The WSJ has a PDF of what appears to be a fax version of the Iranian president’s letter to George W. Bush. (Via Wonkette, of all places.) The quality isn’t very good. I skimmed it briefly.

The letter reads like he’s gone down the talking points list of what Bush and America have done wrong. It bashes Israel, and in one particular passage, mentions Christianity, Islam, and “the followers of Moses” — as if he can’t even use the word “Jews” without adding an epithet (which he probably can’t, thinking about it).

I’ll have a more lengthy post on it later, but my initial thoughts are that W. really isn’t interested in converting to Islam, nor is he interested in hearing his administration called “repressive and cruel.” It’s a classic case of transference; the sentence reads: “History tells us that repressive and cruel governments do not survive.” (Look in the mirror, Gorilla Boy.)

Apparently, his idol the Ayatollah did the same thing years ago by sending a letter to Moscow warning the Soviets that their empire was going to crumble, and that only Islam would save them. Since the empire crumbled, I’m guessing they think that if they try again, the same thing will happen. He’s apparently sending letters out to other world leaders. I’m thinking Israel will not be on the recipient list.

In any case, there’s nothing really new in the document, just more of the same.

Fatah and Hamas are shooting indiscriminately around children, wounding five, and the mainstream media yawns and moves along to the next story.

Renewed clashes Tuesday between Hamas and Fatah militants wounded nine Palestinians, including five children, raising fears that Palestinian territories could erupt in a much wider conflagration.

Friction between the two sides has been heating up since the Islamic militant Hamas ended Fatah’s four-decade control of Palestinian politics with a victory in January parliament elections. The fighting Tuesday broke out just hours before international mediators were to meet in New York to discuss whether to ease the financial siege on Hamas over its violent anti-Israel ideology.

The rival factions offered conflicting versions of what set off the pre-dawn violence in downtown Gaza City, just a day after three people were killed in fighting between the two sides.

Fatah said Hamas gunmen opened fire at seven bodyguards protecting a house where a top Fatah activist, Samir Masharawi, was staying. The bodyguards fired back, and Fatah said at least one Hamas gunman was wounded.

Dozens of Hamas and Fatah gunmen then streamed to the scene, and eight more people were wounded in the sporadic gunbattles that followed, including five children between the ages of 8 and 14 who were on their way to school, Fatah said.

None of the injuries was serious, Palestinian hospital officials said.

Checklist of what is missing from this story: Names of children. Quotes from “witnesses” and “medics” and oh yeah, Israel-bashing. No, wait. Here it is:

The Hamas government is broke because of a Western and Israeli cash cutoff, and has been unable for the past two months to pay salaries that provide for one-third of the people in Gaza and West Bank.

[...] The World Bank, which will attend the meeting, has warned that a humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza is looming.

And the final paragraph of the story, which most often gets cut from newspaper stories (and which the AP knows very well):

At the rally, Haniyeh also called on negotiators to lift the sanctions, but added defiantly, “We are not going to surrender, cave in to this siege, compromise the rights of our people or recognize the legitimacy of the occupiers on our land.”

Translation: No negotiations, no recognition of Israel, no peace. The three no’s, again.

Right on the heels of Meryl’s post reminding you that homosexuals have no rights whatsoever in many Arab/Islamic countries (including the right to live), I’m sure it will warm the cockles of your heart to know that one of those countries is ready to stand up and defend human rights across the globe…

The Kingdom is vying today for one of the 47 seats of the newly formed United Nations Human Rights Council. Sixty-five countries have announced their candidacies for a place on the council. The election is being held by the UN General Assembly in New York.

The Saudi government launched its official bid to win a seat on the new council in a letter addressed to the Secretary-General Kofi Annan on April 23.

“Saudi Arabia has a confirmed commitment with the defense, protection and promotion of human rights. This commitment has been manifested in its performance as a member of the Commission on Human Rights. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia pursues the policy of active cooperation with international organizations in the field of human rights and fundamental freedoms,” said the letter.

Watch a few videos of Islamic sermons on Saudi state television calling Jews “the sons of monkeys, pigs, and dogs” on MEMRI for a while and I’m sure you’ll be clamoring for the Saudis to join this esteemed group of guardians of universal human rights.

While you’re at it, be sure to get your list of 47 countries together and head over to IMAO to build your Fantasy UN Human Rights Council roster.

Israel’s gays are about to get full inheritance rights for their partners.

Homosexual couples are to be able to inherit each other’s property after death without making a special court application.

