Tony Blair yesterday accused Iran of arming Taliban fighters in Afghanistan in order to stir "chaos" and inflict more casualties on Western troops.
The Prime Minister's allegation follows the disclosure in The Daily Telegraph that British intelligence believes that Iran has given the Taliban surface-to-air missiles.
In an article in The Economist, Mr Blair also conceded that al-Qa'eda had successfully manipulated public opinion of those in the West into believing that their own governments were responsible for provoking the terrorist threat.
British troops in southern Afghanistan are heavily engaged against Taliban fighters, many of whom are infiltrating the country from bases in neighbouring Pakistan.
Iran's Shia regime was once an arch enemy of the avowedly Sunni Taliban. But common antipathy towards America, Britain and the West appears to have thrust them together. Mr Blair believes that Iran and the Taliban share an interest in killing Western troops inside Afghanistan and are co-operating accordingly.
"In Afghanistan, it is clear that the Taliban is receiving support, including arms from, again, elements of the Iranian regime," he wrote.
"They believe if they inflict enough chaos, enough casualties of Western soldiers, we will lose the will. It will become another 'mess'.
"And if it does, the problem will be laid at the door of the Afghan government and its Western allies." Mr Blair wrote that an "assault on the ideas" behind al-Qa'eda was just as vital as any military campaign. The terrorist network fed off a deep sense of grievance felt by many Muslims towards the West. While they condemned terrorists, Mr Blair said that many Muslims shared al-Qa'eda's sentiments.
The Prime Minister wrote that al-Qa'eda's "ideology" was a "perversion of the faith of Islam" but it "plays to a sense of victimhood and grievance in the Muslim world. Many disagree with its methods. But too many share some of its sentiments."
Mr Blair added that al-Qa'eda had succeeded in encouraging self-hatred and denigration among Western electorates. "The terrorists have successfully warped our sense of what is happening and why. They have made us blame ourselves."
Mr Blair added: "We can debate the rights and wrongs of removing Saddam.
"The reality is that if you took al-Qa'eda (in Iraq before Saddam's fall) out of the conflict in Baghdad u2026 it would be possible to calm the situation."
He wrote that "probably the larger, part of Western opinion would prefer us to withdraw. That is the extraordinary dulling of our senses that the terrorism has achieved.
"In the Palestinian question who gets the blame for lack of progress? The West. In Lebanon - a crisis deliberately provoked by, again, the same forces - who is held responsible? Israel."
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/02/2007 10:03 ||
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The Prime Minister wrote that al-Qa'eda's "ideology" was a "perversion of the faith of Islam" but it "plays to a sense of victimhood and grievance in the Muslim world. Many disagree with its methods. But too many share some of its sentiments."
And it is an obvious lie or sub-moronic mistake to advance this view that even the Stalinists don't believe it (no matter their public claims). So long as our elected leaders misrepresent islam as a "religion of peace" the less reason the electorate has to believe a word they say, trust their elementary reasoning skills or feel confident of their ability to accurately process reality.
#2
But, but, there's NO WAY Iran could help the Taliban, who only a few years ago were bitter enemies for, among other things, their oppression of the (Shi'a) Hazara in northern Afghanistan. I mean, we've got a whole task force at Langley that probably scoffs at the very idea. Lots of good think-tankers, too, who can dismiss this idea out of hand. I mean, one's a Shi'a outfit, the other militant Sunni. It's simply not possible.
My sarcasm is if anything understated - but I wonder if even today, this sort of preposterous non-thinking goes on amongst those we pay to think clearly about these issues.
The Afghan Peace Jirga Commission (APJC) has ruled out the possibility of inviting any Taliban supporters to the Pak-Afghan peace jirga scheduled for the first week of August in Kabul.
Those who have influence with the Taliban or militants will not be invited to participate in the jirga meeting due to security reasons, Pir Syed Ahmad Gillani, head of the APJC, told a press conference in Nathiagali on Friday.
Gillani said the Taliban were a constant threat to peace in Afghanistan and reiterated the Afghan governments firm stance to stay away from them by not inviting them to the meeting. A 12-member APJC delegation arrived here on Thursday to finalise strategy for the joint Pakistan and Afghanistan grand jirga meeting, which would be attended by 700 delegates from both countries (350 members from each country).
