THE COALITION OF MADNESS

An incredible story from Ben-Dror Yemini of Israel's Ma'arive newspaper. Below is the translation while above is a picture of George Galloway which conclusively proves the writer's point.

THE COALITION OF MADNESS Ma’ariv- by Ben-Dror Yemini --

The students union at the London School of Economics recently decided on a twin alliance with Gaza’s Islamic University. The proposal passed by a large margin. The Islamic University serves as Hamas’s ideological habitat for anti-Semitism. The Hamas member of the Palestinian parliament, Dr. Yunus al-Astal, is the dean of the Shariya faculty, and chairman of the committee for religious rulings. Al-Astal has concluded that the destruction of the Jews is a matter for our times, that Rome will be taken over by Islam, and that the two “Americas” must be conquered. In the very same week that the British students decided to embrace the Islamic University, al-Astal, the most senior figure at the university, declared that Hamas is part of the alliance that will be established by the future world-wide Islamic caliphate. The free world, if anyone cares to take notice, is losing its immune systems.

This was the first stop in the coalition of madness. Let us proceed to the next.

A long journey that began in several different parts of Europe, among them the United Kingdom and Turkey, made its way to Egypt. This time in order to bring “aid” to the Gaza Strip. Heading the mission was George Galloway, the British member of parliament, for whom the title “radical leftist” fails to do justice. He has completely aligned himself with jihad. Now Egypt is on his radar. He arrived in Cairo with hundreds of “peace activists,” and together they felt the fist of the Egyptian police force. The journey arrived at El-Arish. There they were joined by evil Samaritans from Turkey, among them four members of parliament. The Egyptians actually attempted to accommodate them. But no. They wanted a show, and the result was a riot, one dead and several injured. This time, at least, Israel was not in the picture. The blockade is registered under Egypt’s name.

The Turkish foreign minister, however, entered the picture, in order to protect the members of parliament. Turkey is approaching the Galloway axis, which supports Hamas. Not an axis of evil, but rather a coalition of madness.

As to the heart of the matter, their inclination is actually quite right. The Gaza Strip can and ought to be open, but from its Egyptian side. Israel ought to disengage. From all and from everything. Electricity, water, money and health services. Egypt is the natural option. Once this happens, international empathy towards the Gaza Strip will begin to diminish. After all, the free world supports a heavy hand when it comes to Arabs taking on their own lunatics. This is how Egypt treats Hamas. True, they will miss Israel. But it will be too late. And the world will only cheer the Egyptians on. This is the option Israel should take. Perhaps, who knows, it may not be too late.

Let us continue with the coalition of madness. Professor Richard Falk, an American Jew, serves as a researcher for the UN Human Rights Council. From the heights of his post, he argues that Israel is a Nazi state and at the same time supports an organization that has adopted the Nazi ideology in all things concerning Jews—Hamas. Falk is among the proponents of the conspiracy theories about the terror attacks on the United States. How does a man from the coalition of the insane reach a senior position in Princeton as well as a high-ranking post in the UN? We already said that there is something deficient in the Western world’s immune system. Let us say this again.

This week Falk engaged in a new campaign to boycott Israel and to provide justifications for Hamas. He identifies with the Hamas collaborators who arrived in El-Arish. And not just him. Also the musician Roger Waters from Pink Floyd wrote a letter expressing his sympathy. It is not Israel that is in danger. It is the free world. The cancer of madness is spreading.

“All the repulsive characteristics that the anti-Semitic world attributes to Jews do indeed exist among the leaders of the State of Israel: fraud, deception, the murder of children and greed.” Usually, such statements are made by Hamas leaders or anti-Semitic groups from both left and right. This time, the statement was made, just a few days ago, by one of the speakers, Nurit Peled-Elhanan, in a leftist protest marking a year to the war in Gaza. The coalition of insanity has reached the heart of Tel Aviv.

A year ago I defended the right to protest. There is a left wing that wants peace and acquits Israel to the barrages of criticism. A legitimate left wing. And there is a left that is becoming anti-Semitic and that is tarnishing all of the left. This happens because an anti-Semite like Elhanan-Peled, a bereaved parent, whose daughter was murdered in terror attack, and who subsequently decided to identify with the murderers, has emerged as a legitimate spokeswoman of the left. If the left refuses to dissociate from her, it gets what it deserves. Peled-Elhanan has received the Sakharov Prize from the European Union. She teaches at the Hebrew University’s school of education. She will yet receive the Israel Prize.

The education minister’s initiative to dedicate a chapter to those Jews executed by the British Mandate in Palestine has caused a storm. Ha’aretz, as expected, made arguments concerning the glorification of death and immediately proceeded to draw comparisons between Jewish and Palestinian terrorism. Why should we have any grievances towards the Palestinians, who glorify their martyrs, argued the article, if we do the same. The terrorists of one people, say the enlightened folk, are the freedom fighters of another.

Not quite. The Jewish community in Palestine opposed terrorism, and opted for restraint, even amid Arab terror. This was the rule. The exception was a phase during the Arab rebellion in 1938, during which the Irgun attacked innocent civilians. This is worthy of condemnation, and the Jewish community did indeed condemn this. Also the excuse that this was all part of a “civil war,” and that innocent Jews were also killed — serves as no excuse at all. This was terror, and nothing to take pride in. However, the latest argument is over those executed in the gallows. People would do well to get their facts right. The Jewish struggle for independence and sovereignty was directed against the British and against soldiers. Among the 12 men executed, only one, Shlomo Ben Yosef, attempted to attack a civilian bus. Only attempted. The grenade failed to explode and nobody was hurt. This was in retribution to cruel acts which had taken place only days earlier, which included the slaughter of innocent civilians, the rape of two women and dismembering their bodies. Ben Yosef and his two friends acted on their own. And more importantly: all other eleven executed had targeted the British. They did not target civilians.

These facts will do nothing to confuse those among us who spread libel. They argue that Fatah is the equivalent of the Hagana and that Hamas is the equivalent of the Irgun. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Among the Palestinians attacks on innocent civilians is the rule. Not the exception. With the Palestinians it is not only the practice of dissenting organizations, but rather part of the system which began even before Israel was established.

Prof. Yehuda Keidar met with Dov Gruner in the cell of those sentenced to death. He was outraged by the comparison between those sentenced to death by the British and the Palestinian terror. “Gruner,” Keidar told me, “was not a man of terror. He was part of the resistance movement. He did not harm civilians.” He is right. Gruner was caught taking part in an attack on a British police station. Keidar, now 85, was a member of the Palmah. However it is only a matter of time before those writing history will be comparing him to murderers of children. It’s been done to Gruner. They will reach him too.

Among Jews, the killing of innocent civilians is the exception. Among the Arabs it is the rule. Vive la difference.

GAYS FOR GAZA - WHERE TO NOW?

About a year ago during a mass demonstration in London against Israel's Operation Cast Lead, there appeared a banner among the demonstrators that carried the words "Gays for Gaza".

Indeed.

I don't know how many of the demonstrators, including the ones who brandished swastickas and were calling out "Death to the Jews" were gays but perhaps some of them could be despatched to Gaza or the West Bank so they can discover how friendly the locals really are towards gays - Court: Palestinian persecuted for homosexuality can stay in Israel.

Welcome to Israel

Jerusalem Post editor David Horovitz looks at the decision by the United States and others to apply enhanced screening procedures for those traveling from or through states that sponsor terrorism or are otherwise considered a particular risk. The terror risk countries have been identified as Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen and Horovitz ponders as to why Israel is not on the list, given the negative rants towards the Jewish State coming from many of the world's "statesmen and diplomats and columnists and activists" - WELCOME TO ISRAEL.

The answer seems obvious to me.

STRAIGHT SETS

The New Zealand public hasn't taken too well to that small group of local terrorist supporters trying to disrupt 22 year old Israeli tennis player Shahar Pe'er's NZ Open - Tennis protest backfires. The terrible ten (that's right there were 10 of them acting like fools at the tennis) are receiving the scorn of the New Zealand tennis public for their terror tactics against this young girl whose aim is to play tennis and wants only peace with ther neighbours. People of their ilk are likely to receive more than that if they want to play the terror game when the Australian Open commences in Melbourne later this month. Aussie tennis fans have had a gutful of stirrers bringing far away disputes into the sporting arena.

LOVE ALL IN NZ

Two sports writers from the Melbourne Age, Will Swanton and Linda Pearce have put their Fairfax counterparts who write on matters political to shame with their reporting on attempts by a small but vocal group of Israel bashing New Zealanders to oust 22 year old tennis player Shahar Pe'er from the NZ Open - Bomb scare and protests raise player's profile.

This article gives all sides of the story and stands in stark contrast to the usual one-sided articles on the Arab/Israeli conflict that we see originating from Fairfax reporters who are more interested in pushing their agenda but usually end up treating their readers like idiots.

Or perhaps it's that the Age sports readership is more discerning and intelligent than its political readership?

HOW DO YOU STOP THIS?

Pardon the long post but this is a list of those murdered by Islamic terrorist groups over a two month period at the end of 2009. Now that the Goldstone Report has been handed down effectively making it a war crime for states to defend their citizens against these attackers, how do you stop this carnage?

