Grasshoppa

No teeth. Like your typical

No teeth. Like your typical yipping dog, the UN's bark is worse than its bite. Now Kofi Annan is reportedly learning towards disbanding the Jenin probe. That didn't take much, now did it?

Hehe. Find out the truth

Hehe. Find out the truth about Jenin.

Liberte, Egalite, Judeophobie This article

Liberte, Egalite, Judeophobie This article on French anti-semitism is wonderful, and even if you don't subscibe to the author's views, it's a useful resource for understanding just how commonplace anti-Jewish violence has become in France. I'm sure that fact brings much glee to certain *ahem* bloggers, but it should horrify any sane human being.

Condolences. My condolences go out

Condolences. My condolences go out to Elana S of the Middle East Realities blog on the loss of her grandfather.

It's deja vu all over again

Yassir Arafat is trapped with no way out by an Israel with a Likud Prime Minister, and a Unites States with a Republican President saves his bacon. What, you think this is Beirut, 1982? Try Ramallah, 2002. The only dope in the "rope-a-dope" strategy is in the White House.

Grow a pair.

The esteemed Professor links to this Nora Vincent article without so much as a comment. Well, since I actually care to fill this blog with my own opinion instead of posting those of others, I will opine:

1. Ms. Vincent claims that Saudi men refused to rescue those girls from the burning school because the girls weren't dressed properly is misleading. The rescuers wanted to save the girls; it was the Saudi Vice police (or whatever they call it) that prevented them. There is no need to cast aspersions upon those men who wanted to do their righteous job of saving those girls.

2. She claims that Islam's misogyny has lead to the recent spate of suicide bombings and other terror attacks carried out by men. She briefly mentions that a couple of women have been involved but somehow neglects to find an explanation for their actions. She also doesn't mention how Palestinian women have been found to be helping out in trying to smuggle arms in Red Crescent ambulances.

It seems to me that Ms. Vincent came up with a theory and decided to find the data to support her theory to the exclusion of data that doesn't.

Offline till Monday. Since my

Offline till Monday. Since my home computer is out of commission until I get a shipment of replacement parts, I won't be blogging again until Monday. Please check back then. Have a good weekend, and go Islanders!

Welcome Vodkapundit readers. Enjoy the

Welcome Vodkapundit readers. Enjoy the link below. In the meantime, I present you another second hand account of the battle of Jenin. There is one part of this story, that if true, is just sick beyond words:

One time, and I saw this right before my eyes, a couple of families came out. There was a man, a woman, some boys, girls and even babies. Another family of more or less the same makeup also emerged. Now, we're in our armoured vehicles. We couldn't open the hatches or step out cause every time we tried, we'd be shot in the first second. We called for them to raise their shirts so that we could be sure that they weren't "wearing" any explosives. Only the men raised their shirts. When we called for everyone to do the same, the second the women raised their garments...B O O M. Everybody standing there was blown all over the place. They exploded themselves-entire families! It was horrific. It was also obvious that we would be blamed for having slaughtered them. It was insane.

Again, I don't know for sure that this is true and despite the Palestinians' proclivity for suicide, this incident is still hard to believe. Insane indeed.

A second hand account of Jenin

Leiah Elbaum recounts a story she heard from an IDF reservist who fought in Jenin. The account is compelling, despite the fact that it is indeed second hand:

In one incident, Israeli troops were threatened by a Palestinian sniper holed up in the minaret of a mosque. The easy solution would have been to destroy the minaret from the air. This was rejected for fear of harming a holy site. Instead a riskier tactic was used: an Israeli sniper was positioned to take out the enemy alone. On another occasion, terrorists were holed up in a facility of UNRWA, the United Nations humanitarian agency responsible for the refugee camps, using it as cover to fire on Israeli forces

Yet again we see brave Palestinian warriors using holy sites as a shield, counting on the fact that the IDF would do everything it could to avoid harming the bulding. It's also nice to see UN facilities being used to fight against Israel...the symbolism could not be clearer.

One night Israeli soldiers were stationed in a building flanked by two others. The adjacent buildings were full of people, a mix of civilians and combatants. Suddenly, people began streaming out of one of the buildings, mostly women and children. They were shivering from the cold and the children were whimpering. An Israeli soldier took pity on them, but going out into the street was too risky. Instead, he opened a window and threw them army-issue blankets. The blankets were quickly snapped up, though not by the women and children - rather, by the few men in the crowd, who huddled in the blankets while the women and children continued to shiver and whimper.

Well of course the men took the blankets. Why would human shields need them?

Go read the rest, and see if you still think what happened at Jenin was a massacre.

A good joke

A Texan, a Frenchman and an Israeli are on a plane flying over the Pacific Ocean when the engines stop functioning. The plane crash lands on a Pacific Island and the 3 are immediately captured by a tribe of cannibals and taken to their village. The Chief tells the 3 captives that these cannibals are civilized and they have a custom on their island that before they eat anyone, they grant that person his or her last wishes, no matter what they are.

He asks the Texan, "What is your last wish?"

The Texan replies: "I want a 2 inch thick steak with all the trimmings, Cajun fries and a case of Bud." The Chief motions to some of his tribesmen who immediately run into the jungle and come back with the steak, the fries and the beer. The Texan eats his meal and he is thrown in the pot.

The Frenchman is asked: "What is your last wish?"

He replies: "I'd like a case of Dom Perignon and I'd also like a big plate of escargots cooked in the French manner." The Chief motions to his tribesmen who immediately rush off into the jungle and bring back everything the Frenchman asked for. He eats and drinks his fill, and he is then thrown in the pot.

The Chief turns to the Israeli and asks, "And what is your wish?"

The Israeli looks the Chief squarely in the eyes and replies: "I want you to kick me in the behind as hard as you can." The Chief is bewildered and asks the Israeli again, only to receive the same reply. "I want you to kick me in the behind as hard as you can."

The Chief shrugs his shoulders, asks the Israeli to turn around, and kicks him as hard as he can.

With that the Israeli pulls out a gun and kills the Chief and all of the other cannibals.

The Texan and the Frenchman get out of the pot, look at the Israeli and say:

"If you had that gun why didn't you do anything sooner?"

The Israeli replies: "What? And risk being condemned by the UN, EU and the State Department for 'overreacting' to insufficient provocation?"

Ok, we can give it

Ok, we can give it to our own homeless. Palestinian officials in Jenin rejected a delivery of a US aid shipment of tents, food, and children's toys, saying the camp had been destroyed by Israel with US-made weapons.

''We would rather die of hunger than be fed by our killers,'' said Ibrahim Hussein, a member of the camp's relief committee.

Fine, feel free to drop dead at any time.

Oh, and I thought this

Oh, and I thought this only happened in the gun crazy US. A former student of a secondary school in Germany went on a shooting spree and murdered 17 people (14 teachers and 3 students). My condolences go out to the families of those who were murdered.

Why should Israel trust the

asks Anne Bayefsky. A good question, after all, despite the UN Charter proclaiming "the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small," Israel is the only member not eligible to serve on the Security Council. Indeed, how can Israel be expect to trust the UN, when it has spent most of its time and energy doing everything it can to rescind General Assembly resolution 181, the one that created Israel.

I love the name of

I love the name of this blog. Kudos to Solly Ezekiel for coming up with the name Gedankenpundit. Moreover, since he actually has something interesting to say, I'm adding him to the links on the right.

Geoff the Puck Hog. Howard

Geoff the Puck Hog. Howard Feinberg has graciously allowed me to post on his hockey blog, Puck Hog. I invite all of you, my faithful readers, to check it out.

Bleh. What is up with

Bleh. What is up with these new blogger stores? Would anyone really buy a T-shirt with a big INSTAPUNDIT.COM pasted on it? Who the hell is gonna drop $12 on a Vodkapundit mug?? I suppose if those two make some money on that crap, all the more power to them. After all, nothing like good ol' capitalism, right? But come on people, surely you've got something better to spend your money on than some swag that says ".com" on it. I won't even bother trying to set up some grasshoppablog.com thing because frankly, I wouldn't buy any of it (and neither would anyone else...)

