Archived news and commentary: March 22 - 28, 2004

2004/03/29 - 2004/04/04
2004/03/22 - 2004/03/28
2004/03/15 - 2004/03/21
2004/03/08 - 2004/03/14
2004/03/01 - 2004/03/07
2004/02/23 - 2004/02/29
2004/02/16 - 2004/02/22
2004/02/09 - 2004/02/15
2004/02/02 - 2004/02/08
2004/01/26 - 2004/02/01
2004/01/19 - 2004/01/25
2004/01/12 - 2004/01/18
2004/01/05 - 2004/01/11
2003/12/29 - 2004/01/04

Sunday, March 28, 2004

News and commentary:

"Rantisi says Bush is God's enemy, war on US is ongoing" (AP/The Jerusalem Post, 2004/03/28)
"New Hamas chief in Gaza, Abdel Aziz Rantisi on Sunday said that US President George W. Bush is the enemy of God and Islam. He also declared that God's war against the United States and Israel was ongoing.
In a speech at Gaza's Islamic University, Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi said he was not surprised that the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel's assassination last Monday of Hamas spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin.
"We knew that Bush is the enemy of God, the enemy of Islam and Muslims. America declared war against God. Sharon declared war against God and God declared war against America, Bush and Sharon," Rantisi said. 'The war of God continues against them and I can see the victory coming up from the land of Palestine by the hand of Hamas.'"

"The Account of the Palestinian Victim Hussam Abdo from Nablus" (IPC, 2004/03/28)
"The Palestinian National Authority's International Press Center maintains that the capture of Hussam Abdo was an Israeli "fabrication":
"Many of the Palestinian officials, locals and eyewitnesses along with senior sources of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a military wing of Fateh, emphasized that arresting the teen boy Hussam Abdo from Nablus was a fabricated story weaved by the Israeli intelligence to misinform the world purportedly that the Palestinians send their children to cynically kill themselves that is adversely to downgrade the morale of the Palestinian people and waning the world’s sympathy towards the just Palestinian cause.
It is hard to understand such Israeli fabrications due to their secrecy, but a quick glance at the details of the scene of the boy with the belt assured that the intelligence services of the occupying authorities were the authors, directors and the organizers of the script. ...
Hussam's brother, Belal Abdo, said that he was fully convinced that his brother was victimized by such a tainted game perpetrated by the Israeli intelligence services. He added that his brother was suffering growth problems.
"I believe that one of the Israeli intelligence collaborators played with my brother’s mind to carry an explosive belt and to blow himself up on the purpose of being timely invested by Israel," Belal said." (Note: The only brother of Abdo I've heard of before this is Hosni, who was "furious with whoever persuaded his brother to strap on the bomb vest" and doesn't seem to believe it was a fabrication. See also: "Israel 'fabricated' child-bomber story" (Khalid Amayreh, Aljazeeera.net, 2004/03/25))

"The Moor's Last Laugh" (Fouad Ajami, The Wall Street Journal, 2004/03/28)
Boabdil was the last Muslim king of Granada: "Yet Boabdil's revenge came. It stole upon Europe. Demography — the aging of Europe on the one hand and, on the other, a vast bloat of people in the Middle East and North Africa — did Boabdil's job for him. Spurred by economic growth in the '60s, which created the need for foreign laborers, a Muslim migration to Europe began. Today, 15 million Muslims make their home in the European Union. ...
Spain may attribute the cruelty visited on it to its association with America's expedition into Iraq. But the truth is darker. Jacques Chirac may believe that he has spared France Spain's terror by sitting out the Iraq war. But he is deluded. The Islamists do not make fine distinctions in the bilad al kufr.
Europe is host to a war between order and its enemies, fuelled by demography: 40% of the Arab world is under 14. Demographers tell us that the fertility replacement rate is 2.1 children per woman. Europe is frightfully below this level; in Germany it is 1.3, Italy 1.2, Spain 1.1, France 1.7 (this higher rate is a factor of its Muslim population). Fertility rates in the Islamic world are altogether different: they are 3.2 in Algeria, 3.4 in Egypt and Morocco, 5.2 in Iraq and 6.1 in Saudi Arabia. This is Europe's neighborhood, and its contemporary fate. You can tell the neighbors across the Straits, (and within the gates of Europe) that you share their dread of Pax Americana. But nemesis is near."

"John Kerry: The Arab Hope?" (Amir Taheri, New York Post/Benador Associates, 2004/03/28)
"IF elected president, will John Kerry offer the Arabs a better deal? This is the question raised in the Arab media these days.
Many different answers are given, but a consensus seems to be emerging that a Kerry presidency will lift what the Arab elite regards as its worst nightmare during the presidency of George W Bush. ...
Beyond Saudi Arabia, the assumption in Arab media and political circles is that Kerry as president will abandon Bush's "dreams of change" in the Middle East and restore Washington's traditional policy of support for the status quo in the Arab world.
"We are certain that a Democratic administration will be more realistic," says a senior advisor to Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak. "Bush's talk of imposing democracy can only de-stabilize the region and produce catastrophe for all concerned." ...
The Arabs should not delude themselves into believing that a Democratic administration will be able to abandon the War on Terror or ignore its root cause, which is the absence of democracy and human rights in countries where religious fascism has established itself as the key challenger to often corrupt and despotic ruling cliques. ...
Sens. Kerry and Kennedy may be "sincere friends of the Arabs," as the Saudi media suggest. It is also quite possible that de Villepin told Kerry "you've got to beat Bush for all of us." But the problem that Arabs and some in the "old Europe" have is that they do not yet understand that, for a majority of Americans, the War on Terror is a real war - not a pose that can be altered with a change of administration."

"Top BBC staff threaten to walk out over WMD probe" (Kamal Ahmedand and Vanessa Thorpe, The Observer, 2004/03/28)
"Senior BBC staff are threatening to take some flagship programmes off the air rather than face criticisms from an internal inquiry launched in the aftermath of Hutton.
A remarkable series of internal battles, which has pitched some of Britain's most senior broadcasting figures against one another, has led to the threats. The inquiry, chaired by the BBC's director of policy, Caroline Thomson, has been described as a 'kangaroo court'.
Executives and presenters complained that the inquiry went against natural justice, was trying to find scapegoats for the Hutton debacle and had poisoned relations. ...
Stars such as political editor Andrew Marr, Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman, and Today's John Humphrys and Jim Naughtie have all raised concerns at the process that has been likened to 'the BBC's own Guantanamo.'"

"In Pakistan, the Riddle of a Big Fish That Got Away" (David Rohde, The New York Times, 2004/03/28)
Rohde on the confusion surrounding the anti-terrorist raids in Pakistan: "Pakistani officials said 300 members of a tribal area paramilitary force, the Frontier Corps, surrounded the house of a local tribesman said to be sheltering foreign fighters in the village of Kaloosha. Three vehicles unexpectedly roared out under fire, and one escaped.
Several hours later the Pakistani forces found themselves under fire from heavy machine guns, mortars and rockets behind them, and in the battle that followed 15 Frontier Corps members were killed and another 10 were taken prisoner, along with two low-level government officials. In the end, 400 regular army troops were sent in. That night, General Musharraf and other Pakistani officials suggested that those inside the compound might have been fighting to defend a "high value target." Speculation quickly focused on Dr. Zawahiri, who Pakistani officials said had been in the area.
Military officials announced that the Pakistani army had formed a double cordon around the 400 to 500 militants. The following day, they vowed that no one would escape.
But more setbacks followed. Fire from a Pakistani helicopter killed at least a dozen civilians. Guerrillas attacked two army resupply convoys miles away, killing another 20 soldiers and capturing eight. Last Monday, the Pakistani army announced the discovery of a network of tunnels in the compound where the fighting originated. Noting a sharp drop in the resistance they were facing, officials said the fighters may have used the tunnels to escape." (See also: "Musharraf: 'High-value' al Qaeda target may be surrounded in Pakistan" (CNN.com, 2004/03/18))

"Fatah confession sheds new light on Arafat's terror links" (Amos Harel, Haaretz, 2004/03/28)
"Raaf Mansur, from the Nablus area, was detained by Israel Defense Forces soldiers last February. Mansur headed a wing of Fatah's military branch, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. His cell was responsible for attacks in the Nablus and Jenin areas.
Letters confiscated by Israeli security forces from Mansur's home included pleas sent to Arafat for money to fund armed activities. Mansur told interrogators that his appeals to Arafat resulted in a monthly NIS 7,500 payment to him. The allocations continued up to the time of Mansur's arrest.
Mansur explained that the money was delivered via Abed al-Fatah Hameil, who serves as a financial adviser to the PA chairman. Mansur and Hameil met several times in Nablus. Mansur presented a list of his cell members and, after reviewing the names, Arafat's assistant delivered the funds."

