"Kibbutzim" is a "Yiddish language word"

Asharq Alawsat frequently features sensible writing . . . and just about as frequently doesn't:

Ever since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, its media has been trying to sell the idea that Israel is a secular state that brought together its children from the Diaspora, returning them to the Promised Land, as was promised in their scriptures and religious teachings where they can live their lives according to socialist principles in collective communities called Kibbutzim [or a Kibbutz]. This is a Yiddish language word which was spoken predominately by Jews in Eastern Europe. [...]

I guess Saudis don't have a feel for Semitic languages.

Cue up the Wikileaks conspiracy theories

Angry Arab comes in handy sometimes:

Many Arabs on Twitter and Facebook are raising questions about the Wikileaks: that the revelations on the Middle East are largely either known or expected. Some are noticing that nothing damaging to Israel--even diplomatically--has been released. Some are suggesting that the US government is behind Wikileaks. Personally, I discount those conspiracy theories although conspiracy theories can be helpful.

He's really conflicted.

Another North Korean medical breakthrough

They'll never top "Curative plastic sheets Nos. 1 and 2," but this is also very impressive:

A multi-purpose light therapy device developed in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is gaining popularity in the country.

The device, based on the polarized light effect of calcite abundant in the country, promotes blood circulation and metabolism and prevents thrombus, raising immunity in human body.

It has a special virtue for various diseases, mental and physical fatigue, headache caused by a long-time use of computer, and insomnia.

Used like a wristwatch during sleep, it helps prevent heart failure and cerebral haemorrhage and thrombosis.

It won a gold prize at an international patent exposition held in China.

I don't doubt it. The latest Haveil Havalim is also deserving of a gold prize.

Finkelstein evidently views the Western World as a giant conspiracy against Hizbullah

This is brought to us from the good folks at IRNA, Iran's main news agency. We learn that "the United Nations Security Council . . . has become the main instrument for death and destruction":

Talking in Berlin Saturday evening on the occasion of the International Solidarity Day with the Palestinian Nation, Norman Finkelstein stressed there had been some 'very ominous developments' pointing to a new war in Lebanon.

'There does seem to be coordinated efforts now by the western powers using the United Security Council in order to soften up the target, weaken the target by creating discord and tension and friction inside Lebanon to pave the way at the
end for an Israeli assault on Lebanon,' the US political scientist said.

'As Israel prepares the ground for an attack, it's very interesting to watch how all the western powers synchronize to prepare, to lay the groundwork for an attack and how the United Nations Security Council which has become the main instrument for death and destruction, is preparing the groundwork,' Finkelstein added.

He accused the western powers of 'working up a (anti-Hizbollah) hysteria' in the media aimed at preparing an assault on Lebanon by the Zionist regime.

Finkelstein said the US, France and Britain were initially hoping to isolate Hizbollah by a combination of sanctions, arms embargo, UN resolution and whipping up media campaign.

The Mideast expert emphasized the West did not like Hizbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah because he was 'smart, confident and incorruptible' unlike the pro-western leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

He warned the western-backed Special Tribunal on Lebanon which is to announce an indictment blaming elements of Hizbollah for the murder of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, was geared at 'dividing Shiites and Sunnis' in Lebanon and reigniting political violence in that country, setting the stage for a Zionist military assault.

In case you are wondering if the above includes some Iranian embellishments, which is always possible, at Finkelstein's own website an Asia Times article is introduced with the following:

The endgame is approaching in Lebanon. The US, UK and France will use the UN to soften the target, and then Israel will go in for the kill.

So he's certainly in that paranoid Khomeinist groove.

Angry Arab becomes full-time Hummus-blogger

He has a number of other recent posts, which I won't bother to link to, devoted to his latest cause. Here is a current one:

I have obtained the real (not the advertised) expiration dates for Sabra Hummus sold in your stores. For all those Sabra Hummus containers, the real expiration date is in fact January 1983. Make sure you note that. And for your own health: boycott Sabra Hummus.

