We can't believe that we haven't posted any clips of Tel Aviv hottie Rona Kenan doing the thing she does where she sings and is hot. Crises averted:

MySpace page with more information and samples here. No tour dates posted, which is kind of disappointing. We were hoping that she had shows coming up in LA. And that she needed a place to stay.

References:
* Rona Kenan - Flood [asaflivni / YouTube]
* Rona Kenan [MySpace]

Previously:
* Israeli Hottie Wednesdays - Hey, That Maya Buskila Girl Is Kind Of Cute [Video]
* Israeli Hottie Wednesdays - Hey, That Maya Bouskilla Girl Is Kind Of Steamy [Video]
* Israeli Hottie Wednesdays - Moran Atias. OMFG. [Video]

There's a punchline here about adding fuel to the fire, but this is just too predictably pathetic for humor:

The European Union on Tuesday urged Israel to carefully reconsider the impact its cuts in energy supplies to the Gaza Strip will have on Palestinian civilians... "The EU notes with concern Israel's decision to reduce the supply of fuel to Gaza, an essential service to the civilian population," said a statement from the Portuguese government, which holds the EU's rotating presidency. "While condemning the unacceptable and continued attacks on Israel's territory and recognizing the Israel's legitimate right to self defense, the EU underlines the need for carefully weighing the negative impact of such measures on a civilian population already living under very difficult conditions," the statement added... Israel's defense establishment has expressed plans to cut electricity by 1 per cent - or 15 minutes each day - to those areas in the Strip from where the rockets are fired, a Defense Ministry spokesman said.

Apparently Israel's "legitimate right to self defense" doesn't include "not providing Hamas soldiers with fuel so they can drive to the border, fire rockets at Israeli schools and hospitals, and drive home." Because you know that when countries go to war with each other , they always made sure to give the other side fuel. Out of humanitarian considerations, of course. The oh-so-downtrodden Palestinian people elected Hamas, and Gaza is a Hamas electoral stronghold anyway. But apparently populations are no longer held responsible for genocidal governments that they empower. Just like when the Allies went out of their way to spare the populations of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

On that subject, there's a school of thought that holds that maybe the Israelis are still being a little too nice to the people who want to wipe them out:

Israel continues to allow money into the Gaza Strip from the West Bank despite increased sanctions, including fuel reductions, on the Strip. Israel agreed last week to another shipment of funds into Gaza via the Erez crossing. Security forces said the money was intended for salaries Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has committed to paying. The tens of millions of shekels will pay tens of thousands of PA workers and Fatah activists' salaries. Hamas has thus far not blocked the transfer.

Of course Hamas didn't block the transfer. They desperately need hard currency in the Gaza Strip, if only to keep what's left of the Gaza economy - and their credibility - afloat. More importantly: how else are they going to confiscate it and use it to fund their war against Israel?

References:
* EU urges Israel to reconsider cuts in energy supply to Gaza [Ha'aretz]
* Israel allows money into Gaza Strip despite sanctions [Ha'aretz]

Previously:
* Slate Seems a Little Confused about the Israeli-EU Relationship
* EU Again Backs Out of Monitoring Agreement, Endangers Israeli Security
* Hamas Has 200 Tons Of Explosives That The US Gave To Fatah (Plus: Egypt Says It's Israel's Fault)

Well this is a bold new turn in their ongoing efforts to excuse treason:

Israeli Arab lawmakers responded angrily Wednesday to proposed legislation that would prevent anyone who travels to a country classified as an enemy state from serving as a Knesset member. The Knesset plenum approved proposals for two bills on this issue in preliminary readings on Wednesday... MK Ahmed Tibi (Ra'am-Ta'al) said that "the Knesset is steeped in racism. Corrupt members of Knesset want a Knesset without Arabs. The face of the Knesset is the face of Esterina: Knesseterina. If I am invited [to enemy states] I will go regardless of the law"... Hadash Chairman MK Mohammed Barakeh said that "If we have to choose between loyalty to our people, or serving in the Knesset, then good luck to the Knesset. We don't want you."

It's worth mentioning that the last Arab MK who traveled to an enemy state "regardless of the law" out of "loyalty to his people" gave Hezbollah information that got Israeli troops killed. But how awesome is it that anything Arab politicians don't like - even if it's a rule that says "you can't make budgetary decisions about the IDF in the Knesset during the day and then go collaborate with genocidal maniacs in Damascus during the night" - is "racist"?

