imra Thu May 18 02:20:23 2006 Volume 2 : Issue 1394
In this issue of the imra daily Digest:
Jerusalem Issue Brief: The Popular Resistance
Committees � Hamas� New Partners?
Kol Yisrael Radio Interview with Esther
Pollard on Eitan�s Refusal to Sign Petition
Excerpts: US-Libya normal
relations resumed. 17 May 2006
Funds Transferred To PA By Israel
And International Community Used To
Finance Purchases Of Weapons And War Materiel
Two Islamic Jihad terrorists killed in Nablus
JIHAD PREPARES ROCKET FOR MASS PRODUCTION
MUBARAK DENIES ACCESS TO U.S. LEADERS
France: Unilateral Borders Unacceptable
PM Olmert Meets With French
FM Douste-Blazy
University of Haifa: Workshop
for foreign home-care workers
Two reports - Palestinian Security
Chaos and Proliferation of Small Arms
BESA Perspectives no. 16
- Defining a New International
System in a World Threatened by Jihad - Thomas Hecht
MEMRI: Ahmadinejad Calls Upon Bush to Accept Islam
MEMRI:Iraqi Ayatollah Ahmad Al-Baghdadi
Talks of America's Annihilation
- Muslim Conquest of the World
MEMRI:Muslim Brotherhood Leader: Arab
and Islamic Countries Should Obtain Nuclear
Technology "For Military Purposes"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Jerusalem Issue Brief: The Popular Resistance
Committees � Hamas� New Partners?
Jerusalem Issue Brief
Institute for Contemporary Affairs
founded jointly at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
with the Wechsler Family Foundation
Vol. 5, No. 24 � 17 May 2006
The Popular Resistance Committees � Hamas� New Partners?
Lt. Col. (res.) Jonathan D. Halevi
Said Sayyam, the Palestinian interior minister in the Hamas government, has
appointed the head of the Popular Resistance Committees, Jamal Abu
Samhadana, to be in charge of building the core of a new Palestinian army.
Formally, he will be under the overall supervision of the Interior Ministry.
The Popular Resistance Committees is a terror organization that has carried
out hundreds of attacks against Israeli targets in the Gaza Strip and within
Israel, and was apparently responsible for the roadside bomb attack in which
three American security guards were killed in Gaza in October 2003.
The PRC, which espouses an extreme Islamic worldview, has formed a strategic
alliance with Hamas and Hizballah, which help finance its activities and
train its operatives. According to Israeli intelligence, the PRC also
maintains contact with al-Qaeda, which over the past year has created a
presence in Gaza and the West Bank.
Israel is acting militarily against the PRC as it does toward other
Palestinian terror organizations. At the same time, the PRC is not included
in Israel�s official list of terror organizations. This may stem from the
mistaken assumption that the PRC is part of the military wing of Fatah. The
United States and the European Union also did not include the PRC in their
blacklist of terror organizations.
The Core of a Future Palestinian Army
On 20 April 2006, the Palestinian minister of the interior and of national
security, Said Sayyam, appointed Jamal Abu Samhadana (Abu Atayah), head of
the Popular Resistance Committees, as general supervisor of the ministry, a
position equivalent to that of director-general.1 Abu Samhadana is supposed
to be responsible for setting up a new security apparatus that will absorb
operatives from the military wings of the Palestinian terror organizations.
A day after the appointment, which drew condemnation in the United States
and Israel, the chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Abu Mazen, announced
the cancellation of the appointment on the ground that it �contravenes the
constitution.� Abu Mazen�s decree also canceled the decision by the
Palestinian government to set up a new security force to combat anarchy
within the PA and stated that �all the security commanders, officers, and
members of the security services are ordered to regard these two orders as
if they were never given.�2
Abu Mazen�s decision caused consternation in Hamas, which intensified its
public attacks on him, on Fatah, and on past leaders of the Palestinian
Authority. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zouhri remarked that �the decision of
the interior minister is meant to remedy the security situation and address
the security anarchy, and any derogation of this decision means continuing
the security anarchy, damaging the Palestinian government�s authority, and
negating its ability to end the security anarchy in the Authority.�3
Abu Samhadana told the British Sunday Telegraph on 23 April that the
security force to be established under his command was �the core of the
future Palestinian army,� stressing that �resistance must continue.� �We
have only one enemy and that is the Jews,� he said. The security force will
also act against corruption and lawbreakers, he claimed.4
Founding of the PRC
The appointment of Abu Samhadana to the most important executive security
position in the Palestinian Authority focuses attention on the Popular
Resistance Committees, at whose head he stands, and which in recent years
has become one of the prominent Palestinian terror organizations. The PRC
was established by Abu Samhadana after the uprising which began at the end
of September 2000, as he sought a new operational framework through which to
conduct the �armed struggle� against Israel. Abu Samhadana gathered former
officers and troops from the PA security forces, as well as operatives from
Fatah, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front, and other organizations. The name
that was chosen � Popular Resistance Committees � expressed the concept of
the organization�s founders that the struggle against Israel should be waged
by a military force combining all the organizations.5
Extreme Islamic Ideology
The ideology of the Popular Resistance Committees rests on an extreme
Islamic worldview that puts it in the same category as Hamas, Islamic Jihad,
and al-Qaeda. Islam is regarded as a solution and remedy for all the
problems of the Palestinian people. PRC leaders vehemently reject any
political dialogue with Israel, let alone the political and security
agreements that have been signed with it. The road map is considered an
�American-Zionist plot� to salvage the �Zionist enemy,� �to kill the
resistance and dismantle its infrastructure.�6
The leadership of the Popular Resistance Committees views �resistance in all
its forms� and �jihad in the way of Allah� as the only ways to liberate all
of Palestine, �whose land, whose mountains, the holy places in it, the
skies, the sea, and the political borders are part of the [Islamic] faith.�
Abu Samhadana regards Jews as �enemies,� �betrayers,� and �murderers of the
prophets who also tried to murder the Prophet Mohammed.� The official
declarations of the Popular Resistance Committees sometimes refer to Jews as
�the sons of monkeys and pigs� and to Israel as �a Satanic entity that must
be destroyed.�7 The leader of the Popular Resistance Committees favors
opening the borders of the Arab states to a jihad against Israel until its
total destruction.8
Hizballah is considered a model and a paradigm for waging the struggle
against Israel. Abu Samhadana remarked in an interview that �Hizballah�s
great victory� in southern Lebanon strengthened the belief that the path of
resistance succeeds. He views Israel�s unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza
Strip and northern Samaria as a direct outcome of the determination of the
resistance forces.9
The PRC�s ideological closeness to Hamas is also manifested in a strategic
alliance, which in recent years has also included close practical
cooperation. The PRC supported Hamas� demand to hold the elections for the
Palestinian parliament on the date they were held, and favored its approach
of finding formal religious justifications for participating in the
elections. During the election campaign, the PRC stood shoulder to shoulder
with Hamas, and its activists aided the propaganda effort for Hamas� Change
and Reform list.10
Terror Attacks Against Israeli Targets
The Popular Resistance Committees has carried out numerous terror attacks
against Israeli civilian and military targets since October 2000. The most
notable include:
Firing at a bus carrying workers of the Airports Authority in the area of
the Rafah Terminal. Eight Israelis wounded (8 October 2000).
Shooting attacks at Kfar Darom. Baha Said, a junior officer in the
Preventive Security forces and a member of the Popular Resistance
Committees, infiltrated Kfar Darom in Gaza to carry out a mass terror
attack. One IDF soldier was killed and two others were wounded (18 November
2000).
A roadside bomb attack on a children�s bus next to Kfar Darom. Two killed
(20 November 2000).
Firing at an Israeli vehicle on the Kerem Shalom-Rafah Terminal route. An
Israeli woman killed (8 November 2000).
Two terrorists killed five members of the Hatuel family at close range after
attacking their car on the Kisufim route. The victims were Tali Hatuel (in
her eighth month of pregnancy) and her four daughters, including a
two-year-old (2 May 2004).
Firing at an Israeli vehicle on the Kisufim route. Two killed (24 July
2005).
Deadly attacks with powerful roadside bombs against Merkava tanks in which
seven IDF soldiers were killed (14 February, 14 March, 5 September 2002).
An infiltration attack on an IDF position at Morag. Three soldiers killed,
one wounded (26 September 2004).11
Since its founding, the PRC has carried out hundreds of light-weapon and
machinegun attacks, and fired antitank rockets, grenades, mortars, and
Nasser rockets (similar to the Kassam) at Israeli settlements in Gaza and
within Israel. This activity did not stop after the IDF withdrawal and the
evacuation of the Israeli settlements from Gaza. In the period from 1
January 2006 to 26 March 2006, the Popular Resistance Committees fired,
independently and in cooperation with other organizations, 83 rockets at
Israeli targets, two antitank rockets (RPGs), perpetrated two roadside bomb
attacks, and carried out a shooting and suicide attack at the Erez crossing
(9 February 2006).12 On 26 April 2006, a terrorist group from the PRC
attempted to perpetrate a shooting attack combined with the detonation of a
car bomb at the Karni crossing. The attack was thwarted by the Palestinian
Preventive Security forces.13
An Attack on an American Target
The PRC was apparently responsible for detonating the charge against an
American convoy at Beit Hanun in northern Gaza on 15 October 2003 that
killed three American security guards as they were escorting the American
cultural attach�. Four PRC operatives � Naim Abu al-Ful, Bashir Abu
al-Luban, Muhammad al-Dasuki Kamel Hamad (Asliyah), and Ahmad Abd al-Fatah
al-Safi � who were arrested immediately after the attack, �escaped� from the
Palestinian prison. The Palestinian Authority has yet to complete its
investigation of the attack, despite American pressure.14 The PRC officially
denied any responsibility for the attack.
