Kesher Talk: 06/09/2002

Friday, June 14, 2002

An ounce of pre-emption: Security forces arrested two female Palestinian would-be suicide bombers in the West Bank on Tuesday. A 15-year-old teenager was arrested in El-Khader just west of Bethlehem as she attempted to throw a firebomb at soldiers. She was handed over to police for questioning and told investigators she wanted to become a martyr.

Canada has terrorists, but is not a terrorist "haven", says Powell: Yet another brilliant observation from the SoS. When he heard that Canada has been called a haven for terrorists, Powell said, "I would never have said that."

And yet, he would, just not in those exact words. "There is no doubt that there are terrorists in Canada." Then he adds a humorous comment: "The one thing that I am sure of is that Canadian authorities at every level and every ministry are doing everything they can to find them and bring them to justice."

MSNBC reporter takes it personally, then makes it personal: MSNBC reporter Michael Moran, in a June 5 posting to his MSNBC blog, attacks HonestReporting's TerroristPetition.com movement, which gathers signatures urging the media to call terrorists what they are - terrorists. HR rebuts him, point by point:

MORAN: “MSNBC.com does use the word ‘terrorist’ to describe someone who has been convicted of a terrorist act, or someone who has admitted the act or been caught in the act.”

HONESTREPORTING: First of all, we challenge Moran to produce a record of MSNBC.com meeting this definition. Using MSNBC.com's own search engine, we could not find any use of the term applied to Palestinian suicide bombers.

Furthermore, MSNBC.com needs to get their story straight. Moran's claim outright contradicts MSNBC.com guidelines as articulated by Dan Fischer, MSNBC.com's own ombudsman in March 2002: MSNBC.com "reporters and producers have been instructed not to use [the term 'terrorism'] in news reports on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict except in direct quotations."

Finally, by Moran's own definition -- "someone who has been convicted of a terrorist act, or someone who has admitted the act or been caught in the act" -- even the World trade Center bombers could barely be defined as terrorists. Since they (like Palestinian bombers) commit suicide, they will never be "convicted," nor will they ever "admit" their involvement, and frequently there are no surviving witnesses to prove they were "caught in the act."

MORAN: “What we don't do (and this is what irks ‘Honestreporting’) is throw the word around at every Palestinian who opposes the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.”

HONESTREPORTING: Moran again fabricates falsehoods and attributes them to HonestReporting. We challenge Moran to produce any statement -- real or implied -- that HonestReporting applies “terrorist” to every Palestinian.

Actually, HonestReporting sticks to the standard definition of "terrorist" as set down by U.S. law: "...premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets..." [Title 22 of the US Code, Section 2656f(d)] In fact, HonestReporting labels a "terrorist" anyone who fits the criteria. We therefore approve of the Jerusalem Post headline (June 13): "Alleged Jewish Terrorists on Trial Next Week." Yes, Jews who intentionally target innocent civilians should also be called terrorists.

MORAN: TerrorPetition.com is "aimed at muzzling free speech."

HONESTREPORTING: Calling for journalistic accountability is hardly equated with muzzling free speech. If MSNBC.com were genuinely concerned with objectively reporting the news, they would welcome the public call for a fair application of terminology in their news stories.

MORAN: TerrorPetition.com "has urged its subscribers to vent their collective spleen by pelting the accused with angry e-mails demanding that we fall into line, or else."

HONESTREPORTING: In fact, TerrorPetition.com has engaged in only one activity: collecting e-mail signatures. There has been no call to complain to any media outlets. Moran’s statement is pure fabrication.

Actually, Moran bases that claim not on the TerrorPetition.com project itself, but on HR's regular activities.

But regardless, Moran prefers to stick his head up his hind quarters rather than actually debate anyone or come clean. Journalists get so skittish when shown their bias...

Turning to Hezbullah:

"Long hated by the defense establishment in Washington, Lebanon's Hizbullah organization would seem to be a logical target for the US war on terror after Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been overthrown. And for Israel, America's staunch ally in the Middle East, Hizbullah poses a potential threat--the organization has an extensive military presence along Lebanon's southern border with the Jewish state. The Israeli army has compiled a file on Hizbullah listing all its anti-Israel actions over the past two years. The file, which is expected to be made public shortly, is similar to the dossier on Yasser Arafat detailing the Palestinian leader's alleged connections with terrorism. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon reportedly showed the Hizbullah file to US officials during his trip to Washington this week, the latest initiative in an ongoing diplomatic offensive by Israel against the militant group.

... Some diplomats here believe that a showdown between Hizbullah and the Israeli army is inevitable, arguing that Israel cannot live indefinitely with a hostile and well-armed guerrilla force menacing the northern part of the country.

The Christian Science Monitor continues by arguing that the U.S. should not target Hezbullah because it is just revenge for the 1980's and it would hurt our "neutrality."