Date Country City Killed Injured Description

2009.12.24 Afghanistan Paktika 2 0 Two civilians are murdered by Jihadi roadside bombers.
2009.12.24 Pakistan Rawalpindi 1 2 A 6-year-old girl is dismembered by a suicide bomber.
2009.12.24 Iraq Kirkuk 4 0 Four Iraqis are gunned down by suspected al-Qaeda militants.
2009.12.24 Iraq Hilla 25 105 A crowded bus station is the target of Sunni bombers, who leave twenty-five Iraqis dead and nearly one hundred more in agony.
2009.12.24 Afghanistan Kandahar 8 3 A Shahid suicide bomber on a horse car murders eight innocent people.
2009.12.24 Israel Einav 1 0 An Israeli father of seven is shot to death in his car by Palestinian terrorists.
2009.12.24 Pakistan Peshawar 4 24 A suicide bomber detonates near a Christian school, killing four others.
2009.12.24 Somalia Mogadishu 6 25 Six civilians are killed during an attack by Hizb al-Islam fundamentalists.
2009.12.24 Iraq Baghdad 12 53 Jihadis murder a dozen mourners when they bomb two separate funerals.
2009.12.23 Iraq Baghdad 5 46 Sunni bombers murder five Shia pilgrims in three separate attacks.
2009.12.23 Afghanistan Helmand 3 5 Three innocents are cut down by a Taliban bomb planted on a bicylce.
2009.12.23 Iraq Mosul 2 0 A bomb placed near an ancient Christian church kills two people.
2009.12.23 Afghanistan Helmand 3 4 Three civilians are killed when fundamentalists detonate a bomb at a bazaar.
2009.12.23 Afghanistan Spin Boldak 2 3 Talibanis take down two civilians with a roadside bomb.
2009.12.22 India Pampore 2 1 Hizbul Mujahideen militants shoot two local cops to death.
2009.12.22 Iraq Iskandariya 1 4 A civilian dies from shrapnel injures after Jihadis detonate a bomb on a minibus.
2009.12.22 Pakistan Peshawar 3 16 A woman is among three people at a press club blown to bits by a Shahid suicide bomber.
2009.12.22 Thailand Pattani 1 1 Islamic gunmen fire into a family home, killing a 3-year-old girl and seriously injuring her sister.
2009.12.22 Thailand Pattani 1 0 A 37-year-old father is shot full of holes by Muslim militants after dropping his children off at school.
2009.12.21 Iraq Tal Afar 4 5 A Fedayeen suicide bomber takes out four Iraqis.
2009.12.21 Somalia Mogadishu 5 0 Five Somalis near a minibus are murdered by al-Shabaab bombers.
2009.12.21 Yemen Abyan 2 9 al-Qaeda militants booby-trap an area with explosives, killing two civilians.
2009.12.20 Iraq Mosul 2 0 Mujahideen gun down two local cops.
2009.12.20 Somalia Mogadishu 1 3 One Somali is killed in a mortar attack by Islamic militia.
2009.12.19 Pakistan Poonch 1 2 An Indian border guard is shot by a Muslim sniper from Pakistan.
2009.12.19 Iraq Mosul 3 1 Jihadi gunmen take down three Iraqis in separate attacks.
2009.12.19 Thailand Narathiwat 3 2 Three Buddhists are incinerated when Muslim insurgents blow up a gas tank next to their truck.
2009.12.18 Iraq Sulaimaniyah 1 0 A civilian is gunned down on his doorstep by Muslim terrorists.
2009.12.18 India Pulwama 2 0 Two people are dragged from their homes and murdered by Mujahideen. One has his throat slit.
2009.12.18 Pakistan Lower Dir 15 28 Children are among fifteen people blown to bits a mosque by a Shahid suicide bomber.
2009.12.18 Somalia Mogadishu 2 4 Two civilians are killed when a mortar fired by suspected Islamic militia strikes a house.
2009.12.18 Pakistan Haripur 3 0 A man and his wife are among three killed in their home by suspected Islamic hardliners.
2009.12.17 Thailand Yala 2 0 A 2-year-old girl is gunned down along with her father by Holy Warriors.
2009.12.17 Afghanistan Kandahar 7 3 Five women are among seven people murdered by Taliban roadside bombers.
2009.12.17 Iraq Mosul 1 0 A 30-year-old Christian man is shot to death in cold blood by Mujahideen.
2009.12.17 Ingushetia Nazran 2 24 Children are among the casualties of a suicide bombing. A separate shooting leaves two dead.
2009.12.17 Iraq Baghdad 1 10 A pedestrian is killed by a roadside bomb.
2009.12.17 Pakistan Bara Tehsil 3 5 Three security force personnel are murdered in Taliban ambushes.
2009.12.16 Afghanistan Herat 4 0 Four local cops are slaughtered by a Taliban roadside blast.
2009.12.16 Iraq Baghdad 2 5 Sunni bombers take down two Iraqis riding on a bus.
2009.12.16 Pakistan Khyber 4 27 Fundamentalists throw grenades into a music concert, killing at least four people.
2009.12.16 Thailand Yala 3 0 Three men are shot to death in separate shooting attacks by Islamic insurgents.
2009.12.15 Pakistan Dera Ghazi Khan 33 60 Thirty-three shoppers at an outdoor market are blown apart by a Fedayeen suicide car bomber.
2009.12.15 Afghanistan Kabul 7 44 A suicide car bomber takes out seven people standing outside a hotel.
2009.12.15 Afghanistan Gardez 5 0 Five people are blown to bits by Jihadi bombers.
2009.12.15 Afghanistan Helmand 2 0 Two British soldiers are killed by a suicide bomber as they are walking down a street.
2009.12.15 Iraq Mosul 2 0 A woman is among two people incinerated by a thermal bomb.
2009.12.15 India Shopian 1 0 A 21-year-old woman is gunned down in front of her family by Islamic militants.
2009.12.15 Somalia Bossasso 3 8 Suspected Islamists blow up a pick-up full of local soldiers, killing three.
2009.12.15 Iraq Nineveh 3 0 Muslim radicals throw grenades into a police patrol, brutally killing three Iraqis.
2009.12.15 Iraq Mosul 4 40 Four Christians are killed when Islamic bombers target a church and Christian school.
2009.12.14 Thailand Pattani 1 0 A 37-year-old woman is slashed to death by Muslim radicals.
2009.12.14 Afghanistan Lashkar Gah 16 0 Sixteen police officers are killed in two terror attacks by Sunni fundamentalists.
2009.12.14 Thailand Pattani 2 0 Two men are shot to death by Islamic militants, one in his home, the other at a barber shop.
2009.12.14 Iraq Balad Ruz 22 29 A female suicide bomber ends the lives of nearly two-dozen innocent people in a residential area.
2009.12.14 Iraq al-Manari 4 0 A man and his family are murdered in their home by suspected al-Qaeda.
2009.12.14 Iraq Baghdad 13 33 Jihadi bombers take down thirteen Iraqis with successive blasts.
2009.12.14 Thailand Narathiwat 1 0 Muslims gun down a 38-year-old Buddhist.
2009.12.13 Iraq Mosul 2 21 A Fedayeen suicide bomber murders two young police recruits.
2009.12.13 Thailand Pattani 2 0 Two civilians are shot to death by Islamic militants in separate attacks.
2009.12.13 Iraq Fallujah 2 15 Islamic bombers manage to kill two Iraqis with a roadside blast.
2009.12.13 Somalia Afgoye 1 0 A 48-year-old man is pelted to death with stones by Hezb al-Islam for adultery.
2009.12.12 Iraq Khalis 1 2 A farmer is shot to death by Islamic militants.
2009.12.12 Iraq Kirkuk 3 4 An IED attack leaves three Iraqis dead.
2009.12.11 Afghanistan Paktika 5 15 Five people are blown to bits by a Shahid suicide bomber.
2009.12.11 Iraq Baghdad 1 3 Jihadis plant a bomb under a family car, killing the father and injuring three relatives.
2009.12.11 Iraq Yusufiyah 6 21 A car bomb near a shop takes out six Iraqis.
2009.12.10 Thailand Narathiwat 3 8 Three Buddhist women are torn to shreds by a remote-controlled bomb planted on a motorcycle outside a restaurant.
2009.12.09 Thailand Yala 1 17 A series of bombs rocks several neighborhoods. A bomb disposal technician is killed.
2009.12.09 Iraq Baghdad 4 11 Two streetsweepers are among four Iraqis murdered by Islamic bombers in attacks on a library and minibus.
2009.12.09 Iraq Mosul 2 0 Two Christian brothers are kidnapped and shot to death by Muslim terrorists.
2009.12.09 Thailand Pattani 1 0 A civilian is shot to death in his car by Muslim militants.
2009.12.08 Pal. Auth. Jerash 1 0 A man stabs his 30-year-old sister to death over suspected immoral behavior.
2009.12.08 Iraq Baghdad 127 448 Five car bombs, one outside a fine arts center, leave at least one-hundred and twenty Iraqis dead and nearly five hundred more in agony.
2009.12.08 Pakistan Multan 12 20 A dozen Pakistanis are blown to bits by Taliban bombers.
2009.12.07 Iraq Tarmiyah 8 0 Six Iraqis are gunned down by al-Qaeda. Two more bodies are discovered in Kirkuk.
2009.12.07 Thailand Pattani 1 4 A pro-government cleric is gunned down by Islamic separatists.
2009.12.07 Pakistan Lahore 50 150 At least fifty people are incinerated by twin bombings at a crowded marketplace.
2009.12.07 Thailand Narathiwat 2 11 A Buddhist man and woman are murdered by Muslim bombers at a busy market.
2009.12.07 Iraq Baghdad 8 40 Seven children are among eight dead when Sunni radicals bomb a Shia school.
2009.12.07 Pakistan Peshawar 11 45 Eleven people at a courthouse are blown to bits by a Fedayeen suicide bomber.
2009.12.07 Iraq Tarmiyah 1 4 A woman is blown murdered in her home by Mujahid bombers.
2009.12.07 Pakistan Karachi 1 0 A Shia leader is shot to death by Sunni rivals.
2009.12.07 India Baramulla 1 0 Muslim terrorists gun down a political worker outside his home. <tel:2009.12.06>
2009.12.06 Iraq Abu Ghraib 4 0 Four local police manning a checkpoint are machine-gunned to death at point-blank range.
2009.12.06 Somalia Bosaso 1 0 A cleric is assassinated by suspected Islamic militia.
2009.12.06 Pakistan Bajaur 2 2 The Taliban murder two tribesmen outside a mosque.
2009.12.05 Philippines Jolo 1 12 One person is killed when suspected Abu Sayyaf militants set off a bomb.
2009.12.05 Iraq Mosul 5 1 Mujahideen shoot five people to death including a mother and an elderly civilian.