"Arab Summit Meeting Collapses Over Reforms" (Neil MacFarquhar, The New York Times, 2004/03/28)
"The summit meeting of Arab leaders billed as the first serious effort to make a collective commitment to democratic reforms ended Saturday before it began, with the host nation, Tunisia, insisting that it be postponed indefinitely.
In a statement, the Tunisian government said it felt that the commitment of Arab states toward reforms — from human rights to a greater role for women — was insufficient for the 22 foreign ministers gathered here to hammer out an agreement on common goals that the heads of state would endorse.
"It became clear that there was a variance of positions on proposals related to fundamental issues on modernisation, democratic reform, human rights, the rights of women and the role of civil society," the statement said.
Some foreign ministers had refused to include certain words like "democracy" and "parliament" and "civil society," said Oussama Romdhani, an official spokesman for the Tunisian government."

Added in archive:
"The Boar War; Muslims angry at plan to bring back historic statue of wild pig" (Mail on Sunday/CNN Money, 2004/03/21)

Saturday, March 27, 2004

News and commentary:

"A modified Pegasus rocket drops..."
(Jim Ross, NASA, 2004/03/27)
"A modified Pegasus rocket drops steadily away after release from NASA's B-52B, before accelerating the X-43A over the Pacific Ocean on March 27, 2004." (See also: "Nasa jet smashes speed record" (BBC News, 2004/03/27))

"Syria seeks our help to woo US" (John Kerin, The Australian, 2004/03/27)
"Syria has appealed to Australia to use its close ties with Washington to help the Arab nation shake off its reputation as a terrorist haven and repair its relations with the US.
Secret talks between the two nations have been under way for months but have become more urgent as rogue nations reconsider their role in allowing terrorists to thrive, in light of the US determination to take pre-emptive military action.
A Syrian embassy will be opened in Canberra in weeks and Australia is considering reopening its mission in Damascus.
Australia's close relationship with Washington, and its much higher profile in the Middle East, have prompted Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara'a and parliamentary speaker Mahmoud Al-Ibrache to appeal to Canberra to help bring their country back in from a US-imposed diplomatic freeze. ...
In November, senior Syrian officials asked a bipartisan Australian delegation led by National Party senator Sandy Macdonald to use Australia's influence with the US to achieve a diplomatic rapprochement."

"French lawyer 'to defend Saddam'" (BBC News, 2004/03/27)
"A French lawyer who made his reputation defending some of the world's most notorious figures says he will take on Saddam Hussein as his latest client.
In his long career, Jacques Verges defended Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie, Carlos the Jackal and former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic.
Mr Verges says the request came in a letter from Saddam Hussein's nephew, Ali Barzan al-Takriti.
He says he will also defend former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz.
He will be supported by a dozen other French lawyers to mount a defence case." (See also an interview with Verges: "Defending Saddam" (Eric Pape and Marie Valla, MSNBC, 2003/12/30): "Obviously, in the course of a trial, the fundamental element will be: 'you treat me like a pariah, but I was your friend. What we did, we did together. I fired the bullet, but you're the one who gave me the gun — you even pointed out the enemy.'")

"Jordanian Linked to Madrid Attacks" (Daniel Woolls, AP/Yahoo! News, 2004/03/27)
"Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian linked to al-Qaida and suspected of heading a terrorist network in Iraq, is now believed to have been the brains behind the deadly Madrid railway attacks, a French private investigator told The Associated Press on Friday.
Investigator Jean-Charles Brisard said Spanish officials told him some suspects held in the March 11 attacks were in contact with al-Zarqawi as recently as a month or two before the bombings, which killed 190 people and wounded more than 1,800.
"They believe today he was the mastermind," Brisard, who is probing the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, said in a telephone interview from Geneva, Switzerland."

"Viva Madrid" (Mario Vargas Llosa, The Guardian, 2004/03/27)
"The killers were not mistaken in their target: today's Madrid represents precisely the negation of the radical inhumanity of the obtuse, exclusive tribal spirit of fundamentalism, religious or political, which hates mixture, diversity and tolerance and, above all, liberty. This is the first European battle in a savage war that began exactly two years ago with the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York, and whose inroads will probably fill with blood and horror a good part of this new century. It is a war to the death, of course, and owing to the present fantastic development of the technology of destruction and the fanatic, suicidal zeal that inspires the international movement of terror, it is perhaps a trial even more difficult than those represented by fascism and communism for the culture of liberty."

"The Holocaust Shrug" (David Gelernter, The Weekly Standard, from the 2004/04/05 issue)
"Many Democrats mention Saddam's crimes only grudgingly. What they really want to discuss is how the administration "lied" about WMDs (one of the more infantile accusations in modern political history), how (thanks to Iraq) our allies can't stand us anymore, how (on account of Iraq) we are shortchanging the war on terror. But don't you understand, a listener wants to scream, that Saddam's government was ripping human flesh to shreds? Was consuming whole populations by greedy mouthfuls, masticating them, drooling blood? Committing crimes that are painful even to describe? Don't you understand what we achieved by liberating Iraq, what mankind achieved? ...
Saddam was small compared with Hitler, yet he was like Hitler not only in what he wanted but in what he did. When we marched into Iraq, we halted a small-scale holocaust.
I could understand people disagreeing with this claim, arguing that Saddam was evil but not that kind of evil, not evil enough to deserve being discussed in those terms. But the opposition I hear doesn't dwell on the nature of Saddam's crimes. It dwells on the nature of America's — our mistakes, our malfeasance, our "lies." It sounds loonier and farther from reality all the time, more and more like the Holocaust Shrug."

"Muslims hit back following attack by Carey" (Jonathan Petre and Graham Tibbetts, The Daily Telegraph, 2004/03/27)
So it's kosher, one might even say compulsory in certain segments, to denounce Western culture as genocidal, racist, colonialistic, imperialistic, money obsessed, militaristic, materialistic and patriarchal, but at the same time tabu to generalize about and criticize other cultures.
And if it's done, it is immediately denounced as "racist":
"British Muslims reacted with anger yesterday at an attack on Islamic culture delivered by Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury.
Muslim leaders said his claim that moderates had failed to condemn suicide bombers was totally unjustified, and rejected his assertion that Islam, over the past 500 years, had displayed a "strong resistance to modernity". ...
Manzoor Moghal, chairman of the Federation of Muslim Organisations in Leicester, said Dr Carey's statement was "disastrous" for relations between Christians and Muslims.
"He has fallen prey to the campaign tactics of racists in this country," he said." (See also: "Muslim culture has contributed little for centuries" (Jonathan Petre, The Daily Telegraph, 2004/03/26))

"15 Iraqis, 1 Marine Killed in Firefight - Search Sets Off Clash in Fallujah" (Karl Vick and Naseer Nouri, The Washington Post, 2004/03/27)
"An early morning search operation by U.S. Marines erupted into what witnesses described as an intermittent, day-long firefight against Iraqi insurgents, the heaviest fighting since the Marines replaced Army troops this week as the occupation force in this restive town.
Iraqi medical workers here said 15 Iraqis were killed in the fighting; other sources put the Iraqi death toll at five to seven. Doctors counted 25 Iraqi wounded, at least two severely.
One U.S. Marine was killed, according to U.S. military officials, the 400th American combat death in Iraq. A U.S. military spokeswoman said several Marines were wounded in the operation. ...
Witnesses said the fighting in Fallujah ebbed and flowed throughout the day, attracting onlookers during lulls and then abruptly cutting down those in the line of fire as shooting resumed. It was the most intense clash in Fallujah — a town 35 miles west of Baghdad that has been a center of Sunni Muslim resistance to the U.S.-led occupation — since Feb. 14, when insurgents stormed the main Iraqi police station, killing uniformed officers and freeing prisoners."

Added in Themes:

"A Palestinian boy wearing an explosive belt..." - News and commentary about Hussam Abdo, the Palestinian 16 year old boy who was caught wearing an explosive belt.
[Also: Gallery, with pictures from Yahoo! News Photos.]

Friday, March 26, 2004

News and commentary:

"A Palestinian boy rides his tricycle..."
(Mohammed Salem, Reuters, 2004/03/26)
"A Palestinian boy rides his tricycle past Hamas graffiti in Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip March 26, 2004."

