is the items being smuggled are not the basic survival needs but illegal stuff like drugs & cigarettes.
Although, I am not saying it is alright if you are smuggling food but at least from moral standpoint, it is still forgive-able rather than risking your life in the bullet’s trail…

For some Israeli Bedouin, border smuggling is a way of life (Haaretz)
By Yoav Stern

Early one morning A., a resident of one of the unrecognized Bedouin villages in the south realized that his older son was not in his bed.

He was upset because this was the first time his son was not at home at that hour. His cell phone was off, and this added to his worry. It was 5 A.M. by the time he went to the home of relatives to look for the boy. There he was told that he had gone out with the "guys."

It was obvious to him where his son had gone: to take part in smuggling activities along the border.

"What does a young man want? He needs money to buy a cell phone, to buy a car. And what are his alternatives here? There is no work for the young here, there is no road here, there is barely a school. The most readily available job, the most lucrative, is in smuggling. But I did not allow him to do this," A. told Haaretz this week.

A., who asked to remain anonymous, says that at some point his son answered his telephone. "He told me: 'Don't worry, we are on our way back,' but I told him to get out of the car immediately, no matter where, that I would come pick him up from any place, just so that he won't be caught because then his life would be ruined," he said.

His son may have stopped working in smuggling but the entire area lives off of it. A relative who is unemployed most of the year recently bought an expensive new car; no one asks where the money came from because the answer is obvious.

There are communities, like Bir Hadaj, where smuggling is central to their livelihood. Some 60 percent of the men in the village - between 300-500 people - are part of the smuggling industry.

Outsiders who enter the community find it strange. There is always a sense that someone is following the guests to evaluate whether they are peaceful or whether they are the law. There are no roads here, not even an access road. The homes are not permanent structures.

Nonetheless, there is big money here. In this and other communities in the area there is trade in drugs, and low priced cigarettes - all part of an economy that is based on the border.

Many of the cars here do not have license plates. This is one of the security measures adopted by the smugglers.

In the language of the local smugglers, the car is a shamud, a word based on the Hebrew word for destruction. "People here work clean and are organized. They know they need to use a shamud vehicle for these [smuggling] purposes," one of the locals told Haaretz.

The types of vehicles normally used are 4x4 pickup trucks or jeeps, with space in the back for loading cargo. There are two areas where the activity takes place.

One is in the area between the border of the Gaza Strip and Sinai, and back through the Strip and the sand dunes of Nitzana. The other is from the same Gaza-Sinai border area, and back through the sands between Nitzana and Eilat.

Army sources say that in recent months there has been an increase in the amount of activity along the southern border, which stems primarily from the difficulty in crossing at the northern edge of the border where security is higher.

In addition to the smuggling the army is concerned about the abduction of soldiers along the border, as well as attacks against patrols or the smuggling of arms and explosives into Israel.

Nonetheless, the various security organizations are finding it difficult to curtail the smuggling, and rarely do so. The estimate is that only 5 percent of the smugglers are caught.

In most of the cases where there is a chase, the smugglers escape. But for the most part no one ever knows anything is going down.

However, even though the IDF does not release data on the number of smugglers caught or the number of pursuits that it has carried out, all indications suggest that there has been a massive drop in recent months in smuggling activity.

All seem to agree that this is the result of intensified activity on the part of Egyptian security forces operating in Sinai, along the border with Israel but also in the wilderness.

Much of the activity stems from the Egyptian concern that Hezbollah and Al-Qaida elements are active in the area, and their sense that they must act or risk losing control.

If in the past the border had been nearly without security patrols on the Egyptian side, now there seems to be a soldier every 100 meters, with orders to open fire against any one trying to cross the border - irrespective of who the intruders might be.

In recent months there have been reports of confrontations between Bedouin residents of Sinai and Egyptian security forces, both along the border but also inside the peninsula. The clashes sometimes resulted in exchanges of gunfire and casualties among the Egyptian forces.

For this story, Haaretz interviewed defense, political and Bedouin sources in Israel. No one agreed to go on record, and the information had to be cross-checked by different sources. The IDF say that the issue is too sensitive to go on record; the police refused to offer any information on the smuggling.

To date there has been an unwritten agreement between the various security agencies and the smugglers, which restricted the smuggling to mostly cigarettes, drugs and African refugees. A few years ago, there had also been the phenomenon of trafficking in women, but this has in great part been curtailed, mostly because of the strong opposition that Muslim religious figures posed.

The statistics, which are in great part estimates, suggest that only three percent of the smuggling activities involves "security" related cargo.

The areas along both sides of the border are divided among various tribes, whose members live on both sides of the border and are involved in the smuggling. Other clans are also involved in the activity. All are familiar with the security weak spots along the border, and methods for bypassing the IDF and Egyptian patrols - whose modus operandi they are familiar with.

The smuggling operation involves a great deal of cooperation and coordination: On the Egyptian side one can find the person who is funding the deal; he needs to make available large sums of cash, often several hundred thousand shekels per deal. Smugglers regularly make NIS 30-50,000 for moving hashish and cigarettes.

When the money is paid and a decision is made on what cargo will be smuggled, the operational stage takes shape: a rear "command center" organizes the crew for the smuggling operation, including "mules" (people to carry the cargo ).

The timing is set by groups from both sides. The communications are based on Israeli cellular telephones. The Bedouin are very familiar with the areas in which certain companies have better reception than others.

A day before the operation, spotters are placed on both sides of the border. At times the spotters are equipped with advanced night vision equipment.

While on the Israeli sides there is usually a single spotter, on the Egyptian side there are more because there is greater danger of running into Egyptian security forces whose orders are to shoot first and ask questions later.

As the cargo approaches the border, the Bedouin on the Israeli side are given a 15 minute warning to get to the spot - approximately 500 meters from the point where Israeli sensors would be tripped, suggesting that the border had been crossed.

The short distance is covered at top speed, and there are vehicles ready with their back ends open to receive the goods. The exchange takes less than two minutes. Goods are in the hands of the Israeli Bedouin - and money in the hands of their Egyptian partners.

Barak, Mitchell remain disputed on settlements (Ynetnews)

2009-07-01T09:15:00.002+08:00

No go from IS side to freeze settlement also…
Again, the “talk” has again reaching the end of the tunnel but yet to see any light.
Looks like the whole thing will be further dragged again…

Barak, Mitchell remain disputed on settlements (Ynetnews)
After long meeting in Washington between defense minister, US Mideast envoy, two fail to agree on settlement freeze. Issue to be debated again when Mitchell meets PM Netanyahu in two weeks' time

Yitzhak Benhorin Published: 07.01.09, 01:01 / Israel News
WASHINGTON - Defense Minister Ehud Barak and US special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell failed to reach an agreement regarding the Israeli construction in the settlements during their meeting in Washington Monday.

Mitchell is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayahu in about two weeks.

A joint statement published following the meeting said that Barak and Mitchell "discussed the full range of issues related to Middle East peace and security and the contributions Israelis, Palestinians, their neighbors and the international community should make to this effort.

"Specifically, their discussions covered a wide range of measures needed to create a climate conducive to peace. These included measures on security and incitement by the Palestinians, steps by Arab states toward normalization with Israel; and, from Israel, actions on access and movement in the West Bank and on settlement activity. The discussions were constructive and will continue soon."

The two discussed ways to jumpstart the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinains. Barak made it clear that Israel is willing to pay a price for renewing the talks, but that the Arab world needs to contribute to the efforts as well. "We are weighing any positive contribution we can make to promote the peace efforts, while taking into consideration our security interests," he said.

No agreement was reached on freezing settlement construction. The US is demanding that Israel put an immediate moratorium on all building in the settlement blocs. However, the Obama administration is interested in decreasing the conflict that has flared between the US and Israel over the issue out of an understanding that such a state of affairs does not serve their interests in the Middle East.

Mitchell will arrive for another round of meetings in about two weeks. Until then, the Americans are expecting a number of goodwill gestures from Israel, such as easing restrictions on West Bank Palestinians.

Barak's entourage received the impression that the Americans understand that any demand for freezing settlement building must not be separate from an inclusive, regional peace process. Therefore, the US will also be looking for goodwill gestures from the Arab states.

Malaysia PM sets big reforms to boost investment (Reuters)

2009-06-30T15:30:00.002+08:00

Fundamentally, Government should not have direct intervention to either Local or Foreign investment company including work-force quotation according to ethnic or race.
In this competitive age, race or color of your skin No Longer can be used to measure the level of capability/qualification to the offered job & it will be foolish for any Employer to assume this way.

Recently, I had a conversation with my friends who is working in the MNC and they are forced to promote certain ethnic group as not to violate country/HR regulations set by Government for the higher management quota.

I am not sure whether this is true but from the post below, it seems it is quite true.
Just imagine if you are rich enough to own a company & while worrying about the profit/lost margin for your product/services, yet you still have think about other not so related item such as meeting quotation for certain ethnic group hiring?

To me, this is redundant as the bottomline of a good company is to hire the most capable/qualified candidate as possible…it is the TALLENT that matters not the color…

Malaysia PM sets big reforms to boost investment (Reuters)
By David Chance and Soo Ai Peng

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's prime minister unveiled a raft of measures on Tuesday to boost investment in the slumping economy, coming close to ending an affirmative action program for ethnic Malays that critics say has stymied growth.

