WHO SAYS ABBAS CAN'T COMPROMISE?

Thanks to Elder of Ziyon for WHO SAYS ABBAS CAN'T COMPROMISE?

The Elder points out the while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has reiterated his rejection of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s stipulations for a two-state solution, "no one will call him a 'hardliner' or a 'rejectionist' or a 'hawk' or any of the other pejorative terms that the media loves to give Likud leaders."

Furthermore, Abbas is going to great lengths to point out in Arabic that he's willing to do anything possible for peace - with Hamas terrorists.

The media will apply the cone of silence to that one as well.

DUMB AS ...

CONNEX IS DUMPED

4 months of campaigning and 100,000 pamphlets distributed

Melbourne’s Herald-Sun used our campaign word “DUMP” to headline the end of Connex operating Melbourne’s train system.

"In a major shock, both Connex and Yarra Trams were stripped of their contracts" in favour of the French group Keolis to run Melbourne’s trams and Hong Kong’s MTR to run the trains.

Thank you to all who believed it could happen and boycotted

FREE PALESTINE

Women for Palestine is one the organisations that have been pestering rail commuters with their stupid pamphlets calling for a boycott of Connex because of some sort of association that company had with Israel.

Above is a form of their press release entitled "Connex is dumped" in which the message they're trying to get across to the media is that they had something to do with the dumping.

The truth is that Connex was "dumped" because it failed to comply with the agreement it had with our state government in Victoria and had nothing whatsoever to do with Free Palestine unless these people are suggesting that their pamphleteers pestered the commuting public to such an extent that they caused the trains to constantly run late (they're stupid enough to believe this?). In any event, I suspect Connex is happy that the relationship is over and couldn't give a damn about a few unwashed clowns parading outside the underground sections connecting the railway to the streets of Melbourne.

It can however, be said without a shadow of doubt that most of the hundred thousand pamphlets got dumped - in bins around the Flinders Street railway station which is where they belonged. Sadly, the Greens aren't taking issue at the wanton destruction of trees by these idiots!

Like thousands of commuters who ignored their propaganda I did boycott Free Palestine (which really stands for "Free Palestine from the River to the Sea" as enunciated by their supporters at a recent rally).

I therefore accept their thanks.

Iranian dissidents ask for Israeli help

From the internet:-

A heartfelt cry from the Iranian dissident movement, asking for help. Sure no Israeli forgets the friendly people of Iran from the old days, though that is hard to reconcile with the crowds screaming death to Israel. If there was a way to help, surely Israel would do so. But if the jamming is being done by Nokia and Siemens, then the remedy is to address Nokia and Siemens and to start pressure for an international boycott of firms that interfere with communications in service of tyrannical regimes, whether it is Internet or Radio, whether it is Iran or China.

Good communications would not, of course, be enough to topple the government. Still, the courage of Iranian dissidents has amazed the world. Arabs ask why there are no such revolutions in their countries. The answer is simple: It takes a lot of guts for masses of people to stand up to armed thugs.

Iranian Dissident: Dear Israeli Brothers and Sisters - Help Us!

"Dear Israeli Brothers and Sisters," writes Iranian dissident Arash Irandoost, "Iran needs your help more than ever now. And we will be eternally grateful. Please help opposition television and radio stations which are blocked and being jammed by the Islamic Republic (Nokia and Siemens) resume broadcast to Iran. There is a total media blackout and Iranians inside Iran for the most part are not aware of their brave brothers and sisters fighting and losing their lives daily. And the unjust treatment and brutal massacre of the brave Iranians in the hands of the mullah's paid terrorist Hamas and Hizbullah gangs are not seen by the majority of the Iranians. Please help in any way you can to allow these stations resume broadcasting to Iran.

"And, please remember that we will remember, as you have remembered Cyrus the Great's treatment of you in your time of need," Irandoost concludes, signing his blogged call for help "Your Iranian Brothers and Sisters!"

In an interview with Israel National News, Iranian expatriate pro-democracy activist Amil Imani said that Irandoost's message represents the sentiments of much of the youth in the streets in Iran. They have a strong belief in the technological know-how of the Israelis to overcome the Iranian regime's attempts to block communications.

"This is going to be the most massive, impressive revolution of the 21st century," Imani said, "and we're seeing it live." However, he added, it is now too dependent on Internet communications, so the protesters are very much in need of outside assistance to fight the technological and information war.

More generally, Imani said, the Iranian people are lionizing any leader of any nation who comes out strongly against the Islamic Republic at this time.

