Billions in aid, cutting edge weaponry, and Israeli security concessions that haven't been seriously considered since the least realistic days of Oslo - great job guys:

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas took a newly conciliatory tone toward his Hamas rivals in a major policy speech Monday, calling for a "new page" in relations between the bitter enemies. "There is no way for any party here to be an alternative to the other, and there is no room for terms like coup or military takeover, but only for dialogue, dialogue, dialogue," Abbas said, referring to Hamas' violent rout of his Fatah forces and takeover of the Gaza Strip in June. Speaking to a crowd in the West Bank at a rally marking the 43rd anniversary of Fatah, Abbas called for "a new page, writing in its lines a credible agreement based on partnership, on life, on our homeland and our struggle to liberate it."... Abbas spoke very differently as recently as November, when he called for the overthrow of Hamas in Gaza after Hamas forces fired on a huge Fatah rally in Gaza City, killing eight civilians and wounding dozens.

Of course he spoke differently in November. Back then he was still pretending that he'd use Israeli security concessions and billions in global aid to dismantle Hamas's terrorist network. Which is just like reconciling with Hamas's terrorist network, except the opposite.

Saudi Arabia has been pushing hard to reunite Hamas terrorists with the rearmed and refreshed Fatah soldiers (so we're glad that the State Department invited them to Annapolis - that's working out well). And Fatah lawmakers had already dropped the pretense of opposing Hamas weeks ago, declaring that they're diplomatically and militarily united with their "bitter enemies". So this is just Abbas making the unofficial Fatah policy official. Shocking, that.

References:
* Abbas calls for dialogue with Hamas, new elections [JPost]
* Fatah: We're Going To Use Our New US And Russian-Supplied Weapons To Fight With Hamas Against Israel (Plus: Hamas Upgrades, Stockpiles Their Qassams) [MR]
* Hamas And Fatah: Any Compromise On Any Part Of Jerusalem Is Treason (Plus: Blair: Peace Deal Within A Year) (Updated: Eloquent And Prescient Reuters Picture Of The Year) [MR]
* Saudis: Now That Abbas Is Getting Land, We're Going To Reunite Fatah And Hamas (Plus: They Didn't Even Have Their Ear Pieces In At Annapolis) [MR]

Previously:
* State Department Deliberately Circumvents Anti-Terrorism Laws, Funds Hamas
* Palestinians Prepare For Peace Conference With Ten Terrorist Plots
* Hamas: Oh By The Way, We're Totally Going To Ignore Annapolis When We Roll Over The West Bank

Cross-posted to:
* Israpundit

Just in time for the stellar Specter-Kennedy team that's in Damascus to make peace. Because why not:

A Syrian criminal court on Monday convicted a political activist of insulting the regime and contacting ''hostile parties,'' and sentenced him to one and a half years in prison, a human rights group said. Faiq al-Mir', a member of the outlawed Syrian Democratic People Party was arrested in December 2006 after visiting Lebanon to offer condolences to the family of assassinated Lebanese politician George Hawi, a critic of Syria's role in the neighboring country.

We're doing such a great job in the Middle East. A totally, totally awesome job. Everything is under control.

Is anybody in charge around here? Anybody? Because either Specter and Kennedy are conducting their own foreign policy, which would be retarded, or the State Department convinced the Bush administration that it was a good idea to send these two clowns to Damascus with peace overtures. Which would be retarded.

References:
* Specter and Kennedy go on a road trip to Syria [Hot Air]
* Syrian court sentences political activist for insulting regime [YNet]

Previously:
* This Summer's War With Syria - Peace Deal Rumors Are Suspiciously Incoherent
* Iran, Hamas, And Islamic Jihad Meet In Syria To Plan Mideast Turmoil
* State Department Gets Bright Idea: Let's Screw Israel Even More By Bundling Syria Into The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process

Arieh Eldad is right to call this idiotic, even while he's (again) totally out of line for calling on Israelis to physically resist the decisions of a democratically elected government. Because the decision is totally idiotic:

In a letter addressed to Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon and Minister of Housing and Construction Ze'ev Boim, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday that all construction plans for settlements in the West Bank must receive his authorization and the approval of Defense Minister Ehud Barak. "Any new construction, expansion, confiscation of land, the issuing of housing tenders and all other acts related to the Israeli settlement in Judea and Samaria will not be advanced or carried out without authorization," the prime minister said in the letter. Sources in the PM's Office said the letter came as a follow-up to the government's announcement from November 19, 2007 regarding Israel's commitment to freeze all construction in the West Bank as specified by the US-backed Road Map for peace initiative.

That's kind of reasonable. After all, Fatah has been holding up its end of the bargain by dismantling terrorism in the West Bank territories that it controls. Except for the part where Dan Gillerman has expressed Israel's opinion that Fatah is not holding up its end of the bargain by dismantling terrorism in the West Bank territories that it controls. Except for that part.