References:
* Arab MKs: Bid to bar trips to enemy states is 'racist' [Ha'aretz]
* Israeli-Arab Fifth Column Watch - Treasonous Israeli-Arab MK Was Actually A Traitor? You Don't Say! [MR]

Previously:
* Israeli-Arab Fifth Column Watch (Helping Suicide Bombers Edition)
* Israeli-Arab Fifth Column Watch - Is It Treason Yet?
* Israeli-Arab Fifth Column Watch - If Israelis Support People Who Want To Wipe Out Israel, Is It Still Treason If Those Israelis Happen To Be Arab?

We kind of think it behooves everyone to to be minimally aware of the other side's caricatures of them and avoid embodying those caricatures. So for instance, if we were enamored with excusing the excesses of misogynist Islam by hiding behind insipid multiculturalism, we wouldn't use the phrase "diversity project:"

Kids at the 257-pupil primary have also been told to don ethnic garb even though most are Christians. The morning assembly will be open to all parents – but dads are barred from a women-only party in the afternoon because Muslim husbands object to wives mixing with other men.... Yesterday a relative of one of the 39 others said: “Staff have got to go along with it - or let’s face it, they would be branded racist... The day aims to belatedly mark Eid, the end of Ramadan... Sally Bloomer, head of Rufford primary school, [said] “It’s all part of a diversity project to promote multi-culturalism.”

We wonder if the dress code included forcing little girls to walk around in burkas. You know, to add to the authenticity of the whole thing.

With such brave stances against the excesses of fundamentalist Islam, it's almost tough to believe that British mosques have slipped into openly promoting the most vicious kind of bigotry:

Books calling for the beheading of lapsed Muslims, ordering women to remain indoors and forbidding interfaith marriage are being sold inside some of Britain’s leading mosques... Extremist literature, including passages supporting the stoning of adulterers and waging violent jihad, was also found on sale at many other mosques regarded as mainstream institutions.

Before rolling your eyes at the "mainstream institutions" description, consider that they actually might represent the centrist Islamic position in modern day Britain. Which is a pity, because we've never gotten to see the Beatles statue in Liverpool (h/t for the mosques article: Paul)

References:
* Teachers' Muslim dress order [The Sun]
* Lessons in hate found at leading mosques [Times Online]

Previously:
* Britain Letting Distaste For Jewish State Get In the Way Of Not Having A Nuclear War In the Middle East
* If Britain Won't Stop Radical Islam, Why Should Radical Islam Stop Being Radical?
* We're Going To Miss Westminster Abbey - Sharia Courts Established In Britain

There is a special place in our heart for Boston, right next to where we keep our thoughts about Tehran and the list of people we'd like to cut with rusty razor blades. And while this douchebag obviously snuck into the rally because he knew there'd be media coverage - i.e. this unfortunately falls short of damning the city as a whole - we're still posting it because it makes Boston look bad and we kind of like that. Screencap jacked from Allah, who's got video.

References:
* Video: Absurdist Red Sox celebration image of the day [Hot Air]

Previously:
* Boston Globe Wins Dumbest Argument of the Day Award
* News Dump, The Weather In Boston Sucks Edition
* Boston Globe, Trying to Whitewash Hamas, Contradicts Itself. In Same Sentence.

Apparently our desperate pleas not to leave bomb-like things in public places are falling on deaf ears:

The [LAPD] Bomb Squad was deployed to the University Village after two fake clusters of dynamite were found in a car Monday. The fake explosives were found to be part of a suicide bomber Halloween costume belonging to an Army recruiter working at the shopping center... A 911 call at about 12:45 p.m. reported a suspicious object inside the vehicle in the middle of the parking lot, officials said. The initial officer responding to the scene called the bomb squad, which opened the car door with a slim jim after visually identifying the objects as fake explosives... "In this day and age, if you look suspicious with wires sticking out of your backpack, first responders are taught to take a head shot," Chu said. "First responders have to take these things very seriously." The devices in question were two clusters of red cardboard tubes attached to hemp string and covered in black tape - an apparent faux-dynamite accessory to the car owner's Halloween costume.

In a photo obtained by the Daily Trojan, the owner of the vehicle, whose identity was not released by LAPD, is seen wearing a suicide bomber costume at a party, with the two dynamite clusters strapped to his chest functioning as beer holders. Other costume accessories visible in both the backseat of the car and the photo included a loose, white and purple body-length garment and a scarf-like headdress. "In my opinion, he was going a little strong with a Halloween costume that looked like a Muslim [terrorist]," Chu said... LAPD Sgt. Ed Clark said he was upset so many resources were devoted to a look-alike prop for a Halloween costume. "Use common sense and don't be stupid," he said. "Don't use [costume props] that appear dangerous and could cause a public commotion."

