And that is all.

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Saturday, May 12, 2007

Defenseless in Baghdad: Christian Persecution in Iraq

MY GOD, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Why are You so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?
Psalm 22:1

PAY, CONVERT, LEAVE OR DIE

It was in 1999 that I first went to Dora, which for many centuries has been a strongly Christian area of Baghdad. Visiting a block of flats, I saw the appalling poverty of the Christian community. Like most of the Iraqi population they were suffering the effects of the UN sanctions, but in addition Christians had to cope with the hostility of Muslims who blamed the Christians for what were seen as "Western" sanctions and the intolerable deprivations which they created. The hostility was at this time kept in reasonable check by the tight security of Saddam's regime.

Take my last son away with you

In the company of a government interpreter I called on a Christian woman and her teenage son. Her living room had only a table and a few chairs -- everything else had been sold to try to survive. When we entered she spoke to the interpreter and then started to cry. I learned that she was pleading for me to take her son back to Britain with me. "I had six sons," she explained. "The five eldest have all died fighting in Saddam's wars [the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s and the Gulf War of 1990-1]. My husband also died in the military. Next year my youngest son will be old enough to be called up, and most likely he too will be killed."

I stood containing my emotion as this lady spoke with great courage, knowing what she said would be reported back by the interpreter to the intelligence service. I could do nothing to help her, for it was impossible for me to take her son away with me. What has become of her and her son, and of other Christians like them whom I came to know on my various visits to Iraq?

Pay, convert, leave or die

Since the war of 2003 the anti-Christian hostility in the country has increased immeasurably, and there is no longer the strong hand of Saddam to prevent the men of violence from doing as they please. In response to raging anti-Christian violence, huge numbers of Iraqi Christians have fled their homes. A few have chosen another option and converted to Islam. It is next to impossible to continue to live in Baghdad as a Christian.

Many Christians in Dora are now facing demands for the traditional Islamic tax on non-Muslim minorities, the jizya. This is not being imposed by the government, but by Islamist insurgents who are operating freely in Dora without any intervention by either Iraqi or American forces. In keeping with the teaching of shari'a (Islamic law), Christians are offered the choice of paying money (which will be used to fund the insurgent violence), converting to Islam, leaving the area, or being killed. The demands can come as written messages delivered to their home, or from militants knocking on the door. Sometimes the option of paying jizya is not offered -- it is then a choice of convert to Islam, flee within 24 hours leaving their homes to be seized by the militants, or be killed.

Christians in Mosul have also been facing demands for jizya.

"We are not here to protect you" -- American commander

A letter from an Iraqi Christian organization in the West addressed to the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, dated 11th May 2007, urges Mr Ban to ask the US and Iraqi governments to protect the minorities in Iraq and work for peaceful coexistence.

It brings to mind a later visit I made to Baghdad, when I sat with a minister in his church in the central market place (an area which has since suffered dreadfully from bombing). He told me how the Christians were being systematically attacked and how he had visited the local American commander to beg for protection for Christians. The answer he got was, "We are not here to protect you." .Together with other church leaders he visited the senior American general with the same request. But the general simply sent them back to the local commander who repeated his statement, "We are not here to protect you."

The Christian community in Iraq has been left unprotected and vulnerable. Last year I visited the American Congress and spoke with senior officials and also spoke with US military leaders in Iraq. I discussed the future of the Christian community in Iraq, a community which is facing genocide at the hands of Islamic militants determined to eliminate the Christian presence in Iraq. The same answer was given to me in each case: "We cannot protect the Christians."

If the coalition forces refuse to protect Christian communities, if they overthrow a dictator in order to bring democracy, if this democracy leads to the imposition of shari'a, to ethnic cleansing, to dispossession of property, and ultimately to genocide of a section of the community, then the coalition governments must bear the moral responsibility for a tragedy which they have allowed to happen.

Speaking out

Christians cannot stand by and allow this genocide to take place, as we did during the Armenian genocide of a century ago, and as we did during the Sudanese civil war which had killed two million mainly Christian Southerners by the time it ended in 2005. Christians cannot sacrifice their brothers and sisters in Iraq. Neither political expediency, nor support for our own governments "right or wrong", nor the goal of inter-faith relations with Islam can take precedence over the desperate needs of our fellow Christians. There comes a time when Christians must stand in solidarity with their brethren, must speak out for them and for justice and righteousness.

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo
International Director, Barnabas Fund

SOURCE LINK


Cherry Hill NJ, Home of the Dix Six: Uncle Chom Dhimmi Mayor: "Thank God we're going to have a Mosque"




May 10, 2007
Diversity Run Amok

By Beila Rabinowitz and William Mayer

Less than 48 hours before federal law enforcement officials nabbed several Cherry Hill Muslims who were involved in a terror plot to murder American servicemen at nearby Fort Dix, their co-religionists were partying with Mayor Bernie Platt at a ground breaking ceremony for the township's first mosque.

