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BlogUBL Slams U.S. For Celebrating Israel's 60thUsama bin Laden, al-Qaeda's leader, condemned Western leaders for celebrating Israel's 60th birthday. In a new audio tape, he says the war against Israel and its allies will continue, and that Muslims won't cede "one inch of Palestine," al-Jazeera reports. "Western leaders' participation with the Jews in this celebration confirms... they are in the same trench as the Israelis against us," he said. The release of the tape came as President George W. Bush ended a visit to Israel. During a speech to the Knesset, Bush condemned several Islamic extremist groups, including al-Qaeda. By Jonathan Schanzer | Fri, 16 May 2008 at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Rockets Rain Down On IsraelThis weekend, Israel's Negev region was bombarded. On Friday night, Hamas fired mortars, killing an Israeli civilian and wounding others, including an IDF soldier. On Saturday, Hamas fired more than 20 Qassam rockets, and on Sunday one struck a school bus. On Monday, rockets struck Ashkelon killing a tourist; one landed near a school before children arrived. Hamas announced its rocket capabilities were improving, and that it would "continue to fire until the last moment" when a truce is signed. The IAF struck back, killing 5 Hamas terrorists and injuring 7. Israel also sent a letter to the U.N. urging it to condemn the rockets. The U.N. has yet to respond. By Cory Missimore | Mon, 12 May 2008 at 2:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Israel's Latest Population StatsOn the eve of Israel's 60th Independence Day, the population stands at 7,282,000, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), the Jerusalem Post reports. Some 5,499,000 of the population (75.5%) are Jews, 1,461,000 (20.1%) are Arabs, and 322,000 (4.4%) are non-Jewish immigrants and their offspring, the CBS reports. Since last year, Israel's population rose by some 130,000. The increase is attributed to natural growth (babies and legal immigrants). These figures support the findings of Bennett Zimmerman and Michael Wise, who wrote a piece in the latest inFOCUS Quarterly that challenges the notion that Israel is in demographic danger of being overtaken by an Arab population. Read it here. By Jonathan Schanzer | Wed, 7 May 2008 at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Hamas Makes A Mess in the MedThe UN says Gaza's water authority dumped millions of gallons of sewage into the Mediterranean Sea this year, according to the Jerusalem Post. "The sewage discharge is contaminating Gaza seawater and posing health risks for bathers and consumers of seafood. The sewage flows northward to Israeli coasts, including near the Ashkelon desalination plant," a UN report reads. Although the Hamas government poured the human excrement into the water, in keeping with the UN's consistent criticism of Israel, the international body blamed Israel's blockade of Gaza for the pollution. Hamas has a record of fouling the environment. The terror group's poor stewardship in Gaza led to a "sewage tsunami" among other problems last year. I documented Hamas' Misrule in Gaza in the New York Post last April. By Jonathan Schanzer | Fri, 2 May 2008 at 9:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Iran Working To Build Regional InfluenceThe U.S. State Department calls Iran the world's "most active" state sponsor of terrorism because of its efforts to build regional influence, Agence France Press reports. The entire report, "Country Reports on Terrorism 2007," can be found on the State Department's website. Iran builds regional influence by funding Hizbullah and Hamas. Hizbullah already has an Iranian arsenal designed for war with Israel. Hamas, however, is a more difficult client to arm, on account of the Israeli closure of the Gaza Strip. Iran now understands that Egypt, which neighbors Gaza, holds the key to arming Hamas. Accordingly, Iran is lobbying Egypt to ease restrictions. I have documented some of these efforts in a piece that appeared today in National Review Online. By Jonathan Schanzer | Thu, 1 May 2008 at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Iran Working To Build Regional InfluenceThe U.S. State Department calls Iran the world's "most active" state sponsor of terrorism because of its efforts to build regional influence, Agence France Press reports. The entire report, "Country Reports on Terrorism 2007," can be found on the State Department's website. Iran builds regional influence by funding Hizbullah and Hamas. Hizbullah already has an Iranian arsenal designed for war with Israel. Hamas, however, is a more difficult client to arm, on account of the Israeli closure of the Gaza Strip. Iran now understands that Egypt, which neighbors Gaza, holds the key to arming Hamas. Accordingly, Iran is lobbying Egypt to ease restrictions. I have documented some of these efforts in a piece that appeared today in National Review Online. By Jonathan Schanzer | Thu, 1 May 2008 at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Palestinians Talk Truce on the NileThirty members of various Palestinian factions will hold talks in Cairo with Egyptian mediators to discuss a comprehensive truce with Israel and the lack of unity among the divided factions, ash Sharq al-Awsat reports. Mohammed al-Baba of the Popular Resistance Committees says that the groups will meet Tuesday with Egypt's intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman. A prisoner swap involving a number of Palestinians for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit is also in the agenda. Hamas says it wants a six-month truce. Israel dismissed the offer, saying Hamas will use the time to rearm after sustaining heavy losses in recent fighting. As analyst Shoshan Haberman documented in 2003, Hamas increases its capabilities during ceasefires, only to launch more brutal rounds of violence. By Jonathan Schanzer | Tue, 29 Apr 2008 at 5:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Iran's Barbie WarsIran's Prosecutor General says Barbie dolls are a cultural danger with "destructive cultural and social consequences," Reuters reports. He also deems Batman, Spiderman and Harry Potter as "danger warning[s]". In 2002, Iran banned Barbie, USA Today reported. Two years ago, police raided toy shops and put black stickers on Barbie packaging to hide their bodies, the New York Times reported. Barbie offends Iran's rule that women must cover all bodily contours - even plastic dolls. Iran's answer to Barbie is Sara, which lacks Barbie's popularity. U.S. muslims have another Muslim counter to Barbie, complete with long sleeves a headscarf: Razzane. For a glimpse into the world of Islamist cultural weapons, see Olivier Guitta's article in the Winter 2007 edition of inFOCUS. By Cory Missimore | Mon, 28 Apr 2008 at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Al-Qaeda's #2 Wants Credit for Killing 3000+ AmericansIn an argument that borders on silly, al-Qaeda's deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is angry at Iran for spreading the theory that Israel was behind the 9/11 attacks, BBC reports. In a two-hour, online audio tape, Zawahiri insisted al-Qaeda carried out the attacks. He also accused Iran of trying to discredit Osama Bin Laden's network through the Hizbullah television station al-Manar. Zawahiri also criticized Iran for co-operating with the US in its 2001 invasion of Afghanistan to oust the Taliban. The Shi'ite-Sunni rift has emerged once again, this time between America's two most dangerous enemies. By Jonathan Schanzer | Tue, 22 Apr 2008 at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Happy PassoverThe Jewish Policy Center wishes you and your family a very happy Passover holiday. By Matthew Brooks | Fri, 18 Apr 2008 at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) |
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