Howard Feinberg at Keshertalk posts the comforting news that Canadian Jewish Congress tells church leaders to stuff it.
"The CJC will not participate in an annual interfaith meeting until Canadian church leaders drop their anti-Israeli rhetoric and recognize the nation's right to defend itself:
... the last straw was a statement by Archbishop Michael Peers, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, on the increasingly bloody battles between Palestinians and Israelis."
If I spoke Canadian, by Gawd, I'd send 'em a letter of support. I find that a more manly (and/or womanly) response than some of our domestic Jewish congregations can come up with in the face of similar stupidity and viciousness.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/11/2002 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
Afghan interim administration forces are preparing for battle with two local warlords who have taken control of a key trade route to Iran, a report said on Wednesday. The Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) said rebel commanders Abdul Rahman and Abdul Jalil launched an attack in southwestern Nimroz province on Monday and seized Guldana, near the Iranian border. Four militiamen loyal to Nimroz Governor Abdul Karim Barohi, a supporter of the UN-backed interim cabinet, were injured in the fighting. It said Barohi had sent some 200 reinforcements to back up the 300 men he already had in the area in preparation for more clashes. This represents a bit of a turnaround for the interim administration. So far there hasn't been enough strength available to bring the gunnies to heel without using B52s. Presumably they're starting small in what they hope will be a larger cleanup.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/11/2002 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
The Palestine Liberation Organization has been evicted from its Washington office, The Jerusalem Post has learned. Since the Palestinian Authority is not a state and does not therefore have an official embassy, the office rented by the PLO has served as the PA's de facto diplomatic mission. The PLO was routinely late in paying its rent at its K Street office not far from the White House, but sources say the management company, Cushman & Wakefield, used the late payment this time as an excuse to evict it for political reasons. Demonstrators have protested outside the office at least twice recently, a concern to the proprietors. Why am I not surprised that the PLO is the kind of tenant that's routinely late paying the rent?
Bet they took the fridge when they moved out, too. Posted by Anonymous 4/11/2002 11:45:24 AM
And left their junk in the basement, too. Posted by Anonymous 4/11/2002 12:14:40 PM
In fact, I'd want to call in a HAZMAT team to go through that "junk in the basement." Hope none of it is ticking... Posted by Hermetic 4/11/2002 12:24:05 PM
Hope none of it's dead... Posted by Anonymous 4/12/2002 9:55:25 AM
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/11/2002 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
The Muttahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) is close to strike a deal with the military government over its outright support to the referendum which would elect Gen Pervez Musharraf as President for the next five years. The MQM leadership has already announced its partial support to the referendum by allowing its voters to vote if they want to in favour of Gen Musharraf's election. Perv needs some sort of organized support, so this is probably the best he can buy...
Pakistan Muslim League leaders on Wednesday regretted the language used by President Gen Pervez Musharraf in his speech on Tuesday. Party's central vice-president Tehmina Daultana said it was unbecoming an army chief to solicit votes while in uniform. "It is also a violation of service rules," she said. She said Gen Musharraf was aware that he was so unpopular among the masses that he would not be elected through a constitutional process and had adopted an "unconstitutional" and "illegal" way to perpetuate himself in power. A switch to a presidential system vice parliamentary changes the dynamic of getting one's hand into the till. The Nawaz and Bhutto factions'll be against it.
The Pakistan People's Party has refuted President Gen Pervez Musharraf's assertions against its chairperson Benazir Bhutto at a public meeting held here on Tuesday to launch his referendum campaign. "This is the last time we are going to answer the allegations levelled by the regime to tarnish Ms Bhutto's image. We understand that the (military) regime is trying to distract us through the mudslinging campaign against politicians and divert public attention away from the real problems," PPP acting secretary-general Raza Rabbani told a news conference here on Wednesday. Same problem as PML-N. Perv should have tied for an alliance with them - they seem (at least to us outsiders) to be his natural, middle of the road allies.
Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, Sindh, has termed the holding of referendum in support of the presidency of Gen Pervez Musharraf as unconstitutional and illegal, and said that no government functionary can assume public office. A delegation of MMA, comprising Dr Mairaj-ul-Huda, Maulana Abdul Karim Abid, Maulana Arshad Zahid, Maulana Yusuf Qasuri and Qari Muhammad Usman, that called on Sindh Governor, Mohammedmian Soomro, informed him about their stand and pointed him out that if Gen Musharraf wants to become the President of Pakistan, he should resign from the office of the Chief of Army Staff and wait for two years before seeking election to public office. We knew Qazi's guys would be against it. Perv is Religious Enemy Numbah 1, even after he springs the Biggies to try and make up.
