Posted tagged ‘USA’

Saudi Arabia Unveils Badass Anti-ISIS Wall That Makes U.S. Border Look Like Swiss Cheese

January 26, 2015

Saudi Arabia Unveils Badass Anti-ISIS Wall That Makes U.S. Border Look Like Swiss Cheese

By Jennifer Van Laar (1 week ago) | Military, Nation

via Saudi Arabia Unveils Badass Anti-ISIS Wall That Makes U.S. Border Look Like Swiss Cheese.

 


Getty – YASSER AL-ZAYYA
The oldest way to defend land is through a physical barrier, such as a wall. Yet some Americans dispute the efficacy of a wall when defending our southern border against infiltration from either illegal immigrants or terrorists.

One country is not buying into that notion: Saudi Arabia.

Last week, a Saudi general was killed in a skirmish with ISIS at the border with Iraq, along which Saudi Arabia is constructing a 600-mile-long wall:

Image Credit: Telegraph

Image Credit: UPI

The prospect of this wall separating Iraq from Saudi Arabia is not a welcome one for ISIS, whose goals include capturing Saudi Arabia – home to the Holy Mosques of Mecca and Medina.

Saudi Arabia’s oil fields are another key strategic goal for the terror group intent on creating a Sharia-run caliphate.

Construction began on the wall last September and, according to Jane’s,

“…consists of 78 monitoring towers, eight command centers, 10 mobile surveillance vehicles, 32 rapid-response centers, and three rapid intervention squads, all linked by a fiber-optic communications network.”

The Kingdom is also creating a 1,000 mile wall along its border with Yemen to the south.

If the Saudis are putting this much stock in a wall, why do some in the United States claim that tactic won’t work here?

For one thing, the Mexican-U.S. border wall being constructed is more of a fence and not a fully integrated security solution.

Also, the Saudi’s wall is solely constructed in a desert, while the United States boundary includes a river. Wildlife concerns make it difficult to place a fortified border wall next to a body of water.

But, with the economic and public health threat posed by illegal border crossings and potential terrorism concerns, some feel that Congress might do well to take a cue from the Saudi solution–especially with the reported weaknesses with our own border security.

Unfortunately, within the fortress they are building, Saudi Arabia is still denying its citizens the most basic human rights. According to Yahoo News, the kingdom has ‘sparked an international outcry’ for sentencing a blogger to 1,000 lashings for insulting Islam.

CNN: Pentagon Pushing for Evacuation of US Embassy in Yemen Before Situation Worsens

January 22, 2015

CNN: Pentagon Pushing for Evacuation of US Embassy in Yemen Before Situation Worsens

by Edwin Mora21 Jan 2015Washington, DC

via CNN: Pentagon Pushing for Evacuation of US Embassy in Yemen Before Situation Worsens – Breitbart.

 

WASHINGTON — Obama’s State Department wants to keep the U.S. Embassy in Yemen’s capital open for as long as possible, but the Pentagon is pushing for an evacuation before the current situation worsens.

CNN made that revelation on Tuesday citing an unnamed U.S. official with direct knowledge of the evacuation planning.

“The military is aware the State Department wants to keep the embassy open as long as possible, the official said, noting that it’s a valuable tool to monitor Al Qaeda in Yemen,” revealed CNN. “But behind the scenes the Pentagon is pressing the point that if an evacuation becomes necessary they want to do it before the chaos in Sanaa descends into a ‘non permissive environment,’ akin to combat.”

An unnamed defense official told NBC News that the embassy is “not at risk,” adding that the Shiite Muslim Houthi fighters sympathetic to Iran “do not pose a risk to Americans.”

Iran is considered a major state sponsor of terrorism by the United States.

CNN reported on Wednesday that al-Qaeda, a Sunni jihadist group, is expected to benefit from the Houthi takeover of “government buildings, the main airport and a share of power” in Sanaa.

Al-Qaeda’s Yemeni branch is considered a “significant threat” by the United States.

The decision to evacuate State personnel and other Americans in Yemen ultimately lies within the State Department.

Unnamed defense officials “stressed that an evacuation would be ordered if Americans come under serious threat,” noted NBC News.

Roughly 100 U.S. Marines are providing security at the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa.

