29-May-11: Hamas celebrates in the traditional way

Egypt opened its border crossing with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip yesterday, and the wire services have dozens of photographs of people waiting to cross over or crossing. All peaceful looking folk, like those below. Not a terrorist or weapon-toting jihadist among them.

But this, of course, is not the entire picture. The anxiety in Israel about Hamas' new open channel to fresh sources of war material is widely felt even though Israel continues to maintain an official silence, with neither the Prime Minister’s Office nor the Foreign Ministry making any formal statements on the matter.

With considerably less publicity and no pictures at all, here is what also happened on Saturday:

Rocket fired from Gaza into Israel: army   JERUSALEM (AFP 28th May 2011) — A rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel overnight without causing any casualties, Israel's military said on Saturday. "A rocket fired from Gaza landed last night in the Eshkol region and caused no injuries or damage," a military spokesman told AFP. 

No injuries or damage. As always, this was not the intention of the terrorists who fired yesterday's rocket. They never fire into Israel for fun. It's always about hoping and trying to inflict injuries and pain on the hated Jews, which is one of the reasons why they are called terrorists.

27-May-11: On boycotts and banning books - and the screaming silence of the humanitarians

Burning books in Nazi Germany, 1930's. No connection
whatsoever to the events in Scotland - none at all.

The pro-Israel blogosphere - and practically no one else from what we can see - has been agonizing over reports about a decision by the West Dunbartonshire Council, a regional Scottish local government, to ban Israeli books and other made-in-Israel goods from its realm. Other Scottish cities and local government councils are said to be planning to follow suit. The Marrickville Council in suburban Sydney, Australia, went through the same sort of process but gave it up last month when the price to be paid by its rate-payers for such selective ideological sophistry finally sank in. The Scots, we're confident,  are made of sterner stuff.

Going beyond the boycott itself, many people will find disturbing that the facts - which echo the Nazi book-burnings of eight decades ago - are barely reported in mainstream news channels. And as for a civil response, there is almost total silence on the part of the 'humanitarians' and the 'human rights activists'. Street marches? Outraged protests? The defence of free speech? Hah. Look elsewhere.

Burning hated non-Islamic books in Pakistan, 2000s.
Not connected to the Scottish action; not even remotely similar

The boycott decisions are also strangely selective and unbalanced. Why throw out Israeli books (which is where the West Dunbarton campaign is focused) and not throw out Israeli computer chips or medicines or drip irrigation devices or disks-on-key or software or any of the long list of Israeli innovations that are indispensable in modern society? For aspiring haters of Israel with a thirst for ideological consistency, here is one of many on-line guides to removing everything Israeli from your narrow and ever-darker lives. Warning: it's a long list.

For the rest of us, the councillors of West Dunbartonshire probably see themselves as lovers of truth and justice and we need to help them find their way. They are exposed to a rich diet of Israel-hating polemics from freedom-loving local activists: an illuminating piece headlined "West Dunbartonshire Council stands firm against demented Zionist hysteria" is representative of the genre. Though Glasgow is notoriously the home of Deep Fried Mars Bars and a balanced diet of anything may be aiming too high, we think they need to hear from us.

Otherwise how else will they know how anti-humanitarian, how anti-liberal, how anti-intellectual, how anti-freedom the banning and boycotting of books or anything else is? And how else will they get to hear about a fine piece of writing by the Italian journalist (not Jewish, not Israeli, certainly not Scottish) Giulio Meotti, called "The Scottish disgrace: Abominable Scottish decision to ban Israeli books reminiscent of Shoah era".

Please join us in informing the people on the list below of what a giant step into the dark they have taken for themselves and those they were elected to represent.

Denis.Agnew@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
George.Black@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
James.Bollan@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Jim.Brown@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Geoffrey.Calvert@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Gail.Casey@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
jim.finn@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
william.hendrie@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Douglas.McAllister@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
david.mcbride@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Ronnie.McColl@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
jonathan.mccoll@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Jim.McElhill@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Patrick.McGlinchey@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Craig.McLaughlin@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
William.McLaughlin@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Marie.McNair@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
John.Millar@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
lawrence.oneill@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Iain.Robertson@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Martin.Rooney@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
May.Smillie@west-dunbarton.gov.uk

Finally, just so that everyone is clear on where we stand when it comes to boycotts... the subject has a long and well documented history. Let no one on the BDS side say they don't know what that heritage is or where it leads.

"Kauft nicht bei Juden". BDS in the 1930s - boycotting, divesting and sanctioning
the businesses and property of a hated minority. Germany's Nazis showed the way.
This of course has no relevance to the Scottish decision to boycott, divest
and sanction Israeli businesses, property and cultural creations.  

27-May-11: Question to flotilla heroes: Do you know where Rafah is?

Crowds waiting at Rafah Crossing

The Post-Mubarak Egyptian government is going to open its border with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, starting tomorrow. A syndicated Associated Press report this morning says 

Israeli and American officials said yesterday they were pressing Egypt to ensure that the opening of its border with Gaza does not enable the Hamas militant group to move weapons and militants into the Palestinian territory. The diplomatic efforts were underway after Egypt announced it was permanently opening its Rafah border crossing with Gaza... Israel and Egypt have maintained a blockade of Gaza since Hamas violently seized power four years ago. But since President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt was toppled in February, the country’s caretaker government has distanced itself from Israel and moved closer to the Palestinians. Israeli defense officials said that since the upheaval of Mubarak’s ouster, Egypt has all but halted its efforts to stop weapons smuggling through tunnels along the Gaza border. They fear that the expanded crossings at Rafah will make it even easier to get arms and fighters into the Hamas-controlled territory. Israel has long insisted on careful monitoring of people and goods entering Gaza for security reasons.

The crossing itself:
re-opening after four years

So - does the open border mean the 'humanitarian' heroes and 'activists' from Malaysia, Switzerland,France, New Zealand and  'forty other countries', making their way to rescue the struggling, starving Gazans are going to discontinue their 'humanitarian' efforts to sail their flotilla vessels through Israel's protective blockade? 


Yes, if it's about humanitarian rescue since Gaza's border will be open on the Egyptian side from Saturday. And no, if the real purpose of their flotilla is to cause damage to Israel and actually has little or nothing to do with humanitarian concerns. 


Either way, we wish them happy shopping [25-May-11: Gaza is a disaster etc. Just don't ignore the bargains].

