She should tell that to the victims of tonight’s barrage of rockets.

Some 20 rockets and mortar shells were fired from Gaza into southern Israel on Saturday, seriously wounding a man in Ashkelon who eventually died of his wounds, and lightly hurting two others in Ashdod and Gan Yavne rocket strikes.

Four rockets exploded in Ashdod, one directly hitting a residential building and lightly wounding a man. Another rocket hit a school, but caused no casualties.

An hour afterward a rocket hit an Ashkelon home, seriously wounding a man who was transferred to Barzilai hospital where he later died of his wounds.

One rocket exploded in Gan Yavne, lightly wounding a 40-year-old man who sustained shrapnel wounds to his legs. Several trauma victims were also reported.

A short time later, a Qassam rocket fell in Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, and three mortar shells landed in an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council, causing no casualties or damage.

After several hours, two more rockets exploded in an open area west of Be’er Sheva, and no casualties were reported.

As a result of the escalation, school was canceled in Ashdod, Ashkelon and other towns in the 40-kilometer range from Gaza. Ben Gurion University in Be’er Sheva also called off classes, which were due to begin on Sunday.

Incidentally, the terrorists fired the rockets supposedly in retaliation for us killing five Islamic Jihad terrorists who had fired a Grad rocket at Be’er Tuvia on Wednesday night and were ready to mount another attack.

Here’s video of the terrorist squad preparing to fire rockets.

And here’s video Islamic Jihad released showing them firing rockets.

Israel needs to stop this once and for all.

REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

Despite Hamas declaring a ceasefire, palestinian terrorists continued to fire rockets and mortar shells  at Israel Sunday evening and early today, including Qassams fired at Ashkelon and Shaar Hanegev Regional Council, and mortar shells at Eshkol Regional Council.  

On our side, the IAF reportedly hit a terrorist cell, wounding several people.

8:44PM: “So, how’s that ceasire going?”

“Oh, not so well.”

1:45PM: Turkey’s Hurriyet paper has reported that Israel’s refusal to issue an apology for the flotilla events “will lead to further deterioration in the relations between the countries.” 

12:35PM: Reuters reports that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire.

Starting from now…

Kind of reminds me of this.

One official who was involved in mediating talks between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza said the groups had “reached an understanding on a truce and that the truce has started.”

12:20PM: Those brave Hamasholes have reportedly soiled their pants and gone underground. Here’s hoping they end up marinating the soil.

11:36AM: The IDF Spokesperson has tweeted that 16 rockets were fired into Israel overnight from Gaza.

8:38AM: Yesterday, I posted how Hollywood actor Jon Voight visited rocket attack victims at Be’er Sheva’s Soroka Medical Center.

Today I have the video (courtesy of Ynet).

Photo: Avi Rokach

Ok, I’ve tried to avoid getting into this situation, but it seems many people are expecting me to cover the latest war being waged against us here in Israel. And sure, I’ve expressed my concerns about retaining my sanity if I start attempting to blog updates, but, heck, at least I do not have rockets raining down on me (yet).

I’ll do my best to keep you updated, but am not sure how regularly I’ll be posting updates. So I’ll include a Twitter widget with updates and you’ll have the latest news and links when I am not providing my own.

Note: When posting updates, it won’t be of the solely “newsy” variety. I can’t help but include my brand of punditry and snark.

Spread the word.

You can also find updates over at The Muqata.

10:22PM: Despite reports of a ceasefire, the rockets keep coming.

8:40PM: Hamashole speak with forked tongue:

Hamas official: Gaza militants agree to cease-fire

Hamas fires phosphorus bomb at southern kibbutz

5:22PM: PMO Spokesman Ofir Gendelman posted on his Twitter feed that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu “has instructed the IDF to target only Palestinian terrorist organizations and to avoid collateral damage as much as possible.”

5:15PM: What a mensch!

Actor John Voight has visited rocket attack victims at Beersheba’s Soroka Medical Center

During the visit, Voight said that he has come to witness and report to the American people the harsh reality faced by the residents of southern Israel. He added that he was amazed to see that terror victims were hospitalized next to residents of Gaza and Hebron

5:08PM: Photo of the Day: Subtle, isn’t he?

An Egyptian protester holds an anti-Israel slogan near the Israeli embassy in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011. Hundreds of Egyptians protested against the deaths of Egyptian security forces killed in a shootout between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants on Thursday in the Sinai. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

5:00PM: From the Boy, Were They Wrong Department:  

4:50PM: More on our peace-loving Egyptian neighbors.

4:05PM: This would almost be funny but for the fact it isn’t.

Hamas Foreign Minister Mohammed Awad has been conducting talks with various contacts in international and regional organizations in an effort to stop Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian news agency Ma’an reported on Sunday.

According to the report, Awad contacted the United Nations several times.

What is sadder is the fact the UN will likely act to stop Israel.

3:45PM: From the IDF Spokesperson blog earlier today:

2 rockets hit so. of Ashkelon, Israel, threatening 112,900 Ashkelon residents; city Pop. = 1/3 of Florence, Italy Pop.

3:25PM: Our “peace partner” Jordan has condemned palestinian terrorists targeting of innocent civilians Israel’s targeting of terrorists in Gaza.

1:18PM: Some of the palestinian-fired rockets have landed in Egypt. No word yet on whether Egypt expects us to apologize.

1:15PM: Clearer footage of Egyptian Flagman.

1:08PM: The IAF has struck Gaza, targeting a terror cell about to fire rockets at Israel.

12:00PM: The man killed in last night’s rocket attacks on Be’er Sheva was on his way to his nine-month pregnant wife after hearing air raid sirens and becoming concerned for her safety.

11:38AM: Here’s another news item from the Theater of the Absurd:

Hamas has been holding talks with the Islamic Jihad over the weekend in an effort to convince the terror organization to stop firing rockets into Israel and resume the de facto truce that has been in place for two years, Egyptian daily Al-Ahram reported on Sunday.

This comes hot on the heels of Hamas taking responsibility for firing grad rockets at Be’er Sheva.

Do as we say, not as we do?

11:15AM: Anti-Israel cartoonist Carlos Latuff has created the following cartoon depicting the Egyptian who took down the Israeli flag from our Cairo embassy as a super hero.

As one of his commenters states “This drawing pix is now the facebook profile for most Egyptians.”

11:05AM: Another head-scratching news ticker update from Ha’aretz:

Islamic Jihad leader travels to Cairo in attempt to return calm to region (Ch. 10)

Yes, I’m sure their goal is calm in the region.

10:28AM: You’d think CNN could find a better image to illustrate a report on our predicament, say an image that doesn’t make us look like the aggressors.

Then again, this is CNN.

10:22AM: Egypt is not happy with our statement expressing regret for the border deaths of five of their policemen, killed during exchanges of fire with terrorists. 

Ok, I guess it is too much to expect them to express condolences for the Israeli lives lost during the terror attack, but to demand an apology from us?

Meanwhile last night, Egyptian protesters removed the Israeli flag from our embassy in Cairo..and were quite happy about it.

Peace!

10:05AM: More than 100 rockets have been launched from Gaza into Israel during the past 3 days. And that’s not including the multi-staged terror attack near Eilat, which claimed the lives of 8 people.

9:38AM: Update from the Ha’aretz news ticker:

Spain FM: It is time to recognize Palestinian state (Ch. 10)

Sends a clear message, doesn’t it? Fire more rockets into Israel, and you can accelerate the process towards getting your state.

