“Spring 2006 – The Land and the Zionist State of Israel”

Lekarev - During his speech today marking the anniversary of what Arabs call the "Nakba" ( the Catastrophe of the establishment of Israel) Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for Israel to return to the negotiating table.

Abbas also urged Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip to halt rocket attacks on Israel. He said the violence encourages Israel to step up its military activity and proceed with unilateral plans to impose a border on the Palestinians.

Israel has said there can be no peace talks until the new Hamas-led Palestinian government renounces violence and recognizes Israel's right to exist.

Abbas has been urging Hamas to soften its line, but so far been unsuccessful.

The Palestinians celebrate this day each year with rallies, marches and mourning.

Hamas Leader Urges All Palestinians to Unite, Go Underground for Guerilla War Against Israel - May 14, 2006

Lekarev - DEBKAfile has posted a thorough report on a video conference in which a Hamas leader sternly and clearly instructs the leaders of the various Palestinian groups to put aside their differences, unite and prepare for a guerilla war against Israel. Prof. Abdel al Sather Qassam, university lecturer at Nablus a-Najah University, is a little- known figure to the outside world. However Israeli intelligence rates him as Hamas’ senior strategic ideologue and a highly influential voice in the Palestinian terror movement at large. I encourage you to click below and read Debka's report. You need to be informed!

Prof. Qassam Speaks

Palestinian Cartoon Shows Contempt for Symbol of Democracy - June 1, 2006

Arutz Sheva (IsraelNationalNews) - A Palestinian Authority child is depicted urinating on the Statue of Liberty in the May 25th issue of Al-Risala, a Hamas weekly newspaper. Palestinian Media Watch reports that in this week’s cartoon, the Statue of Liberty is holding a book entitled “Democracy.” PA media have consistently targeted the Statue of Liberty in the past, according to PMW.The Statue of Liberty, also known as Lady Liberty, is an internationally-recognized American symbol of freedom and democracy. Such ideas are apparently anathema to the PA; at a rally in March 2006, the newspaper Al-Hayat Al Jadida accused the West of “trying to penetrate Islamic youth with dubious things such as the ideas of democracy."

Hamas is by no means the only PA party blasting the United States using caricatures, however. Newspapers linked to PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party have printed many such venomous cartoons. Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Al-Quds and Al-Ayam newspapers have all pictured Lady Liberty as a terrorist, an arsonist burning down the world, a prostitute, and a prisoner of U.S. security agencies, among others.The Palestinian Media Watch monitors Palestinian Authority publications, including news media and schoolbooks, among others. To see the PMW website, click here.

Palestinian Clerics Blast Christian Zionists - May 9, 2006

Lekarev - Christians who support Israel are distorting their true faith, have adopted Satan as god and constitute the greatest danger to world peace, according to a senior Palestinian Authority cleric.

The cleric, whose article on Christianity and Israel is posted on an official PA government website, also accuses Zionist Christians of persecuting Palestinians and directing the war in Iraq, and he calls for pro-Israeli Christian denominations to be expelled from the "world church."

"Very few people know the truth about this Christian Zionist movement, which unconditionally supports the Zionist enemy and unconditionally opposes Islam and the Muslims," writes Hamed Al-Tamimi, director of inter-religious dialogue for the PA's Judicial Council. With this kind of repeated rhetoric from Palestinian clerics, it is difficult to comprehend how certain Christian denominations still support the Palestinians and denounce Israel. Tamimi is not an isolated cleric. His position is representative of the Palestinian Authority.

The article, posted in Arabic, was translated by Palestinian Media Watch.

Al Aqsa Threatens Katsav and Olmert – March 15, 2006

Lekarev - Israeli President Moshe Katsav and acting Prime Minister Ehuld Olmert are primary assassination targets for the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group, according to a senior member of the organization who was involved in the kidnapping of two British citizens today.

Abu Mujaheed, a leader of the Brigades in the West Bank town of Nablus, spoke after a nine-hour Israeli siege of a prison complex in Jericho ended in the surrender of five prisoners wanted for murdering Israel's tourism minister in 2001.

"We will do our best and will make every effort to reach the highest officers and politicians in Israel including Olmert, but [we are especially] interested in reaching the highest level in Israel, the symbol of the Israeli sovereignty. And I mean the president, Katsav," declared Abu Mujaheed.

The Escalating Gaza War - April 10, 2006

Lekarev - "This is a war," a high-ranking member of the IDF General Staff said Sunday. Not just a war against the Kassam, he explained, but a full-fledged war the State of Israel was waging against Palestinian terrorism. But while the IDF has talked tough for months, issuing declarations every so often that it would "crack down" on Kassam launch cells, only over the weekend did the army really begin to put its fire where its mouth was. The results were evident - 15 Palestinians dead and dozens others wounded. But senior officers say matter-of-factly, the IDF would definitely pay a heavy price with soldiers' lives were it to conduct a ground operation into Gaza.

With that formula in mind, IDF chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz is not rushing to enter the Gaza Strip and will continue doing everything possible from the air, sea and ground (outside Gaza) before he hands the Southern Command invasion orders. But other IDF officers say that "Southern Arrow" - the name of the IDF operation against the Kassams - was taking a natural course that would inevitably lead to a massive ground operation inside the Gaza Strip. "We have no problem entering Gaza tomorrow," one high-ranking officer said. "It is all a matter of when we feel that we have fully utilized this current stage in the operation and we need to escalate our action to continue creating deterrence for the other side."

But the Kassams might turn out to be the least of the IDF's problems on the Gaza front. While only one Katyusha rocket has so far been fired at Israel (on Election Day), Military Intelligence believes the Palestinians have at least 100 more. In addition, the army suspects that Palestinians may have also gotten their hands on anti-aircraft missiles and other new weaponry. Iranian and Syrian terror and bomb experts, officers say, have also entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt and are in the midst of setting up new terror infrastructures with the goal of duplicating them in the West Bank.

So if the Kassams continue despite the present IDF operation, Halutz might soon have to order troops inside the Gaza Strip to stop the rockets once and for all.

New Gaza Casino Destroyed in IDF Bombing – April 4, 2006

Lekarev - In response to the ongoing terrorism and attacks from the Palestinian Authority, the IDF stepped up its artillery response over the Sabbath, from both the air and the sea. A seaside building used as a shelter for terrorists and for firing Kassams - and designated for future use as a casino - was partially destroyed in an IDF bombing on Friday night. The building is located just off the Mediterranea Sea shore in northern Gaza, very close to the former Jewish community of Elei Sinai. Early Saturday morning, Israel Navy ships fired heavily at two areas in northern Gaza from where terrorists often fire rockets towards Ashkelon. IDF artillery units also shot dozens of shells at areas from where rockets are launched at Israel.

The bombed casino building served, according to evidence and testimony received by the IDF, as a center for firing Kassam rockets towards Israel. Its construction was completed not long ago, and it was originally to have served as a casino and entertainment center.

Ten Al Qaeda Operatives Infiltrate Gaza - April 5, 2006

Lekarev - Ten terror operatives affiliated with Al-Qaida and other global jihad factions have infiltrated the Gaza Strip in recent weeks, according to Jordanian security officials.

Palestinian Authority sources said their security agencies suspect that the operatives, who arrived in Gaza from Egypt - some through the Rafah terminal - are staying in the cities of Khan Yunis and Rafah and are involved in smuggling materiel on a large scale. According to various reports, the operatives belong to several factions, mainly radical Islamic movements in Egypt, that are affiliated with Al-Qaida. Beside Palestinians, there are citizens of Egypt, Sudan and Yemen.

Abbas Calls Terrorists "Our Heroes” – May 26, 2006

Lekarev - Just two days after PM Olmert called him a "very decent human being" who is "opposed to terror," PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas call Palestinian terrorists "our heroes." While Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, takes on the position of "moderate" and attempts to convince Hamas to accept Judea and Samaria for now, his words to audiences at home present a different picture.

Speaking on PA TV on May 23 about jailed terrorists' recent "conciliation plan" between Fatah and Hamas, Mahmoud Abbas expressed his satisfaction with the initiative of those he called "our brothers, our jailed heroes... [their] initiative proves that these heroes, who are sentenced to tens of life sentences, feel too that the homeland is in danger."

Abbas Stuns Hamas with Ultimatum – May 25, 2006

Lekarev - Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas shocked the Palestinian political arena by placing an ultimatum on Palestinian organizations: If, within 10 days, the Hamas-led government does not accept the plan to establish a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, he is planning on taking the plan for a national Palestinian referendum within 40 days.

The Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem has so far refrained from giving a statement. One cannot but notice that this challenge was issued the day after Ehud Olmert delivered a strong and stirring speech to the assembled Houses of Congress in the United States. Olmert at one point said quite forcefully, "We cannot wait for the Palestinians forever." Was this the catalyst that pushed Abbas to move dramatically? Maybe so.

If the 10 day deadline expires, Abbas said, he would call a referendum within 40 days on a proposal to accept Palestinian statehood in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem. "If you don't reach an agreement within 10 days, I'm going to present the document to a referendum in 40 days. Within 40 days I will ask the people," Abbas told a large gathering at his headquarters in Ramallah.

In his unwritten speech, Abbas turned to the Palestinian government, said: "Are slogans enough to feed the hungry? We must stop with the slogans and start dealing with reality. We must stop dreaming and accept what we can take now. Let us not speak of dreams. Let's take the Palestinian state on the '67 borders, and there is a national consensus on this."

And don't for a minute think that this announcement just happened to be issued today! It's Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, the anniversary of the liberating of Jerusalem during the 1967 war. And Abbas chose THIS day to issue his ultimatum to Hamas? Coincidence? I hardly think so.

New Hamas Video Issues Call for War – May 19, 2006

Lekarev - Hamas' Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades have released a video in which a Star of David is seen engulfed in flames, and which contains calls for jihad "to liberate Palestine and Palestinians."

"The Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades aims to contribute to the effort to liberate Palestine," a man with a heavily Arabic accent says in English on the video.

Masked men are seen training with firearms, and attacks on Israel including Qassam rocket launches and the detonation of roadside explosives are shown, in a video reminiscent of footage shot by terrorist organizations operating in Iraq. The video, recently released, is a significant message from Hamas, which has attempted to tone down its calls for Israel's destruction since coming to power in the Palestinian elections.

The al-Qassam Brigade's invoke "the sacred Islamic teaching of the holy Koran, the sunna of the prophet Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon him," and call for "invoking the spirit of jihad among Palestinians and Arabs and Muslims," and "liberating Palestinians and their land."

Mashaal: Hamas, Fatah Should Unite Against Israel – May 13, 2006

Lekarev -Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said yesterday that the two main Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah should unite and fight Israel rather than each other. The two ought to close ranks on "liberating Palestine, not recognizing Israel and adopting the path of Jihad and resistance," Mashaal said at the end of a two- day conference by Islamic scholars on the Palestinian question.

Mashaal made no reference to an 18-point agreement between Hamas and Fatah prisoners held by Israel that was announced Thursday. Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who is also the leader of Fatah, endorsed the agreement, but its acceptance would amount to a significant shift by Hamas. The accord calls for a Palestinian state alongside Israel, and Hamas has consistently refused to recognize Israel. .

Instead, Mashaal addressed the rank and file members of Hamas and Fatah in the Palestinian territories, where three people were killed and more than a dozen wounded in fighting this week. "I urge you in the name of God to save your blood and direct the weapons to the chests of the enemy," Mashaal said. "We are brothers. We may disagree politically, but we are not enemies." The conference delegates responded with applause.

Hamas (Muslim Brotherhood) and the Palestinians

Hamas: No Peace Ever Without Return of Millions of Arabs – May 16, 2006

Lekarev - While the nations of the world keep trying to convince Hamas to adopt a more modreate stance toward Israel, yesterday's proclamation by Hamas for "Nakba Day" should be a wake up call and prove that the world is having no effect on the Hamas mentality.

The Arabs of the Palestinian Authority commemorate May 15 - the date of the end of the British Mandate in 1948, which made room for the formation of the State of Israel - as their "Nakba Day," or Day of Catastrophe. The Hamas terrorist movement, which now controls the Palestinian Authority after an overwhelming popular election victory earlier this year, issued its Nakba Day proclamation yesterday, effectively destroying any chances for peace with Israel.

The Hamas announcement emphasizes the justness of terrorism against Israel, as well as the unyielding nature of its demand for the return of millions of Arabs to Israel. It repeats, several times, the false claim that the Arabs were cruelly thrown out of their homes by Israel in 1948 - when in fact the largest number of Arab refugees fled only at the urging of their own leaders, who promised them a swift victory over the fledgling Jewish state and a quick return to their homes. THAT, my friends is the historical truth despite claims to the contrary.