2009.12.04 Pakistan Rawalpindi 40 86 Seventeen children at a mosque are among nearly forty people cut down in a barbaric shooting and bombing attack by Sunni hardliners.
2009.12.04 Jordan Amman 1 0 A 34-year-old woman, nine months pregnant, is stabbed to death by her brother over alleged adultery.
2009.12.04 India Srinagar 0 0 Al-Nasireen gunmen assassinate a political leader outside his home. <tel:2009.12.04>
2009.12.04 Pakistan Mohmand Agency 6 13 Mujahideen bombers take out six members of a wedding party traveling in a mini-bus.
2009.12.04 Iraq Tuz Khormato 1 0 An ethnic minority member is gunned down in his home by Islamic terrorists.
2009.12.04 Dagestan Khasavyurt 2 7 A civilian having lunch at a cafe is among two people murdered by Muslim terrorists in separate attacks.
2009.12.03 Iraq Tikrit 11 15 A Fedayeen suicide bomber blows himself up at a packed market, taking eleven innocents with him.
2009.12.03 Somalia Mogadishu 22 46 Doctors and students are among twenty-two people blown to bits at a medical school graduation by a Shahid.
2009.12.03 Iraq Baghdad 1 6 Mujahideen blow up a civilian at a market.
2009.12.03 Ingushetia Malgobek 1 0 A government official is assassinated by Islamic militants.
2009.12.03 Thailand Pattani 3 0 A 17-year-old boy is among three members of a family brutally gunned down in their home by Islamic separatists.
2009.12.03 Pakistan Karol 1 0 A Christian man is shot to death by Muslims after refusing to ‘embrace’ Islam.
2009.12.02 Iraq Baghdad 1 0 A civilian is gunned down in a sectarian attack at a cafe.
2009.12.02 Pakistan Islamabad 2 11 A young man straps explosives to his body and detonates at the entrance of a naval complex, killing two security guards.
2009.12.01 Somalia Bosasso 2 25 Suspected hardliners toss a grenade into a movie theater, leaving two patrons dead from shrapnel injury.
2009.12.01 Pakistan Swat 1 0 Islamic fundamentalists murder the head of a local peace committee.
2009.12.01 Pakistan Orakzai 3 0 Three tribal leaders are assassinated by Sunni terrorists.
2009.12.01 Pakistan Swat 1 13 A teen suicide bomber murders a lawmaker inside his home. <tel:2009.11.30>
2009.11.30 Thailand Pattani 1 0 A man is shot to death inside his home by Islamic radicals.
2009.11.30 Iraq Mosul 1 3 Muslim gunmen ambush a car carrying a family from a religious minority. The father is killed. Two women and a child are injured.
2009.11.29 Iraq Ghalbiyah 1 2 Suspected al-Qaeda bombers take down another Iraqi.
2009.11.29 Pakistan Kohat 33 65 At least thirty people celebrating a holiday are blown to bits when a suicide car bomber plows into a crowded market.
2009.11.29 Afghanistan Nimroz 6 2 Six Afghan police officers are murdered in cold blood by a Talibani disguised as one of them.
2009.11.28 Somalia Baladweyn 2 1 Two clerics are assassinated by Hizbul-Islam gunmen outside a mosque.
2009.11.28 India Bhopal 3 0 Three people are gunned down in an ambush by a SIMI terrorist.
2009.11.27 Pakistan Bajaur 1 3 A tribal leader is assassinated by Taliban bombers at a mosque.
2009.11.27 Pal. Auth. Gaza 1 0 A woman is strangled with a wet towel by her family members to restore their ‘honor’.
2009.11.27 Russia Bologoye 26 96 Twenty-six passengers are killed when suspected Chechan terrorists derail a train with a bomb.
2009.11.27 Afghanistan Farah 3 0 Three Afghanis are taken out by a Fedayeen suicide bomber.
2009.11.26 Dagestan Makhachkala 1 0 A police officer is gunned down by Muslim militants.
2009.11.26 Thailand Yala 1 0 Islamists shoot a 62-year-old civilian to death as he is riding a motorbike.
2009.11.26 Iraq Iskandariya 2 28 Children are among the casualites when Sunni radicals set off a bomb at a crowded marketplace.
2009.11.26 Iraq Yousifiya 2 10 Jihadis explode a car bomb at a bus stop, killing two Iraqis.
2009.11.25 Yemen San’a 1 0 al-Qaeda posts a video of the torture and gruesome execution of a 41-year-old intelligence officer.
2009.11.25 Iraq Karbala 5 36 Five people are murdered by a brutal double bombing at a restaurant.
2009.11.25 Iraq Tarmiya 6 0 A married couple and two daughters are among six innocents slain in a sectarian home invasion.
2009.11.25 Somalia Mogadishu 1 1 A civilian is killed when Jihadis throw a grenade into the street.
2009.11.25 Iraq Mosul 3 1 Islamist bombers take out three Iraqi cops.
2009.11.25 Thailand Narathiwat 1 0 Islamic gunmen murder a 47-year-old man as he is returning home from a tea shop.
2009.11.24 Iraq Baghdad 2 0 Two Sunni imams are assassinated in separate bomb attacks.
2009.11.24 Afghanistan Khost 4 0 Two women are among four civilians shot to death at point-blank range by Mujahideen.
2009.11.24 Afghanistan Khost 5 3 Four children are blown to bits when Islamic fundamentalists set off a roadside bomb next to a family vehicle.
2009.11.24 Pakistan Bajaur 3 4 Two children are among three members of a family killed when suspected Mujahid rocket theirhome. <tel:2009.11.24>
2009.11.24 Thailand Pattani 2 0 Two young men are shot to death by Muslim militants in separate attacks.
2009.11.22 Somalia Afmadow 2 0 At least two civilians are killed in the crossfire when rival Islamist groups clash.
2009.11.22 Afghanistan Spin Boldak 5 0 All five passengers in a police vehicle are ripped to shreds by a Sunni bomb.
2009.11.22 Iraq Garma 7 5 Sunnis bomb a checkpoint, killing seven Iraqis.
2009.11.22 Afghanistan Helmand 3 2 Taliban radicals take out three local security personnel in a roadside attack.
2009.11.22 Iraq Mosul 1 4 A child is incinerated in a thermal bomb attack by Muslim terrorists.
2009.11.22 Afghanistan Landikotal 6 10 The Taliban mortar a crowded bazaar, killing at least six civilians.
2009.11.22 Thailand Pattani 1 0 A female Buddhist teacher is gunned down in front of her home by Islamic militants.
2009.11.21 Iraq Mosul 1 0 A school teacher is assassinated by Muslim gunmen.
2009.11.21 Saudi Arabia Jebel Rumayh 3 3 Shiite radicals infiltrate the border and kill three Saudi soldiers.
2009.11.21 Pakistan North Waziristan 4 0 Four security officers are killed in a rocket attack by Taliban fundamentalists.
2009.11.21 Philippines Surallah 1 0 A 5-year-old girl is killed when Muslim rebels fire on a group of soldiers.
2009.11.20 Afghanistan Farah 16 25 A suicide bomber on a motorcycle detonates in the middle of a packed market, slaughtering about sixteen shoppers.
2009.11.20 Iraq Mosul 3 5 Three Iraqis are blown apart by a roadside bomb.
2009.11.20 Pakistan Peshawar 3 7 Jihadis take out three policmen with a shrapnel bomb.
2009.11.20 Pakistan Karachi 1 1 A Sunni is shot to death by sectarian rivals.
2009.11.19 Thailand Pattani 1 0 A 35-year-old Buddhist university employee is gunned down by Islamists.
2009.11.19 Thailand Pattani 1 0 Muslims shoot a 32-year-old Buddhist construction worker to death as he is travelling to pick up his children.
2009.11.19 Russia Moscow 1 1 An anti-Islam priest is assassinated in his own church by a suspected Muslim gunman.
2009.11.19 Pakistan Karachi 1 0 A Shiite cleric is gunned down by sectarian rivals.
2009.11.19 Pakistan Orakzai 2 0 A policeman and his elderly father a shot to death by Taliban militants.
2009.11.19 Pakistan Peshawar 19 50 Nineteen innocents are incinerated in a suicide bomb attack on a courthouse.
2009.11.19 Afghanistan Oruzgan 10 13 A Shahid suicide car bomber takes out ten civilians along a city street.
2009.11.17 Iraq Baghdad 2 6 A Jihad bomb kills two Iraqis.
2009.11.17 Thailand Pattani 1 0 A Holy Warrior on a motorbike guns down a school bus driver through his side window.
2009.11.17 Somalia Eelboon 1 0 A 29-year-old woman is planted in the ground and pelted to death with stones over adulterous sex.
2009.11.17 Afghanistan Kunduz 4 0 Taliban hardliners murder four guards at a security firm.
2009.11.17 Afghanistan Helmand 2 0 Two Afghan civilians are killed in a roadside attack by Sunni terrorists.
2009.11.16 India Kupwara 2 0 Pakistani infiltrators attack an Indian security patrol, killing two members.
2009.11.16 India Samba 2 0 Mujahideen kill a border policeman and his driver with a landmine.
2009.11.16 Iraq Kirkuk 6 17 Six people are blown to bits by Islamic car bombers.
2009.11.16 Iraq al-Saadan 13 0 al-Qaeda militants kidnap and execute thirteen Sunni Iraqis.
2009.11.16 Afghanistan Tagab 14 38 Religious extremists rocket a market, killing at least fourteen people.
2009.11.16 Pakistan Peshawar 4 43 A Fedayeen suicide bomb blast outside a shop leaves at least four dead.
2009.11.15 Iraq Mosul 1 5 Jihadi bombers take out a 12-year-old child.
2009.11.15 Pakistan Bajaur 1 0 An anti-Taliban tribal leader is murdered and his home destroyed.
2009.11.14 Thailand Narathiwat 2 0 Two men are murdered by Muslim gunmen at a wood processing plant.
2009.11.14 Pakistan Peshawar 15 25 Four children and a woman are among fifteen innocents blown to bits by a sucide bomber.
2009.11.14 Somalia Mogadishu 5 11 At least five civilians are killed during a mortar attack by Islamic milita.
2009.11.14 Iraq Mosul 1 0 A 16-year-old Christian boy is gunned down outside his home by suspected radicals.
2009.11.14 Somalia Mogadishu 1 0 A 23-year-old Christian convert is kidnapped by Islamists and executed with two shots to the head.
2009.11.13 Pakistan Bannu 6 27 Six people lose their lives to a suicide car bomber.
2009.11.13 Thailand Yala 1 0 An 18-year-old is shot to death in a Religion of Peace drive-by attack.
2009.11.13 Afghanistan Kabul 2 4 A Taliban blast leaves at least two Afghans dead.
