THE ARAB/PALESTINIAN/ISLAMIC POINT
OF VIEW.
What they say, write, publish and
argue about.
TV Program on the Culture of Martyrdom and
Suicide Bombers on Al-Arabiya,
August 25, 2005. The following are excerpts from a show about the culture
of martyrdom, which aired on Al-Arabiya TV. Reporter: "The
martyrdom-seeking campaign by Hamas and Islamic Jihad may have come as a
response to the Hebron massacre, but the ideological basis of this
campaign is deeply rooted in Hamas' declaration of Jihad against Israel.
"These films were not intended to be broadcast. Hamas made them for
internal use, and they provide a rare perspective on the movement's
efforts to teach its principles to new recruits." Children singing:
"Rejoice, oh Bitah, cheer in merriment, oh Nujud, our occupied homeland
will be restored through Jihad." Crowd: "Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar.
Allah Akbar."
Male voice on loudspeaker: "What is your goal?" Crowd:
"Allah." Male voice on loudspeaker: "What is your constitution?"
Crowd: "The Koran." Male voice on loudspeaker: "Who is your
leader?" Crowd: "The Prophet Muhammad." Male voice on
loudspeaker: "What is your path?" Crowd: "Jihad." Male voice
on loudspeaker: "What is your greatest desire?" Crowd: "Death
for the sake of Allah." Reporter: "If Jihad is the goal, the
self-sacrifice operations against the Israelis were the weapon chosen in
the mid-nineties. In a series of operations, Hamas and Islamic Jihad hit
the major Israeli cities and caused the deaths of dozens. This was part of
the strategy."
Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: "These operations do not target
civilians. The Israeli society is a military society. It is well known
that they have militarized their society. All Israeli society, its men and
its women..."
Reporter: "Hamas' strategy of targeting Israelis has gained the
support of must Muslim clerics, to the point that Sheik Al-Qaradhawi
appeared on Al-Jazeera TV and issued a fatwa permitting the killing of
Israelis in these operations."
Sheik Al-Qaradhawi: "...as I said, when a brother blows himself up
today... The brother who blows himself up at the bus station, where all
the soldiers who come back are gathering... He does not intend to kill a
child or anything, but rather tries to kill people who are soldiers -
either soldiers on active duty or soldiers on reserve duty."
Reporter: "Indeed, prominent scholars have described suicide
operations for the sake of the homeland as martyrdom operations."
Sheik Muhammad Hussein Fadhlallah: "The martyrdom operations are a
part of the war movement, since the issue of war differs from the issue of
suicide. Suicide is the killing of oneself for personal reasons. On the
other hand, the martyrdom operation means that a person dies for a greater
cause."
Reporter: "The culture of Hizbullah is the culture of martyrdom,
with which it nurtures the minds of others. Every year, Hizbullah
celebrates Martyr's Day. On Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV we see actors playing
the role of scared Israelis and Americans who are banished from the Middle
East."
Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah: "These martyrdom
operations are the shortest way to Allah. They are the must exalted and
magnificent way of martyrdom in our generation. The martyrdom operation is
the weapon Allah gave this nation, and no one can take it from us. They
can take away our cannons, our tanks, and our planes, but they cannot take
away our spirit, which yearns for Allah and which is determined to achieve
martyrdom."
Reporter: "Salah Ghandour a soldier in Hizbullah's martyrdom
army..."
Maha Ghandour, Salah Ghandour's widow: "I met Salah in 1990 and we
got engaged seven months later. We were married in 1991, early 1991. Even
in his final days he stayed at home with us and told me: 'Say goodbye to
me. I am bidding this world farewell.' From when I just married him, I
expected his martyrdom at any minute. When we had three children I told
him that he was taking his time. I didn't expect to live with him for five
years."
Interviewer: "Was it important to you that he worked for the
resistance?"
Maha Ghandour: "Of course. Of course. If we had not defended our
land, who would have liberated it? Unless women sacrificed their husbands
and brothers, this land would never have been liberated. Praise Allah, our
homeland was liberated by the blood of the martyrs and the efforts of the
mujahideen, some of which are fighting the Jihad to this day."
Reporter: "Hizbullah filmed Salah's operation and final message,
and the entire program was aired on Al-Manar TV, which belongs to
Hizbullah."
Salah Ghandour's son: "This is the operation that daddy carried
out. This is the convoy that came from here, from Palestine. This is his
operation..."
Salah Ghandour's daughter: "This is the place of the operation in
which he was gone."
Salah Ghandour's son: "This is the car daddy blew up."
Maha Ghandour: "Of course I miss him and remember his words.
Sometimes it saddens me, but I love to watch him." Sources: Al-Manar TV,
IMRA, MEMRI, International Herald Daily News., Al-Arabiya
English Speaking Al-Qaeda
Terrorist: Oh People of the West.... It IsTime for Us to Be Equals – As
You Kill Us, You Will be Killed.
The following are excerpts from an
Al-Qaeda tape featuring a Western Al-Qaeda terrorist, which aired
on Al-Arabiya TV on August 9, 2005. Al-Arabiya claims he is Irish.
Terrorist:
Oh people of the West, don't be fooled by the lies of Blair and Bush that
you are free nations, for the only freedom that you have is the freedom to
be slaves of your whims and desires. Your children are free to be deprived
of their childhood and their innocence. Your women are free to be used as
tools of business and entertainment, and all of you as a whole are the
slaves of con men and women who rule you. They are your real enemies. If
you only knew – they are the ones who drag your countries to the pit of
America's group of scavengers, who seek to ravage the entire globe for the
interests of a handful of gangsters and corporate companies. Democracy,
human rights, and freedom are all but hollow illusions, with which they
tranquilize inhabitants of the human farms which they control. The Muslim
world is not your backyard. The Muslim world is not Germany, Japan, or
South America. The honorable sons and daughters of Islam will not sit
down, watching you spread your evil and immorality and infidelity to our
land. The honorable sons of Islam will not just let you kill our families
in Palestine, Afghanistan, Kashmir, the Balkans, Indonesia, the Caucuses,
and elsewhere. It is time for us to be equals – as you kill us, you will
be killed, as you bomb us, you will be bombed. Source: Memri.
Egyptian Professor Abd Al-Sabour
Shahin: Muslims Had Nothing to Do with 9/11 Attack on the Empire State
Building
The following are excerpts from an
interview with Egyptian professor Abd Al-Sabour Shahin, which aired
on Saudi Channel 1 on August 8, 2005.
Shahin: I believe a dirty Zionist
hand carried out this act. Zionism has taken the opportunity to escalate
the war in Palestine, killing hundreds of thousands so far, while we watch
from the sidelines in astonishment and ask: What's going on
?
Our enemies weave many lies about
us, which we are not necessarily aware of. For example: One day, we awoke
to the crime of 9/11, which hit the tallest buildings in New York, the
Empire State Building (sic). There is no doubt that not a single
Arab or Muslim had anything to do with these events. The incident was
fabricated as a pretext to attack Islam and Muslims. The plan was to take
over the world's energy sources, and to achieve this control by force and
not by agreement or negotiations, by interests, free trade, or anything
like that. This is what they wanted. So this incident was fabricated - and
Allah knows that the Arabs and Muslims are innocent of it - in order to
serve as a pretext to attack Islam and the Muslims. All of a sudden, after
we were used to consider America to be a rational and balanced country...
All of a sudden, it violates international conventions, cancels treaties,
ignores the U.N., acts on its own accord, attacks nations, kills innocent
people, and claims it has the right to do so - and all this is based on
lies. These were lies from beginning to end, and we were not used to lying
- not in policy, not in our discourse, and not in the media. Imagine what
crisis the Arab and Islam nation finds itself in, in the midst of these
peculiar events, which we cannot explain or believe. All of a sudden, we
were framed for an international crime, on the basis of lies. Source:
Memri.