But we already knew Spain has a terror appeasement policy, so no surprises there.

9:35AM: So far this morning, terrorists have fired rockets and mortars towards Ashkelon and Be’er Sheva, with the Iron Dome system successfully shooting down 4 of them.

One rocket hit a school building in Be’er Sheva, causing no injuries as students “Israeli soldiers” are currently on summer break.

It makes for an interesting read.

It’s wild to think that just a year ago my Cornell teammates and I were on center stage of March Madness; that’s what happens when you are the first Ivy League team to advance to the Sweet 16 since 1979. Thanks to Cornell’s historic success last March and my upbringing as a Jewish-American, an opportunity to play basketball professionally in Israel essentially fell into my lap. I had no illusions of my pilgrimage to the Holy Land coming close to matching the excitement of my senior season at Cornell. Still, I wasn’t at all prepared for how far removed the cramped, cookie-cutter gyms of Israel are from a stage like the Carrier Dome, where I played my last college game.

When Allen Iverson signed a two-year contract with the Turkish basketball club Besiktas in late October, the first thought that popped into my head shockingly wasn’t about how far the former perennial NBA all-star and league MVP had fallen. Instead, I immediately questioned whether “The Answer” knew what he was getting himself into. Though my brief two-and-a-half months spent living the life of a pro athlete in the Middle East have been fascinating, it certainly hasn’t been what I expected when I signed on for this adventure.

It might seem like a stretch to compare the basketball experience of a future Hall of Famer playing in Turkey to that of a first-year pro out of the Ivy League playing for Ironi “Eldan” Ashkelon in the Israeli Super League. But the two situations are more similar than they seem. The common denominator of the two basketball abroad experiences: the ABROAD part. Though every country (not named the United States) with a professional basketball league has it’s own perplexing/absorbing culture to become accustomed to, finding your comfort zone in the new surroundings is way more than half the battle to achieving success on the court … whether you are playing in Istanbul or Ashkelon.

It’s an adjustment that’s nearly seven months in the making for me and started on August 15 when I touched down at Ben Gurion International Airport. As a Jewish-American making Aliyah (the name of the process for a foreigner becoming an Israeli citizen), my acclimation is not typical of the American basketball player playing overseas. There is hoop after hoop to jump through, both at home and in Israel to officially gain citizenship. Within minutes of landing in Tel-Aviv, I was escorted to the ominous sounding “Ministry of Absorption” inside the airport. A few forms and photos later, I was welcomed into the country as an Israeli citizen.

The most memorable and eye-opening “Welcome to Israel!” moment was my visit to the Israeli army headquarters in Beer Sheba. Every Israeli citizen is required to serve in the army. Most do so when they graduate high school, unless there are extenuating circumstances that delay or clear their army obligations. I was told upon my arrival that there was a very simple and standard procedure American basketball players making Aliyah go through to waive the army responsibilities inherited by other Israeli citizens.

In order to be cleared or get an exemption from the army, you first have to go through the daylong army placement system. This process, which makes a trip to the DMV look like a day at Disneyland, was a nightmare. First, I was interviewed. Among other things, they prodded me about my family history and asked me to read and write in Hebrew (which I hadn’t done since I was Bar Mitzvahed at age 13). My interviewer then really caught my attention by asking me to whom I would like to give my pension if I die in battle. I was then given a physical, where I scored a 93 (out of 100) on the army’s official medical exam. This meant I could choose any division of the army I wish to participate in (this is considered a huge honor for most Israelis). After a computer aptitude test, the two basketball team managers accompanying me saved me from near enlistment. If it wasn’t for them and their somewhat pushy tactics (Israelis have a knack for making every conversation seem like an argument), I could have easily been drafted right then and there. The managers were able to receive confirmation in writing that I would not be enlisted for at least one year.

*****

I’m used to living and playing basketball in a town where everyone seems to know each other. But while Ashkelon and Ithaca, N.Y., may be similar in size, the similarities end there. If moving to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem for a whole year is a culture shock, then moving to Ashkelon is the equivalent of a cultural ice bath. In a lot of ways, Ashkelon is unlike the bigger, more citylike parts of Israel, and for that reason the cultural adjustment to living here is probably as big as it could have possibly been. But the small-town feel of Ashkelon is one of the characteristics I appreciate most. Whether it’s because I always eat at the same five or six places or because I am the out-of-place-looking professional basketball player, people recognize my face, know I’m on the basketball team, and don’t hesitate to talk with me about basketball and my life in their city. While I don’t speak Hebrew well enough and most of them don’t speak English well enough to carry on a conversation for longer than 30 seconds, it’s nice to feel welcome in a really strange environment. Ashkelon basketball fans, like I’d imagine most fans of small-town/lower budget European teams, are extremely passionate about the team. They are everything a basketball player could ask for in a fan base: loyal, proud, and feverishly supportive. The fans, which are mostly made up of adolescent boys, travel to all away games, bang drums in the stands, paint their chests and blow vuvuzelas. They pack the energy and enthusiasm of European soccer into basketball arenas wherever we travel.

On the flip side, like most Israelis, they are also not shy about voicing their displeasure when things don’t go well. It’s wrong to call it rudeness, but some Israelis possess this unbridled honesty that enables them to ask questions and make comments that many Americans would keep to themselves. For example, after we lost our opening game of the season to local rival Ashdod, I returned home to order a pizza. Before handing me my food, the deliveryman greeted me with, “It’s you! How’d you guys lose tonight? I was embarrassed to watch the game.” That’s pretty bold coming from a man whom I had yet to tip, but that is the reality of life as a professional basketball player. I am living in a small, modest Israeli town where the basketball team is a huge source of pride. Ashkelon can’t offer the amenities or leisure activities of Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, so after the beach, Ashkelonians can basically look forward to basketball and soccer. After I realized how uniquely important my team’s success was to the Ashkelon basketball fans, I could appreciate how the “Blue Wave,” as the fans are called, can be so loving and fiery all at once.

Outside of basketball, I love that Ashkelon is the most unlikely of cultural melting pots. I naively expected to meet exclusively white Jews in Israel, but in the entire country (and Ashkelon especially) that is not the case. There are sizable populations of Moroccan, Ethiopian and Russian immigrants in Ashkelon, the latter of whom aren’t even all Jewish. My apartment building houses Spaniards, Frenchmen, Americans and Israelis. These different groups make living in Ashkelon more interesting, but it doesn’t make it any easier to interact with my neighbors. For whatever reason, it’s difficult to find people in Ashkelon who speak very good English. Many speak it well enough to understand a food order or a request at a store, but in a country that requires its students to take English classes starting in fourth grade, it’s odd that many locals struggle with the language.

It is interesting though to see the differences in English fluency among my Israeli teammates. After years of playing European basketball, where English is the universal language, the veterans speak decent to very good English. The young players, on the other hand (and by young I mean younger than I am), are mostly local and have a hard time talking in English beyond basic basketball terminology. It doesn’t make it any less fun to talk, hang out, or play with them, it just makes communicating both on and off the court more of a challenge.

Surprisingly, the most difficult adjustment of all has been the basketball. It’s exciting to be playing alongside players I grew up watching (on my team are former NBA players Gabe Pruitt, Desmond Farmer and Tim Pickett) and with heady European league veterans, both Israeli and American, that can show a young rookie the ropes. What I wasn’t expecting, however, was the intense pressure to win that comes along with being paid to play basketball. I’ve been watching the NBA nearly my whole life, so the fact that pro basketball is a business first is not some grand revelation for me. I’ve just never appreciated it until now.