Hamas Trying to Take Over PLO – April 11, 2006

Lekarev - After having taken over the Palestinian Authority, Hamas is now working to solidify its power via elections in all the refugee camps throughout the Arab world. Hamas is attempting to prevent any Israeli attempt to detour Hamas and speak directly with Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) or other PLO leaders. Hamas has defined the PLO as its next target for political takeover, demanding elections throughout what the Arabs call the "Palestinian diaspora." This would mean elections in refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan and elsewhere, where Hamas feels it has very strong support. A victory in these elections would help Hamas attain positions currently held by PLO figures, such as the observer post in the United Nations, membership in international organizations, material assets, and the like.

Hamas also demands that the PLO nullify all agreements it has made with Israel in the past. Abu Marzuk said that Hamas will never accept any agreement made between Israel and Abu Mazen.

Haniyeh: Hamas To Take Control of Security Forces – April 6, 2006

Lekarev - The new Hamas prime minister said today that his government will take control of the Palestinian security forces and that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is free to negotiate with Israel on his own, though it's plain to see that such negotiations, if they happen at all, will have little to no effect.

Abbas, "as the head of the Palestinian Authority and the PLO, can move on political fronts and negotiate with whomever he wants. What is important is what will be offered to the Palestinian people," Ismail Haniyeh told The Associated Press in an interview. Haniyeh also rejected attempts by the international community to wrest authority from his government by giving more responsibility to Abbas.

Hamas Announces "Principles of Incoming Government” –March 12, 2006

Lekarev - Last night, Hamas released a document outlining the incoming Palestinian government's basic principles. "Resistance in all its forms is a legitimate right," the document declared, thereby legitimizing terrorism as an appropriate means of war. Hamas declares unequivocally in the document that it is "committed to the expulsion of the occupation and the right of return."

With that, the document said that the Hamas government would "address the reality created with the agreements with Israel." Hamas designated prime minister Sheikh Ismael Haniyeh transferred the document to Abbas, who earlier responded coldly by saying that the principles were '"too vague.' Addressing the question of whether Hamas would recognize Israel, the document stated that "this would done with consultation with the Palestinian organizations and institutions, and the Palestinian people in its entirety."

Hamas Platform: Terrorism is Legitimate - March 12, 2006

Arutz Sheva (IsraelNationalNews) - The Hamas movement, about to assume control over much of Judea/Samaria, presented its platform over the weekend - defining Israel as "the Zionist enemy" and approving continued terrorism. Ismail Haniye, designated to be the prime minister in the new Hamas Authority, presented the document to Mahmoud Abbas, the chairman of the Palestinian Authority, in the framework of the efforts to form a new government. Known as Abu Mazen, Abbas is seeking to lead his Fatah organization into a coalition with Hamas, but the two terrorist groups have not yet succeeded in finding sufficient common ground.

The Hamas platform, as outlined in the document, states that the dispute with the "Zionist enemy" continues, Israel is a conquering state, and that the path of resistance - a codeword for terrorism - is a "legitimate means of attaining the Palestinian nation's goals." The platform further states that hudna - a ceasefire that can be suspended the moment one side feels confident of victory - is also a legitimate tool.

"The conditions for a continued ceasefire," Hamas states, "are an end to all the attacks against the Palestinian nation, and the release of the all the Palestinian prisoners [terrorists].

"The Zionist government did not allow the negotiations to succeed," according to Hamas. "Hamas will be happy to learn of a more efficient way of achieving the Palestinian goals... We will relate to previously-signed agreements according to the interests of the Palestinian nation... Negotiations are merely a means, and not a goal; past talks have not provided us with our minimum demands. However, negotiations in the future will be considered, if they serve our interests."

More excerpts: "The Palestinians have the right to return to every centimeter of their lands, and this right cannot be ceded. Every Palestinian has the right to return to his home and land from which he was banished, and not to give up any morsel of his land."

It was first reported that Abbas had rejected the Hamas document as being too vague and bellicose, but this was later denied. Saed Seyam, a Hamas member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), said, "Abbas has not rejected a Hamas letter he received on Friday [nor] the program of the new cabinet."

Hamas spokesman Assad Farhat said late last week that Hamas absolutely does not accept the Road Map plan, which he called an "American Zionist program."

Hamas Cabinet Takes Office; Threatens Violence – March 30, 2006

Lekarev - After being sworn in by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas warned yesterday that it would revert to “armed resistance” should Israel press ahead with further unilateral withdrawals from West Bank settlements under Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s plan to impose borders with the Palestinians, according to an article in the British newspaper The Guardian today.

Hamas’ spokesmen in the Palestinian Legislative Council said the Palestinians had the right to renew violent attacks against Israeli targets in the West Bank, but fell short of threatening suicide attacks within Israel. But Mahmoud Ramahi, Hamas' spokesman in the Palestinian parliament, said Palestinians had the right to renew hostilities within the West Bank if the occupation continued, although he ruled out a renewal of suicide attacks within Israel.

Hamas Says One Thing to Western Press, Denies Statements in Arabic – March 24, 2006

Lekarev - The Hamas terror group, as part of its new role as head of the Palestinian Authority, when presented in a conciliatory light in Western media, denies in Arabic, statements heralded as moderate. Ismail Haniyah of Hamas told CBS on March 16th that he hoped to some day sign a peace agreement with Israel. In his CBS interview, Haniyah said that he was "seeking a peace settlement and stability in this region," "looking forward to peace and tranquility in this region," and "seeking American administration to create this missing peace."

According to a subsequent article in the Arabic periodical, Al Hayat Al Jadida, however, we learn: "[Hamas] Member of Parliament Mushir Al-Masri denied what was reported in various places in the media about Hamas abandoning its principles, relying on statements attributed to the Prime Minister designate, Ismail Haniyah, according to which he hopes that a peace treaty will be signed with the Israelis. He said that these statements, released on CBS, are unfounded [lit: naked of all truth]. Al-Masri said that these matters are part of a crazy campaign which aims at embarrassing and confusing the Palestinian arena and undermining the trust of the masses in Hamas movement. He added: ‘the Palestinian media grasps that this campaign should not be related to and it understands that America endeavors to undermine the [Hamas] movement in the eyes of the Palestinian people.’ As to the PM's statements, which have been distorted, Al-Masri said: ‘the American channel [CBS] broadcast that Sheikh Ismail Haniyah had said in an interview that he hoped that a treaty with Israel would be signed in the White House. I believe that the basis for the controversy over the [Hamas] political plan are the [peace] agreements, which in our opinion bring no benefit.” This should come as no surprise as Article 13 of the Hamas charter specifically calls for the destruction of Israel and has never been changed.

Hamas Parliament to be Sworn in Monday, Before Israeli Election – March 23, 2005

Lekarev - Yesterday the PLO executive committee turned down the government lineup and platform presented by Hamas prime-minister designate Ismail Haniyeh. However, Hamas countered that, since the organization is not a PLO member, the umbrella group’s decisions do not count. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas was warned that if he did not submit the cabinet to the Palestinian Legislative Council, where Hamas holds a majority, without delay, Hamas would proceed without him.

The contest between the PA chairman and prime minister is coming to a head with the threat of armed conflict between their camps in the background; in other words, civil war among the Palestinians

Hamas Presents its Terrorist Gov't – March 20, 2006

Lekarev - The new Hamas government was presented to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for his approval and there is no doubt that the Palestinian Authority is becoming a terrorist government. Just hours after prime minister-designate Ismail Haniye presented his new Hamas government last night, the Hamas Authority reports that two Arabs were wounded or killed in an attempt to take over the Gaza Electric Plant. Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz says that the Hamas government guidelines clearly indicate that the Palestinian Authority is well on its way to becoming a "terrorist authority."

The Hamas government, as presented to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), includes 24 ministers - all members or sympathizers of Hamas - including Mahmoud A-Zahar as Foreign Minister, and one woman. Its guidelines state: "Resistance [i.e., military or terrorist actions against Israel] in all ways is a legitimate right of the Palestinian nation -The Jewish settlements must be destroyed - An independent Palestinian nation must be established, with Jerusalem as its capital."

The guidelines do not meet any of the conditions set by Israel or the Quartet - namely, recognition of Israel, abandonment of terrorism and violence, and acceptance of the previous agreements signed with Israel. Mofaz said the new Hamas government is a test for Abbas, whose approval of the new government is a prerequisite for its existence. "He must now decide whether he wants to be relevant or not," Mofaz said. Senior PA figure Saeb Erekat said today that he assumes that Abu Mazen will, in fact, approve the Hamas government. The new government must also be approved by the PA's legislature and be sworn in by the legislature's speaker. Off the record, Israeli security sources said this morning that Israel is likely to cut off all relations with the PA if in fact the Hamas government is approved.

Hamas Leader: We Will Conquer Zionism – March 20, 2006

Lekarev - The leader of Hamas, Khaled Mash’al, said in a speech in Damascus that Arab determination and spirit will ultimately vanquish Zionism and bring about the liberation of all of Palestine. Mash’al, an implacable enemy of the Jewish state whom Israel attempted to assassinate in 1997, said the dream of returning millions of Arab refugees to Israel is coming closer to reality as the final battle with Zionism approaches.

The real power behind Hamas, Mash’al is a former resident of Gaza. Israel barred Mash’al from reentering the country, and assuming any role in the new Hamas government of the Palestinian Authority. Speaking at a gathering marking 40 days since the death of the head of the Palestinian National Council, Khaled Alfahom, Mash’al emphasized the importance of the “Palestinian spirit” in winning the historic battle against Zionism. In his speech, Mash'al said, “Today’s followers of Ben Gurion know that they have to contend with a [Palestinian] generation that’s stronger than its predecessors. They will see future generations of Palestinians and the Arab and Islamic nation waving the banner [of Islam].” “The liberation [of Palestine] will come with the help of Allah, until it is attained by the last soldier, woman, and child, despite resistance by Israel and the United States, Jerusalem will become Arab and Muslim again, including all the places holy to Islam and Christianity," he declared, and continued, "Today, we are close to attaining Palestinian national rights. When a [Palestinian] child says that his grandfather or father was born in Nazareth, Haifa, or Jaffa, there’s powerful human force in that. Can any power on earth erase this memory? How can Nazareth, Haifa, Beersheva, Jaffa, and Akko be erased from the Palestinian memory? Therefore, one who says that Palestinian rights will die out, or that the Palestinians will relinquish or sell [their rights and values] is living an illusion.” “We and the Zionists have been brought together by destiny. If they want a fight, we’ll be there; if they want a war we’re ready; if they want a conflict we’ll be there however long it takes. We have more determination that Israel. We’ll defeat it, with the help of Allah, and we’ll liberate the land.”

Hamas: No More Arrests or Security Cooperation with Israel - April 3, 2006

Arutz Sheva (IsraelNationalNews) - A Hamas Authority minister told the French AFP news agency that Hamas will no longer cooperate with Israel on security matters or arrest terrorists. Analysts: An open invitation for all terrorists. Sa'id Siyam, the Palestinian Authority's interior minister, essentially closed the door on one of the critical aspects of the Oslo Accords - the very agreement that created the Palestinian Authority in 1993. Responsible for the Palestinian Authority's military organs in the framework of his position, Siyam told AFP that the cooperation with Israel that Fatah implemented is no longer acceptable to the new Hamas government, and that Hamas will no longer arrest terrorists. "This is essentially an open invitation to find safe refuge within the Palestinian Authority," writes Arab affairs-analyst Dalit HaLevy.

Siyam said that Hamas would no longer exchange security information with Israel, nor make arrests based on Israeli intelligence. Even Al-Qaeda terrorists are now officially welcome into PA-controlled areas, HaLevy explains. As Hamas becomes a terrorist state and repudiates the agreements previously signed with Israel, Army Radio reports that France has been holding low-level talks with Hamas over the past few weeks, and that concern is growing that India, Japan and China will soon publicly recognize the terrorist organization. The United States, on the other hand, continues to reiterate its refusal to recognize the terrorist organization it outlawed several years ago. The European Union has also outlawed Hamas, and Canada recently cut off funding to the PA.

Siyam said that Hamas would not hurt its own interests by refusing to talk with Israel on non-security matters. "We will continue to have contacts on daily matters such as health, agriculture and commerce," he said.Siyam's belligerent statement was moderate in comparison with statements he made upon taking office last week. He said then that not only would he not order the arrest of terrorists who attacked Israel, but that Hamas would try to coordinate all military activity against Israel. He even appointed an Al-Aksa Brigades terrorist commander, Abu Hilal, as his ministry's spokesman.

Hamas Leader:Our Spirit and Determination Will Vanquish Zionism – March 19, 2006

Arutz Sheva (IsraelNationalNews) - The leader of the Hamas, Khaled Mash’al, said in a speech in Damascus that Arab determination and spirit will ultimately vanquish Zionism and bring about the liberation of all of Palestine. Mash’al, whom Israel attempted to assassinate in 1997, said the dream of returning millions of Arab refugees to Israel is coming closer to reality as the final battle with Zionism approaches.

