Desertpeace

Farfur is dead! Murdered by Israelis….
The end of an era for Paladisney T.V.

Hamas TV kills off Mickey Mouse double

Disney character lookalike who preached Islamic domination children’s television program is victim of pretend beating death by actor posing as Israeli official in show’s final episode. ‘Farfur was martyred while defending his land,’ says teen presenter

Read the rest in THIS AP Report published on Ynet.

The ‘party’s over’ and now Abbas has to start proving that he is the man Washington really wants to act as their agent in the Palestinian Territories…Dubya likes the man it seems, but some of the Neo-Cons in Congress have their reservations…Another case of a ‘Divided House’, but in this case IT SHOULD FALL!

Some of the attitudes expressed so far are…
“The Palestinians are a backward people, indoctrinated toward brutality. They don’t rate a sovereign state or anyone’s help until they civilise themselves,” wrote Andrew C. McCarthy of the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, in the National Review Online.

“We are enabling their hatred when we provide support without insisting that the Palestinian people — not just Abbas and Fatah, but the people — convincingly foreswear revolution, terrorism, violence, ethnic-cleansing, and the goal of eliminating Israel.”

So poor Mr. Abbas has be careful with every move he makes for the next short while or his ‘allowance’ will be cut off again…. Right now he has to answer to the American and Israeli Governments…. just wait till he has to start explaining his sell out tactics to his own people… should be interesting.

The ElectonicIntifada published the following… it’s a good read….

US Congress to curb Bush enthusiasm for Abbas
Khody Akhavi

Needing all the friends he can get: Palestinian security forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas take part in an armed exercise in Gaza, 2 May 2007. (Hatem Omar/MaanImages)

WASHINGTON, Jun 26 (IPS) – US President George W. Bush threw his full support behind President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority (PA) last week, declaring the Fatah leader “the president of all the Palestinians.”

With Hamas, the Islamist political party backed by Iran and described by the US as a terrorist organization, firmly in control of Gaza, the administration is now attempting to bolster Abbas, who formed a new government in the West Bank following the Hamas takeover in Gaza.

No sooner had Bush, along with Israel and the European Union, pledged to resume the flow of hundreds of millions of dollars in financial aid to the beleaguered PA, than neo-conservative commentators and some Congressmen criticised Washington’s public support of Fatah’s “moderate” Palestinian government and demanded that rigid conditions be placed on any aid sent to the Palestinian territories.

“The administration should condition aid to the Abbas government on his promoting reform,” wrote Republican Congressman Eric Cantor in an op-ed in the National Review Online. “Fatah must offer Palestinians something better than the engine of corruption and anti-Israel vitriol it has always been.”

“We have no choice but to support him. But before we give him the moon, we should insist upon reasonable benchmarks of both moderation and good governance — exactly what we failed to do in the Oslo process,” wrote columnist Charles Krauthammer in the Washington Post.

Hidden between the lines is the belief among neo-conservatives that there is no Palestinian “partner” for peace, that Fatah isn’t the answer, and that there is no near-term solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, a position that bolsters the interventionist policies that have taken root within the neoconservative camp.

“The Palestinians are a backward people, indoctrinated toward brutality. They don’t rate a sovereign state or anyone’s help until they civilise themselves,” wrote Andrew C. McCarthy of the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, in the National Review Online.

“We are enabling their hatred when we provide support without insisting that the Palestinian people — not just Abbas and Fatah, but the people — convincingly foreswear revolution, terrorism, violence, ethnic-cleansing, and the goal of eliminating Israel.”

While Bush’s embrace of Abbas’ emergency government appears to signal a dramatic shift in US foreign policy, neo-conservatives need not worry about just how much U.S. money will go to prop up the troubled Palestinian leadership. Even before Hamas swept the January 2006 Palestinian elections, US aid to the PA was heavily monitored, barred, and restricted by Congress, and it does not appear that Bush’s most recent overtures will translate into significant disbursement of funds.

“The whole business of putting onerous conditions on Palestinians has created the disaster that is occurring today. Equally absurd is the idea that the neo-cons are jumping for joy over the idea that there will not be a Palestinian state,” said M.J. Rosenberg, director of policy analysis for the dovish Israel Policy Forum (IPF).

“[Neo-conservatives’] goal is the destruction of the idea of a Palestinian state, and it’s as ridiculous and offensive as it was the first twenty or thirty years when the Arab leaders were saying Israel was an artificial construction that could just disappear,” he said.

When Abbas came to power after the death of Yasser Arafat in 2004, Congress imposed strict limitations on funds for the Palestinians and demanded that the administration provide detailed reports regarding every dollar spent in the Palestinian territories.

What little economic support the US does provide to the Palestinian territories is channeled through international aid organisations, such as USAID and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

“As we’ve seen in the past, Congress is more sacred than the Pope and places conditions that are far more rigorous,” said Ori Nir, communications director of Americans for Peace Now, a Zionist pro-peace group.

