http://bokertov.typepad.com/btb/2007/05/virtual_tour_of.html

TRIPOLI, Lebanon - Lebanon's prime minister vowed Thursday to wipe out an Islamic militant group barricaded in a Palestinian refugee camp, raising the prospect that the army will either storm the camp, in what would likely be a bloody battle, or dig in for a long siege to force its surrender.

In the first place there never historically had been a sovereign state of palestine, it was a British territory and prior to that part of the Ottoman empire. For that matter most of the arab states, artificial creations which were carved from out of the defeated Ottoman empire after WW1 by the colonial powers, actually have no right to exist. Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and and all the gulf states.

Another fact to mention is that an arab state already was carved out of 76% of mandatory Palestine, and that of course is Jordan, originally named transjordan given as a gift to Emir Abdullah by the British.

The so-called "occupied" territories of Gaza and Judea and Samaria, known as the West Bank never belonged to the so-called "palestinians", Israel won them in a war of self-defense from Egypt and Jordan respectively. Furthermore both countries relinquished their claims to the territories, so who's territory is Israel occupying? The answer is they are not occupied, they are rightfully part of Israel, as is the Golan Heights which Israel also won from Syria in the same war in self-defense. Yet even Israel itself and its supporters have bought into this false narrative of Israel being an occupier.

Another point to be made is that the creation of a palestinian state will not only fail to bring peace, but will result in the creation of another terrorist entity. Why on Earth does the west want to create this terrorist state when we are supposed to be fighting a war against islamic terrorism? As it is, the hamas run PA is imposing sharia law on the population, Christians are being threatened and persecuted, resulting in many of them fleeing. When Israel surrendered Gaza in the summer of '05, rather than trying to build a viable state, the palestinians looted and destroyed the greenhouses that were given to them by wealthy and generous Jewish Americans who had bought them from the former Jewish residents of Gaza. And let's not leave out the fact that anarchy and chaos is the order of the day as hamas and fatah factions shoot and kill each other (a good thing as far as Israel is concerned), as well as various clans, tribes and militas controlling the streets. These people have not shown that they are capable whatsoever of running a peaceful, viable state. So why should they get one? If anyone in the Middle East deserves its own state, it is the Kurds, who have proven they can run a peaceful, viable state. But the international community isn't clamoring to create one for them.

And finally, a state of palestine would create a terrorist base for Syria and Iran, which already supplies the various terrorist entities with money, arms missiles and so forth.

For all of these reasons and more, there is no logical reason that a palestinian state should be created. As long as the arab muslim world remains mired in a medieval barbaric culture of hatred and death, Israel and the rest of the free world must make no concessions to it whatsoever.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/853107.html

 The "council of elders," a body that consists of the heads of clans, tries to effect a compromise that will make it possible for the families of a murdered person to receive suitable compensation. However, because of the financial situation in Gaza, most of these rivalries continue to claim a heavy price in blood. One of the worst hit sectors of the population, because of the absence of proper legislation, is women: Almost every week, women are murdered in Gaza because of what is called "family honor." They are buried in secret and in haste without any publicity.

The Christians in Gaza have also become victims of violence. A library owned by a Palestinian Christian was set on fire, apparently solely because of the owner's religion.

Dozens of Internet cafes have been set alight or bombed by Islamic extremists, who consider them dangerous for the youth. The bombing of the American school is yet another example of the activity of fundamentalist elements that do not have the support even of Hamas.

People who deal in weapons, drugs or prostitution are enjoying unprecedented prosperity, even though the Hamas security mechanism referred to as the "implementation force" brags about its ability to counteract these phenomena.

"The implementation force sends text messages every day to journalists in which it reports that hashish dealers, or those dealing in prostitution, have been caught," says A., a Gaza journalist. "But why don't they deal with the armed robbery of vehicles or with those who abducted Johnston? No one prevents blood revenge between families. What would I do if someone attacked a member of my family? I'd also murder the murderers, who are immediately released from jail. Every armed man has a clan or organization behind him, of which the police are afraid, and therefore the police release the suspects."

The journalist adds: "There are two options today that could take us out of this situation: Someone strong in the Gaza Strip who does not care about a confrontation with the clans, or an Israeli occupation. Many people in the Strip hope that Israel will reoccupy it because these phenomena were not prevalent during the Israeli occupation."

Candidates across the political spectrum in France are distancing themselves from Jacques Chirac and France's decades long pro-arab, anti-American and anti-Israel Middle East policy. This has been a policy that not only hasn't benefitted France, but has actually harmed its national interests. I find this possible new approach to French Mideast policy very welcoming news indeed. Perhaps finally France's survival instinct has kicked in, and I only hope that the remainder of Europe follows.