Hamas Radio: Jaffa is the same as
Gaza, Tel Aviv the same as Rafah.
An Interview with Hamas Leader Dr. Mahmoud
Al-Zahar
"We do not and will not recognize a state
called Israel. "..."Israel
has no right to any inch of Palestinian land. This is an important issue.
Our position stems from our religious convictions. This is a holy land. It
is not the property of the Palestinians or the Arabs. This land is the
property of all Muslims in all parts of the world. We regard the Gaza
Strip, Jerusalem, and the West Bank as a geographical unit, as mentioned
by resolutions 242 and 338, which have not been implemented. We are
currently talking about this area.".
The following are excerpts from an interview with Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Zahar
that appeared in Asharq Al-Awsat on August 18, 2005.
The following are the excepts from the interview(1): What Next in Gaza
Q: "Will Hamas continue the resistance after the disengagement plan is
implemented?"
A: "Our plan is not to liberate the Gaza Strip, nor is it to liberate the
West Bank or to liberate Jerusalem. Our plan in the first stage is to
liberate the lands occupied in 1967. Those who view it as a strategic
solution and those who view it as an interim solution have agreed upon
this plan. Therefore, we will not take over the Gaza Strip and live there
peacefully while the Zionist enemy is detaining thousands of our sons and
occupying the West Bank. The resistance must move to the West Bank to
expel the occupation."
Q: "Will the calming down [Tahdiah] end with the completion of the Israeli
withdrawal from the Gaza Strip?"
A: "The tahdiah is scheduled to finish at the end of 2005. It was
contingent on the release of the prisoners and stopping the attacks.
Israel has not abided by these conditions. Our goal was not to hit Israel
for the sake of hitting Israel , but to attack the occupation. I stress
that the resistance was what drove the occupation out of the Gaza Strip."
Q: "Will Hamas resume its operations in Israeli towns after the
withdrawal?"
A: "Firstly, there are no Israeli towns. These are settlements. If the
aggression and occupation continue, the Palestinian people will have no
alternative but to defend themselves. The Palestinian people are not
killing the occupiers or being killed out of fun or madness. The life
spent by our generation in killing, imprisonment, and exile is not the
life that we want for our sons. We want them to live in security and peace
and to live in a homeland in which they are able to move and not to live
as slaves of the Israeli enemy."
Q: "In other words, the resistance of Hamas in the future will be in
response to Israeli actions."
A: "No, our position depends on two things: the withdrawal from the
Palestinian territories and the extent of the aggression against the
Palestinian people." Our Position Stems from Our Religious Convictions
Q: "You talk about attacks on the Palestinian territories as if you
recognize the existence of Israel."
A: "I strongly disagree with your statement. We do not and will not
recognize a state called Israel. Israel has no right to any inch of
Palestinian land. This is an important issue. Our position stems from our
religious convictions. This is a holy land. It is not the property of the
Palestinians or the Arabs. This land is the property of all Muslims in all
parts of the world. We regard the Gaza Strip, Jerusalem, and the West Bank
as a geographical unit, as mentioned by resolutions 242 and 338, which
have not been implemented. We are currently talking about this area."
PA-Hamas Reactions
Q: "Let us talk about the relationship between Hamas and the Palestinian
authority. Has there been friction recently?"
A: "When Mahmoud Abbas (Abu-Mazen) was elected, we started talks. Some
people in Fatah and the Palestinian authority told Abu-Mazen that he was
giving Hamas more than it deserved at the expense of Fatah, and that his
policy was leading to the destruction of Fatah, as proven by the success
of Hamas in the first and second rounds of the municipal elections. They
claimed that we fixed the elections. This was a joke, because no
opposition has been able to rig elections. "Some officials of the
Palestinian Authority told Abu-Mazen that they could resolve the situation
with Hamas militarily. The Interior Ministry, under Nasr Yusuf, issued
leaflets saying that anyone firing rockets at the Zionist enemy will be
shot. This was an attempt to repeat what happened in 1996 to protect the
Israeli borders, arrest those who fire rockets, and confiscate the
weapons. Nasr Yusuf was engaged in a confrontation around the Jabalya
refugee camp area and deployed armoured vehicles, which the Palestinian
people had not seen before. However, he quickly realized that he could not
resolve the situation militarily. Now, they are seeking dialogue, and we
welcome that."
Q: "In his recent speech in the Palestinian Legislative Council, Abu
Mazen was unyielding."
A: "We responded to the speech. He said that only one authority should
exist, and we want one authority. However, regrettably, the only authority
that exists is the authority of Israel. Neither Abu-Mazen nor Nasr Yusuf
can move from here to there without the permission of the Israeli army. We
want a single Palestinian authority, but a strong authority can only exist
through elections. Do we have security services and ministries to form an
alternative authority? We want a single authority, but we do not want it
to be corrupt. "We want an elected authority that represents all the
Palestinian people and not an authority that disputes with the people
about their livelihood. They are excluding the members of Hamas from jobs
in the educational, health, and other fields. In such conditions, we
cannot talk about an authority, but about authoritarian rule. If the
Palestinian people have rejected Israel's oppression, do you think that
they will accept Palestinian oppression? "There is confusion between the
resistance and the chaos caused by the struggle in the Fatah movement. The
only legitimate weapon is the weapon of resistance which does not kill
innocent people and it not used to resolve factional or family disputes.
This weapon forced the occupation to withdraw. We will keep our weapons,
because no one can guarantee that the occupation will not return. We hear
the threats of the occupation throughout the day and at night. Which do
you consider is the legitimate weapon? Is it the weapon that disappeared
during the confrontation period, and is used in celebrations, or is it the
weapon used to maintain steadfastness and defend the people? Is it the
weapon that has driven the enemy out or the weapon that is defending the
enemy?" Hamas Will Assume Power Only Though Elections
Q: "Is Hamas interested in seizing power?"
A: "I do not accept the word 'seize' On the issue of education, we want to
teach the people our history, and we insist that the people must learn the
Quran. Even if the Quran attacks the Jews in some of its verses, the
people must read it. We cannot agree to the manipulation of the Quran and
the religion. We are against any economic cooperation with Israel . We
want a local Palestinian economy so that others do not influence it. We
want investment, but without kickbacks, bribes, and commissions. If we can
make the interest rate zero in this economy, based on Arab, Islamic, and
international investment, then this would be an achievement. We want to
spread the culture of resistance. We want tourism, but tourism of a people
that have dignity. We will change the names of the settlements to
represent the martyrs who died attacking them. We will tell the tourists
that the honest rifle was able to achieve victory."
Q: "Does Hamas have a plan to assume power?"
A: "Only through elections."
Q: "Hamas did not participate in the first legislative elections because
it regarded them as the product of the Oslo Agreement. What changes have
taken place to prompt Hamas to change its position?"
A: "The Legislative Council used to be called the Palestinian Council. It
was not legislative. It consisted of 88 members. We were talking then
about a transitional period. Now we are talking about a liberation period
and 132 representatives. I guess the current set up is the product of the
Oslo Accords and the situation we find ourselves in the product of the
British Mandate and the ongoing Israeli occupation. We will participate in
the elections based on a program to end the Oslo Accords."
Q: "Will Hamas participate in the presidential elections?"
A: "What is the problem in that? We represent an alternative to the
Authority. We want to serve the people, and the people want servants and
not masters. We are part of a larger movement called the international
Islamic movement."
Israel Fears that Gaza Would Become Hamas Land; Let Israel Die
Q: "Israelis fear that Gaza could become the land of Hamas after the
withdrawal."