Not less truthful than the rest of what he posts.

Andrew Sullivan draws up to full 30-meter height in majestic indignation

You may have seen Sarah Palin's clever response to the criticism over her confused reference to "our North Korean allies." She strings together a number of Obama's verbal gaffes, thereby having some fairly gentle and tasteful laughs at the President's expense while making the defensive (in her case) and fairly broadminded point that every widely-quoted public figure makes verbal mistakes, even presidents generally regarded as verbally cogent and coherent. Sullivan, however, is incensed:

A simple respect for the office she seeks would not reflect itself in these increasingly callow, sarcastic, cheap jibes at a sitting president. But sadly, like so many now purporting to represent conservatism, there is, behind the faux awe before the constitution, a contempt for the restraint and dignity a polity's institutions require from its leaders.

There is no maturity here; no self-reflection; no capacity even to think how to appeal to the half of Americans who are already so appalled by her trashy behavior and cheap publicity stunts. There is a meanness, a disrespect, a vicious partisanship that, if allowed to gain more power, would split this country more deeply and more rancorously than at any time in recent years. And that's saying something.

It isn't just Palin--the whole country must be a bitter disappointment to a man of Sullivan's caliber.

North Korea: "Gone are the days when verbal warnings are served only"

Here is a statement from, get this, "the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea." North Korean rhetoric at its most bellicose:

The south Korean puppet group is now getting hell-bent on the wholesale racket for confrontation with the DPRK while groundlessly taking issue with the army of the DPRK over its due punishment meted to the group for its reckless military provocation.

In this regard, a spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea released a statement on Friday.

The recent military provocation by the puppet group is a product of the deliberate and premeditated plot hatched by it to save its smear confrontational campaign from total bankruptcy, tarnish the daily rising might of the DPRK, scuttle the efforts for improving the north-south relations and tide over the domestic and international isolation and crisis, it points out, and says:

The group perpetrated the recent provocation prompted by a sinister calculation that in case the DPRK did not make any reaction it would take it as "a tacit recognition" of the illegal "northern limit line" and make it a fait accompli and in case the DPRK took a military counter-action, it would use it as a pretext for kicking up anti-DPRK smear campaign.

This notwithstanding, the chief executive of south Korea did not bother to cry out for "much stronger punishment" while pulling up the DPRK. This is nothing but last-ditch efforts of those who were hit hard after making hasty provocation.

The prevailing situation clearly proves that the DPRK's warnings and domestic and foreign concerns that the seizure of power by the Lee Myung Bak group of conservatives would bedevil the inter-Korean relations and lead to a war were by no means for nothing.

If the puppet group insists on confrontation with the DPRK, the DPRK does not have any idea of dodging it at all.

It is the temperament of the DPRK to resolutely counter confrontation with confrontation and war with war.

The army and people of the DPRK are now greatly enraged at the provocation of the puppet group while getting fully ready to give a shower of dreadful fire and blow up the bulwark of the enemies if they dare to encroach again upon the DPRK's dignity and sovereignty even in the least.

The group should not run amuck, clearly understanding the will and mettle of the highly alerted army and people of the DPRK to wipe out the enemies.

Escalated confrontation would lead to a war and he who is fond of playing with fire is bound to perish therein.

Gone are the days when verbal warnings are served only.

We will respond to good faith in kind but punish the provocateurs encroaching upon our dignity and sovereignty with resolute and merciless counter-action.

What North Korea probably isn't doing

What famous person stated "we've got to stand with our North Korean allies"? I'd say it was Jimmy Carter.

Pyongyang has sent a consistent message that during direct talks with the United States, it is ready to conclude an agreement to end its nuclear programs, put them all under IAEA inspection and conclude a permanent peace treaty to replace the "temporary" cease-fire of 1953.