Najib Razak told a conference in Kuala Lumpur that his government would end rules on foreign investment in most sectors of the economy and would open up the investment management and brokerage industry, as well as property, ending requirements for 30 percent ownership by ethnic Malays.

He also promised reforms of Malaysia's huge government companies such as plantations and property giant Sime Darby, and said they would be forced to sell non-core assets to boost domestic competition in the Southeast Asian nation.

"We have become a successful middle income economy, but we cannot and will not be caught in the middle income country trap," Najib told the conference.

"We need to make the shift to a high income economy or we risk losing growth momentum in our economies and vibrancy in our markets."

The reforms gave the ringgit a small boost and it traded at 3.521 to the dollar at 0500 GMT (1 a.m. EDT), up from 3.54 at the open, although data released later showed foreign investors had continued to pull money out of Malaysia this year.

Malaysia is Asia's third most export-dependent nation, seeing shipment slump 26 percent from a year ago as demand for electronics and commodities has been hit by the global downturn. The economy has shrunk 5 percent this year.

Investment flows have dried up and the country has been overtaken by neighbouring Thailand in terms of direct investment since 2001 and portfolio flows turned negative to the tune of 92.3 billion Malaysian ringgit ($26.10 billion) in 2008.

In the first quarter of 2009 they remained negative to the tune of 12.2 billion ringgit, even as investment in other emerging Asian economies has recovered. Malaysia's stock market has risen 20 percent this year, underperforming a 30 percent rise in Asian markets excluding Japan.

"This move will definitely encourage investors to rethink or reconsider Malaysia amid the many choices (in the region) such as Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia," said Wan Suhaimie Wan Saidie, economist at Malaysia's Kenanga investment bank.

BALANCING INVESTMENT AND POLITICS
Najib who heads an unpopular government and himself has an approval rating of just 45 percent, according to a June poll, had to balance the need for reform to attract diminishing global investment flows against the risk of a political backlash.

That means that he could not formally end New Economic Policy (NEP), the system of economic and social privileges for ethnic Malays who are 55 percent of the population and which has been cornerstone of the country's policies since 1971.

Instead Najib chose to emphasize that he would keep an overall aim of boosting Malays' ownership of the economy to 30 percent from 19.4 percent at present but he placed a new stress on helping competitive Malays, rather than a blanket guarantee.

"Pragmatism requires a focus on substance, not form. The government of Malaysia remains committed to pursue the spirit and substance of growth with equity," Najib said.

Najib leads the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the dominant party in the multi-ethnic 13-strong National Front coalition that has ruled Malaysia for 51 years since independence from Britain.

The Front's grip on power was hit in elections in March 2008 when the opposition won over a third of parliament seats, blocking the coalition's ability to change the constitution, and five of Malaysia's 13 state governments, a record haul.

The government ousted lackluster premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and replaced him with Najib who took office in April and has launched a series of liberalization measures in the services sector and finance that his predecessor had shied away from.

"This is a fundamental shift in the government mindset, rather than going for quantity we go for quality," said James Chin, professor of politics at Monash University in Kuala Lumpur.

"This is also an acknowledgement by the government that we are a trading nation and we live in a globalized world."

($1=3.536 Malaysian Ringgit)

(Additional reporting by Niluski Koswanage, Razak Ahmad, Loh Li Lian; Editing by David Fox)

First round in Internet war goes to Iranian intelligence (Debka)

2009-06-29T13:42:00.004+08:00

It was the internet social networking website that bring them together but it is also the same tool that bring them down.
I don’t think the protest or any further bloodshed can do Iran any good except for a fresh election govern by the Neutral party.
But then again, do you believe there is any “Neutral” Human component that don’t sway?
Think again…

First round in Internet war goes to Iranian intelligence (Debka)
Millions of sympathizers around the world looked forward to seeing Iran's protest movement using the Internet for the first online coup in history. Instead, the Iranian Islamic regime turned the tables: Its Internet police, arguably the largest in the world, pushed "control," "halt," "delete" and "send" buttons to activate a deadly weapon for suppressing the movement, as soon as it took to the streets to protest the June 12 election which was believed to have given Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a false victory.

By Sunday, June 28, when the Guardian Council was to hand down its final verdict on their complaints, the street rallies had petered out.

Part of the reason, DEBKAfile's intelligence sources report, was their organizers' heavy reliance on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and other social sites to orchestrate their protest movement. They did not at first appreciate that Iranian intelligence Internet experts, operating from secret headquarters established months ago, were using their communications to shoot them down.

According to our sources, that headquarters is located at the telecom center on Sepah (Khomenei) Square in Tehran. It was built for the Shah in the 1970s by the Israel construction contractors Solel Boneh and designed by Israeli intelligence and telecommunications experts.

The high-end apparatus, installed in late 2008 by the German Siemens AG and Finnish Nokia Corp. cell phone giant, gave Iranian intelligence the most advanced tools anywhere for controlling, inspecting, censoring and altering Internet and cell phone messaging. Those tools were being used weeks before the poll to identify penetrations by alien spy services, their local agents and dissident activists.

This system is capable of conducting "deep packet inspection" of every type of text and video communication in all parts of Iran on three tracks:

1. Like other advanced electronic spy systems in the world, this one uses such keywords as attack, weapons, cash, data, explosives, meeting, demonstration, resistance, protest, etc. to alert Iran within milliseconds to feeds of interest by computer or phone - mail, signals or visuals.

In a flash, intelligence analysts get a fix on the sender and the electronic addressee which are then placed on a surveillance list for further monitoring. Once identified, the sender or receiver and their connections are closely shadowed by field agents.

2. By "deep packet inspection," the secret controllers can cause delays in online data transfers, which surfers may attribute to glitches connected with their providers. The more targets under surveillance, the more online transfers are slowed down.

DEBKAfile's Iranian sources report that the day after the presidential poll and resulting street outbreaks, Iran's Internet control and tracking supervisors took over the 10 leading service providers in the country. Their first action was to slow down incoming and outgoing cyber traffic from 1,500 to 54 kilobytes to make sure that not a single byte by Internet or cell phone to or from protest leaders escaped their notice.

Tehran has vented its ire on Britain because it is accused of providing the organizers of the dissident movement with London telephone numbers to circumvent the deliberate slowdown of online traffic from inside the country. These numbers gave anti-government activists instant, direct links through Western Internet providers for getting their messages out to the world. Iran suspects they were laid on by British intelligence.

Eventually, the British lines became jammed by overload.

3. Iranian intelligence made cynical use of the large amount of electronic and personal data accumulated on anti-regime elements. Instead of detaining their prey at once, Iranian intelligence invaded their computers and cell phones to plant false leads for smoking unsuspecting activists out in the open and keeping them under inspection.

Within a few days of their protest, Mir Hossein Mousavi and the bulk of his supporters, realizing their electronic campaign had been taken over by the regime to hunt them down, disappeared from the streets of Tehran.

Wednesday, June 24, when the extent of the damage the Iranian Internet invasion had inflicted on American interests was brought home to him, US secretary of defense Robert Gates ordered a special cyber defense system set up to protect the US armed forces' 15,000 Web sites, which encompass seven million computers. Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, head of the National Security Agency, was put in charge of getting the new system up and running by the end of 2010.

Tuesday, June 23, a group of US senators led by the Republic presidential candidate John McCain and independent Joe Lieberman initiated legislation to fund a cyber defense system capable of combating Internet assaults like the one mounted by the Iranian government.

Mashaal to Obama: we appreciate your words, but actions speak louder (PIC)

2009-06-27T17:08:00.003+08:00

Looks like No-Go from the Palestinian side...
The condition of disarment is like ripping off your only source of "protection" or "self-defence" but with the back-up from US & Arab neighboring countries, I still wonder if this will post any risk.
Or the main decision is not made with the interest of the people...and again Politician is also a mortal human-being where the self interest always be the tip of all moves...
Well, just my thoughts...

Mashaal to Obama: we appreciate your words, but actions speak louder (PIC)
From Khalid Amayreh in occupied Palestine
In a landmark speech in Damascus Thursday afternoon, Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal urged President Barack Obama to transform his positive words about the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people into “concrete actions.”

“We do appreciate Obama’s new language, we think it is a step in the right direction. However, we expect the American administration to put these words into actions and to refrain from imposing conditions on Hamas.”

Mashaal said dealing with Hamas must be based on respecting the Palestinian people’s democratic choice, not imposing conditions such as those imposed by the Quartet, which included demands for unconditional recognition of the apartheid Israeli regime, giving up resistance entirely and accepting without reservation all the vague agreements and understandings reached by Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Mashaal pointed out that conditions such as these had been imposed by Israel and the U.S. and carried out (by the PA), but nothing changed on the ground as the Israeli occupation remained entrenched, the settlement expansion continued unabated and the Palestinian horizons narrowed further and further.

He argued that whenever the PA budged to Israeli demands and conditions, fresh demands and conditions were imposed.

“They asked the PA to recognize Israel , and the PA recognized Israel . But, look, now they want the Palestinians to recognize the Jewish nature of Israel , to recognize that al-Quds al Sharif is Israel’s capital, and to give up the right of return for the refugees. You see, Israel’s conditions and demands are endless.”

