Palestinians trapped in Egypt heading home

Posted on 07/28/2007 by Meryl Yourish

The Palestinians trapped in Egypt will be heading home via Israel and then into Gaza. The AP piece looks almost balanced.

Israel has agreed to allow Palestinians stranded in Egypt for weeks to pass into Israel and then into the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said Saturday.

Palestinian Information Minister Riad Maliki said that some of the 6,000 Palestinians who have been waiting in the Egyptian border town of Rafah would be allowed to pass at the beginning of next week.

Hamas, which wrested control of the Gaza Strip last month, denounced the deal since it allowed Israel to decide who could enter Gaza. Hamas officials and supporters would presumably not be allowed to enter through Israel.

Israel has agreed in principle to the passage of the Palestinians, and must approve of the names of potential passengers on lists the Palestinians must compile, Maliki said.

The Palestinians would pass from Egypt into Israel through the rarely-used Al-Oja crossing, then into the northern Gaza Strip through the Erez crossing, he said.

Israel did not immediately comment on the deal. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev would only say that Israel was searching for “creative solutions” to return the Palestinians to Gaza.

“No one wants to see those people trapped indefinitely,” Regev said.

Here’s the part that I think includes a very subtle bias:

Hamas, which wrested control of the Gaza Strip last month, denounced the deal since it allowed Israel to decide who could enter Gaza. Hamas officials and supporters would presumably not be allowed to enter through Israel.

When the AP quotes Israel’s reasons, they nearly always include something like, “Israel says,” as in “Israel says the militants were planting explosives near the fence.” It takes away the certainty of the facts and makes it look like the AP isn’t really sure that Israeli sources were telling the truth. Yet when quoting the anti-Israel forces, the AP allows the facts to be represented as truth and does not include any watering down of those facts. What that paragraph should have said, however, is something like this:

Hamas, which wrested control of the Gaza Strip last month, denounced the deal because Hamas says that it allowed Israel to decide who could enter Gaza. Hamas officials and supporters would presumably not be allowed to enter through Israel.

I know some of you think my radar is set far too sensitively when it comes to anti-Israel media bias. But these are the things I see repeated in stories about Israel, and these are the patterns that I think aid in the delegitimization of Israel, bit by bit.

Posted in AP Media Bias, Gaza, Hamas | 1 Comment

Classic comedy: Dogs in Elk

Posted on 07/27/2007 by Meryl Yourish

Note from Meryl: This made the rounds years ago. I received it from my friend JJA, and posted a link to it in one of my earliest blog posts, and again a couple of years ago. It’s worth re-posting on a regular basis.

Subject: I’m glad I have cats
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 23:38:10 -0700 (PDT)

(forwards removed….)

Recent thread in rec.pets…
– ——————————————-

Anne V – 01:01pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1318 of 1332)
Okay – I know how to take meat away from a dog. How do I take a dog away from meat? This is not, unfortunately, a joke.

AmyC – 01:02pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1319 of 1332)
Um, can you give us a few more specifics here?

Anne V – 01:12pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1320 of 1332)
They’re inside of it. They crawled inside, and now I have a giant incredibly heavy piece of carcass in my yard, with 2 dogs inside of it, and they are NOT getting bored of it and coming out. One of them is snoring. I have company arriving in three hours, and my current plan is to 1. put up a tent over said carcass and 2. hang thousands of fly strips inside it. This has been going on since about 6:40 this morning.

AmyC – 01:19pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1321 of 1332)
Oh. My. God. What sort of carcass is big enough to hold a couple of dogs inside? Given the situation, I’m afraid you’re not going to be create enough of a diversion to get the dogs out of the carrion, unless they like greeting company as much as they like rolling around in dead stuff. Which seems unlikely. Can you turn a hose on the festivities?

Ase Innes-Ker – 01:31pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1322 of 1332)
I’m sorry Anne. I know this is a problem (and it would have driven me crazy), but it is also incredibly funny.

Anne V – 01:31pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1323 of 1332)
Elk. Elk are very big this year, because of the rain and good grazing and so forth. They aren’t rolling. They are alternately napping and eating. They each have a ribcage. Other dogs are working on them from the outside. It’s all way too primal in my yard right now. We tried the hose trick. At someone elses house, which is where they climbed in and began to refuse to come out. Many hours ago. I think that the hose mostly helps keep them cool and dislodges little moist snacks for them. hose failed. My new hope is that if they all continue to eat at this rate, they will be finished before the houseguests arrive. The very urban houseguests. Oh, ghod – I know it’s funny. It’s appalling, and funny, and completely entirely representative of life with dogs.