Posted by: Fred ||
06/02/2007 00:00 ||
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About a quarter of nearly 400 000 refugees who deserted Mogadishu during fighting earlier this year have returned to the Somali capital, the United Nations refugee agency said on Friday. But life in the war-scarred city was tough, with shortages of electricity and water, uncollected garbage clogging the streets and many businesses and schools shut, the agency said.
"Living conditions in Mogadishu remain difficult for returnees as well as for those who stayed in the capital throughout the conflict," it said in a statement.
Two rounds of vicious fighting between allied Ethiopian-Somali troops and Islamist-led insurgents sent residents fleeing the coastal city in droves earlier this year and killed at least 1 300 people, mainly civilians. The United Nations said 391 000 Somalis had abandoned the city since February, but 90 000 had returned in recent weeks during a relative lull in violence.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/02/2007 00:00 ||
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Islamabad: A prominent opposition lawmaker in Pakistan has blamed the countrys Army for provoking the 1965 war with India as also the Kargil battle.
It was our Army that provoked the 1965 war with India as it did in Kargil, Atezaz Ahesan, PPP leader and the lead counsel for suspended Chief justice Iftikhar M Chaudhry, said at the launch of Ayesha Siddiqas book Military Inc: Inside Pakistans Military Economy on Friday.
He said youth in Pakistan were taught that India was an enemy and it was necessary to equip the army to combat it. But we should remember that national security states are ultimately destroyed, he said and cited the example of the erstwhile Soviet Union.
Ahesan said weapons were no guarantee for security of a country as the former Soviet Union, which had over 40,000 nuclear warheads, did not exist today. Today the Army is in full control in Pakistan. They have tightened their grip on all important institutions and are occupants of all national resources, The Nation quoted him as saying
Posted by: John Frum ||
06/02/2007 10:13 ||
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Atezaz is now on the Pak poop list. What'll it be? Unknown assailants? Or an unfortunate accident?
Posted by: Fred ||
06/02/2007 10:47 Comments ||
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ISLAMABAD - Pakistani authorities are tightening rules to restrict live television broadcasts of opposition rallies in a move aimed at stopping criticism of the powerful military.
Criticism of the army is a sensitive issue but some lawyers supporting suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry threw barbs at the military at a seminar broadcast live on private television channels on Saturday. The government responded by filing a legal complaint against the lawyers.
In addition to the legal action, the governments broadcast authority is going to enforce rules that require television stations to get permission for live broadcasts. We will ensure that the rules are properly followed, said a senior government official who declined to be identified.
A broadcaster said there had always been a rule requiring permission for live broadcasts but it had not been invoked before. Now, they say they will not allow it without permission, said Syed Talat Hussain, news director at the private Aaj television. He said he had received an instruction to get permission this week.
Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani, asked about the broadcasting rule, said: We will not allow maligning of the army and the judiciary. It will no longer be tolerated.
No live broadcasts. Censorship of the press. No free assembly for groups of five or more. And don't even think of changing the 'religion' category on passports. Yup, that Pakistan's a thriving democracy, huh.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/02/2007 00:00 ||
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But no restrictions on the Lal Masjid clerics....
Their FM broadcasts continue...
Posted by: John Frum ||
06/02/2007 8:26 Comments ||
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistani officials have banned rallies of more than five people in the capital, an official said on Friday, a day ahead of a planned procession from the city by supporters of the suspended chief justice. "We have imposed a ban on rallies in Islamabad. A notification about it has been issued, and this step has been taken to ensure peace and avoid any inconvenience to the general public, said Mohammed Ali, Islamabads deputy chief of administration.
However, Ali said there were no immediate plans to keep ousted Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhrys supporters from joining him in a 50-kilometer (30-mile) procession Saturday to Abbotabad, north of Islamabad, where the judge wants to address a gathering of lawyers.
After a ban is imposed, anyone wanting to organize a gathering of more than five people must get permission from the government. Ali said no request had come from Chaudhrys supporters for the procession.