26-May-11: "Lebanon's terrorist forces have more missiles than most sovereign states"

Just a few weeks before he leaves office, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates delivered a punchy speech on Tuesday to the American Enterprise Institute. Speaking of the need to ensure appropriate budgets, he said keeping quiet would be "managerial cowardice."

"Our record of predicting where we will use military force since Vietnam is perfect - we have never once gotten it right... There isn't a single instance... where we knew and planned for such a conflict six months in advance." [The examples offered by Mr Gates: Grenada, Panama, the first Gulf War, the Balkans, Haiti... "You can just keep going through the list."] Gates pointed to the Mideast radical group Hezbollah, armed with more missiles and rockets than most states, possibly armed with chemical or biological warheads. Hezbollah cruise missiles could threaten U.S. ships with anti-ship missiles with a range of 65 miles. [Source: CNN]

Two months ago, an Israeli security official provided the Washington Post with a map detailing the phenomenal war preparations completed by Hezbollah's terrorist forces and fully in place: 550 bunkers, 300 surveillance sites; 100 additional offensive facilities - all owned and operated by Hezbollah under the noses of the sovereign government of thoroughly-impotent Lebanon and of the United Nations peace-keeping forces in the area. Most of the sites marked on the map are located in the southern part of Lebanon, next to Israel's border and south of the Litani River. Israeli intelligence, expressing a view that Mr Gates seems to be echoing, says the Hezbollah forces have deployed thousands of Israel-facing missiles.

In the interests of seeming to be fair, we will quote a different view:

UNIFIL has not found any evidence of Hizbullah military activity and smuggling or the presence of guerilla fighters in its area of operations in Southern Lebanon, the commander of the multinational peacekeeping force, Maj.-Gen. Alberto Asarta Cuevas [Source]

On the other hand, United Press International issued a report during the past hour quoting Israel's claims that Hezbollah has installed tens of thousands of missiles and rockets in Lebanon. Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, is quoted confirming that missiles "will remain part of the Arab equation and nobody can take them away... No one will be able to grab them, neither in Lebanon nor in the world."

Hezbullah's own website goes further today, quoting the bold and boastful Nasrallah in greater detail:

“Our missiles are not 12 thousand; your information is too old.” His eminence vowed, meanwhile, that these rockets are ready and will remain in place. “They will remain effective and will protect Lebanon. They will remain present in the equation of the region, and no one will be able to grab them, neither in Lebanon nor in the world,” his eminence pledged. Our missiles today, which Netanyahu talked about before Congress, represent our honor, our blood, our money, our dignity and our pride,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, and added that this resistance will remain faithful to its goals, to its path, to its hopes, to its sufferings and to the blood of its martyrs."

Israel, unlike the United States, cannot tolerate the risk of having "never once got it right" when it comes to preparing for attacks by the religiously-inspired jihadist zealots on our country's borders. Making an error of judgement about a terrorist enemy with so much death and malice on its mind would be unthinkable.

25-May-11: Gaza is a disaster etc. Just don't ignore the bargains.

Gaza's first shopping mall opens its doors: July 2010 [Source]

Memo to the 'humanitarian' heroes and 'activists' from Malaysia, Switzerland, France, New Zealand and  'forty other countries', making their way to rescue the struggling, starving Gazans. Hurry up, guys. The opening specials may all be gone before you reach Gaza's shores.

We have little desire to interfere with the self-delusion of those who view the events unfolding day after day in Gaza as a humanitarian catastrophe. Maybe it is, maybe it's not. We simply point out that the picture is not black and white. And the reportage that sustains the 'catastrophe' narrative is strikingly irresponsible, to understate the case.

By contrast, here are some facts. The largest-ever Palestinian Arab shopping mall is going to open its doors in mid-June. We're speaking of the Al-Hayat Tureed shopping center located in the Gaza Strip. It's the second multi-level mall to open in Gaza in the past year. A simpler version, including a supermarket, international-grade clothing stores, a food court, beauty supplies, fast food restaurant and children's playground opened its doors in July 2010. That initiative evidently tapped into a ready market, because the second Gazan mall will be considerably larger and fancier.

Ehab al-Issawi, senior manager in charge of development, is quoted by the Jerusalem Post's Khaled Abu Toameh as saying the triple-level complex covering some 3,000 square meters on Haidar Abdel Shafi Square is just about ready to go. Construction began in August 2010, a month after the first mall. Investors clearly believe that first commercial success is capable of being reproduced.

Yes, we know about the endless reports of a "desperate" shortage of building materials because of those rascally Israelis. (Did anyone expect any news to emanate from Gaza without there being some catastrophic central problem caused entirely by the Zionists?)

But not really. Construction has gone off without any delays. From experience, no similar sized project in Israel could ever be completed in anything close to the time this one has taken.

What's on offer? First floor: "A huge supermarket" with departments offering food, household items  and stationery. Floor 2: An array of clothing and gift stores. Third floor: the food hall including a restaurant and a coffee shop, plus cinema and entertainment facilities for the children. Not so shabby.

20-May-11: Rewarding the Palestinian Arab terrorists: is this being done in your name?

Abdullah Barghouti built and delivered the guitar-case bomb that killed our daughter and fourteen other innocents. He was sentenced to 67 life terms. The Palestinian leadership has now determined that he and his family will receive a monthly stipend. The symbolism is powerful. And sickening. 

According to yesterday's Palestinian Media Watch report by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik:

A law published in the official Palestinian Authority Registry last month grants all Palestinians and Israeli Arabs imprisoned in Israel for terror crimes a monthly salary from the PA. Although the EU, U.S. and other donors are not intentionally funding salaries for terrorists, their funding of other PA salaries and the general budget makes money available to pay terrorist salaries. [Source: "PA to Pay Salaries to All Terrorists in Israeli Prisons"]

We checked - the imprisoned terrorists who carried out the bombing of the Sbarro restaurant in central Jerusalem on 9th August 2001, the massacre that cost the life of our daughter Malki, 15, and many other innocents, are included on the payroll [JPost]. (In case you don't know, we honor Malki's memory through the work of the Malki Foundation - please visit www.kerenmalki.org to get a sense of what we do.)

Who funds the PA? Who provides the PA's insiders with the means to channel money at the terrorists and their families? The colossally wealthy Arab oil states? No. Malaysia? No.

