IRIB: "Hamas sets up board to oversight aid distribution"

A BBC decision not to run an ad to raise funds for Gaza is generating a great deal of controversy. This story provides some context:

The Gaza-based Palestinian government Hamas set up a special board to oversight the distribution of foreign aid among the Gaza residents and the rebuild of invasion-ravaged Gaza.

Ahmad al-Kerd, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs in the elected Hamas government has been commissioned by Premier Ismail Haniya to preside over the board.

The board is tasked to oversight the distribution of a sum of 45 million dollars in aid among the families of martyrs and those who have lost their residence to the destructive Israeli invasion.

Meanwhile, Ismail Rezwan, a Hamas leader told the Aljazeera TV network said the Gaza-based Palestinian government Hamas is ready to cooperate with Arab countries in reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

"A vast part of Gaza has been destroyed during the war. The financial aid should be handed to the legal Palestinian government of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, otherwise we will invite Palestinian groups and Arab countries to help us in construction of Gaza," he added.

The eligible Palestinian groups, he said, were those who are active in the Gaza Strip under the supervision of the Palestinian government.

"If the Arab countries and United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) were really after reconstruction of Gaza, they should talk with us," Rezwan noted. [...]

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Juan likes Israelis

Juan Cole, who likes to accuse Israel of "war crimes," now channels Edwin Starr in a post entitled "Gaza War! Hunh! What was it Good For?" Juan links approvingly to a piece which concludes "the Israeli narrative of the lead-up to the Gaza War was just lies." But don't worry, he actually "likes Israelis." He's just giving them friendly advice:

A CNN poll found that 63% of Americans felt that Israel's war on Gaza was right. They say only 17% of Americans supported the Palestinians.

An earlier Rasmussen poll found that 44% of Americans supported the war and 41% opposed it. That may be an artifact of the way the question was asked. Americans like Israelis (and I am among them), so if you ask them if they support the Israelis or the Palestinians, you get a skewed answer.

Ahmadinejad attacks Sartre, Heidegger, and Kierkegaard

This is from a Fars News article entitled "Ahmadinejad: Islamic Revolution Not Restricted to Iranian Borders":

[...]"Iran's Islamic Revolution is a global phenomenon belonging to all mankind," Ahmadinejad noted in an address to a national gathering on the advent of the 30th victory anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

The victory of Iran's revolution in 1979 is annually celebrated by all Iranians during January 31-February 10.

"The Islamic Revolution was, undoubtedly, the greatest development that has occurred in the lives of the Iranian people and also the onset of the greatest change in the history of humanity," said the president, Islamic republic news agency reported.

"There is no doubt that the present turmoil worldwide was the result of existing political and social systems which are based on capitalism and existentialism," he reiterated. [...]

In another global phenomenon belonging to all mankind, the latest editions of Haveil Havalim and Shiny Happy Dhimmi are up.

Yvonne weighs in on those secret Israeli casualties

This is from an Yvonne Ridley article charmingly entitled "The beginning of the end for Israel" from Tehran Times via Mehr News. Yvonne believes those Hamas claims about Israeli casualties, which were prominently featured by the press agencies of her Khomeinist employers:

We still do not know how many Israeli soldiers have died… it is a figure Olmert is trying to keep quiet. No public, ceremonial funerals are shown on TV in Tel Aviv. The Israelis, so used to playing the victim for U.S. and European media outlets, have not been able to publicly display their mourning to the world. Could it be that mothers, wives, and daughters of the dead would want to blame the Israeli government for yet another failed campaign?

She draws some conclusions:

I hope Barrack Obama and Hilary Clinton take note.

And I hope they realize now that democratically elected Hamas is the only party in town to sit down and negotiate with. Failed Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas should now be viewed as collateral damage. His credibility has gone and any deal he made with Israel over this shameful period will soon be revealed. By the way, I have heard that his luxury villa in Gaza is about the only building that is free of shrapnel, shells, or bullet marks. It certainly survived the bombing in a district which was attacked without mercy. Funny that!

Gaza will rise again from the rubble with its people even stronger than before. They are an example to resistance fighters across the world and they will go down in history for their bravery and courage.

In a few years time children across the Middle East will be raised on the heroic stories and exploits of the people of Gaza. And as they are safely tucked up in their beds, they’ll probably ask: "So what did happen to Israel? Did it really exist?"

I was thinking the same thing about Yvonne.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

PalToday: "A bomb goes off under the car of a university professor"

Some PA moderation, evidently:

A bomb exploded, Friday evening, under the car of Abdel-Sattar Qasem, a professor of political science at the Najah University in Nablus, in the northern West Bank. No one was injured in the explosion.

Qasem said after the incident that the bomb, which seems to be locally manufactured, set fire to the car destroying it completely and the fire caused damage to the door of his house in front of which the car was parked.

He added that he was in his house working on his computer when his neighbours alerted him to the explosion and the fire.

Qassem had earlier in the day participated in a panel at al-Quds satellite channel during which he severely criticised the Ramallah Palestinian Authority and the incident took place minutes after his return home from this engagement, making Fatah vandals, or Abbas's security agencies, the prime suspects of being behind the attack. [...]

"Vandals" is an interesting term for those who plant bombs. EOZ calls this particular source "Islamic Jihad-oriented," by the way.

Update: Maan says a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the car.

Firas Press (autotranslated): "Qassam Brigades fire on one of its members"

Here is a link to the site. Just using the URL when the article is displayed doesn't seem to create a more specific link. The autotranslation is a bit rough, but the general gist is clear:

According to reliable sources that the Qassam Brigades in Gaza City yesterday by shooting a member of its own in the Sabra neighborhood in Gaza City and named / Sami illuminated and hit him in the feet.

And sources close to the Qassam Brigades, the decision to shoot was illuminated in the accounting framework Alksamip elements that refused to implement the tasks entrusted to it by the leadership during the recent Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

And was one of the functions of these military orders and the monitoring and prosecution of the cadres of the Fatah movement and the sector of fire on their legs and placed under house arrest on a large number of cadres of the movement.

This has been a leader of Hamas claimed in a telephone interview with the Palestinian media that the incident had nothing to do with the prosecution of members of Fatah, but came after the Sami to leave his position and illuminated by evasion of duty during the Israeli aggression against Gaza and the large ground incursion, which was carried out by the Israeli army in the region Tel Islam in Gaza City a few days ago.

His leadership and that it is part of the evaluation and audit and accounting, which will reach a number of elements and leaders in field-Qassam, which failed to perform his duties in repelling the aggression.

Iran: "Zionist elements" "encouraging moral corruption among actors and actresses . . . making movies to promote the notion of Holocaust"

IRNA is Iran's most official new agency and this is its deeply paranoid worldview. Note the reference to (good) "independent and anti-U.S. nations" which were the object of (bad) Bush's "irrational remarks." That means Syria, Cuba, North Korea, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, and Sudan, besides Iran itself.

The cultural domain, like other areas in global community, never remained free from the adverse effrects of bad Bush policies.

Bush era in the White House is notorious for the expansionist policies of the former US president in the international arena and also for the blind support for Zionist crimes. Nevertheless, in another particular area, too, George W Bush administration earned a bad reputation which was the growing Zionist influence on Hollywood.

The Bush era, during which the whole world became contaminated with war and bloodshed, has now come to an end but its portrayal in cinema and TV productions deserve a closer look.

The way he was portrayed in Hollywood productions is a token of a politics-minded cinema industry which has tried to use Bush's picture as a cultural and propaganda tool to spread the influence of Zionists and realize their wishes.

Eight years of Bush presidency coincided with such globally significant events as the 9/11 attacks which was later manipulated by Hollywood to produce numerous films to advance White House policies and global Zionism by promoting a genre branded as 'terrorism'.

The productions in this genre particularly focused on World Trade Center attacks in an attempt to convey their own message and link the attacks to Muslim and independent countries. However, the attempts were unsuccessful since the movies produced were quite cheap and superficial by attempting to twist the truth, resulting in the failure of the genre.

Inventing American heroes and concentrating on a doomsday theme, which tried to introduce the US as the 'savior', was the centerpiece of most Hollywood productions in the past few years.

The movie 'I Am Legend', starring the prominent black actor Will Smith whose role in the film contributed significantly in its box office success, dwelt on the same theme and was chosen as the Film of the Year in 2007 in Northern America.

Other similar productions, including 'Batman', 'Hancock' and 'Cloverfield', too, just betrayed Hollywood's obsession with the theme.