This is after that idiot in Boston almost got herself capped by wearing something with wires and batteries to an airport (smart). Here's a quick tip about how not to get killed by security personnel: don't act like the kind of person who security personnel are supposed to kill first and ask questions about later. It does seem relatively straightforward when said so directly, and yet for some reason there are still those among us begging to be removed from the gene pool for abject stupidity.

References:
* A Polite Request From MR: Can Everyone Please Stop LeavingThings That Look Like Bombs In Public? [MR]
* Costume causes bomb scare outside Superior [Daily Trojan]
* Liberal Tech Blogger: "Since When Did A Circuit Board On A Sweatshirt Look Like A Bomb" [MR]

Previously:
* Public Security In Los Angeles Sucks Disgracefully
* Black Death Breaks Out In Los Angeles
* Some Real Emergency Response In Los Angeles

Memorial Day, 2005 at the kotel. If you speak Hebrew, you'll want to listen even after the song's over:

Even if you don't speak Hebrew - the solemn pronouncements at the end still do their work.

References:
* Hatikva [danielpaulrevere / YouTube]

Previously:
* Tuesday Hatikva - Shiri Maimon Gets People Emotional [Video]
* Tuesday Hatikva - Hope On A Hydraulophone [Video]
* Tuesday Hatikva - Daniel Zamir Jazz [Video]

What the hell? Are these people Batman villains? They've holding their own "well if you're not going to invite us we'll go to our own sandbox" conference?

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki met in Damascus Monday with Palestinian officials, including some from the militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups, a week before a meeting in Syria meant to counter a U.S.-hosted Mideast conference in the fall. Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, said he and Mottaki discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip and the U.S.-sponsored conference which Washington hopes will relaunch negotiations on creating a Palestinian state. After the meeting between Mottaki and Hamas officials, members of other Palestinian factions, including the leader of Islamic Jihad in Palestine Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, met the Iranian foreign minister, according to a member of the Iranian delegation. The Iranian delegate spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to release the information.

But remember what liberal sophisticates say: Sunni and Shiite Muslims are different sects.

References:
* Iranian foreign minister meets Hamas officials in Syrian capital [Ha'aretz]

Previously:
* Assad Was Planning To Use Nukes Against Israel (Plus: The Totally Awesome IAF Commando Operation That Slowed Him Down)
* Mass Graves Created By Syria Found in Lebanon, Israeli Arabs Don't Care
* Syria Modernizing Its Airforce With Russian Help - War With Israel On The Horizon

We give up:

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Monday announced plans to build several nuclear power plants, joining several Middle East Arab countries that recently have said they are kick starting their nuclear energy ambitions. Mubarak said in a speech broadcast live on national television that the decision to build the nuclear power stations was to diversify Egypt's energy resources and preserve the country's oil and gas reserves for coming generations.

"I announce before you Egypt's position to prepare the program for building several nuclear power stations. We believe that energy security is a major part of building the future for this country and an integral part of Egypt's national security system," Mubarak said at a ceremony inaugurating the second phase of construction of an electrical power plant north of Cairo.

It's cool. It's not like Egypt is one disgruntled general away from being the most dangerous country in the Middle East. Or like they're in open violation of signed agreements. We quit. See you in the hills. Just don't come near our cave, because that's our special little corner of the post-apocalyptic landscape and we'll cut you if you try to take our pelts.

References:
* Egypt to build nuclear power plants [JPost]
* Israeli-Egyptian Peace Not Really Working Out "Peacefully" [MR]
* Egypt Uncovers A Single Smuggling Tunnel, Basically Calls It A Day (Plus: Egypt In Explicit Violation Of Security Agreements?) [MR]

Previously:
* It Is Mind-Boggling That Arab and Muslim Countries Won't Sign Treaties With Israel
* Egypt To Pursue Nuclear Program
* Egyptian Sandmonkey Takes Exception To TIME's Embrace Of Tariq Ramadan

Sometimes we really have to wonder: are liberals un-seriously smirking about what they can get away with or are they just that stupid:

Remember, HuffPo’s lament yesterday was that righty bloggers were supposedly practicing a double standard between Nancy Pelosi’s wearing of the hijab and Laura Bush’s - a claim that blew up in their face when it turned out this site and LGF had both criticized Laura Bush before HuffPo’s post was even written. Now, to save face, here comes Think Progress acknowledging that we (well, LGF at least) criticized her - and that we were wrong to do so, because her deigning to wear the Islamic equivalent of a chastity belt is a glorious celebration of someone else’s culture... there are no conservative bloggers remotely as servile towards their political leadership as Media Matters and Think Progress are to theirs. You won’t hear any Republican candidates boasting about having started LGF; you won’t find any Bush cronies with their fingerprints on Hot Air.