According to Imani, at least 500 people have been killed by Iranian government forces, with another 5,000 injured. But the hospitals are no longer safe, he added, as the gunmen from the basiji militia enter the emergency wards looking for

We will remember, as you have remembered Cyrus the Great's treatment of you in your time of need.

Wounded Protesters.

Therefore, Imani said, sympathetic doctors have taken to treating the wounded wherever they can, including in private homes.

Even outside Iran, tens of thousands of protesters are out in the streets every day, especially in the United States and Europe. Imani said he thinks the phenomenon represents unprecedented unity in the Iranian expatriate community.

As for the basijis themselves, Imani reported, many of them are Lebanese and Palestinian Authority Arabs hired by the regime to do its bidding. Iranians reportedly captured seven basijis who spoke no Persian, only Arabic. According to Imani, 10,000 more Arab hired guns arrived in Tehran to serve the mullah-led regime.

But they are not the only ones thinking about guns at this point. Some Iranian protesters, Imani reported, have taken to threatening their oppressors, "God have mercy on you if we decide to [take up] arms!"

"There is no turning back," Imani concluded.

PARANOID IN IRAN AND ELSEWHERE

Christopher Hitchins makes the point in Slate.com that the ayatollahs hold the British in just as much contempt as they do the Americans and the Jews - Persian Paranoia Iranian leaders will always believe Anglo-Saxons are plotting against them.

I have twice had the privilege of sitting, poorly shaved, on the floor and attending the Friday prayers that the Iranian theocracy sponsors each week on the campus of Tehran University. As everybody knows, this dreary, nasty ceremony is occasionally enlivened when the scrofulous preacher leads the crowd in a robotic chant of Marg Bar Amrika!—"Death to America!" As nobody will be surprised to learn, this is generally followed by a cry of Marg Bar Israel! And it's by no means unknown for the three-beat bleat of this two-minute hate to have yet a third version: Marg Bar Ingilis!

I reckon he's worng about their hatred of Jews. It transcends that of the Americans and the British. That's why the caffe latte set is yawning at the bloodshed on the streets of Tehran and brain dead letter writers from Brunswick continue to try in vain to beat up on Israel for defending its people against thugs financed, trained and armed by the very same ayatollahs.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING A BIT ...

DIFFERENT

GONE MISSING

Ben Caspit and Ben-Dror Yemini ask the question in this Op Ed column from the Hebrew language Ma'ariv newspaperof 22 June where are the protesters who routinely protest at every action taken by Israel to defend its people.

Here's an English translation [hat tip: Yaacov Lozowick's Ruminations]

Tell us, where is everyone?

Where did all the people who demonstrated against Israel's brutality in Operation Cast Lead, in the Second Lebanon War, in Operation Defensive Shield, or even in The Hague, when we were dragged there unwillingly after daring to build a separation barrier between us and the suicide bombers, disappear to? We see demonstrations here and there, but these are mainly Iranian exiles. Europe, in principle, is peaceful and calm. So is the United States. Here and there a few dozens, here and there a few hundreds. Have they evaporated because it is Tehran and not here?

All the peace-loving and justice-loving Europeans, British professors in search of freedom and equality, the friends filling the newspapers, magazines and various academic journals with various demands for boycotting Israel, defaming Zionism and blaming us and it for all the ills and woes of the world—could it be that they have taken a long summer vacation? Now of all times, when the Basij hooligans have begun to slaughter innocent civilians in the city squares of Tehran? Aren't they connected to the Internet? Don't they have YouTube? Has a terrible virus struck down their computer? Have their justice glands been removed in a complicated surgical procedure (to be re-implanted successfully for the next confrontation in Gaza)? How can it be that when a Jew kills a Muslim, the entire world boils, and when extremist Islam slaughters its citizens, whose sole sin is the aspiration to freedom, the world is silent?

Imagine that this were not happening now in Tehran, but rather here. Let's say in Nablus. Spontaneous demonstrations of Palestinians turning into an ongoing bloodbath. Border Policemen armed with knives, on motorcycles, butchering demonstrators. A young woman downed by a sniper in midday, dying before the cameras. Actually, why imagine? We can just recall what happened with the child Mohammed a-Dura. How the affair (which was very harsh, admittedly) swept the world from one end to another. The fact that a later independent investigative report raised tough questions as to the identity of the weapon from which a-Dura was shot, did not make a difference to anyone. The Zionists were to blame, and that was that.
And where are the world's leaders? Where is the wondrous rhetorical ability of Barack Obama? Where has his sublime vocabulary gone? Where is the desire, that is supposed to be built into all American presidents, to defend and act on behalf of freedom seekers around the globe? What is this stammering?