"The majority of aid to the Palestinian Authority comes from the United States and European Union. According to figures released by the PA, only 22 percent of the $530,000,000 received since the beginning of 2010 came from Arab donors. The remainder came from Western donors and organizations. The total amount of foreign aid received directly by the PA was $1.4 billion in 2009 and $1.8 billion in 2008. [Source]"

There is a powerful symbolism at work here. The PA is chronically short of funds, and is perpetually requesting handouts. Yet it has sufficient disposable cash to make the decision this week to channel funds to the terrorists sitting in Israeli prisons. Evidently Mahmoud Abbas and his cohorts have a sound understanding of the message they want to convey to their people, and how best to deliver it.

It's humiliating that we, victims of these convicted jihadist terrorists, parents of murdered children, have to raise our voices about this - and evidently we are alone in doing so. Where are the European, American and Australian voices of outrage at what is being done with taxpayer funded aid money, and in their names?  Where is the sense of shame on the part of those who sign the aid cheques to the Palestinian Arabs? And where is the fury of those voters in Western, aid-giving countries whose political representatives allow this to go on without so much as a whimper?

19-May-11: Quotes of the day - religious leader foreshadows Hamas plans for the Jews

Theology-driven hatred: Click here for
the MEMRI-TV video clip

You might not recognize the name but Yunis Al-Astal is a highly influential religious figure in Gaza's Islamic life. His sermons are broadcast far and wide via the official Hamas television station Al-Aqsa TV. And he manages to find time to serve as a parliamentarian, representing the Khan Yunis district in the 132-delegate Palestinian Legislative Council on behalf (who else?) of Hamas.

Come, let us listen together to the words of wisdom of this man of the cloth. Courtesy of a MEMRI translation, here is what the children of Hamas-controlled Gaza learned from the theological leadership of their community via a television broadcast eight days ago, on May 11, 2011:

"All the predators, all the birds of prey, all the dangerous reptiles and insects, and all the lethal bacteria are far less dangerous than the Jews... In just a few years, all the Zionists and the settlers will realize that their arrival in Palestine was for the purpose of the great massacre, by means of which Allah wants to relieve humanity of their evil... When Palestine is liberated and its people return to it, and the entire region, with the grace of Allah, will have turned into the United States of Islam, the land of Palestine will become the capital of the Islamic Caliphate, and all these countries will turn into states within the Caliphate. When this happens, any Palestinian will be able to live anywhere, because the land of Islam is the property of all Muslims. Until this happens, we must reject all the resettlement plans, naturalization, or even reparations prior to the return of the refugees." 

A little over two years ago, the same gentle soul was in the news for having expressed similarly transcendental thoughts for the religious edification of his flock (click to see a video with English subtitles, again courtesy of MEMRI).

“Very soon, Allah willing, Rome will be conquered, just like Constantinople was, as was prophesized by our Prophet Muhammad. Today, Rome is the capital of the Catholics, or the Crusader capital, which has declared its hostility to Islam…[and will become] an advanced post for the Islamic conquests, which will spread though Europe in its entirety, and then will turn to the two Americas, even Eastern Europe... Allah has chosen you for Himself and for His religion so that you will serve as the engine pulling this nation to the phase of succession, security and consolidation of power, and even to conquests through da'wa and military conquests of the capitals of the entire world."

Back in 2007, he explained how women can find fulfillment and grace by means of the practical implementation of jihad:

"The most exalted form of jihad is fighting for the sake of Allah, which means sacrificing one's soul by fighting the enemies head-on, even if it leads to martyrdom. Martyrdom means life next to Allah... When jihad becomes an individual duty, it applies to women too, because women do not differ from men when it comes to individual duties... Safiyya, the aunt of the Prophet Muhammad, used a pole to kill a Jew in the Battle of the Trench. Likewise, in the Battle of Hunayn, Umm Sulaym had a dagger, and when asked about it, she said: 'If an enemy of Allah comes near me, I shall stab him with this dagger.' History has recorded, in shining letters, the fact that Al-Khansaa sacrificed her four children at the battle of Al-Qadisiyya. She inflamed their emotions and she herself incited them to fight until they attained their martyrdom, and then she thanked Allah for honoring her with the killing of them all."

This religious fanatic can be accused of many things. But as foaming-at-the-mouth barbarians go, he is nothing if not consistent. The same needs to be said for Hamas with its relentless encouragement (April 2011 example here) of young women to commit suicide as an act of war and hatred and religious devotion.

The world has much to fear from these people and their ideas.

19-May-11: Support for terrorism is going away? Not so fast

Well-meaning friends and people we meet frequently (and more so lately) tell us they see signs that support for terrorism is drying up and going away. Given our family's tragic familiarity with e subject, it's a theme to which we pay close attention.

The unpalatable and essential truth is that while terrorism in general is losing its appeal in certain parts of the world, it remains a desired option for many, and among Palestinian Arabs, it attracts support in the astronomical range.

"In recent years, Pew Global Attitudes surveys have documented a decline in support for suicide bombing in a number of countries, and today the percentage of Muslims who say this type of violence is often or sometimes justifiable stands at 10% or less in Indonesia, Turkey and Pakistan. Support for these acts is somewhat more common in Arab nations, although there have been steep declines over the last decade in Lebanon and Jordan. Palestinian Muslims, however, remain an outlier on this question: 68% say suicide attacks in defense of Islam can often or sometimes be justified, a level of support essentially unchanged from 2007. And in Egypt, support for suicide bombing is actually on the rise -- currently, 28% believe it can be justified, up from 8% in 2007."

Several additional key datapoints from the Pew Global Attitudes Project report of 17th May 2011, based on surveys of Moslems between March 21 and April 26:

• The Hamas terrorists who control the Gaza Strip are viewed more favorably in Egypt (45%) and (47%) than they are in the areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority (42%).
• The Hezbollah terrorist organization gets a "favorable" rating of only 5% in Turkey and 14% in Pakistan (the data were collected before Bin Laden was tracked down and killed there). Among Palestinian Arabs, they score 61%.
• In Pakistan, Jordan and Egypt, solid majorities believe laws should be based strictly on the teachings of the Quran. But (and this seems surprising), that view is held only by a minority in Turkey, Lebanon, Indonesia and among Palestinian Arabs. 

