The ubiquitous Palestinian hatred of Jews is shared by the major part of the current Arab-Muslim world, and is one facet of a mindset that also facilitates terrorism and suicide bombings. In view of the growing worldwide manifestations of these phenomena, it is crucial to examine what cultural factors foster them, with particular emphasis on group cohesion, and to what extent this differs from characteristic Western mores. Terrorism researchers now consider group cohesion to be the fundamental factor modulating terrorist activity. Western martyrdom terrorism is negligible except for those individuals influenced by radical Islam, and anti-Semitism, though common, is hardly ubiquitous.
Composite unifying factors in the Arab-Muslim sphere engender these phenomena. The omnipresent hatred of Jews in this world has a common heritage and is illustrated by a recent Pew poll.[1] It indicates an unfavorable view of Jews among 99-100 percent of Lebanese; 99 percent of Jordanians; large majorities of Moroccans, Indonesians, and Pakistanis; and 60 percent of Turks.[2] Teachings of the Prophet Mohammed, according to the Hadith (traditions ascribed to Mohammed), declare that: "The Day of Resurrection will not come until the Muslims make war against the Jews and kill them, and until the Jew hides behind a rock and a tree, and the rock and tree say ‘Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, a Jew is behind me, come and kill him.'"[3] The original Hadith[4] appears as Article 7 of the Hamas Charter.[5]
Mohammed's antagonism was ostensibly prompted by Jewish rejection of his interpretation of Judaism, as reflected in the latter passages of the Koran in contrast with the earlier ones. Modern militant Islam espouses the latter Koranic injunctions, considering them to abrogate the earlier ones.[6] Nevertheless, Jews had been permitted to live in Muslim lands under dhimma but with subservient status, onerous taxes, limited legal rights, intermittent physical abuse, and periodic outright massacres. This situation deteriorated, with increasing persecution following the establishment of the state of Israel and the burgeoning of radical Islam, now believed to constitute 10 to 15 percent of the Muslim world of over one hundred billion people. Anti-Semitism is a prominent feature of both radical and mainstream, religiously moderate Islam.[7]
In this world, personality and behaviors are governed by belief systems instilled by Islamic education that emphasizes repetition and Koranic rote learning. Such teaching, which stems from a pre-Islamic tradition of memorization,[8] occurs in the madrassas of Arabia, Asia, and Africa, where prolonged Koranic chanting is mandatory. Independent thought is stifled, while teachings foster mindsets prone to terrorism and "martyrdom."
A crucial factor in the Israeli-Palestinian struggle is the Palestinian Authority's ongoing use of schoolbooks[9] and television for indoctrination to extremism, based on Koranic excerpts and directed at children from the earliest age. Keynote themes are Jews as the worst enemies of Islam; delegitimization of biblical Israelite history, which is usurped as Canaanite and Arab history;[10] denial of contemporary Jews' descent from ancient Israelites who purportedly died out, today's Jews instead being ostensibly descended from Khazar converts to Judaism; and the allegedly illegal Jewish seizure of the land of Palestine.
Children are indoctrinated with the aim of destroying the Jewish state and with hatred of the West. "Martyr clips" on PA television showing children on their way to "martyrdom" display high emotion, intense colors and action, inspirational narrative, and accompanying, strongly rhythmic music with martial overtones. Also featured are inciting clips from religious sermons.[11]
Such techniques are extremely effective, combining powerful psychological mechanisms of established learning theory with states of enhanced suggestibility and hypnotic phenomena, already fully described elsewhere.[12]
National Character
The concept of national character has been challenged, with criticism leveled at seminal analyses such as Raphael Patai's The Arab Mind [13] and Sania Hamady's Temperament and Character of the Arabs.[14] Yet a favorable review of Patai's book by the CIA[15] indicates the relevance of national-character and cultural research to war-intelligence analysis, and its application to U.S. military training.[16]
The basic postulates of early experiences exerting a lasting personality effect, together with the similar cultural patterning found in ethnically or culturally homogeneous societies,
provide a viable infrastructure for the establishment of "national character." Patai discusses this issue at length, including insights from anthropological and psychological sources. Muslim-Arab society is one in which cultural homogeneity-with the exception of peripheral Muslim groups, such as the Sudanese--dictates the national society, or modal personality, to be relatively homogeneous.[17] Modern families, as contrasted with Islamist fundamentalist ones, may demonstrate trust, affection, and cooperation rather than extreme authoritarian forms of patriarchy.[18] Muslim-Arab societies are highly collectivized and thus differ from individualistic Western societies. Ba'athist totalitarian modalities are politically superimposed on the general authoritarian Islamic structure.
Traditional Arab childrearing practices show "general conformity to an all-Arab basic pattern"[19] in which the incidence and severity of corporal punishment are much greater than in the Western world. The authoritarian nature of Arab society is particularly pronounced among Islamic extremists. In general, it is manifested in teaching methods involving rote learning and the disallowance of disparate opinion, in schools and in the patriarchal home where absolute obedience and corporal punishment are norms,[20] and in societal pressures for conformity of thought and deed, both personal and political. Bernard Lewis notes two traditions in Islam, one authoritarian, the other radical and activist.[21] He also affirms that "immunity from critical comment or discussion is accepted as normal even in ostensibly secular and democratic Muslim societies."[22]
The Authoritarian Personality and the Narcissistic Personality
"Personality" and "personality traits" refer to the characteristic thoughts, emotions, and behaviors of an individual. If inflexible or maladaptive, with functional impairment, a personality disorder is considered to be present. (The person, however, is generally legally sane and responsible for his actions.)
Adorno's five-year study of religious and racial prejudice, particularly anti-Semitism, delineated characteristics classified as the authoritarian personality, associating prejudice with a prefascist mentality and with right-wing authoritarianism. [23] The concept was extended[24] to include left-wing authoritarianism, since Leninist and Maoist mentalities exhibited similar characteristics, namely: intolerance; a rigid, categorical thought pattern; submissiveness to higher authority but aggression toward undesirable inferiors; and a polarized, Manichean viewpoint defining "my" good and "your" evil. Individuals possessing such mentalities were insecure, superstitious, and potentially paranoid. This personality was associated with a rigidly disciplined childhood, and affection conditional on the child's "good" behavior.
The concept of the authoritarian personality has survived various criticisms and constitutes a pivotal breakthrough in understanding authoritarianism.[25] The linkage with rigid discipline and conditional affection, but not necessarily brutally traumatic upbringing, is increasingly confirmed. The insistence on submission to authority and rote learning in Arab culture is evident, and ethnocentrism and distrust, also considered aspects of authoritarianism, are clearly demonstrable in Arab societies.[26] German and Japanese children were also highly disciplined, and were readily indoctrinated with Nazi and imperialist ideologies.
Narcissistic personality disorder is defined by the American Psychiatric Association in its internationally accepted Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.[27] The disorder is characterized by pervasive grandiosity, sense of entitlement, and need for admiration, which, if thwarted, leads to anger, rage, defiant counterattack, and lack of empathy for others. If not severe enough to impair function, these characteristics are termed narcissistic traits.
Terrorism researchers recognize that this profile is encountered in ruthless totalitarian leaders.[28] Its most extreme manifestation is in remorselessly aggressive, power-hungry, omniscient, grandiose individuals who manipulate others with absolutist, polarizing rhetoric and, frequently, charismatic charm. Such individuals demand admiration, attention, and ultimately obedience while totally lacking conscience and empathy toward others. The full-blown disorder is associated with a characteristically abusive, punitive childhood responsible for creating the "wounded self,"[29] as with Saddam Hussein,[30] who was unloved and in whom an authoritarian upbringing was paired with severe child abuse.
Personality Types and the Arab Population
No population is monolithic. But when the general population has learned authoritarian behavior in the home, it will readily follow an authoritarian leader. Abusive childhoods will engender various degrees of narcissistic features or outright narcissistic disorders, producing some potentially violent, extremist individuals.
Psychohistorians tend to argue that individual psychological processes cannot be extrapolated to a "national character." But as already mentioned, where powerful unifying processes enable cultural homogeneity, extrapolation from the individual to the larger society appears justifiable. Regarding the Palestinians, these unifiers are: (1) Islamic history; (2) religious ideology; (3) deliberate indoctrination programs; and (4) substantially pervasive and extreme modes of childrearing.
Of relevance is an extensive West German study of 250 captured terrorist Red Army members revealing that one-quarter had lost one or both parents before age fourteen, demonstrating the significance of a common etiological factor in subsequent behavior.[31] Also important is that these terrorists had been educational, occupational, and social misfits until functionally redeemed by group process following their enlistment into the terrorist group.
What is it, then, about Arab childrearing that renders the child so vulnerable in this respect? Authorities who have reviewed the available literature find that basic similarities exist throughout the Arab world,[32] particularly regarding corporal punishment, which far outweighs that seen in Western countries.[33] Many Western researchers share opinions expressed here[34] (though not an Arab writer).[35]
The clash of the norms of Arab civil society with what Westerners consider acceptable is startling. English-speaking and other Western societies stress optimal childrearing as characterized by consistency, predictability, affection, good communication, and absence of emotional or physical abuse.[36] Negation of these precepts correlates with emotional dysfunction, including violent, criminal, and addictive behaviors, [37] which are well documented in the West.
Arab childrearing demonstrates built-in unpredictability. Vastly differential treatment of boys and girls favors boys.[38] Even the boy's world, however, is marked by pain, uncertainty, and rejection. Although primary parenting of the boy by the mother until age seven is viewed as generally permissive and affectionate, the father then takes over and characteristically uses harsh physical discipline to instill respect for authority.[39]
A less benign alternative pattern indicates mothers as disciplining, particularly by shaming the boy, comparing him unfavorably with his brothers. This, if severe, is emotionally abusive and instills unhealthy competitiveness. The mother may use counterproductive threats rather than rewards. Indeed, rewarding-behaviors by mothers in Lebanon were found to be associated with higher child achievement and were significantly more common among Christian Arabs than Sunni Arabs.[40]
Psychohistorian Lloyd deMause[41] cites copious Arab and Muslim sources describing conspicuous violence against wives and children in Muslim families. Child discipline extends to whipping, thrashing, and worse.
A Muslim sociologist states: "in our society there is no relationship of friendship between a man and a woman," DeMause notes that "families that produce the most terrorists are the most violently misogynist," and that "young girls are treated abominably in most fundamentalist families."
A recent survey of Palestinian society[42] indicated child sexual abuse to involve 50 percent of boys and 31 percent of girls aged six to twelve, in a study involving 184 subjects. The author considered this to signify a "prominent presence....of [this] dangerous phenomenon," and also indicated the unusual predominance of boys among the victims (on international statistics, see below).
Whereas in the female domain the boy is indulged and can bully and physically abuse others, under the father he is powerless and forbidden to express frustration and anger. He quickly learns to identify with his father's behavior and to desire power.
Circumcision without anesthesia is a prime trauma performed from ages four to twelve or thirteen. Older boys are usually aware, but younger ones are totally unprepared for the surgery, only having been told about celebration aspects. Bravery is emphasized; expressions of pain are disdained. A boy interviewed a few months later seemed sad, observing that "I became small."[43]
Breastfeeding of boys continues until age two or three and is permissive, with demand feeding, but termination is abrupt.[44] This constitutes a massive perceived rejection with consequent emotional trauma. Weaning may also be rough. A mother said of a newly weaned child, "Now he knows that treachery exists in the world."[45] As Sania Hamady, an Arab American anthropologist originally from Lebanon, observes, "Mistrust among the Arabs is internalized early within the value system of the child."[46]
Discipline is inconsistent, transgressions being arbitrarily ignored, indulged, or punished. This discourages development of internal values and instead fosters uncertainty, anger, and manipulativeness as a coping mechanism. Honor, with avoidance of shame and loss of face, is paramount, the child mainly learning to think "Can I get away with it?" Being shamed, with scorn and punishment from others, is the predominant issue; guilt-that is, internalized self-punishment-and remorse, which form the basis for acceptance of responsibility, are relatively absent.[47]
Also significant is the effect of a mother who has been beaten or degraded by male relatives, and who may have undergone female genital mutilation. International statistics involve parameters that vary grossly between countries and are incomplete, rendering comparisons problematic. UN News noted that there is a significant lack of information on violence against women in developing countries.[48] Such violence renders these mothers depressed, apathetic, and emotionally unavailable, or hostile and angry. Additionally, whereas the mother of boy children is lauded by society, for the birth of a girl she is often despised.[49]
In Western upbringing, when one family member is consistently loving and reliable, it has a protective effect and helps obviate personality damage.[50] This may also be a saving mechanism for luckier Arab children.
The Wounded Self in the West and in the Arab World
The connection between child abuse and the eventual criminal, often violent adult[51] is not only explicable in basic psychoanalytic terms but also well documented in the Western world.[52] "A consistent finding in the childhoods of extremely violent criminal recidivists is that of severe abuse." [53]
Although Western criminality should not be equated with the mores of Arab societies, child abuse has sinister consequences as it distorts the individual's personality. Such grave outcomes are not culture-bound, but their modes of expression are.
Thus, in individualistic Western societies, the affected individual may rebel against family and society, frequently with criminality. More rarely, with a different personality configuration, he may join a terrorist group and become collectivized therein.[54] In Arab society, because of its strongly collectivist and patriarchal nature, the individual characteristically does not criminally act out against the mores of family and society. Instead, the buried emotions of childhood trauma are handled by the psychological defense mechanism of splitting, whereby antagonistic feelings toward the parent, and toward the individual himself, continue as a dammed-up source of predominantly subconscious anger. Later, this is discharged by projection outward onto a socially endorsed target-in this case, Jews and Israel.
An eminent Palestinian psychiatrist noted the authoritarian upbringing and harsh disciplining of children in Gaza for even an incorrect answer in school. He suggested that children of the First Intifada were rebelling not only against the actions of the "invading Israeli army" but also displacing onto Israelis their repressed anger at the harsh circumstances of their daily life.[55]
How Early Abuse Produces Catastrophic Effects
The first few years of infantile development are pivotal in determining the baby's self-esteem and his future personality. No mother is perfect,[56] but if she is a "good-enough mother"[57] the baby will incorporate predominantly good memories. With seriously defective or abusive mothering, or with harsh paternal abuse, the child will be negatively influenced, lose basic trust in one or both parents, withdraw emotionally from them and from others, and come to trust only himself, losing empathy with others and possibly becoming capable of great cruelty.
Concomitantly, he experiences severe anxiety and rage. But since he cannot yet accurately localize these painful feelings, they are translated by a postulated, primitive, punitive superego (or early "conscience")[58] into self-blame, followed by poor self-esteem. He either sinks into apathy or compensates by developing fantasies of self-grandeur. For this, and to maintain trust in himself, he needs and demands constant reassurance in the form of admiration and attention. Thus evolves the pathological narcissist, or at its worst the malignant narcissist who, if charismatic, intelligent, and articulate, may become a ruthless authoritarian leader.
