In this post are documents posted by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center obtained from briefings before the flotilla as well as from computers aboard the Mavi Marmara after it was boarded by the Israeli Navy. These documents confirm that the members of the movement knowingly supported Hamas in defiance of US law. These documents include the goals of the flotilla and potential scenarios. Following are some interesting excerpts from these documents.
a. The goals of the flotilla: the goals of the flotilla as defined in the document are clearly political, contradicting the public image of “humanitarian support” which appears in the legal briefing. The “minimum goal” is to “generate a lot of media about the blockade on Gaza” and the “situation of Palestinians in Gaza”. A secondary goal is “taking legal/political action, including jail stays, to push foreign governments to do more than make statements, but to take punitive action towards Israel.” Elsewhere in the document, the goal is said to be generating media coverage and putting pressure on Israel.......
...e. Potential scenarios for the voyage: the document analyzes several “defensive” scenarios, based on a premise that is the fundamental guideline of the flotilla: “We will not turn back. The only way for Israel to stop us is to use force” (from a sub-chapter titled “Mission Strategy”). The scenarios raised in the document can be summarized as follows:
1. Aerial boarding (of soldiers): the document examines how boarding can be prevented. One of the methods mentioned is putting obstructions with sharp points on the deck, making it too dangerous for the soldiers to board (note: the behavior agreement distributed by Free Gaza to its activists prior to the launch of the flotilla says that the activists shall not use verbal or physical violence and that the mission was designed to support the “non-violent resistance of the Palestinians”. The inside document makes it clear that the term “non-violent resistance” is open to interpretation that may change the non-violent and “defensive” resistance into a violent and offensive one, which was what happened aboard the Mavi Marmara).
2. If IDF soldiers do manage to board the ship, the Free Gaza activists were to focus on two areas: the wheelhouse and the engine room. The document says that the wheelhouse had to be made “impenetrable”, which would require replacing glass with bullet-proof glass, replacing doors with steel doors, and adding locks.
3. Using a tugboat to prevent the ship from coming to Gaza. In that case, the ship would try to outmaneuver the tugboat and reach the Gaza Strip, even though its chances of success were unclear.
4. Opening fire (by IDF) or using explosives to neutralize the ship. Free Gaza’s “defensive option” for that scenario was putting VIPs on the cargo ship's deck (hoping their presence would deter the IDF soldiers).
5. Blocking the cargo ships while giving the passenger ship permission to proceed. In that case, the question was whether the mission was worth continuing with only the passenger ship. The decision was to be made only after the launch of the flotilla.
This video just shows the sick depths of the 'peaceful' Palestinians. There will be NO peace until they stop teaching their children to hate Israel and all Jews in general.
This is a brochure published by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. It provides ammunition against the most common lies about Israel and the current climate of antisemitism in the world.
It was very disconcerting to learn that the Stealth Jihad has a chance of being facilitated by some in the highest arenas of power and by others who aspire to the same high office. In a recent Supreme Court decision, Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, in a 6-3 decision the court upheld the constitutionality of a law that prohibits the provision of material support to foreign organizations that have been declared terrorist organizations by the US State Department. This prohibition extends to the provision of any service, training, expert advise or any other kind of help. This law was originally passed in 1996, was amended by the Patriot Act after the September 11th attacks as well as in 2004. Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissented from the majority. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65K4B420100621 To see the text of the Supreme Court decision, please click on this link. http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/09pdf/08-1498.pdf
Some startling information about Supreme Court nominee, Elana Kagan, has also come to light that is incongruous with her apparent position on gay rights. Senator Jeff Sessions revealed apparent inconsistencies in Ms. Kagan's support of gay rights in a speech on the Senate floor on June 16. Apparently, while the nominee prevented military recruiters from operating on the campus of Harvard's law school during her tenure as dean because of her opposition to the military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, she did not go on record as opposing a center for Islamic Studies and Sharia Law that was established with a gift from the Saudi royal family. This seems inconsistent with her stance on gay rights because Sharia law calls for severe punishment or the death penalty for homosexual behavior. More troubling was her personal involvement with the establishment of an Islamic Finance Project at the Harvard Law School in 2003. This project's purpose was to encourage Sharia Compliant Finance, a banking system that does not charge interest, but also prohibits providing financing for projects or plans that do not comply with Sharia law. http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/gaffney062210.php3
Kagan's and Harvard's Islamic Finance Project was also instrumental in encouraging the United States government to endorse Shariah Compliant Finance. This is the most troubling aspect of Kagan's involvement in the Harvard project. Shariah Compliant Finance or (SCF) is yet another method by which the Islamic fundamentalists are waging Jihad against the West and trying to destroy Western civilization while establishing the global caliphate that is its' goal.
SCF dates back to the 1940s when it was introduced by the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood. Its' goal was to support Jihad by diverting funds known as Zakat and purification to terrorist organizations, masked as non-threatening Islamic charities. Interest cannot be charged in SCF, but a 2.5% Zakat fee is exacted from both the borrower and the lender and is diverted to these charities in a usually untraceable manner. The exact amount of money that eventually ends up in the coffers of these 'charities' is not known, but may be in the billions of dollars. This is extremely concerning since SCF was the method by which the terrorist attacks of 9/11 were financed. Those devastating attacks cost only half a million dollars to carry out. The extreme concern should be the devastating jihad and terrorist attacks that can be waged with billions of dollars. After 9/11, the US Treasury Department, in conjunction with other federal agencies, uncovered many rings of illegal financing of terrorist organizations. Much of this financing takes place under the radar and will be difficult or impossible to uncover. For this reason, we should all be concerned about this nominee's record on supporting an organization that prvides ACF and her general attitude toward Shariah law.
We are already in the cross hairs of the worldwide Jihad. We should not make it easier for the Jihadists by permitting those in our highest positions of power to either support or to be blind to the stealth jihad that threatens us all.
Following is a video clip from a German TV investigation of the passengers of the Mavi Marmara and the mission and intent behind the Gaza 'peace' flotilla. How interesting is it that it is German TV that conducted this?
This next video raises a question that many people want answered. Americans (including, hopefully many of the American Jews who voted for this president)are concerned by the response of this administration to the actions that were necessarily taken by Israeli commandos against the terrorist passengers on the Mavi Marmara. This just adds to the concern about the President's continued appeasement of the Muslim world and outrageous demands being made ONLY of Israel. We are trying to understand why our elected President honors and appeases our enemies, while apologizing continuously for American actions, and distances our country from our long-standing allies. Who knows? Whose side is he really on?
Geert Wilders, chairman Party for Freedom, the Netherlands
Speech at the Four Seasons, New York
September 25, 2008
Dear friends,
Thank you very much for inviting me. Great to be at the Four Seasons. I come from a country that has one season only: a rainy season that starts January 1st and ends December 31st. When we have three sunny days in a row, the government declares a national emergency. So Four Seasons, that’s new to me.
