Ahmadinejad: “The uncivilized Zionists . . . have crushed and are crushing all humans"

Now that humanity has been crushed, I guess we'll have to pick on Mars next:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has lashed out at the United States and Israel as the root cause of problems plaguing the human community.

“The most problems humanity suffers from are the result of the expansionist and non-divine rule of the United States and its evil hanger-on, the Zionist regime [of Israel],” Ahmadinejad said at the opening ceremony of the 28th International Holy Qur'an Competition in Tehran on Wednesday, IRNA reported.

“The uncivilized Zionists, for the sake of their own passions, have crushed and are crushing all humans under their heavy wheels of their egotism, materialism and capitalism,” he added.

The Iranian president referred to the occupation of Palestinian territories by the Israeli army and the deaths of over one million people in the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as further proof that Washington and its Middle East ally have sacrificed all human virtues to reach their colonial goals.

“Today, when there is a crime, corruption or dictator, wherever there is humiliation of humans -- when we pursue we come across the Zionist regime or the US or their allies,” Ahmadinejad pointed out.

“They know no boundary for stuffing their bottomless pockets,” he added. [...]

When the subject is the Zionist entity or the Big Satan, Ahmadinejad can bloviate all he wants. On other topics, he "vows to keep silent":

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he will not respond to accusations leveled against his cabinet, stressing that the government will continue to cooperate with the Parliament (Majlis). [...]

With regards to the recent arrests, Ahmadinejad said that many charges have been brought against these individuals but “there were some problems with these arrests that I have informed the Judiciary Chief [Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani] about.”

“Recently they have raised new issues, but our position is silence, but if they want to accuse my colleagues, it will be my legal, national and moral duty to stand up and defend my colleagues in the Cabinet.”

The Iranian president said “such moves and pressure will definitely harm the country,” expressing hope that such behaviors would stop.

“Henceforth, we will continue to maintain our silence but where we see that a great harm will come to the country, I am obliged to tell the people everything… but I hope that things will not come to that.” [...]

Is that clear?

Kucinich: "President Bashar al-Assad cares so much about what is taking place in Syria, which is evident in his effort towards a new Syria"

From SANA, Syria's official new agency, the news agency that's totally on Kucinich's wavelength!

U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich called on international media not to engage in exaggerating the events in Syria and jumping to conclusions without talking to people and listening to what they want.

"There are some who want to give a wrong picture about what is going on in Syria," Kucinich said in a press conference held on Tuesday at the Four Seasons Hotel, adding that things should be left to the Syrian people, government and leadership to decide for themselves the direction and the way to go for democratic changes.

The U.S. Congressman described what is taking place in terms of the meetings of opposition and independent figures who are expressing themselves and their views openly and freely as "a largely positive progress", saying "President Bashar al-Assad cares so much about what is taking place in Syria, which is evident in his effort towards a new Syria and everybody who meets him can be certain of this."

"President al-Assad is highly loved and appreciated by the Syrians," said Kucinich, voicing his belief that people in Syria are seeking a real change which is up to them. [...]

The man's really earning the devotion of people like the owner of this bike:

Fisk thinks A'jad might be on the way out

Notice the initial description, no mention of Mr. A's Holocaust denial or anything of that nature:

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's irascible, unpredictable but devout president, may be forced to resign in the coming weeks as a political crisis far greater than the massive street violence which followed his re-election in 2009 threatens to overwhelm him and his court favourites in the government.

The overweening influence of his close friend and confidant Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaee, the president's chief of staff – who is blamed for the firing of two intelligence ministers and for infuriating even the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei – is expected to bring down Ahmadinejad in one of the most spectacular putsches in the history of the Islamic Republic.

Iranian politicians are already speculating on who will succeed the president – Ali Akbar Salehi, the foreign minister and for four years the head of Iran's atomic agency, is a favourite – as three of Rahim-Mashaee's close allies have been purged in just three days over the past week, arrested by security agencies while Ahmadinejad has remained uncharacteristically silent. [...]

Fisk said "in the coming weeks" so we will know soon if this was worth paying attention to for A'jad-watching reasons (besides Fisk-watching reasons).

"Rodong Sinmun Calls for Glorifying WPK's Feats for Advance of Great Surge"

Here is some of the usual stuff about leaps and surges:

[...] The feats of the Workers' Party of Korea performed in leading the advance for great surge are valuable asset that makes it possible to build a thriving country in the shortest period and guarantees happiness of not only the present generation but also all generations to come, the article said, adding:

It is needed for the present generation and posterity to ensure the work for displaying the great vitality of the said exploits. The eternal prosperity of the Korean nation lies in reliably defending and glorifying the WPK's feats to the full.