References:
* PM Olmert: 'Yesha Construction Stops Here' [INN]
* Olmert to ministers: No settlement construction without my authorization [YNet]
* PA:"The Group Seeks to Sabotage Peace negotiations " [Turkish Weekly]

Previously:
* PA Police Officers Rolling In Millions Of New US Aid, Murdering Israeli Civilians
* Palestinians To Get 25 Cutting Edge, Helicopter-Busting APCs
* Fatah Soldiers: Yeah, We'll Kill Moderates Who Negotiate With Israel

The Palestinian terrorists who murdered Israeli hikers last weekend are bravely hiding in hospitals:

Palestinian sources reported Friday evening that IDF forces entered the al-Ahli hospital in Hebron to search among its patients for the Palestinian gunmen involved in the killing of two Israeli hikers earlier in the day. According to the report soldiers entered the hospital and are examining patients ID's in an attempt to track down the cell members... A senior Islamic Jihad official told Ynet that the commander of the shooting attack is Samar Nabil al-Natsheh, a senior member of the al-Quds Brigades – the military wing of the Islamic Jihad. Samar is the son of Nabil al-Natsheh, a prominent businessman and senior Hamas leader in Hebron. The Islamic Jihad confirmed that the attack was carried out in conjunction with Hamas.

We expect the international community will soon condemn the Palestinians for their war crime of hiding in hospitals. Right after they condemn the Palestinians for their war crime of attacking civilians.

Incidentally, great job by Fatah in using their billions in anti-terrorism and development aid. It's almost like Fatah's declarations of military and diplomatic unity with Hamas is preventing them from stopping attacks coordinated by Hamas. Nice to see Annapolis is paying dividends.

References:
* Troops hunt for terrorists in Hebron hospital [YNet]
* Fatah: We're Going To Use Our New US And Russian-Supplied Weapons To Fight With Hamas Against Israel (Plus: Hamas Upgrades, Stockpiles Their Qassams) [MR]
* Hamas And Fatah: Any Compromise On Any Part Of Jerusalem Is Treason (Plus: Blair: Peace Deal Within A Year) (Updated: Eloquent And Prescient Reuters Picture Of The Year) [MR]

Previously:
* Tuesday Headline Link Dump - Palestinians Set Peace Process Conditions And The Israeli Right Implodes (Plus: There May Be No One We Do Not Hate)
* Hamas Has 200 Tons Of Explosives That The US Gave To Fatah (Plus: Egypt Says It's Israel's Fault)
* Fatah Moderates Respond To Billions In Aid By Stressing Unity With Terrorists

Because why not, ya know?

The revelation from an American bio-defense analyst living in Europe that Syria is ready to respond with biological weapons of mass destruction if the U.S., Israel or Europe attack Iranian nuclear installations has again brought forth the reality that such weapons in the hands of our enemies represent an intolerable threat to our national security. According to Jill Bellamy-Dorsey, who currently directs the Public Health Preparedness program for the European Homeland Security Association under the French High Committee for Civil Defense: “Syria is positioned to launch a biological attack on Israel or Europe should the U.S. attack Iran. The Syrians are embedding their biological weapons program into their commercial pharmaceuticals business and their veterinary vaccine-research facilities…” she said.

That's totally fair. Or at least as fair as Saddam Hussein attacking Israeli in 1991 in response to a war launched against him by traditionally Christian and currently Muslim countries - an attack that James Baker prevented Israel from responding to. The problem with these genocidal lunatics is that they can't even be original any more. They've been so open for so long about the means and the goals of their genocidal lunacy that they've run out of room for innovation.

And remember how the State Department tried to prevent Israel from taking out Syria's nuclear bomb production facility earlier this year? That was pretty awesome.

Finally, feel free to click through and read the whole article. It's an exposition on how the US is terrifyingly vulnerable to bioterrorism - plots that Palestinian leaders and Arab regimes have been planning for decades. Happy new year.

References:
* America's Bio-Terrorism Nightmare [Analyst Network]
* Syria's Been Building Their Nuclear Reactor Since 2003 And The State Department Still Tried To Stop Israel From Taking It Out (Plus: Awesome IDF Bombing Raid Just Got Filled With Even More Awesome) [MR]

Previously:
* Syria Modernizing Its Airforce With Russian Help - War With Israel On The Horizon
* Mass Graves Created By Syria Found in Lebanon, Israeli Arabs Don't Care
* This Summer's War With Syria - Syria Says They're "Actively Preparing For War With Israel"

Cross-posted to:
* Israpundit

That's a bold and innovative idea:

Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin on Sunday warned against relaxing criteria for releasing Palestinian prisoners in return for kidnapped Israel Defense Forces soldiers. In a special meeting with cabinet ministers and security officials, Diskin lashed out against Ofer Dekel, Israel's chief negotiator for securing the release of abducted soldiers, claiming Dekel backed criteria that were too lenient. "Diskin wanted to keep the criteria as they are because when they [the Palestinian prisoners] get out of jail, he'll have to deal with them," a government source said. "On the other side, Dekel is interested in reaching a deal and believes criteria should be eased." During the meeting, Dekel's stance was apparently backed by IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, the source said. An attempt by Vice Premier Haim Ramon to broker a compromise between the two camps failed and the meeting was adjourned without reaching an agreement.

