Giving Up Jerusalem?

From Israel National News:
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is ready to screw his people again.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will put Jerusalem on the negotiating table as he hurtles toward a “joint declaration” with the Palestinian Authority ahead of next month’s U.S.-sponsored Mideast summit. The prime minister says that a joint declaration with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas prior to the summit will lead to direct negotiations.

Yeah, just like all the other failed programs.

The Arabic Al Quds Al-Arabiya newspaper reported Monday morning that Olmert has now come to an agreement with Jordan that Arabs in eastern Jerusalem will be granted Jordanian citizenship. The plan would leave Jerusalem's Muslim holy sites under the control of the Hashemite kingdom, according to the report.

Olmert vehemently denied the report in a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office. "The idea never existed," said the statement.

Yeah, just like all the other failed programs.

This is unbelievable "leadership" coming from Olmert. Hopefully the Knesset will move forward with a no-confidence vote and get rid of this joker and his government before their enemies achieve their desire to push the Jewish people into the Mediterranean Sea.

Wasn't it only last month when North Korean-supplied nukes were confiscated from Syria during an Israeli commando raid?

Israeli commandos seized nuclear material of North Korean origin during a daring raid on a secret military site in Syria before Israel bombed it this month, according to informed sources in Washington and Jerusalem.

[...]

They confirmed that samples taken from Syria for testing had been identified as North Korean. This raised fears that Syria might have joined North Korea and Iran in seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.

[...]

Evidence that North Korean personnel were at the site is said to have been shared with President George W Bush over the summer. A senior American source said the administration sought proof of nuclear-related activities before giving the attack its blessing.

Diplomats in North Korea and China believe a number of North Koreans were killed in the strike, based on reports reaching Asian governments about conversations between Chinese and North Korean officials.

Jimmy Carter vs. Jews

On this Yom Kippur, I thought it was appropriate to focus on Jimmy Carter's support of terrorism and dislike of the Jewish people.

Jimmy Carter's War Against The Jews

Warning - there are some graphic photos of carnage in the aftermath of terrorists attacks.

(h/t TFS Magnum)

This Gives a New Meaning to "Crossing Over Jordan"

Out of Israel:

The lower portion of the Jordan River is so polluted that the World Monuments Fund (WMF) has designated it an Endangered Cultural Heritage Site. The WMF, the leading international body for the protection of monuments, placed the revered river on its watch list of 100 endangered sites in June.

About 90 percent of the river's natural water flow has been diverted by Israel, Jordan, and Syria for domestic and agricultural use, with sewage flowing in its place, according to Friends of the Earth Middle East, an environmental organization with offices in Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority.

The upper Jordan, which is formed from three tributaries originating in Lebanon, the Golan Heights, and Israel, is considered clean and flows into the Sea of Galilee. Israel's large baptism center is located in this region.

Jihad Bee

I thought nothing could get worse than the so-called childrens' programming I see when I flip past the Cartoon Network. I was wrong.

Out of Israel:

The latest character on the children’s show Tomorrow’s Pioneers on Hamas’s Al-Aqsa television station is Nahool the Bee, who encourages young children to follow “[the path] of Jihad” and to become “Jihad warriors” in order to “liberate Al-Aqsa from the filth of the criminal Jews.”

In the latest episode, Nahool the Bee repeatedly reminds the children that the Jews are guilty of murder – particularly of murdering children and the elderly.

Below are excerpts from the latest episode:

Nahool: “You and we will liberate the sad Al-Aqsa that is waiting for us. Yes, we will liberate Al-Aqsa from the filth of the criminal Jews, who killed my grandfather, and killed Farfur, and history will bear witness to that…”

A young caller, Sabah, is asked what she wants to be when she grows up.

Sabah: “Journalist.”
Saraa', girl in studio: “Wow, journalist! Nahool, we need journalists.”
Nahool: "Why? So that… so that they will photograph the Jews when they are killing Farfur and the little children?
Saraa’: “Yes, Nahool.”
Another young caller says: “We will go on [the path] of Jihad when we grow up.”
Nahool: “Yes, we are all Jihad warriors.
Saraa’: “Allah willing.”

[Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), July 20, 2007]

[...]