Maybe it’s because there are only 27 games in the Israeli regular season and only one game per week (so each game is scrutinized and magnified much more than a single NBA regular-season game is), but after each of my team’s losses so far this season the stress level of each practice and workout was something I never came close to experiencing in my four years of college. With each loss, the chance someone gets cut or traded spikes, and with each win you can tangibly sense the relief in the locker room. After talking with my college teammates playing in Germany, Spain, and Italy, I know this impatience isn’t unique to Israel. In college, losses were purely heartbreaking, but in the pros, a loss goes beyond emotion.

There are days when I try to imagine what it was like for Americans to play basketball abroad before the Internet, laptops, or iPods … and simply can’t. Without these luxuries, staying connected to home, family, friends, and what is going on outside this New Jersey-sized Middle Eastern country would be a challenge. Of course, for my American teammates and I, new media is a lifesaver: everyone is on Facebook now, Twitter is essentially a customizable e-newspaper, and Skype keeps me in touch with my family, friends back home and college teammates playing abroad without worrying about a huge phone bill. I probably couldn’t have picked a bigger cultural adjustment than Ashkelon — the entire city shuts down from 3 p.m. on Friday to Saturday night at sundown for Shabbat.

While the college basketball season is approaching its one-of-a-kind climax, the Israeli basketball calendar is lagging a couple of months behind. After our regular season ends on April 21, the top eight teams in the 10-team league advance to the playoffs. Unless things change in a hurry, I could be flying home sooner rather than later. Ashkelon is 5-17 on the season, sitting in ninth place, and three games out of the final playoff spot with five games to go. So, yeah … a year removed from being near the top of college basketball I am at the bottom of Israeli basketball.

As a first-year pro that wasn’t planning on a career in basketball three months before this all started, I couldn’t be prouder of my individual performance and effort this season. The numbers aren’t great or even decent (I’m averaging only 3 points, 3 boards in about 12 minutes a game), but this season was way more about personal growth than stats for me anyway. Plus, I can always tell my grandchildren someday that I led the Israeli Premier League in fouls per minute (like a wise man once said, “If you’re not fouling, you’re not playing defense”). There’s a chance I will retire from pro basketball after one season, though I haven’t decided anything officially yet. My ultimate goal for the future, whenever I do decide to call it quits, is to have a successful career writing about the sport. If I can write a college basketball blog while playing professional basketball overseas, I’m excited to see what I can do when I’m living in the same hemisphere as the games I’m covering.

Meanwhile, I have checked out his Twitter feed, which perhaps reveals some other feelings about certain Israeli experiences.

Trip to an Israeli bank. I will try really hard not to let this ruin my day

As for the rockets..

Another day, another couple of rockets from Gaza landing near Ashkelon. Ho-hum.

Ilan Assayag

The massive storm that swept through Israel over the weekend caused a great deal of damage to archaeological sites all along the Mediterranean coast, but also uncovered a an impressive statue of a woman between 1650 and 1800 years old in Ashkelon.

The statue, a 1.2-meter high figure of a woman with her head missing, has been dated to Roman times and is thought to have stood erect in a bath house.

The statue was discovered when a cliff crumbled into the water at a sea-side archaeological dig in Ashkelon. Among the chunks of earth that broke off from the cliff were parts of a large building that apparently were once a part of a Roman bath house.

Sections of a colorful mosaic floor were also ruined. Many shards were washed away by the water.

Archaeologist Dr. Yigal Israel of the Israel Antiquities Authority in the Ashkelon region explained, “It is a lovely white statue that is missing its head and part of a hand. It was apparently imported from Italy, Greece or Asia Minor, and may have represented the goddess Aphrodite.”

“The woman depicted in the statue is wearing a toga and leaning on a square stone column,” Israel continued. “Her clothing was chiseled meticulously – her toes are delicate, we see her sandals and her small emphasized bosom. Simply a stunningly beautiful statue.”

The statue had fallen from a relatively high precipice measuring approximately ten meters high, but was surprisingly unharmed. Dr. Israel estimated that the statue’s head and hand were missing even during Roman times.

“We rescued the statue from the sea waves lapping at it,” Dr. Israel said. “It was spotted by a passerby, and with the generous help of Ashkelon city council, we raised it with a crane. We are transferring it to government warehouses in Beit Shemesh.”

Alas, finally a woman older than Helen Thomas in the news.

If not, here’s a quick list of some of my recent posts on the subject:

Scenes From the Gaza Mall

More Scenes From the Gaza Mall

A Taste of “Concentration Camp” Gaza: Islamic University of Gaza

A Taste of “Concentration Camp” Gaza: Roots Club

A Taste of “Concentration Camp” Gaza: The Commodore Hotel

A Taste of “Concentration Camp” Gaza: The Aldeira Hotel

A Taste of “Concentration Camp” Gaza: The Grand Palace Hotel

But if these photos are not enough to convince you, here’s some Arab sources dealing with this reality.

In an article in the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram on the economic situation in the Gaza Strip, journalist Ashraf Abu Al-Houl wrote about the burgeoning recreation industry and of the low merchandise prices.

Also as part of the interest in the economic situation in Gaza, the PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida published articles describing the expensive resorts that have been established for Gaza’s newly rich, and a Palestinian website reported on the new mall recently opened in the city.

The following are excerpts from the articles:

Stores Overflow with Goods

Journalist Ashraf Abu Al-Houl wrote in Al-Ahram: “I was last in Gaza in mid-February. Returning three weeks ago, I found it almost unrecognizable… and the greatest surprise was the nature of that change. I would have expected a change for the worse, considering the blockade – but the opposite was the case; it seemed as if it had emerged from the blockade.

“A sense of absolute prosperity prevails, as manifested by the grand resorts along and near Gaza’s coast. Further, the sight of the merchandise and luxuries filling the Gaza shops amazed me. Merchandise is sold more cheaply than in Egypt, although most of it is from the Egyptian market, and there are added shipping costs and costs for smuggling it via the tunnels – so that it could be expected to be more expensive.

“Before I judge by appearances, which can be misleading… [I would like to point out that] I toured the new resorts, most of which are quite grand, as well as the commercial markets, to verify my hypothesis. The resorts and markets have come to symbolize prosperity, and prove that the siege is formal or political, not economic. The reality [in Gaza] proves that the siege was broken even before Israel’s crime against the ships of the Freedom Flotilla in late May; everything already was coming into the Gaza Strip from Egypt. If this weren’t the case, businessmen would not have been able to build so many resorts in under four months.”

Significantly Lower Prices

“[I] began my search for the truth regarding the siege in Rafah, at the Saturday market, which was loaded with large quantities of merchandise and products of various kinds – at prices mostly lower than in Egypt, particularly for food products. Nevertheless, there weren’t many customers, and this for two reasons: One, supply is much greater than demand, and two, the workers were all waiting to get paid their wages.

“Business owner Abu Yousuf stood at his shop surrounded by hundreds of cans of food. Their price had dropped significantly in the past two months; in some cases by as much as 50%. Clothing vendor Abu Muhammad Al-Masri noted that there was an unprecedented glut on the clothing market in the Gaza Strip. Clothing comes into Gaza from two sources: the tunnels, which provide large quantities, and the border crossings to Israel, via which even more goods arrive, most of which piled up at Ashdod port [and are now coming into the Strip]. He clarified that the merchants wanted to sell [lots of] goods to get back some of their money… and so had increased the supply in the markets, leading to lower prices.