There seems to be a kind of peace process model where people who don't have to deal with the terrorism situation later make concessions so they can claim credit for a peace deal now. Call it the State Department model of world peace. Meanwhile Olmert is calling on Palestinian to dismantle terrorism themselves, lest he not offer money and security concessions to them for a couple of days. Because Palestinian negotiators take him totally seriously, and they have no experience waiting out those kinds of idle threats.

References:
* Diskin and top negotiator clash over prisoner release criteria [Ha'aretz]
* Olmert Presses PA to Take Steps for Fighting Terror [Arab News]

Previously:
* Olmert Releasing 2000 Prisoners To Placate Crybaby Palestinian Thugs
* Hamas: One Israeli Boy Is Worth 450 Palestinians
* Olmert Releasing Prisoners Now So He Won't Have To Release Them Later

The much vaunted Fatah moderates that Israel will be handing land to are ending 2007 are doing super:

Fatah's armed wing, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, on Sunday called for the murder of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayad for "collaboration" with Israel and the US. This was the first time the group has openly called for Fayad's assassination. In the past, the group distributed leaflets strongly condemning Fayad and calling for his dismissal.

Fayad has been under heavy criticism from some Fatah leaders and activists, who accuse him of denying them public funds and plotting to undermine Fatah's grip on power. Other Fatah leaders have also accused Fayad of seeking to consolidate his power with the hope of replacing Mahmoud Abbas as PA president. The threat was made in a leaflet distributed by the Aksa Martyrs Brigades in the Gaza Strip. Some Fatah officials in Ramallah sought to distance themselves from the threat, claiming that the leaflet had been forged. They even went as far as accusing Hamas of being behind it. The command of the Aksa Martyrs Brigades in the Gaza Strip calls on all its elements and striking forces in the West Bank to immediately eliminate the so-called Salaam Fayad," the leaflet said. It claimed that Fayad's Ramallah-based government was working for Israel and the US... It also called to fire PA Interior Minister Abdel Razzak al-Yahya for announcing that the Aksa Martyrs Brigades in the West Bank had been dismantled.

Fatah officials in the West Bank have been overstating the degree to which they've dismantled violent anti-Israel terrorist cells that operate under their own umbrella? Just so they can keep accepting Israeli security concessions and international aid in the context of peace talks? That's original.

References:
* Aksa Brigades calls for Fayad's death [JPost]

Previously:
* Olmert Releasing 2000 Prisoners To Placate Crybaby Palestinian Thugs
* Palestinians Prepare For Peace Summit By Shooting Israeli Civilian In West Bank (Plus: Two Dozen Rockets And Mortars Hit Israel Monday)
* Bush To Put Some British Guy Who Ignores Israeli Security Concerns In Charge Of Mid-East Peace Process

Cross-posted to:
* Israpundit

Holy fucking shit:

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday welcomed Israel's decision to drop plans to construct a new neighborhood in the Atarot section of East Jerusalem, the AFP reported on Friday. "I think it's a good step," Rice said after a Housing Ministry official said that plans for the project had been dropped. Housing Minister Ze'ev Boim had given the green light for the plan, despite the fact that senior American officials say Israel had promised not to move forward with the project. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office distanced itself Wednesday from a Housing Ministry decision to begin planning a new Jewish neighborhood in area.

We quit.

UPDATE: No, we're not really quitting. It's a generic expression of exasperation. Your emails are very touching though.

References:
* Rice welcomes Israeli decision to nix building plan in E. J'lem [Ha'aretz]

Previously:
* State Department Sophistication Very Close To Triggering All-Out African War
* State Department Strategy Of Shielding Hezbollah During Lebanon II Working Out Great As Presidential Elections Postponed Again
* State Department Tries To Cleanse Obviously Illegal "No Jews Allowed" Application But Is Too Fucking Stupid To Turn Off Track Changes

We've been nuking literally dozens of vulgar anti-Semitic comments every few weeks since we posted that breathtaking example of Iranian anti-Semitism. We're going to start posting the nuked comments here so there'll at least be a record of those cretins' viciousness:

generalmike133: even jews had!! who financed hitler? who provided fuell?
persiandudeee: lol awsome video, it's true jews are using the "holucust" as an excuse but the real truth is that the jews were actually nazis themself:D Hitler hisself was also a jew:D

They really believe that, and there are more of them every day.