Aitzaz Ahsan, a lawyer for Chaudhry, told The Associated Press that no permission was needed. "God willing, we will go to Abbotabad with the chief justice on Saturday, and we have no plan to apply for any permission, he said, acknowledging he was aware of the rally ban.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/02/2007 00:00 ||
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Good question.
Many Pakistanis think the Army is backing the Lal Masjid to divert attention away from the civil opposition and to maintain the American aid.
The very first Pak PM Liqiat Khan had the same "Apres Moi, Le Deluge" strategy.
In any event, sharia and Talibanization are no threat to the Punjabi elite. Where they live inside the British built cantonments, the lawns are beautiful, there are lots of servants, the clubs are well stocked with whiskey. No sharia will ever apply here. 500,000 Pak troops will ensure that.
It is the small middle class who are getting squeezed and they have never mattered to the feudal elite.
Of interest is the claim that the MQM violence in support of Perv is because of his mohajir background. Musharraf was born in Delhi and there may be Punjabi elements who would like to see one of their own in charge. Perv may have outlived his usefulness and it may be time for another General, or more likely a civilian figurehead, backed by the military.
Posted by: John Frum ||
06/02/2007 11:22 Comments ||
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It is the small middle class who are getting squeezed and they have never mattered to the feudal elite.
This seems to be the working equation in more places than just Pakistan. America's immigration bill leaps to mind.
As Trifkovic notes, Musharraf is a consumate master of "running with the hare and hunting with the hounds". America's willingness to turn a blind eye towards Pakistan has been a major misstep in fighting terrorism. While Saudi Arabia funds the vast majority of it, Pakistan is the indoctrination and training center.
Pakistan's attacks on the Indian Parliament were reason enough to dismantle their nation in the style of Afghanistan. America's lack of response to this was worse than shameful. Musharraf's hand-off policy with the NWFP taliban and pro-terrorists of Lal Masjid expose Pakistan for the pathetic charade it is.
While Iran tops our Christmas list in terms of immediate action, neutralization of Pakistan and its nuclear arsenal remains a major priority. We must "de-nuclearize" all Muslim majority countries and keep them that way until Islam is reformed or crushed utterly.
#3
Shaukat Aziz was asked his opinion of published reports that US Special Forces had devised plans to seize Pakistan's nuclear weapons in the event of an Islamist takeover.
This former CitiBank executive smiled. "We also have plans to keep you from doing just that"
The error many western governments make is assuming that the monied, western educated, whiskey drinking Pak elite that seems so friendly shares common interests.
Posted by: John Frum ||
06/02/2007 16:32 Comments ||
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It ain't the rallies, it's the madrassas, stupid.
#5
Aitzaz Ahsan, a lawyer for Chaudhry, told The Associated Press that no permission was needed. "God willing, we will go to Abbotabad with the chief justice on Saturday, and we have no plan to apply for any permission, he said, acknowledging he was aware of the rally ban.
In other words, the shit is about to hit the fan in Pakiland.
#6
Notice that the AK-47 armed Lal Masjid folks, who have created a sharia court and threatened suicide bombings have not been threatened at all.
It is the unarmed supporters of the Chief Justice who have faced the wrath of the Pak military. The head of the PML says that the people who insulted the army should be shot, rather than just banned from the airwaves. Meanwhile the FM radio broadcasts from the mullahs in Lal Masjid continue.
This shows exactly who they consider a threat. The islamists are not a threat to the Pak military and have never been.
Posted by: John Frum ||
06/02/2007 8:00 Comments ||
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Good point, John: one does get the idea that all this is headed somewhere, and soon. My question is: is Perv behind it all, or is Perv just trying to ride the tiger?
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/02/2007 10:43 Comments ||
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The top army commanders on Friday endorsed the pivotal role of General Pervez Musharraf as the president of Pakistan and chief of the army staff (COAS) in the ongoing reforms process in the country.
President General Pervez Musharraf presided over the 101st corps commanders meeting, also attended by all principal staff officers, at the General Headquarters. The participants (of the meeting) reiterated support for the pivotal role of the president and the COAS in the ongoing reform process, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said after the conference.