The real power behind the Hamas, Mash’al is a former resident of Gaza. Israel has barred Mash’al from reentering the country and assuming any role in the new Hamas government of the Palestinian Authority. Speaking at a gathering marking 40 days since the death of the head of the Palestinian National Council, Khaled Alfahom, Mash’al emphasized the importance of the “Palestinian spirit” in winning the historic battle against Zionism.

The following are excerpts from his speech: “Ben-Gurion [Israel’s first prime minister] hoped that subsequent generations of Palestinians will forget [their defeat in the 1948 War of Independence, commonly referred to by Arabs as] the catastrophe.”“Today’s followers of Ben-Gurion know that they have to contend with a [Palestinian] generation that is stronger than its predecessors. They will see future generations of Palestinians and the Arab and Islamic nation waving the banner [of Islam].”“The liberation [of Palestine] will come with the help of Allah, until it is attained by the last soldier, woman, and child, despite resistance by Israel and the United States… Jerusalem will become Arab and Muslim again, including all the places holy to Islam and Christianity.” “Today, we are close to attaining Palestinian national rights… When a [Palestinian] child says that his grandfather or father was born in Nazareth, Haifa, or Jaffa, there’s powerful human force in that. Can any power on earth erase this memory? How can Nazareth, Haifa, Be'er Sheva, Jaffa, and Akko be erased from the Palestinian memory? Therefore, one who says that Palestinian rights will die out, or that the Palestinians will relinquish or sell [their rights and values] is living an illusion.”“We and the Zionists have been brought together by destiny. If they want a fight, we’ll be there; if they want a war we’re ready; if they want a conflict we’ll be there however long it takes. “We have more determination that Israel…We’ll defeat it, with the help of Allah, and we’ll liberate the land.”

Lest You Get Tempted to be Impressed... – March 17, 2005

Lekarev - In light of Prime Minister-designate Haniyeh's comments to CBS, take a look at this.

Since winning the election in January, Hamas has been badgered to reform itself by President George W. Bush, US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, Israel’s acting prime minister Ehud Olmert and even Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov – in the name of the Middle East Quartet. They demanded that Hamas must rewrite its platform, recognize Israel, repudiate terrorism and honor previous agreements. Is there any chance of these demands being met? No way, according to Islamic experts.

This week, Hamas released a 220-page volume entitled: Participating in Political Life in the Shadow of Contemporary Regimes. It was written by Musheir al Masarai, Hamas spokesman and member of the Palestinian legislature, and sponsored by the Hamas Shura religious council. The book is essentially a compendium of all the dos and don’t’s binding the movement in its political life.

The feature that strikes the Western reader as odd is that, in some respects, the work treats the political dynamic of a Muslim society as compatible with the Bush vision of Middle East democracy. Where they diverge sharply is on objectives which, in Hamas’ case, owe nothing to the Western democratic ethic, but accord strictly with the ways of radical Islam. The book opens with a directive to Hamas to follow the Prophet’s 7th century example when it concludes temporary pacts (with non-Muslims) to gain an opportunity for strengthening and expanding Islam. Why temporary? Because, in the course of time, when Hamas is strong enough and reaches the right path, it will be free to violate those accords, as the Prophet Mohammed did.

The writers then lay down pre-conditions for Hamas to achieve success. Among them are the preservation of internal unity, a prohibition from contributing to the strengthening of "tyrannical" regimes, and the making of agreements except for temporary ones.

The volume furthe commands that Hamas must ensure that the Dawa, i.e. the principles of Islam, can thrive. The movement must reserve the right to veto any proposition or action that contradicts Islamic tenets. This rule is paramount for Hamas. And Hamas is to see Politics as an inseparable part of religion and faith. This is a key clue to Hamas’ intentions. It means that the conduct of political life must be designed as a step toward the ultimate imposition of the laws of the Sharia, the strict Muslim legal system. The problematic nature of this set of rules and precepts is clear. Hamas is willing to be flexible only on one condition: when flexibility serves its ultimate objective of imposing Muslim law in all the lands it rules – and those lands it aspires to expand. Hamas will therefore accept even long-term ceasefires or non-belligerency arrangements as long as such deals offer the Islamist organization a chance to enhance its strength.Western hopes for Hamas to undergo a change of its nature and renounce its goals during a period of calm are ludicrous. Like al Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Jihad Islami and other fundamentalist organizations dedicated to jihad, Hamas cannot and will not change its faith, radical Islam.

Hamas Planning to Fly Planes into Tel Aviv Skyscrapers – May 25, 2006

Lekarev - Hamas is seeking the ability to attack Israel using small airplanes laden with explosives to be flown 9- 11-style into important targets, possibly Tel Aviv skyscrapers, Abu Abdullah, a leader of Hamas' so- called military wing, told WorldNetDaily yesterday.

Abdullah is considered one of the most important operational members of Hamas' Izzedine al-Qassam Martyrs Brigades, Hamas' declared "resistance" department. He said his group would not immediately carry out airplane attacks, but that Hamas is preparing for the possibility should a long-term truce it claims to abide by falls apart. Abdullah's statements come after Palestinian security officials told WND they believe Hamas recently smuggled into the Gaza Strip three small airplanes that can carry explosives and be used to attack Israel. They said information indicates the aircraft were purchased from eastern European dealers and that Hamas members received flight training from professionals in the Sudan, Iran and Syria. planes into Jewish targets, possibly Tel Aviv skyscrapers. "The goal is to have these planes carry maximum quantities of explosives and that they will be able to hit the targets that are fixed for its operation at a high level of accuracy. All the Zionist goals in our dear Palestine are legitimate. I estimate that this tool will not be used against regular targets. We will choose precious targets and I do not want to speak about strategic or any other targets. We know that the enemy is building new and high buildings in Tel Aviv."

Notorious Terrorist, Jemal Abu Sema Dana, Named to Top 'Security' Post by Hamas - April 21, 2006

Lekarev - Palestinian interior minister Said Siam announced yesterday that he had selected as director-general of his ministry the founder of the Palestinian Resistance Committees, manager of the Palestinian arms smuggling tunnels and a well known Middle East gunrunner. His name: Jemal Abu Sema Dana.

Sema Dana tops the list of wanted terrorists for engineering the murder of three American security contractors in the Gaza Strip three years ago, a long line terrorist attacks that claimed Israeli lives and more recently running the Qassam missile offensive. Now Hamas is putting him in charge of security forces??? What's wrong with this picture??? Some members of Knesset have categorically stated that Sema Dana is not immune to targeted assassination, along with any other members of the Hamas cabinet.

Israel Strips Hamas PA Officials of Jerusalem Residency - April 21, 2006

Arutz Sheva (IsraelNationalNews) - Israel has revoked the Jerusalem residency status enjoyed by four members of the Hamas terror group serving in the Palestinian Authority’s parliament and living in Israel’s capital. Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ordered the revocation following the suicide bombing in Tel Aviv Monday, which Hamas – now ruling the PA – defended as a legitimate act in the struggle against Israel. The loss of Jerusalem residency means the Hamas officials will no longer receive money from Israel’s National Insurance (Bituach Leumi) and will not be afforded the freedom of movement throughout all of Israel accorded those Arabs holding Jerusalem residency cards. Jerusalem's Arabs enjoy the unique ability to travel freely to all areas of the greater Land of Israel.

Foreign Minister Tzippy Livni told reporters that the move was her idea. This is the first time Jerusalem residency has been revoked for punitive reasons. Livni also urged Olmert, though, to refrain from classifying the Hamas-led PA as an “enemy” entity, but rather a “hostile” one. Army Radio reported Thursday that the government is considering expanding the policy to include other known Hamas members and PA employees living in Jerusalem.

The Hamas parliament members are reportedly considering bringing the case to Israel’s Supreme Court, which has in the past been sympathetic to Arab wishes to retain Israeli citizenship. Israel’s Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, however, said that the revocation of Jerusalem residency and even Israeli citizenship was legal under what he called “extreme circumstances,” and will be defended if brought to the court. The Justice Ministry has said the government has a legal case but stopped short of recommending the sanctions. The Israeli television program, Mabat, pointed out that the courts might ask the government to explain how it can define the three as terrorists and strip them of residency, while choosing not to arrest them when they had the chance.

The Yisrael Beiteinu Party, which received 11 seats in last month’s elections, ran on a platform calling for stripping large numbers of Israeli Arabs of their citizenship. PA Justice Minister Ahmed Khalidi said the PA would fight on behalf of the Hamas officials due to the concern that Israel is establishing a precedent that can be used to strip more Jerusalem Arabs of their residency status.

MK Eldad: Why Aren’t Hamas Officials in Jerusalem Put in Jail? – May 30, 2006

Arutz Sheva (IsraelNationalNews) - Interior Minister Roni Bar-On (Kadima) has notified four Hamas officials living in Jerusalem that they must resign from the organization or lose their status as residents of the State of Israel. Three of the officials are Hamas members of the Palestinian Authority parliament. A fourth is Khaled Abu Arafa, who holds a ministerial post in the PA cabinet, with responsibility for Jerusalem.The officials were given one month to resign from the organization. Hamas officials with Israeli residency carry Israeli ID cards, guaranteeing them freedom of movement throughout the country. They are also entitled to receive child subsidies, free health care, old age pensions, and other social benefits.

The Hamas, a radical Islamic organization dedicated to Israel’s destruction, is outlawed under Israeli law. Membership in the terrorist organization, which has carried out dozens of terrorist strikes killing hundreds of Israelis, is a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment. U.S. law also defines the Hamas as a terrorist organization, and its members are subject to stiff criminal penalties.

MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union/NRP) criticized Bar-On’s announcement, calling it too little too late. “If membership in a terrorist organization such as the Hamas is a criminal offense, why aren’t they being tried and sent to jail?” he asked. Eldad accused the Olmert government of trying to distinguish between Hamas politicians and those who carry out the group’s terrorist attacks. “We thought that since Yassin, we’ve stopped playing with those distinctions,” he said. Eldad was referring to Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, founder and spiritual leader of the Hamas in Gaza. Yassin was assassinated by the IDF in a helicopter raid in March 1994, after a series of suicide bombings killed scores of Israelis.

Arab MKs condemned Bar-On’s decision. MK Jamal Zahalka (Balad) said, “The Israeli occupation is what needs to leave east Jerusalem." MK Mohammed Barakeh, who heads the Hadash party, attacked Bar-On personally, saying his move reflects “the occupiers' arrogance and not a proper administration.” The possibility of revoking the residency status of Hamas members living in Israel has been discussed in the past, but no such action has ever been taken against Hamas officials. Bar-On said that if the Hamas officials decide to cling to the organization, “they will have to explain to me why I should not use my authority to revoke their status as residents.” Persons stripped of their status as Israeli residents become illegal aliens and are subject to expulsion. The four Hamas officials have rejected Bar-On’s ultimatum. Though the Hamas does not recognize Israel’s right to exist, Abu Arafa pledged to fight for his status in Israeli courts. "We didn't do anything to violate Israeli law," he said, "and there is no legal reason for this decision. The interior minister is motivated by his desire to Judaize Jerusalem. We are now studying all the legal aspects of this matter. We will fight the decision and will defeat it via legal means."

Hamas Festival Promotes Terror Among Children – March 27, 2006

Lekarev - The Hamas terror organization, which will take control of the Palestinian Authority this week, has been promoting the use of children to perpetrate violence and terror.

Hamas placed pictures of children in combat roles and combat dress on its web site for one week. The pictures were taken at a “Palestinian Children’s Festival” in Yemen. Yemen News said, “A Hamas representative [in Yemen] Jamal Issa stated that the Palestinian children fight alongside the adults in the resistance."

The little girl in the photo is wearing a sash that says "Reem Riyashi", the name of a female suicide terrorist who blew herself up some time ago in Israel, killing four Israelis. Despite Yemenite complicity with Hamas in using children to promote terror and violence, US News and World Report reported last week that Yemen "has become one

Hamas Launches Website Encouraging Children to be Martyrs – March 8, 2006

Lekarev - The Palestinian Authority's ruling Hamas terror group has launched a web site for children, preaching the moral desirability of being a suicide terrorist through cartoons and children's stories. The Hamas-run Al- Fateh.net glorifies shahada, martyrdom, and presents the deaths of terrorists attacking Israelis as a time of celebration, according to a report by Palestinian Media Watch.

One of the stories on the site quotes a mother saying that when she heard her son had become a shahid, a martyr, she bought dates, candies and coffee to give out. An entire section of the site is called "Stories of the Shahids" and the most recently posted story honors Hamas terrorist Naseem Ja'abari, who murdered 16 people when he blew himself up on a bus in Be'er Sheva on August 31, 2004.

