Peace Activist Or Palestinian Activist?

The Guardian reports that an Israeli "peace activist" is being jailed for protesting the demolition of (illegal, I'm guessing, although the article fails to mention that) Palestinian houses. The article describes his sad situation, his alienation from right and left wingers, and having to face homophobic taunts from those homophobic Israelis who behead gays. Oh, sorry, it's Sharias that do that. Nawi talks about how he's seen the checkpoints and the barriers with his own eyes. Don't worry, the rest of the world has also seen it. And the effect it's had on Palestinian terrorism. After he was arrested, for allegedly punching Israeli policemen, he says:

"Yes, I was also a soldier, but I didn't demolish houses."

But I bet he would have glady demolished the Jews' houses in Gaza in the disengagement. The man is a Palestinian Activist, not a Peace Activist, make no mistake.

Israeli Soldiers Faced With Dilemma

A Palestinian man reported to some Israeli soldiers on duty nearby that his friend had fallen down a cliff. Now you have to guess the end of the story. Is it: A. Being Israeli soldiers, they stood at the top of the cliff, pointed and laughed at the wounded Palestinian lying at the bottom, and then shot him dead. Or: B. Being Israeli soldiers, they had an Israeli Airforce rescue helicopter dispatched, and the wounded man was evacuated to an Israeli hospital for treatment. Here's a clue: In general, Israeli soldiers aren't the evil, soulless b******s they're made out to be. On the one in a million chance that an incident like the first scenario would occur, it would, rightly, be all over the news. But when the second scenario plays out, when Israelis save Palestinian lives, whether it's Israeli soldiers, paramedics, passers-by, or doctors in an Israeli hospital, as happens frequently - it's only news in Israel, no one else wants to know. It's not an amazing thing for an Israeli to save a Palestinian whose life is in danger, it's something any decent human being would do. And that's the whole point.

Gilad Shalit - Three Years In Captivity

Today is the third anniversary of Gilad Shalit's capture at the hands of Hamas, and we still don't know if he's alive. Hamas are refusing to give any information whatsoever on his condition, and are refusing to allow any humanitarian organisations to assess him, even though, they point out, it's inhumane, a breach of human rights, and against the law. Well since when did Hamas care about any of that? All we can do is hope and pray for him to come home soon. There is also a campaign to create awareness of Gilad by getting his name as one of the top trends on Twitter, so if you are using it, include #Gilad in all your posts. And if you are in Israel, keep up the protests.

Pepsi Is A Zionist Plot!

Egyptian cleric Hazem Abu Ismail has called for a Muslim boycott of the second-rate Coke flavoured drink because, he says, PEPSI stands for Pay Every Penny to Save Israel. Speaking on a religious Muslim TV channel in Egypt, in February he said:

"When you pay [to buy Pepsi], you are saving Israel. I am not talking about Pepsi, but about Coca Cola and all of them. I don't want to specify the products. See for yourselves. You are Muslims. You can tell me. I don't know. My little son knows more about the boycott than me. When we go shopping, he says to me: "Buy this, don't buy that." He knows them by heart. He has become an expert in this."

Now I'm glad to hear that buying Coke also saves Israel because I love Coke. Pepsi, not so much. The other interesting thing is that the cleric's son is brainwashing his father, not the other way around. You have to feel sorry for some Muslims though; as well as having to suffer being treated with Israeli-developed cures and treatments, and using Israeli-developed technology that they just can't live without, they also can never have the pleasure of an ice-cold, fizzy Coke on a hot summer day without the guilt of saving the Zionists. So, what are you waiting for! Go out and buy some Coke (or Pepsi if that's your preference). And if it turns out that it doesn't save Israel, at least you can still enjoy your refreshing drink.

Gazans Put Smuggling Tunnels To Good Use

The Times headline 'Gaza mud houses are answer to a prayer for the homeless', makes you (or maybe it's just me) think of a family huddled in a squelchy mud-igloo with mud glooping down from the sagging roof, and their feet sinking through to the floor below. But it turns out that the Gazans have been using the earth excavated from the weapons tunnels to make bricks to build with. The houses are cool in summer, warm in winter, and bullet proof. I'm impressed. By not allowing cement into Gaza, which could be used to make weapons, Israel is essentially helping the Palestinians to help themselves and each other, and be resourceful. Although, seeing as these houses seem to be much sturdier than the mud-igloos implied by the headline, somehow I don't think mud bricks is such a new idea, but it's nice that the Gazans are doing something constructive.