Mashaal stressed that Hamas was not terribly concerned about getting itself recognized by foreign powers.

“Hamas’s priority is not getting itself recognized by others, but rather getting others to recognize the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights. The Palestinian national cause has a priority over Hamas, and concerns over the national cause takes precedence over concerns over all other interests and considerations. And no faction has the right to give concessions at the expense of the national cause for the sake of making factional political gains.”

On Netanyahu speech
Mashaal reserved some of his strongest words for Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu who two weeks ago proposed the creation of a vaguely-defined Palestinian entity which would be nearly completely controlled by Israel and not encompassing Jerusalem .

“Netanyahu wants to give our people a state with a name but without any substance. He may continue to entertain his fascist whims for ever, but he won’t find a Palestinian who would listen to him.”

He said that Netanyahu’s racist speech reflected an inherently racist mindset and hell-bent desire to keep up the occupation of our motherland.

He further pointed out that recognizing Israel as a Jewish state meant in real terms killing the right of return as well as undermining the future of the 1.5 million Palestinians who are Israeli citizens.

Mashaal addressed Arab leaders, saying they should withdraw the so-called Arab peace plan because Israel is viewing it with contempt.

“Netanyahu has turned the table upside down, hence it is futile to keep our hands extended to an insolent Israeli leadership. Therefore, and in response to the Israeli arrogance and insolence, I urge Arab leaders to behave in a dignified manner and make available new choices and gather our assets of power, which are available, provided there is the will“

He said Hamas was willing and ready to cooperate with any party for the sake of expediting the national interests of the Arab people. He added that begging Israel for peace would give a sign of weakness.

Hamas’ politburo chief devoted a significant part of his speech to the national rift with Fatah, saying that Palestinian national unity was paramount, not necessarily for the sake of expediting peace talks with Israel, but rather in order to strengthen the Palestinian people and enhance their ability to extract legitimate Palestinian rights from Zionist hands.

“National unity is paramount because it consolidates our internal front in Israel’s face.”

He said that Hamas adopted a decision to act expeditiously to end this rift through Egyptian-mediated efforts.

However, Mashaal said that there were three requirements without which inter-Palestinian reconciliation wouldn’t be accomplished.

First, Palestinians must not allow foreign interference in their internal affairs; Second, Palestinians must agree on all contentious issues in one package; and, third, the Palestinian Authority must put an end to the provocative policy of arresting Hamas’ supporters and sympathizers.

“The problem is not a mere internal disagreement. We are talking about systematic practices carried out by the Fayyadh government under the supervision of the American Gen. Keith Dayton. There is a close coordination with the Israeli occupation army against resistance elements, for the sake of arresting or killing them as happened recently in Qalqilya.”

Mashaal pointed out that as many as 830 men and women, including scholars, academics, students, business people and other professionals were languishing in PA jails.

“Many are tortured and some have died while others were transferred to hospital for treatment of torture-related illnesses.

“There is a systematic process of eradication. Nothing like this has happened since 1967. All institutions have been closed down, Zakat (Alms) committees confiscated, funds destined to prisoners and orphans stolen…”

Mashaal argued that the provocative and repressive practices of the PA were the main obstacle impeding national unity between Fatah and Hamas.

Underscoring Dayton’s disastrous role in fomenting Palestinian division, Mashaal called on President Obama to withdraw Gen. Dayton from the West Bank immediately.

“I believe that building a repressive authority is incompatible with Obama’s calls for spreading democracy in this part of the world. Hence.”

Mashaal scoffed at the PA for meticulously carrying out “commitments” to appease Israel while Israel was continuing to build settlements and steal land and Judaize Jerusalem and imposing siege on Gaza .

Mashaal recognized that some political prisoners were being released from PA jails.

However, he pointed out that even more people were being arrested, accusing the PA of following the rolling-gate policy.

“I am sorry to say that what the PA is doing in the West Bank doesn’t really give us a reason for hope. This is why I am urging our brothers in Egypt to deal with this matter urgently.

Finally, Mashaal reasserted Hamas’ commitment to free Palestinian prisoners languishing in Zionist jails, detention camps and dungeons.

He pointed out that there were as many as 12, 000 Palestinian prisoners detained in Zionist custody, including 400 children, the youngest of whom is Yousuf al Zeq, who is only 15 months’ old.

“What is preventing a prisoner swap deal from seeing the light is Israeli intransigence. Otherwise, we are willing to carry out a serious deal that would release our prisoners from Zionist jails.”

Hamas leader rejects "freak" Israel offer of state (Reuters)

2009-06-26T11:40:00.001+08:00

No pain no gain?
I guessed the risk is far too big to be handled...

Hamas leader rejects "freak" Israel offer of state (Reuters)
DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal denounced on Thursday an Israeli offer of a demilitarized Palestinian state as a "big prison" and said only armed struggle could restore Palestinian rights.

In a speech this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supported the U.S. goal of a Palestinian state but said it should be demilitarized and the Palestinians must accept Israel as a Jewish nation.

"The state that Netanyahu talked about, with control on it by land, sea and air, is a freak entity and a big prison, not a country fit for a great people," Meshaal said in a speech in the Syrian capital to supporters of Hamas, which won Palestinian elections in 2006.

Meshaal said the notion of an exclusive Jewish nation was anathema to the Palestinians because it means giving up what he described as the right of six million Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland in what is now Israel.
"We warn against any Arab leniency on this issue. The calls by the leaders of the enemy for the Jewishness of Israel are racist, not different to Italian Fascism and Hitler's Nazism," said Meshaal, who lives in exile in Syria.

OBAMA SPEECH
His speech also aimed to reply to the June 4 speech by U.S. President Barack Obama to the Muslim world in which he re-affirmed the U.S. objective of a Palestinian state alongside Israel on land occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War.

Obama also wants a halt to all Israeli settlement building, a point of disagreement between him and Netanyahu.

Meshaal said Hamas appreciated what he termed Obama's new language, which could be the start of an "unconditional dialogue" between Washington and the Palestinian Islamist group.

"Dealing with Hamas and Palestinian resistance movements must be based on respecting the will of the Palestinian people and its democratic choice, not through putting conditions, such as those of the quartet," he said.

He was referring to the demands of the United States, Russia the United Nations and the European Union for Hamas to renounce armed struggle, as well as accept past peace agreements.

Hamas, which took control of the Gaza strip in 2007 after routing forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, has repeatedly rejected these conditions.

Meshaal also repeated the Hamas line of calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state within 1967 borders.

"The minimum we accept is a Palestinian state with (East) Jerusalem as its capital, full sovereignty, removal of settlements and the refugees' right of return," he said.

He said Hamas, which is mainly supported by Syria and Iran, sees no alternative but to continue armed struggle to liberate Palestinian land after decades of Israel flouting international resolutions to withdraw.

"There is no alternative," Meshaal said. "Peaceful resistance works for a civil rights struggle, not in front of an occupation armed to the teeth."
(Editing by Charles Dick)

Syria: Netanyahu speech rejects peace prerequisites (PIC)

2009-06-18T13:29:00.002+08:00

My previous Post did mentioned about different view from different eye & the news below just proving this point...

Syria: Netanyahu speech rejects peace prerequisites (PIC)
DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- An official Syrian source has described the speech of Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu as reflecting a clear indication against peace in the region.

The source in a statement carried by the official Syrian 'SANA' news agency on Tuesday called on the Arab and Islamic Nation to unite efforts and adopt necessary measures to confront the "Zionist destructive policy".

He added that Netanyahu's emphsis on the Jewish nature of Israel and his rejection of the Palestinian refugees' right of return is a racist position aimed at abolishing the right of a people to exist on its own soil.

The source opined that Netanyahu's conditions for peace constituted a clear rejection of objective fundamentals that could lead to peace in the Middle East in accordance with international legitimacy.

He said that Netanyahu's speech makes it imperative on the Palestinians to return to national unity and to jointly work for the sake of preserving and restoring rights.

The source asked the world community at large and the USA in particular to pressure Israel to end all forms of usurpation, to halt judaization of Jerusalem, to lift the siege on the Gaza Strip and to implement all international resolutions in a bid to reach a just and comprehensive peace.

Haneyya asks the world community to pressure the IOA to lift siege(PIC)

2009-06-17T13:25:00.002+08:00

Hope Carter's visit will yield a better result..or "national dream" still remain as after-eye-shut's luxury?

Haneyya asks the world community to pressure the IOA to lift siege(PIC)
GAZA, (PIC)-- Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya has urged the world community to pressure the Israeli occupation authority to lift the siege on Gaza Strip and end the Palestinian people's suffering.

He told a joint press conference with former American president Jimmy Carter that such a step would lead to mutual and reciprocal calm with the IOA.

Haneyya also said that his government was ready to accept the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, describing it as "national dream".

He affirmed, however, that such a state should be fully sovereign with Jerusalem as its capital.

The premier said that he discussed with Carter the question of prisoners and the Israeli captured soldier Gilad Shalit during a meeting with Hamas leaders. He declared support for any effort leading to an honorable prisoners' exchange deal.

Yousef Rezka, the political advisor of Haneyya, said in an earlier statement that the government would listen to Carter's evaluation of Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu's speech.

He said that Carter's visit falls in line with the positive changes in dealing with Hamas movement and the government in Gaza worldwide.

