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Politics : WAR on Terror. Will it engulf the Entire Middle East? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: michael97123 who wrote (12443)	2/9/2006 8:49:43 AM
From: rrufff	Respond to of 32591

Muslim newspaper ran cartoons 4 months ago (No outrage then...) worldnetdaily.com ^ \| February 9, 2006 \| worldnetdaily No outrage when Egyptian publication headlined drawings on Ramadan cover ________________________________________ WorldNetDaily.com February 9, 2006 While Muslims across the world have rioted in the past week against countries whose newspapers have published cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, there was no uproar when the same caricatures were prominently displayed in an Islamic newspaper four months ago. The images originating in Denmark's Jyllands-Posten in September were reportedly featured on the cover and inside pages of Egypt's al-Fagr (the Dawn) in October, during the holy month of Ramadan. According to the Freedom for Egyptians blog, al-Fagr included the cartoons on the front cover and page 17 of its edition dated Oct. 17. The headline, when translated, is said to read: "Continued Boldness. Mocking the Prophet and his wife by Caricature." "The Egyptian paper criticized the bad taste of the cartoons but it did not incite hatred protests," notes the blog. "It would have been better that this [current] holy war against Denmark be launched during the holy month of Ramadan as many Muslims believe that Jihad during Ramadan would have been more worthy. This irrelevant outrage timing is but a sign that this violent response to the cartoons is politically motivated by Muslim extremists in Europe and the so-called secular governments of the Middle East. I want also to mention that despite the fact that all editors who tried to reprint the cartoons in the Middle East nowadays were arrested, the Egyptian editors went unharmed." To date, at least 10 people have been killed in Afghanistan alone from Muslim riots in connection with the cartoons, though protests have been taking place in many countries throughout Europe and the Mideast. Some 4,000 angry Muslims took to the streets of the Egyptian capital of Cairo this week, though there were no protests when al-Fagr published the images during Ramadan in October. Interestingly, an Associated Press story in the Khaleej Times of the United Arab Emirates reports al-Fagr reprinted copies of the cartoons this week, but published only "the upper half of some of the controversial cartoons, omitting any facial representations. Adel Hamoudah, editor of al-Fagr, said he took copies of the cartoons from the Internet for the Tuesday edition and published them as a means of emphasizing their 'impudence.' He did not explain, however, why he chose only to print the upper half of the caricatures." It's not clear if the paper even mentioned it previously published the entire images on its cover and interior in October. "This tells me one thing, at least, and that is the Egyptians who get this newspaper and who took to the streets are either incredibly stupid, hypocritical, or both," said an anonymous poster on FFE's blog. "They are stupid because they believe what they're told by the Arab press in the previous week without checking for the facts. They are hypocritical if they protested the second time they saw the cartoons and not protested when it was first printed. Here, I'm going to go out on a limb and say 'both.'" Meanwhile in the U.S., the AP, the largest news-gathering organization in the world, is being attacked by a California newspaper editor over the wire service's refusal to distribute the cartoons of Muhammad. "But what is incredible is that the Associated Press, which distributes news stories and photos from across the globe, has decided that you shouldn't see it," writes editor Don Holland of the Daily Press in Victorville, Calif. "What is offensive is that AP fancies itself to be the guardian of good taste for thousands of American newspapers rather than letting individual newspapers make that decision.

To: michael97123 who wrote (12443)	2/9/2006 9:42:01 AM
From: Scoobah	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 32591

I had dinner with a wealthy family from France two nights ago, and they stated that they, and many like them are all moving to the US to get away from two things, the welfare state which stifles business and the arab mobs who are not thru destroying the country; they have only started.