The Pew report, "Arab Spring Fails to Improve U.S. Image: Obama's Challenge in the Muslim World" (online summary here), was published just days before President Obama's speech on the events in the Middle East and North Africa, due to be delivered at the State Department later today. Pews data suggest he is doing far less well in Moslem and Arab countries than two years ago.

"With the exception of Indonesia, Obama remains unpopular in the Muslim nations polled, and most disapprove of the way he has handled calls for political change roiling the Middle East. Moreover, many of the concerns that have driven animosity toward the U.S. in recent years are still present -- a perception that the U.S. acts unilaterally, opposition to the war on terror, and fears of America as a military threat. And in countries such as Jordan, Lebanon and Pakistan, most say their own governments cooperate too much with the U.S." 

Might this affect what the president says today?  Only if you think he wants them to like him better.

17-May-11: Did you imagine things were getting better?

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez (left) with Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
during an agreement-signing ceremony, Tehran September 6, 2009 

Iran, deeply involved in funding and encouraging jihadism in the Middle East already, is establishing itself as a shooting power in the Western hemisphere, according to one of German's leading newspapers. Die Welt said on Thursday [source] the Iranians are building rocket launch bases in Venezuela.

Iran is building intermediate- range missile launch pads on the Paraguaná Peninsula, and engineers from a construction firm – Khatam al-Anbia – owned by the Revolutionary Guards visited Paraguaná in February. Amir al-Hadschisadeh, the head of the Guard’s Air Force, participated in the visit, according to the report. Die Welt cited information from “Western security insiders.” The rocket bases are to include measures to prevent air attacks on Venezuela as well as commando and control stations. The Iranian military involvement in the project extends to bunker, barracks and watch tower construction. Twenty-meter deep rocket silos are planned. The cost of the Venezuelan military project is being paid for with Iranian oil revenue. The Iranians paid in cash for the preliminary phase of the project and, the total cost is expected to amount to “dozens of millions” of dollars, Die Welt wrote. The Paraguaná Peninsula is on the coast of Venezuela and is roughly 120 kilometers from America’s main South American partner, Columbia. According to Die Welt, the clandestine agreement between Venezuela and Iran would mean the Chavez government would fire rockets at Iran’s enemies should the Islamic Republic face military strikes.

As it happens, the Iranian news website Tehran Times ran an article under the headline "Venezuela calls for closer cooperation with Iran" just two months ago:

"Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro has said that Caracas is keen to have closer cooperation with Iran in the international arena. Maduro made the remarks during a meeting with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Behrouz Kamalvandi who is currently on a tour of Latin America. The Venezuelan foreign minister also said that his country is ready to cooperate with Iran to push ahead the two countries’ common goals. Kamalvandi highlighted the role of Venezuela in the campaign against the major powers’ imperialistic policies."

Putting those outlandish assertions into context, here's what the same newspaper wrote today about where Iran stands in the community of nations:

"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is ruled by a supreme jurisprudent, is the most progressive and democratic country in the world. The Islamic Republic of Iran faces no insurmountable problem thanks to the presence of the Supreme Leader, Ahmadinejad stated during a televised interview broadcast live on Iranian television on Sunday night."

It's wrong to laugh. These are serious people, with very serious resources at their disposal, including vast stocks of weapons. They're not smiling; neither should we.

Last year, a Washington Post article entitled "Is there a Chavez terror network on America’s doorstep?" reported on an August 2010 summit meeting of jihadists hosted by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez at the Fuerte Tiuna compound in southern Caracas. Participants included Palestinian Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ramadan Abdullah Mohammad Shallah (on the FBI’s list of most-wanted terrorists); Hamas’s supreme leader Khaled Mashal; and Hezbollah’s chief of operations whose identity is a closely guarded secret.

Is the picture getting clearer?

16-May-11: 63 years on, they have their celebrations, we have ours

Israeli children celebrate the 63rd anniversary of the events of 15th May 1948 in the manner taught to them by their families and their society

Palestinian Arab children celebrate the 63rd anniversary of the events of 15th May 1948 in the manner taught to them by their families and their society

The diametrically opposed ways in which we and our neighbours mark 63 years of the events of 15th May 1948 are illuminating, especially in light of the violent events of yesterday. An editorial in the Jerusalem Post ("Repeating the Nakba mistake") from last week when Israelis joyfully celebrated Yom Ha'atzma'ut or Independence Day hits the right note:

For Arab Israelis and Palestinians, the creation of Israel was a “nakba,” a catastrophe. On Friday, Arab towns across the nation will kick off three days of Nakba commemorations with marches, conferences and rallies. Though these ceremonies take place every year, this year is different in a significant and positive way. The absurd practice by which organizations and municipalities were allowed to use state funds to pay for Nakba events has been stopped. Legislation approved by the Knesset in March, known as the “Nakba law,” empowers the state to fine those who finance their commemoration ceremonies with public money. The Nakba law will not, and was not intended to, prevent Arab Israelis or anyone else from commemorating Israel’s Independence Day in any way they wish to, as long as they do so peacefully. Rather, the legislation has put an end to the folly in which Israel underwrites activities that undermine the very foundations of Zionism by falsely presenting it as an imperialist movement that engaged during the War of Independence in ethnic cleansing and the intentional, wholesale transfer of the Arab population outside the borders of Israel. However, while it is Arab Israelis’ and Palestinians’ right to commemorate the Nakba in a way that not only incriminates Israelis for crimes they never committed but also places all the blame for failure on the Zionist movement, it is self-defeating and a major obstacle to peace for them to do so.
If Palestinians were to look clearly and objectively at their behavior around the time of Israel’s founding, they would realize that today they are repeating many of the same mistakes. “Jihadism” – or the hatred of the infidel and a desire to kill him – to a great degree underlay the Palestinian assault on Zionism through the 1920s-1940s period. The leader of the Palestinian national movement during these years, Haj Amin al-Husseini, was a rabidly anti- Semitic Muslim cleric with close ties to the Nazis.
Similarly, today, many Palestinians have chosen to embrace the most extreme form of Islamist leadership. In the West Bank-Gaza elections of 2006, Hamas trounced the ostensibly secular Fatah. And the national unity deal signed on May 7 in Cairo, which enjoys broad Palestinian support, has brought Hamas – a rabidly anti-Semitic Islamist terrorist organization that has launched dozens of suicide bombings and thousands of mortar shells and rockets against the Israeli civilian population – back to the heart of the Palestinian leadership in all its rejectionist, reactionary glory.
It was this sort of religious extremism and intransigence that exacerbated the plight of the Palestinians back in 1948. In the first weeks of the War of Independence, for instance, Jaffa mayor Yousef Heikal tried to reach a non-belligerency agreement with neighboring Jewish Tel Aviv, to allow the citrus crop to be harvested and exported. But Husseini vetoed this and called for “jihad against the Jews.” As a result, many of Jaffa’s Arabs were expelled during the ensuing war.
Another repeated Palestinian blunder over the past century has been the rejection of a two-state solution.
Offered successive compromises – in 1937, the Peel Commission partition of Palestine with a Jewish state on only 17 percent of the land; in 1947, the UN partition with the Arabs getting 45% of the land; and in 2000, Prime Minister Ehud Barak and US president Bill Clinton’s partition with Arabs getting 20%) – the Palestinians consistently said no. And each uncompromising refusal was accompanied by violence and terrorism.
IN THE 1948 War of Independence, after they had rejected the UN partition plan that would have given them a state, Palestinians launched a bloody offensive to prevent the emergence of a Jewish state. If they had won the war, the result would have been a massive slaughter of Jews just a few years after six million Jews had been massacred in the Holocaust.
The violent, unsympathetic and ungenerous Arab population of Palestine repeatedly attempted to destroy any hopes that the Jewish people would return to their homeland after nearly two millennia of exile and after suffering the worst genocide ever known to mankind.
Thankfully, they failed.
The world’s only Jewish state is now surrounded by 21 Arab nations and has shown a willingness to help establish a 22rd state, for Palestinians. Yet in large part due to their distorted view of history – the Nakba being just one example – Palestinians continue to focus on their victimization and suffering while ignoring personal responsibility for their predicament. One of the crucial psychological barriers to peace today is Arab Israelis’ and Palestinians’ stubborn insistence on ignoring their own role in creating the refugee problem and in the failure to obtain Palestinian political autonomy.
Instead of devoting so much energy to emphasizing their victimization, Arab Israelis and Palestinians would do well to learn from their mistakes. At present, they seem bent on repeating them.

