Jumping to Conclusions. Again.

I've read a bit about the Yasuf mosque arson. So far, I'm unimpressed by the "evidence" that Jews perpetrated the attack. Mostly because there is none. N-o-n-e. Not a grainy cell phone picture, no video, nothing:

CNN 12/11/09 - "No one knows who set ablaze and vandalized the mosque -- located in the West Bank village of Yasuf."

NYT, complete with photo op of Palestinian mama with her hands raised, says "arsonists, presumed by Palestinians and many Israelis to be Jewish extremists..."

AP "But authorities believe Jewish extremists carried out the attack in retaliation for a government-ordered slowdown in settlement construction."

Reuters just goes right ahead and assumes it was Jews. Facts? Who needs facts? These are Jews we're talking about: "The vandalism at the mosque marked a rise in violence by Jewish settlers mounting protests against a temporary freeze on construction in their enclaves, which Israel says was aimed at persuading Palestinians to resume stalled peace talks."

BBC's reporting is likewise full of conjecture, but nothing concrete. Some graffiti? I can spray paint anything I want in any language Google Translate offers ("Póg mo asal dubh!"). Palestinian eyewitnesses? Really now, no one actually believes them anymore now do they? 10,000 dead in Gaza, mass graves in Jenin, 40 dead in Houla, Lebanon...

The Arabs aren't only angry at the Jews. They're angry at everyone. Did the imam speak out against a Hamas leader? Did he speak out against Fatah? Did someone's daughter run away? Was it a Tuesday? There is no end to the reason why something like this could have happened.

As far as I'm concerned, the rabbis who did their little mea cupla shtick are an embarrassment, and if the Arabs themselves don't burn the Korans al Yahud brought to them, well then color me surprised. Vidduy is a wonderful thing. Let's save it for when we really have something to apologize for.

Metzger visited the Arab village? Wow, the Chief Rabbi of the Disengagement usually visits synagogues before they're torched.

Remind me how many chumashim were delivered when they torched the shul in California in 1999.
Remind me how many chumashim were delivered when they torched Kever Yosef in 2000.
Remind me how many chumashim were delivered when they torched the shul in Marseilles in 2002.
Remind me how many chumashim were delivered when they torched the shuls in London in 2004.
Remind me how many chumashim were delivered when they torched the shuls in Gush Katif in 2005.

One burnt mosque? Who gives a shit.

Netanyahu Doesn't Get It

"I would like you, as leaders, to sit at the steering wheel together with us. There is one item that is not on the agenda: You may demonstrate, protest and express your opinions, but it cannot be that you will not abide by decisions which have been made according to law."

Source

What the hell is this from Netanyahu now? And so what if the leaders of Yehuda and Shomron are choosing to ignore, oppose and 'not abide by' a mandate they weren't a part of issuing? Don't you think that Netanyahu should have checked with them first, before throwing them under the bus for Obama? Or even for a shot at Iran? It's called freedom. Look it up.

Does Netanyahu really expect an entire segment of a population, which still remembers the Gush Katif Sellout Debacle, to simply roll over when laws are passed that further deteriorate their quality of life? The settlers have learned from their mistakes, and promises from the government are generally viewed as total bullshit. You see, Bibi expected the protests, the screaming the yelling, but the whole "we're going to do what we want anyway" thing took him a little by surprise. Like I said, we've learned from our mistakes. There are almost a half million people. Is he going to put everyone in prison? My only wish is that I had something to build...

We all know this settlement freeze is a joke. It's been pundited (if that's a word) to death, and all but the most oblique idiot can see right through it. This is all about garnering support from the US in the UN when Israel bombs Iran back to the stone age. But this governing style where everyone gets to knock around the settlers is just gonna hafta stop.

"Liberty consists less in doing one's will than in not being subject to that of another; it consists again in not submitting the will of another to our own." -Rousseau.

Read a book, Bibi.

Chancellor Merkel's Spokesman's Confusion

Chancelor Merkel's spokesman, Ulrich Wilhelm, said that his government "greatly regrets the recent decision to allow the construction of new homes in east Jerusalem." While I understand everyone's need to jump on the "settlement" bandwagon, the statement was made in reference to Gilo.

