So Bush Says He "supports" A Palestinian State

I was just reading this next story at Yahoo News, about our "failed" President telling the Palestinians that they deserve their own state. This is all well and good, but there doesn't look like there is any push to actually accomplish this goal.

There has always been a very simple, but impossible to achieve way for a Palestinian state, and that is a recognition of Israel's right to exist, forgiveness on both sides for past actions, and a end to the Arabs of all stripes from verbally and physically attacking Israel and its' citizens. The road to that end is littered with the bodies of a few who attempted to make peace on both sides.

Someday, perhaps there will be peace and a settlement of this issue, but the near future looks bleak, even as Bush and Abbas tried to sound hopeful of success. So Bush supports a Palestinian state~~then maybe you should do something about it~~just saying, his efforts so far haven't accomplished anything. Are there new diplomatic efforts, behind the scenes cajoling, or just more lip service until the can get out of town next year?! It shall be interesting to see what new "things" are attempted between now and then!

The story says that President Bush, tried to reassure Palestinians wary of his dedication to their side in the Mideast peace dispute, said Saturday by saying that he is "absolutely committed" to getting an Israeli-Palestinian accord by the end of the year.

"It breaks my heart to see the vast potential of the Palestinian people, really, wasted," Bush said at the side of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. He spoke of a peace deal after the two leaders met in the president's villa at this beach resort town on the Red Sea. "It would be an opportunity to end the suffering that takes place in the Palestinian territories," Bush assured.

Bush and Abbas met for nearly an hour before speaking briefly to reporters. They then strolled back inside, holding hands as they walked slowly down a bouganveilla-lined path, for a private dinner.


LINK TO FULL STORY

So Bush Says He "supports" A Palestinian State

I was just reading this next story at Yahoo News, about our "failed" President telling the Palestinians that they deserve their own state. This is all well and good, but there doesn't look like there is any push to actually accomplish this goal.

There has always been a very simple, but impossible to achieve way for a Palestinian state, and that is a recognition of Israel's right to exist, forgiveness on both sides for past actions, and a end to the Arabs of all stripes from verbally and physically attacking Israel and its' citizens. The road to that end is littered with the bodies of a few who attempted to make peace on both sides.

Someday, perhaps there will be peace and a settlement of this issue, but the near future looks bleak, even as Bush and Abbas tried to sound hopeful of success. So Bush supports a Palestinian state~~then maybe you should do something about it~~just saying, his efforts so far haven't accomplished anything. Are there new diplomatic efforts, behind the scenes cajoling, or just more lip service until the can get out of town next year?! It shall be interesting to see what new "things" are attempted between now and then!

The story says that President Bush, tried to reassure Palestinians wary of his dedication to their side in the Mideast peace dispute, said Saturday by saying that he is "absolutely committed" to getting an Israeli-Palestinian accord by the end of the year.

"It breaks my heart to see the vast potential of the Palestinian people, really, wasted," Bush said at the side of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. He spoke of a peace deal after the two leaders met in the president's villa at this beach resort town on the Red Sea. "It would be an opportunity to end the suffering that takes place in the Palestinian territories," Bush assured.

Bush and Abbas met for nearly an hour before speaking briefly to reporters. They then strolled back inside, holding hands as they walked slowly down a bouganveilla-lined path, for a private dinner.


LINK TO FULL STORY

Israel Turns 60

I was just reading a story on Yahoo News, by Steve Gutkin, an Associated Press Writer, concerning the celebration in Israel of their 60th birthday. Here is wishing Israel, and our Jewish friends, a Happy 60th Birthday, and May the Wish for Peace, be fulfilled before another 60 years passes!

Israel staged its 60th birthday bash with fireworks, air force flyovers and a great sense of pride Thursday, but also with uncertainty about its future and doubts about prospects for peace with the Palestinians.

Across the country, Israelis held barbecues in backyards and public parks, and were entertained by naval parades and a Bible quiz. But a celebratory parachute jump over Tel Aviv injured three spectators after a parachutist crashed into a crowd.