2009.11.13 Iraq Baghdad 2 0 A policeman and his brother are murdered by Islamic gunmen.
2009.11.13 Iraq Mosul 1 0 A young man is kidnapped and shot in the head by terrorists.
2009.11.13 Afghanistan Kabul 4 0 Two civilians and three soldiers are killed in separate roadside bombings by religious fundamentalists.
2009.11.13 Pakistan Peshawar 10 55 A Shahid suicide truck bomber takes out ten at a government building.
2009.11.12 Iraq Baghdad 1 0 A female high school teacher is shot to death by Muslim terrorists.
2009.11.12 Afghanistan Nangarhar 2 2 Two children are blown to bits by Islamic bombers.
2009.11.12 Pakistan Peshawar 1 0 An Iranian official is gunned down in a sectarian attack blamed on a Sunni group.
2009.11.12 Pakistan Hangu 2 6 Taliban extremists detonate explosives outside a home, killing at least two residents.
2009.11.12 Iraq Mosul 3 0 Three civilians are killed in separate Mujahid shooting attacks, including a teenager.
2009.11.12 Thailand Pattani 2 0 Muslim radicals gun down a older Buddhist couple at a rice mill.
2009.11.11 Afghanistan Zabul 2 3 Two civilians are blown to bits by a Fedayeen suicide bomber.
2009.11.11 Somalia Puntland 2 0 A judge and a lawmaker are assassinated by suspected al-Shabaab militants in separate incidents.
2009.11.11 Pakistan Mohmand 10 14 Two local soldiers, kidnapped and beheaded, are among ten murdered by Taliban Islamists in two attacks.
2009.11.10 Iraq Balad 2 2 Two policemen are cut down in an urban ambush by Sunni gunmen.
2009.11.10 Pakistan Peshawar 34 104 Thirty-four people are blown to bits by a Shahid car bomber along a crowded city street lined with shops. Women and children are among the dead.
2009.11.10 Thailand Narathiwat 1 0 Islamists murder a man as he is walking outside his home. <tel:2009.11.10>
2009.11.10 Thailand Pattani 1 0 A villager is gunned down by Muslim militants.
2009.11.10 Iran Tehran 1 0 The Islamic Republic of Iran assassinates a doctor who exposed torture by poisoning his salad.
2009.11.10 Afghanistan Paktika 2 13 The Taliban fire a rocket into a home, killing two residents.
2009.11.09 Algeria Tarah 2 5 Fundamentalists set off a bomb that kills five local soldiers.
2009.11.09 Pakistan Bajaur 3 1 Three local soldiers are murdered in two Mujahideen bombing and shooting attacks.
2009.11.09 Iraq Kut 1 0 A young woman is the victim of an honor killing by her brother.
2009.11.09 Philippines Jolo 1 0 Abu Sayyaf militants cut the head off of a Christian school principal and leave it in a paper bag at a gas station.
2009.11.09 Thailand Yala 1 1 A young Buddhist man collecting plants is brutally ambushed and killed by Religion of Peace advocates.
2009.11.09 Pakistan Peshawar 3 5 A woman and a rickshaw driver are among three people blown up by a Shahid suicide bomber.
2009.11.09 Thailand Narathiwat 1 0 Islamists shoot and kill a 53-year-old riding home on his motorcycle.
2009.11.08 Somalia Hodon 2 8 Two civilians are killed during an attack by Islamic militia.
2009.11.08 Pakistan Mattani 12 36 A Fedayeen suicide bomber strikes a packed market, blasting at least a dozen innocents to death.
2009.11.08 Iraq Kirkuk 1 0 Mujahideen gun down an oil company worker.
2009.11.08 Thailand Pattani 2 3 A young man eating in a restaurant is among two people killed in separate Mujahid shootings.
2009.11.08 India Rajouri 2 1 A man and his wife are murdered in their home by intruding Islamic gunmen.
2009.11.08 Iraq Kut 1 0 A young woman is kidnapped, bound and shot to death by Muslim terrorists.
2009.11.07 Afghanistan Helmand 3 0 Religious extremists blow up a vehicle carrying local soldiers, killing three.
2009.11.07 Yemen Al Khubah 4 36 Shiite rebels reportedly shell a residential area, killing four women from the same family.
2009.11.07 Pakistan Hangu 3 2 Islamic hardliners attack a local military base with rockets, killing three.
2009.11.07 Iraq Abu Ghraib 1 3 An al-Qaeda bombing leaves one dead.
2009.11.06 Iraq Rashad 1 0 Suspected al-Qaeda gunmen take down an Iraqi.
2009.11.06 Somalia Merca 1 0 A 33-year-old man is brutally stoned to death for adultery. The execution takes about seven minutes.
2009.11.06 Iraq Baqubah 1 1 Sunni fundamentalists shoot a barber to death.
2009.11.06 Pakistan Hangu 1 4 A policeman is gunned down by Islamic terrorists.
2009.11.05 Philippines Zamboanga 2 8 Two people are killed when suspected Islamists fire into a commuter bus.
2009.11.05 USA Ft. Hood, TX 13 31 A Muslim psychiatrist yelling ‘Allah Akbar’ murders thirteen unarmed U.S. soldiers on their base in Texas, including a pregnant woman.
2009.11.04 Pakistan Bajaur 2 2 Two female schoolteachers are brutally shot to death by Taliban extremists.
2009.11.03 Yemen Hadramut 8 0 al-Qadea militants open fire on a vehicle, machine-gunning eight people to death.
2009.11.03 Afghanistan Helmand 5 8 A Taliban gunmen disguised as a policeman suddenly opens fire at a police base, killing five British soldiers in cold blood.
2009.11.03 Saudi Arabia Jazan 1 11 Islamic rebels gun down a security officer “with the support and assistance of Allah.”
2009.11.03 Iraq Abu Ghraib 3 0 Mujahid bombers wipe out a family of three, including a girl.
2009.11.03 Thailand Pattani 2 0 Two Buddhist truck drivers are brutally slain and then burned by Religion of Peace extremists.
2009.11.02 Thailand Yala 2 0 Two men riding in a pickup truck are shot to death by a terrorist disguised in a burka.
2009.11.02 Pakistan Rawalpindi 36 63 Fundamentalists set off a massive bomb near a line of people outside a bank, putting down at least thirty-five.
2009.11.02 Iraq Khanaqin 2 0 A man and his son are gunned down by Muslim terrorists.
2009.11.02 Thailand Narathiwat 1 0 Islamists break into a house and murder a villager.
2009.11.02 USA Glendale, AZ 1 1 A woman dies from injuries suffered when her father runs her down with a car for being too ‘Westernized.’
2009.11.02 Thailand Pattani 2 0 Two security personnel are gunned down by Muslim rebels in separate attacks.
2009.11.02 Pakistan Lahore 0 25 Twenty-five people are injured when a suicide bomber detonates along a city street.
2009.11.02 Thailand Yala 2 0 Two men are killed in a Religion of Peace drive-by.
2009.11.01 Somalia Lascanood 5 4 Suspected Shabaab radicals blow up a car with five people inside.
2009.11.01 Philippines Banisilan 1 2 Moro Islamists ambush a car carrying civilians, shooting at least one to death.
2009.11.01 Iraq Mussayab 9 38 Jihadis rig a bicycle with explosives, then set it off in a market, killing at least nine innocents.
2009.11.01 Iraq Ramadi 3 5 A Fedayeen suicide bomber takes down three Iraqis.
2009.11.01 India Srinagar 2 0 Islamists murder two traffic cops in a hit-and-run surprise attack at an intersection.
2009.11.01 Iraq Karbala 3 15 Terrorists plant a bomb on a bus that leaves three people dead.
2009.11.01 Dagestan Bavtugai 1 0 A local mosque official is assassinated by extremists.
2009.10.31 Pakistan Bara 7 12 Lashkar-e-Islam members use a roadside bomber to murder seven security personnel.
2009.10.31 Philippines Sulu 1 4 Moro Islamists open fire on a passing patrol, killing at least one.
2009.10.31 Pakistan Khyber 2 7 Sunni hardliners blow up a girls’ school and mortar a residential neighborhood, killing two civilians.
2009.10.31 Thailand Yala 1 0 Islamists kidnap a local man, handcuff him, then shoot him in the head.
2009.10.30 Thailand Yala 1 1 A Buddhist woman is brutally shot to death, and her husband is seriously injured, by Muslim radicals.
2009.10.30 Iraq Tikrit 1 0 A young man has his throat slashed by Sunni militants.
2009.10.30 Afghanistan Nangarhar 9 0 All nine civilians riding in a taxi are slaughtered by Taliban bombers.
2009.10.30 Pakistan Pir Sarhandi Goth 1 0 An older homosexual man is pulled from his home and beaten to death by a Muslim mob. <tel:2009.10.30>
2009.10.30 Iraq Baghdad 1 3 Mujahideen bombers murder a government official.
2009.10.29 Iraq Mosul 3 1 Sunni gunmen murder three Iraqi policemen at point-blank range.
2009.10.29 Afghanistan Kandahar 4 0 A child is among four Afghan civilians torn to pieces by an Islamist bomb.
2009.10.29 Iraq Baquba 1 2 A civilian is taken out by a Fedayeen suicide bomber outside a hospital.
2009.10.28 Thailand Pattani 2 0 Two civilians are gunned down in separate Muslim drive-bys.
2009.10.28 Pakistan Peshawar 117 200 Over one-hundred people – mostly women and children – are blown to bits by a massive car bomb blast at a busy market.
2009.10.28 Thailand Pattani 1 0 Muslim radicals shoot a Buddhist motorcycle shop owner to death, then set fire to his body.
2009.10.28 Afghanistan Kabul 9 9 Mujahideen force their way into a UN guesthouse, where they murder nine people, including six international workers.
2009.10.28 Iraq Mosul 3 5 Mujahideen kill three civilians with a roadside bomb.
2009.10.28 Thailand Pattani 1 0 A 78-year-old Buddhist man is shot off his motorbike by Muslim terrorists.
2009.10.28 Iraq Baghdad 3 4 Three women sitting on a minibus are blown to bits by Islamic bombers.
2009.10.27 Iraq Baiji 1 0 Terrorists attack a bomb to a car which kills an 11-year-old boy trying to remove it.
2009.10.27 Pakistan Mohmand 2 3 Religious extremists attack a police post, killing two officers.
2009.10.27 Pakistan Bajaur 1 0 Taliban radicals shoot a man to death while he is sitting in his shop.
2009.10.27 Iraq Tikrit 2 0 Jihadis blow up an oil tanker, killing the two drivers.

