Israellycool

Today, lame duck Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met if-it-walks-like-a-duck-and-talks-like-a-duck PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday pledged at a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Israelis and Palestinians would try to seal a peace deal this year in line with a target set by Washington.

“We have to complete the Annapolis process this year - this year,” Olmert, grasping Abbas in a handshake and using his other hand to gesture to the Palestinian leader, said emphatically in English as they posed for photographers at talks in Jerusalem.

The prime minister was referring to U.S.-sponsored Palestinian statehood talks that began at a conference in Annapolis, Maryland last November after a seven-year breakdown. Both leaders pledged to continue the talks until the end of the year, despite Olmert’s plans to step down after a September primary in his Kadima party.

Olmert spokesman Mark Regev said after the meeting that significant progress had been made in the talks but there are still considerable gaps between the two sides. He would not elaborate on the differences and gave no direct answer when asked if Olmert broached the idea of an interim agreement at the meeting.

Palestinian officials were not immediately available for comment.

During the meeting, Olmert protested Abbas’ recent meeting with notorious Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar, whom Israel released in July as part of a prisoner swap with Hezbollah.

The prime minister told Abbas: “You are not a man of terror, and I didn’t expect you to meet with such a despicable killer as him.” (Yeah, that’s the job of the Israeli government -  ed.)

So to summarize..

Olmert: “You are not a duck so stop meeting with ducks.”

Abbas: “Quack!”

IDF: “Incoming Qassam…..duck!”

Me (to Olmert and Abbas): You’re despicable!

Anis is by far the most appropriately named of the Free Gaza tools.

But a new contender has emerged.

A Marin woman was making a triumphant voyage back to Cyprus this week after members of the Free Gaza movement sailed from Cyprus to Gaza to break an Israeli blockade.

Kathy Sheetz, 61, a retired nurse, was among 46 human rights workers aboard two small boats - the 70-foot SS Free Gaza and the 60-foot SS Liberty - who were greeted by thousands of joyous Palestinians when they reached Gaza on Aug. 23.

Today there was a first in Israeli politics - the first time an Israeli politician has invited bloggers to cover a press conference.

The politician in question was Binyamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, and the bloggers attending were Rafi G, Carl in Jerusalem, Lurker, RivkA, and Mother in Israel.

You can read about the press conference on their blogs. My main point in mentioning this is to say it is great to see an Israeli politician see the potential in blogs, albeit for a political campaign.

A preferable approach would be to recognize the great value of blogs to Israel’s public relations. One question I asked Bibi at the recent bloggers’ conference was whether he monitors the blogs and comments for “the talking points that hit home.” Implicit in my question was my belief that the Israeli government could learn a lot by paying close attention to the conversations in the blogosphere regarding the Middle East conflict, and learn from them, rather than suggest to the bloggers what they should be writing (the current approach).

I hope today’s press conference leads to a greater recognition of blogs by the Israeli government.

And in case you were wondering, yes I was invited to cover the press conference, but I decided to decline, given it was held in the middle of the morning. Hey, I still have a day job, you know.

I showed on my blog that Islamic Jihad graduated a class of terrorists this weekend, and noted how much empty space is in Gaza to allow live-fire demonstrations in front of an audience.

Well, PIJ was not the only terror group to graduate a class of masked terrorists this weekend. So did Fatah’s Al Aqsa Martyr’s Brigades. As Ma’an puts it:

The fighters are part of the Brigades controlled by Fatah, the party which also controls the caretaker government in the West Bank. Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is also a member of the party.

The general commander of the Al-Aqsa Brigades and leaders of the Consultation Council (senior leadership of the party who discuss Fatah policy) attended the graduation along with members of other Palestinian factions.

Trainees practiced military shows and skills such as storming buildings and kidnapping soldiers, and demonstrated the launch of rocket-propelled grenades for the ceremony audience.

Al-Aqsa Brigades asserted that the graduation of a class of fighters sends a clear message to Israel that resistance is still a valid choice for freeing Palestinian lands and the Al-Aqsa mosque.

If Al-Aqsa has the freedom to have a public graduation ceremony in Gaza, that means that Hamas is allowing their supposed “sworn enemies” to train militarily. The fact that “other factions” attended the ceremony shows that it is probably not only allowed, but encouraged.

