response 54 of 169:

Aug 2 11:57 UTC 2003

A couple weeks back there was news from the PCPSR (a Palestian Arab reseach
group). A recent survey had revealed that the so-called "right of return"
wasn't so important an issue to Arab "refugees". Since this issue is used
as a weapon against Israel, the news was disturbing to many and a mob
formed to dispute the research, as if by beating Khalil Shikaki (the
cent'ers director) the data would change.

While the data were used to suggest that peace might (or could) be closer
than we believe, other disturbing portions have not been widely publicized:

Question 9: Are there conditions under which you could accept coexistence 
with Israeli Jews in peace and security? 

                Disputed
                Territories     Jordan          Lebanon
                -----------     ------          -------
        Yes     20.3%            9.7%           18.7%
        No      79.1%           85.5%           77.8%


Perhaps now people see why I mock the perspective that:
"If only Israel would play nice...."

Israel comes under attack because it exists.

Prof. Benny Morris, one of the "revisionist" historians often quoted by 
self-proclaimed "anti-Zionists" (a modern euphemism for "anti-Semite",
the previous code-word invented by Jew-haters) has in recent years come
to a new conclusion:

www.tnr.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20030421&s=morris042103

        Palestinian leaders and preachers, guided by history and religion,
        have traditionally seen the Jews as an inferior race whose proper
        place was as an abased minority in a Muslim polity; and the present
        situation, with an Arab minority under Jewish rule, is regarded as a
        perversion of nature and divine will. 

I believe Oslo failed because for 7 years the anti-Israel incitement and
hatred was not only unopposed but exacerbated by Arafat and his corrupt PA.
While speaking of peace in English, Arafat continued to deliver fiery
speeches in Arabic. From government mass media to school books this campaign
of polarization continued (those who want peace run the risk of being
stigmatized as "collaborators").  Then, at Camp David & Taba, Arafat used
the "Arab street" as an excuse not to accept the Clinton compromise.

So I anxiously await the emergence of an Arab "Peace Now" group and of
peace (rather than violent anti-Israel, anti-USA) demonstrations.
What would it take to start such a grass-roots movement?

response 56 of 169:

Aug 3 05:59 UTC 2003

shut up you moron.

response 58 of 169:

Aug 3 21:27 UTC 2003

Phil, are you volunteering to go to these territories and work for peace now
while condemning violence?  It would be a refreshing breather from groups
such as ISM (the "International [Palestinian Arab] Solidarity Movement") who
refuse to condemn suicide bombings and essentially serve as "human shields"
for the terrorists?

response 60 of 169:

Aug 5 02:59 UTC 2003

I'll contribute 1000 gribblies to the cause.
I'm sure others will chip in, too.

response 64 of 169:

Aug 6 19:48 UTC 2003

re:  "Arab League decides not to recognize Iraq`s interim government"

Yes.  We read that an Arab League official criticized the interim 
government for lacking credibility since it was not democratically 
elected.  Right.  Just like the "democratically elected" governments of 
the other Arab countries!

response 66 of 169:

Aug 7 14:10 UTC 2003

00:36   U.S. urges Libya to take responsibility for PanAm bombing in 1988,
        compensate victims` families, as demanded by UN

03:54   NASA to name seven asteroids after Columbia space shuttle astronauts,
        including Israeli Ilan Ramon

07:05   Security forces report 14 terror warnings, including kidnappings,
        and increase alert level

07:09   Parents of missing U.S. yeshiva student Eliezer Zussia Klughoft
        arrived from U.S. Wed. to join search [thought kidnapped by terrorists]

12:21   FBI gets involved in search for missing Tiberias teen Dana Bennet,
        a U.S. citizen [perhaps kidnapped by terrorists]

10:20   Palestinian PM Mahmoud Abbas to set off Thursday on visits to Jordan,
        Saudi Arabia and Kuwait

10:26   Waqf calls on Muslims to defend Temple Mount against anticipated
        Jewish visit

11:07   Police physically block MK Yehiel Hazan from going up to Temple Mount

11:24   U.S. officer on scene: at least 8 dead in attack on Jordanian Embassy
        in Baghdad

12:51   Police arrest 10 East Jerusalem teens for vandalizing Jewish graves
        on Mount of Olives

11:27   An Indonesian court sentences militant Muslim to death for role in
        last October`s Bali bombings

12:56   Five Kenyans plead not guilty to murder charges connected with
        November`s Mombasa hotel attack