“During my tour of the Rafah and Khan Younis markets, I noticed that the merchants were drastically marking down their merchandise, so as to get rid of goods smuggled in through the tunnels, and to prevent heavy losses… after Israel has decided to allow in Israeli and imported goods, as part of Israeli government measures to ease the blockade following the Freedom Flotilla massacre.

“Despite the drop in price due to the plethora of goods in the Gaza markets, the residents sense that even lower prices are on the way, due to the easing of the Israeli blockade. The consumers are carefully watching prices, [particularly for] smuggled electrical appliances and cars, and refrain from buying, expecting that merchandise will arrive via the border crossings [leading to a further drop in prices].

“A Gaza car showroom salesman said that he hoped to sell off his inventory and that he was not bringing in any new vehicles for fear of heavy losses, because Israel had decided to allow vehicles into Gaza for the first time since 2006. Anyone walking in the Gaza streets will see hundreds, if not thousands, of cars that entered Gaza from Egypt via the tunnels, and some of them are stolen. At the home and kitchen appliance dealers, there is a tempting array of all kinds of smuggled goods that sellers want to get rid of, due to the ongoing information about new products that Israel has decided to allow into to the city… ”

Resorts for the Nouveau Riche

“The Gaza resorts paint a picture of prosperity enjoyed by only a few groups, most of which have become rich from the blockade, because they either own tunnels or else work for the many international organizations in Gaza, headed by UNRWA.

“The Gaza resorts are divided into several [categories], each of which has its own price range. This is not like it used to be, when all the tables on the beach were for the use of all the residents… I noticed that most of the resorts set a certain price for the tables near the sea, and a different price for tables farther away. This is in addition to high fees to enter the resort – no less than NIS 20 – and each activity within the [grounds] has its own fee. In short, a family visit, with a sandwich for each child, can cost up to NIS 500.

“Several months ago, Gaza had only one luxury resort, Zahrat Al-Madain. Today, another one opens up every day, such as Crazy Water, Aqua Park, and Al-Bustan. Most of them are owned by members, or associates, of Hamas. In addition, the Hamas municipalities [also] charge high fees, in Gaza terms, for the use of public beaches.”

“‘Aed Yaghi, senior official of the Al-Mubadara Al-Wataniyya party, which is headed by Palestinian Legislative Council member Mustafa Al-Barghouti, said, ‘These resorts make you wonder. It is logical to invest when times are good – but when Gaza is suffering under siege and there is a possibility of renewed aggression [by Israel], no one knows what profitability there is in building resorts.’

“Walid Al-’Awwad, a member of the Palestinian People’s Party political bureau, said, ‘In the past two years, money-laundering has flourished in Gaza, as reflected by the construction of numerous resorts – all of which belong to influential individuals who participate in trafficking via the tunnels. Compared to the tunnel owners’ increasing wealth, the [status] of the [established] wealthy families has waned… The spread of the grand resorts reflects the emergence of a bourgeoisie. Some of the fluidity in the Gaza market stems from the activity of clandestine elements – distributors of drugs, arms, and tunnel merchandise.’

“Human rights activist and political correspondent Mustafa Ibrahim said, ‘Building resorts in the north [of the Strip] is contrary to the most fundamental principles of investment, because they are in regions exposed to shelling and destruction, due to the unceasing Israeli threats. Thus, veteran investors don’t dare invest in this area. The elements behind the investment [in the north], who are sometimes hasty, rely on profits from trafficking via the tunnels for funding… This huge investment in the leisure industry is taking place today in Gaza at a time when 80% of the residents depend on aid from UNRWA and other organizations, and unemployment is at 45%. This creates a distorted picture, particularly when merchandise is piling up in the shops in a way that does not reflect the economic situation. Perhaps the current government created this distorted situation in order to show that it had succeeded in breaking the siege…”

Photos: Al-Ahram, Egypt, July 17, 2010

The Al-Bustan Resort and Bisan Tourism City

The PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida stated: “The Al-Bustan resort, on the coast, belongs to an Islamic association linked to Hamas. It offers a cafeteria, a restaurant, and fish ponds; it gets 1,000 visitors a day, and about 2,000 during the weekend, says manager Ahmad Qadoura. A Gaza resident whose home was destroyed in the Gaza war, Abu Kamal Al-Awajeh, expressed his resentment over the resorts’ high entry fee of NIS 35… He says, ‘priority should be given to rehabilitating Gaza and building housing for those whose homes were destroyed by the occupation in the war.’ Nearby, the Wa’ed prisoners’ association, which is close to Hamas, has built the Al-Hurriya ["Freedom"] Resort.

“In May, Bisan Tourism City was established in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip. Previously a garbage dump, the 270-dunam [site], which belongs to the Hamas government, provides a leisure and vacation [destination] for Gaza residents… It cost $1.5 million, under the oversight of Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad. The city includes an 86-dunam park and a small zoo, and two Olympic-size swimming pools for children and adults. According to its administration, on weekends it hosts some 6,000 visitors… The administration bans hookah smoking and card games, and three religious conventions are held there every week.”[2]

Mall Opens in Gaza

The Palestinian website Firas Press reported: “This week, Gaza’s first mall opened. The inaugural ceremony was attended by Hamas ministers and officials, along with merchants and investors. Hamas Welfare Minister Ahmad Al-Kurd said, “The mall will participate in meeting the basic needs of the population, against the backdrop of the siege, with merchants bringing in [goods] via the border crossings and the tunnels.”

Meanwhile, the people really under siege are the people of Israel, who are still subject to rocket fire.

A rocket fired from the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun exploded in the heart of a populated area in the southern city of Ashkelon on Friday morning. Eight people suffered shock. Two empty floors of an apartment building, several cars and a nearby pavement sustained damage. Many windows were shattered.

Police dispatched to the rocket’s landing site urged the residents to stay in their homes for fear of additional rockets.

“We heard the siren and ran into the fortified room,” says Dudi Ben-Shlush, who lives on the fourth floor of the building hit by the rocket. “We heard the loud explosion only after we came out. The entire building trembled, windows were shattered, and the shutters were damaged.

“When we went downstairs, we saw that our two cars were completely damaged and their windows were shattered. It was very scary; we thought the entire building was going to collapse.”

Nechama Carmi, who lives in the same building, was washing her car when she heard the siren. “I ran into the stairwell and waited there. When I came out I heard the loudest explosion I’ve heard since Operation Cast Lead. It was very strong and terrifying.”

Ilana Asulin, another neighbor, was cooking the Shabbat meal. “I shut the stove, we went into the fortified room and then we heard a very loud explosion.”

Ashkelon Mayor Benny Vaknin, who arrived at the landing site, said that “this is a very serious incident, the worst since Operation Cast Lead. There is no doubt that such a hit inside the city is an escalation.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is leaving for Washington tonight, has promised the Obama administration Israel will make several goodwill gestures toward the Palestinian Authority in response to Washington’s demands.

For the first time since Operation Cast Lead, Israel has agreed to ease the blockade on the Gaza Strip. Moreover, Netanyahu has agreed to discuss all core issues during the proximity talks, with the condition of reaching final conclusions only in direct talks with the PA.

Netanyahu also agreed to discuss the core issues in the dispute – including borders, refugees, Jerusalem, security arrangements, water and settlements – already during indirect talks, although summations would be made in direct talks with the PA president.

Netanyahu responded to Washington’s demands during his telephone call with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday night. Clinton said on Friday that Netanyahu’s response “was useful and productive, and we’re continuing our discussions with him and his government.”