It was learnt that the meeting discussed the current situation in the country with particular reference to the judicial crisis, killings in Karachi and politicisation of the legal matters pending with the Supreme Court and the Supreme Judicial Council.
The participants reaffirmed Pakistan Armys support for continuity of the governments policies, both internal and external, the ISPR said. Taking serious note of the malicious campaign against state institutions, the meeting observed that it was aimed at maligning the institutions by vested interests and opportunists who were acting as obstructionist forces to serve their personal interests and agenda even at the cost of flouting rule of the law.
According to the ISPR, the corps commanders and the principal staff officers expressed their resolve to stand committed for the security of Pakistan under the leadership and guidance of the president and the COAS.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/02/2007 00:00 ||
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Rather tepid statement... looks like some corps commanders may want his job...
Posted by: John Frum ||
06/02/2007 8:42 Comments ||
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Musharraf better avoid flying for a while. And maybe he'd better start cooking his own meals...
Imam-e-Kaaba Al-Sheikh Abdur Rehman Al-Sudais warned Muslims against the menace of sectarianism and extremism, and said that the people involved were misled and tarnishing the image of Islam. In his Friday sermon at the jam-packed Faisal Masjid, he said, Some people [Muslims] have deviated from the Islamic path, have indulged in fitna and fasad and are maligning Islam and creating disharmony among Muslims.
The Imam said that our states, economies and cultures could not remain intact without unity among Muslim countries. Avoid playing into the hands of the enemy and safeguard the religion and its followers, he urged the Ummah, adding that Islam will endure forever as a pure religion that provides a complete code of life.
He said that the solution to problems confronting the Muslims lay in unity and following the Holy Quran and Sunnah of the holy Prophet. He said, Islam teaches oneness of Allah Almighty and all Muslims should live and die for Allah with a strong belief in His oneness.The Imam said that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were brother countries and citadels of Islam, adding that both had been making efforts to resolve problems facing the Ummah. The people of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have great love for Islam, and their leaders and scholars are rendering remarkable service to promote it.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/02/2007 00:00 ||
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Correction, there is no religion of islam.It is a political movement. You bail water while the ship is already sunk.
#2
The people of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have great love for Islam terrorism, and their leaders and scholars are rendering remarkable service to promote it.
If the Lal Masjid crisis was created by the agencies as some believe, then they have landed themselves with a Frankensteins monster; not a big one as yet, but one they no longer know what to do with, writes Anatol Lieven in the liberal online news and opinion portal, Open Democracy.
Is there an echo in here?
... an echo in here?
... an echo in here?
... an echo in here?
... an echo in here?
Lieven, who has reported in the past from South Asia for a leading British daily, believes that increasingly provocative actions by the militants, including the kidnap of policemen, may leave the government no choice if it is to avoid disastrous damage to its prestige, and the encouragement of even more radical actions elsewhere. The Lal Masjid has already emerged as an important link between Islamists in Pakistan proper, and the Pashtun tribesmen of the frontier areas who provide much of the backbone of the Taliban.
Lieven, who visited the Lal Masjid last month where he interviewed Abdul Rashid Ghazi, calls the 43-year old cleric an immensely good talker, with an acute sense of what arguments will appeal most to western critics of Bush administration policies and just enough of a visible glint of steel behind his friendliness to keep his interlocutors off-balance. He refused to have anyone else interviewed, including the students holed up there. He writes that it would be a mistake to assume, as some of the western media reporting seems to imply, that Ghazis group came in from outside to seize control of the mosque. Since Ghazi believes that his father was shot by the ISI, it would argue quite strongly against him being a willing tool of the ISI. The British journalist, now aligned with a Washington think tank, noted that the mosque complex does not seem very heavily defended, and could be stormed with relative ease. However, he found a genuine dread among officials of the mass Islamist backlash that may result if women students are killed by male police or troops, with some scenes doubtless being successfully filmed for propaganda purposes. There is also a fear that Ghazis followers may have packed the buildings with explosives, and intend to kill themselves and as many of the security forces as possible if the army attacks. Credence to this belief has been given by the increasing number of suicide-bombings by Islamist militants in Pakistan, including one which narrowly killing the federal interior minister.