CNN reported that the Pentagon is prepared to evacuate Americans if necessary.

Two U.S. Navy warships, the USS Iwo Jima and the USS Fort McHenry, were reportedly moved into the Red Sea late on Monday as the Pentagon prepared to evacuate Americans from Yemen if asked to do so by the State Department.

The two Navy amphibious ships were moved “because they will be in the best position if asked,” by the State Department to remove Americans from the embassy, the U.S. official told CNN.

According to the official, the evacuation of “several hundred Americans” from the embassy would be complex and could take several days to carry out.

“Nobody should think this would be easy,” the official told CNN.

U.S. Embassy vehicle was fired upon on Tuesday in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa where U.S.-backed government security forces are clashing with Houthi rebels.

That same day, Houthi fighters reportedly stormed the presidential palace in Sanaa.

Yemeni security forces mounted a brief resistance before relinquishing control of the palace. Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour is reportedly being held captive by the Houthi rebels.

US Strongly Backs Israel over ICC Move to Probe Israel for War Crimes

January 17, 2015

The Obama administration is not in love with Israel but certainly is divorcing itself from the Palestinian Authority.

By: Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu

Published: January 17th, 2015

via The Jewish Press » » US Strongly Backs Israel over ICC Move to Probe Israel for War Crimes.

 

Does Abbas really want a war crimes probe Above: Hamas fires rockets on Israel from a hotel.

Does Abbas really want a war crimes probe Above: Hamas fires rockets on Israel from a hotel.

 

The U.S. State Dept. has strongly attacked the International Criminal Court (ICC) for opening a probe of alleged Israeli war comes and left open the question whether the ICC even has the a right to conduct a probe of last year’s war with Hamas.

The State Dept. called the ICC announcement a “tragic irony,” a statement that was further bolstered by praise for the ICC decision by Hamas, which may find itself under the ICC microscope.

Jeff Rathke, director of the State Dept. press office, stated:

We strongly disagree with the ICC Prosecutor’s action today. As we have said repeatedly, we do not believe that Palestine is a state and therefore we do not believe that it is eligible to join the ICC. It is a tragic irony that Israel, which has withstood thousands of terrorist rockets fired at its civilians and its neighborhoods, is now being scrutinized by the ICC.

He told reporters at Friday’s daily press briefing:

We don’t think that the Palestinians have established a state, and we don’t think they’re eligible to join the International Criminal Court. I would highlight that many other countries share this view.

In answer to a question whether the ICC is conducting “an illegitimate preliminary examination,” Rathke responded, ” I’m not going to characterize it.,” and he declined to say one way or the other if the United States will appeal to the ICC to drop the preliminary examination.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke with Sec. of State John Kerry Friday and asked him to intervene against the ICC on behalf of Israel

Hamas was thrilled by the ICC decision and declared on Saturday, “We are ready to provide (the court) with thousands of reports and documents that confirm the Zionist enemy has committed horrible crimes against Gaza and against our people.”

“Tragic irony” is an excellent definition of the ICC decision, which is even more astonishing since it apparently follows a complaint by the Palestinian Authority, which will not be a member of the ICC until April 1.

Technically, the ICC is off the hook of overreaching its authority.

The “Rome Statute” concerning war crimes states that non-members cannot ask for an investigation of war crimes.

The ICC got around this restriction by stating it is “examining” whether an investigation should be conducted, and it obviously cannot make a decision until April 1.

But how can the ICC examine alleged war crimes dating back to last year, when the Palestinian Authority did not even apply for ICC membership.

PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas presented documents to the ICC giving it authority to act retroactively.

The ICC stated it will open its examination on alleged Israeli war crimes in last summers’ war with “full independence and impartiality.”

If so, it will have a hard time ignoring Hamas war crimes, which Israel documented day by day in the war, having learned to do so after the United Nations’ scathing Goldstone Report that barely mentioned Hamas’ war crimes in the three-week Operation Cast Lead counter-terrorist campaign in late December 2008 and early January 2009.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said that the ICC announcement of a preliminary examination as based on an “outrageous request” by the Palestinian Authority.