Netanyahu refused to revoke the building project in Ramat Shlomo or freeze construction in East Jerusalem. He also promised a better oversight system to prevent embarrassing incidents such as the one that triggered the crisis with the U.S. during Vice President Joe Biden’s visit.

Senior officials in Jerusalem said that the prime minister’s gestures include relieving the blockade on Gaza and enabling the UN to transport construction materials to rebuild sewerage systems and a large flour mill, and build 150 apartments in Khan Yunis.

Netanyahu also agreed to release hundreds of Fatah-affiliated prisoners as a gesture to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, in keeping with the view of the defense establishment on the effect this will have on the release of Gilad Shalit.

Netanyahu is scheduled to leave for Washington tonight with Defense Minister Ehud Barak to attend the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington. Opposition leader MK Tzipi Livni and Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau will also attend the convention.

Netanyahu is slated to address the convention tomorrow at 7 P.M. (Israel time), then meet Clinton, who is also to speak at the AIPAC gathering. No meeting has been set yet between Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama, but Israeli officials believe such a meeting will take place on Tuesday in the White House, and contacts are progressing in this regard.

Updates (Israel time; most recent at top)

10:48PM: Palestinian terrorists fired yet another Qassam at an Israeli population center,with the rocket landing south of Ashkelon. And it’s no coincidence we are witnessing an escalation in these attacks now.

“When they say that the rocket exploded in an open area, from our standpoint it is a field in which farmers work. Therefore, such attacks should be dealt with just as any direct hit on a house,” council head Yair Farjun said.

“I assume the groups that are firing the rockets are taking advantage of the fact our hands our somewhat tied because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in the US for meetings. It is not my place to give the security establishment advice – it has proven that it knows what to do against the Palestinian organizations,” he said.

That and the fact the world is saying some new buildings being built in a Jewish town is the obstacle to peace, with nary a word about the terrorism directed at Israeli citizens for years.

8:00PM: Wacky Hamas terrorist profile of the day: The Bubba.

5:44PM: Media bias: Here’s how The Guardian chose to cover the story of the two palestinian terrorists killed while trying to stab with pitchforks IDF troops protecting palestinians.

Palestinians shot dead by Israeli troops near Nablus

Two teenagers killed day after boys, 15 and 17, shot in village

Israeli troops shot dead two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank today amid a new descent into violence.

The two, who Palestinians claimed were detained while ploughing a field of olive trees near Nablus, were shot several times. Palestinian officials said both were 17. The Israeli military said they had tried to stab a soldier.

5:15PM: It’s a date!

4:55PM: Bye Mauritania, we’ll really miss the…ehh, asylum seekers.

3:50PM: You knew this was coming: Palestinian explanation of pitchfork carrying attackers killed by IDF troops.

According to the Palestinians, the two were holding agricultural equipment used as part of their work when they were shot to death by IDF soldiers.

You can’t blame them for trying. After years of waging war against Israel, rejecting Israeli peace overtures, and perpetrating terror attacks against civilians, the world seems to accept what the palestinians say, and treats Israel as if we are the obstacle to peace. So it’s no wonder they think they can get away with transparent lies – because they get away with it all the time.

1:04PM: You can file this under Palestinian Exploitation of  Humanitarian Gestures.

Israel Defense Forces soldiers on Sunday shot dead two Palestinians who tried to attack them with pitchforks near the West Bank city of Nablus.

According to initial reports, soldiers from the IDF’s Nahshon Brigade were stationed south of the Israeli settlement of Itamar in order to protect Palestinians plowing their land.

The soldiers opened fire after two Palestinians tried to attack them. The soldiers were not harmed.

Pitchforks? I knew they are always threatening to “open the gates of hell”, but isn’t this a bit too obvious?

12:55PM: Photo of the day:

An Indonesian Muslim protester holds a placard during a demonstration against Israel's settlement plans, in central Makassar, South Sulawesi March 21, 2010. Relations between Israel and the United States, its main backer, have been frayed by Israel unveiling plans to build 1,600 housing units near occupied East Jerusalem. The Palestinians, who regard the land as part of their future capital, say they will not go ahead with plans for indirect peace talks unless the housing scheme is scrapped. REUTERS/Yusuf Ahmad

Let’s be very clear about something. There’s no way someone holding a sign with a picture of an armed terrorist and the words “Freedom for Palestine” is just demonstrating against construction plans for a town in territory captured in the 1967 war of self defense. Such people take issue with the entire State of Israel, which they refer to as Palestine, and support its usurpation by an Arab state.

8:55AM: A little racial profiling goes a long way.

EL AL Israel Airlines has been voted as the best in the Airline Security category of the recent annual survey of Global Traveller Magazine by more than 25000 readers. The airline has won the honour for three consecutive years (since the inception of the category). In the annual survey readers of Global Traveller select their favourites in the travel industry in various categories. Fran Gallagher, Publisher & CEO, Global Traveller stated, “Our award winners continue to set the bench mark for service in the industry and our readers know quality. Year after year, the winners they vote for emulate those high standards. EL AL’s dedication to security keeps it tops in the category, Best Airline for Security.” Commenting on the honour, Offer Gat, CEO, (North/Central America) EL AL Israel Airlines said, “We are proud to be recognised as the airline industry leader in security. Safety and security remain a top priority for EL AL and we are proud to provide an uncompromised level at all times.”

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Want to learn how to shoot with top Israeli anti-terror experts? Click here for more details.

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In other news, there is an airport named after Yasser Arafat, the father of airline hijackings.

Just saying.

Updates (Israel time; most recent at top)

10:46PM: If it wasn’t already evident to you that the Goldstone Report is seriously flawed, it should be after reading about Desmond Travers, the senior figure responsible for the military analysis in the report.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010
New Revelations About the UN Goldstone Report that Seriously Undermine its Credibility

Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs

Col. (ret.) Desmond Travers was one of the four members of the UN Fact Finding Mission that produced what is widely called the Goldstone Report. The Mission investigated Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip between December 27, 2008 and January 18, 2009. Travers joined the Irish Defense Forces in 1961 and retired after forty years. As the only former officer who belonged to Justice Richard Goldstone’s team, he was the senior figure responsible for the military analysis that provided the basis for condemning Israel for war crimes.

After following his repeated public appearances with the other mission members in July 2009, and especially in light of his most recent interviews, serious flaws have now become evident in the methodology he followed, in his collection and processing of data, and in the conclusions he draws. In the past, the flaws in the Goldstone report, and especially its lack of balance, have been criticized by the London Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the Economist, but the fundamental problems of its military analysis have not been fully addressed. In the material presented here, this becomes evident in four specific ways:

1. A Fundamental Bias against the Israel Defense Forces

During the Mission’s collection of testimonies from Palestinian psychologists in the Gaza Strip, Travers asked them straight out to explain how Israeli soldiers could kill Palestinian children in front of their parents. In an interview with Middle East Monitor, on February 2, 2010, he asserted that in the past Israeli soldiers had “taken out and deliberately shot” Irish peacekeeping forces in Southern Lebanon. Both of these statements by Travers are completely false. It should be stressed that one of the most vicious and unsubstantiated conclusions in the Goldstone Report is the suggestion that Israel deliberately killed Palestinian civilians.