Youth Charged For 'Free Gaza' Graffiti - But Not For 'Kill The Jews'

The 19 year old, whose fingerprints were found at the place in his college where he graffitied on the wall 'Free Gaza', has been charged £120 compensation. Even though on the same wall, and in the same paint (and I'm guessing the same handwriting too), it was written 'Kill The Jews', the kid denied he wrote it and escaped a charge of 'racially aggravated damage'. Neither of his two friends, who were seen with him at the time, were charged.

'Chairman of the bench Neil Making said: "This is not acceptable behaviour. The college is there for everyone and it has a right to exist without being targeted with graffiti and vandalism."'

Absolutely right. It's great to see such a tough stance taken on vandalism in the country. The desire to murder Jews, on the other hand, doesn't seem to bother them very much.

Hamas Wants To Live Side By Side With Israel In Peace. (Why Didn't Somebody Tell Me!)

Oh. Wait. It's just Jimmy Carter who said it. The Jimmy Carter who has "been in love with the Palestinians for many years". Who probably wouldn't care to find out that there had been a plot to kill him on his visit to Gaza, even though he loves them so much. Who wrote a book called 'Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid' (which was brilliantly deconstructed by the great Alan Dershowitz). So far, Hamas have given no indication that what Carter said is true, that:

"Hamas leaders want peace and they want to have reconciliation not only with their Fatah brothers but also eventually with Israelis to live side by side, with two nations, both sovereign nations recognized by each other and living in peace."

Hahahahaha! Look, I want peace in Israel, ok? Really I do. But this is not going to happen, Hamas do not want peace and they will not accept Israel. Let's just remind ourselves of their charter:

"Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it." "There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time, an exercise in futility." "Leaving the circle of struggle against Zionism is high treason, and cursed be he who perpetrates such an act." "The Day of Judgement will not come about until Muslims fight Jews and kill them"

And those are just the anti-Zionist parts! Forgive me for being cynical, then. So, no, Hamas should not be removed from the terrorist list, Mr. Carter. He also says:

"My feeling is a feeling of sadness, anger and despair after seeing all this destruction that was caused to innocent people... I know that the Israeli destruction of houses, infrastructure, and factories in Gaza was carried out by American weapons"

I wonder what his opinion is on the destruction caused to the not-so-innocent people. And if he knows that those weapons were used to destroy Hamas' weapons... in houses, and factories - not forgetting the mosques and schools of course. He wasn't exaggerating when he said he's in love with the Palestinians, he's blinded by it.

The Hawk Defies Obama

James Hider of The Times reported yesterday that Netanyahu has defied Obama and said "screw you, I will kill all the Palestinians." Ok, that last part isn't true. But Hider did write the first part, even though Netanyahu has, for the first time, considered a Palestinian state. Netanyahu's speech has drawn criticism from the left and the right, but I can't see what other choice he had. He couldn't say there would be no Palestinian state ever, and of course he couldn't say the Palestinians could have their state and build up an army of terrorists to destroy Israel, either. Regarding the settlements, I guess Netanyahu means a Palestinian "state" would be built around the major ones. If the Palestinians want a state, they will have to compromise and negotiate. They have not shown, Gaza being a prime example, that they deserve to be given any land whatsoever, so Israel will dictate what they can have, and like Netanyahu said, those settlers are our brothers and sisters and they should not be forced out of their homes. Of course, though, there are those (the same ones that say Iran should have nukes and Israel shouldn't), that say of course the Palestinians should have an army, some even going so far as to say that Israel shouldn't. They obviously haven't read the Hamas or Fatah charters. Or they have and they want Israel destroyed. Much as I don't want a Palestinian state, it is now up to them to decide whether they will accept one on Israel's conditions.

Breaking News: A Self-Hating Jew Writes For The Guardian!