With his dark record and irrational remarks about independent and anti-US nations during two terms in office, Bush, more than any of his predecessors, managed to register himself as the central topic with many world directors. Even a number of independent American directors, despite the great displeasure of Zionist media corporations and the Hollywood godfathers, produced movies with Bush as the leading character. Just as an example, the well-known director Michael Moore made a documentary criticising Bush's policies that provoked a huge wave of controversy worldwide and even affected the Oscars.

During the Bush presidency, Hollywood Zionists thought only of making more and more profits at any cost. So they never hesitated to deny due payments and financial interests of actors, scriptwriters and other agents who worked hard to market their production.

Encouraging moral corruption among actors and actresses, producing violent films and making movies to promote the notion of Holocaust were among the attempts of Zionist elements in Hollywood cinema industry to advocate Zionist policies.

Hollywood developed a dark history of stained records by misrepresenting Muslim and independent nations and distorting other countries’ cultures and history. It tried to fulfill its mission of deceiving the audience by portraying a faked 'good' image of the Zionist racists.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

"Juche Idea, Foundation of Korean People's Mental Power"

Whenever there is a new development on the front of Korean Mental Power, this blog is there. What is the foundation of the Korean people's mental power? The Juche idea, of course, you silly imperialist:

Today the Korean people have turned out as one in a general offensive for the prosperity of the socialist country with the indomitable mental power as motive power.

This great mental power has its foundation in the Juche idea fathered by President Kim Il Sung.

The revolutionary spirit of Mt. Paektu, the origin of the strong mental power of the Korean people, was also created under the banner of the Juche idea and the indefatigable will which has been displayed to the full in the annals of the revolution was provided by the great attraction and vital energies of the Juche idea.

The Korean people with Juche-oriented faith won historic victories in the two revolutionary wars against the U.S. and Japanese imperialists and built a powerful socialist country independent in politics, self-supporting in the economy and self-reliant in defence on the war debris.

"On the war debris"?

They have been working miracles one after another in the efforts for the building of a great, prosperous and powerful nation.

Having an immortal revolutionary idea which is the ideological and spiritual basis of unity and gives the philosophy of unity, the Korean people have achieved unbreakable unity and cohesion and given full play to such strong mental power.

The lofty spiritual world of the Korean people who absolutely trust in their leader and defend him with their very lives gives the precious philosophical principle that a great idea brings about a great unity.

The most correct outlook on revolution illumined by the Juche idea enabled the Korean people to possess the justness of the revolutionary cause and the inevitability of the victory as their unwavering faith and turned them into an indomitable heroic people who do not know pessimism and vacillation.

The greatest exploit performed by the President is that he brought up the Korean people as one of strong ideology, faith and spirit with the radiant Juche idea.

Bad and good news for poetry

The bad news is that they are closing Gitmo. How will there ever by a Poems from Guantanmo, Volume 2? The good news is that "Poets of the Central Committee of the Korean Writers Union" have penned new masterpieces "to glorify this year as a year of a new revolutionary upsurge."

Poems have been written in the DPRK to call the entire people to a fresh revolutionary upsurge from the outset of the new year.

Poets of the Central Committee of the Korean Writers Union have written many poems strongly appealing to the hearts of all the people from the first days of the new year out of the desire to glorify this year as a year of a new revolutionary upsurge, sounding the bugle of general advance.

"Motherland, forward in the general advance!", "Flaming Glow over Kangson", "Soldiers stand at frontal breakthrough for general offensive", "Our flames", "It's time for our strength to erupt" and "Ye youth, flare up" and other poems reflect the realities sensitively and are overflowing with strong appeal and militancy. They powerfully inspire the working people in the gigantic work for the building of a great, prosperous and powerful nation.

Poets who greeted the morning of the New Year in Kangson, a historic land, watched the thrilling scene of the flow of molten iron from the UHP electric arc furnace of Korean-style and wrote the stirring poems "Torchlight in Kangson", "Leap higher, ye flames of upsurge" and "He came in December", which inflame the hearts of the smelters with the ardor of creation and leap forward in making a breach on the main front of economic power.

They rushed to production sites aflame with a new revolutionary upswing such as the Pyongyang Thermal-power Complex and the Pyongyang Textile Mill where they wrote "The first step in the new year", "Familiar faces" and "You are like heroine Ri Hwa Sun" and many other poems pulsating with the breath of the Songun era and giving a profound philosophical rendition to the socialist life.

Couldn't they include the text of one of the poems? I'm dying to read "Soldiers stand at frontal breakthrough for general offensive." It's probably written in heroic couplets.

"All People Called upon to Make Great Leaping Advance"

Articles from (North) Korean News are usually desperately repetitive propaganda embodying ludicrously false boasting about the supposed achievements in North Korea's utterly dysfunctional realm of suffering and failure. This one is not so different from all the other ones I have stuck up on this blog, but somehow it seems to advance a few notches into the realm of pure gibberish. I am a little awed by it:

Leading newspapers today editorially call upon all the people to make a great leap forward on all fronts of socialist construction by learning from the work style of the workers in Kangson.

Rodong Sinmun says that the workers in Kangson fully displayed the strong mental power of the Korean working class that was trained by General Secretary Kim Jong Il and learned from his matchless pluck and gut. Their work style represents the patriotic will, the fighting spirit and the mode of creation of the people in the DPRK opening the gate to a great prosperous and powerful nation and this serves as a main engine for bringing about a great Songun revolutionary surge.

It goes on:

The work style of the workers in Kangson represents the devoted efforts to carry out the instructions of the party and the leader in a do-or-die spirit in hearty response to their call, the spirit of self-reliance which calls for dashing forward to attain the goal of the times one's own way with one's own strength and the spirit of collective renovation in which all the people create a new speed of advance, breathing the same breath for the same purpose.

The strong pluck that nothing is impossible as long as there are the strong foundation of the Juche-based industry reinforced in the crucible of the Songun revolution and the spirit of leaping advance to create things worth to be recorded in history and of worldwide significance while succeeding at one go with ultra modern science and technology in the project which required others to make a hundred attempts--this is the extraordinary attraction and vitality of the work style displayed by the workers in Kangson.

The work style of workers in Kangson means the most vivid manifestation of the transparent spirit of devotedly safeguarding the leader, eruption of the faith in socialism of Korean style, ardent patriotism and extraordinary zeal for creation and the full display of the high ambition and strong revolutionary self-esteem of the Korean people advancing with full vigor toward a higher goal on a steed of leap in the Songun era.

A steed of leap. It really says that.

All officials, party members and other working people should effect a great revolutionary surge on all fronts of socialist construction in the same spirit as displayed by the workers in Kangson true to the party's far-sighted plan and intention and thus fly the flag of victory on the high eminence of the great prosperous and powerful nation.

Minju Joson calls for intensifying the drive to effect a new great revolutionary surge to open the gate to a thriving nation with redoubled efforts and confidence, highly proud of the might of the dignified DPRK shining with Juche and Songun.

Palestinian Envoy requests Plan 9 from Persian Space

A veiled rebuke against Iran? From Fars News:

Palestinian Ambassador to Tehran said Tuesday that Muslims should prepare a detailed and perfect plan for confronting the Zionist regime of Israel.

Salah Zavavi made the remarks while addressing a seminar on the international and legal aspects of the Israeli aggression against Gaza at the Iranian Expediency Council's strategic research center here in Tehran today.

The diplomat further said, "We need faith for the campaign and there is no faith better than Islam so since the very first day that we entered this revolution, my stance was that the voice of resistance should be the loudest voice."

"Palestine issue does not belong to one generation," he said, adding, "generations of the past and those of the future can liberate Palestine from river to the sea only hand in hand," he stated.

Elsewhere, the envoy reiterated the necessity for opening passages to Gaza, declaring ceasefire, ending Gaza siege and reconstructing the region.

Appreciating Iran's stance on the Palestinian issue, Zavavi said underscored that no future can be envisaged for Palestine without Jihad and martyrdom.

"We should reinvigorate Jihad and martyrdom," he said.

These days, the martyrdom just doesn't have the same vigor.

Guardian: Hamas imposed discipline although it was suppression

Some double-talk from the Guardian:

Hamas has been widely recognised since it took power as having provided an effective and functioning central government address, albeit a controversial one. Hamas has largely restored law and order and effectively imposed discipline (and imposed a ceasefire while it was in fact being honoured) on both its own militia and that of other factions- the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Resistance Committees, and Fatah, although in the case of the latter this has taken the form of political suppression.