Nahool the Bee is only the latest cartoon character like manifestation to appear on Hamas TV. Prior to Nahool’s appearance, Arab children received anti-Israel indoctrination from Farfur, a character very much resembling Disney’s Mickey Mouse. The New York Daily News dubbed the character “Terror Mouse,” while Walt Disney’s daughter Diane described it as “pure evil.”

In Farfur’s final appearance on Tomorrow’s Pioneers, he was beaten to death at the hands of an Israeli interrogator, thus becoming a Shahid - a martyr for Allah - and a role model to countless Arab children.

Another War Against Israel?

From Arutz Sheva:

A Qatari newspaper, Al Watan, reported Friday that Syria is making concrete preparations for war with Israel, saying that the Syrian government has removed the Government and State Archives from the Damascus area. According to the paper, this move indicates preparations for war.

Syrian parliament member Muhammad Habash confirmed on Al-Jazeera Arabic world news satellite TV last week that Syria is indeed engaged in active preparations for a war with Israel. The conflict, said the Syrian MP, is expected to break out during the summer months.


Officials close to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reported Sunday that their efforts to begin negotiations with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad have gone unanswered. They also said that Mr. Assad’s failure to reply signaled that his claims of wanting peace were not honest and were meant to improve his own status in the international community.

Last week, the head of Mossad, Israel’s international intelligence agency, Meir Dagan, warned that Syrian President Assad was putting up a smoke screen by claiming he wants to open peace talks with the Jewish State.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi has also raised the issue numerous times. “The IDF is preparing for an escalation on both the Palestinian and the northern fronts,” he said bluntly during a speech to the IDF Officers Training School earlier in the year.

The IDF held a large-scale exercise ten days ago simulating a Syrian invasion to Israel’s north. Infantry units, tank divisions and the Air Force took part in the exercise, which took place at the Shizafon IDF installation, in the southern Negev.

Asked about the exercise by Army Radio, Defense Minister Amir Peretz said that the IDF was indeed preparing for the possibility of war with Syria, but said this does not mean that Israel would initiate such a war. "Our preparedness is not an indication of any decision by either us or Syria to go to war - these are purely defensive measures," he said.

Herod the Great's Tomb Found

Maybe it isn't as exciting to the American Media as Paris Hilton's upcoming 45 days in the slammer, but archaeologists have discovered King Herod's tomb in the ruins of Herodium in modern-day Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem and north of Hebron.

A view of Herodium from the air.
Photo Copyright Arutz Sheva

Herod the Great is most famous for slaying the male babies 2 years old and under around Bethlehem. This forced Joseph, Mary, and Jesus to flee to Egypt until Herod the Great died (Matthew 2). His son, Herod Antipas, was the ruler during Jesus crucifixion (Luke 23) and resurrection. According to Acts 12, his grandson, Herod Agrippa I, killed the Apostle James (Yakov) and imprisoned Peter (Kefa) who was subsequently freed during an angelic visitation.

map copyright BBC

According to Arutz Sheva,

Herod was the Roman-appointed king of Judea from 37 to 4 BCE. He was renowned for his many monumental building projects, including the expansion of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, the palace at Masada, and the Herodium complex, 15 kilometers south of Jerusalem. The Herodium, Herod's final resting place, is among the most outstanding of his building projects. Prof. Netzer has led archaeological digs there since 1972, and the "exposure of the king's tomb here becomes the climax of this site’s research," Netzer said.

The coffin was found broken into pieces, and Prof. Netzer explained that it was likely broken some 70 years after the unpopular king's death, during the Jewish rebellion. Herod had also been known for his cruelty, killing his wife and children, among other perceived opponents.

The Herodium is famous for the well-known mountain-top structure comprising a palace, a fortress and a monument. The excavations on the slope of that mountain, where the tomb was found, began in August 2006. The expedition, on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was conducted by Prof. Netzer, together with Yaakov Kalman and Ro'i Porat.

The approach to the burial site was via a monumental flight of stairs 6.5 meters wide, leading to the hillside; the stairs were especially constructed for the funeral procession. Herod died in Jericho, but left instructions to be buried in the area known as the Herodium.

