The Toronto Star reports that the Abbas-Sharon meeting in Jerusalem did not goes as well as the Palestinians had hoped and they are a little more peeved than the Toronto Star has reported if this report from the Jerusalem Post is accurate. To use the Dahlan quote from the Toronto Star “There was nothing, nothing.”
The Palestinian response to the demands of Sharon request that the PA take decisive steps to end the terror shows again a real disconnect with the reality on the ground. When the Israeli Shin Bet give you notice of a suicide bombing attack being planned by your militant wing; it is high time to act to stop the attack. If you do not take concrete action to stop that attack, you forfeit all rights to whine about a lack of concessions. The days of something for nothing are long over.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Red Ensign Standard XXlV
A Chick Named Marzi hoists the Red Ensign Bloggers Standard XXlV and I have to give full kudos to Marzi for being able to pull it together. There is no doubt in my mind that conservative punk chicks know opinions.
The Next Destination of Choice for Wannabe Suicide Bombers
Yesterday, the Israel Defense Forces manning a checkpoint into Israel nabbed a 21 year old female wannabe suicide bomber. According to this Haaretz online article the woman had a humanitarian entry visa to enter Israel to receive treatment for burns on her body she received when a canister for her cooking stove blew up last December. She was apprehended with 10 kgs of explosives attached to the pants she was wearing. She told Shin Bet interrogators that her destination for detonation was the waiting room of the Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva. Let that sink in.
Wafa Ibrahim was recruited and sent on her mission of death at an Israeli medical centre by the Al Asqa Martyr’s Brigade which is the military wing of Palestinian Authority Chairman’s Mahmoud Abba’s Fatah party. Just in case you cannot connect the dots for the implications of this, Haaretz spells it out in no uncertain terms:
Let that sink in and explain to me rationally why the West should continue to press Israel to lessen any security measures designed to protect the lives of its citizens from the scrouge of those who think that genocide is a legitmate tool of political expression.
Wafa Ibrahim was recruited and sent on her mission of death at an Israeli medical centre by the Al Asqa Martyr’s Brigade which is the military wing of Palestinian Authority Chairman’s Mahmoud Abba’s Fatah party. Just in case you cannot connect the dots for the implications of this, Haaretz spells it out in no uncertain terms:
The Shin Bet received a tip that Fatah was planning to send Wafa Samir Ibrahim al-Biss, of the Jabalya refugee camp, on a suicide mission via one of the Gaza Strip crossings. Israel gave the Palestinian Authority and Chairman Mahmoud Abbas detailed information of the plan, Shin Bet sources said, but the PA did nothing.
Let that sink in and explain to me rationally why the West should continue to press Israel to lessen any security measures designed to protect the lives of its citizens from the scrouge of those who think that genocide is a legitmate tool of political expression.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Alberta Floods
Darcey at Dust My Broom, a recent ex-pat returned from California to Alberta made it home just in time for the cleansing and has pictures posted. Go leave a cheery comment on his impeccable timing.
Angry has the details on how we can help out our fellow Canadians in Alberta.
Angry has the details on how we can help out our fellow Canadians in Alberta.
Palestinian Institutional hatemongering has silenced a blog
The Jerusalem Post attempted to host a blog run by psychologist, Mohammed K. Mukhaimar, a Palestinian living in Gaza. This is the JPost’s account of the experience after just one week:
I had a friend who was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. You could not have met a more thoughtful or kind man than Michel. Never a careless word was uttered nor was a thoughtless deed committed by Michel. It was only when I learned the story of his first 25 years in the midst of a radicalize camp run by the PLO that I understood that, for him, kindness and courtesy were conscientious acts of defiance he chose to use to keep his humanity intact. A decade and a half later, the lessons that Michel shared with me, I taught to my children whenever they faced an injustice situation that they could not change. Not all injustices can be righted but what we can do is remember and if the opportunity arises that we are the ones in a position of authority whether it be the playground or in the street, we can conscientiously chose not to follow the example that was put before us in the past.
Few of us here in the West realize the extent that the average Palestinian is brutalized and victimized by the PLO - generation upon generation, camp after camp. Because of Michel’s story and the stories of other Palestinians I have met in the safety and security of Canada I can understand the rise and appeal of groups like Hamas for the average Palestinian. Make no mistake; I am not absolving these groups of their acts of “resistance” or ideology based on the genocide of Jews for the salvation of the Palestinian people but I can comprehend the appeal. Hamas was born directly out of the tyranny and thuggery of the PLO.
Earlier in this week I posted a statement issued by the Palestinian Minister of the Environment accusing the Israeli’s of poisoning juice and toys imported into the West Bank and Gaza for consumption by Palestinians. As ridiculous and foolish as this statement is, make no mistake, the average Palestinian is so conditioned to not only accept them but believe them. I have no doubt that the Minister knows that his statements are false and he could not care as long as it serves his political end. This statement by the Minister of the Environment was not just a one shot deal. It represents an ongoing pattern of victimization that Palestinians have been subjected to for generations. But these statements are made not solely for the Palestinian people, but also for the larger Muslim community in the Middle East. Earlier this year I posted a story about 2 dogs that had wandered across the border into Lebanon from Israel. The reactions by the Lebanon villagers and soldiers to the "Israeli Infiltrators" are the logical consequences of the non-stop campaign of demonizing Israel. Many have despaired that a peace can be possible between the Israeli’s and the Palestinians but peace can never be possible as long as the Palestinian leaders and people hold on to their bigotry.
I applaud the decision of the Jerusalem Post to make the attempt to provide a direct dialogue with the “other” and I salute Dr. Mukhaimar for making the attempt to rise above those whose interests are in maintaining the state of bigotry, thuggery and tyranny in Palestinian society. It would do us all good to understand that not everyone wishes death to the Zionists but merely a place and a voice at the table.