Kristen R. – 01:37pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1324 of 1332)
I’m so glad I read this thread, dogless as I am. Dogs in elk. Dogs in elk.

Anne V – 01:41pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1325 of 1332)
It’s like that childrens book out there – dogs in elk, dogs on elk, dogs around elk, dogs outside elk. And there is some elk inside of, as well as on, each dog at this point.

Elizabeth K – 01:57pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1328 of 1333)
Anne, aren’t you in Arizona or Nevada? There are elk there? I’m so confused!We definately need to see pics of Gus Pong and Jake in the elk carcass.

Anne V – 02:03pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1329 of 1333)
I am in New Mexico, but there are elk in both arizona and nevada, yes. There are elk all over the damn place. They don’t look out very often. If you stand the ribcage on end they scramble to the top and look out, all red. Otherwise, you kinda have to get in there a little bit yourself to really see them. So I think there will not be pictures.

CoseyMo – 02:06pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1330 of 1333)
“all red;” I’m not sure the deeper horror of all this was fully borne in upon me till I saw that little phrase.

Anne V – 02:10pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1331 of 1333)
Well, you know, the Basenji (that would be Jake) is a desert dog, naturally, and infamous for it’s aversion to water. And then, Gus Pong (who is coming to us, live, unamplified and with a terrific reverb which is making me a little dizzy) really doesn’t mind water, but hates to be cold. Or soapy. And both of them can really run. Sprints of up to 35 mph have been clocked. So. If ever they come out, catching them and returning them to a condition where they can be considered house pets is not going to be, shall we say, pleasant.

CoseyMo – 02:15pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1332 of 1333)
What if you stand the ribcage on end, wait for them to look out, grab them when they do and pull?

Anne V – 02:18pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1333 of 1333)
They wedge their toes between the ribs. And scream. We tried that before we brought the elk home from the mountain with dogs inside. Jake nearly took my friends arm off. He’s already short a toe, so he cherishes the 15 that remain.

Linda Hewitt – 02:30pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1336 of 1356)
Have you thought about calling your friendly vet and paying him to come pick up the dogs, elk and letting the dogs stay at the vets overnight. If anyone would know what to do, it would be your vet. It might cost some money, but it would solve the immediate crisis. Keep us posted.

ChristiPeters – 02:37pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1337 of 1356)
Yikes! My sympathy! When I lived in New Mexico, my best friend’s dog (the escape artist) was continually bringing home road kill. When there was no road kill convenient, he would visit the neighbor’s house. Said neighbor slaughtered his own beef. The dog found all kinds of impossibly gross toys in the neighbor’s trash pit. I have always had medium to large dogs. The smallest dog I ever had was a mutt from the SPCA who matured out at just above knee high and about 55 pounds. Our current dog (daughter’s choice) is a Pomeranian. A very small Pomeranian. She’s 8 months old now and not quite 4 pounds. I’m afraid I’ll break her.

Lori Shiraishi – 02:38pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1338 of 1356)
Bet you could fit a whole lot of Pomeranians in that there elk carcass! Anne – my condolences on what must be a unbelievable situation!

Anne V – 02:44pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1339 of 1356)
I did call my vet. He laughed until he was gagging and breathless. He says a lot of things, which can be summed as *what did you expect?* and *no, there is no such thing as too much elk meat for a dog.* He is planning to stop over and take a look on his way home. Thanks, Lori. I am almost surrendered to the absurdity of it.

Lori Shiraishi – 02:49pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1340 of 1356)
“He is planning to stop over and take a look on his way home.” So he can fall down laughing in person?

Anne V – 02:50pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1341 of 1356)
Basically, yeah. That would be about it.

AmyC – 02:56pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1342 of 1356)
>no, there is no such thing as too much elk meat for a dog.”
Oh, sweet lord, Anne. You have my deepest sympathies in this, perhaps the most peculiar of the Gus Pong Adventures. You are truly a woman of superhuman patience. wait — you carried the carcass down from the mountains with the dogs inside?

Anne V – 02:59pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1343 of 1356)
>the carcass down from the mountains with the dogs inside?
no, well, sort of. My part in the whole thing was to get really stressed about a meeting that I had to go to, and say *yeah, ok, whatever* when it was suggested that the ribcages, since we couldn’t get the dogs out of them and the dogs couldn’t be left there, be brought to my house. Because, you know – I just thought they would get bored of it sooner or later. But it appears to be later, in the misty uncertain future, that they will get bored. Now, they are still interested. And very loud, one singing, one snoring.