"Iraqi cleric calls 9/11 'miracle from God'" (CNN.com, 2004/03/26)
"An influential Shiite cleric in Iraq called Israel's targeted killing of the spiritual leader of Hamas a "dirty crime against Islam" and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, "a miracle from God."
Moqtada al-Sadr delivered a charged sermon Friday at a mosque near the holy city of Najaf, blasting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for the killing of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, founder of Hamas. ...
Al-Sadr led the worshippers in chants: "No, no Israel! No, no to the Jews! No, no America! No, no to terrorism!"
Al-Sadr railed against the United States' occupation of Iraq.
"I seek the spread of freedom and democracy in the way that satisfies God," he said. "They have planned and paved the ways for a long time, but it is God who is the real planner -- and the proof of this is the fall of the American twin towers."
He then referred to the September 11 attacks as "a miracle from God."
"As we say, 'The rain starts with a drop,' " he said."

"Saddam betrayed by bodyguard" (BBC News, 2004/03/26)
"Saddam Hussein was finally betrayed by a relative who was one of his closest bodyguards, a BBC programme reveals.
Panorama reports that after eight months on the run, the hiding place of the ousted Iraqi leader was given away by an aide known as "the fat man".
The programme, to be broadcast on BBC One on Sunday, says Mohammed Ibrahim Omar al-Musslit gave away the secret after being arrested and interrogated.
The programme, to be broadcast on BBC One on Sunday, says Mohammed Ibrahim Omar al-Musslit gave away the secret after being arrested and interrogated.
Saddam Hussein was captured on 13 December near his home town of Tikrit.
Mr Musslit was a loyal lieutenant of Saddam Hussein. He was one of the people who accompanied the Iraqi leader as he fled Baghdad in a white Oldsmobile, as US troops entered the city on 9 April 2003.
But Panorama will reveal that he was quickly broken by interrogators after being captured in Baghdad, and led American troops to his boss just hours after being arrested in December."

"Housework sermon sparks imam boycott" (BBC News, 2004/03/26)
"A Muslim preacher in eastern Turkey says he is being boycotted for telling local men to help their wives with the housework, Turkish media reported.
"Women do all the work in this village. All I said was men should at least carry the water (from the local well)," Mustafa Platin told Sabah newspaper.
His angry flock, who stopped attending the mosque, have asked authorities to remove the preacher." (Hat tip: Glenn Reynolds.)

"We Are Finishing the War" (Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, 2004/03/26)
"The terrorists have been routed from their sanctuary of Afghanistan and cannot come back as long as the United States and its allies are determined to stay the course. They are being slowly drawn and quartered inside Pakistan, where the Musharraf government has finally agreed to begin to close down its frontier border sanctuary. Terrorists' ties with rogue regimes like Saddam Hussein's and Khaddafi's Libya are now cut. Saudi, Syrian, and Iranian subsidies and sanctuaries of old are now under scrutiny. Reformists in all of those countries are organizing. ...
The problem is not "getting the message out," but having the intellectual courage to tell the truth and not to be browbeaten by faux intellectuals who talk monotonously of mythical pipelines and Zionist aggression. The fact is, beneath the hype, Iraqis will soon appreciate American help and idealism far more than French perfidy. It is never wrong to be on the side of freedom — never."

"Sept. 11, Lies and 'Mistakes'" (Charles Krauthammer, The Washington Post, 2004/03/26)
"It is only March, but the 2004 Chutzpah of the Year Award can be safely given out. It goes to Richard Clarke, now making himself famous by blaming the Bush administration for Sept. 11 — after Clarke had spent eight years in charge of counterterrorism for a Clinton administration that did nothing. ...
Clarke gives Clinton a pass and instead concentrates his ire on Bush. For what? For not having preemptively attacked Afghanistan? On what grounds — increased terrorist chatter in June and July 2001?
Look. George W. Bush did not distinguish himself on terrorism in the first eight months of his presidency. Whatever his failings, however, they pale in comparison to those of his predecessor.
Clinton was in office eight years, not eight months. As Clarke himself said in a 2002 National Security Council briefing, the Clinton administration never made a plan for dealing with al Qaeda and never left one behind for the Bush administration."

"Moving to Sept. 12" (Caroline Glick, The Jerusalem Post, 2004/03/26)
"Before Sept. 11, the Taliban told the Americans and their interlocutors that they had no control over bin Laden and that anyway, he was not a threat to the US. Sanctions on the Taliban, although leveled, were ineffective because the Pakistanis continued to arm them and supply them with oil, the United Arab Emirates allowed them to bank and travel abroad and the Saudis continued to finance them. On Sept. 12, 2001, American tolerance for this state of affairs was over.
Yet here in Israel it seems that our tolerance will never run out. We continue to distinguish Hamas from the PA even as PA security forces participate in Hamas attacks and carry them out themselves. We willingly finance the PA even though we know that they use their money to finance terrorists, run schools where children are taught to murder, and indeed build an entire society around the cause of our destruction. ...
It has been said that in Israel, everyday is Sept. 11. The question is, when will our leaders finally take it upon themselves to marshal our resources and move us into a Sept. 12 reality?"

"Moonbat flies close to reason" (Tim Blair, timblair.spleenville.com, 2004/03/26)
"George Monbiot is shocked:

The survey the BBC conducted recently in Iraq is shocking to those of us who opposed the war. Most respondents say life is now better than it was before the invasion. Those who thought the United States was wrong to attack are outnumbered by those who thought it was right.

We know that the Bush and Blair governments lied about their motives for war. We know that humanitarianism was used as a cover for imperialism. We know that thousands of civilians were killed. But we do neither ourselves nor the Iraqis any favours by using them to ventriloquise our disgust. We can say without contradiction that the war should not have happened and that it has been of benefit to the Iraqi people by ridding them of one of the world's most abhorrent dictators.

Well, George can say that without contradiction. Normal people may find it a little difficult. Read on as George, having almost realised something, stumbles towards the inevitable inconclusive conclusion." (See also: "A charter to intervene" (George Monbiot, The Guardian, 2004/03/23) and "Survey finds hope in occupied Iraq" (BBC News, 2004/03/16). For more Monbiot, see also: "The logic of empire" (George Monbiot, The Guardian, 2002/08/06) and "Lifestyles of the Poor and Obscure" (Katherine Mangu-Ward, The Weekly Standard, 2002/08/28))

"IAI unveils mini-drone planes that can fly through windows"
(Amnon Barzilai, Haaretz, 2004/03/26)
"Israel Aircraft Industries on Thursday unveiled two drone planes so small they can fly through windows.
The Mosquito 1 and Mosquito 1.5 micro drones have a wingspan of 33 centimeters and weigh 250 grams and half a kilogram, respectively. They can be operated from a distance of 1,000 to 1,600 meters.
The two drones are equipped with cameras that can transmit high-quality images taken while in flight during daylight hours.
The speed of the smaller model is 15-20 meters per second. They can fly at an altitude of about 100 meters and remain airborne for up to an hour.
Their small size allows them to fly through windows and to provide images to military units behind it."

"Palestinian groups condemn use of children in terror attacks" (Arnon Regular, Haaretz, 2004/03/26)
Abdo XI. "We will not allow such an incident to occur in the future":
"Spokesmen for most Palestinian organizations, including the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, which apparently was behind the incident involving Husam Abdo - the teenager who was arrested wearing an explosive belt on Wednesday at the checkpoint south of Nablus - condemned the use of children in terror attacks on Thursday, and denied links to the incident.
Assam Abed al-Hadi, known to many in Nablus as the head of the liaison committee between Palestinian organizations, told Haaretz on Thursday that, "An individual is defined as an adult in Palestinian society when he is capable of analyzing reality. This boy, Abdo, is in no way an adult. All organizations admit that using children is forbidden, and condemn it. We are against the use of children, even if the Israeli occupation robs them of their childhood, and even if they were raised to sacrifice so as to achieve Palestinian national goals." According to al-Hadi, such actions hurt the Palestinian cause, and 'we will not allow such an incident to occur in the future.'"