15:36   Iran denies nuclear scientists from Pakistan, North Korea and other
        countries have helped its atomic program

response 68 of 169:

Aug 8 03:08 UTC 2003

Hope none of those named asteroids end up on a collision course with 
Earth.  The irony would be too great.

response 70 of 169:

Aug 8 17:22 UTC 2003

08:24   IDF sappers defuse 35-kg [77 lb] explosive device discovered overnight
        in village south of Tul Karm

08:57   Yitzhak Pas and Matityahu Shabo, accused of involvement with Jewish
        terror cell, are indicted for transporting explosives

09:59   Hezbollah fires mortar shells at IDF position on northern border;
        no report of damage or injuries

10:18   IDF Artillery Corps retaliating to Hezbollah fire on northern border

10:56   Hezbollah shells hit Israeli towns of Masadeh and Majdal Shams in Golan

11:06   Lebanese security forces detain three men over killing of Hezbollah
        official last week

13:33   Hezbollah firing anti-aircraft shells in eastern section of northern
        border between Israel and Lebanon

13:29   Top IDF officer: IDF raid in Nablus targeted two senior Hamas
        officials planning a terror attack to take place in Israel shortly

17:43   Funeral held at Moshav Udim for Staff Sgt. Ro`i Oren, killed in early
        morning IDF raid in Nablus refugee camp

19:46   IDF: Hundreds of kilograms of explosives, bombs ready for use and IDF
        uniforms found at site of Nablus raid

11:33   Hamas spokesman in Gaza: Hamas won`t maintain the quiet of the
        cease-fire following IDF raid in Nablus

This demonstrates the insanity of the "cycle of violence" theory.
Hamas plans and perpetrates attacks targeting Israeli civilians.
Israel preempts these attacks as best it can.
Comparing the two as equivalent, morally or otherwise, is idiotic.

response 72 of 169:

Aug 9 13:51 UTC 2003

16:18   Hezbollah fires anti aircraft rounds in eastern part of northern
        border over [Israeli town of] Kiryat Shmona; no casualties reported 

15:48   Air France pilot arrested, flight cancelled after joking with U.S.
        security at JFK airport in NY about bomb in his shoe

Let this be a lesson about joking. Of course, if he wasn't French it might
have been ok. As Tom Lehrer pointed out 35 years ago, you never can tell
what side they're on.

12:40   Kuwait puts off visit by Abbas because he wouldn`t apologize for
        Arafat`s support of Iraq after it invaded in 1990

07:04   Israel to UN: Hezbollah guerilla raids on Israel threaten to stoke
        regional tensions, undermine Mideast peace efforts

Expect a forthcoming UN resolution condemning Israel for shooting back in
self defense.

I'm sure the "play nice" gallery would advocate that Israel should just
heed Hezbollah's demand.  All they want is to resolve the border dispute
over the Shaba Farms area which they claim is part of Lebanon. Except that
until 1967, it was part of Syria and as reported by an ABC correspondent
(I believe it was on Nightline otherwise World News Tonight), even Lebanese
text books state the area is not part of Lebanon.

Furthermore, the UN itself has certified that Israel's UNILATERAL (play nice)
withdrawal from Lebanon was complete.  So Hezbollah has found a new pretext
to continue their attacks.

This isn't about "playing nice", it's about falling on one's sword to
*appease* murderous terrorists and dictators. As if that has ever worked.
The theory that "if only Israel did N then there would be peace" is
repeatedly shown false. The real model is: "if only Israel did N then
the terrorists would demand N+1."

Terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas don't attack Israel because
of N, whatever that daily special might be.

They attack Israel because it exists.

There won't be peace until the Arabs accept the model of peaceful coexistence,
or as Golda Meir said 30+ years ago, there won't be peace until the Arabs
love their children [who they are willing to "sacrifice" for the cause] more
than they hate the Jews.

response 74 of 169:

Aug 10 08:03 UTC 2003

Just out of curiosity why "anti-aircraft rounds"?  I don't understand
this.  Is this perhaps a mistranslation of "air-burst" rounds which is
something completely different?  Traditional anti-aircraft artillery was
a high muzzle velocity tube which fired a projectile set to go off at a
particular altitude with a rather small effective blast radius.  Such
were effective anti-tank weapons when used horizontally (88mm german
flak for example).  Even if it were possible to set AA rounds to go off
at an altitude that would effect the ground it would obviously frag your
own gun crews first as it went up - you would have to remanufacture
ack-ack rounds to have a safety which could probably be relatively
easily done, but why not use the appropriate weapon in the first place?