For the hawks in Washington, Hizbullah's association with anti-American terror attacks in Lebanon in the mid-1980s is justification enough. But sending the Marines into Lebanon to tackle Hizbullah is not realistic, says Edward Walker, president of the Middle East Institute in Washington and former assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs.

"Our ability to broker peace in the region would be destroyed as we would be identified 100 percent with Israel," Mr. Walker says. "Accordingly, we would be unable to help Israel find a secure place in the region except through continuing to maintain overwhelming force, which we would have to pay for."

The Pentagon's view of Hizbullah is an outdated desire for revenge, says Professor Hamzeh. "The Pentagon says that Hizbullah is second only to Al Qaeda, based on Hizbullah's actions during the 1980s. They can't let that file go," he says. "The other side of the argument is that Hizbullah is a different organization now and its problem is with Israel and not the US."

Hizbullah has undergone a considerable transformation over the past decade. Unlike Al Qaeda, Hizbullah is a multi-faceted organization, deeply enmeshed in the fabric of Lebanese society. It has a credible presence in the Lebanese parliament and runs an extensive and efficient social welfare network which helps the poorer districts of Lebanon.

And it would be hard to get any more condescendingly stupid than this statement by Augustus Richard Norton, a professor of international relations at Boston University: "Yet another brilliant move in America's charm campaign vis-a-vis the Muslim world ... I have no doubt that there are voices in the Pentagon these days calling for unilateral US action, but, for now at least, adult supervision prevails." (emphasis added for your enjoyment)

Thursday, June 13, 2002

The FBI's high-tech ways: From freelance comedian Mike Sultan:

The Washington Post is reporting today that technology at the FBI is way behind the times.

The FBI has old computer systems. Some of their computer systems can't communicate with other computer systems.

'Give ya' an idea how serious this problem is ... ... yesterday, the FBI director himself, Robert Mueller, sent an urgent telegraph message to each FBI office demanding improvement.

Out-of-state Jewish money and controversy in Alabama continues: Roll Call reports a spat between the Congressional Black Caucus and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, because the DCCC is reluctant to support incumbent Rep. Earl Hilliard. Hilliard is anti-Israeli and his Democratic primary opponent, Artur Davis, is pro-Israel.

The leadership sent out a letter Tuesday urgently encouraging Caucus members to contribute $1,000 to Hilliard's campaign. Conspicuous among those who didn't sign, however, were DCCC Chairwoman Nita Lowey (N.Y.) and Rep. Charlie Rangel (N.Y.), a CBC member who chairs the DCCC's board of directors.

The letter grew from a tense, two-and-a-half-hour meeting convened by leadership last week where Lowey, Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) and other members of leadership laid out the DCCC's position and listened to the concerns of CBC members.

Participants said the meeting laid bare the mounting frictions between black and Jewish Members. At one point, according to the sources, Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.), a senior member of the CBC, threatened that if "outsiders" are permitted to choose the membership of the Black Caucus, members of the CBC would retaliate by fighting aid to Israel.

Wednesday, June 12, 2002

Drinking and bombing: A Palestinian suicide bomber asked for a glass of water, then calmly blew himself up at the entrance to an eatery in the heart of Herzliya last night, killing a 15-year-old girl and wounding 15 others.

Speaking of Israeli birth-rates: They're part of an interesting policy dispute today. Under a program designed to boost the birthrate, all Israeli families have received payments from the government on a scale that ranges from $34 for each of their first two children to $172 for the sixth and each subsequent child.

A new law will cut those benefits as part of belt-tightening measures being undertaken because of an economic downturn prompted by the 21-month-old Palestinian uprising.

But the cuts will be far deeper — 36 percent compared with 16 percent — for parents who have not served in the army or security services. In a country where Arabs are exempt from the military service required of all Israeli Jews, the Arabs believe the provision was designed deliberately to reduce their benefits disproportionately. The law will also hurt ultrareligious Jews, who traditionally have large families but whose sons are exempted from military service if they attend yeshiva seminaries.

So the ultrareligious Shas party, part of the governing coalition, wants to amend the law so that families could claim the larger benefit for their children if even an uncle or grandfather had served in the military.

And a coalition of Arab members of the Israeli Knesset, mayors of Israeli Arab cities, Arab human rights groups and a left-wing Israeli political party are asking the Supreme Court tomorrow to declare the new law illegal on grounds that it breaches anti-discrimination provisions in the Israeli constitution.

In the face of criticism and legal action, Israel's government says it will not implement the legislation until the court has ruled. Its own legal adviser, Elyakim Rubenstein, has said he is not confident the measure can be defended

Tuesday, June 11, 2002

Giving a "get", part II: Regarding Howard's post below on the new organization that help women get divorces from their husbands, none of this would be a problem if we were allowed to use the system employed at the time when Jews had their own court system. The problem is that not only does a husband have to give a "get," but he has to want to do it. In cases where husbands refused, the court would send some large men to see him. In this way, the Talmud states we "convince" him until he says "I want to." That method sure beats suspending his driver's license.