References:
* Vicious Iranian Anti-Semitism [photonh2o / YouTube]

Previously:
* Ron Paul Supporter: No Jew Money Here
* Compare And Contrast: Israeli FM Greets Ramadan By Attending Meal With Muslim Leaders. Hamas Greets Yom Kippur With Music Video About "Chunks Of Flesh Of Jews"
* We Get Mail - Pro-Holocaust YouTube Cretin Edition

From what liberal sophisticates tell us, this has nothing to do with Islam. It's just a cultural practice. Except for the part where according to top Islamic authorities it has everything to do with Islam:

A top Muslim cleric in Iran, Hojatolislam Gholam Reza Hassani said on Wednesday that women in Iran who do not wear the hijab or Muslim headscarf, should die... "I do not understand how these women who do not respect the hijab, 28 years after the birth of the Islamic Republic, are still alive," he said. "These women and their husbands and their fathers must die," said Hassani, who is the representative of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in eastern Azerbaijan.

Well that kind of sucks. We wonder if this is the same guy who makes mistakes about how jihad is just an inner struggle of self-overcoming. Top Islamic are making those kinds of mistakes all the time.

References:
* Iran: Top cleric says women without veils must die [AKI]

Previously:
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - Islamism in the Netherlands
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - If You're A Feminist Who Thinks That The Koran Should Give Women Rights, You May Have To Die
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - Enlightenment Breaks Out With Sexy Burkas, Theologically Correct Wife Beatings, and Books!

Hey, you know how Democratic leaders and liberal foreign policy experts have been insisting that Ahmadinejad is a tool that we don't have to worry about? Turns out that's not true:

It's a big week for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. For the first time in his life, the Iranian president joined millions of other Muslims in Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Images of a serious and unusually well-groomed Iranian president consulting the Koran in Iran before boarding his plane to Saudi Arabia have appeared in the world media... Ahmadinejad is the leader of the Shiite Islamic Republic, a country that has jolted the entire Middle East and frightened its Sunni neighbors in recent years with its push for Shiite political and religious superiority. That push is being accompanied by patient work on a nuclear program and ingenious deception and time-delay tactics to keep Western critics at bay. Saudi Arabia, the leader of the Sunni bloc, is one of Iran's frightened neighbors. And yet, it was Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah who made the surprising friendly gesture, inviting Ahmadinejad to Mecca for the Hajj.

Oh, and it also turns out that - despite expert opinion to the contrary - Sunni and Shiite Muslims can overcome their sectarian animosity enough to see themselves toward uniting. Who knew?

References:
* Gulf states are scared [YNet]
* Bill Richardson: Ahmadinejad Is Nothing To Worry About, We Should Engage Iran [MR]

Previously:
* Religion Of Peace Hosts Peaceful Pilgrimage Where Peaceful Sunnis And Shiites Unite To Chant About War And Genocide
* Smug Condescending Sophisticates Admit They've Been Lying Through Their Teeth About Israeli Security I - UN Admits Hezbollah Is Rearming
* Josh Marshall, Liberal Sophisticate: Conservatives Should "Grow Up" About Ahmadinejad's Desecration Of Ground Zero

The 2007 UNICEF photo of the year:

The image hardly fits our idea of the happy couple's wedding picture - but this haunting photograph taken in Afghanistan graphically captures life for millions of girls given in marriage while under age. It shows Mohammed, 40, with his new 11-year-old wife, Ghulam. Taken by US photographer Stephanie Sinclair, it was named Unicef Photo of the Year yesterday. Some 60million girls worldwide are married while still under age, according to the children's rights agency.

At least he married the poor girl. In Iran, the growing industry of sharia-approved "temporary marriages" allows girls as young as nine to be enslaved, raped, and then dumped back into brothels. Why as young as nine and not eight or ten? We're obviously not Islamic scholars, but if we had to take a guess...

Incidentally, we were trying to Google a story about how Iran's clerics exploit temporary marriage to score underage girls when they travel around the country. We know it's out there but we didn't find it. Instead we came across this 2000 New York Times story about how temporary marriages are a progressive measure being pushed by "odd mix of feminists, clerics and officials". Title of the story? "Love Finds A Way". Really. At least now we know how to be sophisticated about this charming cultural practice.

References:
* Under-age marriage picture wins UNICEF prize [Metro UK]
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - Iran Has Legal Slavery And Rape Of Prepubescent Girls. They Call It "Temporary Marriage". [MR]
* Criticism of Muhammad: Aisha [Wikipedia]
* Love Finds a Way in Iran: 'Temporary Marriage' [NYT]

Previously:
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - If You're A Maid In Saudi Arabia, You Might Have To Be Tortured And Mutilated
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - John McCain Responds To Code Pink's "We Should Surrender To The Most Vicious Sexists On The Planet" Platform [Videos]
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - You're Too Dirty To Walk On Saudi Arabia's Sidewalks

A couple well-aimed missiles, and suddenly they're gentle little kittens, albeit ones who will want a small window right before the official declaration to fire a couple pot shots at Israeli schools and hospitals:

On Islam's most important holiday, the leader of Gaza's Hamas government appealed Wednesday for a cease-fire with Israel and said his people—battered by Israeli military strikes and international sanctions—are greeting this year's feast with "tears in our eyes." Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman said there could be no deals with Hamas until it renounces violence and recognizes Israel, though one Cabinet minister said Israel might consider outside mediation with the Islamic militants...