Dear Jpost.com reader,
I regret to inform you that we have decided to terminate the blog of Palestinian psychologist Mohammed K. Mukhaimar following an urgent request by him to do so.
Jpost.com approached Mr. Mukhaimar with a proposition to provide his thoughts and experiences to our readers on a regular web log (blog), and the blog was aired for the first, and unfortunately, last time this week Thursday.
Mr. Mukhaimar's first blog entry consisted of nothing more than a greeting and a short personal biography, with a promise of more to come. The responses to Mohammed's blog were not long in coming. Within minutes of publishing his blog, Jpost.com received hundreds of emails for Mohammed, most of which were extremely positive and encouraged him to continue providing a voice "from the other side" as it were. It seemed our readers were grateful for the opportunity to interact and connect with a personage so seemingly distant in geography, language, culture and ideology. Many had questions for Mohammed, many more just wanted to say "hello" and "thank you for being there", for taking that courageous step.
And therein lay the problem.
Several hours after his blog was published on Jpost. com, the website of The Jerusalem Post, a newspaper whose primary concern is the well-being of The State of Israel, Mohammed started feeling the creeping force of a largely radicalized Palestinian society. Mohammed called the staff at Jpost.com, and together with him, the decision was made to terminate the blog, for now.
I applaud Mohammed's courage and I respect him for his belief that one person, if he or she so wishes, can take actions that bridge the vast divides of hatred and misunderstanding between our two peoples, even if he is now forced to walk back along that bridge. The bridge is there Mohammed, you built it, and we, together with our readers, will wait with proud expectation for you to walk back on it at a time of your choosing.
Amir Mizroch
News Editor and Managing Editor - Internet
The Jerusalem Post
I had a friend who was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. You could not have met a more thoughtful or kind man than Michel. Never a careless word was uttered nor was a thoughtless deed committed by Michel. It was only when I learned the story of his first 25 years in the midst of a radicalize camp run by the PLO that I understood that, for him, kindness and courtesy were conscientious acts of defiance he chose to use to keep his humanity intact. A decade and a half later, the lessons that Michel shared with me, I taught to my children whenever they faced an injustice situation that they could not change. Not all injustices can be righted but what we can do is remember and if the opportunity arises that we are the ones in a position of authority whether it be the playground or in the street, we can conscientiously chose not to follow the example that was put before us in the past.
Few of us here in the West realize the extent that the average Palestinian is brutalized and victimized by the PLO - generation upon generation, camp after camp. Because of Michel’s story and the stories of other Palestinians I have met in the safety and security of Canada I can understand the rise and appeal of groups like Hamas for the average Palestinian. Make no mistake; I am not absolving these groups of their acts of “resistance” or ideology based on the genocide of Jews for the salvation of the Palestinian people but I can comprehend the appeal. Hamas was born directly out of the tyranny and thuggery of the PLO.
Earlier in this week I posted a statement issued by the Palestinian Minister of the Environment accusing the Israeli’s of poisoning juice and toys imported into the West Bank and Gaza for consumption by Palestinians. As ridiculous and foolish as this statement is, make no mistake, the average Palestinian is so conditioned to not only accept them but believe them. I have no doubt that the Minister knows that his statements are false and he could not care as long as it serves his political end. This statement by the Minister of the Environment was not just a one shot deal. It represents an ongoing pattern of victimization that Palestinians have been subjected to for generations. But these statements are made not solely for the Palestinian people, but also for the larger Muslim community in the Middle East. Earlier this year I posted a story about 2 dogs that had wandered across the border into Lebanon from Israel. The reactions by the Lebanon villagers and soldiers to the "Israeli Infiltrators" are the logical consequences of the non-stop campaign of demonizing Israel. Many have despaired that a peace can be possible between the Israeli’s and the Palestinians but peace can never be possible as long as the Palestinian leaders and people hold on to their bigotry.
I applaud the decision of the Jerusalem Post to make the attempt to provide a direct dialogue with the “other” and I salute Dr. Mukhaimar for making the attempt to rise above those whose interests are in maintaining the state of bigotry, thuggery and tyranny in Palestinian society. It would do us all good to understand that not everyone wishes death to the Zionists but merely a place and a voice at the table.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
"Are these Kazemi images offensive?" asks Naomi Klein
I had to check yesterday whether the end of the world was at hand when I read an opinion piece by Naomi Klien in the Globe and Mail and I found that I was standing on the same side as her on this issue though I did not get there by the same route. Of course, the piece was co-authored with Aaron Mate, so maybe that makes the difference or what could even be more frightening - is that there are two hard core leftists and I standing on the same side. If that doesn’t qualify as mind apocalyptic, what is? For those of you without a subscription, do the google thingy.
This opinion piece centers around 5 pictures taken by deceased Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi (who was brutally raped, tortured and murdered by the Iranian state) that were recently exhibited at a Montreal community library. They were part of an exhibit of Kazemi’s work that drew the wrath of the local Jewish community. The library administration decided to remove the pictures from the exhibit after receiving a number of complaints. The Globe and Mail, to their credit, ran reproductions of the five pictures in their dead tree edition.
Briefly, theses five pictures show the following: Palestinian Children standing in rubble at a checkpoint in Ramallah, (West Bank) holding bullet casings, Israeli security forces at a check point in Jerusalem and Nablus, a road in ruins in Jenin after a battle and the ground after a clash in Ramallah.
I am not unsympathic to the Jewish community’s concerns. I can think of no people that have been under siege longer than the Jews, nor can I think of another country that has been more demonized than Israel but these pictures are not the problem. I see Israeli soldiers at a check point standing in body armor, their guns at ready and I am saddened. It did not have to be this way. This is the consequence of those who hold a political agenda of pushing the Jews in the sea. Note to all concerned: the times have changed after two thousand years - Jews do not go docilely into the sea and they rage against that dark night you offer as an alternative to the sea.