While Travers assumes the worst of intentions on the part of the Israel Defense Forces, he praises Hamas for their cooperation with the Mission. When he was asked about Hamas intimidation that affected the Mission’s inquiries, he replied that that there was “none whatsoever.” Yet the Goldstone Report itself noted in Paragraph 440 that those interviewed in Gaza appeared reluctant to speak about the presence of Palestinian armed groups because of a “fear of reprisals.” He rejects the notion that Hamas shielded its forces in the civilian population and does not accept the idea that Israel faced asymmetric warfare.

2. False Information Reported About Weapons Systems

Travers comes up with a story that the IDF had unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) that could obtain a “thermal signature” on a Gaza house and detect that there were large numbers of people inside. Incredibly, he then suggests that with this information that certain houses were “packed with people,” the Israeli military would then deliberately order a missile strike on these populated homes. The primary technical problem with his theory is that Israel does not have UAV’s that can see though houses and pick up a thermal
signature. More importantly, Israel used UAV’s to monitor that Palestinian civilians left houses that had received multiple warnings, precisely because Israel sought to minimize civilian casualties, a fact that Travers could not fathom, because of his own clear biases.

3. Completely Inaccurate Data

Travers rejects that Israel began military operations against the Gaza Strip on December 27, 2008 as an act of self-defense in response to Hamas rockets. He bases this idea on a “fact” that he presents that in the month prior to start of the war, there were only “something like two” rockets that fell on Israel. Israeli military sources found that there were in fact 32 rockets fired from Gaza at Israel over three days alone–between December 16 and 18, 2008. He adds to his analysis that at this time Hamas sought to extend the tahdiya, or lull arrangement–which he called a cease-fire. Yet the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas announced on December 17 that the lull would come to an end two days later and would not be renewed. The head of the Hamas political bureau in Damascus, Khaled Mashaal, announced the end of the lull on December 14. To say that Hamas wanted to continue the lull is a
complete distortion of events.

In his Middle East Monitor interview, Travers states that he “only came across two incidents of where there was an actual combat situation” – the exchange of fire between Israel and Hamas. Because he minimizes the possibility that Israel was engaged in real combat in the Gaza Strip, it follows that he naturally conclude that Israel was essentially attacking non-combatants during Operation Cast Lead.

4. Lack of Professionalism in Conducting Thorough Investigations

Travers relies on his own prejudices when he looks into the question of whether Gazan Mosques had been militarized by Hamas and turned into weapons depots. In an interview with Harpers, published on October 29, 2009, Travers makes a sweeping generalization: “We found no evidence that mosques were used to store munitions.” He then dismissed those who suggested that was the case by saying: “Those charges reflect Western perceptions in some quarters that Islam is a violent religion.” How many mosques did Travers investigate? He admits that the Mission only checked two mosques.

Of course, Israel produced photographic proof that large amounts of weapons were stored in mosques, like the Zaytun Mosque. In a subsequent interview, Travers rejected the Israeli proof: “I do not believe the photographs.” He described the photographs as “spurious.” Travers appears to be bothered by proof that contradicts the conclusions he reaches on the basis of a very limited investigation. In early 2010, Colonel Tim Collins, a British veteran of the Iraq War, visited Gaza for BBC Newsnight (
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8470100.stm , 20 January 2010) and inspected the ruins of a mosque that Israel had destroyed because it had been a weapons depot. He found that there was evidence of secondary explosions cause by explosives stored in the mosque cellar. Travers clearly did not make the effort that Collins made.

In his questioning of Palestinian witnesses in the Gaza Strip, Travers does not ask the questions that a military advisor should raise. He did not ask those giving testimony if they were member of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam units of Hamas and were combatants. He also failed to ask them straight out if their homes had been used to store munitions, like Grad rockets. Instead, his questions reflected his ideological bias.

Travers most recent interview also had a disturbing additional element. When addressing the role of British officers in defending Israel’s claims, Travers suddenly adds: “Britain’s foreign policy interests in the Middle East seem to be influenced strongly by Jewish lobbyists.” Travers implies that British Jews have interests that differ from Britain’s own national interests and that Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s government is influenced by these considerations. This statement, unless corrected, places Travers is a position in which his views are suspect of being motivated by anti-Semitic prejudices. Even without this last statement, he clearly emerges as an individual who is not qualified to take part in any serious fact-finding mission and the U.N. should not seek his services in the future. Given his statements, Justice Richard Goldstone should repudiate Col. Travers and completely reject the conclusions that he reached as a result of his work.

10:20PM: Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has condemned today’s “stabbing incident.”

Which was not as much an “incident” as a terrorist attack committed by a senior officer of his own security forces.

“Such an incident,” the Palestinian prime minister said, “undermines national Palestinian objectives, and the Palestinian Authority’s commitments.”

And is MURDER, Fayyad.

Meanwhile, the family of the murdered Druze Arab IDF soldier, 28-year-old Ihab Khatib, has pledged to continue enlisting in the army and contributing to the state of Israel.

Many residents arrived at the Khatib family home to comfort the parents.

“Our village has sadly ‘contributed’ many soldiers to the security of the State of Israel,” one of the visitors said.

“Even if there are disagreements among us, and despite the instances of discrimination and oppression, we will all continue to enlist and contribute to the country in which we live, and for whose continued existence we pray.”

6:20PM: An Israeli is set to replace Simon Cowell on American Idol.

Which would mean we retain some Zionist control on the panel.

6:15PM: The IDF officer murdered earlier today was an Arab – Ihab Khatib from Kfar Maghar.

The terrorist was PA officer Mahmoud al-Khatib.

A SENIOR officer in the PA security forces, that is.

6:10PM: Shame on Reuters who are even worse than the AP when it comes to media bias.

Case in point: the captions for these photos capturing yesterday’s riots at the Shuafat refugee camp.

An undercover Israeli police officer (R) scuffles with a Palestinian youth suspected of throwing stones while trying to detain him during clashes in the Shuafat refugee camp in the West Bank near Jerusalem February 9, 2010. Clashes erupted between Palestinian stone-throwers and Israeli police that entered the refugee camp, a Reuters witness said on Tuesday.
REUTERS/Ammar Awad (WEST BANK – Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST)

Looks like the Israeli police officer initiated the rough stuff with a palestinian “youth,” who does not look too youthful to me. That is, until you read the AP caption from the same incident.

A Palestinian rioter tries to grab a weapon from a plain-clothes Israeli police officer, right, during clashes in Shuafat refugee camp in east Jerusalem, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010. Palestinians scuffled with Israeli security forces, after an arrest operation triggered clashes in the camp the day before. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Here it becomes clearer that this was not a case of Israeli aggression against a palestinian, but a matter of life of death for the police officer, who would surely have been killed with his own weapon had the palestinian succeeded in grabbing it. Furthermore, the palestinian is not described as a youth, which seems to be accurate.

5:55PM: The Israeli murdered earlier this afternoon was an IDF soldier.

3:52PM: TERROR ATTACK: Almost two hours ago, an Israeli was killed after being stabbed by a palestinian while sitting in his jeep near the Tapuach Junction.

Judea and Samaria District Police officers apprehended the terrorist. The knife used in the attack was found at the scene. Israeli security officials said the terrorist acted alone.

The incident occurred at around 1:50 pm, when the Israeli vehicle was stuck in a traffic jam. The Palestinian terrorist stabbed the Israeli twice in the chest through the open car window.

The Israeli tried to flee the scene, but his jeep overturned into a ditch.

A security officer from the nearby Jewish settlement Rachelim, who happened to be at the scene, ran the terrorist over with his car. The Palestinian sustained very mild injuries.