When you care enough to poll the very best... A poll released today by the Palestinian Jerusalem Media and Communication Center (JMCC) shows a majority of Palestinians believe the aim of their 20-month-old uprising should be to eliminate Israel and not just end Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Fifty-one percent of people surveyed said the end result of the uprising should be "liberating all of historic Palestine." Seventy-nine percent of people surveyed said they back the revolt in some way and 68 percent said they approved of suicide bombings against Israeli civilians, down slightly from 74 percent in December.

We've come so far, haven't we?

The survey also showed 48 percent of respondents believed Palestinian President Yasser Arafat would win elections he has proposed holding early next year. Some 41 percent of people surveyed gave Arafat favorable marks, compared with 29 percent who said he was a bad leader.

On the plus side, more than half wanted reforms of his Palestinian Authority. But one can guess that they simply want more equitable representation in the PA for Hamas and Islamic Jihad. 58 percent said they supported domestic reform within the Palestinian Authority, and 42 percent said the best way to accomplish reform was through free democratic elections.

Overall, 25 percent of Palestinians said they trusted Arafat more than any other politician, followed by 24 percent who said they trust no one and nine percent who put their faith in Hamas' spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

Relax with the "Dirty Nukes" stuff: As newsreaders run for cover and plot escape routes, my colleague Iain lays out what we should and should not worry about with dirty bombs, on TechCentralStation.

Giving a "get" -- helping Orthodox Jewish women get divorced: One of the more annoying aspects of Jewish law is that only a man can institute a divorce. Unless a women gets permission from her husband to divorce him -- called a "get" -- she cannot officially divorce him. Some husbands withhold them out of vindictiveness or to extort financial or custody settlements from their wives. Women denied gets are forbidden from remarrying or even dating, and are called "agunot" or "chained women."

The issue has long rankled many in the Orthodox world because of the impact on women, some of whom are trying to escape abusive relationships. Now, efforts are under way to make life easier for women fighting for their "get."

Will Germany support Israel?: Friedbert Pflueger, chairman of the Committee on the Affairs of the European Union of the German Bundestag and a member of the national executive committee of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), pens a piece in today's Wall Street Journal Europe (subscription required). Whether or not he feels he represents actual German policy or if he is just trying to influence it, I am not certain:

What is needed is a balanced approach: We need to find a way to combine Israel's right to live within secure borders with the creation of a Palestinian state that is accorded the dignity that comes from sovereignty. This is a worthy goal. But our leaders need to understand that at this moment young Palestinians are being educated to hate Israel, fanaticized to the point that they line up to become suicide-bombers. At this point there cannot be any neutrality.

Israel's right to exist is absolute -- but it is more than that for Germans. Both Israel and Federal Republic of Germany are birds that rose from the ashes of World War II. Our raisons d'etres are intimately linked. Israel will never be just another state for Germans, no matter what spats take place. One of the reasons of state of post-war Germany has been for Hitler's vision of the extermination of the Jews never to be realized. This is why Germany will always support Israel.

Hippy-dippy Kibbutzim are a bit different now...: 81 years after its utopian socialist founding, Kibbutz Beit Alfa has an economy centered on industry rather than agriculture, based largely on the manufacture and export of para-military equipment, most recently a controversial deal to supply riot-control hardware to President Robert Mugabe's pariah regime in Zimbabwe.

"Like many utopias, when Beit Alfa was implemented in practice it became part of an economic and political framework," says Yisrael Bartal, a Hebrew University historian. "It adjusted itself to concrete reality."

CJC v. CLC: The Canadian Jewish Congress is lambasting the Canadian Labour Congress for effectively calling Israel an apartheid state.

The statement was crafted by the executive of the Canadian Labour Congress. The group -- whose conference, attended by 3,000 delegates, began yesterday in Vancouver -- represents 2.5 million trade workers. The CLC resolution states: "The Palestinians have about the same rights, freedoms and power as Africans living in Bantustans and segregated Townships once had. Palestinians live in small towns and refugee camps completely cut off from each other and surrounded by Israeli soldiers. They are completely dependent on Israel for their jobs, water, energy, access to hospitals, imports and exports, etc."

"This is a specious comparison that diminishes the singularity of the experience of black South Africans," said Keith Landy, president of the Canadian Jewish Congress, who is from South Africa.

"Apartheid South Africa was a clear racist oppression of a white minority over a black majority. This is a completely different situation. ... Israel is fighting the same war against terror that Canada and the rest of the Western world are fighting. The fact that it's closer to home for Israelis doesn't make Israel an apartheid state. ... This is a failure to recognize why Israel is in the territories, which is as a result of attempts by surrounding terrorists to obliterate it out of existence."