Lieven writes that Gen. Musharraf himself is detested by the militants both for his support for the US war on terror and for his generally secular agenda. He speculates that Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has been negotiating with Ghazi and his followers to find a peaceful solution, which in turn forms part of what seems to be the PML leaders strategy of laying the basis for a possible coalition between his party and the MMA, to prevent the PPP returning to government.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/02/2007 00:00 ||
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Peace of the grave solution...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
06/02/2007 19:06 Comments ||
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More than 10,000 pro-Taliban supporters rallied near the Afghan border on Friday to hear a tape by the brother of slain Taliban commander Mullah Dadullah.
Slogans of long live (Taliban supremo) Mullah Omar, (Al-Qaeda chief) Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban movement, rang out at the charged gathering in Killi Nalai, a village in Baluchistan province, an AFP photographer said.
The fiery voice recording was said to be of Mullah Mansoor Dadullah, who has replaced his brother as military commander after he was killed about three weeks ago by NATO-led forces in southern Afghanistan.
We will never forget the blood of our martyrs and will complete Dadullahs mission of expelling the infidels and their lackeys from our motherland, he said on the tape.
It is the responsibility of every Muslim to join jihad (holy war).
A man who said he was a Taliban commander named Abdur Rahman spoke to the crowd in person, saying that he had been fighting in Afghanistan. When he asked the crowd if they were ready for jihad, they chanted: Yes, we will follow.
Several current and former members of parliament from hardline Islamist political parties were also among the speakers.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/02/2007 00:00 ||
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Why wasn't the "lighting" provided by the free US Airforce Arc lighting service?
Posted by: Mike ||
06/02/2007 09:50 ||
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They're HAWT!
Posted by: Natural Law ||
06/02/2007 16:17 Comments ||
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They still have some latent tendencies towards tribal "fun and games", but they seem to be coming along nicely. I must say though, the smart man would lay off Turkey.
A Muslim extremist group threatened to behead female TV broadcasters if they don't don strict Islamic dress, leaving the women terrified and marking a further downward spiral in Gaza's anarchy.
The threat to "cut throats from vein to vein" was delivered by the Swords of Truth, a fanatical group that has previously claimed responsibility for bombing Internet cafes and music shops. The new threat was the first time the organization targeted a specific group of people, and adds to a growing climate of extremism, fear and suspicion in Gaza.
In many parts of the Muslim world, religious conservative policies keep women out of TV anchoring positions or only let them take the jobs if they wear headscarves. But in some countries scarves are uncommon, like Lebanon and Jordan, and Egypt even keeps newscasters who wear them off its TV stations.
Most of the 15 women broadcasters on government-run Palestine TV wear headscarves. But they also wear makeup and Western clothing, which is not considered strictly observant by the terrorists extremists.
The Swords of Truth issued the statement Friday in an e-mail sent to news organizations. "We will cut throats, and from vein to vein, if needed to protect the spirit and moral of this nation." The group accused the broadcasters of being "without any...shame or morals" and said it knew where to find the women.
Prior to the statement, some women broadcasters said they had received personal threats through their mobile phones. It was not clear if those threats were from the same group.
One anchorwoman who does not wear a headscarf said she was too frightened by the threat to go to work on Saturday. "It's a dangerous precedent in our society. It will target all working women," said the broadcaster, who declined to give her name out of fear. "The statement frightened us."
Another presenter who wears a headscarf, on Palestine TV, said she couldn't understand why they were targeted. "I hope they take it back. I hope not a bullet will be fired at us," she said.
Basem Abu Sumaya, head of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation, which runs Palestine TV, said that the PBC already had security measures in place, but could not protect people on the way to work. The PBC is bankrolled by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and is accused of openly exhibiting support for the Fatah movement.
A senior security official, who requested anonymity owing to the issue's sensitivity, said The Swords of Truth had less than 100 members, and was formed last year. The group claimed responsibility for the bombings since October of about three dozen Internet cafes, music shops and pool halls, which are considered places of vice by some in deeply conservative Gaza. Assailants detonated small bombs outside businesses at night, causing damage but no injuries.