Old theory: these are just not serious people. New theory: could be that they're just that stupid:

A hair lock snipped from Ernesto "Che" Guevara before his burial in 1967 sold for $100,000 at auction Thursday to a Houston-area bookstore owner who called the Marxist "one of the greatest revolutionaries of the 20th century." Bill Butler, 61, won the 3-inch tress clipped from Guevara’s mane after placing the only bid, which matched the reserve price. Butler, who bid over the phone, said he was a collector of 1960s items and that the hair lock would fit in well. "A lot of his writings are still worth reading today," said Butler, whose comments were relayed by a Heritage employee who spoke to him on the phone immediately after the auction.

What an idiot.

References:
* Lefty spin yesterday: Righties won’t condemn Laura Bush; Lefty spin today: Righties will condemn Laura Bush [Hot Air]
* Lock of Che Guevara's hair sells for $100,000 [MSNBC]

Previously:
* The Ugly Left - Failed Singer Reunites With Harvard Brat, Threatens To Kill President Bush. Ms. Coulter Responds [Video]
* Matthew Yglesias: Anti-Semitic Genocidal Maniacs Are Hip, Terrorists Are Fashionable (UPDATED AND BUMPED: Yglesias Article From Today Predictably Anti-Semitish)
* Israeli Flag Is Offensive, Bush=Hitler Poster Not So Much

He's not threatening massive violence unless the Australians accommodate the demands of the radical, Old Europe style Muslim population that's growing in their midst. He's just saying that - unfortunately - such violence might eventually come to pass:

Australia faces a "London-type bombing" if relations between Muslims and the intelligence and police authorities do not improve, an influential Islamic youth leader has warned. Fadi Rahman, who runs one of Sydney's biggest youth centres at Lidcombe in the city's southwest, said overseas Islamic elements were attempting to radicalise Muslim youth with their hardline ideologies... "Most of the time they start at the local mosque in small groups - they move quickly into the garage, then people's homes. You get sucked in." He said the typical recruiter was in their 40s or 50s, "from overseas, well-educated and tapping into young people's frustrations and anger". "I think we are very similar to London," he said...

The "something" includes programs to give opportunities to Muslim youth and a "less hostile" attitude by the federal Government.... Mr Rahman brokered a deal with IBM last week under which the computer company will mentor 10 youths from the centre and offer three traineeships.

When disaffected US minority groups aren't given affirmative action style employment opportunities, the worst thing they do is vote Democratic. In Australia apparently they get radicalized by overseas jihadists and try to murder thousands of people. Root causes we suppose.

References:
* Oz faces 'London-type bombing' [news.com.au]

Previously:
* British Civil Liberties Double Plus Ungood. Militant Islam Taking Over Anyway: "We Have To Rule The Kaffir". [Videos]
* I Wish I Had An LA Times Subscription, So I Could Cancel It
* Hezbollah To Lebanon: Nice Country You Got Here... Be a Real Shame If Anything Happened To It

Nice that someone's finally noticing:

Hamas is unnecessarily endangering Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip by generating phony humanitarian crises, head of the Gaza Coordination Liaison Administration (CLA) Col. Nir Press said Monday... In an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Monday, Press dismissed the claims and said that in a meeting he held Sunday afternoon with Palestinian Health Ministry officials he was informed that the hospitals were running "low" on the anesthetic. On Monday morning, less than 24 hours after making the request, Israel transferred 151 nitrous oxide gas balloons to Shifa Hospital.

"It is the Palestinians' responsibility to order the supplies," Press said, noting that despite the daily rocket attacks on Israeli towns - on Monday 10 rockets and shells pounded the western Negev - Israel continued to transfer medical goods and supplies into Gaza whenever they were ordered. Press said that orders were usually placed by the Palestinians days in advance and that Sunday's sudden announcement "was a spin by Hamas and an attempt to put pressure on Israel by creating a humanitarian crisis."

Not ordering medical supplies is one of the least egregious tricks that Hamas is using to intentionally create a medical crisis in the Gaza Strip. Even when they order the supplies, they regularly refuse to accept them when Israel delivers them. Not that it matters, since Hamas also shuts down the medical clinics in Gaza where those supplies get distributed. And just in case Gazans try to get medical care in Israel - since they can't get supplies or care in the Gaza Strip - Hamas sets up roadblocks to prevent them from getting out. All this while conducting a systematic campaign to starve Palestinians blocking food shipments.