In an obscene display of dhimmitude, Mayor Platt told the Muslims "I'm deeply honored to be here…particularly since I'm of the Jewish faith. We have many religions here…now, thank God, we're going to have a mosque."
As Platt and state Senator Adler helped break ground for the mosque, the symbolism could not have been more potent - politicians digging their constituent's graves while local Muslims gloated about the degree of dhimmitude being shown them.

This is a very lucky mosque," said Quresh Dahodwala the leader of the sect building the mosque which will be called Anjuman-E-Fakhri, "All mosques are special" he said, "but this one is a little bit more so because it has received so much love and support…Once you build a mosque, it…will grow fast." [source]

Farhat Biviji, a member of the congregation, praised Cherry Hill as a "model of diversity," noting that in addition to many churches and synagogues it hosts houses of worship for Hindus and Buddhists "and soon, God willing, a Muslim mosque."

"A house of worship, be it church or synagogue or mosque, is the center of a community, a place of sharing and caring," said Aamilsaheb Janab Taher Bhaisaheb, the spiritual leader of the local congregation. The mosque, he promised, "will be a compassionate and much-treasured addition to Cherry Hill."

The level of unctuousness displayed by the Muslims was trumped however by the dhimmitude oozing from state Senator Adler who declared Cherry Hill a "town of faith and tolerance" adding, "what all people want is peace. We're in a place of peace right now."

Two days later, Cherry Hill's kumbaya bubble burst with headlines attesting to the arrest of 6 local Muslim men who were planning "to kill as many Americans as possible" on the nearby Fort Dix military base, with one of the terror plotters, Eljvir Duka - a member of the Muslim community in the "town of tolerance" - having proclaimed "In the end, when it comes to defending your religion, when someone…attacks your religion, your way of life, then you go jihad."

What a difference 48 hours makes…
Fortunately, the mosque project cannot go forward without the approval of the Environmental Protection Agency because it is situated on a wetland, let's hope the agency operates with its usual aggressiveness in such matters and denies the permit.

All Hail Global Dhimming! US ASKS to "negotiate" with genocidal beasts


Dig the language in this thing where I have emphasized it. We're on our own. Behold the dhimmise. The days of torches and pitchforks draws nigh upon us.


OUR SIGNS WE HAVE NOT SEEN
THERE IS NO LONGER A PROPHET
AND THERE IS NONE AMONG US WHO KNOWS FOR HOW LONG.
~ Psalm 74:9

Six nations agree to ask Iran to resume enrichment talks

US says it would negotiate directly

BERLIN --Senior diplomats representing the United Nations Security Council and Germany agreed yesterday to resume negotiations with Iran in a bid to persuade it to stop its uranium enrichment program.

Nicholas Burns, the US undersecretary of state for political affairs, said Washington has agreed to suspend sanctions and is prepared to negotiate face to face with Iran for the first time in 28 years.

In return, Iran would have to suspend its uranium enrichment program.

Burns added that the US offer to negotiate directly with Iran should not be taken lightly by Tehran. "We are offering to negotiate. We are waiting for a response from Iran."

The UN Security Council started last year to impose sanctions on Iran on an incremental basis. The Europeans are willing to revive an offer of technological assistance and other economic and trade incentives if Iran halts enrichment.

The diplomats from Britain, the United States, France, Russia, China, and Germany said they will give Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy chief, approval to meet Ali Larijani, Iran's nuclear negotiator, probably next week. "We wanted to agree to the mandate for those talks," said a German government official. "What is on the table is a two-track suspension proposal."

In the absence of progress, the countries involved could return to the United Nations to propose new sanctions, officials said.

The United States and its allies accuse Iran of planning to develop nuclear weapons, which Iran has repeatedly denied.

Burns said that if Iran does not accept the offer by the time of a Group of 8 summit meeting, slated for June 6 to 8, then a new round of sanctions will be considered.

SOURCE LINK

OHHH yeahhh...That's the ticket... brandish with deadly intent the impregnable strongly worded letter, followed by the extremely comfortable chair. That'll stop them.

COMPLICIOTS.

COMPLICIT.
IDIOTS.

We have met the enemy, and he is us.


American Whores of the Caliphate & the ADC: Working towards your dhimmise through infiltration and taqiyya: Part III


Sorry this is taking longer that I expected, but it is a yawing chasm filled with the most horrifying drek and hazzeri known to mankind.
This post is for one name alone.

CLICK ON PHOTOS FOR LARGER IMAGE

Saturday June 9th continued:



Haytham Faraj: USMC Judge Advocate General

Seven Marines, Navy corpsman charged with murder

[SNIP]

Marine Maj. Haytham Faraj, who along with private attorney Victor Kelley of Alabama represents Thomas, said his client has told him he believed he was acting on an approved mission during what was his third deployment to Iraq and was following orders and procedures.

[SNIP]


Major Haytham Faraj, a military lawyer assigned to defend Thomas, said in an interview that he and other defense lawyers were concerned that the young marines might have hurt their cases by talking to investigators from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
"Our position is that there was a lot of information coerced from them during NCIS questioning," Faraj said.