Today our army and people are working hard to honor the leadership feats of the Party, regarding this work as top priority.

In the DPRK a more vigorous drive is being conducted to generalize and popularize in the whole society the successes and experience gained under the leadership of the WPK.

The Korean people strive to make higher leap and faster progress in reliance on the WPK's leadership exploits.

The present gigantic advance for great surge shows that signal creativity is needed to exalt the brilliance of the Party's leadership feats. [...]

And putting all this in context is a headline from ABC: "N Korean children begging, army starving":

Footage shot inside North Korea and obtained by the ABC has revealed the extent of chronic food shortages and malnutrition inside the secretive state.

The video is some of the most revealing footage ever smuggled out of the impoverished North Korean state.

Shot over several months by an undercover North Korean journalist, the harrowing footage shows images of filthy, homeless and orphaned children begging for food and soldiers demanding bribes. [...]

Nobody ever said great leaps forward are a picnic.

Vacation Announcement

I won't be at home for a week or so. I'll have my laptop with me, but I may not have any internet time. And now, the Judeopundit vacation theme:

Now it's time to say Shalom
Uncle Yitz is 'bout to roam
You know he'll be back again
With the might of Songun in his pen

Remember all the bloggers we met along the path
I can't recall how many, but you can do the math
Listen to your Elders, elevate your mind
Don't wear your kefiyyeh in the airport line

Now it's time to say Shalom
Uncle Yitz is 'bout to roam
You know he'll be back again
With the might of Songun in his pen

Skila Pup-date

We are finally seeing some retractions of the unlikely, but widely spread and believed, story that a dog was sentenced to stoning. I just wish the news agencies who originally spread the story had consulted someone to find out if there is any stoning of any kind in Judaism in our times. There isn't. Those laws were left out of the 16th-century Shulchan Aruch, for instance, having been inoperative since ancient times:

Reports that a Jewish rabbinical court in Israel condemned a stray dog to death by stoning have been strongly denied.

The source of the report, Israel's Maariv newspaper, apologised for its headline and for any offence caused.

The head of the court, Yehoshua Levin, was quoted by Maariv as saying: "There is no basis for abuse of animals from the side of Jewish Halacha [law].''

In a statement, the court denied that a dog had been condemned.

A dog had entered the court and been removed, it said.

The story was reported in the Israeli and international press, including the BBC News website. [...]

And some people will go to their graves believing it and require reincarnation to ever be properly informed again.

Haniyeh sets goals for unity government, stresses "forming of national security departments that do not cooperate with Israel"

The chances of a peaceful negotiated settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were almost nonexistent when Arafat was in power. Then they became totally nonexistent. Then it got worse. From Maan News:

Prime Minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh said Saturday a proposed unity government should not threaten the resistance.

Speaking at the Islamic University in Gaza City, Haniyeh said that "we were able to establish a deal that reflects the people's will."

"It's true there are the Oslo Accords, but we were able to form a government that reflects the people's will, not the outside will and unjust agreements" with Israel, he said at a ceremony marking the death of a prominent Hamas leader.

Of central importance, he said, was the forming of national security departments that do not cooperate with Israel. "Protecting the resistance weapon" should be a priority, he added.

"A national strategy should be established to protect the resistance weapon within the framework of living our lives amidst the stages of liberation from the occupation," Haniyeh said.

He added that a meeting is expected to be held between President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas chief Khalid Mash'al during which the two leaders will discuss forming the national unity government.

(h/t: IMRA)

IRNA: "Iran not to let in UN human rights envoy"

Maybe he could come on a flotilla?

Majlis representative and a member of human rights commission Mohammad Karim Abedi said on Sunday that Iranian Majlis has decided not to let the UN special envoy for human rights visit the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Speaking to IRNA, Abedi said the US, Britain and the Zionist regime are among the major violators of human rights in the world and the UN Human Rights Council should study their violations.

The United Nations studied the crimes and atrocities of the Zionist regime in 2010 during the 33-day war on Lebanon and 22-day war in Gaza and declared the regime’s army commanders as war criminals but could not take any action against them, he said.

Accusing countries such as the Islamic Republic of Iran of violating human rights should be viewed as a part of their blame game, he said.

US President Barack Obama could not fulfill his promises such as closure of Guantánamo prison because the country’s affairs are handled by some other people, he said. [...]

I wonder who the "other people" are.

Dog gets skila?

