According to YNET, (http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3647934,00.html) the head ofIsraeli's intelligence reported today that Hamas terrorists are hiding in hospitals and maternity wards, wearing the clothes of doctors and nurses.
They are moving rocket launchers into crowded residential neighborhoods, and thus their success in shooting over 45 rockets into Israeli towns this morning alone.
The difficulty of rooting out terrorists who hide behind newborn babies and cancer patients is hard for a civilized country like Israel to deal with. Israel allowed 100 truckloads of medical supplies and basic fooditems to enter Gaza yesterday, along with five new ambulances donated byTurkey. This morning, the Gazans requested that Israeli hospitals takein two small children injured in the hostilities. Israel allowed them in, even as Hamas continued to bomb.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Two hospitals - both the same side of the coin
In Ashkelon’s Barzilai’s underground children’s ward, sick Gazans lay alongside sick Israelis as a clown hopped around trying to coax smiles from them all.
A senior doctor said that his facility has close ties with Gaza’s Shifa Hospital, and accepts many of its patients who need treatment the Gazan hospital cannot provide. He said it isn’t uncommon to have a colleague in Gaza call him for assistance even as rockets rain down on Ashkelon.
“It might seem completely absurd”, he said. “But we have the privilege of being doctors. Our medical ethics do not distinguish between patients. We treat whoever needs to be treated.”
A Gaza woman, whose two-month old granddaughter was being treated for an unidentified ailment, wept when asked how she was coping. She said she was fortunate her grand-daughter was getting the best medical treatment but was worried about her daughter and other grandchildren in Gaza City.
“I am very sad and hurt,” she said in Arabic. “We want peace, not wars.” She refused to identify herself or have her picture taken for fear of retribution if her presence in Israel was discovered in Gaza.
A few doors down in the maternity ward, 23 year old Keren Shaltiel was resting after giving birth to her second child. She said hearing sirens and exploding rockets outside while in labour was bizarre.
Meanwhile, another hospital about 150 miles northeast of Gaza is “also feeling the effects of what’s happening down south”, said a friend who wrote to me. He writes “Since Israel decided to deal with a mortal threat to its citizens, some Arab citizens of Israel have chosen to riot. One must question, what are they angry about? That Israel and the Jews have once again been forced to defend themselves or the fact that we dare to do so?”
“The Medical Center once again finds itself at the crossroad between humanity and maniacal human behavior. Since yesterday (December 28, 2008), the center has already received and treated eight casualties of Arab rioting. A couple on their way home to Afula found themselves in a maelstrom of rocks being hurled at vehicles by rioters from the Arab town of Um El Fahm (15 minutes away).
They attacked traffic on Highway 65 that connects Afula to central and coastal Israel, the same road that was closed during the riots of 2000. The couple was treated in our ER. Later, two boys aged 9 & 11 from the same Arab town were rushed to EMC suffering from a near-fatal gunshot wound that barely missed their hearts. Apparently, a bullet discharged from the pistol of one of the rioters, wounding both boys who were standing nearby. Later in the day, four Border Patrol Policemen were treated here for wounds received by flying rocks. They did not shoot their attackers, even though they were armed.
The Jewish and Arab staff of the center continue to quietly mend the broken bodies that stumble or are carried through our doors. Now, with emotions stirred and extremists waiting at every corner, we have been placed on high alert. Once again, we must be ready to deal with a mass casualty event, hoping that it does not materialize. We’re heading into a cold winter, yet the temperature is rising all around us”.
A senior doctor said that his facility has close ties with Gaza’s Shifa Hospital, and accepts many of its patients who need treatment the Gazan hospital cannot provide. He said it isn’t uncommon to have a colleague in Gaza call him for assistance even as rockets rain down on Ashkelon.
“It might seem completely absurd”, he said. “But we have the privilege of being doctors. Our medical ethics do not distinguish between patients. We treat whoever needs to be treated.”
A Gaza woman, whose two-month old granddaughter was being treated for an unidentified ailment, wept when asked how she was coping. She said she was fortunate her grand-daughter was getting the best medical treatment but was worried about her daughter and other grandchildren in Gaza City.
“I am very sad and hurt,” she said in Arabic. “We want peace, not wars.” She refused to identify herself or have her picture taken for fear of retribution if her presence in Israel was discovered in Gaza.
A few doors down in the maternity ward, 23 year old Keren Shaltiel was resting after giving birth to her second child. She said hearing sirens and exploding rockets outside while in labour was bizarre.
Meanwhile, another hospital about 150 miles northeast of Gaza is “also feeling the effects of what’s happening down south”, said a friend who wrote to me. He writes “Since Israel decided to deal with a mortal threat to its citizens, some Arab citizens of Israel have chosen to riot. One must question, what are they angry about? That Israel and the Jews have once again been forced to defend themselves or the fact that we dare to do so?”
“The Medical Center once again finds itself at the crossroad between humanity and maniacal human behavior. Since yesterday (December 28, 2008), the center has already received and treated eight casualties of Arab rioting. A couple on their way home to Afula found themselves in a maelstrom of rocks being hurled at vehicles by rioters from the Arab town of Um El Fahm (15 minutes away).
They attacked traffic on Highway 65 that connects Afula to central and coastal Israel, the same road that was closed during the riots of 2000. The couple was treated in our ER. Later, two boys aged 9 & 11 from the same Arab town were rushed to EMC suffering from a near-fatal gunshot wound that barely missed their hearts. Apparently, a bullet discharged from the pistol of one of the rioters, wounding both boys who were standing nearby. Later in the day, four Border Patrol Policemen were treated here for wounds received by flying rocks. They did not shoot their attackers, even though they were armed.
The Jewish and Arab staff of the center continue to quietly mend the broken bodies that stumble or are carried through our doors. Now, with emotions stirred and extremists waiting at every corner, we have been placed on high alert. Once again, we must be ready to deal with a mass casualty event, hoping that it does not materialize. We’re heading into a cold winter, yet the temperature is rising all around us”.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Operation "Cast Lead"
Well that’s it, we are in another war. This time, unlike Lebanon in 2006, government ministers are calling it a war. With an incessant barrage of missiles on Israel’s civilian population in the south after the end of the “cease fire”, no government in the world could allow this to continue.
A friend living in a Kibbutz on the border writes
“So far we are OK. We are told to stay in a protected room and not to go outside if not necessary.
At about 10 this morning, Dec 27th, it was very quiet, when all of a sudden we hear a rolling sound outside then a thunderous boom and the whole house shook, like in a earthquake, then a second time and then a third time. After that, we heard airplanes and some more explosions.
On our beeper, which all of the homes surrounding Gaza have, we were told what has happened and we were told to stay inside.
A Moshav which is not to far from here but out of rocket range has opened up rooms for all of us who want to leave. We have been invited to family to stay with them and some friends of mine who live up North also invited us. We are staying as most of the families are also staying, those with children might want to send their children, if we still have children at home, we might be doing that also.
The whole area is under military rule and no one who does not live in this area are not allowed through.
The air strikes helps but we still need to go in. Israel surprised Hamas and us also, because they and us, did not think that Israel would strike on Sabbath. So the leaders of Hamas came out of hiding until Sunday and it cost them.
Our TV stations are all broadcasting nothing but what happened today in Gaza. Alon's (my son for those of you who do not know) reserve unit but not Alon so far, have been called up.
What night will bring and at 5:30 PM it is already dark, I do not know, but we for the first time are thinking of putting a mattress in our security room to sleep tonight.
If the army tells us to leave, I will volunteer to stay on the kibbutz and work in the dairy farm, life goes on with the livestock. They have to be fed and milked and calves are born.
Will let you know what happens when it happens. “
Another conversation 24 hours later with a resident of Sderot raises a surprising comment. “In Sderot, there is quiet, the missiles are targeting communities further afield” And so it is today that very very missiles actually landed in and around Sderot.
Nevertheless, revenge attacks abroad are feared. It is certainly reasonable to assume that Hamas and the organizations operating under its auspices will now attempt to turn the lives of southern Israel residents into hell, both due to a desire for revenge as well as an attempt to create a strategic equation, as the Hizbullah did at the end of the Second Lebanon War. Technically, Palestinian organizations in Gaza are capable of launching more than 100 rockets a day. This is of course a theoretical pace, which also depends on the actions undertaken by the IDF.
On a wider front, we can assume that Hamas will attempt to dispatch members of the group and of Islamic Jihad to carry out suicide attacks in Israel at any price, with bombers originating in the West Bank and attempting to enter Israel or target settlements.
There have been interesting reactions from world leaders, one of which from the Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit surprisingly blames Hamas for war. He said "For quite some time, Egypt has been warning. Whoever tried to confuse the understanding of [ignore] this warning, must bear the responsibility.
In a statement by the Israeli Foreign Minister to the foreign press, she says "Whoever wants peace in the region, with a two-state solution, must understand that we must fight terror and extremism. Confronting Hamas is the only way for the Palestinians to enjoy a good life in a country of their own. Israel wants peace, and must operate against the Hamas in order to achieve this.
By showing one-sided footage from Gaza, you are not helping to promote peace. I understand that provocative images arouse people's rage and hostility, but we want to achieve a better future for this region. Hamas does not want peace; Hamas uses the residents of Gaza as hostages.
Israel proposes a vision of peace, while Hamas proposes a vision of war. Peace with Israel and calm in the region can only be achieved by dialogue. This situation cannot continue. Hamas, Iran and Hizbullah are enemies of the free world."
A friend living in a Kibbutz on the border writes
“So far we are OK. We are told to stay in a protected room and not to go outside if not necessary.
At about 10 this morning, Dec 27th, it was very quiet, when all of a sudden we hear a rolling sound outside then a thunderous boom and the whole house shook, like in a earthquake, then a second time and then a third time. After that, we heard airplanes and some more explosions.
On our beeper, which all of the homes surrounding Gaza have, we were told what has happened and we were told to stay inside.
A Moshav which is not to far from here but out of rocket range has opened up rooms for all of us who want to leave. We have been invited to family to stay with them and some friends of mine who live up North also invited us. We are staying as most of the families are also staying, those with children might want to send their children, if we still have children at home, we might be doing that also.
The whole area is under military rule and no one who does not live in this area are not allowed through.
The air strikes helps but we still need to go in. Israel surprised Hamas and us also, because they and us, did not think that Israel would strike on Sabbath. So the leaders of Hamas came out of hiding until Sunday and it cost them.
Our TV stations are all broadcasting nothing but what happened today in Gaza. Alon's (my son for those of you who do not know) reserve unit but not Alon so far, have been called up.
What night will bring and at 5:30 PM it is already dark, I do not know, but we for the first time are thinking of putting a mattress in our security room to sleep tonight.
If the army tells us to leave, I will volunteer to stay on the kibbutz and work in the dairy farm, life goes on with the livestock. They have to be fed and milked and calves are born.
Will let you know what happens when it happens. “
Another conversation 24 hours later with a resident of Sderot raises a surprising comment. “In Sderot, there is quiet, the missiles are targeting communities further afield” And so it is today that very very missiles actually landed in and around Sderot.
Nevertheless, revenge attacks abroad are feared. It is certainly reasonable to assume that Hamas and the organizations operating under its auspices will now attempt to turn the lives of southern Israel residents into hell, both due to a desire for revenge as well as an attempt to create a strategic equation, as the Hizbullah did at the end of the Second Lebanon War. Technically, Palestinian organizations in Gaza are capable of launching more than 100 rockets a day. This is of course a theoretical pace, which also depends on the actions undertaken by the IDF.
On a wider front, we can assume that Hamas will attempt to dispatch members of the group and of Islamic Jihad to carry out suicide attacks in Israel at any price, with bombers originating in the West Bank and attempting to enter Israel or target settlements.
There have been interesting reactions from world leaders, one of which from the Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit surprisingly blames Hamas for war. He said "For quite some time, Egypt has been warning. Whoever tried to confuse the understanding of [ignore] this warning, must bear the responsibility.
In a statement by the Israeli Foreign Minister to the foreign press, she says "Whoever wants peace in the region, with a two-state solution, must understand that we must fight terror and extremism. Confronting Hamas is the only way for the Palestinians to enjoy a good life in a country of their own. Israel wants peace, and must operate against the Hamas in order to achieve this.
By showing one-sided footage from Gaza, you are not helping to promote peace. I understand that provocative images arouse people's rage and hostility, but we want to achieve a better future for this region. Hamas does not want peace; Hamas uses the residents of Gaza as hostages.
Israel proposes a vision of peace, while Hamas proposes a vision of war. Peace with Israel and calm in the region can only be achieved by dialogue. This situation cannot continue. Hamas, Iran and Hizbullah are enemies of the free world."
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Co-Existence, Israeli Style
I received a letter from my friend at a hospital in the North whcih again gives the example of what good relations between citizens in the area can mean and should mean. Oh, that the Gazans could learn from this.
A senior nurse who for the past eleven years has acted as the Transplant Coordinator between his hospital and the Israeli Ministry of Health’s National Transplant Center related the following story:
On November 26, 2008, a 54 year-old man was tragically pronounced brain dead here in the hospital. His wife, also a nurse at the hospital, immediately informed the transplant coordinator of her desire to donate her husband’s organs so that others may live.
Thus began intense communications between the hospital and the National Transplant Center, which culminated several hours later in coordinated operations (in several hospitals) that gave renewed life to seven Israelis. One received a liver, two received kidneys, two received heart valves and two received corneas. Among them were both Jews and Arabs; each a human being in desperate need of a medical miracle. This death gave life to others, people he never knew.
When asked what were the most emotionally-charged moments of the wife's long career as a nurse, without hesitation, she said, “The moment when a family agrees to donate their loved one’s organs to strangers. That precise instance is the most difficult moment in a person’s life … it’s the intersection where death meets life.”
The dead man, like hundreds of others, became unknowing heroes in their deaths. Their families gave the gift of renewed life to total strangers and lengthened an unbreakable thread that weaves throughout our society.
The Jewish commitment to life is exemplified the medical center’s absolute coordinated efforts between medical departments, physicians, nurses, technicians and administrative staff. The gift of life could not be delivered were it not for their combined timely efforts.
Dare we hope that one day in our lifetime the gift of life takes precedence over death as is promoted by the terrorists whose aim is to destroy Israel?
A senior nurse who for the past eleven years has acted as the Transplant Coordinator between his hospital and the Israeli Ministry of Health’s National Transplant Center related the following story:
On November 26, 2008, a 54 year-old man was tragically pronounced brain dead here in the hospital. His wife, also a nurse at the hospital, immediately informed the transplant coordinator of her desire to donate her husband’s organs so that others may live.
Thus began intense communications between the hospital and the National Transplant Center, which culminated several hours later in coordinated operations (in several hospitals) that gave renewed life to seven Israelis. One received a liver, two received kidneys, two received heart valves and two received corneas. Among them were both Jews and Arabs; each a human being in desperate need of a medical miracle. This death gave life to others, people he never knew.
When asked what were the most emotionally-charged moments of the wife's long career as a nurse, without hesitation, she said, “The moment when a family agrees to donate their loved one’s organs to strangers. That precise instance is the most difficult moment in a person’s life … it’s the intersection where death meets life.”
The dead man, like hundreds of others, became unknowing heroes in their deaths. Their families gave the gift of renewed life to total strangers and lengthened an unbreakable thread that weaves throughout our society.
The Jewish commitment to life is exemplified the medical center’s absolute coordinated efforts between medical departments, physicians, nurses, technicians and administrative staff. The gift of life could not be delivered were it not for their combined timely efforts.
Dare we hope that one day in our lifetime the gift of life takes precedence over death as is promoted by the terrorists whose aim is to destroy Israel?
Monday, December 22, 2008
Bethlehem, Not According to the BBC
In spite of the fact that many media organisations want to focus on the negatives of the Israel Palestinian conflict, the signs are good in Bethlehem
Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to arrive for Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem this week, an influx that will push tourism to Israel to a record high of three million visitors in 2008.The town of Christ’s birth is busy readying for a crush of Christian pilgrims in Manger Square next week, following years of dismal figures during the holiday season. Local hotels are reporting 100% bookings and as many as 60,000 visitors are expected by Christmas Day next Thursday.
Today, Bethlehem is an Arab city of over 100,000 that has lost its Christian majority. The city council has been dominated in recent years by loyalists of Hamas, whose suicide bombing campaign earlier this decade forced Israel to encircle the town with a security wall.
Bethlehem has high unemployment and relies heavily on tourism, which normally peaks around the Nativity celebrations. Thus, Israeli authorities have made extra efforts to ease the entry of pilgrims into Bethlehem this Christmas."There is not just an atmosphere of peace, but an atmosphere of trust for the whole world to see… We believe, when it comes to tourism, there are no borders," said senior Deputy Director General of the Tourism Ministry.
According to statistics released this week, the three million visitors who will have entered Israel this year marks an all-time high and represents a 30% increase over 2007. Some two-thirds of the tourists who arrived in the Holy Land this year, totaling two million travellers, were Christians. Roughly half of them were Catholics and the other half various Protestant and Orthodox denominations.The USA accounted for 625,000 visitors in 2008, (20% of all incoming tourism), followed by Russia, France the UK and then several other European countries plus Canada.
For 58% of tourists in 2008, this was their first visit to Israel, whereas 42% had previously visited the country.
Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to arrive for Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem this week, an influx that will push tourism to Israel to a record high of three million visitors in 2008.The town of Christ’s birth is busy readying for a crush of Christian pilgrims in Manger Square next week, following years of dismal figures during the holiday season. Local hotels are reporting 100% bookings and as many as 60,000 visitors are expected by Christmas Day next Thursday.
Today, Bethlehem is an Arab city of over 100,000 that has lost its Christian majority. The city council has been dominated in recent years by loyalists of Hamas, whose suicide bombing campaign earlier this decade forced Israel to encircle the town with a security wall.
Bethlehem has high unemployment and relies heavily on tourism, which normally peaks around the Nativity celebrations. Thus, Israeli authorities have made extra efforts to ease the entry of pilgrims into Bethlehem this Christmas."There is not just an atmosphere of peace, but an atmosphere of trust for the whole world to see… We believe, when it comes to tourism, there are no borders," said senior Deputy Director General of the Tourism Ministry.
According to statistics released this week, the three million visitors who will have entered Israel this year marks an all-time high and represents a 30% increase over 2007. Some two-thirds of the tourists who arrived in the Holy Land this year, totaling two million travellers, were Christians. Roughly half of them were Catholics and the other half various Protestant and Orthodox denominations.The USA accounted for 625,000 visitors in 2008, (20% of all incoming tourism), followed by Russia, France the UK and then several other European countries plus Canada.
For 58% of tourists in 2008, this was their first visit to Israel, whereas 42% had previously visited the country.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Racism Durban Style and Italian Style
With the imminent start of 2009, the infamous Durban II conference gets nearer and nearer. Nothing in the preparation for this conference suggests that it will be any different from the Durban I Israel bashing forum. I would have hoped that by now that more governments would have made the decision to opt out of this fiasco of a conference, but no such luck.
So far only Canada and Israel have made the decision not to participate and the USA and Holland are “threatening” not to participate.
Thus, as so my commentators far more professional than me are writing, the Islamization of Europe is continuing apace. In my simplistic mind I would have thought what has been proposed for the conference in black and white would be sufficient for the governments of the EU to announce as a body their unwillingness to be part of this conference. Ah well, such is the reality of European politics today.
I suppose that many think of my comments as not politically correct, even racist, but as Michael Richards, better known as Kramer from TV's Seinfeld series, said in his defense speech in a US court after making racial comments in his comedy act.
“I'm proud To Be White, there, someone finally said it.
How many are actually paying attention to this?
There are African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Arab Americans, etc.
And then there are just Americans.You pass me on the street and sneer in my direction.You call me 'White boy,' 'Cracker,' 'Honkey,' 'Whitey,' 'Caveman' ... and that's OK.But when I call you, Nigger, Kike, Towel head, Sand-nigger, Camel Jockey, Beaner , Gook, or Chink .....You call me a racist.
You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you, so why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live?
You have the United Negro College Fund the Martin Luther King Day, Black History Month, Cesar Chavez Day.You have BET, if we had WET (White Entertainment Television) we'd be racists.
If we had a White Pride Day, you would call us racists.If we had White History Month, we'd be racists.If we had any organization for only whites to 'advance' OUR lives we'd be racists.A white woman could not be in the Miss Black American pageant, but any color can be in the Miss America pageant.
If we had a college fund that only gave white students scholarships you know we'd be racists. There are over 60 openly proclaimed Black Colleges in the US. Yet if there were 'White colleges' THAT would be a racist college.
In the Million Man March, you believed that you were marching for your race and rights. If we marched for our race and rights, you would call us racists. You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and orange, and you're not afraid to announce it. But when we announce our white pride, you call us racists.Why is it that only whites can be racists?”
I suppose in Italy there will be calls of racism after the centre-right gov't in Italy,
the only EU country where the elected Gov't rules in full respect of citizens' will as manifested in their clear electoral choice, by gradually erasing the previous Prodi's Left's disastrous policies of indiscriminate immigration which had been responsible for social turmoils and abuses from the growing Islamic contingent ..
The good news now concerns a project of a package of laws regulating future authorizations of Mosquees and of so-called Islamic Centers, representing in reality the perfect Trojan Horse for Islamic propaganda and indoctrination, AND incitement to terrorism - as proved by recent arrest of Moroccan (Italian resident) terrorists planning attacks in Milan and surroundings.
By this body of laws, one of the requirements will be that sermons and speeches shall have to be delivered in Italian language. There's no doubt that one country where good sense and sane minds rule is Italy.
An Italian minister has proposed a register of imams in Italy in order to control the construction of mosques and a referendum to integrate new places or worship in a social and urban context.Andrea Ronchi, European Affairs Minister, and member of the rightist National Alliance party (note: accused of 'fascist tendencies' by the left) proposed the move on Tuesday in what he called a bid to improve interreligious dialogue.
Ronchi also wants to restart dialogue between Muslims and institutions such as the state-backed Islamic Council or 'Consulta per l'Islam'. However, Ronchi said he did not want Italy's largest Muslim group, the Union of Islamic Communities of Italy (UCOII) to take part in the initiative, calling them "the real exponents of non-dialogue".
"We do not speak to those who deny the existence of Israel," he said.
Ronchi announced his proposal after meeting the vice-president of the Italian Islamic Religious Community (COREIS), Yahya Pallavicini.Ronchi said that the existence of new mosques in Italy should be dealt with in a transparent manner and included in a national register. "We need to put a stop to mosques being hurriedly built, without the consensus of the community. We need to match them with the reality of the place," said Ronchi.
The initiative has already been carried out by COREIS, which has trained 20 Italian-speaking imams.Italy's rightist Northern League, allied to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, wants to limit the growth of Islam and block the construction of mosques through strict new regulations.
So far only Canada and Israel have made the decision not to participate and the USA and Holland are “threatening” not to participate.
Thus, as so my commentators far more professional than me are writing, the Islamization of Europe is continuing apace. In my simplistic mind I would have thought what has been proposed for the conference in black and white would be sufficient for the governments of the EU to announce as a body their unwillingness to be part of this conference. Ah well, such is the reality of European politics today.
I suppose that many think of my comments as not politically correct, even racist, but as Michael Richards, better known as Kramer from TV's Seinfeld series, said in his defense speech in a US court after making racial comments in his comedy act.
“I'm proud To Be White, there, someone finally said it.
How many are actually paying attention to this?
There are African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Arab Americans, etc.
And then there are just Americans.You pass me on the street and sneer in my direction.You call me 'White boy,' 'Cracker,' 'Honkey,' 'Whitey,' 'Caveman' ... and that's OK.But when I call you, Nigger, Kike, Towel head, Sand-nigger, Camel Jockey, Beaner , Gook, or Chink .....You call me a racist.
You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you, so why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live?
You have the United Negro College Fund the Martin Luther King Day, Black History Month, Cesar Chavez Day.You have BET, if we had WET (White Entertainment Television) we'd be racists.
If we had a White Pride Day, you would call us racists.If we had White History Month, we'd be racists.If we had any organization for only whites to 'advance' OUR lives we'd be racists.A white woman could not be in the Miss Black American pageant, but any color can be in the Miss America pageant.
If we had a college fund that only gave white students scholarships you know we'd be racists. There are over 60 openly proclaimed Black Colleges in the US. Yet if there were 'White colleges' THAT would be a racist college.
In the Million Man March, you believed that you were marching for your race and rights. If we marched for our race and rights, you would call us racists. You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and orange, and you're not afraid to announce it. But when we announce our white pride, you call us racists.Why is it that only whites can be racists?”
I suppose in Italy there will be calls of racism after the centre-right gov't in Italy,
the only EU country where the elected Gov't rules in full respect of citizens' will as manifested in their clear electoral choice, by gradually erasing the previous Prodi's Left's disastrous policies of indiscriminate immigration which had been responsible for social turmoils and abuses from the growing Islamic contingent ..
The good news now concerns a project of a package of laws regulating future authorizations of Mosquees and of so-called Islamic Centers, representing in reality the perfect Trojan Horse for Islamic propaganda and indoctrination, AND incitement to terrorism - as proved by recent arrest of Moroccan (Italian resident) terrorists planning attacks in Milan and surroundings.
By this body of laws, one of the requirements will be that sermons and speeches shall have to be delivered in Italian language. There's no doubt that one country where good sense and sane minds rule is Italy.
An Italian minister has proposed a register of imams in Italy in order to control the construction of mosques and a referendum to integrate new places or worship in a social and urban context.Andrea Ronchi, European Affairs Minister, and member of the rightist National Alliance party (note: accused of 'fascist tendencies' by the left) proposed the move on Tuesday in what he called a bid to improve interreligious dialogue.
Ronchi also wants to restart dialogue between Muslims and institutions such as the state-backed Islamic Council or 'Consulta per l'Islam'. However, Ronchi said he did not want Italy's largest Muslim group, the Union of Islamic Communities of Italy (UCOII) to take part in the initiative, calling them "the real exponents of non-dialogue".
"We do not speak to those who deny the existence of Israel," he said.
Ronchi announced his proposal after meeting the vice-president of the Italian Islamic Religious Community (COREIS), Yahya Pallavicini.Ronchi said that the existence of new mosques in Italy should be dealt with in a transparent manner and included in a national register. "We need to put a stop to mosques being hurriedly built, without the consensus of the community. We need to match them with the reality of the place," said Ronchi.
The initiative has already been carried out by COREIS, which has trained 20 Italian-speaking imams.Italy's rightist Northern League, allied to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, wants to limit the growth of Islam and block the construction of mosques through strict new regulations.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Christians Still Under Threat
Bethlehem, the centre of Christianity is looking decidedly cheerful this holiday season. Hotels are booked solid through til January and Manger Square is bustling with tourists, and Israeli and Palestinian forces are working to make things go smoothly.
With calm gradually returning to the West Bank, Bethlehem has once again become a magnet for Christmas pilgrims.
These facts, however, bear no relation to the lies and distortions being related in various areas of the world.
Rev Stephen Coulter in London has decided based on Palestinian propaganda that his congregants could not, truthfully sing the carol’s line, “How - still - we see thee lie” in the preparation for Christmas.
So much wool is being pulled over the eyes of the world that many can’t see the wood for the trees. Rev Coulter intimated that a crib set he used in his church had to be “smuggled“out of the West Bank and that the producers of communion wine could not export their produce.
But let’s confuse this issue with facts
1) There is no hold up of wine coming out of the Cremisan winery in Beit Jala -- this has been confirmed by a spokesman at the winery who says they ship out the wine daily (there was a short temporary hitch of a few days) . These shipments go direct to Haifa and Ashdod to be shipped abroad. It is true it is going via Hebron as that is where the most up-to-date modern crossing point.
2) Israel has not banned exports of olive wood models of any type.
3) Tourism into Bethlehem – including of course Christian pilgrims- is up an astonishing 96.5% in the first nine months of 2008, thanks to the significant improvement in the security situation in the last two years.
4) The Palestinian economy in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) has shown signs of strengthening since the beginning of the year, according to a recent analysis by the Civil Administration. The analysis was based on data gathered by the Civil Administration as well as publicly available figures.
There have been large increases in the passage of commercial goods as a direct result of the increase in employment licenses and trade permits issued to Palestinian merchants and business owners by the Civil Administration since the beginning of 2008.
A full report of the progress of the Palestinian economy can be found at http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2008/Palestinian_economy_West_Bank_strengthens_2008+8-Sep-2008.htm
Let me also try to remove more of the wool from eyes. Having previously desecrated the Nativity Church, Muslim terrorists confiscated Christian property, burned shops and attacked Christians, so that many have fled, thus the once mainly Christian 60% of the population has become a small, fearful minority of approx 20%
Israels critics are so busy belabouring Israel, perhaps they don’t notice what is going on.
Jeff Alper, another fierce critic of Israel currently touring Scotland has been given free range to his agenda where according to Halper, http://www.honestreporting.com/israel's%20inhumanity.pdf due to Israel, Palestinian Christians are:
“being driven out, very systematically even targeted perhaps. If you eliminate this population, then you will weaken the Palestinian society. So they are being forced out, out of their homes, off their land and out of the country completely.”
The truth is very different. The parlous position of Palestinian Christians, indeed the difficult position of most Christians across the Arab world, is a consequence not of Israeli aggression but of growing Islamist influence. Israel goes out of its way to honour sites and traditions sacred to other faiths while the radicals who are driving Palestinian politics seek to create an Islamist state in which other faiths, if they survive at all, do so with the explicit subject status of dhimmis. But when it comes to Israel's position in these matters it's still a case of “O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see them lie”
It is quite remarkable that the Western media is totally ignoring a systematic campaign of persecution of Christians is taking place in the Gaza Strip, and to a lesser extent in the West Bank. The general silence surrounding this campaign aids its perpetrators.
The perpetrators are a variety of Islamist groups, all of which are manifestations of a process of growing Islamic militancy and piety taking place across the region.
Jonathon Spyer in the Jerusalem Post Dec 11th http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1228728163698&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull reports that :-
a) A recent article in the Palestinian Al-Ayyam newspaper drew attention to the long-simmering issue of "compulsory purchase" of land owned by Christians. This trend has been particularly noticeable in the Bethlehem, Ramallah and al-Bireh areas. Individuals with close links to the Palestinian Authority security forces, or to powerful clans, have adopted a variety of means to lay their hands on Christian-owned land. These have included false registration documents, squatters, and the involvement of senior PA security officers.
b) The Al-Ayyam columnist who raised this issue, Abd al-Nasser al-Najjar, lamented that no "constructive action" by the authorities to protect the Christians has taken place. Najjar listed the PA authorities, the Palestinian political factions, and the myriad of NGOs present in the West Bank among the bodies who might have been expected to take an interest in this situation, and who have not done so.
c) The official bodies of Palestinian nationalism continue to claim that the Palestinians are a single nation, with harmony between Christians and Muslims. The official leadership of Palestinian Arab Christianity repeats this claim.
d) These events reflect broader regional processes. Their failure to become known is also part of a larger trend. The foreign media, NGOs on the ground and some Western political leaderships prefer to foster a version of events in the West Bank and Gaza based on illusion and willful ignorance of the evidence. The slow death of an ancient community is one of the fruits of this.
With calm gradually returning to the West Bank, Bethlehem has once again become a magnet for Christmas pilgrims.
These facts, however, bear no relation to the lies and distortions being related in various areas of the world.
Rev Stephen Coulter in London has decided based on Palestinian propaganda that his congregants could not, truthfully sing the carol’s line, “How - still - we see thee lie” in the preparation for Christmas.
So much wool is being pulled over the eyes of the world that many can’t see the wood for the trees. Rev Coulter intimated that a crib set he used in his church had to be “smuggled“out of the West Bank and that the producers of communion wine could not export their produce.
But let’s confuse this issue with facts
1) There is no hold up of wine coming out of the Cremisan winery in Beit Jala -- this has been confirmed by a spokesman at the winery who says they ship out the wine daily (there was a short temporary hitch of a few days) . These shipments go direct to Haifa and Ashdod to be shipped abroad. It is true it is going via Hebron as that is where the most up-to-date modern crossing point.
2) Israel has not banned exports of olive wood models of any type.
3) Tourism into Bethlehem – including of course Christian pilgrims- is up an astonishing 96.5% in the first nine months of 2008, thanks to the significant improvement in the security situation in the last two years.
4) The Palestinian economy in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) has shown signs of strengthening since the beginning of the year, according to a recent analysis by the Civil Administration. The analysis was based on data gathered by the Civil Administration as well as publicly available figures.
There have been large increases in the passage of commercial goods as a direct result of the increase in employment licenses and trade permits issued to Palestinian merchants and business owners by the Civil Administration since the beginning of 2008.
A full report of the progress of the Palestinian economy can be found at http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2008/Palestinian_economy_West_Bank_strengthens_2008+8-Sep-2008.htm
Let me also try to remove more of the wool from eyes. Having previously desecrated the Nativity Church, Muslim terrorists confiscated Christian property, burned shops and attacked Christians, so that many have fled, thus the once mainly Christian 60% of the population has become a small, fearful minority of approx 20%
Israels critics are so busy belabouring Israel, perhaps they don’t notice what is going on.
Jeff Alper, another fierce critic of Israel currently touring Scotland has been given free range to his agenda where according to Halper, http://www.honestreporting.com/israel's%20inhumanity.pdf due to Israel, Palestinian Christians are:
“being driven out, very systematically even targeted perhaps. If you eliminate this population, then you will weaken the Palestinian society. So they are being forced out, out of their homes, off their land and out of the country completely.”
The truth is very different. The parlous position of Palestinian Christians, indeed the difficult position of most Christians across the Arab world, is a consequence not of Israeli aggression but of growing Islamist influence. Israel goes out of its way to honour sites and traditions sacred to other faiths while the radicals who are driving Palestinian politics seek to create an Islamist state in which other faiths, if they survive at all, do so with the explicit subject status of dhimmis. But when it comes to Israel's position in these matters it's still a case of “O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see them lie”
It is quite remarkable that the Western media is totally ignoring a systematic campaign of persecution of Christians is taking place in the Gaza Strip, and to a lesser extent in the West Bank. The general silence surrounding this campaign aids its perpetrators.
The perpetrators are a variety of Islamist groups, all of which are manifestations of a process of growing Islamic militancy and piety taking place across the region.
Jonathon Spyer in the Jerusalem Post Dec 11th http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1228728163698&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull reports that :-
a) A recent article in the Palestinian Al-Ayyam newspaper drew attention to the long-simmering issue of "compulsory purchase" of land owned by Christians. This trend has been particularly noticeable in the Bethlehem, Ramallah and al-Bireh areas. Individuals with close links to the Palestinian Authority security forces, or to powerful clans, have adopted a variety of means to lay their hands on Christian-owned land. These have included false registration documents, squatters, and the involvement of senior PA security officers.
b) The Al-Ayyam columnist who raised this issue, Abd al-Nasser al-Najjar, lamented that no "constructive action" by the authorities to protect the Christians has taken place. Najjar listed the PA authorities, the Palestinian political factions, and the myriad of NGOs present in the West Bank among the bodies who might have been expected to take an interest in this situation, and who have not done so.
c) The official bodies of Palestinian nationalism continue to claim that the Palestinians are a single nation, with harmony between Christians and Muslims. The official leadership of Palestinian Arab Christianity repeats this claim.
d) These events reflect broader regional processes. Their failure to become known is also part of a larger trend. The foreign media, NGOs on the ground and some Western political leaderships prefer to foster a version of events in the West Bank and Gaza based on illusion and willful ignorance of the evidence. The slow death of an ancient community is one of the fruits of this.
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