In other words, North Korea is being more self-isolating and militaristic because it really wants to be less isolated and militaristic. I don't think so. I think North Korea is being true to what it proclaims daily is its guiding philosophy. I don't have any glib suggestions for what to do about it.

Fars: "Leader Describes Basij as 'Undeniable Truth'"

According to Wikipedia, "Currently Basij serve as an auxiliary force engaged in activities such as internal security as well as law enforcement auxiliary, the providing of social service, organizing of public religious ceremonies, and more famously morals policing and the suppression of dissident gatherings." No wonder the Ayatollah loves them:

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei lauded Bajij's (volunteer forces) important role in defusing enemies' threats, and described the force as a "great and undeniable truth".

Addressing a large gathering of 110,000 Basij forces here in Tehran on Thursday, Ayatollah Khamenei said that Basij has presently become a "clear, great and shining truth" of the Islamic society of Iran "with no similar version".

"Basij is a gathering of hearts, a mobilization of faiths, souls and emotions," Ayatollah Khamenei stressed.

Elsewhere, the Leader underlined that Iran has become more powerful despite enemy plots over the past 30 years. [...]

Where are you?--A story for Yud Tes Kislev

On the 19th of Kislev, the Alter Rebbe, the founder of Chabad, was released from prison. See here to learn why this day is known in Chabad as the "Rosh Hashanah of Chassidism." Here is a story:

In 1798, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi was imprisoned on charges, put forth by the opponents of Chassidism, that his teachings undermined the imperial authority of the czar. For 52 days he was held in the Peter-Paul Fortress in Petersburg.

Among the Rebbe's interrogators was a government minister who possessed broad knowledge of the Bible and Jewish studies. On one occasion, he asked the Rebbe to explain the verse (Genesis 3:9): "And G-d called out to the man and said to him: 'Where are you?'" Did G-d not know where Adam was?

Rabbi Schneur Zalman presented the explanation offered by several of the commentaries: the question "Where are you?" was merely a "conversation opener" on the part of G-d, who did not wish to unnerve Adam by immediately confronting him with his wrongdoing.

"What Rashi says, I know," said the minister. "I wish to hear how the Rebbe understands the verse."

"Do you believe that the Torah is eternal?" asked the Rebbe. "Do you believe that its every word applies to every individual, under all conditions, at all times?"

"Yes," replied the minister.

Rabbi Schneur Zalman was extremely gratified to hear this. The czar's minister had affirmed a principle which lies at the basis of the teachings of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, the very teachings and ideology for which he was standing trial!

"'Where are you?'" explained the Rebbe, "is G-d's perpetual call to every man. Where are you in the world? What have you accomplished? You have been allotted a certain number of days, hours, and minutes in which to fulfill your mission in life. You have lived so many years and so many days," -- here Rabbi Schneur Zalman spelled out the exact age of the minister -- "Where are you? What have you achieved?"

Your local Chabad House or Chabad Center is probably going to be having a Chassidic Farbrengen this evening in honor of Yud Tes Kislev. If you've been meaning to experience one, this is the best opportunity of the year in most places. As Wikipedia says, "Farbrengens are public events open to non-Hasidim as well."

Soccer Dad closes shop

As you probably know by now, Soccer Dad has announced his retirement from blogging. Some of the other bloggers who are commenting have noted his knowledge, his writing ability, and his tendency to reach out to other bloggers. I was very honored to be asked to submit my own posts to his blog in recent years and have them appear along side of Soccer Dad's own posts and those of Daled Amos, his other, still-active, co-blogger. I was especially comfortable doing so because of another admirable quality of Soccer Dad's blogging: good taste and moderation. Hopefully, even if not actually blogging, he will continue some sort of presence in the J-blogosphere: through his behind-the-scenes e-mails, blog-comments, etc., and in the meantime his continuing influence is reflected by the ongoing blog-carnival Haveil Havalim. Check out the latest edition here.