The Ynetnews headline is "Dog sentenced to death by stoning" and here is the first paragraph:

A Jerusalem rabbinical court recently sentenced a wandering dog to death by stoning. The cruel sentence stemmed from the suspicion that the spirit of a famous secular lawyer, who insulted the court's judges 20 years ago, had been transferred into the dog's body.

We finally learn that the head judge denied it--why am I not shocked? And then we read this:

. . . one of the court's managers confirmed the report to Yedioth Ahronot:

"It was ordered by the rabbis because of the grief he had caused the court," he said. "They didn't issue an official ruling, but ordered the children outside to throw stones at him in order to drive him away. They didn't think of it as cruelty to animals, but as an appropriate way to 'get back at' the spirit which entered the poor dog."

So the dog was bothering people and a judge asked neighborhood kids to drive it away? (And "the grief he had caused the court" refers to which incarnation?) Angry Arab just quotes the first paragraph and MondoWeissnik Adam Horowitz leaves out the judge's denial and the subsequent "confirmation." And there you have it: a bunch of people are now walking around thinking a dog got skila.

Update: And Vos iz Neias also leaves out the paragraph quoting the manager, but we do, at least, get the preceding sentence mentioning the denial.

Update: I see now that there is a link to this story at the Drudge report, linking to a Telegraph version of the article. Thttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhere is also a BBC story. I should make it clear that there are no stoning sentences in our times in Jewish law. In ancient times an animal could be sentenced to stoning for killing a person and in certain other cases, but there is currently no such thing. Also, the BBC article states "Dogs are often considered impure animals in traditional Judaism" and some of the other articles say something similar. What does it mean? If you refer to a dog as a "beheima tameiah"--an "impure animal"--you are basically stating that dog meat is not kosher. So the claim of an actual stoning "sentence" was highly suspect to begin with and it is being spread by journalists who are, at best, only vaguely aware of what they are talking about.

Fars (Iran): "Supreme Leader Meets Poets"

And he said, "You know, I haven't read a really good poem in a long time. Could you people try a little harder?" Just kidding! Do the folks at Fars News have any idea how the following just screams dictatorship?

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei met with tens of Iranian poets and poetesses on Wednesday.

The meeting was held on the birthday anniversary of Shiite Islam's first Imam Hazrat Ali (AS), the cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and the father of the second and third Imams Hazrat Hassan ibn-e Ali (AS) and Hossein ibn-e Ali (AS).

At the meeting, a number of poets and poetesses recited some of their poems.

The Leader praised the depth and the richness of the recitations, and said contemporary poetry heralds a lustrous era for the Iranian literature and poetry in the near future.

The young poets and poetesses of the country will soon revive the brilliant poetry of the past, he said.

Roger Cohen's latest: Iran not seeking nucelar weapons

Roger Cohen seems awfully confident that he knows what Iran is up to, and that it isn't nuclear weapons. The actual proof involves, as you might suspect, "the classified N.I.E. of 2011," Sy Hersh, and the latter's informant, a "retired senior intelligence official." So much for what Iran is not doing. What is Iran actually up to?

Remember, Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, is the guardian of the revolution. That is a conservative business. Breakout, let alone a bomb, is a bridge too far if the Islamic Republic is what you’ve vowed to preserve. Much better to gain leverage by producing low-enriched uranium — far from weapons grade — under International Atomic Energy Agency inspection and allow rumors to swirl.

Why is a bomb a "bridge too far"? If anyone follows this line of reasoning, please let me know. And aren't increasing amounts of enriched uranium (and constant tests of new missiles and other military technology) a lot of trouble to to go through just to cause rumors to "swirl"? Here is more impressionism, somehow meant to be concretely probative:

Khamenei is at loggerheads with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who got into such a sulk recently that he took 11 days off work, infuriating everybody. The Majlis, or parliament, is investigating Ahmadinejad for various alleged frauds including, of all things, vote-buying in 2009! Ahmadinejad was booed during his June 3 speech commemorating Ayatollah Khomeini’s death. Iran is characterized by what Farideh Farhi of the University of Hawaii recently termed “administrative chaos.”

That’s not how you make a nuke. [...]

Am I missing something? Roger, that's not how you make a case. (h/t: RealClearWorld)

Angry Arab exposes latest "Racism of Israeli media"

He links to this, a report of the conviction of a Druze policeman for a "sex crime" against a Palestinian woman and comments:

Notice they had to identify the religion of the officer in question to imply that Jewish officers of the Israeli terrorist army are genetically not capable of committing sex crimes.