The security official said his forces were taking the threat seriously. He said Hamas members funded the group, wanting to impose a hardline version of Islam in Gaza. Hamas spokesman Ismail Ridwan said his faction had "no relation" to the group.
This is not the first display of recent Islamic extremism in Gaza. Only last month, Muslim hardliners lobbed a bomb at a UN-run school, accusing the world body of "turning schools into nightclubs" for holding a display of traditional Palestinian dancing.
#5
Brave, brave Lions of Islam - they cannot face the men, but they can sure as hell threaten the wimmins.
The real women ought to rise up and machinegun these bastards in the street wherever they are found - including their own husbands and sons if tey qualify.
Here's the summary. Read the link for translations.
The current wave of violent Hamas-Fatah clashes is one of the most brutal the PA has known, especially considering that it broke out only a short while after the signing of the Mecca Agreement, which was supposed to put an end to the mutual fighting. The large number of casualties, and the fear that has taken hold of the Gaza streets, have sparked intense protest among Palestinians and Arabs, with harsh criticism directed towards both the PA and Hamas.
Some consequences of the clashes are public statements by residents calling on Israel to reenter the Gaza Strip, and concerns regarding the effect of the fighting on the international community's faith in the Palestinians' ability to establish a state, to honor agreements, and to maintain peace. The genius of letting the Paleos have a statelet in Gaza free from Evil Zionist control was that they could demonstrate how the would govern themselves in a manner consistent with their unique "national" character. Boy have they.
Among the solutions proposed in the Palestinian media were to launch a third intifada, this time against those responsible for the internal chaos, and to bring in Arab or international forces to keep the peace between the Fatah and Hamas. Dare we hope? Do we have enough popcorn?
#2
Why on earth would the Jooos go back (again), clean up the mess (again), and then depart (again)? Besides, there'd hardly be anyone left.
C'mon, people! Call in the UN! They can fix it!
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/02/2007 11:00 Comments ||
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TW with all due respect: Since I have been following this thing (and this was way before 9-11( full disclosure: as a complete bore on the subject of international politics from 1900 onwards and especially the so called interbellum (1918-1940) and the cold war) I can see moves and countermoves here, to cut it short, viewing from the perspective presented by the media (witch is per definition always short term and per nature always alarmist) the bigger players (or rather the smartest) always seem to be muddling through but come out on top in the end (even if there is a need for bloody slugfests like the first and second world wars, witch both, if viewed through the perspective of the german superiority cult and the war of 1870 where unavoidable)
#4
"How can the Hamas and Fatah leaders ignore the fact that it was Bush's government, and the Sharon and Olmert governments, that pushed [Hamas and Fatah] to this situation, and that the [internal] Palestinian fighting is [actually] an Israeli aspiration?"
Bwaahaahaaa you ignorant fools. Like the rat bastards that you are, once again, youve taken the cheese. Your paranoia and corruption is no match for your evil US/Zionist overlords. Dont give up your culture of hate, greed, and fanaticism. That would only lead to your eventual self-destruction. Its neither land nor ideology that motivates us. We only seek your prolonged despair for our sheer amusement. Bwaahaahaaa...
Posted by: Great Satan and Little Satan ||
06/02/2007 11:16 Comments ||
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launch a third intifada, this time against those responsible for the internal chaos
That would be the jooooooooos. Just ask any Arab.
Posted by: Gary and the Samoyeds ||
06/02/2007 11:22 Comments ||
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#14 (should add) and offcourse the way the germans funded their economy in the run up to 1918 and 1940.
(posting and working graveyardshifts do not compliment each other:-)
#7
Posting and working graveyard shifts? That means you get to start all the threads you want, Drive by Lurker... and then finish them, too. ;-)
It sounds like we may need to schedule you for a couple of Rantburg University lectures, my dear -- even though Daddy was in Israel 1934-1957, and although I learnt to read and write in Hebrew before I learnt to do so in English, I've never been able to figure out what's going on beneath the surface over there. I struggle with Europe, too; Mama grew up in Germany and Holland during the Nazi period, then came over here in 1946, but if her understanding is much deeper she's never shared it with me. Some of our more devious-minded posters have done their best to explain, but... We've some serious history enthusiasts here. I suspect you'd have to work really, really hard to bore this audience if you are bringing perspective to current events. Truly!