It’s great to be in New York. When I see the skyscrapers and office buildings, I think of what Ayn Rand said: “The sky over New York and the will of man made visible.” Of course. Without the Dutch you would have been nowhere, still figuring out how to buy this island from the Indians. But we are glad we did it for you. And, frankly, you did a far better job than we possibly could have done.
I come to America with a mission. All is not well in the old world. There is a tremendous danger looming, and it is very difficult to be optimistic. We might be in the final stages of the Islamization of Europe. This not only is a clear and present danger to the future of Europe itself, it is a threat to America and the sheer survival of the West. The danger I see looming is the scenario of America as the last man standing. The United States as the last bastion of Western civilization, facing an Islamic Europe. In a generation or two, the US will ask itself: who lost Europe? Patriots from around Europe risk their lives every day to prevent precisely this scenario form becoming a reality.
My short lecture consists of 4 parts.
First I will describe the situation on the ground in Europe. Then, I will say a few things about Islam. Thirdly, if you are still here, I will talk a little bit about the movie you just saw. To close I will tell you about a meeting in Jerusalem.
The Europe you know is changing. You have probably seen the landmarks. The Eiffel Tower and Trafalgar Square and Rome’s ancient buildings and maybe the canals of Amsterdam. They are still there. And they still look very much the same as they did a hundred years ago.
But in all of these cities, sometimes a few blocks away from your tourist destination, there is another world, a world very few visitors see – and one that does not appear in your tourist guidebook. It is the world of the parallel society created by Muslim mass-migration. All throughout Europe a new reality is rising: entire Muslim neighbourhoods where very few indigenous people reside or are even seen. And if they are, they might regret it. This goes for the police as well. It’s the world of head scarves, where women walk around in figureless tents, with baby strollers and a group of children. Their husbands, or slaveholders if you prefer, walk three steps ahead. With mosques on many street corner. The shops have signs you and I cannot read. You will be hard-pressed to find any economic activity. These are Muslim ghettos controlled by religious fanatics. These are Muslim neighbourhoods, and they are mushrooming in every city across Europe. These are the building-blocks for territorial control of increasingly larger portions of Europe, street by street, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, city by city.
There are now thousands of mosques throughout Europe. With larger congregations than there are in churches. And in every European city there are plans to build super-mosques that will dwarf every church in the region. Clearly, the signal is: we rule.
Many European cities are already one-quarter Muslim: just take Amsterdam, Marseille and Malmo in Sweden. In many cities the majority of the under-18 population is Muslim. Paris is now surrounded by a ring of Muslim neighbourhoods. Mohammed is the most popular name among boys in many cities. In some elementary schools in Amsterdam the farm can no longer be mentioned, because that would also mean mentioning the pig, and that would be an insult to Muslims. Many state schools in Belgium and Denmark only serve halal food to all pupils. In once-tolerant Amsterdam gays are beaten up almost exclusively by Muslims. Non-Muslim women routinely hear “whore, whore”. Satellite dishes are not pointed to local TV stations, but to stations in the country of origin. In France school teachers are advised to avoid authors deemed offensive to Muslims, including Voltaire and Diderot; the same is increasingly true of Darwin. The history of the Holocaust can in many cases no longer be taught because of Muslim sensitivity. In England sharia courts are now officially part of the British legal system. Many neighbourhoods in France are no-go areas for women without head scarves. Last week a man almost died after being beaten up by Muslims in Brussels, because he was drinking during the Ramadan. Jews are fleeing France in record numbers, on the run for the worst wave of anti-Semitism since World War II. French is now commonly spoken on the streets of Tel Aviv and Netanya, Israel. I could go on forever with stories like this. Stories about Islamization.
A total of fifty-four million Muslims now live in Europe. San Diego University recently calculated that a staggering 25 percent of the population in Europe will be Muslim just 12 years from now. Bernhard Lewis has predicted a Muslim majority by the end of this century.
Now these are just numbers. And the numbers would not be threatening if the Muslim-immigrants had a strong desire to assimilate. But there are few signs of that. The Pew Research Center reported that half of French Muslims see their loyalty to Islam as greater than their loyalty to France. One-third of French Muslims do not object to suicide attacks. The British Centre for Social Cohesion reported that one-third of British Muslim students are in favour of a worldwide caliphate. A Dutch study reported that half of Dutch Muslims admit they “understand” the 9/11 attacks.
Muslims demand what they call ‘respect’. And this is how we give them respect. Our elites are willing to give in. To give up. In my own country we have gone from calls by one cabinet member to turn Muslim holidays into official state holidays, to statements by another cabinet member, that Islam is part of Dutch culture, to an affirmation by the Christian-Democratic attorney general that he is willing to accept sharia in the Netherlands if there is a Muslim majority. We have cabinet members with passports from Morocco and Turkey.
Muslim demands are supported by unlawful behaviour, ranging from petty crimes and random violence, for example against ambulance workers and bus drivers, to small-scale riots. Paris has seen its uprising in the low-income suburbs, the banlieus. Some prefer to see these as isolated incidents, but I call it a Muslim intifada. I call the perpetrators “settlers”. Because that is what they are. They do not come to integrate into our societies, they come to integrate our society into their Dar-al-Islam. Therefore, they are settlers.
Much of this street violence I mentioned is directed exclusively against non-Muslims, forcing many native people to leave their neighbourhoods, their cities, their countries.
Politicians shy away from taking a stand against this creeping sharia. They believe in the equality of all cultures. Moreover, on a mundane level, Muslims are now a swing vote not to be ignored.
Our many problems with Islam cannot be explained by poverty, repression or the European colonial past, as the Left claims. Nor does it have anything to do with Palestinians or American troops in Iraq. The problem is Islam itself.
Allow me to give you a brief Islam 101. The first thing you need to know about Islam is the importance of the book of the Quran. The Quran is Allah’s personal word, revealed by an angel to Mohammed, the prophet. This is where the trouble starts. Every word in the Quran is Allah’s word and therefore not open to discussion or interpretation. It is valid for every Muslim and for all times. Therefore, there is no such a thing as moderate Islam. Sure, there are a lot of moderate Muslims. But a moderate Islam is non-existent.
The Quran calls for hatred, violence, submission, murder, and terrorism. The Quran calls for Muslims to kill non-Muslims, to terrorize non-Muslims and to fulfil their duty to wage war: violent jihad. Jihad is a duty for every Muslim, Islam is to rule the world – by the sword. The Quran is clearly anti-Semitic, describing Jews as monkeys and pigs.
The second thing you need to know is the importance of Mohammed the prophet. His behaviour is an example to all Muslims and cannot be criticized. Now, if Mohammed had been a man of peace, let us say like Ghandi and Mother Theresa wrapped in one, there would be no problem. But Mohammed was a warlord, a mass murderer, a pedophile, and had several marriages – at the same time. Islamic tradition tells us how he fought in battles, how he had his enemies murdered and even had prisoners of war executed. Mohammed himself slaughtered the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza. He advised on matters of slavery, but never advised to liberate slaves. Islam has no other morality than the advancement of Islam. If it is good for Islam, it is good. If it is bad for Islam, it is bad. There is no gray area or other side.