A: "Let Israel die."
Q: "Is this an encouragement for the Palestinian Authority to clamp down
on Hamas with an iron fist?"
A: "No one can crackdown on us with either an iron fist or a golden fist."
Q: "Have you prepared to enter the settlements?"
A: "We will enter the settlements and sully the dignity of Israel with our
feet. We will stand on the ruins of the Israeli settlements and tell our
people we have prevailed. This is nonnegotiable. We will secure the Gaza
Strip and prevent anyone from occupying it again. In past experiences,
government land was stolen. "The land of the evacuated settlements should
serve as the lungs for the economy to breath. Schools, playgrounds,
agriculture, and industry should be established on this land. This is our
position, which we expressed in the meeting of the national committee
formed to oversee the withdrawal. The government to be formed after the
elections will determine the future of this land. "
Q: "In other words, there is an agreement between the Palestinian
Authority and Hamas about the future of the settlements' land."
A: "Yes. The Palestinian Authority has the right to manage the land after
consulting with the committee which consists of representatives of the
national and Islamic factions. "
Q: "Is there a plan for Hamas leaders abroad to return to Gaza?"
A: "We will never give up our right of return. All of Palestine is our
land. When any part of it is liberated, any Palestinian and Muslim will
have the right to come. This does not mean that this is consistent with
the current Isralei withdrawal form Gaza."
Q: "Therefore, will the leaders of Hamas abroad return to Palestine?"
A: "This is up to them. However, the Hamas movement has international
dimensions and relations that it must maintain. Therefore, those who
maintain these relations must stay abroad. "
"We Do Not Consider the West as an Enemy but we Believe Christian Zionism
is Criminal"
Q: "What is the relationship. between Hamas and Europe?"
A: "All the Europeans that we have met admit that the European position is
hypocritical and subservient to U.S. pressure. They look forward to
freeing themselves from such pressures. If you want democracy to express
the will of the Palestinian people, wait for the results of the elections.
If you regard the Palestinian liberation movement, of which Hamas is part,
as a terrorist movement, you must look at history. Was De Gaulle a
terrorist? Were those who worked to liberate their countries from
occupation terrorists? We do not consider the West as an enemy but we
believe Christian Zionism is criminal." Source: Memri.
Endnote:
(1) http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=3&id=1294
AUGUST 2005
 
Photos from L to R: #1. The
bodies of Palestinians killed during the Israel army raids in Gaza lie in
a morgue in the town of Rafah, May 20, 2004. Defying international fury
and a rare U.S. rebuke, Israel expanded its bloodiest Gaza Strip raid in
years on Thursday after killing 39 Palestinians in three days of fighting
in the Rafah refugee camp. (Goran Tomasevic/Reuters) . #2. Three Israeli
bulldozers move towards the Palestinian refugee camp of Rafah, during an
ongoing military operation, May 20, 2004. Israel defied international fury
at the killing of nearly 40 Palestinians in the Rafah camp, a militant
stronghold, to expand its bloodiest Gaza Strip raid in years on Thursday.
(Gil Cohen Magen/Reuters).
 
Photos from L to R:
#1. A Palestinian passes homes
destroyed during an Israeli army raid at the Rafah refugee camp in the
southern Gaza Strip , May 20, 2004. Defying international fury and a rare
U.S. rebuke, Israel expanded its bloodiest Gaza Strip raid in years on
Thursday after killing 39 Palestinians in three days of fighting in the
Rafah refugee camp. (Suhaib Salem/Reuters) . #2. Palestinians gather
around the bodies of six of eight Palestinians killed in an Israeli
missile strike at a mosque prior to prayer during their funeral in the
Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, May 20, 2004. Dozens of
Palestinians have been killed or wounded in the last 2 days. (AP
Photo/Kevin Frayer)
 
Photos from L to R: #1.
Palestinian sisters of Ragab Barhum mourn during his funeral in the
southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah on the third day of a massive Israeli
military operation in the area near Gaza's border with Egypt.(AFP/Mahmud
Hams). #2. Israeli soldiers set down into a grave, the coffin of Israeli
army soldier Sergeant Alexei Hayat, during his funeral at the Mt. Herzl
military cemetery in Jerusalem, Thursday, May 20, 2004. Hayat was one of
11 Israeli soldiers killed in two separate bomb attacks by Palestinian
militants on armored vehicles in Gaza last week. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty).
Photos from L to R: #1. sraeli
left wing Peace Now activists holds signs during a a demonstration against
Israel's ongoing operation in the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip he
Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday May 20, 2004. (AP
Photo/Ariel Schalit). #2. Israeli police officers detain a left-wing
activist during a demonstration against Israel's ongoing operation in the
Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, across from the Defense Ministry in
Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday May 20, 2004. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
 
Photos from L to R: #1. Israeli
left wing Peace Now activists holds signs during a a demonstration against
Israel's ongoing operation in the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip,
across from the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday May 20,
2004. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit). #2. Israeli police officers detain a
left-wing activist during a demonstration against Israel's ongoing
operation in the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, across from the
Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday May 20, 2004. (AP
Photo/Ariel Schalit).
Palestinians: "Gaza withdrawal is
victory for Islam". Major and Dangerous Campaigns Of hate Against the
Jews!!
Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya,
Sharia [Islamic Law] Rulings Council and Rector of Advanced Studies,
Islamic University: "We the Palestinian nation, our fate from Allah is to
be the vanguard of the war against the Jews until resurrection as the
prophet Muhammad said: 'Resurrection will not arrive until you will fight
the Jews and kill them.'
Photo: The
Palestinian Authority is inciting the current wave of violence through its
official media. Jews and Americans are the prime targets. Billboard on
the Palestinian Television Network.
Dr. Hassan Khater:
"Muhammad said in his Hadith: 'The Hour [of Resurrection] will not arrive
until you fight the Jews and the rock and the tree will say: O Muslim,
servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!'
"The Prophet said: the
Resurrection will not take place until the Muslims fight the Jews, and
the Muslims kill them. The Muslims will kill the Jews, rejoice [in it],
rejoice in Allah's victory. The Muslims will kill the Jews, and he will
hide... "The Prophet said: the Jews will hide behind the rock and tree,
and the rock and tree will say: oh servant of Allah, oh Muslim this is a
Jew behind me, come and kill him!" [PA TV, September 10, 2004 - view this
clip here].
Israel's leaving the Gaza Strip is being presented by the Palestinian
Authority and the Hamas as a victory for Islam. Palestinian Authority
religious leaders and Hamas have for years been presenting their conflict
with Israel as part of an unbroken religious war, which Allah is waging
against Jews - a conflict whose climax will be the extermination of the
world's Jews. (Palestinian Media Watch has reported on this ideology. See
documentation below.) Within this context, Israel's leaving its towns in
Gaza now, is being presented as a victory of Islam in this war.
Palestinian Authority Television hosts and participants alike are calling
the Israeli moves from its towns as a 'great victory for Allah'. The Hamas
website publicized numerous posters that declare the same religious
victory theme. The Hamas poster below, showing a face of Hamas founder
Ahmad Yassin laughing, superimposed over a somber religious Jew, presents
the Sharon evacuation plan as a victory of the Koran over the Talmud. The
words on the poster: "Our Koran proves that we were right and your Talmud
proves that you were wrong..." Another Hamas poster shows a rifle and the
Koran with the words: "With those two together the victory has been
achieved." One example from the Palestinian Authority's official daily:
"...The manager of the office of the Ministry of the Waqf in northern
Gaza, Farid Al-Nayard, said, '...last Friday's sermon was under the title
'On that day the Believers will be glad with the victory of Allah.''"