To: michael97123 who wrote (12443)	2/9/2006 9:43:33 AM
From: Scoobah	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 32591

This is truly the end of the Sharon era, and the renewal of US State Dept Arabism at Israel's expense: Washington greets Israel’s new foreign minister Tzipi Livni with full honors – and frowns for unilateralist policy against a Hamas-ruled Palestinian government February 9, 2006, 9:35 AM (GMT+02:00) Thursday, Feb. 9, she meets vice president Dick Cheney. President Bush may look in on her White House meeting with national security adviser Stephen Hadley. Livni goes on to New York Thursday be hosted by UN secretary Kofi Annan and become the first Israeli official to air the Iranian nuclear program with the five permanent members of the Security Council But Livni’s talks Wednesday with secretary of state Condoleezza Rice left US, Israeli positions poles apart. At their news conference, Rice made no bones of what was expected of Israel as the price for Livni’s warm welcome. She had her say first - then left the room, leaving her Israeli counterpart alone to brand a Hamas-led Palestinian Authority a terrorist entity leading to “a terror state,” Before she left, Rice said the new Palestinian leadership “must recognize Israel’s right to exist,” and urged dialogue over unilateral moves. The secretary added: "We certainly hope that over the next period of time there will be a partner for Israel to deal with. That is everyone's hope for the roadmap. That depends on what happens in the Palestinian territories." In a couple of sharp sentences, Rice rejected in advance Livni’s disqualification of Hamas as a negotiating partner and negation of a Hamas terror state. She also briskly dismissed caretaker PM Ehud Olmert’s manifesto, as broadcast Tuesday, to work for permanent borders and the separation of the Jewish state from the majority of Palestinians, hand over large West Bank tracts while retaining the main settlement blocs and united Jerusalem and exercising control over Israel’s eastern border. These are matters for final-status negotiations, she said dismissively for Olmert’s benefit, following the same line taken by the Bush administration when this policy was pursued by Ariel Sharon. "Under no circumstances should anyone try and do that in a preemptive or predetermined way, because these are issues for negotiation at final status.” She thus removed the ball from Israel’s court to the Palestinian side. Livni then stood before the assembled media, who were curious to see and hear the attractive young minister, and said that international custom requires sanctions against a state ruled by a designated terrorist organization, namely Hamas. But they were all aware that the international community has never yet got its act together enough to lay sanctions - even on such avowed terrorist states as Syria and Iran. The world continued to pump donations to Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Authority at the peak of his terror campaigns. It was obvious from these dissonances that the foreign minister’s US trip had been arranged hastily weeks after she took on the job without the proper spadework. Olmert’s caretaker government and his Kadima party therefore set out to face the voter next month after being treated to a cold shower by Israel’s foremost ally and friend.

To: michael97123 who wrote (12443)	2/9/2006 9:43:33 AM
From: Scoobah	Respond to of 32591

This is truly the end of the Sharon era, and the renewal of US State Dept Arabism at Israel's expense: Washington greets Israel’s new foreign minister Tzipi Livni with full honors – and frowns for unilateralist policy against a Hamas-ruled Palestinian government February 9, 2006, 9:35 AM (GMT+02:00) Thursday, Feb. 9, she meets vice president Dick Cheney. President Bush may look in on her White House meeting with national security adviser Stephen Hadley. Livni goes on to New York Thursday be hosted by UN secretary Kofi Annan and become the first Israeli official to air the Iranian nuclear program with the five permanent members of the Security Council But Livni’s talks Wednesday with secretary of state Condoleezza Rice left US, Israeli positions poles apart. At their news conference, Rice made no bones of what was expected of Israel as the price for Livni’s warm welcome. She had her say first - then left the room, leaving her Israeli counterpart alone to brand a Hamas-led Palestinian Authority a terrorist entity leading to “a terror state,” Before she left, Rice said the new Palestinian leadership “must recognize Israel’s right to exist,” and urged dialogue over unilateral moves. The secretary added: "We certainly hope that over the next period of time there will be a partner for Israel to deal with. That is everyone's hope for the roadmap. That depends on what happens in the Palestinian territories." In a couple of sharp sentences, Rice rejected in advance Livni’s disqualification of Hamas as a negotiating partner and negation of a Hamas terror state. She also briskly dismissed caretaker PM Ehud Olmert’s manifesto, as broadcast Tuesday, to work for permanent borders and the separation of the Jewish state from the majority of Palestinians, hand over large West Bank tracts while retaining the main settlement blocs and united Jerusalem and exercising control over Israel’s eastern border. These are matters for final-status negotiations, she said dismissively for Olmert’s benefit, following the same line taken by the Bush administration when this policy was pursued by Ariel Sharon. "Under no circumstances should anyone try and do that in a preemptive or predetermined way, because these are issues for negotiation at final status.” She thus removed the ball from Israel’s court to the Palestinian side. Livni then stood before the assembled media, who were curious to see and hear the attractive young minister, and said that international custom requires sanctions against a state ruled by a designated terrorist organization, namely Hamas. But they were all aware that the international community has never yet got its act together enough to lay sanctions - even on such avowed terrorist states as Syria and Iran. The world continued to pump donations to Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Authority at the peak of his terror campaigns. It was obvious from these dissonances that the foreign minister’s US trip had been arranged hastily weeks after she took on the job without the proper spadework. Olmert’s caretaker government and his Kadima party therefore set out to face the voter next month after being treated to a cold shower by Israel’s foremost ally and friend.