BDS-goons go after Sabra Hummus

According to the Daily Princetonian:

The Princeton Committee on Palestine has sponsored a referendum in next week’s USG elections that asks Dining Services to sell an alternative to Sabra hummus in all its retail locations on campus.

The Strauss Group and PepsiCo each own 50 percent of Sabra Dipping Company.

In August, Philly Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, a Philadelphia group that encourages activism against Israel, released an open letter calling for a boycott of Sabra for the same reason.

Both PCP and Philly BDS take issue with The Strauss Group’s support of the Israeli Golani Brigade. Members of the Brigade have been reprimanded by the Israeli military for inappropriate behavior . . .

Abby Klionsky ’14 said she found the referendum’s language at odds with PCP’s rhetoric. “The Facebook group, posters and petition clearly state that PCP’s aim is to boycott Sabra hummus,” she said in an e-mail.

“I have a sneaking suspicion that this referendum is not about having multiple options of hummus to buy as a consumer option, but rather make the process of boycotting Sabra hummus easier,” she added. [...]

Meanwhile at DePaul:

Today marks another win for the global boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) movement against corporations that profit from severe human rights violations. Chicago’s very own DePaul University just announced that their dining services will be discontinuing the sale of hummus manufactured by Sabra, an Israeli brand known for its vocal and material support of Israeli Defense Forces. The administration has temporarily suspended the sale of Sabra products and will likely move towards permanently banning the brand from campus.

Oddly enough, Debbie Schlussel slams Sabra for "caving in" on the Israel support and urges her readers not to buy it for pro-Israel reasons. I have most of a "Family Size" container of Sabra Roasted Garlic Hummus in my fridge right now as part of my Shabbos left-overs. At this point, I'd say the pro-Israel thing to do is to keep buying Sabra. And it doesn't hurt that it tastes good.

North Korea invents cold fire

I wonder what the "new softening technology" is used on. Brains?

The Research Institute of Cinema Science of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has recently developed a new softening technology.

After making researches for lowering the surface temperature of fire and acquiring a new color reagent, it succeeded in developing materials for cold fire, free from danger of burn.

If only they had the cold fire during the incident of the slogan-bearing trees!

In a test of the materials, an actor was neither burnt nor injured in raging flames with black smoke.

Step into those flames, Comrade, in the spirit of Mt. Paektu . . .

The new technology makes it possible to shoot vivid fire scenes at low cost with actors and actresses provided with safe conditions.

The institute has also developed harmless fog-making materials.

Amazing! Real fog is so deadly . . .

Angry Arab "dying for one Israeli book to be criticized in the US"

All Israeli books get "rave reviews in the US"? Is this true?

I was thinking this morning as I read yet another favorable review of an Israeli author in the New York Times. Is there ever an Israeli author who is not reviewed favorably in the US press? Ever? And do you notice that no matter what an Israeli writes (poetry, fiction, speeches, hate speech), he/she gets enthusiastic and rave reviews in the US. I mean, I am dying for one Israeli book to be criticized in the US. [...]

He sounds so pathetic, but maybe we can cheer him up. Anyone have links to non-rave reviews of Israeli books?

AFP doesn't seem interested in who Mohammed Yassin is

However, the lead sentence mantions that the attack occurred on Eid al-Adha:

One person was killed and another seriously wounded in an Israeli air strike on a car in Gaza City during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday on Wednesday, medical sources and an AFP photographer said.

"Mohammed Yassin was killed and his brother Islam was seriously wounded in an Israeli strike on a car in the Samer area of Gaza City," emergency services spokesman Adham Abu Selmiya told AFP.

The body was seen by an AFP photographer at Gaza City's Shifa hospital.

A witness told AFP he saw an Israeli warplane fire towards a white car in the city centre.

The Israeli army had no immediate comment on the raid, which was the fourth air strike on Gaza within two weeks. [...]

The AFP goes on to mention the recent killing of "Mohammed al-Nemnem, a senior militant with the Army of Islam." Maan News has some idea bout Yassin's identity:

An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed the assassination, which was the second in two weeks.