I see Palestinian children standing in the rubble of a check point holding bullet casing and pieces of shrapnel after a battle and I am outraged on their behalf that their elders so carelessly threw away their opportunities for statehood, freedom, peace and prosperity in 1948 or the failure of Palestinian leadership in not choosing to build the infrastructure of a civil society during the Oslo years which cumulated in a rejection of the offer of statehood again in 2000, and unleashed the senseless violence of the Intifada instead.
If a picture tells the tale of a thousand words do not be afraid of reading the tale to the end. These images are the consequences for those who chose genocide as a political mandate and should offer a cautionary tale for all those who are contemplating making their life’s work the death of the world’s only Jewish state. I find the act of censoring these pictures offensive. These pictures should serve as a catalyst for all those who seek to censor or silence the whole tale these pictures tell.
This opinion piece centers around 5 pictures taken by deceased Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi (who was brutally raped, tortured and murdered by the Iranian state) that were recently exhibited at a Montreal community library. They were part of an exhibit of Kazemi’s work that drew the wrath of the local Jewish community. The library administration decided to remove the pictures from the exhibit after receiving a number of complaints. The Globe and Mail, to their credit, ran reproductions of the five pictures in their dead tree edition.
Briefly, theses five pictures show the following: Palestinian Children standing in rubble at a checkpoint in Ramallah, (West Bank) holding bullet casings, Israeli security forces at a check point in Jerusalem and Nablus, a road in ruins in Jenin after a battle and the ground after a clash in Ramallah.
I am not unsympathic to the Jewish community’s concerns. I can think of no people that have been under siege longer than the Jews, nor can I think of another country that has been more demonized than Israel but these pictures are not the problem. I see Israeli soldiers at a check point standing in body armor, their guns at ready and I am saddened. It did not have to be this way. This is the consequence of those who hold a political agenda of pushing the Jews in the sea. Note to all concerned: the times have changed after two thousand years - Jews do not go docilely into the sea and they rage against that dark night you offer as an alternative to the sea.
I see Palestinian children standing in the rubble of a check point holding bullet casing and pieces of shrapnel after a battle and I am outraged on their behalf that their elders so carelessly threw away their opportunities for statehood, freedom, peace and prosperity in 1948 or the failure of Palestinian leadership in not choosing to build the infrastructure of a civil society during the Oslo years which cumulated in a rejection of the offer of statehood again in 2000, and unleashed the senseless violence of the Intifada instead.
If a picture tells the tale of a thousand words do not be afraid of reading the tale to the end. These images are the consequences for those who chose genocide as a political mandate and should offer a cautionary tale for all those who are contemplating making their life’s work the death of the world’s only Jewish state. I find the act of censoring these pictures offensive. These pictures should serve as a catalyst for all those who seek to censor or silence the whole tale these pictures tell.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
The Virtues of a Catholic Education
After reading this at the Corner I decided to call home and ask the Last Amazon if she knew who Gloria Steinem is.
The Last Amazon drew a complete blank and asked me if her contribution was in science or pure math?
Nuff said.
The Last Amazon drew a complete blank and asked me if her contribution was in science or pure math?
Nuff said.
Zionist Radioactive Toys & Death Juices
You cannot, I repeat, cannot make up anything more outrageous than what comes regularly out of the mouth of representatives of the Palestinian Authority but I duly note that it takes a communist internet daily to give it a voice internationally. From Xinhuanet comes publication of this lastest piece of dribble:
Xinhaunet may have a higher circulation with their captive audience than Newsweek has but I seriously doubt the editors of Newsweek have cause to worry yet.
(tipped off by Israellycool)
RAMALLAH, June 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Palestinian chief of Environment Authority Yousef Abu Safeya accused Israel Monday of glutting the Palestinian markets with carcinogenic canned juice.
"Such kind of drinks are specifically produced for the Palestinian consumers in the Gaza Strip." Abu Safeya told a weekly session of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). He pointed out that the Palestinian security services had recently seized a number of shipments, including canned juice containing a carcinogenic substance.
He added that the Egyptian authorities impounded two Israeli trucks carrying child toys polluted with carcinogenic and radioactive substances at the Rafah commercial crossing on the borders with Israel in March.
Xinhaunet may have a higher circulation with their captive audience than Newsweek has but I seriously doubt the editors of Newsweek have cause to worry yet.
(tipped off by Israellycool)
I am too busy to come out to blog.
Did I mention how much I love gamers who are also computer programmers?
The first PC game I ever played was Tombraider. I loved that game and enjoyed all the Tombraider games until Angel of Darkness - that one was the only one that truly sucked. One of the regrets I had in switching to Windows XP is that I would have to give up all my old PC games.
Saturday morning, I discovered that the truly fine human beings at Tombraider Chronicles have developed a patch that you can down load onto your XP that will allow you to play all your Tombraider games again.
Initially, I was somewhat hesitant with the idea that I would get the same level of satisfaction and enjoyment in playing the old Tombraider games as I did when I first started playing them in the 90’s. I thought the graphics would look too hooky and the movements would be far too awkward for it to hold my attention any more. I was wrong. This just goes to show that good game play is not all about pixels. Blogging will resume whenever I get bored of playing.
The first PC game I ever played was Tombraider. I loved that game and enjoyed all the Tombraider games until Angel of Darkness - that one was the only one that truly sucked. One of the regrets I had in switching to Windows XP is that I would have to give up all my old PC games.
Saturday morning, I discovered that the truly fine human beings at Tombraider Chronicles have developed a patch that you can down load onto your XP that will allow you to play all your Tombraider games again.
Initially, I was somewhat hesitant with the idea that I would get the same level of satisfaction and enjoyment in playing the old Tombraider games as I did when I first started playing them in the 90’s. I thought the graphics would look too hooky and the movements would be far too awkward for it to hold my attention any more. I was wrong. This just goes to show that good game play is not all about pixels. Blogging will resume whenever I get bored of playing.