Boycott Texas. That's a bit

Boycott Texas. That's a bit extreme, but it seems that one Texas based company, Texas Automotive Export is boycotting all Israeli customers because of Israelis military policies.

One Israeli customer received a letter from a John Harris representing the Texas company, saying:

"We must inform you that Texas Export will not do business with Israeli citizens at this time. We urge you to rein in your military and stop your oppression of the Palestinian people. Your country has lost the respect of the civilized world."

If you feel like giving this company a piece of your mind, feel free to contact them:

Texas Automotive Export can be reached at 512-858-7216.
Email: tae@texas-export.com

Where is the outrage?

Russia claims to have liquidated a Chechen "terrorist" during a special operation of the Federal Security Service. Now this seems to me to be a Russian verstion of a "targeted killing" yet, I won't hold my breath waiting for international condemnation. I have to keep reminding myself, on Israel isn't allowed to fight back.

If you're going to pick

If you're going to pick nits......pick them properly. Sgt. Stryker tries to correct Larry Miller's contention that "Israel was called Palestine for two thousand years". Well it's true that's not entirely correct. However, the Sarge claims:

Ah, no. The Romans were quite fond of calling it Judea and Samaria and the Byzantines, sticklers for tradition that they were, decided to keep those names intact.

Actually, after the Romans crushed the Bar-Kochba revolt, they built Aelia Capitolina over Jerusalesm, and they renamed the place Palestinia as a way to add insult to injury and try to erase any Jewish connection to the land. As far as I know, the versions of "Palestinia" were used throughout the Byzantine empire and during Muslim rule until the Ottomans took over.

Just thought I'd set the record straight for those brave few that read this site.

Too much vodka.

I'm not sure what article Stephen Green was reading, or if he drank too much before reading William Safire's op-ed, but Safire was talking about policy differences between Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfield, not between Powell and Condi Rice. Now I realize that the ever horny Vodkapundit has a wee crush on Ms. Rice, but it behooves a blogger not to let matters of the heart (or loins) completely screw up the understanding of an editorial.

Don't worry, your vote won't

Don't worry, your vote won't be erased. If you're into online polls, which are essentially meaningless, feel free to go to CNN and vote on whose version of the battle of Jenin you believe. As of 2:04 eastern time, 59% believe the Israelis, 35% believe the Palestinians, and 6% believe neither.

Palestinian accounts of Jenin. I

Palestinian accounts of Jenin. I present two important articles which retell the Palestinian accounts of the battle of Jenin. First, CNN interviewed a senior member of Islamic Jihad now being held in an Israeli prison. It's worth reading the whole thing, but here is an excerpt:

Asked about the allegations of a massacre, Mardawi said, "By my own standard, what happened there was a massacre. But if you are asking, 'Did I see tens of people killed?' Frankly, no. In my group, we were in an area with no other people. Three fighters with me were killed. Later when we started to move from place to place, we saw destroyed houses and could smell bodies."

He eventually surrendered when infantry forces disappeared and armored bulldozers appeared.

"The huge bulldozer came in, and we were in destroyed houses," he said. "There were no soldiers or tanks. ... There was nothing I could do against that bulldozer."

Frankly, I don't know what he considers a massacre. If he admits that he didn't see "tens of people killed" he must consider the death of one person to be a massacre. Obviously it's very sad if a civilian gets killed in a fierce battle like this (although after reading the next article I present, it become harder to feel for the civilians) but if the dead were armed Palestinians, I have little sympathy.

The second article consides of an amalgamation of MEMRI translations. Again, read the whole thing, but I'll present this one part:

Some of the Palestinian's interviewed discussed the role played by the civilian population in the fighting. However, their reports regarding whether civilians left the camp were contradictory:

Sheikh Abu Al-Hija said, "Even the youths had a significant role in the uprising. They refused to leave the camp before the incursion, and most of them are now under arrest by the occupation forces… No one was asked [by us] to stay or go; no instructions were issued to the residents by the fighters, and the choice remained in their own hands. It was necessary for some of the women to remain [in the camp] to provide services for the fighters. The behavior of the residents was honorable; they were determined to remain, to go through everything the Mujahideen are going through, and to provide them with services."

"…When some Mujahideen ran out of ammunition, they leaped onto the tanks in an attempt to grab weapons from the soldiers, who were hiding inside the tanks. As a result, some of them engaged in barehanded combat with the Zionist soldiers. Some of the youths steadfastly filled their school bags with explosive devices; some of the boys remained without food or water for four days. Although the women knew how bad the situation was, a large portion of them preferred to remain, to prepare food for the Mujahideen, to risk their lives by bringing water for them, and to raise morale – something that greatly encouraged [their] steadfastness."(17)

However, other Palestinians who were interviewed reported that most of the civilians left the refugee camps. The commander of Hamas members in the Jenin camp, Jamal 'Abd Al-Salam, said that the women, children, and elderly had left the camp, and that the fighters intended to fight to the last drop of blood.(18) Another man, Abu Muhammad, reported to Al-Jazeera from Jenin: "Every time [the IDF] tries to advance, a surprise awaits it – the blowing up of one of the buildings in the Jenin camp. Then they rush to retrieve the Israeli bodies and wounded, withdraw, and try to advance Israeli tractors that destroy houses indiscriminately on top of their owners, whether they are in the houses or not. They have sent away most of the civilians [from the refugee camp], but there is still a large number of civilians inside the camp."(19)

On this matter, Raed 'Abbas, the DFLP commander, said that the Israelis "destroyed many houses. They are trying to wreak vengeance upon the civilians. The army is evacuating the [residents of the] camp forcibly, in order to close in more and more on the fighters."(20)

In contrast, the Islamic Jihad announced that its commander in Jenin, Muhammad Tawalbeh, had prevented civilians from leaving the camp. The Islamic Jihad website announced that Tawalbeh died in his booby-trapped home when he blew it up on the Israeli soldiers inside it on April 6. The announcement went on to say that Tawalbeh "had thwarted all attempts by the occupation to evacuate the camp residents to make it easier for the Israelis to destroy [the camp] on the heads of the fighters."(21)

It's difficult to assess which narrative is the correct one; perhaps it's somewhere in between. But if women and children were indeed involved in the fighting (children used to transport explosives!) it's not hard to imagine why the IDF had trouble discriminating between armed fighters and innocent civilians.

3 percent. Not that he

3 percent. Not that he actually cares about the facts, but maybe the next time Robert Fisk blames Israel for Palestinians murdering suspected collaborators, he ought to read Ha'aretz piece. For at the end of it we find this:

The murder of these suspected collaborators, including former collaborators who returned to the territories, are sometimes accompanied by sexual abuse, the source said. Investigations during the first intifada established that just 3 percent of the hundreds of Palestinians murdered as suspected collaborators actually worked for the Shin Bet.

That's right, 3 percent. I guess that was Israel's fault too, for not sticking big "Hello, my name is Israeli Collaborator" tags on the actual collaborators.

Out of curiosity, wasn't Fisk just in LA giving a lecture? How did he know to get to Hebron so quickly?

Fruits of Defensive Shield. This

Fruits of Defensive Shield. This article from Ha'aretz provides some interesting details about what Israel has accomplished by its military action, in terms of intelligence gathering, terrorist prevention, and terrorist destruction. Here are some exerpts:

Abdel al-Karim Uda, the suicide bomber who killed 28 people at the Park Hotel on the seder night, was not meant to act alone. A second bomber was supposed to be with him, but Nidal Kalk, from the Nur al Shams refugee camp near Tul Karm never showed up for the attack. According to one report, he was sick, according to another, he did not receive the explosives belt he was supposed to wear.

