IDF Cast Lead Report

I advise you to read blogger Elder of Ziyon's take on the IDF's (extensive) Cast Lead report. He picks out some examples of the resoning behind mistakes that resulted in civilian casualties, and basically illustrates how at the same time as the IDF's morality and good intentions they can and have been completely misinterpreted.

Self-Hating-Seth Was In NW London!

The thought makes me simultaneously shudder in disgust, and wish I had met him so I could tell him to his face what I think of him. So what's he written in the Guardian this time? Well, that the "blind spot" when it comes to the Good Jews Of Britain, is their support for Israel. He's another one that complains about "dissenters" being called self-haters and traitors. I'm sorry, if you're an Israeli who hates Israel, then, yes, you are a self-hater and a traitor. He criticises those (like me) who accuse Israel's haters of, well, hating Israel, and who love it when someone is sympathetic to Israel. Wow, so observant. Of course I freaking love it when someone stands up for Israel, it's such a rarity I want to throw a party for everyone who says nice things about Israel. I love you, Chas Newkey-Burden! G-d bless you, Colonel Richard Kemp! (who, by the way, Self-Hating-Seth, has fought in wars and knows what he's talking about when he says the IDF is the most moral army. And, yes, I know SHS, that you've also fought in the Israeli army but somehow you've proven that if you're already a liberal-lefty sychophantic self-hating Jewish Israeli then fighting in the IDF isn't going to change your mind.) SHS goes on:

"While there is never an excuse for antisemitic violence or rhetoric, we must do everything in our power to put ourselves above reproach so that the racists cannot find any hook for their bilious attacks."

And there you have it. The reason why Self-Hating-Seth is self hating. He's scared. A coward. Well you know what, Seth? The rest of British Jewry isn't like you. We're not scared. We're proud, proud to be Jewish, proud of Israel, and proud to support Israel. Even if it means we suffer anti-Zionism and antisemitism. It isn't going to make us think that Israel is all wrong. It's not perfect, but I'd like to see how any other country would deal better with the challenges that Israel is faced with. People have always hated Jews, always hated Israel, but unlike SHS, we can take it.

Palestinian Authority To Name Streets After Terrorists

These are terrorists who are still alive in Israeli prisons, and were directly involved in attacks that killed Israelis. A PA minister said "This is the legitimate right of the Palestinians. We have the honor and duty to honor our prisoners in recognition of their sacrifices and steadfastness in Israeli prisons." Sickening, but not really surprising. And here's yet another self-hating Israeli who wrote a column for the Guardian complaining about his treatment as a self-hating (or left-wing) Israeli. Well, what does he expect? No one likes a self-hating Israeli - apart from other Israel haters. He talks about the 'propaganda' in Israel during Cast Lead but seems to forget that the rest of the world didn't hear any of that. The rest of the world only sees one side of the story. They only hear the dubious 'Breaking the Silence' soldiers' confessions of 'war crimes'. Only in Israel do they report the reality when those confessions turn out to be untrue, and 'Soldiers Speak Out' stories of morality in the IDF, Here's Honest Reporting's take on it.

Would Someone Please Gag Self-Hating-Seth!

I'm all for free speech but not when it's an idiot talking who doesn't make any sense. Seth Freedman (and I'm going to try from now on not to let him get under my skin, but it's hard when he's such a hypocrite), starts his latest moan:

"In many parts of the West Bank, Israel's much-vaunted separation wall is conspicous by it's absence."

He goes on to say that the wall is only 60% completed, that some of it is only flimsy, unguarded fences, and that it is "child's play" (his words) to dodge checkpoints and the fence, and "enter Israel entirely at will without encountering a single soldier or slab of wall", and then, I kid you not, he calls it a "non-existent barrier". So what point is he trying to make? That the wall isn't such a big deal? No. His point is that it isn't the wall that has caused the dramatic decline of close to 100% in suicide bombings. He then says that if anything, the wall would increase the likelihood of violence because of it's "crippling impact on life for the Palestinians". So the fence goes from non-existent to crippling. But wait, there's more! Freedman criticises the settlers who feel unprotected by the wall, as he says there is a strong presence of Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, but that sort of contradicts his earlier claim that terrorists can easily wander round the WB and into Israel without getting caught by the IDF (when in fact on average at least 1 Palestinian is arrested daily at a checkpoint carrying a knife or some other weapon). To conclude, Freedman is an idiot. Ignorant, hypocritical, and therefore no credibility. Perfect for the Guardian, who love him over there. Even when he calls the fence 'non-existent' they'll still agree with him because they know he will somehow make that a bad thing for Israel.

It's Self-Hating-Seth Again!

This time, in his Guardian column, Seth Freedman moans about Israel's 'cynical' cellcom advert, that, he says, "makes light of the West Bank barrier". I personally like the ad, it's fun. As for the fence part, well I'm sure whichever Palestinian on the other side is kicking the ball back and forth is having a good time too. It's sad but true that the situation is that they have to play with a wall between them. Freedman though, compares the ad to the idea of a Palestinian florists' ad showing flowers flying over Gaza like rockets and landing in vases in Israeli homes. There's a difference though. The rockets are aimed to kill Israeli civilians. The wall is not there to kill anyone, just to prevent the deaths of innocent Israelis, in which it has, thank G-d, succeeded. But that doesn't seem to matter to Freedman, only that the advert ignores:

"That the wall is detested by millions of Palestinians, has been ruled wholly illegal by an international court, and has been proved to be a tool for blatant and brazen theft of Palestinian land".

There's no denying that it must be very unpleasant living behind that wall, but, and I truly am sorry to sound so callous here, it's simple really: don't do the crime if you can't do the time. The Palestinians should have thought about the consequences of their actions before they decided to blow up hundreds of Israelis. When you think about it really, they got off quite lightly. It's just a wall. It's an ugly wall, it's a nuisance, it isn't nice. But it isn't killing anybody. So here's the advert.

Human Shields

Israel was accused of using human shields in Gaza by Amnesty International today. Israel's been accused of a lot of things that turn out not to be true. When it's own soldiers make 'confessions' about IDF misconduct they turn out not to be true. So moving on... Palestinians are reporting that a girl was killed, and others wounded in a battle between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian gunmen today. The IDF was responding either to Palestinian gunfire, and/or an attempt to detonate a bomb. Notice that whenever the IDF targets Palestinian terrorists, there always seem to be civilians in the same area. Don't hold your breath for Amnesty International to condemn this use of human shields. UPDATE: After investigating, the IDF (which we know is more reliable than Palestinian 'sources'), discovered that a Palestinian girl had been killed - by Palestinian mortar shells, which were also the cause of any Palestinian civilians wounded in the incident.

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.