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, August 13, 2005]. In June 2004 Palestinian Authority
religious leader Ibrahim Mudayris already preached the religious
significance he saw in Sharon's plan, connecting it to an event described
in the Koran, specifically focusing on Israel's plan to destroy the towns
before leaving. The Koranic event and the present expulsion, according to
this senior PA imam, have numerous parallels: 1. Attacks by Muslims
against Jews 2. Jews become fearful 3. Jews destroy their own homes 4.
Jews flee their towns. Mudayris' sermon of June 4, 2004. "If you [today]
trust in Allah, like Muhammad's companions, by Allah, it will not be
impossible for Allah to expel the Jews. "[Allah] fought against them [as
is written in the Koran] through their weak hearts because they are
cowards. When they saw someone killed, terror entered their hearts and
they started destroying their own homes. "And now the media reports that
they will leave the settlements. Indeed, they will leave Gaza. They will
leave submissive, by Allah's will. They will leave defeated, like it or
not, in the face of this great victory." [Ibrahim Mudayris, PA TV, June 4,
2004]. The following is the text Mudayris was referring to in the Koran:
"He [Allah] is the one who has caused those of the People of the Book
[i.e. Jews] who disbelieved to leave their homes unto the first
expulsion. You did not think that they would leave, whereas they [the
Jews] were certain that their fortresses would defend them against Allah.
But Allah reached them from a place where they did not expect, and cast
terror in their hearts so that they destroyed their homes with their own
hands and the hands of the believers...!" [Surat Al-Hashar]. Previously
reported examples of numerous Palestinian Authority religious and
academic leaders presenting the war against Israel as a religious war
that will end with the extermination of the Jews. 1. Muhammad Abd Al Hadi
La'afi, responsible for Religious Teaching and Instruction in the Office
of the Wakf: "The battle with the Jews will surely come... "The Prophet
spoke about in more than one Hadith and the Resurrection will not come
without the victory of the believers [the Muslims] over the descendants
of the monkeys and pigs and with their annihilation." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida,
May 18, 2001]. 2. Ibrahim Mudayris, Head of the Association for Memorizing
the Koran. "The Prophet said: the Resurrection will not take place until
the Muslims fight the Jews, and the Muslims kill them. The Muslims will
kill the Jews, rejoice [in it], rejoice in Allah's victory. The Muslims
will kill the Jews, and he will hide... "The Prophet said: the Jews will
hide behind the rock and tree, and the rock and tree will say: oh servant
of Allah, oh Muslim this is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!" [PA TV,
September 10, 2004 - view this clip here]. "
The Jews will not live under
our rule agreeably permanently, since they have been treacherous in
nature throughout history. A day will come when all shall rest from the
Jews.. "Listen to your Beloved [Muhammad], who tells you about the most
dire end awaiting the Jews. The tree and the stone want the Muslim to
bring every Jew to his end. You all know the Hadith." [PA TV, May 13,
2005 - view this clip here]. 3. Muhammad Ibrahim Madi. "All the weapons
must be aimed at the Jews, Allah's enemies, the cursed nation in the
Koran, whom Allah describes as monkeys and pigs, worshippers of the calf
and idol worshippers. "Nothing will deter them except the color of blood
in their filthy nation . unless we blow ourselves up, willingly and as
our duty, in their midst. "We will fight against them and rule over them
until the Jew will hide behind the tree and rock and the tree and rock
will say: 'Muslim! Servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, kill him."
[PA TV, August 3, 2001]. 4. Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya, Sharia [Islamic Law]
Rulings Council and Rector of Advanced Studies, Islamic University "We
the Palestinian nation, our fate from Allah is to be the vanguard of the
war against the Jews until resurrection as the prophet Muhammad said:
'Resurrection will not arrive until you will fight the Jews and kill
them.' We the Palestinians are the vanguard in this issue and in this
campaign whether or not we want this." [PA TV, July 28, 2000]. 5 . Dr.
Hassan Khater. "Muhammad said in his Hadith: 'The Hour [of Resurrection]
will not arrive until you fight the Jews and the rock and the tree will
say: O Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill
him!' "...Allah meant our land and our people and meant our trees and our
stones." [PA TV, December 27, 2004].
Preaching Anti-Jewish Hatred:
Transcript from Friday, October 13, 2000, sermon at the Zayed bin Sultan
Aal Nahyan mosque in Gaza.
The speaker is Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya, Member of the PA appointed "Fatwa
Council" and former acting Rector of the Islamic University in Gaza.
Photos: Broadcast of the message
of hate on Palestinian Television
Ahmad Abu Halabiya: "Have no mercy
on the Jews, no matter where they are.."
"Don’t ever relinquish your rights. Whatever agreements may be signed,
even if agreements are signed on Gaza and the West Bank, we shall not
forget Haifa, Acre, the Galilee and Jaffa, the Triangle and the Negev and
the rest of our cities and villages! It is only a matter of time! The weak
will not remain forever weak. And the strong will not remain forever
strong. With the help of blessed Allah, that’s the way the Jews are! Have
no mercy on the Jews, no matter where they are, fight them, wherever you
are. Wherever you meet them, kill them. Wherever you are, kill the Jews,
the Americans, who are like them, and those who stand by them. They are
all in one trench against the Arabs and the Moslems. ... It is forbidden
to befriend Israelis or to aid them. Don’t love them or enter into
agreement with them, don’t help them or sign accords with them. Anyone who
does this is one of them. This is the word of Allah, blessed be He. They,
they are the terrorists. They should be slaughtered. They should be
murdered. Such is the word of Allah."
Hamas Radio: Jaffa is the same as
Gaza, Tel Aviv the same as Rafah.
The
following is a translation of a hate mongering and terrorism inciting
anti-Israeli song broadcast on Sawt Al-Aqsa, , the Hamas radio station on
August 16, 2005: "Al-Qassam warriors, Al-Qassam warriors, Rain rockets on
the settlers! Prepare the [missile] launchers and aim them at the
settlements, Glorify the name of Allah, the lord of the world! Hero,
improve the Qassam rockets, Don't let any Jew sleep! Oh, Qassam, we want
you to make land mines, Prepare ambushes for the settlers! The fearless
fighters descended upon the settlements May Allah preserve them, the
symbol of our honor. They carried the bombs, girded themselves with
explosive belts And sang songs of leave-taking [as they made their way] to
the highest heavens. Oh, Hamas, your army swears that Millions of
shaheeds are marching to Al-Aqsa! We, oh Qassam, swear allegiance to
death! Strap on the belts and load them with TNT! Oh, shaheed's mother, be
happy for the shaheed! Your son is in paradise, happy and blissful!
(Announcer: Listen, Sharon , to the Hamas announcement: Leave Haifa,
Jerusalem and Imwas [ancient Emmaeus, an abandoned Palestine village in
the Ayalon Vally on the road to Jerusalem ] We will be victorious, oh,
Bush, We will be victorious, oh, Sharon 2, And you will see that tomorrow
If Allah so wills it. The Al-Aqsa Brigades will make you tremble in Haifa
and Tel Aviv They will strike you in Safed and Acre , Because we, our dear
ones, Do not distinguish between [ Jewish] Palestine and [Arab]
Palestine3, For [as] Jaffa is the same as Gaza , Tel-al-Zuhour 4is the
same as Rafah, And the Galilee is the same as Hebron . We make no
distinction between the parts of the earth of the homeland. [i.e. the
whole of Palestine is ours].
2 A quote from 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Rantisi,
who headed Hamas until he died in a
targeted killing on April 17, 2004.
3 Another 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Rantisi quote.
4 One of the Arabic names for Tel Aviv usually used by radical Islamic
Palestinian terrorists groups, mainly Hamas.