Recent research utilizing new brain-imaging and other techniques indicates that previously severely abused children, due to abnormal stress hormone production, suffer abnormal brain development affecting nerve centers that regulate memory, emotions, and behavior, including aggression. These findings appear to link child abuse, consequent aberrant brain development, and ensuing psychological, emotional, and behavioral consequences.[59]
The most important psychological mechanism alleviating the painfully damaged psyche is the abovementioned splitting,[60] whereby the good and bad internal representations are split off from each other. The intensely negative representations of self and parent, having been split off and rendered unconscious, are displaced, by the well-known defense mechanism of projection, onto others toward whom the individual is caused to feel hatred.[61]
Thus the emerging leader is enabled to become grandiose and feel omnipotent. But because of associated split-off fear he blames and scapegoats the other, considering himself and his cause "the victim," thereby manifesting early paranoia that accompanies the projective mechanism. Refusing to accept responsibility, he even perpetrates atrocities against the "other."
Invoking this projective mechanism affords a powerful propaganda and psychological tool for Arab audiences when blaming Israel for the recent massive terror attacks in New York and Washington, London, Sinai, and so on.
Splitting, with its polarized thinking, is equally significant intellectually in that the individual, rendered emotionally incapable of tolerating ambiguity, intellectually precludes negotiation and compromise.
The charismatic, authoritarian, narcissistic leader affects the general population. Many followers were also traumatized as infants and have narcissistic traits and fantasies of grandeur, but temperamentally are too timid to act them out. Instead, they are attracted by a leader who represents their own idealized self-image.[62] Acceptance by such a leader, or his group of followers, strengthens their own ego. Such is the power of the group, whether a football team, a street gang, or a terrorist organization.
Why Are Jews the Target?
Despite hatred advocated by Islamic sources, the ameliorating Koranic concept of dhimma enabled Jews to live under Islam with some stability, punctuated by abasement and violence,[63] with particular hardship in historic Palestine for centuries.[64]
In the nineteenth century, Jews in Palestine were often attacked by Bedouin marauders. Arab nationalism, apparent before 1914, gained impetus from corruption in the declining Ottoman Empire and from Jewish immigration. The Ottoman Land Code of 1858 had slowly led to land grabs by wealthy Arabs, among them absentee landlords living in Lebanon who sold such lands to Jews unbeknown to peasants who lost their grazing rights.[65] When so informed by new Jewish owners, the peasants' understandable fury turned against the Jews.
The British Mandate with its centralization process induced change and instability,[66] a common breeding ground for anti-Semitism. Jewish commercial development fostered a growing economy that employed many Arabs. This threatened the power of Arab ruling classes, who concomitantly became hostile toward Jews.
The injection of religion into the growing struggle led to escalating Arab riots, culminating in the 1929 massacre of sixty-seven members of the ancient Jewish community of Hebron.The intensifying Muslim anti-Semitism was nourished by ancient and modern, Western and Christian sources, with themes of Jewish ritual murders, Freemasonry, and aspirations for world dominance.[67] When the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem fled to Nazi Germany, Arabs and Nazis reinforced each other's radical anti-Semitism.[68]
After Israel's War of Independence, Palestinian Arab dislocations were exploited by Arab nations. Refugee camps under the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) became centers of Islamic extremism, emphasizing the expulsion of Jews from Israel and the establishment of a worldwide Islamic caliphate. These trends were further impelled by the rise of an Iranian fundamentalist regime in 1979. Given the Koranic prohibition against Muslims living under the rule of infidels, many Arabs view Palestinian Arabs living under Jewish rule as a direct affront to Allah.
Conclusion
Arab-Muslim cohesion around the themes of anti-Semitism and martyrdom results from militant Koranic indoctrination by some mosques and madrassas in the Islamic world, and in the Palestinian Authority by dissemination of Friday sermons, official textbooks, and pioneering media programs. These, together with destructive childrearing practices that produce intractably violent criminals in the West but in the Arab-Muslim world are modified by collectivism and authoritarianism, engender hatred of Jews and Westerners and jihad-inspired terrorism.
Only fundamental changes in education and childrearing will change the predisposition of such a national culture in Palestinian society, and indeed within culturally similar Arab-Muslim Islamists, toward the authoritarian, totalitarian, and anti-Semitic societies we witness today..
* * *
Notes
[1] Pew Global Attitudes Project, July 2005, of the Pew Research Center, Washington, DC, www.pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=248.
[2] As summarized by IMRA Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 1141, 15 July 2005, imra@imra.org.il, www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id+26000.
[3] As quoted by Sheikh Mohammed Abd al-Hadi La'afi, in Itamar Marcus, "Are Palestinian Leaders Preaching Nazi-Like Hatred of Jews?" www.hnn.us/articles/743.html, quoting Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, 18 May 2001, and Palestinian Authority television variously, e.g., 30 March 2001.
[4] Raphael Israeli, Fundamentalist Islam and Israel (New York: University Press of America, 1993), 137, in which he quotes the Hadith, citing Bukhari and Muslim, authors of the two most authoritative and widely accepted Hadith collections.
[5] Ibid., in which Israeli also analyzes the Hamas Charter.
[6] Bernard Lewis, The Crisis of Islam (New York: Modern Library, 2003), 138-39.
[7] Manfred Gerstenfeld, "The Mahathir Affair," Jerusalem Viewpoints, No. 506, 2003, www.jcpa.org/jl/vp506.htm.
[8] Raphael Israeli, personal communications.
[9] The Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace (CMIP) issues annual reports with numerous quotations and precise citation of sources, e.g., Jews, Israel and Peace in Palestinian School Textbooks 2000-2001 and 2001-2002, e.g., 43, "The Canaanite Palestinians Are the Ones Who Invented the Alphabet," from PA textbook National Education, Grade 7, 8, cmip@bezeqint.net.
[10] Steven Stalinsky, "Palestinian Denial of Jewish Ties to Jerusalem," FrontPageMagazine.com, 10 December 2004, www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable/.asp?ID=16269.
[11] E.g., Itamar Marcus, "Ask For Death," Palestinian Media Watch, Special Report No. 40, October 2002. Current material is available from pmw@pmw.org.il and http://www.pmw.org.il/
[12] Daphne Burdman, "Education, Indoctrination and Incitement: Palestinian Children on Their Way to Martyrdom," Terrorism and Political Violence, Vol. 15, No.1 (Spring 2003): 96-133. An abbreviated version of this paper was presented as "Psychological Mechanisms Underlying Martyrdom among Palestinian Youth" at the symposium on "New Directions in Psychiatric Aspects of Terrorism: Causes, Consequences, and Responses," annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, Atlanta, 26 May 2005.
[13] Raphael Patai, The Arab Mind, rev. ed. (New York: Hatherley Press, 2002). Patai, a cultural anthropologist, was director of the Syria-Lebanon-Jordan Research Project of the Human Relations Area Files of New Haven, Connecticut.
[14] Sania Hamady, Temperament and Character of the Arabs (New York: Twayne, 1960).
[15] Lloyd F. Jordan, book review of Raphael Patai, The Arab Mind, stamped CIA HISTORICAL REVIEW PROGRAM. RELEASE IN FULL. 2 JULY 1996 UNCLASSIFIED, www.cia.gov/csi/kent_csi/docs/v18i3a06p_0001.htm.
[16] Norvell B. De Atkine, "Why Arabs Lose Wars," www.meforum.org/article/441.
[17] Patai, Arab Mind,16-25.
[18] Mazharul Haq Khari, Purdah and Polygamy: A Study in the Serial Pathology of the Muslim Society (Peshawar Cantt, Pakistan:.Mashiran-e-Ilm-oTaraqiyrt, 1972), 91;
Ruth Eglash, "Israeli Arab Women Assuming More Modern Family Roles," Jerusalem Post, 2 May 2006.
[19] Patai, Arab Mind, 27.
[20] Ibid., 27-28.
[21] Ibid.,118-19; Lewis, Crisis of Islam, 11-12, regarding two traditions in Islam;
Fatima Mernissi, Islam and Democracy (New York: Addison-Wesley, 1992), 107; "Arab Human Development Reports (AHDR), 2003, 2004," United Nations Development Programme, Regional Bureau for Arab States, www.undp.org/rbas/ahdr.
[22] Lewis, Crisis of Islam, 17.
[23] T. W. Adorno, Else Frenkel-Brunswick, D. J. Levinson, and R. Nevitt Sanford, The Authoritarian Personality (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1950). See also R. Christie and M. Jahoda, Studies in the Scope and Method of "The Authoritarian Personality" (Glencoe, IL: Free Press, 1954).
[24] B. Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1996), 216-20, esp. 219-20.
[25] Ibid., on consistency, 258-306; L. Duckitt and B. Farre, "Right Wing Authoritarianism and Political Intolerance among Whites in the Future Majority-Rule South Africa," Journal of Social Psychology, No. 134 (1994): 735-41; S. McFarland, V. Ageyev, and M. Abalakina, "The Authoritarian Personality in the United States and in the Former Soviet Union," in W. F. Stone, G. Lederer, and R. Christie, eds., The Authoritarian Personality Today (New York: Springer Verlag, 1993), 199-225.
[26] Jerrold M. Post, ed., The Psychological Assessment of Political Leaders, 1st pbk. ed. (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2005), 25.
[27] Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV) (Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 1994).
[28] For an invaluable psychological-psychoanalytic explanation, see Jerrold M. Post, "Narcissism and the Charismatic Leader-Follower Relationship," Political Psychology, Vol .7, No. 4 (1986): 675-88.
[29] See Post, Psychological Assessment, 336; Gertrude Blanck and Rubin Blanck, Ego Psychology: Theory and Practice (New York: Columbia University Press, 1974); Alice Miller, The Truth Will Set You Free (New York: Basic Books, 2001), Ch. 7, www.nospank.net/miller18.htm; Alice Miller, "The Childhood Trauma," www.vachss.com/guest_dispatches/alice_miller2.htm; Lloyd deMause, "The History of Child Abuse," www.primal-page.com/ph-abuse.htm.
[30] Post, Psychological Assessment, 335-66.
[31] H. Jager, G. Schmidtchen, and L. Suellwold, eds., Analysen zum Terrorismus, Vol. 2 (Opladen: Westdeutscher-Verlag, 1981). [in German]
[32] Patai, Arab Mind, 26-27.
[33] Ibid., 27, and many others including Kobrin and deMause cited in note 34; also Eyad Elsarraj "Palestinian Children and Violence," Palestine-Israel Journal, Vol. 4, No. 1 (1997): 13
[34] Avner Falk, Fratricide in the Holy Land (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2004); Nancy Kobrin, personal communication, June 2004; de Mause, "History of Child Abuse"; Miller, Truth Will Set You Free; Lloyd deMause, "The Childhood Origins of Terrorism," www.primal-page.com/terrorld.htm; Robert Godwin, "The Land that Developmental Time Forgot," www.primal-page.com/godwin.htm;
Robert Lindner, "Destiny's Tot," The Fifty Minute Hour (New York: Bantam Books, 1955).
[35] Fouad M. Moughrabi, "The Arab Basic Personality: A Critical Survey of the Literature," International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 9 (1978): 99-112.
[36] "Child-Rearing Reforms: The Seeds of Democracy and Human Rights," Project NoSpank, www.nospank.net/grille-ch15.pdf.
[37] Dorothy Otnow Lewis, "Adult Antisocial Behavior and Criminality," in Harold I. Kaplan and Benjamin A. Sadock, eds, Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 5th ed., Vol. 2 (Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1989), 1400-03.
[38] Patai, Arab Mind, 26-27; on differential treatment of boys and girls, see 27-31.
[39] Patai, ibid., 26-41;
[40] Patai, ibid., 40-41.
[41] DeMause, "Childhood Origins of Terrorism." Regarding violence, he quotes Mazharul Haq Khari, Purdah and Polygamy, 107; regarding separation and distancing of men and women, he quotes Soraya Altorkl, Women in Saudi Arabia: Ideology and Behavior among the Elite (New York: Columbia University Press, 1986), 30, and also Mazharul Haq Khari, Purdah and Polygamy, 91; regarding "no...friendship between man and woman," he quotes Nlona AIMunajjed, Women in Saudi Arabia Today (New York: St. Martin's, 1997), 45; regarding treatment of young girls in fundamentalist families, he quotes Jan Goodwin, Price of Honor ( Boston: Little, Brown, 1994), 43; regarding violence against children, he quotes Mazharul Haq Khari, Purdah and Polygamy, 107. On flagrant sexual abuse, see deMause, "History of Child Abuse," www.primal-page.com/ph-abuse.htm.
[42] On sexual abuse of Palestinian children, see Safa Tamish, Misconceptions about Sexuality and Sexual Behaviour in Palestinian Society (Ramallah: Tamer Institute for Community Education, 1996), 5.
[43] Susan Schaefer Davis, "Growing Up in Morocco," in Donna Lee Bowen and Evelyn A. Early, eds., Everyday Life in the Muslim Middle East (Bloomington:
Indiana University Press, 1993 ), 30-31; Patai, Arab Mind, 95.
[44] On weaning, see Patai, Arab Mind, 30-31.
[45] Davis, "Growing Up in Morocco," 26-27.
[46] Hamady, Temperament and Character, 101.
[47] On the shame society, see ibid., 34-39; on childrearing, 70-71; on the contrast with the guilt society, 34-35. Also, on shame, see Patai, Arab Mind, 113.
[48] DeMause, "Childhood Origins of Terrorism"; Amnesty International, "Making Violence against Women Count: Facts and Figures," www.web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGACT770362004; also UN News, 18 January 2006.
[49] Patai, Arab Mind, 29-31
[50] Miller, "Childhood Trauma."
[51] Miller, Truth Will Set You Free.
[52] Dorothy Lewis, "From Abuse to Violence: Psychophysiological Consequences of Maltreatment," Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1992, www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/little/readings/lewis.html.
[53] Kaplan and Sadock, Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 1402;
Cathy Spatz Widom quotes a "National Institute of Justice Study, from 1992, showing that childhood abuse or neglect increases the chances of arrest as a juvenile by 53% and as an adult by 38%," in "Social Environment Contributes to Crime," www.humanismbyjoe.com/Social_Environment_and_Crime.htm.
[54] Jager et al., Analysen zum Terrorismus.
[55] Elsarraj, "Palestinian Children," 12-15.
[56] See Edith Jacobson, "Concept of the Ego," in Kaplan and Sadock, Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, Vol. 1, 383.
[57] Kaplan and Sadock, Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 382.
[58] Blanck and Blanck, Ego Psychology, Ch. 5.