Lori Shiraishi – 03:04pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1344 of 1356)
>And very loud, one singing, one snoring.
wow. I can’t even begin to imagine the acoustics involved with singing from the inside of an elk.

Anne V – 03:04pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1345 of 1356)
reverb. lots and lots of reverb.

Anne V – 03:15pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1347 of 1356)
I’ll tell you the thing that is causing me to lose it again and again, and then I have to go back outside and stay there for a while. After the meeting, I said to my (extraordinary) boss, *look, I’ve gotta go home for the rest of the day, I think. Jake and Gus Pong are inside some elk ribcages, and my dad is coming tonight, so I’ve got to get them out somehow.* And he said, pale and huge-eyed, *Annie, how did you explain the elk to the clients?* The poor, poor man thought I had the carcasses brought to work with me. For some reason, I find this deeply funny.

(weekend pause)

Anne V – 08:37am Sep 13, 1999 PDT (# 1395 of 1405)
So what we did was put the ribcages (containing dogs) on tarps and drag them around to the side yard, where I figured they would at least be harder to see, and then opened my bedroom window so that the dogs could let me know when they were ready to be plunged into a de-elking solution and let in the house. Then I went to the airport. Came home, no visible elk, no visible dogs. Peeked around the shrubs, and there they were, still in the elk. By this time, they had gnawed out some little portholes between some of the ribs, and you got the occasional very frightening limpse of something moving around in there if you watched long enough. After a lot of agonizing, I went to bed. I closed the back door, made sure my window was open, talked to the dogs out of it until I as sure they knew it was open, and then I fell asleep.

Sometimes, sleep is a mistake, no matter how tired you are. And especially if you are very very tired, and some of your dogs are outside, inside some elks. Because when you are that tired, you sleep through bumping kind of noises, or you kind of think that it’s just the house guests. It was’t the house guests. It was my dogs, having an attack of teamwork unprecedented in our domestic history. When I finally woke all the way up, it was to a horrible vision. Somehow, 3 dogs with a combined weight of about 90 pounds, managed to hoist one of the ribcages (the meatier one, of course) up 3 feet to rest on top of the swamp cooler outside the window, and push out the screen. What woke me was Gus Pong, howling in frustration from inside the ribcage, very close to my head, combined with feverish little grunts from Jake, who was standing on the nightstand, bracing himself against the curtains with remarkably bloody little feet.

Here are some things I have learned, this Rosh Hashanah weekend:
1. almond milk removes elk blood from curtains and pillowcases,
2. We can all exercise superhuman strength when it comes to getting elk carcasses out of our yard,
3. The sight of elk ribcages hurtling over the fence really frightens the nice deputy sheriff who lives across the street, and
4. the dogs can pop the screens out of the windows, without damaging them, from either side.

Anne V – 09:58am Sep 13, 1999 PDT (# 1401 of 1405)
What I am is really grateful that they didn’t actually get the damn thing in the window, which is clearly the direction they were going in. And that the nice deputy didn’t arrest me for terrifying her with elk parts before dawn.

AmyC – 09:59am Sep 13, 1999 PDT (# 1402 of 1405)
Imagine waking up with a gnawed elk carcass in your bed, like a real-life “Godfather” with an all-dog cast.

Anne V – 10:01am Sep 13, 1999 PDT (# 1403 of 1405)
There is not enough almond milk in the world to solve an event of that kind.

Note from Meryl again: And here is the author herself, expanding on what happened.

Posted in Humor | 2 Comments

A tale of two incidents

Posted on 07/27/2007 by Meryl Yourish

Compare and contrast:

The Israeli army suspended an officer and five soldiers involved in wounding a Palestinian man in the southern West Bank and put all of their unit’s operational duties on hold, the military said Friday.

In the incident Thursday, Palestinians in the village of Dahariya said soldiers shot and seriously wounded a man. The army denied involvement at the time, saying only that troops evacuated an injured Palestinian from a military checkpoint to an Israeli hospital.

But in a statement Friday, the army said the six-man patrol entered the village Thursday, took over a Palestinian taxi and shot a Palestinian man they believed to be suspicious. The soldiers did not give first aid to the wounded man and didn’t report the incident, the army said.

The step of immediately suspending soldiers and freezing their unit’s operations is unusual and indicates that army commanders believe the incident involved a serious violation of orders.

There will be an investigation, and if laws and procedures were broken, there will be a trial and punishment.

Now let’s look at a story that also took place in the West Bank:

A university student shot during a brawl between supporters of Fatah and Hamas at a West Bank university died of his wounds Friday, hospital officials said.