Friday, June 10, 2005
Poundmaker Working Group Protest Update
Lance at Catprint in the Mash has up a new post up on the Poundmaker Working Group Protest. Imagine a group of people who are refusing to tolerate corruption in their midst and are actively rising up against it in Canada. I must say - it does seem very unliberal of them.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
The Ultimate Chick Flicks
I have a confession to make. The Last Amazon and I are hooked on Bollywood movies. Initially, we were introduced to Bollywood with Monsoon Wedding and that made us want to see more. The males in the house can’t understand it and they try to ridicule us when we appropriate the living room TV to watch Bollywood movies. I have never been one for musicals per say and I will admit that Bollywood movies often go over the top with the actors breaking out in song every other scene but Bollywood filmmakers know how to carry a complex plot line with real baddies. The bad guys invite you to hate them and demand an emotion response from us where we are screaming NO NO NO as they go about their nefarious ways on the family TV screen but the movies usually end on an upbeat note. You know, the kind films that Hollywood use to make before it fell in love with narcissism and anti-heroes.
I first saw the billboards for Fashion Cares annual Aids fund rising fashion show at Yonge & Dundas billing the event as "Bollywood Cowboy" and thought how tacky. Now Bollywood is somewhat corny and cheesy, but it never gets to the crass level and that’s part of its appeal. Apparently, the ACT committee that organizes the event is in hot water with the local Hindu community according to this Toronto Star report.
Now the Flea weighs in here but I have a somewhat different take on it. To the local Hindu community of Toronto, I say: welcome and congratulations into making it into the mainstream of Canadian society where nothing is sacred and everything that passes into pop culture gets profaned. Protest all you want, but there’s a chair for you right beside the Christians and Jews. Personally, I hope to live to see the day in Canada where Fashion Cares decides to do 101 Nights with the Houris in Paradise and no one gets killed and the fatwas don’t get issued.
I first saw the billboards for Fashion Cares annual Aids fund rising fashion show at Yonge & Dundas billing the event as "Bollywood Cowboy" and thought how tacky. Now Bollywood is somewhat corny and cheesy, but it never gets to the crass level and that’s part of its appeal. Apparently, the ACT committee that organizes the event is in hot water with the local Hindu community according to this Toronto Star report.
In their zeal to cash in on the trendiness of all things Bollywood, organizers of Toronto's biggest fashion event have stepped into a cultural minefield, outraging thousands of South Asians worldwide. Hyped as a synergy of East and West — "Bollywood bling meets rhinestone cowboy" — the theme of this year's gala Fashion Cares has sparked an international protest among Hindus, who say the event appropriated their culture and was disrespectful to their religion.
About 5,000 people attended the annual fashion extravaganza organized by the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) to raise money for AIDS prevention and treatment, held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Saturday. "The reaction is massive. It's not just locally people who are upset, it's internationally," said Tushar Unadkat, owner of a Toronto advertising agency. He said he has received thousands of emails from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and India since he posted a letter about the show on his website earlier this week.
The head of the Vishnu Hindu temple in Richmond Hill is organizing a protest to be staged in front of ACT offices. "It's totally despicable to present a nude exhibition of a goddess. Hindus are docile and laid-back people, and they (ACT) obviously took advantage of that, but we won't stand for this," said Dr. Budhendra Doobay, adding he wants a full public apology from ACT in the mainstream press.
ACT, which expects to raise more than $1 million from the event, has issued an apology on its website. "ACT regrets any offence that was caused. Our intention was to have a great event to raise money for a worthwhile cause," said Karim Karsan, an ACT spokesperson and board member. The cinematic genres of Bollywood and cowboy Westerns, both hot trends in fashion, inspired the theme, Karsan said.
"It didn't occur to us it would be offensive. ... I'm surprised it has blown up to this extent," he said, adding that ACT did not sanction the people dressed as gods and goddesses at the event, nor the distribution of postcards with Hindu deities.
Now the Flea weighs in here but I have a somewhat different take on it. To the local Hindu community of Toronto, I say: welcome and congratulations into making it into the mainstream of Canadian society where nothing is sacred and everything that passes into pop culture gets profaned. Protest all you want, but there’s a chair for you right beside the Christians and Jews. Personally, I hope to live to see the day in Canada where Fashion Cares decides to do 101 Nights with the Houris in Paradise and no one gets killed and the fatwas don’t get issued.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Sex Tax
Ananova carries this report from a Romanian University that has discovered a new way to raise funds:
Got to give the Romanians credit for being enterprising. I found this article while I was surfing the net. I was so startled that I linked into the article and was not able to backtrack to give proper credit to the blogger where it is due.
A Romanian university has slapped a 'sex tax' on students inviting their partners to spend the night with them in dormitories. The Alexandru Ioan Cuza Univeristy in Iasi charges £4 each time a boyfriend of girlfriend spends the night with one of the 1,800 people living on campus.
One dormitory manager said: "If they want to spend the night with their girlfriends or boyfriends then they should pay. This is not their home. And it is not such a high price to pay." He added that hundreds had already paid the charge with male students particularly keen to pay and saving the receipts to show friends.
Got to give the Romanians credit for being enterprising. I found this article while I was surfing the net. I was so startled that I linked into the article and was not able to backtrack to give proper credit to the blogger where it is due.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Go yea into the streets and byways of Jerusalem, and see, if yea can find an international reporter
I was reading Caroline Glick’s column in the Jerusalem Post and I was struck by how much of a free pass the Palestinian Authority receives in the international media. This incident is taken from her most recent column:
Caroline Glick was opining on the passivity of the Israel government but it extends further than that when an orthodox priest in East Jerusalem can be summoned to appear before PA prime minister to answer for the alleged crime of leasing land to Jews and "his lawyer has his arm broken and his financial adviser is brutally beaten" and not the slightest hint of this emerges from the international press. The Palestinian Authority has now effectively seized operating control of the finances for a Greek Orthodox Church and no one in the international press has dick to say about it. What times are these that we live in?