Nice distinction that. In other analysis, the authors outline the "necessary steps":

There will be three necessary steps for securing the ceasefire: (1) getting both sides to immediately cease hostilities, (2) ensuring the IDF withdrawal and removing Israeli troops immediately from Palestinian population centres, (3) putting the broader ceasefire package in place which involves amongst other things, opening Gaza and preventing weapons getting in. [Neat trick--YG] Beyond that, of course, the underlying issues of the conflict and of the occupation will have to be addressed.

Don't you love that sort of analysis. Anything can be done if you break it into steps. I.e., to revive the decayed corpse of the peace process, (1) all the decayed limbs and organs will need to be regenerated, (2) the missing head will need to be located, and (3) the worms will have to give back everything they've eaten. And while I'm collecting incredible Guardian paragraphs, here is one crediting Sheikh Yassin with pragmatism and nuance:

Assassinated by the Israelis in 2004, Yassin was a pragmatist. Even as the Oslo peace process - which Hamas opposed - was dying and Hamas was sending suicide bombers to Israel, Yassin was also outlining a more nuanced vision. [Surpassing even the nuance of the Hamas charter, mentioned in the previous paragraph?--YG] While a final settlement with Israel could never be achieved, what was possible, said Yassin and later leaders, was a lengthy hudna - a generation-long cessation of hostilities with Israel, if Israel was prepared to end the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and withdraw to the pre-1967 borders. The logic was simple. Yassin was convinced that one day Israel would fail or be defeated. But he believed, too, that that was the work for future generations.

Which isn't to say that their education couldn't begin immediately and their "work" almost immediately.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Death to Ban! Sudan vents pro-Hamas wrath at UN

I don't know if they actually shouted "Death to Ban," but I can't say they didn't. What on Earth else would you ever shout about Ban Ki-Moon if you were Sudanese and thought of him as a Zionist lackey? This, of course, is being reported in the press of Sudan's great ally, Iran:

Thousands of Sudanese people celebrated on Sunday the victory of the Palestinian Resistance against the Zionist regime after 22 days of perseverance.

Expressing their solidarity with the Palestinian nation in Gaza, Sudanese demonstrators gathered in front of the United Nations office in Khartum and shouted slogans against the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

Death to Ban! Death to Ban! Allahu Akhbar!

Demonstrators called for the expulsion of UN ambassadors from all Arab and Muslim countries as well as trial of the Israeli officials.

That'll teach those Zionists!

They also asked the Arab countries to review their foreign policies.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Thoughts on the cease-fire and other links

Noah Pollock stated a few days ago:

If Hamas’ leaders have any capacity for strategic thinking, they will halt their attacks for a week and ensure an Israeli withdrawal — and then hold victory parades, resume firing rockets, and test whether Israel is prepared to commence Cast Lead II a week after its first iteration was dismantled.

I would say Hamas is executing Plan Noah.

Netanyahu put it this way: " . . . the IDF has dealt Hamas some very hard blows on the head, but regrettably the job has not been finished . . . Hamas still controls Gaza and it will continue to smuggle new missiles in through the Philadelphi Route . . . "

Treppenwitz observes "Once again we have been betrayed by our leaders."

JoeSettler observes "There is no question we were on the verge of destroying Hamas completely, and then the political echelon comes along and pulls out the carpet from underneath the feet of our soldiers - just ahead of campaign time for elections."

Jack has "War in Gaza Update #19."

The latest Haveil Havalim and Shiny Happy Dhimmi are also up.

Isreallycool and The Muqata have been live-blogging.

Iran-inanity round-up

Hamas has now announced its "unilateral" ceasefire. Wondering how the Iranian press is going to report it? IRNA, the most official agency, still has a now out-dated article on its front page, reporting "MP: Hamas should reject ceasefire, target Zionist positions." In the meantime, the other Iranian Press agencies are reporting the Hamas ceasefire declaration. Hamas would clearly like to be out of IDF crosshairs, but Press TV has devised a spin which preserves the boasting tone of recent Iranian headlines: "Hamas gives Israel one-week ultimatum.":

Hamas has announced an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, giving Israel one week to completely withdraw its forces from the area.

The Sunday announcement was made by the faction's senior official Ayman Taha, who is currently in Cairo for diplomatic talks.

"Hamas and the factions announce a ceasefire in Gaza starting immediately and give Israel a week to withdraw," Taha said.

He also called on Israel to open all border-crossings to allow in 'the basic needs of the people', including food, medical supplies and other goods. [...]

He "called on" Israel to allow the provision of "basic needs"? That doesn't sound so ultimatum-like.

IRIB and other agencies have a rare story featuring Mrs. Ahmadinejad: "President's wife appeals for Rafah opening." Fars has a picture:

Cute couple. Mrs. A has taken up her husband's habit of letter-writing and has written one to Mrs Mubarak:

Iranian First Lady Azam al-Sadat Farahi, in a letter to her Egyptian counterpart, asked for her help to facilitate aid delivery to Palestinians.

"Witnessing the dead bodies of women and children is painful and even worse is that some governments in Arab and Islamic countries do not support the oppressed people in Gaza," Ahmadinejad's wife wrote.

"You could ask your spouse and his administration to prevent worsening of the humanitarian catastrophe by opening the way for aiding Palestine's people," she urged referring to Hosni Mubarak.

She reiterated that she expected Suzan Mubarak to employ all her might and power to aid Gazans and relieve the suffering of people of Gaza.[...]

The "victory" headlines continue, of course, especially at the more slow-moving agencies. One at Mehr News proclaims: "Hamas victory will keep it in political scene for ever: expert":

International expert Ahmad Bakhshayeshi Ardestani said here on Sunday that the victory of Hamas in the Gaza Strip will perpetuate the presence of Hamas in the political scene of Palestine.

"With its victory in Gaza, Hamas will remain for ever in the political scene of Palestine."

Pointing to the ceasefire declared in the Gaza, the expert said, "Surely, Israel has suffered a defeat in Gaza. This is the second failure of this regime and will not be the last one." [...]

Isn't defeat supposed to be more final than that?

IRIB is also reporting on a "media conference" to achieve more effective reporting on the Palestinians. Fittingly, the IRIB site does not seem to be responding at the moment. Update: IRIB is back.

Crossposted at Soccer Dad

Juan the Abolitionist

Yaacov Lozowick recently noted Juan Cole's reaction to rumors of an impending unilateral cease-fire. "They had better," Cole rumbled, "Because if they ruin the Obama inauguration by splashing the bloody bodies of dead Palestinian children all over the press during the next few days, no Americans, even the most pro-Israeli, are going to forgive them." A few days previously, Cole achieved new repulsiveness, discovering that the Gazans are actually analogous to slaves:

I would argue that Israel is keeping the Gazans in a state akin to slavery. Here are some similarities between the condition of the people of Gaza and classical slavery:

# They were deprived of their basic rights as a result of a military conquest. (Peoples and individuals have often been enslaved as a result of being vanquished.)

# They are stateless. In fact, US slaves at the time the constitution was written in the eighteenth century were at least counted as 3/5s of a citizen. Gazans are not counted as citizens at all by any existing state.

# They have suffered what Orlando Patterson called "social death." Most Gazans are refugees from the 1948 and 1967 wars and used to live in what is now Israel, but had their property stolen by the European Jewish settlers. They are now trapped in Gaza, and are cut off from many other members of their clan. Social death occurs when the enslaved is removed from his or her original social and geographical context. The Gazans are certainly for the most part cut off in this way.

# Gazans lack mobility, being trapped in the Gaza Strip. Israel controls their borders and their air and coastline. There is also a checkpoint on the short border with Egypt, but it is strictly policed. It is typical of the condition of slaves that they are deprived fo the liberty of movement.

# They do not control their own property. Thus, Gazans cannot own a medical clinic [or a Qassam launcher--YG], e.g., and be sure of it not being bombed by the Israelis. They can never know from day to day what the Israelis will do to their property. They cannot export their goods via their harbor on the Mediterranean because Israel does not allow it. They cannot have a functioning airport. Likewise slaves do not actually own property, since the slavemaster actually owns it and can dispose of it as he likes.

# Innocent Gazans may be killed or maimed with impunity by Israeli bombs and shells. Likewise, slavemasters in most societies can kill or beat their slaves with few repercussions.