Top Democrat: ‘Un-American’ to Question Muslim Lawmaker on Intel Panel

January 17, 2015

by Wynton Hall16 Jan 2015

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/01/16/top-democrat-un-american-to-question-muslim-lawmaker-on-intel-panel/

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said those who criticize the appointment of  Democratic Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) to the Intelligence Committee because he is a Muslim are “un-American.”

Schiff, who is the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he has been “deeply disturbed” by the reaction by some to Carson’s appointment last week.

“I am deeply disturbed that since his appointment to the committee, Congressman Carson has been subject to vicious, anti-Muslim attacks online and in social media, questioning his loyalty to our country solely because of his faith.”

Schiff added, “These un-American and unfounded smears have no place in our national discourse and are contemptible.”

As The Hill reports, Carson is “the first-ever Muslim to sit on the panel, which is privy to many of the nation’s most closely guarded secrets.”

 

Added by me

 

Born October 16, 1974 in Indianapolis, Andre Carson attended a Baptist church and was educated in a Catholic school. He converted to Islam in the 1990s after his exposure to the poetry of the Sufi mystic Rumi and The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

From 1996-2005, Carson worked
as a law-enforcement officer for the Indiana State Excise Police. He
earned a criminal-justice management degree from Concordia University in
2003, and a master’s degree in business management from Indiana
Wesleyan University two years later. In 2006 he took a job with
Indiana’s Department of Homeland Security.

Carson launched his
political career in August 2007, when he was elected to the city-county
council of Indianapolis and Marion County. That December, Carson’s
grandmother, Julia, a congresswoman who had represented Indiana’s 7th
District since 1997, died of lung cancer. Three months later, Andre
Carson won a special election for his grandmother’s vacant seat in the
U.S. House of Representatives, thereby becoming the second Muslim member
of Congress (the other was Keith Ellison). Carson has retained that legislative seat ever since.

In the House of Representatives, Carson is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus
(CBC), the Climate Change Caucus, the Human Rights Caucus, the Labor
and Working Families Caucus, the LGBT Equality Caucus, and the
Renewable/Efficient Energy Caucus, among others. He also serves as the
CBC liaison to the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition. He
established a reputation as a fierce opponent of the Iraq War and an avid supporter of a government-run, universal healthcare system. For an overview of Carson’s positions and votes on a number of key political issues, click here.

On March 20, 2010, Carson and fellow CBC member John Lewis made headlines when they claimed that Tea Party
protesters who opposed healthcare reform had hurled racial slurs at
them as the congressmen headed toward the Capitol to vote on the PPACA.
Specifically, Carson said
that while “hundreds of people” were chanting “Kill the bill,” he had
heard the “n – word” directed at him and Lewis “at least 15 times.” The
late conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart subsequently offered a
$100,000 reward for anyone who could provide audio or video proof to
substantiate Carson’s accusations. No one was ever able to provide such
evidence, and the reward went unclaimed. Moreover, a film clip posted online by The Washington Times contradicted Carson’s charge.

At an August 22, 2011 Congressional Black Caucus event in Miami, Carson told a gathering of supporters that the Tea Party was infested with white racism:

“This is the effort that we are seeing of Jim Crow. Some of these
folks in Congress right now would love to see us [blacks] as
second-class citizens. Some of them in Congress right now with this Tea
Party movement would love to see you and me … hanging on a tree. Some
of them right now in Congress right now are comfortable with where we
were fifty or sixty years ago. But it’s a new day with a black president
and a Congressional Black Caucus.”

Anti-Israel and Pro-Islamist Track Record

On September 8, 2009, The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) announced that Carson would be a featured speaker at its 9th annual Convention on December 5 of that year.

On January 27, 2010, Carson was one of 54 Members of Congress who signed a letter calling on President Barack Obama to use diplomatic pressure to end Israel’s blockade of Gaza—a blockade which had been imposed in order to prevent the importation of weaponry from Iran and Syria.

On May 26, 2012, Carson was a guest speaker at the 37th annual convention of the Muslim American Society / Islamic Circle of North America (MAS/ICNA), in Hartford, Connecticut. (Both the MAS and ICNA are closely tied to the Muslim Brotherhood.) During his remarks, he stated that U.S. schools should be modeled after madrassas—Islamic
schools infamous for their tendency to promote sexist, anti-Semitic
teachings. Said Carson: “America will never tap into educational
innovation and ingenuity without looking at the model that we have in
our madrassas, in our schools, where innovation is encouraged, where the
foundation is the Quran. And that model that we are pushing in some of
our schools meets the multiple needs of students…. America must
understand that she needs Muslims.”