Before the Hamas takeover of Gaza, joint terror attacks between Hamas and Fatah were not unusual.

And while Hamas has shown no compunction about cracking down on groups that show too much independence, Fatah is still allowed to operate freely in some cases.

It seems that while the political wings of Hamas and Fatah are still at odds - Hamas arrests Fatah teachers and civil servants at will - their military wings have no problems with each other, and probably cooperate (along with Islamic Jihad.) This idea is reinforced by the fact that Fatah in Gaza still gets weapons, and all weapons smuggling in Gaza goes through Hamas.

Moreover, Abbas - who is not only a “member” of Fatah but its leader - neither instructs Al Aqsa to attack Hamas nor does he tell them to put down their weapons; rather he is quite happy letting them operate as a terror group together with Hamas and PIJ aimed at fighting Israel while keeping them far enough for plausible deniability so he can get Israel to give him more unilateral concessions.

Just like Arafat.

You may recall that the appropriately named Anis, of the Free Gaza tools, threatened to sue Israellycool contributor Elder of Ziyon for the latter’s satirical take on Anis’ song (if you can call it that).

Well, two can play that game. Look what I found on the Free Gaza site:

Look familiar?

I might be inclined to sue them, but even if I did win, I don’t see how I could get any money. You know, given that they are still $300,000 in debt.

I guess an oops is in order?

Hezbollah downed a Lebanese Army helicopter on Thursday in what Israeli officials believe was a case of mistaken identity: The Shi’ite militiamen apparently thought they were firing at an Israeli chopper.

The incident occurred as the helicopter flew over an area of southern Lebanon known to be a Hezbollah stronghold. The attack killed a navigator and forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing, Lebanese officials said.

Details about the incident were sketchy, as the military quickly sealed off the area. But a Lebanese Army statement said the helicopter was on a training mission when it came under fire from armed elements and was forced down in the highlands of the Iqlim al-Tuffah province. The helicopter was apparently flying at low altitude.

The statement said 1st Lt. Samer Hanna, a navigator, was killed and that the aircraft was damaged. No one else in the crew was hurt and the army was investigating, it added.

Hezbollah declined to comment on the incident. The militant group has in the past condemned attacks against the military, with which it occasionally coordinates.

However, Israeli officials attributed the attack to Hezbollah, noting that the organization has recently been trying to improve its anti-aircraft capabilities with the goal of downing Israeli planes. They also said that Hezbollah has been on edge recently for fear of an Israeli attack.

And it’s not just Israeli officials. Al Arabiya quotes the Lebanese daily as-Safir as reporting it was Hizbullah thinking they were shooting at an Israeli helicopter.

A daily newspaper on Friday reported that the Lebanese army helicopter that was hit by gunfire in south Lebanon was targeted by Hezbollah fighters who thought the aircraft was Israeli.

The aircraft had landed and taken off again in a training drill. Hezbollah gunmen in the area “thought that there was an Israeli landing attempt (under way) and opened fire in the direction of the helicopter, hitting it”, Lebanese daily as-Safir said.

All this story is missing is the requisite finger-pointing at Israel.

Or is it?

A top Shi’ite cleric, Sheik Abdul-Amir Kabalan, urged the army to investigate swiftly. He suggested that a collaborator with Israel may have fired on the aircraft.

A number of years ago, my father was interviewed for the Jewish Migrant Oral History Project. Thankfully, I have a copy of the interview, and I will be publishing excerpts from it in his memory.

Previous installments: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Interviewer: What were your initial impressions of Perth on your arrival?

Dad: Not good.

Interviewer: Why not?

Dad: Well I was restricted. It was bad enough on the boat. My father went out of his way, nearly bored himself to death looking after me. But here my parents had no time.

Interviewer: But literally as you were getting off the boat what did you see? Obviously the Fremantle wharf.

Dad: We were met. They were getting organised here and we were met with a car and a committee of ladies. And were taken to this boarding house in Norfolk Street, Highgate or North Perth. I hated it there. We had one room.

Interviewer: Why?