Israel at 60 is a paradox of exuberance and despair; a country enduring near daily rocket attacks from militants while producing scientists who have pioneered Wi-Fi and instant messaging. Six decades after rising from the ashes of the Holocaust, the Jewish state is still plagued by threats from abroad and an identity crisis at home.

LINK TO ISRAEL TURNS 60 STORY

Israel On Alert And Gaza Braces For Reprisals

In a story I was just reading that Israel is on alert and Gaza braced for reprisals on Friday as crowds mourned eight teenagers killed by a Palestinian gunman at a Jewish religious school in an attack claimed by the Islamist Hamas.

Residents of the impoverished Gaza Strip were bracing for punitive Israeli military strikes after the attack which shook the faltering peace talks and provoked strong condemnation from around the world.

Thousands gathered in Jerusalem for the funerals of the teenagers killed in the attack carried out by a Palestinian resident of occupied east Jerusalem, who sprayed automatic gunfire at the students before being gunned down by an army officer late on Thursday.

In a rare move, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference -- the Muslim world's biggest political bloc -- also condemned the Jerusalem killings, saying it abhorred "violence and terror."

Police arrested more than 10 relatives and friends of 25-year-old Alaa Hisham Abu Dheim of the Jabal al-Mukaber area, where a mourning tent draped in Palestinian and Hamas flags was set up.
The attack, the first in four years in Jerusalem, was claimed by a senior official of the Islamist movement, which refuses to recognise the Jewish state's right to exist.

"Hamas is responsible for the attack. The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades will officially claim the attack at the right moment," the Gaza official told AFP on condition of anonymity, referring to the group's armed wing.
Thursday's attack came after a surge in violence that left more than 130 Palestinians dead in and around Hamas-run Gaza in eight days. Three Israeli soldiers and one civilian were also killed in the same period.

The army sealed off the occupied West Bank and Israeli police declared a "general state of alert."
Israel's main ally, US President George W. Bush, led a global chorus of outrage, but the UN Security Council failed to agree on a condemnation amid Libyan opposition.
The students -- most of them 15 or 16 years old and including one US citizen -- were shot dead at the Merkaz Harav Yeshiva, a theological school in predominantly Jewish west Jerusalem. Another nine were wounded.
Thousands of people, many clad in the traditional black attire of Orthodox Jews, long curls hanging down from their kippas, attended an emotional funeral ceremony at the school Friday.
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" a rabbi cried out, choking with emotion.

The gunman had entered the school with an AK47 assault rifle and headed for the library, where he opened fire at students gathered for a special evening prayer before being gunned down by law enforcement officers, police said.
The school is considered the centre of Israeli religious nationalism, where the Gush Emunim (Bloc of the Faith) settler movement was born after the 1967 Six-Day War.

Hamas earlier hailed the attack as "heroic" as hundreds of people poured into the streets of Gaza to celebrate the shootings on Thursday. But it also indicated it would consider a truce if Israel meets its conditions.
The White House on Friday denounced as "fairly disgusting" the celebrations in Gaza.
"This was a vicious attack, there is nothing that can explain away this kind of attack. But the most important thing is that the peace process continues and that the parties are committed to it," a spokesman said.

Immediately after the attack, the Lebanese Hezbollah Shiite group said it was carried out to avenge the death of its senior commander, Imad Mughnieh, assassinated in a Damascus bombing on Februaury 12.
Moderate Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas denounced the strike. "We condemn all attacks against civilians, be they Palestinian or Israeli," his office quoted him as saying in a statement.

Israel slammed the attack as aiming to end the chances for peace in the region and vowed to defend itself.
A senior government official stressed nonetheless that peace talks would continue. "Israel will maintain its policy of talking to moderates ... and at the same time fight the radicals of Hamas," the official told AFP.

In a rare move, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference -- the Muslim world's biggest political bloc -- also condemned the Jerusalem killings, saying it abhorred "violence and terror."
Russia's foreign ministry joined in the condemnations but called for Israeli restraint.

