Avi Beiber, Israeli Hero

There can be no doubt whatsoever that 56 days in a military prison in Israel is no pleasure.

However, there can be no doubt either that what Cpl. Avi Beiber did was heroic. Many more will certainly follow in his path, and that will make his jail time worthwhile to him.

There was a time when the laws of Israel were wholly compatible with a Jewish conscience. That was a time when military heroes were praised, when the IDF looked at the result rather than at the rules, and when terrorists were not "partners" for what is now called "peace".

That time is long gone, and with it went the self-esteem and self-respect of a whole generation of Israeli heroes, from Yitzhak Rabin to... well... to General Ariel Sharon. He is probably the greatest living general alive, bar none, and yet he is taking the country to the brink and, quite possibly, beyond it, having learned absolutely nothing from the actions of his predecessor.

There was also a time when Jews had to break the laws of the rulers of Israel to make the Zionist dream come true. A time when our enemies were as hateful, as deluded, as determined, and as inhumane as today. A time when, despite the mortal danger to their livelihood in their home countries, Jews could not legally enter Eretz Israel.

And yet they did, and History knows that some things are more important than laws.

When a people's destiny is at stake, the limitations of any legal framework should be overcome.

And so it is today.

posted by Franklin D. Rosenfeld @ 6:45 AM 0 comments

Why did the MSM cover the Iranian "elections"?

BBC News
Iran hardliner sweeps to victory The ultra-conservative mayor of Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has won a landslide victory in Iran's presidential poll. Mr Ahmadinejad won 62% of votes, defying predictions of a close race, to defeat the more moderate ex-President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. After his win, Mr Ahmadinejad said he planned to create a "modern, advanced and Islamic" role model for the world. His victory means all the organs of the Iranian state are now in the hands of conservative hardliners. Mr Ahmadinejad, 49, who campaigned on a conservative Islamic platform, had surprised observers by beating five other candidates in the first round to reach the run-off. The BBC's Frances Harrison in Tehran says his taped statement, broadcast on state radio after the result was announced, was aimed at easing worries about his conservative views. Some 22 million people voted in this run-off poll - a turnout of 60%, down from 63% in the first round a week ago. Our correspondent says it was Mr Ahmadinejad's appeal to the poor that seems to be the secret to his success. Despite Iran's huge oil wealth the country has high unemployment and a big gap between rich and poor.

There are so many things wrong with this that the media has failed to pick up on that its hard to know where to start. First up, a little background on the "conservative" candidate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the "moderate" candidate Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

(English translation of sermon given by Rafsanjani as "President" in December 2001)
Rafsanjani said that Muslims must surround colonialism and force them [the colonialists] to see whether Israel is beneficial to them or not. If one day, he said, the world of Islam comes to possess the weapons currently in Israel's possession [meaning nuclear weapons] - on that day this method of global arrogance would come to a dead end. This, he said, is because the use of a nuclear bomb in Israel will leave nothing on the ground, whereas it will only damage the world of Islam.
http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP32502

This is what passes for "moderation" in the liberal media - a declaration of nuclear war against Israel.

Also, Rafsanjani was convicted in the Berlin Mykonos trial of conspiring with Supreme Leader Khamenei, ex-foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati and Pasdaran commander Mohsen Rezai in a “special committee” that ordered the murders of Kurdish leaders and exiled Iranians.

And so if this is "moderation", what is "conservatism"?

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is an ex top commander in the revolutionary guard who was responsible of orchastrating mass killings in the 1980s. He is a ruthless barbarian who even bluntly informed UPI this year that “We did not have a revolution in order to have democracy.”

So, the race was between a jew-hating extremist and a slightly more extreme jew hating democracy hating extremist. So who would people choose?

Which leads to my second point that 60% of people choose the latter. They turned their back on moderisation, freedom, liberty and democracy. Anyone smell a rat? Nope, not MSM. Yes, the vote was heavily rigged. In fact, from accounts of pro-democracy bloggers stationed in Iran, no one actually turned up to vote! The 60% turn out figure cited by the BBC? Probably just made up. In fact, in places such as the Khuzestan Province, turnout was around 3-5%, which is almost certainly a lot nearer the real number than the BBC's number. But whatever the real voter turnout - your guess is as good as anyones - there are other factors to concerning voter turnout:

The one number worth parsing in Friday's election is that of voter participation. Many Iranians had called for a boycott as the only way of showing resistance. Knowing this, the mullahs seem to have taken their usual election manipulations to another level. Intimidation by the Revolutionary Guards and the fact that proof of voting is needed for certain jobs and welfare payments have always pushed up turnout. Still, voter participation has steadily declined in the past few years to barely 50%
Opinion Journal.

Now the real story comes out. And thirdly, and probably most importantly - the winner of the election has no power anyway!

The most astonishing aspect of Friday's presidential vote in Iran is not that the elections will go into a second round but that Tehran managed to convince so many in the West that this is a real demonstration of democracy. All power is held by Supreme Leader Ali Khameni, his Council of Guardians and the small clique of military officers and businessmen around him. The Council disqualified more than 1,000 candidates before the election, vetting only contestants who support the regime's ideological lines. The example of outgoing "reformist" President Mohammad Khatami, who presided over eight years of economic decline and worsening repression, has proven that the President cannot change anything against the Council's will.