Rezka would not confirm or deny that Carter was carrying a message from the new American administration of Barack Obama to Hamas.

For his part, MP Ismail Al-Ashkar said that Carter's visit affirmed that no one could sidestep Hamas.

He added in a statement on Tuesday that the American administration should re-consider its stands regarding the Palestinian people's right of self-determination and not to persist in the policy of unlimited support for Israel, explaining that such support had led Israel to ignore the international law and to violate human rights.

Netanyahu’s Kafkaesque vision of Palestinian statehood (PIC)

2009-06-16T15:50:00.002+08:00

Well, different people may interpret differently on a statement just like a single dish tasted by different people might give you different comments.
There should be no double words about the intention from Ne’s speech.
We can either study each word or sentence uttered or start to seek for clarification & work towards the bottomline.
BTW, what is your interpretation from the speech?

Netanyahu’s Kafkaesque vision of Palestinian statehood (PIC)
By Khalid Amayreh, Occupied East Jerusalem
There is no doubt that Benyamin Netanyahu’s odious screed at Bar Ilan University Sunday night was a slap in the face to all those who gave the so-called “peace process” between the Palestinian people and Israel the benefit of the doubt.

First, it was a brazenly direct affront to President Obama who thought rather naively that nice words about peace would make the Israeli leadership change its fascistic mindset and reconsider it colonialist approach toward the Palestinian people.

Just last week, Obama reasserted America’s commitment to the safety and security of Israel as if the Zionist entity, which possesses hundreds of nuclear warheads, was facing any real threats from its neighbors.

However, in light of Netanyahu’s speech last night, it is amply clear that American support of Israel serves only to embolden the apartheid’s state and make it adopt even more extremist postures toward the Palestinian issue.

President Obama must really deeply ponder this specific point and reconsider America ’s entire policy toward Israel .

Second, the hateful tirade was a slap in the face for the so-called “moderate” Arab regimes, like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, who have degraded themselves and their people for the purpose of encouraging and endearing Israel to come to terms with minimal Palestinian rights.

For example, some of the Arab regimes have been playing an active role in starving and tormenting the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip in the hope of obtaining a certificate of good conduct from the Zionist leadership.

Now, these tyrants should have the courage and dignity to reconsider their erstwhile disgraceful discourse toward Israel by realizing that no matter how much Arabs and Muslims seek to appease and accommodate Israel’s racist whims, the Zionist entity will remain faithful to its diabolical principles of domination and colonialism.

Non the less, it is obvious that the biggest slap in the face went to the American-backed Palestinian regime in Ramallah, especially PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas and his de-facto prime minister Salam Fayyadh, the reputed darling of the former Bush administration.

We all know too well how this collaborationist regime did every thing in its power to demonstrate its total subservience to Israel, the Nazi-like occupier of our homeland.

The Ramallah Judenrat has been persecuting the Palestinian people to please Israel . It has rounded up thousands of Palestinian Islamic activists to demonstrate its “commitment” to the security understandings forged with the Israeli army. And more recently, it mercilessly and callously murdered resistance fighters in the northern West Bank , a feat that drew a lot of praise from the very people who had murdered Abu Jihad, Ahmed Yasin and may well have poisoned Yasser Arafat.

In fact, what Netanyahu was telling these petty collaborators last night is that no matter how much they cheapen themselves before Israel , even by killing their own people to safeguard the security of Israeli settlements, they will continue to be treated with the utter contempt they deserve.

Undoubtedly, Netanyahu’s speech amounted to a complete negation of all the “understandings and agreements” reached since the conclusion of the infamous Oslo Accords more than 16 years ago.

Netanyahu did say that he would be willing to accept a castrated Palestinian state somewhere in “the Land of Israel .” However, he insisted that such an entity would have to be tightly controlled by Israel and bereft of any semblance of sovereignty or dignity.

Indeed, the state the Nazi-minded Zionist leader has in mind has conspicuous Kafkaesque characteristics since its airspace, territorial water, borders, border crossings, water resources and foreign relations will be controlled by the Ubermenschen, the “chosen people,” the “master race.”

Interestingly, the Israeli premier repeatedly demanded that the Palestinians must recognize Israel as a state of the Jewish people.

Well, for those who don’t understand Zionist phraseology, it is important to clarify that terms such as “Jewish state” or “state of the Jewish people” are actually euphemistic expressions connoting the half-revealed but well-known Israeli intentions to deport the 1.5 million strong Palestinians living as Israeli citizens in the Zionist state.

Hence, Netanyahu and his cohorts are effectively demanding that the Palestinian people and their leadership solemnly acknowledge that Israel will have the right to ethnically cleanse its Palestinian citizens at a time of its choosing….because Israel is “the state of the Jewish people” and anyone whishing to be treated as an equal citizen, he or she would have to be a Jew or convert to Judaism.

Moreover, the arrogant Zionist premier reiterated his extremist views on al-Quds al Sharif, vowing that the holy city of Jerusalem will remain Israel’s undivided capital. He also vowed to keep up settlement expansion in the West Bank , irrespective of the wishes of the Obama administration.

A pathological liar and notorious prevaricator, Netanyahu said the conceivable Palestinian entity would have to be totally demilitarized in order to rule out the emergence of a Hamas regime.

He utterly ignored the fact that his own government comprises Nazi-like parties, some of which even don’t recognize the very humanity of non-Jews.

Hence, one is really prompted to ask Netanyahu and those who are still beguiled by his mendacious rhetoric how he would explain to the world that Jews in Israel have the right to elect manifestly Nazi-minded parties such as ha’Bayt ha’Yahudi and ha’Ichud ha’Leumi while the Palestinians are barred from electing a party like Hamas, which really looks like a band of boy scouts when compared to the virulently racist Jewish groups such Chabad and the Kookites whose rabbis are still arguing why the Almighty created non-Jews with two legs, not four, as He did other animals.

Undoubtedly, Netanyahu’s speech caricatured a thoroughly arrogant and megalomaniac leader, not unlike Adolph Hitler, a Fuhrer who thinks non-Jews living the “Land of Israel” are children of a lesser God, or wretched Untermenschen, who should serve as “wood hewers” and “water carriers” for the Jewish master race. And if they refuse servitude and enslavement, they would have to be banished into the Arabian desert or simply slaughtered en mass following the Biblical style.

Now the ball is squarely in the court of the White House. It is either Obama proves that he is the man of his word, by acting immediately to restrain this Nazi-like monster that is evidently hell-bent on savaging 5 million Palestinians who are demanding emancipation from decades of Zionist-Jewish cruelty.

Should Obama prove unable or unwilling to act on his proclamations which he made in Cairo last week, Arabs and Muslims as well as all other peace-loving people around the world would have to draw the right conclusion and come to term with the ugly reality in this part of the world, namely that Israel is a malignant Nazi-like entity that is hell-bent on spreading wars and chaos in the Middle East and beyond.

Eventually, the immense turbulence and violence resulting from the Zionist menace would sooner or later get the U.S. bogged down in bloodier wars in many parts of the Muslim world, wars that would further destroy the American economy and cause untold thousands of America’s finest sons and daughters to lose their lives for Israel’s sake.

Netanyahu speech in full at Begin Sadat Center (YouTube)

2009-06-15T13:46:00.003+08:00

Interesting speech from IS Prime Minister in Begin-Sadat center.

Duration: 28mins & 35seconds
YouTube: Netanyahu speech in full at Begin Sadat Center

Dayton's Joy (PIC)

2009-06-15T10:47:00.002+08:00

This comment triggered few side notes:
1. Why Hamas was quoted as extremist
2. Why IS willing to cooperate with Palestinian to bring down Hamas?
Ponder about it & we may able to see the light…

Dayton's Joy (PIC) Prof Sattar Kassem
I read Dayton's congressional hearing of May 7, 2009, and I noticed the enthusiasm that filled his heart, and the joy and jubilance that appeared on his face. He talked in details about his great achievements in training Palestinians in Jordan and Jericho on how to deal with security matters concerning Palestinian “terrorists” and demonstrators, and how to coordinate with the Israeli army and security service. He numerated several instances and gave many examples on how Palestinians are comfortably coordinating with the Israelis, something that is very much different from the past. He said that Palestinians used to lie in the past, or hesitate in cooperating with the Israelis, but now they are honest and have the courage to do the coordination openly and with no kind of guilt-feeling.

He reiterated in the hearing that what is happening in Palestine is something that was unbelievable, but now it is a reality. He showed so much joy because of this achievement to which he is accredited. He was trying to show his great success, and asked for more money to continue the process. He talked about the security academy in Jericho as a prominent educational institution that will be a pillar of peace making in the area. And he assured the congressional committee that he will train more Palestinians in Jordan.

This general who is apparently proud of his achievements was thought by the Israelis as a failure, and his replacement was demanded, but the White House convinced Israel to give him a second chance. The Israelis accused him of being indeterminate and indecisive with the Palestinian Authority and security service, and fell at so many times into their deceptive promises. That is why he has been tough and blunt with the Palestinians after the fall of Gaza into the hands of Hamas. He has instructed the Palestinians to cooperate and coordinate with the Israelis openly and without any kind of moral or ethical restrictions, and without any national or social considerations. And he has been educating the Palestinians on how they serve their own country and state building when they hit hard (arrest or maim or shoot to kill) against Hamas “terrorists” and extremists who are conspiring with Tehran against the Arab Nation.
This general who represents the US and its administration headed by Hajj Obama is working relentlessly at dismantling the Palestinian society and turning the Palestinians into mere individuals who each of them is concerned about his/her own living. He usually tells his Palestinian clients that his approach and methods are the best way toward the making a Palestinian state, and this state will emerge as Israel becomes convinced that the Palestinians pose no danger to its security. This is not true, and the general is trying to turn Palestinians into Israeli security recruits who finally would rein over a Palestinian entity of collaborators.