"Palestinians in backlash at 'baby bomber' horrors" (Uri Dan and Andy Soltis, New York Post, 2004/03/26)
Abdo X: "In 2001, a poll of Palestinian teenagers found that three out of four said they wanted to become shahids, the term for suicidal martyrs.
Three years later, a growing number of youngsters are actually strapping on deadly bomb belts in a disturbing new trend after years of Israeli-Palestinian violence. ...
Some 30 homicide bomb attacks and attempts have been carried out by youngsters under 18, according to the Israeli military. ...
Israeli security officials say the shift to youngsters started nearly two years ago.
They point to an interview by Hamas commander Saleh Shehade in May 2002 on the Islamic Online Web site in which he urged:
"One should prepare children carefully before carrying out attacks and recruit them into a special military section of [Hamas] in order to teach them the culture of jihad," said Shehade, who was later killed by a 1-ton Israeli bomb dropped on his house." (See also: "Hamas vows to avenge assassination of its military wing leader" (Amos Harel, Haaretz, 2002/07/23))

"Family of would-be teenage bomber expresses outrage" (Khaled Abu Toameh, The Jerusalem Post, 2004/03/26)
Abdo IX: "The boy, in a videotape provided to journalists by the IDF, said he decided to blow himself up because "people do not like me."
Abdu lives in the comfortable Makhfiyeh neighborhood. He has four sisters and a brother. His brother and father run a supermarket. After school, he used to help out in the shop, play with the computer, and occasionally play soccer – but complained that his friends keep mocking him.
"My friends at school make fun of me," he said. "They call me 'Brains ' but they also make fun of me because I'm small and ugly. They call me 'The Ugly Dwarf.' It hurt so much I wanted to kill myself."
He said he learned about the pleasures of heaven from his teacher.
"My teacher in school told us about it," he explained. "He told us to fast, to pray, and to do good deeds to reach paradise. He told us about the life of pleasure which is waiting for us there: a river of honey, a river of wine, and 72 beautiful girls.
"Since I am studying the Koran, I know about the good life which awaits there. The people who gave me the suicide belt told me this was my only chance to have sex."
He said he decided to become a suicide bomber the night before he was caught at the checkpoint.
"On Tuesday night I was sitting with friends, and I made the decision," he said. "When they put the explosives harness on me I was scared. I didn't tell anyone what I was about to do. I didn't tell my mother and I didn't tell my father.'" (Also: "Asked whether she would have supported her son had he been older, the mother replied: 'If he was over 18, that would have been possible, and I might even encourage him to do it. But it's impossible for a child his age to do it.'")

"After Teenage Boy Carries a Bomb, Palestinians Protest" (Greg Myre, The New York Times, 2004/03/26)
Abdo VIII: "At the Abdo home, Hussam's parents described him as an immature teenager manipulated by others.
Asked what she would do if Hussam returned, Mrs. Abdo said, "I would punish him." She waved her hand back and forth in front of her face to deliver a mock slapping. During an interview, relatives presented Mrs. Abdo with a copy of the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot, with a large picture of Hussam on the front. She pulled the photo to her face and kissed it, then burst into tears.
The newspaper interviewed Hussam in custody, and he said other students made fun of him because he was quite short. "They hurt me so much that I wanted to kill myself," Hussam was quoted as saying.
When he spoke briefly to journalists on Wednesday after his arrest, he claimed he was 14. But documents provided by the family showed he turned 16 last December.
Hussam's father Muhammad, who owns a grocery store, said the family was well-off financially. He said that Hussam spent hours on the family computer, and liked to play soccer, but was an indifferent student."

"Muslim culture has contributed little for centuries" (Jonathan Petre, The Daily Telegraph, 2004/03/26)
"Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, launched a trenchant attack on Islamic culture last night, saying it was authoritarian, inflexible and under-achieving.
In a speech that will upset sensitive relations between the faiths, he denounced moderate Muslims for failing unequivocally to condemn the "evil" of suicide bombers.
Dr Carey acknowledged most Muslims are peaceful people
He attacked the "glaring absence" of democracy in Muslim countries, suggested that they had contributed little of major significance to world culture for centuries and criticised the Islamic faith. ...
Dr Carey said that moderate Muslims must "resist strongly" the taking over of Islam by radical activists "and to express strongly, on behalf of the many millions of their co-religionists, their abhorrence of violence done in the name of Allah".
He said: 'We look to them to condemn suicide bombers and terrorists who use Islam as a weapon to destabilise and destroy innocent lives. Sadly, apart from a few courageous examples, very few Muslim leaders condemn clearly and unconditionally the evil of suicide bombers who kill innocent people.
We need to hear outright condemnation of theologies that state that suicide bombers are martyrs and enter a martyr's reward.'"

"Likely al-Qaida Tape Seeks Pakistan Coup" (Sarah El Deeb, AP/Yahoo! News, 2004/03/26)
"A tape purportedly recorded by Ayman al-Zawahri, the No. 2 figure in the al-Qaida terror group, called Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf a "traitor" Thursday and urged people to overthrow his government. ...
The speaker also called for a military uprising in Pakistan.
"Musharraf seeks to stab the Islamic resistance in Afghanistan in the back," the speaker said.
"Every Muslim in Pakistan should work hard to get rid of this client government, which will continue to submit to America until it destroys Pakistan." ...
The speaker said such military operations on the borders violated Islamic law by pitting Muslims against each other at America's bidding.
"Every soldier who finds this act to be legitimate is an infidel, according to Islamic law," the speaker said."

"US vetoes UN Yassin resolution" (Jackie Dent, The Guardian, 2004/03/26)
"The US last night blocked a UN resolution condemning Israel's assassination of the Hamas founder and spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, on the grounds that the text was "one-sided".
The US was critical that the resolution did not mention atrocities committed by Hamas, with the US ambassador, John Negroponte, describing it as "unbalanced".
Britain abstained from voting, because it also believed that the text of the resolution was unbalanced. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said that British efforts to secure a "more balanced" text had not been accepted.
"[The resolution] failed to condemn terrorism against Israel, and it singled out one party as the perpetrator of violence," the spokeswoman said. She added that Britain had wanted a statement similar to one adopted by the EU earlier this week, which condemned the killing.
If passed, the UN resolution would have condemned "the most recent extrajudicial execution committed by Israel" and "all attacks against any civilians as well as all acts of violence and destruction".
The resolution, sponsored by Algeria and Libya, was ultimately supported by 11 countries, with Britain, Germany and Romania abstaining."

Thursday, March 25, 2004

News and commentary:

"The Lonely Historian" (Elizabeth Wasserman, The Atlantic, 2004/03/25)
An interview with Benny Morris: "I want to ask you about the recent change in your politics, from a highly critical to a more pro-Israel view. How do you explain that?
Let me just say something up front: I don't really regard my views as having changed much.
I still believe that a territorial compromise is necessary, that a two-state solution is the only equitable solution here, and that Israel must withdraw from the territories. What has changed in my views is my perception of the Palestinian side during the past decade. Whereas in the 1990s I was fairly optimistic that the Palestinians had accepted in their hearts the need for a compromise and for a two-state solution, now I'm very doubtful. I don't think the Palestinians really want to agree to a two-state solution. They want a one-state solution, which means Israel's destruction and the turning of all of Palestine into one Arab majority state. That's what has changed in my thinking. ...
What is your outlook for Israel's future? Are you depressed?
I think I'm basically depressed. I think unless there is a basic change of heart and mind — a change of mindset — among Palestinians and in the Arab world in general about Israel, we're in for a continuous struggle over the coming decades. Basically what is needed here is a compromise based on two states, and that in effect requires Arab acceptance of Israel's legitimacy. But so long as there is this view of Israel as a cancer in the Middle East — which like a Crusader's stake must be uprooted and will be uprooted — there will be no compromise here. It doesn't matter what agreement is signed or what temporary ceasefires occur. In the long term of history, it's meaningless. So long as Israel's legitimacy is questioned, its existence is not assured." (See also: "Survival of the Fittest - An interview with Benny Morris" (Ari Shavit, Haaretz/FreeRepublic, 2004/01/09))

"Human Rights Organizations: The Saudi Model" (Aluma Dankowitz, MEMRI, 2004/03/25)
From an interview with Dr. Abdallah Bin Saleh Al-'Ubeid, head of the first non-governmental human rights organization in Saudi Arabia, the National Organization for Human Rights (NOHR):
"There are those who consider certain issues a violation of human rights, while we consider them a safeguard to human rights — for example, executions, amputating the hand of a thief, or flogging an adulterer. There are those who think that all Qur'anic punishments violate human rights. ...
We, in the kingdom, are part of the world insofar as [general principles of] human rights [are concerned]. But domestically we are governed according to Allah's Shari'a, so that what [to someone else] seems like a violation of human rights is [in fact] our duty and our right concerning someone who committed a crime or a sin." ...
When asked about the scope of human rights violations in Saudi Arabia, Turki Bin Muhammad [Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs] answered: 'Based on my work, and my involvement in this issue for over eight years, I can say that there are no significant human rights violations, as alleged falsely by suspicious parties. There may be some transgressions by individuals [or institutions], but they do not rise to the level that could be described as human rights violations.'"