Seth Freedman lives in Jerusalem (the b******d! I want to live in Jerusalem!) but doesn't seem to like Israel very much. So what does a Jew who lives in Israel but doesn't like the country do? Write for the Guardian of course! It's one of their requirements, you see: "Are you Jewish? Do you wish you weren't so you wouldn't be affiliated with that facist state, Israel? Then come and write some crap for us! Comment is free and so is lying!" According to Freedman, we're making way too big a deal about the BNP thing over here in the UK, and should be more concerned about Israeli 'nationalism', which in his words is “a fully fledged nightmare scenario that has been wreaking havoc for months”. And Israel is "a prime example of what happens when the lunatics are allowed to take over”. I don't feel threatened by the BNP's success, it's not as if they're suddenly going to ship out all the Blacks, Muslims and Jews from the country. (Although if they wanted to send all the Jews to Israel I probably wouldn't have many complaints.) So Freedman is right there. But with all the problems in all the countries in the world, his biggest concern is Israel? Or, to put it more accurately, the Palestinians. He essentially calls Israel apartheid. You can read the truth about Arab's rights in Israel here. Freedman needn't worry so much about the Palestinians then. Well, at least not at the hands of Israel. Whilst there's constant talk about Israeli war crimes, this story that surprisingly made it into the Daily Mail, about a 15 year old Palestinian boy who was tortured and hung by his family for suspected 'collaboration' with Israel, generated no response whatsoever from readers, and there's not much talk either about the human rights of Palestinian youths who risk their lives working in Gaza's illegal tunnels. In other news, Gaza terrorists fired a rocket at the Negev on Saturday night. Now there's the voice of democracy. Bad Israel!

All Jews Are Extremists, Hate Obama, And Play The Antisemite Card

Well, that's what you might think judging by the widely publicised reactions of Jews to Obama's Cairo speech. 'Widely publicised' being the operative phrase. You might also thing that all Jews are drunk, ignorant and racist. In today's Times, the headline reads "No you can't, Israeli hawks tell the President". The Times loves the word 'hawk'. Lieberman is a hawk. Netanyahu is a hawk. Right-wing Israelis are hawks.

Whilst you can't blame Israelis for making that (photoshopped) poster of Obama wearing a kafiyah (after all, he is very fond of Muslims and reportedly has connections to Islam himself), calling him an antisemite is a bit much. No wonder people don't take accusations of antisemitism seriously.

Obama visited a concentration camp, he wants Ahmadinejad The Holocaust Denier to go there. Maybe Obama dislikes Israeli Jews, (he doesn't seem very concerned about Iran's threat to them), but in other ways he has demonstrated that he is not antisemitic. So I don't think Obama's an antisemite but I also don't think he cares enough about what's best for Israel. I don't hate him but I don't like his ideas. I'm not a drunk idiot so I won't wish harm on him although I'd prefer the US had a different president. And I don't particularly want a Palestinian state but that doesn't mean that I want the IDF to kill all the Palestinians for fun either (which they don't, but sometimes the way it's reported it sounds like they do), so I'm not an extremist even though I am a Zionist. Is there something wrong with that? I'm sure there are many others who share my views, so why does the media only find the drunks and extemists?

Hamas Were Involved In Failed Terrorist Attack (Really!)

Hamas revealed on one of their websites that the Janud Ansar Allah terrorists (4 of whom were killed by Israel in their failed attack) trained in a Hamas camp, and had been given weapons and vehicles by Hamas to carry out the attack. It's basically Hamas getting other groups to do their dirty work for them, giving them help whilst not getting so much blame. Sneaky, but it won't work. Israel has decided, as it should, that it "considers Hamas responsible for any attacks against Israel from Gaza's territory". Which they are, almost all of the time. Even if they're just the inspiration for violence. Meanwhile, in a campaign to gain international legitimacy, Hamas leaders have said that "only by speaking to Hamas can U.S. President Obama hope to reach Middle East peace" - but at the same time, "Hamas has no intention of renouncing violence". Try getting your head around that one!

Hamas Women Arrested

Three women, all members of Hamas, have been arrested for planning a suicide attack targetting Fatah policemen. Women. Suicide bombers. Hamas members. We already knew there were female suicide bombers in Gaza and before. There were elderly suicide bombers in Gaza as well. There have even been Palestinian child suicide bombers, and there are children doing dangerous work for Hamas. And yet, people always seem to assume that all the women and children and the elderly and even Hamas policemen, are innocent of any involvement in terror. Most likely because the media generally makes it seem like they are. So I doubt there's any chance of the British press reporting this.