Quran as Allah’s own word and Mohammed as the perfect man are the two most important facets of Islam. Let no one fool you about Islam being a religion. Sure, it has a god, and a here-after, and 72 virgins. But in its essence Islam is a political ideology. It is a system that lays down detailed rules for society and the life of every person. Islam wants to dictate every aspect of life. Islam means ‘submission’. Islam is not compatible with freedom and democracy, because what it strives for is sharia. If you want to compare Islam to anything, compare it to communism or national-socialism, these are all totalitarian ideologies.
This is what you need to know about Islam, in order to understand what is going on in Europe. For millions of Muslims the Quran and the live of Mohammed are not 14 centuries old, but are an everyday reality, an ideal, that guide every aspect of their lives. Now you know why Winston Churchill called Islam “the most retrograde force in the world”, and why he compared Mein Kampf to the Quran.
Which brings me to my movie, Fitna.
I am a lawmaker, and not a movie maker. But I felt I had the moral duty to educate about Islam. The duty to make clear that the Quran stands at the heart of what some people call terrorism but is in reality jihad. I wanted to show that the problems of Islam are at the core of Islam, and do not belong to its fringes.
Now, from the day the plan for my movie was made public, it caused quite a stir, in the Netherlands and throughout Europe. First, there was a political storm, with government leaders, across the continent in sheer panic. The Netherlands was put under a heightened terror alert, because of possible attacks or a revolt by our Muslim population. The Dutch branch of the Islamic organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir declared that the Netherlands was due for an attack. Internationally, there was a series of incidents. The Taliban threatened to organize additional attacks against Dutch troops in Afghanistan, and a website linked to Al Qaeda published the message that I ought to be killed, while various muftis in the Middle East stated that I would be responsible for all the bloodshed after the screening of the movie. In Afghanistan and Pakistan the Dutch flag was burned on several occasions. Dolls representing me were also burned. The Indonesian President announced that I will never be admitted into Indonesia again, while the UN Secretary General and the European Union issued cowardly statements in the same vein as those made by the Dutch Government. I could go on and on. It was an absolute disgrace, a sell-out.
A plethora of legal troubles also followed, and have not ended yet. Currently the state of Jordan is litigating against me. Only last week there were renewed security agency reports about a heightened terror alert for the Netherlands because of Fitna.
Now, I would like to say a few things about Israel. Because, very soon, we will get together in its capitol. The best way for a politician in Europe to loose votes is to say something positive about Israel. The public has wholeheartedly accepted the Palestinian narrative, and sees Israel as the aggressor. I, however, will continue to speak up for Israel. I see defending Israel as a matter of principle. I have lived in this country and visited it dozens of times. I support Israel. First, because it is the Jewish homeland after two thousand years of exile up to and including Auschwitz, second because it is a democracy, and third because Israel is our first line of defense.
Samuel Huntington writes it so aptly: “Islam has bloody borders”. Israel is located precisely on that border. This tiny country is situated on the fault line of jihad, frustrating Islam’s territorial advance. Israel is facing the front lines of jihad, like Kashmir, Kosovo, the Philippines, Southern Thailand, Darfur in Sudan, Lebanon, and Aceh in Indonesia. Israel is simply in the way. The same way West-Berlin was during the Cold War.
The war against Israel is not a war against Israel. It is a war against the West. It is jihad. Israel is simply receiving the blows that are meant for all of us. If there would have been no Israel, Islamic imperialism would have found other venues to release its energy and its desire for conquest. Thanks to Israeli parents who send their children to the army and lay awake at night, parents in Europe and America can sleep well and dream, unaware of the dangers looming.
Many in Europe argue in favor of abandoning Israel in order to address the grievances of our Muslim minorities. But if Israel were, God forbid, to go down, it would not bring any solace to the West. It would not mean our Muslim minorities would all of a sudden change their behavior, and accept our values. On the contrary, the end of Israel would give enormous encouragement to the forces of Islam. They would, and rightly so, see the demise of Israel as proof that the West is weak, and doomed. The end of Israel would not mean the end of our problems with Islam, but only the beginning. It would mean the start of the final battle for world domination. If they can get Israel, they can get everything. Therefore, it is not that the West has a stake in Israel. It is Israel.
It is very difficult to be an optimist in the face of the growing Islamization of Europe. All the tides are against us. On all fronts we are losing. Demographically the momentum is with Islam. Muslim immigration is even a source of pride within ruling liberal parties. Academia, the arts, the media, trade unions, the churches, the business world, the entire political establishment have all converted to the suicidal theory of multiculturalism. So-called journalists volunteer to label any and all critics of Islamization as a ‘right-wing extremists’ or ‘racists’. The entire establishment has sided with our enemy. Leftists, liberals and Christian-Democrats are now all in bed with Islam.
This is the most painful thing to see: the betrayal by our elites. At this moment in Europe’s history, our elites are supposed to lead us. To stand up for centuries of civilization. To defend our heritage. To honour our eternal Judeo-Christian values that made Europe what it is today. But there are very few signs of hope to be seen at the governmental level. Sarkozy, Merkel, Brown, Berlusconi; in private, they probably know how grave the situation is. But when the little red light goes on, they stare into the camera and tell us that Islam is a religion of peace, and we should all try to get along nicely and sing Kumbaya. They willingly participate in, what President Reagan so aptly called: “the betrayal of our past, the squandering of our freedom.”
If there is hope in Europe, it comes from the people, not from the elites. Change can only come from a grass-roots level. It has to come from the citizens themselves. Yet these patriots will have to take on the entire political, legal and media establishment.
Over the past years there have been some small, but encouraging, signs of a rebirth of the original European spirit. Maybe the elites turn their backs on freedom, the public does not. In my country, the Netherlands, 60 percent of the population now sees the mass immigration of Muslims as the number one policy mistake since World War II. And another 60 percent sees Islam as the biggest threat to our national identity. I don’t think the public opinion in Holland is very different from other European countries.
Patriotic parties that oppose jihad are growing, against all odds. My own party debuted two years ago, with five percent of the vote. Now it stands at ten percent in the polls. The same is true of all smililary-minded parties in Europe. They are fighting the liberal establishment, and are gaining footholds on the political arena, one voter at the time.
Now, for the first time, these patriotic parties will come together and exchange experiences. It may be the start of something big. Something that might change the map of Europe for decades to come. It might also be Europe’s last chance.
This December a conference will take place in Jerusalem. Thanks to Professor Aryeh Eldad, a member of Knesset, we will be able to watch Fitna in the Knesset building and discuss the jihad. We are organizing this event in Israel to emphasize the fact that we are all in the same boat together, and that Israel is part of our common heritage. Those attending will be a select audience. No racist organizations will be allowed. And we will only admit parties that are solidly democratic.