Internal Terror
Despite the fact that senior PRC figures have served in the Palestinian
security organizations, the group�s attitude toward the previous Palestinian
establishment is suspicious and hostile. PRC members did not accept the
political line of the Palestinian Authority, and its operatives mistrust the
PA security services for arresting some of them for lengthy periods because
of actions that were perpetrated or planned against Israel.
Moreover, its strategic alliance with Hamas, together with the opportunity
to become a major military force on the national level, has led the PRC to
intensify clashes with representatives of the previous regime. In July 2004,
PRC operatives kidnapped police commander Razi Jebali, interrogated him
about acts of corruption, and demanded in return for his release that all
corrupt establishment figures be fired.15
In September 2005, PRC operatives murdered Mousa Arafat, the head of
Military Intelligence, who was accused of corruption and of cooperation with
Israel.16 The PRC also demanded the firing of Interior Minister Nasser Yusuf
because of his attempt to impose law and order, and accused Muhammed Dahlan
and the Preventive Security forces of �polluting the honor of the rifle and
the resistance.�17
In April 2006, the PRC intensified its direct confrontation with Preventive
Security and accused its past and present heads, Muhammed Dahlan and Rashid
Abu Shubak, of helping Israel to target the head of the PRC�s military wing,
Al-Abed Qoqa. The PRC announced the establishment of a special unit to
assassinate Dahlan, Abu Shubak, and Samir Mashrahawi.18
Building a Terror Infrastructure in the West Bank
The IDF�s withdrawal from Gaza in August 2005 gave renewed momentum to PRC
efforts to create an operational infrastructure in the West Bank as well, in
order to set up a parallel network of weapon and rocket production that
would enable attacks on cities in central Israel.19
In October 2005, Israeli security forces arrested several senior PRC
operatives who were on their way from Gaza, via Sinai, to Jenin in the
northern West Bank to set up weapons-production facilities for rockets and
mortars. The group was sent by Jamal Abu Samhadana and Al-Abed Qoqa.20
Cooperation with Other Terror Organizations
The PRC maintains an ongoing operational connection with other Palestinian
terror groups that includes exchange of information and joint attacks. Its
connections with Hamas appear to be much tighter than with any other terror
organization.21 Israeli intelligence claims that Hamas is actually using the
PRC as a subcontractor to carry out terror attacks against Israel. PRC
operatives arrested by Israel said during their interrogations that its
members were brought to a Hamas representative in their region after
recruitment and swore an oath before him. Furthermore, Hamas claims to play
a major role in the military training of PRC operatives.22
Some PRC members were sent to Lebanon (via Egypt) to undergo military
training. The PRC infrastructure in Egypt serves as an important link in
arranging passage between Gaza and Lebanon.23
Intelligence sources in Israel say there is a link between the PRC and
al-Qaeda, though the PRC has publicly denied these claims. According to the
indictment in Israel of PRC operative Nahad Rashid Ahmed Atala, during his
stay in Egypt in August 2000 he made contact with Samih Razak, who told him
he was a member of a responsible body (known as �Abu Dia�) in an
organization �larger than Hizballah� that was interested in financially
assisting the activities of the PRC. This may be al-Qaeda.24
Funding
In his last interview before being killed in a car-bomb explosion in Gaza,
the commander of the military wing of the PRC, Al-Abed Qoqa, admitted that
the organization receives economic assistance from Hamas comparable to �six
or seven additional units of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades [of Fatah].�25
One PRC member, Sharif Ziada, arrested in Israel in October 2005, said
during his interrogation that Hamas paid $15,000 for a PRC attack and also
supplies weapons. Ziada also disclosed that the PRC had transferred $5,000,
which originated with Hamas, to an operative in the West Bank who requested
funding for an explosives belt.26
Hizballah is an additional source of funding for PRC actions. In some cases,
aid was sent in monetary transfers of relatively small sums ($300) to
relatives of PRC operatives.27
International Attitudes toward the PRC
Israel acts against the PRC as it does toward other Palestinian terror
organizations. Nevertheless, the PRC is not included in Israel�s official
list of terror organizations. This may stem from the mistaken assumption
that the PRC is part of the military wing of Fatah.28 The United States and
the European Union also did not include the PRC in their blacklist of terror
organizations.
Who�s Who in the PRC
Jamal Atayah Zid Abu Samhadana, founder and head of the Popular Resistance
Committees. Born in 1963, resident of Rafah, formerly imprisoned, married
and father of five. In 1982 he fled from Gaza to Egypt, and returned in
1994. Belonged in the past to Fatah. In 2000, as the current confrontation
was beginning, he established the Popular Resistance Committees. Responsible
for a large number of deadly attacks against Israeli targets and for firing
mortars and Kassam rockets at Gush Katif and at Israel.
Al-Abed Yusuf al-Abed Qoqa, head of the Popular Resistance Committees in the
northern Gaza Strip. Born in 1962, resident of Gaza, married and father of
six. Belonged in the past to Hamas and served as an officer in the PA
security organizations. Responsible for weapons production in the PRC
including rocket production. Involved in a number of deadly attacks,
including roadside bombs against IDF tanks and rocket fire. Killed in a
car-bomb explosion in April 2006.
Muhammad Abd al-A'al (Abu Abir) � official spokesman of the Popular
Resistance Committees.
Amar Qarmot � senior operative. Involved in terror attacks against Israel.
Muhammad Kamal al-Baba � senior operative. Joined the Popular Resistance
Committees after being a member of Fatah and, subsequently, Hamas.
* * *
Notes
1. http://www.maannews.net/ar/do.php?name=News&file=article&sid=25679;
http://www.alburaq.net/news/show.cfm?val=7351523/04/2006;
http://www.islamonline.net/livedialogue/arabic/Browse.asp?hGuestID=3R74U5;
http://www.paltoday.com/arabic/news.php?id=20651
2.
http://www.palestine-info.info/arabic/palestoday/dailynews/2006/april06/21_4/details2.htm#9
3.
http://www.palestine-info.info/arabic/palestoday/dailynews/2006/april06/22_4/details.htm#1
4. Sunday Telegraph (UK), April 23, 2006.
5. http://www.islamonline.net/Arabic/politics/2003/02/article08.shtml;
http://palestinianforum.net/forum/showthread.php?t=4048
6.
http://www.palintefada.com/arabic/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=173
7. http://www.qudsnet.com/arabic/news.php?id=11669
8.
http://www.islamonline.net/livedialogue/arabic/Browse.asp?hGuestID=3R74U5&hCounter=15;
http://www.islamonline.net/livedialogue/arabic/Browse.asp?hGuestID=3R74U5
9.
http://www.palintefada.com/arabic/modules.php?name=News_intefada&file=details&id=4011
10. http://www.al-jazirah.com/310813/du13d.htm
11. http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/eng_n/html/hamas_230406e.htm
12. http://www.palintefada.com/arabic/articles/file/datails/2/948.html
13.
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/pdf/karni_020506e.pdf
14. http://www.palintefada.com/vb/showthread.php?t=8469
15. http://www.alasr.ws/index.cfm?method=home.con&contentID=5526
16. http://www.alnor1.com/index.php?showtopic=1542;
http://www.paltoday.com/arabic/news.php?id=20690
17. http://www.paltoday.com/arabic/news.php?id=18818;
http://palintefada.com/arabic/modules.php?name=News_intefada&file=details&id=4510
18. http://www.akhbaralaalam.net/haber_detay.php?haber_id=468
19. http://paltoday.com/arabic/news.php?id=19895;
http://www.palintefada.com/arabic/modules.php?name=News_intefada&file=details&id=4011
20. http://www.intelligence.org.il/sp/heb_n/ct_iss.htm
21. http://www.palestine-info.net/arabic/feda/qamees.htm
22.
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/pdf/hamas_230406e.pdf
23. See indictments filed in Israeli military court against Mohammed Jihad
Mohammed Mohammed (ID: 800052748), Nahed Rashid Ahmed Attallah (ID:
925835449), and Shadi Mohammed Jadallah Abu Al-Hassin (ID: 031200058).
24. Ibid., http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3246889,00.html
25. http://www.moqawmh.com/reprot.php?rid=121
26. http://www.intelligence.org.il/sp/heb_n/ct_iss.htm
27. See indictment filed in Israeli military court against Shadi Mohammed
Jadallah Abu Al-Hassin (ID: 031200058).
28. http://www.mod.gov.il/pages/general/pdfs/teror.pdf
* * *
Lt. Col. (res.) Jonathan D. Halevi is a senior researcher of the Middle East
and radical Islam at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. He is a
founder of the Orient Research Group Ltd. and is a former advisor to the
Policy Planning Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This Jerusalem Issue Brief is available online at:
http://www.jcpa.org/brief/brief005-24.htm
Dore Gold, Publisher; Yaakov Amidror, ICA Program Director; Mark Ami-El,
Managing Editor. Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (Registered Amuta), 13
Tel-Hai St., Jerusalem, Israel; Tel. 972-2-5619281, Fax. 972-2-5619112,
Email: jcpa@netvision.net.il. In U.S.A.: Center for Jewish Community
Studies, 5800 Park Heights Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21215; Tel. 410-664-5222;
Fax 410-664-1228. Website: www.jcpa.org. � Copyright. The opinions expressed
herein do not necessarily reflect those of the Board of Fellows of the
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
The Institute for Contemporary Affairs (ICA) is dedicated
to providing a forum for Israeli policy discussion and debate.