"Gadhafi's Son: Bush Plan Should Be Backed" (Maamoun Youssed, AP/The Guardian, 2004/03/25)
"The son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi said Wednesday Arab countries should support President Bush's campaign to promote democracy in the Middle East.
Numerous Arab governments have rejected Bush's democracy initiative, notably Egypt's and Saudi Arabia's, as an imposition unsuited to Arab culture and traditions.
Instead of shouting and criticizing the American initiative, you have to bring democracy to your countries, and then there will be no need to fear America or your people," said Seif al-Islam Gadhafi. "The Arabs should either change or change will be imposed on them from outside.''
Seif denied reports that he is a candidate to succeed his father, who rules Libya with little tolerance of opposition.
"Many Arab countries are now following the policy of inheriting the leadership, but there are hundreds of Libyans who are better (suited) than I," Seif said.
Seif even praised Israel, saying that unlike Arab countries, sons do not tend to succeed their fathers in power there.
"We don't put the appropriate person in the right place, but Israel is a democratic country," told the Al-Jazeera television station."

"Blair shakes hands with Gadhafi"
(Alastair Grant, AP, 2004/03/25)
"Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair, left, shakes hands with Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi in his tent outside Tripoli, Libya, Thursday March 25, 2004."

"Blair hails new Libyan relations" (BBC News, 2004/03/25)
"Tony Blair says Libya's Muammar Gaddafi is willing to make "common cause" with Britain in the fight against terrorism.
After shaking hands with Colonel Gaddafi at the start of the historic talks, the prime minister said there was real hope for a "new relationship".
Asked if he had felt queasy about meeting Colonel Gaddafi, Mr Blair said: "It was strange given the history to come here and do this and of course I am conscious of the pain that people have suffered as a result of terrorist actions in the past.
But the world is changing and we have got to do everything we possibly can to tackle the security threat that faces us.
That meant pursuing terror groups but also offering partnership to states renouncing terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.
Mr Blair said he had been struck by how Colonel Gaddafi wanted to make 'common cause with us against al-Qaeda, extremists and terrorism.'"

"Blair shakes Gaddafi's hand as Libya is welcomed into the fold" (Toby Helm in Lisbon and George Jones, The Daily Telegraph, 2004/03/25)
"Tony Blair has extended the hand of friendship to Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
The historic meeting took place in a tent near the capital Tripoli. The Prime Minister shook hands with Col Gaddafi then sat alongside him for the talks. He told him: "It's good to be here at last."
With an interpreter standing behind him, Col Gaddafi spoke first in Arabic then switched to English to say to the Prime Minister: "You did a lot of fighting on this issue and seem exhausted."
Mr Blair replied: "There's been a lot to do."
Mr Gaddafi speaking in English replied: 'You look good, you are still young.'"

"Palestinian Authority libel: Israel encourages PA child terror for PR gain" (Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook, Palestinian Media Watch Bulletin, 2004/03/25)
Abdo VII: "The standard policy of the official Palestinian Authority (PA) daily Al Hayat Al Jadida is to twist and distort news stories in order to portray the Palestinians as victims, regardless of the facts. Now, with the world's increased awareness of the role of Palestinian children in suicide terror, the PA has created a libel against Israel that again attempts to turn Palestinians into victims.
Today’s official daily described as a “lie” Israel’s report on yesterday’s suicide terror attempt by a 14 year old. ... According to the PA, Israel creates lies about PA child terror in order to encourage other Palestinian children to be involved in terror, which in turn helps Israeli PR.
The following is the PA explanation of “Israel’s lie” as it appeared in the PA daily:

“The occupation, [Israel] in this situation and with this lie, is playing with its own blood, and it is like they are encouraging children to go from stone throwing to use of explosives, and involvement in actions which are beyond them. Israel’s focusing accusations about children [in suicide terror] is in fact an open invitation to other children to imitate the accusations, because it is characteristic of children to blindly imitate. The occupation's [Israel's] public relations gain through this false accusation may come back as a boomerang, but it is clear in this case that the occupation is striving to plan public relations lies.”
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida March 18, 2004]

In this way the PA is once again misrepresenting itself as victim instead of perpetrator."

"Israel 'fabricated' child-bomber story" (Khalid Amayreh, Aljazeeera.net, 2004/03/25)
Abdo VI. Palestine fabricated "fabrication": "Palestinian leaders have accused Israel of fabricating a story about a 14-year-old Palestinian boy who planned to blow himself up. ...
The Israeli army said the boy told interrogators that his dispatchers promised that he would have sex with 72 virgins in heaven soon after his death.
"We know for sure this is a fabricated story from A to Z. Would you believe that a 13 or 14-year old would agree to blow up himself in return for a hundred shekels which he would receive after his death?"
"It seems to me that the Israelis are bad liars as well," said Yaqub Shahin, a director-general of the Palestinian Authority ministry of information.
In an interview with Aljazeera.net, Shahin accused Israel of seeking to justify slaughtering Palestinian children by spreading the false impression that they are used as human bombers.
"Their [Israel’s] goal is to besmirch Palestinian childhood so that when they slaughter the children, the world won’t feel sorry for them," he said.
Arab Knesset member Muhammad Baraka has also voiced "serious doubts" about the veracity of the Israeli narrative.
"I have very serious doubts about the whole story. I can't give the Israeli army the benefit of the doubt." ...
The armed wing of Fatah, the Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, has denied any involvement in the incident, accusing Israel of 'concocting the whole story for the purpose of justifying the killing of more Palestinian children.'" (See also: "Gutter journalism" (Melanie Phillips, melaniephillips.com, 2004/03/25): "A reader writes to tell me that both BBC and Channel Four news yesterday reported the boy human bomb who was caught near Nablus (he turned out to be 14, not 12) as if this might be a stunt being pulled by Israel. ... So instead of drawing appropriate conclusions about the demented depravity of a society which turns its own backward children into human bombs to murder Israelis, British journalists try to turn the intended victims of such an attack into cynical and duplicitous manipulators of public opinion. Such are the depths to which the British media has now sunk.")

"Report: 3 boys arrested for aiding bomb-belt boy" (Margot Dudkevitch, The Jerusalem Post, 2004/03/25)
Abdo V: "The IDF arrested three Palestinian boys from Nablus who are suspected of being involved in the suicide bombing attempt Wednesday at Hawara checkpoint, Palestinians reported on Thursday.
The three attend the same school as Husam Abdu, 14, who arrived in Hawara checkpoint near Nablus on Wednesday wearing a belt of explosives, planning to blow himself up and kill soldiers stationed at the checkpoints. ...
"He was fully aware of what he was to do and told us he received NIS 100 and was instructed to blow himself up near soldiers," battalion commander Lt.-Col. Guy told The Jerusalem Post. 'The soldiers' quick action not only saved their lives but those of 200 Palestinian men, women, and children who were at the roadblock.'"

"Israelis stop teen wearing suicide vest at West Bank checkpoint" (AP/The Boston Herald, 2004/03/25)
Abdo IV: "In an interview with the Yediot Ahronot newspaper today, the boy, identified as Hussam Abdo, said he wanted to go to paradise but feared killing himself until he neared the Israeli army roadblock and was stopped.
" When the soldiers stopped me, I didn't press the switch. I changed my mind. I didn't want to die anymore," Abdo said, according to the newspaper. "I'm sorry for what I did." ...
In the newspaper interview, Abdo said he wanted to reach paradise, which he was taught in school was the reward for suicide bombers.
"A river of honey, a river of wine and 72 virgins. Since I have been studying Quran I know about the sweet life that waits there (in Paradise)," the newspaper quoted the boy as saying."

"Why the uproar?" (David Pryce-Jones, The Jerusalem Post, 2004/03/25)
"What, then, explains the uproar of indignation and condemnation released by the killing of Yassin? Can British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw really believe that his description of Yassin as "an old man in a wheelchair" is a necessary or sufficient definition? The EU foreign ministers in collective session have declared that the killing "undermines the concept of the rule of law." Did that concept have any meaning either for Yassin or for those who attacked the Madrid railway station? Will observance of the concept be enough to thwart further terror attacks anywhere in Europe?
Beyond the usual humbug of diplomatic discourse, there seems to be an anxiety to pretend to Arabs and Muslims that all is well when evidently it is not. It is as if Arabs and Muslims were children who mustn't hear the truth; that assorted Islamists are destabilizing Islamic countries and dragging them by the scruff of the neck into suicidal wars with the neighbors."

"A Modest Proposal to End the War on Terrorism" (Lee Harris, Tech Central Station, 2004/03/25)
"As long as a handful of people in the Muslim world believe that they have a grievance against us, and are willing to use terror to express this grievance, it will be impossible for us either to achieve a negotiated solution to the problem of terrorism, and equally impossible for us even to surrender. This means that even the most peace-loving dove must accept the fact that we have no choice but to fight — and to fight with whatever weapons come to our hand. Either that, or just to stop caring when hundreds or thousands of human beings are brutally murdered for no reason at all."