This conference will be the start of an Alliance of European patriots. This Alliance will serve as the backbone for all organizations and political parties that oppose jihad and Islamization. For this Alliance I seek your support.
This endeavor may be crucial to America and to the West. America may hold fast to the dream that, thanks tot its location, it is safe from jihad and shaira. But seven years ago to the day, there was still smoke rising from ground zero, following the attacks that forever shattered that dream. Yet there is a danger even greater danger than terrorist attacks, the scenario of America as the last man standing. The lights may go out in Europe faster than you can imagine. An Islamic Europe means a Europe without freedom and democracy, an economic wasteland, an intellectual nightmare, and a loss of military might for America - as its allies will turn into enemies, enemies with atomic bombs. With an Islamic Europe, it would be up to America alone to preserve the heritage of Rome, Athens and Jerusalem.
Dear friends, liberty is the most precious of gifts. My generation never had to fight for this freedom, it was offered to us on a silver platter, by people who fought for it with their lives. All throughout Europe American cemeteries remind us of the young boys who never made it home, and whose memory we cherish. My generation does not own this freedom; we are merely its custodians. We can only hand over this hard won liberty to Europe’s children in the same state in which it was offered to us. We cannot strike a deal with mullahs and imams. Future generations would never forgive us. We cannot squander our liberties. We simply do not have the right to do so.
This is not the first time our civilization is under threat. We have seen dangers before. We have been betrayed by our elites before. They have sided with our enemies before. And yet, then, freedom prevailed.
These are not times in which to take lessons from appeasement, capitulation, giving away, giving up or giving in. These are not times in which to draw lessons from Mr. Chamberlain. These are times calling us to draw lessons from Mr. Churchill and the words he spoke in 1942:
“Never give in, never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy”.
The following is post by a Spanish journalist, Pilar Rahola, that was translated into English. The author is a non-Jewish journalist, politician and activist,who is very active in the fight against antisemitism and is very pro-Israel and pro-US, despite having a left-leaning ideology.
Why don’t we see demonstrations in London, Paris and Barcelona against Islamic dictatorships? Or demonstrations against the Burmese dictatorship?
Why aren’t there demonstrations against the enslavement of millions of women who live without any legal protection?
Why aren’t there demonstrations against the use of children as human bombs where there is conflict with Islam?
Why has there been no leadership in support of the victims of the Islamic dictatorship in Sudan?
Why is there never any outrage against the acts of terrorism committed against Israel?
Why is there no outcry by the European Left against Islamic fanaticism? Why doesn’t it defend Israel’s right to exist?
Why confuse support of the Palestinian cause with the defense of Palestinian terrorism?
Finally, the million dollar question: Why is the Left in Europe and around the world obsessed with the two most solid democracies, the United States and Israel, and not with the worst dictatorships on the planet? The two most solid democracies, who have suffered the bloodiest attacks of terrorism, and the Left doesn’t care.
And then, to the concept of freedom. In every pro-Palestinian European forum I hear the Left yelling with fervor: “We want freedom for the people!” Not true. They are never concerned with freedom for the people of Syria or Yemen or Iran or Sudan, or other such nations. And they are never preoccupied when Hamas destroys freedom for the Palestinians. They are only concerned with using the concept of Palestinian freedom as a weapon against Israeli freedom. The resulting consequence of these ideological pathologies is the manipulation of the press.
The international press does major damage when reporting on the question of the Israeli-Palestinian issue. On this topic they don’t inform, they propagandize. When reporting about Israel, the majority of journalists forget the reporter code of ethics. And so, any Israeli act of self-defense becomes a massacre, and any confrontation, genocide. So many stupid things have been written about Israel, that there aren’t any accusations left to level against her. At the same time, this press never discusses Syrian and Iranian interference in propagating violence against Israel; the indoctrination of children and the corruption of the Palestinians. And when reporting about victims, every Palestinian casualty is reported as tragedy and every Israeli victim is camouflaged, hidden or reported about with disdain.
And let me add on the topic of the Spanish Left. Many are the examples that illustrate the anti-Americanism and anti-Israeli sentiments that define the Spanish left. For example, one of the leftist parties in Spain has just expelled one of its members for creating a pro-Israel website. I quote from the expulsion document: “Our friends are the people of Iran, Libya and Venezuela, oppressed by imperialism, and not a Nazi state like Israel.”
In another example, the socialist mayor of Campozuelos changed Shoah Day, commemorating the victims of the Holocaust, with Palestinian Nabka Day, which mourns the establishment of the State of Israel, thus showing contempt for the six million European Jews murdered in the Holocaust. Or in my native city of Barcelona, the city council decided to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the creation of the State of Israel, by having a week of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Thus, they invited Leila Khaled, a noted terrorist from the 70’s and current leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a terrorist organization so described by the European Union, which promotes the use of bombs against Israel. And so on and so on.
This politically correct way of thinking has even polluted the speeches of president Zapatero. His foreign policy falls within the lunatic Left, and on issues of the Middle East, he is unequivocally pro-Arab. I can assure you that in private, Zapatero places on Israel the blame for the conflict in the Middle East, and the policies of foreign minister Moratinos reflect this. The fact that Zapatero chose to wear a kafiah in the midst of the Lebanon conflict is no coincidence; it’s a symbol.
Spain has suffered the worst terrorist attack in Europe and it is in the crosshairs of every Islamic terrorist organization. As I wrote before, they kill us will cell phones hooked to satellites connected to the Middle Ages. And yet the Spanish Left is the most anti-Israeli in the world.
And then it says it is anti-Israeli because of solidarity. This is the madness I want to denounce.
Conclusion:
I am not Jewish. Ideologically I am Left and by profession a journalist. Why am I not as anti-Israeli as my colleagues? Because as a non-Jew I have the historical responsibility to fight against Jewish hatred and currently against the hatred for their historic homeland, Israel. To fight against anti-Semitism is not the duty of the Jews, it is the duty of the non-Jews.
As a journalist it is my duty to search for the truth beyond prejudice, lies and manipulations. The truth about Israel is not told. As a person from the Left who loves progress, I am obligated to defend liberty, culture, civic education for children, coexistence and the laws that the Tablets of the Covenant made into universal principles. Principles that Islamic fundamentalism systematically destroys. That is to say that as a non-Jew, journalist and lefty I have a triple moral duty with Israel, because if Israel is destroyed, liberty, modernity and culture will be destroyed too.
The struggle of Israel, even if the world doesn’t want to accept it, is the struggle of the world.
On June 6, more than 5000 people from all over the country demonstrated at Ground Zero, in opposition to the Cordoba House, the 13 story mega-mosque and community center that is being planned in the old Burlington Coat Factory building, where currently, Muslim religious services are being held. This building was damaged on 9-11 by the landing gear from one of the hijacked airplanes that hit the World Trade Center. In the misguided spirit of political correctness and apparent multiculturalism, this plan has already been overwhelmingly approved by Community Board 1, by a vote of 29-1. These people just do not comprehend what they and the rest of the West are facing.