Israel Demonstrates It's "Aggressive Intentions" Toward The Palestinians

And how did Israel demonstrate this? You got it, self defence. But it's only Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh who said that. I don't think anyone with half a brain or a conscience would condemn Israel's killing of 4 Palestinian terrorists this morning. Besides, they used boobytrapped horses so we should at least have animal rights activists on our side. The group that carried out the attack was a new one called Janud Ansar Allah - Soldiers Loyal To Allah. That sort of contradicts the whole Religion-Of-Peace thing though. Meanwhile, the crossing where it took place was closed, but "the army added that it would continue to transfer humanitarian aid through the Erez and Kerem Shalom Crossings." What? Humanitarian aid? But I thought Israel doesn't allow any in?! That's what I've read. Way to confirm your aggressive intentions, Israel.

'IDF troops more polite than PA police'

Strangely enough, that observation came from a Palestinian woman, whose house in the West Bank was raided by Palestinian policemen. "They behaved in a shameful way," she said. "When the Jews come, they ask for permission and cry out before they enter a house." She added that the police acted in a barbaric manner and left behind a lot of damage. The difference might not sound like much but it counts for a lot, just another small example of the morality of the IDF, that gets buried in the hundreds of accusations of war crimes. Here's another, in a letter written by an Israeli soldier to the Gaza Palestinian whose home he stayed in during Cast Lead.

Just Another Day In The West Bank

Two Hamas members and a Palestinian policeman were killed in the West Bank today, by each other. On Monday there was another gunfight between Hamas and Fatah which left 6 dead. There is a hilarious comment written on the Times article of Monday's incident:

"I am 45 years old. For my entire life this same article could have been written daily. Enough is enough. Bibi end it now. End it right now, today, this minute. I am done. Simply done with the wringing of hands and the weeping and wailing of stories."

I'm glad to hear she's done with the hand-wringing, weeping and wailing. It would be best if she's done with reading the news as well, before she starts demanding that Bibi ends swine flu and the recession. This response sums it up:

"What a great comment by Rachel. Not in the slightest bit interested in the information rendered - only in the opportunity to condemn Israel regardless of the connection. Such ignorance and hatred brimming under the surface: you can't wait to let it escape - even if it has no relevance whatsoever."

The Times Is Confused

Each time there's a report about Sri Lanka in the press, they have to mention Israel as well. But the Times gets a bit confused with it's numbers sometimes. On 28 May, it claimed an estimated 700 civilians were killed in Israel's "recent offensive in Gaza". On 1 June, that number went up to 926. Um. Yeah.

Don't You Just Love Guardian Readers?

Surprisingly, in today's Guardian comment pages there is a pro-Israel article. Unsurprisingly, it was not well received. To be honest, an article with the headline "What should Israel do about Iran?" is kind of asking for it. If you're going to write for the Guardian, and you don't want people calling you a Zionist facist or whatever, you need to come from a more neutral perspective - even if you're not neutral, just pretend, otherwise no one will listen. Then again, even if you do act very pro-Palestinian but not anti-Israel at the same time, you can get in trouble. In Toronto's York University, some Israel activists set up a display saying 'Free The Palestinians From Hamas'. An 'Israeli Apartheid Week' activist told them "you should be ashamed of yourselves". For standing up for Palestinian citizens who are oppressed by Hamas. Because, remember, it's not about the Palestinians at all. It's just about Israel being the 'oppressors'. Back to the Guardian article. The readers came out in droves to say that, literally, what Israel should do about Iran threatening it's existence is, nothing. Just sit back and allow itself to be blown off the map. Some of them even think it's ridiculous to suggest that Ahmadinejad doesn't like Israel and Jews and Zionists. That's comforting. I must have imagined that Jews have been persecuted by Arabs since forever. And maybe Hitler loved Jews. The funniest thing is that many of them seem concerned for Iran! Poor Iran, how will they defend themselves against the Zionists if they don't have a nuclear bomb!?