Kalk was arrested in a village near Tul Karm on April 12, during Operation Defensive Shield. The details of his planned involvement only became known during the operation. And Kalk is not the only suicide bomber captured during the operation. Another 19 potential bombers - including six women - were caught.

19 potential bombers caught. Perhaps that's why there have been so few attacks since Israel invaded Palestinian cities a couple of weeks ago. However, it remains to be seen whether the military operation has truly severely hampered the efforts of suicide bombers or not.

And with regard to [Marwan] Barghouti, sources in the security services say the evidence against the Tanzim leader, who is sticking to politics in his interrogations, is mounting. The evidence includes instructions he gave to terrorists, financial aid for them, and the timing for attacks - Barghouti gave explicit orders to keep things quiet whenever American envoys were in the area. The Shin Bet's interrogators say it is only a matter of time before he "breaks," like other prisoners they are holding. But Barghouti is insisting he is a politician, not like some of the Palestinian fighters in the hands of the Shin Bet - such as Thabet Mardawi - who are happy to volunteer information. Or, as Abdel Karim Awis, a top Fatah commander said, "I'll tell you everything. In any case you'll eventually have to let me go." As a result, say Shin Bet sources, there has been very little of the "shaking" that was once known as "moderate physical pressure" against "ticking bombs."

It seems strange to me, given what happens to Palestinian collaborators, that these guys would be so willing to volunteer information. I would think that anything they volunteer would be suspect, but I trust that Shin Bet interrogators know what they're doing. It will be interesting to see what happens with Barghouti; he was a big fish in the PA and treating him like a common criminal may send a message. We shall see.

2 for unsportsmanlike conduct

2 for unsportsmanlike conduct. In a rather lame attempt to make nice to Canada, Steven Den Beste insults American hockey fans (and the sport of hockey). It says a lot when he asks Bruce Rolston not to judge Americans by the actions of a few and then proceeds to judge all American hockey fans by the actions of a few morons. Do the basketball fans who booed the Canadian national anthem demonstrate that all basketball fans are the "dregs" and the lowest has to offer? I think not. How about those baseball fans that launched a fusillade of baseballs on to the field during a Brewers game? Or those Cleveland Browns fans that threw bottles onto the field?

And just how many hockey fans do you know, Steven, especially living in San Diego? Growing up in the northeast and now living in New England, I know numerous hockey fans (and players) who are plenty thoughtful, considerate and knowledgeable. I've played with guys who are doctors, lawyers, contractors, engineers, etc. and while some of them may be assholes on the ice, they're as respectable as they come once they get off. Do you think that Howard Feinberg constitutes one of the dregs?

Insulting the game of hockey like that thoroughly proves that you know nothing about it. Teams keep enforcers around so that other players don't take liberties with your sticks. Out of the 4 major team sports only hockey has all players armed with weapons. The fighters keep the stickwork in check. The rules prove the sport? How about the players who play it? Go compare the number of fellons that play in the NHL to those that play in the NBA and NFL and tell me again who are the lowest we have to offer.

Do us a favor, Steven, before you open your mouth next time and insult people, make sure you know what you're talking about.

Priceless

Sometimes a cartoon can say it better than any essay.

Two articles on Jenin.

I present two articles on what happened in the Jenin refugee camp whose viewpoints are drastically different, yet paint a similar pictutre. One on hand we have an interview with a bomb maker who barely escaped from Jenin:

And what about the explosion and ambush last Tuesday which killed 13 soldiers?

"They were lured there," he says. "We all stopped shooting and the women went out to tell the soldiers that we had run out of bullets and were leaving." The women alerted the fighters as the soldiers reached the booby- trapped area.

"When the senior officers realised what had happened, they shouted through megaphones that they wanted an immediate cease-fire. We let them approach to retrieve the men and then opened fire.

"Some of the soldiers were so shocked and frightened that they mistakenly ran towards us."

And on the other hand, an IDF doctor retelling his experience in Jenin:

Tzengan said that he was shocked by the terrorists' cynical use of children in the camp. "We found a boy aged 6 in the camp with a backpack. When IDF soldiers approached him, he dumped the bag on the ground and ran away. After checking the contents of the bag we found three explosives. The cynical abuse of children is just unbelievable."

As a doctor, Tzengan was also called upon to treat the many injured and ill Palestinians in the camp. "My medics and I risked our lives to treat the wounded Palestinians. The Palestinian doctors didn't come to help us, and we couldn't leave these patients unattended." Tzengan said his medical team treated a Palestinian girl with appendicitis. In another case, they treated a patient who had been hit in the neck by shrapnel, saving his life despite the fact that he had a tattoo signifying his membership in the Islamic Jihad.

Massacre indeed. (Interview found via Damian Penny.)

Good interview. I got this

Good interview. I got this interview with Dennis Ross via Charles Johnson. I'm putting it here for future reference.

Back. Ok, I'm back from

Back. Ok, I'm back from Montreal and will get back to blogging once I get my life back in order. Stay tuned...

Gone for the weekend. Well

Gone for the weekend. Well don't miss me too much, but I'm off to Montreal until Sunday evening, so no blogging until Monday for me. Hope you all have a good weekend and I hope nothing major happens (other than some Islanders playoff victories) while I'm gone.

Should I hold my breath?

Should I hold my breath? According to the Jerusalem Post, the gunmen holed up (oh wait, I thought they were all unarmed civilians) in the Church of the Nativity, opened fire on the IDF soldiers ringing the building. Somehow, I don't see any forthcoming condemnations from the Vatican.

CAFE standards

I sent the following to both Clay Waters and Megan McArdle regarding Greg Easterbrook's article and Megan's treatise on those CAFE standards:

I wanted to respond to Clay’s take on Gregg Easterbrook’s article on the CAFE standards, and I’m cc’ing you, Megan since Clay cites your post on the plasticity of demand. I meant to reply to you a while ago, but I got caught up in real life…

I side with Easterbrook on this matter despite Megan’s treatise because of the situation that exists now. Megan has provided a model of how demand changes with price but in order for any model to be useful, the initial conditions must be specified. I claim that today’s conditions, in terms of the driving habits of most Americans, are different than those that existed back when the CAFE standards were first implemented. Megan points out that because gas prices remained relatively low and stable, increased fuel efficiency actually led to people driving more: longer commuting distances, more and long road trips, etc. This was possible because back in the day, urban sprawl wasn’t as much of an issue as people lived closer together. Ostensibly, since fuel usage has actually increased, people take longer road trips today, but I can’t be certain of that.
In any case, since we can agree that people today drive more than they used to, the question becomes will they drive even more if the price/mile drops due to increased fuel economy. My claim is that they will not, or at least if they do, it won’t be significant and my reason is that because they can’t and they won’t want to. This is the essence of my initial conditions argument: while 2 decades ago or so, there was (obviously) plenty of ways to drive more, I claim that nowadays it’s just not possible for a lot of people. For example, there are people today who have ridiculously long commutes (an extreme example: some So. Cal. Folk drive 2 hours each way no joke)… how much longer would people reasonably want to commute? I say, not much, no matter how much cheaper the effective fuel price becomes. As for road tripping vacations, would people drive to more distant locales if the cost of driving decreases? I say no to this too because of the extra time involved in driving the distance required to offset any gain in fuel efficiency.
In other words, I claim that the demand for mileage is finite because of physical limitations (i.e. time) and human limitations (desire to drive more) and thus lowering the price per mile via increasing fuel economy will not increase demand for more mileage. Obviously I do not have quantitative data at my disposal to back up these assertions, so admittedly, I could be proven wrong.

Now as for increased fuel standards leading to unsafe cars, I cannot agree with this either. While it’s true that reducing weight is the easiest way of improving fuel economy, it’s not the only way. Again, I side with Easterbrook in that engineers (I being one) are competent people and can develop other ways to improve mileage. In the short run, the cost of the vehicles may increase, but as in all new technology, it eventually becomes cheaper as time passes on.