"Iraq has never had it so good" (Mark Steyn, The Spectator, from the 2004/03/27 issue)
"I don’t think it’s possible for anyone who looks at Iraq honestly to see it as anything other than a success story. Not perfect by any means, but a year after the war was launched the glass is at least five-eighths full, and by any objective measure Iraq is immensely improved. If you belong to Not In Our Name or Environmental Choreographers Against Genocide or Spaniards For A Quiet Life or Former Tory Cabinet Ministers United For A Saddamite Restoration, you can dispute that assessment. But in doing so you’re at odds with the Iraqi people. ...
The other day I was reading a column in the International Herald Tribune by Geoffrey Wheatcroft, no stranger to these pages, about Conrad Black’s cabal of ‘self-hating Canadians’ — Barbara Amiel, David Frum and yours truly. Why this should be a subject of interest to Herald Tribune readers, I’ve no idea. Perhaps it was a slow day. But in the course of his column Wheatcroft dropped a sentence that stopped me short: ‘Where the standard neoconservative line is aggressively optimistic — Israel is here to stay, and don’t forget it — Amiel is revealingly different.’
There are plenty of examples of ‘neocon’ aggressive optimism, the new Iraq being the obvious example. But I can’t quite believe that Wheatcroft intended to suggest that the continued existence of Israel is now merely a ‘neoconservative’ position. If so, it’s no wonder that Europeans regard Iraq as an insane adventure."

"Comforting the Enemy" (Ralph Peters, New York Post, 2004/03/25)
"Election-year recriminations over the tragic events of our time serve no one but political hacks and the terrorists themselves. The message our bickering sends to al Qaeda and its sympathizers is that Americans are divided and can be defeated.
The terrorists are drawing the - incorrect - lesson that a Democratic victory this November would allow them to regain the global initiative. Although every new administration inevitably makes some mistakes, a Kerry presidency would have to face up to the need to combat terrorism as vigorously as the Bush administration has done. The man in the Oval Office doesn't get a choice on this one.
But the terrorists read things otherwise, thanks to our public venom. They'll attempt to strike here, as they did in Spain, to influence our elections. If they succeed, both of our political parties, with their craven bickering, will be guilty of inciting our enemies.
We Americans may disagree about many issues, but we cannot afford disunity in the face of fanatical killers. Nor are we remotely as divided as our enemies are led to believe. The problem is the politicians, not the people."

"No Vote for Al Qaeda" (Thomas L. Friedman, The New York Times, 2004/03/25)
"There is nothing more important for the future of Western democracies than the question of whether, in the wake of the Madrid bombings, the new Spanish government will go ahead with its plan to withdraw Spanish forces from Iraq — unless the U.N. assumes control of the occupation forces there by June 30. ...
What the Madrid bombings, just before the Spanish elections, represent is the Islamist terrorists' first attempt to hijack a democratic election in Western Europe. ...
If Mr. Zapatero goes through with his troop withdrawal from Iraq, Islamist terrorists will attribute it to the Madrid bombing. This big picture will absolutely encourage them to try this tactic, perfected in Israel and now imported to Spain, in other European or U.S. elections — to tilt the vote one way or another. ...
If the European Union was thinking long-term, it would hold an emergency meeting and announce that each E.U. country would be sending 100 men to stand alongside the 1,300 Spanish soldiers in Iraq to help protect the Iraqi people as they try to organize their first democratic election — free of intimidation by terrorists.
That is a big picture that would make Al Qaeda weep."

"Noam Blogs!" (Tim Blair, timblair.spleenville.com, 2004/03/25)
Mental note: include Noamish in the Dictionary of Idiotarianism:
"Noam Chomsky is Turning the Tide at his brand new blog. Three posts so far; no links. Here’s a sample of online Noamish wisdom:

People in the more civilized sectors of the world (what we call "the third world," or the "developing countries") often burst out laughing when they witness an election in which the choices are two men from very wealthy families with plenty of clout in the very narrow political system, who went to the same elite university and even joined the same secret society to be socialized into the manners and attitudes of the rulers, and who are able to participate in the election because they have massive funding from highly concentrated sectors of unaccountable power that cast over society the shadow called "politics," as John Dewey put it."

(See also Noam Chomsky's blog: Turning the Tide.)

"Hamas arch-terrorist Muhammad Deif - an interview" (Yousef Al-Hajjar, The Jerusalem Post, 2004/03/25)
"Muhammad Deif, 42, commander of the Hamas military wing and the man who has topped Israel's most-wanted list for years, granted an interview to the official website of Hamas military wing Izz al-Din al Qassam Brigades on March 8. ...
Q (1): How do you choose the suicide attackers to carry out "martyrdom operations?" Are there certain qualification required of them?
First of all, we [Izz al-Din al Qassam Brigades] have to say that our [Palestinian] people should be proud we have groups of self-sacrificing attackers, and many others wishing to join them. Believe me, entire families, in some cases, wish to volunteer in carrying out "martyrdom operations". However, the large number of those "living martyrs" cannot blind us from the fact that their blood is dear, and we are not prepared to waste it in cases in which there is a possibility that an attacker would not be able to reach his target and carry out a successful attack.
Having a "soul keen to be a martyr" is one of the specifications set in the process of selecting a person to carry out a "martyrdom operation". ...
We bear all these considerations in mind and it is really a great honor for us to see that the [Palestinian] mothers are the ones who encourage their sons to be martyrs." (See also: "Most wanted terrorist Mohammed Deif says Israel's end is near" (Ellis Shuman, israelinsider, 2004/03/09): "Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, the master terrorist who tops Israel's most wanted list, issued an Al Qaida-like audiotape yesterday in which he declared that an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip would be a huge victory. Hamas officials vowed to continue their attacks after an Israeli withdrawal "to liberate the rest of Palestine." ...
"Israel's fall is near, with Allah's help, and it is closer than they imagine. We will see victory with our very own eyes. Martyrdom is the ultimate desire of Palestine's elderly, young, and female young " Deif said.")

"Bush Pokes Some Fun During Media Dinner" (Siobhan McDonough, AP/Yahoo! News, 2004/03/25)
"President Bush poked fun at his staff, his Democratic challenger and himself Wednesday night at a black-tie dinner where he hobnobbed with the news media.
Bush put on a slide show, calling it the "White House Election-Year Album" at the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association 60th annual dinner, showing himself and his staff in some decidedly unflattering poses.
There was Bush looking under furniture in a fruitless, frustrating search. "Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere," he said." (See also: "Transcript of Remarks by President Bush at the Radio and Television Correspondents Association Dinner" (U.S. Newswire, 2004/03/24): "Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere. (Laughter and applause.) ... Nope, no weapons over there. (Laughter and applause.) Maybe under here. (Laughter.)")

"Missed Chances in a Long Hunt for bin Laden" (David Johnston and Todd S. Purdum, The New York Times, 2004/03/25)
"In 1996, the C.I.A. secretly created a special operational unit devoted to tracking a single man, a Saudi-born exile named Osama bin Laden, then living in Sudan and considered a major terrorist financier. By early 1997, the office, known as the bin Laden station, had concluded that he was also a terrorist organizer, based in Afghanistan, with a military committee planning operations against American interests worldwide.Although this information was disseminated in many reports, the unit's sense of alarm about bin Laden was not widely shared or understood within the intelligence and policy communities," the commission investigating the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, reported on Wednesday. "Employees in the unit told us they felt their zeal attracted ridicule from their peers."
What happened over the nearly five years from that moment until the devastating attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon is the story of bureaucratic miscommunication, diplomatic dead ends, military hesitation, intelligence failures, political rivalries and policy miscalculations at the highest levels of two presidential administrations — a trail of fumbles presented in sweeping new detail in two days of commission hearings and four staff reports made public this week."

Wednesday, March 24, 2004

News and commentary:

"Palestinian teenager Hossam Mohammed Abdo has tears in his eyes..."
(Atta Hussein, AFP, 2004/03/24)
"Palestinian teenager Hossam Mohammed Abdo has tears in his eyes after being arrested with an explosive belt at the Hawara checkpoint just south of Nablus."

"Israel/Occupied Territories: Children must not be used by armed groups" (Amnesty International, 2004/03/24)
Abdo III: "Amnesty International is gravely concerned about reports that earlier today a 14-year-old Palestinian child was found to be carrying explosives when attempting to pass through the Israeli army checkpoint at Huwara, at the entrance of the West Bank town of Nablus. ...
'Amnesty International has repeatedly condemned suicide bombings and other attacks against civilians by Palestinian armed groups as crimes against humanity. Using children to carry out or assist in armed attacks of any kind is an abomination. We call on the Palestinian leadership to publicly denounce these practices.'"