This unprecedented provision is one of several proposed reforms to the country’s inheritance laws that the Justice Ministry plans on publishing within the next few weeks and submitting to Justice Minister Haim Ramon for approval.

The memorandum of reforms was drafted by a public commission headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Jacob Turkel. The commission was appointed seven years ago.

This change consists of deleting the words “husband and wife” from the definition of a couple for the purposes of inheritance laws, so that they apply to gay as well as straight pairs.

Let’s take a look at homosexual rights in various Arab/Muslim countries:

Saudi Arabia: None
Iran: None
Egypt: None
Jordan: None
Lebanon: None
Syria: None

And that concludes the gay rights portion of today’s Israel news, and reinforces the stupidity of the gay rights communities of the United States and Europe, who support the palestinians unflinchingly. In the meantime, palestinian homosexuals flee to Israel for safety.

The Israeli navy caught three boatloads of palestinians trying to smuggle more than a ton of explosives into Israel.

The Israel Navy recently foiled a Palestinian attempt to smuggle at least 550 kilos of explosives into the Gaza Strip, according to information released Tuesday.

The attempt was thwarted on Independence Day when naval troops south of Ashdod became suspicious of three Palestinian fishing boats. The three boats fled after throwing a number of bags containing explosive devices into the sea.

A gag order on the incident was lifted Tuesday.

In an inspection of the area Sunday, navy divers pulled 11 bags from the water, which contained of total of 550 kilograms of standard explosive devices.

Once again, the mainstream media will ignore this, just as it ignores the daily firings of kassam rockets into Israel, or downplays them as “crude,” “homemade,” or “ineffectual” (saw that one in a recent AP story).

A ton of TNT would make a hell of a lot of suicide belts, which generally carry 20-30 pounds of explosives. But sure, give the palestinians full control over Gaza, because, gee, they’ve proven themselves so trustworthy to date.

News stories are releasing the content of the Iranian president’s letter to President Bushi n dribs and drabs. Here’s a paragraph of interest to all my readers:

The letter from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made only an oblique reference to Iran’s nuclear intentions, asking why “any technological and scientific achievement reached in the Middle East region is translated into and portrayed as a threat to the Zionist regime.”

Okay. Let me think. That’s a tough one.

Could it be because of this?

Ahmadinejad quoted a remark from Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran’s Islamic revolution, who said that Israel “must be wiped out from the map of the world.”

The president then said: “And God willing, with the force of God behind it, we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism,” according to a quote published by IRNA.

Or this?

“Like it or not, the Zionist regime is heading toward annihilation,” Ahmadinejad said at the opening of a conference in support of the Palestinians. “The Zionist regime is a rotten, dried tree that will be eliminated by one storm.”

Or maybe this?

“We have announced that wherever America does something evil, the first place that we target will be Israel,” ISNA quoted a senior Revolutionary Guards commander, Rear Admiral Mohammad-Ebrahim Dehqani, as saying on Tuesday.

No, that can’t have anything to do with it. It must be something else, like the Walt-Mearsheimer grand Zionist conspiracy. Or Islamophobia. Yeah, that’s it. Islamophobia.

[Insert eye roll here]

Iran’s Mad Mullah overruled its nutjob president’s attempt to allow women to attend soccer games [gasp!] with men. Welcome to the eight century, Iran. And oh yeah — satellite dishes are next. Why? Because Iranian citizens can get “decadent” TV shows on them.

The supreme leader of Iran has vetoed a ruling by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that would have allowed women to attend major sporting events.

Several ayatollahs and MPs had said last month’s ruling violated Islamic law and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has now said it should be reconsidered.

Mr Ahmadinejad had said lifting the ban would “promote chastity”.

Separately, Iranian police are launching a new drive against owners of illegal satellite television equipment.

Gee, I thought that the president of Iran ruled Iran. What? You mean he’s just a puppet after all? No!

Ayatollah Khamenei has the final say on all matters of state.

Government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham said President Ahmadinejad would act according to the supreme leader’s wishes.

Six grand ayatollahs and several MPs had protested against Mr Ahmadinejad’s move, saying it violated Islamic law for a woman to look at the body of a male stranger.

One MP had said if the reformists had tried the move there would have been suicide bombers protesting on the streets of Tehran.

Okay, I would have paid money to see films of that. (What, be there in person? No thanks, I prefer life.)

Good to see that the mullahs really want reforms. Yep. Uh-huh. Sure.