To subscribe to the Jerusalem Issue Brief list, please send a blank email
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------------------------------
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Kol Yisrael Radio Interview with Esther
Pollard on Eitan�s Refusal to Sign Petition
Kol Yisrael Radio Interview with Esther Pollard on Eitan�s Refusal to Sign
Petition
Kol Yisrael Reshet Bet - May 16, 2006
Mark Weiss of Israel�s National Radio, Reshet Bet interviewed Esther Pollard
in English
on 16 May 2006. Weiss asked Pollard to respond to reports that Minister of
Pensioner Affairs, Rafi Eitan, is refusing to sign a Knesset petition
calling for the release of her husband. He also asked her to explain Eitan�s
motive. The following is a transcript of the interview which was aired on
Reshet Bet today.
MARK WEISS: Esther, there are reports that Minister of Pensioner Affairs,
Rafi Eitan, is refusing to sign a Knesset petition calling for the release
of your husband. How do you respond to that?
ESTHER POLLARD: This may likely be the first honest thing that Rafi Eitan
has done in 21 years. Rafi Eitan is completely opposed to Jonathan�s
release. He will do everything in his power to sabotage and undermine it;
and this refusal to sign a petition for Jonathan simply reflects that.
On election night, Israel�s top news analysts (in Hebrew) Ben Caspit and
Amnon Abramovitch, on two separate channels both expressed the same opinion:
that once he is in power, once he is in Government, Rafi Eitan would do
everything in his power to prevent Jonathan Pollard from being released.
These are people in-the-know, and they are absolutely right!
Eitan had 21 years in which he could have helped quietly! Now that he is a
Knesset Member and a Minister, he is in the Americans� face; he is
irritating and aggravating the situation; he is leaving Jonathan to be the
only one to take the punishment for his loud, public (election) campaign,
and for his in-your-face attitude towards Cuba � which only irritates the
Americans!�
(J4JP note: If it were not enough of an irritant to the American
administration that Eitan, the former handler of Jonathan Pollard, has been
raised up to be a minister in the Israeli government, Eitan�s flaunting of
his close relationship with Fidel Castro and the announcement of his
upcoming trip to Cuba, is tantamount to waving a red flag at an angry bull.)
ESTHER POLLARD: I would like to stress one more thing as well. The only one
who can bring Jonathan Pollard home is PM Ehud Olmert. It is 21 years!
Jonathan�s life is hanging by a thread! If Ehud Olmert wants to bring
Jonathan home alive, now is the time!
MARK WEISS: Now you have made pretty strong allegations here against
Minister Eitan. Why, in your opinion, would he want to keep Jonathan Pollard
in jail? Why would this serve his interests?
ESTHER POLLARD: That�s a silly question. Eitan regards this as his only
failure. He is on record, in front of witnesses, as saying that his only
regret in the Pollard case is that when Jonathan Pollard sought political
asylum at the Israeli Embassy � Eitan told me - that he regrets that he did
not put a bullet in Jonathan�s head. Well, that regret has not changed in 21
years!
However, please notice that at every turn of the way, Eitan uses Jonathan�s
name and Jonathan�s popularity with the people here in Israel, to advance
his own career. He used Jonathan to get elected to Knesset, and now he is
using Jonathan to advance his own interests. At every interview, there is
something about Jonathan, some fake comment about his concern for Jonathan.
Frankly, I would rather it be right out in the open what his true feelings
towards Jonathan are, and this refusal to sign the Knesset petition may be
the first honest thing that he has ever said or done in full view of the
Israeli public!�
MARK WEISS: Esther, thank you very much. -30-
Justice4JP adds a quote from Jonathan Pollard:
In a recent feature interview with Yediot Achronot (May 2, 2006) Jonathan
Pollard was asked about Eitan�s claim that he wants to help him. Here is how
it went:
YEDIOT: Eitan says that as a Member of Knesset he would be able to exert his
power to free you. If he would want to meet with you, would you agree?
JONATHAN POLLARD: If he should want to visit me, the FBI would be happy to
make him my cell-mate. Tell him there�s plenty of room for him! Just look at
how he supports Cuba and how he violates the [US] embargo!
I would, of course, not be willing to receive a visit from any delegation
under the auspices of Eitan, a man who tried to kill me, and very nearly
succeeded. There are only 2 things that Rafi Eitan is capable of doing today
to help. Two things only, and they are: first of all he should hand over the
document which he has in his possession to the Prime Minister so he can use
to put an end to this story. Secondly Eitan should go back to Cuba,
preferably to Guantanamo*and stay there! That is where he belongs!� -30-
*J4JP: Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is the location of the American prison where US
security prisoners are held.
SEE ALSO:
Hebrew Text: Jonathan Pollard Feature Interview : Prisoner 09185 - Yediot
Achronot www.jonathanpollard.org/2006/050206d.htm
------------------------------
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Excerpts: US-Libya normal
relations resumed. 17 May 2006
Excerpts: US-Libya normal relations resumed. 17 May 2006
+++THE DAILY STAR (Lebanon) 17 May '06: "Libya welcomes 'new page' in
relations with U.S.", Daily Star staff
HEADING:"Bilateral trade and cooperation on security to follow decades of
mutual antipathy"
QUOTES FROM TEXT:
"the move will " 'positively affect the Libyan and American economies' "
"relations ... 'based on mutual respect and equality, without
interference in internal affairs' "
"follows ...Gadhafi's decision in December 2003 to halt ... program of
weapons of mass
destruction"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------EXCERPTS:
Libya basked on Tuesday in a new era of ties with the United States after
Washington's announcement the day before of a resumption of full diplomatic
relations, emphasizing that no concessions had been made to ensure the
rapprochement. ... Libya's removal from the U.S. list of state sponsors of
terrorism, was a "new page" in relations. ... opening the way for bilateral
trade and investment the move will "positively affect the Libyan and
American economies."
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said ... Washington will soon open
an embassy in Tripoli. Diplomatic ties were broken in 1981, two years after
the U.S. embassy was sacked by radical student demonstrators. ...(and) two
decades after alleged Libyan-sponsored terror attacks prompted the U.S. to
launch air raids on Tripoli, killing 51. . . ....(Libya):"no concession"
was made to Washington, ... relations would be "based on mutual respect and
equality, without interference in internal affairs."
. . .The improvement in relations follows ...Gadhafi's decision in
December 2003 to halt Tripoli's program of weapons of mass destruction.
... (Libya:)all differences between Libya and the United States have now
been resolved, ...normalization would help Libya in its "efforts to launch
its ambitious growth plan, which foresees the creation of free-trade zones
and investment in tourism." . . .With unemployment of around 13 percent
last year, and half of the population under the age of 20, Libya is in need
of investment to stimulate growth.
Mustapha Zaidi, the head of Libya's de facto single ruling party, said
...his country wants to work with the United States to spread democracy
around the world after Washington restored full diplomatic ties with
Tripoli. "We encourage America on the path of cooperation and we hope we
will cooperate together through cultural debate to spread democracy around
the world," .... - Agencies
Sue Lerner - Associate - IMRA
------------------------------
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Funds Transferred To PA By Israel
And International Community Used To
Finance Purchases Of Weapons And War Materiel
Funds Transferred To Palestinian Authority By Israel And The International
Community Were Used To Finance Purchases Of Weapons And War Materiel
(Communicated by the Prime Minister�s Office)
Fuad Hejazi Muhammad Shubaki, born in 1942, from the Gaza Strip, was
transferred to the Israel Security Agency (ISA) for investigation on
14.3.06, after being apprehended in a combined IDF-Israel Police-ISA
operation at the Jericho prison ( http://tinyurl.com/e96ah ), where ha had
been incarcerated since May 2002.
Prior to being incarcerated in Jericho, Shubaki was in charge of finances
for the Palestinian Authority (PA) General Security service and had been the
late Yasser Arafat's finance person ( http://tinyurl.com/fuzdq &
http://tinyurl.com/j5mwo ). Shubaki admitted that upon the outbreak of the
current round of Palestinian violence and terrorism in the autumn of 2000,
Yasser Arafat ordered him to purchase such large quantities of weapons as
the various funding sources would allow. To this end, senior PA security
service officials began to purchase war materiel and set up an
administrative apparatus, with representatives stationed abroad, to aid
them.
Shubaki said that these officials passed proposals for purchasing arms to
him; he then submitted them to Arafat for approval. After receiving
Arafat's approval, Shubaki would finance the various purchases. The PA thus
acquired vast quantities of weapons, munitions, explosives, etc.
Shubaki said that among the aforesaid senior security service officials were
Jibril Rajoub, Amin al-Hindi, Haj Ismail, Rashid Abu Shabak, Abdul Razek
Majaideh and Ghazi Jebali. In addition to financing the smuggling of war
materiel, Shubaki also financed the independent production of war materiel
for the PA, including grenades, explosives, RPG's, etc.
According to Shubaki, the financing for these war materiel purchases came
from international assistance, tax revenues from the Gaza Strip, customs
revenues transferred by Israel and funds from Arab countries. When the
latter two were either in short supply or were absent, purchases were
correspondingly scaled down. Shubaki estimated that between $7-10 million
in PA funds was spent every two years on war materiel for the Gaza Strip and
$2 million on war material for Judea and Samaria.
Shubaki said that the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and the Tanzim used weapons
supplied by the PA security services, the smuggling and purchase of which
was financed by Shubaki, with Arafat's knowledge.
Shubaki and Yasser Arafat were also directly involved in the Karine A (
http://tinyurl.com/j2yks ) affair. Shubaki said that the Iranian
Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah were among those who financed and guided
the smuggling attempt by the Karine A ( http://tinyurl.com/eqkph ), and
Iran, Hezbollah and Ahmed Jibril's organization had contributed the war
material on board.