Israel has also withheld between 500 million and 600 million dollars from the Palestinian government since Hamas won Palestinian parliamentary elections in January 2006. Under a 1994 economic pact, Israel collects income tax from Palestinians who work in Israel and customs levied from Palestinian goods that come through the borders.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced that Israel would disburse 350 million dollars immediately, with the assurance from Abbas’s government that the funds will not fall into the hands of Hamas. Israel froze those transfers once Hamas came to power.

“We need to see a new situation with the Palestinians as an opportunity which will lead eventually to talks on forming a Palestinian state,” said Olmert at a press briefing following his Tuesday meeting at the White House. “We need to strengthen the financial situation in the Palestinian Authority and to create opportunities for cooperation.”

When asked if pro-Israel lobby groups were in the process of promoting legislation aimed at severely restricting the flow of aid to Abbas’s newly formed government, Josh Block, spokesman for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, acknowledged that, at least temporarily, there was a general climate of opportunity to support Abbas.

“We’d like to see [the PA] succeed, but we have to make sure that American taxpayer money goes to the right place, under common sense conditions — auditing, accounting transparency,” said Block. “That kind of accountability is what we would expect from anybody everywhere.”

Other critics argue that while Bush’s public support of Abbas and the “two-state solution” is a positive step that reflects the realist vision of Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, but it is too little too late.

“It’s better than nothing. It’s half of a good idea,” said Rosenberg. “It would have been a great idea if they would have done it when it mattered.”

The trial of one of the most highly respected leaders of the Muslim community resumed today in the District Court of Jerusalem. The man on trial is Sheikh Taysis Tamimi, who happens to also be the Chief Palestinian Justice. He is charged for ‘daring’ to pray at Al Aqsa Mosque without first obtaining a permit from the Israeli authorities.

The lawyer representing him, Azmi Masalha, argued that his visits to the Mosque were during the Holy Month of Ramadan, a time when all Muslims are permitted to go to Al Aqsa WITHOUT a permit.

The time period that the Sheikh attended prayers coincided with demonstrations against ongoing excavations in the Mosque’s compound. It is assumed by the authorities that he was there to lead those demonstrations.

The lawyer also argued that the Eastern Part of Jerusalem has been illegally annexed by the City of Jerusalem since 1967 and under International Law Israel has no jurisdiction there.

In a short statement, the Sheikh himself said, “There is no force on earth that can prevent me from returning to Al Aqsa Mosque or take away my right to enter Jerusalem.”

Sheikh Tamimi is one of the most influential and respected leaders in the Muslim community here. Aside from being Chief Justice, he is the Iman and Preacher of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. He is also an active member of the Jerusalem District Interfaith Council and has the respect of local Jewish and Christian Clergy in the area. He is seen here in the photo sitting with the late Pope during his visit to Jerusalem, and the Former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Israel Meyer Lau.

The trial was attended by International Observers from the United States and the European Union. A representative of the Executive Office of the President (Bush) was among the observers.
That fact makes it interesting with the present situation of the US (and Israel) backing the new Palestinian ‘government’….
It will be interesting to see what Israels position on the status of East Jerusalem will be after this trial is completed….
As mentioned in my previous post, we are in a ‘wait and see’ situation. Let’s wait and see!

Image of Peace In The Desert designed by Peter Amsel

It seems my post of two days ago about Hatred in the Torah sparked quite a discussion….
In all fairness to those engaged in seeking a peaceful solution to the world’s conflicts, there are other views which show the ‘other side of the coin’…. How religion teaches peace and love…

From the Jewish perspective we have THIS article . It’s a good read and delves into the teachings of peace in the Torah. Hatred is a creation of mankind…. not sanctioned by Holy Books…. read and enjoy…. SHALOM!

The Koran also teaches us that war represents an “unwanted obligation” which has to be absolutely carried out with strict observance of particular humane and moral values and resorted only when it is inevitable. Those that carry out terrorist acts in the name of Islam do it only to destroy it. Read the passages in THIS article to see why the Koran is a Book of Peace….SALAAM!

From the New Testament we learn that Jesus was truly a ‘Prince of Peace’. His teachings show us the way to love and peace more than anything else. An essay about that can be read HERE. See for yourself that Christianity itself is not the enemy either …. PEACE!

It is not the Holy Books mentioned above that are to blame for the mess we are in as is so often heard. It is the governments that act ‘in the name’ of those Books that are responsible. Don’t blame God for the situation today…. it’s all man made.

Image by Carlos Latuff
Now THIS is frightening news….. very frightening. The ‘judgment’ of the Israeli soldiers on who to shoot is bad enough…. now robots will be put in their place?

Will a robot be able to determine if it is a ‘terrorist’ or a young child approaching the fence? The soldiers obviously do not know the difference, will a robot?

Now in final stages of operational testing, the “See-Shoot” system will add weapons to the network of overlapping sensors already deployed along the approximately 60-kilometer border separating Israel from the Palestinian coastal territory. See-Shoot embodies the IDF’s goal of waging no-signature warfare along its border areas. It obviates the need to dispatch infantry to intercept intruders or to respond to probing maneuvers by enemy squads.

