I am not going to post things here for a while to see the stories I have been following check out my google reader shared feed. To check out my writing read my main blog.

Israel’s peace partner honors the Sbarro bomber: An Update: ”

We wrote here yesterday about the Palestinian Authority media reports that the PA leadership was to make awards to two female terrorists (including the Sbarro bomber) imprisoned in Israel. Today the Jerusalem Post reports that the Israelis have talked peace partner Mahmoud Abbas out of making the awards to the two terrorists. The awards have therefore been ‘revoked.’ Apparently, for today, at any rate, Abbas is more afraid of the Israelis than of the ‘Palestinians.’

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(Via avideditor’s shared items in Google Reader.)</

click the link bellow to see the movies

Barack Obama on former terrorist William Ayers: ”

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(Via avideditor’s shared items in Google Reader.)</

Hezbollah Is Using 'Christian Cover' To Penetrate The West: “

A great article on Hezbollah’s use of the support from Lebanese Christian leader, Gen. Michel Aoun, can be found here at Family Security Matters - give it a read. Here’s what the author of the article has to say about Aoun and what it means to the West:

Maronite Christian, parliamentarian, and former Lebanese Army commander, Gen. Michel Aoun, has reiterated his support for –and alliance with – Hezbollah, the Lebanese-based international terrorist army supported by Iran and Syria. Speaking earlier this week, Aoun said that his ‘Memorandum of Understanding (translation, ‘alliance’)’ with Hezbollah is not only national, but international.

Hezbollah is attempting to use ‘a Christian cover [Aoun] to penetrate the West,’ says Sami El-Khoury, president of the World Maronite Union. ‘The U.S. administration should add him to the designated terrorist list and withdraw the visas from all members of his bloc.’

Several months after Al-Manar was placed on the State Department’s terrorist list, Aoun founded Orange TV (OTV), the now publicly-traded satellite-television company whose coverage extends around the world, including North America. And OTV’s footage and logo have since been broadcast as part of American newscasts

So, what we have here is Hezbollah putting a Christian face on their operations - using Michel Aoun to legitimize its operations and so far, the West is buying it. Don’t get me or the author wrong here, Michel Aoun is not being ‘used’ - he is an asshat who literally hates America, he is a jihadist who just happens to be a Christian. I have no problem at all with Michel Aoun being put on the terror list of the U.S. and hunting him down like any radical islamist. He’s worse than the islamists - he’s a turncoat traitor and a despicable excuse of one who has abandoned his faith.

Exclusive: Hezbollah Using ‘Christian Cover’ to Penetrate the West?
W. Thomas Smith Jr.

We also have to consider the fact that Aoun frequently condemns the United States, and has issued veiled threats against us. In an interview last month on OTV, Aoun defended Syria and Hezbollah, and he said, ‘U.S. policy is against Lebanon and no one can convince me of the opposite. …We should defend ourselves against the American policy.’ Aoun makes such statements as his signatory ally, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, continues to rally much of Lebanon’s Shiia population with public cries of ‘Death to America!’ and ‘Death to Israel!’

Moreover, sources are telling me Hezbollah has been providing military training to ‘Aoun’s people’ in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.

John Hajjar, U.S. director for the pro-democracy World Council of the Cedars Revolution, says, ‘Aoun’s declaration of collaboration with Hezbollah worldwide puts him in the ranks of a terrorism associate, and the U.S. must take strong measures against him and his militant network. U.S. officials should stop seeing him, and his visa and the visas of his party’s officials should be revoked.’
Najib Zwein, director of the Beirut-based Bureau Central de Coordination Nationale, agrees, adding, ‘Hezbollah is using Aoun to penetrate international and Western security.’
For the past two years, Aoun has served as a political tool for Hezbollah’s three-part goal of continuing to exist (when Hezbollah should have long been disbanded under UN mandate), continuing to strengthen its political base (while strengthening its military wing), and ultimately achieving an Islamic state in Lebanon. With Aoun’s statement this week, Shiia Hezbollah’s Christian soldier is now increasing his commitment to his terrorist-ally’s geostrategic objectives. Aoun knows it. Hezbollah knows it. And we had better figure it out.

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(Via avideditor’s shared items in Google Reader.)</

Memo to Europe, You're Israel: “For every European who ever sat in snide judgment about Israel, who thought things would have been hunky dory if ‘that shitty country’, in the words of a French ambassador, had never existed, I have bad news. You are Israel.

In the early 20th century Britain took over and began attracting large numbers of Arab laborers. A few decades later those Arabs combined with some of the existing natives had a manufactured identity as Palestinians, a flag, an anthem written for them by a Greek Communist composer, guns, bombs and Western bleeding hearts on their side. They’ve spent the intervening period, rioting, looting, raping and killing any way they can.

Sound familiar? It should.