Well that simply won't do. It's one thing for the German Chancellor's office to make a statement regretting that Jews can't live where they want in Israel, it's quite another to get her geography completely wrong! So I wrote a letter to the Chancellor's office.

Madame Chancellor,

With all due respect, as someone who I admire as a stateswoman, it grieves me to learn that your government "greatly regrets the recent decision to allow the construction of new homes in east Jerusalem" referring specifically to the Gilo neighborhood. It must be terribly embarrassing to learn that Gilo is not anywhere near the area commonly referred to as "East Jerusalem" or more accurately, the area of Jerusalem under Jordanian control from 1948-1967.

The neighborhood of Gilo is located at the extreme southern end of Jerusalem. Gilo is part of the contiguous municipality of the City of Jerusalem. It is analogous to confusing Lichtenrade with Kaulsdorf.

Gilo is also the neighborhood that came under sniper fire from Palestinian terrorists in an adjacent village in December 2000 (http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2000/12/Pictures%20from%20Gilo-%20Community%20under%20Siege%20-%20Decemb)

I hope you can correct this faux pas in a statement in the near future.

Not my most eloquent work, but passable. Do I expect a mea culpa? Why yes, I do.

To contact the chancellor's office:
http://www.bundeskanzlerin.de/Webs/BK/En/Service/Contact/contact.html

Goldstone: Judge For Hire

Seriously, now. Can this get any more ridiculous?

Former South African Judge Richard Goldstone, who censured Israel for alleged war crimes while fighting Hamas terrorists, once kept a 13-year-old in jail for protesting against his country’s Apartheid policy, according to investigative journalist Ashley Rindsberg.

Source.

I guess they picked him because he's a professional hatchet man. The fact that he's a Jew was only icing on the cake when the UN picked their man.

This just proves that the Cast Lead "inquiry" was stacked against Israel from beginning to end. Israel was right not to participate in this stupid nonsense.

The next move would be for Israel to "examine closely the benefit of continued membership in the United Nations." That'll make people sit up and take notice.

UPDATED: Susan G. Komen Conference in Egypt. Jews Need Not ApplyOh OK, Jews can come...

UPDATED

Statement from Nancy Goodman Brinker, Founder, Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Breast cancer advocates from the United States and across the Middle East are meeting in Egypt from October 21-27 for breast cancer awareness events. There have been reports that some of the invited participants would not be allowed to attend these events. Susan G. Komen for the Cure has now received confirmation that all advocates, regardless of their country of origin, are invited to fully participate in events to bring breast cancer to the forefront of public discussion in the Middle East.

After we received the initial report on the situation, we launched a diplomatic effort to ensure they would be able to participate. I am pleased to report that our efforts led to confirmation that all advocates would be welcome to participate in the events.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure remains steadfast in our mission to save lives and end breast cancer forever.

Well played, Susan G. Komen Foundation! But will they be serving Arafat Corn Chips?


ORIGINAL:

A United States-based organization's conference on breast cancer awareness, to be hosted in Egypt, has been touted by international news networks as an example of “unprecedented cooperation” in the region. However, according to Channel 2 news, the celebration of unity may be premature, as Israeli doctors were told at the last minute that their invitations to participate had been rescinded.

Source

Should we be shocked? After all, we saw the same thing this past February when Shahar Peer was denied a travel visa to Dubai. And who is the sponsor of the event? Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.

Where to begin... let's start with their response:

"Susan G. Komen for the Cure was planning to have Israeli doctors join us in the collaborative events taking place this week in Egypt, when we learned at the last minute that due to factors beyond our control, the doctors will no longer participate. As a non-profit, non-governmental organization working to end suffering from breast cancer globally, including countries throughout the Middle East, our founder and global ambassadors remain committed to their long-planned trip to Israel next week to begin planning collaborative efforts in a country that has demonstrated great need."

Due to factors beyond your control? Are you joking? You are the largest breast cancer awareness group in the world. How about threaten to move the conference in its entirety to Israel so the doctors could participate? How about actually doing it? How about condemning it rather than wringing your hands and saying, "there's nothing we could do." How about making sure this crap couldn't happen in the first place?