The mausoleum itself was almost totally dismantled in ancient times, but part of its well-built podium remains. Spread among the ruins are pieces of a large, unique coffin, nearly 2.5 meters (over 8 feet) made of a Jerusalemite reddish limestone, decorated by rosettes. The sarcophagus (coffin) had a triangular cover, which was decorated on its sides. Only very few similar sarcophagi are known in the country, and can be found only in elaborate tombs such as the famous one at the King’s Tomb on Salah a-Din Street in eastern Jerusalem. Although no inscriptions have been found yet at Herodium, archaeologists are hopeful that some might yet be found.

Wild Goose Chase
The search for Herod’s tomb, which began actively 30 years ago, focused until last year on Lower Herodium, which includes an area built especially for the king's funeral and burial. However, atop the Herod-era ruins was a large complex of Byzantine structures that took many years to dig out first.

Finally, Herod's Tomb Estate was dug. Though two monumental buildings and a large ritual bath (mikveh) were found, as well as a large route (350 meters long and 30 meters wide) that had been prepared for the funeral, no sign of the burial place itself was found.

The expedition then started to search for it on the slope of the hill, where it was finally found. Prof. Netzer emphasizes that there seems to be no doubt that the king's initial intention was to be buried in the estate. Herod later changed his mind, however, asking to be buried within the artificial cone which gave the hill of Herodium its current volcano-shape.

Josephus Leaves Out Detail
The main historical source of the Second Temple’s days, the historian Josephus Flavius, described the site of Herodium in detail, as well as the funeral - but left out the detail of the burial having taken place on the hillside instead of in the Tomb Estate.

A complex of tunnels from the days of Bar-Kokhba within the Herodium mount was opened to the public in the 1980's. The archaeological excavations at the site, which stopped in 1987, were renewed 10 years later and continued until 2000, and after a second break, were renewed at the end of 2005.

A Hero Amidst The Chaos

From Israel National News:

As Israel observed Holocaust Day, thousands of miles away, A Rumanian-born Holocaust survivor gave his life in another senseless murder - and apparently in an act of heroism.

Among the 32 people killed by a lone gunman at Virginia Tech Monday is 77-year-old engineering professor, Liviu Librescu, a citizen of Israel. According to eyewitness accounts, Librescu ran to the door of his classroom and blocked it with his body – preventing the gunman from entering but getting shot to death himself as a result.

Alec Calhoun, a 20-year-old student who had been in Librescu's class in room 204, told a reporter that at 9:05 a.m. the heard screams and a loud banging sound from the next-door classroom. When the students realized it was gunfire, he said, some hid behind tables, and others leapt from the classroom's windows. Calhoun himself was among the last to jump. "Before I jumped from the window, I turned around and looked at the professor, who stayed behind, maybe to block the door. He had been killed."

Librescu is survived by his wife of 42 years, Marlena, who was with him in Virginia, and sons Aryeh and Joe who are in Israel. They intend to bury him in Israel.

Asael Arad, an Israeli student who visited the widow after the tragedy, told Army Radio Tuesday that Marlena had been receiving e-mails from students who credited Prof. Librescu with saving their lives. "I lost my best friend," the widow told a reporter for NRG at her home near the Blacksburg campus. "He was a great person, who loved teaching more than anything." Marlena said someone had initially informed her that her husband was injured in the shooting. "I looked for him in the hospitals all day but I didn't find him," she said.

The Librescus are Rumanian Jews who came on aliyah (immigrated to Israel) in 1978 – after then-Prime Minister Begin interceded on their behalf with the Rumanian government, according to Marlena. The couple went on a sabbatical to the United States since 1986 and has been living there ever since.

He Ought To Be A Democrat

This guy should leave Israel and come over to the States... he'd make a great Democratic Congressperson.

In a letter to Prime Minister Olmert, MK Abbas Zakour says releasing all 150 Israeli-Arab terrorists from prison would "open a new page in Israeli-Arab relations."

The list of incarcerated terrorists whose freedom Hamas demands in return for the release of captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit is under the consideration of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Olmert has expressed his "disappointment" with the inclusion on the list of several arch-terrorists responsible for many Israeli deaths.