Israel’s Muslim problem pales by comparison to France’s 5 million Muslim problem. And Britain didn’t simply attract Arabs to Israel, it attracted them to the home country as well. Europe is overrun with guest laborers, con artists, smugglers, students, second wives and the whole bubbling goulash of Muslim immigrants who are reproducing in great numbers. They have held their first Intifadas, blown up buses, burned cars, built Mosques where the same flavor of hatred is preached as in Gaza or the West Bank and declared their intentions to reclaim Spain and whatever other parts of Europe the Ummah feels it has a claim on.

If Israel was supposed to be the new Europe, Europe instead is turning out to be the New Israel, saddled with defunct socialist bureaucracies and a growing Muslim terrorist threat that socialist governments do their best to whistle and pretend isn’t there or try to frantically appease.

Oslo may have been the setting for Israel’s Going Out of Business sale, but Norway and Sweden may well be the ones to go out of business first as even the coldest lands have filled up with the cries of Allah Akhbar, the lusty calls of newborn Muslim infants and the sobs and screams of raped Swedish women. This will make little difference in Israel or any other Western country which is on the conveyor belt to the same place, the Sharia Abattoir.

Israel’s situation didn’t come about because the Jews have some special quality for antagonizing perfectly peaceful people, as too many Europeans would like to believe. All it really takes to turn any European country into Israel is a few hundred thousand savages squatting on carpets, demanding their rights and grabbing the knife or the detonator if they don’t get them. And the only thing that can prevent it is a good strong immigration policy and a great deal of boats to ship anyone back home who isn’t happy with it.

Contrary to the endless bewailings of phony refugees in decades old refugee camps, Israel didn’t expel Arabs from its territory. Instead Israel sent soldiers to reassure them that they wouldn’t be harmed and to invite them back in. Madness? Yes, but a quite familiar madness to anyone who watches Prime Ministers declare that Islam is a religion of peace and welcome in more refugees and immigrants, even as the Muslims make it clear that if they had their way, the Prime Minister’s head would be decorating a sharp stick outside a Mosque somewhere.

Welcoming the apocalypse may be madness but it’s the madness of shortsighted politicians and like their European counterparts, the Israeli politicians were motivated only partly by soft-minded humanitarianism, in the mix too was the delectable thought of a reliable Labor voting base that could never possibly cast a vote for a conservative candidate and cheap labor too. That the voting base would wind up opening fire on their grandchildren was not a thought they took seriously, because it was an inconvenient thought.

The way things are has moved from inconvenient thought to inconvenient reality, but that has not diminished the desire of politicians, both European and Israeli, to wish it away in favor of a New Middle East, a New Britain, a New Ireland, a European Union — some magical utopian socialist reality where college degrees are all the wealth anyone needs, where governments care for everyone and any immigrant can be assimilated no matter how many wives they have and what prophet they believe in.

The more bombs go off, the more politicians cling determinedly to their fantasy and look for some pesky reactionaries to blame for the whole thing. Israel blames the settlers. Europe blames Israel. European left wing parties blame the Right. The Right blames America. America blames Republicans. Republicans blame a tiny minority of extremists, effectively negating their own argument.

And as the fingers point, the chorus bellows, pointless propositions are put forward and struck down in favor of lunatic appeasements, the West is turning into Israel. And as far as both the Muslims and the Left are concerned, like Israel, the world would have been a better place had Western civilization never existed and they are doing their best to put theory into practice.”

(Via avideditor’s shared items in Google Reader.)</

What the Hell is Wrong with the Washington Post?: ”

Another unrepentant, genocidal terrorist is given op-ed column space in the Washington Post. This time it’s Hamas thug Mahmoud al-Zahar: Mahmoud al-Zahar - No Peace Without Hamas.

I won’t quote from this garbage.

The Washington Post has truly hit bottom now. They owe the United States an apology for publishing this disgusting terrorist propaganda; their excuses that they’re revealing something about Hamas are laughable. Nothing about Hamas is hidden, and nothing more needs to be revealed.

Despicable.

UPDATE at 4/17/08 8:41:27 am:

The editors foresaw a negative reaction, so they published some preemptive damage control: Mr. Zahar and Mr. Carter.

We believe Mr. Zahar’s words are worth publishing because they provide some clarity about the group he helps to lead, a group that Mr. Carter contends is worthy of being included in the Middle East peace process.

How many times is the Washington Post going to use that excuse? They’ve published op-eds by Hamas terrorist Mousa Abu Marzook, CAIR, the Muslim Brotherhood’s front group MAS, and the spiritual leader of Hizballah, Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, just to name a few of the terrorists and sympathizers who have graced their pages. And they host a permanent eulogy to the father of modern terrorism.

How much more clarity does the Washington Post need?

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(Via avideditor’s shared items in Google Reader.)</

Is A Strike Upon Iran Imminent?: ”

Joshuapundit has an interesting post in his blog, connecting the dots…

Has the wind changed? Is a military strike on Iran in the works?

According to several sources, Israel has requested and received connection to the US Ballistic Early Warning Systems (BMEWS) through its three main stations,located in Alaska, Thule Air Force Base in Greenland, and the British RAF long range radar station in Yorkshire, England.