Then Hamas sits back and watches Israel get blamed.

And how awesome is it, by the way, that Israel is about to get blamed for not giving medical supplies to a government that is publicly dedicated to wiping it out? Only in the Middle East.

References:
* IDF colonel: Hamas creating humanitarian crisis [JPost]
* Hamas Intentionally Creating Humanitarian Disaster In Gaza - Now They're Shutting Down The Few Medical Clinics That Are Still Working [MR]
* UN And "Gaza Businessmen" Agree: It's Israel's Fault That Hamas Has Intentionally Created A Humanitarian Disaster In the Gaza Strip By Blocking Food and Medical Shipments [MR]
* Hamas Trying To Turn Gaza Into A Humanitarian Disaster - They're Stopping Gazans From Getting Medical Aid [MR]
* Hamas Blocks Israeli Food Shipments, Intentionally Starves Gaza Civilians To Create A Humanitarian Disaster - Again! [MR]
* Palestinians Intentionally Create Humanitarian Crisis, Red Cross and Reuters Parrot Their Claims [MR]

Previously:
* Vulgar Palestinian Propaganda Succeeds with International Media - Again!
* Would Palestinian Officials Intentionally Starve Palestinian Civilians Just So They Could Demonize Israel? We Think They Would...
* Palestinians Reject Israeli Humanitarian Efforts - Easier to Demonize Israel That Way

Hamas is establishing a complicated, Hezbollah like system of bunkers in preparation for an all-out war with the IDF. It will include fortified areas for storing and launching rockets as well as outposts for increased surveillance of IDF movement and tactics:

Tamir said that Hamas was "building an army" in the Gaza Strip and had obtained unprecedented capabilities through smuggling tunnels between Gaza and Egypt. On Monday, head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) Yuval Diskin said that since Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, the Palestinians have smuggled over 112 tons of explosives into the Strip. "They are trying to dig tunnels, build surveillance positions and mortar-fire stations along the fence," Tamir told reporters during a briefing concerning the death of IDF reservist Ehud Efrati during clashes with Hamas gunmen early Monday morning. "They are trying to build this up and we are trying to stop them."

They managed to kill another Israeli soldier today in a kind of drip drip drip that's becoming disturbingly familiar.

Meanwhile, Israel has suspended the decision to cut fuel to the Gaza Strip. Because Hamas needs those resources to continue killing Israeli soldiers and creating their bunker system in preparation for an all-out war. They also need plenty of time to get the system built. Luckily, Annapolis isn't for another month and Olmert can't do anything to endanger the spectacular failure that the conference will be.

References:
* 'Hamas establishing bunker system along Gaza fence' [JPost]
* Soldier killed, 1 seriously hurt in Gaza [JPost]
* Mazuz freezes plan to cut Gaza power [JPost]

Previously:
* Gilad Shalit Is Alive, Forced To Say That Hamas Is Letting Him Die (Updated: Shas Leader Calls For Direct Prisoner Talks With Hamas)
* Hamas Smuggles Katyushas Into Gaza, Fires Them At Israeli Schools And Hospitals (Plus: Eight Mortars Fired At Israeli Civilians, One Scores Direct Hit)
* Hamas Has 200 Tons Of Explosives That The US Gave To Fatah (Plus: Egypt Says It's Israel's Fault)

The Syrians have taken what was left of the reactor that Israel humiliatingly bombed and made it disappear. Now WaPo reports that they'd been building that thing since 2003:

The mystery surrounding the construction of what might have been a nuclear reactor in Syria deepened yesterday, when a company released a satellite photo showing that the main building was well under way in September 2003 — four years before Israeli jets bombed it. The long genesis is likely to raise questions about whether the Bush administration overlooked a nascent atomic threat in Syria while planning and executing a war in Iraq, which was later found to have no active nuclear program. A senior American intelligence official said yesterday that American analysts had looked carefully at the site from its early days, but were unsure then whether it posed a nuclear threat.

Allah's got some theories about what forced Israel's hand as well as some choice words about the emerging "it was Bush's fault" media meme. It's obviously how liberal anti-Bush folks will be spinning the news, but it also has the unfortunate benefit of being obviously true. Which is not to say that there wasn't a debate within the Administration about the development of a Syrian nuclear program - but it does mean that the de facto pro-Sryian voices of "engagement" won. And where were those voices coming from? Hmm:

"Israel tends to be very thorough about its intelligence coverage, particularly when it takes a major military step, so they would not have acted without data from several sources," said ABC military consultant Tony Cordesman. A senior U.S. official said the Israelis planned to strike during the week of July 14 and in secret high-level meetings American officials argued over how to respond to the intelligence. Some in the administration supported the Israeli action, but others, notably Sect. of State Condoleeza Rice did not. One senior official said the U.S. convinced the Israelis to "confront Syria before attacking."