The homepage (pictured above) encourages martyrdom with a prominently featured drawing of a religiously garbed girl participating in violent attacks on both the homepage and on a second page with a poem glorifying Jihad, Islamic conquest, and Shahada.

Will we hear an uproar from "Children's Rights Activists" and "Child Abuse" Advocates over this??? We should!

Hamas Publishes Hate Comics for Kids - May 17, 2006

Arutz Sheva (IsraelNationalNews) - The Hamas terrorist organization, ruler of the Palestinian Authority, has been publishing comics educating Arab children to hate the State of Israel and support terrorism against the Jewish State. For years, the Hamas has been investing substantial resources to ensure that its hatred of Jews and Israel is successfully passed on to the younger generation. Much of that money has been devoted to devising educational programs, beginning in nursery school, to teach children to aspire to kill Jews and destroy the Jewish State.

The Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist, evidently has decided that comics provide an effective way of inculcating its core values into school children. Palestinian Media Watch (www.pmw.org.il), in an effort to bring the Hamas’ hate comics to the attention of the world media, has translated two comic strips which are reproduced below. The original comics can also be viewed directly on the Hamas website.The first comic is a story called “Dangerous Games.” Two children find toys in the street. But the toys are actually bombs planted by the “evil Zionists.”

Muslim Preacher on Temple Mount: Restore Worldwide Islamic Rule – February 26, 2006

Arutz Sheva (IsraelNationalNews) - Sheikh Ismail Nawahda, preaching to Moslem masses on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Friday, has brought it out into the open: the call to restore the Moslem Khalifate, or, "Genuine Islamic Rule." A plan for the "Return of the Khalifate" was published secretly in 2002 by a group called "The Guiding Helper Foundation." The group explained that it wished to "give direction to the educated Muslim populace in its increasing interest in the establishment of Islam as a practical system of rule."

This past Friday, Feb. 24, however, the plan went public. Sheikh Nawahda called publicly for the renewal of the Islamic Khalifate, which would "unite all the Moslems in the world against the infidels." The Khalifate system features a leader, known as a Khalif, who heads worldwide Islam. Assisted by a ten-man council, his decisions are totally binding on all Moslems. According to the Foundation's vision of the Khalifate, significant punishment can only be meted out for 14 crimes, including "accusing a chaste person of fornication," "not performing the formal prayer," and "not fasting during Ramadan."

The Foundation recommends working to restore the Moslem dictatorship using a system of small groups around the world. The purpose is so that the "enemies of Islam" who "will definitely try to stop us" will have a "much harder task, if not impossible, if they are faced with a myriad of small groups of differing locations, ethnicities," etc. This method also "ensures that if one group... is found and cut off, other similar groups will remain undetected." Sheikh Nawahda reminded his Temple Mount audience that the first step taken by Muhammed in stabilizing his rule was to form the nucleus of the first Islamic country in the city of Medina. Nawahda also said that the status of Moslems around the world has dropped drastically ever since the collapse of the last Khalifate in 1924, after Turkey became a democratic republic.

Nawahda called upon the Arabs of the Palestinian Authority to rise above their personal and party interests, and said that Moslems must return to Islam and join forces in the struggle against the West. He praised the worldwide protests against the anti-Muhammed cartoons, and encouraged the Moslem public to continue such activities. He implied that those who insulted Muhammed are liable for death. The Sheikh designated the Moslem masses as a strong point that can be utilized in the fight against the West.

Israeli-Arabs Plan Mass-Mourning of Israel´s Founding in Lod - May 8, 2006

Arutz Sheva (IsraelNationalNews) - Residents of Lod, in central Israel, filed a request with Lod Police Commander Amichai Eshed to prevent a public observance in the city of Al-Nakba – which is Arabic for "The Catastrophe," a reference to the founding of the State of Israel. The observance is currently planned for May 15, the anniversary of the end of the British Mandate and the founding of the State.The residents wrote, "Nakba Day testifies more than anything to the disloyalty of Palestinians in Israel to the right of Israel to exist in peace and security, as well as the right of the Jewish nation to an independent state in the Land of Israel. The observance of Nakba Day in Lod represents a dangerous development which began on Land Day." The Land Day march in Lod featured Hamas flags and fiery speeches calling for the destruction of the Jewish state.

The Muslim Festival of Al-Nakba on May 15, the Anniversary of the end of the British Mandate

Mendy Safdie, a Yisrael Beiteinu party representative from the city, said of the planned observance, "The precedent-setting rally on Land Day in Lod was a mistake that I expected to have consequences, and today my forecast has been realized. Even more dangerous escalations will take place in the future. This will lead to Lod turning into the first mixed Jewish-Arab city to fall into Arab hands. This is part of the plan of the Islamic Movement to slowly take over mixed cities in particular and Israeli cities in general." Safdie requested an audience with the local police commander to inform him that it is in his hands "to stand up for the rights of residents of Lod to continue to exist as a Jewish city with an Arab minority living in accordance with Israeli law and with deference to the status quo." He added, "It is in his hands to preserve the red lines so that Arab and Jew can live together by preserving the feelings of one another. It is inconceivable that Lod residents should live with the knowledge that their neighbors are working toward their extermination and acting with the intention to hurt their national and religious sensitivities. I would hope for coexistence, but when this is already so distant, at least we will struggle for existence."

At a Nakba commemoration on Israel's Independence Day – which took place last week, on the Hebrew anniversary of Israel's declaration of independence – Arab MK Muhammed Barakeh called on the Israeli government to allow 300,000 Israeli Arabs whose families fled their villages during the War of Independence to return to their homes, many of which are now left-wing kibbutzim. The ceremony took place at Moshav Tzippori, formerly the Arab village of Sfuria; before that, it was the Jewish village of Tzippori, which was home to Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi, the compiler of the Mishna almost 2,000 years ago. According to Barakeh, Israel's objection to accepting millions of Arab who left in 1948 is due to the drastic shift in demographic balance such a move would cause. "But in Israel itself," Barakeh said, "there live 300,000 Palestinian citizens of Israel that were expelled from their homes. Their return to their homes and land will not change the demographic balance at all. The Israeli opposition to restoring their rights is due to the battle over land."

"Cash-Strapped" Palestinians Spend Millions on Arms – May 8, 2006

Lekarev - DEBKAfile’s exclusive sources report today that while deep in long, fruitless talks with Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya, Palestinian Authority chairman Abu Mazen over the weekend issued secret directives for mobilizing recruits to his private army and the release of cash from the “Arafat Fund” to pay their wages.

Fatah and Hamas are organizing their forces for the armed showdown building up between them over top spot in Palestinian government.

Abu Mazen controls the Arafat Fund, whose capital is estimated in the billions – certainly enough to cover the public sector payroll and ease humanitarian distress in the Palestinian territories. Instead, his Fatah released

PA Religious Group Equates Christian Zionism With Satanism - May 7, 2006

Arutz Sheva (IsraelNationalNews) - A senior Palestinian Authority religious leader said Monday on a PA-affiliated website that Christian Zionists worship “Satan as G-d." So reports Palestinian Media Watch. The author of the PMW article, Hamed Al-Tamimi, is a member of the Supreme [Islamic] Judicial Council and the director of the Inter-Religion Dialogue Department. He charges that the Christian Zionists, together with Jewish Zionists, “both agree on hatred of Islam and the Muslims and on [the goal] to destroy them."

Senior Palestinian Authority Religious leader, Hamed Tamimi, member of the Supreme Islamic Judicial Council

He goes on to slam the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, accusing the organization of “criminal activities against the Palestinian issue and the Palestinian people." PA hatred of Christians is not new. PMW noted in a previous article that “the Palestinian Authority religious leadership has been presenting its war against Israel’s existence as merely one part of its global Islamic war being fought against the Christian-Jewish West." PMW quotes a Palestinian Authority TV religious leader who announced a prayer for the murder of “infidels” – a term that includes the Christian West, it notes. “Destroy the Infidels and the Polytheists!” the prayer exhorts viewers. “Count them and kill them to the last one, and don’t leave even one.” Nor does the Balfour Declaration escape notice in Monday’s article. “Balfour and Prime Minister Lloyd George were Christian Zionists,” said Al-Tamimi

Al-Tamimi concluded his diatribe with an accusation against the International Christian Embassy, “who adopted Satan as G-d who drives their crazy nature. They have praised depravity and cursed virtue,” he went on, “and have reached [a point] in which forgery, deception and lying have turned into descriptions of world policy which is led by the Zionism on both its branches – the Jewish and the Christian”.

Ibrahim Hamed #1 Wanted Terrorist Caught - May 23, 2006

Arutz Sheva (IsraelNationalNews) - A joint IDF/GSS/police operation succeeded early this morning in capturing Ibrahim Hamed, who has topped Israel's "most wanted terrorists" list since 1998 for his role in the murder of 80 Israelis. Security source say Hamed, the head of the Hamas military wing in Judea and Samaria, was in the midst of planning additional large-scale attacks.

A special elite police force surrounded a building in Ramallah late last night, demanding that he give himself up. Though terrorists caught in similar situations often refuse to surrender, choosing to shoot and be killed instead, Hamed gave himself up when he saw an Israeli bulldozer approaching the house to overturn it.

Hamed, 41, is responsible for the deaths of 80 Jews in many different attacks. Among the terror atrocities he organized were the following:
• Cafe Moment in Jerusalem, March 9, 2002, 12 murdered
• Cafeteria in Hebrew University, July 31, 2002, 9 killed
• Double suicide car-bombing in Zion Square, Dec. 1, 2001, 11 murdered
• Sheffield Hall in Rishon LeTzion, May 7, 2002, 6 dead
• Suicide bombing at Tzrifin bus stop, Sep. 9, 2003, 9 murdered
• A few hours later, a suicide bombing at the Hillel Cafe in Jerusalem, killing seven, including Dr. David Appelbaum and his daughter Nava, who was to be married the next night

Israeli forces pursued Hamed over the course of the years, but he consistently escaped just in time, earning himself the moniker "ghost spirit" among the Israelis. Hamed was in the midst of planning strategic attacks, including against trains and other infrastructures, when he was captured.

In the PA: Fighting, Funding, and Considering Leaving - May 22, 2006

Arutz Sheva (IsraelNationalNews) - A poll shows that many PA Arabs are considering moving out... Abu Mazen asked EU not to fund PA salaries... Three more wounded in Fatah-Hamas fighting... Why is the PA apparatus so inflated?... Meeting recently behind closed doors with representatives of Western nations, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) asked them not to transmit funding for salaries for the 150,000 PA employees. The surprising request comes as the international community seeks ways to fund the PA government. Abu Mazen's stance has some internal logic to it, however. Arutz-7's Haggai Huberman reports that Abu Mazen has no interest in strengthening his Hamas enemies, who currently run the Palestinian Authority. (In today's Fatah-Hamas gunfighting in Gaza, a bystander was killed - bringing the total to eight this month - and three men were wounded.) In any event, efforts are underway by some members of the European Union to find a way to pay the salaries without giving the money to the Hamas-led government. This, despite the fact that the original purpose of the boycott against Hamas was to cause its government to fall. For this reason, the U.S. opposes the initiative.

On the other hand, the Quartet - the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations - are still interested in funneling money for "humanitarian purposes" into the Hamas Authority. Israel, for its part, approved 50 million shekels in such aid just yesterday. It is not clear what is included in the "humanitarian" category, however. "If you pay for medicines, does that mean that you also pay the salaries of the PA-employed doctors?" asked Huberman. "And what about education and PA-employed teachers? These issues are still unclear." In any event, even if a mechanism is found to ensure that no money goes directly to Hamas, there appears to be no similar mechanism to guarantee that Hamas does not use for terrorism the money it saves by not paying salaries. Huberman notes that the original administration of Judea, Samaria and Gaza was staffed by only 70,000 employees. "Add to that the 20,000 policemen allowed for in the Olso agreements to maintain law and order, and that brings the total to 90,000," Huberman writes. "How and why did this ever climb to 150,000?"

In a related item, an article entitled "Canadian Funding Misused by PA" was published this week on the PMW (Palestinian Media Watch) site. PMW's Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook, citing the PA's official newspaper, report on an event promoting the Arabs' so-called Right of Return - and which was part of a project funded by the Canadian International Development Agency. Marcus and Crook write that the term 'Right of Return' is the PA's "claim to the 'right' to resettle in Israel millions of Arabs who are now living in refugee camps. In recent years, the term has been commonly used as the politically correct way of packaging the call for Israel's destruction under the guise of a humanitarian issue. While CIDA and other international donors are trying to support progressive projects in the Palestinian Authority, this is yet another example of money from well-intentioned donor countries being used for projects that are political and that actually prevent reconciliation with Israel."

In other PA news, just over a third of Arab residents of Judea, Samaria and Gaza say they have considered or are considering moving out. The poll was carried out at the end of April. The main reason stated by those who considered leaving is the poor economic situation. Over half the respondents feel that Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniye has not formulated a plan to deal with the economic crisis. 58% said their personal financial situation is bad.