"Israel has the right, as with every other state, to defend the lives and the security of its citizens. At the same time, it is evident that innocent civilians must not become victims of the fight against terrorism," it added.

It will surely be a long and violent weekend for the residents of Gaza, and Israel, as it looks like "cooler" heads will not prevail on either side!!

Israel Braces For Hezbollah Attacks

In a story I was just reading concerning the "assassination" of Imad Mughnyeh, and the aftermath of his death, which threatens to cause many more deaths among Israelis and Lebanese "fighters".

It states:
Israel is bracing for threatened retaliation by Hezbollah over charges that it assassinated one of the Lebanese militia's top commanders, with fears running high of a high-profile attack abroad. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah declared "open war" on Israel in a fiery speech at Thursday's funeral in Beirut of Imad Mughnieh, a shadowy figure on America's Most Wanted list who was killed in a Damascus car bombing.

Israel has denied any involvement in the assassination, but Nasrallah said that by killing Mughnieh, it had taken its battle with Hezbollah beyond Lebanon's borders and should therefore expect attacks anywhere.

If the Israeli's are telling the truth, then it is of utmost importance to find out who did kill this "terrorist", and bring them to "justice". Personally, I find the Syrian link very compelling, because if they had him killed, for whatever reason, and can shift the blame to Israel they will have possibly "killed two birds with stone", by getting the Hezbollah "fighters" to do their killing of Israeli's for them. We have seen Syria assassinate others' who stood in their way, and I am sure we will see more in the future, as they are still displeased that they are not in full control of Lebanon.


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Iran And Hamas Threaten Peace Process

As would-be peacemakers bask in the international limelight of the Annapolis conference, back in the Middle East two other parties are serving up notice that no deal will come to pass, if they can help it: Iran and its Palestinian ally, Hamas. "The Annapolis conference was already a failure," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told journalists after a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday. The U.S. could sponsor a hundred such meetings, he added, and the result would be the same. In Gaza, which is effectively ruled by the fundamentalist Hamas group, anti-Annapolis protesters filled the streets. "They can go to thousands of conferences and we will say in the name of the Palestinian people that we do not accept," Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar told the demonstrators.

Here is a brief overview of Hamas and the problems they create:
HAMAS (in Arabic, an acronym for "Harakat Al-Muqawama Al-Islamia", Islamic Resistance Movement, and a word meaning zeal) is a radical Islamic fundamentalist organization which became active in the early stages of the intifada, operating primarily in the Gaza District but also in Judea and Samaria. Formed in late 1987 as an outgrowth of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Various HAMAS elements have used both political and violent means, including terrorism, to pursue the goal of establishing an Islamic Palestinian state in place of Israel. Loosely structured, with some elements working clandestinely and others working openly through mosques and social service institutions to recruit members, raise money, organize activities, and distribute propaganda. In a January 2006 election, Hamas won a majority of seats in the Palestinian legislature.

HAMAS activists, especially those in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, have conducted many attacks, including large-scale suicide bombings, against Israeli civilian and military targets. In the early 1990s, they also targeted suspected Palestinian collaborators and Fatah rivals. HAMAS increased its operational activity during 2002-2003, claiming numerous attacks against Israeli interests. The group has not targeted US interests, although some US citizens have been killed in HAMAS operations, and continues to confine its attacks to Israelis inside Israel and the territories.

There are an unknown number of official members; tens of thousands of supporters and sympathizers. Hamas receives some funding from Iran but primarily relies on donations from Palestinian expatriates around the world and private benefactors in moderate Arab states. Some fundraising and propaganda activity take place in Western Europe and North America.

The second part of this duo of peace haters is being led by none other than the "little" man himself, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is already calling the meetings a failure, and again saying Israel will not be part of the Middle East in the future, as they will not "last",and that deterioration is in the nature of this regime as it has been built on aggression, lying, crime and wrongdoing," he added. Where's King Juan Carlos, when you need him--"Shut up Mahmoud!!".