The newest victim of the PA's power grab is not an Arab at all, but the recently excommunicated Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church, Irineous I.
Since the PA was established, it has worked diligently to bring all the various Christian sects under its direct control. In the 1990s this involved terrorizing priests and nuns into submission. In Jericho and Hebron, the PA took control of the convents and churches of the White Russian churches and transferred them to the pro-PLO Red Russian church. In 2002, Fatah terrorists laid siege to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and held the priests hostage for weeks while ostentatiously desecrating the holy site.
Until the sacking of Irineous last month, the Greek Orthodox Church was the only church operating in Israel and the PA that retained its independence from the PA. Before Easter, Ma'ariv published a report that Irineous had committed the "crime" of leasing church property by the Jaffa Gate of the Old City to Jews. Seeing an opportunity, the PA immediately pounced on Irineous. As columnist Nadav Haetzni reported in Ma'ariv on Friday, PA ministers and militia commanders, equipped with Israeli VIP travel documents, descended on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and organized attacks against Irineous, who was immediately condemned as a "traitor" and a "collaborator."
Irineous was summoned for an interrogation by PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei. His lawyer's arm was broken and his financial adviser was brutally beaten. Under the gun of PA intimidation, the church's Holy Synod convened and excommunicated Irineous last month. The PA took over the church's finances and incited an international scandal which brought Greece's deputy foreign minister to Ramallah, where he apologized to Qurei for Irineous's terrible crime.
As all of this was happening, Israel's government sat quietly on the side and did nothing. The attacks against Irineous were organized by a PLO-sponsored Arab Israeli priest, Theodosius Atallah Hanna. Hanna has repeatedly glorified suicide bombers and, indeed, called for Palestinians to become bombers in interviews to the Arab press. He is positioning himself to become the first Arab patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church since the 16th century.
Aside from the fact that the current Arabization of the Greek Orthodox Church will signal the complete takeover of all Christian churches by the PA, it also has strategic significance for Israel's national security. The PA has now made clear that the prohibition of land sales to Jews extends even to foreigners. As well, the Greek Orthodox Church owns vast land tracts throughout Israel. In Jerusalem alone, the Knesset, the President's House and large swathes of Rehavia are owned by the church. With the church under PLO control, what will become of these lands when their current leases expire?
Caroline Glick was opining on the passivity of the Israel government but it extends further than that when an orthodox priest in East Jerusalem can be summoned to appear before PA prime minister to answer for the alleged crime of leasing land to Jews and "his lawyer has his arm broken and his financial adviser is brutally beaten" and not the slightest hint of this emerges from the international press. The Palestinian Authority has now effectively seized operating control of the finances for a Greek Orthodox Church and no one in the international press has dick to say about it. What times are these that we live in?
Monday, June 06, 2005
PALESTINIANS TO PROVIDE SECURITY FOR GAZA PULL-OUT
That is the headline from an Associated Press article at the Toronto Star OnLine and I had to give my head a real shake and then read it again.
The second reading sent me searching the Israeli papers in disbelief. Hey, this is the Associated Press and its not like they haven’t gotten a few things wrong. I quickly found this Haaretz Article:
Mahmud Abbas has done his best to plumb out the ranks of the Palestinian Authority security forces with former Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists but according to this Yahoo News article there are a few disenfranchised gunmen running around Nablus that the Palestinian Authority overlooked:
I don’t see that Abbas has much choice but to give these guys the Gaza pull-out security forces gig after the events of the past week with the local Gaza security forces.
But let’s be up front and realistic. I can think of nothing more inspiring of a Charleton Heston moment if I was an Israeli living in Gaza than to know that the PA has my back and the IDF can have my weapon back when they pry it from my cold dead hand.
JERUSALEM — Palestinians are recruiting thousands of police in the Gaza Strip to prevent attacks on Jewish settlers and soldiers during Israel's planned pullout from the area this summer, a security official said today, in a significant step toward co-ordination after months of deadlock and years of bloody conflict.
The new signs of co-operation, including a meeting of technical experts late Monday, came despite a confrontation at a disputed holy site in Jerusalem in which Israeli police hurled stun grenades to disperse hundreds of Palestinian stone-throwers.
The second reading sent me searching the Israeli papers in disbelief. Hey, this is the Associated Press and its not like they haven’t gotten a few things wrong. I quickly found this Haaretz Article:
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz declared on Monday that the army will collect the settlers' weapons shortly before the scheduled date for the disengagement plan. Mofaz warned the settlers that those who refuse to give up their weapons will have them taken by force. This initiative is to ensure there will be no armed settlers during the evacuation.
Mofaz's remarks touched specifically on the weapons that the Israel Defense Forces provided the settlers for self-defense, namely to security officers of the local authorities, security coordinators of settlements and members of on-call forces in the settlements. In mid-April, after a meeting with senior officers, Mofaz ordered the army to begin collecting weapons from settlers ahead of the evacuation. Mofaz told IDF officers that the collection was to be coordinated with settler leaders. The directive was postponed soon after due to fears that collecting weapons at that point would create a crisis of confidence in the army among the settlers.
In his appearance before the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, the defense minister said the IDF will collect weapons from the settlers only immediately before the evacuation planned for August 15. This way settlers will be able to defend themselves until their evacuation.
Mahmud Abbas has done his best to plumb out the ranks of the Palestinian Authority security forces with former Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists but according to this Yahoo News article there are a few disenfranchised gunmen running around Nablus that the Palestinian Authority overlooked:
Militants loosely affiliated to the Fatah party of Mahmud Abbas stormed public offices in Nablus under a hail of gunfire, accusing the Palestinian leader of failing to honour security promises. The band of 20 militants from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades barged into the local interior ministry office in the northern West Bank city on Sunday, opened fire and ordered everyone out, Palestinian security sources said. The gang then stormed the governor's office at the other end of town, ordered out all staff under gunfire and lightly wounded one man, they added. Nablus governor Mahmud al-Uol was in Ramallah at the time.
"We demand that the Palestinian Authority, especially Abu Mazen (Abbas), keeps their promises. He promised us jobs in the security services and that he would secure our safety. We have seen none of it," Al-Aqsa said in a statement.
I don’t see that Abbas has much choice but to give these guys the Gaza pull-out security forces gig after the events of the past week with the local Gaza security forces.
But let’s be up front and realistic. I can think of nothing more inspiring of a Charleton Heston moment if I was an Israeli living in Gaza than to know that the PA has my back and the IDF can have my weapon back when they pry it from my cold dead hand.
The Red Ensign Standard Rises over West Coast Chaos
Temujin at West Coast Chaos hoists the The Red Ensign Standard Volume No. 23 and ask the question:
Here, here! Go forth and read the rest here.
Why do I care about the history of my country? It is because my nation has a proud past. Why will I take a moment of silence today to remember D-Day? Because something extraordinary happened on that day. The numbers I read state that that were 1074 fatal and non-fatal casualties in the Canadian Army on that day. Those men served honourably under the banner of the Red Ensign. They did so to free Western Europe from a tyrant, and prevent said tyrant from undermining the freedoms they held dear. Their efforts, and the efforts of the entire force of British, American, and Canadian soldiers on that day, secured a third front against Hitler. It effectively assured victory in Europe for the Allies. I will take a moment of silence today. And then, I will carry on with my day. I can do so because of what they did. I will not forget.
Here, here! Go forth and read the rest here.
One Hit Comments
Now this is both exciting and promising and makes me wish I had more than one life so that I could learn how to do what these researchers have done.
And in keeping with the scientific breakthrough theme Israel21c reports that Israeli scientists have located sarcasm in the brain.
I would also like to point out that Canada’s own Samuel Johnson aka Occam’s Carbuncle has published his lexicon online. My new favourite definition is for corruption:
I have not blogged about Karla Homolka or commented on her imminent release from jail because I just can’t get my mind around the fact that she is still living and breathing while her victims aren’t. I fail to comprehend why as a society we are willing to play Russian roulette with Homolka. The debate should be on whether or not she lives; not on whether or not restrictions should be imposed on her liberty. It is high time that capital punishment comes back on the public agenda.
This weekend saw inductees added to the Canadian Walk of Fame. What I cannot understand is why Alanis Morrissette was inducted when she just took an oath of citizenship to the United States of America this year.
And in keeping with the scientific breakthrough theme Israel21c reports that Israeli scientists have located sarcasm in the brain.
I would also like to point out that Canada’s own Samuel Johnson aka Occam’s Carbuncle has published his lexicon online. My new favourite definition is for corruption:
corruption n. in government, the practice of transforming the merely blameworthy into the profitable
I have not blogged about Karla Homolka or commented on her imminent release from jail because I just can’t get my mind around the fact that she is still living and breathing while her victims aren’t. I fail to comprehend why as a society we are willing to play Russian roulette with Homolka. The debate should be on whether or not she lives; not on whether or not restrictions should be imposed on her liberty. It is high time that capital punishment comes back on the public agenda.
This weekend saw inductees added to the Canadian Walk of Fame. What I cannot understand is why Alanis Morrissette was inducted when she just took an oath of citizenship to the United States of America this year.
Sunday, June 05, 2005
No surprise here.
The Globe and Mail is reporting that Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has decided to post-pone the July 17th upcoming Palestinian Legislative elections indefinitely.
This comes as no surprise considering that the previous May municipal election result has yet to be officially finalized and that just a few days ago Palestinian Authority Military Intelligence forces were rioting for two straight days against the Abbas government, and in protest, seized the Palestinian Legislature Council building in Gaza and held all hostage for hours. Talk about a non-confidence vote but what bears watching is the reaction of Hamas to the indefinite post-ponement of elections that most mid-east pundits were predicting a strong electoral showing for Hamas.
At this point the "lull" that Mahmoud Abbas negotiated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad is now in jeopardy as the carrot he held out as one inducement for Hamas & Islamic Jihad to sign on to an agreement for a "temporary lull of hostilities with Israel" was the May and July elections.
Ramallah — Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas postponed upcoming parliamentary elections on Saturday, giving his struggling Fatah party time to fend off a growing challenge by Hamas. The Islamic group condemned the delay as a violation of a cease-fire agreement but stopped short of withdrawing from the truce. Mr. Abbas, who made the announcement in Ramallah, did not give a new date for the election, which had been scheduled for July 17. He said a date would be set after discussions with the Palestinian legislature and rival political factions, including Hamas.
The official reason for the delay was technical. Mr. Abbas has been at odds with the Fatah-dominated parliament over the voting procedure. He wants all candidates chosen on national lists, while some party members believe their chances for re-election would be better with voting by district. "This is for more consultation and for legal measures to take place," Mr. Abbas said in a televised address. "Time is short. Postponement was necessary to enable ourselves to finalize the legal measures and consultations between factions."
But the move appeared aimed at fending off the threat by Hamas, which is fielding candidates for parliament for the first time. Tapping into voter disgruntlement over years of Fatah corruption, the militant group has captured a number of key races in recent local elections and appears poised for strong gains in the legislative vote as well.
Hamas officials accused Mr. Abbas of stonewalling because of disorganization within his party. "This decision was taken unilaterally without any consultation with the Palestinian factions, and it came as a response for the conditions and the atmosphere of the Fatah movement and not for any national consideration," said Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip.
This comes as no surprise considering that the previous May municipal election result has yet to be officially finalized and that just a few days ago Palestinian Authority Military Intelligence forces were rioting for two straight days against the Abbas government, and in protest, seized the Palestinian Legislature Council building in Gaza and held all hostage for hours. Talk about a non-confidence vote but what bears watching is the reaction of Hamas to the indefinite post-ponement of elections that most mid-east pundits were predicting a strong electoral showing for Hamas.
At this point the "lull" that Mahmoud Abbas negotiated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad is now in jeopardy as the carrot he held out as one inducement for Hamas & Islamic Jihad to sign on to an agreement for a "temporary lull of hostilities with Israel" was the May and July elections.
Friday, June 03, 2005
PA Security Forces Riot against Palestinian Authority
Here's two stories that I did not see reported online in the major Canadian dailies. The Jerusalem Post carries the online story of Palestinian Security forces rioting for the second day in a row and at one point occupied the Palestinian Legislature building:
As a Canadian taxpayer I have to give the Liberal Government credit for finding new ways internationally to throw $12.5 million in aid down the proverbial drain.
In other news guaranteed not to make any sane person sleep safer at night, NATO announced Tuesday that it has granted Official Observer status to Palestinian Authority personnel reports the Jerusalem Post:
For the second day running, Palestinian Authority security officers demonstrated in the Gaza Strip in protest against PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas's decision to reconstruct the dozen or so Palestinian security services. Thursday's protest turned violent when hundreds of officers belonging to the PA's Military Intelligence Force went on the rampage inside the Palestinian Legislative Council building and exchanged gunfire with policemen in Gaza City.This illustrates the incestuous nature of Palestinian politics and I could speculate that the real rationale behind Palestinian Authority Chairman Abbas’ decision to integrate Hamas terrorists into the Palestinian security forces was to save himself from being ground down into puppy chow by his own Fatah forces.
On Wednesday, some 50 members of the same force blocked main roads and raided PA institutions in some parts of the Gaza Strip. PA officials in Ramallah accused the ousted commander of Military Intelligence, Gen. Musa Arafat, of standing behind the unrest. Gen. Arafat, a cousin of Yasser Arafat, was dismissed from his post two months ago. According to one official, Gen. Arafat has since been inciting his followers against the PA leadership. "He still hasn't come to terms with the fact that he was sacked," he added.
Eyewitnesses said at least 600 officers and masked gunmen belonging to the ruling Fatah party marched in the streets of Gaza City, chanting slogans against Abbas and his interior minister, Gen. Nasser Youssef. It was the largest protest of its kind organized by members of a Palestinian security force and Fatah gunmen since Abbas succeeded Yasser Arafat as PA chairman, the eyewitnesses noted. They added that the protests over the past 48 hours could mark the beginning of a mutiny against Abbas's administration. The protesters were carrying various types of weapons, including rifles, pistols hand grenades and rockets. Many of them opened fire into the air, shouting slogans condemning Youssef as a "traitor" and "collaborator." Local journalists said the attackers exchanged gunfire for more than an hour with policemen guarding the PLC compound. No casualties were reported.
As a Canadian taxpayer I have to give the Liberal Government credit for finding new ways internationally to throw $12.5 million in aid down the proverbial drain.
In other news guaranteed not to make any sane person sleep safer at night, NATO announced Tuesday that it has granted Official Observer status to Palestinian Authority personnel reports the Jerusalem Post:
This is a very important decision as for many years European countries have only heard the Israeli voice in these groupings. For peace to become a reality and agreements to be fully implemented, we need to be able to tell our side of the story too," said Hassan Khreisheh, the first deputy speaker of the Palestinian body and one of the two Palestinian delegates.What do you think the odds are that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas will ask at least one Hamas member to join the Palestinian NATO delegation as a goodwill gesture?
(…)
According to a NATO press release, MK Joseph Paritzky welcomed the involvement of the Palestinians and other Arab states in the work of the Assembly, which is made up of 248 delegates from 26 member countries. "This shows that we belong to the parliament of the most important and biggest defense union of the world, and the decision is highly appreciated," Paritzky was quoted as saying.
NATO has been seeking to expand its role in the Middle East. During a recent visit to Israel by current President of the NATO PA, Pierre Lellouche, the issue of Palestinian observer status was raised. The decision to grant the Palestinians observer credentials did not catch Jerusalem off guard. Nevertheless, officials in Jerusalem were disappointed with the timing of the move. "Played at the right time it could have given the Palestinians the encouragement they needed to take steps against terrorist infrastructure which they have yet to take," said one official.
Jerusalem questioned whether this was the right time for NATO to be handing out carrots to the Palestinians. Observers believe that the move could also been seen as an offset to warming relations between NATO and Israel.
Dry Docked in Hogtown:
The Toronto Star is reporting:
Imagine the lines! What I want to know is - how will this effect the price of a coffee at Starbucks or Tim Hortons?
An estimated 50,000 members of Alcoholics Anonymous will converge on Toronto for a four-day convention Canada Day weekend, boosting the city's economy by about $46 million. It is the largest convention the city has ever had, according to the Toronto Convention and Visitors Association.
Close to 10,500 hotel rooms at 75 hotels across Toronto have been booked. And it is expected — based on figures from the last international convention — that at least 75,000 cups of coffee will be sipped, half a tonne of ice cream will be savoured and one tonne of French fries will be munched on.
Imagine the lines! What I want to know is - how will this effect the price of a coffee at Starbucks or Tim Hortons?
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Book Blog Game
Lisa at the London Fog tagged me for this book blog game that is making the rounds and so, good sport that I am on occassion, I bit.