THE THREE STOOGES

Three members of a small but vocal group that operates in Melbourne have their say on the asymetric war being waged by Palestinian terror groups on the Jewish State in today's letter's section of the Australian - Israel losing its moral authority:

THE civilian population of Gaza continues to suffer a a year after Operation Cast Lead. The Israeli government, while using propaganda to deny the facts, continues to besiege the Palestinian population through collective punishment. The price of the siege of Gaza and the illegal occupation of the territories is one that provokes violence, extremism, and retaliation while Israel continues to be cruelly repressive. Because of this, Palestinians will continue to suffer far more than Israelis, and Israel itself become more cocooned and devoid of any moral authority. Even if Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs cannot live easily together, they should at least have the opportunity to live in two independent and viable states without permanent militarisation.
Larry Stillman, Steve Brook, Les Rosenblatt Australian Jewish Democratic Society, VIC

The only sensible part of the letter is the concluding sentence. The rest reads so much like it comes straight out of the Hamas handbook that it's hard not to envisage the trio as anything else but a bunch of Hamas stooges. Messrs. Stillman, Brook and Rosenblatt write as if Gaza is run by democrats rather than the thugs who rained thousands of missiles down on innocent Israeli civilians and traumatised the population of Sderot for several years.

They sound as if they expect Israel to do nothing to protect their civilians in those circumstances and then talk of the Israeli "siege" as provoking violence and extremism as if there was no Palestinian violence and extremism coming out of Gaza before Operation Cast Lead.

The path to peace in the region depends largely on the fostering of a peaceful democratic Palestinian leadership and not in throwing your lot in with fascist Jew-hating thugs and their supporters. How on earth did the word "Democratic" creep into the organisation that these idiots represent and by what right to they purport to talk about "moral authority"?

THE AGE AND THE MUDDLE EASTERN MUDDLE

The fact that we stand at the beginning of a new decade hasn't stopped the Melbourne Age from carrying on its tradition of presenting muddle headed opinions on the conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbours.

Firstly, in an opinion piece entitled "Ballot box or bust", Saudia Arabian anthropologist Mai Yamani claims that although 2009 "was the year that democracy appeared to take root in the Middle East", the "region continues to have the highest concentration of dictatorships in the world — and the future looks as bleak as ever."

She kicks off with the Palestinian territories where:

Gaza's democratically elected Hamas government and the democratically elected president of the Palestinian Authority are locked in a seeming death grip, which has seen Gaza fall into an economic black hole and become paralysed as it also allowed space for Israeli intransigence. All the while the supposed political saviour, Marwan Barghouti, sits in an Israeli prison with a life sentence.

Yamani conveniently forgets that the so-called "democratically elected" Hamas government holds exclusive power in Gaza as a result of a putsch which removed any semblance of power once held there by the so-called "democratically elected" PA president. One of the methods used by the Hamas "democrats" to achieve this absolute power in Gaza was to throw its opponents off very tall buildings. During the 2008/9 war with Israel they took the opportunity to murder about 100 of their Fatah opponents and more recently they flexed their muscle against another opposition group by blowing the living daylights out of its mosque and butchering thirty of those gathered inside. These things don't seem to bother the world's human rights industry which also doesn't care much about the fact that Hamas openly advocates genocide. How many democracies does Yamani know that hold kidnapped soldiers hostage? Other than the democratically elected Hamas, none comes intantly to mind.

As for the PA, it maintains its hold on the West Bank with strong arm tactics against any opposition over there. And Yamani forgets to mention that elections are due right about now but nobody seems to have started campaigningin either the West Bank or Gaza for that matter. The PA hasn't bothered to call the elections and neither Hamas nor Fatah are in a hurry to contest them.

My theory is that all this is due to the fact that Jimmy Carter isn't available to observe the election process. Could it be that the peanut farmer who wants to apologise for offending his last remaining Jewish friend has lost his appetite for mooching about Ramallah while dead voters cast multiple votes right under his nose. Many claim this practice is common to most Middle East elections - excluding those held in Israel.

Speaking of Israel, it's strange how Yamani fails to recognise the only true, vibrant democracy in that part of the world. She mentions Israel only to define it by its supposed "intransigence". On the other hand, I happen to read the Israeli media on a daily basis and not a single day goes by without at least one Israeli leader calling for the Palestinians to return to the peace table without preconditions. And on a daily basis, the PA refuses to accept the offer (for some unkown reason the story keeps on escaping the Age Jerusalem bureau chief). Yet Yamani can only bring herself to write about Israeli "intransigence" - go figure?

Then there's the "political saviour" Marwan Barghouti sitting in an Israeli prison with a life sentence. Yamani writes as if Barghouti is there because he overlooked a parking fine so let's put his imprisonment in its context which is something rare in Yamani's piece.

Marwan Barghouti sits in prison because he's a killer who was found guilty after a fair trial in a democratic country of multiple cold blooded murders of civilians including that of a Greek monk. It seems that Yamni considers the way to show our democratic tendencies is by releasing every Hannibal Lechter who sits in our prisons, a suggestion that would no doubt please relatives of our Port Arthur victims immensely, not to mention our friends in the human rights industry.

As if Yamani wasn't enough, the letters section brought out this absolute doosie from a resident of our own capital territory:-

Food for thought

WHILE I appreciate Will Schmidt's concerns (Letters, 31/12) I can't help but look at two vouchers I received for Christmas. One was for chooks, but they came with food. The other was for vegetable seeds. I imagine the chook poo could fertilise the ground the vegies grow in while discards from the vegies could be used to feed the chooks — a lovely micro-cycle.

I'm equally chuffed by another present — a street named after me in the West Bank. The money raised by street namings provides education and health care for Palestinian kids. More importantly, I think it provides hope. I suggest that a more nuanced approach is needed, rather than deeming all institutionalised development aid as negative.

Wendy Akers, Pearce, ACT

What a piece of chicken shit! Assuming she's not the victim of one of the many flim flam scans that abound in this part of the world (and that's a very brave assumption), can you imagine Wendy Akers Avenue in Nablus at the point where it intersects with Sirhan Sirhan Street? The latter was named by the Palestine Authority after a terrorist who infiltrated an Israeli kibbutz inside the green line and massacred five people including a mother and her two young children. Akers is in good company.

Meanwhile, the West Bank economy currently is experiencing one of the world's largest growth rates thanks to Israeli co-operation and international donations with almost no thanks to the Arab world including Yamani's home country of Saudi Arabia which is neither democratic, nor an observer of human rights.

MALCOLM AND MASS MURDERERS

The Melbourne Herald Sun reports today in Pol Pot recognised to appease China that cabinet papers for 1979 now released after 30 years that Malcolm Fraser continued to recognise the murderous Pol Pot regime as the legitimate ruler of Cambodia for more than two years despite its gross violation of human rights.

The leopard in this case has failed to change its spots. These days, Fraser goes around arguing that the world should open relations with Hamas despite its professed and open policy aims of destroying Israel and killing Jews.

What an arrogant pathetic excuse for a humn being.

Zionism does not equal racism - anti-Zionism does

Jerusalem Post guest blogger Ariel Rodal has hit the nail on the head with Zionism does not equal racism - anti-Zionism does:

Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own sovereign state on some part of their historic homeland. Zionism comprises a belief that Jews are a nation, and as such are entitled to the same self-determination that all other nations are. To oppose Zionism is to refuse to accept its political manifestation, Israel, as a legitimate entity. Anti-Zionism denies the Jewish people what it readily bestows other nations (most emphatically to the Palestinians) - the right to nationhood, self-determination and legitimate coexistence with other members of the family of nations. This is inherently anti-Semitic.

AN OPEN LETTER TO JIMMY CARTER

Andrea Levin of Camera responds to Jimmy Carter's attempt to apologise "for any words or deeds that may have upset the Jewish community". Carter said he was offering an Al Het, a prayer said on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement which signifies a plea for forgiveness. This is a response from Andrea Levin Executive Director of CAMERA

Dear President Carter:

We at CAMERA have been outspoken in our criticism of the many factual errors and distortions about Israel in your book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, as well as in various Op-Eds and media appearances. We've been greatly concerned that false allegations you've made damage Israel, promoting misunderstanding, enmity and prejudice against that nation and its people.

It is against this backdrop that we sincerely welcome your recent letter to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in which you ask forgiveness from the Jewish community for statements that may have stigmatized Israel. As you may know, in Judaism the process of repentance also entails action to reverse any harm caused.

In this spirit, we urge you to join your promising words with concrete actions to redress troubling false statements you have made only recently about the Jewish state. In a Nov. 6, 2009 Op-Ed in the International Herald Tribune entitled "Goldstone and Gaza" you made false and exaggerated charges concerning the UN's Goldstone report on the Gaza conflict. You referred erroneously to the "destruction" of 40,000 homes in Gaza and claimed "several hundred thousand homeless people suffered through last winter." You refer to the "destruction of hospitals" and claim the Gaza Strip is "surrounded by an impenetrable wall." You claim "the Goldstone committee examined closely the cause of deaths of 1,387 Palestinians who perished. . . "

All these statements are factually false and contribute to inflaming negative perceptions of Israel. Efforts to redress the errors via communication with IHT editors failed with their saying you have refused to correct the false statements. We do hope you'll set the record straight and affirm your commitment to undo any wrongful stigmatizing of Israel. Below is the factual detail corroborating our concerns

about the errors made:

• Israel did not destroy 40,000 Palestinian homes.

Al Mazen Center for Human Rights, a pro-Palestinian NGO, recently issued a report called "Cast Lead Offensive in Numbers" in which it found that 2,632 houses were destroyed beyond repair and 8,522 were assessed as repairable. The latest UN figures are 3,600 homes beyond repair and 2,700 homes that sustained major damages. The Goldstone Report provides additional sources including the Palestinian NGO, Al-Dameer-Gaza, that cites 2,011 civilian and cultural premises as destroyed, of which 1,404 were houses that were completely demolished and 453 partially destroyed or damaged. Even the Arab League's report on Cast Lead states: "Over 3,000 homes were destroyed and over 11,000 damaged." There is no credible report that comes near your charges.

•There was no "destruction of hospitals."

Along with the World Health Organization and the Arab League, other international and Palestinian sources confirm that while there were hospitals damaged in the Gaza Strip, none were destroyed. The January 22-23 report by the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that four days after the cease-fire, hospitals were running at full capacity to treat the wounded. The report states:

Hospitals continue to function at full capacity as many injured patients remain hospitalized, with the result that hospitals have been unable to resume regular services such as elective surgery. Post-surgical physiotherapy is provided in Shifa hospital. Most repair work to the Al Quds Hospital in Gaza City, which was shelled on 15 January, has been completed and the facility is now functioning again.

• "Several hundred thousand" people were not made homeless, spending the winter in tents and caves and under plastic sheets.

A January 21-27, 2009 report by the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of

Humanitarian Affairs, issued just days after the end of the Gaza fighting found that

"Tens of thousands of Gazans remain homeless, with most staying with relatives or other host families." A Jan. 16-20, 2009 report, also by OCHA, stated: "As of late 20 January, 18,035 people remained in 30 shelters, down from 29,421 people on 19 January." Thus, the U.N.'s figure for those displaced last winter is one-tenth or less of the number you posit. Of those displaced, most stayed with relatives and not in tents, caves or plastic sheets.

• Gaza is not "surrounded by an impenetrable wall."

While a concrete and steel wall does separate Gaza from Egypt, a fence made of metal wire, posts and sensors separates Israel from the Gaza Strip. The fence has been penetrated many times, including when Palestinian gunmen crossed into Israel and kidnapped Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit and killed two of his comrades.

• The Goldstone Report did not examine "closely the cause of deaths of 1,387 Palestinians."

The report identified by name only a small fraction of the 1,387 reported fatalities, and certainly did not "closely" examine the "cause of deaths" of that total. Again, we hope your conciliatory words are indicative of a true change of heart in which Israel is no longer subjected to unwarranted and false criticism. We urge you to take the concrete step of correcting the wrong and distorted statements about Israel in your recent column in the IHT.

Thank you for considering this request and, perhaps, setting the stage for a new beginning.

Andrea Levin

Hubs of delegitimization

This fascinating Jerusalem Post article "Hubs of deligitimization" by Amir Mizroch sums up the "new battlefield" into which Israel has been thown by malevolent groups bent on attacking Israel's very legitimacy. The groups include Muslim and anti-Zionist Jewish organisations and their message is not unlike the classic anti-Semitic mantras starting with accusations of poisoning the wells. This time however, the target is the Jewish State rather than individual Jews but the rest has a familiar tone.

CROSSWORD

The Sunday Age has a giant crossword puzzle and one of today's questions/clues was:

Which strip of Palestine is under Israeli rule?

My son who is a genius at crosswords figured out that the the answer was "G _ Z _" but had trouble beyond that because, since 2005, when they moved out lock, stock and barrel, the Israelis haven't ruled in Gaza. For the most part, the place is ruled by a bunch of thugs from Hamas but don't tell the boffins at the Age.

Kosher Face

BREAK

I've taken a bit of a break due to illness.

Don't tell anyone but I believe it was swine flu (which will probably limit my chances of visiting Saudi Arabia any time soon).

Anyhow, will be back from time to time till after New Year and then I'm back with a vengance.

LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS JOINS INTIFADA AGAINST THE JEWS

Recently, "a disturbing though unsurprising motion came before the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Students’ Union. The motion proposed the LSE SU’s twinning with the Islamic University of Gaza, with “twinning” meaning anything from symbolic solidarity to sharing resources. Despite attempts by those in opposition of the motion to inform student voters about the heavily Hamas-affiliated university, the motion passed. The Union reported that the final count was in favour of the motion 161-131, with 10 abstentions."- LSE partners with Hamas University.

The Islamic University of Gaza’s Rector of Advanced Studies has said:

"The Jews are the Jews…. They do not have any moderates or any advocates of peace. They are all liars. They must be butchered and must be killed…. It is forbidden to have mercy in your hearts for the Jews in any place and in any land, make war on them anywhere that you find yourself. Any place that you meet them, kill themThe Jews are the Jews…. They do not have any moderates or any advocates of peace. They are all liars. They must be butchered and must be killed…"

Imagine if an LSE professor had said that of Palestinians or Muslims.

NOBODY HAS A PROBLEM WITH THIS?

"Egypt has begun constructing a huge metal wall along its border with the Gaza Strip as it attempts to cut smuggling tunnels, the BBC has learned" - Egyptians build steel Gaza wall.

Not built by Jews so it doesn't qualify as an apartheid wall.

A Former Islamic Terrorist Speaks

PROFESSOR ALAN DERSHOWITZ DOES A NUMBER ON THE GOLDSTONE REPORT

Alan Dershowitz Challenges the Goldstone Report

Respect, compromise only way for middle east peace

There's a great Op Ed in today's Australian by Liam Getreu, the incoming chairman of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students, Respect, compromise only way for middle east peace.

This attitude is of course, light years away from the thugs who tried to bash their way into the Australia Israel Leadership Forum dinner on Sunday night chanting "Palestine will be free, from the river to the sea" (but which Age journalist Andra Jackson, not for the first time conveniently shortened to "Free Palestine" in her piece on the rioting in yesterday's Age or perhaps she's just partly deaf in the ear that was closest to the chanting). Miles away also from the Loewenstein crowd and Australians for Palestine whose is existence is based entirely on honing its Israel bashing skills and doing nothing to help the Palestinians or bring about peace with their Jewish neighbours.

A Blank Page Experience

Tom Gross is the former Jerusalem correspondent of the Sunday Telegraph. In today's Guardian, he tells a story about how Israelis and Palestinians are building peace on the West Bank away from the interference and meddling of world powers. The picture he paints in Building peace without Obama's interference is far different from that which the Israel bashers would like us to see, not only of the West Bank but also of Gaza.

Although this article appears in the Guardian it's not what I would expect to read in the Melbourne Age while Jason Koutsoukis remains under the influence of the so-called "Peace Now" crowd in Israel. We read nothing in that newspaper of the growing prosperity in the West Bank.

Nor do we see images such as the one above which is one of many from Gaza depicted on the PalToday website that carry captions reading "Despite the blockade, Gazans go shopping for clothes for their children" and "Making cakes and buying sweets in preparation for the feast".

The Age and many others are either happy for their readers to believe that the Gazans are living in poverty and deprivation as a result of the "evil" Israeli blockade or totally ignorant of the true facts on the ground. Makes you wonder whether it's worth paying good money to have journalists swanning around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and where they get their ideas from.

IF NOT WHY NOT?

The usual suspects from the Bash Israel lobby must have been rubbing its hands with glee when it discovered that frequent Israel critic Rabbi Michael Lerner was heading towards our shores.
Lerner, who has been critical of Israeli policies in the past, has been used by this crowd to push their cause of dehumanising and deligitimising the Jewish State at every opportunity.

Of course, the Loewenstein camp and the oddly named Australians for Palestine (oddly named because they exist only to denigrate the Jewish State and are, in fact, more dangerous to the Palestinians than the Israelis) have actually been exposed by Rabbi Lerner who preached a different message to theirs during his visit.

You see, Lerner says:

'The first step towards peace is for both sides to stop saying 'We're the innocent victims and the other guys are evil' - which is the discourse which predominates both in the Arab world and the Jewish world. We have to transcend the blame game and move to a discourse of mutual compassion'."

This was like waving a red rag to bulls like the blogger who runs Middle East Reality Check (MERC).

Middle East Reality Check is a misnomer if there ever was one because a cursory examination of the blog only demonstrates that its author is far removed from reality.

Of Lerner, MERC goes straight into attack mode and questions his consistency (Lerner was at the forefront of the anti Vietnam movement in the 60s.