This would be designed to give Israel a time edge in preparing its Arrow and Patriot missile defense systems, as well as an edge for the US Patriot missile facilities that are based in Israel in the Negev and near Ben Gurian airport an dprotect American facilities in Iraq and the Gulf as well as Israel.

This is by no means SOP, but has happened before,during the Gulf War and during the US invasion of Iraq when Israel was expected to be a target for missile strikes by Saddam Hussein. And the only reason for this would be either a renewed threat from Iran or the threat of retaliation for a US or Israeli strike. Even if Israel itself is not involved,there’s little doubt that Iran would attack in reprisal for an American attack on Iran.

This is one in a series of very connectible dots:

*General Petraeus and US Ambassador Ryan Crocker made a huge point of testifying before Congress on Iran’s malignant influence in Iraq last week.

*The removal of Admiral William Fallon from the command of CentCom, after various articles that characterized him as opposing any military action against Iran.

*The recent Iranian announcement that it has begun installing another 6,000 high yield centrifuges at its Natanz nuclear plant uranium enrichment complex,combined with the total failure of sanctions and the dead end in negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.

*Recent threats issued against Israel not from Ahamadinejad, which would have been more normal, but from Iran’s deputy Commander in Chief of the Military Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, who threatened to eliminate Israel from ‘the scene of the universe’ if Iran is attacked.

*Regime changes and consolidation of Iran-friendly regimes in Turkey and in Pakistan, which could place constraints on any future US or Israeli strikes on Iran.

*Vice president Cheney’s recent trip to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf,which could very easily have been designed to shore up support for an imminent action and give those Arab states the Bush Administration regards as allies a heads up warning of what might be in the works.

Read Joshuapundit’s whole post here.

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(Via avideditor’s shared items in Google Reader.)</

Why Israel is losing the media war: ”

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(Via avideditor’s shared items in Google Reader.)</

Check out this amazing interview from some one that is fighting the jihadis in the court room. The great one, Mark Levin give an outstanding interview where I gained an important new perspective at the problems our country is facing from radical Islam. I was about to upload the audio myself but I found the audio already posted at MarkLevinFan.com This is a must listen and you can download the audio my right clicking and choosing the save as target or download option.

Author Andy McCarthy interview: ‘Willful Blindness’: ”

Mark Levin interviewed his friend, former federal prosecutor Andy McCarthy about the latter’s new book ‘Willful Blindness: A Memoir of Jihah’ (in book stores today and also available here). Andy led the prosecution’s investigation of Blind Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman and others involved in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing:

In addition, here is the text of his interview with the National Review Online’s Kathryn Jean Lopez.

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McCain: Lower the Gas Tax ?? !!: ”

Does someone in Washington get it?

John McCain called Tuesday for the federal government to free people from paying gasoline taxes this summer and ensure that college students can secure loans this fall, proposals aimed at stemming the public’s pain now from the troubled economy.

In the longer-term, the certain Republican presidential nominee said he would double the tax exemption for dependent children and offer people the option of choosing a simpler tax system.College loans? Eh. Whatevs. Standard issue, and one he crosses over on. But the rest, should he see it through, would be sweeeet.

Lower taxes = lower prices. YES, WE CAN!

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(Via avideditor’s shared items in Google Reader.)</

Carter Wanted to Meet Islamic Jihad, Too: ”

Both Palestine Today and Palestine Press Agency report that Egyptian officials invited Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Shalah to visit Cairo to meet Jimmy Carter but Shalah refused, saying that Carter is following an ‘American/Israeli agenda.’ Shalah has been harshly critical of Khaled Meshaal’s planned meeting with Carter.

It would appear that Carter initiated this request to meet with the arch-terrorist. All of the reasons that Carter uses to justify meeting with Hamas - that Hamas has supposedly offered a truce, for example, or that most attacks are not initiated by Hamas - do not apply to Islamic Jihad, yet Carter apparently wants to give legitimacy to Islamic Jihad terrorists anyway.

Meanwhile, Carter plans to meet with a Hamas official in Ramallah and he has already laid a wreath at the grave of his fellow Nobel Prize winner, Yasir Arafat, a man responsible for the deaths of thousands of people who Carter admired greatly.

(cross-posted at EoZ)

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(Via avideditor’s shared items in Google Reader.)</

TRAVELS WITH JIMMY: “Where in the world is James Earl Carter?

The ex-President can usually be found cuddling up to the charismatic tyrants of the world–all in the name of peace and tolerance. This week, the deluded ex-President will be meeting with Hamas , the Palestinian organization that the U.S. government considers one of the leading terrorist threats in the world. Hamas leader Khaled Meshal, the exiled head of the terror group is in Syria and is already trumpeting the meeting with Carter on April 18 as a psychological coup against Israel–one that gives the terror leader and his organization some sort of international legitimacy.

This ongoing debacle perpetrated by Carter not only won him a Nobel Prize but also brought international honor to one of his favorite despots, the unrepentant terrorist who later destroyed any hope that the Palestinian people could achieve anything but martyrdom for the cause of Islamic jihad.