She said "a senior operative belonging to the terrorist group Army of Islam was targeted" because the group, a radical Islamist organization, was plotting to attack Israeli citizens in the Sinai.

Medics also said the two casualties were likely members of Jaysh Al-Islam.

Jaysh Al-Islam is the Army of Islam.

Wouldn't the Krugman and anti-Krugman have to be prevented from ever meeting?

Just saying.

Update: The anti-Krugman is a step closer.

"Historical resources are unanimous"

A paragraph from an IRIB Radio article entitled "Ka'ba, the center of monotheism":

Historical resources are unanimous that the Ka'ba was built by the Father of the human race, Adam. We read that after building the Ka'ba, on God's command, Adam circumambulated around it. In the subsequent centuries or millenniums, the Prophets of God would make the journey to the holy Ka'ba. In the great flood of the times of Prophet Noah, the Ka'ba was damaged. Centuries later, God assigned Prophet Abraham to reconstruct the Ka'ba as the manifestation of monotheism and to invite people to worship God. Ka'ba has been the symbol of monotheism throughout history. Abraham left his wife and firstborn son, Ishmael beside this supreme symbol of monotheism for holding prayer in order to be a base for the world monotheists.

I am not sneering at the above, but I suppose that the continued existence of Judaism is inconvenient for those who want people to believe it.

North Korea reaches highest stage

Can you imagine living in a country in which a considerable portion of the news is stuff like this?

The national power has reached the highest stage, a heyday of the greatest prosperity in the nation's history spanning 5,000 years has been ushered in the country and its dignity and pride have been fully demonstrated before the whole world under the Songun banner.

The power of Haveil Havalim has reached the highest stage.

Happier times for Happy Meals?

Here's a setback for San Francisco Moonbats, who have been preparing a sort of legislative Happy Meal. It includes, as you may have heard, a food item:

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a ban on sales of McDonald's Happy Meals with children's toys as too intrusive.

"Parents, not politicians, should decide what their children eat, especially when it comes to spending their own money," Newsom said Friday in announcing the veto.

The city's board of supervisors passed the legislation forbidding giveaways of toys with kids meals unless they met strict dietary criteria. McDonald's Happy Meals, seen as the target of the ban, do not meet the board's criteria.

The board could still override the mayor's veto. [...]

So for right now, the news is good for fans of non-metaphorical Happy Meals, but the Moonbats may still get the burger part of their legislative Happy Meal, which also features a toy: a limitation of medical and religious freedom and assertion of state prerogatives as true parental-unit:

It's the latest controversial initiative, coming from the city that's tried to ban everything from happy meal toys, to plastic grocery bags. Now one resident is working to ban circumcision and it’s stirring up controversy across the state.

“It's definitely a personal choice issue. The government doesn't have any right to be involved,” said Cathy Pope, a Merced resident.

"On a personal level, if I had a baby boy I would not be doing it. But if it's part of their religion and their tradition, then so be it, if they want to do it. Again, it's a parent's choice," said Armando Arredondo, the father of a nine-month-old girl.

But the author of the initiative, San Francisco resident Lloyd Schofield sees it differently. "His body doesn't belong to his culture, his government, his religion or even his parents," said Schofield.

The initiative would make it a misdemeanor to circumcise, excise, cut or mutilate the genitals of a minor under 18, punishable with a fine of up to $1,000 or up to one year in jail. More than seven thousand signatures are needed for the initiative to make it onto San Francisco's ballot next November. As for parents who circumcise their boys for religious reasons, the author says they would have to follow the law as well.