Shubaki said that he met with Iranian officials in Dubai in March 2001 and
added that the latter had offered to aid the PA similar to their aid to
Hamas and Islamic Jihad. This included assistance in channeling funds to
the PA areas, in weapons production, and in military training. Shubaki said
that Arafat opposed accepting this Iranian assistance, fearing an Iranian
plot to attack him.
------------------------------
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Two Islamic Jihad terrorists killed in Nablus
May 17th 2006
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Attributed to "security sources" (provided by the IDF Spkesperson's Office)
Two Islamic Jihad terrorists killed in Nablus
A joint IDF, Israel Police and ISA operation today (May 17, 2006) thwarted
preparations by Islamic Jihad terrorists to carry out terror attacks against
Israeli targets.
Special police forces surrounded a structure in which armed wanted
terrorists were hiding, as part of the ongoing operations against the terror
infrastructure in the area of Nablus. In the ensuing exchange of fire, two
members of an Islamic Jihad terror cell, which was preparing to carry out
suicide bombings as well as shooting and other attacks, were killed:
Mustafa Hassin Mustafa A-Gani, aged 23, a wanted terrorist, originally from
the Tulkarm area.
Atman Kassem Mohammed Anza, aged 26, resident of the village of Anza, south
of Jenin.
An additional member of the terror cell was injured and evacuated for
treatment in an Israeli hospital:
Amin Ahmed Taher Amar, aged 27, a wanted terrorist, originally from the
Tulkarm area.
Forces also arrested the head of the Islamic Jihad cell, Alaa Guda Mustafa
Amran, aged 21, from the village of Dir El Khateb, located near Nablus.
Mustafa A-Gani and Amin Amar were held in the Palestinian Authority in
Jericho but were released by the Palestinian Authority in February 2006.
Forces searched the structure and uncovered three AK-47 assault rifles and a
handgun as well as a 25 kg explosive device.
This is an additional success in a series of operations designed to thwart
terror attacks by Islamic Jihad terror infrastructure in the Northern West
Bank, which is making maximum effort to carry out terror attacks in Israel
at the directive of and with financing from Hezbollah and the Islamic Jihad
headquarters in Damascus.
------------------------------
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: JIHAD PREPARES ROCKET FOR MASS PRODUCTION
JIHAD PREPARES ROCKET FOR MASS PRODUCTION
TEL AVIV [MENL] -- Palestinian insurgents have been testing indigenous
versions of a Russian-origin short-range rocket in preparation for mass
production.
Israeli military sources said Islamic Jihad has been test-firing indigenous
version of the BM-21 Grad rocket from the northern Gaza Strip. The sources
said the Grad was being tested for range and accuracy.
"We believe Islamic Jihad, probably with Hamas, has been developing and
producing prototypes of the Grad," a military source said. "We know they
have the expertise and the equipment to produce the rocket."
So far, the Grad rocket has been fired three times from the northern Gaza
Strip into Israel. The last time was on Tuesday, when the rocket landed in a
chicken coop in an Israeli kibbutz along the border with the Gaza Strip.
Nobody was injured.
===
NOTE: The above is not the full item.
This service contains only a small portion of the information produced daily
by Middle East Newsline. For a subscription to the full service, please
contact Middle East Newsline at:
editor@menewsline.com for further details.
------------------------------
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: MUBARAK DENIES ACCESS TO U.S. LEADERS
MUBARAK DENIES ACCESS TO U.S. LEADERS
CAIRO [MENL] -- President Mubarak has been steadily denying access to U.S.
leaders.
Western diplomatic sources said Mubarak has refused to respond to requests
by U.S. leaders to discuss their concerns. The sources said the Egyptian
president has been angered by constant U.S. criticism of his regime.
"Mubarak is ailing and has less patience to deal with criticism," a
diplomatic source said.
Since 2003, Mubarak has refused to visit Washington, a departure from a
25-year tradition of annual trips to the United States. The sources said
Mubarak concluded that he did not want to face criticism by Congress over
Egypt's human rights record.
Egypt receives $1.3 billion in annual U.S. military aid, the largest such
assistance after Israel.
===
NOTE: The above is not the full item.
This service contains only a small portion of the information produced daily
by Middle East Newsline. For a subscription to the full service, please
contact Middle East Newsline at:
editor@menewsline.com for further details
------------------------------
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: France: Unilateral Borders Unacceptable
France: Unilateral Borders Unacceptable
http://english.wafa.ps/body.asp?id=6299
JERUSALEM, May 17, 2006 (WAFA - PLO news agency)- The French Minister of
Foreign Affairs Philippe Douste-Blazy emphasised Wednesday disapproval of
Israeli unilateral moves and pressed to renew Israeli-Palestinian
negotiation, the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot quoted him as saying in a
joint press conference with Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni.
France opposes "unilateral decisions" regarding the future borders between
Israel and the Palestinian territories, Douste-Blazy said.
The European Union and France's stance is that a just long-term solution
cannot be achieved except for by negotiations and agreement between the two
sides, Douste-Blazy said. Unilateral moves will not let either side achieve
their goals, he added.
"It is unacceptable that an international border would be unilaterally
established," he declared, and emphasised the importance of renewing
negotiations to advance peace.
Yediot Ahronot said that Douste-Blazy warned Israel not to make unilateral
moves that would harm the Palestinian people.
Douste-Blazy noted that he met with President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris two
weeks ago, and agreed with his suggestion to establish a monitored trust
fund for the transfer of money for salaries in the PA.
"France believes that it we cannot let the Palestinian people feel they are
being abandoned. If the Palestinian nation feels abandoned, it will lead to
radicalisation and extremism. That is the opposite of what those who are
minimizing Palestinians aid to object to the Hamas regime want to happen. We
need to be sure though that the money is channeled to the teachers,
lecturers and doctors," Yediot Ahronot quoted him as saying.
He reiterated his country's commitment to the Quartet's demand that Hamas
renounce violence, uphold previous agreements, and recognise Israel's
existence, the paper concluded.
(23:23 P) (20:23 GMT)
------------------------------
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: PM Olmert Meets With French
FM Douste-Blazy
PM Olmert Meets With French Foreign Minister Douste-Blazy
(Communicated by the Prime Minister�s Media Adviser)
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met this afternoon (Wednesday), 17.5.06, with
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy and thanked him for the
fireworks display that he sponsored in Tel Aviv last night.
French Foreign Minister Douste-Blazy said that since former Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon�s July 2005 visit to France ( http://tinyurl.com/d8jxu ), there
has been a great improvement in bilateral relations and added that France
stands beside the Israeli Government. Prime Minister Olmert agreed that
bilateral relations have improved since former Prime Minister Sharon�s visit
and that the two countries are much closer. He added that intends to
continue and to further advance Israel�s relations with Europe.
Prime Minister Olmert emphasized that he views negotiations with the
Palestinians as the key to progress in the region. Any other development is
not as good since it is not by agreement: �We will do our utmost so that
there will be negotiations. It is important to Israel that France
understands that the condition for this is acceptance of the Quartet�s
principles and on this we will not compromise. I am committed to
negotiations with the Palestinians and recognize and respect Abu Mazen�s
position but it is important to remember that he represents the Palestinian
Authority (PA) and is not a private individual. As long as the PA is - in
practice - controlled by Hamas, we will find it difficult to advance
diplomatic negotiations. Regarding the humanitarian issue, we will do our
utmost to ease conditions for Palestinian civilians. If an economic
mechanism is established that is designed for humanitarian needs and not for
paying salaries, Israel will be able to support it. We favor providing
alternatives to money, i.e. medicines and food, or to see medicines
purchased with money and transferred to hospitals. Medicines do not shoot at
Israeli citizens. We will not transfer funds for salaries.�
Prime Minister added that Israel very much appreciates the struggle of
French President Jacques Chirac and that of the French Government against
anti-Semitism.
French Foreign Minister Douste-Blazy said that there has been a great
improvement on the issue of anti-Semitism due to the new laws that the
current French Government has passed.
French Foreign Minister Douste-Blazy said that France would not meet with
any Hamas leaders: �We will not give them entry visas and will also press
other countries on this issue. Hamas needs to change; the international
position will not change and does not need to change. I will not meet with
them. If the Palestinian population does not receive assistance it will
become more and more extreme. The situation must not deteriorate and it is
important that there be mutual trust between you and Abu Mazen. We would be
very pleased if there would be such a meeting. Before a unilateral solution
is decided upon, it is important to exhaust the negotiations with Abu
Mazen.�
Prime Minister Olmert said that he is prepared to meet with Abu Mazen but
said that the latter must fight terrorism emanating from the PA. He also
needs to work and uphold the commitments that the Palestinians have accepted
upon themselves in the framework of the Roadmap.
On the Iranian issue, French Foreign Minister Douste-Blazy noted that he had
attended the Quartet meeting in New York and added that it was clear that
there had to be a unified and determined message; to this end, he sat with
the Russians for hours: �It is clear that the Iranians must stop all of
their activities, including the enrichment of uranium for civilian
purposes.�
------------------------------
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: University of Haifa: Workshop
for foreign home-care workers
New at the University of Haifa: Workshop for foreign home-care workers
HAIFA. May 17 Forty-five Filipino foreign workers began studying in a
special University of Haifa workshop this week The goal of the workshop is
to enable these workers to polish and improve their home care skills. The
University's Interdisciplinary Clinical Center is sponsoring the unusual
workshop.
"The workshop supports foreign home-care workers," said Dr. Rivka Yahav,
head of the Interdisciplinary Clinical Center. "It teaches and introduces
the characteristics and needs of the elderly population, and their
limitations. It provides the workers with knowledge and skills based in the
area of home health care and raises awareness in the area of risk prevention
related to falling, nutrition, abuse, and neglect."