A source who is connected to the Iranian and security situation, said yesterday that if Obama had shown on the Iranian matter a quarter of the determination with which he assaulted the settlements in the territories, everything would have looked different. "The demonstrators in Iran are desperate for help," said the man, who served in very senior positions for many years, "they need to know that they have backing, that there is an entire world that supports them, but instead they see indifference. And this is happening at such a critical stage of this battle for the soul of Iran and the freedom of the Iranian people. It's sad."

Or the European Union, for example. The organization that speaks of justice and peace all year round. Why should its leaders not declare clearly that the world wants to see a democratic and free Iran, and support it unreservedly? Could it be that the tongue of too many Europeans is still connected to dark places? The pathetic excuse that such support would give Khamenei and Ahmadinejad an excuse to call the demonstrators "Western agents," does not hold water. They call them "Western agents" in any case, so what difference does it make?

To think that just six months ago, when Europe was flooded with demonstrations against Israel, leftists and Islamists raised pictures of Nasrallah, the protégé of the ayatollah regime. The fact that this was a benighted regime did not trouble them. This is madness, but it is sinking in and influencing the weary West. If there is a truly free world here, let it appear immediately! And impose sanctions, for example, on those who slaughter the members of their own people. Just as it imposed them on North Korea, or on the military regime in Burma. It is only a question of will, not of ability.


Apparently, something happens to the global adherence to justice and equality, when it comes to Iran. The oppression is overt and known. The Internet erabroadcasts everything live, and it is all for the better. Hooligans acting on behalf of the regime shoot and stab masses of demonstrators, who cry out for freedom.Is anything more needed? Apparently it is. Because it is to no avail. The West remains indifferent. Obama is polite. Why shouldn't he be, after all, he aspires to a dialogue with the ayatollahs. And that is very fine and good, the problem is that at this stage there is no dialogue, but there is death and murder on the streets.

At this stage, one must forget the rules of etiquette for a moment. The voices being heard from Obama elicit concern that we are actually dealing with a new version of Chamberlain. Being conciliatory is a positive trait, particularly when it follows the clumsy bellicosity of George Bush, but when conciliation becomes blindness, we have a problem.

The courageous voice of Angela Merkel, who issued yesterday a firm statement of support for the Iranian people and its right to freedom, is in the meantime a lone voice in the Western wilderness. It is only a shame that she has not announced an economic boycott, in light of the fact that this is the European country that is most invested in building infrastructure in Iran. She was joined by British Foreign Secretary Miliband. It is little, it is late, it is not enough. Millions of freedom seekers have taken to the streets in Iran, and the West is straddling the fence, one leg here, the other leg there.


There is a different Islam. This is already clear today. Even in Iran. There are millions of Muslims who support freedom, human rights, equality for women. These millions loathe Khamenei, Chavez and Nasrallah too. But part of the global left wing prefers the ayatollah regime over them. The main thing is for them to raise flags against Israel and America. The question is why the democrats, the liberals, and Obama, Blair and Sarkozy, are continuing to sit on the fence. This is not a fence of separation, it is a fence of shame.

JULIA GILLARD'S TRIUMPH

It's rare that one can praise the Melbourne Age but its reporting of the accolades given by Israel to Julia Gillard on her arrival in that country has been exemplary. The front page article by Jason Koutsoukis - Israel to Gillard: thanks for standing by us is something of a rarity for this newspaper. It highlights the Australian government's commitment to eradicating terrorism while, at the same time seeking to further the cause of peace and reconciliation between the Israeli and Palestinian people who have for so long been the victims of terrorism and extremism in the region.

Australians will be reading this article and noting its concluding paragraph - that "tomorrow Ms Gillard is scheduled to meet Palestinian Authority President Salam Fayyad. She will also visit a refugee camp in the West Bank." They will note that the visit organised by Australian Jewish groups is not hiding Ms. Gillard from anything and has organised her meeting with a major Palestinian leader and a visit to a refugee camp. Hopefully, she will also visit the new Hirbawi Home Center, a new shopping mall opened outside of Jenin which is a sign of the economic progress and normality that can happen if the fighting ends as has occurred in areas under PA control rather the warfare existing in Gaza under the control of the Hamas thogocracy.