It almost certainly won't pass, but how would it work? I guess families and well-wishers would go out of the San Francisco city limits to have the bris and the ensuing Seudas Mitzvah/Happy Meal. Anyway, I'm sure they will have interesting things to talk about at the next Friday-night Happy Meal at the Shul of the Grateful Yid. (h/t: memeorandum)

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

The day the anniversary died

There were two recent news stories about attempts to stop commemorations of what Ma'an News terms "the death of anniversary of the death of Yasser Arafat." Oh well, we get the idea. I can't say for sure, but I think this one, ascribing anti-Arafat motives to Zionist Entity Forces, is false:

Israeli forces surrounded a school in the northern West Bank to prevent students from marking the death of anniversary of the death of Yasser Arafat, the late Palestinian president.

Forces threatened to raid the school if the celebration did not immediately end, the director of education at the Jeet Male Secondary School east of Qalqiliya said. The principal said the school was evacuated.

An Israeli military spokesman said forces were responding to rock-throwing. [...]

To my mind, the fact that Maan bothers to include this little contrary claim does not bode well for the veracity of the good Director of Education, but Angry Arab just quotes the first sentence and gives the post one of his famous "This is Zionism" titles. He obviously believes the Director. What can I say? I'm just a lowly Judeopundit, while he is a Professor of Political Science at the Tomato Cannery--I mean, California State University, Stanislaus. This Maan News article, however (h/t: EOZ), contains no contrary claim:

The Foreign Press Association in Israel condemned on Thursday the reported arrest of a television crew at a Rafah event celebrating the life of former Palestinian president Yasser Arafat.

In a statement, the FPA denounced "in the strongest terms," the detention of the journalists, who the association said were detained and ordered to turn over news footage to the authorities. [...]

If only Abu Amar were here. He'd make sure his death-anniversary was celebrated properly.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Ever victorious weapons, powerful tresured swords, impregnable socialism, etc.

Time for a Juche-oriented post. Consider this a test of your revolutionary mettle. If you emerge at the other end of reading this with your brain intact, then you, too, in your own way, will be as invincible as the DPRK:

The great army-people unity is an ever-victorious weapon of the DPRK holding the great illustrious commander of Songun in high esteem and an engine of bringing about leaping progress and innovation.

Rodong Sinmun today says this in an editorial. It goes on:

Today the DPRK is vigorously advancing with the might of the great unity between the army and the people.

They are working shoulder to shoulder in every important site of building a thriving nation in one mind and with one intention.

All the servicepersons and people are firmly rallied behind the headquarters of the revolution with the same ideology and will, the spirit of assisting the army and the people are being fully displayed and a high-pitched drive for effecting the great revolutionary surge is prevailing in the DPRK. It is the true picture of the era of Songun.

The great unity between the army and the people serves as a powerful treasured sword and a foundation of the society of the DPRK which helps overcome all sorts of ordeals to emerge victorious as it was consolidated in the whole course of the protracted revolution and further strengthened in the tempest of the Songun revolution.

The might of the great unity between the army and the people is inexhaustible as all the servicepersons and people share the destiny with the same ideology and fighting spirit.

They are now bringing about great innovation and leap forward in every site of effecting a great surge in order to translate into reality the plan and determination of General Secretary Kim Jong Il for building a thriving nation.

The Korean People's Army is creating a new Chollima speed in the era of Songun in the important fields for building a thriving nation and fully demonstrating its might as the pillar and the main force of the revolution and all the people are effecting a great upswing in the production and construction in the revolutionary solider spirit. It is the heroic stamina of Songun Korea.

The epoch-making changes and the great auspicious events in the DPRK under the banner of Songun are priceless fruitions of the devoted efforts exerted by the servicepersons who take the lead in making a breakthrough in the great revolutionary surge and the heroic struggle waged by all the people with the same spirit, disposition and mettle as displayed by the soldiers.

Korean-style socialism is impregnable as all the servicepersons and people are united around the headquarters of the revolution as firm as a rock and the DPRK is sure to build a thriving nation as it is advancing with the might of the unity.

Even though the latest Haveil Havalim is the "Falling Back Edition," it is an engine of bringing about leaping progress and innovation.