Among the items discussed at the demonstration was a plan to petition to have the site declared a war memorial in memory of the innocents who were murdered at Ground Zero, in Washington and in Pennsylvania on that fateful day that SHOULD have changed the way Americans and the rest of the world relate to Islam and those who try to spread that religion through violent or stealth jihad.
Also attending this significant demonstration, was a Coptic Christian activist from Egypt, named Joseph Nassralla. Because he spoke Arabic he was initially thought to be a Muslim infiltrator who was trying to disrupt the rally . Once the misunderstanding was clarified, Mr. Nassralla and an associate explained to the crowd the dangers of living as a minority in a Muslim majority nation. As Coptic Christians in Egypt, they described the oppression, torture and killing that they experience at the hands of the Muslim majority because their fellow Egyptians are exhorted from the pulpit to persecute Christians. They came to the rally specifically to explain the suffering that they experience every day and have experienced for centuries, living under Sharia law, to try to forestall the stealth jihad that is threatening this great country. This oppression of Coptic Christians was also described in great detail by Nonie Darwish in her book, "Now They Call Me Infidel". I am personally familiar with the oppression of religious minorities in Muslim majority countries because of my wonderful aunt, Toni, who is an Egyptian Jew. She was compelled to leave Egypt at the age of 16 because of the oppression that she suffered there.
It has also been recently revealed that the 'moderate' imam behind this mosquestrosity is anything but moderate. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, is directly associated with the Malaysian-based Perdana Global Peace Organization. This organization has been found to be the biggest donor to the Free Gaza Movement that tried to break the Israeli blockade with the 'peace' flotilla that departed from Turkey and later concluded with the Israeli boarding of the Mavi Marmara and the death of nine so-called peace activists.
In Staten Island, a borough of New York City,another neighborhood was up in arms against the stealth jihadists in their midst this week. In southern Staten Island, the community of Midland Beach awoke to discover that an unused convent in their neighborhood had been surreptitiously sold to the Muslim American Society (The Muslim Brotherhood- a recognized terrorist organization that began in Egypt- in the US). In a June 10 community meeting convened by the Midland Beach Civic Association, members of the surrounding community voiced their concerns about the organization behind the convent purchase, including concerns about the MAS and the mosque to be built. http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/thomas061510.php3
On June 9th, in the Netherlands, the Freedom Party, including Geert Wilders, a member of parliament and the director of the anti-Islam movie Fitna, more than doubled the number of its' seats in the Dutch Parliament. This is a huge victory for those opposing the stealth Jihad of Europe and puts Geert Wilders in line for a position in the Dutch Cabinet. Watch the film Fitna here: The movie fitna, fitna 2 and beyond » Fitna the Movie
[Here is the text of a speech against Islamization given by Mr. Wilders in NY on September 25, 2008.
Organized protest against the politically correct nonsense that has overtaken this world gives me hope. Americans and others in the West organizing to stop the stealthy advance of Islam and Sharia law, gives me hope. The recent criticism of a Muslim organization of the Time Square bomber gives me hope, as does the opposition to the spread of political Islam by a true moderate Muslim. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/mosque_unbecoming_QmXgG4QyGgz4ATF9v7cBDM
We in the West must continue to speak out against terror and hold Islam and it's adherents accountable for acts of terror and violence committed in the name of Islam. We must stop giving 'moderate' Muslims the benefit of the doubt until they actually demonstrate unequivocally that they do not support this violence. Despite out apologist administration and apologist leaders in other countries, we must understand that we are at war with a political totalitarian system that is seeking to subjugate the people of the world to the religion of Islam and is dedicated to the reformation of a worldwide Muslim Caliphate.
Here is a link to a very intelligent and well thought out article that provides a credible explanation of our President's policies, actions and viewpoints since taking office nearly 18 months ago. Although most of his policies and decisions have struck me as illogical, misguided, and, to put it bluntly, idiotic, Rabinowitz' article sheds some light on this mystery. This article is highly recommended reading.
Helen Thomas, the so-called Dean of the White House Press corps was videotaped a few days ago during Jewish Heritage Week, in an off the cuff interview by Rabbi David F. Nesenoff (accompanied by his teenage son) for RabbiLIVE.com. During this interview she apparently revealed her innermost feelings and spewed anti-Semitic hatred.
By now, she has apologized for these comments on her website and has also resigned her position with Hearst Corporation. In addition, her speaking agency, Nine Speakers, has also dissociated itself from her. There should be no way for her to recover from this unacceptable comment.
Some may argue that this was not an anti-Semitic comment and that she was merely expressing her opposition to Israeli policies. There are even representatives of Jewish organizations who have accepted her apology. That argument falls flat. This supposed icon of journalism has either lost her filter with age and was merely expressing what she has always thought, or erroneously assumed that she was untouchable because of her age, years of experience and position. Both her comments and her history clearly reveal that these comments represent her true anti-Semitic sentiments.
First of all, her words obviously demonstrate her belief that the state of Israel should not exist at all. This had nothing to do with Israel’s policies, but displayed an opposition to the mere existence of the state of Israel. If her remarks were clearly a criticism of Israeli policy, they would have been completely acceptable. However, they were not meant in such a limited way. Her comments reveal contempt for all of the Jewish people of Israel, including those who themselves or whose families immigrated from Europe, those whose families have lived in the land of Israel for generations and those who were expelled from the surrounding Arab countries during and after the establishment of the State of Israel. It is clear that Thomas’ expression of anti-Israel sentiment is not new. She has a long history of questioning everything that Israel does in its’ own defense, including advocating the “Hezbollah point of view” with Tony Snow during a White House press conference in 2006 during Israel’s second Lebanon War, and more recently comparing Israel’s incursion into Gaza during late 2008 and early 2009 in response to thousands of rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, to atrocities perpetrated by Nazi Germany. http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/thomas060810.php3
Additionally, her comments clearly show the depth of her anti-Israel and anti-Semitic leanings. She is a woman who is not ignorant of history. There can be no way that she is unaware of the Holocaust or the suffering of the Jewish people in Poland and Germany. She cannot be unaware of the existence of concentration camps in those two countries where Nazi Germany tried and almost successfully carried out its’ Final Solution. She also must remember, first-hand, much of the history of modern Israel since she was born in 1920 and most certainly followed much of the news as it was occurring. Unbelievably, she argued that Jews in Israel should return to the countries where six million of their family members and their people were cruelly and efficiently slaughtered. She wants Jews to return to Poland, where 90% of the pre- WWII Jewish population was systematically slaughtered by the Germans. Unbelievable! I, as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, cannot even enter the German pavilion at Epcot Center in Florida, without being exceedingly uncomfortable. Her comments display a deep insensitivity to these horrible facts and in some way almost condone what occurred there. According to Helen, Jews should live anywhere except in Israel, their ancestral home.