Dad: Well the story had started here in Perth that all German Jews, apart from being arrogant and all being professors and all having this and that, were very rich, and they ripped us off. Normal rent for a flat was about 10 shillings and my parents, who didn’t want to cause any waves, paid over the pound and then everything was extra. And it was only when the parents met other people who had arrived earlier than us that they learnt what was going on and they complained.

It seems like almost every week that we hear of Israeli Arabs being arrested on charges of planning terrorist attacks against Israelis.

This week is no exception.

Galilee region police have recently arrested two Israeli Arabs they believe belonged to a cell of Islamic Jihad operatives that planned to kill Israeli pilots, scientists and university lecturers.

News of the arrests, which took place during August, emerged after a gag order was lifted Thursday. Police claim that the network also planned shooting attacks on checkpoints in the West Bank, and that it attempted to make contact with Islamic Jihad’s leadership in Syria.

The Shin Bet security service was also involved in uncovering the cell, in which three Palestinians from the West Bank town of Ramallah are also suspected of being members. According to the police, the cell possessed weapons, held training exercises and was in the advanced stages of preparation for a shooting attack on an Israel Defense Forces checkpoint near Ramallah.

The two Israeli Arabs are Shfaram residents Anis Safori, 20, and Hussam Khalil, 19. Safori is a communications student at Ramallah’s Bir Zeit University; Khalil studies electronic engineering in Jordan.

Ok, so there’s nothing weird about some Israeli Arabs biting the hand that feeds them. But what piqued my curiosity were their targets - Israeli pilots, scientists and university lecturers. At first I thought that pilots were targeted because of their operational importance, but when considering the inclusion of scientists and university lecturers, I discounted this as the reason.

Then it hit me.

Only the best of the best are able to become IAF pilots. As for scientists and university lecturers, you have to be rather intelligent (although in some cases, one could wonder).

So here’s my theory: the terrorist cell were specifically targeting highly intelligent Israelis, in an effort to deal a blow to Israeli scientific achievment and accomplishments, since the palestinians are seemingly unable to accomplish or achieve anything themselves. Beyond sinking to new depths of depravity, of course.

In other words, since we can’t achieve, we’ll stop you from doing so.

Update: I just noticed..one of the arrested Arabs is named Anis.

That’s the second Anis we’ve seen this week.

Free Gaza Press Release from Tuesday:

(GAZA CITY, 26 August 2008) – The SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty will leave Gaza for Cyprus on Thursday morning at 9:00 am. Several Palestinian students who have been denied exit visas by Israel will travel to Cyprus on the boats. One Palestinian professor will finally be able to go back to teaching in Europe and one young, Palestinian woman will finally be reunited with her husband. Several of the Free Gaza international human rights workers will remain in Gaza to do human rights monitoring.

Free Gaza Press Release from today:

(GAZA CITY, 28 August 2008) - After having shattered the Israeli blockade of Gaza earlier this week, the SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty will depart Gaza for Cyprus at 2pm today. Several Palestinians who have previously been denied exit visas by Israel will join international human rights workers on the journey. Among the Palestinians leaving are Saed Mosleh, age 10, of Beit Hanoon, Gaza. Saed lost his leg due to an Israeli tank shell and is leaving Gaza with his father to seek medical treatment. Also on board are the Darwish family, who will finally be reunited with their relatives in Cyprus.

“I can’t believe we’re finally able to leave for medical treatment,” said Khaled Mosleh, Saed’s father. “This is a miracle of God.”

Nine international human rights workers will remain in Gaza to do longer-term monitoring and accompaniment, and one, Dr. Bill Dienst of Omak, Washington, will attempt to cross over into Israel later today via the Erez crossing.

By freely traveling to Gaza, on Saturday, August 23rd, in two, small, wooden boats, the Free Gaza Movement forced the Israeli government to issue a fundamental policy change regarding their military and economic blockade of Gaza. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign affairs publicly announced that humanitarian and human rights missions to Gaza will no longer be stopped or threatened by Israel. With the end of the Israeli siege of Gaza, Palestinians should be free to exercise their rights without fear of being stopped or killed by the Israeli military.