[59] Martin H. Teicher, ‘Wounds that Time Won't Heal: The Neurobiology of Child Abuse," Cerebrum, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Fall 2000): 50-67, www.mcleanhospital.org/, also at www.annafoundation.org/stwh.html; Allan N. Schore, "The Effects of Early Relational Trauma on Right Brain Development, Affect Regulation, and Infant Mental Health," Infant Mental Health Journal, Vol. 22 (2001): 201-69, www.trauma-pages.com/schore-2001b.htm; Michael D. DeBellis, "Developmental Traumatology: Neurobiological Development in Maltreated Children with PTSD," Psychiatric Times, September 1999, www.psychiatrictimes.com/p990968.html; Dorothy Lewis, "From Abuse to Violence."
[60] On splitting, see Post, "Narcissism."
[61] Anna Freud, The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense, rev. ed. (New York: International Universities Press, 1966).
[62] See Post, "Narcissism."
[63] Bernard Lewis, Islam in History (Chicago: Open Court, 2001).
[64] Andrew G. Bostom, "The Legacy of Jihad in Historical Palestine," Part II, November 2005, www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=5003;
Andrew G. Bostom, The Legacy of Jihad (New York: Prometheus Books, 2005), 30.
[65] Rashid Khalidi, Palestinian Identity: The Construction of Modern National Consciousness (New York: Columbia University Press, 1997), esp. 93-99.
[66] Said K. Aburish, Children of Bethany (London: Bloomsbury,1991).
[67] Asaf Romirowsky, "Anti-Semitism Revisited," FrontPageMagazine.com, 28 February 2005; Robert Wistrich, "Anti-Zionism and Anti-Semitism," Jewish Political Studies Review, Vol. 16, Nos. 3 & 4 (Fall 2004).
[68] Lewis, Crisis of Islam, 59-60.
* * *
DAPHNE BURDMAN is a physician with double specialist certification from the American Board of Pathologists and the American Board of Psychiatrists and Neurologists, and has published research in both fields. She was assistant clinical professor of pathology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. In Israel she was research associate for a special project at the Harry S. Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1996-1999.
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Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Huge Mistake-Courts over rule logic and facts-so what's new in Israel?
Court orders IDF to change route of Bil'in barrier The High Court of Justice on Tuesday ordered the IDF to change the route of the security fence in the area of Bil'in after Palestinian villagers claimed the current route led to an annexation of their agricultural lands.
Following the court ruling, the IDF will be forced to move the section of the fence which annexed the Palestinian land, scuttling the planned expansion of the contentious Matityahu East neighborhood in Modi'in Ilit.
Some 575 acres, or about 2,300 dunams - more than half of Bil'in's land - were confiscated to build the wide barrier loop around the expanding Modi'in Illit.
The court decision was a victory for dozens of Israeli, Palestinian and foreign activists who for some two years have trudged to the small section of the security barrier every Friday in a joint protest aimed at preventing its construction and forcing its removal.
The protests often turned violent and confrontations with police routinely left protesters with injuries from tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets.
Meanwhile, residents of the Palestinian village, located between Ramallah and Modi'in Ilit, petitioned the Italian court against Heftsiba CEO Boaz Yona, demanding that he stand trial for allegedly building illegally on their land, Army Radio reported on Tuesday.
On January 4, 2006, the Peace Now movement and Bil'in residents, petitioned the High Court of Justice, charging that the apartments under construction by Heftsiba and another company, Green Park, were being built according to a zoning plan which had not been legally sanctioned. Two days later, the court issued an interim injunction instructing the respondents to immediately halt all construction, prevent home purchasers from moving in to finished apartments and desist from transferring ownership deeds to them.
That injunction has been in effect ever since.
Following the court ruling, the IDF will be forced to move the section of the fence which annexed the Palestinian land, scuttling the planned expansion of the contentious Matityahu East neighborhood in Modi'in Ilit.
Some 575 acres, or about 2,300 dunams - more than half of Bil'in's land - were confiscated to build the wide barrier loop around the expanding Modi'in Illit.
The court decision was a victory for dozens of Israeli, Palestinian and foreign activists who for some two years have trudged to the small section of the security barrier every Friday in a joint protest aimed at preventing its construction and forcing its removal.
The protests often turned violent and confrontations with police routinely left protesters with injuries from tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets.
Meanwhile, residents of the Palestinian village, located between Ramallah and Modi'in Ilit, petitioned the Italian court against Heftsiba CEO Boaz Yona, demanding that he stand trial for allegedly building illegally on their land, Army Radio reported on Tuesday.
On January 4, 2006, the Peace Now movement and Bil'in residents, petitioned the High Court of Justice, charging that the apartments under construction by Heftsiba and another company, Green Park, were being built according to a zoning plan which had not been legally sanctioned. Two days later, the court issued an interim injunction instructing the respondents to immediately halt all construction, prevent home purchasers from moving in to finished apartments and desist from transferring ownership deeds to them.
That injunction has been in effect ever since.
Blair discusses Mideast peace with Saudi king
JEDDAH (AFP) - International Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair met Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah on Monday ... on the second leg of a regional tour ahead of a US-sponsored peace conference later this year.
Blair and the Saudi monarch discussed “developments pertaining to the Middle East peace process and efforts under way to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the region in keeping with UN resolutions and the Arab peace initiative”, the official SPA news agency reported.
Blair’s spokesman Matthew Doyle told AFP after the former British prime minister arrived in the Red Sea city of Jeddah that he had come to “listen as part of the conversations he is having with countries in the region”.
Blair, who flew in from Kuwait, “welcomes the chance to talk directly to Saudi Arabia about the Palestinian situation”, Doyle said.
Doyle had earlier said that Blair, who was appointed the Quartet envoy in late June after stepping down from a decade as British premier, would also visit Egypt before arriving in Israel on Tuesday.
In July, during his maiden visit to the region as envoy of the Quartet - European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States - Blair said he saw a “moment of opportunity” in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
US President George W. Bush has called for a Middle East peace conference to jump-start Israeli-Palestinian talks which is probably going to be held in November.
Oil powerhouse Saudi Arabia, a US ally in the region, has welcomed Bush’s peace push, saying it contains elements compatible with an Arab peace plan revived at an Arab summit in Riyadh in March.
Blair and the Saudi monarch discussed “developments pertaining to the Middle East peace process and efforts under way to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the region in keeping with UN resolutions and the Arab peace initiative”, the official SPA news agency reported.
Blair’s spokesman Matthew Doyle told AFP after the former British prime minister arrived in the Red Sea city of Jeddah that he had come to “listen as part of the conversations he is having with countries in the region”.
Blair, who flew in from Kuwait, “welcomes the chance to talk directly to Saudi Arabia about the Palestinian situation”, Doyle said.
Doyle had earlier said that Blair, who was appointed the Quartet envoy in late June after stepping down from a decade as British premier, would also visit Egypt before arriving in Israel on Tuesday.
In July, during his maiden visit to the region as envoy of the Quartet - European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States - Blair said he saw a “moment of opportunity” in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
US President George W. Bush has called for a Middle East peace conference to jump-start Israeli-Palestinian talks which is probably going to be held in November.
Oil powerhouse Saudi Arabia, a US ally in the region, has welcomed Bush’s peace push, saying it contains elements compatible with an Arab peace plan revived at an Arab summit in Riyadh in March.
We are fooling you-we DO HAVE money!
Bethlehem – Ma'an – The Palestinian cabinet decided to pay a full month's salary in addition to 70% of accumulative dues to the civil servants Bethlehem – Ma'an – The Palestinian cabinet decided to pay a full month's salary in addition to 70% of accumulative dues to the civil servants, the Palestinian minister of economy Kamal Hassouna told Ma'an on Monday. Salam Fayyad, the Prime Minister and Minister of the Treasury said that the government was committed to its policy regarding payment of salaries for public sector employees.
According to Minister Hassouna, the cabinet has also decided to draw up a committee of academics, university deans and higher education employees to look at the issue of the length of the school week. Teachers have been protesting against the reduction of the weekend to one day instead of two as it is for employees of other government ministries.
The committee will present its recommendations to the Palestinian cabinet. The cabinet also received a request from the minister of prisoner's affairs, Ashraf Al-'Ajrami demanding a greater budget for detainees.
Furthermore, the Minister of the Interior, Abed Al-Razzaq Al-Yahya addressed the Cabinet on the current security status in the Palestinian territories and what has been accomplished with regard to imposing law and order within the ministry's security plan. The cabinet also decided to pay 325 US dollars in aid to long-term prisoners and their families. The family of each prisoner who has served more than 20 years in Israeli jails will receive 5,000 US dollars. In addition, a million US dollars have been allocated to pay university tuition fees for the students just starting university who scored top marks in the general secondary test in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
According to Minister Hassouna, the cabinet has also decided to draw up a committee of academics, university deans and higher education employees to look at the issue of the length of the school week. Teachers have been protesting against the reduction of the weekend to one day instead of two as it is for employees of other government ministries.
The committee will present its recommendations to the Palestinian cabinet. The cabinet also received a request from the minister of prisoner's affairs, Ashraf Al-'Ajrami demanding a greater budget for detainees.
Furthermore, the Minister of the Interior, Abed Al-Razzaq Al-Yahya addressed the Cabinet on the current security status in the Palestinian territories and what has been accomplished with regard to imposing law and order within the ministry's security plan. The cabinet also decided to pay 325 US dollars in aid to long-term prisoners and their families. The family of each prisoner who has served more than 20 years in Israeli jails will receive 5,000 US dollars. In addition, a million US dollars have been allocated to pay university tuition fees for the students just starting university who scored top marks in the general secondary test in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Continuing to fool the International stage
Qurei' warns of catastrophe if the International Conference fails RAMALLAH, September 3, 2007 (RNA) – Palestinian former PM, Ahmad Qurei', warned of catastrophe in case that the expected International Conference failed. "We must prepare very well for this conference, because we need effective results, if it fails we will have a catastrophe," Qurei' said after meeting with the Leader of the Swedish Socialist Party, Ms. Mona Sahlin, Monday in Ramallah. Qurei' said that the international imminent "meeting" is "essential" for the Palestinian people who is so optimistic and eager to get rid of the daily suffer. In her first visit to the Palestinian territories, the Head of Swedish Socialist Party called for ending the Palestinian misery, and supporting the Palestinian people
Comment:Another old strategy. Get Israel, ever the naive participant, to put down on paper what it will do before an upcoming event without the Palestinians having to "commit" to anything. Here is the the old but tired and true action being played out on the world stage. It is an attempt to foster international support for Israel stating what it will do without the PA having to negotiate at all. I will observe carefully the responses from abroad.
Comment:Another old strategy. Get Israel, ever the naive participant, to put down on paper what it will do before an upcoming event without the Palestinians having to "commit" to anything. Here is the the old but tired and true action being played out on the world stage. It is an attempt to foster international support for Israel stating what it will do without the PA having to negotiate at all. I will observe carefully the responses from abroad.
Bahar Abbas resolutions violate Palestinian law
Acting speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Ahmad Bahar said Monday that the latest resolutions taken by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas violate the Palestinian amended law. Gaza, September 3, 2007 (RNA) – Acting speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Ahmad Bahar said Monday that the latest resolutions taken by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas violate the Palestinian amended law.
In a press conference held in Gaza, Bahar denounced Abbas' latest resolution concerning Election Law, which obliges each candidate for PLC to abide by the PLO platform. "This means recognizing Israel and condemnation of Palestinian resistance," he said. He added that such resolution is unfair because it excludes a wide part of Palestinians, who don’t adopt Oslo Accord, from participating in the elections." Bahar said. Bahar appealed on President Abbas to "think wisely" about his resolutions and meeting with Israeli PM Ehud Olmert. "This will not be useful for the Palestinian cause; we should be back to the national dialogue table," Bahar insisted. Concerning charities, closed by Fayyad Government, Bahar said: "this comes in the preplanned campaign by America to stop these societies from serving the Palestinian people." Last week, Fayyad Government shut down 104 NGO's in the West Bank. Official sources said that the said NGO's for legal reasons.
In a press conference held in Gaza, Bahar denounced Abbas' latest resolution concerning Election Law, which obliges each candidate for PLC to abide by the PLO platform. "This means recognizing Israel and condemnation of Palestinian resistance," he said. He added that such resolution is unfair because it excludes a wide part of Palestinians, who don’t adopt Oslo Accord, from participating in the elections." Bahar said. Bahar appealed on President Abbas to "think wisely" about his resolutions and meeting with Israeli PM Ehud Olmert. "This will not be useful for the Palestinian cause; we should be back to the national dialogue table," Bahar insisted. Concerning charities, closed by Fayyad Government, Bahar said: "this comes in the preplanned campaign by America to stop these societies from serving the Palestinian people." Last week, Fayyad Government shut down 104 NGO's in the West Bank. Official sources said that the said NGO's for legal reasons.
Just because media is not reporting it, the terror still goes on
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip continues to be a focus for terrorist activity against Israel A recent important incident was the prevention of an attempted killing attack at the settlement of Netiv Ha'asara, north of the Gaza Strip, by two terrorist operatives who managed to scale the security fence. Rocket fire aimed at western Negev settlements also continues. During August (as of August 29) 68 rocket hits were identified, compared with 55 in July. The attacks slightly wounded several civilians and caused property damage. On August 28 Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with Palestinian Authority Chairman Abu Mazen. They discussed ongoing security issues and the formulation of an agreement on principles which would be presented to the international conference in Washington this fall. Both sides are making an effort to find the broadest common ground for international support.
Prevention of a killing attack at the settlement of Netiv Ha’asara
On the morning of August 20 IDF forces prevented an attempted killing attack at the settlement of Netiv Ha'asara, north of the Gaza Strip. At approximately 7 a .m. two terrorist operatives exploited the heavy fog in the region and managed climb a rope ladder up the security fence on the Palestinian side and slide down a knotted rope in the Israeli side.
Rocket fire into Israel
During the past two weeks rocket fire aimed at the western Negev settlements continued. A total of 34 rockets were fired, bringing the month's total to 68 identified hits as of August 29. The more serious incidents included a direct hit on a residence in Sderot on August 24, after which two women were treated for shock. On August 25 a car went up in flames as a result of rocket fire. On August 28 there was a rocket directly hit a bedroom. A Sderot resident standing nearby was moderately wounded, and several neighbors were treated for shock.
Prevention of a killing attack at the settlement of Netiv Ha’asara
On the morning of August 20 IDF forces prevented an attempted killing attack at the settlement of Netiv Ha'asara, north of the Gaza Strip. At approximately 7 a .m. two terrorist operatives exploited the heavy fog in the region and managed climb a rope ladder up the security fence on the Palestinian side and slide down a knotted rope in the Israeli side.