This should please all except those who wanted Ms. Gillard to cancel her visit and prevent her from observing what was happening in the region. The fring coffee house set preferred her to visit only Gaza where the Hamas thugs, as with their patrons in Tehran, are in firm control of the population and constantly seek to undermine prospects for peace.

Death a Symbol of Iranian Protests

Nazila Fathi's moving account of a death in Iran.

In a Death Seen Around the World, a Symbol of Iranian Protests

A similar story even made the pages of today's Age which not long ago was in a tizz about the visit of former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami in March and about Mohammad Ahmadinejad's embarrassing appearance at Durban 2 in April.

Of course, this is not the first death caused by this murderous and tyrannical regime of Mullahs whose tentacles spread to Lebanon and Hizbullah and to Gaza and Hamas long before the streets of Tehran erupted in flames.

Strange how the streets of the west were full of crazies demonstrating in favour of the murderous proxies of the mullahs when Hamas rockets were killing Israeli men, women and children. It's a different story now that the mullahs are murdering their own people. Not a letter in the Age from one of the learned ones accusing the Tehran regime of acting like Nazis.

The streets of the west are now silent and the letter writers have run out of ink.

Dialogue a better way than slogans

This excellent article by Manny Waks - Dialogue a better way than slogans originally appeared in, of all places, the Canberra Times.

LETTER OF THE WEEK

I don't think anything could surpass the two letters from yesterday but the following letter from a Mr. Bill Anderson published in today's Sunday Age comes a close third.

I don't know if this one's been censored and the Australian doesn't have a Sunday issue so I'll assume this is the full letter and then sit back and, as surely as night follows day, wait for the inevitable responses from the usual crowd which will no doubt include many lies* about the Jewish State.

Why single out Israel?

ANTONY Lowenstein subjects us to his usual wild and vicious diatribe against Israel and adds a call for a "campaign to boycott Israel" (Letters, 14/6). Sadly, one is no longer shocked by such anti-Israel statements. Anti-Zionism has become so widespread and "politically correct" and it is so extreme and so divorced from political and historic reality that one suspects that it masks even more dangerous and more ancient hatreds.

The call for a boycott of Israel is an indictment not only of Lowenstein's political judgement — Israel is, after all, the only true democracy in the Middle East — but also of his commitment to democracy. Whatever happened to the idea that open and free debate, argument and counter-argument, are central and crucial to democratic discourse? Why would anyone call for a boycott of Israel when examples of regimes that really are awful abound? Does Lowenstein favour a boycott of China, Burma, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Iran, Sudan, Russia, North Korea?

Lowenstein would claim to be a progressive and clearly sees himself as the voice of progress. If his views do indeed represent progress and thus the future, I fear that there are dark days ahead for us all.


BILL ANDERSON, Surrey Hills

Meanwhile, I would appreciate some answers to the question I posed yesterday. This one is not going to go away.

* an example of the lies you're going to read in the response will be the ethnic cleansing lie, the apartheid lie, the settlement lie and of course the human rights abuses. Nothing in the letter will suggest that the Jewish State has a right to defend its citizens from attack by terrorist thugs bent on wiping the country off the face of the earth.

CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENCE

Pictured: Three members of the Age editorial board contemplating the vice like grip of rotten, corrupt and murderous terrorist groups like Hamas, Fatah and Islamic Jihad on Palestinian society.

On the subject of Iran and media censorship it's worth noting that the following letters appeared in both The Weekend Australian and the Age. Now, I'm only guessing here but I have a strong suspcion that the Age letters editor has (as is his/her right) censored the letter. Read on and I'll come back in the next day or so with my take on what's been happening at the Age and why the words coloured in sky blue were removed by the Age:

FROM THE AGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 20 JUNE 2009

Is he a moderate?

THE protests we are witnessing on the streets of Tehran are the outpouring of anger and frustration, especially by the educated urbanised youth, after 30 years of theocratic repression.

They also represent an internal power struggle among the ruling clerics that may eventually weaken the tight grip of the Islamist regime.

President Ahmadinejad's opponent Mousavi is more of a reformist on some local and women's issues, but as one of only four candidates selected from thousands by the regime he is unlikely to be a real international moderate. Furthermore, he was one of the instigators of the early work on Iran's nuclear weapons program, which is by far the most pressing issue that the West should be focusing on in the Middle East.

The current turmoil also questions the wisdom of President Obama's conciliatory approach to the hardline Iranian regime.