They're coming to Israel next week? Is that some sort of consolation? Exactly what is that supposed to convey? You were coming here anyway so it's okay if the country you choose to host the conference in politicizes the event in your name?

We all know what's going to happen here. Nothing. Israel will continue to rake in real Nobel prizes, continue to push back the frontiers of medicine, continue to take the moral high road in everything they do while the Arabs continue to chip away at Israel in small, insignificant but demeaning ways. It is the organizations like Susan G. Komen for the Cure® that have to decide who they want to associate with, and be associated with. As far as I'm concerned, Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, in refusing to take any action has demonstrated their willingness to allow their cause to become politicized, and by doing so they have abrogated themselves as a true non-profit non-governmental agency.

In other words, they're as bad as the Egyptians.

Assaf Ramon, Yeshiva Boys and Yesha

It's fun and easy to trash the religious settlers in Israel as crazy, lawbreaking, anti-government anarchists. Think about this the next time you want to condemn them for their behavior:

When they heard the explosion of the plane, only about 1.2 kilometers away, they ran out to see what had happened, taking cameras with them. They filmed the plane burning, the arrival of the emergency crews, and the hubbub around the incident.

Somehow, word of the pictures got out, and more than one news agency contacted the boys and offered to pay thousands of shekels for the exclusive footage. When the boys realized that an Air Force pilot had been killed, they consulted with their Rosh Yeshiva (rabbinical dean), Rabbi Amichai Chazan. He explained to them the importance of behaving ethically in such a situation.

The boys understood his message, and refused to sell. "I don't want to profit from this type of situation in which a soldier dies," said one student, Nehorai Hadad.

Source

And just to be clear, the yeshiva is located in Maale Hever, south of in Yehuda. Had this been over "Palestine," you can be sure the flaming wreckage - as well as Arabs dancing and handing out candies - would have been all over the media, with two-bit terrorist groups vying for credit on who "shot down" the plane.

All too often the news from Israel is full of tragic events. The story of Assaf Ramon reminds us that we don't need the Arabs to generate our tragedy for us. May his family be comforted among the mourners of Tzion.

BREAKING: Paypal "Dissociating" from NPOs and Religious Institutions in Israel

I just received this email notification from a client. After thirty minutes of phone tree runaround, I've come to the unmistakable conclusion there is a little 'divestment' going on:

We appreciate your interest in PayPal. However, PayPal has made the business decision to dissociate ourselves as a payment processor for transactions involving Politicians, Political Organizations, Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs), Religious Institutions, etc. in Israel.

This is not a decision we make lightly, and we deeply regret any inconvenience or frustration this matter may cause you. Please understand that this decision is final.

If you have questions, you may contact us at apacdd@paypal.com.

Sincerely,
Belena
PayPal Compliance Department
PayPal, an eBay Company

I am expecting a followup email from PayPal, but I'm not holding my breath. I don't really expect them to come out and say it, but the unmistakable reek of anti-Semitism is coming from this whole mess.

Caught on Film: Jews in "East" Jerusalem

Blogger Ben Atlas uncovers some inconvenient truths at the Life Magazine archives. Namely, that Jews lived in Israel before 1948 in the Old City of Jerusalem. And they were forced out. Jews? In "East" Jerusalem? Before 1967? Say it ain't so!

I've previewed three fascinating photos for you. The first is the exodus of Jews from the Old City through Shaar Tzion, a gate I have the privilege of walking through every time I visit the Old City. The second and third are photos that caught him by surprise: they are of the same street before and after the Arabs/Jordanians/Palestinians (whatever you want to call them; it makes no difference) destroyed it. His entire two-part series begins here.

The photos of the determined Haganah soldiers, proud and idealistic, makes me wonder where that attitude went. Why is it that sixty one years later Jews can be pushed around anymore - especially in our own country by our own leaders - is beyond comprehension.

Tibi Tells the Truth

(IsraelNN.com) Arab MK Ahmed Tibi said Tuesday at the Fatah conference in Beit Lehem that Israeli Arabs are part of the Palestinian nation and called on Israel to dismantle communities in Judea and Samaria.