[SNIP]
~~~~~~~

Oh Look.... He Blogs:

Why We Must Come Home

Re: Our Honor Requires Withdrawal

As a former infantry officer and now one of the military lawyers representing Staff Sgt. Wuterich and Cpl. Thomas (Hamdaniya), I'm glad that there's at least one other person who agrees with me about who is really responsible for every Iraqi and American death in Iraq. It is not the soldiers and marines.

They are mere tools in the hands of the conspirators who sent them there.

~~~~~~~~~

Haytham Writes Reviews on Amazon!

Imperial Israel And the Palestinians : The Politics of Expnasion

An excellent work about the Israeli policy of dispossesion, February 20, 2001

Masalha focuses on the Israeli policy of dispossession and institutionalized goal of greater Israel or Eretz Israel. He presents irrefutable evidence and sources in support of his assertions which gives the book an undeniable balance. This is not an indictment of the state of Israel. It is simply a record of the policy pursued by Israel through individuals, private groups, and governmental bodies with the overarching objective of disposesing the Palestinians of their properties and then moveing them out of Israel and the occupied territories. Nothing is presented or suggested without proof. Masalha balances his book by also discussing Israeli individuals or organizations that oppose, what most of them rightfully consider as racist, the policies that seek to force the Palestinians off their lands. No student of the Middle East in general, or the Palestinian/Arab-Israeli conflict in particular can afford to neglect reading this book. The failure of the peace process can not be fully understood without learning of the expansionist history of the state of Israel that is presented here. Labor and the Likud, though seemingly on opposite ends of the spectrum in their approach to the peace process, share a common history that sought to realize the Zionist goal of Eretz Israel at the cost of the Palestinians. Masalha also provides a comprehensive listing and a thorough discussion of individuals and groups that have sought to achieve that objective. That information alone gives this book an encyclopedic depth that is invaluable to comprehending the actors involved in the policy of dispossession and diaspora of the Palestinians.


~~~~~~~~~

I left his spelling errors in tact.

It gets worse, it gets much, much worse:

A Question on Iraq

A dear friend, Haytham Faraj, raised this question today:

"When the bases for going to war is faulty or outright fraudulent, can the circumstances created by the enemy you encounter retroactively give legitimacy to your otherwise patently illegal conduct? In other words, can the illegal U.S. war in Iraq achieve legitimacy by the existence of such an inhumane and evil foe who cares none at all about deliberately destroying the lives of children and innocents?"

~~~~~~~~~
And now for the kicker , you have to read ALL the posts on this site, I simply can not bear this crap alone! BTW there are other names in postings on this site associated with the ADC Conference, and I will get to all of that in the next installment.

SOURCE LINK

Forwarded message from Haytham Faraj

Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2006 11:18:18 -0700

From: Haytham Faraj

Reply-To: Haytham Faraj

Subject: Lebanon Appeal

Dear Friends,
I don't normally write these type of emails but the Israeli terrorism
against Lebanon as demonstrated by their attacks on civilian homes,
infrastructure, power plants, bridges, ports, airport, wheat and flour
storage silos, water pumping stations and even a light house, yes a light
house, compels me to appeal to you to do whatever you can to help out. Call your congressional representative and register your disapproval. Contact the media and tell them that you want balanced coverage of the situation in Lebanon. Finally, take a minute and read for yourself from Internet sources, such as the Lebanese daily, daily Star at www.dailystar. lb.com, www.commondreams.org, or www.yalibnan.com/site/, the news about what is
taking place in Lebanon.

I have included the attached pictures despite their graphic nature to
perhaps move you to act and so that you may glean the true nature of the
Israeli government. No peace loving nation can stand for this type of
murderous destruction. Terrorism is not the province of individuals and
rogue organizations. Terrorism can also come from states. PLEASE HELP STOP ISRAELI TERRORISM AGAINST LEBANON

If you do not know why I am so angry and distraught it's because I am
Lebanese. My family is from South Lebanon. They are the victims of Israel's terrorism which we, the U.S., support to the tune of 3 billion dollars a year. Their Apache helicopters, F-16s, rockets and bombs were
paid for with YOUR and my tax dollars.

Members of my family are cut off, isolated, and as of yesterday, are no
longer in telephone contact. They and the hundreds of thousands like them
did nothing wrong. They have suffered from over 40 years of Israel's
aggression and continue to suffer daily from Israel's 30,000+ land mines
which the Israelis left behind after they ended their occupation yet refuse
to remove from Lebanonor to provide maps for.

Please help put a stop to this carnage. Pass this message, take action yourself, and help pass the word.