Mary Werther, Camberwell

FROM THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 20 JUNE 2009

Iran’s power struggle

THE amazing protests we are witnessing now on the streets of Tehran are the outpouring of real anger and frustration, especially by educated urbanised youth, after 30 years of theocratic repression.

They also represent an internal power struggle among the ruling clerics that may eventually weaken the tight grip of the Islamist regime.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s main opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi, is certainly more of a reformist on some local and women’s issues, but as one of only four candidates selected from thousands by the regime, he is unlikely to be a real moderate in foreign policy. Furthermore, he was one of the instigators of the early work on Iran’s nuclear weapons program, which is by far the most pressing issue that the West should be focusing on in the Middle East today.

The current turmoil questions the wisdom of President Obama’s conciliatory approach to the hard-line Iranian regime and also his attempts to artificially link rapprochement with Iran to progress on the Israel-Palestine conflict. In fact, there seems to be little sympathy for the Palestinians on the streets of Tehran, and the reported attacks on protesters by imported Hamas and Hezbollah thugs have caused additional anger.

Mary Werther Camberwell, Vic

The words "and also his attempts to artificially link rapprochement with Iran to progress on the Israel-Palestine conflict. In fact, there seems to be little sympathy for the Palestinians on the streets of Tehran, and the reported attacks on protesters by imported Hamas and Hezbollah thugs have caused additional anger" have been consigned to the blank pages.

Why?

CENSORSHIP - IRAN AND ELSEWHERE

The news from Iran is that the mullahs are doing their level best to censor the news of demonstrations against the recent elections which appear to have been nicely rigged. The mullahs are getting plenty of support from their friends at Hamas and it seems that the same censorship principles apply to that particular item of news in some areas. I wonder what the foreign news editors are doing about it?

WHY IS IRAN USING PROXIES IN IRAN TO SUPPRESS ITS DISSIDENTS?

There's no mention of them in this Age article - Reformists march as Iran steps up crackdown - but the mullah regime in Tehran is using Palestinian Hamas thugs to crush street protests - 'Hamas helping Iran crush dissent'.

All this is happening while uselful idiot Jimmy Carter is traipsing around Gaza with Hamas boss Mohammed Haniyeh and telling the world that his hosts want peace.

Meanwhile, the Age will keep news of the handiwork of the Palestinian thugs in the streets of Tehran hidden deep in the blank pages.

Why?

SILENCE

There has been criticism in some areas in recent weeks about the position of Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu's position on Barack Obama's call for a two state solution to the Israel/Arab conflict - an independent Palestinian state next to a Jewish state.

Now that Netanyahu's speech at the weekend confirmed he was willing to negotiate on this basis, what has been the reaction from the "moderate" Palestinian leadership. According to PA spokesperson Nabil Abu Rdainah, Netanyahu’s speech "torpedoes all peace initiatives in the region." Salam Fayyad, prime minister in the Western-backed government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Netanyahu's speech "dealt a new blow to efforts to salvage the peace process, and has undermined the possibility of resuming negotiations based on its terms of reference." In other words, the Palestinian leadership is not interested in a peaceful resolution that involves Israel.

The reaction of the Israel bashing crowd in the media to this development - silence.

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE

Denying Israel's right to exist is no basis for a settlement

So begins today's Australian editorial - GIVE PEACE A CHANCE. The Australian gets it but unfortunately for Israelis and Palestinians, any do not.

NOT everybody got the message in Barack Obama's Cairo speech, that Middle East peace requires compromise. The Israelis did, demonstrated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech on Sunday proposing a new peace process. In return for accepting Israel as a Jewish nation he offered the Palestinians a two-state solution. But Israel's opponents are not having any of it. The Palestinian Authority says Mr Netanyahu's speech "torpedoed"peace initiatives. This was a pointless, posturing response which reflects the mentality of those members of the Palestinian political elite who prefer nihilism to negotiation and are happier denouncing Israel than dealing with it. And it reflects the mindset of those who want Israel treated as a pariah and who attempt to intimidate any individual or organisation that accepts the Jewish state's right to exist. It is a mindset that shapes the belief that Israel is an enemy to be destroyed, held in the Hezbollah terrorist training camps in the south of Lebanon, the Fatah government offices on the West Bank and in the Hamas arsenals of the Gaza Strip. And it is a mindset which permeates perceptions of Israel adhered to by people all over theworld who want the Jewish state gone.