Between January 2008 and June 2014, Carson received 55 separate political donations (totaling nearly $34,000 altogether) from Islamists affiliated with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Islamic Society of North America, the Muslim American Society, and the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

In a June 2012 speech
to the ICNA Mosque in Hartford, Connecticut, Carson lamented: “It is
very true that all of us [Muslims] are under tremendous strain right now
— 9/11 was tough on Muslims. Those of us who were in the workplace
faced exacerbated prejudice, unrelenting bias, and in many cases, some
of us were terminated from our jobs. It was tough to be a Muslim in the
workplace.” Adding that Muslims in America were “under attack,” the
congressman emphasized that the followers of Islam, who “have been a
part of America since the inception of America,” “must not retreat.”
Carson also directed some remarks to anyone in the audience who might
have been attending the ICNA event “under-cover,” in an effort to
determine whether any of the speakers were promoting a malevolent
message. To multiple rounds of applause, Carson said: “Now, it is
unfortunate that there are those who are thinking that at this
convention right now were having secret meetings, that were plotting to
destroy this country, but I say to those who are here under-cover, Allah
will not allow you to stop us.”

At an MAS/ICNA Convention held in Chicago in December 2014, Carson was scheduled to participate
on a panel alongside MAS national executive director Mazen Mokhtar,
who, according to the sworn testimony of federal agents, at one time
facilitated the operation of an Al-Qaeda website that raised funds for the Taliban. The panel
in which Carson and Mokhtar were slated to speak was titled “Ferguson
Is Our Issue: We Can’t Breathe.” The references in that title were to
two 2014 events that left-wing activists falsely depicted as instances
of deadly, racially motivated police violence against African Americans.
For background information on both of those events, click here.

Ultimately,
Carson did not in fact participate in the December 2014 panel. After
the MAS/ICNA Convention, the congressman released a statement
saying: “Any reference to my participation or appearance on the
Ferguson panel during the ICNA conference is not factual. As a former
law enforcement officer with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security
in the anti-terrorism unit, it is critical that Americans know that I
would never associate with any individual or organization trying to harm
the United States of America or its citizens.”

Appointment to House Intelligence Committee

In a closed-door meeting on January 13, 2015, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
announced that “in the coming days” she would name Carson to the
House’s Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, making him the first
Muslim to serve on that panel. At the time, Carson was already a member
of the House Armed Services Committee. In addition,
he had previously worked for the Department of Homeland Security’s
Fusion Center—the clearinghouse in charge of streamlining the
data-sharing process between the CIA, FBI, Department of Justice, and
military.

http://www.discoverthenetworks…

 

Top Member of Obama Supported Terror Group Vows “Retaliation” Against US

January 14, 2015

Top Member of Obama Supported Terror Group Vows “Retaliation” Against US

January 14, 2015 by Daniel Greenfield

via Top Member of Obama Supported Terror Group Vows “Retaliation” Against US | FrontPage Magazine.

 

Abbas-Zaki-small

Apparently we just don’t give the PLO enough money. You can’t expect terrorists to live on under a billion a year. It’s inhuman.

In a recent interview with Russian news network RT, Fatah central committee member Abbas Zaki threatened the US following the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) failed UN bid demanding recognition and Israeli withdrawals.

“The whole world should understand that the US is an enemy, pushing Israeli extremists to carry on with their actions, depriving us of our rights, and supporting Israel in everything,”said Zaki, despite the fact that American and Israeli funding keeps the PA afloat.

The RT report went on to say that Zaki was “comparing the US administration with ‘the cobra’s head,’” and that “Zaki vowed retaliation if America doesn’t change its current stance.”

They can always go back to hijacking planes. They did innovate mass airplane hijacking that Al Qaeda only copied.

Zaki is one of the more notoriously honest terrorists from a group funded by US taxpayers.

Abbas Zaki: “Those Israelis have no religion and no principles… Allah will gather them so that we can kill them.”