Yvonne Ridley, a journalist and member for the Free Gaza Movement, summed up her experience in Gaza by saying, “I missed the start of the Berlin Wall coming down by just a few days, but now I know how people felt when they tore down those first few bricks. This has been a huge victory of people over power.”

Since the organizers of the Free Gaza Movement will not be entering Israeli territorial waters, and since they will request an inspection from both the Gaza Port Authority when they depart, and the Cypriot authorities upon their return, they expect no interference on the part of the Israeli authorities when they leave Gaza. By Israel’s own admission, it has no authority to inspect the boats or the passengers when they leave Gaza.

With the collapse of the Israeli blockade, the Free Gaza Movement will quickly return to Gaza with another delegation, and they would like to encourage the United Nations, Arab League and international community to organize similar human rights and humanitarian efforts. The Free Gaza Movement will continue to work to ensure that safe passage between Gaza and the outside world will remain free and open.
###

PALESTINIANS LEAVING GAZA ON THE SS FREE GAZA & SS LIBERTY
Maha M.S. Darwish, mother
Omar Darwish, age 5
Sami M.J. Darwish, age 14
Ayman M.J. Darwish, age 17
Tawfiq M.J. Darwish, age 18
Khaled Mosleh, father
Saed Mosleh, age 10

Notice how in Tuesday’s press release, the Free Gaza tools promised to take out some of the Fulbright scholars who were denied entry permits by Israel due to security concerns, whereas there is no mention of them in today’s press release. If the reason is that Israel will not allow it, I am sure the Free Gazan tools would be jumping up and down, and would certainly have used their press release to criticize Israel.

No, there must be some other reason.

I am only speculating, but could it be that there is clear evidence linking these students to terrorists, that even Free Gaza does not want to get involved?

Update: Palestine News Network reports:

The expected students are not on board as they had no visas for Cyprus and as Angela Godfrey-Goldstein told PNN this afternoon, “No one wanted to turn them into refugees.”

Hmm..

A palestinian couple had reportedly locked up their disabled son and daughter for four decades because of shame.

A Palestinian couple locked their disabled son and daughter in two stinking, urine-stained rooms for four decades out of fear they would ruin the marriage prospects of a healthy child if discovered, police said.

The case has highlighted the shame felt by families who have children with disabilities in Palestinian society - made worse because of poor services and the practice of first-cousin marriages in Arab communities.

“This is sad, shameful and awful,” said Imad Abumohr, a disabled rights activist.

Few people in the rural town of Beit Awwa knew of 38-year-old Basam Musalmeh and his sister Nawal, 42. They were kept since they were children in two dank, crumbling concrete rooms that stank of sweat and urine behind their family’s house.

Police found the siblings during a raid late last night, searching for Hamas loyalists and criminals in the village, said an official who asked not to be identified because the Palestinian Authority publicly denies it cracks down on the militant group.

Palestinian police commander Samih Saify said while police were searching the house, they heard unusual noises below and went to investigate. He said they found Basam Musalemeh naked, while Nawal wore a flimsy nightdress. Police photographed them.

Their father was arrested, although it was not immediately clear if he was detained for keeping his children locked up or because of his suspected loyalty to militant group Hamas.

Today, following media attention, the siblings appeared to have been bathed and freshly dressed, and their rooms tidied - but the smell was still overwhelming.

The siblings have not been diagnosed with any specific mental illness, said their uncle, Mohammed Musalmeh. They do not speak or recognise other people.

An Associated Press reporter walked into Nawal’s room, where she sat still on her metal-frame bed wearing a dress. She did not appear to acknowledge the presence of the stranger.

The facing rooms share a small sunny square, but the area is surrounded by a high wall and cannot be seen from outside. A door links the rooms to the main house, but it was apparently opened only rarely.

Abumohr, the rights activist, said there was a shortage of institutions caring for the disabled in the West Bank.

He said the Musalmeh case was dramatic but not unheard of. He said last year they were called on to rescue a 17-year-old youth with mental disabilities who was thrown into a large garbage bin. Abumohr said the boy had scars on his stomach, neck, hands and feet where he’d apparently been tied up.

“I’m sure there are other cases of hidden people in the rural areas,” Abumohr said.