“I was in my car when I saw a man approach another vehicle and stab the person inside. I realized I was witnessing a terror attack. The terrorist began running away, but I kept my cool, drove after him and managed to hit him with my car,” the security officer, Yossi Margalit, told Ynet.

“I stepped out of my car, apprehended the terrorist and turned him over to the security forces,” he recounted.

Prediction: we will not hear any condemnation of this attack by the palestinians and their supporters, but we will hear complaints about the palestinian being run over.

Meanwhile, the Ha’aretz report includes this interesting fact.

Yossi Margalit, a security officer from a nearby settlement who arrived the scene ran over the attacker, lightly wounding him. He was then arrested, and given medical attention on the spot.

Wow, we are so bad at genocide and ethnic cleansing that we ensure even their terrorists are alive.

2:16PM: Lebanese Prime Minister Saad “Stark” Hariri has confirmed that Lebanon=Hizbullah.

Hariri added that Lebanon was united, and that his government would stand by Hezbollah – the Lebanese terror group which fought Israel in 2006.

“I think they’re (Israel) betting that there might be some division in Lebanon, if there is a war against us,” he said, “Well, there won’t be a division in Lebanon. We will stand against Israel. We will stand with our own people.”

Which means that Israel’s agreement to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which demands, inter alia, that Hizbullah be disarmed and full control of Lebanon by the government of Lebanon, was a really rotten idea.

But we already knew that.

1:05PM: PA sex and corruption scandal? Naaaa, just an Israeli conspiracy of course!

The Palestinian Authority expressed their outrage on Wednesday at Israel’s Channel 10 report of a video found depicting one of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ senior advisors in compromising positions with a woman candidate applying to work in his office. According to a PA official, the report was merely an Israeli smear campaign meant to embarrass Abbas.

The report also aired claims made by former General Intelligence chief Fahmi Shabana that officials close to Abbas and his predecessor Yasser Arafat were entangled in corruption scandals amounting to millions of shekels stolen from public coffers.

Shabana, who was in charge of the PA’s anti-corruption campaign, claimed in interviews with the media that he placed before Abbas evidence of widespread economic corruption around him, but that the president declined doing anything about it. According to him, senior Fatah officials during Arafat’s rule stole millions of shekels from PA coffers, a large amount of which originated from Arab states, Europe, and the US as donations.

The Fatah officials allegedly requested inflated sums for purchasing land, which was valued far lower than the numbers they presented, and the proceeded to pocket the difference. Shabana hinted that even Abbas’ family members were involved in the corruption, but has yet to prove so.

Shabana also revealed an embarrassing video from 2008 depicting the head of Abbas’ office, Rafik al-Husseini, rubbing his body against his secretary and apparently trying to convince a woman seeking employment in the office to have sexual relations with him.

Shabana was suspended from his position. When Abbas sought to reinstate him, he was arrested by Israel for holding membership in a foreign security body in light of the fact that he is a resident of east Jerusalem and holds an Israeli identity card. Shabana claims, however, that he was arrested at the behest of the Palestinian Authority.

A high-ranking PA official said Wednesday to Ynet that the video revealed by Shabana is a personal issue known for quite some time and that his staff are not rattled by the corruption claims. According to the official, the PA maintains transparency with donor countries and operates a strict oversight mechanism on their payments.

The source said that publishing such a report along with the video is nothing but an Israeli conspiracy aimed at tarnishing the credibility and status of Abbas in light of his refusal to return to the negotiation table under the conditions stipulated by Israel.

Here’s the report (see from 1:15 onwards). Those of you who do not understand Hebrew can skip to 4:47 onwards, which features some shots from the aforementioned “embarrassing video.”

The video must have been doctored by crafty Zionists, since PA officials never act corruptly.

6:00AM: Ashkelon Municipality and the city’s Parents’ Association yesterday filed a petition with the High Court of Justice demanding the court order the government to finish fortifying its schools, in accordance with the Homefront Command’s recommendations.

The petition says that after nine kindergartens were fortified in March of last year the Defense Ministry halted all work, and that 13 kindergartens and 10 elementary schools still remain vulnerable to rocket threats.

The children studying in these facilities are currently instructed to hide underneath their desks in case of a Color Red alert.

The petition says the parents of these children are “incredibly worried and anxious”, and asks the court to remedy the situation.

I wonder if Richard Goldstone or others who have come out against Operation Cast Lead ever had a child who had to experience something like this.

Top Hamas operative Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was identified and killed following an interview he gave to Al-Jazeera on instructions from the movement’s leadership in Syria, according to a Fatah-affiliated news agency.

The interview with Mabhouh was conducted against his will and against the advice of his colleagues in the armed wing of Hamas, Izzadin Kassam, the agency said.

The Palpress news agency said it did not rule out the possibility that the killing was an “inside job.”

“Did he know too many secrets and that’s why they decided to get rid of him?” the agency asked. “Perhaps he knew about the weapons convoy [to Hamas] that was destroyed by Israel about a year ago?”

Although the Hamas operative appeared masked in the interview and was only identified by his nom de guerre, Abu Abed, Israeli security authorities were able to identify him and later track him down, according to the report.

The interview was part of a documentary that was recently aired by the popular Arab network. The film focused on Izzadin Kassam and its past operations, particularly the abduction and killing of IDF soldiers.

Palpress suggested that senior Hamas officials Musa Abu Marzouk and Izat al-Risheq were the ones who exerted heavy pressure on the slain Hamas operative to appear on television.

Following the interview, Hamas said it would not authorize its broadcast because Mabhouh’s features and identity had not been completely concealed.

The news agency reported that the original tape, which revealed Mabhouh’s identity, was kept in Hamas’s archives, while the TV station was told to conduct another interview.

It said that when Mabhouh learned that he was supposed to give a second interview, he responded with fury and asked about the fate of the original tape and whether it had been copied.

But he was finally persuaded to give another interview under pressure from senior Hamas leaders in Damascus, the agency claimed.

I’m enjoying read all of these versions of his death.

Because in all of them, the ending is the same.

Updates (Israel time; most recent at top)

11:15PM: Quote of the day:

“It was like being punched in the stomach,”

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi after visiting the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem

11:05PM: Two barrels of explosives were today discovered on Israeli beaches – one washing ashore in Ashkelon this morning and another in Ashdod this evening. Islamic Jihad, Popular Resistance Committees and (Fatah’s) Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility.

According to Ha’aretz:

Police believe that the barrels arrived at the beach via the sea from the Gaza Strip and are checking the possibility that it was intended to explode next to a ship or amongst beachgoers.

The explosive charges were neutralized by sappers.

A person who was walking on the Hofit beach in Ashkelon discovered the explosive at 11:30 a.m. and called the police. Security personnel form the northern beaches of Ashkelon arrived at the scene, checked the device and then neutralized it.

Area residents were asked to stay in their homes due to an “unusual security incident”.

Think about it for a second. These terrorists deliberately sent explosives to Israeli beaches. They aimed to kill non-combatants.

Keep that thought next time you hear anyone whining about Israel restricting supplies of goods to Gaza.

8:58PM: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi today said his “greatest desire” is to to see Israel join the EU.

Which is a big deal, considering he is a man with many desires.

6:54PM: PA President Mahmoud Abbas recently promised there was no more incitement in mosques during Friday prayers.

Liar, liar (via PMW).

You can see why I am not exactly keen on the idea of putting our faith in Abbas and the PA.

5:04PM: Can you guess this terrorist’s age?

a) 20-30

b) 30-40

c) 40-50

The answer is…..(a. He’s actually only 24.

