June 2010

Is there a Limit to Hypocrisy?Turkey murdered about 20,000 Kurds Since 1984/ DR.Rivka Shpak Lissak

Turkey under the Islamic Party became, lately, Iran's ally and Israel's worst enemy. Turkey's Prime Minister keeps accusing Israel of massacred of innocent Palestinians, and now, after refusing to settle the issue of the so- called "humanitarian mission" to Gaza, he accuses Israel for killing "peaceful humanitarians" in their way to serve the interests of Iran , Hamas' ally to break the siege on Gaza, so that Iran be free to send weapons to terrorists.

Turkey is the last government on earth who as any justification to teach morals to others:

Peace Activists?More Like 'Peace' Militants / Zvi Mazel

Flotilla activists weren't interested in a humanitarian operation; they wanted to cause us damage - and their plan succeeded.

Sympathy for the Devil and the Gaza Confrontation / Prof.B.Rubin

Sympathy for the Devil and the Gaza Sea Confrontation: How Can Helping a Repressive Fascist, Genocide-Intending Hamas Regime be Noble?

“Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game.”
--The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil”

Is it so hard to guess the name? Is it so difficult to understand the nature of the game? Apparently so.

P.S: ON THE GAZA FLOTILLA ISSUE / PROF.B.RUBIN

A lot of people are criticizing Israel for not handling the operation to stop the Gaza flotilla properly by not being properly prepared, messing up the attack, etc. But there is an important point being missed here.

Israel's error was precisely to assume what the foreign media, governments, and its critics generally are still claiming: Oh, this is just a bunch of peaceful humanitarians so they certainly won't attack us and have weapons.

The Security Council Should send an International War ships navy to patrol Gaza Coast / DR.Rivka Shpak Lissak

The blockade Israel organized against the Hamas in Gaza does not include food and medicine supplies, which are delivered on a constant basis. Its purpose is to prevent military weapons from Iran to enter Gaza.

The Hamas openly declared war against Israel with the intention to eliminate its existence. The Hamas is too weak to destroy Israel, but he is capable of sending rockets against its citizens. More than 6,000 rockets were sent against Israeli citizens that caused the Gaza Operation last year.

On the Flotilla Issue / Prof.B.Rubin

Biden Explains Some Realities Over Flotilla Issue

It’s surprising that more attention hasn’t been given to Vice-President Joe Biden’s response to the flotilla issue. In an interview with Charlie Rose, Biden explained that Israel had every right to stop the ships. Biden explained, Israel offered:

"You can unload it and we'll get the stuff into Gaza. So what's the big deal…of insisting it go straight to Gaza? Well, it's legitimate for Israel to say, 'I don't know what's on that ship. These guys are dropping… 3,000 rockets on my people.’”

Gaza Flotilla's Leader Explains:It Was A Jihadist Attack Not A "Humanitarian Operation" / Prof.B.Rubin

Bülent Yildirim, the main organizer of the Gaza Flotilla, explained at a Hamas rally in Gaza that the operation was no humanitarian effort but part of a global Jihad to overthrow governments and install Islamist dictatorships. He made no secret of that fact, as shown in the MEMRI translation and video.

The Truth on what happened on the Marmara comes out by an Al- Jezeerra Photographer / DR.Rivka Shpak Lissak

Al – Jezeerra photographer is not an Israeli, but a Lebanese Arab. He is not pro- Israel, but he is an honest person. His testimony was published by Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper known for his criticism of Israel's policy.

Gaza Flotilla: Invasion of the Moral Armada / Brandon O'neill

Everyone talks about the siege of Gaza, but a more profound problem today is the intellectual, moral siege of Israel by the Respectable World.

Turkish Regime Changes Sides,West Averts Eyes / Prof.B.Rubin

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This article is based on one commissioned and published by PajamasMedia. I have added additional material to this more extensive version. Turkish readers: see a special note to you at the end.

Five Captured in Gaza Flotilla have Direct Ties to Terrorist Groups / Prof.B.Rubin

Note that this is only the first group identified as directly involved with terrorist groups and there will be more soon. Their connections include Hamas and al-Qaida. So much for the peaceful nature of the hardcore cadre who attacked Israeli soldiers. Remember that if there had been no such assault--as happened on the other five ships which were taken into port without anyone being injured--there would not have been any casualties.