Also on the list are some Israeli-Arab terrorist prisoners - and Arab MK Abbas Zakour says there should be more.
"There are today nearly 150 Arab security prisoners [terrorists - ed.], men and women, residents of the State of Israel, who are imprisoned in Israeli jails, in most difficult conditions," Zakour wrote to Olmert.

Of course, Olmert might be foolish enough to do this.

Massacre Avoided

Terrorist love to kill Jews, especially on Jewish Holy Days. Israel narrowly avoided another Passover (Pesach) massacre.

From Arutz Sheva:

,,,a Hamas terrorist had successfully entered the Greater Tel Aviv area in a car laden with 100 kg. (220 lbs.) of explosives before Passover. Besides the explosives, it contained large amounts of shrapnel material, intended to maximize carnage. For reasons that are not yet known, the attack was not carried out and the terrorist drove the car back to Kalkilye, from where it had come. The car exploded in Kalkilyeh, in... a 'work accident.'

Some reports say the suicide terrorist simply "changed his mind."
The terrorist carries a blue Israeli ID card as a result of his marriage to an Arab-Israeli.

The would-be suicide terrorist was able to drive the car into Tel Aviv with the help of his Israeli ID card, which he received as a result of his marriage (or his father's, according to some versions) to an Arab-Israeli from Taibeh. The ID made it easy for him to drive past IDF roadblocks from Kalkilye – which is under Hamas/Palestinian Authority control – into the nearby Tel Aviv area. His vehicle also carried Israel license plates.

Christian-Arab Predicts World Islam Takeover - Unless...

Someone had some harsh words for the current wussy leadership in the West.

When will you Westerners realize that half-measures don't work with people who are willing to die by the thousands for Allah to achieve their goal?" This was the upshot of a recent conversation between a Holocaust survivor living in Herzliya and a Christian-Arab living in the Galilee.

"I have to tell you something which very few of you seem to comprehend. Your [Israel's] bungling war against a few thousand Hizbullah fighters which you should have crushed no matter what, considering the importance of the outcome, has created a completely new situation, not only for this area, but globally. Your inept leadership totally misunderstood the importance of winning this war.

"As a matter of fact, the whole Moslem world, not only the Arabs, simply couldn't believe that the mighty Israeli Army that defeated the combined Arab forces in six days in 1967, and almost captured Cairo and Damascus in 1973, couldn't defeat a small army of Hizbullah men. As usual the Moslems see things the way they want to see things. Most think that the present generation of Israelis have gone soft and can be defeated.

"The American bungling of the war in Iraq only added to their conviction that victory not only over Israel but also over the West is not only possible, but certain. The ramifications of these two bungling wars may bring an Islamic bloody Tsunami all over the West, not only in Israel. The sharks smell blood and these two wars gave them the green light to attack sooner than they had in mind. Your problem is that you are on the defensive and they have the option to choose the time and the places when and where to attack and there is nothing much you can do about it.

"When will you Westerners realize that half-measures don't work with people who are willing to die by the thousands for Allah to achieve their goal? In their eyes the Western World is simply an abomination on earth that has to be wiped out.

How do they suggest we stop this?

"I think there are two ways to avoid [this Armageddon]. One can be a major war which the West can win. As in World War Two, had the West attacked the Germans in 1936 the war would have lasted not more than a month with very few casualties. Their procrastination resulted in World War II with all its consequences. Eventually, the West will have to tackle the Iranians, it is better that they do it now to avert a world catastrophe later. With Iran defeated the Islamic onslaught will lose its base, and it may be the turning point in history to defeat the menace of extreme Islam. The majority of the Moslems don't want this confrontation anyway.

"[Alternatively,] all the West has to do is follow Putin's ways. He assassinates his enemies without blinking an eye. Assassinate the four or five Mullahs who run the show, Ahmadinejad and a few more Iranian fanatics, and the War can be avoided. It may be difficult to do, but not impossible. With today's hi-tech technology I am sure that new weapons against individuals are being prepared right now. I think it would be a better way of handling the matter than an all-out war against Islam."

A Modern Hero

This man is David Hatuel. He is an Israeli. And he is a modern hero in by book.