THE JULIA GILLARD VISIT TO ISRAEL

The Weekend Australian produced an excellent editorial about Julia Gillard's trip to Israel and the Palestine Authority which the anti-Zionist lobby is seeking to prevent: A trip worth taking.

Here are today's letters to the Australian Newspaper covering the debate about the trip:

MOST TALKED ABOUT: LEADERSHIP FORUM

THE anti-Israel bigotry to which you refer in the editorial defending Julia Gillard’s visit to Israel ("A trip worth taking”, 13-14/6) is vividly illustrated in Amnesty International’s recently released annual global report.

The survey devotes the same amount of space to criticising Israel as it does to China and Iran, and more than it allocates to Saudi Arabia, Syria, North Korea, Myanmar, Pakistan, Vietnam, Cuba and Zimbabwe.

Israel is far from perfect, but the degree of liberalism and democracy which it maintains, while living with constant threats of liquidation from its neighbours in the region, is little short of miraculous.

Bill James Bayswater, Vic

MY heart sank to its lowest level in years when I read your report of Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s plan to lead a delegation to Israel ("Gillard defiant on Israel”, 13-14/6). Then I became afflicted with all the symptoms of swine flu and nausea on reading your editorial “A trip worth taking”.

Gillard leading an an Australian Israel Leadership Forum is a betrayal of President Obama’s peace process and the ALP’s anti-racism policies.

It will further confirm to the people of Asia and Africa and Muslims all around the world that racism is found not only among some of the thugs in the streets of Melbourne and Sydney who beat up Indian students to steal their meagre wages, but also among some parliamentarians who rule this country.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, since winning the election 18 months ago, has not uttered a single word to promote peace in the Israel-Palestine conflict. In fact, Gillard supported Israel’s invasion of Gaza last January and failed to censure its use of war planes, cluster bombs and white phosphorus bombs.

These are not the signs of a peace-loving Labor government.

Bill Mathew Parkville, Vic

YOUR editorial avoided the most critical issue—how will Australia’s international relations benefit from such a demonstration of support for Israel? There are obvious advantages for Israel, but, I suggest, none for Australia. Our closest neighbours to the north, Indonesia and Malaysia, will be most unimpressed. Prime Minister Rudd’s efforts to win Australia a seat on the UN Security Council will hardly be enhanced by the trip.

The Netanyahu government is facing major challenges following worldwide reaction to Israel’s military action against Gaza in late December and early January. UN agencies have accused Israel of war crimes and abuse of human rights in its Gaza offensive.

Why the Australian Deputy Prime Minister with portfolio responsibilities for industrial relations and education should get involved in Middle East politics at this sensitive time needs to be explained.

Our trade with Israel is relatively minor. Seven other countries in the Middle East have more important trade relations with Australia than does Israel. Concern about this visit extends far beyond what your editorial describes as fanatics.

Vincent Matthews Forestville, NSW

MOST Australians would never have heard of the “eminent Australians” protesting about Julia Gillard leading a delegation to Israel. Of course we will hear no such protests when the Deputy Prime Minister meets the Iran-supported Palestinian Authority that calls for the destruction of Israel.

Mick Whybrow Birkdale, Qld

ONE is no longer shocked by anti-Israel statements and actions or demands, such as those of “170 eminent Australians”. Anti-Zionism has become so widespread and politically correct, and is often so extreme and so divorced from political and historic reality, that one suspects it masks even more dangerous and more ancient hatreds—calls to boycott Jews have a long, ignominious and deadly, indeed genocidal, history.

Full marks to Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard on her principled stance on this issue.
Israel has always welcomed visitors. It is confident that it has nothing to hide and believes that when people visit Israel and see for themselves the country and vibrant democracy that Israel is, the problems that it faces and the way that it addresses these problems, they will become supporters of Israel—or at least more balanced and fair in any criticisms.

The Jewish people are by far the oldest indigenous people of the land of Israel, their historic, religious and cultural links to Israel are—or at least should be—beyond question. It is also a fact that Israel is the only true democracy in the Middle East.

If these “eminent” Australians (I can think of other descriptions) wish to sheet home blame for the recent conflict in Gaza they would be better to direct their ire toward Hamas, which has made no secret of its commitment to destroy Israel and which, by its unrelenting rocket attacks on Israel, caused the conflict in Gaza.

To understand the recent Israeli defensive campaign in Gaza we have to recognise that Hamas are not Palestinian nationalists, the Hamas charter calls not only for the complete destruction of Israel, but the creation of a pan-Arab sharia law caliphate throughout the Middle East.
So should we boycott Israel, a legitimate democratic state, in favour of a Taliban style terrorist organisation? One would hope that the answer is obvious.

