from Ynetnews, 21/5/2005
By Hanan Greenberg - Ali Waked also contributed to the story
TEL AVIV – More than 50 Islamic Jihad terror suspects were detained across the West Bank early Tuesday, ahead of a summit meeting between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas expected to focus on the need to curb terror.
... The wave of arrests follows growing Palestinian violence in recent days, including the murder of an Israeli man in the northern West Bank and the arrest of a would-be female suicide bomber Monday.
...security establishment sources say chaos reigns in Palestinian Authority areas in the absence of a “master” willing to fight terror groups.....it seems Abbas is focusing his efforts on getting closer to terrorists, even at the price of turning a blind eye to their actions, the sources said.
Full story....
Thursday, June 23, 2005
KING ABDULLAH II OF JORDAN HONOURED BY THE SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER
ThanksVivienne for alerting us to this one... exerpted from the SWC Website, June 21, 2005
H.M. KING ABDULLAH II OF JORDAN TO LAUNCH 'THE AMMAN MESSAGE' PEACE INITATIVE IN THE U.S. AT THE SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE IN LOS ANGELES
(Jerusalem) - His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan announced today to a 38-member leadership delegation from the Simon Wiesenthal Center his intention to launch the US leg of his initiative for peace, "The Amman Message", at the SWC's Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles in the fall. The announcement was made to the delegation from the US and Europe at a ceremony in the Royal Palace during which the SWC presented the King with its 2005 Tolerance Award.
'We are recognizing King Abdullah for being a force for moderation and for his leadership in promoting peace and tolerance,' stated Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a leading international Jewish human rights NGO. 'His consistent repudiation of terrorism, anti-Semitism and extremism are critical in interfaith relations and in moving the Middle East peace process forward,' he added."
Follow this link for the full article.
H.M. KING ABDULLAH II OF JORDAN TO LAUNCH 'THE AMMAN MESSAGE' PEACE INITATIVE IN THE U.S. AT THE SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE IN LOS ANGELES
(Jerusalem) - His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan announced today to a 38-member leadership delegation from the Simon Wiesenthal Center his intention to launch the US leg of his initiative for peace, "The Amman Message", at the SWC's Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles in the fall. The announcement was made to the delegation from the US and Europe at a ceremony in the Royal Palace during which the SWC presented the King with its 2005 Tolerance Award.
'We are recognizing King Abdullah for being a force for moderation and for his leadership in promoting peace and tolerance,' stated Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a leading international Jewish human rights NGO. 'His consistent repudiation of terrorism, anti-Semitism and extremism are critical in interfaith relations and in moving the Middle East peace process forward,' he added."
Follow this link for the full article.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Another Lebanese anti-Syrian killed
from The Australian: Another Lebanese anti-Syrian killed [June 22, 2005]: by Correspondents in Beirut, June 22, 2005
A LEBANESE politician who was a harsh critic of Damascus was assassinated in a car bombing last night, a day after an anti-Syrian coalition won Lebanon's parliamentary elections.
. . .CNN reported last night that Mr Hawi had campaigned during the elections for Elias Atallah, a co-founder of the Democratic Left Movement and critic of Syria. CNN said Mr Atallah was influenced by prominent anti-Syrian journalist Samir Kassir, who was killed in Beirut on June 2 during the election period.
. . . He was a columnist for the Lebanese newspaper An Nahar, which is often critical of Syrian influence in Lebanon.
. . .Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said he was "stunned" after hearing of the explosion. He blamed "conspirators" against Lebanon. "With every achievement by the Lebanese state, we see that there are those who want to target security and send messages of this sort," he said.
. . .The Lebanese opposition, which has claimed a majority in the parliament, accused Syria and its allies in the Lebanese security forces of Kassir's murder. The Syrian and Lebanese governments denied any role.
Lebanon's parliamentary elections were won this week by an anti-Syrian alliance led by Saad al-Hariri, son of former prime minister Rafik Hariri who was killed in a truck bomb in Beirut in February, plunging Lebanon into political turmoil and forcing the withdrawal of Syrian troops.
The elections were the first since Damascus pulled its troops out in April, ending its 29-year domination.
The murder of the elder Hariri was widely blamed on Damascus.
Saad Hariri's alliance swept all 28 seats in Sunday's decisive final round of the four-stage elections, ushering in the first legislature not controlled by pro-Damascus factions since the end of the 1975-90 civil war.
Reuters, AP, AFP
A LEBANESE politician who was a harsh critic of Damascus was assassinated in a car bombing last night, a day after an anti-Syrian coalition won Lebanon's parliamentary elections.
. . .CNN reported last night that Mr Hawi had campaigned during the elections for Elias Atallah, a co-founder of the Democratic Left Movement and critic of Syria. CNN said Mr Atallah was influenced by prominent anti-Syrian journalist Samir Kassir, who was killed in Beirut on June 2 during the election period.
. . . He was a columnist for the Lebanese newspaper An Nahar, which is often critical of Syrian influence in Lebanon.
. . .Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said he was "stunned" after hearing of the explosion. He blamed "conspirators" against Lebanon. "With every achievement by the Lebanese state, we see that there are those who want to target security and send messages of this sort," he said.
. . .The Lebanese opposition, which has claimed a majority in the parliament, accused Syria and its allies in the Lebanese security forces of Kassir's murder. The Syrian and Lebanese governments denied any role.
Lebanon's parliamentary elections were won this week by an anti-Syrian alliance led by Saad al-Hariri, son of former prime minister Rafik Hariri who was killed in a truck bomb in Beirut in February, plunging Lebanon into political turmoil and forcing the withdrawal of Syrian troops.
The elections were the first since Damascus pulled its troops out in April, ending its 29-year domination.
The murder of the elder Hariri was widely blamed on Damascus.
Saad Hariri's alliance swept all 28 seats in Sunday's decisive final round of the four-stage elections, ushering in the first legislature not controlled by pro-Damascus factions since the end of the 1975-90 civil war.
Reuters, AP, AFP
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
THREE LESSONS FROM A WOMAN TERRORIST
From HonestReporting Communique: 21 June 2005
Yesterday (June 20), a Palestinian woman took advantage of a humanitarian medical clearance to attempt a suicide bombing of an Israeli hospital. Israeli security caught Wafa al-Bas at a Gaza checkpoint and safely detonated the explosives that had been tied to her undergarments.
View AP news video of capture.
This episode highlights three important points that remain largely ignored or misrepresented in media coverage of the Mideast conflict:
1) SUICIDE TERROR: ASPIRATION, NOT DESPERATION
Al-Bas explained to reporters why she carried out the act:
I love Allah, I love the land of Palestine and I am a member of Al-Aksa Brigades... my dream was to be a martyr. I believe in death... Since I was a little girl I wanted to carry out an attack.
Though media outlets often rationalize Palestinian suicide terror as a 'desperate' response to Israeli wrongdoing, al-Bas' statement is the latest indication that the main motivation for the heinous crime is a twisted, lifelong aspiration to achieve 'greatness' via mass murder.
A primary source of this problem is incitement in Palestinian media and culture. On Sunday (June 19) PA President Mahmoud Abbas told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and western reporters that official Palestinian media 'no longer incites against Israel'.
But very little has actually changed. As documented by Palestinian Media Watch, imagery promoting violence against 'illegitimate' Israelis and 'conspiratorial' Jews remains prominent in official Palestinian TV and newspapers. This is a direct violation of the PA's roadmap commitment for 'all official Palestinian institutions [to] end incitement against Israel', and it continues to fuel the ideology behind acts such as al-Bas'.
2) IMPORTANCE OF ISRAELI CHECKPOINTS
The latest Amnesty International report accused Israel of 'crimes against humanity and war crimes' that included 'obstruction of medical assistance'. Such reports invariably receive broad, uncritical media coverage that lacks appropriate context.
Al-Bas' act, however, clearly demonstrates the need for strict Israeli administration of checkpoints and medical permits. She is the latest in a long string of Palestinian terrorists who cynically used their status as medical patients or modest women to perpetrate terror attacks.
An important condemnation of al-Bas was carried only in the LA Times:
"We utterly condemn this action in every respect," said Shabtai Gold, a spokesman for Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, which is often critical of Israeli authorities for impeding Palestinian access to medical care inside Israel.
IDF spokeswoman Sharon Finegold put the matter in perspective: 'These terror organizations are not only the enemies of the Israelis but also of the Palestinian people themselves, who suffer as a result of this abuse of the young, the sick, the wounded.'
3) PA EMBRACING, NOT STOPPING TERRORISTS
According to a Haaretz report, Israeli security received a tip on al-Bas' imminent attack, and gave the PA and Abbas detailed information regarding it, but the PA did not act.
Al-Bas' thwarted effort followed on the heels of a brutal ambush of an Israeli civilian car in the West Bank (pictured), which killed 28-year old Yigveny Rider.
The PA continues to do very little to fulfill its roadmap obligation to uproot terror groups, choosing instead to incorporate terrorist operatives into its political and security leadership.
Media outlets continue to ignore this violation of the signed agreement, describing it as a mere 'Israeli demand', as in this UPI report on yesterday's Palestinian violence:
These seemed to be "perfect" examples for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon who Tuesday afternoon is to host Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his official residence in central Jerusalem... Sharon never seems to tire demanding a complete cessation of terrorism, violence and incitement, dismantling terrorist organizations and collecting their weapons.
UPI's jab at Sharon is both an unprofessional editorial comment inserted in a news article, and a complete misrepresentation of the PA's own commitment to the world community to uproot terrorism from its midst.
Comments to UPI: international_desk@upi.com
Yesterday (June 20), a Palestinian woman took advantage of a humanitarian medical clearance to attempt a suicide bombing of an Israeli hospital. Israeli security caught Wafa al-Bas at a Gaza checkpoint and safely detonated the explosives that had been tied to her undergarments.
View AP news video of capture.
This episode highlights three important points that remain largely ignored or misrepresented in media coverage of the Mideast conflict:
1) SUICIDE TERROR: ASPIRATION, NOT DESPERATION
Al-Bas explained to reporters why she carried out the act:
I love Allah, I love the land of Palestine and I am a member of Al-Aksa Brigades... my dream was to be a martyr. I believe in death... Since I was a little girl I wanted to carry out an attack.
Though media outlets often rationalize Palestinian suicide terror as a 'desperate' response to Israeli wrongdoing, al-Bas' statement is the latest indication that the main motivation for the heinous crime is a twisted, lifelong aspiration to achieve 'greatness' via mass murder.
A primary source of this problem is incitement in Palestinian media and culture. On Sunday (June 19) PA President Mahmoud Abbas told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and western reporters that official Palestinian media 'no longer incites against Israel'.
But very little has actually changed. As documented by Palestinian Media Watch, imagery promoting violence against 'illegitimate' Israelis and 'conspiratorial' Jews remains prominent in official Palestinian TV and newspapers. This is a direct violation of the PA's roadmap commitment for 'all official Palestinian institutions [to] end incitement against Israel', and it continues to fuel the ideology behind acts such as al-Bas'.
2) IMPORTANCE OF ISRAELI CHECKPOINTS
The latest Amnesty International report accused Israel of 'crimes against humanity and war crimes' that included 'obstruction of medical assistance'. Such reports invariably receive broad, uncritical media coverage that lacks appropriate context.
Al-Bas' act, however, clearly demonstrates the need for strict Israeli administration of checkpoints and medical permits. She is the latest in a long string of Palestinian terrorists who cynically used their status as medical patients or modest women to perpetrate terror attacks.
An important condemnation of al-Bas was carried only in the LA Times:
"We utterly condemn this action in every respect," said Shabtai Gold, a spokesman for Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, which is often critical of Israeli authorities for impeding Palestinian access to medical care inside Israel.
IDF spokeswoman Sharon Finegold put the matter in perspective: 'These terror organizations are not only the enemies of the Israelis but also of the Palestinian people themselves, who suffer as a result of this abuse of the young, the sick, the wounded.'
3) PA EMBRACING, NOT STOPPING TERRORISTS
According to a Haaretz report, Israeli security received a tip on al-Bas' imminent attack, and gave the PA and Abbas detailed information regarding it, but the PA did not act.
Al-Bas' thwarted effort followed on the heels of a brutal ambush of an Israeli civilian car in the West Bank (pictured), which killed 28-year old Yigveny Rider.
The PA continues to do very little to fulfill its roadmap obligation to uproot terror groups, choosing instead to incorporate terrorist operatives into its political and security leadership.
Media outlets continue to ignore this violation of the signed agreement, describing it as a mere 'Israeli demand', as in this UPI report on yesterday's Palestinian violence:
These seemed to be "perfect" examples for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon who Tuesday afternoon is to host Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his official residence in central Jerusalem... Sharon never seems to tire demanding a complete cessation of terrorism, violence and incitement, dismantling terrorist organizations and collecting their weapons.
UPI's jab at Sharon is both an unprofessional editorial comment inserted in a news article, and a complete misrepresentation of the PA's own commitment to the world community to uproot terrorism from its midst.
Comments to UPI: international_desk@upi.com
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