As Israel National News explains,

David Hatuel, whose wife and four daughters were murdered in a 2004 terrorist attack, welcomed a daughter to the world on Thursday. The baby girl and her mother Limor are in good health.

Hatuel’s first wife Tali and their four daughters were murdered while driving near their home in Gush Katif in an attack that shook the nation. The girls ranged in age from two to eleven years old.

Tali Hatuel was eight months pregnant with the Hatuel’s first son at the time of the attack. She and her daughters were shot at point-blank range by Islamic Jihad terrorists, who launched their attack from abandoned buildings near the Kissufim Road, which the Israeli Supreme Court had forbidden the army to remove.

After mourning his family, David Hatuel explained that he had two options: to fall and let the tragedy destroy him, or to choose life. He was subsequently evicted from his home, still filled with memories of his family, as part of the Disengagement.

Here is a man who lost his entire family - a wife, four daughters, and a baby due in less than four weeks. Then the Israeli government forcibly removed him from his home in the flawed and tragic "Disengagement" and handed his home over to the terrorists that murdered his family.

And this man chose life instead of choosing to be bitter and full of hatred.

The world needs more men like David Hatuel.

picture © Arutz Sheva (Israel International News)

World Court BS

Egypt is trying to take Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a member of the Israeli Cabinet, to the World Court on murder charges.

Why?

They claim that soldiers under his command during the 1967 Six Day War executed 250 Egyptian prisoners of war at the close of the conflict, rather than transfer them to prisons in Israel.

The controversy began with an Israeli documentary film, “The Spirit of Shaked,” which aired in Israel earlier this month. Egyptian officials claimed that the documentary proved that “Israeli hands are drenched with the blood of Egyptian prisoners.”

Yet the producer of the documentary verified that the dead fighters were armed and were killed while fighting. As the Foreign Minister explained, "It does not describe a case of a massacre of prisoners of war, but rather the death of soldiers in the heat of battle."

I guess some people think it is ok to butcher Jews. Israel should lift their middle finger and tell the World Court, and Egypt, where to go.

On the other hand, I guess I'd be upset too after such an ass-kicking. Check out the stats (from Wikipedia):

Combatants
Israel	Active: Egypt Syria Jordan Aided by: Iraq Kuwait Saudi Arabia Sudan Algeria

Strength
264,000 (incl. 50,000 regular troops); 197 combat aircraft	Egypt 150,000; Syria 75,000; Jordan 55,000; Saudi Arabia 20,000; 812 combat aircraft
Casualties
779 killed, 2,563 wounded, 15 prisoners (official casualties)	21,000 killed, 45,000 wounded, 6,000 prisoners over 400 aircraft destroyed (estimates)

Battle of the Terrorists

Remember the two Fox journalists that were kidnapped and recently released? They were released for an expensive price.

ilad Shalit, the IDF soldier kidnapped on the eve of the IDF re-entry into Gaza, was the price for the release of two Fox News reporters, Time Magazine reported Monday.

According to the report, the journalists were kidnapped as part of internal struggles between various terrorist factions in the Palestinian Authority.

So, who exactly are these struggling factions?

The never-before heard of Holy Jihad Brigades is apparently a militia headed by Zakaria Dughmush, a terror chief reportedly involved in attacks on Americans and sub-contracted by Hamas to kidnap Gilad Shalit. When Hamas took the reigns of deciding Shalit’s fate, Dughmush’s militia decided to gain leverage by kidnapping the journalists. They were released when Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh promised to allow the group to participate in deciding Shalit’s fate.

What does this mean for the "peace process" - admittedly a joke, but for some reason, interesting Americans right and left?

he fact that a second party will be issuing demands complicates the negotiations for Shalit’s release and is likely to further up the already steep-price the Olmert government is reportedly planning to pay to win.

An alternative explanation, offered by Debka File, a repository of unconfirmed intelligence reports, posits that the Holy Jihad Brigades were assigned the task of reshuffling the cards once negotiations for the release of hundreds of PA Arabs from Israeli prisons had extracted the largest amount of concessions from the Israeli government.