The awesome thing is that Israel probably had a mole in the facility, which means that the State Department's request for Israel to "confront" would have outed an intelligence asset and given the Syrians the heads up to start preparing for an IAF attack. These people should be fired. All of them.

After the jump, pure awesomeness.

As part of the Lebanon-II withdrawal, the US promised that it would never pressure Israel to withdraw from Har Dov, the so-called Shebaa Farms region that Israel took from Syria in 1967, based on Hezbollah's absurd claims that it was Lebanese land. At the time we wrote that we'd need that post in the future because the international community routinely pulls this kind of moving the goalposts bait and switch on Israel. Sigh:

The disputed Shebaa Farms area looks set to remain a point of contention following Israel's rejection of a suggestion to bring it under UN jurisdiction, according to media reports and well-informed sources... The United Nations has said in the past that Shebaa is Syrian territory, captured by Israel in the 1967 war: Syria and Lebanon maintain that it is Lebanese land. However now UN mapping experts have determined that that the farms are Lebanese territory and that international law requires Israel's withdrawal, according to a well-informed UN source in Lebanon...

The UN last month suggested to Israel that the Shebaa Farms be placed under UN jurisdiction once agreement is reached with Jerusalem. The UN's Lebanon envoy Geir Pederson is said to have informed Israeli officials that 'that the UN believes that there is merit in the Lebanese claims of sovereignty over Shebaa Farms.'... many political observers in Lebanon believe the US might push Israel to withdraw from Shebaa if the UN requests it... Israel will not be able 'to resist the pressures from its close ally the US and will eventually accept returning Shebaa to the Lebanese,' Hanna said, adding however that the territory was likely to be first placed under UN control.

Here's Alberto Fernandez (Director of Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the State Department) - a guy whose job it is to win Arab hearts and minds - responding to Arab-Americans trying to get him to endorse Hezbollah's absurd position:

Not the first video we've posted about social justice by Subliminal, but definitely the first video of current MR Israeli pop star crush Sivan that isn't annoyingly grainy:

You always find self-critical videos about social justice and the hope for peace on Palestinian television. Always.

References:
* Israeli Hip Hop Expresses Dissatisfaction With Current Socio-Economic Situation [Video, Subtitled] [MR]
* Israeli Starlet Sivan Sings On Absurdly Grainy Video. We Post [Video] [MR]
* Subliminal - Perfect Place [davy1031 / YouTube]

Previously:
* Afternoon Zionist Hip Hop - Divided and Conquered [Video]
* Miri Ben-Ari and Subliminal: God Almighty When Will It End [Video]
* New Israeli Hip Hop - Subliminal's New Single Is Not To Be Missed [Video]

We expect the first "this is God's punishment for trying to give away Jewish land" comment to hit the JBlogosphere in about two hours. We expect to add a new name to our list of people who deserve unending derisive hatred about 1.8 seconds later:

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, he announced Monday at a surprise press conference... The prime minister described the growth as "microscopic," and said he had been assured by his doctors that it could be removed surgically. Furthermore, Olmert said, he had been told he would not need radiation or chemotherapy. Olmert stressed that his condition would not in any way affect his ability to manage his duties as prime minister, and that he had no intention of stepping down. "I will be able to fulfill my duties fully before my treatment and hours afterward," Olmert said. "My doctors told me that I have full chances of recovery." Olmert's doctors, Professor Shlomo Segev and Professor Kobi Ramon, repeatedly stressed to the panic-stricken media that the prime minister had a very small growth that had been detected early and was not life-threatening.

He'll recover. Israeli medicine is quite simply spectacular that way.

References:
* PM: Condition won't impede my work [JPost]
* World Medical Association Trying To Destroy Israeli Medical Network, Bleeding Edge Israeli Medical Industry [Video] [MR]

Previously:
* Olmert's Disclosure Of Israel's Nuclear Capability: At Wost, Harmless
* Olmert's Speech At Yad Vashem: "They Reject the Right Of the Jewish People To Exist"
* Beit Hanoun Meme Watch - (9) "It's All About Olmert's Domestic Political Situation" - Predictable Bias Is Real Bias

Cross-posted to:
* Israpundit

This multicultural idiocy is going to get us all killed:

Foreign Office has cleared dozens of Iranians to enter British universities to study advanced nuclear physics and other subjects with the potential to be applied to weapons of mass destruction. In the past nine months about 60 Iranians have been admitted to study postgraduate courses deemed “proliferation-sensitive" by the security services. The disciplines range from nuclear physics to some areas of electrical and chemical engineering and microbiology. Additionally, figures obtained by David Willetts, the shadow secretary for innovation, universities and skills, show that in 2005-06, 30 Iranians were doing postgraduate degrees in subjects covering nuclear physics and nuclear engineering.