Rocket fire into Israel
During the past two weeks rocket fire aimed at the western Negev settlements continued. A total of 34 rockets were fired, bringing the month's total to 68 identified hits as of August 29. The more serious incidents included a direct hit on a residence in Sderot on August 24, after which two women were treated for shock. On August 25 a car went up in flames as a result of rocket fire. On August 28 there was a rocket directly hit a bedroom. A Sderot resident standing nearby was moderately wounded, and several neighbors were treated for shock.
Perseverance: They are not invincible-it takes courage
Lebanese army hunts for fugitives after crushing Fatah Islam Lebanese soldiers fanned out along the Mediterranean coastline in northern Lebanon on Monday, hunting for fugitives a day after the army crushed the remnants of a militant group and ended a three-month siege at a Palestinian refugee camp.
The army searched buildings and bushes for Fatah Islam fighters that may have escaped Sunday's battle at the Nahr el-Bared camp. Patrol boats were out looking for bodies in the sea.
The camp remained off limits to its Palestinian civilian population which had fled in the early days of the fighting that erupted May 20.
Inside the camp, military sappers were combing devastated neighborhoods, looking for booby traps, unexploded shells and mines.
Investigators, meanwhile, were questioning captured militants.
The search followed Sunday's final battle between the army and al-Qaida-inspired Fatah Islam militants that left 39 of them and three soldiers dead, as the militants attempted a dawn breakout from Nahr el-Bared.
Some of the militants tried to sneak out through a tunnel, while another group tried to escape through a different path. Outside fighters arrived to help them, said security officials.
Army quickly deployed reinforcements to the camp, just outside the port city of Tripoli, blocked surrounding roads and set fires to nearby fields to deny fleeing militants a hiding place. Helicopters provided aerial reconnaissance for the military inside the camp, and checkpoints were erected as far as Beirut and southern Lebanon.
Villagers of nearby settlements, armed with guns and sticks, also came out to help the army and protect their houses, the state TV reported.
By the end of the day, the camp was in Lebanese army control and authorities declared victory over Fatah Islam. Officials said the army killed 39 militants and captured 20. It was not immediately known how many militants managed to escape.
The army said three soldiers were killed in Sunday's fighting and two on Saturday, raising to 158 the number of troops who have died in the conflict - Lebanon's worst internal fighting since the 1975-90 civil war. More than 20 civilians and more than 60 militants have also been killed.
Prime Minister Fuad Saniora declared victory Sunday "over the terrorists in Nahr el-Bared," saying in a televised speech to the country this was "an hour of pride, victory and joy."
At the news of the militants' collapse, celebratory gunfire erupted in villages.
Townspeople and troops celebrated in the streets, waving Lebanese flags and flashing victory signs into the night. Other regions celebrated with fireworks, drumming and dancing.
On Monday, authorities worked on identifying the bodies - particularly one purported to being that of Fatah Islam's leader, Shaker al-Absi.
The militant's wife was sent for to identify him, while a DNA test was being conducted to compare it with family members.
Al-Absi, a Palestinian linked to the late leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has not been seen or heard from since early in the fighting.
Fatah Islam had set up its headquarters at the Nahr el-Bared last fall. Some officials say the group is a branch of al-Qaida that wants to make Lebanon and the Palestinian refugee camps there a safe haven. The U.S. State Department has called the group an offshoot of a Syrian-backed militia, Fatah al-Intifada.
Nahr el-Bared's siege began in late May, when police raided militants' hideouts in Tripoli. Fighters ambushed army troops called in to help, after which the army laid siege to the camp with tanks and artillery.
Families of the militants - women and children - were evacuated in late August, the last civilians to leave the camp. Before Sunday, Lebanese officials had said up to 70 militants remained in the bombed-out camp - down from an estimated 360 fighters when the fighting erupted.
The army searched buildings and bushes for Fatah Islam fighters that may have escaped Sunday's battle at the Nahr el-Bared camp. Patrol boats were out looking for bodies in the sea.
The camp remained off limits to its Palestinian civilian population which had fled in the early days of the fighting that erupted May 20.
Inside the camp, military sappers were combing devastated neighborhoods, looking for booby traps, unexploded shells and mines.
Investigators, meanwhile, were questioning captured militants.
The search followed Sunday's final battle between the army and al-Qaida-inspired Fatah Islam militants that left 39 of them and three soldiers dead, as the militants attempted a dawn breakout from Nahr el-Bared.
Some of the militants tried to sneak out through a tunnel, while another group tried to escape through a different path. Outside fighters arrived to help them, said security officials.
Army quickly deployed reinforcements to the camp, just outside the port city of Tripoli, blocked surrounding roads and set fires to nearby fields to deny fleeing militants a hiding place. Helicopters provided aerial reconnaissance for the military inside the camp, and checkpoints were erected as far as Beirut and southern Lebanon.
Villagers of nearby settlements, armed with guns and sticks, also came out to help the army and protect their houses, the state TV reported.
By the end of the day, the camp was in Lebanese army control and authorities declared victory over Fatah Islam. Officials said the army killed 39 militants and captured 20. It was not immediately known how many militants managed to escape.
The army said three soldiers were killed in Sunday's fighting and two on Saturday, raising to 158 the number of troops who have died in the conflict - Lebanon's worst internal fighting since the 1975-90 civil war. More than 20 civilians and more than 60 militants have also been killed.
Prime Minister Fuad Saniora declared victory Sunday "over the terrorists in Nahr el-Bared," saying in a televised speech to the country this was "an hour of pride, victory and joy."
At the news of the militants' collapse, celebratory gunfire erupted in villages.
Townspeople and troops celebrated in the streets, waving Lebanese flags and flashing victory signs into the night. Other regions celebrated with fireworks, drumming and dancing.
On Monday, authorities worked on identifying the bodies - particularly one purported to being that of Fatah Islam's leader, Shaker al-Absi.
The militant's wife was sent for to identify him, while a DNA test was being conducted to compare it with family members.
Al-Absi, a Palestinian linked to the late leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has not been seen or heard from since early in the fighting.
Fatah Islam had set up its headquarters at the Nahr el-Bared last fall. Some officials say the group is a branch of al-Qaida that wants to make Lebanon and the Palestinian refugee camps there a safe haven. The U.S. State Department has called the group an offshoot of a Syrian-backed militia, Fatah al-Intifada.
Nahr el-Bared's siege began in late May, when police raided militants' hideouts in Tripoli. Fighters ambushed army troops called in to help, after which the army laid siege to the camp with tanks and artillery.
Families of the militants - women and children - were evacuated in late August, the last civilians to leave the camp. Before Sunday, Lebanese officials had said up to 70 militants remained in the bombed-out camp - down from an estimated 360 fighters when the fighting erupted.
Is he good or bad?
Most ministers believe Prime Minister Olmert is doing a good job; but what about public? Let there be no confusion about it: Despite the dramatic leadership-like display by Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, and despite the talks about a battle of inheritance reaching its climax these days, these are not Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's worst days.
Neither Mofaz, Avi Dichter, Tzipi Livni nor Meir Sheetrit – only Ehud Olmert – is on stage right now. The spotlights are all directed at him.
If we let go of the ax and noose for a moment and attempt to examine Olmert based on what he and his government are doing, we may discover some odd and confusing facts; facts that don't quite match the conception that guides the steps of the political system and media.
For example, we will discover that most ministers, with the exception of those with uncontrollable aspirations to jump too high, think Olmert is a good prime minister. Ask Yuli Tamir and the rest of her Labor party colleagues. Ask the Shas ministers. Ask Ahmad Tibi even, a sworn opposition figure, who thinks Olmert's only mistake was the war. Aside from that, he's a good prime minister.
Olmert's people are racking their brains these days: What should we do, how should we act, and how do we replace the war prism through which he is examined by the public and media?
The economy is flourishing, the growth rate is surprising, the standard of living is rising, the government is stable, ministers are working, vital budgets have been boosted, the army is clearing the rust that had gathered during the Sharon-Mofaz era, the diplomatic arena is teeming with activity – and nothing! All of this shatters in the face of any small mention of that cursed war, which caused Olmert to fall to his current public status.
Everyone wanted a civilian prime minister and demanded a normal agenda with solutions for social problems, yet when somebody comes along and delivers the goods – nobody pays attention.
'Olmert an island of sanity'
Haim Ramon, who is among those most closely associated with Olmert, is convinced the prime minister is on his way up: "I think the darkest part of the night is behind us," he says. "We can move on. We're past the peak of the crisis. The news about Kadima's demise was premature." Yet the deputy prime minister is aware of his boss' serious marketing problems.
Minister Ramon, who among other things is in charge of the ties between the leader and his party, plans ideological discussions in the framework of the Kadima committee, as well as a membership drive that will end with 50,000-60,000 members ("just like the Labor party's hard core")
Elections are still far off, Ramon stresses. "If three or four months ago everyone was engaged in a countdown of the prime minister's term in office, today the work assumption in the political system is that elections will take place at the end of 2008 at the earliest, and if you ask me – not before the beginning of 2009. The system believes Olmert will overcome the final Winograd report. With the exception of Bibi, nobody has an interest in dismantling the package. Not even Barak, who needs time and only has something to lose at this time."
As to Netanyahu, Ramon turns out to be an enthusiastic supporter for tightening the ties between the Likud leader and Olmert. "I would be glad if Likud joined the government," he said. "In my view, the most important thing is stability."
And if we assume Likud does join, will Kadima be willing to pay the political price? "The national interest is more important than narrow political interests," Ramon says. "The question of what to give in exchange is always difficult, and it's always a problem. But if we could bring Bibi in as finance minister, that would be the right thing to do."
Ramon is not overly excited by reports about a primaries fever that seemingly took over Kadima in recent months. "Political people do politics – it's natural, but it's nothing. Political correspondents can rest easy. There are no inheritance wars. They're trying to create them so there's something to write about. "
"The investment in the primaries is natural, and it just proves that everyone wants to stay in Kadima," he says. "If they thought Kadima is not an option, they wouldn't invest in it. The large change in recent months is that the entire party's top leadership sees itself staying in Kadima."
In any case, Ramon expects the media and public to open their eyes and see reality the way it is. "After they said everything is bad, come and judge Olmert now based on what he's doing, in every area."
Ramon himself has no doubt: Within all the Israeli madness, Olmert is an island of sanity. True, he has weaknesses, but he's sane. Whoever comes into contact with Olmert realizes he's dealing with a good prime minister, says Ramon.
Comment: Of course the ministers support Olmert-they are more concerned about their jobs, the perks, the power than what is best for Israel. They know that in the next government all of this goes away-it is up to the people to bring down this corrupt government.
Neither Mofaz, Avi Dichter, Tzipi Livni nor Meir Sheetrit – only Ehud Olmert – is on stage right now. The spotlights are all directed at him.
If we let go of the ax and noose for a moment and attempt to examine Olmert based on what he and his government are doing, we may discover some odd and confusing facts; facts that don't quite match the conception that guides the steps of the political system and media.
For example, we will discover that most ministers, with the exception of those with uncontrollable aspirations to jump too high, think Olmert is a good prime minister. Ask Yuli Tamir and the rest of her Labor party colleagues. Ask the Shas ministers. Ask Ahmad Tibi even, a sworn opposition figure, who thinks Olmert's only mistake was the war. Aside from that, he's a good prime minister.
Olmert's people are racking their brains these days: What should we do, how should we act, and how do we replace the war prism through which he is examined by the public and media?
The economy is flourishing, the growth rate is surprising, the standard of living is rising, the government is stable, ministers are working, vital budgets have been boosted, the army is clearing the rust that had gathered during the Sharon-Mofaz era, the diplomatic arena is teeming with activity – and nothing! All of this shatters in the face of any small mention of that cursed war, which caused Olmert to fall to his current public status.
Everyone wanted a civilian prime minister and demanded a normal agenda with solutions for social problems, yet when somebody comes along and delivers the goods – nobody pays attention.
'Olmert an island of sanity'
Haim Ramon, who is among those most closely associated with Olmert, is convinced the prime minister is on his way up: "I think the darkest part of the night is behind us," he says. "We can move on. We're past the peak of the crisis. The news about Kadima's demise was premature." Yet the deputy prime minister is aware of his boss' serious marketing problems.
Minister Ramon, who among other things is in charge of the ties between the leader and his party, plans ideological discussions in the framework of the Kadima committee, as well as a membership drive that will end with 50,000-60,000 members ("just like the Labor party's hard core")
Elections are still far off, Ramon stresses. "If three or four months ago everyone was engaged in a countdown of the prime minister's term in office, today the work assumption in the political system is that elections will take place at the end of 2008 at the earliest, and if you ask me – not before the beginning of 2009. The system believes Olmert will overcome the final Winograd report. With the exception of Bibi, nobody has an interest in dismantling the package. Not even Barak, who needs time and only has something to lose at this time."
As to Netanyahu, Ramon turns out to be an enthusiastic supporter for tightening the ties between the Likud leader and Olmert. "I would be glad if Likud joined the government," he said. "In my view, the most important thing is stability."
And if we assume Likud does join, will Kadima be willing to pay the political price? "The national interest is more important than narrow political interests," Ramon says. "The question of what to give in exchange is always difficult, and it's always a problem. But if we could bring Bibi in as finance minister, that would be the right thing to do."
Ramon is not overly excited by reports about a primaries fever that seemingly took over Kadima in recent months. "Political people do politics – it's natural, but it's nothing. Political correspondents can rest easy. There are no inheritance wars. They're trying to create them so there's something to write about. "
"The investment in the primaries is natural, and it just proves that everyone wants to stay in Kadima," he says. "If they thought Kadima is not an option, they wouldn't invest in it. The large change in recent months is that the entire party's top leadership sees itself staying in Kadima."
In any case, Ramon expects the media and public to open their eyes and see reality the way it is. "After they said everything is bad, come and judge Olmert now based on what he's doing, in every area."
Ramon himself has no doubt: Within all the Israeli madness, Olmert is an island of sanity. True, he has weaknesses, but he's sane. Whoever comes into contact with Olmert realizes he's dealing with a good prime minister, says Ramon.
Comment: Of course the ministers support Olmert-they are more concerned about their jobs, the perks, the power than what is best for Israel. They know that in the next government all of this goes away-it is up to the people to bring down this corrupt government.
Washington DC-you believe what?
80,000 illegal arms in terrorist hands in W. Bank Over 80,000 illegal weapons are believed to be in the hands of West Bank terrorists, according to the IDF's latest assessments of the ongoing power struggle between Hamas and Fatah.
The weapons are mostly held in private homes or hidden in caches throughout Judea and Samaria.
According to the latest assessment, and contrary to earlier predictions, defense officials told The Jerusalem Post this week that Hamas was just as strong as Fatah in the West Bank and could pose a genuine threat to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's security forces.