According to Yahav, the workshop will contribute to creating
open dialogue between the worker and the family members in order to improve
the patient's quality of life.
"In order for the care to become more effective, there is a need to match
and bridge the gap between the reality of life in Israel and the reality of
life in the countries of their origin. Different cultural norms influence
their abilities to adapt to life in Israel," noted Dr. Yahav.
The workshop will be run by the staff from the Gerontology
Department at the University of Haifa. It is being conducted in cooperation
with the home care company, "Masad." Additional experts from the field will
convene in six comprehensive meetings that include lectures and hands-on
activity, which workers will actively participate in.
The Interdisciplinary Clinical Center at the University of Haifa acts in
participation with and under the supervision of the University's School of
Social Work and its Departments of Gerontology, Occupational Therapy,
Communications Disorders, Physiotherapy, and Human Services. The center
operates commercial institutes for psychotherapy and psychosocial treatment,
an institute for occupational therapy, an institute for audiology to check
hearing and fitting hearing aids, and an institute for disorders in
communications, language, and speaking.
M. Schwab
Div. of External Relations
University of Haifa
(972-4-8249009)
(972-4-8240104)
------------------------------
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Two reports - Palestinian Security
Chaos and Proliferation of Small Arms
PCHR
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
#1 Security Chaos and Proliferation of Small Arms
Clashes between Armed Groups and Security Forces
Field Update
17 May 2006
2 Citizens Killed and 6 Injured in Armed Attacks
Unidentified gunmen shot and killed an activist from the Izzedeen El-Qassam
Brigades, and injured another, in Jabalia refugee camp in the early morning
hours of today. In Gaza City, a member of the El-Qassam Brigades was killed
and another injured by gunfire. In Greater Abasan, Khan Yunis, shots were
fired at a Hamas activist outside a barber�s shop. Three people were also
injured, including the shop owner and a child.
PCHR's initial investigations indicate that in the early morning hours of
Wednesday, 17 May 2006, a group from the Izzedeen El-Qassam Brigades, which
was on guard near Jabalia police station, intercepted two activists from the
same organization who were traveling in a Subaru car. The activists in the
car were Bilal Abdel Wahid Qasee�a (25) and Rami Mahmoud Abu Sukheila (31).
A verbal exchange took place between the two groups. The group who had been
on guard duty fired heavily at the car, hitting Qasee�a with a bullet to the
back. He was taken to Al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia, where he died shortly
after admission. Abu Sukheila was hit by shrapnel in the shoulder and was
taken to Kamal Odwan Hospital, where his injuries were described as minor.
At approximately 21:30 on Tuesday, 16 May 2006, gunmen traveling in two cars
fired at Mohammad Mohammad El-Tatar (25) and Mohammad Abu Karsh (25), both
residents of the Tal El-Hawa Quarter in Gaza City. The men had been walking
near Al-Amin Mosque, opposite President Abbas�s residence in Gaza City.
El-Tatar was hit by a bullet to the head and another to the chest. He was
taken to Shifa Hospital in a critical condition and was pronounced dead
shortly after admission. Abu Karsh was hit by several bullets to different
parts of the body. Both men were members of the Izzedeen El-Qassam
Brigades.
At approximately 20:40 on Tuesday, 16 May 2006, gunmen traveling in two cars
fired at Mohammad Mohammad Soboh (29), while he was standing at the entrance
of a barber�s shop in Greater Abasan, east of Khan Yunis. Soboh was hit by
bullets to the left side of his body and legs. Three others, who were
inside the shop at the time, were also injured, including a 17-year-old boy.
The injured were taken to Naser Hospital in Khan Yunis, where Soboh�s
condition was described as critical. The others suffered moderate injures.
It is noted that Soboh is an activist in the Izzedeen El-Qassam Brigades.
PCHR is gravely concerned over the escalating internal violence and use of
weapons by armed groups and individuals, which are further aggravating the
security chaos currently plaguing the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The
Centre calls upon the Palestinian National Authority, represented by the
Attorney-General, to investigate these incidents and bring the perpetrators
to justice.
#2 Security Chaos and Proliferation of Small Arms
Attacking Public Institutions and Officials
Field Update
17 May 2006
Explosive Device Detonated at the House of the Director-General of Border
Crossings
Unidentified assailants detonated an explosive device at the door of the
house belonging to the Director-General of Border Crossings in Jabalia. No
injuries were reported.
PCHR's initial investigation indicates that on the morning of Wednesday, 17
May 2006, unknown assailants detonated an explosive device, which had been
attached to the door of the house belonging to Colonel Salim Abu Safeya
(45). Abu Safeya is the Director General of Border Crossings. The incident
took place in the Alami area of Jabalia refugee camp. The explosion damaged
the door and destroyed the windows of the house, as well as the windows of
some houses nearby. No injuries were reported.
And on Tuesday, 16 May 2006, unidentified assailants blew up vehicles
belonging to Maher and Tariq Abu Khater, two brothers who are activists in
the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the Zaitoon area of Gaza City. No injuries
were reported. It is noted that Maher is an officer in the Preventive
Security Services.
PCHR strongly condemns these attacks, which form part of the ongoing
security chaos currently plaguing the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The
Centre calls upon the Palestinian National Authority, represented by the
Attorney-General, to investigate these attacks and to bring the perpetrators
to justice.
Security Chaos and Proliferation of Small Arms
Attacking Public Institutions and Officials
Field Update
17 May 2006
Gunmen Storm the Jawwal Offices in Gaza
Yesterday afternoon, gunmen stormed the Gaza offices of the Jawwal mobile
phone company, firing shots inside the building and forcing staff to leave
the building at gunpoint.
PCHR's initial investigation indicates that on Tuesday afternoon, 16 May
2006, about ten unmasked gunmen stormed the offices of the Jawwal mobile
phone company in Gaza. They fired inside the offices, damaging computers,
windows and furniture. The gunmen claimed that the attack was a result of
the company stopping service on their mobile phones. Jawwal employees
informed the gunmen that their mobile phones were not on the Jawwal system,
but the system of another company, Samtel. Nonetheless, the gunmen forced
the Jawwal office director, Younis Abu Samra, and his staff to leave the
offices at gunpoint. After the staff had left the building, the gunmen
fired in all directions, causing significant damage inside.
PCHR strongly condemns this attack, which forms part of the ongoing security
chaos in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The Centre calls upon the
Palestinian National Authority, represented by the Attorney-General, to
investigate these attacks and to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Public Document
**************************************
For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8
2824776 - 2825893
PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip.
E-mail: pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
-----------------------------------
If you got this forwarded and you want to subscribe, send mail to
request@pchrgaza.org
and write "subscribe" in the subject line.
------------------------------
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: BESA Perspectives no. 16
- Defining a New International
System in a World Threatened by Jihad - Thomas Hecht
BESA Perspectives No. 16, May 17, 2006
www.biu.ac.il/SOC/besa/perspectives16.html
Defining a New International System
in a World Threatened by Jihad:
The Danger of a Transatlantic Divide
by Thomas O. Hecht
Executive Summary: This article examines the implications of the
transatlantic divide, the challenges confronting the international system
and the systemic change expected as a result of China�s emergence as a
potential super-power. The great transatlantic debate over Iraq was rooted
in deep disagreement over the nature of world order, in different visions of
the world as perceived by Europe and America. Americans and Europeans
disagreed as to whether Saddam Hussein posed a serious threat and whether
war was the appropriate response to it. Americans and Europeans also
disagree about the role of international law and international institutions
and what confers legitimacy on international actions. Europe is reluctant to
face the threat posed to the survival of Western civilization by Jihadism or
rogue states with nuclear ambitions, and Europeans have come to doubt the
legitimacy of the use of US power and American global leadership.
�What kind of world order do we want?" asked Joschka Fischer, Germany's
foreign minister, on the eve of the US invasion of Iraq in March 2003. This
question has remained on the minds of many, particularly in Europe, while
most Americans have not pondered the question.
This essay considers different approaches to the definition of a new
international "order," or global system, with particular reference to the
differences in approach that seem to have developed on this question between
the U.S. and Europe. In a world threatened by forces of jihad and mass
destruction, these differences cannot simply be papered over.
The Transatlantic Divide
In the cold war era, Europeans accepted US legitimacy based on the existence
and the threat of Soviet communist expansion, recognizing that Washington
possessed the only real power to deter Moscow. The US prided itself on being
the leader of the free world and most Europeans accepted this political
reality. At the same time, Europeans welcomed manifestations of Soviet power
because it also acted as a restraint on Washington.
When the cold war ended, the protective umbrella of the United States
stopped being an essential component in the defense of Western Europe.
Nothing has replaced thus far the threat of communism in inducing Europe to
accept American leadership.
After the end of the Cold War, it was the belief of many academic thinkers
and political theorists that the world's liberal democracies would
henceforth live in relative harmony; because they shared liberal principles
and they would not contest each other's legitimacy. Nevertheless, an
important divide has emerged among liberal democracies. Liberal democracies
do not question the legitimacy of each other's political institutions, but
they differ on the legitimacy of their respective visions of world order.
Simply put, Europe is reluctant to face the threat posed to the survival of
Western civilization by Jihadism or rogue states with nuclear ambitions, and
Europeans have come to doubt the legitimacy of the use of US power and
American global leadership.
The great transatlantic debate over Iraq was rooted in deep disagreement
over the nature of world order; in different visions of the world as
perceived by Europe and America. Americans and Europeans debated whether
Saddam Hussein posed a serious threat and whether war was the appropriate
response to it. A solid majority of Americans answered "yes" to both
questions, while a larger majority of Europeans answered "no." Opinion polls
have indicated that more than 80 percent of Americans believe that war at
certain times in history can achieve justice. Europeans, in the large
majority disagree. Americans and Europeans also disagree about the role of
international law and the role of international institutions and what
confers legitimacy on international actions.