“We are part of the Palestinian nation,” he said. “We are the original residents here and we will never leave. We own the land and we are not guests. There can be no peace with the settlements or the settlers.”

Source.

Rabbi Meir Kahane said exactly the same thing twenty years ago in They Must Go. And Tibi's right; the only difference between an Israeli Arab and a "Palestinian" Arab is what side of the armistice line they were on in 1949. Culturally they're the same. Just as they're culturally the same as 70% of the country of Jordan.

The "original" residents were the seven Cannani nations. They're long gone.

As far as not having peace with settlements or settlers, that's fine too. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Leftist Litter-ature

'Occupation will destroy Third Temple'

Notice posted around Jerusalem by Peace Now on eve of annual day of mourning destruction of First, Second Temple says continuation of settlement construction will lead to end of Zionist enterprise.

Source

The irony, and the punchline is that true Zionist settlers don't consider modern Zionism, the current State of Israel to be the "Third Temple." What is being mangled here is a quote attributed to Moshe Dayan during the darkest days of the Yom Kippur War. He said, "This is the end of the Third Temple."

What we have today isn't perfect. But that's why G-d invented Tikkun Olam.

Throw Congressman Ackerman under the bus

Why is it so difficult for Jews to be Jewish? Congressman Ackerman illustrates in this simpering monologue where he can't find the reason why we all can't just get along.

My response to the honorable congressman:

I read with no small amount of disgust your comments equivocating Jewish citizens of Israel with terrorist thugs. Your comments came at a particularly bad time, as the Israeli people have decidedly shifted to the right politically. It only underscores the complete disconnect between Jews in America and the Land of their forefathers.

Though I detest the appellation, for illustrative purposes I am what you would call a settler. I live twenty minutes south of Jerusalem on a "hilltop" called Neve Daniel. As the highest vantage point in the region between Chevron and Yerushalayim, it is very likely that Avraham stood on this very hill when he "saw the place [where he would offer Isaac as a sacrifice] from afar." One might like to believe that I displaced a poor Arab family from their ancient homestead and stole their orange groves with my own hands, but the truth is this was a barren hilltop throughout the Jordanian Occupation from 1949-1967.

I don't know the last time you were at a Jewish wedding, but when we recite the blessings under the chuppah, the last bracha recited for thousands of years states, "May there soon be heard, Lord our G-d, in the cities of Judea and in the streets of Jerusalem, the sound of joy and the sound of celebration." Chevron, Neve Daniel and others are those cities in Judea that we hope to repopulate when we bless our family and friends at a wedding. Who do you think you are to question that enterprise? Bear in mind that there are tens of thousands of us here, many more than were sacrificed in Gush Katif, the next time you hear that bracha.

You made the statement, "I don’t know what to do about that. I don’t know how you make peace with half of a want-to-be country. I don’t know how you sign an agreement with an entity whose legal, political and administrative bona fides are all in question." Why are these questions so hard for a Jew to answer? I can't even see why these questions are hard for a human to answer! You don't make peace with an implacable enemy. You defeat them. Utterly. Without pause, without question. They want to destroy the Jewish State. They make no moral equivalences, neither should we.

It's an embarrassment to see that even our vaunted Jewish congressman sees fit to throw his lot in with those who would deny Jews a Jewish homeland. That you said you weren't trying to draw a moral equivalence only makes your comments all the more repugnant. Did you sell out to show party loyalty? I hope it was worth it.

Since this letter has no fawning approbations of your nauseating comments, I expect no reply.

A proud Jew, Settler, and Republican,

Write to him at Write Your Representative and use 11361 as your zip code.

Without Access to Gaza, CNN's Reporting was Almost Fair

CNN brings us this little gem of an article:

Among the more unbelievable propaganda,

Louay Shabana, head of the agency, said more than 22,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Shabana put the economic destruction at more than $1.9 billion.

Twenty-two thousand buildings. Thousand. Israel killed 1,300 people, wounded 5,400 more, but damaged or destroyed almost three times that number of buildings. Talk about disproportionate. It seems Louay has a disproportionate sense of what 'damage' means. Or thousand, for that matter.