Neither the general nor America nor Europe are interested in a truly independent state that has an army and free open borders with the Arab states, but they use the money, the basic needs of making a living to bring the Palestinians to their knees and their basic Arab chastity intruded by their whims. The general is implanting hatred among the Palestinians, and the more they commit themselves to internal feuds and bloodshed, the more success he is assumed to be achieving. And his final objective is to please the Zionists regardless of the sufferings and the agonies of the Palestinians.

The general is joyous for the cooperation he is receiving from many Palestinians, this very joy marks an awful stage in Palestinian history, and it is the embodiment of Palestinian dissolution. If the Palestinians were not divided, if they were not killing each other, if they were not collaborating with their enemy against themselves, if they were honest to their cause this joy would never materialize.

Finally I would like to assure the general that the Palestinians belong to a great nation which is belittled now because of the puppets who are leading, but history is in a state of flux. Things will change. And I am sure that the general is confident that those who betray their country cannot provide security for their enemy.

Mr. Sattar Kassem, Professor of Political Science at Al Najah University in Nablus

Ahmadinejad's victory greeted by Tehran protests (Reuters)

2009-06-14T11:52:00.003+08:00

Looks like there is another claim on foul play in democracy system although this is not like some news that will surprise us here.
But the people should aware of the political policy that they have voted for...

Ahmadinejad's victory greeted by Tehran protests (Reuters)
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters clashed with police after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won an election which his reformist challenger called a "dangerous charade."

The protests were a rare direct challenge to Iranian authorities. The result and its violent aftermath raised fresh questions about the direction of Iranian policies at a time when U.S. President Barack Obama wants to improve relations with Iran.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Iranians to respect Ahmadinejad's victory, which upset expectations that reformist candidate Mirhossein Mousavi might win the race. Interior Minister Sadeq Mahsouli, an Ahmadinejad ally, declared the president had been re-elected with 62.6 percent of the vote, against 33.7 percent for Mousavi. Mousavi complained of violations and vote-rigging -- allegations rejected by Interior Ministry officials. "I'm warning I will not surrender to this dangerous charade. The result of such performance by some officials will jeopardize the pillars of the Islamic Republic and will establish tyranny," Mousavi said in a statement made available to Reuters.

After the result was announced, thousands of his supporters took to the streets, some chanting, "What happened to our vote?." Others shouted anti-Ahmadinejad slogans. "We are Iranians too," and "Mousavi is our president," they shouted. Police beat protesters with batons as they spread out across the capital. Small fires burned at roadsides.

Though the protests were small compared to the mass demonstrations that led to the 1979 Islamic revolution, they were the most widespread in the city since then.
Khamenei, Iran's top authority, told defeated candidates and their supporters to avoid "provocative behavior." "The chosen and respected president is the president of all the Iranian nation and everyone, including yesterday's competitors, must unanimously support and help him," Khamenei said in a statement read on state television.

Ahmadinejad, in a televised address to the nation, said the election had been "free and healthy."
Iranian and Western analysts said Ahmadinejad's re-election would disappoint Western powers aiming to convince Iran to halt a nuclear program they suspect is aimed at making bombs.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States was monitoring the outcome of the election closely and hoped the result reflected the will of the Iranian people.

On Friday night, before official results emerged, Mousavi had claimed to be the "definite winner." He said many people had been unable to vote and ballot papers were lacking.
Ahmadinejad draws most of his support from rural areas and poorer big city neighborhoods. Mousavi enjoys strong backing in wealthier urban centers, especially among women and the young.
(Writing by Myra MacDonald; editing by Janet Lawrence)

Two radical Muslims identified on crashed Air France flight (Debka)

2009-06-12T15:47:00.003+08:00

Not sure this is true but would like to convey my gracious condolences to those friends & family whom involved in this terrible tragedy…

Two radical Muslims identified on crashed Air France flight (Debka)
The day after DEBKAfile's counter-terror sources' revelation of Tuesday, June 9, that French security was going through the doomed Air France flight's passenger list for suspected terror links, the Paris weekly L'Express reported a link had been found.
(Read DEBKAfile's exclusive report HERE)
French security DGSE (Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure) agents dispatched to Brazil identified two names on the passenger list which also appear also on highly-classified documents listing radical Muslims considered a threat to France. This link to the air tragedy was described as "highly significant."

The French agents also examined the security measures employed at Rio de Janeiro international port from which Air France A300 took off May 31 with 228 passengers and crew, never to arrive at its destination at Charles de Gaulle, Paris.

DEBKAfile's counter-terror sources report that in the last few months Paris has received several threats of an impending al Qaeda mega-attack against a French city on the lines of the hijacked airliners which struck New York and Washington on September 11, 2001. The jihadis were bent on punishing president Nicolas Sarkozy for posting fresh French troops to Afghanistan.

Should further investigations connect the two Muslim passengers to this conspiracy, it would go far to indicate that the Air France flight was destined to crash over Paris - except that the plan misfired and the plane came down sooner than planned over the Atlantic.

According to our sources, the French flight crews warned of the plot might have succeeded into pre-empting it by an extraordinary act of bravery to crash the plane in the ocean before it reached France.

Alternatively, the two purported terrorists may have been on a suicide operation like the Egyptian Airline pilot who brought his Boeing 767 into the Atlantic off the US coast on March 31, 1999.

Netanyahu's speech: Yes to road map, no to settlement freeze (Haaretz)

2009-06-11T13:13:00.002+08:00

The answer is Clear from ISR side...so, what's next?

Netanyahu's speech: Yes to road map, no to settlement freeze (Haaretz)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will announce in his foreign policy speech scheduled for Sunday the adoption of the road map and the "two-state solution" for settling the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, according to sources close to the prime minister. The sources said the speech will "revolve around the road map."

Netanyahu will present a few conditions for the implementation of the road map, above all a Palestinian recognition of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. He will also demand that the future Palestinian state be demilitarized.

The prime minister will propose the immediate renewal of negotiations with the Palestinian Authority on the basis of a formula that will allow for self-government as long as the Palestinians do not endanger Israel.
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In the speech at Bar-Ilan University, near Tel Aviv, Netanyahu will discuss at length the opportunity that has been created for cooperation between Israel and the Arab states in light of shared concerns about Iran's nuclear program.

Netanyahu will propose a regional process in which Arab states will initiate the normalization of ties with Israel, in parallel to the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

The final draft of the speech will only be completed over the weekend.
President Shimon Peres is to meet with Netanyahu today to persuade him to adopt more moderate views regarding the Palestinians. Netanyahu is also to submit a draft of the speech to Defense Minister Ehud Barak tomorrow.

In his speech Sunday, at a bastion of Israel's national-religious movement, Netanyahu will declare that the settlements in the West Bank are not an obstacle to peace.

In recent days Netanyahu has asked his aides to collect data on the settlements. Sources close to the prime minister said Netanyahu will not announce during his speech a freeze on construction in the settlements, as the United States has insisted Israel must do.

Channel 2 news reported Wednesday that Netanyahu has evaluated a number of ways of freezing settlement construction, including issuing a temporary (several months) hold on new construction starts in return for reciprocal measures on the part of the Palestinians and Arab states. Another option is declaring a freeze on construction in Jerusalem, or in the settlement blocs, but these are not expected to be mentioned in the speech.

Sources close to Netanyahu maintain that he will try to reach a tacit understanding with U.S. President Barack Obama on the suspension of construction for a specific period of time.

The differences in the positions of Israel and the U.S. on building in in the settlements narrowed in the wake of talks between U.S. Special Envoy George Mitchell and Netanyahu Tuesday. The prime minister and his aides presented a proposal to break down the issue of natural growth in the settlements according to various types of construction, such as new building, the expansion of existing structures and the construction of public housing.

A Jerusalem source said the talks, which lasted about four hours, "resulted in a great deal of progress," as a result of the more flexible proposals put forth by Netanyahu on the settlements.

A senior Washington source confirmed that progress had been achieved, but stressed that "our position on the need to cease settlement construction has not been altered at all. The talks were good and we will continue in a few days."

The Prime Minister's Bureau refused to comment.

Obama envoy says Palestinian statehood only option (Reuters)

2009-06-11T13:06:00.003+08:00

The repeating statement has been uttered again...but this time with 2 conditions: 2-states resolution & Settlement Freeze....

Obama envoy says Palestinian statehood only option (Reuters)
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - U.S. envoy George Mitchell assured the Palestinians on Wednesday of Washington's commitment to a state of their own, calling its establishment the only viable solution to their conflict with Israel.

Mitchell, speaking after talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, urged both sides to meet their obligations under a 2003 peace "road map" that commits Israel to halting settlement expansion and Palestinians to reining in militants.