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Israel Supports Detainees Rights

In a "weird" story it seems that one of the only "democracies" in the Middle East, Israel, is coming in as a friend of the court for the detainees at Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility.

With the U.S. Supreme Court set to take up Guantanamo detention policy again when its new term begins next month, the justices have received some unusual advice from a friendly corner of the war-torn Middle East. Israeli lawyers and military law experts have filed a brief that supports detainees in their quest for the right to have their cases heard in American courts. The Israeli lawyers argue that the Bush administration is making a mistake by trying to prevent the suspected terrorists being held at Guantanamo from filing cases in regular civilian or military U.S. courts.

Perhaps we should rethink our policies toward detainees, because if a country such as Israel, that is under constant daily threat of terrorism, can give these people "rights", it looks like we can take the "chance" as well in my estimation!

I would like to hear if you agree with Israel's position, or the United States current "no rights' position!! Thanks!


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Israel To Add Palestinian View To Textbooks

I was just listening to a story about Israel and the way that they are going to treat the issue of the founding of their nation and the impact that it had on the Palestinian people who were already living there.

The Education Ministry announced that for the first time in Israel's history a school text book will acknowledge that with the creating of the nation of Israel in 1948, came a tragic side, as it impacted the Palestinians, who had been living in this land. An updated third garde primer has been approved to be used in Arab classrooms this fall, which will tell the truth of Israel's founding and the displacement of the Palestinian's which continues today.

The Rightist's in Israel are angry about this new text, and want a traditional one sided teaching of history, which would only show the "true" side of Israel's founding as a safe haven for Jews who were being killed around the world.

The book is titled "Living Together In Israel" and describes the events of 1948 and 1949, when Israel was created by the United Nations in what had been British ruled Palestine, which then prompted an attack by Arab armies and the displacement of about 70,000 Palestine Arabs.

Previous editions of the text only pointed out the Jew's historical connection to the Holy Land and their need for a state, due to persecution in Europe. The previous edition also focused on the treachery of the Arabs and the heroism of the Israel forces and indicated that the flight of the Palestinian's was strictly voluntary.

The new text also notes that Palestinian's were forced from their homes, and soon became refugees, after the winners of the war confiscated their land and barred their return.

I find this another hopeful sign in a nation that is trying to do the right thing and be more open and truthful about their history, and whether you support them or not, you should welcome the honesty that they are trying to show.

It is the "good" countries that try and live up to their past sins and try to move forward, just as America has done with Native Americans, japanese, african americans, etc., and I applaud Israel for being more open. I hope that this will lead to more dialogue with the Palestinians and hopefully the Palestinian's will pick up the baton and make this a moment to change their hard line, "kill the Israeli's stance", and instead maybe try the path of knowledge and peace. Good Luck to the Israeli's and the Palestinian's.

Abbas Versus Hamas

In an extremely late but necessary move, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has shown that he may have found his "cajounes", as he harshly criticized Hamas for taking over Gaza last week and even going so far as to call the group, murderous terrorists. He also accused Hamas of trying to assassinate him last month, with an under the road bomb which was to go off as his auto passed over it.

Hamas denied that they tried to kill him, but it sure looked as though they would have assisted him off the top of a building if he had not left for the West Bank, before they could get ahold of him.

President Abbas has appealed for international help in convening a peace conference and has asked Israel to resume the peace talks directly. Wow, quite a turnabout in just one week, maybe the fear of Hamas is enough to keep him moving forward with a peace process that in the end would benefit his people as well as the Israeli's, who are already feeling the rocket attacks by Hamas again.

Israel is making some border raids into Gaza with tanks and have killed 4 Palestinian's so far, and have also fired missiles at Hamas strongholds. The majority of Israeli tanks are at the border, waiting, at the Ready, in case of further Hamas attacks. They also have helicopter's which they use with precision and deadliness, but as of this writing they have not yet been deployed.

Even though I have been very critical of President Abbas in the past, I hope that finding his "cajounes" will finally give him the courage to fight Hamas for control of all Palestinian territories down the road. I hope that for this current situation it will keep him strong enough to follow through on commitments it makes to acquire independence for his fellow Palestinian brother's and sister's.

There was time in the past for a brief couple of minutes when Yassar Arafat had the opportunity to give his people an independent homeland, but he was such a worm that he threw it away, by pretending to be for peace and then sanctioning the terrorist's who killed innocent Israeli's at random. Hopefully, Arafat is burning in Hell for the misuse of his authority and keeping his people in chains.

I wish for President Abbas the best and now use your anger and contempt for Hamas to move the peace process to a successful conclusion, and start by getting your people an independent West Bank, which could set the example for Gaza to follow suit!!
May God assist these men to do the right thing this time! Peace now and always, as this whole area needs a long deserved Rest!

Iran Whines About Israel

I was just listening to a webcast from the BBC I think, which is reporting that Iran's United Nations ambassador has complained in a letter that the United Nations Security Council has done nothing to stop Israel's unlawful and dangerous threats to his country.

It said that Javad Zarif protested a recent statement from Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz that Israel has not ruled out military action against Iran to disable its nuclear program. He also referred to a similar statement that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made in April.

Isn't it kind of humorous that a country such as Iran whose President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, regularly threatens total annihilation of Isreal, and their ambassador has the gaul to write and complain that Israel threatens their country. If Iran's President wasn't a psycho hell bent on acquiring nuclear weapons to use against Israel and his neighbors they would not have to worry about unlawful and dangerous threats to Iran.

The Security Council imposed sanctions on Iran in December for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment, and modestly increased them in March after Tehran stepped up the program, which can produce nuclear weapons. Iran responded by giving the U.N. nuclear watchdog less access to its nuclear facilities.

In an interview on Israeli Radio on June 9, Mofaz said, I never said there is no military option, and the military option is included in all the options that are on the table, but at this time it's right to use the path of sanctions, and to intensify them. Israel's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Daniel Carmon dismissed the letter as face-saving.

Zarif sent another letter to Ban on June 13, protesting the arrest of five Iranians by U.S. forces in northern Iraq in January.

The U.S. military has said the Iranians, whom they alleged are connected to a faction that funds and arms insurgents in Iraq, were working in a government liaison office in Irbil in Kurdish-controlled Iraq. Iran has maintained the five were diplomats and were arrested at a consulate.

In addition to the above accusations against Iran, The United States also accuses Iran of helping to provide roadside bombs that have killed American troops in Iraq, and a bitter standoff already exists between the two countries over Iran's nuclear program. Iran has rejected the allegations.

If Iran wants to not be threatened with violence from other countries, they should immediately refrain from causing violence to their neighbors, by providing training to Iragi insurgents, safe haven for other terrorists, and for providing weapons and bombs that are killing Americans, Iraqi's, Israeli's, and Lebanese. If they choose to continue being the evil behind the scenes, they will soon get a taste of there own violence, on their own soil, and deservedly so!!

Israel Responds To Rocket Attacks

What a twisted world this continues to be when many call on Israel to stop attacking “innocents” in the Gaza Strip. This completely ignores the fact that the Israeli’s are trying to protect their citizens from continued rocket attacks from the Hamas militants. It is Hamas that started these rocket attacks and it is Hamas who can stop firing the rockets and Israel would in turn stop attacking targets in Gaza. To put the onus of stopping the fighting on Israel is ridiculous. They are merely doing what any nation that comes under attack would do, which is to defend itself, and any government that did not respond would not be in power very long.
The White House on Friday urged Israeli’s and Palestinian’s to spare “innocents” from attacks, but said it expected that Israel would defend itself from rockets launched at it by the Islamist movement Hamas. You think, why make any statement if it is going to be a nonsensicalstatement like that, If “innocents” are injured in attacks by Israel it is only by accident as they attempt to stop the people firing the rockets, whereas the “innocents” being attacked by Hamas are intentionally targeted.
No matter what happens it seems that Israel is always supposed to be the ones to stop fighting first, which makes absolutely no sense when rockets continue to rain down on their citizens. Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas is obviously not strong enough to force Hamas to stop attacking Israel with the rockets.
An Israeli woman was killed on Monday by a rocket and Israel warned Hamas ,of which Prime Minister Ismail Haniya , is a prominent member that neither he nor any of the Hamas leadership were immune from attack.
They should in fact be primary targets as they allow the militants to continue assaulting Israel with the rockets. Perhaps if some of the leadership was killed it might encourage them to commit to a ceasefire with Israel.
We should not issue statements like the one mentioned above from the White House which almost equates what each side is doing as the same. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that we stand with our friends. And Israel is a friend that has taken a great deal of punishment from many of the nation’s of the world over the years. They have had many of their innocent citizen’s killed by militants, suicide bombers, etc.,. America has long stood by them in their time of need and we should not be giving anything to the militants in the form of words or encouragement that their cause is just, or in anyway makes them doubt our resolve to stand by Israel.
There are innocents on both sides, but while Israel is defending itself, the “innocents” on the Palestinian side allow the militants to use them as human shields, and many actively support Hamas, so they bring the death and destruction on themselves by this misguided support for the terrorists in their midst.
I hope Abbas can convince Hamas to stop firing their rockets, but until they stop Israel must be allowed to protect its people from this reign of terror and we need to give them our full support.

Suffering Did Not End For Holocaust Survivors

There is a must read story on yahoo news about the plight of the Jews who were “freed” from the concentration camps after World War II. The Associated Press has been access to the International Tracing Service in the central German town of Bad Arolsen, which is the repository of 16 miles of shelves, containing documents concerning the Jews and other displaced persons. There is also some 3.4 million names on its’ card index of persons who sought refugee relief.
The story reports that these people were treated just as bad by the liberators , as they had been by the Nazi’s, except as one presidential envoy stated “we are not exterminating them”.
I started reading this story as I like history and It is increasingly difficult to find accurate historical documents, and you cannot read approved history books, because they usually distort history to fit their political beliefs.
Many of these people had to stay in the same camps or other hastily set up camps for another brutal winter, with thousands dying daily from hunger, disease, and exhaustion. They were despairing of their situation and many had lost most or all of their families in the death camps.
The reports states that between 500,000 and a million Germans participated in the extermination of the concentration camp victims fewer than 15% were prosecuted and many received displaced person status and came to America among other countries, while many countries refused to allow them entry. Great Britain refused them entry into Palestine as there was a ban on Jewish immigration to the Israeli-state in waiting. Ireland would not allow unmarried mothers into their mostly Catholic country, others rightfully feared returning to the Soviet controlled nations they were from, many Nazi’s made it through with the truly displaced persons into America and no one really looked into it more closely until 1979 when the Justice Department created the Office of Special Investigations to chase former Nazi’s in this country and has successfully prosecuted 104 cases, but many more need to be resolved.
I hope that this huge archive will be digitized at some time so everyone can access it and see how bad these people were treated during the war and after.
I hope you will read the story and send comments to our elected representatives to perhaps provide funds so that this information can be made available. Just the other day I heard a man on the radio making the absurd comment that there was never a Holocaust and that it was a fairy tale made up to allow Jews to get special treatment when they were trying to form the state of Israel. It is morons like that who are particularly dangerous for they often find weak minded people who will believe this type of “truth”. Whether it be David Duke going to the summit on Holocaust myths in Iran to the skinheads defacing synagogues, or even some evangilist’s who preach that Jews will be punished for having killed Christ, even though he too was a Jew. I guess they missed that part of the bible.
Anyway the point of this is to make sure we do not allow this myth of the Holocaust to take hold. There are fewer and fewer people who fought in World War II and liberated the camps as advancing age and death takes these witnesses from us. The documentation must be protected and disseminated, lest as we see in Darfur, and other nations around the world where history is repeating itself and millions are dying as genocide occurs. There is definitely not enough news coverage of this type of story and hopefully as the AP digs into the archives more reporting will be done and more of that time in history can be understood.
The Full Story!