Bill Anderson Surrey Hills, Vic

CROOKS, DESPOTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSERS

Yesterday, I referred to the fraudulent "human rights petition" circulating among the anti Zionist lobby which is seeking to prevent Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard from asserting her democratic human right to visit Israel and the Palestine Authority to see for herself what is taking place in the troubled region. I question whether this lobby gives a damn about the real human rights abusers and murderers who are held in such high esteem in the world that they even have the imprimatur of the United Nations.

To get an idea of the types of crooks these human rights petitioners routinely ignore, here's a piece from an EYEontheUN email, June 10, 2009, by Anne Bayefsky:

LIBYA - PRESIDENT OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY[June 10],

Libya was elected President of the UN General Assembly. Ali Abdussalam Treky of
Libya, Libyan Minister for African Affairs, will assume the role of President in September. The General Assembly is supposed to assist "in the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion." Here is how Libya has "fulfilled" the General Assembly's mandate:

US State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2008, Libya:

"Citizens did not have the right to change their government. Remaining problems included reported disappearances; torture; arbitrary arrest; lengthy pretrial and sometimes incommunicado detention; official impunity and poor prison conditions...denial of a fair public trial by an independent judiciary, political prisoners and detainees, and the lack of judicial recourse for alleged...

LIBYA - PRESIDENT OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY [June 10],

Libya was elected President of the UN General Assembly. Ali Abdussalam Treky of
Libya, Libyan Minister for African Affairs, will assume the role of President in September. The General Assembly is supposed to assist "in the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion." Here is how Libya has "fulfilled" the General Assembly's mandate:

US State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2008, Libya: "Citizens did not have the right to change their government. Remaining problems included reported disappearances; torture; arbitrary arrest; lengthy pretrial and sometimes incommunicado detention; official impunity and poor prison conditions...denial of a fair public trial by an independent judiciary, political prisoners and detainees, and the lack of judicial recourse for alleged human rights violations...The government restricted civil liberties and freedoms of speech, press...assembly, and association...freedom of religion; corruption and lack of transparency; societal discrimination against women, ethnic minorities, and foreign workers; trafficking in persons; and restriction of labor rights."

Libya already holds a non-permanent seat on the Security Council - with the job of promoting "peace and security" - until the end of 2009. From this seat, Libya promotes the murder of Israelis or anyone it claims should be "resisted": "My delegation stresses the right of the Palestinian people to resist occupation. That right is recognized under all international norms and laws. My country completely rejects any linkage between resistance to occupation and terrorism." (July 22, 2008)

SUDAN - A VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY [June 10], Sudan was elected a Vice-President of the UN General Assembly. Here is how Sudan has "fulfilled" the General Assembly mandate. Its President is currently evading an international arrest warrant on war crimes and crimes against humanity.

And:

US State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2008, Sudan: "Civilians in Darfur continued to suffer from the effects of genocide. Government forces bombed villages, killed civilians including internally displaced persons (IDPs), and collaborated with janjaweed militias and tribal factions to raze villages and perpetrate violence against women...

The government's human rights record...abridgement of citizens' right to change their government; extrajudicial and other unlawful killings by government forces and other government-aligned groups throughout the country; disappearances...torture, beatings, rape, and other cruel, inhumane treatment or punishment by security forces; harsh prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention, incommunicado detention of suspected government opponents, and prolonged pretrial detention; executive interference with the judiciary and denial of due process; obstruction of the delivery of humanitarian assistance; restrictions on privacy; restrictions on freedom of speech...on the press...on freedoms of assembly, association, religion, and movement...violence and discrimination against women, including female genital mutilation (FGM); child abuse, including sexual violence and recruitment of child soldiers..."

ALGERIA - CHAIR OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY'S LEGAL (SIXTH) COMMITTEE [June 10]

Algeria was elected Chairperson of the UN's Legal Committee, known as the Sixth Committee. This body, composed of representatives of all 192 states, is the General Assembly's "primary forum for the consideration of legal questions." Here is how Algeria "fulfills" the Sixth Committee mandate:

US State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2008, Algeria: "[T]he president exercises supreme judicial authority, and executive branch decrees and influence limited judicial independence...[A]uthorities did not completely respect legal provisions regarding defendants' rights and denied due process. The High Judicial Council is responsible for judicial discipline and the appointment of all judges.
President Bouteflika serves as the president of the council...Legal decisions regarding family matters are based on Shari'a (Islamic law) as well as civil law...The judiciary...lacked independence in human rights cases. Family connections and status of the parties involved reportedly influenced decisions."