Is "Khader" a common Jewish name, anyway? They should have left that out also, I guess. The headline does not mention his name or his religion, so we can easily guess what AA was hoping the article would be about. Nobody said it was easy being progressive . . .

(North) Korean News: "Korean People Vow to Punish S. Korean Traitors"

I assume they are still mad about South Korean use of Kim pictures for target-practice although the article does not say what the "insult to the supreme dignity of the DPRK" was, and it doesn't take much to get their rhetoric to reach this pitch. Anyway, this is prime bile:

The recently released statement of the spokesman for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army adds fuel to public anger at the south Korean regime for its provocation against the DPRK.

The principal of Changdok School, Kang Jun Ho, told KCNA that the Lee Myung Bak group of traitors will never escape from severe punishment by the entire Korean people for its insult to the supreme dignity of the DPRK.

A composer of the Mansudae Art Troupe, Cha Song Chol, said that all the artistes are working hard to create art works encouraging the army and people to devotedly defend the leader and annihilate the enemy.

Ri Jae Hyok, a section chief of the Bioengineering Branch of the State Academy of Sciences, noted that when an opportunity presents itself, all the people of the DPRK will devote themselves to the struggle against the enemy so as to demonstrate the might of their unity around the Workers' Party of Korea and the leader.

Won Se Yon, head of the national Taekwon-Do team, said that all the athletes are willing to punish the traitors to the nation.

Son In Bok, a student of Law College of Kim Il Sung University, vowed to become a hero in a nationwide retaliation war against the traitors.

That's five members of the "entire Korean people" accounted for. These articles could go on for awhile.

Fars News: "Ahmadinejad: Future World Culture Belongs to Iranian Nation"

This one is about Iran's "dominance" and "superiority" in "any kind of cultural war." All of this seems to have something to do with handicrafts. Persian rugs?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad blasted the capitalist powers for their attempts to destroy other countries' cultural values, and underlined that freedom-seeking nations, specially the Iranians, will have the main share in global culture in future.

"The future cultural arena of the world belongs to freedom-seeking nations, with the Iranian nation standing atop others," Ahmadinejad said, addressing a forum to honor Iran's best handicraft artists on Saturday.

Other "freedom-seeking countries" include North Korea, Venezuela, Syria, and Zimbabwe.

He described the handicraft industries as a means of exchanging cultural values, and said, "If we want to reform the international relations, we should reform cultures."

Earlier, senior Iranian officials had announced their plans to boost the country's cultural exports in a move to introduce the Persian culture and civilization to the outside world, specially the nations of the region.

To the same end, the Iranian Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Seyed Mohammad Hosseini said in April that his ministry would soon set up a permanent exhibition of books and cultural products in Tajikistan.

Also, a senior Iranian commander in January expressed confidence about Iran's dominance and superiority over the enemies in any kind of cultural war.

Addressing a group of cultural activists in Iran's Western city of Kermanshah, Commander of Basij (volunteer) Forces Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi said that enemies resorted to cultural invasion after they faced consecutive defeats and failures in their plots against the Islamic Republic in the post-revolution era.

He pointed to Iran's ancient civilization, and said, "Of course, their tendency towards cultural war and invasion is a privilege for us since they have the upper-hand in hard wars but when it comes to the cultural war, our cultural stockpiles are filled with weapons, possibilities and capacities."

"Definitely, we have the upper hand in such a war," the commander said, adding that Iran will defeat the enemies by using the existing capacities.

And they will still have the "weapons" and "possibilities" in reserve?

Fars News: Syria good, Saudis bad

The good:

Scores of Syrian people staged a rally in front of the Islamic Republic of Iran's mission in Damascus to voice support for Tehran's policies on their country's developments..

Carrying images of President Bashar al-Assad, Imam Khomeini and Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, they chanted slogans --'Iran, Syria are brothers', 'Death to Israel' and 'Death to US'.

Iran's Ambassador to Syria Seyed Ahmad Mousavi acclaimed the young demonstrators and said that Iran and Syria stand by the resistance movements.[...]

The bad:

Tehran's provisional Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati stressed that Saudi Arabia has now turned into a hub for the regional dictators, specially after Yemeni dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh's escape to Riyadh.

Yemen's dictator, who has now sought asylum from Saudi dictator and fled to Saudi Arabia, should know that the popular movement can not be suppressed, Ayatollah Jannati said, adding that Saudi Arabia which is itself ruled by a dictator regime has now turned into a hub for the regional dictators. [...]

And while we're at it, let's throw in the ugly:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took the capitalist powers responsible for the growing trend of environmental pollution across the world.