Cox and Forkum cartoons sums up the situation pretty well:


Indeed.

So there you have it - my latest "cutting-the-crap-of-the-MSM" edition to crossfire's post library is completed. I leave you with this:

This is not democracy

posted by Chris Hughes @ 4:14 PM 0 comments

A cease-fire where fire never ceases

No one will be surprised by today's sad news: a 17 year-old Israeli was murdered near Hebron. Why, just why, is the IDF unwilling or unable to secure a vital part of Yesha and to let the terrorists roam around at will?

But I know the answer to this question, as to all others: they need their own state! Right now!

posted by Franklin D. Rosenfeld @ 1:09 AM 0 comments

Oderint dum metuant

For all those who thought or, more to the point, feared that Israel had lost her resolve and had returned to the post-1993 fantasy land - and I know we all hoped that the election of Gen. Sharon would mark a return to reality, only to see our worst nightmares come true - here is a small but much-needed piece of good news:

Jihad chiefs avoid rally after Israel death threat

I hate to be mean, but isn't this it a sign that even the most deluded so-called pacifist should understand? Or how would they explain their "Palestinian" friends' behavior :

"The enemy is flying dozens of drones in our skies. Certainly we must be more careful. God has ordered us to take care against the plans of the Zionist enemy."

That's a start (though why any Arab terrorist should be able to speak to the press is beyond me - AH-64D, anyone?).

Now if someone would please mention those 500 bunker busters and the Mad Mullahs in one sentence...

posted by Franklin D. Rosenfeld @ 6:08 PM 0 comments

Will the Church of England divest from Israel?

Tomorrow, the Church of England will debate whether they should plunge into the moral abyss and divest from the state of Israel. To even consider such a thing shows that they already have one foot in the hole.
Melanie Phillips explores the moral disinvestment of the Church of England.

posted by Chris Hughes @ 12:53 PM 0 comments

25 Ways to Help Israel

Speak Out and Influence the Media by Writing Opinion Letters
Buy Israel
Serve in the Israeli Intelligence Services
Help Israel on Behalf of the Christian Zionist Community
Volunteer for the Israel Defense Forces as a Non-Combat Volunteer (for people ages 18 to 80 -- Yes 80!)
Serve in the Israel Defense Forces as a Combat Soldier (ages 18 to 23)
Pray and Learn for the Nation of Israel
Fight for Israel on College Campuses
Study in Israel and Earn College Credit
Fight the Anti-Israel Economic Boycott by Supporting Targeted Companies
Boycott Arab Oil at Your Local Gas Station
Get the Israeli Side of Daily Events in the Middle East
Write to Your Elected Official on Behalf of Israel
Learn About Israel’s Greatest Accomplishments
Learn the Israeli Side of the Middle East Conflict
Discover What are Enemies are Saying About us and the Western World
Support the Troops
Join Pro-Israel Organizations
Spiritual Activism - Perform Acts of Tsuva for the State of Israel
Visit Israel for the First Time
Keep Coming Back to Israel and Make Your Next Trip Even Better!
Volunteer for Israel at Home and in Israel
Donate to Israeli Charities
Invest in Israel Bonds
Make Aliyah

posted by Chris Hughes @ 2:26 PM 0 comments

On this Day in 1981

From BBC Archives:

1981: Israel bombs Baghdad nuclear reactor

The Israelis have bombed a French-built nuclear plant near Iraq's capital, Baghdad, saying they believed it was designed to make nuclear weapons to destroy Israel.
It is the world's first air strike against a nuclear plant.

With remarkable precision, an undisclosed number of F-15 bombers and F-16 fighters destroyed the Osirak reactor 18 miles south of Baghdad, on the orders of Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
The army command said all the Israeli planes returned safely.

The 70-megawatt uranium-powered reactor was near completion but had not been stocked with nuclear fuel so there was no danger of a leak, according to sources in the French atomic industry.

This was condemned on the day, but is now almost universially praised. I post this just to remind people of the past - and that Israel must never compromise its security to gain approval from the international community. Never

posted by Chris Hughes @ 12:10 AM 0 comments

*General Update*

• I will be putting up some more links relatively soon of the many pro-democracy and pro-peace Middle Eastern and Muslim bloggers out there, for they are not to be ignored

• I will catch up on the latest news and goings on soon - I have been slacking slightly a I have been a bit busy as of late

• In the not to distant future I plan to go on a recruitment drive for contributors and supporters to this site. I will post more details later.

posted by Chris Hughes @ 11:55 PM 0 comments

Melanie Phillips speaks out

The Enduring Tragedy

[...]The release of the 400 completes Israel’s promise to release a total of 900 prisoners as a goodwill gesture. There cannot be many nations in the world who, when the enemy is still attacking them, would set a total of 900 enemy combatants free to continue to attack them as a goodwill gesture. Predictably, the Palestinians said this gesture was not enough.
The key point is this. Israel made an obligation and is standing by it. The Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, by contrast, has done virtually nothing to meet his obligation — which is supposed to stand prior to anything Israel is required to do — to dismantle the Palestinian infrastructure of terror; and yet he is not being held to account.
Because he is not Arafat, because he wears a suit and speaks softly and talks about an end to the culture of violence, the west is happy to take him at face value. Big mistake.[...]

posted by Chris Hughes @ 11:49 PM 0 comments