Article excerpts:

For Chirac's would-be successors on the left and right, and indeed among large sectors of the French political spectrum, the broad consensus on the country's historic Middle East policy is crumbling. Candidates have been anxious to dissociate themselves from Chirac's line on Syria, Iran, Israel, and the Palestinians.

In the Socialist camp, Ségolène Royal adopted a very hard stance regarding Iran's nuclear weapons program. She declared that Iran ought to be denied even control of nuclear power, because it could be a cover for weapons-making. According to her analysis, "The prospect of Iran equipped with nuclear power is not acceptable," since it would give "a government whose president threatens the existence of the State of Israel… access to such power."

On the Israeli-Palestinian issue, Royal dissociated herself from the French pro-Palestinian stance. Expressing concerns about the security of Israel, she declared herself in favor of the construction of the safety fence so disparaged by French officials.

Sarkozy, who is actually the Gaullist candidate, has adopted a strategic stance in total opposition to Chirac's Middle East vision. He prefers close cooperation with the United States over an alliance with the Arab world that, to some extent, is aimed against America.

Regarding Israel, Sarkozy promised a more balanced French policy. Thus, last March, he asserted that French decision-makers must be able "to say a certain number of truths to our Arab friends, for example… the right for Israel to exist and to live safely is not negotiable, and that terrorism is their true enemy." He also declared himself ready to defend "the integrity of Lebanon," including the disarmament of Hizballah.

As for the centrist candidate François Bayrou, the third main contestant, he stated that while remaining faithful to a Realist, power-oriented conception of international affairs, he also wishes "to establish a French foreign policy which would have as a main theme the right to democracy. No dictatorship is acceptable, even if, at short term, it appears in favor of the national interests" of France.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1176152838936&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

A Christian businessman told the Post that most of the victims were Christian families living in the US and Latin America. "They are stealing our homes almost every day," he said. "We believe the suspects have been receiving help from some Palestinian security officers here."….

Ta'mari said one common method of land theft was as follows: Someone forges ownership of a piece of land and registers it under his name. Then an accomplice pretends he has illegally seized the land.

The first person sues the accomplice, using the forged documents. The court then rules in favor of the first person, turning him into the "legal" owner. The proceedings take place without the knowledge of the real owner, who usually lives abroad.

DHAKA, Bangladesh - Unidentified gunmen in southern Bangladesh shot and killed the prosecutor in the case of six Islamic militants who were convicted and executed in a bombing that killed two judges, a news report said Thursday.

Assailants shot Hyder Hossain in the head at close range as he was returning home from a mosque after evening prayers, the United News of Bangladesh agency reported.

Hossain, 53, prosecuted a case against the militants of the outlawed Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh group who were charged in the 2005 bombing that killed two judges in Jhalakathi district, 75 miles south of the capital, Dhaka.

Another lovely part of the world, touched by the magic of the Religion of Peace.

Thai Jihad 

 Buddhist woman burned alive in Muslim south Thailand

YALA, Thailand, April 11 (Reuters) - A Buddhist woman was shot and burned alive in Thailand's violence-torn Muslim-majority south on Wednesday, prompting angry protests in front of visiting army chief Sonthi Boonyaratglin.

Watcharaporn Boonmak, 26, was ambushed by gunmen as she rode her motorcycle through a Muslim village in Yala, one of the three southern provinces roiled by three years of separatist insurgency in which more than 2,000 people have been killed.

"She might have been shot in the stomach before they set fire to her and her motorcycle," a Yala police officer, who asked to remain anonymous, told Reuters by telephone.

One of her relatives told Reuters that witnesses at the scene heard Watcharaporn, a garage clerk, screaming and crawling along the road for help but nobody dared respond for fear of reprisals.

And we all continue to apologize for our impressions that this religion is a violent, callous, and sadistic one.

DALLAS (Reuters) - U.S. evangelical Christians are divided on global warming, the minimum wage and other issues, but they are united behind a new campaign to end modern slavery around the world.

Following a trail blazed two centuries ago, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) and Focus on the Family, two U.S. evangelical groups whose leaders have disagreed over other issues, are both supporting a campaign against bonded labor, human trafficking and military recruitment of children.

The campaign, "The Amazing Change," was set up by the makers of "Amazing Grace," a movie about the efforts of William Wilberforce, himself an evangelical, to end British participation in the slave trade 200 years ago.

"We are carrying forward the banner of evangelical concern for human rights," said Richard Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals.

Activists say it is crucial to highlight an issue that many people are unaware of.

"Most people you ask don't know that there are slaves today," said Pamela Livingston, vice president of the Washington-based International Justice Mission, a Christian-based organization that campaigns to free slaves overseas with a network of lawyers and social workers.

Meanwhile, where the Religion of Peace™ has ascendancy:

• No return for Sudan's forgotten slaves
• Where slaves still serve their masters...
• The child slaves of Saudi Arabia