*The below message is from a Lebanese journalist. She also forwarded the attached AP pictures.*

"Dear friends and colleagues ,
You will all have to excuse me for sending this. It's pictures of the bodies of babies killed by the Israelis in South Lebanon. They are all burnt. I need your help. I am almost certain these pictures won't be published in the West, although they are associated press pictures. I need your help exposing them if you can. The problem is these are people who were asked to leave their village , Ter Hafra , this morning , within two hours , or else. ...
So those who were able to flee went to the closer UN base where they were asked to leave. I think that after the Qana massacres in 1996 when civilians were bombed after they took shelter in UN headquarters , the UN does not want to be responsible for the lives of civilians.A FEW MINUTES AGO , the Israeli asked the people of Al Bustan village in the south to evacuate their homes. I am afraid massacres will keep happening as long as Israeli actions are unchecked. Please help us if you can.
HANADY SALMAN

UN offices in the South refused to host refugees fleeing Tayr Harfa. Kofi Annan (in charge of peace-keeping at the time), who stood by while 800,00
people were butchered in Rwanda, adds more blood to his record.

Peace,
Haytham

~~~~~~~~~

There's more....there's much, much more.

I need a nap.

Friday, May 11, 2007

American Whores of the Caliphate & the ADC: Working towards your dhimmise through infiltration and taqiyya: Part II

CLICK ON PHOTOS FOR LARGER IMAGE

Saturday June 9th continued:


Keynote Speaker:

Juliette Kayyem Massachusetts Homeland Security Chief:


Arab -American Homeland Security Chief in Massachusetts


About Juliette Kayyem


She Blogs: Recent Posts by Juliette at "TPM Cafe"

Here's a quote:

But, we, the United States, are slightly irrelevant. You can see it just on the program; India and China (the Asia Phoenix) are more relevant to their future than perhaps we are. Now, that could be wishful thinking on the Arab worlds part, but its also likely true. Iraq will likely be the Arab world’s to pick up, Iranian dominance will be something the Arab world has to manage, and the influence of the United States on these strategic issues in the short-term will be overall negative.
Juliette Kayyem

That's right, that's what she said, she said that, that's what she said.

KEEP IN MIND THIS WOMAN IS CHIEF OF MASSACHUSETTS HOMELAND SECURITY!

Is your head exploding yet? Mine is. When you get a chance drop down a few threads and watch the videos of the ex-KGB agent speaking on DEMORALIZATION in America and the genesis of this dread malaise.


Hilary Shelton: NAACP Winner of the Excellence in Advocacy Award

[SNIP]

Playing an integral role in the crafting and final passage of such crucial federal legislation as the Civil Rights Act of 1991, Hilary was also instrumental in ushering through to passage, The Civil Rights Restoration Act, The Violence Against Women Act, The Hate Crimes Statistics Act, The Native American Free Exercise of Religion Act, The National Voter Registration Act, The National Assault Weapons Ban, The Brady Handgun Law, Reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, the Help America Vote Act and many other crucial laws and policy measures affecting the quality of our lives and equality in our society.
[SNIP]

Hilary Shelton's Statement on the NAACP’s Opposition to the Federal Marriage Amendment and Other Discriminatory Proposed Constitutional Amendments

The N.A.A.C.P: Friend or Foe

I call foe.

Shaarik Zaafar, Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights & Civil Liberties

Did you even know that office existed? And they spelled the name wrong.
Look at that "Friendster" site in the link above...Who has the pull and the cash to put all these Muslim kids in high positions in DHS? Anyone, anyone...Beuller?


[SNIP]

At the meeting, community members expressed concern over potential abuses in power of the Patriot Act. Shaarik Zafar, Special Counsel on Post-9/11 National Origin Discrimination in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, admitted that the DOJ has not done as much outreach and education as needed but also encouraged the community to read the Patriot Act and refer to the specific sections they see as problematic. Mr. Zafar, being an American Muslim himself, stated “There is too much at stake not to know the game.”

[SNIP]
SOURCE LINK

Ya got that right, Skippy.

MORE TO COME IN A FEW HOURS...


American Whores of the Caliphate & the ADC: Working towards your dhimmise through infiltration and taqiyya: Part I

CLICK ON PHOTOS FOR LARGER IMAGE



(Hat Tip ~ Insanity Police)


The above are scans of the first two pages of the PDF file regarding this event, which just locked my computer up and made me loose this post, so I will not be posting that link directly.

(Click on the photos above for readable version)

Behold Howard Dean,
Keynote Speaker at the ADC's
(American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee)
Annual Convention

Just wait till you see who else is coming to dinner!


I am embedding and adding links in this commentary that are pertinent to understanding the implications of this double talking, triple spoking, turnspeak piece of infiltration;
This Dhimmicrat Whoredom and Muslim imperialist propaganda.

There is a lot to disseminate here so I think will have to put this one topic up as multiple posts ~ consider this Part I.

To begin with, the name of the conference: "Toward a more perfect union"

Such an American phrase.

Such an over used, trite American phrase.
Sounds good to western ears.
What could possibly be wrong with that, Babba, why are you so crazy?

I'll tell you why. To them, "toward a more perfect union" means the Caliphate, it means Sharia, it means, we are working towards a more perfect way to destroy you and everything you stand for. And notice they even put American first in the name of their cell, they are American Arabs.