Sderot is a Settlement, Ashkelon is Under Conquest
A report from the official PA daily Al Hayat Al-Jadeeda barely recognizes Israel's presence. A recent report in the paper, as first brought to light by Palestinian Media Watch, boasts of a Kassam attack in the following language:
"The Shahid Ahmed Abu Al-Arish Brigades... announced yesterday their responsibility for the bombardment of targets of the conquest in the city of Al-Majdal [Ashkelon - ed.] which was conquered in 1948, and of the settlement Sderot, with five rockets."

Rice: Hamas/Fatah Standoff Very Dangerous – May 19, 2005

Lekarev - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday said the rival Palestinian security forces facing off in the Gaza Strip pose "a very dangerous situation" that Palestinian leaders must confront. "The Palestinian leadership has every obligation to get control of this," Rice said after meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal. "We obviously will leave that to President Abbas, who we believe has the confidence of the Palestinian people and should be able to exercise his responsibilities as president of the country," Rice said.

Several hours later a midnight gun battle erupted after a day of tense standoffs in Gaza between security forces loyal to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and a new militia run by the Hamas-led government, competing for control of the Gaza Strip. At least four people were hurt, two police, one member of the Hamas force and a gunman from Abbas's Fatah movement, security sources and medics said.

It was not known what set off the exchange. The Palestinian police, who are mostly Fatah loyalists, were instructed by radio to respond with force to any attacks by Hamas forces. The clashes came after Abbas told the Hamas-led government it must immediately remove its new security forces from the streets of Gaza, a top Abbas aide said Thursday

The Golden Internationale’s Bid to Control Israel

Prince Philip: We Were Jealous of the Jews – March 7, 2006

Lekarev - Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, Prince Philip, broke a long silence about his family link to the Nazis, Britain’s Daily Mail reported on Monday. In a rare interview, the prince said his family found Hitler’s plans to bring Germany to the helm of European power were “attractive” and admitted they had “inhibitions about the Jews.” The comments were published in a book called “Royals and the Reich,” which describes the German royalty’s acquiescence to the Nazis.

The book, written by American historian Jonathan Petropoulos, includes pictures never published before. One picture from 1937 shows Prince Philip aged 16 with relatives at his sister Cecile’s funeral in dressed in SS and Brownshirt uniforms. Lord Mountbatten, his uncle, is seen wearing a German Navy hat. Another photograph shows his sister Sophia sitting opposite Hitler at the wedding of Hermann and Emmy Groening, the Daily Mail said.

British FM: Israel and Iran Both Potential Threats – March 12, 2006

Arutz Sheva (IsraelNationalNews) - England's Foreign Minister Jack Straw says the world should worry about disabling Israel's nuclear capabilities as much as it is concerned with preventing Iran from going nuclear. Straw said Thursday that Britain is seeking a "nuclear-free Middle East." He said that Iran and Israel were the only two countries left that posed "potential threats" now that Iraq and Libya's nuclear aspirations have been neutralized.

The foreign minister, who has made headlines in the past criticizing the Jewish state, conceded that removing the Iranian threat was indeed more urgent than the Israeli one. "If you want to see a nuclear-free Middle East, you've got to remove that threat from Iran, including the rhetorical threat to wipe Israel off the face of the map," Straw told British Channel 4 television. "Once you've done that, then we can get on to work in respect of Israel."

Former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon faced criticism from defense officials in Israel over the weekend after he spoke at the Washington D.C. Hudson Institute, saying the military option against Iran's nuclear project was viable. He responded to the criticism on Israeli television Friday. "I spoke about the West's military option," he said. "Whether it is U.S. forces, NATO or the Israeli army that deal with the Iranian capability - there is a military capability that would set back the program for many years.”

Meanwhile, Iran threatened Saturday to use its oil as a weapon if the UN Security Council imposes sanctions over its nuclear program. "If they politicize our nuclear case," Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi said, "we will use any means. We are rich in energy resources. We have control over the biggest and the most sensitive energy route of the world."

Iran is the second largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). It has partial control over the narrow Strait of Hormuz, at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which crude oil is transported from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq to the world market.

Harvard Distancing Itself From Paper Blaming Jews For US Woes - March 26, 2006

Arutz Sheva (IsraelNationalNews) - Harvard U. is distancing itself from a paper by a dean of its school of government which blames a network of powerful Jews for the war in Iraq and other policies contrary to American interests. The study by professors Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer runs through a list of recent and not-so-recent events, purporting to explain how the US was influenced by powerful Jews to act on behalf of Israel, at its own expense.

The paper begins with the caveat, “Some readers will find this analysis disturbing, but the facts recounted here are not in serious dispute among scholars.” It goes on to outline the “perfidy” of what it calls the “Israel Lobby,” which consists of Jewish organizations, major newspapers, politicians on both sides of the political divide, think tanks, academics, Jewish congressional aids, AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) and most American Jews. The authors insist, though, that they are not suggesting "the sort of conspiracy depicted in anti-Semitic tracts like the Protocols of the Elders of Zion."

The Jewish Forward newspaper, quoted together with Haaretz and B'tzelem to support some of the paper’s claims, warned that the authors could not simply be dismissed as a fringe voice. The Forward writes: “What is new and startling is the document's provenance. Its authors are not fringe gadflies but two of America's most respected foreign-affairs theorists. One, Mearsheimer, is a distinguished professor at the University of Chicago. The other, Walt, is academic dean of the nation's most prestigious center of political studies, the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Though it's tempting, they can't be dismissed as cranks outside the mainstream. They are the mainstream. “The Mearsheimer-Walt paper shows how far the notion that Israel is to blame for the Iraq War has moved from the crackpot fringe to the center. Three years ago it was heard mainly from campus radicals. Two years ago it started getting picked up by a handful of Washington insiders, memorably including Senator Ernest Hollings and General Anthony Zinni. Now it's reached the heart of the academic establishment.”

Some of the report’s claims include:

“…since the Six Day War in 1967, the centerpiece of U.S. Middle East policy has been its relationship with Israel. The combination of unwavering U.S. support for Israel and the related effort to spread democracy throughout the region has inflamed Arab and Islamic opinion and jeopardized U.S. security… Why has the United States been willing to set aside its own security in order to advance the interests of another state?”
“…the overall thrust of U.S. policy in the region is due almost entirely to U.S. domestic politics, and especially to the activities of the ‘Israel Lobby’…no lobby has managed to divert U.S. foreign policy as far from what the American national interest would otherwise suggest, while simultaneously convincing Americans that U.S. and Israeli interests are essentially identical.”
“... the United States has a terrorism problem in good part because it is so closely allied with Israel, not the other way around. U.S. support for Israel is not the only source of anti-American terrorism, but it is an important one, and it makes winning the war on terror more difficult. There is no question, for example, that many al Qaeda leaders, including bin Laden, are motivated by Israel’s presence in Jerusalem and the plight of the Palestinians. According to the U.S. 9/11 Commission, bin Laden explicitly sought to punish the United States for its policies in the Middle East, including its support for Israel, and he even tried to time the attacks to highlight this issue.”
Israel had a military edge in the War of Independence and all subsequent wars.
“AIPAC, which is a de facto agent for a foreign government, has a stranglehold on the U.S. Congress,”

The report, though complaining bitterly of a new effort to endow Israel studies chairs at US universities, does not mention the large Saudi Arabian investment in U.S. colleges and universities, including Harvard, which received a donation of $20 million from Saudi Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal to create a program on Islamic studies. Alan Dershowitz, also a professor at Harvard, called the study “ignorant propaganda," saying that nothing in the paper is original, but identical to the half-truths that appear on hate sites across the Internet. “It could have been written by Pat Buchanan, by David Duke, Noam Chomsky, and some of the less intelligent members of Hamas,” Dershowitz told the New York Sun. “An intelligent member of Hamas would not have made these mistakes.”

CAMERA, the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, which is cited by name in the paper, wrote a point-by-point refutation of the article. CAMERA demanded that "Harvard should remove the report from its website - and therefore remove from the report the Harvard imprimatur - until the authors fix its manifold deficiencies." In fact, both Harvard and the University of Chicago later removed their logos; see below.

White supremacist and former Ku Klux Klan chief David Duke heaped praise upon the paper. “It is quite satisfying to see a body in the premier American university essentially come out and validate every major point I have been making since even before the war even started,” Duke told the New York Sun. “The task before us is to wrest control of America’s foreign policy and critical junctures of media from the Jewish extremist Neo-cons that seek to lead us into what they expectantly call World War IV.” The Palestinian Authority’s American mission has begun distributing the report widely, and a member of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood heaped praise upon it as well. “I think that the people who wrote that report were working for the interest of the American people,” senior Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood guidance council member Abdulmo’em Abulfotah said. “I ask a question here: Is it in the interest of the American people to clash with 1.3 billion people in favor of 5 million people who represent the Zionist project? Not even the Jews, but the Zionists.” The full report is posted on Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government website, though, as mentioned, the cover of the report has been altered, with Harvard’s logo removed.

The report’s cover originally said: “The views expressed in the KSG Faculty Research Working Paper Series are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the John F. Kennedy School of Government or Harvard University. Copyright belongs to the author(s). Papers may be downloaded for personal use only.”

The new disclaimer, written in a larger font, reads: “The two authors of this Working Paper are solely responsible for the views expressed in it. As academic institutions, Harvard University and the University of Chicago do not take positions on the scholarship of individual faculty, and this article should not be interpreted or portrayed as reflecting the official position of either institution.”

Is U.S. Interfering in Israeli Election? – March 1, 2006

Lekarev -According to the London-based Arabic-language daily al-Quds al-Arabi, U.S. Envoy Richard Welch asked PA leader Abbas to postpone formation of Hamas-led government till after Israeli elections on March 28 to boost Kadima’s odds.

Under Palestinian law, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ designated prime minister, has five weeks to form a government since Abbas officially appointed him to form a new administration on February 21.

Palestinian sources told the newspaper that the Bush administration believes Hamas’ presence at the helm will boost the showing of “the Israeli extreme right” at the polls. Washington is especially concerned that a Likud victory in the elections will hinder its efforts to revive Palestinian-Israeli peace talks. The source said Washington prefers a Kadima win.

This kind of interference in the election process of a sovereign Israel is deeply troubling.

US Congress Hears Testimony About Inflated PA Demographics - March 10, 2006

Arutz Sheva (IsraelNationalNews) - The United States Congress heard a damning report this week about U.S. aid being over-alotted due to deliberately inflated Palestinian population figures. The findings of an exhaustive study on Palestinian Authority (PA) population statistics claims that the Palestinian Authority has deliberately misled U.S. and international humanitarian efforts by inflating their population figures to attract billions of dollars in relief funds.

Bennet Zimmerman, Project Leader of a recent study entitled "Arab Population in the West Bank and Gaza: The Million Person Gap," presented the findings to the Congress this week. Zimmerman addressed the House International Relations Subcommittee on the Middle East which has been investigating U.S. funding of the Palestinian Authority. "American tax dollars and other international humanitarian aid have been based on inflated population numbers which have been accepted without question by governments and aid agencies," he said in an interview with the World Net Daily. "Our researchers pointed out that money has been spent to help Palestinians who were double-counted, never born or not present in the West Bank and Gaza."

According to Zimmerman, the current official population for the West Bank and Gaza, which is listed as 3,279,141, is a highly inflated figure that does not reflect the demographic reality, which he estimates at 1.4 million in the West Bank and 1 million in Gaza, totaling 2.4 million. "The U.S. and Europeans have for years accepted entirely exaggerated data. Now Congress has some very tough questions to ask, including how its own State Department and the CIA could have been duped and what do to regarding future aid," stated Zimmerman. Israeli demographic analyst Yoram Ettinger concurs with the findings in Zimmerman’s report and claims that there is no credence to the myth of a potential Arab majority in Israel. “And so it turns out that the demographic knife is not really hanging over our heads. In 1900 Jews constituted just eight percent of the population west of the Jordan, in 1948 it was 48 percent, and today we are 60 percent. Without Gaza, the Jewish majority is stable at 67 percent within [including] Judea and Samaria,” Ettinger maintains.

Speaking at the Herzilyah Conference in January, Zimmerman stated, “Before the census in 1996, Israel estimated that there were 2.1 million Arabs living in the territories. At the same time, in the census conducted by the Palestinians, they announced their population was 600 thousand larger than what the Israelis claimed. 325,000 from these 600,000 were Palestinians who were living abroad. The Palestinians came up with an estimation of birth rate assumptions that exceeds 140,000 per year.” Zimmerman contends that the Palestinian figures are inaccurate and in many cases citizens were recorded more than once. For example, the study claims that 230,000 Arab residents of Jerusalem were counted twice.