He’s an almost honest monster.

The settlement should be based upon the borders of June 4, 1967. When we say that the settlement should be based upon these borders, President [Abbas] understands, we understand, and everybody knows that the greater goal cannot be accomplished in one go. If Israel withdraws from Jerusalem, evacuates the 650,000 settlers, and dismantles the wall – what will become of Israel? It will come to an end.

Of course the media has a long history of ignoring what either Abbas says when they’re on RT.

Around the time that Obama visited him, Abbas gave an interview to Putin’s RT in which he claimed that he was just like Hamas.

“As far as I am concerned, there is no difference between our policies and those of Hamas. So why are they labeled as terrorists? In my opinion, [the EU] can remove Hamas [from the list], why not?”

This is what America continues to fund under Obama.

Hamas announces jihad terror training camps for 15 year olds

January 13, 2015

Hamas announces jihad terror training camps for 15 year olds

via Hamas announces jihad terror training camps for 15 year olds | Pamela Geller, Atlas Shrugs.

 

 

All Hamas is devoted to is death and destruction. If Israel ceased to exist and all the Jews in Israel were murdered, Hamas would die — without anything to destroy and anyone to kill, it would have no reason to exist.

“Hamas announces military training camps for 15 year olds,” Elder of Ziyon, January 11, 2015 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

The Hamas al Qassam Brigades announced that it open up registration for military camps for children aged 15 and up throughout the Gaza strip on January 20.

The camps will be called “Vanguard of the Liberation.”

Hamas doesn’t try to hide that it is training children to be armed terrorists. The announcement states that “the camps will include military drills and skills, shooting live ammunition, scouting skills and sermons, as well as courses in civil defense and first aid.”

Kids can register for the camps “at the nearest mosque or the nearest Qassam Brigades military site.” Since the army sites are sprinkled liberally throughout residential areas, that makes it much easier to find a place to register.

Here’s the flyer announcing the camps:


This is the third year of the camps. Here are some photos from last year’s graduation ceremony (a full video is here.)….

Largest Islamic Body in the World Calls for More Anti-Free Speech Laws in Wake of Charlie Hebdo Attack

January 13, 2015

Largest Islamic Body in the World Calls for More Anti-Free Speech Laws in Wake of Charlie Hebdo Attack

via The PJ Tatler Largest Islamic Body in the World Calls for More Anti-Free Speech Laws in Wake of Charlie Hebdo Attack | PJ Tatler » Print.

Posted By Patrick Poole On January 12, 2015 @ 2:09 pm

Last week’s terror attack targeting French magazine Charlie Hebdo‘s office in Paris has sparked a global conversation about the nature of free speech, with the “Je Suis Charlie” hashtag in support of the murdered Charlie Hebdo staff going viral and becoming the most used hashtag in the history of Twitter.

But this afternoon, the UN representative for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Ufuk Gokcen, was expressing another view with respect to free speech.

The OIC is comprised of the 57 Muslim-majority nations and the Palestinian Authority. They are the largest bloc at the UN, and when they meet on the head-of-state level, they literally speak for the Muslim world.

So it is noteworthy that after the Charlie Hebdo attack, Gokcen is now calling for more implementation of the OIC-sponsored UN Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18 and the follow-up Rabat Plan of Action that would criminalize the very type of speech that Charlie Hebdo engaged in:

The timing of Gokcen’s call couldn’t be more perfect.

Today, University of Tennessee law professor Robert Blitt (a colleague of our own Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds) had an oped published in USA Today calling out the OIC for its retrograde views on free speech and how they fuel Islamic extremism:

The OIC, whose member states range from moderate U.S. allies such as Jordan to adversaries such as Iran, describes itself as the world’s largest international body after the United Nations. For more than a decade, “the collective voice of the Muslim world” has spread the belief that any insult directed against the Muslim faith or its prophet demands absolute suppression. Quashing “defamation of Islam” is enshrined as a chief objective in the organization’s charter.

With countless internal resolutions, relentless lobbying of the international community and block voting on resolutions advocating a prohibition on defamation of religion at the U.N., the OIC continuously pushes to silence criticism of Islam.