My ass.
These are the same people that tell me Islam is a Religion of Peace


Dhimmicrats Akbar!

Please note that those who have an asterisk near their name have been INVITED but have not CONFIRMED, this is true for every page.
(they don't get around to telling you that for 5 more pages).
I would like to publicly ask each and every one of these invitees
if they plan to attend or not, and why.
But then journalists don't ask those kinds of questions anymore do they?


Friday June 8th ~
Dhimmicrat Whore of the Caliphate & (Pending Acceptance) Republiwhore Beasty Ho-Down


Hussein Ibish



Jack Shaheen

LGF poster Gymnast gave me a long list of clues regarding one Jack Shaheen and his activities a while back. Look for an upcoming post related to this one concentrating on Shaheen soon.

The Dhimmicrats listed are the usual suspects.
Remember, the Republiwhores and upper echelon Elite Dhimmicrats are invited,
but not yet confirmed.

Saturday June 9th ~ Media Activism, MSM war lies from Theoretical Academics
and Cultural Infiltration day!



Ibish again, and then:

Hoda Osman:

is a former field producer at the investigative unit of ABC News in New York, which she joined in 2003. She covered terrorism-related issues and the Middle East. Prior to that, she worked in Egypt with the Associated Press Television News (APTN) and freelanced with several other news media. While in Egypt, she also wrote about political, social and business issues for a number of publications. Hoda is also the vice president of the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalist Association (AMEJA). She has a BA in journalism and an MA in Middle Eastern Studies.


Ayad Al-Qazzaz:

Ayad Al-Qazzaz is a professor of sociology at California State University, Sacramento. He received his degrees from the university of Baghdad and the university of California, Berkeley. He teaches courses on the Middle East societies and Cultures. He was an associate editor of Pacific Sociological Review and was on advisory Board of the Journal of Military and political sociology. Recently he was appointed to the Board of editors of the Arab Studies Quarterly. He was the Past president of the Association of Arab American University Graduates in 1990. Currently is the president of the Arab American Chamber of Commerce of Sacramento and the president of the Middle East Cultural Association of Cal. State University, Sacramento. He is the author of several books, including the Arab World: A Handbook for Teaches 1978, Women in the Middle East and North Africa: an Annotated Bibliography, 1977 the Transnational Links between the Arab Community in US and the Arab World 1982 and a co-edited book The Arab World Notebook 1990. Contributed more than fifty articles to journals and encyclopedias in the US and in the Arab World. He lectured throughout the US, Middle East and England. Currently he produces a half an hour TV show titled " Focus on the Middle East" for the Access Channel in Sacramento. He is also listed in many who's who dictionaries.


According to the esteemed Al-Qazzaz
(soon to replace Alakazam! in your slangology)


Big MO taught us how to be humane in war.

No, I am not kidding.


VIDEO: Ayad Al-Qazzaz Lecture on Iraq @ Cal Poly Pomo


Phyllis Bennis:

A leading figure of the Institute for Policy Studies and the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

Views Israel as an oppressor nation that violates Palestinian human rights

Opposed U.S.-led sanctions against Iraq throughout the 1990s

Opposed the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq

Viewing Israel as an oppressor nation that violates Palestinian human rights, Bennis has referred to the 1948 creation of the Jewish state as "the Palestinian catastrophe … al Nakba." She characterized Israel’s 2004 assassination of Hamas leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin as a cold-blooded "murder" and has condemned Israel for wanting the Palestinian Authority to arrest Hamas operatives who she said may not have had "any involvement in military or terrorist attacks." In September 2000 she stated that the newly launched Palestinian Intifada "may give us a chance to challenge [Israel's] apartheid character." A strong advocate of the Palestinian "right of return" to Israel, Bennis says: “Certainly not all Palestinian refugees will ultimately opt to return. But the right to return is absolute, and cannot be compromised away.”


Shibley Telhami:

Likes the sound of his own voice.


More of the same "progressive" bilge, only more covertly stated. This one is smarter, more controlled, more reserved than the last two IMO, and therefore... more dangerous.
Keep your eye on him.


End of Part I, for now.

I still have five more pages of this to show you all.


UPDATE

The Link to the PDF seems OK now: "Toward a more Perfect Union

And Now a Word From KGB defector Yuri Alexandrovich Bezmenov

(Hat Tip ~ Storagemanager)




























..And the Band Played On




United Arab Emirates: Iranian President to visit UAE next week

Abdullah welcomes Cheney to the UAE



The Palestinians: Enter Al Qaeda
Palestinian fetus killed in crossfire - yes, that's the actual headline

Hamas leader expects new Intifada (The old one ended?)


Turkey: NATO’S ISLAMISTS


Iraq: "Caliphate Minister: shot dead in Baghdad


Pakistan:
Militants blow up music, video shops in Pakistan


Kosovo: West pushes for quick resolution of Kosovo issue


Afghanistan: Local Villagers kill Three Taliban

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Israeli Deputy Nat'l Security Adviser: US is appeasing Arabs, EU

And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him? ~ Revelation 13:4

The Bush administration is undertaking much of its current Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy to appease the Arabs and Europeans, a top White House official told a group of Jewish Republicans recently, according to those present.

Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams said much of the heightened State Department activity with the two parties was "process for the sake of process" and being done to "assuage the Arabs and the Europeans, who haven't been happy with the United States [and are] happy to see that there's at least an attempt or energy being put into the peace process," according to one attendee at the closed-door meeting.

In response to a question raised at the event about whether "European and Arab pressure could put Israel in a corner," the National Security Council issued a statement saying that "ultimately, the United States provides an emergency brake."

Abrams also told the meeting that he would guard against the bureaucrats at the State Department taking over American Middle East policy, as well as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice falling into the "Clintonian mode" of needing to point to achievements to secure her legacy as her term concludes, according to someone at the discussion.

The source was referring to the increased pace of diplomatic arm-twisting in search of peace between Palestinians and Israelis on the part of president Bill Clinton in the waning days of his time in office.

Rice has traveled to the region several times this year and brokered meetings between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas as part of efforts to create a "political horizon" of the contours of a Palestinian state. Most recently, the administration presented both parties with a set of benchmarks concerning freedom of movement and security undertakings as a basis of discussion.

Another visit by Rice to Israel and the Palestinian Authority had been in the works, but was postponed last week, a decision the State Department attributed to scheduling issues and the delicate Israeli political situation.

Some observers suggested Rice would have had little to show for her trip, as the sides have differed on the benchmark proposal. Hamas, which controls much of the PA, has rejected it outright, while some Israeli officials have also been critical of the document.

Abrams is said to have suggested, however, that these smaller-level moves, as well as the US plan to help train Palestinian security forces, are more achievable and helpful in the short-term.

Those at the Abrams briefing said they didn't detect tensions between Abrams and Rice, but rather between the White House approach and that of the State Department bureaucracy. Rice is a newcomer to that establishment, as she served above Abrams as national security adviser during President George W. Bush's first term.

The NSC stressed that there was no daylight between Rice and Abrams or between the State Department and the White House.

"Advancing toward peace between Israelis and Palestinians and toward the president's vision of two states living side by side in peace and security is not only Secretary Rice's goal, it is a key goal of the President's," the NSC statement said. "It is inaccurate to suggest that the White House and State Department are at odds on this issue, for the entire administration - including Mr. Abrams - is committed to pursuing it and the rest of the President's agenda."

Source Link


See Also:


Benchmarks for a bloodbath


Here


Here


Here


and.....

Here


Hold your ground! Hold your ground!

Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers,

I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.

A day may come when the courage of men fails,

when we forsake our friends

and break all bonds of fellowship,

but it is not this day.

An hour of wolves and shattered shields,

when the age of men comes crashing down,

but it is not this day!

This day we fight!!

By all that you hold dear on this good Earth,

I bid you stand, Men of the West!!!

~ King Aragorn: Battle Speech at the Black Gate


UPDATE 5/13/07

ZOA SAYS REVOKE THE BENCHMARK PLAN, PRESIDENT BUSH!


The ‘benchmark plan’ demands of Israel include:

Providing arms, ammunition and equipment to PA security forces in an “immediate and ongoing” manner, whenever by the U.S. Security Coordinator Maj.-Gen. Dayton “requests” it.

Allowing PA bus and truck convoys to shuttle between Gaza and PA-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria from July 1.

Removing security roadblocks in Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus and other areas in Judea and Samaria.

Extending operating hours at the major border crossings with Gaza.

[SNIP]

When The Spleen looked into his soul, she saw something completely different


Blunt Putin speech seemed aimed at U.S.

MOSCOW — Who was President Vladimir Putin talking about when he said the world faces threats to peace like those that led to World War II?

Putin's statement at a Victory Day parade on Red Square on Wednesday was artfully phrased to be both blunt and vague — but political observers have little doubt he was criticizing the United States for "disrespect for human life, claims to global exclusiveness and dictate, just as it was in the time of the Third Reich."

While Putin didn't name any particular country in the speech marking the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany, the remarks echoed his increasingly strong criticism of the perceived U.S. domination in global affairs.

Political analysts close to the Kremlin say that Putin referred to the United States in his remarks, expressing Russia's dismay at what it views as U.S. unilateralism in world affairs and disrespect for other countries' interests.

"Hitler was striving for global domination, and the United States is striving for global domination now," Sergei Markov, the Kremlin-connected head of the Moscow-based Institute for Political Research told The Associated Press. "Hitler thought he was above the League of Nations, and the United States thinks it is above the United Nations. Their action is similar."

Relations between Russia and the United States have become increasingly tense amid U.S. criticism of the Kremlin for rolling back on democracy and Moscow's complaints against U.S. plans to deploy missile defense sites in Europe close to its western borders. Moscow also frequently accuses Washington of meddling in what it considers its home turf by trying to take other ex-Soviet nations away from its orbit.

Markov said that while Putin sought to soften his remarks by avoiding a direct reference to the United States, he was undoubtedly was aiming at Washington. "Only the United States now is claiming global exclusiveness," Markov said.

Shortly after his speech at the parade, Putin told veterans at a Kremlin reception that World War II showed "where militarist ambitions, ethnic intolerance and any attempts to recarve the globe are leading to."

Markov saw that as another veiled reference to the United States.

"After the Cold War ended, the United States has initiated a new arms race," fueling nuclear ambitions of many nations worldwide, he said.

"If a nation doesn't have nuclear weapons, it risks being bombed like Yugoslavia or Iraq," he said. "And if it does have nuclear weapons like North Korea, it faces no such threat."

Gleb Pavlovsky, another political analyst with close Kremlin connections, said that Putin's remarks reflected his "concern about the spreading of unilateralist approaches to global affairs."

"The United States is trying to dominate the world ... and Russia takes a stance against such hegemony," Pavlovsky said.

He added, however, that Putin was not referring exclusively to the United States when he mentioned a contempt for human life and claims at global domination, but also forces behind international terrorism and extremism.

"He was also referring to nations that support Islamic fundamentalism when he talked about claims to global exclusiveness," Pavlovsky said.

Putin's remarks reflect an increasingly assertive posture by Russia, which has regained its economic muscle thanks to a rising tide of oil revenue and sought to rebuild its military might eroded in the post-Soviet industrial demise.

Putin shocked Western leaders in February when he spoke at a security conference in Germany, bluntly accusing the U.S. of trying to force other nations to conform to its standards and warned that Russia would strongly retaliate to the deployment of the U.S. missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic.


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READ IT ALL

SEE ALSO:

Putin Swipes at US & Estonia as Russians Mark the Defeat of the Nazis


UPDATE, ancillary ... and yet, not:

PM Tony Blair Announces his Resignation


Bush Seeks Compromise on Iraq Benchmarks


Chief Rabbinate to Review Ban on Judeo-Christian Co-Operative Conference



CHIEF RABBINATE TO REVIEW BAN


(IsraelNN.com) Organizers of the upcoming Christian-Jewish events in Jerusalem say no missionary activity is involved; Israel's Chief Rabbis say they will review a ban on participation in the events ordered by a Rabbinate subcommittee.

MK Rabbi Benny Elon met with Israel's Chief Rabbis Yona Metzger and Shlomo Amar today, regarding last week's controversial ruling by a Rabbinate subcommittee. The three-rabbi subcommittee, presented with evidence of wide-scale missionary activity throughout Israel, banned participation in two Christian-Jewish events planned for later this month in Jerusalem.

However, Elon - who works closely with Christian Zionists in advancing Israel's political interests - offered to present the Chief Rabbis with evidence that might change the picture. The rabbis agreed, and a meeting on the matter is set to be held in a matter of days.

Elon, who heads the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus, told Arutz-7, "We are very careful not to work with missionary organizations - and they well know this. In this case, however, I believe the rabbis simply did not have the right information."

The Chief Rabbinate Council committee of municipal chief rabbis - headed by Rabbi Simcha Kook of Rehovot, with the participation of Rabbi Yitzchak Peretz of Raanana, and Rabbi Yehuda Deri of Be'er Sheva - ruled that the "Woman to Woman" conference sponsored by Bridges for Peace, and the "Empowering Women through Judeo-Christian Values" event of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus Women’s Summit both "stand in opposition to Torah thought and law."

The ruling added that the two events "strive to create a partnership between famous Christian preachers and leaders of organizations that have worldwide missionary programs to missionize as many Jews as possible... Events of this nature have been banned in the past by Torah giants throughout the generations, and they are forbidden."

Reactions were quick to arrive. Sondra Oster Baras, Director of the Israel Office of Christian Friends of Israeli Communities and a Board Member of the Women's Council of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus, explained that Bridges for Peace (BFP) "does not engage in missionary activity and [its chairperson Rebecca Brimmer], personally, has an exemplary record in that regard." Baras noted that while some rabbis "oppose any activity between Jews and Christians, there are many others who are quite supportive."

Josh Reinstein, of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus, agreed: "BFP is against missionary activity... It is hard to fathom that there are Jews who are willing to meet with our enemies, yet not with our friends."

BFP head Brimmer herself, speaking on IsraelNationalRadio and later contacted separately by Arutz-7, also said that her organization has no missionary objectives - though she stopped short of condemning all missionary activity outright. Asked by IsraelNationalRadio's Jeremy Gimpel if the organization's good works on behalf of Israel are just a cover for missionary objectives, she said, "You've known me for 4-5 years. Have I tried to change you into a Christian?"

Gimpel: "Absolutely not - but I want you to say it on the air. I want everyone to hear the President of BFP say that she is absolutely against missionary activity, that this is not what the organization stands for."

Brimmer: "That is not - BFP is not a missionary organization, we are an organization that is trying to bring relationships and reconciliation between two people who have been at odds for 2,000 years and who both love and serve the same God and who both read the same Bible. I think it's a sin against God for us to be always at odds and hating one another, and I think we need to change that."

Later, Arutz-7 asked her about promotional literature for the BFP event that speaks of "Jewish and Christian women together, studying the Word..." Ms. Brimmer agreed that this might be misleading, and said that the description is inaccurate. "Basically," she said, "we have a small conference of about 30 Christian women from abroad, with no Jews signed up, nor did we attempt to invite them as participants. What we did was to invite Jewish women to come and share with the Christians how they think - because if we're going to overcome anti-Semitism, then we need to get to know one another."

(The reference is to the Woman to Woman event; the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus summit is a larger affair - two days of sessions in a Jerusalem hotel on issues such as abuse of women, the lack of women's rights in various countries, Judeo-Christian ethics, women as leaders, and more.)

Sitting Together, or Teaching?
Ms. Brimmer was asked to elaborate: "Do you see this as a way of simply showing Christians that Jews don't have horns - or is it that the Jews will actually teach the Christians, such as is described in Zechariah 8:23, which states that 'ten [Gentiles] will take hold of a Jew by his cloak and say, 'let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you'"?

"I can accept both formulations," she responded. "Most Christians are totally unaware of the riches they can learn from the Jews. In some ways, Christianity has been removed from its source... But we're certainly not getting Christians to become Jews, that's for sure."

Blurring the Lines
The Rabbinate council is concerned, however, that while specific groups are not involved outright in missionary work, the "blurring of the lines" will lead to danger in the future. "Bonds of this nature and the search for Judea-Christian values, and the study of the Jewish foundations of Christianity are forbidden and must be condemned," the ruling states.

Following the conversation with Ms. Brimmer, Arutz-7 asked one of the signatories, Rabbi Yitzchak Peretz, whether the ban included teaching the Christians. His response: "Participation of any sort is forbidden, because the Christians' ultimate goal is to convert Jews and we cannot give this legitimacy."

A senior member of the Yad L'Achim anti-missionary organization told Arutz-7 that though BFP and others are not actively involved in missionary work, "we must be very vigilant. Whether they are active or not is not the question; they can still be supportive of evangelizing Jews even though they do not actively do it. There are some issues on which we can work with them, and some that we cannot. It has to be done with careful judgment... For instance, to talk of 'Judeo-Christian' values - there is no such thing. This is a concept that arose in the West. There are some values that they adopted from us, and others that they distorted."

Rabbi Yitzchak HaLevy of the Yesha township of Karnei Shomron said (before learning that the Chief Rabbis planned to review the ruling) that though he would not take a public stance in opposition to the Chief Rabbinate, "I don't think that we have to fear these organizations that much. The bottom line is that their spiritual influence here is very small. It's true that belief in a trinity is pure idol worship, but I don't think we have to fear that they will make inroads with this nonsense." He agreed that in the city of Ariel, Christian influence is not insignificantly felt.

Missionary Influence
Jerusalem Councilwoman Mina Fenton, who met with the Rabbinate committee, feels the missionaries' influence must not be under-estimated. She says that various volunteers throughout the country provide food packages and other help to many needy families, providing "spiritual counseling" as an added bonus. In addition, she told the rabbis, there are some 10,000 Messianic Jews in 100 communities around the country, and another 3,000 Jehova's Witnesses, all of whom are active in various ways in "spreading the gospel."

"The goal of all the groups," she feels, "is to blur the differences between Jews and Christians, to show the Jewish roots of Jesus, and to show that we believe in the same things - thus making it easier for the actual missionaries to come in for the kill."

Not every Christian wishes to missionize Jews, most agree. Women-in-Green co-founder Ruth Matar remembers fondly the Christian family that adopted her as a little girl during the Holocaust and constantly told her never to forget that she was Jewish and that what she heard with them at church was not "for her." Similarly, many feel, many Christian Zionists today love Israel with no ulterior motives.

On the other hand, as Sandra Oster Baras writes, "Make no mistake. Most Christians do believe that Jews need to accept Jesus. That is their religion. [But our] goal in building relationships between Jews and Christians is... to develop ways to cooperate and work together for the benefit of Israel and the Jewish people, despite our religious differences. We will not cooperate with anyone who is involved in missionary activity targeting the Jewish people. We will, however, continue to cooperate with anyone who wants to help the Jewish people and is willing to set aside his missionary agenda."

Opportunity - or Danger?
"For us," says Baras, "it is an opportunity to help Israel that we dare not ignore." Others say it is a danger that we dare not ignore.


See Also HERE


UPDATE:

Related~ Can Jews debate Jesus dispassionately? Should they?