The appeal from Ismail Haniyeh, who heads the Hamas government in Gaza, came in a phone call to an Israeli TV reporter, said Hamas spokesman Taher Nunu. It followed a two-day air assault by Israeli forces that killed 12 Gaza militants, two from Hamas and 10 from Islamic Jihad. Israel "should stop its attacks and siege," Nunu said. "Then a truce would be possible, and not unlikely."

You know who opposed those Israeli air strikes? The most moderate wings of Fatah. It's almost like they're not really interested in seeing Israel actually reduce violence against Israelis. For what it's worth, Israel has the capacity to effectively eradicate the leadership of terrorist groups when it chooses to. We'd tell you to ask the leaders of PFLP but you can't.

References:
* Hamas Calls for Truce With Israel [AP]
* Fatah Moderates Respond To Billions In Aid By Stressing Unity With Terrorists [MR]
* Palestinian terrorist organization, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, is destroyed [Facts Of Israel]

Previously:
* Compare And Contrast - Actors In Israel Kids' Show: "I Love You", Little Girls In Hamas Cartoon: "We Long For Martyrdom... Our Death Is Happiness" [Videos]
* Iran, Hamas, And Islamic Jihad Meet In Syria To Plan Mideast Turmoil
* Palestinians Prepare For Peace Summit By Shooting Israeli Civilian In West Bank (Plus: Two Dozen Rockets And Mortars Hit Israel Monday)

Can't you just feel the peace and love in the air? Fatah's most moderate leader is screeching about how Israel is trying to deny Gaza Palestinians their right to fire rockets at Israeli schools and hospitals. Incidentally, that's not sarcasm - Fayyad really is their most moderate guy. Think about that:

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad called on the international community Tuesday evening to intervene and put a stop to Israel's strikes in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army has launched a series of airstrikes in Gaza in the past two days against Qassam cells responsible for rocket attacks on Israel. The strikes left 11 Islamic Jihad militants dead Monday... Fayyad recently concluded a round of reportedly positive talks with Israeli leaders, and a successful fundraising campaign for the Palestinian Authority in Paris.

Looks like Saudi Arabia's efforts to reunite Fatah and Hamas may be paying some dividends. Good thing that the State Department invited them to Annapolis, a conference that was specifically sold as a way to isolate Hamas and bolster Fatah. At least Fatah representatives cooperating with Hamas by endorsing their bargaining positions and promising to use security assistance to fight with them against Israel. Because if that was happening it would make the peace process look kind of stupid and counterproductive.

Apparently this is what peace is going to look like - the Palestinians get literally billions in aid and then turn around and demand that they literally be allowed to bomb Israelis. This is beginning to seem eerily familiar.

References:
* Fayyad urges world to stop Israel's 'crimes' in Gaza [YNet]
* Saudis: Now That Abbas Is Getting Land, We're Going To Reunite Fatah And Hamas (Plus: They Didn't Even Have Their Ear Pieces In At Annapolis) [MR]
* Hamas And Fatah: Any Compromise On Any Part Of Jerusalem Is Treason (Plus: Blair: Peace Deal Within A Year) (Updated: Eloquent And Prescient Reuters Picture Of The Year) [MR]
* Fatah: We're Going To Use Our New US And Russian-Supplied Weapons To Fight With Hamas Against Israel (Plus: Hamas Upgrades, Stockpiles Their Qassams) [MR]

Previously:
* Condi: Palestinians Are Like Oppressed Blacks In The Jim Crow South (Plus: Hamas: "No Room For Jews" In Israel)
* West Bank Palestinians Embrace Peace By Smuggling Pipe Bomb, Throwing Molotov Cocktails At Civilians (Plus: Gaza Palestinians Still Just Firing Mortars)
* Palestinians Intentionally Creating Humanitarian Crises In Gaza By Refusing To Accept Israeli Fuel

Yeah, well:

Britain's Office of National Statistics says the name of the Muslim prophet is on the verge of becoming the most popular name for newborn boys in the United Kingdom. While Jack has reigned supreme for the last 13 years, Britain's growing Muslim society has rocketed their prophet's name -- including all spelling variations -- into second place. If the trend holds, Mohammed should pass Jack next year. The 2001 national census in the United Kingdom put the Muslim population at 1.6 million, but officials concede that number is greatly outdated.

We wouldn't read too much into this - maybe it's really hard to come up with an Arabic version of Jack. That would be important, you see, since
* forty percent of British schoolchildren don't speak English at home. And we always thought that France would be the first theocratic Muslim regime to get the bomb.