As a Christian of Arab descent, Thomas is most likely schooled in both the New and Old Testaments. She is thus clearly aware of the Jewish historical presence in the land of Israel, including the birth and death of Jesus Christ in Israel. How can she ignore this history? The ONLY possible explanation is a deep-seated anti-Semitism.
Finally, I wonder why this administration waited so long to comment on Thomas’ ugly utterance. If she had made a similar anti-Black comment, would the White House have waited so long to opine on her comments? I doubt it, considering the President’s history of jumping the gun and speaking out on current events without being cognizant of all of the facts, such as the Gates-Boston police affair. Is blatant anti-Semitism acceptable in all of ugliness, but a probable innocent police mistake involving an African American completely unacceptable? While this is apparently the case in our country's current frame of mind, it is not acceptable to me and should not be acceptable to anyone in our great country.
Rabbi Nessenof, of RabbiLive.com, who originally interviewed Helen Thomas when she clearly exposed her virulent antisemitism has been receiving hateful e-mails and threats for daring to bring Thomas' comments to the attention of the wider world. http://www.rabbilive.com/RabbiLIVE/Home.html
*UPDATE* June 11, 2010
Helen Thomas hailed as a hero by Hezbollah. No surprise there.
Below is a link to an interview with Rabbi Nessenof that shows his extreme surprise at being exposed to the virulent antisemitism that Helen Thomas spouted in response to his question. I have also included some excerpts from the interview.
HOWARD KURTZ: Did you have any idea when you took out that video camera and asked Helen Thomas that question that she was hostile toward Israel?
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF, RABBILIVE.COM: I didn’t approach her thinking that. Now that I see a lot of things in the news, I certainly can review and see that she’s had a lot of different thoughts, but, of course, there might be anti-Israel or pro-Palestinian. That’s very different than anti-Semitic and anti-Jewish and wanting to cleanse a piece of land, so, up until this point, this is just an individual who is pro-Palestinian. People should look out for the Palestinian rights. Everybody should look out for everybody’s rights, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
KURTZ: As you know, Helen Thomas has been a longtime institution here in the capital, she’s a heroine to many female journalists, and some people are blaming you for ending her career.
NESENOFF: Yeah, you know, I received about 25,000 hate mail, you know, emails, and, more shocking than even that, is the hate media that I’m beginning to learn about – you know, from TV and newspapers and blogs and talk shows and entertainers, and they’re accusing me of being some right-wing ambusher, and have to, it kind of rocked my world a little because I have to kind of reevaluate my life and my standing and the agendas because, yeah, I’m a New York Democrat Jewish liberal supporter of Obama, donated to his candidacy for a year, said give him a chance, give him a chance, defended, watched all these liberal media, and now I have to reevaluate totally, I have to speak, I have to now speak to people with all different agendas because if I was part of a team where their agenda was that Israel and the Jewish people don’t have a connection – which is exactly what Helen Thomas said – that there’s no connection, why are they even there-
KURTZ: Well, let me interrupt you. What do you mean when you say "hate media"? I mean, obviously, you find yourself in the middle of this firestorm. Do you feel that journalists, programs, commentators have been personally unfair to you? And can you explain how?
NESENOFF: You know, I find people that don’t cover the story or people that cover the story are so upset they don’t know what to do, so they have to attack me and find, maybe we’ll say he did something on purpose or he filmed it a certain way, or we’ll find out what did he do in his past. I mean, they don’t know what to do with it, but why don’t they actually ask me and find out maybe I liked Helen Thomas and I was actually for the fact that she went ahead and spoke to President Bush and said, you know, watch it with the Iraq War, although now I understand – and we have to reevaluate – that maybe what she then was protesting the Iraq War, I was saying that because I didn’t want our soldiers to be in harm’s way. And it turns out she didn’t want the Iraqis to be in harm’s way. So we have to, kind of, I have to really reevaluate liberal and conservative and really find out where I stand because I think I’ve been a little blind.
KURTZ: Well, I have to say you asked her the least loaded question of all time: "Any thoughts on Israel?" On the other hand, you find yourself now questioning whether the media can be fair, particularly on this sort of charged issue involving the Middle East. You clearly feel put upon.
NESENOFF: Sure, look, I didn’t hear anybody speak about instead of reviewing Helen’s career, why don’t we review all the things she reported on and see how it was affected by what she said about Israel and the Jewish people not having any connection, what are they doing there? So now when you start with that core that they have no, you know, relationship, now we should back up and look through what she’s been telling the American public.
KURTZ: What about all this electronic hate mail – you’ve posted some of these on your Web site talking about dirty Jews and Hitler – what’s your reaction to all of this ugliness that you seem to have inadvertently unleashed?
NESENOFF: Right, you know, it’s interesting because RabbiLive.com has on it some really uncensored material right now that’s very strong. What it does, first of all, it stops a lot of times people from sending hate mail. It shows us what’s on people’s minds out there. And it has caused a lot of beautiful Christians and Jews and people throughout the entire world all over to send beautiful mail saying, "Hey, don’t get the wrong idea. There are great people and wonderful people in this country and there are great people around the world who love the Jewish people, that understand there is a connection between the Jews and Israel, we will not deny that," and so there’s a mixed bag, it’s kind of some good feelings have come out of it also. Certainly the security issues are being taken care of.
KURTZ: I’m glad there’s a positive aspect as well. I’ve got about half a minute. What was your personal reaction when you found out that Helen Thomas had resigned as a result of you videotaping?
NESENOFF: I have absolutely no issue or relationship with Helen Thomas. My relationship is with justice, integrity and honesty, and with Israel, and the fact that the Jewish people and Israel have a relationship and that anybody that denies the relationship cannot begin the communication and the conversation about how to deal with the other problems. How can we talk about Gaza or east Jerusalem or Golan or anything else anybody wants to talk about if the core issue of Jews in Israel is denied? And Jeff Goldberg said it, that our existence isn’t even around.
From the HonestReporting.com website, a report of Reuters doctoring photos from the Mavi Marmara ship trying to camouflage the intent of the 'peace activists' who attacked the Israeli commandos boarding the ship in legitimate defense of the blockade on Gaza and Hamas. In 2006, Reuters released photos, supposedly showing devastation in a large part of Beirut, which was revealed by bloggers to have been altered, thus exaggerating any damage to the city.
Special Analysis: Fauxtography - Reuters Caught Again
Reuters is once again exposed doctoring photos to change the images of the Gaza flotilla "peace activists".
Eagle-eyed blogger Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs was responsible for exposing Reuters' Fauxtography during the 2006 Lebanon conflict. Examining photos of bloodied and battered Israeli naval commandos on board the Mavi Marnara, published by the Turkish press, Johnson has once again exposed Reuters' doctoring of photos.