The key to this is that mileage standard increases must be applied to all types of vehicles (i.e. including SUVs), otherwise this is all useless.

I would be interested in your replies as I am neither an economist nor an expert in these areas.

I look forward to responses...

Sacre Bleu! I read this

Sacre Bleu! I read this from NRO's Corner and had to laugh:

Jonah, a sight to delight your eyes this lunchtime on Madison Ave--an anti--French demonstration. To be more precise, the demonstration (organized by the Jewish Action Alliance and located outside the offices of the French Tourist Board) was designed to protest the current wave of anti-Semitic attacks in France. These disgraceful incidents are something that ought to have embarrassed France, but, judging by that country's complacent response, they do not appear to have done so. Demonstrators were calling for a boycott of French exports, including a certain type of mineral water. That might be a mistake. With France seemingly indifferent in the face of evil, it might be a useful reminder to see the name "Vichy" around the place...

Oh, and for the record, I've never actually heard any francophone actually say "sacré bleu!" It's just a stereotypical exclamation.

Nice flying, ace.

A small airplane crashed into the Pirelli building in Milan killing the pilot and two others. So far, there have been conflicting reports as to whether it was an accident or a terrorist attack. According to MSNBC:

The official ANSA news agency reported that the pilot had called the Milan control tower, requesting help because of technical problems. Police officer Celerissimo De Simone said the pilot of the Piper aircraft had sent out a distress call at 5:50 p.m. (11:50 a.m. ET), just before the crash near Milan’s main train station.
But in Rome, the senate’s president, Marcello Pera, said it “very probably” appeared to be a terrorist attack.

Actually that statement from the senate president is ridiculous. Of course it appeared to be a terrorist attack, but it might not be one. I guess we shall have to wait and see.

Of course, I wish that this never had never happened. However, since the dead and injured are already dead and injured regardless of the motivation, I hope it was a terrorist attack so that maybe, (and that's a big maybe) it will wake the Europeans up.

Nice shootin', Tex.

An American F-16 pilot accidentally bombed some Canadian soldiers, killing 4 and injuring 8. My condolences go out to the families of the fallen Canadians.

Sometimes I feel like that our military has more than its fair share of training accidents and friendly fire incidents. I am far from being experienced in military matters and would welcome any input from those more knowledgeable but it seems like something is wrong. But perhaps it's because every bad military incident is highlighted and every good thing the military does is met with skepticism. I really don't know. I will say this much, though, no matter how smart our bombs are, they're no smarter than the people who drop them.

A good question. Why is

A good question. Why is Jenin still a refugee camp? (Link via Damian Penny).

Note: sometimes I put up links to stories that have been blogged about elsewhere. I do this because I use this blog is a personal bookmark so I know how to find various good articles, like this one.

The Montreal Rally

The Montreal Rally. My inside sources tell me that there was a turn out of about 25,000 at the pro-Israel rally which took place today in Montreal. One attendee told me that the whole street was a sea of blue and white. Here are a couple of photos:

There are a bunch of others here taken by a friend of one of my sources.

Notice the lack of signs calling for death and girls dressed as suicide bombers.

As a side note, since the rally took place in Montreal, I wonder the law required that some of the signs be in French

Blogger flag. Christopher Johnson over

Blogger flag. Christopher Johnson over at the Midwest Conservative Journal nominates the Guatemalen flag to be the official flag of the bloggers because of the statements of their ambassador regarding that odious resolution discussed below. An interesting idea, but I don't know, that flag only received a D grade...

Yom Haatzmaut. After the sadness

Yom Haatzmaut. After the sadness comes the celebration of Israel's 54th year of independence. To coincide with the independence celebrations, there is a large pro-Israel rally being held in Montreal this afternoon. It will be interesting to see if there are any counter-demonstrations; my understanding is that the Arab population in Montreal, especially at Condordia University is rather militant.

A remarkable day. Today is

A remarkable day. Today is a remarkable day. Why you ask? Because we've achieved world peace? Because it's Prince Spaghetti day? Because I actually have something worthwhile to write? No! It's because for the first time, it's actually hotter outside than it is in my office.

Remember this list well.

Here is a list of how the nations on the UN Human Rights Commission voted:

The vote was as follows:

Abstentions: Burundi, Cameroon, Croatia, Italy, Japan, Poland, Uruguay

You can also read the apologia given by different countries for voting for this piece of trash here.

However, be sure to read the remarks of the Guatemalen ambassador:

ANTONIO ARENALES FORNO (Guatemala) said the primary and the principal responsibility for the human rights situation in the occupied territories lay with the Palestinian authorities. The Palestinian authorities did not have the will to accomplish their obligations. It was not right to attribute the responsibilities only to Israel, which was only acting to defend itself. The resolution had no single reference to the responsibilities of the Palestinian authorities. The resolution contained inflammatory words which would not favour negotiations. For that reason, the delegation of Guatemala would vote against L.16.

I think that after Israel, the next place I will visit will be Guatemala.

European Cowardice.

Reaching stunning new lows in craven cowardice that I never thought possible, 6 EU members of the UN Human Rights Commission voted for a resolution which supports the use of "all available means, including armed struggle" to establish a Palestinian state. While the resolution listed a long list of alleged Israeli human rights violations, there were not a single mention of Palestinian suicide bombings.

Let's make this clear: 40 of 53 members of the UN Human Rights Commission voted for a resolution which in no uncertain terms, condoned the use of suicide bombing as a means of achieving a Palestinian state.

I take some solace that Canada, the UK, Germany and the Czech republic had the backbone to vote against this atrocious resolution.

But Austria, Belgium, France, Portugal, Spain and Sweden all voted for this resolution. I ask the governments of these nations if the intentional murder of this girl
is a legitimate means of achieving statehood.

Or how about this woman who was 5 months pregnant with twins and was blown to bits with her husband in Jerusalem:

And I suppose that these two 14 year old boys, both of whom were murdered and mutilated were valid targets of the Palestinian cause:

But I need not ask these questions because by their votes they have answered with a resounding yes.

There can be no doubt that there are many in the EU who want to sacrifice Israel to the Arabs in order to secure their oil resources. "Never again" was merely a phrase of convenience to them until they had to make a difficult choice. These apologies issued by these countries are meaningless and nauseatiing:

France's ambassador said yesterday his country could not accept the use of violence even though France had approved the measure.

The ambassador of Portugal said his country's support "did not imply total support for some of the formulations of the text."

By their actions ye shall know them, and by this vote we indeed know them well. These ambassadors knew damn well what they were voting for and I don't believe for a minute that any part of it bothered them. Israel is a merely a "shitty little country" that is making their lives difficult, and now they have found a way to try to rid the world of it.

But I can say this: the next time the ETA blows something up in Spain to try and get their own country, I will point to this resolution and say, well it's legit.

We have a winner.

Congrats to Steven Den Beste for recognizing that warbloggerwatch guy for the toll that he is. Indeed there are times when he does live up to his last name. Expect to find your prize in the mail: one of those fuzzy little trolls you can stick on your pencil.

Yom HaZikaron.

Today (actually it started last night), is Yom HaZikaron in Israel, a day of rememberance for those falled IDF soliders and victims of terror. For those Israelis and those who support Israel, never forget those who have given their lives so that Israel can exist. The candle that my girlfriend lit in rememberence of her brother still burns as I write this.

Just an accident.

The Tunisian government was quick to pronounce the explostion of a gas truck at a Synagogue in Tunisia just an accident. No terrorists here, just us peaceful (and clumsy) folk. However, now it seems that a group called the" Islamic Army for the Liberation of the Holy Sites" has claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 14 people including 10 German tourists. The groups says the attack was in response to "Israeli crimes against the Palestinians." This isn't all that surprising because after all, Arabs all over the world are frustrated and angry at the Palestinian situation, and they can't be expected to hold in their anger. (Hey, don't blame me, this is what all those sophisticated pro-Palestinian Euros say).