The main cause of destruction of environment in the world is insatiable thirst of the capitalist system for exploiting natural and mineral resources, Ahmadinejad said on Thursday. [...]

He's so progressive.

Happy Shavuos

The next two days, starting at sundown tonight will be the holiday of Shavuos (or Shavuot if you like), commemorating the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. One custom involves staying up the whole first night (tonight) reading something called Tikkun Leil Shavuos, which contains selections from the various parts of the Torah--something from every parshah, something from every tractate of the Mishnah, the Book of Ruth, some mysticism, etc. The idea is that the Jewish people fell asleep the first time, but we can make up for it every year by staying up since a holiday is a spiritual repeat of the original event. Sometimes I make it all the way through without falling asleep, sometimes I don't.

We also eat dairy foods for the festive meal of the first day, such as the blintzes and sour cream pictured above. There are numerous explanations for this practice, but it is worth noting that blintzes and cheesecake taste good. More info here and not just about blintzes. See you Thursday night (or Friday). Chag Sameach!

Troutman's resolve no longer intact, Foreskin Man casts a long shadow?

The story doesn't specifically say that the Foreskin Man comic influenced Troutman's decision, but it seems an obvious inference:

The proponent of a proposition aimed at banning circumcision in Santa Monica has informed the Jewish Journal that she is abandoning her effort to put the question to voters in the beachfront city before beginning to collect any signatures.

Jena Troutman, a lactation consultant and self-described “children’s rights advocate,” said Monday afternoon that she has decided not to move forward with the petition because of what she called the media’s misrepresentation of her efforts as an attack on religious freedom. [...]

Troutman said she was specifically distancing herself from the legal language used in both cities’ ballot measures and composed by the group MGMbill.org, a San Diego-based organization led by Matthew Hess.

Hess recently gained notoriety when media outlets began reporting about a comic book he wrote called “Foreskin Man,” which was criticized by the Anti-Defamation League and other Jewish groups as anti-Semitic. [...]

And which teaches the important lesson that fools always commit auto-pedal-extremity-amputation in the end and no ballot-measures mandating intact anything will ever save them.

ISNA (Iran): "Ahmadinejad stresses confronting US hegemony, Zionist regime entity"

Ahmadinejad performs a medley of his greatest hits:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said confronting the US hegemony and Zionist regime's entity is the major line which should be followed in battling the West's hegemony.

"We want to show the entire world that we defend the oppressed and battle all powers with our utmost capability. We never change our thoughts and beliefs. We need to conquer the US. We should not be yielded to injustice in the region," Ahmadinejad said on Friday night as speaking on the verge of the 22nd demise anniversary of the late Founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini.

Ahmadinejad said all dictators are supported by the devil (the US), "today, domineering countries with the motto of democracy and support for human rights are accusing other countries of violating human rights whereas their states are fully run under dictatorship."

Ahmadinejad added that, "Arrogance now is in the last chain of its existence and has faced a deadlock. Global Arrogance sent troops to the region to save its economy and Zionist regime. It claimed lives of numerous people and refused to permit anyone to know about 9/11 incident as it did not allow probing into Holocaust."

"The Capitalist formally declared that it seeks intentions for Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, but they were defeated one again though wisdom of Iranian Supreme Leader and resistance of Iranian nation," he noted.

Ahmadinejad then referred to the issue of Zionist regime and said, "the Middle East will not experience peace and calm as far as the fake regime (Zionist regime) remains in Palestinian soil."

(North) Korean News: "Lee Myung Bak Group of Traitors' Hideous Provocation Blasted"

This is an interesting example of the threatening, bellicose articles which are a frequent feature at Korean News. It does not even say what the "hideous provocation" was, but evidently it was using photos of the Dear Leader and Dear Leader Jr. "as targets during firing drills"!

The General Staff of the Korean People's Army clarified its strong stand to take a thousand-fold revenge upon the Lee Myung Bak group of traitors for having committed an unprecedentedly hideous provocation.

The resentment and hatred of the army and people of the DPRK have reached an unbearable phase.

Rodong Sinmun Sunday observes in a by-lined commentary in this regard:

Much upset by the angry public at home and abroad, the south Korean puppet forces are employing sleight of hand to shirk the responsibility for the above-said serious case, describing it as "an individual action" and the like.

There is no room in this land for those prime movers of the worst treason committed against the DPRK. The puppet authorities should take steps to severely punish traitor Lee Myung Bak, Kim Kwan Jin, the military boss, and other chief culprits as unanimously demanded by the whole nation. They should apologize for the crimes and give firm assurances against the recurrence of similar provocation. The DPRK will follow their future behavior with high vigilance.