#8
Oops. I'd swear I had this one on the background page. Also I forgot to compliment the Captains Quarters weblog for finding this. I don't check MEMRI nearly enough.
#9
Among the solutions proposed in the Palestinian media were to launch a third intifada, this time against those responsible for the internal chaos
Is there nothing an intifada cant do? I guess when your only solution to every problem is murder suddenly everybody needs killing.
In a similar vein, Fatah spokesman Tawfiq Abu Khoussa accused Hamas of losing control over its armed militias.
This patently fallacious notionof being able to control terroristswill be what eventually gets all Muslims killed. To quote from Wretchards rather prescient Three Conjectures:
At this point, a United States choked with corpses could still not negotiate an end to hostilities or deter further attacks. There would be no one to call on the Red Telephone, even to surrender to. In fact, there exists no competent Islamic authority, no supreme imam who could stop a jihad on behalf of the whole Muslim world. Even if the terror chiefs could somehow be contacted in this apocalyptic scenario and persuaded to bury the hatchet, the lack of command and control imposed by the cell structure would prevent them from reining in their minions. Due to the fixity of intent, attacks would continue for as long as capability remained. Under these circumstances, any American government would eventually be compelled by public desperation to finish the exchange by entering -1 x 10^9 in the final right hand column: total retaliatory extermination.
On another occasion, Azzam Al-Ahmad called to dismantle the Executive Force, accusing its men of carrying out executions that were pushing the Palestinians to the brink of civil war.
If this is just the brink of Palestinian civil war, Id hate to see the real thing. Just the number of foot wounds alone would be appalling.
"A strong smell of Al-Qaeda is rising from what is being done in Gaza by the [forces] of chaos, which are murdering Palestinian security personnel and killing innocent women and children [right] in front of Prime Minister [Ismail Haniyya] from Hamas, who is unable to restrain them."
Its what al Qaeda and Muslims in general do best. Arent you proud?
Both movements," he added," need a second Mecca Agreement in order to resolve the problems that still remain, such as the hierarchy within the security apparatuses and the appointment of an interior minister."
Yessiree Bob, another Mecca Agreement should be just the ticket. After all, the first one worked so very well.
Ahmad Yousef also accused the U.S. of strengthening Fatah at the expense of Hamas."
It just might have something to do with America finally developing some scruples about dealing with self-proclaimed terrorist organizations. Hamas declared intent regarding genocide against Israel probably isnt winning them any popularity contests either.
At the same time, Al-Hazan also evoked a conspiracy theory blaming the U.S. and Israel for the situation in Gaza: "[When] the Bush administration pressured President Mahmoud Abbas into holding elections in the PA, they both knew that Hamas would win, not thanks to any achievements [of its own] but due to the corruption within Fatah. Hamas [indeed] won, but it is designated in the U.S. and Europe as a terrorist organization, and thus the Bush administration achieved its aim. It boycotted the Palestinians, lay siege to their government, and starved [them], using Hamas' [designation as] a terrorist organization as an excuse.
Excpt that its not an excuse. Hamas is a terrorist organization and the Palestinians knew damn well that electing them would set off a shitstorm. Never missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity, of course they went right ahead and elected them anyway. Now stop your whingeing and lie down in that rocky bed youve made for yourself.
Everything that is happening today [in Gaza] is a result of Sharon's plan to sabotage the [resolving] of the Palestinian problem.
Yeah, sure. All those Qassam rockets being fired into Israel have absolutely nothing to do with the zero progress being made. Nothing at all.
Others evoked the factor of tribal and factional affiliation taking priority over national solidarity.
One look at Iraq tells me this isnt just some sort of local problem.
You are murdering the [Palestinian] cause, [our] people and [our] future... Oh murderers, you have ruined our world, castrated our nationalism, prostituted our resistance... You have turned our lives into hell. [In fact,] hell is preferable... Take your government, your militias, and your gangs and go to hell."