However, the new wrinkle in this situation is that this group has the same name as the group which claimed responsiblity for the US Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania; in other words, they're an al-Qaeda linked group. This brings up a few interesting points:

1. Because now al-Qaeda is attacking Jews because of what Israel is doing, aren't Israel and the world Jewish population now enemies of al-Qaeda and thusly should be allies of the US on the "War on Terrorism?"

2. Will the US lean on Tunisia to hunt down and find the al-Qaeda operatives living there?

3. Will the US brush this under the rug in order to maintain "good" relations with our Arab "allies" in this war?

4. Does this once again show the double standard applied to Arabs and Jews regarding the sacredness of holy sites? The Arabs attack Jewish holy sites and hide in Christian holy sites, yet it is Israel who is castigated for violating the sanctity of the holy sites.

We shall see how events play out to answer these questions.

A good cause.

If you're seeking a place to donate some money (other than my tip jar, hint hint), take a look at this webpage. They are trying to raise money for a Mobile Intensive Care Unit for the IDF. It sounds worthy enough to me.

A good cause.

If you're seeking a place to donate some money (other than my tip jar, hint hint), take a look at this webpage. They are trying to raise money for a Mobile Intensive Care Unit for the IDF. It sounds worthy enough to me.

This is huge.

According to Arutz Sheva, Israel has apprehended Tanzim leader, Marwan Barghouti. I will search for confirmation elsewhere.

Update. The Jerusalem Post is reporting the same thing. Apparently he was caught in Ramallah. Not exactly a smart move to hang out in Ramallah when you know you're a wanted man.

Bombing rod. This poor girl

Bombing rod. This poor girl has been caught in 5 (yes, 5!) suicide bombings and has miraculously escaped unscathed from all of them. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about her brother, who is currently in a hospital on a respirator after becoming a pin cushion for 120 pieces of shrapnel during a bombing.

I think that if I were an Israeli and I saw her in a public place, I'd break north ASAP. Either that, I'd stick very close to her and hope I survive with her. Poor girl. (link via Asparagirl)

If this is true, it's

If this is true, it's not going to be good. Israel is going to hav a rough time explaining these things if they are in fact true. I am getting ill thinking about the repurcussions. I'm also getting ill thinking that Israeli soldiers would do this. I sincerely hope that these accounts are exaggerated.

Documents captured by the IDF.

Documents captured by the IDF. Admittedly, the IDF website is far from unbiased, but it does give links to scans of the original documents which it claims incriminates Arafat and his henchmen in playing a direct role in terrorism. The documents are divided into the cities they were found:

Ramallah.
Jenin.
Bethlehem.

The Jenin documents are particularly interesting as they show that PA officers would inform Islamic Jihadis about impending arrests...

Anti-Jewish riot in Belgium. This

Anti-Jewish riot in Belgium. This is a first hand account of how an anti-Israeli protest turned into a riot in Antwerp, Belgium. If you thought things in France were bad, you should read this.

I nominate this guy as

I nominate this guy as leader of the Palestinians. If we get this guy together with that Palestinian woman I saw at the pro-Israel rally last weekend, we would have a reasonable Palestinian leadership. We can add Sari Nusseibeh into the mix as well.

Suicide bombing update. So far

Suicide bombing update. So far there are at least 6 dead in today's sucide bombing in Jerusalem. Arafat's Al-Aqsa Brigades has claimed responsibility. There are some important implications if this is true:

1. Israel's raid hasn't completely destroyed the "terrorist infrastructure", although it remains to be seen where the origins of this bomber are.

2. Arafat is sending Powell a message via his Brigades, telling him to shove it.

Update: It appears that the bomber was a woman.

Bruce Hill, blogger ho. I

Bruce Hill, blogger ho. I officially dub Bruce Hill of the War Now blog as the official blogger ho.

A Kuwaiti writer with balls.

A Kuwaiti writer with balls. According to the Jerusalem Post, an official Kuwaiti ppaper carried an article telling the Palestinians to thank God that they're fighting Ariel Sharon and not Saddam Hussein.

In an article entitled "Sharon is more compassionate than Saddam," Fuad al-Hashem wrote: "I think that the Palestinian people should thank God twice a day for having the Israeli army as an enemy, and for being in a much better condition than we were while facing the Iraqi army and the brutality of its soldiers, which surpasses that of the Jewish soldiers. By comparison, the IDF soldiers and their practice is 'child's play.'"

Hashem said 1,700 Palestinians have "fallen as martyrs" since the beginning of the violence. He said that, by comparison, on the morning of August 2, 1990, Saddam Hussein "sent the souls of 1,000 Kuwaiti martyrs to their creator!"

Well, it's not exactly a ringing endorsement of Sharon and the IDF, it does make a point. As "brutal" as the Arabs think Sharon and the IDF are, they're not nearly as brutal as their own Arab leaders and armies.

And again. Another Israeli bus

And again. Another Israeli bus blew up today in downtown Jerusalem, probably by yet another suicide bomber. There are no details yet on casualties.

It will be interesting to see where this one came from. Israel pulled out of 24 villages yesterday and now this.

Ah les Francais. What's been

Ah les Francais. What's been happeneing in France lately? Synagogues are being torched. School busses full of Jewish children are stoned. Amateur Israeli soccer teams are beaten. So what does France decide to do? Send aid to the hospitals in the Palestinian territories. Thanks France.

Let me be clear here. I don't denigrate a huminatarian mission to help those innocents who are suffering. My point is that when Jews are attacked in France, all we get is some handwringing condemnation and a request for both sides to remain calm. When Jews at seders and pizza shops are blown to bits, maybe France will issue a condemnation. But when Arabs are in trouble, it's France to the rescue. People bitch and moan that the US is too pro-Israel. Perhaps it's to act as a counterweight to Europe which is too pro-Arab.

Because everyone needs one I

Because everyone needs one I present you this. And such a bargain at 50% off!

Who knew? I really thought

Who knew? I really thought James Likes was off his rocker when he suggested that soon pregnanent Palestinian women would start becoming suicide bombers. Then Tal G says that according to Israeli radio the IDF caught a would be woman suicide bomber who dressed as a pregnant woman. Lileks wasn't quite prescient, but not too far off.

New links I've added a

New links I've added a few new permalinks to the right:

Everyone's favorite Israeli blogger: Tal G in Jerusalem.

Another good Israeli blog, this one a combined effort: The News, Uncensored

A stranger in a strange land with a really disturbing banner: 2HaTs

Why Israel stops Red Crescent

Why Israel stops Red Crescent ambulances. Watch this video. (Thanks for The News, Uncensored crew for the video)

A great deal! I just

A great deal! I just wanted to share this great deal with all of you before it ends.

Finally some good news from

Finally some good news from Jenin Ha'aretz is reporting that 200 Palestinians, including women and children as well as the wanted men, began surrendering to the IDF. Hopefully this battle will be over soon and the IDF will have done its job and can get out of there.

Also in this article:
The commander of the Hamas military wing in Hebron was killed in a clash with IDF soldiers Wednesday morning in the Palestinian town of Dura, southwest of the West Bank city. Palestinian sources confirmed that Akram al Atrash, the head of the Iz a din al-Kassam in Hebron, had been killed.

Deport them. Bishop Aristorchus, the

Deport them. Bishop Aristorchus, the representative of the Greek Orthodox Church, suggested that instead of trying or detaining the gunmen holed up in the Church of the Nativity, Israel should deport them. Of course there weren't any suggestions as to where they should be deported, but I would suggest Brussels.

Natalie Solent tears Ibrahim Hooper

Natalie Solent tears Ibrahim Hooper a new one. Damn, and I thought I was harsh, check out what she has to say about the familes of suicide bombers.

Thus ends a week of

Thus ends a week of quiet. Well, at least for Israelis. A suicide bomber blew himself up on a bus between Haifa and Jerusalem, killing 8. I'm curious where the bomber came from; if he came from Qalqilya or Tulkarem, there's going to be hell to pay.