Anti-Islamic forces particularly the US are employing every tactics to enslave the Muslims around the world. This was stated by World Islamic Mission chairman and Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (JUP) chief Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani while speaking to a gathering at Pasrur late Tuesday night. He charged that the Musharraf government was playing in the hands of the US and the slogan of liberal Muslims was raised at its beck and call to crush the religious parties. "The foreign interference in our internal affairs has increased alarmingly as several airports have been handed over to them at their discretion", he said. Not a surprise there. JUP is in the tank with the MML, so he's just another Qazi mouthpiece.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/11/2002 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
Anwar Rashid, one of the conspirators and accused in the Godhra train carnage, was arrested in Bhadohi district of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, police said. Rashid, a resident of Bhadohi, was wanted in connection with the Godhra train carnage, Superintendent of Police B P Tripathi told reporters here. A top office-bearer of Students Islamic Movement of India, Rashid had confessed that he had issued directives regarding the carnage to his contacts in Godhra on phone from Bhadohi, the SP said.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/11/2002 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
A truck filled with natural gas crashed into a wall surrounding a synagogue on the Tunisian resort island of Djerba earlier this afternoon, killing at least six tourists and injuring about 20, the official news agency reported. The driver of the truck and a police officer were also killed in the attack, the agency said. The casualties are reportedly French and German tourists, according to Israel Radio. Reports reaching the Foreign Ministry said no Jews using the synagogue were hurt in the attack, Army Radio said. Helicopters were mobilized to bring the injured to Djerba's regional hospital. They suffered from burns of varying degrees of seriousness. Exact details about who was in the structure at the time of the explosion are unclear as of this posting. The nation's official news agency, TAP, qualified the blast as an "accident." Sure I believe it. And I'm an Irishman named Murphy...
Tunisia's tourist industry is real important to that small nation's economy. Carthage and the other old Roman ruins are very interesting. When Palestinian outrage starts affecting the economies of those somewhat sympathetic with their cause, they'll lose that sympathy. Which, would be OK by me. Posted by Bob [www.rsballard.com/weblog] 4/11/2002 12:26:13 PM
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/11/2002 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
Amid a spate of recent anti-Semitic attacks in France, a Jewish amateur soccer team was attacked during a training session in a Paris suburb and one of its members seriously hurt, French police said Thursday. Around 15 hooded attackers wielding sticks and metal bars assaulted the team of teenagers from the Maccabi Bondy association, a Jewish group, late Wednesday after making anti-Semitic remarks. One member of the team suffered a cut to the head and received hospital treatment but wasn't thought to be in danger.
French Sports Minister Marie-George Buffet issued a statement condemning the attack as "indescribable."
"I am convinced that the young people of France, of whatever opinion and of all origins, will take action to defend the spirit of tolerance and dialogue," Buffet said. M.Buffet is plumb full of, how do you say it in French? Merde. Now how would you translate Kristallmonat?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/11/2002 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
Another terrorist attack was averted today when soldiers operating in the Shomron apprehended a 24-year-old Arab female disguised as a pregnant woman. In actuality, the 'fetus' was a bomb vest that she was wearing under her garment. "Would you care to explain yourself, young lady?"
"But, Dad! C4 and I are in love..."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/11/2002 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
IDF troops pulled out of 24 Palestinian villages and invaded two new ones overnight, the IDF Spokesman said today. The army has withdrawn its forces from some 24 villages in the West Bank, including Kabatiya, Tubas, Taysir, Tamoun, Anabta and Salfit in the Nablus and Jenin areas and Yatta and Samoa, near Hebron. Troops remained in Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin and Bethlehem, where the standoff with Palestinian gunmen around the Church of the Nativity continues at this time.
Overnight, IDF forces moved into the town of Bir Zeit near Ramallah and the southern West Bank village of Dahariya. According to Israel Radio, some 200 Palestinian suspects, a number of them armed, turned themselves in to Israeli troops in these locations overnight. Wonder how much significance to attach to the 200 thugs surrendering rather than fighting it out? Wasn't the Jenin fight an inspiration to them to do the last man-last bullet thing? Or do they plan on fighting another day?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/11/2002 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
In the Jenin refugee camp, scene of the deadliest fighting in Israel's two-week offensive, three dozen armed men, apparently the last holdouts, surrendered to Israeli troops Thursday. The unpaved alleys of the camp, chewed up by heavy army vehicles, were deserted Thursday. Reporters touring the edge of the shantytown, home to 13,000 Palestinians, saw one demolished building and another one blacked by fire. The only civilian visible was a woman sitting in a wheelchair in one of the streets. Sure hope it stays cleaned out.
VOA [http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=892953DB-72DB-4C22-817490938CA78667&Title=Israel%20Says%20300%20Palestinian%20Fighters%20Surrender%3B%20Clashes%20Continue%20in%20West%20Bank] gave the POW count at 300, based on IDF sources. Given the news blackout, I'm guessing that some of these 300 may be civilians, but after a week of fighting, who is a civilian and who is a fighter is probably a moot point. Posted by Tom Roberts 4/11/2002 12:45:10 PM
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/11/2002 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
Saudi Arabia, alarmed by rising unrest, has banned demonstrations in support of the Palestinians, Middle East News Line reported. Arab diplomatic sources said the Saudi ban came in response to a series of unauthorized anti-Israel protests by Saudi students and Islamic militants. They said Saudi police were called to disperse these demonstrations in several cities in the kingdom. The largest demonstration took place last week in Safwa. Saudi opposition sources said more than 1,000 Saudis, many of them carrying Palestinian flags, marched through the northeastern city. "This behavior is not allowed and it must not happen again," Saudi Interior Prince Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz said. Seems like they were maybe afraid things would get out of hand. Maybe a few princes hung instead of effigies?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/11/2002 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
Secretary of State Colin Powell told Israel on Thursday that its military operations against Palestinians on the West Bank would not eliminate the threat of terror. The White House declined to criticize the pace of Israel's limited pullback. I'm not surprised. Are you surprised?