# Gazans can be deprived of enough nutrition to be healthy at will. A free person lacking nutrition can make arrangements to get more. A slave, because of lack of freedom of movement, is forced to simply go hungry.

It may be objected that Israelis do not make Gazans work for them for free. But forced labor is only one element of slavery. The essential characteristics of any slave system have more to do with the denial of liberty than with the precise economic form of exploitation practiced on the slave. That there has been Israeli economic exploitation of Gazans and their resources is in any case undeniable.

Unless and until the Gazans are freed by the Israeli Pharoah from their debilitating bondage, the violence will go on. And the Gazans, having been deprived of their liberty as Samson was deprived of his sight, are perfectly capable of bringing down the whole structure of Levantine security if this unhealthy and outrageous denial to them of the elements of basic human dignity does not cease once and for all.

Israel as Pharoah! (Did Juan write this for Parshas Shemos?) That Israelis "do not make Gazans work for them for free" is not the only objection one might make to this little exercise in comparison. I don't think that worrying about how to neutralize the slaves' missile arsenal without causing a humanitarian crisis is part of the classical master-slave relationship. Palestinian autonomy and freedom of movement is actually one of the central issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but Cole avoids analysis in favor of elaborately belaboring the obvious point that Israeli security measures limit Palestinian freedom of movement. Of course they do. Unfortunately, freedom of movement can be used to get on with life or to get on with war, and the Gazans have mostly been doing the latter.

The Israeli withdrawal from Gaza was a great increase in freedom and autonomy for the Gazans. Hamas quickly acted to show that it regarded Gaza, not as an opportunity to get on with life, but as a newly acquired military asset. What we now think of as the Israeli blockade followed the coup that brought Hamas to the position of sole authority in Gaza. Does anyone remember that the now-broken "calm" was supposed to have later stages? Time reported last June:

In the next phase, Israel and Hamas will start indirect talks, through the Egyptians, to trade captured Israeli soldier Corporal Gilad Shalit for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Once Shalit is freed, says Israeli negotiator Amos Gilad, Israel will then agree to allow the reopening of Rafah, the main crossing between Gaza and Egypt, as long as it is manned by European Union monitors. Egypt will also undertake the near-impossible task of stopping arms from being smuggled into Gaza; Israelis are worried, with good reason, that Hamas will use the truce to rearm itself with longer-range and more accurate missiles.

Stepped-up terror is the worry that has come with any of Israel's many attempts to relax its security measures for the sake of "confidence-building." And the feared outcome (rather than the hoped-for one) always materializes.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Iran Gloats

As you probably already know, Israel has announced a unilateral cease-fire as Hamas rocket fire continues. Let's see what the regime sponsoring Hamas has to say (click to enlarge):



According to IRIB:

Islamic Revolution Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei wrote a message Friday to Ismail Haniya, the Premier of the Gaza-based legitimate Palestinian government about the defeat and disgrace of the equipped army of the Zionist regime in the face of the "patience, bravery and sacrifice" of the valiant combatants and the innocent people of Gaza.

Ayatollah Khamenei in the message praised that the dignified perseverance of the Gaza people against one of the most atrocious war crimes in history helped discredit America, the supporters of the Zionist regime and the traitors and hypocrites in the Islamic Ummah.

And that's just the intro to the Ayatollah's message, which includes the following:

The Arab traitors would rather realize that their fate would not go better than that of the Jews in the war of confederates (early in Islam) for whom the Almighty said 'And He brought down those of the People of the Book who supported them from their fortresses' (The Confederates: 26).

A Mehr News headline proclaims: "Secret deal for Gaza war backfires":

The resistance in Gaza has made defending the oppressed a universal value in contrast to Israel’s false claims about the Jews’ oppression during the Holocaust. And with the revelation of the Zionist regime’s genocide in Gaza, now their crimes have been documented by hundreds of the world’s media outlets.

Israel and its supporters have been humiliated in the eyes of the world and independent media outlets’ coverage of the Gaza conflict has revealed the censorship of the realities by the U.S. and Israel media.

Iran's Press TV had a headline on Thursday that read "Hamas: Victory is within arms reach." A current headline reads "Israel set to swallow defeat in Gaza." They cite international pressure:

Gazan resistance and the world condemnation of Israeli crimes against Palestinians -- the native population of the land -- are seen as the primary reasons for Israel backtracking on its previously set goals.

Elsewhere, the Guardian worries: "Can Hamas still walk tall in Gaza's streets?" Iran thinks so, obviously, or their propaganda does. The Palestinian press is not so uniformly triumphant since some of it is pro-Fatah. See EOZ's "PalArab press roundup."

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Yemen Times: "Yemenis tried on charges of spying for Israel"

The Middle East is a silly place. Get a load of the e-mail supposedly sent to Olmert and the reply:

The trial of three Yemenis accused of spying for Israel and disseminating false statements and news under the name of the "Islamic Jihad Organization" continues next Saturday.

The trial, which is unprecedented in Yemeni political history, started last Saturday at the Primary Penal Court in Sana'a.

Basim Abdullah Al-Haidari, 25, 'Imad Ali Al-Reimi, 23, and 'Ali 'Abdullah Al-Mahfal, 24, are accused of contacting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

The prosecution accused Al-Haidari, also known as Abu Al-Ghaith, of being in "illegitimate" contact with Israel through an email which he sent to Ehud Olmert. The message reads, "We are the Jihad Organization and you are Jews but you are honest and we are ready for anything." The accusation said that the Israeli response included the following: "We are ready to support you to be a stumbling block to the Middle East and we will support you as agents." According to the accusation, this act harms the political and diplomatic position of Yemen which is one of the most anti-Israel countries.

The prosecution accused them of "disseminating and publishing false news under the name of the Islamic Jihad Organization”. It accused them of spreading false information, notably via embassy websites as well as local, Arab and foreign satellite channels.

It said that the organization announced it had carried out the attacks on the security buildings in Hadramout and on the US embassy, and that it targets the government and foreign interests.

The accusation said that the three citizens sent information threatening to target governmental sites as well as Arab and foreign embassies. They also demanded USD 5 million in return in exchange for canceling the explosions planned to interrupt a concert given by Egyptian artist Ehab Toufiq in Sana’a.

The prosecution considered that the data "published by the accused in full knowledge that it is false, aimed to destabilize public security, provoke horror among people and harm public interest." The accused denied all the accusations but the court adjourned the case to "complete the procedures of the trial". The Islamic Jihad Organization had announced its responsibility for targeting a security building in Sayoun, Shabwa governorate, last July with a car bomb. It also announced its responsibility for the attack on the US embassy in Sana'a last September, which left 19 Yemenis dead.

These are the two attacks which the Al-Qaeda organization later announced its responsibility for.

Security apparatuses arrested the three citizens last September within a group of six after the Ministry of Interior published releases of the Islamic Jihad Organization in Yemen. Early last October, President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced that the group is linked with Israeli intelligence, allegations which the Israeli foreign affairs ministry has denied and described it as "ridiculous".

In parallel with this case, the Primary Penal Court specialized in affairs of terrorism next Monday will hold a hearing to consider the case of four Yemeni citizens accused of affiliation with Al-Qaeda, preparation for an attack and possession of explosives.

Last Monday, the court reviewed the arms seized by the police and which the latter confessed to possess. Among the items seized were pistols, automatic machineguns, a rifle, RBG missiles, ammunitions, a computer and counterfeit ID cards.

The prosecution said that the accused aimed to attack tourists and government constructions including security buildings. The state-run Saba News Agency reported that one of the three accused confessed that he was "entrusted to register all hotels in the old city of Sana'a and Dar Al-Hajar where tourists exist in order to carry out a suicide attack with an explosive belt so as to target many foreigner as possible".

The agency pointed out that another one confessed that he is entrusted to "attract youth to the cell and prepare them to carry out terrorist operations by training them in camps belonging to the cell in Wadi Jubarah in Sa'ada".

Yemen last year witnessed a series of attacks that targeted security offices, tourist gatherings and oil constructions.

Al-Qaeda announced its responsibility for carrying out most of them.

Mehr News: Hamas "now calling the shots in the conflict"

I suppose this means that Iran is anticipating a cease-fire, which can be interpreted as a victory:

Despite the ongoing attacks against the Gaza Strip from the air, ground, and sea, resistance has stiffened and Hamas fighters have halted Israel’s advance.

The continuing resistance and the Zionist regime’s inability to stop rocket fire into Israeli towns show that Hamas is now calling the shots in the conflict.