UNRWA closes machine-gun gap

Evil Imperialist UNRWA acquires weapons to commit crimes against humanity:

The defense establishment has taken the unusual step of granting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency approval to take four weapons into Gaza. The weapons, submachine guns, are to serve the security detail guarding the heads of the agency in Gaza.

The request to bring in the weapons was made three years ago and approved last week.

The director of UNRWA's activities in Gaza, John Ging, said on his website that his life is in constant danger and he needs more suitable protection than the handguns his bodyguards had been carrying. [...]

The organization told Israeli security officials that its personnel are being threatened by Hamas representatives . . .

ISM human shields dressed in Rachel Corrie-style red jumpsuits are being sent to Gaza on the next flotilla to protect the Hamas representatives from UNOWA (United Nations Occupation and Works Agency) bullets. One Israeli official commented, "Well, I guess if it's for humanitarian purposes, we'll have to let the ship through." (h/t: EOZ)

Zahar: "The Jews will soon be expelled from Palestine that same way they were kicked out by France, Britain, Belgium, Russia and Germany"

Hamas officials, with leftist connivance, often lie and say "We have no quarrel with the Jewish people." The truth about what Hamas really believes gets out pretty often also:

Hamas leader says Jews were kicked out by France, Britain, Belgium, Russia and Germany "because they betrayed, stole and corrupted these countries;” adds, "we will soon pray at Aqsa Mosque."

The Jews will soon be expelled from Palestine that same way they were kicked out by France, Britain, Belgium, Russia and Germany, Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar said over the weekend.

"The only nation that received the Jews after they were expelled was the Islamic nation, which protected them and looked after them," Zahar said in a speech in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip over the weekend.

"But they have no place here amongst us because of their crimes. They will soon be expelled from here and we will pray at the Aqsa Mosque [in Jerusalem]."

Zahar claimed that Jews were expelled in the past "because they betrayed, stole and corrupted these countries." [...]

Jews were expelled from Ghent Belgium in 1549, by the way.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course, it was nice of the Islamic Nation to protect them and look after them. This calls for a reprise of "Thanks for the Dhimmitude":

Thanks for the Dhimmitude
The Jizya that we paid
Your spittle on my face
The beatings I received
Because I didn't know my place
How chastened I was

Thanks for the Almohades
We ran away from Spain
That is, if we weren't slain
We thought we had a golden age
Then it went down the drain
How golden it was

Thanks for the Massacres
Fez 1465
Eleven left alive
Granada in 1066
When most did not survive
How final it was

Thanks for "Convert or die"
In Yemen it was bad
Morrocco and Baghdad
Compulsion in relgion
Was really quite a fad
Transforming it was

There. As Uncle Moishy says, hakaras hatov is soooo important.

Conspiracies are everywhere

It's conspiracy time. As Dr. Seuss observes in the special Zionist edition of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish: "From there to here, from here to there, conspiracies are everywhere!" It has always been our ongoing mission to enlighten our readers about the truly hidden stories at the bottom of everything going on in the world--the stuff you can't learn just from reading DEBKAfile. Our first entry concerns the recent US election:

Israel "intervened" in the U.S. midterm elections in order to scupper the peace process, a PLO official said.

Yasser Abed Rabbo, secretary-general of the Palestinian Liberation Organization's Executive Committee, said Wednesday that the election results "prove that Israel played a role in these elections and cooperated with U.S. elements in order to use the results to thwart the negotiations. More than anything, this testifies to the Israeli government's intentions in regards to the peace process."

Angry Arab, too, has conspiracies on his mind:

Lately, I am really consumed with the question of whether Nasser was assassinated or not. I am a critic of Nasser but believe that if we find evidence that he was assassinated, our worst fears and suspicions about Western conspiracies in our midst would be proven right.

And, of course, IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is always delving below the surface:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on the Iranian people to keep vigilant against enemies' cultural invasion, warning that a passive defense policy in this regard will fail.