There's nothing to worry about though, because Britain has tepidly decided to maybe support a few more sanctions some time in the future. Except they won't. And except for the new report about how sanctions against Iran have no chance of working anyway. And except for how Iran won''t give up its nukes even if the consequence is severe economic dislocation.

But other than that, de facto British aid in the development of Iran's nuclear program is probably nothing to worry about.

References:
* Iran Adapts to Economic Pressure [WaPo]
* Mathematical Proof That Negotiating With Iran Is Stupid. Not Wrong. Stupid. [MR]
* Europe Won’t Side With U.S. on Iran, Say Americans [Angus Reid Global Monitor]

Previously:
* Super: Britain's Plan To Fight Superbug Infection Sucks
* British Anti-Semites Poison Israeli Food Exports, Get Israel Blamed For It
* Israeli Public Diplomacy Expert : British Boycott Is Vicious Anti-Semitism

The Los Angeles Jewish Journal has decided to print an article by Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky advocating handing over Jerusalem to the Palestinians. Other people will probably handle the rank impracticality and immorality of this proposal: "don't worry about the historical Arab desecration of Jewish cemetaries in Jerusalem or how the Wakf's ongoing destruction of Jewish artifacts on the Temple Mount is openly linked to denying Jews access to Jerusalem by unblinkingly stating that Jews never had a temple in Jerusalem - the Palestinians won't cheat on their obligations because United Nations peace keepers will protect Israeli interests!" Super.

What we're concerned with is the blistering stupidity of this Kanefsky's understanding of Middle East negotiations, and what it says about how he's bought into an anti-Semitic myth that becomes an anti-Israel talking point that becomes the basis for peace talks that end with hundreds of murdered Israelis. The article itself is a confused hodgepodge of largely unrelated leftist whines about how the Israelis have been mean (Jerusalem, settlers, human rights, etc), until it reaches this elegant crescendo of naivety:

And the difference that honest storytelling makes is enormous. When we tell our story honestly, our position at the negotiating table is one that is informed not only by our own needs and desires, but also by our obligations and responsibilities.... Honesty in our telling of the story reveals the stark and candid reality that we also need to speak the language of compromise and conciliation. Not only the language of entitlement and demands. To be sure, I would be horrified and sick if the worst-case division-of-Jerusalem scenario were to materialize. The possibility that the Kotel, the Jewish Quarter or the Temple Mount would return to their former states of Arab sovereignty is unfathomable to me... At the same time though, to insist that the government not talk about Jerusalem at all (including the possibility, for example, of Palestinian sovereignty over Arab neighborhoods) is to insist that Israel come to the negotiating table telling a dishonest story

Without a doubt, the Palestinians aren't telling an honest story either... And there will not be peace (and perhaps there should be no peace conference) until they tell an honest story as well. But for us to take the approach that in order to defend and protect ourselves from their dishonest story, we must continue telling our own dishonest story, is to travel a road of unending and unendable conflict.

The words that are required to explain the mind boggling, naive idiocy of this passage are inappropriate when discussing a rabbi (and besides, every time we curse we get two or three emails of finger wagging from readers and we simply don't have the patience any more). It sounds insufferably pedantic on our part to have to point this out, but: honesty has no place in negotiations. Annapolis isn't a New Age group therapy session. Nobody's there to discuss their feelings. It will be about land and resources and buildings and what it's going to take to get the Palestinians to stop murdering Jewish civilians like they promised to do a decade and a half ago.

You don't walk into a negotiation with the position you expect to end up with and you don't walk in explaining what you owe to the other side. You walk in with a position more extreme than what you're willing to live with, so you have something to give up when the other side comes in with a position more extreme than what they're willing to live with. Coming to the negotiating table "telling an honest story" is the best way to lose negotiations. You don't walk into a car shop saying "I'll tell you that I'm only willing to spend $10,000, but actually I'll go up to $20,000" and you don't say "besides, it would be totally unfair to you if I stuck to my original offer". Nobody negotiates that way. But for some reason Israel is always expected to.

After the jump, the anti-Semitic roots and pragmatic consequences of imposing upon Israel unreasonable - even impossible - expectations.

Straightforward but awww-inspiring (yeah, we said it):

This puppy appears to be losing a battle of wits to a pellet of dried dog food:

Old English Sheepdogs are ferocious protectors and intensely loyal companions. They also suffer from what evolutionary biologists refer to as staggering stupidity:

There are child-rearing "experts" out there who say that boys and girls can be raised properly without a puppy in the home. Who are these people? Why are they allowed to talk?

References:
* Invite me in for brunch [Cute Overload]
* Old English Sheepdog Bread Thief [kn2109 / YouTube]
* Cute Dog Plays with her Food [allybailer / YouTube]

Previously:
* Sunday Cute - Dolphin Lulls Naive Biped Into False Sense Of Security [Video]
* Sunday Cute - Lemurs Like To Move It Move It
* Sunday Cuteness - Otters Holding Hands [Video]

You know how you sometimes get a tip about something and it seems stupid so you instantly blow it off without really looking at it? Then you get a second email about the same thing, so you click through to the link - and still decide that it's really stupid so you blow it off again? But then there's a third email and a fourth email, and you begin to wonder what you're missing? This showed up in no less than 7 of our RSS feeds. We have no idea why we're posting it:

So now you know.

References:
* The Hebrew Alef-Bet Song Rap (English Subtitles) [davy1031 / YouTube]

Previously:
* Circumspect Decorum Still Alive In Some Parts Of Britain The Anglo World [Video]
* Dancing Monkeys [Videos]
* Today In We're All Totally Boned - Marauding Monkeys Attack, Murder Anti-Monkey Politician In His Home

They're trying. They really are. But four things about this article in USC's student newspaper:

Some members of the Muslim community say [Islamofascism] affixes a negative connotation to the Islamic faith as a whole. "Fascism is a national movement while Islamic extremism is a fragmented one," said Wais Hassan, a graduate student studying public administration at USC Sacramento, who was not at the event. "When you use fascism, you assume there is a united front trying to start World War III."... When asked by a Daily Trojan reporter to define fascism, Coulter said the reporter should look it up in a dictionary....

"It's mind-boggling that more people are not marching in the streets protesting women being third-class citizens, the absent freedom of the press and other injustices," said Omri Ceren, a doctoral candidate in communication. "In the classroom, it's difficult to bring the subject up."

Others confirmed the need for debate and dialogue on Islamic extremism, but questioned the choice of Coulter as the event's speaker... Though organizers praised Coulter for her brash personality and bold, attention-grabbing statements, some critics say these characteristics are a detriment to promoting thoughtful discourse on controversial issues. "I think she was a bad figure to pick," Hassan said. "She is not going to convince liberals because of her past. I'm not sure if she is an expert on the Middle East or was picked to get attention and press." Coulter has recently been in the press for comments on converting Jews to Christianity that many interpreted as anti-Semitic. Coulter told CNBC anchor Donny Deutsche that Jews need to be "perfected" by becoming Christian.

Some attendees said Coulter's polemic remarks are appropriate for a political pundit. "She's not a centrist," Ceren said. "Her job is not to persuade; it is to speak to the faithful ... Her job is to express a conservative viewpoint."

(1) They actually had to go to someone who goes to a different school and wasn't there to get an anti-Coulter quote? Really? How hard did they have to work to find this guy? Sweetness and Light has him pegged as an old school Berkeley Muslim student activist. They do a really good job up there.

Three more comments, including a discussion of our quotes and the phrase misleading enough to qualify as dishonest", after the jump

Just kidding, obviously. The world actually seems more or less unperturbed by it:

A powerful explosion went off in a house in southern Gaza on Saturday, killing two women and a four-year-old girl, Palestinian medics and witnesses said... The blast tore down the facade of the house and badly damaged its interior. A neighboring house was also partially damaged from the force of the blast... Hamas police said they suspected explosives being handled by militants went off prematurely. Two children and a woman were wounded in the blast.

The only way that those explosives could have gotten less global attention is if they were packed into the warhead of a Kassam and fired at Israeli civilians.

References:
* Two women, child killed in Gaza blast [JPost]

Previously:
* World Silent As Israel Kills 5 Year Old Palestinian Boy (Plus: 722 Palestinian Kids Saved By Israeli Medical Group)
* Palestinians Commit Several War Crimes in Just a Few Hours. Instead of Reporting That, Reuters Publishes Gripping Tale of Glorious Palestinian Martyrdom (and We're Not Even Exaggerating About That...)
* Human Rights Organizations Untroubled By Dozens Of Isr