References:
* Move Over Jack, Mohammed's About to Pass You as U.K.'s Most Popular Boys Name [Fox News]
* We're Going To Miss Westminster Abbey - English Is A Foreign Language To Forty Percent Of British Schoolchildren (Plus: Brits Begin To Seriously Contemplate Life Under Sharia Law) [MR]

Previously:
* We're Going To Miss Westminster Abbey - Teachers And Students Forced To Be Sexist, Dress Like "Asians" To Celebrate Muslim Holiday (Plus: British Mosques Filled With Hate Literature)
* We're Going To Miss Westminster Abbey - Sharia Courts Established In Britain
* We're Going To Miss Westminster Abbey - No Really, We're Going To Miss It

This is exactly what happens in the Vatican on Christmas and in Jerusalem on Yom Kippur. Exactly:

Filled with the spirit, Iranians chanted anti-US and anti-Zionist slogans at holy event. Iranian Republic News Agency reported: Disavowal of Pagans ritual ended in this sacred desert on Tuesday by issuing a five-article final resolution which stressed on unity among all Muslim nations. The ceremony was attended by a huge group of Iranian pilgrims who chanted anti-US and anti-Zionist slogans.

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei offered this blessing to the Hajj pilgrims, via IRNA: "Today, the treacherous enemies of the Muslim Ummah are the organizers of the hegemonic centers and expansionist and aggressive powers which consider the Islamic awakening as a great threat to their illegitimate interests and their oppressive domination over the Muslim world. All the Muslim nations led by their political and religious authorities, intellectuals and national leaders need to form a united Islamic front against this invading enemy with full strength.

You know what's so weird about this? We were totally convinced by the assurances of foreign policy elites and think tank sophisticates that Sunnis and Shiites hate each other way too much to cooperate against the West. They're very different you see. Not so different that they won't funnel money to each other and cooperate on international terrorism. But still very different.

References:
* Iranians Chant "Death to America" & "Death to Israel" at Hajj Ceremony in Saudi Arabia [Gateway Pundit]
* Leftist Sophistication Watch: Shiites And Sunnis Do Work Together, Iran Admits Funneling Money To Hamas [MR]

Previously:
* Smug Liberal Sophistication Untroubled By Undeniable Evidence That Hardliners Are Winning In Iran
* The Denial of the Obvious By Reference to the Irrelevant: Center-Left Foreign Policy and Democratic Politics
* Leftist Sophistication Watch: Shiites And Sunnis Do Work Together, Iran Admits Funneling Money To Hamas

Lots of people are having fun with the entirely predictable but still totally batshit crazy DKos comments about the fire in Cheney's office. But for truly heavy-handed ugliness, check out this contribution from a thread about Lieberman's endorsement of McCain:

Is Lieberman a Democrat NO !
Is Lieberman a Republican NO !
Lieberman is a Likud Jew.
They are the hated ones from Germany.
They are the German/Jew Fascists.
They are the ones that make it bad for the
"good Jews" in this World.
If you want to know what Lieberman is going
to do next, see which way the wind is blowing---
in Tel Aviv.

Number of top-tier Democratic Presidential candidates who declined to attend this year's YearlyKos convention: 0

References:
* re: White House Fire [NRO Corner]
* Fire in Cheney's Office Causes Leftists to Rant Uncontrollably [LGF]
* Shanda! Lieberman embarrasses his friends. [DKos]

Previously:
* [Video] What You Get When You Vote For Democrats - Empowering Conspiracy Theory Wackos
* Isn't It About Time For Democratic Jews To Stop Electorally Empowering The Ahmadinejad-Supporting Left?
* Hysterical Liberal Calls To Ban Coulter Somewhat Inconsistent With Their "Free Speech" Celebrations Of Ahmadinejad's Columbia Appearance

Of course they are:

Palestinian petrol distribution companies refused to receive the amount of fuel from Israel's Dor company as a form of protesting the Israeli reduced its fuel supplies to Gaza. Palestinian said on Sunday that most of the service stations in Gaza Strip have run out of fuel, especially the diesel as Israel started to reduce Gaza fuel deliveries... "The reduction of fuel is unjustifiable and irresponsible," the union said. "It causes negative effects on all sectors of life, especially on the health and education systems." The union said the local petrol companies have refused to receive what Israel is sending "in order not to be partners in punishing the Palestinian people because these quantities are insufficient."

Actually that's not quite right. There was more than enough fuel handed over to keep the health and educational systems going - it just wasn't enough to keep both those systems and terrorist operations running smoothly. So naturally the Palestinians in Gaza stole the fuel from the hospitals to use in Hamas "operations" against Israel. Priorities, priorities.

Running list of ways that Gaza Palestinians are trying to create a humanitarian crisis so they can demonize Israel:

* Stealing fuel from hospitals for Hamas "operations"
* Banning Israeli food aid
* Intentionally not requesting medical aid
* Closing crossings to block medical aid
* Shutting down medical clinics of Fatah-affiliated doctors
* Using roadblocks to stop ambulances
* Keeping crossings closed to prevent family reunification

Running list or organizations that have reiterated and reprinted their "it's Israel's fault" fabrications and helped them demonize the Jewish State:

* The UN
* The Associated Press (joined a second time by the UN)
* Reuters
* The Red Cross
* The Washington Post