16-May-11: Behind the Syrian scenes

"I will remain dutiful and faithful to my people and will walk along them
to build Syria, which we love and feel proud of." [www.presidentassad.net]

Yesterday, Catastrophe ("Nakba") Day according to Arab mythology, the world was focused on a thousand-plus Syrians bused by the Assad regime down to his country's border with Israel. Lenny Ben David writes in a JPost article today (see below) that "No gathering of more than five people is tolerated in Syria, not to mention the busing of hundreds across a country under martial law." And Ron Ben-Yishai writing on the Ynet site says that in his experience "You cannot go near the Syrian side of the border without Damascus' written permission. The presence of dozens of buses, shuttling Palestinians... suggests that Sunday's infiltration incident was premeditated."

At the border, the rent-a-crowd were "encouraged" to push forward and destroy the fence [see this amateur video]. Around noon (according to the Jerusalem Post's account), about 1,000 people on the Syrian side were right on the border fence and a few hundred then rammed it. There followed a flood into the nearby Israeli town of Majd al Shams where they taunted the handful of armed Israeli service personnel stationed there. Think of the rioters as human shields since that's evidently the role in which they were placed. Certainly the government officials (and buses they laid on since practically nothing moves in Assad's Syria without his approval) that brought them there cared not one jot for whether this was smart or safe or a life-threatening thing to do.

We know all of this because it was so relatively widely reported.  But meanwhile far from the attention of the reporters...

Army shelling kills 7 in Syrian protest town: group    At least seven Syrian civilians were killed Sunday when Syrian troops shelled the town of Tel Kelakh near the border with Lebanon to quell a pro-democracy uprising, an activists' protest group said. The town, just a few miles (km) from Lebanon's northern border, is the latest focus of an intensified crackdown by Syrian troops and tanks, sent to quell demonstrations against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. The shelling on Tel Telakh concentrated on al-Burj, Ghalioun, Souk and Mahata neighborhood, the Local Coordination Committees said in a statement, adding wounded people had little access to care because the main hospital in the town was sealed by security forces and the main road to Lebanon blocked. 

Reuters published this picture of a mob crashing through the
Israel-Syria border yesterday [Source] - click to enlarge

This happened at about the same time. But for some mysterious reason, the photographers and reporters of the great metropolitan newspapers were - how to say this? - somewhere else. So there are no newsagency pictures, and no direct reportage. 

Assad's impact on his country has been considerable. AFP, quoting human rights activists in Syria, says that "up to 850 people have been killed and at least 8,000 arrested since the protests started in mid-March". They're all Syrian, by the way. As are the gunmen who fired at them. And the politicians who gave the shooting orders for the ongoing bloodbath.

Lenny Ben David, as we mentioned above, has some insights in today's Jerusalem Post about the Syrian ruler and his inner thug: "Bashar Soprano of Syria". Among other little-known or unknown aspects of the Assad-inflicted Syrian catastrophe: 38,000 Syrians killed by Assad the Father's men in Hama in 1982. Children raped and tortured in Daraa by Assad the Son's thugs in the past few weeks. And Assad Enterprises up to its eyebrows in arms trafficking, drug trafficking and of course terrorism.

"Besides running Syria’s government with an iron fist, the Assad clan and its associates control Syria’s media, army, phone companies, intelligence service, tourism services and banks. They’re also involved in smuggling, the drug trade and arms dealing in and out of the region. Lebanon, a regional financial center and smuggling hub, is important for Syria’s kleptocrats, and Syrian hegemony in Lebanon is critical for the clan’s financial success. If the Assad associates are not blood relatives or from the Alawite sect, then they’re likely connected through marriage."

It's here and worth a few minutes of your reading time.

16-May-11: On humanitarian aid, prisons and deprivation

A representative of the Hamas regime (the gentleman with the club)
exchanges views with the Gazan public, 15-May-11 [Source: AP]

There is no shortage of good reasons why living in Gaza under Hamas rule is something most of us strongly prefer to not do. The place is a nightmare of religious intolerance and tyranny, political persecution and sovereign malfeasance.

Starvation however is not one of its major problems notwithstanding that we were told the exact opposite by people who knew exactly how much they were bending the truth. In fact, many of the claims that have been made about the alleged suffering of the people living in Gaza are either wrong, or mostly wrong, or hopelessly-spun politically and therefore completely distorted. For instance, when the Islamist political elite of Gaza famously posed in the almost-dark of their parliament building [photograph here] blaming Israel for the gloom, daylight could clearly be seen shining in through the curtained windows as anyone unblinkered by  malice could see in the photos.