THIS MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO GO INTO EFFECT!!!

To Robin

Cindy Sheehan is, in true Talmudic terms, a Woman of Valor*. A woman whose dedication to peace cannot be questioned. A woman who paid a price for her principles.
Yet, when she ‘dared’ to respond to critics she was attacked in a way that is unforgivable. When the ‘right’ attacks such a woman it is expected, when the ‘left’ does, it is unforgivable. Look at what she did, look at what she sacrificed, open your eyes and minds and hearts and really look.

Think before you condemn, think of what this woman did for the nation, what she will continue to do. Listen to THIS interview that was done yesterday on NOW at PBS.. “We’ll Come Back Stronger” …. excerpts can be read HERE.

Cindy was not alone in this struggle as can be seen in this poem written by her younger daughter 3 years ago… as the old expression goes’ read it and weep’….

~ A Nation Rocked To Sleep/For Casey
By Carly Sheehan (Casey Sheehan’s younger sister)

Have you ever heard the sound of a mother screaming for her son?
The torrential rains of a mother’s weeping will never be done.
They call him a hero, you should be glad he’s one, but,
Have you ever heard the sound of a mother screaming for her son?

Have you ever heard the sound of a father holding back his cries?
They say he must be brave because his boy died for another mans lies.
The only thing he allows himself are long, deep sighs.
Have you ever heard the sound of a father holding back his cries?

Have you ever heard the sound of taps played at your brother’s grave?
They say he died so the flag will continue to wave,
But I believe he died because they had oil to save.
Have you ever heard the sound of taps played at your brother’s grave?

Have you ever heard the sound of a Nation Rocked to Sleep?
The leaders want to keep you numb so the pain won’t be so deep,
But if we the people let them continue, another mother will weep.
Have you ever heard the sound of a Nation Rocked to Sleep?

~ A Nation Rocked To Sleep/For Casey
By Carly Sheehan
Copyrighted 2004

Walk a mile in this great woman’s shoes before you speak badly of her. Think of your own sons and daughters, then realise what she lost. Show compassion before you condemn.

*A Woman of Valor (traditional hymn sung every Friday evening in Jewish households)

Eshet chayil mi yimtza v’rachok mip’ninim michrah
An accomplished woman, who can find? Her value is far beyond pearls.

Batach bah lev ba’lah v’shalal lo yechsar
Her husband’s heart relies on her and he shall lack no fortune.

G’malathu tov v’lo ra kol y’mei chayeiha
She does him good and not evil, all the days of her life.

Darshah tzemer ufishtim vata’as b’chefetz kapeiha
She seeks wool and flax, and works with her hands willingly.

Haitah ko’oniyot socher mimerchak tavi lachmah
She is like the merchant ships, she brings her bread from afar.

Vatakom b’od lailah vatiten teref l’vetah v’chok l’na’aroteiha
She arises while it is still night, and gives food to her household and a portion to her maidservants.

Zam’mah sadeh vatikachehu mip’ri chapeiha nat’ah karem
She plans for a field, and buys it. With the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

Chagrah v’oz motneiha vat’ametz zro’oteiha
She girds her loins in strength, and makes her arms strong.

Ta’amah ki tov sachrah lo yichbeh balailah nerah
She knows that her merchandise is good. Her candle does not go out at night.

Yadeha shilchah vakishor v’chapeiha tamchu felech
She sets her hands to the distaff, and holds the spindle in her hands.

Kapah parsah le’ani v’yadeiha shil’chah la’evyon
She extends her hands to the poor, and reaches out her hand to the needy.

Lo tira l’vetah mishaleg ki chol betah lavush shanim
She fears not for her household because of snow, because her whole household is warmly dressed.

Marvadim astah lah shesh v’argaman l’vushah
She makes covers for herself, her clothing is fine linen and purple.

Noda bash’arim ba’lah b’shivto im ziknei aretz
Her husband is known at the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.

Sadin astah vatimkor vachagor natnah lak’na’ani
She makes a cloak and sells it, and she delivers aprons to the merchant.

Oz v’hadar l’vushah vatischak l’yom acharon
Strength and honor are her clothing, she smiles at the future.

Piha patchah v’chochma v’torat chesed al l’shonah
She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the lesson of kindness is on her tongue.

Tzofi’ah halichot betah v’lechem atzlut lo tochel
She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Kamu vaneha vay’ash’ruha ba’lah vay’hal’lah
Her children rise and praise her, her husband lauds her.

Rabot banot asu chayil v’at alit al kulanah
Many women have done worthily, but you surpass them all.

Sheker hachen v’hevel hayofi ishah yir’at Hashem hi tit’halal
Charm is deceptive and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears God shall be praised.

T’nu lah mip’ri yadeiha vihal’luha vash’arim ma’aseha
Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.