Let him preach in Gaza

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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Pappé moves to England

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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Make them understand that war is counterproductive

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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We know the ‘quo’, but what was the ‘quid’?

April 7th, 2007

What did Britain do to get the hostages back?

Speaking outside Downing Street, [PM Tony Blair] told reporters that the return of the personnel did not involve any “deal” or “negotiation”.

He expressed his belief that a combination of maintaining a “calm and firm” stance, which maintained bilateral communication while mobilising international opinion in Europe and at the UN, ensured the safe return of the sailors to Britain. — In the News (UK)

I think it’s safe to say that Mr. Blair was speaking in a somewhat technical sense. The capture of the 15 British personnel was obviously planned in advance, and not a response to an incursion (which did not happen), as the Iranians said. Therefore the operation was intended to achieve some goal, other than amusing Ahmadinijad. It’s reasonable to assume that something like negotiation occurred, and the quick release of the hostages implies that there was a quid pro quo.

So what do we think it was? The US is still holding five Iranians captured in Iraq; one possibility is that they will be released shortly. On Tuesday an unidentified Iraqi group released an Iranian diplomat, Jalal Sharafi (the Iranians claimed that the CIA was behind his kidnapping). This may have been the down payment. On Wednesday the US military announced that the International Red Cross had made a visit to the five in US custody.

One other, somewhat disturbing theory is that concessions were made regarding Iran’s nuclear program:

A senior E.U. official has told the London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat that a short time before Iran’s release of the 15 British servicemen, E.U. foreign policy chief Javier Solana spoke by phone with Iranian National Security Council chairman Ali Larijani on the possibility of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. — Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, April 6, 2007 — MEMRI

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Honor killings an increasing problem among Israeli Arabs

April 6th, 2007

The phenomenon of honor killings among Arabs is well-known. But a recent story about an Israeli Arab family in Ramle (central Israel) stands out:

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