In the first picture, published in the Turkish newspaper, notice the "peace activist" holding a knife in the lower right corner:
The same photo released by Reuters has been cropped so that the knife, and potentially, evidence of the intentions of the "peace activists", is removed:
Little Green Footballs then identified another cropped Reuters photo:
The picture is a cropped version of this photo from the IHH website:
Reuters has cropped out a big knife and a big pool of blood as well as another badly injured Israeli soldier lying on the ground:
Photographer and image analyst David Katz is vastly experienced in the photographic process, from the initial capture of the image through selection, editing, correcting, caption sending, together with the newsroom processes that would leave an image ready to be viewed through the media. We asked him for his professional opinion:
My initial reaction was to avoid hasty accusations against Reuters as this was a fairly unique set of circumstances and one that I felt needed a bit more investigation before pointing fingers began.
My understanding was and still is that the images were taken by someone onboard the ship and deleted by the security services before being returned to the IHH activist who then had the images retrieved through special software in Turkey upon their return and then passed to the newspaper to help embarrass Israel even further.
It's not clear at this point whether Reuters took them as some kind of screen grab or were offered it in a more conventional way for distribution. What is clear, however, is the picture was obviously cropped. One could play Devil's advocate to say that it was not done intentionally - perhaps the knife was not spotted by the Reuters picture desk or someone may have innocently, through overwork or tiredness, just made a mistake. After all, the original images had not come from Reuters staff or freelance photographers but an activist on the ship with an agenda.
However once LGF highlighted the second image that was lightened and run through Photoshop, not only did this highlight the knife that was cropped out in the Reuters image, it also showed a seriously wounded soldier who had also been removed from the image to deliberately hide the true intentions of the terrorists.
It is crystal clear that someone at Reuters has deliberately hidden key parts of the original images. What we do not know at this stage is, who at Reuters did this and more importantly why?
The use of imagery in the media war is becoming more and more widespread. There has to be a responsibility from the bloggers, website hosts and especially from the international news wire services in the way they use the images.
This appears to be a deliberate attempt to change images for a specific reason. Reuters needs to investigate this and act in an appropriate manner.
Since being exposed, Reuters has uncropped the offending photographs. However, this still leaves questions over how this was allowed to happen. Evidently Reuters has not yet learned the lessons of the 2006 Fauxtography affair.
Click on the link below to view the original article.
From today's IsraelNationalNews.com. VERY SCARY STUFF.
This is just a small indication of what we are up against in the stealth jihad discussed in yesterday's post. What is most shocking about this story is that the singer and lyricist of this jihad praising song lives in the United States. We really need to wake up.
A musical tribute to the so-called “flotilla martyrs,” written and performed by cyber jihadist Asadullah Alshishani, is making the rounds of the Muslim Internet.
Entitled "When the Jew's Blood Reds my Knife, then my Life is Free from Strife" the nasheed -- an Islamic-oriented song traditionally sung a cappella, or accompanied only by a frame drum -- is sung in a complete monotone, with an electronic music bed in the “techno” style. Sung in American English without an accent, it is a stunning example of anti-Semitism. (See full text below.)
English lyrics are posted on an Islamist website, accompanied by a prayer for the terrorist “martyrs” of the flotilla who died after they attacked the Israeli SEALs who boarded the Mavi Marmara last week. The prayer also includes curses for the Israelis.
According to “Views from the Occident” blogger Christopher Anzalone, the singer's name translates as Lion of God, The Chechen. Anzalone, a graduate student in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies at Indiana University, specializes in researching Islam and “jihadism”. He revealed in a report written earlier this year that he had tracked down the jihadi singer's location “based on his IP address” to a village located near a major U.S. city less than seven hours from Bloomington, Indiana. Anzalone remarked with some irony that the location was “a place not famed for being 'Ard al-Jihad wa'l Ribat,' a land of struggle and guardianship.”
Alshishani apparently also recorded a similar “tune” in praise of Osama Bin Laden recently, repeating the refrain, “Amir of the Ansaar, How beautiful you are! You fight AmeriKKKa, and terrorize the Jews...Osama bin Laden, O, how I love you! You sold your soul for Jannah, to Allah you are true.”
A listener who reviewed the tune on a separate site on the Internet commented:
“Ostensibly intended as a recruitment tool, these misguided attempts at accessible propaganda are so uniformly awful... you can't help but laugh, or be left in shivers. Sporting eerie appropriations of gangster rap tropes (gunshots-as-ambience, violent braggadocio), footage of marches and infamous mujahadeen, and a truly bush-league Auto-tune, I'm left with the image of the sad sacks sitting solitary, whispering lyrics into a janky Packard Bell, tweaking levels, uploading to YouTube.”
------------------
Tribute to the Palestinian Humanitarian Activists
Who Were Martyred, Wounded and Imprisoned at the Hands of the Zionist Pigs
May God accept our fallen brothers and sisters from amonst the Shuhada and grant then Jannat Al-Firdaws.
May He heal our wounded brothers and sisters and take away their pains.
May He hasten the release of our imprisoned brothers and sisters and ease their suffering.
And may He curse and destroy the spite Zionist Crusaders and their allies.
Amen!
"When the Jew's Blood Reds my Knife, then my Life is Free from Strife"
A few days ago I read an opinion piece that scared the heck out of me, but which I found to be very true, based on a lot of reading that I have done on the subject. This is about the stealth jihad or holy war that is being waged against the West, unfortunately, very successfully. The stealth jihad is also succeeding here in the United States because of politically correct nonsense that encourages otherwise intelligent people to look the other way as their country and their way of life is being taken over.
Recently, I became more concerned about this when I learned about the 13 story monstrosity mosque and Muslim community center that is being planned in the shadows of where the Twin Towers once stood until they were brought down by Muslim extremists. The name of this planned structure, "The Cordoba House", is what has increased my anxiety and concern about these plans.
Now, why would a planned mosque be named after a city in Spain? What can that mean? It is very simple. Cordoba was part of the original Muslim Caliphate after it was conquered by the Muslim armies and its' people subjugated. This name suggests the goal of once again establishing a Muslim Caliphate all over the world. Many Muslims believe that ANY land that was once conquered by Islam will ALWAYS be Muslim. This name is no accident.
We must be alert to the fact that Muslims who support and wish to carry out Jihad are not necessarily religious people. There is ample evidence that many non-religious, moderate appearing Muslims support Jihad and despise Israel and Jews. Some of them may actually be more observant, but may be striving to appear more secular to appear to assimilate into the mainstream American culture. (Think about the 9-11 hijackers.)