The student, 20-year-old Mohammed Radad, was shot by Fatah-allied gunmen on Tuesday, when students aligned with the rival groups clashes on the campus of An Najah University in Nablus. Palestinian security forces intervened, accompanied by Fatah men in civilian clothes, wounding three students with gunfire.

Witnesses said Radad, a Hamas supporter, was shot in the head by one of the armed men.

I’m going to take a wild guess that there will be no investigation, no trial, and no punishment. Possibly the student’s relatives will seek out and kill the man who shot him, since tribal justice is all the rage in the Middle East. This is the state that Olmert is about ready to create next door—one that resembles the Wild West more than any kind of civil society. Or perhaps a thugocracy.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s closest confidants said Friday that Israel should withdraw from “most” of the West Bank in a negotiated deal with the Palestinians and that a previous plan for a major unilateral pullback was no longer viable.

Vice-premier Haim Ramon, one of the politicians closest to Olmert, told Israel Radio that he favored reducing the Israeli presence in the West Bank to the “large settlement blocs” and that NATO forces could replace Israeli troops in the areas evacuated.

No way anything good can come of this. When Olmert’s “closest confidant” is openly talking about withdrawing from the West Bank, you can pretty much bet that Olmert has already drawn up the plans. This disengagement policy has been a disaster, and yet, he’s willing to go one step further and put uncontrolled enemies on Israel’s every border.

Posted in Israel, palestinian politics | 3 Comments

IDF-PA cooperation

Posted on 07/27/2007 by Meryl Yourish

The IDF security services say the PA is actually turning over information about terrorist attacks.

Palestinian security organizations loyal to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas have transferred information on terrorist plots in the West Bank to Israel, Israeli security sources said. The information served Israeli security services in countering plans to carry out terrorist attacks.

However, Israeli security sources emphasized that the Shin Bet does not rely exclusively on Palestinian security organizations for intelligence, and recognizes the limited nature of this information.

Israel and the Palestinian Authority have resumed limited security cooperation in recent weeks, considered to be the most significant exchanges of this type in the past six years.

Palestinian security sources also confirmed that limited coordination has been resumed with Israel. However, they complained that Israel is not interested in full and extensive security cooperation and charged that senior IDF officers are trying to avoid meetings with their Palestinian counterparts.

A serious gap in expectations is also apparent in the Palestinian request for the transfer of some West Bank cities to the control of PA security organizations, Palestinian sources said.

This happened years ago, when Arafat wanted to look like he was cooperating. Mahmoud Abbas learned at Arafat’s feet. I am unconvinced that this means the Palestinians are willing to forego terror.

Another report, however, is making me think that perhaps—just perhaps—a turning point is on the horizon. “Guarded pessimism” is what I would use to describe my feelings about this:

The Palestinian Authority government published its platform on Friday, which for the first time does not include a reference to armed struggle against Israel, Israel Radio reported.

Nonetheless, the government stressed that it is committed to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ call for a “popular struggle against the Israeli occupation.”

The Arabic word muqawma, which literally means resistance and has appeared in all prior PA governments’ platform, is generally understood to mean armed struggle. The term “popular struggle” includes, among other things, demonstrations and political activism.

Wordplay, however, is the least of what needs to be changed. A whole generation’s mindset has been poisoned. When Abbas stops the incitement in the schools, on TV, and in the Palestinian newspapers, then I will believe they are truly willing to change.

For now, I’ll take the extra help on terror attacks and expect much, much more.

Posted in Israel, palestinian politics | 1 Comment

Media Mythbusters

Posted on 07/27/2007 by Meryl Yourish

Tired of the bias and inaccuracy of the mainstream media? So are a lot of people. And they’ve started a new Wiki called Media Mythbusters so there is a source that can counter the media bias. The objective:

To be the Internet source of comprehensive facts and links chronicling major journalism’s treatment of certain stories in which questions have arisen regarding facts or methods of reporting. These treatments of news events by major media have direct and significant impact upon public opinion and upon policymakers. Careful consideration of the way these stories were handled by the media is essential to both a well informed public and policy, and are intended to contribute to a more reliable and responsible major media desired and needed by all. The goal of this site is to be a reliable resource, accessible to all, to provide news consumers with a tool and information to allow them to determine how best to process information they receive through major media outlets.