Norwegian nonsense. I present two

Norwegian nonsense. I present two items that I know have been blogged elsewhere but I'll put here anyway:

1. This one comes via Bruce Bawer:

In a story today, the Oslo newspaper Dagbladet reports that Ingmar Tveitt, a friend of Norwegian Parliament member Jan Simonsen, was ordered yesterday by Parliament security guards to remove his jacket because a Star of David was displayed on the chest pocket.

As Tveitt points out, "People walk around [in Parliament] with Palestinian scarves and other pro-Palestinian symbols without any reaction."

2. This one comes via Fredrik Norman:

Hanna Kvanmo, recently famous in the blog world for her asinine comment that she wished the Nobel committee could recall the Peace prize it gave to Shimon Peres of Israel (but not the one they gave to Arafat, a terrorist!), joined the German Red Cross at the eastern front during World War II, and stayed there until the end of the war. For this, she was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment. Then she joined the Socialist Left party, and became a major political figure in Norway, consistently serving "gems" such as the one mentioned above...

Funny, I would think that a Nazi sympathizer like Kvanmo would want Jews to wear Stars of Davids on their clothes. Perhaps they were upset that the star wasn't yellow.

Never again. Today is Yom

Never again. Today is Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Rememberence Day. This year it is particullary important to remember what happened because it's not certain that it won't happen again.

And you though *I* was

And you though *I* was rough on Adam Shapiro? Check out what Debbie Schlussel has to say. Ouch. (via Kesher Talk.)

Deir Yassin. Leave it to

Deir Yassin. Leave it to Robert "splinters" Fisk to equate the massacre of 130 people with the systematic liquidation of 6,000,000. Moreover, in a stunning move of historical simplism, Fisk blames the entire Palestinian refugee problem on the Deir Yassin massacre. Somehow he seems to neglect the fact that the reports of the atrocities and death toll were greatly exaggerated by the Arabs in order to incite the Arabs to fight:

Hazam Nusseibi, who worked for the Palestine Broadcasting Service in 1948, admitted being told by Hussein Khalidi, a Palestinian Arab leader, to fabricate the atrocity claims. Abu Mahmud, a Deir Yassin resident in 1948 told Khalidi "there was no rape," but Khalidi replied, "We have to say this, so the Arab armies will come to liberate Palestine from the Jews." Nusseibeh told the BBC 50 years later, "This was our biggest mistake. We did not realize how our people would react. As soon as they heard that women had been raped at Deir Yassin, Palestinians fled in terror."

However, this is not the point I want to make. The more important piece of information that Fisk (and every other pro-Palestinian pundit) ignores is that 4 days after Deir Yassin, a Jewish convoy consisting of nurses, doctors and patients who were on their way to the Hadassah Hosptial in Jerusalem, was attacked by an Arab mob seeking to avenge the massacre at Deir Yassin, killing 77 and wounding 22. Now I am not claiming that this second massacre mitigates what happened at Deir Yassin, but I do feel that you cannot use the Deir Yassin massacre as a moral club against the Zionists when a mere 4 days later, a similar, brutal act was carried out in revenge.

(Fisk article found via Kesher Talk)

Ladies and gentlemen, these are

Ladies and gentlemen, these are your "freedom fighters." I was reading this article in the Washington Times which informs us that Arafat has instructed the Palestinian gunmen holed up in the Chuch of the Nativity in Bethlehem not to make any deals with the IDF. While I believe that story speaks for itself, I was more fascinated by the end of the article:

Here's a little expose on one of the Palestinians taking refuge in the church:

One of the leaders of the Al Aqsa brigade, Jihad Jearah, 28, said on Saturday by cell phone: "We are prepared to fight to the last man. Everyone here is prepared to become a shaheed [martyr]." Mr. Jearah, who was shot in the leg as he ran into the church complex, was featured a week ago in a British television documentary showing how his group prepared bombs and how it went about recruiting suicide bombers.

You know, if I were a Christian, I'd be disgusted knowing that such an unholy thug was using one of my holy sites as cover.

But there's more. Check this out:

The Al Aqsa group has carved out a fearsome reputation in Bethlehem. Just before Israeli soldiers entered the town, it killed two suspected collaborators, dragging their bodies through Manger Square, and then killed six more.

Woopee! Dragging the bodies of executed suspected collaborators around the birthplace of Jesus! How very respectful!

And yet, there's still more:

Local inhabitants say the group has conducted a long-running extortion racket forcing Christian shopkeepers and manufacturers of holy items and souvenirs to pay protection money. A 70-year-old cafe owner in Manger Square was recently shot in the face by an Al Aqsa gang member.
The Al Aqsa fighters, who often drive luxury cars stolen from Israel proper, used to sweep into the Christian hillside suburb of Bet Jala and fire into the nearby outer Jerusalem suburb of Gilo.
After an Al Aqsa leader was arrested for the suspected rape of a Christian girl last year, his fighters stormed the jail and freed him.

Wow, extortion, grand theft auto and rape, a perfect trifecta of noble deeds carried out by these noble "freedom fighters." How these people garner the sympathy of the Europeans just boggles my mind.

But think of the children!

But think of the children! In typical Euro style bitching and moaning, the EU is threatening to impose trade sanctions on Israel if the IDF does not leave the Palestinian cities. Funny, I thought that that the Euros got their panties in a twist over how sanctions on Iraq have killed "millions" children. I guess Israeli children don't count.

InstaPapa. Glenn Reynolds lists all

InstaPapa. Glenn Reynolds lists all the bloggers who say they were inspired by him. The list is rather impressive and I dare say (even though it may get me into trouble) that some of his "progeny" do a better job than he does.

I didn't add my name to the list because I didn't consider him my inspiration. I consider Charles Johnson and Andrew Sullivan to be my sources of inspiration. I thought, hey, if they can do it, why can't I? Of course, a few months later, I still don't blog as well as they do...

Report from a pro-Israel rally.

This afternoon I attended a pro-Israel rally which was held at Fanueil Hall here in Boston. The Holocaust Memorial in Boston is just a block away from there and since they were tying the rally to a Holocaust remembrance service, it made sense to hold it in that location.

From what I could tell, (and I’m not very good at estimating crowd sizes) there were at least a few thousand people there, many carrying signs, Israeli and US flags, and placards. Many of the signs equated Arafat with Bin Laden and called for the halting the terror attacks. Others demanded that Red Crescent ambulances stop being used as transports for weapons. One of my favorites said, “We have ji-Had enough.” There was one other sign which I thought was the most interesting and I’ll get to that later.

There were a couple of speeches given by, well I don’t know who…probably a rabbi or two. Because of the poor acoustics, I didn’t really hear what was being said, but the speeches were unimportant; it was the large gathering of supporters of Israel that sent a message.

There were a couple of TV crews floating around, but from what I could tell they seemed to focus on the 100 or so people that were demanding the end of the occupation. They were pro-Israel, but they felt that the only way to peace was by pulling out of the territories. Now, while I disagree with their point of view, I’d rather they demonstrate with the rest of us than with those who are obviously anti-Israel and would love nothing better than to see it destroyed. However, I was a bit annoyed by the fact that the news crews were so enamored with these “dissidents” as one reporter called them. I saw one camerawoman filming a debate between an older (50+ years old) man who wanted the occupation to end now, and a couple of 13 year old kids. I, and another guy decided to help back the kids up. The points I made were that 1) since the latest invasion by the IDF, the number of terrorist attacks has dramatically diminished, and 2) if Israel unilaterally withdraws from the territories right now, it will be rewarding the terrorists. His reply was that because of the invasion, the popularities of Hamas and Islamic Jihad have increased “exponentially.” I didn’t feel like mentioning the fact that the majority of Palestinians already support their suicide bombings.