Zimmerman and his researchers discovered inconsistencies after they carefully compared the official Palestinian Authority statistics with Palestinian voting records, birth and death records published annually by the PA's Health Ministry, immigration and emigration data from Israel's Border Control, internal migration of Palestinians from the territories into Israel recorded by the Israeli Interior Ministry, Israeli Civil Administration population studies, U.N. population surveys, and surveys conducted by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics and the World Bank.

Another fallacy regarding Palestinian population statistics has been the recording of an uncommonly high birth and growth rate. “It is important to follow the demographic activities of Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs and Palestinians and update their activities. Jewish fertility is beginning to rise while Muslim birth rates are decreasing,” Zimmerman noted. Zimmerman claims that actual Palestinian growth and birth rates have been declining, but that the PA has been retroactively tampering with its data, attributing a natural growth rate of 4 to 5 percent per year to the Palestinian population. Zimmerman’s findings, based on the Palestinian Ministry of Health records published annually since 1996, contradict the PA's claims and place the actual growth rate at around 3 percent. PA figures indicate a rise in Palestinian fertility rates while the study revealed a dramatic decrease from 7.4 in 1997 to 3.89 in 2003.

Ettinger emphasizes how crucial it is for future policy decisions to be based on proven statistical facts reflecting the reality of the Palestinian population figures. “Only Palestinian immigration to the West Bank – and from there over the "green line" – will upset the demographic scales. Fateful policy decisions must be based on facts, not on statistics provided by the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics, and certainly not on superficial assumptions about demography that bear no relation to reality,” Ettinger stated.

PA Daily Brands U.S. Leaders Fascists, Nazis - March 10, 2006

Arutz Sheva (IsraelNationalNews) - In different articles this week, a Palestinian Authority daily defined Western leaders as copies of Hitler, Americans as fascists, and neo-conservatives as Nazis promoting "Aryan supremacy." The paper blames American foreign policy as the cause of Arab extremism. In a March 4, 2006 article in the PA sponsored newspaper, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Editor-in-Chief Hafez Barghuthi equates Western institutions with the Gestapo of Hitler’s Third Reich. "There is a new ideological Nazism which has started to dominate the West. It doesn't speak openly about its totalitarian Nazism, but carries it out in practice. I see in many minor and senior Western officials copies of Hitler. Many of the western institutions are as if they are managed by the Gestapo and the S.S. "While the Jews suppose they are safe from this Nazism which is directed towards the people of the third-world and Latinos, they are mistaken. It is not possible that the wolfish Nazi feelings will not eventually turn against them, because the neo-conservative idea is derived from the remnants of the Nazi idea. It is an Aryan supremacy doctrine with new terminology."

According to Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), the frequent hatred expressed towards the United States by the PA has significant impact on public opinion amidst its constituents. A recent European poll found that 65 percent of PA Arabs "support Al-Qaeda actions in the USA and Europe." [Fafo - Norwegian-based NGO, in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, December 23, 2005] PMW Director Itamar Marcus notes that the strong support of violent anti-American support comes in spite of hundreds of millions of dollars in annual US aid to the PA. Marcus asserts that the hatred was documented well before the US announced a freeze in funding, following January’s sweeping victory by Hamas in the Palestinian Legislative Council.

In another article from the same day, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida reports on a demonstration against the caricature of Muhammad. The rally was organized by the teachers 'Islamic bloc,' a Hamas party entity. Quoting speakers, the paper scorns the United States for introducing democratic ideology amongst the Muslims. "The 'Islamic bloc' central district teachers' representative, Rafat Jabar said during a rally conducted by the teachers 'Islamic bloc' that the apology [for the caricature of Muhammad] is a farce, meant to distract from the criminal act committed by the West while insulting the honored messenger [Muhammad]. "Ziad Abu-Al-Haj said the West spent many years while introducing dubious elements amongst the Muslims, such as Democratic ideology, but this did not dissuade the Muslims from their Islamic preaching."

On March 8, 2006, Barghuthi writes, "The extremism in Arab societies is an outcome of American policy. Whoever wants to spread Democracy must be democratic in one's actions and policy. Washington cannot be democratic in the media and fascist in its dealing with the affairs of peoples.""Washington has its own agenda, distinct domineering and imperialistic aspirations. The service of Democracy is not among them, rather the service of monopolistic companies and allied totalitarian regimes." The hatred of the US was also expressed in anti-US political cartoons. The above cartoon presents the crimes of individual soldiers, who were punished for their actions, as Bush's personal "democracy."

The Red Internationale and Islamist’s Bid to Control the Middle East

Russia

Hamas To Russia Seeking Legitimacy – March 4, 2006

Lekarev - Palestinian Hamas officials arrived in Russia for their first talks with a major foreign power on Friday but poured cold water on hopes of a peace breakthrough by saying they were firm in their refusal to recognize Israel. "The issue of recognition is a done issue. We are not going to recognize Israel," Mohammed Nazzal, a senior official accompanying exiled Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal, told reporters after their delegation arrived in Moscow.

Mashaal was quick to slam Israel, saying Israel was not honoring the Road Map. "The problem is not Hamas' stance, but Israel's stance. It is in fact not honoring the Road Map," he said. (As if Hamas is?????)

Although it deals a blow to U.S.-led efforts to isolate Hamas since it swept Palestinian elections in January, Russia's mediation is seen by some in the West as a chance to press the Islamic terrorist group into embracing more moderate views.

China

Palestinian FM says they will study peace plan – June 1, 2006

Shanghai Daily - Foreign Minister Mahmud al-Zahar said in Beijing yesterday that the Palestinian government will study the Arab peace initiative with a "serious and positive attitude" to seek a just solution to the Palestinian issue. China has firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people. The Palestinian side will continue to exert efforts together with the Chinese side in this regard, Zahar said. Zahar made the remarks while attending the ongoing second Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum, which opened yesterday afternoon. The foreign ministers and other representatives from 22 Arab states, as well as Amr Mahmoud Moussa, secretary general of the League of Arab States, attended the meeting.

The Arab peace initiative, adopted at an Arab summit in Beirut in March 2002, says Arab countries will normalize relations with Israel if the Jewish state withdraws from Arab territories taken in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and an independent Palestinian state is established with east Jerusalem as its capital. Moussa said on Tuesday the Arab League has urged and will continue to urge the new Palestinian government to recognize the Arab peace initiative. "The only way" for this government is to move on and to recognize the initiatives, Moussa said. "This is the only thing we want from them." On Tuesday, China urged Hamas to renounce violence and recognize Israel in the interests of the Palestinian people. Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao also urged Hamas to accept the agreements reached previously between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

The European Union and the United States have cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority since the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) formed a government in late March. Liu said China is concerned with the situation in the Middle East and does not support the use of political isolation or economic sanctions. He said all the relevant parties in the Middle East should solve disputes through political consultations based on United Nations resolutions and the principle of land for peace. Liu also said China will explain its opinions to al-Zahar during his stay in China.

Iran

Jihad "Tsunami" On its Way to the Middle East – May 15, 2006

Lekarev - The Middle East is on the verge of a 'global Jihad tsunami,' former IDF Intelligence Chief Aharon Zeevi- Farkash said at a conference in Tel Aviv University on Monday. "Iran's determination to obtain nuclear arms represents the most significant strategic development in the Middle East against the free Western world and the United States in the recent period," Zeevi-Farkash, who retired from his post only several months ago, stated. He also stressed that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's declarations should be taken seriously. "At the moment," Zeevi-Farkash said, "Iran has missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads up to a distance of 500 kilometers (roughly 312 miles)." However, he estimated that Iran would eventually have missiles with a 5,000 kilometers (roughly 3,120 miles) range, "and then the entire Europe will be in their reach."

The former intelligence chief expressed concern over what he defined as the international community's moderate stance toward Tehran. "As long as the 'smoking gun' is not found, the interests of Germany, France and even Britain regarding Iran will take precedence and this could be too late," he said. According to Zeevi-Farkash, another scenario that should worry Israel refers to the possible eruption of a "classic" war on its northern border with Syria and the Hizbullah.

Conflicting Reports in Iran – Jews (Yellow), Christians (Red) and Zoroastrians (Blue) must wear colored identity cloths – May 21, 2006

Lekarev - The National Post of Canada printed a report on Friday saying that the Iranian Parliament had passed a law this past week mandating that "standard Islamic garments" be worn by all Iranians. The report also said that included in this law was a requirement that Jews living in Iran would have to sew a yellow strip of cloth to the outside of the mandated clothing, Christians in Iran would have to sew a red piece of cloth and the Zoroastrians, a blue strip. As news of this new law spread, people were horrified. It was a top news item on the 9 pm Israeli news last night.

Today, Iran has vehemently denied that it intends to require Jews (please notice the exact quote) "to sew a yellow Star of David on their garments." This is CLASSIC Islamic/Arab behavior. The original report said NOTHING about a "Star of David" - only a "yellow strip of cloth". Iran's self-righteous indignation today is typically deceptive. By the careful choice of words, they are attempting to convey to the world that they have been falsely accused. Only those who pay close attention to the wording catch them in the ruse.

Add to that the consistent pattern of Islamic/Arab media. They say one thing in English to western reporters and a TOTALLY different thing to their own people.

Newspapers around the world have picked up on Iran's "indignant rejection" of the accusation, but very few have noted the specific wording of that rejection. I, for one, am not ready to quickly dismiss the original report. There are too many other reasons, not the least of which is the Iranian President's call to "wipe Israel off the map" and his determination to see Islam conquer the world. When Hitler used similar rhetoric, nobody paid attention. We can't afford to make the same mistake twice.

Different Color for Jews? – May 19, 2006

There was in the news that Iranian parliament has passed a law which forces the minority religious groups to carry badges (see). The idea is obviously a shame. However, I think there are some flaws in the report.

First, the approval for the report comes from "Iranian expatriates living in Canada". To my understanding, and with all respect to the people who have been exiled from their mother country because of the Islamic Republic policies, these people's sources of news are nothing more than an average Canadian's ones. Take me for example, I read news in Google News and the Iranian news agencies. So, I would have nothing to add to these sources.

Second, the report says the law "must still be approved by Iran's "Supreme Guide" Ali Khamenehi before being put into effect". Unfortunately, this is not exactly how the Iranian administration works. According to the law, bills passed by the parliament should be approved by the Guardian Council, a twelve-member chamber six of whom are selected by the supreme leader.

Any way, the law is claimed to be forcing Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians to carry badges colored in yellow, red, and blue. The fact is that no color is selected for atheists. So, you'd better deny God if you are not worshiping Allah.
p.s. I checked out some of the other sources which have reported this law. All of them are either quoting National Post or the Iranian expatriates (see).

The Jew-Badge Returns to Iran? – May 19, 2006

Mystical Paths Jewish News Report: Human rights groups are raising alarms over a new law passed by the Iranian parliament that would require the country's Jews and Christians to wear coloured badges to identify them and other religious minorities as non-Muslims. Iran's roughly 25,000 Jews would have to sew a yellow strip of cloth on the front of their clothes

Badges for Jews a Hoax!

KMGR Blogspot - No one has ever found any trace that the spread news about forcing minority groups to wear badges is true. Mehdi gives a translation of the passed law. Nowhere in the law anything is said about the minority groups (see).

Encouraging fabric designers and producers in using Iranian and Islamic patterns and styles in producing fabric and dress.
Respecting the traditional patterns and lively symbols of Iranian ethnic groups and paying attention to proper body coverage based on Islamic Sharia.
Taking advantage of research in obtaining original(to Iran) fabric patterns.
Encouraging the public in using the Iranian styles.
Supporting local producers of traditional clothes with loans and providing them exposure in clothes fairs and festivals.
Helping the public access to traditional clothes by establishing permanent dress fairs on local and regional bases.
Organizing regional (international) dress fair for exchanging experiences with other Muslim countries.
Inspecting and Controlling the imports of fabric and clothes to prevent the import of clothes incompatible with cultural, Islamic and national values.
This draft is written with coordination with the managing body in charge of clothing and dress
Financial support for NGO, unions, and non-governmental institutions in providing national clothing.
Media, in special the national TV, must help in establishing the usage of national clothing and they have to avoid advertising styles inconsistent with our culture.

At the end of his post Mehdi asks "look how the world sees Iran that they accept everything". The Persian text of the law can be found here (see). It is gone! National Post removed the news from its website (see). Though, Google is still listing more and more sources which all end to the same deleted source.

National Post says "Experts say report of badges for Jews in Iran is untrue" - May 19, 2005

Sam Kermanian, of the U.S.-based Iranian-American Jewish Federation, said in an interview from Los Angeles that he had contacted members of the Jewish community in Iran — including the lone Jewish member of the Iranian parliament — and they denied any such measure was in place. Mr. Kermanian said the subject of “what to do with religious minorities” came up during debates leading up to the passing of the dress code law. "It is possible that some ideas might have been thrown around,” he said. “But to the best of my knowledge the final version of the law does not demand any identifying marks by the religious minority groups."

