Hamas has finally declared their non-truce—in which they continue to launch suicide attacks, shootings, and rockets at Israel, but don’t claim the attacks in Hamas’ name—over.

It’s good to know that Mahmoud Abbas thinks that these are the people that Israel should “deal with” being in his cabinet, because now the real face of the palestinian has been revealed. Hint: It’s not the face of peace.

Hamas’s Qassam Brigades have declared an end to a ceasefire with Israel, according to a statement released on Wednesday evening.

The call to end the truce appeared on Hamas’s official website , in both English and Arabic, and is the first time in months that Palestinian armed forces directly under the control of the Hamas government openly threatened to attack Israel .

Abu Obaida, spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, said in the statement that “the truce with the Israeli occupation is no longer valid,” citing the “assassination of Islamic Jihad commander” Mahmoud Qassem as the reason.

Qassem was shot dead in the West Bank by Israeli Border Police on Tuesday, after security forces traced a foiled suicide bomb attack planned for Tel Aviv back to him.

In Hamas’ statement, Abu Obaida said: “This crime falls in line with a plan to liquidate Palestinian resistance in the West Bank in particular.”

I look forward to hearing the excuses Abbas makes after the first time Hamas claims an attack. Of course, it’s reprehensible that even a paper like Ynet calls this “the military wing” of Hamas. All of Hamas is the military wing. That’s an Orwelling deception used only for the purpose of political cover, and the Israeli papers, at the very least, should not abide by the fiction. The “Qassam Brigades” answer directly to the Hamas leadership—the ones that won election to the PA, and the ones that are hiding out in Damascus.

Here’s hoping the IDF has much success in making the “military wing” suffer the same kind of fate as the PIJ leader who is now sporting an extra few pounds of lead in his chest.

Barring my co-bloggers putting up something new, this will be my last post until I get home from D.C. tonight. Through the magic of scheduling, I wrote it last night before I went to bed. So you have to go back in time [insert cheesy flashback music here] to read it.

Tig just chased off the Maine Coon interloper who seems intent on trying to take over Tig’s territory, in spite of being chased off by Tig several times, and by me several times (the last time with water). I ran outside the second I heard the yowling, found Tig crouched down by his bushes, spread out and looking very big, growling and yowling and muttering. I talked him into coming inside. He is currently on top of the boxes in my closet, looking down, the ruler of all he surveys. And, I might add, looking mightily pleased with himself.

That’s an old picture, but you get the idea. He’ll probably sleep there most of the night.

In any case, my plans are to have dinner with my friends again, and possibly meet up with Citizen Smash at the same time. That way I can wait out the D.C. rush hour and possibly even get home in time to watch Lost. If not, well, I’m taping it. No biggie.

So, talk amongst yourselves while I’m gone. Post any news tips you think I might like to write about.

Croatia thinks it’s just nifty to publish sugar packets with Hitler’s image on them, as well as anti-Semitic jokes.

Charming.

A senior member of the al-Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad’s military wing, told Ynet that although Tuesday’s attack failed, more attacks were planned in the future.

“This is also a message to the American administration, its supporters and its collaborators, that if any harm comes to Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Shalah, this will set fire to the region,” the operative said.

The newspaper noted that the packets have become very popular in local cafes and restaurants.

Even more charming.

But once again, world-wide anti-Semitism is not up. Just Jew-hatred, I suppose.

A monument to Holocaust victims and 240 Jewish graves have been defaced with swastikas in southern Ukraine, an activist with a local Jewish community said Tuesday.

Unidentified vandals desecrated the Holocaust Monument late Sunday with red swastikas and with the inscription “Congratulations on the Holocaust” and painted swastikas on 240 graves in a Jewish cemetery in the Black Sea port of Odessa, said Boleslav Kapulkin, a spokesman for Odessa’s Jewish community.

As for that Holocaust thing, well, gee, who cares about that anymore?

A prominent French political figure who ordered hundreds of Jews to Nazi death camps during World War II will be buried wearing his Legion of Honor medal, his lawyer said Sunday, even though the deceased man was stripped of his right to wear the decoration in 1998.

Maurice Papon, the No. 2 official in the Bordeaux region in southwestern France during Germany’s World War II occupation, was convicted in 1998 on charges of complicity in crimes against humanity. The former French cabinet minister was sentenced to 10 years in prison for ordering the arrest and deportation of 1,690 Jews, including 223 children, to Nazi death camps.

Unlike the 1,690 Jews, he lived a long and fruitful life.

He died on Saturday at age 96.

His lawyer, Francis Vuillemin, said he would see to it that Papon is buried with his medal, France’s highest distinction.

“I personally will make sure that the cross of Commander in the Legion of Honor … accompanies him in his tomb,” Vuillemin told France Info radio.

Papon was freed less than three years into his sentence under a law allowing early release for the ill and aging. He caused a stir in 2004 when he wore his medal in photos that appeared in Le Point news magazine. A court later fined him $3,275 for wearing the banned award.

Those pushy Jews. Imagine, wanting the man not to be buried with honor. Imagine, thinking that just because sometime in the 1940s he was responsible for collaborating with the Germans and sending Jews to their deaths, his honor should be taken from him.

Yeah. It’s us pushy Jews that cause the anti-Semitism. Because let’s go take a look at how many Jews live in the Ukraine: 84,000 out of a population of 47 million, or .6% of the population.

Croatia has 1700 out of 4.4 million, or less than .05%.

Somehow, it seems to me that the number of Jews don’t matter to the Jew-haters. It is our sheer existence that feeds the hatred.

All together now, it’s time for the Yourish.com mantra: Anti-Semites of the world, just die already.

They caught yesterday’s would-be Tel Aviv suicide bomber. But don’t think that Israel is safe, or even that the terrorists have stopped trying to murder Israelis. They most certainly have not.

Security officials were not surprised by the attempted suicide bombing in the heart of Israel Tuesday. “The calm in recent months is deceiving. There are constant attempts to launch terror attacks,” they said.

During the past year, after numerous bombing attacks during the al-Aqsa intifada, a substantial drop was registered in the number of terror attacks. However, sources say that such attacks are still constantly being attempted, but are mostly foiled by security forces.

[...] Ecsoll stressed that despite the quick police work, there are cases where the terrorist manages to blow himself up before he is caught. “To our great joy we managed to stop him, but unfortunately we don’t always manage to catch him at the last second.”

Hundreds of suicide attacks are foiled every year. You rarely read about them. Israel’s security forces, combined with the crackdown on the palestinians and the security wall have lowered the murderous attacks to the fewest in recent memory, thankfully.

But don’t think they aren’t trying.

A senior member of the al-Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad’s military wing, told Ynet that although Tuesday’s attack failed, more attacks were planned in the future.

“This is also a message to the American administration, its supporters and its collaborators, that if any harm comes to Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Shalah, this will set fire to the region,” the operative said.

It’s not quite an “open the gates of hell” threat (the usual terrorist response to Israel’s taking out a leading terrorist), but it’s pretty standard. Israel recently identified Shalah as a target. Funny, I thought they all wanted to go out in battle with the Zionists. Guess not all of ‘em.

PIJ is funded and trained by Iran, and used as an arm of their proxy army against Israel.