One should ask how on earth MERC thinks peace can be achieved between Israel and the Palestinians? By the annihilation of the entire Israeli population as advocated by MERC's mates in Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups?

If not, why not? Because the NLF never had a written down aim to destroy the United States or to exterminated its entire population. That's why not.

Getting away with murder

Marwan Barghouti is a dirty piece of work. He has been convicted for his role in five murder cases where the victims were civilians, one of them a Greek monk. He is suspected of having a role in 21 other murders but in the Post-Goldstone world, he is seen as a leader of the Palestinian people - Palestinian murderer seen as a peacemaker.

Some people truly suck and Barghouti and his followers are among them.

LETTER OF THE WEEK

I'm not a supporter of the Swiss proposal to ban minarets although they might want to scrutinise more closely what sometimes goes on under them. However, I like this letter in today's Melbourne Age to a letter which appeared earlier from a couple of AJDS identities:-

Furthermore

BEFORE Steve Brook and Tom Walkenberg get on their high horse over the Swiss referendum banning minarets (Letters, 2/12), they might like to consider trying to erect the cross of Jesus or the Star of David in Saudi Arabia.

David Rosner, South Yarra

THE JEWS DONE IT, THAT'S WHO

Political instability in Honduras?

The Jews get the blame again. Pardon me while I adjust my horns.

ANTONY's XMAS GIFT

Gnome Chomsky

UN CARTOON

JAI, presented by the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF)

What Does "Pro-Palestinian" Really Mean?

Palestinian journalist Khaled Abu Toameh is a voice in the wilderness. Here, he puts to the sword the usual suspects who incite hatred against Israel and believe they are aiding the Palestinians:

The Palestinians do not need students and professors on university campuses to tell them that Israel is bad. They have already had enough of this incitement from Hamas, Fatah and other Arab media outlets and leaders.

It is time for the “pro-Palestinian” camp in the West to reconsider its policies and tactics. It is time for this camp to listen to the authentic voices of the Palestinians – those that are shouting day and night that the Palestinians want good leaders and an end to lawlessness, anarchy and financial corruption.

THE HIDDEN STORY BEHIND THOSE HAMAS ROCKET ATTACKS

The Age is presently carrying an Associated Press story which opens with the following paragraph which tells you everything you'll ever want to know about the bankrupt state of world human rights:-

HAMAS says it has reached an agreement with other militant groups in Gaza to stop firing rockets at southern Israeli towns, to prevent retaliatory attacks.

And there you have it. Thanks to the corrupt minds of once respected human rights organisations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International and those that brought you the Goldstone Report, Hamas is so emboldened as to tell the world that it is ceasing rocket attacks not because they are heinous criminal acts against a neighbouring civilian population but in order "to prevent retaliatory attacks".

Pillar of Truth

I found this here and thought it worthy of sharing with you.

Pilar Rahola is a Spanish politician, journalist and activist. She is a passionate defender of the United States and Israel and an indefatigable fighter against anti-Semitism. All these despite being ideologically from the left. Her articles are published in Spain and throughout some of the most important newspapers in Latin America. She is the recipient of major awards by Jewish organizations.

Why don't we see demonstrations against Islamic dictatorships in London, Paris, Barcelona? Or demonstrations against the Burmese dictatorship? Why aren't there demonstrations against the enslavement of millions of women who live without any legal protection? Why aren't there demonstrations against the use of children as human bombs where there is conflict with Islam? Why has there been no leadership in support of the victims of Islamic dictatorship in Sudan? Why is there never any outrage against the acts of terrorism committed against Israel? Why is there no outcry by the European left against Islamic fanaticism? Why don't they defend Israel's right to exist? Why confuse support of the Palestinian cause with the defense of Palestinian terrorism? And finally, the million dollar question:Why is the left in Europe and around the world obsessed with the two most solid democracies, the United States and Israel, and not with the worst dictatorships on the planet? The two most solid democracies, who have suffered the bloodiest attacks of terrorism, and the left doesn't care.

And then, to the concept of freedom. In every pro Palestinian European forum I hear the left yelling with fervor: "We want freedom for the people!" Not true. They are never concerned with freedom for the people of Syria or Yemen or Iran or Sudan, or other such nations. And they are never preoccupied when Hammas destroys freedom for the Palestinians. They are only concerned with using the concept of Palestinian freedom as a weapon against Israeli freedom. The resulting consequence of these ideological pathologies is the manipulation of the press.

The international press does major damage when reporting on the question of the Israeli-Palestinian issue. On this topic they don't inform, they propagandize. When reporting about Israel the majority of journalists forget the reporter code of ethics. And so, any Israeli act of self-defense becomes a massacre, and any confrontation, genocide. So many stupid things have been written about Israel, that there aren't any accusations left to level against her. At the same time, this press never discusses Syrian and Iranian interference in propagating violence against Israel; the indoctrination of children and the corruption of the Palestinians. And when reporting about victims, every Palestinian casualty is reported as tragedy and every Israeli victim is camouflaged, hidden or reported about with disdain.

And let me add on the topic of the Spanish left. Many are the examples that illustrate the anti-Americanism and anti-Israeli sentiments that define the Spanish left. For example, one of the leftist parties in Spain has just expelled one of its members for creating a pro-Israel website. I quote from the expulsion document: "Our friends are the people of Iran, Libya and Venezuela, oppressed by imperialism, and not a Nazi state like Israel."

In another example, the socialist mayor of Campozuelos changed Shoah Day, commemorating the victims of the Holocaust, with Palestinian Nabka Day, which mourns the establishment of the State of Israel, thus showing contempt for the six million European Jews murdered in the Holocaust. Or in my native city of Barcelona, the city council decided to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the creation of the State of Israel, by having a week of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Thus, they invited Leila Khaled, a noted terrorist from the 70's and current leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a terrorist organization so described by the European Union, which promotes the use of bombs against Israel. And so on and so on.

This politically correct way of thinking has even polluted the speeches of president Zapatero. His foreign policy falls within the lunatic left, and on issues of the Middle East he is unequivocally pro Arab. I can assure you that in private, Zapatero places on Israel the blame for the conflict in the Middle East, and the policies of foreign minister Moratinos reflect this. The fact that Zapatero chose to wear a kafiah in the midst of the Lebanon conflict is no coincidence; it's a symbol.

Spain has suffered the worst terrorist attack in Europe and it is in the crosshairs of every Islamic terrorist organization. As I wrote before, they kill us will cell phones hooked to satellites connected to the Middle Ages. An yet the Spanish left is the most anti Israeli in the world.

And then it says it is anti Israeli because of solidarity. This is the madness I want to denounce in this conference.

Conclusion:

I am not Jewish. Ideologically I am left and by profession a journalist. Why am I not as anti Israeli as my colleagues? Because as a non-Jew I have the historical responsibility to fight against Jewish hatred and currently against the hatred for their historic homeland, Israel. To fight against anti-Semitism is not the duty of the Jews, it is the duty of the non-Jews.

As a journalist it is my duty to search for the truth beyond prejudice, lies and manipulations. The truth about Israel is not told. As a person from the left who loves progress, I am obligated to defend liberty, culture, civic education for children, coexistence and the laws that the Tablets of the Covenant made into universal principles. Principles that Islamic fundamentalism systematically destroys. That is to say that as a non-Jew, journalist and lefty I have a triple moral duty with Israel, because if Israel is destroyed, liberty, modernity and culture will be destroyed too.

The struggle of Israel, even if the world doesn't want to accept it, is the struggle of the world.

Israel deserves respect in global forums

Barry Cohen was a minister in the Hawke Labor government. In today's Australian, he argues wery effectively that Israel deserves respect in global forums.

OF ALL THE LOBBIES IN THE WORLD ONLY ONE ...

In Another Vast Conspiracy, Robin Shepherd provides a small selection of events that took place in Britain since the end of Israel's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza earlier this year:-

The government has imposed a partial arms embargo on Israel and failed to vote against the Goldstone report in the U.N . The charities War on Want and Amnesty International U.K. have both promoted a book by the anti-Israeli firebrand Ben White, tellingly called "Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner's Guide." The Trades Union Congress at its annual conference has called for boycotts of Israeli products as well as a total arms embargo.

In the media, the Guardian newspaper has stepped up its already obsessive campaign against the Jewish state to the extent that the paper's flagship Comment is Free Web site frequently features two anti-Israeli polemics on one and the same day. The BBC continues to use its enormous influence over British public opinion to whitewash anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial in the Middle East. Its Web site, for example, features a profile of Hamas that makes no mention of the group's virulent hatred of Jews or its adherence to a "Protocols of Zion"-style belief in world-wide Jewish conspiracies.

Yet, despite all that "the British media and political establishment is apparently cowering under the sway of a secretive cabal of Zionist lobbyists who have all but extinguished critical opinions of Israel from the public domain."

How does that work?

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD READER JUSTIFIES MURDERERS

A reasonable attempt to produce a balanced opinion piece (albeit that it contained some errors) on the Goldstone Report in the Sydney Morning Herald has been trashed by hate peddlars in its comments column. You can read them yourself at the end of Israel feels tarnished as critics apply apartheid tag.

Compounding the hartred was this letter

Context would give a more balanced view

November 18, 2009

Peter Hartcher's reflection on the Goldstone report fails on a number of counts (''Israel feels tarnished as critics apply apartheid tag'', November 17).

Hartcher repeats the spin of the Israeli Government that vilifies the United Nations, calling it an "international resolution factory". Second, he fails to give any context for why the rockets were fired. He does not mention the decades-long struggle of the Palestinian people; the thousands of Palestinians in Israeli jails or who have lost loved ones due to 60 years of war; or the lack of resolution for the refugees of the 1948 and 1967 wars.

Hartcher fails to acknowledge Richard Goldstone's personal journey of discovery during his fact-finding mission. Goldstone cannot be faulted for his unquestioning support for Israel's security and legitimate right (and moral obligation) to self-defence.