Translated into practice inside Islamic nations and increasingly elsewhere, this toxic vision breeds contempt for freedom of religion and expression, justifies the killing of Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and casts a pall of self-censorship over academia and the arts.

By building the expectation that dissent or insult merits suppression, groups such as the OIC and the Arab League have emboldened extremists to take protection of Islam to the next level. With the most authoritative Muslim voices prepared to denounce violence but not to combat the idea that Islam should be immune from criticism, a meaningful response to counteract the resulting violence continues to be glaringly absent.

An OIC statement released after a 2011 Charlie Hebdo issue “guest-edited” by the prophet Mohammed typifies this troubling position: “Publication of the insulting cartoon … was an outrageous act of incitement and hatred and abuse of freedom of expression. … The publishers and editors of the Charlie Hebdo magazine must assume full responsibility for their … incitement of religious intolerance.”

As Professor Blitt notes in his oped, the OIC has been the international driving force behind the passage of Resolution 16/18, which was co-sponsored by Pakistan and the United States and passed in December 2011.

When passed, Resolution 16/18 was billed by the Obama administration as an improvement over previous “defamation of religion” resolutions. But the effort immediately came under fire from religious liberties and free speech experts:

In the view of veteran international religious liberty analyst and advocate Elizabeth Kendal resolution 16/18, “far from being a breakthrough for free speech … is actually more dangerous than” the religious defamation resolutions.

“Indeed, the strategic shift from defamation to incitement actually advances the OIC’s primary goal: the criminalization of criticism of Islam,” she wrote.

The OIC’s push to criminalize “defamation of Islam” goes back to the OIC’s 10 Year Plan of Action adopted in 2005. Under the section “Countering Islamophobia” (VII), the plan says:

3. Endeavor to have the United Nations adopt an international resolution to counter Islamophobia, and call upon all States to enact laws to counter it, including deterrent punishments.

In their published implementation plan for their 10 Year Plan of Action, they are more clear that combating “defamation of religion” is not what they were after, but rather criminalizing “Islamophobia”:

Which is effectively what they’ve accomplished with the generous assistance of the Obama administration. Just two months before the passage of Resolution 16/18, senior Justice Department officials were meeting with U.S. Islamic groups discussing that very thing.

In fact, in my annual “National Security ‘Not Top 10′ of 2011″ (no. 7) here at PJ Media, I noted the active cooperation of Hillary Clinton and the State Department in working with the OIC as part of their “Istanbul Process” to that end.

And in November 2012, when I reported here that U.S. Embassy in Jeddah Consul General Anne Casper was going to be addressing the OIC’s symposium on “defamation of Islam,” the OIC quickly scrubbed any reference to her appearance.

My colleague Stephen Coughlin has posted a video lecture outlining how the OIC’s efforts with respect to Resolution 16/18 are really rooted in Islamic law’s codes prohibiting blasphemy:

It’s hardly surprising that even after the Charlie Hebdo attack the OIC is not content to abandon their decade-long effort to criminalize “Islamophobia.” But, much as Professor Blitt has warned in his oped today, by doing so they are pushing the global Islamic community further away from the rest of the world.


Article printed from The PJ Tatler: http://pjmedia.com/tatler

URL to article: http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2015/01/12/organization-of-islamic-cooperation-calls-for-more-speech-codes-defamation-laws-in-wake-of-charlie-hebdo-attack/

Where did Gaza’s Concrete Go?

January 12, 2015

A leftwing organization is complaining that not enough building materials are being let into Gaza, but admits that what goes in is not being used to rebuild Gazan home.

By: Shalom Bear

Published: January 12th, 2015

via The Jewish Press » » Where did Gaza’s Concrete Go?.

 

A Hamas policeman walks past trucks loaded with cement which entered the Gaza Strip from Israel through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
A Hamas policeman walks past trucks loaded with cement which entered the Gaza Strip from Israel through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Photo Credit: Abed Rahim Khatib / Flash90

It’s difficult to get a handle on the tone of a recent report by the radical left-wing organization Gisha.

In a recent article, they report on how much building materials such as concrete and cement have been brought into Gaza since the end of Operation Protective Edge in August 2014.

Trucks Tons of Material
Private use (Reconstruction) 722 34,570
Qatar projects 1,496 104,198
International Organization Projects 960 57,636
Totals: 3,178 196,404

Gisha complains that this amount isn’t nearly enough, making up only 3.9% of the amount of building material that Gaza needs to for reconstruction.

They claim that Gaza needs 5 million tons of building materials.

It would appear that Gisha is ignoring the estimated 3 millions tons of concrete rubble already in Gaza that can be recycled and reused for many projects — though that 3 million tons presumably includes the 800,000 tons of concrete originally used to build Gaza’s terror tunnel network that Hamas claims is already being rebuilt.

In the article, Gisha mentions that not a single home from the 20,000 destroyed homes hasbeen rebuilt since the construction material was first allowed back in.

But it is not clear who exactly Gisha is criticizing for that, or what they are implying.

So where did the concrete go?

An Israel Channel 2 reporter spoke with Gazans in December, and they said they haven’t seen any private reconstruction going on, only some main roads.

Based on the international mechanisms that were set up between the UN, Israel and the PA, every individual Gazan whose home was damaged need only fill out a form and they will receive the building materials they need to rebuild.

And yet the left-wing organization Gisha divulges that not a single new home has been rebuilt, despite nearly 35 tons and 722 trucks of construction material being brought in specifically for that purpose.

The Channel 2 reporter asked the Gazans about the construction material they were supposed to receive, and one Gazan in the construction business told him that the Gazans are reselling all their building materials on the black market to buy food and supplies – even though organizations like UNRWA supposedly supply them with the basics.

He claims that individual Gazans can’t afford to rebuild their homes, even after being given all the raw materials for free.

Which brings us back full circle, with one basic question.

Israel is allowing in building materials, more than enough for the Gazans to be rebuilding their homes.

There is enough recyclable construction material in Gaza to last them for years.

Individual Gazans are selling their construction material on the black market (to someone).

Despite the presence of international organizations who are supposed to be in Gaza helping them rebuild and ensuring that building materials do not go to Hamas, no one actually sees any help from them in rebuilding their homes, other than providing them raw material which they resell, presumably to Hamas.

Despite the multiplicity of NGOs supposedly concerned with Gaza, none of those NGOs seem to be helping the Gazans physically rebuild.

Despite having all the raw materials and the manpower, no one in Gaza is helping one another rebuild their homes, and certainly Hamas and the PA, their own government(s), isn’t helping either.

Which leaves us with one question: how many terror tunnels is Hamas currently rebuilding with all the redirected construction materials?

Palestinians submit revised statehood draft to UN

December 30, 2014

Palestinians submit revised statehood draft to UN

Washington calls resolution ‘unconstructive,’ signaling it will veto the bid when it comes up for a Security Council vote

By AFP and Times of Israel staff

December 29, 2014, 10:54 pm

via Palestinians submit revised statehood draft to UN | The Times of Israel.

 

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Algiers, December 23, 2014. (photo credit: AFP/Farouk Batiche)

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Algiers, December 23, 2014. (photo credit: AFP/Farouk Batiche)

 

UNITED NATIONS — The Palestinian leadership on Monday presented changes to a UN draft resolution on statehood that could come up for a vote at the Security Council as early as this week.

The United States again rejected the text that would pave the way to a Palestinian state by setting a 12-month deadline to reach a final peace deal and calling for Israel to withdraw to the pre-1967 lines by the end of 2017.

Arab ambassadors endorsed the text, which contains new provisions on declaring East Jerusalem the capital of a Palestinian state, settling the issue of Palestinian prisoner releases and halting Jewish settlements.

But a final decision on the timing for a vote on the draft resolution at the Security Council rests with Palestinian and Jordanian leaders.

“Both our leaderships will be discussing, to find the best way and the best timing to vote on the Security Council resolution,” Jordanian Ambassador Dina Kawar told reporters.

“Realistically, it could happen tomorrow,” added Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour.

The draft resolution was formally presented to the council on December 17, but the United States quickly rejected the text over Palestinian insistence that deadlines be set.

The Palestinians had said they were open to negotiations on the text and Jordan began talks on a measure that could garner a consensus among the 15 council members.

But the latest push showed that prospects for a resolution that would satisfy both the Palestinians and the United States were bleak.