Thus, there is most certainly a schism in Western thinking today - at a time
when the danger of international terrorism is proliferating!
Will radical militant Islamist-Fascism, manifested in global terrorism,
replace communism as the ideological, strategic threat to Western liberal
democracy and unite the Western family of free nations? Europeans have
hitherto not fully accepted Washington's concerns about weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq, Syria, or the developments in Iran and North Korea.
Europe, with the possible exception of the United Kingdom, still does not
share the full extent of the US "post-9/11" alarm over international
terrorism and WMD. While Europeans have become concerned after terrorist
outrages in Madrid and London, they do not look to the US to protect them.
Europe continues to believe in conflict resolution using logic and reason,
while failing to recognize the very lack of logic or reason when dealing
with ideological fanatics.
US hegemony has been an especially vexing problem for Europeans because
there is so little they can do about it. Hopes for a multi-polar
international regime have faded since the 1990s. It is clear today that the
United States� political, economic and military power will be impossible to
match for decades. The states most likely to become its competitors, China
and Russia, do not present an attractive alternative for most Europeans.
China is an ancient civilization with little linkage to the ethos of Western
Europe, and Russia still reminds Europe of the decay wrought by 70 years of
communist rule.
Meanwhile, Europe's own military capabilities continue to decline, relative
to those of the United States. France's ambitions for the EU to act as a
counterweight to the US are overwhelmed by the more powerful postmodern
European aversion to the use of military force. Such French aspirations have
also been curtailed by fear on the part of the new EU members, of alienating
the United States.
Europeans have not sought to counter US hegemony by traditional,
confrontational power-oriented methods, because they do not find US hegemony
threatening in that way. US power, as Europeans well know, does not imperil
Europe's security or even its autonomy. Europeans do not fear that the US
will seek to control their lives or institutions. They fear that they have
lost control, if not influence, over the US and, by extension, over the
direction of world affairs.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, and the end of the Cold War, it was
possible to imagine that the UN Security Council might function as the sole
source of international authority and legitimacy. But in reality, the UN had
to be bypassed in order for international action to be taken. In 1994,
President Clinton sent troops to Haiti without the authorization of the
Security Council and in 1998, when the US carried out sporadic bombing raids
in Iraq, France and Russia expressed concern but no action was triggered in
the Security Council. Europeans went to war in Kosovo without obtaining the
Security Council's approval and legitimacy, while the US provided air
support. Europe solemnly declared that the war against Milosevic was
legitimate, yet the war in Kosovo was illegal according to the rules of
international law, violating the Westphalia Protocol of 1648, the basic
principle of the UN Charter recognizing the sovereign equality of all
nations. Serbia had not invaded another state, but was cleansing out its own
ethnic Albanian population.
Since the American Revolution, the US has generally prioritized the
promotion of liberal principles and human rights over the Westphalian
format, which underscores the recognition of the supremacy of national
sovereignty. Notwithstanding its hand in creating the UN Charter, the US
long-term goal is to pursue the quest for liberal democracy and promote the
concept of societies of freedom to replace societies of fear. The Bush
doctrine, not unlike Woodrow Wilson's �14 Points� after World War I,
represents this push for the progressive establishment of democracies.
The war on terror has also introduced the doctrine of "pre-emption." Europe
continues, with the exception of Tony Blair, to oppose this policy even
after the London events of July 7, 2005. Most of Europe still regards
preventive action as characteristic of a super power and a breach of
international law and legitimacy.
Thinkers as diverse as Henry Kissinger and Kofi Annan recently have
suggested that changes in the UN Charter must consider new criteria
legitimizing preemptive measures in addressing particular types of threats.
These may include actions against terrorists and states protecting them such
as Syria or Iran with long histories of conspiracy, terror and murder. There
may even be provisions that could legitimize the use of force in occupying
the oil fields of Saudi Arabia in case of an Al-Qaeda takeover, to save the
world from economic disaster. Some theorists claim that the legitimacy for
action depends on creating wide international consensus, but determining the
width and composition of the required consensus is problematic.
In order to secure endorsement of its policies, the US must concretely
convey to the world that it is acting to protect Western liberal pluralism,
which is threatened globally as acts of various degrees of brutality and
severity are inflicted worldwide in the name of radical Islam. The US, by
effectively communicating its message to the world, should convey the cogent
thought that we are all threatened, as was Europe by the Islamic Caliphates
in the past. The US must simultaneously make an appeal for major reforms
affecting the world of Islam from within; making Islam once again a religion
of peace.
Should Europe not abandon its quest to restrict US leadership, it will also
have to recognize that it diminishes US power to act as a defender of the
liberal values shared by all free societies and weakens the overall power of
the liberal democratic world in defense of its own liberalism. Some
Europeans are fighting the wrong enemy. Indeed, it is regrettable that
Europe, which has been saved by America twice in one generation, might
consider the axis of evil represented by rogue states ruled by tyrants to be
a lesser danger than that posed by the American leviathan. It would be
deplorable if American intent and policies were to be sabotaged in order to
satisfy European pride in a belief of a historical and cultural superiority.
The Challenges
While militant Islam is the most immediate and obvious challenge to peace
and security, nuclear proliferation poses the most serious long-term threat
to global survival. In the recent past, nuclear weapons have spread
relatively slowly and remained in the possession of countries with
everything to loose and nothing to gain from assaulting a tenuous
international order.
Today, however, the international system is confronted by two countries with
frightening agendas: the isolated regime in North Korea and Islamic Iran.
Iran's regime of Mullahs has supported Hezbollah, Hamas and a wide variety
of other terrorist groups and proudly declares America to be the "Big Satan"
and its principal enemy. North Korea is poverty-stricken and in all
probability the threat it poses can be contained by its relatively isolated
geographical location and the active concern of its neighbors. The United
States will act in a powerful capacity in future political negotiations,
together with China, Russia, Japan and South Korea as the other players in
the region.
Iran is a much more dangerous actor, because of its geographic position in
the Middle East. The country�s newly elected fundamentalist president was a
leader of the revolutionary guards in the Iranian revolutionary regime. Soon
after his election Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the ultimate goal of Iran's
foreign policy is nothing less than "a government for the world" under the
Muslim leadership of the Mahdi. "The United States is in its last death
throes, in the sunset of its power destined to be superceded by the sunrise
of the Islamic Republic and its global revolution,� he stated. The
geopolitical dominance of the Middle East, he continued, is the
incontestable right of the Iranian nation.
Invariably, these two proliferating countries claim that they are seeking
merely to enjoy the fruits of peaceful nuclear energy. However it is
difficult to believe that Iran, an oil rich producing country, should need
nuclear power plants. Most observers conclude that both North Korea and Iran
seek a shield behind which they can conduct revolutionary aspects of their
foreign policy or intimidate neighbors by holding them hostage with nuclear
ambitions.
Systemic Change
The reason why these issues are so pressing is that the current regional
crises of Iraq, Iran and North Korea may soon be dwarfed by another major
fundamental transfer of power affecting the international system. Most
historians agree that the emergence of a strong unified Germany in the
latter part of the 19th century profoundly unbalanced what was known as the
Concert of Europe, a period of relative peace, resulting in almost 100 years
of intermittent war in Europe. In our age, the rise of China as a potential
super-power may be of even greater historical significance and may have
already shifted the center of gravity of world affairs from the Atlantic to
the Pacific.
Most observers believe that it is unlikely that China will rely on its
military power as its principal instrument to achieve super-power status,
and believe that the country will employ diplomatic, economic and political
means. Chinese leaders seem to be more prone to accumulating advantages by
maintaining "friendly interests" with such diverse players as the United
States, Russia, the European Union, Arab States and Israel, wisely realizing
that modern technology has made the military option a last resort. India,
the other Eastern demographic giant, has emerged as the world service center
still influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence.
It is expected that as China becomes a more prosperous mega-power inhabited
by almost one quarter of world's population it may indeed experience further
internal political upheavals, characteristic of Chinese history. However, in
modern China, traditional, regional warlords should be replaced by
successful CEOs of regions. Without any doubt, Chinese achievements are
based on real commitment to work, without suffering from the globalization
that has negatively afflicted the labor markets of the US and the EU. It is
also expected that as a free economy progresses in China, domestic political
evolution will follow. China will likely opt to replace characteristics of
its past communism with something introduced into the political science
vocabulary for ex-communist states by that forgotten great man, Mikhail
Gorbachev - "Glasnost and Perestroika" - a "relatively free society for the
mind and the market place" � hopefully devoid of chauvinist nationalism.
China and the US will require a permanent strategic dialogue on the Taiwan
issue, not allowing it to undermine their ever growing relationship, but
solving it by peaceful means as a component to the security system for the
whole of North East Asia, if not the whole world at the beginning of the
21st century.
The European dream of hegemony, after having inverted the concept of the
nation state, is now in the process of abandoning its concept of sovereignty
to the EU, without the new mega state possessing the traditional attributes
of statehood. Europeans, after the rejection of the new constitution by
voters in both France and Netherlands, refer to their European dream with
less generosity. Europe is shifting its priority from the Atlantic Alliance
to the UN Security Council. Jacques Chirac flirts with China as an
additional counter-weight against the power of the United States.
Many believe that we are witnessing a process of disintegration of the world
order that had the Atlantic Alliance as its centerpiece. How are we to
establish a common dialogue in a world threatened by Jihad, the
reorientation of the fulcrum of power from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
massive demographic changes with AIDS devouring Africa, and the mass
migration of peoples and economic globalization?