Claim: Israeli Special Forces Operating in Iran – March 5, 2006

Lekarev - London's Sunday Times claims that Israel’s special forces are operating inside Iran in an urgent attempt to locate the country’s secret uranium enrichment sites. “We found several suspected sites last year but there must be more,” an Israeli intelligence source was quoted by the newspaper as saying. The forces are operating from a base in northern Iraq, guarded by Israeli soldiers with the approval of the Americans, according to Israeli sources. Two Iranian opposition groups claimed this weekend that Iran had increased its production of Shahab 3 missiles, which have a range of 1,200 miles, sufficient to reach Israel, the Sunday Times report said.

Meanwhile, according to the same report, the man who for two years led Iran's nuclear negotiations has laid out in unprecedented detail how the regime took advantage of talks with Britain, France and Germany to forge ahead with its secret atomic program. In a speech to a closed meeting of leading Islamic clerics and academics, Hassan Rowhani, who headed talks with the so-called EU3 until last year, revealed how Teheran played for time and tried to dupe the West after its secret nuclear program was uncovered by the Iranian opposition in 2002. He said that while talks were taking place in Teheran, Iran was able to complete the installation of equipment for conversion of yellowcake - a key stage in the nuclear fuel process - at its Isfahan plant but at the same time convince European diplomats that nothing was afoot. "From the outset, the Americans kept telling the Europeans, 'The Iranians are lying and deceiving you and they have not told you everything.' The Europeans used to respond, 'We trust them'," he said.

Mofaz: Hamas PA Puts Iran Just Outside Tel Aviv – February 27, 2006

Lekarev - Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz told U.S. envoy David Welch yesterday that the Hamas and its sponsor in Iran were attempting to create “an axis of evil, here,” on Israel’s doorstep. Mofaz said, “The latest contacts between the Hamas and Iran, and Khaled Mashal’s trip to Teheran to obtain Iranian support and to create an alliance, brings the axis of evil of Iran, Syria, Hizbullah, and Hamas, right here.”

Mofaz told Welch that the Hamas had specific plans to intensify its relationship with Iran and Hizbullah. “We know about their intentions,” said Mofaz, “and Israel cannot agree to that.” Mofaz added that Israel would not be amenable to any negotiations with the terror group which won a landslide victory against the Fatah in Palestinian Authority elections last month. He called the Hamas approach, “sweet talk.”

“We saw this in interviews in the American press over the weekend, but the facts are simple. That the Hamas has not accepted any conditions, exposes their true intentions. The Hamas plan is to take control of the PA in stages, setting up the government, taking control of the security forces, and following that, control of the entire PA, an act that will turn the PA into Hamastan,” the Defense Minister explained. Under the Oslo accords, the PA controls territories in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. Some of those territories are located only a few miles from the heavily populated Tel Aviv area, Israel’s commercial and industrial center.

Ahmadinejad to Hamas: Allah Will Provide for You – February 21, 2006

Lekarev - In their meeting yesterday in Tehran, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal not to be concerned over funding. “If you work for Allah, he will provide for you,” Ahmadinejad said. Both the president and Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Hamas to continue fighting the “Zionist occupation regime.”

“Based on international law, the future Palestinian government is authorized to fight to liberate the occupied lands, “Ahmadinejad said, adding that “Israel was established on a sad day when the Muslims were asleep, but now they are waking up. Today there is a wave of Islamic awakening and a gradual collapse of western hegemony, and this is the reason the conquerors feel uncomfortable on the occupied lands.”

In an attempt to encourage the Hamas leaders, Ahmadinejad said “Today the will of the Palestinian nation is the strongest in the Middle East. By voting for Hamas the Palestinian stressed their devotion to the ideal of resistance until their entire land is freed, and the heretics can’t deal with this will.”

Summit of Evil – February 21, 2005

Lekarev - Iran's spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met Monday with Hamas Politburo Chief Khaled Mashaal and other members of the group visiting Tehran, telling them they must continue to fight Israel. "The only way to succeed is to continue to resist the occupation," Khamenei said. "The Palestinian people knew voting for Hamas marks the continuation of fighting against the Zionist occupation regime."

Khamenei noted Hamas' recent election victory was a "sweet surprise, and proof Allah's promises materialize." His comments were quoted by Iran's official news agency. Mashaal responded, "This victory was a blessing by the almighty, meant to spare the blood of the oppressed and reward the martyrs."

Iran's spiritual leader also backed Mashaal's position, which rejects recognition of Israel, and demanded Palestinian refugees be allowed to return to Israel and the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. "This is the only way to succeed," Khamenei said. Khamenei also called on Arab countries to assist the new Hamas-led government and back its refusal to recognize Israel.

Iran: We Won't Stop Enrichment – June 1, 2006

Lekarev - Iran is ready to hold talks with its arch-enemy the United States but rejects Washington's demand for the Islamic republic to first suspend sensitive nuclear work, Iran's foreign minister said. "We support dialogue in a fair and unbiased atmosphere, but we will not talk about our undeniable and legitimate rights, because this is the right of our people according to international laws and treaties," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told a group of reporters.

"We are ready to talk about common concerns and if the conditions are such in a way that we have outlined, we are ready to negotiate with all parties," he said.

The United States, in a major policy shift, offered Wednesday to join talks on Iran's nuclear program in an apparent deal to win Russian and Chinese backing for UN sanctions against Tehran if needed. As world powers geared to meet Thursday in Vienna to mull the standoff with Iran, Washington said it was ready to enter the European-led negotiations if Tehran suspended uranium enrichment activities.

Washington's willingness to have its most substantive contacts with Iran since they broke diplomatic ties 26 years ago came amid efforts to hammer out an international approach to Iran's suspected nuclear arms ambitions.

Iran Will Have Bomb by 2010 – May 10, 2006

Lekarev - Hours before the UN Security Council convened to vote on sanctions on Iran Tuesday, the head of Military Intelligence's Research Division warned that Iran's declared intention to wipe Israel off the map was just another step in the Islamic republic's attempt to create a new world order by obtaining nuclear weapons. "Iran is interested not only in turning into a superpower, but also in changing the world order," Brig.-Gen Yosef Kuperwasser said at a conference entitled "Power Projection - The Needs and Challenges" at the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies in Herzliya.

Teheran, he said, stood at the forefront of global terrorism through its support of Hizbullah, al-Qaida and Palestinian terror organizations. Iran, he said, has also been behind attacks on US forces in Iraq. Acquiring nuclear weapons, Kuperwasser said, would establish Iran as a global superpower and reinforce its regime domestically.

Syria: Damascus and Lebanon

Nasrallah Admits Hezbollah Funds Palestinian Terrorism – May 12, 2006

Lekarev - On April 27, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Safir printed an in-depth interview with Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah general secretary, focusing on internal Lebanese and Middle East issues. One of the questions was whether Hezbollah was supplying weapons to “Palestinian elements” (i.e., the Palestinian terrorist organizations).

By way of answer, Nasrallah stated that at the beginning of the current Palestinian-Israeli confrontation Hezbollah provided the

Palestinian organizations with weapons. However, he added, the Jordanians exposed an attempt to smuggle them through Jordan and caused political problems, so the Palestinians asked Hezbollah “to send them money , and they would take care of things by themselves.” He said that the Palestinians could both purchase and manufacture weapons, including rockets, “ but they need financial, political and media propaganda support. We do not deny that we give it to them."

It should be noted that Hezbollah is on the terrorist organization list recently published by the US State Department (“Country Reports on Terrorism 2005,” April 2006). The section relating to support Hezbollah gives the Palestinian terrorist organizations can be found on page 197 of the report, and reads as follows: “Hizballah supports a variety of violent anti-Western groups, including Palestinian terrorist organizations. This support includes the covert provision of weapons, explosives, training, funding and guidance, as well as overt political support.”

Lebanon Admits Allowing Weapons to Hezbollah – February 26, 2006

Lekarev - The Lebanese government publicly admitted for the first time that it had permitted the delivery of a convoy of arms from Syria to Hezbollah. The United Nations responded by issuing a condemnation.

According to Lebanese sources, Lebanese soldiers halted a convoy of arms-laden trucks from Syria at an army checkpoint in the Lebanon Valley on January 31. However, the Lebanese Defense Ministry ordered the soldiers to allow the convoy to proceed.

A report on this incident then reached the UN's special envoy to the Middle East, Terje Larsen, in New York, and Larsen instructed his staff to investigate. Eventually, the Lebanese government admitted both that it had allowed the convoy to pass, and that the arms had been destined for Hezbollah. The UN then published a statement condemning the Lebanese government for having blatantly violated UN Security Council Resolution 1559, which, inter alia, calls for disarming the country's militias.

Hizbullah Attack Sunday Backfires – May 30, 2006

Lekarev - Last Wednesday, on the sixth anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, the pro- Syrian Lebanese President Emile Lahoud praised Hizbullah. He said the group, labeled by Israel and the US as a terror organization, should "stay until a just and comprehensive peace is achieved in the region."

But Sunday, following the worst clashes over the Israeli-Lebanese border since Israel's withdrawal, many Lebanese were increasingly vocal about their opposition to Hizbullah's arms, not to mention those of the various Palestinian factions based in camps around southern Lebanon.

"Firing rockets from South Lebanon is a violation of Lebanese sovereignty," announced the March 14 Forces executive committee following a Sunday meeting. "There is a serious security vacuum in the area due to the lack of the government's control." The group, named after the date a year ago when over a million Lebanese gathered in downtown Beirut calling - successfully - for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon, did not refer to Hizbullah by name, but it was clear that's who it meant. Its leaders include Saad Hariri and Walid Jumblatt.

Hizbullah, which has 11 parliamentary seats and two cabinet members, has refused to give up its weapons, which continue to be one of the most divisive issues among the Lebanese people. Once praised for 'kicking out the Israelis from south Lebanon' the organization's raison d'etre is now questioned particularly as the Iranian nuclear file becomes a hot issue. Once a public holiday, the May 24 anniversary of the Israeli withdrawal was cancelled this year, supposedly for budget reasons.

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Jordan's Crisis with Hamas Escalates – May 15, 2006

Lekarev - A crisis has erupted between the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority over Hamas terrorists' attempt to kill Jordanian officials and to store weapons and missiles there.

Jordan announced that it had arrested 20 suspects and seized stockpiles of Hamas weapons, including dozens of grenades and Iranian-made Katyusha rockets. Three Hamas members were shown on Jordanian television confessing to planning to kill senior Jordanian intelligence officials and stockpiling weapons in the Kingdom.

The Hamas men who appeared on Jordanian television were Ayman Naji Daraghmeh, 34, who confessed to being instructed by Hamas to monitor a particular Jordanian intelligence official who his Hamas handler said "harmed the movement." He said he managed to have pictures taken of the official, which were transferred to Hamas in Syria. He also said he received training in resisting interrogation methods while in Syria. The second seen confessing was Ahmad Abu Rabee, aged 27, who said that Daraghmeh had instructed him to purchase weapons and monitor an intelligence department bus in Amman – which he did - for the purpose of attacking it in the future.

The third Hamas man to confess was Islamic preacher Ahmed Abu Thiyab, who obtained weapons and ammunition – some from Iraq – on behalf of Hamas in Jordan. He was also instructed to monitor foreign tourists in the Aqaba resort town. Typically, Hamas chairman and PA prime minister Ismail Haniyah denied that his terror group was involved.

Israeli General to Apologize to King Abdullah for Remarks – February 24, 2006

Lekarev - A top Israeli general will apologize to Jordan's King Abdullah for saying he might be the last of the Hashemite dynasty to rule the Arab country, following the rise of Hamas, Israeli media reported Thursday. "I don't want to be a prophet, but after King Abdullah I don't think there will be another monarch in Jordan," Maj. Gen. Yair Naveh told reporters Wednesday. Experts estimate that some 80 percent of Jordan's population is Palestinian and Naveh said its citizens could turn to the Islamic fundamentalist Hamas in the wake of that group's victory in Palestinian elections.

Jordan has "expressed displeasure" after Maj. Gen. Yair Naveh made the comments to journalists, diplomats and academics in Jerusalem on Wednesday. Israeli media reported Thursday that Jordan has warned that relations between the two countries will suffer if Naveh is not removed from his post as commander of West Bank forces. At present there is no plan to dismiss Naveh. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni called her Jordanian counterpart Wednesday to emphasize that there is no change in the strong relations between the two countries. Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said in a statement that Israel views Jordan as a strong and stable country, "with a glorious heritage and promising future." Relations between Israel and Jordan have been exceptionally good in recent years

Hamas Gains Control of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood – March 17, 2005

Lekarev - On the heels of a successful visit to Moscow, Damascus-based leaders of the terrorist organization, Hamas, Khaled Meshaal and Musa Abu Marzuk have gained yet another success. Their protégés, Salem Felaikhat and Jamil Abu Bakr, were elected in secret ballots chief and deputy leader, respectively, of Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood.