To: michael97123 who wrote (12443)	2/9/2006 10:01:28 AM
From: Scoobah	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 32591

Meet the Future Members of a Hamas Government 11:18 Feb 09, '06 / 11 Shevat 5766 By Hillel Fendel The victory of Hamas in the PA election two weeks ago marks the first time that a radical Islamic movement with a terrorist arm has ascended to power in a democratic manner. Its main players: The following mini-biographies are presented with the help of the Terrorism and Intelligence Information Center and Arutz-7's Haggai Huberman. Khaled Mash'al, leader of the Hamas Movement and head of its diplomatic desk: He was born near Ramallah in 1956, moved to Kuwait at age 11 and lived there until age 34, when he moved to Jordan. In 1996, he assumed a leading position in Hamas. In September 1997, the Mossad attempted to assassinate him by injecting him with poison. The poison was discovered, and when Mash'al's condition began to deteriorate, and doctors said his life was in danger, Israel was forced to send an antidote to keep him alive. Two years later, he was banished from Jordan, and moved to Damascus, from where he runs Hamas, with the help of Iran and Syria, until today. Mahmoud Zabout (Abu Khaled), a founding Hamas leader, considered extremist in his anti-PA views: Born in 1945 and grew up in Egypt until age 13. Served as a doctor in Gaza until he was dismissed in 1982, 11 years before the formation of the PA, for his anti-Israel stance. Banished to Lebanon in 1992, later assumed the position of deputy leader of the movement. An Israeli attack in 2003 targeted against him missed him, but killed his son. He now lectures in the Hamas-dominated Islamic University. Muhammed Def: The most wanted Hamas terrorist since his organization of the mass terror wave in Israel of February-March 1996. He escaped several Israeli attempts on his life. Born in Gaza in 1965, to a family from the Ashkelon area. He became the head of Hamas' terrorist wing in 1996 when his mentor, bomb-making expert Yichye Ayash, was killed by Israel. Though he dropped into hiding, he was seriously wounded in one of the Israeli attacks on him. He continues to call for jihad against Israel. At least 53 people were killed in two Def-organized suicide attacks in Jerusalem, one in Ashkelon and one in Tel Aviv in the course of eight days in early 1996. Ismail Haniye, number one on the Hamas list in the recent election for the PA legislature, considered a "pragmatic" Hamas leader: Born in 1963 in Gaza to a family from the Ashkelon area. He was active in the Hamas students' arm until his arrest in 1989, imprisoned in Israel for three years, and banished with other Hamas terrorists to Lebanon. A year later, he returned to Gaza, and was appointed the Dean of the Islamic University. Headed Sheik Ahmed Yassin's office for seven years until Yassin was killed in a targeted Israeli attack in 2004. Sa'id Tziam, considered a pragmatist: Born in 1959, resident of Gaza, banished to Lebanon in 1992. Teacher, religious preacher, spokesman and journalist. Sheikh Muhammed Abu-Tir: Born in 1951, near eastern Jerusalem. Imprisoned in Israel several times; he was last released in 2005, after a seven-year sentence. Famous for his light-orange beard. Hamed Bitawi: Born 1944 near Shechem, considered a senior Hamas terrorist in that region. Chairman of a religious forum that released a religious ruling praising suicide attacks. Banished to Lebanon in 1992 for a year.