The kidnapping of the journalists, Debka argues, in fact provided Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh with good public relations, as the kidnapped journalists met with him and praised his actions on their behalf. This also acts to complicate Shilat's release as his kidnappers are now seen as liberators.

I don't care who you have there - the UN, the French (sacre bleu, throw down your wee-pon or we will say mean things about you), etc. Until you eliminate the source, there will be no peace.

Israeli Arab Parliment Memeber Urged Kidnapping of Israeli Soldier

An Arab member (MK) of Israel's parliment (the Knesset), acted like a Democrat recently.

Knesset Member Wasal Taha, corresponding publicly with internet surfers on the Arabic-language IslamOnline site, said he repeatedly advised PA terrorists to battle and kidnap Israeli soldiers.

Natan Sharansky Spearheads Movement To Save Temple Mount Artifacts

From One Jerusalem:

NO BULLDOZING THE TEMPLE MOUNT

Dear Friend of Jerusalem,

For a decade, Muslim religious authorities have participated in the destruction and elimination of precious Jewish and Christian artifacts on the site of Solomon's Temple, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Help us preserve the Temple Mount!

The destruction continues to this day. Thousands of tons of earth, containing archaeological evidence dating back to the period of the Temple of Solomon, were discarded. Among the 'rubble' were ancient seals from a Priestly family, inscribed pottery fragments in Ancient Hebrew, Alter screens and broken columns from a fourth century Byzantine Church.

Since the year 2000, the Muslim religious authority – the Waqf – has blocked all archaeological oversight of the Temple Mount. Instead, the Waqf is constructing Mosques on these sacred sites of Jews and Christians.

One Jerusalem recently met with renowned Israeli archaeologists and discussed the extent of the damage. The facts are astounding. We urge you to sign the following Temple Mount Petition. The petition will be presented to President George Bush and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. One Jerusalem Chairman Natan Sharansky has already gathered a great deal of media attention, when he announced the petition through major blog circuits.

Please sign this important petition (just 2-clicks!) and encourage others to do so as well.

Allen Roth
President, One Jerusalem

Sign the petition here.






photo © One Jerusalem

More on Israel

From Israel National News:

Despite hasty condemnation of Israel, IDF finds that the Arab family decimated on a Gaza beach was not hit by IDF artillery. The only other option: A Hamas mine placed there against Israel.


When seven members of one family were killed in an explosion on a Gaza beach this past Friday afternoon, the world, including many Israelis, was quick to condemn Israel. Israel's policy of firing artillery shells at generally empty areas, in response to ongoing Kassam rocket attacks at Israeli towns and kibbutzim, was immediately blamed.

Both Defense Minister Amir Peretz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz were quick to express sorrow over the incident. Though Halutz said this was not an acceptance of responsibility, that was precisely how it was understood.

"We are not accepting responsibility as long as the investigation has not been completed," Halutz said over the weekend, "and we will be happy to cooperate with the Palestinians in the investigation."

This cooperation did not materialize, however, and in fact the Arabs quickly removed all evidence from the scene - thus raising suspicions that they knew more than they wanted Israel to know.

The IDF investigation quickly ruled out the possibility of air or naval attack, and concentrated only on the option that artillery fire had been responsible. The following findings were then found over the course of the ensuing days:
* The characteristic hole, or "crater," that would have been made by an artillery shell was not found on the scene.
* The timing was off: PA sources claimed the explosion occurred at approximately 16:40 Friday afternoon. However, IDF artillery stopped firing in the vicinity at 16:51, and throughout that time and until at least 16:58, no unusual activity was noticed on the beach.
* Two or three of the wounded were treated in an Israeli hospital, and the shrapnel that wounded at least one of them was not of the type used in Israeli ammunition.

Probably most significantly of all, Israeli intelligence shows that Hamas had placed explosives and mines on the beach against Israeli naval commandos who might try to ambush terrorists using the beach to fire Kassam rockets. It was likely a Hamas-placed bomb of this type that killed the Arab family.

The seven victims included Ali Ghaliya, one of his two wives, and five of his eleven or more children. The film clip of one survivor, 12-year-old Huda, whose mother survived as well, was screened repeatedly around the world, showing her shrieking in agony as she ran among the bodies. All the news reports attributed the deaths to Israeli shelling.