"A Palestinian boy who was caught with an explosive belt..."
(Abed Omar Qusini, Reuters, 2004/03/24)
"A Palestinian boy who was caught with an explosive belt stands at the checkpoint at the entrance to the Palestinian West Bank city of Nablus March 24, 2004."

"Israelis Stop Teen Wearing Bomb Vest" (Ali Daraghmeh, AP/My Way, 2004/03/25)
Abdo II: "The family of the teenager, identified as Hussam Abdo, said he was gullible and easily manipulated.
"He doesn't know anything, and he has the intelligence of a 12 year old," said his brother, Hosni. ...
Abdo's family said the teenager was not affiliated with any militant group, going to rallies for all of them and identifying with whichever one carried out the latest attack on Israelis.
They said he acted strangely Tuesday, giving candy to his family and neighbors and refusing to explain why.
He got his hair cut in the style his mother, Tamam, likes and told her he would do anything she wants, she said.
"You never are like this," she said "What happened?"
"I just want you to be happy with me," he responded.
Abdo left his house Wednesday morning saying he was going to school, but never arrived there.
Hosni Abdo said he was furious with whoever persuaded his brother to strap on the bomb vest.
"The ones who sent him are stupid, because the army will give him two slaps and he will tell them who sent him," Hosni Abdo said."

"A Palestinian boy wears an explosive belt..."
(Flash 90/Reuters, 2004/03/24)
"A Palestinian boy wears an explosive belt as he is caught at the checkpoint at the entrance to the Palestinian West Bank city of Nablus March 24, 2004. Israeli troops arrested the 14-year-old Palestinian would-be suicide bomber at a West Bank checkpoint before he could detonate his explosive belt, the army said."

"Palestinian boy, 14, captured wearing explosives vest" (Margot Dudkevitch, The Jerusalem Post, 2004/03/24)
Abdo I: "'Blowing myself up is the only chance I've got to have sex with 72 virgins in the Garden of Eden,' a 14-and-a-half-year-old Palestinian boy told his Israeli investigators after being caught wearing an 8kg explosives belt.
Husam Muhammad Bilal Abdu from Masahiya neighborhood in Nablus was captured Wednesday afternoon by IDF troops near the Hawara roadblock near Nablus, the same place an 11-year-old boy was caught with a bomb last week.
"They told me that this was the only way, and they promised that my mother would get one hundred shekels if I did this," Husam told his captors.
The Fatah Tanzim claimed responsibility for sending the would-be bomber, Channel One reported Wednesday night.
The boy aroused suspicions when he reached the Hawara roadblock. Soldiers from the Paratroopers 202 Brigade aimed their weapons at him, and he panicked.
Seeing that the boy was "unusually swollen" around the chest area, he was checked by soldiers at the roadblock, who ordered him to lift his t-shirt, where they discovered a large gray suicide bomb belt on his chest with a detonation device attached to it. Soldiers immediately jumped behind a concrete barrier and trained their weapons on the boy again.
The area was shut down and sappers were brought in to neutralize the explosives belt. A remote- controlled robot was sent out with a pair of scissors to the would-be suicide bomber, who was instructed by sappers to begin cutting the belt off of his chest.
He cut off part of it and struggled with the rest. "I don't how to get this off," he said.
After he dropped the vest, soldiers ordered him to take off his undershirt and jeans, to ensure he had no other weapons on him.
The belt contained 8kg of explosives, and was detonated in a controlled explosion after it was taken off the Palestinian child.
Lt. Tamir Milrad, an officer at the checkpoint said, "We saw that he had something under his shirt."
"He told us he didn't want to die. He didn't want to blow up," Milrad added." (See also: "Soldiers nab Palestinian boy with bomb" (Arnon Regular and Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz, 2004/03/15))

"Yassin as Jesus"
(Backspin, 2004/03/24)
Simanca tops even the Guardian and the BBC when it comes to repugnant glorification of Yassin: "The Brazilian cartoonist Osmani Simanca rehashes the ancient deicide charge against the Jewish people..."

"A Testimony on Suicide Bombers' Recruitment to Ansar Al-Islam" (MEMRI, Special Dispatch Series, 2004/03/25)
"The London-based Arabic daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat published the story of a member of the Islamic terrorist organization Ansar Al-Islam, who planned to blow himself up in the Interior Ministry building in Al-Suleimaniya, but was arrested by the Kurdish authorities. ...
Kaywan Qader, 18-years old, grew up in Al-Suleimaniya. He was one of 10 brothers and sisters of a moderately religious family. His mother did not wear a veil and he prayed [only] once a day in the mosque where he met someone named Sawara Ahmad Ali, who later became his recruiter to Ansar Al-Islam. Qader says that Sawara Ali discussed religion with him and told him that it was his duty to carry out Jihad operations against the KDP and that prayer alone was not sufficient. He stressed to him the necessity to join Jihad in order to become a good Muslim. Qader says that he greatly fears Allah and that Ali exploited that. ...
Later, Ali was able to convince Qader that Jihad would offer him paradise and save him from hell. Qader agreed to join Ali in one of the villages to prepare himself for Jihad, and all of his father's efforts to dissuade him from that failed. ...
"In the camp, Qader was paid $22 per month. He agreed to carry out a suicide mission because he was told that it is 'the highest level of Jihad.' Ali sent his name to the group's command in Biyara, their stronghold in the mountainous area adjacent to Iran.
"Another detainee who spent time in Ansar Al-Islam's camp says that they listened to lectures where they were told that [each of] the Shuhadaa [martyrs] will find 72 virgins [waiting for him] in paradise. He added that the group has what is known as 'TNT camps' where the suicide bombers wear protective jackets and are trained on how to blow themselves at the right location."

"Ex-Adviser: Terrorism Not Urgent for Bush" (Hope Yen, AP/Yahoo! News, 2004/03/24)
"The Bush White House scaled back the struggle against al-Qaida after taking office in 2001 and spurned suggestions that it retaliate for the bombing of a U.S. warship "because it happened on the Clinton administration's watch," a former top terrorism adviser testified Wednesday.
The Clinton administration had "no higher priority" than combatting terrorists while the Bush administration made it "an important issue but not an urgent issue," said Richard Clarke, who advised both presidents. He testified before the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks, the worst terrorist strikes in American history.
Clarke's turn in the witness chair turned what had been a painstaking, bipartisan probe of pre-Sept. 11 intelligence failures and bureaucratic miscommunications into a nationally televised criticism of Bush on the terrorism issue that he has made the core of his campaign for a new term." (See also: "Clarke Watch" (Gregory, Belgravia Dispatch, 2004/03/23) and "Clarke's Take On Terror" (CBS News, 2004/02/21))

"Spain's royals lead mourning for bomb victims" (Katherine Baldwin and Estelle Shirbon, Reuters, 2004/03/24)
Europe unites in Madrid. Except Sweden, of course. Prime minister Göran Persson was busy visiting farmers in Sörmland and our foreign minister and royal family didn't attend either:
"Holding back her own tears, Queen Sofia of Spain has embraced row after row of weeping mourners at a Christian cathedral mass for the 190 victims of suspected Islamist bombers who struck Madrid this month.
Relatives of the dead kissed or gripped hands with the Queen and King Juan Carlos, whose visible distress overwhelmed the congregation and hundreds more who watched the service on giant screens under leaden skies outside.
A huge black ribbon hung from the altar of Madrid's lofty Almudena Cathedral as world leaders and royalty sat stiffly upright, guarded by armed police in the streets and on rooftops outside. ...
The anger felt by some relatives for Aznar was palpable.
"I hold you responsible for the death of my son," one man shouted out just before Aznar sat down, local media reported."

"Bush can't get a break" (Glenn Reynolds, InstaPundit, 2004/03/24)
This reminds me of the review of Elephant — Gus Van Sant's film about the Columbine massacre — on Swedish television, in which the reviewer said something about it capturing "Bush's America" in some way. Of course, the Columbine tragedy occured April 20, 1999:
"Now he's being blamed for not invading Afghanistan in 1998! Here's the relevant passage from MSNBC:

The report revealed that in a previously undisclosed secret diplomatic mission, Saudi Arabia won a commitment from the Taliban to expel bin Laden in 1998. But a clash between the Taliban’s leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, and Saudi officials scuttled the arrangement, and Bush did not follow up.

