Archive for April, 2007

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If Barghouti can be released, Israel cannot hold anyone

Sunday, April 8th, 2007

Marwan BarghoutiWill Israel free multiple murderer Marwan Barghouti?

Israel is reviewing a list of hundreds of Palestinians prisoners that captors of an Israeli soldier want to release, an official and media reports said Sunday.

There were conflicting reports on Cpl. Gilad Shalit’s captors’ demands. Some said the list contained close to 500 names, while others said there were over 1,000. A Palestinian close to the negotiations was told that among those on the list is a popular Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, who is serving five consecutive life terms for his role in shooting attacks that killed four Israelis and a Greek monk. — Al-Bawaba (Jordan)

Unfortunately, reason tells us that if a man like Barghouti can be released, then Israel cannot hold anyone. All that’s necessary is for the terrorists to snatch a soldier, or anyone else, off the street.

As I’ve written before, one way to stop this would be to institute and carry out the death penalty for murder with terrorist motives.

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Israelis claim refugee status in Canada

Sunday, April 8th, 2007

The Canadian citizenship and immigration department has refused an application for refugee status filed by an Israeli citizen.

(more…)

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Let him preach in Gaza

Sunday, April 8th, 2007

Raed SalahRaed Salah again:

Speaking at a rally celebrating the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, Sheikh Raed Salah, leader of the northern branch of Israel’s Islamic Movement, called for thousands of Muslims to rise, unite and defend Jerusalem and al-Aksa mosque.

At the event, which took place in Kafr Kanna on Friday night, Salah said that “even if Israel [banished] him to the moon, the Islamic movement will continue to chant – in blood and spirit we will redeem al-Aksa. — Jerusalem Post

This man is an Israeli citizen. No country in the world would allow this kind of incitement — yes, you might hear something like this in Berkeley, but only because the speakers are not taken seriously. Many Arabs take Salah very seriously. He is not only shouting ‘Fire’ in a theater, he is lighting matches.

To allow Salah to continue with his activity is an affront to Israeli self-respect. Israel should call his bluff, strip him of his citizenship and expel him. Let him preach in Gaza.

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Posted in General, My favorite posts | 1 Comment »

Pappé moves to England

Saturday, April 7th, 2007

History professor Dr. Ilan Pappé, possibly the most grotesquely anti-Israel of Israeli academics has left the University of Haifa (to the great relief of most of his colleagues) from which he was about to be expelled, and moved to the University of Exeter in the UK. He plans to establish a “center for Palestinian studies” there.

He’s already attacked Jewish students for forming a ‘lobby’ (!) to prevent open debate on the usual issues.

“Jewish student organizations have ceased to care for the interests and concerns of Jewish students but have become a front for the Zionist point of view. They act as an arm of the Israeli embassy,” Pappé was quoted as saying. — YNet

It doesn’t seem to have occurred to him that he may be dealing with students who actually have a “Zionist point of view”.

It’s hard to understand why a legitimate university would offer a position to someone like Pappé, who is distinguished mainly for defending a student who had faked historical evidence, urging British academia to boycott Israeli scholars and universities, starting the annual “Right of Return Conferences” in Israel, and making statements like this:

“…1948 was the year in which Jews had done the most evil things to others, like Jews have never done before in the period of 2000 years. Within less than a year, Jews colonized, occupied, expelled, destroyed, massacred, and raped another people.” — Pappé interview, YouTube

He is, however, a good speaker in English, and his idiosyncratic point of view (that is, idiosyncratic when held by an Israeli Jew) guarantees excitement and controversy for a university which has recently suffered financial difficulties.

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Posted in Academia | 1 Comment »

Make them understand that war is counterproductive

Saturday, April 7th, 2007

Not a good idea:

Hamas legislator Ismail al-Ashkar claimed that Israel and the US were continuing to arm forces loyal to Abbas and his Fatah faction. He said that in recent weeks large shipments of weapons had entered the Gaza Strip with the hope that they would be used by Fatah against Hamas.

The Israelis and Americans, he added, have decided to fight Hamas by using Palestinian puppets. “The weapons that they are sending to the Gaza Strip are for use against Palestinians, not the occupation,” he said. — Khaled Abu Toameh, Jerusalem Post

Well, of course. But it’s still a lousy idea. Israel and the US cannot succeed in propping up one faction or another, because their help automatically ensures that there won’t be popular support for ‘their’ faction. All they can do is pump more arms into the strip, as if there aren’t already several weapons for every man, woman and child.

Let the Palestinians fight it out. Just make it clear that Israel will retaliate — disproportionally — against terrorism, no matter who perpetrates it. Ultimately, the solution will lie in making whatever leadership the Palestinians end up with understand that war against Israel is counterproductive.

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