Discussions on the draft resolution come amid mounting international alarm over the ongoing violence and the failure to re-start negotiations.

US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday about the latest Palestinian push at the United Nations.

“We don’t think this resolution is constructive,” said State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke. “We don’t believe this resolution (…) advances the goal of a two-state solution.

“We think it sets arbitrary deadlines for reaching a peace agreement and for Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank, and those are more likely to curtail useful negotiations than to bring them to a successful conclusion.

“Further, we think that the resolution fails to account for Israel’s legitimate security needs, and the satisfaction of those needs, of course, integral to a sustainable settlement,” Rathke said.

It remained unclear if the Palestinians would seek a quick vote or hold off until January 1, when five new members with a pro-Palestinian stance join the Security Council.

Diplomats said it was unlikely that the resolution would garner nine votes under the current makeup of the council — a scenario that would allow the United States to avoid resorting to its veto power.

A US veto risks angering key Arab allies, including partners in the US-led coalition carrying out airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain and Venezuela begin their two-year stint at the council on January 1, replacing Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, Rwanda and South Korea.

Several European parliaments have adopted non-binding motions calling for recognition of Palestine and there are fears of a return to war unless peace efforts are revived.

The Palestinians have warned that if the bid to win support for a UN resolution fails, they are prepared to join the International Criminal Court to file suits against Israel.

They will also take action at the UN General Assembly and in other international fora to force the issue of Palestinian statehood on the agenda.

“If the Arab-Palestinian initiative submitted to the Security Council to put an end to occupation doesn’t pass, we will be forced to take the necessary political and legal decisions,” Abbas said last week.

“If it fails, we will no longer deal with the Israeli government, which will then be forced to assume its responsibilities as an occupier.”

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected efforts to impose terms via the UN, and calls for a negotiated resolution of the conflict. However, he has refused to restart talks with the Abbas-led PA so long as it remains partnered with Hamas, the Gaza-based Islamist terror group that seeks to destroy Israel, in a Palestinian unity government.

Palestinian Authority Envoy to Tehran Says Israel will be Destroyed

December 28, 2014

Iran is aiding terrorism in Judea and Samaria, Netanyahu says.

By: Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu

Published: December 28th, 2014

via The Jewish Press » » Palestinian Authority Envoy to Tehran Says Israel will be Destroyed.

 

A message from an ambassador of the Palestinian Authority, Israel's "peace partner."
A message from an ambassador of the Palestinian Authority, Israel’s “peace partner.”

The Palestinian Authority ambassador to Iran has said that Israel is a cancer” that “will be destroyed,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the Cabinet Sunday morning.

He also said, ‘We have seen increased Iranian efforts for terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria. ”The PA ambassador’s remarks, quoted by the Prime Minister, are a carbon copy of those of Hamas and exposes the Ramallah regime headed by Mahmoud Abbas as a terrorist organization in a shirt and tie.

Netanyahu said:

The ambassador said he is happy with orders from the ruler of Iran, [Ali Hosseini] Khamenei, to send weapons to the West Bank.He added, and I quote, ‘The Zionist regime is an aggressive cancerous regime that sooner or later will be eliminated.’

Netanyahu emphasized that the ambassador is not a Hamas official but one from the Palestinian Authority headed by “peace partner” Mahmoud Abbas.

He asked rhetorically what will be the reaction of the United Nations.

“They give Iran a place of honor instead of dealing with incitement like this, which leads to terrorism such as we have experienced lately,” referring to last week’s firebombing of an 11-year-old and her father by two Palestinian Authority terrorists.

Netanyahu said Israel will not allow the Palestinian Authority “to force a second Hamastan on us and endanger our security” by going to the U.N. Security Council to circumvent negotiations with Israel.

“This is the same United Nations whose Human Rights Council last year brought 20 decisions against Israel, one against Iran and one against Syria,” Netanyahu added.

The Prime Minister said he expects the international community to unite against the Palestinian Authority effort.

We also can expect  the Palestinian Authority  observer to the United Nations tell the international community how much Abbas  wants peace and that Israel refuses to make peace with a regime that publicly states that Israel is a “cancer that, sooner or later, will be eliminated.”