A year ago, Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron called Gaza "a prison camp" (while visiting Turkey, which makes sense if you understand how some politicians think). Well, it is - if you are kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. He is imprisoned in a black and unvisited hole, far from the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross or anyone else, a prime example of the illegalities and atrocities a failed, rogue state-let is capable of executing when it knows no one is going to call it to account.

Presenting Gaza as a pathetic and helpless victim is central to the myth of the aid convoys and their 'humanitarian' aid. And the latest of the 'humanitarian' ships arrived in the area this morning. An Associated Press report says:

Israel blocks Moldovan-flagged ship from Gaza  The Israeli military says it has blocked a Moldovan-flagged vessel leased by a Malaysian anti-war group from reaching the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Israel maintains a naval blockade of Gaza and restricts goods transferred overland to the Palestinian territory, citing concerns they would be used to attack Israel. The military said Monday that it ordered the ship to return to an Egyptian port where it had been anchored for several days. But it said the vessel disregarded the order, prompting it to fire warning shots into the air. The ship then changed course to return to Egypt. The Malaysian group, the Perdana Global Peace Foundation, says its ship was fired at when it tried to reach Gaza. The military denied firing at the ship. Perdana said no one was injured.

It's a major story in Malaysia at this hour. We wonder whether the 'anti-war' 'peace' activists there know that, largely thanks to the access they had for several decades to high-quality Israeli health care, life expectancy in the Gaza Strip (2010 figures) stands at 73.9 years, which is better than Malaysia's. Not that we expect the 'activists' to be so interested in statistics. Ideological fury is so much more satisfying.

We compiled some additional facts about life in Gaza that are not normally publicized and posted them in an earlier blog entry of ours [3-Jun-10: So how urgent was the need for humanitarian aid for the Gazans?] We will be surprised if you don't find at least some of them surprising. Also keep in mind that at least since June 2010, Israel has permitted practically all non-military or dual-use items to enter the Gaza Strip. Whatever.

Which brings us to a unique window in the suffering of Gaza. The video below is made in Gaza by Gazans. View it if for no other reason than it may help reveal what really stands behind the rising tide of 'aid' and 'humanitarian' vessels being prepared to sail on Gaza - and Israel.

15-May-11: More celebrating

Hat-tip to Jameel from muqata.blogspot.com for alerting us to a four-minute-long video of yesterday's Nakba-ready rock-throwing party in Silwan, a neighbourhood a few minutes' drive from where we live in Jerusalem. In the background, you hear local children shouting throughout the video "Allahu Akbar", an expression of their aspiration for peaceful relations along secular, democratic, live-and-let-live lines, as received from their parents, teachers and religious leaders.

15-May-11: Just celebrating

For us Israelis, the 63rd anniversary of the nation's independence was honoured by country-wide celebrations this past Tuesday (the anniversary according to Hebrew lunar calendar). Many of us enjoyed the day in the company of our extended families, with a traditional outdoor grill as the centerpiece. Speaking personally, it was a great day.

The Palestinian Arabs observe the same event today, Sunday 15th May. But for them, it's termed Catastrophe Day, or Nakba. And their approach to history and current affairs reflects some fundamental differences about how they see themselves, us and the relations between us.

In an unusually frank disclosure, the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram reported Friday on some preparations:

In preparation for a third intifada, which it is hoped will be ignited on Friday, 13 May tens of thousands of short messages (sms) flooded the mobile phones of Palestinians in the West Bank, urging them to take part. The messages also urged participation in similar events on Sunday, a Christian holiday. The messages were signed “Muslim Youth Association,” and the group has announced a whole program of events organized in coordination with other groups reflecting a range of views along the Palestinian political spectrum. The association listed the mosques where mass rallies are to begin, while some planned activities will remain secret until they are launched to prevent their frustration by occupation forces. The announcement suggests that most of the activity will be centered in the Al Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem, where activists can take advantage of the large number of worshippers who attend Friday prayers there. A large showing would encourage the viability of the protest movement.

Sad to say, Al-Ahram's wishes seem to have materialized and the 'celebrations' have started.

Haaretz is reporting that a truck, driven by a 22 year-old resident of the Israeli-Arab town of Kafr Kassem, plowed at high speed into a bus, several private vehicles, a motorcycle and some pedestrians at Bar Lev Street near the busy Mesubim Junction at Tel Aviv's southern entrance in the past hour. The editors at Haaretz are speculating that this is a terrorist attack which in the circumstances is not such a stretch. Ynet says the driver has been caught and arrested. One person is dead, at least four people are seriously injured.

Reuters ["Truck rampage kills one person in Tel Aviv"] carries this brief report from an eye witness as heard on Israeli radio:

"We heard terrible slamming behind us in the car -- boom, and another boom and another boom -- until it reached us, and we simply flew up in the air," a witness, identified only as Yossi, said on Army Radio. He went on and crashed into a bus. He got out and began to go crazy, throwing things at people. There was this poor innocent girl -- he struck her on the head. She just fell down, and now people are treating her. What can I tell you? A terrorist attack."

Updates as we get them.

15-May-11: Tentacles: Terrorism charges and arrests in New York City, Florida

From yesterday's New York Daily News [link]

The Wall Street Journal today describes how Justice Department officials are busy trying to gain the trust of Muslim communities around the US while guarding against possible reprisal attacks following the killing of Osama bin Laden. But it isn't going so well for them.

Saturday, six perfectly ordinary people, good neighbours all, were arrested in Florida by federal authorities and charged with being part of the Taliban terrorist organization. The six "are charged with conspiracy and providing material support to murder, maim and kidnap" and include

"two imams at mosques in Florida, have been indicted on charges that include providing support to Pakistani Taliban terror plots, federal prosecutors said Saturday. Miami U.S. Attorney Wilfredo Ferrer announced the charges following the arrests of Hafiz Muhammed Sher Ali Khan, 76-year-old imam of the Miami Mosque; his son Izhar Khan, 24 years old, an imam at Jamaat al-Mu'mineen Mosque in Margate, Fla., a nearby suburb; and another son, Irfan Khan, 37 years old. All three are U.S. citizens of Pakistani rigin and residents of south Florida. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arrested Hafiz Khan after early morning services outside his Miami mosque and Izhar Khan was arrested in the parking lot of his mosque around the same time early Saturday, said John Gillies, special agent in charge of the FBI's Miami office. Irfan Khan was arrested at a hotel in Los Angeles, he said. Also charged are Amina Khan, her son Alam Zeb, and Ali Rehman, all residents of Pakistan. They haven't been arrested. Ms. Khan is a daughter of Hafiz Khan, and Mr. Zeb a grandson." 