Huda was quickly "adopted" by PA politicians and publicists who seized upon the tragedy for their own purposes. Within hours after seeing her family largely erased, she starred in a press conference, flanked by Palestinian Authority officials who made lengthy speeches. She was also brought to the office of PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), and Ismail Haniya, his Hamas rival and PA prime minister, visited the family home.

The findings of the IDF investigation are not yet final, and were reported last night on Channel Two television. The official report will be presented to Defense Minister Peretz tonight.

Busy Terrorists Make For A Busy Military

From Israel's Foreign Ministry:

Jerusalem, 11 June 2006

Today, over thirty rockets bombarded Israeli communities in the western Negev, wounding four Israeli civilians and causing damage to civilian infrastructure.

Seven Qassams hit the Israeli city of Sderot, in the western Negev. Several rockets landed near schools in the city, causing damage to the structures. In one of these attacks an Israeli man was severely wounded.

In separate attacks, another Israeli man was wounded by shrapnel and two women were lightly injured after a rocket landed a few meters from them. A home in Kibutz Nahal Oz suffered a direct hit by a Qassam; luckily the house was empty at the time of the attack.

In response the IDF carried out two aerial attacks, thwarting attempts to launch rockets at Israel. The first attack was carried out in the morning in the area of Beit Lahia. The IDF targeted a Hamas terror cell, which was minutes from launching rockets at Israel. Another aerial attack was carried out around noon against a vehicle carrying terrorists and rockets in Gaza City. They were en rout to launch the rockets.

The IDF would like to clarify that following the incident in the Gaza northern shore on Friday the IDF has suspended the use of artillery fire. Since the stop of artillery fire Friday afternoon over 70 rockets were launched at Israel.

The Palestinian Authority is fully responsible for any attacks emanating from the Gaza Strip. Unfortunately, it continues to take no action in order to prevent the daily attacks against Israeli civilians.

The IDF will continue to act with determination and to employ all means at its disposal to combat terrorists and their infrastructure, in order to defend the citizens of Israel.

Same Old... Stuff

The Palestinian Authority’s new foreign minister, Mahmoud Al-Zahar, is spouting off again. The leader of the extremely successful hate-group/terrorist organization/political party, Hamas, blabbed to a Chinese newspaper that:

I dream of hanging a huge map of the world on the wall at my Gaza home which does not show Israel on it.

This, right after Iranian Prime Minister Mahmoud Ahmadinejad swore he would "wipe Israel off the map."

This along with a nice new twist in suicide bombing. An Arab terrorist of Fatah's Al-Aksa Brigade, dressed up as a religious Jew. He hitched a ride from four Jewish men. Then, the terrorist hitchhiker blew himself along with the Jewish men.

In the US, we read stories like this and shake our heads and say something like, "this is too bad... why do people hate each other so much?" Then we go on watching our NASCAR or listening on our IPODs, never realizing that this is typical Islam and the US could see such attacks soon. They've happened all over the former Soviet Union. Remember the elementary school taken over last year by Muslim terrorists? The first day of school, and they go on a killing spree after a siege. Remember the bombs in the trash bins around Moscow? If it can happen there, where there is considerably less interest in religious rights, it can certainly happen in the US.

Iran , Israel

New Hamas Website - Good Stuff For Your Kids!

The Israel National News reports that Hamas has put out a new website.

The Palestinian Authority's ruling Hamas terror group has launched a web site for children, preaching the moral desirability of being a suicide terrorist via cartoons and children's stories.

The Hamas-run Al-Fateh.net glorifies shahada, martyrdom, and presents the deaths of terrorists attacking Israelis as a time of celebration

Hamas won the Palestinian Authority's parliamentary elections in January.

Israel , Palestinians , terrorism

Palestinian Authority "Endorses" Olmert

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas tacitly endorsed Ehud Olmert and his Kadima party while speaking to an Italian reporter. He is "rooting" for Kadima to win the upcoming election.

Nothing like having the PA Chair endorse your Israeli party just before the elections. Reminds me of Osama bin-Laden's tacit endorsement of John Kerry back in November 2004.

Israel , Palestinians