The Myth of the Siege of Gaza / L.T.Col (ret )Jonhathan D.Halevi

Since 2007, Israel has maintained a legal maritime blockade around Gaza whose purpose is to keep rockets and other weapons out of the hands of Hamas, while letting food and other humanitarian aid in. Yet there have been a wide variety of officials and commentators who insist that Gaza is starving, setting the stage for the repeated efforts of "humanitarian" ships to break the Gaza blockade

Mission of Enquiry?Yes, About the Role of Turkey / Zvi Mazel

The so-called “peace flotilla “episode raises many questions, and most of them have to do with the role of Turkey. After all Israel behaved from beginning to end with the utmost transparency. But nobody knows exactly what went on in Turkey – how the operation was planned and what part the Turkish government played in its implementation.

Major New Development:Evidence Emerge of Government -Flotilla Link / Prof.B.Rubin

Major New Development in Flotilla Story? Evidence Emerges of Government-Flotilla Link; Brave Turkish Nationalists Try to Calm Things Down

I've written about how the Gaza flotilla issue and stirring up a hysterical hatred of Israel is playing a role in internal Turkish politics as the government tries to use this demagoguery to continue eroding Turkish democracy and to win the next election. And a little later I'm going to talk about a major new development in the flotilla story.

Clash of Perceptions: A Picture is Worth 10,000 Academic Theories / Prof.B.Rubin

What if two groups are in conflict and have a completely different way of looking at the world, thus often misperceiving each other? Many Westerners say nowadays that their societies misunderstand the Middle East or Muslim-majority societies and the correct response is to apologize humbly, make amends through unilateral concessions that will prove they are nice, and avoid any possible offense.

But maybe the misunderstanding is in the opposite direction from what they think.

Consider this small example with big implications.

Averting Abuse of Universal Jurisdiction / Irit Kohn

Right at the outset of Israel's recent operation in Gaza, French pro-Palestinian organizations filed a lawsuit against the Israeli president, foreign minister and defense minister. Turkish prosecutors said in February 2009 that they were investigating whether Israeli leaders should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity over Israel's offensive in Gaza, after Mazlum-Der, an Islamic-oriented human rights organization, filed an official complaint in Turkey.

Can the PA's Fatah Forces Retake Gaza?Obstacles and Opportunities / Dan Diker &Khaled Abu Toameh

Israel's recent military operation in Gaza has raised the issue of the possible return of Fatah to Gaza. However, a previous U.S.-funded and armed Fatah security regime in Gaza had entirely failed. In fact, the PA in the West Bank has offered safe haven to terror groups, and the PA Interior Ministry pays monthly salaries to Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades terrorists.

Obama Meets Abbas:And Shows no Understanding of the Middle East / Prof.B.Rubin

President Barack Obama has announced an additional $400 million in aid for housing, school construction and business development in Gaza and West Bank in his meeting with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas. Calling the status quo in Gaza unsustainable, Obama said he was talking with Europeans, Egypt, Israel, and the PA on how to have a better approach that takes into account the security concerns of Israel and the needs of people in Gaza.

An Open Letter Noble to Price Bride Ms.Mairead C.Maguire / DR.Rivka Shpak Lissak

It is very easy to live in Irland, far away from Hamas rockets,read newspapers, watch television and decide for the citizens of Israel what they should do, because accepting price noble for peace in Irland makes you an expert to know better on the situation in Israel.

By example, Robespierre, Lenin, Stalin, Mao Ze Dong decided they knew better than their citizens and the consequences are known.

I would like to write on some points you dealt with in your interview with Yair Lapid and one you entirely ignored:

A. Hamas and Israel should recognize each other

NYT needs help to find Flotilla Planners' Terrorist Ties:Here is a Start for Research /Prof.B.Rubin

The New York Times is a vast and wealthy organization with highly paid reporters and news bureaus around the world. Unfortunately, however, it seems to need a little help in gathering the news. In an editorial, the newspaper has held forth with the following sentence:

"The Israelis claim that Insani Yardim Vakfi is a dangerous organization with terrorist links. They have yet to offer any evidence to support that charge."

Humanitarian Aid Ship?Nope,Jihad Ship:No Aid for Gazans on the Mavi Marmara / Prof.B.Rubin

How many truckloads of humanitarian aid on the seven flotilla ships? Thirty-four plus 2000 tons of cement. How many truckloads did Israel deliver to Gaza that same week? Answer: 484.

Would the materials carried on some of the ships help the people of Gaza? Sure. There were wheelchairs, mobility scooters for the disabled, crutches, hospital beds, medicine, and clothing, and hospital equipment.

The Expansion of Al- Qaeda-Affiliated Jihadi Groups in Gaza: Diplomatic Implications / Dore Gold

In the West there is a growing trend to view Hamas as separate from al-Qaeda in order to open a political dialogue with Hamas, but is this view correct?
In its annual survey of terrorist threats to Israel during 2009, the Israel Security Agency noted the spread and buildup of "global jihadi" organizations in Gaza. In recent years a number of these jihadi groups have emerged that openly identify with al-Qaeda, such as Jaish al-Islam (the Army of Islam), Jaish al-Umma (the Army of the Nation), and Fatah al-Islam.

Trying to Appease Islam Does Not Seem to be Working for the United States / Zvi Mazel

In order to further relations with Arab and Islamic countries, President Obama introduced a new policy of appeasement contrasting with his predecessors’ efforts to fight and isolate Muslim extremists. This week was yet another painful reminder of what it means.

An Open Letter to Turkish Friends( in Turkish and English)/ Prof.B.Rubin

The Turkish text is followed by an English translation

Kıymetli dostlar,

İsrail’de, bizler, hayatlarını kaybeden Türkler için son derece üzgünüz. Bu çatışmayı istemedik. Tamamıyla haklı olduğumuzu, herşeyi doğru olarak yaptığımızı ve hata yapmadığımızı iddia etmiyor, ancak, dostluk ruhu içerisinde bu konuların tartışılabildiğini ve en iyi şekilde çözülebildiğini ifade etmek istiyoruz. Aynı zamanda Türkiye’deki deprem dönemindem beri gelişen karşılıklı işbirliğimizi ve ortak anlayışımızı da hatırlıyoruz.

Free Gaza From the Hamas

Free Gaza from the Hamas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tOdW0qEy4g

The Real story of the Mamara

The real story of Marmara

http://www.vimeo.com/12555636

International Law and Military Operations in Practice / Colonek Richard Kemp CBE

I will examine the practicalities, challenges and difficulties faced by military forces in trying to fight within the provisions of international law against an enemy that deliberately and consistently flouts international law.

I shall focus on counter-insurgency operations from the British and to some extent the American perspective drawing on recent British experience generally and my own personal experience of operating in this environment.

Soldiers from all Western armies, including Israel's and Britain's, are educated in the laws of war.

Is Israel Facing War with Hizbullah and Syria? David Schenker

Concerns about Israeli hostilities with Hizbullah are nothing new, but based on recent pronouncements from Syria, if the situation degenerates, fighting could take on a regional dimension not seen since 1973.

On February 26, Syrian President Bashar Assad hosted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Damascus. Afterward, Hizbullah's online magazine Al Intiqad suggested that war with Israel was on the horizon.

Western Strategy will Produce A "Normal" Revolutionary, Terrorist, Genocidal Regime in Gaza / Prof.B.Rubin

What Will the Western Strategy Toward Gaza Produce? A "Normal" Revolutionary, Terrorist, Genocidal Regime There

A reader asks: What is the West's strategy regarding the Gaza Strip. Good question.

EU Foriegn Ministers make Partial Sense on Gaza, Iran / Prof.B.Rubin

Remember what I told you: if you want to know what policy is going to be, watch the governments, not the media. While the results of the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg were far from perfect, they also show the difference between decision-makers and opinion-makers on the Middle East.

First, the foreign ministers proposed new sanctions going beyond the ones just voted in the UN against Iran's nuclear program to prohibit new investment and transfer of technology, equipment and services.

Turkey between Ataturk's Secularism and Fundamentalist Islam / Harold Rhode

From the remnants of the Ottoman Empire, Atatürk founded a modern democratic state by forging the entirely unprecedented notion in the Islamic world of a secular Turkish identity. Moreover, this identity was to be based on the Western notion of loyalty to a geographic entity rather than religious solidarity.

Islamic Terror- How Many People Were Killed During May 2010 / DR.Yohai Sela

While the greater part of the world was lynching Israel in the media in light of Erdogan's ship of terror on May 31, 2010, none of the murderous terror events that took place during May 2010 managed to penetrate the numbness of the international media.

The Turkish Leader 's Personal Quarrel with B.Obama / prof.B.Rubin

I've written a lot about the motives for Turkey's regime in turning toward the Iranian bloc and away from the West, as well as picking a bitter quarrel with Israel (here and here). But there's a detail that's extraordinarily important that must be added.

What Motivates Israeli Policy and Actions / Prof.B.Rubin

I use the opportunity of being interviewed to discuss current developments.

Vice-President Joe Biden has visited Cairo. Do you think his summit with President Husni Mubarak could be useful for solving the Gaza crisis? Is Egypt a strong voice inside Palestinian world?

No, in fact the Egyptians have given up in disgust as they have failed. They worked hard for years to bring Hamas and the Palestinian Authority together and Hamas rejected their efforts. Incidentally, they were just as frustrated trying to move Yasir Arafat toward peace in the 1990s.

The U.S Presbyterian Church's Renewed Attack on Israel / Dexter Van Zile

The 2006 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church repudiated the anti-Zionist narrative affirmed by the previous gathering of this assembly in 2004. This repudiation, however, did not stop the denomination's elected officials, staffers, and so-called peace activists from using the church's resources to demonize Israel. In March 2010, anti-Israel partisans on a Middle East Study Committee (MESC) created by a vote of the denomination's 2008 General Assembly released a 172-page report that demonizes Israel and downplays Arab and Muslim hostility toward Jews and their Middle Eastern homeland.

Chapter 7 - The Population's Composition under the Mamluk Occupation (1260 - 1516 ):Elimination of the Christian Majority / DR.Rivka Shpak Lissak

Elimination of the Christian Majority

Part One

Introduction

The Mamluks were Turkmen from Central Asia. When the Muslims conquered Central Asia, they enslaved Turkmen children, put them through military training and enlisted them as soldiers in their army. The Turkmen children were converted to Sunni Islam. As new Muslims they were known for their orthodoxy and religious fanaticism.

The Mamluk army served the Muslim Caliph, until, following the death of the Ayoub Caliph, several Mamluk officers toppled the Caliph’s young son and took over Egypt in 1249/50.

No Entrance to Dogs and Jews / Lior Zagury

June 3rd, 2010

My name is Lior Zagury and I’m a very proud Israeli Jew.

Yes, it is important for me to present myself in this way, especially today when there is a feeling that there is a festival for anti-Semites.

Israel Revises Gaza Policy:World Gets a Terrorist Islamic Statelet on the Mediterranean / Prof.B.Rubin

Israel Revises Gaza Policy; World Gets What it Wants: Terrorist, Genocidal, Antisemitic, Revolutionary Islamist Statelet on the Mediterranean

Israel has looked for a policy that preserves its security to the maximum extent, undermines Hamas as much as possible, and reduces international criticism, in that order of priority. Thus, the cabinet has approved an altered strategy on the Gaza Strip.

A Bit More on the Gaza Strip Diplomacy / Prof.B.Rubin

Elsewhere, I have explained in great detail the changes in Israeli policy as well as the implications of Western policy in the Gaza Strip: economic normalization meaning also normalization of the existence of a Gaza Hamas-ruled statelet. Israel, seeing that there is not going to be any "rollback" to remove Hamas from power has basically accepted a containment startegy of limited the military weaponry and capability of Hamas.

Media, Academia Destroying Themselves Over Israel / Prof.B.Rubin

How the slander and slant against Israel is destroying the Western institutions that engage in this practice.

The irrational slander and hatred of Israel is not destroying Israel. It is destroying the institutions—media and academic, especially--being driven to madness by this obsessive irrationality and decline from their own proper standards. Like an oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico, the number of lies, logical fallacies, concealments, and strategic misconceptions necessary to make Israel look bad has grown so large that they threaten the health of the media and intelligentsia.

Amnesia International : Forgeting the Real Culprits in Gaza / Justus R.Weiner and Dimitri Teresh

Amnesty International (AI) in its briefing paper titled “Suffocating: The Gaza Strip Under Israeli Blockade”1 asserts that Gazans are suffering enormously under the so-called blockade. These assertions obscure the true nature of the relationship between Israel and Gaza.

EU Foriegn Ministers make Partial Sense on Gaza, Iran / Prof.B.Rubin

Remember what I told you: if you want to know what policy is going to be, watch the governments, not the media. While the results of the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg were far from perfect, they also show the difference between decision-makers and opinion-makers on the Middle East.

First, the foreign ministers proposed new sanctions going beyond the ones just voted in the UN against Iran's nuclear program to prohibit new investment and transfer of technology, equipment and services.

I Am Looking and I don't See any Palestinian State- Building Going On / Prof.B.Rubin

I read an article on Foreign Policy blog which, like many things I see on the Middle East, convinces me of the precise opposite conclusion to what the author wants me to think. The article, by Hussein Ibish, a Palestinian activist in the United States, is entitled: "While No One's Looking, the Palestinians Are Building a State: Now it's time for the rest of the world to pitch in. "

Learn the Truth about Israeli Society / DR.Rivka Shpak Lissak

Israeli Society is divided into 3 main parts: the liberal enlightened center, the extreme post- Zionist left and the extreme right.

A. The extreme left

The extreme left includes a small but very articulate Post- Zionists who control the media- newspapers and T.V- and a small but very aggressive group from the academia and the Judicial system. Some of them are ex- communists.

This group has adopted the Palestinian agenda whose main points are:

A Terrorist's World View Singls What Our World Should Be / Prof.B.Rubin

A dozen words spoken at his trial by Faisal Shahzad, the Times Square would-be bomber, are worth studying very carefully. When asked why he targeted American civilians in the streets of New York, Shahzad replied:

"Well, the [American] people select the government. We consider them all the same."

Are Palestinians the Indigenous People of Palestine? DR.Rivka Shpak Lissak

Abstract

Palestinians are not the Indigenous people of the Holy Land

The Palestinian narrative, which is now widely accepted as a fact of history around the world, is the result of a systematic indoctrination through propaganda.

The Palestinians are neither the "Indians" nor the "Africans" of the Holy Land:
* From the 12th century BCE until 135 CE Jews were the largest ethnic- religious group.
* From 135 CE until the 14th century the Helenistic population which was converted to Christianity during the 4th-5th century were the largest religious group.

The Privileged Slander: Why the Media Laps Up the Anti-Israel Lying Campaign / Prof.B.Rubin

Israel is subject daily to scores of false claims and slanders that receive a remarkable amount of credibility in Western media, academic, and intellectual circles even when no proof is offered.

Palestinian groups (including the Gaza and Palestinian Authority regimes), associated local and allied foreign non-government organizations, Western radical and anti-Israel groups, and politically committed journalists are eager to act as propaganda agents making up false stories or transmitting them without serious thought or checking.

Gaza Flotilla Documents Indicate Real Goal Political, Not Humanitarian / Prof.B.Rubin

"Smoking Guns": Gaza Flotilla Documents Indicate Real Goal Political, Not Humanitarian

Ah, remember the days when the media did research and tried to find out the real story? Check out these captured documents from the Gaza flotilla that show: 1. The organizers knew their goal was helping Hamas and 2. The mission was to do so by ending the sanctions. The goal was not to help Gaza's people by delivering "humanitarian" supplies.

International Law:The Blockade on Gaza, Analysis / Irit Kohn

Imagine a terrorist organization, designated as such by the EU and the U.S., violently seized control of an area, and smuggled in vast quantities of heavy weaponry via both land and sea.