If the puppet authorities play a cheap trick in anticipation of luck, without carefully reading the statement issued by the General Staff of the KPA, the revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK will escalate the military retaliatory action as they had already declared.

The KPA never makes an empty talk. The confrontation maniacs who go reckless like a puppy knowing no fear of tiger will have to regret bitterly, warns the commentary.

Yeah, that ain't Songun!

Fars (Iran): "Supreme Leader Stresses Iran's Support for 'Undivided Palestine'"

Thus speaks the principle backer of Hamas:

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei dismissed the US and West's Middle-East peace plans as useless, and reiterated that Palestine shoud remain undivided and be returned to the Palestinians.

"Palestine is inseparable and it belongs to the Palestihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifnians undivided," Ayatollah Khamenei said, addressing a large crowd of Iranian people at the mausoleum of the late Founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, South of Tehran on Saturday.

"They (enemies) wished to wipe Palestine off the world map, while they were mistaken. Palestine will remain and will not be eliminated," the Leader underscored.

"Palestine will return to the arms of Islam, without any doubt," Ayatollah Khamenei stated. [...]

This was all at a ceremony commemorating Khomeini's assumption of room-temperature. According to Iran's press, Khomeini's demise is also being commemorated by US Muslims.

Update: EOZ has an account of this speech in a Palestinian newspaper, adding the following sentence:

Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated that the only solution to settle the Palestinian issue is "to allow Palestinians to decide for themselves their next government through a referendum" and "to allow this government to decide what to do Zionists who came from abroad."

Update: Here is the IRIB version of this part of the speech:

Ayatollah Khamenei said the US-designed initiatives in the Palestinian issue were futile and that the solution was the proposal the IRI put forward several years ago, based on which, the type of the regime to rule Palestine should be chosen through a referendum from the original people of the land.

"After the Palestinian nation's desired government was established, the Palestinian people would decide on the fate of the Zionists who have come to the country from outside," Ayatollah Khamenei said.

Ahmadinejad's speeches often also call for the grand Palestine referendum. This is an unusually clear illustration that the notion has sinister implications for most of the current inhabitants of "Palestine."

SANA (Syria): "False Witness Admits He Disseminated False News on Biased TV Channels"

There is a wide selection of desperate propaganda at Syria's official news site at the moment. This one looks tasty:

Mahmoud Abdul-Kader, a false witness from Homs, born in 1985, admitted that he made several phone calls with biased TV channels which sparked confusion in several Syrian cities.

Abdul-Kader said he managed to transmit untrue news at the request of Tareq al-Hussami who lives in Saudi Arabia. Al-Hussami, says Abdul-Kader, sent him foreign women from the Human Rights Organization, and instructed him how to talk to them about the situation in Homs in his own way, sending him money three times, 5000 SYP each, and two mobile phones by an unknown man.

Abdul-Kader said that al-Hussami asked him to shoot videos and send it to him to fabricate them. Later, says Abdul-Kader, al-Hussami gave his phone number to Lebanese persons from Human Rights Organization, and requested that he fake distress, claiming that there had been women and children who were killed or injured.

Abdul-Kader said al-Hussami gave his phone number to TV channels, instructing him to claim that there had been killings and injuries, citing an instance in which he reported to a TV channel that Homs had become a "city of ghosts" and a "real massacre" had taken place, and that water, electricity and communications had been cut off.

"Al-Hussami asked me to repeat news such as 'There is random and intense gunfire at protesters'…'Many people were killed and the injured lie on the streets'…'No one can take the injured to hospitals,' etc…"

Abdul-Kader said he had called al-Jazeera more than three times, B.B.C. and Al-Arabiya 4 times and France 24 and Orient twice.

Abdul-Kader added that al-Hussami promised that he will offer financial help to him and buy him a house when he visits Syria.

The Syrian Satellite Channel has aired a recording which was saved on Abdul-Kader's mobile phone, showing a man who lives abroad instructing him. The recording reveals the extent of exaggeration and lies dictated to him on Homs turning into a closed military zone and that the humanitarian situation is "deteriorated."

The Channel also aired other calls in which Abdul-Kader appears under different names and gives false testimonies.

Glad that's cleared up.

One man's terrorist is a Scotsman's freedom fighter

From Ynetnews.com:

A Scottish politician playing a leading role in an anti-Israel boycott says members of terror group Hamas are “freedom fighters” who are “fighting an illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel.” [...]