'Israel will eventually disappear'
Senior Hamas leader tells Italian newspaper pullout plan a temporary
solution; says Palestine will become a Muslim state. Hamas will not
compromise on one inch of Greater Palestine, Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar
told an Italian newspaper earlier this week. Speaking to the Corriere
Della Sera newspaper, al-Zahar said Hamas would "definitely not" be
prepared for coexistence with Israel should the IDF retreat to its 1967
borders. "It can be a temporary solution, for a maximum of 5 to 10 years.
But in the end Palestine must return to become Muslim, and in the long
term Israel will disappear from the face of the earth."
Go to hell: Asked about Hamas's intentions to carry out terror
attacks in coordination with the disengagement plan, al-Zahar said Hamas
has already promised not to initiate violence, and that the group's
actions would be in response to Israeli actions. "We won't disrupt the
Israeli withdrawal, let them get out of here and go to hell," he said.
"The problem will be afterwards, because in the hearts of every
Palestinian, the liberation of Gaza must be accompanied by the liberation
of Jerusalem and the West Bank."
 Hamas
has again demonstrated that it is mounting a major challenge.
Photo: Hamas is challenging Fatah's traditional political monopoly.
Initial results suggest that the
traditional Palestinian party of power - Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction -
has emerged on top in an important round of local elections in the West
Bank and Gaza.
But the militant movement, Hamas has again
demonstrated that it is mounting a major challenge. Both say they did
better than the early results suggest, and there are serious disputes over
the outcome in two key Gaza constituencies. But election officials say the
initial indications are that Fatah won around 55% of the vote, to Hamas'
35%. According to the officials, Fatah won just over 52 of the
municipalities being fought for. Hamas took around 30. And these results
matter. They shed light on a process of significant change that is
sweeping through the Palestinian political system. Electoral test:
The Fatah faction that Mr Arafat founded and led dominated the political
scene for decades. Under his leadership elections were rare. But now a
phase of democratisation has begun, and Fatah is being put to the
electoral test. These municipal polls are to be followed by a general
election in a few months time. And Fatah is locked in a major contest with
Hamas.
Israel
will eventually disappear
London attack: Al-Zahar said the London bombings, which occurred
during the interview, are to be expected in countries that support the
United States. "It's no wonder today they have found terror attacks in
their home," he said. "I am opposed to attacks against civilians, whoever
they are, but why not tell it like it is - if the British soldiers were
not in Baghdad and Bazra - there would be mercy for London today."
However, al-Zahar stopped short of supporting the attack on the London
Underground, but tried to "explain" the acts of suicide bombers. "There is
a broad popular people's movement against American arrogant hegemony.
World leaders, headed by the Bush and Blair governments, should have been
more attentive to the voice of poorer countries."
Foreign Ministry protests: In Israel, Foreign Minister Silvan
Shalom provided a translation of part of the interview and parts of the
Hamas constitution Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom for European Union envoy
Javier Solana, in an attempt to explain Israel's rejection for
negotiations with Hamas. The Ministry has also embarked on a campaign to
discourage Europeans from dealing with Hamas, including an English
translation of Hamas's convention, to be distributed to diplomats in a bid
to illustrate the movement's radical and dangerous character to the
attention of decision makers throughout the world. "Now, when Europe has
offered to recognize Hamas on a political level, al-Zahar provides clear
statements of what to expect from the organization," Ministry officials
told Ynet. "He does not even attempt to speak ambiguously in an attempt to
please Europe and finds it difficult to hide the group's happiness at the
London bombings."
Al-Qaeda urges attacks on
Canadians
A new al-Qaeda manual posted on
the Internet is calling for terrorist attacks against Canadians, and
specifies that businessmen, politicians, scientists, soldiers and tourists
should be targeted, according to U.S. researchers. Canada is one of six
nations whose citizens are identified as "human targets" in the
Arabic-language publication, which is reported to be the work of senior
Egyptian al-Qaeda figure Saif al-Adel. The manual, called The Al-Battar
Military Camp, ranks Canadians as the fifth most important "Christian"
terrorist targets, behind Americans, Britons, Spaniards and Australians.
Italians were ranked sixth. The manual was obtained and translated by the
SITE Institute, a terrorism research centre in Washington, D.C. It is the
latest edition of a publication that is said to be aimed at new al-Qaeda
adherents scattered around the world. "This al-Qaeda magazine is published
and circulated through the terrorist group's Web site, along with other
propaganda," said Rita Katz, executive director of the institute. "It
contains specific military guidance and instructions on how to effectively
target al- Qaeda's enemies. There are physical training programs, diagrams
of weapons and chapters dedicated to combat strategy. Canadians should
take very seriously the fact that their country is identified as a top
potential target by al-Qaeda."
THE ARAB POINT OF
VIEW. FROM AL JAZEERA
Settler-funding a billion dollar question
Now that Israel plans to spend $2
billion to dismantle just 25 of these enclaves in the West Bank and Gaza -
for which US aid has been requested - raises the question of how much
money has been poured into the ambitious settlement project, and exactly
where it came from. The official answer: No one knows. Vice Prime
Minister Shimon Peres estimates Israel has spent about $50 billion since
1977, when the hardline Likud government took over from his Labour party.
Other former finance ministers and government officials do not discount a
price tag - commonly floated but never documented - of $60 billion.
|
 |
Despite the Gaza pullout,
some
settlements are being expanded
|
"No one eye in the world
saw the whole picture," says Labour Party lawmaker Danny Yatom, a
confidant of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. "Most of it is not
camouflaged, but it is not possible to connect A to B to C to D to E to F
to G." Calculating an exact figure is impossible because much of the
building was financed through winks and nods, an opaque state budget and
secret military spending that sometimes violated Israel's laws and
undercut international peacemaking efforts, according to official Israeli
inquiries as well as interviews with past and present officials, settlers
and their opponents. Among the methods used, the interviews show, were
government subsidies, shadowy land deals, loopholes in military spending,
and an auditing bait-and-switch in which US aid was used to free up
billions of dollars for spending on the settlements formally opposed by
the United States.
 |
Settlements have carved up
occupied Palestinian land
|
Expansion continues:
Even today, with preparations under way for demolishing 21 settlements in
Gaza and four in the West Bank, housing and roads continue to be built in
West Bank settlement blocs Israel wants to keep in a final peace deal with
the Palestinians. This contradicts the internationally backed "road map"
peace plan to halt settlement expansion. And a government-commissioned
inquiry in March revealed similar methods were used to build and expand
dozens of unauthorised West Bank "outposts" - set up as flag-showing
exercises and usually consisting of a handful of people in mobile homes.
It found widespread government complicity in establishing more than 100
such outposts, and the inquiry's chief, former prosecutor Talia Sasson,
called the government's actions "a blatant violation of the law". Last
year, the funding of the outposts came in for sharp criticism from the
state controller, the government's main watchdog. It found at least two
cases where the Housing Ministry funded outposts that the military had
ordered demolished. Government
policy: Now settler leaders, eager to embarrass
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon over his Gaza withdrawal plan, say they had
official backing in all their ventures. "Let me be very, very clear: It's
not a question of dark-of-night grabs, or hide-and-seek or deceit on
anyone's part," said lawmaker Yitzhak Levy of the pro-settler National
Religious Party, who headed ministries in Likud and Labour governments.