Similarly, although the terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah are mostly composed of more 'religious' Muslims, the Fatah party that controls the Palestinian Authority on the West Bank is much more secular. Do not be fooled into thinking that this is a more moderate organization. It is merely the newest form of the Palestinian Liberation Organization; ie. still a terrorist entity. In Judea and Samaria (or the West Bank) the PA education system still teaches young children Jew-hatred, including the lesson that Jews are the descendants of pigs and dogs, and that there is no State of Israel. In addition, the PA still celebrates terrorists who have murdered innocent Israelis. Most recently, a square near the city of Ramallah in PA controlled territory was dedicated in honor of the terrorist, Dalal Mughrabi, who carried out the Coastal Road Massacre in Tel Aviv in 1978, that resulted in the deaths of 39 Israelis, including 13 children. One of the victims of this massacre was an American photographer, Gail Rubin. As I said, this dedication occured in PA controlled territory, not, as our clueless Secretary of State said during her speech to AIPAC, Hamas controlled territory.
Even 'moderate appearing' Muslims in this country have been proven to support Hezbollah. My son related a conversation to me a few years ago in which a teammate of his brother (obviously a child growing up here) said that Israel is temporary, implying that Palestine (which has never existed as a homeland for Palestinian Arabs) would rise again. Most recently, a Muslim couple from Toledo, Ohio were arrested for supplying material support to Hezbollah. Even a cursory glance at their photographs clearly reveals that this was not an observant couple.
If the West, as a civilization, does not learn from these and other obvious signs of the stealth jihad, then we are doomed. Political correctness has no place when our security and our way of life are threatened; when our very freedoms are at risk. We need to wake up!
*UPDATE* June 16,2010
Following is a story of the execution of people in Somalia who had the audacity to watch the World Cup, in defiance of Islamist leaders in their country.
The Gaza flotilla was so obviously a publicity stunt, conceived to put Israel's normal and understandable efforts to protect her citizens from attacks that originate from Gaza. a neighboring terrorist entity whose clear desire is the destruction of the Jewish state and the annihilation of all the Jews in Israel. The goals of this 'peace' flotilla were either to provoke Israel into a military act that could not be defended or to break through the blockade and reveal to other terrorist sympathizers (how people can sympathize with those whose goals are to kill and maim even their own people, I cannot understand) that Israel's blockade has no teeth. Unfortunately for these evil planners, neither of these anticipated outcomes occurred. However, this has not stopped the deluge of anti-Israel sentiment from many corners of the globe. What else is new?
Israel has fortunately learned from the past and videotaped the commando raids of the unlawful flotillas. These tapes clearly show that the commandos who descended onto the Mavi Marmara were surrounded and attacked by the 'peaceful' activists aboard. Unfortunately, Israel erred by BELIEVING the pre-flotilla publicity, that the mission was a peaceful one. They know the mindset of their enemies and should have been more prepared for the events that occurred. MY only regret is for the Israeli soldiers who were injured in this skirmish. The 'activists' who were killed or injured knew what they were doing. Many of them taped so-called 'martyrdom' messages before the ships were launched, while others stated that their goal was either to land in Gaza or achieve martyrdom.
This was not merely an anti-Israel activity, it was also an anti-Jewish activity as evidenced by the videos of them chanting antisemitic songs reminding Jews of the massacres of Khaybar Jews by Muslims armies in the 7th century (posted on this blog on June 1 2010). Not surprisingly, footage from the Mavi Marmara security cameras shows passengers arming themselves with items such as slingshots and metal rods, while some of them wore night vision glasses and gas masks. I always wear night vision glasses and/or gasmasks in the usual course of my day. Yeah, right. This was clearly an indication of violent intent by the passengers.
As for claims that any type of humanitarian outreach was necessary, this is also bogus. The following video clearly shows that Gaza is supplied adequately by both Israel and Egypt with necessary foodstuffs and other supplies.
The evidence is also clear that more than adequate medical and food supplies are being provided by Israel. Over one million tons have been sent to the people of Gaza by Israel over the past 18 months. That amounts to almost one ton (2000 pounds) of aid for each person in Gaza. This includes food, medicines and medical supplies, clothing and heads of cattle, among other items. Furthermore, many Gazans have been provided with medical treatment in Israel or have been allowed to pass out of Gaza to other nations for medical treatment.
The video of Benjamin Netanyahu's speech about the naval operation against the flotilla:
*UPDATE* June 7, 2010
Following is a recording of the Israeli army attempting to interdict the Mavi Marmara and the anti-American and antisemitic response by the 'peace activists' on board.
A newly released video showing the weapons found aboard the ship. Peaceful activists my foot! I always travel around with my gas mask and bullet proof vest when I am doing something humanitarian.
*UPDATE* June 9, 2010
Here is a link to an article with photographic evidence of the humanitarian non-crisis in Gaza.
It is truly unbelievable, that the country with perhaps the world's most moral army, comes under worldwide fire once again for defending her people and her country from people with the clear intent to do them harm. It is obvious from the following videos that the soldiers who boarded the Mavi Marmara were attacked by the "peace" (or, more accurately, terrorist) activists on the ship. Israeli commandos descending from the overhead helicopter were surrounded by numerous activists and attacked with metal pipes and other weapons including knives and live ammunition. One commando was even thrown overboard.
Furthermore, it is evident that the 'peace' activists were anything, but. They were singing a particular antisemitic song during their peaceful mission.
Israel's right, as a sovereign nation, is to secure her borders, protect her citizens and to ensure that items entering the country (or in this case, the terrorist entity that has become her neighbor, Gaza) will not be used to attack her citizens. If the United States were in a similar situation, we would have blown these ships out of the water and dealt with the repercussions afterward. Israel needs to stop apologizing for defending herself, as this weakens her posture on the world stage, and must proceed in the interests of her people in a clear and assertive manner.
Other videos that clearly show that these commandos were under attack as they boarded this 'peaceful and humanitarian' flotilla follow:
Finally, a note on the name of this post. I have called it Piece Flotilla and not Peace Flotilla, since the flotilla was obviously not organized in the name of peace. It was organized to further erode Israel's security and Israel's sovereignty piece by piece.
I realize that this may come as a shock to my one or two readers (you know who you are out there), but I have decided to change direction in this blog. World events proceed at such a speedy rate that writing one post a week would not satisfy my goals for this blog; expressing my opinions and educating readers about the truth about Israel and the West's conflict with militant Islam. I read a lot of articles every day as well as books on various topics and will post my comments about these articles with links to them, videos of note and other thoughts. I will also continue to endeavor to write a least one complete post every two weeks on the main topics that interest me, as well as other topics.
I am a first generation American, the daughter of a Holocaust concentration camp survivor and a survivor who spent the bulk of WWII in Russia. My mother emigrated to Israel in 1948 and my parents met and married in Israel in 1956. I am a believer in American exceptionalism and the greatness of this amazing country. I am also an ardent Zionist. My goal in this blog, is to educate. From time to time, I will insert links to articles that are on the topic of my post. I caution readers however, not to believe everything that I say, but to use the amazing technology that is at their fingertips and research, read, digest. We live in an amazing age where original sources, such as old newspapers,are available on the internet. Use these sources wisely.