On Monday, the London-based Al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper reported that Fatah security forces had recently thwarted an attempted coup in the PA by Hamas.
Hamas had tried establishing a military force in the West Bank similar to its Executive Force in the Gaza Strip, which then planned to attack PA institutions and take over the government, according to the report. "They have weapons and explosives and, more importantly, they are highly motivated," a senior defense official said.
According to the official, Hamas is currently in a "waiting period" and is trying to unite some of its splinter groups spread throughout the various West Bank cities, with terrorist hubs in the northern Samaria cities of Nablus and Jenin.
Earlier this year, the IDF foiled plans by Hamas to create a military force in the West Bank like the Executive Force that took over the Gaza Strip from Fatah in June.
According to a high-ranking IDF officer, Hamas tried uniting all of its factions across the West Bank but failed due to IDF preemptive action. Since then, Hamas has focused on infiltrating its men into the ranks of PA security branches - the Palestinian Police and the National Security Force.
While Fatah is currently better organized and is in control of the official PA security forces in the West Bank, the Israeli defense establishment is concerned that when Hamas launches its coup attempt, Fatah force will collapse just like they did in Gaza. There, Fatah had four times the men Hamas did, a defense official said.
For this reason, senior officials in the defense establishment have voiced opposition to a plan recently raised by the US security coordinator to the region Lt.-Gen. Keith Dayton according to which Abbas needs an additional five battalions in the West Bank to counter the growing Hamas threat.
"It is not about manpower," the official said, "but about motivating the Fatah forces to want to fight and defend the PA."
The IDF Central Command believes that Abbas's time is running out and that in the coming months Hamas will try to topple his government in the West Bank and attempt to take over the PA security branches and institutions. Last week, PA Prime Minister Salaam Fayad announced that his government had closed down 103 welfare and charitable institutions connected to Hamas in an effort to impair the Islamist group's financial capabilities.
The IDF has decided to take a number of steps to assist Abbas in motivating his men to fight if and when Hamas attempts its takeover.
According to defense officials, quality of life in the West Bank is an important factor in motivating PA security forces. As a result, the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria is working on a number of ways to ease travel restrictions for PA security personnel.
Ahead of the upcoming hajj, which begins in mid-December, the civil administration is also examining ways to ease restrictions on Palestinians in general who want to travel abroad.
"The security forces need to feel that they have a reason to fight," a defense official said. "They need to feel like they have a better life to look forward to. Otherwise, they will not pose a challenge to Hamas."
Comment:It is past time for the Bush Administration and the EU to own up to facts-Israel's enemies are fully armed, have lots of firepower and can do a lot more than throw stones-they are not your fther's terrorists. In addition they have multiple other weapons able to bring havoc upon us in our homes. Abbas can no longer sy he needs more weapons and support-he is lying and you know it. He lacks the power and/or the will to do what is necessary-Washington, stop misrepresenting this to the people.
The weapons are mostly held in private homes or hidden in caches throughout Judea and Samaria.
According to the latest assessment, and contrary to earlier predictions, defense officials told The Jerusalem Post this week that Hamas was just as strong as Fatah in the West Bank and could pose a genuine threat to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's security forces.
On Monday, the London-based Al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper reported that Fatah security forces had recently thwarted an attempted coup in the PA by Hamas.
Hamas had tried establishing a military force in the West Bank similar to its Executive Force in the Gaza Strip, which then planned to attack PA institutions and take over the government, according to the report. "They have weapons and explosives and, more importantly, they are highly motivated," a senior defense official said.
According to the official, Hamas is currently in a "waiting period" and is trying to unite some of its splinter groups spread throughout the various West Bank cities, with terrorist hubs in the northern Samaria cities of Nablus and Jenin.
Earlier this year, the IDF foiled plans by Hamas to create a military force in the West Bank like the Executive Force that took over the Gaza Strip from Fatah in June.
According to a high-ranking IDF officer, Hamas tried uniting all of its factions across the West Bank but failed due to IDF preemptive action. Since then, Hamas has focused on infiltrating its men into the ranks of PA security branches - the Palestinian Police and the National Security Force.
While Fatah is currently better organized and is in control of the official PA security forces in the West Bank, the Israeli defense establishment is concerned that when Hamas launches its coup attempt, Fatah force will collapse just like they did in Gaza. There, Fatah had four times the men Hamas did, a defense official said.
For this reason, senior officials in the defense establishment have voiced opposition to a plan recently raised by the US security coordinator to the region Lt.-Gen. Keith Dayton according to which Abbas needs an additional five battalions in the West Bank to counter the growing Hamas threat.
"It is not about manpower," the official said, "but about motivating the Fatah forces to want to fight and defend the PA."
The IDF Central Command believes that Abbas's time is running out and that in the coming months Hamas will try to topple his government in the West Bank and attempt to take over the PA security branches and institutions. Last week, PA Prime Minister Salaam Fayad announced that his government had closed down 103 welfare and charitable institutions connected to Hamas in an effort to impair the Islamist group's financial capabilities.
The IDF has decided to take a number of steps to assist Abbas in motivating his men to fight if and when Hamas attempts its takeover.
According to defense officials, quality of life in the West Bank is an important factor in motivating PA security forces. As a result, the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria is working on a number of ways to ease travel restrictions for PA security personnel.
Ahead of the upcoming hajj, which begins in mid-December, the civil administration is also examining ways to ease restrictions on Palestinians in general who want to travel abroad.
"The security forces need to feel that they have a reason to fight," a defense official said. "They need to feel like they have a better life to look forward to. Otherwise, they will not pose a challenge to Hamas."
Comment:It is past time for the Bush Administration and the EU to own up to facts-Israel's enemies are fully armed, have lots of firepower and can do a lot more than throw stones-they are not your fther's terrorists. In addition they have multiple other weapons able to bring havoc upon us in our homes. Abbas can no longer sy he needs more weapons and support-he is lying and you know it. He lacks the power and/or the will to do what is necessary-Washington, stop misrepresenting this to the people.
Bar-Ilan scientist invents cheaper way to produce electricity
A Bar-Ilan nanotechnology expert has invented a photovoltaic cell - which produces electricity from the sun's rays - that could be dramatically cheaper to produce. The cells, which are composed of metallic wires mounted on conductive glass, can form the basis of solar cells that produce electricity with efficiency similar to that of conventional, silicon-based cells while being much cheaper to produce, says Prof. Arie Zaban, head of BIU's nanotechnology institute, who has just patented the technology.
The design is based on nanotechnology, which makes use of microscopic structures, and originally involved cells with an area of less than one square centimeter. But, Zaban said, his research took a "giant" step forward when he increased the size of the cells to 100 square centimeters.
"Initially, we created linked arrays of very small cells, which led to a loss of efficiency because the sunlight hitting the space between the cells was not converted to electricity," Zaban explained. With much more surface area, the new array actively captures the sun's energy and becomes "a practical choice for solar energy production," he said.
Zaban's cells feature a sponge-like array of microscopic "nanodots" arranged on flexible plastic sheets. The key to his system is the use of standard semiconductor material injected with an organic dye, which makes it become energy absorbent.
Orionsolar, a Jerusalem-based company that has entered into a partnership with Bar-Ilan, is developing commercial applications for inexpensive, dye-based photovoltaics based on Zaban's work.
"Given the state of the technology, I believe that the new solar cells will be available commercially within the next five years," he said. "This will mark the beginning of a whole new path that combines independence from fossil fuels with a greener, more sustainable future."
Another of his recent discoveries involves reducing the amount of platinum used in photovoltaic cells, another important step towards reducing production costs. "We've found a way to produce platinum nanodots ... [which] reduce the amount of platinum needed by a factor of 40," he said.
"Cost is an important factor in the success of any solar technology," Zaban explained. "To become widely adopted, solar cells must generate electricity at lower cost than what we now spend on fossil fuels. At the same time, we have to make the basic infrastructure extremely affordable - because the third-world countries that stand to reap the most benefit from solar power usually lack the money to invest in it. By making cells more efficient and keeping material costs down, nano-based techniques are moving us closer to that goal."
courtesy Jerusalem Post
The design is based on nanotechnology, which makes use of microscopic structures, and originally involved cells with an area of less than one square centimeter. But, Zaban said, his research took a "giant" step forward when he increased the size of the cells to 100 square centimeters.
"Initially, we created linked arrays of very small cells, which led to a loss of efficiency because the sunlight hitting the space between the cells was not converted to electricity," Zaban explained. With much more surface area, the new array actively captures the sun's energy and becomes "a practical choice for solar energy production," he said.
Zaban's cells feature a sponge-like array of microscopic "nanodots" arranged on flexible plastic sheets. The key to his system is the use of standard semiconductor material injected with an organic dye, which makes it become energy absorbent.
Orionsolar, a Jerusalem-based company that has entered into a partnership with Bar-Ilan, is developing commercial applications for inexpensive, dye-based photovoltaics based on Zaban's work.
"Given the state of the technology, I believe that the new solar cells will be available commercially within the next five years," he said. "This will mark the beginning of a whole new path that combines independence from fossil fuels with a greener, more sustainable future."
Another of his recent discoveries involves reducing the amount of platinum used in photovoltaic cells, another important step towards reducing production costs. "We've found a way to produce platinum nanodots ... [which] reduce the amount of platinum needed by a factor of 40," he said.
"Cost is an important factor in the success of any solar technology," Zaban explained. "To become widely adopted, solar cells must generate electricity at lower cost than what we now spend on fossil fuels. At the same time, we have to make the basic infrastructure extremely affordable - because the third-world countries that stand to reap the most benefit from solar power usually lack the money to invest in it. By making cells more efficient and keeping material costs down, nano-based techniques are moving us closer to that goal."
courtesy Jerusalem Post
Palestinian construction endangers settlers' lives - Lieberman
Strategic affairs minister demands establishment of new committee to examine 'illegal Palestinian construction in Area C In an official letter written to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister and Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman demanded the establishment of a new committee to examine what he referred to as illegal Palestinian construction in Area C.
Area C refers to all West Bank territories under full Israeli control.
Lieberman such a committee should also be set up to examine the "illegal construction by Bedouins in the Negev and Israeli-Arabs in the Galilee region".
Lieberman's demand came just a few hours after Vice Premier Haim Ramon, chairman of the ministerial committee responsible for illegal outposts, determined that only the prime minister, defense minister (Ehud Barak) and the chief of staff have the authority to order the evacuation of 26 illegal West Bank outposts that were set up during former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's term in 2001.
"According to certain reports, Palestinian construction in Area C is far greater in scope than the unauthorized outposts, and especially worrying is the illegal building along bypass roads in the West Bank, which endangers the Jewish residents' lives," Lieberman's letter read.
The strategic affairs minister said he believed the new committee should be headed by Talia Sasson, who wrote the Sasson Report on illegal outposts.
Lieberman's aides said in a statement that the minister regrets the fact that those who wish to evacuate the outposts "are preoccupying themselves with an issue that pertains to Jews only while ignoring the war on terror which is a core issue that has not been dealt with.
"The minister does not want to harm the authority of the prime minister and the defense minister … He just wants to prevent another schism in the nation as was the case during the disengagement," they said.
Area C refers to all West Bank territories under full Israeli control.
Lieberman such a committee should also be set up to examine the "illegal construction by Bedouins in the Negev and Israeli-Arabs in the Galilee region".
Lieberman's demand came just a few hours after Vice Premier Haim Ramon, chairman of the ministerial committee responsible for illegal outposts, determined that only the prime minister, defense minister (Ehud Barak) and the chief of staff have the authority to order the evacuation of 26 illegal West Bank outposts that were set up during former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's term in 2001.
"According to certain reports, Palestinian construction in Area C is far greater in scope than the unauthorized outposts, and especially worrying is the illegal building along bypass roads in the West Bank, which endangers the Jewish residents' lives," Lieberman's letter read.
The strategic affairs minister said he believed the new committee should be headed by Talia Sasson, who wrote the Sasson Report on illegal outposts.
Lieberman's aides said in a statement that the minister regrets the fact that those who wish to evacuate the outposts "are preoccupying themselves with an issue that pertains to Jews only while ignoring the war on terror which is a core issue that has not been dealt with.
"The minister does not want to harm the authority of the prime minister and the defense minister … He just wants to prevent another schism in the nation as was the case during the disengagement," they said.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Call Olmert now at 02 625 4040 or 03 697 5750 IRATE
CALL the Israeli embassy or consulate today or tomorrow if u are abroad ...and the prime minister's office here in Israel asking why Olmert is allowing Jewish babies to be targets in Sderot? While he talks to Abbas to give away more land in Israel. Today was a miracle..tomorrow..Olmert may not be so lucky and Jewish babies are hurt while Olmert only authorizes 'IDF response' on empty buildings and empty lots in Gaza instead of carpet bombing the entire GAZA once and for all.
Letter to Mr. Bush
Dear President Bush,
Today, the first day of school in Israel, Kassam rockets rained down on children of Sderot who ran for shelter. During the past month 300 such missiles were fired at that community. As an American I know that you would not tolerate such actions against any of our cities. Why then is there such silence when it is our friend, Israel, that is the target?
One has to wonder, Mr. President, where the peace is that was promised Israel for making 'painful concessions'. It is non-existent!! You demanded that Abbas disarm his terrorists and when they did not you still pressured Israel to support his criminal regime. It does not make a difference that you and Sec'y Rice call Abbas a 'moderate'; you are giving new distorted meaning to that word.
Now you are demanding the dismantlement of what you call 'settlements'; they are residences to citizens of Israel just as Silver Springs, MD is a community. Would you demand the same of any American cities? There are many illegal homes of Arabs in Israel; you do not demand the abandonment of those.
The double standard brings comfort to the Arabs who feel entitled to terrorize innocent Israelis. History has recorded that when mistreatment of Jews is tolerated the disease of inhumanity spreads. The U.S. will one day become victims of that same intolerance.
History will also record the errors of your administration in appeasing terrorism.
Sincerely,
Today, the first day of school in Israel, Kassam rockets rained down on children of Sderot who ran for shelter. During the past month 300 such missiles were fired at that community. As an American I know that you would not tolerate such actions against any of our cities. Why then is there such silence when it is our friend, Israel, that is the target?
One has to wonder, Mr. President, where the peace is that was promised Israel for making 'painful concessions'. It is non-existent!! You demanded that Abbas disarm his terrorists and when they did not you still pressured Israel to support his criminal regime. It does not make a difference that you and Sec'y Rice call Abbas a 'moderate'; you are giving new distorted meaning to that word.
Now you are demanding the dismantlement of what you call 'settlements'; they are residences to citizens of Israel just as Silver Springs, MD is a community. Would you demand the same of any American cities? There are many illegal homes of Arabs in Israel; you do not demand the abandonment of those.