"It is government policy," he said. The settlements started after 1967
under Labour governments, which sought to confine them to border areas
they considered necessary for national security.
 |
Some outposts, illegal
under
Israeli law, are state-funded
|
Benefits for settlers: But then Likud came
to power in 1977, claiming a God-given right to the whole West Bank and
Gaza Strip. The chief settlement advocate was Ariel Sharon, the former
general who - now as prime minister - has ordered the Gaza pullback. Using
his Cabinet posts between 1977 and 1992 - agriculture, defence and
housing - he doled out government grants, low-cost loans and tax breaks to
settlers. He also gave birth to the idea of advertising the enclaves as
bedroom communities just minutes from Israeli urban centres. Some
settlements close to towns in Israel proper were subsidised by giving the
inhabitants tax cuts, cheap mortgages and grants of between $6900 and
$57,000 - perks ordinarily reserved for outlying areas. Maaleh Adumim, the
largest settlement with about 30,000 people, received this "priority"
status even though it is just 5km from Jerusalem. So did Elkana, an
affluent settlement 8km from Israel's economic hub, Tel Aviv.
Not legal: Settler
leader Adi Mintz said even some of the settlers thought the tax breaks for
bedroom communities were unfair. The state also picked up as much as half
the tab for hooking up utilities. And pro-settler lawmakers fought to
control key ministries such as Construction and Housing, National
Infrastructure, and Transportation so they could direct money to
settlements. "When I was at the Ministry of Housing, I set the objective
of expanding [settlements in] outlying areas," said lawmaker Levy. The
classified defence budget further propelled expansion, funding troop
deployments to guard settlements, and building fences and wide roads for
settlers living among more than 2 million Palestinians who adamantly
oppose their presence. A government official conceded that some uses of
military funds "in hindsight ... aren't legal and shouldn't have been
done". He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing
possible violations of the law by the government.
Winks and nods: At
times, government watchdogs balked at the way government funds were being
used. Most recently, the Interior Ministry launched an investigation into
the transfer of $2.8 million in 2003 and 2004 from settlement
municipalities to a settlement lobby group, which is funding the fight
against the Gaza pullout.
|
 |
Washington has indirectly
funded settlement projects
|
Because the state and
separate ministerial budgets do not break down outlays by region, it is
difficult to identify the flow of money to settlements. Supporters and
detractors both say this allowed Israeli governments to hide behind the
budget when it came to settlement financing - and forestall friction with
Washington. "The state of Israel didn't want a head-on confrontation with
the United States ... therefore Israel always did things with winks and
nods," said Mintz, the settler leader. Despite its declared opposition to
settlements, Washington only began taking action in the early 1990s, when
Israel sought billions of dollars in US loan guarantees. Washington said
it would deduct sums that went into settlements dollar for dollar.
US lobby:
In 2003, when Israel was granted $9 billion in loan
guarantees over three years, the cut was $289.5 million. Officials
familiar with the issue, and speaking on condition of anonymity, say that
low figure was reached with the help of the influential pro-Israel lobby,
the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known as AIPAC. AIPAC
officials refused to discuss the issue on the record, but denied they
helped to negotiate the numbers. Israel also used private US donations for
which it secured US tax-exempt status, said David Newman, a political
scientist at Israel's Ben Gurion University who researched settlement
funding. US tax laws do not exempt donations for political activities such
as settlements. Israel separated the World Zionist Organisation from the
quasi-governmental Jewish Agency, a move that allowed donors to inject
money into settlements without losing tax exemptions.
Land expropriated: In
reality, the two groups operate under one umbrella, with the same
officials, departments and administrators overseeing the activities,
Newman said.
Perhaps the greyest area is how
Israel expropriated, confiscated or purchased land for settlements. During
the first 12 years of occupation, more than 4000 hectares of land
confiscated by the military for security needs were handed to settlers,
according to Defence Ministry statistics quoted in Lords of the Land, a
book by Israeli authors Akiva Eldar and Idit Zartel. Even after Israel's
Supreme Court in 1979 raised the bar for security-related land
confiscations, the state seized thousands more hectares (acres) of West
Bank land on security grounds and turned it over for settlers, some living
in unauthorised enclaves. The state-funded Jewish National Fund, along
with settler groups and their supporters, also bought land from private
Palestinians, using middlemen to cloak the sellers' identity and shield
them from attack by other Arabs. Shaul Goldstein, head of the Gush Etzion
Regional Council in the West Bank, said his council recently paid $10,000
for 990 square metres of Palestinian land - about one-twentieth of the
cost of land just over the border.
Excerpts from
the Arab Media: Israel's Gaza trap...Terrorist blame
elsewhere...Pressing the press... U.S. Arab Bank funded terrorism.
Compiled by By Dr. Joseph
Lerner.
AL-AHRAM WEEKLY 18-24 Aug.'05: EDITORIAL: Behind the facade". [IMRA:
AAW's editorials enunciate official Egyptian positions.] QUOTES FROM
TEXT": "Arabs, more than most, should have learned by now to be able to
see beyond the fanfare surrounding Israel's withdrawal and instead
address crucial strategic concerns"..."dismantling its settlements in
Gaza in the hope of retaining the enormous settlement infrastructure it
has already gobbled up". FULL TEXT: Sharon has persuaded international
opinion that the road to a solution to the Palestinian cause passes
through Gaza. So skillfully has he raised hopes that many had looked
forward to the withdrawal, oblivious to the advantages he has to gain,
not least the opportunity to tighten defences and refresh his forces.
Yet the Arabs, more than most, should have learned by now to be able to
see beyond the fanfare surrounding Israel's withdrawal and instead
address crucial strategic concerns. We must not evade discussion of the
possibility that the Gaza disengagement will become the first nail in
the coffin of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with defined
borders and territorial contiguity for this, whatever he may say to the
contrary, is part of Sharon's plan. Disengagement from Gaza is the
obverse of his dream of burying Palestinian statehood. The
disengagement, first unveiled at the Herzliya Conference in May 2003,
could all too easily hamper the Palestinian drive to statehood for
however important the benefits that accrue to the Palestinians it
presents a difficult platform upon which to build a state. Israel is in
the process of pushing for a tradeoff. It is dismantling its settlements
in Gaza in the hope of retaining the enormous settlement infrastructure
that has already gobbled up nearly a third of the West Bank. Sharon
openly admitted as much when, in an attempt to appease Jewish extremists
who regard the withdrawal from Gaza as a betrayal of the Zionist dream
of a Greater Israel, he announced that Jewish settlement of the West
Bank would continue. Nor should we forget -- Sharon certainly never
tires of reminding his audiences -- that President George W Bush gave
him his word that Israel could hold on to the larger settlements in the
West Bank. And those settlements are an integral part of the plan to
annex East Jerusalem. What remains of the dream of a Palestinian state,
then, should Israel succeed in securing its control over the West Bank
and the whole of Jerusalem? [IMRA: So why is Egypt cooperating?]. Even
the disengagement from Gaza is fraught with contradictions. Israel wants
to retain control over airspace, territorial waters, borders and ports
of entry. Even on this small patch of land Palestinian control will only
be partial. Sharon's version of disengagement is clearly intended as a
façade, disguising the lack of substance -- the territorial sovereignty
-- that is a condition of statehood.