After this little exchange I noticed a young guy holding up a sign saying, “Where is the Arab peace movement?” and asking for people to answer him. No one could give him a straight answer except for Sari Nusseibeh. The sign holder agreed but said that the problem was that he was but one person. This scene continued until out of nowhere, a young Palestinian woman showed up and said, “I am the Arab peace movement.” Now, I don’t know if this was staged or not, because she and the sign holder knew each other, but I had to admire both her braveness and articulateness. She calmly explained that she condemned the terrorism, but that the Palestinians are humiliated and that the occupation must stop. A crowd grew around her and started debating and questioning her, and with a little help from the sign holder as moderator, she definitely held her own. I was glad that the crowd behaved themselves and I thought that if only there were more Palestinians like her, this conflict might well be solved. Unfortunately, I believe that the sign holder makes a key point: there really is no peace movement on the Arab side, and until there is, I really don’t believe there can be peace in the region.

A couple of other notes:

I somehow inherited a position of holding an Israeli flag with another guy, who as it turned out wasn’t Jewish. He actually asked me if it was ok for him to hold the Israeli flag even though he wasn’t Jewish, and I had to hold myself from laughing. He was an interesting guy and believed that the US and Israel were in this fight together. He described to me his experience when he attended a counter-rally to a pro-Palestinian rally the other day and how he thought those people were cowards because they were threatening him while they wore masks. I don’t know if was true or not, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it were.

The only pro-Palestinian presence I saw was a single car that drove by that had a passenger holding a Palestinian flag out the sunroof.

What was noticeably absent from this demonstration were signs calling for the death of Arabs or Islam, equating Palestinians with Nazis, burning of Palestinian flags (or European flags), or anything of the sort. The crowd was more interesting in achieving peace and security for Israel more than anything else.

And that, folks, is the way it is.

Update: Compare my description of the pro-Israeli rally to the description of the pro-Palestinian rally here.

This is disturbing. I take

This is disturbing. I take no responsibility for what happens after you read this.

Why do I blog when

Why do I blog when Mark Steyn says exactly what I want to say far more eloquently?

Replying to Gary. Not surprisingly,

Replying to Gary. Not surprisingly, Gary Farber has replied to the section of my post below concerning my thoughts on Adam Shapiro. Obviously, I feel the need to explain myself.

My understanding of the definition of "traitor" is "one who betrays one's country, a cause, or a trust, especially one who commits treason". Obviously, Shapiro hasn't committed any form of treason, espcially since he's an American citizen. However, I see his actions and his interview on CNN is a form of betrayal of Israelis and Jews. By going to Arafat and defending him on TV, he paints Arafat as a sympathetic figure which only brings more condemnation of Israel and thus making life more difficult. I have no qualms with him or others who think like him criticising Israel and its policies (although I will disagree with what they say), nor with helping Palestinian civilians make the best of the admittedly crappy lot they've been dealt. But this is not what I saw in that interview; I saw a Jew more interested helping out a Palestinian terrorist than helping out his fellow Jews. And for that I feel that he's betrayed the Jewish people.

Let me make clear that I did not call for him to be shot, and it hasn't been a "repeated opinion." I said it once, and after you called me on it, I reconsidered and changed my mind. However, just as Shaprio has the right to express his opinions on the Middle East situation, and you have have the right to defend him, I have the right to think that he's a digusting embarrassment and express myself accordingly.

No hosteges, eh? Four priests,

No hosteges, eh? Four priests, with the help of the IDF, were able to slip out of the Church of the Nativity on Friday. How many others are holed up in that church against their will?

'Tis a good day to

'Tis a good day to die... for Palestinian terrorist leaders. According to Foxnews, the IDF the heads of the military wings of Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades for the Northern West Bank. According to Israel, one of them men was the mastermind behind the Passover Massacre. Pejman thinks they should stuff them and hang them on the wall. I think they should mount their heads on pikes in downtown Ramallah for all to see.

More Israeli blogs. For those

More Israeli blogs. For those who are interested, this is a list of Israeli blogs. The ones that have links in the far left column are in English. The others are in Hebrew.

Proof that the Euros are

Proof that the Euros are demented. Members of the committee that awards the Nobel Peach prize expressed regret for awarding the prize to . . . Shimon Peres! They are upset that as part of the Israeli government, Peres hasn't prevented the reocuupation of the Palestinian territories. No mention of them being upset about a Nobel Laureate who is the head of the Palestinian Authority being part and parcel to the terrorist attacks that blow up innocent Jews celebrating Passover. However, I do take heart knowing that over 200,000 people want to revoke Arafat's prize.

No Title As I mentioned

No Title As I mentioned below, I haven’t been writing much because I’ve been sick and because I’ve been far too consumed with emotion to write anything coherent other than a few comments here and there. But it seems, the longer I wait to write, the less I have to say, so I will write this now.

Ever since I was a boy, I had always been fascinated with history, perhaps because I am the son of a history teacher. I had always wondered what it was like to live through major historical events, whether it was the fall of Rome, the American Revolution, or World War II. Indeed, I had always felt that I had lived in boring times where only minor events would occurred. I was also amazed (and disheartened) to see how often the Jewish people were the targets of various violence: expulsion from Spain, pogroms in Eastern Europe and of course the Holocaust. Speaking of pogroms, as a kid, I knew that pogroms were bad, but I didn’t know how bad until I read this description of the Chmielnicki pogrom in 1648:

Some of them [the Jews] had their skins flayed off them and their flesh was flung to the dogs. The hands and feet of others were cut off and they [their bodies] were flung onto the roadway where carts ran over them and they were trodden underfoot by horse ... And many were buried alive. Children were slaughtered at their mother's bosoms and many children were torn apart like fish. They ripped up the bellies of pregnant women, took out the unborn children, and flung them in their faces. They tore open the bellies of some of them and placed a living cat within the belly and they left them alive thus, first cutting off their hands so that they should not be able to take the living cat out of the belly ... and there was never an unnatural death in the world that they did not inflict upon them."

It is for these reasons I was especially proud of the founding of the State of Israel, a country for Jews so that they didn’t have to worry about being murdered or expelled merely for being Jewish. The fact that Israel had survived for so long under such impossible odds never ceased to amaze me. But as I write this, I cannot say for certain that Israel will last beyond my lifetime, or even beyond this next couple of years.

For better or for worse, it seems that my secret wish of living through extraordinary times has been granted. I feel like I am living in a history lesson, watching helplessly as these events unfold, trying to make sense of what’s going on, and knowing deep down that there is precious little I can do. So, what do I do? I read the news and I blog. Admittedly it is heartening to read other blogs and the comments on mine to see that others, especially non-Jews, that share opinions and feelings similar to mine. I become optimistic when I think that these bloggers are representative of a larger mass of more or less similarly minded people, who just happen to have the time, talent and desire to write out what they think. But then I am jolted back into reality when I turn on C-SPAN or Foxnews and listen to callers who claim that the Jews are running America, that the suicide bombers are probably Israelis dressed up as Arabs, or that Israelis are Nazis. I don’t know which group is more representative of the general American public, but it is troublesome to me when Americans choose the Palestinians over Israel (and the Jewish people at large) because I damn well know that there is precious little support throughout the rest of the world.

Indeed, it’s plainly obvious that these are dangerous times not only for Israelis but for Jews in general. I’m sure that every reader of this blog is well aware of the various blood libels, praises for Hitler, Jewish/Israeli conspiracy theories, and general anti-Semitic tripe that is prevalent throughout the Arab world. While these examples all disgust me, they do not frighten me, for they are obvious and easily exposed for what they are. They are symptoms of simple and diseased minds that cannot produce anything of value.