IRAN - A VICE-CHAIR OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY'S LEGAL (SIXTH) COMMITTEE [June 10]

Iran was elected a Vice-Chair of the of the UN's Legal Committee, known as the Sixth Committee. This body, composed of representatives of all 192 states, is the General Assembly's "primary forum for the consideration of legal questions." Here is how Iran "fulfills" the Sixth Committee mandate:

US State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2008, Iran: "[T]he court system was corrupt and subject to government and religious influence...[T]he head of the judiciary shall be a cleric chosen by the supreme leader. The head of the Supreme Court and prosecutor general also must be clerics. Women continued to be barred from serving as certain types of judges...Defendants did not have the right to confront their accusers, and were not granted access to government-held evidence...Revolutionary court judges were chosen in part due to their ideological commitment to the system. Authorities often charged individuals with undefined crimes, such as "antirevolutionary behavior," "moral corruption," and "siding with global arrogance."...Secret or summary trials of only five minutes' duration occurred frequently. Other trials were deliberately designed to
publicize a coerced confession..."

THE UN'S IDEA OF AUTHORITY FIGURES: CROOKS, DESPOTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSERS ...

Lies from the Anti Zionist Lobby

The Anti Zionist lobby is desperate to prevent Julia Gillard from exercising her right to visit Israel and the Palestine Authority and is prepared to tell lies in a petition which has been fraudulently dressed up as a "human rights petition" - Rudd's nephew signs human rights petition.

What is it that these petitioners don't want Ms. Gillard to see?

Israeli democracy at work?

Corruption within the Palestine Authority?

Hamas and its policies of gencocide towards the Jewish people and destruction of the Jewish State?

The petitioners laughingly deny that Israel is a democracy but what better way for Ms. Gillard to discover the truth than for her to visit the area and view the scene from all sides?

OH SHIT!

Elder of Ziyon always seems to have a knack for digging up these stories and 10,000-YEAR OLD CITY BLAMES ISRAEL FOR SEWAGE PROBLEMS is an absolute gem, albeit a little on the nose.

In keeping with the Palestinian tradition of blaming Israel and the Jews for their ills, the Mayor of the West Bank city of Jericho which falls under Palestinian Authority jurisdiction is claiming that it's Israel's fault that this 10,000 year old city doesn't have a working sewerage system.

"It is funny in 2009 that a historic city like Jericho lacks a sewage network. Israeli occupation played a major role in depriving Jericho along with several other Palestinian cities of many basic needs of modern life," says Ahmad Salih.

However, the good Elder has discovered that way back in 1995 an international aid effort saw millions pledged to establish sewerage systems in several cities under PA control and, while the United States came good with its contribution, several European and Persian Gulf nations are among the donors that did not make their payments. Hence, the citizens of Jericho still need to relieve themselves in holes in the ground, in cans or, if they're really wealthy, in a portaloo.

This has nothing whatever to do with Israel or the "occupation" but it suits the mayor to heap excrement on Israel in this instance, as one does in the Palestinian territories. Which proves true the old Arabic adage that if there's shit in the can, the whole room stinks.

As far as the $12 million pledge paid over by the U.S.A I would suggest that the Americans ask Mrs. Arafat for reimbursement. She has all the modern conveniences including bidet that she needs in her little villa in France.

ROOM FOR MANOEUVRING TOWARDS UNDERSTANDINGS

An excellent interview on our ABC by Mark Colvin with Ehud Ya'ari, senior commentator for Israel's Channel 2 Television about the Obama speech - Obama's Cairo speech under scrutiny.

MARK COLVIN: But do you think it's only symbolic? Because we know from his reading for instance, he said in the past that one of the books that really influenced him was "The Yellow Wind" by David Grossman - a book which is all about the experience of Palestinians under Israeli rule.

EHUD YA'ARI: Yes and he spoke about that and he has no problem with Israelis about it. Israelis would love to get rid of the occupation.

MARK COLVIN: You say that but the settlers would not.

EHUD YA'ARI: Well the settlers would not but the settlers are not a majority in Israel. You have a solid consensus in Israel of 70, 80 per cent for a two-state solution, including the removal of almost all the settlements. That's a given, it's repeated in all the polls...