References:
* Palestinian refuse to receive fuel from Israel [Xinhua]
* Hamas Intentionally Creating Humanitarian Crises In Gaza By Stealing Fuel From Hospitals For Their "Operations" Against Israel [MR]

Previously:
* Boston Globe, Trying to Whitewash Hamas, Contradicts Itself. In Same Sentence.
* Hamas: Oh By The Way, We're Totally Going To Ignore Annapolis When We Roll Over The West Bank
* It's Official: Egypt Embracing Hamas Through Contacts, Prisoner Releases

Oh that's totally reassuring. We don't know why we were worried at all:

Vice Premier Haim Ramon signaled on Sunday that Israel intends to hold on to all Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem, including Har Homa, where Israel plans to build 307 new housing units, a plan that has drawn scathing US criticism. Ramon said Israel should make it clear that it intends to turn over Arab neighborhoods of the city to Palestinian control, but would retain Jewish neighborhoods, including those built in east Jerusalem... Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki denounced Ramon's statement and its timing: On Wednesday, negotiating teams from both sides are to sit down together for their first formal talks in seven years. "These statements place obstacles before any serious attempts by Palestinian negotiators on Jerusalem," Malki said. "They aim to create confusion and change the course of negotiations before they begin. They try to pressure Palestinians and the international parties to think of Israeli needs before they begin."

We have a different idea: how about instead of giving large parts of Jerusalem up to a population that has repeatedly elected intransigent war governments, Israel doesn't give large parts of Jerusalem up to the Palestinians? Or counter-proposal has two benefits over the Olmert government's idiotic proposal: (1) it doesn't put Hamas a few kilometers from the Western Wall and (2) it doesn't force a bunch of East Jerusalem Arabs to live under Palestinian rule against their will. We're not sure if there's an actual majority of East Jerusalem Arabs who want to live under Israeli rule, but it's certainly a huge swath. Luckily pesky things like "majority rule" don't really matter any more - if they did, everyone would have to accept that the Palestinians aren't really interested in peace since, you know, a majority of them keep voting against it.

And don't you just love how any time Israel lays out a position or takes an action it's instantly an "obstacle" or a "risk" to negotiations? The Palestinians hold the peace process hostage to an all or nothing agreement while openly stating that they'll accept nothing less than all of East J'lem including full sovereignty over the Temple Mount. Hamas legislators, with not exactly muted support from Fatah, declare that any compromise on any part of Jerusalem is high treason. But let Israel suggest that they want to hold on to the Jewish neighborhoods of East Jerusalem - and everyone throws up their hands in exasperation and acts like they're wasting their time even talking to these intransigent Zionists. This should be called the "State Department definition" of Israel-Palestinian negotiations - mostly because it is.

References:
* Ramon: We'll keep parts of e. J'lem [JPost]
* Abbas: "If You Don't Give Me Everything I Won't Accept Anything" [MR]
* Compromise Palestinian Style - We Get Everything, You Get Nothing [MR]
* Palestinian Demands Overwhelming Rice's Ability To Pressure Israel [MR]
* Hamas And Fatah: Any Compromise On Any Part Of Jerusalem Is Treason (Plus: Blair: Peace Deal Within A Year) (Updated: Eloquent And Prescient Reuters Picture Of The Year) [MR]
* Rice Explicitly Sides With Palestinians On East J'lem, Lashes Out At Israel For "Prejudging" [MR]

Previously:
* Palestinians Hold Funeral For Peace Process [Video]
* Olmert Releasing 2000 Prisoners To Placate Crybaby Palestinian Thugs
* Israeli Security Foils 7 Suicide Bombings From Fatah-Controlled West Bank

Peacefully killed and mutilated, mind you:

Religious vigilantes have killed at least 40 women this year in the southern Iraqi city of Basra because of how they dressed, their mutilated bodies found with notes warning against "violating Islamic teachings," the police chief said Sunday... "The women of Basra are being horrifically murdered and then dumped in the garbage with notes saying they were killed for un-Islamic behavior," Khalaf told The Associated Press. He said men with Western clothes or haircuts are also attacked in Basra, an oil-rich city some 30 miles from the Iranian border and 340 miles southeast of Baghdad. "Those who are behind these atrocities are organized gangs who work under cover of religion, pretending to spread the instructions of Islam, but they are far from this religion," Khalaf said.

Why do we have a feeling that "those who are behind these atrocities" would beg to differ? And that several hundred million of their friends scattered throughout Asia and Europe would similarly decline to assent to this lay theology? And yet - this guy is on the front lines risking his life to fight back against Islamic thugs trying to drag his country into the dark ages, which we're douchebags in an LA studio taking pot shots at his soundbites. And yet again - isn't it a little suspicious that the Religion Of Peace narrative appeared in the AP lede to frame a news story that's actually about how it's not? If you click through make sure you check out the very, very bottom quote - just like with the the Iranian woman who was suicided by police, the debate revolves around the proper punishment women should recieve for violating sharia law rather than the existence of the laws themselves.