In military terms, if the aggressors do not achieve their set military goals in a short period of time, they will eventually be the ultimate losers, and this defeat will prove even heavier for Israel than the 33-day war against Lebanon in 2006.

This is because the Zionist regime and Egypt, Gaza’s only Arab neighbor, have imposed a blockade on Gaza for over 18 months, and Cairo is even blocking the shipment of humanitarian aid to the territory.

In this lopsided war, Hamas is rapidly increasing the range of its missiles, and many analysts believe that they can now threaten Tel Aviv since Hamas has fired Grad 1 and 2 missiles, which are capable of hitting targets within a range of 55 kilometers, and may go on to use their newest missile to target Tel Aviv, which is only 70 kilometers away from Gaza.

The Dimona nuclear facility, located in the Negev Desert, also provides an easy target for Palestinian missiles. However, Hamas has shown great patience in not attacking Dimona in order to avoid a major humanitarian catastrophe.

What has become clear in this unequal war is the capability of Hamas to handle a long guerrilla war against the Israeli army, and they have clearly located the Zionist regime’s Achilles’ heel. [...]

That's an infidel metaphor, guys.

Mashaal: Hamas "hours away from defeating the Israeli aggressors"

This story is now about ten hours old, judging from the time stamp. I guess they won:

The Hamas chief, Khaled Mashaal, says the resistance movement is hours away from defeating the Israeli aggressors in the Gaza Strip

"With patience victory will be ours in a few hours …. We are now nearing the final stages," said Mashaal.

He said that "unprecedented" resistance has prevented Israel from achieving its goal of advancing deep into Gaza, adding that Israel is trying to cover up its failure by inflicting as many civilian casualties as possible in the final moments of the battle.

"They kill the families of resistance fighters so as to force them to surrender," he continued.

Since the beginning of the Israeli offensive against Gaza on Dec. 27, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 4,700 others have been injured.

Tel Aviv says only 12 soldiers have been killed in the military operations it launched against the densely-populated strip to end Hamas rocket attacks on southern Israel. Hamas rocket fire has killed three settlers.

"This is not a battle against Hamas as the enemy would like to portray. It is against all the forces and factions of the resistance in Palestine and against our nation," said Mashaal.

The Hamas chief said that before engaging in talks, Israel would have to end its military campaign in Gaza and pull out its troops, lift the 18-month siege it imposed on the strip and open the Rafah crossing.

IRNA: "Iran making preparations for trial of Israeli leaders for war crimes"

Iran grants itself international jurisdiction. (It's catching up with Belgium):

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that Iran's judiciary system is now providing a bill in conformity with international law to bring to justice the Israeli leaders for crimes against humanity in Gaza.

President Ahmadinejad made the remarks in a press conference with domestic and foreign reporters in Tehran on Thursday.

The bill which is to be handed over to Majlis will authorize the Iranian criminal court to bring to justice the Zionist officials for their war crimes, he said.

He also advised the other countries to follow suit.

"Lawyers around the world have been assigned to formulate setup of the criminal court."

He said that the world is now on the verge of U-turn and nations will gain power and it is beyond the expectations of those seeking to impose their views on others.

The United Nations General Assembly requested an advisory opinion from the Hague-based International Court of Justice on intervention of the international courts amid growing calls that Israeli actions in Gaza are violation of the Geneva Conventions and the international criminal law.

"There is a well-grounded view that both the initial attacks on Gaza and the tactics being used by Israel are serious violations of the UN Charter, the Geneva Conventions, international law and international humanitarian law," said Richard Falk, the UN's special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories and professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University.

"There is consensus among independent legal experts that Israel is an occupying power and is therefore bound by the duties set out in the Fourth Geneva Convention," Falk said.

Falk said: "The arguments that Israel's blockade is a form of prohibited collective punishment and it is in breach of its duty to ensure the population has sufficient food and healthcare as the occupying power, are very strong."

"If there were political will there could be an ad-hoc tribunal established to hear allegations of war crimes," Falk said.

"This could be done by the UN General Assembly acting under Article 22 of the UN Charter which gives them the authority to establish subsidiary bodies."

"New Book Comes off Press"

They've just published a new book in the DPRK. What do you suppose it's about? The Great Leader!

The Social Science Book Publishing House brought out book "Songun Revolutionary History of the Great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung" written and compiled by the Party History Institute of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.

The book having 8 chapters and 44 sections comprehensively deals with the immortal Songun revolutionary history of President Kim Il Sung who led the Korean revolution to victory and glory with his original idea of attaching importance to arms and military affairs and his leadership. [...]

The original idea of attaching importance to his own leadership. How innovative! What do you read when you tire of all that immortal Songun revolutionary history? Try Jack's War in Gaza Update #16.

IRNA: "Gang of saboteurs related to US crushed in Iran"

Another day, another gang of saboteurs crushed, or, um, annihilated:

A gang of saboteurs related to the US government was recently discovered and destroyed, Judiciary spokesman, Ali-Reza Jamshidi said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters at his weekly press conference, Jamshidi said the gang was related to the US government and involved in efforts "to bring about a velvet overthrow of the government."

He added that the gang had four members with Iranian nationality who have been arrested and brought to the court."

Jamshidi said that legal proceedings are at the final stages.

"They were linked to the CIA, backed by the US government and State Department... They recruited and trained people to work with different espionage networks to launch a velvet overthrow of the Iranian government," said the spokesman.

He added that more details would be made public "within two days."

Jamshidi stressed that annihilation of the gang was another sign of US government defeat in making different moves against Iranian government.

Tehran Times: "Hamas not fooled by Resolution 1860"

Trying to fool Hamas . . . Bad UN! Via Mehr News:

The Hamas leaders’ highly rational response to the recent truce proposals and the resistance movement’s determination to counter Israel’s war machine show that, despite all the political and military pressure, Hamas is still optimistic about the outcome of the Gaza war.

After over a fortnight of a lopsided war between Hamas and the Zionist regime, with the Israeli army’s morale rapidly declining, the United Nations Security Council, taking into account Israel’s security, finally passed Resolution 1860.

Egypt also presented a plan that calls for an immediate truce between Hamas and Israel and the permanent deployment of UN peacekeepers to Gaza and the Rafah border crossing.

The Egyptian plan and the UN resolution show that in regional and international equations, the Zionist regime has always been the intractable side and the Palestinians have always been more reasonable.

This means that international and even Arab organizations have drawn a red line around Israel’s security and always expect the Palestinians to make concessions.

Although the recent Security Council resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire, how and when it will be enforced remains unclear, so Israel believes it can flout the resolution and continue to relentlessly pound the Gaza Strip.

Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshaal recently stated that any kind of negotiation with Israel before the attacks come to a halt would be a sign of disrespect for the blood of Gaza’s martyrs.

Meshaal dismissed the idea of deploying peacekeeping troops to Gaza and said such a move would only serve to guarantee the security of Israel and disarm the Palestinian resistance forces.

He pointed out that resistance is the only option open to Hamas since the war in Gaza has been imposed on the Palestinian nation and jihadi movements will reject any temporary solution that prioritizes the security of Israel.

The logical stance adopted by the Hamas leaders and their rational approach to finding a practical solution for the people of Gaza show that Hamas is determined to single-handedly resolve the Palestinian question once and for all since history shows that the Israelis have never negotiated in good faith and have never abided by any UN resolutions. [...]

Hezbollah’s victory in southern Lebanon and the Islamic resistance’s perseverance during the 33-day war of 2006 dealt Israel its first defeat in six decades, and Hamas will follow the same path.

And when Hamas attains victory, it will greatly alter the region’s security and political equations to the benefit of the Palestinian nation.

Hmm, "equations." Sound familiar? Ahmadinejad once declared, "All relations and equations will change in our favor once Iran is stabilized as a nuclear nation."

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

"the Korean people have set off a violently wind of revolutionary upswing"

Amazing what you can accomplish with a good slogan:

The militant slogan "Make the fullest development of Songun Korea by inheriting the great tradition of revolutionary upswing!" was put forward in the joint editorial of the party, army and youth papers of the DPRK this year.

I think we have a Juche sentence of the day:

Upon receiving this militant slogan pulsating vigorously with the idea and will of the Workers' Party of Korea, the Korean people have set off a violently wind of revolutionary upswing at the very beginning of the new year.