Where do we find a common purpose between all these conflicting pressures?
There is no great hope for a world without conflict, and at best, we can
deal with conflict management instead of conflict resolution. While
�conflict resolution� has a deep essence of hope, it is far from the reality
of the world where great statesmen from Talleyrand to Disraeli to Kissinger
have all said and agreed, that we live in a world where countries have no
friends, only interests.
Dr. Thomas O. Hecht of Montreal is the founder of the Begin-Sadat (BESA)
Center for Strategic Studies and chairman of its global International
Advisory Board. A successful businessman, he taught international relations
and has lectured at several North-American universities. This essay is based
on a series of lectures he gave this year in the US.
For the BESA Center website, go to http://www.besacenter.org
To subscribe to BESA Perspectives please send your first and last name to
besa.center@mail.biu.ac.il, adding "subscribe" in the Subject.
------------------------------
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: MEMRI: Ahmadinejad Calls Upon Bush to Accept Islam
Inquiry & Analysis-Iran
May 18, 2006
No. 276
In the Footsteps of Ayatollah Khomeini and the Prophet Mohammad: Ahmadinejad
Calls Upon Bush to Accept Islam
By A. Savyon*
Introduction
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's letter to U.S. President George
Bush,
sent on May 7, 2006, emulates the letter written in 1989 by Ayatollah
Ruhollah
Khomeini's to then U.S.S.R. president Mikhail Gorbachev. Ahmadinejad's
letter
also emulates the Prophet Mohammad's epistle 1,400 years ago to the king of
Ethiopia and other rulers of the world, and his call for Islam to be
accepted
as superior and as the correct path guiding humanity.
Ahmadinejad Aligns Himself With the Prophet Mohammad and Ayatollah Khomeini
Ahmadinejad's letter to President Bush presents a comprehensive religious
and
cultural world view, outlining the advantages that Islam embodies as the
correct path guiding humanity.(1) In its religious content, in the
presentation of his world view, and in its invitation to Islam,
Ahmadinejad's
letter repeats the letters by Ayatollah Khomeini and the Prophet Mohammad.
The following are excerpts from the letter sent by Ayatollah Khomeini to
then
U.S.S.R. president Gorbachev in 1989:(2)
"First of all, the path that would ensure your success is your revision and
modification of the path of your predecessors - who distanced themselves
from
God and religion. This thinking has dealt a great blow to the people of the
Soviet Union. You must know that there is only one way to solve the problems
of the world - and that is turning to the truth. Your country's main problem
is not ownership, economics, or freedom. Your main problem is the lack of
true
belief in God...
"Now, after discussing these preliminary problems, I wish you would
seriously
look into Islam - not because Islam or the Muslims need you, but because
Islam
can bring comfort and salvation to all people and solve the problems of all
nations..."
Moreover, Ahmadinejad signed his letter to President Bush with the same
Koranic verse with which the Prophet Mohammad signed his epistle to the King
of Ethiopia.
During his recent visit to the Indonesian capital Jakarta, Ahmadinejad said
that the letter to Bush was "an invitation to Islam."(3)
It appears that Ahmadinejad aspires to a role in Iranian-Shi'ite-Muslim
history akin to the role of the Prophet Mohammad himself, or, at the very
least, comparable to the status of Ayatollah Khomeini, who is considered by
many Shi'ites to be the "Hidden Imam."(4)
The following are excerpts from Ahmadinejad's letter to President Bush:(5)
"...According to divine verses, we have all been called upon to worship one
God and follow the teachings of divine prophets. To worship a God which is
above all powers in the world and can do all He pleases...
"The Almighty God sent His prophets with miracles and clear signs to guide
the
people and show them divine signs and purify them from sins and pollutions.
And He sent the Book and the balance so that the people display justice and
avoid the rebellious...
"Divine prophets have promised: The day will come when all humans will
congregate before the court of the Almighty, so that their deeds are
examined.
The good will be directed towards Heaven and evildoers will meet divine
retribution. I trust both of us believe in such a day, but it will not be
easy
to calculate the actions of rulers...
"Liberalism and Western-style democracy have not been able to help realize
the
ideals of humanity. Today these two concepts have failed. Those with insight
can already hear the sounds of the shattering and fall of the ideology and
thoughts of the liberal democratic systems.
"We increasingly see that people around the world are flocking towards a
main
focal point - that is, the Almighty God. Undoubtedly, through faith in God
and
the teachings of the prophets, the people will conquer their problems. My
question for you is: Do you not want to join them?
"Mr. President,
"Whether we like it or not, the world is gravitating towards faith in the
Almighty and justice and the will of God will prevail over all things.
"Wasalam 'Ala Man Ittab'a Al-huda
"Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran"
Ayatollah Jannati Supports Ahmadinejad and His Letter
In a May 12 Friday sermon at Tehran University, Guardian Council Secretary
Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati described Ahmadinejad's letter as "divinely
inspired,"
claiming that "the letter is a continuation of the path of Imam Khomeini."
The
difference between them, he said, "is that Khomeini's letter was issued from
a
position of leadership [Khomeini being the Supreme Leader of Iran], whereas
Ahmadinejad's letter was issued from the position of president... The letter
is wondrous and rare... The letter is [divinely] inspired. God desires to
increase the power of our country, and thus casts His inspiration..."(6)
"Ahmadinejad is a courageous and religious man, whose words are worthy of
being heeded. He [represents] the honor of Islam and of the state... Whether
or not [the Americans] will respond - they will be harmed. If they respond -
what can they possibly say? If they do not respond, this will betray their
weakness and shame... Where else could such a letter be written, within Iran
or outside it, [a letter] that amazes everyone in its form? Ahmadinejad is
to
be esteemed... This letter should be read to all children, it should be read
out loud in schools and universities, it should be repeated in the media,
and
it should be included in the future in school textbooks."(7)
Jannati added that "Just as Imam [Khomeini] said to the Russians, 'Your
problem is not economic, but stems from your denial of Allah,' the West too
has reached a dead end... The letter shows that despite all its great
pretensions, the grandeur of America is on its way to collapse and
decay."(8)
Internal Criticism of the Ahmadinejad-Khomeini Equation
Conservative MP 'Emad Afrough, who has previously criticized Ahmadinejad's
policies, said:(9) "This [Ahmadinejad's] letter cannot be equated to the
letter of Imam [Khomeini]. The Imam wrote the letter in his capacity as the
religious and moral leader... He predicted the impending fall of the Marxist
regime... and offered the leaders of the Communist regime in Russia a way of
salvation... Some of the president's advisors went even further and compared
[Ahmadinejad's] letter to the path of the prophets..."
* A. Savyon is Director of the Iranian Media Project.
Endnotes:
(1) For the text of the letter, see IRNA, May 9, 2006; Le Monde (Paris), May
9, 2006.
(2) See MEMRI SD 463, January 30, 2003,
http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP46303 .
(3) IRNA, May 11, 2005.
(4) Following his return from New York after delivering a speech to the
U.N..
Assembly in September 2005, Ahmadinejad told several ayatollahs in Tehran
that
an aura enveloped him and that he sensed that the message of the "Hidden
Imam"
was reaching those who attended his speech. He made other statements about
the
impending arrival of the "Hidden Imam" on several occasions.
(5) Le Monde (Paris), May 9, 2006.
(6) Kayhan (Iran), May 13, 2006; Sharq (Iran), May 14, 2006.
(7) Sharq (Iran), May 14, 2006.
(8) Kayhan (Iran), May 13, 2006.
(9)Jomhouri-ye Eslami (Iran), May 17, 2006.
*********************
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent,
non-profit
organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East.
Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background information,
are
available on request.
MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with
proper attribution.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
E-Mail: memri@memri.org
Search previous MEMRI publications at www.memri.org
------------------------------
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: MEMRI:Iraqi Ayatollah Ahmad Al-Baghdadi
Talks of America's Annihilation
- Muslim Conquest of the World
Special Dispatch - Iraq/ Jihad & Terrorism Studies Project
May 18, 2006
No. 1166
Iraqi Ayatollah Ahmad Al-Baghdadi Talks of America's Annihilation and the
Muslim Conquest of the World; Declares Support for Nuclear Bombs for Muslim
and Arab Countries
The following are excerpts from speeches and interviews with Iraqi Ayatollah
Ahmad Husseini Al-Baghdadi, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on May 5, 2006, on
Syrian TV on May 3, 2006, and on ANB TV on April 14, 2006.
TO VIEW THIS CLIP: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1135 .
"The Mujahid Iraqi People... Has Shattered the American Plan, Not Only in
the Region, but Throughout the World"
Ayatollah Ahmad Husseini Al-Baghdadi: "Jihad in Islam, from the perspective
of Islamic jurisprudence, is of two types: jihad initiated by the Muslims,
which means raiding the world in order to spread the word that 'there is no
God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah' throughout the world.
But this raid will not materialize in our era - the era of barbaric American
capitalistic globalism - unless the Infallible, peace be upon him, is
present.
"But there are jurisprudents, both Sunnis and Twelver Shi'ites, who have
said that the presence of the Infallible is not a prerequisite. If the
objective and subjective circumstances materialize, and there are soldiers,
weapons, and money - even if this means using biological, chemical, and
bacterial weapons - we will conquer the world, so that 'There is no God but
Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah' will be triumphant over the
domes of Moscow, Washington, and Paris."
[...]
"But as for defensive Jihad - it is not conditional upon turning to a Sunni
or Shi'ite jurisprudent, to a source of authority, to any Islamic school of
thought, or to Islamic party, because this type of Jihad is an individual
duty. Everyone must fight - children, women, the elderly, the youth - in
order to liberate man, to liberate mankind, in order to liberate Palestine
in its entirety, in order to liberate Iraq from the American-Zionist-British
presence.