The double standard brings comfort to the Arabs who feel entitled to terrorize innocent Israelis. History has recorded that when mistreatment of Jews is tolerated the disease of inhumanity spreads. The U.S. will one day become victims of that same intolerance.
History will also record the errors of your administration in appeasing terrorism.
Sincerely,
The first Islamic school established in Japan (and there was much rejoicing)
Nothing more to report at this time And here is the rest of it.
Guarantee you-they will end up fighting and killing Israelis
The United States is working for the creation of 5 Palestinian brigades .who which will be deployed in Judea and Samaria under the authority of Mahmoud Abbas. Israeli officials told Haaretz that the American security coordinator, General Keith Dayton, is in charge of this project which is only in its starting phase. Last week, the American Congress approved a budget of $80 million dollars for General Dayton's activities to be used for these Palestinian troopsspan>
Remnants of the Second Temple Being Destroyed by Islamic Wakf
A large trench being dug on the Temple Mount is destroying a never before uncovered section of the outer wall of the Second Temple. The construction is being supervised by the Wakf—the Muslim Authority acting as custodians to the Temple Mount.
Archeologists have been calling for construction to halt on the trench which is approximately 1,300 feet long and five feet deep. The Wakf claims the trench is being dug to replace 40-year-old electrical cables for nearby mosques.
Muslims dig a trench across the temple mount destroying ancient artifacts
Photo: The Temple Movement
New photos of construction debris from the Temple Mount show carved stones casually dumped in a pile that appear to be a section of the outer wall of the Second Temple, according to archaeologist Eilat Mazer.
According to Rabbi Chaim Richman, International Director of the Temple Institute, the Wakf is intentionally digging in areas where "undoubtedly the Temple once stood." "For the first time since the Temple's destruction, a section of the Temple Wall itself has been exposed," Richman said. "And the Wakf under the guise of laying down electrical pipes has dug a trench, destroying the most important holy artifact ever found to date."
Israel Police look on as Muslim tractor destroys Temple
The Temple Movement
Richman contends that the Temple remains are being "purposely destroyed with no supervision," calling the government's tolerance of the construction "complicit cooperation."
According to a report by WorldNetDaily, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert personally gave permission for bulldozers, steam shovels and other heavy equipment to be used to dig the trench.
"This is an extraordinarily serious offense," Richman states. "A corrupt, spiritually bankrupt government is allowing Judaism's holiest site to be trashed because of political agreements to officially hand over the Temple Mount to the Palestinian Authority. Jews in Israel and abroad are asleep, and have not awoken to the importance of the Temple in Judaism or the desecration of this holy site being performed daily by the Wakf."
The Israel Antiquities Authority approved the construction despite archaeologists’ concern that precious artifacts are being destroyed. The Authority, which digs for religious artifacts across the State of Israel, has not inspected construction on Judaism's holiest site even once since the work began, despite continuous calls for the construction to be supervised and halted.
The police say they will not act since the Antiquities Authority approved the dig.
The Wakf has denied that any Jewish artifacts have been discovered during the dig, but new photos of work on the Mount belie the claim, clearly showing what is likely to be an ancient piece of carved wall.
The wall in question is from the outer wall of the Temple itself, as opposed to the Western Wall, which is a remnant of the retaining wall around the larger Temple platform.
Mazer, a member of the faculty at Hebrew University and a member of the Public Committee for Prevention of the Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount says it is "crucial this wall is inspected." She explains that the current ground level of the Temple Mount is slightly above the original Temple Mount platform, “meaning anything found is likely from the Temple itself.”
Mazer insists that she must personally inspect the stones to confirm their status, and attempted to inspect the site last week. She was stopped by Israeli police who are protecting the construction.
"The only hope is for Jews and non-Jews from across the world to stand up and start putting pressure on the religious, political and archeological communities to immediately halt this process," Richman concludes. "The whole world is wondering what the Jews are doing, allowing their most precious site, the Holy of Holies to be destroyed right before their eyes."
Comment on This Story
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Archeologists have been calling for construction to halt on the trench which is approximately 1,300 feet long and five feet deep. The Wakf claims the trench is being dug to replace 40-year-old electrical cables for nearby mosques.
Muslims dig a trench across the temple mount destroying ancient artifacts
Photo: The Temple Movement
New photos of construction debris from the Temple Mount show carved stones casually dumped in a pile that appear to be a section of the outer wall of the Second Temple, according to archaeologist Eilat Mazer.
According to Rabbi Chaim Richman, International Director of the Temple Institute, the Wakf is intentionally digging in areas where "undoubtedly the Temple once stood." "For the first time since the Temple's destruction, a section of the Temple Wall itself has been exposed," Richman said. "And the Wakf under the guise of laying down electrical pipes has dug a trench, destroying the most important holy artifact ever found to date."
Israel Police look on as Muslim tractor destroys Temple
The Temple Movement
Richman contends that the Temple remains are being "purposely destroyed with no supervision," calling the government's tolerance of the construction "complicit cooperation."
According to a report by WorldNetDaily, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert personally gave permission for bulldozers, steam shovels and other heavy equipment to be used to dig the trench.
"This is an extraordinarily serious offense," Richman states. "A corrupt, spiritually bankrupt government is allowing Judaism's holiest site to be trashed because of political agreements to officially hand over the Temple Mount to the Palestinian Authority. Jews in Israel and abroad are asleep, and have not awoken to the importance of the Temple in Judaism or the desecration of this holy site being performed daily by the Wakf."
The Israel Antiquities Authority approved the construction despite archaeologists’ concern that precious artifacts are being destroyed. The Authority, which digs for religious artifacts across the State of Israel, has not inspected construction on Judaism's holiest site even once since the work began, despite continuous calls for the construction to be supervised and halted.
The police say they will not act since the Antiquities Authority approved the dig.
The Wakf has denied that any Jewish artifacts have been discovered during the dig, but new photos of work on the Mount belie the claim, clearly showing what is likely to be an ancient piece of carved wall.
The wall in question is from the outer wall of the Temple itself, as opposed to the Western Wall, which is a remnant of the retaining wall around the larger Temple platform.
Mazer, a member of the faculty at Hebrew University and a member of the Public Committee for Prevention of the Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount says it is "crucial this wall is inspected." She explains that the current ground level of the Temple Mount is slightly above the original Temple Mount platform, “meaning anything found is likely from the Temple itself.”
Mazer insists that she must personally inspect the stones to confirm their status, and attempted to inspect the site last week. She was stopped by Israeli police who are protecting the construction.
"The only hope is for Jews and non-Jews from across the world to stand up and start putting pressure on the religious, political and archeological communities to immediately halt this process," Richman concludes. "The whole world is wondering what the Jews are doing, allowing their most precious site, the Holy of Holies to be destroyed right before their eyes."
Comment on This Story
span>
Babies evacuated as Kassam strikes Sderot day care center courtyard
The Sderot Parents Association decided not to take children to schools and daycare centers beginning Tuesday ... until the government would change its policy regarding ongoing Kassam rocket salvos on the western Negev town, The Jerusalem Post learned Monday.
On Monday, Soldiers scrambled to evacuate babies from a day care center in Sderot after a projectile fired by Palestinian terrorists thudded into the courtyard.
None of the 15 babies at the center were wounded. However, frantic parents across the city - already furious over the government's failure to protect them and their children from the near-daily rocket fire - pulled their children out of schools on the second day of the academic year.
In total, seven Kassam rockets landed in and around the western Negev town Monday morning as Sderot children started their second day of the new school year. The Islamic Jihad said they had fired nine Kuds-3 rockets, saying on their internet site that the attack was "a present for the start of the new school year."
Twelve people, including some of the babies, suffered shock when one of the rockets landed near the creche and a building was damaged.
Another rocket landed near a road, while the other five landed in an open field, one causing a fire.
Despite the fact that no casualties were reported from the rocket barrage, Sderot parents were not taking any chances. Batya Katar, head of the Sderot Parents Association, said parents were pulling all 2,500 of the town's students out of school.
"Buses are already on the way to pick up students who haven't been taken home already," Katar told AP by telephone, the voices of panicked parents audible in the background. The government promised to move students out of the city if there was an escalation in Palestinian rocket fire, she said.
"This is an escalation, but there is no sign of any solution," Katar said.
At one Sderot school, Nahum Bitton arrived to take his children home.
"Of course I'll take them out. Should I leave them in the hands of Hamas?" Bitton told Associated Press Television News. The Islamic militants of Hamas have ruled the Gaza strip since June.
Wary parents in Sderot threatened not to send their children to school on the first day of the year on Sunday, but they lifted the strike threat after being promised the schools were properly protected and that shelters had been upgraded.
Sderot, a working-class town of 22,000, has been battered by thousands of Kassams launched in recent years from Gaza. The rockets rarely cause serious injuries or damage, but they have killed 12 people in the past seven years, and because of their frequency, wreak panic in the city.
To calm jittery residents ahead of the school year, the military dispatched more than 200 soldiers to accompany students back to school in Sderot and instruct them on emergency procedures.
On Sunday, the IDF made a concerted effort to prevent the firing of rockets into Sderot on the first day of school. Attack helicopters hovered over Gaza throughout the day and the IDF struck at a number of launchers in northern Gaza.
Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal sharply criticized the government Monday in its handling of the persistent firing of Kassam rockets on his town.
"No government official was asking about the events happening in Sderot this morning, they're just not interested," Army Radio quoted Moyal as saying.
Tzahi Hanegbi (Kadima), Chairman of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said "there would be escaping the need to send the IDF deep into the Gaza Strip."
span>
On Monday, Soldiers scrambled to evacuate babies from a day care center in Sderot after a projectile fired by Palestinian terrorists thudded into the courtyard.
None of the 15 babies at the center were wounded. However, frantic parents across the city - already furious over the government's failure to protect them and their children from the near-daily rocket fire - pulled their children out of schools on the second day of the academic year.
In total, seven Kassam rockets landed in and around the western Negev town Monday morning as Sderot children started their second day of the new school year. The Islamic Jihad said they had fired nine Kuds-3 rockets, saying on their internet site that the attack was "a present for the start of the new school year."
Twelve people, including some of the babies, suffered shock when one of the rockets landed near the creche and a building was damaged.
Another rocket landed near a road, while the other five landed in an open field, one causing a fire.
Despite the fact that no casualties were reported from the rocket barrage, Sderot parents were not taking any chances. Batya Katar, head of the Sderot Parents Association, said parents were pulling all 2,500 of the town's students out of school.
"Buses are already on the way to pick up students who haven't been taken home already," Katar told AP by telephone, the voices of panicked parents audible in the background. The government promised to move students out of the city if there was an escalation in Palestinian rocket fire, she said.
"This is an escalation, but there is no sign of any solution," Katar said.
At one Sderot school, Nahum Bitton arrived to take his children home.
"Of course I'll take them out. Should I leave them in the hands of Hamas?" Bitton told Associated Press Television News. The Islamic militants of Hamas have ruled the Gaza strip since June.
Wary parents in Sderot threatened not to send their children to school on the first day of the year on Sunday, but they lifted the strike threat after being promised the schools were properly protected and that shelters had been upgraded.
Sderot, a working-class town of 22,000, has been battered by thousands of Kassams launched in recent years from Gaza. The rockets rarely cause serious injuries or damage, but they have killed 12 people in the past seven years, and because of their frequency, wreak panic in the city.
To calm jittery residents ahead of the school year, the military dispatched more than 200 soldiers to accompany students back to school in Sderot and instruct them on emergency procedures.
On Sunday, the IDF made a concerted effort to prevent the firing of rockets into Sderot on the first day of school. Attack helicopters hovered over Gaza throughout the day and the IDF struck at a number of launchers in northern Gaza.
Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal sharply criticized the government Monday in its handling of the persistent firing of Kassam rockets on his town.
"No government official was asking about the events happening in Sderot this morning, they're just not interested," Army Radio quoted Moyal as saying.
Tzahi Hanegbi (Kadima), Chairman of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said "there would be escaping the need to send the IDF deep into the Gaza Strip."
span>
The Islamization of the Gaza Strip.
Since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip, it has intensified its activities to impose an Islamic social code. Hamas is careful not to represent it as a step toward establishing a radical Islamic state. And here is the rest of it.
Only in Israel, Not Humorous
Only in Israel is violence against innocent Jews demanded, cheered and praised by the world's "peace-loving" moralists, liberals and democrats. Only in Israel, the Holy Land are Jews forbidden to live and work in Jericho, Bethlehem and other biblical cities.
Only Israel is praised for banishing, exiling, innocent citizens from their homes for one reason and one reason only, these people are Jews.
Only in Israel is the "transfer" of Arabs considered immoral and illegal, but the same people consider the transfer of Jews a priority.
Not only Israelis must think about the logic, the morality in all this irony and hypocrisy.
For Jews, this is the month of Elul, the month of reflection and repentance. The shofar, the call to inspect our souls is blown daily as morning prayers end. No excuses. G-d knows all and is waiting for our sincere repentance. The world will follow.
Courtesy of Batya:http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/ span>
Only Israel is praised for banishing, exiling, innocent citizens from their homes for one reason and one reason only, these people are Jews.
Only in Israel is the "transfer" of Arabs considered immoral and illegal, but the same people consider the transfer of Jews a priority.
Not only Israelis must think about the logic, the morality in all this irony and hypocrisy.
For Jews, this is the month of Elul, the month of reflection and repentance. The shofar, the call to inspect our souls is blown daily as morning prayers end. No excuses. G-d knows all and is waiting for our sincere repentance. The world will follow.
Courtesy of Batya:http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/ span>
Egyptian police find 2.75 tons of explosives in Sinai
Explosives, hidden in 54 plastic bags, found during search in area southwest of el-Arish Egyptian police found 2.75 tons of explosives in central Sinai on Sunday, a security official said.
The explosives, hidden in 54 plastic bags, were found during a search in the el-Gefgafa area, 62 miles southwest of the coastal town of el-Arish, the official told Reuters on a customary condition of anonymity.
Police seized 250 kg of explosives in northern Sinai on Aug. 19. Officials said at the time they suspected the explosives were destined for smuggling into the Palestinian territories.
Egyptian police routinely find large quantities of explosives and ammunition in Sinai, sometimes hidden in tunnels near the border with neighboring Gaza. On Aug. 5 they found 500 kg of explosives in el-Gefgafa.
Egypt said in July the smuggling of weapons, ammunition and drugs through tunnels from Egypt into Gaza had dropped since the Islamist movement Hamas took control in June.
Israel has accused Egypt of not doing enough to stop smuggling, and the US House of Representatives has proposed cutting $200 million of annual military aid to Egypt unless it improves border security and its human rights record
span>
The explosives, hidden in 54 plastic bags, were found during a search in the el-Gefgafa area, 62 miles southwest of the coastal town of el-Arish, the official told Reuters on a customary condition of anonymity.