The Pyongyang Thermal-power Complex is overfulfilling its power production quotas by launching into a general offensive with the conviction of certain victory, holding aloft the torch of a new revolutionary upsurge kindled by General Secretary Kim Jong Il at the Chollima Steel Complex.

The railway workers are also registering remarkable results, loudly sounding the whistle of revolutionary upsurge.

Woo Woo!

The Kaechon and Hamhung Railway Administrations are reporting successes in transport every day by repairing and readjusting in time such rolling stock as electric locomotives and freight wagons.

The militant slogans set forth in each period and at each stage of the development of the revolution are the motive power inspiring the Korean people to heroic feats, grasping their hearts.

The Korean people greeted the founding anniversary of the DPRK last year with a high degree of political enthusiasm and tremendous achievements under the revolutionary slogan "Glorify this year of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the DPRK as a year of historical turn which will go down in the history of the country!"

Two slogans in one article?

The Korean people will eloquently display the might of Songun Korea by making great innovation and leap through the grand Chollima advance in response to the call of the Workers' Party of Korea this year that will mark a turning point in the Korean revolution and the building of a great, prosperous and powerful nation.

Some people's nations are already powerful and prosperous.

Update: Zionist Imperialist Jack has a new bellicose round-up aimed at world-domination.

"Mass Rallies Held to Vow to Fulfill Militant Tasks for This Year"

No, that isn't talking about the Gaza Strip. From (North) Korean News:

North Hamgyong Province and the Ministry of Railways separately held mass rallies Thursday to vow to thoroughly implement the militant tasks laid down in the joint New Year editorial in hearty response to the letter of the employees of the Chollima Steel Complex.

Read out there was the letter of the employees of the complex addressed to all other working people across the country.

Reporters and speakers at the mass rallies called on all the people to firmly arm themselves with the Juche idea, Songun idea of the Workers' Party of Korea, devotedly defend General Secretary Kim Jong Il and become patriots in the Songun era who boundlessly love the socialist country.

They called upon all of them to make a leap forward on all fronts through a great revolutionary surge by fully displaying great mental power and all potentials augmented in the crucible of the Songun revolution. [...]

Great revolutionary surge fully displaying great mental
power is given full play in the latest Haveil Havalim and Shiny Happy Dhimmi.

More Gaza Inanity

George Bisharat on "border skirmishes":

. . . an armed attack involves serious violations of the peace. Minor border skirmishes are common, and if all were considered armed attacks, states could easily exploit them -- as surrounding facts are often murky and unverifiable -- to launch wars of aggression. That is exactly what Israel seems to be currently attempting.

Israel employing feminine wiles:

More Israeli women are stating Israel’s case to the media, according to reports. The strategy is both sexist and underhanded…

Yvonne!

Despite its amazing war machine, and its state-of-the-art-technology these little rockets rarely show up on any military radars. The Israelis don’t know about them until they’ve landed and that’s what hacks them off.

Metaphors, metaphors:

If you stick a knife in my chest and another one in my foot, then you pull out the one from my foot but drive the one in my chest even deeper, do not expect me not to kick you with my foot that is still bleeding from the wounds you have inflicted.

Find some guts already!:

Is the pro-Israel lobby in America really that powerful? I always chalked the whole "Jews control the media" myth up there with other nut-wing rants like "B. Hussein Obama is a secret racist Muslim", but now I have to pause and wonder. Can someone in the mainstream media find some guts and do some honest reporting on this issue?

Last word on proportionality:

In downtown San Francisco today the several thousand strong protest march featured one sign that caught my eye for its sheer undeniable arithmetical brilliance. Unfortunately the typewriter doesn’t have the "not equal" sign, so I’ll have to use words, but the expression was: 720 not equal 5. Today, it’s 820 not equal 13. Disproportionate? Only if up is toward the sky, and down is toward the dirt.

Update: Naomi Klein boycotts her own publisher! (h/t: Yaacov Lozowick)

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

"Rodong Sinmun on Complicated Mideast Situation"

(North) Korean News had a more specific pro-Hamas article yesterday, but this one is Juche-ier:

Many shocking incidents not be overlooked by the international community happened in Mideast countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Pakistan and Palestine last year due to the deep interference of the United States in the region.

Rodong Sinmun Thursday says this in a signed article.

Citing facts to prove that such incidents took place in the above-said countries due to U.S. aggression and interference last year, the article goes on:

The Mideast situation last year proves that in order to defend the sovereignty of each country and nation and peace of the region it is necessary for them to build up their own strength and achieve unity and solidarity in the struggle to contain the U.S. imperialists and their allies and isolate and weaken them.

This also clearly testifies once again to the fact that the U.S. policy of aggression and interference is the root cause of all misfortune and disasters and the U. S. imperialists are the incarnation of all evils.

The article stresses the need to enhance the spirit of independence against imperialism and working class consciousness and fight against the aggression forces to the end with strong mental power.

All the people of the world desirous of independence should direct the spearhead of the struggle for independence against imperialism and for peace to the U.S. imperialists and exert all efforts for checking and frustrating their high-handed and hegemonic policy, the article notes, emphasizing that the struggle of the peoples in the region to frustrate the U.S. aggressive strategy toward the Mideast and achieve peace and stability of the region is sure to triumph.

Fars News: BBC "plotting to recruit spies and stir a new revolution"

The BBC is starting a Persian-language channel, you see:

Iran accused the BBC of plotting to recruit spies and stir a new revolution by launching a Persian-language satellite channel.

BBC Persian, which will go on air next week, will be used by British intelligence for "espionage and psychological warfare", according to Iranian officials.

The channel, which has a £15 million budget and 140 staff, will broadcast news and features in Persian into Iran to anyone with a satellite dish.

Tehran described the new channel as "suspicious and illegal" and "working against the interests of the Islamic republic". Viewers were warned to avoid the "lie-spreading" network.

The BBC has a long-running Persian radio service and a Persian website, but the satellite channel will reach a far wider audience.

While the BBC is well known, many Iranians have a deep-seated suspicion of British conspiracies stemming from repeated intervention in the country over more than a century. [...]

Some Gaza links, inane and sensible

First some propaganda and inanity:

IRIB Radio is claiming that 9 Israeli soldiers were killed, chas veshalom. Another claim: "Hamas forces have surrounded two Israeli Special Forces units in the strip."

Press TV claims "Depleted uranium found in Gaza victims." (Dont't tell FireDogLake)

What's with the London Times lately? "Israel's stupidity" has broken Michael Lerner's heart. Yet again, we see the "Israel has a right to respond but only with a ceasefire" meme.

Someone at Daily Kos worries that the Gaza offensive is ruining Obama's prospects to be "president of the world":

Israel has closed the noose. Obama is trapped and the Israelis are doing to him what Jesse Jackson wanted to. They are not taking chances.

Yemen Times reveals that Israel was "biblically known as Palestine."

Nasrallah explains: "What has Been Achieved in Gaza is a Victory to the Resistance and a Failure to Israel"

And now the Sensible Party:

Jack's round-ups are up to 8.5

Jules Crittenden has a "Roundup from the Ground Up."

The latest Haveil Havalim is up! The latest Shiny Happy Dhimmi is up!

Right Truth had a "Sunday Morning Israel and Gaza Round-Up"

Snoopy the Goon has a "Random Selection" on Gaza.

Martin Kramer analyzes "Israel's Gaza Strategy."

"He would tease us and ask if we wanted to die as martyrs with him"

From Ma'an via Journal of Turkish Weekly. Martyrdom is what you might call a recurring theme here:

One of the surviving daughters of slain Hamas leader Nizar Rayyan, Walaa, spoke to Ma’an Saturday. [...]

"My father raised us all to love martyrdom," Walaa said. "If you had the chance to ask my 4-year-old sister Aaysha, who died in the attack, she would have told you that she preferred to die martyr." [...]

One hour before he was killed Rayyan’s daughter in law Eyman Asfora went to visit him. Walaa remembers that Eyman, wife to Rayyan’s eldest son Bilal, was received with a smile. He asked her if she would like to die a martyr with him, and she said "yes." But she left seconds before the missile struck the four-storey home.[...]

According to one of his four wives, Rayyan would tease his children in the days before his death, and ask them: "Who wants to die martyr with me?" and all his children used to answer, "Yes daddy, we all want to be with you alive or dead." His youngest son said, "I can’t imagine that you die martyr and leave me behind unable to see you. I want to die with you.

Dr Rayyan, who held a PHD in Hadith (the profit Muhammad’s narrated teachings), was killed along with his four wives . . .

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

What's the truth about those rockets, anyway?

An obviously left-wing writer, who refers to Jews as "we," offers the "truth." Amazing how truthy you can be about those rockets without even mentioning the recent increases in range and power:

Five years ago, the Bush administration lied about weapons of mass destruction to dupe us into supporting an illegal, immoral invasion of Iraq.

A few days ago, Israel trotted out only an infinitesimally more credible excuse -- the Hamas rockets case -- as justification for its own murderous shock and awe in Gaza, a long-planned campaign perniciously aimed at ousting a "regime" that came to power via popular, democratic vote.

Yes, such rockets exist, but they're little more than slingshots against Israel's incredible military might, and they're used out of desperation by Palestinians who've never been accorded the democratic space within which to gain redress of their eminently just grievances.

Israeli apologists have presented absurd propaganda about those devices.

We've been asked, for instance, what would we do if rockets were being launched on our homes in New York or Texas, from Canada or Mexico?

The proper answer is that, if those two nations had been unlawfully occupied or embargoed by the United States for 60 years of relentless oppression and repression, and if all attempts at peaceful change had been forcefully prevented or scuttled by the U.S., then such attacks would be an understandable, indeed a justifiable attempt at gaining intolerably deferred liberty.

Our appropriate response wouldn't be to bomb the hell out of the nearest Canadian or Mexican city, but to collectively look into mirrors and earnestly ask ourselves, "What have we done wrong to incur their wrath? [...]

Post 9/11 thinking!

Bugs bothered by sporadically impacting, glorified fireworks cobbled together in backyard garages are ludicrously supposed to be the primary problem, not human limbs and lives shattered by the most destructive weapons that military science can produce!

Bugs don't have rights? Species-ist!

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Creepy Fars News article about Baha'i hanging

I don't know if the rape charge has any credibility. I am posting this because the claims about the status of the Baha'i in Iran are interesting, as is the final claim.

A follower of Baha'i faith was hanged in northeastern Iran after a local court sentenced him to death for raping his daughter.

Despite western media reports, sources said that Houshang Khodadad was convicted in a criminal court after his daughter sued him for sexual harassment and rape.

They also stressed that Khodadad had not been executed for religious beliefs.

Baha'ism is considered as a heretic religion in the Islamic Republic, but Tehran tolerates followers of the religion. Yet, new converts are prosecuted as converting from Islam to any other religion is considered as an act of heresy in Islam which requires capital punishment.

Khodadad was not a convert, sources said, adding that he was a registered follower of Baha'ism.

"He raped his own daughter a while ago, and he was imprisoned in (the northeastern city of) Torbat Heydarieh and was later hanged (after being tried and convicted) in a case raised by his daughter," sources said.

Khodadad had confessed not only to his adulterous relationship with close relatives, including his daughter, but also sodomy with one of the inmates when he was in prison.

Baha'ism allows adultery with family members and relatives, except one's stepmother.

I'm not an expert on Baha'ism, but it seems safe to call that a canard.

Power Line on Gaza deaths

John Hinderaker offers an interesting statistic and a good question:

The Palestinians that Hamas admits to murdering amount to around 10 percent of the total number reported killed since the Israeli offensive began. It's reasonable to assume that these acknowledged victims of Hamas are included in the Gaza death totals that our press outlets report so breathlessly. What the real number of such victims is, of course, we have no idea.

Of all the thousands of "humanitarians" who have demonstrated against Israel's effort to defend itself, are there any who care that many of the deaths and grievous injuries that have occurred in Gaza were inflicted not by Israel, but in cold blood for political purposes by Hamas?

Meanwhile, pro-Hamas pundits are also asking questions. Angry Arab New Service asks:

If Palestinians were to bomb synagogues would the New York Times accept claims that they are "weapons stores"?

Does this hypothetical scenario include any information about whether the claim is true or not? Just wondering.

Islam Online on what the goal is

According to a headline "ticker" at Islam Online, Hamas is claiming to have captured two IDF soldiers. This story reveals that the US is trying to "deprive the Palestinian groups from their resistance tool"--oh no!

With home-made rockets are the only available tool for the Palestinians in Gaza to defend against Israeli attacks, the United States and allies are seeking a ceasefire that would eventually deprive the Palestinian groups from their resistance tool.

Can't have that.

"The United States is leading diplomatic efforts to achieve a meaningful ceasefire that is fully respected," US president George W. Bush said in a radio address on Saturday, January 3.

"Another one-way ceasefire that leads to rocket attacks on Israel is not acceptable."

Another interesting bit:

Egypt said Friday that it was in contacts with Hamas officials to return calm in Gaza.

Mubarak earlier said that Egypt would not open the Rafah crossing until the Palestinian Authority and European monitors return to Gaza.

"(The crossing agreement in 2005) gives Israel the right to monitor the crossing," he has said.

"Iran, an invincible, uncapturable castle - Ahmadinejad"

Some mouth-foam. Note all the metaphors: "absolute darkness . . . encompassed the entire world" before Khomeinism came along. Blood is bearing fruit. Aggressors are threatened with hand severing:

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Wednesday by grace of God, Islamic Republic has turned into an invincible, uncapturable castle, under such conditions that aggressor powers' front keeps suffering defeats one after another.

According to IRNA's dispatched presidential affairs reporter to Zahedan, President Ahmadinejad who was speaking on Wednesday afternoon to families of martyrs and war disabled veterans of Zahedan added, "Before the victory of the Islamic Revolution an absolute darkness had encompassed the entire world and even in our country if someone was after purification (of his soul) and (implementation of) divine values he would have been ridiculed."

He pointed out that under those conditions that the more oppressor one was, the higher his status would have been, late Imam Khomeini hoisted the flag of Imam Hussain's movement.

Ahmadinejad further reiterated, "We praise Allah that the Iranian nation in this era hoisted the flag of Imam Hussain (P), turned into faithful followers of that infallible Imam, and presented to the mankind the model of living in accordance with his guidelines." Elsewhere in his address, the IRI President referred to the humiliating defeat of the Zionist regime two years ago in Lebanon in the course of the 33-Day War, in confrontation with a group of young, pious Muslims, adding, "Today, every freedom seeking nation in the world would beyond doubt confirm that their model has been the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic of Iran's martyrs, war disables and freed prisoners of war."

Ahmadinejad added, "Today, by grace of God, the pure blood of martyrs is bearing fruit and the situation is changing in favor of the followers of Imam Hussain (P) globally."

He said that the name of the Iranian nation and or martyrs shines like a sun in the world, serving as the light of hope and a reliable supporter of entire world nations.

The Iranian president said, "The secret of our victories is to be sough in our choice of paving the path laid before us by Imam Hussain (P), and that is the divine path we would keep paving, which is definitely the only path (towards salvation)."
Ahmadinejad said that thanks to the brave resistance of the Iranian nation, the enemies are today both incapable of, and hopeless for launching an attack against our land, knowing that if they would intend to violate Iran's rights anywhere in the world, this nation would face them more resolutely and more mightily than ever before, severing the hands of the aggressors."

Elsewhere in his address President Ahmadinejad referred to the eventful Ashoura Day (on which Imam Hussain - P - and 72 of his disciples were brutally martyred) and Imam Hussain's uprising as a great university for the entire mankind, arguing, "This university is for all those people seeking greatness for themselves in the first place, and the peaks of grandeur for the entire mankind in the second place."

Pointing out that enrollment at that university and studying till highest levels there is open for the public, he reiterated, "Grandeur, gallantry, piety, sleflessness, nobility, and humanity are the topics of the curriculum at the university of Ashoura and the school of Karbala, and those lessons are planned in accordance with the realities of the universe."

Is there any other way?

Gaza Inanity Round-up

Jonathan Freedland in the Guardian:

. . . there is no such peace strategy, only an Israeli leadership so dazzled by its own military might that it has come to believe that force is almost always the answer - and the way to avoid the toughest questions.

One has to wonder, what's "dazzling" Hamas?

MJ Rosenberg at Huffpo:

Does the Gaza war improve Israel's long-term (or even short-term) situation? Might it not have been better to induce Hamas to stop the shelling by ending the blockade Israel imposed back when Hamas won the Palestinian election?

The almighty inducement . . .

John McCarthy in the Independent:

. . . there are few signs that the Israeli establishment, fully committed to the Zionist goals of creating Eretz Israel (a Greater Israel that stretches from the Mediterranean Sea to the River Jordan), plans to relinquish very much land at all: 250,000 Israelis already live on the West Bank.

Eretz Yisroel will be free, from the river to the sea . . .

Fisk bemused:

I am bemused by the name of Israel's latest military operation against Hamas (and the usual cull of toddlers) in Gaza.

Andrew Sullivan wonders:

How does just war theory defend the deaths of many innocent civilians as a means to increase "deterrent strength"? But notice also the modesty of Israel's apparent war-aims: a more stable security situation for residents of Southern Israel over the long term. They're not optimistic about ending those rocket attacks, are they?

What does he think deterrence and security refer to if the threat is from the rockets?

Asharq Alawsat: Shabbos, Shabbos!

Israel has no respect for treaties or charters or conventions or even religions, and in this latest massacre they did not even respect the sanctity of the Jewish holy day of Saturday [Operation Cast Lead; Gaza Attack began on Saturday].

Right, Hussein Shobokshi cares deeply about the sanctity of Shabbos.

Cole: The Accent Gap:

CNN US did a telephone interview with Mustafa Barghouti, who complained that CNN's coverage was all from the Israeli side. He insisted that Hamas had been ready to negotiate a cease-fire and pointed out that Hamas had killed no one during the truce since June and before the Israeli attack. Barghouti has a pretty thick accent and I don't know how well he is understood by US audiences. Why is it that Israeli interviewees all have American accents but no similar Palestinian observers can be found?

Close ties between the Big and Little Satans?

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Hamas put civilians on the roofs of targeted buildings

The excellent Mere Rhetoric noticed this. From Ha'aretz:

The IDF believes that about two thirds of Hamas' underground rocket launch sites in the northern Gaza Strip were destroyed in the first round of Air Force sorties, on Saturday.

Additional bunkers were destroyed in the days that followed, after a way was found of striking them when civilians were not in the vicinity.

The IDF has made frequent use of what is known as "knocking on the roof": Militants are warned by phone when a residential building used to store arms will be bombed, and told to vacate the premised together with their neighbors. The weapons caches are hit only after the residents leave.

Hamas has tried placing civilians on the roofs of such buildings when the phone call warning comes in. In these cases, the IDF fired antitank missiles near the building, and in a few cases the residents left.

IRIB: "9 Israeli soldiers dead as regime invades Gaza"

In Jihad Land, the news is that Hamas is winning. This claims 9 Israeli casualties, chas veshalom. Arutz Sheva, which has more credibility of course, is only reporting injuries:

Nine Zionist soldiers were killed in Gaza and several more wounded as Hamas repelled a ground invasion by the regime's army which began on Saturday night.

A statement early on Sunday from Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said that in monitoring Israeli military radio traffic, it learned that five soldiers had been killed.

It added later that the number had increased to nine with fatalities it could directly confirm. One of the dead was said to be an officer.

The Israeli army refused to comment as usual.

No Hamas member was killed in the fight.

Haams spokesman Ismail Redwan vowed that Israeli incursion into Gaza "will not be a walk in the park and Gaza will become your cemetery."

New horizons in nonsense

To be an Israel-basher is to know exactly what the Zionist entity is really up to. Norman Finkelstein enlightens the Iranian Press, discovering little-known Iranian support for the two-state solution in the process. Let's eavesdrop on their little conversation:

. . . The goals of the Israeli government it seems to me are pretty clear. Number one Israel wants to reestablish what it calls its deterrence capacity. That is a technical term that the Israelis use. It basically means to restore the fear of Israel among the Arab states in the region.

After the defeat inflicted by Hezbollah and the inability of Israel to launch an attack on Iran it was almost inevitable that they would attack Hamas, because Hamas is defying the Israeli will. According to the Israeli papers, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak was planning the attack before the last ceasefire and they were just waiting for a provocation from the Palestinians.

On November 4, the Israelis broke the ceasefire with Hamas knowing full well--and if you review the Israeli papers, they say so knowing full well that when they killed six militants in Gaza the Palestinians would retaliate and then Israel would have the pretext to invade. Therefore, the first goal was to restore the fear of Israel among Arabs by inflicting a bloodbath in Gaza.

At the end Finkelstein explores territory previously inaccessible even to Juan Cole:

Well we have to be clear that Israel's war is not with Hamas but with the international community, including Iran. Israel is defying the international community, including Iran on the two-state settlement.

And there you have it. In addition to being a martial arts expert, Finkelstein is able to conjure up Iranian support for a "two-state settlement" out of thin air. The Mullahs have hidden their true opinions from all but the most penetrating minds. For instance, "Islamic Revolution Leader's Advisor, Ali Akbar Nateq Nuri" stated last February:

The Islamic Republic of Iran has always supported the idea that all the Palestinians and immigrant Jews must return to their country of origin.

Would ordinary mortals such as you and I ever discern the support for a "two-state settlement" hidden in that statement? Surely not. What would we do without scholars?

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Required reading

I haven't been doing a great job of linking to other bloggers who are doing extensive coverage of the Gaza operation or round-ups. But if somehow you don't know yet . . .

Isreallycool and The Muqata have been live-blogging.

Jack and Meryl Yourish have done round-ups. (Update: Solomonia and Jack's Number 6)

Mere Rhetoric and EOZ have been excellent and essential, as usual.

Israel Matzav and My Right Word are two more essential Pro-Israel blogs.

Daled Amos is a great blog and a great portal to other Jewish blogs. Some of his posts (along with some of my posts, and all of Soccer Dad's own excellent posts, of course, many on the Gaza operation) can also be seen at Soccer Dad.

Update: Meryl Yourish and Jack 7.5

Chacham Golestaninejad and Moshe Rabbeinu both disapprove of Gaza op

The Iranian Press has been interesting lately. A Fars News headline proclaims: "Rabbi Calls on World Jews to Help Gazans." I wonder where he got his semichah. (That wasn't snark, I really am just wondering.)

The religious leader of the Iranian Jews, Rabbi Golestaninejad, has issued a decree calling on Jews to help Palestinians, specially those under the Israeli blitzkriegs in the Gaza Strip.

It is the duty of every "monotheistic Jew" to help these people, Golestaninejad said.

He called on his coreligionists to support Gazans with their financial, medical and food aid, FNA reported on Wednesday.

Zionists behave against the teachings of Judaism, adding that any assistance to the Zionists is considered religiously unlawful, he said.

He denounced the atrocities by the Zionist regime in the Gaza Strip, expressing hope that peace and stability will prevail in Beit-ul-Muqaddas in the near future.

In the meantime Ahmadinejad proclaimed that "Moses would punish Israel":

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip are proof that Zionists are not true followers of Moses.

In a Thursday interview in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchistan, President Ahmadinejad said Israeli echelons pretend to be the followers of Prophet Moses but have proved with their violent attacks on Gaza that they have no moral values.

"These minority of criminals and thieves are liars because they represent themselves as followers of the prophet. If Moses had been present today, he would first punish the Zionists for their conduct which is even worse than that of the Pharaoh," he said. [...]

According to IRIB, the "Zionist media" "broke the five-day silence" over Gaza. The following passage is cute:

Meanwhile, Rooney Daniel, a well known Zionist military reporter in response to a question in the Zionist regime's channel two TV station over Gaza development, said," I'm not allowed to speak about the issue, so I can not tell the truth."

His comment proved that the Zionist regime's media are lying.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Qassam 1 Journalism

Los Angeles Times columnist Rosa Brooks needs to have her familiarity with the military situation upgraded. This is just Qassam 1 journalism. She has not yet achieved Qassam 2 or Qassam 3 journalism. She'll never reach Grad or Ketushya journalism at this rate:

Hamas is weak, and its weapons -- terrorism, homemade rockets -- are the weapons of the weak. Since 2001, Hamas has fired thousands of unguided Kassam rockets at Israel, but the rockets have killed only a handful of Israelis.

In the meantime Hezbollah has made much more effective use of its rocket and missile arsenal and Hamas has been upgrading in the hopes of emulating that, er, success. None of this is the reason for what is happening now, of course, according to Rosa:

Israel has justified its bombardment of Gaza on the grounds that Hamas broke a fragile, temporary cease-fire. The Israeli government is right to consider Hamas' rocket attacks on Israeli civilians inexcusable, but the timing of the Israeli military offensive has more to do with politics than anything else.

That's just a fact, right? Another online journal features a more eloquent and persuasive Rosa than the LA Times one.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad