Brilliant Orator; Damn Fool: Netanyahu Addresses Congress

Brilliant Orator; Damn Fool: Netanyahu Addresses Congress For those who missed the speech, MSNBC has a video which displays the P.M.'s passionate connection with his primary audience who responded with many standing ovations. 

    The speech is preceded by an advertisement and a news clip; I am not certain that I grabbed the correct embed code.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

    A five page pdf file containing the prepared remarks was found here.  As is my habit, I will mark important parts with superscripts linked to an enumerated list of my comments. Clicking the superscripts will bring my comment into view, pressing your Backspace key will return to the text.

TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2011
Speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a Joint Meeting of the United States Congress
May 24, 2011
I am deeply honored by your warm welcome. And I am deeply honored that you have given me the
opportunity to address Congress a second time.
Mr. Vice President, do you remember the time we were the new kids in town?
And I do see a lot of old friends here. And I do see a lot of new friends of Israel here. Democrats and
Republicans alike.
Israel has no better friend than America¹. And America has no better friend than Israel. We stand together to
defend democracy. We stand together to advance peace. We stand together to fight terrorism.
Congratulations America, Congratulations, Mr. President. You got bin Laden. Good riddance!²
In an unstable Middle East, Israel is the one anchor of stability. In a region of shifting alliances, Israel is
America’s unwavering ally. Israel has always been pro-American. Israel will always be pro-American.
My friends, you don’t need to do nation building in Israel. We’re already built. You don’t need to export
democracy to Israel. We’ve already got it. You don’t need to send American troops to defend Israel. We
defend ourselves. You’ve been very generous in giving us tools to do the job of defending Israel on our own.
Thank you all, and thank you President Obama, for your steadfast commitment to Israel’s security.³ I know
economic times are tough. I deeply appreciate this.
Support for Israel’s security is a wise investment in our common future. For an epic battle is now unfolding in
the Middle East, between tyranny and freedom.⁴ A great convulsion is shaking the earth from the Khyber
Pass to the Straits of Gibraltar. The tremors have shattered states and toppled governments. And we can all
see that the ground is still shifting. Now this historic moment holds the promise of a new dawn of freedom
and opportunity. Millions of young people are determined to change their future. We all look at them. They
muster courage. They risk their lives. They demand dignity. They desire liberty.
These extraordinary scenes in Tunis and Cairo, evoke those of Berlin and Prague in 1989. Yet as we share
their hopes, but we also must also remember that those hopes could be snuffed out as they were in Tehran
in 1979. You remember what happened then. The brief democratic spring in Iran was cut short by a
ferocious and unforgiving tyranny. This same tyranny smothered Lebanon’s democratic Cedar Revolution,
and inflicted on that long-suffering country, the medieval rule of Hezbollah.
So today, the Middle East stands at a fateful crossroads. Like all of you, I pray
that the peoples of the region choose the path less travelled, the path of liberty. No one knows what this
path consists of better than you. This path is not paved by elections alone. It is paved when governments
permit protests in town squares, when limits are placed on the powers of rulers⁵, when judges are beholden
to laws and not men, and when human rights cannot be crushed by tribal loyalties or mob rule.
Israel has always embraced this path, in the Middle East has long rejected it. In a region where women are
stoned, gays are hanged, Christians are persecuted, Israel stands out. It is different.
As the great English writer George Eliot predicted over a century ago, that once established, the Jewish
state will "shine like a bright star of freedom amid the despotisms of the East.” Well, she was right. We have
a free press, independent courts, an open economy, rambunctious parliamentary debates. You think you
guys are tough on one another in Congress? Come spend a day in the Knesset. Be my guest.
Courageous Arab protesters, are now struggling to secure these very same rights for their peoples, for their
societies.⁶ We're proud that over one million Arab citizens of Israel have been enjoying these rights for
decades. Of the 300 million Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa, only Israel’s Arab citizens enjoy real
democratic rights. I want you to stop for a second and think about that. Of those 300 million Arabs, less than
one-half of one-percent are truly free, and they're all citizens of Israel!
This startling fact reveals a basic truth: Israel is not what is wrong about the Middle East. Israel is what is
right about the Middle East.⁷
Israel fully supports the desire of Arab peoples in our region to live freely. We long for the day when Israel
will be one of many real democracies in the Middle East.
Fifteen years ago, I stood at this very podium, and said that democracy must start to take root in the Arab
World. Well, it's begun to take root.⁸This beginning holds the promise of a brilliant future of peace and
prosperity. For I believe that a Middle East that is genuinely democratic will be a Middle East truly at peace.⁹
But while we hope and work for the best, we must also recognize that powerful forces¹⁰ oppose this future.
They oppose modernity. They oppose democracy. They oppose peace.
Foremost among these forces is Iran. The tyranny in Tehran brutalizes its own people. It supports attacks
against American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. It subjugates Lebanon and Gaza. It sponsors terror
worldwide.¹¹
When I last stood here, I spoke of the dire consequences of Iran developing nuclear weapons. Now time is
running out, and the hinge of history may soon turn. For the greatest danger facing humanity could soon be
upon us: A militant Islamic regime armed with nuclear weapons.
Militant Islam¹²threatens the world. It threatens Islam. I have no doubt that it will ultimately be defeated. It will
eventually succumb to the forces of freedom and progress. But like other fanaticisms that were doomed to
fail, militant Islam could exact a horrific price from all of us before its inevitable demise.
A nuclear-armed Iran¹³ would ignite a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. It would give terrorists a nuclear
umbrella. It would make the nightmare of nuclear terrorism a clear and present danger throughout the world.
I want you to understand what this means. They could put the bomb anywhere. They could put it on a
missile. It could be on a container ship in a port, or in a suitcase on a subway.
Now the threat to my country cannot be overstated. Those who dismiss it are sticking their heads in the
sand. Less than seven decades after six million Jews were murdered, Iran's leaders deny the Holocaust of
the Jewish people, while calling for the annihilation of the Jewish state.
Leaders who spew such venom¹⁴, should be banned from every respectable forum on the planet. But there is
something that makes the outrage even greater: The lack of outrage. In much of the international
community, the calls for our destruction are met with utter silence. It is even worse because there are many
who rush to condemn Israel for defending itself against Iran’s terror proxies.
But not you. Not America.¹⁵ You have acted differently. You've condemned the Iranian regime for its genocidal
aims. You’ve passed tough sanctions against Iran. History will salute you America.
President Obama has said that the United States is determined to prevent Iran from developing nuclear
weapons. He successfully led the Security Council to adopt sanctions against Iran. You in Congress passed
even tougher sanctions. These words and deeds are vitally important.¹⁶
Yet the Ayatollah regime briefly suspended its nuclear program only once, in 2003, when it feared the
possibility of military action. That same year, Muammar Qadaffi gave up his nuclear weapons program, and
for the same reason. The more Iran believes that all options are on the table, the less the chance of
confrontation. This is why I ask you to continue to send an unequivocal message: That America will never
permit Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
As for Israel, if history has taught the Jewish people anything, it is that we must take calls for our destruction
seriously. We are a nation that rose from the ashes of the Holocaust. When we say never again, we mean
never again. ¹⁷Israel always reserves the right to defend itself.
My friends, while Israel will be ever vigilant in its defense, we will never give up on our quest for peace. I
guess we’ll give it up when we achieve it. Israel wants peace. Israel needs peace. We've achieved historic
peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan that have held up for decades.
I remember what it was like before we had peace. I was nearly killed in a firefight inside the Suez Canal. I
mean that literally. I battled terrorists along both banks of the Jordan River. Too many Israelis have lost
loved ones. I know their grief. I lost my brother.
So no one in Israel wants a return to those terrible days. The peace with Egypt and Jordan has long served
as an anchor of stability and peace in the heart of the Middle East.
This peace should be bolstered by economic and political support to all those who remain committed to
peace.¹⁸
The peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan are vital. But they're not enough. We must also find a way to
forge a lasting peace with the Palestinians¹⁹. Two years ago, I publicly committed to a solution of two states
for two peoples: A Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state²⁰.
I am willing to make painful compromises to achieve this historic peace²¹. As the leader of Israel, it is my
responsibility to lead my people to peace.
This is not easy for me. I recognize that in a genuine peace, we will be required to give up parts of the
Jewish homeland. In Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers.²² We are not the
British in India. We are not the Belgians in the Congo.
This is the land of our forefathers, the Land of Israel, to which Abraham brought the idea of one God, where
David set out to confront Goliath, and where Isaiah saw a vision of eternal peace. No distortion of history
can deny the four thousand year old bond, between the Jewish people and the Jewish land.
But there is another truth: The Palestinians share this small land with us. We seek a peace in which they will
be neither Israel’s subjects nor its citizens. They should enjoy a national life of dignity as a free, viable and
independent people in their own state.²³ They should enjoy a prosperous economy, where their creativity and
initiative can flourish.
We've already seen the beginnings of what is possible. In the last two years,
the Palestinians have begun to build a better life for themselves. Prime Minister Fayad has led this effort. I
wish him a speedy recovery from his recent operation.
We've helped the Palestinian economy by removing hundreds of barriers and roadblocks²⁴ to the free flow of
goods and people. The results have been nothing short of remarkable. The Palestinian economy is
booming. It's growing by more than 10% a year.
Palestinian cities look very different today than they did just a few years ago. They have shopping malls,
movie theaters, restaurants, banks. They even have e-businesses. This is all happening without peace.
Imagine what could happen with peace. Peace would herald a new day for both peoples. It would make the
dream of a broader Arab-Israeli peace a realistic possibility.
So now here is the question. You have to ask it. If the benefits of peace with the Palestinians are so clear,
why has peace eluded us? Because all six Israeli Prime Ministers since the signing of Oslo accords agreed
to establish a Palestinian state. Myself included. So why has peace not been achieved? Because so far, the
Palestinians have been unwilling to accept a Palestinian state, if it meant accepting a Jewish state alongside
it.
You see, our conflict has never been about the establishment of a Palestinian state. It has always been
about the existence of the Jewish state.²⁵ This is what this conflict is about. In 1947, the United Nations voted
to partition the land into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The Jews said yes. The Palestinians said no. In
recent years, the Palestinians twice refused generous offers by Israeli Prime Ministers, to establish a
Palestinian state on virtually all the territory won by Israel in the Six Day War.
They were simply unwilling to end the conflict. And I regret to say this: They continue to educate their
children to hate.²⁶ They continue to name public squares after terrorists. And worst of all, they continue to
perpetuate the fantasy that Israel will one day be flooded by the descendants of Palestinian refugees.
My friends, this must come to an end. President Abbas must do what I have done. I stood before my people,
and I told you it wasn’t easy for me, and I said… "I will accept a Palestinian state."²⁷ It is time for President
Abbas to stand before his people and say… "I will accept a Jewish state."²⁸
Those six words will change history. They will make clear to the Palestinians that this conflict must come to
an end. That they are not building a state to continue the conflict with Israel, but to end it. They will convince
the people of Israel that they have a true partner for peace.²⁹ With such a partner, the people of Israel will be
prepared to make a far reaching compromise. I will be prepared to make a far reaching compromise.
This compromise must reflect the dramatic demographic changes that have occurred since 1967. The vast
majority of the 650,000 Israelis who live beyond the 1967 lines, reside in neighborhoods and suburbs of
Jerusalem and Greater Tel Aviv.
These areas are densely populated but geographically quite small. Under any realistic peace agreement,
these areas, as well as other places of critical strategic and national importance, will be incorporated into the
final borders of Israel.
The status of the settlements will be decided only in negotiations. But we must also be honest. So I am
saying today something that should be said publicly by anyone serious about peace. In any peace
agreement that ends the conflict, some settlements will end up beyond Israel’s borders. The precise
delineation of those borders must be negotiated. We will be very generous on the size of a future Palestinian
state. But as President Obama said, the border will be different than the one that existed on June 4, 1967.
Israel will not return to the indefensible lines of 1967.
We recognize that a Palestinian state must be big enough to be viable, independent and prosperous.
President Obama rightly referred to Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, just as he referred to the
future Palestinian state as the homeland of the Palestinian people. Jews from around the world have a right
to immigrate to the Jewish state. Palestinians from around the world should have a right to immigrate, if they
so choose, to a Palestinian state. This means that the Palestinian refugee problem will be resolved outside
the borders of Israel.
As for Jerusalem, only a democratic Israel has protected freedom of worship for all faiths in the city³⁰.
Jerusalem must never again be divided. Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel. I know that this
is a difficult issue for Palestinians. But I believe with creativity and goodwill a solution can be found.
This is the peace I plan to forge with a Palestinian partner committed to peace. But you know very well, that
in the Middle East, the only peace that will hold is a peace you can defend.³¹
So peace must be anchored in security. In recent years, Israel withdrew from South Lebanon and Gaza. But
we didn't get peace. Instead, we got 12,000 thousand rockets fired from those areas on our cities, on our
children, by Hezbollah and Hamas. The UN peacekeepers in Lebanon failed to prevent the smuggling of this
weaponry. The European observers in Gaza evaporated overnight. So if Israel simply walked out of the
territories, the flow of weapons into a future Palestinian state would be unchecked. Missiles fired from it
could reach virtually every home in Israel in less than a minute. I want you to think about that too. Imagine
that right now we all had less than 60 seconds to find shelter from an incoming rocket. Would you live that
way? Would anyone live that way? Well, we aren’t going to live that way either.³²
The truth is that Israel needs unique security arrangements because of its unique size. Israel is one of the
smallest countries in the world. Mr. Vice President, I'll grant you this. It’s bigger than Delaware. It’s even
bigger than Rhode Island. But that’s about it. Israel on the 1967 lines would be half the width of the
Washington Beltway.
Now here’s a bit of nostalgia. I first came to Washington thirty years ago as a young diplomat. It took me a
while, but I finally figured it out: There is an America beyond the Beltway. But Israel on the 1967 lines would
be only nine miles wide. So much for strategic depth.
So it is therefore absolutely vital for Israel’s security that a Palestinian state be fully demilitarized. And it is
vital that Israel maintain a long-term military presence along the Jordan River. Solid security arrangements
on the ground are necessary not only to protect the peace, they are necessary to protect Israel in case the
peace unravels. For in our unstable region, no one can guarantee that our peace partners today will be there
tomorrow.³³
And when I say tomorrow, I don't mean some distant time in the future. I mean -- tomorrow. Peace can be
achieved only around the negotiating table. The Palestinian attempt to impose a settlement through the
United Nations will not bring peace. It should be forcefully opposed by all those who want to see this conflict
end.
I appreciate the President’s clear position on this issue. Peace cannot be imposed. It must be negotiated.
But it can only be negotiated with partners committed to peace.³⁴
And Hamas is not a partner for peace. Hamas remains committed to Israel's destruction and to terrorism.
They have a charter. That charter not only calls for the obliteration of Israel, but says ‘kill the Jews wherever
you find them’. Hamas’ leader condemned the killing of Osama bin Laden and praised him as a holy warrior.
Now again I want to make this clear. Israel is prepared to sit down today and negotiate peace with the
Palestinian Authority.³⁵ I believe we can fashion a brilliant future of peace for our children. But Israel will not
negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by the Palestinian version of Al Qaeda.³⁶
So I say to President Abbas: Tear up your pact with Hamas! Sit down and negotiate! Make peace with the
Jewish state! And if you do, I promise you this. Israel will not be the last country to welcome a Palestinian
state as a new member of the United Nations. It will be the first to do so.³⁷
My friends, the momentous trials of the last century, and the unfolding events of this century, attest to the
decisive role of the United States in advancing peace and defending freedom. Providence entrusted the
United States to be the guardian of liberty. All peoples who cherish freedom owe a profound debt of
gratitude to your great nation. Among the most grateful nations is my nation, the people of Israel, who have
fought for their liberty and survival against impossible odds, in ancient and modern times alike.
I speak on behalf of the Jewish people and the Jewish state when I say to you, representatives of America,
Thank you. Thank you for your unwavering support for Israel. Thank you for ensuring that the flame of
freedom burns bright throughout the world. May God bless all of you. And may God forever bless the United
States of America.

1. With friends like America, who needs enemies? A series of American Presidents have let Israel down and sabotaged her, beginning with Carter. Obama must be numbered among the enemies of Israel. The Congress and electorate are friends of Israel, but they don't make our foreign policy.
2. That is a prime example of meaningless emotional bonding, much too shallow. "Getting" Usama, while necessary, is insufficient.
3. That statement should have been dripping with sarcasm, I failed to detect any. Obama is not committed to Israel's security, far from it.
4. The real battle is between tyrants, not between tyranny and liberty.  Those who seek liberty are an insignificant minority, unlikely to prevail.
5. Netanyahu brought out one crucial point concealed by Obama: the necessity of limited government. Without it, libertarian revolts are doomed to failure.
6. One crucial element is missing: acknowledgment of the fact that those rights are contradicted by Islam; the two are incompatible.
7. That brilliant statement of the blindingly obvious truth is a slap in the face to the E.U. & U.N. It should be restated early and often.
8. Until Islam is removed, the seed will fall upon rocks and be consumed by birds or scorched by the sun. It can not sprout and blossom until Islam is eliminated.
9. Peace is not a function of democracy. Democracy and aggression are not mutually exclusive. Democracies will only be peaceful if their electorates want peace and eschew aggression.
10. The powerful force which opposes peace & freedom is Islam. Netanyahu should have named it.
11. Why does Iran oppose liberty and sponsor terrorism? What "powerful force" motivates those policies?  "Its Islam, stupid!".
12. If you thought my headline was outrageous, now you will learn the reason, its in that statement: "militant Islam" "Its Islam, stupid!". The name stands alone, without adjectives, qualifiers or modifiers. "Its Islam, stupid!". Islam's purpose is the accrual of power, wealth & income. Its method is martial. These fatal facts are fully documented in another blog post: Islam's Mercenary Mission, there you will find the relevant ayat & ahadith quoted and linked. Islam is militant by definition.
    
13. Pakistan already has the bomb. It is just a matter of time before the regime falls to those more ready to use the bomb.  Nobody is willing to take effective action against Iran to prevent it from building a nuke.
    
14. The leadership of Iran is not the problem. Its Islam, stupid!". Open the Qur'an to 9:29 and read it.  Read JM Rodwell's translation for its outstanding clarity. Turn next to 7:167.  Who will Allah send to torment the Jews?  Next, read Sahih Bukhari 4.52.177.  Iran did not invent Islamic genocide of Jews. Who did?  For the answer, turn to 8:67.
    
15. Every time Israel counter attacks, our President demands "restraint". Have you so soon forgotten the bitter bitching about "Cast Lead"?
    
16. Those sanctions are necessary and insufficient. Iran's nuke program must be destroyed by military force.
    
17. This line had strong emphasis in the video and for good reason.  There is no reason why Israel should submit to genocide.
    
18. A nice retroactive swipe at Obama's support for the revolt against Mubarak.  It will probably be misinterpreted to support paying tribute to the new Muslim Brotherhood regime.
19. Islam does not make lasting peace, only ten year hudnas, which are contracts at will, subject to revocation when the Muslims gain sufficient strength to renew their aggression.
    
20. They do not want a state, if they did, they would have accepted the partition plan in '47 instead of waging war against Israel. They want Israel destroyed and the Jews massacred. Nothing less will satisfy their blood lust. Besides which, they are not a people, they are undifferentiated Arabs from Egypt & Syria.
21. Compromising, negotiating & appeasing Islam result in more aggression, not in peace. All such gestures are perceived as signs of weakness, which emboldens the predator. Land for "peace" is a fool's bargain, you will have neither land nor peace.
    
22. A rarely stated truth: Jews are occupied, not occupying. Few will accept that fact.
    
23. It is called Jordan.
    
24. When you remove check points and security barriers, Jews die as a result, not a wise move.
    
25. In a previous blog post:Victory: the Path to Peace.  I detailed the Islamic foundation of violence against Israel. Rejectionism is about Allah's promise of victory and his failure to make it permanent. Israel's recovery of stolen hand and Islamic failure to reconquer it proves Allah to be an impotent idol. Muslims can not tolerate that blasphemous reality.
26. Inculcating hate in the schools is an egregious violation of the Oslo Accords. While that violation continues, no new negotiation should be started.
27. A foolish act of treason against Israel and the human race.
28. The demand is impossible. Even if possible, no such statement could be trusted by any sentient person. Tolerance of Israel is tantamount to apostasy.
29. In that case, the people of Israel would be damned fools, doomed to destruction and they would deserve it. Islam is a lie and Muslims are liars. Arafat talked peace in English to the press and war in Arabic to his brethren.
30. That is a damned lie. Jews and Christians are restricted in their access to the Temple Mount and arrested if they attempt to pray there.
31. Cognitive dissonance is right on the surface of that statement, easily seen and recognized. If Muslims wanted peace, the conflict would end. Instead, they want victory and expanded conquest.  Peace must be complete, absolute, exclusive and permanent. It can not exist while Muslims are Hellbent on world conquest. 
32. Then start expelling Muslims from the land of Israel, send them home, far beyond your borders. Rocket fire will only stop when there are no living Muslims within rocket range.
33. More cognitive dissonance: he knows that peace is impossible but he can't confess his knowledge, he can only vaguely imply it.
34. Cognitive dissonance is clearly evident. We all know blessed well that Abbas has no interest in peace: "from the river to the sea".  Israel has no partner for peace, never had one and never will.
35. What do HAMAS and P.A. have in common? They are Muslims. They believe the same crap. They observe the same "religious obligation" to make annual military attacks against disbelievers.  "Its Islam, stupid!".  How can Netanyahu be so damned stupid?! 
36. Al-Qaeda, HAMAS Muslim Brotherhood & Islam are one. They are all the same. Read the HAMAS  Charter. "The Islamic Resistance Movement: The Movement's programme is Islam. From it, it draws its ideas, ways of thinking and understanding of the universe, life and man. It resorts to it for judgement in all its conduct, and it is inspired by it for guidance of its steps." ... "Allah is its target, the Prophet is its model, the Koran its constitution: Jihad is its path and death for the sake of Allah is the loftiest of its wishes."  Anyone having a brain located outside of his anus should be able to comprehend the obvious identity. Al-Qaeda and HAMAS are Al-Ikhwan offshoots. The HAMAS Charter echoes that of the Brotherhood.  Get a clue, for Chrissake!!! Why in Hell is it called the Muslim Brotherhood?  "Its Islam, stupid!"!!!
37. Idiot! There are 57 Islamic members outvoting us already, we don't need any more!!  Such stupidity is incomprehensible.
    

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Sukkah Destroys Peace

Latma strikes again with a new parody  timed for the Sukkot holiday.  The theme: building a sukkah  destroys peace.






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq9vmwv0zfk&feature=player_embedded


Lets connect the parody to the real world.

Israel’s settlement moratorium has made a difference on the ground and improved the atmosphere for talks. ...

We believe that the moratorium should be extended.  Barack Hussein Obama: U.N. General Assembly

Israel continues with its settlement policy on all Palestinian land, especially in holy Jerusalem,...

We reiterate that adherence to these principles and basis, in addition to a complete freeze of all settlement activities, can salvage the peace process and open horizon for its success.  Mahmoud Abbas: U.N. General Assembly

The unstated premises:  

1. Constructing dwellings for Jews in Jerusalem is an obstacle to peace.  
2. We can't negotiate if Jews are building homes.  

    When Jordan seized half of Jerusalem in  1948, they tore down synagogues, broke tombstones and used some for urinals.  They excluded Jews from  the area under their control in violation of international law and a public commitment.  Now they demand total control over East Jerusalem, to be their capital, and declare constructing apartments for Jews, even in West Jerusalem,  an obstacle to peace.      

The ostensible demands:

1. East Jerusalem as the capital of Falestine.
2. Gaza and the West Bank  to form  a contiguous  Judenrein territory.
3. 1947 borders.

The real demands:

1. All of Israel "from the river to the sea".
2. No Jew left alive anywhere. 

The obstacle to peace:

Islam: the ultimate AssWholliness:

1. 9:29. Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allâh, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allâh and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islâm) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. 
2. o9.8: The Objectives of Jihad
   
   The caliph (o25) makes war upon Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians (N: provided he has first invited them to enter Islam in faith and practice, and if they will not, then invited them to enter the social order of Islam by paying the non-Muslim poll tax (jizya, def: o11.4) -which is the significance of their paying it, not the money itself-while remaining in their ancestral religions) (O: and the war continues) until they become Muslim or else pay the non-Muslim poll tax (O: in accordance with the word of Allah Most High,...
3. 7:167. And (remember) when your Lord declared that He would certainly keep on sending against them (i.e. the Jews), till the Day of Resurrection, those who would afflict them with a humiliating torment. Verily, your Lord is Quick in Retribution (for the disobedient, wicked) and certainly He is Oft­Forgiving, Most Merciful (for the obedient and those who beg Allâh's Forgiveness).
1. Eternal Humiliation placed on the Jews   ..."In the future, the Jews will support the Dajjal (False Messiah); and the Muslims, along with `Isa, son of Mary, will kill the Jews. This will occur just before the end of this world."...
2. 3:112. Indignity is put over them wherever they may be, except when under a covenant (of protection) from Allâh, and from men; they have drawn on themselves the Wrath of Allâh, and destruction is put over them. This is because they disbelieved in the Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allâh and killed the Prophets without right. This is because they disobeyed (Allâh) and used to transgress beyond bounds (in Allâh's disobedience, crimes and sins). 
1. The Good News that Muslims will Dominate the People of the Book
   
   
4. Sahih Muslim Book 041, Number 6985:
   Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him; but the tree Gharqad would not say, for it is the tree of the Jews.
5. The Good News that Muslims will conquer the Known World, and ultimately the Entire World
   (He it is Who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth,) with beneficial knowledge and righteous good deeds. Indeed, the Islamic Shari`ah has two factors, knowledge and deeds. The true religious knowledge is by definition true, and the accepted Islamic acts are by definition accepted. Therefore, the news and creed that this religion conveys are true and its commandments are just,
   (that He may make it superior to all religions.) all the religions of the people of the earth, Arabs and non-Arabs alike, whether having certain ideologies or being atheists or idolators.
   
   

    Who can perceive the unmitigated arrogance of Islam and its allies who demand that Israel commit  suicide?  How can Israel survive with Islam's artillery and rockets on the Golan Heights and mountain tops overlooking her cities?  How can she withstand invasion  on a narrow strip of land nine miles wide?  How can Israel survive as a free and democratic Jewish state when flooded by millions of Muslims bred for the purpose of her conquest?

    Someone must grow testicles and a spine; see and declare the evil intentions of Israel's enemies and curse them.  Someone must tell Abbas & Obama to go to Hell.  Someone must defy the U.N. and  E.U.; tell them to go to Hell.

    If "never again" has any meaning, this is the hour to stand up for it; to say it loud & clear and mean it.  We will learn, in the coming hours, whether Bibi has any of the stuff of greatness.  If he acts with cowardice and extends the construction freeze, in whole or in part, then the world will know that he is an unworthy traitor, and the Jews should act on that knowledge by replacing him with someone with conviction and courage enough to tell the world  where to go.     Sukkah Destroys Peace

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Netanyahu challenges the U.N.

Thanks and a tip of the hat to Atlas Shrugs for posting four videos and a transcript of  P.M. Netanyahu's address to the General Assembly.  I find it to be considerably shorter and more honest  than  President Obama's address.

The United Nations was founded after the carnage of World War II and the horrors of the Holocaust.  It was charged with preventing the recurrence of such horrendous events.  Nothing has undermined that central mission more than the systematic assault on the truth.

Yesterday the President of Iran stood at this very podium, spewing his latest anti-Semitic rants.  Just a few days earlier, he again claimed that the Holocaust is a lie.

    Netanyahu proceeds to present evidence of the  Holocaust, and Atlas provides links to it.  But outside of  one or two biblical references, no evidence of the Jew's long term  connection to the land.   But the assault on truth goes far beyond the murder of six million, it includes denial of Jewish history and connection to the Levant.   I wish he had developed the full story rather than just one half of it.

Yesterday, the man who calls the Holocaust a lie spoke from this podium.  To those who refused to come here and to those who left this room in protest, I commend you.  You stood up for moral clarity and you brought honor to your countries.

But to those who gave this Holocaust-denier a hearing, I say on behalf of my people, the Jewish people, and decent people everywhere: Have you no shame?  Have you no decency? 

A mere six decades after the Holocaust, you give legitimacy to a man who denies that the murder of six million Jews took place and pledges to wipe out the Jewish state. What a disgrace!  What a mockery of the charter of the United Nations! 

    I find that to be an understated but much  deserved  swipe  at the allies & associates of  Ahmadinejad.  It just lacks the   profanity require for proper emphasis.

Perhaps some of you think that this man and his odious regime threaten only the Jews.  You're wrong.  History has shown us time and again that what starts with attacks on the Jews eventually ends up engulfing many others.

    That could use some elaboration. Moe began with razia on camel caravans, graduated to ghazwat on local Jewish settlements and  expanded to attack neighboring kingdoms.

This Iranian regime is fueled by an extreme fundamentalism that burst onto the world scene three decades ago after lying dormant for centuries. 

    Fueled by petroleum, driven by the Qur'an & hadith.  But 1979 was not its first manifestation.  Pogroms against levantine Jews began much earlier and there was great slaughter of Hindus when Islam split India.

But if the most primitive fanaticism can acquire the most deadly weapons, the march of history could be reversed for a time.   And like the belated victory over the Nazis, the forces of progress and freedom will prevail only after a horrific toll of blood and fortune has been exacted from mankind.

That is why the greatest threat facing the world today is the marriage between religious fanaticism and the weapons of mass destruction, and the most urgent challenge facing this body is to prevent the tyrants of Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Are the member states of the United Nations up to that challenge?  Will the international community confront a despotism that terrorizes its own people as they bravely stand up for freedom?

Will it take action against the dictators who stole an election in broad daylight and gunned down Iranian protesters who died in the streets choking in their own blood?

Will the international community thwart the world's most pernicious sponsors and practitioners of terrorism?

Above all, will the international community stop the terrorist regime of Iran from developing atomic weapons, thereby endangering the peace of the entire world?

        Who will bell the cat?  Who can destroy Iran's centrifuges without being branded an aggressor?   The Security Council only acts by consensus; two of its permanent members have extensive financial ties to Iran.  China & Russia will veto any  realistic strategy.  If Iran will be prevented from  obtaining nukes, Israel must act forcefully, on her own initiative, before the final red line is crossed.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
The jury is still out on the United Nations, and recent signs are not encouraging. 

Rather than condemning the terrorists and their Iranian patrons, some here have condemned their victims.  That is exactly what a recent UN report on Gaza did, falsely equating the terrorists with those they targeted.

For eight long years, Hamas fired from Gaza thousands of missiles, mortars and rockets on nearby Israeli cities.   Year after year, as these missiles were deliberately hurled at our civilians, not a single UN resolution was passed condemning those criminal attacks.

We heard nothing – absolutely nothing – from the UN Human Rights Council, a misnamed institution if there ever was one.
     
In 2005, hoping to advance peace, Israel unilaterally withdrew from every inch of Gaza.  It dismantled 21 settlements and uprooted over 8,000 Israelis. 

We didn't get peace.  Instead we got an Iranian backed terror base fifty miles from Tel Aviv.   Life in Israeli towns and cities next to Gaza became a nightmare.

You see, the Hamas rocket attacks not only continued, they increased tenfold. Again, the UN was silent.
 
Finally, after eight years of this unremitting assault, Israel was finally forced to respond.  But how should we have responded? 

Well, there is only one example in history of thousands of rockets being fired on a country's civilian population.  It happened when the Nazis rocketed British cities during World War II.  

During that war, the allies leveled German cities, causing hundreds of thousands of casualties.   Israel chose to respond differently.  Faced with an enemy committing a double war crime of firing on civilians while hiding behind civilians – Israel sought to conduct surgical strikes against the rocket launchers.

That was no easy task because the terrorists were firing missiles from homes and schools, using mosques as weapons depots and ferreting explosives in ambulances.

Israel, by contrast, tried to minimize casualties by urging Palestinian civilians to vacate the targeted areas.  We dropped countless flyers over their homes, sent thousands of text messages and called thousands of cell phones asking people to leave.

Never has a country gone to such extraordinary lengths to remove the enemy's civilian population from harm's way.   Yet faced with such a clear case of aggressor and victim, who did the UN Human Rights Council decide to condemn? Israel. 

A democracy legitimately defending itself against terror is morally hanged, drawn and quartered, and given an unfair trial to boot.

By these twisted standards, the UN Human Rights Council would have dragged Roosevelt and Churchill to the dock as war criminals.  What a perversion of truth!  What a perversion of justice!

       Its the double standard.  Netanyahu pointed it out and shined a light on it, but nobody was paying attention.  The camel is in the tent, filling it with excrement. 

Delegates of the United Nations,
Will you accept this farce?    Because if you do, the United Nations would revert to its darkest days, when the worst violators of human rights sat in judgment against the law-abiding democracies, when Zionism was equated with racism and when an automatic majority could declare that the earth is flat.

If this body does not reject this report, it would send a message to terrorists everywhere: Terror pays; if you launch your attacks from densely populated areas, you will win immunity.
 
And in condemning Israel, this body would also deal a mortal blow to peace.  Here's why.  When Israel left Gaza, many hoped that the missile attacks would stop.  Others believed that at the very least, Israel would have international legitimacy to exercise its right of self-defense. 

What legitimacy?  What self-defense? 

The same UN that cheered Israel as it left Gaza and promised to back our right of self-defense now accuses us –my people, my country - of war crimes?  And for what?  For acting responsibly in self-defense.  What a travesty!

Israel justly defended itself against terror.  This biased and unjust report is a clear-cut test for all governments.   Will you stand with Israel or will you stand with the terrorists? 

We must know the answer to that question now.   Now and not later.  Because if Israel is again asked to take more risks for peace, we must know today that you will stand with us tomorrow.

    Netanyahu   wisely  made the case for kissing off the "peace talks" if the UN  follows through with their inversion of justice and morality, condemning Israel.   The last sentence in the quote immediately above is pure gold.

As deeply connected as we are to this land, we recognize that the Palestinians also live there and want a home of their own.   We want to live side by side with them, two free peoples living in peace, prosperity and dignity.

   
    How insane!  It  should be common knowledge that Abbas & co. want a state instead of Israel, not a state beside Israel.  What part of "from the river to the sea" does Bibi not comprehend?  Predator-prey relationships do not work that way, they are permanent.

I believe such a peace can be achieved.  But only if we roll back the forces of terror, led by Iran, that seek to destroy peace, eliminate Israel and overthrow the world order.

    More insanity!  Iran does not have an exclusive franchise on terrorism.  Terrorism  & genocide of Jews are  intrinsic to Islam, Shi'ia or Sunni, they're all Muslims.  They disagree about who should be caliph.  They agree on  world conquest, terror & genocide.   Israel will have peace after the Muslims are converted, departed or dead, not before.

The question facing the international community is whether it is prepared to confront those forces or accommodate them.

    Nonsense!  That question has already been answered.  The international community has chosen  appeasement, throwing Israel to the wolves.  Joshua & Churchill are long since dead. The world has not learned and will not learn. History will repeat itself because nobody learns  and implements its lessons.

Sphere: Related Content

Haniyeh of Hamas: "If ships reach Gaza - victory, if terrorized by Zionists - victory."

As usual, Israel is presented as the villain. Damned if they do, and most assuredly, damned if they don't.

idfnadesk — May 31, 2010 — Video taken by IDF naval boat shows the passengers of the Mavi Marmara, one of the ships in the 'Free Gaza' Flotilla, violently attacking IDF soldiers who were trying to board the ship after having sent repeated requests for the boat to change course.

Large groups of passengers surrounded soldiers and beat them with metal poles and chairs, and threw one soldier over the side of the ship. Some passengers grabbed pistols from the IDF soldiers and opened fire. As a result of the attacks, seven IDF soldiers were injured, and nine of the passengers were killed.

The 'Free Gaza' Flotilla had publicly insisted on their non-violent intentions, however their violent attack on the IDF soldiers was clearly premeditated. They had knives, metal rods, firebombs and other items ready to use. (here)

As protesters in the Arab world take to the streets screaming- again, still - for the annihilation of Israel, the UN ignores it's own charter which says:

The UN Charter on the Law of the Sea says only if a vessel is suspected to be transporting weapons, or weapons of mass destruction, can it be boarded in international waters. Otherwise the permission of the ship's flag carrying nation must be sought. (here)

As is proved by pictures readily available all over the internet, the 'peace activists' were indeed armed, and were, indeed, intent to seriously harm IDF soldiers. They are NOT peace activists by any stretch of the imagination.

On the 29th May, there was this:

Photo by: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Haniyeh: Gaza flotilla a triumph

By ASSOCIATED PRESS AND JPOST.COM STAFF
05/29/2010 17:06

"If ships reach Gaza - victory, if terrorized by Zionists - victory."

Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said Saturday the flotilla carrying aid and activists to Gaza is a victory for his government and signals the end of the Israeli naval blockade, whether it reaches its destination or is intercepted by the Israeli navy.

"If the ships reach Gaza, it's a victory for Gaza," Haniyeh told some 400 supporters after touring Gaza City's small fishing harbor, where several smaller vessels breaking the blockade have docked in the past. "If they are intercepted and terrorized by the Zionists, it will be a victory for Gaza, too, and they will move again in new ships to break the siege of Gaza." (More here)

As world leaders line up to condemn the Israeli actions, the media follows right along, and the terrorists claim a propaganda victory.

Claudia Rosett writes:

May 31st, 2010 12:50 pm

Gaza Terror Flotilla

Gaza’s Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has got the bloody propaganda triumph he was preparing for when he told followers last week that whatever came of the Gaza “aid” flotilla, it would be a win for Hamas – whether the ships reached Gaza, or ended up in a showdown with the Israelis at sea.

At least 10 people, possibly more, are reported dead, after Israeli forces boarded one of the ships, the Mavi Marmara, to stop it running the Israeli blockade on the terrorist enclave of Gaza. The “peace activists” had advertised themselves (scroll down to point 8 in their “mission” statement) as adhering to “nonviolence and nonviolent resistance in word and deed at all times.” This turned out to be a brazen lie. Whatever the “aid” aboard the ship, the “peace activists” were waiting with knives and metal clubs, with which they attacked the Israelis. Though some of the details are still unclear, there are also reports that they made a grab for Israeli guns, and Real Clear Politics — which has posted IDF video footage – says they had firebombs ready as well. (Update: more details in IDF footage here).

Out of this came the headlines the organizers of this terror tour had been looking for. All the usual folks are shocked! shocked! that a deliberate provocation, staged with all sorts of planning by the faux-peace-pals of Hamas, turned into a violent showdown. Reuters reports that France is “profoundly shocked,” Europe “calls for inquiry,” and Turkey’s Iran-lovin’ Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is denouncing the Israelis for “state terrorism.” Washington “regrets loss of life” and is “examining circumstances” — though the basic circumstances here are no mystery whatsoever. They boil down to Israel being left by its craven Western allies to deal solo with the terrorism that boils out of Gaza, the support for that terrorism that flows from Syria and Iran, and the cheerleading — and apparently the helping hand — for this arrangement that emanates from the current Islamic leadership of Turkey. (More here)

From Honest Reporting, a synopsis:



(here)

And yes, the propaganda line IS being pushed. Sarah Palin had this caution on her FaceBook page today:

Israeli Flotilla: Don’t Take Mainstream Media Coverage at Face Value

Today at 11:49am

The media, as usual, seems to be reporting only one side of the Israeli Flotilla incident. Don’t trust the mainstream media to give you both sides of a story fairly… you must seek out fair reporting to ensure you have all the information.

As far too many in the media, and in various governments, rush to condemn Israel, we must put the recent events off Israel’s coast into the right perspective. This “relief” convoy was not about humanitarian aid, as the liberal mainstream media keeps reporting. The whole operation was designed to provoke Israel, not to provide supplies to Palestinians held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Anyone who sees the video of Israeli commandos being attacked as they land on that ship knows the people aboard were vicious thugs, not “peace activists.” The media insults our intelligence with their outright mischaracterization of who these enemies are.

Israel delivers thousands of tons of humanitarian supplies every week to Gaza. These ships could have offloaded their cargoes at a nearby Israeli port if they really wanted to help the people of Gaza. Instead, they chose to incite confrontation and violence. Israel has a right to prevent arms shipments to Gaza that will be used to target innocent Israelis, so they were legitimately checking the cargo on the flotilla. Turkey has chosen to condemn Israel but we should be asking some serious questions about Turkey’s role in this whole affair. Why is a fellow member of NATO sponsoring such a dangerous publicity stunt? As one expert points out: “Three ships of that six-ship pro-terror convoy flew Turkish flags and were crowded with Turkish citizens. The Ankara government – led by Islamists these days – sponsored the ‘aid’ operation in a move to position itself as the new champion of the Palestinians. And Turkish decision-makers knew Israel would have to react – and were waiting to exploit the inevitable clash. The provocation was as cynical as it was carefully orchestrated.”

We can only hope the Obama Administration does not join the anti-Israel chorus in the aftermath of this staged confrontation. Please, Mr. President, we need to let Israelis know we stand with them in their fight against terrorists and those who arm and support them. America and her ally, Israel, stand by waiting for your response.

- Sarah Palin

Yes, I am also waiting for BHO to call a spade a spade. We all know he doesn't like the word 'terrorist', but that IS what these people on the Mavi Marmara are. Of course, BHO may find himself in a bit of a corner here, since it is documented that people he 'met once or twice' are part of the backing for this group.

Klein: Ayers, Dohrn top activists in Gaza flotilla group

May 31, 2010 by Brenda J. Elliott

^{Bill Ayers, Bernardine Dohrn, Gaza, 12/31/09}

Aaron Klein, Jerusalem bureau chief for World Net Daily, reports from New York:

The group behind the Gaza flotilla that engaged in deadly clashes with Israeli commandoes today counts among its top activists Weather Underground terrorist founders William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn as well as Jodie Evans, the leader of the radical activist organization Code Pink.

Ayers and Dohrn were close associates for years with President Obama, while Evans was a fundraiser and financial bundler for Obama’s presidential campaign. ..

[...]

The flotilla was organized by the Free Gaza Movement, a coalition of leftist human rights activists and pro-Palestinian groups engaged in attempts to break a blockade imposed by Israel on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

Ayers, Dohrn and Evans’ Code Pink have led several recent Free Gaza Movement initiatives, including attempted marches into the Gaza Strip. Dorhn was in the Middle East just last month on behalf of the movement.

In January, WND reported Ayers, Dohrn and Evans were involved in provoking chaos on the streets of Egypt in an attempt to enter Gaza with the Free Gaza Movement to join in solidarity with the territory’s population and leadership.

The three helped to stir riots after the Egyptian government refused to allow a large number of protesters to enter neighboring Gaza. Eventually, the protesters accepted an Egyptian offer of allowing about 100 marchers into Gaza. Once in the territory, those marchers were reportedly met on the Gaza side by Hamas’ former Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. (more here)

And others are taking notice, too:

FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU

All aboard! Obama pals back violent Gaza flotilla

Activists from president's circle of friends top supporters of anti-Israel protest ships

---

Posted: May 31, 2010
2:27 pm Eastern

By Aaron Klein
© 2010 WorldNetDaily

By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

Jerusalem ---- May 29, 2010 …. The "Gaza Freedom Flotilla", a group of ships carrying up to 800 people and 10,000 tons of supplies destined for the Gaza Strip has the alledged aim of stirring international debate regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza. However, questions have been raised as to their motives especially given evidence of the organizer's direct ties to international terrorist organizations including al Qaida and Hamas.

Israel security sources have told the Israel News Agency that the main organization behind the "freedom" flotilla that is now sailing towards the Gaza Strip is called The Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), a so-called "relief" organization from Turkey.

This is an organization unabashedly proud of its close ties to Hamas, a terror organization as recognized by the United States, Israel and the European Union (EU).

The Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation is openly supportive of Hamas, an organization that is widely seen as the one of the largest perpetrators of human rights violations, having violently seized control of the Gaza Strip, and committed immeasurable human rights violations against its own people, not to mention hundreds of terror attacks initiated targeting the citizens of Israel.

These aren't the only roles the IHH has played to support Islamic terror, as if this wasn't enough. In fact, not only is IHH linked to global Islamic terror organizations, but it is the direct supporter of not only terrorism against Israel, but a primary backer of world-wide terrorism against nations which practice democracy.

At the heart of many terrorist networks are so-called Islamic "relief" organizations have proven invaluable as sources of cash, weapons, and recruitment of terror operatives. So effective is their role in covering up terrorist activity from the international intelligence community under the guise of promoting humanitarian aid, that Osama bin Laden has admitted that these NGO "charities" have been al-Qaida primary source of funding and have enabled the build-up of his organization to fly under the radar.

Examples of Islamic organizations funneling funds to terror organizations masked as NGOs include: the Benevolence International Foundation, Global Relief Foundation, Taibah International Aid Association, all of whom and countless other have been shut down, banned and its leaders arrested by the US government.

The IHH is one of such organizations, a primary example of an NGO that functions as a "charitable" organization in order to divert resources to terror activity.

In a working paper for The Danish Institute for International Studies, an independent international affairs research institution of Denmark, terrorism analyst and expert witness for the prosecution in U.S. terrorism trials, Evan Kohlmann details IHH's extensive affiliation with the Islamic terror network, including: explicit ties to Hamas, al-Qaida, as well other militant Islamic organizations based in Algeria, Libya, Turkey.

[...]

It is odd that today Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan supports the IHH in their attempt to break the maritime closure of the Gaza Strip, and ranks the IHH's efforts as his "top priority" for the country.(More here)

'Questions have been raised'? IF the UN and all the other world leaders would actually pay attention, before condemning Israel out of hand, there would be NO question as to the real motives of these terrorists. Take a look at this video:

Much is being made in the msm of the Israelis attempting to board the Mavi Marmara in the middle of night, BUT not one peep from any that I have found about this 'humanitarian aid' vessel trying to creep into port under cover of dark. Double standard? Never mind, that was a rhetorical question.

As we all know, I am not a military strategist, but seems to me that with hundreds (700+?) of passengers on board, and what surely looks to me via the video, of not very many Israeli troops, it is apparent that the Israelis were not intent on starting a war in the thick of night. The video above clearly shows that the Israelis were offering to escort the Mavi Marmara into Ashdod. According to all I have read, they were offering to assess the contents of the cargo, and then offering to transport, at Israeli expense, any humanitarian aid to its destination.

I heard an interview with a friend of one of the Canadians on board one of the flotilla ships(not the Mavi Marmara as it turned out) who clearly stated that prior to leaving, it had been decided that any requests from the Israeli military to stop, so they could check the actual business and cargo, would be refused. On national radio, this woman said that they had no intention of co-operating with the Israeli military. 'Peace activists' indeed!

And then there is this:


Talking of the Canadians, Netanyahu happened to be in Canada when this all happened, and this is what the CBC is reporting:

Israelis on ship acted in self-defence: Netanyahu

UN holds emergency meeting on attack

Last Updated: Monday, May 31, 2010 | 10:56 PM ET

CBC News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is defending Israeli commandos who launched a deadly raid on a flotilla of humanitarian ships destined for Gaza, saying they acted in self-defence.

Nine people were killed and dozens were wounded in Monday's pre-dawn raid, which happened in international waters more than 60 kilometres from shore.

Netanyahu said the Israeli soldiers had boarded one of six ships in the flotilla at about 4 a.m. local time to check it for weapons when they were attacked by activists with knives and clubs.

Night-vision footage released by the military showed soldiers dropping from a helicopter one by one and being grabbed by a mob of men wielding sticks on the lead boat, the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara.

The soldiers succumbed to the assailants and fell to the deck, where the men continued to beat them and dump one of them from the top deck.

"They literally attacked the first soldiers on the ship, they were mobbed," Netanyahu said in Ottawa, where he was meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. "They were clubbed, they were beaten, stabbed, there was even a report of gunfire.

"And our soldiers had to defend themselves, defend their lives or they would have been killed," he said.

Israeli officials say at least five Israeli soldiers were wounded in the confrontation.

[...]

Netanyahu, who began a two-day official visit to Canada on Sunday, cut short his visit and was expected to leave Ottawa for Israel Monday afternoon.

He also rescheduled a Tuesday meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington, officials said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes brief comments following his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper following their meeting on Parliament Hill on Monday. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

[...]

Israeli Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Danny Ayalon said Israel regrets the loss of life but called the moves from the flotilla "premeditated" and an "outrageous provocation."

"The organizers are well known for their ties to global jihad, al-Qaeda and Hamas," he said. "On board the ship, we found weapons prepared in advance and used against our forces."

[...]

Helicopters evacuated the wounded to Israeli hospitals, officials said. Five ships had reached port by early evening, and some 136 activists had been removed without serious incident, the military said.

Sixteen were jailed for refusing to identify themselves, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Israel had said activists would be given the choice to be deported or imprisoned.

[...]

Ayalon said Israel offered to deliver the aid supplies through the "appropriate" channels, and did "everything" it could to avoid a violent outcome.

Israeli naval ships escorted the flotilla to the port of Ashdod, where officials were trying to identify the ships' passengers.

International reaction

"Canada deeply regrets this action, the loss of life and the injuries that have occurred and obviously we'll be looking in the days that follow to get all the information we can get to find out exactly what has transpired," Harper said following a meeting with Netanyahu.

Protesters in Lahore, Pakistan, rally to condemn Israel's assault on a flotilla of ships carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists to the Gaza Strip on Monday. (K.M. Chaudary/Associated Press)

Read more here. CBC is running a poll asking Canadians if they approve of Harper's measured response. Predictably, a huge majority do not agree with what he said. Here (and yes, as always, the comments are interesting.) Oh, and there was an anti-Israel 'demonstration' downtown yesterday, where I live. About 100 people showed up, according to the msm.

Not everybody is swallowing the typical, anti-Israel propaganda. From Right Truth:

May 31, 2010

Arabs Try to Lynch Israeli Paint-Gun Commandos – Myths and Facts about the Israeli Naval Operation

Arabs Try to Lynch Israeli Paint-Gun Commandos – Myths and Facts about the Israeli Naval Operation

BY: YEKUTIEL GUZOFSKY

If it wasn't so sad it would make great material for a comedy. The Israeli government sends its most elite military unit - its navy seals - to overtake the Turkish terrorist supply ships as they penetrated into Israeli territorial waters with the stated intent of breaking the Israeli naval blockade around the terrorist Hamas entity that controls Gaza. That Israel sees it as a priority to continue blocking the free flow of weapons into Gaza is not the problem. However, the feeble tactics used by the Israeli government to enforce the blockade needs to be studied and never again duplicated. Did Israel use disproportionate and excessive force? The absolute opposite is true – Israel armed its fighters with toy paint-guns, and gave specific orders to all troops not to open fire with their pistols unless their lives were in danger. In fact, the poor soldiers refrained from shooting back until some of their comrades were already being lynched, shot at, firebombed and stabbed.[emphasis mine]

The Israelis had spent tens of millions of shekels to set up hotel-suite jail cells, cake and coffee, and promised that they would not use unnecessary force to reroute the ships to the Ashdod port, where they would run a security check of all of the items and then transport the cargo, free of charge into Gaza. Israel also announced in advance that they would send all of the Turks and Europeans back to their countries of origin at Israel's expense. The European and Turkish Hamas sympathizers had two goals - to break through the blockade thereby easing present and future restrictions to transport and smuggle weapons freely into Gaza, and to embarrass Israel - knowing just how sensitive and obsessive Israel is about international public opinion. (Much more here)

Monkey in the Middle says this:

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Stun Grenades, Fire Bombs and Knives!

Were just some of the weapons used upon The Leaky Bucket The Free Gaza Flotilla.

Demonstrators Use Violence Against Israeli Navy Soldiers Attempting to Board Ship

[video follows]

Thus proving that this was NOT a peaceful protest but well-planned attack sponsored by the Turkish government who is now planning to escort all ships to Gaza.

Yet there is a truth that the members of the MSM will not tell you...

There follows more on the terrorist background of this 'peace activist' flotilla, here. Check out the official site of Free Gaza here. You may see a few names your recognise. Interesting to me, this group is now registered in Cyprus. But, while there, check out their live updates. They do have video with screaming headlines (of course) . From what I can make out, CNN and BBC were on board. Never let a good PR opportunity go to waste.

From Ynet News:

A brutal ambush at sea

Ron Ben Yishai recounts bloody clash aboard Gaza-bound vessel: The lacking crowd-dispersal means, the brutal violence of ‘peace activists,’ and the attempt to bring down an IDF helicopter

Bloody Sea

Troops beaten up after getting off helicopters Photo: AFP

Injured evacuated to hospitals Photo: Shai Vaknin

Paintball rifles inefficient Photo: AP

Ron Ben-Yishai

Published:

05.31.10, 15:44 / Israel News

Our Navy commandoes fell right into the hands of the Gaza mission members. A few minutes before the takeover attempt aboard the Marmara got underway, the operation commander was told that 20 people were waiting on the deck where a helicopter was to deploy the first team of the elite Flotilla 13 unit. The original plan was to disembark on the top deck, and from there rush to the vessel’s bridge and order the Marmara’s captain to stop.

Officials estimated that passengers will show slight resistance, and possibly minor violence; for that reason, the operation’s commander decided to bring the helicopter directly above the top deck. The first rope that soldiers used in order to descend down to the ship was wrested away by activists, most of them Turks, and tied to an antenna with the hopes of bringing the chopper down. However, Flotilla 13 fighters decided to carry on.

Navy commandoes slid down to the vessel one by one, yet then the unexpected occurred: The passengers that awaited them on the deck pulled out bats, clubs, and slingshots with glass marbles, assaulting each soldier as he disembarked. The fighters were nabbed one by one and were beaten up badly, yet they attempted to fight back.

However, to their misfortune, they were only equipped with paintball rifles used to disperse minor protests, such as the ones held in Bilin. The paintballs obviously made no impression on the activists, who kept on beating the troops up and even attempted to wrest away their weapons. (Much more here)

Be sure to click on the sidebar over there.

Not everybody is feeling sorry for the terrorists on board the Mavi Marmara. Over at Double Tapper, where I found the original weaponry (aka 'humanitarian aid'), a couple of comments are interesting:

Ya'll should have sunk all those asshole ships with the pro-Palestin crew chained to the railings.

God Bless the IDF May 31, 2010 11:30 PM

and then this:

June 1, 2010 2:57 PM

Good Work IDF. Take No Prisoners!

(Here)

Another point of view, a thoughtful piece, out of Israel from Dan Illouz:

Guest Post: The Dual Tragedy of The Flotilla

In: Hasbara| Israeli Foreign Policy

by Elan Miller

The events off the coast of Gaza in the early hours of Monday morning were a significant moment in the history of the State of Israel. More than that, they were a dual tragedy.

Before we go any further, it must be made abundantly clear that neither I nor anyone I know rejoices in the deaths of these activists. It is not in our nature to celebrate the deaths of anyone, not even those who were part of a group that had earlier chanted “Khaybar Khaybar ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad saya’ud,” meaning “Jews remember Khaybar, the army of Mohammed is returning,” a reference to a seventh-century Muslim massacre and expulsion of Jews from Khaybar, which is in modern-day Saudi Arabia. Despite this despicable loathsomeness, with the benefit of hindsight, I’d much rather that the ships had safely docked in Gaza than lives being needlessly wasted.

At the time of going to press, 15 people have died as a result of the IDF’s boarding the flotilla as it approached Gaza, but this does not mean that I criticize the actions of the IDF. Neither do I reserve criticism of the actions of these “human rights” activists.

[...]

But a serious question lies at the heart of the affair. How and why did a supposedly passive peace demonstration turn rowdy to the degree for the military forces who had boarded the boat to feel threatened enough to open fire? The answer has been stated repeatedly of the last few days and stares us in the face: these were no peace activists. These were no human rights activists, these people had a very clear agenda in mind: the delegitimization of Israel.

Much has been said of this delegitimization of Israel, but what is it? What is being delegitimized, exactly? Well, Israel’s right to defense, for one. When every single defense operation is questioned, criticized and consequently condemned, we would do well to realize that we are witnessing the systematic denial of Israel’s right to defend herself.

[...]

There’s one question I’ve asked myself repeatedly over the last few years: “And how would you handle it?” I’ve imagined this question being asked of Kofi Annan, Barack Obama, Gordon Brown and now I ask it of these activists and their supporters. Maybe Israel’s actions aren’t always correct, but Israel has the sovereign right to act in the way it deems fit. If you don’t like the way we deal with terrorists, how about proposing an alternative solution to prevent Hamas proliferating its stockpile of military grade weaponry? If you don’t like human shields, and you shouldn’t if you care about human rights, how do you propose that the IDF tackles Hamas, an extremist group bent on Israel’s destruction that also happens to make extensive use of this tactic?

[...]

While Marom correctly identified these “peace activists” as paradoxically unpleasant to deal with, even he could not have predicted that there would be those amongst their number who would attempt to steal the soldiers’ guns, let alone stab them. But that is precisely what occurred. For us to regard these people as genuine peace activists would be a real tragedy.

Gen. Maj. Marom explained that “we have no intention of harming any of these people”, but that was sadly not the case with the activists. Beyond physically hurting the soldiers, their intention to give Israel’s image a good hiding could not be clearer. We may call them pro-Palestinian activists, but that would be a fib, for they had plenty of other options available to them, but instead went for the cheap PR stunt. And yet the PR stunt is the one way that wins. Israel yet again emerges as the loser, it’s entitlement to protect its population damaged. [...]

But if Israel’s right to defend itself continues to be eroded, and if a precedent has been set here, more people will die. And that would be an even greater tragedy. (This is a must read here)

Within this column quoted, and within all I have read about the Israeli people, a glaring difference is always obvious between the Israeli people (and the rest of us), and the terrorists' regimes. The Israelis and non-terrorists always revere life more than death. The terrorists (under any of their myriad banners) always espouse ideologies that venerate death.

It may well be that some of the passengers in that flotillia (and there were other ships that peaceably acquiesced to the Israeli requests, and were safely led to harbour, by the way) who naively thought they were on a 'peace mission.' It is my opinion that they also need to educate themselves as to who their sponsors really are. Aligning oneself with terrorists whose only agenda is to wipe whole nations off the face of the earth, is absolutely no guarantee of peace - for any of us. These people would do well to remember the old cliche: You are known by the company you keep.

As for Israel? I stand with Israel.

[*cross-posted from Assoluta Tranquillita*]

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