A law enforcement official is quoted saying:

"Despite being an imam, or spiritual leader, Hafiz Khan was by no means a man of peace. Instead, as today's charges show, he acted with others to support terrorists to further acts of murder, kidnapping and maiming."

A little further north, two so-called "lone wolves" planned to dress up as Hasidic Jews and slaughter worshipers at city synagogues after selling guns and drugs to finance the diabolical plot, in the words of police quoted in the New York Daily News. Their goal was to hit so-far-unspecified New York City  synagogues using grenades and guns.

"Details of the mission were revealed Thursday after the Queens duo - whom neighbors called knuckleheads - were charged with terrorism and hate crimes... Cops say the ringleader, Algerian-born Ahmed Ferhani, 27, who sought asylum here with his family in 1999, also fantasized about blowing up the Empire State Building and a Queens church. Ferhani enlisted a Moroccan pal, Mohamed Mamdouh, 20, in a plan to sneak into "a major synagogue in Manhattan" disguised in Orthodox-style beards and side curls to plant a bomb. "He was committed to violent jihad, and his plan became bigger and more violent with each passing week," Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. said. [According to NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg] "New York City police officers were watching them and were in position to take them into custody before they could maim and murder innocent New Yorkers"... Ferhani, a former cosmetics salesman at Saks Fifth Avenue, had discussed avenging the treatment of Muslims. "He was fed up with the way Muslims were being treated around the world," said Kelly, quoting Ferhani telling an undercover cop... Ferhani was arrested last year on charges he tied up and robbed a woman who invited him back to her room at the Park Central Hotel in midtown, but a grand jury declined to indict. He also has prior arrests for marijuana possession, disorderly conduct and weapon possession. Mamdouh has a burglary case on his rap sheet. He's a graduate of Flushing High School, the alma mater of several suspects implicated last year in a terror plot to bomb city subways." 

Suspects have never been charged before under the New York state anti-terror laws that were passed after the 9/11 attacks. It is reported that US federal prosecutors declined to press the case, saying the plan was more aspirational than operational.

It's clear that the ongoing lessons in this ongoing war, including those of 9/11, need to be relearned and retaught in an ongoing way because the threats are not diminishing. They're growing.

15-May-11: Speaking out against judicial double-talk

Merkel; Uthmann; Bin Laden

The permanent termination of Osama Bin Laden's career as a terrorist produced some disturbing responses but none quite as astonishing as that of a German judge, Heinz Uthmann.

Der Spiegel quoting Friday's edition of the Hamburger Morgenpost daily newspaper says he filed a criminal complaint against the chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, in the past few days. The background is in this extract from a Christian Science Monitor report:

"“I am pleased that we managed to kill bin Laden.” That was German Chancellor Angela Merkel's response to a reporter's question about her reaction to Osama bin Laden's death. It wasn't a unique sentiment. Leaders around the world said the same thing. But criticism over Mrs. Merkel's comments in Germany is almost overshadowing news of the raid that killed Mr. bin Laden."

The Hamburger judge with too much time on his hands has come to the conclusion that the chancellor's statement was illegal, quoting section 140 of the German Criminal Code which forbids "rewarding and approving" of crimes. Spiegel says the judge accuses Merkel of having endorsed a homicide, a violation that in principle is punishable by up to three years' imprisonment or a fine.

We mention the background so that we can give a little well-deserved publicity to a statement released tonight by the International Alliance Against Terrorism (Alliance Internationale Contre le Terrorisme):

We are all Angela Merkel!
The German chancellor reacted in a similar manner to President Barak Obama and other Western leaders: she expressed her satisfaction at the news of the death of Bin Laden. Her reaction was human and motivated by a sense of solidarity with the victims.
The reactions by sections of the media, by politicians and by individuals condemning the Chancellor's reaction are strange and bigoted. Hypocritical claims have been put forward, without a shred of evidence behind them, alleging that Bin Laden was the victim of an execution. And now, astonishingly, a Hamburg judge, Heinz Uthmann,  has filed a criminal complaint against Chancellor Angela Merkel, accusing her of abetting a crime!
We address this judge and say to him: Rather than the death of Bin Laden, what outrages us is the impunity of terrorist organizations who target civilians and have killed European citizens by means of terror bomb attacks, "suicide" bombings, kidnapping and murder. Your duty as a judge is to bring the terror organizations and their leaders to account !"

The spokesperson for the International Alliance Against Terrorism is Huguette Chomski Magnis (email: alliance.against.terrorism@gmail.com), phone +33.6.66.26.42.23. A German group called NzT Nein zum Terrorismus ("No to Terrorism") has created a Facebook page to galvanize opposition to Judge Uthmann's attack on Mrs Merkel.

UPDATE 15-May-11: There's an online petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/weareallangelamerkel/
We hope you will consider showing your repugnance at the actions of the judge by signing it.

10-May-11: Much to celebrate

We're just back home from taking part in thanksgiving prayers and preparing to do the traditional Independence Day family grill this afternoon. 

Let's take a moment to skim some of the achievements of this country and its astonishing society.

Start with the numbers. On its 63rd birthday, Israel's population is 7,746,000. We grew by 2% this year: 150,000 new residents joined the team. 5,837,000 of us, or 75%, are Jewish. 178,000 babies were born into Israeli families this past year, and 43,000 people passed on. New immigrants totaled 24,5000, while some 12,000 chose to leave. More than 70% of Israel's Jews were born here and more than half of native-born Israelis are themselves the children of native-born Israelis. 14 Israeli cities have more than 100,000 residents and six (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Haifa, Rishon Lezion, Ashdod and Petah Tikva) now have more than 200,000. 