UN in Gaza to probe Israeli 'war crimes'

A UN delegation arrived in Gaza on Monday to investigate Israeli 'war crimes'. There's an enlightening interview with Amira Hass, a journalist for the left-leaning Haaretz newspaper. She seems to hate Israel so much, you wonder why she's living there, then you realise that she actually lives in Gaza, and although her reason seems to be so that she can report the 'truth'... well, I live in London and I can probably see the truth of Gaza clearer than she can. So, according to Hass, Israel's refusal to co-operate with these investigations means that Israel is hiding something. Which is that, apprently, Israel is exaggerating the threat from Hamas. This woman lives IN Gaza, maybe from her side of the fence the rockets look like fireworks. She also says that she barely saw any Hamas combatants (that's because they hide in crowds of civilians and don't wear "terrorist" stamps on their heads) and that "there is there is no way that the Israeli figures about casualties is correct."* She also observes that with their unsophisticated rockets "there is no way they could stand up against the Israeli army." She has completely missed the point. First of all, of course there's no way Hamas can stand up against the IDF - when the IDF is in Gaza (alhough they give a good fight with their human shields and bombs in mosques). But when the IDF is not in Gaza, who does she think Hamas are targetting with the rockets? She also mentions how journalists were allowed into Sderot but not Gaza. That's an interesting point because I don't seem to remember seeing pictures of injured Israelis and damaged kindergartens in all the papers. And is she saying that if journalists were allowed in Gaza they wouldn't have made up that story about the 40 dead in that UN school that turned out to be a lie? (only 12 died, 9 of which were Hamas). Then she rambles on about how the rockets didn't liberate the Palestinians from the 'occupation' (you don't say), and about settlements. This current investigation can go two ways: either they make up stories of Israeli atrocities and no one cares because everyone already thinks Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza, or they don't find proof of war crimes (because Israel didn't commit any), and everyone thinks Israel's gotten away with it once more. Either way, equilibrium is established and we can all go back to our daily lives.

A Good Place To Start

If it weren’t for writers like Daniel Finkelstein and David Aaronovitch, I would have boycotted the (London) Times a long time ago. As it is, most mention of Israel is, not surprisingly, in a negative light, particularly when reporters James Hider and Sheera Frenkel are involved. The latter, I’m convinced, is a Jew-converted-Muslim, just judging by her name. Or possibly she’s just another self-hating Jew, in which case why doesn’t she go and write for the Guardian. Anyway, the Times’ leading articles are generally quite fair. But on 29 May, criticising the United Nations Human Rights Council for its vote in support of the Sri Lankan government in it’s victory over the Tamil Tigers, at the cost of many civilian lives, the leading article stated: "Support for this deeply flawed resolution came from the usual suspects - China, Russia, India, Pakistan and a clutch of Asian and Islamic nations determined to prevent the council ever investigating human rights violations in their own or any country." It then went on to say, "It was sad to see Israel, for obvious political motives, joining in this charade, claiming that massacres, violence, repression and internment are an ‘internal affair’." Massacres? Repression? These claims were made by Israel? Israel is comparing itself to Sri Lanka?! There are obvious similarities between the Tigers and Hamas, but between Israel and Sri Lanka? Not so much. Sri Lanka is being accused of the deaths of 20,000 civilians, and of 1200 people killed in Gaza, at least 700 were terrorists. Something’s not right. On 30 May, the Times corrected itself, in a small grey box at the side of the page: "Israel is not a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council and did not take part in the council’s vote on the actions of the Sri Lankan Government. We apologise for the error." Too little too late, but the most disturbing thing is, how did the writer even come up with such rubbish? The Times has removed the error from the online article, but it can be seen here in the third paragraph.

Proud Zionist

I’ve decided to start this blog as a way for me to respond to all the anti-Zionism (and the antisemitism that comes with it) that you find in the media, and to expose some of the daily hypocrisy and bias against Israel. Being the proud Zionist that I am, I want to show the other side of the story when it comes to Israel and Jews. What the media doesn't count as newsworthy. The good things - and the truth. And instead of getting into pointless* online arguments with deluded, brainwashed, Hamas-loving, Israel-hating bigots, I’ll just rant away over here! Hopefully all the other proud Zionists will enjoy my rambling, and the anti-Zionists will get p****ed off. Well, either that or they'll see how great Israel is! (But I'm not holding my breath!) Let's just see how it goes... *Pointless because, talking to those people is a lot like talking to a brick wall, and more like talking to a deranged robot that is programmed to repeat over and over again something about genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza.