Blogging the democratic revolution
???????Israel has besieged and ravaged our country.???????? ???????For all this carnage and death???????we demand an international inquiry into Israel’s criminal actions in Lebanon and insist that Israel pay compensation for its wanton destruction.???????? ???????We also insist that Israel be made to respect international humanitarian law…which it has repeatedly and willfully violated.???????? Are these the words of a raging terrorist? Mr. Nasrallah perhaps or another Hezbollah fighter? No. They were written by someone to whom George W. Bush said only four months ago, in reference to his leadership: ???????There’s no question in my mind that Lebanon can serve as a great…
There may be an Arabo-Iranian Cold War brewing, if the Arabs make themselves relevant again As the Arabs furiously try to guilt Syria into curbing Hezb Allah????????s activities and ???????rejoining??????? the Arab world, one cannot help but see an almost laughable, but certainly pathetic, last ditch attempt at salvaging what influence the Sunni Arab states have in the Middle East. Ever since the American invasion of Iraq, the strong men of the Sunni Arab world have become less and less relevant in a region that has become increasingly polarized on various fronts. On the one hand, with the liberation of…
For those of you who are eagerly awaiting the next round of “Islamist propaganda Clue,” our friend Jim at Gateway Pundit, along with some particularly acute commenters, has apparently busted the New York Times participating in a Hezbollah photo op. It’s unclear at this point who staged what… UPDATE: LGF has this obvious photoshopped fake, by the same NYTimes photographer. You can also see a slideshow of his photos, which he narrates, here.
Charles at LGF caught Reuters in what looks like an obnoxious faked photo, with lots of dissection and discussion. A special correspondent who works for Reuters sent me this photo from the series, which I believes corroborates Reuters’ story. Judge for yourself: UPDATE: Now that Adnan Hajj has gone public, I feel it’s ok to share the rest of this story. Some readers may have questioned the authenticity of the original photo, even after I presented the above evidence, but surely we can all agree with Adnan’s explanation: As a ÄformerÅ Reuters photographer, I deny having deliberately attempted to manipulate…
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe recently issued a statement in regards to the large number of civilian deaths in the bombing of Qana this past weekend. Ironically, the statement was issued by Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister. “The Russian Presidency in the Council of Europe profoundly deplores the mass deaths of civilians in Lebanon caused by Israel????????s attacks, in particular, the death of dozens of residents of Qana, including women and children. On behalf of the Council of Europe we extend our condolences to the leadership and people of Lebanon. The killings and wounding of…
When I was in Washington, D.C. last week, I had dinner with the relatives I was staying with at their good friends’ house. These family friends happened to be Iranian. They had a son and two daughters, the boy was the youngest and the girls were about four years apart from each other. I had a conversation with the oldest girl about a variety of things, and by about 15 minutes before her mother had finished making our dinner, it turned political. She was very intelligent, she has one year to go until she achieves her degree in biology from…
The recent crisis in the Middle East has enflamed passions and continued the argument over history on the originations of the conflict. However, I have no desire to take this issue to task or recount different versions of a tortured history, and instead will focus on the reaction by Israel towards Lebanon in the context of democracy and international responsibility. The problem for the West, Israel included, is not the terrorists themselves, but the atmosphere and conditions that create sympathy and participation in extremist behavior. Outside of Israel, there are three democratic states in the Middle East: Lebanon, Palestine, and…
For many decades Israel has been the fundamental “enemy” of the Muslim Arab world, viewed as an abberation imposed on them by Western imperialist forces. Nowadays things are a bit different. Pan-Arabism is dead only to be revived on special occassions, like Friday or when Mubarak’s poll numbers are dropping. No one fights really hard for the Palestinian cause or even sticks to the anti-Israel line anymore. The issue is warming down and Arab dictatorships just don’t care like they used to. Perhaps something is in the air. Whatever it is, it smells like a wet mullah’s beard on a…
A major characteristic of authoritarian regime????????s whose domestic policies have created instability is the seeking of legitimacy through its foreign policy. In the case of Syria, it has raged against Jews as the enemy, the evil, that is the true source of the people????????s suffering. It has supported terrorist groups like Hezbollah for years, seeking the destruction of Israel ???????? impossible as that may seem ???????? because it believes that such a policy and its ???????benefits??????? can continue indefinitely. This is of course impossinble, but for a long time many people really buy it. The regime has been able to…
This is one of my all-time favorite magazine covers. A hot babe hoisted up in the middle of Lebanon’s Cedar Revolution, flashing only peace signs (and unfortunately little else). The girl at the top of this blog’s banner does the same. Democracy stirs in the Middle East, along with something else. Now that’s inspiration. The revolution expelled Syria for the most part from Lebanon, allowing it to hold free and fair elections in which an anti-Syria coalition was formed. However, given the regime’s longterm entrenchment, it’s elements are still very much active and large parts of the country are still…
Hezbollah has just announced that is ready for all out war with Israel, according to CNN. The declaration was made after Sheik Hassan Nasrallah’s home was bombed and Hezbollah’s headquarters were destroyed by Israel. Mr. Nasrallah is the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon. As I have followed the rapid escalation of events in Israel, I have been impressed potential for prolonged violence and general instability. At the moment, I really question whether Israel’s response is warranted. True, Hezbollah has kidnapped several Israeli soldiers. According to Hezbollah, the hostages were taken so as to facilitate a release of Hezbollah militants being…
Stefania got it right. Israel did nothing other than protect itself. Remember that Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said two years ago, that when the Party of God will be ready, it will attack the cities inside Israel (and so they did, for the first time ever!) and kidnap its soldiers, to show the Arab and Muslim world that Israel is a weak country that can be easily defeated with guerilla attacks. Although one is Sunni (Hamas) and the other Shiia (Hezbollah), these two militias have the same sponsors, Syria and Iran. What happened with Gilad Shalit did not just fall out…
It seems that half world has not yet realized that a new war has been declared by the arab and Islamic nations against Israel. This war is aimed to the total destruction of the Jewish state. Let’s not forget that this time these nations’ regimes have the atomic bomb and that they might launch it sooner than we expect. Israel is at war, a war he has never sought. But now, Mr. Olmert, you’re facing a choice that could have important consequences: either you act or Israel faces another Holocaust, this time with Islamic nations assaulting it with chemical weapons.…
According to the Jerusalem Post, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert has declared the latest attack by terrorist group Hezbollah an act of war. Israel has confirmed that two IDF soldiers were kidnapped, and they are currently searching for them in Lebanon. You can buy the IDF some pizza and soda, although it would seem to me far more useful if one could buy the IDF some bullets. You can also make a donation for a variety of uses to the IDF through LIBI.
Two weeks of all out assault on the Hamas government has led to the group on its knees pleading for peace. Interior Ministry offices were blown to bits, members of parliament were arrested, entire parts of Gaza were temporarily reoccupied, and and Prime Minister Haniya was hiding for his life. A declaration of ceasefire should be no surprise. Hamas has been rendered completely incapable of governing, brought to the realization that it cannot exist unless Israel recognizes it, and not the other way around. It should also not come as a surprise that Israel has declined such a generous offer.…
On Wednesday, Hamas and Fatah signed on to what is called the prisoner’s document, which included an “implicit” recognition of Israel’s right to exist. Yet no more than two days earlier did militants linked to the former kidnap a soldier serving in the Israeli Defense Forces, Corporal Gilad Shalit. The result? All out war on the Hamas government. In the past few days alone, Israel has launched a major incursion into the Gaza Strip, performing airstrikes and raids on militant targets. Several dozens Hamas MPs have been arrested and will stand trial. Missiles were fired at the Interior Ministry. Furthermore,…
Ghana football player John Pentsil after his team’s victory Source: AP, via Ha’aretz What a lovely story! Following Ghana’s tremendous and unexpected soccer victory over the powerhouse Czech Republic, a Ghanaian player whipped out an Israeli flag to show his support for the embattled Jewish state at the moment of his own victory. What a breath of fresh air for Israel, which usually has to hear horrible things about itself in the international political arena. This Ghanaian player wanted to honor them along with Ghana. The soccer player, John Pentsil, plays for teams in Israel between World Cups and feels…
I was fortunate enough to participate in a conference call with Natan Sharansky hosted by the Heritage Foundation. As you all have probably guessed, I’m a big fan of his book, The Case For Democracy, so this presented a very unique chance to get a question in. I was joined by several heavyweight bloggers Regime Change Iran, Right Wing News, Red State, Power Line, Gateway Pundit, Hugh Hewitt, Atlas Shrugs, and Boker Tov, Boulder. Follow those links! Unfortunately, there was an audio problem so no file or transcript will be available. Meaning I have to go by memory or notes.…
A Hamas spokesman in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) told AFP, the French news agency, that Hamas rejects the two-state Road Map. Assad Farhat said Hamas considers the Road Map an “American Zionist program”, in response to a Russian Foreign Minister’s statement that Hamas has not turned down the Road Map. Farhat said Hamas would only be willing to negotiate with Israel under the these conditions: – “When Israel announces that it will retreat from the conquered territories of 1967 – releases the Palestinian ÄterroristÅ prisoners – stops its aggression against the Palestinian nation – announces its willingness to solve…
The sweeping victory of Hamas in the Palestinian parliamentary election has the Bush administration and foreign policy experts on their toes. Isn????????t democracy supposed to be what frees the entire region from tyranny? That????????s how the meme goes. Yet fairer elections in Egypt gave one quarter of the seats to the Muslim Brotherhood, and now Hamas rules the territories. If we define democracy on these terms alone, then what we have on our hands is a political census that shows the possibility of many countries electing Islamic extremists to power. I seriously doubt the world wants to handle more than…
The BBC Radio ran an interview with Natan Sharansky on its “Taking A Stand” program. There’s no transcript of the interview, so you’ll just have to listen to the report. He talks about his time in the Soviet gulag, his release, his career in Israeli politics, and most interestingly his take on Hamas’ victory in the Palestinian elections. His position is that though the election obviously represented the true choice of the Palestinian people, it is not good for democracy. His book, The Case For Democracy, focuses extensively on the issue of promoting democracy in the Palestinian territories. He says…
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei’ and his cabinet (most of which are Fatah) announced their resignation following the January 25th elections. With a voter turnout of 77% preliminary results show Hamas with a substantial victory, taking 76 of the 132 seats, and proving that pollsters were clearly off in their predictions which favored a Fatah majority. According to the Israeli online news site Ynet, Hamas leader Mahmoud A-Zahhar continues to say that they will not change their call for the destruction of Israel. He also said, “The issue of weapons is related to the occupation. We will not receive dictations…
While Canadians voted in a new Conservative leader today, the Palestinians are holding their first election since 1996 which many believe is key in the Palestinian push for statehood. Hamas candidates have entered the race and their popularity makes them running a close second to Fatah. While campaigning, Hamas says a truce could be on the table, yet in one ad which was rebroadcast by CNN, Hamas shows footage of militants and states: “We will not rest as long as one inch of our holy land is in the hands of the Jews. Our flags will fly over the minarets…
A brief timeline of events: – Iranian President says that Israel should be “wiped off the map.” – The United Nations condemns his remarks. – Iranian President calls for Israel to be moved to Europe and denies the Holocaust. – The United Nations is shocked — shocked! — by the remarks. Oops, I seem to have missed an event right there in the middle, right after the whole “Israel should be wiped off the map” thing. A week ago, the United Nations held a “Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People” at the UN headquarters in New York City, which…
With the government of Israel maintaining staunch in its position, and opponents to the plan becoming desperate as the day of reckoning comes ever the more closer, an enormous rally was held in the capital of Tel Aviv in protest of the Gaza pullout plan. Youth activists set up a little tent village as their base for singing and handing out orange ribbons to passersby. Demonstrators poured into Rabin Square, asking for general elections while reciting prayers. The police would not give a number, but it is estimated that somewhere between 100,000 and 300,000 people joined the rally Thursday evening.…