AL-AHRAM WEEKLY 18-24 Aug.'05:"Closing ranks". HEADING:"Terror
will never dent the unity of Egyptians, writes Ali Hefzi, former
governor of North Sinai". QUOTES FROM TEXT: "Terror was first introduced
into the region by the Zionist groups Stern and Ergun"..."Western
countries offering refuge to fundamentalist (Islamist) militants over
the past two decades must also shoulder part of the
blame"..."individuals used in the attacks are mere tools and their death
during the operation is obviously convenient for the invisible
masterminds who plan the atrocities." EXCERPTS: The hand of
terror rocked the City of Peace on the very anniversary of the 1952
Revolution. The cowardly attack on Sharm El-Sheikh is particularly
painful, for the peninsula has a history that borders on the divine,
.... It is in Sinai that Egyptians have defended themselves against
invaders since Pharaonic times, and up to the war of 1973. [IMRA: Also
the Sinai for expansionist. . .We have every right to take pride in
the progress the peninsula has witnessed since ...the peace agreement
with Israel in 1979. Those who visited Sinai many years ago ... are
amazed by the scale of progress, the roads that have been built, the
land that has been reclaimed and tourism. The attacks on Taba (October
2004) and Sharm El-Sheikh (July 2005) came as a shock to all Egyptians,
... But where did it originate? Terror was first introduced into the
region by the Zionist groups Stern and Ergun, which used violence to
expel the original inhabitants of Palestine prior to 1948. As for the
recent wave of violence, Western countries offering refuge to
fundamentalist militants over the past two decades or so must also
shoulder part of the blame. The repercussions of terror attacks exceed
the magnitude of the initial mayhem. Intelligence experts vouch that
most terror attacks involve prolonged planning, surveillance and
coordination. Major terror operations often involve financing and
guidance from abroad. Those who carry out the attacks are selected with
care and in most cases the perpetrators have no police record or known
inclination to violence. The individuals used in the attack are mere
tools and their death during the operation is obviously convenient for
the invisible masterminds who plan the atrocities. No security regime,
however sophisticated, is foolproof. There is always a chink in the
armour that can be exploited to devastating effect. Let's not forget
that countries far more advanced than Egypt have been frequent targets
of terror. Investigations into the Sharm El-Sheikh bombings are still
underway and should not be prejudged. But it is plain to all that the
bombers, whoever they are, were seeking to undermine not only security
but our national unity. We cannot let them win. We must continue to
fight terror in all its forms, for this is the only way to keep the
country safe. We must make every effort to apprehend the perpetrators.
But in doing so we must avoid doing anything that our enemies may use to
harm this country or divide our ranks. We need, too, more international
and regional cooperation to prevent a repetition of such attacks. Any
loopholes in our security must be closed. .
JORDAN TIMES 19 Aug.'05: "JPA starts taking measures against 'some'
weekly papers". HEADING" Association committee is tasked with
monitoring performance of country's weeklies and making monthly reports"
By Alia Shukri Hamzeh. QUOTES FROM TEXT: "started taking legal measures
against editors and publishers of 'a handful' of weekly newspapers for
legal and ethical violations"..."The association has authority only over
its members. Non-JPA members who practice the profession are considered
illegal journalists, according to the Press and Publications and the JPA
laws."..."He and other publishers and editors of weeklies expressed fear
that the reaction to a number of unprofessional weeklies could harm them
or negatively affect freedom of expression."..."unfair to subject all
weeklies to the same treatment or to label all as unprofessional because
of a number of rotten apples on top of the box".
EXCERPTS:
AMMAN - The Jordan Press Association (JPA) has started taking legal
measures against editors and publishers of "a handful" of weekly
newspapers for legal and ethical violations, JPA President Tareq Momani
said Thursday. Momani told The Jordan Times following a JPA council
meeting that there were some weeklies printing "slanderous material,
rumours and false information.". . ."We are going to take all measures
to ensure that citizens' reputation is not harmed and that practising
journalists abide by the laws that govern their performance," he added.
Momani said the JPA council has tasked its six-member professional
committee with monitoring the performance of the country's weeklies and
making monthly reports of violations of the JPA Law and journalists'
code of ethics. . .The journalists' code of ethics requires a
journalist to be objective and precise in relaying information and to
double-check and verify any material before sending it to print.
According to JPA bylaws, a journalist who violates the law and code of
ethics faces various measures, starting with a warning, an ultimatum,
being referred to disciplinary councils or being banned from practising
the profession for a period no longer than three years and could be
dismissed from the association. The association has authority only over
its members. Non-JPA members who practise the profession are considered
illegal journalists, according to the Press and Publications and the JPA
laws... JPA has sent a warning to the chief editor of one weekly and
referred the name of a writer (non-JPA journalist) at the same weekly to
the attorney general. Momani refused to elaborate but said the weekly
has been printing "slanderous information about a public figure." The
measures are seen as an overdue step against a majority of what many
perceive as "sensationalist tabloid publications working in an
unprofessional manner" and harm the country's image and its march
towards greater democracy and public freedom. A number of practising
journalists expressed satisfaction with the move... These journalists
who were contacted by The Jordan Times also hailed remarks by His
Majesty King Abdullah on the matter in an address to officials, deputies
and senators on Tuesday.
They also called for genuine application to the
law that govern the profession. In his speech, the King said some weekly
newspapers compete in spreading rumours and lies to achieve financial
gains, even at the expense of national interests. . ."Violators of the
law should be pointed out and measures should be taken against them
immediately and in accordance with the law. But this does not mean that
all weeklies should be persecuted in the process," said Al Hadath
weekly's publisher Nidal Mansour. He and other publishers and editors of
weeklies expressed fear that the reaction to a number of unprofessional
weeklies could harm them or negatively affect freedom of expression.
Jordan has over 25 registered weeklies. According to Momani, around 7-8
weeklies are deemed as violators of the law and disregard any
professional standards or code of ethics. Mansour, however, said the
number was far greater and that a mere handful of weeklies were
professional. But, Mansour, who also heads the Centre for Defending
Freedom of Journalists, added that it would be unfair to subject all
weeklies to the same treatment or to label all as unprofessional because
of a number of rotten apples on top of the box. "The most dangerous
issue here is that the terms bad, unprofessional and even scandalous
press are being used against all weeklies. This makes people think that
the industry does not deserve or cannot handle freedom of expression,
and that in turn is harmful to the country," Mansour said. "In the end
it's the public who decides to buy the publication or not." Momani in
turn insisted that the profession will be protected and that those who
abide by the laws and code of ethics will also be supported and
safeguarded.
Al-Jazeera and
Al-Manar Coverage of Armed Palestinian Factions in Gaza. The
following are excerpts about armed Palestinian factions celebrating in the
sea, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on August 18, 2005
Today's first clip
includes an Al-Jazeera report of an interview with a fighter from Islamic
Johad's Al-Quds Squad. It is followed by a report from Hizbullah's Al-Manar
TV, with interviews of armed PLFP terrorists.
Reporter: The siege on the Gaze strip from land, air, and sea has
led the Palestinian factions to take up positions that they had not been
able to reach throughout the Intifada, in order to mark the impending end
of the occupation of part of their homeland. The Al-Quds Squads, the
military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, charged into the raging sea
aboard boats, which were almost completely destroyed by the bullets of the
Israeli Navy. Their clear message was that the Gaza Strip is still not
entirely liberated, and that the West Bank is groaning under the weight of
the occupation and its settlers.
Al-Quds Squads fighter: We chose the sea to stress that our
sovereignty over the sea is like our sovereignty over the land, Allah
willing, and that the sea is our sea and the land is our land. We dedicate
these celebrations to our courageous martyrs, to the leaders of the Al-Quds
Squads, to the 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs
Brigades, to all the national and Islamic factions, and to the prisoners
in the Zionist occupation jails.
Armed PLFP Terrorists on Al-Manar
TV
Reporter: They come from the orange and olive groves, and emerge
from dark corners. Their only option is resistance and confrontation. The
aggression has reached every corner of the occupied Palestinian lands and
has even reached PFLP Secretary-General Abu Ali Mustafa. The brigades that
are named after him carried out a revenge operation on October 7, 2001,
killing the most senior Israeli in the Intifada - the Intifada that
culminated in Israel's announcement of the disengagement plan, which ends
its military and civilian presence in the Gaza Strip settlements.