"Wielding the guns of battle is the only way to liberate this nation. By
Allah, if not for the resolute stand and the resistance of our people in
Iraq, the entire region would have fallen, and would have turned into
warring and feuding cantons and mini-states, ravaged by wars between
different ethnic groups and religious schools of thought. But the mujahid
Iraqi people of the resistance has shattered the American plan, not only in
the region but throughout the world, because Europe and the Russian
federation were humiliated. They are afraid of America. But we stand firm,
and we unite, and if we begin to believe in the diverse Arab Islamic Islam,
we will annihilate America."
[...]
"The Coming Year Will Witness the Defeat of the Americans, Their Lackeys,
and Those Who Rolled in on the American Tanks"
Interviewer: "How do you view Iraq's future, both in the short and long
term?"
Ayatollah Ahmad Husseini Al-Baghdadi: "I say that the coming year will
witness the defeat of the Americans, their lackeys, and those who rolled in
on the American tanks, because the operations are escalating. There are some
dubious TV channels that broadcast an item or two about them, whereas other
operations are not reported at all."
[...]
"The Americans have fallen into the Iraqi quagmire. The Americans are
extremely conceited. They do not give the Palestinians or the Iraqis their
rights. He who came by force must be removed by force, and by armed
struggle. That is the only way to liberate the Iraqi and Palestinian land
and people. The solutions of submission and peace are not permitted from the
Islamic perspective, or even from the perspective of international law."
[...]
"It is in the best interest of America to get out of Iraq, in a transparent
and objective manner. But now, they are defeated, and the number of American
casualties is much greater than the figures reported on TV.
"Let me tell you a secret. When an American tank blows up, they come
straight away, clean up the blood, and haul away the tank quickly, in order
to cover it up, so that no TV channel will arrive and film the tragic
pictures."
[...]
"Car Bomb Attacks are Carried Out by the Israeli Mossad and the CIA, in
Purely Shi'ite Areas as Well as in Purely Sunni Areas"
Ayatollah Ahmad Husseini Al-Baghdadi: "Car bomb attacks are carried out by
the Israeli Mossad and by the CIA in purely Shi'ite areas, as well as in
purely Sunni areas. Hence, this is not a sectarian issue, as has been
claimed in order to distort the image of the resistance. These car bombs and
explosives belts, in Shi'ite religious centers, in mosques, and in churches,
are all a game, planned by the Americans, in order to distort the image of
the national and Islamic resistance.
"The Americans should know that the resistance will continue as long as the
occupation continues. The Americans themselves are the terrorists, and not
the resistance, as claimed by the Americans and their collaborators."
[...]
The American Administration "Has No Love at All for the American People, Let
Alone Other, Oppressed, Peoples"
Ayatollah Ahmad Husseini Al-Baghdadi: "When the former U.S.S.R. fell, the
Americans became conceited, believing that they had become the only world
power that rules in the region. Thus, the American destruction continues,
not only against the Arab and Islamic people, but also against Europe, and
even against the American people itself. The American administration is 100
percent pro-Zionist. It has no love at all for the American people, let
alone the other, oppressed, peoples.
"As for the nuclear bomb, it has caused the Americans some contradictions.
They are one big contradiction. Didn't they annihilate... They claim that
democracy, liberty, and reform are a historical necessity for backward
societies, and so on.
"But in America itself, if you ask the current president to list the
states - he doesn't know them. In America, there is hunger, poverty, and
disease in certain states, but not in others. That is one thing.
"In America, they annihilated millions of Indians. What democracy? In their
own country there is no democracy. There is a rule of two main parties,
which are assigned roles by global Zionism. So how can the so-called
developing countries, Third World countries, or the poor countries, produce
a nuclear bomb? They find themselves in terrible contradictions."
"This Arab Islamic Nation Must Obtain a Nuclear Bomb"
Ayatollah Ahmad Husseini Al-Baghdadi: "How can they face Iran? How come
Israel has 50 nuclear bombs? Why are they selective? Why shouldn't an
Islamic or Arab country have a nuclear bomb? I am not referring to the
Iranian program, which the Iranians say is for peaceful purposes. I am
talking about a nuclear bomb.
"This Arab Islamic nation must obtain a nuclear bomb. Without a nuclear
bomb, we will continue to be oppressed, and the American destruction... The
American donkeyness... The American donkey itself will always continue to
attack us, because the Americans are very conceited."
[...]
"The American soldier is haunted by anxiety and fear. Some have been
afflicted with mental illness. This is in addition to the wounded and the
dead - beyond the figures issued by the American Department of Defense. The
opposite is true.
"The Americans can be divided into two. One part includes people of various
nationalities, who are not American. When they are killed, they are not
included in the list of casualties. Only when it is someone with American
citizenship and of American origin do they include him, out of fear of his
family. But those foundlings brought by the Americans from Eastern and
Western Europe - they joined the American army, but are not true Americans."
[...]
"It is inconceivable that the Arab mujahideen or the Iraqi resistance would
kill children, women, and men. The resistance targets American tanks and
bases. Those operations are carried out by the American CIA and fifth
column.
"Let me tell you a secret. According to the notorious Iraqi Liberation Act,
which was enacted in 1998, 12,000 Iraqis were conscripted from among the
expatriates. They joined [the American army] for two years, receiving
fantastic salaries. After two years, they were given courses in spying and
sabotage, and then they rolled in on the American tanks. Today, next to
every minister, prime minister, or deputy prime minister, there is a spy.
Some of those officials are collaborators themselves, yet they are assigned
a spy, because the Americans do not trust the Iraqis."
[...]
"The Americans are the Ones Doing the Killing in the So-Called Sunni
Triangle"
Ayatollah Ahmad Husseini Al-Baghdadi: "When a car goes from Al-Hila to
Al-Latifiya, for example, in the so-called Sunni Triangle, an American
convoy shows up and directs them to a side route, and then some masked
people arrive and kill them. Why do they kill them? Because they curse Ali.
In the car there are Shi'ites and Sunnis... I have reservations about the
terms 'Shi'ite' and 'Sunni,' but forgive me this time..."
Interviewer: "Yes, but that's the reality."
Ayatollah Ahmad Husseini Al-Baghdadi: "There is no choice but to say that.
They order them to curse Ali. The Shi'ites are allowed to curse Ali, who
said: 'Curse me, but do not abandon me.' Therefore, a Shi'ite may curse the
Imam Ali, but a Sunni will never curse Ali, because he is one of the
righteous Caliphs... So they kill the Sunni, who refuses to curse Ali,
because they think he is a Shi'ite.
"After this indiscriminate shooting on the car, while the people are
hovering between life and death - the masks are removed, and it turns out
that it was a female American soldier, conducting the interrogation with the
help of an interpreter.
"The Americans are the ones who are doing the killing in the so-called Sunni
Triangle, or in Al-Latifiya."
[...]
"These collaborators and America should know that I support the resistance.
I will fight the American tanks alongside the resistance, because the Iraqi
people is an Arab Islamic people that will not accept the rule of an infidel
over a Muslim. Never."
[...]
"In the black constitution, it is stated that the religion of the state is
Islam, and that all the legislative principles are derived from the original
Islamic legislation. It is written in the constitution. That's the first
clause."
"Whoever Marries Someone of the Same Sex Must Be Killed"
Ayatollah Ahmad Husseini Al-Baghdadi: "The second clause says no law may
contradict the principles of democracy. Can you imagine millions
demonstrating in Iraq, calling for same-sex marriage, like in Sweden,
America, and Britain? Same-sex marriages means a marriage of a man with a
man, or a woman with a woman. This is a terrible catastrophe, totally
forbidden by Islam. Whoever marries someone of the same sex must be killed.
Both must be killed as soon as possible and must be burned as well."
*********************
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent,
non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle
East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background
information, are available on request.
MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with
proper attribution.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
E-Mail: memri@memri.org
Search previous MEMRI publications at www.memri.org
------------------------------
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: MEMRI:Muslim Brotherhood Leader: Arab
and Islamic Countries Should Obtain Nuclear
Technology "For Military Purposes"
The following are excerpts from an interview with Muslim Brotherhood leader
Muhammad Mahdi 'Akef, which aired on Al-Alam TV on May 14, 2006.
TO VIEW THIS CLIP: www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1140
*Clip # 1140 - Muslim Brotherhood Leader Mahdi 'Akef: Arab and Islamic
Countries Should Obtain Nuclear Technology "For Military Purposes"
Muhammad Mahdi 'Akef: The Western world - American and Europe - is not
fighting Egypt but Islam. They do not want Islam to survive. Therefore,
whoever protects Islam is fought against.
The Arab and Islamic countries suffer from severe backwardness, and the
Western world wants to make them even more backward. It does not want these
countries to progress at all.
[...]
The Muslims are required to remain backward in all fields, not only the
nuclear field. All fields of advanced modern technology are closed to the
Arabs and Muslims - let alone the nuclear field.
Is it not the duty of all countries to have nuclear technology for peaceful
purposes? Even if it is for military purposes... Doesn't America have this?
Doesn't Israel have this? Doesn't Europe have this? Are all the countries
entitled to this, except for the Arabs and Muslims? Brother, this is
illogical, inconceivable, and unjustified.
TO VIEW THIS CLIP: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1140
**********************
For assistance, please contact MEMRI TV Project at memritv@memri.org
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent,
non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle
East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background
information, are available on request.
MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with
proper attribution.
MEMRI TV Project
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
www.memritv.org
------------------------------
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Subject: IMRA Subscription Info
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End of [imra] Daily digest - Volume: 2 Issue: 1394 (15 messages)
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