We have CAMERA, and MEMRI, and other sites that cover the media’s many inaccuracies and biases. Now we have a Wiki that can collate the errors (Fauxtography, Jamil Hussein, and now, the TNR Scott Thomas case) and put it all in one place. With hard work and an adherence to strict guidelines, Media Mythbusters can be a powerful force for making the media actually mean what they say when they claim to be objective. Or at least, that’s my hope.

In any case, I have joined the Media Mythbusters. I look forward to linking to my first entry there.

Posted in Media Bias | Comments Off on Media Mythbusters

Unless…

Posted on 07/27/2007 by SnoopyTheGoon

This, rather mundane these days headline, is repeated every week or so:

The U.N. Mideast envoy warned Wednesday of impending economic collapse in the Gaza Strip unless Israel reopens the Hamas-led territory’s main commercial crossing to the outside world to ease international isolation.

I’m sure that the writer did not mean anything but well, same as Michael Williams, the quoted UN envoy. And that the statement in its published form was crafted for brevity and for maximum impact. So, putting that “unless” on paper, the author of the statement had a tough choice to make. Either go the fool-proof, short and easy way (which was the eventual decision, obviously) or to make an effort and to say that unless:

  • Hamas stops the attacks against Israel – both by its own members and by the other gangs
  • Hamas stops the incessant attacks against and digging under the border crossings
  • Hamas starts cooperating with Israel and international organizations that try to feed and to cure the people of Gaza

the tragic situation of 1.5 million citizens of Gaza will get worse and worse.

It must be said that, surprisingly, the UN envoy referred to some of the salient points:

Williams said Palestinian militants fired 192 rockets and mortar shells at Gaza’s crossings and into Israel in the last month. He said Hamas’ military wing was responsible for most of the attacks on the crossings, while Islamic Jihad fired most of the rockets and mortars into Israel.

However, the AP hack conveniently placed this text way down, where most of the readers do not arrive, getting first slightly incensed by the intransigence of these cruel Jooz and then bored by the whole damn subject.

And so the wheel turns…

Cross-posted on SimplyJews.

Posted in AP Media Bias, Hamas, Israel, Terrorism | 2 Comments

Daily rocket bombardment of Israel injures another civilian

Posted on 07/26/2007 by Meryl Yourish

The world continues to ignore the daily bombardment of Israeli towns, both an act of war and a violation of the Geneva Conventions.

Two Qassam rockets fired by Palestinians in Gaza slammed into a home and a warehouse in Sderot Thursday evening. A woman sustained light shrapnel injuries, while a number of other residents suffered from shock.

The home, which was deserted, was severely damaged.

A total of six rockets landed in Israeli territory throughout the day, as did a few mortar shells, which landed near the border fence with Gaza and near the community of Native Ha’asara, located just north of the Strip.

If the home had not been deserted, likely there’d have been deaths to report—which, of course, would finally have gotten the world media’s attention on these “crude, homemade rockets.”

Posted in Israel, Media Bias | 3 Comments

Briefly

Posted on 07/26/2007 by Meryl Yourish

Doing the IDF’s work for them: 15 Syrian soldiers are dead in a blast that is attributed to the heat.

“There is a heat wave and temperatures reached close to 50 degrees, which caused an ammunition dump to explode,” one official told Reuters.

Uh-huh. Works for me, because a nation with desert temps in the summertime wouldn’t prepare their ordnance containers for, say, high periods of heat. Noteworthy facts: It occurred in a complex housing Syrian special forces teams. Say, anyone think maybe Iranian weaponry had anything to do with it?

The Liar’s Club: PA forces say they found a Hamas weapons cache. Hamas says it isn’t theirs. It’s hard to tell which terrorist group is lying. The PA could very easily pretend to have found a weapons cache by, say, exposing one of their own, saying it’s Hamas, and then, of course, keeping the weapons. Like it makes a difference, because Jordan’s handing over another 3,000 rifles, and Olmert is fine with arming the PA again. Because it’s not like those weapons don’t find their way into the hands of murderers of Israelis. Oh. Wait. They always do.

Gee, thanks, Tony! Hamas says that Britain is expanding contact with Hamas.

“I cannot deny that there are now other contacts, other channels of communication with the UK and these involve people of high rank, although I am not personally involved,” he claimed in an interview with the Guardian.

“The main aim of the contacts is to improve our democracy and governance. This is just part of the many contacts that are going on with other governments around the world.”

He added that Britain wanted to keep the contacts secret.

Guess you shouldn’t have told al-Guardian, then, hm? And hey, Tony, good to know you’re willing to talk with Jew-hating murderers in the interests of peace. Because it’s not like they don’t call for the destruction of Israel and the death of Jews in their charter or anything like that. Oh. Wait. They do.

Posted in Israel | 5 Comments

The Arab League visit: A half-empty glass

Posted on 07/25/2007 by Meryl Yourish

The Arab League delegation arrived in Israel today, and, well, I simply can’t get up the energy to think anything good will come of it. Because the Arab League’s push to use the Saudi initiative as a peace treaty between Israel and the Arab states is simply unworkable.

The foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan began a historic visit to Israel on Wednesday to formally present an Arab peace plan, saying they were extending “a hand of peace” on behalf of the region.

The ministers arrived as representatives of the Arab League, the first time the 22-member group has sent a delegation to the Jewish state. The Arab League peace plan envisions full recognition of Israel in return for evacuation of lands captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

“We are extending a hand of peace on behalf of the whole region to you, and we hope that we will be able to create the momentum needed to resume fruitful and productive negotiations” between Israel and the Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world, Jordan’s foreign minister, Abdul-Ilah Khatib, said at a news conference with Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the two delegates had been asked by the league “to come and offer Israel the Arab peace initiative.” He urged Israel to consider the plan seriously.

The Saudi plan includes a return of all Palestinian refugees, which would effectively destroy Israel as a Jewish state, and let’s face it—how could Israel absorb 5 million new citizens, nearly doubling her population? It’s a logical impossibility on every level. It’s simply not going to happen. The plan was a non-starter from the get-go. Since the Arab states forced out an equal number of Jewish citizens from 1948 to the 1960s, call it even and move on.

Israel has welcomed the plan as a basis for negotiations, but raised concerns about certain aspects. Israel rejects a full withdrawal from the West Bank and east Jerusalem. It also objects to the plan’s apparent call for the return of Palestinians who became refugees in the 1948 Mideast war and their descendants. Israel says a large-scale return of refugees would destroy the country’s Jewish character.

That, and the influx of terrorists would pretty much guarantee an end to Jews at all in the land of their ancestors. It simply is not going to happen. The problem with the “negotiations,” such as they are, is that the Arab world has consistently said that Israel must revert completely to the 1949 Armistice Lines, and oh yeah, let the pre-1949 population back so that Israel is no longer Israel at all, in spite of the fact of winning some five wars for her existence. The Arabs continue to insist on a do-over, and work for the world’s help in forcing Israel out of existence.

This is not a basis for peace. It is the basis for the extinction of Israel. Which is why I think the Arab League can make all the visits it wants, and take all the photo ops of shaking hands with Peres it can get, and still, nothing is going to change. Not as long as the Arabs are intransigent.

It isn’t the Israelis who have refused to negotiate all these years.

And a closing thought: Take note that the only members of the Arab League to actually take part in this delegation are from Jordan and Egypt, who already have relations with Israel.

Arab diplomats played down the gesture. Egypt and Jordan already have full relations with Israel, and despite U.S. and Israeli appeals to expand the number of Arab participants in the talks, Saudi Arabia and other Arab League members with no formal ties to the Jewish state have refused to take part.

This is a sham visit, and I think nothing will come of it. However, count on the world media to blame Israel when nothing happens. Because the fault never lies in Arab intransigence. No, it’s always Israel’s fault for refusing to give concessions.

Posted in Israel | 5 Comments

Erekat says: Screw negotiations, we want a state

Posted on 07/25/2007 by Meryl Yourish

Saab Erekat, the highest-up of the Palestinian spokesliars, told Tony Blair that he’s not interested in negotiations. He wants a state.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Dr Saeb Erekat said the meeting dealt with the need to establish a Palestinian state.

“We made it clear that we are no longer interested in talks, declarations or even initiatives. We are interested in the creation of mechanisms in order to implement all the ideas for the establishment of a Palestinian state.”

“The economic issue and the building of institutions are part of the overall diplomatic issue, and therefore one must not distinguish between the economic situation and the affects of issues such as the building of the fence and the settlements on the economic situation.

“What is needed, therefore, is a mechanism for the implementation of all the ideas as one in order to reach the goal, which is ending the occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state in the 1967 borders.”

Economic issues? Like the one in Gaza, where Palestinians destroyed most of the greenhouses left when the Israelis were forced out two years ago? Where Palestinian terrorism keeps the crossings closed so that Palestinian goods can’t go out and Israeli goods can’t go in? Or the lack of work caused by Palestinian workers shooting their bosses during the intifada called by Arafat in 2000 resulting in Israel importing new laborers? You mean the economic issues caused by the corruption and graft of the Palestinian Authority, of which Erekat is a member, resulting in Yasser Arafat becoming a billionaire? Those economic issues are all going to be solved when there is a Palestinian state next to Israel?

Somehow, I think not.

Posted in palestinian politics | 4 Comments

The casual anti-Semitism of everyday people

Posted on 07/25/2007 by Meryl Yourish

It isn’t just the Jewish “jokes” at Gawker and Wonkette. It is things like this that make me think that anti-Semitism is about the only “ism” that’s allowed today.

A Taunton School Committee member with a history of berating colleagues and the district superintendent at meetings has sparked an outcry by calling a Jewish board member Hitler and allegedly giving him the Nazi salute.

Alfred Baptista , who has been on the board for 22 years, stood up and said “Yes, heil Hitler. Sieg heil” to committee member Barry Cooperstein , who had admonished him for interrupting and yelling at district superintendent Arthur W. Stellar.

How, in any way, shape, or form, is that acceptable in polite conversation? And of course, the non-apology apology.

The Taunton Daily Gazette, which first reported the encounter last week, has called for Baptista’s resignation and Mayor Charles Crowley has demanded a public apology. The City Council plans to vote on a resolution condemning the remarks and apologizing to Cooperstein and Jewish residents at a meeting tomorrow.

In a phone interview yesterday, Baptista said he deeply regretted the remarks and had not meant any harm.

“It was a very unfortunate choice of words, and I feel terrible about it,” he said. “I’m not a racist, I’m not an anti-Semite.”

An “unfortunate choice of words.” He didn’t mean any harm. No, he just figured a Nazi salute and a “Heil, Hitler” was an appropriate thing to use when arguing with a Jew.

And oh, yeah. He didn’t do it. Really. His gesture was misinterpreted.

He said he did not make a Nazi salute, but was gesticulating. Baptista said he was angry at the way Cooperstein was running the meeting.

“I probably should have said, ‘Stop being a dictator,’ ” he said.

Baptista said he believes some people have misconstrued his remarks and that he does not intend to resign. He said he has received a number of calls of support from people who said they understood he misspoke.

Sure. “Misspoke.” Because “Heil Hitler” is such a common phrase to use when you’re angy, especially now, 62 years after the end of WWII. What, doesn’t everybody use it?

The thing I hate almost as much as the anti-Semitic remarks are the pathetic excuses used when the haters are called out for their hate. Not an anti-Semite? Then how is it, pray tell, you used that phrase when arguing with a Jew? And an observant Jew, no less.

Such a coincidence. Such a load of bull. And yet, this man will not be forced to resign. The town has already shown its support for the poor, misunderstood bully.

The mayor is also pleased with the apology.

“That’s what we were asking for, and I hope it was heartfelt and that Mr. Cooperstein considers acceptance of it,” Crowley said. “Hopefully that conduct will not continue in the future. Every public official — not just Mr. Baptista — should conduct themselves in a professional manner, whether they’re addressing another committee member or anyone from the public.”

City Councilor David Pottier, who last week said Baptista should resign, is no longer calling for the longtime committeeman to step down.

“Taking his word and many years of service into account, if it’s good enough for Mr. Cooperstein and the ADL, then it’s good enough for me,” Pottier said. “I really appreciate that Mr. Baptista apologized. Hopefully we can move on from this.”

Uh-huh. Move on. Until the next time.

Posted in Anti-Semitism | 8 Comments

AP passes along Hezb propaganda

Posted on 07/24/2007 by Meryl Yourish

The AP is joining the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the LA Times with this piece of garbage, and the New York Times-owned International Herald Tribune was only too happy to pass it along:

BEIRUT, Lebanon: Militant Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah suggested Tuesday that Israel may be behind two recent bomb attacks that targeted United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.

[…] No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. But in a videotape earlier this month, al-Qaida’s deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri blessed the attack against the Spanish contingent, fueling speculation that it was carried out by al-Qaida-linked militants.

In an interview Tuesday on the pan-Arab Al-Jazeera television, Nasrallah said that while it was possible that al-Qaida or other extremist groups were behind the attacks, Israel could also be the culprit.

“Why not Israel?” Nasrallah said, adding that “Israel has an interest in attacking UNIFIL with the aim of transforming the force into a multinational force under Chapter 7.”

He was referring to a section of the U.N. Charter that empowers a U.N. force to suppress threats to international peace and security — reflecting what could be his perception that Israel hopes to see U.N. troops actively moving against Hezbollah guerrillas in the future.

He also suggested Israel may want UNIFIL out of Lebanon, in case of another Israel-Hezbollah war.

Thanks, AP and the New York Times Company, for our anti-Israel media hit piece of the week!

Posted in AP Media Bias, Israel Derangement Syndrome | 4 Comments

Physics question

Posted on 07/24/2007 by Meryl Yourish

Every summer, I have my own ways of keeping my home cool, and trying not to expend more energy cooling it down after I cook. The thing is, I’m not much of a scientist. I never took physics in high school. Physics confuses the hell out of me, most of the time. I have some of the more general aspects down (mass, inertia, energy), or at least, I can look them up online and try to get them straight in my head.

So I was wondering something, having just used the toaster oven to make hot, buttered Italian bread. In the summertime, I tend to close the toaster oven door and let it cool down slowly. When I boil corn or peas, immediately upon putting them on the dinner plate, I pour the boiling water down the sink and run cold water on the pots to cool them down so less heat gets into my kitchen, in the thought that it will need less energy to cool it down (and give me savings on the electric bill).

But really, does it make a difference if you, say, let the toaster oven cool down faster by leaving the door open? Isn’t it going to release the exact same amount of heat no matter what you do, and won’t it take the same amount of energy from the AC to keep up with it?

I think I’m onto something with pouring the boiling water down the sink, but it occurs to me that I’m wasting my time with the incremental cooling of ovens. Or am I? Any physics geeks out there want to take this one?

Posted in Miscellaneous | 10 Comments

Hezbollah good news/bad news

Posted on 07/24/2007 by Meryl Yourish

The good news is they haven’t managed to penetrate as many Fatah cells as they’d like. The bad news is they’ve restored their long-range missile capability. Yeah, that arms embargo and the UNIFIL troops have proven so effective, it makes me want to get UNIFIL here to police our border with Mexico.

Hezbollah has restored its military capabilities, particularly its long-range missile arsenal, nearly a year following the Second Lebanon War, senior Israeli security sources confirmed Monday.

On the other hand, Hezbollah’s influence on Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades has been checked in recent months, Palestinian security sources said Monday.

According to Palestinian security sources, Hezbollah has not ceased its efforts to penetrate Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades cells, but its ability to do so has been seriously curtailed.

The sources pointed to a number of reasons Hezbollah is finding it difficult to penetrate the organization and gain control of its members in order to carry out terrorist activities on its behalf against Israel.

Israel’s security forces have primarily succeeded in killing or arresting many of the cells that had been under Hezbollah control, mostly in the area of Nablus and northern West Bank.

Also, the flow of cash from Hezbollah to West Bank militants who carry out attacks, has been contained. The Palestinian Authority has also made an effort to convince many of the militants not to accept funding from foreign sources.

Palestinian security sources also insist that contact between Hezbollah and the West Bank has been weakened. They say this is due to a breakdown in cooperation with Palestinians in Lebanon who collaborate with the Shi’ite group and international jihadist elements based there.

Gee, I wonder if the current destruction of Palestinians in Lebanese “refugee” camps had anything to do with that last.

Posted in Lebanon, Terrorism | Comments Off on Hezbollah good news/bad news

“Crude, homemade rocket” nearly kills infant

Posted on 07/24/2007 by Meryl Yourish

A mother’s quick thinking saved the life of her baby. Not that you could find this in the mainstream media. It was full of more important news, like the deaths of four terrorists in the act of trying to kill Israelis. Rockets landing on Israeli homes for the second day in a row? Not important.

A Qassam rocket was launched Monday from the Gaza Strip and directly hit a house in Kibbutz Karmiah in the western Negev, penetrating through the roof before exploding in an 8-mont-old baby girl’s bedroom.

When the “Color Red” warning sounded, the mother took the girl from her crib and ran with her to a safer part of the house, since there are no reinforced “safe rooms” in the kibbutz.

Three of the family members- the grandmother, the mother, and the baby -were taken to the hospital for medical assistance.

Cribs and homes destroyed by random rocket fire from Hamas-occupied Gaza? No big deal.

And if Israel should send in soldiers to find the terrorist launching the rockets? Suddenly, the world media has headlines screaming “Israelis Kill 4 Palestinians in Gaza.”

Because that’s the important angle in this story. Israeli civilian casualties? Who cares, when you can post a picture of the damage a rocket caused in Gaza. Because that’s the more important angle, clearly. No matter that a baby was nearly murdered in her crib. Hey, the “crude, homemade rocket” missed, didn’t it? Didn’t it?

Yeah.

Posted in Israeli Double Standard Time, Media Bias | Comments Off on “Crude, homemade rocket” nearly kills infant