Having received the ultimate world award, it is too much to hope that Carter would ever be inclined to grow up and face reality about the company he keeps (this, btw, appears to be a serious malady on the political left). So, as long as he’s breathing, we can all expect Jimmy to cozy up to any and all dysfunctional Palestinian leaders as well as every other totalitarian tyrant running around in this portion of the universe.

Indeed, Carter has shown a remarkable egalitarianism with all other dictators, murderers and thugs who happen to rule a variety of countries; he particularly likes those who cloak their psychopathy in the guise of pseudo-democracy….

Let’s look at Jimmy’s Travel Photo Album:

2005 Carter and Abbas

2004 Carter and Hugo

2002 Carter and Fidel

1999 Carter and Arafat

1994 Carter and Kim Il Sung

1986 Carter and Noriega

Impressive.

But Carter has always been especially concerned about making sure that the Palestinians retain their standing as world-class victims of the Jewish state and, of course, the US. Just before the Hamas victory in the Palestinian elections in 2006, Jimmy was overwrought at the possibility that the U.S. and Israel might ‘punish’ the Palestinians for electing a terrorist group that has in its charter the goal of eliminating Israel. Holding them accountable would just be wrong:

During this time of fluidity in the formation of the new government, it is important that Israel and the United States play positive roles. Any tacit or formal collusion between the two powers to disrupt the process by punishing the Palestinian people could be counterproductive and have devastating consequences.

Interestingly, the most ‘devastating consequences’ have come about anyway because Hamas is more concerned with promoting the destruction of Israel than it is in governing a Palestinian state. People like Khaled Mashal, with whom Carter is meeting this week, is the Hamas leader in exile who makes sure the destruction of Israel remains the key priority for Hamas–no matter how much the Palestinians suffer. Of course, that’s why Carter is meeting him in Syria. He has no particular interest in sharing the misery he deliberately inflicts on the Palestinians in order to obtain world sympathy for Hamas’ terrorist actions.

It is interesting that Carter sees allowing the Palestinians to deal with the consequences of their behavior as some sort of ‘punishment’ don’t you think? He blithely discusses the ‘devastating consequences’ of Israel or American actions, but I have yet to see him grapple with the ‘devastating consequences’ of Hamas’ charter. Or of suicide bombers. Or of the intent, stated repeatedly by the leaders of the Palestinians and approved of by the Palestinian people in the 2006 election or recent polls, to destroy Israel.

And, of course, he doesn’t seem capable of understanding the consequences of his own appeasement and enabling of terror and despotism worldwide.

Someone once said that Jimmy Carter was actually the first female president of the U.S. (I think it was Gagdad Bob at One Cosmos); and I must say that this assertion is an insult to bimbos everywhere. Carter reminds me of the pathetic mother in the movie Mean Girls who wants to be loved and accepted by her daughter’s clique (and completely identifies with them–meanness and all); so much so, that she is eager to enthusiastically support their antisocial acting-out behavior and endure the girls’ contempt as well.

Carter is perhaps a wannabee despot herself himself, who admires and seeks the approval of practically every dictator in the world (it is possible that using the word ‘practically’ is being overly cautious). I’m sure he lusts in his heart for the kind of brutish manliness such thugs radiate, but he only manages to come across as a weak and insecure person who stands for nothing.

Of course, the Palestinians are not simply mean adolescent girls who will eventually grow up; nor is Carter merely an ineffective and irresponsible mother who probably missed the chance to ever fully mature. The former is an unrepentant terrorist organization that remains devoted to its stated goals of destroying Israel and the Jews; and the latter is a former US president and first-class enabler of tyranny.

Until the Palestinians have to deal with the consequences of their behavior, they will not mature as a people. Sending them to their room own country and giving them a chance to ponder some reality was a good idea only if they now must also take responsibility for their behavior.

Carter’s–and the entire left’s–obsession with the eternal victimhood cult of the Palestininas has been the single biggest psychological impediment toward peace in that region. Why should the Palestinians ever change? Or mature? Or deal honestly with Israel? They have every reason to believe that the Carters of the world will always let them off the hook–and bail them out–no matter what they do or how badly they behave.

After Carter’s trip and his ’seal of approval’ bestowed, expect Hamas’ terrorist behavior to escalate dramatically.

Nice work, Jimmy!

UPDATE: Somehow this seems perfectly appropriate.

UPDATE II: Siggy has more inflammatory comments about the ex-Prez”

(Via Dr. Sanity.)</

TEDIOUS AND DANGEROUS: “Two great psychological analyses of Barack Obama make my job easier. First Hugh Hewitt, who writes that Obama is shockingly out of touch with the majority of Americans:

But it is the sheer length of time that Obama has spent as an organizer, lawyer and elected official from Chicago’s south side that is coming through in his projection of bitterness on to vast swaths of America.

It is clear that Obama has spent much of the last 30 years in and around some very dysfunctional neighborhoods full of some broken and almost certainly bitter people.

He has been hearing and speaking complaints against the powerful for just as long.

He has not been building a small family business and coaching in the AYSO league, making budget in a medium-sized corporation or manning the snack booth at the football game, teaching the AP English course or organizing the Knights of Columbus or Society of St. Vincent de Paul food drive.

It would be nice to imagine that Obama really stands for such people, but the evidence is accumulating that he is nothing more than a cynical manipulator of the poor, in the grandest Marxist tradition (Karl Marx said, ‘The working class is revolutionary or it is nothing.’ In other words, they mattered only in so far as they were willing to carry out the Marxist agenda.)

A major brouhaha erupted in the blogsphere when Bill Kristol dared to suggest that Obama was a classic Marxist yesterday; but it becomes more obvious everyday that the candidate ‘of the little people’ really has enormous contempt for the little guy and condescendingly believes that He knows what is best for them.

Obama can let this persona show in the backroom mansions of leftist millionaires; but he understands it would not play well with the vast majority of hard-working, patriotic Americans, pursuing their own happiness, who have not been steeped in the neo-marxist fascism that bubbles over in the elitist halls of academia.

Hewitt is on to something important when he suggests that Obama is projecting his own bitterness and frustration onto middle America because the Marxist agenda has not yet been accepted (and hopefully never will) in this country. His message resonates with the extreme left because they suffer from the same bitterness and frustration that they are not recognized and appreciated as the incredbly wonderful people whose superior intellect and understanding should dominate because they know what’s best for us all.

Which brings us to Thomas Sowell:

An e-mail from a reader said that, while Hillary Clinton tells lies, Barack Obama is himself a lie. That is becoming painfully apparent with each new revelation of how drastically his carefully crafted image this election year contrasts with what he has actually been saying and doing for many years.

Senator Obama’s election year image is that of a man who can bring the country together, overcoming differences of party or race, as well as solving our international problems by talking with Iran and other countries with which we are at odds, and performing other miscellaneous miracles as needed.

There is, of course, not a speck of evidence that Obama has ever transcended party differences in the United States Senate. Voting records analyzed by the National Journal show him to be the farthest left of anyone in the Senate. Nor has he sponsored any significant bipartisan legislation — nor any other significant legislation, for that matter.

Senator Obama is all talk — glib talk, exciting talk, confident talk, but still just talk.

Sowell goes on to note that:

It is understandable that young people are so strongly attracted to Obama. Youth is another name for inexperience — and experience is what is most needed when dealing with skillful and charismatic demagogues.

Those of us old enough to have seen the type again and again over the years can no longer find them exciting. Instead, they are as tedious as they are dangerous.

I’m really beginning to be grateful that this Presidential campaign began so early–if it hadn’t, we might never have come to know the real Obama.”

(Via Dr. Sanity.)</

What is a sufficient victory?: ”

Speaking to IDF commanders in Judea and Samaria last week, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert exhorted the officers tasked with preventing Palestinians from attacking Israel while operating under civilian cover to have sympathy for them. Olmert said ‘Take all the Palestinians who have been stripped at the roadblocks just because of fear that there may be terrorists and terror operatives among them. Take all those who wait at roadblocks because of fear that a car bomb may drive through the same roadblock. This could be a boiling cauldron, liable to explode and cause horrible burns, and it could be something else, dependent only on your ability to act wisely and forcefully.’

Since Olmert knows that IDF soldiers are as courteous as possible to Palestinians at roadblocks, his statement will have two major consequences. First it will cause a loosening of regulations at roadblocks and so impair IDF counterterror capabilities. Second, by insultingly insinuating that IDF forces are cruel, Olmert demoralized his own soldiers and reduced their willingness to accomplish their mission by hinting that they cannot expect the government to back them.

Olmerts message is just the latest action his government has taken in recent weeks that undermine the IDFs ability to maintain its military success since 2002 in defeating Palestinian terrorists in Judea and Samaria and preventing them from reorganizing.

The Olmert-Livni-Barak governments decision to take down roadblocks throughout Judea and Samaria; provide immunity from arrest to wanted terror fugitives; and permit the deployment of US-backed Fatah militias in Jenin all serve to directly undermine the IDFs remarkable achievements in defeating and preventing the reconstitution of the Palestinian terror war machine in Judea and Samaria since Operation Defensive Shield was carried out in 2002. Even more disturbingly, its reported willingness to cede the Jordan Valley to Fatah in the negotiations it is now conducting with Fatah leaders Mahmoud Abbas and Ahmed Qurei indicate that the Olmert-Livni-Barak government is ready to transform Judea and Samaria into a base for global jihadist forces just as occurred when Israel surrendered Gazas border with Egypt in 2005.

That the government is squandering the IDFs hard-won achievements in Judea and Samaria is made clear in a paper on counterinsurgency warfare authored by Major General (res.) Yaakov Amidror released this week by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Amidrors paper, ‘Winning Counterinsurgency War: The Israeli Experience,’ focuses on Israels military defeat of Palestinian terror forces in Judea and Samaria during and subsequent to Operation Defensive Shield.

AMIDROR IDENTIFIES six components of counterinsurgency warfare which he deems essential for effecting military victory over irregular forces. These components are: a political decision by the government to defeat terrorism; winning and maintaining control of the territory from which terrorists operate; acquiring relevant intelligence; isolating the terror enclaves from outside supporters; multidimensional cooperation between intelligence gatherers and fighting forces; and separating civilians from terrorists. Through its actions, the Olmert-Livni-Barak government it is undermining four of these components.

After identifying what he views as the essential components of successful counterinsurgency campaigns, Amidror identifies and defines three forms of military victory. First, there is ‘total victory’ which involves both a military defeat of insurgent or terror forces and the political reorganization of their societies from terror-supporting societies into terror-combating societies. Second, there is ‘temporary victory’ which involves a one-off military defeat of enemy forces which is not combined with any political transformation of their societies. Finally, Amidror considers what he refers to as ’sufficient victory.’ As he defines it, a sufficient victory involves defeating an irreconcilable foe and then preventing him from rebuilding his capacity to wage war.

Like a temporary victory, a sufficient victory doesnt entail any political transformation of enemy society, and indeed it takes for granted that such a transformation is impossible to enact. But as opposed to a temporary victory, Amidror argues that the effect of a sufficient victory can be longstanding if the victorious side is willing and able to consistently prevent enemy forces from reconstituting themselves. That is, a sufficient victory requires a continuous rather than one-off campaign.

Amidrors definition of sufficient victory leads him to conclude that contrary to the approach of the Israeli and Western Left, there is a military option for victory in counterinsurgency wars devoid of political transformation. From an Israeli perspective, Amidrors vision of counterinsurgency warfare view is reasonable and understandable.

Israels options for transforming Palestinian society from a terror-supporting society to a terror-combating society are limited. Influenced by domestic, pan-Arab and pan-Islamic jihadist indoctrination; supported militarily, financially and politically by Arab states, Iran, terror groups and the West, the Palestinians have little reason to transform.
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MOREOVER, ISRAELs strategic and national interests in maintaining control over Judea and Samaria could render sustainable a military strategy with no withdrawal element. This is not the case in other battlefields such as the US counterinsurgency in Iraq.

To a degree, Amidrors view that sufficient victory is possible is echoed in recent statements by US military commanders in Iraq. In a dispatch from Iraq published last month in National Review, Richard Lowry reported, ‘For all the security gains over the last year, American commanders believe they have hit a plateau.’ Absent coherent, competent action by the Iraqi government to secure and maintain the loyalty of Iraqis to the Iraqi state, like the IDF in Judea and Samaria, all US forces in Iraq can do is keep violence down to sufferable levels.

Yet in contrast to Israels success in Judea and Samaria, the success of US counterinsurgency efforts in Iraq is the consequence first and foremost of their politically-transformative guiding principles. As Lowry noted, the 80,000 Iraqi security volunteers who now openly collaborate with US forces in counter-terror operations, ‘represent more or less a direct transfer of forces from the enemys side to ours.’

In Israel, the basic assumption that guided both the decision by the Rabin-Peres government to embrace the PLO and form the Palestinian Authority in 1993 and the decisions by subsequent governments to leave the PA in place and maintain allegiance to the PLO as a negotiating partner was that like the Iraqi security volunteers, and like the South Lebanese Army which supported IDF operations in South Lebanon from 1985 through 2000, PLO and Fatah forces would act as transformative agents in Palestinian society moving it from a terror-supporting society to a terror-combating society.

This view, always controversial, has been proven wrong again and again. Just last week, the PLO ambassador to Lebanon Abbas Zaki restated the PLOs aim of destroying Israel in an interview with Lebanese television.

In Zakis words, ‘The PLO… has not changed its platform even one iota.’ That platform, to destroy Israel in stages, remains the objective of the PLO. He continued, ‘In light of the weakness of the Arab nation and the lack of values, and in light of the American control over the world, the PLO proceeds through phases, without changing its strategy. Let me tell you, when the ideology of Israel collapses, and we take, at least, Jerusalem, the Israeli ideology will collapse in its entirety, and we will begin to progress with our own ideology, Allah willing, and drive them out of all of Palestine.’

Israels willingness to maintain its support for the PLO in spite of the PLO and Fatahs obvious rejection of Israels right to exist and their continuous support and involvement in terror attacks against Israel exposes two flaws inherent in Amidrors view that it is possible to maintain a sufficient victory in counterinsurgency wars over the long term without inducing political transformation of enemy societies.

The first flaw is that it takes as a given that the will of the victorious armys government to maintain counterinsurgency operations will remain constant. The Olmert-Livni-Barak governments maintenance of the inherently adversarial Fatah terror group as a legitimate negotiating partner shows that this is not the case. The governments commitment to Fatah necessarily induces it to undermine IDF achievements in Judea and Samaria. Those achievements are inimical to the interests of Fatah and so, from the governments current perspective, they must be cancelled to please Fatah.

Since 2002, the IDFs military control over Judea and Samaria has not involved any serious efforts to transform Palestinian society on the grassroots level. It has not enhanced security for Palestinian civilians who are terrorized by terror operatives operating in their villages and towns. As Amidror notes, Israels actions to separate civilians from terrorists in Judea and Samaria are limited to crafting operations that minimize collateral damage. But while Israel does not target Palestinian civilians, it has done nothing to prevent them from being targeted by Palestinian terrorists. And so, it has given them no option to fight those terrorists. As a consequence although militarily the situation in Judea and Samaria has been transformed over the past six years, politically, the only change among Palestinians is that they have become more radicalized.

And here lies the second flaw in his analysis. To be successful, a counterinsurgency war must have a political component that reaches out to enemy populations. While it is true that Israel has limited capacity to change the way that Palestinians think about Israel and the form their society ought to take, Israel does have some capacity. For instance, Israel could launch a hearts and minds campaign among Israeli Arabs who are both politically and demographically linked to the Palestinians.

Such a campaign would be two-pronged. First it would involve a concentrated law and order campaign whose aim would be to reassert Israels sovereign authority in Israeli Arab areas. Second, it would secure law-abiding Israeli Arabs while delegitimizing the current anti-Israel, pro-terror leadership now in charge of Israeli Arab society and so cultivate the conditions necessary to replace that leadership with Israeli Arabs who embrace their identity as Israelis and oppose terrorism. The impact of such a campaign on the Palestinians in both Judea and Samaria would no doubt be dramatic.

Amidror makes the important point that there is no empirical data that proves the oft-repeated contention that terror-supporting societies are more willing to sacrifice for victory than terror-combating societies. As the Israeli public has shown since the Palestinians began their terror war in 2000, Israelis are just as willing, if not more willing, to make sacrifices for victory than the Palestinians. But for victory to be accomplished and secured, a military campaign needs to be complimented by a political campaign led by a political leadership that explains reality to its own public and is able to give terror-supporting societies another option.

Originally published in The Jerusalem Post.

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(Via Caroline Glick.)</

Egyptian security forces hunt terrorist group in Sinai: ”

They are armed and driving around in four pickups preparatory to carrying out attacks, say Egyptian officials. Israeli Passover holidaymakers have been warned from Jerusalem of mortal danger from terrorists at the Sinai resorts popular with Israelis. The small numbers who entered through the Taba crossing for the festival which begins next Saturday were advised to leave without delay.

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(Via DEBKAfile.)</

Carter Pays Tribute to Terrorist Mass Murderer: ”

Jimmy Carter appears determined to do everything possible to legitimize Palestinian terrorism. In one of his more disgusting displays of pandering, today he laid a wreath on the grave of one of history’s most notorious mass murderers, Yasser Arafat, bearing the words, ‘President and Mrs. Carter.’

This man is a complete disgrace.

UPDATE at 4/15/08 8:47:35 am:

It gets worse: Jimmy Carter embraces Hamas official.

RAMALLAH, West Bank - Former President Jimmy Carter embraced a leading Hamas figure Tuesday, according to participants in a meeting that infuriated Israeli officials already upset by Carter’s freelance Mideast peace mission.

Carter also laid a wreath at the grave of Yasser Arafat, whom the Bush administration and many Israelis blame for the breakdown of peace talks seven years ago and the violence that followed.

At a reception in the West Bank town of Ramallah organized by Carter’s office, the former president hugged Nasser Shaer, a senior Hamas politician, meeting participants said. Embraces between men are a common custom in Arab culture.

‘He gave me a hug. We hugged each other, and it was a warm reception,’ Shaer told The Associated Press. ‘Carter asked what he can do to achieve peace between the Palestinians and Israel … and I told him the possibility for peace is high.’

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(Via avideditor’s shared items in Google Reader.)</

Iran: Mad Mullah’s Use Ancient Synagogues as Firewood: ”

Tehran authorities want to ‘renovate’ the neighborhood by removing historic synagogues. Shame on those jooooos for building them to begin with.

AKI

Tehran

Seven ancient synagogues in the Iranian capital, Tehran, have been destroyed by local authorities.

The synagogues were in the Oudlajan suburb of Tehran, where many Iranian Jews used to live.

‘These buildings, which were part of our cultural, artistic and architectural heritage were burnt to the ground,’ said Ahmad Mohit Tabatabaii, the director of the International Council of Museums’ (ICOM) office in Tehran.

‘With the excuse of renovating this ancient quarter, they are erasing a part of our history,’ said Tabatabaii.

That is exactly what Tehran is doing Mr. Tabatabaii, erasing Jewish history.

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(Via avideditor’s shared items in Google Reader.)</

Obama’s Coat of Many Colors: “Like every good con artist, Obama knows that the trick to winning your mark’s confidence is to convince them that you identify with them. Except in this case ‘The Mark’ are the American people or enough of them to get him through the goalposts of the Democratic National Convention and the general election beyond, as BHO tries his own ‘Test to Destruction’ of Abraham Lincoln’s truism, ‘You can’t fool all of the people all of the time.’

For now Barry Hussein has managed to successfully fool some of the people some of the time, namely Democratic Party voters. And he did it in true con artist fashion by trying to pass himself off as everything to everyone. To young liberals, he was supposed to be a radically progressive visionary. To old line Democrats, he was supposed to be the second coming of JFK. To rich party elites, he was one of them, a wealthy Harvard and Columbia grad from an academic family. To the working class of Pennsylvania, he tried to reinvent himself as an ordinary bowling cheeseburger eating son of a working class family.

And that’s where he screwed up, because you can only double date so many demographics before one of them finds out what you’ve been saying about the other one behind its back. And that’s what happened when Obama cracked wise to his rich liberal hosts about those backwoods people with their bitterness, religion, guns and hatred of immigrants. Obama was doing what Obama does best, reinventing himself in the style of a celebrity for every new demographic but while he was busy bonding with his new friends over their mutual distaste for working class people, he wasn’t counting on having those same snide remarks go public and live.

Like every con man, Obama’s outward image is appealing precisely because it’s fake, a carefully woven coat of many colors, with no substance underneath. And like every con man, that identity begins to unravel when exposed to enough scrutiny. The consistency that a lie requires is nothing compared to the consistency that the many lies which define Obama require to maintain under the pressure of a campaign. Finally like every con man, Obama responds to the revelation of the inconsistencies, personal, moral and political, with glib rhetoric that tries to change the topic and recontextualize the situation. But you can only strain the coat of many colors so many times before it begins to tear and the constant shifts Obama must undergo creates a kind of narrative jet lag until the public grows tired of paying attention to whom Barack is trying to be at any given moment.

In his endless quest to reinvent himself, BHO has become the worst kind of chimera, a man without a face, painfully eager to turn private narrative into public image and fictionalizing his life in the process. Obama is his own biographer and even when he writes history, under his smooth pen it flows out as fiction. Navigating his many identities, American, Foreigner, Christian, Muslim, Black, White, Poor, Rich, Liberal, Progressive, Undefinable, Experienced, A Fresh Voice, Black Nationalist, Racial Unifier, Healer, Bigot creates the kind of schizophrenia that must in the end bring down even the greatest of con men, as we no longer know who Obama is anymore and until even Obama himself loses track of who he really is.

Obama’s biography like his convention speech was about navigating identities, a fundamental preoccupation for a man whose life is based around presenting himself as many things to many people. Obama’s campaign reminds one of the character played by Will Smith at the beginning of his movie career in Six Degrees of Separation, itself based on the true story of David Hampton, a con man who moved through the upper classes of New York society under a false identity and conning the wealthy out of their money.

Who is Barack Obama? The real answer is that like all con men. he’s a lie. Not simply because he’s lied on any single point but because his entire identity is a constantly shifting lie as he juggles a hundred balls in the air, trying to play to every demographic in its own turn.

With America as his ‘Mark’, Barry Hussein has tried to sell himself as the country’s savior but his halo can only stand so many dings before it begins to look tarnished. And the shiny coating is quickly coming off as millions of Americans begin asking the same questions and coming up with some bad answers.

His narrative gymnastics, his political yoga, his self-help contortionist act has brought him to this point and left him empty, both inside and outside. Like a brand of soft drink, Obama has become a brand and a logo, but the person who stands behind it remains an ugly enigma, a calculating liar who may no longer even remember who he himself is anymore.”

(Via from NY to Israel Sultan Reveals The Stories Behind the News.)</

Bin Laden’s son fights for right to live in Britain: ”

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(Via Eye On The World.)</

CAIR-Endorsed Pro-Terrorist Screening Canceled: ”

The fundraiser event for jailed Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Sami Al-Arian, organized by the UC Irvine Muslim Student Union and promoted by the Council on American Islamic Relations, has been called off by theater management: Al-Arian Screening Canceled.

Starplex Cinemas has no ties or relations with the organization that rented the theater to do a film screening. The intent and content of the film was not disclosed. We have no political affilication and have canceled the screening.

We thank the community for bringing this to our attention.

For any questions or comments, please contact Kristen Wheaton at Starplex Cinemas.

Jonathan Constantine of Red County’s Campus Watch has more:

In a phone call with Wheaton later this morning, she explained that the decision was made because of the highly politicized nature of the screening, and the lack of disclosure by two female representatives from the Muslim Student Union concerning the content of the event. More specifically, according to a representative from Woodbridge 5, they described the screening as a ‘student film,’ despite the involvement of outside political organizations like CAIR.

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(Via Little Green Footballs.)</

IDF Is Encircling 10 Hamas Homes In Ramallah: “

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(Via avideditor’s shared items in Google Reader.)</

Darwin @ Work: Another Fateful “Lunch in Tul Karem”: ”

By Debbie Schlussel

My late father and I used to have a code phrase we’d use whenever there was a leftist–particularly a Jewish leftist–who went out of his/her way to pander to Islamofascists. We’d say that fooli