The siblings’ father, Ibrahim Musalmeh, married his first cousin decades ago and had eight children - five disabled children who died in childhood, Nawal and Bassam, and another son, who has since married.

Arab communities often favour marriages between first cousins as a way of keeping inheritances within the family. It is not considered incest, and there is little awareness that marriage between close relatives increases the chances of having children with disabilities.

The siblings’ uncle, Mohammed, said the family kept them hidden away to avoid bringing shame on the family. Many Arabs stigmatise disabled children and refuse to marry their siblings, fearing they, too, will bear children with disabilities.

Mohammed Musalmeh said they also did not want the children to be the target of cruel village mockery - all too apparent when an AP reporter asked for directions from a bystander, who mocked the siblings, describing them as “sheep.”

“If they go outside, people will laugh at them,” said their 67-year-old uncle.

Mohammed said they could not find long-term care for them.

It is unclear what will happen to the siblings now.

Abumohr said it was unlikely the two would find professional long-term care in the Palestinian territories. Saify said he hoped an Israeli institution could take care of them.

Clearly, a tragic story and my heart goes out to these two human beings treated like animals.

A number of observations:

• Being disabled brings shame to a palestinian family, yet being a “martyr” brings honor. Who has the mental illness here?
• I am actually surprised the couple did not just strap explosives to their son and daughter, send them to the nearest checkpoint and have them blow themselves up.
• Note the almost throwaway line “..said an official who asked not to be identified because the Palestinian Authority publicly denies it cracks down on the militant group.” If the PA are really Israel’s peace partner, why are they not openly and proudly cracking down on terrorist groups? Why should they publicly deny it? Of course, the answer is because the terrorist groups enjoy a groundswell of support, which is something the mainstream media would rather you didn’t know.
• Note how the police commander says he hopes an Israeli institution could take care of these unfortunate souls. Hardly the talk of someone who believes Israel is the devil.

Update: The corresponding palestinian Ma’an News Agency report reveals a number of discrepancies with the above report:

• The two were imprisoned for over 20 years, not four decades
• The two were imprisoned in two caves, not rooms
• The two were found during a security sweep for drugs and weapons dealers, not Hamas loyalists

Why the discrepancies, I do not know. What I do know is that Ma’an has a history of distorting the truth to promote the palestinian agenda.

My blog had some excitement yesterday, as a Free Gaza moonbat named Anis threatened to sue me for my song parody of his Free Gaza absurdity that Dave blogged about here. I responded to Anis thusly:

I’m considering a parody of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Richard Cory” as “Rachel Corrie,” calling her an idiot and a tool of terrorists. Would that pass your muster or would you try to find a reason to take that one down as well? Just wondering what your definition of “free speech” includes, Anis!

His response was “This is your level.” I think he meant it as an insult.

Anyway, the idea stayed in my head, so this morning I wrote the song:

I hired Rachel Corrie to help bring Israel down
She was young, she was stupid, didn’t know her way around
She was the perfect patsy, do anything I asked
But even I didn’t know how well she’d perform her last task

Yes I – recruit peacenik wannabes
And I brainwash them for terror
Teach them to hate Israelis
And I wish they all could be
Oh I wish they all could be
Yes I wish they all could be
Rachel Corries.

“Peace and terror are the same” is the lesson that I taught
I told her that the underdog was right no matter what
Killing Jews in Israel is demanded by my god
The ISM is just another arm of my jihad

Yes I – recruit peacenik wannabes
And I brainwash them for terror
Teach them to hate Israelis
And I wish they all could be
Oh I wish they all could be
Yes I wish they all could be
Rachel Corries.

She learned to hate America, the freedom made her gag
She was thinking she was peaceful as she burned her country’s flag
The bulldozer came slowly but I’m glad she hadn’t fled
As good as Corrie was in life, she’s worth much more when she’s dead

And now she’s a propaganda factory
Her death has been the best thing since the SS Liberty
And I’m glad she didn’t flee
Her death was a victory
And I wish I had ninety
Rachel Corries!

If anyone wants to sing and record this, I will be happy to make an appropriate accompanying video.

..I certainly hope so:

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