In an exchange with anti-boycott activist Stephen Franklin following the uproar over the Scottish decision, Bollan had this to say about the Palestinian terror group: “Hamas was elected and are freedom fighters alongside the Palestinians fighting an illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel.”

In another email exchange, with Martin Sugarman, Chair of the Hackney Anglo-Israel Twinning Association, Bollan wrote: “Scots believe in equality and justice…words unknown to Zionists.” [...]

There you have it, a Khomeinist Scot. It's a good thing that W. S Gilbert once taught us that incidents with annoying Scotsmen sometimes end happily:

ELLEN M'JONES ABERDEEN
by W. S. Gilbert

MacPhairson Clonglocketty Angus M'Clan
Was the son of an elderly labouring man,
You've guessed him a Scotchman, shrewd reader, at sight,
And p'raps altogether, shrewd reader, you're right

From the bonnie blue Forth to the hills of Deeside,
Round by Dingwall and Wrath to the mouth of the Clyde,
There wasn't a child or a woman or man
Who could pipe with Clonglocketty Angus M'Clan

No other could wake such detestable groans,
With reed and with chaunter--with bag and with drones:
All day and all night he delighted the chiels
With sniggering pibrochs and jiggety reels.

He'd clamber a mountain and squat on the ground,
And the neighbouring maidens would gather around
To list to his pipes and to gaze in his e'en,
Especially Ellen M'Jones Aberdeen.

All loved their M'Clan, save a Sassenach brute,
Who came to the Highlands to fish and to shoot;
He dressed himself up in a Highlander way,
Though his name it was Pattison Corby Torbay.

Torbay had incurred a good deal of expense
To make him a Scotchman in every sense;
But this is a matter, you'll readily own,
That isn't a question of tailors alone.

A Sassenach chief may be bonily built,
He may purchase a sporran, a bonnet, and kilt;
Stick a skean in his hose--wear an acre of stripes--
But he cannot assume an affection for pipes.

Clonglocketty's pipings all night and all day
Quite frenzied poor Pattison Corby Torbay;
The girls were amused at his singular spleen,
Especially Ellen M'Jones Aberdeen.

"Macphairson Clonglocketty Angus, my lad,
With pibrochs and reels you are driving me mad;
If you really must play on that cursed affair,
My goodness! play something resembling an air."

Boiled over the blood of Macphairson M'Clan--
The clan of Clonglocketty rose as one man;
For all were enraged at the insult, I ween--
Especially Ellen M'Jones Aberdeen.

"Let's show," said M'Clan, "to this Sassenach loon
That the bagpipes can play him a regular tune.
Let's see," said M'Clan, as he thoughtfully sat,
"'In My Cottage' is easy--I'll practise at that."

He blew at his "Cottage," and blew with a will,
For a year, seven months, and a fortnight, until
(You'll hardly believe it) M'Clan, I declare,
Elicited something resembling an air.

It was wild-it was fitful--as wild as the breeze--
It wandered about into several keys;
It was jerky, spasmodic, and harsh, I'm aware,
But still it distinctly suggested an air.

The Sassenach screamed, and the Sassenach danced,
He shrieked in his agony--bellowed and pranced;
And the maidens who gathered rejoiced at the scene,
Especially Ellen M'Jones Aberdeen.

"Hech gather, hech gather, hech gather around;
And fill a' yer lugs wi' the exquisite sound.
An air frae the bagpipes--beat that if ye can!
Hurrah for Clonglocketty Angus M'Clan!"

The fame of his piping spread over the land:
Respectable widows proposed for his hand,
And maidens came flocking to sit on the green--
Especially Ellen M'Jones Aberdeen.

One morning the fidgety Sassenach swore
He'd stand it no longer--he drew his claymore,
And (this was, I think, in extremely bad taste),
Divided Clonglocketty close to the waist.

Oh! loud were the wailings for Angus M'Clan--
Oh! deep was the grief for that excellent man--
The maids stood aghast at the horrible scene,
Especially Ellen M'Jones Aberdeen.

It sorrowed poor Pattison Corby Torbay
To find them "take on" in this serious way,
He pitied the poor little fluttering birds,
And solaced their souls with the following words:--

"Oh, maidens," said Pattison, touching his hat,
"Don't snivel, my dears, for a fellow like that;
Observe, I'm a very superior man,
A much better fellow than Angus M'Clan."

They smiled when he winked and addressed them as "dears,"
And they all of them vowed, as they dried up their tears,
A pleasanter gentleman never was seen--
Especially Ellen M'Jones Aberdeen.