PFLP Fighter: This withdrawal is only because of the blows of the
Palestinian resistance, and the steadfastness of our courageous
Palestinian people. The Palestinian people insisted on delivering blow
after blow, despite the heavy losses and casualties we sustained due to
our steadfastness.
Reporter: The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, like the other factions,
have deterred the occupation army. Their fighters carried out courageous
operations, including martyrdom operations. Their commanders were arrested
and assassinated, and PFLP Secretary-General Ahmad Sa'dat was was held
prisoner in Jericho. But this series of blows has not destroyed the spirit
of resistance among the fighters. Sources: Al Jazeera, Memri, Imra, Al-Manar.
ARAB MEDIA WATCH: INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
ARAB JOURNALISTS ARE NOT TO BE TRUSTED
Some 1,500 years
ago, Prophet Mohammad condemned the "people of the pen", the poets,
writers and messengers of the word. In his "HADITH AL SHARIF" (Noble
Dialogues and Discourse of the Prophet), Mohammad told his followers "WA
INNA AL SHOUARA'AH MIN AHLI AL NAR", meaning verbatim "Poets (or writers,
in today's terminology "journalists") are from the parents of fire". He
meant by this that, poets and writers are decadent, sinful and
untrustworthy. And consequently, they will go to hell. He knew, back then,
that the Arab mind and the Arab pen are not to be trusted, for they
distort the truth, corrupt the masses and cause mass confusion. And
today, 1,500 years after such a prophetic proclamation, the Muslim Arab
mind did not change a bit. Especially in the circle and milieux of
educated and cultured Muslims, in the Arab corporate world, science, media
and broadcasting. By nature and raison d'etre, the Arab media will never
cease to attack Israel, will keep on inciting and encouraging Arabs and
Muslims to hate the Jews and the Christians, and to disseminate false
information about Israel and the United States foreign policies. This
Muslim intellectualism distortion and those hate and vengeance campaigns
against the Jews and Christians in the Arab media negatively and
dangerously affect the Arab and Muslim populace around the globe. Muslims
and Arabs who live and work in the United States are not immune. For
almost 20 years, Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser kept on lying to his people
and to the immense Arab world, and continued to fabricate stories about
the imminent danger of world Zionism. In his weekly speeches at the Radio
of Cairo (HOUNA AL QAHIRA), and the daily political broadcast of "AKAZEEB
WA HAKA'IK" (LIES AND TRUTHS), the Egyptian president consistently and
methodologically disseminated false information about the military power
of Egypt, the might of the Arab League, and the danger of Zionism ("Sahayinah"
in Arabic). His speeches were printed in their entirety on the front page
of all the Arab newspapers, except in Tunisia. No rationale, analytical
analysis and unbiased reporting are to be found in official communiqués
and statements issued by Arab officials, nor in Arab editorials. And this
week, I found an abundance of examples which illustrate the biased,
distorted and sick news reporting by the Arab media and childish
accusations scenarioed by top Arab officials. Here are some:
Photo: T he
bodies of four Palestinian youths killed in an Israeli missile strike, are
seen amongst other bodies at a makeshift morgue in the Rafah refugee camp,
southern Gaza Strip , Wednesday, May 19, 2004. At least ten people were
killed, most of them children and teens and dozens wounded in the attack.
Saudi Arabia Defense Minister:
"Bin Laden Was Sent by the Jews. "During
an official meeting/conference on counter-terrorism which took place in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Prince Sultan Feted, the Defense Minister of Saudi
Arabia stated, that, Osama Bin Laden was “sent by the Jews.” The Saudi
Defense Minister went on claiming that Bin Laden was a Jewish instrument.
And somewhere in his ridiculous and lengthy accusative report, Feted
inserted and read a poem which goes like this: "Long live security, may
its men hold their heads high on every corner. Bin Laden whose ideology is
sick, who was sent by the Jews, who is the architect of theft, was
treacherous and sent us the criminals. This traitor of the nation tried to
harm us, but his efforts boomeranged back upon him." Prince Turki Ibn
Muhammad, assistant undersecretary for political affairs at the Saudi
Foreign Ministry told WorldNetDaily: "We have invited all countries that
have suffered from terrorism to the conference, and all have agreed to
take part." Yet, Israel was not invited to attend the conference.
Arab Weekly Editorial:
"Israel-United States Nuclear Tests Caused the Tsunami."
The
Arab media has accused Israel and the United States of being the
devilish architects of the catastrophic earthquake events and tsunami in
Southeast Asia. The Egyptian newspapers and particularly the "AL USBOUH",
the national Egyptian weekly have concluded that Israel was responsible
for causing the death of 165,000 people in Asia. The Egyptian weekly
wrote that tsunami was caused by American-Israeli-Indian atomic tests,
intentionally conducted to kill Muslims. The editorial stated: "The
three most recent atomic tests were conducted by Americans and Israelis
with the intention of annihilating humanity and Muslims." The
editorial continues, "In the most recent and initial tests, Americans
and Israelis began to destroy entire habitats and cities on a large
scale, especially where Muslims live."
 
Photos from L to R: #1. The mother of
Palestinian Mahmoud Mansoor was one of eight Palestinians who were killed
when Israeli forces fired on a demonstration in the refugee camp
Wednesday. #2.A Palestinian carries a dead boy after an Israeli attack on
a crowd at the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, May 19,
2004. Israeli forces opened fire on a protest march in the besieged camp
on Wednesday, killing eight Palestinians and raising the death toll in
Israel's heaviest raid in the Gaza Strip in years to 31. Some witnesses
reported seeing helicopter gunships launching missiles while others said
tanks fired shells into a peaceful crowd of thousands, sending people
fleeing in panic, some dragging bloodied comrades with them.
 
Photos from L
to R: #1. A Palestinian medic
carries an injured girl for treatment at the hospital in the Southern Gaza
Strip town of Rafah after she was wounded, according to witnesses, during
the ongoing Israeli army operation in the area early Thursday May 20,
2004. Israeli troops pushed deeper into Rafah refugee camp Thursday,
killing seven Palestinians and demolishing several buildings despite an
international outcry over a deadly tank attack a group of protesters
Wednesday. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa). #2. Members of a Palestinian family
sit inside a classroom of a United Nations school where they found
temporary shelter after their house was demolished by Israeli forces, at
Rafah refugee camp, in the southern Gaza Strip , Thursday May 20, 2004.
Some 60 other families, according to officials, are housed in the school
as Israeli troops continue their house-to-house searches for militants and
weapons smuggling tunnels in other parts of the camp. (AP Photo/Lefteris
Pitarakis).
 
Photos from L to R: #1. Relatives of
Palestinian Waleed Abu Gamar,10, react as his body is brought into the
family home during his funeral in the Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza
Strip , Thursday, May 20, 2004. Abu Gamar was one of at least eight
Palestinians killed when Israeli forces fired on a demonstration in the
refugee camp Wednesday. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer). #2. A masked militant of
the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. The radical Palestinian group said it would
kidnap Israeli soldiers to secure the release of Fatah chief Marwan
Barghuti who was convicted of murder by a Tel Aviv court. (AFP/File/Mahmud
Hams)
 
Photos from L
to R: #1. A Palestinian man
reads from the Quran as family gathers gather around the body of
Palestinian Mahmoud Mansoor,13, during his funeral in the Rafah refugee
camp, southern Gaza Strip , Thursday, May 20, 2004. Mansoor was one of the
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ANALOGY
BETWEEN THE ARAB/PALESTINIAN/ISLAMIC VIEWPOINTS AND THE ISRAELI/JEWISH
VIEWPOINTS. PUBLISHED UNEDITED "AS IS".