Gaza's gross domestic product was slashed by 85 percent during the 22 days of war, and it could take a year for the economy to recover, the agency said in a preliminary report.

I'm astounded by his fauxtistics and would be delighted to know where he gets his numbers from. Last I checked, GDP statistics included the West Bank, which considering Israel hasn't cut them off is, you know, the productive side of the PA. So estimates like this would be little more than, you know, made up.

85% over 19 days (three weekend days. No one works on Friday) means a total loss of PA GDP of $45.6M, including the West Bank. Probably means for the whole period of the operation they lost less than a million dollars.

Also like the "preliminary report" dodge. We learned in project management class that initial estimates can vary as much as 400% in either direction. Once you establish facts, then let me know what the losses are.

About 80 percent of crops in Gaza were destroyed, according to the agency.

First of all, we all know that Hamas was taking it to the streets. Hiding in UN facilities, hiding in schools, hiding in mosques. So now Israel was bombing farms as well? Where do they get that 80% of crops, in January were destroyed? Can we please make up one story and stick to it?

Now here's the funny part. Agriculture accounts for only 8% of Gaza's GDP anyway, so 20% of 8% of $5B (as if) is $80M. How pathetic. Gush Katif produced, annually, in excess of $120M every year in tax revenues. Gaza, which is now Judenrein, with 50 times the land available to them for agriculture, produce less than what the Jews were able to produce in their little shtetls?

Ging, UNRWA's Gaza director of operations, said the bill could reach "billions of dollars."

Get out your checkbooks for the poor poor Palestinians! The world's economies are flatlining, and Ging The Merciless demands tribute to his empire!

Streets in some northern Gaza towns were flooded with sewage, and about 50 U.N. facilities were damaged, he said.

Again, what constitutes a "U.N. facility" is only limited by the imagination of the speaker. Or reader. I bet you didn't realize that means there is a UN "facility" for every 7.2 square kilometer in Gaza. Talk about a welfare state...

CNN, which provided a more accurate and balanced picture of the war when they weren't allowed into Gaza, is slowly slipping back to becoming a propaganda mouthpiece for the Palestinians, with irrational statistics and outright fabrications pouring forth like sewage in the streets.


My source.

All Options Exhausted

What else does Israel have to do? It offered land, shipped guns, signed accords, showed restraint, Disengaged, left Lebanon, sent money, sent aid, shipped fuel, supplied energy, supplied water... between 1994 and 2006 what didn't Israel try? They offered every possible incentive, crossed every conceivable line and broke taboo after taboo to try and get these people to stop.fucking.killing.us.

Killing Israelis is Hamas' raison d'être. This is who they are. Their charter is not the basis for a constitution, it's a manifesto for an ideology. We laugh that they don't call us Israelis. It's not funny. It's a calculated negation. That's why we call the non-citizen Arabs who live in Israel Palestinians - because they said it over and over until it became "right." The classic example is that Abba Eban is misquoted. He never said, "The Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity." Rather, he didn't say Palestinian. He said "Arab."

Israel has bent over backwards time and time and time again. Every single time the answer came back, "more."

No more.

Reaching for a Pulitzer, Grasping at Straws

The New York Times, in it's last throes of journalistic relevancy, tries to provide an edgy new catch phrase that can enter the current of online sound bites. Behold, The Gaza Boomerang:

What we’re seeing in the Middle East is the Boomerang Syndrome. Arab terrorism built support for right-wing Israeli politicians, who took harsh actions against Palestinians, who responded with more terrorism, and so on. Extremists on each side sustain the other, and the excessive Israeli ground assault in Gaza is likely to create more terrorists in the long run.

So let's see. It's not the "cycle of violence" meme anymore. New for 2009, brought to you by The New York Times, it's... the Boomerang Syndrome meme. Israel is responsible for the exploitation of aboriginal Pacific Rim cultures!

I get the whole "throw it and it always returns" metaphor that Nick - can I call ya Nick? - was going for. I have also owned a boomerang in my life, and the "making it actually come back to you without causing bodily harm" part is kind of tricky. What Nick describes in his article has a straightforward, back and forth, tit-for-tat rhythm. So we really need something that has a tendency to have an equal and opposite reaction.