Number of Books I own: I haven’t the foggiest clue. I collect first editions and have a number of books for their investment value and then there are others for pleasure or knowledge. I have seven 6 foot bookshelves, five – 5 foot bookshelves and four – 3 foot book shelves that are all stacked double rowed and double deep in addition to four huge plastic containers full of books. My friends threatened to riot and burn my books if I moved anymore after we moved 4 times in 1 year, and so here, is where we have stayed for the last ten years.
Last Book I bought: The Virtues of War by Steven Pressfield – no, this is not a work of non-fiction and if you have never read Steven Pressfield start with Gates of Fire - one of my all-time favourite books.
Last Book I Read: The Guide for the Perplexed by Rabbi Moses ben Maimondes aka The Rambam, though I am now more perplexed than I was to begin. The depth and breathe of this book had so completely captured my full attention that I discovered that I was unable to finish reading Chainfire by Terry Goodkind, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, Intelligence in War by John Keegan, The Virtures of War by Steven Pressfield until I was finished reading the guide.
Books that mean a lot to me:
The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky - I first read this book at 18 and fell in love with it. I re-read it every few years or whenever I feel the need to fall in love all over again.
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand – What is there else to say?
The Dune Series by Frank Herbert (and I am not including the Dune books written by son & friend) even if he did cheat me by dying before he finished the series and I will never know who will triumph in the intergalactic war between the Reverend Mothers and the Honoured Matres. Twenty years later and I find that I am just as bitter over his death now as when it first happened.
Dante’s Inferno. I believe that future Canadian historians may describe my geographic location as the last level of Dante’s hell and for those who aren’t in the know - read the book to discover for yourself what sin would consign your soul to the lowest level of Dante’s hell. Reading Dante always makes me regret that I never learned to read in Italian.
The Exodus. I know it sounds it sounds cheesy and trite, but I think that everything one needs to know about the human heart & soul and the nature of freedom lies contained in this small volume but to fully appreciate the nuance and its’ meaning in full, DO NOT read the Christian version.
The final part of this game is to tag a few other bloggers. Here's who I want to know (that have not been tagged already that I know of) of my fellow Red Ensign Bloggers:
The Tipper at Tipperography. Any woman who can get down and dirty with catapulting pigs has earned inclusion in my list.
Alan at Gen X at 40 because Alan maybe a leftie but he's a good sport and an example of what a good leftie should be. Besides, I would love to see what influenced his thinking even if its only a cautionary tale for myself.
Rue at Abraca- Pocus. I picked Rue because I feel an odd sense of familarity with her. I had one Grandmother that made curse candles and hexed people, and another who claimed to have ability to talk to the dead. Both were fantastic cooks and would probably have enjoyed spending time in Rue's Kitchen.
I pick Glenda at Just for Girls because I am extremely curious to see if there is a reading parallel universe between the two of us.
Temujin at West Coast Chaos because he blogs on a variety of things, owns up to to not being a heavy drinker, and I love idea of sending an email to his chosen email moniker.
Number of Books I own: I haven’t the foggiest clue. I collect first editions and have a number of books for their investment value and then there are others for pleasure or knowledge. I have seven 6 foot bookshelves, five – 5 foot bookshelves and four – 3 foot book shelves that are all stacked double rowed and double deep in addition to four huge plastic containers full of books. My friends threatened to riot and burn my books if I moved anymore after we moved 4 times in 1 year, and so here, is where we have stayed for the last ten years.
Last Book I bought: The Virtues of War by Steven Pressfield – no, this is not a work of non-fiction and if you have never read Steven Pressfield start with Gates of Fire - one of my all-time favourite books.
Last Book I Read: The Guide for the Perplexed by Rabbi Moses ben Maimondes aka The Rambam, though I am now more perplexed than I was to begin. The depth and breathe of this book had so completely captured my full attention that I discovered that I was unable to finish reading Chainfire by Terry Goodkind, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, Intelligence in War by John Keegan, The Virtures of War by Steven Pressfield until I was finished reading the guide.
Books that mean a lot to me:
The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky - I first read this book at 18 and fell in love with it. I re-read it every few years or whenever I feel the need to fall in love all over again.
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand – What is there else to say?
The Dune Series by Frank Herbert (and I am not including the Dune books written by son & friend) even if he did cheat me by dying before he finished the series and I will never know who will triumph in the intergalactic war between the Reverend Mothers and the Honoured Matres. Twenty years later and I find that I am just as bitter over his death now as when it first happened.
Dante’s Inferno. I believe that future Canadian historians may describe my geographic location as the last level of Dante’s hell and for those who aren’t in the know - read the book to discover for yourself what sin would consign your soul to the lowest level of Dante’s hell. Reading Dante always makes me regret that I never learned to read in Italian.
The Exodus. I know it sounds it sounds cheesy and trite, but I think that everything one needs to know about the human heart & soul and the nature of freedom lies contained in this small volume but to fully appreciate the nuance and its’ meaning in full, DO NOT read the Christian version.
The final part of this game is to tag a few other bloggers. Here's who I want to know (that have not been tagged already that I know of) of my fellow Red Ensign Bloggers:
The Tipper at Tipperography. Any woman who can get down and dirty with catapulting pigs has earned inclusion in my list.
Alan at Gen X at 40 because Alan maybe a leftie but he's a good sport and an example of what a good leftie should be. Besides, I would love to see what influenced his thinking even if its only a cautionary tale for myself.
Rue at Abraca- Pocus. I picked Rue because I feel an odd sense of familarity with her. I had one Grandmother that made curse candles and hexed people, and another who claimed to have ability to talk to the dead. Both were fantastic cooks and would probably have enjoyed spending time in Rue's Kitchen.
I pick Glenda at Just for Girls because I am extremely curious to see if there is a reading parallel universe between the two of us.
Temujin at West Coast Chaos because he blogs on a variety of things, owns up to to not being a heavy drinker, and I love idea of sending an email to his chosen email moniker.
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