No, I am more bothered by other things, some more subtle, so less so. It is becoming obvious day by day that anti-Semitism is rising in Europe. The attacks against Jews and Jewish buildings has been somewhat steady, culminating in the recent spate in France, Belgium and Finland (Finland!?) Of course there was the usually required condemnations and not surprising the big ”BUT” from a Muslim leader in charge:

Marseille's Grand Mufti Soheib Bencheikh said representatives of both communities had gathered in front of the city's destroyed synagogue Monday, in a gesture of solidarity. But so long as the violence in the Middle East continued, he said, ethnic-Arab youths in France would likely continue their campaign of attacks. "It's possible for the attacks to continue," said Bencheikh, who called for Western intervention in the Middle East to staunch the bloodshed, "which makes our job all the more difficult" in calming incensed Muslim youth in France.

As an aside, and I’ve harped on this before, but after Sept. 11, I remember that Arabs and Muslims (joined by American politicians of every stripe) were calling for Americans not to attack innocent Arab/Muslim Americans because 19 Arab Muslims happened to have flown planes into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. And fortunately (and perhaps not surprisingly) there were only a few attacks on innocent Arabs (and those thought to be Arabs). Nevertheless, I distinctly remember Arab League Secretary-General calling the West racist because of these attacks. Yet, it seems, Muslim youth cannot be asked to control themselves to do exactly the same thing regarding Jews because of the violence in the West Bank. Well, Mr. Mufti, I’m an angry Jewish youth sick of seeing dead Jews blown up at Seders…can I go torch the local mosque? I didn’t think so.

But I digress. Perhaps the most troubling aspect of recent events is the utter hypocrisy exhibited by the world. Recall the timeline of recent events: Because the US sent in Anthony Zinni, Israel pulled its troops out of Palestinian cities. The Palestinian response was to send it suicide bombers who proceeded to blow up a bus that had both Arabs and Jews on it, and a toy store in Jerusalem. These don’t include the failed suicide bombings and sniping by Palestinian gunmen. Nevertheless there was little if any Israeli retaliation; a believe a short invasion in Gaza was it. However, the crescendo of terrorism hit its peak with the Passover Massacre. Israel decided it had no choice but to invade the West Bank, and isolate Arafat. The suicide bombings continued in Haifa, there was an attack on a paramedic station in the West Bank, and now about 180 brave Palestinian gunmen are holed up in the Chuch of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

Now consider the world reactions to each side’s actions. There was the usual condemnation of the suicide bombings accompanied by calls for Israeli restraint. Yet, when Israel invaded Ramallah and subsequently Bethlehem and Nablus, the whole world got their collective panties in a bunch. The UN immediately passed a resolution calling for an immediate Israeli withdrawal; the EU called for an immediate withdrawal; the Pope condemned the Israeli actions ; the Cypriot Parliament and the Turkish Prime Minister decried the Israeli siege is “genocide”; Egypt cut most of its ties with Israel; the ICRC is concerned about the Red Crescent ambulances being delayed and shot at; a Norwegian supermarket chain is boycotting Israeli goods; and most gallingly, Saudi Prince Sultan called the siege of Arafat ”the greatest crime in the history of humanity.”

This reaction doesn’t surprise me because I expect nothing less. It’s crystal clear that Jewish blood is worthless in the eyes of the world. There were no UN resolutions, Papal condemnations, etc. when the suicide bombers were blowing themselves and innocent civilians to kingdom come. How dare a Turk accuse Israel of committing genocide! The greatest crime in history, Prince Sultan? What do you call that pogrom I mentioned earlier? What do you call the Holocaust? Oh, I know that Jewish lives worth less than nothing to you, so how about Assad’s sacking of the city of Hamat? How about Russia’s raping of your fellow Muslims in Chechnya. For fuck’s sake, how about what happened on September 11?

And so it goes. The Hizbullah is trying to open up another front on Israel’s northern border and the world yawns. Israel presents proof that Arafat is directly linked to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and that his PA has been counterfeiting both Israel and American money and the world shrugs. Israel presents proof that ambulances are being used to transport terrorists and the word says, “so what?” More important to European “peace activists” and treacherous Jews is to protect Yassir Arafat and Palestinian civilians. And yes, Gary, I do accuse Adam Shapiro of being a traitor. By trying to save Arafat’s life, he adds legitimacy to Arafat who is both directly behind a great deal of terror attacks against other Jews via his Tanzim and Al-Aqsa Brigades and indirectly by turning a blind eye or actively calling for more martyrs. He did indeed verbally defend Arafat in a CNN interview conducted by a newswoman who was so enamored with him, that had she been able to felate him, I have no doubt she would have. Shapiro indeed chose sides, and he chose the enemy of the Jewish people. Nevertheless, I will stand with you and condemn those schmucks who have threatened his family back in New York. It is uncalled-for and wrong.

So where are we today? President Bush, while calling for the cessation of Palestinian terrorism, has asked Israel to withdraw its forces and is sending Colin Powell to the Middle East, no doubt to kiss Arafat’s ass and yank the reigns on Sharon. Some bloggers think this is just part of the administrations “rope-a-dope” strategy which will in the end, allow the US to fully support Israel. I seem to recall this claim a few weeks ago when the US demanded Israel pull out of Palestinian cities and sent in Zinni and look where that’s gotten us now.

It’s looking to me as if the situation is become Israel vs. the world and I fear for Israel’s future. There is no doubt in my mind that the occupation will have to end; Israel cannot continue to rule over millions who do not want to be ruled. The problem is how to end it and produce two secure states when any concession Israel makes is seen as a sign of weakness and a signal to step up terrorist attacks. I wish, after having written this Pejman-sized essay with sub-Kinen insight, I had some ideas or answers. Instead all I have is a premonition that in the not too distant future, Israel will cease to exist and the world won’t care to even erect a memorial.

Treasure trove. Here are some

Treasure trove. Here are some photos of the weapons cache confiscated by the IDF in Arafat's Ramallah HQ. It's mostly light weapons, although those RPGs are a bit atypical of a police force armory. However, the important point that I think has been missed by most bloggers that I've read so far, is that because the IDF captured these weapons they can no longer be used against Israelis. Remember that while the suicide bombers of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa brigades get most of the press, there have been hundreds of drive by shootings, sniper attacks, etc. perpetuated by the Tanzim, Fatah, and those same Al-Aqsa Brigades, all of which are tied directly to Arafat. By removing the weapons and ammo of those groups, the IDF has theoretically made life a little safer for the average Israeli.

See the invoice A photo

See the invoice A photo of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade invoice that was discussed below accompanies this article.

This has the makings of

This has the makings of a bad MasterCard commerical. Here's the English translation of a letter alledgedly found at Arafat's compound by the IDF. Reader beware, it comes via DEBKA, which means you may have to take it with a Lot's wife amount of salt:

1. Cost of posters for Martyrs of the al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades: Azam Mazhar, Osama Juabra, Shadi Afouri, Yasser Badawi, Ahad Fares (inserted by hand: NIS2,000).

In conclusion, glory and pride to those who support our brave resistance against the occupation. Revolution until victory.

For those of us that think in American dollars, the latest exchange rate is US $1 = NIS 4.77730. And for you whining, Arafat loving, Euroschmucks, the total cost of that shopping list is 26,788.63 Euros. I hope you feel good knowing where your PA funding goes.

(Shopping list found via Gary Farber)

He must have fallen under

He must have fallen under the table. Seems like someone has taken out the Vodkapundit

Before and After. I ran

Before and After. I ran across this interesting article which compares the tactics of the IDF to those of the Palestinians. The best part is this comparison:

Before: Palestinian terrorist with a Kalashnikov firing (badly) at an "Israeli sniper position."

After: Dead Palestinian lying in the road. Dead Palestinian being carried off by his buddies. Lots-o wailing buddies.

Priceless.

Update.

I haven't blogged much I know...I've been in transit and pretty sick (but not sic transit Geoff, please). Besides, I'm still trying to analyze all that's going on since events are unfolding so rapidly. But I will leave you with this semi-encouraging article . Glad to see that the rumors of that Catholic priest's death in Bethlehem were greatly exaggerated.