PressTV: "Nasrallah hails Iran's governing system"

The picture is better than the article:

Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah has hailed Iran's system of governance and warned against propaganda campaigns targeting it.

He made the remarks in Beirut on Wednesday during a ceremony organized by the Iranian Embassy in Lebanon to commemorate the passing of Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.

“Everyone in the Islamic Republic is accountable before the Judiciary,” Nasrallah said, adding, “The West is trying to portray Iran as an oppressive regime.”

One of Iran's strengths is the fact that it has the velayat-e faqih (rule of the just jurisprudent) system, he stated.

However, immediately after the system was established, enemy propagandists began claiming that it took the country back to medieval times, he added.

But Iran is always prepared to face new challenges, the Hezbollah secretary general noted.

Nation (Pakistan): "67pc want Islamisation of society"

In general, Islam is gaining ground in the Islamic world. The present story illustrates this although the author does not quite seem to realize it:

As many as 67 per cent people of Pakistan want the government take steps for Islamisation, a clear indication that for whatever reasons they have lost faith in the existing system.

Why isn't it a "clear indication" that they want more Islam?

According to a survey carried out by Gilani Research Foundation, 31 per cent people want the government take the required steps at once. However, 48 per cent think that the needed steps should be taken one by one. People approached for survey had been asked: “In your opinion should the government take steps to Islamise the society?” These findings clearly mean that the claims made by various elements that Pakistan should be a secular state are totally baseless and contrary to the wishes of the people.

This is a unique kind of survey carried out by an organization (Gallup Pakistan) in a society where more than 90 per cent people are Muslims, no matter which sect they belong to. That 31 per cent people want ‘immediate’ steps for Islamisation means that they are totally disappointed with the ability of the existing system to solve their problems and want to switch over to the Islamic system, for the sake of which the country had been created in 1947. [...]

(h/t: memeorandum)

Angry Arab and hypothetical double-standards

The post is entitled "Sexual harassment in Israel," and what we find about "sexual harassment in Israel" is that there was a case of it. Most of this is a quote of a Ynet article:

"A senior IDF officer in the Military Police Corps is being charged with an indecent act and seven counts of sexual harassment, Ynet learned. Lieutenant-Colonel Oren Julian, commander of the Military Police's training base and former Prison 4 commander, has been dismissed and will soon face trial." If he was Arab, American liberal feminists would be marching and calling for ban on visits by Arab generals to US.

AA does this constantly, always beginning "if Muslims had done this" or "if this was about Arabs." Is he kidding? Let us imagine an Arab officer in trouble and facing trial for several acts of sexual harassment, many of which involve improper comments. Someone, somewhere is going to take notice beyond the local news audience wherever he lives? Are you kidding, As'ad?

Interested in the theoretical distinction between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism?

How about an article entitled "Israel: The Ultimate Enemy Of The West"? (Including, of course, the conspiracy behind the Liberty incident.)

Fars (Iran): "Palestinian Activist: Israel Likely to Destroy Al Aqsa through Artificial Quake"

"Artificial earthquake"? We control the tectonic plates--we can arrange for a real one:

A prominent Palestinian activist cautioned on Wednesday that the Zionist regime of Israel is likely to attempt to destroy the Al Aqsa Mosque through an artificial earthquake, and urged all Islamic countries to show an immediate and strong reaction to the Israeli plans against the first Muslim Keble.

"There are several scenarios for the Al Aqsa Mosque, but these are the Arab and Islamic countries as well as the international community, and not the occupying Zionist regime, which should decide the proper option for the Mosque," Secretary-General of Islamic-Christian Front of al-Quds Hasan Khater told FNA.

"The Zionist regime authorities may find control over the Al Aqsa Mosque or issue the order for its destruction through an artificial quake which now seems to be the case, given the Zionists' continued diggings and excavation operations under the Al Aqsa Mosque," Khater noted.

He further lashed out at the Islamic states for keeping mum about Israel's antagonistic moves, and said that Muslim states' inaction has emboldened Tel Aviv, encouraging it to continue with its plans.

Earlier in April, the Al Aqsa Foundation for Islamic Endowment (Waqf) and Heritage reported that the Israeli Authorities are going on with their excavations under the Al Aqsa Mosque to create a network of tunnels under and around the very important mosque.

The foundation stated that occupation is penetrating areas beneath the mosque and its surroundings through excavations that have been escalated during the last few months.

The foundation added that the excavations and digging are also being conducted under the Al Boraq Wall near the Moghrabi Gate (Bab Al Magharba), Al Silsila Gate (Gate of the Chain), and Al Mat-hara Gate.