I don’t know about you, but I thought he looks closer to 44.

Meanwhile, here’s more on why he is in the news.

The Shin Bet arrested two east Jerusalem residents suspected of being recruited by Hamas  during their time in Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and gathering information on potential terror targets in Israel, it was cleared for publication.

An indictment was filed against the pair with the Jerusalem District Court on Monday. The two were charged with espionage, membership in a terror organization, contact with a foreign agent and aiding the enemy during wartime.

The two are suspected to have collected the videos, photographs, charts and information on a USB flash drive which they transferred to their handlers in Saudi Arabia. They were then meant to receive explosives. They also prepared a cave near Sataf, in the Judean Hills, and expanded it to use as a hiding place for weapons.

Murad Kamal, 24, from Wadi Joz in Jerusalem, and Murad Nimer, 24 from Tzur Baher, also in the capital, both carry Israeli IDs. They were arrested on January 3 at the central bus station in Beersheba. A third person was arrested with them, but suspicion that he was aware of their activity was refuted.

According to the Shin Bet, at the request of their Hamas handlers, Nimer and Kamal began collecting information which included photographs and sketches of potential terror targets, including the central bus station and Malcha Mall in Jerusalem, the central bus station in Beersheba, the hotel area on the Tel Aviv coast, bus stops in Jerusalem and Mevasseret, and the area surrounding the Tel Hashomer military base, where many soldiers are concentrated.

Nimer studied engineering in Jordan between 2003 and 2007, and was recruited to Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, during a trip to Saudi Arabia at an unknown date.

In 2007, Nimer recruited Kamal, who was studying pharmacy in Jordan at the time. According to the indictment, the two knew each other from high school.

In 2008 Nimer moved to Dubai where he worked as a engineer and continued to meet with Hamas elements in a number of places, including Turkey.

The two returned to Israel in 2009, and upon their return, began work on their mission – to collect information on locations in Israel. The two traveled the country seeking crowded sites. They filmed videos, took photographs, and prepared maps and sketches of malls (at the central bust station and Malcha Mall in Jerusalem).

Since neither of them had a driver’s license, they used Nimer’s cousin, Ma’amun Nimer, who was unaware of their plans, to drive them around. They told Ma’amun that they had to take pictures of different locations around the country as part of an academic assignment.

The three drove around the country every weekend of July to document Israel’s highways and main roads. Nimer and Kamal occasionally received funds from Hamas elements to cover the expenses of their activity.

The two photographed the sings along the roads and Nimer transferred the images to his laptop, along with a description of each route, including its length, the signs on the road, and more.

The suspects also examined how many Jews and soldiers could be found at each site, and took note of the security measures in the various locations. The information collected was saved on a USB flash drive. Last August Nimer visited Saudi Arabia with the processed information, and transferred it to Hamas operatives whose identities are unknown.

According to the Shin Bet, the cell’s members used their rights as holders of Israeli IDs to collect the information and seek out weaknesses in security in Israel’s crowded sites.

The Shin Bet said this affair points to yet another case of the terror organizations’ efforts – Hamas in particular – to recruit students, with emphasis on those that specialize in chemistry and engineering, for military activity.

4:50PM: While genocidal maniac seems to be a common profession in Iran, fact-checker does not seem to be.

Iran’s official media outlets published a fabricated item on Sunday claiming that Israeli Olympic medalist Yael Arad decided to give her silver medal to the wife of opposition reformist Mir Hossein Mousavi in order to show her appreciation of her struggle against the regime.

A Ynet investigation revealed that the source of the item was an Iranian blogger who decided to joke around a bit by inventing an interview that Arad, who was called Hava Amit in the story, supposedly gave to Haaretz newspaper.

In the fictitious interview, the Israeli athlete said that she decided to give the silver medal she won in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona to Mousavi’s wife, Zahra Rahnavard, “out of respect for her fight for freedom.”

“Hava Amit” explained that “Rahnavard’s interview to the BBC in Persian following the elections increased my desire to support the freedom movement in Iran.” A picture of Arad and a picture of Rahnavard figured prominently alongside the story laid out in the blog.

The news item subsequently picked up and published by Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, gained momentum and was then launched on a number of other pro-regime websites. The title of the article was “Presenting the Israeli runner’s silver medal to Zahra Rahnavard.”

—-

The Iranian opposition believes that the regime’s effort to paint the opposition as an agent of Israel and the US led Iran’s official media to forget to check the source of the article and its authenticity.

6:10AM: PA President Mahmoud Abbas has told the Guardian that there “will be no return to armed struggle.”

This despite the fact he has little control over his own people, and that terrorists from the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, affiliated with his own Fatah party, recently murdered an Israeli man.

Abbas stressed that “There will be no return to armed struggle,” saying such a struggle would “destroy our territories and our country.” Hamas itself, he claimed, “is not resisting” – a reference to the organization’s effective ceasefire since January last year – “and now they are talking about peace and a truce with Israel”.

You can also add the continued palestinian incitement and new Fatah charter (see 5:55AM update) into the mix, and it’s clear the man talks with forked tongue.

6:00AM: Interesting video on one of our Zionist Weapons of Death.^TM

5:55AM: My friend Barry Rubin looks at the new charter to emerge from the August 2009 Fatah congress, and argues it is not “moderate” as some have suggested.

Yet up until now nobody has noticed that such a charter emerged from the August 2009 Fatah General Congress. The document was translated by the U.S. government and has just been leaked by Secrecy News. You are now reading the first analysis of this charter.

Secrecy News remarks: “The document is not particularly conciliatory in tone or content. It is a call to revolution, confrontation with the enemy, and the liberation of Palestine, ‘free and Arab.’” But then the newsletter continues:

“But what is perhaps most significant is what is not in the document. The original Fatah charter (or constitution) from the 1960s embraced `the world-wide struggle against Zionism,’ denied Jewish historical or religious ties to the land, and called for the `eradication of Zionist economic, political, military and cultural existence.’ None of that language is carried over into the new charter, which manages not to mention Israel, Zionism, or Jews at all.”

Now here’s an important lesson for you. When a radical group is portrayed as moderate based on some position it supposedly has taken or some statement made there has to be a catch somewhere. Here’s the tip-off in this case, a single sentence in the new charter:

“This internal charter has been adopted within the framework of adherence to the provisions of the Basic Charter.”

In other words, every detail of the original charter still holds; nothing is repealed, no error admitted, no explicit change of course accepted.

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Following my article on the new Fatah Charter, I was sent a JTA story about how the new charter is very moderate since it “drops” calls for Israel’s destruction, etc. As I pointed out, the charter says that the old charter is still in force and nothing in the new one contradicts it. So nothing has changed in fact.

While the firing of rockets and mortar shells has been a regular occurrence – despite talk of a so-called “ceasefire” – the sheer quantity of the rockets and mortar shells is significant, since it will make it harder for the government to ignore this any longer. In fact, in a special cabinet session, most ministers voiced strong opposition to extending the truce with Hamas and demanded a forceful response. Nevertheless, Defense Minister Ehud Barak allowed through some humanitarian supplies to Gaza given the palestinians vocal opposition to the terror in their midst.

Meanwhile, you just have to marvel at the first paragraph of the Ha’aretz report:

An Israel Air Force strike killed a Hamas gunman in the southern Gaza Strip after Palestinian militants fired dozens of rockets and mortars into southern Israel on Wednesday, dampening prospects for a renewed cease fire.

As if that is the main concern here.