Police seized 250 kg of explosives in northern Sinai on Aug. 19. Officials said at the time they suspected the explosives were destined for smuggling into the Palestinian territories.
Egyptian police routinely find large quantities of explosives and ammunition in Sinai, sometimes hidden in tunnels near the border with neighboring Gaza. On Aug. 5 they found 500 kg of explosives in el-Gefgafa.
Egypt said in July the smuggling of weapons, ammunition and drugs through tunnels from Egypt into Gaza had dropped since the Islamist movement Hamas took control in June.
Israel has accused Egypt of not doing enough to stop smuggling, and the US House of Representatives has proposed cutting $200 million of annual military aid to Egypt unless it improves border security and its human rights record
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7 Qassams land near Sderot Monday morning
Rockets fall outside town at the same time thousands of children were making their way to kindergartens and schools. 'My daughter called me terrified and hysteric,' one mother says, 'our children are studying under fire'
Shmulik Hadad Latest Update: 09.03.07, 09:46 / Israel News
While thousands of children were making their way to school Monday morning, the Color Red alert was heard in Sderot, followed by two loud explosions. Two Qassam rockets landed outside of town, causing no injuries or damage.
Another rocket landed near a kindergarten in town shortly after; several people suffered shock and a house was damaged.
A mother of a child who attends the kindergarten said: "They called my and said that a rocket landed near the facility. I ran there and found all the children terrified and in tears. The kindergarten teachers tried to calm them."
Another rocket landed later just outside Sderot, causing no injuries or damages.
Earlier, Palestinian gunmen fired three rockets from northern Gaza; the Qassams landed in open fields near Sderot. No one was injured and no damage was caused in this attack as well.
An overall of seven rockets hit the southern town during the morning hours.
Panic and hysteria
Sderot residents told Ynet that the rockets fell while their kids were on their way to their schools and kindergartens. "When the alarm went off, the bus driver stopped near one of the fortified houses. He asked the girls to run and hide there," a mother said.
"My daughter called me terrified and in hysterics. Now she has to start her school day in such a state. I still don't understand why they decided to open the school year in Sderot. Our children are studying under Qassam fire," she added.
The parents association in Sderot said it was a mistake to open the school year with rockets falling on the city on a daily basis. "We are receiving plenty of calls from parents. We believe that under these circumstances we cannot have normal schooling," association members said.
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Shmulik Hadad Latest Update: 09.03.07, 09:46 / Israel News
While thousands of children were making their way to school Monday morning, the Color Red alert was heard in Sderot, followed by two loud explosions. Two Qassam rockets landed outside of town, causing no injuries or damage.
Another rocket landed near a kindergarten in town shortly after; several people suffered shock and a house was damaged.
A mother of a child who attends the kindergarten said: "They called my and said that a rocket landed near the facility. I ran there and found all the children terrified and in tears. The kindergarten teachers tried to calm them."
Another rocket landed later just outside Sderot, causing no injuries or damages.
Earlier, Palestinian gunmen fired three rockets from northern Gaza; the Qassams landed in open fields near Sderot. No one was injured and no damage was caused in this attack as well.
An overall of seven rockets hit the southern town during the morning hours.
Panic and hysteria
Sderot residents told Ynet that the rockets fell while their kids were on their way to their schools and kindergartens. "When the alarm went off, the bus driver stopped near one of the fortified houses. He asked the girls to run and hide there," a mother said.
"My daughter called me terrified and in hysterics. Now she has to start her school day in such a state. I still don't understand why they decided to open the school year in Sderot. Our children are studying under Qassam fire," she added.
The parents association in Sderot said it was a mistake to open the school year with rockets falling on the city on a daily basis. "We are receiving plenty of calls from parents. We believe that under these circumstances we cannot have normal schooling," association members said.
span>
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Israel threatens to bomb Hamas, Jihad offices abroad
Arab and European countries have conveyed "serious" Israeli threats to Arab countries hosting offices of Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements that those offices would be bombed in the event either of those two movements launched a major bombing operation against an Israeli target.
Comment: Wait, read the entire Arab news prepared item-the headline does not truthfully present the story-typical smoke and mirrors move. Lebanese newspaper 'Al-Akhbar' quoted a senior Palestinian security official, who preferred to remain anonymous, as saying that the targeted offices would be those in Lebanon and Syria.
The Israeli threat said that warplanes would bomb those offices immediately after any human bombing operation, the source added.
He predicted that any "strong" human bombing operation would entail air raids on the offices of the organization that adopts that operation.
An Islamic Jihad official, commenting on the Israeli threat, said that his movement has no offices in Syria or any other Arab country, affirming that his movement's offices are inside Palestine.
The Jihad official said that IOA is trying to cover up for its defeat in Lebanon through raids against the Palestinian resistance within and outside Palestine, and called for a serious Arab and Islamic stand in support of the Palestinians who are daily targeted at the hands of Israeli occupation.
Comment: Wait, read the entire Arab news prepared item-the headline does not truthfully present the story-typical smoke and mirrors move. Lebanese newspaper 'Al-Akhbar' quoted a senior Palestinian security official, who preferred to remain anonymous, as saying that the targeted offices would be those in Lebanon and Syria.
The Israeli threat said that warplanes would bomb those offices immediately after any human bombing operation, the source added.
He predicted that any "strong" human bombing operation would entail air raids on the offices of the organization that adopts that operation.
An Islamic Jihad official, commenting on the Israeli threat, said that his movement has no offices in Syria or any other Arab country, affirming that his movement's offices are inside Palestine.
The Jihad official said that IOA is trying to cover up for its defeat in Lebanon through raids against the Palestinian resistance within and outside Palestine, and called for a serious Arab and Islamic stand in support of the Palestinians who are daily targeted at the hands of Israeli occupation.
CAIR Revealed
Trail Of Terror: We've wondered why the Council on American-Islamic Relations director has spurned Senate invitations to answer terror charges. Now we know. CAIR Revealedhttp://ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=273453355481549By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Friday, August 31, 2007 4:20 PM PT Trail Of Terror: We've wondered why the Council on American-Islamic Relations director has spurned Senate invitations to answer terror charges. Now we know. Related Stories: Who Are CAIR's Paymasters? | CAIR's Fuzzy Math For the first time, evidence in a major federal terror case puts CAIR's current executive director — Nihad Awad — at a Philadelphia meeting of alleged Hamas leaders that was secretly recorded by the FBI. After the Associated Press last week reported the bombshell, CAIR denied claims of ties to Hamas. "That's one of those urban legends about CAIR," said Parvez Ahmed, CAIR's chairman. "It's fed by the right-wing, pro-Israeli blogosphere."In fact, the evidence was revealed by an FBI agent who testified at the terror-financing trial under way in Dallas.Her name is Lara Burns, and she's the lead investigator in the case against operators of the Holy Land Foundation, the largest Muslim charity in America. CAIR, which she says received startup funding from HLF, is named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case, according to court exhibits.President Bush froze HLF's funds after 9/11. It's now accused of being a Hamas front, and its leaders — including one of CAIR's founding directors — are on trial for allegedly funneling more than $12 million to aid Palestinian suicide-bombing operations .Burns placed both Awad and his ethnic-Palestinian pal Omar Ahmed, who founded CAIR with Awad, at a Philly meeting last decade where she says Hamas leaders and supporters hatched a plot to disguise funds for Hamas suicide operations as charity for HLF. According to FBI wiretaps, it was decided at the Hamas summit, which took place inside a Marriott hotel, that most of the funds collected by HLF in the future would be steered to Hamas .Awad, like Ahmad, does not talk much about his pre-CAIR days.But before 9/11, when Muslim groups received less scrutiny in America, he made his support for Hamas publicly known. At a March 22, 1994, symposium on the Middle East at Florida's Barry University, Awad said: "After I researched the situation inside and outside Palestine, I am in support of the Hamas movement."Three months later, he and Ahmad founded CAIR. They promote the group as a grass-roots champion of Muslim civil rights, a "Muslim NAACP." But many of the things CAIR's leaders claim and what we later learn from the factual record don't square. For instance, they've claimed that they get no foreign support and that their funding comes from local dues. In fact, the bulk of their support comes from two Arab countries tied to 9/11 — Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.They've claimed that the size of the Muslim population in America is 7 million. In fact, it's closer to 2 million.They've claimed that they're mainstream American patriots, when in fact they've told Muslim audiences that they want the Quran to replace the Constitution as the "highest authority in America." They've also claimed that they don't support terrorism, even as three senior employees have been jailed in terror-related cases.And now this. CAIR claims to be the voice of American Muslims. If so, it's been an especially loud one. But it has lost its credibility to speak honestly for any legitimate cause.
Hamas' EF abducts eight Fatah members in Gaza
Gaza – Ma'an - Hamas' Executive Force abducted eight members of Fatah, three of whom are from the Al Aqsa Brigades, in the Gaza Strip on Friday.
The military wing of Fatah, the Al Aqsa Brigades, issued a statement claiming that the EF abducted three of their members from the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City and five other Fatah members from northern Gaza.
"The members were taken from their homes immediately after Friday prayer," said the brigades.
The brigades revealed that they will not remain mute and immobile in the face of EF violations against their members.
The Al Aqsa Brigades also alleged that the EF sends spies, disguised as journalists, to record Fatah events. "We have pictures to prove this," said the brigades.
The deposed ministry of the interior said that the arrests took place due to criminal behaviour, which took place after Friday prayer.
The ministry said "some outlaws began throwing stones at the police centre and others fired into the air."
On Saturday, the EF called upon the parents of those taken prisoner on Friday to pay 1,000 NIS (~$250 US) in order to secure the release of the detainees. The EF said that the money would be returned after six months.
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The military wing of Fatah, the Al Aqsa Brigades, issued a statement claiming that the EF abducted three of their members from the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City and five other Fatah members from northern Gaza.
"The members were taken from their homes immediately after Friday prayer," said the brigades.
The brigades revealed that they will not remain mute and immobile in the face of EF violations against their members.
The Al Aqsa Brigades also alleged that the EF sends spies, disguised as journalists, to record Fatah events. "We have pictures to prove this," said the brigades.
The deposed ministry of the interior said that the arrests took place due to criminal behaviour, which took place after Friday prayer.
The ministry said "some outlaws began throwing stones at the police centre and others fired into the air."
On Saturday, the EF called upon the parents of those taken prisoner on Friday to pay 1,000 NIS (~$250 US) in order to secure the release of the detainees. The EF said that the money would be returned after six months.
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The Valuable Turkish Lesson
There is a prevailing state of happiness amongst many of the political Islamist parties and movements in the Arab world as [the former] Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül managed to win the race for the Turkish presidency despite the vast reservations of secular and military leaders in the country towards him. These political Islamist and Arab political parties and movements consider Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and their party (the Justice and Development Party) one of them.
In reality, however, the Turkish Justice and Development Party and its leadership that enjoys an Islamic orientation is so far removed from the Islamist movements in the Arab world that it would be extremely unfair to place both parties in the same category. The Justice and Development Party had not assumed power by killing, bombing, and causing genocide and bloodshed. Also, it never advocated fatwas (religious rulings) created by ignorant individuals that denounce others as infidels and divide members of the same community into categories of atheists and infidels based on ignorant and erroneous judgments. This party had not reached power by isolating itself from the world and separating its people from their surroundings or misleading them to believe that they live alone on this planet.
The Development and Justice Party's accession to power and to the highest authority in the Turkish Republic is a qualitative leap in the modern model of governance in the Islamic world. It’s governance is a rational and balanced one that is not strained or destructive as advocated by many political movements known for their Islamist orientations. With its spectacular successes on the economic level, the Turkish Justice and Development Party embarrasses the European Union for its consistent reservations towards accepting it as a full-fledged member of the European market. With its religious orientation, the party is similar to Christian Democratic parties in Germany and Scandinavian countries that were founded upon Protestantism yet managed to merge in the course of democratic mobility in a positive and constructive manner, dropping the religious cloak and adopting the form of a political party with religious roots. The successful and successive achievements of the Justice and Development Party along with its persistence towards protecting secularism, (that acts as the defense against sectarianism, division and ethnic conflicts and the differences that they produce that the Arab world is replete with), shows that what has been constantly promoted regarding the maintenance of religious governance is not a solution. The solution is the approach and method that have been adopted in Turkey, which came from a reference and methodology that has nothing to do with what others call for in Arab and Islamist movements.
We desperately hope that a country such as Pakistan would benefit from the valuable Turkish lesson before it drowns in the swamp of sectarianism and tribalism because the requirements for such a catastrophe are available. Of course, we can remind Iraq that it too should benefit from the same lesson.
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In reality, however, the Turkish Justice and Development Party and its leadership that enjoys an Islamic orientation is so far removed from the Islamist movements in the Arab world that it would be extremely unfair to place both parties in the same category. The Justice and Development Party had not assumed power by killing, bombing, and causing genocide and bloodshed. Also, it never advocated fatwas (religious rulings) created by ignorant individuals that denounce others as infidels and divide members of the same community into categories of atheists and infidels based on ignorant and erroneous judgments. This party had not reached power by isolating itself from the world and separating its people from their surroundings or misleading them to believe that they live alone on this planet.
The Development and Justice Party's accession to power and to the highest authority in the Turkish Republic is a qualitative leap in the modern model of governance in the Islamic world. It’s governance is a rational and balanced one that is not strained or destructive as advocated by many political movements known for their Islamist orientations. With its spectacular successes on the economic level, the Turkish Justice and Development Party embarrasses the European Union for its consistent reservations towards accepting it as a full-fledged member of the European market. With its religious orientation, the party is similar to Christian Democratic parties in Germany and Scandinavian countries that were founded upon Protestantism yet managed to merge in the course of democratic mobility in a positive and constructive manner, dropping the religious cloak and adopting the form of a political party with religious roots. The successful and successive achievements of the Justice and Development Party along with its persistence towards protecting secularism, (that acts as the defense against sectarianism, division and ethnic conflicts and the differences that they produce that the Arab world is replete with), shows that what has been constantly promoted regarding the maintenance of religious governance is not a solution. The solution is the approach and method that have been adopted in Turkey, which came from a reference and methodology that has nothing to do with what others call for in Arab and Islamist movements.
We desperately hope that a country such as Pakistan would benefit from the valuable Turkish lesson before it drowns in the swamp of sectarianism and tribalism because the requirements for such a catastrophe are available. Of course, we can remind Iraq that it too should benefit from the same lesson.
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Al-Aqsa Brigades: Sderot inhabitants must evacuate their homes
Gaza, August 30, 2007 (RNA) – al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah Movement called on the inhabitants of Sderot town who live near to governmental posts to evacuate their homes especially who live near to Municipality and Police HQ. Khaled al-Jaabary, the leader in al-Aqsa Brigades said "we will continue shelling Israeli towns and governmental posts in the frame of "Wall Hole" which targets Israeli towns."