A few additional thoughts inspired by the Janglo website: In the last few months, Israel has been called the seventh most thriving society in the world, the world's hottest real estate market, the 15th best in terms of quality of life, the world's 24th strongest economy. Our two major cities Jerusalem andTel Aviv are each recognized as major tourism capitals. Though Jews may not have seen themselves as athletes during these last 2000 years, Israel's men's and women's basketball teams each reached the EuroLeague championships this year. The women won in March, the men lost earlier this week. Immigrants are arriving here to settle (making aliyah) from some of the world's most comfortable countries.

The energy you find here is remarkable. Our country has less than one-thousandth of the world's population, and is not even in the top one hundred by size. And yet Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than those of all our neighbors combined. In absolute terms, Israel has more startup companies than any other country in the world after the United States: 3,500 of them, most in various technology fields. There's a show-stopping list of technologies here that originated in Israel and that have impacted the world. 

These are achievements that any self-respecting person would find uplifting. But the concerns that come with them are weighty too. Daniel Gordis captured some of these very eloquently in this Jerusalem Post column when describing how our celebration...

"takes place this year under the cloud of an awareness that the Jewish state’s future is tenuous and fragile. Consider this: There is no other country about which the following two predictions can be made with equal plausibility. The first prediction: In 50 years, Israel will be a thriving democracy, at the cutting edge of technology, medicine and education, a First World country in every way. The second prediction: In 50 years, Israel will not exist.There is good reason to put stock in the first. Israelis receive far more Nobel Prizes per capita than any other country, boast a hitech industry second only to the United States, have cutting-edge military power, medical care and research, and universities that are impressive by any international standard. Israel today exceeds by far what anyone in 1948 could have dared imagine. This could be but the beginning of our greatness. But the second possibility is equally plausible. Increasing numbers of academics and diplomats, as well as rank-and-file Europeans, now assert that the creation of the Jewish state was a mistake. Polls show that Europeans rank Israel close to North Korea as a threat to international peace. Israel is the only country that British academics are eager to boycott. No other country’s “right to exist” is openly debated in the pages of the New York Review of Books. It is not out of the question that the world could end Israel’s Jewish character or bring it to its knees altogether."

So we will continue to give thanks for our many, many blessings. And we will continue to ask the Master of the Universe to keep us under His watchful care as, thank Heavens, he does and has done. Hag same'ach. Happy birthday, Israel. 

9-May-11: A Remembrance Day reminder of where terrorists should be

Remembering where terrorists belong

By FRIMET AND ARNOLD ROTH
Jerusalem

On Remembrance Day, we Israeli families who have experienced terror at first hand are traditionally accorded national commiseration. Though our pain is constant, we are dutifully restrained throughout the year. But today, society, friends, community and nation encourage us to release our grief.

That concession is appreciated this year more than usual. It comes at an especially trying period for terror victims. The Israeli news media are waging a high-intensity campaign to agitate for the release of terrorist murderers in order to secure the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.

To help win our hearts and minds, journalists and politicians have focused their efforts on minimizing the pain of terror victims and questioning the motives that bring them to oppose the release of murderers.

Just a day ago, the eve of this year’s Remembrance Day, we learned that negotiations with Hamas over the release of terrorist-prisoners in return for Shalit may have progressed after months of stalemate.  

Should we credit the six former high-level officials of the Shin Bet, the Mossad and the defence establishment who held a press conference two weeks ago? Their public demand that our government release every last prisoner on the Hamas list has been accorded much media attention, as has their blanket assurance:

"The State of Israel is strong enough... to deal with these murderers with blood on their hands in case they revert to their evil ways". [Source]

A careful reader might notice that all six had left their security posts more than a decade ago, before the start of the Second Intifada. No journalist or editor has pointed out that none of these "experts" ever had to contend with the sort of terrorism that has plagued Israelis throughout this past decade. Most had left the security arena for the political playing field. For instance, Alik Ron, one of the six, was Northern District Police Commander during the Arab riots of October 2000. In their wake, the Or Commission (see "Alik Ron found unfit for command duty") recommended he be barred from holding senior administrative or command roles in the security services. 

With no referendum to rely on, one of quoted ex-officials even asserted that "most Israeli citizens support the release of murderers in return for Gilad Shalit." It is doubtful they do.

Are these men equipped to guide the country as it grapples with the Shalit dilemma? Are they in a position to promise security to a threatened people?

The media have been harsh in reporting the views of those who question surrendering to the Hamas demand for a mass terrorist release. We ask them to consider the convicted murderer, Ahlam Tamimi. She stole our child from us ten years ago, and is eager to murder again. In a filmed interview some years ago, she smiled into the camera when told that among the fifteen people killed in the bomb she brought to the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem, there were more children than she had realized. She expressed an undying allegiance to Hamas doctrine. If she is released, there is no room for doubt that the Palestinian public will receive Tamimi as a heroine.

A week before the brutal murders of five members (mother, father, two little boys and a baby girl) of the Fogel family in Itamar, a PA television crew visited Tamimi’s family home and interviewed her relatives. They focused on a certificate awarded to her by Fatah, the main PA faction headed by the allegedly moderate Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. The document, decorated with photographs of a smiling Yasser Arafat and Abu Jihad, reads:

“A gift of the Fatah Palestinian National Liberation Movement… to the heroic prisoner Ahlam Tamimi as a token of esteem for your sacrifices and your acts of heroism.”

Palestinian Arab adulation of the murderers of Jews did not abate after the Itamar atrocity. And yet many defenders of Palestinian virtue have echoed the baseless claim of Allegra Pacheco, a lawyer who represents Palestinian terrorists. In her op-ed in Haaretz, she wrote:

"All the Palestinian people I have spoken with here in the West Bank who heard of the murders shake their heads and say how terrible they were... and in the next breath they add, 'and I'm sure it wasn't a Palestinian who did this ". No Palestinian condones such acts."

It would be comforting to think Palestinian society is characterized by such sensitivities. But the signs are the opposite. A week after the Fogel family killings, fully a third of Palestinian Arabs surveyed supported the act. The poll was one of those examples of co-operation between Israelis and Arabs: Prof. Yaacov Shamir from the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace and Khalil Shikaki of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research.

The poll confirms that keeping Tamimi – and others like her – behind bars is the only sane, reasonable and logical strategy. This has nothing to do with vengeance or paranoia. One does not need to be bereaved to see the flaw in a strategy based on placing killers and terrorists back in the heart of the society that nurtured them.

Hopefully the collective pain of Remembrance Day will galvanize the nation to campaign for Shalit's release by other, more rational, means.