References:
* Vigilantes kill 40 women in Iraq's south [AP]
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - If You Sit With Your Fiance In The Park, Iranian Police May Have To Strangle You To Death [MR]

Previously:
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - Iran Has Legal Slavery And Rape Of Prepubescent Girls. They Call It "Temporary Marriage".
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - Pathological Islamism in Germany
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - Your Saudi Husband Isn't Allowed To Beat You In The Face Because It "Makes Your Face Ugly"

There was a time when we were like "this is boring - we're just writing the same post over and over again." But now that US intelligence analysts and diplomats are finding new ways to constantly screw up or new concessions that they imagine Israel should offer, we're kind of pining for the old days. Which were like two months ago.

* Hey, remember how the FBI and CIA got infiltrated by a Hezbollah spy who never should have been given clearance for anything? Remember how two days ago Atlas blogged some reports that the mole outed FBI informants and undermined anti-terror efforts? Where'd that story go?

* One Jerusalem's most recent video in their ongoing work to save Jerusalem:

* Rick Richman follows up on Anne Lieberman's extensive roundup of PA-targeted aid from the last two years. Apparently electing an intransigent genocidal regime openly committed to the destruction of Western ally - pretty good way to get aid.

* Augean Stables humiliates Israeli peacenik Uri Avnery. This one's long but most of the takedowns apply to each and every one of Avnery's articles. The opening quote from Avnery - "of course he used me" - is particularly money. Click through to find out who "he" was.

We don't know if the thing about the door is true (we wouldn't be surprised) - but this certainly happened. As Tzipi Livni was rushing back to her hotel to make it home before the Sabbath, Condi Rice was violating every norm of diplomatic decorum:

While Livni was making her panicked way to the Brussels Hilton, a professional colleague, Condoleezza Rice, was making hers to the Joseph Luns Press Theater, where she revealed publicly what she had told Livni privately: Don't build at Har Homa, Rice said. Don't expand the settlements, don't obstruct the political process. That's contemporary diplomacy for you: Even before the Israeli foreign minister had had a chance to update her ministry officials as to the content of her conversation with her American counterpart, Rice took pains to broadcast to the whole world, and particularly to the Palestinians, that the conduct of the Israeli government after Annapolis is continually being monitored... Another colleague of the two women, Sergei Lavrov, took advantage of his turn in the Luns Theater to emphasize another message: In the post-Annapolis period, Russia sees great importance in encouraging Israel-Syria talks "about the Golan Heights." Lavrov described the goal of this type of communication - that is, the price Israel will pay has already been determined

Couple this with State Department careerists who are worming their way into the intelligence community and undermining efforts to keep Iran from getting the bomb, and it may well be the case that the State Department is now independently pursuing a comprehensive, multilevel anti-Israel agenda. And they're not being particularly bashful about it.

References:
* United States: State Sponsor of Judeophobia [INN]
* Ballistic in Brussels [Ha'aretz]
* WaPo: NIE Conclusions Were Engineered By Easily Identifiable, Hysterically Anti-Bush State Department Washouts [MR]

Previously:
* Condi: Palestinians Are Like Oppressed Blacks In The Jim Crow South (Plus: Hamas: "No Room For Jews" In Israel)
* US Joins Rest Of World In Offering Biased Anti-Israel UN Resolutions
* Mere Rhetoric: Search Results

We were wondering why they even bothered showing up to Annapolis since they didn't even bother putting their earpieces in...

Maybe it's there somewhere in our dreary mainstream media, but it wasn't until I read Allison Kaplan Sommer's description of Israeli reaction to the Annapolis conference on Pajamas that I noticed what is by far the most telling detail from that event: The Saudi Foreign Minister didn't even bother to put on his ear phones for Olmert's speech. Well, how despicable is that! Not as despicable as the sick, misogynist Saudi culture itself - very little could be - but a plenty could indication of the values and character of the Saudi leadership. In other words, somewhere south of Attila.

... but now we realize that if everything goes right, they'll encourage Israel to give land to Fatah literally at the same time that they're pushing Fatah is to hand it over to Hamas's hands:

Saudi Arabia and Egypt are pushing Hamas and Fatah to meet in an effort to resolve the deep rift in the Palestinian movements, as Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal visits Riyadh this week... A Fatah leader in the West Bank, Hatham Abed al-Kadr, said Sunday that Egypt has been in contact recently with Fatah and Hamas officials in attempt to bring the two sides for a meeting in Cairo after the culmination of the Eid al-Adha (Festival of the Sacrifice) in about two weeks. According to al-Kadr, the Egyptian mediation was aimed at opening negotiations between Hamas and Fatah.

Hey, remember how Annapolis was supposed to actually isolate Hamas? And how Abbas is getting millions in security assistance from the US and billions in aid from the Europeans and cutting-edge weaponry from the Russians - all to use against Hamas?

If Fatah isn't going to use all of that against Hamas - hey, you don't think they'd openly come out and say that they're going to use it to fight with Hamas against Israel do you? (h/t on the ear pieces absurdity: Soccer Dad)

References:
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