But by visiting Gaza and interviewing Israelis by phone and in Geneva (he was denied permission to enter Israel) he concluded each of the 36 incidents they identified demanded formal investigation by Israel and Hamas.

They included an attack on a mosque that killed 21 people, the demolition of the American School in Gaza (a centre of anti-Hamas teaching) and the attack on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency with white phosphorus. He concluded that the collective punishment of Palestinians by bulldozing greenhouses, farms and destroying sewage treatment works had no military advantage - it was purely punitive.

Hartcher also misrepresents Izzat Abdulhadi, the head of the Palestinian delegation to Australia. Such was my disbelief at what Hartcher said that I called the Palestinian delegation to find out for myself. Mr Abdulhadi told me the Palestinian delegation was disappointed with Australia's stance on Israel and its rejection of the Goldstone report (not satisfied, as Hartcher says).

Let's hope Herald journalists can go on trips to Gaza and the West Bank as well as Israel in future, to help present a balanced perspective of this conflict.

Stewart Mills
Balmain

Apart from being a mischievous peddler of untruths, this cold hearted bastard found a way to justify the firing of rockets at schools and kindergartens - at children in the context of a letter purportedly about human rights.

How low can you get?

THE HAMAS ONE STATE SOLUTION

Hamas has rejected the Palestinian Authority's decision to unilaterally declare a state in the West Bank and Gaza and says it should take over all of Israel - Hamas: Declare Palestinian state from sea to river but don't expect this to be announced in your local broadsheet any time soon.

Letter to the Times

Dear Mr. Clark Hoyt, Public Editor of The New York Times,

I write in connection to a series of articles published in The New York Times in recent weeks regarding the Report of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, colloquially referred to as the GoldstoneReport. I am deeply concerned by the subjective and often damning language that The New York Times uses towards Israel as it fails to accurately reflectthe nature and scope of the report.

Over and over, The New York Times’ articles on this matter employ languagethat easily leads the reader to believe that the Goldstone Report foundconclusive evidence that Israel committed war crimes. In Neil MacFarquhar’s“U.N. Council Endorses Gaza Report” (Oct. 16), the article statesthat the Goldstone Report “details evidence of war crimes committed by the Israeli Army...” In Sharon Otterman’s “Gaza Report Author Asks U.S. to Clarify Concerns” (Oct. 22), the Goldstone Report is describedas having “found evidence of war crimes committed by Israel...” In yetanother example --MacFarquhar and Otterman’s “Palestinians, in Reversal, Press U.N. Gaza Report” (Oct. 14) -- the Goldstone Report is once againdescribed as having “found evidence of Israeli war crimes...” These articles reflect only a sample of the many that discuss Israel vis-à-visthe Goldstone Report in conclusive and condemnatory terms.

In stark contrast, a Reuters article carried by The New York Times on Oct. 14,“Israel Urged to Investigate Gaza War Crimes Charges,” describes theGoldstone Report as reflecting “U.N. allegations of possible war crimes.”The description offered by the Reuters piece is a critical component of anyfactually accurate discussion of the Goldstone Report. In sharp contrast,the aforementioned Times articles fail to reflect this vital distinctionas readers will falsely assume that the Goldstone Report found conclusiveevidence of Israeli war crimes.I wish to reiterate Israel’s position that the Goldstone Report is deeply flawed and one-sided as it offers legitimacy to Hamas terrorism and its deliberate strategy to launch attacks, store weapons and use as shieldsthe civilian population and infrastructure of Gaza. At the same time, the report’s mandate predetermined its findings that wrongly condemned Israel’s legitimate exercise of its right to self-defense. The tendency of The New York Times to gloss over such realities must be rectified andI sincerely hope that paper will use accurate and appropriate language toensure that its coverage of the Goldstone Report and the wide Middle Eastis fair and honest.

I remain at your disposal if you would like to further discuss this matter.

Yours truly,

Mirit Cohen, Spokesperson, Permanent Mission of Israel to the UN

THE ENEMY WITHIN

There's an excellent little piece in the Australian by academics Philip Mendes and Nick Dyrenfurth entitled "The Enemy Within". It looks at how the Far Left hijacked the Palestinian cause and now serves the fundamentalists dedicated to preventing a peaceful two state solution.

"The higher the tide of violence perpetrated by the Palestinians, the greater the fury and blame directed at the Israeli victims. The March 2002 attacks provoked the Israeli invasion of the leading West Bank cities in an attempt to destroy the terror networks, and stop the carnage. Yet the first Australian petition for an academic boycott of Israel initiated by a small clique of Australian academics after this invasion in May 2002 was directed at the victims of terror."

Today, even as Hamas and Hizbullah continue to make warlike pronouncements their puppy dogs in the west try to project themselves as part of the peace camp. Hamas has endorsed the Goldstone Report but of course wipes its hands of the necessity to investigate the meagre allegations against it that it committed war crimes (Goldstone turned a blind eye to most of Hamas' war crimes but in an attempt to appear even handed or to salve his conscience he threw in a couple), the likes of Pilger win "peace prizes".

Ridiculous, isn't it.

A billboard in Ramallah

Never trust anything you read on an advertising billboard - especially if you see it in Ramallah in the West Bank.

The one depicted above which has been placed in Ramallah and Al Bireh apparently suggests that an Israeli businessman has been offered half of the shares in Al Jazeera. The media outlet's chief editor has slammed the billboards claiming that it's all "lies and nonsense". Which just about sums up 50% of the rubbish that comes from Al Jazeera so I suppose everybody's even.

ISRAEL’S JERUSALEM QUARTET

As I understand it, the visit by Israel's Jerusalem Quartet is a raging success despite attempts by hatemongers such as the Australians for Palestine to organise a boycott. Strange people these AFP folk. They have no problems arguing that people should speak to vicious murdering, genocidal thugs such as Hamas but they want to boycott musicians.

The remaining concerts are at Brisbane's Conservatorium Theatre (Wed 11 Nov at 7:00pm), Adelaide's Town Hall (Fri 13 Nov at 8:00pm), Sydney's City Recital Hall Angel Place (Sat 14 Nov at 8:00pm), Hobart Town Hall (Sat 16 Nov at 8:00pm) Canberra's Llewellyn Hall (Thurs 19 Nov at 7:00pm) and Melbourne's Recital Centre (Tue 17 Nov at 7:00pm and Sat 21 Nov at 8:00pm).

I'm not into their music to tell the truth but I'm going to show my solidarity with these musicians. Australians must not allow these thugs and bullies who stand against peaceful co-existence to triumph.

Calling Sir. Richard Goldstone

Calling Sir. Richard Goldstone.

Your bosses at the the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Conference have another job for you.

This woman (The mother who brought down the Fort Hood killer) must be brought before a war crimes tribunal for depriving Major Nidal Malik Hasan of his basic human right to have a fair trial (I know he's not dead yet but what sort of a fair trial would he get from the infidels anyway)?

Where is the justice?

PS: If Goldstone's not available, there are many other impartial people who can do the job - peace prize winer, John Pilger perhaps?

The Goldstone Illusion

If you read nothing else on the notorious Goldston Report, then read this article by Moshe Halbertal in The New Republic ...

The Goldstone Illusion - What the U.N. report gets wrong about Gaza--and war

LIES THE SYRIANS, IRANIANS THEIR FRIENDS TELL US

That boatload of weaponry captured by the Israelis in the Mediterranean Sea from Egypt with Iranian State controlled logos on its cargo was really Syrian product headed for Iran lied Syria's Foreign Minister, Walid Muallem - Syria and Iran deny weapons smuggling claim. The good minister just can't explain why on earth a boat delivering material from Syria to Iran would be located in the Mediterrean heading in a direction away from the Suez Canal. That's because he's telling a porky.

In the same article by the Australian's Middle East correspondent John Lyons, Palestinan negotiator Saeb Erekat, who once looked straight at a BBC World news camera and lied that "thousands of Palestinians were massacred in Jenin", told another whopper and that is that the PA is thinking of discarding the two-state solution in favour of a one-state solution.

As if his PA ever supported a two-state solution in the form in which it was intended from UN General Assembly Resolution 181 of November 1947 to Oslo to the present day. The 1947 resolution specified a Jewish State and an Arab State and yet, the PA has steadfastly refused to recognise Israel as a Jewish State.

LIES THE UN TELLS US

According to UN News Centre the "General Assembly today endorsed the report of the United Nations investigation which found that both Israeli forces and Palestinian militants were guilty of serious human rights violations during the conflict in the Gaza Strip at the start of the year."

But how is this possible when the leader of the mission that carried out the investigation and the author of the very same report Sir Richard Goldstone recently told the Jewish Daily Forward that "If This Was a Court Of Law, There Would Have Been Nothing Proven."

How is this so Sir Richard?

Palestinian Authority calls Clinton a corrupt liar

At some stage in the not too distant future there's supposed to be an election in Palestine. According to some, it's due to happen in January, 2010 but don't hold your breath.

An election in Palestine usually means some sort of debate on the issue of making peace with Israel and establishing an independent Palestinian nation and which ends in an exhibition of mud slinging against Israel and the United States by all sides of the Palestinian political sphere because it's important to demonstrate to the Palestinian street that the other side is softer than theirs.

Judging from this offering from the official Palestinian Authority daily accusing US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of taking bribes from Israel and wallowing in "a swamp of lies," the election campaign has begun - Palestinian Authority calls Clinton a corrupt liar.

Israel: Leader of Business Innovation

Israeli-Arab event in UK cancelled

There is no shortage of people wanting to sabotage genuine efforts to bring about peace and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians - Israeli-Arab event in UK cancelled.

In Israel if you want to do something with Palestinians you can do it, but if you are in the Palestinian community, even in London, pressure is put on you not to do it. I want to believe there are people on the Palestinian side who want to have normal relations with Jews and Israelis. There are, but they are pressured not to. We want to support the message that it is possible to do things together.