How about the Rubberband Syndrome, or... the Yo-Yo Syndrome. The Lumberjack Syndrome. You know, for those big saws they used. Hmm, what else comes back... The Robert Downey Jr. Syndrome. Nah, I like him. The Clinton Appointee Syndrome! The Burrito Syndrome! Eh, lacks the danger element. I've got it! The Herpes Syndrome! Perfect! It's unsightly, infectious, transmitted by promiscuous relationships, you never know when it's going to flare up, it is a colossal pain in the groin, and can never be cured.* That's the Arab-Israeli conflict.

On the other hand, now that I think about it, the boomerang as a metaphor for the Arab-Israeli Conflict might make sense, but not the way Nicky described it. Like the conflict, a boomerang is controlled by one person (unilaterally), it travels on a convoluted path (or "Road Map") and always ends up where it began. Not to mention the constant threat of bodily harm.

How about this: Thousands of children in Gaza saw firsthand what happens to terrorists that incite violence against Israel, so the Israel assault in Gaza is likely to create fewer terrorists in the long run.

Yeah, reads better. Much more rational.

We can even call it the Gaza Prophylaction.


*I had to look up the symptoms. I have no personal experience with herpes.

Response on Mondoweiss

This little gem of a leftard blog is a good example of willful ignorance.

While reading through the comments section, I came across the same old tired memes, So here's the same old tired responses. Pretty soon the Internet is just going to be one big copy/paste.

My response to the Jew haters:

It's only fair to blame Hamas for engaging in the systematic destruction of Jews, even if they're not very good at it. After all, Israel has been accused of "genocide" for killing 500 out of 1.3 million people, mostly enemy combatants. Of course in your worldview, "only" 12 dead Jews is nothing to get *this* upset about. Israel should have waited until a kindergarten was devastated and scores of Israeli babies were killed first, right? What's your threshold of dead Jews?

How about the Palestinian's responsibility to run.the.other.way when they see a rocket being launched. They know that Israel is targeting the origin of the rocket/mortar launch, they know Israel has UAVs watching everything. They know Hamas' craven desire for dead civilians to elicit media sympathy.

Maybe, they take responsibility for their own destiny by revolting against the real occupying power in Gaza. Next time a rocket launcher is set up, overpower the squad, destroy the launcher, drop the rocket down a well and beat them to death. The minute I saw *that* footage on YouTube, I'd be the loudest one screaming for a cease-fire. Until then I keep reminding myself that they voted these people into power, knowing exactly what they planned to do.

How about stop blaming Israel for acting to end the more than 6500 rockets and mortars, regardless of the death and damage they cause, simply because no one should have to live like that.

As far as that picture of Palestinian child abuse is concerned, there are two versions with the same child. Same bruise on her head, same orange jacket:
http://www.daylife.com/photo/07HqgalbyofnJ/A_Palestinian_carries_a_child_into_the_Shifa_hospital

http://www.daylife.com/photo/0eToeOx9YrgMg/A_Palestinian_father_carries_his_wounded_baby_daughter

So which one is her real father? Or did they play "pass the baby" to get more media play out it?

"We won't get fooled again..."

PS I have no expectation that this post will remain on your site for very long. Already posted this response and a link back here elsewhere.

How to Abuse A Child for Propaganda and Profit

Two photos. Somewhat graphic. A child has been injured:
http://www.daylife.com/photo/07HqgalbyofnJ/A_Palestinian_carries_a_child_into_the_Shifa_hospital
Note the bruise on the child's head, the curly hair, the orange and green jacket.

http://www.daylife.com/photo/0eToeOx9YrgMg/A_Palestinian_father_carries_his_wounded_baby_daughter
Note the bruise on the child's head, the curly hair, the orange and green jacket.

Now I know a lot has been mentioned about Israel's intentional bombing of children and other nonsense, but I defy anyone, ANYONE to justify this cynical abuse of "pass the baby for the cameras" for propaganda purposes.

Hat tip to IsraellyCool.