U.S. President Barack Obama had made it clear "the only viable resolution to this conflict is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states," Mitchell said.

His comments highlighted a rare rift in U.S.-Israeli relations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly endorsed Palestinian statehood and has said construction will continue in existing settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Reiterating remarks he made in talks with Israeli leaders on Tuesday, Mitchell said in the West Bank city of Ramallah that Washington was seeking "prompt resumption and early conclusion" of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

"We are now engaged in serious discussions with Israelis, Palestinians and other regional partners to support this effort," he added, before continuing the latest leg of his mission on a tour taking him to Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt.

Speaking later after meeting Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni, Mitchell said Washington sought "a comprehensive regional peace which not only involves Israel and the Palestinians, but Syrians, the Lebanese and all the surrounding countries."

Obama continued to press the issue on Wednesday from Washington. Ahead of Mitchell's scheduled visit to Amman on Thursday, Obama called Jordan's King Abdullah to discuss his recent trip to Riyadh and Cairo, where he issued his call for a new U.S. relationship with the Muslim world.

"The president reiterated his commitment to work hard to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a two-state solution, as he underscored in his speech in Cairo," the White House said in a statement on Obama's call to Abdullah.

"They discussed ways of ensuring that all parties fulfill their obligations and responsibilities to ensure that negotiations toward a two-state solution have the best chance to succeed," the statement said.

SETTLEMENT FREEZE
Abbas, after his talks with Mitchell, made no comment to reporters. The Palestinian leader has said talks with Israel will be useless unless Netanyahu accepts a two-state solution and freezes settlements.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said in a statement the United States had "made clear its intention to reinvigorate Middle East peace talks, as well as its expectation that both parties implement their obligations under the road map."

He said Israel's failure to fulfill its obligations under existing agreements had undermined the credibility of the peace process.

Obama's emphasis on meeting obligations was "an important litmus test of fairness and balance," Erekat said.

An aide to Abbas said the U.S. position was "encouraging" but Israel's position was "obscure and disappointing."

Netanyahu, who leads a conservative government that could face collapse if he halts settlement construction, is scheduled to set out his position in a speech on Sunday.

While Mitchell visited the West Bank, Netanyahu's security cabinet met in Jerusalem to discuss a possible easing of Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, territory controlled by Hamas Islamists opposed to U.S. peace efforts.

An official statement said the forum examined "additional ways to make life easier for the Palestinian population in Gaza and at the same time safeguarding Israeli security interests."

But the statement gave no indication whether more goods would be allowed into the Gaza Strip through Israeli border crossings as the United States and European countries have urged.

(Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta, and David Alexander in Washington)
Copyright © 2008 Reuters

The 1967-war revisited (Part 2) (PIC)

2009-06-10T15:47:00.002+08:00

Touching story.
coming from the Palestinian state while surviving in ISR world...

The 1967-war revisited (Part 2) (PIC) By Khalid Amayreh
I personally witnessed numerous demolitions when I was eleven years old. The demolition, or blowing-up operation, would begin with declaring the village where the doomed house was located a closed military zone. The declaration would be made via loudspeakers located atop military jeeps.

In the process, all males betweens the ages of 13 and 70 would be ordered to gather at the playground of the local school, where they were forced to stand with their heads bowed down. Very often, the soldiers would shoot over the heads of people with the purpose of terrorizing them. And anybody daring to raise his head would be kicked in the back by heavily armed soldiers. Civility and simple human decency were always absent, as is the case in these days, and there was no al-Jazeera or CNN to report on Israel’s shameful acts, so the Zio-Nazis always felt at liberty doing to us as they saw fit.

Then, the commanding officer in charge of the operation would give the doomed family ten minutes to salvage whatever meagre belongings they could. (These days they demolish our homes immediately without giving a grace period to get our belongings out).

The scene of young children comforting younger children is devastating. The distraught housewives would struggle to get their utensils and whatever mattresses and foodstuff out, lest they be crushed and irretrievable. A small child would rush to get his favourite toy or an enlarged picture of his late grandfather, before it was too late. Then the commanding officer would give the go-ahead signal and the house would become rubble in a few seconds.

Afterwards, the Red Cross would bring a tent, as a temporary shelter for the victims, otherwise the tormented family would simply make an enclosure and sleep under the trees, or, if the weather was cold, find a cave to live in until a permanent solution could be found. These were indelible images of misery I won’t ever forget, an ugly testimony to Israel's Nazi-like savagery.
Jeff Halper, founder and head of the non-governmental Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICHAD), an anthropologist and scholar of the occupation, observed that the Zionist and Israeli leaders going back 80 years have all conveyed what he calls “the Message to the Palestinians.”

The Message, Halper says, is “Submit, only when you abandon your dreams for an independent state of your own, and accept that Palestine has become the Land of Israel, will we relent.”

The implication and deeper meaning of the message is very clear. It is the “you (Palestinians) do not belong here. We uprooted you from your homes in 1948 and now we will uproot you from all of the Land of Israel.”

Halper reminds us that Zionism has been from the very inception a “process of displacement” and house demolitions have been “at the centre of the Israeli struggle against the Palestinians” since 1948.

Halper elucidates the policy of house demolitions. In 1948, he says, Israel systematically razed 418 Palestinian villages inside Israel, fully 85% of the villages existing before 1948. And since the occupation began in 1967, Israel has demolished 21,000 Palestinian homes. More homes, he adds, are being demolished in the path of Israel’s Separation Wall, with the number of homes demolished estimated at 40,000 in the past four years.

And contrary to Israeli propaganda that Arab houses are destroyed for security reasons, Halper points out that the 95% of these demolished homes have nothing whatever to do with fighting terrorism, but are designed specifically to displace non-Jews to ensure the advance of Zionism.

In addition to the manifestly barbaric practice of home demolitions, the Israelis really ‘excelled’ in the widespread practice of physical and psychological torture, especially in the first few years of the Occupation. In fact, a villager by the name of Salim Mahmoud Safi from Khorsa, my village, was tortured to death in 1970.

And Israel often imprisons the bodies of Palestinians killed or tortured to death for years in order to further torment and inflict pain upon their families. This is a well-known fact here.

Born into a very poor family, I started working in Beer Sheva when I was thirteen as a construction worker and then as an assistant plasterer (Maggish in Hebrew). I did this usually during the summer break and occasionally on Fridays. However, I was always careful not to allow my ‘job’ to seriously undermine my school learning.

In Beer Sheva, or Bir al Sab’a as the city is known in Arabic, I was able to learn Hebrew as well as the Moroccan dialect spoken by many Jews who had immigrated from North Africa. Like Palestinians, most Moroccan Jews worked in the construction sector and doing other menial jobs. Some were street sweepers as well, and almost all of the beggars in the streets were Jews originating from North Africa.

I was able to tour the city, which in the 1980s and 1990s received tens of thousands of immigrants from the countries of the former Soviet Union.

In the Old Town, I saw the old Palestinian homes, which the Jews seized after expelling their original occupants and proprietors at gunpoint. I also saw the town’s mosque, which dates back to around 1911, when Palestine was still under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Israel converted the mosque into a ‘museum’ and later into a ‘House for the Artists.’ And when some local Israeli Muslim leaders petitioned the Israeli government to rehabilitate the holy place and allow the town’s Muslim community to pray there, the Israeli authorities said an emphatic “NO.” This is how the ‘only true democracy in the Middle East’ behaves toward its own non-Jewish citizens.

On some occasions, the people for whom I worked would not give me my wages. I worked with such famous construction firms as Rusco, Solel Bonei, Hevrat Ovdeim. I still retain my old Israeli work card.
As Palestinian labourers, we were continually humiliated at Israeli checkpoints and roadblocks at the A’rad Intersection on the way to Beer Sheva. I remember a Jewish police officer who spoke Arabic with an Egyptian accent beating one of my relatives savagely without a convincing reason. I made many Jewish friends then, but the psychological barrier remained largely intact. I did intermix with some Tunisian and Moroccan Jews in A’rad, Beer Sheva and Dimona. However, their sense of superiority (and victory) over us always impeded the evolution of normal human relations between them and myself. They viewed us then, as they do now, as the Biblical equivalents of wood hewers and water carriers. We were only good for making coffee and doing the hard, menial works for the superior race, the chosen people. “Muhammed Ta’asi coffee” (“Muhammed! Prepare the coffee for the Jews”) they would scream scornfully at us in a condescending tone.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians worked in Israel as ‘day-labourers’, mostly in the construction and agricultural fields. They would wake up one or two hours before dawn in order to be able to reach the worksite before eight o’clock.

Work in Israel lured most able-bodied Palestinians who abandoned agriculture, which was not financially very rewarding. Indeed, at one point, a day-labourer became economically better-off than erstwhile middle-class professionals such as teachers, clerks and other civil servants.

The Israelis knew what they were doing. By the mid 1980s, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip became the second biggest market for Israeli products after Europe. So, it was really a kind of indirect slavery. We worked in Israel, building multi-story buildings for would-be immigrants, and then we spent the wages we earned buying Israeli products, even Israeli produce, as Palestinian agriculture fell into neglect as greater numbers of Palestinians preferred to earn more money working in Israel than working their land which comparatively yielded little money.

I said it was a kind of indirect slavery because Palestinian workers in Israel, whose number in the mid-1980s reached more than 130,000, were deprived of social benefits and health insurance, and they had no political rights whatsoever.

The 1967-war revisited (Part1) PIC

2009-06-09T10:32:00.003+08:00

In today's post, it showcase the other side of story from Palestinian side about the 6days war in Egypt, Syria & Jordan by Khalid Amayreh...Enjoy the post & feel free to voice you take on this.

Stay tune for the 2nd part tomorrow...

The 1967-war revisited (Part1) PIC By Khalid Amayreh
In June 1967, when Israel launched the 6-day-war on Egypt, Syria and Jordan, Khalid Amayreh was 10 years’ old. In the following two-part article, he recollects the war, whose outcome and ramifications continue to trouble Palestine, the Middle East and the rest of the world:

Even before 1967, the Israeli army had been carrying out routine incursions into the West Bank, destroying poor people’s homes and killing innocent civilians, very much like what Israel has been doing in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Lebanon recently. I still vividly remember how the Israeli army, including tanks and warplanes, attacked the small nearby town of Sammou’, 25 kilometres south-west of Dura, in November 1966, destroying the town, virtually completely, and killing many civilians. You see the condescending Zionist mentality. They are never interested in genuine peace and coexistence with the peoples of the Middle East, but are only intent on subjugating and tormenting people with brute force. This was as much the case 40 or even 60 years ago as it obviously is now.

In June 1967, I was ten years old. I remember how we were told to raise the white flag when the Israeli army surrounded our small village, Khorsa, 15 kilometres south-west of Hebron. We were told we would be shot and killed if we didn't raise the white flag aloft. The Jordanian soldiers left in disgrace and headed eastward, a few donned traditional women’s clothing in order to disguise themselves, while King Hussein urged us via Amman Radio to fight the Israelis “with our fingernails, with our teeth.” Well, how could we possibly fend off the mighty Israeli army with our teeth and fingernails?

Frankly, the Arab armies didn’t really put up any real fight against the Israelis. These armies reflected the utter political, moral and ideological decadence and bankruptcy of most contemporary Arab regimes. Indeed, maintaining the regime’s survival was the most paramount priority and strategy for the ruling elites and juntas of that time. Fighting Israel and liberating Palestine were not a real priority for these Arab regimes, despite all the rhetoric.

Interestingly, this state of affairs remains unchanged even today, 40 years after the greatest Arab defeat in modern times.

For many years, Israel and its allies claimed that it was Israel that was attacked by the Arabs in 1967 and that all that Israel did was fight back for its very survival, which was at stake.

This is, of course, a big lie, as Israeli leaders themselves came to admit many years later.
The former Israeli President Ezer Weizmann (who was also a former commander of the Israeli air force) admitted in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz in 1972 that “there was no threat of destruction…but that the attack on Egypt, Jordan and Syria was nevertheless justified so that Israel could exist according to the scale, spirit and quality she now embodies.”

Similarly, the former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, a notorious hawk, was quoted in Noam Chomsky’s book ‘The Fateful Triangle’ as saying that “in 1967, we again had a choice. The Egyptian Army’s concentrations in the Sinai desert didn’t prove that Nasser was really about to attack us. We must be honest with ourselves. We decided to attack him.”5

Yitzhak Rabin, another former Israeli Premier, had this to say about the so-called Egyptian threat to Israel.

“I don’t think Nasser wanted war. The two divisions he sent to the Sinai wouldn’t have been sufficient to launch an offensive war. He knew it and we knew it.”6

This is not to say though that the Arabs, particularly the Egyptian and Syrian regimes didn’t do a lot of sabre rattling, threatening to destroy Israel. However, the Israeli leadership of that time and the Johnson Administration, as well as the British and Soviet (Russian) intelligence knew quite well that Nasser was only indulging in bellicose rhetoric and nothing more than that.

But, Israel, nevertheless, decided to attack with the central purpose being territorial expansion.

Needless to say, territorial expansion had always been a central goal of the Israeli strategy.

For example, Chomsky quoted the first Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion as saying the following:

“The acceptance of partition (by Israel) doesn’t commit us to renounce Transjordan; one doesn’t demand from anybody to give up his vision. We shall accept a state in the boundaries fixed today. But the boundaries of Zionist aspirations are the concern of the Jewish people and no external factor will be able to limit them.”7

Gigantic defeat
The historical defeat of the Arab armies in 1967 (historical because Israel occupied the rest of Palestine, including al-Masjidul Aqsa, one of Islam’s holiest places) didn’t necessarily reflect any inherent Arab inferiority vis-à-vis Israel; it rather reflected the bankruptcy of the regimes.

In 1973, during the October or Ramadan war, the Egyptian and Syrian armies could have scored a decisive victory over Israel had it not been for the massive intervention of Israel’s guardian-ally, the United States. It is likely that the Arab armies could, under favourable circumstances, defeat the Israeli army, as demonstrated by Hezbollah in its war with Israel in the summer of 2006.

At the beginning of the Occupation in 1967, the Israelis launched what one may call a PR campaign, employing Arabic-speaking Jewish immigrants from the Arab world and Druze officers. Some naïve people in our community, who had been disenchanted with the heavy-handedness of the Jordanian regime, prematurely began making positive remarks about the new occupiers. The reason for that is the often-made assumption that people tend to initially make positive statements about any conqueror.

Such people would speak auspiciously and optimistically about the fledgling Israeli era. They would make casual remarks like this: “Oh, they are better than the Jordanians, they are civilized and educated!” and “the Jews are educated people, they treat people with dignity and respect” and “under Israel’s rule, everybody is equal.” These people simply didn’t know what they were talking about.

But such feelings, which were not widespread among the people, didn’t last long, as the occupation army began revealing its ugly face by adopting stringent measures against us. Well, occupation and decency seemed then, as they do now, an eternal oxymoron. There is no such a thing as a civilized or enlightened or benevolent occupation. A foreign occupation is an act of rape, it is by nature a criminal and evil act, otherwise it would be something else.

Actually, the Israeli occupation is probably the worst occupation ever in the history of mankind, not only for its brutality, but for its durability as well.

Indeed, I would argue that, in many aspects, the Israeli occupation is probably worse than the Nazi occupation of Europe. The Nazis wanted to conquer, pacify and stabilize rather than ethnically cleanse and uproot non-German Europeans as Israel has been doing to the Palestinians.

Soon enough, the Israelis began confiscating the land and building settlements, employing all kinds of dirty tactics, including bribery, shadowy deals, deception, tricks, falsification of documents and outright coercion. They also resorted to the harsh policy of collective punishment such as demolishing homes as a reprisal for guerrilla attacks or membership in the PLO, especially in the Fatah organization, founded and headed by the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. In our Palestinian culture, if you want to express extreme ill will towards somebody, you say “Yikhrib Beitak” – may your home be destroyed.

The Israelis sought to take full advantage of this weak spot in our social psychology. Thus, they demolished thousands upon thousands of houses. The demolitions, a clear-cut war crime under international law, have never ceased. Today, they do it mostly by bulldozers and by pinpoint bombing from the air. (See the chapter “Telephone Terror” I don’t know for sure the number of Palestinian homes Israel has destroyed since 1967. However, I can safely claim that they exceed the 15,000 figure.

In fact, the wanton demolitions of Palestinian homes and villages started immediately after the war. Indeed, immediately after hostilities were over, the Israeli army utterly destroyed more than 170 homes in the Maghariba and al-Sharaf neighbourhoods in the vicinity of the al-Aqsa Mosque.

In the third and fourth weeks of 1967, Israeli army bulldozers wiped out the Palestinian villages of Beit Nuba, `Imwas (Emmaus), and Yalu, all on the orders of Yitzhak Rabin.

Approximately twelve thousand people were driven away from their homes, many of them trucked to the River Jordan, others were sent wandering in the desert without food or water.

Eventually, the Israeli government, thanks to a generous gift of Canadian tax-payers’ money, built an infamy on the ruins of ‘Imwas. They called it Canada Park. This is Canada, which claims to be a guardian of human rights and the rule of international law!!!

Actually, Israel continues to behave in such a manner. As I write these words, the Jewish state is unearthing and destroying the ancient Muslim cemetery in West Jerusalem, the Mamanullah (or Mamillah) graveyard, in order to build the ‘Museum of Tolerance’ there!! Yes, Canada Park and Museum of Tolerance!! You see the depravity and brutal ugliness of these criminals? On July 26, 2007, European rabbis held a protest and prayer vigil in Brussels over a 600-year-old cemetery in Vilnius, Lithuania that they said was being used for construction. (See “Rabbis protest construction of Jewish cemetery”: www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa). Of course it is wrong to desecrate cemeteries, Jewish or non-Jewish. However, it is a sign of ultimate hypocrisy to unearth and smash the bones of dead Muslims in Jerusalem in order to build a Museum of Tolerance on the site of the former Muslim graveyard while Jewish leaders would rave and rant and protest when a Jewish cemetery in Eastern Europe is desecrated by authorities there.

Home demolitions would leave deep psychological scars in people’s memories. Children would return from school only to see their homes being destroyed by bulldozers driven by soldiers wearing helmets with the Star of David engraved on them. That Star of David, which we are told is originally a religious symbol, symbolized hate and evil and cruelty. Even today, I couldn't imagine a more hateful and evil symbol. It is very much comparable to the way Holocaust survivors view the Nazi Swastika.

Phobias, deep stress, neurosis and depression are among the disorders children of demolished homes would suffer as post-traumatic effects.

2009-06-05T14:48:00.002+08:00

More Hot debates in Chedet's GAZA post & Hanan's gutssy comments...
Continuation from my previous Post :

By Hanan on June 4, 2009 6:38 PM
Dear wajaperak, Assalamalaikum,
I would comment on some of your sayings and please forgive me if I miss-interpreted them (naively).
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You said: “I wish to reminds you that friendship must be earned.For they who did not responds to your statement means that they are willing to be associated as your friends..But to me and other's who have been hurt by you and your comrade, I do not wish to allow this statements goes uncontested..Please says friends..meaning your collaborator, and blogger..meaning..the likes of me..”
___Of course friendship must be earned. Why do you think I should beg to you for friendship? I’m not begging for it. Earning friendship is a mutual process. I just wonder where is your courage to ask for friendship. I think that you still think about me as an ugly manipulator Jew. You are still suspicious about me and my genuine intention. The hurting is not one sided and of course cannot be balanced. It is always a practice that the weak is hurt more (weak may be weak in mind or in physical power or both). At the moment, maybe we are on the strong side. But will be forever? Nobody knows. If you’ll be on the strong side and I on the weak side, then who will be hurt more? You may count me as a friend or not. You may chose to call me a friend just for the blog purpose. I would prefer to be a real friend, but if you prefer to be in distance, I don’t have a problem with that.
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You said: “Muslim cannot responds to the unbeliever salam.Aishah have responds quite harshly to one Yahudi salam as "Waalikum mus' sam..Bagi mu celaka..Damnation for you..Rasullulah s.a.w admonish her and says that muslims must responds...Waalaikum only..Meaning..As well as for you.. You might finds this is trivial..I assure you it is not and this is just one intances that will determines the course of our next action..”
___I wonder why a Muslim cannot respond to an unbeliever (the second class Jew) with a “Salam” greeting. That simple miss-gesture in your approach is a human fundamental living habit you are ignoring. Is this in the intention to emphasize the superiority of Muslims amongst the non Muslims? Only the Muslims deserve the “Salam” greeting? I cannot describe it in other words but “Muslim arrogance”. That’s why you prefer to discriminate your greeting “banner” depending on a religious fundamentalism rather to categorize people in two groups: “good” and “bad”. I assume that a Muslim criminal deserve the “Salam” greeting while the humble Jew or Christian deserves just the “Waalaikum” without the “salam”. I wonder if other Muslims are interpreting as same as you.
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Related to Rabbi Cohen’s opinion you said: “Can you explains why?..The bull cannot explains why it charges at the Matador weaving the red flag..Is the matador touched it raw nerves by waving the red flags?...Does they who does not agrees with you,touch your nerve and influence your senses?..”
___Yes, I can explain. That Rabbi’s opinion is not based on any religious facts. It is just a private opinion. You may ask other “1000” more important Rabbis than Rabbi Cohen if Jews may have an independent state. I’ll not give you the answer and let you approach them and ask them. You have a very close Rabbi you can phone him, the Rabbi of Singapore. Just to remind you, Jews had independent kingdoms during King Saul, King David, King Solomon and many others. So how come can it be that we don’t deserve to be an independent state? What Dr. Mahathir is trying to do is to rely on any opinion that complies with his view point. So if a Jew says that the Jews are not allowed to have an independent state, it must be true. I’m sorry to disappoint you and some other Muslims, we’ll remain independent if you like it or not. In order to remove our independence, you’ll need to throw us into the sea since we’ll not do it voluntarily just because Rabbi Cohen said so. There is a Jewish proverb citing from the Bible, prophet Isaiah chapter 49:17 “Thy children make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth from thee” which means that our (the Jews) destroyers will be from our own nation and Rabbi Cohen is one of those “children”. This is exactly what our enemies are looking for. What I think about that is Rabbi Cohen knows well that verse but is “manipulating” his partners in the conference just to appease them which I’m not doing. He just wants to save his skin from “burns” of arguments. That man lost his dignity in my eyes. A Jew who accepts oppression.
___I just wanted to avoid that argument by my initial comment. I was looking for a more positive mood to become friendly rather to argue and argue endlessly. But then you insisted my answer.
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You said: “It is impossible to wiped Israel off the map.Every responsible persons knows that.First everybody deserves to be on this planet.Secondly there is a reason for being.What Ahmadinejad and most of us feels is Israel should not be allowed to run a country of their owns..so no map for a country named Israel.”
___Israel was accepted as an independent state by the UN declaration in 1948. Your favorite Iranian clown is a holocaust denier and means to wipe Israel off the map physically, not just on “paper”. Since he knows that we won’t do it voluntarily he is prepared to slaughter us with his nuke approach. What he don’t understands that this approach will bring a disaster to his own Iranians and work as a boomerang against all Muslims. You cannot call to wipe off the map any legitimate state. Once you do that you may expect it will be against you in a other day. Who plays with fire may cook a delicious soup but may also be burned severely. Don’t try to decorate that clown’s words with flowers and convince me to believe it. He means what he says.
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You said: “Agreed but the Iranian proverbs says it succintly.. Blood cannot washs blood..”
___Please elaborate since I didn’t got your point here.
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You said: “And the solution is negotiation..As Tun have said earlier...Conceed where consession are needed..”
___Compromising is not a one way road and not a single source toll. What are the Muslims compromising? What are the Palestinians compromising? What are the Arabs compromising? All of them are don’t even want to talk. All of them just want us to obey their demands. On the same way we are not asking the our enemy to obey our demands. Compromising can be achieved only via confrontation during talks. Why should we compromise with an organization like Hamas who is not recognizing Israel’s legitimate existence. Kindly find their charter and read it. Your compromising request is one way request. What do you have to contribute for your compromising?
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You asked: “But dear Hanan..are you the prime mover of the sheperd boy?”
___Please do not count me, I’m negligible. What about you?
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You asked: “Agreed Hanan..But who is your neighbour I may asks..Are they the one who lost their family and relatives when 'engaged' in the Israel policy? Or are you save far beyond their seething anger and hatred in your kibbutz and encamped walled??”
___My neighbors are frustrated people who are using terror intentionally to kill me. My neighbors are the suicide bombers. My neighbors are the Qasam rocket launchers. My neighbors are those who want to throw me into the Mediterranean Sea. My neighbors are also humble and peaceful people who can accept me as their neighbor but they are silent because they are fearing the previous neighbors I mentioned. My fence is to be protected from the first group of neighbors and unfortunately it harms the second group of humble neighbors.
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You said: “Very good Hanan.I salutes you for this approach.But I am an ignorant persons so I cannot diffrentiate of what is sincere and what is honesty is the best policy..”
___You have pointed it out. It doesn’t matter what I say or I do, you’ll always be suspecting me. That’s the barrier which I’m trying to jump over. What is the reason that I’m here? To make provocations? Don’t you think I’m investing so much time just to comment here instead enjoying some more pleasant activity, and believe me that I have? Keep doubting my honesty, it meets the first selective “Salam” greeting “. What is the holy Quran saying about the Jews? “don’t take them as your friends”. I tell you honestly – be aware of them, ignore them and peace will reach faster.
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You said: “Mr JJJ is not a biased person.He is one hell a lot of angry muslims.I too agrees with him in the sense where Palestinians dead,misery and suffering is a lot more than your's..”
___Being angry is understandable. Does it mean it is logical? Does anger solve anything? That’s why I forgive Mr. JJJ. I’m also angry sometimes, it is natural. I learned that my anger is not promoting anything, just emotions. Indeed the Palestinians are suffering and maybe more than us. How do you think the problem can be solved? Calling us “nazi”, cursing and anger will relief their suffering? What are you expecting? Should we slam ourselves do equalize the suffering? We need to reduce the Palestinians suffering and that’s why we need to think with logic and not with emotions. Calling us “nazi” is a strategy to solve the problems?
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You said: “Nicely said hanan and good one too.But talking of being friends is rather ambitious don't you think? I prefer the words Acquintance..Let's get acquaint first by that order..”
___Whatever you prefer. It is your choice. My logic is different. I want to be friend first and trust my partner unless he/she demonstrates the opposite. A part of our life is some risk taking where it is possible. Despite the fact you are suspecting me as a friend, I count you as a friend. I can take that risk. To take risks is requiring courage and a very significant internal struggle.
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You said: “Why too late?..It's never too late for love..”
___Hahaha, I didn’t mean it is too late since it is not yet late. I mean BEFORE it will be too late. The “too late” meaning is only when and if another war can happen. No one knows how a war ends and this maybe too late.
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You said and asked: “Which side are talking about?..The palestinian is suffering so much your statement have became banal.”
___I’m talking about both sides. You know what is the difference between you and me? You are caring just for the Palestinians and don’t bother the suffering of us (even it maybe sell suffering as you think) and I do think about both sides suffering without using any equation. Suffering is suffering is suffering.
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Your statement: “Vicious cycle of banality..”
___A vicious cycle is not turned by one side. If it would be just one side it wouldn’t be a cycle. Think about that…
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Wassalam my friend wajaperak,
Hanan, Jewish,
Israel