UPDATE: Thanks to Michael Gold for helping me update the link. The National Post has redone its website for the gazillionth time...

Jay Leno last night: "Over in the Middle East this past week, they had their first gay pride parade in Jerusalem. But the orthodox religious leaders condemned the parade, saying it would drive holiness out of the city. God forbid, you wouldn't want to disturb the peaceful tranquility of Jerusalem with something like a gay pride parade."

Monday, June 10, 2002

Balagan in motion: Brazillian Jewish blogger Renata Malkes (her blog is named Balagan) is counting down the days until she makes Aliyah to Israel. 28 to go...

The idiocy of trademark law: The Canadian Jewish Congress has discovered it, winning a court case over the trademarking of a particular design of Menorah.

Two and a half years after Canada’s trademark registrar legally protected a stylized menorah used by a Christian group that proselytizes Jews, a federal court judge has reversed the decision.

Officials of the Canadian Jewish Congress, which had sought a judicial review of the matter after the registrar gave the Chosen People Ministries exclusive right to a menorah design in November 1999, expressed satisfaction with the ruling.

The congress said the ministries’ claim to its menorah design as an “official mark” was “scandalous, offensive to Canadians and deceptive.”

“In our view, the menorah is a universal Jewish symbol, and it is one that should not be claimed by any organization in particular, and certainly not an organization created for the express purpose of converting Jews to Christianity,” said Manuel Prutschi, national director of community relations for the congress.

Welcome to modern legal fun.

BBC bias studied painstakingly: People with too much time on their hands do not always produce garbage. Sometimes, they can come up with detailed reports, like Trevor Asserson and Elisheva Mironi.

But since the pair of researchers are lawyers, I have the sneaking suspicion this is just an opening salvo in what will become a massive lawsuit against the BBC. Trial lawyers are drooling.

Yammering Post: In reaction to the organized boycott of the Washington Post for its crummy coverage of Israel, the Ombudsman rallies his forces and says, 'we're unbiased, you stinking Zionists.'

Time is of the essence? "President Bush said today that the United States must start working immediately with Israelis and Palestinians toward establishing a Palestinian state in the Middle East, and that time was of the essence." (NY Times)

Dubya worries that Syria is getting lonely and needs some terrorist company on the Security Council.

Montreal terrorist cell goes to Expo games:

New allegations that a man behind the deadly bombing of a Tunisian synagogue belonged to a Montreal-based al-Qaeda cell shows that Canada must do more to combat violent extremists, critics charged yesterday.

Would someone please explain why it is that having an Al-Qaeda cell in Montreal is not a pressing issue unless that cell might be linked to the synagogue bombing? Are these terrorists the only surviving Expo fans, and the mayor is afraid of losing them?

Tom Blackwell further reports today that this "is only the latest evidence suggesting that the city is a major hub for perpetrators of Islamic violence."

Guardian Angels Redux, Oy!: Residents armed with shotguns will begin patrolling heavily Jewish neighborhoods in NYC June 16, in response to the comments made by terrorist Abdul Rahman Yasin during an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" on June 2. Yasin said he and his accomplices originally targeted heavily Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn.

The citizen defense effiort is being organized by Rabbi Yakove Lloyd, founder and president of the "Jewish Defense Group."

Lloyd said the street patrols would include 50 to 200 people of different religious faiths, mainly Jews, carrying shotguns in bags, along with people licensed to own and carry other types of firearms. Others will carry bats, pipes, cell phones and walkie-talkies and patrol the streets daily from 9 p.m. until 3 a.m. except Friday, the Jewish Sabbath.

Now, I am a gun control advocate who was literally mugged by reality (at the end of an automatic pistol). I gather this measure might help clean up a lot of street crime in NYC (it would certainly have prevented my mugging in DC).

But I still find the news quite unsettling, since the JDG, which Lloyd founded in 1985, is inspired by the late messianic Rabbi Meir Kahane, who founded the Jewish Defense League. In January, the league's chairman and a group member were charged with conspiring to blow up a mosque and the office of an Arab-American congressman in California. Both pleaded innocent and are scheduled to go on trial Oct. 1.

Shocking sub-headline of the day: "Al Qaeda uses the Web as a communications network," Newsweek. (Jun. 17)

Demon ale: Iain has out Data Dump column today on TechCentralStation. While you're pondering his dismissal of foolish anti-alcohol claims, don't miss the picture of my fiancee's favorite comedian.

Kesher Talk

Friday, June 14, 2002

Thursday, June 13, 2002

Wednesday, June 12, 2002

Tuesday, June 11, 2002

Monday, June 10, 2002

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