Damn him — governing Texas while Rome burned! Why didn't he send the Texas Rangers to finish off Bin Laden?" (See also: "U.S. OK’d plan to topple Taliban a day before 9/11" (MSNBC, 2004/03/23))

"Study: Saddam tortured nearly ½ of Shiite Iraqis" (WorldNetDaily, 2004/03/24)
"Nearly half of all Iraqis living in the southern part of the nation suffered killings, torture and other human-rights abuses at the hands of Saddam Hussein's regime in the 12 years prior to his ouster, a survey of residents has found.
Boston-based Physicians for Human Rights conducted the research, which included questioning 1,991 Iraqi men and women in three southern cities. The respondents were nearly all Shiite Muslims, a group of people who were routinely abused by Hussein's Baathist regime.
"Overall, 47 percent of those interviewed reported one or more of the following abuses among themselves and household members since 1991: torture, killings, disappearance, forced [military service], beating, gunshot wounds, kidnappings, being held hostage, and ear amputation, among others," lead researcher Dr. Lynn Amowitz wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
'Seventy percent of abuses were reputed to have occurred in homes. Baath Party regime-affiliated groups were identified most often (95 percent) as the perpetrators of the abuses.'" (See also [PDF]: "Human Rights Abuses and Concerns About Women's Health and Human Rights in Southern Iraq" (Lynn L. Amowitz et al., American Medical Association, March 2004))

"Gains by Kin in Iraq Inflame Kurds' Anger at Syria" (Neil MacFarquhar , The New York Times, 2004/03/24)
We Are All Kurds: "The larger-than-life statue of the late president, Hafez al-Assad, that towers over a traffic circle here stands hidden beneath a blue and red striped tarpaulin, which residents say hides the fact that antigovernment protesters knocked off its head.
In Malikiya, a nearby town, two gilded plaster busts of the elder Mr. Assad and his son, President Bashar al-Assad, the main décor inside a culture center, were also decapitated and the building was set on fire. Someone scrawled "Kurdistan" in bright red spray paint across an interior wall of the gutted Water Authority building there, too.
Antigovernment protests are extremely uncommon in Syria, where grim memories are vivid of thousands of Islamic militants mowed down by government troops in the early 1980's. But grievances simmering within the Kurdish minority for decades — over their difficulties in obtaining citizenship, the ban on their language, their poverty amid rich farmland — finally boiled over in the last few weeks.
Kurdish Syrians, 2 million of Syria's 17 million people, say that watching rights for Kurds being enshrined in a new if temporary constitution next door in Iraq finally pushed them to take to the streets to demand greater recognition. In their wake is a toll of blackened government buildings, schools, grain silos and vehicles across a remote swath of the north."

"9/11 Panel Critical of Clinton, Bush" (Dan Eggen and John Mintz, The Washington Post, 2004/03/24)
"The commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks issued a stinging condemnation yesterday of the U.S. government's failed hunt for Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda terrorist network, finding that both the Clinton and Bush administrations focused too heavily on diplomacy that did not work and were reluctant to consider aggressive military action.
The criticism prompted spirited defenses from top Clinton and Bush officials, who testified in a day-long public hearing that the government proceeded as aggressively as possible given what was known about the threat from al Qaeda. ...
But the new reports by the commission's investigative staff portray the Bush administration as giving terrorism scant attention during its first eight months, noting that officials did not draw up concrete plans to confront al Qaeda and its Afghan protectors until just days before the Sept. 11 attacks.
The reports suggest that many of the Clinton administration's policies also were ineffectual, revealing significant new details about as many as four missed opportunities to kill or capture bin Laden in 1998 and 1999."

Tuesday, March 23, 2004

News and commentary:

"When I Was Young…" (Victor Davis Hanson, private papers, 2004/03/23)
"The world has changed. What was once liberal is now illiberal, and the old progressivism has become mean-spirited and opportunistic. What was once idealistic is seen as calculating. When I read about the "Jews” now, it is almost always negative and emanates either from the European left or the so-called liberal university here in the United States. Israel, still democratic and still attacked by autocracies, is now hated rather than respected, not for what it has done, but for what it is. The world snored, for example, this week when suicide bombers were foiled in their attempts at getting at a chemical weapons dump so that they might once more gas Jews. Neither Kofi Annan nor Desmond Tutu, for all their recent media appearances, said a word when Palestinians apologized for murdering a jogger in Jerusalem on the mistaken impression that the poor Arab was a “Jew.” ...
And when I hear anti-Semitism, hatred of Israel, warning about Jews in government, fury about foreign aid, visceral hatred and rude exclamations, sinister conspiracy theories, and racial separatism it usually has come far more often from someone on the Left than Right and from one educated and affluent rather than poor and ignorant.
The world I grew up in really is long gone."

"A Mosaic made from the portraits of victims..."
(Jason Reed, Reuters, 2004/03/23)
"A Mosaic made from the portraits of victims of the attacks on New York on September 11, 2001 are shown in the shape of the World Trade Center towers during the 8th National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, in the Hart Senate Building on Capitol Hill, March 23, 2004."

"Sept. 11 Commission Begins Two-Day Hearing" (AP/The Washington Post, 2004/03/23)
"Lacking the intelligence information they needed to strike directly at Osama bin Laden, Clinton and Bush administration officials fruitlessly sought a diplomatic solution to get the al Qaeda leader out of Afghanistan, a federal panel said Tuesday.
Not until the day before the Sept. 11 attacks did U.S. officials settle on a strategy to overthrow the Taliban Afghan government if a final diplomatic push failed. That strategy was expected to take three years, the independent commission investigating the attacks said in one of two preliminary reports.
U.S. officials feared that a failed attempt on bin Laden could kill innocents and would only boost bin Laden's prestige. And the American public and Congress would have opposed any large-scale military operations before the September 2001 attacks, the report said.
In the end, it said, pursuing diplomacy over military action allowed bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders to elude capture.
The panel, formally the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, presented its findings as it began hearings with top-level Bush and Clinton administration officials." (See also: National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.)

"Clarke Watch" (Gregory, Belgravia Dispatch, 2004/03/23)
"But I trust most Administration critics, when they are alone and taking a real, honest look at themselves in the mirror, would admit that we were all tragically caught off guard on 9/11.
From George Bush, George Tenet and Paul Wolfowitz; to Bill Clinton, Sandy Berger, and Al Gore; to a Cantor Fitz trader, a FDNY firefighter, or an illegal Honduran busboy working in Windows on the World.
Given this reality, it's hugely unfortunate that one of the biggest tragedies in American history is metamorphosizing into a political foodfight.
Why not call an end to all the partisan rancor and conclude, roughly, thus:
The Clinton Administration's approach to al-Qaeda was too timid, too legalistic, too episodic.
The Bush Administration's (pre-9/11) approach to al-Qaeda was likely overly influenced by traditional realist security hawks (with a dollop of neo-con thinking thrown in) overly emphasizing state actors as compared to stateless transnational terror groups.
Put differently, there's enough blame to go around.
But don't be surprised if we get attacked again, especially post-Madrid precedent, whilst we engage in all this cheap, partisan sniping.
Who will we blame then?" (See also: "Clarke's Take On Terror" (CBS News, 2004/02/21))

"Rantisi to lead Hamas" (AP/The Jerusalem Post, 2004/03/23)
"Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a hardliner who rejects all compromise with Israel, on Tuesday was chosen as the new Hamas leader following the assassination of the group's founder by Israel.
Rantisi said he emerged from secret elections as the overall chief of Hamas and was chosen to head the group's political bureau, the main decision-making body.
Until now, the political bureau was led by Khaled Mashaal, a Hamas operative based in Syria.
The announcement of Rantisi's election was made over loudspeaker during a gathering of tens of thousands of Hamas supporters at a soccer stadium in Gaza City, a day after Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin was assassinated by Israel.
"After the assassination of the hero, the martyr Ahmed Yassin, a secret election was held ... in which Dr. Abdel Aziz Rantisi was chosen as the new leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement," a senior Hamas official, Ismail Hanieh, told the crowd.
Rantisi told The Associated Press that Hamas would press for more attacks against Israel. "We will be unified in the trenches of resistance," Rantisi said. 'We will not surrender, we will never surrender to Israeli terror.'"

"Israel Says All Militant Leaders Marked for Death" (Megan Goldin, Reuters/Yahoo! News, 2004/03/23)
"Israel said all Palestinian militant leaders were "in its sights" Tuesday and put its security forces on high alert to meet any retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and top aides approved an order to target all senior militants after the wheelchair-bound cleric was assassinated in an Israeli missile strike outside a Gaza mosque Monday, security sources said.
"Everyone is in our sights," Internal Security Minister Tsahi Hanegbi told reporters. 'There is no immunity to anyone.'"

"This anti-war movement is led by fools" (Andrew Anthony, The Guardian, 2004/03/23)
"The response of some in the Stop the War coalition to the Atocha atrocity is reminiscent of the Eloi in HG Wells The Time Machine, who assumed a position of abject defeatism when attacked by the Morlocks, thinking it better not to get involved. The statement, however, that