Must be kinda shocking to see their national policy of incessant murder suicide attacks come back to bite them on the ass so hard. And who needs to go to hell? Theyve managed to brew up quite a nice little corner of it all by themselves.
You are neither Muslims nor believers
Theres that old not Islamic enough crapulence again. Youd think theyd have learned by now.
Today, we are ashamed to speak out loud of our Palestinian [identity], when in the past we took pride in our Palestinian self-sacrifice, revolution and martyrdom.
Live by suicide attacks, die by suicide attacks. Couldnt happen to a more deserving bunch.
Oh murderers of Gaza... you have no place [among us] now that you have killed everything that is beautiful within us.
Arafat probably deserves most of the credit for that, not this crew.
Once, we resisted Israel together, but now we call for the return of the Israeli army to Gaza.
You can bet that Israel is more than a little reluctant to resume such an unrewarding task. Something about Palestinian ingratitude springs to mind.
The fundamentalist forces which came into power [after it] also promised change and reform, but [instead, people] got a siege, with no security and no [chance of] making a living
Hey, you left out that part about the sewage tsunami.
#11
now that you have killed everything that is beautiful within us.
Okay, I have to pull out magnifying glass, just don't see it... looking... still looking... Can anyone help me out here? It is a mystery to me what "anything that is beautiful within them" may be...
but now we call for the return of the Israeli army to Gaza.
Not an entirely bad idea, but I would suggest a reasonable proxy of distance, and the actual contact faciliated by special messengers of the infantryc kind.
Also, this bit of irony positively screams out to be mentioned:
- Al-Ayyam columnist Ashraf Al-Ajrami wrote: "We are facing a new nakba..."
As I was curious, I looked up the definition of that unfamiliar word.
Nakba: translates as 'cataclysm'; it is the Arabic term for the creation of Israel in 1948
- Faiz Abbas and Muhammad Awwad, journalists for the Israeli-Arab weekly Al-Sinara, wrote: "People in Gaza are hoping that Israel will reenter the Gaza Strip, wipe out both Hamas and Fatah, and then withdraw again... They also say that, since the [start of the] massacres, they [have begun to] miss the Israelis, since Israel is more merciful than [the Palestinian gunmen] who do not even know why they are fighting and killing one another. It's like organized crime, [they said]. Once, we resisted Israel together, but now we call for the return of the Israeli army to Gaza."
So now they are hoping the awful Israelis who should not even exist will ride to their rescue to save them from the hell of their own making?
#18
Watching the news these days (Leb (with some rather nice side effects to the " failed" Israeli offence last year), Iraq,Afghanistan (The dreaded spring offensive TM (I am severely HTML challenged)), one cannot escape the notion that we see some rather "interesting" parts of the grand strategy behind the WOT grinding forward.
Maybe yielding the short and medium term PR advantage to the enemy is starting to pay of.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The Afghan Peace Jirga Commission (APJC) has ruled out the possibility of inviting any Taliban supporters to the Pak-Afghan peace jirga scheduled for the first week of August in Kabul.
Islamabad: A prominent opposition lawmaker in Pakistan has blamed the countrys Army for provoking the 1965 war with India as also the Kargil battle.
ISLAMABAD - Pakistani authorities are tightening rules to restrict live television broadcasts of opposition rallies in a move aimed at stopping criticism of the powerful military. 
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistani officials have banned rallies of more than five people in the capital, an official said on Friday, a day ahead of a planned procession from the city by supporters of the suspended chief justice. "We have imposed a ban on rallies in Islamabad. A notification about it has been issued, and this step has been taken to ensure peace and avoid any inconvenience to the general public, said Mohammed Ali, Islamabads deputy chief of administration.
If the Lal Masjid crisis was created by the agencies as some believe, then they have landed themselves with a Frankensteins monster; not a big one as yet, but one they no longer know what to do with, writes Anatol Lieven in the liberal online news and opinion portal, Open Democracy. 
More than 10,000 pro-Taliban supporters rallied near the Afghan border on Friday to hear a tape by the brother of slain Taliban commander Mullah Dadullah.