Powell said frustrations will remain among the Palestinian people that could only be addressed in negotiations. Powell said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon while in Madrid to map out the meeting they will hold in Jerusalem on Friday. Asked whether he was on an impossible mission, Powell snapped: "I don't like wallowing with pessimists. It is necessary for me to go." Translated from StateDepartmentese, that means he knows he's on an impossible mission but he has to go this time so that twelve missions down the road it might not be impossible.
"I am proud to be going, I am pleased to be going ... to get the sides back on track," he said. "My mission is still on. I'm not concerned about it." "Just doin' m'job, ma'am."
Powell was scheduled to arrive in Jerusalem late Thursday. On his way, the secretary of state stopped in Jordan to talk over dinner with King Abdullah II. Might as well have a good meal under one's belt before going to meet with Yasser... No, wait. Bad idea. Remember the shower! Eat light, Colin!
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/11/2002 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has rejected proposals for a cease-fire made by U.S. special envoy Anthony Zinni, a senior Palestinian official said in Cairo Thursday. Arafat rejected the proposals submitted to him in his besieged and battered headquarters in Ramallah on the West Bank, Nabil Shaath told reporters.
Shaath, who is Minister for Planning and International Cooperation in the Palestinian Authority, said Zinni's proposals gave Israel the right, if it felt threatened, to re-occupy Palestinian territory and to strike at Palestinian security headquarters and at Arafat's headquarters. In the proposal, Israel alone was given the right to define and anticipate a potential danger, he said. Shaath noted that Zinni's proposals, unlike the plan produced last year by CIA director George Tenet, did not include a timetable for Israel's withdrawal from Palestinian territories. It also gave Israel the right to ask the Palestinian Authority to arrest whomever it wants. Wonder if that's an accurate description of the proposal? It leaves out the part about the IDF being allowed to beat Yasser with a stick on demand, but otherwise seems pretty stringent. I wouldn't think he'd expect to have it agreed to...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/11/2002 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
Dr Frank links to this...
In his Friday meeting with Yassir Arafat - which Mr Sharon opposes but is unlikely to prevent - Mr Powell will urge the Palestinian Authority leader to issue a statement in Arabic to his people condemning terrorism. Yeah. And then pigs are gonna whistle and cows fly loop-de-loops.
While he will again urge Mr Arafat to crack down on terrorism, diplomats said the US recognises that the ability of the Palestinian security forces to act has been crippled by the offensive. Oh, yeah. That's right. The IDF shot or arrested all the PA cops because they were, uh... terrorists.
They said the issue of international observers to monitor a ceasefire, which the Palestinians favour but Israel has until now opposed, was bound to be raised. Mr Sharon might be prepared to accept a small US-only force, but this in itself would be symbolic of international involvement in attempts to solve the conflict, diplomats said. The Philistines keep bringing up this idea, which is a pretty good indication that it's lousy. That way they can bitch and moan about American occupiers and let off some steam by slapping them around when they get the chance. If they're really lucky, Hamas can get 240 or so while they sleep.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/11/2002 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
Swiss authorities Thursday ordered the blocking of any funds in Switzerland belonging to a Saudi-based charity alleged by the United States to have supported terrorist activities. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs said the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation's branches in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Somalia were suspected of "contacts with the Taliban as well as Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida organization." Anyone in Switzerland handling funds belonging to the either branch of the Saudi-based charity must report them to Swiss authorities, the secretariatÃsaid. Any funds discovered will be frozen. As a thank you gesture, I'm buying five pounds of chocolate.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/11/2002 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
The U.S. government facilitated a payment of $300,000 through a third party in a bid to gain the release of two Americans held by the Philippine terrorist group Abu Sayyaf. The transaction was completed before Easter, two senior administration officials said this week, but Abu Sayyaf as of yesterday had not shown signs of releasing Martin and Gracia Burnham, two American missionaires who were kidnapped 10 months ago. First they said they were gonna do it, then they did it, and now they're standing around scratching their heads, saying, "Duh, Maynard! I think we been gypped!" And they never expected anything of the sort, plus if anybody dug - which they won't - they'd discover a "commission" stuck to multiple "third parties'" fingers.
The officials said the Pentagon opposed the secret, indirect payment, while the State Department supported it as a way to save the couple's lives and perhaps expose senior Abu Sayyaf members for capture. There was hope the couple would be released Easter weekend, but they never appeared. U.S. officials say the terrorist group's signature operation is to accept the ransom money, then release the hostages weeks later at a different location. Some analysts believe some of Abu Sayyaf's ransom proceeds are funneled to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist network, which the United States says operates in 60 countries. Can we fire the entire State Department and replace it with something more in touch with reality, like the INS? Link is courtesy of Tom Roberts. Thanks, Tom!
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/11/2002 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
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.