"We are serious in these threats, we start our operations very soon." he added.
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"We are serious in these threats, we start our operations very soon." he added.
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Rockets land near Sderot on first day of school
As two Qassams land outside southern town of Sderot, parents in rocket-battered town say, 'We're gambling on our lives.' Islamic Jihad's military wing claims responsibility; no injuries or damage reported. Sderot mayor: Rockets will be part of school year
Anat Bereshkovsky Latest Update: 09.02.07, 11:16 / Israel News
Some 1.5 million students returned to school Sunday after a two-month summer break. They were greeted by 120,656 teachers and school workers. About 134,500 children began first grade.
State officials also left their offices in honor of the new school year. President Shimon Peres visited an elementary school in Jerusalem, while Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter visited Sderot in order to examine the security arrangement in the rocket-battered town.
Stop for Inspection
New school year puts police on high alert / Efrat Weiss
In attempt to fight schoolyard violence, police post guards around educational institutions, reinforce traffic police and permit security guards to inspect backpacks upon entrance to school
Full story
Meanwhile, two Qassam rockets landed in open fields outside Sderot on Sunday morning. The al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad's military wing, claimed responsibility for the attack; no injuries or damages were reported as a result.
Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal said following the rocket attack, "Unfortunately, we are not surprised. This only proves that we are expecting a year accompanied by rocket fire. Unfortunately, this is the routine we live in and the reality we are in."
Minister Dichter told Ynet that he welcomed the parents' decision to open the school year as scheduled in Sderot. "The Parents' Committee made a brave decision to send the children to school with mixed emotions. This is not a simple decision and it's pretty embarrassing. I salute the parents for opening the school year as planned."
Dichter said that had he lived in Sderot, he would have sent his children to school.
"I'm not saying that life in Sderot is not dangerous," the minister noted. "The school is prepared under the existing circumstances and the students must be trained. I hope we will change reality and we have the tools to do so. This is just a decision we will have to make."
Dichter visits Sderot school (Photo: Amir Cohen)
On Saturday evening, a Qassam rocket landed near one of Sderot's schools. Avivit Dahan, whose daughter Rotem began first grade on Sunday, hopes that her daughter's classroom is fortified.
"There is no doubt that the school is more fortified than our house," she said.
Meir and Evelin Ezra, whose son Noam also began first grade, said that "there so many talks about fortification, but that's not the solution. Our house is only a few meters away from here. On the way to school I was thinking what we would do if the Color Red (alert system) was activated. It's a roulette. We're gambling on our lives."
Minister Dichter replied, "The Israeli government's mandate is to guarantee peace and quiet. Unfortunately, this is not the strong part of the city. I cannot promise peace and quiet under these circumstances. All I can promise is that we are doing the maximum."
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday morning, "I am happy that the parents in Sderot showed responsibility toward their children and decided to open the school year."
Speaking during a visit at an elementary high school in the city of Ramla, the prime minister added, "We will build 13 news schools in Sderot. I can say that every school in Sderot today, excluding maybe one small wing, is fortified according to the Home Front Command's instructions.
"We fear for the security of our children and teachers everywhere, particularly in a place like Sderot. in light of the dangers, we will do everything in a responsible manner."
More students, less classrooms
Education Ministry data revealed that the number of students in Israel increased by more than 10,000 since last year, while the number of teachers and school workers grew by only 60.
In spite of the increase in the number of students, however, the number of classrooms opened across Israel this year was reduced: 53,449 classrooms compared to 53,687 classrooms opened last year.
Soldiers at entrance to Sderot school (Photo: Amir Cohen)
The Education Ministry's situation room has begun operating and is prepared to receive reports on disruptions and strikes in schools across the country. So far, reports have been received on plans to strike in only 10 schools.
The main reasons for the strikes are local disputes between the parents and the school management over different issues: A principal's unsuitability, a violent student, an objection to a cellular antenna, etc.
Students in Christian Arab schools returned to school on Saturday. The Arab Education Forum in the Negev announced, however, that six schools and 12 kindergartens will be on strike.
Education Minister Yuli Tamir said that the opening of the new school year was being held "in an incredibly organized manner" and that there were only small local problems.
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The minister referred to high school teachers' threats to launch a strike next week, saying that "we will continue our intensive discussions with the teachers, and hope that what started with a court order will continue in partnership.
"We have a new budget with a significant improvement in the teachers' salary, and it's a shame that teachers who belong to the Middle and High School Teachers' Association will not be able to enjoy it as well."
Aviram Zino, Moran Zelikovich and Shmulik Hadad contributed to this report
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Anat Bereshkovsky Latest Update: 09.02.07, 11:16 / Israel News
Some 1.5 million students returned to school Sunday after a two-month summer break. They were greeted by 120,656 teachers and school workers. About 134,500 children began first grade.
State officials also left their offices in honor of the new school year. President Shimon Peres visited an elementary school in Jerusalem, while Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter visited Sderot in order to examine the security arrangement in the rocket-battered town.
Stop for Inspection
New school year puts police on high alert / Efrat Weiss
In attempt to fight schoolyard violence, police post guards around educational institutions, reinforce traffic police and permit security guards to inspect backpacks upon entrance to school
Full story
Meanwhile, two Qassam rockets landed in open fields outside Sderot on Sunday morning. The al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad's military wing, claimed responsibility for the attack; no injuries or damages were reported as a result.
Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal said following the rocket attack, "Unfortunately, we are not surprised. This only proves that we are expecting a year accompanied by rocket fire. Unfortunately, this is the routine we live in and the reality we are in."
Minister Dichter told Ynet that he welcomed the parents' decision to open the school year as scheduled in Sderot. "The Parents' Committee made a brave decision to send the children to school with mixed emotions. This is not a simple decision and it's pretty embarrassing. I salute the parents for opening the school year as planned."
Dichter said that had he lived in Sderot, he would have sent his children to school.
"I'm not saying that life in Sderot is not dangerous," the minister noted. "The school is prepared under the existing circumstances and the students must be trained. I hope we will change reality and we have the tools to do so. This is just a decision we will have to make."
Dichter visits Sderot school (Photo: Amir Cohen)
On Saturday evening, a Qassam rocket landed near one of Sderot's schools. Avivit Dahan, whose daughter Rotem began first grade on Sunday, hopes that her daughter's classroom is fortified.
"There is no doubt that the school is more fortified than our house," she said.
Meir and Evelin Ezra, whose son Noam also began first grade, said that "there so many talks about fortification, but that's not the solution. Our house is only a few meters away from here. On the way to school I was thinking what we would do if the Color Red (alert system) was activated. It's a roulette. We're gambling on our lives."
Minister Dichter replied, "The Israeli government's mandate is to guarantee peace and quiet. Unfortunately, this is not the strong part of the city. I cannot promise peace and quiet under these circumstances. All I can promise is that we are doing the maximum."
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday morning, "I am happy that the parents in Sderot showed responsibility toward their children and decided to open the school year."
Speaking during a visit at an elementary high school in the city of Ramla, the prime minister added, "We will build 13 news schools in Sderot. I can say that every school in Sderot today, excluding maybe one small wing, is fortified according to the Home Front Command's instructions.
"We fear for the security of our children and teachers everywhere, particularly in a place like Sderot. in light of the dangers, we will do everything in a responsible manner."
More students, less classrooms
Education Ministry data revealed that the number of students in Israel increased by more than 10,000 since last year, while the number of teachers and school workers grew by only 60.
In spite of the increase in the number of students, however, the number of classrooms opened across Israel this year was reduced: 53,449 classrooms compared to 53,687 classrooms opened last year.
Soldiers at entrance to Sderot school (Photo: Amir Cohen)
The Education Ministry's situation room has begun operating and is prepared to receive reports on disruptions and strikes in schools across the country. So far, reports have been received on plans to strike in only 10 schools.
The main reasons for the strikes are local disputes between the parents and the school management over different issues: A principal's unsuitability, a violent student, an objection to a cellular antenna, etc.
Students in Christian Arab schools returned to school on Saturday. The Arab Education Forum in the Negev announced, however, that six schools and 12 kindergartens will be on strike.
Education Minister Yuli Tamir said that the opening of the new school year was being held "in an incredibly organized manner" and that there were only small local problems.
Advertisement
The minister referred to high school teachers' threats to launch a strike next week, saying that "we will continue our intensive discussions with the teachers, and hope that what started with a court order will continue in partnership.
"We have a new budget with a significant improvement in the teachers' salary, and it's a shame that teachers who belong to the Middle and High School Teachers' Association will not be able to enjoy it as well."
Aviram Zino, Moran Zelikovich and Shmulik Hadad contributed to this report
span>
Saudi clerics inciting violence, alleges PM
BAGHDAD: Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki on Friday tacitly criticised some clerics in Saudi Arabia whom he blamed for a share of responsibility for this week's clashes during a Shiite festival in Karbala. Maliki did not point the finger at the Saudi government but alluded to some hardline Wahhabist clerics in the kingdom.
He claimed their hostility contributed to clashes around the shrines of Imam Hussein and his half brother Imam Abbas in the central holy city of Karbala, which left up to 51 people dead.
"We don't need any proof or evidence because these establishments, with deep regret, issued fatwas (religious edicts) calling for the destruction of the shrines of Imam Hussein and Abbas," Maliki, a Shiite, said during a brief news conference.
The two shrines are among the holiest sites to Shiites worldwide.
"When I speak about foreign intervention in this matter, we speak about organisations, gangs of fanatics and ignorant clerics who have said in the past that Shiites are infidels, meaning they permit killing them," he said.
In December, a top Saudi Arabian Sunni cleric, Abdul-Rahman Al Barak, declared Shiites around the world to be infidels who should be considered worse than Jews or Christians.
Earlier that month about 30 prominent Saudi Wahhabi clerics called on Sunni Muslims around the Middle East to support their brethren in Iraq against Shiites and praised the anti-American insurgency.
Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia refused to receive Maliki during a tour that took him to several countries in the region.
Local officials, however, blamed the Mahdi Army militia of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr for fomenting the violence.
Residents venturing nervously into the streets for the first time since the fighting expressed dismay that the local security forces had not been able to restore order and had to rely on reinforcements sent from other provinces.
"Karbala's clashes showed that our security force, which is made up of locals, is incapable of protecting the city when there are criminals from the same city," said grocer Kadhim Mohammed, 50.
"The security forces that came from Baghdad and other provinces quickly imposed security and discipline because there is no link between them and the criminals," he said.
Zuheir Al Hindawy, a local journalist, said he was "astonished" that Maliki, a Shiite, had blamed Sunni extremists for the fighting.
"The reality on ground is totally different," said Hindawy.
"Why did the government not point out the guilty party after it announced it had stopped its activities for a certain period of time?"
Peaceful prayer
Iraqi troops backed by armoured vehicles guarded two key shrines in Karbala as a trickle of devotees attended Friday prayers three days after fierce fighting turned a pilgrimage into a bloodbath.
A ban on vehicles remained in place in the shrine city south of Baghdad, however, and the streets remained largely empty.
Only a few hundred people turned up for prayers at the Imam Hussein shrine which normally draws thousands every Friday.
Prayers were led by imam Abdel Mahdi Karbalae, a representative of revered Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, who used his weekly message to highlight police inadequacies during Tuesday's battles.
"Regretfully police failed to protect the shrine. They did not perform their duties well," Karbalae told the congregation. He also called for a "comprehensive investigation" into the events and compensation for the families of the victims.
"We have intelligence information that indicates there was an organised scheme to cause clashes and create chaos," Karbalae said, holding up a letter from "intelligence sources" but without elaborating.
"The security forces did not move rapidly to deal with these groups when they approached the shrine. So they were able to move quickly and start the clashes," the cleric charged.
"It was only after we phoned the prime minister and he ordered the army to take over security that order was restored."
He claimed their hostility contributed to clashes around the shrines of Imam Hussein and his half brother Imam Abbas in the central holy city of Karbala, which left up to 51 people dead.
"We don't need any proof or evidence because these establishments, with deep regret, issued fatwas (religious edicts) calling for the destruction of the shrines of Imam Hussein and Abbas," Maliki, a Shiite, said during a brief news conference.
The two shrines are among the holiest sites to Shiites worldwide.
"When I speak about foreign intervention in this matter, we speak about organisations, gangs of fanatics and ignorant clerics who have said in the past that Shiites are infidels, meaning they permit killing them," he said.
In December, a top Saudi Arabian Sunni cleric, Abdul-Rahman Al Barak, declared Shiites around the world to be infidels who should be considered worse than Jews or Christians.
Earlier that month about 30 prominent Saudi Wahhabi clerics called on Sunni Muslims around the Middle East to support their brethren in Iraq against Shiites and praised the anti-American insurgency.
Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia refused to receive Maliki during a tour that took him to several countries in the region.
Local officials, however, blamed the Mahdi Army militia of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr for fomenting the violence.
Residents venturing nervously into the streets for the first time since the fighting expressed dismay that the local security forces had not been able to restore order and had to rely on reinforcements sent from other provinces.
"Karbala's clashes showed that our security force, which is made up of locals, is incapable of protecting the city when there are criminals from the same city," said grocer Kadhim Mohammed, 50.
"The security forces that came from Baghdad and other provinces quickly imposed security and discipline because there is no link between them and the criminals," he said.
Zuheir Al Hindawy, a local journalist, said he was "astonished" that Maliki, a Shiite, had blamed Sunni extremists for the fighting.
"The reality on ground is totally different," said Hindawy.
"Why did the government not point out the guilty party after it announced it had stopped its activities for a certain period of time?"
Peaceful prayer
Iraqi troops backed by armoured vehicles guarded two key shrines in Karbala as a trickle of devotees attended Friday prayers three days after fierce fighting turned a pilgrimage into a bloodbath.
A ban on vehicles remained in place in the shrine city south of Baghdad, however, and the streets remained largely empty.
Only a few hundred people turned up for prayers at the Imam Hussein shrine which normally draws thousands every Friday.
Prayers were led by imam Abdel Mahdi Karbalae, a representative of revered Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, who used his weekly message to highlight police inadequacies during Tuesday's battles.
"Regretfully police failed to protect the shrine. They did not perform their duties well," Karbalae told the congregation. He also called for a "comprehensive investigation" into the events and compensation for the families of the victims.
"We have intelligence information that indicates there was an organised scheme to cause clashes and create chaos," Karbalae said, holding up a letter from "intelligence sources" but without elaborating.
"The security forces did not move rapidly to deal with these groups when they approached the shrine. So they were able to move quickly and start the clashes," the cleric charged.
"It was only after we phoned the prime minister and he ordered the army to take over security that order was restored."
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