This development places the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestinian branch, namely Hamas, in control of the Jordanian group. In particular, the hardline Meshaal will be in a position to run both MB-Jordan and Hamas-Gaza from his Damascus politburo office.

This development is causing deep concern in Jordanian and Israeli security units alike. Control of the two wings of the extremist movement by a single extremist hand will facilitate the synchronization of hostile operations on both sides of the Jordan River border dividing the Hashemite kingdom from the West Bank and Israel.

Egypt

Egypt Copts Want Truth, Scholars Condemn Church Attack – April 15, 2006

Islam Online (ALEXANDRIA) – Egyptian Church leaders ridiculed on Saturday, April 15, the official theory about the attacks that targeted three churches in the northern city of Alexandria a day earlier, amid condemnations from Muslim scholars. "The authorities must be transparent and frank when it comes to the facts about the attacks on churches," Bishop Johanna Nassif of Alexandria Coptic Church told IslamOnline.net on Saturday, April 15. "Injustice and irresponsible action could trigger irrational reactions," he cautioned. One Christian, Noshi Atta Girgis, was killed and at least five others wounded in knife attacks at three Coptic churches in Alexandria Friday.

The funeral procession turned violent after clashes between Copts and Muslims. (Reuters)

The Egyptian Interior Ministry said the rampage was carried out by a single attacker within the span of an hour.

It identified the assailant as 25-year-old Mahmud Salaheddin Abdul Razek, describing him as "mentally unstable".

Abdul Razek, who has been remanded in custody for four days, is facing charges of murder, illegal entry into a place of worship and illegal possession of weapons. The insanity argument is usually used by Egyptian authorities to label people involved in sensitive incidents, including communal violence and attacks on foreign tourists.

Calm

Bishop Nassif urged the angry 3,000 Copts who took part in the funeral to remain calm and act wisely.

Clashes erupted as the funeral procession left the Quidissin church where the funeral service had taken place and headed to the nearby cemetery. Muslims and Copts attacked each other with sticks and stones were thrown from nearby buildings, says IOL correspondent. Egyptian security forces, deployed in great numbers, immediately interfered firing tear gas, leaving five people wounded. The deadliest recent communal clashes occurred in October 2005 when Muslim protestors attacked a church in Alexandria for hosting a play offensive to Islam, killing three people. A 19-year-old Muslim who stabbed a nun during the rioting was sentenced to three years in jail in February.

Angry Copts complained of persecution. (Reuters)

Exploitation

Bishop Johanna Nassif said some people are "plating the seeds of sedition." "We do want to leave any room for rumors and must reassure Egyptian (Coptic) expatriates about their brothers in the country," he told IOL. "We are now living in a global village where everything is open. These attacks would make expatriate Copts to feel that the atmosphere in Egypt is unhealthy and must be changed," said Nassif. The bishop cautioned that some people might exploit the situation.

Bishop Ehab Samir warned against the exploitation of the attacks as a pretext to meddle in Egypt's affairs. "There are no needs for expatriate Copts to urge foreign intervention," he said.

Samir accused some people of playing the religious persecution card for personal gains. "Some people dream of immigrating and use such pretexts to get immigration privileges."Such rumor-mongers are very dangerous people and only do harm to society." The church attacks were vehemently condemned by MPs from Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. "We consider this crime an attack against all the Egyptian people, Muslim and Copt," they said in a statement. The MPs urged the Egyptian security forces to protect places of worship and warned against exploiting the situation to undermine the unity of the Egyptian people. The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) also condemned the attacks on the three churches.

Al-Awa condemned the church attacks, warning sectarian sedition would only "serve the enemies of Egypt."

In statements to the Doha-based Al-Jazeera news channel, IUMS Secretary General Salim Al-Awa sent his heartfelt condolences to the family and relatives of Girgis. He cautioned Egyptians against being dragged into a sectarian sedition which would only "serve the enemies of Egypt."Al-Awa, an Egyptian, urged the government to prevent the recurrence of such attacks. The IUMS was launched in July of last year in the British capital London as an independent body and a reference for all Muslims worldwide with prominent scholar Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi as its chair.

Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States

Saudi Arabia Continues Boycott of Israeli Goods – May 30, 2006

Lekarev – Despite renewed assurances given to Washington that it is no longer enforcing a trade boycott against the Jewish state, Saudi Arabia continues to prohibit Israeli-made goods from entering its territory. And while a senior US trade official sought to assure Congress last week that the embargo had in fact been removed, there is more than ample evidence to indicate that it remains in place and the Saudis are lying to the Bush Administration.

"If a product is made in Israel, then it is a problem. It is not allowed here," Muhammad al-Matrafi, a spokesman for the Director's Office of the King Khalid Airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, said by phone on Monday. "That is the law here in Saudi Arabia, and we do not allow those kinds of things into the kingdom," he said, adding, "If there is any mention of Israel on the container or on the product, then it can not enter Saudi Arabia."

A Saudi customs official at the Persian Gulf port of Ras Tanurah was equally adamant that no Israeli- made goods would be permitted to enter the country.

Saudi Arabia Breaks WTO Agreement, Continues Israel Boycott - March 10, 2006

Arutz Sheva (IsraelNationalNews) - U.S. ally Saudi Arabia continues to boycott Israel despite commitments to the U.S. and the WTO, and is even hosting an international conference to broaden the boycott of the Jewish state next week. Saudi Arabia promised the Bush Administration in November 2005 that it would end its economic boycott of Israel. That commitment was made in order to enter the World Trade Organization (WTO), but the Saudi regime continues to bar the entry of any Israeli products or even products with parts made in Israel.

Former Saudi Ambassador Salem el-Honi, whose official title is "High Commissioner of the Organization for the Islamic Conference's (OIC) Islamic Office for the Boycott of Israel," confirmed that the conference would be taking place in the city of Jidda next week. Speaking with Israel National News correspondent Michael Freund, El-Honi said that this is the ninth such annual event, which takes place every March and is expected to be well-attended. "All 57 OIC member states will attend, and we will discuss coordination among the various offices to strengthen the boycott," El-Honi told Freund.

The OIC's web site lists the conference, and it was confirmed by OIC Secretary-General Hamed Salah a-Din as well.The conference and continued boycott run counter to explicit commitments made by the Saudi regime on November 11th, 2005 as a condition for entry to the WTO.Freund reports the commitment was confirmed to him via email by Christin Baker, assistant US trade representative for public and media affairs. "[The US] ensured that Saudi Arabia, in its recent accession to the WTO, has taken on all rights and obligations with respect to all WTO members, including Israel," Baker wrote, adding that the Saudis obligated themselves to treat Israel the same as any other member nation.Freund confirmed with Jidda Port Saudi Customs Department’s Hamed Abdul Aziz that the boycott definitely is being enforced at Saudi ports. "Absolutely not - if it is from Israel it is not allowed," he said. "I checked with my manager, and he said it is completely forbidden." He confirmed the policy with a customs official at King Abdul Aziz Airport outside Jidda as well. Already two weeks after the November 11th signing the WTO agreement, Saudi officials assured Arab nations, through the Arabic press, that the boycott would continue unhindered. It is unclear what steps the WTO or U.S. will be willing to take to enforce the Saudi commitment, in light of the financial power of the oil-rich country and the close ties between the Bush Administration and the Saudi royal family.

Bahrain Breaks Promise to Bush Administration – May 11, 2006

Lekarev - The Gulf Arab state of Bahrain, which will shortly begin to enjoy special trade benefits under a deal signed with Washington, appears to have pulled one over on the Bush Administration. The US-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which is set to go into effect on July 1, was conditioned on a Bahraini promise to shut down its Israel Boycott Office and remove all restrictions on trade with the Jewish state. Bahrain pledged to comply with the US demand, and the agreement was then ratified by Congress and by US President George W. Bush.

But, as INN international affairs correspondent Michael Freund has found, there is ample evidence to demonstrate that Bahrain plans to continue with its anti-Israel embargo, despite its pledge to Washington. According to an article in the May 10 Bahrain Tribune, the country’s Foreign Minister said the boycott will remain in force. Speaking before Bahrain’s Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said, “the relations would be normal with Israel when the Arab League orders the Arab countries to end the boycott, and until then the Kingdom was sticking to the boycott.”

Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden

Al Qaeda Sets Its Sites on Israelis – March 6, 2006

Lekarev - Classified information received in Jerusalem over the weekend warns of a plan by terror group al-Qaeda to abduct Israeli citizens in Jordan, execute them and later publish photos of the murder, Israel's leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday. According to the information, al-Qaeda chief in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is behind the plan, aimed at boosting his image in the eyes of Al-Qaeda's top leader Osama Bin Laden. Bin Laden has for years been pressuring his group members to carry out attacks against Israel and cause damage to Jordan, where he was incarcerated for many years.

Another warning received in Israel refers to a plan of al-Qaeda's Iraqi branch to carry out a mega terror attack at the industrial factories in Irbid, Jordan, located on the border with Israel. Numerous Israeli factories operate in the Irbid area, employing thousands of Jordanian nationals. The products of Irbid are sold in the American market custom free and salaries in the factories provide a living for thousands of families. "If such a terror attack is successful, the Jordanians, the Israelis and the Americans will all be affected," a senior defense official in Amman said. Jordanian security forces have apprehended during the weekend a Zarqawi terror cell sent to the country in order to blow up a hotel, a power plant and a shopping center. four suspects were arrested in the raid. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said that the large attack foiled in Jordan exemplifies the growing threat of global Jihad organizations to Israel and its neighbors. Mofaz added that the exposure of the terror cell was behind the Israeli Counter Terror Bureau's decision last week to put out a severe warning to Israelis to avoid traveling to Sinai and Jordan.

Al Qaeda Targets Israeli Diplomats – May 17, 2006

Lekarev - The Foreign Ministry is planning to remove photographs of all Israeli diplomats from the internet sites of the Israeli embassies around the world, following a new threat by al-Qeada. The Islamic terror organization published images of three Israeli diplomats in a "black list" of foreign diplomats presented as enemies which should be struck.

The pictures were taken from an internet site of one of the Israeli embassies in a country in the Mediterranean basin, and posted on an al-Qaeda site next to British, American, and Australian diplomats, under the title: "Our enemies."

Names of the Israeli diplomats appeared underneath their pictures, and a call was placed under the images to strike at all Western diplomats.

Al-Qaida Iraqi Leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi: 'Our Eyes Are on Jerusalem' – April 26, 2006

Lekarev - In a rare video posted Tuesday on the Internet, Al- Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi renewed his allegiance to Osama bin Laden and said any government formed in Iraq would be merely a "stooge." He also mentioned Jerusalem, saying that while fighters are in Iraq, "our eyes are on Jerusalem, which cannot be regained without a guiding Koran and a triumphant sword." He mocked the U.S. military in Iraq for what he called suicides, drug- taking and mutinies and warned worse attacks were to come.

The video - believed the first to ever show Zarqawi's face - showed the bearded, black-clothed terror leader, thought to be 40, in a flat desert landscape, dotted with scrub brush as if after a spring rain, that looked startlingly like Iraq's western Anbar province. He accused the West and the United States of waging a "crusader" war against Islam but said Muslim holy warriors were standing firm.

'Crusader War Against Islam' – April 23, 2006

Lekarev - Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden said the international isolation of the Hamas-led Palestinian government is proof of a "war by crusaders and Zionists against Islam," according to an audiotape attributed to him and aired on Arabic television.

"Their (the West's) rejection of Hamas after it had won the election confirms that there is a crusader- Zionist war against Muslims," he said.

The tape broadcast today by the Qatar-based al- Jazeera satellite television was the first purported recording by the Western world's most wanted man in three months.

Message from BibleSearchers

BibleSearchers scans the world for information that has relevance on the time of the end. It is our prayer that this will allow the believers in the Almighty One of Israel to “watch and be ready”. Our readiness has nothing to do trying to halt the progression of evil on our planet earth. In our readiness, we seek to be prepared for the coming of the Messiah of Israel so that goodness and evil will be manifested in its fullest. Our preparation is a pathway of spiritual readiness for a world of peace. Our defender is the Lord of hosts. The time of the end suggests that the Eternal One of Israel’s intent is to close out this chapter of earth’s history so that the perpetrators of evil, those that seek power, greed and control, will be eliminated from this planet earth. The wars of the heavens are being played out on this planet earth and humans will live through it to testify of the might, power, justice and the love of the God of Israel. In a world of corruption and disinformation, we cannot always know what the historical truth is and who is promoting evil or mis-information. We cannot guarantee our sources but we will always seek to portray trends that can be validated in the Torah and the testimony of the prophets of the Old and the New Testament.

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