"To subdue the enemy's cultural invasion, higher [divine] virtues must be introduced to people," Ahmadinejad said in Iran's northeastern province of Northern Khorassan. [...]

President Ahmadinejad said as the time passes, Iran's enemies further lose their scheming and conspiracy powers "to an extent that they do not dare to talk about harming the Iranian nation. So they hypocritically reach out to befriend us, but conspire against us on the other hand."

And then there's Roseanne:

people are saying that 9-11 was an inside bush job . . . that was done to destroy the enron and anderson books/records(bush's friends) that were kept inside the buildings. Right after that our economy was gutted.

That's all for now--the mind can only take in so much in one sitting.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Angry Arab posts more gender-gap statistics

He finally takes note of the Little Satan where respective male and female incomes are concerned. The post is entitled "Liberal feminists still find Israel to be cute" and it consists of the following two sentences from Ha'aretz:

"In terms of gross pay, in 2009 the average monthly salary for women was 24% less than the average for men. The average gross pay for women stood at NIS 11,498, while men averaged NIS 15,060 a month."

An intelligent reader would wonder: how does Israel compare to other world countries here? This site rates Western-style democracies based on 2007 figures and assigns letter-grades to different parts of its scale. The highest country in the A-range is Denmark, which had its embassies set on fire by angry mobs in several Arab and Muslim countries in 2006. Israel is not listed, but its record is similar to that of the US (which was at the bottom of the B-range in 2007 and which apparently has a slightly larger gender-gap now). Israel is a country where Western values generally prevail. Ironically, the statistics in Angry Arab's post actually illustrate this once they are contextualized with a few readily-available relevant facts.

Kinsley declares "U.S. is not greatest country ever"

Slate founding editor Michael Kinsley offers what amounts to a pretentious way to blame voters for the country's economic woes and continued Middle East turmoil:

Everybody will be talking in the next few days about the "message" of the elections. They mean, of course, the message from the voters. This is one of the treasured conventions of political journalism. Yesterday, the story was all about artifice and manipulation, the possible effect of the latest attack ad or absurd lie. Today, all that melts away. The election results are deemed to reflect grand historical trends. But my colleague Joe Scarborough got it right in these pages last week when he argued that the 2010 elections, for all their passion and vitriol, are basically irrelevant. Some people are voting Tuesday for calorie-free chocolate cake, and some are voting for fat-free ice cream. Neither option is actually available. Neither party’s candidates seriously addressed the national debt, except with proposals to make it even worse. Scarborough might have added that neither party’s candidates had much to say about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (except that they “support our troops,” a flabby formulation that leaves Americans killing and dying in faraway wars that politicians won’t defend explicitly). Politicians are silent on both these issues for the same reason: There is no solution that American voters will tolerate. Why can’t we have calorie-free chocolate cake? We’re Americans!

I think low-fat ice cream (or at least sensible food) is available, but neither party has served it for a long time. The Republicans have not served it because it doesn't taste as good and the Democrats have not served it because they are trying to emulate Michael Moore. Voters clearly want responsible economic policies and they got Obamacare and the non-stimulating stimulus instead. Democrats had a mandate of sorts, but little interest in fulfilling it. I think people roughly agree with how Iraq and Afghanistan are being handled simply because they don't have such high expectations anymore. This election is about economics and the Republicans will have back the same old mandate. If they get it right this time, the voters will be vindicated. We'll see. (h/t: memorandum)

An important development

Hamas now admits that a large number of the Cast Lead casualties were Al Qassam Brigades members. EOZ's title is "Hamas admits what we all knew." "We all" does not include the mainstream media, NGOs, Jimmy Carter, etc., but it does, I think, include anyone interested in the truth (and largely thanks to EOZ and a few others). The Jpost article is here. Even PressTV is covering the story, although they twist it to preserve the "mostly civilians" lie. How long will it take before all the lies about the Mavi Marmara incident are also packed away?